ETHYLENE OXIDE-ETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE SEGMENTED COPOLYMER SOLID ELECTROLYTE

A series of ethylene oxide-ethylene terephthalate segmented copolymers (EOET) weresynthesized and complexed with LiClO_4 to form some new polymer electrolytes. The EOET-LiClO_4 electrolytes exhibit not only high ionic conductivity, but also good mechanical strengthand toughness. The EOET 3400--25--LiClO_4 complex possesses the highest conductivity (4. 65×10~(-5)s·cm~(-1) at room temperature when the ratio [Li~+]/[EO] equals 1/16. The structures of these electrolytes were examined with FTIR analysis, X-ray diffractionand DSC thermograms, and the results of high ionic conductivity of the segmented copolymerswere discussed.     

Influence of embedded boron nitride nanosheets on Fe3+ diffusion in Fricke gel dosimeter and its response to γ rays

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - The Fe3+ diffusion in Fricke gel dosimeter, widely used for the measurement of accurate dose distributions in radiotherapy, results in a gradual...     

Extracellular Surface Potential Mapping by Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy Revealed Transient Transmembrane Pore Formation Induced by Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles

In‐depth understanding of the biophysicochemical interactions at the nano–bio interface is important for basic cell biology and applications in nanomedicine and nanobiosensors. Here, the extracellular surface potential and topography changes of live cell membranes interacting with polymeric nanomaterials using a scanning ion conductance microscopy‐based potential imaging technique are investigated. Two structurally similar amphiphilic conjugated polymer nanoparticles (CPNs) containing different functional groups (i.e., primary amine versus guanidine) are used to study incubation time and functional group‐dependent extracellular surface potential and topographic changes. Transmembrane pores, which induce significant changes in potential, only appear transiently in the live cell membranes during the initial interactions. The cells are able to self‐repair the damaged membrane and become resilient to prolonged CPN exposure. This study provides an important observation on how the cells interact with and respond to extracellular polymeric nanomaterials at the early stage. This study also demonstrates that extracellular surface potential imaging can provide a new insight to help understand the complicated interactions at the nano–bio interface and the following cellular responses.     

Concept of a high-resolution miniature spectrometer using an integrated filter array

A high-resolution miniature spectrometer has been demonstrated by utilizing a 128-channel integrated filter array, fabricated by using the combinatorial deposition technique, as a dispersive component whose passbands range from 722.0 to 880.0 nm with a bandwidth (or spectral resolution) from 1.7 to 3.8 nm and an average channel interval of 1.2 nm. The miniature spectrometer is smaller than 1 cm3 without any moving parts. This kind of miniature spectrometer has the advantages of very low payload, high resolution, and high reliability simultaneously, which are especially urgently needed for space applications.     

In situ green production of Prussian blue/natural porous framework nanocomposites for radioactive Cs+ removal

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Novel Prussian blue/natural porous framework nanocomposites (PB@Apple, PB@Corn stalk and PB@Pomelo peel) were successfully produced in aqueous...     

Fabrication of ZnO nanorod array-based photodetector with high sensitivity to ultraviolet

Large scale densely packed and vertically oriented ZnO nanorod arrays were grown on F-doped SnO₂ (FTO) substrates through a simple hydrothermal synthesis route. Based on the arrays of hexagonal ZnO nanorod with size of 60100 nm in diameter, and 1.5 μm in length, a prototypical photoelectrical device was fabricated for ultraviolet detection, showing good reproducibility and a large photocurrent of around 6.71 mA at the applied voltage of 0.4 V. The large photocurrent and the ohmic I–V characteristics of the ZnO nanorods under the illumination could be ascribed to the decrease of the barrier height among the ZnO nanorods and the Schottky barrier between the nanorods and the Au electrodes and, in particular, to the accumulation of conduction electrons, resulted from the neutralization between photogenerated holes and negatively charged oxygen ions. The photoresponse curve is well fitted to an exponential curve with the relaxation time constant of 9 s in rising edge and 90 s in decaying one, representing the accumulation of conduction electrons. These well-aligned ZnO nanostructures of high quality could be easily fabricated by a cost-effective chemical route and used for constructing nanoscale devices with excellent performances.     

Preparation of W1/O/W2 emulsion to limit the diffusion of Fe3+ in the Fricke gel 3D dosimeter

The irradiation of tumors in radiotherapy requires accurate 3D dosimetry. The Fricke 3D dosimeters, which were considered to be high potential of application in 3D dosimetry, suffer from a reduced temporal integrity of dose distribution caused by Fe³⁺ ions diffusion. To overcome the drawback, we firstly synthesized a kind of amphiphilic molecules with critical micelle concentration of 0.45 g/L and hydrophile‐lipophile balance value of 10, then prepared multiple emulsions by self‐assembling those molecules in Fricke solution under liquid paraffin, and finally obtained Fricke hydrogel embedded with the multiple emulsions. The diffusion coefficient of Fe³⁺ ions in the embedded Fricke hydrogel was measured to be 0.17 mm²/h. The hydrogel dosimeter exhibits considerable potential for use in dose verification applications.     

Experimental study of scaling properties and roughing mechanisms in C60-Ag thin films

Surface morphologies and microstructures of C₆₀/Ag composite films were studied by atomic force microscope (AFM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The surface roughness depended on the substrate temperature, and the transition of surface morphology of rough→smooth→rough was observed when the substrate temperature increased from −50 to 120°C. Although the rms values are similar, the scaling properties of the thermal roughing and the kinetic roughing surfaces are quite different. The relations between the scaling properties, microstructures and roughing mechanisms are discussed based on the AFM and TEM results. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 59529204).     

Development of Novel Graphene/g‐C3N4 Composite with Broad‐Frequency and Light‐Weight Features

In this study, a novel graphene/g‐C₃N₄ microwave absorber is developed to solve the electromagnetic wave interference problem. Graphene/g‐C₃N₄ composite is synthesized by loading g‐C₃N₄ nanosheets on graphene through a simple liquid‐phase approach. High‐performance electromagnetic absorption performance can be achieved. The optimal reflection loss value is up to ?29.6 dB under a thin coating layer of 1.5 mm. At the same time, the corresponding absorption bandwidth of this composite can reach 5.2 GHz (12.8–18 GHz). Excellent electromagnetic absorption property may be attributed to the current attenuation theory which has been proven by replacing graphene with porous graphene or graphene oxide. The results reveal that free electron numbers and loading mass of g‐C₃N₄ on graphene play the key roles in the intensity of current attenuation and resistance value.     

Effect of oxygen flow rate on the properties of SiOx films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering

SiOx (x = 0- 2) films were deposited on BK-7 substrates by a low frequency reactive magnetron sputtering system with the oxygen flow rate (OFR) changing from 0 to 30 sccm. The samples were characterized by atomic force microscopy, spectrophotometer, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The extinction coefficient and refractive index decrease, while the optical transmittance increases with the increase of OFR from 0 to 17 sccm. The root mean square surface roughness has a maximum at 10 sccm OFR. The highest deposition rate is at 15 sccm OFR. Our results show that the films deposited at 20 sccm OFR are stoichiometric silica with relatively high deposition rate, low extinction coefficient, and low surface roughness. Therefore, a precise control of OFR is very important to obtain high quality films for optical applications.