In the past few decades, metal and metal oxide nanocrystals, as the most common catalytic materials, have attracted broad attention from worldwide scientists. Although considerable progress has been made in nanocatalysis, especially in controllable synthesis of nanocrystalline catalysts, it still remains a great challenge to fully understand the relationship between the catalytic properties (activity, selectivity, and durability) of nanocrystals with their structural characteristics in varied types of reactions. Actually, recognizing the regularity of nanocatalysis and revealing its physical and chemical nature are significant basic issues in catalytic science and technology. According to these basic scientific issues, our group has carried out systematic research work. This mini account highlights the recent progress in this area in our group.

The perfect molecular order, the absence of grain boundaries and the minimized concentration of charge traps in organic single crystals make them extremely promising for the study of intrinsic properties of organic materials and fabrication of high performance devices and circuits. It also provides the opportunity for revealing the relationship between the microscopic molecular packing and the macroscopic charge transport of the organic semiconductor materials. Due to the weak intermolecular interaction of Van der Waals' force, organic single crystals mostly exist as micro- and nano-crystals. Currently, various material systems have been applied in the fabrication of micro- and nano-crystal field-effect transistors (FETs) and these devices have enabled both the screen of high-performance materials and a better understanding of the charge transport physics of organic semiconductors. Here the structure and operation modes of the organic single crystal field-effect transistors (OSCFETs), growth methods, characterization methods and device fabrication methods of organic micro- and nano-crystals are introduced respectively. Moreover, the progress made during the past three years on organic micro- and nano-cyrstal semiconductor materials and devices are summarized. Finally, the hot topics, tendency and challenges of the organic micro- and nano-cyrstal studies are discussed as well. Contents
1 Introduction
2 Structures and operation mechanism of organic single crystal field-effect transistors
3 Crystallization methods
3.1 Gas phase methods
3.2 Liquid phase methods
4 Characterization methods
4.1 X-ray diffraction
4.2 Atomic force microscope
4.3 Scanning electron microscope
4.4 Transmission electron microscope and selected area electron diffraction
5 Fabrication methods
5.1 Direct fabrication method
5.2 Lamination method
5.3 Mask method
5.4 Au film gluing method
5.5 Drop-casting method
6 Central issues and tendency of present researches
6.1 Design and synthesis of high performance materials
6.2 Controlled growth of micro- and nano-crystals
6.3 Production of large area crystalline films
6.4 Multifunction of organic micro- and nano-crystals
6.5 Tendency of international cooperation and interdisciplinary development
7 Challenges of micro- and nano-crystal research
7.1 Transport theory of charge carriers in organic micro- and nano-crystals
7.2 Development of air-stable n type micro- and nano-crystal materials
7.3 Standardization of fabrication methods
7.4 Development of high performance and large scale crystal circuits
8 Conclusion and outlook

HONO is the main source of hydroxyl radical (OH) in the atmosphere, and is formed by the reaction of NO₂ on the surface of black carbon. Therefore, the heterogeneous reactions of NO₂ on the surface of black carbon have been attracted scientists in the past years. The uptake coefficients varied 7 orders of magnitude in different research groups. For assessing the importance of the heterogeneous reaction, the results are different when selecting different uptake coefficients. On the basis of a deep analysis of the reaction mechanism of NO₂ with black carbon, the reasons of the discrepancy in uptake coefficients were analyzed according to reaction system, surface properties of black carbon and reaction condition. The results will provide a basis for the selection of uptake coefficients in the model. Contents
1 Introduction
2 Heterogeneous reaction mechanism of NO₂ on the surface of black carbon
2.1 Reactions of NO₂ on the surface of black carbon
2.2 Oxidation-reduction reactions of NO₂ on the surface of black carbon
3 Uptake coefficients of NO₂ on the surface of black carbon
3.1 Effects of the reaction system on uptake coefficients
3.2 Effects of the surface properties of black carbon on uptake coefficients
3.3 Effects of the reaction conditions on uptake coefficients
4 Conclusions and outlook

In recent years, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as a new type of inorganic materials have been discovered. Because of their high surface area and porosity, various and controllable frameworks, they have been extensively used in gas sorption, biomedicine, magnetic field and so on. Particularly, the application of MOFs as heterogeneous catalysts has attracted more attention and many achievements have been gained. In this review, the unique advantages of MOFs catalysts, the possible problems in practical applications and the corresponding solutions are firstly introduced. And then, we summarize the exploration and application of MOFs in catalytic reactions based on their three structural elements such as metal vertex, organic ligand and pore system. Examples of the catalytic reactions are followed. At last, the problems need to be focused and prospective directions on MOFs catalysts are discussed. Contents
1 Introduction
2 Classification of MOFs catalysts and its application
2.1 MOFs with metal active sites
2.2 MOFs with reactive functional groups
2.3 MOFs as supporters or nanometric reactors
3 Conclusion and outlook

Viologens are a group of electroactive organic electrolytes and generally change from colorless to blue or violet after the first reductive reaction, thus they have attracted much attention in the fields of chemically modified electrodes, electrochromic display and supramolecular devices. The alkyl substituents in the viologens are easily functionalized (oxosilane or thiol), resulting in the as-prepared viologens suitable for potential candidates to construct well-defined thin films, multilayers or molecular aggregates by the bottom-up techniques, such as the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films, self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly. If the alkylated substituents contain a thiol or silane substituent, the viologens produced can form SAMs on the solid surfaces, while if they are long alkyl chains, the amphiphilic viologens can form stable insoluble monolayers at the air-water interface and be deposited on the substrate surfaces to form the LB films. The poly(viologen) derivatives can form LBL multilayers with negatively charged polyelectrolytes or nanostructural materials including carbon nanotubes. This paper reviews recent developments in the design and assembly of viologen-functionalized supramolecular and nanoscale materials by the molecular assembling methods. The optical and electrochemical properties of viologens in the molecular assemblies are discussed together with their potential applications as electron mediators for the electron donors, light-harvesting units and proteins. Contents
1 Introduction
2 Synthesis of viologens
2.1 Viologen organics
2.2 Poly(viologen) derivatives
3 Interfacial assembly of viologen-functinalized ultrathin films and aggregates
3.1 Langmuir-Blodgett films of amphiphilic viologens
3.2 Self-assembled monolayers of viologens
3.3 Layer-by-layer assembly of poly(viologen) derivatives
4 Conclusion and remarks

Research progress and prospects of electrolytes used at elevated-temperature for lithium-ion batteries are summarized in this paper. The deficiency of current commercial electrolytes at high temperature is clarified according to the chemical stability of solutes and solvents. Some ideas are proposed to develop the thermal stability of lithium salts, ionic liquids and flame retardant additives. The deficiencies of the present lithium salts can be overcome through the modification of functional group or the structure composite, and new kind of lithium salt can be developed for elevated-temperature lithium ion battery. Non-carbonic acid ester showed poor performance when it was used alone, ionic liquids showed poor compatibility with commonly used anode and cathode materials. The most possible way for the application of high-temperature electrolyte is the blend of carbonates and flame retardants. Better flame retardant can be achieved by introducing flame-retardant elements into phosphate ester or modifying part of the functional group, which will improve the performance of electrolyte in high temperature. Contents
1 Introduction
2 High thermal stability electrolyte salts
2.1 Boron-based lithium salts
2.2 Lithium imides
3 Non-flammable solvents
3.1 Non-flammable organic solvents
3.2 Room temperature ionic liquids
3.3 Flame retardant additives
4 Conclusion and outlook

All vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) is accepted as a electrochemical energy storage device for the load levelling and peak shaving of the grid, the power supply for remote area, the charging power source for the electric vehicles, and the uninterruptible power supply. As one of the key components in VRB system, the membrane, in the terms of its structures and properties, is responsible for the efficiencies of the VRB. The ion conductivity and vanadium ions permeation of the membrane affect the voltage efficiency and coulombic efficiency of the battery, respectively. The chemical stability of the membrane determines the long-term performance and lifetime of the battery. This review mainly summarizes the preparation and properties of the fluorinated ionic exchange membranes, the non-fluorinated ionic exchange membranes, and the pore membranes. The promising research strategies are outlook. Contents
1 Introduction
2 Fluorinated ionic exchange membranes
2.1 Nafion membranes
2.2 PVDF grafted membranes
2.3 PTFE grafted membranes
3 Non-fluorinated ionic exchange membranes
3.1 Poly (aryl ether)s membranes
3.2 Other membranes
4 Pore separation membranes
5 Conclusion and outlook

By self-assembly methods, metal-organic nanotubes constructed from metal ions and bridging organic ligands have afforded a promising approach toward the synthesis of open nanoporous materials. In recent years, the design and synthesis of nanotubular frameworks have attracted intensive attention due to their uniform, fixed internal diameters, impressive topological structures and versatile applications in many areas. This paper give a comprehensive review of the metal-organic nanotubes categories, including the metal-organic nanotubes constructed from calixarene and cyclodextrin ligands, ordinary ligands and mixed ligands, highlights the latest achievements and progress in field of metal-organic nanotubes. The future research directions of the metal-organic nanotubes is pointed out at last. Contents
1 Introduction
2 One dimensional MONTs
2.1 Finite MONTs
2.2 Infinite MONTs
2.3 Interpenetration infinite MONTs
3 The tubular structure in three or two dimensional frameworks
4 Conclusion and outlook

With rigid and propeller-like structure, as well as toroidal delocalization, hexaphenylbenzene derivatives (HPBs) have been of considerable interest for a wide variety of applications in crystal engineering, porous polymers, organic electronic materials, and other scaffold materials. In this paper, the synthesis and applications of hexaphenylbenzene derivatives in these fields are reviewed. Contents
1 Introduction
2 Synthesis of HPB derivatives
3 Applications of HPB derivatives
3.1 Crystal engineering
3.2 Porous polymers
3.3 Organic electronic materials
3.4 Scaffold materials
4 Conclusions and outlook

As the latest member of graphene families, graphene quantum dots(GQDs)have excellent performances conferred by graphene. Besides, it exhibits additional marvelous properties due to quantum confinement and edge effects. So it has attracted more and more attention from scientists in aspects of chemistry, physical, materials, biology and so on. In the past two and three years, significant advances in both the experimental and theoretical fronts have been made for this new sort of zero-dimensional materials. In this paper, we introduce the synthetic methods of GQDs, focusing on two main approaches(top-down and bottom-up). Top-down approach consists of hydrothermal methods, electrochemical strategies and chemical exfoliation of carbon fibers. Bottom-up method mainly involves solution chemistry methods, ultrasonic and microwave preparation and controlled pyrolysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. We also give some brief introduce to some special methods such as electro-beam lithography and ruthenium-catalyzed C₆₀ transformation which need harsh preparation conditions, and we make a perspect for the applications of GQDs in the future. Contents
1 Introduction
2 Top-down approach
2.1 Hydrothermal methods
2.2 Electrochemical strategies
2.3 Chemical exfoliation of carbon fibers
3 Bottom-up method
3.1 Solution chemistry methods
3.2 Ultrasonic and microwave methods
3.3 Controlled pyrolysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
4 Other methods
4.1 Electron-beam lithography methods
4.2 Ruthenium-catalyzed C₆₀ methods
5 Applications
6 Conclusion and perspectives

Silica is one of the most important inorganic materials, and has been drawing a growing number of attentions in the field of organic/inorganic composite materials. In this paper, research progress on methods and mechanisms of chemical modification as well as applications of modified silica particles are reviewed in detail. Mechanisms of coupling method, surface grafting methods (“grafting from” and “grafting onto” included) and one-step method are discussed along with the comments on key points and advantages of these methods. The methods of “grafting from” based on conventional free radical polymerization, atom transfer radical polymerization and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization are discussed, whereas “grafting on” based on ring-opening addition reaction, “click chemistry” and esterification reaction are described. Generally, endowing silica surface with functional groups for further reaction by silane coupling agents is essential, and silane coupling agents and their modification mechanisms are introduced firstly. In addition, one-step method is also discussed here. At the same time, significances of surface modification which are improvement on dispersibility, endowing silica with functionality and improvement on compatibility are summarized. The dispersibility of surface modified silica particles in organic solvents or organic matrix is improved. The modified silica particles are functioned by the groups or polymers which are grafted on their surfaces. The adhesive forces between organic phase and inorganic phase are enhanced since the modified silica particles are dispersed well in the organic matrix. And the modified silica particles are expected applications in fabricating new materials. Contents
1 Introduction
2 Methods and mechanisms of chemical modification
2.1 Coupling method
2.2 Surface grafting method
2.3 One-step method
3 Significance of surface modification
3.1 Improvement on dispersibility
3.2 Endowing silica with functionality
3.3 Improvement on compatibility
3.4 Other significances
4 Conclusions and outlook

Tungsten oxides inorganic semiconductor materials have received considerable attention in recent years because of their unique physico-chemical properties and widespread applications in various areas, such as electrochromic (EC) devices, gas sensors, photocatalytic systems, photoelectrochemical devices, and so on. Recently hydrothermal method has been exploited for the preparation of tungsten oxide micro/nanostructures with different sizes and shapes. Combining with our group's work on the preparation of tungsten oxide micro/nanomaterials, the progress of preparation of tungsten oxide micro/nanomaterials by hydrothermal method is presented. The key influencing factors, such as the choice of reagents, the reaction time and temperature, are discussed in detail. The development trends of the tungsten oxide micro/nanomaterials fabricated by hydrothermal method are also proposed. Contents
1 Introduction
2 Structure of WO_x
3 WO_x powder fabricated by hydrothermal method
3.1 Zero-dimensional WO_x micro/nanostructures
3.2 One-dimensional WO_x micro/nanostructures
3.3 Two-dimensional WO_x micro/nanostructures
3.4 Three-dimensional hierarchical WO_x
3.5 WO_x composites
3.6 Summaries
4 Conclusions

As a clean and ideal energy source, hydrogen energy has received extensive attention in recent years. However, the technology for hydrogen storage is still the key technology restricting the application of hydrogen commercialization. Hydrogen storage materials are considered to be safe, efficient way for solid-state hydrogen storage. Therefore, the development of new high-capacity hydrogen storage materials and hydrogen storage technology is one of the hot topics nowadays. Nanoconfinement is to fill the materials in the nanopores. By using the interaction between the filled materials and nanopore, the reaction is promoted. In recent years, nanoconfinement has become an effective way to enhance the kinetics and thermodynamics of the hydrogen storage materials. In this paper, the development of nanoconfined hydrogen storage materials has been reviewed. The preparation, hydrogen storage properties, reaction mechanism and existing problems for nanoconfined hydrogen storage materials are discussed. In addition, the future prospect of nanoconfined hydrogen storage materials is addressed. Contents
1 Introduction
2 Preparation of nanoconfined hydrogen storage materials
3 Performance of nanoconfined hydrogen storage materials
3.1 Carbon-based scaffold confined hydrogen storage materials
3.2 MOFs scaffold confined hydrogen storage materials
3.3 Metal oxide scaffold confined hydrogen storage materials
3.4 Polymer scaffold confined hydrogen storage materials
4 Existing problems
5 Conclusion and perspective

Polymeric biomaterials which contain thiol/disulfide bonds with a variety of good characteristics have the strong potential to be used as release carriers for drugs and genes. With the development of genetic engineering and tissue engineering, biodegradability of these materials has drawn much more attention of researchers and become the key factor limiting their applications as biomaterials. Disulfide bond remains stable in the extracellular environment while broken in the cytosolic reducing environment. In terms with this property, it is frequently used in the preparation of the carrier materials for the drug and gene delivery systems. The introduction of disulfide bonds to the materials provides an effective way to design or improve the biodegradability. In this review, we focused on the research progress and test methods of the thiol/ene photopolymerization reaction, Michael addition reaction and the redox reaction taking the hydrogels, polymer micells and vesicles as the typical examples. Different methods about the formation of thiol/ene disulfide bonds in the polymer were also presented. And the preparation and surface modification of three kinds of reduction-sensitive materials, including gene carriers, drug delivery vectors and small molecule drug carriers, were discussed in detail. The importance of the research on the polymeric biomaterials which contains thiol/disulfide bonds in the field of biomedical applications has been further emphasized. Contents
1 Introduction
2 Photopolymerization polymers
3 Michael addition polymers
4 Reduction-sensitive polymers
4.1 Gene carriers
4.2 Protein vectors
4.3 Small molecule drug carriers
5 Prospects

In the past two decades, atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been widely used for studying nanobiomaterials related research. AFM is a powerful tool that can reveal the surface structure and mechanical properties of nanobiomaterials, and is also known as a nanofabrication tool to manipulate and process nanobiomaterials. The focus of this review is on the recent progress in the applications of AFM for nanobiomaterials, which mainly includes imaging, force measurements, and nanofabrication of nanobiomaterials. AFM can be used to image the topography of nanobiomaterials and analyze the feature height and surface roughness, image the dynamic process of nanobiomaterials related processes in situ. AFM phase imaging can be used to image some surface features of nanobiomaterials those AFM height imaging cannot detect. AFM force curves can be applied to measure the adhesion force between tip and nanobiomaterials, and measure the intermolecular and intramolecular forces of nanobiomaterials. AFM nanoindentation can be applied to measure the mechanical properties (elasticity, Young’s modulus, hardness, nanofracture behavior, etc) of nanobiomaterials. In addition, AFM has been explored to fabricate nanobiomaterials in a precise, controllable and reproducible fashion. In summary, as a prowerful nanotechnological tool, AFM has provided an ideal surface-analysis and surface-fabrication tool in the nanobiomaterials related research. Contents
1 Introduction
2 Components and principles of AFM
3 Imaging and characterization
3.1 Topographical imaging
3.2 Phase imaging
4 Mechanical properties measurements
4.1 Force measurements
4.2 Other mechanical properties measurements
5 Nanofabrication
6 Summary and outlook

The novel and unique physical and chemical properties of graphene and graphene oxide, in recent years have attracted more and more attention from scientific and professional communities. Owning to their high surface and abundant functional groups, it is possible for them to be the excellent adsorption materials in water treatment processes. However, they are not easy to separate from water matrix. To overcome the problem, so far, numerous graphene-based iron oxide magnetic nanocomposites have been successfully synthesized in various ways and showed desirable combination of adsorption and easy separation properties. Herein, we briefly introduce adsorption ability of graphene, graphene oxide and iron oxide magnetic materials for heavy metal ions, organic dyes and aromatic pollutants, and then highlight the synthesis methods and adsorption ability of graphene-based iron oxide magnetic nanocomposites. Especially, the potential applications in water treatment of these magnetic composites are discussed. Finally, a prospect for future research developments in this field is proposed. Contents
1 Introduction
2 Adsorption of graphene
3 Adsorption of grapheme oxide and modified graphene oxide
4 Adsorption of magnetic material——iron oxide
5 Synthesis and adsorption of graphene/Fe₃O₄ magnetic composite material
5.1 Synthesis of graphene/Fe₃O₄
5.2 Adsorption application of graphene/Fe₃O₄ in water treatment process
6 Conclusion and outlook

With the rapid development and wide application of nanotechnology in recent years, increasing amount of manufactured nanomaterials will inevitably enter the environment. The presence of nanomaterials in the environment can have negative effects on both environment and human health, which has been attracted much attention. Many studies have suggested the potential toxicity of manufactured nanomaterials to bacteria and aquatic and terrestrial animals and plants. Plants comprise a very important living component of terrestrial ecosystems. On one hand, nanomaterials will influence plant growth and development. On the other hand, plant metabolic activities will affect transformation and fate of nanomaterials in the environment as well as their transportation in food chain. However, up to now studies about the interactions between nanomaterials and plants have been largely ignored, and most of the publications are limited to explanations of phenomena observed. For example, the available studies on nano-phytotoxicity have focused mainly on toxicity symptoms of plants or plant cells, and failed to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for the phytotoxicity of nanomaterials, as well as the uptake, translocation and accumulations of nanomaterials by plants. Moreover, different or even opposite conclusions have been drawn from the researches. Therefore, it is necessary to have a systematic review of the available researches in this field. Here we present a comprehensive review of the studies about the interaction of nanomaterials and plants including the phytotoxicity of nanomaterials and the uptake and translocation of nanomaterials by plants at the whole plant and cellular levels. Contents
1 Introduction
2 Interactions of nanomaterials and plants
3 Effects of nanomaterials on plant growth
3.1 Carbon nanomaterials
3.2 Metal (oxide) nanomaterials
4 Uptake and translocation of nanomaterials by plants
4.1 Negative opinions on plant uptake of nano-materials
4.2 Positive opinions on plant uptake of nano-materials
5 Conclusions and perspectives