Small Methods最新文献

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) significantly affects the performance and reliability of electronic devices. Although current metallic shielding materials are effective, they have drawbacks such as high density, limited flexibility, and poor corrosion resistance that limit their wider application in modern electronics. This study investigates the EMI shielding properties of 3D-printed conductive structures made from polylactic acid (PLA) infused with 0D carbon black (CB) and 1D carbon nanotube (CNT) fillers. This study demonstrates that CNT/PLA composites exhibit superior EMI shielding effectiveness (SE), achieving 43 dB at 10 GHz, compared to 22 dB for CB/PLA structures. Further, conductive coating of polyaniline (PANI) electrodeposition onto the CNT/PLA structures improves the SE to 54.5 dB at 10 GHz. This strategy allows fine control of PANI loading and relevant tuning of SE. Additionally, the 3D-printed PLA-based composites offer several advantages, including lightweight construction and enhanced corrosion resistance, positioning them as a sustainable alternative to traditional metal-based EMI shielding materials. These findings indicate that the SE of 3D-printed materials can be substantially improved through low-cost and straightforward PANI electrodeposition, enabling the production of customized EMI shielding materials with enhanced performance. This novel fabrication method offers promising potential for developing advanced shielding solutions in electronic devices.

The advancement of zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) is propelled by their inherent safety, cost-effectiveness, and environmental sustainability. This study investigates the role of sulfolane (SL), a polar aprotic solvent with a high dielectric constant, as an electrolyte additive to enhance ion transport and electrochemical performance in V₂C MXene cathodes for high-performance ZIBs. The addition of 1% SL optimizes Zn-ion transport by increasing ionic conductivity, suppressing electrolyte decomposition, and mitigating zinc dendrite formation. Galvanostatic Intermittent Titration Technique (GITT) analysis reveals a reduction in Zn²⁺ diffusion coefficient from 1.54 × 10⁻⁷ cm²/s in 2 m ZnSO₄ to 1.07 × 10⁻⁹ cm² s^-1 in the SL-modified system, indicating a more confined Zn²⁺ transport environment. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) further demonstrates a substantial decrease in activation energy from 123.78 to 65.08 kJ mol⁻¹, signifying improved charge transfer kinetics. Ex situ XRD confirms that SL stabilizes the phase transformation of V₂C to Zn₀.₂₉V₂O₅, enhancing structural integrity. The modified system achieves an impressive specific capacity of 545 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹ and exhibits exceptional cycling stability, retaining 91% capacity over 7000 cycles at 20 A g⁻¹. These findings underscore the potential of sulfolane as a key additive for advancing V₂C MXene-based ZIBs.

The Coulomb electric field formed between positive and negative charges always restricts the generation and separation of photo-irradiated electrons and holes, resulting in the limited CO₂ photoreduction performances of catalysts. Herein, the defect engineering and high-entropy strategies are used to regulate the crystallinity of Cs₂NaInCl₆ perovskite materials, thus resulting in an enhanced internal polarization electric field, which overcame the Coulomb electric field and promoting the separation process of charge carriers. Moreover, the Cs₂Na{InPrSmGdTb}₁Cl₆ with Cl vacancies is prepared using the low-temperature syntheses, which overcame the challenge of extremely high-temperature requirements for high entropy alloy preparation. Compared with Cs₂NaInCl₆, Cs₂Na{InPrSmGdTb}₁Cl₆ with Cl vacancies contribute to an 8fold enhanced polarization electric field, suppressing the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes and thus achieving an enhanced CO₂ photomethanation activity with improved product selectivity and structural stability. This work provides a promising strategy for designing and preparing low-temperature synthesizing modified high-entropy halide perovskite catalysts used in the field of solar energy conversion.

Metal carbides are considered attractive lithium-ion battery (LIB) anode materials. Their potential practical application, however, still needs nanostructure optimization to further enhance the Li-storage capacity, especially under large current densities. Herein, a nanoporous structured multi-metal carbide is designed, which is encapsulated in a 3D free-standing nanotubular graphene film (MnNiCoFe-MoC@NG). This free-standing composite anode with a high surface area not only provides more active Li⁺ storage sites but also effectively prevents the agglomeration or detachment of active material in traditional powder-based electrodes. Moreover, the free-standing design does not require additional binders, conductive agents, or even current collectors when used as LIB anode. As a result, the MnNiCoFe-MoC@NG anode exhibits a high specific capacity of 1129.2 mAh g^-1 at 2 A g^-1 and maintains a stable capacity of 512.9 mAh g^-1 after 2900 cycles of 5 A g^-1, which is higher than most reported Mo_xC-based anodes. Furthermore, the anode exhibits superb low-temperature performance at both 0 and -20 °C, especially at large current densities. These properties make the free-standing anode very promising in fast charging and low-temperature applications.

Micro/nano manipulation of single nanowire has emerged as a popular direction of study in the field of nanotechnology, with promising applications in cutting-edge technologies such as device manufacturing, medical treatment, and nanorobotics. The synthesis of nanowires with controllable length and diameter makes them meet various micro/nano manipulation demands. As manipulation techniques have advanced, including the use of optical tweezers, electric and magnetic fields, mechanical control, and several more control methods, they have demonstrated unique advantages in different application fields. For instance, the application of micro/nano manipulation of single nanowire in device manufacturing, cell drug precision transport, and nanomotors has demonstrated their potential in device development, biomedicine, and precision manufacturing. However, application extension of single nanowire manipulation is still in its infancy. This review systematically sorts out the progress of nanowire synthesis and manipulation and discusses its current research status and prospects in various application fields. It aims to provide a comprehensive reference and guidance for future research and promote the innovative applications of nanowire manipulation technology in a wide range of fields.

Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) have garnered significant attention from both academic and industrial communities due to their high safety feature and high energy density in combination with lithium(Li) metal anode. Nevertheless, their practical applications remain constrained by the relatively low room-temperature ionic conductivity and interface issues. Anion-derived cation-anion aggregates (AGGs), derived from high-concentration liquid electrolytes, promote a stable solid-electrolyte interphase layer, which have gradually propelled their application in SPEs. Meanwhile, the unique ion transport mechanism of AGGs in SPEs also helps to enhance their ionic conductivity. However, the detail mechanism and the application progress of AGGs in SPEs remain poorly understood. Here, it is begin with a concise historical review on the development of AGGs configuration, followed by discussion on the fundamental mechanisms of the ion transport in AGGs-based SPEs. Then, focused on the recent developments, the design strategies for AGGs-based SPEs are summarized in detail. Finally, perspectives are provided on the future developments and challenges for high-performance AGGs-based SPEs.

The modern era demands multifunctional materials to support advanced technologies and tackle complex environmental issues caused by these innovations. Consequently, material hybridization has garnered significant attention as a strategy to design materials with prescribed multifunctional properties. Drawing inspiration from nature, a multi-scale material design approach is proposed to produce 3D-shaped hybrid materials by combining chaotic flows with direct ink writing (ChDIW). This approach enables the formation of predictable multilayered filaments with tunable microscale internal architectures using just a single printhead. By assigning different nanomaterials to each layer, 3D-printed hydrogels and cryogels with diverse functionalities, such as electrical conductivity and magnetism are successfully produced. Furthermore, control over the microscale pore morphology within each cryogel filament is achieved, resulting in a side-by-side dual-pore network sharing a large interfacial area. The ChDIW is compatible with different types of hydrogels as long as the rheological features of the printing materials are well-regulated. To showcase the potential of these multilayered cryogels, their electromagnetic interference shielding performance is evaluated, and they reveal an absorption-dominant mechanism with an excellent absorption coefficient of 0.71. This work opens new avenues in soft matter and cryogel engineering, demonstrating how simplicity can generate complexity.

Commercially available conductive filaments are not designed for electrochemical applications, resulting in 3D printed electrodes with poor electrochemical behavior, restricting their implementation in energy and sensing technologies. The proper selection of an activation method can unlock their use in advanced applications. In this work, rectangular electrodes made from carbon black - polylactic acid (CB/PLA) filament are 3D printed with different layouts (grid and compact) and then activated using a highly reproducible eco-compatible electrochemical (EC) treatment. The electrodes are characterized for their morphological, structural, and electrochemical features to obtain insights into the material properties and functionality. Furthermore, the influence of the electrode layout as well as the activation conditions are studied aiming to provide a better understanding of the mechanism driving the electrochemical behavior of the electrodes. The EC activation enhances the electrochemical performance, provides a uniform electrochemical activity in the electrode's interface and allows the manipulation of the electrochemical properties of 3D printed electrodes by adjusting the duration of the treatment. CB/PLA electrodes offer a wide stable potential window that benefits their use in water-based electrochemical applications. Thus, their suitability for Zn-ion batteries and electrochemical sensing is explored, followed by their application in hydroquinone determination in water samples.

Decentralized molecular detection of pathogens remains an important goal for public health. Although polymerase chain reaction (PCR) remains the gold-standard molecular detection method, thermocycling using Peltier heaters presents challenges in decentralized settings. Recent work has demonstrated plasmonic PCR, where nanomaterials on a surface or nanoparticles in solution heat upon stimulation by light, as a promising method for rapid thermocycling. Heating of a solution via nanoparticles suspended in solution has been demonstrated in PCR tubes, but not on microfluidic chips. We developed a volumetric, microfluidic plasmonic reverse transcription (RT)-PCR method. A microfluidic chip is fabricated with an integrated thermocouple to measure internal temperature, feeding into a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) algorithm that modulates an infrared LED for closed-loop control. Gold nanorods are dispersed in solution with RT-PCR reagents. We created an instrument for plasmonic RT-PCR using an infrared LED for heating, fan for cooling, and fluorometer for end-point fluorescence detection. Rapid thermocycling and amplification of SARS-CoV-2 within 16 min (5 min for RT, 45 cycles in 11 min) is achieved. This paper demonstrates volumetric, plasmonic PCR in a microfluidic chip, using an integrated thermocouple for closed-loop control. This work points to the promise of using microfluidics and nanomaterials to achieve rapid, compact detection of pathogens in decentralized settings.

Quantum dots (QDs), particularly those in the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) range, have garnered significant attention for their unique optical and electrical properties resulting from 3D quantum confinement. Among the various chalcogenide-based QDs, lead chalcogenides, such as PbS and PbSe, are extensively studied for infrared photodetection applications. While PbSe QDs offer advantages over PbS, including a narrower bandgap and higher carrier mobility, they suffer from stability issues due to surface oxidation and particle aggregation. Conventional synthesis methods require additional post-synthesis treatments for surface passivation with halides, which complicates the process. In this work, a novel synthesis approach that incorporates palmitoyl chloride (PalCl) into the traditional PbSe QD synthesis is introduced, effectively passivating the surface with Cl^- ions during the synthesis process. This method not only enhances the optical performance by producing a sharp exciton peak and allowing precise tuning of the absorption spectrum from 1100 to 1900 nm but also significantly improves the stability of the QDs in solution. The resulting QDs are successfully integrated into SWIR photodetectors (PDs), demonstrating exceptional specific detectivity of 1.08 × 10¹² Jones at 1460 nm. This achievement draws great potential of the proposed synthetic method for advancing infrared optoelectronic devices.