Article
Chemistry, Physical
Laura Capozzoli, Angela Capri, Vincenzo Baglio, Enrico Berretti, Claudio Evangelisti, Jonathan Filippi, Irene Gatto, Alessandro Lavacchi, Maria Pagliaro, Francesco Vizza
Summary: In this study, a new electrocatalyst featuring ruthenium as the active phase and titania nanotube arrays as a dual-scale porosity support was introduced for alkaline membrane water electrolysis. The synthesis method and material characterization of the catalyst were reported. The catalyst's functionality was evaluated through cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry, and the results showed that the novel electrode structure with ultralow PGM loading exhibited outstanding potential for application in alkaline membrane electrolyzers.
JOURNAL OF POWER SOURCES
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Lei Ding, Dandan Li, Fanghui Du, Daoxin Zhang, Sihang Zhang, Ruizhang Xu, Tong Wu
Summary: This article successfully fabricated high-performance nano-Al2O3 in situ coating separators with improved properties, such as thermal stability, wettability, and puncture strength in lithium-ion batteries. By using a skillful fabrication technique, these separators can also enhance battery performance through synchro-draw to optimize their porous structure.
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiaohui Wang, Feifei Yan, Xue Bai, Hanchuan Li, Ming Yuan, Yanping Liu, Benjamin S. Hsiao, Chuntai Liu, Zhen Wang
Summary: The research demonstrates that lamellar crystal-dominated (LCD) surfaces can be achieved through melt stretching-induced free surface crystallization, which is advantageous for polymer surface engineering. The surface is found to be constructed by oriented and edge-on lamellae, avoiding the presence of amorphous phases, and can be controlled in terms of morphology by adjusting stretching strain or quenching methods.
Article
Environmental Sciences
John W. Scott, Andrew Turner, Andres F. Prada, Linduo Zhao
Summary: This study demonstrates that consumer plastics containing TiO2 for coloration or tinting purposes, when not designed for exterior use (lacking encapsulation or antioxidants), might experience accelerated weathering in the marine environment, with additives that promote photoactivity playing a significant role in plastic persistence.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Guolong Huo, Zhiyong Guo, Zhiguang Zhang, Xiaowei Zhou, Junhao Xin, Yuchen Zhang, Shuanyan Kang, Yanqin Yang, Nanwen Li
Summary: Fine-tuning of the physical stacking structure by stretching processing improves the aging resistance and gas separation performance of microporous polyimide membranes. The stretched membranes show improved mechanical and thermal stability, as well as higher gas perm-selectivity and better gas permeability retention rate after aging.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Dajun Luo, Gaoyi Xie, Shuhao Qin
Summary: The green and sustainable preparation of high-performance polymeric hollow fiber membranes has been achieved by regulating the bimodal microporous structure, significantly improving porosity and pure water flux. The small micropores in the bimodal structure had lower pore sizes, while the large micropores had increased pore sizes, similar to the variation tendency of lamellae in the hollow fibers.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jiangshan Qu, Yueshuai Wang, Xulin Mu, Jingcong Hu, Bin Zeng, Yue Lu, Manling Sui, Rengui Li, Can Li
Summary: The crystallographic orientation and exposed facets of anatase TiO2 nanocrystals have been a subject of conflicting conclusions. This study clarifies the misleading conclusions by using anatase TiO2 nanocrystals with highly exposed {001} facets as a model, revealing the coexistence of {001} and {111} facets due to their similar lattice fringes and intersection angles. Furthermore, a paradigm based on transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis is provided as a universal methodology for determining the crystallographic orientation and exposed facets of nanomaterials.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Derek B. Dwyer, Edison E. Mera, Ganesh S. Gudavalli, William E. Bernier, Tara P. Dhakal, Wayne E. Jones
Summary: The study demonstrates that PVDF/Ti(OH)(x) NFs have superior wettability, electrolyte uptake capacity, and capacitance performance when used as separators in batteries and capacitors. Improvements in performance were particularly notable when compared to untreated PVDF separators.
Article
Materials Science, Ceramics
Manon Besancon, Yanhui Wang, Noellie Ylla, Valentin Cinquin, Hubert Mutin, Johan Alauzun, Eliane Espuche, Veronique Bounor-Legare
Summary: An original method of synthesizing polypropylene/titanium dioxide (PP/TiO2) composites by combining non-hydrolytic sol-gel chemistry and reactive extrusion was reported. The synthesis involved the reaction between titanium alkoxide as a titanium dioxide precursor and an acid anhydride as an oxygen donor at high temperatures in alkane liquid medium and molten polypropylene. The resulting composite showed uniform particle distribution with an average particle size of around 700 nm.
JOURNAL OF SOL-GEL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Zubaida Rukhsana Usha, Dafaalla M. D. Babiker, Rui Yu, Junsheng Yang, Wei Chen, Xin Chen, Liangbin Li
Summary: This study demonstrated a stable and large-scale super hydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic membrane, which achieved permanent high-efficiency separation performance through special treatment and modification, and can be widely used for water separation from oily wastewater.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Composites
Tao Hu, Yue Mu, Yunqiang Chen, Chengfan Zhou, Guoqun Zhao, Guiwei Dong
Summary: The nanocomposite microporous membrane of UHMWPE and nano-TiO2 was prepared using the TIPS technique and extrusion-casting process. The effects of TiO2 content and melt draw ratio on membrane properties were studied, and optimal processing parameters were investigated. The addition of TiO2 promoted the stretch-induced orientation of UHMWPE and formed a shish-kebab structure. The combination of nanoparticles and stretch-induced orientation improved the crystallization behavior of UHMWPE. The permeability, mechanical properties, and thermal stability of the composite membrane were significantly improved compared to the pure UHMWPE film.
POLYMER COMPOSITES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aurelia Cristina Nechifor, Andreia Pirtac, Paul Constantin Albu, Alexandra Raluca Grosu, Florina Dumitru, Ioana Alina (Nica) Dimulescu, Ovidiu Oprea, Dumitru Pascu, Gheorghe Nechifor, Simona Gabriela Bungau
Summary: The technology of separating, concentrating, and transporting amino acids through membranes is continuously developing. This study focuses on the separation of three amino acids using membranes made of cellulosic derivatives in a polypropylene matrix, with membranes based on cellulose acetate and methyl 2-hydroxyethyl-cellulose proving to be the most suitable for the recuperative separation of the considered amino acids.
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Ji Xia, Jun Wu, Xiashi Zhu
Summary: The PbBiO2Cl/TiO2/CS composite membrane material was prepared by solvent thermal method and casting, and its structure, morphology, and optical properties were characterized. The results showed that the prepared PbBiO2Cl/TiO2/CS membrane exhibited excellent photo-degradation performance for organic pollutants, which was attributed to the formation of composite membranes that reduced electron-hole recombination and improved light absorption properties. Light-generated free radicals played a crucial role during photocatalysis.
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Shideng Yuan, Shasha Liu, Xueyu Wang, Heng Zhang, Shiling Yuan
Summary: In this work, a multiscale and comprehensive study was conducted to investigate the heterogeneous interaction between H2O2 and TiO2 particles. The adsorption of H2O2 and H2O on the TiO2 surface was found to be primarily determined by the weaker interaction between Ti and O atoms. The adsorption energy was dominated by electrostatic effect, and the adsorption energy of TiO2-H2O complexes was lower than that of TiO2-H2O2 ones. H2O2 and H2O interacted with TiO2 particles through molecular adsorption and dissociation, resulting in surface modification and Ti-OH formation. The uptake of H2O2 on TiO2 surface was suppressed with increasing humidity, possibly due to competition for surface sites with H2O.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Harri Junaedi, Muneer Baig, Abdulsattar Dawood, Essam Albahkali, Abdulhakim Almajid
Summary: This work investigated the mechanical properties of reinforced polypropylene composites, showing that PP23 had better adhesion and dispersion with the fillers, resulting in significant improvement in mechanical properties, especially in PP/GNP composites.