Polypyrrole-poly(3-methylthiophene) bilayer films electrochemically deposited onto tin oxide

We report the electrochemical successive deposition of layers of polypyrrole and poly(3-methylthiophene), forming conjugated polymer heterostructures onto a tin oxide-covered glass substrate. The polymer bilayer thickness and roughness were determined as a function of deposition conditions, varying the sequence of deposition of the conjugated polymer layers. The charge transport characteristics of these bilayer devices were investigated and an effective charge carrier mobility of the order of 10^–10 cm² V^–1 s^–1 was determined. Electronic Publication     

Novel syndiotactic polystyrene/BaTiO3-graphite nanosheets three-phase composites with high dielectric permittivity

Novel three-phase composites were prepared by embedding graphite nanosheets (GNs) and BaTiO₃ nanoparticles into syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) matrix via a solution blending and flocculation method. The dependences of electric and dielectric properties of the resultant sPS/BaTiO₃-GNs composites on volume fractions of GNs (f_GNs) and frequency were investigated. The percolation theory was employed to explain the electric and dielectric behavior of sPS/BaTiO₃-GNs composite. It was found that the sPS/BaTiO₃-GNs composite showed an obvious insulator-conductor transition with a much low percolation threshold of f_GNs = 1.44 vol%. The dielectric permittivity of sPS/BaTiO₃-GNs composite reached as high as 51.8 at 100 Hz at percolation threshold, which was about 18 and 7 times higher than that of pure sPS and sPS/BaTiO₃ composite, respectively.     

Electrochemical Behavior of Caffeic Acid Assayed with Gold Nanoparticles/Graphene Nanosheets Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode

A gold nanoparticle (AuNP) and graphene nanosheet (GN) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) is proposed as voltammetric sensor for caffeic acid assay. The sensor exhibits a surface‐confined and reversible process for oxidation of caffeic acid revealed by cyclic voltammetry. The results show more favorable electron transfer kinetics than the bare GCE. The linear response of the sensor is from 5×10^?7 to 5×10^?5 M with a detection limit of 5×10^?8 M (S/N=3). The AuNP/GN nanocomposite shows more favorable electrochemical activity and should be a kind of more robust and advanced functional material, which provides a promising platform for electrochemical sensors and biosensors. The method was successfully applied to detect caffeic acid in pharmaceutical tablets with satisfactory results.     

Core‐Shell Structured Cobalt Sulfide/Cobalt Aluminum Hydroxide Nanosheet Arrays for Pseudocapacitor Application

The direct synthesis of nanostructured electrode materials on three‐dimensional substrates is important for their practical application in electrochemical cells without requiring the use of organic additives or binders. In this study, we present a simple two‐step process to synthesize a stable core–shell structured cobalt sulfide/cobalt aluminum hydroxide nanosheet (LDH‐S) for pseudocapacitor electrode application. The cobalt aluminum layered double hydroxide (CoAl‐LDH) nanoplates were synthesized in basic aqueous solution with a kinetically‐controlled thickness. Owing to the facile diffusion of electrolytes through the nanoplates, thin CoAl‐LDH nanoplates have higher specific capacitance values than thick nanoplates. The as‐grown CoAl‐LDH nanoplates were transformed into core–shell structured LDH‐S nanosheets by a surface modification process in Na₂S aqueous solution. The chemically robust cobalt sulfide (CoS) shell increased the electrochemical stability compared to the sulfide‐free CoAl‐LDH electrodes. The LDH‐S electrodes exhibited high electrochemical performance in terms of specific capacitance and rate capability with a galvanostatic discharge of 1503 F g^?1 at a current density of 2 A g^?1 and a specific capacitance of 91 % at 50 A g^?1.     

DOPE/DDAB Magneto‐Vesicles: Synthesis and Characterization

Biocompatible magneto‐vesicles (MVs) with multiple magnetic nanoparticles encapsulated inside were synthesized by the hydration‐sonication method in the presence of magnetic fluid with a mixture of two types of phospholipid molecules. The dimension and the size distribution of these MVs are in the same order as the vesicles synthesized in the similar method, indicating that the encapsulation does not change vesicles' properties dramatically. Releasing fluorophore molecules—carboxylfluorescein (CF) from MVs demonstrates that MVs with DOPE/DDAB layers can be a new type of magnetic carrier for biomedical applications.     

用于高性能锂-硫电池的氮化硼纳米片/碳纤维改性隔膜

通过静电纺丝、热亚胺化和碳化过程,将氮化硼纳米片(BNNSs)负载在碳纤维(CFs)表面,组成用于修饰商业聚丙烯(PP)隔膜的氮化硼纳米片/碳复合纤维(BNNSs/CFs)复合材料。BNNSs和CFs的协同作用为电池提供了额外的导电路径,并将可溶性多硫化锂固定在正极区域。结果表明,采用10BNNSs/CFs-PP隔膜的电池在0.05C下的初始放电容量高达1 295.7 mAh·g^-1,当电流密度增加到1C时,以10BNNSs/CFs-PP为隔膜的电池也具有良好的长期循环稳定性,在400次循环后最终容量高达583.1mAh·g^-1,每次循环容量衰减0.069%。     

热处理温度对溶剂热合成Co3O4纳米片气敏和吸附性能之影响

以Co(Ac)2·4H_2O和六次甲基四胺(HMTA)为起始反应物,聚氧乙烯-聚氧丙烯-聚氧乙烯(P123)为表面活性剂,在乙二醇(EG)和水混合溶剂中用溶剂热法得到中间产物,通过煅烧热处理制备了Co_3O_4纳米片。利用XRD、SEM和N_2吸附-脱附等方法进行了样品表征,研究了不同热处理温度对产物形貌和结晶度的影响,以及所制备纳米片的气敏性能。根据气敏测试和吸附性能结果,分析了气敏机理和吸附动力学。结果表明:热处理温度是影响产物形貌的关键因素,350℃是最佳的热处理温度,此时得到的纳米片最薄也最均匀。由于产物形貌变化改变了材料的比表面积,进而影响到产物的气敏性能和吸附性能。总体而言,纳米片厚度越小,比表面积越大,材料的气敏灵敏度和吸附效率越高。     

Controlled Gas Exfoliation of Boron Nitride into Few‐Layered Nanosheets

The controlled exfoliation of hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN) into single‐ or few‐layered nanosheets remains a grand challenge and becomes the bottleneck to essential studies and applications of h‐BN. Here, we present an efficient strategy for the scalable synthesis of few‐layered h‐BN nanosheets (BNNS) using a novel gas exfoliation of bulk h‐BN in liquid N₂ (L‐N₂). The essence of this strategy lies in the combination of a high temperature triggered expansion of bulk h‐BN and the cryogenic L ‐N₂ gasification to exfoliate the h‐BN. The produced BNNS after ten cycles (BNNS‐10) consisted primarily of fewer than five atomic layers with a high mass yield of 16–20 %. N₂ sorption and desorption isotherms show that the BNNS‐10 exhibited a much higher specific surface area of 278 m² g^?1 than that of bulk BN (10 m² g^?1). Through the investigation of the exfoliated intermediates combined with a theoretical calculation, we found that the huge temperature variation initiates the expansion and curling of the bulk h‐BN. Subseqently, the L ‐N₂ penetrates into the interlayers of h‐BN along the curling edge, followed by an immediate drastic gasification of L ‐N₂, further peeling off h‐BN. This novel gas exfoliation of high surface area BNNS not only opens up potential opportunities for wide applications, but also can be extended to produce other layered materials in high yields.     

Multifunctional Templating Strategy for Fabrication of Fe,N-Codoped Hierarchical Porous Carbon Nanosheets

Due to the unique physical and chemical merits including excellent electrical conductivity,superior chemical stability,and tunable carbon framework,two-dimensional(2 D)porous carbon nanosheets have drawn increasing research interest and demonstrated promising potentials in various applications.However,regulating the nanostructure of 2 D porous carbon nanosheets by facile and efficient strategies remains a great challenge.Herein,we develop a new strategy to construct Fe,N-codoped hierarchical porous carbon nanosheets(Fe-N-HPCNS)by using 2 D Fe-Zn layered double hydroxides(Fe-Zn-LDH)as multifunctional templates.Fe-Zn-LDH could functionalize not only as 2 D structure directing agents but also as ternary hierarchical porogens for micro-,meso-and macropores and in situ Fe dopants.This multifunctional templating strategy toward 2 D porous carbon nanosheets can improve the utilization of templates and shows great advantages against conventional procedures that additional porogens and/or dopants are often needed.     

Surface Assembly of DNA Origami on a Lipid Bilayer Observed Using High-Speed Atomic Force Microscopy

The micrometer-scale assembly of various DNA nanostructures is one of the major challenges for further progress in DNA nanotechnology. Programmed patterns of 1D and 2D DNA origami assembly using specific DNA strands and micrometer-sized lattice assembly using cross-shaped DNA origami were performed on a lipid bilayer surface. During the diffusion of DNA origami on the membrane surface, the formation of lattices and their rearrangement in real-time were observed using high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM). The formed lattices were used to further assemble DNA origami tiles into their cavities. Various patterns of lattice–tile complexes were created by changing the interactions between the lattice and tiles. For the control of the nanostructure formation, the photo-controlled assembly and disassembly of DNA origami were performed reversibly, and dynamic assembly and disassembly were observed on a lipid bilayer surface using HS-AFM. Using a lipid bilayer for DNA origami assembly, it is possible to perform a hierarchical assembly of multiple DNA origami nanostructures, such as the integration of functional components into a frame architecture.