Preparation of Lotus Root-Type Monolithic-Activated Carbons with an Hierarchical Pore Structure from Rice Husks and Their Adsorption of Vitamin B12.

Activated carbon is widely used in many fields because of its well-developed pore structure. Especially in hemoperfusion, activated carbon beads derived from macroporous resin spheres are the predominant adsorbents in hemoditoxifiers. In comparison, biomass-activated carbon attracts more extensive attention on account of its renewability and environmental protection.

Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of Laser Pretreatment on Strengthening the Heterojunction between Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Plastic and Aluminum Alloy.

Besides aluminum alloys, lightweight carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRPs) have been adopted progressively in automobiles to save energy and reduce emission, so constructing a reliable heterojunction between aluminum alloys and CFRPs has come to be the key issue. In this study, ultrafast picosecond infrared (IR) and excimer ultraviolet (UV) lasers were introduced to pretreat the joint surface to enhance the adhesive strength. Scanning electron microscopy, white light interferometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy examinations indicated that because the energy absorptivities for the two lasers were different, the variation of the roughness, wettability, and chemical composition were a little different for the patterned surface.

Hierarchically Mesostructured Aluminum Current Collector for Enhancing the Performance of Supercapacitors.

Aluminum (Al) current collector is one of the most important components of supercapacitors, and its performance has vital effects on the electrochemical performance and cyclic stability of supercapacitors. In the present work, a scalable and low-cost, yet highly efficient, picosecond laser processing method of Al current collectors was developed to improve the overall performance of supercapacitors. The laser treatment resulted in hierarchical micro-nanostructures on the surface of the commercial Al foil and reduced the surface oxygen content of the foil.