Nano-silica modified lightweight and high-toughness carbon fiber/phenolic ablator with excellent thermal insulation and ablation performance

Lightweight and high-toughness carbon fiber/phenolic ablator(CFPA)is required as the Thermal Protection System(TPS)material of aerospace vehicles for next-generation space missions.To improve the ablative properties,silica sol with good particle size distribution prepared using tetramethoxysilane(TMOS)was blended with natural rubber latex and deposited onto carbon fiber felt,which was then integrated with phenolic aerogel matrix,introducing nano-silica into the framework of CFPA.The modified CFPA with a low density of 0.28—0.31 g/cm3exhibits strain-in-fracture as high as 31.2%and thermal conductivity as low as 0.054 W/(m·K).Furthermore,a trace amount of nano-silica could effectively protect CFPA from erosion of oxidizing atmosphere in different high-temperature environments.The oxyacetylene ablation test of 3000°C for 20 s shows a mass ablation rate of 0.0225 g/s,a linear ablation rate of 0.209 mm/s for the modified CFPA,which are 9.64%and 24.82%lower than the unmodified one.Besides,the long-time butane ablation test of 1200°C for 200 s shows an insignificant recession with mass and linear ablation rate of 0.079 g/s and 0.039 mm/s,16.84%and 13.33%lower than the unmodified one.Meanwhile,the fixed thermocouple in the test also demonstrates a good thermal insulation performance with a low peak back-face temperature of 207.7°C,12.25%lower than the unmodified one.Therefore,the nano-silica modified CFPA with excellent overall performance presents promising prospects in high-temperature aerospace applications.

Electron delocalization-enhanced sulfur reduction kinetics on an MXene-derived heterostructured electrocatalyst

Lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries mainly rely on the reversible electrochemical reaction of between lithium ions(Li^(+))and sulfur species to achieve energy storage and conversion,therefore,increasing the number of free Li^(+)and improving the Li^(+)diffusion kinetics will effectively enhance the cell performance.Here,Mo-based MXene heterostructure(MoS_(2)@Mo_(2)C)was developed by partial vulcanization of Mo_(2)C MXene,in which the introduction of similar valence S into Mo-based MXene(Mo_(2)C)can create an electron delocalization effect.Through theoretical simulations and electrochemical characterisation,it is demonstrated that the MoS_(2)@Mo_(2)C heterojunction can effectively promote ion desolvation,increase the amount of free Li^(+),and accelerate Li^(+)transport for more efficient polysulfide conversion.In addition,the MoS_(2)@Mo_(2)C material is also capable of accelerating the oxidation and reduction of polysulfides through its sufficient defects and vacancies to further enhance the catalytic efficiency.Consequently,the Li-S battery with the designed MoS_(2)@Mo_(2)C electrocatalyst performed for 500 cycles at 1 C and still maintained the ideal capacity(664.7 mAh·g^(−1)),and excellent rate performance(567.6 mAh·g^(−1)at 5 C).Under the extreme conditions of high loading,the cell maintained an excellent capacity of 775.6 mAh·g^(−1)after 100 cycles.It also retained 838.4 mAh·g^(−1)for 70 cycles at a low temperature of 0℃,and demonstrated a low decay rate(0.063%).These results indicate that the delocalized electrons effectively accelerate the catalytic conversion of lithium polysulfide,which is more practical for enhancing the behaviour of Li-S batteries.

Interface engineering of MXene-based heterostructures for lithiumsulfur batteries

High energy density and low cost make lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries as one of the next generation's promising energy storage systems.However,the following problems need to be solved before commercialization:(i)the shuttling effect and sluggish redox kinetics of lithium polysulfides in sulfur cathode;(ii)the formation of lithium dendrites and the crack of solid electrolyte interphase;(iii)the large volume changes during charge and discharge processes.MXenes,as newly emerging two-dimensional transition metal carbides/nitrides/carbonitrides,have attracted widespread attention due to their abundant active surface terminals,adjustable vacancies,and high electrical conductivity.Designing MXene-based heterogeneous structures is expected to solve the stacking problem induced by hydrogen bonds or Van der Waals force and to provide other charming physiochemical properties.Herein,we generalize the design principles of MXene-based heterostructures and their functions,i.e.,adsorption and catalysis in advanced conversion-based Li-S batteries.Firstly,the physiochemical properties of MXene and MXene-based heterostructures are briefly introduced.Secondly,the catalytic functions of MXene-based heterostructures with the compositional constituents including carbon materials,metal compounds,organic frameworks,polymers,single atoms and special high-entropy MXenes are comprehensively summarized in sulfur cathodes and lithium anodes.Finally,the challenges of MXene-based heterostructure in current Li-S batteries are pointed out and we also provide some enlightenments for future developments in high-energy-density Li-S batteries.

Carbon dioxide capture using polyethylenimine-loaded mesoporous carbons

A high efficiency sorbent for CO2 capture was developed by loading polyethylenimine （PEI） on mesoporous carbons which possessed well-developed mesoporous structures and large pore volume. The physicochemical properties of the sorbent were characterized by N2 adsorption/desorption, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, thermal gravimetric analysis （TG） and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FT-IR） techniques followed by testing for CO2 capture. Factors that affected the sorption capacity of the sorbent were studied. The sorbent exhibited extraordinary capture capacity with CO2 concentration ranging from 5% to 80%. The optimal PEI loading was determined to be 65 wt.% with a CO2 sorption capacity of 4.82 mmol-CO2/g-sorbent in 15% CO2/N2 at 75℃, owing to low mass-transfer resistance and a high utilization ratio of the amine compound （63%）. Moisture had a promoting effect on the sorption separation of CO2. In addition, the developed sorbent could be regenerated easily at 100℃, and it exhibited excellent regenerability and stability. These results indicate that this PEI-loaded mesoporous carbon sorbent should have a good potential for CO2 capture in the future.