3D dendritic-Fe2O3@C nanoparticles as an anode material for lithium ion batteries

3D dendritic Fe2O3 nanoparticles wrapped with carbon (denoted as 3DD-Fe2O3@C hereafter) were synthesized.</p

Pt nanoparticles decorated rose-like Bi2O2CO3 configurations for efficient photocatalytic removal of water organic pollutants

Pt nanoparticles decorated with rose-like Bi2O2CO3 configurations were synthesized via a simple photoreduction method at room temperature. The structure, morphology, optical and electronic properties, and photocatalytic performance of the as-prepared materials were characterized. Compared to pure Bi2O2CO3, the Pt/Bi2O2CO3 photocatalysts show better performance in decomposing RhB, BPA and OTC under visible light (? > 420 nm). The enhanced photocatalytic activity of Pt/Bi2O2CO3 could be attributed to the modification in light absorption (? > 420 nm) charge migration and the separation of photo-generated electrons (e?) and holes (h+). Free radical trapping experiments demonstrated that the main active species of the catalytic reaction are different in decomposing RhB and BPA.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Unzipping of black phosphorus to form zigzag-phosphorene nanobelts.

Funder: National Key R (D Program of China);2016YFA0200200;Funder: National Key D Program of China (2016YFA0200200) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51672154)Phosphorene, monolayer or few-layer black phosphorus, exhibits fascinating anisotropic properties and shows interesting semiconducting behavior. The synthesis of phosphorene nanosheets is still a hot topic, including the shaping of its two-dimensional structure into nanoribbons or nanobelts. Here we report electrochemical unzipping of single crystalline black phosphorus into zigzag-phosphorene nanobelts, as well as nanosheets and quantum dots, via an oxygen-driven mechanism. The experimental results agree well with our theoretical calculations. The calculation for the unzipping mechanism study suggests that interstitial oxygen-pairs are the critical intermediate species for generating zigzag-phosphorene nanobelts. Although phosphorene oxidation has been reported, lengthwise cutting is hitherto unreported. Our discovery of phosphorene cut upon oxidation represents a previously unknown mechanism for the formation of various dimensions of phosphorene nanostructures, especially zigzag-phosphorene nanobelts. It opens up a way for studying the quantum effects and electronic properties of zigzag-phosphorene nanobelts

Synthesis and Photocatalytic Activity of Single-Crystalline Hollow rh-In₂O₃ Nanocrystals

We report here for the first time the hollow, metastable, single-crystal, rhombohedral In₂O₃ (rh-In₂O₃) nanocrystals synthesized by annealing solvothermally prepared InOOH solid nanocrystals under ambient pressure at 400 °C, through a mechanism of the Kirkendall effect, in which pore formation is attributed to the difference in diffusion rates of anions (OH^– and O^2–) in a diffusion couple. The InOOH solid nanocrystals were prepared via a controlled hydrolysis solvothermal route by using In­(NO₃)₃·4.5H₂O as a starting material and glycerol–ethanol as a mixed solvent. The glycerol–ethanol mixed solvent plays a key role on the formation of the intermediate InOOH, thus the final product of rh-In₂O₃. The as-synthesized In₂O₃ nanocrystals present excellent photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB) dyes, which present ∼92% degradation of RhB or MB after 4 or 3 h reaction in the presence of the as-synthesized In₂O₃ nanocrystals, respectively

Antimonene quantum dots as bifunctional fluorescent sensors for rapid detection of cation (Fe3+) and anions (CrO42−, Cr2O72−)

As an emerging bandgap material, antimonene quantum dots (AQDs) have attracted much attention due to their unique structure and outstanding physical and chemical properties. However, the research on the optical properties of AQDs is still in the initial stage and needs further exploration. Herein, the fluorescent AQDs were synthesized by ultrasonic liquid-phase exfoliation, combined with a hydrothermal treatment process. The as-prepared AQDs exhibit good fluorescence characteristics and have a fluorescence quantum yield value of 7.56%. Besides, the AQDs show good stability under different salt concentrations. Especially, the AQDs show high selectivity and rapid detection of Fe3+, CrO42−, and Cr2O72− ions in an aqueous solution with good anti-interference ability. The relatively low limit of detection for Fe3+ based on AQDs was 6.85 µM, and the limits of detection for CrO42−, and Cr2O72− were 23.0 and 5.91 µM, respectively. The mechanism for the fluorescence quenching of the AQDs can be attributed to the synergistic effect of the internal filter effect and the oxidation–reduction reaction between the AQDs and analytes. This work provided a simple synthesis method to easily prepare the AQDs with a larger yield, which can be applied to rapidly detect Fe3+ cation, and CrO42−, and Cr2O72− anions