Electronic adjustment is one of the most commonly used strategies to improve the catalytic performance of heterogeneous catalysts. We prepared hexagonal ultrathin Pd nanosheets with edges modified by gold nanoparticles (Au@Pd nanosheets) using galvanic replacement method. By virtue of the electronic interactions between the Pd nanosheets and Au nanoparticles, the Au@Pd nanosheets exhibited excellent catalytic performances in the carbonylation of iodobenzene by carbon monoxide. The novel nanocomposites could be applied as model catalysts to explore electronic effects in catalysis.
We demonstrate an easy and scalable low-temperature process to convert porous ternary complex metal oxide nanoparticles from solution-synthesized core/shell metal oxide nanoparticles by thermal annealing. The final products demonstrate superior electrochemical properties with a large capacity and high stability during fast charging/discharging cycles for potential applications as advanced lithium-ion battery (LIB) electrode materials. In addition, a new breakdown mechanism was observed on these novel electrode materials.
Immunotherapy is a promising strategy to inhibit cancer progression via activation of the immune system. In immunotherapy, adjuvants as immunologic stimulants or delivery systems play a critical role in inducing the antitumor immune response and decreasing the side effects of immune stimulants. Polymer nanoparticles have attracted increasing attention as an indispensable component of immunotherapy, owing to their favorable properties, such as excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability, flexible size, high activity as immune stimulants, large surface area for binding multivalent immune ligands, and high loading capacity for immune-related components. In cancer immunotherapy, polymer nanoparticles can protect cargo from the surrounding milieu, deliver the antigens and immunostimulatory molecules to antigen-presenting cells, or stimulate robust T cell response. This review summarizes the current advancements in polymer nanoparticle adjuvants for cancer immunotherapy and predicts their prospects in fundamental and clinical studies.
Bacterial infection has continued to be a leading cause of death or disability worldwide because of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic agents specific to certain taxa of bacteria, i.e., narrow-spectrum antibiotics, have become useful because they can kill bacteria without resulting in broad-spectrum drug resistance. In this study, we describe a series of antibiotics based on combining gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with aminosaccharides, even though these AuNPs or aminosaccharides by themselves are ineffective against any bacteria. The AuNP-based multivalent aminosaccharides can effectively and selectively inhibit the growth of Gram-positive bacteria (including drug-resistant superbacteria). In particular, aminosaccharide-modified AuNPs are effective against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a particularly hard-to-treat strain. This report carves out a way to explore antibiotics by combining AuNPs and an aminosaccharide as multivalent nanostructures, neither of which by itself is effective as an antibiotic.
Collaborative enhancements from surface plasmons (SPs) and whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) can induce intense near-field effects with high spatial localization around the surface of a semiconducting material. One can construct a highly efficient hybrid microcavity using semiconducting materials through resonant coupling between SPs and WGMs. Hexagonal ZnO micro-/nanostructures, which have been employed as natural WGM microcavities for ultraviolet (UV) lasing, can be used as ideal platforms to construct such hybrid microcavities. Here, we comprehensively review the recent efforts for improving lasing performance by resonant coupling between SPs and WGMs. Traditional SPs originating from various metals as well as novel SPs originating from atomic layers such as graphene are considered. Moreover, we discuss the mechanism of light-matter interactions beyond the improvements in lasing performance.
Bottom-up synthesis of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) by surface-assisted polymerization and cyclodehydrogenation of specifically designed precursor monomers has been shown to yield precise edges and doping. Here we use a precursor monomer containing sulfur atoms to fabricate nanostructures on a Au(111) surface at different annealing temperatures. The nanostructures have distinct configurations, varying from sulfur-doped polymers to sulfur-doped chevron-type GNRs (CGNRs) and, finally, pristine graphene nanoribbons with specific edges of periodic five-member carbon rings. Non-contact atomic force microscopy provides clear evidence for the cleavage of C–S bonds and formation of pristine CGNRs at elevated annealing temperatures. First-principles calculations show that the CGNRs exhibit negative differential resistance.
A triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and an electromagnetic generator (EMG) were hybridized to harvest the human mechanical energy. By an effective conjunction of triboelectrification and electromagnetic induction, the hybridized nanogenerator with a radius of 2 cm and height of 1.2 cm could charge a 1,000 μF capacitor to 5.09 V after 100 cycles of vibration. This mini-sized hybrid nanogenerator could then be embedded in shoes to serve as an energy cell. Typical outdoor applications—including driving with a Global Positioning System (GPS) device, charging a Li-ion battery and a cell phone—were successfully demonstrated, suggesting its potential application in smart wearable electronics and future suits of soldiers.
Developing highly efficient and durable catalysts for future electrochemical and energy applications is one of the main subjects of current studies in renewable energy generation. In the past several years, researchers have developed Pt-based alloy electrocatalyst nanomaterials that exhibit promising electrocatalytic properties for various electrochemical applications. The efficient structural and morphological control of Pt-based alloy materials plays a decisive role in achieving these enhanced electrocatalytic properties. The present review article emphasizes the recent progress and important developments in the synthesis and electrocatalytic applications of Pt-group-based nanodendrite materials. The following review will help the exploration and development of better catalysts for practical applications and aims to elucidate the nanodendrite structure of Pt-group metals.
Coordination polymer particles (CPPs) with a high degree of porosity and multi-functional reaction sites are promising for diverse applications. The integration of open sites favorable for the post-modification of CPPs presents a unique opportunity for the rational design of inorganic materials with target-oriented functions. Herein, we report a shape-controllable synthetic protocol for zinc-based coordination polymer nanocubes (Zn-CPNs). In the synthesis, 2,6-bis[(4-carboxyanilino)carbonyl] pyridine ([N3]) ligand is employed as an efficient shape-directing modulator to control the size and shape of Zn-CPNs. More importantly, the [N3] ligand provides metal binding sites suitable for the decoration of other functional metals such as copper ions. The copper-modified Zn-CPNs (Cu_Zn-CPNs) show good activities in a heterogeneous catalytic reaction.
Sandwich structured graphene-wrapped FeS-graphene nanoribbons (G@FeS-GNRs) were developed. In this composite, FeS nanoparticles were sandwiched between graphene and graphene nanoribbons. When used as anodes in lithium ion batteries (LIBs), the G@FeS-GNR composite demonstrated an outstanding electrochemical performance. This composite showed high reversible capacity, good rate performance, and enhanced cycling stability owing to the synergy between the electrically conductive graphene, graphene nanoribbons, and FeS. The design concept developed here opens up a new avenue for constructing anodes with improved electrochemical stability for LIBs.
A diverse range of remarkable boron nitride (BN) nanostructures subsuming nano-horns, nano-rods, nano-platelets, and clusters of hollow nanospheres (nano-onions, arguably of greatest applied and fundamental interest) have been produced exclusively from crystalline BN precursor powder via lamp ablation. The procedure is safe, devoid of toxic reagents, simple, rapid and scalable—generating some genres of nanoparticles that had previously proved elusive. Product structure and composition were unambiguously assessed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy.
The magnetic strength and versatility of heterostructures generated via a simple microemulsion cluster-formation technique is demonstrated. This approach allows optimization of individual component magnetic nanoparticles prior to heterostructuring, expediting the discovery and optimization of hybrid magnetic materials. The efficacy of this method is validated through a magnetic study of nanoparticle clusters combining antiferromagnetic CoO and superparamagnetic CoFe2O4 nanoparticles with tunable particle ratio and size. An enhancement of coercivity compared with pure CoFe2O4 nanoparticles indicates that close interparticle contacts are achieved. Upon annealing, an exchange bias field of 0.32 T was observed—over twice that achieved in any other colloidally-synthesized system. Additionally, the unique microstructure is defined during cluster formation and thus protects magnetic coercivity during the annealing process. Overall, this work demonstrates a general approach for quickly exploring magnetic parameter space, designing interparticle functionality, and working towards the construction of high-value bulk magnets with low materials and processing cost.
While metal nanoparticles(NPs)have shown great promising applications as heterogeneous catalysts,their agglomeration caused by thermodynamic instability is detrimental to the catalytic performance.To tackle this hurdle,we successfully prepared a functional and stable porphyrinic metal-organic framework(MOF),PCN-224-RT,as a host for encapsulating metal nanoparticles by direct stirring at room temperature.As a result,Pt@PCN-224-RT composites with well-dispersed Pt NPs can be constructed by introducing pre-synthesized Pt NPs into the precursor solution of PCN-224-RT.Of note,the rapid and simple stirring method in this work is more in line with the requirements of environmental friendly and industrialization compared with traditional solvothermal methods. 相似文献
In this study, a potentially universal new strategy is reported for the large-scale, low-cost fabrication of visible-light-active highly ordered heteronanostructures based on the spontaneous photoelectric-field-enhancement effect inherent in pyramidal morphology. The hierarchical vertically oriented arrayed structures comprise an active molecular co-catalyst at the apex of a visible-light-active large band gap semiconductor for low-cost solar water splitting in a neutral aqueous medium without the use of a sacrificial agent.
We report a rationally designed one-pot method for the facile synthesis of Pd concave nanocubes in an aqueous solution at room temperature by manipulating the reduction kinetics through the selection of a proper combination of a salt precursor (PdBr42–) and reductant (sodium ascorbate). Our kinetic analysis demonstrates that, through this selection, the nucleation and growth of Pd nanocrystals could be effectively separated into two kinetic regimes involving distinctive reduction pathways: i) solution reduction for the initial formation of single-crystal seeds and ii) surface reduction for the formation of concave nanocrystals via autocatalytic growth from the single-crystal seeds. The suppressed surface diffusion at room temperature, when coupled with the capping effect of bromide ions, ultimately leads to the formation of concave nanocubes with an asymmetric shape and high-index facets, whose synthesis would otherwise require multiple steps and the use of elevated temperatures.
Profiling of the electrical properties of nanowires (NWs) and NW heterocontacts with high spatial resolution is a challenge for any application and advanced NW device development. For appropriate NW analysis, we have established a four-point prober, which is combined in vacuo with a state-of-the-art vapor-liquid-solid preparation, enabling contamination-free NW characterization with high spatial resolution. With this ultrahigh-vacuum-based multi-tip scanning tunneling microscopy (MT-STM), we obtained the resistance and doping profiles of freestanding NWs, along with surface-sensitive information. Our in-system 4-probe STM approach decreased the detection limit for low dopant concentrations to the depleted case in upright standing NWs, while increasing the spatial resolution and considering radial depletion regions, which may originate from surface changes. Accordingly, the surface potential of oxide-free GaAs NW {112} facets has been estimated to be lower than 20 mV, indicating a NW surface with very low surface state density.
Two-dimensional (2D) ultrathin SiC has received intense attention due to its broad band gap and resistance to large mechanical deformation and external chemical corrosion. However, the synthesis and application of ultrasmall 2D SiC quantum dots (QDs) has not been explored. Herein, we synthesize a type of monolayered 2D SiC QDs with advanced photoluminescence (PL) properties via a facile hydrothermal route. Their average size and thickness can be easily adjusted by altering the reaction time. The ultrasmall 2D SiC QDs exhibit a long fluorescence lifetime of 2.59 μs due to efficient quantum confinement. The applications of SiC QDs are demonstrated through labeling A549, HeLa, and NHDF cells and delivering agents for intracellular low-abundant microRNA (miRNA) detection. This advance in preparing photoluminescent SiC QDs is of great significance for broadening their potential in biomedical and optical applications.
For the first time, chitin microspheres woven from nanowires with multi-scale porous structures were used as an excellent support for a catalyst of ultra-small Pd clusters. The Pd species anchored on the precursor Pre-Pd@chitin were 0.6 nm in average size, while the reduced catalyst Red-Pd@chitin featured ultra-small particles of 1.3 nm in average size. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrated that the Pd catalyst in both oxidative and reductive states retained good dispersity and ultra-small clusters. The catalyst was tested for the hydrogenation of p-nitroanisole, exhibiting an excellent initial rate (13× that of commercial Pd/C)and excellent turnover frequency reaching 52,000 h?1. Furthermore, the catalyst could be recycled and used more than 10 times with no decay of the catalytic activity, suggesting potential industrial applications.
Two-dimensional (2D) materials and their heterostructures, with wafer-scale synthesis methods and fascinating properties, have attracted significant interest and triggered revolutions in corresponding device applications. However, facile methods to realize accurate, intelligent, and large-area characterizations of these 2D nanostructures are still highly desired. Herein, we report the successful application of machine-learning strategy in the optical identification of 2D nanostructures. The machine-learning optical identification (MOI) method endows optical microscopy with intelligent insight into the characteristic color information of 2D nanostructures in the optical photograph. The experimental results indicate that the MOI method enables accurate, intelligent, and large-area characterizations of graphene, molybdenum disulfide, and their heterostructures, including identifications of the thickness, existence of impurities, and even stacking order. With the convergence of artificial intelligence and nanoscience, this intelligent identification method can certainly promote fundamental research and wafer-scale device applications of 2D nanostructures.
Electronic properties of stanene, the Sn counterpart of graphene are theoretically studied using first-principles simulations. The topological to trivial insulating phase transition induced by an out-of-plane electric field or by quantum confinement effects is predicted. The results highlight the potential to use stanene nanoribbons in gate-voltage controlled dissipationless spin-based devices and are used to set the minimal nanoribbon width for such devices, which is typically approximately 5 nm.
