A general method for the synthesis of nanostructured large-surface-area materials through the self-assembly of functionalized nanoparticles

A general synthetic method for the preparation of nanostructured materials with large surface area was developed by using nanoparticle building blocks. The preparation route involves the self-assembly of functionalized nanoparticles in a liquid-crystal phase. These nanoparticles are functionalized by using difunctional amino acid species to provide suitable interactions with the template. Optimum interactions for self-assembly of the nanoparticles in the liquid-crystal phase were achieved with one -NH2 group anchored to the nanoparticle surface per 25 A(2). To maximize the surface area of these materials, the wall thicknesses are adjusted so that they are composed of a monolayer of nanoparticles. To form such materials, numerous parameters have to be controlled such as the relative volume fraction of the nanoparticles and the template and size matching between the hydrophilic component of the copolymer and nanoparticles. The surface functionalization renders our synthetic route independent of the nanoparticles and allows us to prepare a variety of nanostructured composite materials that consist of a juxtaposition of different discrete oxide nanoparticles. Examples of such materials include CeO2, ZrO2, and CeO2-Al(OH)3 composites.     

Dynamic covalent polymers based upon carbene dimerization

Thermally-reversible covalent polymers featuring dynamic carbon-carbon double bonds and tunable molecular weights were prepared from difunctional carbenes; addition of transition metal complexes to these materials afforded the respective main-chain organometallic polymers.     

Shape/size-controlled syntheses of metal nanoparticles for site-selective modification of carbon nanotubes

Shape- and size-controlled syntheses of metal nanoparticles have been achieved by galvanic displacement reaction between an aqueous solution of metal salt and Cu foil substrate. In particular, cubic and spheric nanoparticles of Pt (Au) with a fairly narrow size distribution were produced by reacting K(2)PtCl(4) (HAuCl(4)) with a Cu foil in an aqueous medium with and without CuCl(2) under different reaction conditions (e.g., different concentrations and reaction times). In conjunction with the substrate-enhanced electroless deposition (SEED) technique (Qu, L.; Dai, L. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 10806), the shape/size-controlled syntheses have been successfully exploited to site-selectively deposit these metal nanoparticles onto the outerwall, innerwall, or end-tip of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Asymmetric sidewall modification by attaching the innerwall and outerwall of CNTs with metal nanoparticles of different shapes was also achieved. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the nanotube-supported Pt nanoparticles could be converted into hollow Au nanoboxes by galvanic displacement of Pt with Au. These CNT-supported metal nanoparticles were shown to possess interesting optical and electrocatalytic properties.     

基于贵金属纳米颗粒生长的比色传感研究进展

近年来,作为颜色标记和信号发生器的贵金属纳米粒子由于其简单性和实用性而被广泛用于比色测定和传感的研究当中。本文综述了近十年基于贵金属纳米粒子生长的比色传感器策略和应用的最新进展,总结了基于贵金属纳米颗粒生长的单色及多色传感器的传感原理、分类及前沿应用,探索了其比色传感的信号产生、分类和放大机制。由于贵金属纳米粒子在不同尺寸、距离、形状、成分等基底上的生长会产生不同的LSPR共振峰以及显著的传感信号变化,我们详细讨论了贵金属纳米粒子在金纳米棒等晶种基底上生长的比色传感。最后,我们对目前该比色传感面临的挑战和未来前景进行了展望。     

Hetero‐difunctional dimers as building blocks for the synthesis of poly(amidoamine)s with hetero‐difunctional chain terminals and their derivatives

This article reports on a simple and straightforward preparation method of poly(amidoamine)s (PAAs) with hetero‐difunctional chain ends as well as of several up to now hardly obtainable PAA derivatives of biotechnological interest, such as for instance PAAs of controlled molecular weight and narrow polydispersity mono‐functionalized at one end with an acrylamide group, PAAs with star‐like molecular architecture, graft‐PAA‐protein conjugates, “tadpole‐like” PAA conjugates with hydrophobic moieties able to self assemble into nanoparticles in aqueous media. The key step was to design suitable building blocks consisting of hetero‐difunctional dimers (HDDs). In particular, the HDDs considered were the mono‐addition products of bis‐sec‐amines and bisacrylamides expected to give PAAs of proven biomedical potential and were obtained as hydrochlorides or trifluoroacetates. In this form, they could be indefinitely kept dormant at 0–5 °C in the dry state, whereas at room temperature and in aqueous media, they polymerized at pH > 7.5. The preparation of the above‐cited PAA derivatives did not necessarily involve the preliminary synthesis of hetero‐difunctional PAAs but was directly achieved by one‐pot polymerization of HDDs in the presence of the substrates of interest. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

含金属纳米粒子的层层自组装及单壁碳纳米管的催化生长

利用层间的静电吸附作用，重氮树脂和不同种类的含金属纳米粒子被依次吸附到硅片表面形成层层自组装膜。通过改变自组装膜的层数可以控制纳米粒子在表面吸附的量，同时利用重氮树脂的光敏特性可以实现纳米粒子在表面的图案化排布。以这些纳米粒子为催化剂，研究了单壁碳纳米管在硅片表面的化学气相沉积生长。     

Synthesis and coating of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles: a first step toward the obtainment of new magnetic nanocarriers

Monodisperse and stable cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) nanoparticles (5.4 nm) have been produced, coated with mono- and difunctional phosphonic and hydroxamic acids, and fully characterized (using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic light scattering (DLS), IR spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) measurements). Cobalt leakage of the coated nanoparticles has been also studied. Magnetic measurements show the possible applications in hyperthermia at low frequencies, and for this reason, water-soluble coated CoFe2O4 can be seen as a first step toward the obtainment of novel systems for biomagnetic applications.     

Galvanic Replacement Reactions of Active‐Metal Nanoparticles

We present a systemic investigation of a galvanic replacement technique in which active‐metal nanoparticles are used as sacrificial seeds. We found that different nanostructures can be controllably synthesized by varying the type of more noble‐metal ions and liquid medium. Specifically, nano‐heterostructures of noble metal (Ag, Au) or Cu nanocrystals on active‐metal (Mg, Zn) cores were obtained by the reaction of active‐metal nanoparticles with more noble‐metal ions in ethanol; Ag nanocrystal arrays were produced by the reaction of active‐metal nanoparticles with Ag⁺ ions in water; spongy Au nanospheres were generated by the reaction of active‐metal nanoparticles with AuCl₄^? ions in water; and SnO₂ nanoparticles were prepared when Sn²⁺ were used as the oxidant ions. The key factors determining the product morphology are shown to be the reactivity of the liquid medium and the nature of the oxidant–reductant couple, whereas Mg and Zn nanoparticles played similar roles in achieving various nanostructures. When microsized Mg and Zn particles were used as seeds in similar reactions, the products were mainly noble‐metal dendrites. The new approach proposed in this study expands the capability of the conventional nanoscale galvanic replacement method and provides new avenues to various structures, which are expected to have many potential applications in catalysis, optoelectronics, and biomedicine.     

聚合物PVP保护的贵金属纳米结构材料电化学合成新方法

以不同聚合度的聚乙烯吡咯烷酮(PVP)作为金纳米团簇的稳定剂和形状控制剂,应用电化学还原方法制备尺寸可控的金纳米晶体.借助PVP聚合物的动态伸缩和卷曲特性将电化学还原得到的金纳米粒子前驱体组装成线状和环状的纳米粒子聚集体,再由不稳定前驱体粒子的定向聚集制备厚度为几十纳米的金纳米棱柱.并用分步电化学还原法合成核壳结构的金银纳米复合粒子.本文为制备不同形状和结构的贵金属纳米结构材料提供了一种可行的电化学合成新方法.     

Preparation and characterization of metal-chitosan nanocomposites

Various metal-chitosan nanocomposites were synthesized, including silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), and palladium (Pd) in aqueous solutions. Metal nanoparticles were formed by reduction of corresponding metal salts with NaBH4 in the presence of chitosan. And chitosan molecules adsorbing onto the surface of as-prepared metal nanoparticles formed the corresponding metal-chitosan nanocomposites. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images and UV-vis spectra of the nanocomposites revealed the presence of metal nanoparticles. Comparison of all the resulting particles size, it shows that silver nanoparticles are much larger than others (Au, Pt and Pd). In addition, the difference in particles size leads to develop different morphologies in the films cast from prepared metal-chitosan nanocomposites. Polarized optical microscopy (POM) images show a batonet-like structure for Ag-chitosan nanocomposites film, while for the films cast from other metal (Au, Pt, and Pd)-chitosan nanocomposites, some branched-like structures with a few differences among them were observed under POM observation.     

Role of Nickel Nanoparticles in High‐Performance TiO2/Ni/Carbon Nanohybrid Lithium/Sodium‐Ion Battery Anodes

Super‐small sized TiO₂ nanoparticles are in situ co‐composited with carbon and nickel nanoparticles in a facile scalable way, using difunctional methacrylate monomers as solvent and carbon source. Good control over crystallinity, morphology, and dispersion of the nanohybrid is achieved because of the thermosetting nature of the resin polymer. The effects of the nickel nanoparticle on the composition, crystallographic phase, structure, morphology, tap density, specific surface area, and electrochemical performance as both lithium‐ion and sodium‐ion battery anodes are systematically investigated. It is found that the incorporation of the in situ formed nickel nanoparticles with certain content effectively enhances the electrochemical performance including reversible capacities, cyclic stability and rate performance as both lithium‐ion and sodium‐ion battery anodes. The experimental I‐V profiles at different temperatures and theoretical calculations reveal that the charge carriers are accumulated in the amorphous carbon regions, which act as scattering centers to the carriers and lower the carrier mobility for the composite. With increasing nickel content, the mobility of the charge carriers is significantly increased, while the number of the charge carriers maintains almost constant. The nickel nanoparticles provide extra pathways for the accumulated charge, leading to reduced scatterings among the charge carriers and enhanced charge‐carrier transportation.     

“非保护型”金属胶体纳米簇形成机理研究

碱-乙二醇法制备的"非保护型"金属及合金纳米簇由表面吸附的溶剂分子和简单离子实现稳定化,它们被广泛用于制备高性能复相催化剂和研究复相催化剂中的尺寸、组成、载体表面基团以及修饰剂对催化性能的影响。关于此类非保护金属纳米簇的形成过程及机理的认识尚有待进一步深化。本文采用原位快速扫描X射线吸收精细结构谱(QXAFS)、原位紫外-可见(UV-Vis)吸收光谱、透射电子显微镜和动态光散射技术研究了碱-乙二醇法合成中非保护型金属胶体纳米簇的形成过程与机理。结果表明,在碱-乙二醇法合成非保护型Pt金属纳米簇的过程中,室温下即有部分Pt(IV)被还原至Pt(II)。随着反应温度的升高,OH-逐渐取代与Pt离子配位的Cl-,在Pt―Pt键形成之前,反应体系的UV-Vis吸收光谱中可观察到明显的纳米粒子的散射信号,原位QXAFS分析表明Pt纳米簇是由Pt氧化物纳米粒子还原所形成的;在Ru金属纳米簇的形成过程中,OH-首先取代了Ru Cl_3中的Cl~-,形成羟基配合物Ru(OH) _6~(3-),后者进一步缩合形成氧化钌纳米粒子,最终Ru金属纳米簇由乙二醇还原氧化钌纳米粒子形成。由于先形成了氧化物纳米粒子,后续的还原反应被限制在氧化物纳米粒子内,使最终得到的非保护型金属纳米簇具有尺寸小、分布窄的特点。本工作所获得的知识对发展高性能能源转化催化剂、精细化学合成催化剂、传感器等功能体系具有重要意义。     

Liquid crystalline complexes of 4-alkoxystilbazoles with silver 1,12-dodecylene disulphate

A new series of metal complexes of silver(I) 1,12-dodecylene disulphate with 4-alkoxystilbazole ligands has been synthesized. These difunctional silver stilbazole complexes are mesomorphic, showing a nematic phase at short chain lengths and SmA and SmC phases at longer chain lengths. The single crystal X-ray structure of the hexyloxy homologue shows a polymerized arrangement of sulphate-bridged dimers.     

In vitro Toxicological Study of Metal Oxides Nanoparticles on Oxidation of Succinate in Krebs Cycle and Their Resultant Effect in Metabolic Pathways

In vitro study to evaluate toxic effects of metal oxides nanoparticles on energy producing cycle was conducted. In this study oxidation of sodium succinate in aqueous solution was investigated by using potassium ferricyanide as an oxidizing agent. Kinetic measurements were carried out on kinetic mode of spectrophotometer at λ_max 420 nm. Effect of different metal oxides (MgO and CaO) nanoparticles was observed on the oxidation of succinate at 25 ± 0.5 °C. These metal oxides nanoparticles were prepared by hydrothermal method and their characterization were done by using FTIR, TGA, SEM‐EDX, TEM and XRD. Kinetic results indicated that these nanoparticles inhibit the conversion of succinate into fumerate. The inhibition is directly dependent on particle size of the nanoparticles and it was observed that particle size is inversely related to the oxidation rate of succinate. It was concluded at the end that elevated concentrations of metal oxides nanoparticles can severely affect the Krebs cycle by inhibiting succinate oxidation and lead to various metabolic disorders.     

A modular approach to main-chain organometallic polymers

A highly efficient route to a new class of organometallic polymers containing difunctional N-heterocyclic carbenes has been developed. Bis(imidazolium) halides and divalent group X metals were copolymerized to afford organometallic polymers in up to quantitative yields and with molecular weights up to 10(6) Da, depending on the structure of the N-heterocyclic carbene and the incorporated transition metal. Enhanced solubilities were demonstrated through post-polymerization ligation with phosphines. Finally, selective end-group functionalization and excellent molecular weight control was achieved through the inclusion of monofunctional chain transfer agents during the polymerization.     

Ligand-stabilized metal nanoparticles in organic solvent

This critical review reports the fundamental behavior of metal nanoparticles in different organic solvents, i.e., metal organosol. An overview on metal organosol and then their smart synthetic approaches, characterization, and potential applications in the fields of catalysis and spectroscopy with special emphasis on SERS are embodied. Aspects of organosol fabrication, stabilization, morphology control, growth mechanisms, and physical properties as mono- and bimetallic nanoparticles are discussed. The article inspires the repetitive usage of metal nanoparticles as stable deliverable organic and molecular compounds.     

Adsorption of CO on various M@Pt core–shell nanoparticles: Surface-enhanced infrared absorption and DFT studies

Addition of some other metals to platinum causes significant increase of its catalytic activity towards ethanol electrochemical oxidation. This may be caused by different adsorption of CO molecules on the surface of the catalyst, and hence different resistance of the M@Pt nanostructures to poisoning by CO. In this work we attempt to verify this hypothesis analyzing vibrational spectra of CO adsorbed on various metal nanoparticles. Au@Pt nanoparticles revealing significantly higher catalytic activity towards ethanol oxidation than one-element Pt nanoparticles have been synthesized. Surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) spectra of CO adsorbed on Au@Pt and Pt nanoparticles have been measured. Obtained spectra were very similar, which suggests that the higher catalytic activity of Au@Pt nanoparticles is rather not caused by different adsorption of CO molecules on Pt and Au@Pt nanoparticles. We suppose that better performance of core–shell M@Pt nanoparticles than one elements Pt nanoparticles towards ethanol electrochemical oxidation can be explained as follows: core–shell nanoparticles are probably much more defected than one-element nanoparticles, hence the M@Pt nanoparticles posses greater number of active sites (kinks, adatoms, and so on) for ethanol electrochemical oxidation. Analysis of the catalytic activity and CO adsorption have been also carried out for other nanoparticles including: Sn@Pt, Pb@Pt, Pd, Au@Pd, Sn@Pd and Pb@Pd. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of CO modes for CO adsorbed on tetrahedral Pt₁₀ or Pd₁₀ clusters with different metal–metal distance have been also performed.     

pH值对微波协助乙二醇法制备PtRu/C催化剂的影响

以微波协助乙二醇工艺合成了碳负载不同粒径大小的PtRu/C纳米催化剂, 主要考察了溶液pH值对PtRu粒子大小的影响. 利用紫外可见光谱、能量散射X射线谱、透射电镜和X射线衍射谱对PtRu纳米催化剂进行了表征. 结果表明, pH值是一个对PtRu粒子大小有着重要影响的因素. TEM结果显示随着溶液pH值的增加, PtRu粒径从3.5 nm减小到1.5 nm. 当溶液pH值达到11.0时, 由于金属粒子被保护, 合成的催化剂中金属载量明显减少. 溶液pH 值在9.0 右合成的PtRu/C催化剂具有适宜粒径(2.4 nm)和均匀分布的金属颗粒, 具有最好的甲醇电氧化活性.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Chelating Hyperbranched Polyester Nanoparticles for Cd(II) Ion Removal from Water

Chelating hyperbranched polyester (CHPE) nanoparticles have become an attractive new material family for developing high-capacity nanoscale chelating agents with highly branched structures and many functional groups in the main chains and end groups that can be used to remove heavy metals from water. In this study, a hyperbranched polyester with a particle size of 180–643 nm was synthesized with A₂+B₃ interfacial polymerization, using dimethylmalonyl chloride as the difunctional monomer (A₂) and 1,1,1-tris(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethane (THPE) as the trifunctional monomer (B₃). FTIR and NMR were used to characterize the CHPE and confirm the structure. The CHPE nanoparticles were generally considered hydrophilic, with an observed swelling capacity of 160.70%. The thermal properties of the CHPE nanoparticles were studied by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) with 1% mass loss at temperatures above 185 °C. The XRD of the CHPE nanoparticles showed a semi-crystalline pattern, as evident from the presence of peaks at positions ~18° and 20°. The nature of the surface of the CHPE was examined using SEM. Batch equilibrium was used to investigate the removal properties of the CHPE nanoparticles towards Cd(II) ions as a function of temperature, contact time, and Cd(II) concentration. The Cd(II) ion thermodynamics, kinetics, and desorption data on the CHPE nanoparticles were also studied.     

Multistep and semibatch nitroxide‐mediated controlled free‐radical emulsion polymerization: A significant step toward conceivable industrial processes

Nitroxide‐mediated emulsion polymerizations of n‐butyl acrylate and styrene were performed with a monofunctional, water‐soluble alkoxyamine initiator and a difunctional one. Two different processes were applied, either in two steps or under semibatch conditions. In particular, the polymerization times were strongly reduced, while high conversions and good control over the polymer characteristics were maintained. In all cases, stable latexes were recovered; with the difunctional initiator in particular, they exhibited small particles and narrow particle size distributions. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 4142–4153, 2006