Ultrathin monolayer HNbWO6 nanosheets have been successfully prepared through a simple and ultrafast ion intercalation assisted exfoliation method. These obtained highly dispersed nanosheets present enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity compared to the nanosheets prepared by the traditionally time-consuming process.

Silicon (Si) is recognized as a promising anode material for high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries. However, under condition of electrode comparable to commercial graphite anodes with low binder content and high density, the practical use Si limited due huge volume change associated Si-Li alloying/de-alloying. Here, we report novel core-shell composite, having reversible capacity ~ 500 mAh ...

For the first time we synthesized mesoporous CeO2 nanosheets with single-crystal-like, ultrathin and uniform-sized structures through the thermal decomposition of specially prepared intermediates of Ce(OH)CO3 nanosheets. The resulting single-crystal-like CeO2 porous nanosheets are only 2.4 nm thick, as measured by AFM. BET analysis indicated that the pores of the nanosheets were centered at 3.7...

Graphene oxide (GO) can be considered as one of the most visible outcomes of graphene research in terms of large scale production and commercialization prospects. Although GO can be easily prepared by oxidation-exfoliation of graphite in agitated solutions, the size of these sheets is generally limited due to fragmentation along fault lines during chemical oxidation and exfoliation in agitated ...

Cement composites with hybrid conductive fillers carbon nanotubes (CNT) and graphite products (GP), have been tested as strain sensors under varying temperatures (0 °C–60 °C), moisture conditions (0%–100% saturation degree (SD)). pastes 1% CNT 5% GP (purified expanded graphite) presented resistivity values between 50 75 Ohm·cm, their sensing response was observed to be independent of the loadin...

Energy piles-A fairly new renewable energy concept-Use a ground heat exchanger (GHE) in the foundation piles to supply heating and cooling loads to the supported building. Applying phase change materials (PCMs) to piles can help in maintaining a stable temperature within the piles and can then influence the axial load acting on the piles. In this study, two kinds of carbon-based composite PCMs ...

Geothermal energy piles are a quite recent renewable energy technique where geothermal energy in the foundation of a building is used to transport and store geothermal energy. In this paper, a structural-functional integrated cement-based composite, which can be used for energy piles, was developed using expanded graphite and graphite nanoplatelet-based composite phase change materials (CPCMs)....

CO confinement strategy for ultrathin Rh nanosheets: CO is introduced as a confining agent to regulate the anisotropic growth of unique 2D structure. The single-crystalline Rh nanosheets have a thickness of three to five atomic layers and tunable edge length ranging from 500 to 1300 nm. By understanding the formation mechanism, surface-clean Rh nanosheets are also prepared and display better ca...