Progress and innovation of nanostructured sulfur cathodes and metal-free anodes for room-temperature Na–S batteries

• Marina Tabuyo-Martínez,
• Bernd Wicklein and
• Pilar Aranda

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 995–1020, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.75

• performance of the RT Na–S battery reported by Xia et al. [32] who used nitrogen-doped hollow carbon nanobubbles supported on porous carbon nanofibers as sulfur hosts. The nitrogen content of this carbonaceous structure is shown by a mapping image in Figure 3C. When studying the electrochemical properties of

• capacity of 271 mAh·g−1 after 600 cycles at 0.1 A·g−1 before incorporating CoNPs and a value of 508 mAh·g−1 after the addition (Figure 6A), suggesting the electrocatalytic role of CoNPs. Likewise, Du et al. [46] described a cathode with a skeleton based on nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanofibers and CoNPs

• -workers [12]. The electrode described is a three-dimensional self-supported structure with vanadium carbide nanoparticles embedded in carbon nanofibers. Since these compounds are promising regarding efficient batteries, increased understanding of the mechanism of the electrocatalytic processes is

Structure and electrochemical performance of electrospun-ordered porous carbon/graphene composite nanofibers

• Yi Wang,
• Yanhua Song,
• Chengwei Ye and
• Lan Xu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2020, 11, 1280–1290, doi:10.3762/bjnano.11.112

• nanofibers have been widely used as a material to synthesize electrodes upon a carbonization step [13][14]. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) is often used as a precursor to synthesize carbon nanofibers. It can be obtained from a variety of sources and it has good spinnability [14][15]. However, carbon-based materials

• specific surface area. The increase in the specific surface area of the electrode due to increased porosity facilitates ion transportation, which increases the conductivity of monolithic electrodes [24][25][26]. Although the porous carbon nanofibers have a high specific surface area, their low electrical

• conductivity impedes their use in high-power-density supercapacitors. Therefore, by adding high-performance conductive materials one can enhance the electrochemical performance of carbon nanofibers. Experiments have shown that by introducing graphene into the carbon matrix, various mechanical and

Flexible freestanding MoS₂-based composite paper for energy conversion and storage

• Florian Zoller,
• Jan Luxa,
• Thomas Bein,
• Dina Fattakhova-Rohlfing,
• Daniel Bouša and
• Zdeněk Sofer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1488–1496, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.147

• as amorphous carbon [8], carbon nanofibers [7], carbon nanotubes [8] and graphene [9]) has already been demonstrated to be quite attractive. Typically, the electrodes are prepared by mixing these composites as active material with a polymeric binder, conductive carbon and an organic solvent to form a

Glucose-derived carbon materials with tailored properties as electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction

• Rafael Gomes Morais,
• Natalia Rey-Raap,
• José Luís Figueiredo and
• Manuel Fernando Ribeiro Pereira

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 1089–1102, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.109

• , depends on the precursors used and the method of synthesis applied. Nitrogen-doped carbon materials have been synthesized by applying different doping methods to different types of materials, such as CNTs [12][23][26], graphene [20][25][27], carbon aerogels [15][28], carbon nanofibers [29], carbon

An efficient electrode material for high performance solid-state hybrid supercapacitors based on a Cu/CuO/porous carbon nanofiber/TiO₂ hybrid composite

• Mamta Sham Lal,
• Thirugnanam Lavanya and
• Sundara Ramaprabhu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 781–793, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.78

• density of 45.83 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 1.27 kW kg−1 was also realized. The developed electrode material provides new insight into ways to enhance the electrochemical properties of solid-state supercapacitors, based on the synergistic effect of porous carbon nanofibers, metal and metal oxide

• upcoming energy storage devices. Mainly porous, conductive, carbon-based materials, such as activated carbon, carbon black, carbon nanotubes, and graphene have been explored as electrode materials for EDLCs, which deliver high power density and prolonged cycle stability [10]. Among these, carbon nanofibers

• have been envisaged as a prospective electrode material due to its good mechanical strength, high surface area, relatively high conductivity [11][12]. Hence, carbon nanofibers produced by electrospinning, which is a cost-effective, simple and industry-viable technology, offer high production rate, high

Biological and biomimetic surfaces: adhesion, friction and wetting phenomena

• Stanislav N. Gorb,
• Kerstin Koch and
• Lars Heepe

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 481–482, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.48

• collected articles are devoted to surface-related effects in engineered surfaces, such as multilayered composites, carbon nanofibers, textured steel surfaces, and micropatterned elastomer surfaces. Three articles present recent work on the development of a novel fabrication technique for biomaterials and of

Electrospun one-dimensional nanostructures: a new horizon for gas sensing materials

• Muhammad Imran,
• Nunzio Motta and
• Mahnaz Shafiei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2128–2170, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.202

Metal-free catalysis based on nitrogen-doped carbon nanomaterials: a photoelectron spectroscopy point of view

• Mattia Scardamaglia and
• Carla Bittencourt

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2015–2031, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.191

• the π-system of pyridinic N and graphene, as already reported for carbon nanofibers by Maldonado and Stevenson [102]. A more detailed study was performed by Kundu et al. [103] on N-CNTs prepared via pyrolysis of acetonitrile over cobalt catalysts. Samples were synthesized at different temperatures

Review on nanoparticles and nanostructured materials: history, sources, toxicity and regulations

• Jaison Jeevanandam,
• Ahmed Barhoum,
• Yen S. Chan,
• Alain Dufresne and
• Michael K. Danquah

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1050–1074, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.98

• morphologies such as hollow tubes, ellipsoids or spheres. Fullerenes (C60), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanofibers, carbon black, graphene (Gr), and carbon onions are included under the carbon-based NMs category. Laser ablation, arc discharge, and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are the important

Ultralight super-hydrophobic carbon aerogels based on cellulose nanofibers/poly(vinyl alcohol)/graphene oxide (CNFs/PVA/GO) for highly effective oil–water separation

• Zhaoyang Xu,
• Huan Zhou,
• Sicong Tan,
• Xiangdong Jiang,
• Weibing Wu,
• Jiangtao Shi and
• Peng Chen

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 508–519, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.49

• from GO, and PVA and CNFs was connected to each other to form a porous hole structure. As shown in the magnified view presented in Figure 2d, the carbon skeleton was woven by numerous CNF-derived crossed carbon nanofibers, so as to greatly improve its strength. The porous structure of the carbon

• ., Ltd. These materials were all used without further purification. Preparation of carbon nanofibers The chemical treatment of bamboo powder was prepared by a modified method described in the literature [27]. The detailed experimental steps of preparing the cellulose suspension are documented in our

Synthesis and characterization of electrospun molybdenum dioxide–carbon nanofibers as sulfur matrix additives for rechargeable lithium–sulfur battery applications

• Ruiyuan Zhuang,
• Shanshan Yao,
• Maoxiang Jing,
• Xiangqian Shen,
• Jun Xiang,
• Tianbao Li,
• Kesong Xiao and
• Shibiao Qin

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 262–270, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.28

• , Changsha Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Changsha, 412212, P. R. China School of Mathematics and Physics, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212013, P. R. China 10.3762/bjnano.9.28 Abstract One-dimensional molybdenum dioxide–carbon nanofibers (MoO2–CNFs) were prepared

• –CNFs was performed by TEM. Figure 3g shows a typical TEM photograph of the nanostructures, displaying MoO2 nanoparticles decorated with carbon nanofibers. The elemental EDX of MoO2–CNFs depicted in Figure 3h indicates the presence of elemental Mo, O, C and Cu. The Cu signal comes from the Cu grid. The

• 50 cycles. The performance of the MoO2–CNF matrix for application in Li–S batteries is also compared with several other carbon nanofibers and metal oxides fibers (Table 3), which further demonstrates the long-life behavior of the sulfur/MoO2–CNF cathode. The EIS technique was used to investigate the

Advances in nanocarbon composite materials

• Sharali Malik,
• Arkady V. Krasheninnikov and
• Silvia Marchesan

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 20–21, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.3

• , Moldova, Korea, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. This Thematic Series highlights virtually all subfields of advanced nanocarbon materials research, from the longer established fields of carbon nanofibers, graphene oxide (GO) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in composite materials, to the

Dry adhesives from carbon nanofibers grown in an open ethanol flame

• Christian Lutz,
• Julia Syurik,
• C. N. Shyam Kumar,
• Christian Kübel,
• Michael Bruns and
• Hendrik Hölscher

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2719–2728, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.271

• , 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany Institute for Applied Materials, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.8.271 Abstract Based on magnetic-field-assisted growth of carbon nanofibers in an open ethanol flame we

• fabricated arrays of carbon nanofibers with different degrees of orientation. Inspired by the dry adhesive system of geckos we investigated the adhesive properties of such carbon nanofiber arrays with ordered and random orientation. AFM-based force spectroscopy revealed that adhesion force and energy rise

• linear with preload force. Carbon nanofibers oriented by a magnetic field show a 68% higher adhesion (0.66 N/cm2) than the randomly oriented fibers. Endurance tests revealed that the carbon nanofiber arrays withstand 50.000 attachment/detachment cycles without observable wear. Keywords: adhesion; atomic

Fabrication of carbon nanospheres by the pyrolysis of polyacrylonitrile–poly(methyl methacrylate) core–shell composite nanoparticles

• Dafu Wei,
• Youwei Zhang and
• Jinping Fu

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1897–1908, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.190

• nitrogen were removed. Small molecule gases including H2O, NH3, HCN, CO2, N2 and alkyl fragments were produced, which caused the formation of many micropores in the PAN-based carbon nanofibers [28]. Here, the presence of an outer PMMA layer, which might be fully decomposed above 600 °C, may impede the

Oxidative stabilization of polyacrylonitrile nanofibers and carbon nanofibers containing graphene oxide (GO): a spectroscopic and electrochemical study

• İlknur Gergin,
• Ezgi Ismar and
• A. Sezai Sarac

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1616–1628, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.161

• Istanbul, Turkey 10.3762/bjnano.8.161 Abstract In this study, a precursor for carbon nanofibers (CNF) was fabricated via electrospinning and carbonized through a thermal process. Before carbonization, oxidative stabilization should be applied, and the oxidation mechanism also plays an important role

• interior pores filled with electrolyte. Keywords: carbon nanofiber; graphene oxide; oxidized polyacrylonitrile (PAN); Introduction Carbon nanofibers are of great interest because of their chemical similarity to fullerenes and carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanofibers (CNF) have promising electrochemical and

• mechanical properties and a potential for a variety of applications; such as supercapacitor applications, battery applications, and catalyst support materials. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) is one of the well-known precursor for obtaining carbon nanofibers that have a diameter ranging between nanometers and

Carbon nanomaterials sensitize prostate cancer cells to docetaxel and mitomycin C via induction of apoptosis and inhibition of proliferation

• Kati Erdmann,
• Jessica Ringel,
• Silke Hampel,
• Manfred P. Wirth and
• Susanne Fuessel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 1307–1317, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.132

• , Dresden 01171, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.8.132 Abstract We have previously shown that carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can sensitize prostate cancer (PCa) cells to platinum-based chemotherapeutics. In order to further verify this concept and to avoid a bias, the present study

• last decades, various nanoparticles such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon nanofibers (CNFs) have been extensively investigated for their utilization as drug carriers and delivery vehicles. They possess great potential for such biomedical applications based on their ability to be loaded with

Investigation of growth dynamics of carbon nanotubes

• Marianna V. Kharlamova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 826–856, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.85

• [39]. It implied the carbon diffusion on the surface of the metallic catalytic particle and not in its bulk. Later on, this growth mechanism was used by other authors to explain the formation process of carbon nanofibers [40][41][42] and nanotubes [43]. In [42], Hofmann with co-authors provided the

• of carbon nanofibers on nickel nanoparticles and suggested the growth mechanism involving the surface diffusion. They observed the movement of atoms on the surface of the crystalline nickel cluster and change of its shape during the growth process. It was concluded that the surface transport of

• carbon atoms was the growth rate-limiting process. The surface diffusion mechanism of the growth of carbon nanofibers and nanotubes on metallic catalysts was also revealed by theoretical methods [41][42][44]. In [44], Raty with co-authors reported ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of the formation

Phosphorus-doped silicon nanorod anodes for high power lithium-ion batteries

• Chao Yan,
• Qianru Liu,
• Jianzhi Gao,
• Zhibo Yang and
• Deyan He

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 222–228, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.24

• and graphene embedded in carbon nanofibers with atomic-scale control of the expansion space as anodes for LIBs. Such an anode delivered an electrochemical performance of 2000 mAh/g at a current density of 700 mA/g [5]. Cui et al. designed a yolk–shell-structured Si anode that has void space between

Improved lithium-ion battery anode capacity with a network of easily fabricated spindle-like carbon nanofibers

• Mengting Liu,
• Wenhe Xie,
• Lili Gu,
• Tianfeng Qin,
• Xiaoyi Hou and
• Deyan He

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1289–1295, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.120

• carbon nanofibers was fabricated via a simplified synthesis involving electrospinning followed by preoxidation in air and postcarbonization in Ar. Not only was the as-obtained carbon network comprised of beads of spindle-like nanofibers but the cubic MnO phase and N elements were successfully anchored

• , a network of spindle-like carbon nanofibers anchored with MnO and N for LIB anodes was fabricated via a simplified synthesis route involving electrospinning followed by preoxidation in air and postcarbonization in Ar. The microstructure, chemical composition and electrochemical lithium storage

• be observed in the XRD pattern, meaning that the carbon nanofibers derived from the carbonization of the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor has an amorphous structure. The Raman spectrum of the sample is shown in the inset of Figure 2a. The weak signal at about 648 cm−1 can be attributed to the Mn–O

Functional fusion of living systems with synthetic electrode interfaces

• Oskar Staufer,
• Sebastian Weber,
• C. Peter Bengtson,
• Hilmar Bading,
• Joachim P. Spatz and
• Amin Rustom

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 296–301, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.27

• .; Mai, L.; Lieber, C. Nat. Nano. 2013, 9, 142–147), vertically aligned gallium phosphide NWs (Hällström, W.; Mårtensson, T.; Prinz, C.; Gustavsson, P.; Montelius, L.; Samuelson, L.; Kanje, M. Nano Lett. 2007, 7, 2960–2965) or individually contacted, electrically active carbon nanofibers. The latter of

Heterometal nanoparticles from Ru-based molecular clusters covalently anchored onto functionalized carbon nanotubes and nanofibers

• Deborah Vidick,
• Xiaoxing Ke,
• Michel Devillers,
• Claude Poleunis,
• Arnaud Delcorte,
• Pietro Moggi,
• Gustaaf Van Tendeloo and
• Sophie Hermans

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 6, 1287–1297, doi:10.3762/bjnano.6.133

• metals. Moreover, bimetal nanoparticles supported on nanocarbons have attracted much interest since synergetic effects could enhance the global activity, as compared with pure metal. In particular, Ru–Pt NPs supported on carbon nanotubes (CNT) (mostly multiwalled nanotubes (MWNT), or carbon nanofibers

• the presence of additives, binders, etc. Results and Discussion Cluster anchoring Phosphine-functionalized carbon nanofibers and nanotubes were prepared in several steps, as previously reported [38] and shown in Figure 1. We have also successfully applied this methodology to ordered mesoporous carbon

• textural properties of the different supports were measured by nitrogen adsorption. The specific surface area (SBET) of oxidized carbon nanofibers (CNFox) was found to be 43 m2/g, 32 m2/g for CNF–PPh2, 29 m2/g for CNF–NMe3+, while much larger values of 325 m2/g for oxidized carbon nanotubes (MWCNTox) and

Liquid-phase exfoliated graphene: functionalization, characterization, and applications

• Mildred Quintana,
• Jesús Iván Tapia and
• Maurizio Prato

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 2328–2338, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.242

• to pure DMF. In this process, carbon nanofibers (CNFs) are formed revealing the occurrence of chemical reactions. During the ultrasonication process, graphene sheets were cut close to the edges, producing small fragments which later aggregate into CNFs. To verify the mechanism of CNF formation, gold

• graphene layers and carbon nanofibers. (b) Carbon nanofibers marked with Au Nanorods. (c) Representative TEM micrograph of a graphene sheet. (d) HR-TEM image of graphene. Reprinted with permission from [9], copyright 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry. Ultrasound-assisted synthesis of MWNTs from graphite

Growth and structural discrimination of cortical neurons on randomly oriented and vertically aligned dense carbon nanotube networks

• Christoph Nick,
• Sandeep Yadav,
• Ravi Joshi,
• Christiane Thielemann and
• Jörg J. Schneider

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1575–1579, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.169

• growth. The use of vertically aligned CNTs for the design of 3D electrodes was proposed [22]. The interface between dense vertically aligned carbon nanofibers and neurons derived from the rat pheochromocytoma (PC12 cell line) was also studied [10]. However, although vertically grown CNTs have been

A catechol biosensor based on electrospun carbon nanofibers

• Dawei Li,
• Zengyuan Pang,
• Xiaodong Chen,
• Lei Luo,
• Yibing Cai and
• Qufu Wei

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 346–354, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.39

• Dawei Li Zengyuan Pang Xiaodong Chen Lei Luo Yibing Cai Qufu Wei Key Laboratory of Eco-Textiles of Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214122, P. R. China 10.3762/bjnano.5.39 Abstract Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were prepared by combining electrospinning with a high-temperature

• water samples. Keywords: biosensor; carbon nanofibers; catechol; electrospinning; laccase; Introduction Nowadays, carbon nanomaterials attract a great deal of attention due to their high surface area, excellent electronic conduction and biocompatibility. Among these, mesoporous carbon [1][2][3][4][5

• ][6][7][8], activated or porous carbon nanofibers [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] have been widely studied. Notably, the carbon nanofibers (CNFs) possess a history of more than a century, the carbon filaments discovered in 1889 may be the earliest CNFs [20]. After more than a century of

Design criteria for stable Pt/C fuel cell catalysts

• Josef C. Meier,
• Carolina Galeano,
• Ioannis Katsounaros,
• Jonathon Witte,
• Hans J. Bongard,
• Angel A. Topalov,
• Claudio Baldizzone,
• Stefano Mezzavilla,
• Ferdi Schüth and
• Karl J. J. Mayrhofer

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 44–67, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.5

• [23]. Due to the large versatility of carbon structures, many research groups have focused on a variety of alternative carbon materials [24] as supports for fuel cell applications such as single walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs, MWCNTs) [25][26], graphene [27], carbon nanofibers [28