Cost-effective akermanite derived from industrial waste for working electrodes in supercapacitor applications

The aim of this study is the synthesis of an akermanite (Ca2MgSi2O7) material by sol–gel method using industrial waste (fly ash (FA) and ground-granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS)) as an initial precursor for the first time.

A neoteric sandwich-configurational composite film offering synchronous conductive aeolotropy, superparamagnetism and dual-color fluorescence

A new type of two-dimensional (2D) sandwich-configurational composite film offering electrically conductive aeolotropism, superparamagnetism and dual-color fluorescence was successfully fabricated via electrospinning. The composite film consists of a [polyaniline (PANI)/polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)]//[Eu(BA)₃phen/PMMA] Janus nanobelt array aeolotropic conductive-fluorescent layer (first layer), a Fe₃O₄/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) superparamagnetic nanofibers layer (second layer) and a Tb(BA)₃phen/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fluorescent nanofiber layer (third layer), which have been tightly bonded together to form a sandwich-configurational composite film with trifunctionality. Because of the exceptive sandwich-like structure, electrically conductive, superparamagnetic, and fluorescent substances are mutually and efficaciously segregated. Thus, reciprocally pernicious interferences among them can be thoroughly avoided; thus, the sandwich-configurational composite film coinstantaneously possesses superior conductive aeolotropism, fluorescence and magnetism tri-functionality. Thus, the aeolotropic conductive-fluorescent layer and fluorescent layer respectively exhibit excellent red and green fluorescence properties. Further, the conductive aeolotropism and superparamagnetism of the composite film can be severally adjusted via regulating the contents of PANI and Fe₃O₄ NPs. Owing to the peculiar nanostructure made of Janus nanobelts in the aeolotropic conductive-fluorescent layer, the conduction ratio reaches 10⁸ times between conductive and insulating directions of the sandwich-configurational composite film. Under the excitation of 290 nm ultraviolet light, prominent red emission at 615 nm can be clearly observed in the aeolotropic conductive-fluorescent layer. Additionally, major green emission at 545 nm can be observed in the fluorescent layer under 314 nm light excitation. Furthermore, due to the exceptional sandwich structure, the properties of each layer of the whole film are relatively independent, the fluorescence intensities of the aeolotropic conductive-fluorescent layer and the fluorescent layer are hardly affected by the magnetic variation of the superparamagnetic layer, and the fluorescence intensity of the fluorescent layer is not influenced by the modulation of the PANI content of the aeolotropic conductive-fluorescent layer. The neoteric sandwich-configurational composite film with concurrent trifunctionality constructed by a facile method has potential applications in many fields. Overall, the academic design and manufacturing means will provide support for the design and construction of new-typed aeolotropic conductive films with multifunctionality.

Synthesis and Near Infrared Luminescence Properties of a Series of Lanthanide Complexes with POSS Modified Ligands

A polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) modified 8-hydroxyquinoline derivative (denoted as Q-POSS) was synthesized and used as a ligand to coordinate with lanthanide ions to obtain a series of lanthanide complexes Ln(Q-POSS)₃ (Ln = Er³⁺, Yb³⁺, Nd³⁺). The as-prepared lanthanide complexes have been characterized by FT-IR, UV⁻Vis, and elemental analysis. All these complexes showed the characteristic near-infrared (NIR) luminescence originated from the corresponding lanthanide ions under excitation. Compared with the unmodified counterparts LnQ₃ (HQ = 8-hydroxyquinoline), the Ln(Q-POSS)₃ complexes showed obviously increased emission intensity, which was ascribed mainly to the steric-hindrance effects of the POSS moiety in the ligands. It is believed that the POSS group could suppress undesired excimer formation and intermolecular aggregation, thus decreasing the concentration quenching effect of the corresponding lanthanide complexes.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications of Polymer-Silica Core-Shell Microparticle Capsules

Encapsulation is a powerful method for the targeted delivery of concentrated reagents and capture of valuable materials in dilute systems. To this end, many encapsulation schemes for specific scenarios have been devised that incorporate chemospecificity or stimulus response in terms of uptake or release. However, an encapsulation platform that enables highly tailorable surface chemistry for targeting, stimulus response, and core chemistry for capture and release of reagents remains elusive. Here, we present such a system comprising composite core-shell capsule particles of hydrophilic polymers coated with thin silica layers synthesized via straightforward one-pot syntheses. Silica is found to encapsulate a range of polymer hydrogels through a mechanism independent of the specific core chemistry. The hybrid materials possess significantly enhanced rigidity while allowing surface modification through simple yet versatile silane coupling reactions without a reduction in the functionality of the core. They are shown to have applications as diverse as recyclable catalysis and controlled delivery vehicles for agrochemicals. The successful synthesis and utilization of this catalog of materials indicate the broader capability of simple composite structures in an array of high-value applications.

Lanthanide complex inside–outside double functionalized zeolite A hybrid materials for luminescence sensing

Double functionalization assembled hybrids exhibit luminescence in the visible/NIR region and among which [DBM-Yb-ZA]–NTASi-Eu shows high sensing selectivity for Fe³⁺.

Synthesis of novel lanthanide acylpyrazolonato ligands with long aliphatic chains and immobilization of the Tb complex on the surface of silica pre-modified via hydrophobic interactions

Immobilization of a Tb acylpyrazolonato complex on silica surfaces via hydrophobic interactions.

Multi-component assembly and luminescence tuning of lanthanide hybrids through the inside–outside double modification of zeolite A/L

A novel inside–outside double modification path is used to functionalize ZA/L to construct multi-component hybrids presenting multi-color luminescence.

Novel photofunctional hybrid materials (alumina and titania) functionalized with both MOF and lanthanide complexes through coordination bonds

Multi-component sol–gel derived alumina and titania hybrid materials are assembled by the functionalization of both lanthanide complexes and a special metal organic framework compound: Al-MIL-53-COOH through coordination bonds. Multi-color luminescence and white colored light can be tuned by controlling the different units in the hybrid system.

Near infrared and visible luminescence from xerogels covalently grafted with lanthanide [Sm(3+), Yb(3+), Nd(3+), Er(3+), Pr(3+), Ho(3+)] β-diketonate derivatives using visible light excitation

A series of ternary lanthanide β-diketonate derivatives covalently bonded to xerogels (named as Ln-DP-xerogel, Ln = Sm, Yb, Nd, Er, Pr, Ho) by doubly functionalized alkoxysilane (dbm-Si) was synthesized in situ via a sol-gel process. The properties of these xerogel materials were investigated by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), diffuse reflectance (DR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analyses, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The data and analyses suggest that the lanthanide derivatives have been covalently grafted to the corresponding xerogels successfully. Of importance here is that, after excitation with visible light (400-410 nm), the xerogels all show characteristic visible (Sm(3+)) as well as near-infrared (NIR; Sm(3+), Yb(3+), Nd(3+), Er(3+), Pr(3+), Ho(3+)) luminescence of the corresponding Ln(3+) ions, which is attributed to the energy transfer from the ligands to the Ln(3+) ions via an antenna effect. Exciting with visible light is advantageous over UV excitation. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, it is the first observation of NIR luminescence with visible light excitation from xerogels covalently bonded with the Sm(3+), Pr(3+), and Ho(3+) derivatives. Compared to lanthanide complexes (Ln = Er, Nd, Yb) functionalized periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) materials that exhibit similar optical properties reported in our previous work, the Ln-DP-xerogel (Ln = Sm, Yb, Nd, Er, Pr, Ho) in this case offer advantages in terms of ease of synthesis and handling and potentially low cost for emerging technological applications. Development of near-infrared luminescence of the lanthanide materials with visible light excitation is of strong interest to emerging applications such as chemosensors, laser systems, and optical amplifiers.