An efficient and mild recycling of waste melamine formaldehyde foams by alkaline hydrolysis

Melamine formaldehyde foam(MFF)generates many poisonous chemicals through the traditional recycling methods for organic resin wastes.Herein,a high MFF degradation ratio of ca.97 wt.%was achieved under the mild conditions(160℃)in a NaOH–H2O system with ammelide and ammeline as the main degradation products.The alkaline solvent had an obvious corrosion effect for MFF,as indicated by scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The reaction process and products distribution were studied by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),and ^(13)C nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR).Besides,the MFF degradation products that have the similar chemical structures and bonding performances to those of melamine can be directly used as the raw material for synthesis of melamine urea-formaldehyde resins(MUFs).Moreover,the degradation system demonstrated here showed the high degradation efficiency after reusing for 7 times.The degradation process generated few harmful pollutants and no pre-or post-treatments were required,which proves its feasibility in the safe removal or recovery of waste MFF.

Ni Flower/MXene-Melamine Foam Derived 3D Magnetic/Conductive Networks for Ultra-Efficient Microwave Absorption and Infrared Stealth

The development of multifunctional and efficient electromagnetic wave absorbing materials is a challenging research hotspot.Here,the magnetized Ni flower/MXene hybrids are successfully assembled on the surface of melamine foam(MF)through electrostatic self-assembly and dip-coating adsorption process,realizing the integration of microwave absorption,infrared stealth,and flame retardant.Remarkably,the Ni/MXene-MF achieves a minimum reflection loss(RLmin)of−62.7 dB with a corresponding effective absorption bandwidth(EAB)of 6.24 GHz at 2 mm and an EAB of 6.88 GHz at 1.8 mm.Strong electromagnetic wave absorption is attributed to the three-dimensional magnetic/conductive networks,which provided excellent impedance matching,dielectric loss,magnetic loss,interface polarization,and multiple attenuations.In addition,the Ni/MXene-MF endows low density,excellent heat insulation,infrared stealth,and flame-retardant functions.This work provided a new development strategy for the design of multifunctional and efficient electromagnetic wave absorbing materials.

Stabilized multifunctional phase change materials based on carbonized Cu-coated melamine foam/reduced graphene oxide framework for multiple energy conversion and storage

The leakage of organic phase change materials(OPCMs)at temperatures above their melting point severely limits their large-scale application.The introduction of porous supports has been identified as an efficient leakageproofing method.In this study,a novel carbonized Cu-coated melamine foam(MF)/reduced graphene oxide(rGO)framework(MF/rGO/Cu-C)is constructed as a support for fabricating stabilized multifunctional OPCMs.MF serves as the supporting material,while rGO and Cu act as functional reinforcements.As a thermal energy storage material,polyethylene glycol(PEG)is encapsulated into MF/rGO/Cu-C through a vacuum-assisted impregnation method to obtain PEG@MF/rGO/Cu-C composite with excellent comprehensive performance.PEG@MF/rGO/Cu-C exhibits high phase change enthalpies of 148.3 J g^(-1)(melting)and 143.9 J g^(-1)(crystallization),corresponding to a high energy storage capability of 92.7%.Simultaneously,MF/rGO/Cu-C endues the composite with an enhanced thermal conductivity of 0.4621Wm^(-1) K^(-1),which increases by 463%compared to that of PEG@MF.Furthermore,PEG@MF/rGO/Cu-C displays great light-to-thermal and electric-to-thermal conversion capabilities,thermal cycle stability,light-tothermal cycle stability,and shape stability,showing promising application prospects in different aspects.

Tailoring surface features and pore structure by carbon spiral fibers to construct the high-strength carbon foams for the fast and cyclic photo-thermal oil absorption

Two key limitations affecting the commercial application of carbon foams for fast clean-up of varied oils are the complex synthesis process and poor mechanical stability.In this work,an effective method is reported to fabricate the efficient oil-absorbing materials(CSF@MCF)of carbon spiral fibers(CSFs)anchored on melamine carbon foam(MCF)with superior mechanical properties and excellent photothermal con-version.The interwoven CSFs can not only provide extra rigidity but also reduce the stress concentration of the carbon skeleton,which greatly improves the mechanical properties with 6.3 times maximum compression stress and 4.5 times ultimate tensile strength than MCF.In addition,the pure carbon component can reduce the interface resistance and excite the free electrons more easily,thus realizing high-efficiency photothermal conversion in a wide range of wavelengths.Under light irradiation,the CSF@MCF can be quickly heated up to 70℃and achieve ultra-high absorption of crude oil,up to 62 g g_(-1),due to its low density and large absorption volume.Meanwhile,the CSF@MCF exhibits impressive absorption stability with persistent superhydrophobicity and a high recovery efficiency of over 85%.Superadding its simple preparation process,low production cost,and excellent acid-alkali resistance,the CSF@MCF shows great commercial potential for effectively absorbing varied oils.

Ultrastable MOF-based foams for versatile applications

Metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)are attractive for promising applications but plagued by difficult recovery and deployment due to their intrinsic nano/micro powder nature.Although significant efforts have been made to develop separable solid matrixes for MOF supporting,the poor loading stability and durability of MOFs still challenge their engineering applications.Here,we present a facile and effective approach to fabricate MOF-based melamine foams(MFs)(denoted as MOFiths)with ultrahigh loading stability and operation stability,easy separation,and high-efficient performance for versatile robust applications.By adopting our approach,numbers of typical fragile MOFs characterized with wide ranges of particle size(from~nm to~μm)can be precisely incorporated into MFs with controllable loading ratios(up to~1,600%).Particularly,the produced MOFiths show excellent capacities for the highly effective and durable water purifications and acetalization reactions.100%of organic pollutants can be rapidly destructed within 10 min by MOFiths initiated Fenton or catalytic ozonation processes under five successive cycles while the maximum adsorption capacity of MOFiths toward Pb(II),Cd(II),and Cu(II)reaches to 422,222,and 105 mg·g^(-1),respectively.This study provides a critical solution to substantially facilitate the engineering applications of MOFs for long-term use in practice.

Filling Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)nanosheets into melamine foam towards a highly compressible all-in-one supercapacitor

The development of compressible supercapacitors strongly relies on the design of electrode materials combining superior compressibility,high conductivity with the stable electrochemical cycling performance.In this work,we report a facile yet scalable strategy to construct a highly compressible supercapacitor by integrating the current collector,active materials and the separator into one device.We use the highly compressive melamine foam(MF)as scaffold and the Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)nanosheets as the active materials.Filling the few-layer Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)nanosheets into the skeleton of MF by capillary force followed by freeze-drying yields the MF/Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)composite with superior structural integrity that can be compressed at a large strain of 50%for 100 cycles.The electrochemical performances of the all-in-one supercapacitor were systematically investigated under diverse compression strains.The improved conductivity and reduced ion diffusion length allow the all-in-one supercapacitor to exhibit fast ion and electron kinetics even at high strain of 60%,delivering a maximal volumetric specific energy of 0.37 mWh∙cm^(-3)at power density of 0.42 mW∙cm^(-3)and extraordinary cycling performance during the 2,500 compression cycles.

Facile generation of highly durable thiol-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane based superhydrophobic melamine foam

In this study,a durable superhydrophobic/superoleophilic melamine foam was fabricated by a facile and rapid one-step thiol-ene click chemistry and Michael addition reaction,which demonstrated excellent robustness in oil/water separation.First,1H,1H,2H-perfluoro-1-hexene reacted with thiol-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane via the thiol-ene click chemistry to obtain a fluorinated thiol-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane solution.Subsequently,the melamine foam was immersed to the solution system to form nanoaggregates on the melamine foam surface by the Michael addition reaction in the presence of ultraviolet light.The micro/nano rough structure and low surface energy of the nanoaggregates layer endowed the pristine melamine foam with superhydrophobicity;the water contact angle was greater than 150°.More importantly,the as-prepared melamine foam could withstand harsh conditions,such as a corrosive solution environment,strong ultraviolet light,mechanical compression,high and low temperature exposure,and ultrasonic washing.Driven by gravity,the as-prepared melamine foam could efficiently separate the oil/water mixtures and maintain 98%separation efficiency at high and low temperatures.In addition,it maintained the desirable absorption capability in different oil/organic solvents even after 15 absorption cycles.Accordingly,this facile,low-cost,and robust onestep method provides important support for the superhydrophobic oil/water separation field.

Fe_3C-functionalized 3D nitrogen-doped carbon structures for electrochemical detection of hydrogen peroxide

Fe3C-functionalized three-dimensional （3D） porous nitrogen-doped graphite carbon composites （Fe3C/ NG） were synthesized via a facile solution-based impreg- nation and pyrolysis strategy using the commercially available melamine foam and FeC13 as precursors. The structural characterizations confirmed that Fe3C nanoparticles with an average core size about 122 nm were assembled on the surface of the carbonized melamine foam （CMF） skeletons. The electrochemical measurements demonstrated the superior electrocatalytic activity of the advanced Fe3C/NG composite for hydrogen peroxide reduction reaction in 0.1 mol/L PBS electrolyte and the limit of detection of H2O2 is estimated to be 0.035 mmol/L at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 with a wide linear detection range from 50 μmol/L to 15 mmol/L （R^2 = 0.999）. Compared with the pure CMF, the Fe3C/NG exhibited higher catalytic activity, more stable response, lower detection limit, higher selectivity and a wider detection range, which could be attributed to the synergic effect between the two types of active sites from the iron carbide species and the nitrogen-doped graphite carbon. Meanwhile, the large surface area, high conductivity and the improved mass transport from the 3D porous material can also promote the electrochemical sensing performance. Moreover, the Fe3C/ NG-based electrochemical sensor showed high anti-interference ability and stability for H2O2 detection. Thus, the novel and low-cost Fe3C/NG composite may be a prom- ising alternative to noble metals and offer potential appli- cations in various types of electrochemical sensors, bioelectronic devices and catalysts.

Macroporous 3D MXene architecture for solar-driven interfacial water evaporation

Interfacial water evaporation through solar heating with photothermal materials is a promising strategy for seawater desalination and wastewater purification.Tightly packed 2D membranes with high reflection losses and limited vapor escape channels result in a low evaporation rate.In this work,3D MXene architecture was fabricated by dropping the delaminated Ti_(3)C_(2)(d-Ti_(3)C_(2))nanosheets onto the carbonized melamine foam(CMF)framework.Owing to the macroporous 3D architecture,more effective broadband solar absorption and vapor escaping were achieved.As a result,the 3D CMF@d-Ti_(3)C_(2)-based evaporator delivers a water evaporation rate of 1.60 kg/m2·h with a solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency of up to 84.6%.