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As technology advances toward ongoing circuit miniaturization and device size reduction followed by improved power density, heat dissipation is becoming a key challenge for electronic equipment. Heat accumulation can be prevented if the heat from electrical equipment is efficiently exported, ensuring a device's lifespan and dependability and preventing otherwise possible mishaps or even explosions. Hence, thermal management applications, which include altering the role of aerogels from thermally insulative to thermally conductive, have recently been a hot topic for 3D-aerogel-based thermal interface materials. To completely comprehend three-dimensional (3D) networks, we categorized and comparatively analyzed aerogels based on carbon nanomaterials, namely fibers, nanotubes, graphene, and graphene oxide, which have capabilities that may be fused with boron nitride and impregnated for better thermal performance and mechanical stability by polymers, including epoxy, cellulose, and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). An alternative route is presented in the comparative analysis by carbonized cellulose. As a result, the development of structurally robust and stiff thermally conductive aerogels for electronic packaging has been predicted to increase polymer thermal management capabilities. The latest trends include the self-organization of an anisotropic structure on several hierarchical levels within a 3D framework. In this study, we highlight and analyze the recent advances in 3D-structured thermally conductive aerogels, their potential impact on the next generation of electronic components based on advanced nanocomposites, and their future prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, three-dimensional (3D) polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/aligned boron nitride (BN) aerogel framework nanocomposites with high performance were fabricated by a facile strategy. The boron nitride powder was initially hydrolyzed and dispersed with a chemically crosslinked plasticizer, diethyl glycol (DEG), in the PVA polymer system. The boron nitride and DEG/PVA suspensions were then mixed well with different stoichiometric ratios to attain BN/PVA nanocomposites. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that BN platelets were well dispersed and successfully aligned/oriented in one direction in the PVA matrix by using a vacuum-assisted filtration technique. The formed BN/PVA aerogel cake composite showed excellent in-plane and out-of-plane thermal conductivities of 0.76 W/mK and 0.61 W/mK with a ratio of BN/PVA of (2:1) in comparison with 0.15 W/mK for the pure PVA matrix. These high thermal conductivities of BN aerogel could be attributed to the unidirectional orientation of boron nitride nanoplatelets with the post-two days vacuum drying of the specimens at elevated temperatures. This aerogel composite is unique of its kind and displayed such high thermal conductivity of the BN/PVA framework without impregnation by any external polymer. Moreover, the composites also presented good wettability results with water and displayed high electrical resistivity of ~1014 Ω cm. These nanocomposites thus, with such exceptional characteristics, have a wide range of potential uses in packaging and electronics for thermal management applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial cellulose (BC) aerogel owing to its porous and 3D structure, poses a suitable matrix for embedding nanomaterials and polymers. Herein, BC composites comprising nano-clay/polyaniline (PANI) were synthesized via a two-step procedure. Clay nanoplatelets were dispersed in the BC membrane to form a nanofibrillated template for aniline in-situ polymerization leading to formation of a double interconnected network of electrically conductive path within the aerogel. Deposition of PANI particles on BC/clay nanocomposite was confirmed by FTIR, XRD, FESEM, and EDX techniques. The surface electrical conductivity of 0.49 S/cm was obtained for the composite aerogel comprising 5 wt% nano-clay which is 16 folds higher than that of the sample without nano-clay. Thermal stability and storage modulus of the aerogels was improved by inclusion of PANI and nano-clay. Synergistic effect of clay and polyaniline on biocompatibility and cell adhesion was obtained with no mutagenic or carcinogenic effects. The developed electrically conductive composite aerogels can be utilized as suitable scaffolds for tissue engineering applications demanding a good balance of flexibility, dimensional and thermal stability and biocompatibility. Unlabelled Image • Developed electrically conductive biocomposite aerogel based on BC/PAni/nano-clay • Obtained 16 folds improvement in the electrical conductivity by nano-clay inclusion • Synergistic effect of clay and PAni on biocompatibility with no mutagenic effects • Enhanced thermal stability via simultaneous incorporation of clay and PAni • Potential applications in tissue engineering demanding balance of properties [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, polyaniline (PANI) with tuning morphology was in-situ synthesized within bacterial cellulose (BC)/silver nanoparticles hydrogels (AgNPs) that were prepared by green hydrothermal reduction method in different molarity of 0.01 and 0.25 of HCl solution along with the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG). The synthesis of PANI in the presence of PEG in 0.01 M HCl led to the formation of rose-like morphology within nanocomposite aerogels with a size of 1.5–5.2 μm. All aerogels had the porosity and shrinkage of higher than 80% and lower than 10%, respectively. Rheology results showed a higher value of storage modulus (G′) than that of loss modulus (G″) for all samples over the whole frequency regime. It confirmed by the loss factor (tan δ) value of less than 1 for all hydrogel samples. The synthesis of PANI within BC/Ag in 0.25 M of HCl solution resulted in a substantial rise of G′ to nearly 1.5 × 104 Pa that was one order of magnitude higher than that of other hydrogels. However, the synthesis condition of PANI did not influence the antibacterial activity. In spite of unfavorable cell attachment onto nanocomposite aerogels, the cell proliferation increased steadily over the whole period of incubation. Unlabelled Image • PEG and pH had significant impact on the synthesis of PANI with distinct morphology. • The coexistence of PANI and AgNPs within BC increased the storage modulus. • The addition of silver nanoparticle (AgNPs) into BC improved antibacterial activity. • Different morphology of PANI had no influence on the antibacterial activity. • Cell proliferation in ternary nanocomposite aerogels of BC/PANI/Ag rose dramatically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Cu-BTC/rGO nanocomposite aerogels are synthesized via self-assembly. • An evaporation efficiency of 81.8% is achieved using Cu-BTC/rGO aerogels. • Cu-BTC/rGO aerogels present antibacterial activity against pathogen bacteria strains. Advancements in the design of porous active materials for interfacial solar evaporation have shown promise in the development of next-generation solar evaporation active materials that can present a wide range of water-purification properties. In this study, a new class of metal–organic nanoparticles-embedded reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite aerogels is developed, with both solar steam generation behavior and antibacterial properties. The self-assembly process is used to introduce Cu-BTC nanoparticles (Cu-BTC NPs) into the structure of rGO aerogels to fabricate Cu-BTC/rGO nanocomposite aerogels. By varying the content of Cu-BTC NPs in the self-assembly precursor solution, the surface area, pore texture, and evaporation rate of samples are altered to reach both high energy conversion efficiency and antibacterial properties. An evaporation rate of 1.13 kg/m2h and an efficiency of 81.8% are achieved when the highest content of Cu-BTC NPs (1 mg/ml) is introduced to the precursor solution. This evaporation efficiency is 32% and 59% higher than that of the rGO aerogel and pure water, respectively. This behavior is related to the surface area and pore size of the nanocomposite aerogels, which increase and decrease with the content of Cu-BTC NPs, respectively. Additionally, the Cu-BTC/rGO aerogel presents antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli. As a result, Cu-BTC/rGO nanocomposite aerogels have great potential as active materials for the design of next-generation solar steam generation systems for the treatment of wastewater contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PANI/BC prepared in the presence of SDBS or SDS resulting in different morphologies. • The surfactants had a significant impact on the morphology of PANI formation. • The highest conductivity of 0.8 S/cm was gained in the existence of SDBS at 1 M HCl. • π-π stacking was identified as most important interaction between aniline and SDBS. • Smaller energy gap of 2.74 eV confirmed higher conductivity BC/PANI/SDBS. Tuning the synthesis conditions of polyaniline (PANI) such as aniline monomer's protonation states and adding surfactants into polymerization mixture or even the existence of bacterial cellulose (BC) had a substantial influence on the final properties. To explore the relationship between components presented in the polymerization mixture, simulation tools (molecular dynamics (MD)/Monte Carlo (MC)/Density functional theory (DFT)) can be used. Herein, nanocomposite aerogels of BC/PANI were fabricated in the presence of anionic surfactants; sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) or sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) at two different concentrations (0.05 M and 1 M) of HCl solution. Two types of aniline monomers were considered in the polymerization mixture based on HCl solution's concentrations including neutral and protonated aniline in 0.05 and 1 M, respectively. Various morphologies from nanobelts (with a width of 100–500 nm) and polyhedrons (with a thickness of 100–700 nm) in 0.05 M of acid solution in the presence of SDBS or SDS, respectively, were detected. Based on DFT computations it was found that electrostatic interactions and the formation of hydrogen bonds play a vital role in the interfacial interaction mechanism between both surfactants (SDBS and SDS) and different protonation forms of aniline monomers. Nevertheless, in the case of SDBS and aniline monomers (in both 0.05 and 1 M of HCl solutions), an excess interaction mechanism, namely π-π stacking, was observed, which enhanced the interaction between them and confirmed by experimental results. Therefore, the highest conductivity of 0.8 S/cm was obtained for the BC/PANI prepared with SDBS in 1 M of HCl solution. Besides, the smallest energy gap of 2.74 eV was predicted from DFT calculations for this sample that further confirmed its high electrical properties and smaller band gap at 3 nm, which was also confirmed by MD and MC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In most countries, rapid industrialization poses a threat to the environment upon discharging the wastewater streams containing heavy metals, especially hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)), into the environment. In this work, sustainable and biodegradable bacterial cellulose (BC)/polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposite aerogels with different morphology were fabricated in the presence of sodium dodecylbenzene-sulfonate (SDBS) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The fabricated BC/PANI in the existence of SDBS and SDS showed thistle like and a cluster of grapes, respectively. The Cr(VI) removal was performed at a neutral pH condition. The highest adsorption capacity of 189 mg/g was determined at pH 7 for BC/PANI/SDBS (BPDB) compared with 151 mg/g for BC/PANI/SDS (BPDS) after 24 h. After five cycles, re-adsorption efficiency was reached to 68% for BPDB and 59% for BPDS. Simulation results showed that the effect of surface diffusion was prevailing compared with the pore volume diffusion (nearly 90% after 1 h). BPDB showed a faster adsorption rate than BPDS. Predicted concentration decay curves had good agreement with experimental data. Image 1 • Bacterial cellulose/polyaniline with anionic surfactants was used as adsorbents. • The highest adsorption capacity of 189 mg/g was determined at pH 7. • Average re-adsorption efficiency of 64% was observed after five cycles. • Surface and pore volume diffusion simultaneously exist in the adsorption process. • Surface diffusion is dominant in the intraparticle mechanism by nearly 90% after 1 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A rhomboid morphology was observed for PANI in the presence of CTAB and at 0.01 M. • The storage modulus increased by 2000 Pa at the presence of CTAB and at 0.5 M. • The ε′ and ε″ increased by 104 and 106 order at the presence of CTAB and at 0.5 M. • The hydrogen bond is the main interfacial interaction mechanism between BC and PANI. • Based on DFT, the tendency of aniline to interact with BC is more than CTAB at 0.5 M. In this work, the structure-property relationship was evaluated in the synthesis of bacterial cellulose (BC)/polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposite aerogels in terms of both experimental and density functional theory (DFT) simulation. The molarity of HCl solution (0.01 and 0.5 M) and the presence/absence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) were the main parameters of synthesis conditions. DFT simulation showed that the formation of hydrogen bonds governed interaction between BC and PANI, and PANI had more tendency to BC than that of CTAB at 0.5 M. It was confirmed by the formation of shorter hydrogen bonds between BC and protonated PANI at 0.5 M. Regarding this fact, prepared samples at 0.5 M of HCl solution and the presence of CTAB experienced higher storage modulus and electrical conductivity by 2000 Pa and 4 order of magnitude than those of lower molarity (0.01 M). These findings were in accordance with simulation outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]