Core-shell Nanospheres Research Articles

Size-dependent optical properties and thermal response of Fe/Co/Ni@Au and Fe/Co/Ni@Ag core-shell nanospheres

In this work, Mie theory is employed to study the opto-thermal response of magneto plasmonic Fe/Co/Ni@Au and Fe/Co/Ni@Ag core-shell nanostructures of different sizes in the presence of dielectric media (i.e., water) is investigated numerically. The optical and thermal characteristics from the Fe, Co, and Ni as core material with noble metal Au and Ag as coating (shell) material are susceptible to being well-tuned by controlling the dimensions of both core and shell, based on the research being conducted at the moment. The SPR wavelength spectra of magnetic core Fe /Co /Ni (radii ranging from 10-40 nm) with Au and Ag coating (fixed shell thickness of 5, 10, and 15 nm), nanostructures are tuned from 231-528 nm and 364-420 nm, respectively. The maximum temperature obtained near the surface of Fe/Co/Ni@Au and Fe/Co/Ni@Ag nanospheres with the optimized size is 2.09℃ / 2.09 ℃ / 2.23 ℃ and 2.30 ℃ / 2.33 ℃ / 2.33 ℃, respectively. It can be observed that the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is located in the vicinity of the ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) domains of the electromagnetic (EM) spectra. The temperature rise noticed in the nanoparticle (NP) has been attributed to enhanced absorbance efficiency.

Pd@CuInP2S6 Core-Shell Nanospheres with Exceptional Hydrogen Evolution Capability and Stability in Both Alkaline and Acidic Media under Large Current Density Exceeding 1000mAcm-2.

By combining Pd with 2D layered crystal CuInP2S6 (CIPS) via laser irradiation in liquids, low-loading Pd@CIPS core-shell nanospheres are fabricated as an efficient and robust electrocatalysts for HER in both alkaline and acidic media under large current density (⩾1000mAcm-2). Pd@CIPS core-shell nanosphere has two structural features, i) the out-shell is the nanocomposite of PdHx and PdInHx, and ii) there is a kind of dendritic structure on the surface of nanospheres, while the dendritic structure porvides good gas desorption pathway and cause the Pd@CIPS system to maintain higher HER activity and stability than that of commercial Pt/C under large current densities. Pd@CIPS exhibits very low overpotentials of -218 and -313mV for the large current density of 1000mAcm-2, and has a small Tafel slope of 29 and 63mVdec-1 in 0.5mH2SO4 and 1mKOH condition, respectively. Meanwhile, Pd@CIPS has an excellent stability under -10 and -500mAcm-2 current densities and 50000 cycles cyclic voltammetry tests in 0.5mH2SO4 and 1mKOH, respectively, which being much superior to that of commercial Pt/C. Density functional theory (DFT) reveals that engineering electronic structure of PdHx and PdInHx nanostructure can strongly weaken the Pd─H bonding.

Facile Synthesis of Soft Core-Shell Nanospheres for Constructing Multiresponsive Photonic Crystal Security Patterns.

Responsive photonic crystals (RPCs) presenting tunable structural colors under external stimuli are widely applied in the fields of dynamic displays, sensors, and anticounterfeiting. However, the development of multiresponsive photonic crystal (MRPC) films possessing versatile variable optical properties remains a significant challenge due to the tedious synthetic procedure of multifunctional building blocks and complex assembly processes, thereby constraining their extensive applications. In the present work, a series of soft nanospheres with a hydrophobic cores and responsive hydrophilic shells have been synthesized by a facile one-step surfactant-free emulsion polymerization method. The MRPC patterns were then prepared by depositing soft nanosphere emulsions onto the 3D-printed substrates with a topological structure followed by drying at room temperature. The shells of soft nanospheres deformed and fused with each other, resulting in the formation of transparent MRPC film patterns. The MRPC patterns exhibited brilliant structural color in a wet state but lost the color again after complete drying. Such a reversible structural color was ascribed to the change of the refractive index (RI) of the hydrophilic shell layers of nanospheres according to wetting/drying state shifting. Moreover, the on-demand designed MRPC patterns could rapidly respond to external stimuli of temperature, pH, and organic solvents in a reversible manner, and multichannel encrypted security labels were also demonstrated. We postulate that our facile and feasible approach can be applied to the systematic design and large-scale production of MRPC patterns for a variety of applications.

Elucidation on Abnormal Capacity Increase in SiO2@C Core-Shell Nanospheres Anode for Lithium-Ion Battery.

An abnormal capacity increase stage has been observed in nanostructured SiO2 after the initial capacity drop stage. To investigate the Li+ storage kinetic mechanism for each stage, SiO2@C core-shell nanospheres with a total diameter of ∼108 to 170 nm but an adjustable C shell thickness of ∼4 to 31 nm have been fabricated. First, the existence form and specific content of SiO2 nanoparticles with a size of ∼6-10 nm, which are embedded in the outer C shell of SiO2@C core-shell nanospheres, were confirmed by SEM, TEM, BET, and TGA, respectively. It was found that the initial stage for capacity drop happens at 15-43 cycles and is followed by an enhancement stage, which presents an increase of ∼120 to 180% in capacity relative to the lowest capacity value during cycling. Among them, the sample of P-1 with a diameter of 109 nm for the SiO2 core and thickness of 31 nm for the C shell delivers the highest specific capacity of 1060 mAh/g at 100 mA/g and a capacity increase rate of ∼180% through 300 cycles. XPS analysis for the delithiation process indicates that the capacity drop and increase stage involves the partial oxidation of Li silicate, which is correlated to the formation of Li2Si2O5. Our study can be used to explain the mechanism of the abnormal capacity increase phenomenon for the SiO2 anode and provide a high-capacity anode material for LIB application.

Dual-modal lateral flow immunoassay based on cauliflower-like ReS2@Pt core-shell nanospheres mediated ultra-sensitive detection of deoxynivalenol in food samples

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a highly toxic secondary metabolite that poses a substantial threat to global human and animal health. However, existing detection technologies are often constrained by limited sensitivity, poor selectivity, or the high costs associated with instrumentation. Consequently, the development of rapid, low-cost, and highly sensitive biosensors for the detection of DON is of paramount importance for ensuring food safety. In this study, we synthesized the precursor of ReS₂ nanospheres using a relatively simple one-step hydrothermal method. Subsequently, Platinum (Pt) was grown in situ on the surface of the ReS₂ nanospheres via hydrothermal reduction, resulting in the formation of cauliflower-like ReS₂@Pt nanospheres. These spheres offer notable advantages, including strong colorimetric signal brightness and high anti-body loading efficiency. Surface modification with platinum significantly enhances peroxidase-like activity, broadening the detection range and improving sensitivity. Leveraging this innovation, we developed Colorimetric-LFIA (CR-LFIA) and Catalytic-LFIA (CL-LFIA) assays. Under optimized conditions, the limit of detection (LOD) for DON was determined to be 0.018 ng/mL for CR-LFIA and 6.5 pg/mL for CL-LFIA, representing 5 times and 16 times improvement over AuNPs-based LFIA (0.111 ng/mL), respectively. Moreover, the detection linear range of CL-LFIA is expanded by 2.5 times compared to CR-LFIA. Validation with real samples demonstrated recovery rates between 90.33% and 110.64%, affirming method stability and repeatability. The developed dual-modal LFIA detection system (D-LFIA) employing ReS2@Pt NPs holds promise for ultra-sensitive detection, with potential applications in expanding the detection range of various substances.

Silver-modified polydopamine-coated silica core-shell nanospheres as functional additives for lubricants and shear thickening fluids

The limited effectiveness of conventional nano-additives in carrier liquids has prompted research into multi-capable, sustainable, and intelligent application systems. Herein, multifunctional SiO2-PDA@Ag nanoparticles were synthesized by dotting silver (Ag) nanoparticles on polydopamine (PDA)-coated SiO2 nanospheres (SiO2-PDA). The base oil (PAO) containing these synthetic nanoparticles showed excellent lubricity under high contact pressure, and the mechanism was analyzed. The addition of SiO2-PDA@Ag modified with Ag nanoparticles showed better tribological performances compared to PAO and base oils with starting nanomaterials. A concentration of 3 wt% SiO2-PDA@Ag provided the most effective performance. Furthermore, multi-phase STFs were developed by incorporating SiO2-PDA@Ag particles into SiO2-based STFs, significantly enhancing the shear thickening effect. Compared to the pure SiO2-based STF, the peak viscosity of the multi-phase STF increased by about 89.36 %. Notably, the multi-phase STF exhibited higher stress under squeeze, which facilitates the development of high-performance STF devices in extrusion mode. This enhancement is attributed to the nanocore-shell structure of SiO2-PDA@Ag, which effectively prevents the agglomeration of dispersed phase particles in organic carrier medium. The results of this work provide a promising additive nanoparticle in the field of smart materials and lubricants.

Bioinspired Core-shell nanospheres integrated in multi-signal immunochromatographic sensor for high throughput sensitive detection of Bongkrekic acid in food

Nowadays, notable progress has been achieved in detecting foodborne toxins by employing nanoenzyme-based lateral flow immunoassay (NLFIA) sensors in point-of-care testing (POCT). It continues to be a major challenge to maximize the enzyme-like performance of nanozymes for educe any potential uncertainties in catalytic process. In this study, we employed a facile and efficient self-assembly approach to fabricate nucleoid-shell structured biomimetic nanospheres CuS@Au-Pt (CAP), which demonstrates enhanced brightness of the colorimetric signal, excellent affinity, and excellent peroxidase activity. The integration of CAP with a competitive-assay NLFIA platform enabled sensitive immunochromatographic detection of bongkrekic acid (BA), with LOD as low as 0.66 ng/mL. After signal amplification through enzyme-like reaction, the detection range was extended around 1-fold. Additionally, CAP-NLFIA effectively detected BA with a recovery rate of 80.96–119.36% for real samples. The study proposes using CAP as a signal reporter in a dual-readout LFIA, which can establish a high throughput sensitive detection platform.

Scattering/Fluorescence Dual-Mode Imaging in MnO2-Coated Silicon Nanospheres for Cancer Cell Detection.

A tumor microenvironment (TME)-responsive nanoprobe composed of a fluorescent dye-decorated silicon (Si) nanosphere core and a thin MnO2 shell is proposed for simple and intelligent detection of cancer cells. The Si nanosphere core with diameters of 100-200 nm provides environment-independent Mie scattering imaging, while, simultaneously, the MnO2 shell provides the capability to switch the on/off state of the dye fluorescence reacted to the glutathione (GSH) and/or H2O2 levels in a cancer cell. Si-MnO2 core-shell nanosphere probes are fabricated in a solution-based process from crystalline Si nanosphere cores. The fluorescence switching under exposure to GSH is demonstrated, and the mechanism is discussed based on detailed optical characterizations including single-particle spectroscopy. Different types of human cells are incubated with the nanoprobes, and a proof of concept experiment is performed. From the combination of the robust scattering images and GSH- and H2O2-sensitive fluorescence images, the feasibility of cancer cell detection by the multimodal nanoprobes is demonstrated.

Fe3O4@PEG Core-Shell Nanosphere Anchored and Stabilized by Nickel Complex on Murexide: Green Synthesized Nanocatalyst with Super Catalytic Activity for Synthesize of Benzothiazole Derivatives

Fe3O4@PEG Core-Shell Nanosphere Anchored and Stabilized by Nickel Complex on Murexide: Green Synthesized Nanocatalyst with Super Catalytic Activity for Synthesize of Benzothiazole Derivatives

N-doped carbon-enveloped CoSe2/NiSe2@Cu2Se core-shell nanospheres as non-Pt electrocatalysts for enhanced wide-pH hydrogen evolution reactions

An available approach to ameliorate the property of electrocatalysts for transition metal selenides (TMSs) is to transform their structure, morphology, and elemental composition, especially for hydrogen evolution reactions (HER), which can be a long-term task. In this work, Ni-Co nanospheres were synthesized by a hydrothermal method, and then in the synchronous processes of selenization and carbonization, it reacted with the peripherally coated melamine-copper complex, which was the reactant between melamine and copper ions. Ultimately, CoSe2/NiSe2@Cu2Se-NC nanospheres with a core-shell structure were synthesized after annealing process. This special structure provided more active attachment sites, enabling CoSe2/NiSe2@Cu2Se-NC to exhibit excellent HER properties under wide-pH range. Especially, in acidic conditions, it had a low initial potential of 41.0 mV, a small Tafel slope value of 48.7 mV dec–1, and a long service life. The proposed scheme indicates that a new approach will be added to the synthesis of electrocatalysts based on TMSs.

Co2+-laddered heterojunction a next-generation solar-photocatalyst: Unusually improved activity for the decomposition of pharmaceuticals, dyes, and microplastics

Novel and versatile photocatalysts that can work under direct sunlight are in high demand especially for mitigating water contamination. Some of the burgeoning pollutants in water are textile dyes, organic molecules, pharmaceutical products etc. In view of their extensive use, polymer wastes such as microplastics in water bodies are a new cause of concern. Using direct sunlight for the degradation of such pollutants needs the development of solar photocatalysts. We report on a novel next-generation solar-photocatalyst, consisting laddered-heterojunction formed between Co2+- substituted zinc-ferrite core & zinc-oxide shell, to harvest full-solar-spectrum in scavenger-free photodegradation of dyes, pharmaceuticals and microplastics. Using in-house developed protocols and Microwave-assisted-solvothermal-technique (MAST), nanospheres of ∼20–40 nm were synthesized first followed by ZnO shell growth in a controlled manner (∼80–180 nm) to obtain the core-shell photocatalyst nanospheres using another microwave approach. The absorption of the photocatalyst could be extended upto 852 nm by judiciously doping with Co2+- enabling the utilization of UV–Vis-NIR region of sunlight. As evident from the valence band spectra, the Co2+ substitution introduced free electrons in the conduction band of ZnFe2O4 that resulted in the formation of laddered type-1 heterojunction. With the optimized Co2+content and ZnO-shell thickness, solar-photocatalytic degradation of Methyl-Orange enhanced 6-&12-times respectively. Complete degradation of antibiotics like Ciprofloxacin (CF), Norfloxacin (NF), and Ofloxacin (OF) under direct sunlight was achieved within an hour. This unusual enhanced activity was attributed to the inclusion of Co2+, conducive band positions leading to higher absorption and reduced recombination. We also showed the degradation of polypropylene microfibers used in face masks to combat the COVID-19 outbreak could also be degraded., indicating their potential to combat microplastic pollution. Our novel photocatalyst holds promise for sunlight-assisted degradation of a wide range of hazardous pollutants.

Room-temperature NH3-sensor: SnO2@PANI core-shell hollow spheres

A novel room-temperature NH3-sensing material (SnO2@PANI core-shell hollow nanospheres) was synthesized by coating various amounts of PANI on SnO2 hollow nanospheres using a simple in-situ chemical oxidation polymerization method. The morphology and nanostructures of the synthesized sensing materials were characterized using SEM, TEM, FTIR, and XRD. Gas-sensing tests demonstrate that SP-5 exhibits the highest response to NH3 at room temperature, with a response value (26.48 at 500 ppm) more than 6 times higher than that of pure PANI (4.35). This sensor displays excellent selectivity, with good anti-interference capability to CO and NO2. The improved sensing performance of the core-shell hollow structure is attributed to the unique structure and p-n heterojunction between PANI and SnO2, which is confirmed by EIS spectra.

Oxygen Vacancy-Rich Bimetallic Au@Pt Core-Shell Nanosphere-Functionalized Electrospun ZnFe2O4 Nanofibers for Chemiresistive Breath Acetone Detection.

Sensitive and selective acetone detection is of great significance in the fields of environmental protection, industrial production, and individual health monitoring from exhaled breath. To achieve this goal, bimetallic Au@Pt core-shell nanospheres (BNSs) functionalized-electrospun ZnFe2O4 nanofibers (ZFO NFs) are prepared in this work. Compared to pure NFs-650 analogue, the ZFO NFs/BNSs-2 sensor exhibits a stronger mean response (3.32 vs 1.84), quicker response/recovery speeds (33 s/28 s vs 54 s/42 s), and lower operating temperature (188 vs 273 °C) toward 0.5 ppm acetone. Note that an experimental detection limit of 30 ppb is achieved, which ranks among the best cases reported thus far. Besides the demonstrated excellent repeatability, humidity-enhanced response, and long-term stability, the selectivity toward acetone is remarkably improved after BNSs functionalization. Through material characterizations and DFT calculations, all these improvements could be attributed to the boosted oxygen vacancies and abundant Schottky junctions between ZFO NFs and BNSs, and the synergistic catalytic effect of BNSs. This work offers an alternative strategy to realize selective subppm acetone under high-humidity conditions catering for the future requirements of noninvasive breath diabetes diagnosis in the field of individual healthcare.

High-Q Tamm plasmon-like resonance in spherical Bragg microcavity resonators.

This work proposes what we believe to be a novel Tamm plasmon-like resonance supporting structure consisting of an Au/SiO2 core-shell metal nanosphere structure surrounded by a TiO2/SiO2 spherical Bragg resonator (SBR). The cavity formed between the core metal particle and the SBR supports a localized mode similar to Tamm plasmons in planar dielectric multilayers. Theoretical simulations reveal a sharp absorption peak in the SBR bandgap region, associated with this mode, together with strong local field enhancement. We studied the modification of a dipolar electric emitter's radiative and non-radiative decay rates in this resonant structure, resulting in a quantum efficiency of ∼90% for a dipole at a distance of r=60n m from the Au nanosphere surface. A 30-layer metal-SBR Tamm plasmon-like resonant supporting structure results in a Q up to ∼103. The Tamm plasmon-like mode is affected by the Bragg wavelength and the number of layers of the SBR, and the thickness of the spacer cavity layer. These results will open a new avenue for generating high-Q Tamm plasmon-like modes for switches, optical logic computing devices, and nonlinear applications.

Construction of three-dimensional porous network Fe-rGO aerogels with monocrystal magnetic Fe3O4@C core-shell structure nanospheres for enhanced microwave absorption

Single dielectric loss material has defects such as strong dielectric properties and impedance mismatch. Hence, developing electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption materials with both outstanding EMW absorption and favourable impedance matching performances is still a great challenge. A large number of literature have reported that combining dielectric materials with magnetic materials to enhance microwave absorption. However, there is little literature on the effect of crystal structure on the absorbing properties of materials. Owing to the virtues of light weight, low density and thin thickness of aerogel, which has been widely utilized in EMW absorption materials. Herein, Fe-based metal organic framework-reduced graphene oxide (Fe-rGO) aerogel was synthesized via simple hydrothermal method and freeze-drying. Besides, Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone (PVP) was used as a surfactant to endow Fe3O4 nanospheres with uniform size and smooth morphology. Moreover, Fe3O4 nanospheres with different crystal phase (monocrystal and polycrystal) structure were obtained under different carbonization temperatures (600 and 800 °C). Through comparison, the monocrystal Fe3O4 nanospheres show better microwave absorption and impedance matching performance than that of polycrystal Fe3O4 nanospheres. In addition, the electromagnetic parameters can be adjusted by regulating the mass ratio of Fe-based metal organic framework (Fe-MOF) to GO. As a consequence, the prepared 600Fe-rGO 2:1 aerogel achieves the minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of −64.89 dB and a broad effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 6.96 GHz with a low filling content of 5 wt%, showing excellent EMW absorption and impedance matching property. In short, the structural design of single crystal magnetic Fe3O4 nanospheres provides inspiration and guidance for future research of enhanced microwave absorption materials.

Urchin-like Fe3O4@Bi2S3 Nanospheres Enable the Destruction of Biofilm and Efficiently Antibacterial Activities.

Biofilm-associated infections (BAIs) have been considered a major threat to public health, which induce persistent infections and serious complications. The poor penetration of antibacterial agents in biofilm significantly limits the efficiency of combating BAIs. Magnetic urchin-like core-shell nanospheres of Fe3O4@Bi2S3 were developed for physically destructing biofilm and inducing bacterial eradication via reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and innate immunity regulation. The urchin-like magnetic nanospheres with sharp edges of Fe3O4@Bi2S3 exhibited propeller-like rotation to physically destroy biofilm under a rotating magnetic field (RMF). The mild magnetic hyperthermia improved the generation of ROS and enhanced bacterial eradication. Significantly, the urchin-like nanostructure and generated ROS could stimulate macrophage polarization toward the M1 phenotype, which could eradicate the persistent bacteria with a metabolic inactivity state through phagocytosis, thereby promoting the recovery of implant infection and inhibiting recurrence. Thus, the design of magnetic-driven sharp-shaped nanostructures of Fe3O4@Bi2S3 provided enormous potential in combating biofilm infections.

Electrospherization of genistein@DNA core-shell nanospheres as a drug delivery system and theoretical study of the release mechanism

Encapsulation of poor water-soluble drug was considered as one of the widely used approaches to overcome such obstacle. The goal of this research was in situ encapsulate the hydrophobic genistein (GEN) during the electrospherization (Es) of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) nanospheres as a delivery system with appropriate drug release properties. The prepared nanospheres (free GEN sample; Es DNA and GEN loaded DNA; Es GEN@DNA) were characterized using uv–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis), transmission electron microscope (TEM), zeta potential, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and stability test. In addition, the drug encapsulation % was studied, the drug release efficiency was recorded and theoretically visualized to understand the mechanism and kinetics of GEN drug release. The results revealed that GEN was successfully encapsulated during the DNA electrospherization as a core (GEN)/shell (DNA) like structure with a wonderful stability against time. The UV–vis patterns and their deconvolutions introduced that the emerged peak around 372–500 nm of Es GEN@DNA nanospheres has an area under curve larger than that of the free GEN sample. Zeta potential value decreased from −17.4 to −14.3 mV. In addition, TEM images confirmed the formation of a core/shell structure with average size 109.2 nm. XRD pattern of Es GEN@DNA revealed that GEN lost its crystalline phase, which indicated the incorporation of the drug. On the other hand, %Encapsulation of GEN within DNA nanospheres was found to be 89.62%. Es GEN@DNA release profile explored that the well entrapped GEN within the DNA nanospheres could be a promising for sustained drug release. Besides, the dilemma of using a fractal or fractional kinetics model was overcame by introducing a general fractional kinetic equation that involves a time-dependent rate coefficient, which introduced that the solution of the fractional kinetic model can fit the release data profiles.

Constructing Crystalline NiCoP@Amorphous Nickel–Cobalt Boride Core–Shell Nanospheres with Enhanced Rate Capability for Aqueous Supercapacitors and Rechargeable Zn-Based Batteries

Constructing Crystalline NiCoP@Amorphous Nickel–Cobalt Boride Core–Shell Nanospheres with Enhanced Rate Capability for Aqueous Supercapacitors and Rechargeable Zn-Based Batteries

Plasmon resonances of GZO core-Ag shell nanospheres, nanorods, and nanodisks for biosensing and biomedical applications in near-infrared biological windows I and II.

There is currently a great deal of interest in realizing localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) in two distinct windows in the near-infrared (NIR) spectrum for in vivo biosensing and medical applications, the biological window (BW) I and II (BW I, 700-900 nm; BW II, 1000-1700 nm). This study aims to demonstrate that LSPRs of Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) core-silver (Ag) shell structures exhibit promising features for biological applications in the NIR BW I and II. Here, we study three different shapes for nanoshells: the core-shell nanosphere, nanorod, and nanodisk. In the calculation of the optical response of these nanoshells, an effective medium approach is first used to reduce the dielectric function of a nanoshell to that of an equivalent homogenous NP with an effective dielectric function. Then, the LSPR spectra of nanoshells are calculated using the modified long-wavelength approximation (MLWA), which corrects the polarizability of the equivalent NP as obtained by Gans theory. Through numerical investigations, we examine the impacts of the core and shell sizes of the proposed nanoshells as well as the medium refractive index on the position and line width of the plasmon resonance peaks. It is shown that the plasmon resonances of the three proposed nanoshells exhibit astonishing resonance tunability in the NIR region by varying their geometrical parameters. Specifically, the improved spectrum characteristics and tunability of its plasmon resonances make the GZO-Ag nanosphere a more viable platform for NIR applications than the spherical metal colloid. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the sensitivity and figure of merit (FOM) of the plasmon resonances may be significantly increased by using GZO-Ag nanorods and nanodisks in place of GZO-Ag nanospheres. It is found that the optical properties of the transverse plasmon resonance of the GZO-Ag nanodisk are superior to all plasmon resonances produced by the GZO-Ag nanorods and GZO-Ag nanospheres in terms of sensitivity and FOM. The FOM of the transverse plasmon mode of the GZO-Ag nanodisk is almost two orders of magnitude higher than that of the longitudinal and transverse plasmon modes of the GZO-Ag nanorod in BW I and BW II. And it is 1.5 and 2 times higher than the plasmon resonance FOM of GZO-Ag nanospheres in BW I and BW II, respectively.

Difunctional Ag nanoparticles with high lithiophilic and conductive decorate on core-shell SiO2 nanospheres for dendrite-free lithium metal anodes

Lithium metal is an attractive and promising anode material due to its high energy density and low working potential. However, the uncontrolled growth of lithium dendrites during repeated plating and stripping processes hinders the practical application of lithium metal batteries, leading to low Coulombic efficiency, poor lifespan, and safety concerns. In this study, we synthesized highly lithiophilic and conductive Ag nanoparticles decorated on SiO2 nanospheres to construct an optimized lithium host for promoting uniform Li deposition. The Ag nanoparticles not only act as lithiophilic sites but also provide high electrical conductivity to the Ag@SiO2@Ag anode. Additionally, the SiO2 layer serves as a lithiophilic nucleation agent, ensuring homogeneous lithium deposition and suppressing the growth of lithium dendrites. Theoretical calculations further confirm that the combination of Ag nanoparticles and SiO2 effectively enhances the adsorption ability of Ag@SiO2@Ag with Li+ ions compared to pure Ag and SiO2 materials. As a result, the Ag@SiO2@Ag coating, with its balanced lithiophilicity and conductivity, demonstrates excellent electrochemical performance, including high Coulombic efficiency, low polarization voltage, and long cycle life. In a full lithium metal cell with LiFePO4 cathode, the Ag@SiO2@Ag anode exhibits a high capacity of 133.1 and 121.4 mAh/g after 200 cycles at rates of 0.5 and 1C, respectively. These results highlight the synergistic coupling of lithiophilicity and conductivity in the Ag@SiO2@Ag coating, providing valuable insights into the field of lithiophilic chemistry and its potential for achieving high-performance batteries in the next generation.