The electrodes with the hierarchical nanoarchitectures could offer a huge increase in energy storage capacity. However, the ability to achieve such hierarchical architectures on a multiple scale still has remained a great challenge. In this paper, we report a scalable self-assembly strategy to create bioinspired hierarchical structures composed of functionalized graphene sheets to work as anodes of lithium-ion batteries. The resulting electrodes with novel multilevel architectures simultaneously optimize ion transport and capacity, leading to a high performance of reversible capacity of up to 1600 mAh/g, and 1150 mAh/g after 50 cycles. Importantly, the process to fabricate such hierarchical structures is facile, low-cost, green, and scalable, providing a universal approach for the rational design and engineering of electrode materials with enhanced performance, and it may have utility in various applications, including biological scaffold, catalysis, and sensors.
Highly stretchable microsupercapacitors with stable electrochemical performance are fabricated. Their excellent stretchable and electrochemical performance relies on the suspended wavy structures of graphene microribbons. This avoids the detachment and cracks of the electrode materials. In addition, it ensures the electrode fingers keep a relatively constant distance so the stability of the microsupercapacitors can be enhanced.
A synchronous reduction and assembly strategy is designed to fabricate large-area graphene films and patterns with tunable transmittance and conductivity. Through an oxidation-reduction reaction between the metal substrate and graphene oxide, graphene oxide is reduced to chemically converted graphene and is organized into highly ordered films in situ. This work will form the precedent for industrial-scale production of graphene materials for future applications in electronics and optoelectronics.
The introduction of cationic surfactant DODA as counterions of [Eu(H2O)2SiW11O39]5- can form a mesoscopic supramolecular assembly of (DODA)4H[Eu(H2O)2SiW11O39], which aggregates into vesicles in chloroform. This POM-based vesicle can be further transferred into three-dimensional microporous architectures under moist air. The present methodology shows that, by combining inorganic chemistry and colloidal surface chemistry, a sequential self-assembling approach based on a series of linkable preorganized building blocks allows access to the fabrication of technological applicably POM-based microsized patterns, alternated with the soft lithographic method.
Small molecules participate extensively in various life processes. However, specific and sensitive detection of small molecules in a living system is highly challenging. Here, we describe in vivo real-time dynamic monitoring of small molecules by a luminescent polymer-dot oxygen transducer. The optical transducer combined with an oxygen-consuming enzyme can sensitively detect small-molecule substrates as the enzyme-catalyzed reaction depletes its internal oxygen reservoir in the presence of small molecules. We exemplify this detection strategy by using glucose-oxidase-functionalized polymer dots, yielding high selectivity, large dynamic range, and reversible glucose detection in cell and tissue environments. The transducer-enzyme assembly after subcutaneous implantation provides a strong luminescence signal that is transdermally detectable and continuously responsive to blood glucose fluctuations for up to 30 days. In view of a large library of oxygen-consuming enzymes, this strategy is promising for in vivo detection and quantitative determination of a variety of small molecules.
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