Vanadium-Doped Porous Cobalt Oxide for Its Superior Peroxidase-like Activity in Simultaneous Total Cholesterol and Glucose Determination in Whole Blood Based on a Simple Two-Dimensional Paper-Based Analytical Device

Vanadium-doped porous Co₃O₄ (V-porous Co₃O₄) was synthesized via a simple soft-templating method and used as a superior peroxidase mimic for the simultaneous colorimetric determination of glucose and total cholesterol (TC) in whole blood samples on a two-dimensional microfluidic paper-based analytical device (2D-μPAD). The large surface area and the presence of two metals in V-porous Co₃O₄ contributed to its excellent catalytic activity toward 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 3,3',5,5'- tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) with Michaelis-Menten constants (K_M) of 0.1301 and 0.0141 mM, respectively. The 2D-μPAD was fabricated using simple wax screen-printing and cutting techniques. The colorimetric reactions of both glucose and TC on 2D-μPAD were simultaneously performed by adding a single drop of a whole blood sample on the sample zone made of the LF1 membrane. After the enzymatic reactions, the generated hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) was oxidized by V-porous Co₃O₄ to produce hydroxy radicals (^•OH), inducing ABTS and TMB to generate colored products. The generated H₂O₂ was proportional to the intensities of the green and blue products of the glucose and TC systems, respectively. The developed 2D-μPAD required a short analysis time (∼5 min) with small volumes of samples (15 μL of whole blood) whereby no sample preparation was needed. Owing to several advantages including simplicity, low cost, long-term stability, and simultaneous readout, the novel V-porous Co₃O₄ coupled with 2D-μPAD proved to be promising for practical uses as a pioneering portable device for the determination of glucose, TC, and other important biomarkers without the need of technical supports.

An enhancement on supercapacitor properties of porous CoO nanowire arrays by microwave-assisted regulation of the precursor

A microwave-assisted hydrothermal approach with a follow up thermal treatment was employed to prepare 1D porous CoO nanowires, which is constructed by numerous high crystallinity nanoparticles. A significant change in crystal structure of the precursor were observed, as position shift and absence of some diffraction peaks, which was induced by the microwave-assistance during hydrothermal process. Moreover, the precursor's purity was also effectively improved. As a result, the as-synthesized CoO annealed from the microwave-assisted precursor exhibited a morphology and phase structure significantly different from that of without microwave involvement. Benefiting from the 'microwave effect', the microwave-assisted as-fabricated porous CoO nanowires showed an enhanced specific capacitance (728.8 versus 503.7 F g^-1 at 1 A g^-1 ), strengthened rate performance (70.0% versus 53.2% maintenance at 15 A g^-1), reduced charge transfer resistance (1.06 Ω versus 2.39 Ω), enlarged window voltage (0.85 versus 0.7 V) and enhanced cycle performance (82.3% versus 76.5% retention after 5000 cycles at 15 A g^-1), compared with that of sample without microwave assistance. In addition, the corresponding electrochemical properties are also higher than those reported CoO sample prepared by solvothermal method. In conclusion, this work provides a practical way for enhancing electrochemical properties of supercapacitor materials through adjusting the precursor by microwave assistance into hydrothermal process.

CoO microspheres and metallic Co evolved from hexagonal α-Co(OH)2 plates in a hydrothermal process for lithium storage and magnetic applications

CoO microspheres and metallic Co could be successfully synthesized by simply reacting cobalt acetate with a mixture solvent of ethylene glycol and deionized water in a hydrothermal process for different times. As the reaction proceeded, α-Co(OH)₂, CoO and metallic Co were produced. To understand the phase evolution processes from α-Co(OH)₂ to CoO and then metallic Co, a range of time-dependent experiments were carried out, and the intermediate products obtained at different reaction times were investigated in detail. The investigation revealed that CoO microspheres were actually evolved from α-Co(OH)₂ as a precursor. Just elongating the reaction time, CoO microspheres could be further reduced to metallic Co. With a pure ethylene glycol medium for the same reaction, only α-Co(OH)₂ could be generated, indicating an important role of water. When the obtained CoO microspheres were used as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, they delivered a specific capacity of 803 mA h g^-1 at 0.1 A g^-1 with a retention of 453 mA h g^-1 after 70 cycles. Meanwhile, the magnetic properties of the obtained CoO microspheres and metallic Co were investigated, with the CoO microspheres showing an antiferromagnetic behavior and the metallic Co exhibiting ferromagnetic characteristics. This study suggested a novel method for synthesizing CoO with a uniform microsphere morphology and bulk metallic Co easily.

Morphology-Controlled Synthesis of Hematite Nanocrystals and Their Optical, Magnetic and Electrochemical Performance

A series of α-Fe₂O₃ nanocrystals (NCs) with fascinating morphologies, such as hollow nanoolives, nanotubes, nanospindles, and nanoplates, were prepared through a simple template-free hydrothermal synthesis process. The results showed that the morphologies could be easily controlled by SO₄2- and H₂PO₄-. Physical property analysis showed that the α-Fe₂O₃ NCs exhibited shape- and size-dependent ferromagnetic and optical behaviors. The absorption band peak of the α-Fe₂O₃ NCs could be tuned from 320 to 610 nm. Furthermore, when applied as electrode material for supercapacitor, the hollow olive-structure exhibited the highest capacitance (285.9 F·g-1) and an excellent long-term cycling stability (93% after 3000 cycles), indicating that it could serve as a candidate electrode material for a supercapacitor.

Hollow Co2P nanoflowers assembled from nanorods for ultralong cycle-life supercapacitors

Hollow Co₂P nanoflowers (Co₂P HNFs) were successfully prepared via a one-step, template-free method. Microstructure analysis reveals that Co₂P HNFs are assembled from nanorods and possess abundant mesopores and an amorphous carbon shell. Density functional theory calculations and electrochemical measurements demonstrate the high electrical conductivity of Co₂P. Benefiting from the unique nanostructures, when employed as an electrode material for supercapacitors, Co₂P HNFs exhibit a high specific capacitance, an outstanding rate capability, and an ultralong cycling stability. Furthermore, the constructed Co₂P HNF//AC ASC exhibits a high energy density of 30.5 W h kg^-1 at a power density of 850 W kg^-1, along with a superior cycling performance (108.0% specific capacitance retained after 10 000 cycles at 5 A g^-1). These impressive results make Co₂P HNFs a promising candidate for supercapacitor applications.

Facile Growth of Caterpillar-like NiCo2S4 Nanocrystal Arrays on Nickle Foam for High-Performance Supercapacitors

Ternary cobalt nickel sulfide as a novel and efficient electrode material in supercapacitors has recently gained extensive interests. Herein, we first report a highly conductive caterpillar-like NiCo₂S₄, composed of NiCo₂S₄ nanosheet core and nanowire shell grown on Ni foam via a facile and cost-effective chemical liquid process. Growth mechanism of the NiCo₂S₄ nanosheets@nanowires (NSNWs) structure was also investigated in detail by analyzing time-dependent experimental as well as the amount of additive ammonium fluoride in solution. Furthermore, the electrochemical measurements were performed among three different morphologies of NiCo₂S₄ including nanosheets, nanosheets@nanoparticles, and NSNWs structure, which were obtained from different reaction stages. Because the NSNWs structure has relatively high electroactive surface area, conductivity, and effective electron transport pathways, the as-prepared NiCo₂S₄ NSNWs structure comparing with two other morphologies exhibits the maximum specific capacity of 1777 F/g at 1 A/g and the highest capacitance retention (83% after 3000 cycles) at a high scan rate of 10 A/g with a mass loading density of 4.0 mg/cm². These results indicate that the NiCo₂S₄ NSNWs structure has great potential in supercapacitors.

Interconnected hierarchical NiCo2O4 microspheres as high-performance electrode materials for supercapacitors

Hierarchical NiCo₂O₄ microspheres with large tunnels and abundant mesopores have been prepared, and they exhibit excellent performance in supercapacitor applications.