Simple Wet Chemistry Research Articles

Membranes Based on Aminated Graphene Oxide with High Selectivity Toward Organic Substances.

In this work, membranes based on graphene oxide, modified with oleylamine, have been prepared by a simple wet chemistry protocol without the use of complex equipment, elevated temperature, and additional reagents. The membrane material was characterized by a set of physicochemical methods: thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The prepared membranes are stable in both aqueous and organic media. The membranes have a high flux for organic substances and do not permeate water at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The selectivity of the membranes toward organic substances increases with their thickness. The highest flux among the tested organic liquids is registered for methanol. The membranes have high selectivity toward ethanol/1-butanol and acetone/1-butanol pairs, which opens up the possibility of separating actual industrial mixtures. The membrane retains 90% of methylene blue from the alcohol solution. Our work expands the possibilities of using modified GO-based membranes in purification and filtration technologies.

Functionalization of Carbon Nanofibers with an Aromatic Diamine: Toward a Simple Electrochemical-Based Sensing Platform for the Selective Sensing of Glucose.

Despite a variety of glucose sensors being available today, the development of nonenzymatic devices for the determination of this biologically relevant analyte is still of particular interest in several applicative sectors. Here, we report the development of an impedimetric, enzyme-free electrochemical glucose sensor based on carbon nanofibers (CNFs) functionalized with an aromatic diamine via a simple wet chemistry functionalization. The electrochemical performance of the chemically modified carbon-based screen-printed electrodes (SPCEs) was evaluated by electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), demonstrating a high selectivity of the sensor for glucose with respect to other sugars, such as fructose and sucrose. The sensing parameters to obtain a reliable calibration curve and the selective glucose sensing mechanism are discussed here, highlighting the performance of this novel electrochemical sensor for the selective sensing of this important analyte. Two linear trends were noted, one at low concentrations (0-1200 μM) and the other from 1200 to 5000 μM. The limit of detection (LOD), calculated as the (standard error/slope)*3.3, was 18.64 μM. The results of this study highlight the performance of the developed novel electrochemical sensor for the selective sensing of glucose.

Fabrication of Al@AIH@PVDF metastable composite film with enhanced laser ignition ability and combustion performance

Laser ignition technology has garnered significant attention for energetic materials in recent years, offering advantages over traditional electrical initiation methods, notably in mitigating issues related to stray currents and electromagnetic interference. Moreover, it can facilitate multi-point synchronous ignition. However, the persistent challenges of high ignition thresholds and delays in energetic materials necessitate effective resolutions. In this study, we address these challenges by converting the inert Al2O3 layer on the surface of aluminum powder into the active compound Aluminum Iodate Hexahydrate ([Al(H2O)6](IO3)3(HIO3)2, AIH) to prepare an Al@AIH@PVDF energetic composite film (ECF) with the aim of reducing the laser ignition threshold and delay of Al@PVDF ECF. The Al@AIH@PVDF ECF was synthesized through a simple wet chemistry method and a rapid evaporation process suing a simple, environmental-friendly, and cost-effective way. Differential scanning calorimetry-thermogravimetric analysis (DSC-TG) results demonstrate a lower exothermic reaction temperature (161 °C) and higher heat release (2900 J g−1) for Al@AIH@PVDF ECF. Laser ignition tests reveal a reduced laser ignition delay (11 ms) and threshold (1.59 J cm−2) for Al@AIH@PVDF ECF. Combustion experiments showcase elevated combustion flame temperature (3090 K), burning rate (4.11 cm s−1), and smaller condensed combustion products, while effectively igniting CL-20. Pressure tests indicate higher maximum combustion pressure (3.24 MPa) and pressure rise rate (4.05 GPa s−1) for Al@AIH@PVDF ECF. Finally, the reaction process and mechanism of Al@AIH@PVDF ECF was also investigated and proposed.

Synthesis and characterization of efficient Sr-doped ZnO nanostructures for optoelectronic, and photocatalytic applications

With increasing technological advancements, optoelectronics emergence is inevitable. Various metal oxides are explored for optoelectronics properties and Zinc oxide-based nanostructures have various advantages that can be explored in optoelectronic devices. Nanomaterials that are undoped and Strontium doped were synthesized via a simple wet chemistry route. The study set out to quantify the impact of Strontium doping in Zinc Oxide on optical and photocatalytic properties. The doping of strontium concentration within ZnO varied from 0 % to 3 % by weight of the total molar ratio. The characterization of SZO nanomaterials was done using measurements of X-ray diffraction, Raman Spectroscopy, SEM, Hall effect measurements, UV/Vis, and PL regarding their structural properties, morphological properties, optical properties, and electrical characteristics. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the Sr-doped ZnO had the hexagonal wurtzite structure of zinc oxide. SEM showed that the morphology of Sr-doped ZnO thin films changed by increasing Sr concentration. Meanwhile, the film’s surface was smooth and crack-free. In UV–Vis experiments, the concentration of Sr doping reduced the optical band gap ranges from 3.27 eV to 2.98 eV. All the samples exhibited n-type conductivity in the Hall Effect. Photocatalytic degradation Methylene Blue was studied and SZO (3 at. %) was best for degradation with efficiency over 80 %.

SAND-ROSE SHAPED β-Ni(OH)2 MICROSPHERES: A HIGH EFFICIENT ADDITIVE IN THE THERMAL DECOMPOSITION OF AMMONIUM PERCHLORATE

Sand-rose shaped β-Ni(OH)2 submicron particles were successfully synthesized by a simple wet-chemistry process. The influence of the as-prepared material on the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) was explored by thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry analyses. The in-situ formation of active NiO species in the AP/β-Ni(OH)2 system is beneficial for electron transfer in the decomposition steps of AP, leading to the acceleration of its thermal decomposition. In particular, the addition of 5 wt. % β-Ni(OH)2 to AP lowers the decomposition temperature of the latter by 68.5°C and, moreover, the apparent heat of decomposition is increased almost twofold compared to that of pure AP.

Synthesis, characterization, and density functional theory calculation studies of a novel Rb-based lead halide perovskite material

Inorganic lead halide perovskites have appeared as favorable and novel materials for their effective use in photovoltaics. The synthesis route of such materials via the simple wet chemistry technique renders these inorganic halide perovskites the ideal property for light-harvesting materials. Despite these novel properties, the inherently unstable nature under increased heat and ambient moisture conditions is still a conjecture that needs to be addressed. This work shows the wet chemistry method as a synthesis route of the novel RbPbCl3 perovskite using four different solvents for photovoltaic applications. Interestingly, the synthesized perovskite was stable in only one solvent with a band gap of 2.6 eV, whereas the material degraded in the other three. The DFT calculations performed post-geometric optimization revealed well-defined electronic bandgap and optical properties, nearly imitating the experimental data of our synthesized perovskite. The copious properties such as electronic, optical, and formation energy revealed that the perovskite possesses huge charge screening ability, a low recombination rate of electron-hole pairs, board absorption spectrum, and high stability. Henceforth, establishes its suitability for photovoltaic devices. The close fit of the experimental results with our theoretical trend demonstrates the importance of developing a computational strategy to screen for new perovskite materials for photovoltaic cells.

A polymer nanoplatform with high transfection rate for the efficient gene therapy of peripheral arterial diseases

Gene therapy has great potential in the treatment of peripheral arterial diseases (PAD). However, the commercial used carrier for gene therapy, polyethyleneimine (PEI) 25 kDa is not efficient in transfection in vivo and is difficult to degrade. In this work, PEI 1.8 kDa was cross-linked with glutaraldehyde, and glutaraldehyde-PEI (GAPEI) was obtained by a simple wet chemistry synthetic process. The prostacyclin synthase (PTGIS) plasmid was further wrapped by GAPEI to form a polymer with a size of ∼150 nm and a positive potential for transfection. The western blotting experiment showed that the level of PTGIS protein synthesis in cells transfected by GAPEI was 1.48 times higher than that of PEI25kDa. He cytotoxicity test showed that GAPEI had lower cytotoxicity. In vitro and in vivo experiments showed a significant increase in locally secreted prostacyclin (PGI2) after transfection of PTGIS plasmid. The ability of cells to establish tube and chemotaxis to stem cells increased, and these phenotypic changes may be involved in the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) pathways. This work promotes the potential applications of GAPEI-PTGIS nanoparticles for PAD therapy and provides design concepts for the synthesis of therapeutic agents for PAD therapy.

All Optically Switchable Active Photonics Based on the Halide Perovskite GST Platform

AbstractHalide perovskites are a class of semiconductors with strong direct interband transition and high mobility of charge carriers resulting in bright luminescence, which can be easily tuned chemically in a broad spectral range. Moreover, perovskites can be synthesized by means of simple wet chemistry approaches on arbitrary surfaces, opening new avenues for perovskites integration with a plethora of other functional materials. Here, this work reports on a versatile platform for reversible switching of halide perovskite's optical properties enabled by high‐index phase‐change materials (Ge‐Sb‐Te) serving as an active subnanolayer, which controls the perovskite film's behavior. Based on this approach, this work demonstrates micro‐QR‐coding and switchable bright emission, whose wavelength can be adjusted in the whole visible range.

Photoresponse Improvement of InGaAs Nanowire Near-Infrared Photodetectors with Self-Assembled Monolayers

InGaAs nanowires (NWs) show tremendous potential as channel materials in the field of near-infrared photoelectric detections. However, the abundance of surface states on InGaAs NWs has limited the photoelectronic properties of the devices, and further performance enhancement can be achieved by manipulating NWs surface state charges. In this work, high-quality InGaAs NWs are synthesized by two-step chemical vapor deposition, and high-performance near-infrared photodetectors are achieved based on the as-grown NWs with a large responsivity of 3.7 × 103 A/W, a superior detectivity of 1.01 × 1011 jones, and an external quantum efficiency of 4.34 × 103% under 1064 nm irradiation. More importantly, self-assembled monolayers are employed for the surface modification of InGaAs NW photodetectors using a simple wet chemistry, in which the inorganic (NH4)2S monolayer enhances the sensitivity of the devices by reducing the response time and the organic 1-octadecanethiol monolayer improves the photoresponse of the devices by raising the photocurrent. This work offers significant reference values to modulate the surface states of ternary and multielement NWs and improving the photoelectric performance of nanoscale broadband photodetectors for next-generation advanced optoelectronic devices.

Magnetic Hydroxyapatite Composite Nanoparticles for Augmented Differentiation of MC3T3-E1 Cells for Bone Tissue Engineering.

Progressive aging harms bone tissue structure and function and, thus, requires effective therapies focusing on permanent tissue regeneration rather than partial cure, beginning with regenerative medicine. Due to advances in tissue engineering, stimulating osteogenesis with biomimetic nanoparticles to create a regenerative niche has gained attention for its efficacy and cost-effectiveness. In particular, hydroxyapatite (HAP, Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) has gained significant interest in orthopedic applications as a major inorganic mineral of native bone. Recently, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have also been noted for their multifunctional potential for hyperthermia, MRI contrast agents, drug delivery, and mechanosensitive receptor manipulation to induce cell differentiation, etc. Thus, the present study synthesizes HAP-decorated MNPs (MHAP NPs) via the wet chemical co-precipitation method. Synthesized MHAP NPs were evaluated against the preosteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells towards concentration-dependent cytotoxicity, proliferation, morphology staining, ROS generation, and osteogenic differentiation. The result evidenced that MHAP NPs concentration up to 10 µg/mL was non-toxic even with the time-dependent proliferation studies. As nanoparticle concentration increased, FACS apoptosis assay and ROS data showed a significant rise in apoptosis and ROS generation. The MC3T3-E1 cells cocultured with 5 µg/mL MHAP NPs showed significant osteogenic differentiation potential. Thus, MHAP NPs synthesized with simple wet chemistry could be employed in bone regenerative therapy.

Dual enzyme-like Co-FeSe2 nanoflowers with GSH degradation capability for NIR II-enhanced catalytic tumor therapy.

Nanozymes mediated catalytic therapy can produce toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) and destroy the metabolic balance of tumor cells, providing a new direction for cancer treatment. However, the catalytic efficiency of a single nanozyme is limited by the complexity of the tumor microenvironment (hypoxia, GSH overexpression, etc.). In order to overcome these problems, we designed flower-like Co-doped FeSe2 (Co-FeSe2) nanozymes by a simple wet chemistry method. Co-FeSe2 nanozymes not only exhibit high POD and OXD-mimicking activities for facile kinetics, but also effectively consume over-expressed glutathione (GSH), inhibiting the consumption of generated ROS and destroying the metabolic balance of the tumor microenvironment. These catalytic reactions trigger cell death through apoptosis and ferroptosis dual pathways. More importantly, under the NIR II laser irradiation, the catalytic activities of Co-FeSe2 nanozymes are boosted, confirming the photothermal and catalytic synergistic tumor therapy. This study takes advantage of self-cascading engineering that offers new ideas for designing efficient redox nanozymes and promoting their clinical translation.

Monoclinic-rich CsPbBr3/α-Fe2O3 S-scheme heterojunction for highly efficient thermal-assisted CO2 photoreduction

A new monoclinic-rich CsPbBr3/porous α-Fe2O3 with 3D/3D heterojunction has been prepared by a facile one-step ligand-assisted reprecipitation (LARP) under low temperature and air atmosphere. The morphologies (i.e., cubic and monoclinic phases) of CsPbBr3 are easily tuned by varying the ratios of precursor solution during the LARP process. We observed that monoclinic-rich CsPbBr3 is favorable to the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 with the superior electron consumption rate of 1.42 mmol g−1 h−1. Upon the heterojunction of monoclinic-rich CsPbBr3 with porous α-Fe2O3, the electron consumption rate is further enhanced to 3.38 mmol g−1 h−1, which is ca. 2.4-fold improvements of pristine monoclinic-rich CsPbBr3. More importantly, the activity can maintain ca. 90% after three consecutive cycles of photocatalytic CO2 reduction. The surpassing performance could be attributed to the higher CO2 uptakes, superior charge separation properties of the CsPbBr3/α-Fe2O3 heterojunction. The apparent activation energies of CO and H2 production calculated by the Arrhenius equation are 26.67 and 31.95 kJ mol−1, respectively. Time-resolved photoluminescence and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy were used to evidence that the S-scheme pathway with an interfacial charge transfer constant of 2.53 × 108 s−1 occurs at the interface of monoclinic-rich CsPbBr3/porous α-Fe2O3. This study demonstrates a very simple wet-chemistry route to synthesize efficient morphology-dependent perovskite/α-Fe2O3 heterojunctions with 3D/3D construction which may provide the promising applications in the solar conversions of CO2.

Skillfully grafted C O functional group to enhance the adsorption/photocatalytic mechanism of YMnO3/MgAl2O4 heterojunction photocatalysts

The YMnO3 with different manganese salts includes MnSO4·H2O, MnCO3 and C4H6MnO4·4H2O and YMnO3/MgAl2O4 heterojunction photocatalysts (YMO/MAO) with different mass percentage of MgAl2O4 were synthesized by a simple wet chemistry method combined with low temperature sintering technology. The effects of manganese salts on the structure, functional groups, morphology, charge states and optical properties of YMnO3 phase were studied in detail. The pure YMnO3 with the uniformity of particles can be obtained when only C4H6MnO4·4H2O is used as manganese source. The results confirmed that the YMO/MAO heterojunction was constructed by one step low-temperature sintering technique. The YMnO3/wt 10 % MgAl2O4 photocatalyst exhibits high optical absorption coefficient and highest adsorption capacity of 122.86 mg/g and degradation percentage of 98.98 % for the degradation of Congo red (CR), 86.16 % for the degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) and 72.51 % for the degradation of tetrabromo bisphenol A (TBBPA). The hydroxyl and superoxide radicals dominated the photocatalytic reaction process of YMO/MAO for the degradation of CR, TC and TBBPA. The present work pioneers the potential application of YMO/MAO grafted by CO functional group as dyes, antibiotics and persistent organic pollutants (POPS) adsorption / degradation catalyst and further provides technical reference for the synthesis of others heterojunction photocatalysts.

Black phosphorus analogue- 0D/2D multistructure of Tin(II) monosulfide for improved photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and pollutant removal

In the present era, eco-friendly green hydrogen production is emerging as a very important technology. Photocatalytic hydrogen generation is a field that must be developed as a future-oriented technology. SnS has a low electron affinity, low enough to generate hydrogen from water, and has a small ionization potential, so it can absorb a wide range of visible light. We successfully synthesized 0D/2D SnS multi structures using hydrothermal methods and demonstrated that when the band gap of SnS is wider and tuned than that of bulk materials, this material can be used for more efficient photocatalytic applications. In addition to the chromium hexavalent (CrVI) reduction and organic dye reduction photocatalysts, the efficiency was improved by about 2 times in the hydrogen generation photocatalyst. Because each dimension shape of SnS has a different bandgap, SnS can act as a donor/acceptor as a heterojunction. This increases the lifetime and reduces the electron–hole recombination rate. Designing and fabricating bandgap energy-matched nanocomposite photocatalysts could provide a fundamental direction to solving future clean energy challenges. Since SnS is composed of safe and abundant elements and SnS QDs and various structures can be synthesized using simple wet chemistry methods applicable to mass production, the SnS material described here is suitable for future solar hydrogen production. In addition, band control and performance improvement through material structuring are expected to be widely applied to other materials.

Piezoelectric catalytic, photocatalytic and adsorption capability and selectivity removal of various dyes and mixed dye wastewater by ZnO nanoparticles

The C-O functional group decorated ZnO nanoparticles with high UV absorption and VIS/NIR reflectance were synthesized by a simple wet chemistry method using various chelating agents. This study attempts to explore the internal mechanism of the piezoelectric catalytic activity, photocatalytic activity and adsorption performance of ZnO nanoparticles. The phase purity, particle size, optical band gap and photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanoparticles showed strong chelating agent - dependent behavior. The ZnO nanoparticles prepared by using EDTA as a chelating agent exhibits smallest particle size, highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methyl orange, methylene blue and rhodamine B, high adsorption capacity for the adsorption of Congo red and high vibration-catalytic performance for the vibration degradation of rhodamine B. The synergies mechanism among piezoelectric catalysis, photocatalysis and adsorption capacity of ZnO nanoparticles are discussed on the basis of the experimental results.

Room Temperature Engineering Crystal Facet of Cu2O for Photocatalytic Degradation of Methyl Orange.

Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) has received enormous interest for photocatalysis owing to its narrow band gap of 2.17 eV, which is beneficial for visible-light absorption. In this work, we succeeded in synthesizing Cu2O nanocrystals with two morphologies, cube and sphere, at room temperature via a simple wet-chemistry strategy. The morphologies of Cu2O change from cube to sphere when adding PVP from 0 g to 4 g and the mainly exposed crystal faces of cubic and spherical Cu2O are (100) and (111), respectively. The photocatalytic properties of the as-prepared Cu2O were evaluated by the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO). Cubic Cu2O(100) showed excellent photocatalytic activity. After the optical and photoelectric properties were investigated, we found that cubic Cu2O(100) has better photoelectric separation efficiency than spherical Cu2O(111). Finally, the possible mechanism was proposed for cubic Cu2O(100) degrading MO under visible light.

Copper decorated indium oxide rods for photocatalytic CO2 conversion under simulated sun light

In this work, copper (Cu) decorated indium oxide (In2O3) rods were prepared via a simple wet chemistry method under mild temperature at atmospheric pressure. The resultant copper decorated indium oxide (Cu/In2O3) composites showed changes in the morphology, composition, crystal property, oxidation status, optical property, and textural surface properties. The In2O3 rods showed highly catalytic efficiency in reducing CO2 to CO, H2 and CH4 in the presence of water via a photocatalytic mechanism under simulated sun light. Incorporation of copper significantly increased the total conversion rates and regulated the selectivity. Total evolution rates of carbon-based products (CO and CH4) for Cu/In2O3 with different Cu content were all greater than 1 mmol·gcat−1·h−1. In addition to the high efficiency, copper addition also enhanced the selectivity towards forming carbon-based products (CH4 and CO), even amounting to 100% for 20% target copper addition. This low-cost preparation method, paired with high CO2 photoreduction efficiency and selectivity, has the potential for future industrial applications of these new Cu/In2O3 composites.

Silk fibroin induced homeotropic alignment of perovskite crystals toward high efficiency and stability

The photoactive lead halide perovskites with a highly crystalline structure and low trap state density were regarded as the prerequisites for achieving high photovoltaic performance. The perovskite thin films were typically synthesized by simple wet chemistry routes, where the fluctuations in the fabrication readily generate lattice defects and induce stacking faults during the crystal growth. The growth of highly crystalline and low-defect perovskite usually needs complicated synthetical manipulation and well-designed additive engineering. Here in this work, we reported a naturally available protein, silk fibroin (SF), whereby the highly ordered β-sheets component can adequately interact with perovskite intermediates and work as the crystal growth template and trap passivation agent, which induced facile self-assembly of the perovskite crystals with homeotropic alignment structure and low defect concentrations. As a result, the SF incorporated perovskite layer exhibited a much-improved conversion efficiency with charge carrier mobility 1000 times higher than that of pristine film, as well as showed robust stability under various harsh conditions.

Solution–processed Cu2O/ZnO/TiO2/Pt nanowire photocathode for efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting

State–of–the–art Cu2O photocathodes are mostly fabricated by means of electrodeposition and have been reported to be flooded with the copper vacancies (VCu), into which the photoexcited electrons are rapidly trapped and thereby hardly injected into the electrolyte for photoelectrochemical water splitting. To address this issue, an alternative approach consisting of simple wet chemistry combined with post–thermal treatment is employed in the present contribution to grow the Cu2O nanowires (NWs) on the Cu foil, which provides the Cu ions to fill VCu. An important result of the depletion of VCu is the space charge layer extending deep into the Cu2O NWs, wherein the photoexcited charge carriers are rectified by the surface band bending for efficient separation. The charge separation is further reinforced by using ZnO to first extract the photogenerated electrons from Cu2O, TiO2 to further glean the electrons from ZnO, and the Pt co–catalyst to facilitate their injection into the electrolyte. These materials are deposited sequentially on the Cu2O NWs by means of chemical bath deposition, which is put forward in the present contribution as a cost–effective and readily scalable alternative to the conventional atomic layer deposition technique. The synergistic effect leads to a photocurrent density of the Cu2O/ZnO/TiO2/Pt NWs of −8.2 mA cm−2, well outperforming that of the pristine Cu2O NWs by more than 2.5–fold and, moreover, being comparable to that of the electrodeposited counterparts reported in the literature.

Simple and Label-Free Electrochemical Immuno Determination of the Gastric Cancer Biomarker Carbohydrate Antigen 72-4 with a Carbon Nanotube-Graphene Oxide Hybrid as the Sensing Platform and Ferrocyanide/Ferricyanide as the Probe

Developing simple and effective method for carbohydrate antigen 72-4 (CA72-4) detection is important to achieve the early diagnosis and treat of gastric cancer. In this work, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were treated with a simple wet-chemistry method to form MWCNT/graphene oxide (MWCNT/GO) core/shell nanohybrids that provide high electron transfer, high dispersibility, and a large surface area to immobilize CA72-4 antibodies (Ab) due to the carboxyl groups on the GO shell. Using ferrocyanide/ferricyanide ([Fe(CN)6]3−/4−) as the signaling probe, a simple, label-free and effective electrochemical immunosensing platform was constructed for CA72-4. Upon optimizing the experimental conditions, the simple MWCNT/GO hybrids-based immunosensor showed desirable sensing including a wide linear range and low detection limit. Furthermore, the reproducibility, selectivity and practical applications demonstrated potential value to determine CA72-4 in clinical applications for diagnosing gastric cancer.