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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.
Hybrid nanomaterials offer the combination of individual properties of different types of nanoparticles. Some strategies for the development of new nanostructures in larger scale rely on the self-assembly of nanoparticles as a bottom-up approach. The use of templates provides ordered assemblies in defined patterns. In a typical soft-template, nanoparticles and other surface-active agents are incorporated into non-miscible liquids. The resulting self-organized dispersions will mediate nanoparticle interactions to control the subsequent self-assembly. Especially interactions between nanoparticles of very different dispersibility and functionality can be directed at a liquid-liquid interface.
In this project, water-in-oil microemulsions were formulated from quasi-ternary mixtures with Aerosol-OT as surfactant. Oleyl-capped superparamagnetic iron oxide and/or silver nanoparticles were incorporated in the continuous organic phase, while polyethyleneimine-stabilized gold nanoparticles were confined in the dispersed water droplets. Each type of nanoparticle can modulate the surfactant film and the inter-droplet interactions in diverse ways, and their combination causes synergistic effects. Interfacial assemblies of nanoparticles resulted after phase-separation. On one hand, from a biphasic Winsor type II system at low surfactant concentration, drop-casting of the upper phase afforded thin films of ordered nanoparticles in filament-like networks. Detailed characterization proved that this templated assembly over a surface is based on the controlled clustering of nanoparticles and the elongation of the microemulsion droplets. This process offers versatility to use different nanoparticle compositions by keeping the surface functionalization, in different solvents and over different surfaces. On the other hand, a magnetic heterocoagulate was formed at higher surfactant concentration, whose phase-transfer from oleic acid to water was possible with another auxiliary surfactant in ethanol-water mixture. When the original components were initially mixed under heating, defined oil-in-water, magnetic-responsive nanostructures were obtained, consisting on water-dispersible nanoparticle domains embedded by a matrix-shell of oil-dispersible nanoparticles.
Herein, two different approaches were demonstrated to form diverse hybrid nanostructures from reverse microemulsions as self-organized dispersions of the same components. This shows that microemulsions are versatile soft-templates not only for the synthesis of nanoparticles, but also for their self-assembly, which suggest new approaches towards the production of new sophisticated nanomaterials in larger scale.
Solar photocatalysis is the one of leading concepts of research in the current paradigm of sustainable chemical industry. For actual practical implementation of sunlight-driven catalytic processes in organic synthesis, a cheap, efficient, versatile and robust heterogeneous catalyst is necessary. Carbon nitrides are a class of organic semiconductors who are known to fulfill these requirements.
First, current state of solar photocatalysis in economy, industry and lab research is overviewed, outlining EU project funding, prospective synthetic and reforming bulk processes, small scale solar organic chemistry, and existing reactor designs and prototypes, concluding feasibility of the approach.
Then, the photocatalytic aerobic cleavage of oximes to corresponding aldehydes and ketones by anionic poly(heptazine imide) carbon nitride is discussed. The reaction provides a feasible method of deprotection and formation of carbonyl compounds from nitrosation products and serves as a convenient model to study chromoselectivity and photophysics of energy transfer in heterogeneous photocatalysis.
Afterwards, the ability of mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride to conduct proton-coupled electron transfer was utilized for the direct oxygenation of 1,3-oxazolidin-2-ones to corresponding 1,3-oxazlidine-2,4-diones. This reaction provides an easier access to a key scaffold of diverse types of drugs and agrochemicals.
Finally, a series of novel carbon nitrides based on poly(triazine imide) and poly(heptazine imide) structure was synthesized from cyanamide and potassium rhodizonate. These catalysts demonstrated a good performance in a set of photocatalytic benchmark reactions, including aerobic oxidation, dual nickel photoredox catalysis, hydrogen peroxide evolution and chromoselective transformation of organosulfur precursors.
Concluding, the scope of carbon nitride utilization for net-oxidative and net-neutral photocatalytic processes was expanded, and a new tunable platform for catalyst synthesis was discovered.
The present thesis focuses on the synthesis of nanostructured iron-based compounds by using β-FeOOH nanospindles and poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) vesicles as hard and soft templates, respectively, to suppress the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) in Li-S batteries. Three types of composites with different nanostructures (mesoporous nanospindle, yolk-shell nanospindle, and nanocapsule) have been synthesized and applied as sulfur host material for Li-S batteries. Their interactions with LiPSs and effects on the electrochemical performance of Li-S batteries have been systematically studied.
In the first part of the thesis, carbon-coated mesoporous Fe3O4 (C@M-Fe3O4) nanospindles have been synthesized to suppress the shuttle effect of LiPSs. First, β-FeOOH nanospindles have been synthesized via the hydrolysis of iron (III) chloride in aqueous solution and after silica coating and subsequent calcination, mesoporous Fe2O3 (M-Fe2O3) have been obtained inside the confined silica layer through pyrolysis of β-FeOOH. After the removal of the silica layer, electron tomography (ET) has been applied to rebuild the 3D structure of the M-Fe2O3 nanospindles. After coating a thin layer of polydopamine (PDA) as carbon source, the PDA-coated M-Fe2O3 particles have been calcinated to synthesize C@M-Fe3O4 nanospindles. With the chemisorption of Fe3O4 and confinement of mesoporous structure to anchor LiPSs, the composite C@M-Fe3O4/S electrode delivers a remaining capacity of 507.7 mAh g-1 at 1 C after 600 cycles.
In the second part of the thesis, a series of iron-based compounds (Fe3O4, FeS2, and FeS) with the same yolk-shell nanospindle morphology have been synthesized, which allows for the direct comparison of the effects of compositions on the electrochemical performance of Li-S batteries. The Fe3O4-carbon yolk-shell nanospindles have been synthesized by using the β-FeOOH nanospindles as hard template. Afterwards, Fe3O4-carbon yolk-shell nanospindles have been used as precursors to obtain iron sulfides (FeS and FeS2)-carbon yolk-shell nanospindles through sulfidation at different temperatures. Using the three types of yolk-shell nanospindles as sulfur host, the effects of compositions on interactions with LiPSs and electrochemical performance in Li-S batteries have been systematically investigated and compared. Benefiting from the chemisorption and catalytic effect of FeS2 particles and the physical confinement of the carbon shell, the FeS2-C/S electrode exhibits the best electrochemical performance with an initial specific discharge capacity of 877.6 mAh g-1 at 0.5 C and a retention ratio of 86.7% after 350 cycles.
In the third part, PILs vesicles have been used as soft template to synthesize carbon nanocapsules embedded with iron nitride particles to immobilize and catalyze LiPSs in Li-S batteries. First, 3-n-decyl-1-vinylimidazolium bromide has been used as monomer to synthesize PILs nanovesicles by free radical polymerization. Assisted by PDA coating route and ion exchange, PIL nanovesicles have been successfully applied as soft template in morphology-maintaining carbonization to prepare carbon nanocapsules embedded with iron nitride nanoparticles (FexN@C). The well-dispersed iron nitride nanoparticles effectively catalyze the conversion of LiPSs to Li2S, owing to their high electrical conductivity and strong chemical binding to LiPSs. The constructed FexN@C/S cathode demonstrates a high initial discharge capacity of 1085.0 mAh g-1 at 0.5 C with a remaining value of 930.0 mAh g-1 after 200 cycles.
The results in the present thesis demonstrate the facile synthetic routes of nanostructured iron-based compounds with controllable morphologies and compositions using soft and hard colloidal templates, which can be applied as sulfur host to suppress the shuttle behavior of LiPSs. The synthesis approaches developed in this thesis are also applicable to fabricating other transition metal-based compounds with porous nanostructures for other applications.
A new solid-state material, N-butyl pyridinium diiodido argentate(I), is synthesized using a simple and effective one-pot approach. In the solid state, the compound exhibits 1D ([AgI2](-))(n) chains that are stabilized by the N-butyl pyridinium cation. The 1D structure is further manifested by the formation of long, needle-like crystals, as revealed from electron microscopy. As the general composition is derived from metal halide-based ionic liquids, the compound has a low melting point of 100-101 degrees C, as confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry. Most importantly, the compound has a conductivity of 10(-6) S cm(-1) at room temperature. At higher temperatures the conductivity increases and reaches to 10(-4 )S cm(-1) at 70 degrees C. In contrast to AgI, however, the current material has a highly anisotropic 1D arrangement of the ionic domains. This provides direct and tuneable access to fast and anisotropic ionic conduction. The material is thus a significant step forward beyond current ion conductors and a highly promising prototype for the rational design of highly conductive ionic solid-state conductors for battery or solar cell applications.
Layered structures are ubiquitous in nature and industrial products, in which individual layers could have different mechanical/thermal properties and functions independently contributing to the performance of the whole layered structure for their relevant application. Tuning each layer affects the performance of the whole layered system.
Pores are utilized in various disciplines, where low density, but large surfaces are demanded. Besides, open and interconnected pores would act as a transferring channel for guest chemical molecules. The shape of pores influences compression behavior of the material. Moreover, introducing pores decreases the density and subsequently the mechanical strength. To maintain defined mechanical strength under various stress, porous structure can be reinforced by adding reinforcement agent such as fiber, filler or layered structure to bear the mechanical stress on demanded application.
In this context, this thesis aimed to generate new functions in bilayer systems by combining layers having different moduli and/or porosity, and to develop suitable processing techniques to access these structures.
Manufacturing processes of layered structures employ often organic solvents mostly causing environmental pollution. In this regard, the studied bilayer structures here were manufactured by processes free of organic solvents.
In this thesis, three bilayer systems were studied to answer the individual questions.
First, while various methods of introducing pores in melt-phase are reported for one-layer constructs with simple geometry, can such methods be applied to a bilayer structure, giving two porous layers?
This was addressed with Bilayer System 1. Two porous layers were obtained from melt-blending of two different polyurethanes (PU) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in a co-continuous phase followed by sequential injection molding and leaching the PVA phase in deionized water. A porosity of 50 ± 5% with a high interconnectivity was obtained, in which the pore sizes in both layers ranged from 1 µm to 100 µm with an average of 22 µm in both layers. The obtained pores were tailored by applying an annealing treatment at relevant high temperatures of 110 °C and 130 °C, which allowed the porosity to be kept constant. The disadvantage of this system is that a maximum of 50% porosity could be reached and removal of leaching material in the weld line section of both layers is not guaranteed. Such a construct serves as a model for bilayer porous structure for determining structure-property relationships with respect to the pore size, porosity and mechanical properties of each layer. This fabrication method is also applicable to complex geometries by designing a relevant mold for injection molding.
Secondly, utilizing scCO2 foaming process at elevated temperature and pressure is considered as a green manufacturing process. Employing this method as a post-treatment can alter the history orientation of polymer chains created by previous fabrication methods. Can a bilayer structure be fabricated by a combination of sequential injection molding and scCO2 foaming process, in which a porous layer is supported by a compact layer?
Such a construct (Bilayer System 2) was generated by sequential injection molding of a PCL (Tm ≈ 58 °C) layer and a PLLA (Tg ≈ 58 °C) layer. Soaking this structure in the autoclave with scCO2 at T = 45 °C and P = 100 bar led to the selective foaming of PCL with a porosity of 80%, while the PLA layer was kept compact. The scCO2 autoclave led to the formation of a porous core and skin layer of the PCL, however, the degree of crystallinity of PLLA layer increased from 0 to 50% at the defined temperature and pressure. The microcellular structure of PCL as well as the degree of crystallinity of PLLA were controlled by increasing soaking time.
Thirdly, wrinkles on surfaces in micro/nano scale alter the properties, which are surface-related. Wrinkles are formed on a surface of a bilayer structure having a compliant substrate and a stiff thin film. However, the reported wrinkles were not reversible. Moreover, dynamic wrinkles in nano and micro scale have numerous examples in nature such as gecko foot hair offering reversible adhesion and an ability of lotus leaves for self-cleaning altering hydrophobicity of the surface. It was envisioned to imitate this biomimetic function on the bilayer structure, where self-assembly on/off patterns would be realized on the surface of this construct.
In summary, developing layered constructs having different properties/functions in the individual layer or exhibiting a new function as the consequence of layered structure can give novel insight for designing layered constructs in various disciplines such as packaging and transport industry, aerospace industry and health technology.
Fabricating electronic devices from natural, renewable resources has been a common goal in engineering and materials science for many years. In this regard, carbon is of special significance due to its biological compatibility. In the laboratory, carbonized materials and their composites have been proven as promising solutions for a range of future applications in electronics, optoelectronics, or catalytic systems. On the industrial scale, however, their application is inhibited by tedious and expensive preparation processes and a lack of control over the processing and material parameters. Therefore, we are exploring new concepts for the direct utilization of functional carbonized materials in electronic applications. In particular, laser-induced carbonization (carbon laser-patterning (CLaP)) is emerging as a new tool for the precise and selective synthesis of functional carbon-based materials for flexible on-chip applications.
We developed an integrated approach for on-the-spot laser-induced synthesis of flexible, carbonized films with specific functionalities. To this end, we design versatile precursor inks made from naturally abundant starting compounds and reactants to cast films which are carbonized with an infrared laser to obtain functional patterns of conductive porous carbon networks. In our studies we obtained deep mechanistic insights into the formation process and the microstructure of laser-patterned carbons (LP-C). We shed light on the kinetic reaction mechanism based on the interplay between the precursor properties and the reaction conditions. Furthermore, we investigated the use of porogens, additives, and reactants to provide a toolbox for the chemical and physical fine-tuning of the electronic and surface properties and the targeted integration of functional sites into the carbon network. Based on this knowledge, we developed prototype resistive chemical and mechanical sensors. In further studies, we show the applicability of LP-C as electrode materials in electrocatalytic and charge-storage applications.
To put our findings into a common perspective, our results are embedded into the context of general carbonization strategies, fundamentals of laser-induced materials processing, and a broad literature review on state-of-the-art laser-carbonization, in the general part.
Lithium-ion capacitors (LICs) are promising energy storage devices by asymmetrically combining anode with a high energy density close to lithium-ion batteries and cathode with a high power density and long-term stability close to supercapacitors. For the further improvement of LICs, the development of electrode materials with hierarchical porosity, nitrogen-rich lithiophilic sites, and good electrical conductivity is essential. Nitrogen-rich all-carbon composite hybrids are suitable for these conditions along with high stability and tunability, resulting in a breakthrough to achieve the high performance of LICs. In this thesis, two different all-carbon composites are suggested to unveil how the pore structure of lithiophilic composites influences the properties of LICs. Firstly, the composite with 0-dimensional zinc-templated carbon (ZTC) and hexaazatriphenylene-hexacarbonitrile (HAT) is examined how the pore structure is connected to Li-ion storage property as LIC electrode. As the pore structure of HAT/ZTC composite is easily tunable depending on the synthetic factor and ratio of each component, the results will allow deeper insights into Li-ion dynamics in different porosity, and low-cost synthesis by optimization of the HAT:ZTC ratio. Secondly, the composite with 1-dimensional nanoporous carbon fiber (ACF) and cost-effective melamine is proposed as a promising all-carbon hybrid for large-scale application. Since ACF has ultra-micropores, the numerical structure-property relationships will be calculated out not only from total pore volume but more specifically from ultra-micropore volume. From these results above, it would be possible to understand how hybrid all-carbon composites interact with lithium ions in nanoscale as well as how structural properties affect the energy storage performance. Based on this understanding derived from the simple materials modeling, it will provide a clue to design the practical hybrid materials for efficient electrodes in LICs.
The retention of actinides in different oxidation states (An(X), X = III, IV, VI) by a calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) phase with a Ca/Si (C/S) ratio of 0.8 was investigated in the presence of gluconate (GLU). The actinides considered were Am(III), Th(IV), Pu(IV), and U(VI). Eu(III) was investigated as chemical analogue for Am(III) and Cm(III). In addition to the ternary systems An(X)/GLU/C-S-H, also binary systems An(X)/C-S-H, GLU/C-S-H, and An(X)/GLU were studied. Complementary analytical techniques were applied to address the different specific aspects of the binary and ternary systems. Time-resolved laser-induced luminescence spectroscopy (TRLFS) was applied in combination with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) to identify retained species and to monitor species-selective sorption kinetics. ¹³C and ²⁹Si magic-angle-spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were applied to determine the bulk structure and the composition of the C-S-H surface, respectively, in the absence and presence of GLU. The interaction of Th(IV) with GLU in different electrolytes was studied by capillary electrophoresis-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (CE-ICP-MS). The influence of GLU on An(X) retention was investigated for a large concentration range up to 10⁻² M. The results showed that GLU had little to no effect on the overall An(X) retention by C-S-H with C/S of 0.8, regardless of the oxidation state of the actinides. For Eu(III), the TRLFS investigations additionally implied the formation of a Eu(III)-bearing precipitate with dissolved constituents of the C-S-H phase, which becomes structurally altered by the presence of GLU. For U(VI) sorption on the C-S-H phase, only a small influence of GLU could be established in the luminescence spectroscopic investigations, and no precipitation of U(VI)-containing secondary phases could be identified.
Eight d-metal-containing N-butylpyridinium ionic liquids (ILs) with the nominal composition (C4Py)2[Ni0.5M0.5Cl4] or (C4Py)2[Zn0.5M0.5Cl4] (M = Cu, Co, Mn, Ni, Zn; C4Py = N-butylpyridinium) were synthesized, characterized, and investigated for their optical properties. Single crystal and powder X-ray analysis shows that the compounds are isostructural to existing examples based on other d-metal ions. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy measurements confirm that the metal/metal ratio is around 50 : 50. UV-Vis spectroscopy shows that the optical absorption can be tuned by selection of the constituent metals. Moreover, the compounds can act as an optical sensor for the detection of gases such as ammonia as demonstrated via a simple prototype setup.