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We report a new class promising heterogeneous catalyst for olefin epoxidation based on 0.05 wt% Ru species supported on hydroxyapatite, which was prepared through a simple cation-exchange process between RuCl3·nH2O and hydroxyapatite. The new catalyst showed high activity, excellent selectivity and good recyclability for various olefins in the presence of molecular oxygen and iso-butyraldehyde as co-oxidants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel composite membranes, based on sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) with various graphene oxide (GO) loadings, were employed and investigated in vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) for the first time. The scanning electron microscopy images of the composite membranes revealed the uniform dispersion of GO nanosheets in the polymer matrix due to the interaction between GO and SPEEK, as confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectra. The mechanical and thermal parameters of the composite membranes increased, while the VO2+ permeability decreased with increasing GO content. Random embedding of GO nanosheets in the membranes can serve as effective barriers to block the transport of vanadium ion, resulting in a significant decrease of vanadium ion permeability. The VRFB assembled with the composite membrane exhibited highly improved cell parameters and strikingly long cycling stability compared with commercial Nafion 117 membrane. With the protection of porous PTFE substrate, the pore-filling SPEEK/GO composite membrane based on VRFB ran for 1200 cycles with relatively low capacity decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]