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In the current research wear behaviour of nano B4C particles with Al2214 alloy composites were studied. Al2214 alloy with 2 to 6 varying weight percentages of nano B4C particles composites were developed using stir cast route. Further, these developed composites were evaluated for the microstructural studies using SEM and EDS. The wear behaviour of Al2214 alloy and Al2214 with 2, 4 and 6 wt% of nano B4C composites were analysed using pin-on-disc wear apparatus. The dry wear tests were conducted at various loads and sliding speeds with 2500 m sliding distance as a constant parameter. The microstructural explanations revealed the thorough circulation of nano particles in the Al2214 alloy matrix, further the boron carbide particles were confirmed in the composites in the form of boron and carbon components. The Al2214 alloy with nano B4C composites displayed the greater wear resistance properties. The applied load and speed were impacted the wear of as cast alloy and its composites. Various wear mechanisms were identified by using SEM images of wear surfaces.

Featuring exceptional mechanical and functional performance, MWCNTs and graphene (nano)platelets (GNPs or GnPs; each platelet below 10 ​nm in thickness) have been increasingly used for the development of polymer nanocomposites. Since MWCNTs are now cost-effective at US$30 per kg for industrial applications, this work starts by briefly reviewing the disentanglement and surface modification of MWCNTs as well as the properties of the resulting polymer nanocomposites. GNPs can be made through the thermal treatment of graphite intercalation compounds followed by ultrasonication; GNPs would have lower cost yet higher electrical conductivity over 1,400 ​S ​cm−1 than MWCNTs. Through proper surface modification and compounding techniques, both types of fillers can reinforce or toughen polymers and simultaneously add anti-static performance. A high ratio of MWCNTs to GNPs would increase the synergy for polymers. Green, solvent-free systhesis methods are desired for polymer nanocomposites. Perspectives on the limitations, current challenges and future prospects are provided Refereed/Peer-reviewed

There is great interest in so-called nano-electronic devices due to the furious rate of device miniaturization. Fabrica-tion of micro and nano scale resistors and capacitors have already been achieved steadily, but so far, there has been little development in the way of nano-scale coil inductors. This is because of the physical limitations in miniaturiza-tion of the design of a solenoid with wires coiled around a metallic core. So, while transistors get steadily smaller, basic inductors in electronics remained relatively bulky. Few methods exist for creating conductive polymer coils and graphene-based kinetic nano-inductors, but their large-scale fabrication process is complex and mostly beyond the current commercial technology available. So, a simpler, scalable, and robust fabrication technique is needed to overcome this bottleneck. In this work we demonstrate a new technique consisting of the laser lithography using a laser engraver of a (poly)vinyl alcohol (PVA)/graphene oxide film composite which results in a large inductive effect. We attribute this behavior to the formation of high curvature twisted screw dislocation type conductive pathways composed of polyacetylene chains linked by pi-pi interactions to reduced graphene oxide flakes resulting in inductive effect.

Nano-TATB was developed in microchannels by physical method and chemical method, respectively. The effects of total flow rate, number of microreactor plates, solvent/non-solvent ratio and temperature on the particle size of TATB in the physical method were studied. Prepared TATB were characterized by Nano Sizer, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Specific surface aperture analyzer, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Differential Scanning Calorimetry. The results show that the TATB obtained by physical method and chemical method are spherical, with average particle size of 130.66 nm and 108.51 nm, respectively. Specific surface areas of TATB obtained by physical and chemical methods are 21.37 m2/g and 21.91 m2/g, respectively. Compared with the specific surface area of micro-TATB (0.0808 m2/g), the specific surface area of nano-TATB is significantly increased. DSC test results show that the smaller the particle size of TATB, the lower the thermal decomposition temperature. In addition, by simulating the mixing state of fluid in microchannels and combining with the classical nucleation theory, the mechanism of preparing nano-TATB by microchannels was proposed.

The properties of viscose\TiO2 and viscose\TiO2\germanium dioxide (GeO2) are investigated and compared. The elemental mapping analysis using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) shows the excellent distribution of nanomaterials, while the energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) confirms its existence. The 500 s cycle of rubbing test indicates that the abrasion resistance of treated samples improves significantly. In addition, the doping of nano GeO2 enhances the strength of the treated samples. Furthermore, the thermal behavior of the treated samples, characterized by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), results in a higher crystallization temperature and doping GeO2 increases the thermal properties of viscose in comparison with nano TiO2. The study of ultraviolet blocking indicates that doping GeO2 can improve the transmission of ultraviolet even from TiO2.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting using solar energy holds great promise for the renewable energy future, and a key challenge in the development of industry viable PEC devices is the unavailability of high-efficient photoanodes. Herein, we designed a TiO2 model photocatalyst with nano-groove pattern and different surface orientation using low-energy Ar+ irradiation and photoetching of TiO2, and significantly improved the intrinsic activity for PEC water oxidation. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy directly manifests that the grooves consist of highly stepped surface with steps and well-crystallized. Transient absorption spectroscopy reveals the groove surface that allows for increased recovery lifetime, which ensures promoted electron-hole separation efficiency. Surface photovoltage directly shows the carrier separation and transportation behaviors, verified by selective photodeposition, demonstrating the groove surface on TiO2 contributes to electron-hole separation. This work proposes an efficient and scalable photoanode strategy, which potentially can open new opportunities for achieving efficient PEC water oxidation performance.

Volumetric solar evaporations by using light-absorbing nanoparticles suspended in liquids (nanofluids) as solar absorbers have been widely regarded as one of the promising solutions for clean water production because of its high efficiency and low capital cost compared to traditional solar distillation systems. Nevertheless, previous solar evaporation systems usually required highly concentrated solar irradiation and high capital cost, limiting the practical application on a large scale. Herein, for the first time in this work, polydopamine (PDA)-capped nano Fe3O4 (Fe3O4@PDA) nanofluids were used as solar absorbers in a volumetric system for solar evaporation. The introduction of organic PDA to nano Fe3O4 highly contributed to the high light-absorbing capacity of over 85% in wide ranges of 200–2400 nm because of the existence of numerous carbon bonds and pi (π) bonds in PDA. As a result, high evaporation efficiency of 69.93% under low irradiation of 1.0 kW m−2 was achieved. Compared to other nanofluids, Fe3O4@PDA nanofluids also provided an advantage in high unit evaporation rates. Moreover, Fe3O4@PDA nanofluids showed excellent reusability and recyclability owing to the preassembled nano Fe3O4, which significantly reduced the material consumptions. These results demonstrated that the Fe3O4@PDA nanofluids held great promising application in highly efficient solar evaporation.

The effect of nano diamond (ND) content on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and thermal conductivity of ZK60+x (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2 wt%) ND composites were investigated. The microstructures of ND/ZK60 composites were observed, which indicated that the nanoscale MgZn2 and ND particles distributed evenly in the α-Mg matrix. The tensile yield strength (TYS) and compressive yield strength (CYS) of the composites first increased remarkably and then decreased with further increasing the ND content. Due to the surface area of the matrix-diamond interface increased and the grains sizes of composites decreased with the amount of ND increase, which cause the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the composites reduced significantly. Meanwhile, the thermal conductivity of the composite material decreases from 129 W·m − 1·K − 1 to 116 W·m − 1·K − 1 with the content of ND increasing from 0.05% to 2.0%. The thermal conductivity of the composites increases to the maximum and then decrease with the increase of temperature (in temperature range of 273 - 573 K). The ZK60+0.05 ND showed superior mechanical and thermal conductivity property, TYS of 343.97 MPa, CYS of 341.74 MPa, elongation of 15.71%, CTE of 7.3 × 10−6 K − 1, and thermal conductivity of 129 W·m − 1·K − 1 at room temperature. It is demonstrated that the ND content has an obvious influence on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and thermal conductivity of ND/ZK60 composites.

The SnO2 and CrO4-SnO2 nanocomposite material prepared by co-precipitation method and sonication technique and nanocomposite material characterized by HR-SEM and HR-TEM result demonstrate that the initial nano-flower and nano spherical-shaped structure for the nanocomposite material. The EDX analysis confirms that Cr, Sn and O are present from nano photocatalyst. The X-ray XRD study catalyst are fine crystallized among that little surface areas and to gives high crystalline size by HR-TEM images, The PL measured low intensity and UV–Vis DRS calculated low band gap energy also result as conformed high photocatalytic activity on by Trypan Blue (TB) dye at CrO4-SnO2 nanocomposite material. The prepared CrO4-SnO2 nanocomposite material high efficiency of photocatalyst that of SnO2 under UV and solar-Light irradiation and mechanism has been discussed and high current produced from DSSCS application of, electrochemical industrial was done; prepared nanocomposite material was stability and reusability of photocatalyst.

Modulating the activation state and degree of macrophages still remains as a challenge for the topographical design of Ti-based implants. In this work, micro/nano-structured coatings were prepared on Ti substrates by micro-arc oxidation (MAO) and subsequent hydrothermal (HT) treatment. By varying the HT conditions, plate-like nano-structures with an average length of 80, 440 or 780 nm were obtained on MAO-prepared micro-topographical surfaces. Depending on the dimensional features of nano-plates, the specimens were noted as Micro, Micro/Nano-180, Micro/Nano-440 and Micro/Nano-780, respectively. The in vitro results showed that the activation state and degree of macrophages could be effectively modulated by the micro/nano-structured surfaces with various dimensional features. Compared to the Micro surface, the Micro/Nano-180 surface activated both M1 and M2 phenotype in macrophages, while the Micro/Nano-440 and Micro/Nano-780 surfaces polarized macrophages to their M1 phenotype. The activation degree of M1 macrophages followed the trend: Micro

Lead free and environment friendly, light absorbing material is in high demand for the photovoltaic perovskite solar cell devices. The double perovskite La2NiMnO6 have the centre of attention for this demand. The present review is focused to discuss briefly the progress and challenges in the structural and magnetic properties of La2NiMnO6 in bulk, nano and thin film phases. The structural changes of La2NiMnO6 are highly interesting and have the direct correlation with the magnetic properties. On the basis of these transformations in the structure, efforts have been made to discuss several scientific progresses into technical novelties. This short review article is critically dedicated on reviewing the progresses, openings, and upcoming challenges in perovskite solar cell devices.

With the high competition in market, the increase in quality and reliability of gas sensors is highly desirable. Compatible gas sensors having high precision, high sensitivity, economical have attracted a lot of attention. For good gas sensing, research on sensing material have been broadly focused. An improvement in Nano technology and use of different materials has led to the development of efficient and effective gas sensors. The Nano- materials manifest properties that are incomparable with the granular polycrystalline counterpart. With the advancement in Micro and Nano technology, micro-sized gas sensors have been developed with great sensing performance. For detection of toxic gases various techniques are available but solid state gas sensors offer a wide spectrum of materials and their sensitivities towards various types of gases. Of all the solid state gas sensing materials, semiconductor metal oxide nanostructures are more preferable due to the stability of their oxides, high response, low cost for fabrication, response to wide range of chemicals etc. They are cost effective, reliable, and robust and have quick response time. In this paper we have studied about the semiconductor metal oxide gas sensors. The effects due to morphological structure on sensing properties are also discussed. The existing detailed literature survey on techniques and mechanisms for the nanostructures and their gas sensing ability are also involved.

In this new era, reducing engine wear and improving fuel efficiency of an engine have made nanotechnology to spread its wings to next level. Furthermore, the usage of nanoparticles as additives in lubricants repels in enhancing the engine properties (performance). In this regards, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) with 70 nm particle size has been employed as additives by dispersing (0.025 vol%) of hBN in SAE 20 W50 Military grade diesel based engine oil. The physicochemical properties of the nano additives (hBN) were examined using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), physical stability observation test and zeta potential analysis. The tribological performance of the hBN as nano additives in SAE 20 W50 engine oil was investigated using ASTM standard four-ball tribotester. From the tribological testing, coefficient of friction (COF) and wear rate of the nano additives was determined by measuring the wear scar diameter and smoothness of the worn surface on ball bearings. The tribological results reveal that 20.5% and 9.47% of improvement in Coefficient of Friction (COF) and Wear Scar Diameter (WSD) in hBN as compared with bare engine oil. Thus the outcome of this experiment revealed that, there is a significant rate of reduction in COF and wear rate of engine oil with hBN nanoparticles compared to engine oil without the additives.

The present work reports the synthesis of nano pure ZnO and Mn-doped ZnO in an Eco-approach using seed extract of Cassia angustifolia for the removal of methylene blue. The aqueous Phyto-molecules helps in the reduction of metal precursor to nano-photocatalyst zinc oxide and the changes in absorbance was noted in UV-DRS for varying the parameters to get optimized. Different concentrated dopant material manganese sulphate (0.001 M, 0.003 M, and 0.005 M) was introduced on ZnO to enhance the optical absorption and to generate a new Fermi level. The XRD data exhibit the same wurtzite pattern for pure ZnO and Mn-doped ZnO samples. The slight shift in peak positions was noted in Mn-doped ZnO samples compared to pure ZnO without additional peaks determines the incorporation of Mn2+ ions in the lattice of ZnO NPs. The peak appearance in FT-IR denotes the bond formation among functional groups and metal oxide. The structural morphology of ZnO and Mn-doped ZnO was observed in Field Emission Scanning Electron microscopy. The elemental composition of Mn in ZnO was predicted in the EDAX. The High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) denotes the reduced size and altered the crystallinity of ZnO when Mn was introduced as the dopant in the green route. The effective photocatalytic activity of nano ZnO, Mn-doped ZnO achieves 84 and 95% decoloration of water pollutant Methylene blue (MB) dye with H2O2 and UV radiation by changing parameters like dye concentration, amount of catalyst, and pH. Results from this study suggest that the nano- Mn-doped ZnO photocatalyst can be advantageous for dye removal compared to pure ZnO. The green synthesized Mn-doped ZnO using Cassia angustifolia seed might considerable for treating dye contaminated water and supports in water remediation.

Boron Nitride (BN) nanostructures have triggered extensive interest in various applications, be it field emitters, catalysts, adsorbents and bio-imaging, etc. It is essential but challenging to fabricate delicate BN structures of appreciable variability via exquisite yet scalable ways. We report herein the design of hierarchical BN nanobelt networks via a temperature-mediated assembly strategy. The precursor supramolecular architectures assembled from melamine and boric acid, which underwent different cooling procedures during their formation process, could be converted to hierarchical BN nanoribbons with varied width. Interestingly, the stacking of tiny crystals in BN nanobelts varies from a clearly demarcated pattern to an ambiguous state. Such tailorable micro-topology may offer opportunities for the unveiling of unique phenomena stemming from special inner organizations. This work allows the scalable production and the resultant hierarchical BN nanoribbon networks could exist in different states - powder, film and 3D aerogel forms, which facilitate their fitting into various scenarios.

We model a macromolecule as an infinitely long Gaussian semi-flexible polymer chain and the conformations of the chain were realized in the nano cube using a cubic lattice. A modified version of the recursion relations is used to calculate the grand canonical partition function of the chain to investigate distinct thermo-dynamical properties of the nano polymer aggregate than corresponding bulk behaviour of the macromolecule. Our analytical estimates on the thermodynamical properties of the macromolecule clearly show that the nano aggregate of the polymer chain has interesting and distinct conformational statistics than its corresponding bulk state, and the method described in the present report can be easily extend to investigate the thermodynamics of the selfavoiding polymer chain in the nano dimensions., 08 Pages

In this paper, a novel Cu-1.5Ni-1.1Co-0.6Si-0.1Cr (wt.%) alloy with high strength and electrical conductivity was designed. After aging, excellent properties of 857±12 MPa yield strength, 300±8 HV microhardness, 42.8 ± 2.5% IACS conductivity, and 7 ± 0.5% elongation were obtained. According to the atomic structure, part of Ni atoms in Ni2Si can be replaced by Co atoms to form nano-precipitates (Ni, Co)2Si. The alloy's high strength and conductivity are mainly attributed to the fine and uniformly distributed (Ni, Co)2Si and Cr nano precipitates. The alloy strength was also enhanced by twins, dislocations, and grain refining strengthening. Based on the investigations of deformation microstructure and the orientation relationship between the (Ni, Co)2Si precipitates and the Cu matrix, the main reason for elongation increase is attributed to the formation of deformation twins and the small lattice mismatch strain at the coherent interfaces of precipitates and the Cu matrix.

Most current nanoparticle formulations have relatively low clearance efficiency, which may hamper their likelihood for clinical translation. Herein, we sought to compare the clearance and cellular distribution profiles between sub-5 nm, renally-excretable silver sulfide nanoparticles (Ag(2)S-NPs) synthesized via either a bulk, high temperature, or a microfluidic, room temperature approach. We found that the thermolysis approach led to significant ligand degradation, but the surface coating shell was unaffected by the microfluidic synthesis. We demonstrated that the clearance was improved for Ag(2)S-NPs with intact ligands, with less uptake in the liver. Moreover, differential distribution in hepatic cells was observed, where Ag(2)S-NPs with degraded coatings tend to accumulate in Kupffer cells and those with intact coatings are more frequently found in hepatocytes. Therefore, understanding the impact of synthetic processes on ligand integrity and subsequent nano-biointeractions will aid in designing nanoparticle platforms with enhanced clearance and desired distribution profiles.

Exosomal miRNAs, as potential biomarkers in liquid biopsy for cancer early diagnosis, have aroused widespread concern. Herein, an electrochemical biosensor based on DNA “nano-bridge” was designed and applied to detect exosomal microRNA-21 (miR-21) derived from breast cancer cells. In brief, the target miR-21 can specifically open the hairpin probe 1(HP1) labeled on the gold electrode (GE) surface through strand displacement reaction. Thus the exposed loop region of HP1 can act as an initiator sequence to activate the hybridization chain reaction (HCR) between two kinetically trapped hairpin probes: HP2 immobilized on the GE surface and biotin labeled HP3 in solution. Cascade HCR leads to the formation of DNA “nano-bridge” tethered to the GE surface with a great deal of “piers”. Upon addition of avidin-modified horseradish peroxidase (HRP), numerous HRP were bound to the formed “nano-bridge” through biotin-avidin interaction to arouse tremendous current signal. In theory, only a single miR-21 is able to trigger the continuous HCR between HP2 and HP3 until all of the HP2 are exhausted. Therefore the proposed biosensor achieved ultrahigh sensitivity toward miR-21 with the detection limit down to 168 amol/L, as well as little cross-hybridization even at the single-base-mismatched level. Successful attempts were also made in the detection of exosomal miR-21 obtained from the MCF-7 of breast cancer cell line. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to built horizontal DNA nano-structure on the electrode surface for exosomal miRNAs detection. In a word, the high sensitivity, selectivity, low cost make the proposed method hold great potential application for early point-of-care (POC) diagnostics of cancer.

Lithium titanium oxide (Li2TiO3) tritium breeder ceramic plates with nano- and coarse-grain size were fabricated. The preparation methods contained CTAB-modifying precursor, combining dry-pressing with isostatically cold-pressing, and calcinating at optimized sintering temperature in turn. Then their properties were characterized after radiation by 280 keV helium (He+) ion. Extensive characterization analyses were performed to reveal the changes in nano-grained and coarse-grained Li2TiO3 after radiation. They contained glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), electron spin resonance (ESR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed as follows, GIXRD peak position of the nano-grained Li2TiO3 was more stable than the coarse-grained Li2TiO3 after radiation. Nano-grained Li2TiO3 was less rough and swollen than the coarse-grained one after radiation. Nano-grained Li2TiO3 had more excellent structural stability and less defect concentration of Eʹ-center after radiation. As a result, nano-grained Li2TiO3 might have much better radiation tolerance than the coarse-grained one by comparing characterization results.

Self-healing conductive elastomers have been widely used in smart electronic devices, such as wearable sensors. However, nano fillers hinder the flow of polymer segments, which make the development of conductive elastomer with rapid repair and high ductility a challenge. In this work, thioctic acid (TA) was grafted onto amino-modified polysiloxane (PDMS-NH2) by dehydration condensation of amino group and carboxyl group. By introducing gold nanoparticles, a dynamic network based on S-Au interaction was constructed. The dynamic gold cross-linking could effectively dissipate the energy exerted by external force and improve the extensibility of conductive elastomer. In addition, S-Au interaction had a good optothermal effect, so that the elastomer rapidly healed under NIR irradiation, and the repair efficiency reached 92%. We further evaluated the performance of the conductive elastomer as a strain sensor. The sample could accurately monitor the bending of human joints and small muscle state changes. This kind of self-healable conductive elastomer based on dynamic S-Au interaction has great potential in the fields of interpersonal interaction and health monitoring.

As the demand for high energy-density and safe Li-based batteries, the development of composite solid polymer electrolytes (CSPEs) with high ionic conductivity and high electrochemical stability are significant. Herein, the amorphous infinite coordination polymer (ICP) nano-network of Ce-coordinate polyphenol ellagic acid (EACe2) is introduced into PEO matrix to achieve highly endurable Li metal batteries (LMBs). Different from conventional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with discrete crystalline grains, ICP network with high interconnectivity and self-assembly capability enables the better penetration effect and multi-scale interaction of filler in PEO. EACe2 nano-filler promotes the improvement of ionic conductivity and Li-ion transference number of CSPEs, as well as the construction of robust solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) with the concentration of LiF, Li2O and Li2S, leading to ultrastable and kinetically favorable Li/Li cells with dendrite-mitigated cycling over 8800 h. The low interfacial resistances (16 Ω cm2 and 20.5 Ω cm2 for CSPE-EACe2/Li and CSPE-EACe2/LiFePO4 respectively) can achieve highly reversible Li/LiFePO4 cells (with capacities of 102.6 mAh g−1 after 2000 cycles at 0.5 C and 103.2 mAh g−1 after 1200 cycles at 1 C). This CSPE-EACe2 membrane also enables the tolerance of high-voltage cathode (LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2, up to 4.3 V), room temperature operation, and ultrathin thickness (25-μm-thick). Download : Download high-res image (232KB) Download : Download full-size image

Nanoparticle-decorated graphene oxide (NP-GO) nanohybrids hold great promise in a wide range of technologies due to their remarkable synergistic properties. However, a fundamental challenge in the design of NP-GO-based materials is manipulating their dispersion during processing to develop target nano- and microstructures towards the desired performance of the end-products. Herein, we report a combined experimental and molecular dynamic simulation approach to identifying the key underlying mechanisms associated with dispersion of nanohybrids in aqueous solutions, adopting 2D nanosilica-coated GO (GOS) hybrids as a representative NP-GO. Compared with the reference GO, which agglomerated in various aqueous solutions (different ion types and concentrations), GOS exhibited excellent dispersion stability regardless of solution used. The nanosilica protected the GO sheets from detrimental chemical reactions, such as structural degradation and cross-linking with cations, enabling deprotonation to provide electrostatic repulsion corresponding to Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory. In addition, the nanosilica decoration acted as a physical barrier that altered the aggregation morphology of the nanohybrid, by encapsulating water molecules between the nanosheets, resulting in a low-density 3D architecture in solution. These results elucidated the fundamental mechanisms governing GOS dispersion in aqueous solutions to provide insight to the design and manufacture of NP-GO-based materials with desired behaviours.

Organic-inorganic hybrid materials provide a desirable platform for the development of novel functional materials. Here, we report the one-pot synthesis of mesoporous hybrid nanospheres by the in-situ sol-gel condensation of tetraethoxysilane around surfactant micelle-confined nano covalent organic polymer (nanoCOP) colloids. The hybrid nanospheres containing nanoCOPs uniformly distributed in the mesosilica network, inherited the visible light responsive properties of the nanoCOPs. The turnover frequency of the hybrid nanospheres is almost 12 times that of its corresponding bulk COP counterpart for the photocatalytic reductive dehalogenation of α-bromoacetophenone, which is attributed to activation of the Hantzsch ester reductant by the hydroxyl group. The existence of a volcano relationship between the activity and nanoCOP/mesosilica ratio confirmed the synergistic effect between nanoCOP and mesosilica. Our preliminary results suggest that hybridization of semiconductors and reactant-activating materials is an efficient strategy for enhancing the activity of a catalyst for photocatalysis.

Low dimension nano photocatalysts show great potential in the field of treating contaminated water for their large surface area and size effect. In this study, a 0D/1D AgI/MoO3 Z-scheme photocatalyst with striking photocatalytic performance was constructed successfully. The one-dimensional MoO3 nanobelts were prepared by a simple hydrothermal method, and then it was modified by AgI nanoparticles in a handy deposition approach. When choosing sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) as the target contaminant, the rate constant value of the optimal 0D/1D AgI/MoO3 composite could hit up to 0.13 min−1, which is nearly 22.4 times and 32.5 times as that of pure MoO3 (0.0058 min−1) and AgI (0.0040 min−1), respectively. A series of detailed characterizations give evidences that the charge transfer in the composite followed Z scheme mechanism. Therefore, efficient separation/transfer and the remained high redox activity of photogenerated carriers played a vital role in the sharply enhanced photocatalytic properties. The possible degradation pathways of SMZ were proposed based on the intermediates detected by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Meanwhile, the magnificent cyclic stability makes the material a promising material in the practical application.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries based on elemental sulfur cathodes require the use of highly reactive metallic Li or Li alloy anodes in cell constructions. In order to match with safer Li-free anodes, lithium sulfide (Li2S) has been studied as a promising alternative cathode material for lightweight Li and Li-ion batteries. However, intrinsically high electrical resistance, large first charge barrier, dissolution during cycling and polysulfide shuttle limit the electrochemical performance of Li2S. In this review, we discuss various approaches for producing Li2S-based nano- and micron-scale composite particles and standalone electrodes aiming to overcoming such challenges. In addition, we discuss strategies for electrolyte optimizations. Finally, we share our perspective on the gaps between the state-of-the art research demonstrations and the requirements for successful mass-market commercialization.

An early step of evaluating a nanomaterial’s potential for biological applications is investigating its interactions with cells and biological fluids. These experiments generate complex data, which...

By taking advantage of the low sintering temperatures of the preceramic polymers, stereolithography printed mullite components derived from preceramic polymer precursor containing alumina particles can be sintered at low temperatures. However, due to their high specific surface, nano alumina particles are difficult to be dispersed into the photocurable polysiloxane. Herein, to prepare mullite slurry, a photosensitive hydroxysiloxane was employed as the preceramic polymer matrix while γ-Al2O3 nanoparticle was added as the active filler. The introduction of photocurable hydroxysiloxane not only improved the homogeneity and rheological properties of mullite slurry but also shorted the ionic diffusion distance of Si-ion and Al-ion during the sintering process. Therefore, 3D mullite preceramic precursor stereolithography printed from hydroxysiloxane-Al2O3 slurry was endowed with a low sintering temperature around 1400 °C. During the sintering process of preceramic precursor, sintering aid AlF3 can participate in the reaction and further promote the formulation of mullite grains.

Catalytic performance is influenced by the effective gas diffusivity in a heterogeneous catalyst. The diffusivity is dependent on the microstructure of the catalyst. Therefore, the microstructure of a catalyst must be characterized, and the effective gas diffusivity should be predicted using the microstructural properties. Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) is a popular technique to characterize microstructure and subsequently predict the effective gas diffusivity with the random pore model (RPM) using the MIP results. However, this methodology cannot be used for multilayered catalysts such as automotive catalysts due to the difficulty of microstructure characterization. Three-dimensional (3D) image analysis is expected to be an informative technique to characterize the porous structure of multilayered catalysts because each layer can be analyzed independently. In this research, X-ray nano computed tomography (nano-CT), 3D-transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and MIP were employed to characterize porous Al2O3 pellet samples. A series of samples with different microstructures were prepared. The effective diffusion coefficient of CO2 was evaluated experimentally for each sample. The effective diffusion coefficient was also predicted with the RPM or by simulation. Pore properties obtained by MIP were applied for the RPM. 3D images obtained by nano-CT and 3D-TEM were used for application of the simulation. A strong correlation between the experimentally evaluated effective diffusion coefficient and the predicted diffusion coefficients was thus confirmed.

Various novel carbonaceous materials including carbon nanotubes, nano-onions, carbon microspheres, graphene nanosheets, and carbon microfibers with unique properties, such as tunable surface area and pore size, high chemical stability, cost-effective and facile preparation, have attracted enormous interest for many applications. Also essential, the activation processes play a critical role to achieve these valuable properties. In this review, we provide a thorough analysis of the emerging nano- and microscopic carbon species with special morphology/textures and currently available types of chemical activation agents, and novel activation strategy to enhance electrochemical performance of activated carbon material in electrical energy storage devices including supercapacitor and alkaline ions batteries. A particular emphasis is set on recent advance in activated carbon materials with special morphology/textures for supercapacitors and sodium ion batteries.

Nanoparticles with high reactivity can be applied as amendments to remediate soil metal contaminations by immobilizing toxic elements. Nano-oxides of Fe have been studied but Al and Ti nano-oxides have not been tested for their remediation capacity of toxic metals. The potential of synthesized iron (Fe-O), aluminum (Al-O), and titanium (Ti-O) nano-oxides for stabilizing Cd, Pb, and Zn in mine spoil (Chat) and contaminated soil was compared using adsorption studies and a greenhouse experiment. Chat and soil were amended with nano-oxides at two rates (25 and 50 g·kg−1) and a pot experiment was conducted with sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench). Leachates were collected twice per week from plant emergence to harvest at maturity and metals were compared against an unamended control. Chat was contaminated with Cd, Pb, and Zn at 84, 1583, and 6154 mg·kg−1, and soil at 15, 1260, and 3082 mg·kg−1, respectively. Adsorption conformed to the Langmuir linear isotherm and adsorption maxima of metals were in the order of Al-O > Ti-O ≥ Fe-O. Nano-oxides reduced Cd concentration by 28% (Fe-O) to 87% (Ti-O) and Zn concentration by 14% (Fe-O) to 85% (Al-O) in plant tissues compared with unamended Chat. Nano-oxides significantly reduced Cd, Pb, and Zn in leachates and available Cd and Zn in Chat/soil relative to the respective unamended controls. Nano-oxides can be used to remediate heavy metal contaminated Chat and soil and facilitate plant growth under proper nutrient supplements. Nano-oxides of Al-O and Ti-O remediated metals more effectively than Fe-O.

Nano-/microplastics (NP) is a human-made emerging contaminant with worldwide occurrence. The small size (below one micrometer), the different chemical nature and the persistence make NP to potential hazards with suspect probability of tissue penetration and inflammation or as accumulator for toxins. A strategy to stop the spill of novel NP is the remediation from waste water or rivers as prominent distributors. We have developed core–shell superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) that attract NP and glue them to larger agglomerates which then can be removed from water by applying an external magnetic field. The shell molecules provide two interaction motifs towards NP. The tuned surface potential of the functionalized SPIONs attract complementary charged NP efficiently and the n-alkyl chain is dedicated to preferential interaction towards organic NP rather than inorganic particles. Structural analytics and molecular dynamics simulation support the proposed concept. Systematic remediation experiments with different NP (chemical structures, sizes and mixtures), from different waters – including river water – and with different SPION core materials indicate a universal validity of the concept, with best remediation performance for mixed NP. We suggest a method for broadband remediation of various NP with simple materials and processes, which both have the potential to be up-scaled.

The wettability of materials used in the production of devices employed in various technological domains have attracted significant attentions. Therefore, it is important to design the surfaces of these materials such that they can provide the required surface free energy and simplify the interfacial structure. Herein, various Cu films with a highly controllable surface wettability and a wide range of contact angles ranging from 6° to 152° were fabricated, and the corresponding mechanism was discussed. A wide range of wettability was realized by controlling the surface structure of the Cu film. The nanogap structure of the vertical nanowire-array film led to a high surface free energy. Similarly, the oblique nanowire-array film increased the surface free energy; however, the surface free energy was dependent on the size of the nanowires rather than on the nanogaps owing to the crystallinity of the film. Additionally, cluster-nanowire-array films were designed to realize a wettability transition from hydrophilicity to hydrophobicity with a constant surface free energy. The Cu foam possessed a superhydrophilic surface owing to its high porosity, whereas the cluster-nanoparticle structure possessed a superhydrophobic surface. In addition, we noted that the structure-induced wettability played an important role in tuning the semiconductor and metal interfacial stress and simplifying the interfacial structure. Furthermore, the outstanding electrical conductivity of the Cu films indicates its promising potential as an electrode. The structure-induced wettability proposed in this study can be applied for a wide range of materials, particularly for films used for advanced applications.

Al–Cr substituted CoFe2O4 nano spinels (CoAlxCrxFe2−2xO4 where x = 0.1 to 0.6) were successfully prepared for the first time via sucrose sol–gel auto-combustion technique. The structural parameters as well as magnetic and electrical properties of the prepared ferrites have been investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed single-phase formation and showed a decrease in the calculated values of lattice parameters by substitution attributed to the difference in the ionic radii. Based on the obtained structural parameters, an appropriate cation distribution was proposed and discussed. In this distribution, most of Al3+ and Cr3+ ions preferred octahedral sites occupation however, small amount of Al3+ seek the tetrahedral sites. Accordingly, the magnetic characterization via vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) measurements revealed a decrease in the saturation magnetization (Ms) by successive substitution from 57.9 to 4.7 emu/g, indicating the incorporation of non-magnetic Al3+ and anti-ferromagnetic Cr3+ ions in the octahedral sites instead of Fe3+ ions. The much lower magnetization values obtained than that prepared by other methods could be attributed to the present lower sizes. The coercivity measurements indicated soft ferrimagnetic properties favoring their uses as high frequency transformers. Ac-conductivity as well as dielectric properties, as a function of frequency and temperature, indicated semiconducting behavior with decreasing trend by Al–Cr substitution due to decreasing in the Fe3+-Fe2+ hopping probability in octahedral sites. The obtained results suggest the using of the present materials in electronic inductors, electromagnets and transformers and microwave devices.

Magnesium (Mg) and its alloys have become a hot research topic in various industries owing to the specific physical and chemical properties. However, high corrosion rate is considered the key lifetime-limiting. Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) method is a simple strategy to deposit an oxide layer on the surface of light metals such as magnesium alloys, to control corrosion rate and promote some other properties, depending on their performances. Nevertheless, their features including their micropore size, distribution, and interconnectivity, and microcracks have not been improved to an acceptable level to support long-term performances of the magnesium-based substrates. Studies have introduced micro/nano-enabled approaches to enhance various properties of PEO coatings such as corrosion resistance, tribological properties, self-healing ability, bioactivity, biocompatibility, antibacterial properties, or catalytic performances. These strategies consist of incorporating of micro and nanoparticles into the PEO layers to produce multi-functional surfaces or the formation of multi-layered coatings to cover the defects of PEO coatings. In this perspective, the present paper aims to overview various nano/micro-enabled strategies to promote the properties of PEO coatings on magnesium alloys. The main focus is given to the functional changes that occurred in response to the incorporation of various types of nano/micro-structures into the PEO coatings on magnesium alloys.

Herein, 3D flower-like δ-MnO2, MXene and δ-MnO2/MXene in-situ hybrid (IH) composites were prepared (via hydrothermal and solution treatment methods) for the effective removal of Cr (VI) from the contaminated water. The effect of various experimental parameters including contact time, pH levels and initial Cr (VI) ions concentration was determined and compared under static conditions. The kinetics of Cr (VI) adsorption onto δ-MnO2, MXene, and IH confirmed the existence of a pseudo-second-order model. The obtained results reveal that the removal of Cr (VI) largely depends on the pH of the solution. The adsorption isotherm data fits best for Freundlich model, illustrating a multi-site adsorption mechanism of Cr (VI) ion on these adsorbents. The maximum Cr (VI) adsorption capacities onto δ-MnO2, MXene and IH are 235.65 mg g−1, 273.1 mg g−1 and 353.87 mg g−1, respectively. The study reveals that hetero-engineered approach of synthesizing transition metal oxides with MXenes provides abundant opportunities to remove contaminants from water with better efficiency due to reduction and electrostatic interaction.

In this endeavor, ultra-fine Ce oxide QDs were synthesized via an in-situ approach which itself was divided into two methods exploited to synthesize QDs on the GO nanosheets. Afterward, the obtained product was loaded into the Epoxy (EP) structure and finally applied on the surface. The results affirmed the presence of Ce oxide QDs and the quantum confinement effect in both samples. FT-IR analysis confirmed the presence of different functional groups such as C C and C H. UV–Vis outcome showed the interaction of GO nanosheets and CeO2 QDs. The morphology of the surface, QDs distribution on the GO nanosheets, shape, and particle sizes were explored using FESEM and HR-TEM. Lastly, the corrosion suppression of different coatings—pure EP, GO-only-containing EP, or EP loaded with quantum-dots-deposited GO synthesized by two methods—were compared and discussed in detail with the help of EIS and salt spray methods. The result showed that, in the scratched samples, the maximum Rct of 45,080 ohm.cm2 was reached when the QDs-modified GO, attaining via the first method, was employed. The overall result denoted the superior performance of the QDs-modified GO nanosheets embedded in the EP coating—most specifically the one synthesized with the first method.

Silicon-based hybrid solar cells (HSCs), especially PEDOT:PSS/Si HSC, have attracted the interest of researchers because they combine the advantages of organic and inorganic materials. A high quality PEDOT:PSS/Si heterojunction is the key to the good performance of PEDOT:PSS/Si HSC. However, as generally requisite to enhance light absorption for HSCs, Si Micro/Nano structures will reduce the interface contact quality between PEDOT:PSS and Si surface. The inferior interface contact quality will limit the separation efficiency of the photogenerated carriers. In this paper, we summarize the research progress in improving the interface contact between Si Micro/Nano structures and PEDOT:PSS film from three aspects: the optimization of Si Micro/Nano structures aimed to improve the fluid properties of PEDOT:PSS solution, the material modification of PEDOT:PSS and interface modification with the purpose to enlarge the heterojunction area and improve the electrical contact, and the specific deposition process of PEDOT:PSS solution developed to achieve the high filling rate of PEDOT:PSS on Si Micro/Nano structures. The insight of this paper is helpful for the preparation of high-quality heterojunction, which is vitally important for the development of high efficiency PEDOT:PSS/Si HSCs.

Green chemistry using ficus leaf extract has become an ecological technique and was used for preparing zerovalent iron nanoparticles (nZVFe). The Ficus benjamina nano-zero-valent iron (FB-nZVFe) was characterised by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The Orange G removal percentage (10 mg/l) reached 73% (0.3 g/l, 45 min and pH 4). The adsorption data agree more with the Langmuir model (R 2 = 0.9993), q max = 27.66 mg/g. The kinetic results showed that Orange G uptake follows a pseudo-second-order model. Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic studies are more appropriate in linear and non-linear models. In general, F. benjamina nZVFe is a promising green material for Orange G removal. The IBM SPSS Statistics software was used to investigate the effect of different operational parameters, they were found to account for more than 98% of the variables affecting the removal procedure.

A kind of novel suspended nano thin films that exhibit excellent thermoacoustic effects is introduced as a promising candidate and a new approach for acoustic wave generation without mechanical vibration. Although several analytical models have been established in the past to determine thermoacoustic fields and to aid design optimization, there still show many limitations. In particular, those analyses in the past are mostly only available for one-dimensional problems. In this paper, a new numerical approach based on the boundary element method (BEM) is developed for predicting acoustic fields excited from a suspended thermoacoustic (TA) nano thin film with an arbitrary three-dimensional configuration. To substantiate the numerical model, experimental studies on the thermoacoustic emission of carbon nanotube (CNT) thin films are performed to verify the proposed method and excellent agreement is observed. By using the numerical approach, the accuracy and applicability of two recently developed analytical models for suspended CNT thin films are evaluated and discussed in detail. Furthermore, the influence of irregular deformation of CNT thin films on the acoustic field is investigated.

Microbial fabrication is eco-friendly for nobel-metal catalysts typically used in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). In our study, nano-Pd electrocatalysts were successfully prepared by using three Shewanellas as precursors through hydrogen reduction (200 °C) and carbonization (800 °C). The analysis revealed that the catalysts showed outstanding ORR electrocatalytic performance via a predominant four-electron oxygen reduction pathway in alkaline medium. The best performance was obtained for Pd/HNC-32, which showed a mass activity at 0.526 A mg−1, 3.78 times higher than that of commercial Pd/C. Shewanella putrefaciens CN-32 was a more effective Pd-adsorbent. The enhanced performance can be ascribed to the small Pd-particle size and uniform dispersion on microbial support, which results from stronger hydrophilicity of Shewanella putrefaciens CN-32. The content of nitrogen is another key to the performance of Pd/HNC-32. This study developed a promising strategy for screening microbial strains for electrocatalyst fabrication.

Nanotechnology has immensely contributed for the treatment of contaminated water with the development of nano-adsorbents. In last few years, the demand of nano-adsorbents in the water industry has grown rapidly. Therefore, regeneration of utilized adsorbents has become a foremost issue as they are often hazardous. Different techniques for regeneration of adsorbents have been developed such as thermal, steam, chemical, microwave-assisted, electrochemical, and bio-regeneration. For this, different parameters and factors should be taken into account for efficient adsorbents regeneration such as pH, temperature and time. These applied regeneration strategies play a major role in the improvement of adsorbent’s lifetime, adsorption cycles and replacement rate. Moreover, recovery of precious metals can only be possible by desorption of the metals adsorbed through suitable regeneration techniques. Thus, regeneration can contribute towards the balance of ecology and environmental safety by enhancing the application cycles. This comprehensive review is an attempt to help the scientific community working on adsorption studies to take up research initiatives required to address the feasible recovery methods of adsorbed materials from the used adsorbents, to study the possible reuse of the desorbing agents, and to choose a suitable desorbing/regenerating agent for a particular application.

Hydroxyapatite (Hap) doped or embedded with silver has shown improved bactericidal properties, and its mechanical properties were greatly improved by doping or impregnating Hap with metals such as Magnesium or Zinc, or by impregnating Hap with metal oxides such as MgO, or ZnO. This work describes the preparation of Ag-ZnO-Hap nanocomposites with 4 different Ag-ZnO–Ca mole ratios. XRD, FTIR, SEM, and TEM analysis of all prepared materials identified Hap as the only crystalline phase present in all samples exhibiting a uniform rod-like morphology with particles in the 20–40 nm size range. Microwave Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectroscopy confirmed the presence of zinc and silver in all embedded Hap samples. The antibacterial activity was tested against two different strains; Escherichia coli (E. coli (MV10Nal), and Gram-negative Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A.a). The mechanical testing consisted of evaluating breaking force, work of fracture, and brittleness/ductility of Hap and Ag/ZnO/Hap composites. Our study clearly shows that reinforcing Hap with silver and zinc oxide yields superior bactericidal and mechanical properties.

BiVO4 is one of most promising photocatalytic materials. In order to avoid the pollution of NOx to the environment and high-cost during the traditional synthesis process. A novel and environmentally friendly process using liquid ball-milling one step synthesis BiVO4 via NaVO3 and Bi2O3 was first proposed. The Box-Behnken (BBD) design in response surface method (RSM) was used to optimize experimental factors affecting the conversion rate of Bi2O3. Synthesis of BiVO4 from Bi2O3 and NaVO3 is completely feasible through one-step liquid phase ball milling. The optimized values of temperature, time, NaVO3 concentration, liquid-solid ratio and ball material ratio was 77.3°C, 1.85 mol/L, 1.8 h, and 17.7, respectively, obtained the conversion ratio of Bi2O3 of 92.01%. Based on one-factor-at-a-time experiments, the conversion rate of Bi2O3 reached 91.0% under the optimum synthesis conditions (T=80 °C, t=2.0 h, CNaVO3=1.0 mol/L, L/S=20 mL/g and ball to material ratio=15). Compared with the preparation of BiVO4 without ball milling, the conversion rate of Bi2O3 is increased by 64.9% via liquid phase ball-milling. Characterization via TEM and SEM showed that BiVO4 had, dendritic shape, 200-300 nm diameter, bright yellow color, and satisfactory appearance.

A sodium-ion battery to use natural graphite is challenging due to the hard accessibility of sodium ions into graphite. Here, we report a plier-linked graphite network (PGN) with plier-like, conjugated active-molecule for sodium-ion battery anode. The newly designed PGN with conjugated linkers provides additional sodium-ion storage sites and sufficient nano-meter level wide two-dimensional spaces for sodium-ion access. The plier-linked graphite network (PDA-PGN) with 9,9-dihexylfluorene-2,7-diboronic acid (PDA) among variable linkers delivers the highest sodiation/desodiation capacity (298/245 mAh g−1), at approximately 10 times the level of graphite, while maintaining acceptable rate capability and stability, realizing 1.52 mAh cm−2 areal capacity with high electrode thickness (282 µm) and mass loading (7.8 mg cm−2). We revealed the knowledge of a major synergistic phenomenon between the conjugated PDA molecules and the nano-sized interlayer distance. Our PDA-PGN design added the new understanding to the alkali-metal ion storage and offers the production potential for low-cost and versatile electrodes.

Nano Zero-Valent Iron (nZVI) is a versatile nanomaterial that can not only efficiently remove contaminants in soil, but also improve the soil’s geotechnical strength by changing their physicochemical properties. Inert solid mineral particles are the most common ingredients in soils, they present universal surface modification after the nZVI treatment. This study presents an investigation on the morphological and mineral features of nZVI induced iron mineral precipitations on quartz particles. Lead was employed as the artificial contaminant, while quartz was used to mimic the inert solid mineral particles in soil. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Digital Image Analysis (DIA), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), laser particle size analyzer, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectrum were carried out for the characterization. The results indicate that iron minerals precipitated heterogeneously on the surface of quartz particles with plush-like and flake-like structure. They are made of deuterogenic plumbiferous minerals and ferriferous minerals. XRD analysis demonstrated that these minerals are amorphous. The curly flake-like mineral clusters were scatteredly distributed on the surface of quartz along with the of corroded nZVI aggregation. The thickness of the curly flake-like precipitation varied from 20 nm to 60 nm, and 20 nm to 35 nm for the plush-like precipitation. The generation of these iron mineral precipitations led to a slight increase in the average particle size and a decrease in the surface area of the soil. However, no clear difference in the shape and roughness of quartz was found after the nZVI treatment. This study is provided to improve the understanding of mass transfer from nZVI to inert solid particles in soil and its effect in soil improvement.

In this work, we present the characterization of Ti sheathed MgB $_2$ wires prepared by PIT with two different cross-sections: circular and hexagonal. We determined the crystallographic texture of both the Ti sheath and the MgB $_2$ core by X-ray diffraction (XRD) pole figures. We evaluated the critical current density ( $J_c$ ) of the wires in two different directions using a SQUID magnetometer, in order to determine the anisotropic factor of the current density ( $J_{af}$ ). We found that $J_{af}$ is larger than one and it is field independent for both wires, consistently with the increased probability to encounter the basal planes perpendicular to the axial direction ( $AD$ ) obtained in the crystallographic texture.

Hypothesis We show that one may employ polymer dewetting in solvent-non-solvent environment to obtain lithography-free fabrication of well-defined nano- to micro- scale polymer droplets arrays from pre-patterned polymer films. The polymer droplet pattern may be converted to a series of hybrid organic–inorganic and inorganic well-defined nano-patterns by using sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS). In particular, we scrutinize the physical parameters which govern the dewetting of flat and striped polymer thin films, which is the key to obtaining our objective of lithography-free ordered nano-patterns. Experiments We immerse polystyrene (PS) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) thin films in water in the presence of chloroform vapors. We study the ensuing polymer dewetting dynamics and the pattern formation of nanospheres by employing in-situ light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. We then investigate pattern formation by dewetting of polymer stripes, fabricated by directed solvent evaporation, and SIS of AlOx from vapor phase precursors, trimethyl aluminum (TMA) and H2O, within the nanosphere patterns. Findings We find that solvent- non-solvent environments render film dewetting rates, which are an order of magnitude faster than solvent vapor dewetting, and supports the formation of small solid polymer droplets, down to sub-100 nm droplet size, of large contact angles with the solid substrate. Pre-patterned polymer film stripes support the formation of highly ordered structures of polymer droplets, which are easily transformed to hybrid polymer-AlOx nanosphere patterns and templated AlOx nanosphere via SIS.

Metal-organic framework (MOF) nanomaterials are emerging porous coordinative polymers with large surface area and high porosity. Their application scenarios highly depend on adsorption/desorption dynamics of guest molecules in the framework. For representative ZIF-8 with framework flexibility, the study of molecule transportation in the pore channels of ZIF-8 will address the ambiguity of unclear application scenarios. In this study, the integration of lab-on-fiber technology and nanotechnology are demonstrated for real-time monitoring of adsorption/desorption dynamics of heterocyclic volatile compounds (VOCs) with kinetic diameters larger than the window aperture of ZIF-8. The in-line fiber interferometer with cascaded long-period gratings is used to monitor the real-time refractive index change of VOC adsorption/desorption. The structure-effect relationship between guest VOCs and framework flexibility is analyzed. It shows that the adsorption dynamics is highly related to the molecular geometry and kinetic diameter. The framework flexibility results in the trapping of guest VOCs toluene, pyridine, and tetrahydrofuran in the frameworks. The methanol adsorption/desorption is an effective strategy for the fast desorption of trapped residual VOCs in the framework. Finally, we conceptually demonstrated the real-time monitoring of trace toluene enrichment using ZIF-8 for indoor air purification. This study paves the way for the in-depth understanding of framework flexibility for MOF’s application.

In this work, we investigate and apply higher-order Hamiltonian approach (HA) as one of the novelty techniques to find out the approximate analytical solution for vibrating double-sided quintic nonlinear nano-torsional actuator. Periodic solutions are analytically verified, and consequently, the relationship between the initial amplitude and the natural frequency are obtained in a novel analytical way. The HA is then extended to the second-order to find more accurate results. To show the accuracy and applicability of the technique, the approximated results are compared with the homotopy perturbation method and numerical solution. According to the numerical results, it is highly remarkable that the second-order approximate solutions produce better than previously existing results and almost similar in comparing with the numerical solutions.