Since the discovery of the icosahedral phase by Daniel Shechtman, who won the Nobel Prize in 2011, there has been increasing interest in the development and application of quasicrystals. Quasicrystals, possessing long-range order without periodicity, exhibit unique properties including light absorption, reduced adhesion and friction, thermal insulation, and reinforcement of composites. Despite this, commercialization of quasicrystals has been limited, and the search for their useful applications continues.
Dealumination is an effective method to create three-dimensional porous nanostructures by selectively leaching an alloy component. Cai and Yoshimura first used this method to prepare catalysts for methanol steam reforming. Al-leached aluminum-containing Q-metals have been used as catalysts, but they are limited to nanoporous metals, and the by-products are ignored. In addition to nanoporous metals, metal oxides have been found, but their application in energy storage and sensors has been little studied.
Transition metal oxides are used in lithium-ion batteries due to their high theoretical capacity. Fe3O4 and CuO are promising, but their use is limited by capacity degradation and low stability. Mixed oxides, porous nanostructures, and conductive networks are being developed to address these issues. Dealumination is a promising method for producing composites with morphology control under mild conditions that ensure lithium ion diffusion and structural stability.
In recent years, there has been growing interest in nanoporous materials due to their unique properties and wide range of applications, including electrochemistry. In particular, iron-copper oxide-based composites show promising performance as electrodes for lithium-ion batteries and electrocatalysts.
This paper presents a method for synthesizing nanoporous Fe3O4/CuO/Cu composites by dealumination of a quasicrystalline Al-Cu-Fe alloy. This approach allows obtaining materials with a developed surface and controlled morphology, which has a positive effect on their electrochemical characteristics.
The resulting composites were examined using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and other methods. The results showed that dealumination leads to the formation of a nanoporous structure consisting of Fe3O4 and CuO particles dispersed in a copper matrix. Electrochemical tests demonstrated the high efficiency of the resulting composites as electrode materials, which is due to their developed surface and good electrical conductivity.
Author: Huan Liu, Xinlu Wang, Jinxian Wang, Hang Xu, Wensheng Yu, Xiangting Dong, Hongbo Zhang, Limin Wang
Institute: Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry and Nanotechnology of Jilin Provincial Universities, Department of Chemistry and Environment, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun, Jilin 130022, China, State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resources Utilization, Institute of Applied Chemistry, Changchun University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130022, China