Single‐atom nickel dopants anchored to three‐dimensional nanoporous graphene can be used as catalysts of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in acidic solutions. In contrast to conventional ...nickel‐based catalysts and graphene, this material shows superior HER catalysis with a low overpotential of approximately 50 mV and a Tafel slope of 45 mV dec−1 in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution, together with excellent cycling stability. Experimental and theoretical investigations suggest that the unusual catalytic performance of this catalyst is due to sp–d orbital charge transfer between the Ni dopants and the surrounding carbon atoms. The resultant local structure with empty C–Ni hybrid orbitals is catalytically active and electrochemically stable.
Single‐atom nickel dopants anchored to three‐dimensional nanoporous graphene show superior catalytic activities towards the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in acidic solutions. Experimental and theoretical investigations suggest that the unusual catalytic performance of this catalyst is due to sp–d orbital charge transfer between the Ni dopants and the surrounding carbon atoms.
Bicontinuous nanoporous N‐doped graphene with tunable pore size is synthesized by nanoporous Ni‐based chemical vapor deposition. The novel 3D graphene material shows an outstanding catalytic activity ...towards the oxygen reduction reaction with a low onset potential of −0.08 V and a high kinetic current density of 8.2 mA cm−2 at −0.4 V.
We report three‐dimensional (3D) nanoporous graphene with preserved 2D electronic properties, tunable pore sizes, and high electron mobility for electronic applications. The complex 3D network ...comprised of interconnected graphene retains a 2D coherent electron system of massless Dirac fermions. The transport properties of the nanoporous graphene show a semiconducting behavior and strong pore‐size dependence, together with unique angular independence. The free‐standing, large‐scale nanoporous graphene with 2D electronic properties and high electron mobility holds great promise for practical applications in 3D electronic devices.
A nickel for your graphene: The title material was synthesized by chemical vapor deposition using nanoporous nickel. The 3D nanoporous graphene preserves 2D electronic properties, such as high electron mobility and massless Dirac fermions.
A binder‐free self‐grown oxy‐hydroxide@nanoporous Ni‐Mn hybrid electrode with high capacitance and cyclic stability is fabricated by electrochemical polarization of a dealloyed nanoporous Ni‐Mn ...alloy. Combined with the low material costs, high electrochemical stability, and environmentally friendly nature, this novel electrode holds great promise for applications in high‐capacity commercial supercapacitors.
Nanoporous Ni with a tunable nanopore size and chemical compositions was fabricated by dealloying a Ni30Mn70 precursor alloy at various temperatures. The influence of electrochemical parameters on ...the formation of large-scale nanoporous Ni was systematically investigated. Different from the fabrication of nanoporous noble metals (Au, Pt and Pd), the dealloying of Ni30Mn70 includes three kinetically competitive processes: dissolution of Mn, interface diffusion of Ni and dissolution of Ni. The nanopore size and residual Mn can be tailored by controlling the dealloying time, temperature and applied potential. The as-dealloyed nanoporous Ni with a large internal surface area, excellent conductivity and naturally formed oxide surface can be directly used as a free-standing electrode for electrochemical supercapacitors with a high capacitance and excellent cycling stability.
Particle trapping and binding in optical potential wells provide a versatile platform for various biomedical applications. However, implementation systems to study multi-particle contact interactions ...in an optical lattice remain rare. By configuring an optofluidic lattice, we demonstrate the precise control of particle interactions and functions such as controlling aggregation and multi-hopping. The mean residence time of a single particle is found considerably reduced from 7 s, as predicted by Kramer's theory, to 0.6 s, owing to the mechanical interactions among aggregated particles. The optofluidic lattice also enables single-bacteria-level screening of biological binding agents such as antibodies through particle-enabled bacteria hopping. The binding efficiency of antibodies could be determined directly, selectively, quantitatively and efficiently. This work enriches the fundamental mechanisms of particle kinetics and offers new possibilities for probing and utilising unprecedented biomolecule interactions at single-bacteria level.
The coloration of some butterflies, Pachyrhynchus weevils, and many chameleons are notable examples of natural organisms employing photonic crystals to produce colorful patterns. Despite advances in ...nanotechnology, we still lack the ability to print arbitrary colors and shapes in all three dimensions at this microscopic length scale. Here, we introduce a heat-shrinking method to produce 3D-printed photonic crystals with a 5x reduction in lattice constants, achieving sub-100-nm features with a full range of colors. With these lattice structures as 3D color volumetric elements, we printed 3D microscopic scale objects, including the first multi-color microscopic model of the Eiffel Tower measuring only 39 µm tall with a color pixel size of 1.45 µm. The technology to print 3D structures in color at the microscopic scale promises the direct patterning and integration of spectrally selective devices, such as photonic crystal-based color filters, onto free-form optical elements and curved surfaces.
Nanoporous metals produced by dealloying have shown great promise in many areas such as catalysis/electrocatalysis, energy conversion/storage, sensing/biosensing, actuation, and surface-enhanced ...Raman scattering. Particularly, nanoscale metal ligaments with high electronic conductivity, tunable size and rich surface chemistry make nanoporous metals very promising as catalysts/electrocatalysts for energy conversion applications such as fuel cells and also as versatile three-dimensional substrates for energy-storage in supercapacitors and lithium ion batteries. In this review, we focus on the recent developments of dealloyed nanoporous metals in both catalysis/electrocatalysis and energy storage. In particular, based on the state-of-the-art electron microscopy characterization, we explain the atomic origin of the high catalytic activity of nanoporous gold. We also highlight the recent advances in rationally designing nanoporous metal-based composites and hierarchical structures for enhanced energy storage. Finally, we conclude with some outlook and perspectives with respect to future research on dealloyed nanoporous metals in catalysis- and energy-related applications.
Structure insight of dealloyed nanoporous metals and the relationship of structure and applications in catalysis and energy storage/conversion are highlighted.
Hierarchical nanoporous metals with a large surface area and rich pore channels are the sought-after nanostructure for many applications. Here we report a two-step dealloying approach to fabricate a ...hierarchical nanoporous Ni alloy by utilizing the chemical stability difference of the constituent elements in a multicomponent precursor. Due to the large surface area and high electric conductivity, the hierarchical nanoporous Ni alloy exhibits a high specific areal capacitance of ∼1.11Fcm−2 and volumetric capacitance of 317Fcm−3.
Summary
Classical swine fever (CSF) is a devastating infectious disease of pigs caused by classical swine fever virus (CSFV). In China, CSF has been under control owing to extensive vaccination with ...the lapinized attenuated vaccine (C‐strain) since 1950s, despite sporadic or endemic in many regions. However, recently, CSF outbreaks occurred in a large number of swine herds in China. Here, we isolated 15 CSFV strains from diverse C‐strain‐vaccinated pig farms in China and characterized the genetic variations and antigenicity of the new isolates. The new strains showed unique variations in the E2 protein and were clustered to the subgenotype 2.1d of CSFV recently emerging in China in the phylogenetic tree. Cross‐neutralization test showed that the neutralizing titres of porcine anti‐C‐strain sera against the new isolates were substantially lower than those against both the highly virulent Shimen strain and the subgenotype 2.1b strains that were isolated in China in 2006 and 2009, respectively. In addition, experimental animal infection showed that the HLJZZ2014 strain‐infected pigs displayed lower mortality and less severe clinical signs and pathological changes compared with the Shimen strain‐infected pigs. The HLJZZ2014 strain was defined to be moderately virulent based on a previously established assessment system for CSFV virulence evaluation, and the virus shedding and the viral load in various tissues of the CSFV HLJZZ2014 strain‐infected pigs were significantly lower than those of the Shimen strain‐infected pigs. Taken together, the subgenotype 2.1d isolate of CSFV is a moderately virulent strain with molecular variations and antigenic alterations.