Stable Zinc Anodes Enabled by Zincophilic Cu Nanowire Networks

Zn-based electrochemical energy storage(EES)systems have received tremendous attention in recent years,but their zinc anodes are seriously plagued by the issues of zinc dendrite and side reactions(e.g.,corrosion and hydrogen evolution).Herein,we report a novel strategy of employing zincophilic Cu nanowire networks to stabilize zinc anodes from multiple aspects.According to experimental results,COMSOL simulation and density functional theory calculations,the Cu nanowire networks covering on zinc anode surface not only homogenize the surface electric field and Zn^(2+)concentration field,but also inhibit side reactions through their hydrophobic feature.Meanwhile,facets and edge sites of the Cu nanowires,especially the latter ones,are revealed to be highly zincophilic to induce uniform zinc nucleation/deposition.Consequently,the Cu nanowire networks-protected zinc anodes exhibit an ultralong cycle life of over 2800 h and also can continuously operate for hundreds of hours even at very large charge/discharge currents and areal capacities(e.g.,10 mA cm^(-2)and 5 mAh cm^(-2)),remarkably superior to bare zinc anodes and most of currently reported zinc anodes,thereby enabling Zn-based EES devices to possess high capacity,16,000-cycle lifespan and rapid charge/discharge ability.This work provides new thoughts to realize long-life and high-rate zinc anodes.

Preparation,characterization and catalytic performance of Cu nanowire catalyst for CO_(2) hydrogenation

Pure Cu nanowires as catalyst were prepared by electrochemical deposition and were used in CO2 hydrogenation to methanol.The active sites of the Cu based catalyst were discussed.The performance and structural development of the catalyst were observed during CO2 hydrogenation.A mechanism for the deactivation of the catalyst was discussed.The key factors that affect the deactivation of the catalyst were found.Cu nanowire sample was characterized by SEM,EDS,XRD,and BET.The results show that Cu nanowires have very high sintering resistance and catalytic stability.This helps to develop high performance catalysts.The changes in the grain size,SEM morphology and catalytic properties of the sample during CO2 hydrogenation show that the migration of the Cu atoms on the surface of the Cu nanowires can occur.Continuous migration of Cu atoms and sintering of Cu grains can lead to flow blockage in gas channels.The gas channel flow blockage or the sintering of Cu grains can lead to deactivation of the catalyst.However,the shape of catalytic performance curve indicates that the main reason for the deactivation of the catalyst is the gas channel flow blockage.

Polymer Solar Cells Using a PEDOT:PSS/Cu Nanowires/PEDOT:PSS Multilayer as the Anode Interlayer

We compare the electrical, optical, and surface properties of the PEDOT：PSS/Cu nanowires （Cu NWs）/PEDOT： PSS （PCP） multilayer for organic solar cells. It is demonstrated that the electrical and optical properties of the PEDOT could be improved by the insertion of a Cu NW layer due to its very low resistivity and surface morphology. The organic bulk heterojunction solar cell fabricated on the multil^yer exhibits a higher power conversion ef^ciency than devices based on the PEDOT：PSS or PEDOT：PSS/Cu NWs layer. Moreover, the PCP multilayer can improve cell-performances such as a fill factor and the internal resistance in the device due to horizontally well-aligned Cu NWs. The results suggest that the PCP multilayer is a promising low-cost and low-temperature processing buffer layer candidate for low-cost organic photovoltaics.

Cu nanowire array with designed interphases enabling high performance Si anode toward flexible lithium-ion battery

To meet the growing demand for wearable smart electronic devices,the development of flexible lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)is essential.Silicon is an ideal candidate for the anode material of flexible lithium-ion batteries due to its high specific capacity,low working potential,and earth abundance.The largest challenge in developing a flexible silicon anode is how to maintain structural integrity and ensure stable electrochemical reactions during external deformation.In this work,we propose a novel design for fabricating core–shell electrodes based on a copper nanowire(CuNW)array core and magnetron sputtered Si/C shell.The nanowire array structure has characteristics of bending under longitudinal stress and twisting under transverse stress,which helps to maintain the mechanical stability of the structure during electrode bending and cycling.The low-temperature annealing generates a small amount of Cu3Si alloy,which enhances the connection strength between Si and the conductive network and solves the poor conductivity problem of Si,which is known as a semiconductor material.This unique configuration design of CuNW@Si@C-400℃ leads to stable long cycle performance of 1109 mAh∙g^(-1) after 1000 cycles and excellent rate performance of 500 mAh∙g^(-1) at a current density of 10 A∙g^(-1).Furthermore,the CuNW@Si@C-400℃||LiFePO_(4)(LFP)full battery demonstrates excellent flexibility,with a capacity retention of more than 96%after 100 bends.This study provides a promising strategy for the development of flexible lithium-ion batteries.

Polarization properties of porous anodic alumina with Y-branched Cu nanowires

Porous anodic alumina （PAA） templates with branch structure are fabricated by the two-step anodic oxidation processes, and then the Y-branched Cu nanowires are synthesized in the templates using an alternating current （AC） deposition method. We observe the morphology image of the samples by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and measure the transmission spectrum and the polarization spectrum of the samples by the spectrophotometer. The results show that PAA films with Y-branched Cu nanowires have better transmittance in the near infrared region. An extinction ratio of 15 - 18 dB and an insertion loss of 0.1 - 0.4 dB are obtained in this region. Therefore PAA with Y-branched Cu nanowires can be used as a near-infrared micropolarizer, and this kind of micropolarizer would have a promising future in the field of photoelectricity integration.

Effect of sub-layer thickness on magnetic and giant magnetoresistance properties of Ni–Fe/Cu/Co/Cu multilayered nanowire arrays

Ni-Fe/Cu/Co/Cu multilayered nanowire arrays were electrodeposited into anodic aluminum oxide template by using dual-bath method at room temperature. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the morphology and structure of the multilayered nanowire arrays. Vibrating sample magnetometer and physical property measurement system were used to measure their magnetic and giant magnetoresistance （GMR） properties. The effect of sub-layer thickness on the magnetic and GMR properties was investigated. The results indicate that magnetic properties of electmdeposited nanowires are not affected obviously by Cu layer thickness, while magnetic layers （Ni-Fe and Co layers） have significant influence. In addition, GMR ratio presents an oscillatory behavior as Cu layer thickness changes. The magnetic and GMR properties of the multilayered nanowire arrays are optimum at room temperature for the material structure of Ni-Fe （25 nm）/Cu （15 nm）/Co （25 nm）/Cu （15 nm） with 30 deposition cycles.

Novel fabrication of copper nanowire/cuprous oxidebased semiconductor-liquid junction solar cells

A Cu nanowire （NW）/cuprous oxide （Cu2O）-based semiconductor-liquid junction solar cell with a greatly enhanced efficiency and reduced cost was assembled. The Cu NWs function as a transparent electrode as well as part of the Cu NWs/ Cu2O coaxial structures, which remarkably benefit the charge separation. The best solar cell reached a conversion efficiency as high as 1.92% under a simulated AM1.5G illumination, which is 106 times higher than that of cells based on fluorine-doped tin oxide and Cu2O.

Synergetic effects of gold-doped copper nanowires with low Au content for enhanced electrocatalytic CO_(2)reduction to multicarbon products

As efficient catalysts of electrochemical CO_(2)reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR)towards multicarbon(C_(2+))products,Cu-based catalysts have faced the challenges of increasing the reactive activity and selectivity.Herein,we decorated the surface of Cu nanowires(Cu NWs)with a small amount of Au nanoparticles(Au NPs)by the homo-nucleation method.When the Au to Cu mass ratio is as little as 0.7 to 99.3,the gold-doped copper nanowires(Cu-Au NWs)could effectively improve the selectivity and activity of CO_(2)RR to C_(2+)resultants,with the Faradaic efficiency(FE)from 39.7%(Cu NWs)to 65.3%,the partial current density from 7.0(Cu NWs)to 12.1 mA/cm^(2) under−1.25 V vs.reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE).The enhanced electrocatalytic performance could be attributed to the following three synergetic factors.The addition of Au nanoparticles caused a rougher surface of the catalyst,which allowed for more active sites exposed.Besides,Au sites generated*CO intermediates spilling over into Cu sites with the calculated efficiency of 87.2%,which are necessary for multicarbon production.Meanwhile,the interphase electron transferred from Cu to Au induced the electron-deficient Cu,which favored the adsorption of*CO to further generate multicarbon productions.Our results uncovered the morphology,tandem,electronic effect between Cu NWs and Au NPs facilitated the activity and selectivity of CO_(2)RR to multicarbons.

Large-scale assembly of Cu/CuO nanowires for nano-electronic device fabrication

To improve the efficiency of nano-electronic device fabrication, a new method named floating electrical potential assembly is proposed to realize large-scale assembly of Cu/CuO nanowires, The simulation of floating electrical potential distribution on the micro-electrode chip is performed by COMSOL software, and the simulation result shows that the coupled electrical poten- tial on the floating drain electrodes is very close to the original electrical potential applied on the gate electrode, whicb means that the method can provide di-electrophoresis （DEP） force for all the electrode pairs at one time, thus realizing large-scale as- sembly at one time. With Cu/CuO nanowires well dispersed and micro-electrode chip fabrication, nanowires assembly experiments are performed and the experimental results show that Cu/CuO nanowires are assembled at hundreds of micro-electrodes pairs at one time, and the success rate of nanowires assembly also reaches 90%.

Fabrication of Cu(OH)_2 Nanowires Blended Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Ultrafiltration Membranes for Oil-Water Separation

Cu（OH）2 nanowires were prepared and incorporated into poly（vinylidene fluoride）（PVDF） to fabricate Cu（OH）2-PVDF ultrafiltration（UF） membrane via immersion precipitation phase inversion process. The effect of Cu（OH）2 nanowires on the morphology of membranes was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）, Fourier transform infrared（FTIR） spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy（AFM）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and X-ray diffraction（XRD） measurements. The results showed that all the Cu（OH）2-PVDF membranes had wider fingerlike pore structure and better hydrophilicity, smoother surface than pristine PVDF membrane due to the incorporation of Cu（OH）2 nanowires. In addition, water flux and bovine serum albumin（BSA） rejection were also measured to investigate the filtration performance of membranes. The results indicated that all the Cu（OH）2-PVDF membranes had high water flux, outstanding BSA rejection and excellent antifouling properties. It is worth mentioning that the optimized performance could be obtained when the Cu（OH）2 nanowires content reached 1.2 wt%. Furthermore, the membrane with 1.2 wt% Cu（OH）2 nanowires showed outstanding oil-water emulsion separation capability.

CuO/Cu2O nanowire array photoelectrochemical biosensor for ultrasensitive detection of tyrosinase

Photoelectrochemical(PEC) biosensors have shown great promise in bioanalysis and diagnostic applications in recent years. In this work, the CuO/Cu2O nanowire array(CuO/Cu2O Nanowire) supported on copper foam was prepared as a photocathode for detection of tyrosinase though quinone-chitosan conjugation chemistry method. The in-situ generated quinones that were the catalytic product of tyrosinase acted as electron acceptors, which were captured by the chitosan deposited on the surface of the electrode. Direct immobilization of electron acceptor on the electrode surface improved the photocurrent conversion efficiency and thus sensitivity. The as-prepared biosensor can realize a rapid response in a wide linear range of 0.05 U/mL to 10 U/mL with the detection limit as low as 0.016 U/mL of tyrosinase. The current work provides a new perspective to design and develop highly sensitive and selective PEC biosensor.

Promising electroplating solution for facile fabrication of Cu quantum point contacts

In this article, we report on the fabrication and transport measurements of Cu quantum point contacts prepared by a novel, electrochemically assisted mechanically controllable break junction （EC-MCBJ） method. By employing photolithography and wet-etching processes, suspended electrode pairs were patterned and fabricated successfully on Si microchips. Rather than adopting an acid Cu electroplating solution, a novel alkaline electroplating solution was developed and utilized to establish Cu nanocontacts between electrode pairs. Typically, the widths of the as-fabricated Cu nanocontacts were found to be smaller than 18 nm. A large number of Cu quantum point contacts were then produced and characterized by a home-built MCBJ setup. In addition to the conventional histogram, where peaks tend to decrease in amplitude with increasing conductance, an anomalous type of conductance histogram, exhibiting different peak amplitudes, was observed. Through statistical analysis of the maximum allowable bending of the Si microchips, and theoretical calculations, we demonstrated that our alkaline Cu electroplating solution affords Cu nanocontacts that are compatible with subsequent MCBJ operations, which is essential for the fabrication of Cu quantum point contacts. As sophisticated e-beam lithography is not required, the EC-MCBJ method is fast, simple, and cost-effective. Moreover, it is likely to be suitable for the fabrication and characterization of quantum point contacts of various metals from their respective electroplating solutions.

Semi-transparent polymer solar cells with all-copper nanowire electrodes

Transparent electrodes based on copper nanowires （Cu NWs） have attracted significant attention owing to their advantages including high optical transmittance, good conductivity, and excellent mechanical flexibility. However, low-cost, high-performance, and environmental friendly solar cells with all-Cu NW electrodes have not been realized until now. Herein, top and bottom transparent electrodes based on Cu NWs with low surface roughness and homogeneous conductivity are fabricated. Then, semi-transparent polymer solar cells （PSCs） with the inverted structure of polyacrylate/Cu NWs/poly（3,4- ethylenedioxythiophene）：poly（styrenesulfonate） （PEDOT：PSS） （PH1000）/Y-TiO2/ poly（3-hexylthiophene）：[6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid 3,4,5-tris（octyloxy）benzyl/ PEDOT：PSS （4083）/Cu NWs/polyimide/polydimethylsiloxane are constructed; these could absorb light from both sides with a power conversion efficiency reaching 1.97% and 1.85%. Furthermore, the PSCs show an average transmittance of 42% in the visible region, which renders them suitable for some specialized applications such as power-generating windows and building-integrated photovoltaics. The indium tin oxide （ITO）- and noble metal-free PSCs could pave new pathways for fabricating cost-effective semi-transparent PSCs.

Enhanced Supercapacitance with Porous Single-crystalline GaN Electrode

Capacitance is generally determined by the porous microstructure,electron conduction and the synergy effect of active sites in the porous electrode.In this work,we grew centimeter-scale metallic porous GaN single crystals with conductivity up to 18 S/cm at room temperature.The Cu-catecholates(Cu–CAT)nanowire arrays were grown on porous GaN single crystal to form porous single-crystalline electrode with enhanced supercapacitor performance.The Cu–CAT/GaN single crystalline electrode exhibits specific capacitance of 216 F/g and normalized capacitance of 40μF/cm^(2).After 5000 cycles,it retains 80%of its initial capacitance.The porous single-crystalline GaN electrode has high porosity and excellent conductivity showing high surface capacitance.