Synthesis of size-controlled CoMn2O4 quantum dots supported on carbon nanotubes for electrocatalytic oxygen reduction/evolution

A combined hot-injection and heat-up method was developed to synthesize monodisperse and uniform CoMn2O4 quantum dots (CMO QDs).CMO QDs with average size of 2.0,3.9,and 5.4 nm were selectively obtained at 80,90,and 105 ℃,respectively.The CMO QDs supported on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were employed as catalysts for the oxygen reduction/evolution reaction (ORR/OER) in alkaline solution to investigate their size-performance relationship.The results revealed that the amount of surface-adsorbed oxygen and the band gap energy,which affect the charge transfer in the oxygen electrocatalysis processes,strongly depend on the size of the CMO QDs.The CMO-3.9/CNT hybrid,consisting of CNT-supported CMO QDs of 3.9 nm size,possesses a moderate amount of surfaceadsorbed oxygen,a lower band gap energy,and a larger charge carrier concentration,and exhibits the highest electrocatalytic activity among the hybrid materials investigated.Moreover,the CMO-3.9/CNT hybrid displays ORR and OER performances similar to those of the benchmark Pt/C and RuO2 catalysts,respectively,due to the strong carbon-oxide interactions and the high dispersion of CoMn2O4 QDs on the carbon substrate;this reveals the huge potential of the CMO-3.9/CNT hybrid as a bifunctional OER/ORR electrocatalyst.The present results highlight the importance of controlling the size of metal oxide nanodots in the design of active oxygen electrocatalysts based on spinel-type,nonprecious metal oxides.     

Interface evolution in the platelet-like SiC@C and SiC@SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> monocrystal nanocapsules

Carbon-coated SiC@C nanocapsules (NCs) with a hexagonal platelet-like morphology were fabricated by a simple direct current (DC) arc-discharge plasma method.The SiC@C NCs were monocrystalline,120-150 nm in size,and approximately 50 nm thick.The formation of the as-prepared SiC@C NCs included nucleation of truncated octahedral SiC seeds and subsequent anisotropic growth of the seeds into hexagonal nanoplatelets in a carbon-rich atmosphere.The disordered carbon layers on the SiC@C NCs were converted into SiO2 shells of SiC@SiO2 NCs by heat treatment at 650 ℃ in air,during which the shape and inherent characteristics of the crystalline SiC core were obtained.The interface evolution from carbon to SiO2 shells endowed the SiC@SiO2 NCs with enhanced photocatalytic activity due to the hydrophilic and transparent nature of the SiO2 shell,as well as to the photosensitive SiC nanocrystals.The band gap of the nanostructured SiC core was determined to be 2.70 eV.The SiC@SiO2 NCs degraded approximately 95％ of methylene blue in 160 min under visible light irradiation.     

Drug self-assembly: A phenomenon at the nanometer scale with major impact in the structure–biological properties relationship and the treatment of disease

Under water-rich conditions, small amphiphilic and hydrophobic drug molecules self-assemble into supramolecular nanostructures. Thus, substantial modifications in their interaction with cellular structures and the ability to reach intracellular targets could happen. Additionally, drug aggregates could be more toxic than the non-aggregated counterparts, or vice versa. Moreover, since self-aggregation reduces the number of effective “monomeric” molecules that interact with the target, the drug potency could be underestimated. In other cases, the activity could be ascribed to the non-aggregated molecule while it stems from its aggregates. Thus, drug self-assembly could mislead from drug throughput screening assays to advanced preclinical and clinical trials. Finally, aggregates could serve as crystallization nuclei. The impact that this phenomenon has on the biological performance of active compounds, the inconsistent and often controversial nature of the published data and the need for recommendations/guidelines as preamble of more harmonized research protocols to characterize drug self-aggregation were main motivations for this review. First, the key molecular and environmental parameters governing drug self-aggregation, the main drug families for which this phenomenon and the methods used for its characterization are described. Then, promising nanotechnology platforms investigated to prevent/control it towards a more efficient drug development process are briefly discussed.     

Extension of optical properties of ZnO/SiO2 materials induced by incorporation of Au or NiO nanoparticles

Incorporating noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) and oxides has been proved to be an effective method to tune the optical properties of silica based materials. In this paper the optical and photocatalytic properties have been studied for ZnO/SiO₂ modified with Au or NiO nanoparticles. Changes in the optical properties of semiconductor ZnO particles have been observed due to the deposition of coloured Au and NiO nanoparticles by reducing the band gap energy and thus extending light absorption to visible domain. The excellent surface characteristics of NiO/ZnO/SiO₂ and Au/ZnO/SiO₂ favour the adsorption behaviour of these materials and limit the recombination of electron–holes pairs. Crystal Violet degradation under VIS light proved to have higher efficiency in the presence of Au/ZnO/SiO₂ (97%) than for NiO/ZnO/SiO₂ (60%).     

单层氧化石墨烯改性水性聚氨酯

采用一种新型高效的铁系强氧化剂成功制备出单层氧化石墨烯(GO),通过衰减全反射红外光谱、X射线衍射、拉曼光谱、原子力显微镜、场发射电子显微镜表征了这种单层GO的形态和性质。通过超声将GO分散于去离子水中,于水性聚氨酯(WPU)合成的乳化阶段共混制备出GO-WPU复合材料,测试了其拉伸性能、热学性能、疏水性的变化,同时利用透射电镜和场发射电子显微镜分别对乳液粒子形态与涂膜截面形貌进行了观察。结果表明,单层GO在乳化阶段的加入所制备的复合材料的拉伸强度得到了明显的改善,由原来的10 MPa增加到24 MPa,当GO质量分数为0.30%,复合聚氨酯的初始热分解温度(T_(d5))从245℃上升到272℃,同时,随着GO用量的逐步增加,复合膜的接触角则由70.3°提高到了95.2°从而实现了疏水性的改善。     

氧化镧/聚丙烯防X射线复合纤维的制备及性能表征

先采用熔融纺丝方法制备了不同氧化镧含量的氧化镧/聚丙烯复合纤维,然后采用对二甲苯在相同处理时间(1 h)不同温度(105~109℃)下溶解复合纤维中的部分聚丙烯基体以提高纤维中氧化镧含量,并对处理过后的纤维进行扫描电镜、X射线屏蔽性能等测试。此外,采用硅烷偶联剂改性氧化镧,通过熔融纺丝法制备了表面活性氧化镧/聚丙烯复合纤维,并对其作了差示扫描量热分析、扫描电镜、力学测试等性能表征。实验结果表明,随未改性氧化镧添加量增加,纤维力学性能下降,玻璃化转变温度向低温方向移动,纤维热稳定提高;有机改性可改善氧化镧在聚丙烯中的分散,提高纤维的力学性能,纤维玻璃化转变温度较纯聚丙烯纤维升高;用对二甲苯在107℃处理1h所获取的复合纤维中氧化镧含量最高,X射线屏蔽性能最优。     

氧化石墨烯复合材料的研究现状及进展

氧化石墨烯(Graphene Oxide,GO)以其独特的二维纳米片层结构、超大的比表面积和亲水极性界面,使其在功能复合材料领域有着广泛的应用和发展前景。本文综述了近年来GO复合材料在增强增韧、吸附分离、光催化及生物医药等方面的研究现状及进展,介绍了GO调控高分子材料及水泥基体形成规整有序的微观结构形貌而产生显著的增强增韧效果的机理,分析了GO复合材料在吸附、催化、生物医药等方面作用原理,指出了GO增强增韧复合材料、GO吸附复合材料和GO光催化复合材料的应用前景和发展趋势。     

温度对燃烧包覆LiMn2O4/ZnO及其电性能的影响

通过葡萄糖辅助低温燃烧制备ZnO包覆型LiMn2O4,利用X射线衍射仪、扫描电子显微镜、循环伏安、交流阻抗以及恒流充放电测试等手段,研究了温度对产物晶体结构、微观形貌及电化学性能的影响。XRD结果表明所有产物均为单相尖晶石型LiMn2O4结构。SEM结果表明产物的颗粒尺寸随温度的升高而增大。电化学性能测试表明400℃和500℃制备的LiMn2O4/ZnO具有相对优异的电化学性能,室温1C条件下首次放电比容量分别为119.3mAh/g、116.3mAh/g,循环100次后容量保持率分别85.6%、87.8%。尖晶石LiMn2O4电极的阻抗谱特征与温度有关,电池的电化学性能主要受电荷转移电阻(Rct)影响。