Multistage Modulation Formation of Hydrophilic-Hydrophobic Boron Carbon Nitride Nanomaterials.

Boron carbon nitride (BCN) ternary compounds are attractive due to their wide applications in adsorption, catalysis, protective coatings, etc. A simple way is provided to synthesize BCN materials with multistage modulation of hydrophilic-hydrophobic properties. Hydrophilic BCN nanoparticles with a contact angle of 31° and nearly superhydrophobic BCN sheets with a contact angle of 145° are obtained. The participation of a CuO additive in the synthesis process has the role of tuning morphologies, components, and properties of BCN materials. The addition of CuO would improve the hydrophobicity of BCN due to its microstructure with enhanced surface roughness. The interaction between melamine and boric acid on the surface of CuO(111) is investigated by first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). The tuned BCN materials have different photoelectric properties also, and their performance as photocatalysts has been verified in photocatalytic reactions for hydrogen from water. The achieved uniform hydrophilic BCN nanoparticles and hydrophobic BCN sheets have the potential for further practical applications.

Synergistic Promotion Effect of ZnCoS Solid Solution and Co1-xS on Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production of the CdS Composite.

Photocatalytic reactions over effective photocatalysts are attractive to explore clean hydrogen energy from water with the utilization of solar energy. Ternary Co1-xS@ZnCoS/CdS (ZCS/CdS) composites are constructed as photocatalysts through the hydrothermal formation of Co1-xS and ZnCoS nanoparticles on CdS nanorods. Superior to the binary Co1-xS/CdS composite, ZCS/CdS shows the improved photocatalytic activity with a hydrogen production rate of 58.4 mmol·g-1·h-1, which is 31.4 and 2.1 times higher than those of CdS and Co1-xS/CdS, respectively. Different from binary Co1-xS/CdS, the participation of a small amount of zinc favors the formation of ZnCoS solid solution in ZCS/CdS. A synergistic promotion effect of ZnCoS and Co1-xS is confirmed due to tight heterojunctions among Co1-xS, ZnCoS, and CdS in ZCS/CdS. The unique heterostructure of ZCS/CdS benefits its enhanced absorption ability of visible light, accelerating the separation of photoinduced electron-hole pairs and the electron transfer. ZCS/CdS exhibits the strong reduction ability and superior photocatalytic stability due to the role of double Z-scheme electron transfer pathways in the ternary composite. This work provides a suitable way to tune noble metal-free composite photocatalysts for efficient H2 production.

Synthesis of small-sized rhenium sulfide colloidal nanoparticles.

Rhenium sulfide colloidal nanoparticles with average size 5.5 nm were synthesized. Characterizations by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectrum, and X-ray powder diffraction verified the formation of ReS(2) rhenium sulfide colloidal nanoparticles. The colloidal nanoparticles had good stability and they could be stored stably for 1 week in water. Surface modification by organic molecules improved the stability of the rhenium sulfide nanoparticles. The small-sized rhenium sulfide nanoparticles may be useful for their promising applications in tracing diagnosis and therapy of tumor diseases.

Magnetic and electronic properties of palladium nanoparticles coated with pi-conjugated tetrathiafulvalenes derivative.

Magnetic and electronic properties are investigated for Pd nanoparticles coated with a TTF-derivative (EDT-TTF(SCH(3))(SC(10)H(20)SH)) and octadecanethiol organic mixed monolayer. The temperature-independent spin susceptibility and spin concentration of Pd decrease upon the increasing proportion of the TTF-derivative in the organic layer. With the introduction of the derivative, the ESR broad signal originating from the interior of the Pd nanoparticles tends to vanish following the appearance of sharp signals due to the TTF radical. The presence of the TTF molecules enhances the charge transfer from the core Pd nanoparticles. The electronic state of the Pd nanoparticles changes as a consequence of the contributions of both the quantum-size effect and the charge-transfer effect between the Pd core, TTF-derivative, and alkanethiol.