Preparation of platinum-decorated porous graphite nanofibers, and their hydrogen storage behaviors

In this work, the hydrogen storage behaviors of porous graphite nanofibers (GNFs) decorated by Pt nanoparticles were investigated. The Pt nanoparticles were introduced onto the GNF surfaces using a well-known chemical reduction method. We investigated the hydrogen storage capacity of the Pt-doped GNFs for the platinum content range of 1.3-7.5 mass%. The microstructure of the Pt/porous GNFs was characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The hydrogen storage behaviors of the Pt/GNFs were studied using a PCT apparatus at 298 K and 10 MPa. It was found that amount of hydrogen stored increased with increasing Pt content to 3.4 mass%, and then decreased. This result indicates that the hydrogen storage capacity of porous carbons is based on both their metal content and dispersion rate.     

A study on pore-opening behaviors of graphite nanofibers by a chemical activation process

In this work, porous graphite nanofibers (GNFs) were prepared by a KOH activation method in order to manufacture porous carbon nanofibers. The process was conducted in the activation temperature range of 900-1100 degrees C, and the KOH:GNFs ratio was fixed at 3.5:1. The textural properties of the porous carbons were analyzed using N2 adsorption isotherms at 77 K. The BET, D-R, and BJH equations were used to observe the specific surface areas and the micro- and mesopore structures, respectively. From the results, it was found that the textural properties, including the specific surface area and the pore volumes, were proportionally enhanced with increasing activation temperatures. However, the activation mechanisms showed quite significant differences between the samples activated at low and high temperatures.     

金纳米花介导的近红外热疗对人喉癌Hep-2细胞增殖的抑制作用

采用弱配体柠檬酸钠修饰的金纳米花为介导材料,考察了其对人喉癌Hep-2细胞的NIR热疗作用,结果表明,这种金纳米花材料具有良好的NIR光热转换性能,可有效抑制Hep-2细胞增殖.     

Effect of activated graphite nanofibers on electrochemical activities of Pt–Ru nanoparticles for fuel cells

In this work, graphite nanofibers (GNFs) were chemically activated for high specific surface area, small pore diameter, and high oxygen-containing groups with different KOH/GNFs ratios and used as carbon supports of Pt–Ru nanoparticles for fuel cells. As a result, the oxygen functional groups and specific surface area of carbon supports were increased with increasing the ratios of KOH/GNFs up to 4:1, while the average of Pt–Ru nanoparticle size was decreased owing to the improvement of dispersibility of the Pt–Ru/K–GNFs catalysts. The electrochemical activity of the Pt–Ru/K–GNFs catalysts was improved by the larger available active surface area due to the increase of oxygen functional groups and specific surface area. Therefore, it was found that chemical activation using KOH could influence the surface characteristic of carbon supports, resulting in enhanced electrochemical activity of the Pt–Ru/K–GNFs catalysts of fuel cells.     

A hybrid nanostructure of platinum-nanoparticles/graphitic-nanofibers as a three-dimensional counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells

We directly synthesized a platinum-nanoparticles/graphitic-nanofibers (PtNPs/GNFs) hybrid nanostructure on FTO glass. We applied this structure as a three-dimensional counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), and investigated the cells' photoconversion performance.     

Synthesis of flower-like gold nanoparticles and their electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of methanol and the reduction of oxygen

This article describes the synthesis of branched flower-like gold (Au) nanocrystals and their electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of methanol and the reduction of oxygen. Gold nanoflowers (GNFs) were obtained by a one-pot synthesis using N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N-2-ethanesulphonic acid (HEPES) as a reducing/stabilizing agent. The GNFs have been characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and electrochemical measurements. The UV-visible spectra show two bands corresponding to the transverse and longitudinal surface plasmon (SP) absorption at 532 and 720 nm, respectively, for the colloidal GNFs. The GNFs were self-assembled on a sol-gel-derived silicate network, which was preassembled on a polycrystalline Au electrode and used for electrocatalytic applications. The GNFs retain their morphology on the silicate network; the UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) of GNFs on the silicate network show longitudinal and transverse bands as in the case of colloidal GNFs. The GNFs show excellent electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of methanol and the reduction of oxygen. Oxidation of methanol in alkaline solution was observed at approximately 0.245 V, which is much less positive than that on an unmodified polycrystalline gold electrode. Reduction of oxygen to H2O2 and the further reduction of H2O2 to water in neutral pH were observed at less negative potentials on the GNFs electrode. The electrocatalytic activity of GNFs is significantly higher than that of the spherically shaped citrate-stabilized Au nanoparticles (SGNs).     

A simple method for the preparation of activated carbon fibers coated with graphite nanofibers

A simple method is described for the preparation of activated carbon fibers (ACFs) coated with graphite nanofibers (GNFs). Low-pressure-plasma mixed-gas (Ar/O2) treatment of the ACFs led to the growth of GNFs on their surface. The growth was greater at higher power inputs, and from TEM observations the GNFs were seen to be of herringbone type. It was found that the N2 adsorption capacity of the ACFs did not sharply decrease, and that volume resistivity of the ACFs enhanced as a result of this treatment.     

Preparation and electrochemical behaviors of platinum nanoparticles impregnated on binary carbon supports as catalyst electrodes of direct methanol fuel cells

Binary carbon-supported platinum (Pt) nanoparticles were prepared by a chemical reduction method of Pt precursor on two types of carbon materials such as carbon blacks (CBs) and graphite nanofibers (GNFs). Average sizes and loading levels of Pt metal particles were dependent on a mixing ratio of two carbon materials. The highest electroactivity for methanol oxidation was obtained by preparing the binary carbon supports consisting of GNFs and CBs with a weight ratio of 30:70. Furthermore, with an increase of GNFs content from 0% to 30%, a charge-transfer resistance changed from 19 Ohm cm² to 11 Ohm cm². The change of electroactivity or the resistance of catalyst electrodes was attributed to the changes of specific surface area and morphological changes of carbon-supported catalyst electrodes by controlling the mixing ratio of GNFs and CBs.     

Influence of atmospheric plasma on physicochemical properties of vapor-grown graphite nanofibers

Vapor-grown graphite nanofibers (GNFs) were modified by plasma treatments using low-pressure plasmas with different gases (Ar gas only and/or Ar/O2 gases), flow rates, pressures, and powers. Surface characterizations and morphologies of the GNFs after plasma treatment were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), contact angle, titration, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements. Also, the investigation of thermomechanical behavior and impact strengths of the GNFs/epoxy composites was performed by dynamic-mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and Izod impact testing, respectively. The plasma treatment of the fibers changed the surface morphologies by forming a layer with a thickness on the order of 1 nm, mainly consisting of oxygen functional groups such as hydroxyl, carbonyl, and carboxyl groups. After functionalization of the complete surfaces, further plasma treatment did not enhance the superficial oxygen content but slightly changed the portions of the functional groups. Also, the composites with plasma-treated GNFs showed an increase in T(g) and impact strength compared to the composites containing the same amount of plasma-untreated GNFs.     

Glycosyl-nucleoside fluorinated amphiphiles as components of nanostructured hydrogels

The synthesis of two novel glycosyl-nucleoside fluorinated amphiphiles (GNFs) derived from the 2H,2H,3H,3H-perfluoro-undecanoyl hydrophobic chain is described. The GNF amphiphiles, which feature either β-d-glucopyranosyl or β-d-lactopyranosyl moieties linked to a thymine base via a 1,2,3 triazole linker, were prepared using a ‘double click’ chemistry route. Surface tension measurements, gelation properties, and TEM studies show that GNFs spontaneously assemble into supramolecular structures. Similarly to their hydrocarbon analogues (GNLs), the GNFs have unique gelation properties in water. A minimum hydrogelation concentration of 0.1% (w/w), was determined in the case of the β-d-glucopyranosyl derivative. Cell viability studies indicate that fluorocarbon GNF 5 was not toxic for human cells (Huh7), whereas hydrocarbon analogue GNL is toxic above 100 μm.     

Platinum Nanoparticles Supported on Graphite Nanofibers Prepared by Microwave Irradiation and Its Electrocatalytic Activity

Platinum nanoparticles supported on graphite nanofibers (GNFs) were prepared by microwave assistant heating polyol process. TEM images showed that microwave prepared Pt nanoparticles supported on GNFs were small and uniform, and the average diameter was about 3.4 nm. Cyclic voltammetric test showed that Pt/GNFs exhibited very high electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation.     

Room-Temperature Synthesis of Germanium Oxide Nanofilaments and Their Potential Use as Luminescent Self-Cleaning Surfaces

Germanium oxide nanofilaments (GNFs) have been synthesized under ambient conditions from the gas phase using germanium tetrachloride as a precursor. Non-crystalline GNFs synthesized by this procedure are 1–10 μm in length and 80–110 nm in diameter applying Droplet Assisted Growth and Shaping (DAGS) Chemistry. The relative humidity has been adjusted at various values in order to demonstrate the crucial role of humidity in the gas phase for the nanofilament synthesis. The novel GNFs show a strong luminescence emission in the ultra-violet and light blue region. In addition, a self-cleaning and superhydrophobic properties could be introduced in the luminescent GNF nanofilaments by simple treatment with silane molecules.     

Ln-Co-based rock-salt-type porous coordination polymers: vapor response controlled by changing the lanthanide ion

We synthesized new porous coordination polymers (PCPs) {Ln(III)[Co(III)(dcbpy)(3)]·nH(2)O} (Ln = La(3+), Nd(3+), Gd(3+); H(2)dcbpy = 4,4'-dicarboxy-2,2'-bipyridine) and characterized them by X-ray diffraction and vapor-adsorption measurements. These three Ln-Co-based PCPs have similar rock-salt types and highly symmetrical porous structure and show a reversible structural collapse-regeneration accompanied by water-vapor desorption-adsorption. Similar structural regeneration was also observed for the Gd-Co PCP upon exposure to MeOH and CH(3)CN vapors, whereas the remaining two PCPs barely responded to organic vapors.     

Surface-reconstructed graphite nanofibers as a support for cathode catalysts of fuel cells

Graphite nanofibers (GNFs), on which surface graphite edges were reconstructed into nano-loops, were explored as a cathode catalyst support for fuel cells. The high degree of graphitization, as well as the surface-reconstructed nano-loops that possess topological defects for uniform metal deposition, resulted in an improved performance of the GNF-supported Pt catalyst.     

Open‐Shell Characters and Second Hyperpolarizabilities of One‐Dimensional Graphene Nanoflakes Composed of Trigonal Graphene Units

The impact of topology on the open‐shell characters and the second hyperpolarizabilities (γ) has been addressed for one‐dimensional graphene nanoflakes (GNFs) composed of the smallest trigonal graphene (phenalenyl) units. The main results are: 1) These GNFs show not only diradical but also multiradical characters when increasing the number of linked units. 2) GNFs composed of an equivalent number of units can exhibit a wide range of open‐shell characters—from nearly closed‐shell to pure multiradical characters—depending on the linking pattern of the trigonal units. 3) This wide variation in open‐shell characters is explained by their resonance structures and/or by their (HOMO?i)?(LUMO+i) gaps deduced from the orbital correlations. 4) The change in the linking structure of the units can effectively control their open‐shell characters as well as their γ values, of which the longitudinal components are significantly enhanced for the singlet GNFs having intermediate open‐shell characters. 5) Singlet alternately linked (AL) systems present intermediate multiradical characters even in the case of a large number of units, which creates a significant enhancement of γ with increasing the size, whereas nonalternately linked (NAL) systems, which present pure multiradical characters, possess much smaller γ values. Finally 6) by switching from the singlet to the highest spin states, the γ values of NAL systems hardly change, whereas those of AL systems exhibit large reductions. These fascinating structure–property relationships between the topology of the GNFs, their open‐shell characters, and their γ values not only deepen the understanding of open‐shell characters of GNFs but aim also at stimulating further design studies to achieve giant NLO responses based on open‐shell graphene‐like materials.     

Power law statistics of rippled graphene nanoflakes

Graphene nanoflakes (GNFs) are predicted to possess novel magnetic, optical, and spintronic properties. They have recently been synthesized and a number of applications are being studied. Here we investigate the statistical properties of rippled GNFs (50–5,000 atoms) at $\text{ T}=300$  K. An adjacency matrix is calculated from the coordinates and we find that the free energy, enthalpy, entropy, and atomic displacement all show power law behavior. The vibrational energy versus the Wiener index also shows power law character. We distinguish between using Euclidean topographical indices and compare them to topological ones. These properties are determined from atomic coordinates using MATLAB routines.     

Highly porous core-shell polymeric fiber network

Core-shell nanofibers are of great interest in the field of tissue engineering and cell biology. We fabricated porous core-shell fiber networks using an electrospinning system with a water-immersed collector. We hypothesized that the phase separation and solvent evaporation process would enable the control of the pore formation on the core-shell fiber networks. To synthesize porous core-shell fiber networks, we used polycaprolactone (PCL) and gelatin. Quantitative analysis showed that the sizes of gelatin-PCL core-shell nanofibers increased with PCL concentrations. We also observed that the shapes of the pores created on the PCL fiber networks were elongated, whereas the gelatin-PCL core-shell fiber networks had circular pores. The surface areas of porous nanofibers were larger than those of the nonporous nanofibers due to the highly volatile solvent and phase separation process. The porous core-shell fiber network was also used as a matrix to culture various cell types, such as embryonic stem cells, breast cancer cells, and fibroblast cells. Therefore, this porous core-shell polymeric fiber network could be a potentially powerful tool for tissue engineering and biological applications.     

高效氧催化反应中的金属有机骨架材料（英文）

氧电催化反应包括氧气还原反应(ORR)和氧气析出反应(OER).作为核心电极反应,这两个反应对诸多能源存储与转换技术(比如燃料电池、金属空气电池以及全水分解制氢等)的能量效率起决定性作用.然而,ORR和OER涉及多个反应步骤、多个电子转移过程以及多相界面传质过程.这些复杂的过程较大程度上限制了ORR和OER的反应速率.从理论和实践两个方面来看,ORR和OER都需要高效电催化剂的参与来促进其反应速率,从而能够最终提高上述能源存储与转换技术的能量转换或利用效率.目前,以Pt,Pd,Ir,Ru为代表的贵金属基电催化剂具有十分突出的电催化性能.但是,过高的成本和过低的储量始终制约着贵金属基电催化剂在催化ORR和OER反应方面,乃至在能源存储与转换技术领域的规模化应用.因而,开发高效非贵金属基氧电催化剂成为近年来能源存储与转换领域的研究重点之一.在众多已经报道的非贵金属基氧电催化剂中,金属有机骨架材料(MOFs)备受瞩目.MOFs是一类由有机配体和金属节点通过配位键自组装而成的晶态多孔材料.它们具备超高比表面积、超高孔隙率以及规则性纳米孔道.相比较其他传统的多孔材料(比如活性炭、分子筛、介孔炭、介孔氧化硅等),MOFs最主要的优势在于它们的结构和功能可以依据需求通过选择合适的有机配体和金属节点进行便利地设计,或通过后处理进行必要的改性和调节.基于独特的多孔特性以及结构与功能的可设计、可调节性,MOFs在气体分离与存储、异相催化、化学传感、药物输送、环境保护以及能源存储与转化等领域都具有潜在的应用价值.因而,近年来,MOFs备受基础研究领域和工业界的青睐.针对MOFs开展的基础研究和应用开发逐渐成为诸多领域的研究焦点.也正由于MOFs具有的上述优异特性,尤其是结构与功能的可设计、可调节性,使得设计制备基于单纯MOFs以及MOFs衍生材料成为开发高效非贵金属基氧电催化剂的新途径.本综述首先论述了基于单纯MOFs的氧电催化剂(包括纯MOFs、活性物种修饰的MOFs以及与导电材料构成的复合MOFs)的合成以及它们在ORR或OER催化反应中应用的研究进展.在第二部分论述中,本综述主要针对MOFs衍生的各类氧电催化剂(包括无机微米-纳米结构/多孔碳复合材料、纯多孔碳材料、纯无机微米-纳米结构材料以及单原子型电催化材料)的研究进展进行了简要介绍和讨论.最后,本综述对MOFs基氧电催化剂目前存在的挑战进行了简要分析;同时,也对这类氧电催化剂的通用设计准则以及未来发展方向进行了展望.尽管存在诸多挑战,MOFs始终被认为是极好的"平台"材料.充分利用它们将有利于开发高效且实用的非贵金属基氧电催化剂.     

Graphene sheet/porous NiO hybrid film for supercapacitor applications

We report the preparation of a nickel-foam-supported graphene sheet/porous NiO hybrid film by the combination of electrophoretic deposition and chemical-bath deposition. The obtained graphene-sheet film of about 19 layers was used as the nanoscale substrate for the formation of a highly porous NiO film made up of interconnected NiO flakes with a thickness of 10-20 nm. The graphene sheet/porous NiO hybrid film exhibits excellent pseudocapacitive behavior with pseudocapacitances of 400 and 324 F g(-1) at 2 and 40 A g(-1), respectively, which is higher than those of the porous NiO film (279 and 188 F g(-1) at 2 and 40 A g(-1)). The enhancement of the pseudocapacitive properties is due to reinforcement of the electrochemical activity of the graphene-sheet film.     

Highly porous titania network: fabrication,characterization and photocatalytic activity

Highly porous titania network (CPTN) has been prepared using the protein entrapped cellulose gel as structural template via a template-assisted sol–gel process. The key point toward highly porous titania network lies in the entrapped proteins with template. To elucidate this, the effect of protein loading of template on the structure of final material was investigated. It reveals that high protein loading in cellulose gel gives rise to both large macroporosity and large surface area of final titania network. Specially, highly porous titania network is possessed of bimodal pore system and withstands high compressive pressure over 19 MPa. The highly porous titania network is found to have higher catalytic activity for the photodegradation of methylene blue than its counterpart of commercial P25 and microporous titania one (CTN) that derived from the pure cellulose gel. As a result, the macropores of titania network serve as the leading role in improving the photocatalytic activity. The proposed method might be applied to fabricate other inorganic network with desired macropore structure.