Preparation and adsorption property of novel inverse-opal hierarchical porous N-doped carbon microspheres

The design of pore structure is the key factor for the performance of porous carbon spheres.In this wo rk,novel micron-sized colloidal crystal microspheres consisting of fibrous silica(F-SiO_2) nanoparticles are firstly prepared by water-evapo ration-induced self-assembly of F-SiO_2 nanoparticles in the droplets of an inverse emulsion system to be used as sacrificial templates.Acrylonitrile(AN) was infiltrated in the voids of the F-SiO_2 colloidal crystal microspheres,and in-situ induced by ~(60)Co y-ray to polymerize into polyacrylonitrile(PAN).After the PAN-infiltrated F-SiO_2 colloidal crystal microspheres were carbonized and etched with HF solution,novel micron-sized inverse-opal N-doped carbon(IO-NC) microspheres consisting of hollow carbon nanoparticles with a hierarchical macro/meso-porous inner surface were obtained.The IO-NC microspheres have a specific surface area as high as 266.4 m~2/g and a molar ratio of C/N of 5.They have a good dispersibility in water,and show a high adsorption capacity towards rhodamine B(RhB) up to 137.28 mg/(g microsphe re).This work offers a way to obtain novel micron-sized hierarchical macro/meso-porous N-doped carbon microspheres,which opens a new idea to prepare high-performance hierarchical porous carbon materials.     

Partial P-Type Metal Ions Doping Induced Variation of Both Crystal Structure and Oxygen Vacancy Within Cu/SnO2 Metastable Solid Solution Nanofibers for Highly Sensitive C2H2 Sensor

Partial P-type metal ions doping(PPMID) is an alternative method to further enhance the gas sensing performance of N-type metal oxides(NMOs) in contrast to that of P-N metal oxides heterojunctions, but the influences of the introduction of PPMID on the grain size and oxygen vacancies of NMOs have been rarely investigated. Herein, a simple and effective route has been demonstrated to address this problem with Cu²⁺-doped SnO₂ metastable solid solution nanofibers(CSMSSNs) as model and C₂H₂ as target molecule by combining electrospinning and calcination technique. It seems that the introduction of PPMID can also affect crystal structure and oxygen vacancies of NMOs, proven by combining X-ray diffraction(XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectra(XPS). Thus, PPD, crystal structure and oxygen vacancies have been combined to clarify the enhanced sensing performance of Cu-doped SnO₂ metastable solid solution nanofibers angainst C₂H₂.     

Mo掺杂调控电子结构增强NiS电催化固氮性能

以泡沫镍为骨架,通过水热法制备了Mo掺杂的NiS多级纳米花状结构(Mo-NiS)。在偏压为-0.7 V(vs RHE)下,2 h内,0.83 Mo-NiS(制备时钼、镍物质的量之比为0.83)的电催化固氮速率平均可达4.21μg·cm~(-2)·h~(-1),法拉第效率平均为18%。XPS测试和DFT计算表明,Mo掺杂增加了Ni活性位点周围的电子云密度,提高了电荷传输速率,促使*NNH_2到*N能垒大幅度降低,从而提升了电催化固氮效率。     

碳自掺杂石墨相氮化碳纳米片的制备及其在可见光照射下的光解水产氢性能

石墨相氮化碳(g?C3N4)由于具有对可见光吸收范围较窄和光生载流子分离效率低等缺陷,其光解水产氢活性较差。我们采用简单的一步热共聚法,以尿素和2,4,6?三氨基嘧啶(TAPD)混合物为前驱物,制备碳自掺杂纳米片(CNNS?x,x mg代表掺入TAPD的质量)。X射线衍射(XRD)、元素分析(EA)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)等测试结果表明,来自TAPD的嘧啶环成功引入g?C3N4共轭体系中,使所得的CNNS?x具有较窄的带隙,较快的光生载流子迁移速率,从而提高其对可见光的吸收效率和光生载流子的分离效率。得益于此,CNNS?x在可见光照射下表现出较好的光解水产氢活性。特别是CNNS?30具有最佳光解水性能,其产氢速率可达57.6μmol·h-1,是g?C3N4纳米片(CNNS)的4倍。     

Cu Doping-Induced Transformation from [Ag62S12(SBut)32]2+ to [Ag62−xCuxS12(SBut)32]4+ Nanocluster

The change in the valence state of nanocluster can induce remarkable changes in the properties and structure. However, achieving the valence state changes in nanoclusters is still a challenge. In this work, we use Cu²⁺ as dopant to “oxidize” [Ag₆₂S₁₂(SBu^t)₃₂]²⁺ (4 free electrons) to obtain the new nanocluster: [Ag_62−xCu_xS₁₂(SBu^t)₃₂]⁴⁺ with 2 free electrons. As revealed by its structure, the [Ag_62−xCu_xS₁₂(SBu^t)₃₂]⁴⁺ (x=10∼21) has a similar structure to that of [Ag₆₂S₁₂(SBu^t)₃₂]²⁺ precursor and all the Cu atoms occupy the surface site of nanocluster. It′s worth noting that with the Cu atoms doping, the [Ag_62−xCu_xS₁₂(SBu^t)₃₂]⁴⁺ nanocluster is more stable than [Ag₆₂S₁₂(SBu^t)₃₂]²⁺ at higher temperature and in electrochemical cycle. This result has laid a foundation for the subsequent application and exploration. Overall, this work reveals crystals structure of a new Ag−Cu nanocluster and offers a new insight into the electron reduction/oxidation of nanocluster.     

Metal-Free B,N co-Doped Hierarchical Porous Carbon Electrocatalyst with an Excellent O2 Reduction Performance

Fuel cells have attracted increasing attention due to their low cost, high energy density, low environmental pollution, and abundant raw materials. Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is a core technology of fuel cells, and the development of new electrocatalysts with high ORR performance is highly desirable. Herein, we synthesize a series of B, N co-doped hierarchical porous carbons using a soft template method with the integration of self-assembly, calcination and etching. The obtained materials exhibit hierarchical porous structures, controllable pore distribution, partial graphite structures, and B, N co-doping. They can function as the cost-effective and metal-free electrocatalysts, facilitating the diffusion of electrolyte ions and the improvement of ORR performance. Especially, the B, N co-doped porous carbon with the B-to-N molar ratio of 5 (BNC-5) displays a high ORR activity with a half-wave potential (E_1/2) of 0.73 V, an onset potential (E_onset) of 0.94 V, and a high limiting current density (J_L) of 5.98 mA cm⁻², superior to the N-doped C (NC) and BNC-1 (the B-to-N molar ratio=1), BNC-3 (the B-to-N molar ratio=3) and BNC-7 (the B-to-N molar ratio=7) under the identical conditions. Moreover, the BNC-5 exhibits good cycling stability after 5000 cyclic voltammetry (CV) cycles and excellent tolerance toward even 3 M methanol. This research provides a new approach for the facile synthesis of dual element-doped carbon electrocatalysts with high ORR performance.     

How Does Substitutional Doping Affect Visible Light Absorption in a Series of Homodisperse Ti11 Polyoxotitanate Nanoparticles?

Homodisperse doped polyoxotitanate nanoclusters with formulae Ti₁₁(MX)O₁₄(OiPr)₁₇ (M=Mn, Fe or Co; X=Cl, Br or I, OiPr=isopropoxide) display strongly dopant‐dependent properties. Spectroscopic solution and reflectance measurements backed up by density of states and time‐dependent DFT calculations based on the determined structures, show the prominent effect of FeX substitution by decreasing the HOMO–LUMO gap of the particles. The effect is attributed to the presence of an occupied Fe β orbital halfway up the bandgap, leading to long‐wavelength absorption with electron transfer to the titanium atoms of the cluster. Whereas the light absorption varies significantly with variation of the transition metal dopant, its dependency on the nature of the halogen atom or the change in dipole moment across the series is minor.     

Unusual Ultra‐Hydrophilic,Porous Carbon Cuboids for Atmospheric‐Water Capture

There is significant interest in high‐performance materials that can directly and efficiently capture water vapor, particularly from air. Herein, we report a class of novel porous carbon cuboids with unusual ultra‐hydrophilic properties, over which the synergistic effects between surface heterogeneity and micropore architecture is maximized, leading to the best atmospheric water‐capture performance among porous carbons to date, with a water capacity of up to 9.82 mmol g^?1 at P/P₀=0.2 and 25 °C (20 % relative humidity or 6000 ppm). Benefiting from properties, such as defined morphology, narrow pore size distribution, and high heterogeneity, this series of functional carbons may serve as model materials for fundamental research on carbon chemistry and the advance of new types of materials for water‐vapor capture as well as other applications requiring combined highly hydrophilic surface chemistry, developed hierarchical porosity, and excellent stability.