Green preparation of hollow mesoporous silica nanosphere inside-loaded gold nanoparticles and the catalytic activity

In this work, an active nano-catalyst with gold nanoparticles loaded in hollow mesoporous silica nanospheres (HMSNs/Au) was prepared by a one-pot sol-gel method, in which gold ions were loaded in hollow mesoporous silica spheres followed by sodium alginate reduction. The characterization of the HMSNs/Au were determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherms (BET). The high catalytic activity of HMSNs/Au, denoted as apparent turn-over frequency (TOF), was detected by UV-Vis spectrophotometer for the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (74.5 h^?1) and 2-nitrophenol (108.7 h^?1) in the presence of sodium borohydride solution due to the small gold nanoparticles size and overall exposure of active sites. It is expected that this ecofriendly approach to prepare inorganic composited nanoparticles as high active catalysts based on hollow mesoporous materials was a promising platform for loading noble metal nanoparticles.     

Spiky gold nanoshells

We report a high-yield synthetic method for a new type of metal nanostructure, spiky gold nanoshells, which combine the morphological characteristics of hollow metal nanoshells and nanorods. Our method utilizes block copolymer assemblies and polymer beads as templates for the growth of spiky nanoshells. Various shapes of spiky metal nanoshells were prepared in addition to spherical nanoshells by using block copolymer assemblies such as rod-like micelles, vesicles, and bilayers as templates. Furthermore, spiky gold shells encapsulating magnetic nanoparticles or quantum dots were prepared based on the ability of block copolymers to self-assemble with various types of nanoparticles and molecules. The capability to encapsulate other materials in the core, the shape tunability, and the highly structured surface of spiky nanoshells should benefit a range of imaging, sensing, and medical applications of metal nanostructures.     

C60空心纳米壳的制备及研究

利用超声技术, 选择间二甲苯溶液和乙腈两种不互溶的溶剂, 首次成功地制备了C60的空心纳米壳. 选择扫描电镜(SEM), 透射电镜(TEM)等对所制得的C60的空心纳米壳的形貌及结构进行表征. C60空心纳米壳的外直径为300～400 nm, 内直径为200～300 nm, 壁厚约100 nm. X射线衍射光谱(XRD)、傅里叶红外光谱检测结果表明其为C60分子组成的单晶结构. 利用电泳方法制备了均匀的C60的空心纳米壳膜电极, 并利用电沉积方法在所制备的C60的空心纳米壳电极表面沉积了金(Au)纳米颗粒. 为进一步沉积其它金属, 研究其在生物传感器及燃料电池方面的应用提供了基础.     

Design of Hollow Nanoreactors for Size- and Shape-Selective Catalytic Semihydrogenation Driven by Molecular Recognition

Mimicking the structures and functions of cells to create artificial organelles has spurred the development of efficient strategies for production of hollow nanoreactors with biomimetic catalytic functions. However, such structure are challenging to fabricate and are thus rarely reported. We report the design of hollow nanoreactors with hollow multishelled structure (HoMS) and spatially loaded metal nanoparticles. Starting from a molecular-level design strategy, well-defined hollow multishelled structure phenolic resins (HoMS-PR) and carbon (HoMS-C) submicron particles were accurately constructed. HoMS-C serves as an excellent, versatile platform, owing to its tunable properties with tailored functional sites for achieving precise spatial location of metal nanoparticles, internally encapsulated (Pd@HoMS-C) or externally supported (Pd/HoMS-C). Impressively, the combination of the delicate nanoarchitecture and spatially loaded metal nanoparticles endow the pair of nanoreactors with size–shape-selective molecular recognition properties in catalytic semihydrogenation, including high activity and selectivity of Pd@HoMS-C for small aliphatic substrates and Pd/HoMS-C for large aromatic substrates. Theoretical calculations provide insight into the pair of nanoreactors with distinct behaviors due to the differences in energy barrier of substrate adsorption. This work provides guidance on the rational design and accurate construction of hollow nanoreactors with precisely located active sites and a finely modulated microenvironment by mimicking the functions of cells.     

Reactive Template Synthesis of Polypyrrole Nanotubes for Fabricating Metal/Conducting Polymer Nanocomposites

Unique nanocomposites of polypyrrole/Au and polypyrrole/Pt hybrid nanotubes are synthesized employing polypyrrole (PPy) nanotubes as an advanced support by solution reduction. The conducting polymer PPy nanotubes are fabricated by using pre‐prepared MnO₂ nanowires as the reactive templates. MnO₂ nanowires induce the 1D polymerization of pyrrole monomers and the simultaneous dissolution of the templates affords the hollow tube‐like structure. The loading content of metal nanoparticles in the nanocomposites could be adjusted by simply changing the amount of metal precursors. This work provides an efficient approach to fabricate an important kind of metal/conducting polymer hybrid nanotubes that are potentially useful for electrocatalyst and sensor materials.     

单分散中空介孔结构的盐模板合成及形貌调控

中空介孔结构因具有丰富的内部空间以及多孔渗透性外壳等优势,在催化、能源储存与转化及生物医药等领域得到了广泛应用.然而,目前仍然缺少高效、简便且绿色的合成中空介孔结构的方法.本文以柠檬酸钠胶体颗粒作为模板,通过十六烷基三甲基溴化氨(Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTAB)胶束与正硅酸四乙酯(Tetraethyl orthosilicate, TEOS)的水解低聚物在胶体颗粒表面进行界面共组装,直接生长介孔二氧化硅壳层;然后通过简便的醇洗和水洗分别除去CTAB胶束和柠檬酸钠胶体颗粒后,得到中空介孔结构.进一步研究表明,负电荷的柠檬酸钠胶体颗粒与CTAB胶束之间的静电相互作用是诱导氧化硅低聚物在颗粒表面进行交联组装的关键.基于此,通过控制生长时间实现了对中空介孔结构形貌和壳层厚度的精确调控.所得中空介孔二氧化硅纳米球可以显著增强物质的扩散传输,是理想的催化剂载体,负载金纳米颗粒后可以高效催化4-硝基苯酚的还原反应.研究结果为中空介孔材料的绿色简便合成提供了思路.     

Utilizing Reversible Interactions in Polymeric Nanoparticles To Generate Hollow Metal–Organic Nanoparticles

The use of reversible linkers in polymers has been of interest mainly for biomedical applications. Herein, we present a novel strategy to utilize reversible interactions in polymeric nanoparticles to generate hollow metal–organic nanoparticles (MOPs). These hollow MOPs are synthesized from self‐assembled polymeric nanoparticles using a simple metal–comonomer exchange process in a single step. The control over the size of the polymer precursor particles translates into a straightforward opportunity for controlling MOP sizes. The shell thickness of the MOPs could be easily tuned by the concentration of metal ions in solution. The underlying mechanism for the formation of these hollow MOPs has been proposed. Evidence for the generality of the method is provided by its application to a variety of metal ions with different coordination geometries.     

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。     

Self‐Templated Formation of Uniform NiCo2O4 Hollow Spheres with Complex Interior Structures for Lithium‐Ion Batteries and Supercapacitors

Despite the significant advancement in preparing metal oxide hollow structures, most approaches rely on template‐based multistep procedures for tailoring the interior structure. In this work, we develop a new generally applicable strategy toward the synthesis of mixed‐metal‐oxide complex hollow spheres. Starting with metal glycerate solid spheres, we show that subsequent thermal annealing in air leads to the formation of complex hollow spheres of the resulting metal oxide. We demonstrate the concept by synthesizing highly uniform NiCo₂O₄ hollow spheres with a complex interior structure. With the small primary building nanoparticles, high structural integrity, complex interior architectures, and enlarged surface area, these unique NiCo₂O₄ hollow spheres exhibit superior electrochemical performances as advanced electrode materials for both lithium‐ion batteries and supercapacitors. This approach can be an efficient self‐templated strategy for the preparation of mixed‐metal‐oxide hollow spheres with complex interior structures and functionalities.     

Metallic double shell hollow nanocages: the challenges of their synthetic techniques

Hollow metallic nanoparticles have been attracting the attention of many researchers in the past five years due to their new properties and potential applications. The unique structure of the hollow nanoparticles; presence of two surfaces (internal and external), and the presence of both cavities and pores in the wall surfaces of these nanoparticles are responsible for their unique properties and applications. Here the galvanic replacement technique is used to prepare nanocages made of gold, platinum, and palladium. In addition, hollow double shell nanoparticles are made of two metal shells like Au-Pt, Pt-Au, Au-Pd, Pd-Au, Pd-Pt, and Pt-Pd. Silver nanocubes are used as templates during the synthesis of hollow nanoparticles with single metal shell or double shell nanocages. Most of the problems that could affect the synthesis of solid Silver nanocubes used as template as well as the double shell nanocages and their possible solutions are discussed in a detail. The sizes and shapes of the single-shell and double-shell nanocages were characterized by a regular and high-resolution TEM. A SEM mapping technique is also used to image the surface atoms for the double shell hollow nanoparticles in order to determine the thickness of the two metal shells. In addition, optical studies are used to monitor the effect of the dielectric properties of the other metals on the plasmonic properties of the gold nanoshell in these mixed nanoparticles.     

Laser-induced fragmentation of transition metal nanoparticles in ionic liquids

Stable Pd(0) and Rh(0) nanoparticles with small and narrow size distribution can be prepared from relative large and agglomerated transition-metal particles dispersed in 1-n-butyl-3methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ionic liquid by simple laser irradiation. The laser irradiation is a complementary method for the generation of stable metal colloids in ionic liquids and also for the regeneration of small-size nanoparticles that may result from their agglomeration after different applications.     

高活性Ag修饰TiO2空心八面体光催化剂的简易模板诱导合成

贵金属修饰的TiO2空心纳米光催化材料由于具有大的比表面积、低的质量密度、良好的表面渗透性、强的光吸收能力以及界面电荷的快速转移,因而表现出优异的光催化性能.为了制备结构可控且精良的贵金属修饰TiO2空心纳米光催化材料,人们先后采用湿化学法、高温固相法、声化学法及光化学沉积法等.由于在制备过程中涉及多种异相材料的合成和结构控制,因此上述合成方法通常需要复杂且多步过程(有些过程甚至很容易导致结构破坏),从而限制了其在光催化领域的实际应用.本文开发了一种简单的模板诱导法,成功制备了Ag纳米粒子修饰的TiO2空心八面体光催化剂.合成过程包括模板指导沉积和原位模板溶解.以Ag2O八面体为模板, TiF4水溶液为前驱体,首先通过TiF4水解形成TiO2纳米粒子沉积在Ag2O模板表面,而TiF4水解产生的酸性HF水溶液可原位溶解碱性的Ag2O模板,从而一步制得TiO2空心八面体.同时,利用Ag2O以及Ag+离子的光敏特性,在光照条件下使Ag2O和Ag+离子生成Ag纳米颗粒,直接沉积在TiO2空心八面体的内外表面,得到Ag/TiO2光催化剂.由此可见,该合成方法具有明显的步骤少的优点.扫描电镜、透射电镜、能量散射和紫外-可见光谱等表征结果表明成功制得内外Ag纳米粒子修饰的TiO2空心八面体光催化剂,其中TiO2空心八面体的壁厚约为25 nm,边长约为1μm,而修饰在其表面的Ag纳米粒子尺寸仅为5–10 nm.此外,通过控制TiF4前驱体浓度,还可制备核壳结构的Ag2O@TiO2八面体以及不同壁厚Ag修饰的TiO2空心八面体,表明该方法在Ag/TiO2形貌合成上的多样性和可控性.为了获得良好的光催化活性,对制备的Ag纳米粒子修饰的TiO2空心八面体光催化剂进行了不同温度的热处理. X射线衍射结果表明,即使在600 oC高温下,制备的Ag/TiO2空心八面体光催化剂依然能够保持原有的特殊形貌和锐钛矿TiO2晶型.该温度明显高于TiO2从锐钛矿向金红石转变的温度.这说明合成的Ag/TiO2能在保持高活性锐钛矿相的同时获得更好的结晶性.这可能是由于分散在TiO2原始晶粒周围的Ag纳米粒子能阻止其进一步长大,从而抑制了其晶型转变.不同样品光催化降解甲基橙的结果表明,经600oC高温热处理的样品表现出最高的光催化活性,相应的反应速率常数为0.11 min？1.这应得益于该光催化剂具有以下三个特点：(1) TiO2空心八面体的薄壁结构能够缩短光照条件下光生电子和空穴从内部扩散到表面的距离;(2)由于贵金属Ag纳米粒子沉积在TiO2薄壁的内外两个表面以及TiO2和Ag形成肖脱基势垒,因此在它们接触的界面上能够发生更快的界面电荷转移;(3)高温处理导致TiO2良好的晶化以及高活性锐钛矿TiO2晶型的保持.     

表面修饰中空LaF3纳米微粒的制备及其摩擦学性能

在油酸钠/十六烷基溴化铵乳液体系中合成了表面修饰中空LaF3纳米微粒. 通过透射电子显微镜(TEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、傅立叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)、热重分析(TG-DTG)、能谱分析(EDS)等测试手段对其结构和形貌进行了表征. 同时在四球摩擦磨损试验机上考察了LaF3纳米微粒作为润滑油添加剂时, 添加浓度和施加载荷对其抗磨减摩性能的影响. 结果表明, 此纳米微粒的表面为油酸修饰, 具有中空结构, 平均粒径约17.5 nm; 表面修饰中空油酸/三氟化镧纳米微粒作为成品润滑油的添加剂, 具有良好的抗磨性能. 另外, 对中空纳米微粒的形成机理进行了分析.     

Preparation of Hydrophilic UHMWPE Hollow Fiber Membranes by Chemically Bounding Silica Nanoparticles

In this work, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) microfiltration hollow fiber membranes prepared via the thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) method were modified by chemically bounding hydrophilic silica (SiO_2) nanoparticles onto the surface to improve anti-fouling performance. A range of testing techniques including attenuated total reflection Flourier transformed infrared spectroscopy(ATR-FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), water contact angle, mechanical test,filtration and anti-fouling performance were carried out to discuss the influence of different modification conditions on the properties of the membranes. The prepared hollow fiber membranes display the significantly excellent performance when the vinyl trimethoxy silane (VTMS) concentration was 13%, the pH value of the hydrolyzate was 4 and the hydrolysis reaction time was 6 h. In particular, the hydrophilicity of modified membranes was improved effectively, resulting in the enhancement of membrane anti-fouling properties. The results of this work can be consulted for improving the anti-fouling performance of the UHMWPE microfiltration hollow fiber membrane applied in the field of water purification.     

SE(R)RS devices fabricated by a laser electrodispersion method

A novel laser electrodispersion (LE) technique was employed to deposit gold nanoparticles onto Si and SiO(x) surfaces. The LE technique combines laser ablation with cascade fission of liquid metal micro-drops, which results in the formation of nanoparticles upon rapid cooling. The shape and the size distribution of the Au nanoparticles prepared by LE depend on the nature of the support. Gold nanoparticles were also deposited in the channels of microreactors fabricated by wet etching of Si and used as SE(R)RS sensors. The influence of the nanoparticle surface density as well as of the nature of the substrate on the Raman response was studied. At an appropriate surface density of the deposited nanoparticles a significant enhancement of Raman signal was observed showing the possibility to create efficient SERS substrates. Application of microfluidic devices in surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in continuous-flow mode with sensor regeneration is described.     

Architecture of micron-scale hollow spheres composed of silica nanoparticles and approach to luminescent spheres

Micron-scale hollow spheres were successfully constructed with silica nanoparticles by templating of polymer spheres. Subsequently, the use of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) introduces carbon and oxygen defects in the silica nanoparticles resulting from calcination of the aminopropyl group. In this approach, the template of micron-scale polymer spheres was prepared from dispersion polymerization. Subsequent St?ber process results in the formation of a silica layer attached to the polymer sphere surfaces. After calcination, the obtained micron-scale hollow silica spheres were then studied on the relationship between the particle diameter and the surface morphology. The luminescence of hollow spheres was prepared through using APTES in St?ber process, and which of related the appearance of luminescence to the APTES concentration and calcination temperature. The results of this study can provide useful information for the structure of micron-scale hollow spheres and their application to luminescent materials.     

Hydrogenation Size-Selective Pt/Hollow Beta Catalysts

The aim of the present work is to synthesize a zeolite-based catalyst with a hollow morphology and highly dispersed metal nanoparticles (NPs) encapsulated inside the zeolite micropores. For this purpose, we have studied a treatment using tetraalkylammonium (TAA) bromides for the selective removal of a large Pt particle from the outer surface of a hollow Beta zeolite. TEM analysis reveals that we succeeded in the synthesis of a hollow beta zeolite single crystal with encapsulated particles, with a high dispersion of 50–60 %. The molecular-sieve-type mechanism of the obtained catalysts was evaluated in the model reaction of toluene and mesitylene catalytic hydrogenation. Thanks to the high dispersion. a 10-fold activity enhancement has been obtained with respect to hollow beta zeolites with encapsulated NPs recently described in the literature.     

The application of novel spindle-like polypyrrole hollow nanocapsules containing Pt nanoparticles in electrocatalysis oxidation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH)

Novel spindle-like polypyrrole hollow nanocapsules containing Pt nanoparticles (Pt NPs/PPy composite hollow nanospindles) were successfully prepared by using beta-akaganeite (β-Fe(3+)O(OH,Cl)) nanospindles as templates and methanoic acid as a reducing agent. The β-Fe(3+)O(OH,Cl) templates can be easily obtained in ethanol/water mixing solution in the presence of thiophene and FeCl(3)·6H(2)O, and after coating by PPy shell, they can be gradually and completely etched during the reduction of H(2)PtCl(6) into Pt nanoparticles (Pt NPs) with the average size of 3.6 nm on spindle-like polypyrrole hollow nanocapsules, which could still keep their integrality of morphologies with the thickness of PPy shell of 18-20 nm. The investigation of Pt NPs/PPy composite hollow nanospindles modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for the application to detect nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) with cyclic voltammetry (CV) and amperometry indicated good linearity and sensitivity of responses in the certain range of NADH concentration. The influence of Pt NPs content to the NADH oxidation current was also studied. This new kind of unique spindle-like noble metal/conducting polymer hollow nanostructured complex can be acted as a good steady electrode material for electrocatalytic oxidation of NADH.     

Characterization of Nested Hollow Inorganic Fullerene-like Tungsten Disulfide Nanoparticles Prepared by Solid-Gas Reaction

Non-carbon inorganic fullerene-like(IF) nanoscale materials have recently attracted intense interest due to their nested hollow and nanotube structures,In this letter,IF-WS2 nanoparticles prepared by solid-gas reaction were characterized by X-ray diffraction,Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.The results show that the IF-WS2 nanoparticles have a nested hollow closed spherical structure with diameter of 100-150mm.     

Using a Multi‐Shelled Hollow Metal–Organic Framework as a Host to Switch the Guest‐to‐Host and Guest‐to‐Guest Interactions

A bio‐inspired design of using metal–organic framework (MOF) microcrystals with well‐defined multi‐shelled hollow structures was used as a matrix to host multiple guests including molecules and nanoparticles at separated locations to form a hierarchical material, mimicking biological structures. The interactions such as energy transfer (ET) between different guests are regulated by precisely fixing them in the MOF shells or encapsulating them in the cavities between the MOF shells. The proof‐of‐concept design is demonstrated by hosting chromophore molecules including rhodamine 6G (R6G) and 7‐amino‐4‐(trifluoromethyl)coumarin (C‐151), as well as metal nanoparticles (Pd NPs) into the multi‐shelled hollow zeolitic imidazolate framework‐8 (ZIF‐8). We could selectively establish or diminish the guest‐to‐framework and guest‐to‐guest ET. This work provides a platform to construct complex multifunctional materials, especially those need precise separation control of multi‐components.