Structure-Property Correlations in Aqueous Binary Na/K-CHCOO Highly Concentrated Electrolytes.

Highly concentrated aqueous binary solutions of acetate salts are promising systems for different electrochemical applications, for example, energy storage devices. The very high solubility of CHCOOK allows us to obtain water-in-salt electrolyte concentrations, thus reducing ion activity and extending the cathodic stability of an aqueous electrolyte. At the same time, the presence of Li or Na makes these solutions compatible with intercalation materials for the development of rechargeable alkaline-ion batteries.

Promising Electrocatalytic Water and Methanol Oxidation Reaction Activity by Nickel Doped Hematite/Surface Oxidized Carbon Nanotubes Composite Structures.

Tailoring the precise construction of non-precious metals and carbon-based heterogeneous catalysts for electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) is crucial for energy conversion applications. Herein, this work reports the composite of Ni doped Fe O (Ni-Fe O ) with mildly oxidized multi-walled CNT (O-CNT) as an outstanding Mott-Schottky catalyst for OER and MOR. O-CNT acts as a co-catalyst which effectively regulates the charge transfer in Ni-Fe O and thus enhances the electrocatalytic performance.

Defect-assisted photocatalytic activity of glass-embedded gallium oxide nanocrystals.

The use of glassceramics in photocatalysis is an attractive option for the realization of smart optical fibers and self-cleaning windows. Here we present the photocatalytic activity of germanosilicate glasses embedding GaO nanocrystals prepared by batch melting and glass heat treatment. The powdered material is used for UV-assisted degradation of rhodamine in water.

Augmented excitation cross section of gadolinium ions in nanostructured glasses.

In this Letter, we present detailed absorption and emission data on nanostructured germanosilicate glasses and glass ceramics containing GaO nanophases and doped with Gd ions. The results show that these systems are suitable hosts for the enhancement of the excitation cross section of rare earth ions via energy transfer from the gallium oxide nanophase with a related quantum yield of 21%. The role of matrix composition and nanostructure morphology on the Gd emission is discussed.

Donor-Acceptor Control in Grown-in-Glass Gallium Oxide Nanocrystals by Crystallization-driven Heterovalent Doping.

Incorporation of doping ions in nanocrystals is a strategy for providing nanophases with functions directly related to ion features. At the nanoscale, however, doping can also activate more complex effects mediated by perturbation of the nanophase size and structure. Here, we report a paradigmatic case in which we modify grown-in-glass γ-Ga O nanophases by nickel or titanium doping of the starting glass, so as to control the concentration of oxygen and gallium vacancies responsible for the light emission.

Light-emitting Ga-oxide nanocrystals in glass: a new paradigm for low-cost and robust UV-to-visible solar-blind converters and UV emitters.

Wide-bandgap nanocrystals are an inexhaustible source of tuneable functions potentially addressing most of the demand for new light emitting systems. However, the implementation of nanocrystal properties in real devices is not straightforward if a robust and stable optical component is required as a final result. The achievement of efficient light emission from dense dispersions of Ga-oxide nanocrystals in UV-grade glass can be a breakthrough in this regard.

Spatially selective Au nanoparticle growth in laser-quality glass controlled by UV-induced phosphate-chain cross-linkage.

Herein we describe how UV excitation of localized electronic states in phosphate glasses can activate structural rearrangements that influence the kinetics of Au nanoparticle (NP) thermal growth in Au-doped glass. The results suggest a novel strategy to address the problem of controlling nano-assembly processes of metal NP patterns in fully inorganic and chemically stable hard materials, such as laser-quality glasses. We show that the mechanism is promoted by opening and subsequent cross-linkage of phosphate chains under UV excitation of non-bridging groups in the amorphous network of the glass, with a consequent modification of Au diffusion and metal NP growth.

Native amorphous nanoheterogeneity in gallium germanosilicates as a tool for driving Ga2O3 nanocrystal formation in glass for optical devices.

Nanoparticles in amorphous oxides are a powerful tool for embedding a wide range of functions in optical glasses, which are still the best solutions in several applications in the ever growing field of photonics. However, the control of the nanoparticle size inside the host material is often a challenging task, even more challenging when detrimental effects on light transmittance have to be avoided. Here we show how the process of phase separation and subsequent nanocrystallization of a Ga-oxide phase can be controlled in germanosilicates - prototypal systems in optical telecommunications - starting from a Ga-modified glass composition designed to favour uniform liquid-liquid phase separation in the melt.

Microfluorescence analysis of nanostructuring inhomogeneity in optical fibers with embedded gallium oxide nanocrystals.

A spectroscopic protocol is proposed to implement confocal microfluorescence imaging to the analysis of microinhomogeneity in the nanocrystallization of the core of fibers belonging to a new kind of broadband fiber amplifier based on glass with embedded nanocrystals. Nanocrystallization, crucial for achieving an adequate light emission efficiency of transition metal ions in these materials, has to be as homogeneous as possible in the fiber to assure optical amplification. This requirement calls for a sensitive method for monitoring nanostructuring in oxide glasses.

Fully inorganic oxide-in-oxide ultraviolet nanocrystal light emitting devices.

The development of integrated photonics and lab-on-a-chip platforms for environmental and biomedical diagnostics demands ultraviolet electroluminescent materials with high mechanical, chemical and environmental stability and almost complete compatibility with existing silicon technology. Here we report the realization of fully inorganic ultraviolet light-emitting diodes emitting at 390 nm with a maximum external quantum efficiency of ~0.3%, based on SnO(2) nanoparticles embedded in SiO(2) thin films obtained from a solution-processed method.

Glycine-spacers influence functional motifs exposure and self-assembling propensity of functionalized substrates tailored for neural stem cell cultures.

The understanding of phenomena involved in the self-assembling of bio-inspired biomaterials acting as three-dimensional scaffolds for regenerative medicine applications is a necessary step to develop effective therapies in neural tissue engineering. We investigated the self-assembled nanostructures of functionalized peptides featuring four, two or no glycine-spacers between the self-assembly sequence RADA16-I and the functional biological motif PFSSTKT. The effectiveness of their biological functionalization was assessed via in vitro experiments with neural stem cells (NSCs) and their molecular assembly was elucidated via atomic force microscopy, Raman and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy.