Nedergaard Saunders (petsalad2)

This work provides a nanostructure-engineered strategy of making ductile and tough cellulose nanopaper.The on-surface synthesis of edge-functionalized graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) is challenged by the stability of the functional groups throughout the thermal reaction steps of the synthetic pathway. Edge fluorination is a particularly critical case in which the interaction with the catalytic substrate and intermediate products can induce the complete cleavage of the otherwise strong C-F bonds before the formation of the GNR. Here, we demonstrate how a rational design of the precursor can stabilize the functional group, enabling the synthesis of edge-fluorinated GNRs. The survival of the functionalization is demonstrated by tracking the structural and chemical transformations occurring at each reaction step with complementary X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy measurements. In contrast to previous attempts, we find that the C-F bond survives the cyclodehydrogenation of the intermediate polymers, leaving a thermal window where GNRs withhold more than 80% of the fluorine atoms. We attribute this enhanced stability of the C-F bond to the particular structure of our precursor, which prevents the cleavage of the C-F bond by avoiding interaction with the residual hydrogen originated in the cyclodehydrogenation. This structural protection of the linking bond could be implemented in the synthesis of other sp2-functionalized GNRs.The use of CdSe layers has recently emerged as a route to improving CdTe photovoltaics through the formation of a CdTe(1-x)Se x (CST) phase. However, the extent of the Se diffusion and the influence it has on the CdTe grain structure has not been widely investigated. In this study, we used transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) to investigate the impact of growing CdTe layers on three different window layer structures CdS, CdSe, and CdS/CdSe. We demonstrate that extensive intermixing occurs between CdS, CdSe, and CdTe layers resulting in large voids forming at the front interface, which will degrade device performance. The use of CdS/CdSe bilayer structures leads to the formation of a parasitic CdS(1-x)Se x phase. Following removal of CdS from the cell structure, effective CdTe and CdSe intermixing was achieved. However, the use of sputtered CdSe had limited success in producing Se grading in CST.Electrochemical tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (EC-TERS) is a powerful technique for the in situ study of the physiochemical properties of the electrochemical solid/liquid interface at the nanoscale and molecular level. To further broaden the potential window of EC-TERS while extending its application to opaque samples, here, we develop a top-illumination atomic force microscopy (AFM) based EC-TERStechnique by using a water-immersion objective of a high numerical aperture to introduce the excitation laser and collect the signal. This technique not only extends the application of EC-TERS but also has a high detection sensitivity and experimental efficiency. VX-11e clinical trial We coat a SiO2 protection layer over the AFM-TERS tip to improve both the mechanical and chemical stability of the tip in a liquid TERS experiment. We investigate the influence of liquid on the tip-sample distance to obtain the highest TERS enhancement. We further evaluate the reliability of the as-developed EC-AFM-TERS technique by studying the electrochemical redox reaction of polyaniline. The top-illumination EC-AFM-TERS is promising for broadening the application of EC-TERS to more practical systems, including energy storage and (photo)electrocatalysis.Metal nanofibers with excellent electrical conductivity and superior mechanical flexibility have great potentials for fabrication of lightweight, flexible, and high-performance electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding architectures. The weak interactions and large con