Core–Shell α‐Fe2O3@α‐MoO3 Nanorods as Lithium‐Ion Battery Anodes with Extremely High Capacity and Cyclability

α‐Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles are uniformly coated on the surface of α‐MoO₃ nanorods through a two‐step hydrothermal synthesis method. As the anode of a lithium‐ion battery, α‐Fe₂O₃@α‐MoO₃ core–shell nanorods exhibit extremely high lithium‐storage performance. At a rate of 0.1 C (10 h per half cycle), the reversible capacity of α‐Fe₂O₃@α‐MoO₃ core–shell nanorods is 1481 mA h g^?1 and a value of 1281 mA h g^?1 is retained after 50 cycles, which is much higher than that retained by bare α‐MoO₃ and α‐Fe₂O₃ and higher than traditional theoretical results. Such a good performance can be attributed to the synergistic effect between α‐Fe₂O₃ and α‐MoO₃, the small size effect, one‐dimensional nanostructures, short paths for lithium diffusion, and interface spaces. Our results reveal that core–shell nanocomposites have potential applications as high‐performance lithium‐ion batteries.     

ortho‐Phenylenediamine: An Effective Spacer to Build Highly Magnetic Fe3O4/Au Nanocomposites

1,2‐Diaminobenzene, popularly known as ortho‐phenylenediamine (PDA), is found to be a prototype spacer for the deposition of gold nanoparticles on the surfaces of Fe₃O₄ microspheres. Upon carbonization with PDA, the morphology of the product changes significantly, and the resulting nanocomposites exhibit enhanced magnetism beyond the saturation value of Fe₃O₄. The Fe₃O₄/Au nanocomposites show good surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy activity with a detection limit of 10^?15 M .     

Amorphizing of Ag Nanoparticles under Bioinspired One‐step Assembly of Fe3O4‐Ag/rGO Hybrids via Self‐redox Process with Enhanced Activity

Efficient and reusable nanocatalysts fabricated via a facile assembly are highly desirable for the cost‐effective hydrogenation reduction. Inspired by a fishing process with a fishnet, multifunctional nanostructured catalysts are rationally designed to combine interesting features via the self‐redox assembly of Fe₃O₄‐Ag composites on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) (Fe₃O₄‐Ag/rGO). In detail, Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) endow the ternary hybrids with superparamagnetism (21.42 emu g^?1), facilitating catalysts to be separated from the reaction system. rGO could provide electron transfer pathways, enhancing catalytic activity. More interestingly, GO and Ag⁺ could behave as oxidants to oxidize Fe²⁺ for the in situ assembly of Fe₃O₄‐Ag/rGO without any addition of reductant/oxidant or organic solvents, and AgNPs endow the ternary hybrids with excellent catalytic behaviour. Meaningfully, the bioinspired process enables the ternary hybrids to possess more abundant micro?/nanopores, larger surface area, and more amorphization. They exhibit exceptional catalytic performance, and could be recycled with excellent activity by means of convenient magnetic separation (at least 7 times). Moreover, the ternary hybrids could degrade methylene blue under UV light due to different valence states of Fe in Fe₃O₄. Therefore, the proposed bioinspired assembly and structure design for hierarchical catalysts would pave a promising way to assemble other catalysts.     

Fabrication of Hierarchical Fe3O4@SiO2@P(4VP‐DVB)@Au Nanostructures and Their Enhanced Catalytic Properties

Hierarchical Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@P(4VP‐DVB)@Au nanostructures were prepared in which the slightly cross‐linked, thin poly(4‐vinylpyridine‐co‐divinylbenzene) (P(4VP‐DVB)) shells were constructed onto Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ nanospheres, followed by in situ embedding of gold nanocrystals homogeneously into the P4VP chains. These slightly cross‐linked chains, easily swollen by the reactants, make the gold nanocrystals accessible to the reactants, and the thin shell (about 15 nm) reduces the diffusion distance of the reactants to the active gold nanocrystals (about 5 nm), thereby enhancing their catalytic activity and utility. At the same time, confinement of gold nanocrystals within the P4VP shells prevents their migration and coagulation during catalytic transformations. Hence the nanocomposites exhibit high activity (up to 4369.5 h^?1 of turnover frequency (TOF)) and controllable magnetic recyclability without any significant loss of gold species after ten runs of catalysis in the reduction of 4‐nitrophenol.     

Nanoscale Magnetic Stirring Bars for Heterogeneous Catalysis in Microscopic Systems

Nanometer‐sized magnetic stirring bars containing Pd nanoparticles (denoted as Fe₃O₄‐NC‐PZS‐Pd) for heterogeneous catalysis in microscopic system were prepared through a facile two‐step process. In the hydrogenation of styrene, Fe₃O₄‐NC‐PZS‐Pd showed an activity similar to that of the commercial Pd/C catalyst, but much better stability. In microscopic catalytic systems, Fe₃O₄‐NC‐PZS‐Pd can effectively stir the reaction solution within microdrops to accelerate mass transfer, and displays far better catalytic activity than the commercial Pd/C for the hydrogenation of methylene blue in an array of microdroplets. These results suggested that the Fe₃O₄‐NC‐PZS‐Pd could be used as nanoscale stirring bars in nanoreactors.     

Anisotropic Magnetite Nanorods for Enhanced Magnetic Hyperthermia

There is an increasing need for new strategies to improve the heating efficiency or the specific absorption rate (SAR) of magnetite (Fe₃O₄), which is the only FDA approved magnetic material. We propose a facile approach to obtain well‐dispersed highly crystalline Fe₃O₄ nanorods (NRs) by the reduction of β‐FeOOH in an organic solvent and demonstrate that the SAR of Fe₃O₄ NRs can be enhanced by tuning their aspect ratios. Fe₃O₄ NRs with an aspect ratio of 4.5 have a much higher SAR as compared with 15 nm Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles and Fe₃O₄ NRs counterparts with an aspect ratio of 10. The highest SAR is greatly increased up to 1072 W g^?1 for an ac field of 33 kA m^?1 and a concentration of 5 mg mL^?1, which is mostly attributed to hysteresis losses. These findings pave a new pathway for the design and synthesis of novel anisotropic iron oxide nanostructures with an optimal heating efficiency for advanced hyperthermia.     

A novel Prussian blue‐magnetite composite synthesized by self‐template method and its application in reduction of hydrogen peroxide

A novel Prussian blue (PB)‐Fe₃O₄ composite has been prepared for the first time by self‐template method using PB as the precursor. According to this method, Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles distributed uniformly on the surface of PB cube. The feed ratio of sodium acetate to PB has been proved to be a key factor for magnetic properties and electro‐catalysis properties of the composite. Under the experimental conditions, the saturation magnetization value (Ms) of PB‐Fe₃O₄–2 composite was 22 emug^?1, while the Ms value of other samples reduced. The composites also showed a good peroxidase‐like activity for the oxidation of substrate 3,3,5,5‐tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of H₂O₂. The catalytic reduction of hydrogen peroxide capacity was PB‐Fe₃O₄–1> PB‐Fe₃O₄–2> PB‐Fe₃O₄–3> PB‐Fe₃O₄–0, which confirmed the Fe(II) centres in PB surface and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles had synergistic effect on catalytic reduction of hydrogen peroxide.     

Preparation of novel hybrid nanomaterials based on LaFeO3 and phosphotungstic acid as a highly efficient magnetic photocatalyst for the degradation of methylene blue dye solution

Novel magnetic hybrid nanomaterials 1 (LaFeO₃.Fe₃O₄@SiO₂-NH₂/PW₁₂) were synthesized by supporting phosphotungstic acid (H₃PW₁₂O₄₀; PW₁₂) on LaFeO₃.Fe₃O₄ nanomaterials through sono-assisted method. The synthesized nanomaterials were fully characterized by using FT-IR, XRD, UV–vis, BET-BJH, VSM, SEM, and TEM analyses. FT-IR, XRD, and UV–vis confirmed successful synthesis of nanomaterials. The SEM and TEM images revealed spherical morphology with core-shell structure for hybrid nanomaterials 1 . VSM results confirmed the magnetic property of hybrid nanomaterials 1 and suggested it as easily recyclable photocatalyst for removal of organic dyes from aqueous solution. The photocatalytic activity of hybrid nanomaterials 1 has been studied over the degradation of methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) solution under UV–vis light irradiation. Importantly the hybrid nanomaterials 1 showed outstanding degradation efficiency for MB solution in comparison with bare LaFeO₃.Fe₃O₄ and PW₁₂. The photocatalytic activity was enhanced mainly due to the high efficiency in separation of electron–hole pairs induced by the remarkable synergistic effects of LaFeO₃.Fe₃O₄ and PW₁₂ semiconductors. After the photocatalytic reaction, the nanocomposite can be easily separated from the reaction solution and reused several times without loss of its photocatalytic activity. Trapping experiments indicated that hole (h_VB⁺) and ^•OH radicals were the main reactive species for dye degradation in the present photocatalytic system. On the basis of the experimental results and estimated band gaps, the mechanism for the enhanced photocatalytic activity was proposed.     

Preparation of a novel Fe3O4/graphene oxide hybrid for adsorptive removal of methylene blue from water

In this work, a novel Fe₃O₄/graphene oxide (GO) hybrid was prepared and its removal ability of cationic methylene blue dye from water was investigated. To improve the dispersability of Fe₃O₄/GO hybrid in water, GO was first modified by polyethylene glycol (PEG) via a click approach before deposition of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles onto its surface. The successful modification of GO surface and the deposition of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were confirmed by transmission electron microscopy directly. The saturation magnetization of the resultant Fe₃O₄/GO hybrid is 7.8 eum/g. The adsorption capacities of Fe₃O₄/GO hybrid for methylene blue at 35 and 60°C were as high as 96.05 and 120.05 mg/g, respectively. Moreover, the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin models are used to investigate the isothermal adsorption behavior of Fe₃O₄/GO hybrid.     

Prussian Blue/Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Hybrids: Synthesis,Assembly and Electrochemical Behavior

Prussian blue/carbon nanotube (PB/CNT) hybrids with excellent dispersibility in aqueous solutions were synthesized by adding CNTs to an acidic solution of Fe³⁺, [Fe(CN)₆]^3? and KCl. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV‐vis absorption spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were employed to confirm the formation of PB/CNT hybrids. The PB nanoparticles formed on the CNT surfaces exhibit a narrow size distribution and an average size of 40 nm. The present results demonstrate that the selective reduction of Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺ by CNTs is the key step for PB/CNT hybrid formation. The subsequent fabrication of the PB/CNT hybrid films was achieved by layer‐by‐layer technique. The thus‐prepared PB/CNT hybrid films exhibit electrocatalytic activity towards H₂O₂ reduction.     

超声法制备Au/Fe3O4及其催化还原4-硝基苯酚性能

通过简易的超声法以及原位还原法成功制备出了负载型可再生Au/Fe₃O₄催化剂。利用3-氨丙基三乙氧基硅烷（APTES）作为有机桥键,将Au固定在Fe₃O₄的表面,得到单分散磁性Au/Fe₃O₄。Au⁰在氨基的作用下不会团聚,因此具有较高的催化活性及稳定性。XRD、HRTEM、EDS和XPS等测试结果表明Au/Fe₃O₄已被成功制备。将其用于催化还原4-硝基苯酚得到4-氨基苯酚,表现出较高的催化活性,速率常数可达0.225 6 min^-1。重复性实验表明该催化剂具有良好的稳定性,反应9个循环之后,催化还原反应的转化率仍可达到94%。     

超声法制备Au/Fe_3O_4及其催化还原4-硝基苯酚性能

通过简易的超声法以及原位还原法成功制备出了负载型可再生Au/Fe_3O_4催化剂。利用3-氨丙基三乙氧基硅烷(APTES)作为有机桥键,将Au固定在Fe_3O_4的表面,得到单分散磁性Au/Fe_3O_4。Au0在氨基的作用下不会团聚,因此具有较高的催化活性及稳定性。XRD、HRTEM、EDS和XPS等测试结果表明Au/Fe_3O_4已被成功制备。将其用于催化还原4-硝基苯酚得到4-氨基苯酚,表现出较高的催化活性,速率常数可达0.225 6 min~(-1)。重复性实验表明该催化剂具有良好的稳定性,反应9个循环之后,催化还原反应的转化率仍可达到94%。     

Dual Amplified Electrochemical Immunosensor for Hepatitis B Virus Surface Antigen Detection Using Hemin/G‐Quadruplex Immobilized onto Fe3O4‐AuNPs or (Hemin‐Amino‐rGO‐Au) Nanohybrid

A sensitive electrochemical immunosensor for Hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) detection was fabricated based on hemin/G‐quadruplex interlaced onto Fe₃O₄‐AuNPs or hemin ‐amino‐reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite (H‐amino‐rGO‐Au). G‐quadruplex DNAzyme, which is composed of hemin and guanine‐rich nucleic acid, is an effective signal amplified tool for its outstanding peroxidase activity and Fe₃O₄‐AuNPs or (H‐amino‐rGO‐Au) nanocomposites with quasi‐enzyme activity provide appropriate support for the immobilization of hemin/G‐quadruplex. The target protein was sandwiched between the primary antibody immobilized on the GO and secondary antibody immobilized on the Fe₃O₄‐AuNPs or (H‐amino‐rGO‐Au) nanocomposites and glutaraldehyde was used as linking agent for the immobilization of primary antibody on the surface of GO. Both Fe₃O₄‐AuNPs and H‐amino‐rGO‐Au nanocomposite and also hemin/G‐quadruplex can cooperate the electrocatalytic reduction of H₂O₂ in the presence of methylene blue as mediator. The proposed immunosensor has a wide linear dynamic range of 0.1 pg/ml to 300 pg/ml with a detection limit of 60 fg/ml when Fe₃O₄‐AuNPs was used for immobilization of hemin/G‐quadruplex, while the dynamic range and DL were 0. 1–1000 pg/mL and 10 fg/mL, respectively in the presence of H‐amino‐rGO‐ Au nanocomposite as platform for immobilizing of hemin/G‐quadruplex. The proposed immunosensor was also used for analysis of HBsAg in spiked human serum samples with satisfactory results.     

Facile Hydrogen‐Bond‐Assisted Polymerization and Immobilization Method to Synthesize Hierarchical Fe3O4@Poly(4‐vinylpyridine‐co‐divinylbenzene)@Au Nanostructures and Their Catalytic Applications

Hierarchical Fe₃O₄@poly(4‐vinylpyridine‐co‐divinylbenzene)@Au (Fe₃O₄@P(4‐VP–DVB)@Au) nanostructures were fabricated successfully by means of a facile two‐step synthesis process. In this study, well‐defined core–shell Fe₃O₄@P(4‐VP–DVB) microspheres were first prepared with a simple polymerization method, in which 4‐VP was easily polymerized on the surface of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles by means of strong hydrogen‐bond interactions between ? COOH groups on poly(acrylic acid)‐modified Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles and a 4‐VP monomer. HAuCl₄ was adsorbed on the chains of a P(4‐VP) shell and then reduced to Au nanoparticles by NaBH₄, which were embedded into the P(4‐VP) shell of the composite microspheres to finally form the Fe₃O₄@P(4‐VP–DVB)@Au nanostructures. The obtained Fe₃O₄@P(4‐VP–DVB)@Au catalysts with different Au loadings were applied in the reduction of 4‐nitrophenol (4‐NP) and exhibited excellent catalytic activity (up to 3025 h^?1 of turnover frequency), facile magnetic separation (up to 31.9 emu g^?1 of specific saturation magnetization), and good durability (over 98 % of conversion of 4‐NP after ten runs of recyclable catalysis and almost negligible leaching of Au).     

Controllable Synthesis of Mesoporous Iron Oxide Nanoparticle Assemblies for Chemoselective Catalytic Reduction of Nitroarenes

Iron(III) oxide is a low‐cost material with applications ranging from electronics to magnetism, and catalysis. Recent efforts have targeted new nanostructured forms of Fe₂O₃ with high surface area‐to‐volume ratio and large pore volume. Herein, the synthesis of 3D mesoporous networks consisting of 4–5 nm γ‐Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles by a polymer‐assisted aggregating self‐assembly method is reported. Iron oxide assemblies obtained from the hybrid networks after heat treatment have an open‐pore structure with high surface area (up to 167 m² g^?1) and uniform pores (ca. 6.3 nm). The constituent iron oxide nanocrystals can undergo controllable phase transition from γ‐Fe₂O₃ to α‐Fe₂O₃ and to Fe₃O₄ under different annealing conditions while maintaining the 3D structure and open porosity. These new ensemble structures exhibit high catalytic activity and stability for the selective reduction of aryl and alkyl nitro compounds to the corresponding aryl amines and oximes, even in large‐scale synthesis.     

Hydrothermal Synthesis and Properties of Controlled α‐Fe2O3 Nanostructures in HEPES Solution

A facile, template‐free, and environmentally friendly hydrothermal strategy was explored for the controllable synthesis of α‐Fe₂O₃ nanostructures in HEPES solution (HEPES=2‐[4‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)‐1‐piperazinyl]ethanesulfonic acid). The effects of experimental parameters including HEPES/FeCl₃ molar ratio, pH value, reaction temperature, and reaction time on the formation of α‐Fe₂O₃ nanostructures have been investigated systematically. Based on the observations of the products, the function of HEPES in the reaction is discussed. The different α‐Fe₂O₃ nanostructures possess different optical, magnetic properties, and photocatalytic activities, depending on the shape and size of the sample. In addition, a novel and facile approach was developed for the synthesis of Au/α‐Fe₂O₃ and Ag/α‐Fe₂O₃ nanocomposites in HEPES buffer solution; this verified the dual function of HEPES both as reductant and stabilizer. This work provides a new strategy for the controllable synthesis of transition metal oxide nanostructures and metal‐supported nanocomposites, and gives a strong evidence of the relationship between the property and morphology/size of nanomaterials.     

Synthesis and catalytic evaluation of Fe3O4/MWCNTs nanozyme as recyclable peroxidase mimetics: Biochemical and physicochemical characterization

In this research, the nanocomposite of multiwalled carbon nanotubes and magnetic metal oxide nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄/MWCNTs), as enzyme mimetic, was synthesized using an in situ chemical reduction method. The structure, composition and morphology of the prepared Fe₃O₄/MWCNT nanocomposite materials were characterized using X‐ray diffraction, FT‐IR and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, respectively. The magnetic properties of the nanocomposite were investigated by the vibrating sample magnetometer. A colorimetric system involving nanozyme, phenol/4‐aminoantipyrine and H₂O₂ was utilized for the determination of peroxidase mimetic catalytic assay. The obtained results confirmed that the synthesis of Fe₃O₄/MWCNTs nanostructures was successful. It was found that Fe₃O₄/MWCNTs nanohybrid exhibited peroxidase‐like activity without any pH limitation. Colorimetric data demonstrated that the prepared nanocatalyst had higher catalytic activity toward H₂O₂ than MWCNTs. The kinetic parameters of the nanozyme, K_m and V_max, were estimated to be 8.3 mm and 1.4 mm min^?1, respectively. The Fe₃O₄/MWCNTs nanostructures were also successfully applied for glucose detection. In addition, peroxidase‐like activity of the nanozyme increased in the presence of butyl‐imidazolium bromide ionic liquid. These biomimetic catalysts have some advantages, such as simplicity, stability, reusability and cost effectiveness, which makes them great candidates to be used in various fields of biotechnology applications.     

ZnCl2 supported on Fe3O4@SiO2 core–shell nanocatalyst for the synthesis of quinolines via Friedländer synthesis under solvent‐free condition

A magnetic nanocatalyst of Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/ZnCl₂ was prepared by supporting ZnCl₂ on silica‐coated magnetic nanoparticles of Fe₃O₄. This recoverable catalyst was used for the synthesis of quinolines via Friedländer synthesis from 2‐aminoaryl ketones and α‐methylene ketones under solvent‐free condition. The prepared catalyst was characterized by FT‐IR, TEM, SEM, XRD, EDX, ICP‐OES, VSM and BET. It was found that Fe₃O₄@SiO₂/ZnCl₂ showed higher catalytic activity than homogenous ZnCl₂, and could be reused several times without significant loss of activity.     

ZnO/Co3O4 Porous Nanocomposites Derived from MOFs: Room‐Temperature Ferromagnetism and High Catalytic Oxidation of CO

ZnO/Co₃O₄ porous nanocomposites were successfully fabricated by the thermal decomposition of Prussian Blue analogue (PBA) Zn₃[Co(CN)₆]₂ nanospheres obtained at room temperature. Interestingly, ZnO/Co₃O₄ porous nanocomposites exhibit room‐temperature ferromagnetism. Moreover, the ZnO/Co₃O₄ porous nanocomposites show good catalytic activity for CO oxidation, and the CO conversion rate reaches 100 % at 250 °C. It is suggested that the synergistic effect of each component, relative high surface area (32 m² g^?1) and porous structure lead to the promising catalytic properties.     

Studies on hydrothermal synthesis of photolumniscent rare earth (Eu3+ & Tb3+) doped NG@FeMoO4 for enhanced visible light photodegradation of methylene blue dye

FeMoO₄ nanorods and their rare earth (Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺) doped composites with nitrogen doped graphene (NG) were synthesized by facile hydrothermal method in aqueous medium. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the as-synthesized samples was done to study the phase purity and crystalline nature. FTIR and Raman Spectroscopy have been studied for investigating the bonding in nanostructures. The surface morphology of the samples was investigated with field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The photolumniscent nature of the samples was investigated by the using the fluorescence spectrophotometer. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of the prepared pure FeMoO₄ and its rare earth doped composites with nitrogen doped graphene was evaluated as function of visible light irradiation versus concentration of methylene blue (MB dye). The prepared nanocomposites show enhanced photocatalytic efficiency as compared to the bare FeMoO₄ nanorods.