Synthesis of Biomorphic ZrO2-CeO2 Nanostructures by Silkworm Silk Template

A simple and green technique has been developed to prepare hierarchical biomorphic ZrO2- CeO2, using silkworm silk as the template. Different from traditional immersion technics, the whole synthesis process depends more on the restriction or direction functions of the silkworm silk template. The analytic results showed that ZrO2-CeO2 exhibited a well-crystallized hierarchically interwoven hollow fiber structure with 16-28 μm in diameter. The grain size of the sample calcined at 800 ℃ was about 14 nm. Consequently, the interwoven meshwork at three dimensions is formed due to the direction of biotemplate. The action mechanism is summarily discussed here. It may bring the biomorphic ZrO2-CeO2 nanomaterials with hierarchical interwoven structures to more applications, such as catalysts.

Synthesis of Three-Dimensional Agaric-like Biomorphic TiO_2 by a Facile Method with Coscinodiscus sp.Frustule

The paper aims to expand the application of natural marine algae. Marine diatoms, which have intricate frustule struc- tures, can serve as bio-template for preparing three-dimensional materials. A simple and effective approach to synthesize the corru- gated agaric-like biomorphic TiO2 templated with frustule of Coscinodiscus sp. is reported. In the sol-gel preparation process, the titania-coating on the frustule is prepared through the deposition and condensation with the aid of acetylacetone （acac） as a control- ling agent to make the precursor Ti（BuO）4 hydrolyze slowly. The as-prepared titania-coated frustule and biomorphic TiOz is charac- terized by scanning electron microscopy （SEM） attached with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer （EMAX） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The microstructure of the corresponding titania nanoparticles appears to be sphere with the diameters distributed around 10-20nm. The templating process is repeated for three cycles. Subsequently, the three-dimensional freestanding corrugated aga- ric-like biomorphic TiO2 structure is obtained by a selective removal in the NaOH solution. As far as we known, the 3D freestanding corrugated agaric-like biomorphic TiOz with greatly increased surface area is obtained for the first time.

Preparation of Biomorphic SiC/C Ceramics from Pine Wood via Supercritical Ethanol Infiltration

Biomorphic （wood derived） carbide ceramics with an overall composition in the SiC/C was produced by supereritical ethanol infiltration of low viscosity tetraethylorthosilicate/supercritical ethanol into biologically derived carbon templates （CB-templates） and in situ hydrolysis into Si（OH）4-gel, the Si（OH）4-gel was calcined at 1400℃ to promote the polycondensation of Si（OH）4-gel into SiO2-phase and then carbonthermal reduction of the SiO2 with the biocarbon template into highly porous, biomorphic SiC/C ceramics. The phases and morphology conversion mechanism of resulting porous SiC/C ceramics have been investigated by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FT-IR）. Experimental results showed that the biomorphic cellular morphology of pinewood charcoal was remained in the porous SiC/C ceramic with high precision that consisted of β-SiC with minority of α-SiC and the remain free carbon existed in amorphous phase.

Growing Biomorphic Transition Metal Dichalcogenides and Their Alloys Toward High Permeable Membranes and Efficient Electrocatalysts Applications

3D architecratured transition metal dichalcogenides constructed by atomically thin layers are appealing building blocks in various applications,such as catalysts,energy storage,conversions,sensors,and so on.However,the direct growth of 3D transition metal dichalcogenides architectures with high crystal quality and well-controlled size/thickness remains a huge challenge.Herein,we report a facile,highly-repeatable,and versatile chemical vapor deposition strategy,for the mass production of high-quality 3D-architecratured transition metal dichalcogenides(e.g.,MoS_(2),WS_(2),and ReS_(2))and their alloys(e.g.,W_(x)Mo(1–x)S_(2)and Rex Mo_((1–x))S_(2))nanosheets on naturally abundant and low-cost diatomite templates.Particularly,the purified transition metal dichalcogenides products exhibit unique and designable 3D biomorphic hierarchical microstructures,controllable layer thicknesses,tailorable chemical compositions,and good crystallinities.The weak interlayer interactions endow them with good dispersity in solutions to form stable additive-free inks for solution-processing-based applications,for example,high-permeable and high-stable separation membranes for water purification,and efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reactions.This work paves ways for the low-cost,mass production of versatile transition metal dichalcogenides powder-like materials with designable structures and properties,toward energy/environmental-related applications and beyond.

Measurement of Vibrational Stiffness and Air Damping of Damselfly Wings

A simple cantilever beam vibration test method made of biomorph and insect wing, were used to measure the vibrational stiffness and the air damping of insect wings. Vibration tests were performed in vacuum pressures to atmosphere and the wing stiffness and air damping factor were measured. The test method was found to be a viable method for measuring wing stiffness, natural frequencies and mode shapes. The vibrational deformation of the insect wings was found to be combination of bending and torsion because of unsymmetrical geometry of wing. The measured stiffness (K) of damselfly wings varied from 0.18 to 0.31 N/m and the air damping ratio ranged from 0.72 to 0.79. The undamped natural frequency (fn) at 13 kPa varied from 249 to 299 Hz and at atmosphere it varied from 168 to 198 Hz.

Applying the electroforming process to bio-inspired architecture： The case of Castelbuono Estate Winery

Inaugurated in June 2012, the Carapace at Castelbuono Estate Winery in Italy is a highly interesting example of biomorphic architecture. The structure, an artistic creation of world-renowned sculptor Arnatdo Pomodoro, is reminiscent of a tortoise shell that conveys a sense of protection： the Carapace structure guards wine barriques in the same way that the tortoise carapace protects the animal. Zoomorphic aspects are further exhibited by symbots on the roof, which remind observers of cuttlefish bone, a recurring element in the artistic production of Maestro Pomodoro. The roof was constructed by assembly of single copper plates with a rough surface in accordance with the design of the artist. Therefore, determining the appropriate production process was crucial. Etectroforming was selected as the method to achieve a challenging architectural goal.

In situ Formed Fan-Shaped Nanowires in Biomorphic SiO2：A Multidimensional Composite of Hierarchical Porous Material and Organic Pollutant Adsorption Behavior

Fan-shaped SiO2 nanowires modified SiO2@C composites with a bio-inspired hierarchical porous structure and a high accessible surface area were prepared by in situ molten salt template method.The combination of biogenic hierarchical porous structure and one-dimensional nanostructure with similar features was successfully obtained by one-pot heat treatment in the presence of rice husk SiO2 with SiO2 acting as precursor and ZnCl2 acting as molten salt and growth template.A large amount of fan-shaped SiO2 nanowires with numerous tiny branches sprouting from the central nanowires were grown in the inter-porous epidermis and on the surface of rice husk SiO2 for temperatures up to 1200 ℃.The in situ ZnCl2 molten salt template base-growth mechanism is responsible for the initial formation of SiO2/ZnCl2 co-melting nanowires and the subsequent growth of fan-shaped SiO2 nanowires.The as-prepared samples have been successfully employed as organic absorbers with high efficiency in the field of wastewater treatment.

Biomorphic SiC from lotus root

Biomorphic silicon carbide （bioSiC） with macro-channels and alveolate micropores was prepared by spontaneous infiltration of melted silicon into a carbon template derived from lotus root at 1600cC. The carbon template and purified bioSiC samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, camera and mercury intrusion. The results suggest that the bioSiC mainly consists of β-SiC and perfectly replicates the shape and microstructure of the carbon template. The bioSiC has a mean pore diameter of 91.1 μm and a porosity of 50.1%, both similar to those of the carbon template, 92.3 μm and 50.7%, respectively.