Femtosecond Laser Thermal Accumulation-Triggered Micro-/Nanostructures with Patternable and Controllable Wettability Towards Liquid Manipulating

Versatile liquid manipulating surfaces combining patternable and controllable wettability have recently motivated considerable attention owing to their significant advantages in droplet-solid impacting behaviors,microdroplet self-removal,and liquid–liquid interface reaction applications.However,developing a facile and efficient method to fabricate these versatile surfaces remains an enormous challenge.In this paper,a strategy for the fabrication of liquid manipulating surfaces with patternable and controllable wettability on Polyimide(PI)film based on femtosecond laser thermal accumulation engineering is proposed.Because of its controllable micro-/nanostructures and chemical composition through adjusting the local thermal accumulation,the wettability of PI film can be tuned from superhydrophilicity(~3.6°)to superhydrophobicity(~151.6°).Furthermore,three diverse surfaces with patternable and heterogeneous wettability were constructed and various applications were successfully realized,including water transport,droplet arrays,and liquid wells.This work may provide a facile strategy for achieving patternable and controllable wettability efficiently and developing multifunctional liquid steering surfaces.

Improved Flexible Triboelectric Nanogenerator Based on Tile-Nanostructure for Wireless Human Health Monitor

Triboelectric nanogenerators(TENGs)have emerged as promising candidates for integrating with flexible electronics as self-powered systems owing to their intrinsic flexibility,biocompatibility,and miniaturization.In this study,an improved flexible TENG with a tile-nanostructured MXene/polymethyl methacrylate(PMMA)composite electrode(MP-TENG)is proposed for use in wireless human health monitor.The multifunctional tile-nanostructured MXene/PMMA film,which is self-assembled through vacuum filtration,exhibits good conductivity,excellent charge capacity,and high flexibility.Thus,the MXene/PMMA composite electrode can simultaneously function as a charge-generating,charge-trapping,and charge-collecting layer.Furthermore,the charge-trapping capacity of a tile nanostructure can be optimized on the basis of the PMMA concentration.At a mass fraction of 4%PMMA,the MP-TENG achieves the optimal output performance,with an output voltage of 37.8 V,an output current of 1.8μA,and transferred charge of 14.1 nC.The output power is enhanced over twofold compared with the pure MXene-based TENG.Moreover,the MP-TENG has sufficient power capacity and durability to power small electronic devices.Finally,a wireless human motion monitor based on the MP-TENG is utilized to detect physiological signals in various kinematic motions.Consequently,the proposed performance-enhanced MP-TENG proves a considerable potential for use in health monitoring,telemedicine,and self-powered systems.

Ambient-Condition Strategy for Production of Hollow Ga_(2)O_(3)@rGO Crystalline Nanostructures Toward Efficient Lithium Storage

Crystallineγ-Ga_(2)O_(3)@rGO core-shell nanostructures are synthesized in gram scale,which are accomplished by a facile sonochemical strategy under ambient condition.They are composed of uniformγ-Ga_(2)O_(3)nanospheres encapsulated by reduced graphene oxide(rGO)nanolayers,and their formation is mainly attributed to the existed opposite zeta potential between the Ga_(2)O_(3)and rGO.The as-constructed lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)based on as-fabricatedγ-Ga_(2)O_(3)@rGO nanostructures deliver an initial discharge capacity of 1000 mAh g^(-1)at 100 mA g^(-1)and reversible capacity of 600 mAh g^(-1)under 500 mA g^(-1)after 1000 cycles,respectively,which are remarkably higher than those of pristineγ-Ga_(2)O_(3)with a much reduced lifetime of 100 cycles and much lower capacity.Ex situ XRD and XPS analyses demonstrate that the reversible LIBs storage is dominant by a conversion reaction and alloying mechanism,where the discharged product of liquid metal Ga exhibits self-healing ability,thus preventing the destroy of electrodes.Additionally,the rGO shell could act robustly as conductive network of the electrode for significantly improved conductivity,endowing the efficient Li storage behaviors.This work might provide some insight on mass production of advanced electrode materials under mild condition for energy storage and conversion applications.

Recent advances in lithographic fabrication of micro-/nanostructured polydimethylsiloxanes and their soft electronic applications

The intensive development of micro-/nanotechnologies offers a new route to construct sophisticated architectures of emerging soft electronics.Among the many classes of stretchable materials,micro-/nanostructured poly(dimethylsiloxane)(PDMS)has emerged as a vital building block based on its merits of flexibility,stretchability,simple processing,and,more importantly,high degrees of freedom of incorporation with other functional materials,including metals and semiconductors.The artificially designed geometries play important roles in achieving the desired mechanical and electrical performances of devices and thus show great potential for applications in the fields of stretchable displays,sensors and actuators as well as in health-monitoring device platforms.Meanwhile,novel lithographic methods to produce stretchable platforms with superb reliability have recently attracted research interest.The aim of this review is to comprehensively summarize the progress regarding micro-/nanostructured PDMS and their promising soft electronic applications.This review is concluded with a brief outlook and further research directions.

Mass-Based Environmental Factor and Energy Assessment of Microwave-Assisted Synthesized Transition Metal Nanostructures

This paper describes mass-based energy phase-space projection of microwave-assisted synthesis of transition metals (zinc oxide, palladium, silver, platinum, and gold) nanostructures. The projection uses process energy budget (measured in kJ) on the horizontal axes and process density (measured in kJg−1) on the vertical axes. These two axes allow both mass usage efficiency (Environmental-Factor) and energy efficiency to be evaluated for a range of microwave applicator and metal synthesis. The metrics are allied to the: second, sixth and eleventh principle of the twelve principle of Green Chemistry. This analytical approach to microwave synthesis (widely considered as a useful Green Chemistry energy source) allows a quantified dynamic environmental quotient to be given to renewable plant-based biomass associated with the reduction of the metal precursors. Thus allowing a degree of quantification of claimed “eco-friendly” and “sustainable” synthesis with regard to waste production and energy usage.

Formation of Natural Melanin/TiO_(2) Nanostructure Hybrids with Enhanced Optical,Thermal and Magnetic Properties as a Soft Material

The natural Melanin/TiO_(2) was synthesized by the use of ultrasonication under UV radiation.The influence of natural melanin on the structural,optical and thermal properties of TiO_(2) nanoparticles was investigated by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,thermogravimetric analysis and UV-Vis spectroscopy.It was observed that incorporating natural melanin on TiO_(2) nanoparticles(TiO_(2)-Mel)occurred at 2.01 eV with a low value of Urbach energy around 100 meV indicating improvement in the crystalline structure.Magnetic measurement at room temperature showed diamagnetic behavior.Furthermore,thermal results showed that TiO_(2)-Mel is stable even at temperatures up to 400℃.According to the results obtained by the thermal stability of melanin with titanium dioxide,it can be a good candidate in many applications such as solar cells and optoelectronics.

Icephobic performance on the aluminum foil-based micro-/nanostructured surface

The research of superhydrophobic materials has attracted many researchers＇ attention due to its application value and prospects.In order to expand the serviceable range,people have investigated various superhydrophobic materials.The simple and easy preparation method has become the focus for superhydrophobic materials.In this paper,we present a program for preparing a rough surface on an aluminum foil,which possesses excellent hydrophobic properties after the treatment with low surface energy materials at high vacuum.The resulting contact angle is larger than 160° and the droplet cannot freeze on the surface above-10 ℃.Meanwhile,the modified aluminum foil with the thickness of less than 100 μm can be used as an ideal flexible applied material for superhydrophobicity/anti-icing.

Preparation and characterization of a nanostructured lipid carrier for phenylethyl resorcinol

Phenylethyl resorcinol(PR)demonstrates inhibitory effects on multiple targets in the melanin synthesis pathway,resulting in a strong whitening effect.However,challenges such as limited solubility in water and susceptibility to oxidation and discoloration restrict its practical application in the cosmetics industry.In order to enhance stability and performance characteristics,a whitening nanostructured lipid carrier(NLC)was synthesized through high-pressure homogenization.This method entailed the incorporation of solid lipids,a liquid lipid,and a compound emulsifier,with deionized water fulfilling the roles of solid phase,liquid phase,and water phase,respectively.The NLC's particle size,Zeta potential,stability,encapsulation efficiency,and other parameters were assessed using techniques such as particle sizer,stability analyzer,and HPLC.The results showed that the NLC for phenylethyl resorcinol prepared by using the optimal formula(7.50%solid lipids,3.00%ethylhexyl palmitate,and 2.00%Tween 80 and soybean lecithin)has an encapsulation efficiency of 87.11%,a particle size of 157.2±0.70 nm,a kinetic instability of less than 1.2,and a greatly improved stability,thereby successfully solving the problems of unstable storage and poor solubility of phenylethyl resorcinol.

Extrusion behavior of micro-nanostructured Al-18%Si alloy powders

The extrusion of Al-Si alloy powders with different particle sizes allows manufacture of different products with unique microstructures and therefore with unique mechanical properties. The effects of powder size on the extrusion behavior and process defect of Al-18%Si alloy were studied by means of microscopy (optical, scanning electron) and density determination. The main objective of the work is to demonstrate the influence of the powder material characteristics on final density and quality of bar. The results show that the bigger the powder particles, the better the performance of cold compacting. The surface of alloy bar extruded from big particles has good quality without cracking. While the smaller the powder particles, the higher the density and the better the microstructure and mechanical properties. For practice application, the mixed powders are better than single powder.

PROPERTY AND THERMOSTABLITY STUDY ON TC6 TITANIUM ALLOY NANOSTRUCTURE PROCESSED BY LSP

TC6 titanium alloy samples are processed by laser shock peening （LSP）. Then, some samples are vacu- um annealed at 623 K for 10 h for the study on the thermost.ablity of the nanostructure produced by LSP. The characteristics of the strengthened layer and nanostructure are studied by atomic force microscopy（AFM）, scan- ning electron microscope （SEM）, electron backscatter diffraction（EBSD）, X-ray diffraction（XRD）, and transmis- sion electron microscopy（TEM） appliances, meanwhile the enhanced microhardness is tested at cross section. AFM of the processed surface indicates that the deformation is approximately uniform, and LSP slightly increases the roughness. SEM and EBSD of the strengthened cross section show that a phases are compressed to strip- shaped, a proportion of a and ~ phases is shattered to smaller phases from surface to 200 ttm in depth. The sur- face XRD shows that although there is no new produced phase during LSP, the grain size refinement and the in- troduction of lattice micro-strains lead to the broadened peak. The TEM photographs and diffraction patterns in- dicate that the shock wave provides high strain rate deformation and leads to the formation of nanocrystal. Com- pared with the samples before annealing, the dislocation density is lower and the grain-boundary is more distinct in the annealed samples, but the nanocrystal size does not grow bigger after annealing. The microhardness measurement indicates that LSP improves the microhardness of TC6 for about 12.2% on the surface, and the layer affected by LSP is about 500/~m in depth. The microhardness after annealing is 10 HVo.5 lower, but the affected depth does not change. The thermostable study shows that the strengthened layer of TC6 processed by LSP is stable at 623 K. The strengthened thermostable layer can significantly improve the fatigue resistance, wear resis- tance and stress corrosion resistance of the titanium alloy. The study results break the USA standard AMS2546 that titanium parts after LSP are subjected in subsequent processing within 589 K.

Tribological properties of nanostructured Al_2O_3-40%TiO_2 multiphase ceramic particles reinforced Ni-based alloy composite coatings

The Ni-based alloy composite coatings reinforced by nanostructured Al2O3-40%TiO2 multiphase ceramic particles were prepared on the surface of 7005 aluminum alloy by plasma spray technology. The microstructure and tribological properties of the composite coatings were researched. The results show that the composite coatings mainly consist of γ-Ni, α-Al2O3, γ-Al2O3 and rutile-TiO2 etc, and exhibit lower friction coefficients and wear losses than the Ni-based alloy coatings at different loads and speeds. The composite coating bears low contact stress at 3 N and its wear mechanism is micro-cutting wear. As loads increase to 6-12 N, the contact stress is higher than the elastic limit stress of worn surface, and the wear mechanisms change into multi-plastic deformation wear, micro-brittle fracture wear and abrasive wear. With the increase of speeds, the contact temperature of worn surface increases. The composite coating experiences multi-plastic deformation wear, fatigue wear and adhesive wear.

Triangular Au-Ag framework nanostructures prepared by multi-stage replacement and their spectral properties

Triangular Au-Ag framework nanostructures （TFN） were synthesized via a multi-step galvanic replacement reaction （MGRR） of single-crystalline triangular silver nanoplates in a chlorauric acid （HAuCl4） solution at room temperature. The morphological, compositional, and crystal structural changes involved with reaction steps were analyzed by using transmission electron microscopy（TEM）, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry （EDX）, and X-ray diffraction. TEM combined with EDX and selected area electron diffraction confirmed the replacement of Ag with Au. The in-plane dipolar surface plasmon resonance （SPR） absorption band of the Ag nanoplates locating initially at around 700 nm gradually redshifted to 1 100 nm via a multi-stage replacement manner after 7 stages. The adding amount of HAuCl4 per stage influenced the average redshift value per stage, thus enabled a fine tuning of the in-plane dipolar band. A proposed formation mechanism of the original Ag nanoplates developing pores while growing Au nanoparticles covering this underlying structure at more reaction steps was confirmed by exploiting surface-enhanced Raman scattering （SERS）.

Fabrication of Silicon Crystal-Facet-Dependent Nanostructures by Electron-Beam Lithography

Silicon crystal-facet-dependent nanostructures have been successfully fabricated on a （100）-oriented silicon-oninsulator wafer using electron-beam lithography and the silicon anisotropic wet etching technique. This technique takes advantage of the large difference in etching properties for different crystallographic planes in alkaline solution. The minimum size of the trapezoidal top for those Si nanostructures can be reduced to less than 10nm. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and atomic force microscopy （AFM） observations indicate that the etched nanostructures have controllable shapes and smooth surfaces.

Effect of TMS(nanostructured silicon dioxide) on growth of Changbai larch seedlings

The roots of 200 one-year-old Changbai Larch (Larix olgensis) seedlings were soaked for 6 hours at the TMS concentrations of 2000, 1000, 500, 250, 125, and 62 μL·L?1. Mean seedling height, root collar diameter, main root length and number of lateral roots were measured every 15 days during growing season from May 30 to Oct. 20. Experimental results showed that TMS treatments greatly promoted seedling growth and improved seedling quality. The treatment by 500 μL·L?1 TMS produced the best result, for which the mean height, root collar diameter, main root length, and the number of lateral roots of seedlings were increased by 42.5%, 30.7%, 14.0%, and 31.6%, respectively, compared to that of the control seedlings. As to seedling quality, grade-I seedling and grade-II seedlings were fifty-fifty, and no grade-III seedlings was found. The treatment by 500 μL·L?1 TMS resulted in the highest chlorophyll concentration. Keywords Changbai Larch - Larix olgensis - Seedling production - Nanostructured silicon dioxide CLC number S143.8 Document code B Foundation item: This study is supported by Jilin Forestry Group Co.Biography: LIN Baoshan (1955-), male, Associate professor at the college of forestry, Beihua University, Jilin City 132011, Jilin Province, P.R China.Responsible editor: Chai Ruihai.

Controllable Electrochemical Synthesis of Silver Dendritic Nanostructures and Their SERS Properties

Ag dendritic nanostructures were synthesized on fluorine-doped tin oxide covered glass sub- strates by the electrodeposition method. Results demonstrate that the size, diameter, crys- tallinity, and branch density of the Ag dendrites can be controlled by the applied potential, the surfactants and the concentration of AgNO3. Three kinds of typical silver dendrites were applied as substrates of the surface enhanced Raman scattering （SERS） and one of them was able to clearly detect rhodamine 6G concentrations up to 0.1 nmol/L. The differences of the SERS spectra at these Ag dendrites confirmed that the shapes and interparticle spacings have great effect on Raman enhancement, especially the interparticle spacings.

Controlled synthesis of one-dimensional Au-Ag porous nanostructures

The fabrication of a new type of one-dimensional Au-Ag porous nanotube（NPT） structure was presented based on a facile combination of nanocrystal growth and surface modification.Ag nanowires with various diameters were firstly served as the chemical plating templates via a polyol-process.Then,one-dimensional（1D） Au-Ag porous nanostructures with tailored structural features could be prepared by controlling the individual steps involved in this process,such as nanowire growth,surface modification,thermal diffusion,and dealloying.Structural characterizations reveal these Au-Ag porous nanotubes,non-porous nanotubes and porous nanowires possess novel nano-architectures with multimodal open porosity and excellent structural continuity and integrity,which make them particularly desirable as novel 1D nanocarriers for biomedical,drug delivery and sensing applications.

Nanostructured Ternary Metal Tungstate-Based Photocatalysts for Environmental Purification and Solar Water Splitting:A Review

Visible-light-responsive ternary metal tungstate(MWO_4) photocatalysts are being increasingly investigated for energy conversion and environmental purification applications owing to their striking features, including low cost,eco-friendliness, and high stability under acidic and oxidative conditions. However, rapid recombination of photoinduced electron–hole pairs and a narrow light response range to the solar spectrum lead to low photocatalytic activity of MWO_4-based materials, thus significantly hampering their wide usage in practice. To enable their widespread practical usage, significant efforts have been devoted, by developing new concepts and innovative strategies. In this review, we aim to provide an integrated overview of the fundamentals and recent progress of MWO_4-based photocatalysts. Furthermore, different strategies, including morphological control, surface modification, heteroatom doping, and heterojunction fabrication, which are employed to promote the photocatalyticactivities of MWO_4-based materials, are systematically summarized and discussed. Finally, existing challenges and a future perspective are also provided to shed light on the development of highly efficient MWO_4-based photocatalysts.

Fabrication and Photocatalysis of TiO2 Flower-like Nanostructures

TiO2 nanostructures were fabricated by a reaction of Ti foils in H2O2 solution at mild temperature, Porous TiO2 nanostructurcs, well adhered to Ti foil surfaces, were formed at 80 ℃ in 10 rain, and then flower- like and rod nanostructures formed in succession after a longer reaction time. Samples prepared at 80 ℃ for 4 h arc amorphous, and anatase-dominated crystal phase emerged in the sample prepared for as long as 10 h. Almost pure anatase phase were obtained in TiO2 nanostructures by annealing the samples at a temperature of 300 ℃. Photoeatalysis of the TiO2 nanostructures was characterized by the degradation of RhB dye molecules in an aqueous solution exposed to ultraviolet light. Results show a 7 cm^2 annealed TiO2 flower-like nanostrueture having the degradation rate of RhB as fast as 29.8 times that of the dye solution exposed to ultraviolet light alone.

Development of and Perspective on High-Performance Nanostructured Bainitic Bearing Steel

Bearings are the most important component of nearly all mechanical equipment, as they guarantee the steady running of the equipment, which is especially important for high-end equipment such as highspeed trains and shield tunneling machines. Requirements regarding the quality of bearings are increasing with the rapid development in technology. A country’s bearings manufacturing level directly reflects the level of that country’s steel metallurgy and machinery manufacturing. The performance of the bearing steel is the critical factor that determines the quality of a bearing. The development of new bearing steel with higher performance is the ambition of material researchers and the expectation of the manufacturing industry. Many famous bearing manufacturing enterprises are competing to develop the new generation of bearing steel. Nanostructured bainitic bearing steel (NBBS), which is a newly developed bearing steel, not only possesses high strength and toughness, but also exhibits excellent wear resistance and rolling contact fatigue (RCF) resistance. In recent years, relevant achievements in NBBS in China have led to significant progress in this field. NBBS was first used in China to manufacture large bearings for wind turbines and heavy-duty bearings, with excellent performance. As a result, NBBS and its corresponding heat-treatment process have been included in the national and industry standards for the first time. The bearing industry considers the exploitation of NBBS to be epoch-making, and has termed this kind of bearing as the second generation of bainitic bearing. In this paper, the development of NBBS is reviewed in detail, including its advantages and disadvantages. Further research directions for NBBS are also proposed.

Microstructure and properties of Al_2O_3-13%TiO_2 coatings sprayed using nanostructured powders

The microstructure and wear performance of M203-13% TiO2 coatings prepared by plasma spraying of agglom- erated nanoparticle powders were investigated. SEM analysis showed that the as-sprayed Al2O3-TiO2 coatings comprise of two kinds of typical region： fully melted region and unmelted/partially melted nanostructured region, which is different than the conventional coating with lamellar structure. It is shown that the microhardness of the nanostructured coatings was about 15%-30% higher than that of the conventional coating and the wear resistance is significantly improved, especially under a high wear load. The nanostructured coating sprayed at a lower power shows a lower wear resistance than the coatings produced at a higher power, because of the presence of pores and microstructural defects which are detrimental to the fracture toughness of the coatings.