Synthesis of Mesoporous Transition‐Metal Phosphates by Polymeric Micelle Assembly

Mesoporous iron phosphate (FePO₄) was synthesized through assembly of polymeric micelles made of asymmetric triblock co‐polymer (polystyrene‐b‐poly‐2‐vinylpyridine‐b‐ethylene oxide; PS‐PVP‐PEO). The phosphoric acid solution stimulates the formation of micelles with core–shell‐corona architecture. The negatively charged PO₄^3? ions dissolved in the solution strongly interact with the positively charged PVP⁺ units through an electrostatic attraction. Also, the presence of PO₄^3? ions realizes a bridge between the micelle surface and the metal ions. The removal of polymeric template forms the robust framework of iron phosphate with 30 nm pore diameter and 15 nm wall thickness. Our method is applicable to other mesoporous metal phosphates by changing metal sources. The obtained materials were fully characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), N₂ adsorption–desorption, Raman spectroscope, and other techniques.     

Polymeric Micelle Assembly for the Smart Synthesis of Mesoporous Platinum Nanospheres with Tunable Pore Sizes

A facile method for the fabrication of well‐dispersed mesoporous Pt nanospheres involves the use of a polymeric micelle assembly. A core–shell–corona type triblock copolymer [poly(styrene‐b‐2‐vinylpyridine‐b‐ethylene oxide), PS‐b‐P2VP‐b‐PEO] is employed as the pore‐directing agent. Negatively charged PtCl₄^2? ions preferably interact with the protonated P2VP⁺ blocks while the free PEO chains prevent the aggregation of the Pt nanospheres. The size of the mesopores can be finely tuned by varying the length of the PS chain. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the metallic mesoporous nanospheres thus obtained are promising candidates for applications in electrochemistry.     

Synthesis of Continuous Mesoporous Alumina Films with Large‐Sized Cage‐Type Mesopores by Using Diblock Copolymers

Mesoporous alumina films with large‐sized cage‐type mesopores were prepared by using commercially available diblock copolymer (PS‐b‐PEO) and economic inorganic salt (AlCl₃) as aluminum source. The obtained mesopore sizes drastically expand from 35 nm to 80 nm when the amount of ethanol in the precursor solutions were controlled. More interestingly, under an optimized amount of ethanol as co‐solvent, there was no significant change of micelle morphology on the substrate, even though the relative amount of PS‐b‐PEO to alumina source was dramatically varied. When the amount of alumina precursor was decreased, the pore walls gradually became thinner, thereby improving pore connectivity. The ordered mesoporous alumina films obtained in this study exhibit high thermal stability up to 1000 °C, and their frameworks are successfully crystallized to γ‐alumina phase. This technique could also be applicable for creating other metal oxide thin films with large mesopores.     

Ordered Mesoporous Thin Films of Rutile TiO2 Nanocrystals Mixed with Amorphous Ta2O5

Ordered mesoporous thin films of composites of rutile TiO₂ nanocrystals with amorphous Ta₂O₅ are fabricated by evaporation‐induced self‐assembly followed by subsequent heat treatment beyond 780 °C. Incorporation of selected amounts of Ta₂O₅ (20 mol %) in the mesoporous TiO₂ film, together with the unique mesoporous structure itself, increased the onset of crystallization temperature which is high enough to ensure the crystallization of amorphous titania to rutile. The ordered mesoporous structure benefits from a block‐copolymer template, which stabilizes the mesostructure of the amorphous mixed oxides before crystallization. The surface and in‐depth composition analysis by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggests a homogeneous intermixing of the two oxides in the thin film. A detailed X‐ray absorption fine structure measurement on the composite film containing 20 mol % Ta₂O₅ and heated to 800 °C confirms the amorphous nature of the Ta₂O₅ phase. Photocatalytic activity evaluation suggests that the rutile nanocrystals in the synthesized ordered mesoporous thin film possess good ability to assist the photodegradation of rhodamine B in water under illumination by UV light.     

Polymeric Micelle Assembly with Inorganic Nanosheets for Construction of Mesoporous Architectures with Crystallized Walls

Here we propose a novel way to construct mesoporous architectures through evaporation‐induced assembly of polymeric micelles with crystalline nanosheets. As a model study, we used niobate nanosheets exfoliated by the direct reaction of K₄Nb₆O₁₇?3 H₂O crystals with an aqueous solution of propylamine. The electrostatic interaction between negatively charged nanosheets and positively charged polymeric micelles enable us to form composite micelles with the nanosheets. Removal of the micelles by calcination results in robust mesoporous oxides with the original crystalline structure.     

DNA/Polymeric Micelle Self-Assembly Mimicking Chromatin Compaction

Get your daily (nano)fiber: Assemblies of DNA and polymeric core-shell micelles evolve from longer beads-on-a-string structures to shorter monodisperse solenoidal core-shell nanofibers. This self-assembly method allows for synthesis of one-dimensional nanomaterials with controlled dimensions and compositions, overcoming a limitation of existing nanomaterial synthesis.     

Easy and General Synthesis of Large‐Sized Mesoporous Rare‐Earth Oxide Thin Films by ′Micelle Assembly′

Large‐sized (ca. 40 nm) mesoporous Er₂O₃ thin films are synthesized by using a triblock copolymer poly(styrene‐b‐2‐vinyl pyridine‐b‐ethylene oxide) (PS‐b‐P2VP‐b‐PEO) as a pore directing agent. Each block makes different contributions and the molar ratio of PVP/Er³⁺ is crucial to guide the resultant mesoporous structure. An easy and general method is proposed and used to prepare a series of mesoporous rare‐earth oxide (Sm₂O₃, Dy₂O₃, Tb₂O₃, Ho₂O₃, Yb₂O₃, and Lu₂O₃) thin films with potential uses in electronics and optical devices.     

Synthesis of Mesoporous Platinum–Copper Films by Electrochemical Micelle Assembly and Their Electrochemical Applications

We have electrochemically synthesized mesoporous platinum–copper films with various compositions in an aqueous surfactant solution. By tuning the composition ratios of the platinum and copper sources in the precursor solutions, mesoporous bimetallic films with copper contents that dramatically change from 0 to 70 mol % can be successfully prepared. The obtained bimetallic films possess uniformly sized mesopores over the entire area. These mesoporous platinum–copper films are electrochemically active and show composition‐dependent catalytic activity and stability for the methanol oxidation reaction. The bimetallic mesoporous films are a promising new class of electrocatalyst for the future.     

Tunable‐Sized Polymeric Micelles and Their Assembly for the Preparation of Large Mesoporous Platinum Nanoparticles

Platinum nanoparticles with continuously tunable mesoporous structures were prepared by a simple, one‐step polymeric approach. By virtue of their large pore size, these structures have a high surface area that is accessible to reagents. In the synthetic method, variation of the solvent composition plays an essential role in the systematic control of pore size and particle shape. The mesoporous Pt catalyst exhibited superior electrocatalytic activity for the methanol oxidation reaction compared to commercially available Pt catalysts. This polymeric‐micelle approach provides an additional design concept for the creation of next generation of metallic catalysts.     

Graphene Nanosheets as a Platform for the 2D Ordering of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles: Mesoporous 2D Aggregate of Anatase TiO2 Nanoparticles with Improved Electrode Performance

Graphene nanosheets are successfully applied as an effective platform for the 2D ordering of metal oxide nanoparticles. Mesoporous 2D aggregates of anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles are synthesized by the heat treatment of the uniformly hybridized nanocomposite of layered titanate–reduced graphene oxide (RGO) at elevated temperatures. The precursor layered titanate–RGO nanocomposite is prepared by self‐assembly of anionic RGO nanosheets and cationic TiO₂ nanosols. The calcination of the as‐prepared layered titanate–RGO nanocomposite at 500 °C induces a structural and morphological change of layered titanate nanoplates into anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles without significant modification of the RGO nanosheet. Increasing the heating temperature to 600 °C gives rise to elimination of the RGO component, leading to the formation of sheetlike porous aggregates of RGO‐free TiO₂ nanoparticles. The nanocomposites calcined at 500–700 °C display promising functionality as negative electrodes for lithium ion batteries. Among the present calcined derivatives, the 2D sheet‐shaped aggregate of TiO₂ nanoparticles obtained from calcination at 600 °C delivers the greatest specific discharge capacity with good capacity retention for all current density conditions applied. Such superior electrode performance of the nanocomposite calcined at 600 °C is attributable both to the improved stability of the crystal structure and crystal morphology of titania and to the enhancement of Li⁺ ion transport through the enlargement of mesopores. The present findings clearly demonstrate the usefulness of RGO nanosheets as a platform for 2D‐ordered superstructures of metal oxide nanoparticles with improved electrode performance.     

Mesoporous Au/TiO2 Nanocomposite Microspheres for Visible‐Light Photocatalysis

Mesoporous Au/TiO₂ nanocomposite microspheres have been synthesized by using a microemulsion‐based bottom‐up self‐assembly (EBS) process starting from monodisperse gold and titania nanocrystals as building blocks. The microspheres had large surface areas (above 270 m² g^?1) and open mesopores (about 5 nm), which led to the adsorption‐driven concentration of organic molecules in the vicinity of the microspheres. Au nanoparticles, which were stably confined within the microspheres, enhanced the absorption over the broad UV/Vis/NIR spectroscopic range, owing to their strong surface plasmon resonance (SPR); as a result, the Au nanoparticles promoted the visible‐light photo‐induced degradation of organic compounds.     

多金属氧酸盐/TiO2介孔杂化材料的合成及光催化性能研究

采用蒸发诱导自组装法合成了介孔TiO2,并将表面含有Si-OH基团的钨磷酸盐衍生物(Bu4N)3PW11O39-[O(SiOH)2](TBAPW11Si2)嫁接到乙醇回流脱模的介孔TiO2上,合成了TBAPW11Si2/TiO2介孔杂化材料.采用IR、XRD、N2吸附-脱附、TEM、ICP-AES对样品的结构和组成进行了表征.结果表明,TBAPW11Si2与TiO2之间的共价键联是通过表面Si-OH和Ti-OH间的缩合进行的;TiO2表面足够的Ti-OH基团和一定温度的焙烧是这一缩合的必要条件.与TiO2载体相比,嫁接了TBAPW11Si2的杂化样品,锐钛矿相的结晶度略有增加;但表面积、孔容和孔径均有所减小,且随TBAPW11Si2负载量的增加而降低.光催化降解甲基橙的结果显示,杂化样品表现出比载体TiO2高得多的催化活性,甚至与高结晶度的商品光催化剂P25相当,显示出多金属氧酸盐-TiO2协同作用的优越性.     

Hierarchical Mesoporous Silica Fabricated from an ABC Triblock Terpolymer as a Single Template

Hierarchical mesoporous silicas containing two kinds of mesoporous size are successfully synthesized using the simple evaporation‐induced self‐assembly (EISA) strategy. Two blocks of hydrophobic segments (PE and PCL) in the poly(ethylene‐block‐ethylene oxide‐block‐ϵ‐caprolactone) (PE‐PEO‐PCL) triblock copolymer are involved in the two types of mesopore after calcination, the PE segment being attributed to the face‐centered cubic (fcc) morphology (spherical pores) and the PCL segment attributed to the tetragonal cylinder structure (cylindrical pores).     

First Synthesis of Continuous Mesoporous Copper Films with Uniformly Sized Pores by Electrochemical Soft Templating

Although mesoporous metals have been synthesized by electrochemical methods, the possible compositions have been limited to noble metals (e.g., palladium, platinum, gold) and their alloys. Herein we describe the first fabrication of continuously mesoporous Cu films using polymeric micelles as soft templates to control the growth of Cu under sophisticated electrochemical conditions. Uniformly sized mesopores are evenly distributed over the entire film, and the pore walls are composed of highly crystalized Cu.     

A Single‐Step Synthesis of Electroactive Mesoporous ProDOT‐Silica Structures

The single‐step preparation of highly ordered mesoporous silica hybrid nanocomposites with conjugated polymers was explored using a novel cationic 3,4‐propylenedioxythiophene (ProDOT) surfactant (PrS). The method does not require high‐temperature calcination or a washing procedure. The combination of self‐assembly of the silica surfactant and in situ polymerization of the ProDOT tail is responsible for creation of the mesoporosity with ultralarge pores, large pore volume, and electroactivity. As this novel material exhibits excellent textural parameters together with electrical conductivity, we believe that this could find potential applications in various fields. This novel concept of creating mesoporosity without a calcination process is a significant breakthrough in the field of mesoporous materials and the method can be further generalized as a rational preparation of various mesoporous hybrid materials having different structures and pore diameters.     

共价键联的PW11/TiO2介孔杂化材料的合成及其光催化性能

采用二次嫁接的方法,将Keggin结构的缺位钨磷酸盐PW11嫁接到介孔TiO2的表面,得到PW11/TiO2杂化样品。采用IR、低温N2吸附、XRD、TEM和ICP-AES等对样品的结构、PW11负载量以及键联机理进行了表征和研究,对样品光催化降解甲基橙的性能进行了考察。 结果显示,用蒸发诱导自组装法合成的TiO2,焙烧前结构松散,可部分水解并与PW11反应,生成PW11Ti物种,后者与TiO2骨架缩合,从而实现PW11的键联嫁接。 与纯TiO2相比,杂化样品中锐钛矿相的结晶度稍有降低,孔径、孔容减小,但是对甲基橙的光催化降解活性却明显增加,显然这是PW11和TiO2间发生了“协同效应”所致。     

Mesoporous Alumina from Colloidal Biotemplating of Al Clusters

A simple and green synthesis route was disclosed for the achievement of mesoporous alumina microparticles employing polysaccharide nanoparticles (α‐chitin nanorods) as templates. Pore textures can be tuned by the cationic alumina precursor. Compared to small cations, the use of Al₁₃ and Al₃₀ oxo‐hydroxo clusters leads to better defined and elongated mesopores. Electron microscopy and spectroscopic (¹³C, ²⁷Al NMR, XPS) measurements demonstrated that this is related to the effective coating of α‐chitin nanorods by these pre‐condensed colloids.     

Chiral Polymeric Micelles From Electrostatic Assembly Between Achiral Porphyrins and Block Copolymers

A chiral polymeric micelle is described, formed from the self‐assembly of TPPS and PEG₁₁₄‐b‐P(4VP)₃₈ in aqueous media based on their electrostatic interaction. The self‐assembly behavior is studied by DLS, SLS, TEM, UV‐vis absorption spectroscopy, and CD spectroscopy. The experimental results indicate that the resultant hybrid spherical micelles with a hybrid P(4VP)/TPPS core and a PEG shell show chiral signatures. In addition, the chiral micelles have a large dimension and biphasic segregated structure because of the formation of H‐aggregates and J‐aggregates in the micellar core.