Nanomaterials最新文献

In the original publication [...].

Space-borne SiGe-based electronics are confronted with high-energy particles and may suffer from displacement damage effects. Here, primary radiation damage of a strain-engineering-based SiGe/Si heterostructure was investigated by molecular dynamics simulations in two cases of independent and overlapping collision cascades. The results showed that among 1 keV, 3 keV, and 5 keV primary knock-on atoms (PKAs) of Si and Ge, 3 keV Ge PKAs generated the most point defects at the heterointerface, which was associated with adequate PKA energy dissipated around the heterointerface. Meanwhile, the Frenkel pairs at the heterointerface continued increasing merely in the first three cascades and tended to annihilate subsequently, whereas the antisites both in the whole heterostructure and at the heterointerface accrued from the first to the fifth cascades. In addition, the spatial distribution of point defects surviving in each collision cascade was dominated by the melting region, and it could be superimposed on the subsequent ones during the overlapping cascades. Overall, this work explored the evolution of the defect and temperature as well as the overlapping effects during the collision cascades in a strain-engineering-based SiGe/Si heterostructure, which shall shed light on radiation effects of SiGe/Si heterostructures and pertinent radiation-hardening techniques of SiGe-based electronics.

The rapid expansion of nanotechnology has driven the widespread use of engineered nanomaterials in energy, electronics, medicine, and consumer products [...].

In recent years, against the backdrop of increasingly prominent global climate change and environmental issues, high-efficiency cooling technologies and energy-saving materials have become key research focuses. Radiative cooling, which reflects sunlight and emits thermal radiation into outer space, enables passive cooling without energy consumption. The phase separation method has emerged as a promising approach for fabricating porous daytime radiative cooling materials, attracting extensive research interest due to its favorable processability, excellent cooling performance, low cost, and scalability. Based on radiative cooling principles, this review summarizes the preparation methods, structural design, and application fields of porous radiative cooling films fabricated via the phase separation method. Furthermore, it is suggested that phase-separated porous radiative cooling films hold great potential in green buildings, personal thermal management, and food preservation.

This study presents a waste-valorization strategy by developing calcined natural shell particles (CNSP) derived from waste oyster shells as an efficient tribocatalyst for degrading high-concentration organic pollutants, a challenge for which conventional photocatalytic approaches are hindered by light shielding. The CNSP catalyst, confirmed as calcite CaCO₃ with low surface area and stable crystalline structure, demonstrated exceptional efficacy in degrading Rhodamine B (RhB) solutions across a wide concentration range (50-300 mg/L) under mechanical friction, achieving 99% removal of 50 mg/L RhB in 1 h and 300 mg/L RhB in 18 h with a 0.5 g catalyst. This catalyst maintained a degradation efficiency of over 95% in a continuous six-cycle process. Mechanistic studies revealed that the tribocatalytic process generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), primarily hydroxyl (•OH) and superoxide (•O2-) radicals, which drive the decomposition of dye molecules. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy directly confirmed the generation of these radicals. These findings establish CNSP as a promising, low-cost, and environmentally benign catalyst for wastewater treatment. This work not only provides a novel strategy for high-concentration dye removal but also reduces the environmental burden of aquaculture shell disposal. Further work is needed to evaluate its performance in real industrial effluents and with mixed pollutants.

Nickelladithiolene nanosheet, Ni₃BHT, is a two-dimensional material composed of nickel ions and benzenehexathiol (BHT). Ni₃BHT has attracted considerable attention owing to its electrical conductivity. Although conventional Ni₃BHT is obtained as a solid film or powder, recent studies have explored methods for handling Ni₃BHT as a liquid ink, which facilitates industrial applications. One such method involves adding a modulator ligand to control the morphology of Ni₃BHT. In this study, we developed a novel modulator ligand, 4,5-dihexylbenzene-1,2-dithiol (CL1), which afforded a more stable and concentrated Ni₃BHT dispersion than those previously reported. Further investigations suggest that CL1 is incorporated not only at the termini but also within the interior of the Ni₃BHT nanoflakes, based on the consistent interpretation of spectroscopic and morphological data, in the dispersion via the addition of an adequate amount of a modulator. The application of the Ni₃BHT dispersion as a conductive ink was demonstrated. The Ni₃BHT ink exhibited the highest electrical conductivity and colloidal stability at a CL1/BHT ratio of 0.3. These findings pave the way for potential applications of Ni₃BHT in various industries.

Owing to the excellent performance of zinc oxide materials under ultraviolet light, this paper proposes a process for fabricating ZnO/Au heterojunction nanostructures on the surface of silicon-based solar cells using anodic aluminum oxide as the template, ultimately resulting in a novel silicon-based solar cell with an embedded ZnO/Au nanostructure array. Through model optimization and analysis of the solar cells, it is found that compared with silicon-based solar cells with double grating nanostructures, silicon-based solar cells with surface silicon nanostructure arrays prepared by similar processes, and traditional planar silicon-based solar cells, the light absorption efficiency of the proposed solar cell structure is improved by 13.2%, 35.01%, and 63.78%, respectively; its short-circuit current density and power conversion efficiency reach 40 mA/cm² and 20.17%, respectively. Meanwhile, this paper conducts an in-depth study on the performance enhancement mechanism, providing new insights for the fabrication of ZnO/Au heterojunction nanostructures and their applications in the field of solar cells.

This work reports an enhanced flexible vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) photodetector on a polyimide (PI) substrate based on hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) with Al nanoparticles (Al NPs). The BNNS film were prepared via liquid-phase exfoliation combined with a self-assembly process, and size-controllable Al NPs were constructed on the BNNS's surface by electron-beam evaporation followed by thermal annealing. When the Al film thickness was 15 nm, the annealed Al NPs exhibited a pronounced enhancement of photoelectric effects at a wavelength of 185 nm. Combined with finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations, it was confirmed that the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) generated by Al NPs significantly enhanced the local electromagnetic field and effectively coupled into the interior of BNNSs. These exhibited a strong plasmon-enhanced absorption effect and thereby improved light absorption and carrier generation efficiency. The flexible photodetector based on this structure showed an increase in the photo-to-dark current ratio from 110.17 to 527.79 under a bias voltage of 20 V, while maintaining fast response and recovery times of 79.79 ms and 82.38 ms, respectively. In addition, the device demonstrated good stability under multiple bending angles and cyclic bending conditions, highlighting its potential applications in flexible solar-blind VUV photo ultraviolet.

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have attracted intense research interest due to their unique physicochemical properties and broad application potential. CQDs are a new class of ultrasmall fluorescent carbon nanoparticles (<10 nm) that exhibit bright photoluminescence, broad excitation spectra, high quantum yields (QYs), and excellent photostability. Structurally, they consist of graphitic sp²/sp³-hybridized carbon with amorphous or nanocrystalline cores. Unlike conventional semiconductor quantum dots (SQDs), which often contain toxic group II-VI, III-VI, or IV-VI elements, CQDs offer a safer and more environmentally friendly alternative for biomedical and cosmetic applications. This review summarizes recent advances in green-chemistry approaches for CQD synthesis, including top-down, bottom-up, waste-derived, and surface-functionalization methods. Particular attention is given to natural carbon sources, which provide low-cost, sustainable, and eco-friendly routes for scalable production. The optical, electronic, and toxicological properties of CQDs are discussed to clarify their performance and safety profiles. Special emphasis is placed on their emerging roles in wound healing and cosmetic formulations, which remain underexplored despite their promising potential. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive review focusing on the current progress, key challenges, and future perspectives of CQDs in beauty and personal care applications.

High-energy Ni-rich layered cathodes are critical for next-generation lithium-ion batteries yet remain limited by severe interfacial degradation and thermal vulnerability under high-voltage operation. In this work, a robust spinel-layered heterostructure is constructed by encapsulating LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ (NCM811) with a LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ (LNMO) spinel shell via a scalable sol-gel route. Structural characterizations confirm that the coating maintains the secondary-particle architecture, while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals a chemically reconditioned interface, achieved by the scavenging residual lithium species and suppressing of rock-salt-like surface reconstruction. Consequently, the optimized 4 wt% LNMO@NCM811 electrode demonstrates significantly enhanced high-voltage (2.8-4.4 V) stability, maintaining 41.84% of its initial capacity after 200 cycles compared to only 15.75% for the pristine sample. Crucially, thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) uncovers the kinetic origin of this safety improvement: the spinel shell alters the thermal decomposition pathway, delaying the 10% mass loss temperature (T_10%) from 515.2 °C to 716.6 °C and suppressing the total exothermic heat release from 208.3 J g^-1 to 81.5 J g^-1. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the co-free spinel encapsulation is a dual-functional strategy to simultaneously stabilize surficial chemistry and intrinsically enhance the thermal safety of Ni-rich cathodes for carbon-neutral energy storage applications.