Hydrogen sorption-desorption characteristics of mixed and composite NiTiN nanoparticles

Mixed and composite NiTiN nanoparticles were prepared by an active plasma-metal reaction method. Homogeneous distribution of spherical Ni and cubical TiN nanoparticles is observed for the mixed NiTiN nanoparticles. Dumbbell-like morphology is seen for the composite NiTiN nanoparticles. Good thermal stability of both nanoparticles is confirmed. Hydrogen sorption-desorption characteristics of the nanoparticles were examined by temperature-programmed desorption measurements. Hydrogen desorption at 620–680 K is observed for the composite NiTiN nanoparticles, that is considered to be due to the spillover hydrogen. Effect of CO coadsorption on the hydrogen desorption is also examined and new adsorption states are suggested.     

MoS<Subscript>2</Subscript> yolk–shell microspheres with a hierarchical porous structure for efficient hydrogen evolution

Yolk–shell architectures have attracted extensive attention owing to their unique structure and infusive applications. MoS₂ is regarded as one of the most promising catalytic materials for hydrogen evolution by the splitting of water. In this work, a simple self-template solvothermal approach is developed for the synthesis of novel MoS₂ yolk–shell microspheres with a hierarchical porous structure by reacting MoO₂ microspheres with L-cysteine. A dissolutionrecrystallization formation mechanism is proposed for the MoS₂ yolk–shell microspheres. Owing to structural superiority, the new material architecture exhibits improved photoelectrochemical properties, including efficient hydrogen evolution reaction catalytic activities, a high photocurrent density, a small overpotential, and a low charge-transfer resistance.

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In situ fabricated metal-carbide with core–shell structure for high impact-toughness iron-matrix composite

A series of metal-carbide (Ta–TaC, Nb–NbC and W–WC) with core–shell structure for iron-matrix composites are fabricated by in situ solid-phase diffusion. Results show that the formation of metal-carbide with a rod-shaped core–shell structure, in which the metal-rod surface was covered with a carbide shell layer, in the iron- matrix after in situ solid-phase diffusion. The TaC, NbC, and WC shell layers are in situ synthesised by the diffusion of carbon atoms from the iron-matrix onto the surface of the Ta, Nb, and W rods, respectively. Metallurgical integration occurs between metal-carbide and iron-matrix. The metal-carbide-reinforced iron-matrix composites show excellent impact resistance, and the shell-layer hardness is extremely high.     

Scalable and general synthesis of spinel manganese-based cathodes with hierarchical yolk–shell structure and superior lithium storage properties

Hierarchical yolk–shell structured cathodes with controllable composition are potentially attractive materials for the fabrication of lithium-ion batteries, but they are difficult to synthesize. In this work, we present a simple, scalable, and general morphology-inheritance strategy to synthesize spinel manganese cathodes with a hierarchical yolk–shell structure. Starting from uniform Mn carbonate spheres prepared by an ultrafast and scalable microwave-assisted method, we show that the subsequent sintering results in the formation of Mn₂O₃ precursors with a yolk–shell structure, which can be effectively transferred to spinel manganese cathodes via simple impregnation and solid-state reaction. Owing to the simple and scalable nature of the present strategy, materials prepared through this approach have great potential as cathodes of lithium-ion batteries, where they can lead to high specific capacity, outstanding cyclability, and superior rate capability. In particular, both LiMn₂O₄ and LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ with hierarchical yolk–shell structure achieved nearly theoretical capacity, without any apparent decay after 100 cycles at 1 C. Moreover, 80% of the initial discharge capacities of both samples can be maintained for up to 500 cycles at a high rate of 10 C.

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Fabrication of Cu@Ag core–shell nanoparticles for nonlinear optical applications

We report the preparation of the core–shell structured Cu@Ag nanoparticles by a simple wet chemical route at room temperature. The surface plasmon resonance band at 405 nm is indicative of the formation of Cu@Ag nanoparticles. The powder X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray analyses were carried out to elucidate the structure and chemical composition respectively. The morphological investigations made by electron microscopes revealed that the particles are spherical in shape with core–shell structures having size of about 50 nm. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was performed to elucidate surface state composition of the core–shell structured nanoparticles based on the binding energies and confirmed the formation of Cu@Ag core–shell nanoparticles. The enhanced non-linear optical response of the Cu@Ag core–shell nanoparticles was demonstrated by z-scan experiment using He–Ne laser. This report provides a simple, economical and practical technology to fabricate Cu@Ag core–shell nanoparticles with enhanced nonlinear optical properties.     

Anatase–CMK-3 nanocomposite development for hydrogen uptake and storage

The nanometric carbon CMK-3 modified with TiO₂ in anatase phase was synthesized and applied to energy uptake and storage. TiO₂ nanoclusters are important for hydrogen energy harvesting. The creation of porous structures or large surface with TiO₂ nanoclusters inside can potentially face the challenge of improving their efficiency. In the present work, we report the synthesis and characterization of TiO₂–CMK-3 material assembled from anatase nanoparticles dispersed in the nanometric carbon CMK-3. The resulting nanocomposite was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and N₂ adsorption–desorption analysis. The newly synthesized hybrid composites exhibited significantly enhanced H₂ storage, in which CMK-3-ordered porous carbon modified with anatase nanoclusters proved to be a material for hydrogen uptake. The nanoparticles of anatase (～5 nm) incorporated onto CMK-3 showed higher hydrogen uptake at low and high pressures (2.9 wt% of H₂ sorption at 10 bar and 77 K) than CMK-3. The approach includes a discussion of H₂ adsorption process and storage properties.     

General synthesis of high-performing magneto-conjugated polymer core–shell nanoparticles for multifunctional theranostics

Recently,increasing attention has been paid to magneto-conjugated polymer core-shell nanopartides (NPs) as theranostic platforms.However,the utilization of surfactants and extra oxidizing agents with potential toxidty in synthesis,the lack of general methods for the controlled synthesis of various kinds of magnetic NP (MNP)@conjugated polymer NPs,and the difficulty of obtaining balanced magneto-optical properties have greatly limited the applications of magneto-conjugated polymers in theranostics.We developed an in situ surface polymerization method free of extra surfactants and oxidizing agents to synthesize MNP@polypyrrole (PPy) NPs with balanced,prominent magneto-optical properties.MNP@PPy NPs with an adjustable size,different shapes,and a controlled shell thickness were obtained using this method.The method was extended to synthesize other MNP-conjugated polymer core-shell NPs,such as MNP@polyaniline and MNP@poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS).We discuss the formation mechanism of the proposed method according to our experimental results.Finally,using the optical and magnetic properties of the obtained MNP@PEDOT:PSS NPs,in vivo multimodal imaging-guided hyperthermia was induced in mice,achieving an excellent tumor-ablation therapeutic effect.Our work is beneficial for extending the application of MNP-conjugated polymer core-shell NPs in the biomedical field.     

Preparation of polystyrene–polyisoprene core–shell nanoparticles for reinforcement of elastomers

Latex-formed core–shell nanoparticles composed of cross-linked polystyrene (PS) core and polyisoprene (PI) shell were successfully synthesized by means of a two-stage emulsion polymerization. The PS core possessed a Z-average diameter of 50.3 nm, and the PS–PI particles took a spherical shape with a Z-average size of 50–70 nm in diameter. Shell thickness was controlled by varying isoprene loading. Necessary interphase interactions between the core and shell domains were also achieved by grafting and swelling polymerization. Latex compounding method was employed to prepare the filled elastomer compounds. As expected, the PS–PI core–shell nanoparticles exhibited excellent reinforcement to elastomeric matrix, enhancing the tensile strength of the styrene–butadiene rubber by approximately 400%. The lower density, better interfacial interactions, and latex compounding process would benefit the PS–PI nanoparticles reinforced elastomer nanocomposites in energy saving.     

Facile method to synthesise polystyrene/silver composite nanoparticles with core–shell structures

We report a facile method for the fabrication of polystyrene/silver composite nanoparticles with core–shell nanostructures. First, polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles with carboxyl acid groups on their surfaces were prepared via the dispersion polymerisation of styrene in water with the assistance of acrylic acid. Second, with the addition of [Ag(NH₃)₂]⁺ to the PS dispersion, [Ag(NH₃)₂]⁺ was absorbed onto the surfaces of the modified PS nanoparticles. Finally, the [Ag(NH₃)₂]⁺ complex ions were reduced to Ag to form the PS/Ag nanocomposites upon heating. The resulting PS/Ag composite nanoparticles were characterized via scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering.     

Nanocrystalline Si3N4 with Si–C–N shell structure

Nanocrystalline Si₃N₄ with an amorphous Si–C–N shell structure was synthesized by mechanically activating Si₃N₄ and graphite powder in argon atmosphere at room temperature. Twenty hours of mechanical activation resulted in occurrence of CN bond, which can be identified using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR). When the mechanical activation period was extended to 67 h and then to 90 h, the CN bond was further established. The formation of CN bond under the mechanical activation for 90 h was further confirmed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The thickness of Si–C–N shell is 5–7 nm as observed using high-resolution transmission electron microscope.     

Synthesis of water-compatible surface-imprinted composite microspheres with core–shell structure for selective recognition of thymopentin from aqueous solution

A novel water-compatible surface-imprinted core–shell microsphere, which had multiple non–covalent interactions with template molecule, was successfully prepared by the surface grafting polymerization method in acetonitrile–water systems with thymopentin as template through ionic liquid-functionalized polyethyleneglycolmethacrylate-co-vinylimidazole microsphere as the matrix. The average diameter of matrix was 1 μm ± 20 nm and the thickness of imprinted layer was about 50 nm. The results of static adsorption experiments indicated that ionic liquid-functionalized molecularly imprinted microspheres showed the good adsorption capacity and specific recognition for template peptide. The binding-isotherm analysis showed that Langmuir isotherm models gave a good fit in the range of concentrations, suggesting that there was only one kind of binding site in imprinted layer. Measurements of the binding kinetics revealed that surface-imprinted composite microspheres reached peptide-adsorption equilibrium in 60 min and the maximum adsorption capacity for TP5 was 38.4 mg g^?1. The effects of pH, salt concentration, and temperature on the adsorption capacities were investigated. The microspheres were found to have a high specificity for TP5 with little affinity for BSA and Hb. Finally, the core–shell microspheres can be reused with only 15.6 % decrease in TP5 adsorption capacity after six times.     

Effect of Sm on hydrogen storage performance of La–Sm–Mg–Ni alloys

In this study, Sm was adopted in order to completely replace the expensive Pr/Nd elements in the A2B7 type alloy. The results indicate that Sm is a favourable element for forming Ce2Ni7 type and Ce5Co19 type phases. With the increasing amount of Sm, the discharge capacity of the alloy retains a value of 283·3 mAh g^?1 at the current density of 1200 mA g^?1. The maximum discharge capacity of the alloys increases with the increasing Sm content when Mg content is relatively low. By optimising the composition and processing technology, the cycle life the alloy enhances from 74 cycles to more than 540 cycles, and the maximum discharge capacity also increases from 300 to 355 mAh g^?1.     

N-GQDs modified core–shell structure ZnCdS/N-GQDs@ZnS for enhancing photoelectric properties

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - In this paper, core–shell quantum dots were successfully synthesized by condensation reflux at low temperatures using reduced...