The invention relates to electrocatalysts comprising a carbonitride (CN) shell featuring good electrical conductivity, coordinating suitable catalytically active sites. In a preferred aspect of the invention, the aforesaid carbonitride shell coordinates nanoparticles or aggregates of nanoparticles, on which the active sites of the electrocatalyst are located. In a preferred form of the invention, said carbonitride shell covers suitable cores with good electrical conductivity. Said electrocatalysts are obtained through a process involving the pyrolysis of suitable precursors; in one aspect of the invention, the preparation process requires certain further steps. In one preferred aspect, the steps comprise one or more of the following: chemical treatments; electrochemical treatments; further pyrolysis processes.

The present invention provides a method of producing ternary metal-based nanowire networks. The method comprises combining an aqueous mixture of a platinum hydrate, a ruthenium hydrate, and an iron hydrate with a solution of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide in chloroform to form an inverse micellar network; adding a reducing agent to reduce metal ions within the inverse micellar network; and isolating the nanowires. The relative amounts of the platinum, ruthenium and iron in the mixture correlate to the atomic ratio of the platinum, ruthenium and iron in the ternary nanowires. The diameters of the ternary nanowires are from about 0.5 nm to about 5 nm.

A method is disclosed of forming magnetically tunable photonic crystals comprising: synthesizing one or more precursory nanoparticles with anisotropic shapes; coating the one or more anisotropic precursory nanoparticles with silica to form composite structures; converting the one or more anisotropic precursory nanoparticles into magnetic nanomaterials through chemical reactions; and assembling the anisotropic magnetic nanoparticles into photonic crystals in a solvent.

Disclosed herein are a light-emitting diode (LED) package structure and a method producing the same. The LED package structure includes a substrate; and a light-emitting unit disposed on the substrate. The light-emitting unit comprises a gallium nitride-based semiconductor, and a polymeric layer encapsulating the gallium nitride-based semiconductor. Also disclosed herein is a method of producing the LED package structure. The method comprises: providing a substrate; electrically connecting a gallium nitride-based semiconductor onto the substrate; overlaying the gallium nitride-based semiconductor with a slurry comprising a resin and a plurality of composite fluorescent gold nanocluster; and curing the slurry overlaid on the gallium nitride-based semiconductor to form a solidified polymeric layer.

The present invention relates to metal coatings and methods thereof. In certain embodiments, the invention relates to ultra-low wear noble metal alloys, such as for use in electrical contact coatings.

A method for synthesizing nanostructures includes introducing a solution of seed crystals into an initial growth solution to form a nanostructure synthesis mixture. The initial growth solution includes a precursor material and a reducing agent in a surfactant solution. Growth of nanostructures in the nanostructure synthesis mixture is monitored during a period of anisotropic growth of the nanostructures to determine a shift from stage II growth of the nanostructures to stage III growth of the nanostructures. The shift from stage II growth to stage III growth is identified, and after identifying the shift, a second growth solution is added to the nanostructure synthesis mixture coincident in time with the shift. The second growth solution includes the precursor material and the reducing agent in the surfactant solution.

Disclosed herein are composite fluorescent gold nanoclusters with high quantum yield, as well as methods for manufacturing the same. According to some embodiments, the composite fluorescent gold nanocluster includes a gold nanocluster and a capping layer that encapsulates at least a portion of the outer surface of the gold nanocluster. The capping layer includes a matrix made of a benzene-based compound, and multiple phosphine-based compounds distributed across the matrix.

Disclosed herein are a light-emitting diode (LED) package structure and a method producing the same. The LED package structure includes a substrate; and a light-emitting unit disposed on the substrate. The light-emitting unit comprises a gallium nitride-based semiconductor, and a polymeric layer encapsulating the gallium nitride-based semiconductor. Also disclosed herein is a method of producing the LED package structure. The method comprises: providing a substrate; electrically connecting a gallium nitride-based semiconductor onto the substrate; overlaying the gallium nitride-based semiconductor with a slurry comprising a resin and a plurality of composite fluorescent gold nanocluster; and curing the slurry overlaid on the gallium nitride-based semiconductor to form a solidified polymeric layer.

This application features a method of forming a nanoporous layer. The method includes steps of reducing metal ions in a reverse micelle phase composition to form nanoparticles, removing surfactant from the composition to form clusters of the nanoparticles, dispensing the composition including the nanoparticle clusters dispersed in a liquid on a substrate, and drying to form the nanoporous layer. The nanoporous layer includes nanoparticles deposited to form a three dimensional network of irregularly shaped bodies. The nanoporous layer also includes a three dimensional network of intercluster spaces that are not occupied by the three dimensional network of irregularly shaped bodies.

This application features a method of forming a nanoporous layer. The method includes steps of reducing metal ions in a reverse micelle phase composition to form nanoparticles, removing surfactant from the composition to form clusters of the nanoparticles, dispensing the composition including the nanoparticle clusters dispersed in a liquid on a substrate, and drying to form the nanoporous layer. The nanoporous layer includes nanoparticles deposited to form a three dimensional network of irregularly shaped bodies. The nanoporous layer also includes a three dimensional network of intercluster spaces that are not occupied by the three dimensional network of irregularly shaped bodies.