In situ Free-Surfactant Synthesis and ORR- Electrochemistry of Carbon-Supported Co₃S₄ and CoSe₂ Nanoparticles

In situ Free-Surfactant Synthesis and ORR- Electrochemistry of Carbon-Supported Co3S4 and CoSe2 Nanoparticle

Co<b>-</b>intercalation of Acid Red 337 and a UV Absorbent into Layered Double Hydroxides: Enhancement of Photostability

Organic–inorganic hybrid pigments with enhanced thermo- and photostability have been prepared by co-intercalating C.I. Acid Red 337 (AR337) and a UV absorbent (BP-4) into the interlayer of ZnAl layered double hydroxides through a coprecipitation method. The obtained compounds were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric–differential thermogravimetric–differential thermal analysis, UV–visible spectroscopy, and the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) 1976 L*a*b* color scales. The results show the successful co-intercalation of AR337 and BP-4 into the interlayer region of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) and reveal the presence of host–guest interactions between LDH host layers and guest anions of AR337 and BP-4 and guest–guest interactions between AR337 and BP-4. The intercalation can improve the thermostability of AR337 due to the protection of LDH layers. Moreover, the co-intercalation of AR337 and BP-4 not only markedly enhances the photostability of AR337 but also significantly influences the color of the hybrid pigment

Synthesis and Gas Sensing Performance of Dandelion-Like ZnO with Hierarchical Porous Structure

It is of great interest to develop gas-sensing materials with excellent performance in a facile and mild route. In this work, dandelion-like hollow ZnO hierarchitectures assembled with ZnO nanoparticles have been synthesized by annealing a zinc complex precursor, which was produced from zinc acetate and ammonium bicarbonate at room temperature. The nanoparticle size in the hierarchitectures enlarges from 10 to 23 nm with the annealing temperature increasing from 350 to 550 °C. The ZnO hierarchitectures have shown high sensing response (34.5), fast response (6 s) and recovery (7 s), and low optimal operating temperature (250 °C) toward 50 ppm ethanol because of large surface area and rich pore. Also, the obtained ZnO dandelion-like hierarchitectures exhibits good selectivity toward alcohols. The obtained results suggest that the dandelion-like ZnO hierarchitectures synthesized herein are a promising gas sensing material

Template-free Synthesis of Large-Pore-Size Porous Magnesium Silicate Hierarchical Nanostructures for High-Efficiency Removal of Heavy Metal Ions

It remains a big challenge to develop high-efficiency and low-cost adsorption materials to remove toxic heavy metal ions in water. Here, we developed a template-free synthesis method to fabricate high surface area and large pore size magnesium silicate hierarchical nanostructures in a mixed solvent of ethanol and water and carefully investigated the corresponding adsorption behavior for Pb2+, Zn2+, and Cu2+ in aqueous solution. The results reveal that the ethanol volume fraction in the solvent plays an important role to optimize the pore structure, which directly determines the adsorption capacity and the adsorption rate for heavy metal ions. When the ethanol volume fraction is beyond 50%, the obtained magnesium silicate presents a flowerlike structure with a hierarchical pore distribution: 0.5–2, 2–30, and 30–200 nm. When the ethanol volume faction is 90%, for example, the sample exhibits a maximum adsorption capacity of 436.68, 78.86, and 52.30 mg/g for Pb2+, Zn2+, and Cu2+ ions, which has a BET surface area of 650.50 m2/g and an average pore diameter of 6.89 nm, respectively. Also, the sample presents excellent repeated adsorption performance after three elutions. The obtained materials show widely promising and practical applications in water treatment in a wide pH range from 2.8 to 5.8

Novel Carbon Paper@Magnesium Silicate Composite Porous Films: Design, Fabrication, and Adsorption Behavior for Heavy Metal Ions in Aqueous Solution

It is of great and increasing interest to explore porous adsorption films to reduce heavy metal ions in aqueous solution. Here, we for the first time fabricated carbon paper@magnesium silicate (CP@MS) composite films for the high-efficiency removal of Zn²⁺ and Cu²⁺ by a solid-phase transformation from hydromagnesite-coated CP (CP@MCH) precursor film in a hydrothermal route and detailedly examined adsorption process for Zn²⁺ and Cu²⁺ as well as the adsorption mechanism. The suitable initial pH range is beyond 4.0 for the adsorption of the CP@MS to remove Zn²⁺ under the investigated conditions, and the adsorption capacity is mainly up to the pore size of the porous film. The composite film exhibits excellent adsorption capacity for both of Zn²⁺ and Cu²⁺ with the corresponding maximum adsorption quantity of 198.0 mg g^–1 for Zn²⁺ and 113.5 mg g^–1 for Cu²⁺, which are advantageous over most of those reported in the literature. Furthermore, the adsorption behavior of the CP@MS film follows the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir adsorption equation for Zn²⁺ with the cation-exchange mechanism. Particularly, the CP@MS film shows promising practical applications for the removal of heavy metal ions in water by an adsorption–filtration system

An Unlimited Color Palette from Perylene Derivative Molecules Dispersed within Hybrids

Subject to the aggregation-caused quenching mechanism in the solid state, perylene and its derivatives turn out to be fascinating organic fluorophores when separated from each other by their cointercalation within a layered double hydroxide host structure. Such accommodation with surfactant spacers limits their stacking usually caused by π–π interaction between neighboring cores. For each series of fluorophores having substitution in bay or diimide positions, an optimized composition is selected based on optical performances and in particular on the absolute photoluminescence quantum yield. The optimal relative quantity of phosphor is very low from 0.001 to 0.1% of the total anionic capacity. When dispersed into a silicone matrix, the loaded films cover from green (510 nm) to red (625 nm) emission depending on the perylene derivative molecules. With loaded films overlaid on a blue chip, a warm white light (color-correlated temperature = 3890 K) with a color-rendering index as high as 91.1 is reached. In such a light-emitting diode configuration, the superposition of films for each fluorophore is preferred to the powder mixture or to the cointercalation of organic phosphors within the same structure in order to avoid too strong and nonpredictable reabsorption phenomena between emitting centers

Facile Synthesis and Acetone Sensing Performance of Hierarchical SnO₂ Hollow Microspheres with Controllable Size and Shell Thickness

A facile method to prepare SnO₂ hollow microspheres has been developed by using SiO₂ microspheres as template and Na₂SnO₃ as tin resource. The obtained SnO₂ hollow microspheres were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, high resolution and transmission electron microscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis, and their sensing performance was also investigated. It was found that the diameter of SnO₂ hollow microspheres can be easily controlled in the range of 200–700 nm, and the shell thickness can be tuned from 7.65 to 30.33 nm. The sensing tests showed that SnO₂ hollow microspheres not only have high sensing response and excellent selectivity to acetone, but also exhibit low operating temperature and rapid response and recovery due to the small crystal size and thin shell structure of the hollow microspheres, which facilitate the adsorption, diffusion, and reaction of gases on the surface of SnO₂ nanoparticles. Therefore, the SnO₂ hollow microsphere is a promising material for the preparation of high-performance gas sensors

Doping Metal Elements of WO₃ for Enhancement of NO₂‑Sensing Performance at Room Temperature

WO₃ nanoparticles doped with Sb, Cd, and Ce were synthesized by a chemical method to enhance the sensing performance of WO₃ for NO₂ at room temperature. The doping with Sb element can significantly enhance the NO₂-sensing properties of WO₃. Upon exposure to 10 ppm of NO₂, particularly the 2 wt % Sb-doped WO₃ sample exhibits a 6.8-times higher response and an improved selectivity at room temperature compared with those of undoped WO₃. The enhanced NO₂-sensing mechanism of WO₃ by doping is discussed in detail, which is mainly ascribed to the increase of oxygen vacancies in the doped WO₃ samples as confirmed by Raman, photoluminescence, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra. In addition, the narrower band gap may also be responsible for the enhancement of response as observed from the corresponding ultraviolet–visible spectra

Wearable, Washable, and Highly Sensitive Piezoresistive Pressure Sensor Based on a 3D Sponge Network for Real-Time Monitoring Human Body Activities

Wearable pressure sensors are highly desirable for monitoring human health and realizing a nice human–machine interaction. Herein, a chitosan/MXene/polyurethane-sponge/polyvinyl alcohol (CS/MXene/PU sponge/PVA)-based 3D pressure sensor is developed to simultaneously achieve wearability, washability, and high sensitivity in a wide region. In the force-sensitive layer of the sensor, MXene and CS are fully attached to the PU sponge to ensure that the composite sponge has remarkable conductivity and washability. Benefiting from the highly resistive PVA-nanowire spacer, the initial current of the sensor is reduced significantly so that the sensor exhibits extremely high sensitivity (84.9 kPa–1 for the less than 5 kPa region and 140.6 kPa–1 for the 5–22 kPa region). Moreover, the sensor has an excellent fast response time of 200 ms and a short recovery time of 30 ms, as well as non-attenuating durability over 5000 cycles. With the high sensitivity in a wide range, the sensor is capable of detecting multiple human and animal activities in real time, ranging from the large pressure of joint activities to a subtle pressure of pulse. Furthermore, the sensor also demonstrates the potential application in measuring pressure distribution. Overall, such a multifunctional pressure sensor can supply a new platform for the design and development of wearable health-monitoring equipment and an efficient human–machine interface