Liang Xu

Macroscopic free-standing hierarchical 3D architectures assembled from silver nanowires by ice templating.

As macroscopic three dimensional (3D) architectures show increasing significance, much effort has been devoted to the hierarchical organization of 1D nanomaterials into serviceable macroscopic 3D assemblies. How to assemble 1D nanoscale building blocks into 3D hierarchical architectures is still a challenge. Herein we report a general strategy based on the use of ice as a template for assembling 1D nanostructures with high efficiency and good controllability. Free-standing macroscopic 3D Ag nanowire (AgNW) assemblies with hierarchical binary-network architectures are then fabricated from a 1D AgNW suspension for the first time. The microstructure of this 3D AgNW network endows it with electrical conductivity and allows it to be made into stretchable and foldable conductors with high electromechanical stability. These properties should make this kind of macroscopic 3D AgNW architecture and it composites suitable for electronic applications.

Super-elastic and fatigue resistant carbon material with lamellar multi-arch microstructure.

Low-density compressible materials enable various applications but are often hindered by structure-derived fatigue failure, weak elasticity with slow recovery speed and large energy dissipation. Here we demonstrate a carbon material with microstructure-derived super-elasticity and high fatigue resistance achieved by designing a hierarchical lamellar architecture composed of thousands of microscale arches that serve as elastic units. The obtained monolithic carbon material can rebound a steel ball in spring-like fashion with fast recovery speed (∼580u2009mmu2009s−1), and demonstrates complete recovery and small energy dissipation (∼0.2) in each compress-release cycle, even under 90% strain. Particularly, the material can maintain structural integrity after more than 106 cycles at 20% strain and 2.5 × 105 cycles at 50% strain. This structural material, although constructed using an intrinsically brittle carbon constituent, is simultaneously super-elastic, highly compressible and fatigue resistant to a degree even greater than that of previously reported compressible foams mainly made from more robust constituents.

Highly crystalline PtCu nanotubes with three dimensional molecular accessible and restructured surface for efficient catalysis

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) as candidates for dominant energy conversion devices based on the higher energy densities of liquid methanol show unique advantages over hydrogen-based fuel cells, such as cheapness and ease of storage and transportation. However, the fundamental challenges for electrochemical oxidation of methanol are the sluggish electro-oxidation kinetics and recovery of Pt surfaces to lower costs. Here, we report a mixed solvent strategy to prepare a highly active and durable class of electrocatalysts with connected single crystalline nanoparticles (NPs), forming an open architecture. Each single crystalline NP along PtCu nanotubes (NTs) can be considered as a highly active unit with specific facet and assembles along one-dimensional (1D) direction. The Pt1Cu1–AA NTs achieve a factor of 5.5 and 10.3 enhancement in mass activity (2252 mA mg−1) and specific activity (6.09 mA cm−2) for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) relative to Pt/C catalysts, respectively. Moreover, after long-term stability tests, the activity of the NTs could be recovered via a simple potential cycling process (reactivation process) to the initial value or better. Thus this kind of catalysts would limit the costs to the initial investment and recovery and show potential possibility in real DMFC devices.

Comparison Study on the Stability of Copper Nanowires and Their Oxidation Kinetics in Gas and Liquid

The unsaturated dangling bonds on the surface of nanomaterials are extremely sensitive to the external environment, which gives nanomaterials a dual nature, i.e., high reactivity and poor stability. However, studies on the long-term effects of stability and reactivity of nanomaterials under practical conditions are rarely found in the literature and lag far behind other research. Furthermore, the long-term effects on the stability and reactivity of a nanomaterial without coating under practical conditions are seriously long-neglected. Herein, by choosing copper nanowire as an example, we systematically study the stability of copper nanowires (CuNWs) in the liquid and gas phase by monitoring the change of morphology, phase, and valence state of CuNWs during storage. CuNWs exhibit good dispersibility and durable chemical stability in polar organic solvents, while CuNWs stored in water or nonpolar organic solvents evolve into a mace-like structure. Additionally, fresh CuNWs are oxidized into CuO nanotubes with thin shells by heating in air. The activation energies of oxidation of CuNWs in the gas phase are determined by the Kissinger method. More importantly, the different oxidation pathways have significant effects on the final morphology, surface area, phase, optical absorption, band gap, and vibrational property of the oxidation products. Understanding the stability and reactivity of Cu nanostructures will add value to their storage and applications. This work emphasizes the significant issue on the stability of nanostructures, which should be taken into account from the viewpoint of their practical application.

Understanding the stability and reactivity of ultrathin tellurium nanowires in solution: An emerging platform for chemical transformation and material design

The stability and reactivity of nanomaterials are of crucial importance for their application, but the long-term effects of stability and reactivity of nanomaterials under practical conditions are still not well understood. In this study, we first established a comprehensive strategy to investigate the stability of a highly reactive nanomaterial from the viewpoint of reaction kinetics with ultrathin tellurium nanowires (TeNWs) as a model material in aqueous solution through an accelerated oxidation process. This allowed us to propose a new approach for the design and synthesis of other unique one-dimensional nanostructures by a chemical transformation process using the intermediate nanostructures “captured” during the dynamic oxidation process under different conditions. In essence, the oxidation of ultrathin TeNWs is a gas-solid reaction which involves liquid, gas and solid phases. It has been demonstrated that the oxidation process of ultrathin TeNWs in aqueous solution can be divided into three stages, namely oxygen limiting, ultrathin TeNWs limiting and mass transfer resistance limiting stages. The apparent oxidation kinetics for ultrathin TeNWs is approximately in accord with a first order reaction kinetics model and has an apparent activation energy as low as 13.53 kJ·mol−1, indicating that ultrathin TeNWs are thermodynamically unstable. However, the unstable nature of ultrathin TeNWs is actually an advantage since it can act as an excellent platform to help us synthesize and design one-dimensional functional nanomaterials-with special structures and distinctive properties-which are difficult to obtain by a direct synthesis method.

A shape-memory scaffold for macroscale assembly of functional nanoscale building blocks

A shape-memory chitosan scaffold (CSS) fabricated by an ice-templated method can be used as a versatile host matrix for self-assembly of a wide range of functional nanoscale building blocks, and thus it can produce a family of functional three-dimensional (3D) macroscale assemblies, which show promising practical application potential in various fields.

A new generation of alloyed/multimetal chalcogenide nanowires by chemical transformation

A general chemical transformation process for synthesis of more than 45 kinds of one-dimensional metal chalcogenide nanostructure. One-dimensional metal chalcogenide nanostructures are important candidates for many technological applications such as photovoltaic and thermoelectric devices. However, the design and synthesis of one-dimensional metal chalcogenide nanostructured materials with controllable components and properties remain a challenge. We report a general chemical transformation process for the synthesis of more than 45 kinds of one-dimensional alloyed/hybrid metal chalcogenide nanostructures inherited from mother template TexSey@Se core-shell nanowires with tunable compositions. As many as nine types of monometal chalcogenide alloy nanowires (including AgSeTe, HgSeTe, CuSeTe, BiSeTe, PbSeTe, CdSeTe, SbSeTe, NiSeTe, and CoSeTe) can be synthesized. Alloyed and hybrid nanowires integrated with two or more alloyed metal chalcogenide phases can also be prepared. The compositions of all of these metal chalcogenide nanowires are tunable within a wide range. This protocol provides a new general route for the controllable synthesis of a new generation of one-dimensional metal chalcogenide nanostructures.

Stability and Reactivity: Positive and Negative Aspects for Nanoparticle Processing

Nanoparticles exist far from the equilibrium state due to their high surface energy. Nanoparticles are therefore extremely unstable and easily change themselves or react with active substances to reach a relatively stable state in some cases. This causes desired changes or undesired changes to nanoparticles and thus makes them exhibit a high reactivity and a poor stability. Such dual nature (poor stability and high reactivity) of nanoparticles may result in both negative and positive effects for nanoparticle processing. However, the existing studies mainly focus on the high reactivity of nanoparticles, whereas their poor stability has been neglected or considered inconsequential. In fact, in some cases the unstable process, which is derived from the poor stability of nanoparticles, offers an opportunity to design and fabricate unique nanomaterials, such as by chemically transforming the captured intermediate nanostructures during a changing process, assembling destabilized nanoparticles into larger ordered assemblies, or shrinking/processing pristine materials into the desired size or shape via selective etching. In this review, we aim to present the stability and reactivity of nanoparticles on three levels: the foundation, concrete manifestations, and applications. We start with a brief introduction of dangling bonds and the surface chemistry of nanoparticles. Then, concrete manifestations of the poor stability and high reactivity of nanoparticles are presented from four perspectives: dispersion stability, thermal stability, structural stability, and chemical stability/reactivity. Next, we discuss some issues regarding the stability and reactivity of nanomaterials during applications. Finally, conclusions and perspectives on this field are presented.