Nanoarchitectonics of RGO-Wrapped CNF/GO Aerogels with Controlled Pore Structures by PVA-Assisted Freeze-Casting Approach for Efficient Sound and Microwave Absorption.

Acoustic absorption materials play an important role in eliminating the negative effects of noise. Herein, a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-assisted freeze-casting was developed for controllably fabricating reduced graphene oxide wrapped carbon nanofiber (RGO@CNF)/graphene oxide composite aerogel. During the freeze-casting, PVA was used as an icing inhibitor to control the size of ice crystals. While the concentration of PVA increased from 0 to 15 mg ⋅ ml-1 , the average pore size of the aerogel was reduced from 154 to 45 µm. Due to the modulation of the pore size and composition, the propagation path and friction loss for sound were optimized, especially at low frequency. For instance, the normalized sound absorption coefficient of RGO@CNF/GO-10 achieves 0.79 (250-6300 Hz). The sample also exhibits a desirable microwave absorbing property whose maximum reflection loss is -47.3 dB (9.44 GHz, d=3.0 mm). Prospectively, this synthetic strategy can be extended to develop other forms of elastic aerogel with a controlled pore size.

Graphene-Based Nanomaterials for Solar-Driven Overall Water Splitting.

Water splitting through photocatalysis and photoelectrochemical methods is a promising strategy for solar energy utilization. Graphene is widely used in solar-driven overall water splitting because of its versatile properties. This review summarizes the preparation of graphene-based photocatalysts and photoelectrodes and the functions of graphene, and highlights the challenges and prospects of the future applications of graphene in solar-driven water splitting.

Assembly of MnO/CNC/rGO fibers from colloidal liquid crystal for flexible supercapacitors via a continuous one-process method.

Flexible supercapacitors based on fiber shaped electrodes exhibit great potential for practical applications in smart fabrics owing to their light weight, good flexibility, and excellent weaveability. Herein, manganosite/carbonized cellulose nanocrystal/reduced graphene oxide (MnO/CNC/rGO) ternary composite fibers were fabricated from liquid crystal spinning dopes through a continuous one-process method. The assembly of CNC and manganese oxide nanoparticles in GO aqueous dispersion not only prevents GO nanosheets from restacking, but also ensures a uniform intercalation of nanoparticles. After a chemical and thermal reduction, the carbonized CNC contributes for additional electrical double layer capacitance while the MnO for faradaic pseudocapacitance. A fiber supercapacitor was assembled by arranging two MnO/CNC/rGO ternary composite fibers coated with PVA/H3PO4 gel electrolyte in parallel and it exhibited an energy density of 0.14 mWh cm-3 at 4 mW cm-3 and the maximum power density of 40 mW cm-3. The fiber supercapacitor also demonstrated a good cycling stability (retains 82% of its initial capacitance after 6000 cycles) and bending robustness. This assembly approach is facile and scalable. More importantly the homogeneous dispersion of the nanoparticles in the ternary composite fibers shows promise for the future spreading of wearable electronic products.

Photoelastic colloidal gel for a high-sensitivity strain sensor.

Nanoparticles, having the ability to self-assemble into an ordered structure in their suspensions, analogous to liquid crystals, have attracted extensive attention. Herein, we report a new type of colloidal gel with an ordered crystal structure assembled from 1D and 2D nanoparticles. The material has high elasticity and, more interestingly, it shows significant photoelasticity. Its refractive index can be tuned under external stress and exhibits an ultra-wide dynamic range (Δn) of the order of 10-2. Due to the large Δn, the material shows an extremely high strain sensibility of 720 nm/ε, an order of magnitude higher than the reported ones.

Photonic-structured fibers assembled from cellulose nanocrystals with tunable polarized selective reflection.

Fibers with self-assembled photonic structures are of special interest due to their unique photonic properties and potential applications in the smart textile industry. Inspired by nature, the photonic-structured fibers were fabricated through the self-assembly of chiral nematic cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and the fibers showed tunably brilliant and selectively reflected colors under crossed-polarization. A simple wet-spinning method was applied to prepare composite fibers of the mixed CNC matrix and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) additions. During the processing, a cholesteric CNC phase formed photonic fibers through a self-assembly process. The selective color reflection of the composite fibers in the polarized condition showed a typical red-shift tendency with an increase in the PVA content, which was attributed to the increased helical pitch of the CNC. Furthermore, the polarized angle could also alter the reflected colors. Owing to their excellent selective reflection properties under the polarized condition, CNC-based photonic fibers are promising as the next-generation of smart fibers, applied in the fields of specific display and sensing.

A highly efficient flocculant for graphene oxide recycling and its applications.

In this study, we found a novel and efficient way of recycling graphene oxide (GO) by adding ZnO colloid into the GO solution. GO flocculates immediately when mixed with ZnO colloids. Interestingly, the flocculation would disappear and disperse homogeneously in solution if a certain amount of HCl is added. The study offers a solution to recover and reuse GO throughout its production procedures. More importantly, in the obtained reduced GO/ZnO (rGO/ZnO) flocculant, ZnO nanorods are observed self-assembled into an ordered structure in between the rGO sheets. This prevents the rGO sheets from re-stacking and facilitates the movement of the electrolyte into ZnO if the prepared rGO/ZnO is used as an electrode for supercapacitor. Electrochemical measurements have proved that the rGO/ZnO composite with a weight ratio of 1:1 exhibits a gravimetric specific capacitance of 175 F g-1 and the rGO/ZnO electrode maintains 89.6% of the initial capacitance after 5000 cycles of uses.

Bio-inspired fabrication of stimuli-responsive photonic crystals with hierarchical structures and their applications.

When the constitutive materials of photonic crystals (PCs) are stimuli-responsive, the resultant PCs exhibit optical properties that can be tuned by the stimuli. This can be exploited for promising applications in colour displays, biological and chemical sensors, inks and paints, and many optically active components. However, the preparation of the required photonic structures is the first issue to be solved. In the past two decades, approaches such as microfabrication and self-assembly have been developed to incorporate stimuli-responsive materials into existing periodic structures for the fabrication of PCs, either as the initial building blocks or as the surrounding matrix. Generally, the materials that respond to thermal, pH, chemical, optical, electrical, or magnetic stimuli are either soft or aggregate, which is why the manufacture of three-dimensional hierarchical photonic structures with responsive properties is a great challenge. Recently, inspired by biological PCs in nature which exhibit both flexible and responsive properties, researchers have developed various methods to synthesize metals and metal oxides with hierarchical structures by using a biological PC as the template. This review will focus on the recent developments in this field. In particular, PCs with biological hierarchical structures that can be tuned by external stimuli have recently been successfully fabricated. These findings offer innovative insights into the design of responsive PCs and should be of great importance for future applications of these materials.

PEDOT-based composites as electrode materials for supercapacitors.

Poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (denoted PEDOT) already has a brief history of being used as an active material in supercapacitors. It has many advantages such as low-cost, flexibility, and good electrical conductivity and pseudocapacitance. However, the major drawback is low stability, which means an obvious capacitance drop after a certain number of charge-discharge cycles. Another disadvantage is its limited capacitance and this becomes an issue for industrial applications. To solve these problems, there are several approaches including the addition of conducting nanofillers to increase conductivity, and mixing or depositing metal oxide to enhance capacitance. Furthermore, expanding the surface area of PEDOT is one of the main methods to improve its performance in energy storage applications through special processes; for example using a three-dimensional substrate or preparing PEDOT aerogel through freeze drying. This paper reviews recent techniques and outcomes of PEDOT based composites for supercapacitors, as well as detailed calculations about capacitances. Finally, this paper outlines the new direction and recent challenges of PEDOT based composites for supercapacitor applications.

Bioinspired Thermoresponsive Photonic Polymers with Hierarchical Structures and Their Unique Properties.

Thermoresponsive photonic materials having hierarchical structures are created by combining a template of Morpho butterfly wings with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) through a chemical bonding and polymerization route. These materials show temperature-induced color tunability. Through reacting with both NIPAM monomers and the amino groups of chitosan in wing scales, glutaraldehyde workes as a bridge by creating chemical bonding between the biotemplate and the PNIPAM. The corresponding reflection peaks red-shift with increase in temperature-an opposite phenomenon to previous studies, demonstrating a thermoresponsive photonic property. This unique phenomenon is caused by the refractive index change due to the volume change of PNIPAM during the temperature rising. This work sets up an efficient strategy for the fabrication of stimuli-responsive photonic materials with hierarchical structures toward extensive applications in science and technology.

A facile method of activating graphitic carbon nitride for enhanced photocatalytic activity.

Activated graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) with enhanced photocatalytic capability under visible light irradiation was fabricated by using a facile chemical activation treatment method. In the chemical activation, a mixed solution of hydrogen peroxide and ammonia was employed. The yield can reach as high as 90% after the activation process. The activation process did not change the crystal structure, functional group, morphology and specific surface area of pristine g-C3N4, but it introduced H and O elements into the CN framework of g-C3N4, resulting in a broader optical absorption range, higher light absorption capability and more efficient separation of photogenerated electrons and holes. The photoactivity was investigated by the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. As compared to the pristine g-C3N4, the activated g-C3N4 exhibited a distinct and efficient two-step degradation process. It was found that the RhB dye in the activated g-C3N4 was mainly oxidized by the photogenerated holes. It is believed that sufficient holes account for the two-step degradation process because they would significantly improve the efficiency of the N-de-ethylation reaction of RhB.

Processable 3-nm thick graphene platelets of high electrical conductivity and their epoxy composites.

Graphene platelets (GnPs) are a class of novel 2D nanomaterials owing to their very small thickness (∼3 nm), high mechanical strength and electric conductivity (1460 S cm(-1)), and good compatibility with most polymers as well as cost-effectiveness. In this paper we present a low-cost processing technique for producing modified GnPs and an investigation of the electrical and mechanical properties of the resulting composites. After dispersing GnPs in solvent N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, a long-chain surfactant (Jeffamine D 2000, denoted J2000) was added to covalently modify GnPs, yielding J2000-GnPs. By adjusting the ratio of GnPs to the solvent, the modified GnPs show different average thickness and thus electrical conductivity ranging from 694 to 1200 S cm(-1). To promote the exfoliation and dispersion of J2000-GnPs in a polymeric matrix, they were dispersed in the solvent again and further modified using diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) producing m-GnPs, which were then compounded with an epoxy resin for the development of epoxy/m-GnP composites. A percolation threshold of electrical volume resistivity for the resulting composites was observed at 0.31 vol%. It was found that epoxy/m-GnP composites demonstrated far better mechanical properties than those of unmodified GnPs of the same volume fraction. For example, m-GnPs at 0.25 vol% increased the fracture energy release rate G1c from 0.204 ± 0.03 to 1.422 ± 0.24 kJ m(-2), while the same fraction of unmodified GnPs increased G1c to 1.01 ± 0.24 kJ m(-2). The interface modification also enhanced the glass transition temperature of neat epoxy from 58.9 to 73.8 °C.

Superior H2 production by hydrophilic ultrafine Ta2O5 engineered covalently on graphene.

A H2O2-mediated hydrothermal method was developed for the fabrication of hydrophilic Ta2O5/graphene composite. The composite shows a superior H2 productivity, up to 30 mmol g(-1) h(-1) when used as a photocatalyst for water splitting, corresponding to an apparent quantum efficiency of 33.8% at 254 nm. This superior performance is due to the hydrophilic nature of the composite and more importantly due to the ultrafine Ta2O5 nanoparticles (about 4.0 ± 1.5 nm) which are covalently bonded with the conductive graphene. The hydrophilic property of the composite is attributed to the use of H2O2 in the hydrothermal process. The ultrafine size of the Ta2O5 particles which are covalently bonded with the graphene sheets is attributed to the use of sonication in the synthesis process. Furthermore, the hydrophilic Ta2O5/Gr composite is durable, which is beneficial to long term photocatalysis. The strategy reported here provides a new approach to designing photocatalysts with superior performance for H2 production.

Bi-directional charge transfer channels in highly crystalline carbon nitride enabling superior photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

Introducing a donor-acceptor (D-A) unit is an effective approach to facilitate charge transfer in polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) and enhance photocatalytic performance. However, the introduction of hetero-molecules can lead to a decrease in crystallinity, limiting interlayer charge transfer and inhibiting further improvement. In this study, we constructed a novel D-A type carbon nitride with significantly higher crystallinity and a bi-directional charge transfer channel, which was achieved through 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid (2,5-TDCA)-assisted self-assembly followed by KCl-templated calcination. The thiophene and cyano groups introduced serve as the electron donor and acceptor, respectively, enhancing in-plane electron delocalization. Additionally, introduced potassium ions are intercalated among the adjacent layers of carbon nitride, creating an interlayer charge transfer channel. Moreover, the highly ordered structure and improved crystallinity further facilitate charge transfer. As a result, the as-prepared photocatalyst exhibits superior photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (PHE) activity of 7.449 mmol h-1 g-1, which is 6.03 times higher than that of pure carbon nitride. The strategy of developing crystalline D-A-structured carbon nitride with controlled in-plane and interlayer charge transfer opens new avenues for the design of carbon nitride with enhanced properties for PHE.

Dual-specific interaction to detect DNA on gold nanoparticles.

An approach to selectively and efficiently detect single strand DNA is developed by using streptavidin coated gold nanoparticles (StAuNPs) as efficient quenchers. The central concept for the successful detection is the combination the of streptavidin-biotin interaction with specific probe-target DNA hybridization. Biotin labeled probe DNAs act as "bridges" to bring Cy5 labeled targets to the particle surface and the fluorophore dye can be rapidly and efficiently quenched by StAuPNs. By measuring the changes of photoluminescence intensity of Cy5, an efficient, selective, and reversed detection of DNA hybridization is realized. The methodology may pave a new way for simple and rapid detections of biomolecules.

Recent advances in biopolymers-based carbon materials for supercapacitors.

Supercapacitors as potential candidates for novel green energy storage devices demonstrate a promising future in promoting sustainable energy supply, but their development is impeded by limited energy density, which can be addressed by developing high-capacitance electrode materials with efforts. Carbon materials derived from biopolymers have received much attention for their abundant reserves and environmentally sustainable nature, rendering them ideal for supercapacitor electrodes. However, the limited capacitance has hindered their widespread application, resulting in the proposal of various strategies to enhance the capacity properties of carbon electrodes. This paper critically reviewed the recent research progress of biopolymers-based carbon electrodes. The advances in biopolymers-based carbon electrodes for supercapacitors are presented, followed by the strategies to improve the capacitance of carbon electrodes which include pore engineering, doping engineering and composite engineering. Furthermore, this review is summarized and the challenges of biopolymer-derived carbon electrodes are discussed. The purpose of this review is to promote the widespread application of biopolymers in the domain of supercapacitors.

Uniformizing the lithium deposition by gradient lithiophilicity and conductivity for stable lithium-metal batteries.

The practical application of lithium metal batteries is hindered by the poor reversibility and large volume change caused by the uncontrollable dendritic growth and the highly reactive surface. In this work, favorable Li deposition is achieved by generating gradient lithiophilicity and conductivity in an Ag-decorated graphene/holey graphene film (G-HGA). Dendrite-free Li metal is deposited on the G-HGA matrix, which greatly reduces the surface area and suppresses the side reaction between the electrolyte and the dendritic Li. The average Li-metal plating-stripping coulombic efficiency (CE) on the G-HGA matrix maintains ∼98.7% over 350 cycles, compared to a worse average CE (∼97.3%) with the bare Cu matrix, only for less than 100 cycles. A full cell constructed by using LiFePO4 and prelithiated G-HGA exhibits excellent rate capability and a high capacity retention of 99.6% for 175 cycles at a low negative to positive capacity ratio of 1.13. This advanced design can inspire further development of high-energy and long-lived Li-metal batteries.

Enhancing Photocatalytic Degradation via the Synergetic Effect of Vacancies and Built-In Potential in a BiOCl/BiVO4 p-n Heterojunction.

Photoinduced charge separation and surface reactions are essential for ensuring high quantum efficiency of the photochemical and photophysical processes. BiVO4-based heterojunctions are promising materials for high-performance photocatalysts; however, their photocatalytic performance is significantly lower than the theoretical limit due to the sluggish water oxidation dynamics and rapid recombination of charge carriers on the catalyst surface. To address these issues, oxygen vacancies (OVs) are introduced to a rationally designed BiVO4-based heterojunction using built-in potential and gradient OVs to promote the separation of carriers and increase the photocatalytic activity. The heterojunctions with OVs exhibit a 2-fold increase in the photocatalytic activity for phenol degradation compared with that of pristine BiVO4. Additionally, density functional theory is applied to elucidate the synergistic mechanism of light absorption and charge separation in BiOCl/BiVO4 p-n heterojunction photocatalysts containing vacancies. The obtained results demonstrate a synergistic effect of vacancies and the built-in potential, providing a pathway for defect engineering in photocatalytic processes.

Research Progress of Polymer Biomaterials as Scaffolds for Corneal Endothelium Tissue Engineering.

Nowadays, treating corneal diseases arising from injury to the corneal endothelium necessitates donor tissue, but these corneas are extremely scarce. As a result, researchers are dedicating significant efforts to exploring alternative approaches that do not rely on donor tissues. Among these, creating a tissue-engineered scaffold on which corneal endothelial cells can be transplanted holds particular fascination. Numerous functional materials, encompassing natural, semi-synthetic, and synthetic polymers, have already been studied in this regard. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in using polymer biomaterials as scaffolds for corneal endothelium tissue engineering. Initially, we analyze and present the key properties necessary for an effective corneal endothelial implant utilizing polymer biomaterials. Subsequently, we focus on various emerging biomaterials as scaffolds for corneal endothelium tissue engineering. We discuss their modifications (including natural and synthetic composites) and analyze the effect of micro- and nano-topological morphology on corneal endothelial scaffolds. Lastly, we highlight the challenges and prospects of these materials in corneal endothelium tissue engineering.

Nanoarchitectonics on Z-scheme and Mott-Schottky heterostructure for photocatalytic water oxidation via dual-cascade charge-transfer pathways.

The bottleneck for water splitting to generate hydrogen fuel is the sluggish oxidation of water. Even though the monoclinic-BiVO4 (m-BiVO4)-based heterostructure has been widely applied for water oxidation, carrier recombination on dual surfaces of the m-BiVO4 component have not been fully resolved by a single heterojunction. Inspired by natural photosynthesis, we established an m-BiVO4/carbon nitride (C3N4) Z-scheme heterostructure based on the m-BiVO4/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) Mott-Schottky heterostructure, constructing the face-contact C3N4/m-BiVO4/rGO (CNBG) ternary composite to remove excessive surface recombination during water oxidation. The rGO can accumulate photogenerated electrons from m-BiVO4 through a high conductivity region over the heterointerface, with the electrons then prone to diffuse along a highly conductive carbon network. In an internal electric field at the heterointerface of m-BiVO4/C3N4, the low-energy electrons and holes are rapidly consumed under irradiation. Therefore, spatial separation of electron-hole pairs occurs, and strong redox potentials are maintained by the Z-scheme electron transfer. These advantages endow the CNBG ternary composite with over 193% growth in O2 yield, and a remarkable rise in ·OH and ·O2- radicals, compared to the m-BiVO4/rGO binary composite. This work shows a novel perspective for rationally integrating Z-scheme and Mott-Schottky heterostructures in the water oxidation reaction.

A facile method for fabricating TiO2@mesoporous carbon and three-layered nanocomposites.

Herein, we report a new and facile method for fabricating TiO(2)@mesoporous carbon hybrid materials. Uniform polydopamine (PDA) layers were coated onto the surface of titanate nanotubes (TNTs) and TiO(2) nanorods (TNDs) through the spontaneous adhesion and self-polymerization of dopamine during the dipping process. Core-shell mesoporous carbon nanotubes with TiO(2) nanorods or nanoparticles encapsulated inside (TiO(2)@MC) were then obtained by transforming PDA layers into carbonaceous ones through calcination in nitrogen at 800 °C. The thickness of the mesoporous carbon layers is tens of nanometers and can be controlled by adjusting the coated PDA layers through the self-polymerization reaction time. In addition, three-layered nanocomposites of TiO(2)@MC@MO (MO, metal oxide) can be readily prepared by utilizing PDA layers in TNTs@PDA or TNDs@PDA to adsorb the metal ions, followed by the calcination process.