Montmorillonite-based ceramic membranes as novel lithium-ion battery separators

Novel montmorillonite-based ceramic membrane (CM) has been prepared with poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropene) (PVdF-HFP) copolymer as binder. Physical properties such as surface morphology, porosity, liquid electrolyte uptake and thermal stability were analysed. The ceramic membrane was activated by soaking it in a non-aqueous liquid electrolyte (1.0 M LiPF₆ solution in 1/1 v/v ethylene carbonate/diethyl carbonate mixture) for 10 min. The compatibility of the membrane with lithium metal anode as a function of storage time was analysed by assembling a Li/CM/Li symmetric cell. Finally, a lab-scale cell composed of Li/CM/LiFePO₄ is assembled and its cycling performance analysed at different C-rates. Although the ceramic membrane is not flexible, it shows high thermal stability and stable interfacial properties when in contact with the lithium metal anode. A stable cycling behaviour is demonstrated even at 1C-rate with limited fade in capacity.     

Investigation and optimization of the recovery of coal fines using oil agglomeration process: Use of waste oils from different sectors

The high cost of the bridging liquid subdues the implementation and commercialization of oil agglomeration process. To overcome this problem, waste oils from different sectors were used in this present study. The performance of the process was assessed based on the responses like ash rejection and organic matter recovery. The aim of the present study was to investigate the usage of waste oils from different sectors and to optimize and analyze the behavioral pattern showcased by different variables (pulp density, oil dosage, agglomeration time and oil type) using response surface methodology (Box-Behnken design). Experimental investigation shows that the optimum pulp density, oil dosage, agglomeration time and oil type condition obtained as 3%, 15%, 15?min and waste engine oil, respectively. At optimum condition, the % ash rejection and % organic matter recovery obtained as 63.94% and 81.8%, respectively.     

Mechanism of Evolution of Koneramine Complexes from One‐Pot Reactions: Snapshots of Intermediates Offer Facile Routes to New Dipicolylamines

Koneramines (L^ROR′, R=Ph or Ts; R′=Me, iPr) and their complexes were found to emerge from the system of pyridine‐2‐carboxaldehyde and N‐phenyl/tosylethylenediamine when a primary or secondary alcohol was used as solvent. Imidazolidinylpyridines (L^R, R=Ph or Ts) became major emergents whereas hemi‐aminals (L^ROH, R=Ph or Ts) are minor emergents of the system when tertiary butanol was used as the solvent; the bulky tertiary butyl group prevented the addition of alcohol to the iminium ion that diverted the equilibrium towards imidazolidinylpyridines. By playing with the components of the reaction mixture, crystals of the metastable intermediates bound to copper(II) and/or zinc(II) were obtained and the structures were determined by X‐ray diffraction analysis. The reported results shed light on how to control the emergents of the multicomponent reaction mixture that forms koneramines. Reactivity studies of the intermediates pave the way for a new type of koneramine complexes that are new dipicolylamines where the two pyridine moieties of the resulting koneramine are not the same.     

Synthesis and Reversible Hydration of a Pseudoprotein,a Fully Organic Polymeric Desiccant by Multiple Single‐Crystal‐to‐Single‐Crystal Transformations

A diphenylalanine derivative, N3‐Phe‐Phe‐NHCH2CCH, was designed for topochemical azide–alkyne cycloaddition (TAAC) polymerization. This dipeptide adopted β‐sheet arrangement as designed, in its crystals, but the azide and alkyne were not fitly aligned for their topochemical reaction. However, the voids present around these groups allowed them to attain a reactive geometry upon heating and their consequent TAAC polymerization to a pseudoprotein in a single‐crystal‐to‐single‐crystal (SCSC) fashion. This motion led to the creation of channels in the product crystal and it absorbed water from the surroundings to fill these channels as H‐bonded water wire. The pseudoprotein undergo reversible hydration/dehydration in SCSC fashion many times under mild conditions: hydration at low relative humidity and dehydration at low temperature. Vapor sorption analyses suggest that this fully organic polymer might be useful as an energy‐efficient desiccant material for controlling indoor humidity.     

Projective Generation of Curves in Polynomial Extensions of an Affine Domain (II)

Let Abe an affine domain of dimension nover an algebraically closed field kof characteristic 0. Let I A[T]be a local complete intersection ideal of height nsuch that I/I2 is generated by n elements. It is proved that there exists a projective A[T]module Pof rank nsuch that Iis a surjective image of P.     

Synthesis and characterization of a novel pentacyclic C16 diketone and derivatives

The syntheses and crystal structures of pentacyclo[9.4.1.0^5,14.0^7,13.0^12,15]hexadecane-3,9-dione (2), a novel C₁₆ diketone with potential inclusion ability, and the products of the reaction of2 withn-butyllithium andmeso-erythritol (i.e.,meso-1,2,3,4-butanetetrol) are described. Crystal data:2·H₂O, orthorhombic,Pmmn,a=10.7385(8),b=9.0188(6),c=6.8411(4)Å,V=662.55(7)ų, andR=0.039 (379 reflections);3 (product from reaction withn-butyllithium), triclinic,P¯1,a=8.7192(7),b=10.9351(8),c=12.1842(8)Å,=68.933(5),=75.850(6), =80.309(6)°,V=1047.0(1)ų, andR=0.081 (1811 reflections);4 (product from reaction with erythritol), triclinic,P¯1,a=7.7224(8),b=10.1976(8),c=10.7021(9)Å,=85.405(7),=85.766(8), =76.056(7)°,V=814.0(1)ų, andR=0.052 (1471 reflections).     

Binuclear ruthenium(III) Schiff base complexes bearing N(4)O(4) donors and their catalytic oxidation of alcohols

An interesting series of binuclear ruthenium(III) Schiff base complexes bearing bis-salophen/bis-naphophen units of the general composition [(EPh(3))(X)Ru-L-Ru(X)(EPh(3))] (where E=P or As; X=Cl or Br; L=binucleating dianionic tetradentate ligands) have been synthesized and characterized by analytical (elemental analysis, magnetic susceptibility measurements), spectral (FT-IR, UV-vis and EPR) and electrochemical methods. These ruthenium(III) complexes have two N(2)O(2) metal binding sites, which are linked to each other with a biphenyl bridge and acts as potential catalyst for oxidation of wide range of primary and secondary alcohols to corresponding aldehydes or ketones with moderate to high conversion in the presence of N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMO). The formation of high-valent Ru(V)=O species as a catalytic active intermediate is proposed for the catalytic processes.