Polyaniline (PANI)/Au composite hollow spheres were successfully synthesized using polystyrene/sulfonated polystyrene core/shell gel particle templates. The PANI shell thickness and the number of Au nanoparticles decorating the PANI could be controlled effectively by adjusting the experimental conditions. The morphology, composition, and optical properties of the resulting products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra. It was found that the electrical conductivity of the PANI/Au composite hollow spheres was more than 3 times higher than that of the pure PANI hollow spheres. Furthermore, PANI/Au composites were immobilized on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and applied to construct a sensor. The obtained PANI/Au-modified GCEs showed one pair of redox peaks and high catalytic activity for the oxidation of dopamine. The possible formation mechanism of the PANI/Au composite hollow spheres was also discussed.

Here, we report for the first time a facile ultrasonic synthesis of Fe3O4 nanoparticles using FeCl3 and the organic solvent ethanolamine (ETA). The intermediate of the ETA-Fe(II) complex produces Fe3O4 after hydrolysis and hydrothermal treatment. The moderate reduction of ETA and ultrasound play an important role in the synthesis of superfine Fe3O4 particles with a very high specific surface area (165.05 m(2) g(-1)). The Fe3O4 nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy (UV-vis). Fe3O4 as an electrode material was fabricated into a supercapacitor and characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements. The as-synthesized Fe3O4 exhibits remarkable pseudocapacitive activities including high specific capacitance (207.7 F g(-1) at 0.4 A g(-1)), good rate capability (90.4 F g(-1) at 10 A g(-1)), and excellent cycling stability (retention 100% after 2000 cycles). This novel synthetic route towards Fe3O4 is a convenient and potential way of producing a secondary energy material which is expected to be applicable in the synthesis of other metal oxide nanoparticles.

Li(3)V(2)(PO(4))(3)/graphene nanocomposites have been firstly formed on reduced graphene sheets as cathode material for lithium batteries. The nanocomposites synthesized by the sol-gel process exhibit excellent high-rate and cycling stability performance, owing to the nanoparticles connected with a current collector through the conducting graphene network.

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