Preparation and characterization of Ag(Au) bimetallic core–shell nanoparticles with new seed growth method

Ag(Au) bimetallic core–shell nanoparticles were prepared by a new seed growth method. Ascorbic acid was used to reduce the complex of HAuCl₄ and hexadecyltrimethylammoniumbromide (CTAB). This resulted in the forming of colorless Au(I) (AuCl₂⁻). It was used as the growth solution to prepare these bimetallic core–shell nanoparticles. These nanoparticles were characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed these nanoparticles exhibited core–shell shape and there was large amount of Ag in the shell. These nanoparticles could be produced in a few minutes without violent stirring and the method was easy and convenient compared with others. The effect of amount of AuCl₂⁻ on the shape of nanoparticles was also studied. Many small gold nanoparticles were formed on the surface of bimetallic core–shell nanoparticles in the presence of excess AuCl₂⁻. The mechanisms were also proposed to explain the process of colloidal preparation.     

Length dependence of coherent electron transportation in metal–alkanedithiol–metal and metal–alkanemonothiol–metal junctions

We have applied the elastic-scattering Green’s function theory to study the coherent electron transportation processes in both metal–alkanedithiol–metal (gold–[S(CH₂)_nS]–gold, n = 8–14) and metal–alkanemonothiol–metal (gold–[H(CH₂)_nS]–gold, n = 8–14) at the hybrid density functional theory level. It is shown that the current decreases exponentially with the molecular length. At the low temperature limit the electron decay rate, β, for alkanedithiol junction is found to be around 0.30/CH₂ at 1.0 V bias, much smaller than the calculated value of 0.60/CH₂ for alkanemonothiol junction. The decay rate for alkanedithiol junction at the room temperature is neither sensitive to the activation of the Au–S stretching vibrational mode nor to the external bias. The calculated current–voltage characteristics and decay rates for both junctions are in excellent agreement with the corresponding experimental results.     

脉冲沉积制备Cu_2O/TiO_2纳米管异质结的可见光光催化性能

在用阳极氧化法制备有序排列TiO2纳米管阵列薄膜的基础上,引入脉冲沉积工艺,成功实现了均匀、弥散分布的Cu2O纳米颗粒修饰改性TiO2纳米管阵列,形成Cu2O/TiO2纳米管异质结复合材料.利用场发射扫描电镜(FESEM)、场发射透射电镜(FETEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)和紫外-可见漫反射光谱(UV-Vis DRS)对样品进行表征,重点研究了Cu2O/TiO2纳米管异质结的光电化学特性和对甲基橙(MO)的可见光催化降解性能.结果表明,Cu2O纳米颗粒均匀附着在TiO2纳米管阵列的管口和中部位置,所制备的Cu2O/TiO2纳米管异质结具有高效的可见光光催化性能;在浓度为0.01 mol?L-1的CuSO4溶液中制得的Cu2O/TiO2纳米管异质结表现出最好的电化学特性和光催化性能;另外,对Cu2O纳米颗粒影响光催化活性的机理进行了讨论.     

Cu2O微晶的可控制备及可见光催化亚甲基蓝降解性能

以醋酸铜为铜源, 柠檬酸钠为形貌导向剂, 乙二醇和水为溶剂, 采用溶剂热法制备了立方状形貌的Cu₂O微晶. 利用X射线衍射(XRD)、 X射线光电子能谱( XPS)、 扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、 透射电子显微镜(TEM)和紫外-可见漫反射光谱(UV-Vis DRS)等对Cu₂O微晶进行了表征. 结果表明, 在柠檬酸钠与醋酸铜摩尔比为1.0时, 于180 ℃反应5 h可以制备出尺寸分布在0.6~1.5 μm间的均一立方状形貌Cu₂O微晶. 研究了该微晶对亚甲基蓝(MB)在可见光下降解反应的光催化性能. 结果表明, 在H₂O₂存在下, Cu₂O微晶(0.3 g/L)在100 min内对30 mg/L MB溶液的降解率可以达到98%. 该催化剂经过8次循环使用对MB的降解率仍保持在96%以上, 展现了较高的催化活性及良好的稳定性. 通过活性物种的分析对催化体系的光催化机理进行了推测.     

金纳米颗粒在不同包裹介质中的超快等离子体动力学

Herein, we prepared four samples, namely gold/poly(sodium-p-styrenesulfonate) (Au/PSS), gold/silicon dioxide (Au/SiO₂), gold/titanium dioxide (Au/TiO₂), and gold/cuprous oxide (Au/Cu₂O) core/shell nanocomposites, to investigate how the surrounding medium affects the ultrafast plasmon dynamics of Au nanoparticles (NPs). We recorded femtosecond transient absorption spectra of Au NPs in Au/PSS, Au/SiO₂, Au/TiO₂, and Au/Cu₂O core/shell nanocomposites at various time delays. We found that the spectral features in the femtosecond transient absorption spectra of Au NPs in Au/TiO₂ and Au/Cu₂O core/shell nanocomposites were dramatically different from those of Au NPs in Au/PSS and Au/SiO₂ core/shell nanocomposites. A comprehensive analysis of the ultrafast plasmon dynamics of Au NPs in the core/shell nanocomposites revealed that following excitation of the resonance plasmon band of Au NPs, the exited electrons could be efficiently transferred into the conduction bands of TiO₂ and Cu₂O in Au/TiO₂ and Au/Cu₂O core/shell nanocomposites.     

Synthesis and plasmonic properties of silver and gold nanoshells on polystyrene cores of different size and of gold–silver core–shell nanostructures

Simple methods of preparing silver and gold nanoshells on the surfaces of monodispersed polystyrene microspheres of different sizes as well as of silver nanoshells on free-standing gold nanoparticles are presented. The plasmon resonance absorption spectra of these materials are presented and compared to predictions of extended Mie scattering theory. Both silver and gold nanoshells were grown on polystyrene microspheres with diameters ranging from 188 to 543 nm. The commercially available, initially carboxylate-terminated polystyrene spheres were reacted with 2-aminoethanethiol hydrochloride (AET) to yield thiol-terminated microspheres to which gold nanoparticles were then attached. Reduction of silver nitrate or gold hydroxide onto these gold-decorated microspheres resulted in increasing coverage of silver or gold on the polystyrene core. The nanoshells were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV–vis spectroscopy. By varying the core size of the polystyrene particles and the amount of metal (silver or gold) reduced onto them, the surface plasmon resonance of the nanoshell could be tuned across the visible and the near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Necklace-like chain aggregate structures of gold core–silver shell nanoparticles were formed by reducing silver nitrate onto free citrate-gold nanoparticles. The plasmon resonance absorption of these nanoparticles could also be systematically tuned across the visible spectrum.     

Hydrothermal Syntheses of CuO,CuO/Cu2O,Cu2O,Cu2O/Cu and Cu Microcrystals Using Ionic Liquids

In this paper, CuO, CuO/Cu₂O, Cu₂O, Cu₂O/Cu and Cu microcrystals were synthesized via a hydrothermal method by mixing Cu(NO₃)₂·3H₂O and NaOH together in the presence of an ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate([BMIM]BF₄) or 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride([BMIM]Cl). The structures and the morphologies of the obtained products were characterized by means of X-ray diffractometer(XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive spectroscopy(FESEM/EDS), transmission electron microscopy/selected area electron diffraction(TEM/SAED) and Raman spectroscopy. The result of XRD indicates that Cu₂O and Cu microcrystals are cubic phase and the Raman spectra confirm the presence of carbon. The results of FESEM and TEM images show Cu₂O microcrystals as rule cubes of 2 μm in length and Cu particles of 5 μm in diameter. According to the difference between crystal structures, bi-component and single component products were synthesized by adjusting the reaction conditions. A possible formation mechanism of Cu₂O and Cu was proposed in[BMIM]BF₄.     

Improved dielectric properties of BaxSr1−xTiO3-based composite ceramics derived from core–shell structured nanopowders

We performed a study on the dielectric properties of Ba_xSr_1−xTiO₃–Mg_0.9Zn_0.1O (BST–MZO) composite ceramics derived from core–shell structured nanopowders with the shell of zinc doped MgO and core of Ba_xSr_1−xTiO₃. It was found that the ceramics exhibit a significant improvement in dielectric response under a DC electric field. The Curie temperature decreases more significantly in the BST–MZO composite ceramics compared to that of pure BST ceramics. The tunability of Ba_0.75Sr_0.25TiO₃–40%MZO is 23.49% at 20 °C. The dielectric properties at high frequency also show low dielectric constant and great reduction in dielectric loss. These ceramics are expected to be useful in microwave devices.     

Highly Efficiency p-Type Dye Sensitized Solar Cells Based on Polygonal Star-morphology Cu2O Material of Photocathodes

Cuprous oxide（Cu2O）,as an important p-type semiconductor,has been widely investigated due to its high electron transmission and facile preparation.However,the electrode made of only Cu2O has been rarely investigated.In order to demonstrate the possibility that material Cu2O can be applied to the electrode of p-type dye sensitized solar cells（DSSCs）,the photo-electrodes made of prepared Cu2O powder and commercial Cu2O particles have been fabricated.The results show that the electrode based on as-prepared Cu2O（Cu2O-2） powder exhibits higher performance than that based on commercial Cu2O（Cu2O-1） particle.The device based on Cu2O-2 electrode reaches into an open-circuit voltage of 0.71 V,a short-circuit current density of 1.3 mA/cm^2,a fill factor（FF） of 46%,and a conversion efficiency of 0.42% measured under AM 1.5G（100 mW/cm^2） illumination.The enhancement performance of Cu2O-2 is attributed to the high dye adsorption of Cu2O-2 compared with that of Cu2O-1.To the best of our knowledge,this is the highest conversion efficiency value reported for solar cells based on Cu2O-DSSC.This work provides that Cu2O is also a candidate for constructing the electrode of p-type dye sensitized solar cells.     

Template Synthesis and Characterization of Cu2O/TiO2 Coaxial Nanocable for Photocatalysis

Coaxial nanocable consisted of p-type Cu₂O nanowires and n-type TiO₂ nanotubes arrays was prepared in the porous anodic aluminum oxide(AAO) template via the sol-gel method and subsequent electrodeposition method. X-ray diffraction analysis identified an anatase structure of the TiO₂ nanotubes and cubic structure of the Cu₂O nanowires. The obtained samples were also characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM), transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS). The diffrence of open circuit potential of the coaxial nanocable electrode was larger than that of the TiO₂ nanotubes electrode under ultraviolet illumination, which means doping with Cu₂O could improve the photovoltage effectively. Meanwhile, nanocable arrays exhibited a high activity for photodegrading Rhodamine B under Xe lamp irradiation and the photocatalysis degradation efficiency was up to 98.69% after degradation for 7 h. The enhanced photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the high migration efficiency of photoinduced electrons, which may suppress the charge recombination effectively.     

Cuprous Oxide/Nitrogen-doped Graphene Nanocomposites as Electrochemical Sensors for Ofloxacin Determination

Cu₂O/nitrogen-doped grapheme(NG) nanocomposite material was prepared via a facile one step chemical reduction and characterized by means of X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM). A new electrochemical sensor was then fabricated by coating Cu₂O/nitrogen-doped graphene nanocomposite with Nafion on glassy carbon electrode(Cu₂O/NG/Nafion/GCE). The electrochemical response of this modified electrode toward ofloxacin was examined by cyclic voltammetry. The results indicate that Cu₂O/NG/Nafion composite-modified electrode exhibits higher catalytic activity in the electrochemical oxidation of ofloxacin compared with glassy carbon electrode(GCE), Cu₂O/Nafion modified electrode(Cu₂O/Nafion/GCE), and N-doped graphene/Nafion modified electrode(NG/Nafion/GCE). Under optimal conditions, the peak current was found to be linearly proportional to the concentration of ofloxacin in the 0.5-27.5 μmol/L and 27.5-280 μmol/L ranges with a lower detection limit of 0.34 μmol/L, higher sensitivity of 39.32 μA·L·mmol^-1 and a shorter reaction time of less than 2 s. In addition, Nafion can enhance the stability of the modified electrode and prevent some negative species. Thus the modified electrode exhibits good selectivity and a long working life. The Cu₂O/NG/Nafion composite modified electrode shows promising application in electrochemical sensors, biosensors, and other related fields because of its excellent properties.     

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry of metal complexes. Gas phase formation of a binuclear copper(II)–5-Br-PADAP complex

The complexes formed from copper(II) and 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-diethylaminophenol (5-Br-PADAP or HL) in aqueous methanol solution was studied by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The solution of a 1:1 complex of Cu(II) with 5-Br-PADAP showed five peaks assignable to a binuclear complex [Cu₂L₂(AcO)]⁺ and mononuclear complexes [CuL]⁺, [CuL(H₂O)]⁺, [CuL(AcOH)]⁺ and [CuL(HL)]⁺ (AcO=acetate). Collision activated dissociation revealed the relative order of bonding strengths; Cu–L>Cu–HL>CuL–AcOH>CuL–H₂O. The peak intensities of the binuclear complex showed second-order dependency on those of the mono complex. As for the solution of Ni(II)–5-Br-PADAP, no binuclear complex was observed in the mass spectra. Thus, it was suggested that [Cu₂L₂(AcO)]⁺ was formed by the fast gas phase reaction: 2[CuL]⁺+AcO⁻[Cu₂L₂(AcO)]⁺.     

偏压控制Cu2O和Cu在TiO2表面的生长及其光电化学性质

基于TiO2/Ti电极在含Cu2+溶液中的循环伏安图,调节电沉积的沉积电压,我们在TiO2平整表面制备出Cu2O和/或Cu颗粒.通过扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)表征,发现Cu2O和Cu有不同的生长机制:Cu2O颗粒在TiO2表面分散结晶,而Cu颗粒是在已生长的颗粒上成核,从而形成堆积颗粒结构.这是由于在Cu2O/TiO2界面和Cu/TiO2界面形成不同的能带结构,使得电子的转移方式不同.与纯TiO2光阳极比较,可以观察到Cu2O/TiO2和Cu/TiO2异质结构的光电流均有显著增强.特别地,存在一个电压区间使得Cu2O和Cu同时生长在TiO2表面,此时对应的光电流比较稳定并且能达到最大.紫外-可见(UV-Vis)漫反射光谱、电化学阻抗谱(EIS)和光电流-电压特性曲线均显示,Cu2O和Cu明显有助于光的可见光吸收,同时Cu/TiO2在光电转换过程中显示更宽波段的可见光利用率.此外,开路电压的增加、有效的电荷分离和电极/电解质界面上载流子的快速迁移也增强了材料的光电化学性质.     

Strong antiferromagnetism in the dinuclear 2-pyridone complex with N–C–O bridges: A paddle-wheel analogue of the dinuclear tetracarboxylates

A novel dinuclear complex [Cu₂(μ-L)₄(HL)₂] (1) was isolated from starting 2-pyridone (HL) via a resonance and a tautomeric transformation. Each copper centre is in a square-pyramidal coordination sphere, defined by two oxygen atoms (Cu–O4 1.978(5), Cu–O11 1.964(4) Å) and two nitrogen atoms (Cu–N2 2.003(5), Cu–N3 2.007(5) Å) of four bridging deprotonated pyridin-2-olates and an oxygen atom on the top from a neutral 2-pyridone (Cu–O2 2.227(5) Å), analogous to tetracarboxylate paddle-wheel complexes. Compound 1 was compared with mixed pyridin-2-olato/methanoato analogues [Cu₂(μ-HCO₂)₂(μ-L)₂(HL)₂] · 2CH₃CN (2) and [Cu₂(μ-HCO₂)₂(μ-L)₂(HL)₂] (2a) (2a is an air stable form obtained from 2 outside mother-liquid). The EPR spectra of air stable 1 and 2a show three signals H_z1, H₂ and H_z2, typical for the binuclear systems with spin S = 1, both revealing strong antiferromagnetism 2J = −334 (1) and −324 cm⁻¹ (2a). Interestingly, only for 1 additional H₁ signal at 100 mT is noticed (D(1) = 0.293 cm⁻¹ < hν = 0.320 cm⁻¹ < D(2a) = 0.347 cm⁻¹). On the other hand, several broad signals in the 100–450 mT region, only in the high temperature spectrum for 2a are observed. These results are in agreement with the magnetic susceptibility analysis.     

多元醇法形貌可控制备氧化亚铜微纳米颗粒

以硝酸铜、乙酸铜、乙酰丙酮铜为原料,采用多元醇还原法合成制备了氧化亚铜立方体、微球、空心球、核壳结构等微纳米颗粒。 利用X射线衍射仪(XRD)、场发射扫描电子显微镜(FE-SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、高分辨透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)和紫外可见吸收光谱(UV-Vis)等测试手段对样品的物相、形貌、元素组分及吸光性能进行了表征。 同时考察了铜源、反应时间、和多元醇类型对氧化亚铜微纳米材料形貌的影响,对产物形成机理进行了初步的探讨。 对产物形成机理进行了初步的探讨。 采用简单低廉的多元醇合成法,可以控制合成不同相貌的氧化亚铜微纳米结构。 对制备形貌可控的氧化物具有一定的指导意义。     

2D Cu(I) and 3D mixed-valence Cu(I)/Cu(II) coordination polymers: Synthesis and structural characterization of [CuCl(pyz-H)2]·2H2O and [Cu2Cl2(pyz)(H2O)]·H2O (pyz-H = pyrazinic acid)

Two new coordination polymers of copper(I) chloride and pyrazinic acid (pyz-H), namely [CuCl(pyz-H)₂]·2H₂O (1) and [Cu₂Cl₂(pyz)(H₂O)]·H₂O (2) have been prepared and characterized by spectroscopic, magnetic and crystallographic methods. The overall physical measurements suggest that 1 is diamagnetic and contains monodentate N-pyrazinic acid, whereas 2 is paramagnetic and contains tridentate N,N′,O- chelating bridging pyrazinato anion. In the structure of 1 as elucidated by X-ray single crystal analysis, the asymmetric units [CuCl(pyz)₂] are linked together forming a zigzag chain with tetrahedral copper(I) environment. The two lattice water molecules form hydrogen bonds with the uncoordinated N atom and carboxylate group O atom of pyz-H molecules. The Cu–N bond lengths are 2.009(6) Å and Cu–Cl distances are 2.337(2) Å. Complex 2 has a three-dimensional structure with the chains [Cu(I)Cu(II)(C₅H₃N₂O₂)Cl₂(H₂O)] interconnected by [Cu(I)Cl₂N] tetrahedral unit and [Cu(II)NO₂Cl₂] polyhedra. The Cu(I)–Cl and Cu(I)–N distances are 2.327(2)–2.581(2) Å and 1.988(6) Å, respectively, whereas the Cu(II)–Cl and Cu(II)–N bond lengths are 2.258(2), 2.581(2) Å, and 2.017(6) Å, respectively. Hydrogen bonds of the type O–HO are formed between lattice and coordinated water, and carboxylate oxygens of pyrazinato ligand giving rise to a three-dimensional network. The Cl⁻ anions act as bridging ligands in both complexes. The magnetic data of complex 2 have been measured from 2 to 300 K and discussed.     

铜修饰多孔镍自支撑电极的构建及其葡萄糖氧化性能

采用水热合成法制备了正八面体Cu₂O/Cu修饰的多孔Ni(NF)自支撑电极(Cu₂O/Cu-NF),并对其进行了形貌和结构表征。 在三电极体系下,在碱性介质中以循环伏安法和恒电位安培法测试其对葡萄糖催化氧化性能。 结果表明,150 ℃水热法制备的自支撑电极对葡萄糖的电催化氧化活性最强。 响应电流与葡萄糖浓度在3.7×10^-3~1.1 mmol/L和1.4~5.0 mmol/L范围内呈线性相关,响应灵敏度分别是6929和706.1 μA/(mmol·L^-1·cm²),且具有良好的选择性和稳定性,对无酶葡萄糖传感器的发展有重要意义。     

A tetra-nuclear copper(II) complex stabilizes an extended structure of a water nonamer: Synthesis and characterization of [Cu4(C54H46N4O14)(OH)2] · 10H2O

A tetra-nuclear copper(II) complex [Cu₄(C₅₄H₄₆N₄O₁₄)(OH)₂] · 10H₂O (1) has been synthesized starting from l-tyrosine, NaOH, 2,6-diformyl-4-methylphenol (dfp) and CuSO₄ · 5H₂O. Compound 1 crystallizes from an ethanol–water mixture in triclinic space group. In the crystal of 1, two binuclear copper units, related by a center of symmetry, are bridged by two hydroxo bridges and results in the formation of a tetra-nuclear {Cu₄} structure. Five lattice water molecules, located in the asymmetric unit, interact among themselves and form an unusual form of a water nonamer. In the crystal, the water nonamer is again hydrogen bonded to the next nonamer forming a chainlike polymer. Each {Cu₄} complex unit attaches four such water nonamer chains. Variable temperature magnetic data fit to the Bleaney–Bower’s equation with a Curie type of impurity of S = 0.5. The best fit of the magnetic data to this equation yielded 2J = −217, g = 2.019 and a TIP value of 60 × 10⁻⁶ cm³ mol⁻¹.     

基于氨基化煤基碳点的复合光催化剂的制备及对CO2还原的催化性能

采用过氧化氢氧化法剥离出煤炭结构中的晶体碳[煤基碳点(CDs)], 并通过亚硫酰氯氯化及乙二胺钝化等步骤对其进行氨基化修饰, 制得N, S共掺杂的氨基化煤基碳点(NH₂-CDs), 再利用其表面的氨基和含氧基等官能团的配位及分散作用, 将由氯化铜原位还原得到的氧化亚铜(Cu₂O)纳米粒子包覆于其中, 制备了复合催化剂Cu₂O/NH₂-CDs, 表征了其结构和形貌, 并考察了其可见光催化还原CO₂/H₂O的性能. 结果发现, NH₂-CDs的存在使复合催化剂不仅具备了较强的CO₂吸附性能, 而且还具有了高效的电子-空穴对分离和电子转移能力, 从而表现出优异的光催化还原CO₂制备HCOOH的性能. 反应6 h时, 产物HCOOH的量为2582.4 μmol/g cat, 约为同条件下纯Cu₂O作为光催化剂时产物HCOOH产率的7.3倍.