Two-step carbon modification of NaTi_2(PO_4)_3 with improved sodium storage performance for Na-ion batteries

NASICON-type structured NaTi2(PO4)3 has been regarded as a promising anode material for non-aqueous and aqueous Na-ion batteries,whereas its sodium storage performance was greatly restricted by its inherent inferior electronic conductivity.In the present work,a two-step carbon modification method using prefabricated carbon spheres as support and phenolic resin as carbon source was proposed to prepare advanced NaTi2(PO4)3/C.The as-prepared composite with carbon spheres displayed a much higher reversible capacity(126.7 mA?h/g vs 106.7 mA?h/g at 0.5C)than the control sample without carbon spheres.Superior rate capability with discharge capacities of 115.1,95.5,80.8 mAh/g at 1C,10C,20C,respectively and long-term cycling stability with capacity retention of 92.4%after 1000 cycles at 5C were also observed.Owing to the designing of two-step carbon modification,although the as-prepared sample shows much smaller surface area,it possesses much better conductive network and more uniform particle distribution,resulting in higher electronic conductivity and faster ionic conductivity,thereby superior sodium storage ability at high rate.

Preparation and modification of activated carbon for benzene adsorption by steam activation in the presence of KOH

A series of activated carbons from Taixi anthracite were prepared by steam activation in the presence of KOH and then they were modified by different methods. The regulation of porosity and the modification of surface chemistry were carried out with the aim to improve the benzene adsorption capacity of activated carbon. The influences of KOH and activation process parameters including activation temperature, activation time and steam flow rate on porosity of activated carbon were evaluated, and the effect of modification methods on surface chemistry was investigated. Also, the relationship between benzene adsorption capacity and porosity and surface chemistry was analyzed. Results show that activation temperature is the dominant factor in the activation process; the introduction of KOH into the raw material can enhance the reactivity of char in activation process, meanwhile it shows a negative effect on the porosity development, especially on the mesopore development. Results of FTIR analysis indicate that anthracite-based activated carbon with condensed aromatics and chemically inert oxygen does not present the nature to be surface modified. Besides, benzene adsorption capacity has an approximate linear relationship with surface area and in our preparation, benzene adsorption capacity and surface area of activated carbon are up to 1210 m 2 /g and 423 mg/g, respectively.

Melamine Modification of Spherical Activated Carbon and Its Effects on Acetylene Hydrochlorination

Commercial spherical activated carbon（SAC） was modified by impregnation to enhance the catalytic properties of SAC in acetylene hydrochlorination through melamine modification. Different modification conditions for SAC with nitrogen were compared by changing the SAC-Melamine ratios. The effect of carbonization temperature on the modification was also investigated. Surface chemistry and adsorption properties of the modified and unmodified SACs were studied by scanning electron microscope（SEM）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）, elementary analysis, BET, and temperature-programmed desorption（TPD）. Moreover, the catalytic properties of SAC in acetylene hydrochlorination under differently modified conditions were also investigated. Elemental analysis showed that the nitrogen content of the modified SAC was greatly improved. XPS revealed that nitrogen mainly exists in Pyrrole nitrogen and Pyridine nitrogen. TPD showed that desorption of C2H2 was changed by modification. The conversion rate of acetylene was up to 70% under the following reaction conditions： temperature, 150 ℃; C2H2 hourly space velocity（GHSV）, 36 h-1; feed volume ratio V（HCl）/V（C2H2） = 1.15. The catalytic properties of SAC were improved significantly via melamine modification.

Control of Fracture Behavior of Carbon Fiber/Pitch-based CarbonMatrix Composites with Microspace Modification Concept

Theoretical consideration was conducted on a relation between pore diameter and interfacialarea between pores and fibers when pores uniforinly distribute in C/C composites. It was shownthat bonding at the fiber/matrix interface apparently decreased with decreasing a pore diameter,and consequently a new idea of microspace modification concept was proposed for controllingfracture behavior of C/C composites. Four types of C/C composites with various pore structureswere fabricated by hot-pressing, and their fracture behavior was investigated by three pointbending tests. The fracture behavior of the C/C composites was changed from brittle one topseudo ductile one with decreasing the pore diameter. This result supported the validity of themicrospace modification concept proposed in this paper.

Carbon nanotubes as conducting support for potential Mn-oxide electrocatalysts： Influences of pre-treatment procedures

Different oxygen and nitrogen containing functional groups were created on the surface of the multiwalled carbon nanotubes. The multi-walled carbon nanotubes were treated in ultrasonic bath with sulfuric or nitric acid. Furthermore the surface texture was modified by increase of the roughness. In particular after treatment with the oxidizing nitric acid, in comparison to the H2SO4 or ultra-sonic treated samples,craters and edges are dominating the surface structures. Manganese oxide was deposited on the multiwalled carbon nanotubes by precipitation mechanism. Various manganese oxides are formed during the deposition process. The samples were characterized by elemental analysis, microscopy, thermal analysis,Raman spectroscopy, and by the zeta potential as well as X-ray diffraction measurements. It was shown that the deposited manganese oxides are stabilized rather by surface texture of the multi-walled carbon nanotubes than by created functional groups.

Acid/Base Treatment of Monolithic Activated Carbon for Coating Silver with Tunable Morphology

Silver coatings on the exterior surface of monolithic activated carbon（MAC） with different morphology were prepared by directly immersing MAC into [Ag（NH3）2]NO3 solution. Acid and base treatments were employed to modify the surface oxygenic groups of MAC, respectively. The MACs＇ Brunauer-EmmettTeller（BET） surface area, surface groups, and silver coating morphology were characterized by N2 adsorption, elemental analysis（EA）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）, and scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, respectively. The coating morphology was found to be closely related to the surface area and surface functional groups of MAC. For a raw MAC which contained a variety of oxygenic groups, HNO3 treatment enhanced the relative amount of highly oxidized groups such as carboxyl and carbonates, which disfavored the deposition of silver particles. By contrast, Na OH treatment significantly improved the amount of carbonyl groups, which in turn improved the deposition amount of silver. Importantly, lamella silver was produced on raw MAC while Na OH treatment resulted in granular particles because of the capping effect of carbonyl groups. At appropriate [Ag（NH3）2]NO3 concentrations, silver nanoparticles smaller than 100 nm were homogeneously dispersed on Na OH-treated MAC. The successful tuning of the size and morphology of silver coatings on MAC is promising for novel applications in air purification and for antibacterial or aesthetic purposes.

Adsorption of Cu(Ⅱ) from Aqueous Solution Using Activated Carbon Modified with Nitric Acid

The objective of the presented work was to assess the adsorption processes of Cu （ II ） from aqueous solution onto a granular activated carbon （GAC） and a modified activated carbon （MAC） with nitric acid. Available surface functional groups, pH of the isoclectric point （pHIEP ）, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopes were obtained to characterize the GAC/MAC. Factors influencing Cu （ II ） adsorption such as adsorbent dosage, pH of solution, and contact time of the adsorption onto the MAC/GAC had been investigated in a batch experiment. Experimental equilibrium data had been obtained and modelled using both Frenndlich and Langmuir dassicai adsorption isotherms and the data fitted better to Langmulr isotherm. It was found that nitric acid modification increased the Cu（ II ） adsorption capacity to 90.9 mg/ g, which was higher than the unmodified carbon by 41%. Two simplified models including pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second- order equations were selected to follow the adsorption processes.

An elastic model for bioinspired design of carbon nanotube bundles

Collagen fibers provide a good example of making strong micro-or mesoscale fibers from nanoscale tropocollagen molecules through a staggered and crosslinked organization in a bottom-up manner.Mimicking the architectural features of collagen fibers has been shown to be a promising approach to develop carbon nanotube（CNT）fibers of high performance.In the present work,an elastic model is developed to describe the load transfer and failure propagation within the bioinspired CNT bundles,and to establish the relations of the mechanical properties of the bundles with a number of geometrical and physical parameters such as the CNT aspect ratio and longitudinal gap,interface cross-link density,and the functionalizationinduced degradation in CNTs,etc.With the model,the stress distributions along the CNT-CNT interface as well as in every individual CNT are well captured,and the failure propagation along the interface and its effects on the mechanical properties of the CNT bundles are predicted.The work may provide useful guidelines for the design of novel CNT fibers in practice.

Modification of a magnetic carbon composite for ciprofloxacin adsorption

A magnetic carbon composite, Fe3O4/C composite, was fabricated by one-step hydrothermal synthesis, modified by heat treatment under an inert atmosphere（N2）, and then used as an adsorbent for ciprofloxacin（CIP） removal. Conditions for the modification were optimized according to the rate of CIP removal. The adsorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction measurements, vibrating-sample magnetometry,scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and N2adsorption/desorption isotherm measurements. The results indicate that the modified adsorbent has substantial magnetism and has a large specific area, which favor CIP adsorption. The effects of solution p H, adsorbent dose, contact time, initial CIP concentration, ion strength, humic acid and solution temperature on CIP removal were also studied. Our results show that all of the above factors influence CIP removal. The Langmuir adsorption isotherm fits the adsorption process well, with the pseudo second-order model describing the adsorption kinetics accurately. The thermodynamic parameters indicate that adsorption is mainly physical adsorption. Recycling experiments revealed that the behavior of adsorbent is maintained after recycling for five times. Overall, the modified magnetic carbon composite is an efficient adsorbent for wastewater treatment.

Comparison on Hemocompatibility of MWCNTs and Hydroxyl Modificated MWCNTs

Objective: To study and compare the hemocompatibility of MWCNTs and hydroxyl modificated MWCNTs (MWCNTs-OH). Methods: MWCNTs and MWCNTs-OH were characterized by scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, water contact angle assays, platelet-adhesion and hemolytic rate assays. Results: The results showed that the two MWCNTs had a similar surface topography and MWCNTs-OH were functionalized with hydroxyl groups on their surfaces. Water contact angle assays indicated that MWCNTs were hydrophobic materials, whereas MWCNTs-OH was hydrophilic. The platelet-adhesion assays displayed that the platelet-adhesion rate of MWCNTs-OH was much lower than MWCNTs. The hemolytic rate assays showed that the hemolytic rates of both MWCNTs were lower than the standard value of 5%. Conclusion: MWCNTs-OH shows superior anticoagulant capacity over MWCNTs. Both MWCNTs and MWCNTs-OH are nonhemolytic materials.

Rational design of interfacial bonds within dual carbon-protected manganese oxide towards durable aqueous zinc ion battery

Manganese-based cathode materials are promising candidates for aqueous zinc ion batteries(AZIBs)by reason of their low cost and high energy density.However,their practical applicability is hampered by the intrinsic defects of poor electrical conductivity,sluggish reaction kinetics,and severe structural deterioration.Herein,we constructed a hierarchically porous structure composed of carbon-encapsulated Mn O nanoparticles(MOC)and three-dimensional(3D)nitrogen-doped graphene aerogel(NGA)(denoted as MOC@NGA).The hybrid was synthesized by a facile in-situ coprecipitation and annealing of manganesebased metal-organic framework(Mn-MOF74)and NGA composite(Mn-MOF74@NGA).Specifically,the carbon shells inherited from organic ligand of Mn-MOF74 could restrain the volume changes of Mn O,and the porous NGA prevented the agglomeration of MOC nanoparticles and enriched the types of interfacial chemical bonds.Profiting from the synergistic effect of rich interface chemical bonds and dual-carbon protection,the MOC@NGA hybrids exhibit fast interfacial electron/charge transfer and transport,and outstanding structural stability.Therefore,MOC@NGA cathode delivers an excellent rate performance(270 and 99.8 m Ah g^(-1)at 0.1 and 2.0 A g^(-1))and maintains an excellent specific capacity of 151.6 m Ah g^(-1)after 2,000cycles at 1.0 A g^(-1).Moreover,the fabricated MOC@NGA-based quasi-solid-state battery not only achieves outstanding flexibility but also displays impressive cycling stability,demonstrating a promising potential for portable and flexible equipment.This work provides a feasible strategy for the fabrication of the bridging structure of manganese-based oxides and porous carbon matrix for high-specific capacity and durable AZIBs cathodes.

The selectivity of triethylene glycol modified glassy carbon electrode for charged and uncharged pieces

A triethylene glycol modified glassy carbon electrode （TEG-GCE） was fabricated by a controlled- potential electrolysis procedure. The performance of the film on the modified electrode surface was investigated by cyclic voltammetry with different probes. It was firstly found that while neutral pieces could penetrate the TEG film on the GCE surface, the ionic pieces, whatever it is anion or cation, was blocked by the film. This property was successfully used for determining dopamine （DA） in the presence of ascorbic acid （AA） with differential pulse voltammetry （DPV）.