Sustainable Nanofluids Constructed from Size-Controlled Lignin Nanoparticles: Application Prospects in Enhanced Oil Recovery.

Lignin, a widely available, cost-effective, and structurally stable natural polymer, has recently attracted significant attention due to its diverse potential applications. A promising approach is to prepare lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) as a substitute for conventional nanoparticles to fulfill a variety of functions. In this study, LNPs with controlled size, regular morphology, and excellent dispersibility were synthesized by using industrial alkali lignin.

Superior sodiophilicity and molecule crowding of crown ether boost the electrochemical performance of all-climate sodium-ion batteries.

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) as one of the promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries have achieved remarkable progress in the past. However, the all-climate performance is still very challenging for SIBs. Herein, 15-Crown-5 (15-C-5) is screened as an electrolyte additive from a number of ether molecules theoretically.

Green construction of self-floating polysaccharide-based hydrogels with catalytic activity for efficient organic pollutants reduction.

This study employed an anionic heteropolysaccharide extracted from overgrown Enteromorpha and homopolysaccharide pullulan to fabricate a self-floating hydrogel by introducing bubble templates. Subsequently, green in-situ reduction and immobilization of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in the hydrogel were successfully achieved without additional reducing agents. The heteropolysaccharide from Enteromorpha provides carboxyl and sulfate groups for Ag ions complexation, which is beneficial for the in-situ reduction of Ag NPs and inhibits their aggregation.

Microscopic Understanding of Interfacial Performance and Antifoaming Mechanism of REP Type Block Polyether Nonionic Surfactants.

In many practical applications involving surfactants, achieving defoaming without affecting interfacial activity is a challenge. In this study, the antifoaming performance of REP-type block polymer nonionic surfactant C12EOmPOn was determined, and molecular dynamics simulation method was employed to investigate the molecular behaviors of surfactants at a gas/water interface, the detailed arrangement information of the different structural segments of the surfactant molecules and the inter-/intra-interactions between all the structural motifs in the interfacial layer were analyzed systematically, by which the antifoaming mechanisms of the surfactants were revealed. The results show that the EO and PO groups of REP-type polyether molecules are located in the aqueous phase near the interface, and the hydrophobic tails distribute separately, lying almost flat on the gas/water interface.

Coordination modulation of hydrated zinc ions to enhance redox reversibility of zinc batteries.

The dendrite growth of zinc and the side reactions including hydrogen evolution often degrade performances of zinc-based batteries. These issues are closely related to the desolvation process of hydrated zinc ions. Here we show that the efficient regulation on the solvation structure and chemical properties of hydrated zinc ions can be achieved by adjusting the coordination micro-environment with zinc phenolsulfonate and tetrabutylammonium 4-toluenesulfonate as a family of electrolytes.

Electrostatic Shielding Boosts Electrochemical Performance of Alloy-Type Anode Materials of Sodium-Ion Batteries.

The applications of alloy-type anode materials for Na-ion batteries are always obstructed by enormous volume variation upon cycles. Here, K ions are introduced as an electrolyte additive to improve the electrochemical performance via electrostatic shielding, using Sn microparticles (μ-Sn) as a model. Theoretical calculations and experimental results indicate that K ions are not incorporated in the electrode, but accumulate on some sites.