Surface hydrophobic modification of MXene to promote the electrochemical conversion of N_(2) to NH_(3)

Hydrophobic treatment of the catalyst surfaces can suppress the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) during the nitrogen reduction reaction(NRR).In this work,the surface of Ti_(3)C_(2)Ti_(x) MXene is modified by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide(CTAB) and trimethoxy(3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7,8,8,8-trideca fluorooctyl) silane(FOTS) to increase the hydrophobicity of MXenes.The ammonia(NH_(3)) production rate and faradaic efficiency(FE) are improved from 37.62 to 54.01 μg h^(-1)mg_(cat)^(-1).and 5.5% to 18.1% at-0.7 V vs.RHE,respectively after surface modification.^(15)N isotopic labeling experiment confirms that nitrogen in produced ammonia originates from N_(2) in the electrolyte.The excellent NRR activity of surface hydrophobic MXenes is mainly due to surfactant molecules,which inhibit the entry of water molecules and the competitive HER,which have been verified by in situ FT-IR,DFT and molecular dynamics calculations.This strategy provides an ingenious method to design more active NRR electrocatalysts.

Hydrophobic modification of polysaccharides and the construction and properties of their micelles:a review of applications in the field of biomedicine

Nanomedicine delivery technology plays an important role in modern medicine and has shown good therapeutic effects in scientific research.Polysaccharides have the characteristics of wide sources,excellent biocompatibility,and non-toxicity.In addition,there are multifunctional groups on the main chain of polysaccharides,which can be surface-modified or functionalized to have targeting ability through specific sugar parts.Amphiphilic polysaccharide micelles with good biocompatibility,degradability,high safety,easy structural modification,and special core-shell structure are regarded as ideal carriers for nanomedicines.Therefore,this review is focused on the hydrophobic modification designs of polysaccharides,the preparation methods and characteristics of micelles,and the applications of amphiphilic polysaccharide micelles in the field of biomedicine.It is expected to provide some ideas and inspiration for the design of polysaccharide drug carriers.

Surface hydrophobic modification enhanced catalytic performance of electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction

Electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction(NRR)is a sustainable approach for NH_(3)production with low energy consumption.However,competing hydrogen reduction reaction(HER)in aqueous solution results in low NH_(3)production and Faraday efficiency(FE).Here,MoS_(2)nanostructures with a hydrophobic surface are synthesized by alkyl thiols modification.Aerophilic and hydrophobic surface facilitates an efficient three-phase contact of N_(2),H_(2)O,and catalyst.Thus,localized concentrated N_(2)molecules can overcome the mass transfer limitation of N2 and depress the HER due to lowering the proton contacts.Although the active-sites decrease with the increase of the alkyl chain since the thiol may cover the active site,the optimized electrocatalyst achieves NH_(3)yield of 12.86×10^(-11)mol·cm^(-2)·s^(-1)at-0.25 V and 22.23%FE,which are 4.3 and 24 times higher than those of MoS2-CP electrocatalyst,respectively.The increased catalytic performance is attributed to the high N_(2)adsorption and depressed HER.

High drug loading hydrophobic cross-linked dextran microspheres as novel drug delivery systems for the treatment of osteoarthritis

Drug delivery via intra-articular(IA)injection has proved to be effective in osteoarthritis(OA)therapy,limited by the drug efficiency and short retention time of the drug delivery systems(DDSs).Herein,a series of modified cross-linked dextran(Sephadex,S0)was fabricated by respectively grafting with linear alkyl chains,branched alkyl chains or aromatic chain,and acted as DDSs after ibuprofen(Ibu)loading for OA therapy.This DDSs expressed sustained drug release,excellent anti-inflammatory and chondroprotective effects both in IL-1βinduced chondrocytes and OA joints.Specifically,the introduction of a longer hydrophobic chain,particularly an aromatic chain,distinctly improved the hydrophobicity of S0,increased Ibu loading efficiency,and further led to significantly improving OA therapeutic effects.Therefore,hydrophobic microspheres with greatly improved drug loading ratio and prolonged degradation rates show great potential to act as DDSs for OA therapy.

Carbon Capture from Flue Gas Based on the Combination of Non-Contact Hydrophobic Porous Ceramic Membrane and Bubbling Absorption

A hybrid system combined with a non-contact membrane and bubbling absorption is proposed to capture CO_(2) from flue gas.The non-contact way of membrane and liquid absorbent effectively avoids the reduction of gas diffusion flux through the membrane.High-porosity ceramic membranes in hybrid systems are used for gas-solid separation in fuel gas treatment.Due to the high content of H_(2)O and cement dust in the flue gas of the cement plant,the membrane is hydrophobically modified by polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE)to improve its anti-water,anti-fouling,and self-cleaning performances.The results show that the diffusion flux of CO_(2) through the membrane is still higher than 7.0×10^(−3) mol/m^(2)s(20%CO_(2) concentration)even under the influence of water and cement dust.In addition,slaked lime selected as the absorbent is cheap and the product after bubbling absorption is nano-scale light calcium carbonate.To sum up,the hybrid system combining non-contact membrane and bubbling absorption is expected to be used to capture carbon dioxide from the flue gas of the cement plant.

A Review of Hydrophobic Nanocellulose and Its Applications

Nanocellulose is of great interest in various areas nowadays as a natural nanostructured biomaterial.However,in many applications,the high hydrophilicity due to a large number of hydroxyl groups is not desired.The hydrophobic modification of nanocellulose can thus increase its application.This work reviewed recent developments of methods for nanocellulose hydrophobic modification,through physical adsorption and chemical grafting.The applications of hydrophobic nanocellulose were also reviewed.

Y Zeolites Modified by Organosilane for Toluene Adsorption under High Humidity Condition

Y zeolites have moderate microporous pore size, large specific surface area, and good hydrothermal stability, which were widely used in industrial adsorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), but the performance of Y zeolites in adsorption of VOCs under high humidity conditions is terrible. In this paper, Y zeolites with different silica-alumina ratios were hydrophobically modified by organosilane and characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM, BET, NMR. In the experiments of static and dynamic adsorption of VOCs by modified Y zeolites, it can be concluded that the static water adsorption capacity of Y zeolites with silica-aluminum ratio of 5 and 40 after silica modification decreased by 62 wt% and 53 wt%, under the conditions of high humidity, GHSV = 15,000 h-1, T = 35°C and initial concentration of toluene C0 = 5000 mg·m-3. The saturation adsorption capacity of toluene was increased from 0.06 g·g-1, 0.09 g·g-1 to 0.15 g·g-1, 0.21 g·g-1, the adsorption selectivity of Y zeolites for water was reduced and that for toluene was increased after Vapor phase silanization overlay modification. The present modification method might carry out targeted modification of zeolites surface, provide research ideas and guidance under high humidity conditions.

Experimental study on preparation of nanoparticle-surfactant nanofluids and their effects on coal surface wettability

To improve the efficiency of coal seam water injection,the influence of nanofluids on coal surface wettability was studied based on the nano drag reduction and injection enhancement technology in the field of tertiary oil recovery.The composition optimization and performance evaluation of nanofluids with nano-silica and sodium lauryl sulfate as the main components were carried out,and the effects of the nanofluid with the optimal ratio on coal wettability were studied through spontaneous upward imbibition experiments.The results show that the composite nanofluid has a lower surface tension,and the lowest value of the interfacial tension is 15.79 m N/m.Therefore,the composite nanofluid can enhance the wettability of coal.However,its effects on coal samples with different metamorphic degrees is different,that is,low rank coal is the largest,middle rank coal is the second,and high rank coal is the least.In addition,a functional relationship between time and imbibition height is found for pulverized coal with different particle sizes.When the particle size of pulverized coal is 60–80 mesh,the wettability of nanofluid to coal is best.The findings in this paper provide a new perspective for improving the water injection efficiency for coal seams with low permeability.

The properties of surface nanobubbles formed on different substrates

The properties and stability of the reported surface nanobubbles are related to the substrate used and the generation method. Here, we design a series of experiments to study the influence of the hydrophobicity of the substrate and the produc- tion method on the formation and properties of nanobubbles. We choose three different substrates, dodecyltrichlorosilane （DTS） modified silicon, octadecyltrichlorosilane （OTS） modified silicon, and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite （HOPG） as nanohubble substrates, and two methods of ethanol-water exchange and 4-℃ cold water to produce nanobubbles. It is found that using ethanol-water exchange method could produce more and larger nanobubbles than the 4-℃ cold water method. The contact angle of nanobubbles produced by ethanol-water exchange depends on the hydrophobicity of sub- strates, and decreases with the increase of the hydrophobicity of substrates. More interestingly, nanoscopic contact angle approaches the macroscopic contact angle as the hydrophobicity of substrates increases. It is believed that these results would be very useful to understand the stability of surface nanobubbles.

Development and evaluation of an electropositive wellbore stabilizer with flexible adaptability for drilling strongly hydratable shales

In order to overcome serious instability prob- lems in hydratable shale formations, a novel electropositive wellbore stabilizer （EPWS） was prepared by a new approach. It has good colloidal stability, particle size dis- tribution, compatibility, sealing property, and flexible adaptability. A variety of methods including measurements of particle size, Zeta potential, colloidal stability, contact angle, shale stability index, shale dispersion, shale swelling, and plugging experiments were adopted to characterize the EPWS and evaluate its anti-sloughing capacity and flexible adaptability. Results show that the EPWS has advantages over the conventional wellbore stabilizer （ZX-3） in particle size distribution, colloidal stability, inhibition, compatibil- ity, and flexible adaptability. The EPWS with an average particle size of 507 nm and an average Zeta potential of 54 mV could be stable for 147 days and be compatible with salt tolerant or positive charged additives, and it also exhibited preferable anti-sloughing performance to hydrat- able shales at 77, 100, and 120 ~C, and better compatibility with sodium bentonite than ZX-3 and KC1. The EPWS can plug micro-fractures and pores by forming a tight external mud cake and an internal sealing belt to retard pressure transmission and prevent filtrate invasion, enhancing hydrophobicity of shale surfaces by adsorption to inhibithydration. The EPWS with flexible adaptability to tem- perature for inhibition and sealing capacity is available for long open-hole sections during drilling.

The improvement of dispersity, thermal stability and mechanical properties of collagen fibers by silane modification: an exploration for developing new leather making technology

The effect of hydrophobic modification on the performances of collagen fibers(CFs)was investigated by using silane coupling agents with different alkyl chains as hydrophobic modifiers.It was found silane could be easily grafted onto CF surface through covalent bonds under 5%water content.This modification led to the transformation of surface wettability of CF from hydrophilic to hydrophobic.Interestingly,the change of surface wettability resulted in substantial improvement of the modified CF properties,presenting well dispersity of collagen fibers,higher thermal stability and enhanced mechanical properties in comparison with natural CF.The degree of improvement mainly depended on the length of alkyl chain in silane.Longer alkyl chain produced strong hydrophobicity and subsequently more superior performances of the modified CF.When the length of alkyl chain increased to 18 carbon atoms,the modified CF possessed durable superhydrophobicity even exposed to aqueous solutions of different pH,UV,and organic solvents,and had excellent thermal and mechanical properties like leather fibers.In general,this work clearly revealed that the properties of CF are closely and positively related to the hydrophobicity,which is suggestive in developing new leather making technology.

Highly hydrophobic oil−water separation membrane: reutilization of waste reverse osmosis membrane

The increasing applications of seawater desalination technology have led to the wide usage of polyamide reverse osmosis membranes,resulting in a large number of wasted reverse osmosis membranes.In this work,the base nonwoven layer of the wasted reverse osmosis membrane was successfully modified into the hydrophobic membrane via surface deposition strategy including TiO_(2) and 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltrichlorosilane(PFOTS),respectively.Various techniques were applied to characterize the obtained membranes,which were then used to separate the oil–water system.The optimally modified membrane displayed good hydrophobicity with a contact angle of 135.2°±0.3°,and its oil–water separation performance was as high as 97.8%.After 20 recycle tests,the oil–water separation performance remained more than 96%,which was attributed to the film adhesion of the anchored TiO_(2) and PFOTS layer on the surface.This work might provide a new avenue for recycling the wasted reverse osmosis membrane used in oily wastewater purification.

Nature-inspired Polysaccharide-based Aerogel for Oil–water Separation

Oily wastewater pollution is an urgent problem to be solved.Complicated preparation process,toxic hydrophobic modifiers and poor mechanical properties limit the application of polysaccharide-based aerogel in oil–water separation.Inspired by the Strider’s Leg structure in nature,an eco-friendly and reusable polysaccharide-based composite aerogel was prepared by hydrophobic modification with zein for efficient oil–water separation.The introduction of hydrophobic zein into aerogel by simple immersion method without the use of toxic modifiers can build micro/nanostructures similar to the villi on a water strider’s leg to increase the surface roughness and the hydrophobicity.And three degradable,non-toxic and economical polysaccharides including chitosan,carboxylated cellulose nanofibers and starch were used to construct aerogel skeleton,endowing aerogel with porous structures and good mechanical properties.The resulting composite aerogel(ZOMA)showed low density(0.11 g/cm^(3)),good oil absorption capacity(9 g/g),high flux oil–water separation(5595 L m^(−2)h^(−1))and excellent oil–water separation performance(99.8%).And ZOMA still had good tensile strength and elasticity after 50 compression cycles.After 10 cycles of absorption and desorption,ZOMA aerogel remained still more than 90%of its initial absorption capacity.This study provides new insight for the design of environmentally friendly and efficient adsorbents for oil–water separation.

Corrosion Resistance of Silane-Modified Hydroxide Zinc Carbonate Film on AZ31 Magnesium Alloy

The corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys can be improved using functional surface modification such as hydrophobic treatment.In this study,a hierarchical hydroxide zinc carbonate（HZC） film was fabricated on AZ31 magnesium alloy via a simple chemical-bath deposition process using urea aqueous solution.The morphologies,compositions and corrosion resistance of the hydrophobic film were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy,X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer,and electrochemical measurements as well.The results revealed that the HZC film displayed flower-like protrusions and had a thickness of approximately 100 um.The fluoroalkylsilane（FAS）-modified HZC film exhibited a hydrophobic property with a water contact angle of 131.3°.The FAS/HZC film significantly improved the corrosion resistance of the AZ31 alloy due to hierarchical structures and hydrophobic modification.