Processing routes have been developed for the production of thin ceramic films through precipitation from aqueous solutions. The techniques are based on crystal nucleation and growth onto functionalized interfaces. Surface functionalization routes have been developed by the mimicking of schemes used by organisms to produce complex ceramic composites such as teeth, bones, and shells. High-quality, dense polycrystalline films of oxides, hydroxides, and sulfides have now been prepared from "biomimetic" synthesis techniques. Ceramic films can be synthesized on plastics and other materials at temperatures below 100 degrees C. As a low-temperature process in which water rather than organic solvents is used, this synthesis is environmentally benign. Nanocrystalline ceramics can be produced, sometimes with preferred crystallite orientation. The direct deposition of high-resolution patterned films has also been demonstrated. The process is well suited to the production of organic-inorganic composites.
An operando electrochemical stage for the transmission electron microscope has been configured to form a "Li battery" that is used to quantify the electrochemical processes that occur at the anode during charge/discharge cycling. Of particular importance for these observations is the identification of an image contrast reversal that originates from solid Li being less dense than the surrounding liquid electrolyte and electrode surface. This contrast allows Li to be identified from Li-containing compounds that make up the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer. By correlating images showing the sequence of Li electrodeposition and the evolution of the SEI layer with simultaneously acquired and calibrated cyclic voltammograms, electrodeposition, and electrolyte breakdown processes can be quantified directly on the nanoscale. This approach opens up intriguing new possibilities to rapidly visualize and test the electrochemical performance of a wide range of electrode/electrolyte combinations for next generation battery systems.
Wood tissues with ordered cellular structurecan be mineralized using the simple surfactant‐templated sol‐gel process presented here. Hierarchical porous ceramic materials that are a faithful reproduction of the biological tissue and that also contain organized nanoporous channels are obtained. The Figure shows a mineralized poplar sample after calcination (see also inside front cover).
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