Article
Engineering, Chemical
Liangliang Lin, Xuanhe Li, Haiyan Gao, Hujun Xu, Sergey A. Starostin, Kostya Ken Ostrikov, Volker Hessel
Summary: This study presents an effective method for the continuous synthesis of Ag-Au nanoparticles through integrating low-temperature plasma and microfluidic techniques. The composition of the nanoalloys can be effectively tuned by controlling the concentrations or flow rates of the reactants. The Ag-Au nanoalloys produced demonstrate excellent SERS properties, showing promising potential for various applications.
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Xinyu Zhao, Mingzhen Wang, Yingxue Wang, Jinqi Li, Dongqing He, Yongjin Zou, Ying Zhang
Summary: In this study, an effective method for fabricating bimetallic Au-Ag composite films was reported. The morphology and properties of the composite films can be controlled by adjusting the reaction conditions and composite structure. The fabricated material exhibits localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties and shows potential applications in sensing and catalysis.
DALTON TRANSACTIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shanlin Ke, Caixia Kan, Xingzhong Zhu, Changshun Wang, Xiu Wang, Yuan Chen, Xiaoguang Zhu, Zhaosheng Li, Daning Shi
Summary: This study presents an effective synthesis strategy for porous Au-Ag alloy nanorods, demonstrating the ability to tunably control plasmonic properties across visible to near-IR regions. The nanorods exhibit numerous internal hotspots, favoring highly sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection. The proposed strategy shows potential for preparing other porous nanoparticles with intrinsic hotspots for various applications.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Huiqin Liu, Junyi Zeng, Liping Song, Lingli Zhang, Zihai Chen, Jianhua Li, Zhidong Xiao, Fengmei Su, Youju Huang
Summary: In this study, a triple SERS signal amplification platform is designed by combining spiky gold nanoparticles with rich-tip nanostructures, controllable silver nanoshell, and tailorable surface roughness. The platform not only improves the electromagnetic field by nearly 5 orders of magnitude, but also enables fingerprinting of various analytes with high sensitivity, stability, and universality.
NANOSCALE HORIZONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ryota Kichijo, Naoya Miyajima, Daisuke Ogawa, Hirokazu Sugimori, Ke-Hsuan Wang, Yoshiro Imura, Takeshi Kawai
Summary: Metal nanowires have attracted attention as a promising one-dimensional nanomaterial due to their flexibility and conductivity. This study investigates the effect of different organic solvents on the morphology of metal nanowires and evaluates their surface-enhanced Raman scattering sensitivity.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
S. Yergaliyeva, R. Nemkayeva, N. Guseinov, O. Prikhodko, A. Arbuz, B. Orynbay, Ye. Sagidolda, M. Aitzhanov, G. Ismailova, Y. Mukhametkarimov
Summary: In this work, composite thin films consisting of titanium dioxide and noble metal nanoparticles (silver, gold, and bimetallic silver/gold alloys) were synthesized using RF magnetron sputtering. The resulting thin films were characterized using various techniques, including TEM, SEM, XRD analysis, and Raman spectroscopy. The study showed that annealing in an argon atmosphere induced crystallization in the initially amorphous TiO2 matrix. The composite films exhibited two light absorption regions, one associated with localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) phenomena and the other due to the energy band gap. The composition of the metal nanoparticles could be adjusted to tune these parameters in the composite films.
OPTICAL MATERIALS EXPRESS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lajos Peter Villy, Attila Kohut, Albert Keri, Adam Belteki, Gyorgy Radnoczi, Zsolt Fogarassy, Gyorgy Zoltan Radnoczi, Gabor Galbacs, Zsolt Geretovszky
Summary: We present a scalable and environmentally friendly gas phase technique using atmospheric pressure electrical spark discharge plasmas to produce Au/Co binaries, an effective catalyst system for decomposing hydrogen-rich compounds. We demonstrate the production of Au/Co alloy nanoparticles using the spark plasma-based technique. We also show the ability to vary the morphology and phase structure of the generated aerosol through real time heat treatment, resulting in Au/Co/CoO particles with continuous control over a wide range of particle composition. These results have important implications for transitioning lab-scale nanocatalyst-based hydrogen storage systems to real-world applications.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Enrico Daniel R. Legaspi, Michelle D. Regulacio
Summary: Metal-semiconductor nanocomposites, particularly the combination of semiconductors and plasmonic metals, have been extensively studied due to their unique optical and electronic properties. This review focuses on the pairing of Cu2O semiconductor with strongly plasmonic metals, Au and Ag, and discusses the synthesis techniques, tuning parameters, and the effects of compositing on the optical and electronic properties.
NANOSCALE ADVANCES
(2023)
Article
Optics
Koushik Mondal, Subrata Biswas, Tara Singha, Sudip Kumar Pal, Prasanta K. Datta, Sujit Kumar Ghosh, Pathik Kumbhakar
Summary: Novel local field-assisted nonlinear optical effects were observed in triangular-shaped core-shell Ag-Au nanoparticles, exhibiting superior optical switching performance and optical limiting thresholds under specific pump wavelengths, indicating the potential of these nanoparticles in advanced optoelectronic applications.
Article
Polymer Science
Saliha Mutlu, Eyup Metin, Sureyya Aydin Yuksel, Ugur Bayrak, Cigdem Nuhoglu, Nergis Arsu
Summary: The study found that nanoparticles are distributed differently in solution and in polymer matrices, and the atmosphere has an impact on the shape and size of the nanoparticles. Peroxy radicals are mainly responsible for the reduction of metal ions to form metal and metal oxide nanoparticles.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Astrini Pradyasti, Huong Thi Hoang, Kwon Taek Lim, Mun Ho Kim
Summary: A novel method for synthesizing metal-semiconductor@ bimetal hybrid nanostructures with unique porous architectures has been described. These structures exhibit excellent broadband absorption in the UV-Vis-NIR region and high photothermal conversion efficiency. Mechanism for the high photothermal conversion activity was proposed based on experimental and simulation results.
JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Veronica Montes-Garcia, Marco A. Squillaci, Marta Diez-Castellnou, Quy Khac Ong, Francesco Stellacci, Paolo Samori
Summary: Noble metal nanoparticles are ideal materials for sensor fabrication, enabling high sensitivity and selectivity, and can be used for environmental and health monitoring.
CHEMICAL SOCIETY REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sumaira Anjum, Khadija Nawaz, Bushra Ahmad, Christophe Hano, Bilal Haider Abbasi
Summary: This research focuses on the fabrication of bimetallic nanoparticles using plant extracts, specifically Manilkara zapota leaf extract. The study shows that the leaf extract is capable of bioreducing metal ions to produce core-shell Au-Ag and hybrid Au-ZnO and Ag-ZnO nanoparticles. The phytochemical profiling and spectroscopic analysis confirm the involvement of certain phytochemicals in the synthesis process. The synthesized bimetallic nanoparticles exhibit enhanced therapeutic efficacy compared to their monometallic components and show potential for various applications, including antibacterial, anticancer, and anti-aging treatments. Moreover, the biocompatibility of these nanoparticles towards brine shrimp larvae and human red blood cells suggests their environmental and biological safety.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Suresh Velpula, Sashidhar Rao Beedu, Karuna Rupula
Summary: In this study, bimetallic Ag-Au, Ag-Pd, and Au-Pd nanoparticles were synthesized using a natural biopolymer gum kondagogu as a reducing and capping agent. Characterization of the nanoparticles showed different catalytic efficiencies in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol, with Ag-Pd exhibiting the highest efficiency among the three.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Ozge Demirtas, Alpan Bek, Waqqar Ahmed
Summary: A method to enhance the catalytic activity of AuAg nanoworms using galvanic replacement reaction (GRR) was reported. The catalytic activity of core-shell and rough nanoworms was investigated, and it was found that the catalytic activity of the core-shell nanoworms was enhanced by 22 times compared to AuAg nanoworms, while the catalytic activity of the rough nanoworms was enhanced by 67 times, making them excellent catalytic materials.
MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING B-ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL SOLID-STATE MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Roger Guzman, Shoucong Ning, Ruizi Zhang, Hongtao Liu, Yinhang Ma, Yu-Yang Zhang, Lihong Bao, Haitao Yang, Shiduan Du, Michel Bosman, Stephen J. Pennycook, Hong-Jun Gao, Wu Zhou
Summary: In this study, the local atomic structure and magnetic behavior of V-rich V1+xTe2 nanoplates with embedded V3Te4 nanoclusters have been investigated. The self-intercalated V3Te4 magnetic phase, which possesses a distorted 1T'-like monoclinic structure, is locally stabilized by V intercalations. The phase transition is controlled by the electron doping from the intercalant V ions. The results provide insights into the studies of dilute magnetism at the 2D limit and strategies for the manipulation of magnetism for spintronic applications.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhicheng Jin, Yi Li, Ke Li, Jiajing Zhou, Justin Yeung, Chuxuan Ling, Wonjun Yim, Tengyu He, Yong Cheng, Ming Xu, Matthew N. Creyer, Yu-Ci Chang, Pavla Fajtova, Maurice Retout, Baiyan Qi, Shuzhou Li, Anthony J. O'Donoghue, Jesse V. Jokerst
Summary: In this study, a colorimetric biosensor using plasmonic gold and surfactant-like peptides (SLPs) was developed, which exhibited a strong aggregation propensity of the FFPC tail without the polar DDD head. The SLPs had specificity towards the target protease M-pro, a biomarker for SARS-CoV-2. This simple and visual tool showed detection limits of 15.7, 20.8, and 26.1 nM for M-pro in phosphate buffer, exhaled breath condensate, and saliva, respectively, and may have potential in designing other protease testing methods.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Haoyang Fu, Jiaqi Wei, Guoliang Chen, Minkai Xu, Jiyuan Liu, Jianghong Zhang, Ke Li, Qianyu Xu, Yunjie Zou, Wei-xian Zhang, Shibo Xi, Xiaodong Chen, Shuzhou Li, Lan Ling
Summary: This study reports a strategy to regulate the coordination status of single-atom catalysts (SACs) by introducing iron phthalocyanine on N-doped graphene to achieve a Fenton-like SAC containing an axial five-coordinated configuration (Fe-N5). The Fe-N5 SAC significantly modulates the electronic state of Fe atoms and lowers the activation energy for the production of center dot OH. Additionally, it shortens the diffusion distance of center dot OH by establishing a dual-site reaction mechanism with enriched pyridinic N sites, resulting in exceptional Fenton activity.
APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Aniruddh Ramesh, Abhinav Tripathi, Michel Bosman, Shibo Xi, Palani Balaya
Summary: We synthesized and tested two biphasic P3/O3 materials, Na0.9Fe0.5Mn0.5O2 (P3/ O3 NFM) and Na0.9Fe0.5Mn0.45Ni0.05O2 (P3/O3 NFNM), for sodium storage. By replacing 5% of Mn with Ni, we observed improved (de)sodiation capacity and rate performance. The P3/O3 NFNM exhibited more than twice the discharge capacity of P3/O3 NFM at 3C rate and retained 74% of its capacity after 200 cycles at 1C rate, compared to 57% in P3/O3 NFM. X-ray diffraction and XANES studies confirmed the stability of the P3 phase in P3/O3 NFNM due to Ni doping, leading to better cycling performance.
JOURNAL OF ELECTROANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Chun-Yu Cheng, Yuan-Yuan Guo, Yi-Ming Zou, Amanda Jiamin Ong, Alfred Iing Yoong Tok, Shuzhou Li
Summary: The melting mechanisms of Pt-based multimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) were investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The study found that the melting and coalescence behaviors of heterogeneous Pd-Pt NPs with different sizes and compositions varied, and PtPd alloy could form at the Pd/Pt interface before complete melting of Pd NP. Furthermore, a two-step melting process was observed in Pd/Pt/Ir trimetallic NPs.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Bo Niu, Delong Cai, Zhihua Yang, Xiaoming Duan, Wenjiu Duan, Donghui Long, Shuzhou Li, Dechang Jia, Yu Zhou
Summary: The high-temperature dielectric loss of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) ceramics can be reduced by orienting grains, leading to a minimized defect ions transport and lower dielectric loss.
SCRIPTA MATERIALIA
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xueting Feng, Jiyuan Liu, Long Chen, Ya Kong, Zedong Zhang, Zixuan Zhang, Dingsheng Wang, Wen Liu, Shuzhou Li, Lianming Tong, Jin Zhang
Summary: Realizing efficient hydrogenation of N2 molecules in the electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction is crucial but rarely reported. A new study presents a highly efficient electrocatalyst with a hydrogen radical-transferring mechanism, which can greatly reduce the potential and maintain high activity and selectivity in NRR.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yuan Chen, Haidong Liang, Leyi Loh, Yiwei Ho, Ivan Verzhbitskiy, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Michel Bosman, Andrew A. Bettiol, Goki Eda
Summary: We observe bound exciton (BX) complex manifolds in monolayer MoSe2 with intentionally created monoselenium vacancies (VSe) using proton beam irradiation. The emission intensity of different BX peaks exhibits contrasting dependence on electrostatic doping near the onset of free electron injection. These complexes, which are more strongly bound than trions and biexcitons, survive up to around 180 K and show moderate valley polarization memory, indicating partial free exciton character.
Article
Microscopy
Shoucong Ning, Wenhui Xu, Leyi Loh, Zhen Lu, Michel Bosman, Fucai Zhang, Qian He
Summary: Correcting scan-positional errors is crucial for achieving high-resolution and high-precision electron ptychography. Traditional refining methods for scan positions are unsatisfactory due to the entanglement between the object and scan positions, which leads to systematic errors. In this study, we propose a new protocol using constrained gradient descent (CGD) methods to better recover scan positions by utilizing a priori knowledge and adding constraints based on simulated 4D-STEM datasets. The integrated constrained gradient descent (iCGD) protocol is demonstrated using an experimental 4D-STEM dataset, showing effective error correction and achieving high accuracy and precision in electron ptychography.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lingfei Tang, Bowen Chen, Zhonghan Zhang, Changqi Ma, Junchao Chen, Yage Huang, Fengrui Zhang, Qingyu Dong, Guoyong Xue, Daiqian Chen, Chenji Hu, Shuzhou Li, Zheng Liu, Yanbin Shen, Qi Chen, Liwei Chen
Summary: Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) are considered promising electrolyte for long-cycling lithium metal batteries (LMBs). However, the narrow electrochemical stability window (ESW) of typical SPEs limits the improvement of LMBs' specific capacity and energy density. In this study, a polyfluorinated crosslinker was applied to enhance the oxidation resistance of SPEs, resulting in a wide ESW and improved performance of high-voltage LMBs.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yuanmiao Sun, Jiarui Wang, Shibo Xi, Jingjing Shen, Songzhu Luo, Jingjie Ge, Shengnan Sun, Yubo Chen, John V. Hanna, Shuzhou Li, Xin Wang, Zhichuan J. Xu
Summary: In this study, the relationship between surface reconstruction of spinel electrocatalysts and metal-oxygen covalency polarity was investigated. It was found that a stronger metal-oxygen covalency contributes to a more thorough surface reconstruction towards oxyhydroxides. The researchers also developed a criterion to evaluate the reconstruction degree and provide guidelines for cation selection in spinel pre-catalyst design.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Yuchen Liu, Yu Zhou, Dechang Jia, Zhihua Yang, Wenjiu Duan, Daxin Li, Shuzhou Li, Ralf Riedel, Bin Liu
Summary: Using ab-initio calculations, the atomic structure and mechanical properties of amorphous silicoboron carbonitride ceramics with 13 different compositions in the Si-BN-C phase diagram were investigated. The chemical bonds and local structures in the amorphous network are dependent on the elemental composition. The mechanical properties of SiBCN ceramics are greatly influenced by their local structural characteristics. SiB2C3N2 and SiB3C2N3 with low Si contents and moderate C and/or BN contents exhibit high elastic moduli, high tensile/shear strengths, and good debonding capability. The optimization of SiBCN ceramics can be guided based on these discoveries.
JOURNAL OF ADVANCED CERAMICS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Alok Ranjan, Sesn J. O'Shea, Andrea Padovani, Tong Su, Paolo La Torraca, Yee Sin Ang, Manveer Singh Munde, Chenhui Zhang, Xixiang Zhang, Michel Bosman, Nagarajan Raghavan, Kin Leong Pey
Summary: We used conduction atomic force microscopy (CAFM) to investigate the soft breakdown of monocrystalline hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and analyzed the defect generation and dielectric degradation by charge transport simulations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The results showed that defects were gradually generated over time, leading to an increase in current before dielectric breakdown. Different types of defects were observed, with defects formed from adjacent boron and nitrogen monovacancies having the lowest formation energy. The electrical shorting between layers due to the formation of these defects was confirmed by charge transport simulations, while physical removal of h-BN layers during soft breakdown was ruled out.
ACS APPLIED ELECTRONIC MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Deepan Balakrishnan, See Wee Chee, Zhaslan Baraissov, Michel Bosman, Utkur Mirsaidov, N. Duane Loh
Summary: This study explores an alternative method for reconstructing the 3D volume using a single energy-filtered bright-field coherent image. In the near-field limit, the authors demonstrate the possibility of simultaneously inferring local depth and thickness for 3D imaging, filling a significant gap in 3D nanometrology.
COMMUNICATIONS PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jing-Yang Chung, Li Zhang, Govindo J. J. Syaranamual, Silvija Gradecak, Stephen J. J. Pennycook, Michel Bosman
Summary: We provide an overview of the atomic structure of extended defects in wurtzite III-nitrides, specifically focusing on GaN heterostructures applicable to optoelectronic devices and power electronics. We present experimental methods to visualize and recognize these defects using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Line, planar, and volume defects are imaged, with examples taken from InGaN multi quantum well heterostructures. The classification of defects and visualization methods established in this work will be valuable for researchers in this field.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2023)