The cooperative interaction distance measure has been proposed as a novel law pertaining to dialectics of nature, and has been extensively carried out in the design of functional nanomaterials. However, the temporal and spatial dimensions are akin to yin and yang, and thus temporal regulation needs to be accounted for when implementing the above-mentioned principle. Here, we summarize recent advances in temporally and spatially regulated materials and devices. We showcase the temporal regulation of organic semiconductors for organic photovoltaics (OPVs) using the example of exciton lifetime manipulation. As an example of spatial regulation, we consider the distribution of charge carriers in core–shell quantum dot (QD) nanocrystals for modulating their optical properties. Long exciton lifetime can in principle increase the exciton diffussion length, which is desiable for high-efficiency large-area OPV devices. Spatially regulated QDs are highly valuable emitters for light-emitting applications. We aim to show that cooperative spatio-temporal regulation of nanomaterils is of vital importance to the development of functional devices. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Xia Jianlong    江雷    

Nano Research

2017

Oil sorbents are an attractive option for oil-spill cleanup as they may be used for collection and complete removal of oil without adversely affecting the environment. However, traditional oil sorbents exhibit low oil/water separation efficiency and/or low oil-sorption capacity. In this study, an ultra-high performance graphene/polyurethane (PU) sponge has been successfully obtained by in situ polymerization in the presence of graphene dispersed in N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP). During polymerization, the NMP/graphene dispersion not only serves as a weak amine catalyst for the formation of the sponge, but promotes fixation of the graphene sheets in the framework of the PU sponge owing to the strong dipole interaction between NMP and graphene. The as-prepared graphene/PU sponge was used as an absorbing material for the continuous removal of oil from oil-spill water. The graphene/PU sponge can continuously and rapidly remove oils from immiscible oil/water mixtures in corrosive solutions, including strong acids and bases, hot water, and ice water, with an excellent separation efficiency of above 99.99%. In addition, the as-prepared graphene/PU sponge was effective in separating surfactant-stabilized emulsions with a high separation efficiency of >99.91%. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Kong Zhuang    Wang Jinrong    Lu Xian-Yong    Ying Zhu    江雷    

Nano Research

2017

Aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) have become an emerging field since the concept of AIE was proposed in 2001. Recently, AIEgens have attracted considerable attention due to their abnormal non-emissive fluorescent behavior in solution but strongly emissive behavior in the aggregate state. By utilizing the inherent hydrophobicity, AIEgens can be used to monitor the crystal formation and dewetting behavior in the self-assembly process. More importantly, some stimuli-responsive AIE-active surfaces have been successfully fabricated. In this perspective review, we outline the advances of surface wettability of AIEgens and its applications. (Figure presented.).

Wang Zubin    Liping Heng    江雷    

Macromolecular Rapid Communications

2017

Dual-phase transformation has been developed as a template-free surface patterning technique in this study. Ordered VO honeycomb structures with a complex hierarchy have been fabricated via this method, and the microstructures of the obtained VO(M) coatings are tunable by tailoring the pertinent variables. The VO(M) honeycomb-structured coatings have excellent visible light transmittance at 700 nm (T) up to 95.4% with decent solar modulating ability (T) of 5.5%, creating the potential as ultratransparent smart solar modulating coatings. Its excellent performance has been confirmed by a proof-of-principle demonstration. The dual-phase transformation technique has dramatically simplified the conventional colloidal lithography technique as a scalable surface patterning technique for achieving high-performance metal oxide coatings with diverse applications, such as catalysis, sensing, optics, electronics, and superwettable materials.

Liu Minsu    Bin Su    Yusuf valentino Kaneti    Zhang Chen    Yue Tang    Yuan Yuan    高彦峰    江雷     Xuchuan Jiang    余艾冰   

ACS Nano

2017

Interfacial materials exhibiting superwettability have emerged as important tools for solving the real-world issues, such as oil-spill cleanup, fog harvesting, etc. The Janus superwettability of lotus leaf inspires the design of asymmetric interface materials using the superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic binary cooperative strategy. Here, the presented Janus copper sheet, composed of a superhydrophobic upper surface and a superhydrophilic lower surface, is able to be steadily fixed at the air/water interfaces, showing improved interfacial floatability. Compared with the floatable superhydrophobic substrate, the Janus sheet not only floats on but also attaches to the air–water interface. Similar results on Janus sheet are discovered at other multiphase interfaces such as hexane/water and water/CCl interfaces. In accordance with the improved stability and antirotation property, the microboat constructed by a Janus sheet shows the reliable navigating ability even under turbulent water flow. This contribution should unlock more functions of Janus interface materials, and extend the application scope of the binary cooperative materials system with superwettability.

Zhao Yuyan    Yu Cunming    Lan Hao    Moyuan Cao    江雷    

Advanced Functional Materials

2017

Designing functional interfaces to control solid/fluid interactions has emerged as an indispensable strategy for developing advanced materials and optimizing current technologies. Surfaces exhibiting special wettability offer many paradigms for regulating fluid behavior in practical applications including oil–water separation and fog harvesting. Nevertheless, the flexible manipulation of air bubbles under water still has room for further exploration. Here, it is reported that the lubricant-infused slippery (LIS) surface with water repellency is applicable to manipulate bubbles in an aqueous environment. On the basis of the sufficient bubble adhesion, the shaped LIS tracks can be used in guiding the bubble delivery and facilitating continuous bubble distribution. Through the incorporation of an asymmetrical structure into the LIS surface, a triangle-shaped bubble holder is capable of controlling a single bubble with ease. Moreover, the LIS surface is integrated with a H microbubble evolving apparatus, demonstrating a potential method for in situ capture and delivery of microbubbles. The current finding reveals the meaningful interaction between underwater bubbles and the LIS surface, providing several examples for the applications of this bubble carrier, which should shed new light on the development of bubble-controlling interfaces.

Yu Cunming    Zhu Xuanbo    Kan Li    Moyuan Cao    江雷    

Advanced Functional Materials

2017

A tunable ionic diode is presented that is based on biomimetic structure-tailorable nanochannels, with precise ion-transport characteristics from ohmic behavior to bidirectional rectification as well as gating properties. The forward/reverse directions of the ionic diode and the degree of rectification can be well-regulated by combining the patterned surface charge and the sophisticated structure. This system creates an ideal platform for precise transportation of ions and molecules, and potential applications in analytical sciences are anticipated.

肖凯    Chen Lu    Zhen Zhang    Ganhua Xie    Pei Li    Xiangyu Kong    Liping Wen    江雷    

Angewandte Chemie - International Edition

2017

Inspired by nature, much attention has been paid to biomimetic or bioinspired design and synthesis of structural and functional materials, and to develop new methods to construct artificial advanced materials for materials science applications. In this chapter, we focus on the biomimetic synthesis of inorganic materials, particularly on the biomineralization mechanism and its corresponding biomimetic mineralization inorganic materials, biotemplated inorganic materials, biomimetic synthesis of inorganic chiral materials, and bioinspired multiscale inorganic materials, illustrated by appropriate recent key examples. We hope that the chapter presented here will offer some insights and inspirations in the fields of chemistry, material science, biology, and nanoscience and be helpful in the future development of biomimetics.

Kesong Liu    Tian Di    江雷    

Modern Inorganic Synthetic Chemistry: Second Edition

2017

There is a critical need to develop durable and reusable materials for oil-water separation, especially in harsh environments. Traditional anti-fouling mesh-based separation technologies are not reusable and limited by poor temperature resistance. Here we report a novel superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic NiO/Ni mesh which shows superior oil/water separation in harsh environments, with reusable and durable properties that can separate different oil-water mixtures with and without sand and soil contaminants, a >99% separation efficiency and up to 5.4 × 10 L m h permeate flux. The material is able to retain its superior performance over the 20 cycles we measured and for mixtures of sticky oils its performance is easily recoverable after a quick heat treatment. Our separation methodology is solely gravity-driven and consequently is expected to be highly energy-efficient. We anticipate that our separation methodology will have numerous applications, including in the clean-up of oil spills, wastewater treatment and other harsh condition oil-water separations.

Yu Zhenwei    Yun Frank F.    Gong Zhiyuan    Yao Qiang    Shixue Dou    Kesong Liu    江雷     Xiaolin Wang   

Journal of Materials Chemistry A

2017

Reversible switching of water-droplet adhesion on solid surfaces is of great significance for smart devices, such as microfluidics. In this work, we designed a foolproof method for fast and reversible magnet-controlled switching of water-droplet adhesion surfaces by doping iron powders in soft poly(dimethylsiloxane). The water adhesion is adjusted by magnetic field-induced structure changes, avoiding complex chemical or physical surface design. The regulation process is so convenient that only tens of milliseconds are needed. The on-site responsive mechanism extends its use to unusual curved surfaces. Moreover, the excellent reversibility and stability make the film an ideal candidate for real-time applications.

Hou Guanglei    Moyuan Cao    Yu Cunming    Zheng Shuang    Wang Dianyu    Zhu Zhongpeng    Miao Weining    Tian Ye    江雷    

ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces

2017