Recent Progress in the Electrolytes of Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries

Rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) have garnered tremendous attention in the field of next energy storage devices due to their high safety, low cost, abundant resources, and eco-friendliness. As an important component of the zinc-ion battery, the electrolyte plays a vital role in the electrochemical properties, since it will provide a pathway for the migrations of the zinc ions between the cathode and anode, and determine the ionic conductivity, electrochemically stable potential window, and reaction mechanism. In this Minireview, a brief introduction of electrochemical principles of the aqueous ZIBs is discussed and the recent advances of various aqueous electrolytes for ZIBs, including liquid, gel, and multifunctional hydrogel electrolytes are also summarized. Furthermore, the remaining challenges and future directions of electrolytes in aqueous ZIBs are also discussed, which could provide clues for the following development.     

Naturally derived green bio-additives

During the last few years, special attention has been paid by the lubricant industry towards vegetable oil-based lubricants due to their biodegradability, renewability and excellent tribological properties. But to maintain the biodegradability of the final lubricants, the additive in the lubricants must also be biodegradable. Hence, in our present work, multifunctional lubricating oil additive based on castor oil has been investigated as a less toxic, feasible alternative to traditional petroleum based additives. Homopolymer of castor oil and its copolymer with α-pinene were synthesized by a thermal method using azobisisobutyronitrile as a radical initiator. Characterization of the prepared polymers was performed by spectral analysis and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Additive performances of each of the prepared polymers as viscosity index improvers/viscosity modifiers and pour point depressants were carefully evaluated. Photo micrographic image was used to study the effectiveness of the additives as pour point depressants. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was conducted to investigate the thermal response of the additives at high temperature. Finally, biodegradability of all the polymers was tested against fungal pathogen by the disc diffusion method and soil burial test. The study illuminated excellent additive performances of the polymers and thus their potential for acting as entirely naturally derived green bio-additives for lube oil.     

Viscosity-Temperature Behavior of Hydroxypropyl Cellulose Solution in Presence of an Electrolyte or a Surfactant: A Convenient Method to Determine the Cloud Point of Polymer Solutions

The viscosity of hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) solution with or without an additive has been measured continuously as a function of temperature with the help of a vibro-viscometer. The viscosity of the polymer solution showed a gradual decrease initially with increase in temperature until a particular point beyond which there was a sharp decrease in the viscosity, which coincided with the clouding of the solution. The cloud point temperature (CP) of the polymer solution was determined from the first derivative plot of viscosity vs. temperature. Effect of addition of an electrolyte or a surfactant on the CP of HPC solution has also been studied. While a decrease in CP of HPC solution in presence of fluoride, chloride, or bromide ions was observed, presence of iodide or thiocyanide ions led to an increase in the CP. However, presence of an ionic surfactant initially lowered the CP but beyond a particular surfactant concentration a sharp increase in cloud point was observed due to interaction of the surfactant with the polymer. The results suggest that surfactants with longer hydrophobic tail or more hydrophobic groups have more affinity for HPC.     

THERMAL BEHAVIOR AND IONIC CONDUCTIVITY OF POLY[LITHIUM-N(4-SULFO-PHENYL) MALEIMIDE -CO-METHOXY OLIGO(OXYETHYLENE) METHACRYLATE]

Poly[lithium-N(4-sulfophenyl) maleimide -co- methoxy oligo-(oxyethylene) methacrylates] [P(LiSMOE_n)s] with three different oligoether side chains and different salt concentrations were synthesized. The copolyelectrolytes are essentially random in structure, with blocks of methoxy oligo(oxyethylene) meth-acrylate (MOE_nM) recurring sporadically in between the salt units of N(4-sulfophenyl) maleimide. They all show two glass transitions in the temperature range of ?100 to 100°C. The first one below ?30°C is assigned to the oligo(oxyethylene) side chain (T _g1), while the second one located between 20 and 50°C is attributed to the main chain of the polymer host (T _g2). The maximum ionic conductivity of the copolymer electrolytes, 1.6 × 10^?7 S cm^?1 at 25°C, occurs at lithium salt concentration [Li⁺]/[EO] = 2.2 mol%. The ionic conductive behavior of the copolyelectrolytes follows the Vogel-Tammann-Fulcher (VTF) equation. Moreover, a special VTF behavior exists in the copolymers with shorter oligoether side chain and higher salt concentration. Sweep voltammetric results indicate that these copolyelectrolytes have a good electrochemical stability window.     

Scaling in Electrical Conductivity Measurements and Rheological Measurements of Monarch 700 Dispersions Stabilized by Polymers

For making stable dispersions of graphitic carbon black (Monarch 700), the effectiveness of three dispersants/polymers (hypermer LP1, hypermer B246, and OLOA 11000) in xylene is investigated. Hypermer LP1 (polyhydroxystearic acid) is a homopolymer and hypermer B246 (PEG 30-dipolyhydroxystearate) is a polyhydroxystearic acid/polyethylene oxide/polyhydroxystearic acid ABA block copolymer, while OLOA 11000 (polyisobutylene succinimide) has a polar head group (polyamine) attached to a hydrocarbon chain (polyisobutylene). Well-dispersed graphitic carbon black dispersions were prepared using dispersants at optimum concentrations. Percolation threshold and rheological threshold were determined by analyzing the variations in electrical conductivity and elastic modulus with concentration of carbon black. Above threshold concentration, scaling law was applied to experimental data of rheology (dynamic measurements) and electrical conductivity measurements to evaluate quality of the system. Effectiveness of polymers was investigated on the basis of value of critical exponent (t and t′, respectively) in scaling power law. Hypermer LP1 was proved to be a poor dispersant for Monarch 700 dispersions while other two polymers were found to be effective stabilizers.     

Studies on the Effect of Organic Solvents and Temperature on the Micellar Solution of Pentamethylene-1,5-bis(tetradecyldimethylammonium bromide) Gemini Surfactant

Effects of three organic solvents, viz. methyl cellosolve, acetonitrile, and formamide, on the micellization process of Gemini surfactant pentamethylene-1,5-bis(tetradecyldimethylammonium bromide) aqueous solutions, with the volume percentages of the organic solvents up to 50%, have been investigated conductometrically. The studies were made at different temperatures and the data were used to find out different micellization parameters. From the study, it was observed that, although an increment in the amount of the organic solvents delays the micellization, the increase in the critical micelle concentration (cmc) is comparatively less below 20%(v/v) showing the predominance of water character in the bulk phase at lower compositions of the organic solvents. Applying equilibrium model for micelle formation, various thermodynamic parameters were also calculated from the temperature dependence of the cmc values and the results show that the micellization process becomes less spontaneous as the volume % of the organic solvent increases in the system due to the action of water-organic solvent mixed media as better solvent than pure water (solvophobic effect) for the studied Gemini molecules.     

Analysis of Crude Oils by Frequency Domain Spectroscopy—Effect of Composition and Physical Properties on Conductivity and Dielectric Response

The dielectric properties and the composition of fourteen light to heavy crude oils have been analyzed. Frequency domain spectroscopy (FDS) has been used in order to determine their dielectric response in the frequency range 0.01 to 1000 Hz. For all the crude oils, over the whole frequency range under study, dielectric loss, ?″, shows a linear dependence of frequency indicating a pure direct current (DC) conductivity. As temperature is gradually increased, the dielectric loss, ?″, increases as well, showing a strong temperature dependence. The storage modulus, ?′, shows an explicit behaviour at low frequency that could be due to adsorption of oil components onto the electrodes. We tried to correlate some physical and chemical properties (density, viscosity, SARA, TAN, water content) of the studied crude oils with their conductivity measured at various temperatures. No correlation was found and different hypothesis are suggested by the authors to explain this phenomenon.     

Mechanism of Ketone Allylation with Allylboronates as Catalyzed by Zinc Compounds: A DFT Study

The mechanism of the allylation reaction between 4‐chloroacetophenone and pinacol allylboronates catalyzed by ZnEt₂ with alcohols was investigated using density functional theory (DFT) at the M05‐2X/6‐311++G(d,p) level. The calculations reveal that the reaction prefers to proceed through a double γ‐addition stepwise reaction mechanism rather than a Lewis acid‐catalyzed concerted one. The intermediate with a four‐coordinated boron center, which is formed through proton transfer from EtOH to the ethyl group of ZnEt₂ mediated by the boron center, is the active species and an entrance for the catalytic cycle. The latter is composed of three elementary steps: 1) boron to zinc transmetalation leading to the formation of allylzincate species, 2) electrophilic addition of ketone to allylzincate species, and 3) generation of the final product with recovery of the catalyst. The boron to zinc transmetalation step has the largest energy barrier of 61.0 kJ mol^?1 and is predicted to be the rate‐determining step. The calculations indicate that the additive EtOH plays important roles both in lowering the activation free energy for the formation of the four‐coordinated boron active intermediate and in transforming the low catalytic activity ZnEt₂ into high activity zinc alkoxide species. The alcohols with a less sterically encumbering R group might be the effective additives. The substituted groups on the allylboronates might primarily affect the boron to zinc transmetalation, and the allylboronates with substituents on the C_γ atom is poor in reactivity. The comparison of the catalytic effect between the zinc compounds investigated suggest that Zn(OEt)₂, Zn(OH)₂, and ZnF₂ exhibit higher catalytic efficiency for the boron to zinc transmetalation due to the activation of the B? C_α bond through orbital interactions between the p orbitals of the EtO, OH, F groups and the empty p orbital of the boron center.     

基于自交联杂萘联苯聚芳醚阴离子交换膜制备及其物理化学性质

以氯甲基杂环聚醚酮(CMPPEK)为原料,加入三乙胺进行铵化,并分别加入二乙烯三胺(DETA)和二乙胺(DEA),生成的仲胺基(或叔胺基)与邻近分子链氯甲基团进行自交联.经过制膜和离子交换反应,制备了DETA自交联杂萘联苯聚芳醚阴离子交换膜(DETA-QPPEK-OH)和DEA自交联杂萘联苯聚芳醚阴离子交换膜(DEA-QPPEK-OH).采用傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱对制备自交联膜的化学结构进行表征.研究了DETA-QPPEK-OH和DEA-QPPEK-OH膜的理化性质,结果表明前者具有较低吸水率和更低溶胀度.通过研究DETAQPPEK-OH和DEA-QPPEK-OH膜的离子传导率随温度的变化规律,结果表明在80°C时其离子传导率分别达到0.060和0.028 S cm-1,表明本文制备的自交联膜具有较高离子传导率.此外还通过热重分析(TGA)对两类自交联膜的热稳定性进行了研究.     

质子型离子液体N,N-二甲基乙醇胺丙酸盐的密度、粘度及电导率

在283.15-333.15 K温度范围内, 测量了质子型离子液体N,N-二甲基乙醇胺丙酸盐(DMEOAP)的密度、粘度及电导率. 讨论了温度对密度、粘度和电导率等物理化学参数的影响. 通过经验和半经验方程得到了该离子液体的热膨胀系数、分子体积、标准摩尔熵及晶格能等热力学性质参数. 由电导率和密度计算出了该离子液体的摩尔电导率. 利用Vogel-Fulcher-Tamman (VFT)方程, 将测量的动力粘度和电导率对温度拟合, 得到了动力粘度和电导率随温度变化方程式.并通过Walden规则, 建立了粘度与摩尔电导率之间的联系.