Pt immobilized spontaneously on porous MXene/MAX hybrid monolith for hydrogen evolution reaction

Designing efficient electrocatalysts with low Pt loadings for hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) is urgently required for renewable and sustainable energy conversion.Here,we report a strategy that Pt nanoparticulates are spontaneously immobilized on porous MXene/MAX monolith as HER catalysts by utilizing the redox reaction between Ti_3C_2T_x MXene and [PtCl_4]~2 in H_2 PtCl_6 aqueous solution.By taking advantage of homogeneously distributed Pt nanoparticulates on highly electrically conductive porous Ti_3C_2T_x/Ti_3AlC_2 monolith,the as-prepared electrocatalysts show high catalytic performance for hydrogen evolution.Specifically,the binder-free electrocatalysts have Pt loadings as low as 8.9 μg/cm~2,with low overpotential of 43 mV at a curre nt density of 10 mA/cm~2 and low Tafel slope that three times lower than porous Ti_3C_2T_x/Ti_3AlC_2 without Pt loading.This strategy offers a new approach to constructing ultra-low Pt-loading HER catalysts on the basis of in situ redox reaction between noble metal ions and MXenes.     

Studies on photochromic benzimidazol[1,2a]pyrrolidin-2-ones from the condensation of 2-methyl-3-benzothienylethylidene-(isopropylidene)succinic anhydride with 1,2-diaminobenzenes

Novel photochromic benzimidazol[1,2a]pyrrolidin-2-ones, which give thermally stable highly coloured photochromes, have been synthesised by condensation of 2-methyl-3-benzothienylethylidene(isopropylidene)succinic anhydride with 1,2-diaminobenzene and its 4,5-dimethyl and 4,5-dimethoxy derivatives. The photochromic properties are reported.     

Precipitation and recrystallization of uniform CuCl particles formed by aggregation of nanosize precursors

Uniform, spherical CuCl particles were obtained by mixing aqueous solutions of CuCl ₂ and ascorbic acid in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as dispersing agent. The size and the uniformity of the resulting particles depended on the volume ratio of the reactant solutions, their concentrations, the distribution of the stabilizers, and the mixing method. The single jet precipitation yielded large spheres of broad size distributions, while the particles obtained by the double jet technique were rather uniform in size. The final colloidal CuCl particles were formed by the aggregation of nanocrystals, initially generated in the system. Depending on the pH of the reaction mixture, these particles slowly change to large CuCl crystals on aging in the mother liquor.     

The glass-to-liquid transition of the emulsified high-density amorphous ice made by pressure-induced amorphization

Emulsified high-density amorphous ice, made by pressure-induced amorphization of emulsified ice Ih, was decompressed at about 160 K. The onset of an endothermic event was observed around 0.4 GPa during the decompression. This is consistent with existence of the glass transition to a liquid state, implying the close relationship between melting and amorphization.     

Catalyzed collapse and enhanced hydrogen storage of BN nanotubes

The novel morphology of BN nanotubes with a collapsed structure has been discovered by a metal-catalyzed treatment. The collapse causes the dramatic enlargement of a specific surface area of BN nanotubes and remarkably enhances the hydrogen storage capacity of BN nanotubes.     

Electrochemical supercapacitors based on novel hybrid materials made of carbon nanotubes and polyoxometalates

We have characterized symmetric solid-state supercapacitors in swagelok cells using film electrodes made of novel hybrid materials based on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNT) and phosphomolybdate polyanion (Cs-PMo12) with PVA as binder. These hybrid materials were carried out by Cs-PMo12 adhesion onto previously functionalized CNT, in order to disperse both components at a molecular level and use Cs-PMo12 as energy density enhancer in supercapacitor cells. Our results show high capacitance values (up to 285 F/g at I = 200 mA/g) due to the contribution of Cs-PMo12, which was revealed on the higher energy density values compared to pure CNT electrodes. Additionally, good stability was observed during 500 charge–discharge cycles for most hybrid electrodes. These preliminary results show a new approach to enhance energy density of double layer supercapacitor cells through the introduction of Cs-PMo12, whereas from a material science point of view these materials are innovative, and open the way to search for diverse applications aside from supercapacitors (sensors, catalysts, photovoltaic cells, etc.).     

Anti-solvent assisted treatment for improved morphology and efficiency of lead acetate derived perovskite solar cells

An efficient solution-processable route employing Pb(Ac)₂ as lead source and anti-solvent treatment to achieve fully covered and homogenous perovskite films is reported.     

Peculiarities of changes of some physicomechanical characteristics of monoisotopes B, B and natural β-boron

Real structure and some physicomechanical characteristics of the samples of natural beta-rhombohedral boron B as well as of its ¹⁰B and ¹¹B monoisotopes have been studied. It was shown that the influence of ¹⁰B and ¹¹B isotopes on physicomechanical properties of boron had a different character. In particular, the samples enriched with ¹¹B had high values of microhardness, shear modulus (SM) and elastic limit if compared to those of boron, while the samples enriched with ¹⁰B monoisotopes were characterized with high values of thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) and thermal conductivity; lattice parameters a and c increased by the sequence: ¹¹B, B, ¹⁰B. It was established that TEC, thermal conductivity, microhardness, SM and shear elastic limit increased in all samples at annealing for 5 h at 1500 °C regardless of isotope content.     

Layer-by-layer assembled multilayer films of titanate nanotubes, Ag- or Au-loaded nanotubes, and nanotubes/nanosheets with polycations

Aqueous suspensions of hydrothermally synthesized titanate nanotubes and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) have been employed to fabricate multilayer films on various substrates in a layer-by-layer fashion. Atomic force microscopy displays the dense coverage of the substrate surface by the nanotubes. UV-vis absorption spectroscopy confirms the consecutive growth of PDDA/nanotube layer pairs. Single crystalline Ag and Au nanoparticles with narrow size distribution spatially correlating with the nanotubes have been obtained by treating the nanotubes with AgNO(3) or HAuCl(4) aqueous solution followed by chemical reduction. The noble metal nanoparticles show a strong surface plasmon absorption band. A multilayer film construction of the noble-metal-loaded nanotubes has also been achieved. This process has been further extended to the heteroassembly of nanotubes/nanosheets in different layer sequences.