Articles in 2015

A novel release mechanism of microcapsules is demonstrated, where the rate of core release can be solely controlled by magnetic field-induced deformation of microcapsules. Composite microcapsules are prepared with magnetic particles embedded in the polymer wall. It shows that the release rate is highly dependent on the strengths of the magnetic field and deformation frequency of the microcapsules.

A topotactic reaction strategy has been reported to achieve the oriented attachment of colloidal metal chalcogenide quantum dots into micrometer-sized nanosheets and nanobelts (up to 6-7 μm) on both mechanically rigid and flexible substrates. The non-stoichiometric compositions, crystallization, Ag doping and good contact with substrate were controlled well. The observation of weak anti-localization phenomena and Hall effect sensitivity, the improved I-V and photoresponse property and the stable I-V property of these nanosheet films on flexible substrates under bending force testify their potential electronic device application.

For the first time, we investigate the synergistic effect of one-dimensional nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) and two-dimensional graphene oxide (GO) to facilitate low-cost, mechanically strong hybrid microfibers. Both experimental and molecular dynamics simulations were carried out. Such GO-NFC hybrid microfibers show an elastic modulus of 34.1 GPa, an ultimate tensile strength of 442.4 MPa and a toughness of 4.9 MJ m⁻³, which outperform among the best GO fibers in literature. This study promotes a new design strategy to create high-performance microfibers for a range of applications.