Effects of self-assembled materials prepared from V2O5 for lithium ion electroinsertion

Self-assembled materials consisting of V(2)O(5), polyallylamine (PAH) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were obtained by the layer-by-layer (LbL) method, aiming at their application as electrodes for lithium-ion batteries and electrochromic devices. The method employed herein allowed for linear growth of visually homogeneous films composed of V(2)O(5), V(2)O(5)/PAH, and V(2)O(5)/PAH/AgNP with 15 bilayers. According to the Fourier transform infrared spectra, interaction between the oxygen atom of the vanadyl group and the amino group should be responsible for the growth of these films. This interaction also enabled establishment of an electrostatic shield between the lithium ions and the sites with higher negative charge, thereby raising the ionic mobility and consequently increasing the energy storage capacity and reducing the response time. According to the site-saturation model and the electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical results, the presence of PAH in the self-assembled host matrix decreased the number of V(2)O(5) electroactive sites. Thus, AgNPs were stabilized in PAH and inserted into the nanoarchitecture, so as to enhance the specific capacity. This should provide new conducting pathways and connect isolated V(2)O(5) particles in the host matrix. Therefore, new nanoarchitectures for specific interactions were formed spontaneously and chosen as examples in this work, aiming to demonstrate the potentiality of the adopted self-assembled method for enhancing the charge transport rate into the host matrices. The obtained materials displayed suitable properties for use as electrodes in lithium batteries and electrochromic devices.     

In-situ growth of V2O5 flower-like structures on ceramic tubes and their trimethylamine sensing properties

V₂O₅ flower-like structures assembled by thin nanosheets were in-situ growth on ceramic tubes by hydrothermal process. The structural characterization indicates that V₂O₅ flower-like structures is orthogonal diamond phase, which entirely covered on the surface of ceramic tubes. TMA sensing measured results revealed that the sensor based on V₂O₅ flower-like structures exhibited fast reversible and response, good selectivity to TMA and good stability at 200 °C. The good sensing performance may be ascribed to flower-like structures and directly growth sensing film on the ceramic tube without structure damage. Our works give a simple in-situ growth flower-like structures route on sensing device, which exhibits potential application for detecting trace amounts of TMA gas.     

Electrospun V2O5 nanostructures with controllable morphology as high-performance cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Porous V(2)O(5) nanotubes, hierarchical V(2)O(5) nanofibers, and single-crystalline V(2)O(5) nanobelts were controllably synthesized by using a simple electrospinning technique and subsequent annealing. The mechanism for the formation of these controllable structures was investigated. When tested as the cathode materials in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the as-formed V(2)O(5) nanostructures exhibited a highly reversible capacity, excellent cycling performance, and good rate capacity. In particular, the porous V(2)O(5) nanotubes provided short distances for Li(+)-ion diffusion and large electrode-electrolyte contact areas for high Li(+)-ion flux across the interface; Moreover, these nanotubes delivered a high power density of 40.2?kW?kg(-1) whilst the energy density remained as high as 201?W?h?kg(-1), which, as one of the highest values measured on V(2)O(5)-based cathode materials, could bridge the performance gap between batteries and supercapacitors. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first preparation of single-crystalline V(2)O(5) nanobelts by using electrospinning techniques. Interestingly, the beneficial crystal orientation provided improved cycling stability for lithium intercalation. These results demonstrate that further improvement or optimization of electrochemical performance in transition-metal-oxide-based electrode materials could be realized by the design of 1D nanostructures with unique morphologies.     

Template-assisted synthesis of rough Ag nanorods and their application for amperometric sensing of H2O2

Silver nanorods (Ag NRs) with rough sidewalls were successfully obtained via extremely simple template-assisted electrochemical deposition followed by selective dealloying. Ag–Zn NRs with an average diameter of ∼250 nm and the atomic ratio of about 1:1 were synthesized inside the nanochannels of a polycarbonate membrane. A chemical etching of Zn in a sulfuric acid solution led to the formation of NRs with smaller diameters, rough sidewalls, and much lower Zn content. Such kind of a material exhibited quite promising electrocatalytic properties toward reduction of hydrogen peroxide and can be used as an amperometric sensor for the detection and determination of H₂O₂.     

A novel route to imidoylbenzotriazoles and their application for the synthesis of enaminones

Reactions of secondary amides 2a-i with 1-chloro-1H-benzotriazole and triphenylphosphine give imidoylbenzotriazoles 3a-i. The treatment of 3a,b,e,g with silyl enol ethers 5a,b in the presence of potassium tert-butoxide provides a new general approach to enaminoketones 6a-h.     

Thin films of V2O5/MoO3 and their applications in electrochromism

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Pure and doped vanadium pentoxide (V2O5, V2O5/MoO3) thin films were prepared by sol-gel method and dip coating technique. Furthermore, they were...     

A novel TICT-based near-infrared fluorescent probe for light-up sensing and imaging of human serum albumin in real samples

Human serum albumin (HSA) has emerged as a pivotal biomarker and prognostic indicator for various human diseases. Real-time sensing and visual tracking of HSA in plasma or other biological systems will immensely facilitate the basic researchers and clinicians to better understand HSA-associated biological processes. Herein, a novel near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe (7-HTCF) was rationally constructed for light-up sensing and in-situ imaging of HSA in real samples, based on the principle of twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT). Under physiological conditions, 7-HTCF could be efficiently trapped by HSA to form a stable complex via binding on a non-drug binding site, while the complex emitted strong fluoresce signals around 670 nm. Further investigations demonstrated that 7-HTCF displayed a great combination of excellent selectivity and good chemical stability, as well as rapid fluorescent response and ultra-high sensitivity for HSA detection. Particularly, the newly developed light-up probe has been successfully utilized for quantitative detection of HSA in diluted plasma samples, while its readouts are hardly affected by the addition of therapeutic agents and herbal medicines. 7-HTCF is also successfully used for in-situ imaging of the reabsorbed HSA in living renal cells, while this dye exhibits good cell permeability and high resolution for in-situ imaging in living cells. Collectively, a novel TICT-based near-infrared fluorescent probe was devised for highly selective and ultra-sensitive sensing of HSA in plasma samples or imaging HSA in living cells, which offered a practical tool for clinical tests and for exploring HSA-associated biological processes.     

V2O5/SiO2 surface inspired, silsesquioxane-derived oxovanadium complexes and their properties

Inspired by surface species proposed to occur on heterogeneous catalysts novel oxovanadium(v) silsesquioxanes were synthesised. Reaction of a T8-silsequioxane containing two geminal OH groups with O=V(O(i)Pr)3 led to a dinuclear compound where the geminal disiloxide functions of two silsesquioxanes are bridging two O=V(O(i)Pr) moieties (2). Formation of 2 shows that--in contrast to proposals made for silica surfaces--in molecular chemistry a bidentate coordination of geminal siloxides to one vanadium centre is not favourable. With the background that species being doubly anchored to a support have been suggested to play active roles on V2O5/SiO2 catalysts an anionic complex has been prepared where a divalent dioxovanadium unit replaces one Si corner of a (RSiO1.5)8, cube (a Si-OH function remains pending) (3). 3 has been intensely investigated by vibrational spectroscopy, and to support assignments not only of the v(V=O) bands but also of the v(V-O-Si) bands, whose positions are of interest in the area of heterogeneous catalysis, isotopic enrichment studies and DFT calculations have been performed. The corresponding investigations were aided by the synthesis and analysis of a silylated derivative of 3, 4. Moreover, with regard to their potential as structural and spectroscopic models all complexes were characterised by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Finally, 2 and 3 were tested as potential catalysts for the photooxidation of cyclohexane and benzene with O2. While 2 shows a slightly higher activity than vanadylacetylacetonate, 3 leads to significantly increased turnover numbers for the conversion of benzene to phenol.     

Synthesis of polymer-supported Fe3O4 nanoparticles and their application as a novel route for the synthesis of imidazole derivatives

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Cross-linked poly(4-vinylpyridine) supported Fe3O4 nanoparticles, abbreviated as [P4-VP]-Fe3O4NPs, were easily prepared as a new magnetic polymeric catalyst and...     

Reactivity of T-Nb2O5 or H-Nb2O5 towards V2O5. Synthesis in the solid state and properties of V4Nb18O55

The IR spectrum of V₄Nb₁₈O₅₅ has been compared with the IR spectra of selected niobates of known structures to show structural relations between these compounds. This comparison shows that V₄Nb₁₈O₅₅ has crystal structure related to T-Nb₂O₅, W16Nb18O94 and Ba₂NaNb₅O₁₅. On the other hand, reaction between V₂O₅ and H-Nb₂O₅ yields a solid solution of V₂O₅ in VNb₉O₂₅. It has been proposed two models of synthesized solid solution with formulas V_1+xNb_9-xO₂₅ or V_1+xNb₉O_25+5x/2.Independently of Nb₂O₅ polymorph, used for synthesis, the metastable compound VNbO5 cannot be synthesized in the solid state below 650°C      

Functionalization of graphene with Prussian blue and its application for amperometric sensing of H2O2

As a two-dimensional carbon material with high surface area and conductivity, graphene shows great promise for designing composite nanomaterials to achieve high-performance electrochemical devices. In this work, we prepared graphene-based nanocomposite material by electrochemically depositing Prussian blue (PB) nanoparticles on the surface of graphene. Fourier transform infrared spectra, SEM, and cyclic voltammetry were used to characterize the successful immobilization of PB. Compared with PB films and graphene sheets, the PB–graphene composite films showed the largest current response to the reduction of H₂O₂, probably due to the synergistic effects between graphene sheets and PB nanoparticles. Therefore, a fast and highly sensitive amperometric sensor for H₂O₂ was obtained with a detection sensitivity of 1.6 μA μM^?1 H₂O₂ per cm² and a linear response range of 50～5,000 μM. The detection limit of H₂O₂ was 20 nM at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. These obtained results are much better than those reported for carbon nanotubes-based amperometric sensors.     

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Na0.28V2O5 Nanobelts and their Electrochemical Behavior in Lithium Batteries

A simple low temperature hydrothermal method was found to yield Na_0.28V₂O₅ nanobelts after two days at 130 °C in acidic medium (H₂SO₄) without using any surfactant. The obtained products were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), and Raman spectroscopy. Their morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Additionally, their electrochemical behavior in a lithium battery was investigated. The XRD pattern shows that the product is composed of monoclinic Na_0.28V₂O₅ nanobelts. From the FTIR spectrum, the band centered at 961 cm^–1 is assigned to V=O stretching vibration, which is sensitive to intercalation and suggests that Na⁺ ions are inserted between the vanadium oxide layers. SEM/TEM analyses reveal that the products consist of a large quantity of nanobelts which have a thickness of 60–150 nm and a length of several tens of micrometers. The electrochemical results show that the nanobelts exhibit an initial discharge specific capacity of 390 mAh · g^–1, and its stabilized capacity still remained around 200 mAh · g^–1 after the 18th cycle.     

Ta2O5 nanowires: a novel synthetic method and their solar energy utilization

Single-crystalline uniform Ta(2)O(5) nanowires are prepared by a novel synthetic route. The formation of the nanowires involves an oriented attachment process caused by the reduction of surface energy. The nanowires are successfully applied to photocatalytic H(2) evolution, contaminant degradation, and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). The Ta(2)O(5)-based DSCs reveal a significant photovoltaic response, which has not been reported. As a photocatalyst, the Ta(2)O(5) nanowires possess high H(2) evolution efficiency under Xe lamp irradiation, nearly 27-fold higher than the commercial powders. A better performance of photocatalytic contaminant degradation is also observed. Such improvements are ascribed to better charge transport ability for the single-crystalline wire and a higher potential energy of the conduction band. This new synthetic approach using a water-soluble precursor provides a versatile way to prepare nanostructured metal oxides.     

A versatile water soluble fluorescent probe for ratiometric sensing of Hg2+ and bovine serum albumin

A novel tetraazamacrocycle fluorescent sensor (6-(1-(dimethylamino)-5-naphthalene sulfonyl)-3,6,9,15-tetraazabicyclo[9.3.1] pentadeca-1(15),11,13-triene, 1) has been designed and prepared, which can be utilized for selective and ratiometric sensing of Hg(2+) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) with two different responsive modes in aqueous solution at physiological pH (50 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.6). Above 0.5 ppb Hg(2+) can be discerned by coordination with 1 and the emission color changes enable 1 to be applied to a fast Hg(2+) test paper assay. Sensor 1 has also been demonstrated to be easily cell-penetrable and applicable for Hg(2+) imaging in living cells. Imaging of BSA in the gel using SDS-PAGE (sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) stained in the medium containing 1 verified that the binding of 1 and BSA was successful in the presence of nonprotein substances. The linear range of 1 towards BSA utilizing ratiometric fluorescent calibration via noncovalent interaction in solution is 0-100 μg mL(-1) with a detection limit of 1 μg mL(-1), and has been successfully employed to determine the albumin concentration in blood serum by means of ratiometric fluorescent measurements for the first time. Finally, sensor 1 behaves as a fluorescent molecular switch composed of triple logic gates upon chemical inputs of Hg(2+) and BSA, which potentially provides intelligent diagnostics for Hg(2+) contaminated serum on the nanoscale.     

V2O5@TiO2 composite as cathode material for lithium-ion storage with excellent performance

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - V2O5 is a promising candidate for cathode active material for Li-ion batteries due to its high theoretical specific capacity but suffers from poor rate...     

Controllable synthesis of Y2O3 microstructures for application in cataluminescence gas sensing

Y(2)O(3) dumbbells, microspheres, and nanosheets were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal procedure followed by calcination. Electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and N(2) adsorption measurements were used to characterize the yttrium oxide microstructures. On the basis of a time-dependent study of nanostructure evolution and the effect of other processing parameters, a kinetic "homogeneous nucleation-self assembly-anisotropic growth" mechanism is proposed to explain the growth of these microstructures under hydrothermal conditions. The sensitivity of as-prepared Y(2)O(3) structures to a series of gaseous chemicals was examined by using a homemade cataluminescence sensing system. The designed cataluminescence sensor based on the yttrium oxide dumbbells shows good sensing performance for 16 common volatile organic compounds.     

V2O5催化甲醇与乙醇合成异丁醛

研究了甲醇与乙醇在V2O5催化剂上，常压375℃下一步催化合成异丁醛的反应，考察了催化剂活性组分质量分数和制备条件对催化剂催化性能的影响。结果表明，催化剂中V2O5质量分数为75%，焙烧温度480℃、焙烧5h时，催化剂的催化性能较其他条件更佳，乙醇转化率达98.03%，异丁醛的选择性达47.52%。对新鲜催化剂、反应后和再生后催化剂进行了XRD测试，并对反应后催化剂进行了DTA TG测试。结果表明，催化剂在反应过程中有结焦且V2O5在反应过程中被还原为V2O3。通过高温烧炭再生可烧去结焦物，并将V2O3重新氧化为V2O5而使失活催化剂恢复其催化活性。