Facile synthesis of exfoliated and highly conductive poly(arylene disulfide)/graphite nanocomposites

Exfoliated graphite has been synthesized by first synthesizing H₂SO₄ intercalated compound in a H₂O₂‐H₂SO₄ mixture, followed by exfoliation under microwave irradiation. Poly(arylene disulfide)/graphite nanocomposites were then fabricated by absorbing cyclic(arylene disulfide) oligomers into the pores of exfoliated graphite. Subsequently, the nanocomposite precursor was subjected to heat treatment to carry out the in situ ring‐opening polymerization of the oligomers via free radical mechanism. The as‐prepared nanocomposite exhibited a exfoliated nanostructure as evidenced by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation. The nanocomposite with a very small amount of graphite, 5 wt%, possesses a highly electrical conductivity of 4 S/cm, therefore, many applications can be found as conductive materials. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Simple,Mild and Efficient One‐Pot Synthesis of 2‐Substituted Benzimidazoles in the Presence of H2O2/HCl under Microwave Irradiation

A simple, fast and efficient method for the preparation of several 2‐substituted benzimidazole derivatives is reported. Compounds were synthesized through a rapid one‐pot synthesis via microwave irradiation, starting from aldehydes and o‐phenylenediamine, in the presence of H₂O₂/HCl system in acetonitrile. The significant features of this method are short reaction times, high yields, easy and quick isolation of the products.     

Phenol-formaldehyde resin route to the synthesis of several iron group transition metal phosphides

Abstract

A series of iron, cobalt and nickel metal phosphides of chemical formula Fe_xP, Co₂P and Ni₂P with high specific surface areas of 331.1, 294.2 and 228.0 m² g^?1, respectively, was firstly synthesized by phenol-formaldehyde resin route. It was found that the as-prepared Co₂P and Ni₂P samples synthesized using phenol-formaldehyde resin as a carbon source showed much higher BET surface areas than those prepared using other carbon sources reported before, including cinnamic strong alkali anion exchange resin, p-phenylenediamine and hexamethylenetetramine. This phenol-formaldehyde resin route was proved to be as universal as traditional H₂ reduction method.     

Yolk-shell nanostructural Ni_2P/C composites as the high performance electrocatalysts toward urea oxidation

Highly active and low-cost catalytic electrodes for urea oxidation reaction(UOR) are always crucial for exploration of urea fuel cells.Herein,novel york-shell-structural Ni_2P/C na nosphere hybrids(Ni_2P/C-YS)are rationally constructed via a hydrothermal method and subsequent phosphidation treatment under different temperature ranging from 250℃ to 450℃ for UOR applications.In the in-situ constructed hollow york-shell structure,the coupling of conductive carbon materials and active Ni_2P allows numerous interfaces facilitating the electron transfer and thereby accelerating the catalytic kinetics.The results demonstrate that Ni_2P/C-YS-350 nanocomposite can boost the UOR process with a low potential of 1.366 V vs.RHE at a current density of 50 mA/cm~2 in alkaline electrolyte and afford the superior durability with negligible potential decay after 23 h.This study presents that the carbon coated Ni_2P hybrid with the optimized crystallinities and hollow york-shell configurations can be a promising candidate for application in urea fuel cells.     

Ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of PMMA/Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanocomposite in mixed surfactant system

PMMA/Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ nanocomposite with superparamagnetic behavior was synthesized by in situ emulsion polymerization of methylmethacrylate (MMA) monomer in the presence of Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ colloidal suspension assisted by ultrasonic irradiation. The obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). XRD and FT-IR spectra confirmed the formation of PMMA/Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ nanocomposite. TEM images showed that Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ nanoparticles with the particle sizes of about 12 nm were well dispersed in the polymer matrix. The nanocomposite at room temperature exhibited superparamagnetic behavior under applied magnetic field. The formation mechanism of PMMA/Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ nanocomposite was proposed as well.     

共聚物模板辅助合成高倍率性能多孔Li2FeSiO4@C/CNTs纳米复合正极材料

通过溶胶-凝胶法制备了Li₂FeSiO₄@C/CNTs(LFS@C/CNTs)纳米复合材料,其中三嵌段共聚物P123用作结构导向剂和碳源,碳纳米管作为导电线提高材料的导电性。LFS@C/CNTs不仅具有海绵状纳米孔,能够与电解液充分接触改善锂离子的传输路径,同时由非晶碳和碳纳米管构成的三维桥联导电网络利于电子的快速传递,提高了材料大电流充放电能力和循环稳定性。复合后的LFS@C/CNTs的高倍率性能相比LFS@C明显提高, 当CNTs的掺量为4%,电压窗口为1.5~4.5 V,0.1C电流密度下放电比容量为182 mAh·g^-1。在10C经70次循环后该材料的放电比容量能保持在117 mAh·g^-1,是LFS@C放电比容量(55 mAh·g^-1)的两倍。     

共聚物模板辅助合成高倍率性能多孔Li2FeSiO4@C/CNTs纳米复合正极材料

通过溶胶-凝胶法制备了Li₂FeSiO₄@C/CNTs(LFS@C/CNTs)纳米复合材料,其中三嵌段共聚物P123用作结构导向剂和碳源,碳纳米管作为导电线提高材料的导电性。LFS@C/CNTs不仅具有海绵状纳米孔,能够与电解液充分接触改善锂离子的传输路径,同时由非晶碳和碳纳米管构成的三维桥联导电网络利于电子的快速传递,提高了材料大电流充放电能力和循环稳定性。复合后的LFS@C/CNTs的高倍率性能相比LFS@C明显提高, 当CNTs的掺量为4%,电压窗口为1.5~4.5 V,0.1C电流密度下放电比容量为182 mAh·g^-1。在10C经70次循环后该材料的放电比容量能保持在117 mAh·g^-1,是LFS@C放电比容量(55 mAh·g^-1)的两倍。     

Microwave‐Hydrothermal Preparation and Visible‐Light Photoactivity of Plasmonic Photocatalyst Ag‐TiO2 Nanocomposite Hollow Spheres

Visible‐light‐driven plasmonic photocatalyst Ag‐TiO₂ nanocomposite hollow spheres are prepared by a template‐free chemically‐induced self‐transformation strategy under microwave‐hydrothermal conditions, followed by a photochemical reduction process under xenon lamp irradiation. The prepared samples are characterized by using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, N₂ adsorption‐desorption isotherms, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV/Vis and Raman spectroscopy. Production of ?OH radicals on the surface of visible‐light illuminated TiO₂ was detected by using a photoluminescence method with terephthalic acid as the probe molecule. The photocatalytic activity of as‐prepared samples was evaluated by photocatalytic decolorization of Rhodamine B (RhB) aqueous solution at ambient temperature under visible‐light irradiation. The results show that the surface plasmon absorption band of the silver nanoparticles supported on the TiO₂ hollow spheres was red shifted, and a strong surface enhanced Raman scattering effect for the Ag‐TiO₂ nanocomposite sample was observed. The prepared nanocomposite hollow spheres exhibits a highly visible‐light photocatalytic activity for photocatalytic degradation of RhB in water, and their photocatalytic activity is higher than that of pure TiO₂ and commercial Degussa P25 (P25) powders. Especially, the as‐prepared Ag‐TiO₂ nanocomposite hollow spheres at the nominal atomic ratio of silver to titanium ( R ) of 2 showed the highest photocatalytic activity, which exceeds that of P25 by a factor of more than 2.     

Rapid microwave-hydrothermal conversion of lignin model compounds to value-added products via catalytic oxidation using metal organic frameworks

Microwave irradiation is an effective method for faster heating to shorten reaction time of oxidative valorization of lignin. However, studies using microwave irradiation for lignin oxidation all employ homogeneous catalysis. Thus, this study aims to investigate heterogeneous catalytic oxidation of lignin under microwave irradiation. Especially, metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are adopted as transition metal-containing heterogeneous catalysts for lignin oxidation. In particularly, MOFs (MIL-101 (Cr), MIL-101 (Fe), UiO-66, HKUST-1, and MOF-801) are also prepared using microwave irradiation and used as for oxidative conversion of a model lignin compound, vanillyl alcohol (VAL), to the valuable products, vanillin (VN) and vanillic acid (VAC), using H₂O₂ as an oxidant. While the tested MOFs all exhibit catalytic activities for VAL conversion to VN/VAC, MIL-101 and MOF-801 appear to be relatively effective. Through investigating the effect of temperature, VAL conversion to VN/VAC is less favorable at higher temperature possibly due to degradation of H₂O₂ at high temperatures. While a higher dosage of H₂O₂ increases VAL conversion, the additionally added H₂O₂ seems to further oxidize VN to VAC instead of converting more VAL to VN. Through the EPR analyses, the mechanism of VAL conversion to VN/VAC may be attributed to both the OH-based and non-OH^? routes. The most effective MOF, MOF-801, also exhibited very similar catalytic activities over several cycles. The results indicate that MOFs can convert VAL to valuable products of VN and VAC within a very short time (10 min) under microwave irradiation. MOF-801 was also validated as a promising MOF for VAL conversion.     

A Designed TiO2/Carbon Nanocomposite as a High‐Efficiency Lithium‐Ion Battery Anode and Photocatalyst

Herein, a peapod‐like TiO₂/carbon nanocomposite has successfully been synthesized by a rational method for the first time. The novel nanostructure exhibits a distinct feature of TiO₂ nanoparticles encapsulated inside and the carbon fiber coating outside. In the synthetic process, H₂Ti₃O₇ nanotubes serve as precursors and templates, and glucose molecules act as the green carbon source. With the alliciency of hydrogen bonding between H₂Ti₃O₇ and glucose, a thin polymer layer is hydrothermally assembled and subsequently converted into carbon fibers through calcinations under an inert atmosphere. Meanwhile, the precursors of H₂Ti₃O₇ nanotubes are transformed into the TiO₂ nanoparticles encapsulated in carbon fibers. The achieved unique nanocomposites can be used as excellent anode materials in lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) and photocatalytic reagents in the degradation of rhodamine B. Due to the synergistic effect derived from TiO₂ nanoparticles and carbon fibers, the obtained peapod‐like TiO₂/carbon cannot only deliver a high specific capacity of 160 mAh g^?1 over 500 cycles in LIBs, but also perform a much faster photodegradation rate than bare TiO₂ and P25. Furthermore, owing to the low cost, environmental friendliness as well as abundant source, this novel TiO₂/carbon nanocomposite will have a great potential to be extended to other application fields, such as specific catalysis, gas sensing, and photovoltaics.     

Fast synthesis of core-shell LiCoPO4/C nanocomposite via microwave heating and its electrochemical Li intercalation performances

A very simple and rapid method for synthesizing LiCoPO₄/C nanocomposite has been developed via microwave heating. X-ray diffraction confirmed that nanosized olivine LiCoPO₄ was successfully synthesized. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy verified that LiCoPO₄ displays small powders with an average size of ～150 nm and is also coated with uniform amorphous carbon film of ～10 nm in thickness. Compared with pure LiCoPO₄, LiCoPO₄/C composite presented enhanced electrochemical Li-ion intercalation performances. Cyclic voltammetric and electrical tests disclosed that the Li-ion diffusion, the reversibility of lithium extraction/insertion and electrical conductivity were significantly improved in LiCoPO₄/C composite.     

Pretreatment of alfalfa stems by wood decay fungus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Perenniporia meridionalis</Emphasis> improves cellulose degradation and minimizes the use of chemicals

Enzymes of wood decay fungi can be exploited to degrade lignocellulosic wastes for sustainable production of bioethanol. Perenniporia meridionalis was tested for growing at different temperatures on stems of alfalfa. The process aims to produce fermentable sugars and can be divided into the following steps: (1) fungal treatment to degrade lignin, (2) microwave pretreatment in water or in phosphoric acid, and (3) enzymatic hydrolysis of cell wall carbohydrates. Thermogravimetric analysis assessed the biomass content of cellulose and lignin after the fungal treatment. Throughout all steps HPLC analysis of sugars, oligomers and by-products (furfural, hydroxymethylfurfural and acids) was performed. Scanning electron microscopy was used for visual inspection and characterization of the experimental material during the treatments. The P. meridionalis pretreatment enhanced the yield of fermentable sugars obtainable by enzymatic hydrolysis in samples subjected to microwave-assisted pretreatment in water, but not in those in acid medium. This is probably related to the very selective removal of lignin by P. meridionalis, exposing cellulose fibers without depleting them. Furthermore, microwave treatment in water produced less byproducts than in acid medium. By exploiting the P. meridionalis lignin degradation is therefore possible to avoid H₃PO₄ use during the alfalfa stem pre-treatment, reducing economic and environmental impacts.     

Facile Preparation of Ni2P with a Sulfur‐Containing Surface Layer by Low‐Temperature Reduction of Ni2P2S6

Preparation of Ni₂P by temperature‐programmed reduction (TPR) of a phosphate precursor is challenging because the P?O bond is strong. An alternative approach to synthesizing Ni₂P, by reduction of nickel hexathiodiphosphate (Ni₂P₂S₆), is presented. Conversion of Ni₂P₂S₆ into Ni₂P occurs at 200–220 °C, a temperature much lower than that required by the conventional TPR method (typically 500 °C). A sulfur‐containing layer with a thickness of about 4.7 nm, composed of tiny crystallites, was observed at the surface of the obtained Ni₂P catalyst (Ni₂P?S). This is a direct observation of the sulfur‐containing layer of Ni₂P, or the so‐called nickel phosphosulfide phase. Both the hydrodesulfurization activity and the selective hydrogenation performance of Ni₂P‐S were superior to that of the catalyst prepared by the TPR method, suggesting a positive role of sulfur on the surface of Ni₂P‐S. These features render Ni₂P‐S a legitimate alternative non‐precious metal catalyst for hydrogenation reactions.     

Application of microwave method to the solid phase synthesis of pseudopeptides containing ester bond

A new procedure was developed for reducing the reaction time and improving the yield of esterification reaction in solid phase synthesis of pseudopeptides containing an ester bond by utilizing microwave irradiation. We selected a pseudodipeptide (Fmoc-LysΨ[COO]Leu-NH₂) and optimized the microwave-assisted esterification reaction in solid phase synthesis using Fmoc chemistry. For this, microwave-assisted esterification reactions with different reaction time, temperature, and solvents were performed using 1,3-diisopropylcarbodiimide (DIC) as the coupling reagent. We synthesized several pseudodipeptides containing an ester bond by using the optimized microwave irradiation method. The purity and yield of the pseudodipeptides synthesized in this way were better than those obtained without microwave irradiation. Furthermore, we applied this methodology for synthesizing pseudopeptides (6- and 12-mer) corresponding to the α helical peptide. The microwave-assisted esterification reaction afforded the target pseudopeptides with high yield (∼80%) and purity within 12 min, whereas the reaction without microwave irradiation afforded the target compound with poor yield (∼45%) and low purity.     

Electrons and Hydroxyl Radicals Synergistically Boost the Catalytic Hydrogen Evolution from Ammonia Borane over Single Nickel Phosphides under Visible Light Irradiation

From the perspective of tailoring the reaction pathways of photogenerated charge carriers and intermediates to remarkably enhance the solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion efficiency, we synthesized the three low-cost semiconducting nickel phosphides Ni₂P, Ni₁₂P₅ and Ni₃P, which singly catalyzed the hydrogen evolution from ammonia borane (NH₃BH₃) in the alkaline aqueous solution under visible light irradiation at 298 K. The systematic investigations showed that all the catalysts had higher activities under visible light irradiation than in the dark and Ni₂P had the highest photocatalytic activity with the initial turnover frequency (TOF) value of 82.7 min⁻¹, which exceeded the values of reported metal phosphides at 298 K. The enhanced activities of nickel phosphides were attributed to the visible-light-driven synergistic effect of photogenerated electrons (e⁻) and hydroxyl radicals (^.OH), which came from the oxidation of hydroxide anions by photogenerated holes. This was verified by the fluorescent spectra and the capture experiments of photogenerated electrons and holes as well as hydroxyl radicals in the catalytic hydrogen evolution process.     

Microwave synthesis of LaMO3 (M = Mn, Co, Fe) perovskites from crystalline hydrates of nitrates

The possibility of synthesizing perovskite-type LaMO₃ (M = Mn, Co, Fe) oxides by microwave irradiation of crystalline hydrates of nitrates was studied. Oxides with the perovskite structure form at the microwave irradiation stage; however, the resulting product is not singe-phase. Additional thermal treatment of the microwave synthesis product at 600 to 900°C for 5 h is needed for a single-phase oxide to be formed in the case of M = Mn. In the case of M = Co or Fe, the samples contain considerable amounts of the simple oxides La₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃ or Co₃O₄ along with the perovskite. The synthesized products were investigated in nitrous oxide decomposition and methane oxidation as model reactions. As compared to the samples obtained by other techniques, they have a larger specific surface area and are more active.     

TiO2柱撑海泡石负载Ni2P的噻吩加氢脱硫性能

以氢氧化镍为镍源, 亚磷酸为磷源, TiO₂柱撑海泡石(Ti-Sep)为载体, 采用浸渍法制备了含磷化镍前驱体的样品, 然后采用程序升温还原法制备了Ni质量分数(w)为5%-25%的Ni₂P/Ti-Sep催化剂, 并考察了其噻吩加氢脱硫性能. 采用X射线衍射(XRD)、N₂吸附-脱附、热重分析(TGA)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)和傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱对催化剂样品进行了表征. 结果表明, 海泡石经TiO₂柱撑之后层间距增大, 比表面积和孔容都明显变大, 热稳定性增强, 活性组分Ni₂P能很好地分散在海泡石层间及表面, 并且没有破坏海泡石的层状结构. 上述原因导致Ni₂P/Ti-Sep催化剂的噻吩加氢脱硫活性明显优于Ni₂P/Na-Sep(NaCl改性海泡石)和Ni₂P/HCl-Sep(HCl改性海泡石)催化剂. 当Ni负载量为15% (w)时, Ni₂P/Ti-Sep催化剂具有最好的噻吩加氢脱硫性能; 在反应温度为400℃时, 噻吩转化率达100%.     

Nanosized Metal Phosphides Embedded in Nitrogen‐Doped Porous Carbon Nanofibers for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution at All pH Values

Transition‐metal phosphides (TMPs) have emerged as promising catalyst candidates for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Although numerous methods have been investigated to obtain TMPs, most rely on traditional synthetic methods that produce materials that are inherently deficient with respect to electrical conductivity. An electrospinning‐based reduction approach is presented, which generates nickel phosphide nanoparticles in N‐doped porous carbon nanofibers (Ni₂P@NPCNFs) in situ. Ni₂P nanoparticles are protected from irreversible fusion and aggregation in subsequent high‐temperature pyrolysis. The resistivity of Ni₂P@NPCNFs (5.34 Ω cm) is greatly decreased by 10⁴ times compared to Ni₂P (>10⁴ Ω cm) because N‐doped carbon NFs are incorporated. As an electrocatalyst for HER, Ni₂P@NPCNFs reveal remarkable performance compared to other previously reported catalysts in acidic media. Additionally, it offers excellent catalytic ability and durability in both neutral and basic media. Encouraged by the excellent electrocatalytic performance of Ni₂P@NPCNFs, a series of pea‐like M_xP@NPCNFs, including Fe₂P@NPCNFs, Co₂P@NPCNFs, and Cu₃P@NPCNFs, were synthesized by the same method. Detailed characterization suggests that the newly developed method could render combinations of ultrafine metal phosphides with porous carbon accessible; thereby, extending opportunities in electrocatalytic applications.     

Monodisperse Sandwich‐Like Coupled Quasi‐Graphene Sheets Encapsulating Ni2P Nanoparticles for Enhanced Lithium‐Ion Batteries

In this report, sandwiched Ni₂P nanoparticles encapsulated by graphene sheets are first synthesized by directly encapsulating functional units in graphene sheets instead of fabricating separate graphene sheets and then immobilizing the functional components onto the generated surfaces. In this strategy, we use low‐cost, sustainable and environmentally friendly glucose as a carbon source and NiNH₄PO₄ ? H₂O nanosheets as sacrificial templates. This unique structure obtained here cannot only prevent the nanoparticles from aggregation or loss but also enhance the electronic conductivity compared to the independent nanoparticles. Furthermore, the novel sandwich‐like Ni₂P/C can be applied in plenty of fields, especially in electrical energy storage. In this paper, a series of electrochemical tests of the sandwich‐like Ni₂P/C are carried out, which demonstrate the excellent cyclic stability and rate capacity for lithium‐ion batteries.     

Nickel(II) cluster‐based mixed‐cation coordination polymer synthesized from 2‐mercaptobenzoic acid and its application

High‐nuclearity metal clusters have received considerable attention not only because of their diverse architectures and topologies, but also because of their potential applications as functional materials in many fields. To explore new types of clusters and their potential applications, a new nickel(II) cluster‐based mixed‐cation coordination polymer, namely poly[hexakis[μ₄‐(2‐carboxylatophenyl)sulfanido]di‐μ₃‐chlorido‐tri‐μ₂‐hydroxido‐octanickel(II)sodium(I)], [Ni₈NaCl₂(OH)₃(C₇H₄O₂S)₆]_n, 1 , was synthesized using nickel chloride hexahydrate and mercaptobenzoic acid (H₂mba) as starting reactants under hydrothermal conditions. The material was characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction (SCXRD), Fourier transform IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, powder X‐ray diffraction and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. SCXRD shows that 1 consists of a hexanuclear nickel(II) [Ni₆] cluster, dinuclear Ni^II nodes and a mononuclear Na^I node, resulting in the formation of a complex covalent three‐dimensional network. In addition, a tightly packed NiO/C&S nanocomposite is fabricated by sintering the coordination precursor at 400 °C. The uniform nanocomposite consists of NiO nanoparticles, incompletely carbonized carbon and incompletely vulcanized sulfur. When used as a supercapacitor electrode, the synthesized composite shows an extra‐long cycling stability (>5000 cycles) during the charge/discharge process.