Bipolar Electrochemistry

A bipolar electrode (BPE) is an electrically conductive material that promotes electrochemical reactions at its extremities (poles) even in the absence of a direct ohmic contact. More specifically, when sufficient voltage is applied to an electrolyte solution in which a BPE is immersed, the potential difference between the BPE and the solution drives oxidation and reduction reactions. Because no direct electrical connection is required to activate redox reactions, large arrays of electrodes can be controlled with just a single DC power supply or even a battery. The wireless aspect of BPEs also makes it possible to electrosynthesize and screen novel materials for a wide variety of applications. Finally, bipolar electrochemistry enables mobile electrodes, dubbed microswimmers, that are able to move freely in solution.     

Spectroscopic Analysis of Two Distinct Equilibrium States for the Exchange Reaction of Sodium Cholate and Oligo‐DNA on Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Understanding the quantitative analysis of the transition adsorption structures of molecules on single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) is of importance from the point of view of both fundamental science and applications of nanotubes. Absorption spectroscopy reveals that two different equilibrium states are existent for the exchange reaction of sodium cholate (SC) and oligo‐DNA (single‐stranded 20‐mer cytosine) on SWNTs. This is derived from the transitions of the adsorption structures of different chirality‐types of SWNTs and SC/DNA at certain SC concentrations below the critical micelle concentration of SC.     

Separation Membranes Constructed from Inorganic Nanofibers by Filtration Technique

Nanofibrous materials have been extensively investigated and used as building blocks for various nanodevices, due to their unique one‐dimensional structures. Recently, novel membranes constructed by using nanofibers have been reported by various techniques. Here, we will give a critical review of our recent research on the general solution processed unique sub‐3 nm thin metal hydroxide nanofibers and their application for constructing ultrathin separation membranes via filtration technique. The superior separation performances of these membranes hold the promising future for pressure‐driven membrane separation processes.     

碳和石墨烯对磷酸锰锂材料性能的影响

在采用溶剂热法制备磷酸锰锂的基础上,以蔗糖和石墨烯为碳源,制备了裂解碳和石墨烯含量不同的磷酸锰锂/碳/石墨烯复合材料,研究了裂解碳和石墨烯对材料性能的影响。采用扫描电镜（SEM）和透射电镜（TEM）对材料的形貌进行了表征。裂解碳包覆可以提高LiMnPO₄纳米片表面的电子导电性,对于材料性能的改善起到主要的作用;石墨烯可以提高纳米片之间的电子和离子导电性,改善材料的电化学性能。电化学测试表明,当裂解碳含量为4%、石墨烯含量为2%时,LiMnPO₄电极具有较好的电化学性能,在0.5C下的放电比容量为139.1 mAh·g^-1,循环100次后,容量保持率为93.6%。与添加单一碳和单一石墨烯的LiMnPO₄电极相比,该电极在0.5C下的放电比容量分别提高了35.0%和48.6%。     

Room temperature solution-phase synthesis of flower-like nanostructures of [Ni3(BTC)2·12H2O] and their conversion to porous NiO

Hierarchical flower-like architectures of[Ni₃（BTC）₂·12H₂O]（BTC³=benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate） were successfully prepared by a simple solution-phase method under mild conditions without any template or surfactant.Phase-pure porous NiO nanocrystals were obtained by annealing the Ni-BTC complex without significant alteration in morphology.The product was characterized by X-ray diffraction techniques,field-emission scanning electron microscopy（FESEM）.transmission electron microscopy（TEM） and high-resolution TEM（HRTEM）.The catalytic effect of the NiO product was investigated on the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate（AP） and it was found that the annealed NiO product has higher catalytic activity than the commercial NiO.     

硫属化合物半导体热电材料的电热输运协同调控

热电材料作为一种新型的清洁能源材料,能够直接实现热能和电能之间相互转换,有望为提高能源的利用率、缓解环境污染问题提供一种综合协调的选择,因此在能源危机越来越严重的21世纪,热电材料的研究引起了各国研究者的广泛兴趣。然而,电热输运的协同调制一直是一个历史性的难题。硫属化合物半导体作为最重要的一类热电材料,近年来其电热输运性质的协同调控受到了广泛的关注。本文综述了硫属化合物半导体热电材料在电热输运协同调控方面所取得的最新研究进展,分析了其电热输运协同调控及热电性能优化的内在物理机制,并展望这些新的调控策略在热电材料发展的应用前景。