This work has developed a method to transfer a nanoparticle array from the parent substrate to the target surface. A close-packed and ordered Au nanoparticle (Au NP) array has been successfully transferred using poly(lactic acid) (PLA) as the mediator. For the transfer, the last step, i.e. removing the PLA mediator, plays a crucial role. The commonly-used dissolution of PLA in organic solvents cannot maintain array integrity. In this study, we have introduced wedging to peel off the PLA mediator. Relative to dissolution, wedging is a mild procedure and able to meet the requirement of transferring the vulnerable nanoparticle array. The Au NP arrays before and after transfer were thoroughly characterized by optical microscopy, TEM and SAXS.All the experimental results proved that the structure of the array was well preserved after transfer, at both the macroscopic and microscopic scales. Further, the transfer method was combined with layerby-layer (LbL) self-assembly to fabricate a freestanding nanoparticle-array-sandwiched membrane. In the polymer/nanoparticle nanocomposite membrane, the nanoparticles were arranged in a close, ordered and single-layer way, which is hardly achieved by in situ LbL self-assembly. The distinct architecture endows the membrane with excellent mechanical properties. Buckling instability testing exhibited that the modulus of the transfer membrane is four times higher than that of the LbL analogues. This exploration indicates an efficient way to manipulate two-dimensional nanoparticle structures, enabling them to fulfill their true potential.
Spinel structure NiCo2O4 suffers from poor electric conductivity and the resulted electrochemical properties in battery/supercapacitor system are still unsatisfied. In this paper, a free-standing electrode based on in-situ growth NiCo2O4 on carbon cloth has been synthesized by a surfactant-assisted solvothermal method (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS). The functional carbon cloth substrate makes unexpected contribution to the electrochemical lithium-ion storage. The assembled supercapacitor possesses ultrahigh pseudocapacitive properties with high mass loading. The specific capacitance of 2832[Formula: see text]F[Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text] has been obtained at 1[Formula: see text]A[Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text] current density with maintaining the high rate capability of 1620[Formula: see text]F[Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text] at 20[Formula: see text]A[Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text]. The obtained nanoneedle NiCo2O4/carbon cloth electrode also maintains a specific capacity of 2000[Formula: see text]mA[Formula: see text]h[Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text] at 40[Formula: see text]mA[Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text] and exceptional rate performance (1504[Formula: see text]mAh[Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text] at 400[Formula: see text]mA[Formula: see text]g[Formula: see text] when tested as anode material in lithium ion batteries.
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