Review
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jiwang Chen, Ze-Xian Low, Shasha Feng, Zhaoxiang Zhong, Weihong Xing, Huanting Wang
Summary: This article introduces the characteristics and applications of membranes with asymmetric wettability, highlighting their better transport performance and separation efficiency compared to traditional membranes.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Tian Meng, Qun Li, Mengxia Yan, Dewen Wang, Libing Fan, Xiaojuan Liu, Zhicai Xing, Xiurong Yang
Summary: The study investigates the in-situ self-reconstruction process of ternary metal hydroxides, revealing significant morphology transformation and electronic structure change. The NFZ-TH derived materials show superior OER performance and stability after undergoing self-reconstruction, with nano-pitted surface improving electrochemical surface area and inducing defect-/corner-sited Fe. Density functional theory calculations suggest high activity of defect-/corner-sited Fe and Ni at next-nearest-neighbour defect-site.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jingxiu Chen, Jianzhang Mai, Chao Wang, Yanyan Lin, Dongyang Miao, Yongqiang Lin, Aijaz Ahmed Babar, Xianfeng Wang, Jianyong Yu, Bin Ding
Summary: A biomimetic micro-/nanofibrous composite membrane with highly aligned fibrous structure and tailored surface wettability was developed for high-efficiency indoor humidification, demonstrating outstanding wicking height, water absorption, evaporation rate, and humidification capacity, surpassing commercial nonwoven membranes by 57%. This innovative membrane design provides new insights into the development of micro-/nanofibrous humidifying membranes for personal comfort and industrial productivity.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Rui Yang, Pei Dai, Shu Zhang, Ri-Wei Xu, Song Hong, Wen-Feng Lin, Yi-Xian Wu
Summary: The study focuses on preparing a cross-linked imidazolium functionalized anion-exchange membrane with high ionic conductivity and chemical stability, making it a potential material for fuel cell applications.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Denise J. Erb, Peco Myint, Kenneth Evans-Lutterodt, Karl Ludwig, Stefan Facsko
Summary: The ion-induced nanoscale pattern formation on a crystalline Ge(001) surface was observed in real time using GISAXS. The analysis of GISAXS intensity maps revealed the temporal evolution of geometric parameters characterizing the changing pattern morphology. Good agreement was found for the temporal evolution of the polar facet angle, characteristic length, and surface roughness in the nonlinear regime when compared with theoretical predictions and simulations of the patterning process based on a continuum equation.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xuanbo Chen, Ping Li, Jiao Wang, Jiawei Wan, Nailiang Yang, Bo Xu, Lianming Tong, Lin Gu, Jiang Du, Jianjian Lin, Ranbo Yu, Dan Wang
Summary: Solar thermal interfacial water evaporation is a promising approach to address freshwater scarcity, and the use of hollow multishelled structures has achieved optimal performance in solar-vapor generation and green access to safe drinking water.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Can Gao, Yimeng Li, Lizhen Lan, Qing Wang, Buguang Zhou, Yue Chen, Jiecong Li, Jiansheng Guo, Jifu Mao
Summary: In this study, a flexible pristine polypyrrole (PPy) membrane with unique hierarchical structures was successfully fabricated for solar-driven interfacial evaporation. The membrane showed enhanced light absorption and omnidirectional photothermal conversion due to its special structure, and achieved high efficient solar evaporation with reduced evaporation enthalpy through multilevel structure.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiao Wang, Gang Yuan, Han Zhou, Yu Jiang, Shuo Wang, Jiaojiao Ma, Chongyang Yang, Sheng Hu
Summary: Investigation on harvesting clean energy from water evaporation has found that composite laminar membranes assembled by nanosheets of graphene oxide and mica can achieve a sustained power density two orders of magnitude larger than that from membranes made by either of the components. This is attributed to selective proton transport driven by water evaporation through the interlayer nanochannels in the membranes, which depends on the synergistic effects from negatively charged and hydrophilic mica surfaces and the tunable electrical conductivity of graphene oxide.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Prasenjit Kabi, Vishank Razdan, Durbar Roy, Lalit Bansal, Sumita Sahoo, Rabibrata Mukherjee, Swetaprovo Chaudhuri, Saptarshi Basu
Summary: Strategic control of evaporation dynamics can help to control oscillation modes and internal flow fields in an oscillating sessile droplet. By studying an oscillating droplet on a bio-inspired sticky surface, we can better understand the relationship between modes of evaporation and oscillation. The findings are useful for applications aiming to adjust energy and mass transfer rates across liquid droplets using bio-inspired surfaces.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Zhijie Chen, Renji Zheng, Shangying Li, Ranhao Wang, Wenfei Wei, Wei Wei, Bing-Jie Ni, Hong Chen
Summary: This study demonstrates the design of efficient catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) using an environmentally friendly method. The catalyst prepared from natural arsenopyrite outperforms many existing catalysts and achieves high OER activity. The optimized interface structure plays a crucial role in enhancing OER performance. This study provides new insights for the development of efficient OER precatalysts using other materials and stimulates further research on eco-design of electroactive materials for advanced energy conversion and storage from abundant natural resources.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Ji Wu, Shang-Ting Chen, Shi-Ben Li, Lu-Ming Liu, Xiang-Hong Wang, Wen-Chang Lang
Summary: In this work, the nanostructures and phase diagrams of lamella-forming and cylinder-forming ABC linear triblock copolymers confined in spherical cavities are investigated using real-space self-consistent field theory. The study reveals that single confinement induces a transformation of self-assembled structures and that absorption can smooth out differences in block ratios. Additionally, the incorporation of a non-centrosymmetric feature in the model leads to unpredictable microphase behavior.
CHINESE JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yiming Xie, Bo Zhao, Kai Tang, Wei Qin, Changhui Tan, Junjie Yao, Youyong Li, Lin Jiang, Xianfu Wang, Yinghui Sun
Summary: Interface engineering through multishell hollow structures has been demonstrated to effectively enhance the electrocatalytic activities of NiFeOP nanoheterostructures. The fabricated NiFeOP nanoheterostructure exhibits superior electrocatalytic performance for both hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions in alkaline solution, attributed to the rich nano interfaces and nanopores in the heterostructure. This strategy provides a promising template for future catalyst design and performance improvements.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zeeshan Arshad, Billel Salhi, Nadeem Baig, Isam H. Aljundi, Shaikh A. Ali
Summary: A novel mussel-inspired cationic amphiphilic terpolymer, PDDD, was introduced to improve the performance and characteristics of PVDF membranes for oil-in-water emulsion separations. The incorporation of PDDD into PVDF resulted in improved hydrophilicity and separation efficiencies, with a maximum of 99% for emulsion separation. Furthermore, the modified membranes showed enhanced anti-fouling characteristics, as indicated by a remarkable flux recovery ratio of up to 92%.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Tsutomu Minegishi, Soraya Shizumi, Oguz Ciftci, Tatsuro Endo, Yuki Imazeki, Yuriy Pihosh, Masakazu Sugiyama
Summary: By conducting experiments in an electrolyte, the behavior of photoexcited carriers in a GaN photoanode was investigated. The results showed that the weakening of surface states with an increase in potential will lead to the electrochemical generation of oxygen.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Zefeng Yu, Xinyuan Xu, Wei-Ying Chen, Yogesh Sharma, Xing Wang, Aiping Chen, Christopher J. Ulmer, Arthur T. Motta
Summary: In this study, the grain growth process of UO2 fuel was explored through in-situ irradiation and transmission electron microscopy. The experiments revealed that grain growth occurred under both low and high temperature conditions. A combination of manual and machine learning techniques was used to measure and fit the evolution of grain size with irradiation fluence and temperature. The study also found that irradiation-induced defects had an impact on grain growth kinetics.
Article
Polymer Science
Detle-M Smilgies
Summary: Over the past two decades, grazing incidence small-angle scattering (GISAXS) has become a powerful tool for determining the structure and self-assembly kinetics of block copolymer thin films. This review provides an overview of the scattering process, interpretation of GISAXS data, and experimental requirements, and illustrates the application of GISAXS technique in characterizing block copolymer thin films with selected examples.
JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Stephanie M. Guthrie, Natalie Smith, Ashley M. Conley, Detlef-M. Smilgies, Gaurav Giri
Summary: This study adjusted MGC processing conditions to achieve three distinct film morphologies of acetaminophen and identified a set of conditions that result in uniform microcrystal formation. The study provides new insights into processing techniques that may be relevant to continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing efforts.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yuanyuan Guo, Yiming Zou, Chunyu Cheng, Leyan Wang, Riko Made, Ronn Goei, Kwan Wee Tan, Shuzhou Li, Alfred Iing Yoong Tok
Summary: This paper introduces a new method for fabricating metal alloy films using atomic layer deposition and rapid Joule heating induced alloying. The method allows for the production of thin films with high aspect ratios and precise control of film thickness.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Leyan Wang, Geok Leng Seah, Yun Li, Wei Han Tu, William Manalastas, Matthew J-H Reavley, Edward W. Corcoran, Adam K. Usadi, Zehui Du, Srinivasan Madhavi, Jonathan M. McConnachie, Hock Guan Ong, Kwan W. Tan
Summary: This paper describes a facile strategy to generate highly crystalline and well-ordered mesoporous oxide and carbon nanostructures within seconds by coupling block copolymer-directed self-assembly with high-power Joule heating. The resulting structures exhibit high thermal and structural stabilities and show better performances in CO2 adsorption capacity and lithium-ion batteries compared to conventional heat-treated counterparts. This approach represents an energy-efficient and time-saving route toward ordered porous materials with high surface area and pore accessibility for a wide range of environmental applications.
ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Pravini S. Fernando, Jeremy S. Mehta, Detlef-M Smilgies, Jeffrey M. Mativetsky
Summary: This study introduces a method based on conductive atomic force microscopy to quantify lateral current spreading during out-of-plane charge transport in organic solar cells. The results show that BHJ phase separation, composition, and molecule type play important roles in lateral spreading.
ADVANCED ELECTRONIC MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Dounya Barrit, Ming-Chun Tang, Rahim Munir, Ruipeng Li, Kui Zhao, Detlef-M Smilgies
Summary: This study provides a systematic overview of the influence of different solution-based processing routes of lead halide perovskites on their phase transformation and conversion. The experiments reveal important information about the mechanism, kinetics, and microstructure of the thin film.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yun Li, Amit Kumar Tiwari, Jingyi Sandy Ng, Geok Leng Seah, Hong Kit Lim, Teeraporn Suteewong, Chor Yong Tay, Yeng Ming Lam, Kwan W. Tan
Summary: The one-pot synthesis strategy described in this study generates bimodal mesoporous silica nanoparticles through coassembly of a structure-directing Gemini surfactant with a sol additive. The resulting nanoparticles have versatile properties that can be controlled by synthesis temperature and molar ratio, and exhibit excellent carbon dioxide adsorption capacities and antimicrobial properties.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Yiming Zou, Lin Jing, Leyan Wang, Hui Teng Tan, Ronn Goei, Sidney Kwong Roong Yong, Amanda Jiamin Ong, Kwan W. Tan, Alfred Iing Yoong Tok
Summary: A facile and tunable approach involving sequential atomic layer deposition (ALD) and electric Joule heating (EJH) alloying process has been developed to grow noble metal medium entropy alloy (MEA) thin films with high atomic composition precision. The integrated method allows precise control over film thickness and atomic ratio, while promoting homogeneous alloying of MEA combinations and inhibiting phase separation. This method opens up new possibilities for the controllable synthesis of multicomponent metal alloy thin films with potential catalytic, magnetic, and optical properties.
ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yun Li, Yee Yan Tay, Pio J. S. Buenconsejo, William Manalastas Jr, Wei Han Tu, Hong Kit Lim, Teddy Salim, Michael O. Thompson, Srinivasan Madhavi, Chor Yong Tay, Kwan W. Tan
Summary: High entropy materials composed of different elements have great potentials in various fields and applications. However, developing rapid synthesis routes and understanding their transformative behaviors for unexpected properties remains challenging.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Acoustics
W. X. Tan, K. W. Tan, K. L. Tan
Summary: A high-intensity cavitation cleaning process was designed to remove partially melted powders from the surface of metal additively manufactured components, leading to improved cleaning efficiency and specimen cleanliness.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lin Jing, Yiming Zou, Ronn Goei, Leyan Wang, Jiamin Amanda Ong, Anatoli Kurkin, Yun Li, Kwan W. Tan, Alfred Iing Yoong Tok
Summary: The current methods for synthesizing high-entropy alloy (HEA) thin-film coatings face challenges in preparation, thickness control, integration, and cost. In this study, a facile and controllable synthesis process was developed for quinary HEA coatings consisting of noble metals. The resulting thin film showed promising potential as a catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction, with improved performance and stability compared to other noble metal-based structures.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Detlef-M. Smilgies, Ruipeng Li
Summary: Coating organic molecules can lead to directional crystal growth under certain conditions, even without substrate preparation. Matching the coating speed with the growth speed of the fastest growing crystal plane is crucial for achieving a high degree of directional crystallization.
Article
Polymer Science
Wei Han Tu, Geok Leng Seah, Yun Li, Xinghui Wang, Kwan W. Tan
Summary: This report describes the disorder-order phase transition in block copolymer thin films induced by laser annealing, revealing the non-equilibrium kinetics and behaviors. The study found that specific laser temperature and annealing dwell time can control the diffusivities and enable the formation of long-range ordered films. Understanding the self-assembly of hybrid thin films under non-equilibrium laser annealing is important for the development of novel chemistries and nanoscale periodic order.
Proceedings Paper
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Behnam Garakani, K. Udara S. Somarathna, Riadh Al-haidari, Firas W. Alshatnavi, Detlef-Matthias Smilgies, Mark D. Poliks
Summary: In this study, commercially available stretchable hybrid conductors were screen printed on thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and encapsulated with a stretchable dielectric. The test showed that increasing the strain amplitude resulted in an increase in electrical resistance. The serpentine traces had a lower rate of damage accumulation compared to straight traces.
IEEE 72ND ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS AND TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE (ECTC 2022)
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Pravini S. Fernando, Detlef-M. Smilgies, Jeffrey M. Mativetsky
Summary: By varying the molecular orientation of the polymer in bulk heterojunctions, it has been found that a mixed texture can enhance out-of-plane charge flow in solution processed organic solar cells. This highlights the importance of balancing in-plane and out-of-plane pathways for efficient charge percolation in bulk heterojunctions.
CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
