2D Zn3(OH)2V2O7·2H2O/NH4V4O10 nanobelts are synthesized by a simple hydrothermal route. This is the first report on the transformation of Zn3(OH)2V2O7·2H2O/NH4V4O10 (ZnVO/NVO) nanobelts into Zn3(OH)2V2O7·2H2O-based materials by an in situ electrochemical conversion, which act as an active cathode for high capacity and long cycling life aqueous rechargeable zinc ion batteries. By tuning the hydrothermal reaction time, the ZnVO and NVO content in the ZnVO/NVO can be controlled. The ZnVO/NVO nanobelts with a ZnVO content of 24.1% exhibit superior electrochemical performance with a maximum discharge capacity of 337 mA h g−1 at a current density of 0.5 A g−1. At a high current density of 10.0 A g−1, the ZnVO/NVO cathode still exhibits a maximum discharge capacity of 187 mA h g−1, and keeps a reversible capacity of 176 mA h g−1 with a maximum capacity retention of 94% after 2000 cycles. The synergistic effect of intercalated Zn2+ and NH4+ ions as well as structural water provides the cathode materials with excellent electrochemical performance.

Coulomb explosion, characterized by Coulomb repulsion between particles with the same charge on the surface of a material, has been used to realize exquisite nano-manipulation, however, researchers usually found only one aspect of the application of Coulomb explosion when they utilized it. Herein, we successfully design a “metal@insulator” based Coulomb explosion process by irradiating oxidized topological crystalline insulator SnTe under an electron beam. The occurrence of Coulomb explosion mainly due to the oxide-encapsulated SnTe retained the metallic surface state, which not only can be positively charged but also can realize charge accumulation through the shielding effect of the insulating oxide layer. By changing experimental conditions and carefully studying various experimental phenomena, we conclude six aspects of the application, namely, speculating the metallic surface state of the oxide-encapsulated SnTe, controllable fabricating nanoplates, observing the PVD (physical vapor deposition) process under low temperature, rapid coating film, unraveling the oriented attachment and self-recrystallization of larger nanocrystals and fabricating hollow structure. Our findings are important for utilizing Coulomb explosion as well as other EBI techniques to conduct nano-manipulation.

Rechargeable metal ion batteries have been alternatives to traditional fossil fuels in the past decade. Thereinto, aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have attracted widespread attention due to their high theoretical capacity, irreplaceable safety and fast reaction kinetics. Herein, we synthesize NH4V4O10 (NHVO) assemblies consisting of many nanobelts by a facile hydrothermal route. The obtained product is utilized as the cathode for NHVO/Zn batteries. The cell performance can be improved by the introduction of trace Li ions into the electrolyte. This electrolyte dependent strategy can be widened to prepare other vanadium-based materials with excellent electrochemical performance.

Strong halogen bonds can provide a foundation for reliable supramolecular strategies for effective self-assembly and design of functional materials. A new class of halogen-bond donors have been developed using structural and theoretical tools and these 3-iodo-1-phenylprop-2-yn-1-ones demonstrate several features that make them promising additions to the crystal engineering tool-box.

An organic cocrystal based on pyrene and tetrachloroterephthalonitrile is reported in this work. The cocrystal exhibits both elastic and controllable and defectless cutting postprocess properties. The mechanism of postprocessing was studied via comparative study, nanoindentation and theoretical calculations in detail.

Room-temperature aqueous phase- and size-controlled synthesis of CdS nanocrystals was achieved by a simple strategy. The role of pH is to adjust the feeding of Cd2+ and S2− by modulating the and the dissociation of TAA. Chelator ethylenediamine guides the secondary spherical and one-dimensional linear assembly of CdS nanocrystals.

Organic–inorganic hybrid materials show structural diversity and flexibility. The introduction of Sb(III) metal ions into the inorganic parts of these materials can endow them with semiconductor properties. In the work described in this paper, we successfully adjusted the band gap of such a material, namely of (C10H16N)3SB2CL9, from 2.933 eV to 2.788 eV via substituting a halogen for the third hydrogen atom of the benzene ring in its organic cation. This change in the band gap may have been caused by the influence of organic cations on the anions that gradually reduced the Cl–Sb–Cl bond angle. It is hoped that this research can provide inspiration for the design of tunable bandgap semiconductor materials.

Noble metal nanomaterials are widely used in various fields such as catalysis, fuel cells, and biomedical applications due to their high catalytic activity, chemical stability, and biocompatibility. The performance of noble metals strongly depends on their microstructure. Due to their scarcity and high cost, reasonably designing the morphology and structure of precious metal nanomaterials is the key to improving their performance and reducing their usage. In recent years, the unique properties of non-metallic two-dimensional materials such as graphene and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) have led to an increasing research focus on two-dimensional metallic materials, especially ultrathin precious metals with thicknesses of only a few atomic layers. This research has provided new ideas for the design of precious metal materials. A significant amount of research has shown that the high proportion of surface atoms in ultrathin two-dimensional precious metal nanostructures leads to physical and chemical properties that are extremely sensitive to their medium environment. This has sparked interest in investigating the relationship between the structure of noble metals and their properties, including their behavior under light irradiation and their electrical, magnetic, and catalytic properties. This article summarizes the research progress in the synthesis, structural characterization, and catalytic performance of ultrathin two-dimensional noble metal sheet nanostructures reported in the past decade. The main content of this review includes: (1) the characteristics of ultrathin two-dimensional nanostructures and some typical two-dimensional nanomaterials; (2) key factors and synthesis strategies for the control of typical ultrathin precious metal two-dimensional nanostructures; (3) catalytic performance of ultrathin two-dimensional precious metal nanomaterials; (4) the development and challenges of ultrathin two-dimensional precious metal materials.

The promising prospects arising out of the phase transitions of materials under shock conditions are attracting great attention in emerging fields at the frontier of structural science. In this communication, a dynamic shock wave induced phase transition from crystalline to the amorphous state of lead nitrate crystals is reported and the discussion is based on the results obtained from diffraction, spectroscopic and microscopic techniques.

Two new B3O7 cluster-based borates, [B6O9(OH)2]·H2dap (1, dap = 1,2-diaminopropane) and Li0.5Ca0.5[B3O5][BO(OH)2]0.5 (2), were solvothermally synthesized using different organic and inorganic templates, respectively. In 1, two different B3O7 clusters interconnect to construct a rare 2D fluctuant layer with 11-MR unclosed channels. Templating [H21,2dap]2+ located in the interlayers stabilizes the layers through H-bonds. 2 features an acentric 3D open framework with 17-MR large channels built by 4-connected B3O7 clusters. Guest Li-BO(OH)2-Ca 1D chains intercalate in the 17-MR channels, directing the formation of the 3D open framework through host–guest symmetry and charge matching. 2 is a phase-matchable nonlinear optical (NLO) material with a second-harmonic generation (SHG) response ∼1.6 times that of KDP (KH2PO4). UV-vis absorption spectra reveal that 1 and 2 have short cut-off edges of 205 and 213 nm, respectively, indicating that 1 is a wide-band semiconductor and 2 is a UV NLO material.

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A novel open-framework borate-rich cadmium borophosphate has been obtained by the boric acid reflux method. The compound exhibits a complicated network which is composed of CdO6 octahedra and an interesting 1D wheel-shaped anion, ∞{[BO2(OH)]3B6P6O27}12n−, built from trigonal-planar BO2(OH), tetrahedral BO4 and PO4 units. This work not only features the first open-framework borate-rich (B/P > 1) cadmium borophosphate, but also exhibits its excellent ion-exchange capacities with Na+ cations and efficient photocatalytic activities for the degradation of reactive brilliant red (X3B).

MgO (10 mol%)-stabilized zirconia ceramics were obtained using high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) sintering. The effects of the sintering pressure (2.5, 3.7, and 5.0 GPa) on the phase transformations and hardness were studied. The results showed that increasing the pressure during sintering suppressed the sintering of zirconia. Under a sintering pressure of 5 GPa, the temperature at which the sample completely transforms into the (t + c)-phase is 1930 °C, which is higher than 2.5 GPa. Upon increasing the sintering pressure, the hardness of the sample increased, and when the sintering pressure reached 5.0 GPa, the Vickers hardness reached the maximum of 15.8 GPa; however, the brittleness of the sample increased and its toughness decreased sharply. This was because, at a high pressure, a large number of defects such as lattice distortions and dislocations were introduced, which produced residual stress at grain boundaries and decreased the tetragonal phase content.

The hot electrons produced by the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of plasmonic metals offer an efficient and sustainable strategy for traditional catalysis. However, the low generation rate and easy recombination property of hot carriers limit their application in plasmonic reactions. In this paper, Au@Ag nanoparticles are first constructed result from SPR coupling effect of the Au and Ag components, then they are further assembled on TiO2 microspheres to form Au@Ag/TiO2, in which the Au@Ag assemblies produce a strong SPR effect caused by the collective plasmonic excitation originating from the formation of hot spots between neighboring NPs. All of these endow Au@Ag/TiO2 with efficient hot electron generation capability. Furthermore, Au@Ag/TiO2 was modified by Ti3C2 to prepare the Au@Ag/TiO2/Ti3C2 photocatalyst in consideration of the excellent electron conduction ability of the MXene. As a result, Au@Ag/TiO2/Ti3C2 possesses efficient hot carrier production and separation abilities at the same time, which exhibits outstanding photocatalytic activity in the photoreduction of nitrobenzene to aniline. Under visible light, 100% conversion and aniline selectivity are achieved in 5 min at 0 °C. Moreover, Au@Ag/TiO2/Ti3C2 displays excellent reusability.

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The mineralization of collagen in vitro has been extensively investigated for hydroxyapatite, silica, calcium carbonate and lepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH). Henceforth, it is interesting to investigate whether collagen also could serve as a generic mineralization template for other minerals, like magnetite. To this end, and inspired by the partial oxidation approach, first a ferrous hydroxide (Fe(OH)2) intermediate is synthesized via the titration of base to a solution of Fe2+. Subsequently, the Fe(OH)2 is mixed with collagen fibrils and poly(aspartic acid) is added to promote the formation of intrafibrillar crystals. Platelet-shaped lepidocrocite crystals being present throughout the entire thickness of the collagen fibrils can be realized, as was confirmed with electron tomography. The formation of lepidocrocite, which is an Fe3+ compound, is hypothesized to be induced via oxidation of the Fe2+ species and, therefore, the oxygen concentration during titration, TEM sample preparation and drying of TEM samples are investigated. Although the reaction is sensitive to small changes in experimental conditions, highly mineralized collagen fibers can be realized.

In order to investigate the nucleation behavior of Arbidol hydrochloride monohydrate (AHM) in aqueous THF (tetrahydrofuran) solutions, the metastable zone width (MSZW) was experimentally determined via the polythermal method, and then the modified Sangwal's theory was employed to explain the nucleation process. Via the MSZW investigation, the presence of hydrochloric acid might contribute to the nucleation process of AHM from the crystallization mother liquor, which accords with our previous experimental result that it is vital to manufacture AHM in a solvent system with hydrochloric acid. Based on classic nucleation theory, the modified Sangwal's theory was also employed to separately estimate the solid–liquid interfacial tension, critical nucleus size and the nucleation Gibbs energy. Moreover, it is also proved that the solid–liquid interfacial tension relies not only on temperature, but also on the nucleation driving force. The surface roughness factor fr was estimated to imply the occurrence of continuous growth at the crystal interface of AHM in aqueous THF solutions. Finally, comparisons of the calculated and experimental induction times indicate that Kubota's theory has a high applicability for AHM in an aqueous THF system.

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Using the methods of quantum chemistry and atom–atom potentials, the structure of benzotrifuroxan (BTF) cocrystals with nitrobenzenes (nitrobenzene, 1,2-, 1,3-, 1,4-dinitrobenzene, 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, and hexanitrobenzene) with different ratios of components (1 : 1, 1 : 2, 1 : 3 and in reverse order) is modeled. Based on the estimation of the energy of cocrystallization, a prediction was made of the possibility to obtain cocrystals, some of which were obtained and investigated by single-crystal XRD. For the first time, a cocrystal with three BTF molecules and one coformer molecule (1,4-DNB) in a unit cell was obtained. An analysis of the contacts of the crystal packing of the studied cocrystals shows that the polarizing effects of oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the BTF ring, which is a π system with a low electron content, form pseudo-hydrogen bonds and π–π interactions with nitro groups of coformers relatively rich in electrons, which leads to the formation of cocrystals. It was experimentally shown that the formation of cocrystals, in addition to the structural features of nitrobenzenes, is also influenced by thermodynamic factors (the polarity of the solvent and the ratio of the components used for cocrystallization).

The separation of xylene isomers from their mixture is a challenging task. The present study describes the highly selective inclusion of p-xylene (p-XY) from a mixture of xylene isomers by three novel organic bis-hydrazone compounds, ethanedial-1,2-bis(4,4′-dichlorobenzophenone hydrazone) (1), ethanedial-1,2-bis(4,4′-dibromobenzophenone hydrazone) (2) and ethanedial-1,2-bis(4,4′-diiodobenzophenone hydrazone) (3). These van der Waals host compounds specifically enclathrate p-XY from a mixture of xylene isomers. Crystallization of the host compounds in all possible mixtures of xylene isomers, X-ray diffraction (both single-crystal and powder) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) confirm the selective inclusion property of the bis-hydrazone compounds. Compounds 1, 2 and 3 might be suitable candidates for the separation of p-XY from a mixture of xylene isomers.