NIR‐shielding films based on PEDOT‐PSS/polysiloxane and polysilsesquioxane hybrid

In situ engineering of Au-Ag alloy embedded PEDOT nanohybrids at a solvent/non-solvent interface for the electrochemical enzyme-free detection of histamine

Steadfast efforts have been made to develop novel materials and incorporate them into functional devices for practical applications, pushing the research on electroactive materials to the forefront of nano electronics. Liquid/liquid interface-assisted polymerization offers a scalable methodology to fabricate hybrid materials with multifunctional applications, in contrast to the conventional and ubiquitous routes. Here, we explored this efficient and versatile approach toward the in situ tailoring of Au-Ag alloy nanostructures with a conducting polymer, poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene) (PEDOT). With the appropriate choice of organic and inorganic phases for the distribution of monomer and oxidant, the miscibility restraints of the reactants in a single phase were alleviated. Effective nanostructure tuning of highly crystalline and electroactive PEDOT/Au-Ag alloy has been achieved by varying the molar ratio of Au³⁺/Ag⁺ in the reaction mixture. The as-synthesized composite is further explored to detect neuromodulator histamine (HA), which displays high sensitivity with a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.5 nM, and selectivity even in the presence of various interfering analogs of 10-fold concentration. Subsequently, density functional theory (DFT) simulations are employed to assess the mode of interaction between HA and the electroactive surfaces. The competency to detect HA in preserved food entails its potential in food spoilage monitoring. Furthermore, the detection of histamine generated by sub-cultured human neuronal cells SH-SY5Y proves its practical viability in health monitoring devices.

Photonic Multilayer Structure Induced High Near-Infrared (NIR) Blockage as Energy-Saving Window

Energy-saving window that selectively blocks near-infrared (NIR) is a promising technology to save energy consumption. However, it is hard to achieve both high transmittance in visible light and high reflectance in NIR for the energy-saving windows. Here, a TiO₂ /Ag/TiO₂ /SiO₂ /TiO₂ multilayer is demonstrated on a glass substrate to selectively block NIR while maintaining high transmittance to visible light. The thickness of a TiO₂ /Ag/TiO₂ structure is first design and optimized; the metal layer reflects NIR and the dielectric layers increase transmittance of visible light with zero reflection condition. To further enhance NIR-blocking capability, a TiO₂ back reflector is implemented with a SiO₂ spacer to TiO₂ /Ag/TiO₂ structure. The back reflector can induce additional Fresnel reflection without sacrificing transmittance to visible light. The optimal TiO₂ (32 nm)/Ag (22 nm)/TiO₂ (30 nm)/SiO₂ (100 nm)/TiO₂ (110 nm)/glass shows solar energy rejection 89.2% (reflection 86.5%, absorption 2.7%) in NIR, visible transmittance 69.9% and high long-wave (3 ≤ λ ≤ 20 µm) reflectance > 95%. This proposed visible-transparent, near-infrared-reflecting multilayer film can be applied to the windows of buildings and automobiles to reduce the energy consumption.

Reduction of Graphene Oxide Using an Environmentally Friendly Method and Its Application to Energy-Related Materials

Since graphene oxide can be synthesized in large quantities by oxidation of inexpensively available natural graphite and can be dispersed in water, it can be coated onto a variety of substrates by solution processes. Graphene oxide can also be reduced to yield reduced graphene oxide, which has similar electronic features to graphene. This review introduces the environmentally friendly methods for the synthesis of reduced graphene oxide utilizing electrochemical and thermal methods and summarizes our recent research results on their application to energy-related materials such as electric double-layer capacitors, thermoelectric devices, transparent conductive films, and lithium-ion secondary batteries.