The Effects of Hydrophobicity and Textural Properties on Hexamethyldisiloxane Adsorption in Reduced Graphene Oxide Aerogels

To expand the applications of graphene-based materials to biogas purification, a series of reduced graphene oxide aerogels (rGOAs) were prepared from industrial grade graphene oxide using a simple hydrothermal method. The influences of the hydrothermal preparation temperature on the textural properties, hydrophobicity and physisorption behavior of the rGOAs were investigated using a range of physical and spectroscopic techniques. The results showed that the rGOAs had a macro-porous three-dimensional network structure. Raising the hydrothermal treatment temperature reduced the number of oxygen-containing groups, whereas the specific surface area (S_BET), micropore volume (V_micro) and water contact angle values of the rGOAs all increased. The dynamic adsorption properties of the rGOAs towards hexamethyldisiloxane (L2) increased with increasing hydrothermal treatment temperature and the breakthrough adsorption capacity showed a significant linear association with S_BET, V_micro and contact angle. There was a significant negative association between the breakthrough time and inlet concentration of L2, and the relationship could be reliably predicted with a simple empirical formula. L2 adsorption also increased with decreasing bed temperature. Saturated rGOAs were readily regenerated by a brief heat-treatment at 100 °C. This study has demonstrated the potential of novel rGOA for applications using adsorbents to remove siloxanes from biogas.     

3D Metal–Organic Frameworks Based on Co(II) and Bithiophendicarboxylate: Synthesis,Crystal Structures,Gas Adsorption,and Magnetic Properties

Three new 3D metal-organic porous frameworks based on Co(II) and 2,2′-bithiophen-5,5′-dicarboxylate (btdc²⁻) [Co₃(btdc)₃(bpy)₂]·4DMF, 1; [Co₃(btdc)₃(pz)(dmf)₂]·4DMF·1.5H₂O, 2; [Co₃(btdc)₃(dmf)₄]∙2DMF∙2H₂O, 3 (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridyl, pz = pyrazine, dmf = N,N-dimethylformamide) were synthesized and structurally characterized. All compounds share the same trinuclear carboxylate building units {Co₃(RCOO)₆}, connected either by btdc^2– ligands (1, 3) or by both btdc^2– and pz bridging ligands (2). The permanent porosity of 1 was confirmed by N₂, O₂, CO, CO₂, CH₄ adsorption measurements at various temperatures (77 K, 273 K, 298 K), resulted in BET surface area 667 m²⋅g⁻¹ and promising gas separation performance with selectivity factors up to 35.7 for CO₂/N₂, 45.4 for CO₂/O₂, 20.8 for CO₂/CO, and 4.8 for CO₂/CH₄. The molar magnetic susceptibilities χ_p(T) were measured for 1 and 2 in the temperature range 1.77–330 K at magnetic fields up to 10 kOe. The room-temperature values of the effective magnetic moments for compounds 1 and 2 are μ_eff (300 K) ≈ 4.93 μ_B. The obtained results confirm the mainly paramagnetic nature of both compounds with some antiferromagnetic interactions at low-temperatures T < 20 K in 2 between the Co(II) cations separated by short pz linkers. Similar conclusions were also derived from the field-depending magnetization data of 1 and 2.     

超微Ni(OH)2纳米粒子的合成及其对Li+的超高吸附性能

在葡萄糖水溶液中合成得到平均粒径为5 nm的α-Ni(OH)2超微纳米粒子。研究结果发现,在水溶液中葡萄糖浓度能够控制α-Ni(OH)2纳米粒子粒径的大小,我们对其中的原理进行了剖析。当没有葡萄糖存在时,合成得到的Ni(OH)2晶型为β型,且颗粒粒径尺寸分布为微米级别。另外,研究发现α-Ni(OH)2超微纳米粒子室温下对中性水溶液中Li^+具有较强的吸附性能,且这种吸附性能随粒径的减小而剧烈增大;粒径为5 nm的α-Ni(OH)2粒子对Li^+的最大吸附量为214 mg·g^-1(远大于文献报道的有关吸附剂对Li^+的吸附容量),而粒径为1μm的β-Ni(OH)2在相同条件下对Li^+的最大吸附量低于30 mg·g^-1。计算分析表明,Li^+在α-Ni(OH)2纳米粒子表面吸附满足Freundlich方程,符合层层吸附模型。     

柔性双咪唑配体导向的Co(Ⅱ)⁃戊二酸金属有机骨架材料的合成、结构和性能

在水热条件下合成并表征了2例基于柔性配体构筑的Co(Ⅱ)-MOFs:{[Co(glu)(bimb)]·4H2O}n (1),[Co(glu)(bix)0.5]n (2)(H2glu=戊二酸;bimb=1,4-双(咪唑-1-基)-丁烷;bix=1,4-双(咪唑-1-基-亚甲基)-苯)。配合物1显示非穿插的(4,4)-菱形网格,通过层间氢键和π…π作用拓展为三维超分子结构。加热失水后1的结构不可逆地降解。配合物2呈现典型的柱-层状三维结构,其拓扑符号为41263,中心Co(Ⅱ)离子采用四方锥构型。此外,性质研究表明:配合物1在水溶液中对染料甲基橙具有显著的吸附活性,配合物2表现出弱的反铁磁行为。     

用于锂硫电池高效硫载体的Co-N-C@KB复合材料的规模化制备策略

硫正极较差的性能严重阻碍了锂硫电池的商业化进程,这些因素包括较低的导电能力以及在促进多硫化物转化方面较差的催化活性。我们开发了一种基于配体调控合成和低温热解的规模化策略来制备高效的正极复合材料（Co-N-C@KB）,这种材料由富含Co-N-C活性位点的科琴黑（KB）组成。原子级分散的Co-N-C活性位点被证明有利于多硫化物在正极的转化,因而可以提高锂硫电池的容量和循环寿命。基于此,Co-N-C@KB作为正极可以使锂硫电池获得高达1 442 mAh·g^-1的初始放电容量,并且该电池在长时间的稳定性测试中具有出色的容量保持能力。     

Inherent Ethyl Acetate Selectivity in a Trianglimine Molecular Solid

Ethyl acetate is an important chemical raw material and solvent. It is also a key volatile organic compound in the brewing industry and a marker for lung cancer. Materials that are highly selective toward ethyl acetate are needed for its separation and detection. Here, we report a trianglimine macrocycle ( TAMC ) that selectively adsorbs ethyl acetate by forming a solvate. Crystal structure prediction showed this to be the lowest energy solvate structure available. This solvate leaves a metastable, “templated” cavity after solvent removal. Adsorption and breakthrough experiments confirmed that TAMC has adequate adsorption kinetics to separate ethyl acetate from azeotropic mixtures with ethanol, which is a challenging and energy-intensive industrial separation.     

板栗内皮对水溶液中镉离子和铅离子的吸附

研究了板栗内皮对水溶液中金属离子(Cd²⁺,Pb²⁺)的吸附过程,以及吸附过程中不同条件对其吸附能力的影响。通过对反应时间、温度、pH、初始金属离子浓度等因素的控制,设计不同单一变量确定在不同条件下的吸附能力,利用红外光谱确定板栗内皮上参与反应的主要基团。结果表明,板栗内皮吸附Cd²⁺,Pb²⁺理论最佳吸附条件分别为pH 4.6和pH 5.0,吸附时间5.3 h和4.5 h,吸附温度53.80℃和43.09℃。在此吸附条件下,Cd²⁺和Pb²⁺的理论吸附率为98.91%与98.39%,实际吸附率为96.89%与97.84%。红外光谱分析表明其作用的主要基团为-C≡C-,C=O与C-H;通过动力学方程拟合,得出微观吸附过程符合准二级动力学模型。     

Functional Group Modification and Bonding Characteristics of Ti3C2 MXene-Organic Composites from First-Principles Calculations

The unique physical structure and abundant surface functional groups of MXene make the grafted organic molecules exhibit specific electrical and optical properties. This work reports the results of first-principles calculations to investigate the composite systems formed by different organic molecular monomers, namely acrylic acid (AA), acrylamide (AM), 1-aziridineethanol (1-AD) and glucose, and Ti₃C₂ MXene saturated with different functional groups, namely −OH, −O and −F. The results show that the interaction between organic molecules and the MXene surface depends on the type of functional groups of the organic molecules, while the strength of the interaction is determined by the type of surface functional groups and the number of hydrogen bonds. The bare Ti₃C₂ and Ti₃C₂(OH)₂ can readily form strong chemical and hydrogen bonds with AA and AM molecules, leading to strong adsorption energy and a large amount of charge transfer, while the interaction between organic molecules and MXene saturated by −F or −O groups mainly exhibits physical interactions, accompanied by low adsorption energy and a small amount of charge transfer. This research provides theoretical guidance for the synthesis of high-performance MXene organic composite systems.     

Synthesis of activated carbon foams with high specific surface area using polyurethane elastomer templates for effective removal of methylene blue

Carbon foams have gained significant attention due to their tuneable properties that enable a wide range of applications including catalysis, energy storage and wastewater treatment. Novel synthesis pathways enable novel applications via yielding complex, hierarchical material structure. In this work, activated carbon foams (ACFs) were produced from waste polyurethane elastomer templates using different synthesis pathways, including a novel one-step method. Uniquely, the produced foams exhibited complex structure and contained carbon microspheres. The ACFs were synthesized by impregnating the elastomers in an acidified sucrose solution followed by direct activation using CO₂ at 1000 ℃. Different pyrolysis and activation conditions were investigated. The ACFs were characterized by a high specific surface area (S_BET) of 2172 m²/g and an enhanced pore volume of 1.08 cm³/g. Computer tomography and morphological studies revealed an inhomogeneous porous structure and the presence of numerous carbon spheres of varying sizes embedded in the porous network of the three-dimensional carbon foam. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy indicated that the obtained carbon foam was amorphous and of turbostratic structure. Moreover, the activation process enhanced the surface of the carbon foam, making it more hydrophilic via altering pore size distribution and introducing oxygen functional groups. In equilibrium, the adsorption of methylene blue on ACF followed the Langmuir isotherm model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 592 mg/g. Based on these results, the produced ACFs have potential applications as adsorbents, catalyst support and electrode material in energy storage systems.     

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.