Self-supported particle-track-etched polycarbonate membranes as templates for cylindrical polypyrrole nanotubes and nanowires: an X-ray scattering and scanning force microscopy investigation

Self-supported particle-track-etched polycarbonate membranes with nearly perfect cylindrical pores are used for the preparation of similarly perfect cylindrical polypyrrole nanowires and nanotubes. A complete investigation of the structural properties that result at different stages of the preparation route of polypyrrole nanowires and nanotubes is based on a combination of real and reciprocal space techniques. Nanoporous membranes with nominal pore size ranging from 5 to 150 nm and pore density up to 10(9) pores/cm(2) made from 21-microm-thick polycarbonate films are used. Polypyrrole nanotubes or nanowires are synthesized inside the pores. A real-space picture of the nanomaterial results from scanning force microscopy (SFM) on ultrathin sections made in two directions to obtain structures in the sample surface as well as perpendicular to the surface. From a model-based fit to the small-angle and ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/USAXS) data, the geometric pore structure is obtained and compared to values determined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Nanopores, nanowires, and nanotubes are described by uniform solid cylinders or hollow tubes, which are oriented highly parallel to each other and exhibit a small size distribution. Below a critical pore diameter, solid nanowires are produced whereas above this limit hollow nanotubes result.     

Chemical conversion synthesis and optical properties of metal sulfide hollow microspheres

A facile chemical conversion method has been demonstrated to prepare various metal sulfide hollow microspheres. The present strategy utilizes the large difference in solubility between ZnS and other metal sulfides (Ag2S, PbS, CuS, Cu2S, Bi2S3, and Sb2S3) for the effective transformation and shows mild growth conditions and good reproducibility. The morphology, structure, and composition of the yielded hollow nanostructures have been confirmed by transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, and X-ray diffraction measurements. The optical properties of the metal sulfide hollow microspheres have been systematically investigated by absorption, micro-Raman, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The results demonstrate that these metal sulfide hollow microspheres possess good optical quality with tunable band gaps and luminescence properties, which indicate their broad potential applications. This simple chemical conversion technique can be further extended to the synthesis of other semiconductors with various morphologies.     

Controllable synthesis and optical properties of novel ZnO cone arrays via vapor transport at low temperature

Novel ZnO cone arrays with controllable morphologies have been synthesized on silicon (100) substrates by thermal evaporation of metal Zn powder at a low temperature of 570 degrees C without a metal catalyst. Clear structure evolutions were observed using scanning electron microscopy: well-aligned ZnO nanocones, double-cones with growing head cones attached by stem cones, and cones with straight hexagonal pillar were obtained as the distance between the source and the substrates was increased. X-ray diffraction shows that all cone arrays grow along the c-axis. Raman and photoluminescence spectra reveal that the optical properties of the buffer layer between the ZnO cone arrays and the silicon substrates are better than those of the ZnO cone arrays due to high concentration of Zn in the heads of the ZnO cone arrays and higher growth temperature of the buffer layer. The growth of ZnO arrays reveals that the cone arrays are synthesized through a self-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) process.     

Co3O4空心球的简易合成及其电化学性能

通过简易的水热法"一锅"制备了Co3O4空心球。借助X射线衍射仪(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)和傅里叶变换红外光谱法(FTIR)等对Co3O4的结构和形貌进行了表征。结果表明,产物由Co3O4纳米粒子构成,并形成明显的空心多孔结构。循环伏安法(CV)测试表明,所制得的Co3O4空心球呈现良好的电化学性能。本文同时对Co3O4空心球结构的形成过程和可能的机理进行了分析和讨论。     

ZnO-based hollow microspheres with mesoporous shells: Polyoxometalate-assisted fabrication, growth mechanism and photocatalytic properties

With the assistance of Keggin-type polyoxometalate, ZnO hollow microspheres with mesoporous shells were synthesized via a simple solvothermal approach without any templates and surfactants. The observations of morphology and structure performed by field emission scanning electronic microscopy and transmission electron microscopy indicated that the shells of the ZnO hollow spheres were built from nanosheets which were composed of nanoparticles. The transformation of structure and composition of samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectrometry and fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy. The formation mechanism of the hollow spheres is proposed based on time-dependent experimental results. The ZnO hollow microspheres exhibited a high photocatalytic activity for decolorization of Rhodamine B under ultraviolet irradiation.     

Pt纳米空球壳厚的可控制备及对甲酸的电催化氧化

本文以约120nm的α-Se球为模板,抗坏血酸为还原剂,H2PtCl6为前驱体,通过改变氯铂酸的用量可控合成了不同壳厚的纳米铂空球（Pthollow）及其修饰玻碳（GC）电极（Pthollow／GC）;采用扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、高分辨透射电子显微镜（HR-TEM）、能量色散X射线（EDX）谱、X射线衍射（X-ray diffraction,XRD）谱和选区电子衍射（SAED）图等表征其形貌、组成与结构;以甲酸为探针分子,采用循环伏安和计时电流法研究了甲酸在Pthollow／GC电极上的电催化氧化行为．结果表明,所制备的Pthollow分散性好、粒径比较均匀,其多孔球壳是由多维多级的铂原子团簇所构建,呈现多晶铂的结构与性质;当RPt/Se=1．2时,所合成Pthollow。对甲酸的电催化氧化活性最高,且明显优于电沉积铂（Ptnano）修饰GC电极（Ptnano／GC）,为直接甲酸燃料电池（DFAFC）阳极材料的优化制备提供了一定的实验与理论依据,有潜在的应用推广价值．     

Lipid nanotubes and microtubes: experimental evidence for unsymmetrical monolayer membrane formation from unsymmetrical bolaamphiphiles

Unsymmetrical bolaamphiphiles, omega- [N-beta-D-glucopyranosylcarbamoyl] alkanoic acids, with even-numbered oligomethylene chains (12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 carbons) self-assembled in water to form lipid nano- and microtubes. The tubular assemblies were separated by centrifugation and examined by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to study the molecular packing within the tubular membranes. The nanotubes encapsulated the staining reagent phosphotungstate, which revealed them to be hollow cylinders up to several hundred micrometers long with 30-43-nm outer diameters and 14-29-nm inner diameters. By comparing the membrane stacking periodicity obtained from powder X-ray diffraction analysis of the dehydrated tubes with the molecular packing within single crystals, we found that the nanotubes consist of an unsymmetrical monolayer lipid membrane (MLM) in which the molecules are packed in a parallel fashion. This suggests that the inner surface of the nanotubes is covered with carboxy headgroups and the outer surface with 1-glucosamide headgroups. The inner diameters of the lipid nanotubes could be controlled in the range 17.7-22.2 nm in steps of approximately 1.5 nm/two carbons by varying the oligomethylene spacer length. The microtubes had three types of molecular arrangements. The first type was a symmetrical MLM in which the molecules were packed in an antiparallel fashion. The other two types had unsymmetrical MLM stacking with head-to-head and head-to-tail motifs. Increasing the number of oligomethylene spacers stabilized the unsymmetrical MLM structure in both nano- and microtubes.     

Rate-dependent nonlinear constitutive equation of polypropylene

In order to investigate the viscoelastic-plastic properties of polymer solids and construct a constitutive equation for them, torsional tests were performed on polypropylene (PP) hollow cylinders. Testing was conducted under constant strain rate, abrupt change of strain rate, stress relaxation, creep, and cyclic loading conditions. The experimental data were compared with the numerical results derived from an overstress model. It is shown that the overstress theory explains the viscoelastic-plastic properties of PP well, provided that the current strain is not below the maximum previous strain.     

Fe掺杂ZnO空心微球的制备与光催化性能

ZnO是一种重要的Ⅱ-Ⅵ族半导体材料,其能带宽度约为3.37eV,在光电子学、传感、光催化、发电等诸多领域都具有巨大的应用潜力。本文采用简单的离子交换和热蒸发法成功制备了Fe掺杂ZnO空心微球,并利用扫描电镜、透射电镜、X射线粉末衍射仪对其形貌、结构以及成分等进行了详细的表征。光吸收测试证明Fe元素掺杂能够扩展ZnO的光吸收波段,实现波长375~600nm的光波吸收。另外,光催化实验证明Fe掺杂ZnO空心微球能够有效地促进罗丹明B的降解,表明合成的Fe掺杂ZnO空心微球是一种优异的光催化剂。     

Stable jets of viscoelastic fluids and self-assembled cylindrical capsules by hydrodynamic focusing

We demonstrate formation of long-lived cylindrical jets of a viscoelastic fluid using hydrodynamic focusing. A solution of polyacrylamide in water is driven coaxially with immiscible oil and subjected to strong extensional flow. At high flow rates, the aqueous phase forms jets that are 4-90 microm in diameter and several centimeters long. The liquid surfaces of these jets are then used as templates for assembly of microspheres into novel rigid and hollow cylinders.     

Preparation of electrospun heterostructured hollow SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript>/CuO nanofibers and their enhanced visible light photocatalytic performance

Heterostructured SnO₂/CuO nanofibers with a hollow morphology were successfully fabricated by a one-step electrospinning method. The electrospun nanofibers were transformed into hollow nanostructures in the presence of camphene after a calcination process, and the obtained samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence spectra (PL), and photodegradation measurements. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images displayed a rough and hollow structure for the obtained nanofibers. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) identified the molecular composition and chemical interactions of the nanofibers. Photoluminescent (PL) measurements indicated that a recombination of the photoinduced electrons and holes was further inhibited due to the hollow nanostructure. Furthermore, the photodegradation of methylene blue suggested that the heterostructured SnO₂/CuO hollow nanofibers possessed higher charge separation and photodegradation abilities than those of the other samples under visible light irradiation. This work can be potentially applied to the fabrication of other inorganic oxide photocatalysts with enhanced photodegradation activity in the field of environmental remediation.     

Preparation of CaCO_3 Hollow Spheres in an Aqueous Binary-additive System

CaCO3 hollow spheres were prepared easily in anion surfactants （sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate （SDBS）） and aspartic （Asp） acid binary-additive system by using an easy rapid agitation method. The as-prepared products were characterized with scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, FT-IR and X-ray diffraction. The results suggested that the CaCO3 hollow spheres have diameters ranging from 1 to 2 μm, and their wall is constituted of many nano-particles. Moreover, the possible formation mechanism of the hollow spherical structure was proposed.     

Self-assembly preparation of mesoporous hollow nanospheric manganese dioxide and its application in zinc-air battery

In this work, mesoporous manganese dioxide with novel hollow nanospheric structure was prepared by a facile, template-free self-assembly process at room temperature in a short period of time. The product was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results indicate that the as-prepared material has a special mesoporous hollow nanospheric morphology and a typical composition of γ-MnO₂. Polarization curve, chronoamperometry and Tafel plot tests demonstrate that this nanostructured material has high electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of dioxygen compared to commercial electrolytic MnO₂ (EMD). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy that was analyzed by equivalent circuit shows that as-prepared MnO₂-catalysted air electrode has a small contact resistance and ohmic resistance, a low value of electrochemical polarization resistance. An all solid-state zinc-air cell has been fabricated with this material as electrocatalyst for oxygen electrode and potassium salt of cross-linked poly(acrylic acid) as an alkaline polymer gel electrolyte. The cell has a better discharge characteristic than that of the cell employing EMD at room temperature.     

Specular X-ray reflectivity and small angle neutron scattering for structure determination of ordered mesoporous dielectric films

Specular X-ray reflectivity (SXR) and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) are used to characterize the structure of a thin film containing cylindrical mesopores. The 3-D structure of the mesoporous film was determined from SANS measurements taken at multiple rotation angles between the incident beam and the film. The film was found to be composed of a randomly packed core and surface layers within which the hollow cylinders were regularly packed and oriented along the surface. The packing of the cylindrical mesopores was not hexagonal but rather rectangular with a conical angle of 55.7 degrees instead of 60 degrees expected for hexagonal packing. The extent of the planar orientation of the cylindrical mesopores within the surface layers was estimated from the width of the Bragg reflection in the SXR result to be about 25 repeating layers at both interfaces. This was further confirmed from cross-section transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results. The SXR results of this film exhibit an anomalous decrease in reflected intensity after each Bragg reflection. This anomaly in SXR can be modeled in a Parratt formulism using a depth profile composed of two characteristic lengths, the repeating distance among layers and the curvature of the density profile of each layer.     

负载钯纳米粒子聚电解质空心微球的制备及其还原对硝基苯酚的催化活性

用表面引发原子转移自由基聚合法(SI-ATRP)在二氧化硅纳米粒子表面接枝聚碘化甲基丙烯酸三甲基胺基乙酯(PMETAI),原位还原静电吸附的PdCl62-后刻蚀除去二氧化硅模板,成功制备了Pd纳米粒子复合聚电解质空心微球(air@PMETAI@Pd)。 用透射电子显微镜(TEM)、红外光谱仪(FTIR)、能谱仪(EDX)、热重分析仪(TGA)等技术手段对所制备的空心微球进行表征。 结果表明,Pd纳米粒子均匀负载在聚电解质微球上,其直径约为(1.5±0.2) nm。 将负载Pd纳米粒子的微球作为催化剂应用于硼氢化钠还原4-硝基苯酚反应,显示出很好的催化效果且具有较好的回收利用性。     

A synthetic hydroxy acid that shows tubular-shaped structure in solid-state and ionophoric activity in phospholipid bilayers

[formula: see text] In this contribution, we describe the ability of compound (+/-)-1b and six molecules of water to form in solid-state hexameric aggregates, which self-assemble to give hollow tubular structures. Single-crystal X-ray analysis shows that these tubes are open-ended, with irregular shape and internal van der Waals pore diameter between 6 and 9 A. In addition, transmembrane sodium transport activity was also assessed for (+/-)-1b using dynamic Na(+)-NMR technique.     

三元添加剂水溶液体系制备CaCO3空心球

利用原位聚合方法, 通过加入一定量的引发剂使甲基丙烯酸原位聚合, 在三嵌段共聚物(P123)、聚甲基丙烯酸(PMAA)和十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)的三元添加剂混合溶液体系中成功地制备了CaCO3空心球. 采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和X射线粉末衍射(XRD)对合成样品的形貌、结构进行了表征. 结果显示, 方解石CaCO3空心球直径约0.5-2 μm. 空心球壁由直径约25-35 nm的圆形粒子组成, 壁厚约100-300 nm. 利用核鄄壳机理解释了空心球结构的形成过程.     

A templated method to Bi2WO6 hollow microspheres and their conversion to double-shell Bi2O3/Bi2WO6 hollow microspheres with improved photocatalytic performance

Bi(2)WO(6) hollow microspheres with dimension of ca. 1.5 μm were synthesized via a hydrothermal method using polystyrene particles as the template. The as-prepared Bi(2)WO(6) hollow microspheres can be further transformed to double-shell Bi(2)O(3)/Bi(2)WO(6) hollow microspheres. The samples were fully characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM, N(2)-sorption Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area, UV-vis diffuse-reflectance spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The as-formed double-shell Bi(2)O(3)/Bi(2)WO(6) hollow microspheres exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activity due to the hollow nature and formation of the p-n junction between p-type Bi(2)O(3) and n-type Bi(2)WO(6). The study provides a general and effective method in the fabrication of composition and dimension-tunable composite hollow microspheres with sound heterojunctions that may show a variety of applications.     

Hexagonal and prismatic nanowalled ZnO microboxes

We hereby report hydrothermal syntheses of new microstructures of semiconducting ZnO. Single-crystalline prismatic ZnO microboxes formed by nanowalls and hexagonal hollow microdisks closed by plates with micron-sized inorganic fullerene-like structures have been made in a base-free medium through a one-step hydrothermal synthesis with the help of n-butanol (NB). Structures and morphologies of the products were confirmed by results from powder X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. NB has been found to play a crucial role in the growth of these hollow structures. It is indicated that these hollow ZnO crystals were grown from redissolution of interiors. These ZnO microboxes exhibit a band emission in the visible range, implying the possession of a high content of defects.     

Blood flow and oxygen transfer rate of an outside blood flow membrane oxygenator

We evaluated effects of the number of tied hollow fibers of an outside blood flow membrane oxygenator with cross-wound hollow fibers on the blood flow pattern and oxygen transfer rate. The number of tied hollow fibers in a bundle was varied from one to six, and the blood flow pattern was observed by X-ray computed tomography. The oxygen transfer rate and blood pressure drop were measured by in vitro experiments using bovine blood. Uniform blood flow patterns were obtained for each number of tied hollow fibers. A decrease in the number of tied hollow fibers caused more effective contact of blood with the tied hollow fibers and oxygen transfer rate was enhanced, demonstrating that single hollow fiber was the most effective. Empirical equations were obtained based on these results and optimum structure parameters of the membrane oxygenator were determined by simulation analysis. Optimum membrane surface area and axial jacket length of the oxygenator were 3.0 m² and 320 mm, respectively, at a hollow fiber outside diameter of 250 μm.