A new sustainable material for storing heat and releasing it on demand has been demonstrated for long-term latent heat storage (LLHS). The material consists of a high-latent-heat sugar alcohol phase...
In clinical settings, the dosing
and differential diagnosis of
the poisoning of morphine (MO) and codeine (CO) is challenging due
to interindividual variations in metabolism. However, direct electrochemical
detection of these analytes from biological matrices is inherently
challenging due to interference from large concentrations of anions,
such as ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA), as well as fouling
of the electrode by proteins. In this work, a disposable Nafion-coated
single-walled carbon nanotube network (SWCNT) electrode was developed.
We show facile electron transfer and efficient charge separation between
the interfering anions and positively charged MO and CO, as well as
significantly reduced matrix effect in human plasma. The Nafion coating
alters the voltammetric response of MO and CO, enabling simultaneous
detection. With this SWCNT/Nafion electrode, two linear ranges of
0.05–1 and 1–10 μM were found for MO and one linear
range of 0.1–50 μM for CO. Moreover, the selective and
simultaneous detection of MO and CO was achieved in large excess of
AA and UA, as well as, for the first time, in unprocessed human plasma.
The favorable properties of this electrode enabled measurements in
plasma with only mild dilution and without the precipitation of proteins.
We prepare disposable single-walled carbon nanotube network electrodes for the detection of the potent opioid fentanyl, currently a leading cause for opioid overdose deaths in the USA. We show repeatable dry transfer of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) networks to produce robust electrodes. This process directly produces highly conductive SWCNT electrodes without the need for any further modifications required for conventional carbon electrodes. The realized electrode showed low background currents combined with spontaneous enrichment of fentanyl, resulting in a high signal-to-noise ratio. With this electrode, a detection limit of 11 nM and a linear range of 0.01−1 μM were found for fentanyl. In addition, selectivity is demonstrated in the presence of several common interferents.
We report a positron annihilation study using state-of-the-art experimental and theoretical methods in n-type and semiinsulating β -Ga 2 O 3 . We utilize the recently discovered unusually strong Doppler broadening signal anisotropy of β -Ga 2 O 3 in orientation-dependent Doppler broadening measurements, complemented by temperature-dependent positron lifetime experiments and first principles calculations of positron-electron annihilation signals. We find that split Ga vacancies dominate the positron trapping in β -Ga 2 O 3 single crystals irrespective of type of dopant or conductivity, implying concentrations of at least 1 × 10 18 cm −3 .
We present a quantitatively accurate machine-learning
(ML) model
for the computational prediction of core–electron binding energies,
from which X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra can be readily
obtained. Our model combines density functional theory (DFT) with
GW
and uses kernel ridge regression for the ML predictions.
We apply the new approach to disordered materials and small molecules
containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen and obtain qualitative and
quantitative agreement with experiment, resolving spectral features
within 0.1 eV of reference experimental spectra. The method only requires
the user to provide a structural model for the material under study
to obtain an XPS prediction within seconds. Our new tool is freely
available online through the XPS Prediction Server.
The understanding of microbial growth dynamics during in situ fermentation and production of bacterial cellulose (BC) with impressive properties mimicking artificial nacre, suitable for commodity applications remains fundamentally challenging. Fabrication of BC/graphene films through a single step in situ fermentation with improved properties provides a sustainable replacement to the conventional chemical-based modification using toxic compounds. This work reports the effect of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) on in situ fermentation kinetics and demonstrates the formation of percolated-network in BC/RGO nanostructures. The evaluation of kinetic parameters shows that the specific growth rate reaches optimal values at 3 wt % RGO loadings, with mixed growth associated BC production behavior. The two-dimensional graphene sheets uniformly dispersed into a three-dimensional matrix of BC nanofibers via hydrogen-bonded interactions along with in situ reductions of RGO sheets, as confirmed from spectroscopic studies. This study also demonstrates the presence of percolated network-like structures between BC fibers and RGO platelets, which resulted in the formation of nanostructures with exceptional mechanical robustness and electrical conductivity. The physicochemical and structural properties of fabricated BC/RGO films were found to significantly depend upon the RGO compositions as well as fermentation conditions. We envision that the proposed ecofriendly and scalable technology for the formation of BC/RGO films with excellent inherent properties and performance will attract great interest for its prospective applications in flexible electronics.
Four different types
of crystalline and fibrillar nanocellulosic
materials with different functional groups (sulfate, carboxylate,
amino-silane) are produced and used to disperse commercial multiwalled
carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). Aqueous nanocellulose/MWCNT dispersions
are drop-cast on tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) substrates to
obtain highly stable composite electrodes. Their electrochemical properties
are studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements with Ru(NH3)6
2+/3+, IrCl6
2–/3– redox probes, in electrolytes of different ionic strengths. All
studied nanocellulose/MWCNT composites show excellent stability over
a wide potential range (−0.6 to +1 V) in different electrolytes.
Highly anionic and more porous fibrillar nanocellulosic composites
indicate strong electrostatic and physical enrichment of cationic
Ru(NH3)6
2+/3+ in lower-ionic-strength
electrolytes, while lesser anionic and denser crystalline nanocellulosic
composites show no such effects. This study provides essential insights
into developing tailorable nanocellulose/carbon nanomaterial hybrid
platforms for different electrochemical applications, by altering
the constituent nanocellulosic material properties.
Complete removal of metal catalyst
particles from carbon nanofibers
(CNFs) and other carbon nanostructures is extremely difficult, and
the envisioned applications may be compromised by the left-over impurities.
To circumvent these problems, one should use, wherever possible, such
catalyst materials that are meant to remain in the structure and have
some application-specific role, making any removal steps unnecessary.
Thus, as a proof-of-concept, we present here a nanocarbon-based material
platform for electrochemical hydrogen peroxide measurement utilizing
a Pt catalyst layer to grow CNFs with intact Pt particles at the tips
of the CNFs. Backed by careful scanning transmission electron microscopy
analysis, we show that this material can be readily realized with
the Pt catalyst layer thickness impacting the resulting structure
and also present a growth model to explain the evolution of the different
types of structures. In addition, we show by electrochemical analysis
that the material exhibits characteristic features of Pt in cyclic
voltammetry and it can detect very small amounts of hydrogen peroxide
with very fast response times. Thus, the present sensor platform provides
an interesting electrode material with potential for biomolecule detection
and in fuel cells and batteries. In the wider range, we propose a
new approach where the selection of catalytic particles used for carbon
nanostructure growth is made so that (i) they do not need to be removed
and (ii) they will have essential role in the final application.
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