Rim-differentiated pillar[5]arene-modified surfaces for rapid PFOA/PFOS detection.

A new rim-differentiated pillar[5]arene (RD-P5) has been synthesized and immobilized onto an AlO surface for the rapid detection of perfluoroalkyl acids. This P5-AlO surface provides a novel approach for measuring perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) using contact angle measurements, with limits of detection down to 10 ng L.

2D and 3D Self-Assembly of Fluorine-Free Pillar-[5]-Arenes and Perfluorinated Diacids at All-Aqueous Interfaces.

The interaction of perfluorinated molecules, also known as "forever chemicals" due to their pervasiveness, with their environment remains an important yet poorly understood topic. In this work, the self-assembly of perfluorinated molecules with multivalent hosts, pillar-[5]-arenes, is investigated. It is found that perfluoroalkyl diacids and pillar-[5]-arenes rapidly and strongly complex with each other at aqueous interfaces, forming solid interfacially templated films.

A Solvent-Polarity-Induced Interface Self-Assembly Strategy towards Mesoporous Triazine-Based Carbon Materials.

Triazine-based materials with porous structure have recently received numerous attentions as a fascinating new class because of their superior potential for various applications. However, it is still a formidable challenge to obtain triazine-based materials with precise adjustable meso-scaled pore sizes and controllable pore structures by reported synthesis approaches. Herein, we develop a solvent polarity induced interface self-assembly strategy to construct mesoporous triazine-based carbon materials.

Ligand-Assisted Coordinative Self-Assembly Method to Synthesize Mesoporous ZnCdS Nanospheres with Nano-Twin-Induced Phase Junction for Enhanced Photocatalytic H Evolution.

The designed synthesis of nanotwin architectures and thus-induced phase junctions expresses huge significance for semiconductor photocatalysts. However, current methods of producing nanotwins mainly involve high-temperature thermal treatment and tedious reaction steps, generally resulting in large bulk structure with ill-defined morphology and low specific surface area. Here, we propose a mild ligand-assisted coordinative self-assembly method to synthesize uniform mesoporous ZnCdS nanospheres with ultrahigh surface areas (148-312 m g) and controllable diameter (90-370 nm).

Boosting High-Rate Zinc-Storage Performance by the Rational Design of MnO Nanoporous Architecture Cathode.

Manganese oxides are regarded as one of the most promising cathode materials in rechargeable aqueous Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) because of the low price and high security. However, the practical application of MnO in ZIBs is still plagued by the low specific capacity and poor rate capability. Herein, highly crystalline MnO materials with interconnected mesostructures and controllable pore sizes are obtained via a ligand-assisted self-assembly process and used as high-performance electrode materials for reversible aqueous ZIBs.

A Polymer-Oriented Self-Assembly Strategy toward Mesoporous Metal Oxides with Ultrahigh Surface Areas.

Mesoporous metal oxides (MMOs) have attracted comprehensive attention in many fields, including energy storage, catalysis, and separation. Current synthesis of MMOs mainly involve use of surfactants as templates to generate mesopores and organic reagents as solvents to hinder hydrolysis and condensation of inorganic precursors, which is adverse to adjusting the interactions between surfactants and inorganic precursors. The resulting products have uncontrollable pore structure, crystallinity, and relatively lower surface areas.

Solvent-Induced Self-Assembly Strategy to Synthesize Well-Defined Hierarchically Porous Polymers.

Porous polymers with well-orchestrated nanomorphologies are useful in many fields, but high surface area, hierarchical structure, and ordered pores are difficult to be satisfied in one polymer simultaneously. Herein, a solvent-induced self-assembly strategy to synthesize hierarchical porous polymers with tunable morphology, mesoporous structure, and microporous pore wall is reported. The poly(ethylene oxide)-b-polystyrene (PEO-b-PS) diblock copolymer micelles are cross-linked via Friedel-Crafts reaction, which is a new way to anchor micelles into porous polymers with well-defined structure.

Mesoporous Metal Oxide Encapsulated Gold Nanocatalysts: Enhanced Activity for Catalyst Application to Solvent-Free Aerobic Oxidation of Hydrocarbons.

Here, we present a series of experimental studies to encapsulate ultrasmall gold nanoparticles into mesoporous metal oxide via an in situ self-assembly method. Notably, the 2.0Au@mZnO catalyst (∼2.

A Topotactic Synthetic Methodology for the Synthesis of Nanosized MFI Zeolites with Hierarchical Structures.

Much effort has been invested in the designed synthesis of zeolites with nanosized and hierarchical structures in recent decades, on account of increasing demands in practical applications, especially catalysis. Herein, a new topotactic synthetic strategy is demonstrated to synthesize nanosized and hierarchical zeolites in a one-step procedure. By using silica spheres as the adjustable amorphous precursors and tetrapropylammonium hydroxide as a structure-directing agent, effortless control of both size and porosity can be achieved in this system with no extra templates.