Low electrical efficiency for the lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) electrochemical reaction is one of the most significant challenges in current nonaqueous Li-O2 batteries. Here we present ruthenium oxide nanoparticles (RuO2 NPs) dispersed on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a cathode, which dramatically increase the electrical efficiency up to 73%. We demonstrate that the RuO2 NPs contribute to the formation of poorly crystalline lithium peroxide (Li2O2) that is coated over the CNT with large contact area during oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). This unique Li2O2 structure can be smoothly decomposed at low potential upon oxygen evolution reaction (OER) by avoiding the energy loss associated with the decomposition of the more typical Li2O2 structure with a large size, small CNT contact area, and insulating crystals.

It is commonly accepted that the combination of the anisotropic shape and nanoscale dimensions of the mineral constituents of natural biological composites underlies their superior mechanical properties when compared to those of their rather weak mineral and organic constituents. Here, we show that the self-assembly of nearly spherical iron oxide nanoparticles in supercrystals linked together by a thermally induced crosslinking reaction of oleic acid molecules leads to a nanocomposite with exceptional bending modulus of 114 GPa, hardness of up to 4 GPa and strength of up to 630 MPa. By using a nanomechanical model, we determined that these exceptional mechanical properties are dominated by the covalent backbone of the linked organic molecules. Because oleic acid has been broadly used as nanoparticle ligand, our crosslinking approach should be applicable to a large variety of nanoparticle systems.

Understanding of electrochemical process in rechargeable Li-O2 battery has suffered from lack of proper analytical tool, especially related to the identification of chemical species and number of electrons involved in the discharge/recharge process. Here we present a simple and straightforward analytical method for simultaneously attaining chemical and quantified information of Li2O2 (discharge product) and byproducts using in situ XRD measurement. By real-time monitoring of solid-state Li2O2 peak area, the accurate efficiency of Li2O2 formation and the number of electrons can be evaluated during full discharge. Furthermore, by observation of sequential area change of Li2O2 peak during recharge, we found nonlinearity of Li2O2 decomposition rate for the first time in ether-based electrolyte.

Tooth enamel has the critical role of enabling the mastication of food and also of protecting the underlying vital dentin and pulp structure. Unlike most vital tissue, enamel has no ability to repair or remodel and as such has had to develop robust damage tolerance to withstand contact fatigue events throughout the lifetime of a species. To achieve such behaviour, enamel has evolved a complex hierarchical structure that varies slightly between different species. The major component of enamel is apatite in the form of crystallite fibres with a nanometresized diameter that extend from the dentin-enamel junction to the oral surface. These crystallites are bound together by proteins and peptides into a range of hierarchical structures from micrometre diameter prisms to 50-100 µm diameter bundles of prisms known as Hunter-Schreger bands. As a consequence of such complex structural organization, the damage tolerance of enamel increases through various toughening mechanisms in the hierarchy but at the expense of fracture strength. This review critically evaluates the role of hierarchy on the development of the R-curve and the stress-strain behaviour. It attempts to identify and quantify the multiple mechanisms responsible for this behaviour as well as their impact on damage tolerance.

Here, we report the synthesis of vanadium diselenide (VSe 2 ) three-dimensional nanoparticles (NPs) and two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets (NSs) utilizing nanosecond pulsed laser ablation technique followed by liquid-phase exfoliation. Furthermore, a systematic study has been conducted on the effect of NP and NS morphologies of VSe 2 in their catalytic activities toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) under alkaline, neutral, and acidic conditions. Research on VSe 2 clearly demonstrates that these morphologies do not have a significant difference for ORR and OER; however, a drastic effect of morphology was observed for HER. The ORR activity of both NSs and NPs involves ∼2.85 numbers of electrons with the Tafel slope of 120 mV/dec in alkaline and neutral pH. In alkaline solution, NPs are proved to be an efficient catalyst for OER with an onset potential 1.5 V; however, for HER, NSs have a better onset potential of −0.25 V. Moreover, the obtained NPs have also better catalytic activity with a 400 mV anodic shift in the onset potential compared to NSs. These results provide a reference point for the future application of VSe 2 in energy storage and conversion devices and mass production of other 2D materials.

No abstract

a b s t r a c tIn this work we report a highly efficient photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) based on PAN-CNT/TiO 2 -NH 2 composite nanofibers fabricated by using electrospinning technique followed by chemical crosslinking of surface modified TiO 2 NPs functionalized with amino group. The structure and morphology of the fabricated composite nanofibers were characterized by FTIR, SEM, TEM, TGA, and XPS. The results indicate that the composite nanofibers possess excellent photoreduction performance for Cr(VI) under visible light (125 W) after 30 min, which is much faster than previous reports. The effects of various experimental parameters such as catalyst dose, irradiation time, initial concentration of Cr(VI), and pH on the photoreduction efficiency of Cr(VI) were investigated. The highest photoreduction efficiency of Cr (VI) was obtained at low acidity and low amount of TiO 2 /CNT photocatalyst. The kinetic experimental data was attained and fitted well with a pseudo-first-order model. The UV-vis spectrophotometer and XPS analyses proved that chromate Cr(VI) was reduced to Cr(III). In addition, it can be concluded that the addition of the phenol enhances the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI). Furthermore, the photoreduction mechanism has also been discussed. Finally, the fabricated composite nanofibers were found to be stable after at least five regeneration cycles. (A. Mohamed), salam@kth.se (A. Uheida).

Lithium salt (LiCl, LiBr, LiI, or LiNO 3 ) and a non-ionic surfactant (such as 10-lauryl ether, C 12 E 10 ) form lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) mesophases in the presence of a small amount of water. The mesophases can be prepared as gels by mixing all the ingredients in one pot or in the solution phase that they can be prepared by coating over any substrate where the LLC phase is formed by evaporating excess solvent. The second method is easier and produces the same mesophase as the first method. A typical composition of the LLC phases consists of 2-3 water per salt species depending on the counter anion. The LiI-C 12 E 10 mesophases can also be prepared by adding I 2 to the media to introduce an I À /I 3 À redox couple that may be used as a gel-electrolyte in a dye-sensitized solar cell. Even though the mesophases contain a large amount of water in the media, this does not affect the cell performance.The water molecules in the mesophase are in the hydration sphere of the ions and do not act like bulk water, which is harmful to the anode of the dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). There are two major drawbacks of the salt-surfactant LLC mesophases in the DSSCs; one is the diffusion of the gels into the pores of the anode electrode and the other is the low ionic conductivity. The first issue was partially overcome by introducing the gel content as a solution and the gelation was carried in/over the pores of the dye modified titania films. To increase the ionic conductivity of the gels, other salts (such as LiCl, LiBr, and LiNO 3 ) with better ionic conductivity were added to the media, however, those gels behave less effectively than pure LiI/I 2 systems. Overall, the DSSCs constructed using the LLC electrolyte display high short circuit current (I sc of around 10 mA), high open circuit voltage (V oc of 0.81 V) and good fill factor (0.69) and good efficiency (3.3%). There is still room for improvement in addressing the above issues in order to enhance the cell efficiency by developing new methods of introducing the gel-electrolytes into the mesopores of the anode electrode. Lanka † Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: ATR-FTIR spectra of G2-LiCl-2, G2-LiBr-2, G2-LiI-2, and G2-LiNO 3 -2, ATR-FTIR spectrum and XRD pattern of mesocrystals of G2-LiI-I 2 -4, UV-vis absorption spectra of G2-LiI-I 2 -x (x is 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) and LiI-I 2 mixture in ethanol, water, acetonitrile and glycol Raman spectra of G2-LiI-2 and G2-LiI-I 2 -2, IPCE and time dependent IV curves. See