@phdthesis{Pan2023,
  author    = {Pan, Xuefeng},
  title     = {Soft-template directed functional composite nanomaterials},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-61270},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-612709},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {VI, 185},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {Soft-template strategy enables the fabrication of composite nanomaterials with desired functionalities and structures. In this thesis, soft templates, including poly(ionic liquid) nanovesicles (PIL NVs), self-assembled polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) particles, and glycopeptide (GP) biomolecules have been applied for the synthesis of versatile composite particles of PILs/Cu, molybdenum disulfide/carbon (MoS2/C), and GP-carbon nanotubes-metal (GP-CNTs-metal) composites, respectively. Subsequently, their possible applications as efficient catalysts in two representative reactions, i.e. CO2 electroreduction (CO2ER) and reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), have been studied, respectively. In the first work, PIL NVs with a tunable particle size of 50 to 120 nm and a shell thickness of 15 to 60 nm have been prepared via one-step free radical polymerization. By increasing monomer concentration for polymerization, their nanoscopic morphology can evolve from hollow NVs to dense spheres, and finally to directional worms, in which a multi-lamellar packing of PIL chains occurred in all samples. The obtained PIL NVs with varied shell thickness have been in situ functionalized with ultra-small Cu nanoparticles (Cu NPs, 1-3 nm) and subsequently employed as the electrocatalysts for CO2ER. The hollow PILs/Cu composite catalysts exhibit a 2.5-fold enhancement in selectivity towards C1 products compared to the pristine Cu NPs. This enhancement is primarily attributed to the strong electronic interactions between the Cu NPs and the surface functionalities of PIL NVs. This study casts new aspects on using nanostructured PILs as novel electrocatalyst supports in efficient CO2 conversion. In the second work, a novel approach towards fast degradation of 4-NP has been developed using porous MoS2/C particles as catalysts, which integrate the intrinsically catalytic property of MoS2 with its photothermal conversion capability. Various MoS2/C composite particles have been prepared using assembled PS-b-P2VP block copolymer particles as sacrificed soft templates. Intriguingly, the MoS2/C particles exhibit tailored morphologies including pomegranate-like, hollow, and open porous structures. Subsequently, the photothermal conversion performance of these featured particles has been compared under near infrared (NIR) light irradiation. When employing the open porous MoS2/C particles as the catalyst for the reduction of 4-NP, the reaction rate constant has increased by 1.5-fold under light illumination. This catalytic enhancement mainly results from the open porous architecture and photothermal conversion performance of the MoS2 particles. This proposed strategy offers new opportunities for efficient photothermal-assisted catalysis. In the third work, a facile and green approach towards the fabrication of GP-CNTs-metal composites has been proposed, which utilizes a versatile GP biomolecule both as a stabilizer for CNTs in water and as a reducing agent for noble metal ions. The abundant hydrogen bonds in GP molecules bestow the formed GP-CNTs with excellent plasticity, enabling the availability of polymorphic CNTs species ranging from dispersion to viscous paste, gel, and even dough by increasing their concentration. The GP molecules can reduce metal precursors at room temperature without additional reducing agents, enabling the in situ immobilization of metal NPs (e.g. Au, Ag, and Pd) on the CNTs surface. The combination of excellent catalytic property of Pd NPs with photothermal conversion capability of CNTs makes the GP-CNTs-Pd composite a promising catalyst for the efficient degradation of 4-NP. The obtained composite displays a 1.6-fold increase in conversion under NIR light illumination in the reduction of 4-NP, mainly owing to the strong light-to-heat conversion effect of CNTs. Overall, the proposed method opens a new avenue for the synthesis of CNTs composite as a sustainable and versatile catalyst platform. The results presented in the current thesis demonstrate the significance of using soft templates for the synthesis of versatile composites with tailored nanostructure and functionalities. The investigation of these composite nanomaterials in the catalytic reactions reveals their potential in the development of desired catalysts for emerging catalytic processes, e.g. photothermal-assisted catalysis and electrocatalysis.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{PanSarhanKochovskietal.2022,
  author    = {Pan, Xuefeng and Sarhan, Radwan Mohamed and Kochovski, Zdravko and Chen, Guosong and Taubert, Andreas and Mei, Shilin and Lu, Yan},
  title     = {Template synthesis of dual-functional porous MoS2 nanoparticles with photothermal conversion and catalytic properties},
  series = {Nanoscale},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {Nanoscale},
  number    = {18},
  publisher = {RSC Publ. (Royal Society of Chemistry)},
  address   = {Cambridge},
  issn      = {2040-3372},
  doi       = {10.1039/d2nr01040b},
  pages     = {6888 -- 6901},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Advanced catalysis triggered by photothermal conversion effects has aroused increasing interest due to its huge potential in environmental purification. In this work, we developed a novel approach to the fast degradation of 4-nitrophenol (4-Nip) using porous MoS2 nanoparticles as catalysts, which integrate the intrinsic catalytic property of MoS2 with its photothermal conversion capability. Using assembled polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) block copolymers as soft templates, various MoS 2 particles were prepared, which exhibited tailored morphologies (e.g., pomegranate-like, hollow, and open porous structures). The photothermal conversion performance of these featured particles was compared under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation. Intriguingly, when these porous MoS2 particles were further employed as catalysts for the reduction of 4-Nip, the reaction rate constant was increased by a factor of 1.5 under NIR illumination. We attribute this catalytic enhancement to the open porous architecture and light-to-heat conversion performance of the MoS2 particles. This contribution offers new opportunities for efficient photothermal-assisted catalysis.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{XieXuWangetal.2022,
  author    = {Xie, Dongjiu and Xu, Yaolin and Wang, Yonglei and Pan, Xuefeng and H{\"a}rk, Eneli and Kochovski, Zdravko and Eljarrat, Alberto and M{\"u}ller, Johannes and Koch, Christoph T. and Yuan, Jiayin and Lu, Yan},
  title     = {Poly(ionic liquid) nanovesicle-templated carbon nanocapsules functionalized with uniform iron nitride nanoparticles as catalytic sulfur host for Li-S batteries},
  series = {ACS nano},
  volume    = {16},
  journal   = {ACS nano},
  number    = {7},
  publisher = {American Chemical Society},
  address   = {Washington},
  issn      = {1936-0851},
  doi       = {10.1021/acsnano.2c01992},
  pages     = {10554 -- 10565},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Poly(ionic liquid)s (PIL) are common precursors for heteroatom-doped carbon materials. Despite a relatively higher carbonization yield, the PIL-to-carbon conversion process faces challenges in preserving morphological and structural motifs on the nanoscale. Assisted by a thin polydopamine coating route and ion exchange, imidazoliumbased PIL nanovesicles were successfully applied in morphology-maintaining carbonization to prepare carbon composite nanocapsules. Extending this strategy further to their composites, we demonstrate the synthesis of carbon composite nanocapsules functionalized with iron nitride nanoparticles of an ultrafine, uniform size of 3-5 nm (termed "FexN@C "). Due to its unique nanostructure, the sulfur-loaded FexN@C electrode was tested to efficiently mitigate the notorious shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) in Li-S batteries. The cavity of the carbon nanocapsules was spotted to better the loading content of sulfur. The well-dispersed iron nitride nanoparticles effectively catalyze the conversion of LiPSs to Li2S, owing to their high electronic conductivity and strong binding power to LiPSs. Benefiting from this well-crafted composite nanostructure, the constructed FexN@C/S cathode demonstrated a fairly high discharge capacity of 1085 mAh g(-1) at 0.5 C initially, and a remaining value of 930 mAh g(-1 )after 200 cycles. In addition, it exhibits an excellent rate capability with a high initial discharge capacity of 889.8 mAh g(-1) at 2 C. This facile PIL-to-nanocarbon synthetic approach is applicable for the exquisite design of complex hybrid carbon nanostructures with potential use in electrochemical energy storage and conversion.},
  language  = {en}
}