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At least 721 records · Page 40

High electron mobility and quantum oscillations in non-encapsulated ultrathin semiconducting Bi 2 O 2 Se

Identifying new two-dimensional (2D) materials with both high carrier mobility and a large electronic band gap is critical for novel electronics and optoelectronics applications. Here, we demonstrated a new air-stable ultrahigh-mobility layered Bi 2 O 2 Se semiconductor with a large band gap of ~ 0.8 eV and a low effective mass of ~ 0.14 m 0 . High-quality 2D Bi2O2Se crystals with a thickness down to a monolayer and a domain size greater than 200 μm were readily grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Size-tunable band gap of Bi 2 O 2 Se was found to increase as thinning down to the monolayer due to the quantum confinement effect. An ultrahigh Hall mobility of > 20,000 cm 2 V -1 s -1 was achieved in as-grown Bi 2 O 2 Se flakes at 1.9 K, which allows for the observation of Shubnikov–de Haas quantum oscillations. Top-gated field-effect transistors based on CVD-grown 2D Bi 2 O 2 Se crystals (down to bilayer) exhibited high Hall mobility (up to 450 cm 2 V -1 s -1 ), large current on/off ratios (>106) and near-ideal subthreshold swings (~65 mV/dec) at room temperature. Our results make the high-mobility 2D Bi 2 O 2 Se semiconductor a promising candidate for future high-speed and low-power electronic applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Intra-crystalline mesoporous zeolite encapsulation-derived thermally robust metal nanocatalyst in deep oxidation of light alkanes

Zeolite-confined metal nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted much attention owing to their superior sintering resistance and broad applications for thermal and environmental catalytic reactions. However, the pore size of the conventional zeolites is usually below 2 nm, and reactants are easily blocked to access the active sites. Herein, a facile in situ mesoporogen-free strategy is developed to design and synthesize palladium (Pd) NPs enveloped in a single-crystalline zeolite (silicalite-1, S-1) with intra-mesopores (termed Pd@IM-S-1). Pd@IM-S-1 exhibited remarkable light alkanes deep oxidation performances, and it should be attributed to the confinement and guarding effect of the zeolite shell and the improvement in mass-transfer efficiency and active metal sites accessibility. The Pd–PdO interfaces as a new active site can provide active oxygen species to the first C–H cleavage of light alkanes. This work exemplifies a promising strategy to design other high-performance intra-crystalline mesoporous zeolite-confined metal/metal oxide catalysts for high-temperature industrial thermal catalysis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Encapsulation of large dye molecules in hierarchically superstructured metal–organic frameworks

Microporous metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) represent a new family of microporous materials, offering potential applications in gas separation and storage, catalysis, and membranes. We expect that the engineering of hierarchical superstructured MOFs, i.e., fabricating mesopores in microporous frameworks during the crystallization stage will serve a myriad of applications for molecular adsorption, drug delivery, and catalysis. But, MOFs with mesopores are rarely studied because of the lack of a simple, effective way to construct mesoscale cavities in the structures. We report the use of a perturbation-assisted nanofusion technique to construct hierarchically superstructured MOFs. In particular, the mesopores in the MOF structure enabled the confinement of large dye species, resulting in fluorescent MOF materials, which can serve as a new type of ratiometric luminescent sensors for typical volatile organic compounds.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

3D dual-confined sulfur encapsulated in porous carbon nanosheets and wrapped with graphene aerogels as a cathode for advanced lithium sulfur batteries

Although lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have attracted much attention due to their high theoretical specific energy and low cost, their practical applications have been severely hindered by poor cycle life, inadequate sulfur utilization, and the insulating nature of sulfur. Here, we report a rationally designed Li–S cathode with a dual-confined configuration formed by confining sulfur in 2D carbon nanosheets with an abundant porous structure followed by 3D graphene aerogel wrapping. The porous carbon nanosheets act as the sulfur host and suppress the diffusion of polysulfide, while the graphene conductive networks anchor the sulfur-adsorbed carbon nanosheets, providing pathways for rapid electron/ion transport and preventing polysulfide dissolution. As a result, the hybrid electrode exhibits superior electrochemical performance, including a large reversible capacity of 1328 mA h g -1 in the first cycle, excellent cycling stability (maintaining a reversible capacity of 647 mA h g -1 at 0.2 C after 300 cycles) with nearly 100% Coulombic efficiency, and a high rate capability of 512 mA h g -1 at 8 C for 30 cycles, which is among the best reported rate capabilities.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Encapsulated Sb and Sb 2 O 3 particles in waste-tire derived carbon as stable composite anodes for sodium-ion batteries

A conductive network of waste-tire derived carbon (WTC) was used to produce homogeneous Sb/WTC and Sb 2 O 3 /WTC composite materials via ball milling as promising anodes for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Highly reversible redox peaks at 0.81/0.71, 0.25 V for Sb/WTC and 0.80/0.76, 0.21/0.26 V for Sb 2 O 3 /WTC anodes have been observed related to Na + intercalation and deintercalation in carbon and Na–Sb and Na 3 Sb as plausible conversion/alloy reactions. Sodium half-cells delivered reversible discharge capacities of 206 mA h g -1 and 207 mA h g -1 at a current density of 37 mA g -1 for the composite Sb/WTC and Sb 2 O 3 /WTC materials, respectively. Both the Sb/WTC and Sb 2 O 3 /WTC composite materials showed impressive capacity retention with 85% and 88%, respectively after 100 cycles. Furthermore, rate capability studies at 60 °C yielded an enhanced capacity of 240 mA h g -1 for Sb/WTC and 300 mA h g -1 for Sb 2 O 3 /WTC at 37 mA g -1 .

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Spectroscopic characterization of neptunium(VI), plutonium(VI), americium(VI) and neptunium(V) encapsulated in uranyl nitrate hexahydrate

The coordination of crystalline products resulting from the co-crystallization of Np(VI), Pu(VI), Am(VI), and Np(V) with uranyl nitrate hexahydrate (UNH) has been revealed through solid-state spectroscopic characterization via diffuse reflectance UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy, SEM-EDS, and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. Density functional and multireference wavefunction calculations were performed to analyze the An(VI/V)O 2 (NO 3 ) 2 ·2H 2 O electronic structures and to help assign the observed transitions in the absorption spectra. EXAFS show a similar coordination between the U(VI) in UNH and Np(VI) and Pu(VI); while Am resulted in a similar coordination to Am(III), as reduction of Am(VI) occurred prior to EXAFS data being obtained. Finally, the co-crystallization of the oxidized transuranic species—penta- and hexavalent—with UNH, represents a significant advance from not only a practical standpoint in providing an elegant solution for used nuclear fuel recycle, but also as an avenue to expand the fundamental understanding of the 5f electronic behavior in the solid-state.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Spectroscopic characterization of neptunium(VI), plutonium(VI), americium(VI) and neptunium(V) encapsulated in uranyl nitrate hexahydrate

The coordination of crystalline products resulting from the co-crystallization of Np(VI), Pu(VI), Am(VI), and Np(V) with uranyl nitrate hexahydrate (UNH) has been revealed through solid-state spectroscopic characterization via diffuse reflectance UV-Vis-NIR, SEM-EDS, and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). Density functional and multireference wavefunction calculations were performed to analyze the An(VI/V)O 2 (NO 3 ) 2 ·2H 2 O electronic structures and to help assign the observed transitions in the absorption spectra. EXAFS show a similar coordination between the U(VI) in UNH and Np(VI) and Pu(VI); while Am resulted in a similar coordination to Am(III), as reduction of Am(VI) occurred prior to EXAFS data being obtained. Here, the co-crystallization of the oxidized transuranic species—penta- and hexavalent—with UNH, represents a significant advance from not only a practical standpoint in providing an elegant solution for used nuclear fuel recycle, but also as an avenue to expand the fundamental understanding of the 5f electronic behavior in the solid-state.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Photoinitiated thermoset polymerization through controlled release of metathesis catalysts encapsulated in poly(phthalaldehyde)

Photoinitiated polymerization enables spatiotemporal control of reaction conditions and can thereby generate materials with high complexity while consuming minimal energy. Where ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) is concerned, photo-activated processes are typically enabled by chemical inhibition of ruthenium carbenes via the careful design of complexed ligands such that photoactivation can proceed through an isomerization or ligand dissociation event. In this contribution, we have explored a new approach to photoinitiation of ROMP based on physical inhibition through microencapsulation and controlled release of metathesis catalysts. Micron-sized particles of poly(phthalaldehyde) (PPA), catalyst, and photoacid generator were fabricated by spray drying. The particles were dispersed in dicyclopentadiene monomer, after which polymerization was initiated through temperature or UV exposure, both inducing depolymerization of the PPA particles and in situ catalyst release. The monomer/particle dispersions were found to be stable and reproducibly polymerizable with 3 weeks of storage at room temperature. Furthermore, the dispersions can be used for both photo- and thermal-initiated frontal ROMP, yielding a polymerized thermoset of equivalent properties to conventional bulk- and frontally-polymerized analogues. In conclusion, this work will ultimately enable new manufacturing techniques for ROMP-based materials, due to the modular, easily tunable nature of the underlying initiating system and its unparalleled stability.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗