Synthesis and photocatalytic property of Au-TiO nanocomposites with controlled morphologies in microfluidic chips.

We present an efficient approach for the consecutive synthesis of Au-TiO nanocomposites with controlled morphologies in a microfluidic chip. The seed-mediated growth method was employed to synthesize Au nanorods as the core, and TiO layers of varying thicknesses were deposited on the surface or tip of the Au nanorods. Au-TiO nanocomposites with core-shell, dumbbell, and dandelion-like structures can be precisely synthesized in a one-step manner within the microfluidic chip by finely tuning the flow rate of NaHCO and the amount of hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide.

Electrolyte Design for Low-Temperature Li-Metal Batteries: Challenges and Prospects.

Electrolyte design holds the greatest opportunity for the development of batteries that are capable of sub-zero temperature operation. To get the most energy storage out of the battery at low temperatures, improvements in electrolyte chemistry need to be coupled with optimized electrode materials and tailored electrolyte/electrode interphases. Herein, this review critically outlines electrolytes' limiting factors, including reduced ionic conductivity, large de-solvation energy, sluggish charge transfer, and slow Li-ion transportation across the electrolyte/electrode interphases, which affect the low-temperature performance of Li-metal batteries.

Au-CeO composite aerogels with tunable Au nanoparticle sizes as plasmonic photocatalysts for CO reduction.

Tuning the size of Au nanoparticles is always an interesting task when constructing Au/semiconductor heterojunctions for surface plasmon resonance-enhanced photocatalysis. In particular, the size of Au nanoparticles in the newly emerging "plasmonic aerogel" photocatalyst concept could approach the size of the semiconductor phase. This work provides an alternative route to realize the size tuning of Au nanoparticles in Au-CeO composite aerogels to some extent, within the framework of the well-established epoxide addition sol-gel method.

Cu-Sn Aerogels for Electrochemical CO Reduction with High CO Selectivity.

This work reports the synthesis of CuSn alloy aerogels for electrochemical CO reduction catalysts. An in situ reduction and the subsequent freeze-drying process can successfully give CnxSny aerogels with tuneable Sn contents, and such aerogels are composed of three-dimensional architectures made from inter-connected fine nanoparticles with pores as the channels. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that the introduction of Sn in Cu aerogels inhibits H evolution reaction (HER) activity, while the accelerated CO desorption on the catalyst surface is found at the same time.

Bi-Fe chalcogenides anchored carbon matrix and structured core-shell Bi-Fe-P@Ni-P nanoarchitectures with appealing performances for supercapacitors.

Pseudocapacitive materials based on multi-active components are attractive platforms for future portable energy devices due to their excellent redox processes and low cost. In this study, nanostructured bismuth-iron chalcogenide anchored on multiwalled carbon nanotube framework (Bi-Fe chalcogenide/C)-based electrode materials were fabricated via a simple solvothermal protocol with enhanced electrochemical performances. The obtained Bi-Fe chalcogenide/C nanocomposites combining the improved electroconductivity of carbonic frameworks and high pseudocapacitive properties of Bi/Fe reversible redox processes were employed as negative electrodes for asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) devices.

Electrospinning metal Phosphide/Carbon nanofibers from Phytic Acid for hydrogen evolution reaction catalysts.

This paper reports a general electrospinning method to prepare various metal phosphide/carbon nanofibers composite for electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts. An earth-abundant organic acid-phytic acid is successfully incorporated into a conventional electrospinning precursor as the phosphorus source, and continuous nanofibers can be obtained through spinning. After heat treatment, metal phosphide/carbon composite nanofibers can be obtained, with fine phosphide nanoparticles well dispersed on the surface of an interconnected carbon backbone network.

Synthesis of porous AgS-NiCoS hollow architecture as effective electrode material with high capacitive performances.

Fabrication of highly reactive and cost-effective electrode materials is a key to efficient functioning of green energy technologies. Decorating redox-active metal sulfides with conductive dopants is one of the most effective approaches to enhance electric conductivity and consequently boost capacitive properties. Herein, hierarchically hollow AgS-NiCoS architectures are designed with an enhanced conductivity by a simple solvothermal approach.

Rational Design of Porous Structured Nickel Manganese Sulfides Hexagonal Sheets-in-Cage Structures as an Advanced Electrode Material for High-Performance Electrochemical Capacitors.

The design of hierarchical electrodes comprising multiple components with a high electrical conductivity and a large specific surface area has been recognized as a feasible strategy to remarkably boost pseudocapacitors. Herein, we delineate hexagonal sheets-in-cage shaped nickel-manganese sulfides (Ni-Mn-S) with nanosized open spaces for supercapacitor applications to realize faster redox reactions and a lower charge-transfer resistance with a markedly enhanced specific capacitance. The hybrid was facilely prepared through a two-step hydrothermal method.

Recent Trends in Synthesis and Investigation of Nickel Phosphide Compound/Hybrid-Based Electrocatalysts Towards Hydrogen Generation from Water Electrocatalysis.

Sustainable and high performance energy devices such as solar cells, fuel cells, metal-air batteries, as well as alternative energy conversion and storage systems have been considered as promising technologies to meet the ever-growing demands for clean energy. Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a crucial process for cost-effective hydrogen production; however, functional electrocatalysts are potentially desirable to expedite reaction kinetics and supply high energy density. Thus, the development of inexpensive and catalytically active electrocatalysts is one of the most significant and challenging issues in the field of electrochemical energy storage and conversion.

Synthesis of coaxial carbon@NiMoO composite nanofibers for supercapacitor electrodes.

This work reports the synthesis of coaxial carbon@NiMoO nanofibers for supercapacitor electrode applications. Thin NiMoO nanosheets are uniformly coated on the conductive electrospun carbon nanofibers by a microwave assisted hydrothermal method to form a hierarchical structure, which increases the porosity as well as the conductivity of the electrode. The thickness of the NiMoO can be easily adjusted by varying the precursor concentrations.

CoS nanoparticle-decorated carbon nanofibers as high-performance supercapacitor electrodes.

This work reported CoS nanoparticle-decorated carbon nanofibers (CNF) as a supercapacitor electrode. By using a mild ion-exchange method, the cobalt oxide-based precursor nanoparticles were transformed to CoS nanoparticles in a microwave hydrothermal process, and these nanoparticles were decorated onto a carbon nanofiber backbone. The composition of the nanofibers can be readily tuned by varying the Co acetate content in the precursor.

Cobalt sulfide aerogel prepared by anion exchange method with enhanced pseudocapacitive and water oxidation performances.

This work introduces the anion exchange method into the sol-gel process for the first time to prepare a metal sulfide aerogel. A porous CoS aerogel with a high surface area (274.2 m g) and large pore volume (0.

The investigation of an organic acid assisted sol-gel method for preparing monolithic zirconia aerogels.

In our previous work, a citric acid assisted sol-gel method was developed for preparing monolithic metal oxide aerogels. Such method adopted citric acid as the gelator, which replaced the well-studied proton scavenger propylene oxide. In this work, we have further extended this "organic acid assisted" sol-gel method and investigated the gelation mechanism.

Mesoporous Piezoelectric Polymer Composite Films with Tunable Mechanical Modulus for Harvesting Energy from Liquid Pressure Fluctuation.

Harvesting mechanical energy from biological systems possesses great potential for in vivo powering implantable electronic devices. In this paper, a development of flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator (NG) is reported based on mesoporous poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) films. Monolithic mesoporous PVDF is fabricated by a template-free sol-gel-based approach at room temperature.

Facile Hydrazine-Hydrothermal Syntheses and Characterizations of Two Quaternary Thioarsenates(III): Two-Dimensional SrAg4 As2 S6 ⋅2 H2 O and One-Dimensional BaAgAsS3.

Two new quaternary thioarsenates(III), SrAg4 As2 S6 ⋅2 H2 O (1) and BaAgAsS3 (2), have been prepared through a hydrazine-hydrothermal method at low temperature. Compound 1 possesses a two-dimensional (2D) layer network, while compound 2 features a one-dimensional (1D) column structure. The detailed structure analysis indicates that Sr(2+) and Ba(2+) cations have different directing effects on the structures of thioarsenates(III).

Preparation of Porous Three-Dimensional Quaternary Thioantimonates(III) ACuSb2 S4 (A = Rb, Cs) through a Surfactant-Thermal Method.

Two novel porous three-dimensional (3D) quaternary thioantimonates(III) ACuSb2S4 (A = Rb, Cs) were successfully synthesized by employing the neutral surfactant PEG-400 (PEG = polyethyleneglycol) as reaction media, these are significantly different from the known quaternary A-Cu-Sb-S thioantimonates(III) with two-dimensional (2D) crystal structures. This is the first time that crystalline quaternary chalcogenides have been prepared in surfactant media. Both experimental and theoretical studies confirm they are semiconductors with narrow band gaps.

Hydrazine-hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of the two new quaternary thioantimonates(III) BaAgSbS3 and BaAgSbS3·H2O.

The two new quaternary thioantimonates(III) BaAgSbS3 (1) and BaAgSbS3·H2O (2) have been synthesized through a hydrazine-hydrothermal method at low temperature. Compound 1 possesses a two-dimensional (2D) layer structure, while compound 2 features a three-dimensional (3D) channel framework. The optical band gaps of 1 and 2 are approximately 2.

Solar hydrogen generation by nanoscale p-n junction of p-type molybdenum disulfide/n-type nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is a promising candidate for solar hydrogen generation but it alone has negligible photocatalytic activity. In this work, 5-20 nm sized p-type MoS2 nanoplatelets are deposited on the n-type nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (n-rGO) nanosheets to form multiple nanoscale p-n junctions in each rGO nanosheet. The p-MoS2/n-rGO heterostructure shows significant photocatalytic activity toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in the wavelength range from the ultraviolet light through the near-infrared light.

Nanostructured carbon-metal oxide composite electrodes for supercapacitors: a review.

This paper presents a review of the research progress in the carbon-metal oxide composites for supercapacitor electrodes. In the past decade, various carbon-metal oxide composite electrodes have been developed by integrating metal oxides into different carbon nanostructures including zero-dimensional carbon nanoparticles, one-dimensional nanostructures (carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers), two-dimensional nanosheets (graphene and reduced graphene oxides) as well as three-dimensional porous carbon nano-architectures. This paper has described the constituent, the structure and the properties of the carbon-metal oxide composites.

Photocatalytic activity enhanced by plasmonic resonant energy transfer from metal to semiconductor.

Plasmonic metal nanostructures have been incorporated into semiconductors to enhance the solar-light harvesting and the energy-conversion efficiency. So far the mechanism of energy transfer from the plasmonic metal to semiconductors remains unclear. Herein the underlying plasmonic energy-transfer mechanism is unambiguously determined in Au@SiO(2)@Cu(2)O sandwich nanostructures by transient-absorption and photocatalysis action spectrum measurement.

Electrospun La0.8Sr0.2MnO₃ nanofibers for a high-temperature electrochemical carbon monoxide sensor.

Lanthanum strontium manganite (La(0.8)Sr(0.2)MnO(3), LSM) nanofibers have been synthesized by the electrospinning method.

Origin of photocatalytic activity of nitrogen-doped TiO2 nanobelts.

Experiments combined with the density functional theory (DFT) calculation have been performed to understand the underlying photocatalysis mechanism of the nitrogen-doped titania nanobelts. Nitrogen-doped anatase titania nanobelts are prepared via hydrothermal processing and subsequent heat treatment in NH(3). Both the nitrogen content and the oxygen vacancy concentration increase with increasing the NH(3) treatment temperature.

Preparation and properties of ternary ZnMgO nanowires.

Zn0.84Mg0.16O and Zn0.