Reduced graphene oxide modified melamine sponges filling with paraffin for efficient solar-thermal conversion and heat management

A novel type of reduced graphene oxide(rGO)modified melamine sponges(rGS)filling with paraffin(rGS-pf)is developed for efficient solar-thermal conversion and heat management.The microstructures,filling and holding capacity of paraffin in porous rGS,solar-thermal energy conversion and energy harvesting efficiency of the prepared rGS-pf have been investigated systematically.The content of rGO nanosheets coated on the skeletons of rGS-pf is only 0.11%,while the loading content of paraffin in the rGS-pf is as high as 97.53%.Based on the solar-thermal conversion property of rGO nanosheets in the rGS-pf and the heat storage ability of paraffin in the rGS-pf,the proposed rGS-pf provides excellent performance for heat management.The efficiency of solar-thermal conversion could reach up to 92.5%.The thermo-regulation provided by the proposed rGS-pf is real-time,repeatable and long-term stable.The results in this study provide valuable guidance for developing functional materials for efficient solarthermal conversion and heat management.

Heat Management System for Long-term Continuous Observation of Electronic Instrumentation in Deep Earth

Deep penetration into the Earth’s interior and direct monitoring of weak changes in physical fields and their cumulative processes and effects in the deep Earth can enhance the identification of deep Earth targets and deepen the degree of knowledge of the details of the deep Earth structure and deep processes(Moskvitch,2014),which is important for promoting the development of Earth system science.

Robust,Breathable and Flexible Smart Textiles as Multifunctional Sensor and Heater for Personal Health Management

Smart textiles with high sensitivity and rapid response for various external stimuli have gained tremendous attentions in human healthcare monitoring,personal heat management,and wearable electronics.However,the current smart textiles only acquire desired signal passively,regularly lacking subsequent on-demand therapy actively.Herein,a robust,breathable,and flexible smart textiles as multi-function sensor and wearable heater for human health monitoring and gentle thermotherapy in real time is constructed.The composite fiber as strain sensor(CFY@PU)was fabricated via warping carbon fiber yarns(CFY)onto polyurethane fibers(PU),which endowed composite fiber with high conductivity,excellent sensitivity(GF=76.2),and fantastic dynamic durability(7500 cycles)in strain sensing.In addition,CFY@PU can detect various degrees of human movements such as elbow bending,swallowing and pulse,which can provide effective information for disease diagnosis.More surprisingly,weaving CFY@PU into a fabric can assemble highly sensitive pressure sensor for remote communication and information encryption.Warping CFY onto Kevlar would obtain temperature-sensitive composite fiber(CFY@Kevlar)as temperature sensor and wearable heater for on-demand thermotherapy,which provided unique opportunities in designing smart textiles with ultrahigh sensitivity,rapid response,and great dynamic durability.

Progress and key challenges in catalytic combustion of lean methane

As a primary type of clean energy,methane is also the second most important greenhouse gas after CO_(2)due to the high global warming potential.Large quantities of lean methane(0.1–1.0 vol%)are emitted into the atmosphere without any treatment during coal mine,oil,and natural gas production,thus leading to energy loss and greenhouse effect.In general,it is challenging to utilize lean methane due to its low concentration and flow instability,while catalytic combustion is a vital pathway to realize an efficient utilization of lean methane owing to the reduced emissions of polluting gases(e.g.,NOxand CO)during the reaction.In particular,to efficiently convert lean methane,it necessitates both the designs of highly active and stable heterogeneous catalysts that accelerate lean methane combustion at low temperatures and smart reactors that enable autothermal operation by optimizing heat management.In this review,we discuss the in-depth development,challenges,and prospects of catalytic lean methane combustion technology in various configurations,with particular emphasis on heat management from the point of view of material design combined with reactor configuration.The target is to describe a framework that can correlate the guiding principles among catalyst design,device innovation and system optimization,inspiring the development of groundbreaking combustion technology for the efficient utilization of lean methane.

Nano-enabled solar driven-interfacial evaporation:Advanced design and opportunities

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation(SDIE)is emerging as a promising pathway to solving the worldwide water shortage and water pollution.Nanomaterials(e.g.,plasmonic metals,inorganic/organic semiconductors,and carbon nanomaterials)and related nanochemistry have attracted increasing attention for the solar-to-vapor process in terms of broadband absorption,electronic structure adjustment,and surface/interface chemistry manipulation.Furthermore,the assembly of nanomaterials can contribute to the mass transfer,heat management,and enthalpy regulation of water during solar evaporation.To date,numerous nano-enabled materials and structures have been developed to improve the solar absorption,heat management(i.e.,heat confinement and heat transfer),and water management(i.e.,activation,evaporation,and replenishment).In this review,we focus on a systematical summary about the composition and structure engineering of nanomaterials in SDIE,including size and morphology effects,nanostructure optimizations,and structure-property relationship decoupling.This review also surveys recent advances in nanochemistry(e.g.,preparation chemistry and structural chemistry)deployed to conceptual design of nanomaterials.Finally,the key challenges and future perspectives of nanomaterials for solar evaporation are overviewed.This review aims at providing guidance for the design and construction of nanomaterials for high-efficiency SDIE on the basis of the aspects of materials science and chemical engineering.