Preparation of porous solids composed of layered niobate walls from colloidal mixtures of niobate nanosheets and polystyrene spheres

Macroporous solids with crystalline layered walls were fabricated from colloidal mixtures of size-controlled niobate nanosheets and polystyrene spheres. The macroporous solids, obtained after burning off the spheres, were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The obtained structures strongly depended on the lateral dimension L of the nanosheets used. When small nanosheets (L=100 nm) were used, partly ordered macroporous solids with interconnected pores were obtained, whereas sponge-like random macroporous structures were obtained with larger nanosheets (L=190 and 270 nm). Peapod-like hollow structures were obtained when we used small (L=190 nm) and very large (L=3 microm) nanosheets at the same time. The microstructure of the pore walls was controllable by changing the calcination conditions. The walls were composed of propylammonium/K(4)Nb(6)O(17) intercalation compound which has a layered structure with exchangeable cations in the interlayer space, stable up to 350 degrees C for 6 h on calcination. The walls were converted to crystalline K(8)Nb(18)O(49) after calcination at 500 degrees C for 6 h.     

Inhibition of Quorum Sensing,Motility and Biofilm Formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by Copper Oxide Nanostructures

Quorum sensing (QS) is the communication between bacterial cells governed by their population density and regulated by the genes controlling virulence factors and biofilm formation. Multiple mechanisms of biofilms are resistive to antimicrobial chemotherapy; therefore novel strategies are required to overcome its limitations. Here, we report the effect of various copper oxide nanostructures (CuO-NSs) on quorum sensing inhibition. The two-dimensional CuO-NSs such as interlaced nanodiscs, nanodiscs and leaf-shaped nanosheets are prepared via a simple chemical method. The Quorum sensing inhibition (QSI) activity of all the CuO-NS are examined using reporter strain Chromobacterium violaceum CV026 and Escherichia coli pSB1142. We found that the CuO-interlaced nanodisc structures exhibit better QSI activity than nanodiscs and leaf-shaped sheets. The interlaced nanodisc structures are inhibited various long-chain N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) mediated QS individually and confirmed by other QS-associated phenomena for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, including biofilm inhibition, inhibition of virulence factors such as pyocyanin, protease production and swarming motility. Thus QSI activity of CuO-NSs is solely dependent on specific shape offering large surface area and more active sites. The CuO-NS is effective quorum sensing inhibitors, which has potential clinical applications in the management of P. aeruginosa associated infections.

     

Liquid crystalline nanosheet colloids with controlled particle size obtained by exfoliating single crystal of layered niobate k(4)nb(6)o(17)

Colloidally dispersed niobate nanosheets with the thickness of 1.8 nm and controlled mean lateral sizes of 0.15-7.8 mum were prepared and their liquid crystallinity was examined. The nanosheet colloids with different lateral sizes were obtained by exfoliation of single crystals of layered niobate K4Nb6O17 and subsequent ultrasonication. Naked-eye and microscope observations of the nanosheet colloids between crossed polarizers revealed liquid crystallinity of the sols characterized by birefringence as functions of the lateral sizes and concentration of the nanosheets. The nanosheet colloids with smaller lateral sizes (0.15-1.9 mum) varied from isotropic to biphasic (isotropic + liquid crystalline), and finally to fully liquid crystalline states as the colloid concentration increased. The phase transition concentrations (from isotropic to biphasic and biphasic to liquid crystalline) decreased with increasing aspect ratio (lateral-to-thickness ratio) of the nanosheets, almost in accordance with the prediction by Onsager theory, indicating that the liquid crystallinity is explained basically by excluded-volume effect between the nanosheets. On the other hand, the colloids with larger lateral sizes (6.2 and 7.8 mum) stably kept liquid crystalline state even at very low concentration (5.1 x 10-6 in volume fraction), which was much lower than that expected from the theory.     

Layered inorganic-organic frameworks based on the 2,2-dimethylsuccinate ligand: structural diversity and its effect on nanosheet exfoliation and magnetic properties

The structures of four new 2,2-dimethylsuccinate frameworks suitable for exfoliation into nanosheets using ultrasonication are reported. These hybrid compounds contain either monovalent (Li(+)) or divalent (Co(2+) and Zn(2+)) cations, and they all feature hydrophobically capped covalently bonded layers that only interact with each other via weak van der Waals forces. Critically this shows that the use of this dicarboxylate ligand generally yields two dimensional compounds suitable for simple and affordable nanosheet exfoliation. This extends the range of frameworks that can be exfoliated and highlights the 2,2-dimethylsuccinate ligand as an excellent versatile platform for the production of nanosheets. The topologies of the layers in each framework were found to vary significantly and this appears to have a significant effect on the relative size of the nanosheets produced; increased space between methyl groups and more extensive inorganic connectivity appears to favour the formation of thin nanosheets with larger lateral dimensions. Additionally the magnetic properties of two of these frameworks were examined, and it was found that both exhibit strong low dimensional antiferromagnetic coupling despite their well-separated layers preventing three dimensional magnetic order.     

二维纳米片层孔洞化策略及组装材料在超级电容器中的应用

功率密度高、倍率性能优异和循环性能好等特性使得超级电容器在储能领域显示了巨大的应用前景。尽管二维层状材料剥离形成的纳米片层不仅可为电化学反应提供独特的纳米级反应空间,而且由其组装的层状纳米电极材料具有化学和结构上的氧化还原可逆性及纳米片层水平方向上离子或电子快速传输通道。但是,纳米片层组装电极材料在纳米片层垂直方向上离子或电子传输存在障碍,对于超级电容器功率密度和能量密度的提高及实现快速能量储存非常不利。因此,如何通过改善离子或电子的快速传输,实现超级电容器大功率密度下的高能量密度是超级电容器电极材料发展的方向之一。本文主要综述了二维层状材料剥离成纳米片层,纳米片层孔洞化策略及组装孔洞化材料在超级电容器电极材料中的应用。纳米层孔洞化技术是改善层状电极材料在纳米片层垂直方向离子或电子传输的有效手段,为实现高比电容下的高倍率性能超级电容器电极材料制备提供了方法学。最后,对开发大功率密度下的高能量密度超级电容器电极材料提出了展望。     

Bioinspired,Size‐Tunable Self‐Assembly of Polymer–Lipid Bilayer Nanodiscs

Polymer‐based nanodiscs are valuable tools in biomedical research that can offer a detergent‐free solubilization of membrane proteins maintaining their native lipid environment. Herein, we introduce a novel ca. 1.6 kDa SMA‐based polymer with styrene:maleic acid moieties that can form nanodiscs containing a planar lipid bilayer which are useful to reconstitute membrane proteins for structural and functional studies. The physicochemical properties and the mechanism of formation of polymer‐based nanodiscs are characterized by light scattering, NMR, FT‐IR, and TEM. A remarkable feature is that nanodiscs of different sizes, from nanometer to sub‐micrometer diameter, can be produced by varying the lipid‐to‐polymer ratio. The small‐size nanodiscs (up to ca. 30 nm diameter) can be used for solution NMR spectroscopy studies whereas the magnetic‐alignment of macro‐nanodiscs (diameter of > ca. 40 nm) can be exploited for solid‐state NMR studies on membrane proteins.     

Single Crystalline SnO Nanosheets as Anode Material for Lithium Secondary Battery

Single crystalline SnO nanosheets with high aspect ratios have been synthesized by a simple solution-based chemical route aided with sonication. The dimension and thickness of the SnO nanosheets are controllable by adjusting the amount of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide （CTAB） added. The as-prepared SnO nanosheets have loosely packed {001 } surfaces and expanded lattice, thus rendering a high reversible capacity approaching the theoretical value of SnO as anode material in Li secondary battery.     

Two-dimensional nanosheets of metal–organic frameworks with tailorable morphologies

The controlled preparation of two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), with tailorable methodologies, properties, and applications, is of significant importance. Here, in this work, by subtle control of the ultrasonic duration and solvent polarity, the iron(II)-based 2D MOF Fe(pyz)₂Cl₂ (pyz = pyrazine) has been elegantly tailored into 2D nanosheets (lateral size ≥500 nm in aqueous, with ultrasonic duration of 30 min) and one-dimensional (1D) nanoribbons (lateral size ≤100 nm in ethanol solution, with ultrasonic duration of 90 min). The aqueous suspension of 2D nanosheets was featured with thermal-induced spin-state transition at around room temperature and can be used as effective Fenton catalysts for degradation of water-soluble organic dyes, whereas the ethanol suspension of 1D nanoribbons can act as a versatile nanoplatform for trans-to-cis isomerization of 4, 4′-azopyridine. These results may provide a novel strategy for the controlled preparation of layered nanomaterials.     

Side‐Chain‐Directed Dispersion of MoS2 Nanosheets by V‐Shaped Polyaromatic Compounds

Bulk molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) itself is virtually insoluble in common organic solvents because of the tight stacks of multiple MoS₂ nanosheets. Here we report that V‐shaped polyaromatic compounds with non‐ionic side chains can efficiently exfoliate and disperse the inorganic nanosheets. Simple grinding and sonication (less than total 1 h) of MoS₂ powder with the V‐shaped compounds gave rise to large MoS₂ nanosheets highly dispersed in NMP through efficient host‐guest S–π interactions. DLS and AFM analyses revealed that the lateral sizes (ca. 150–270 nm) and thicknesses (ca. 2–8 nm) of the products depend on the identity of the non‐ionic side chains on the V‐shaped dispersant.     

Bioinspired,Size‐Tunable Self‐Assembly of Polymer–Lipid Bilayer Nanodiscs

Polymer‐based nanodiscs are valuable tools in biomedical research that can offer a detergent‐free solubilization of membrane proteins maintaining their native lipid environment. Herein, we introduce a novel ca. 1.6 kDa SMA‐based polymer with styrene:maleic acid moieties that can form nanodiscs containing a planar lipid bilayer which are useful to reconstitute membrane proteins for structural and functional studies. The physicochemical properties and the mechanism of formation of polymer‐based nanodiscs are characterized by light scattering, NMR, FT‐IR, and TEM. A remarkable feature is that nanodiscs of different sizes, from nanometer to sub‐micrometer diameter, can be produced by varying the lipid‐to‐polymer ratio. The small‐size nanodiscs (up to ca. 30 nm diameter) can be used for solution NMR spectroscopy studies whereas the magnetic‐alignment of macro‐nanodiscs (diameter of > ca. 40 nm) can be exploited for solid‐state NMR studies on membrane proteins.     

Metal‐Chelated Polymer Nanodiscs for NMR Studies

Paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) is commonly used to speed up spin lattice relaxation time (T₁) for rapid data acquisition in NMR structural studies. Consequently, there is significant interest in novel paramagnetic labels for enhanced NMR studies on biomolecules. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of a modified poly(styrene‐co‐maleic acid) polymer which forms nanodiscs while showing the ability to chelate metal ions. Cu²⁺‐chelated nanodiscs are demonstrated to reduce the T₁ of protons for both polymer and lipid‐nanodisc components. The chelated nanodiscs also decrease the proton T₁ values for a water‐soluble DNA G‐quadruplex. These results suggest that polymer nanodiscs functionalized with paramagnetic tags can be used to speed‐up data acquisition from lipid bilayer samples and also to provide structural information from water‐soluble biomolecules.     

Ultrathin zirconium disulfide nanodiscs

We present a colloidal route for the synthesis of ultrathin ZrS(2) (UT-ZrS(2)) nanodiscs that are ~1.6 nm thick and consist of approximately two unit cells of S-Zr-S. The lateral size of the discs can be tuned to 20, 35, or 60 nm while their thickness is kept constant. Under the appropriate conditions, these individual discs can self-assemble into face-to-face-stacked structures containing multiple discs. Because the S-Zr-S layers within individual discs are held together by weak van der Waals interactions, each UT-ZrS(2) disc provides spaces that can serve as host sites for intercalation. When we tested UT-ZrS(2) discs as anodic materials for Li(+) intercalation, they showed excellent nanoscale size effects, enhancing the discharge capacity by 230% and greatly improving the stability in comparison with bulk ZrS(2). The nanoscale size effect was especially prominent for their performance in fast charging/discharging cycles, where an 88% average recovery of reversible capacity was observed for UT-ZrS(2) discs with a lateral diameter of 20 nm. The nanoscale thickness and lateral size of UT-ZrS(2) discs are critical for fast and reliable intercalation cycling because those dimensions both increase the surface area and provide open edges that enhance the diffusion kinetics for guest molecules.     

Mussel‐Inspired Two‐Dimensional Freestanding Alkyl‐Polydopamine Janus Nanosheets

Mussel‐inspired two‐dimensional freestanding, alkyl‐polydopamine (alkyl‐PDA) Janus nanosheets, with a well‐controlled nanometer thickness and a lateral size of up to micrometers, have been developed. A self‐assembled octadecylamine (ODA) bilayer is used as the reactive template for the dopamine polymerization, resulting in the formation of well‐defined nanosheets. The alkyl‐PDA nanosheets show an amphiphilic nature with hydrophilic PDA and hydrophobic alkyl chains on opposing sides. The nanosheets can be used to functionalize many substrates and is dependent on the configuration of surface of the nanosheets. The nanosheets are quite stable, as the morphology is preserved after carbonization at 900 °C. Post‐modification of the nanosheets can be easily achieved because of the reactive nature of PDA. This work will provide a new strategic approach for fabricating polymeric Janus nanosheets, which can find applications for surface modifications, catalyst supports, and guided self‐assembly.     

Layered Double Hydroxide Nanosheets with Multiple Vacancies Obtained by Dry Exfoliation as Highly Efficient Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysts

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) with two-dimensional lamellar structures show excellent electrocatalytic properties. However, the catalytic activity of LDHs needs to be further improved as the large lateral size and thickness of the bulk material limit the number of exposed active sites. However, the development of efficient strategies to exfoliate bulk LDHs into stable monolayer LDH nanosheets with more exposed active sites is very challenging. On the other hand, the intrinsic activity of monolayer LDH nanosheets can be tuned by surface engineering. Herein, we have exfoliated bulk CoFe LDHs into ultrathin LDH nanosheets through Ar plasma etching, which also resulted in the formation of multiple vacancies (including O, Co, and Fe vacancies) in the ultrathin 2D nanosheets. Owing to their ultrathin 2D structure, the LDH nanosheets expose a greater number of active sites, and the multiple vacancies significantly improve the intrinsic activity in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER).     

Two‐Dimensional CuSe Nanosheets with Microscale Lateral Size: Synthesis and Template‐Assisted Phase Transformation

Semiconducting nanosheets with microscale lateral size are attractive building blocks for the fabrication of electronic and optoelectronic devices. The phase‐controlled chemical synthesis of semiconducting nanosheets is of particular interest, because their intriguing properties are not only related to their size and shape, but also phase‐dependent. Herein, a facile method for the synthesis of phase‐pure, microsized, two‐dimensional (2D) CuSe nanosheets with an average thickness of approximately 5 nm is demonstrated. These hexagonal‐phased CuSe nanosheets were transformed into cubic‐phased Cu_2?xSe nanosheets with the same morphology simply by treatment with heat in the presence of Cu^I cations. The phase transformation, proposed to be a template‐assisted process, can be extended to other systems, such as CuS and Cu_1.97S nanoplates. Our study offers a new method for the phase‐controlled preparation of 2D nanomaterials, which are not readily accessible by conventional wet‐chemical methods.     

Synthetic Strategies for Constructing Two‐Dimensional Metal‐Organic Layers (MOLs): A Tutorial Review

Two‐dimensional (2D) metal‐organic layers (MOLs) are the 2D version of metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) with nanometer thickness in one dimension. MOLs are also known as 2D‐MOFs, 2D coordination polymers, ultrathin MOF nanosheets (UMOFNs) or coordination nanosheets in literature. This new category of 2D materials has attracted a lot of interests because of the opportunity in combining molecular chemistry, surface/interface chemistry and material chemistry of low dimensional materials in these systems. Several synthetic strategies have been developed for the construction of 2D MOLs, but the general synthesis of MOLs still presents a challenge. This tutorial level review summarizes the recent progress in the fabrication of novel 2D MOLs and aims to highlight challenges in this field.     

Fe‐Doped Ni3C Nanodots in N‐Doped Carbon Nanosheets for Efficient Hydrogen‐Evolution and Oxygen‐Evolution Electrocatalysis

Uniform Ni₃C nanodots dispersed in ultrathin N‐doped carbon nanosheets were successfully prepared by carburization of the two dimensional (2D) nickel cyanide coordination polymer precursors. The Ni₃C based nanosheets have lateral length of about 200 nm and thickness of 10 nm. When doped with Fe, the Ni₃C based nanosheets exhibited outstanding electrocatalytic properties for both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). For example, 2 at % Fe (atomic percent) doped Ni₃C nanosheets depict a low overpotential (292 mV) and a small Tafel slope (41.3 mV dec⁻¹) for HER in KOH solution. An outstanding OER catalytic property is also achieved with a low overpotential of 275 mV and a small Tafel slope of 62 mV dec⁻¹ in KOH solution. Such nanodot‐incorporated 2D hybrid structures can serve as an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting.     

Synthesis, anion exchange, and delamination of Co-Al layered double hydroxide: assembly of the exfoliated nanosheet/polyanion composite films and magneto-optical studies

This paper describes a systematic study on the synthesis, anion exchange, and delamination of Co-Al layered double hydroxide (LDH), with the aim of achieving fabrication and clarifying the properties of LDH nanosheet/polyanion composite films. Co-Al-CO3 LDH hexagonal platelets of 4 mum in lateral size were synthesized by the urea method under optimized reaction conditions. The as-prepared CO3(2-)-LDH was converted to Cl- -LDH by treating with a NaCl-HCl mixed solution, retaining its high crystallinity and hexagonal platelike morphology. LDHs intercalated with a variety of anions (such as NO3-, ClO4-, acetate, lactate, dodecyl sulfate, and oleate) were further prepared from Cl- -LDH via an anion-exchange process employing corresponding salts. Exchanged products in various anion forms were found to show different delamination behaviors in formamide. Among them, best results were observed for NO3- -LDH in terms of the exfoliating degree and the quality of the exfoliated nanosheets. The delamination gave a pink transparent suspension containing well-defined nanosheets with lateral sizes of up to 2 microm. The resulting nanosheets were assembled layer-by-layer with an anionic polymer, poly(sodium styrene 4-sulfonate) (PSS), onto quartz glass substrates to produce composite films. Magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) measurements revealed that the assembled multilayer films exhibited an interesting magneto-optical response.     

Aligning nanodiscs at the air-water interface, a neutron reflectivity study

Nanodiscs are self-assembled nanostructures composed of a belt protein and a small patch of lipid bilayer, which can solubilize membrane proteins in a lipid bilayer environment. We present a method for the alignment of a well-defined two-dimensional layer of nanodiscs at the air-water interface by careful design of an insoluble surfactant monolayer at the surface. We used neutron reflectivity to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach and to elucidate the structure of the nanodisc layer. The proof of concept is hereby presented with the use of nanodiscs composed of a mixture of two different lipid (DMPC and DMPG) types to obtain a net overall negative charge of the nanodiscs. We find that the nanodisc layer has a thickness or 40.9 ± 2.6 ? with a surface coverage of 66 ± 4%. This layer is located about 15 ? below a cationic surfactant layer at the air-water interface. The high level of organization within the nanodiscs layer is reflected by a low interfacial roughness (~4.5 ?) found. The use of the nanodisc as a biomimetic model of the cell membrane allows for studies of single membrane proteins isolated in a confined lipid environment. The 2D alignment of nanodiscs could therefore enable studies of high-density layers containing membrane proteins that, in contrast to membrane proteins reconstituted in a continuous lipid bilayer, remain isolated from influences of neighboring membrane proteins within the layer.     

Thermal desorption of hydrogen from carbon nanosheets

Carbon nanosheets are a unique nanostructure that, at their thinnest configuration, approach a single freestanding graphene sheet. Temperature desorption spectroscopy (TDS) has shown that the hydrogen adsorption and incorporation during growth of the nanosheets by radio frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition are significant. A numerical peak fitting to the desorption spectra (300-1273 K) via the Polanyi-Wigner equation showed that desorption followed a second order process, presumably by the Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism. Six peaks provide the best fit to the TDS spectra. Surface desorption activation energies were determined to be 0.59, 0.63, and 0.65 eV for the external graphite surface layers and 0.85, 1.15, and 1.73 eV for desorption and diffusion from the bulk. In contrast to TDS data from previously studied a-C:H films [Schenk et al. J. Appl. Phys. 77, 2462 (1995)], a greater amount of hydrogen bound as sp(2) hybridized carbon was observed. A previous x-ray diffraction study of these films has shown a significant graphitic character with a crystallite dimension of L(a)=10.7 nm. This result is consistent with experimental results by Raman spectroscopy that show as-grown carbon nanosheets to be crystalline as commercial graphite with a crystallite size of L(a)=11 nm. Following TDS, Raman data indicate that the average crystallite increased in size to L(a)=15 nm.