Sixfold self-assembled hierarchical structures synthesized by direct annealing of Zn microtips

A facile route and the related mechanism for forming sixfold core-shell hierarchical structure with well-defined anisotropic three-dimensional arrays have been described. The regularity and symmetry of hierarchical structures prepared by annealing Zn microtips are superior to the random nanostructure arrays formed in general vapor system reported in the literature. Owing to the distinct stress distribution on the topography of microtips during annealing, the mechanism for growing branched zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowhiskers is related to the relaxation of stress. In addition, the self-assembled hierarchical structures with naturally good contact results in a lowered energy barrier between Zn metal and ZnO semiconductor, which in turn gives a much better emission property.     

In situ generated dense shell-engaged Ostwald ripening: A facile controlled-preparation for BaFe12O19 hierarchical hollow fiber arrays

This paper describes a simple and convenient approach to fabricate BaFe₁₂O₁₉ hierarchical hollow fibers or hollow fiber arrays by heat-treating electrospun solid fibers or fiber arrays using a deliberately devised two-step heat-treatment process, in which the dense shells generated in situ during the short-time pre-treatment procedure direct Ostwald ripening of flake-shaped BaFe₁₂O₁₉ nanocrystals in the elevated temperature heat-treatment procedure. The heat-treatment temperature has a strong effect on the structure and magnetic properties of the BaFe₁₂O₁₉ hierarchical hollow fibers and the resulting BaFe₁₂O₁₉ hierarchical hollow fiber arrays show a slight magnetic anisotropy as well as high coercivity. The in situ generated dense shell-engaged directing Ostwald ripening approach reported here can be readily extended to fabricate other metal oxides hollow fibers, and the resulting BaFe₁₂O₁₉ hierarchical hollow fibers or hollow fiber arrays are promised to have use in a number of applications that involve microwave absorber, magnetic separation, and so forth.     

双层分等级TiO_2纳米线制备及其光伏性能研究

采用两步溶剂热反应制备了底层为分等级锐钛矿的TiO_2纳米线阵列,上层为分等级锐钛矿的TiO_2纳米线薄膜的双层结构电极.通过XRD和SEM对其组成和形貌进行了表征,并考察了纳米线薄膜对染料敏化太阳电池(DSSC)光伏性能的影响.实验结果表明,分等级锐钛矿的TiO_2纳米线作为DSSC的光阳极,光电转换效率为4.39%,其效率高于光滑的TiO_2纳米线光阳极电池效率(2.07%).     

Superhydrophobic silicon surfaces with micro-nano hierarchical structures via deep reactive ion etching and galvanic etching

An effective fabrication method combining deep reactive ion etching and galvanic etching for silicon micro-nano hierarchical structures is presented in this paper. The method can partially control the morphology of the nanostructures and enables us to investigate the effects of geometry changes on the properties of the surfaces. The forming mechanism of silicon nanostructures based on silver nanoparticle galvanic etching was illustrated and the effects of process parameters on the surface morphology were thoroughly discussed. It is found that process parameters have more impact on the height of silicon nanostructure than its diameter. Contact angle measurement and tilting/dropping test results show that as-prepared silicon surfaces with hierarchical structures were superhydrophobic. What's more, two-scale model composed of micropillar arrays and nanopillar arrays was proposed to study the wettability of the surface with hierarchical structures. Wettability analysis results indicate that the superhydrophobic surface may demonstrate a hybrid state at which water sits on nanoscale pillars and immerses into microscale grooves partially.     

Hierarchical NiCo2S4 Nanotube@NiCo2S4 Nanosheet Arrays on Ni Foam for High‐Performance Supercapacitors

Hierarchical NiCo₂S₄ nanotube@NiCo₂S₄ nanosheet arrays on Ni foam have been successfully synthesized. Owing to the unique hierarchical structure, enhanced capacitive performance can be attained. A specific capacitance up to 4.38 F cm^?2 is attained at 5 mA cm^?2, which is much higher than the specific capacitance values of NiCo₂O₄ nanosheet arrays, NiCo₂S₄ nanosheet arrays and NiCo₂S₄ nanotube arrays on Ni foam. The hierarchical NiCo₂S₄ nanostructure shows superior cycling stability; after 5000 cycles, the specific capacitance still maintains 3.5 F cm^?2. In addition, through the morphology and crystal structure measurement after cycling stability test, it is found that the NiCo₂S₄ electroactive materials are gradually corroded; however, the NiCo₂S₄ phase can still be well‐maintained. Our results show that hierarchical NiCo₂S₄ nanostructures are suitable electroactive materials for high performance supercapacitors.     

Colloidal lithography with crosslinkable particles: fabrication of hierarchical nanopore arrays

We demonstrate that colloidal lithography with self-assembled monolayers of crosslinkable polymeric particles can be used to create hierarchical arrays of nanopores on substrates.     

Biomimetic Construction of the Enamel-like Hierarchical Structure

Enamel, the hardest mineralized tissue of vertebrates, exhibits simultaneously high stiffness, hardness, and viscoelasticity. The excellent mechanical properties of enamel originate from its high inorganic content and intricate hierarchical structure. Biomimetic construction of the enamel-like hierarchical structure has attracted widespread interest during the past decades. This review summarizes recent advances in this area with a special focus on fabrication techniques across different levels of hierarchy. This includes the synthesis of apatite nanorods or nanowires, the basic building block of enamel, the fabrication of oriented apatite nanorod arrays and the construction of the enamel-like multi-level hierarchical structure. Moreover, possible directions of future research and development in this field are proposed.     

Hierarchical self-assembly of amphiphilic metallohosts to give discrete nanostructures

The synthesis and aggregation behavior of a new class of rigid metallohosts is described. The molecules consist of a ruthenium-bipyridine complex functionalized with a glycoluril-based receptor cavity. By specific molecular recognition processes in water, the metallohosts self-assemble to form large arrays of molecules. Depending on the size of the cavity side walls of the host, these arrays can grow in a hierarchical process into discrete rectangular and cigar-like aggregates of nanometer size, which can be visualized by electron microscopy.     

Synthesis and hierarchical self-assembly of cavity-containing facial amphiphiles

The synthesis and aggregation behavior of cavity-containing facial amphiphiles is described. The molecules consist of a glycoluril-based rigid cavity functionalized with two water-soluble benzoate groups. By specific molecular recognition processes in water, the amphiphilic hosts self-assemble in a hierarchical process to form arrays of molecules. Depending on the counterions, these arrays can be assembled into well-defined aggregates of mesoscopic size. The size and shape of the aggregates can be tuned by variations in the size and substitution pattern of the cavities of the host molecules.     

A hierarchical self-assembly route to three-dimensional polymer-quantum dot photonic arrays

We demonstrate a new hierarchical self-assembly strategy for the formation of photonic arrays containing quantum dots (QDs), in which sequential self-assembly steps introduce organization on progressively longer length scales, ranging from the nanoscale to the microscale regimes. The first step in this approach is the self-assembly of diblock copolymers to form block ionomer reverse micelles (SA1); within each micelle core, a single CdS QD is synthesized to yield the hybrid building block BC-QD. Once SA1 is completed, the hydrophobic BD-QD building blocks are blended with amphiphilic block copolymer stabilizing chains in an organic solvent; water addition induces secondary self-assembly (SA2) to form quantum dot compound micelles (QDCMs). Finally, aqueous dispersions of QDCMs are slowly evaporated to induce the formation of three-dimensional (3D) close-packed arrays in a tertiary self-assembly step (SA3). The resulting hierarchical assemblies, consisting of a periodic array of hybrid spheres each containing multiple CdS QDs, exhibit the collective property of a photonic stop band, along with photoluminescence arising from the constituent QDs. A high degree of structural control is possible at each level of organization by judicious selection of experimental variables, allowing various parameters governing the collective optical properties, including QD size, nanoparticle spacing, and mesocale periodicity, to be independently tuned. The resulting control over optical properties via successive self-assembly steps should provide new opportunities for hierarchical materials for QD lasers and all-optical switching.     

MoS2 nanosheet arrays supported on hierarchical porous carbon with enhanced lithium storage properties

MoS₂ nanosheet arrays supported on hierarchical nitrogen-doped porous carbon(MoS₂@C)have been synthesized by a facile hydrothermal approach combined with high-temperature calcination.The hierarchical nitrogen-doped porous carbon can serve as three-dimensional conductive frameworks to improve the electronic transport of semiconducting MoS₂.When evaluated as anode material for lithium-ion batteries,the MoS₂@C exhibit enhanced electrochemical performances compared with pure MoS₂ nanosheets,including high capacity(1305.5 mA h g^-1 at 100 mA g^-1),excellent rate capability (438.4 mA h g^-1 at 1000 mA g^-1).The reasons for the improved electrochemical performances are explored in terms of the high electronic conductivity and the facilitation of lithium ion transport arising from the hierarchical structures of MoS₂@C.     

CuO纳米结构阵列的简易合成及其光催化性质

利用一种简便的一步反应路线, 通过调节反应温度, 选择性地合成出两种有序排列的氧化铜纳米阵列, 即成束的一维(1D)纳米带和紧密排列的二维(2D)纳米片. 系统研究了产物的物相和形貌随反应时间的演变情况, 结果表明两种氧化铜纳米结构阵列分别是通过氧化→生长→脱水和氧化→脱水→生长过程形成的, 其中动力学因素控制的成核与生长过程决定了氧化铜纳米结构的最终形貌. 模拟太阳光辐射光催化降解有机染料罗丹明B(RhB), 测试了所制备的氧化铜纳米结构阵列的光催化活性. 本工作为制备新颖的多级纳米结构材料提供了一种简单且经济的合成路线, 这些纳米材料将在多个领域体现出重要的应用潜力.     

TiO2纳米片/巢状分级结构纳米阵列薄膜的制备及其在染料敏化太阳能电池中的应用

采用水热合成法在氟掺杂二氧化锡(FTO)导电玻璃基底上得到TiO2纳米阵列薄膜,并进一步通过NaOH溶液水热处理制备了由巢状纳米阵列及纳米片覆盖层构成的TiO2纳米阵列分级结构一体化薄膜.采用场发射扫描电镜(FE-SEM),X射线衍射(XRD),紫外-可见(UV-Vis)漫反射光谱和吸收光谱技术对TiO2薄膜的结构和性质进行表征.FE-SEM结果表明:分级结构TiO2薄膜膜厚为1.5μm,薄膜由一层纳米片覆盖层(约0.2μm高)和一层巢状纳米阵列层(约1.3μm高)组成.XRD谱图表明TiO2薄膜为锐钛矿相.UV-Vis光谱显示分级结构TiO2薄膜具有较强的光捕获能力和染料吸附能力.TiO2纳米片/巢状分级结构纳米阵列薄膜作为光阳极,可有效地提高染料敏化太阳能电池的光电转换效率,其短路电流(Jsc)为7.79mA·cm-2,开路电压(Voc)为0.80V,填充因子(FF)为0.40,光电转换效率(η)为2.48%,其光电转换效率较TiO2纳米阵列薄膜提高了近10倍.     

TiO2 nanorods branched on fast-synthesized large clearance TiO2 nanotube arrays for dye-sensitized solar cells

A large clearance TiO₂ nanotube arrays (LTAs) has been synthesized by a not more than 12 h anodization duration and based on this a branched TiO₂ nanotube arrays (BLTs) has been achieved through TiO₂ nanorods branch-like grown on the LTAs. Some key factors and probable mechanisms of the fabrication processes on two novel nanoarchitectures are discussed. Exhilaratingly, it is found that the obtained LTAs has demonstrated large pore diameter and void spaces (pore diameter ∼350 nm; void spaces ∼160 nm; and tube length ∼3.5 μm), and the synthesized hierarchical BLTs, compared with conventional TiO₂ nanotube arrays, has shown a much stronger dye absorption performance and an approximately double of the solar cell efficiency (in our case from 1.62% to 3.18% under simulated AM 1.5 conditions).     

Hierarchical cobalt iron oxide nanoarrays as structured catalysts

Large-scale arrays of hierarchical cobalt iron oxide nanowires with preferentially exposed reactive crystal planes have been fabricated for use as structured catalysts, which showed high catalytic activity and excellent cycling stability.     

Self-assembly of two different hierarchical nanostructures on either side of an organic supramolecular film in one step

We fabricated different hierarchical organic nanostructures on each side of a supramolecular film, by using hydrogen-bonding interactions between tetrapyridylporphyrin and benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid at the H2O/CHCl3 interface. The surface of the film that faces water is composed of nanoprism arrays, whereas the surface facing CHCl3 is composed of three-dimensional sunflower-like hierarchical micro- and nanostructures. FTIR spectral evidence showed that all pyridyl groups of the tetrapyridylporphyrin hydrogen bonded to the carboxylic acid groups of 1,3,5-benzene-tricarboxylic acid. The aggregation modes of porphyrin presented in this supramolecular film were studied by UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. Moreover, each side of the film exhibits distinct soakage properties.     

Facile and large-scale production of ZnO/Zn-Al layered double hydroxide hierarchical heterostructures

ZnO/Zn-Al layered double hydroxide (ZnO/Zn-Al LDH) hierarchical architecture, a new type of ZnO-based heterostructure, has been synthesized directly on an Al substrate via a facile solution phase process. The firecracker-like heterostructures consist of uniform ZnO nanorods orderly standing at the edges of two-dimensional (2D) surfaces of Zn-Al LDH nanoplatelets. Experimental result obtained from the early growth stage indicates that the underlying Zn-Al LDH nanoplatelet arrays are well constructed with their (00l) planes perpendicular to the surface of Al substrate. We propose that the "edge effect" of Zn-Al LDH and the "lattice match" between ZnO and Zn-Al LDH are vital to the growth of such heterostructures. The effects of total solution volume and NH3.H2O concentration on the formation of heterostructures are investigated. It is found that other LDH-based complex structures can also be achieved controllably by varying the mentioned experimental factors. Our work is the first demonstration of fabricating intricate ZnO/Zn-Al LDH heterostructures as well as well-defined Zn-Al LDH arrays on an Al substrate, for which several promising applications such as optoelectronics, biosensors, and catalysis can be envisioned.     

Proteocubosomes: nanoporous vehicles with tertiary organized fluid interfaces

Proteocubosomes are nanostructured open-nanochannel hierarchical fluid vehicles characterized by a cubic lattice periodicity of the lipid/protein supramolecular assembly (protein-loaded cubosomes). They are obtained here at very high hydration levels by a three-dimensional (3D) self-assembly process, which exploits a protein-directed 3D patterning and fragmentation to create a new, tertiary-level structural order of fluid lipid/water interfaces. Our freeze-fracture electron microscopy study reveals that the proteocubosome structures are built up by patterned assemblies of nanocubosomes, which comprise 3D nanoporous fracture surfaces throughout. Complex cubosomic architectures, involving arrays of nanodroplets (larger than 20 nm) inside the proteocubosome particles, are established at high resolution. The soft-matter hierarchical nanocompartment formations display internal aqueous pores belonging to the D-type lipid cubic lattice nanochannel system that is proven by synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The reported nanostructured fluid may give rise to novel applications in nanofluidic biomimetic devices, porous protein drug delivery vehicles, nanoscale enzymatic bioreactors, and protein-encapsulating fluid nanomaterials.     

Sb2S3纳米粒子修饰ZnO纳米片微纳分级结构的光电化学性能

采用恒电位方法,选择氯化钾和乙二胺(EDA)为添加剂,在氧化铟锡(ITO)导电玻璃上制备了高度有序的ZnO纳米片阵列,通过二次电沉积得到了ZnO纳米片上生长纳米棒的微纳分级结构.利用化学浴沉积法在ZnO基底上沉积Sb₂S₃纳米粒子制备出了Sb₂S₃/ZnO纳米片壳核结构和Sb₂S₃/ZnO微纳分级壳核结构.利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、紫外-可见(UV-Vis)吸收光谱、瞬态光电流等对其形貌、结构组成和光电化学性能进行了表征和分析.结果表明, Sb₂S₃/ZnO纳米片上生长纳米棒分级壳核结构的光电流明显高于Sb₂S₃/ZnO纳米片壳核结构.在Sb₂S₃/ZnO纳米片壳核结构和Sb₂S₃/ZnO微纳分级壳核结构的基础上旋涂一层P3HT薄膜形成P3HT/Sb₂S₃/ZnO复合结构,以上述复合结构薄膜为光活性层组装成杂化太阳电池,其中, P3HT/Sb₂S₃/ZnO分级壳核结构杂化太阳电池的能量转换效率最高,达到了0.81%.     

Preparation of nitrogen-doped anatase TiO2 nanoworm/nanotube hierarchical structures and its photocatalytic effect

As-anodized amorphous TiO₂ nanotube arrays (TNAs) are immersed in hot ammonia solution (90 °C), which can both spontaneously reconstruct the amorphous TNAs to be anatase nanoworm/nanotube hierarchical structures in situ and simultaneously implant nitrogen into them. These hierarchical structures, having larger surface area, higher electrical conductivity and broader light absorption range than the original TNAs, possess dramatically enhanced photocatalytic activity for degradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation. The optimized nitrogen doped hierarchical structures exhibit a best photodegradation rate (K) of 0.722 h⁻¹, which greatly exceeds the degradation rate of the original TNAs annealed in ambient air at 500 °C for 2.5 h. This simple technique would enable us conveniently to design and fabricate highly photoactive one-dimensional TNAs-based functional materials applicable to photocatalysis and solar energy conversion.