Bio-inspired and Eco-friendly Synthesis of 3D Spongy Meso-Microporous Carbons from CO2 for Supercapacitors

Inspired by the spongy bone structures, three-dimensional (3D) sponge-like carbons with meso-microporous structures are synthesized through one-step electro-reduction of CO₂ in molten carbonate Li₂CO₃−Na₂CO₃−K₂CO₃ at 580 °C. SPC4-0.5 (spongy porous carbon obtained by electrolysis of CO₂ at 4 A for 0.5 h) is synthesized with the current efficiency of 96.9 %. SPC4-0.5 possesses large electrolyte ion accessible surface area, excellent wettability and electronical conductivity, ensuring the fast and effective mass and charge transfer, which make it an advcanced supercapacitor electrode material. SPC4-0.5 exhibits a specific capacitance as high as 373.7 F g⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹, excellent cycling stability (retaining 95.9 % of the initial capacitance after 10000 cycles at 10 A g⁻¹), as well as high energy density. The applications of SPC4-0.5 in quasi-solid-state symmetric supercapacitor and all-solid-state flexible devices for energy storage and wearable piezoelectric sensor are investigated. Both devices show considerable capacitive performances. This work not only presents a controllable and facile synthetic route for the porous carbons but also provides a promising way for effective carbon reduction and green energy production.     

Tubular Structures of Calcium Carbonate: Formation,Characterization, and Implications in Natural Mineral Environments

Chemical gardens are self-assembled tubular precipitates formed by a combination of osmosis, buoyancy, and chemical reaction, and thought to be capable of catalyzing prebiotic condensation reactions. In many cases, the tube wall is a bilayer structure with the properties of a diaphragm and/or a membrane. The interest in silica gardens as microreactors for materials science has increased over the past decade because of their ability to create long-lasting electrochemical potential. In this study, we have grown single macroscopic tubes based on calcium carbonate and monitored their time-dependent behavior by in situ measurements of pH, ionic concentrations inside and outside the tubular membranes, and electrochemical potential differences. Furthermore, we have characterized the composition and structure of the tubular membranes by using ex situ X-ray diffraction, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, as well as scanning electron microscopy. Based on the collected data, we propose a physicochemical mechanism for the formation and ripening of these peculiar CaCO₃ structures and compare the results to those of other chemical garden systems. We find that the wall of the macroscopic calcium carbonate tubes is a bilayer of texturally distinct but compositionally similar calcite showing high crystallinity. The resulting high density of the material prevents macroscopic calcium carbonate gardens from developing significant electrochemical potential differences. In the light of these observations, possible implications in materials science and prebiotic (geo)chemistry are discussed.     

CONVENTIONAL CHEMICAL AND DIRECT ELECTROCHEMICAL SYNTHESIS OF THE CHELATES OF 2-(N-TOSYLAMINE)BENZALDOXIME AND 2-(N-TOSYLAMINE)BENZAL-O-METHYLOXIME

Abstract

The chemical and direct electrochemical syntheses of copper, cobalt, nickel and zinc chelates of 2-[N-tosylamine)benzaldoxime (L¹H₂) and 2-[N-tosylamine)benzal-O-methyloxime (L²H) are reported. On the basis of the elemental analyse IR and EPR spectra and magnetic properties, dimeric structures ML are suggested from L¹H₂ under the conditions of the chemical synthesis, while electrosynthesis leads to the monomeric complexes M(L¹H)₂. Using L²H as a ligand, only the chelates ML² ₂ are formed, regardless of the method of synthesis.

The copper dimers CuL¹ have antiferromagnetic properties, while the chelates M(L¹H)₂ and ML₂ have normal magnetic moments. In agreement with the magnetic properties and literature data on structures of four-coordinate complexes a tetrahedral structure is assigned.     

Einige Aspekte der Entwicklung radiometrischer Analysen- und Detektionsverfahren

Die Ausnutzung von Quanten- und Teilchenstrahlung zur Analyse von Stoiffverteilungen und Stoffzusammensetzungen hat im vergangenen Jahrzehnt einen beträctlichen und fast unübersehbaren Umfang angenommen.

Es werden mögliche Schicerpunkie der zukünftigen Anforderungen an solche Analysenverfahren — die sich aus der modernen Forschung und Entvicklung ergeben — aufgezeichnet und die Anwendungsmöglichkeiten und der Entwicklungsstand spezieller Verfahren besprochen. Insbesondere werden Mönlichkeiten der Gesamtbilddurstellung, der Scanning-Verfahren und der Oberflächenuntersuchungen dünnster Schichten und Fragen der Strukluraufklärung, der chemischen Bindungen bzw. Bindungskonfigurationen diskutiert.     

Wire metamaterial based on semiconductor matrices

In this Letter, we have presented a new approach for the fabrication of nanowire media (wire metamaterials) by electrochemical methods. A^IIIB^V porous matrices (a host medium) were prepared by anodic electrochemical etching of industrial substrates. The host medium has been filled via electrochemical deposition with a metal and by means of annealing process. We have shown that this technique can be used to fabricate a nanowire medium with unique parameters (such as aspect ratio, high electric permittivity and strong χ⁽³⁾ nonlinearity near the fundamental absorption edge of the host media). (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Micellar capillary electrophoresis – Electrochemical detection of neurochemicals from Drosophila

The fruit fly is one of the most heavily studied model organisms for genetics research and has significantly contributed to the molecular, cellular, and evolutionary understandings of human behavior. Recent research in the analytical chemistry of the fruit fly has focused on developing methods to obtain highly sensitive chemical quantification information of Drosophila melanogaster, especially looking at the nervous system. We provide a brief overview of work in the area of CE of the fly head and brain.     

Flexible conducting polymer transistors with supercapacitor function

Planar organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) using PEDOT:PSS as the channel material and nanostructured carbon (nsC) as the gate electrode material and poly(sodium 4‐styrenesulfonate (PSSNa) gel as the electrolyte were fabricated on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (Mylar^®) substrates. The nsC was deposited at room‐temperature by supersonic cluster beam deposition (SCBD). Interestingly, the OECT acts as a hybrid supercapacitor (to give a device that we indicate as transcap). The energy storage ability of transcaps has been studied with two cell configurations: one featuring PEDOT:PSS as the positive electrode and nsC as the negative electrode and another configuration with reversed electrode polarity. Potentiostatic charge/discharge studies show that both supercapacitors show good performance in terms of voltage retention, in particular, when PEDOT:PSS is used as the positive electrode. Galvanostatic charge–discharge characteristics show typical symmetric triangular shape, indicating a nearly ideal capacitive behavior with a high columbic efficiency (close to 100%). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 96–103     

Reduction of CO2 by nickel (II) macrocycle catalyst at HMDE

With the aim of finding a suitable electrocatalyst for the efficient reduction of carbon dioxide, the electrochemistry of nickel (II) complex of 1,3,6,9,11,14-hexaazatricyclo [12·2·1·1] octadecane was studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and controlled-potential electrolysis (CPE) techniques in the presence and absence of CO₂ in 100% H₂O, CH₃CN-H₂O mixtures (20–100%) and DMF-H₂O (70–100%) mixtures. The efficiency of this process is determined using the coulometry technique. CO is the major product in the gaseous phase and HCOOH the sole product formed in the solution phase.