Identifying biochemical constituents involved in the mycosynthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles.

Filamentous fungi are known to secrete biochemicals that drive the synthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) that vary in composition, size, and shape; a process deemed mycosynthesis. Following the introduction of precursor salts directly to the fungal mycelia or their exudates, mycosynthesis proceeds at ambient temperature and pressure, and near neutral pH, presenting significant energy and cost savings over traditional chemical or physical approaches. The mycosynthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs by various fungi exhibited a species dependent morphological preference for the resulting NPs, suggesting that key differences in the biochemical makeup of their individual exudates may regulate the controlled nucleation and growth of these different morphologies. Metabolomics and proteomics of the various fungal exudates suggest that metal chelators, such as hexamethylenetetramine, present in high concentrations in exudates of Aspergillus versicolor are critical for the production dense, well-formed, spheroid nanoparticles. The results also corroborate that the proteinaceous material in the production of ZnO NPs serves as a surface modifier, or protein corona, preventing excessive coagulation of the NPs. Collectively, these findings suggest that NP morphology is regulated by the small molecule metabolites, and not proteins, present in fungal exudates, establishing a deeper understanding of the factors and mechanism underlying mycosynthesis of NPs.

Real-Time Observation of Nanoscale Kink Band Mediated Plasticity in Ion-Irradiated Graphite: An In Situ TEM Study.

Graphite IG-110 is a synthetic polycrystalline material used as a neutron moderator in reactors. Graphite is inherently brittle and is known to exhibit a further increase in brittleness due to radiation damage at room temperature. To understand the irradiation effects on pre-existing defects and their overall influence on external load, micropillar compression tests were performed using in situ nanoindentation in the Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) for both pristine and ion-irradiated samples. While pristine specimens showed brittle and subsequent catastrophic failure, the 2.8 MeV Au2+ ion (fluence of 4.378 × 1014 cm-2) irradiated specimens sustained extensive plasticity at room temperature without failure. In situ TEM characterization showed nucleation of nanoscale kink band structures at numerous sites, where the localized plasticity appeared to close the defects and cracks while allowing large average strain. We propose that compressive mechanical stress due to dimensional change during ion irradiation transforms buckled basal layers in graphite into kink bands. The externally applied load during the micropillar tests proliferates the nucleation and motion of kink bands to accommodate the large plastic strain. The inherent non-uniformity of graphite microstructure promotes such strain localization, making kink bands the predominant mechanism behind unprecedented toughness in an otherwise brittle material.

Hierarchical Structured Cu/Ni/TiO2 Nanocomposites as Electrodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The electrochemical performance of anodes made of transition metal oxides (TMOs) in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) often suffers from their chemical and mechanical instability. In this research, a novel electrode with a hierarchical current collector for TMO active materials is successfully fabricated. It consists of porous nickel as current collector on a copper substrate. The copper has vertically aligned microchannels. Anatase titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles of ∼100 nm are directly synthesized and cast on the porous Ni using a one-step process. Characterization indicates that this electrode exhibits excellent performance in terms of capacity, reliable rate, and long cyclic stability. The maximum insertion coefficient for the reaction product of LixTiO2 is ∼0.85, a desirable value as an anode of LIBs. Cross-sectional SEM and EDS analysis confirmed the uniform and stable distribution of nanosized TiO2 nanoparticles inside the Ni microchannels during cycling. This is due to the synergistic effect of nano-TiO2 and the hierarchical Cu/Ni current collector. The advantages of the Cu/Ni/TiO2 anode include enhanced activity of electrochemical reactions, shortened lithium ion diffusion pathways, ultrahigh specific surface area, effective accommodation of volume changes of TiO2 nanoparticles, and optimized routes for electrons transport.

MoS2 monolayer catalyst doped with isolated Co atoms for the hydrodeoxygenation reaction.

The conversion of oxygen-rich biomass into hydrocarbon fuels requires efficient hydrodeoxygenation catalysts during the upgrading process. However, traditionally prepared CoMoS2 catalysts, although efficient for hydrodesulfurization, are not appropriate due to their poor activity, sulfur loss and rapid deactivation at elevated temperature. Here, we report the synthesis of MoS2 monolayer sheets decorated with isolated Co atoms that bond covalently to sulfur vacancies on the basal planes that, when compared with conventionally prepared samples, exhibit superior activity, selectivity and stability for the hydrodeoxygenation of 4-methylphenol to toluene. This higher activity allows the reaction temperature to be reduced from the typically used 300 °C to 180 °C and thus allows the catalysis to proceed without sulfur loss and deactivation. Experimental analysis and density functional theory calculations reveal a large number of sites at the interface between the Co and Mo atoms on the MoS2 basal surface and we ascribe the higher activity to the presence of sulfur vacancies that are created local to the observed Co-S-Mo interfacial sites.

The remarkable activity and stability of a highly dispersive beta-brass Cu-Zn catalyst for the production of ethylene glycol.

Incorporation of Zn atoms into a nanosize Cu lattice is known to alter the electronic properties of Cu, improving catalytic performance in a number of industrially important reactions. However the structural influence of Zn on the Cu phase is not well studied. Here, we show that Cu nano-clusters modified with increasing concentration of Zn, derived from ZnO support doped with Ga(3+), can dramatically enhance their stability against metal sintering. As a result, the hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate (DMO) to ethylene glycol, an important reaction well known for deactivation from copper nanoparticle sintering, can show greatly enhanced activity and stability with the CuZn alloy catalysts due to no noticeable sintering. HRTEM, nano-diffraction and EXAFS characterization reveal the presence of a small beta-brass CuZn alloy phase (body-centred cubic, bcc) which appears to greatly stabilise Cu atoms from aggregation in accelerated deactivation tests. DFT calculations also indicate that the small bcc CuZn phase is more stable against Cu adatom migration than the fcc CuZn phase with the ability to maintain a higher Cu dispersion on its surface.

Interstitial modification of palladium nanoparticles with boron atoms as a green catalyst for selective hydrogenation.

Lindlar catalysts comprising of palladium/calcium carbonate modified with lead acetate and quinoline are widely employed industrially for the partial hydrogenation of alkynes. However, their use is restricted, particularly for food, cosmetic and drug manufacture, due to the extremely toxic nature of lead, and the risk of its leaching from catalyst surface. In addition, the catalysts also exhibit poor selectivities in a number of cases. Here we report that a non-surface modification of palladium gives rise to the formation of an ultra-selective nanocatalyst. Boron atoms are found to take residence in palladium interstitial lattice sites with good chemical and thermal stability. This is favoured due to a strong host-guest electronic interaction when supported palladium nanoparticles are treated with a borane tetrahydrofuran solution. The adsorptive properties of palladium are modified by the subsurface boron atoms and display ultra-selectivity in a number of challenging alkyne hydrogenation reactions, which outclass the performance of Lindlar catalysts.