Miniaturized electrochemical sensors and their point-of-care applications

Most of the current analytical methods depend largely on laboratory-based analytical techniques that require expensive and bullky equipment,potentially incur costly testing,and involve lengthy detection processes.With increasing requirements for point-of-care testing(POCT),more attention has been paid to miniaturized analytical devices.Miniaturized electrochemical(MEC)sensors,including different material-based MEC sensors(such as DNA-,paper-,and screen electrode-based),have been in strong demand in analytical science due to their easy operation,portability,high sensitivity,as well as their short analysis time.They have been applied for the detection of trace amounts of target through measuring changes in electrochemical signal,such as current,voltage,potential,or impedance,due to the oxidation/reduction of chemical/biological molecules with the help of electrodes and electrochemical units.MEC sensors present great potential for the detection of targets including small organic molecules,metal ions,and biomolecules.In recent years,MEC sensors have been broadly applied to POCT in various fields,including health care,food safety,and environmental monitoring,owing to the excellent advantages of electrochemical(EC)technologies.This review summarized the state-of-the-art advancements on various types of MEC sensors and their applications in POCT.Furthermore,the future perspectives,opportunities,and challenges in this field are also discussed.     

Machine Learning towards Screening Solid-state Lithium Ion Conductors

Machine learning is an emerging method to discover new materials with specific characteristics.An unsupervised machine learning research is highlighted to discover new potential lithium ionic conductors by screening and clustering lithium compounds,providing inspirations for the development of solid-state electrolytes and practical batteries.     

Surface defect-rich ceria quantum dots anchored on sulfur-doped carbon nitride nanotubes with enhanced charge separation for solar hydrogen production

Designing defect-engineered semiconductor heterojunctions can effectively promote the charge carrier separation.Herein,novel ceria(CeO2) quantum dots(QDs) decorated sulfur-doped carbon nitride nanotubes(SCN NTs) were synthesized via a thermal polycondensation coupled in situ depositionprecipitation method without use of template or surfactant.The structure and morphology studies indicate that ultrafine CeO2 QDs are well distributed inside and outside of SCN NTs offering highly dispersed active sites and a large contact interface between two components.This leads to the promoted formation of rich Ce³⁺ ion and oxygen vacancies as confirmed by XPS.The photocatalytic performance can be facilely modulated by the content of CeO2 QDs introduced in SCN matrix while bare CeO2 does not show activity of hydrogen production.The optimal catalyst with 10% of CeO2 loading yields a hydrogen evolution rate of 2923.8 μmol h-1 g-1 under visible light,remarkably higher than that of bare SCN and their physical mixtures.Further studies reveal that the abundant surface defects and the created 0 D/1 D junctions play a critical role in improving the separation and transfer of charge carriers,leading to superior solar hydrogen production and good stability.     

Superfast and solvent-free core-shell assembly of sulfur/carbon active particles by hail-inspired nanostorm technology for high-energy-density Li-S batteries

The demand on low-carbon emission fabrication technologies for energy storage materials is increasing dramatically with the global interest on carbon neutrality.As a promising active material for metal-sulfur batteries,sulfur is of great interest due to its high-energy-density and abundance.However,there is a lack of industry-friendly and low-carbon fabrication strategies for high-performance sulfur-based active particles,which,however,is in critical need by their practical success.Herein,based on a hail-inspired sulfur nano-storm(HSN)technology developed in our lab,we report an energy-saving,solvent-free strategy for producing core-shell sulfur/carbon electrode particles(CNT@AC-S)in minutes.The fabrication of the CNT@AC-S electrode particles only involves low-cost sulfur blocks,commercial carbon nanotubes(CNT)and activated carbon(AC)micro-particles with high specific surface area.Based on the above core-shell CNT@AC-S particles,sulfur cathode with a high sulfur-loading of 9.2 mg cm^-2 delivers a stable area capacity of 6.6 mAh cm^-2 over 100 cycles.Furthermore,even for sulfur cathode with a super-high sulfur content(72 wt%over the whole electrode),it still delivers a high area capacity of 9 mAh cm^-2 over50 cycles in a quasi-lean electrolyte condition.In a nutshell,this study brings a green and industryfriendly fabrication strategy for cost-effective production of rationally designed S-rich electrode particles.     

Unraveling the stabilization mechanism of solid electrolyte interface on ZnSe by rGO in sodium ion battery

Transition metal selenides have been widely studied as anode materials of sodium ion batteries(SIBs),however,the investigation of solid-electrolyte-interface(SEI)on these materials,which is critical to the electrochemical performance of SIBs,remains at its infancy.Here in this paper,ZnSe@C nanoparticles were prepared from ZIF-8 and the SEI layers on these electrodes with and without reduced graphene oxide(rGO)layers were examined in details by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies at varied charged/discharged states.It is observed that fast and complicated electrolyte decomposition reactions on ZnSe@C leads to quite thick SEI film and intercalation of solvated sodium ions through such thick SEI film results in slow ion diffusion kinetics and unstable electrode structure.However,the presence of rGO could efficiently suppress the decomposition of electrolyte,thus thin and stable SEI film was formed.ZnSe@C electrodes wrapped by rGO demonstrates enhanced interfacial charge transfer kinetics and high electrochemical performance,a capacity retention of 96.4%,after 1000 cycles at 5 A/g.This study might offer a simple avenue for the designing high performance anode materials through manipulation of SEI film.     

常温常湿条件下Au/MeO~x催化剂上CO氧化性能

利用共沉淀法制备了Au/MeO~x催化剂(Me=Al,Co,Cr,Cu,Fe,Mn,Ni,Zn)。在常温常湿条件下,考察了不同氧化物负载的金基催化剂的CO氧化性能。结果表明,氧化物种类对催化剂的活性和稳定性均有较大的影响。Cu,Mn,Cr等氧化物负载的金基催化剂的活性较差,而Zn,Fe,Co,Ni,Al等金属氧化物负载的金基催化剂可将CO完全氧化,又具有一定的稳定性,在相同反应条件下,CO完全转化时的稳定性顺序为Au/ZnO>Au/α-Fe~2O~3>Au/Co~3O~4>Au/γ-Al~2O~3≈Au/NiO。还发现水对Au/MnO~x催化剂的活性和稳定性有负作用,而对180℃焙烧制备的Au/ZnO-180催化剂的活性和稳定性均有明显的湿度增强作用。     

CXN天然沸石的研究2: 吸附性质

采用N~2,NH~3,CO~2,乙烯,丙烯,水,甲醇,乙醇,丙醇等作为吸附剂,研究了由我国CXN天然沸石改性制得的H-STI和Na-STI沸石的吸附性质,H-STI和Na-STI沸石的BET表面积及微孔孔体积约为420m^2/g和0.20m^3/g。根据NH~3和CO~2在H-STI沸石上的吸附等温线计算得到它们的吸附热分别为44.8和26.5kJ/mol。乙烯,丙烯,甲醇,乙醇,丙醇等在Na-STI沸石上的吸附等温线表明该沸石对有机分子的吸附具有链长选择性。在低分压下水相对于甲醇的吸附量表明沸石具有一定的疏水性质。     

Regulation of carbon distribution to construct high-sulfur-content cathode in lithium-sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur(Li-S)battery is regarded as one of the most promising next-generation energy storage systems due to the ultra-high theoretical energy density of 2600 Wh kg^-1.To address the insulation nature of sulfur,nanocarbon composition is essential to afford acceptable cycling capacity but inevitably sacrifices the actual energy density under working conditions.Therefore,rational structural design of the carbon/sulfur composite cathode is of great significance to realize satisfactory electrochemical performances with limited carbon content.Herein,the cathode carbon distribution is rationally regulated to construct high-sulfur-content and high-performance Li-S batteries.Concretely,a double-layer carbon(DLC)cathode is prepared by fabricating a surface carbon layer on the carbon/sulfur composite.The surface carbon layer not only provides more electrochemically active surfaces,but also blocks the polysulfide shuttle.Consequently,the DLC configuration with an increased sulfur content by nearly 10 wt%renders an initial areal capacity of 3.40 mAh cm^-2 and capacity retention of 83.8%during 50 cycles,which is about two times than that of the low-sulfur-content cathode.The strategy of carbon distribution regulation affords an effective pathway to construct advanced high-sulfur-content cathodes for practical high-energy-density Li-S batteries.     

Boost oxygen reduction reaction performance by tuning the active sites in Fe-N-P-C catalysts

Cost-effective atomically dispersed Fe-N-P-C complex catalysts are promising to catalyze the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)and replace Pt catalysts in fuel cells and metal-air batteries.However,it remains a challenge to increase the number of atomically dispersed active sites on these catalysts.Here we report a highly efficient impregnation-pyrolysis method to prepare effective ORR electrocatalysts with large amount of atomically dispersed Fe active sites from biomass.Two types of active catalyst centers were identified,namely atomically dispersed Fe sites and Fe_xP particles.The ORR rate of the atomically dispersed Fe sites is three orders of magnitude higher than it of Fe_xP particles.A linear correlation between the amount of the atomically dispersed Fe and the ORR activity was obtained,revealing the major contribution of the atomically dispersed Fe to the ORR activity.The number of atomically dispersed Fe increases as the Fe loading increased and reaching the maximum at 1.86 wt%Fe,resulting in the maximum ORR rate.Optimized Fe-N-P-C complex catalyst was used as the cathode catalyst in a homemade Zn-air battery and good performance of an energy density of 771 Wh kgZn^-1,a power density of 92.9 m W cm^-2 at 137 m A cm^-2 and an excellent durability were exhibited.     

Confined Ni-In intermetallic alloy nanocatalyst with excellent coking resistance for methane dry reforming

Carbon dioxide and methane are two main greenhouse gases which are contributed to serious global warming.Fortunately,dry reforming of methane(DRM),a very important reaction developed decades ago,can convert these two major greenhouse gases into value-added syngas or hydrogen.The main problem retarding its industrialization is the seriously coking formation upon the nickel-based catalysts.Herein,a series of confined indium-nickel(In-Ni)intermetallic alloy nanocatalysts(In_xNi@SiO₂)have been prepared and displayed superior coking resistance for DRM reaction.The sample containing 0.5 wt.%of In loading(In_0.5Ni@SiO₂)shows the best balance of carbon deposition resistance and DRM reactivity even after 430 h long term stability test.The boosted carbon resistance can be ascribed to the confinement of core–shell structure and to the transfer of electrons from Indium to Nickel in In-Ni intermetallic alloys due to the smaller electronegativity of In.Both the silica shell and the increase of electron cloud density on metallic Ni can weaken the ability of Ni to activate C–H bond and decrease the deep cracking process of methane.The reaction over the confined InNi intermetallic alloy nanocatalyst was conformed to the Langmuir-Hinshelwood(L-H)mechanism revealed by in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy(in-situ DRIFTS).This work provides a guidance to design high performance coking resistance catalysts for methane dry reforming to efficiently utilize these two main greenhouse gases.     

Ga对在AlN衬底上直接生长石墨烯的远程催化

通过镓(Ga)远程催化, 采用化学气相沉积(CVD)方法在氮化铝(AlN)衬底上直接生长石墨烯薄膜. 研究了生长温度、 催化剂距离对石墨烯生长及其光学性质和电学性质的影响规律. 结果表明, 在生长温度1070 ℃下可以制备厚度约为5层的石墨烯薄膜, Ga周围1.4 cm范围内可以得到厚度均匀的石墨烯薄膜. 通过透光率和方阻表征了石墨烯的光学和电学性质, 结果表明, 400~800 nm波长范围内石墨烯薄膜透光率可达90%以上, 方阻约为230 Ω/□. 第一性原理计算结果表明, 石墨烯仍保持金属性, AlN衬底对石墨烯有吸附掺杂作用, 可有效降低石墨烯的方阻, 改善石墨烯和衬底的电学接触.     

柔性透明石墨烯膜制备及导电性能研究

本文通过液相化学还原和热还原联合作用制备了柔性透明导电石墨烯膜.阳极氧化铝(AAO)模板在制备过程中既作为抽滤的滤网,又作为热还原处理时支撑石墨烯膜的衬底,制成的柔性透明石墨烯膜对波长为540—840 nm的可见光透光率为80%,面电阻为850 Ω/平方,这与化学气相沉积法制备的石墨烯膜(280—770 Ω/平方)相近,而低于溶液法制备的石墨烯膜(通常是10³—10⁴ Ω/平方).     

石墨烯的制备、表征及其在透明导电膜中的应用

近年来,石墨烯因其优异的电学和光学等特性,越来越受到人们的广泛关注。研究人员应用多种方法来合成石墨烯并且探讨其潜在的应用价值。本文首先简要介绍了石墨烯的结构及其基本的物理性质,并简单回顾了石墨烯的合成方法和表征手段。在此基础上,讨论了石墨烯/银复合薄膜在透明导电膜中的应用,并详细介绍了我们在该领域的研究成果。用化学气相沉积法（CVD）和多羟基法分别制备了双层石墨烯及银纳米线,成功合成了石墨烯/银复合薄膜,结果表明复合薄膜的方块电阻可降低至26 Ω·□-1,展示了其在光电器件上广泛的应用前景。     

基于混合溶剂有机电解液的超低温孔洞石墨烯超级电容

适用于极低温环境的石墨烯超级电容具有广阔的应用前景。然而,由于片层间严重的堆叠团聚,目前石墨烯超级电容的低温储能性能并不理想。本文使用H₂O₂氧化刻蚀法制备了孔洞石墨烯(rHGO),将传统有机溶剂碳酸丙烯酯(PC)和低凝固点溶剂甲酸甲酯(MF)混合制备了混合溶剂有机电解液,组装获得了能够在-60 ℃极低温环境下稳定工作的超级电容。结果表明,该超级电容在-60 ℃下的比电容为106.2 F·g^-1,相对于常温电容(150.5 F·g^-1)的性能保持率高达70.6%,显著优于未做处理的石墨烯(52.3%)以及文献中的其他石墨烯材料。得益于孔洞化形貌中丰富的介孔和大孔所形成的离子传输通道和缩短的离子传输路径,孔洞石墨烯内的离子扩散阻抗远小于普通石墨烯,且受温度降低的影响更小。在-60 ℃的极低温条件下,该超级电容表现出26.9 Wh·kg^-1的最大能量密度和18.7 kW·kg^-1的最大功率密度,优于传统碳材料的低温超级电容性能。-60 ℃时在5 A·g^-1电流密度下循环充放电10000次后电容保持率达89.1%,具有良好的低温循环稳定性。     

柔性复合织物电极Graphene/Cotton和MnO2/Graphene/Cotton的合成及在电化学电容器中的应用

通过热还原法成功地制备出了柔性复合织物电极石墨烯/棉布(graphene/cotton)。热还原条件对电极的导电性能具有较大的影响。导电柔性织物电极graphene/cotton特有的多级结构使其既有利于进一步负载膺电容材料,又有利于电子和电解质离子的传输与扩散。通过电化学沉积方法,利用导电柔性织物电极graphene/cotton进一步制备出了电极MnO₂/graphene/cotton。利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM),傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱,四探针测试法等表征技术对电极的结构进行了较为详细的表征。结果表明电极MnO₂/graphene/cotton的比电容可以达到536 F·g^-1。良好的电化学性能和柔性使得此类电极在柔性储能材料应用中具有极大的应用前景。     

Graphene arrested in laponite-water colloidal glass

Graphene production in water from graphite sources is an important technological route toward harvesting the unique properties of this material. Graphene forms thermodynamically unstable dispersions in water, limiting the use of this solvent due to aggregation. We show that graphene-water dispersions can be controlled kinetically to produce graphene by using laponite clay. Laponite exhibits rapid gelation kinetics when dispersed in water above its gelation concentration, allowing graphene aggregation to be halted after exfoliation in water at ambient conditions. The transparency of laponite colloidal glass and films is important in examining the extent of graphene exfoliation.     

La2CuO4阴极薄膜的相转变及其对电化学性能的影响

通过调控薄膜的沉积条件,探索La₂CuO₄的晶体结构对电化学性质的影响。采用脉冲激光沉积设备在YSZ(100)单晶基底上沉积一系列La₂CuO₄薄膜,通过调节沉积时的氧压,制备了不同晶体结构的La₂CuO₄薄膜。 研究表明,沉积氧压的变化使薄膜晶体结构发生相转变,从T'相→T^*相→T相。 T'相为沿着c轴择优生长的单晶四方相,且表现出较大的界面极化电阻,在850 ℃的R_p值为2.351 Ω·cm²。 T^*相为T'相和T相的混合相,在850 ℃的电阻值介于T'相和T相之间。 T相为正交相,相对于其它相结构表现出较低的界面极化电阻,沉积氧压为26.60 Pa下制备的T相在850 ℃的电阻值为0.783 Ω·cm²,比T'相的电阻值低近67%。 并且,正交相表面有相对较高的氧空位浓度,有利于氧气的吸附和扩散,加速了阴极的氧还原反应。 因此,具有正交对称性的La₂CuO₄的电化学性质优于其它对称性。 这一结果也表明可以通过改变薄膜材料的晶体结构,降低界面极化电阻,提高阴极薄膜的电化学性能。     

石墨烯电子器件的研究进展

石墨烯是一种sp²杂化的平面类蜂窝型二维结构材料,特殊的结构赋予其许多优良的性能,如导电、导热性能好,载流子迁移率高和透射性好等,使其在电子器件领域表现出巨大潜力。 本文从石墨烯在三维集成电路中的应用、石墨烯场效应晶体管、石墨烯有机发光二极管及化学传感器四方面综述了石墨烯电子器件的研究进展及现状。     

石墨烯纤维材料的化学气相沉积生长方法

石墨烯纤维材料是以石墨烯为主要结构基元沿某一特定方向组装而成或由石墨烯包覆纤维状基元形成的宏观一维材料。根据组成基元的不同可将石墨烯纤维材料分为石墨烯纤维和石墨烯包覆复合纤维。石墨烯纤维材料在一维方向上充分发挥了石墨烯高强度、高导电、高导热等特点,在智能纤维与织物、柔性储能器件、便携式电子器件等领域具有广阔的应用前景。随着化学气相沉积(Chemical Vapor Deposition,CVD)制备石墨烯薄膜技术的发展,CVD技术也逐渐应用于石墨烯纤维材料的制备。利用CVD法制备石墨烯纤维可避免传统纺丝工艺中繁琐的氧化石墨烯(Graphene Oxide,GO)还原过程。同时,通过CVD法直接将石墨烯沉积至纤维表面可以保证石墨烯与纤维基底之间强的粘附作用,提高复合纤维的稳定性,同时可实现对石墨烯质量的有效调控。本文综述了石墨烯纤维材料的CVD制备方法,石墨烯纤维材料优异的力学、电学、光学性质及其在智能传感、光电器件、柔性电极等领域的应用,并展望了CVD法制备石墨烯纤维材料未来的发展方向。     

Inspired by Grape Seed and Wine: Tannic Acid as a Modified Coating for Fabricating Highly Flexible,Transparent and Conductive Film

The application of transparent conductive films in flexible electronics has shown promising prospects recently. Tannic acid(TA) was successfully applied to modifying the surface of polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS) to fhbricate highly flexible, transparent and conductive Ag nanowires(NWs) based films. TA modification transformed the PDMS surface from hydrophobicity into hydrophilicity without decreasing the transparence. A sheet resistance(Rs) of 80 Ω/cm^2 with an optical transmittance of 94% was achieved, which was superior to that of indium tin oxide(ITO) films. More importantly, the TA layer enhanced the interaction between Ag NWs and the PDMS substrate. The Ag NWs films on TA modified PDMS substrate exhibited excellent stability in Rs when subjected to a bending test.