Intercalation of Polyacrylonitrile Nanoparticles in TiCT MXene Layers for Improved Supercapacitance.

We report the intercalation of polyacrylonitrile nanoparticles in TiCT MXene layers through simple sonication. The use of polyacrylonitrile, which was synthesized via radical polymerization, offered dual benefits: (1) It increased the interlayer spacing of MXene, thereby exposing more surface area and enhancing ion transport channels during charge and discharge cycles, and (2) Integrating MXene with polyacrylonitrile enables the creation of a composite with conductive properties, following percolation principle. X-ray diffraction analysis showed an increase in the c-lattice parameter, indicative of the interlayer spacing, from 22.

Selective Electrochemical Conversion of CO into Methane on Ag-Decorated Copper Microsphere.

We synthesized the silver-decorated copper microsphere via the hydrothermal method followed by photoreduction of silver ions. Sub 100 nm Ag nanoparticles anchored on the surface of Cu microspheres enhance the electrochemical performance and the selectivity of the CO reduction into CH. Incorporating Ag nanoparticles onto Cu lowers the charge transfer resistance, enhancing the catalyst's conductivity and active site and increasing the rate of CO reduction.

An Emerging Trend in the Synthesis of Iron Titanate Photocatalyst Toward Water Splitting.

Hydrogen gas is a prominent focus in pursuing renewable and clean alternative energy sources. The quest for maximizing hydrogen production yield involves the exploration of an ideal photocatalyst and the development of a simple, cost-effective technique for its generation. Iron titanate has garnered attention in this context due to its photocatalytic properties, affordability, and non-toxic nature.

Decoration of Ag nanoparticles on CoMoO rods for efficient electrochemical reduction of CO.

Hydrothermal and photoreduction/deposition methods were used to fabricate Ag nanoparticles (NPs) decorated CoMoO rods. Improvement of charge transfer and transportation of ions by making heterostructure was proved by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. Linear sweep voltammetry results revealed a fivefold enhancement of current density by fabricating heterostructure.

Hydrothermal synthesis of hierarchical microstructure tungsten oxide/carbon nanocomposite for supercapacitor application.

A hierarchical nanocomposite of carbon microspheres decorated with tungsten oxide (WO) nanocrystals resulted from the hydrothermal treatment of a precursor solution containing glucose and tungstic acid. The dehydration of glucose molecules formed oligosaccharides, which consequently carbonized, turning into carbon microspheres. The carbon microspheres then acted as a spherical nucleus onto which WO nanocrystals grew via heterogeneous nucleation.

Single-Micelle-Templated Synthesis of Hollow Barium Carbonate Nanoparticle for Drug Delivery.

A laboratory-synthesized triblock copolymer poly(ethylene oxide--acrylic acid--styrene) (PEG-PAA-PS) was used as a template to synthesize hollow BaCO nanoparticles (BC-NPs). The triblock copolymer was synthesized using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer radical polymerization. The triblock copolymer has a molecular weight of 1.

Hollow Structured Transition Metal Phosphates and Their Applications.

Hollow nanostructures of transition metal phosphate are of immense interest in the existing and evolving areas of technology, due to their high surface area, presence of hollow void, and easy tuning of compositions and dimensions. Emerging synthesis methods such as template-free methods, hard-templating, and soft-templating are discussed in this review. Applications of these hollow metal phosphates dominate in energy storage and conversions, with specific advantages as supercapacitor materials.

Porous Tungsten Oxide: Recent Advances in Design, Synthesis, and Applications.

Tungsten oxide (WO ) has received ever more attention and has been highly researched over the last decade due to its being a low-cost transition metal semiconductor with tunable, yet widely stable, band gaps. This minireview briefly highlights the challenges in the design and synthesis of porous WO including methods, precursors, solvent effects, crystal phases, and surface activities of the porous WO base material. These topics are explored while also drawing a connection of how the morphology and crystal phase affect the band gap.

Metal-incorporated mesoporous oxides: Synthesis and applications.

Mesoporous oxides are outstanding metal nanoparticle catalyst supports owing to their well-defined porous structures. Such mesoporous architectures not only prevent the aggregation of metal nanoparticles but also enhance their catalytic performance. Metal/metal oxide heterojunctions exhibit unique chemical and physical properties because of the surface reconstruction around the junction and electron transfer/interaction across the interface.

Direct Synthesis of Polymer Vesicles on the Hundred-Nanometer-and-Beyond Scale Using Chemical Oscillations.

The direct synthesis of block copolymer vesicles on the scale of tens to hundreds of nanometers using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) dispersion polymerization as an effect of chemical oscillations is reported. RAFT polymerization is successfully accomplished between polyethylene glycol containing a RAFT agent (PEG-CTA) and ethyl acrylate monomer in the presence of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (B-Z) reaction in oscillatory mode. The self-assembly of poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(ethyl acrylate) unimers gives rise to spherical micelles.

Autonomous Ex Novo Chemical Assembly with Blebbing and Division of Functional Polymer Vesicles from a "Homogeneous Mixture".

The chemical energy and radicals from an oscillating chemical reaction are used to synthesize a polymer vesicle from a homogeneous solution of monomeric units. Periodically formed radicals from the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (B-Z) reaction initiate radical polymerization between a polyethylene glycol based chain transfer agent (PEG-CTA) and hydrophilic acrylonitrile monomers in water. The growth of a hydrophobic chain on the hydrophilic PEG chain induces self-assembly of polymeric amphiphiles to form micrometer-sized vesicles entrapping an active oscillating B-Z reaction.

Tailored Design of Bicontinuous Gyroid Mesoporous Carbon and Nitrogen-Doped Carbon from Poly(ethylene oxide-b-caprolactone) Diblock Copolymers.

Highly ordered mesoporous resol-type phenolic resin and the corresponding mesoporous carbon materials were synthesized by using poly(ethylene oxide-b-caprolactone) (PEO-b-PCL) diblock copolymer as a soft template. The self-assembled mesoporous phenolic resin was found to form only in a specific resol concentration range of 40-70 wt % due to an intriguing balance of hydrogen-bonding interactions in the resol/PEO-b-PCL mixtures. Furthermore, morphological transitions of the mesostructures from disordered to gyroid to cylindrical and finally to disordered micelle structure were observed with increasing resol concentration.

Facile One-Pot Synthesis of Functional Giant Polymeric Vesicles Controlled by Oscillatory Chemistry.

We introduce a novel application of an oscillatory chemical reaction to the synthesis of block copolymers. The Belousov-Zhabotinsky (B-Z) reaction is coupled with the polymerization of an amphiphilic block copolymer. Radicals generated in the B-Z reaction initiate the polymerization between a polyethylene glycol (PEG) macroreversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer agent and butyl acrylate monomers.

Hollow carbon nanospheres using an asymmetric triblock copolymer structure directing agent.

We introduce a simple method to prepare hollow carbon nanospheres (HCNs) by using triblock copolymer poly(styrene-b-2-vinylpyridine-b-ethylene oxide) (PS-b-P2VP-b-PEO) micelles as a new class of soft-templates. Simply by changing the solvent we can prepare ultra-small sized micelles of the triblock copolymer PS-b-P2VP-b-PEO soft template to obtain HCNs with ultra-small diameters (43 nm) and hollow cores (19 nm). Furthermore, we use these HCNs to make electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) that exhibit superior performance.

Synthesis of Mesoporous Transition-Metal Phosphates by Polymeric Micelle Assembly.

Mesoporous iron phosphate (FePO4 ) was synthesized through assembly of polymeric micelles made of asymmetric triblock co-polymer (polystyrene-b-poly-2-vinylpyridine-b-ethylene oxide; PS-PVP-PEO). The phosphoric acid solution stimulates the formation of micelles with core-shell-corona architecture. The negatively charged PO4 (3-) ions dissolved in the solution strongly interact with the positively charged PVP(+) units through an electrostatic attraction.

Direct Assembly of Mesoporous Silica Functionalized with Polypeptides for Efficient Dye Adsorption.

Herein, we introduce a new polypeptide-functionalized mesoporous silica template fabricated from a biodegradable poly(ethylene oxide-b-ɛ-caprolactone) (PEO-b-PCL) diblock copolymer and a poly(tyrosine) (PTyr) biopolymer. The crystallization behavior of the PEO-b-PCL diblock copolymer changes after blending, but the secondary structure of PTry remains stable. After selective solvent extraction in THF, the PEO-b-PCL is removed, but PTyr remains within the silica matrix due to its different solubility.

Synthesis of Highly Photocatalytic TiO2 Microflowers Based on Solvothermal Approach Using N,N-Dimethylformamide.

Crystallized anatase TiO2 microflowers with high surface area are synthesized by a simple template-free solvothermal method using N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). Titanium sources undergo well-organized assembly in DMF to form flower-shaped TiO2 particles. After the calcination, the anatase frameworks are highly crystallized, and the surface area is increased up to 256 m2 x g(-1).

Polymeric micelle assembly for the smart synthesis of mesoporous platinum nanospheres with tunable pore sizes.

A facile method for the fabrication of well-dispersed mesoporous Pt nanospheres involves the use of a polymeric micelle assembly. A core-shell-corona type triblock copolymer [poly(styrene-b-2-vinylpyridine-b-ethylene oxide), PS-b-P2VP-b-PEO] is employed as the pore-directing agent. Negatively charged PtCl4 (2-) ions preferably interact with the protonated P2VP(+) blocks while the free PEO chains prevent the aggregation of the Pt nanospheres.

Easy and General Synthesis of Large-Sized Mesoporous Rare-Earth Oxide Thin Films by 'Micelle Assembly'.

Large-sized (ca. 40 nm) mesoporous Er2O3 thin films are synthesized by using a triblock copolymer poly(styrene-b-2-vinyl pyridine-b-ethylene oxide) (PS-b-P2VP-b-PEO) as a pore directing agent. Each block makes different contributions and the molar ratio of PVP/Er(3+) is crucial to guide the resultant mesoporous structure.

Mesoporous TiO2/Zn2Ti3O8 hybrid films synthesized by polymeric micelle assembly.

A hybrid mesoporous TiO2/Zn2Ti3O8 film with a pore size of around 40 nm is successfully synthesized by the polymeric micelle assembly approach. The chemically distinct units of polymeric micelles of the poly(styrene-2-vinylpyridine-ethylene oxide) triblock copolymer simultaneously contribute to the formation of mesoporous TiO2/Zn2Ti3O8 films with enhanced photocatalytic activity during H2 evolution reaction.

Multi-Stimuli-Responsive Polymeric Materials.

Stimuli-responsive materials are of immense importance because of their ability to undergo alteration of their properties in response to their environment. The properties of such materials can be tuned by subtle adjustments in temperature, pH, light, and so forth. Among such smart materials, multi-stimuli-responsive polymeric materials are of pronounced significance as they offer a wide range of applications and their properties can be tuned through several mechanisms.

Functionalized magnetic iron oxide/alginate core-shell nanoparticles for targeting hyperthermia.

Hyperthermia is one of the promising treatments for cancer therapy. However, the development of a magnetic fluid agent that can selectively target a tumor and efficiently elevate temperature while exhibiting excellent biocompatibility still remains challenging. Here a new core-shell nanostructure consisting of inorganic iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles as the core, organic alginate as the shell, and cell-targeting ligands (ie, D-galactosamine) decorated on the outer surface (denoted as Fe3O4@Alg-GA nanoparticles) was prepared using a combination of a pre-gel method and coprecipitation in aqueous solution.

Smart soft-templating synthesis of hollow mesoporous bioactive glass spheres.

Hollow bioactive glass spheres with mesoporous shells were prepared by using dual soft templates, a diblock co-polymer poly(styrene-b-acrylic acid) (PS-b-PAA) and a cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). Hollow mesoporous bioactive glass (HMBG) spheres comprise the large hollow interior with vertical mesochannels in shell, which realize large uptake of drugs and their sustained release. The formation of hydroxyapatite layer on the surface of HMBG particles shows the clear evidence for promising application in bone regeneration.

Dual soft-template system based on colloidal chemistry for the synthesis of hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles.

A new dual soft-template system comprising the asymmetric triblock copolymer poly(styrene-b-2-vinyl pyridine-b-ethylene oxide) (PS-b-P2VP-b-PEO) and the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) is used to synthesize hollow mesoporous silica (HMS) nanoparticles with a center void of around 17 nm. The stable PS-b-P2VP-b-PEO polymeric micelle serves as a template to form the hollow interior, while the CTAB surfactant serves as a template to form mesopores in the shells. The P2VP blocks on the polymeric micelles can interact with positively charged CTA(+) ions via negatively charged hydrolyzed silica species.

Polymeric micelle assembly with inorganic nanosheets for construction of mesoporous architectures with crystallized walls.

Here we propose a novel way to construct mesoporous architectures through evaporation-induced assembly of polymeric micelles with crystalline nanosheets. As a model study, we used niobate nanosheets exfoliated by the direct reaction of K4Nb6O17⋅3 H2O crystals with an aqueous solution of propylamine. The electrostatic interaction between negatively charged nanosheets and positively charged polymeric micelles enable us to form composite micelles with the nanosheets.