Materials Research Bulletin最新文献

Here in, we adopted a simplistic approach for the design and tailoring of novel nanocomposite Fe₂(MoO₄)₃/FeS (FMO/FeS). The nanocomposite effectively maintains its structural stability, enabling the sensor to work throughout a lengthy linear range. And for the first time, this hybrid material decorated glassy carbon electrode (GCE) utilized for homocysteine (Hcy) quantification. The selective interaction between the material loaded on the electrode surface and -SH group in the homocysteine can be characterized by a variation in the anodic peak and the faster current output. The FMO/FeS facilitate rapid electron transfer between the electrolyte and electrode, allowing for easy detection of homocysteine. The homocysteine undergoes oxidation in the presence of electron acceptor, releasing an electron from thiol group. The extraordinary electrochemical activity attributed by FMO/FeS nanocomposite accelerated the overall performance of sensor towards the selected analyte. The novel sensor illustrated an exceptional linear range of 13–9061 μM for Hcy detection and it is greater than reported in studies till now to the best of our knowledge with limit of detection (LOD) value of 0.05 µM. The reproducibility and repeatability analysis of the unique sensor exhibited admirable results whereas the sensor demonstrated noteworthy selectivity towards desired analyte in the presence of potential interferants. Additionally, the practical application of the sensor assessed by analysing Hcy in blood serum specimen as well as in urine and exhibited remarkable recovery rates. This paving way for the development of comprehensive technologies for proper health care for future.

Much attention has been focused on the fabrication of TiO₂ microspheres due to their excellent properties and attractive potential in many fields. Here, undoped 3D hierarchical TiO₂ microspheres (TMS) were synthesized in situ on Ti mesh using a hydrothermal method by varying NaOH concentration, reaction time and temperature. The 3D TMS grown along the surface of the woven wires of the Ti meshes, using the metal Ti meshes as a substrate, which resulted in improved conductivity. Meanwhile, the original Ti mesh with the macroporosity (due to the 15 % open area of the mesh) can act as fast proton mass diffusion. As a result, the flexible TMS-Ti photoelectrodes exhibit an excellent current density of 1.63 mA/cm² at a potential of 1.23 V (vs Ag/AgCl). Therefore, the in situ synthesis of TiO₂ microspheres on Ti mesh is highly desirable for flexible devices.

Mechanoluminescence (ML) exhibits distinctive mechano-optical response characteristics, rendering it promising for various applications. This study presents a porous ML elastomer capable of high intensity luminescence and extended sensitive dimension, which is prepared by molding the composite of luminescent particles (ZnS:Cu) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) within a structured-porous template. With quantitative measurements and simulations, the enhanced luminescence can be attributed to the effect of stress concentration and the enhancement of contact electrification induced by the pore structure. Compared to the dense structure, the luminescence of the porous structure is greatly enhanced (more than 10 times!) and sensitive to compressing, which can promisingly expand ML applications from unidirectional stretching (2D) to three-dimensional (3D).

A single-step solvothermal method has been employed to synthesize MnFe₂O₄ composite nanoparticles where graphene sheets were incorporated into spherical MnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles of size ∼57 nm. The synthesized MnFe₂O₄/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite exhibits enhanced electrochemical properties due to its improved porosity, surface area, and conductivity. FTIR, Raman, and XPS studies confirmed the effective reduction of GO and the successful formation of MnFe₂O₄/rGO composite. When employed as an electrochemical cell electrode, the MnFe₂O₄/rGO composite showed an enhanced specific capacitance of 253 F g⁻¹, as opposed to 133 F g⁻¹ for the bare nanoparticles. The composite attains significantly improved energy density of 76.06 Wh kg⁻¹ and power density of 7.49 kW kg⁻¹ at current density of 10 A g⁻¹. The unification of 2D graphene and MnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles yields enhanced electrochemical performance and an outstanding 96 % cyclic stability (after 5000 cycles), which offers a viable approach for developing better supercapacitor electrode materials in the future.

A new type of solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) for zinc-ion batteries was fabricated by combining liquid crystalline elastomer (LCE) with glycerol. LCEs were selected for their flexibility and low transition temperatures. However, these materials exhibit a degree of crystallinity at ambient temperatures, limiting high ionic conductivity. Glycerol was introduced as both an antinucleating agent and plasticiser to reduce crystallinity and increase flexibility of this system. As a result, adding 15 wt% glycerol enhanced the ionic conductivity to 1.87 × 10⁻⁵ S cm⁻¹ while maintaining stable charge-discharge cycles for 200 hrs. Besides, this modification reduced the nematic-isotropic transition temperature and storage modulus from 78 °C to 66 °C and 4.7 MPa to 0.6 MPa, respectively. Furthermore, these materials indicated excellent shape fixity and shape recovery of 98.3 % and 99.6 %. The successful fabrication of this LCE/glycerol system highlights its potential for developing shape memory SPE materials tailored for Zn-ion battery applications.

The multi-interface contacted S-scheme photocatalyst was used for CO₂ reduction in this research. A hybrid nanostructures catalyst was constructed using g-C₃N₄ nanosheet, oxidized CeO₂ nanoparticles, and biochar (BIO, cattail-derived). The g-C₃N₄-BIO/CeO₂ catalyst exhibited high selectivity (> 95 %) in converting CO₂ to CO in a gas-solid-liquid phase CO₂ reduction system. Theoretical and experimental evidence suggests that the multi-interface and interfacial internal electric field (IEF) play a crucial role in enhancing electron transfer and redox ability in CO₂ reduction processes. Ce⁴⁺ species in CeO₂ have the capability to donate two electrons, facilitating the two-electron reduction process involved in the transformation of CO₂ to CO. Additionally, Ce⁴⁺ in CeO₂ acted as an electron trapping agent and could be reduced to Ce³⁺ ion after trapping electrons, which facilitated the separation process of photogenerated carriers inside CeO₂. In situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) demonstrated that COOH* intermediate played a key role as the rate determining step in the overall CO₂ photoreduction to CO. This investigation will contribute to the development and application of new and environmentally friendly BIO-based S-scheme photocatalysts.

A novel 2D layered nanocomposite was synthesized by in situ polymerization by incorporating aniline into the HLaNb₂O₇ host matrix. This innovative nanocomposite uniquely combines the electroactive properties of polyaniline with the structural stability and ion-exchange capabilities of lanthanum niobate, resulting in a material with superior electrochemical performance. Characterization of the composites was performed using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Electrochemical assays revealed that the PANI/LaNb₂O₇ nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode could concurrently detect dopamine and uric acid, respectively. The detection limits were determined to be 0.04 μM for DA and 0.61 μM for UA. The enhanced sensitivity, selectivity, and stability of this nanocomposite make it a promising candidate for advanced electrochemical sensors, particularly in biomedical applications where precise detection of biomolecules is crucial.