Li-ion batteries are a key technology for multiple clean energy applications.In this study,Cu2O nanowires were obtained by the reduction of cupric acetate with pyrrole.The resulting Cu2O nanowires exhibited excellent reversible capacities of 470mAh g-1 at rate of 1 C after 100 cycles.The results show that the Cu2O nanowires had more capacity than materials previously reported.No fading was observed over 100 cycles of charging and discharging.The compound metal Cu and incorporation of the conducting polymer polypyrrole(PPy)improved the conductivity of Cu2O and enhanced the stability of the electrode during cycling.The results from this study imply that Cu2O nanowires with high capacity and good cycle retention could be excellent candidates as anode materials for Li-ion rechargeable batteries.
Biosynthesis of gold nanostructures has drawn increasing concerns because of its green and sustainable synthetic process. However, biosynthesis of gold nanoplates is still a challenge because of the expensive source and difficulties of controllable formation of morphology and size. Herein, one-pot biosynthesis of gold nanoplates is proposed, in which cheap yeast was extracted as a green precursor. The morphologies and sizes of the gold nanostructures can be controlled via varying the pH value of the biomedium. In acid condition, gold nanoplates with side length from 1300 ± 200 to 300 ± 100 nm and height from 18 to 15 nm were obtained by increasing the pH value. Whereas, in neutral or basic condition, only gold nanoflowers and nanoparticles were obtained. It was determined that organic molecules, such as succinic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, and glutathione, which are generated in metabolism process, played important role in the reduction of gold ions. Besides, it was found that the gold nanoplates exhibited plasmonic property with prominent dipole infrared resonance in near-infrared region, indicating their potential in surface plasmon-enhanced applications, such as bioimaging and photothermal therapy.
