Fabricating Ir/C Nanofiber Networks as Free‐Standing Air Cathodes for Rechargeable Li‐CO2 Batteries

Li‐CO₂ batteries are promising energy storage systems by utilizing CO₂ at the same time, though there are still some critical barriers before its practical applications such as high charging overpotential and poor cycling stability. In this work, iridium/carbon nanofibers (Ir/CNFs) are prepared via electrospinning and subsequent heat treatment, and are used as cathode catalysts for rechargeable Li‐CO₂ batteries. Benefitting from the unique porous network structure and the high activity of ultrasmall Ir nanoparticles, Ir/CNFs exhibit excellent CO₂ reduction and evolution activities. The Li‐CO₂ batteries present extremely large discharge capacity, high coulombic efficiency, and long cycling life. Moreover, free‐standing Ir/CNF films are used directly as air cathodes to assemble Li‐CO₂ batteries, which show high energy density and ultralong operation time, demonstrating great potential for practical applications.     

Single Nanoparticle Magnetic Spin Memristor

There is an increasing demand for the development of a simple Si‐based universal memory device at the nanoscale that operates at high frequencies. Spin‐electronics (spintronics) can, in principle, increase the efficiency of devices and allow them to operate at high frequencies. A primary challenge for reducing the dimensions of spintronic devices is the requirement for high spin currents. To overcome this problem, a new approach is presented that uses helical chiral molecules exhibiting spin‐selective electron transport, which is called the chiral‐induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. Using the CISS effect, the active memory device is miniaturized for the first time from the micrometer scale to 30 nm in size, and this device presents memristor‐like nonlinear logic operation at low voltages under ambient conditions and room temperature. A single nanoparticle, along with Au contacts and chiral molecules, is sufficient to function as a memory device. A single ferromagnetic nanoplatelet is used as a fixed hard magnet combined with Au contacts in which the gold contacts act as soft magnets due to the adsorbed chiral molecules.     

Reproducible Enhancement of Fluorescence by Bimetal Mediated Surface Plasmon Coupled Emission for Highly Sensitive Quantitative Diagnosis of Double‐Stranded DNA

Plasmonic enhancement of fluorescence from SYBR Green I conjugated with a double‐stranded DNA (dsDNA) amplicon is demonstrated on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products. Theoretical computation leads to use of the bimetallic (Au 2 nm–Ag 50 nm) surface plasmons due to larger local fields (higher quality factors) than monometallic (Ag or Au) ones at both dye excitation and emission wavelengths simultaneously, optimizing fluorescence enhancement with surface plasmon coupled emission (SPCE). Two kinds of reverse Kretschmann configurations are used, which favor, in signal‐to‐noise ratio, a fluorescence assay that uses optically dense buffer such as blood plasma. The fluorescence enhancement (12.9 fold at maximum) with remarkably high reproducibility (coefficient of variation (CV) < 1%) is experimentally demonstrated. This facilitates credible quantitation of enhanced fluorescence, however unlikely to obtain by localized surface plasmons. The plasmon‐induced optical gain of 46 dB due to SPCE‐active dye molecules is also estimated. The fluorescence enhancement technologies with PCR enables LOD of the dsDNA template concentration of ≈400 fg µL^?1 (CV < 1%), the lowest ever reported in DNA fluorescence assay to date. SPCE also reduces photobleaching significantly. These technologies can be extended for a highly reproducible and sufficiently sensitive fluorescence assay with small volumes of analytes in multiplexed diagnostics.     

Nanoconfined Nickel@Carbon Core–Shell Cocatalyst Promoting Highly Efficient Visible‐Light Photocatalytic H2 Production

The realization of large‐scale solar hydrogen (H₂) production relies on the development of high‐performance and low‐cost photocatalysts driven by sunlight. Recently, cocatalysts have demonstrated immense potential in enhancing the activity and stability of photocatalysts. Hence, the rational design of highly active and inexpensive cocatalysts is of great significance. Here, a facile method is reported to synthesize Ni@C core–shell nanoparticles as a highly active cocatalyst. After merging Ni@C cocatalyst with CdS nanorod (NR), a tremendously enhanced visible‐light photocatalytic H₂‐production performance of 76.1 mmol g^?1 h^?1 is achieved, accompanied with an outstanding quantum efficiency of 31.2% at 420 nm. The state‐of‐art characterizations (e.g., synchrotron‐based X‐ray absorption near edge structure) and theoretical calculations strongly support the presence of pronounced nanoconfinement effect in Ni@C core–shell nanoparticles, which leads to controlled Ni core size, intimate interfacial contact and rapid charge transfer, optimized electronic structure, and protection against chemical corrosion. Hence, the combination of nanoconfined Ni@C with CdS nanorod leads to significantly improved photocatalytic activity and stability. This work not only for the first time demonstrates the great potential of using highly active and inexpensive Ni@C core–shell structure to replace expensive Pt in photocatalysis but also opens new avenues for synthesizing cocatalyst/photocatalyst hybridized systems with excellent performance by introducing nanoconfinement effect.     

High Areal Capacity Li‐Ion Storage of Binder‐Free Metal Vanadate/Carbon Hybrid Anode by Ion‐Exchange Reaction

Storing more energy in a limited device area is very challenging but crucial for the applications of flexible and wearable electronics. Metal vanadates have been regarded as a fascinating group of materials in many areas, especially in lithium‐ion storage. However, there has not been a versatile strategy to synthesize flexible metal vanadate hybrid nanostructures as binder‐free anodes for Li‐ion batteries so far. A convenient and versatile synthesis of M_xV_yO_x+2.5y@carbon cloth (M = Mn, Co, Ni, Cu) composites is proposed here based on a two‐step hydrothermal route. As‐synthesized products demonstrate hierarchical proliferous structure, ranging from nanoparticles (0D), and nanobelts (1D) to a 3D interconnected network. The metal vanadate/carbon hybrid nanostructures exhibit excellent lithium storage capability, with a high areal specific capacity up to 5.9 mAh cm^?2 (which equals to 1676.8 mAh g^?1) at a current density of 200 mA g^?1. Moreover, the nature of good flexibility, mixed valence states, and ultrahigh mass loading density (over 3.5 mg cm^?2) all guarantee their great potential in compact energy storage for future wearable devices and other related applications.     

Deformation of Mesoporous Titania Nanostructures in Contact with D2O Vapor

For many applications, mesoporous titania nanostructures are exposed to water or need to be backfilled via infiltration with an aqueous solution, which can cause deformations of the nanostructure by capillary forces. In this work, the degree of deformation caused by water infiltration in two types of mesoporous, nanostructured titania films exposed to water vapor is compared. The different types of nanostructured titania films are prepared via a polymer template assisted sol–gel synthesis in conjunction with a polymer‐template removal at high‐temperatures under ambient conditions versus nitrogen atmosphere. Information about surface and inner morphology is extracted by scanning electron microscopy and grazing incidence small‐angle neutron scattering (GISANS) measurements, respectively. Furthermore, complementary information on thin film composition and porosity are probed via X‐ray reflectivity. The backfilling induced deformation of near surface structures and structures inside the mesoporous titania films is determined by GISANS before and after D₂O infiltration. The respective atmosphere used for template removal influences the details of the titania nanostructure and strongly impacts the degree of water induced deformation. Drying of the films shows reversibility of the deformation.