Synergistic effect of P2, O3 phase on biphasic layered oxide with enhanced electrochemical performance for sodium storage.

Oxides with a layered structure are regarded as prospective candidates for use as cathodes in the next generation of sodium ion batteries. These materials, which exhibit a P2 structure and O3 structure, possess distinctive advantages that give rise to disparate electrochemical performance. Herein, a thermodynamically and kinetically stable P2/O3 biphasic layered oxide with a chemical formula of KNaNiMnO is synthesized using a simplistic high temperature solid-state method.

Dietary supplementation with non-digestible isomaltooligosaccharide and ZDY2013 ameliorates DSS-induced colitis modulating intestinal barrier integrity and the gut microbiota.

Non-digestible oligosaccharides have attracted attention due to their critical role in maintaining the balance of a host's gut microbiota. ZDY2013 was isolated from traditional fermented acid beans, which could metabolize many complex carbohydrates and had intestinal immunomodulatory effects. In our study, the ameliorative effect of a combination of non-digestible isomaltooligosaccharide (IMO) and ZDY2013 was investigated in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mice.

Preparation of Co-Ni-Ce/TiC alloy coatings by double-pulse under a sulfamic acid system and a process mechanism study.

To enhance the protective ability of copper crystallizers and extend their service life, this study explores the use of double pulse co-deposition under a sulfamic acid system to create protective coatings such as Co-Ni. The hardness test and friction wear analysis compare Co-Ni, Co-Ni-Ce, and Co-Ni-Ce/TiC coatings, revealing that the Co-Ni-Ce/TiC coating exhibits the most outstanding protective performance. SEM and XRD techniques are employed to characterize the three protective coatings, demonstrating that the incorporation of rare-earth cerium and nanoparticles improves the coating morphology and modifies their crystalline phase structure.

Optimizing electrochemical performance of Na0.67Ni0.17Co0.17Mn0.66O2 with P2 structure via preparing concentration-gradient particles for sodium-ion batteries.

P2-type layered oxides for rechargeable sodium-ion batteries have drawn a lot of attention because of their excellent electrochemical performance. However, these types of cathodes usually suffer from poor cyclic stability. To overcome this disadvantage, in this work, novel ball-shaped concentration-gradient oxide NaNiCoMnO with P2 structure modified by Mn-rich surface is successfully prepared using co-precipitation method.

Anti-Fouling and Anti-Biofilm Performance of Self-Polishing Waterborne Polyurethane with Gemini Quaternary Ammonium Salts.

Biofilms are known to be difficult to eradicate and control, complicating human infections and marine biofouling. In this study, self-polishing and anti-fouling waterborne polyurethane coatings synthesized from gemini quaternary ammonium salts (GQAS), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and polycaprolactone diol (PCL) demonstrate excellent antibiofilm efficacy. Their anti-fouling and anti-biofilm performance was confirmed by a culture-based method in broth media, with the biofilm formation factor against Gram-positive () and Gram-negative bacterial strains () for 2 days.

A dual-modification strategy for P2-type layered oxide via bulk Mg/Ti co-substitution and MgO surface coating for sodium ion batteries.

P2-type materials are regarded as competitive cathodes for next generation sodium ion batteries. However, the unfavorable P2 → O2 phase transition usually leads to severe capacity decay. Moreover, the cathode material always suffers from destruction of surface crystal structure caused by trace amount of HF.

Core-Shell Structured PtMo@TiO Nanoparticles Synthesized by Reverse Microemulsion for Methanol Electrooxidation of Fuel Cells.

The high price of catalyst and poor durability still restrict the development of fuel cells. In this work, core-shell structured PtMo@TiO nanoparticles with low Pt content are prepared by a reverse microemulsion method. The morphologies, particle size, structure, and composition of PtMo@TiO nanoparticles are examined by several techniques such as X-ray Diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy, etc.

Study of the electrochemical recovery of cobalt from spent cemented carbide.

The massive accumulation of spent cemented carbide not only produces environmental pollution but also wastes resources such as tungsten and cobalt. To solve the problem, a low-temperature acid aqueous electrochemical method was used; cobalt was recycled on a stainless steel cathode, and at the same time, tungstic acid was enriched at a spent cemented carbide anode, achieving a high efficiency, low energy consumption, and low pollution separation and recovering spent cemented carbide. The transient electrochemical test results show the following: the reduction mechanism of cobalt is Co + 2e → Co.

Controllable Synthesis of Nanostructured MnO₂ as Electrode Material of Supercapacitors.

In this study, MnO² with different nanostructures (nanorods, nanospheres, nanoflowers, nanolychee) were obtained using a facile chemical method by adding different amounts of sulfuric acid for application in supercapacitors. Structure, morphology and composition were examined by X-ray diffractometer, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, Fourier transform infrared, etc. Electrochemistry performances were tested by Autolab and LANHE CT2001A test system.

Constructing Hierarchical Porous Carbons With Interconnected Micro-mesopores for Enhanced CO Adsorption.

A high cost-performance carbon dioxide sorbent based on hierarchical porous carbons (HPCs) was easily prepared by carbonization of raw sugar using commercially available nano-CaCO as a double-acting template. The effects of the initial composition and carbonization temperature on the micro-mesoporous structure and adsorption performance were examined. Also, the importance of post-activation behavior in the development of micropores and synthesis route for the formation of the interconnected micro-mesoporous structure were investigated.

Microstructure Characteristics of Cathode Materials for Rechargeable Magnesium Batteries.

Rechargeable magnesium batteries (RMBs) that use pure Mg or Mg alloy as anode and materials allowing Mg ions to insert/extract as cathode have many advantages such as high energy density, environmental friendliness, low cost, and safety of handling. RMBs are regarded as a promising candidate for portable power sources and heavy load energy devices. However, there are still some technological issues impeding their commercial application.

Mesoporous Silica Nanospheres Impregnated with 12-Phosphotungstic Acid as Inorganic Filler of Nafion Membrane for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells.

In this work, a novel nanocomposite material, hollow mesoporous silica nanosphere impregnated with 12-phosphotungstic acid, briefed as HMSN-I, was synthesized by a vacuum-assisted impregnation method. The HMSN-I was used as an inorganic filler to synthesize Nafion-based composite membranes for the high temperature and low humidity operation of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The Nafion/HMSN-I composite membrane showed much higher conductivity than the pristine Nafion membrane under the identical conditions.

Self-assembled platinum nanoparticles on sulfonic acid-grafted graphene as effective electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation in direct methanol fuel cells.

In this article, sulfonic acid-grafted reduced graphene oxide (S-rGO) were synthesized using a one-pot method under mild conditions, and used as Pt catalyst supports to prepare Pt/S-rGO electrocatalysts through a self-assembly route. The structure, morphologies and physicochemical properties of S-rGO were examined in detail by techniques such as atomic force microscope (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The S-rGO nanosheets show excellent solubility and stability in water and the average particle size of Pt nanoparticles supported on S-rGO is ~3.

Silver sulfide nanoparticles sensitized titanium dioxide nanotube arrays synthesized by in situ sulfurization for photocatalytic hydrogen production.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotube arrays (TNAs) sensitized with silver sulfide (Ag2S) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized via facile in situ sulfurization. Metallic silver NPs were first loaded on TNAs through a simple electrodeposition process. The as-prepared Ag/TNAs composites were further treated with a solution of acetonitrile containing sulfur (S8) and dried in vacuum to obtain a new nanocomposite material comprising of TNAs sensitized with Ag2S NPs.

2D single- or double-layered vanadium oxide nanosheet assembled 3D microflowers: controlled synthesis, growth mechanism, and applications.

A facile one-pot solvent-thermal method was developed to synthesize a unique 3D microflower structure assembled from single- or double-layered 2D nanosheets of V4O9 (F-VO). Simply by controlling the precursor concentration, yolk-shelled V4O9 (YS-VO) or bulk V4O9 (B-VO) can be produced instead. The precursor-concentration dependent growth mechanism is proposed.

Template-free bottom-up synthesis of yolk-shell vanadium oxide as high performance cathode for lithium ion batteries.

A template-free strategy is exploited to bottom-up synthesize yolk-shell vanadium oxide through a two-step spontaneous assembly of hydrolytically formed subunits in a one-pot process. The unique structured vanadium pentoxide exhibits excellent cathode performance for lithium ion batteries.

Nanoparticle self-assembled hollow TiO2 spheres with well matching visible light scattering for high performance dye-sensitized solar cells.

Submicrometer-sized hollow TiO(2) spheres are directly self-assembled from TiO(2) nanoparticles without using any template or surfactant as a scattering layer for dye-sensitized solar cells, showing good visible light scattering match to significantly improve the photoconversion efficiency.

Highly ordered mesoporous Nafion membranes for fuel cells.

A highly ordered mesoporous Nafion membrane with a remarkable water retention ability was synthesized via a micelle templating method with self-assembled Pluronic F108 surfactants and its capability to operate under completely dry gas streams is demonstrated.

One-step synthesized HPW/meso-silica inorganic proton exchange membranes for fuel cells.

An inorganic proton exchange membrane with a high proton conductivity of 0.06-0.08 S cm(-1) at 70-100 degrees C and a low activation energy of 13.

Layer-by-layer self-assembly of PDDA/PWA-Nafion composite membranes for direct methanol fuel cells.

A novel PDDA/PWA-Nafion composite electrolyte membrane with enhanced proton conductivity (sigma) to methanol permeability (P) ratio, sigma/P, was fabricated by layer-by-layer self-assembly of negatively charged water soluble PWA and positively charged polyelectrolyte PDDA.