Well Crystallized α-GaOOH Nanocrystals Synthesized through Hydrothermal Routes and Their Properties

A facile hydrothermal process involving Ga(NO₃)₃·H₂O·NaN₃ solutions led to the formation of α‐GaOOH nano‐platelets. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) pattern revealed that the synthesized samples belonged to an orthorhombic crystal structure with lattice constants a=0.4510 nm, b=0.9750 nm and c=0.2965 nm. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies showed that α‐GaOOH displayed the morphologies of an eccentric platelet‐like structure with 60–120 and 200–300 nm in the short and long axes, respectively. The average thickness of products was about 70 nm through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images. The ultraviolet absorption of the samples was at 214 nm. The prepared α‐GaOOH nano‐platelets exhibited a broad emission band from 220 to 400 nm with a maximum at 343 nm under short UV excitation of 200 nm. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum confirmed the existence of Ga₂O and Ga–OH bending modes. A possible mechanism for the formation of α‐GaOOH nano‐platelets was discussed briefly.     

Quantum phenomena in magnetic nano clusters

One of the fascinating fields of study in magnetism in recent years has been the study of quantum phenomena in nanosystems. While semiconductor structures have provided paradigms of nanosystems from the stand point of electronic phenomena, the synthesis of high nuclearity transition metal complexes have provided examples of nano magnets. The range and diversity of the properties exhibited by these systems rivals its electronic counterparts. Qualitative understanding of these phenomena requires only a knowledge of basic physics, but quantitative study throws up many challenges that are similar to those encountered in the study of correlated electronic systems. In this article, a brief overview of the current trends in this area are highlighted and some of the efforts of our group in developing a quantitative understanding of this field are outlined.     

STRENGTH ANALYSIS OF CLAMPING IN MICRO/NANO SCALE EXPERIMENTS

Two kinds of clamping in micro/nano scale experiments are investigated in this paper, one based on electron-beam-induced deposition, and the other on the van der Waals interaction. The clamping strength and mechanism are analyzed both theoretically and experimentally. The influence of relative humidity on the micro/nano clamping and the method of electrostatic clamping are discussed. The clamping strength and performance of different clamping methods are compared considering the size and material of the clamped objects, and the application environments.     

A facile strategy to modify TiO2 nanoparticles via surface‐initiated ATRP of styrene

A core‐shell hybrid nanocomposites, possessing a hard core of nano titanium dioxide (n‐TiO₂) and a soft shell of brushlike polystyrene (PS), were successfully prepared by surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) at 90 °C in anisole solution using CuBr/PMDETA as the catalyst, in the presence of sacrificial initiator. FTIR, ¹H NMR, XPS, TEM, SEM, TGA, and DSC were used to determine the chemical structure, morphology, thermal properties, and the grafted PS quantities of the resulting products. TEM images of the samples provided direct evidence for the formation of a core‐shell structure. The thermal stabilities of the grafted polymers were dramatically elevated relative to that of pristine PS according to TGA results. DSC results demonstrated that the TiO₂‐PS nanocomposites exhibited higher glass transition temperature (T_g) compared with pristine PS. The molecular weights of the free polymers formed by sacrificial initiator, which were similar to that of surface‐attached polymers were measured by GPC instrument which showed that the molecular weights of PS were well controlled with a relatively narrow polydispersity index (PDI < 1.2). © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1782–1790, 2010     

Microstructural characterization and optical polarization of glass with needle-like micro–nano silver oriented arrangement

Homogeneous glasses in the Na₂O–B₂O₃–Al₂O₃–SiO₂ system doped with proper amount of AgCl were obtained by melting at a temperature of 1450 °C. Then, with several steps of treatment, including crystallization, elongation and reduction, the glass with oriented arrangement of needle-like micro–nano silver particles was produced. The microstructure and the optical properties of the glass samples in different stages were studied by SEM-EDAX, FE-SEM and UV–Vis spectrum. The results showed that the glass after elongation and reduction exhibits excellent polarization performance in the wavelength range from 600 nm to 900 nm, with an extinction ratio larger than 45 dB. The glass only elongated shows also slight polarizing performance, which may result from the formation of filament structure of Ag during elongation processing.     

Chitosan‐Silica Sulfate Nano Hybrid as a Novel and Highly Proficient Heterogeneous Nano Catalyst for Regioselective Ring Opening of Epoxides via Carboxylic Acids

The synthesis and characterization of chitosan‐silica sulfate nano hybrid (CSSNH ) as a novel and efficient heterogeneous nano catalyst involving acid‐base bifunctional activity is described. The catalytic potency and activity of this eco‐friendly catalyst was investigated in regioselective ring opening of epoxides with carboxylic acids to access structurally diverse 1,2‐diol mono‐esters in good to excellent yields. CSSNH catalyst was characterized using different microscopic and spectroscopic techniques encompassing scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, N₂ adsorption isotherm, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The green nature, cheapness, efficiency, ease of preparation, handling and reusability of this new catalyst makes this catalyst to be useful for green industrial processes.     

Computational studies on optoelectronic and charge transfer properties of some perylene‐based donor‐π‐acceptor systems for dye sensitized solar cell applications

We report DFT studies on some perylene‐based dyes for their electron transfer properties in solar cell applications. The study involves modeling of different donor‐π‐acceptor type sensitizers, with perylene as the donor, furan/pyrrole/thiophene as the π‐bridge and cyanoacrylic group as the acceptor. The effect of different π‐bridges and various substituents on the perylene donor was evaluated in terms of opto‐electronic and photovoltaic parameters such as HOMO‐LUMO energy gap, λ_max, light harvesting efficiency(LHE), electron injection efficiency (Ø_inject), excited state dye potential (E^dye*), reorganization energy(λ), and free energy of dye regeneration (). The effect of various substituents on the dye–I₂ interaction and hence recombination process was also evaluated. We found that the furan‐based dimethylamine derivative exhibits a better balance of the various optical and photovoltaic properties. Finally, we evaluated the overall opto‐electronic and transport parameters of the TiO₂‐dye assembly after anchoring the dyes on the model TiO₂ cluster assembly.     

Fabrication of urchin‐like Ag/ZnO hierarchical nano/microstructures based on galvanic replacement mechanism and their enhanced photocatalytic properties

Urchin‐like Ag/ZnO hierarchical nano/microstructures have been synthesized through a facile low‐temperature hydrothermal growth method based on galvanic replacement mechanism. The experimental results show that the urchin‐like Ag/ZnO heterostructures are formed through the epitaxial growth of ZnO nanorods on the {111} facets of Ag nanoparticles along their own c‐axis. The photocatalytic properties of the products were evaluated by the degradation of RhB dye solution under ultraviolet irradiation, and the results show that the products exhibit significantly enhanced photocatalytic properties comparing with pure ZnO nanorods. The products with a Ag content of 35.64 atom % prepared with a Ag⁺ concentration in solution of 5 mM exhibit surprisingly high degradation rate (99.5%) for RhB dye solution (4 mg/L) after photocatalytic reaction for only 14 min under ultraviolet irradiation. The Schottky barrier formed at the metal‐semiconductor interfaces improves the segregation of charges and prevents the charge recombination, and thus significantly enhances the photocatalytic activities of the products. On the other hand, the high stability of the urchin‐like Ag/ZnO hierarchical nano/microstructures can effectively prevent the aggregation of nanostructures with simultaneously preserving high photocatalytic properties due to the existence of nanosized unites. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

催化反应制备碳化硅纳米粉体的密度泛函理论计算及实验研究

以Si_(55),Si_(43)M_(12)和Si_(37)M_(18)(M=Fe,Co或Ni)团簇为模型,采用密度泛函理论(DFT)研究了Fe,Co及Ni纳米团簇催化硅粉转化为SiC的机理.计算结果表明,Fe,Co及Ni纳米催化剂先与Si形成合金,拉长并弱化Si—Si键的强度,起到活化Si粉的作用;合金的形成有利于C原子的吸附及Si原子和C原子间的反应;Fe的催化能力强于Co和Ni.在此基础上,以Si粉和酚醛树脂为原料,以Fe,Co及Ni硝酸盐为催化剂前驱体,通过微波加热反应制备了3C-SiC纳米粉体.研究了催化剂种类、反应温度、催化剂用量和反应时间等对制备3C-SiC纳米粉体的影响.结果表明,催化剂Fe,Co和Ni的加入均可显著降低3C-SiC的合成温度.当以2.0%(质量分数)的Fe为催化剂时,Si粉在1100℃下反应30 min后即可全部转化为3C-SiC纳米粉体;而在相同条件下,无催化剂时Si粉的完全转化温度为1250℃;Fe的催化效果优于Co和Ni,与DFT计算结果吻合.     

Free volume,molecular grains,self-organisation,and anisotropic entropy: machining materials

ABSTRACT

In this article, the relationship between molecular architecture and the formation of twist-bend phases is reviewed under the context of shape dependency. We conclude that the twist-bend phase is a universal phenomenon, which occurs in a wide variety of materials, for dimers through to main chain polymers. In the process, the chemical information on molecular design is effectively lost or irrelevant, and molecular topology takes precedence over electrostatic interactions in mesophase formation. As a consequence of this macro-scale material, engineering by shape alone becomes a possibility, potentially more phases may be realised, and entropy is anisotropic.