Alkali salts of heteropoly tungstates: Efficient catalysts for the synthesis of biodiesel from edible and non-edible oils

Alkali salts of tungsten based heteropoly acids with different central atom such as P, Si and Co were prepared and evaluated for transes- terification of both edible and non-edible oils to their corresponding fatty acid methyl esters. The catalyst of sodium salt of tungstic acid with Co as central atom （Na5CoW12O40） showed optimum activity towards transesterification compared with other heteropoly tungstates. The catalysts activities were correlated with the observed physico-chemical characteristics derived from FT-infrared （FT-IR）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia （NH3-TPD） and carbon dioxide （CO2-TPD）. The Na5CoW12O40 catalyst exhibiting high activity even at 65 ℃ is due to the presence of strong acidic as well as basic sites. The disclosed catalyst is tolerable towards water and free fatty acids present in the oils. The influence of catalyst loading, reaction time and reaction temperature is studied to optimize the reaction parameters.

Anion effect on Li/Na/K hybrid electrolytes for Graphite//NCA(LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.15)Al_(0.05)O_(2))Li-ion batteries

The electrolyte is an essential component of a battery system since it is responsible for the conduction of ions between the electrodes.In the quest for cheaper alternatives to common organic electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries(LIB),we formulated hybrid electrolytes comprising a mixture of Na,K,and Li alkaline salts with ethylene carbonate(EC),ethyl methyl carbonate(EMC),and lithium hexafluorophosphate(LiPF_(6)),giving a total salt concentration of 1.5 M;we determined their physicochemical properties and investigated their electrochemical behavior on a nickel cobalt aluminum oxide(NCA)cathode and graphite(Gr)anode.The electrolytes demonstrated a melting transition peak(T_(m)).eutectic behavior,and ionic conductivities(-13 mS cm^(-1))close to those of a commercial LIB electrolyte(SE,EC/EMC+1 M LiPF_(6))and activation energies of ca.3 kJ mol^(-1).The half-cell coin cells revealed high coulombic efficiency(99%),specific capacity(175 mAh g^(-1) at C/10),and capacity retention(92% for NaCF_(3)SO_(3))for the NCA cathode and a moderate performance(coulombic efficiency of 98%for 20 cycles)on the graphite anode after the formation of the SEI layer.The hybrid electrolytes were cycled at 25℃ in a Gr//NCA cell yielding specific capacities of ca.225 mAh g^(-1) at a C/5 rate,corroborating that the anion plays a key role and highlighting their potential for energy storage applications.

Ultrathin porous graphitic carbon nanosheets activated by alkali metal salts for high power density lithium-ion capacitors

Graphitic carbons with reasonable pore volume and appropriate graphitization degree can provide efficient Li+/electrolyte-transfer channels and ameliorate the sluggish dynamic behavior of battery-type carbon negative electrode in lithium-ion capacitors(LICs).In this work,onion-like graphitic carbon materials are obtained by using carbon quantum dots as precursors after sintering,and the effects of alkali metal salts on the structure,morphology and performance of the samples are focused.The results show that alkali metal salts as activator can etch graphitic carbons,and the specific surface area and pore size distribution are intimately related to the description of the alkali metal salt.Moreover,it also affects the graphitization degree of the materials.The porous graphitic carbons(SGCs)obtained by NaCl activation exhibit high specific surface area(77.14 m^(2)·g^(-1))and appropriate graphitization degree.It is expectable that the electrochemical performance for lithium-ions storage can be largely promoted by the smart combination of catalytic graphitization and pores-creating strategy.High-performance LICs(S-GCs//AC LICs)are achieved with high energy density of 92 Wh·kg^(-1)and superior rate capability(66.3 Wh·kg^(-1)at10 A·g^(-1))together with the power density as high as10020.2 W·kg^(-1).