Hierarchically porous metals possess intriguing high accessibility of matter molecules and unique continuous metallic frameworks, as well as a high level of exposed active atoms. High rates of ...diffusion and fast energy transfer have been important and challenging goals of hierarchical design and porosity control with nanostructured metals. This review aims to summarize recent important progress toward the development of hierarchically porous metals, with special emphasis on synthetic strategies, hierarchical design in structure–function and corresponding applications. The current challenges and future prospects in this field are also discussed.
As a new group of hierarchical materials, hierarchically porous metals not only present high accessibility of matter molecules, but also provide unique continuous metallic frameworks for greatly enhancing electron mobility and utilization. This review summarizes the most commonly used synthesis strategies to produce hierarchically porous metals and discusses how this hierarchy impacts on structure–function for applications in catalysis, energy, and sensing.
Hierarchically dual‐mesoporous TiO2 microspheres have been synthesized by a solvothermal process in the presence of 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMImBF4) and diethylenetriamine ...(DETA) as co‐templates. Secondary mesostructured defects in the hierarchical TiO2 microspheres produce oxygen vacancies, which not only significantly enhance photocatalytic activity in the degradation of methylene blue (1.7 times that with P25) and acetone (2.9 times that with P25), but are also beneficial for lithium storage. Moreover, we propose a mechanism to rationalize the role of this dual mesoporosity of the TiO2 microspheres in enhancing molecular diffusion, ion transportation, and electronic transitions.
Beneficial dual mesoporosity: Hierarchically dual‐mesoporous TiO2 has been synthesized by a co‐templating method. Its mesostructured defects caused by an ionic liquid lead to a high level of oxygen vacancies (see graphic), which significantly enhance its photoelectrochemical performance.
Hierarchies design of porosity in metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) has gained significant interest in recent years, and customization of mesoporous sizes in MOFs is still quite challenging. Herein, a ...template‐free method by nucleation‐competition has been developed to realize a near‐linear control of the mesopore sizes (3–13 nm) in the hierarchical MOF UiO‐66(Hf). High selectivity of enzyme adsorption, high activity of bulky‐molecular catalysis, high stability of mesostructure, and extension to other MOFs further prove the success in the potential customization synthesis and applications.
A template‐free method by nucleation‐competition has been developed to realize near‐linear control of the mesopore sizes (3–13 nm) in the hierarchical metal‐organic frameworks UiO‐66(Hf), showing significant performances regarding molecular selectivity, catalytic activity, and mesostructure stability.
Inspired by the characteristics of cells in live organisms, new types of hybrids have been designed comprising live cells and abiotic materials having a variety of structures and functionalities. The ...major goal of these studies is to uncover hybridization approaches that promote cell stabilization and enable the introduction of new functions into living cells. Single-cells in nanoshells have great potential in a large number of applications including bioelectronics, cell protection, cell therapy, and biocatalysis. In this review, we discuss the results of investigations that have focused on the synthesis, structuration, functionalization, and applications of these single-cells in nanoshells. We describe synthesis methods to control the structural and functional features of single-cells in nanoshells, and further develop their applications in sustainable energy, environmental remediation, green biocatalysis, and smart cell therapy. Perceived limitations of single-cells in nanoshells have been also identified.
Inspired by nature, the different building blocks and special functions from nanoshells further optimize nanocoated single-cells, which have great potential in many applications.
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•An ultrafast method is developed to synthesize Cu2O octahedrons.•Highly dispersed Cu2O octahedrons inlaid in Ni Foam are obtained.•The sample displays superior catalytic activity in ...both alkaline water/seawater electrolytes.•The sample exhibits good catalytic durability and stability.
Development of bifunctional cost-effective and self-supporting electrocatalysts for high-performance water/seawater electrolysis are vital for emerging energy storage and conversion technologies. Herein, an ultrafast strategy is reported to synthesis homogeneous Cu2O octahedrons inlaid in Ni foam (oct_Cu2O-NF) via spontaneous replacement of Ni with Cu, followed by rapid oxidization of Cu in air. Benefiting from the high dispersion of uniform octahedral structure and strong interaction between Cu2O and Ni foam, oct_Cu2O-NF displayed a superior activity for both oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) as well as outstanding stability. After assembling oct_Cu2O-NF as bifunctional electrodes for alkaline seawater splitting, the electrolyzer exhibited a very small cell voltage of 1.71 V to reach 10 mA cm−2. This brand-new way of ultrafast synthesis for oct_Cu2O-NF experimentally confirms the feasibility of Cu-based nanomaterials for efficient water/seawater electrolysis.
Alloying platinum (Pt) with transition metals (M), as an established class of electrocatalysts, reduces the use of Pt and improves the electrocatalytic performance. However, the stability of ...transition metals in nanostructured platinum alloys is a fundamental and practical problem in electrocatalysis, due to leaching of transition metals under acidic operating condition. Here, a corrosion method has been developed for a Pt−Cu electrocatalyst with high activity (6.6 times that of commercial Pt/C) and excellent stability for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) under acidic operating conditions. The mechanism of formation has been studied, and possible mesostructured re‐formation and atomic re‐organization have been proposed. This work offers an effective strategy for the facile synthesis of a highly acid‐stable PtM alloying and opens a door to high‐performance design for electrocatalysts.
Acid tested: An ultimate corrosion method to Pt−Cu electrocatalysts is presented that greatly promotes electrocatalytic activity and stability for methanol oxidation under acidic conditions. The formation mechanism has been investigated, and a mesostructured re‐formation and atomic re‐organization process is proposed. Our method could potentially be extended to the facile synthesis of highly acid stable Pt‐based alloys with excellent electrocatalytic performance.
Proton pump (H+ /K+ –adenosine triphosphatase) inhibitors (PPIs) are widely used to treat patients with acid-related disorders because they are generally perceived to be safe and effective. However, ...as with any pharmacologic agent, they have the potential for side effects. Many studies have examined the side effects of long-term or short-term PPI exposure. We review the mechanism of action of PPIs, focusing on recently released products that might have greater risks of adverse effects than older products because of increased potency and/or duration of action. We summarize the data available on the putative adverse effects of PPI therapy and propose guidelines for clinicians who prescribe these agents to limit the potential for adverse outcomes in users of these effective therapeutic agents.
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