The Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Si3N4f/BN/SiBCN Microcomposites Fabricated by the PIP Process.

SiBCN ceramics based on SiC, BN and Si3N4 structures have good comprehensive properties such as high-temperature resistance, oxidation resistance, creep resistance and long life, which makes it one of the very promising ceramic material systems in military and aerospace fields, etc. In this study, SiBCN ceramics, as well as Si3N4f/BN/SiBCN microcomposites, were prepared by a polymer infiltration pyrolysis method using PBSZ as the polymer precursor. The PBSZ was completely ceramized by pyrolysis at 900 °C. The weight loss and elemental bonding forms of the products after the pyrolysis of the precursors hardly changed from 600 °C to 900 °C. After pyrolysis at 600 °C for 4 h and using the BN coating obtained from twice deposition as the interfacial phase, a more desirable weak interface of fiber/matrix with a binding strength of 21.96 ± 2.01 MPa can be obtained. Si3N4f/BN/SiBCN ceramic matrix microcomposites prepared under the same pyrolysis conditions have a relatively good tensile strength of 111.10 MPa while retaining a weak interface between the fibers and the matrix. The results of the study provide more theoretical and methodological support for the application of new composite structural ceramic material systems.

Application of Polyaniline for Li-Ion Batteries, Lithium-Sulfur Batteries, and Supercapacitors.

Conducting polyaniline (PANI) exhibits interesting properties, such as high conductivity, reversible convertibility between redox states, and advantageous structural feature. It therefore receives ever-increasing attention for various applications. This Minireview evaluates recent studies on application of PANI for Li-ion batteries (LIBs), Li-S batteries (LSBs) and supercapacitors (SCPs). The flexible PANI is crucial for cyclability, especially for buffering the volumetric changes of electrode materials, in addition to enhancing the electron/ion transport. Furthermore, PANI can be directly used as an electroactive component in electrode materials for LIBs or SCPs and can be widely applied in LSBs due to its physically and chemically strong affinity for S and polysulfides. The evaluation of studies herein reveals significant improvements of electrochemical performance by physical/chemical modification and incorporation of PANI.

Controlled Synthesis and Photocatalytic Performance of Au@ZnO Nanospheres with Core-Shell and Yolk-Shell Structures Assisted by Carbonaceous Layers as Intermediate.

Au@ZnO nanospheres with controlled core-shell and yolk-shell features were successfully fabricated through a facile template-based solvothermal method using carbonaceous layers as intermediate. The active carbonaceous layers containing numerous surface functional groups such as OH and C═O play key roles in fabrication of the Au@ZnO nanospheres. The structures of Au@ZnO can easily controlled by adjusting the concentration of Zn ions aqueous solution and/or the size of Au@C microspheres. The synthesis strategy proposed in this paper is also verified to be suitable for fabricating some other Au@metallic oxides nanospheres such as Au@SnO2 and Au@Fe2O3 with controlled structures. Furthermore, due to the synergic effect of the surface plasma resonance effect of Au cores and the large surface area of 122.67 m2 g-1, the Au@ZnO nanospheres with yolk-shell feature exhibite good photocatalytic activity and stability under visible-light irradiation.

Surface controlled calcium phosphate formation on three-dimensional bacterial cellulose-based nanofibers.

Studies on the early calcium phosphate (Ca-P) formation on nanosized substrates may allow us to understand the biomineralization mechanisms at the molecular level. In this work, in situ formation of Ca-P minerals on bacterial cellulose (BC)-based nanofibers was investigated, for the first time, using the X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. In addition, the influence of the surface coating of nanofibers on the formation of Ca-P minerals was determined. Combined with XRD analysis, XANES results revealed that the nascent precursor was ACP (amorphous calcium phosphate) which was converted to TCP (ß-tricalcium phosphate), then OCP (octacalcium phosphate), and finally to HAP (hydroxyapatite) when phosphorylated BC nanofibers were the templates. However, the formation of nascent precursor and its transformation process varied depending on the nature of the coating material on nanofibrous templates. These results provide new insights into basic mechanisms of mineralization and can lead to the development of novel bioinspired nanostructured materials.

One-step in situ biosynthesis of graphene oxide-bacterial cellulose nanocomposite hydrogels.

Graphene oxide-bacterial cellulose (GO/BC) nanocomposite hydrogels with well-dispersed GO in the network of BC are successfully developed using a facile one-step in situ biosynthesis by adding GO suspension into the culture medium of BC. During the biosynthesis process, the crystallinity index of BC decreases and GO is partially reduced. The experimental results indicate that GO nanosheets are uniformly dispersed and well-bound to the BC matrix and that the 3D porous structure of BC is sustained. This is responsible for efficient load transfer between the GO reinforcement and BC matrix. Compared with the pure BC, the tensile strength and Young's modulus of the GO/BC nanocomposite hydrogel containing 0.48 wt% GO are significantly improved by about 38 and 120%, respectively. The GO/BC nanocomposite hydrogels are promising as a new material for tissue engineering scaffolds.

Interfacially controlled synthesis of hollow mesoporous silica spheres with radially oriented pore structures.

This paper reports an alternative process to prepare hollow mesoporous silica spheres (HMS) using a single cationic surfactant with a tunable wall thickness and radially oriented pore structures. Using N,N-dimethylformide (DMF) as the intermediate solvent bridging the organic and aqueous phase, hollow mesoporous silica spheres were synthesized with interfacial hydrolysis reactions at the surface of liquid droplets. These spheres have an ordered pore structure aligned along the radial direction, and the wall thickness and sphere sizes can be tuned by adjusting the experimental conditions. Transmission electron microscopy and nitrogen absorption techniques were used to characterize HMS and its formation procedure. A hypothetic formation mechanism was proposed on the basis of a morphology transformation with the correct amount of DMF and a careful observation of the early hydrolysis stages. Au and magnetic Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles have been encapsulated in the HMS hollow core for potential applications.