The morphological modulation and phase conversion of a-and b-Ni(OH) 2 complex architectures with varying subunits from nanopetals, nanocolumns, nanocones, and nanoflakes were investigated using a facile coordination homogeneous precipitation method in the Ni(NO 3 ) 2 + urea system. Slow growth and nucleation rates due to relatively low reaction temperatures and molar ratios of CO(NH 2 ) 2 to Ni(NO 3 ) 2 induced the formation of uniform flower-like a-Ni(OH) 2 architectures. Such flower-like architectures originated from subordinate nanopetals that grow perpendicular to the primordial nanopetal surface and are driven by minimum surface free energy effects. At relatively high reaction temperatures, flower-like a-Ni(OH) 2 can transform into b-Ni(OH) 2 microspheres assembled from nanocolumns, nanocones, and even nanoflakes by varying the reaction time. These processes could be related to the synergetic effect of the anisotropic growth and continuous increase in mass transportation along the [001] direction. Flower-like a-Ni(OH) 2 exhibited better electrochemical activity for glucose oxidation compared with b-Ni(OH) 2 microspheres consisting of nanocones because of its special flower-like morphology with high specific surface areas, well-ordered pores, and layered structures intercalated by water and anions. The approach in this study can be used to fabricate other metal hydroxide nanostructures. Flower-like Ni(OH) 2 nanoarchitectures have potential applications in rechargeable batteries, photonic catalysis, and non-enzymatic sensors for glucose.
High-density arrays of Co 3 O 4 nano/microlotus leaves with excellent fluorescent properties and biocompatibility were synthesized using a facile bubble-assisted evaporation-induced approach and its potential application in drug delivery was assessed. The morphologically controlled growth of Co 3 O 4 nano/microlotus leaf arrays could be realized by evaporating the acetone solution of cobalt nitrate hexahydrate in a tunable kinetic procedure, in which the gas bubbles generated in situ in the reaction system directed the assembly of the crystal coatings and/or the nuclei. These nano/microlotus leaf arrays were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nitrogen adsorption/desorption and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) measurements. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) loaded into these nano/microlotus leaf arrays was used as a model platform to assess the efficacy of the arrays as a drug delivery tool. Its release kinetics study revealed a two-step release pattern of FITC from the nano/microlotus leaf arrays for over 24 h, with a burst release of around 83.4% of the dye just within a few hours. We envision that these Co 3 O 4 nano/ microlotus leaf arrays, with the hierarchically porous structures and high efficacy to adsorb chemicals such as the fluorescent dye FITC, could serve as a delivery vehicle for controlled release of chemicals administered into live cells, opening the potential of these arrays for a diverse range of applications including drug storage and release as well as metabolic manipulation of cells.
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