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Abstract: One-dimensional (1D) silver oxide nanoparticle arrays were synthesized by illuminating the composite Langmuir–Blodgett monolayers of porphyrin derivatives/Ag+ and n-hexadecyl dihydrogen phosphate (n-HDP)/Ag+ deposited on carbon-coated copper grids with daylight and then exposing them to air. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation shows that the nanoparticle size is around 3 nm, with the separation of about 2–3 nm. High-resolution TEM (HRTEM) investigation indicates that the particles are made up of Ag2O. Ag nanorods with the width of 15–35 nm and the length of several hundreds of nanometers were synthesized by irradiating the composite Langmuir monolayers of porphyrin derivatives/Ag+ and n-HDP/Ag+ by UV-light directly at the air/water interface at room temperature. HRTEM image and selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern indicate that the nanorods are single crystals with the (110) face of the face-centered cubic (fcc) silver parallel to the air/water interface. The formation of the 1D arrays and the nanorods should be attributed to the templating effect of the linear supramolecules formed by porphyrin derivative or n-HDP molecules in Langmuir monolayers through non-covalent interactions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Uniform Co 2 (OH) 3 Cl hollow microspheres are prepared by an one-step solvothermal route. • The Co 2 (OH) 3 Cl presents an activation-enhanced OER performance after CV cycles. • Small amounts of Fe modification further increase OER activity of Co 2 (OH) 3 Cl. • Fe doping makes the lattice Cl− etching easier and generates more surface vacancies. • Fe modification can result in the moderate surface oxygen adsorption affinity. Surface self-reconstruction by the electrochemical activation is considered as an effective strategy to increase the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance of transition metal compounds. Herein, uniform Co 2 (OH) 3 Cl microspheres are developed and present an activation-enhanced OER performance caused by the etching of lattice Cl− after 500 cyclic voltammetry (CV) cycles. Furthermore, the OER activity of Co 2 (OH) 3 Cl can be further enhanced after small amounts of Fe modification (Fe2+ as precursor). Fe doping into Co 2 (OH) 3 Cl lattices can make the etching of surface lattice Cl− easier and generate more surface vacancies to absorb oxygen species. Meanwhile, small amounts of Fe modification can result in a moderate surface oxygen adsorption affinity, facilitating the activation of intermediate oxygen species. Consequently, the 10% Fe-Co 2 (OH) 3 Cl exhibits a superior OER activity with a lower overpotential of 273 mV at 10 mA cm−2 (after 500 CV cycles) along with an excellent stability as compared with commercial RuO 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different from conventional method templated by metal ions, G-quadruplex assemblies could be constructed by the promotion of cationic surfactant CTAB in this work, providing a novel approach to constructing G-quadruplex structures. • G-quadruplex structures were constructed via self-assembly of a guanosine derivative. • A great many G-quadruplex systems were induced by metal ions. • However, the G-quadruplex structures here were induced by cationic surfactants. • This is a novel strategy to construct G-quadruplex. • The morphology and structure can be tuned by changing the amount of surfactant. G-quadruplex structure has raised increasing attention in supramolecular chemistry as an effective template for ordered functional materials. Thus, it is of practical significance to advance our understanding regarding G-quadruplex structures. Typically, G-quadruplex structures are formed in the presence of suitable metal ions. New methods to construct such structures need to be explored. The supramolecular assembly between CTAB and a guanosine derivative at different molar ratios was systematically studied, including assembly mechanisms, morphology, and macroscopic properties. Cationic surfactants with different alkyl chains were studied as control experiments. A novel strategy to construct G-quadruplex with the promotion of the cationic surfactant CTAB is presented in this work. The structure-property relationships of G-quadruplex gels are characterized by rheology and shrinkage ratio experiments. MacKintosh's theory was used to rationalize the relationship between gel elasticity and water content. The transition of G-quadruplex structures could be easily enabled by modulating CTAB concentration, which promotes the phase transition from gel/sol biphase to homogeneous sol phase. This work will provide a new viewpoint for the construction and modulation of G-quadruplex structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hierarchical nanosheets and hollow structure provide excellent electrochemical stability along with sufficient surface area and ion transpotation channels. The hierarchical nanosheets and hollow structure has been demonstrated to be an effective way to elevate the storage abilities of MoS 2 materials for KIB, which not only provides sufficient void space to accommodate volume expansion, but also facilitates the potassium ion diffusion. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2) is a promising nanomaterial which has been extensively investigated in photo-/electro-catalysis, sensors, and batteries due to its excellent physical/chemical properties. In this manuscript, MoS 2 hierarchical nanotubes with hollow nanostructure are successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method. SEM indicates that such MoS 2 nanotubes have perfect uniformity while TEM demonstrates the hollow structure. Specifically, the ratio of MoS 2 to the randomly produced polysulfide in the synthesized MoS 2 nanotubes is 4.29 which confirms that the synthesized MoS 2 nanotubes have quite high quality. Compared with the previous studies, our MoS 2 nanotubes show superior rate capability and cyclability (127 mAh g−1 at 200 mA g−1 after 100 cycles) in the potassium ion battery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypothesis Our previous studies have shown that the metal nanoparticle/polymer composite structures fabricated at the liquid/liquid interface have good reusability but lower catalytic activity for heterogeneous reactions in aqueous solutions. This should be attributed to the poor water wettability and more compact structure of the polymer matrices. Therefore, it should be possible to improve the catalytic activity through designing and fabricating a porous composite structure with good water wettability. Experiments A modified liquid/liquid interface adsorption and fabrication method was used. An aqueous solution of copper acetate and a chloroform/DMF mixed solution of PS- b -PAA acted as the two phases. Through spontaneous emulsification, self-assembly of the polymer molecules with Cu 2+ ions in the droplets, and adsorption of the formed spherical micelles and nanofibers to the planar liquid/liquid interface, a porous composite microstructure was formed. Findings This structure consisted of nanofiber-connected nanospheres which have a PS core and a PAA corona. Tiny and well-dispersed Cu nanoparticles were embedded in the hydrophilic corona and were adsorbed on the nanofibers surface as well. After physical cross-linking with 1,6-diaminohexane, the composite material exhibited high catalytic activity and good reusability for the reactions in aqueous solutions. For example, the rate constant for the reduction of p -nitroaniline reached 1965 s −1  g −1 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An emulsion-directed assembly and adsorption approach has been used to fabricate composite films of polystyrene-b-poly(acryl acid)-b-polystyrene (PS-b-PAA-b-PS) and Eu 3+ and La 3+ ions at the planar liquid/liquid interface of the polymer DMF/chloroform (1:1, v/v) mixed solution (lower phase) and aqueous solutions of the corresponding salts (upper phase). The lower phase gradually transformed to a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion via spontaneous emulsification due to the “ouzo effect”. Polymer molecules and the metal ions assembled around emulsion droplets that adsorbed at the planar liquid/liquid interface at last, resulting in formation of composite films. The film morphologies and structures depend on Ln 3+ ions: polymer/Eu 3+ composite films were foam films composed of microcapsules ranging in size from several hundreds of nanometers to micrometers, while polymer/La 3+ composite films were composed of hollow spheres several tens of nanometers in size. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra revealed that the coordination modes of carboxyl groups to Eu 3+ and La 3+ were bridging bidentate and ionic, respectively, in the two types of composites. These results indicate that stable microcapsules can be fabricated around droplets for polymer/Eu 3+ systems, while microcapsules of polymer/La 3+ are unstable. This leads to different film morphologies and structures. Compositions of these films were characterized using energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In addition, foam films of polymer/Eu 3+ /2,2′-bipyridine (bpy) were fabricated using this approach, and their photoluminescence properties were investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Composite films with different structures were formed at the liquid/liquid interface. [•] These films are composed of diblock or triblock copolymers and inorganic species. [•] PS-b-P4VP/Au and PS-b-P4VP/Ag have honeycomb and foam structure, respectively. [•] P4VP-b-PS-b-P4VP/Au forms a free-standing film with a nanosphere array structure. [•] Co-adsorption and self-assembly of polymer and the ions lead to the film formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Composite films with honeycomb structure were formed at the liquid/liquid interface. [•] These films are composed of block copolymer PS-b-P2VP and Ag+ or ions. [•] Co-adsorption and self-assembly of polymer and the ions lead to the film formation. [•] Transformed metal nanoparticles exhibit high and durable catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Free-standing films of poly(2-vinylpyridine) doped with Ag+ ions were fabricated at the planar liquid/liquid interface of an aqueous solution of AgNO3 and a chloroform solution of the polymer through adsorption of the polymer molecules, combination with Ag+ ions, and self-assembly of the composite species. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) investigations indicated that the films were composed of planar thin layers decorated with separated microcapsules and foam structures of conglutinated microcapsules, and no Ag nanoparticles formed in the pristine films. After UV-light irradiation and KBH4 aqueous solution treatment, Ag nanoparticles with the average size of 3.2nm appeared and incorporated in the polymer matrices. X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and UV–vis spectra are consistent with the TEM observations. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed good thermal stability of the composite films. The silver content was estimated to be 24.0% from the TG curve, closing to the calculated value. The catalytic performance of the composite films was evaluated by using the reduction of nitro-compounds, including nitrobenzene, 4-nitrophenol, and 4-nitrobenzoic acid by KBH4 in aqueous solutions. The results indicated that the composite films have high and durable catalytic activity. The apparent reaction constants are related to the size of the nitro-compounds, suggesting that the Ag nanoparticles were incorporated in the matrices, and the diffusion of the reactant molecules has a great influence on the catalytic reaction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Regular one-dimensional (1D) parallel chains composed of CdS nanoparticles with cubic zinc blende crystal structure were prepared at the air/water interface via one-step synthesis and assembly process. These nanostructures were produced through an interfacial reaction between Cd2+ ions in the aqueous solution of cadmium acetate and H2S in the gaseous phase under Langmuir monolayers of 10,12-pentacosadiynoic acid (PDA). It was demonstrated that PDA molecules self-assembled into parallelly aligned linear supermolecules at the air/water interface with the aid of π–π interactions and acted as templates for the formation of the superstructures. The experimental conditions including temperature and reaction time have great influences on the superstructure formation and the parameters of the parallel chains. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Gold nanoparticle-doped poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P2VP) microcapsules and foam films were synthesized and assembled at the P2VP chloroform solution/HAuCl4 aqueous solution interface at 25°C. It was found that Au nanoparticles with the average diameter of 2.1nm were homogeneously embedded in and adsorbed on the walls of the capsules and foams, the nanoparticles were composed of Au(0) and Au(III) with the molar ratio of about 75/25, and the mass percent of Au elements was measured to be 19.65%. The formation of the nanostructures was attributed to the self-assembly of P2VP at the liquid/liquid interface, the simultaneous reduction of ions by a small amount of ethanol in the chloroform and adsorption of ions. After irradiated by UV-light for 1h, the average diameter of the nanoparticles was found to be 2.2nm, and the ions were transformed to Au(0) completely. The catalytic performance of these composite nanostructures were evaluated by using the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) by potassium borohydride in aqueous solutions. The catalytic activity was very high in the first cycle, decreased rapidly and slightly in the second and third cycles, respectively, due to the aggregation of some nanoparticles, and stabilized after the third cycle. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]