Synthesis and design of polyurethane and its nanocomposites derived from canola-castor oil: Mechanical,thermal and shape memory properties

The recent global pandemic and its tremendous effect on the price fluctuations of crude oil illustrates the side effects of petroleum dependency more evident than ever. Over the past decades, both academic and industrial communities spared endless efforts in order to replace petroleum-based materials with bio-derived resources. In the current study, a series of shape memory polymer composites (SMPC's) was synthesized from epoxidized vegetable oils, namely canola oil and castor oil fatty acids (COFA's) as a 100% bio-based polyol and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) as an isocyanate using a solvent/catalyst-free method in order to eventuate polyurethanes (PU's). Thereafter, graphene oxide (GO) nanoplatelets were synthesized and embedded in the neat PU in order to overcome the thermomechanical drawbacks of the neat matrix. The chemical structure of the synthesized components, as well as the dispersion and distribution levels of the nanoparticles, was characterized. In the following, thermal and mechanical properties as well as shape memory behavior of the specimens were comprehensively investigated. Likewise, the thermal conductivity was determined. This study proves that synthesized PU's based on vegetable oil polyols, including graphene nanoparticles, exhibit proper thermal and mechanical properties, which make them stand as a potential candidate to compete with traditional petroleum-based SMPC's.     

Atomic-Scale Dispersed Fe-Based Catalysts Confined on Nitrogen-Doped Graphene for Li-S Batteries: Polysulfides with Enhanced Conversion Efficiency

Lithium-sulfur batteries have been considered as potential electrochemical energy-storage devices owing to their satisfactory theoretical energy density. Nonetheless, the inferior conversion efficiency of polysulfides in essence leads to fast capacity decay during the discharge/charge cycle. In this work, it is successfully demonstrated that the conversion efficiency of lithium polysulfides is remarkably enhanced by employing a well-distributed atomic-scale Fe-based catalyst immobilized on nitrogen-doped graphene (Fe@NG) as a coating of separator in lithium-sulfur batteries. The quantitative electrocatalytic efficiency of the conversion of lithium polysulfides is determined through cyclic voltammetry. It is also proven that the Fe-N_X configuration with highly catalytic activity is quite beneficial for the conversion of lithium polysulfides. In addition, the adsorption and permeation experiments distinctly indicate that the strong anchoring effect, originated from the charge redistribution of N doping into the graphene matrix, inhibits the movement of lithium polysulfides. Thanks to these advantages, if the as-prepared Fe@NG catalyst is combined with polypropylene and applied as a separator (Fe@NG/PP) in Li-S batteries, a high initial capacity (1616 mA h g⁻¹ at 0.1 C), excellent capacity retention (93 % at 0.2 C, 70 % at 2 C), and superb rate performance (820 mA h g⁻¹ at 2 C) are achieved.     

Amides and Heparin‐Like Polymer Co‐Functionalized Graphene Oxide Based Core @ Polyethersulfone Based Shell Beads for Bilirubin Adsorption

Excessive bilirubin in the body of patient with liver dysfunction or metabolic obstruction may cause jaundice with irreversible brain damage, and new type of adsorbent for bilirubin is under frequent investigation. Herein, graphene oxide based core @ polyethersulfone‐based shell beads are fabricated by phase inversion method, amides and heparin‐like polymer are introduced to functionalize the core‐shell beads. The beads are successfully prepared with obvious core‐shell structure, adequate thermostability and porous shell. Clotting times and protein adsorption are investigated to inspect the hemocompatibility property of the beads. The adsorption of bilirubin is systematically investigated by evaluating the effects of contacting time, initial concentration and temperature on the adsorption, which exhibits improved bilirubin adsorption amount for the beads with amides contained cores or/and shells. It is worth believing that the amides and heparin‐like polymer co‐functionalized core‐shell beads may be utilized in the field of hemoperfusion for bilirubin adsorption.     

Mo (CO)6‐assisted Pd‐supported magnetic graphene oxide‐catalyzed carbonylation‐cyclization as an efficient way for the synthesis of 4(3H)‐quinazolinones

In this paper, a novel catalyst is introduced based on the immobilization of palladium on modified magnetic graphene oxide nanoparticles. The catalyst is characterized by several methods, including transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray fluorescence, vibrating‐sample magnetometer, Fourier transform‐infrared and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis. The activity of the catalyst was investigated in the synthesis of 4(3H)‐quinazolinones via Pd‐catalyzed carbonylation‐cyclization of N‐(2‐bromoaryl) benzimidamides by Mo (CO)₆. The Mo (CO)₆ is used as a carbon monoxide source for performing the reaction under mild conditions. The catalyst showed good reusability, and no change in activity was observed after 10 cycles of recovery.     

Nickel sulphide-reduced graphene oxide composites as counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells: Influence of nickel chloride concentration

Nickel sulphide-reduced graphene oxide (NiS-rGO) composite films have been prepared via modified Hummers’s method assisted with spin coating technique. The NiS-rGO samples were then employed as counter electrode in a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The main aim of this work is to investigate the relationship between the concentrations of NiCl₂ with the properties of NiS-rGO and performance parameters of the device. The dominant rGO and minor NiS phase exist in the composite. The morphology of the composite is white strips rGO and NiS agglomerate particle. The element of C, O, Ni and S present in the composite. The highest η of 1.04% and J_sc of 7.39 mA cm⁻² were obtained from the device with 0.06 M NiCl₂ resulted from the longest carrier lifetime. The photovoltaic parameters results reveal that NiS-rGO composite has potential to become as a free platinum counter electrode of DSSC.     

Temperature-Responsive Electrocatalysis Based on Poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide)-Modified Graphene Oxide (PNIPAm-GO)

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-modified graphene oxide (PNIPAm-GO), which is a type of thermally responsive GO, was designed and synthesized through a covalent “grafting-from” strategy. The as-prepared modified nanosheets integrated the individual advantages of two components, such as the thermal sensitivity of the PNIPAm terminal as well as the conductivity and the open 2D structure of the GO substrate. PNIPAm-GO was able to perform the reversible regulation of hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity in aqueous solution upon variations in the temperature. Such a unique property might also lead to the utilization of PNIPAm-GO as an intelligent electrode material to achieve a switchable electrochemical response toward a [Fe(CN)₆]^3−/4− probe. The PNIPAm-GO modified glassy carbon electrode (PNIPAm-GO/GC electrode) was able to exhibit better electrochemical performance in an ON/OFF switching effect than the PNIPAm-modified glassy carbon electrode (PNIPAm/GC electrode) without GO owing to the intrinsic properties and large surface area of the introduced GO. Moreover, it was found that the PNIPAm-GO/GC electrode also displayed excellent thermally responsive electrocatalysis toward the detection of 1,4-dihydro-β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and dopamine (DA), which resulted in two different catalytic statuses on the same electrode. This kind of switchable catalytic performance of the PNIPAm-GO/GC electrode might greatly enhance the flexibility of its application, and thus it is expected to have wide potential for applications in the fields of biosensors and biocatalysis.