Enhanced and copper concentration dependent virucidal effect against SARS-CoV-2 of electrospun poly(vinylidene difluoride) filter materials.

Virucidal filter materials were prepared by electrospinning a solution of 28 wt % poly(vinylidene difluoride) in N,N-dimethylacetamide without and with the addition of 0.25 wt %, 0.75 wt %, 2.

Peat-Derived ZnCl-Activated Ultramicroporous Carbon Materials for Hydrogen Adsorption.

Highly microporous adsorbents have been under considerable scrutiny for efficient adsorptive storage of H. Of specific interest are sustainable, chemically activated, microporous carbon adsorbents, especially from renewable and organic precursor materials. In this article, six peat-derived microporous carbon materials were synthesized by chemical activation with ZnCl.

Peat-derived hard carbon electrodes with superior capacity for sodium-ion batteries.

Herein we demonstrate how peat, abundant and cheap biomass, can be successfully used as a precursor to synthesize peat-derived hard carbons (PDCs), applicable as electrode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIB). The PDCs were obtained by pre-pyrolysing peat at 300-800 °C, removing impurities with base-acid solution treatment and thereafter post-pyrolysing the materials at temperatures () from 1000 to 1500 °C. By modification of pre- and post-pyrolysis temperatures we obtained hard carbons with low surface areas, optimal carbonization degree and high electrochemical Na storage capacity in SIB half-cells.

in Situ X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopic and Electrochemical Studies of the Bromide Anions Dissolved in 1-Ethyl-3-Methyl Imidazolium Tetrafluoroborate.

Influence of electrode potential on the electrochemical behavior of a 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMImBF₄) solution containing 5 wt % 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide (EMImBr) has been investigated using electrochemical and synchrotron-initiated high-resolution in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) methods. Observation of the Br 3d in situ XPS signal, collected in a 5 wt % EMImBr solution at an EMImBF₄⁻vacuum interface, enabled the detection of the start of the electrooxidation process of the Br⁻ anion to Br₃⁻ anion and thereafter to the Br₂ at the micro-mesoporous carbon electrode, polarized continuously at the high fixed positive potentials. A new photoelectron peak, corresponding to B⁻O bond formation in the B 1s in situ XPS spectra at ≤ ⁻1.

Melt-electrospinning as a method to improve the dissolution and physical stability of a poorly water-soluble drug.

The present study introduces a modified melt-electrospinning (MES) method for fabricating the melt-electrospun fibers (MSFs) of a poorly water-soluble drug and carrier polymer. The MES of poorly water-soluble model drug indomethacin (IND) and hydrophilic carrier polymer, Soluplus® (SOL) were prepared at a 1:3 drug-polymer weight ratio. Water was used as an external plasticizer to regulate a MES processing temperature and to improve fiber formation.

In situ hydrodynamic spectroscopy for structure characterization of porous energy storage electrodes.

A primary atomic-scale effect accompanying Li-ion insertion into rechargeable battery electrodes is a significant intercalation-induced change of the unit cell volume of the crystalline material. This generates a variety of secondary multiscale dimensional changes and causes a deterioration in the energy storage performance stability. Although traditional in situ height-sensing techniques (atomic force microscopy or electrochemical dilatometry) are able to sense electrode thickness changes at a nanometre scale, they are much less informative concerning intercalation-induced changes of the porous electrode structure at a mesoscopic scale.

Microporous and mesoporous carbide-derived carbons for strain modification of electromechanical actuators.

Low-voltage stimuli-responsive actuators based on carbide-derived carbon (CDC) porous structures were demonstrated. Bending actuators showed a differential electromechanical response defined by the porosity of the CDC used in the electrode layer. Highly porous CDCs prepared from TiC (mainly microporous), B4C (micromesoporous), and Mo2C (mainly mesoporous) precursors were selected to demonstrate the influence of porosity parameters on the electromechanical performance of actuators.