Integration of morphology and electronic structure modulation on cobalt phosphide nanosheets to boost photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from ammonia borane hydrolysis

The controllable and safe hydrogen storage technologies are widely recognized as the main bottleneck for the accomplishment of sustainable hydrogen energy.Ammonia borane(AB)has regarded as a competitive candidate for chemical hydrogen storage.However,developing efficient yet high-performance catalysts towards hydrogen evolution from AB hydrolysis remains an enormous challenge.Herein,cobalt phosphide nanosheets are synthesized by a facile salt-assisted along with low-temperature phosphidation strategy for simultaneously modulating its morphology and electronic structure,and function as hydrogen evolution photocatalysts.Impressively,the Co_(2)P nanosheets display extraordinary performance with a record high turnover frequency of 44.9 min^(-1),outperforming most of the noble-metal-free catalysts reported to date.This remarkable performance is attributed to its desired nanosheets structure,featuring with high specific surface area,abundant exposed active sites,and short charge diffusion paths.Our findings provide a novel strategy for regulating metal phosphides with desired phase structure and morphology for energy-related applications and beyond.

Nickel single atom overcoordinated active sites to accelerate the electrochemical reaction kinetics for Li-S cathode

Lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries with high theoretical energy density are promising advanced energy storage devices.However,shuttling of dissolute lithium polysulfide(LiPSs)and sluggish conversion kinetics impede their applications.Herein,single nickel(Ni)atoms on two-dimensional(2D)nitrogen(N)-doped carbon with Ni-N_(4)-O overcoordinated structure(SANi-N_(4)-O/NC)are prepared and firstly used as a sulfur host of Li-S batteries.Due to the efficient polysulfides traps and highly LiPSs conversion effect of SANi-N_(4)-O/NC,the electrochemical performance of Li-S batteries obviously improved.The batteries can well operate even under high sulfur loading(5.8 mg cm^(-2))and lean electrolyte(6.1μL mg^(-1))condition.Meanwhile,density functional theory(DFT)calculations demonstrate that Ni single atom’s active sites decrease the energy barriers of conversion reactions from Li_(2)S_(8)to Li2S due to the strong interaction between SANi-N_(4)-O/NC and LiPSs.Thus,the kinetic conversion of LiPSs was accelerated and the shuttle effect is suppressed on SANi-N_(4)-O/NC host.This study provides a new design strategy for a 2D structure with single-atom overcoordinated active sites to facilitate the fast kinetic conversion of LiPSs for Li-S cathode.

Eco-friendly biodegradable polyurethane based coating for antibacterial and antifouling performance

Biofouling, which comprises the absorption of proteins and the adhesion of bacteria to the surface of living entities, is a severe concern for the maritime sector since it ultimately leads to hydrodynamic drag,resulting in a higher increase in fuel consumption. As a result, polymer resins are crucial in the marine sector for anti-biofouling coatings. In this work, the poly(caprolactone-ethylene glycol-caprolactone)-p olyurethane(PECL-PU) are prepared through ε-caprolactone(CL), poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG), 4,4'-methylene bis(cyclohexyl isocyanate) and 1,4 butanediol. Our study demonstrate that the PECL-PU copolymer degraded in artificial seawater(5.21%), enzymatic solution(12.63%), and seawater(13.75%)due to the presence of PEG segments in the laboratory-based test under static condition. Because the addition of PEG segments are increased the polymer's amorphous area and decreased the crystallization of the polycaprolactone(PCL) in the copolymer, as demonstrated by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, and water contact angle studies. Therefore, the hydrolysis rates of PECL-PU were higher than the caprolactone-co-polyurethane(CL-PU). The antifouling test showed that PECL-PU3 copolymer had about 90.29% protein resistance, 85.2% Escherichia coli(E. coli) reduction and 94.61% marine diatom Navicula incerta reduction comparison to the control. We have developed an eco-friendly and inexpensive promising degradable polyurethane for reduction of bacterial biofilm, which can preserve the formation of biofouling on marine coating under practical sea conditions.

Preparation of highly dispersed iron species over ZSM-5 with enhanced metal-support interaction through freeze-drying impregnation

Supported metal catalysts play a vital role in the chemical industry, and the metal-support interaction is an important property of the catalyst. However, in the traditional impregnation method, it is difficult to obtain sufficient metal-support interactions owing to the mobility of the metal precursor during evaporation drying. Here, freeze drying is applied during impregnation instead of evaporation drying for enhancing the metal-support interactions. 57 Fe ZSM-5 was chosen as a representative catalyst. A quantitative analysis was conducted based on Mossbauer spectroscopy. Compared with traditional evaporation-drying catalyst, freeze-drying catalyst has stronger metal-support interactions. In addition, more iron species are confined in the channel and smaller metal sizes and less diversity are obtained. The compositional change is also proved because of the superior performance of the freeze-drying catalyst during N2O decomposition. This method can be extended to other supported metal catalysts prepared through an impregnation method, which can be used to tune the metal-support interactions and metal sizes.

Research progress on gel polymer electrolytes for lithium-sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries have become a promising candidate for advanced energy storage system owing to low cost and high theoretical specific energy.In the last decade,in pursuit of Li-S batteries with enhanced safety and energy density,the investigation on the electrolytes has leaped form liquid organic electrolytes to solid polymer ones.However,such solid-state Li-S battery system is greatly limited by unfavorable ionic conductivity,poor interfacial contact and narrow electrochemical windows on account of the absence of any liquid components.To address these issues,gel polymer electrolytes(GPEs),the incorporation of liquid electrolytes into solid polymer matrixes,have been newly developed.Although the excellent ionic transport and low interfacial resistance provided by GPEs have prompted numerous researchers to make certain progress on high-performance Li-S coins,a comprehensive review on GPEs for Li-S batteries remains vacant.Herein,this review focuses on recent development and progress on GPEs in view of their physical and chemical properties for the applications in Li-S batteries.Studies on the components including solid hosts,liquid solutions and fillers of GPEs are systematically summarized with particular emphasis on the relationship between components and performance.Finally,current challenges and directional outlook for fabricating GPEs-based Li-S batteries with outstanding performance are outlined.

A density functional theory study on the decomposition of aliphatic hydrocarbons and cycloalkanes during coal pyrolysis in hydrogen plasma

To get deep understanding of the reaction mechanism of coal pyrolysis in hydrogen plasma, the decomposition reaction pathways of aliphatic hydrocarbons and cycloalkanes, which are two main components in volatiles from coal, were investigated. Methane and cyclohexane were chosen as the model compounds. Density functional theory was employed, and many reaction pathways were involved. Calculations were carried out in Gaussian 09 at the B3LYP/6-31G（d,p） level of the theory. The results indicate that the main pyrolysis products of methane and cyclohexane in hydrogen plasma are both hydrogen and acetylene, and the participation of active hydrogen atoms makes dehydrogenation reactions more favorable. H2 mainly comes from dehydrogenation process, while many reaction pathways are responsible for acetylene formation. During coal pyrolysis in hydrogen plasma, three main components in volatiles like aliphatic hydrocarbons, cycloalkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons lead to the formation of hydrogen and acetylene, but their contributions to products distribution are different.

Synthesis and characterization of caprolactone based polyurethane with degradable and antifouling performance

In this work,a degradable polyurethane composed of caprolactone(CL)and L-Lactide(LLA)as soft segments,and 4,40-methylenebis(cyclohexyl isocyanate)(H12 MDI)and polytetramethylene ether glycol(PTMEG)as hard segments,was prepared.Hydrolytic degradation experiment revealed that the degradable polyurethane(PU)could be degraded in artificial seawater.It also showed that caprolactone-copolyurethane(CL-PU)copolymer with higher crystallinity degraded much slower in artificial seawater.However,the introduction of LLA resulted in an increase in the hydrophilicity and reduction in the crystallinity of degradable PU,as demonstrated by the contact angle analysis.The result of the scanning electron microscope showed that the surface of degradable PU renewed under static condition.Moreover,degradable PU was able to be used as a carrier,and it controlled the release rate of 4,5-dichloro-2-octyl-isothiazolone(DCOIT).The anti-diatom(Navicula incerta)test demonstrated that the(caprolactone-co-L-lactide)-co-polyurethane 4(CL/LAx-PU4)with DCOIT contents prevented the adhesion of diatom Navicula incerta(88.37%reduction)due to their self-polishing and the release of antifoulants.Therefore,the degradable PU consisted of CL,LLA,and DCOIT could be a durable resin with good antifouling activity for the application in the marine anti-biofouling field.

Pathways of liquefied petroleum gas pyrolysis in hydrogen plasma:A density functional theory study

A density functional theory （DFT） study has been conducted in this work to investigate the pyrolysis pathways of propane and n-butane, which are the main components of liquefied petroleum gas （LPG）, for better understanding the pyrolysis behavior of LPG in hydrogen thermal plasma. Over 60 possible reactions are considered. The reaction enthalpies and activation energies of these reactions are calculated and analyzed with a Gaussian method of B3LYP and basic set of 6-31G （d,p）. A most possible reaction pathway is brought up. According to this reaction pathway, the main products of LPG pyrolysis are acetylene, ethylene, methane, ethane and extra hydrogen. Acetylene mainly comes from the pyrolysis of propylene and ethylene, and hydrogen abstraction reactions are the main source of extra hydrogen gas. Active H. radicals are found to play a very important role in many reactions, and they can remarkably lower the energies needed for reactions.

Aluminum impregnated silica catalyst for Friedel–Crafts reaction：Influence of ordering mesostructure

Friedel–Crafts alkylation of benzene with linear chain ole fin(C_(10)–C_(14)),which is an important reaction of synthetic detergent,was studied via different catalysts of aluminum impregnated silica molecular sieves.AlCl_3 was immobilized on silica molecular sieves with different channel structures,hexagonal packing channels network(SBA-15,MCM-41),and disordered channel network(SiO_2,SiO_2-Gel) by impregnation.XRD and N_2 adsorption–desorption isotherms con firmed that the speci fic mesoporous structures were maintained for order channel network catalyst after impregnation.Catalytic activities were investigated under different conditions.The in fluences of channel structure were discussed.The results showed that catalyst based on mesoporous like SBA-15 had the highest catalytic activities and 2-LAB selectivity compared with other catalysts in this work.The highest 2-LAB selectivity was nearly 50% when 1-dodecene conversion was nearly 100%.At low 1-dodecene conversion or higher benzene/1-dodecene molar ratio,2-LAB selectivity was nearly 60%.

Dealumination kinetics of composite ZSM-5/mordenite zeolite during steam treatment: An in-situ DRIFTS study

To get a better understanding of structural deactivation of ZSM-5/MOR during the catalytic cracking of n-heptane in the steam atmosphere, a comprehensive mechanism of hydrothermal dealumination was proposed through in-situ diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(DRIFTS) in this work. The mechanism can be divided into two steps: firstly, the hydrolysis of four Al\\O bonds, and secondly, the self-healing of Si\\OH bonds accompanied with partial condensation of the extra-framework Al species. Accordingly, the kinetics of dealumination process has also been fully discussed. In the IR spectra, the range of 3450–3850 cm^(-1) could be deconvolved to distinguish the hydroxyl groups on the different position and calculate the consumption of each hydroxyl group during the reaction. Based on results from the in-situ DRIFTS, the kinetics of dealumination was hence developed and also in well agreement with the kinetics of deactivation of ZSM/MOR catalysts during the reaction in the presence of little coke deposits.

多功能超润湿材料的设计制备与应用

仿生超润湿材料是指类似自然界中生命体具有的特殊浸润界面性质的一类材料。近20年来,研究人员通过模仿自然,揭示了一系列超润湿界面材料的构建机理,设计制备了多种仿生超润湿材料,并将这些具有特殊表面浸润性能的材料拓展应用到了国防、军工、航空航天、建筑、农业、医疗、海洋防污等众多领域。本文首先介绍表面润湿现象的基础理论,接着从仿生的角度出发,介绍了以仿荷叶、鱼鳞、沙漠甲虫、猪笼草为代表的几种拥有不同表面浸润性能的材料,并总结了这几种材料的仿生设计原理、结构与性能的关系以及所面临的问题。综述了近年来仿生超润湿材料在防污抗菌、防雾防霜防覆冰、油水分离等方面的应用进展,最后展望了仿生超润湿材料的发展方向。

Slippery Photothermal Trap for Outstanding Deicing Surfaces

Ice accumulation is a safety and operational threat in power lines,wind turbines,and transportations.Surfaces having both passive anti-icing and active deicing functionalities are very rare.Here,we report a self-cleaning slippery photothermal trap,which is icephobic passively and deice the surfaces actively by converting sun light to heat at the ice-substrate interface.The photothermal trap consists of three layers:a candle soot layer act as solar radiation absorber,a magnetic iron oxide Fe_(3)O_(4) nanoparticles layer act as heat spreader for lateral dispersal of sun light,and Room Temperature Vulcanized(RTV)insulation to reduce the transverse heat loss.Upon illumination under microsolar 300,the temperature of the surface increased by 40℃ within 200 s.The heat confinement at the magnetic Fe_(3)O_(4) na-noparticles layer leads to rapid increase of the surface temperature,ice start to melt and silicone lubricant facilitates the ice removal.The slippery photothermal trap removed the frozen droplet(10 fiL)within 40 s upon the illumination of sun light and the frozen droplet was completely converted into water after 7 min illumination of solar light at-20℃.The developed slippery photothermal trap also melted the fully frost covered layer within 100 s at-20℃ under sunlamp.The average defrosted length(25 mm)was also observed by irradiation of laser light for 45 s.The self-cleaning slippery photothermal coating showed outstanding deicing performance at subzero temperature for long term due to the infusion of silicone oil into the nanostructures and same chemical composition with binder.