Silicon Wafers with Facet‐Dependent Electrical Conductivity Properties

By breaking intrinsic Si (100) and (111) wafers to expose sharp {111} and {112} facets, electrical conductivity measurements on single and different silicon crystal faces were performed through contacts with two tungsten probes. While Si {100} and {110} faces are barely conductive at low applied voltages, as expected, the Si {112} surface is highly conductive and Si {111} surface also shows good conductivity. Asymmetrical I –V curves have been recorded for the {111}/{112}, {111}/{110}, and {112}/{110} facet combinations because of different degrees of conduction band bending at these crystal surfaces presenting different barrier heights to current flow. In particular, the {111}/{110} and {112}/{110} facet combinations give I –V curves resembling those of p–n junctions, suggesting a novel field effect transistor design is possible capitalizing on the pronounced facet‐dependent electrical conductivity properties of silicon.     

Facet‐Dependent Catalytic Activity of Cu2O Nanocrystals in the One‐Pot Synthesis of 1,2,3‐Triazoles by Multicomponent Click Reactions

We report the highly facet‐dependent catalytic activity of Cu₂O nanocubes, octahedra, and rhombic dodecahedra for the multicomponent direct synthesis of 1,2,3‐triazoles from the reaction of alkynes, organic halides, and NaN₃. The catalytic activities of clean surfactant‐removed Cu₂O nanocrystals with the same total surface area were compared. Rhombic dodecahedral Cu₂O nanocrystals bounded by {110} facets were much more catalytically active than Cu₂O octahedra exposing {111} facets, whereas Cu₂O nanocubes displayed the slowest catalytic activity. The superior catalytic activity of Cu₂O rhombic dodecahedra is attributed to the fully exposed surface Cu atoms on the {110} facet. A large series of 1,4‐disubstituted 1,2,3‐triazoles have been synthesized in excellent yields with high regioselectivity under green conditions by using these rhombic dodecahedral Cu₂O catalysts, including the synthesis of rufinamide, an antiepileptic drug, demonstrating the potential of these nanocrystals as promising heterogeneous catalysts for other important coupling reactions.     

Density Functional Theory Calculations Revealing Metal‐like Band Structures and Work Function Variation for Ultrathin Gallium Arsenide (111) Surface Layers

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed on tunable numbers of gallium arsenide (100), (110), and (111) planes for their electron density of states (DOS) plots and the corresponding band diagrams. The GaAs (100) and (110) planes show the same semiconducting band structure with tunable plane layers and a band gap of 1.35 eV around the Fermi level. In contrast, metal‐like band structures are obtained with a continuous band structure around the Fermi level for 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, and 8 layers of GaAs (111) planes. For 3, 6, and 9 GaAs (111) planes, the same semiconducting band structure as seen in the (100) and (110) planes returns. The results suggest the GaAs {111} face should be more electrically conductive than its {100} and {110} faces, due to the merged conduction band and valence band. GaAs (100) and (110) planes give a fixed work function, but the (111) planes have variable work function values that are smaller than that obtained for the (100) and (110) planes. Furthermore, bond length, bond geometry, and frontier orbital electron number and energy distribution show notable differences between the metal‐like and semiconducting plane cases, so the emergence of plane‐dependent electronic properties have quantum mechanical origin at the orbital level. GaAs should possess similar facet‐dependent electronic properties to those of Si and Ge.     

Facet-dependent and au nanocrystal-enhanced electrical and photocatalytic properties of Au-Cu2O core-shell heterostructures

We report highly facet-dependent electrical properties of Cu(2)O nanocubes and octahedra and significant enhancement of gold nanocrystal cores to the electrical conductivity of Au-Cu(2)O core-shell octahedra. Cu(2)O nanocubes and octahedra and Au-Cu(2)O core-shell cubes and octahedra were synthesized by following our reported facile procedures at room temperature. Two oxide-free tungsten probes attached to a nanomanipulator installed inside a scanning electron microscope made contacts to a single Cu(2)O nanocrystal for the I-V measurements. Pristine Cu(2)O octahedra bounded by {111} facets are 1100 times more conductive than pristine Cu(2)O cubes enclosed by {100} faces, which are barely conductive. Core-shell cubes are only slightly more conductive than pristine cubes. A 10,000-fold increase in conductivity over a cube has been recorded for an octahedron. Remarkably, core-shell octahedra are far more conductive than pristine octahedra. The same facet-dependent electrical behavior can still be observed on a single nanocrystal exposing both {111} and {100} facets. This new fundamental property may be observable in other semiconductor nanocrystals. We also have shown that both core-shell cubes and octahedra outperform pristine cubes and octahedra in the photodegradation of methyl orange. Efficient photoinduced charge separation is attributed to this enhanced photocatalytic activity. Interestingly, facet-selective etching occurred over the {100} corners of some octahedra and core-shell octahedra during photocatalysis. The successful preparation of Au-Cu(2)O core-shell heterostructures with precise shape control has offered opportunities to discover new and exciting physical and chemical properties of nanocrystals.     

Surface facets dependent oxygen evolution reaction of single Cu2O nanoparticles

Understanding and establishing the structure-activity relation of nanoparticles is a prerequisite for rational design of high-performance electrocatalysts. Cu₂O nanoparticles enclosed with different crystal facets, namely, o-Cu₂O NPs with {111} facets, c-Cu₂O NPs with {100} facets are prepared and their electrocatalytic properties for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline condition are evaluated at single nanoparticle level with a combination of scanning electrochemical cell microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. It is found that the o-Cu₂O NPs have significantly superior OER electrocatalytic activity compared to c-Cu₂O, which is almost inert. The estimated turnover frequency (TOF) at 1.97 V vs. RHE on {111} facet increases from 4 s^?1 to 115 s^?1 with the octahedron edge length decreasing from 1.3 µm to 100 nm. Deposition of carbon on c-Cu₂O surface barely promotes the activity, suggesting the inherent poor electric conductivity within the nanocrystal is most likely the reason for low activity. This work provides direct probing to single transition metal oxide crystals with dramatically different activity.     

Crystal‐Facet Engineering of Ferric Giniite by Using Ionic‐Liquid Precursors and Their Enhanced Photocatalytic Performances under Visible‐Light Irradiation

In the work presented here, well‐dispersed ferric giniite microcrystals with controlled sizes and shapes are solvothermally synthesized from ionic‐liquid precursors by using 1‐n‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium dihydrogenphosphate ([Bmim][H₂PO₄]) as phosphate source. The success of this synthesis relies on the concentration and composition of the ionic‐liquid precursors. By adjusting the molar ratios of Fe(NO₃)₃ ? 9H₂O to [Bmim][H₂PO₄] as well as the composition of ionic‐liquid precursors, we obtained uniform microstructures such as bipyramids exposing {111} facets, plates exposing {001} facets, hollow spheres, tetragonal hexadecahedron exposing {441} and {111} facets, and truncated bipyamids with carved {001} facets. The crystalline structure of the ferric giniite microcrystals is disclosed by various characterization techniques. It was revealed that [Bmim][H₂PO₄] played an important role in stabilizing the {111} facets of ferric giniite crystals, leading to the different morphologies in the presence of ionic‐liquid precursors with different compositions. Furthermore, since these ferric giniite crystals were characterized by different facets, they could serve as model Fenton‐like catalysts to uncover the correlation between the surface and the catalytic performance for the photodegradation of organic dyes under visible‐light irradiation. Our measurements indicate that the photocatalytic activity of as‐prepared Fenton‐like catalysts is highly dependent on the exposed facets, and the surface area has essentially no obvious effect on the photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes in the present study. It is highly expected that these findings are useful in understanding the photocatalytic activity of Fenton‐like catalysts with different morphologies, and suggest a promising new strategy for crystal‐facet engineering of photocatalysts for wastewater treatment based on heterogeneous Fenton‐like process.     

Crystal‐Plane‐Controlled Selectivity of Cu2O Catalysts in Propylene Oxidation with Molecular Oxygen

The selective oxidation of propylene with O₂ to propylene oxide and acrolein is of great interest and importance. We report the crystal‐plane‐controlled selectivity of uniform capping‐ligand‐free Cu₂O octahedra, cubes, and rhombic dodecahedra in catalyzing propylene oxidation with O₂: Cu₂O octahedra exposing {111} crystal planes are most selective for acrolein; Cu₂O cubes exposing {100} crystal planes are most selective for CO₂; Cu₂O rhombic dodecahedra exposing {110} crystal planes are most selective for propylene oxide. One‐coordinated Cu on Cu₂O(111), three‐coordinated O on Cu₂O(110), and two‐coordinated O on Cu₂O(100) were identified as the catalytically active sites for the production of acrolein, propylene oxide, and CO₂, respectively. These results reveal that crystal‐plane engineering of oxide catalysts could be a useful strategy for developing selective catalysts and for gaining fundamental understanding of complex heterogeneous catalytic reactions at the molecular level.     

The Origin of Shape Sensitivity in Palladium‐Catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura Cross Coupling Reactions

The shape sensitivity of Pd catalysts in Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions is studied using nanocrystals enclosed by well‐defined surface facets. The catalytic performance of Pd nanocrystals with cubic, cuboctahedral and octahedral morphologies are compared. Superior catalytic reactivity is observed for Pd NCs with {100} surface facets compared to {111} facets. The origin of the enhanced reactivity associated with a cubic morphology is related to the leaching susceptibility of the nanocrystals. Molecular oxygen plays a key role in facilitating the leaching of Pd atoms from the surface of the nanocrystals. The interaction of O₂ with Pd is itself facet‐dependent, which in turn gives rise to more efficient leaching from {100} facets, compared to {111} facets under the reaction conditions.     

{111}晶面暴露对介孔金红石TiO2单晶光催化产氢的促进作用

光催化反应发生在半导体材料的表面,材料表面的原子/电子结构直接影响光催化剂的活性或选择性。因此,发展具有特定晶面的半导体光催化剂受到各国学者的普遍关注,被认为是调控光催化材料性能的有效途径之一。自2008年yang等首次合成高表面能{001}晶面占优的锐钛矿TiO2单晶以来,控制合成暴露不同晶面TiO2晶体的研究得到了迅猛的发展,已发展了多种方法合成了具有不同晶面的TiO2晶体。研究表明,选择性地暴露特定的活性晶面能够显著地提高光催化剂的活性或者改变光催化反应的选择性。但是,含有完整晶面构型的TiO2单晶样品的颗粒尺寸一般都较大,通常为几微米,因而显著增加了光生载流子传输与分离的难度,并且导致材料较小的比表面积,限制了对光催化活性的进一步提高。能否在合成含特定晶面单晶的同时增加多孔结构成为有效解决这一问题的关键。最近, Crossland等采用晶种模板法成功合成了介孔的锐钛矿TiO2单晶,并且通过光电器件研究证实了采用该思路可进一步提高材料的光电性能。金红石TiO2在光催化全分解水方面具有独特的优势,然而关于多孔单晶金红石TiO2的研究相对较少,尤其是合成热力学不稳定的高表面能{111}晶面完全暴露的多孔金红石单晶面临较大的技术挑战因而一直未见文献报道。本文利用晶种模板法,以TiCl4溶液为含Ti前驱体、NaF为形貌控制剂、采用水热处理制备出不同比例{111}晶面的介孔金红石单晶。我们前期工作表明, NaF可作为形貌控制剂合成低表面能{110)晶面占优的介孔金红石单晶。本文发现,通过改变NaF的添加量,可有效调变{111}/{110}晶面比例,最终合成完全暴露{111}高表面能的介孔金红石TiO2单晶。扫描电镜结果显示,当添加20 mg NaF时,合成{110}占优的具有高长径比的介孔晶体;当NaF用量增加到40 mg时{110}晶面进一步缩短;至80 mg时则制备出{111})高能面完全暴露的金红石TiO2晶体。值得注意的是,对比研究表明,不采用模板合成了与多孔晶体完全相对应的不同{111}/(110}晶面比例的实心金红石晶体。透射电镜及选区电子衍射以及结合X射线衍射进一步证实,多孔的金红石TiO2晶体与实心金红石单晶均都为单晶结构,孔结构贯穿于样品内部且具有较高的晶面结晶性。氮气吸附实验发现,虽然三个不同晶面比例介孔金红石单晶样品间的形貌具有显著的差异,但比表面积非常相近(分别为24,25,28 m2/g),孔径也都为50 nm左右,该值与所用SiO2模板球的直径以及TEM观察结果相一致。光催化产氢性能结果表明,选择性的暴露活性晶面显著提高了光催化活性,仅含高能面{111}的介孔金红石单晶样品具有最高的产氢速率(约800μmol h–1 g–1),比常规{110}晶面占优的介孔单晶样品速率提高了约一倍。尤其比实心单晶样品的产氢速率提高了至少一个数量级,这应归结于介孔结构特性所导致的表面反应活性位增加、电子传输距离缩短以及光吸收增强协同作用的结果。     

The Effects of Exposed Specific Facets and Sulfation on the Surface Acidity of Cu2O Solids

Cuprous oxide microcrystals with {111}, {111}/{100}, and {100} exposed facets were synthesized. ³¹P MAS NMR using trimethylphosphine as the probe molecule was employed to study the acidic properties of samples. It was found that the total acidic density of samples increases evidently after sulfation compared with the pristine cuprous oxide microcrystals. During sulfation, new {100} facets are formed at the expense of {111} facets and lead to the generation of two Lewis acid sites due to the different binding states of SO₄²⁻ on {111} and {100} facets. Moreover, DFT calculation was used to illustrate the binding models of SO₄²⁻ on {111} and {100} facets. Also, a Pechmann condensation reaction was applied to study the acidic catalytic activity of these samples. It was found that the sulfated {111} facet has better activity due to its higher Lewis acid density compared with the sulfated {100} facet.     

Direct Visualisation of the Surface Atomic Active Sites of Carbon-Supported Co3O4 Nanocrystals via High-Resolution Phase Restoration

The atomic arrangement of the terminating facets on spinel Co₃O₄ nanocrystals is strongly linked to their catalytic performance. However, the spinel crystal structure offers multiple possible surface terminations depending on the synthesis. Thus, understanding the terminating surface atomic structure is essential in developing high-performance Co₃O₄ nanocrystals. In this work, we present direct atomic-scale observation of the surface terminations of Co₃O₄ nanoparticles supported on hollow carbon spheres (HCSs) using exit wavefunction reconstruction from aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy focal-series. The restored high-resolution phases show distinct resolved oxygen and cobalt atomic columns. The data show that the structure of {100}, {110}, and {111} facets of spinel Co₃O₄ exhibit characteristic active sites for carbon monoxide (CO) adsorption, in agreement with density functional theory calculations. Of these facets, the {100} and {110} surface terminations are better suited for CO adsorption than the {111}. However, the presence of oxygen on the {111} surface termination indicates this facet also plays an essential role in CO adsorption. Our results demonstrate direct evidence of the surface termination atomic structure beyond the assumed stoichiometry of the surface.     

Semiconductor nanocrystals possessing broadly size‐ and facet‐dependent optical properties

Cu₂O cubes, octahedra, and rhombic dodecahedra have been shown to exhibit continuous light absorption and emission band shifts with increasing particle sizes from 10 nm to sub‐microcrystals. They also possess clear facet‐dependent optical properties. Ag₃PO₄, Ag₂O, SrTiO₃, and CeO₂ crystals show similar optical size and facet effects. Thus, spectral shifts over a broad size range far beyond the quantum‐size regime should be generally observable in many semiconductor materials. Facet‐dependent optical properties of a semiconductor can be understood to arise from the presence of an ultrathin surface layer with subtle bond and orbital level variations for different crystal faces. Although these optical features seem unexpected, they should be the general behaviors of semiconductor crystals. As more examples of these optical effects are available, we will find that these intrinsic properties of semiconductors have been ignored in the past. Furthermore, if valence and conduction band positions are broadly tunable by particle size, the knowledge should have tremendous impacts on the applications of semiconductors, where band energies are important to efficient interfacial charge transfer.     

Synthesis of {100} Facet Dominant Anatase TiO2 Nanobelts and the Origin of Facet‐Dependent Photoreactivity

Sword‐like anatase TiO₂ nanobelts exposed with 78 % clean {100} facets were synthesized and the facet‐dependent photoreactivity of anatase TiO₂ was investigated. By quantitative comparison with the reference {001} facets, the {100} facets possessed about ten‐times higher active sites density than that on {001} facets, resulting in higher photoreaction efficiency. After the active sites density normalization, the {100} and {001} facets exhibited distinct wavelength‐dependent photocatalytic performance, attributed to the anisotropic electronic structures in TiO₂ crystals.     

Absolute configuration and growth of the potassium biphthalate crystal (C6H4)COOH·COOK

The direction of the polar axis of the potassium biphthalate (KAP) crystal was determined by anomalous X-ray scattering (λCu). According to the etching pattern on the same sample, the positive direction of the axis corresponds to the slow-growing end of the crystal. Crystal chemical features of the main faces of the KAP crystal ({111} and {111} pyramids, {010} pinacoid, and {110} prism) were revealed. This allowed us to explain the anisotropy of impurity (ethylene glycol, di- or trivalent metal cations) effects on the growth of separate faces of the crystal. Institute of Crystallography, Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated fromZhurnal Struktumoi Khimii, Vol. 35, No. 5, pp. 143–148, September–October, 1994. Translated by L. Smolina     

A Functionalized Ag2S Molecular Architecture: Facile Assembly of the Atomically Precise Ferrocene‐Decorated Nanocluster [Ag74S19(dppp)6(fc(C{O}OCH2CH2S)2)18]

A ferrocene‐based dithiol 1,1′‐[fc(C{O}OCH₂CH₂SH)₂] has been prepared and treated with a Ag^I salt to form the stable dithiolate compound [fc(C{O}OCH₂CH₂SAg)₂]_n (fc=[Fe(η⁵‐C₅H₄)₂]). This is used as a reagent for the preparation of the nanocluster [Ag₇₄S₁₉(dppp)₆(fc(C{O}OCH₂CH₂S)₂)₁₈] which was obtained in good yield (dppp=1,3‐bis(diphenylphosphino)propane).     

Chiral one‐ and two‐dimensional silver(I)–biotin coordination polymers

Reaction of biotin {C₁₀H₁₆N₂O₃S, HL; systematic name: 5‐[(3aS,4S,6aR)‐2‐oxohexahydro‐1H‐thieno[3,4‐d]imidazol‐4‐yl]pentanoic acid} with silver acetate and a few drops of aqueous ammonia leads to the deprotonation of the carboxylic acid group and the formation of a neutral chiral two‐dimensional polymer network, poly[[{μ₃‐5‐[(3aS,4S,6aR)‐2‐oxohexahydro‐1H‐thieno[3,4‐d]imidazol‐4‐yl]pentanoato}silver(I)] trihydrate], {[Ag(C₁₀H₁₅N₂O₃S)]·3H₂O}_n or {[Ag(L)]·3H₂O}_n, (I). Here, the Ag^I cations are pentacoordinate, coordinated by four biotin anions via two S atoms and a ureido O atom, and by two carboxylate O atoms of the same molecule. The reaction of biotin with silver salts of potentially coordinating anions, viz. nitrate and perchlorate, leads to the formation of the chiral one‐dimensional coordination polymers catena‐poly[[bis[nitratosilver(I)]‐bis{μ₃‐5‐[(3aS,4S,6aR)‐2‐oxohexahydro‐1H‐thieno[3,4‐d]imidazol‐4‐yl]pentanoato}] monohydrate], {[Ag₂(NO₃)₂(C₁₀H₁₆N₂O₃S)₂]·H₂O}_n or {[Ag₂(NO₃)₂(HL)₂]·H₂O}_n, (II), and catena‐poly[bis[perchloratosilver(I)]‐bis{μ₃‐5‐[(3aS,4S,6aR)‐2‐oxohexahydro‐1H‐thieno[3,4‐d]imidazol‐4‐yl]pentanoato}], [Ag₂(ClO₄)₂(C₁₀H₁₆N₂O₃S)₂]_n or [Ag₂(ClO₄)₂(HL)₂]_n, (III), respectively. In (II), the Ag^I cations are again pentacoordinated by three biotin molecules via two S atoms and a ureido O atom, and by two O atoms of a nitrate anion. In (I), (II) and (III), the Ag^I cations are bridged by an S atom and are coordinated by the ureido O atom and the O atoms of the anions. The reaction of biotin with silver salts of noncoordinating anions, viz. hexafluoridophosphate (PF₆⁻) and hexafluoridoantimonate (SbF₆⁻), gave the chiral double‐stranded helical structures catena‐poly[[silver(I)‐bis{μ₂‐5‐[(3aS,4S,6aR)‐2‐oxohexahydro‐1H‐thieno[3,4‐d]imidazol‐4‐yl]pentanoato}] hexafluoridophosphate], {[Ag(C₁₀H₁₆N₂O₃S)₂](PF₆)}_n or {[Ag(HL)₂](PF₆)}_n, (IV), and catena‐poly[[[{5‐[(3aS,4S,6aR)‐2‐oxohexahydro‐1H‐thieno[3,4‐d]imidazol‐4‐yl]pentanoato}silver(I)]‐μ₂‐{5‐[(3aS,4S,6aR)‐2‐oxohexahydro‐1H‐thieno[3,4‐d]imidazol‐4‐yl]pentanoato}] hexafluoridoantimonate], {[Ag(C₁₀H₁₆N₂O₃S)₂](SbF₆)}_n or {[Ag(HL)₂](SbF₆)}_n, (V), respectively. In (IV), the Ag^I cations have a tetrahedral coordination environment, coordinated by four biotin molecules via two S atoms, and by two carboxy O atoms of two different molecules. In (V), however, the Ag^I cations have a trigonal coordination environment, coordinated by three biotin molecules via two S atoms and one carboxy O atom. In (IV) and (V), neither the ureido O atom nor the F atoms of the anion are involved in coordination. Hence, the coordination environment of the Ag^I cations varies from AgS₂O trigonal to AgS₂O₂ tetrahedral to AgS₂O₃ square‐pyramidal. The conformation of the valeric acid side chain varies from extended to twisted and this, together with the various anions present, has an influence on the solid‐state structures of the resulting compounds. The various O—H...O and N—H...O hydrogen bonds present result in the formation of chiral two‐ and three‐dimensional networks, which are further stabilized by C—H...X (X = O, F, S) interactions, and by N—H...F interactions for (IV) and (V). Biotin itself has a twisted valeric acid side chain which is involved in an intramolecular C—H...S hydrogen bond. The tetrahydrothiophene ring has an envelope conformation with the S atom as the flap. It is displaced from the mean plane of the four C atoms (plane B) by 0.8789 (6) Å, towards the ureido ring (plane A). Planes A and B are inclined to one another by 58.89 (14)°. In the crystal, molecules are linked via O—H...O and N—H...O hydrogen bonds, enclosing R₂²(8) loops, forming zigzag chains propagating along [001]. These chains are linked via N—H...O hydrogen bonds, and C—H...S and C—H...O interactions forming a three‐dimensional network. The absolute configurations of biotin and complexes (I), (II), (IV) and (V) were confirmed crystallographically by resonant scattering.     

Structure and electrical properties of a one‐dimensional polymeric silver thiosaccharinate complex with argentophilic interactions

Among the potential applications of coordination polymers, electrical conductivity ranks high in technological interest. We report the synthesis, crystal structure and spectroscopic analysis of an Ag^I–thiosaccharinate one‐dimensional coordination polymer {systematic name: catena‐poly[[[aquatetrakis(μ₃‐1,1‐dioxo‐1,2‐benzisothiazole‐3‐thiolato‐κ³N:S³:S³)tetrasilver(I)]‐μ₂‐4,4′‐(propane‐1,3‐diyl)dipyridine‐κ²N:N′] dimethyl sulfoxide hemisolvate]}, {[Ag₄(C₇H₄NO₂S₂)₄(C₁₃H₁₄N₂)(H₂O)]·0.5C₂H₆OS}_n, with the 4,4′‐(propane‐1,3‐diyl)dipyridine ligand acting as a spacer. A relevant feature of the structure is the presence of an unusually short Ag…Ag distance of 2.8306 (9) Å, well within the range of argentophilic interactions, confirmed experimentally as such by a Raman study on the low‐frequency spectrum, and corroborated theoretically by an Atoms in Molecules (AIM) analysis of the calculated electron density. Electrical conductivity measurements show that this complex can act as a semiconductor with moderate conductivity.     

Highly Facet‐Dependent Photocatalytic Properties of Cu2O Crystals Established through the Formation of Au‐Decorated Cu2O Heterostructures

This work confirms the presence of a large facet‐dependent photocatalytic activity of Cu₂O crystals through sparse deposition of gold particles on Cu₂O cubes, octahedra, and rhombic dodecahedra. Au‐decorated Cu₂O rhombic dodecahedra and octahedra showed greatly enhanced photodegradation rates of methyl orange resulting from a better separation of the photogenerated electrons and holes, with the rhombic dodecahedra giving the best efficiency. Au–Cu₂O core–shell rhombic dodecahedra also displayed a better photocatalytic activity than pristine rhombic dodecahedra. However, Au‐deposited Cu₂O cubes, pristine cubes, and Au‐deposited small nanocubes bound by entirely {100} facets are all photocatalytically inactive. X‐ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) showed identical copper peak positions for these Au‐decorated crystals. Remarkably, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements indicated a higher production of hydroxyl radicals for the photoirradiated Cu₂O rhombic dodecahedra than for the octahedra, but no radicals were produced from photoirradiated Cu₂O cubes. The Cu₂O {100} face may present a high energy barrier through its large band edge bending and/or electrostatic repulsion, preventing charge carriers from reaching to this surface. The conventional photocatalysis model fails in this case. The facet‐dependent photocatalytic differences should be observable in other semiconductor systems whenever a photoinduced charge‐transfer process occurs across an interface.     

Three-dimensional crystallographic determination of the body-centered-cubic morphologies of shear-aligned block copolymer systems

The texture of ordered phases of block copolymer melts and gels is highly sensitive to shear. In the body-centered-cubic phase of a block copolymer system [polystyrene–poly(ethylene butylene)–polystyrene] mixed with oil, we show how a given textures can be controlled with the application of a specific shear rate and amplitude. The low-amplitude shear texture is dominated by {001} planes perpendicular to the shear gradient and by the [110] axis parallel to the flow direction, that is, the {001}/[110] slip system. Detailed crystallographic studies show that both intermediate-amplitude oscillatory shear and large-amplitude oscillatory shear lead to twin structures with {112} planes sharing neighboring twins and [111] axes parallel to the shear flow. At an intermediate shear amplitude, the ve shear plane, defined by the shear flow direction (v) and shear vorticity direction (e), is parallel to the {112} twin planes. At a high shear amplitude, the orientation is rotated 90°, and this makes the ve shear plane parallel to the {110} crystallographic planes. The crystalline slip system is accordingly ({112 }/[111] + {11 2}/[111]) under intermediate-amplitude shear and ({11 0}/[111] + {1 10}/[111]) under large-amplitude shear. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3095–3101, 2004     

Facile Surfactant‐Free Synthesis of p‐Type SnSe Nanoplates with Exceptional Thermoelectric Power Factors

A surfactant‐free solution methodology, simply using water as a solvent, has been developed for the straightforward synthesis of single‐phase orthorhombic SnSe nanoplates in gram quantities. Individual nanoplates are composed of {100} surfaces with {011} edge facets. Hot‐pressed nanostructured compacts (E_g≈0.85 eV) exhibit excellent electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power factors (S²σ) at 550 K. S²σ values are 8‐fold higher than equivalent materials prepared using citric acid as a structure‐directing agent, and electrical properties are comparable to the best‐performing, extrinsically doped p‐type polycrystalline tin selenides. The method offers an energy‐efficient, rapid route to p‐type SnSe nanostructures.