Super Performance Research Articles

Silk Fibroin-Induced Gadolinium-Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles for MR/CT Dual-Modal Imaging-Guided Photothermal Therapy.

The development of multifunction nanoplatforms integrating accurate diagnosis and efficient therapy is of great significance for the precise treatment of tumors. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) possessing hallmark features of computed tomography (CT) imaging and photothermal conversion capability hold great potential in tumor theranostics. In this study, taking the advantages of outstanding biocompatibility, interesting anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties, and abundant amino acid residues of silk fibroin (SF), a multifunctional Gd-hybridized AuNP nanoplatform was constructed using SF as a stabilizer and reductant via a facile one-pot biomimetic method, denoted as Gd:AuNPs@SF. The obtained Gd:AuNPs@SF possessed fascinating biocompatibility and excellent photothermal conversion efficiency. Functionalized with Gd, Gd:AuNPs@SF exhibited super tumor-contrasted imaging performance in magnetic resonance (MR) and CT imaging modalities. Moreover, Gd:AuNPs@SF, with strong NIR absorbance, demonstrated that it could effectively kill tumor cells in vitro, and was also proved to successfully ablate tumor tissues through MR/CT imaging-guided photothermal therapy (PTT) without systemic toxicity in Pan02 xenograft C57BL/6 mouse models. We successfully synthesized Gd:AuNPs@SF for MR/CT dual-mode imaging-guided PTT via a facile one-pot biomimetic method, and this biomimetic strategy can also be used for the construction of other multifunction nanoplatforms, which is promising for precise tumor theranostics.

Hierarchically Porous Carbon Derived from a Mn2+ Complex: A Highly Graphitized Structure for Supercapacitor Applications

AbstractPorous graphitic carbon materials have been regarded as promising candidates as the electrode for supercapacitors. However, the high porosity and electrical conductivity usually have a competitive relationship in a carbon material. Therefore, constructing the hierarchically porous graphitic carbon materials poses a challenge. We report a simple one‐pot synthesis strategy using a Mn complex both as the hard template and the graphitization catalyst. The pore size distribution of porous carbon can be adjusted, and MnCx can be produced by the combination of MnO with amorphous carbon atoms. The as‐prepared carbon materials show a high graphitization degree and surface area of 1545 m2 g−1 with micro‐/mesopores, which boosts the rate performance with capacitance retention up to 90 % at 50 A g−1 and gives super cycle performance with 100 % capacitance retention after 10 000 cycles for the electrode of symmetric supercapacitor. This work reveals a novel strategy to construct porous graphitic carbon materials for supercapacitors applications.

Synthesis of methyl glycolate via low‐temperature hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate over an efficient and stable Ru/activated carbon catalyst

AbstractBACKGROUNDSyngas to dimethyl oxalate (DMO) followed by hydrogenation to methyl glycolate (MG) is considered to be an environmentally friendly and economical route. However, the catalyst with super performance and low cost for this route is still challenging. In this work, a simple and low‐lost fabrication method was developed to prepare a Ru/activated carbon (AC) catalyst and was used for DMO hydrogenation to MG under mild reaction conditions.RESULTSThe Ru/AC catalyst showed the best performance in the low‐temperature hydrogenation of DMO to MG compared to Ru/SiO2 and Ru/Al2O3. A series of characterization results showed that the super catalytic properties of Ru/AC catalyst might be attributed to the higher dispersion of Ru on support and its smallest nanoparticles size, weak surface acidity and electron‐deficient state of Ru species. The key parameters such as Ru loading, temperature, weight hourly space velocity, and pressure, were comprehensively investigated. MG selectivity of 94.6% with DMO conversion of 97.2% were obtained over the 4.0 Ru/AC catalyst at 90 °C. The 4.0Ru/AC catalyst showed excellent stability and there was no obvious deactivation after 1032 h test.CONCLUSIONSThe Ru/AC catalyst is effective for the DMO hydrogenation to MG under mild conditions and has great promise for industrial applications because of its low cost, simple preparation, high efficiency, and long life. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

Significantly improved high k dielectric performance: Rare earth oxide as a passivation layer laminated with TiO2 film

In order to achieve a super gate dielectric performance, rare earth oxides featuring for large band gap, good thermodynamic stability and relatively high k value were selected to be laminated with TiO2 film to prepare bilayer dielectric films. As an example, the microstructure, morphology, band gap structure and electrical performance of TiO2–Y2O3 bilayer films were systematically investigated. Results show that stacking sequence of TiO2 and Y2O3 sublayers has a significant impact on the dielectric performance and Y2O3 film as a passivation layer can effectively improve electrical properties. Besides, the electrical behaviors analysis of TiO2–Y2O3, Y2O3–TiO2, Y2O3 and TiO2 samples was carried out by impedance spectra and equivalent circuit. The result shows that TiO2–Y2O3/Si sample holds the largest internal resistance of 74665 Ω among four samples. Moreover, the most outstanding properties of Pt/TiO2–Y2O3/Si capacitor are achieved by varying the thickness of sublayers and annealing temperature. 500 °C-annealed bilayer film with 17 nm-TiO2 and 3-nm Y2O3 displays a k value of 28.24, which is more than 1.4 times that of current commercial HfO2. Further, Schottky emission was determined to be leakage current transport mechanism for TiO2–Y2O3 bilayer films. Inspired by this result, the electrical performance of more general Pt/TiO2-REOs/Si MOS capacitors (RE = Sc, La, Ce, Gd and Pr) was measured. The combination of TiO2 film and REOs passivation layer with the satisfying performance provides promising candidates for future Si-based integrated circuit (IC).

Nitrogen vacancies and metal-free group intercalation on carbon nitride for super photocatalytic performance

Here, a dual regulation strategy to construct nitrogen vacancies-modified and metal-free group-intercalated g-C3N4 (NP–CN) photocatalyst is proposed. The nitrogen vacancies in the planes of NP-CN could adjust the band-gap of CN, while the metal-free group intercalated between layers act as electron transport channels for fast charge carrier separation. The nitrogen vacancies as well as metal-free group intercalate significantly increase the photocatalytic performance in H2 evolution and dye degradation. The photocatalytic H2 evolution rate and apparent first-order rate constant for RhB removal of NP-CN24 is 22 and 7.3 times higher than that CN, respectively. This work provides a facile approach to design and synthesize new modification of CN photocatalyst via nitrogen vacancies and metal-free group intercalation to simultaneously improve the activity in the photocatalytic application field.

Super Long‐Cycling All‐Solid‐State Battery with Thin Li6PS5Cl‐Based Electrolyte

AbstractAll‐solid‐state batteries (ASSBs) using sulfide electrolytes have attracted ever‐increasing interest due to high ionic conductivity of the sulfides. Nevertheless, a thin, strong solid‐state sulfide electrolyte membrane maintaining high ionic conductivity is highly desired for ASSBs. Here, a thin, flexible composite solid electrolyte membrane composed of argyrodite sulfide Li6PS5Cl and a polar poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF‐TrFE)) framework is prepared via an electrospinning‐infiltration‐hot‐pressing method. The interaction between Li6PS5Cl and polar P(VDF‐TrFE) ensures a high lithium‐ion conductivity (≈1.2 mS cm–1) at room temperature and good mechanical ductility of the composite electrolyte membrane. The coin‐type ASSB cells with the thin composite electrolyte membrane, a composite cathode of LiNbO3‐coated LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 and Li6PS5Cl, and a lithium‐indium anode, show super cycling performance, and the capacity retention is 92% after 1000 cycles and 71% even after 20 000 cycles at 1.0 mA cm–2 (i.e., 1.61 C) at room temperature. Moreover, pouch‐type ASSB cells with a high mass loading of active materials are made to demonstrate the potential and feasibility in future commercial applications.

Three‐dimensional miniaturized super wideband antenna with filtering capabilities

This article presents a miniaturized three-dimensional super wideband antenna with filtering capabilities. A conventional rectangular patch antenna has been modified by truncating its corners with semi-circles and a trapezoidal shaped partial ground plane is utilized to achieve super wideband performance. The planar design is later extended to a 3D design with the addition of three dielectric cuboids in the radiator. The cuboids are inserted at low current density regions within the operating range to achieve miniaturization compared to the planar antenna. The impedance bandwidth of the 3D antenna is ~17.55 GHz, measured from 2.45 to 20 GHz. The filtering capabilities are achieved by means of an upside-down T-shaped resonator introduced in the center of the patch and two U-shaped slots etched from the patch. In total, three interfering communication bands are rejected, WiMAX (3.2–3.8 GHz), IEEE 802.11/WLAN (5.17–5.33 GHz), and ITU (7.7–8.5 GHz). The proposed antenna is miniaturized as it merely has an overall size of 0.20λl × 0.19λw × 0.011λh mm3 (corresponds to 2.45 GHz) compared to the relevant literature. The design has been analyzed using an equivalent circuit model, fabricated and measured for validation. The simulated and measured results are found well in agreement.

RETRACTED: Super-hydrophilic MgO/NiCo2S4 heterostructure for high-efficient oxygen evolution reaction in neutral electrolytes

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in pH-neutral electrolyte is considered more difficult for the additional adsorption and the dissociation process of H 2 O. Herein, by in-suit construction of the heterostructure between MgO and NiCo 2 S 4 on carbon cloth (CC), a novel MgO/NiCo 2 S 4 heterostructure on CC (MgO/NCS-CC) is successfully fabricated. Benefitting from the optimized electronic structure attributed to the construction of hetero-interface, and the intense adsorption of H 2 O on the surface of catalysts owing to the introduction of hydration-effect-promoting (HEP) element Mg, the MgO/NCS-CC exhibits outstanding OER activity with overpotential of 145 mV at the current density of 10 mA·cm −2 in pH-neutral electrolyte and can maintain stability over 40 h. Density-functional theory (DFT) also demonstrates that the MgO/NiCo 2 S 4 heterostructure can effectively adjust the electronic structure and enhance the adsorption of reactant, thus further optimizing Gibbs free energies and improving the activity for OER in pH-neutral electrolyte. A novel heterostructure between MgO and NiCo 2 S 4 on carbon cloth (MgO/NCS-CC) was successfully constructed. Benefiting from the enhancement of H 2 O adsorption by the introduction of hydration-effect-promoting (HEP) element Mg and the construction of the heterostructure, MgO/NCS-CC exhibits outstanding OER performance in pH-neutral electrolyte, which the overpotential of 145 mV at the current density of 10 mA·cm −2 is the lowest among the reported OER electrocatalysts in pH-neutral electrolyte. • The hydration-enhancing-effect element Mg effectively enhanced the adsorption of H 2 O on the surface of catalyst. • The unique electronic structure of the heterostructure is the intrinsic reason for the super OER performance. • The catalyst shows outstanding OER performances and excellent stability in pH-neutral condition. • DFT calculation further reveals the change of electronic structure and the enhancement of water adsorption of the catalyst.

Sr2CeO4 as a robust high temperature sorbent for CO2 capture with near 100% sorbent conversion efficiency

As a typical CO2 capture and storage (CCS) technology, sorbent looping CO2 capture (SLCC) can be incorporated into CO2-related processes to enable potential revenue. The main challenge of the SLCC is the poor reactivity stability and limited operation temperature of sorbent. High temperature sorbent of SrO was prepared with sol–gel method and the carbonation/calcination performance was evaluated in thermogravimetry. The effect of different support materials (Al2O3, Y2O3, MgO, CeO2 and ZrO2) on the reactivity stability was initially evaluated during 25 carbonation/calcination cycles. The CeO2 supported sorbent exhibited super stable CO2 capture performance, whereas other materials could not stabilize the sorbent reactivity over multiple cycles. Afterwards, the effect of CeO2 loading on the sorbent reactivity, microstructure and phase transition was further identified. The results indicate that the Ce-Sr interaction induced new decarbonation path of SrCO3 + CeO2 = Sr2CeO4 + CO2 instead of conventional thermal sorbent decomposition of SrCO3 = SrO + CO2. It promoted the reaction kinetic and enabled the carbonation/calcination at a lower temperature. Also, it improved the microstructure and the sintering resistance, promoting sorbent reactivity stability. The ratio of Ce/Sr higher than 0.5 was necessary to obtain a stable CO2 capture performance with almost 100% sorbent efficiency over multiple cycles.

Super-tough and flame-retardant poly(lactic acid) materials using a phosphorus-containing malic acid-based copolyester by reactive blending

It is a great challenge to simultaneously prepare flame-retardant and super-tough poly(lactic acid) (PLA) materials. Herein, we reported a facile approach that PLA reactively blends with phosphorus-containing copolyester. In this paper, a quinary aliphatic copolyester (PPE) containing phosphorus and pendent hydroxyl group was synthesized with sebacic acid, dimethyl malate, diethyl phosphite, 1,6-hexanediol, and 1,3-propanediol by polycondensation. Then, flame-retardant and super-tough PLA materials (PLA/PPEU) can be achieved by reactively blending with PPE and hexamethylene diisocyanate. The results showed that the toughness of PLA was significantly enhanced. The maximum notched impact strength is 75.3 kJ/m2 indicated a super toughness performance. Meanwhile, the flame retardance of the PLA was improved obviously. The limited oxygen index (LOI) of PLA increased from 20 to 26%. Moreover, the PLA blends can pass the UL-94 V-0 rating. In addition, both the total heat release and total smoke production of PLA were decreased. The resultant super-tough and flame-retardant PLA materials could be widely applied in electrical and electronic equipment.

Controllable synthesis of Co/Ni basic carbonate composite via regulating Co/Ni ratio with super rate performance for asymmetric solid-state supercapacitor

Under the high current density, high cyclability and good rate performance are two major challenges for the applications of supercapacitor. How to control the composition and structure of the electrode materials is the key factor to solve these two problems. In this work, the controllable morphology Co/Ni Basic Carbonate Composites (CNBCC) were synthesized by one-step hydrothermal regulating the ratio of Co to Ni. Impressively, benefiting to its special sea urchin structure, the composite with the 1:1 ratio of Co to Ni exhibited remarkable electrochemical performance with specific capacitance (at 1 A g−1, 1682 F g−1), superior rate capability (at 1–30 A g−1, 79.3%) and cycling stability (2000 cycles, 96%). Further, a solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor Co1Ni1//AC (ASC) was constructed with a high voltage window (1.7 V). The ASC displayed a high energy density of 42.5 Wh kg−1 at power density 849.7 W kg−1, while still remained at 20.6 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 25511 W kg−1. In addition, the ASC had good flexibility, and their CV curves hardly changed after being bent into different angles; the two ASC in series could light a yellow LED for 25 min.

Electrospun polyacrylonitrile-based lace nanostructures and their Cu(Ⅱ) adsorption

High performance nanostructures for efficient heavy metal treatment are highly desired in our daily life. A functionalized porous nanofibrous membrane loaded with MgO nanoparticles prepared by coaxial electrospinning and post-processing method was studied to remove copper ions from aqueous solutions. The solid core layer is used to support the functional layer of the sheath with lace-like porous structure, and to obtain the composite nanofiber membrane with super adsorption performance. The functional fiber membrane has a larger specific surface area, a more uniform diameter distribution and surface pores than other nanofibers, moreover, showing the dual advantages of good mechanical properties and hydrophilicity. Adsorption of copper ions reached equilibrium within 3 h with an optimal adsorption pH of 5 and a maximum adsorption capacity of 354 mg/g. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir model can well describe the single-layer chemisorption process between copper ion and functional membrane. After the functional fiber membrane was repeatedly used for 5 times, the adsorption removal efficiency remained at 70%, which indicates that the recycling performance was good. The functionalized nanofiber membrane has a simple preparation and high removal efficiency, and is an effective material that can address heavy metal-polluted water.

Strong synergistic effect of the (110) and (100) facets of the SrTiO3 perovskite micro/nanocrystal: decreasing the binding energy of exciton and superb photooxidation capability for Co2.

Crystal facet regulation is an effective method for preparing SrTiO3 or other perovskite semiconductor materials with high photochemical catalysis performance. In general, the edge-truncated cube of SrTiO3 micro-nano particles has been widely reported because of the multiple crystal facets exposed at the same time. However, the effect of the (110) facet and the interaction between the (100) and (110) facets on the properties of photo-induced carriers is still not very clear. In this article, we have designed and prepared two edge-truncated cube SrTiO3-a small and large area proportion of the (110) facet, respectively. In addition to the morphological and structural characterization, high-resolution XPS and femtosecond multiphoton transient absorption (fs-TA) spectroscopy were used to detect the atomic vacancy and were applied to confirm the state of carrier transition. The results showed that the larger (110) facet led to two influences-more Sr vacancies and more self-trapping excitons (STEs) with an ultra-low binding energy (Eb = 2.13 meV), about 1.17 meV lower than that of the sample with the smaller (110) facet. In particular, the larger (110) facet also caused a much higher photooxidation performance for Co2+ to Co3+. This study not only enriches the arsenal of SrTiO3 materials but also sheds new insights into the understanding of the synergistic effect essence of the (100) and (110) facets, which could promote the development of new perovskite photocatalytic materials, particularly in the recovery of heavy metals.

Doped Laalo3 with an Amorphous Surface Layer as Oxygen Ion Conducting Electrolyte with Super Electrochemical Performance: Synthesis and Characterization of La0.8sr0.2al0.8zn0.2o3-Δ for Low-Temperature Soild Oxide Fuel Cells

Doped Laalo3 with an Amorphous Surface Layer as Oxygen Ion Conducting Electrolyte with Super Electrochemical Performance: Synthesis and Characterization of La0.8sr0.2al0.8zn0.2o3-Δ for Low-Temperature Soild Oxide Fuel Cells

Ru ions enhancing the interface bonding between the Pt nanoparticle catalyst and perovskite support for super anti-sintering performance

A super anti-sintering Pt nanoparticle catalyst on LaNiO3 support is synthesized by introducing Ru ions into LaNiO3 to produce the strong interface bonding between the Pt nanoparticle catalyst and LaNiO3 support.

Sn species modified mesoporous zeolite TS-1 with oxygen vacancy for enzyme-free electrochemical H2O2 detecting.

Sn species modified zeolite TS-1 with a unique mesopore structure (Sn-TS-1) and rich oxygen vacancy defects has been designed via a sol-gel method and an ion-exchange process, which can be used as an enzyme-free electrochemical sensor for H2O2 detection. The resultant composite Sn-TS-1 has a high BET surface area of 191 cm2 g-1, fast electron transfer, rich oxygen vacancies, and abundant active sites, showing super performance in H2O2 reduction with a low detection limit (0.27 μM, S/N = 3). The current is linear with H2O2 concentration from 1 to 1000 and 1000 to 11 000 μM, and the corresponding sensitivities are 360.4 and 80.44 μA mM-1 cm-1, respectively. More importantly, this Sn-TS-1 sensor also shows excellent anti-interference ability and stability. This work provides a new idea for an enzyme-free sensor for H2O2 detection in biological environments, which has promising potential in point-of-care (POC) testing for H2O2.

Constructing dual active sites for synergistic electrocatalysis of hydrogen oxidation: single-metal-atoms anchored on WC2O2 MXene

The W2CO2 MXene-supported single-atom catalysts (W2CO2–Msa, Msa = Mn, Fe, Co, Ir, and Pt) show super performance towards the hydrogen oxidation reaction in alkaline media.

Mechanical property and thermal conductivity of pentadiamond: A comprehensive molecular dynamics study

Although most of conventional carbon materials show super electricity-conducting performance, the excellent heat-conducting property always hinders their applications in thermoelectric area. The present work shows that such issue may be alleviated by employing the newly proposed carbon allotrope named pentadiamond. Comprehensive studies on mechanical property and thermal conductivity of pentadiamond via molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in this work reveal that pentadiamond possesses exceptional properties such as very light weight, extremely high specific Young’s modulus and remarkably low thermal conductivity compared with other carbon allotrope structures (e.g. diamond, graphene and carbon nanotube, etc.). The mechanical property of pentadiamond is of great dependence on the crystal orientation under different loading conditions. The increasing temperature has a weakening effect on the mechanical property. Besides, the thermal conductivity of pentadiamond structure is dependent on the crystal orientation and the value along the crystal orientation [110] is slightly larger. The thermal conductivity decreases with increase in temperature. With the increase in the size of the pentadiamond, the thermal conductivity increases to a limit value which is determined as about 28 W/mK along the crystal orientation [110] via extrapolation method. Such findings can be of great help in the application of pentadiamond in thermoelectric field.

A Conductive Network and Dipole Field for Harnessing Photogenerated Charge Kinetics.

Photogenerated charge separation and directional transfer to active sites are pivotal steps in photocatalysis, which limit the efficiency of redox reactions. Here, a conductive network and dipole field are employed to harness photogenerated charge kinetics by using a Ti3 C2 /TiO2 network (TTN). The TTN exhibits a prolonged charge-carrier lifetime (1.026ns) and an 11.76-fold increase in hexavalent chromium photoreduction reaction kinetics compared to TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs). This super photocatalytic performance is derived from the efficient photogenerated charge kinetics, which is steered by the conductive network and dipole field. The conductivity enhancement of the TiO2 network is achieved by continuous chemical bonds, which promotes electron-hole (e-h) separation. In addition, at the interface of Ti3 C2 and TiO2 , band bending induced by the dipole field promotes photogenerated electron spatially directed transfer to the catalytic sites on Ti3 C2 . This study demonstrates that a conductive network and dipole field offer a new concept to harness charge kinetics for photocatalysis.

An immobilization-free and homogeneous electrochemiluminescence assay for detection of environmental pollutant graphene oxide in water

• An immobilization-free and homogeneous ECL sensor for GO detection was proposed. • The fabricated ECL sensor has the merits of simplicity and sensitivity. • The proposed ECL sensor avoids the complex process of electrode modification. • Satisfactory recoveries were obtained for GO detection in river water and wastewater. As a new type of environmental pollutant, the toxicity of graphene oxide (GO) has been worldwide concerned, however, studies on detection of such pollutant is rarely studied up to date. In this work, an immobilization-free homogeneous electrochemiluminescence (ECL) method for effective detection of GO was developed based on the quenched ECL signal of luminol induced by GO. As an important luminophor, luminol possessed super ECL performance in alkaline buffer solution at bare glassy carbon electrode; while after GO was added, the inhibited ECL signal was obtained due to the dynamic quenching process between luminol emitter and GO quencher. More interestingly, the inhibited ECL signal of the luminol was depended on the concentration of the added GO. Under optimal conditions, a good linear relationship between the inhibited ECL signal of luminol versus the logarithm of the concentration of GO was obtained in the range of 0.08 ~ 800 μg mL −1 with a detection limit of 0.03 μg mL −1 (S/N = 3). Moreover, the method provided recoveries of 103 ~ 107.5% for river water and 108 ~ 110.6% for chemical wastewater when applied to spiked samples of real environmental water.