Shell Nanorods Research Articles

Ultra-thin FeVO4 modified Al-doped ZnO nanorods photoanode towards efficient photoelectrochemical water oxidation

Fabricating of high-performance photoanodes played an important role in achieving efficient conversion of solar energy to hydrogen energy. Herein, Al-ZnO/FeVO4 core–shell nanorods arrays (NRs) was constructed through a simple two-step method to form type-II heterojunction. Compared with the Al-ZnO substrate (0.55 mA/cm2), the modified Al-ZnO/FeVO4 photoanode exhibited superior photocurrent density, with an optimal photocurrent density of 1.13 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE (AM 1.5G). Heterogeneous structures suppressed the photoinduced bulk recombination of charge carriers and improved the separation efficiency of charge carriers. More importantly, the ultra-thin FeVO4 modification layer weakened surface capture states, increased photovoltage, and promoted interfacial charge transfer dynamics. This work provided new ideas for designing high-performance photoanodes.

A novel hexagonal prism of Zr-based MOF@ZnIn2S4 core−shell nanorod as an efficient photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution

Photocatalytic water splitting is a commonly used pathway for hydrogen (H2) production, and it is crucial to develop highly active ZnIn2S4 (ZIS)-based photocatalytic systems. In recent years, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are also of great interest in the fields of energy production and environmental remediation. Therefore, this study primarily focuses on the fabrication of a series of heterojunction hexagonal prism-shaped Zr-based MOF@ZIS core-shell nanorods through a simple solvothermal method, in which ZIS nanosheets are highly distributed on the surface of the Zr-based MOF (NU-1000). The photocatalytic activities of the resulting materials were evaluated under visible light illumination (λ ≥ 400 nm) by combining different contents of NU-1000 with ZIS. The H2 evolution results demonstrate that the optimal content of NU-1000 corresponds to a photocatalytic H2 production rate of 8.53 mmol g−1 h−1, which is 5.3 times higher than that of pure ZIS. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the NU-1000@ZIS (NUZ) heterojunction can be attributed to the incorporation of the NU-1000, which provides abundant active sites due to its larger specific surface area. Additionally, the well-matched band structure between the NU-1000 and ZIS is beneficial to efficiently transfer and separate the photogenerated charge carriers. Furthermore, the NUZ core-shell nanorods exhibit excellent stability, offering a new approach for the fabrication of composite photocatalysts by combining MOF-based and ZIS in the field of photocatalytic H2 production.

Graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets decorated with HAp@Bi2S3 core–shell nanorods: Dual S-scheme 1D/2D heterojunction for environmental and hydrogen production solutions

By integrating different semiconductors, diverse innovative materials capable of converting solar energy into useful forms of energy or driving chemical reactions that clean up pollutants were developed. These materials offered a promising path to combat global environmental and energy challenges. In this study, HAp@Bi2S3 core–shell structures were synthesized using a facile microemulsion technique, and then loaded onto graphitic carbon nitride via a hydrothermal method to create an advanced HAp@Bi2S3/g-C3N4 dual S-scheme heterojunction. The engineered heterojunction exhibited enhanced hydrogen production and visible light photocatalytic oxidation of metronidazole. The improved photocatalytic efficiency was attributed to the core–shell structure of HAp@Bi2S3 along with the formation of a dual S-scheme heterojunction in HAp@Bi2S3/g-C3N4. As a result, the novel dual S-scheme HAp@Bi2S3/g-C3N4 heterojunction demonstrated a significantly higher hydrogen production rate, ca. 20 times higher than that of hydroxyapatite (HAp), 11 times higher than Bi2S3, and 5 times higher than the HAp@Bi2S3. This research introduces a novel approach to crafting dual S-scheme heterojunctions based on Bi2S3, which enables swift electron transfer across heterojunction interfaces, thereby enlarged possibility windows to sustainable hydrogen production and wastewater remediation technologies.

The optical properties of ZnO/ZnS:Mn core–shell nanorods prepared on GaN substrates

ZnO/ZnS:Mn/GaN core–shell nanorods device was obtained by depositing ZnO/ZnS:Mn core–shell nanorods on GaN substrate using pulsed laser deposition and hydrothermal method. The optical properties of the device were studied. The PL spectrum of ZnO/ZnS:Mn/GaN consists of four emission bands located at 375, 450, 530 and 590 nm. The forward opening voltage is about 6 V. Under forward bias, there are two luminescence bands located at 415 and 610 nm, and the intensity increases with the increase of forward voltage. The color coordinates of EL spectra are very close to standard white light, indicating that the device has potential application in white light LED. Compared to ZnO/GaN nanorods device, the white light quality of ZnO/ZnS:Mn/GaN core–shell nanorods device is better, and it is more suitable as a long-term light source.

ZnS@Fe2O3 core–shell nanorod arrays for supercapattery applications; theoretical evaluation of faradic and non-faradic behavior using Dunn’s model

Supercapattery has emerged as an ideal energy storage device that has the features of both batteries and supercapacitors. In this work, ZnS@Fe2O3 core–shell nanorod arrays supported on Ti foil have been prepared by the cost-effective, efficient, and facile two-step hydrothermal method and investigated for high performance supercapattery applications. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirm the successful synthesis of the material, while the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images clearly show the successful deposition of the Fe2O3 shell over the ZnS core. Electrochemical characterizations including cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge discharge and electrochemical impedence spectroscopy have been employed to investigate the electroactive nature of the materials. It is found that the ZnS@Fe2O3 exhibits excellent specific capacitance of 681 Fg−1 at 1 Ag−1 current density within the potential window of −0.2 to 0.75 V while demonstrating a significant capacitance retention of 85 % and 95 % coulombic efficiency over 2000 cycles. The contribution of faradic and non-faradic processes during electrochemical reactions is evaluated using Dunn’s model. The diffusion controlled mechanism is greater than the surface controlled mechanism in the synthesized material, which depicts the battery grade nature. Interestingly, the electrode was able to exhibit an excellent energy density of 86 Whkg−1 and a maximum power density of 4232 Wkg−1, which is significantly higher than the previously reported ZnS based and Fe2O3 based composites. A Supercapattery device has been assembled using ZnS@Fe2O3 as anode and reduced grapheme oxide (rGO) as cathode, which demonstrate a specific capacitance of 165 Fg−1 at 1 Ag−1 current density, exhibiting 66 Whkg−1 at power density of 3895 Wkg−1 with excellent retention in specific capacitance and coulombic efficiency at 15 Ag−1 after 3000 cycles.

Magnetic Fe‐Ni bimetallic oxide shell nanorods containing anti‐protein polymer segments for protein purification

AbstractIn this paper, BSA surface‐imprinted magnetic Fe‐Ni bimetallic oxide shell nanorods (m‐FeNi@MIPs@PCBMA) were prepared with the assistance of poly(3‐[[2‐(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]dimethylammonium] propionate (PCBMA) in connection with the surface‐imprinting technique. The Fe‐Ni bimetallic oxide shell layer nanorods (m‐FeNi) with magnetic responsiveness simplified the separation and recovery process of adsorbed materials. The controlled introduction of PCBMA facilitated the reduction of protein non‐specific adsorption. At the optimal encapsulation ratio of 1:0.75 (Wm‐FeNi@MIPs: WCBMA), m‐FeNi@MIPs@PCBMA could adsorb 122.98 ± 5.00 mg/g of BSA within 80 min, and the value of the imprinting factor (IF) was also increased from 1.68 (m‐FeNi@MIPs) to 3.95. In the mixed protein adsorption and real sample separation experiments, m‐FeNi@MIPs@PCBMA could selectively separate BSA. Meanwhile, after seven adsorption–desorption experiments, the loss of BSA adsorption by the imprinted nanorods was only 15.9%, which had good reusability. Therefore, m‐FeNi@MIPs@PCBMA has a broader application prospect in the field of protein separation and purification.

Red blood cell membrane-camouflaged gold-core silica shell nanorods for cancer drug delivery and photothermal therapy

Gold core mesoporous silica shell (AuMSS) nanorods are multifunctional nanomedicines that can act simultaneously as photothermal, drug delivery, and bioimaging agents. Nevertheless, it is reported that once administrated, nanoparticles can be coated with blood proteins, forming a protein corona, that directly impacts on nanomedicines’ circulation time, biodistribution, and therapeutic performance. Therefore, it become crucial to develop novel alternatives to improve nanoparticles’ half-life in the bloodstream. In this work, Polyethylenimine (PEI) and Red blood cells (RBC)-derived membranes were combined for the first time to functionalize AuMSS nanorods and simultaneously load acridine orange (AO). The obtained results revealed that the RBC-derived membranes promoted the neutralization of the AuMSS’ surface charge and consequently improved the colloidal stability and biocompatibility of the nanocarriers. Indeed, the in vitro data revealed that PEI/RBC-derived membranes’ functionalization also improved the nanoparticles’ cellular internalization and was capable of mitigating the hemolytic effects of AuMSS and AuMSS/PEI nanorods. In turn, the combinatorial chemo-photothermal therapy mediated by AuMSS/PEI/RBC_AO nanorods was able to completely eliminate HeLa cells, contrasting with the less efficient standalone therapies. Such data reinforce the potential of AuMSS nanomaterials to act simultaneously as photothermal and chemotherapeutic agents.

Plasmonic absorption enhancement of MAPI-based perovskite solar cell with nanoparticles array

In this work, we propose a MAPI-based p-i-n perovskite solar cell with architecture ITO/PEDOT:PSS/MAPI/Rhodamine/TiO2/Ag. Although MAPI-based solar cells have prominent performance, there are some challenges for these devices. Poor optical absorption at near-infrared wavelengths is the most important challenge for MAPI-based solar cells. The effect of three kinds of periodic array nanoparticles on the absorption spectra of the perovskite layer has been investigated theoretically. The spherical bare Au nanoparticle, Au@SiO2, and Au@TiO2 core–shell nanorods have been used. Moreover, Rhodamine as a surface passivator to decrease the charge carrier recombination is used between perovskite and Electron Transport Layer (ETL). Our simulation is based on three dimensions Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method and we use Lumerical software. The effect of these nanoparticles on electric field intensity, light absorption, short-circuit current density, and generation rate are investigated for the visible and near-infrared bands. We found that Au@TiO2 can improve light absorption more than Au and Au@SiO2 at the near-infrared band and this increment is due to the growth of plasmonic near-field of nanoparticles and light scattering enhancement from these nanoparticles.

CdS/ZnS core–shell nanorod heterostructures co-deposited with ultrathin MoS2 cocatalyst for competent hydrogen evolution under visible-light irradiation

Hydrogen generation via semiconductor photocatalysts has gained significant attention as a sustainable fuel generation process. To demonstrate the performance of nanoscale core–shell heterostructure in photocatalytic hydrogen production, we have fabricated CdS nanorods coated with ZnS photocatalyst via wet-chemical reaction followed by deposition of ultrathin MoS2 nanosheets by photo reduction process. The effect of ZnS content and suitable amount of MoS2 loading over the visible-light induced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution was examined in Na2S and Na2SO3 aqueous solutions. Interestingly, it is apparent that a close connection (or heterojunction) between CdS and ZnS is believed to easily tunnel the charge carriers to the surplus surface states, making its electrons and holes energetically favourable to transfer from ZnS to MoS2 for photocatalytic reactions and subsequently, enhances the H2 evolution activity in CdS/ZnS type I core–shell heterostructures. The optimal MoS2 concentration is resolved to be 7 mol% and the subsequent visible-light induced H2 generation rate was 13589 μmol h−1g−1, which is 19 and 158 fold higher than pristine CdS and ZnS respectively. The probable photocatalytic mechanism of CdS/ZnS type I core–shell heterostructure with MoS2 cocatalyst is proposed. Our inexpensive and convenient preparation strategy may offer novel prospects in the engineering of desirable nanoheterostructures with better performance.

Arrays of Hierarchical Zincophilic Nanorods with Trapping‐and‐Leveling Deposition for Ultrastable Zn Metal Anodes

AbstractRechargeable aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (ZIBs) are highly promising for large‐scale sustainable energy storage applications, but there remain serious problems such as Zn dendrites and side reactions that limit the cycling performance. Herein, arrays of core–shell nanorods on Cu foam are developed to stabilize zinc anodes, which have a hierarchical topological structure consisting of N‐doped carbon layers embedded with a zincophilic component of Cu5Zn8 alloy (Cu5Zn8@NC). It is found that the inner Cu5Zn8 alloys have minimized nucleation barriers and act as preferred nucleation sites, and the hierarchical arrays provide the protective layers to further accommodate the high‐capacity plating Zn, leading to a trapping‐and‐leveling process of Zn deposition. The as‐obtained Zn layers play an important role in homogenizing the interfacial ionic fluxes and reducing the local current densities. As a result, the optimized Cu5Zn8@NC host yields a superb Coulombic efficiency of 99.7% over 5000 plating/stripping cycles, and the corresponding symmetric cell delivers an ultralong dendrite‐free cycle life of 7000 h with a low overpotential of 16.5 mV at 1 mA cm−2 and 1 mAh cm−2. The ZIB assembled with the zinc anode and a V2O5 cathode exhibits long‐term charging/discharging cycles as well, up to 89.2% capacity retention after 10 000 cycles.

Synthesis of AZO-Coated ZnO Core-Shell Nanorods by Mist Chemical Vapor Deposition for Wastewater Treatment Applications.

AZO-coated ZnO core-shell nanorods were successfully fabricated using the mist chemical vapor deposition method. The influence of coating time on the structural, optical, and photocatalytic properties of zinc oxide nanorods was investigated. It was observed that the surface area of AZO-coated ZnO core-shell nanorods increased with an increase in coating time. The growth orientation along the (0001) crystal plane of the AZO thin film coating was the same as that of zinc oxide nanorods. The crystallinity of AZO-coated ZnO core-shell nanorods was significantly improved as well. The optical transmittance of AZO-coated ZnO core-shell nanorods was greater than 55% in the visible region. The degradation efficiency for methyl red dye solution increased with an increase in coating time. The highest degradation efficiency was achieved by AZO-coated ZnO core-shell nanorods with a coating duration of 20 min, exhibiting a degradation rate of 0.0053 min-1. The photodegradation mechanism of AZO-coated ZnO core-shell nanorods under ultraviolet irradiation was revealed.

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.

Work-function-induced interfacial built-in electric field optimized electronic structure of V-CoSx@NiTe as high capacity and robust electrode for supercapacitors

The pursuit of achieving high energy density and exceptional stability in supercapacitors presents both allure and challenge. Herein, we strategically engineered hierarchical V-CoSx@NiTe core-shell heterojunction nanorod arrays, with V-doped amorphous CoSx nanosheets as the shell and one-dimensional (1D) NiTe nanorods as the core on nickel foam (NF). Theoretical computations elucidated the disparate intrinsic work functions of V-CoSx and NiTe, culminating in a robust built-in electric field at the interface. This field orchestrated interfacial charge distribution, expediting electron transport and optimizing OH– adsorption. V doping enhanced electronic states density at the Fermi energy level of CoSx and introduced new reaction sites. Additionally, the good hydrophilic properties and unique hierarchical core-shell morphology of the amorphous V-CoSx@NiTe/NF electrodes were favorable for increasing the specific surface area, improving the structural stability and facilitating the diffusion of OH–. Consequently, V-CoSx@NiTe/NF attained an impressive areal capacitance of 10.52 F cm−2 at 2 mA cm−2, preserving energy storage performance, morphology, and composition across 15,000 cycles. An asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) device constructed with V-CoSx@NiTe/NF as the positive electrode and commercial activated carbon (AC) as the negative electrode exhibited energy (power) density of 0.42 mWh cm−2 (1.63 mW cm−2), and maintained ∼100 % capacity after 10,000 cycles. Significantly, a single device powered both a fan and a light bulb, while two devices in series illuminated a blue light-emitting diode (LED) for up to 2 h. This investigation introduces an innovative strategy for designing high-performance supercapacitor anode materials.

High performance surface plasmon enhanced ZnO-Pt @ AlN core shell UV photodetector synthesized by magnetron sputtering

ZnO, a potential optoelectronic material, is attracting significant attention in ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors. However, low photoelectric conversion efficiency is a shortcoming because of its surface defect. In this paper, a plasmonic enhanced high speed UV photodetector was fabricated by ZnO-Pt@AlN core shell nanowires arrays using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and magnetron sputtering methods. As shown in experiment results, the core shell nanowire arrays exhibit 3.7 times enhancement of UV emission and inhibition of visible emission by surface defect. In addition, compared to the pure ZnO nanorod array detector, the introduction of Pt nanoparticles and AlN shell layer resulted in a device with faster rising and falling edges (from 5.67 s to 3.09 s; from 41.18 to 0.32 s) as well as higher bright-to-dark current ratio (from 6.6 to 310.5). As shown in simulation results, the optical field would be localized in the shell of ZnO nanorods, and the ZnO-Pt@AlN core–shell structure can effectively improve the absorption of 365 nm UV light. In one word, this paper employs two general methods to improve the optoelectronic performance of ZnO, and obtains plasmonic enhanced high speed UV photodetector fabricated by ZnO-Pt@AlN core shell nanowires array as well as the mechanism of enhancement is explained.

Enhancing the performance of Self-Powered Deep-Ultraviolet photoelectrochemical photodetectors by constructing α-Ga2O3@a-Al2O3 Core-Shell nanorod arrays for Solar-Blind imaging

With the advancement of Ga2O3-based deep-ultraviolet (DUV) photodetectors (PDs), the integration of PDs into array image sensors has become a sought-after objective. However, while solar-blind imaging research primarily revolves around solid-state Ga2O3-based PDs, there remains a significant gap in the exploration of novel photoelectrochemical (PEC) PDs for solar-blind imaging applications. In this study, self-powered solar-blind PEC-PDs with enhanced performance are fabricated based on α-Ga2O3@a-Al2O3 core–shell nanorod arrays (NRAs). Under DUV irradiation and without external bias, the α-Ga2O3@a-Al2O3 devices demonstrate remarkable superiority over α-Ga2O3 devices. When the light intensity was at 0.50 mW cm−2, the photocurrent density notably rises from 4.60 to 11.24 μA cm−2, accompanied by a corresponding increase in responsivity from 9.60 to 22.70 mA W−1. The enhanced performance is attributed to the α-Ga2O3@a-Al2O3 heterostructure, which establishes a built-in electric field facilitating the separation and directed transport of photogenerated carriers at the interface. Moreover, for the first time, a 5 × 5 matrix of α-Ga2O3@a-Al2O3 core–shell NRAs-based PEC-type PDs is employed to demonstrate a proof-of-concept for self-powered solar-blind imaging, capable of effectively capturing the shapes of the letters “C” and “N”. This work underscores the immense potential of Ga2O3-based PEC-type PDs for future large-area solar-blind imaging applications.

InN@In2S3 Core-Shell nanorod for oxygen-free and penetration depth-unrestricted photodynamic therapy against glioblastoma

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is among the most promising antineoplastic protocols for glioblastoma (GBM). Nonetheless, GBM is a deep-seated intracranial tumor with a serious hypoxic microenvironment; thus, ensuring a sufficient light penetration depth and oxygen (O2) supply are crucial to achieving a positive therapeutic outcome against GBM using PDT. Herein, InN@In2S3 core–shell nanorods are designed to serve as novel and indispensable PDT agents for GBM treatment. Unlike other PDT agents, InN@In2S3 features wide and strong near-infrared absorption that may improve the penetration depth. Moreover, InN@In2S3 exhibits high electron–hole separation efficiency owing to its Ⅱ heterojunction. The separated holes catalyze the generation of O2 from H2O, thereby ensuring sufficient O2 supply for generating reactive oxygen species through a redox reaction between the generated O2 and separated electrons. Our study demonstrates an O2-free and penetration depth-unrestricted PDT strategy that will promote the clinical treatment of GBM with PDT.

Rational construction of hollow ZnO@SnS2 core-shell nanorods: A way to boost catalytic removal of Cr (VI) ions, antibiotic and industrial dyes

Herein, the novel hollow ZnO@SnS2 core-shell nanorods with variable shell thickness have been synthesized by a chemical synthesis approach. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images signified the creation of a hollow core-shell nanostructure. The SnS2 layer coating on ZnO nanorods broadens visible light absorption and suppresses near-band edge emission of ZnO nanorods. Interestingly, the band gap (optical) of the developed ZnO nanorods decreased from 3.3 eV to 2.1 eV after the coating of SnS2 shell. Consequently, the coated hollow ZnO@SnS2 core-shell nanorods displayed a significant enhancement in catalytic activity for the decomposition of toxic industrial dyes, pharmaceutical pollutant tetracycline, and Cr(VI) ion in comparison to hollow ZnO NRs. The photon-induced charge carrier generation and separation were confirmed by the three-electrode electrochemical amperometric analysis and impedance analysis under illumination of simulated solar light (AM 1.5, One Sun). Moreover, an exceptionally higher photocurrent generation (∼10 times higher than ZnO nanorod). The improved ZnO@SnS2 core shell NRs catalytic activity was attributed to its core-shell structure, proper band structure, and effective charge carrier transfer across the core shell interface. This work offers new insights for the design and growth of visible light-active core shell nanorods for resolving environmental pollution and photocurrent generation.

Defect engineering with N-doped carbon hybrid cobalt-molybdenum phosphide nanosheets wrapped molybdenum oxide nanorods for alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction

Regulating the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance through defect engineering of the surface of the catalysts is an effective pathway. Herein, cobalt-molybdenum phosphide (CoMoP) nanosheets wrapped molybdenum oxide (MoO3) core–shell nanorods (MoO3@CoMoP), as alkaline electrocatalysts with ligand-derived N-doped carbon hybrid and oxygen-vacancies, were synthesized via solvothermal approaches and followed by phosphorization. As expected, the MoO3@MoCoP affords efficient HER with a low overpotential (η) of 84.2 ± 0.4 mV at 10 mA cm−2. After phosphorization, not only the MoCoP active species are incorporated into the catalyst, but also the defects sites are achieved. Impressively, the metal–ligand-derived MoCoP are distributed uniformly in the N-doped carbon hybrid matrix, exhibiting well-exposed active sites. Benefiting from the synergy effect of MoCoP active species and oxygen-vacancy, the MoO3@MoCoP showed increased conductivity and stability, which can deliver a current density of 10 mA cm−2 over 40 h. MoO3@MoCoP exhibits an optimal electronic structure on the surface by charge redistribution at the interface, thereby optimizing the hydrogen adsorption energy and accelerating the hydrogen evolution kinetics. This work paves the way for the design of transition metal electrocatalysts with desirable properties through a promising strategy in the field of energy conversion.

Synthesis and Assembly of Core–Shell Nanorods with High Quantum Yield and Linear Polarization

AbstractThe seeded growth method offers an efficient way to design core–shell semiconductor nanocrystals in the liquid phase. The combination of seed and shell materials offers wide tunability of morphologies and photophysical properties. Also, semiconductor nanorods (NRs) exhibit unique polarized luminescence which can potentially break the theoretical limit of external quantum efficiency in light emitting diodes based on spherical quantum dots. Although rod‐in‐rod core–shell NRs present higher degree of polarization, most studies have focused on dot‐in‐rod core–shell NRs due to the difficulties in achieving uniform NR seeds. Here, this study prepares high‐quality uniform CdSe NRs by improving the reactivity of the Se source, using a secondary phosphine, namely diphenylphosphine, to dissolve the Se power, along with the conventional tertiary phosphine, namely trioctylphosphine. Starting from these high‐quality NR seeds, this study synthesizes CdSe/CdxZn1−xS/ZnS core–shell NRs with narrow emission bandwidth (29 nm at 620 nm), high PLQY (89%) and high linear polarization (p = 0.90). This study then assembles these core–shell NRs using the confined assembly method and fabricates long‐range‐ordered microarrays with programmable patterns and displaying highly polarized emission (p = 0.80). This study highlights the great potential of NRs for application in liquid crystal displays and full‐color light emitting diodes displays.

Synthesis of Al2O3@Fe2O3 core–shell nanorods and its potential for fast phosphate recovery and adsorption of chromium (VI) ions from contaminated wastewater

Wastewater and agricultural runoff contain phosphate and chromium ions, which are common pollutants. In particular, industrial wastewater can contain excessive untreated pollutants, leading to eutrophication. Therefore, it is crucial to treat wastewater to recover phosphate ions and remove chromium before releasing it into aquatic systems. In this study, we engineered a core–shell nanorod structure, Al2O3@Fe2O3via a three-step method. To evaluate the effectiveness of the as-prepared Al2O3@Fe2O3 nanorods, in recovering and removing contaminants, we investigated various factors on phosphate recovery. The Al2O3@Fe2O3 nanorods exhibited a maximum Langmuir adsorption capacity of 106.2 mg/g for the phosphate recovery, which was 11.29 and 1.85 times greater than that of pure aluminum oxide and ferrous oxide samples, respectively. The pseudo-second-order and the Elovich diffusion kinetic models resulted in the greatest correlation constants. Desorption of the phosphate adsorbed on the Al2O3@Fe2O3 sample was effectively achieved using a sodium carbonate solution. Furthermore, our findings revealed that the Al2O3@Fe2O3 sample showed a supreme chromium adsorption capacity of 476.2 mg/g. According to thermodynamic analyses, the route for chromium adsorption was impulsive and endothermic. This paper offers a thorough summary of the potential application of core–shell nanorods in wastewater treatment.