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Shutt RRC, Aw ESY, Liu Q, Berry-Gair J, Lancaster HJ, Said S, Miller TS, Corà F, Howard CA, Clancy AJ. Investigating the mechanism of phosphorene nanoribbon synthesis by discharging black phosphorus intercalation compounds. Nanoscale 2024; 16:1742-1750. [PMID: 38197428 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr05416k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Phosphorene nanoribbons (PNRs) can be synthesised in intrinsically scalable methods from intercalation of black phosphorus (BP), however, the mechanism of ribbonisation remains unclear. Herein, to investigate the point at which nanoribbons form, we decouple the two key synthesis steps: first, the formation of the BP intercalation compound, and second, the dissolution into a polar aprotic solvent. We find that both the lithium intercalant and the negative charge on the phosphorus host framework can be effectively removed by addition of phenyl cyanide to return BP and investigate whether fracturing to ribbons occurred after the first step. Further efforts to exfoliate mechanically with or without solvent reveal that the intercalation step does not form ribbons, indicating that an interaction between the amidic solvent and the intercalated phosphorus compound plays an important role in the formation of nanoribbons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca R C Shutt
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Eva S Y Aw
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Qili Liu
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London, WC1E 0AJ, UK.
| | - Jasper Berry-Gair
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London, WC1E 0AJ, UK.
| | - Hector J Lancaster
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Samia Said
- Electrochemical Innovation Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Thomas S Miller
- Electrochemical Innovation Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Furio Corà
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London, WC1E 0AJ, UK.
| | - Christopher A Howard
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Adam J Clancy
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London, WC1E 0AJ, UK.
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2
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Wilding MC, Benmore C, Headen TF, Di Mino C, Miller TS, Suter TM, Corà F, Clancy AJ, Sella A, McMillan P, Howard CA. The local ordering of polar solvents around crystalline carbon nitride nanosheets in solution. Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci 2023; 381:20220337. [PMID: 37691462 PMCID: PMC10493548 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2022.0337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
The crystalline graphitic carbon nitride, poly-triazine imide (PTI) is highly unusual among layered materials since it is spontaneously soluble in aprotic, polar solvents including dimethylformamide (DMF). The PTI material consists of layers of carbon nitride intercalated with LiBr. When dissolved, the resulting solutions consist of dissolved, luminescent single to multilayer nanosheets of around 60-125 nm in diameter and Li+ and Br- ions originating from the intercalating salt. To understand this unique solubility, the structure of these solutions has been investigated by high-energy X-ray and neutron diffraction. Although the diffraction patterns are dominated by inter-solvent correlations there are clear differences between the X-ray diffraction data of the PTI solution and the solvent in the 4-6 Å-1 range, with real space differences persisting to at least 10 Å. Structural modelling using both neutron and X-ray datasets as a constraint reveal the formation of distinct, dense solvation shells surrounding the nanoparticles with a layer of Br-close to the PTI-solvent interface. This solvent ordering provides a configuration that is energetically favourable underpinning thermodynamically driven PTI dissolution. This article is part of the theme issue 'Exploring the length scales, timescales and chemistry of challenging materials (Part 2)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin C. Wilding
- UK Catalysis Hub, Research Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Chris Benmore
- X-Ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, USA
| | - Thomas F. Headen
- ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Camilla Di Mino
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Thomas S. Miller
- Electrochemical Innovation Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Theo M. Suter
- Electrochemical Innovation Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Furio Corà
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Adam J. Clancy
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Andrea Sella
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Paul McMillan
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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Lisowska K, Purser W, Chang F, Suter TM, Miller TS, Sella A, Howard CA, McMillan PF, Corà F, Clancy AJ. Amphoteric dissolution of two-dimensional polytriazine imide carbon nitrides in water. Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci 2023; 381:20220339. [PMID: 37691463 PMCID: PMC10493549 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2022.0339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Crystalline two-dimensional carbon nitrides with polytriazine imide (PTI) structure are shown to act amphoterically, buffering both HCl and NaOH aqueous solutions, resulting in charged PTI layers that dissolve spontaneously in their aqueous media, particularly for the alkaline solutions. This provides a low energy, green route to their scalable solution processing. Protonation in acid is shown to occur at pyridinic nitrogens, stabilized by adjacent triazines, whereas deprotonation in base occurs primarily at basal plane NH bridges, although NH2 edge deprotonation is competitive. We conclude that mildly acidic or basic pHs are necessary to provide sufficient net charge on the nanosheets to promote dissolution, while avoiding high ion concentrations which screen the repulsion of like-charged PTI sheets in solution. This article is part of the theme issue 'Exploring the length scales, timescales and chemistry of challenging materials (Part 2)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karolina Lisowska
- Department of Chemistry, University College London,London WC1E 0AJ, UK
| | - Will Purser
- Department of Chemistry, University College London,London WC1E 0AJ, UK
| | - Fuqiang Chang
- Department of Chemistry, University College London,London WC1E 0AJ, UK
| | - Theo M. Suter
- Department of Chemistry, University College London,London WC1E 0AJ, UK
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Thomas S. Miller
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Andrea Sella
- Department of Chemistry, University College London,London WC1E 0AJ, UK
| | | | - Paul F. McMillan
- Department of Chemistry, University College London,London WC1E 0AJ, UK
| | - Furio Corà
- Department of Chemistry, University College London,London WC1E 0AJ, UK
| | - Adam J. Clancy
- Department of Chemistry, University College London,London WC1E 0AJ, UK
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4
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Shutt RRC, Ramireddy T, Stylianidis E, Di Mino C, Ingle RA, Ing G, Wibowo AA, Nguyen HT, Howard CA, Glushenkov AM, Stewart A, Clancy AJ. Synthesis of Black Phosphorene Quantum Dots from Red Phosphorus. Chemistry 2023; 29:e202301232. [PMID: 37435907 PMCID: PMC10947263 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202301232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
Black phosphorene quantum dots (BPQDs) are most commonly derived from high-cost black phosphorus, while previous syntheses from the low-cost red phosphorus (Pred ) allotrope are highly oxidised. Herein, we present an intrinsically scalable method to produce high quality BPQDs, by first ball-milling Pred to create nanocrystalline Pblack and subsequent reductive etching using lithium electride solvated in liquid ammonia. The resultant ~25 nm BPQDs are crystalline with low oxygen content, and spontaneously soluble as individualized monolayers in tertiary amide solvents, as directly imaged by liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy. This new method presents a scalable route to producing quantities of high quality BPQDs for academic and industrial applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca R. C. Shutt
- Department of Physics and AstronomyUniversity College LondonLondonWC1E 6BTUK
| | - Thrinathreddy Ramireddy
- Research School of ChemistryThe Australian National UniversityActonACT 2601Australia
- Battery Storage and Grid Integration ProgramThe Australian National UniversityActonACT 2601Australia
| | | | - Camilla Di Mino
- Department of Physics and AstronomyUniversity College LondonLondonWC1E 6BTUK
| | - Rebecca A. Ingle
- Department of ChemistryUniversity College LondonLondonWC1E 6BTUK
| | - Gabriel Ing
- Department of ChemistryUniversity College LondonLondonWC1E 6BTUK
| | - Ary A. Wibowo
- School of EngineeringThe Australian National UniversityActonACT 2601Australia
| | - Hieu T. Nguyen
- School of EngineeringThe Australian National UniversityActonACT 2601Australia
| | | | - Alexey M. Glushenkov
- Research School of ChemistryThe Australian National UniversityActonACT 2601Australia
- Battery Storage and Grid Integration ProgramThe Australian National UniversityActonACT 2601Australia
| | - Andrew Stewart
- Department of ChemistryUniversity College LondonLondonWC1E 6BTUK
| | - Adam J. Clancy
- Department of ChemistryUniversity College LondonLondonWC1E 6BTUK
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5
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Abstract
The structure of pure liquid thiophene is revealed by using a combination of total neutron scattering experiments with isotopic substitution and molecular simulations via the next generation empirical potential refinement software, Dissolve. In the liquid, thiophene presents three principle local structural motifs within the first solvation shell, in plane and out of the plane of the thiophene ring. Firstly, above/below the ring plane thiophenes present a single H towards the π cloud, due to a combination of electrostatic and dispersion interactions. Secondly, around the ring plane, perpendicular thiophene molecules find 5 preferred sites driven by bifurcated C-H⋯S interactions, showing that hydrogen-sulfur bonding prevails over the charge asymmetry created by the heteroatom. Finally, parallel thiophenes sit above and below the ring, excluded from directly above the ring center and above the sulfur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas F Headen
- ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, OX11 0QX, UK.
| | - Camilla Di Mino
- Department of Materials, University of Oxford, 21 Banbury Rd, Oxford, OX2 6NN, UK
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Tristan Ga Youngs
- ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, OX11 0QX, UK.
| | - Adam J Clancy
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon St, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK.
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Di Mino C, Seel AG, Clancy AJ, Headen TF, Földes T, Rosta E, Sella A, Skipper NT. Strong structuring arising from weak cooperative O-H···π and C-H···O hydrogen bonding in benzene-methanol solution. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5900. [PMID: 37736749 PMCID: PMC10516861 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41451-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Weak hydrogen bonds, such as O-H···π and C-H···O, are thought to direct biochemical assembly, molecular recognition, and chemical selectivity but are seldom observed in solution. We have used neutron diffraction combined with H/D isotopic substitution to obtain a detailed spatial and orientational picture of the structure of benzene-methanol mixtures. Our analysis reveals that methanol fully solvates and surrounds each benzene molecule. The expected O-H···π interaction is highly localised and directional, with the methanol hydroxyl bond aligned normal to the aromatic plane and the hydrogen at a distance of 2.30 Å from the ring centroid. Simultaneously, the tendency of methanol to form chain and cyclic motifs in the bulk liquid is manifest in a highly templated solvation structure in the plane of the ring. The methanol molecules surround the benzene so that the O-H bonds are coplanar with the aromatic ring while the oxygens interact with C-H groups through simultaneous bifurcated hydrogen bonds. This demonstrates that weak hydrogen bonding can modulate existing stronger interactions to give rise to highly ordered cooperative structural motifs that persist in the liquid phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Di Mino
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Andrew G Seel
- ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, OX11 0QX, UK.
| | - Adam J Clancy
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Thomas F Headen
- ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Támas Földes
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Edina Rosta
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Andrea Sella
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK.
| | - Neal T Skipper
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
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Zhang FF, Aw E, Eaton AG, Shutt RRC, Lim J, Kim JH, Macdonald TJ, Reyes CIIIDL, Ashoka A, Pandya R, Payton OD, Picco L, Knapp CE, Corà F, Rao A, Howard CA, Clancy AJ. Production of Magnetic Arsenic-Phosphorus Alloy Nanoribbons with Small Band Gaps and High Hole Conductivities. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:18286-18295. [PMID: 37551934 PMCID: PMC10450688 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c03230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Quasi-1D nanoribbons provide a unique route to diversifying the properties of their parent 2D nanomaterial, introducing lateral quantum confinement and an abundance of edge sites. Here, a new family of nanomaterials is opened with the creation of arsenic-phosphorus alloy nanoribbons (AsPNRs). By ionically etching the layered crystal black arsenic-phosphorus using lithium electride followed by dissolution in amidic solvents, solutions of AsPNRs are formed. The ribbons are typically few-layered, several micrometers long with widths tens of nanometers across, and both highly flexible and crystalline. The AsPNRs are highly electrically conducting above 130 K due to their small band gap (ca. 0.035 eV), paramagnetic in nature, and have high hole mobilities, as measured with the first generation of AsP devices, directly highlighting their properties and utility in electronic devices such as near-infrared detectors, quantum computing, and charge carrier layers in solar cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Fei Zhang
- Department
of Chemistry, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, U.K.
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, University College
London, London WC1E 6BT, U.K.
| | - Eva Aw
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, University College
London, London WC1E 6BT, U.K.
| | - Alexander G. Eaton
- Cavendish
Laboratory, Department of Physics University
of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, U.K.
| | - Rebecca R. C. Shutt
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, University College
London, London WC1E 6BT, U.K.
| | - Juhwan Lim
- Cavendish
Laboratory, Department of Physics University
of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, U.K.
| | - Jung Ho Kim
- Department
of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University
of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0FS, U.K.
| | - Thomas J. Macdonald
- School
of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen
Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, U.K.
| | | | - Arjun Ashoka
- Cavendish
Laboratory, Department of Physics University
of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, U.K.
| | - Raj Pandya
- Cavendish
Laboratory, Department of Physics University
of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, U.K.
- Laboratoire
Kastler Brossel, ENS-Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Collège de France, 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Oliver D. Payton
- Interface
Analysis Centre, H. H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TL, U.K.
| | - Loren Picco
- Interface
Analysis Centre, H. H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TL, U.K.
| | - Caroline E. Knapp
- Department
of Chemistry, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, U.K.
| | - Furio Corà
- Department
of Chemistry, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, U.K.
| | - Akshay Rao
- Cavendish
Laboratory, Department of Physics University
of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, U.K.
| | - Christopher A. Howard
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, University College
London, London WC1E 6BT, U.K.
| | - Adam J. Clancy
- Department
of Chemistry, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, U.K.
- Cavendish
Laboratory, Department of Physics University
of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, U.K.
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8
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Di Mino C, Clancy AJ, Sella A, Howard CA, Headen TF, Seel AG, Skipper NT. Weak Interactions in Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO)-Tertiary Amide Solutions: The Versatility of DMSO as a Solvent. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:1357-1366. [PMID: 36752593 PMCID: PMC9940205 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c07155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
The structures of equimolar mixtures of the commonly used polar aprotic solvents dimethylformamide (DMF) and dimethylacetamide (DMAc) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) have been investigated via neutron diffraction augmented by extensive hydrogen/deuterium isotopic substitution. Detailed 3-dimensional structural models of these solutions have been derived from the neutron data via Empirical Potential Structure Refinement (EPSR). The intermolecular center-of-mass (CoM) distributions show that the first coordination shell of the amides comprises ∼13-14 neighbors, of which approximately half are DMSO. In spite of this near ideal coordination shell mixing, the changes to the amide-amide structure are found to be relatively subtle when compared to the pure liquids. Analysis of specific intermolecular atom-atom correlations allows quantitative interpretation of the competition between weak interactions in the solution. We find a hierarchy of formic and methyl C-H···O hydrogen bonds forms the dominant local motifs, with peak positions in the range of 2.5-3.0 Å. We also observe a rich variety of steric and dispersion interactions, including those involving the O═C-N amide π-backbones. This detailed insight into the structural landscape of these important liquids demonstrates the versatility of DMSO as a solvent and the remarkable sensitivity of neutron diffraction, which is critical for understanding weak intermolecular interactions at the nanoscale and thereby tailoring solvent properties to specific applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Di Mino
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, University College
London, Gower Street, LondonWC1E
6BT, U.K.
| | - Adam J. Clancy
- Department
of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, LondonWC1H 0AJ, U.K.
| | - Andrea Sella
- Department
of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, LondonWC1H 0AJ, U.K.
| | - Christopher A. Howard
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, University College
London, Gower Street, LondonWC1E
6BT, U.K.
| | - Thomas F. Headen
- ISIS
Neutron and Muon Source, Science and Technology
Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, DidcotOX11 0QX, U.K.
| | - Andrew G. Seel
- ISIS
Neutron and Muon Source, Science and Technology
Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, DidcotOX11 0QX, U.K.,E-mail: . Phone: +44 (0)1793 547500
| | - Neal T. Skipper
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, University College
London, Gower Street, LondonWC1E
6BT, U.K.,E-mail: . Phone: +44 (0)207 679 3526
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9
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Douglas SP, Faria EN, Mrig S, Zhou Y, Santoni L, Clancy AJ, Knapp CE. Tris(β-ketoiminate) Aluminium(III) Compounds as Aluminium Oxide Precursors. Chempluschem 2023; 88:e202200411. [PMID: 36646521 DOI: 10.1002/cplu.202200411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Precursor design is the crucial step in tailoring the deposition profile towards a multitude of functional materials. Most commercially available aluminium oxide precursors require high processing temperatures (>500 °C). Herein, we report the tuning of the decomposition profile (200-350 °C) of a range of octahedrally coordinated tris(β-ketoiminate) aluminium complexes of the type [Al(MeCN(R)CHC=OMe)3 ], by varying the R substituents in the ligands. The complexes are derived from the reaction of trimethylamine alane (TMAA) and a series of N-substituted β-ketoiminate ligands (R-acnacH, R=Me, Et, i Pr, Ph) with varying R-substituents sizes. When the more sterically encumbered ligand (R=Mes) was used, the Al atom became five-coordinate, therefore representing the threshold to octahedral coordination around the metal in these type of compounds, which, consequently, lead to a change of decomposition profile. The resulting compounds have been characterised by NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, elemental analysis and single crystal X-ray diffraction. [Al(MeCN(Me)CHC=OMe)3 ] has been used as a single source precursor for the deposition of Al2 O3 . Thin films were deposited via aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD), with toluene as the solvent, and were analysed using SEM, EDX and XPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel P Douglas
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, WC1H 0AJ, London, UK
| | - Erica N Faria
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, WC1H 0AJ, London, UK
| | - Shreya Mrig
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, WC1H 0AJ, London, UK
| | - Ye Zhou
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, WC1H 0AJ, London, UK
| | - Leonardo Santoni
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, WC1H 0AJ, London, UK
| | - Adam J Clancy
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, WC1H 0AJ, London, UK
| | - Caroline E Knapp
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, WC1H 0AJ, London, UK
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10
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Rubio N, Suter T, Rana Z, Clancy AJ, Masuda S, Au H, Coulter G, Sirisinudomkit P, McMillan PF, Howard CA, Mattevi C, Brett DJL, Shaffer MSP. Platinum deposition on functionalised graphene for corrosion resistant oxygen reduction electrodes. J Mater Chem A Mater 2022; 10:20121-20127. [PMID: 36277421 PMCID: PMC9514556 DOI: 10.1039/d2ta03487e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Graphene-related materials are promising supports for electrocatalysts due to their stability and high surface area. Their innate surface chemistries can be controlled and tuned via functionalisation to improve the stability of both the carbon support and the metal catalyst. Functionalised graphenes were prepared using either aryl diazonium functionalisation or non-destructive chemical reduction, to provide groups adapted for platinum deposition. XPS and TGA-MS measurements confirmed the presence of polyethyleneglycol and sulfur-containing functional groups, and provided consistent values for the extent of the reactions. The deposited platinum nanoparticles obtained were consistently around 2 nm via reductive chemistry and around 4 nm via the diazonium route. Although these graphene-supported electrocatalysts provided a lower electrochemical surface area (ECSA), functionalised samples showed enhanced specific activity compared to a commercial platinum/carbon black system. Accelerated stress testing (AST) showed improved durability for the functionalised graphenes compared to the non-functionalised materials, attributed to edge passivation and catalyst particle anchoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelia Rubio
- Department of Organic and Inorganic Chemistry, University of Alcala Madrid 28802 Spain
- Department of Chemistry, MSRH, Imperial College London W12 0BZ UK
| | - Theo Suter
- Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London London WC1H 0AJ UK
| | - Zahra Rana
- Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London London WC1H 0AJ UK
| | - Adam J Clancy
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London London SW7 2AZ UK
- Department of Chemistry, University College London London WC1H 0AJ UK
| | - Seigo Masuda
- Department of Materials, Imperial College London SW7 2AZ UK
| | - Heather Au
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London London SW7 2AZ UK
| | - Gabriel Coulter
- Department of Chemistry, MSRH, Imperial College London W12 0BZ UK
| | - Pichamon Sirisinudomkit
- Department of Chemistry, MSRH, Imperial College London W12 0BZ UK
- Department of Mining and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Prince of Songkla University Hat Yai 90110 Songkhla Thailand
| | - Paul F McMillan
- Department of Chemistry, University College London London WC1H 0AJ UK
| | - Christopher A Howard
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London London WC1H 0AJ UK
| | | | - Dan J L Brett
- Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London London WC1H 0AJ UK
| | - Milo S P Shaffer
- Department of Chemistry, MSRH, Imperial College London W12 0BZ UK
- Department of Materials, Imperial College London SW7 2AZ UK
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11
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Foglia F, Berrod Q, Clancy AJ, Smith K, Gebel G, Sakai VG, Appel M, Zanotti JM, Tyagi M, Mahmoudi N, Miller TS, Varcoe JR, Periasamy AP, Brett DJL, Shearing PR, Lyonnard S, McMillan PF. Disentangling water, ion and polymer dynamics in an anion exchange membrane. Nat Mater 2022; 21:555-563. [PMID: 35301475 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-022-01197-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Semipermeable polymeric anion exchange membranes are essential for separation, filtration and energy conversion technologies including reverse electrodialysis systems that produce energy from salinity gradients, fuel cells to generate electrical power from the electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, and water electrolyser systems that provide H2 fuel. Anion exchange membrane fuel cells and anion exchange membrane water electrolysers rely on the membrane to transport OH- ions between the cathode and anode in a process that involves cooperative interactions with H2O molecules and polymer dynamics. Understanding and controlling the interactions between the relaxation and diffusional processes pose a main scientific and critical membrane design challenge. Here quasi-elastic neutron scattering is applied over a wide range of timescales (100-103 ps) to disentangle the water, polymer relaxation and OH- diffusional dynamics in commercially available anion exchange membranes (Fumatech FAD-55) designed for selective anion transport across different technology platforms, using the concept of serial decoupling of relaxation and diffusional processes to analyse the data. Preliminary data are also reported for a laboratory-prepared anion exchange membrane especially designed for fuel cell applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizia Foglia
- Department of Chemistry, Christopher Ingold Laboratory, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Quentin Berrod
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CEA, IRIG-SyMMES, Grenoble, France
| | - Adam J Clancy
- Department of Chemistry, Christopher Ingold Laboratory, University College London, London, UK
| | - Keenan Smith
- Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Gérard Gebel
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CEA, IRIG-SyMMES, Grenoble, France
| | - Victoria García Sakai
- ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, Science & Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Chilton, UK
| | | | - Jean-Marc Zanotti
- Laboratoire Léon Brillouin (CEA-CNRS), Université Paris-Saclay, CEA Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
| | - Madhusudan Tyagi
- NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Najet Mahmoudi
- ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, Science & Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Chilton, UK
| | - Thomas S Miller
- Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - John R Varcoe
- Department of Chemistry, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
| | | | - Daniel J L Brett
- Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Paul R Shearing
- Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sandrine Lyonnard
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CEA, IRIG-SyMMES, Grenoble, France.
| | - Paul F McMillan
- Department of Chemistry, Christopher Ingold Laboratory, University College London, London, UK
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12
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Li Y, Zatterin E, Conroy M, Pylypets A, Borodavka F, Björling A, Groenendijk DJ, Lesne E, Clancy AJ, Hadjimichael M, Kepaptsoglou D, Ramasse QM, Caviglia AD, Hlinka J, Bangert U, Leake SJ, Zubko P. Electrostatically Driven Polarization Flop and Strain-Induced Curvature in Free-Standing Ferroelectric Superlattices. Adv Mater 2022; 34:e2106826. [PMID: 35064954 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202106826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The combination of strain and electrostatic engineering in epitaxial heterostructures of ferroelectric oxides offers many possibilities for inducing new phases, complex polar topologies, and enhanced electrical properties. However, the dominant effect of substrate clamping can also limit the electromechanical response and often leaves electrostatics to play a secondary role. Releasing the mechanical constraint imposed by the substrate can not only dramatically alter the balance between elastic and electrostatic forces, enabling them to compete on par with each other, but also activates new mechanical degrees of freedom, such as the macroscopic curvature of the heterostructure. In this work, an electrostatically driven transition from a predominantly out-of-plane polarized to an in-plane polarized state is observed when a PbTiO3 /SrTiO3 superlattice with a SrRuO3 bottom electrode is released from its substrate. In turn, this polarization rotation modifies the lattice parameter mismatch between the superlattice and the thin SrRuO3 layer, causing the heterostructure to curl up into microtubes. Through a combination of synchrotron-based scanning X-ray diffraction imaging, Raman scattering, piezoresponse force microscopy, and scanning transmission electron microscopy, the crystalline structure and domain patterns of the curved superlattices are investigated, revealing a strong anisotropy in the domain structure and a complex mechanism for strain accommodation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaqi Li
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Edoardo Zatterin
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
- ESRF, The European Synchrotron, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, Grenoble, 38000, France
| | - Michele Conroy
- Department of Materials, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
- Department of Physics, Bernal Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, V94 T9PX, Ireland
- London Centre for Nanotechnology, 17-19 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0HA, UK
| | - Anastasiia Pylypets
- Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 2, 18221 Praha 8, Czech Republic
| | - Fedir Borodavka
- Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 2, 18221 Praha 8, Czech Republic
| | | | - Dirk J Groenendijk
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, P.O. Box 5046, Delft, GA 2600, The Netherlands
| | - Edouard Lesne
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, P.O. Box 5046, Delft, GA 2600, The Netherlands
| | - Adam J Clancy
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Marios Hadjimichael
- Department of Quantum Matter Physics, University of Geneva, Geneva, 1211, Switzerland
| | - Demie Kepaptsoglou
- SuperSTEM Laboratory, SciTech Daresbury Campus, Daresbury, WA4 4AD, UK
- Department of Physics, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Quentin M Ramasse
- SuperSTEM Laboratory, SciTech Daresbury Campus, Daresbury, WA4 4AD, UK
- Schools of Chemical and Process Engineering, & Physics and Astronomy, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Andrea D Caviglia
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, P.O. Box 5046, Delft, GA 2600, The Netherlands
| | - Jiri Hlinka
- Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 2, 18221 Praha 8, Czech Republic
| | - Ursel Bangert
- Department of Physics, Bernal Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, V94 T9PX, Ireland
| | - Steven J Leake
- ESRF, The European Synchrotron, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, Grenoble, 38000, France
| | - Pavlo Zubko
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
- London Centre for Nanotechnology, 17-19 Gordon Street, London, WC1H 0HA, UK
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13
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Parkes E, Lisowska K, McMillan PF, Corà F, Clancy AJ. New functionalisation reactions of graphitic carbon nitrides: Computational and experimental studies. Journal of Chemical Research 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/17475198211073888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The functionalisation of two-dimensional materials is key to modify their properties and facilitate assembly into functional devices. Here, new reactions have been proposed to modify crystalline two-dimensional carbon nitrides of polytriazine imide structure. Both amine alkylation and aryl-nitrene-based reactions have been explored computationally and with exploratory synthetic trials. The approach illustrates that alkylation is unfavourable, particularly at basal-plane sites. In contrast, while initial trial reactions were inconclusive, the radical-addition of nitrenes is shown to be energetically favourable, with a preference for functionalising sheet edges to minimise steric effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Parkes
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Paul F McMillan
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Furio Corà
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Adam J Clancy
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London, UK
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14
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Kim DW, Choi J, Byun J, Kim JT, Lee GS, Kim JG, Kim D, Boonmongkolras P, McMillan PF, Lee HM, Clancy AJ, Shin B, Kim SO. Monodisperse Carbon Nitride Nanosheets as Multifunctional Additives for Efficient and Durable Perovskite Solar Cells. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2021; 13:61215-61226. [PMID: 34905920 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c19587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Two-dimensional (2D) materials are promising components for defect passivation of metal halide perovskites. Unfortunately, commonly used polydisperse liquid-exfoliated 2D materials generally suffer from heterogeneous structures and properties while incorporated into perovskite films. We introduce monodisperse multifunctional 2D crystalline carbon nitride, poly(triazine imide) (PTI), as an effective defect passivation agent in perovskite films via typical solution processing. Incorporation of PTI into perovskite film can be readily attained by simple solution mixing of PTI dispersions with perovskite precursor solutions, resulting in the highly selective distribution of PTI localized at the defective crystal grain boundaries and layer interfaces in the functional perovskite layer. Several chemical, optical, and electronic characterizations, in conjunction with density functional theory calculations, reveal multiple beneficial roles from PTI: passivation of undercoordinated organic cations at the surface of perovskite crystal, suppression of ion migration by blocking diffusion channels, and prevention of hole quenching at perovskite/SnO2 interfaces. Consequently, a noticeably improved power conversion efficiency is achieved in perovskite solar cells, accompanied with promoted stability under humid air and thermal stress. Our strategy highlights the potential of judiciously designed 2D materials as a simple-to-implement material for various optoelectronic devices, including solar cells, based on hybrid perovskites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dae-Won Kim
- National Creative Research Initiative Center for Multi-Dimensional Directed Nanoscale Assembly, Department of Material Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jungwoo Choi
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinwoo Byun
- National Creative Research Initiative Center for Multi-Dimensional Directed Nanoscale Assembly, Department of Material Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jun Tae Kim
- National Creative Research Initiative Center for Multi-Dimensional Directed Nanoscale Assembly, Department of Material Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Gang San Lee
- National Creative Research Initiative Center for Multi-Dimensional Directed Nanoscale Assembly, Department of Material Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Goo Kim
- National Creative Research Initiative Center for Multi-Dimensional Directed Nanoscale Assembly, Department of Material Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Daehan Kim
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Passarut Boonmongkolras
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Paul F McMillan
- Department of Chemistry, University College London (UCL), Gower St., London WC1E 6BT, U.K
| | - Hyuck Mo Lee
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Adam J Clancy
- Department of Chemistry, University College London (UCL), Gower St., London WC1E 6BT, U.K
| | - Byungha Shin
- Department of Material Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Ouk Kim
- National Creative Research Initiative Center for Multi-Dimensional Directed Nanoscale Assembly, Department of Material Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
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15
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Macdonald TJ, Clancy AJ, Xu W, Jiang Z, Lin CT, Mohan L, Du T, Tune DD, Lanzetta L, Min G, Webb T, Ashoka A, Pandya R, Tileli V, McLachlan MA, Durrant JR, Haque SA, Howard CA. Phosphorene Nanoribbon-Augmented Optoelectronics for Enhanced Hole Extraction. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:21549-21559. [PMID: 34919382 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c08905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Phosphorene nanoribbons (PNRs) have been widely predicted to exhibit a range of superlative functional properties; however, because they have only recently been isolated, these properties are yet to be shown to translate to improved performance in any application. PNRs show particular promise for optoelectronics, given their predicted high exciton binding energies, tunable bandgaps, and ultrahigh hole mobilities. Here, we verify the theorized enhanced hole mobility in both solar cells and space-charge-limited-current devices, demonstrating the potential for PNRs improving hole extraction in universal optoelectronic applications. Specifically, PNRs are demonstrated to act as an effective charge-selective interlayer by enhancing hole extraction from polycrystalline methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3) perovskite to the poly(triarylamine) semiconductor. Introducing PNRs at the hole-transport/MAPbI3 interface achieves fill factors above 0.83 and efficiencies exceeding 21% for planar p-i-n (inverted) perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Such efficiencies are typically only reported for single-crystalline MAPbI3-based inverted PSCs. Methylammonium-free PSCs also benefit from a PNR interlayer, verifying applicability to architectures incorporating mixed perovskite absorber layers. Device photoluminescence and transient absorption spectroscopy are used to demonstrate that the presence of the PNRs drives more effective carrier extraction. Isolation of the PNRs in space-charge-limited-current hole-only devices improves both hole mobility and conductivity, demonstrating applicability beyond PSCs. This work provides primary experimental evidence that the predicted superlative functional properties of PNRs indeed translate to improved optoelectronic performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Macdonald
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Processable Electronics, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, United Kingdom.,Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon St., London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom.,School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Adam J Clancy
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon St., London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom.,Department of Physics & Astronomy, University College London, Gower St., London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Weidong Xu
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Processable Electronics, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, United Kingdom
| | - Zhongyao Jiang
- Department of Materials and Centre for Processable Electronics, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, United Kingdom
| | - Chieh-Ting Lin
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Processable Electronics, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, United Kingdom
| | - Lokeshwari Mohan
- Department of Materials and Centre for Processable Electronics, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, United Kingdom.,School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Tian Du
- Department of Materials and Centre for Processable Electronics, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel D Tune
- International Solar Energy Research Center Konstanz, Rudolf-Diesel-Straße 15, D-78467 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Luis Lanzetta
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Processable Electronics, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, United Kingdom
| | - Ganghong Min
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Processable Electronics, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Webb
- Advanced Technology Institute, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, United Kingdom
| | - Arjun Ashoka
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J.J. Thomson Avenue, CB3 0HE Cambridge, U.K
| | - Raj Pandya
- Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J.J. Thomson Avenue, CB3 0HE Cambridge, U.K
| | - Vasiliki Tileli
- Institute of Materials, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Martyn A McLachlan
- Department of Materials and Centre for Processable Electronics, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, United Kingdom
| | - James R Durrant
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Processable Electronics, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, United Kingdom.,SPECIFIC IKC, College of Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 7AX, United Kingdom
| | - Saif A Haque
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Processable Electronics, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher A Howard
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, University College London, Gower St., London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
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16
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Foglia F, Lyonnard S, Sakai VG, Berrod Q, Zanotti JM, Gebel G, Clancy AJ, McMillan PF. Progress in neutron techniques: towards improved polymer electrolyte membranes for energy devices. J Phys Condens Matter 2021; 33:264005. [PMID: 33906172 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/abfc10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Design and implementation of advanced membrane formulations for selective transport of ions and molecular species are critical for creating the next generations of fuel cells and separation devices. It is necessary to understand the detailed transport mechanisms over time- and length-scales relevant to the device operation, both in laboratory models and in working systems under realistic operational conditions. Neutron scattering techniques including quasi-elastic neutron scattering, reflectivity and imaging are implemented at beamline stations at reactor and spallation source facilities worldwide. With the advent of new and improved instrument design, detector methodology, source characteristics and data analysis protocols, these neutron scattering techniques are emerging as a primary tool for research to design, evaluate and implement advanced membrane technologies for fuel cell and separation devices. Here we describe these techniques and their development and implementation at the ILL reactor source (Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France) and ISIS Neutron and Muon Spallation source (Harwell Science and Technology Campus, UK) as examples. We also mention similar developments under way at other facilities worldwide, and describe approaches such as combining optical with neutron Raman scattering and x-ray absorption with neutron imaging and tomography, and carrying out such experiments in specialised fuel cells designed to mimic as closely possible actualoperandoconditions. These experiments and research projects will play a key role in enabling and testing new membrane formulations for efficient and sustainable energy production/conversion and separations technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizia Foglia
- Department of Chemistry, Christopher Ingold Laboratory, University College London, 20 Gordon St., London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Sandrine Lyonnard
- University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CEA, IRIG-SyMMES, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Victoria García Sakai
- ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Chilton OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
| | - Quentin Berrod
- University Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, CEA, IRIG-SyMMES, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Jean-Marc Zanotti
- Laboratoire Léon Brillouin (CEA-CNRS), Université Paris-Saclay, CEA Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
| | - Gérard Gebel
- University Grenoble Alpes, CEA LITEN, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Adam J Clancy
- Department of Chemistry, Christopher Ingold Laboratory, University College London, 20 Gordon St., London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
| | - Paul F McMillan
- Department of Chemistry, Christopher Ingold Laboratory, University College London, 20 Gordon St., London WC1H 0AJ, United Kingdom
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17
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Lv X, Wang W, Clancy AJ, Yu H. High-Speed, Heavy-Load, and Direction-Controllable Photothermal Pneumatic Floating Robot. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2021; 13:23030-23037. [PMID: 33949847 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c05827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Light-fueled actuators are promising in many fields due to their contactless, easily controllable, and eco-efficiency features. However, their application in liquid environments is complicated by the existing challenges of rapid deformation in liquids, light absorption of the liquid media, and environmental contamination. Here, we design a photothermal pneumatic floating robot (PPFR) using a boat-paddle structure. Light energy is converted into thermal energy of air by an isolated photothermal composite, which is then converted into mechanical energy of liquid to drive the movement of PPFRs. By understanding and controlling the photothermal actuation, the PPFR can achieve an average velocity of 13.1 mm s-1 in water and can be modified for remote on-demand differential steering and self-sustained oscillation. The PPFR may be modified to provide a lifting mechanism, capable of moving 4 times the PPFR mass. Various shapes and materials are suitable for the PPFR, providing a platform for liquid surface transporting, water sampling, pollutant collecting, underwater photography, and photocontrol robots in shallow water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuande Lv
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, and Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
| | - Wenzhong Wang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, and Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
| | - Adam J Clancy
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, 20 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AJ, U.K
| | - Haifeng Yu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, and Key Laboratory of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
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18
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Ruiz-Gonzalez A, Clancy AJ, Choy KL. Rapid detection of free and bound toxins using molecularly imprinted silica/graphene oxide hybrids. Chem Commun (Camb) 2021; 57:4043-4046. [PMID: 33885678 DOI: 10.1039/d1cc00572c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Rapid, selective detection of biological analytes is necessary for early diagnosis, but is often complicated by the analytes being bound to proteins and the lack of fast and reliable systems available for their direct assessment. Here, a cheap, easily-assembled molecularly imprinted silica/graphene oxide hybrid is developed, which can selectively detect toxins linked to early-stage chronic kidney disease, down to femtomolar concentrations within 5 minutes. The hybrid material is capable of simultaneously and separately measuring free and bound analytes using with an ultra-low limit of detection in the femtomolar range, and uses processes intrinsically adaptable to any charged molecular analyte.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Adam J Clancy
- UCL Institute for Materials Discovery, UCL, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H0AJ, UK. and Department of Chemistry, UCL, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Kwang-Leong Choy
- UCL Institute for Materials Discovery, UCL, 20 Gordon Street, London, WC1H0AJ, UK.
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19
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Eom W, Lee E, Lee SH, Sung TH, Clancy AJ, Lee WJ, Han TH. Carbon nanotube-reduced graphene oxide fiber with high torsional strength from rheological hierarchy control. Nat Commun 2021; 12:396. [PMID: 33452251 PMCID: PMC7810860 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20518-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
High torsional strength fibers are of practical interest for applications such as artificial muscles, electric generators, and actuators. Herein, we maximize torsional strength by understanding, measuring, and overcoming rheological thresholds of nanocarbon (nanotube/graphene oxide) dopes. The formed fibers show enhanced structure across multiple length scales, modified hierarchy, and improved mechanical properties. In particular, the torsional properties were examined, with high shear strength (914 MPa) attributed to nanotubes but magnified by their structure, intercalating graphene sheets. This design approach has the potential to realize the hierarchical dimensional hybrids, and may also be useful to build the effective network structure of heterogeneous materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wonsik Eom
- Department of Organic and Nano Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea
| | - Eunsong Lee
- Department of Organic and Nano Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Hoon Lee
- Department of Organic and Nano Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae Hyun Sung
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea
| | - Adam J Clancy
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Won Jun Lee
- Department of Fiber System Engineering, Dankook University, Yongin-si, 16890, Republic of Korea.
| | - Tae Hee Han
- Department of Organic and Nano Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea.
- Human-Tech Convergence Program, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea.
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20
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Foglia F, Clancy AJ, Berry-Gair J, Lisowska K, Wilding MC, Suter TM, Miller TS, Smith K, Demmel F, Appel M, Sakai VG, Sella A, Howard CA, Tyagi M, Corà F, McMillan PF. Aquaporin-like water transport in nanoporous crystalline layered carbon nitride. Sci Adv 2020; 6:eabb6011. [PMID: 32978165 PMCID: PMC7518864 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb6011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Designing next-generation fuel cell and filtration devices requires the development of nanoporous materials that allow rapid and reversible uptake and directed transport of water molecules. Here, we combine neutron spectroscopy and first-principles calculations to demonstrate rapid transport of molecular H2O through nanometer-sized voids ordered within the layers of crystalline carbon nitride with a polytriazine imide structure. The transport mechanism involves a sequence of molecular orientation reversals directed by hydrogen-bonding interactions as the neutral molecules traverse the interlayer gap and pass through the intralayer voids that show similarities with the transport of water through transmembrane aquaporin channels in biological systems. The results suggest that nanoporous layered carbon nitrides can be useful for developing high-performance membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizia Foglia
- Department of Chemistry, Christopher Ingold Laboratory, University College London, 20 Gordon St., London WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Adam J Clancy
- Department of Chemistry, Christopher Ingold Laboratory, University College London, 20 Gordon St., London WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Jasper Berry-Gair
- Department of Chemistry, Christopher Ingold Laboratory, University College London, 20 Gordon St., London WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Karolina Lisowska
- Department of Chemistry, Christopher Ingold Laboratory, University College London, 20 Gordon St., London WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Martin C Wilding
- University of Manchester at Harwell, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0DE, UK
| | - Theo M Suter
- Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Thomas S Miller
- Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Keenan Smith
- Electrochemical Innovation Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Franz Demmel
- ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Chilton OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Markus Appel
- Institut Laue Langevin, 71 avenue des Martyrs, CS 20156, 38042 Grenoble CEDEX 9, France
| | - Victoria García Sakai
- ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Chilton OX11 0QX, UK
| | - Andrea Sella
- Department of Chemistry, Christopher Ingold Laboratory, University College London, 20 Gordon St., London WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Christopher A Howard
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Madhusudan Tyagi
- NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Furio Corà
- Department of Chemistry, Christopher Ingold Laboratory, University College London, 20 Gordon St., London WC1H 0AJ, UK
| | - Paul F McMillan
- Department of Chemistry, Christopher Ingold Laboratory, University College London, 20 Gordon St., London WC1H 0AJ, UK.
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Abstract
Chemical functionalisation is one of the most active areas of graphene research, motivated by fundamental science, the opportunities to adjust or supplement intrinsic properties, and the need to assemble materials for a broad array of applications. Historically, the primary consideration has been the degree of functionalisation but there is growing interest in understanding how and where modification occurs. Reactions may proceed preferentially at edges, defects, or on graphitic faces; they may be correlated, uncorrelated, or anti-correlated with previously grafted sites. A detailed collation of existing literature data indicates that steric effects play a strong role in limiting the extent of reaction. However, the pattern of functionalisation may have important effects on the resulting properties. This article addresses the unifying principles of current graphene functionalisation technologies, with emphasis on understanding and controlling the locus of functionalisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Clancy
- Dept. Chemistry, UCL, Gower Street, London, WC1H 0AJ, UK.
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22
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Clancy AJ, Anthony DB, De Luca F. Metal Mimics: Lightweight, Strong, and Tough Nanocomposites and Nanomaterial Assemblies. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2020; 12:15955-15975. [PMID: 32191431 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c01304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The ideal structural material would have high strength and stiffness with a tough ductile failure, all with a low density. Historically, no such material exists, and materials engineers have had to sacrifice a desired property during materials selection, with metals (high density), fiber composites (brittle failure), and polymers (low stiffness) having fundamental limitations on at least one front. The ongoing revolution of nanomaterials provides a potential route to build on the potential of fiber-reinforced composites, matching their strength while integrating toughening behaviors akin to metal deformations, all while using low-weight constituents. Here, the challenges, approaches, and recent developments of nanomaterials for structural applications are discussed, with an emphasis on improving toughening mechanisms, which is often the neglected factor in a field that chases strength and stiffness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Clancy
- Department of Chemistry, University College London, London, WC1E 7JE, U.K
| | - David B Anthony
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, South Kensington, SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - François De Luca
- Advanced Materials Characterisation group, National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, TW11 0LW, U.K
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23
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Clancy AJ, Sirisinudomkit P, Anthony DB, Thong AZ, Greenfield JL, Salaken Singh MK, Shaffer MSP. Real-time mechanistic study of carbon nanotube anion functionalisation through open circuit voltammetry. Chem Sci 2019; 10:3300-3306. [PMID: 30996916 PMCID: PMC6428032 DOI: 10.1039/c8sc04970j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanism of the functionalisation of reduced single walled carbon nanotubes with organobromides was monitored by open circuit voltammetry throughout the reaction and further elucidated through a series of comparative reactions. The degree of functionalisation was mapped against the reagent reduction potential, degree of electron donation of substituents (Hammett parameter), and energies calculated, ab initio, for dissociation and heterolytic cleavage of the C-Br bond. In contrast to the previously assumed reduction/homolytic cleavage mechanism, the reaction was shown to consist of a rapid association of carbon-halide bond to the reduced nanotube as a complex, displacing surface-condensed countercations, leading to an initial increase in the net nanotube surface negative charge. The complex subsequently slowly degrades through charge transfer from the reduced single-walled carbon nanotube to the organobromide, utilizing charge, and the carbon-halide bond breaks heterolytically. Electron density on the C-Br bond in the initial reagent is the best predictor for degree of functionalisation, with more electron donating substituents increasing the degree of functionalisation. Both the mechanism and the new application of OCV to study such reactions are potentially relevant to a wide range of related systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Clancy
- Department of Chemistry , University College London , WC1E 7JE , UK .
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , SW7 2AZ , UK .
| | - Pichamon Sirisinudomkit
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , SW7 2AZ , UK .
- Department of Materials , Imperial College London , SW7 2AZ , UK
| | - David B Anthony
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , SW7 2AZ , UK .
| | - Aaron Z Thong
- Department of Materials , Imperial College London , SW7 2AZ , UK
| | - Jake L Greenfield
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , SW7 2AZ , UK .
- Department of Chemistry , University of Cambridge , CB2 1EW , UK
| | | | - Milo S P Shaffer
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , SW7 2AZ , UK .
- Department of Materials , Imperial College London , SW7 2AZ , UK
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24
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Sandhu A, Walker OJ, Nistal A, Choy KL, Clancy AJ. Perfluoroalkane wax infused gels for effective, regenerating, anti-icing surfaces. Chem Commun (Camb) 2019; 55:3215-3218. [DOI: 10.1039/c8cc09818b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Infusion of solid perfluoroalkanes into polydimethylsiloxane gels provides a simple route to regenerating deicing surfaces, with low adhesion strength from the lower inherent cohesive energy of the perfluoroalkanes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arun Sandhu
- Institute for Materials Discovery, University College London
- UK
| | | | - Andrés Nistal
- Institute for Materials Discovery, University College London
- UK
| | | | - Adam J. Clancy
- Institute for Materials Discovery, University College London
- UK
- Department of Chemistry, University College London
- UK
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25
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Clancy AJ, Leese HS, Rubio N, Buckley DJ, Greenfield JL, Shaffer MSP. Depleting Depletion: Maintaining Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Dispersions after Graft-To Polymer Functionalization. Langmuir 2018; 34:15396-15402. [PMID: 30428675 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b03144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Grafting polymers onto single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) usefully alters properties but does not typically yield stable, solvated species directly. Despite the expectation of steric stabilization, a damaging (re)dispersion step is usually necessary. Here, poly(vinyl acetate)s (PVAc's) of varying molecular weights are grafted to individualized, reduced SWCNTs at different concentrations to examine the extent of reaction and degree of solvation. The use of higher polymer concentrations leads to an increase in grafting ratio (weight fraction of grafted polymer relative to the SWCNT framework), approaching the limit of random sequentially adsorbed Flory "mushrooms" on the surface. However, at higher polymer concentrations, a larger percentage of SWCNTs precipitate during the reaction; an effect which is more significant for larger weight polymers. The precipitation is attributed to depletion interactions generated by ungrafted homopolymer overcoming Coulombic repulsion of adjacent like-charged SWCNTs; a simple model is proposed. Larger polymers and greater degrees of functionalization favor stable solvation, but larger and more concentrated homopolymers increase depletion aggregation. By using low concentrations (25 μM) of larger molecular weight PVAc (10 kDa), up to 65% of grafted SWCNTs were retained in solution (at 65 μg mL-1) directly after the reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Clancy
- Department of Chemistry , University College London , London WC1E 7JE , United Kingdom
- Institute for Materials Discovery , University College London , London WC1E 7JE , United Kingdom
| | - Hannah S Leese
- Department of Chemical Engineering , University of Bath , Bath BA2 7AY , United Kingdom
| | | | - David J Buckley
- National Physical Laboratory , Teddington TW11 0LW , United Kingdom
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26
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Jia J, White ER, Clancy AJ, Rubio N, Suter T, Miller TS, McColl K, McMillan PF, Brázdová V, Corà F, Howard CA, Law RV, Mattevi C, Shaffer MSP. Fast Exfoliation and Functionalisation of Two-Dimensional Crystalline Carbon Nitride by Framework Charging. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018; 57:12656-12660. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201800875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2018] [Revised: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Jia
- Dept. Chemistry; Imperial College London; London SW7 2AZ UK
- Current address: Dept. Materials; University of Science and Technology Beijing; Beijing 100083 China
| | | | - Adam J. Clancy
- Dept. Chemistry; Imperial College London; London SW7 2AZ UK
| | - Noelia Rubio
- Dept. Chemistry; Imperial College London; London SW7 2AZ UK
| | - Theo Suter
- Dept. Chemistry; University College London; London WC1H 0AJ UK
| | | | - Kit McColl
- Dept. Chemistry; University College London; London WC1H 0AJ UK
| | | | | | - Furio Corà
- Dept. Chemistry; University College London; London WC1H 0AJ UK
| | | | - Robert V. Law
- Dept. Chemistry; Imperial College London; London SW7 2AZ UK
| | | | - Milo S. P. Shaffer
- Dept. Chemistry; Imperial College London; London SW7 2AZ UK
- Dept. Materials; Imperial College London; London SW7 2AZ UK
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27
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Jia J, White ER, Clancy AJ, Rubio N, Suter T, Miller TS, McColl K, McMillan PF, Brázdová V, Corà F, Howard CA, Law RV, Mattevi C, Shaffer MSP. Fast Exfoliation and Functionalisation of Two-Dimensional Crystalline Carbon Nitride by Framework Charging. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201800875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Jia
- Dept. Chemistry; Imperial College London; London SW7 2AZ UK
- Current address: Dept. Materials; University of Science and Technology Beijing; Beijing 100083 China
| | | | - Adam J. Clancy
- Dept. Chemistry; Imperial College London; London SW7 2AZ UK
| | - Noelia Rubio
- Dept. Chemistry; Imperial College London; London SW7 2AZ UK
| | - Theo Suter
- Dept. Chemistry; University College London; London WC1H 0AJ UK
| | | | - Kit McColl
- Dept. Chemistry; University College London; London WC1H 0AJ UK
| | | | | | - Furio Corà
- Dept. Chemistry; University College London; London WC1H 0AJ UK
| | | | - Robert V. Law
- Dept. Chemistry; Imperial College London; London SW7 2AZ UK
| | | | - Milo S. P. Shaffer
- Dept. Chemistry; Imperial College London; London SW7 2AZ UK
- Dept. Materials; Imperial College London; London SW7 2AZ UK
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28
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Clancy AJ, Bayazit MK, Hodge SA, Skipper NT, Howard CA, Shaffer MSP. Charged Carbon Nanomaterials: Redox Chemistries of Fullerenes, Carbon Nanotubes, and Graphenes. Chem Rev 2018; 118:7363-7408. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adam J. Clancy
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Institute for Materials Discovery, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, U.K
| | - Mustafa K. Bayazit
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, U.K
| | - Stephen A. Hodge
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Cambridge Graphene Centre, Engineering Department, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0FA, U.K
| | - Neal T. Skipper
- Department of Physics & Astronomy, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, U.K
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29
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Leung AHM, Pike SD, Clancy AJ, Yau HC, Lee WJ, Orchard KL, Shaffer MSP, Williams CK. Layered zinc hydroxide monolayers by hydrolysis of organozincs. Chem Sci 2018; 9:2135-2146. [PMID: 29719687 PMCID: PMC5896490 DOI: 10.1039/c7sc04256f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Accepted: 01/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Organometallic precursors provide a new and clean route to solutions of 2D materials relevant for applications including catalysis, electronics and sensing.
2D inorganic materials and their exfoliated counterparts are both of fundamental interest and relevant for applications including catalysis, electronics and sensing. Here, a new bottom-up synthesis route is used to prepare functionalised nanoplatelets, in apolar organic solvents, via the hydrolysis of organometallic reagents; the products can be prepared in high yield, at room temperature. In particular, a series of layered zinc hydroxides, coordinated by aliphatic carboxylate ligands, were produced by the hydrolysis of diethyl zinc and zinc carboxylate mixtures, optimally at a molar ratio of [COOR]/[Zn] = 0.6. Layered zinc hydroxides coordinated by oleate ligands form high concentration solutions of isolated monolayers (3 nm thick x ∼ 26 nm) in apolar organic solvents (up to 23 mg mL–1 in toluene), as confirmed by both atomic force and transmission electron microscopies of deposited species. The high solubility of the product allows the synthetic pathway to be monitored directly in situ through 1H NMR spectroscopy. The high solubility also provides a route to solution deposition of active functional materials, as illustrated by the formation of nanoporous films of optically transparent porous zinc oxide (1 μm thickness) after annealing at 500 °C. This new organometallic route to 2D materials obviates common complications of top-down exfoliation syntheses, including sonochemical-degradation and low yields of aggregated polydispersed layers, and may potentially be extended to a wide range of systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice H M Leung
- Chemistry Research Laboratory , University of Oxford , 12 Mansfield Road , Oxford , UK OX1 3TA .
| | - Sebastian D Pike
- Chemistry Research Laboratory , University of Oxford , 12 Mansfield Road , Oxford , UK OX1 3TA .
| | - Adam J Clancy
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , London , UK SW7 2AZ .
| | - Hin Chun Yau
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , London , UK SW7 2AZ .
| | - Won Jun Lee
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , London , UK SW7 2AZ .
| | | | - Milo S P Shaffer
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , London , UK SW7 2AZ . .,Department of Materials , Imperial College London , London , UK SW7 2AZ
| | - Charlotte K Williams
- Chemistry Research Laboratory , University of Oxford , 12 Mansfield Road , Oxford , UK OX1 3TA . .,Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , London , UK SW7 2AZ .
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30
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Rubio N, Au H, Leese HS, Hu S, Clancy AJ, Shaffer MSP. Grafting from versus Grafting to Approaches for the Functionalization of Graphene Nanoplatelets with Poly(methyl methacrylate). Macromolecules 2017. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.7b01047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Noelia Rubio
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Heather Au
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Hannah S. Leese
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Sheng Hu
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Adam J. Clancy
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
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31
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Anthony DB, Qian H, Clancy AJ, Greenhalgh ES, Bismarck A, Shaffer MSP. Applying a potential difference to minimise damage to carbon fibres during carbon nanotube grafting by chemical vapour deposition. Nanotechnology 2017; 28:305602. [PMID: 28594637 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/aa783f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The application of an in situ potential difference between carbon fibres and a graphite foil counter electrode (300 V, generating an electric field ca 0.3-0.7 V μm-1), during the chemical vapour deposition synthesis of carbon nanotube (CNT) grafted carbon fibres, significantly improves the uniformity of growth without reducing the tensile properties of the underlying carbon fibres. Grafted CNTs with diameters 55 nm ± 36 nm and lengths around 10 μm were well attached to the carbon fibre surface, and were grown without the requirement for protective barrier coatings. The grafted CNTs increased the surface area to 185 m2 g-1 compared to the as-received sized carbon fibre 0.24 m2 g-1. The approach is not restricted to batch systems and has the potential to improve CNT grafted carbon fibre production for continuous processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- David B Anthony
- Nanostructured Hierarchical Assemblies and Composites (NanoHAC) Group, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- Polymer and Composite Engineering (PaCE) Group, Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- The Composites Centre, Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Hui Qian
- Nanostructured Hierarchical Assemblies and Composites (NanoHAC) Group, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Adam J Clancy
- Nanostructured Hierarchical Assemblies and Composites (NanoHAC) Group, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Emile S Greenhalgh
- The Composites Centre, Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander Bismarck
- Polymer and Composite Engineering (PaCE) Group, Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- Polymer and Composites Engineering (PaCE) Group, Institute of Materials Chemistry, Facility of Chemistry, Universität Wien, A-1090 Wien, Austria
| | - Milo S P Shaffer
- Nanostructured Hierarchical Assemblies and Composites (NanoHAC) Group, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
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Clancy AJ, Anthony DB, Fisher SJ, Leese HS, Roberts CS, Shaffer MSP. Reductive dissolution of supergrowth carbon nanotubes for tougher nanocomposites by reactive coagulation spinning. Nanoscale 2017; 9:8764-8773. [PMID: 28620663 DOI: 10.1039/c7nr00734e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Long single-walled carbon nanotubes, with lengths >10 μm, can be spontaneously dissolved by stirring in a sodium naphthalide N,N-dimethylacetamide solution, yielding solutions of individualised nanotubide ions at concentrations up to 0.74 mg mL-1. This process was directly compared to ultrasonication and found to be less damaging while maintaining greater intrinsic length, with increased individualisation, yield, and concentration. Nanotubide solutions were spun into fibres using a new reactive coagulation process, which covalently grafts a poly(vinyl chloride) matrix to the nanotubes directly at the point of fibre formation. The grafting process insulated the nanotubes electrically, significantly enhancing the dielectric constant to 340% of the bulk polymer. For comparison, samples were prepared using both Supergrowth nanotubes and conventional shorter commercial single-walled carbon nanotubes. The resulting nanocomposites showed similar, high loadings (ca. 20 wt%), but the fibres formed with Supergrowth nanotubes showed significantly greater failure strain (up to ∼25%), and hence more than double the toughness (30.8 MJ m-3), compared to composites containing typical ∼1 μm SWCNTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- A J Clancy
- Imperial College London, Department of Chemistry, Frankland Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
| | - D B Anthony
- Imperial College London, Department of Chemistry, Frankland Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
| | - S J Fisher
- Imperial College London, Department of Chemistry, Frankland Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
| | - H S Leese
- Imperial College London, Department of Chemistry, Frankland Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
| | - C S Roberts
- Imperial College London, Department of Chemistry, Frankland Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
| | - M S P Shaffer
- Imperial College London, Department of Chemistry, Frankland Road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
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33
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Lee WJ, Clancy AJ, Kontturi E, Bismarck A, Shaffer MSP. Strong and Stiff: High-Performance Cellulose Nanocrystal/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Composite Fibers. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2016; 8:31500-31504. [PMID: 27933978 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b11578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The mechanical properties of rodlike cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) suggest great potential as bioderived reinforcement in (nano)composites. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) is a useful industrial material and very compatible with CNC chemistry. High performance CNC/PVOH composite fibers were produced coaxial coagulation spinning, followed by hot-drawing. We showed that CNCs increase the alignment and crystallinity of PVOH, as well as providing direct reinforcement, leading to enhanced fiber strength and stiffness. At 40 wt % CNC loading, the strength and stiffness reached 880 MPa and 29.9 GPa, exceeding the properties of most other nanocellulose based composite fibers previously reported.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Eero Kontturi
- Department of Forest Products Technology, School of Chemical Technology, Aalto University , P.O. Box 16300, Aalto FI-00076, Finland
- Polymer and Composite Engineering (PaCE) Group, Institute of Materials Chemistry and Research, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna , Währinger Strasse 42, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexander Bismarck
- Polymer and Composite Engineering (PaCE) Group, Institute of Materials Chemistry and Research, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna , Währinger Strasse 42, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
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Leese HS, Govada L, Saridakis E, Khurshid S, Menzel R, Morishita T, Clancy AJ, White ER, Chayen NE, Shaffer MSP. Reductively PEGylated carbon nanomaterials and their use to nucleate 3D protein crystals: a comparison of dimensionality. Chem Sci 2016; 7:2916-2923. [PMID: 30090285 PMCID: PMC6054039 DOI: 10.1039/c5sc03595c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2015] [Accepted: 01/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A range of carbon nanomaterials, with varying dimensionality, were dispersed by a non-damaging and versatile chemical reduction route, and subsequently grafted by reaction with methoxy polyethylene glycol (mPEG) monobromides. The use of carbon nanomaterials with different geometries provides both a systematic comparison of surface modification chemistry and the opportunity to study factors affecting specific applications. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes, single-walled carbon nanotubes, graphite nanoplatelets, exfoliated few layer graphite and carbon black were functionalized with mPEG-Br, yielding grafting ratios relative to the nanocarbon framework between ca. 7 and 135 wt%; the products were characterised by Raman spectroscopy, TGA-MS, and electron microscopy. The functionalized materials were tested as nucleants by subjecting them to rigorous protein crystallization studies. Sparsely functionalized flat sheet geometries proved exceptionally effective at inducing crystallization of six proteins. This new class of nucleant, based on PEG grafted graphene-related materials, can be widely applied to promote the growth of 3D crystals suitable for X-ray crystallography. The association of the protein ferritin with functionalized exfoliated few layer graphite was directly visualized by transmission electron microscopy, illustrating the formation of ordered clusters of protein molecules critical to successful nucleation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah S Leese
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , London SW7 2AZ , UK .
| | - Lata Govada
- Computational and Systems Medicine , Department of Surgery and Cancer , Imperial College London , London SW7 2AZ , UK .
| | - Emmanuel Saridakis
- Laboratory of Structural and Supramolecular Chemistry , Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology , National Centre for Scientific Research 'Demokritos' , Athens , Greece
| | - Sahir Khurshid
- Computational and Systems Medicine , Department of Surgery and Cancer , Imperial College London , London SW7 2AZ , UK .
| | - Robert Menzel
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , London SW7 2AZ , UK .
| | - Takuya Morishita
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , London SW7 2AZ , UK .
- Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc. , Nagakute , Aichi 480-1192 , Japan
| | - Adam J Clancy
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , London SW7 2AZ , UK .
| | - Edward R White
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , London SW7 2AZ , UK .
| | - Naomi E Chayen
- Computational and Systems Medicine , Department of Surgery and Cancer , Imperial College London , London SW7 2AZ , UK .
| | - Milo S P Shaffer
- Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , London SW7 2AZ , UK .
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Bayazit MK, Hodge SA, Clancy AJ, Menzel R, Chen S, Shaffer MSP. Carbon nanotube anions for the preparation of gold nanoparticle–nanocarbon hybrids. Chem Commun (Camb) 2016; 52:1934-7. [DOI: 10.1039/c5cc08726k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
This methodology highlights the unusual chemistry of negatively charged carbon nanotubes and provides a blueprint for the generation of hybrid nanomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Adam J. Clancy
- Department of Chemistry
- Imperial College London
- London SW7 2AZ
- UK
| | - Robert Menzel
- Department of Chemistry
- Imperial College London
- London SW7 2AZ
- UK
| | - Shu Chen
- Department of Chemistry
- Imperial College London
- London SW7 2AZ
- UK
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Clancy AJ, Melbourne J, Shaffer MSP. A one-step route to solubilised, purified or functionalised single-walled carbon nanotubes. J Mater Chem A Mater 2015; 3:16708-16715. [PMID: 27019712 PMCID: PMC4786951 DOI: 10.1039/c5ta03561a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2015] [Accepted: 07/07/2015] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Reductive dissolution is a promising processing route for single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) that avoids the damage caused by ultrasonication and aggressive oxidation whilst simultaneously allowing access to a wealth of SWCNT functionalisation reactions. Here, reductive dissolution has been simplified to a single one-pot reaction through the use of sodium naphthalide in dimethylacetamide allowing direct synthesis of SWCNT Na+ solutions. Gram quantities of SWCNTs can be dissolved at concentrations over 2 mg mL-1. These reduced SWCNT solutions can easily be functionalised through the addition of alkyl halides; reducing steric bulk of the grafting moiety and increasing polarisability of the leaving group increases the extent of functionalisation. An optimised absolute sodium concentration of 25 mM is shown to be more important than carbon to metal ratio in determining the maximum degree of functionalisation. This novel dissolution system can be modified for use as a non-destructive purification route for raw SWCNT powder by adjusting the degree of charging to dissolve carbonaceous impurities, catalyst particles and defective material, before processing the remaining SWCNTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- A J Clancy
- London Centre for Nanotechnology , Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , South Kensington , SW7 2AZ , UK .
| | - J Melbourne
- London Centre for Nanotechnology , Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , South Kensington , SW7 2AZ , UK .
| | - M S P Shaffer
- London Centre for Nanotechnology , Department of Chemistry , Imperial College London , South Kensington , SW7 2AZ , UK .
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