PREPARATION OF POLYANILINE/ACETYLENE BLACK COMPOSITE AS HOLE CONDUCTOR IN SOLID-STATE DYE-SENSITIZED SOLAR CELL

A clay-like conductive material comprising polyaniline（PANI）-acetylene black particles is fabricated as a hole conductor for dye sensitized solar cell（DSSC）.The results show that the introduction of acetylene black into the polymer electrolyte improves the photovoltaic behavior of solid-state DSSC,owing to the increase of the hole mobility of PANI electrolyte,the improvement of the wetting quality of the composite electrolyte,and the reinforcement of interface contact between electrode and the electrolyte.Finally,the overall energy conversion efficiency of DSSC with PANI-50%（in weight）acetylene black electrolyte is 48% of that of liquid DSSC.Therefore,the PANI-acetylene black composition is a credible alternative to hole conductor in application of solid DSSC.

Effect of surface free energy of acetylene black powder on air electrode performance

The effects of acetylene black powder surface free energy on air electrode electrochemical performance and lifetime were studied.The acetylene black was immersed in 30%H_(2)O_(2)at room temperature and the changes of functional groups and surface free energy were investigated by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy(XPS)and powder contact angle(CA).The air electrode performance was characterized by the potential polarization curves and the lifetime was measured by constant-current discharge.It shows that,its surface free energy is the lowest when the acetylene black is immersed in H_(2)O_(2)for 240 h.The polarization potential of the air electrode prepared by the pretreated acetylene black is 0.25 V(vs.Hg/HgO),0.21 V lower than the air electrode with untreated acetylene black when the working current density is 100 mA·cm^(-1).And its lifetime is over 800 h at 80 mA·cm^(-1).The pretreatment of acetylene black for proper time by H_(2)O_(2)is favorable for the stability of the tri-phase reaction interface of air electrode and improvement of its performance.

A polypyrrole-coated acetylene black/sulfur composite cathode material for lithium–sulfur batteries

Lithium–sulfur batteries are promising next-generation energy storage devices beyond conventional lithium ion batteries. However, it suffers from rapid capacity fading and poor cyclic stability. Here we report a facile in situ sulfur deposition and chemical oxidative polymerization method for preparing acetylene black/sulfur@polypyrrole（AB/S@PPy） composite as a cathode material for lithium–sulfur batteries. It is demonstrated that PPy is covered uniformly onto the surface of the AB/S composite forming a core–shell structure. In the structure, AB in the matrix and PPy on the surface acts as a combined conductive framework to provide ions and electrons transport pathways, and to inhibit the dissolution or diffusion of polysulfide into the electrolyte. The as-designed AB/S@PPy composite exhibits excellent rate capability and cyclic stability. The initial discharge specific capacity is as high as 1179.4 m Ah/g, and remains at769.3 m Ah/g after 80 cycles at 0.2 C. Even at a high rate（0.5 C）, a maximum discharge capacity of 811.1 m Ah/g is still achieved for the AB/S@PPy composite after activation, and the capacity retention is over62.5% after 200 cycles.

Edge-functionalized acetylene black anchoring sulfur for high-performance Li–S batteries

To date, most of the research on electrodes for lithium sulfur batteries has been focused on the nanostructured sulfur cathodes and achieves significant success. However, from the viewpoint of manufacturers, the nanostructured sulfur cathodes are not so promising, because of the low volumetric energy density and high cost. In this work, we obtained the low-cost, scalable, eco-friendly mass production of edge-functionalized acetylene black-sulfur(FAB-S) composites by high-energy ball-milling technique for lithium sulfur batteries. The as-prepared FAB-S composite can deliver a high initial discharge capacity of 1304 mAh/g and still remain a reversible capacity of 814 mAh/g after 200 cycles at a charge-discharge rate of 0.2 C in the voltage range of 1.7–2.7 V. The observed excellent electrochemical properties demonstrate that the cathodes obtained by the facile high-energy ball-milling method as the cathode for rechargeable Li-S batteries are of great potential because it used the sole conductive additive acetylene black(AB).Such improved properties could be attributed to the partially exfoliation of AB, which not only keeps the AB’s inherent advantage, but also increases the specific surface area and forms chemical bonds between carbon and sulfur, resulting in the accumulation of the polysulfides intermediate through both the physical and chemical routes.

The Electrooxidation of Tetracycline at Acetylene Black Electrode in the Presence of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate

The electrooxidation of tetracycline (TC) at acetylene black electrode has been studied in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Tetracycline (TC) exhibited very sensitive oxidation peak in this system. The peak current was proportional to TC concentration, and the detection limit was 1.2×10-8 mol/L. The system was used to the determination of TC in Pharmaceuticals.

Insights into the electron transfer mechanisms of peroxydisulfate activation by modified metal-free acetylene black for degradation of sulfisoxazole

Herein,a modified metal-free acetylene black(MMF-AB)catalyst was synthesized by a simple solvothermal-calcination method and designed successfully to activate peroxodisulfate(PDS)for the degradation of sulfisoxazole(SIZ).Due to the doping of N,S and O metal-free elements,the modified catalyst showed excellent catalytic performance with 100%SIZ removal within 30 min.Pseudo first-order reaction rate constants(evaluating catalytic efficiencies and activity)of MMF-AB(kobs=0.105 min^(−1))was 3 times higher than pure-AB(k_(obs)=0.029 min^(−1)).Interestingly,it was demonstrated that the reaction sys-tem is based on the transfer of electrons from SIZ to PDS to realize an electron-transfer-based mechanism by the evidence of premixing,electron paramagnetic resonance(EPR)spectroscopy,salt-bridge experi-ments and electrochemical analyses.The introduction of recyclable filtration device solved the secondary pollution caused by the dispersion of the powdered catalyst in the treated water,which further proved the practicality and superiority of the MMF-AB catalyst.

Efficient degradation of sulfamethoxazole by acetylene black activated peroxydisulfate

Acetylene black(AB),as a kind of carbon material with large specific surface area,low density,strong electron transferability,is supposed to have great potential for application in advanced oxidation processes(AOPs).In this study,AB was utilized as a peroxydisulfate(PDS)activator for the catalytic degradation of sulfamethoxazole(SMX)in aqueous media.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET)techniques,zeta potential and Raman spectra were employed to characterize the features of AB.To verify the excellent performance of AB/PDS systems,a series of control experiments were carried out.Compared to graphite/PDS and biochar/PDS system,AB/PDS system could complete degradation of SMX within 15 min.Besides,the effects of key factors including AB dosage,PDS dosage,initial pH and SMX concentration on SMX degradation in AB/PDS system were elucidated systematically.Furthermore,through the radical quenching experiments,it was proved that singlet oxygen(1 O_(2))was dominantly responsible for the degradation of SMX.Finally,based on the experiment results and compre hensive analysis,a probable reaction mechanism of AB/PDS system for SMX degradation was proposed.This work suggests that AB has a good potential for tackling the hazardous pollutants in environmental remediation.

Exploring the Predominant Factors Influencing the Oxygen Reduction Performance of PtCo/C Catalysts

PtCo nanoalloys(NAs)deposited on carbon black are emerging as robust electrocatalysts for addressing the sluggish kinetic issue of oxygen reduction reaction(ORR).However,developing a simple and low-cost method to synthesize PtCo/C with excellent performance is still a great challenge.In this work,a one-pot method was used to successfully obtain the PtCo NAs on commercial carbon supports of acetylene black and Ketjenblack ECP600JD,respectively.Compared with those grown on Ketjenblack ECP600JD,the PtCo NAs grown on acetylene black exhibited higher electrochemical surface area(ECSA)and mass activity(MA),which may be attributed to the different particle sizes of PtCo NAs,distinct hydrophilicity,electroconductivity and charge distribution between the carbon supports and PtCo NAs.Our study provides valuable insights into the optimal design of carbon-supported ORR electrocatalysts with exceptional activity and durability.