Intercalation Assembly and Chemical Product Engineering of Layered Intercalated Functional Materials Based on Efficient Utilization of Magnesium Resources in Salt Lakes

1 Introduction Magnesium salts are very important by-product of salt lake industry in West China.Nearly 200 million cubic meters of waste brine are released to the environment

Polymer engineering for electrodes of aqueous zinc ion batteries

With the increasing demand for scalable and cost-effective electrochemical energy storage,aqueous zinc ion batteries(AZIBs)have a broad application prospect as an inexpensive,efficient,and naturally secure energy storage device.However,the limitations suffered by AZIBs,including volume expansion and active materials dissolution of the cathode,electrochemical corrosion,irreversible side reactions,zinc dendrites of the anode,have seriously decelerated the civilianization process of AZIBs.Currently,polymers have tremendous superiority for application in AZIBs attributed to their exceptional chemical stability,tunable structure,high energy density and outstanding mechanical properties.Considering the expanding applications of AZIBs and the superiority of polymers,this comprehensive paper meticulously reviews the benefits of utilizing polymeric applied to cathodes and anodes,respectively.To begin with,with adjustable structure as an entry point,the correlation between polymer structure and the function of energy storage as well as optimization is deeply investigated in respect to the mechanism.Then,depending on the diversity of properties and structures,the development of polymers in AZIBs is summarized,including conductive polymers,redox polymers as well as carbon composite polymers for cathode and polyvinylidene fluoride-,carbonyl-,amino-,nitrile-based polymers for anode,and a comprehensive evaluation of the shortcomings of these strategies is provided.Finally,an outlook highlights some of the challenges posed by the application of polymers and offers insights into the potential future direction of polymers in AZIBs.It is designed to provide a thorough reference for researchers and developers working on polymer for AZIBs.

The Principle of Introducing Halogen Ions Into β-FeOOH: Controlling Electronic Structure and Electrochemical Performance

Coordination tuning electronic structure of host materials is a quite effective strategy for activating and improving the intrinsic properties.Herein,halogen anion(X-)-incorporated β-FeOOH(β-FeOOH(X),X=F-,Cl-,and Br-) was investigated with a spontaneous adsorption process,which realized a great improvement of supercapacitor performances by adjusting the coordination geometry.Experiments coupled with theoretical calculations demonstrated that the change of Fe-O bond length and structural distortion of β-FeOOH,which is rooted in halogen ions embedment,led to the relatively narrow band gap.Because of the strong electronegativity of X-,the Fe element in β-FeOOH(X)s presented the unexpected high valence state(3+δ),which is facilitating to adsorb S032-species.Consequently,the designed β-FeOOH(X)s exhibited the good electric conductivity and enhanced the contact between electrode and electrolyte.When used as a negative electrode,the β-FeOOH(F) showed the excellent specific capacity of 391.9 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 current density,almost tenfold improvement compared with initial β-FeOOH,with the superior rate capacity and cyclic stability.This combinational design principle of electronic structure and electrochemical performances provides a promising way to develop advanced electrode materials for supercapacitor.

Photochemical microfluidic synthesis of vitamin D_3 by improved light sources with photoluminescent substrates

This study presents a novel technique for the controllable preparation of photoluminescent substrates to enhance the photochemical microfluidic synthesis of vitamin D_3.The dip-coating method to prepare the substrates was experimentally optimized,and the corresponding emission behaviors were systematically investigated.The substrates were successfully used to enhance the ultraviolet B(UVB) emission of a low-power light source(e.g.,an 8 W lamp),whose UVB emission intensity was increased by approximately 11 times.By virtue of the novel light source,the productivity of a single set of photochemical microreactor with a 12-meter-long channel(0.6 mm i.d.) was increased to 1.83 kg·a^(-1),which was 42% higher than that of a 100 W lamp,and no cooling devices were used.The method is simple and has great potential to replace traditional medium-pressure mercury lamps for UVB-irradiated photochemical reactions.

High throughput screening of single atomic catalysts with optimized local structures for the electrochemical oxygen reduction by machine learning

Single atomic catalysts(SACs),especially metal-nitrogen doped carbon(M-NC)catalysts,have been extensively explored for the electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction(ORR),owing to their high activity and atomic utilization efficiency.However,there is still a lack of systematic screening and optimization of local structures surrounding active centers of SACs for ORR as the local coordination has an essential impact on their electronic structures and catalytic performance.Herein,we systematic study the ORR catalytic performance of M-NC SACs with different central metals and environmental atoms in the first and second coordination sphere by using density functional theory(DFT)calculation and machine learning(ML).The geometric and electronic informed overpotential model(GEIOM)based on random forest algorithm showed the highest accuracy,and its R^(2) and root mean square errors(RMSE)were 0.96 and 0.21,respectively.30 potential high-performance catalysts were screened out by GEIOM,and the RMSE of the predicted result was only 0.12 V.This work not only helps us fast screen high-performance catalysts,but also provides a low-cost way to improve the accuracy of ML models.

Mechanochemical synthesis of oxygenated alkynyl carbon materials with excellent Hg(Ⅱ) adsorption performance from CaC2 and carbonates

Adsorptive removal of heavy metal ions from wastewater is very important,and the key is the development of efficient sorbents.In this work,oxygenated alkynyl carbon materials(OACMs)were synthesized via mechanochemical reaction of CaC_(2) and a carbonate(CaCO_(3),Na2CO_(3),or NaHCO_(3))at ambient temperature.The resultant OACMs are micro mesoporous carbon nanomaterials with high specific area(>648 m2 g^(-1)),highly crosslinked texture,and rich alkynyl and oxygenated groups.The OACMs exhibit excellent Hg(Ⅱ)adsorption due to the soft acid-soft base interaction between alkynyl and Hg(Ⅱ),and OACM-3 derived from CaC_(2) and NaHCO_(3) has the saturated Hg(Ⅱ)adsorbance of 483.9 mg g^(-1)along with good selectivity and recyclability.The adsorption is mainly chemisorption following the Langmuir mode.OACM-3 also shows high adsorbance for other heavy metal ions,e.g.256.6 mg g^(-1)for Pb(II),232.4 mg g^(-1)for Zn(II),and 198.7 mg g^(-1)for Cu(II).This work expands the mechnochemical reaction of CaC_(2)with carbonates and possibly other oxyanionic salts,provides a new synthesis approach for functional alkynyl carbon materials with excellent adsorption performance for heavy metal ions,as well as a feasible approach for CO2 resource utilization.

Current Status and Perspectives of Dual-Atom Catalysts Towards Sustainable Energy Utilization

The exploration of sustainable energy utilization requires the imple-mentation of advanced electrochemical devices for efficient energy conversion and storage,which are enabled by the usage of cost-effective,high-performance electro-catalysts.Currently,heterogeneous atomically dispersed catalysts are considered as potential candidates for a wide range of applications.Compared to conventional cata-lysts,atomically dispersed metal atoms in carbon-based catalysts have more unsatu-rated coordination sites,quantum size effect,and strong metal-support interactions,resulting in exceptional catalytic activity.Of these,dual-atomic catalysts(DACs)have attracted extensive attention due to the additional synergistic effect between two adja-cent metal atoms.DACs have the advantages of full active site exposure,high selectiv-ity,theoretical 100%atom utilization,and the ability to break the scaling relationship of adsorption free energy on active sites.In this review,we summarize recent research advancement of DACs,which includes(1)the comprehensive understanding of the synergy between atomic pairs;(2)the synthesis of DACs;(3)characterization meth-ods,especially aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and synchrotron spectroscopy;and(4)electrochemical energy-related applications.The last part focuses on great potential for the electrochemical catalysis of energy-related small molecules,such as oxygen reduction reaction,CO_(2) reduction reaction,hydrogen evolution reaction,and N_(2) reduction reaction.The future research challenges and opportunities are also raised in prospective section.

Potential industrial applications of photo/electrocatalysis: Recent progress and future challenges

Nowadays,the rapid development of the social economy inevitably leads to global energy and environmental crisis.For this reason,more and more scholars focus on the development of photocatalysis and/or electrocatalysis technology for the advantage in the sustainable production of high-value-added products,and the high efficiency in pollutants remediation.Although there is plenty of outstanding research has been put forward continuously,most of them focuses on catalysis performance and reaction mechanisms in laboratory conditions.Realizing industrial application of photo/electrocatalytic processes is still a challenge that needs to be overcome by social demand.In this regard,this review comprehensively summarized several explorations in thefield of photo/electrocatalytic reduction towards potential industrial applications in recent years.Special attention is paid to the successful attempts and the current status of photo/electrocatalytic water splitting,carbon dioxide conversion,resource utilization from waste,etc.,by using advanced reactors.The key problems and challenges of photo/electrocatalysis in future industrial practice are also discussed,and the possible development directions are also pointed out from the industry view.

Comprehensive treatment of latex wastewater and resource utilization of concentrated liquid

Latex wastewater is a kind of refractory organic wastewater containing high concentrations of organics and ammonia nitrogen.In this work,the combined process of forward osmosis(FO)and reverse osmosis(RO)was designed to treat the latex wastewater in the whole process,achieving the water recovery rate of 99%and basically no waste discharge after the catalytic oxidation process.The turbidity of the latex wastewater was decreased to below 1 NTU by microfiltration pretreatment,and then using MgCl_2 worked as the draw solution for FO process to treat the latex wastewater.Different operation conditions including adding acid or scale inhibitor as the pretreatment methods were conducted to improve the treatment performance of the combined process.After the treatment of the whole process,the concentration of COD was less than 20 mg·L^(-1),the concentration of NH_3-N was less than 10 mg·L^(-1),and the concentration of TP was less than 0.5 mg·L^(-1)for the treated latex wastewater.The water quality met standards of industrial water reuse after the complete analysis of the treated latex wastewater,meanwhile,useful substances of L-Quebrachitol(L-Q)were successfully extracted from the concentrated solution.Therefore,the combined process of FO and RO could realize the efficient treatment and reuse of latex wastewater,which provided with some important guidance on the industrial application.

Deprotonated of layered double hydroxides during electrocatalytic water oxidation for multi-cations intercalation

Aqueous rechargeable batteries using abundant multi-ion cations have receivedincreasing attention in the energy storage field for their high safety and low cost.Layered double hydroxides(LDHs)possess a two-dimensional structure andexhibit great potential as cathodes for multi-ion intercalation.However,theinsufficient active sites of LDHs result in low capacities in the discharging process.Interestingly,the LDHs after the deprotonation process exhibit favorable electrochemicalperformance of multi-cation intercalation.The deprotonation process ofLDHs has been widely found in the oxygen evolution reaction and energy storagefield,where LDHs lose H in laminates and converts to deprotonatedγ-phaseMOOHs(MOOs).Herein,we take a comprehensive overview of the dynamicsstructure transformation of the deprotonation process of LDHs.Furthermore,thedevelopment of advanced aqueous battery cathode and metal battery anode basedon deprotonated LDHs for energy storage is explored and summarized.Finally,theperspective of deprotonated LDHs in the energy storage field is discussed.

Highly dispersed MgInCe-mixed metal oxides catalyzed direct carbonylation of glycerol and CO_(2)into glycerol carbonate

Glycerol carbonate,an important glycerol value-added product,has been widely used as an active intermediate and inert solvent in the synthesis of cosmetics,detergents,chemical intermediates,polymers,and so on.The direct carbonylation from glycerol with CO_(2)is considered a promising route,but still tough work due to the thermodynamic stability and the kinetic inertness of CO_(2).In this work,highlyselective direct carbonylation of glycerol and CO_(2)into glycerol carbonate has been achieved over highly dispersed MgInCe-mixed metal oxides(MgInCe-MMO),which were prepared through the topological transformation derived from the MgInCe-layered double hydroxides(MgInCe-LDHs).By precisely modulating the surface basic-acidic properties and the oxygen vacancies,an efficient carbonylation of glycerol with CO_(2)has been achieved with a selectivity of up to>99%to glycerol carbonate.Deep investigation into the synergistic catalysis of base-acid sites and oxygen vacancies has been clarified.

Formation of mesophase microbeads from bulk mesophase pitch induced by fullerene

A transformation of naphthalene-based coalescenced mesophase pitch(NMP)to mesophase microbeads was achieved by heating a mixture of NMP and fullerene(C_(60)).This is different from the conventional process of the liquid-phase carbonization of isotropic pitch to the emergence of carbon microbeads in the matrix and finally their growth to form a 100%anisotropic bulk meso-phase,but rather a reverse transformation.The effects of C_(60) loading and reaction temperature on the morphological transformation of mesophase were investigated by polarizing optical and scanning electron microscopies.The physical changes in the NMP induced by C_(60) were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,X-ray diffractometry and Raman spectroscopy.The results show that the coalesced NMP can be converted to a spherical type at 300-320℃ with the addition of 5%C_(60),and the size of the mesophase microbeads increases with increasing temperature.Furthermore,a model is established to ex-plain the unique induction effect of C_(60) in the transformation process.This work makes the morphological transformation of MP con-trollable,and provides a new idea for the understanding and research of mesophase pitch.

The preparation and properties of N-doped carbon materials and their use for sodium storage

Defect engineering by heteroatom doping gives carbon materials some new characteristics such as a different electronic structure and a high electrochemical activity,making them suitable for high-performance applications.N-doping has been widely investigated because of its similar atom radius to carbon,high electronegativity as well as many different configurations.We summarize the preparation methods and properties of N-doped carbon materials,and discuss their possible use in sodium ion storage.The relationships between N content/configuration and crystallinity,electronic conductivity,wettability,chemical reactivity as well as sodium ion storage performance are discussed.

Highly-efficient separation of pyromellitic acid and trimellitic acid mixtures via forming deep eutectic solvents:Experiment and calculation

Pyromellitic acid(PMA)and trimellitic acid(TMA)are significant chemical raw materials and intermediates.They simultaneously exist in the industry processes of synthesis and are difficult to be separated.In this work,several kinds of biodegradable compounds were chosen as hydrogen bond acceptors(HBAs)to separate PMA and TMA mixtures from acetone solutions via forming deep eutectic solvent(DES).It has been found that all these compounds can separate PMA and TMA mixtures to obtain pure PMA or TMA.However,the interaction between HBAs and PMA or TMA is quite different.Choline chloride cannot extract TMA but can form a DES with PMA in acetone.Hexamethylenetetramine(HA)and L-carnitine(L-car)can form DESs with both PMA and TMA in acetone solution.But when L-car or HA is added,the extraction rate of PMA is larger than that of TMA until the extraction rate of PMA reach 100%,and pure TMA is left in the acetone solution.The selective separation mechanism was explored by infrared spectroscopy combined with quantum chemistry calculation,and the strength and site of the interaction between extractants with PMA and TMA were calculated.

Highly selective extraction of aromatics from aliphatics by using metal chloride-based ionic liquids

The separation of aromatics from aliphatics is essential for achieving maximum exploitation of oil resources in the petrochemical industry.In this study,a series of metal chloride-based ionic liquids were prepared and their performances in the separation of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene(tetralin)/dodecane and tetralin/decalin systems were studied.Among these ionic liquids,1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrachloroferrate([EMIM][FeCl_(4)])with the highest selectivity was used as the extractant.Density functional theory calculations showed that[EMIM][FeCl_(4)]interacted more strongly with tetralin than with dodecane and decalin.Energy decomposition analysis of[EMIM][FeCl_(4)]-tetralin indicated that electrostatics and dispersion played essential roles,and induction cannot be neglected.The van der Waals forces was a main effect in[EMIM][FeCl_(4)]-tetralin by independent gradient model analysis.The tetralin distribution coefficient and selectivity were 0.8 and 110,respectively,with 10%(mol)tetralin in the initial tetralin/dodecane system,and 0.67 and 19.5,respectively,with 10%(mol)tetralin in the initial tetralin/decalin system.The selectivity increased with decreasing alkyl chain length of the extractant.The influence of the extraction temperature,extractant dosage,and initial concentrations of the system components on the separation performance were studied.Recycling experiments showed that the regenerated[EMIM][FeCl_(4)]could be used repeatedly.

Oxygen vacancy-boosted thermocatalytic CO_(2) hydrogenation:Engineering strategies,promoting effects and mediating mechanisms

Thermocatalytic CO_(2) hydrogenation with"green"H_(2) is one of the most promising carbon-negative technologies,wherein oxygen vacancy engineering serves as a novel strategy to boost the catalytic performance of oxide-containing catalysts.To provide theoretical guidance and promote technical progress in this important field,the status and prospect of oxygen vacancy-boosted thermocatalytic CO_(2) hydrogenation have been thoroughly reviewed herein.Specifically,fundamentals including origin,construction,characterization,and function of oxygen vacancies will be systematically summarized and oxygen vacancy-boosted hydrogenation reactions including methanation,reverse water-gas shift(RWGS),methanol synthesis,and other hydrogenation processes will be comprehensively introduced.In addition,challenges and opportunities from the perspective of engineering strategies,promoting effects,and mediating mechanisms of oxygen vacancies will be succinctly proposed.Overall,this review is expected to gain more insights into the role of oxygen vacancies and shed new light on the design of efficient oxide-containing catalysts.

Constructing high-toughness polyimide binder with robust polarity and ion-conductive mechanisms ensuring long-term operational stability of silicon-based anodes

Silicon-based materials have demonstrated remarkable potential in high-energy-density batteries owing to their high theoretical capacity.However,the significant volume expansion of silicon seriously hinders its utilization as a lithium-ion anode.Herein,a functionalized high-toughness polyimide(PDMI) is synthesized by copolymerizing the 4,4'-Oxydiphthalic anhydride(ODPA) with 4,4'-oxydianiline(ODA),2,3-diaminobenzoic acid(DABA),and 1,3-bis(3-aminopropyl)-tetramethyl disiloxane(DMS).The combination of rigid benzene rings and flexible oxygen groups(-O-) in the PDMI molecular chain via a rigidness/softness coupling mechanism contributes to high toughness.The plentiful polar carboxyl(-COOH) groups establish robust bonding strength.Rapid ionic transport is achieved by incorporating the flexible siloxane segment(Si-O-Si),which imparts high molecular chain motility and augments free volume holes to facilitate lithium-ion transport(9.8 × 10^(-10) cm^(2) s^(-1) vs.16 × 10^(-10) cm^(2) s~(-1)).As expected,the SiO_x@PDMI-1.5 electrode delivers brilliant long-term cycle performance with a remarkable capacity retention of 85% over 500 cycles at 1.3 A g^(-1).The well-designed functionalized polyimide also significantly enhances the electrochemical properties of Si nanoparticles electrode.Meanwhile,the assembled SiO_x@PDMI-1.5/NCM811 full cell delivers a high retention of 80% after 100 cycles.The perspective of the binder design strategy based on polyimide modification delivers a novel path toward high-capacity electrodes for high-energy-density batteries.

Cocrystallisation of high-energy oxidant ammonium dinitramide with triaminoguanidine nitrate for reduced hygroscopicity

In this work,we utilize a cocrystallization technique to solve the problem of high hygroscopicity of the high-energy oxidant ammonium dinitramide(ADN).For this purpose,a non-hygroscopic oxidant,triaminoguanidine nitrate(TAGN),is selected as the cocrystallization ligand.The ADN/TAGN system is simulated by using Material Studio 5.5 software,and the DFT of ADN and TAGN molecules are calculated by Gaussian09 software.The most stable molar ratio of the ADN/TAGN cocrystallization is determined to be 1:1,and the hydrogen bonding between the H atom of ADN and the O atom in the TAGN is the driving force for the formation of cocrystals in this system.Moreover,the electrostatic potential interaction pairing energy difference(ΔEpair)<0 kJ·mol^(-1)(-12.71 kJ·mol^(-1))for nADN:nTAGN=1:1 again indicates cocrystallization at this molar ratio.The crystal structure and crystal morphology is predicted.And the hygroscopicity of ADN/TAGN cocrystal at 20℃and 40%relative humidity is calculated to be only 0.45%.The mechanism of hygroscopicity is investigated by examining the roughness of each crystal surface.Overall,the more hygroscopic it is in terms of surface roughness,with the roughest crystal surface(012)having a hygroscopicity of 1.78,which corresponds to a saturated hygroscopicity of 0.61%.The results show that the(001)crystal surface has the smallest band gap(1.06 eV)and the largest sensitivity.Finally,the oxygen equilibrium value for the ADN/TAGN system is calculated to be-8.2%.

Intrinsic pentagon defect engineering in multiple spatial-scale carbon frameworks for efficient triiodide reduction

Intrinsic topological defect engineering has been proven as a promising strategy to elevate the electrocatalytic activity of carbon materials.However,the controllable construction of high-density and specific topological defects in carbon frameworks to reveal the relationship between reactivity and defect structure remains a challenging task.Herein,the intrinsic pentagon carbon sites that can favor electron overflow and enhance their binding affinity towards the intermediates of catalytic reaction are firstly presented by the work function and the p-band center calculations.To experimentally verify this,the cage-opening reaction of fullerene is proposed and utilized for synthesizing carbon quantum dots with specific pentagon configuration(CQDs-P),subsequently utilizing CQDs-P to modulate the micro-scale defect density of three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide(rGO)viaπ-πinteractions.The multiple spatial-scale rGO-conjugated CQDs-P structure simultaneously possesses abundant pentagon and edge defects as catalytic active sites and long-range-orderedπelectron delocalization system as conductive network.The defects-rich CQDs-P/rGO-4 all-carbon-based catalyst exhibits superb catalytic activity for triiodide reduction reaction with a high photoelectric conversion efficiency of 8.40%,superior to the Pt reference(7.97%).Theoretical calculations suggest that pentagon defects in the carbon frameworks can promote charge transfer and modulate the adsorption/dissociation behavior of the reaction intermediates,thus enhancing the electrocatalytic activity of the catalyst.This work confirms the role of intrinsic pentagon defects in catalytic reactions and provides a new insight into the synthesis of defects-rich carbon catalysts.