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Aligning PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 (PZT) nanowires in polydimethylsiloxane introduces dielectrophoresis, improving the electromechanical properties of nanogenerators, and the light transmittance of composite films. A novel transparent and antipeep piezoelectric nanogenerator is developed that can be used for harvesting the energy from the light tapping of a finger on a cell phone, with an output current of...
Exploitation of high‐performance anode materials is essential but challenging to the development of sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs). Among all proposed anode materials for SIBs, sulfides have been proved promising candidates due to their unique chemical and physical properties. In this work, a facile solvothermal method to in situ decorate cobalt sulfide (CoS) nanoplates on reduced graphene oxide (rGO)...
A facile in situ synthetic method is developed to synthesize metal sulfide nanoparticles based on 2D M‐TCPP (M = Cu, Cd, or Co, TCPP = tetrakis(4‐carboxyphenyl)porphyrin)) metal‐organic framework nanosheets. The obtained CuS/Cu‐TCPP composite nanosheet is used as the active material in photoelectrochemical cells, showing notably increased photocurrent due to the improved exciton separation and charge...
In article number 1700550, Martin Andersson and co‐workers, report a new method to form multiscale, bioinspired composite materials by combining bottom‐up molecular self‐assembly and top‐down additive manufacturing. The composites are ordered constructs with an organic‐inorganic interpenetrating nanostructure aligned over centimeter length‐scales, with structural features as small as 10 nm. The composites...
Biological composites display exceptional mechanical properties owing to a highly organized, heterogeneous architecture spanning several length scales. It is challenging to translate this ordered and multiscale structural organization in synthetic, bulk composites. Herein, a combination of top‐down and bottom‐up approach is demonstrated, to form a polymer‐ceramic composite by macroscopically aligning...
Potassium has its unique advantages over lithium or sodium as a charge carrier in rechargeable batteries. However, progresses in K‐ion battery (KIB) chemistry have so far been hindered by lacking suitable electrode materials to host the relatively large K+ ions compared to its Li+ and Na+ counterparts. Herein, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) “roses” grown on reduced graphene oxide sheets (MoS2@rGO) are...
In article number 1701471, Keyu Xie, Bingqing Wei, and co‐workers synthesize molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) “roses” grown on reduced graphene oxide sheets (rGO) with a unique nano‐architecture. It displays one of the best electrochemical performances to date as an anode material for nonaqueous K–ion batteries (KIBs), and a combined K+ storage mechanism of intercalation and conversion reaction is revealed...
A cellulose paper is used impregnated with light‐emitting CdTe nanocrystals and carbon dots, and filled with a polyurethane to fabricate uniform transparent composite films with bright photoluminescence of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) (RGB) colors. A building brick‐like assembly method is introduced to realize RGB multicolor emission patterns from this composite material. By sectioning out individual...
The use of supramolecular gel media for the crystallization of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) is of interest for controlling crystal size, morphology, and polymorphism, as these features determine the performance of pharmaceutical formulations. In contrast to supramolecular systems prepared from synthetic gelators, herein, supramolecular metallogels based on a natural polyphenol (tannic...
Natural wood possesses a unique 3D microstructure containing hierarchical interconnected channels along its growth direction. This study reports a facile processing strategy to utilize such structure to fabricate carbon/silicone composite based flexible pressure sensors. The unique contribution of the multichannel structure on the sensor performance is analyzed by comparing the pressure response of...
In article number 1803518, Helmut Cölfen and co‐workers use analytical ultracentrifugation to fabricate tailored nanoparticle gradient materials. Gradients of gold spheres, gold rods, and spherical iron oxide nanoparticles are generated by sedimentation of the nanoparticles in a thermoreversible gelatin matrix. The materials can be simulated in advance and the gradients are detected online by the...
Nanoparticle gradient materials are a unique class of functional materials. They combine the specific properties of nanoparticles with macroscopic materials. A continuous spatial gradient of the nanoparticle concentration leads to diverse physical property profiles. Therefore, these materials have a remarkable potential for applications in optics, electronics, and sensors. A novel approach for the...
Flexible strain sensors can detect physical signals (e.g., temperature, humidity, and flow) by sensing electrical deviation under dynamic deformation, and they have been used in diverse fields such as human motion detection, medical care, speech recognition, and robotics. Existing sensing materials have relatively low adaptability and durability and are not stretchable and flexible enough for complex...
In the scenario of renewable clean energy gradually replacing fossil energy, grid‐scale energy storage systems are urgently necessary, where Na‐ion batteries (SIBs) could supply crucial support, due to abundant Na raw materials and a similar electrochemical mechanism to Li‐ion batteries. The limited energy density is one of the major challenges hindering the commercialization of SIBs. Alloy‐type anodes...
In article number 1900628, Wei Yan, Shengjie Peng, and co‐workers overview recent research progress of carbon‐based alloy‐type composite anodes for sodium‐ion batteries, while challenges and perspectives are also proposed. Interaction mechanisms between the carbon matrix and active materials are discussed in‐depth, aiming to provide useful principles for further developing and designing alloy‐type...
Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are constructed by periodically alternate metal ions with organic ligands, which offer structural diversity and a wide range of interesting properties as an attractive classification of crystalline porous materials. Integration of MOFs with other size‐limited functional centers can supply new multifunctional composites, which exhibit both the properties of the components...
Graphene coatings composed of vertical spikes are shown to mitigate bacterial attachment. Such coatings present hydrophobic edges of graphene, which penetrate the lipid bilayers causing physical disruption of bacterial cells. However, manufacturing of such surfaces on a scale required for antibacterial applications is currently not feasible. This study explores whether graphite can be used as a cheaper...
Stretchable conductors capable of precise micropatterning are imperative for applications in various wearable technologies. Metallic nanoparticles with low aspect ratios and miniscule sizes are preferred over metallic nanowires or nanoflakes for such applications. However, nanoparticles tend to lose mutual contact during stretching. Therefore, they are rarely used alone in stretchable conductors....
3D printing (additive manufacturing (AM)) has enormous potential for rapid tooling and mass production due to its design flexibility and significant reduction of the timeline from design to manufacturing. The current state‐of‐the‐art in 3D printing focuses on material manufacturability and engineering applications. However, there still exists the bottleneck of low printing resolution and processing...
Seawater desalination is viewed as a promising solution to world freshwater scarcity. Solar assisted desalination is proposed to overcome the high energy consumption in current desalination technologies, as it uses abundant and sustainable solar energy as the only energy input. Interfacial solar vapor generation (SVG) has attracted considerable research interest due to its high energy conversion efficiency,...
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