Sort:
Review Article Issue
Bioinspired nanofluidic iontronics for brain-like computing
Nano Research 2024, 17 (2): 503-514
Published: 14 July 2023
Downloads:129

The human brain performs computations via a highly interconnected network of neurons. Taking inspiration from the information delivery and processing mechanism of the human brain in central nervous systems, bioinspired nanofluidic iontronics has been proposed and gradually engineered to overcome the limitations of the conventional electron-based von Neumann architecture, which shows the promising potential to enable efficient brain-like computing. Anomalous and tunable nanofluidic ion transport behaviors and spatial confinement show promising controllability of charge carriers, and a wide range of structural and chemical modification paves new ways for realizing brain-like functions. Herein, a comprehensive framework of mechanisms and design strategy is summarized to enable the rational design of nanofluidic systems and facilitate the further development of bioinspired nanofluidic iontronics. This review provides recent advances and prospects of the bioinspired nanofluidic iontronics, including ion-based brain computing, comprehension of intrinsic mechanisms, design of artificial nanochannels, and the latest artificial neuromorphic functions devices. Furthermore, the challenges and opportunities of bioinspired nanofluidic iontronics in the pioneering and interdisciplinary research fields are proposed, including brain–computer interfaces and artificial neurons.

Research Article Issue
Oil-polluted water purification via the carbon-nanotubes-doped organohydrogel platform
Nano Research 2022, 15 (6): 5653-5662
Published: 22 March 2022
Downloads:66

Solar-driven evaporators are promising for tackling freshwater scarcity but still challenged in simultaneously realizing comprehensive performances at one platform for sustainable and efficient application in real-world environments, such as stable-floating, scalability, salt-resistance, efficient vaporization, and anti-oil-fouling property. Herein, we design a hybrid organohydrogel evaporator to achieve the enduring oil contamination repulsion with maintaining accelerated evaporation process, and integrate capacities of ultra-stable floating, hindered salt-crystallization, large-scale fabrication for practical purification of seawater and polluted solutions. The raised water surface surrounding evaporators, induced by low density of organogel-phase, results in oil contamination resistance through the lateral capillary repulsion effect. Meanwhile, the organogel-phase containing photo-thermal carbon-nanotubes with low thermal capacity and conduction can form locally confined hot dots under solar irradiation and reduce heat dissipation on heating excessive water. Therefore, based on this approach, accelerated long-term practical purification of oil-contaminated solutions without any extra disposal is realized. Considering other properties of ultra-stable floating, large-scale fabrication, and anti-salt crystallization, these innovative organohydrogel evaporators open pathways for purifying oil-slick-polluted water via interfacial evaporation and are anticipated accelerating industrialization of efficient and sustainable solar-driven water purification.

Research Article Issue
Antibacterial evaporator based on reduced graphene oxide/polypyrrole aerogel for solar-driven desalination
Nano Research 2023, 16 (4): 4219-4224
Published: 17 January 2022
Downloads:98

Solar-driven water evaporation is a sustainable method to purify seawater. Nevertheless, traditional volumetric water-evaporation systems suffer from the poor sunlight absorption and inefficient light-to-thermal conversion. Also, their anti-bacterial and anti-fouling performances are crucial for the practical application. Herein, we introduce reduced graphene oxide (RGO) with broadband absorbance across the entire solar spectrum, and polypyrrole (PPy), an antibacterial polymer with efficient solar absorption and low thermal conductivity, to develop integrated RGO/PPy aerogel as both the solar absorber and evaporator for highly efficient solar-driven steam generation. As a result, the RGO/PPy aerogel shows strong absorption and good photothermal performance, leading to an evaporation rate of 1.44 kg·m−2·h−1 and high salt rejection (up to 99.99%) for real seawater, with photothermal conversion efficiency > 90% under one sun irradiation. The result is attributed to the localized heat at the air–water interface by the RGO/PPy and its porous nature with functional groups that facilitates the water evaporation. Moreover, the RGO/PPy demonstrates excellent durability and antibacterial efficiency close to 100% for 12 h, crucial characteristics for long-term application. Our well-designed RGO/PPy aerogel with efficient water desalination performance and antibacterial property provides a straightforward approach to improve the solar-driven evaporation performance by multifunctional materials integration, and offers a viable route towards practical seawater desalination.

total 3