Carbon Nanotube/Silica Coaxial Nanocable as a Three-Dimensional Support for Loading Diverse Ultra-High-Density Metal Nanostructures: Facile Preparation and Use as Enhanced Materials for Electrochemical Devices and SERS

In this paper, we have reported a very simple strategy (combined sonication with sol-gel techniques) for synthesizing well-defined silica-coated carbon nanotube (CNT) coaxial nanocable without prior CNT functionalization. After functionalization with NH2 group, the CNT/silica coaxial nanocable has been employed as a three-dimensional support for loading ultra-high-density metal or hybrid nanoparticles (NPs) such as gold NPs, Au/Pt hybrid NPs, Pt hollow NPs, and Au/Ag core/shell NPs. Most importantly, it is found that the ultra-high-density Au/Pt NPs supported on coaxial nanocables (UASCN) could be used as enhanced materials for constructing electrochemical devices with high performance. Four model probe molecules (O-2, CH3OH, H2O2, and NH2NH2) have been investigated on UASCN-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). It was observed that the present UASCN exhibited high electrocatalytic activity toward diverse molecules and was a promising electrocatalyst for constructing electrochemical devices with high performance. For instance, the detection limit for H2O2 with a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 was found to be 0.3 mu M, which was lower than certain enzyme-based biosensors.

Synthesis and Electrical Properties of New Solid State Electrolyte Materials Ce6-xHoxMoO15-delta(0.0 <= x <= 1.2)

Ce6-xHoxMoO15-delta(0.0 <= x <= 1.2) was synthesized by modified sol-gel method and characterized by differential X-ray diffraction(XRD), Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) methods. The oxide ionic conductivity of the samples was investigated by AC impedance spectroscopy. It shows that all the samples are single phase with a cubic fluorite structure. The solid solution Ce6-xHoxMoO15-delta(x=0.6) was detected to be the best conducting phase with the highest conductivity(sigma(t)=1.05x10(-2) S/cm) at 800 degrees C and the lowest activation energy(E-a=1.09 eV). These properties suggest that this kind of material has a potential application in intermediate-low temperature solid oxide fuel cells.

Nucleobase-metal hybrid materials: Preparation of submicrometer-scale, spherical colloidal particles of adenine-gold(III) via a supramolecular hierarchical self-assembly approach

We report a simple and effective supramolecular route for facile synthesis of submicrometer-scale, hierarchically self-assembled spherical colloidal particles of adenine - gold(III) hybrid materials at room temperature. Simple mixture of the precursor aqueous solutions of adenine and HAuCl4 at room temperature could result in spontaneous formation of the hybrid colloidal particles. Optimization of the experimental conditions could yield uniform-sized, self-assembled products at 1:4 molar ration of adenine to HAuCl4. Transmission electron microscopy results reveal the formation of hierarchical self-assembled structure of the as-prepared colloidal particles. Concentration dependence, ratio dependence, time dependence, and kinetic measurements have been investigated. Moreover, spectroscopic evidence [i.e., Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and UV-vis spectra and wide-angle X-ray scattering data] of the interaction motives causing the formation of the colloidal particles is also presented.

Thermal annealing of Au nanorod self-assembled nanostructured materials: Morphology and optical properties

Three-dimensional Au nanorod and An nanoparticle nanostructured materials were prepared by layer-by-layer self-assembly. The plasmonic properties of the An nanorod and An nanoparticle self-assembled nanostructured materials (abbreviated as AuNR and AuNP SANMs) are tunable by the controlled self-assenibly process. The effect of thermal annealing at 180 and 500 degrees C to the morphologies, plasmonic properties and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) responses of these SANMs were investigated. According to the experimental results, these properties correlate with the structure of the SANMs.

New carbazole-based copolymers as amorphous hole-transporting materials for multilayer light-emitting diodes

New carbazole-based copolymers, which contain various concentrations of 9-alkyl-3, 6-carbazole fragments in the main chain connected via alkylene spacers, have been synthesized by Ni(0)-catalyzed Yamamoto-type aryl-aryl coupling reactions. Full characterization of the copolymer structure by NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis is presented. These compounds represent amorphous materials of high thermal stability with glass transition temperatures of 151-162 degrees C and thermal decomposition starting at temperatures > 390 degrees C. UV-Vis absorption and photoluminescence emission of the copolymers confirmed that the effectively conjugated segment in the 3,6-linked carbazole-type copolymers is limited to dyads (dimeric units). However, copolymers with varying concentrations of the oligocarbazole chromophores demonstrate different charge injection and transport properties in multilayer light-emitting diodes with the copolymers as the hole transport and Alq(3) as the electroluminescent/electron transport layer. The device based on a copolymer composed of oligocarbazole blocks with an average length of around four carbazoles exhibited the best overall performance with a turn-on voltage of 3.5 V, a maximal photometric efficiency of 4.1 cd center dot A(-1) and maximum brightness of about 4 200 cd center dot m(-2).

The preparation of sol-gel materials doped with ionic liquids and trialkyl phosphine oxides for Yttrium(III) uptake

A new material (IL923SGs) composed of ionic liquids and trialkyl phosphine oxides (Cyanex 923) for Y(III) uptake was prepared via a sol-gel method. The hydrophobic ionic liquid 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (C(8)mim(+)PF(6)-) was used as solvent medium and pore templating material. The extraction of Y(III) by IL923SGs was mainly due to the complexation of metal ions with Cyanex 923 doped in the solid silica. Ionic liquid was stably doped into the silica gel matrix providing a diffusion medium for Cyanex 923, and this will result in higher removal efficiencies and excellent stability for metal ions separation. IL923SGs were also easily regenerated and reused in the subsequent removal of Y(III) in four cycles.

Near-infrared luminescent mesoporous materials covalently bonded with ternary lanthanide [Er(III), Nd(III), Yb(III), Sm(III), Pr(III)] complexes

New near-infrared-luminescent mesoporous materials were prepared by linking ternary lanthanide (Er3+, Nd3+, Yb3+, Sm3+, Pr3+) complexes to the ordered mesoporous MCM-41 through a functionalized 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) group 5-(N,N-bis-3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl)ureyl-1,10-phenanthroline. The resulting materials (denoted as Ln(hfth)(3)phen-M41 and Pr(tfnb)(3)phen-M41; Ln=Er, Yb, Nd, Sm; hfth = 4,4,5,5,6,6,6-heptafluoro-1-(2-thienyl)hexane-1,3-dionate; tfnb = 4,4,4-trifluoro-1-(2-naphthyl)- 1, 3-butanedionate) were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, N-2 adsorption/desorption, and elemental analysis. Luminescence spectra of these lanthanide-complex functionalized materials were recorded, and the luminescence decay times were measured. Upon excitation at the absorption of the organic ligands, all these materials show the characteristic NIR luminescence of the corresponding lanthanide (Er3+, Nd3+, Yb3+, Sm3+, Pr3+) ions by sensitization from the organic ligands moiety. The good luminescent performances enable these NIR-luminescent mesoporous materials to have possible applications in optical amplification (operating at 1300 or 1500 nm), laser systems, or medical diagnostics.

Effect of silver nanoparticles on luminescent properties of europium complex in di-ureasil hybrid materials

Organic-inorganic hybrids containing luminescent lanthanide complex Eu(tta)(3)Phen (tta = thenoyltrifluoroaceton, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) and silver nanoparticles have been prepared via mixing rare earth complex and nanoparticles with the precursors of di-ureasil using a sol-gel process. The obtained hybrid materials with transparent and elastomeric features were characterized by transmission electron microscope, solid-state Si-29 magic-angle spinning NMR spectra, diffuse reflectance, UV-visible absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopies. The effect of the silver nanoparticles on the luminescence properties was investigated. The experimental results showed that the luminescence intensity of the Eu(tta)(3)phen complex could be enhanced by less than ca. 9.5 nM of silver nanoparticles with the average diameter of 4 nm, and reached its maximum at the concentration of ca. 3.6 nM. Further increasing the concentration of the silver nanoparticles (> 9.5 nM) made the luminescence quenched. The enchancement and quench mechnism was discussed.