Highly carbonized polyaniline micro- and nanotubes

We have obtained unique highly carbonized polyaniline micro- and nanotubes as a new, thermally stable nanomaterial for nanosensors and nanodevices with a wide range of possible applications, comparable to carbon nanotubes. Polyaniline nanostructures are easy to prepare and handle in wet conditions, including controlled growth. Temperature-induced transformations of polyaniline micro- and nanotubes into highly carbonized analogues have been observed at and above 800 °C, while the temperature was elevated slowly from 20 °C up to 1100 °C. Carbonized products have the same morphology (micro- and nanotubes), but a lower spin density than the starting material (e.g. 10¹⁴ g⁻¹ for the sample heated at and above 800 °C, and 10¹⁹ g⁻¹ before heating). Simultaneously, the electrical conductivity changes from 7.4 × 10⁻⁵ S/cm for the starting material to 4.8 × 10⁻⁹ S/cm, 1.3 × 10⁻¹¹ S/cm and finally 2.4 × 10⁻⁶ S/cm for samples obtained at room temperature, 250 °C, 500 °C and 800 °C, respectively. Chemical transformations and unique molecular structures formed are discussed. Applications in nanotechnology, including sensors and electronic nanodevices, are expected in the light of experiments already performed.     

Functional Nickel Oxide Nanostructures for Ethanol Oxidation in Alkaline Media

Nickel oxide (NiO) nanostructures are employed in the basic medium for the oxidation of ethanol. A variety of NiO nanostructures are synthesized by wet chemical growth method, using different hydroxide (OH^?) ion sources, particularly from ammonia, hexamethylenetetramine, urea and sodium hydroxide. The use of urea as (OH^?) ion source results in flower‐like NiO structures composed by extremely thin nanowalls (thickness lower than 10 nm,), which demonstrated to be the most active for ethanol oxidation. All the samples exhibit NiO cubic phase, and no other impurity was detected. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) curves of NiO nanostructures were found linear over the concentration range 0.1–3.5 mM (R²=0.99) of ethanol, with the limit of detection estimated to be 0.013 mM for ethanol. The NiO nanostructures exhibit a selective signal towards ethanol oxidation in the presence of different members of alcohol family. The proposed NiO nanostructures showed a significant practicality for the reproducible and sensitive determination of ethanol from brandy, whisky, mixture of brandy and rum, and vodka samples. The nanomaterial was used as a surface modifying agent for the glassy carbon electrode and it showed a stable electro‐oxidation activity for the ethanol for 16 days. These findings indicate that the presented NiO nanomaterial can be applied in place of noble metals for ethanol sensing and other environmental applications (like fuel cells).     

Preconcentration of nickel and cadmium by TiO2 nanotubes as solid-phase extraction adsorbents coupled with flame atomic absorption spectrometry

TiO₂ nanotubes, a new nanomaterial, are often used in the photocatalysis. Due to its relatively large specific surface areas it should have a higher enrichment capacity. However, very few applications in the enrichment of pollutants were found. This paper described a new procedure to investigate the trapping power of TiO₂ nanotubes with cadmium and nickel in water samples as the model analytes and flame atomic absorption spectrometry for the analysis. The possible parameters influencing the enrichment were optimized. Under the optimal SPE conditions, the method detection limits and precisions (R.S.D., n = 6) were 0.25 ng mL⁻¹ and 2.2% for cadmium, 1 ng mL⁻¹ and 2.6% for nickel, respectively. The established method has been successfully applied to analyze four realworld water samples, and satisfactory results were obtained. The spiked recoveries were in the range of 90.2-99.2% for them. All these indicated that TiO₂ nanotubes had great potential in environmental field.     

Facile synthesis of graphene-supported shuttle- and urchin-like CuO for high and fast Li-ion storage

Graphene nanosheet (GNS) supported shuttle- and urchin-like CuO nanostructures are prepared by a facile low-temperature solution route. CuO nanoshuttles or urchin-like nanostructures are dispersed uniformly on GNS, forming a three dimensional CuO-GNS layer-by-layer network after stacking. When fabricated as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, CuO-GNS composites exhibit superior Li-ion storage properties in terms of high capacity, long cycle life, and excellent rate performance. At a large current of 700 mA/g, GNS-supported CuO nanoshuttles show a higher-than-theoretical capacity of 826 mAh/g after 100 cycles, which is even larger than the reversible capacity of 771 mAh/g achieved at 70 mA/g after 40 cycles.     

Preparation and self-assembly of copper nanoparticles via discharge of copper rod electrodes in a surfactant solution: a combination of physical and chemical processes

Cu nanoparticles with a mean diameter of 10-15 nm were prepared and self-assembled via discharge of bulk copper rods in a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)/ascorbic acid solution. Ascorbic acid was used as a protective agent to prevent the nascent Cu nanoparticles from oxidation in the solution; otherwise spindle-like Cu₂O/CuO structures, with a lateral dimension of 30-50 nm and length of up to 100 nm, were formed in pure deionized water. The surfactant CTAB had a critical influence on self-assembly of spherical Cu nanostructures (with diameter of 700 nm-1 μm). Such a low-temperature and non-vacuum method, exhibiting the characters of both physical and chemical processes, provides a versatile choice for economical preparation and assembly of various metal nanostructures.     

Cell-bound nanoparticles for tissue targeting and immunotherapy: Engineering of the particle–membrane interface

Nanoparticles (NPs) have been developed as vehicles for delivering a variety of payloads including small molecules, nucleic acids, and proteins. To overcome the non-specific biodistribution of nanomaterials and target specific sites in vivo, there has been a surge of interest in using autologous cells as NP carriers. To design cell– NP constructs for active targeting, an understanding of the physicochemical interactions that underline NP adhesion, detachment, and uptake is necessary. In this article, we critically analyze the various properties that affect cell–nanomaterial interactions. We describe how physical properties of the cellular plasma membrane such as curvature, membrane tension, and lipid composition affect the attachment of NPs. We discuss the effect of NP properties including size, shape, stiffness, and chemical composition as well as the environmental conditions on the cell–NP interactions. We conclude with an overview of recent applications of cell–NP constructs including cellular hitchhiking, backpacking, and responsive surface attachment for drug delivery.     

N-way modelling of sediment monitoring data from Mar Menor lagoon, Spain

The present paper deals with the application of Tucker3 modelling to a sediment monitoring data set from the area of Mar Menor coastal lagoon (Spain). The aim of the study is to model and interpret the fractionation of heavy metals in the suspended particulate matter and sediment fractions resulting by sedimentation processes. Since the lagoon is seriously influenced by anthropogenic activities the modelling aims an assessment of the environmental hazard, too. After application of various scaling and centering procedures and estimation of the model dimensionality, an optimal (3, 3, 3) Tucker3 model was chosen for data interpretation. Using the model output (factor loadings connected to the four main core elements) it could be concluded that the heavy metal concentrations in the suspended particulate matter and sediment fractions increase in order Cu > Mn > Zn ≈ Pb > Cd and could be examined as estimation of basic levels for all heavy metals caused by different sedimentation processes. The second important core element summarizes the anthropogenic influence of the mining activity in the region. The third important core element shows the different mobility of the heavy metals. The fourth important core element should be related to the specific sediment formation at one of the sampling location.     

The First Silver-Based Plasmonic Nanomaterial for Shell-Isolated Nanoparticle-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy with Magnetic Properties

Nanostructures made of magnetic cores (from Fe₃O₄) with attached silver plasmonic nanostructures were covered with a very thin layer of silica. The (Fe₃O₄@Ag)@SiO₂ magnetic–plasmonic nanomaterial can be manipulated using a magnetic field. For example, one can easily form homogeneous layers from this nanomaterial using a very simple procedure: deposition of a layer of a sol of such a nanostructure and evaporation of the solvent after placing the sample in a strong magnetic field. Due to the rapid magnetic immobilization of the magnetic–plasmonic nanomaterial on the investigated surface, no coffee-ring effect occurs during the evaporation of the solvent. In this contribution, we report the first example of a magnetic, silver-based plasmonic nanomaterial for shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS). Nanoresonators based on silver plasmonic nanostructures locally enhance the intensity of the exciting electromagnetic radiation in a significantly broader frequency range than the previously used magnetic SHINERS nanoresonators with gold plasmonic nanostructures. Example applications where the resulting nanomaterial was used for the SHINERS investigation of a monolayer of mercaptobenzoic acid chemisorbed on platinum, and for a standard SERS determination of dopamine, are also presented.     

Layer double hydroxides (LDHs)- based electrochemical and optical sensing assessments for quantification and identification of heavy metals in water and environment samples: A review of status and prospects

One of the most severe environmental problems is heavy metal contamination, putting the world's sustainability at risk. Much effort has been put into developing sensors that can be taken anywhere to detect the environmental effects of heavy metals. Sensitivity, selectivity, multiplexed detection ability, and mobility enhance significantly when nanoparticles and nanostructures are incorporated into sensors. LDHs (layered double hydroxides) have gotten much attention in analytical chemistry in recent years because of their benefits, including their large specific surface area, ease of synthesis, low cost, and high catalytic efficiency and biocompatibility. LDHs are often manufactured as nanomaterial composites or created with specialized three-dimensional structures depending on the application. However, in these settings, LDHs (as color indicators, extracting sorbents, and electrochemical sensing) are usually restricted. Upcoming signs of progress and development possibilities of LDHs in analytical chemistry are reviewed in this paper to assist overcome these problems. Furthermore, the approaches used in the design of LDHs, including structural aspects, are defined and assessed in preparation for future analytical applications. The latest advances in optical and electrochemical sensors to detect heavy metals are described in this review. The sorts and characteristics of LDHs will be explored first. We will then go into microelectrode (or nanoelectrode) arrays, nanoparticle-modified electrodes, and microfluidic optical and electrochemical sensing assays in detail. This paper also discusses design strategies for LDH-based nanostructured sensors and the advantages of using nanomaterials and nanostructures.     

Ethanol-assisted hydrothermal synthesis and electrochemical properties of coral-like β-Co(OH)2 nanostructures

Highly uniform, porous β-Co(OH)₂ nanostructures with an appearance reminding of certain spherical corals were synthesized via a facile, one-step hydrothermal route using ethanol-water mixtures as solvents. The rough surfaces of the nanostructures consist of numerous randomly distributed, interconnecting nanoflakes, resulting in a network-like structure with many cavities. The coral-like product has a high Brunauer-Emmet-Teller specific surface area of 163 m²/g. The diameter of the coral-like β-Co(OH)₂ nanostructures is adjustable from 800 nm to 2 μm. The effects of the ethanol/water ratio, the Co²⁺ concentration, the hydrothermal temperature, and the reaction time on the formation of the coral-like structures were investigated. Cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge tests show that the β-Co(OH)₂ possesses excellent capacitive properties. This is mainly attributed to the high porosity, which allows a deep penetration by electrolytes.     

类石墨烯二硫化钼及其在光电子器件上的应用

由单层或几层二硫化钼构成的类石墨烯二硫化钼(graphene-like MoS₂)是一种具有类似石墨烯结构和性能的新型二维(2D)层状化合物, 近年来以其独特的物理、化学性质而成为新兴的研究热点. 本文综述了近年来类石墨烯二硫化钼常见的几种制备方法, 包括以微机械力剥离、锂离子插层和液相超声法等为主的“自上而下”的剥离法, 以及以高温热分解、水热法等为主的“自下而上”的合成法; 介绍了其常用的结构表征方法, 包括原子力显微镜(AFM)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)和拉曼光谱等; 概述了类石墨烯二硫化钼的紫外-可见(UV-Vis)吸收、荧光发射等基本光物理性质及其相关机理; 总结了类石墨烯二硫化钼在二次电池、场效应晶体管、传感器、有机电致发光二极管和电存储等光电子器件领域的应用原理及其研究进展, 展望了这类新型二维层状化合物的研究前景.     

Antistatic thermoplastic blend of polyaniline and polystyrene prepared in a double-screw extruder

One of the major aims of research on intrinsically conducting polymers (ICP) is the production of blends combining the processing properties of thermoplastic polymers with the conductivity of conducting polymers. The main problem in applying ICP on a large scale in the plastic industry is the impossibility of plasticizing these polymers under heat and shear. However, the use of functionalized acids improves the thermal stability and processability of conductive polymers. In this work the doping process was carried out during processing, also denoted as “reactive processing”. This procedure reduces the number of steps to obtain the final product, PS/SBS/PAni. Blending of polystyrene with dodecylbenzenosulfonic acid doped polyaniline was carried in a double-screw extruder using the block copolymer of styrene and butadiene, SBS, as compatibilizer. A conductive thermoplastic (σ = 10⁻⁶-10⁻² S cm⁻¹) was obtained in the form of ribbons, which were used to evaluate the thermal, mechanical, morphological and electrical properties. We used SBS as compatibilizer and different formulations were tested according to a statistical response surface method. The mechanical and electrical properties of these thermoplastic blends are adequate for antistatic applications.     

The electronic structures and properties of open-ended and capped carbon nanoneedles

The existence of a family of very thin carbon needlelike nanostructures is predicted: the geometry and stability of several carbon nanoneedles (CNNs) formed by C4 and C6 units have been studied by quantum chemistry computational modeling methods. The structures of carbon nanoneedles are tighter than even the smallest single wall nanotubes (SWNTs) based on (4, 0) naphthacene. The electronic properties, energetic stability of geometrical structures with various terminal units are investigated. The relatively large band gaps, the strong bonding, and additional orbital interactions within the C4 rings and between the C4 layers make the H4(C4)(n)H4 type molecules nonmetallic. We have found indications that if the CNN (3, 0) structures are very long (in the limit of infinite-length), then they are likely to have semiconducting properties and could possibly be used as actual semiconductors. The studied families of CNNs can be considered as carbon nanostructures with unique structural and chemical properties and with possible potential for unusual electronic properties, with likely practical applications as nanomaterials and nanostructure devices.     

Seawater ageing of flax/poly(lactic acid) biocomposites

Natural fibre reinforced biopolymer composites, or biocomposites, are an alternative to the glass fibre reinforced thermoset composites widely used today in marine applications. Biocomposites offer good mechanical properties and total biodegradability, but if they are to be adopted for marine structures their durability in a seawater environment must be demonstrated. In the present study unreinforced PLLA (Poly(l-Lactic acid)), injected and film stacked flax composites with the same PLLA matrix have been examined. All the samples were aged in natural seawater at different temperatures in order to accelerate hygrothermal ageing. Changes to physico-chemical and mechanical behaviour have been followed by weight measurements, thermal and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) analyses, and tensile testing, completed by acoustic emission recording and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examination. The matrix tensile stiffness is hardly affected by seawater at temperatures to 40 °C but the composite loses stiffness and strength. Fibre/matrix interface weakening is the main damage mechanism induced by wet ageing, but both matrix and fibre cracks also appear at longer periods.     

Self-catalyst growth of single-crystalline CaB6 nanostructures

Large-scale calcium hexaboride (CaB₆) nanostructures have been successfully fabricated with self-catalyst method using calcium (Ca) powders and boron trichloride (BCl₃) gas mixed with hydrogen and argon. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) were used to characterize the compositions, morphologies, and structures of the samples. Our results show that the nanowires are highly single crystals elongated preferentially in the [1 1 0] direction. The growth mechanism based on the self-catalyst process is simply discussed.     

金属氧化物纳米材料的电化学合成与形貌调控研究进展

金属氧化物纳米材料因其丰富的形貌、独特的性能、广泛的应用成为材料合成领域研究的热点.调控金属氧化物纳米材料的形貌对于调变其性能、拓展其应用空间具有重要意义.电化学方法由于操作简单易控、方法灵活多变,因此成为调控金属氧化物形貌的常用方法.本文综述了近年来我们在金属氧化物纳米材料的电化学合成与形貌调控方面已取得的研究结果;总结了不同金属氧化物在电化学过程中晶体生长机制和形貌调控的规律,为实现功能材料的定向合成奠定了基础.     

Powerful connection of laccase and carbon nanotubes: Material for mediator-free electron transport on the enzymatic cathode of the biobattery

We describe the preparation of laccase/single-walled carbon nanotube bioconjugates, their application for the modification of electrodes and application of the electrodes as cathodes for the catalytic reduction of oxygen in a hybrid biofuel cell with Zn anode. Carbon nanotubes functionalized with aminoethyl residues, activated and reacted with laccase show high bioelectrocatalytic activity and are promising for the biofuel cell applications. The power density of the cell was 1 mW cm^− 2 at working voltage of 0.8 V. The open circuit voltage of this hybrid cell was as high as 1.5 V.     

Microwave assisted synthesis of manganese mixed oxide nanostructures using plastic templates

The synthesis method for obtaining sub-micrometric structures of rare earth manganese-based mixed oxide compounds is described. Pore wetting of porous polycarbonate templates with the liquid precursor was followed by a two-stage thermal treatment to obtain single phase La_0.325Pr_0.300Ca_0.375MnO₃ hollow and solid structures, with external diameter determined by the sacrificial template pore size. The first thermal stage, a microwave assisted denitration process, determines the shape of the structures. The second treatment, performed at 1073 K, allows to obtain the crystallographic structure of the compound. A variety of techniques (scanning and transmission electron microscopy, scanning probe microscopy) allowed to fully characterize the microstructure and morphology of these self-standing manganite nanostructures. For 1 μm pore size templates we obtained tubes, with external diameter around 800 nm and wall thickness around 150 nm; densely packed nanoparticles sized 20-50 nm are the building blocks of the walls. For pore size below 0.1 μm, solid nanowires were obtained, the size of constituent crystallites being around 10 nm. Overall obtained material exhibits ferromagnetic ordering below 200 K.     

Spectroelectrochemical Studies on Silicate Sol‐Gel Matrix‐supported Sub‐10 nm Prussian Blue Nanostructures‐based Electrochromic Device

In this study, spectroelectrochemical (SPE) studies to monitor the electrochromic properties of electrochemically synthesized sub‐10 nm sized Prussian blue (PB) nanostructures (NSs) are employed. At the beginning the dark blue coloured device, shifts reversibly between translucent and dark‐blue while applying an applied bias between +1 to ?1 V with an opposite polarization. Amine functionalized silicate sol‐gel matrix (SSG) is used as a solid support and stabilizer for electrodepositing highly uniform sub‐10 nm PB NSs. The SSG's film thickness is suitably optimized through suitable controlled experiments. It is found that the SPE behaviour of sub‐10 nm sized PB NSs, suitably followed a colour modulation of PB into Prussian white (PW) and vice‐versa. SPE studies are used to investigate the redox switching between the PB and PW and which are responsible for an electrochromic function of a fabricated electrochromic device (ECD). Fabricated ECD has demonstrated an optical modulation at 680 nm with the moderate coloration efficiency of 115.8 cm²/C. Present study validates the SPE feature of sub‐10 nm PB NSs as an active electrochromic nanomaterial and demonstrating the applicability of SPE technique to investigate the variety of electrochromic nanomaterials, with consequences in both spectral and electrochemically active nanomaterials for electrochromic device applications.     

Precisely Tailored DNA Nanostructures and their Theranostic Applications

A critical challenge in nanotechnology is the limited precision and controllability of the structural parameters, which brings about concerns in uniformity, reproducibility and performance. Self‐assembled DNA nanostructures, as a newly emerged type of nano‐biomaterials, possess low‐nanometer precision, excellent programmability and addressability. They can precisely arrange various molecules and materials to form spatially ordered complex, resulting in unambiguous physical or chemical properties. Because of these, DNA nanostructures have shown great promise in numerous biomedical theranostic applications. In this account, we briefly review the history and advances on construction of DNA nanoarchitectures and superstructures with accurate structural parameters. We focus on recent progress in exploiting these DNA nanostructures as platforms for quantitative biosensing, intracellular diagnosis, imaging, and smart drug delivery. We also discuss key challenges in practical applications.