Journal of Materials Chemistry Blog

Enhancing photocatalytic activity of titania materials by using porous structures and the addition of gold nanoparticles
Xingdong Wang and Rachel A. Caruso
J. Mater. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0JM02620D, Highlight

 The strategy to enhance the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ materials by introducing both porous structure to improve the mass transportation and gold nanoparticles to enhance the charge separation is reviewed in this highlight article from Xingdon Wang and Rachel Caruso from Australia.

Interested in knowing more?  Read the full article for free until the 3^rd December!

Growth and reductive transformation of a gold shell around pyramidal cadmium selenide nanocrystals
Michaela Meyns, Neus G. Bastus, Yuxue Cai, Andreas Kornowski, Beatriz H. Juárez, Horst Weller and Christian Klinke
J. Mater. Chem., 2010, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0JM03004J, Communication

Cadmium selenide nanocrystals were coated with a gold shell which could be transformed to small clusters by additional reducing agents reports Christian Klinke and co-workers from Germany and Spain in this Communication.  By varying the conditions of gold deposition they were able to tune the gold domain size and gain important information on the role of surface chemistry in heteronanoparticle synthesis and seed reactivity, both of which are crucial points regarding the chemical design of new materials for photocatalysis and optoelectronic applications.

Interested in knowing more?  Read the full article for free until the 3^rd December!

Size-dependent light-scattering effects of nanoporous TiO2 spheres in dye-sensitized solar cells
In Gyoung Yu, Yong Joo Kim, Hark Jin Kim, Chongmu Lee and Wan In Lee
J. Mater. Chem., 2010, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0JM02606A, Paper

In this paper a team from Inha University in South Korea report the successful application of submicron-sized monodispersed TiO₂ spheres (SPs) with high porosity as the light scattering layer of dye-sensitized solar cells.  This resulted in an increase of the photovoltaic conversion efficiency from 6.92 to 9.04% when using the SP which gave the highest light scattering efficiency.

Interested in knowing more?  Read the full article for free ntil the 3^rd December!

Carbon nanotubes from short hydrocarbon templates. Energy analysis of the Diels–Alder cycloaddition/rearomatization growth strategy
Eric H. Fort and Lawrence T. Scott
J. Mater. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0JM02517H, Paper

In this paper by Eric Fort and Lawrence Scott, aromatic hydrocarbon belts and hemispherical end-caps of varying length and diameter are evaluated computationally as possible templates from which carbon nanotubes might be grown by the Diels-Alder cycloaddition/rearomatization strategy.  The team from Boston College in the USA found that the Diels–Alder reactivity of nanotube template rims was relatively unaffected by the presence or absence of a cap on the other end.

Interested in knowing more? Read for free until November 30^th!

Ultra-narrow WS₂ nanoribbons encapsulated in carbon nanotubes
Zhiyong Wang, Keke Zhao, Hong Li, Zheng Liu, Zujin Shi, Jing Lu, Kazu Suenaga, Soon-Kil Joung, Toshiya Okazaki, Zhaoxia Jin, Zhennan Gu, Zhengxiang Gao and Sumio Iijima
J. Mater. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0JM02821E, Paper

A team from China and Japan report the synthesis via chemical reaction in the interior space of carbon nanotubes of zigzag-edged WS₂ nanoribbons with widths down to 1–3 nm and layer numbers of one to three. Layered WS₂ nanostructures are of both fundamental and technological interest. The widths of currently synthesized WS₂ ribbons are in the microscale but by using single-walled carbon nanotubes and double-walled carbon nanotubes as templates this team demonstrate that ribbons in the nanoscale are possible. 

Interested in knowing more? Read for free until November 30^th!

Fabrication of covalently crosslinked and amine-reactive microcapsules by reactive layer-by-layer assembly of azlactone-containing polymer multilayers on sacrificial microparticle templates
Eric M. Saurer, Ryan M. Flessner, Maren E. Buck and David M. Lynn
J. Mater. Chem., 2010, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0JM02633F, Paper

David Lynn and colleagues from the University of Wisconsin demonstrate an approach to the fabrication of covalently crosslinked and amine-reactive microcapsules by the ‘reactive’ layer-by-layer fabrication of azlactone-functionalized polymer multilayers on the surfaces of sacrificial microparticle templates.  These microcapsules have potential use in a wide range of fields, including catalysis, drug and gene delivery, imaging, and biomedical research.

Interested in knowing more? Read for free until November 30^th!

This ‘Hot Article’ by Liang Li, Yoshio Bando, Dmitri Golberg and colleagues, reviews recent developments in the synthetic strategies and unique applications of one-dimensional (1D) nanostructure arrays based on polystyrene (PS) spheres.

Polystyrene sphere-assisted one-dimensional nanostructure arrays: synthesis and applications
Liang Li, Tianyou Zhai, Haibo Zeng, Xiaosheng Fang, Yoshio Bando and Dmitri Golberg
J. Mater. Chem., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C0JM02230F, Feature Article

PS spheres can self-assemble into colloidal crystal monolayers that are currently employed as templates for the synthesis of 1D nanostructure arrays.  Compared to other classes of templates these monolayers can be easily formed and adjusted on substrates and further manipulated using subsequent growth methods.  Reported applications of PS-sphere mediated nanoarrays include field-emitters, antireflection, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), photonic crystals, surface wetting, and photocatalysis.

In this feature article, the team from the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan highlight recent developments in synthetic strategies, review emerging applications and analyse future challenges.

Read the full text here.  Free until November 24th!