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The carbon-based metal-free catalyst was prepared by the hydrothermal method. The boron functionalized carbon dots modified g-C3N4 (BCDs/g-C3N4) photoelectrode showed excellent photoelectrocatalysis performance. Due to boron doping, the agglomeration of the complex is effectively inhibited, the specific surface area is increased and the number of active sites is increased. In addition, the boron atoms in BCDs interact closely with the nitrogen atoms of g-C3N4, which accelerates the electron transfer rate between the carbon dots and g-C3N4. Compared with g-C3N4, the photocurrent intensity of BCDs/g-C3N4 increases by 2.26 times. Finally, the photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) degradation efficiency of phenol by BCDs/g-C3N4 reached about 100% within 180 min. The BCDs/g-C3N4 photoelectrode has good acid and alkali corrosion resistance, universal applicability and cyclic stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interpenetrating lattices consist of two or more interwoven but physically separate sub-lattices with unique behaviors derived from their multi-body construction. If the sublattices are constructed or coated with an electrically conducting material, the close proximity and high surface area of the electrically isolated conductors allow the two lattices to interact electromagnetically either across the initial dielectric filled gap or through physical contact. Changes in the size of the dielectric gap between the sub-lattices induced by deformation can be measured via capacitance or resistance, allowing a structurally competent lattice to operate as a force or deformation sensor. In addition to resistive and capacitive deformation sensing, this work explores capacitance as a fundamental metamaterial property and the environmental sensing behaviors of interpenetrating lattices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the impacts of zinc oxide (ZnO) loading on the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) performance of the cerium oxide-molybdenum oxide (CeOx–MoO3) catalyst were systematically investigated. With the introduction of ZnO, the catalyst's nitrogen oxides (NOx) reduction activity presented a downward trend. At 300 °C, the NOx conversion efficiency of the sample with 4 wt% ZnO loaded dropped below 70%, ~ 22% lower than that of the fresh sample. This decrease was attributed to the neutralization of the catalysts' acid sites by the added ZnO, which inhibited the adsorption of ammonia as the reductant. Furthermore, the introduction of ZnO resulted in a decrease in the relative content of Ce3+, which interfered with the formation of oxygen vacancies and the activation of oxygen. This weakened oxidative ability slowed down the activation of the reactants. Even though the specific surface area of the CeOx–MoO3 catalyst was enhanced due to ZnO, this promotional effect was insufficient to completely overcome the aforementioned negative impacts. Consequently, the efficiency of the NOx elimination process over the ZnO-loaded catalysts was adversely affected. Despite the addition of ZnO, the Eley–Rideal reaction pathway continued to dominate in the deNOx process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the impacts of zinc oxide (ZnO) loading on the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) performance of the cerium oxide-molybdenum oxide (CeOx–MoO3) catalyst were systematically investigated. With the introduction of ZnO, the catalyst's nitrogen oxides (NOx) reduction activity presented a downward trend. At 300 °C, the NOx conversion efficiency of the sample with 4 wt% ZnO loaded dropped below 70%, ~ 22% lower than that of the fresh sample. This decrease was attributed to the neutralization of the catalysts' acid sites by the added ZnO, which inhibited the adsorption of ammonia as the reductant. Furthermore, the introduction of ZnO resulted in a decrease in the relative content of Ce3+, which interfered with the formation of oxygen vacancies and the activation of oxygen. This weakened oxidative ability slowed down the activation of the reactants. Even though the specific surface area of the CeOx–MoO3 catalyst was enhanced due to ZnO, this promotional effect was insufficient to completely overcome the aforementioned negative impacts. Consequently, the efficiency of the NOx elimination process over the ZnO-loaded catalysts was adversely affected. Despite the addition of ZnO, the Eley–Rideal reaction pathway continued to dominate in the deNOx process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a novel approach for synthesizing XMoO4 (X: Ni, Zn) using metal–organic frameworks as templates. Our findings reveal orthorhombic structure of MoO3 converted to triclinic and monoclinic crystalline phases for ZnMoO4 and NiMoO4, respectively. XMoO4 nanorods have higher band gap than MoO3, with an optical band gap range of 3.20–3.80 eV. The specific surface area was estimated to be 27.6, 44.7 and 63.6 m2 g−1 for MoO3, ZnMoO4, and NiMoO4, respectively. Electrochemical results demonstrated that Ni2+ and Zn2+ incorporation improved the supercapacitive performance of MoO3 and MOF-derived NiMoO4 nanorods disclosed superior specific capacitance of 2302.5 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 with cycling stability of 93% after 5000 cycles. A maximum energy density of 66.4 Wh kg−1 at 749.3 W kg−1 was achieved for NiMoO4//AC ASC. The research established that NiMoO4 nanorods have considerable potential for supercapacitor devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of self-supporting electrodes, which are binder-, and additives-free, is essential for increased performance and practical applications of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). With this aim, we report here the synthesis of carbon nanofiber (CNF) composites containing silica (SiO2) nanoparticles via Supersonic Solution Blowing (SSB) as self-supporting electrodes of LIBs. Nanofibers with average diameter in the 86–271 nm range, and specific surface area (SSA) in the 619–1981 m2/g were obtained. SiO2 content altered not only the diameter and the SSA, but also the pore-size distribution. A tri-modal pore-size distribution pattern was obtained for all specimens. Used as a self-supporting anode material for LIBs, carbon nanofiber-based composite electrodes achieved high reversible capacity, high-rate capacity, and superior cyclic stability (305–444 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 after 200 cycles), at the Coulombic efficiencies of 97−99%. Lastly, enhanced capacity can be attributed to the addition of SiO2 nanoparticles up to 2.5%. However, for higher silica content, the loss in performance can be attributed to an increase in the mean nanofiber diameter and a drastic reduction in SSA and porosity caused by the presence of nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycrystalline nano-sized multiferroic bismuth ferrite was prepared by facile sole-gel method using acetic acid as a chelating agent followed by calcination at 450, 500, and 600 °C. Transmission electron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the crystallinity in the samples, and the crystallite size increased with calcination temperature. The calcination temperature also greatly influenced the grain size of the materials, and high calcination temperature induces a decline in the total surface area per unit mass of material. The ferroelectric polarization measurement showed a decrease in remnant polarization from 0.18 to 0.09 μC/cm2 with an increase in temperature. The remnant polarization induced delayed recombination of charge carriers upon light illumination, and the high surface area led to the highest photocatalytic activity in 450 °C calcined samples. The higher photocurrent density in low-temperature calcined samples supports the visible-light photodegradation studies of Congo Red (CR) dye. A maximum of 76.6% photocatalytic activity was observed in the 450 ℃ calcined bismuth ferrite samples. In summary, the higher photocatalytic efficiency in the low-temperature samples is attributable to the synergistic effect of relatively higher remnant polarization and higher surface area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the challenge of enhancing lubrication performance by exploring the potential of a protic ionic liquid (IL), [Oley][Oleic], in conjunction with carbon nanotube (CNT) mixtures. The primary objective is to determine the optimal CNT concentration that achieves effective lubrication for the IL-based lubricant. Through experimental investigation, notable reductions of 19.8 % in friction and 67.2% in wear are demonstrated when [Oley][Oleic] is blended with the optimum CNT concentration at 0.10 wt%. This study employs a friction-derived adsorption model to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of friction. The results indicate that the addition of CNTs leads to a larger adsorption surface coverage area of the lubricant molecules, resulting in decreased friction and wear. Synergistic attractive cooperative interactions among the IL molecules in the presence of CNTs are identified as a key factor in enhancing adsorption efficiency. These findings provide insights into the interaction between [Oley][Oleic] and CNTs when sheared, offering a predictive framework for understanding friction and wear behaviour specific to IL-based lubricants. By presenting a solution for reducing friction and wear, this study contributes to the development of energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly lubrication practices, opening avenues for further advancements in the field of lubrication and promoting sustainable tribological solutions for diverse applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrospun carbon fibers were chemically activated using KOH with various KOH/carbon weight ratios and activation times. The activated carbon fibers were assembled with H3PO4/poly(vinyl alcohol) electrolyte to form flexible solid-state supercapacitors. An increase in the KOH/carbon weight ratio or activation time facilitated the development of porous structures. Moreover, KOH activation caused increases in the quantities of oxygen- and nitrogen-containing functional groups on the fiber surface. This behavior increased the affinity of the electrode and electrolyte, which enabled close contact between the electrode and the electrolyte and resulted in a low charge-transfer resistance. However, activation with a high KOH/carbon ratio destroyed the internal structure of fibers, which caused a decrease in the specific surface area and pore volume. Electrochemical examinations revealed that the effect of porosity parameters (specific surface area and pore volume) was stronger than that of the surface functionalities on the specific capacitance of the activated carbon fibers. In particular, mesopore volume mainly determined the ion adsorption behavior. The capacitor composed of the electrospun carbon fibers and gel polymer electrolyte retained its integrity and electrochemical performance after repeated bending. Furthermore, the capacitor was nonflammable and thus, is a promising candidate for application as a flexible supercapacitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fabrication and functionalization of three-dimensional (3D) MXene are vital for diverse high-performance applications. Herein, the construction of 3D porous MXene architecture and its functionalization with graphene are synchronously implemented by breath figure method. 3D porous rGO/MXene with multi-scale pores is prepared by simply casting the mixture of GO/surfactant and MXene/surfactant solution under humid environment and the subsequent reduction process. The aggregation inhibition of GO and MXene nanosheets at multi-scale caused by surfactant intercalation and the formation of 3D porous structure, as well as the increase in surface area induced by the introduction of GO, enlarged lamellar spacing and multi-scale porous structure endow porous rGO/MXene with excellent electrochemical performance. The synergy of rGO and MXene leads to further improvement in electrochemical property and its stability. Low detection limit, good anti-interference, repeatability, reproducibility, long-range stability and accuracy of actual sample testing are exhibited when porous rGO/MXene is used for electrochemical detection of DA. Furthermore, the electrochemical performance could be controlled via tuning the porous structure and ratio of GO and MXene. This study not only demonstrates the superiority of porous rGO/MXene toward electrochemical sensing, but also proposes a simple and universal method for controllable construction and functionalization of 3D MXene architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SnO2 anode material is considered to be a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries owing to its high theoretical capacity. However, the application of SnO2 has been dramatically restricted because of pulverization led by the volume expansion during the charge/discharge process. To overcome these drawbacks, herein, SnO2 coated carbon nano tubes (CNT@SnO2) decorated graphene anode as free-standing and flexible was prepared and investigated for Li-ion anode application. The fine dispersion of SnO2 nanocrystals onto CNT surfaces and decoration of this structure between graphene layers not only suppresses the volume expansion but also effectively avoids aggregation of the SnO2, increases the specific surface area and active sites, and improves the electrical conductivity. The free-standing and flexible composite anode exhibit excellent reversible capacity, high Coulombic efficiency, and good capacity retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional porous carbon nanosheets with large surface areas and high heteroatom contents are very appealing for applications in electrochemical energy storage. Herein, we offer a boulevard to prepare nitrogen- and oxygen-codoped carbon nanosheets (NOCNs) with high N, and O contents from a linear Schiff-base polymer (L-SBP), which was synthesized based on a convenient condensation reaction. Subsequently, NOCNs-T was achieved by pyrolysis of L-SBP at different temperatures (T). The derived NOCNs-800 offered a high specific surface area (SSA) of 478.7 m2 g−1 with a pore volume of 0.507 cm3 g−1. When employed as electrode materials for Li-ion batteries (LIBs), the Li-ion storage performance of NOCNs-T was notably improved after the pyrolysis of L-SBP under Ar atmosphere. Compared with NOCNs-700, and NOCNs-900, the as-prepared NOCNs-800 demonstrated a high reversible capacity with outstanding rate performance and cyclic durability. The discharge-specific capacity was maintained at about 380.4 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1 after 200 cycles. The excellent energy storage performance can be ascribed to the large SSA, high heteroatom contents, and suitable pores, offering abundant active sites and wettability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reasonable design of electrode materials with excellent capacitance performance is essential for the construction of high-energy–density supercapacitors. In this work, we synthesized three SmMn2O5 nanocrystals with different morphologies through a simple one-step hydrothermal method, which are SmMn2O5-NSs, SmMn2O5-NRs, and SmMn2O5-NPs. Compared with SmMn2O5-NPs and SmMn2O5-NRs, SmMn2O5-NSs exhibit excellent electrochemical performance of capacitors. At a scanning speed of 1 mV s−1, the specific capacity of the SmMn2O5-NSs reaches 334.25 F g−1, which is much higher than the 52 F g−1 and 42.84 F g−1 of SmMn2O5-NRs and SmMn2O5-NPs, respectively. Meanwhile, SmMn2O5-NSs have a higher specific surface area and more octahedral Mn4+. The specific surface area increases the exchange rate of ions and protons between the material and the electrolyte, and more Mn4+ can provide more Mn–O bonds during the reaction. These results indicate that controlling the morphology of SmMn2O5 nanocrystals by changing hydrothermal reaction conditions is an effective way to construct high-performance supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has attracted an enormous interest as a promising candidate for gas detection due to its large specific surface area, abundant oxygen-containing functional groups and scalable production. Although intense works have been conducted on rGO-based gas sensors, there is still much room for improvement on both their response speed and thorough exploration. In this work, thermal reduced graphene oxide (TRGO) is fabricated by spinning dilute graphene oxide (GO) suspension combined with subsequent in situ thermal reduction. TRGO sheets with size of more than 10 μm are uniformly dispersed and smoothly coated on Au interdigitated electrodes. The ammonia sensing performance indicates that 250 °C-TRGO exhibits the shortest response time of 11 s to 100-ppm ammonia. Besides, 130 °C-TRGO shows strong response to low concentration ammonia with the calculated limit of detection (LOD) of 0.9 ppm. After being exposed to air for 3 months, it still maintains 74.23% of its initial responsivity demonstrating the excellent long-term stability. Moreover, the systematic investigation on the effect of annealing temperature to the sensing performance of TRGO elaborates that with the increase in thermal reduction temperature, the responsivity monotonically decreases while the response time will decrease initially and then gradually increase after the turning point of 250 °C. These results shed a light on developing TRGO-based ammonia sensors (TBASs) for future practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two dimensional (2D) CuTCPP/B–TiO2 composites were successfully synthesized by addition of B–TiO2NPs into the system for preparation of 2D CuTCPP nanosheets under hydrothermal condition. 2D CuTCPP nanosheets with large specific surface area can not only act as supportor to decrease the aggregation of B–TiO2 and improve the adsorption capacity of methylene blue (MB) but also provide more transfer pathway to effectively facilitate interfacial charge transfer and separation of photogenerated electrons and holes, thus leading to a superior efficiency for photodegradation of MB. The photocatalytic degradation rate constant of 2D CuTCPP/B–TiO2 composites is 0.0486 min−1, which is about 15.2, 5.92 and 4.23 times that of P25 (k = 0.0032 min−1), 2D CuTCPP nanosheets ((k = 0.0082 min−1) and B–TiO2NPs (k = 0.0115 min−1). This study demonstrates that the combination of B–TiO2NPs and 2D CuTCPP is a viable strategy to improve the photocatalytic efficiency for degradation of MB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The loading of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Ionic Liquid (API-IL)—diphenhydraminium ibuprofenate ([DIP][IBU])—on mesoporous silica (SBA-15 and MCM-41) was evaluated from intermolecular interactions point-of-view, which advance from a discussion focused on surface area and pore volume of silica matrices. The rate of [DIP][IBU] release was also evaluated in two different mediums (PBS pH 7.2 with 1% Tween 80®, and in SGF pH 1.2). The solid-state 1H, 13C, and 29Si MAS NMR and thermal analysis showed that [DIP][IBU] effectively interacts with the silica and that this interaction is stronger with SBA-15 than with MCM-41. Meanwhile, the fastest release occurred from SBA-15, which was probably due to its larger pore size than the MCM-41. These results led us to conclude that the intermolecular interaction between [DIP][IBU] and the silicas influences the loading stability, but the release is controlled by the geometrical properties of the silicas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, more attention to unique and complex structures, such as nature-inspired and porous structures for medical applications, has been strongly developed. Open-cell porous metal-based ones display more benefits than rigid ones since they facilitate the transformation of load between the bone and the implants and avoid the phenomenon of stress shielding and bone resorption. By being biodegradable and non-toxic, as well as having lower density and mechanical properties close to those of natural bone, Mg and its alloys are considered promising materials for porous scaffolds. However, a high corrosion rate is the main drawback of Mg alloys. The porosity of porous structures can also worsen it as it enhances the surface area exposed to the corrosive solution and negatively impacts the performance of porous structures, that these issues have not been addressed in detail so far. Since fabrication methods of Mg-based scaffolds can significantly affect the porosity-related properties (e.g., porosity percentage, type, size, and geometry) and, consequently, scaffolds' mechanical behavior and corrosion resistance, this paper reviews and compares the fabrication methods of porous structures and how they affect the resultant properties. However, among different methods, due to the expansion of additive manufacturing as a novel and exciting manufacturing technique, the paper's central focus is on using additive manufacturing in biomedical applications, discussing its advantages over other techniques. The effect of geometrical parameters on mechanical properties and corrosion rate, which strongly affects bio-application, are also given. Moreover, different strategies are briefly introduced for tailoring the high corrosion rate of Mg and its alloys, such as alloying elements and coatings. However, there is still less information regarding the additive manufacturing of porous Mg scaffolds and the optimum way of controlling the corrosion rate of Mg-based parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, functionalized MOF (Azo@MOF-199) is prepared by introducing azo molecules into the pores of MOF-199 by vacuum assisted method, and the effects of the molecular structure of MOF material and its affinity with the modified material on the SO2 permeability and SO2/N2 selectivity of the prepared mixed matrix membrane are explored. The MOF-199 with higher porosity and specific surface area introduced in Pebax matrix has constructed rich SO2 transport channel, the –NH2 as SO2-facilitated groups and open metal sites in functionalized MOF increase the affinity to SO2. The SO2 adsorption capacity of Azo@MOF-199 reached 580 mg/g at 0 °C/Vis. The SO2 permeability and SO2/N2 selectivity of the prepared mixed matrix membrane are significantly improved, which are 3204.2 Barrer and 930, respectively. The prepared membrane has a long-term stability of more than 120 h. In particular, under different light conditions (UV and Vis), Pebax/Azo@MOF-199 membrane is used to investigate the SO2 separation process with light response, and the change of membrane properties caused by the change of light conditions is reversible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesoporous SnO2, Sn0.861Al0.186O2, Sn0.921In0.106O2 and Sn0.959La0.055O2 nanospheres were successfully synthesized by a one-step solvothermal method. The compositions, crystal structures, microstructures, morphology and gas-sensing performance of the as-synthesized Al-, In- and La-doped SnO2 nanospheres were characterized by XRD, EDS, TEM, SEM, FT-IR, UV–vis and BET. All samples present the similar mesoporous-structural nanospheres due to the same chemical synthesis conditions. The gas-sensing results indicate that the cations-doping greatly affects the formaldehyde gas-sensing performance, and the response increases with the increasing radius of Al, In and La. Owing to the higher specific surface area and larger La3+ radius, Sn0.959La0.055O2 sensor presents the best gas-sensing performance with the response value of 149.59 to formaldehyde gas at 200 °C. It is concluded that metal-cation doping not only causes lattice distortion to increase oxygen vacancies, but also could refine the crystalline grain to improve the specific surface area of metal-cations doped SnO2 nanospheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activated carbon fiber (ACF) with a high specific surface area has a good application prospect in atmospheric humidity control because it can adsorb H2O gas through both physical and chemical mechanisms. Based on a commercial ACF, the preparation of activated carbon fiber with a high specific surface area was carried out via a vacuum activation method. And the effects of adsorption temperature, relative humidity, and multi-components of air on water vapor adsorption of ACFs were studied. The results showed that the pore structure of ACF was improved. The maximum value of the specific surface area for ACF was 2967 m2/g, when the activation temperature and time were 1000 °C and 5 h, respectively, which was 71.03% higher than that of the commercial ACF (1733 m2/g). The water vapor adsorption capacity of ACF activated at 1050 °C for 2 h was a maximum of 1.36 g/g at 25 °C, which was 112.50% higher than that of the commercial ACF (0.64 g/g). On the other hand, the ideal selectivity of ACF toward H2O/N2 and H2O/O2 reached more than 4000. Furthermore, the isosteric enthalpy of adsorption on ACF was about 40 kJ/mol, indicating that the adsorption belonged to physical adsorption. It naturally follows that activated carbon fiber by high-temperature vacuum activation will be one of the alternatives for air humidity control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice straw is made up of hemicelluloses (19–27%), celluloses (32–47%), lignin (5–24%), and ash (13–20%), which are all agricultural waste. Rice straw ash is considered a green/eco-friendly source of silicon dioxide (SiO2). This study focuses on the synthesis and characterization of different mesoporous SiO2 nanostructures derived from rice straw waste material through controlling the pH of the extraction process for the first time. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), zeta potential, and surface area analyzer were used to examine the produced materials. Amorphous silica nanostructures, S3 and S7, were produced at pH values of 3 and 7, respectively, according to XRD measurement, whereas higher pH causes the production of crystalline silica (S9). The pH of the extraction has a major effect on the morphology of the resultant nanosilica, as S3 has an irregular shape, S7 is made of distorted spherical particles, and S9 is composed of mixed fiber and spherical particle structures. For pollutant removal, greenly produced SiO2 nanostructures were used. The optimal mesoporous nanosilica (S9) demonstrated the highest surface roughness, the largest surface area (262.1 m2/g), the most negative zeta potential (− 20.2 mV), and the best dye adsorption capacity (71.4 mg/g). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, Ti3C2 was completely oxidized at a high temperature (350 °C, 400 °C and 450 °C) to form a composite catalysts: TiO2 nanoparticles with fragmentary carbon supporting, using the ZnCl2 molten salt method. The generated disordered carbon forms an inseparable connection with TiO2 nanoparticles grown in situ on the surface, which reduces the recombination of photocarriers and increases the specific surface area. ZnCl2 plays an important role in delaying the oxidation rate, thus inhibiting the abnormal growth of TiO2 grain and retaining more carbon, which led to a suitable composition of the catalyst, so as to obtain a better hydrogen production performance. ZnCl2 existence might also prevent the collapse of the accordion structure during the calcination process. The hydrogen production activity of C–TiO2 photocatalyst prepared by molten salt method with 3 wt% Pt as cocatalyst is up to 2.3 mmol/g/h, about 5.4 times and 2 times of that of calcination without molten salt and pure P25, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the problems of instability, easy hydrolysis and low dyeing efficiency of curcumin during storage and dyeing, the zeolite imidazolate framework material ZIF-8 was used as a carrier to coat curcumin by physical method to prepare stable pigment. The ZIF-8 material and pigment were characterized by using instrumental analysis. The results showed that the synthesized ZIF-8 material had a very good structure and a large specific surface area, and the pigment stability was significantly improved. The coating experiment showed that when the amount of ZIF-8 was 200 mg, the time was 10 h, and the concentration of curcumin solution was 1.0 g/L, the maximum coating ratio was 91%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the dispersion and gelling mechanisms of Al2O3 and Si3N4 suspensions fabricated via gelcasting. These systems were prepared by introducing bivalent ions into a gelcasting system known as ISOBAM, a water-soluble copolymer of isobutylene and maleic anhydride. The addition of metal ions negatively affects viscosity, while the influence of bivalent ions on the storage modulus is closely related to the microscopic configuration of ISOBAM. This configuration is altered due to the competition between particles and metal ions in the suspension to adsorb ISOBAM. An increase in the ionic potential of metal ions accelerates the gelling rate of Al2O3 suspensions and increases the surface area of ISOBAM self-assembly around the particles, thereby extending the microscopic conformation. In Si3N4 suspensions, the surface area of ISOBAM around the particles initially decreases and then increases, primarily due to pH changes resulting from the hydrolysis of metal ions and Si3N4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure and morphology of composite photocatalysis have a wide influence on the overall photocatalytic reaction process. Herein, a sea urchin-like CdS/g-C3N4 heterojunction as Z-scheme system was proposed, which ameliorates the transfer of photo-generated charges and thereby improves the photocatalytic activity. By hydrothermal reaction, g-C3N4 grows into needle-like nanotentacles and attached to CdS nanospheres. The tentacle-like structures are staggered in different directions. There are gully barriers between different tentacles, but they are overlapped with each other, which is conducive to charge conduction. The specific surface area of g-C3N4 rearranged on the CdS spherical structure (27.69 m2/g) is 1.7 times larger than the original, which provides more reactive sites. The degradation efficiency of rhodamine B reached 96.7% in 90 min. Moreover, CdS/g-C3N4 heterojunction has excellent stability and cycling performance, and the performance does not decrease significantly after 4 cycles. The active species of the material are e−, h+ and ·O2−. This study provides ideas for the design of photocatalysts and the optimization of photocatalytic performance in the field of renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass materials are advantageous as carbon resources for various applications including electromagnetic (EM) conversion due to their abundance and renewability. To select the most appropriate biomass, various factors should be considered while there is a lack of comparisons in-between. Here, six types of biomass precursors have been investigated with features including carbon disorder, conductivity, composition complexity, functional group and specific surface area compared. It has been found that enriched composition complexity, functional groups and carbon disorder are critical to enhance the polarization and loss capability, which has no effect on impedance matching, giving rise to optimum reflection loss of − 38.9 dB and a wide effective bandwidth of 5.3 GHz at the thickness of 2.8 mm. As such the work not only shed light on high-performance biomass-derived EM wave absorbers, but also provides important references for the selection of biomass materials for various fields such as sensing, energy and catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesoporous AlPO4 materials have attracted much attention in catalysis due to their high thermal and chemical stability. Of particular interest for catalysis is the pure stoichiometry high surface area (> 500 m2/g) mesoporous AlPO4 (mAlPO4) glass prepared via a template-free aqueous sol–gel synthetic route. Toward the application of this material for catalysis, we have developed methods for loading it with nanoparticles (NPs) of catalytic metals—Pd and Rh—and carried out a detailed characterization study of the resulting doped materials by a wide array of analytical methods, including synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy, inelastic neutron scattering and more. The applicability of this material for catalysis, both by itself and as a support for catalytic NPs, was then evaluated. The pure mAlPO4 exhibited excellent acid-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition of nitriles and sodium azide. mAlPO4 loaded with the Pd NPs catalyzed very efficiently deoxygenation reactions of benzyl alcohols. mAlPO4 loaded with Rh NPs catalyzed with high selectivity, the hydrogenation of phenols and cresols and full conversion the hydrogenation of the industrially very high-volume toluene to methylcyclohexane. The materials-science aspects of these successful catalysts were studied in detail, leading, for instance, to the understanding of the important role of the interfacial Rh/Pd–O-P bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was observed for the first time that the specific surface area of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) increased from 32 m2g−1 to 142 and 171 m2g−1 for Pt and Ru, respectively, due to the etching of g-C3N4 by Pt and Ru nanoparticles. Metal nanoparticles catalyze hydrogenation of C – N bonds and "move" through the structure of g-C3N4 etching tunnels in it and creating "spongy graphitic carbon nitride" (sgCN). The reactions take place on the surface of metal NPs, which are covered with oxidized forms of Pt and Ru capable of strong interactions with nitrogen, which was confirmed by XPS studies. The activation energy of hydrogenation of g-C3N4 is 112 and 151 kJmol−1 for Ru and Pt nanoparticles, respectively. The process of etching of g-C3N4 was observed by mass spectrometry and temperature programmed reduction coupled with on-line infrared spectroscopy. On the basis of thermodynamic considerations and quantum mechanical calculations of bonds strengths, a probable mechanism of g-C3N4 hydrogenation was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a facile "in situ etching" approach is proposed to prepare porous Ti3C2Tx (P-Ti3C2Tx) anode for durable sodium-ion battery (SIB). The P-Ti3C2Tx which inherits the accordion-like structure of Ti3C2Tx possesses massive mesopores on the layered plane. Remarkably, abundant oxygen vacancies are introduced in P-Ti3C2Tx as well. Benefiting from the novel 3D architecture, the P-Ti3C2Tx demonstrates the improved specific surface area, improved active sites and electrochemical performance. As anode for SIB, the P-Ti3C2Tx and Ti3C2Tx electrode delivers 140 mAh g−1 and 99.4 mAh g−1 after 150 cycles at 100 mA g−1, respectively. The charge storage mechanism analysis proves that the capacity of both anodes is dominated by the capacitive-controlled process and the capacitive contribution of P-Ti3C2Tx is higher than that of Ti3C2Tx at any scan rate. Moreover, the Na+ diffusion coefficient of P-Ti3C2Tx varies from 1.42 × 10−10 to 1.19 × 10−8 cm2 s−1, while it changes from 1.16 × 10−10 to 8.78 × 10−9 cm2 s−1 for Ti3C2Tx electrode, highlighting the significance of porous engineering on Ti3C2Tx. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar photo-catalysis is very essential for both harvesting high-density solar energy, and environmental sustainability. A high surface area carbon nitride (HSACN), a photo-catalyst is synthesized by simple re-crystallization and calcination methods. The decrease in the size of urea crystals is ascribed to the use of different solvents and direct calcination that resulted in the formation of carbon nitride. The re-crystallization suggests that the defect-rich carbon nitride created nitrogen vacancies, which accelerated the photocatalytic activity of dyes' degradation. The synthesized materials were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, Field emission scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy for structural and morphology evaluation. The corresponding high surface area carbon nitride demonstrated higher photocatalytic-dye-degradation efficiency under UV light irradiation, and higher adsorption capacity compared to graphitic carbon nitride, which is obtained without re-crystallization protocol. An increase in the surface area of HSACN has been observed due to structural disturbance caused by the growth of tiny urea crystals in carbon nitride. The nitrogen vacancies incorporation improved the absorption of extended visible light. The enhancement in photocatalytic activities are corresponding to the improved charge carrier photoexcitation, separation, and generated abundant reaction sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we examine the photoelectrochemical response of TiO2 layers prepared by reactive DC sputter deposition on conductive glass (FTO). We show that adequate conditioning of the FTO by a very thin (few nm thick) Ti interlayer and optimizing the sputter parameters, compact TiO2 anatase layers can be produced that reach incident photocurrent conversion efficiencies (IPCE) maxima peaking at 75%. This is outperforming many of the best titania photoanode structures (including high surface area 1D and 3D titania structures). The key role of the interlayer is to promote the crystallization of titania in the anatase form during the annealing process (as opposed to rutile in the interlayer-free case). Without this interlayer, an IPCE maxima of ≈43% is obtained for otherwise identically processed electrodes. The present work thus describes a most simple straightforward approach for fabricating compact, high-efficiency TiO2 (anatase) photoanodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scopoletin (SP) as a functional monomer for electropolymerization has recently been investigated in the context of molecularly imprinted polymers for biosensing applications. Herein we describe an in-depth analysis of the mechanisms involved in the electropolymerization of SP toward the optimization of the experimental conditions for applications in sensor studies. PolySP films have been in situ synthesized on a standard glassy carbon electrodes by varying three independent experimental parameters, and the output of the analysis has been evaluated in terms of the resulting electroactive area and surface coverage. A quality-by-design approach including design-of-experiments principles and response surface methodology produced unbiased observations on the most relevant parameters to be controlled during the electropolymerization of SP. By combining the output of electroactive area and surface overage, we highlighted a strong dependence on the monomer concentration and scan rate. Thus, an appropriate selection of these two parameters should be sought to have an optimal electropolymerization process, leading to uniform films and homogeneous surface behavior. This study shows that the application of multi-factorial analysis in a comprehensive design of experiments allows the systematic study of polymer electrosynthesis. Therefore, this research is expected to guide further efforts in the electropolymerization of several functional monomers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal–organic frameworks with high porosity, large surface area and adjustable pore sizes have received great attentions in the field of lithium-ion batteries; however, its low intrinsic electrical conductivity seriously restricts its practical application. In this work, the Al particles are directly used as a feedstock to in situ synthesize Al@MIL-53 core–shell anode by using a facile hydrothermal method. Compared to the Al particles and the con-MIL-53 anode, the vitalized Al@MIL-53 anode presents a high capacity of 135 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at current density of 100 mA g–1 and also an excellent capacity retention under a high current density of 500 mA g−1. These results indicate that the uniformly distributed size of the MIL-53 on shell and the internal conductive network of the Al core can effectively improve structural stability, which is illuminating for the practical application in high-performance lithium-ion batteries. Although the capacity of the Al@MIL-53 composite is not the highest among the existing anode materials, its synthesis process is simpler and cost effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitosan has become an effective candidate as precursor for nitrogen-doped porous carbon with high specific surface area and desirable electrochemical performance. However, the effect of doping concentration and configuration of nitrogen on electrochemical properties is far from understanding. Here, nitrogen-doped porous carbons (NPCs) with enhanced nitrogen concentration and different nitrogen configurations were synthesized via hydrothermal carbonization and ZnCl2 activation process. When the urea/chitosan ratio varied from 0 to 7.5, NPCs with similar porous texture were obtained, which makes it possible to discuss the influence of nitrogen configurations on their electrochemical performances. The specific surface area of NPC7.5 reached 1465.6 m2/g, and the NPCs show hierarchically porous structure composed of micropores and mesopores. With the urea/chitosan ratio increased from 0 to 7.5, the total ratio of pyridonic N and pyridinic N increased (from 67.9 to 79.7%) and the ratio of quaternary N decreased significantly (from 19.8 to 6.0%). Pyridonic N and pyridinic N are more active for the conductivity of porous carbon during electrochemical reaction, which in turn induced the enhancement of electrochemical performances. The specific capacitance of NPC7.5 reached 303.2 F/g at current density of 1 A/g with solution resistance of only 0.49 Ω and charge transfer resistance of only 0.17 Ω. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoporous materials with unique 3D interconnected networks have large specific surface area and high-density activate sites, making them ideal candidates for various catalytic applications. One method of enhancing the catalytic activity is tuning the surface strain, which can be mechanically controlled thereby the macroscopic elasticity becomes important. Here, the micro-kinetic dynamics combined with elastic theory is built to reveal the elasticity-dependent catalytic efficiency for nanoporous materials. High catalytic efficiency can be realized by improving the elasticity of material, relying on the ranges of porosity, ligament size and surface stress. When the porosity (or surface stress) exceeds the critical value, the role of elasticity on catalytic efficiency transforms from promotion to reduction; while this reduction-to-promotion transformation occurs for the ligament size exceeded 10 nm. These results provide fundamental messages for tailoring the catalytic performance of nanoporous materials by controlling the macroscopic elasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-conductivity and volume expansion are the main factors hindering the development of SiO anode materials. To solve these problems, in this work, a bifunctional anode was prepared with sulfur-induced SiO embedded carbon nanofibers (SiO–S–CNFs) by the electrospinning method and followed by annealing. Benefitting from the good conductance of CNFs, SiO–S–CNFs showed fast kinetics during charging and discharging. The introduction of sulfur powder during annealing formed a porous CNFs skeleton, further increasing the specific surface area of CNFs and effectively inhibiting the volume expansion of SiO. The large specific surface area also increased the contact between the electrode and the electrolyte and exposed more reaction sites of SiO. Results show that the reversible capacity of the cell was 376 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 1 A g−1. The SiO–S–CNFs electrode exhibited a high reversible capacity of 598 and 204 mAh g−1 at current densities from 0.1 to 2 A g−1, respectively. This work offers a feasible and simple method to ameliorate the electrochemical stability of silicon-based composite LIBs electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two kinds of core–shell composite particles, i.e., mesoporous-SiO2@Cu (m-SiO2@Cu) and mesoporous-SiO2@TiO2@Cu (m-SiO2@TiO2@Cu) microspheres, were synthesized by coating Cu nanoparticles on the surfaces of m-SiO2 and m-SiO2@TiO2 microspheres. Results show that the m-SiO2 spheres have rougher surfaces and larger specific surface areas than the SiO2 microspheres. Compared with the m-SiO2@Cu microsphere, the m-SiO2@TiO2@Cu microsphere has a hollow structure. Both catalysts showed high catalytic activity to degrade methyl violet and methylene blue dyes. The degradations of two dyes using the m-SiO2@Cu approached 100% after 30 min, while it is slightly less, around 90% for the m-SiO2@TiO2@Cu. The catalytic activity of m-SiO2@Cu lies in Cu nanoparticles, which have large specific surface areas and are insensitive to light. The catalytic activity of m-SiO2@TiO2@Cu not only lies in Cu nanoparticles, but also in TiO2, which is sensitive to light. What's more, Cu and TiO2 work as metal/semiconductor heterojunction, which enhances the electron–hole separation in m-SiO2@TiO2@Cu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-pot hydrothermal synthesis route was employed to produce TiO2/SBA-16 cubic mesoporous nanocomposite. The relative humidity response of the nanocomposite has been investigated. XRD, FTIR, N2 adsorption–desorption, SEM, HRTEM, and EDX spectroscopy techniques have been used to analyze the nanocomposite. The XRD, SEM, and TEM analyzed the structural and morphological property, which confirms the 3D cubic symmetry of SBA-16 and confirms the presence of TiO2. EDX validates the material's elemental composition and illustrates that as the loading amount of TiO2 increases, surface area decreases, which is supported by the N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms. A silver-coated digital electrode was used to measure humidity sensing properties at room temperature via a source-measure Keithley Unit. A unique humidity atmosphere was created in shut instrumentation using saturated binary compound salt solutions of K2SO4, KCl, NaCl, Mg(NO3)2•4H2O, MgCl2•6H2O, and LiCl. The results indicate that TiO2-doped SBA-16 nanocomposite has an inordinate potential as an advanced humidity sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene in photocatalyst composite plays a critical role in carriers transfer and separation, and the design of photocatalysts with graphene is considered as an effective method to improve the photocatalytic performance. In this work, a series of visible light-driven Cu2O/TiO2/rGA photocatalysts were fabricated by hydrothermal and reflux reductive method to degrade the UDMH (unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine) gas. The maximum conversion could achieve 62.6% when the reduction reflux time was 120 min, which is ascribed to the superior synergy of absorption and photocatalysis. The absorption was mainly from the high specific surface area of Cu2O/TiO2/rGA (reduced graphene oxide aerogels) and affinity of copper for UDMH, while the semiconductor and graphene contribute to the photocatalysis. The Z-scheme heterojunction mechanism was proposed to explain the enhancement of UDMH degradation based on the detected O2•− and •OH reactive species and bandgap structure. In addition, the Cu2O/TiO2/rGA photocatalyst showed stable performance in the degradation of UDMH gas through experimental results and characterization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low-temperature catalytic efficiency of the catalyst and poor sulfur resistance are the shortcomings of traditional catalysts, which greatly limit its industrial application. In this paper, Cu-BTC was successfully synthesized, and the influence of different temperature, molar ratio and time on its structure was studied, and then, it was applied to SCR low-temperature denitration. The physicochemical properties of catalyst were characterized by N2 adsorption–desorption, XRD, FTIR, TG, SEM, TPD, TPR and XPS. The results show that the molar ratio of substrate (Cu(NO3)2·3H2O) to ligand (1,3,5-trimellitic acid) was 1:1, synthesis time was 12 h, temperature was 120 °C and the Cu-BTC had the best structure, contained less impurity Cu2O and CuO and had high purity. The catalyst also showed the highest NH3-SCR activity, up to 83.87%. BET showed Cu-BTC had larger specific surface area. The stronger NH3 adsorption ability was found, which could be beneficial for SCR. It still showed high NO removal rate (as high as 78.34%) and good stability under the condition of SO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flower-like CQDs/S-Bi4O5Br2 composites photocatalyst with high visible-light response is prepared by adjusting bismuth-rich, S-doped, and introducing carbon quantum dots (CQDs) into the bismuth oxybromide (BiOBr). Particularly, the prepared C10/S6–Bi4O5Br2 composite shows the highest degradation efficiency for the ciprofloxacin (CIP) under visible-light irradiation with the apparent rate constants k of 0.03798 min−1, which is 26.3 times and 10.1 times higher than that of BiOBr and Bi4O5Br2, respectively. The sulfur doping leads to the increase of the specific surface area and decreases of the band gap but retains the original flower-like morphology of Bi4O5Br2. Compared to the pure Bi4O5Br2, CQDs/Bi4O5Br2, and S-Bi4O5Br2, the CQDs introduction and S-doping can improve both of the light absorption range and intensity, as well as the charge transfer efficiency for the C10/S6–Bi4O5Br2 composites. Furthermore, because of the combination of the CQDs and S doped for the Bi4O5Br2 composites, the separation efficiency of photo-generated carriers is improved with the recombination rate greatly reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activated carbon (AC) has been widely used in the prevention and control of air and water pollution due to its excellent adsorption ability. However, the adsorption capacity of AC for targeting organic compounds is reduced because of the competitive adsorption of water molecules. The current study proposes hydrophobic modification and regeneration of waste AC as a solution to these issues. Using waste AC as raw material, SiO2 particles were introduced to increase its surface roughness and micropores of AC. Nonpolar alkyl chain groups were grafted on the surface of AC to improve its hydrophobic performance, and high-temperature regeneration was used to increase its specific surface area. The experimental results showed that the water contact angle of AC increased from 30° (hydrophilic) to 142° (hydrophobic) after modification, and it maintained an angle of 139° even after high-temperature regeneration. The specific surface area of hydrophobic AC increased from 290 to 1075 m2 g−1 and the equilibrium adsorption capacity of hydrophobic AC for methylene blue is 425.4 mg g−1 after regeneration. AC-adsorbed methylene blue also has excellent hydrophobicity (145°) and high specific surface area (1250 m2 g−1) after being modified and regenerated by the same methods. After being exposed to air for 600 days, the modified AC still has good hydrophobicity (125°). This indicates that our method of hydrophobic modification combined with regeneration has great significance to the recovery and utilization of waste AC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work deals with the review of graphene-based cementitious composites, which is primarily focused on the effect on microstructure, hydration mechanism, and mechanical and durability properties. Nano-material-based cementitious composites are being developed to counteract concrete deficiencies in terms of strength and durability performance. Most frequent among those developments is the graphene-based nano-materials. Their application in the field of construction is more efficient than ordinary cementitious materials. Graphene is a 2D carbon material having a more specific surface area that promotes cement particles to interact during the process of the hydration, resulting in the increase in the hydration of cement and densifying the microstructure of cementitious composites. Recently, graphene-based nano-materials have drawn attention for application in construction due to their superior performance. The addition of a small quantity of graphene-based nano-material can significantly improve the microstructure and increase the mechanical strength of cementitious composites. The challenges and future possibilities of using graphene in cementitious composites are also specified in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methylene blue (MB) has been a severe threat to the ecological environment and organismal health, and synthesizing effective adsorbents for MB adsorption becomes an urgent demand for environmental protection. Magnesium silicate (MgSi) has proven to be an efficient adsorbent for MB removal. A hollow bubble-wrap-like reduced graphene oxide/magnesium silicate (HG@MS) composite with high efficiency for MB removal was synthesized by template and hydrothermal method. Microsphere polystyrene was used as the template for fabricating bubble-wrap-like graphene oxide, while magnesium silicate is in situ growth on the surface of reduced graphene oxide. After removing the PS template, the hollow bubble-wrap-like HG@MS adsorbent was made, which was assigned to a large surface area (570 cm2/g). Such a high surface area provides abundant adsorption sites for MB, which resulted in the maximum adsorption capacity of 595.2 mg/g. Meanwhile, the adsorption of MB on the adsorbent follows the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir isothermal model. The desorption results reflected that HG@MS remains 86% adsorption capacities for 5 recycles, which confirms HG@MS is recyclable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanomaterials have shown great potential as electric heating elements in electrothermal applications. However, carbon-based heating elements with high flexibility, ultrafast electrothermal response, low driving voltage, high heating temperature, and stretchability are still lacking. Here, continuous electrospun carbon nanofiber films (CNFFs) and corresponding composite films additionally containing silicone (CSCFs) as electric heating elements are proposed. CNFFs were prepared by electrospinning and subsequent heat treatment, and CSCFs were prepared by composing CNFFs with silicone via hot-pressing procedure. Both of them have shown excellent performance as electrothermal films, such as ultrafast electrothermal response, high resistance adjustability, high flexibility, high operation stability, and high infrared emissivity. In particular, a temperature as high as 200 °C can be reached within 2 s at 8 V. Suitable robustness and flexibility allow CSCFs to bear various deformations, such as bending, twisting, folding, and even stretching by a factor of 1.3, without worsening electrothermal performance. Also, excellent water resistance has been confirmed. The superior electrothermal performance is mainly attributed to the high electrical conductivity, continuous fiber structure, high specific surface area, and adjustability of nanofiber stacking density and thickness of CNFFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The center-radial channels throughout dendritic mesoporous silica nanospheres (DMSNs) give rise to easily approachable internal spaces, high specific surface area, large pore volumes, etc. Some other substances with matchable sizes could be decorated into DMSNs' channels. As a result, DMSNs are very fascinating platforms for catalysis, tumor therapy, drug delivery, and so on. In this study, we demonstrate a facile approach of introducing black TiO2-x nanoparticles into DMSNs' center-radial channels. Dendritic mesoporous silica&titania nanospheres (DMSTNs) were initially manufactured by coating DMSNs with tetrabutyl orthotitanate precursor and calcination in air. Black dendritic mesoporous silica&titania nanospheres (b-DMSTNs) with TiO2-x particles dispersed in DMSTNs channels were then developed by reducing DMSTNs with NaBH4 under Ar atmosphere. There exist abundant Ti3+ and oxygen vacancies in TiO2-x bulks. Even though the as-prepared structured material cannot work as cathode materials for lithium-ion battery, they can satisfactorily serve as photocatalysts for H2 production and CO2 reduction under simulated sunlight. The b-DMSTNs can yield ca. (i) 11,939 μmol·g−1 H2 with a 2387 μmol·g−1·h−1 rate in 5 h with the assistance of chloroplatinic acid, greater than that of white DMSTNs which produce about 9578 μmol·g−1 H2 with a 1915 μmol·g−1·h−1 rate; (ii) 14.78 μmol·g−1 CO (74.43%) and 5.07 μmol·g−1 CH4 (25.57%) with its specific selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver orthophosphate (Ag3PO4) is an attractive photocatalytic catalyst for disinfection and degradation, but its instability arising from silver release generates significant environmental issue. Aiming to develop a highly efficient and environmental-friendly catalyst, we synthesized Ag3PO4 nanoparticle incorporated hierarchical porous silica (Ag3PO4@h-SiO2) as a novel high-performance photocatalytic catalyst without observed silver release. Brain-like hierarchical porous SiO2 (h-SiO2) brings a scaffold support with high surface areas, and the h-SiO2 surface modified thiols are able to anchor in situ formed 10 nm Ag3PO4 to eliminate silver release. Systematic investigations revealed that because of its structural advantages, Ag3PO4@h-SiO2 show excellent disinfection and degradation ability under visible-light irradiation and stable characteristics without obviously observed silver leaching during photo-oxidation operation. In-depth scavenger study reveals Ag3PO4@h-SiO2 as an effective semiconducting photocatalyst stimulates the production of photo-generated reactive species, which dominate its distinguished disinfection performance via photo-oxidation. Ag3PO4 are anchored to thiol modified hierarchical porous SiO2 to produce a visible-light responsive photocatalyst of Ag3PO4@h-SiO2. The enhanced catalytic sites and surface areas promote pathogen disinfection, and the structure advantages minimize silver release to environment. Both H2O2 and holes being generated in photocatalysis dominate overall disinfection activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A non-enzymatic glucose biofuel cell (GBFCs) with high-power density and adequate open-circuit potential in physiological environment is based on the improved hydrogen template electrodeposition of the platinum-nickel (PtNi) nanoalloys (the third step adopted a potential-step electrochemical synthesis instead of the conventional method). The morphology tests demonstrate that the highly porous PtxNi1-x nanoalloys exhibit broader pore-size distribution and larger specific electrochemically active surface area than the Pt monometallic nanostructures. Combined with cyclic voltammograms, polarization parameters and cell tests, degradation behavior measurements prove that the nanoalloy products display the excellent long-term stability and high electrocatalytic activity. Controlling the preparation conditions of the highly porous PtxNi1-x nanoalloys could control the morphology and nanostructure of the as-synthesis nanoalloys in order to improve the catalytic performance of these nanoalloys, which grants it great potentialities for controllable synthesis of electrocatalysts in the application of GBFCs. Description The highly porous platinum nickel nanoalloys are applied as both anode and cathode in the non-enzymatic glucose biofuel cell with high-power density and adequate open-circuit potential in physiological environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite considerable achievements in the use of porous carbon in electrochemical double-layer capacitor or electrode of supercapacitor over the past few years, understanding the relationship between pore structure parameters and electrochemical performance has long been highly desirable. Herein, apricot shell lignin (ASL) was used to prepare activated carbon, after which the galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD) test was performed. Meanwhile, the pore structure parameters of AAC were determined by the nitrogen adsorption–desorption test. The results confirmed that the AAC pore structure parameters were consistent with the inherent law of activation. Besides, in the low current density ranging from 0.50 A/g to 10.00 A/g, the micropore surface area density of AAC rather than other pore structure parameters (e.g., mesoporosity, micropore specific surface area, mesopore specific surface area) was linearly positively related to its mass-specific capacitance. Additionally, the average of linear fit coefficients between micropore surface area density and mass-specific capacitance was 0.92. Consequently, when using a three-electrode configuration with a 6 M KOH electrolyte, the micropore surface area density of activated carbon can be employed as a universal predictor of mass-specific capacitance in a low current density range 0.50–10.00 A/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing demand for high-performance supercapacitors stimulates the rapid development of separators and electrodes. PAN-derived nanofibers via electrospinning with one-dimensional morphology, tunable nanostructure, mechanical flexibility, self-functionalities and those that can be added onto them have witnessed the intensive development and extensive applications of supercapacitors. However, the conventional PAN-derived carbon nanofibers are generally featured with rather inferior electrical conductivity and lower specific surface area. Beyond that, PAN-derived carbon nanofibers normally exhibit unsatisfactory electrochemical performance in supercapacitors. So far, several strategies have been proposed, by some of which, conspicuous success has been achieved in addressing the above key issues. Here, a comprehensive review on recent advances of the use of PAN-derived carbon nanofibers as the electrode materials for supercapacitors are provided with a focus on strategies to improve their electrochemical performances, and the basic scientific principles involved in these preparation processes. Next, the recent application progress of PAN-derived nanofibers as the electrode separators for supercapacitors is introduced. Finally, we put forward a series of critical challenges in the above research area and propose some correlative ideas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]