Mesoporous Carbon Nanocomposites Research Articles

Development of a sensitive and selective catechol amperometric sensor based on a novel In2O3-doped CuO decorated mesoporous carbon nanocomposite

Catechol is known for its reactivity with various biomolecules, posing potential health risks. Therefore, in this research, we have successfully developed an electrochemical sensor with high sensitivity and selectivity for detecting catechol (CC). The sensor utilizes a novel In2O3-doped CuO decorated Mesoporous Carbon Nanocomposite (In2O3.CuO@MC) as the sensing material, which is applied to fabricate a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The suitability of the In2O3.CuO@MC nanocomposite as a sensing material was thoroughly examined using various characterization techniques. The developed sensor exhibited remarkable performance, enabling the accurate catechol determination across a wide concentration range, from 0.5 to 3031 µM, in a neutral phosphate buffer solution. This sensor demonstrated a high sensitivity of 0.3803 µAµM−1cm−2 and an impressive detection limit of 0.048 µM. The sensor's exceptional sensitivity and selectivity make it capable of precisely quantifying catechol from real samples. Its robustness is further highlighted by its excellent reproducibility, repeatability, and stability. As a result, this sensor proves to be a reliable and effective tool for precise catechol determination.

A sustainable route for production of graphene oxide-contained nanostructured carbons from rice husk waste and its application in wastewater treatment

Agricultural biomass, such as rice husk (RH), is a renewable source of bioenergy. However, a large amount of RH ash (RHA) is generated after the thermal conversion of RH. The main component of RHA is silica (>85 wt%). This study used recyclable RHA as a mesoporous SBA-15 template source. Next, ordered mesoporous carbon/ graphene oxide (RH-CMK-3/GO) composites were synthesized through the direct carbonization of GO, sucrose, and an SBA-15 template. Experimental data demonstrated that GO was successfully conjugated on the surface of CMK-3. The RH-CMK-3/GO exhibited a highly ordered mesostructure, which was not affected by the incorporation of GO. Compared with bare RH-CMK-3, the RH-CMK-3/GO had an enhanced surface area and pore volume. The composite exhibited a highest pore volume of 1.143 cm 3/g, a surface area of 1138 m2/g, and a pore diameter of 3.68 nm. The RH-CMK-3/GO revealed a higher ability for the adsorption of rhodamine B (RhB) than did the SBA-15, SBA-15/GO, and pure CMK-3 materials. The removal of RhB increased with increases in the composite dosage, solution pH and temperature, and carbonization temperature and time and a decrease in the initial RhB concentration. Moreover, the RH-CMK-3/GO exhibited a highest removal efficiency of 100%. The thermodynamics, kinetics, and isotherm adsorption data for the RH-CMK-3/GO composite exhibited satisfactory fitting for the endothermic, pseudo-second-order, and Langmuir models, respectively. Moreover, the composite exhibited good reusability. These results suggest that RHA can be effective for the fabrication of valuable mesoporous carbon nanocomposites and the elimination of organic contaminants from wastewater.

Regioselective Surface Assembly of Mesoporous Carbon on Zeolites Creating Anisotropic Wettability for Biphasic Interface Catalysis

The anisotropic surface functionalization of microporous zeolites with mesoporous materials into hierarchically porous heterostructures with distinctive physical and chemical properties is expected to significantly extend their applicability to catalysis. However, the precise control of the surface chemistry of zeolite crystals through site-specific interconnection with mesoporous materials remains a grand challenge. Here, we report a regioselective surface assembly strategy for the region-specific growth of mesoporous polymer/carbon on zeolite nanocrystals. The approach enables controllable regioselective surface deposition of mesoporous polydopamine on the edges, curved surfaces, or/and flat surfaces of the silicalite-1 nanocrystals into exotic hierarchical nanostructures with diverse surface geometries. Upon carbonization, their derived heterostructures with anisotropic surface wettability show amphiphilic properties. As a proof of concept, Pt nanoparticle-encapsulated silicalite-1/mesoporous carbon nanocomposites are tested to be interface-active for forming Pickering emulsions. Significantly, the catalysts show superior catalytic performance in shape-selective hydrogenation of various nitroarenes in a series of biphasic tandem catalytic reactions, giving ∼100% yield of corresponding amine products. The results pave a path toward rational construction of high levels of surface structural complexity in hierarchically porous heterostructures for specific physical and chemical characteristics in diverse applications.

Matrix Solid-Phase Extraction of Nine Pesticide Residues from Vegetables Based on Mesoporous Carbon via an Alternative Sample Preparation Approach

In this work, an n-octadecylamine functionalized mesoporous carbon nanocomposite (ODA-MPC) was synthesized, and its novel application was demonstrated by utilizing it as a sorbent in matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) of nine pesticide residues identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer. Here, the protection of the sorbent by the mesoporous fiber membrane enabled it to process complex aqueous matrices and made it advantageous to be used in MSPD. The results confirmed the excellent ability of ODA-MPC to remove matrix interferences and reduce matrix effects compared to the traditional solid phase extraction. In particular, the recoveries were 85.0–95.8% (n = 3) with relative standard deviations less than 5%. Additionally, nine pesticide residues in vegetables and fruit were satisfactorily extracted and detected.

Template free synthesis of mesoporous carbon from fire cracker waste and designing of ZnO-Mesoporous carbon photocatalyst for dye (MO) degradation

The fire cracker waste materials are one of the reasons for environmental pollution and it’s very hazardous to human beings. Till today, not much attention has been given to its utility or recyclability. In the present work, we have first time reported the synthesis of mesoporous carbon nanoparticles (MCNPs) by using cost-free fire cracker waste having black columnar fluffy “snake-like” carbon using simple chemical activation and calcination method. The desired Zinc oxide–mesoporous carbon (ZMC) nanocomposites have been synthesized by precipitation and calcination method. Synthesized materials were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, UV–vis DRS, BET, PL, SEM, EDS and TEM. The above prepared nanocomposites were explored for their photocatalytic test under UV light irradiation. The photocatalytic degradation percentage of methyl orange (MO) dye using optimized Zinc oxide–mesoporous carbon-15 (ZMC15) nanocomposite reached 90 % after 120 min under UV light than the pristine ZnO. The cytotoxicity studies experimented on the gills of the freshwater fish Cirrhinus mrigala revealed that MO dye solution caused damage to gill architecture, whereas photodegraded dye solution was shown to be less toxic and did not modify the gill architecture structurally. These results demonstrated the importance of the desired material in concern with environmental issues.

Synthesis of MnO2 decorated mesoporous carbon nanocomposite for electrocatalytic detection of antifungal drug

In this study, manganese oxide tailored mesoporous carbon materials (MnO2/MC) were synthesized through a hydrothermal method.An electrode modified with MnO2/MC was used to detect the antifungal drug Iodochlorohydroxyquin (ICQ) with improved sensitivity.Synergistic interactions between the metal oxide and carbon-based material significantly improve specific properties of the prepared nanocomposite, such as excellent conductivity, high electron transfer rate, numerous active sites, and electron transport networks. An electroanalytical analysis revealed that the MnO2/MC electrocatalyst showed excellent electrochemical activity for the determination of ICQ.It exposes a dynamic response range of0.01–1010 μMwith a low level of detection of 0.001 μM and superior sensitivity of 3.48 μAμM−1cm−2. The proposed sensor exhibits significant selectivity, outstanding reproducibility, and stability. Also, ICQ has been determined in pharmaceutical tablets and human urine using the fabricated MnO2/MC electrode.

β-Cyclodextrin/CMK-8-Based Electrochemical Sensor for Sensitive Detection of Cu2.

In this work, β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)/mesoporous carbon (CMK-8) nanocomposite was synthesized and used as an electrochemical sensing platform for highly sensitive and selective detection of Cu2+. The morphology and structure of β-CD/CMK-8 were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). In addition, the dates from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and Cyclic voltammetry (CV) demonstrated that the β-CD/CMK-8 possessed a fast electronic transfer rate and large effective surface area. Besides this, the β-CD/CMK-8 composite displayed high enrichment ability toward Cu2+. As a result of these impressive features, the β-CD/CMK-8 modified electrode provided a wide linear response ranging from 0.1 ng·L−1 to 1.0 mg·L−1 with a low detection limit of 0.3 ng·L−1. Furthermore, the repeatability, reproducibility and selectivity of β-CD/CMK-8 towards Cu2+ were commendable. The sensor could be used to detect Cu2+ in real samples. All in all, this work proposes a simple and sensitive method for Cu2+ detection, which provides a reference for the subsequent detection of HMIs.

Waste cigarette butt-derived B, N doped bifunctional hierarchical mesoporous carbon for supercapacitor and oxygen reduction reaction

Utilization of hazardous waste into valuable materials is the prime need globally. Herein, discarded cigarette filters (a harmful waste/environmental hazard) were utilized to produce heteroatom (Nitrogen and Boron) doped hierarchical mesoporous carbon nanocomposite (NHMC and B-NHMC) via simple elegant hydrothermal route. The fabricated hierarchical mesoporous carbons (HMC), N-doped carbon (NHMC) and boron doped carbon (B-NHMC) composite exhibited high surface area about to 972, 1283 and 1869 m2 g−1 respectively with the mesoporosity (~ 13–16 nm). Scanning electron microscopy confirmed the hierarchical nature of the produced carbon. Elemental analysis (CHN) established the presence of C, H, N, B and O elements. Electrochemical studies showed remarkable super-capacitive behavior in 6 M KOH electrolyte. The specific capacitance of the fabricated electrode materials HMC, NHMC and B-NHMC was observed 309, 325 and 365 F g−1 respectively and was calculated through CV graphs at a potential of 2 mV s−1. Moreover, GCD showed an enhanced specific capacitance of 320, 355 and 373 F g−1 at a current density of 0.5 A g−1 for HMC, NHMC and B-NHMC sample electrodes. The capacitance retention graphs showed high retention of 91%, 93% and 95% after 5000 segments of charge discharge curves of HMC, NHMC and B-NHMC electrodes, which confirmed an excellent capacitance retention exhibited by the materials. An excellent electrocatalytic performance was exhibited by B-NHMC material for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with an onset and half wave potential of 0.975, 0.835 V respectively in O2 saturated 0.1 M KOH electrolyte, The value of Tafel slope of B-NHMC catalyst was examined 89.5 mV dec−1, which shows a close agreement with commercial Pt/C (20%) 87.7 mV dec−1, demonstrating good kinetic properties of B-NHMC catalyst, which is near about the commercial Pt/C (20%). The average number of electrons transferred during the ORR process is 3.96, which is found a close resemblance with the ideal four electrons ORR process. Thus, discarded cigarette filters can be smartly utilized as waste to manufacture heteroatom doped (N and B) hierarchical mesoporous carbon (NHMC/B-NHMC) composite at commercial scale to solve the municipality and environmental issue and to utilize in energy storage system and fuel cells.

A Sustainable Route to Synthesize Graphene Oxide/Ordered Mesoporous Carbon as Effect Nanocomposite Adsorbent.

Rice husk is an agricultural waste that provides an alternative renewable source of bioenergy. Burning rice husk can produce rice husk ash. The rice husk ash is a potential resource of low-cost precursor for synthesizing high value-added materials. This paper reports the synthesis of SBA-15 mesoporous silica from recycled rice husk ash waste. Next, graphene oxide/ordered mesoporous carbon (GO/CMK-3) nanocomposite was synthesized using the SBA-15 template. The composite was investigated by X-ray diffractometer, field-emission scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, Raman spectrometer and surface area analyzer. Experimental results confirmed that GO/CMK-3 composite possessed high surface area (936 m²/g), large pore volume (1.077 cm³/g), and uniform pore size (4.35 nm). The mesopore structure was not destroyed by the introduction of GO. Methylene blue was employed as an adsorbate to evaluate the adsorption capacity of GO/CMK-3 composite. The GO/CMK-3 revealed much higher adsorption capacity levels than did pure CMK-3 and SBA-15. The adsorption capacity decreased with increasing solution temperature, and increasing initial concentration of dye. The thermodynamic observation indicated that the total adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic. The conversion of rice husk ash waste into GO/CMK-3 composites can be regarded as an economically beneficial by-product for reducing environmental pollution.

Multi-stimuli responsive mesoporous silica-coated carbon nanoparticles for chemo-photothermal therapy of tumor

In this work, a traceable dual-porous mesoporous silica-coated mesoporous carbon nanocomposite (MCN@Si) with high drug loading capacity and high photothermal conversion efficiency (30.5 %) was successfully prepared. Based on the nanocomposite, a pH/redox/near infrared (NIR) multi-stimuli responsive drug delivery system was constructed to realize the accurate drug delivery, drug controlled release and chemo-photothermal synergistic antitumor therapy. MCN@Si was used as a vehicle to load doxorubicin (DOX) with a high drug loading efficacy of 48.2 % and a NIR absorbance agent for photothermal therapy and NIR thermal imaging. Carbon dots (CDs) with proper size were covalently attached to the surface of MCN@Si via disulfide bonds to block the mesopores, preventing DOX premature release from DOX/MCN@Si-CDs. Besides, CDs were served as fluorescent probe to prove the visualization potential of the drug delivery system. DOX was rapidly released at the condition of low pH and high GSH concentration due to the breakage of disulfide bonds and protonation of DOX. Moreover, the local hyperthermia generated by MCN@Si-CDs under NIR irradiation could not only directly kill cells, but also accelerate DOX release and enhance cells sensitivity and permeability. Two-dimensional cells and three-dimensional tumor spheroids assays illustrated that DOX/MCN@Si-CDs + NIR group exhibited a superior thermochemotherapy synergistic treatment effect and the combination index (CI) was 0.378. Biodistribution study showed the biosecurity of preparations and its prolonged detention time in tumor sites. Besides, antitumor experiment in vivo also performed the excellent synergistic inhibition effect. All the results demonstrated that DOX/MCN@Si-CDs is a traceable multi-stimuli responsive nanodelivery system and can achieve efficient chemo-photothermal synergistic antitumor therapy.

Hydrothermal synthesis of novel nickel oxide@nitrogenous mesoporous carbon nanocomposite using costless smoked cigarette filter for high performance supercapacitor

Novel nickel oxide@nitrogenous mesoporous carbon (NiOx@NMC) nanocomposite (NC) has been synthesized from the hydrothermal method using costless smoked cigarette filter as a source of nitrogenous carbon. The prepared NiOx@NMC-NC shows high surface area (~1843 m2/g) with excellent mesoporous (~12 nm) nature. The NiOx@NMC-NC exhibits brilliant electrochemical performance in super-capacitors and stability up to 4000 segments. The specific capacitance of NiOx@NMC-NC was found to be ~740 F/g at 1 A/g in 6 M KOH.

Net-like mesoporous carbon nanocomposites for magnetic solid-phase extraction of sulfonamides prior to their quantitation by UPLC-HRMS.

A net-like mesoporous carbon nanocomposite (MCN) was hydrothermally prepared by using filter paper as the raw material. The MCN contains magnetic nanoparticles of type Fe3O4 which result from the addition of Fe(NO3)3·9H2O during synthesis. The MCN was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectra, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller methods and vibrating sample magnetometry. The MCN is shown to be a viable material for magnetic solid-phase extraction of trace sulfonamides (SAs) including sulfadiazine, sulfapyridine, sulfamerazine, sulfamethazine, sulfamethizole, sulfamethoxypridazine, sulfachloropyridazine and sulfadimethoxine. Following desorption with acetone containing 0.5% ammonia, the SAs were quantified by UPLCwith high-resolution mass spectrometric detection. With sulfamethazine as an example, the adsorption equilibrium configurations and the major interaction mechanism between SAs and the MCN were calculated by using density functional theory. Under the optimal conditions, the calibration plots are linear in the 0.05-10ng·mL-1 SA concentration ranges. The limits of detection are between 7.2 and 13.6ng·L-1. The recoveries from spiked samples ranged from 79 to 107%, with relative standard deviations of <9.9%. Graphical abstractSchematic representation of nanocomposite preparation, adsorption mechanism of sulfonamide and magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) for sulfadiazine (SDZ), sulfapyridine (SPD), sulfamerazine (SMR), sulfamethazine (SMZ), sulfamethizole (SMT), sulfamethoxypridazine (SMP), sulfachloropyridazine (SCP) and sulfadimethoxine (SDMX).Quantificationwas accomplished by UPLC with high-resolution mass spectrometric detection.

A Novel Electrochemical Sensor for Detection of Baicalein in Human Serum Based on DUT‐9/Mesoporous Carbon Composite

AbstractDUT‐9/mesoporous carbon (DUT‐9/MC) nanocomposites were synthesized by in‐situ growth of nickel‐based metal‐organic frameworks (DUT‐9) on the MC for the first time. Compared with original DUT‐9 crystals, the presence of MC in the composites can avoid the agglomeration of DUT‐9 sheets, increase the specific surface area and reduce the electron transfer resistance. DUT‐9/MC shows enhanced electrocatalytic activity toward redox of baicalein compared with DTU‐9. The possible electrocatalytic redox mechanism of baicalein involves two electrons and two protons. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed sensor shows a wide linear relationship in the concentration range of 0.05‐20 μM (R2=0.993, sensitivity of 0.1188 μA/μM) with a low detection limit of 0.015 μM. It is worth noting that the oxidation overpotential of baicalein (0.107 V) is significantly lower than that of most literatures in pH 7.0. Meanwhile, the proposed sensor shows satisfactory results for the detection of baicalein in human serum samples. This research provides a highly efficient strategy for fabricating novel electrochemical sensor based two‐dimensional lamellar structure MOFs.

Space-confined synthesis of ordered mesoporous carbon doped with single-layer MoS2-boron for the voltammetric determination of theophylline.

A space-confined synthesis method is employed for the preparation of a single-layer MoS2-boron doped ordered mesoporous carbon nanocomposite. A phenol-formaldehyde resin is used as carbon source to create a confined space for the formation of single-layer MoS2. The addition of pluronic F127, as a soft template, suppresses the stacking of MoS2 layers and makes the composite porous. The nanocomposite is characterized by scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The single-layer MoS2 sheets have a lateral size of about 5nm and are uniformly embedded in the composite. They possess numerous active edge sites and display a strong synergistic effect with other components. The composite is modified on a glassy carbon electrode, followed by the electrochemical imprinting of theophylline, and the resulting electrode exhibits good electrochemical response to theophylline. The linear response range is 0.01-250μM by differential pulse voltammetry, and the lower detection limit is 5nM. It has been successfully applied to the determination of theophylline in spiked tea drink samples. Graphical abstract Single-layer MoS2-boron doped ordered mesoporous carbon nanocomposite has large surface area and high catalysis, when coupling with molecularly imprinted polymer the resulting electrode shows highly sensitive and selective response to theophylline.

A hollow mesoporous carbon from metal-organic framework for robust adsorbability of ibuprofen drug in water.

Herein, we described a tunable method for synthesis of novel hollow mesoporous carbon (MPC) via direct pyrolysis (800oC) of MIL-53 (Fe) as a self-sacrificed template. The structural characterization revealed a hollow, amorphous, defective and mesoporous MPC along with high surface area (approx. 200 m2 g−1). For the experiments of ibuprofen adsorption onto MPC, effects of contact time, MPC dosage, ionic strength, concentration and temperature were systematically investigated. The optimal conditions consisted of pH = 3, concentration 10 mg l−1 and dose of 0.1 g l−1 for the highest ibuprofen removal efficiency up to 88.3% after 4 h. Moreover, adsorption behaviour, whereby chemisorption and monolayer controlled the uptake of ibuprofen over MPC, were assumed. Adsorption mechanisms including H-bonding, π–π interaction, metal–oxygen, electrostatic attraction were rigorously proposed. In comparison to several studies, the MPC nanocomposite in this work obtained the outstanding maximum adsorption capacity (206.5 mg g−1) and good reusability (5 cycles); thus, it can be used as a feasible alternative for decontamination of ibuprofen anti-inflammatory drug from water.

A simple and flexible enzymatic glucose biosensor using chitosan entrapped mesoporous carbon nanocomposite

A flexible and promising amperometric glucose biosensor was reported using direct immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOx) on chitosan supported mesoporous carbon (MPC-CHT) nanocomposite. The availability of more functional groups particularly amine groups, the CHT was selected as an immobilization matrix as well as cross linker for GOx. The MPC-CHT-GOx composites were characterized well and discussed in details. The MPC-CHT-GOx modified electrode accelerates fast electron transfer on the electrode surface due to the excellent intermolecular interaction between the CHT and GOx molecule. Besides, the MPC-CHT-GOx composite showed well-defined redox behavior with enhanced direct electron transfer (DET) of GOx in PBS, pH 7. Amperometric response of MPC-CHT-GOx modified electrode displayed a good linear response over the glucose concentration ranges from 250 μM to 3 mM with a detection limit (LOD) and sensitivity of 4.1 μM and 56.12 μA mM−1 cm−2, respectively. The MPC-CHT-GOx modified electrode also displayed good charge transfer coefficient (α) and heterogeneous rate constant (ks) values are 0.56 and 2.2182 s−1. Besides, the MPC-CHT-GOx modified electrode exhibited good bio-catalytic activity with the Michaelis-Menten saturation (Kmapp) value was about 2.14 mM. The practicability of the sensor was evaluated in biological real samples with satisfactory recoveries.

CoO-supported ordered mesoporous carbon nanocomposite based nanozyme with peroxidase-like activity for colorimetric detection of glucose

Abstract Nano-based mimetic enzymes have been widely used for catalysis due to their large specific surface area, high stability and activity. Herein a new nanocomposite cobalt oxide (CoO) assembled onto ordered-mesoporous carbon (CoO-OMC) is reported, which shows good peroxidase-like activity upon the oxidation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The apparent maximum velocity (Vmax) and apparent Michaelis–Menten constant (Km) were 2.66 × 10−7 M s−1 and 3.29 mM, respectively. Since the glucose oxidation and TMB oxidation can be bridged by the quantitation of H2O2, therefore, coupled with glucose oxidase, the as-prepared CoO-OMC nanocomposite was applied for the colorimetric detection of glucose in the linear range of 0.1–5.0 mM and the limit of detection of 68 μM glucose. Further, the nanozyme catalyzing platform was used to detect glucose in human serums with good accuracy and reproducibility.

ZnO@ porous graphite nanocomposite from waste for superior photocatalytic activity.

In this work, a new type of advanced 3D mesoporous carbon nanocomposites derived from Zn dust/PET bottle mixed waste with a high surface area is created. Interestingly, simultaneous transformation of Zn metal into ZnO nanoparticles and PET bottle waste to porous carbon materials occurred upon thermal treatment at 700°C. The effect of the amount of Zn metal on the prepared materials has been studied. The carbon material-based waste presented very large surface area (up to 684.5m2/g) with pore size distribution (18.47-16.88nm). The SEM and TEM analysis revealed that the produced carbon materials have 3D porous dense layers with a gradient pore structure. The created waste-based nanocomposite exhibited an enhanced photocatalytic performance for the degradation of organic dyes (methylene blue and malachite green). It is believed that the presented work not only provides a sustainable approach to the creation of new nanocomposites of ZnO-mesoporous carbon materials for the application in photocatalysis but also introduces a new way of upcycling of mixed waste materials.

Bimetallic metal–organic framework derived FeOx/TiO2 embedded in mesoporous carbon nanocomposite for the sensitive electrochemical detection of 4-nitrophenol

A series of composites comprising FeOx and TiO2 nanoparticles uniformly distributed throughout a mesoporous carbon matrix (hereafter denoted as FeOx/TiO2@mC nanocomposites) was synthesized by the direct pyrolysis of a bimetallic Fe/Ti-based metal–organic framework at high temperatures (500, 700, and 900 °C). It shows that the as-prepared FeOx/TiO2@mC nanocomposites exhibit large specific surface areas and hierarchically micro/mesoporous hybrid structures, further leading to high electron transfer rate. Combining the highly electrocatalytic activity of TiO2 and FeOx and the good charge-transfer capability of mesoporous carbon, the caused synergism enables the construction of novel and platforms for sensitively detecting 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). After the optimization of sensitive layers and detection conditions, FeOx/TiO2@mC700 (calcined at 700 °C) is found to exhibit high detection ability toward 4-NP owing to its excellent electrochemical performance and electrocatalytic activity. The FeOx/TiO2@mC700-based electrochemical sensor shows a low limit of detection of 0.183 μM (S/N = 3) within the linear range of 5–310 μM as determined using amperometry toward 4-NP. The proposed method also displays good anti-interference ability, stability, and applicability toward 4-NP determination in environmental water samples. All these results suggest that the components of the MOF-derived binary metal oxide/mesoporous carbon electrocatalyst can function as a novel electrocatalyst for more endeavors into the development of a promising sensing platform for hazardous compounds in the environment.

Rational design of few-layered ReS2 nanosheets/N-doped mesoporous carbon nanocomposites for high-performance pseudocapacitive lithium storage

A chemical vapor deposition-based two-step nanocasting process is employed to fabricate two different types of few-Layered ReS2 nanosheets/N-doped ordered mesoporous carbon CMK-3 nanocomposites: the ReS2 nanosheets are either confined within the channels of the N-doped CMK-3 or supported on the outside of the N-doped CMK-3. Siginificantly, the ReS2 nanosheets within the channels of N-doped CMK-3 delivers a much higher reversible capacity of 1175 mA h g−1 than does the ReS2 nanosheets on the external surface of N-doped CMK-3 (719 mA h g−1), and the superiority of the ReS2 nanosheets within the channels of N-doped CMK-3 is well demonstrated over the ReS2 nanosheets on the external surface of N-doped CMK-3, i.e., in terms of specific surface area, structural stability, lithium-ion and electron transport kinetics, capacitive charge storage, and the resulting high-performance lithium storage. This work clearly demonstrates the advantage of the few layered ReS2 within the channels of N-doped CMK-3 than on the external surface of N-doped CMK-3 as an anode material in lithium-ion batteries, and meanwhile provides new insight into the rational design of the transition metal dichalcogenides/porous carbon nanocomposites for electrochemical energy storage.