Rational design of stratified material with spatially separated catalytic sites as an efficient overall water-splitting photocatalyst

The development of metal sulfide catalysts with remarkable activity toward efficient overall photocatalytic water splitting remains challenging owing to the dominant charge recombination and deficient catalytic active sites.Moreover,in the process of water oxidation catalysis,the inhibition of severe photocorrosion is an immense task,requiring effective photogenic hole-transfer kinetics.Herein,stratified Co-MnO_(2)@CdS/CoS hollow cubes with spatially separated catalytic sites were rationally designed and fabricated as highly efficient controllable catalysts for photocatalytic overall water splitting.The unique self-templated method,including a continuous anion/cation-exchange reaction,integrates a Co-doped oxidation co-catalyst(Co-MnO_(2))and a reduction co-catalyst(CoS)on the nanocubes with uniform interface contact and ultrathin two-dimensional(2D)nanometer sheets.We demonstrate that the stratified Co-MnO_(2)@CdS/CoS hollow cubes can provide an abundance of active sites for surface redox reactions and contribute to the separation and migration of the photoionization charge carriers.In particular,CoS nanoparticles dispersed on the walls of CdS hollow cubes were identified as reduction co-catalysts accelerating hydrogen generation,while Co-MnO_(2) nanosheets attached to the inner walls of the CdS hollow cube were oxidation co-catalysts,promoting oxygen evolution dynamics.Benefiting from the desirable structural and compositional advantages,optimized stratification of Co-MnO_(2)@CdS/CoS nanocubes provided a catalytic system devoid of precious metals,which exhibited a remarkable overall photocatalytic water-splitting rate(735.4(H_(2))and 361.1(O_(2))μmol h^(−1) g^(−1)),being among the highest values reported thus far for CdS-based catalysts.Moreover,an apparent quantum efficiency(AQE)of 1.32%was achieved for hydrogen evolution at 420 nm.This study emphasizes the importance of rational design on the structure and composition of photocatalysts for overall water splitting.

Porous framework materials for energy&environment relevant applications:A systematic review

Carbon peaking and carbon neutralization trigger a technical revolution in energy&environment related fields.Development of new technologies for green energy production and storage,industrial energy saving and efficiency reinforcement,carbon capture,and pollutant gas treatment is in highly imperious demand.The emerging porous framework materials such as metal–organic frameworks(MOFs),covalent organic frameworks(COFs)and hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks(HOFs),owing to the permanent porosity,tremendous specific surface area,designable structure and customizable functionality,have shown great potential in major energy-consuming industrial processes,including sustainable energy gas catalytic conversion,energy-efficient industrial gas separation and storage.Herein,this manuscript presents a systematic review of porous framework materials for global and comprehensive energy&environment related applications,from a macroscopic and application perspective.

Two-dimensional material separation membranes for renewable energy purification, storage, and conversion

The current energy crisis has prompted the development of new energy sources and energy storage/conversion devices. Membranes, as the key component, not only provide enormous separation potential for energy purification but also guarantee stable and high-efficiency operation for rechargeable batteries and fuel cells. Remarkably, two-dimensional(2D) material separation membranes have attracted intense attention on their excellent performance in energy field applications, owing to high mechanical/chemical stability, low mass transport resistance, strict sizeexclusion, and abundant modifiable functional groups. In this review, we concentrate on the recent progress of 2D membrane and introduce 2D membranes based on graphene oxide(GO), MXenes, 2D MOFs, 2D COFs, and 2D zeolite nanosheets, which are applied in membrane separation(H2 collection and biofuel purification) and battery separators(vanadium flow battery, Li–S battery, and fuel cell). The mass transport mechanism, selectivity mechanism, and modification methods of these 2D membranes are stated in brief, mainly focusing on interlayer dominant membranes(GO and MXenes) and pore dominant membranes(MOFs, COFs, and zeolite nanosheets). In conclusion, we highlight the challenges and outlooks of applying 2D membranes in energy fields.

Status and Opportunities of Zinc Ion Hybrid Capacitors: Focus on Carbon Materials, Current Collectors, and Separators

Zinc ion hybrid capacitors(ZIHCs), which integrate the features of the high power of supercapacitors and the high energy of zinc ion batteries, are promising competitors in future electrochemical energy storage applications. Carbon-based materials are deemed the competitive candidates for cathodes of ZIHC due to their cost-effectiveness, high electronic conductivity, chemical inertness, controllable surface states, and tunable pore architectures. In recent years, great research efforts have been devoted to further improving the energy density and cycling stability of ZIHCs. Reasonable modification and optimization of carbon-based materials offer a remedy for these challenges. In this review, the structural design, and electrochemical properties of carbon-based cathode materials with different dimensions, as well as the selection of compatible, robust current collectors and separators for ZIHCs are discussed. The challenges and prospects of ZIHCs are showcased to guide the innovative development of carbon-based cathode materials and the development of novel ZIHCs.

Membrane materials in the pervaporation separation of aromatic/aliphatic hydrocarbon mixtures—A review

The separation of aromatic/aliphatic hydrocarbon mixtures is a significant process in chemical industry, but challenged in some cases. Compared with conventional separation technologies, pervaporation is quite promising in terms of its economical, energy-saving, and eco-friendly advantages. However, this technique has not been used in industry for separating aromatic/aliphatic mixtures yet. One of the main reasons is that the separation performance of existed pervaporation membranes is unsatisfactory. Membrane material is an important factor that affects the separation performance. This review provides an overview on the advances in studying membrane materials for the pervaporation separation of aromatic/aliphatic mixtures over the past decade. Explored pristine polymers and their hybrid materials(as hybrid membranes) are summarized to highlight their nature and separation performance. We anticipate that this review could provide some guidance in the development of new materials for the aromatic/aliphatic pervaporation separation.

Separator Material Chosen for MH/Ni Battery

The properties of MH/Ni batteries using different separator were studied.And then an idea for choosing separator for high-power MH/Ni battery was provided.Using the separator with grafting treatment, the storage characteristic, charge retention characteristic and anti-soft-short characteristic of high-power MH/Ni battery are improved.Wetlaid and spunfibre material meet different properties requirement of battery.

Efficient separation of C_(4) olefins using tantalum pentafluor oxide anion-pillared hybrid microporous material

With the increasing demand for synthetic rubber,the purification of 1,3-butadiene(C_(4)H_(6))is of great industrial significance.Herein,the successful removal of n-butene(n-C_(4)H_(8))and iso-butene(iso-C_(4)H_(8))from 1,3-butadiene(C_(4)H_(6))was realized by synthesizing a novel TaOF_(5)^(2-) anion-pillared ultramicroporous material TaOFFIVE-3-Ni(also referred to as ZU-96,TaOFFIVE=TaOF_(5)^(2-),3=pyrazine).Single-component adsorption isotherms show that TaOFFIVE-3-Ni can achieve the exclusion of n-C_(4)H_(8) and iso-C_(4)H_(8) in the low pressure region(0–30 kPa),and uptake C_(4)H_(6) with a high capacity of 92.78 cm^(3)·cm^(-3)(298 K and 100 kPa).The uptake ratio of C_(4)H_(6)/iso-C_(4)H_(8) on TaOFFIVE-3-Ni was 20.83(298 K and 100 kPa),which was the highest among the state-of-the-art adsorbents reported so far.With the rotation of anion and pyrazine ring,the pore size changes continuously,which makes smaller-size C_(4)H_(6) enter the channel while larger-size n-C_(4)H_(8) and iso-C_(4)H_(8) are completely blocked.The excellent breakthrough performance of TaOFFIVE-3-Ni shows great potential in industrial separation of C4 olefins.The specific adsorption binding sites within ZU-96 was further revealed through the modeling calculation.

Aptamer-Based DNA Materials for the Separation and Analysis of Biological Particles

DNA is a biological macromolecule that carries genetic information in organisms.It provides a series of predominant bio-logical advantages,such as sequence programmability,high biocompatibility,and low biotoxicity.As such,it is a unique polymer material that shows great potential for application in biological and medical fields.DNA aptamers are short DNA sequences with a specific ability of molecular recognition.With its discovery,the application prospect of DNA materials has broadened,especially for the separation and analysis of biological particles.In this review,the functions and characteristics of DNA aptamers are introduced,and the applications of DNA materials in cell/exosome separation and cancer detection are summarized.The application prospect and possible challenges of DNA materials are predicted.

Separating trash and solid materials from the wastewater ammonia stripping tower UASB biological oxidation pond processes for the treatment of the swine factory＇s wastewater

By making the use of the processes which includes separating trash and solid materials from the wastewater-ammonia stripping tower-UASB-biological oxidation pond, we have treated the wastewater which comes from the swine factory. The treated wastewater can meet the primary standard of The People＇s Republic of China based on sewage discharge standards and the wastewater treatment project design contract （GBl8596-2001）, and the effluent will be used as irrigation-water. We introduce this project including the quality of influent and effluent and the flow scheme, the statement of every part, the investment and the effect, etc. The operation indicated that this process has many merits such as the stability in operation-effect and the convenience in management. So it will provide some help for the similar wastewater treatment.

Materials Studio在金属有机框架材料中气体吸附的应用

综述了全尺度材料模拟软件(materials studio,MS)在MOFs中气体吸附方面的研究进展,重点介绍了MOFs中气体吸附模拟计算时MS软件各个模块的应用。对采用MS软件模拟计算MOFs中气体吸附性能提出了一些建议。

Recent progress and future prospects of oil-absorbing materials

Oil and organic solvent contamination, derived from oil spills and organic solvent leakage, has been recognized as one of the major environmental issues imposing a serious threat to both human and ecosystem health. Among the various presented technologies applied for oil/water separation, oil absorption process has been explored widely and offers satisfactory results especially with surface modified oil-absorbing material and/or hybrid absorbents. In this review, we summarize the recent research activities involved in the designing strategies of oil-absorbing absorbents and their application in oil absorption. Then, an extensive list of various oil-absorbing materials from literature, including polymer materials, porous inorganic materials and biomass materials, has been compiled and the oil adsorption capacities toward various types of oils and organic solvents as available in the literature are presented along with highlighting and discussing the various factors involved in the designing of oil-absorbing absorbents tested so far for oil/water separation. Finally, some future trends and perspectives in oil-absorbing material are outlined.

Magnetically responsive porous materials for efficient adsorption and desorption processes

Magnetically responsive porous materials possess unique properties in adsorption processes such as magneticinduced separation and heat generation in alternating magnetic fields, which greatly facilitates recycling procedures, favors long-term operation, and improves desorption rate, making conventional adsorption processes highly efficient. With increasing interest in magnetic adsorbents, great progress has been made in designing and understanding of magnetically responsive porous materials varying from monoliths to nanoscale particles used for adsorption including oil uptake, removal of hazardous substances from water, deep desulfurization of fuels, and CO2 capture in the past few years. Therefore, a review summarizing the advanced strategies of synthesizing these magnetically responsive adsorbents and the utilization of their magnetism in practical applications is highly desired. In this review, we give a comprehensive overview of this emerging field, highlighting the strategies of exquisitely incorporating magnetism to porous materials and subtly exploiting their magnetic responsiveness. Further innovations for fabricating or utilizing magnetic adsorbents are expected to be fueled. The potential opportunities and challenges are also discussed.

Synthesis gas production using oxygen storage materials as oxygen carrier over circulating fluidized bed

A novel process for synthesis gas production over Circulating Fluidized Bed （CFB） using oxygen storage materials as oxygen carder was reported. First, oxygen in the air was chemically fixed and converted to lattice oxygen of oxygen storage materials over regenerator, and then methane was selectively oxidized to synthesis gas with lattice oxygen of oxygen storage materials over riser reactor. The results from simulation reaction of CFB by sequential redox reaction on a fixed bed reactor using lanthanum-based perovskite LaFeO3 and La0.8Sr0.2Fe0.9CO0.1O3 oxides prepared by sol-gel, suggested that the depleted oxygen species could be regenerated, and methane could be oxidized to synthesis gas by lattice oxygen with high selectivity. The partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas over CFB using lattice oxygen of the oxygen storage materials instead of gaseous oxygen should be possibly applicable.

Thermochemical Treatment——Technologies for Recovery and Utilisation of Materials

The arc furnace technology is an ideally suited process for the treatment of hazardous and problematic waste. The operation conditions of the furnace can be adapted for optimal transformation of the waste material input into raw materials and usable products. The process can significantly reduce the impact of contaminated wastes and industrial residues, and enable material conversion and separation. Thus, the products of the process have various applications. The capability of the process is illustrated with three examples, the treatment of bottom ash and filter ash from waste incineration plants, of stainless steel slags and of chromium-containing residues from the refractory industry.

Degradation analysis of nickel/metal hydride battery and its electrodes materials

The results indicate that during charge and discharge, the expansion of Ni（OH）2 crystal, pulverization of MH alloy particles and falling off from current collector are identified as the main causes for deterioration of Ni/MH batteries. Meanwhile, the contact resistance of inner battery increases due to the deterioration of the negative and positive electrode, and these changes lead to increasing battery body temperature and damaging its electrode and separator. The fibre’s expansion and hole’s diminishment of battery’s separator after degradation will affect the electrochemical performance and cycle life of Ni/MH batteries.

Quality Improvement of Granular Wastes-The Effective Way to Recycle Secondary Raw Building Materials

Granular wastes have negative effects on the environment due to contamination. On the other hand, stony components in granular wastes have a potential good perspectives for utilization in civil engineering works as secondary raw building materials. To reuse such materials without environmental risks, all contaminants must be removed or reduced to an acceptable level. Therefore liberation of materials is an important step in waste treatment. For this purpose, separation and cleansing techniques are suitable. Based on the analysis of contaminants in wastes, it is discussed how to select suitable techniques. The rules for technique selection and processes for quality improvement are set up. To evaluate the environmental quality and technical quality of output products, it is necessary to check leaching behaviours and physical properties.

Grinding Characteristics of Multi-component Cement-based Material

The grinding characteristics of two or multi-component material of cli nker with limestone, blast furnace slag and fly ash were studied. Investigation was carried out on the particle size distribution, the Blaine fineness and the s ieve residue of the separate and interground products. The relative contents of clinker and limestone in different size fractions of the interground product wer e examined, and the interaction of two components, which have different grindabi lities, was analyzed. The results show there exists a selective grinding effect during intergrinding, one component can help or hinder the grinding of the other . Making good use of this interaction appropriately not only enhances the grinda bilities of two or multi-component mixtures, which can promote the grinding pro cess of clinker with industrial wastes, but also improves their particle size di stribution and properties.

Evaluation of strongly singular domain integrals for internal stresses in functionally graded materials analyses using RIBEM

An accurate evaluation of strongly singular domain integral appearing in the stress representation formula is a crucial problem in the stress analysis of functionally graded materials using boundary element method.To solve this problem,a singularity separation technique is presented in the paper to split the singular integral into regular and singular parts by subtracting and adding a singular term.The singular domain integral is transformed into a boundary integral using the radial integration method.Analytical expressions of the radial integrals are obtained for two commonly used shear moduli varying with spatial coordinates.The regular domain integral,after expressing the displacements in terms of the radial basis functions,is also transformed to the boundary using the radial integration method.Finally,a boundary element method without internal cells is established for computing the stresses at internal nodes of the functionally graded materials with varying shear modulus.

A Single-Layer Piezoelectric Composite Separator for Durable Operation of Li Metal Anode at High Rates

Piezoelectric ceramic and polymeric separators have been proposed to effectively regulate Li deposition and suppress dendrite growth,but such separators still fail to satisfactorily support durable operation of lithium metal batteries owing to the fragile ceramic layer or low-piezoelectricity polymer as employed.Herein,by combining PVDF-HFP and ferroelectric BaTiO_(3),we develop a homogeneous,single-layer composite separator with strong piezoelectric effects to inhibit dendrite growth while maintaining high mechanical strength.As squeezed by local protrusion,the polarized PVDF-HFP/BaTiO_(3)composite separator generates a local voltage to suppress the local-intensified electric field and further deconcentrate regional lithium-ion flux to retard lithium deposition on the protrusion,hence enabling a smoother and more compact lithium deposition morphology than the unpoled composite separator and the pure PVDF-HFP separator,especially at high rates.Remarkably,the homogeneous incorporation of BaTiO_(3)highly improves the piezoelectric performances of the separator with residual polarization of 0.086 pC cm^(-2)after polarization treatment,four times that of the pure PVDF-HFP separator,and simultaneously increases the transference number of lithium-ion from 0.45 to 0.57.Beneficial from the prominent piezoelectric mechanism,the polarized PVDF-HFP/BaTiO_(3)composite separator enables stable cyclic performances of Li||LiFePO_(4)cells for 400 cycles at 2 C(1 C=170 mA g^(-1))with a capacity retention above 99%,and for 600 cycles at 5 C with a capacity retention over 85%.