Oriented growth of stacking α-cobalt hydroxide salt continuous films and their topotactic-like transformation to oriented mesoporous films of CoO and CoO.

Mesoporous metal oxide films composed of nanocrystal assemblies with an aligned crystallographic orientation are key nanostructures for efficient interfacial reactions; however, the development of a simple and versatile method for their formation on substrates still constitutes a challenge. Here we report the template-free centimetre-scale formation of novel cobalt oxide films of CoO and CoO with a [111]-oriented mesoporous structure starting from stacking cobalt hydroxide continuous films. The cobalt hydroxide precursor is formed electrochemically on conductive substrates from a Co(NO) aqueous solution at room temperature.

Helically aligned fused carbon hollow nanospheres with chiral discrimination ability.

While the functions of carbon materials with precisely controlled nanostructures have been reported in many studies, their chiral discriminating abilities have not been reported yet. Herein, chiral discrimination is achieved using helical carbon materials devoid of chiral attachments. A FeO nanoparticle template with ethyl cellulose (carbon source) is self-assembled on dispersed multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) fixed in a lamellar structure, with helical nanoparticle alignment induced by the addition of a binaphthyl derivative.

High-Resolution Mapping of Local Photoluminescence Properties in CuO/CuO Semiconductor Bi-Layers by Using Synchrotron Radiation.

The quality of a semiconductor, which strongly affects its performance, can be estimated by its photoluminescence, which closely relates to the defect and impurity energy levels. In light of this, it is necessary to have a measurement method for photoluminescence properties with spatial resolution at the sub-micron or nanoscale. In this study, a mapping method for local photoluminescence properties was developed using a focused synchrotron radiation X-ray beam to evaluate localized photoluminescence in bi-layered semiconductors.

Electrochemical Growth of Mg(OH) Layered Films Stacked Parallel to the Substrates and Their Thermal Conversion to (111)-Oriented Nanoporous MgO Films.

Stacking layered metal hydroxide films parallel to a substrate is challenging. Here, we demonstrate a simple and rapid electrodeposition method for stacking magnesium hydroxide layered films. Room-temperature cathodic electrolysis (40 mA cm) in a Mg(NO) aqueous solution induces the deposition of ⟨001⟩-oriented Mg(OH) layered films stacked parallel to the substrate at the deposition rate of ∼2 μm min.

Light-Irradiated Electrochemical Direct Construction of CuO/CuO Bilayers by Switching Cathodic/Anodic Polarization in Copper(II)-Tartrate Complex Aqueous Solution.

p-CuO with a band gap energy of 1.5 eV, p-CuO with a band gap energy of 2.05 eV, and their bilayers were prepared by controlling the potential of anodic and cathodic polarization in a copper(II)-tartrate complex aqueous solution containing copper(II) sulfate hydrate and tartaric acid in the dark and under light irradiation.

Helical Pore Alignment on Cylindrical Carbon.

Interest in chiral substances has mainly focused on the substances themselves, but not on the accompanying space, especially regarding the pore alignment. As a method to form both the chiral substance and the accompanying space, cylindrical self-assembly of uniform polystyrene nanoparticles with fructose is carried out in the presence of both carbon and sodium alginate, which is followed by heat treatment in an inert atmosphere. The carbonization generates fructose-derived honeycomb-like carbon walls with helically aligned nanopores left after the polystyrene decomposition.

Poly(tetrafluoroethylene)-Stabilized Metal Nanoparticles: Preparation and Evaluation of Catalytic Activity for Suzuki, Heck, and Arene Hydrogenation in Water.

Poly(tetrafluoroethylene)-stabilized Pd nanoparticles (PTFE-PdNPs) were prepared in water with 4-methylphenylboronic acid as a reductant and characterized using powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Small PdNPs with a fairly uniform size were obtained in the presence of PTFE, whereas aggregation of palladium was observed in the absence of PTFE. PTFE-PdNPs showed high catalytic activity for the Suzuki coupling reaction in water and were reused without any loss of activity.

Oriented Transformation from Layered Zinc Hydroxides to Nanoporous ZnO: A Comparative Study of Different Anion Types.

Thermal decomposition of layered zinc hydroxides (LZHs) is a simple and convenient way to achieve porous ZnO nanostructures. The type of anion contained in an LZH determines the fundamental characteristics of the LZH and thus affects the formation process of the resulting porous ZnO. Here we report a comparative study on the crystal orientation relationship between LZH precursors and the corresponding porous ZnO products by using well-faceted and highly oriented LZH crystals with three different anions, i.

Electrodeposited ZnO-nanowire/Cu₂O photovoltaic device with highly resistive ZnO intermediate layer.

Cl-doped ZnO-nanowire (Cl:ZnO-nws)/Cu2O photovoltaic devices were prepared by electrodeposition in aqueous solutions, and the effects of the insertion of the highly resistive ZnO (i-ZnO) layer has been demonstrated by an improvement of the photovoltaic performance. The Cl:ZnO-nws and i-ZnO layer were prepared by electrodeposition in a zinc chloride aqueous solution with saturated molecular oxygen and simple zinc nitrate aqueous solution, respectively. The i-ZnO layer was directly deposited on the Cl:ZnO-nws and suppressed the electrodeposition of the Cu2O layer on the Cl:ZnO-nws.

Hybrid ZnO/phthalocyanine photovoltaic device with highly resistive ZnO intermediate layer.

We report a hybrid photovoltaic device composed of a 3.3 eV bandgap zinc oxide (ZnO) semiconductor and metal-free phthalocyanine layers and the effects of the insertion of the highly resistive ZnO buffer layer on the electrical characteristics of the rectification feature and photovoltaic performance. The hybrid photovoltaic devices have been constructed by electrodeposition of the 300 nm thick ZnO layer in a simple zinc nitrate aqueous solution followed by vacuum evaporation of 50-400 nm thick-phthalocyanine layers.

Hybrid Cu(2)O diode with orientation-controlled C(60) polycrystal.

We report on a hybrid diode composed of a 2.1 eV bandgap p-cupric oxide (Cu2O) semiconductor and fullerene (C60) layer with a face-centered cubic configuration. The hybrid diode has been constructed by electrodeposition of the 500 nm thick Cu2O layer in a basic aqueous solution containing a copper acetate hydrate and lactic acid followed by a vacuum evaporation of the 50 nm thick C60 layer at the evaporation rate from 0.

Preparation of core/shell and hollow nanostructures of cerium oxide by electrodeposition on a polystyrene sphere template.

Core/shell nanostructures of polystyrene (PS)/CeO2 have been prepared on conductive glass substrates by using a novel electrochemical route consisting of (i) the electrophoretic deposition of a PS sphere monolayer on the substrate and (ii) the following potentiostatic electrodeposition of CeO2 on the PS sphere template in Ce(NO3)3 aqueous solutions. The structural morphologies of the deposit changed drastically depending on the Ce(NO3)3 concentration; i.e.