Serena A. Corr

Ordered Mesoporous Metallic MoO2 Materials with Highly Reversible Lithium Storage Capacity

Highly ordered mesoporous crystalline MoO(2) materials with bicontinuous Ia3d mesostructure were synthesized by using phosphomolybdic acid as a precursor and mesoporous silica KIT-6 as a hard template in a 10% H(2) atmosphere via nanocasting strategy. The prepared mesoporous MoO(2) material shows a typical metallic conductivity with a low resistivity ( approximately 0.01Omega cm at 300 K), which makes it different from all previously reported mesoporous metal oxides materials. Primary test found that mesoporous MoO(2) material exhibits a reversible electrochemical lithium storage capacity as high as 750 mA h g(-1) at C/20 after 30 cycles, rendering it as a promising anode material for lithium ion batteries.

Multifunctional Magnetic-fluorescent Nanocomposites for Biomedical Applications

Nanotechnology is a fast-growing area, involving the fabrication and use of nano-sized materials and devices. Various nanocomposite materials play a number of important roles in modern science and technology. Magnetic and fluorescent inorganic nanoparticles are of particular importance due to their broad range of potential applications. It is expected that the combination of magnetic and fluorescent properties in one nanocomposite would enable the engineering of unique multifunctional nanoscale devices, which could be manipulated using external magnetic fields. The aim of this review is to present an overview of bimodal “two-in-one” magnetic-fluorescent nanocomposite materials which combine both magnetic and fluorescent properties in one entity, in particular those with potential applications in biotechnology and nanomedicine. There is a great necessity for the development of these multifunctional nanocomposites, but there are some difficulties and challenges to overcome in their fabrication such as quenching of the fluorescent entity by the magnetic core. Fluorescent-magnetic nanocomposites include a variety of materials including silica-based, dye-functionalised magnetic nanoparticles and quantum dots-magnetic nanoparticle composites. The classification and main synthesis strategies, along with approaches for the fabrication of fluorescent-magnetic nanocomposites, are considered. The current and potential biomedical uses, including biological imaging, cell tracking, magnetic bioseparation, nanomedicine and bio- and chemo-sensoring, of magnetic-fluorescent nanocomposites are also discussed.

A 3.90 V iron-based fluorosulphate material for lithium-ion batteries crystallizing in the triplite structure

Li-ion batteries have empowered consumer electronics and are now seen as the best choice to propel forward the development of eco-friendly (hybrid) electric vehicles. To enhance the energy density, an intensive search has been made for new polyanionic compounds that have a higher potential for the Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ redox couple. Herein we push this potential to 3.90 V in a new polyanionic material that crystallizes in the triplite structure by substituting as little as 5 atomic per cent of Mn for Fe in Li(Fe(1-δ)Mn(δ))SO₄F. Not only is this the highest voltage reported so far for the Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ redox couple, exceeding that of LiFePO₄ by 450 mV, but this new triplite phase is capable of reversibly releasing and reinserting 0.7-0.8 Li ions with a volume change of 0.6% (compared with 7 and 10% for LiFePO₄ and LiFeSO₄F respectively), to give a capacity of ~125 mA h g⁻¹.

Optimisation of the synthesis and modification of CdTe quantum dots for enhanced live cell imaging

We report the preparation and luminescence enhancement of thioglycolic acid (TGA) stabilised CdTe quantum dots (QDs) for use as live cell imaging tools in THP-1 macrophage cells. Short irradiating times utilising a high powered Hg lamp resulted in increases in luminescence efficiencies of up to ∼40% and permit significantly enhanced live imaging of the THP-1 cellular components. It was found that the TGA-stabilised QDs traverse the cell membrane, illuminating the cytoplasm and decorating the nuclear membrane. These studies highlight the potential use of photoetched CdTe QDs as probes for specific in vitro labelling.

Linear assemblies of magnetic nanoparticles as MRI contrast agents

Using a one-step procedure we have prepared magnetic fluids comprising of polyelectrolyte stabilized magnetite nanoparticles. These nanocomposites are comprised of linear, chain-like assemblies of magnetic nanoparticles, which can be aligned in parallel arrays by an external magnetic field. We have shown the potential use of these materials as contrast agents by measuring their MR response in live rats. The new magnetic fluids have demonstrated good biocompatibility and potential for in vivo MRI diagnostics.

VO2(B) nanorods: solvothermal preparation, electrical properties, and conversion to rutile VO2 and V2O3

The solvothermal reduction of V2O5 by formaldehyde or isopropanol yields nanorods of the metastable, monoclinic VO2(B) phase. The structural transition in VO2(B), which occurs near room temperature, has been monitored using electrical resistivity measurements, performed both on pressed pellets of the nanorods as well as on nanorods dispersed on patterned contacts. A sudden, 105 increase in the electrical resistivity upon cooling below 290 K is seen in measurements on VO2(B) samples. Such a transition in the electrical resistivity has not previously been reported in this material. The transition is reminiscent of the metal-to-insulator transition observed in the case of pressed pellets of polycrystalline rutile VO2 upon cooling below 340 K. The metastable VO2(B) nanorods are converted to rutile VO2 by heating in argon, and to corundum V2O3 by reducing in 5%H2:95%N2. In both transformations, the structural integrity of the nanorods is compromised, with large, dense, rutile VO2 crystallites and less well-defined nanorods of V2O3 being formed.

Synthesis, characterisation, and biological studies of CdTe quantum dot-naproxen conjugates.

The first naproxen–QD conjugates have been synthesised and investigated. These conjugates demonstrated interesting photophysical properties, good stability in an aggressive enzymatic medium, and cellular localisation in macrophage (THP-1) cells. These nanocomposites might have the potential to act as drug delivery and cellular imaging agents.

Magnetic-fluorescent nanocomposites for biomedical multitasking

Fluorescent magnetite nanocomposites based on magnetic nanoparticles, a polyhedral octaaminopropylsilsesquioxane and a porphyrin derivative have been prepared. The intracellular uptake of the nanocomposites by macrophage and bone osteoblast cells, and their potential as MRI contrast agents, has been demonstrated.

Spontaneously formed porous and composite materials

In recent years, a number of routes to porous materials have been developed which do not involve the use of pre-formed templates or structure-directing agents. These routes are usually spontaneous, meaning they are thermodynamically downhill. Kinetic control, deriving from slow diffusion of certain species in the solid state, allows metastable porous morphologies rather than dense materials to be obtained. While the porous structures so formed are random, the average architectural features can be well-defined, and the porosity is usually highly interconnected. The routes are applicable to a broad range of functional inorganic materials. Consequently, the porous architectures have uses in energy transduction and storage, chemical sensing, catalysis, and photoelectrochemistry. This is in addition to more straightforward uses deriving from the pore structure, such as in filtration, as a structural material, or as a cell-growth scaffold. In this feature article, some of the methods for the creation of porous materials are described, including shape-conserving routes that lead to hierarchical macro/mesoporous architectures. In some of the preparations, the resulting mesopores are aligned locally with certain crystallographic directions. The coupling between morphology and crystallography provides a macroscopic handle on nanoscale structure. Extension of these routes to create biphasic composite materials are also described.

Low-temperature densification of Al-doped Li7La3Zr2O12: a reliable and controllable synthesis of fast-ion conducting garnets

The application of Li7La3Zr2O12 as a Li+ solid electrolyte is hampered by the lack of a reliable procedure to obtain and densify the fast-ion conducting cubic garnet polymorph. Dense cubic Li7La3Zr2O12-type phases are typically formed as a result of Al-incorporation in an unreliable reaction with the alumina crucible at elevated temperatures of up to 1230 °C. High Al3+-incorporation levels are also believed to hinder the three-dimensional movement of Li+ in these materials. Here, a new, facile hybrid sol–gel solid-state approach has been developed in order to accomplish reliable and controllable synthesis of these phases with low Al-incorporation levels. In this procedure, sol–gel processed solid precursors of Li7La3Zr2O12 and Al2O3 nanosheets are simply mixed using a pestle and mortar and allowed to react at 1100 °C for 3 h to produce dense cubic phases. Fast-ion conducting Al-doped Li7La3Zr2O12 phases with the lowest reported Al3+-content (∼0.12 mol per formula unit), total conductivities of ∼3 × 10−4 S cm−1, bulk conductivities up to 0.6 mS and ion conduction activation energies as low as 0.27 eV, have been successfully achieved. The ease of lithium diffusion in these materials is attributed to the formation of dense cubic phases with low Al3+ dopant ratios. This approach is applicable to Li7−xLa3Zr2−xTaxO12 phases and opens up a new synthetic avenue to Li7La3Zr2O12-type materials with greater control over resulting characteristics for energy storage applications.