Wuhan University of Technology

About: Wuhan University of Technology is a education organization based out in Wuhan, China. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Microstructure & Catalysis. The organization has 40384 authors who have published 36724 publications receiving 575695 citations. The organization is also known as: WUT.

Free-standing kinked nanowire transistor probes for targeted intracellular recording in three dimensions.

Abstract: Recording intracellular (IC) bioelectrical signals is central to understanding the fundamental behaviour of cells and cell networks in, for example, neural and cardiac systems 1–4 . The standard tool for IC recording, the patch-clamp micropipette 5 is applied widely, yet remains limited in terms of reducing the tip size, the ability to reuse the pipette 5 and ion exchange with the cytoplasm 6 . Recent efforts have been directed towards developing new chip-based tools 1–4,7–13 , including micro-to-nanoscale metal pillars 7–9 , transistor-based kinked nanowires 10,11 and nanotube devices 12,13 . These nanoscale tools are interesting with respect to chip-based multiplexing, but, so far, preclude targeted recording from specific cell regions and/or subcellular structures. Here we overcome this limitation in a general manner by fabricating free-standing probes in which a kinked silicon nanowire with an encoded field-effect transistor detector serves as the tip end. These probes can be manipulated in three dimensions within a standard microscope to target specific cells or cell regions, and record stable full-amplitude IC action potentials from different targeted cells without the need to clean or change the tip. Simultaneous measurements from the same cell made with free-standing nanowire and patch-clamp probes show that the same action potential amplitude and temporal properties are recorded without corrections to the raw nanowire signal. In addition, we demonstrate real-time monitoring of changes in the action potential as different ion-channel blockers are applied to cells, and multiplexed recording from cells by independent manipulation of two free-standing

Structure and electrical properties of (Na0.5Bi0.5)1−xBaxTiO3 piezoelectric ceramics

Abstract: (Na 0.5 Bi 0.5 ) 1− x Ba x TiO 3 ceramics were synthesized by the citrate method and their structure and electrical properties were systematically investigated. The results of X-ray diffraction analysis revealed a MPB composition range of x = 0.06–0.10 for (Na 0.5 Bi 0.5 ) 1− x Ba x TiO 3 system at room temperature. It was found that the piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties of (Na 0.5 Bi 0.5 ) 1− x Ba x TiO 3 compositions near the MPB are rather sensitive to the phase composition and reach preferred values at x = 0.07, where the relative content of the tetragonal phase is substantially higher than that of the rhombohedral phases. (Na 0.5 Bi 0.5 ) 1− x Ba x TiO 3 ceramics present a decrease diffusive factor ( δ ) with increasing BaTiO 3 content, implying a degradation of the relaxor feature and a transition from relaxor ferroelectrics to normal ferroelectrics.

Nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide supports for noble metal catalysts with greatly enhanced activity and stability

Abstract: Pt nanoparticles supported on nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (NRGO) were investigated for use as proton exchange membrane fuel cell catalysts. Artfully, NRGO was synthesized using a lyophilisation-assisted N-doping method, and simultaneous reduction of graphene oxide (GO) was achieved. A nitrogen content as high as 5.06% was obtained with pyridinic-N as the dominant nitrogen species. Pt nanoparticles with an average diameter of 2.5 nm were uniformly loaded on NRGO using impregnation methods. Both cyclic voltammetry and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) measurements revealed a higher catalytic activity and lower losses of the electrochemically active surface area of this novel Pt/NRGO catalyst in comparison to those of the Pt/GO and conventional Pt/C catalysts. Significantly, the catalytic activity of the Pt/NRGO in ORR showed almost no degradation even after 1000 potential cycles, indicating that our new catalysts have excellent stability. A mechanism for improving the ORR activity and the stability of the Pt/NRGO was tentatively proposed and discussed.

Design, Fabrication, and Mechanism of Nitrogen-Doped Graphene-Based Photocatalyst.

Abstract: Solving energy and environmental problems through solar-driven photocatalysis is an attractive and challenging topic. Hence, various types of photocatalysts have been developed successively to address the demands of photocatalysis. Graphene-based materials have elicited considerable attention since the discovery of graphene. As a derivative of graphene, nitrogen-doped graphene (NG) particularly stands out. Nitrogen atoms can break the undifferentiated structure of graphene and open the bandgap while endowing graphene with an uneven electron density distribution. Therefore, NG retains nearly all the advantages of original graphene and is equipped with several novel properties, ensuring infinite possibilities for NG-based photocatalysis. This review introduces the atomic and band structures of NG, summarizes in situ and ex situ synthesis methods, highlights the mechanism and advantages of NG in photocatalysis, and outlines its applications in different photocatalysis directions (primarily hydrogen production, CO2 reduction, pollutant degradation, and as photoactive ingredient). Lastly, the central challenges and possible improvements of NG-based photocatalysis in the future are presented. This study is expected to learn from the past and achieve progress toward the future for NG-based photocatalysis.