Fabrication of flame-retardant and smoke-suppressant isocyanate-based polyimide foam modified by silica aerogel thermal insulation and flame protection layers

Because of containing urea groups, flame resistance and smoke releasing behaviors of isocyanate-based polyimide foam (IBPIF) produced using free foaming technology require further improvement. In this work, silica aerogel layers were incorporated into cells of IBPIF through an in situ growth process of silica sol (SS). Compared with silica aerogel particles directly mixed into the foaming slurry, the silica aerogel layers that firmly attached to the pores and surfaces of cells not only provided exceptional thermal insulation and flame protection, but also kept original cellular structure. With increase in ratio of SS mass to IBPIF volume, silica aerogel incorporation dosage was gradually increased. Accompanied by flame resistance was obviously improved and smoke releasing behavior was effectively suppressed. Those were indicated by the improved limiting oxygen index (LOI), decreased heat release rate (HRR), peak of HRR, and specific optical density of smoke (Ds) in trials with pilot flames. Compared with pure IBPIF, when the ratio reached to 5/15 g/cm³, it resulted in LOI increasing from 22.0% to 33.0%, peak of HRR, total smoke production (TSP), and maximum value of Ds decreasing from 174 to 72 kW/m², 1.11 to 0.37 m²/m², 45.90 to 17.45, respectively.     

多尺度Ag/CuO复合光热材料的制备及在海水淡化中的应用

采用原位化学反应和热处理相结合的策略,在泡沫铜表面形成丝线状与花瓣状的立体无机物阵列,然后在其表面蒸镀Ag纳米颗粒(NPs),成功制备了基于泡沫铜的Ag/CuO复合光热材料。该复合材料因表面三维立体阵列结构以及Ag NPs而具备较高的太阳光吸收率。故而,Ag/CuO复合光热材料结合三聚氰胺泡沫组成的蒸发器件实现了高效的海水淡化。本研究除了探索光陷阱深度和金属掺杂对吸收体光热转换效率增强之外,还搭建了太阳能驱动界面蒸汽生成测试系统,测试了样品的光热蒸发性能。在1倍太阳(1 kW·m~(-2))辐照下,该器件整体蒸发速率高达1.097 6 kg·m~(-2)·h~(-1),即其蒸发效率可达78.38%。     

Controlled Synthesis of Cr‐Co0.85Se Nanoarrays for Water Splitting at an Ultralow Cell Voltage of 1.43 V

Water splitting has attracted more and more attention as a promising strategy for the production of clean hydrogen fuel. In this work, a new synthesis strategy was proposed, and Co_0.85Se was synthesized on nickel foam as the main matrix. The doping of appropriate Cr amount into the target of Co_0.85Se and the Cr‐Co_0.85Se resulted in an excellent electrochemical performance. The doping of Cr introduces Cr³⁺ ions which substitute Co²⁺ and Co³⁺ ions in Co_0.85Se, so that the lattice parameters of the main matrix were changed. It is worth noting that the Cr0.15‐Co_0.85Se/NF material exhibits an excellent performance in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) test. When the current density reaches 50 mA cm^?2 for OER, the overpotential is only 240 mV. For the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) tests, the overpotential is only 117 mV to drive 10 mA cm^?2 of current density. Moreover, when the Cr0.15‐Co_0.85Se/NF material is used as a two‐electrode device for whole water splitting, the required cell voltage is only 1.43 V to reach a current density of 10 mA cm^?2, which is among the lowest values of the published catalysts up to now. In addition, the Cr0.15‐Co_0.85Se/NF catalyst also exhibits excellent stability during a long period of water splitting. The experimental result demonstrates that the change of the lattice structure has an obvious influence on the electrocatalytic activity of the material. When an external electric field is applied, it facilitates the rapid electron transfer rate and enhances the electrocatalytic performance and stability of the material.     

The Impact of Foaming Effect on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of Foam Glasses with Molecular-Level Insights

Foaming effect strongly impacts the physical and mechanical properties of foam glass materials, but an understanding of its mechanism especially at the molecular level is still limited. In this study, the foaming effects of dextrin, a mixture of dextrin and carbon, and different carbon allotropes are investigated with respect to surface morphology as well as physical and mechanical properties, in which 1 wt.% carbon black is identified as an optimal choice for a well-balanced material property. More importantly, the different foaming effects are elucidated by all-atomistic molecular dynamics simulations with molecular-level insights into the structure–property relationships. The results show that smaller pores and more uniform pore structure benefit the mechanical properties of the foam glass samples. The foam glass samples show excellent chemical and thermal stability with 1 wt.% carbon as the foaming agent. Furthermore, the foaming effects of CaSO₄ and Na₂HPO₄ are investigated, which both create more uniform pore structures. This work may inspire more systematic approaches to control foaming effect for customized engineering needs by establishing molecular-level structure–property–process relationships, thereby, leading to efficient production of foam glass materials with desired foaming effects.     

泡沫镍载碳化钨催化剂上的析氢反应

结合直接化学还原法和交替微波法制备了泡沫Ni载Ni-WC催化剂,用X射线衍射、扫描电镜和透射电镜对催化剂进行了表征,研究了其析氢电催化性能.结果表明,在相同条件下,泡沫Ni载Ni-WC催化剂的析氢起始电位与泡沫Ni相比降低了60 mV左右.电解质浓度和温度对泡沫Ni载Ni-WC催化剂的析氢电催化活性有很大影响.     

非均匀多孔介质有效热导率分析

本文采用控制容积法,界面调和平均导热系数值以及图形处理方法对典型非均匀多孔介质硬质聚氨酯泡沫材料的导热过程进行了分析与模拟计算。结果表明:多孔介质的内部结构是影响温度分布和热量传递的主要的因素,其影响程度与骨架和孔隙的导热系数,孔隙的大小和分布有关;计算得到的有效热导率值与文献中实验测量结果吻合较好。本文的研究结果可以推广到更为复杂的非均匀多孔介质的场合,从而可以进一步认识非均匀多孔介质中的导热规律,为工程计算提供更精确的计算方法。     

泡沫塑料动态快速分离富集金方法的研究

本文系统研究了泡沫塑料动态快速分离富集金的方法。对泡沫塑料柱的处理方法,再生及主要共存离子干扰的消除等均做了较详细的研究。提出了一种简便,不控速的金分离富集的方法。该法用于分析0.051～3.59g/t四种不同含量的金标样,结果与推荐值吻合,5次分析结果,相对标准偏差<5％,同时,可用泡沫塑料柱当天连续使用分析拿标样,回收率为93％—109％。     

Molecularly engineered graphene surfaces for sensing applications: A review

Graphene is scientifically and commercially important because of its unique molecular structure which is monoatomic in thickness, rigorously two-dimensional and highly conjugated. Consequently, graphene exhibits exceptional electrical, optical, thermal and mechanical properties. Herein, we critically discuss the surface modification of graphene, the specific advantages that graphene-based materials can provide over other materials in sensor research and their related chemical and electrochemical properties. Furthermore, we describe the latest developments in the use of these materials for sensing technology, including chemical sensors and biosensors and their applications in security, environmental safety and diseases detection and diagnosis.     

Affinity foam fractionation of Trichoderma cellulase

Cellulase could not be selectively collected from fermentation broth by simple foam fractionation, because of the presence of other more surface-active compounds. A new approach of affinity foam fractionation was investigated for improvement. A hardwood hydrolysate (containing cellulose oligomers, substrates to cellulase) and two substrate analogs, i.e., carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and xylan hydrolysate, were added before the foaming process. The substrates and substrate analogs were indeed found to bind the cellulase selectively and form more hydrophobic complexes that partition more readily onto bubble surfaces. In this study, the effects of the type and concentration of substrate/analog as well as the presence of cells at different growth stages were examined. The foam fractionation properties evaluated included foaming speed, foam stability, foamate volume, and enrichment of filter paper unit (FPU) and individual cellulase components (i.e., endoglucanases, exoglucanases, and β-glucosidases). Depending on the broth and substrate/analog employed, the foamate FPU could be more than fourfold higher than the starting broth FPU. Addition of substrate/analog also deterred the enrichment of other extracellular proteins, resulting in the desired cellulase purification in the foamate. The value of E/P (enzyme activity-FPU/g/L of proteins) in the foamate reached as high as 18, from a lactose-based fermentation broth with original E/P of 5.6. Among cellulase components, exoglucanases were enriched the most and β-glucosidases the least. The study with CMC of different molecular weights (MW) and degrees of substitution (DS) indicated that the CMC with low DS and high MW performed better in cellulase foam fractionation.     

Metal foams: A survey

The current state-of-the-art in the development of cellular metal foams is reviewed, with focus on their fabrication, mechanical/thermal/acoustic properties, and potential applications as lightweight panels, energy absorbers, heat exchangers, and acoustic liners. Foam property charts with scaling relations are presented, allowing scoping and selection through the use of material indices.