Cooling-Induced Order-Disorder Phase Transition in CsPbBr Nanocrystal Superlattices.

Perovskite nanocrystal superlattices are being actively studied after reports have emerged on collective excitonic properties at cryogenic temperatures, where energetic disorder is minimized due to the frozen lattice vibrations. However, an important issue related to structural disorder of superlattices at low temperatures has received little attention to date. In this work, it is shown that CsPbBr nanocrystal superlattices undergo a reversible order-disorder transition upon cooling to 90 K.

Waning-and-waxing shape changes in ionic nanoplates upon cation exchange.

Flexible control of the composition and morphology of nanocrystals (NCs) over a wide range is an essential technology for the creation of functional nanomaterials. Cation exchange (CE) is a facile method by which to finely tune the compositions of ionic NCs, providing an opportunity to obtain complex nanostructures that are difficult to form using conventional chemical synthesis procedures. However, due to their robust anion frameworks, CE cannot typically be used to modify the original morphology of the host NCs.

pH and Magnetism Dual-Responsive Pickering Emulsion Stabilized by Dynamic Covalent FeO Nanoparticles.

Herein, we describe pH and magnetism dual-responsive liquid paraffin-in-water Pickering emulsion stabilized by dynamic covalent FeO (DC-FeO) nanoparticles. On one hand, the Pickerinfigureg emulsions are sensitive to pH variations, and efficient demulsification can be achieved by regulating the pH between 10 and 2 within 30 min. The dynamic imine bond in DC-FeO can be reversibly formed and decomposed, resulting in a pH-controlled amphiphilicity.

Determinants of crystal structure transformation of ionic nanocrystals in cation exchange reactions.

Changes in the crystal system of an ionic nanocrystal during a cation exchange reaction are unusual yet remain to be systematically investigated. In this study, chemical synthesis and computational modeling demonstrated that the height of hexagonal-prism roxbyite (CuS) nanocrystals with a distorted hexagonal close-packed sulfide anion (S) sublattice determines the final crystal phase of the cation-exchanged products with Co [wurtzite cobalt sulfide (CoS) with hexagonal close-packed S and/or cobalt pentlandite (CoS) with cubic close-packed S]. Thermodynamic instability of exposed planes drives reconstruction of anion frameworks under mild reaction conditions.

Self-activated Rh-Zr mixed oxide as a nonhazardous cocatalyst for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

Efficient, robust and environmentally friendly cocatalysts for photocatalysts are important for large-scale solar hydrogen production. Herein, we demonstrate that a Rh-Zr mixed oxide is an efficient cocatalyst for hydrogen evolution. Impregnation of Zr and Rh precursors (Zr/Rh = 5 wt/wt%) formed RhZrO cocatalyst particles on Al-doped SrTiO, which exhibited 31× higher photocatalytic water-splitting activity than a RhO cocatalyst.

Strongly Coupled FeNi Alloys/NiFeO@Carbonitride Layers-Assembled Microboxes for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

Hydrogen produced from electrocatalytic water splitting is a promising route due to the sustainable powers derived from the solar and wind energy. However, the sluggish kinetics at the anode for water splitting makes the highly effective and inexpensive electrocatalysts desirable in oxygen evolution reaction (OER) by structure and composition modulations. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been intensively used as the templates/precursors to synthesize complex hollow structures for various energy-related applications.

Metallic Cobalt Encapsulated in Bamboo-Like and Nitrogen-Rich Carbonitride Nanotubes for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

Despite being technically possible, the hydrogen production by means of electrocatalytic water splitting is still practically unreachable mainly because of the lack of inexpensive and high active catalysts. Herein, a novel and facile approach by melamine polymerization, exfoliation and Co(2+)-assisted thermal annealing is developed to fabricate Co nanoparticles embedded in bamboo-like and nitrogen-rich carbonitride nanotubes (Co@NCN). The electronic interaction between the embedded Co nanoparticles and N-rich carbonitride nanotubes could strongly promote the HER performance.

Co-Doped MoS₂ Nanosheets with the Dominant CoMoS Phase Coated on Carbon as an Excellent Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution.

Highly active and low-cost catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are crucial for the development of efficient water splitting. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets possess unique physical and chemical properties, which make them promising candidates for HER. Herein, we reported a facile, effective, and scalable strategy by a deposition-precipitation method to fabricate metal-doped (Fe, Co, Ni) molybdenum sulfide with a few layers on carbon black as noble metal-free electrocatalysts for HER.