Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Lincong Luo, Jiaying Li, Zhiwei Lin, Xiulin Cheng, Jiejie Wang, Yilin Wang, Yang Yang, Shiyu Li, Qinjie Ling, Jianhui Dai, Qinghong Wu, Wenhua Huang
Summary: This study developed a 3D-printed porous cage with anisotropic biomimetic trabecular structure for lumbar interbody fusion. The fabricated cage showed favorable mechanical properties and biological functions, making it a promising strategy for the treatment of degenerative lumbar disc disease.
MATERIALS & DESIGN
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Kolleboyina Jayaramulu, Bandhana Devi
Summary: Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are crystalline materials composed of metallic clusters and organic ligands. However, their poor conductivity, inaccessible pores, and limited stability hinder their applications. To overcome these challenges, MOFs can be integrated with two-dimensional materials to create H2DPMs with versatile properties, expanding the range of potential applications.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Sumedha M. Amaraweera, Chamila A. Gunathilake, Oneesha H. P. Gunawardene, Rohan S. Dassanayake, Eun-Bum Cho, Yanhai Du
Summary: CO2 emissions have increased significantly in recent decades, leading to global warming and climate change. Anthropogenic activities have caused a 50% increase in atmospheric CO2 in less than 200 years, resulting in more frequent and severe climate events such as rainfall, floods, droughts, heat waves, and rising sea levels. Among various CO2 mitigation approaches, porous silica materials have emerged as promising candidates for CO2 capture technologies due to their unique properties and low cost.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Maryam Samanian, Mohammad Hadi Ghatee
Summary: In this study, the electronic and structural properties of cobalt (Co) transition metal doped over the two-dimensional (2D) porous molybdenum disulfide (P-MoS2) surface toward CO2 adsorption were investigated. The results showed that Co decoration on P-MoS2 had three most stable sites for CO2 adsorption, each adsorbing a maximum number of CO2 molecules. The study demonstrated the potential of double-sided Co-decorated P-MoS2 as a thin-layer two-dimensional catalyst for maximizing CO2 capture and storage.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Quan Gan, Meiyun Xu, Qian Li, Sen Yang, Jia Yin, Daoben Hua
Summary: A two-dimensional U(VI)-imprinted strategy was developed for highly selective uranium extraction from low-level radioactive effluents, utilizing silica lamellar with high specific surface area and abundant imprinted cavities. The adsorbent showed a high adsorption capacity for uranium, good salt tolerance, and high selectivity against coexisting ions, indicating its potential for efficient treatment of LLRE in environmental and energy fields.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Dichen Xia, Yan Liu, Xiangmei Cheng, Pengcheng Gu, Quan Chen, Zhen Zhang
Summary: This study demonstrates the efficient extraction of uranium (U(VI)) using a novel activated biochar (AB) prepared from fish scales. The ABs showed a high adsorption capacity for U(VI), with thermodynamic analysis indicating a spontaneous and endothermic process dominated by chemisorption. AB-750, with a larger specific surface area and higher surface roughness, exhibited better capture efficiency for U(VI). Desorption and reusability studies confirmed the potential long-term use of AB-750. Spectral analysis revealed that carboxyl/amino groups on AB-750 were the main functional groups for immobilizing U(VI).
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Tong Wu, Wenqian Chen, Minghong Wu, Yizhou Zhang
Summary: In this study, a simple coating method was used to fabricate metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes for the removal of phosphate and antibiotics from water resources. The self-polymerization characteristics of dopamine were utilized to create a polydopamine-lined interface that controlled the growth and morphology of the MOF membranes. The membranes exhibited higher saturation capacities for phosphate and tetracycline compared to traditional crystal preparations, and were capable of selectively removing phosphate and efficiently removing tetracycline.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Farivash Gholamirad, Nader Taheri-Qazvini
Summary: This study demonstrates the development of free-standing 3D porous structures based on 2D Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets through the diffusion of positively charged poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH). The optimized PAH concentration results in smaller and more circular pores, with 120-200 kDa PAH found to be more effective than 17.5 kDa. Manipulating the ionization degrees of the components leads to significant changes in the porous morphology, highlighting the importance of electrostatic interactions in shape development.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rongming Xu, Yuan Kang, Weiming Zhang, Bingcai Pan, Xiwang Zhang
Summary: Inspired by biological potassium ion channels, researchers have developed a biomimetic ion channel membrane using MXene nanosheets and EDTA molecules, which achieves efficient separation of ions. This membrane shows high ion permeability and selectivity, making it significant for sustainable water treatment, resource extraction, and energy storage.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
D. C. Lago, A. D. Sanchez, M. O. Prado
Summary: The immobilization of Cs-137 serves different purposes, such as reducing thermal loading of glass and increasing waste loading capacity, as well as producing radioactive sealed sources for industrial and medical applications. Spent nuclear fuel is the most important radioactive waste in the nuclear fuel cycle. Vitrification is the main technology used to immobilize these wastes, providing structural stability, thermal shock resistance, and high chemical durability.
JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Yuanhao Liu, Xin Ding, Long Chen, Weiliang Tian, Xinru Xu, Kewei Zhang
Summary: In this work, vermiculite nanofluidic membranes with massive arrays of nanochannels and a three-dimensional interface were successfully fabricated. These membranes possess excellent stability and exhibit a different ion transport behavior, which makes them promising for salinity-gradient energy conversion from seawater and freshwater.
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Preeti Lata Mahapatra, Caique Campos de Oliveira, P. R. Sreeram, Sivaraj Kanneth Sivaraman, Suman Sarkar, Gelu Costin, Basudev Lahiri, Pedro Alves da Silva Autreto, Chandra Sekhar Tiwary
Summary: This study demonstrates the gas sensing properties of 2D rhodonite silicate extracted from natural mineral ore for hydrogen sulfide. The material shows high sensitivity and selectivity, and the sensors developed using it are stable. The findings suggest the potential use of environmentally stable natural silicate 2D materials as efficient replacements for conventional metal oxides for ultrasensitive sensors.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Engineering, Chemical
Teng-Xuan Cao, Rui Xie, Xiao-Jie Ju, Wei Wang, Da-Wei Pan, Zhuang Liu, Liang-Yin Chu
Summary: Inspired by cell membranes, the development of biomimetic membranes using 2D materials and responsive molecules/macromolecules has been emerging. This review provides an overview of the recent development of biomimetic 2D composited membranes for water and ion separation, highlighting the design concepts and fabrication strategies. The challenges and potential of biomimetic 2D composite membranes are also discussed.
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Tomasz Tarkowski, Nevill Gonzalez Szwacki, Maciej Marchwiany
Summary: This research reveals a new class of borophene structure with lower two-dimensional density of atoms and five-coordinated boron atoms. By expanding the unit cell size, metallic borophene can transform into a semiconductor, providing new opportunities for the application of 2D boron crystals in the semiconductor industry.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Uthen Thubsuang, Nicharat Manmuanpom, Nanthawut Chokaksornsan, Chananya Sommut, Karnchita Singhawat, Apirak Payaka, Sujitra Wongkasemjit, Thanyalak Chaisuwan
Summary: Ordered-interconnected porous carbon with nitrogen functionalities was prepared using a silica templating method. The carbon samples exhibited high specific surface area and pore volume, and the nitrogen functionalities were preserved even after CO2 activation. The material with 40 wt% of silica showed the highest CO2 uptake, indicating its potential as an effective adsorbent for CO2 capture.
APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Changsheng Du, Haijun Chen, Weidong Gao, Wu Sun, Lei Peng, Nan Xu
Summary: The use of nano-zero valence iron (nZVI) synthesized with green tea extracts for heavy metal remediation has gained attention due to its low-cost, environmental safety, reproducibility, and stability. However, the effects of synthesis conditions on the physicochemical properties and suspensibility of nZVI, which are important for high reactivity, have not been fully understood. In this study, the zeta potentials, sedimentation, and lead removal capacity of nZVIs synthesized using green tea extracts were investigated. The results showed that nZVI synthesized using tea extracts extracted at 80℃ exhibited excellent activity and had outstanding suspensibility and reaction activity when synthesized in a volume ratio of 1:1 (tea extraction versus Fe2+ solution). The optimized nZVI successfully prepared had a lead removal capacity of 377.3 mg/g, which was seven times stronger than traditional chemically synthesized nZVI (50.31 mg/g).
BULLETIN OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yuanyuan Zhu, Yunqiang Zhang, Shihang Jin, Mei Li, Hui Zhao, Jiaxi Cui, Laiying Jing
Summary: A multifunctional modified separator is developed by combining a commercial polypropylene (PP) separator with a polyimide (PI)-Super P functional coating and a rigid nonflammable PI matrix. This modified separator exhibits multiple advantages, including strong physical blocking and chemical trapping/conversion ability, high flame-retardancy and dimensional stability, and superior electrolyte wettability and lithium dendritic growth inhibition. The assembled lithium-sulfur batteries with this modified separator show ultrahigh discharge specific capacity and excellent cycling performance, even when sulfur and organic electrolyte are adsorbed on the separator.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sen Wang, Linmei Li, Shuanghao Zheng, Pratteek Das, Xiaoyu Shi, Jiaxin Ma, Yu Liu, Yuanyuan Zhu, Yao Lu, Zhong-Shuai Wu, Hui-Ming Cheng
Summary: This study presents a universal microfabrication strategy for customizable monolithic integrated micro-supercapacitors (MIMSCs). By combining multistep lithographic patterning, spray printing of MXene microelectrodes, and controllable 3D printing of gel electrolytes, the researchers achieved high-performance MIMSCs with high cell-number density. The obtained MIMSCs exhibited high areal number density, record output voltage, acceptable volumetric energy density, and unprecedented capacitance retention, making them suitable for powering future microelectronics.
NATIONAL SCIENCE REVIEW
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jiaxin Ma, Shuanghao Zheng, Feng Zhou, Yuanyuan Zhu, Pratteek Das, Rong Huang, Liangzhu Zhang, Xiao Wang, Hui Wang, Yi Cui, Zhong-Shuai Wu
Summary: The revival of Li metal batteries is enabled by the use of 3D printed conductive Ti3C2Tx MXene scaffolds and porous LiFePO4 lattices, which allows for high-mass-loading LMBs with prolonged lifespan and high energy density. The combination of the exceptional lithiophilic feature of Ti3C2Tx and the hierarchically conductive LiFePO4 framework enables the stable deposition of metallic Li and improves the performance of the battery.
ENERGY STORAGE MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Yuanyuan Zhu, Jiaxin Ma, Pratteek Das, Sen Wang, Zhong-Shuai Wu
Summary: As an emerging class of 2D materials, MXene shows great potential in the field of supercapacitors. However, the working voltage of MXene-based SCs is limited due to oxidation and electrolyte decomposition. In order to overcome this issue, high-voltage MXene-based electrodes and matching electrolytes are urgently being developed. This article provides a comprehensive overview and systematic discussion on the effects of electrolytes, device configuration, and material modification on the operating voltage of MXene-based SCs, as well as the latest advances and future perspectives in high-voltage MXene-based SCs.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zhengxu Liu, Yikai Wang, Zhe Sun, Chuanyu Zhou, Ziyin Chen, Yuanyuan Zhu, Xuguang Jia, Jing Zhang, Mingfu Ye, Ningyi Yuan
Summary: In this study, two dibenzothiophene (DBT)-based small linear compounds, DBT-MOP and DBT-2F-MOP, were designed and synthesized as hole-transport materials (HTMs) for perovskite solar cells. Compared to DBT-2F-MOP, DBT-MOP showed improved hole-transport properties and charge extraction, resulting in a remarkable efficiency of 19.5% in the inverted device. However, the introduction of a fluoride atom near the methoxy group in DBT-2F-MOP decreased the efficiency, possibly due to the crystallization and rugged film morphology affecting the perovskite layer.
ACS APPLIED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Development Studies
Yuanyuan Zhu, Lingen Wang, Yan Zhang, Xiaohua Zhu
Summary: This study constructed a theoretical framework to explore the relationship between diet structure and living environment, using the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region as the research object. The results showed that the dietary structure of residents in the area evolved from a plant-based diet to a diversified diet, gradually reducing the burden on the living environment. However, compared to the balanced diet model, the study area had increased food carbon emissions and resource utilization. Regions with high meat consumption put more burden on the living environment.
HABITAT INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Yuanyuan Zhu, John Aloysius Zinda, Qin Liu, Yukuan Wang, Bin Fu, Ming Li
Summary: In recent years, many developing countries have implemented policies that consolidate rural primary schools, close small community schools, and enlarge centralized schools. This has had a negative impact on the accessibility of education, particularly in remote mountainous areas. However, the expansion of road networks has improved school access for people living in far-flung communities. This study analyzes the spatial patterns of primary school accessibility and its predictors in a mountainous county in southwest China, finding that topographic features and the ruggedness of the zone between villages and schools significantly affect accessibility.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Maham Liaqat, Rumasha Nipuni Thiruwana Kankanamage, Hanyi Duan, Ryuichi Shimogawa, Jiyu Sun, Monia Nielsen, Ehab Shaaban, Yuanyuan Zhu, Puxian Gao, James F. Rusling, Anatoly I. Frenkel, Jie He
Summary: This paper describes a strategy to catalyze in situ C-H oxidation by combining cobalt (Co) single-atom catalysts (SACs) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The Co SACs were synthesized using a Co phthalocyanine complex and were found to be strongly correlated to their reactivity. Increasing the calcination temperature improved catalytic activity, with the Co SACs obtained at 800°C showing superior activity in producing H2O2. The in situ production of H2O2 was further coupled with HRP for selective C-H bond oxidation.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yifei Feng, Nan Xu, Lei Peng, Jiayu Shen, Xiangrong Yang
Summary: This study found that the presence of sulfonyl-amino-modified nano plastics (SANPs) inhibits the reduction of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) to Cr(III) by green synthesized nano-iron (g-nZVI), thereby affecting the remediation efficiency and potentially threatening underground water.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Li Li, Fengting Xie, Heyu Wu, Yuanyuan Zhu, Pinghua Zhang, Yanjiang Li, Hengzheng Li, Litao Zhao, Guang Zhu
Summary: Exploring anode materials is important for supercapacitor applications. A N-doped-carbon-nanofiber supported Fe3C/Fe2O3 nanoparticle composite was synthesized in this study. The composite showed high specific capacitance and large energy density, as well as impressive capacitance retention even after 10,000 cycles.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zeqing Miao, Kesheng Gao, Dazhi Li, Ziwei Gao, Wenxin Zhao, Zeyang Li, Wei Sun, Xiaoguang Wang, Haihang Zhang, Xinyu Wang, Changlong Sun, Yuanyuan Zhu, Zhenjiang Li
Summary: The rational design of heterogeneous interfaces allows for precise adjustment of electronic structure and optimization of electron/ion migration kinetics in energy storage materials. In this study, an iron-based anode material (Fe2O3@TiO2) was introduced with a built-in electric field through well-designed heterostructure, leading to remarkable performance in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The heterostructure formed a conventional p-n junction, successfully constructing the built-in electric field and lithium-ion reservoir. The findings emphasize the potential of heterointerface engineering in optimizing electrochemical reaction kinetics for high-performance iron-based anodes for LIBs.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pratteek Das, Yanfeng Dong, Xianhong Wu, Yuanyuan Zhu, Zhong-Shuai Wu
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yaoyu Tang, Hao Wang, Wu Sun, Dapeng Li, Zhengying Wu, Yifei Feng, Nan Xu
Summary: The removal of phosphate from water is crucial for protecting the ecological environment due to the widespread use of phosphorus fertilizers causing water deterioration. In this study, calcium carbonate-loaded mesoporous SBA-15 nanocomposites with different Ca:Si molar ratios (CaAS-x) were synthesized as effective phosphorus adsorbents. Various characterization techniques were used to examine the structure, morphology, and composition of the nanocomposites. The results showed that increasing the Ca:Si molar ratio improved the phosphate removal capacity, with CaAS-0.55 exhibiting the highest adsorption capacity. The mesoporous CaAS-0.55 nanocomposite demonstrated fast and efficient removal of high concentrations of phosphate in contaminated wastewater.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jiayu Shen, Haijun Chen, Nan Xu, Yunpeng Liu, Wu Sun, Xinyue Ma, Ruiyang Sun, Yuxi Gao, Jiating Zhao
Summary: The migration of nano zerovalent iron (nZVI) materials to contaminated sites is limited, hindering the in situ remediation of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) pollution. In this study, the transportability of Mo/nZVI@GT materials was improved using green tea extracts and molybdate. The Mo/nZVI@GT showed pronounced size-selective retention in porous media and enhanced Cr(VI) reduction in the presence of phosphate. Tea polyphenols promoted the production of Mo(IV) species, enhancing the conversion of Cr(VI) to Cr2O3. The study elucidated the mechanisms of Cr(VI) reduction and removal and highlighted the potential application of Mo/nZVI@GT composites in efficient in situ remediation of Cr(VI)-contaminated groundwater and soil.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2024)
