Morphological and crystalline evolution of nanostructured MnO2 and its application in lithium--air batteries.

Single-crystal α-MnO(2) nanotubes have been successfully synthesized by microwave-assisted hydrothermal of potassium permanganate in the presence of hydrochloric acid. The growth mechanism including the morphological and crystalline evolution has been carefully studied with time-dependent X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and controlled synthesis. The as-synthesized MnO(2) nanostructures are incorporated in air cathodes of lithium--air batteries as electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions. The characterization reveals that the electrodes made of single-crystalline α-MnO(2) nanotubes exhibit much better stability than those made of α-MnO(2) nanowires and δ-MnO(2) nanosheet-based microflowers in both charge and discharge processes.

Nanophase evolution at semiconductor/electrolyte interface in situ probed by time-resolved high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction.

Real-time evolution of nanoparticles grown at the semiconductor/electrolyte interface formed between a single crystalline n-type GaAs wafer and an aqueous solution of AgNO(3) has been studied by using high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The results reveal the distinct nucleation and growth steps involved in the growth of anisotropic Ag nanoplates on the surface of the GaAs wafer. For the first time, a quick transit stage is observed to be responsible for the structural transformation of the nuclei to form structurally stable seeds that are critical for guiding their anisotropic growth into nanoplates. Reaction between a GaAs wafer and AgNO(3) solution at room temperature primarily produces Ag nanoplates on the surface of the GaAs wafer in the dark and at room temperature. In contrast, X-ray irradiation can induce charge separation in the GaAs wafer to drive the growth of nanoparticles made of silver oxy salt (Ag(7)NO(11)) and silver arsenate (Ag(3)AsO(4)) at the semiconductor/electrolyte interface if the GaAs wafer is illuminated by the X-ray and reaction time is long enough.

Soft lithography using acryloxy perfluoropolyether composite stamps.

This paper describes composite patterning elements that use a commercially available acryloxy perfluoropolyether (a-PFPE) in various soft lithographic techniques, including microcontact printing, nanotransfer printing, phase-shift optical lithography, proximity field nanopatterning, molecular scale soft nanoimprinting, and solvent assisted micromolding. The a-PFPE material, which is similar to a methacryloxy PFPE (PFPE-DMA) reported recently, offers a combination of high modulus (10.5 MPa), low surface energy (18.5 mNm(-1)), chemical inertness, and resistance to solvent induced swelling that make it useful for producing high fidelity patterns with these soft lithographic methods. The results are comparable to, and in some cases even better than, those obtained with the more widely explored material, high modulus poly(dimethylsiloxane) (h-PDMS).