Adsorption of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) on Oxygen-rich Porous Carbon Materials Obtained from Glucose/Potassium Oxalate

To investigate the effects of oxygen-containing functional groups on the adsorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with different polarity, oxygen-rich porous carbon materials (OPCs) were synthesized by heat treatment of glucose/potassium oxalate material. The carbon material had a large specific surface area (1697 m² g⁻¹) and a high oxygen content (18.95 at.%). OPC exhibited high adsorption capacity of toluene (309 mg g⁻¹) and methanol (447 mg g⁻¹). The specific surface area and total pore volume determined the adsorption capacity of toluene and methanol at the high-pressure range, while the oxygen-containing groups became the main factor affecting the methanol adsorption at the low-pressure range due to the hydrogen bond interaction through the density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This study provides an important hint for developing a novel O-doped adsorbent for the VOCs adsorption applications and analyzing the role of oxygen-containing groups in the VOCs adsorption under the low-pressure range.     

Development of Magnesium Anode-Based Transient Primary Batteries

Biodegradable primary batteries, also known as transient batteries, are essential to realize autonomous biodegradable electronic devices with high performance and advanced functionality. In this work, magnesium, copper, iron, and zinc – metals that exist as trace elements in the human body – were tested as materials for biomedical transient electronic devices. Different full cell combinations of Mg and X (where X = Cu, Fe, and Zn and the anodized form of the metals) with phosphate buffered saline (PBS) as electrolyte were studied. To form the cathodes, metal foils were anodized galvanostatically at a current density of 2.0 mA cm⁻² for 30 mins. Electrochemical measurements were then conducted for each electrode combination to evaluate full cell battery performance. Results showed that the Mg−Cu_anodized chemistry has the highest power density at 0.99 mW/cm². Nominal operating voltages of 1.26 V for the first 0.50 h and 0.63 V for the next 3.7 h were observed for Mg−Cu_anodized which was discharged at a current density of 0.70 mA cm⁻². Among the materials tested, Mg−Cu_anodized exhibited the best discharge performance with an average specific capacity of 2.94 mAh cm⁻², which is comparable to previous reports on transient batteries.     

Triazine interlinked covalent organic polymer as an efficient anti-bacterial agent

Herein, we report the synthesis of new covalent organic polymer comprising triazine and o-tolidine by solvothermal method. The formation of polymer was confirmed by Fourier transform infra red spectroscopy (FT-IR), cross polarization–magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Their antibacterial activity toward S. aureus (gram-positive) and P. aeruginosa (gram-negative) was assessed by the optical density measurements and direct contact method. These results have great significance toward the design of new porous polymers for antibacterial applications.     

Concerted effect of boron and porosity on shear thickening behavior of hybrid mesoporous silica dispersions

In the present work, the influence of porosity and boron on shear thickening behavior of hybrid mesoporous silica has been studied. Three different levels of boron modification were performed by varying the molar composition of boric acid viz., 1.5 mmol, 2.5 mmol, and 3.5 mmol in a co-condensation approach. The incorporation of boron in mesoporous silica network was confirmed by various techniques such as Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR), and ¹¹B solid- state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The morphology and particle size were confirmed by using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. To evaluate the effect of boron and porosity on the shear thickening behavior, dispersions were prepared from mesoporous boron- modified silica (MSiB), control mesoporous silica (MSi), non-porous boron-modified silica (SiB), and control non-porous silica (Si) in polyethylene glycol. The shear thickening behavior was studied using steady shear rheology. The dispersion prepared from different loadings of synthesized MSiB containing 1.5 mmol boron showed more than 16 times increase in viscosity (657.7 Pa.s) compared to that of MSi (39.2 Pa.s) at a fairly low volume fraction (φ = 0.15) of silica. It is expected that the highly ordered mesoporous architecture of hybrid silica has improved the interaction between the particle and the dispersing medium through hydrogen bonding. The porous morphology of the hybrid mesoporous silica as well as the incorporation of boron in the silica network favors the formation of a frictional contact network, and a transition from continuous shear thickening (CST) to discontinuous shear thickening (DST) behavior was observed. Therefore, silica prepared via incorporation of boron as well as porosity can be material of interest in variety of applications, for example, soft body armors, sporting goods, and shear thickening electrolytes for high impact resistant batteries.     

Palladium supported on urea-containing porous organic polymers as heterogeneous catalysts for C–C cross coupling reactions and reduction of nitroarenes

The novel palladium nanoparticles (Pd@POPs) were successfully prepared with controllable sizes and dispersity through the introduction of H₂PdCl₄ into urea-linked porous organic polymers (POPs) in an aqueous environment followed by reducing Pd(II) to Pd(0) by NaBH₄. The newly prepared Pd@POPs were thoroughly characterized by FT-IR, ICP-AES, BET, XRD, SEM and TEM. Furthermore, the catalytic reactivities of this novel Pd@POPs were investigated via Heck, Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction and nitroarene reduction, and they exhibited superior catalytic performances in all these three reactions, producing the corresponding products in up to quantitative yields. Additionally, the Pd@POPs had excellent recyclability in both Heck and Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions with the repeating time up to four times and ten times, respectively, along with no obvious decrease of catalytic reactivities.     

纳米多孔阳极氧化铁膜的形成及其形貌演变

阳极氧化法制备具有纳米多孔结构的阳极氧化铁膜因其潜在的应用价值而倍受关注。然而,在阳极氧化过程中多孔结构的形成机制至今尚不清楚。本文结合电流密度-电位响应（I-V曲线）及法拉第定律的推导,分析了形成纳米多孔阳极氧化铁膜的过程中阳极电流的组成。结果表明,离子电流（导致离子迁移形成氧化物）和电子电流（导致析出氧气）共同组成阳极电流,并且纳米多孔阳极氧化铁膜的形成与两种电流的占比相关。分段式氧化物之间的空腔以及在阳极氧化初期纳米孔道上覆盖的致密膜,表明氧气泡可能是从氧化膜内部析出。此时,阳离子和阴离子绕过作为模具的氧气泡实现传质,最终导致纳米多孔结构的形成。此外,在阳极氧化铁膜形貌演变过程中,氧气泡不断向外溢出会使表面氧化物被冲破,导致表面孔径不断增大。     

The heterogeneous distribution of the liquid phase in partially filled porous glasses and its effect on self-diffusion

The spatial distribution of the liquid phase in a typical, partially filled, porous glass (VitraPor #5) has been examined with the aid of magnetic resonance microscopy and field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance diffusometry techniques. The correlation length of the material turned out to be long enough to permit the visualization of the microscopic heterogeneity of the material by magnetic resonance imaging. Contrasts are dominated by transverse relaxation depending on local filling degree, which in turn depends on local microstructure. The bimodal heterogeneity of the latter was also visualized by scanning electron microscopy. The effect of heterogeneity on an effective diffusion coefficient has been examined for polar (water) and nonpolar (cyclohexane) molecules.     

Remarkably improved cycling stability of 3D porous Cu–Sn anode for lithium-ion full cells by adjusting working voltage range

Numerous studies confirm that three dimensional porous Cu–Sn (3DP Cu–Sn) anode possesses good application prospect in light of its desirable electrochemical performance on lithium ion half cells, but there are a few related systematic researches on lithium ion full cells until now, which is indispensable before its commercialization. Herein, the effects of galvanostatic charge-discharge voltage range on the cycling stability of 3DP Cu–Sn anode for lithium ion full cells are investigated systematically. The results show that the suitable charge-discharge voltage range plays a key role in improving the reversible capacity and cycling stability of the 3DP Cu–Sn||LiCoO₂ full cell, which is closely related to maintaining the electrode structure stable by controlling the amount of Li⁺ extracted and inserted. Especially, in the voltage range of 1.2–3.9 ​V, the full cell exhibits remarkably improved electrochemical properties with the high initial reversible capacity of 2.71 ​mAh cm⁻² and 71.95% capacity retention upon 80 cycles. We believe that this work can provide a significant reference for the practical application of porous Sn-based anodes.     

超浸润形状记忆海绵的制备及油-水分离性能

基于反式 1,4-聚异戊二烯(TPI)的形状记忆性能, 以聚氨酯海绵为基底, 包覆TPI制备出了一种具有疏水超亲油特性的三维多孔形状记忆海绵. 由于这种海绵具有良好的形状记忆特性, 可以通过反复按压/恢复过程, 实现对海绵孔径在微米尺寸(约875 μm)与纳米尺寸(约450 nm)间可逆调控. 利用材料特殊的浸润特征及其可控的孔尺寸, 进一步研究了其在油-水分离中的应用. 研究结果表明, 微米尺寸大孔径海绵有利于对不相溶油-水混合物进行快速高效分离, 而纳米尺寸小孔径海绵则有利于对乳液混合物进行分离, 实现了同一材料同时满足不相溶油-水混合物及乳液体系的分离要求.     

酰胺连接的共价有机骨架的制备及其在水中高效光催化性能

光催化是将太阳能转换为化学能的绿色可持续发展途径,有望解决日益严重的能源危机和环境污染问题.在光催化过程中,半导体材料作为光催化剂,负责可见光的捕获、光生载流子的生成和传输以及氧化还原反应,在整个光催化系统中起着决定性的作用.共价有机骨架材料(COFs)是一类新兴的半导体光催化剂,已被证明在可见光诱导的水分解、二氧化碳还原、有机转化反应和水中污染物降解方面具有应用前景.然而,大部分COFs是通过可逆反应构筑的,在水中及苛刻条件下的稳定性差.因此,提升基于COFs的光催化剂在水相中的光催化活性和循环稳定性仍然面临巨大挑战.本文提出了一种新策略,即通过实现多重协同效应,设计和开发2D-COFs作为在水中的高效非均相光催化剂.通过后合成策略将亚胺键连接的2D-COFs氧化,制备了两种具有丰富三嗪结构单元的以酰胺键连接的2D-COFs(命名为COF-JLU18和COF-JLU19).结果表明,COF-JLU18和COF-JLU19具有高比表面积和孔体积,其比表面积分别为1156和541 m2/g;COF-JLU19具有比相似拓扑结构的亚胺COF-JLU17更好的水蒸气吸附性能.此外,COF-JLU19表现出了极高的化学稳定性,在水中、盐酸和氢氧化钠溶液中浸泡两天,其结构和结晶性均没有发生明显变化.由此可见,酰胺键不仅可以增加材料骨架的亲水性,还能够提高COFs对水的稳定性.本文制备的酰胺键连接的COF-JLU19材料,在光降解罗丹明B水溶液(RhB)反应中可以获得高达0.69 min?1的光降解速率常数,活性明显优于其他光催化剂,如C3N4等.COF-JLU19具有较好的催化活性主要归因于以下两方面:一方面,良好的亲水性和固有孔隙率之间的协同效应可以增强COFs在水中对染料的吸附能力,使其光催化活性得到有效提升;另一方面,高的结晶度和优秀的稳定性使酰胺键连接的COFs在多相光催化中实现稳定循环利用.为了扩展COFs的应用前景,本文还制备了一种基于酰胺键连接COFs的静电纺丝膜,在以太阳光为光源的光降解罗丹明B水溶液实验中表现出较高的光催化活性和重复使用性.综上,本文提出的多重协同效应为基于COFs的高效光催化剂的设计提供了一种有效策略.