Residual alkali-evoked cross-linked polymer layer for anti-air-sensitivity LiNi_(0.89)Co_(0.06)Mn_(0.05)O_(2)cathode

High-energy density lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)with layered high-nickel oxide cathodes(LiNi_(x)Co_(y)Mn_(1-x-y)O_(2),x≥0.8)show great promise in consumer electronics and vehicular applications.However,LiNi_(x)Co_(y)Mn_(1-x-y)O_(2)faces challenges related to capacity decay caused by residual alkalis owing to high sensitivity to air.To address this issue,we propose a hazardous substances upcycling method that fundamentally mitigates alkali content and concurrently induces the emergence of an anti-air-sensitive layer on the cathode surface.Through the neutralization of polyacrylic acid(PAA)with residual alkalis and then coupling it with 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane(KH550),a stable and ion-conductive cross-linked polymer layer is in situ integrated into the LiNi_(0.89)Co_(0.06)Mn_(0.05)O_(2)(NCM)cathode.Our characterization and measurements demonstrate its effectiveness.The NCM material exhibits impressive cycling performance,retaining 88.4%of its capacity after 200 cycles at 5 C and achieving an extraordinary specific capacity of 170.0 mA h g^(-1) at 10 C.Importantly,this layer on the NCM efficiently suppresses unfavorable phase transitions,severe electrolyte degradation,and CO_(2)gas evolution,while maintaining commendable resistance to air exposure.This surface modification strategy shows widespread potential for creating air-stable LiNi_(x)Co_(y)Mn_(1-x-y)O_(2)cathodes,thereby advancing high-performance LIBs.

Effect of Multi-Hydroxyl Polymer-Treated MUF Resin on the Mechanical Properties of Particleboard Manufactured with Reed Straw

The poor bonding performance between aqueous adhesives represented by melamine-urea formaldehyde(MUF)resins and reed straw hinders their applications in the field of non-wood-based panels.Multi-hydroxyl polymers are highly reactive and are often used as crosslinkers.This study fabricated a resin with a strengthened crosslinked structure by combining a multi-hydroxyl polymer and MUF resin prepolymer.The reed particleboard was prepared by using this resin as an adhesive and reed stalk as the matrix.The results show that neighboring molecules combined to form C–O–C bonds that strengthened the cross-linked structure of the resin.In addition,the viscosity of the resin was increased,and a continuous adhesive layer on the surface of reed particles was formed,which slowed the penetration of reed particles.The adhesive layer significantly improved the mechanical properties of the reed particleboard.The maximum modulus of rupture(MOR),modulus of elasticity(MOE),and internal bonding strength(IB)of the reed particleboard were 33.53,4126,and 0.79 MPa,respectively.The IB of the board was 3.3 times higher than that of the reed particleboard prepared with a conventional MUF resin.Reed straw is a non-wood biomass material that has the advantage of sustainable development and may replace woodbased materials to produce particleboard.This resin-prepared reed particleboard is expected to be used in areas such as custom furniture and engineering materials.

In situ formed cross-linked polymer networks as dual-functional layers for high-stable lithium metal batteries

Lithium-metal anodes(LMAs)have been recognized as the ultimate anodes for next-generation batteries with high energy density,but stringent assembly-environment conditions derived from the poor moisture stability dramatically hinder the transformation of LMAs from laboratory to industry.Herein,an in situ formed cross-linked polymer layer on LMAs is designed and constructed by a facile thiol-acrylate click chemistry reaction between poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate(PEGDA)and the crosslinker containing multi thiol groups under UV irradiation.Owing to the hydrophobic nature of the layer,the treated LMAs demonstrate remarkable humid stability for more than 3 h in ambient air(70%relative humidity).The coating humid-resistant protective layer also possesses a dual-functional characterization as solid polymer electrolytes by introducing lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide in the system in advance.The intimate contact between the polymer layer and LMAs reduces interfacial resistance in the assembled Li/LiFePO_(4)or Li/LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2)full cell effectively,and endows the cell with an outstanding cycle performance.

A UV cross-linked gel polymer electrolyte enabling high-rate and high voltage window for quasi-solid-state supercapacitors

Serving as a promising alternative to liquid electrolyte in the application of portable and wearable devices,gel polymer electrolytes(GPEs)are expected to obtain more preferable properties rather than just be satisfied with the merits of high safety and deformability.Here,an easy-operated method is employed to fabricate cross-linked composite polymer membranes used for GPEs assisted by UV irradiation,in which N-doped carbon quantum dots(N-CQDs)and TiO2are introduced as photocatalysts and additives to improve the performances of GPEs.Specifically,N-CQDs participate as a cross-linker to construct the inner porous structure,and TiO2nanoparticles serve as a stabilizer to improve the electrochemical stability of GPEs under high voltage(3.5 V).The excellent thermal and mechanical stability of the membrane fabricated in this work guarantee the safety of the supercapacitors(SCs).This GPE based SC not only exhibits prominent rate performance(105%capacitance retention at the current density of 40A g^(-1))and cyclic stability(85%at 1 A g^(-1)under 3.5 V after 20,000 cycles),but also displays remarkable energy density(42.88 Wh kg^(-1))with high power density(19.3 k W kg^(-1)).Moreover,the superior rate and cycling performances of the as-prepared GPE based flexible SCs under flat and bending state confirm the feasibility of its application in flexible energy storage devices.

A Self-Healing and Nonflammable Cross-Linked Network Polymer Electrolyte with the Combination of Hydrogen Bonds and Dynamic Disulfide Bonds for Lithium Metal Batteries

The self-healing solid polymer electrolytes(SHSPEs)can spontaneously eliminate mechanical damages or micro-cracks generated during the assembly or operation of lithium-ion batteries(LIBs),significantly improving cycling performance and extending service life of LIBs.Here,we report a novel cross-linked network SHSPE(PDDP)containing hydrogen bonds and dynamic disulfide bonds with excellent self-healing properties and nonflammability.The combination of hydrogen bonding between urea groups and the metathesis reaction of dynamic disulfide bonds endows PDDP with rapid self-healing capacity at 28°C without external stimulation.Furthermore,the addition of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide(EMIMTFSI)improves the ionic conductivity(1.13×10^(−4)S cm^(−1)at 28°C)and non-flammability of PDDP.The assembled Li/PDDP/LiFePO_(4)cell exhibits excellent cycling performance with a discharge capacity of 137 mA h g^(−1)after 300 cycles at 0.2 C.More importantly,the self-healed PDDP can recover almost the same ionic conductivity and cycling performance as the original PDDP.

Mechanical Behavior of Polyurethane Polymer Materials under Triaxial Cyclic Loading:A Particle Flow Code Approach

Polyurethane polymer grouting materials were studied with conventional triaxial tests via the particle flow code in two dimensions（PFC^（2D）） method, and the simulation results agreed with the experimental data. The particle flow code method can simulate the mechanical properties of the polymer. The triaxial cyclic loading tests of the polymer material under different confining pressures were carried out via PFC^（2D） to analyze its mechanical performance. The PFC^（2D） simulation results show that the value of the elastic modulus of the polymer decreases slowly at first and fluctuated within a narrow range near the value of the peak strength; the cumulative plastic strain increases slowly at first and then increases rapidly; the peak strength and elastic modulus of polymer increase with the confining pressure; the PFC^（2D） method can be used to quantitatively evaluate the damage behavior of the polymer material and estimate the fatigue life of the materials under fatigue load based on the number and the location of micro-cracks. Thus, the PFC^（2D） method is an effective tool to study polymers.

Synthesis of Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Particles by Suspension Polymerization in Silicon Oil

Molecularly imprinted polymers using 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid （2,4-D） as templates were prepared by suspension polymerization in silicon oil. The polymer particles exhibited regular shape in the micro-scale range. The adsorbing experiments indicated that the imprinted polymer particles possessed higher affinity to 2,4-D than the non-imprinted polymer particles.

The Effect of Cyclodextrins in Polymer Particles Synthesis

The free radical polymerization of styrene in water in the presence of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) is described. It is found that β-CD could greatly accelerate the polymerization, enhance the final conversion of monomer. The particle-size distribution of the final polymer is also improved than that without β-CD in the system.

Photo-induced Alignment Behavior of Azobenzene-containing Polymer Films with Different Cross-linking Degree

Three series of amorphous copolymers containing azobenzene groups with various substituents and certain amounts of crosslinkable acrylic groups were prepared. The cross-linked polymer films were obtained by thermal polymerization of the acrylic groups in the copolymers, during which, by controlling the time of cross-linking reaction, the films can be made with different cross-linking degree （from 0 to 32%, which was monitored by FT-IR spectra measurement）. Photo-induced alignment process of the films was performed under irradiation with linearly polarized light at 442 nm, and the effect of cross-linking degree on the photo-induced alignment rate was investigated. The dynamics of the photo-induced alignment was analyzed with biexponential curve fitting. The photo-induced alignment rate and the maximum transmittance of the films decreased because of the cross-linking. Furthermore, for the cross-linked samples, it was found that their saturated value of transmittances keep constant after repeated ＂writing＂ and ＂erasing＂ cycles. The findings reveal that the cross-linking of the film can effectively restrain the phototactic mass transport of azopolymer during irradiation by polarized light. The relationship between the cross-linking degree and the photo-induced alignment behavior of azopolymer is discussed in detail.

Friction and Wear of Polymer Composites Filled by Nano-Particles: A Review

Composites formed by adding nano-scale particles to a polymer matrix results in improving electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties of the composite. Good tribological properties can be obtained for polymers filled with nano-scale fillers compared to that filled with micro-scale particles. The friction and wear resistance of these composites is found to increase with increasing filler concentration. It is also possible to use multi-functional fillers to develop high performance composites which cannot be achieved by using a single filler.

Investigation of the performance of a pilot-scale barrel atmospheric plasma system for plasma activation of polymer particles

This study reports the development and performance of a pilot-scale barrel atmospheric plasma reactor for the atmospheric plasma activation treatment of polymer particles. The polymer particles treated included acrylonitrile butadiene styrene(ABS) and polypropylene(PP). These particles had diameters in the range of 3–5 mm. The initial studies were carried out using a laboratory-scale barrel reactor designed to treat polymer particle batch sizes of 20 g. A pilot-scale reactor that could treat 500 g particle batch sizes was then developed to facilitate pre-industrial-scale treatments. The effect of operating pulse density modulation(PDM) in the range 10%–100% and plasma treatment time on the level of activation of the treated polymers were then investigated. ABS revealed a larger decrease in water contact angle compared with PP after plasma treatment under the same conditions. The optimal treatment time of ABS(400 g of polymer particles) in the pilot-scale reactor was 15 min. The plasma-activated polymer particles were used to fabricate dog-bone polymer parts through injection molding.Mechanical testing of the resulting dog-bone polymer parts revealed a 10.5% increase in tensile strength compared with those fabricated using non-activated polymer particles.

Degradation of Diclofenac in Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Submicron Particles by UV Light Irradiation and HCl Acid Treatment

A new molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized by precipitation polymerization using diclofenac (DFC) as a template. Binding characteristics of the MIP particles were evaluated by equilibrium binding experiments. DFC-MIP aqueous suspension and non-imprinted polymer (NIP) suspension were exposed to monochromatic UV light (253.7 nm) from low-pressure mercury lamps. UV-visible spectrophotometry (especially absorbance at 276 nm) showed that the DFC inside MIP particles degraded completely. After DFC-MIP suspension exposure to UV light the particles were completely regenerated after washing with water at least six times. The regenerated MIP particles rebounded considerable amount of DFC (approximately 88% removal of 44 ppm DFC). The stability of DFC was examined in the presence of various concentrations of hydrochloric acid (0.025 to 125 mM). Experimental results showed that degradation of DFC was efficient, depending on the acid concentration as well as the treatment time. However, there was no re-binding of DFC by the MIP particles after HCl treatment (and DDW washing) when exposed to DFC for 24 hours.

Degradable preformed particle gel as temporary plugging agent for low-temperature unconventional petroleum reservoirs:Effect of molecular weight of the cross-linking agent

The development of unconventional petroleum resources has gradually become an important succession for increasing oil production.However,the related engineers and researchers are paying more and more attention to the application of temporary plugging agents(TPAs)for their efficient development.TPAs can expand the stimulated reservoir volume(SRV)and facilitate the flow of oil and gas to the bottom of the well.Particle-gels used as temporary plugging agents have the characteristics of the simple injection process,good deformation,high plugging strength,and complete self-degradation performance,which have been widely applied in recent years.In this paper,five samples of DPPG polymerized by different molecular weights of cross-linking agents were prepared.In addition,infrared spectroscopy analysis,differential calorimetry scanning(DSC)analysis,static particle gel swelling and degradation performance evaluation experiments,and dynamic temporary plugging performance experiments in cores were conducted at 34°C.Results show that as the molecular weight of the cross-linking agent(at 0.01 g)in the DPPG molecule decreased from 1,000 to 200 Da,the fewer cross-linking sites of DPPG,the looser the microscopic three-dimensional mesh structure formed.The swelling ratio increased from 7 to 33 times.However,the complete degradation time increased from 40 to 210 min.Moreover,the DSC results confirmed that the higher the molecular weight of the cross-linking agent,the worse is chemical stability and the more prone it to self-degradation.DPPG samples had good temporary plugging performance in reservoir cores.DPPGs prepared by the cross-linking agent with smaller molecular weight has a stronger swelling ratio,higher gel strength,and greater plugging strength in the core permeabilities.Moreover,the degraded DPPG is less damaging to the cores.However,their slower degradation rates take a slightly longer times to reach complete degradation.The results of this paper can provide new ideas and a theoretical basis for the development of particle gel-type temporary plugging agents(TPA)with controllable degradation time in low-temperature reservoirs.It can help to expand the application range of existing DPPG reservoir conditions.

Effect of stirring on preparation of hollow copolymer particles by alkali/cooling method

Hollow particles were prepared by the treatment of styrene-metbacrylic acid copolymer particles with alkali/cooling method. The influences of stirring position （in aqueous phase or at the interface of O/W） and stirring speed （90, 110 and 240 r/min） on the formation of hollow particles were investigated. It is found that the soft stirring in aqueous phase at 90 r/min leads to the formation of monohollow particles, while the violent stirring at the interface of O/W and 240 r/min gives non-hollow products. In contrast, the weak stirring in aqueous phase at 110 r/min results in sterically heterogeneous dispersion of methacrylic acid-rich regions within the original particles, and hence the formation of multihollow particles. Further investigation indicates that the change of stirring efficiency provides a way to tune the diffusion behavior of monomer styrene, and therefore influences the distribution of methacrylic acid units in the original particles as well as the morphology of the treated particles.

Functional Organo-Nano Particles by RAFT Copolymerisation

A significant impact of this work on the use of polymers is expected because the developed organo-nano particles (ONP) mixed into standard polymers will make them unique and traceable. The doping of polymers with non migrating ONP was demonstrated and applications for the recycling of plastics were discussed. Thus, perylene derivatives were linked to polymerisable vinyl groups and copolymerized under RAFT conditions (Reversible Addition Fragmentation chain Transfer) with styrene and methylmethacrylate, respectively, to obtain fluorescent ONP with sizes of 40 nm or even less and narrow distributions of molecular weight in most cases with polydispersities PD of 1.1 and lower.

Preparation of Polymer Composite Particles by Phase Separation Followed by Suspension Polymerization

The novel method for preparing the polymer composite particles has been developed. It was tried to prepare polymer composite particles composed of polystyrene and carbon black with the phase separation method followed by suspension polymerization. In order to prepare the polymer composite particles with the more uniform diameter, the styrene monomer droplets containing carbon black were formed with phase separation emulsification in which ethyl alcohol and water were used as the good solvent and the poor solvent for styrene monomer, respectively. In the experiment, the surfactant species and their concentrations, the pouring velocity of water and the weight ratio of carbon black to styrene monomer were mainly changed. Water was poured at the given pouring velocity into ethyl alcohol in which styrene monomer and an initiator were dissolved and carbon black was dispersed beforehand. The spherical polymer composite particles containing carbon black were prepared with Tween 20 and Tween 80 of nonionic surfactants and the irregular polymer composite particles were prepared with PVA, SDS and Kotamine. The diameters of polymer composite particles increased with the pouring velocity of water and with the weight ratio of carbon black to styrene monomer.

Contactless Raman Spectroscopy-Based Monitoring of Physical States of Silyl-Modified Polymers during Cross-Linking

Cross-linking of silyl-modified polymers occurs at the alkoxysilane groups attached to the ends of polymer chains by hydrolysis and polycondensation mechanisms in the presence of moisture. During these reactions, three different physical states can be identified (viscous, skin effect and cross-linked state). Knowledge of the evolution of these states at each reaction time is essential to determine the open time for the adhe-sive industry and is generally obtained by a manual method. Automation of this moni-toring could avoid operator error and could be used for very long cross linking reac-tions or to screen a large number of catalysts. Thus, a contactless micro process tech-nology was developed to correlate these physical states with an optical technology, Raman spectroscopy, by monitoring the decrease in intensity of the Si-OCH3 groups during chemical reactions. This online characterization method can also be used to compare the efficiencies of several catalysts for the cross-linking of silyl-modified polymers, using a minimum amount of chemical materials.

Tuning Polymer-Grafted Particle Monolayer Structure at the Air-Water Interface by Introducing Anisotropic Features

Fabrication of anisotropic material is one of the important topics and we examined to introduce “anisotropic” nature by spreading polymer-grafted particle on the medium with polymer-reactive potential. Poly (tert-butyl methacrylate) (PtBMA) was polymerized from polystyrene latex (PSL) surface by ATRP to give PtBMA-grafted PSL (PSL-PtBMA). Particle monolayer was formed at air-water and air-acidic water interfaces and the monolayer characteristics were compared by π-A isotherm measurements, SEM observations, and contact angle measurements. π-A isotherms, in particular, indicates that the interaction between polymer chains become stronger by changing the subphase condition, which suggests that anisotropicparticle monolayer formation.

Flocculating Properties of Water-Soluble Polymer-Colloid Complexes of Aluminoxane Particles with Weakly Charged Cationic Polyelectrolytes

The flocculating properties of polymer-colloid complexes (PCCs) formed via noncovalent interactions of positively charged aluminoxane particles (APs) with macromolecules of weakly charged cationic acrylamide copolymers from the Praestol and Organopol series have been studied. The PCCs that spontaneously formed during mixing of sols of a high-basicity aluminum polyhydroxochloride (APHC) with aqueous solutions of the copolymers exhibit high flocculating ability under the conditions of gravity sedimentation of the model kaolin dispersion with Сd = 8 g/dm3, and their efficiency exceeds both that of the copolymers and the earlier obtained PCCs with nonionogenic polyacrylamide (PAA). In contrast to weakly charged polycationites, the fully charged KF-99 polyelectrolyte does not form PCCs and the products of its mixing with APHC do not reveal an increased flocculating effect.

Visualization of adaptive polymer flow and displacement in medium-permeable 3D core-on-a-chip

Polymer flooding has been witnessed an effective technology for enhancing oil recovery from medium-to low-permeability reservoirs;however, direct visualization of polymer solution flow in such reservoir condition is still lacking. In this work, a three-dimensional (3D) core-on-a-chip device with a permeability of around 200 mD was prepared and employed to visualize the pore-scale flow and displacement of a self-adaptive polymer (SAP, 8.7 × 106 g·mol−1)−whose microscopic association structure and macroscopic viscosity can reversibly change in response to shear action−versus partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM), by recording their flow curves, monitoring dynamic transportation process via particle imaging velocimetry, and building 3D structure of remaining oil. The results show that, in single-phase flow, all polymer solutions exhibit flow thinning and then thickening regions as flow rate increases, but the transition between two regimes occurs at a small Weissenberg number (10−3−10−1) in this medium-permeable condition. In contrast to HPAM-1 with close weight-average molecular weight (Mw), the adaptive character not only extends SAP's shear-govern region, allowing SAP to propagate piece by piece and achieve higher accessible pore volume, but it also enhances the elastic resistibility of polymer in the extension-dominated regime, increasing the microscopic displacement efficiency. These two effects result in 1.5–3 times more oil recovery factor for SAP than for HPAM-1. Regarding ultra-high-Mw HPAM-2 (25 × 106 g·mol−1), plugging and chain degradation do occur, thus producing lower oil recovery than SAP. This work provides a direct approach for in-situ assessment of polymer-based displacing system under a more authentic condition of practical reservoirs.