Polysulfide nanoparticles-reduced graphene oxide composite aerogel for efficient solar-driven water purification

Along with the environmental pollution, the scarcity of clean water seriously threatens the sustainable development of human society.Recently, the rapid development of solar evaporators has injected new vitality into the field of water purification. However, the industry faces a considerable challenge of achieving comprehensive purification of ions, especially the efficient removal of mercury ions. In this work, we introduce an ideal mercury-removal platform based on facilely and cost-effectively synthesized polysulfide nanoparticles(PSNs). Further development of PSN-functionalized reduced graphene oxide(PSN-rGO) aerogel evaporator results in achieving a high evaporation rate of 1.55 kg m^(-2)h^(-1)with energy efficiency of 90.8% under 1 sun. With the merits of interconnected porous structure and adsorption ability, the photothermal aerogel presents overall purification of heavy metal ions from wastewater. During solar desalination, salt ions can be rejected with long-term stability. Compared with traditional water purification technologies, this highly efficient solar evaporator provides a new practical method to utilize clean energy for clean water production.

Construction of three-dimensional hierarchical porous nitrogen-doped re duce d graphene oxide/hollow cobalt ferrite composite aerogels toward highly efficient electromagnetic wave absorption

The development of graphene-based composites with low density,robust absorption,wide bandwidth and thin thickness remained a great challenge in the field of electromagnetic(EM)absorption.In this work,nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide/hollow cobalt ferrite(NRGO/hollow CoFe_(2)O_(4))composite aerogels were constructed by a solvothermal and hydrothermal two-step route.Results demonstrated that the as-fabricated composite aerogels had the ultralow density and a unique three-dimensional(3D)network structure,and lots of hollow CoFe_(2)O_(4)microspheres were almost homogeneously distributed on the wrinkled surfaces of lamellar NRGO.Moreover,superior EM absorbing capacity could be achieved by modulating the ferrite structure,addition amounts of hollow CoFe_(2)O_(4)and thicknesses.It was noteworthy that the NRGO/hollow CoFe_(2)O_(4)composite aerogel with the addition amount of ferrite of 15.0 mg pos-sessed the minimum reflection loss of-44.7 dB and maximum absorption bandwidth of 5.2 GHz(from 12.6 to 17.8 GHz)at a very thin thickness of 1.8 mm and filling ratio of 15.0 wt.%.Furthermore,the possible EM attenuation mechanism had been proposed.The results of this work would be helpful for developing RGO-based 3D composites as lightweight,thin and highly efficient EM wave absorbers.

Preparation of Polyaniline-coated Composite Aerogel of MnO2 and Reduced Graphene Oxide for High-performance Zinc-ion Battery

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries,especially Zn-Mn02 battery,have attracted intensive attention owing to their unique features of high capacity,environmental friendliness,and safety.However,the problem of Mn dissolution hinders the development of zinc-ion batteries with long-term usage and high-rate performance.In this work,a novel preparation method for the polyaniline(PANI)-coated composite aerogel of Mn02 and rGO(MnO2/rGO/PANI)electrode is reported.The obtained composite possesses high electrical conductivity,and also effectively suppresses the dissolution of Mn.The fabricated Mn02/rGO/PANI//Zn battery exhibits a high capacity of 241.1 mAh·g^-1 at 0.1 A·g^-1,and an excellent capacity retention of 82.7%after 600 charge/discharge cycles.In addition,the rapid diffusion coefficient of the Mn02/rGO/PANI electrode was further examined by galvanostatic intermittent titration technique.This work provides new insights into the development of high-performance Zn-Mn02 battery with a better understanding of its diffusion kinetics.

Simple fabrication of carboxymethyl cellulose and k-carrageenan composite aerogel with efficient performance in removal of fluoroquinolone antibiotics from water

3D composite aerogels(CMC-CG)composed of carboxymethyl cellulose andκ-carrageenan were designed and fabricated using the one-pot synthesis technique.The optimized CMC-CG showed a good mechanical property and a high swelling ratio due to its superior textural properties with a proper chemically cross-linked interpenetrating network structure.CMC-CG was utilized for the removal of various fluoroquinolones(FQs)from water and exhibited high adsorption performance because of effective electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding interactions.Ciprofloxacin(CIP),a popular FQ,was used as the representative.The optimized CMC-CG had a theoretically maximal CIP uptake of approximately 1.271 mmol/g at the pH of 5.0.The adsorption capacity of CMC-CG was improved in the presence of some cations,Cu2+and Fe3+ions,at a low concentration through the bridging effect but was reduced at a high concentration.The investigation of adsorption mechanisms,based on the adsorption kinetics,isotherms and thermodynamic study,Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses before and after adsorption,and changes in the adsorption performance of CMC-CG toward two molecular probes,further indicated that electrostatic attraction was the dominant interaction rather than hydrogen bonding in this adsorption.CMC-CG after saturated adsorption of CIP could be easily regenerated using a dilute NaCl aqueous solution and reused efficiently.Moreover,the disused aerogel could still be reused as a new adsorbent for effective adsorption of Cu2+ion.Overall,this study suggested the promising applications of this composite aerogel as an eco-friendly,cost-effective,and recyclable adsorbent for thie efficient removal of FQs from water.

Preparation and Characterization of Alumina-coated Hollow Quartz Fiber Reinforced Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2) Aerogel Composite

Al_(2)O_(3)–SiO_(2)sols were synthesized by using aluminum chloride hex hydrate and tetraethoxysilane(TEOS)as precursors,deionized water and ethanol mixture as the solvent,and propylene oxide as the coagulant aids.Alumina coatings were prepared on the surfaces of hollow quartz filament fiber,then a new lightweight and thermal insulating material were successfully prepared by impregnatingAl_(2)O_(3)–SiO_(2)sol into a needle fabric made by coated hollow quartz filament fiber.The coated quartz fiber,aerogels and composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),X-ray diffraction(XRD),energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS),nitrogen adsorption-desorption(BET),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscopy(TEM),and tensile tests.The effects of different fiber and calcination temperatures on the microstructures and properties ofAl_(2)O_(3)–SiO_(2)composite aerogels were investigated.The test results indicate that the mechanical properties of the aerogels are improved by introducing quartz filament fabrics and the introduction of alumina coating improves the thermal stability of the material.Compared to other fibers,Al_(2)O_(3)-coated hollow quartz fiber has significant advantages as reinforcement for composite,and their tensile strength is well retained after high temperature heat treatment.

Ultrabroad Microwave Absorption Ability and Infrared Stealth Property of Nano-Micro CuS@rGO Lightweight Aerogels

Developing ultrabroad radar-infrared compatible stealth materials has turned into a research hotspot,which is still a problem to be solved.Herein,the copper sulfide wrapped by reduced graphene oxide to obtain three-dimensional(3D)porous network composite aerogels(CuS@rGO)were synthesized via thermal reduction ways(hydrothermal,ascorbic acid reduction)and freeze-drying strategy.It was discovered that the phase components(rGO and CuS phases)and micro/nano structure(microporous and nanosheet)were well-modified by modulating the additive amounts of CuS and changing the reduction ways,which resulted in the variation of the pore structure,defects,complex permittivity,microwave absorption,radar cross section(RCS)reduction value and infrared(IR)emissivity.Notably,the obtained CuS@rGO aerogels with a single dielectric loss type can achieve an ultrabroad bandwidth of 8.44 GHz at 2.8 mm with the low filler content of 6 wt%by a hydrothermal method.Besides,the composite aerogel via the ascorbic acid reduction realizes the minimum reflection loss(RL_(min))of−60.3 dB with the lower filler content of 2 wt%.The RCS reduction value can reach 53.3 dB m^(2),which effectively reduces the probability of the target being detected by the radar detector.Furthermore,the laminated porous architecture and multicomponent endowed composite aerogels with thermal insulation and IR stealth versatility.Thus,this work offers a facile method to design and develop porous rGO-based composite aerogel absorbers with radar-IR compatible stealth.

The Microparticles SiOx Loaded on PAN-C Nanofiber as Three-Dimensional Anode Material for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

Three-dimensional C/SiOx nanofiber anode was prepared by polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)and polyacrylonitrile(PAN)as precursors via electrospinning and freeze-drying successfully.In contrast to conventional carbon cover-ing Si-based anode materials,the C/SiOx structure is made up of PAN-C,a 3D carbon substance,and SiOx load-ing steadily on PAN-C.The PAN carbon nanofibers and loaded SiOx from pyrolyzed PDMS give increased conductivity and a stable complex structure.When employed as lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)anode materials,C/SiOx-1%composites were discovered to have an extremely high lithium storage capacity and good cycle per-formance.At a current density of 100 mA/g,its reversible capacity remained at 761 mA/h after 50 charge-dis-charge cycles and at 670 mA/h after 200 cycles.The C/SiOx-1%composite aerogel is a particularly intriguing anode candidate for high-performance LIBs due to these appealing qualities.

Silicone/graphene oxide co-cross-linked aerogels with wide-temperature mechanical flexibility,super-hydrophobicity and flame resistance for exceptional thermal insulation and oil/water separation

Development of multifunctional and high-performance silicone aerogel is highly required for various promising applications.However,unstable cross-linking structure and poor thermal stability of silicone network as well as complicated processing restrict the practical use significantly.Herein,we report a facile and versatile ambient drying strategy to fabricate lightweight,wide-temperature flexible,super-hydrophobic and flame retardant silicone composite aerogels modified with low-content functionalized graphene oxide(FGO).After optimizing silane molecules,incorporation ofγ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane functionalization is found to promote the dispersion stability of GO during the hydrolysis-polymerization process and thus produce the formation of unique strip-like co-cross-linked network.Consequently,the aerogels containing∼2.0 wt%FGO not only possess good cyclic compressive stability under strain of 70%for 100 cycles and outstanding mechanical reliability in wide temperature range(from liquid nitrogen to 350℃),but also display excellent flame resistance and super-hydrophobicity.Further,the optimized silicone/FGO aerogels display exceptional thermal insulating performance superior to pure aerogel and hydrocarbon polymer foams,and they also show efficient oil absorption and separation capacity for var-ious solvents and oil from water.Clearly,this work provides a new route for the rational design and development of advanced silicone composite aerogels for multifunctional applications.

A lightweight and high compressive resistance thermal insulation material with dual-network structure

Ceramic fibrous aerogels are highly desirable for thermal management materials due to their high porosity,excellent elasticity,thermal conductivity,and good thermal resistance.However,the fabrication of nanofibrous aerogel with super-elasticity and good shape retention at the same time has remained challenging.To meet the requirements,a novel anisotropy nanofibrous-granular aerogel with a quasi-layered multi-arch-like and hierarchical-cellular structure is designed and prepared by vacuum-filtration-assisted freeze-drying and sintering.The quasi-layered multi-arch and flexible nanofibers endowed the aerogels with excellent mechanical robustness(ultimate stress up to 60 kPa with strain 60%)and super-elasticity with recoverable compression strain up to 60%.The introduced SiO_(2) aerogel nanoparticles and nanofibers are assembled into an arch-like structure and become the connection point of adjacent nanofibers,which endows low thermal conductivity(0.024 mW/(m·K))of composite aerogel.This novel strategy provides a fresh perspective for the preparation of nanofibrous aerogel with robust mechanical in thermal insulation and other fields.