In Situ Synthesis of WSe₂/CMK‑5 Nanocomposite for Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Batteries with a Long-Term Cycling Stability

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have received intensive interests in lithium-ion batteries owing to their unique lithium-ion storage ability when evaluated as anode materials. In the present work, a nanocomposite of WSe₂/CMK-5 was successfully fabricated via a nanocasting route, introducing the unique structure of mesoporous carbon (CMK-5) as a nanorecator. Benefiting from a synergetic effect of WSe₂ nanosheets and mesoporous carbon, the WSe₂/CMK-5 hybrid electrode exhibited large reversible capacity, high rate performance, and excellent long-term cycling stability. For instance, a specific capacity of 490 mA h g^–1 can remain even after 600 cycles at a current density of 0.5 A g^–1

Ternary Photoanodes with AgAu Nanoclusters and CoNi-LDH for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation

Atomically precise metal nanoclusters (NCs) present new opportunities for creating innovative solar-powered photoanodes due to their extraordinary physicochemical properties. Nevertheless, ultrasmall metal NCs tend to aggregate and lack active sites under light irradiation, which severely limits their widespread application. We have developed a strategy to design efficient ternary photoanodes by successively modifying AgAu NCs and CoNi-LDH on BiVO4 substrates using versatile impregnation and electrodeposition. The electronic properties of AgAu NCs facilitate the rapid transfer of photogenerated carriers on BiVO4 and CoNi-LDH. Additionally, ultrathin CoNi-LDH acts as a hole-collecting layer, which quickly extracts holes to the electrode/electrolyte interface. The synergistic effect and the matched energy levels between the ternary heterostructures promote the OER process, which significantly improved the photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation performance. This study presents a new idea for further exploration of metal nanocluster-based PEC systems

Data_Sheet_1_One-Step Synthesis of N, P-Codoped Carbon Nanosheets Encapsulated CoP Particles for Highly Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction.pdf

Oxygen electrocatalysis, especially oxygen evolution reaction (OER), is a central process during the actual application of rechargeable metal-air battery. It is still challenging to develop ideal electrocatalysts to substitute the commercial noble metal-based materials. In this work, we have constructed a new material, CoP nanoparticles, which are encapsulated by a biomolecule-derived N, P-codoped carbon nanosheets via a simple and facile one-step strategy. The as-prepared material releases a high electrocatalytic activity and stability for OER, with an overpotential of 310 mV to achieve 10 mA/cm2 in 1 M KOH. Importantly, we found that the phosphoric acid can not only introduce phosphorus dopant into 2D N-doped carbon nanosheets and play a role of pore-forming agent, but also participate in the formation of active center (cobalt phosphide). Moreover, the coverage of N, P-doped carbon can prevent the CoP nanoparticles from corrosion under the harsh reaction medium to achieve high and stable activity. We believe that our strategy can offer a novel pathway to synthesize new transition metal-based catalysts for electrocatalysis or other heterogeneous catalysis.</p

Bioinspired Self-Powered Piezoresistive Sensors for Simultaneous Monitoring of Human Health and Outdoor UV Light Intensity

The exact fabrication of precise three-dimensional structures for piezoresistive sensors necessitates superior manufacturing methods or tooling, which are accompanied by time-consuming processes and the potential for environmental harm. Herein, we demonstrated a method for in situ synthesis of zinc oxide nanorod (ZnO NR) arrays on graphene-treated cotton and paper substrates and constructed highly sensitive, flexible, wearable, and chemically stable strain sensors. Based on the structure of pine trees and needles in nature, the hybrid sensing layer consisted of graphene-attached cotton or paper fibers and ZnO NRs, and the results showed a high sensitivity of 0.389, 0.095, and 0.029 kPa–1 and an ultra-wide linear range of 0–100 kPa of this sensor under optimal conditions. Our study found that water absorption and swelling of graphene fibers and the associated reduction of pore size and growth of zinc oxide were detrimental to pressure sensor performance. A random line model was developed to examine the effects of different hydrothermal times on sensor performance. Meanwhile, pulse detection, respiration detection, speech recognition, and motion detection, including finger movements, walking, and throat movements, were used to show their practical application in human health activity monitoring. In addition, monolithically grown ZnO NRs on graphene cotton sheets had been integrated into a flexible sensing platform for outdoor UV photo-indication, which is, to our knowledge, the first successful case of an integrated UV photo-detector and motion sensor. Due to its excellent strain detection and UV detection abilities, these strategies are a step forward in developing wearable sensors that are cost-controllable and high-performance

Au Nanoparticle-Decorated ZnO Microflower-Based Immunoassay for Photoelectrochemical Detection of Human Prostate-Specific Antigen

Herein, an in situ amplified photoelectrochemical (PEC) immunoassay with ZnO microflowers (ZnO MFs) decorated with gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) was developed to determine human prostate-specific antigen (PSA) using l-cysteine-loaded liposomes for signal amplification. Initially, ZnO MFs with smooth and well-defined morphology were synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. The heterostructured microflowers were formed by depositing Au NPs on ZnO microflowers using trisodium citrate. l-Cysteine (l-Cys)-encapsulated liposomes conjugated with detection antibodies were used to fabricate a sandwiched immunocomplex on a capture antibody-modified microtiter plate in the presence of target PSA. The liposomes were lysed using Triton X-100 to release the encapsulated l-Cys, thereby increasing the photocurrent on Au NP-decorated ZnO MFs. Results indicated that the photoelectrochemical immunoassay displayed good photocurrents to response PSA concentrations from 0.01 to 20 ng mL–1, and the detection PSA concentration was as low as 0.79 pg mL–1. Furthermore, the photoelectrochemical immunoassay had good precision, high selectivity, and well-matched accuracy toward target PSA in human serum specimens using the commercialized human PSA ELISA kit as a reference

Bioinspired Self-Powered Piezoresistive Sensors for Simultaneous Monitoring of Human Health and Outdoor UV Light Intensity

The exact fabrication of precise three-dimensional structures for piezoresistive sensors necessitates superior manufacturing methods or tooling, which are accompanied by time-consuming processes and the potential for environmental harm. Herein, we demonstrated a method for in situ synthesis of zinc oxide nanorod (ZnO NR) arrays on graphene-treated cotton and paper substrates and constructed highly sensitive, flexible, wearable, and chemically stable strain sensors. Based on the structure of pine trees and needles in nature, the hybrid sensing layer consisted of graphene-attached cotton or paper fibers and ZnO NRs, and the results showed a high sensitivity of 0.389, 0.095, and 0.029 kPa–1 and an ultra-wide linear range of 0–100 kPa of this sensor under optimal conditions. Our study found that water absorption and swelling of graphene fibers and the associated reduction of pore size and growth of zinc oxide were detrimental to pressure sensor performance. A random line model was developed to examine the effects of different hydrothermal times on sensor performance. Meanwhile, pulse detection, respiration detection, speech recognition, and motion detection, including finger movements, walking, and throat movements, were used to show their practical application in human health activity monitoring. In addition, monolithically grown ZnO NRs on graphene cotton sheets had been integrated into a flexible sensing platform for outdoor UV photo-indication, which is, to our knowledge, the first successful case of an integrated UV photo-detector and motion sensor. Due to its excellent strain detection and UV detection abilities, these strategies are a step forward in developing wearable sensors that are cost-controllable and high-performance

Bioinspired Self-Powered Piezoresistive Sensors for Simultaneous Monitoring of Human Health and Outdoor UV Light Intensity

The exact fabrication of precise three-dimensional structures for piezoresistive sensors necessitates superior manufacturing methods or tooling, which are accompanied by time-consuming processes and the potential for environmental harm. Herein, we demonstrated a method for in situ synthesis of zinc oxide nanorod (ZnO NR) arrays on graphene-treated cotton and paper substrates and constructed highly sensitive, flexible, wearable, and chemically stable strain sensors. Based on the structure of pine trees and needles in nature, the hybrid sensing layer consisted of graphene-attached cotton or paper fibers and ZnO NRs, and the results showed a high sensitivity of 0.389, 0.095, and 0.029 kPa–1 and an ultra-wide linear range of 0–100 kPa of this sensor under optimal conditions. Our study found that water absorption and swelling of graphene fibers and the associated reduction of pore size and growth of zinc oxide were detrimental to pressure sensor performance. A random line model was developed to examine the effects of different hydrothermal times on sensor performance. Meanwhile, pulse detection, respiration detection, speech recognition, and motion detection, including finger movements, walking, and throat movements, were used to show their practical application in human health activity monitoring. In addition, monolithically grown ZnO NRs on graphene cotton sheets had been integrated into a flexible sensing platform for outdoor UV photo-indication, which is, to our knowledge, the first successful case of an integrated UV photo-detector and motion sensor. Due to its excellent strain detection and UV detection abilities, these strategies are a step forward in developing wearable sensors that are cost-controllable and high-performance