Highly efficient ethanol vapour detection using g-CN/ZnO micro flower-like heterostructural composites.

This work proposes precursor pyrolysis, ultrasonic exfoliation and hydrothermal methods as well as high-temperature calcination strategies to fabricate heterostructured g-CN/ZnO composites with excellent ethanol vapour sensing properties. The structure, composition and morphology of the as-prepared g-CN/ZnO composites were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Then, the sensing properties of the g-CN/ZnO composites for ethanol (CHOH) were studied, and g-CN doping with different mass ratios was used to control the gas-sensing properties of the composites.

Rationally engineering a hierarchical porous carbon and reduced graphene oxide supported magnetite composite with boosted lithium-ion storage performances.

Ferric gallate (Fe-GA), an ancient metal-organic framework (MOF) material, has been recently employed as an eco-friendly and cost-effective precursor sample to synthesize a porous carbon confined nano-iron composite (Fe/RPC), and the Fe element in the Fe/RPC sample could be further oxidized to FeO nanocrystals in a 180 °C hydrothermal condition. On this foundation, this work reports an optimized approach to engineering a hierarchical one-dimensional porous carbon and two-dimensional reduced graphene oxide (RGO) supporting framework with FeO nanoparticles well dispersed. Under mild hydrothermal condition, the redox reaction between metal iron atoms from Fe/RPC and surface functional radicals from few-layered graphene oxide sheets (GO) is triggered.

Selective Doping to Controllably Tailor Maximum Unit-Cell-Volume Change of Intercalating Li -Storage Materials: A Case Study of γ Phase Li VO.

Capacity decay of an intercalating Li -storage material is mainly due to the its particle microcracks from stress-causing volume change. To extend its cycle life, its unit-cell-volume change has to be minimized as much as possible. Here, based on a γ-Li VO model material, the authors explore selective doping as a general strategy to controllably tailor its maximum unit-cell-volume change, then clarify the relationship between its crystal-structure openness and maximum unit-cell-volume change, and finally demonstrate the superiority of "zero-strain" materials within 25-60 °C (especially at 60 °C).

Facile synthesis of boronic acid-decorated carbon nanodots as optical nanoprobes for glycoprotein sensing.

In this article, we proposed new nitrogen-doped boronic acid-decorated carbon nanodots (CNDs) for the recognition and detection of glycoproteins. These doped, decorated CNDs were obtained by a one-step hydrothermal carbonization method using phenylboronic acid and ethylenediamine as precursors. Compared to traditional synthesized and then functionalized nanoscale sensing systems, this method is more facile and efficient.

Facile synthesis of ZnO nanorod arrays and hierarchical nanostructures for photocatalysis and gas sensor applications.

A facile one-step hydrothermal route was demonstrated to grow ZnO nanorod arrays and hierarchical nanostructures on arbitrary substrates without any catalysts and seeds coated before the reaction, which are prerequisite in the current two-step protocol. Meanwhile, ZnO nanoflowers composed of nanorods were obtained at the bottom of the autoclaves in the absence of substrates. An in situ spontaneous-seeds-assisted growth mechanism was tentatively proposed on the basis of the experimental data to explain the growth process of ZnO nanostructures.