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Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were covalently functionalized via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction under microwave conditions. The functionalized CNTs were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), N2 adsorption isotherms and Raman spectroscopy. The surface concentration of phenolic hydroxyl groups on the surface of CNTs was adjusted by varying the reaction temperature. In addition, we prepared Pd nanoparticle/CNT (Pd NP/CNT) nanocomposites through strong electrostatic adsorption and hydrogen reduction. The results indicated that the functional groups could not only improve the dispersion of CNTs in water, but also enhance the interaction between Pd precursors and CNTs, thus preventing small Pd NPs (average diameter of 1.5 nm) from agglomerating. Furthermore, the Pd NP/CNT-220 nanocomposites showed high catalytic activity for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol. The turnover frequency (TOF) of this catalyst was up to 18 min(-1), which was attributed to the small size and uniform distribution of Pd NPs on the surface of CNTs.

The surface plasmonic effect of metal nanostructures is a promising method to boost the performance of optoelectronic devices such as solar cells and photodetectors. In this report, gold nanoparticles with surface plasmon resonance localized at about 530 nm were synthesized and integrated into graphene/methylammonium lead iodide perovskite (CH3NH3PbI3) hybrid photodetectors. Compared with pristine graphene–CH3NH3PbI3 devices, a device with gold nanoparticles embedded has a doubly higher photo-responsivity as well as a faster photoresponse speed. The present devices adopt a unique configuration with gold nanoparticles physically separated from the light harvesting component, i.e., the perovskite layer by graphene. Advantages are revealed through a series of characterization techniques and analyses. First, thanks to the tiny thickness of graphene, the plasmonic effect of gold nanoparticles can effectively enhance the near-field of perovskite and thus facilitate light-harvesting. Second, the enhanced light-harvesting in perovskite happens very close to this interface where photo-induced carriers have relatively short paths to diffuse toward graphene, favoring a fast photo-response. This work demonstrates a feasible and inspiring strategy to improve the performance of photodetectors through the surface plasmonic effect of metallic nanostructures.

The weak photon absorption and fast carrier kinetics of graphene limit its application in photodetection. This limitation can be overcome by introducing photosensitive nanostructures to graphene. Herein we report the synthesis of a ZnO nanorod/graphene heterostructure by a facile in situ solution growth method. By combining the attributes of photosensitive ZnO nanorods and highly conductive graphene, we for the first time demonstrate a highly sensitive visible-blind ultraviolet (UV) sensor based on graphene related heterostructure. The photoresponsibility of the UV sensor can reach 22.7 A W(-1), which is over 45,000 fold higher than that of single graphene sheet based photodetectors.

Au@Pd core-shell nanodendrites were synthesized by reducing H(2)PdCl(4) with ascorbic acid onto the surface of Au polyhedra at room temperature. The Au@Pd core-shell nanodendrites consisting of a Au core and nanoporous Pd shell, exhibited plasmonic properties and higher catalytic activity in comparison with Au@Pd core-shell nanocubes.

Recent advances in wet chemical synthesis of magnetically recyclable nanocatalysts (MRNCs), a versatile integration of high catalytic activity and facile recovery, have led to a dramatic expansion of their potential applications. This review focuses on the recent work in the development of metal and metal oxide based MRNCs for catalytic conversion of organic compounds in solution phase. This will be discussed in detail, according to the two main synthesis methods of MRNCs as classified by us. The two methods are: template-assisted synthetic strategy and direct synthetic strategy. And the template-assisted synthesis is further divided into three subcategories, synthetic strategies assisted by hard-, soft-, and mixed hard-soft coupling layers. At the end, we outline future trends and perspectives in these research areas.

Periodic zinc oxide (ZnO) nanomeshes of different thicknesses were deposited on single-layer graphene to form back-gated field effect transistors (GFETs). The GFETs exhibit tunable electronic properties, featuring n- and p-type characteristics by merely controlling the thickness of the ZnO nanomesh layer. Furthermore, the effect of thermal strain on the GFETs from the substrate is suppressed by the ZnO nanomesh, which improves the thermal stability of the GFETs. This nanopatterning technique could modulate the electronic properties of the GFETs effectively.

Core-shell Au nanorod-AgAuS nanostructures were hydrothermally prepared from Au nanorods and metal thiobenzoates and then transformed into Au nanoparticle-decorated sulfide nanostructures.