Near-field radiative heat transfer between nanoporous GaN films

Photon tunneling effects give rise to surface waves,amplifying radiative heat transfer in the near-field regime.Recent research has highlighted that the introduction of nanopores into materials creates additional pathways for heat transfer,leading to a substantial enhancement of near-field radiative heat transfer(NFRHT).Being a direct bandgap semiconductor,GaN has high thermal conductivity and stable resistance at high temperatures,and holds significant potential for applications in optoelectronic devices.Indeed,study of NFRHT between nanoporous GaN films is currently lacking,hence the physical mechanism for adding nanopores to GaN films remains to be discussed in the field of NFRHT.In this work,we delve into the NFRHT of GaN nanoporous films in terms of gap distance,GaN film thickness and the vacuum filling ratio.The results demonstrate a 27.2%increase in heat flux for a 10 nm gap when the nanoporous filling ratio is 0.5.Moreover,the spectral heat flux exhibits redshift with increase in the vacuum filling ratio.To be more precise,the peak of spectral heat flux moves fromω=1.31×10^(14)rad·s^(-1)toω=1.23×10^(14)rad·s^(-1)when the vacuum filling ratio changes from f=0.1 to f=0.5;this can be attributed to the excitation of surface phonon polaritons.The introduction of graphene into these configurations can highly enhance the NFRHT,and the spectral heat flux exhibits a blueshift with increase in the vacuum filling ratio,which can be explained by the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons.These findings offer theoretical insights that can guide the extensive utilization of porous structures in thermal control,management and thermal modulation.

Self-Supporting Nanoporous Copper Film with High Porosity and Broadband Light Absorption for Efficient Solar Steam Generation

Solar steam generation(SSG)is a potential technology for freshwater production,which is expected to address the global water shortage problem.Some noble metals with good photothermal conversion performance have received wide concerns in SSG,while high cost limits their practical applications for water purification.Herein,a self-supporting nanoporous copper(NP-Cu)film was fabricated by one-step dealloying of a specially designed Al_(98)Cu_(2)precursor with a dilute solid solution structure.In-situ and ex-situ characterizations were performed to reveal the phase and microstructure evolutions during dealloying.The NP-Cu film shows a unique three-dimensional bicontinuous ligament-channel structure with high porosity(94.8%),multi scale-channels and nanoscale ligaments(24.2±4.4nm),leading to its strong broadband absorption over the 200–2500 nm wavelength More importantly,the NP-Cu film exhibits excellent SSG performance with high evaporation rate,superior efficiency and good stability.The strong desalination ability of NP-Cu also manifests its potential applications in seawater desalination.The related mechanism has been rationalized based upon the nanoporous network,localized surface plasmon resonance effect and hydrophilicity.

Fixation of CO_2 by electrocatalytic reduction to synthesis of dimethyl carbonate in ionic liquid using effective silver-coated nanoporous copper composites

With high surface area,open porosity and high efficiency,a catalyst was prepared and firstly employed in electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 and electrosynthesis of dimethyl carbonate（DMC）.The electrochemical property for electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 in ionic liquid was studied by cyclic voltammogram（CV）.The effects of various reaction variables like temperature,working potential and cathode materials on the electrocatalytic performance were also investigated.80%yield of DMC was obtained under the optimal reaction conditions.

Enhanced visible-light photocatalytic degradation and disinfection performance of oxidized nanoporous g-C3N4 via decoration with graphene oxide quantum dots

Oxidized nanoporous g-C3N4(PCNO)decorated with graphene oxide quantum dots(ox-GQDs)was successfully prepared by a facile self-assembly method.As co-catalysts,the ultrasmall zero-dimensional(0 D)ox-GQDs can achieve uniform dispersion on the surface/inner channels of PCNO,as well as intimate contact with PCNO through hydrogen bonding,π-π,and chemical bonding interactions.In contrast with PCNO,the ox-GQDs/PCNO composite photocatalysts possessed improved light-harvesting ability,higher charge-transfer efficiency,enhanced photooxidation capacity,and increased amounts of reactive species due to the upconversion properties,strong electron capturing ability,and peroxidase-like activity of the ox-GQDs.Therefore,the visible-light photocatalytic degradation and disinfection performances of the ox-GQDs/PCNO composite were significantly enhanced.Remarkably,the composite with a 0.2 wt.% deposited amount of ox-GQDs(ox-GQDs-0.2%/PCNO)exhibited optimum amaranth photodegradation activity,with a corresponding rate about 3.1 times as high as that of PCNO.In addition,ox-GQDs-0.2%/PCNO could inactivate about 99.6%of Escherichia coli(E.coli)cells after 4 h of visible light irradiation,whereas only^31.9% of E.coli cells were killed by PCNO.Furthermore,h+,·O2-,and·OH were determined to be the reactive species generated in the photocatalytic process of the ox-GQDs/PCNO system;these species can thoroughly mineralize azo dyes and effectively inactivate pathogenic bacteria.

Surface‑Alloyed Nanoporous Zinc as Reversible and Stable Anodes for High‑Performance Aqueous Zinc‑Ion Battery

Metallic zinc(Zn)is one of the most attractive multivalent-metal anode materials in post-lithium batteries because of its high abundance,low cost and high theoretical capacity.However,it usually suffers from large voltage polarization,low Coulombic efficiency and high propensity for dendritic failure during Zn stripping/plating,hindering the practical application in aqueous rechargeable zinc-metal batteries(AR-ZMBs).Here we demonstrate that anionic surfactant-assisted in situ surface alloying of Cu and Zn remarkably improves Zn reversibility of 3D nanoporous Zn electrodes for potential use as high-performance AR-ZMB anode materials.As a result of the zincophilic ZnxCuy alloy shell guiding uniform Zn deposition with a zero nucleation overpotential and facilitating Zn stripping via the ZnxCuy/Zn galvanic couples,the self-supported nanoporous ZnxCuy/Zn electrodes exhibit superior dendrite-free Zn stripping/plating behaviors in ambient aqueous electrolyte,with ultralow polarizations under current densities up to 50 mA cm^(‒2),exceptional stability for 1900 h and high Zn utilization.This enables AR-ZMB full cells constructed with nanoporous ZnxCuy/Zn anode and K_(z)MnO_(2)cathode to achieve specific energy of as high as~430 Wh kg^(‒1)with~99.8%Coulombic efficiency,and retain~86%after long-term cycles for>700 h.

Facile synthesis of nanoporous CuS nanospheres for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes

In recent years, development of high-performance supercapacitor electrode materials has stimulated a great deal of scientific research. The electrochemical performance of a supercapacitor strongly depends on its material structures. Herein, we report a simple strategy for high-performance supercapacitors by building pseudocapacitive CuS nanospheres with nanoporous structures, nanosized walls（<10 nm） and relatively large specific surface area of 65 m;/g. This electrode demonstrates excellent electrochemical performance including a maximum specific capacitance of 814 F/g at 1 A/g, significant rate capability of 42% capacitance retention at an ultrafast rate of 50 A/g, and outstanding long-term cycling stability at various current densities. The remarkable electrochemical performance of as-prepared nanoporous CuS nanospheres electrode has been attributed to its unique structures that plays a key role in providing short ion and electron diffusion pathways, facilitated ion transport and more active sites for electrochemical reactions. This work sheds a new light on the metal sulfides design philosophy, and demonstrates that nanoporous CuS nanospheres electrode is a promising candidate for application in high-performance supercapacitors.

Microstructure Control of Nanoporous Silica Thin Film Prepared by Sol-gel Process

Nanoporous silica films were prepared by sol-gel process with base, acid and base/acid two-step catalysis.Transmission electron microscope （TEM） and particle size analyzer were used to characterize the microstructure and the particle size distribution of the sols. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, atomic force microscopy （AFM） and spectroscopic ellipsometer were used to characterize the surface microstructure and the optical properties of the silica films. Stability of the sols during long-term storage was investigated. Moreover,the dispersion relation of the optical constants of the silica films, and the control of the microstructure and properties of the films by changing the catalysis conditions during sol-gel process were also discussed.

Preparation and electro-catalytic activity of nanoporous palladium by dealloying rapidly-quenched Al_(70)Pd_(17)Fe_(13) quasicrystalline alloy

The formation of nanoporous Pd was studied by electro-chemical dealloying a rapidly-quenched Al70Pd17Fe13 quasicrystal alloy in dilute NaCl aqueous solution,and the electro-catalytic activity of the nanoporous Pd towards methanol electro-oxidation was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry in 1 mol/L KOH solution.XRD and TEM analyses revealed that nano-decomposition of quasicrystal grains occurred in the initial stage of dealloying,and the fully dealloyed sample was composed of FCC-Pd phase.Scanning electron microscopy observation indicated that a maze-like nanoporous pattern was formed in the dealloyed sample,consisting of percolated pores of 5.20 nm in diameter in a skeleton of randomly-orientated Pd nano-ligaments with a uniform thickness of^5 nm.A retention of^12 at.%Al in the Pd nano-ligments was determined by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS).The nanoporous Pd demonstrated obvious electro-catalytic activity towards methanol electro-oxidation in alkaline environment.

Weaving 3D highly conductive hierarchically interconnected nanoporous web by threading MOF crystals onto multi walled carbon nanotubes for high performance Li-Se battery

Lithium-selenium(Li-Se)battery has attracted growing attention.Nevertheless,its practical application is still impeded by the shuttle effect of the formed polyselenides.Herein,we report in-situ hydrothermal weaving the three-dimensional(3 D)highly conductive hierarchically interconnected nanoporous web by threading microporous metal organic framework MIL-68(Al)crystals onto multi-walled carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs).Such 3 D hierarchically nanoporous web(3 D MIL-68(Al)@MWCNTs web)with a very high surface area,a large amount of micropores,electrical conductivity and elasticity strongly traps the soluble polyselenides during the electrochemical reaction and significantly facilitates lithium ion diffusion and electron transportation.Molecular dynamic calculation confirmed the strong affinity of MIL-68(Al)for the adsorption of polyselenides,quite suitable for Li-Se battery.Their hexahedral channels(1.56 nm)are more efficient for the confinement of polyselenides and for the diffusion of electrolytes compared to their smaller triangular channels(0.63 nm).All these excellent characteristics of 3 D MIL-68(Al)@MWCNTs web with suitable confinement of a large amount of selenium and the conductive linkage between MIL-68(Al)host by MWCNTs result in a high capacity of 453 m Ah/g at 0.2 C with 99.5%coulombic efficiency after 200 cycles with significantly improved cycle stability and rate performance.The 3 D MIL-68(Al)@MWCNTs web presents a good performance in Li-Se battery in term of the specific capacity and cycling stability and also in terms of rate performance compared with all the metal-organic framework(MOF)based or MOF derived porous carbons used in Li-Se battery.

Effect of heat treatment of Mn-Cu precursors on morphology of dealloyed nanoporous copper

Nanoporous copper with nano-scale pore size was synthesized by dealloying Mn-Cu precursor alloy using a free corrosion method. The effects of heat treatment of Mn-Cu precursors on alloy phase, morphology and composition of the resultant nanoporous copper were investigated. It is revealed that the compositions distribute homogeneously in the bulk Mn-Cu precursors, which consequently results in a more fully dealloying for forming nanoporous copper. The alloy phase changes from Cuo.a9Mno.51 and Cuo.21Mno.79 of non-thermally treated precursor to Cuo.33Mn0.67 of heat treated alloy. The residual Mn content in nanoporous copper is decreased from 12.97% to 2.04% （molar fraction） made from the precursor without and with 95 h heat treatment. The typical pore shape of nanoporous copper prepared by dealloying the precursor without the heat treatment is divided into two different zones： the uniform bi-continuous structure zone and the blurry or no pore structure zone. Nanoporous copper is of a uniform sponge-like morphology made from the heat-treated precursor, and the average ligament diameter is 40 nm, far smaller than that from the non-thermally treated precursor, in which the average ligament diameter is estimated to be about 70 nm.

Facile synthesis of 3D nanoporous Pd/Co_2O_3 composites with enhanced catalytic performance for methanol oxidation

To simultaneously reduce noble metal Pd usage and enhance electrocatalytic performance for methanol oxidation,Pd/Co2O3 composites with ultrafine three-dimensional(3D)nanoporous structures were designed and synthesized by simple one-step dealloying of a melt-spun Al-Pd-Co alloy with an alkaline solution.Their electrocatalytic activity in alkaline media was determined by a Versa-STAT MC workstation.The results indicate that the typical sizes of the ligaments and pores of the composites were approximately 8-9 nm.The Co2O3 was uniformly distributed on the Pd ligament surface.Among the as-prepared samples,the nanoporous Pd/Co2O3 composite generated from dealloying of the Al84.5Pd15Co0.5 alloy had the best electrocatalytic activity,and its activity was enhanced by approximately 230%compared with the nanoporous Pd from dealloying of Al85Pd15.The improvement of the electrocatalytic performance was mainly attributed to the electronic modification effect between Pd and Co as well as the bifunctional mechanism between Pd and Co2O3.

Novel nanoporous palladium catalyst for electroreduction of hydrogen peroxide

Titanium-supported nanoporous palladium catalyst （Pd/Ti） was prepared by a hydrothermal method using PdC12 as a precursor, ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid （EDTA） as a ligand, and formaldehyde as a reduction agent. Complex Pd-EDTA^2- is favorable for the formation of Pd particles with nanoscale sizes. The electroactivity of the Pd/Ti catalyst towards the electroreduction of hydrogen peroxide in 1 mol/L NaOH solution was evaluated by voltammetric techniques. Both linear scan voltammetric and chronoamperometric data present significantly large steady-state reduction current density of the hydrogen peroxide electroreduction on the prepared Pd/Ti catalyst. The results show that the prepared Pd/Ti catalyst is an effective electrocatalyst for the electroreduction of hydrogen peroxide in alkaline media.

Unsupported nanoporous palladium‐catalyzed chemoselective hydrogenation of quinolines:Heterolytic cleavage of H_2 molecule

An efficient and highly chemoselective heterogeneous catalyst system for quinoline hydrogenation was developed using unsupported nanoporous palladium(PdNPore).The PdNPore‐catalyzed chemoselective hydrogenation of quinoline proceeded smoothly under mild reaction conditions(low H2 pressure and temperature)to yield 1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroquinolines(py‐THQs)in satisfactory to excellent yields.Various synthetically useful functional groups,such as halogen,hydroxyl,formyl,ethoxycarbonyl,and aminocarbonyl groups,remained intact during the quinoline hydrogenation.No palladium was leached from PdNPore during the hydrogenation reaction.Moreover,the catalyst was easily recovered and reused without any loss of catalytic activity.The results of kinetic,deuterium‐hydrogen exchange,and deuterium‐labeling experiments indicated that the present hydrogenation involves heterolytic H2 splitting on the surface of the catalyst.

The Self-assembling and Application of Inorganic Anti-bacterial Material Made of Natural Nanoporous Carrier

The inorganic antimicrobial material was inhibited to the microbes with the added metal ion,Zn.The primary wet product carrying 5%-10% zinc ion was generated under the following conditions：temperature was 95 ℃,solution zinc concentration was 1.2-2.0 mol/L,and the ratio of Zn solution to zeolite weight was 5：1.The final stable product was manufactured after baking in an oven for 1-3 h at the temperature of 500-900 ℃.The baked material was tested for its disinfection effectiveness and coloring effect when mixed with paint coating.Based on the final batch of tests,the zinc content of this anti-microbial product was further optimized.

MULTIAXIAL BEHAVIOR OF NANOPOROUS SINGLE CRYSTAL COPPER:A MOLECULAR DYNAMICS STUDY

The stress-strain behavior and copper are studied by the molecular dynamics incipient yield surface of nanoporous single crystal （MD） method. The problem is modeled by a periodic unit cell subject to multi-axial loading. The loading induced defect evolution is explored. The incipient yield surfaces are found to be tension-compression asymmetric. For a given void volume fraction, apparent size effects in the yield surface are predicted： the smaller behaves stronger. The evolution pattern of defects （i.e., dislocation and stacking faults） is insensitive to the model size and void volume fraction. However, it is loading path dependent. Squared prismatic dislocation loops dominate the incipient yielding under hydrostatic tension while stacking-faults are the primary defects for hydrostatic compression and uniaxial tension/compression.

New amperometric glucose biosensor by entrapping glucose oxidase into chitosan/nanoporous ZrO_2/multiwalled carbon nanotubes nanocomposite film

A new nanocomposite material for construction of glucose biosensor was prepared. The biosensor was formed by entrapping glucose oxidase(Gox) into chitosan/nanoporous ZrO2/multiwalled carbon nanotubes nanocomposite film. In this biosensing thin film, the multiwalled carbon nanotubes can effectively catalyze hydrogen peroxide and nanoporous ZrO2 can enhance the stability of the immobilized enzyme. The resulting biosensor provides a very effective matrix for the immobilization of glucose oxidase and exhibits a wide linear response range from 8 μmol/L to 3 mmol/L with a correlation coefficient of 0.994 for the detection of glucose. And the response time and detection limit of the biosensor are determined to be 6 s and 3.5 μmol/L, respectively. Another attractive characteristic is that the biosensor is inexpensive, stable and reliable.

Preparation, structural and electrical properties of zinc oxide grown on silicon nanoporous pillar array

Polycrystalline thick film of zinc oxide （ZnO） is grown on a unique silicon substrate with a hierarchical structure, silicon nanoporous pillar array （Si-NPA）, by using a vapour phase transport method. It is found that as-grown ZnO film is composed of closely packed ZnO crystallites with an average size of -10 μm. The film resistivity of ZnO/SiNPA is measured to be -8.9Ωcm by the standard four probe method. The lengthwise Ⅰ-Ⅴ curve of ZnO/Si-NPA heterostructure is measured. Theoretical analysis shows that the carrier transport across ZnO/Si-NPA heterojunction is dominated by two mechanisms, i.e. a thermionic process at high voltages and a quantum tunnelling process at low voltages.

High-throughput computational screening and design of nanoporous materials for methane storage and carbon dioxide capture

The globally increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in atmosphere after combustion of coal-or petroleum-based fuels give rise to tremendous interest in searching for porous materials to efficiently capture carbon dioxide(CO_2) and store methane(CH4), where the latter is a kind of clean energy source with abundant reserves and lower CO_2 emission. Hundreds of thousands of porous materials can be enrolled on the candidate list, but how to quickly identify the really promising ones, or even evolve materials(namely, rational design high-performing candidates) based on the large database of present porous materials? In this context, high-throughput computational techniques, which have emerged in the past few years as powerful tools, make the targets of fast evaluation of adsorbents and evolving materials for CO_2 capture and CH_4 storage feasible. This review provides an overview of the recent computational efforts on such related topics and discusses the further development in this field.

Adsorption characteristics of copper ion on nanoporous silica

Adsorption by nanoporous media is critically involved in many fundamental geological and geochemical processes including chemical weathering,element migration and enrichment,environmental pollution,etc.Yet,the adsorption behavior of metal ions on nanoporous materials has not been systematically investigated.In this study,MCM-41 material with a monodisperse pore size(4.4 nm)and a large BET specific surface area(839 m^2/g)was hydrothermally prepared and used as a model silica adsorbent to study the adsorption characteristics of Cu^2+as a representative metal ion.The Cu^2+adsorption capacity was found to increase with increasing suspension pH in the range from 3 to 5 and to decrease in the presence of NaNO3.At 25℃,pH=5,and a solid-to-liquid ratio of 5 g/L,the adsorption capacity was determined to be 0.29 mg/g,which can be converted to a dimensionless partition coefficient of 45,indicating a strong enriching effect of nanoporous silica.The adsorption isotherm and kinetic data were fitted to several commonly used thermodynamic,kinetic,and diffusion models.The adsorption mechanism was also studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy.The results suggest that Cu2+ion adsorption is an entropy-driven endothermal process,possibly involving both outer-sphere and inner-sphere complexes.

Fabrication of nanoporous Ni and NiO via a dealloying strategy for water oxidation catalysis

Nickel oxides and(oxy)hydroxides are promising replacements for noble-metal-based catalysts owing to their high activity and good long-term stability for the oxygen evolution reaction(OER). Herein, we developed nanoporous Ni by a method of combined rapid solidification and chemical dealloying. Subsequently,nanoporous Ni O was obtained via heating treatment, the macropore and skeleton sizes of the NiO originated from Ni10Al90 alloy are 100–300 nm and 80–200 nm, respectively. Benefiting from the multi-stage nanoporous structure and high specific surface area, the nanoporous NiO demonstrates an outstanding OER, reaching 20 mA cm-2 at an overpotential of 356 mV in 1 M KOH. The corresponding Tafel slope and apparent activation energy are measured to be 76.73 mV dec-1 and 29.0 kJ mol-1, respectively. Moreover,kinetic analysis indicates that the Ni O catalyst shows pseudocapacitive characteristics, and the improved current is attributed to the high-rate pseudocapacitive behavior that efficiently maintains increased nickel redox cycling to accelerate the reaction rates. After 1000 cycles of voltammetry, the overpotential of the NiO decreases by 22 mV(j = 10 mA cm-2), exhibiting excellent stability and durability.