Magnesiothermic reduction can directly convert SiO2 into Si nanostructures. Despite intense efforts, efficient fabrication of highly nanoporous silicon by Mg still remains a significant challenge due to the exothermic reaction nature. By employing table salt (NaCl) as a heat scavenger for the magnesiothermic reduction, we demonstrate an effective route to convert diatom (SiO2) and SiO2/GeO2 int...

Nanostructured Si as the high efficiency photoelectrode material is hard to keep stable in aqueous for water splitting. Capping a passivation layer on the surface of Si is an effective way of protecting from oxidation. However, it is still not clear in the different mechanisms and effects between insulating oxide materials and oxide semiconductor materials as passivation layers. Here, we compar...

The current review article attempts to cover the field of nanoporous materials, thereby materials with voids of the order of 1 nm to 100 nm or even larger. Concepts, that have an effect on a more general basis, are introduced and the common features among the different classes of nanoporous materials are demonstrated enabling understanding their formation and stability. It is seen that the most...

We present the rational synthesis of nanoporous CuS for the first time by chemical dealloying method. The morphologies of the CuS catalysts are controlled by the composition of the original amorphous alloys. Nanoporous Cu2S is firstly formed during the chemical dealloying process, and then the Cu2S transforms into CuS. The nanoporous CuS exhibits excellent photocatalytic activity for the degrad...

Self-aligned nanoporous TiO2 templates synthesized via dc current electrochemical anodization have been carefully analyzed. The influence of environmental temperature during the anodization, ranging from 2 C to ambient, on the structure and morphology of the nanoporous oxide formation has been investigated, as well as that of the HF electrolyte chemical composition, its concentration and their ...

Tuning localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of nanoporous metals is crucial to manipulate light within tiny volumes for the implementation of optical devices at the nanoscale. Herein, nanoporous gold-alumina core-shell films with constant gold skeleton and variable alumina sheaths are fabricated by means of chemical corrosion and subsequent atomic layer deposition. Optical transmission pr...

We have demonstrated an approach to enhance the light extraction efficiency for organic light emitting diode sOLEDd. Nanoporous alumina film was used to modify the optical wave propagation and coupling of light from the OLED. Experimental results showed an increase of over 50% in the coupling efficiency of the nanoporous device, without affecting the electrical properties of the OLED. Effective...

A scattering layer is utilized by mixing nanoporous spheres and nanoparticles in ZnO-based dye-sensitized solar cells. Hundred-nanometer-sized ZnO spheres consisting of approximately 35-nm-sized nanoparticles provide not only effective light scattering but also a large surface area. Furthermore, ZnO nanoparticles are added to the scattering layer to facilitate charge transport and increase the ...

We propose a non-equilibrium electrokinetic (EK) mixer with a nanoporous membrane fabricated on a microfluidic chip by laser polymerization technique. A non-equilibrium EK mixer had an array of nanochannels to generate a vortex using ion depletion and consequent electroconvection [1]. The nanochannels, however, require expensive and complicated fabrication processes. On the other hand, the lase...

Surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI-MS) represents a powerful tool for the analysis of biomolecules, synthetic polymers, and even small organic compounds; its performances largely depend on the type of matrix materials utilized. Here, for the first time the employment of nanoporous carbons derived from metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as novel matrices for SALDI...