In the present paper, we have developed for the first time the electrochemically shape-controlled synthesis in deep eutectic solvents (DESs) for the preparation of Pt nanocrystals enclosed by high-index facets. Monodispersed concave tetrahexahedral Pt nanocrystals (THH Pt NCs) have been prepared through this new route. The concave THH Pt NCs were characterized by SEM, TEM, and AFM. The as-prepared concave Pt NCs are bounded with {910} and vicinal high-index facets, which exhibit superior catalytic activity and stability to those of the commercial Pt black catalyst for ethanol electrooxidation. We have demonstrated also that the electrochemically shape-controlled synthesis in DESs proves advantageous in controlling the size and shape of Pt NCs without the addition of seeds, surfactants, or other chemicals and could be applied in the synthesis of other noble metal NCs with high surface energy and high catalytic activity.
A fully rollable nanocomposite-based nanogenerator (NCG) is developed by integrating a lead-free piezoelectric hybrid layer with a type of nanofiber-supported silver nanowire (AgNW) network as electrodes. The thin-film nanocomposite is composed of electroactive polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer matrix and compositionally modified potassium sodium niobate-based nanoparticles (NPs) with a high piezoelectric coefficient ( d) of 53 pm/V, which is revealed by the piezoresponse force microscopy measurements. Under periodical agitation at a compressive force of 50 N and 1 Hz, the NCG can steadily render high electric output up to an open-circuit voltage of 18 V and a short-circuit current of 2.6 μA. Of particular importance is the decent rollability of the NCG, as indicated by the negligible decay in the electric output after it being repeatedly rolled around a gel pen for 200 cycles. Besides, the biocompatible NCG can potentially be used to scavenge biomechanical energy from low-frequency human motions, as demonstrated by the scenarios of walking and elbow joint movement. These results rationally expand the feasibility of the developed NCG toward applications in lightweight, diminutive, and multifunctional rollable or wearable electronic devices.
Sulfur-doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes (S-MWCNTs) derived from PEDOT-functionalized MWCNTs can significantly improve the dispersion of supported Pt nanoparticles and enhance their electrocatalytic performance for the MOR.
The miniaturization of electronic devices and power systems for capacitive energy storage under harsh environments requires scalable high‐quality ultrathin high‐temperature dielectric films. To meet the need, ultrasonic spray‐coating (USC) can be used. Novel polyimides with a dipolar group, CF3 (F‐PI), and all‐organic composites with trace organic semiconductor can serve as models. These scalable high‐quality ultrathin films (≈2.6 and ≈5.2 µm) are successfully fabricated via USC. The high quality of the films is evaluated from the micro‐millimeter scale to the sub‐millimeter and above. The high glass transition temperature Tg (≈340 °C) and concurrent large bandgap Eg (≈3.53 eV) induced by weak conjugation from considerable interchain distance (≈6.2 Å) enable F‐PI to be an excellent matrix delivering a discharge energy density with 90% discharge efficiency Uη90 of 2.85 J cm−3 at 200 °C. Further, the incorporation of a trace organic semiconductor leads to a record Uη90 of ≈4.39 J cm−3 at 200 °C due to the markedly enhanced breakdown strength caused by deep charge traps of ≈2 eV. Also, a USC‐fabricated multilayer F‐PI foil capacitor with ≈85 nF (six layers) has good performance at 150 °C. These results confirm that USC is an excellent technology to fabricate high‐quality ultrathin dielectric films and capacitors.
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