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Biologically Encapsulating Gold Nanoclusters: Exploring the Bioinspiration Strategy for Preparing Advanced Electrode
Jinling Li1, Hongjun Liu1, Fen Ran1
1State Key Laboratory of Advanced Processing and Recycling of Non-ferrous Metals, Department of Polymeric Materials Engineering, School of Material Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University of Technology, Lanzhou 730050, China.
Wheat plants can absorb and accumulate gold nanoclusters and nanoplastics, converting them into carbon materials for energy storage. This innovative method enhances material properties and offers environmental remediation potential.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Materials Science
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Engineered nanoparticles and nanoplastics are emerging environmental pollutants.
- Plants can absorb and accumulate these pollutants, presenting an avenue for remediation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the use of wheat plants for absorbing and accumulating gold nanoclusters and nanopolystyrene.
- To process the plant biomass into carbon compounds for energy storage applications.
Main Methods:
- Live wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was used to uptake gold nanoclusters and nanopolystyrene.
- Harvested biomass was carbonized to create porous carbon materials.
- Gold nanoclusters were encapsulated, and nanopolystyrene facilitated pore creation.
Main Results:
- Carbon compounds exhibited a hierarchical porous structure with a large specific surface area (1907.08 m²·g⁻¹).
- Gold nanoclusters enhanced ionic transport and reduced resistance in the carbon material.
- Fabricated electrodes showed a specific capacitance of 461.5 F·g⁻¹ in 6 M KOH.
Conclusions:
- This method offers a novel approach for environmental restoration and energy storage integration.
- The developed carbon materials show significant potential for advanced energy storage applications.
- The study addresses limitations of other nanocluster confinement methods.
