Preparation and characterization of regenerated cellulose/poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) blend films.

Regenerated cellulose/poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) blend film was successfully prepared through coagulating their N,N-dimethyl acetamide (DMAC)/LiCl solution with water. The toughness of the blend films, compared with virgin regenerated cellulose film, was significantly improved when the content of PVDF in blend films was no more than 20 wt.%.

Large improvement of coercivity in Sm-(Co,Cu)/Fe films by Cu addition.

The magnetic properties and microstructure of Sm-(Co,Cu)/Fe films were investigated systematically. The addition of Cu is helpful for keeping a better multilayer structure due to the reduction of the crystallization temperature of the hard phase. With lowering the temperature, the coercivity of the Sm-(Co,Cu)/Fe films increases rapidly with a linear relationship.

A facile approach to the synthesis of graphene nanosheets under ultra-low exfoliation temperature.

High specific surface area graphene nanosheets have been obtained from graphite oxide by using an effective modified exfoliation method under vacuum, the exfoliation temperature (135 degrees C) is much lower than that conventionally applied (1050 degrees C) to obtain monolayer graphene sheets via rapid thermal shock. These products have fluffy and highly porous structure and with a lateral size typically of a few micrometers. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation shows that it looks like a wrinkled transparent ultrathin film consisting of single or few-layer graphene sheets, and their Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area is as large as 750 m2/g.

Interfacial microstructure and properties of carbon fiber composites modified with graphene oxide.

The performance of carbon fiber-reinforced composites is dependent to a great extent on the properties of fiber-matrix interface. To improve the interfacial properties in carbon fiber/epoxy composites, we directly introduced graphene oxide (GO) sheets dispersed in the fiber sizing onto the surface of individual carbon fibers. The applied graphite oxide, which could be exfoliated to single-layer GO sheets, was verified by atomic force microscope (AFM).

Rhythmic Growth Combined with Lamellar Twisting Induces Poly(ethylene adipate) Nested Ring-Banded Structures.

Previously, poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) classical ring-banded spherulites with periodic twisted lamellae and nonclassical concentric ringed structures induced by rhythmic growth were obtained by modulating the competition between diffusion flux and spherulitic growth. In this study, the modulation of diffusion flux and spherulitic growth on ring-banded structures is further studied, and hierarchical nested ring-banded patterns with a banded structure nested in the ridge rings of the other concentric ringed structure are prepared during slow solvent evaporation in poly(ethylene adipate) (PEA) solution films. The structural characterizations reveal that the big concentric ringed structure derives from periodic variation of thicknesses and that the small inner banded structure consists of periodic twisted lamellae.

Chitin nanocrystals grafted with poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) and their effects on thermal behavior of PHBV.

Chemically modified chitin nanocrystals were synthesized by grafting poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) onto chitin backbone via chlorination. Acetyl amino group was maintained in the reaction. The chemical structure and morphology of PHBV grafted chitin nanocrystals were characterized by Fourier transform infrared, Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

A facile route to reassemble titania nanoparticles into ordered chain-like networks on substrate.

A facile route to reassemble titania nanoparticles within the titania-block copolymer composite films has been developed. The titania nanoparticles templated by the amphiphilic block copolymer of poly(styrene)-block-poly (ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO) were frozen in the continuous PS matrix. Upon UV exposure, the PS matrix was partially degraded, allowing the titania nanoparticles to rearrange into chain-like networks exhibiting a closer packing.

Ratchet composite thin film for low-temperature self-propelled Leidenfrost droplet.

The droplet control, especially for the self-propelled Leidenfrost droplet, has attracted many researchers' attention in applied and fundamental fields. In this paper, the ratchet thin film was fabricated by magnetron sputtering and hybrid ion beams deposition. The micro- and nanoscale structure of the film was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope.

Biosynthesis of phloroglucinol compounds in microorganisms--review.

Phloroglucinol derivatives are a major class of secondary metabolites of wide occurrence in biological systems. In the bacteria kingdom, these compounds can only be synthesized by some species of Pseudomonads. Pseudomonas spp.

Modeling novel double-in-plane gate electric-double-layer thin-film and nanoscale transistors.

A novel double-in-plane gate oxide-based electric-double-layer (EDL) transistor structure applicable to thin-film transistors (TFTs) and nanoscale transistors (nanoFETs) is proposed. An equivalent circuit model is provided to illustrate the operation mechanism. The double-in-plane gate structure can simplify device fabrication effectively and provide unique tunability of threshold.

Melt blending in situ enhances the interaction between polystyrene and graphene through π-π stacking.

The effect of melt blending on the interaction between graphene and polystyrene (PS) matrix has been investigated in this paper. The interaction between graphene and PS was significantly enhanced by melt blending, which led to an increased amount of PS-functional graphene (PSFG) exhibiting good solubility in some solvents. The PS chains on PSFG could effectively prevent the graphene sheets from aggregating and the prepared PS/PSFG composites exhibited a homogeneous dispersion and an improved electrical property.

Improvement of resistive switching in Cu/ZnO/Pt sandwiches by weakening the randomicity of the formation/rupture of Cu filaments.

We report an improvement in minimizing the dispersion of resistive switching (RS) parameters such as ON/OFF state resistances and switching voltages of Cu/ZnO/Pt structures in which ZnO films have been deposited at elevated temperature with N doping. This deposition process can enlarge the ZnO grain size and lessen grain boundaries while maintaining a high initial resistance since ZnO naturally shows n-type conductivity and N is a p-type dopant but with a low solubility. Cu filaments with a diameter of 15 nm are found to form at the ZnO grain boundaries.

Chemical composition of the green alga Codium Divaricatum Holmes.

A new sterol, 24-R-stigmasta-4,25-diene-3β,6β-diol (1), along with three known compounds (2-3), was isolated from the green alga Codium divaricatum Holmes, a traditional Chinese medicine, which is efficacious against cancer. All structures were determined by spectroscopic methods and comparison with related known compounds. Single-crystal X-ray crystallography allowed us to confirm the structure of 1.

Synthetic methodologies for carbon nanomaterials.

Carbon nanomaterials have advanced rapidly over the last two decades and are among the most promising materials that have already changed and will keep on changing human life. Development of synthetic methodologies for these materials, therefore, has been one of the most important subjects of carbon nanoscience and nanotechnology, and forms the basis for investigating the physicochemical properties and applications of carbon nanomaterials. In this Research News article, several synthetic strategies, including solvothermal reduction, solvothermal pyrolysis, hydrothermal carbonization, and soft-chemical exfoliation are specifically discussed and highlighted, which have been developed for the synthesis of novel carbon nanomaterials over the last decade.

Single crystals of polythiophene with different molecular conformations obtained by tetrahydrofuran vapor annealing and controlling solvent evaporation.

Single crystals of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly(3-octylthiophene) (P3OT) have been prepared by tetrahydrofuran vapor annealing and controlling solvent evaporation, respectively. The morphology and structure of the single crystals are characterized using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and wide-angle X-ray diffraction. It is observed that in P3HT single crystals, the molecules are packed with pi-pi stacking direction perpendicular to the length axis of the crystals and main chains parallel to the substrate, whereas in P3OT single crystals, the molecules are packed with pi-pi stacking direction parallel to the length axis of the crystal and main chains parallel to the substrate.

A scalable, solution-phase processing route to graphene oxide and graphene ultralarge sheets.

High yield production of graphene oxide and graphene sheets with an ultralarge size (up to approximately 200 microm) was realized using a modified solution-phase method.

Microstructural, optical, and electrical properties of SnO thin films prepared on quartz via a two-step method.

A simple, cost-effective, two-step method was proposed for preparing single-phase SnO polycrystalline thin films on quartz. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis demonstrated that the annealed films were consisted of polycrystalline alpha-SnO phase without preferred orientation, and chemical composition analysis of the single phase in nature was analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Transmittance spectra in UV-vis-IR range indicated that the average transmittance of both the as-deposited and the annealed SnO thin films was up to 70%.

Fabrication of uniform core-shell structural calcium and titanium precipitation particles and enhanced electrorheological activities.

A simple co-precipitation route was developed to synthesize uniform core-shell structured calcium and titanium precipitation (CTP) particles with ideal morphology and no aggregation. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and interface tension/contact angle (CA) measurement were utilized to characterize the components, structure, morphology, and wettability of the SiO(2)-CTP materials. The obtained core-shell structural SiO(2)-CTP particles were well dispersed spherical nanoparticles with a narrow size distribution.

Amphiphilic copolymer grafted "smart surface" enhanced by surface roughness.

Polystyrene-poly(acrylic acid) (PS-PAA) block copolymers polymerized by atom transfer radical polymerization were covalently grafted to both smooth and microtextured surfaces. These amphiphilic copolymers were utilized to create smart surfaces, which can be responsive to external stimuli, e.g.