Publications

Lipids play a critical role in cell membrane integrity, signaling, and energy storage. However, in-depth structural characterization of lipids is still challenging and not routinely possible in lipidomics experiments. Techniques such as collision-induced dissociation (CID) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), ion mobility (IM) spectrometry, and ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography are not yet capable of fully characterizing double-bond and sn-chain position of lipids in a high-throughput manner. Herein, we report on the ability to structurally characterize lipids using large-area triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) coupled with time-aligned parallel (TAP) fragmentation IM-MS analysis. Gas-phase lipid epoxidation during TENG ionization, coupled to mobility-resolved MS3 via TAP IM-MS, enabled the acquisition of detailed information on the presence and position of lipid C═C double bonds, the fatty acyl sn-chain position and composition, and the cis/trans geometrical C═C isomerism. The proposed methodology proved useful for the shotgun lipidomics analysis of lipid extracts from biological samples, enabling the detailed annotation of numerous lipid isobars.

Abstract Piezotronic and plasmonic effects are effective strategies to improve photocatalytic performance. Combining these two effects in one photocatalytic heterostructure is intriguing, but has yet to be reported. Here, a hybrid ternary structure ((silver‐silver sulfide)/barium titanate (Ag‐Ag 2 S)/BaTiO 3 ) is introduced, where the synergistic exciton–plasmon interaction in Ag‐Ag 2 S and Ag 2 S/BaTiO 3 heterojunction tuned by piezoelectric polarization can enhance the photon absorption and charge carrier separation to promote photocatalysis efficiency. The exciton–plasmon interaction in Ag‐Ag 2 S can amplify the plasmon resonance to the semiconductor region and enhance the light absorption of Ag 2 S. The piezoelectric polarization can tune the band structure of BaTiO 3 and then change the heterojunction between Ag 2 S/BaTiO 3 from Type I (i.e., straddling energy band alignments between BaTiO 3 and Ag 2 S) to Type II (i.e., Z‐scheme system between BaTiO 3 and Ag 2 S with a staggered energy band alignment), which can accelerate the separation of electron‐hole pairs. Using this hybrid material, a high methyl orange (MO) degradation rate up to 90% within 30 min is obtained, which is 20% higher than that of Ag/BaTiO 3 . The demonstrated hybrid material based on the synergistic piezotronic effect and exciton–plasmon interaction shows great promise in pollutant treatment with high efficiency.

Blue/near-UV light emitting diodes composed of position controlled n-ZnO nanowires arrays and a p-GaN thin film substrate are demonstrated. Under forward bias, each single nanowire is a light emitter. By Gaussian deconvolution of the emission spectrum, the origins of the blue/near-UV emission are assigned specifically to three distinct electron-hole recombination processes. The LEDs give an external quantum efficiency of 2.5%. Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as "Supporting Information". Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-edited or typeset. They are made available as submitted by the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.

The progress of electronic textiles relies on the development of sustainable power sources without much sacrifice of convenience and comfort of fabrics. Herein, we present a rechargeable textile alkaline Zn microbattery (micro-AZB) fabricated by a process analogous to traditional resist-dyeing techniques. Conductive patterned electrodes are realized first by resist-aided electroless/electrodeposition of Ni/Cu films. The resulting coplanar micro-AZB in a single textile, with an electroplated Zn anode and a Ni0.7Co0.3OOH cathode, achieves high energy density (256.2 Wh kg-1), high power density (10.3 kW kg-1), and stable cycling performances (82.7% for 1500 cycles). The solid-state micro-AZB also shows excellent mechanical reliability (bending, twisting, tailoring, etc.). The improved reversibility and cyclability of textile Zn electrodes over conventional Zn foils are found to be due to the significantly inhibited Zn dendrite growth and suppressed undesirable side reactions. This work provides a new approach for energy-storage textile with high rechargeability, high safety, and aesthetic design versatility.

Ultrathin piezoelectric nanogenerator (NG) with a total thickness of ≈16 μm is fabricated as an active or self‐powered sensor for monitoring local deformation on a human skin. The NG was based on an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) as an insulating layer grown on a thin Al foil by anodization, on which a thin film made of aligned ZnO nanowire compacted arrays is grown by solution chemistry. The performance of the NG is characterized with the assistance of the finite element method (FEM) simulation. The extremely thin NG is attached on the surface of an eyelid, and its output voltage/current characterizes the motion of the eye ball underneath. Since there is no external power needed for the operation of the NG, this self‐powered or active sensor can be effective in monitoring sleeping behavior, brain activities, and spirit status of a person as well as any biological associated skin deformation.

Abstract Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have attracted increasing attention because of their excellent energy conversion efficiency, the diverse choice of materials, and their broad applications in energy harvesting devices and self‐powered sensors. New materials have been explored, including green materials, but their performances have not yet reached the level of that for fluoropolymers. Here, a high‐performance, fully green TENG (FG‐TENG) using cellulose‐based tribolayers is reported. It is shown that the FG‐TENG has an output power density of above 300 W m −2 , which is a new record for green‐material‐based TENGs. The high performance of the FG‐TENG is due to the high positive charge density of the regenerated cellulose. The FG‐TENG is stable after more than 30 000 cycles of operations in humidity of 30%–84%. This work demonstrates that high‐performance TENGs can be made using natural green materials for a broad range of applications.

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Abstract Real‐time monitoring of water level and flow velocity is essential for reflecting hydrodynamic properties, serving as a core component of intelligent hydrological monitoring systems. However, the measurement accuracy and anti‐interference capabilities of existing sensing methods limit their practical applications. Here, a flapping‐wing water level‐velocity method (FWVM)is proposed, which combines the flapping‐wing motion with the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). Through the decoupling analysis of the TENG characteristic signal reflected by the flapping wing motion, the information of water level and flow velocity is extracted. Based on this method, a self‐sustaining flapping wing TENG (FW‐TENG) with a water level resolution of 1 mm is established. The accuracy and stability of FW‐TENG are improved through optimization of the wing shape and the magnetic drive design. Furthermore, a dual‐function monitoring system has been developed for real‐time in situ monitoring and early warning of water level and flow velocity. Compared with a commercial sensor, the error rates of maximum water level and flow velocity are below 0.45% and 2%, respectively. This research provides an approach for the development of underwater sensors and holds great potential for widespread application in hydrological monitoring.

We report in this communication the two-photon absorption (TPA)-induced room-temperature lasing performance of ZnO nanowires.Under femtosecond pulse-excitation at λ = 700 nm in the infrared regime, a remarkably low threshold of 160µJ/cm 2 was observed for the TPA-induced lasing action, which is of the same order of magnitude as that measured for the linear lasing process.Time-resolved photoluminescence characterization of two-photon pumped ZnO nanowires reveals the presence of a fast decay (3-4 ps) in the stimulated emission as compared to the slow decay (50-70 ps) for the spontaneous emission.The TPA process in ZnO nanowires was characterized with the nonlinear transmission measurement, which uncovers an enhanced TPA coefficient, about 14.7 times larger than that of bulk ZnO samples.The observed TPA enhancement in ZnO nanowires accounts for the low threshold lasing behavior, and has been attributed to the intensified optical field confined within the nanowire waveguides.

A ZnO nanowire behaves like a rectifier under bending strain, as demonstrated by its current–voltage characteristics (see graph). This is interpreted with the consideration of a piezoelectricity-induced potential energy barrier at the interface of the conductive tip and nanowire (see schematic). Under appropriate bending and voltage control, each NW could correspond to a device element for random-access-memory, diode, and force-sensor applications.

'Polymer Coatings' published in 'Encyclopedia of Nanotechnology'