Lithium-Metal Free Sulfur Battery Based on Waste Biomass Anode and Nano-Sized Li_(2)S Cathode

The realization of a stable lithium-metal free(LiMF)sulfur battery based on amorphous carbon anode and lithium sulfide(Li_(2)S)cathode is here reported.In particular,a biomass waste originating full-cell combining a carbonized brewer's spent grain(CBSG)biochar anode with a Li_(2)S-graphene composite cathode(Li_(2)S70Gr30)is proposed.This design is particularly attractive for applying a cost-effective,high performance,environment friendly,and safe anode material,as an alternative to standard graphite and metallic lithium in emerging battery technologies.The anodic and cathodic materials are characterized in terms of structure,morphology and composition through X-ray diffraction,scanning and transmission electron microscopy,X-ray photoelectron and Raman spectroscopies.Furthermore,an electrochemical characterization comprising galvanostatic cycling,rate capability and cyclic voltammetry tests were carried out both in half-cell and full-cell configurations.The systematic investigation reveals that unlike graphite,the biochar electrode displays good compatibility with the electrolyte typically employed in sulfur batteries.The CBSG/Li_(2)S70Gr30 full-cell demonstrates an initial charge and discharge capacities of 726 and 537 mAh g^(-1),respectively,at 0.05C with a coulombic efficiency of 74%.Moreover,it discloses a reversible capacity of 330 mAh g^(-1)(0.1 C)after over 300 cycles.Based on these achievements,the CBSG/Li_(2)S70Gr30 battery system can be considered as a promising energy storage solution for electric vehicles(EVs),especially when taking into account its easy scalability to an industrial level.

Antioxidant Properties and Chemical Composition Relationship of Europeans and Brazilians Propolis

The antioxidant activity of ethanol extracts of propolis, bee glue, of various climate and orographic characteristics, collected from Italy, Brazil and Russia, was evaluated measuring their inhibitory action on peroxidation of linoleic acid, radical scavenging ability towards 2,2’-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, total phenolic content and reducing capacity by enzymatic and Folin method respectively. Propolis samples were chemically characterized by HPLC-MS/MS in order to find a possible correlation between antioxidant activity and polyphenols composition and quantification. The results obtained indicate that Italian and Russian propolis samples have similar polyphenolic composition and, as a consequence, almost similar antioxidant activity, while Brazilian propolis evidence lower polyphenolic and antioxidant characteristics. Climate and orography reasons of these differences are also suggested.

Advances in two-dimensional molybdenum ditelluride(MoTe2):A comprehensive review of properties,preparation methods,and applications

In the past decade,molybdenum ditelluride(MoTe2)has received significant attention from the scientific community due to its structural features and unique properties originate from them.In the current review,the properties,various preparation approaches,and versatile applications of MoTe2 are presented.The review provides a brief update on the state of our fundamental understanding of MoTe2 material and also discusses the issues that need to be resolved.To introduce MoTe2,we briefly summarize its structural,optoelectronic,magnetic,and mechanical properties in the beginning.Then,different preparation meth-ods of MoTe2,such as exfoliation,laser treatment,deposition,hydrothermal,microwave,and molecular beam epitaxy,are included.The excellent electri-cal conductivity,strong optical activity,tunable bandgap,high sensitivity,and impressive stability make it an ideal contender for different applications,includ-ing energy storage,catalysis,sensors,solar cells,photodetectors,and transistors.The performance of MoTe2 in these applications is systematically introduced along with mechanistic insights.At the end of the article,the challenges and possible future directions are highlighted to further modify MoTe2 material for the numerous functionalities.Therefore,the availability of different phases and layer structures implies a potential for MoTe2 to lead an era of two-dimensional materials that began from the exfoliation of graphene.

<i>In Vitro</i>Preliminary Evidences on the Antioxidant Properties of Biogenic Amines

Antioxidant properties of the principal biogenic amines were determined in vitro by four analytical methods—Folin Ciocalteu, DPPH, enzymatic and inhibition of lipid peroxidation—in order to avoid possible measuring-method linked mistakes. Different results are obtained, depending on the parameters that each of them measures. The combination of the data indicates that all examined amines show antioxidant characteristics: in particular, tyramine, serotonin, L-norepinephrine, (-)-epinephrine and dopamine owing to their (poly)phenolic structure too, while aliphatic polyamines-spermine, spermidine, putrescine and cadaverine-histamine, melatonin and tryptamine appear to act specifically on the oxygen-consuming species involved in the lipid peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Vernacular Wisdom as a Path Toward Low-energy Ecologically Sustainable Housing and Settlements: Participatory Design and Building to Rehabilitate Local Adobe Bricks in El Salvador

Globalized cultures,imaginaries,and economies are often matched to the standardization of building approaches.However,solutions that are not tailored for a specific context tend to entail environmental,economic,and social issues.Throughout human history,vernacular wisdom has produced interesting low-energy and climate-responsive architectures all around the globe:These can be seen as interesting examples in an era of global warming and overall uncertainty;at the same time,they represent accessible sustainable solutions in deprived areas of the world as well as in wealthier areas.The experience of participatory design and building process is here presented,carried on in a rural area of El Salvador,Central America.A sanitary facility for a school is designed and realized after the collectively desired recovery and improvement of one of the fruits of local vernacular wisdom in building design,i.e.,the adobe earth brick.Some potentials and limits of such experience as well as of the used technology are reviewed in the perspective of affordable and ecologically sustainable housing and settlements in the area.

The Catalytic Copolymerization of Ethene with Carbon Monoxide Efficiently Carried out in Water-Dichloromethane-Sodium Dodecylsulfate Emulsion

The CO-ethene copolymerization has been efficiently carried out in the water/CH2Cl2 emulsion by using water insolvable Pd(II) complexes. By using the surfactant SDS very high molecular weight copolymers have been obtained with high productivity (ca. 13,000 g/(gPd.h)).

Source apportionment of PAHs and n-alkanes bound to PM1 collected near the Venice highway

n-Alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons（PAHs） bound to atmospheric particulate matter（PM1） were investigated in a traffic site located in an urban area of Venice Province（Eastern Po Valley, Italy） during the cold season. Considering the critical situation affecting the Veneto Region concerning the atmospheric pollution and the general lack of information on PM1 composition and emission in this area, this experimental study aims at determining the source profile, their relative contributions and the dispersion of finer particles. Four sources were identified and quantified using the Positive Matrix Factorization receptor model：（1） mixed combustions related to the residential activities,（2）agricultural biomass burning in addition to the resuspension of anthropogenic and natural debris carried by the wind,（3）gasoline and （4）diesel traffic-related combustions. The role of local atmospheric circulation was also investigated to identify the pollutant sources.

Laser generation of iron-doped silver nanotruffles with magnetic and plasmonic properties

A frontier topic in nanotechnology is the realization of multifunctional nanoparticles （NPs） via the appropriate combination of different elements of the periodic table. The coexistence of Fe and Ag in the same nanostructure, for instance, is interesting for nanophotonics, nanomedicine, and catalysis. However, alloying of Fe and Ag is inhibited for thermodynamic reasons. Here, we describe the synthesis of Fe-doped Ag NPs via laser ablation in liquid solution, bypassing thermodynamics constraints. These NPs have an innovative structure consisting of a scaffold of face-centered cubic metal Ag alternating with disordered Ag-Fe alloy domains, all arranged in a truffle-like morphology. The Fe-Ag NPs exhibit the plasmonic properties of Ag and the magnetic response of Fe-containing phases, and the surface of the Fe-Ag NPs can be functionalized in one step with thiolated molecules. Taking advantage of the multiple properties of Fe-Ag NPs, the magnetophoretic amplification of plasmonic properties is demonstrated with proof-of-concept surface-enhanced Raman scattering and photothermal heating experiments. The synthetic approach is of general applicability and virtually permits the preparation of a large variety of multi-element NPs in one step.

Enhanced Solar Water Desalination by CuCo_(2)S_(4)-decorated Carbon Foam Derived from Waste Plastics

Interfacial solar desalination is an emerging technology for freshwater production,but the finding of novel solar evaporators is still challenging.In the present research,graphitic carbon foam(CF)was synthesized from the upcycling of waste plastic polyethylene terephthalate(PET)waste bottles functionalized with carrollite CuCo_(2)S_(4) as a photothermal layer.Analytical characterization[X-ray diffraction(XRD),Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy(SEM-EDS)]confirms the functionalization of carrollite CuCo_(2)S_(4) on graphitic carbon foam.The UV-Vis spectroscopy analysis showed an enhanced optical absorption in the UV-Vis-near IR region(>96%)for functionalized CuCo_(2)S_(4)-CF foam compared to carbon foam(67%).The interfacial solar desalination experiment presented a significantly enhanced evaporation rate of 2.4 kg·m^(−2)·h^(−1) for CuCo_(2)S_(4)-CF compared to that of CF(1.60 kg·m^(−2)·h^(−1))and that of CuCo_(2)S_(4)(1.60 kg·m^(−2)·h^(−1)).The obtained results proved that the newly synthesized CuCo_(2)S_(4)-CF from the upcycled plastic into new material for the photothermal desalination process can enhance the practice of a circular economy to produce fresh water.

Inhibiting carbonate formation using CO_(2)-CO-C2+tandems

As climate changes are increasingly challenging the sustainable development of human society,substantial efforts are expected to be added to limit the rise of global warming below 2°C by the middle of the 21st century.Currently,human activities emit 34 billion tons of CO_(2) per annum on average.1 Energy production and chemical industries are particularly emission‐intensive due to the manufacturing and use of fossil‐based chemicals.Therefore,manufacturing fuels and chemicals with netzero emission or,ideally,negative emission is paramount for achieving the long‐term goal of the Paris Agreement.

From local to national metabolism:a review and a scale-up framework

Research background:Countries are likely the most important subjects involved in the environmental control and response to global environmental issues,while the majority of the related metabolic analyses are focused on the metabolism at the city scale.Objective:Analyzing why and how to scale up the metabolic study from city to country.Methods:Combining quantitative analysis with a literature review socio-metabolic research,since it is an effective method to study resource and environmental issues and has been applied at different scales.Results:1)A single city or a smaller area is hardly self-sufficient,and its sustainability and resilience needs the support of the surrounding environment;2)At the country scale,systems exhibit a higher level of self-organization and a corresponding higher level of complexity,addressing the need for applying the metabolic theory at the national scale;3)The emergy analysis methods show its advantages in study metabolic processes for national metabolism;4)Input-output analysis plays an important role in and region coordination.Conclusions:The interactions among and within the scales are nested,as well as the goals and methods.Therefore,socio-metabolic research on scales differ in their priority goals,and the methods adopted must be targeted.

Suppressing the liquid product crossover in electrochemical CO_(2)reduction

Coupling electrochemical CO_(2)reduction(CO_(2)R)with a renewable energy source to create high‐value fuels and chemicals is a promising strategy in moving toward a sustainable global energy economy.CO_(2)R liquid products,such as formate,acetate,ethanol,and propanol,offer high volumetric energy density and are more easily stored and transported than their gaseous coun-terparts.However,a significant amount(~30%)of liquid products from electrochemical CO_(2)R in a flow cell reactor cross the ion exchange membrane,leading to the substantial loss of system‐level Faradaic efficiency.This severe crossover of the liquid product has—until now—received limited attention.Here,we review promising methods to suppress liquid product crossover,including the use of bipolar membranes,solid‐state electrolytes,and cation‐exchange membranes‐based acidic CO_(2)R systems.We then outline the re-maining challenges and future prospects for the production of concentrated liquid products from CO_(2).