Extremely reduced loss tangent with retaining ultra high dielectric permittivity in Mg2+-doped La1.9Sr0.1NiO4 ceramics.

An extremely reduced loss tangent while retaining ultrahigh dielectric permittivity can be successfully obtained in La1.9Sr0.1NiO4 ceramics by doping with Mg2+ ions. A single phase of La1.9Sr0.1NiO4 was detected in all the sintered ceramics, while the lattice parameters increased with increasing doping concentration, indicating that Mg2+ ions can enter the Ni2+ sites. A highly dense microstructure is achieved. Microstructural analysis revealed that Mg2+ ions disperse well in the microstructure of La1.9Sr0.1NiO4 ceramics. Interestingly, ultra-high dielectric permittivity of approximately 8.11 × 105 at 1 kHz is achieved in the La1.9Sr0.1Ni0.6Mg0.4O4 ceramic, while the loss tangent is significantly reduced by two orders of magnitude compared to the undoped La1.9Sr0.1NiO4 ceramic. The DC conductivity significantly decreased by three orders of magnitude. The giant dielectric responses are described by Maxwell-Wagner polarization and small polaron hopping mechanisms. Thus, the significant reduction in the loss tangent can be attributed to the significantly enhanced resistance of the grain boundaries.

New Folding 2D-Layered Nitro-Oxygenated Carbon Containing Ultra High-Loading Copper Single Atoms.

The discoveries of 2D nanomaterials have made huge impacts on the scientific community. Their unique properties unlock new technologies and bring significant advances to diverse applications. Herein, an unprecedented 2D-stacked material consisting of copper (Cu) on nitro-oxygenated carbon is disclosed. Unlike any known 2D stacked structures that are usually constructed by stacking of separate 2D layers, this material forms a continuously folded 2D-stacked structure. Interestingly, advanced characterizations indicate that Cu atoms inside the structure are in an atomically-dispersed form with extraordinarily high Cu loading up to 15.9 ± 1.2 wt.%, which is among the highest reported metal loading for single-atom catalysts on 2D supports. Facile exfoliation results in thin 2D nanosheets that maximize the exposure of the unique active sites (two neighboring Cu single atoms), leading to impressive catalytic performance, as demonstrated in the electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction.

Significant enhancement of dielectric permittivity and percolation behaviour of La2-x Sr x NiO4/poly(vinylidene fluoride) composites with different Sr doping concentrations.

The percolation behaviour and dielectric properties of La2-x Sr x NiO4 (LSNO)/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) composites with different Sr doping concentrations were investigated. The semiconducting LSNO filler particles with x = 0.2 (LSNO-1) and x = 0.4 (LSNO-2) were prepared using a chemical combustion method. The microstructures, thermal properties, and phase compositions of the polymer composites and filler particles were systematically investigated. The conductivity of the LSNO fillers increased with the Sr content and had an important impact on the dielectric properties of the LSNO/PVDF composites. The percolation threshold of the LSNO-2/PVDF composite was lower than that of the LSNO-1/PVDF composite. An ultra-high dielectric permittivity (ε') of 3384.7 (at 1 kHz and room temperature), which was approximately 340 times higher than that of pure PVDF, was obtained for the LSNO-2/PVDF composite with a filler volume fraction of 25 vol%. The enhanced dielectric properties were attributed to interfacial polarisation at the semiconductor-insulator interface, a micro-capacitor model, and the intrinsically remarkable dielectric properties of the LSNO ceramic.