Combination of nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes for organic hybrid thermoelectrics

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are usually very expensive, but inexpensive CNTs have been mass-produced by a super-growth (SG) method. The SG-CNTs, however, have many defects resulting in a low conductivity, which is a disadvantage of the SG-CNTs. We discovered that even the defective SG-CNTs can provide a good thermoelectric performance by forming ternary hybrid films made of the SG-CNTs, nanoparticles (NPs) of a conducting polymer complex, poly(nickel 1,1,2,2-ethenetetrathiolate) (PETT) and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). The good thermoelectric performance of the ternary film (PETT-NP/SG-CNT/PVC) was possibly attributed to the defect repair effect in addition to the bridging effect of the PETT-NPs among the CNTs. In order to confirm this new concept, we attempted the deposition of metal NPs at the defects of the SG-CNTs. We initially made a physical mixture of palladium (Pd) NPs and the SG-CNTs in dispersions to cover the SG-CNT defects with the Pd-NPs. The obtained films showed only a slight improvement in electrical conductivity. Chemical reduction of the Pd ions in the dispersion of the SG-CNTs, on the other hand, provided hybrids with an enhanced electrical conductivity, thus, use as thermoelectric materials. The thermoelectric figure-of-merit was estimated to be ∼0.3, which is a relatively high value for organic hybrid materials.

Kinetics of Spontaneous Bimetallization between Silver and Noble Metal Nanoparticles

A physical mixture of polymer-protected Ag nanoparticles and Rh, Pd, or Pt nanoparticles spontaneously forms Ag-core bimetallic nanoparticles. The formed nanoparticles were smaller than the parent Ag nanoparticles. In the initial process of this reaction, the surface plasmon absorption of Ag nanoparticles diminished and then almost ceased within one hour. Within several minutes, the decrease in Ag surface plasmon absorption could be analyzed by second-order reaction. This reaction was accelerated with an increase of temperature and the energy gap in the Fermi level between Ag and the other metals. The activation energy (Ea ) of this reaction could be determined. An electron transfer reaction from Ag to other metal nanoparticles was proposed as the initial interaction between these metal nanoparticles because the Fermi level of Ag is relatively high, and the electron transfer is possible in terms of energy. The Marcus plot between the rate constant and the driving force, roughly estimated from the work function of metals, and the observed Ea values reasonably explained the proposed electron transfer mechanism.

Thermostability of Hybrid Thermoelectric Materials Consisting of Poly(Ni-ethenetetrathiolate), Polyimide and Carbon Nanotubes

Three-component organic/inorganic hybrid films were fabricated by drop-casting the mixed dispersion of nanodispersed-poly(nickel 1,1,2,2-ethenetetrathiolate) (nano-PETT), polyimide (PI) and super growth carbon nanotubes (SG-CNTs) in N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) at the designed ratio on a substrate. The dried nano-PETT/PI/SG-CNT hybrid films were prepared by the stepwise cleaning of NMP and methanol, and were dried once more. The thermoelectric properties of Seebeck coefficient S and electrical conductivity σ were measured by a thin-film thermoelectric measurement system ADVANCE RIKO ZEM-3M8 at 330-380 K. The electrical conductivity of nano-PETT/PI/SG-CNT hybrid films increased by 1.9 times for solvent treatment by clearing insulated of polymer. In addition, the density of nano-PETT/PI/SG-CNT hybrid films decreased 1.31 to 0.85 g·cm-3 with a decrease in thermal conductivity from 0.18 to 0.12 W·m-1·K-1. To evaluate the thermostability of nano-PETT/PI/SG-CNT hybrid films, the samples were kept at high temperature and the temporal change of thermoelectric properties was measured. The nano-PETT/PI/SG-CNT hybrid films were rather stable at 353 K and kept their power factor even after 4 weeks.

Novel hybrid organic thermoelectric materials:three-component hybrid films consisting of a nanoparticle polymer complex, carbon nanotubes, and vinyl polymer

A novel class of hybrid organic thermoelectric materials is demonstrated for the first time for constructing flexible thermoelectric devices on polyimide substrates with high output power by using nanotechnology instead of conducting polymers such as poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene). The hybrid organic thermoelectric materials are composed of nanoparticles of a polymer complex, carbon nanotubes, and poly(vinyl chloride), and show high performance (dimensionless thermoelectric figure-of-merit, ZT ≈ 0.3, based on the thermal conductivity through the film).

Synthesis and catalytic activity of crown jewel-structured (IrPd)/Au trimetallic nanoclusters

Crown-jewel-structured (IrPd)/Au trimetallic nanoclusters are prepared by a galvanic replacement reaction using Ir/Pd nanoclusters with a structure of Ir rich in the core and Pd rich in the shell as mother clusters. The catalytic activity of the top Au atoms for aerobic glucose oxidation of the trimetallic nanoclusters is the highest ever reported among all supported and colloidal catalysts.

Photosensitized Reduction of Carbon Dioxide in Solution Using Noble-Metal Clusters for Electron Transfer

Carbon dioxide was reduced to methane by visible-light irradiation of a solution composed of tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(III) as photosensitizer, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt as sacrificial reagent, methyl viologen as electron relay, and a colloidal dispersion of polymer-protected noble-metal clusters, prepared by alcohol-reduction, as catalyst. Among the noble-metal clusters examined, Pt clusters showed the highest activity for the formation of methane as well as hydrogen. In order to improve the activity, oxidized clusters and bimetallic clusters were also applied. For example, the CH4 yield in 3-h irradiation increased from 51 x 10-3 μmol with unoxidized Pt clusters to 72 x 10-3 μmol with partially oxidized ones. In the case of Pt/Ru bimetalic systems, the improvement of the catalytic activity by air treatment was much greater than in case of monometallic clusters.

Zirconia nanocolloids having a nanospace of poly(cyclodextrin): preparation and application to liquid crystal devices

Poly(gamma-cyclodextrin) (PgammaCyD)-protected ZrO2 nanocolloids were prepared by using a microwave reactor equipped with ultrasonic nozzle mixing at 240 degrees C for 30 min in a tetraethylene glycol solution of zirconium (IV) ethoxide in the presence of poly(gamma-cyclodextrin). Particles in PgammaCyD-protected ZrO2 nanocolloids have an average diameter of 7.2 nm and mainly distribute within the range of about 3 to 10 nm. The nanocolloids were dispersed in 4'-pentylbiphenyl-4-carbonitrile (5CB) and practical liquid crystal to construct novel twisted nematic liquid crystal devices (TN-LCDs). The response time of this TN-LCDs in the presence of PgammaCyD-protected ZrO2 nanocolloids was faster than that in the absence. The threshold voltage of TN-LCDs by doping PgammaCyD-protected ZrO2 nanocolloids decreased. The decrease of threshold voltage can reduce power consumption, which may meet the demands of future power-saving LCDs.

Novel formation of Ag/Au bimetallic nanoparticles by physical mixture of monometallic nanoparticles in dispersions and their application to catalysts for aerobic glucose oxidation

Ag/Au bimetallic nanoparticles (BNPs) with a size less than 2 nm were prepared by physical mixture of colloidal dispersions of Ag and Au nanoparticles (NPs). This provides an example of fabrication of BNPs with self-organization by the reaction between metal NPs. Although Ag/Au BNPs having different structures and compositions are one of the most widely studied bimetallic systems in the literature due to their wide range of uses such as in catalysis, electronics, plasmonics, optical sensing, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering, we first prepared such BNPs by physical mixture and characterized them by UV-vis spectroscopy, SERS, XPS, TEM, and EDS in HR-STEM. The present fabrication method has the advantage of avoiding the unfavorable formation of AgCl precipitates in the reaction process which are always produced when Ag(+) ions are used as a starting material in combination with a HAuCl4 precursor. These Ag/Au BNPs showed high catalytic activities for aerobic glucose oxidation, and the highest activity of 11,510 mol of glucose·h(-1)·mol of metal(-1) was observed for the BNPs with a Ag/Au atomic ratio of 1/4; the activity value is about 2 times higher than that of Au NPs with nearly the same particle size. XPS and DFT calculation results show that the negatively charged Au atoms due to the electron charge transfer effects from neighboring Ag atoms and poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) act as catalytically active sites and play an important role in the aerobic glucose oxidation.

Crown jewel-structured Au/Pd nanoclusters as novel catalysts for aerobic glucose oxidation

Low-coordination Au sites have been proved to play a key role in defining the catalytic activity of Au nanoclusters (NCs). At the present time, it is still of great interest and challenge to design and synthesize catalysts containing the desired amount of low-coordinated Au atoms by a simple, easy, and large-scale method. In this study, PVP-protected 'crown jewel'-structured Au/Pd (CJ-Au/Pd) catalyst containing an abundance of top Au atoms were prepared by redox replacement reaction between Pd NCs and Au3+ ions. The catalytic activity of the CJ-Au/Pd NCs for aerobic glucose oxidation is about 3 times higher than that of the Au/Pd alloy NCs prepared by alcohol reduction method, although all of these NCs possess almost the same particle size.

Direct visualization of laser-driven electron multiple scattering and tunneling distance in strong-field ionization

Using a simple model of strong-field ionization of atoms that generalizes the well-known 3-step model from 1D to 3D, we show that the experimental photoelectron angular distributions resulting from laser ionization of xenon and argon display prominent structures that correspond to electrons that pass by their parent ion more than once before strongly scattering. The shape of these structures can be associated with the specific number of times the electron is driven past its parent ion in the laser field before scattering. Furthermore, a careful analysis of the cutoff energy of the structures allows us to experimentally measure the distance between the electron and ion at the moment of tunnel ionization. This work provides new physical insight into how atoms ionize in strong laser fields and has implications for further efforts to extract atomic and molecular dynamics from strong-field physics.

Construction and electro-optic properties of liquid-crystal display doped by rhodium nanoparticles

We prepared 4'-pentylbiphenyl-4-carbonitrile (5CB)-stabilized rhodium (5CB-Rh) nanoparticles and poly(cyclodextrin) (PCyD)-stabilized rhodium (PCyD-Rh) nanoparticles. The average diameter of Rh nanoparticles stabilized by 5CB, PalphaCyD, PbetaCyD, and PgammaCyD are 1.2, 5.4, 6.8, and 5.2 nm, respectively. The nanoparticles were dispersed in liquid crystal 5CB to construct novel twisted nematic liquid crystal device (TN-LCD). Voltage holding ratio was measured for TN-LCD fabricated by doping PbetaCyD-Rh nanoparticles. The decrement of the voltage was very much reduced for that doped with PbetaCyD-Rh. The response time of this TN-LCD in the presence of PbetaCyD-Rh nanoparticles was faster than that in the absence.

Liquid crystal sol containing oleophilic Pd nanoparticles for liquid crystal device

We have succeeded in preparation of liquid crystal sol containing oleophilic Pd nanoparticles (NPs) stabilized by multidentate copolymer and fabrication of the twisted nematic liquid crystal devices (TN-LCDs) by using Pd NP-containing liquid crystal sol. Oleophilic Pd NPs were prepared by refluxing Pd acetate solution in toluene/ethanol containing poly(N-vinyl-2-pyroridone-co-styrene). Oleophilic Pd NPs showed better solubility in liquid crystal medium than poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)-stabilized NPs. The TN-LCDs were fabricated by using two kinds of practical liquid crystal materials doped with oleophilic Pd NPs. The NP-doped LCD showed 22% faster response than non-doped one at -20 degrees C without a chiral dopant. However, LCDs fabricated by liquid crystal materials with a chiral dopant were not affected by NPs. These results suggest that the effect of NPs on the electro-optic performance of LCD is incompatible with that of a chiral dopant.

Catalytically highly active top gold atom on palladium nanocluster

Catalysis using gold is emerging as an important field of research in connection with 'green' chemistry. Several hypotheses have been presented to explain the markedly high activities of Au catalysts. So far, the origin of the catalytic activities of supported Au catalysts can be assigned to the perimeter interfaces between Au nanoclusters and the support. However, the genesis of the catalytic activities of colloidal Au-based bimetallic nanoclusters is unclear. Moreover, it is still a challenge to synthesize Au-based colloidal catalysts with high activity. Here we now present the 'crown-jewel' concept (Supplementary Fig. S1) for preparation of catalytically highly Au-based colloidal catalysts. Au-Pd colloidal catalysts containing an abundance of top (vertex or corner) Au atoms were synthesized according to the strategy on a large scale. Our results indicate that the genesis of the high activity of the catalysts could be ascribed to the presence of negatively charged top Au atoms.

Controlling the XUV transparency of helium using two-pathway quantum interference

Atoms irradiated with combined femtosecond laser and extreme ultraviolet (XUV) fields ionize through multiphoton processes, even when the energy of the XUV photon is below the ionization potential. However, in the presence of two different XUV photons and an intense laser field, it is possible to induce full electromagnetic transparency. Taking helium as an example, the laser field modifies its electronic structure, while the presence of two different XUV photons and the laser field leads to two distinct ionization pathways that can interfere destructively. This work demonstrates a new approach for coherent control in a regime of highly excited states and strong optical fields.

Laser-enabled Auger decay in rare-gas atoms

In rare-gas atoms, Auger decay in which an inner-valence shell ns hole is filled is not energetically allowed. However, in the presence of a strong laser field, a new laser-enabled Auger decay channel can open up to increase the double-ionization yield. This process is efficient at high laser intensities, where an ns hole can be filled within a few femtoseconds of its creation. This novel laser-enabled Auger decay process is of fundamental importance for controlling electron dynamics in atoms, molecules, and materials.

One-pot synthesis of Ag-Au bimetallic nanoparticles with Au shell and their high catalytic activity for aerobic glucose oxidation

PVP-protected Ag(core)/Au(shell) bimetallic nanoparticles of enough small size, i.e., 1.4nm in diameter were synthesized in one-vessel using simultaneous reduction of the corresponding ions with rapid injection of NaBH(4), and characterized by HR-TEM. The Ag(core)/Au(shell) bimetallic nanoparticles show a high and durable catalytic activity for the aerobic glucose oxidation, and the catalyst can be stably kept for more than 2months under ambient conditions. The highest activity (16,890mol-glucoseh(-1)mol-metal(-1)) was observed for the bimetallic nanoparticles with Ag/Au atomic ratio of 2/8, the TOF value of which is several times higher than that of Au nanoparticles with nearly the same particle size. The higher catalytic activity of the prepared bimetallic nanoparticles than the usual Au nanoparticles can be ascribed to: (1) the small average diameter, usually less than 2.0nm, and (2) the electronic charge transfer effect from adjacent Ag atoms and protecting PVP to Au active sites. In contrast, the Ag-Au alloy nanoparticles, synthesized by dropwise addition of NaBH(4) into the starting solution and having the large mean particle size, showed a low catalytic activity.

Novel ferromagnetic materials of SmCo5 nanoparticles in single-nanometer size: chemical syntheses and characterizations

We first succeeded in preparing ferromagnetic materials of SmCo(5) nanoparticles in sizes of single nanometers by a chemical route using a polyol process. In order to produce ferromagnetic SmCo(5) nanoparticles with a CaCu(5)-type structure, the chemical preparation was conducted under a molar ratio of 1:1.3 of Sm:Co as compositions of metallic precursors when tetraethylene glycol (TEG), and oleic acid and oleylamine were used as a reductant and protectant, respectively. However, XRD profiles of the products showed the presence of oxides and other by-products besides the CaCu(5)-type structured nanoparticles. The best metallic precursors and protective reagent to prevent oxidization under reaction were SmCl(3) and Co(acac)(3), and 1-adamantanecarboxylic acid (ACA) and poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP), respectively when TEG was used as the reducing reagent. We found that oxides and other by-products were not detected and pure SmCo(5) nanoparticles with the CaCu(5)-type structure were prepared under the chemical condition. The SmCo(5) nanoparticles coated by ACA and PVP were 6.2 nm in diameter and showed a coercivity of 1500 Oe at 300 K.

Anomalous bumpy structures in the capture cross sections of antiprotons by helium

We investigate the state-specified capture process of antiprotons by helium. Freezing one of the two electrons, we reduce this four-body rearrangement problem into a three-body problem. The capture cross sections are calculated by solving the Chew-Goldberger-type integral equation. Differing from the capture of antiprotons by hydrogen atoms, the bumpy structures are revealed in the total angular momentum dependent capture cross sections. Further analysis shows that the bumps arise from the partial channel closing due to the removal of the energy degeneracy in the antiprotonic helium.

Calorimetric study on interaction of water-soluble copolymers with ionic surfactant

Using isothermal titration microcalorimetry (ITC), we examined the aggregation behavior of water-soluble copolymers, poly(methoxypolyethylene glycol methacrylate-co-ethyl acrylate)s (PME-EA)s, with ionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). From ITC measurements the values of critical aggregation concentration (cac) and saturation concentration (C(2)), the concentration at which the aggregation of the copolymers starts to form and reaches saturation, respectively, were determined. Thermodynamic parameters such as DeltaG(0)(agg), DeltaH(agg), and TDeltaS(0)(agg) of the aggregation were deduced. Results indicate that cac of the PME-EA remained constant with increase in the concentration of the copolymers, while C(2) increased linearly. On the other hand, the effect of the weight ratio of the EA unit in the copolymer was such that cac of the PME400-EA decreased, while C(2) increased with increase in the weight ratio. The results suggested that the EA units are the main binding sites of the copolymer with SDS.