A variety of polyhedral nanocages are provided having a hollow interior, ultrathin walls, and well-defined facets of metal atoms. The nanocages can include a variety of precious metals such as Pt, Au, Ru, Rh, or Ir. The metal atoms can take a face-centered cubic structure with {111} facets on the surface. The walls can be thin, sometimes less than 1 nm in thickness or only a few atomic layers in thickness. The nanocages can provide for efficient uses of valuable precious metals, among other things, in catalysis. For example, catalysts are provided exhibiting high mass activities in oxygen reduction reactions. Methods of making and methods of using the nanocages and catalysts are also provided.

A reactor for nanoparticle production comprising a main chamber including a first nozzle to which raw material gas is supplied, a lens housing connected to the main chamber in a fluidly movable manner and including a second nozzle for supplying flushing gas to the lens housing, a lens mounted on the lens housing, a light source for irradiating a laser, which passes through the lens to reach the raw material gas in the main chamber, and a hood for discharging nanoparticles generated in the main chamber. A cross-sectional area of at least a part of the lens housing decreases along a direction facing the main chamber.

Method for preparing a natural organic macromolecular water treatment agent including: dissolving amylose corn starch in an alkali solution, stirring for 30 min, to obtain a suspension, freezing the suspension to fully frozen state, melting and dialyzing, to obtain a corn starch dispersion; mixing a modified flax fiber, the dispersion, nano-hybrid silica and distilled water, performing 800 W ultrasonication for 10 min, to obtain a treated suspension; taking an amount of a superabsorbent macromolecular resin with a certain shape, making it absorb water and swell into a solid hydrogel with the certain shape; mixing the solid hydrogel and the treated suspension, static defoaming, loading into a mold and solidifing, drying until the solid hydrogel is completely dehydrated, to obtain a hollow agent; spraying a catalytic degrading agent/toxin degrading agent on the surface of the hollow agent and/or the inner wall of holes thereof, to obtain the target agent.

A carbon nanotube (CNT) growth apparatus includes: a body; an inlet cap; an outlet cap; insulation extending through a portion of an interior of the body, the insulation including a first stage and a second stage, a flow tube extending through the inlet cap and passing coaxially through the first stage of the insulation, the flow tube configured to receive and flow a fluid to the interior of the body; a gas heater including a plurality of heat pipes configured to be inserted in the first stage of the insulation, the plurality of heat pipes being disposed adjacent to the flow tube; a substrate heater incorporated in the second stage of the insulation; and a temperature controller configured to adjust a temperature of the gas heater and substrate heater, wherein a removed portion of the second stage is configured to provide an unobstructed view of the substrate.

A carbon nanotube (CNT) growth apparatus includes: a body; an inlet cap; an outlet cap; insulation extending through a portion of an interior of the body, the insulation including a first stage and a second stage, a flow tube extending through the inlet cap and passing coaxially through the first stage of the insulation, the flow tube configured to receive and flow a fluid to the interior of the body; a gas heater including a plurality of heat pipes configured to be inserted in the first stage of the insulation, the plurality of heat pipes being disposed adjacent to the flow tube; a substrate heater incorporated in the second stage of the insulation; and a temperature controller configured to adjust a temperature of the gas heater and substrate heater, wherein a removed portion of the second stage is configured to provide an unobstructed view of the substrate.

A method of producing ceria nanocrystals is provided. The method includes providing a gas that includes ozone to a solution that includes a cerium salt, and obtaining ceria nanocrystals from the solution after the gas is provided to the first solution. A method of producing nanoparticles is provided. The method includes providing a gas that includes ozone to a solution that includes a metal salt that includes at least one of a transition metal or a lanthanide, and producing at least one of metal oxide nanoparticles, metal oxynitrate nanoparticles, or metal oxyhydroxide nanoparticles from the solution after the gas is provided to the solution.

It is an object of the present invention to provide ultrafine cellulose fibers capable of exhibiting favorable dispersibility even in an organic solvent. The present invention relates to cellulose fibers having a fiber width of 1000 nm or less and having phosphoric acid groups or phosphoric acid group-derived substituents, wherein the content of the phosphoric acid groups or phosphoric acid group-derived substituents is 0.5 mmol/g or more, and the supernatant yield measured by an measurement method (a) is 70% or less.

A method for manufacturing glass-based micro- and nanostructure comprising the step of dewetting a thin-film glass layer on a textured substrate to form the micro- and nanostructure from the thin-film glass layer.

An apparatus and a method for continuous solvothermal synthesis of nanoparticles, are provided. The apparatus includes an inlet section, a reactor section, a flexible quenching unit, and an outlet section. The inlet section separately receives reactants including the solvent and a precursor solution that are allowed to flow into the reactor section. The reactor section includes multiple spiral turns such that each of the spiral turns includes a helical channel followed by a counter-helical channel for enabling mixing of the reactants to cause solvothermal reactions between them. The counter-helical channel changes the direction of flow of reactants upon flow of said reactants from the helical channel to the counter-helical channel. The flexible quenching section enclosing a portion of the reactor section quenches a slurry formed as a result of the solvothermal reactions, wherein the slurry includes the nanoparticles of targeted characteristics. The outlet section facilitates withdrawal of the slurry.

A nanofiber nonwoven product is disclosed which comprises a polyamide with a relative viscosity from 2 to 330, spun into nanofibers with an average diameter of less than 1000 nanometers (1 micron). In general, the inventive products are prepared by: (a) providing a polyamide composition, wherein the polyamide has a relative viscosity from 2 to 330; (b) melt spinning the polyamide composition into a plurality of nanofibers having an average fiber diameter of less than 1 micron, followed by (c) forming the nanofibers into the product.