Restructuring of 4H Phase Au Nanowires and its Catalytic Behavior toward CO Electro-oxidation

Au nanowires in 4H crystalline phase(4H Au NWs)are synthesized by colloid solution methods.The crys-talline phase and surface structure as well as its performance toward electrochemical oxidation of CO be-fore and after removing adsorbed oleylamine molecules(OAs)intro-duced from its synthesis are evaluat-ed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HR-TEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),underpoten-tial deposition of Pb(Pb-upd)and cyclic voltammetry.Different methods,i.e.acetic acid cleaning,electrochemical oxidation cleaning,and diethylamine replacement,have been tried to remove the adsorbed OAs.For all methods,upon the removal of the adsorbed OAs,the morphology of 4H gold nanoparticles is found to gradually change from nanowires to large dumbbell-shaped nanoparticles,accompanying with a transition from the 4H phase to the face-centered cubic phase.On the other hand,the Pb-upd results show that the sample sur-faces have almost the same facet composition before and after removal of the adsorbed OAs.After electrochemical cleaning with continuous potential scans up to 1.3 V,CO electro-oxida-tion activity of the 4H Au sample is significantly improved.The CO electro-oxidation activi-ty is compared with results on the three basel Au single crystalline surfaces reported in the lit-erature,possible origins for its enhancement are discussed.

Highly efficient avalanche multiphoton luminescence from coupled Au nanowires in the visible region

We report highly efficient avalanche multiphoton luminescence(MPL)from ordered-arrayed gold nanowires(NWs).The time-average excitation intensity I_(exc) is as low as 5.0-9.1 kW/cm^2.The intensity of avalanche MPL I_(MPL) is about 10~4 times larger than that of three-photon luminescence,the slope ■logI_(MPL)/■logI_(exc) of avalanche MPL reaches as high as 18.3 and the corresponding polarization dependence of I_(MPL) has a form of cos^(50)■_p.The emission dynamics of avalanche MPL and three-photon luminesc...

Au nanowires with high aspect ratio and atomic shell of Pt-Ru alloy for enhanced methanol oxidation reaction

The methanol oxidation reaction(MOR)is the limiting half-reaction in direct methanol fuel cell(DMFC).Although Pt is the most active single-metal electrocatalyst for MOR,it is hampered by high cost and CO poisoning.Constructing a Pt or Ru monolayer on a second metal substrate by means of galvanic replacement of underpotentially deposited(UPD)Cu monolayer has been shown as an efficient catalyst design strategy for the electrocatalysis of MOR because of the presumed 100%utilization of atoms and resistance to CO poisoning.Herein,we prepared one-dimensional surface-alloyed electrocatalyst from predominantly(111)faceted Au nanowires with high aspect ratio as the substrate of under-potential deposition.The electrocatalyst comprises a core of the Au nanowire and a shell of catalytically active Pt coated by Ru.Coverage-dependent electro-catalytic activity and stability is demonstrated on the Pt/Ru submonolayers on Au wires for MOR.Among all these catalysts,Au@Pt_(ML)@Ru_(ML)exhibits the best electrocatalytic activity and poisoning tolerance to CO.This presents a viable method for the rational catalyst design for achieving high noble-metal utilization efficiency and high catalytic performance.

Conductive Au nanowires regulated by silk fibroin nanofibers

Conductive Au-biopolymer composites have promising applications in tissue engineering such as nerve tissue regeneration. In this study, silk fibroin nanofibers were formed in aqueous solution by regulating silk self-assembly process and then used as template for Au nanowire fabrication. We performed the synthesis of Au seeds by repeating the seeding cycles for several times in order to increase the density of Au seeds on the nanofibers. After electroless plating, densely decorated Au seeds grew into irregularly shaped particles following silk nanofiber to fill the gaps between particles and finally form uniform continuous nanowires. The conductive property of the Au-silk fibroin nanowires was studied with current-voltage （I-V） measurement. A typical ohmic behavior was observed, which highlighted their potential applications in nerve tissue regeneration.

Au core-PtAu alloy shell nanowires for formic acid electrolysis

Inefficient electrocatalysts and high-power consumption are two thorny problems for electrochemical hydrogen(H2)production from acidic water electrolysis.Herein we report the one-pot precise synthesis of ultrafine Au core-Pt Au alloy shell nanowires(Au@PtxAu UFNWs).Among them,Au@Pt_(0.077) Au UFNWs exhibit the best performance for formic acid oxidation reaction(FAOR)and hydrogen evolution reaction(HER),which only require applied potentials of 0.29 V and-22.6 m V to achieve a current density of 10 m A cm^(-2),respectively.The corresponding formic acid electrolyzer realizes the electrochemical H2 production at a voltage of only 0.51 V with 10 m A cm^(-2) current density.Density functional theory(DFT)calculations reveal that the Au-riched Pt Au alloy structure can facilitates the direct oxidation pathway of FAOR and consequently elevates the FAOR activity of Au@Pt_(0.077) Au UFNWs.This work provides meaningful insights into the electrochemical H_(2) production from both the construction of advanced bifunctional electrocatalysts and the replacement of OER.

In situ atomistic observation of the deformation mechanism of Au nanowires with twin–twin intersection

Twin–twin intersections are often observed in face-centered cubic(FCC)metallic nanostructures,which have important contributions to the plastic deformation and strengthening of FCC metals with low stacking fault energies.However,a deep insight into the underlying mechanism involved in the formation and evolution of twin–twin intersections remains largely lacking,especially in experiments.Here,by conducting the in situ straining experiments under high resolution transmission electron microscope(TEM),we directly visualize the dynamic evolution of a twin–twin intersection in Au nanowire at the nanoscale.It shows that dislocations in the incoming twin can either glide onto or transmit across the barrier twin via dislocation interaction with the twin boundary,resulting in the twin–twin intersection.Dynamic twinning and de-twinning of the twin–twin intersection govern the whole deformation of the nanowire.These findings reveal the dynamic behaviors of twin–twin intersection under mechanical loading,which benefits further exploration of FCC metals and engineering alloys with twin–twin intersection structures.

Size-dependent transition of the deformation behavior of Au nanowires

Inspired by the controversy over tensile deformation modes of single-crystalline 〈110〉/{111} Au nanowires, we investigated the dependency of the deformation mode on diameters of nanowires using the molecular dynamics technique. A new criterion for assessing the preferred deformation mode-slip or twin propagation--of nanowires as a function of nanowire diameter is presented. The results demonstrate the size-dependent transition, from superplastic deformation mediated by twin propagation to the rupture by localized slips in deformed region as the nanowire diameter decreases. Moreover, the criterion was successfully applied to explain the superplastic deformation of Cu nanowires.

Fabrication and Characterization of Au Nanoparticle-aggregated Nanowires by Using Nanomeniscus-induced Colloidal Stacking Method

We fabricate and characterize Au nanoparticle-aggregated nanowires by using the nano meniscus-induced colloidal stacking method. The Au nanoparticle solution ejects with guidance of nanopipette/quartz tuning fork-based atomic force microscope in ambient conditions, and the stacking particles form Au nanoparticle-aggregated nanowire while the nozzle retracts from the surface. Their mechanical properties with relatively low elastic modulus are in situ investigated by using the same apparatus.

Novel voltage signal at proximity-induced superconducting transition temperature in gold nanowires

We observed a novel voltage peak in the proximity-induced superconducting gold(Au) nanowire while cooling the sample through the superconducting transition temperature. The voltage peak turned dip during warming. The voltage peak or dip was found to originate respectively from the emergence or vanishing of the proximity-induced superconductivity in the Au nanowire.The amplitude of the voltage signal depends on the temperature scanning rate, and it cannot be detected when the temperature is changed slower than 0.03 K/min. This transient feature suggests the non-equilibrium property of the effect. Ginzburg-Landau model clarified the voltage peak by considering the emergence of Cooper pairs of relatively lower free energy in superconducting W contact and the non-equilibrium diffusion of Cooper pairs and quasiparticles.