Strings of interconnected hollow carbon nanoparticles with porous shells prepared using simple solid-phase synthesis

Strings of interconnected hollow carbon nanoparticles with porous shells were prepared by simple heat-treatments of a mixture of resorcinol-formaldehyde gel and transition-metal salts. The sample was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and nitrogen adsorption. Results show that the sample consisted of relatively uniform hollow particles with sizes ranging from 70 to 80 nm forming a strings-of-pearls-like nanostructure. The material with porous shells possessed well-developed graphitic structure with an interlayer (d(002)) spacing of 0.3369 nm and the stack height of the graphite crystallites of 9 nm.

3D Fe3S4 flower-like microspheres: high-yield synthesis via a biomolecule-assisted solution approach, their electrical, magnetic and electrochemical hydrogen storage properties

Well-defined 3D Fe3S4 flower-like microspheres were synthesized via a simple biomolecule-assisted hydrothermal process for the first time. On the basis of a series of contrast experiments, the probable growth mechanism and fabrication process of the products were proposed. The electrical conductivity property of the as-synthesized Fe3S4 sample exhibited a rectifying characteristic when a forward bias was applied for the bottom-contacted device. The magnetic properties of the products were studied as well and the results demonstrated that the products presented ferromagnetic properties related to the corresponding microstructure. In addition, we first verified that the Fe3S4 flower-like microspheres could store hydrogen electrochemically, and a discharge capacity of 214 mA h g(-1) was measured without any activation under normal atmospheric conditions at room temperature.

Nonenzymatic glucose sensor based on renewable electrospun Ni nanoparticle-loaded carbon nanofiber paste electrode

A novel nonenzymatic glucose sensor was developed based on the renewable Ni nanoparticle-loaded carbon nanofiber paste (NiCFP) electrode. The NiCF nanocomposite was prepared by combination of electrospinning technique with thermal treatment method. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that large amounts of spherical nanoparticles were well dispersed on the surface or embedded in the carbon nanofibers. And the nanoparticles were composed of Ni and NiO, as revealed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). In application to nonenzymatic glucose determination, the renewable NiCFP electrodes, which were constructed by simply mixing the electrospun nanocomposite with mineral oil, exhibited strong and fast amperometric response without being poisoned by chloride ions. Low detection limit of 1 mu M with wide linear range from 2 mu M to 2.5 mM (R = 0.9997) could be obtained.

Dispersions of carbon nanotubes in sulfonated poly[bis(benzimidazobenzisoquinolinones)] and their proton-conducting composite membranes

A sulfonated poly[bis(benzimidazobenzisoquinolinones)] (SPBIBI) possessing a conjugated pyridinone ring was shown to be effective for dispersing multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in DMSO. The dispersions in which the SPBIBI to MWCNTs mass ratio was 4:1 demonstrated the highest MWCNTs concentrations, i.e., 1.5-2.0 mg mL(-1), and were found to be stable for more than six months at room temperature. Through casting of these dispersions, MWCNTs/SPBIBI composite membranes were successfully fabricated on substrates as proton exchange membranes for fuel cell applications and showed no signs of macroscopic aggregation. The properties of composite membranes were investigated, and it was found that the homogeneous dispersion of the MWCNTs in the SPBIBI matrix altered the morphology structures of the composite membranes, which lead to the formation of more regular and smaller cluster-like ion domains.

Spindle-like Lanthanide Orthovanadate Nanoparticles: Facile Synthesis by Ultrasonic Irradiation, Characterization, and Luminescent Properties

A general and facile ultrasonic irradiation method has been established for the synthesis of the lanthanide orthovanadate LnVO(4) (Ln = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu) nanoparticles from an aqueous solution of Ln(NO3)(3) and NH4VO3 without any surfactant or template. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and photoluminescence (PL) spectra as well as kinetic decays were employed to characterize the as-prepared products. Ultrasonic irradiation has a strong effect on the morphology of the LnVO(4) nanoparticles. The SEM and TEEM images illustrate that the as-formed LnVO(4) particles have a spindle-like shape with an equatorial diameter of 30-70 nm and a length of 100-200 am, which are the aggregates of even.

Sol-gel derived Y2O3 as an efficient bluish-white phosphor without metal activator ions

In this paper, Y2O3 powder phosphors without metal activators were successfully prepared by the sol-gel method. The obtained sample shows an intense bluish-white emission (ranging from 350 to 600 nm, centered at 416 nm) under a wide range of UV light excitation (235-400 nm). The chromaticity coordinates of the sample are x = 0.159, y = 0.097, and the quantum yield is as high as 64.6%, which is a high value among the phosphor family without metal activators. The luminescent mechanisms have been ascribed to the carbon impurities in the Y2O3 host.

Templated assembly of mu(5)-CO32- decanuclear praseodymium and neodymium clusters through spontaneous fixation of atmospheric carbon dioxide

Reactions of Ln(III) acetate (Ln = Pr and Nd) and a polydentate Schiff-base in a mixture of methanol and acetonitrile resulted in the unprecedented assembly of novel Ln(10) aggregates containing two Ln(5) pentagons templated by mu(5)-CO32-, introduced via spontaneous fixation of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Magnetic analysis using an expression including the ligand field effects and molecular field approximation indicates weak antiferromagnetic coupling between the metal ions. This synthetic approach may represent a promising new route toward the design of new lanthanide clusters and novel multifunctional materials.

Silver(I) ions-enhanced electrochemiluminescence of tris(2,2-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)

In this paper. we demonstrate an clectrochemiluminescence (ECL) enhancement of tris(2,2-bipyridyl)rutheniuin(II) (Ru(bpy)(3)(2+)) by the addition of silver(l) ions. The maximum enhancement factor of about 5 was obtained on a glassy carbon electrode in the absence of co-reactant. The enhancement of ECL intensity was possibly attributed to the unique catalytic activity of Ag+ for reactions between Ru(bpy)(3)(3+) with OR The higher enhancement was observed in phosphate buffer solutions compared with that from borate buffer solutions. This resulted from the fact that formation of nanoparticles with large surface area in the phosphate buffer solution exhibited high catalytic activity. The amount of Ag+, solution pH and working electrode materials played important roles for the ECL enhancement. We also studied the effects of Ag+ on Ru(bpy)(3)(2+)/tripropylamine and Ru(bpy)(3)(2+)/C2O42- ECL systems.

Electrochemical catalysis and thermal stability characterization of laccase-carbon nanotubes-ionic liquid nanocomposite modified graphite electrode

The hydrophobic carbon nanotubes-ionic liquid (CNTs-IL) get forms a stable modified film on hydrophobic graphite electrode surface. Laccase immobilized on the CNTs-IL gel film modified electrode shows good thermal stability and enhanced electrochemical catalytic ability. The optimal bioactivity occurs with increasing temperature and this optimum is 20 degrees C higher in comparison to free laccase. The improvement of laccase thermal stability may be due to the microenvironment of hydrophobic CNTs-IL gel on graphite electrode surface. On the other hand, the sensitive detection of oxygen has been achieved due to the feasibility of oxygen reduction by both of laccase and nanocomposite of CNTs-IL gel. Furthermore, the laccase hybrid nanocomposite also shows the fast electrochemical response and high sensitivity to the inhibitors of halide ions with the approximate IC50 of 0.01, 4.2 and 87.5 mM for the fluoride, chloride and bromide ions, respectively. It implies the feasibility of laccase modified electrode as an inhibition biosensor to detect the modulators of laccase.

Assembly of 12-tungstosilicic acid and 4-aminobenzo-15-crown-5 ether based on the electrostatic attraction through bridging of oxonium ions on different substrates

Based on the electrostatic attraction Keggin-type polyoxometalate H4SiW12O40 (SiW12) and small molecule 4-aminobenzo-15-crown-5 ether (4-AB15C5) were alternately deposited on poly (allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH)-derived indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate through a layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly, forming a supramolecular multilayer film (film-A). SiW12 was also deposited on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) derived by 4-AB15C5 via covalent bonding in 0.1 M NaCl aqueous solution and formed a composite monolayer film (film-B). UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy measurements demonstrated that the interactions between SiW12 and 4-AB15C5 in both two film electrodes were the same and caused by the bridging action of oxonium ions. But, the nanostructure in the two film electrodes was different. 4-AB15C5 in film-A was oriented horizontally to ITO substrate, however, that in film-B was oriented vertically to GCE. Namely film-A corresponded to a layer structure, and film-B corresponded to an intercalation structure.

Calculation of bulk modulus on carbon nitrides with chemical bond method

The bulk moduli of some superhard materials were calculated by using the chemical bond method. For simple crystals, such as diamonds, c-BN, SiC, Si, BP, and Ge, the calculated results agree with experimental and theoretical values. For crystals of complex structure, such as beta-BC2N crystal and various structural C3N4 crystals, the results indicate that their bulk moduli are large, but do not exceed that of diamond.

The combined catalytic action of solid acids with nickel for the transformation of polypropylene into carbon nanotubes by pyrolysis

The effects of both organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) and Ni2O3 on the carbonization of polypropylene (PP) during pyrolysis were investigated. The results from TEM and Raman spectroscopy showed that the carbonized products of PP were mainly multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). Surprisingly, a combination of OMMT and Ni2O3 led to high-yield formation of MWNTs. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and GC-MS were used to investigate the mechanism of this combination for the high-yield formation of MWNTs from PP. Bronsted acid sites were created in degraded OMMT layers by thermal decomposition of the modifiers. The resultant carbenium ions play an important role in the carbonization of PP and the formation of MWNTs. The degradation of PP was induced by the presence of carbenium ions to form predominantly products with lower carbon numbers that could be easily catalyzed by the nickel catalyst for the growth of MWNTs. Furthermore, carbenium ions are active intermediates that promote the growth of MWNTs from the degradation products with higher carbon numbers through hydride-transfer reactions. The XRD measurements showed that Ni2O3 was reduced into metallic nickel (Ni) in situ to afford the active sites for the growth of MWNTs.

Synthesis and characterization of polyethylene chains grafted onto the sidewalls of single-walled carbon nanotubes via copolymerization

Polyethylene (PE) chains grafted onto the sidewalls of SWCNTs (SWCNT-g-PE) were successfully synthesized via ethylene copolymerization with functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (f-SWCNTs) catalyzed by rac-(en)(THInd)(2)ZrCl2/ MAO. Here f-SWCNTs, in which alpha-alkene groups were chemically linked on the sidewalls of SWCNTs, were synthesized by Prato reaction. The composition and microstructure of SWCNT-g-PE were characterized by means of H-1 NMR, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Nanosized cable-like structure was formed in the SWCNT-g-PE, in which the PE formed a tubular shell and several SWCNTs bundles existed as core. The formation of the above morphology in the SWCNT-g-PE resulted from successfully grafting of PE chains onto the surface of SWCNTs via copolymerization. The grown PE chains grafted onto the sidewall of the f-SWCNTs promoted the exfoliation of the mass nanotubes. Comparing with pure PE, the physical mixture of PE/f-SWCNTs and in situ PE/SWCNTs mixture, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of SWCNT-g-PE were higher because of the chemical bonding between the f-SWCNTs and PE chains.

Direct electrochemistry and bioelectrocatalysis of horseradish peroxidase immobilized on active carbon

For the first time horseradish peroxidase (HRP) immobilized on the surface of active carbon powder modified at the surface of a glassy carbon electrode has been shown to undergo a direct quasi-reversible electrochemical reaction. Its formal potential, E-o/, is -0.363 V in phosphate buffer solution (pH 6.8) at a scan rate of 100 mV/s and is almost independent of the scan rate in the range of 50-700 mV/s. The dependence of E-o/ on the pH of the buffer solution indicated that the conversion of HRP-Fe(III)/HRP-Fe(II) is a one-electron-transfer reaction process coupled with one-proton-transfer. The experimental results also demonstrated that the immobilized HRP retained its bioelectrocatalytic activity to the reduction of H2O2. Furthermore, the HRP adsorbed oil the surface of the active carbon powder can be stored at 4 degreesC for several months without any loss of the enzyme activity. The method presented for immobilizing HRP can be easily extended to immobilize and obtain the direct electrochemistry of other enzymes.

Carboxyl-modified single-walled carbon nanotubes selectively induce human telomeric i-motif formation

As the leading nanodevice candidate, single-walled carbon nano-tubes (SWNTs) have potential therapeutic applications in gene therapy and novel drug delivery. We found that SWNTs can inhibit DNA duplex association and selectively induce human telomeric i-motif DNA formation by binding to the 5'-end major groove under physiological conditions or even at pH 8.0. SWNT binding to telomeric DNA was studied by UV melting, NMR, S1 nuclease cleavage, CD, and competitive FRET methods. These results suggest that SWNTs might have the intriguing potential to modulate human telomeric DNA structures in vivo, like biologically relevant B-A and B-Z DNA transitions, which is of great interest for drug design and cancer therapy.