Zn Single Atoms/Clusters/Nanoparticles Embedded in the Hybrid Carbon Aerogels for High-Performance ORR Electrocatalysis.

Carbon-supported zinc single-atom catalysts have received considerable attention in the electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) owing to the strong reduction capacity of zinc atoms and the abundant reserves of zinc elements. The common preparation method has been limited to the high-temperature pyrolysis of nitrogen-rich organic molecules and zinc ions, which makes it difficult to further improve the ORR performance. Herein, we first prepared ZnO/PNT/rGO aerogels as precursors via a simple hydrothermal method combined with freeze-drying, in which reduced graphene oxides (rGO) and polypyrrole nanotubes (PNT) together assembled into three-dimensional frames and numerous ZnO nanoparticles were anchored in the three-dimensional skeletons.

A Humidity-Induced Nontemplating Route toward Hierarchical Porous Carbon Fiber Hybrid for Efficient Bifunctional Oxygen Catalysis.

Hierarchical porous carbons (HPCs) are highly efficient supports for various remarkable catalytic systems. However, templates are commonly utilized for the preparation of HPCs, and the postremoval of the templates is uneconomical, time-consuming, and harmful for the environment in most cases. Herein, a new humidity-induced nontemplating strategy is developed to prepare 1D HPC with rich topologies and interconnected cavities for catalysis and energy storage applications.

Novel reusable porous polyimide fibers for hot-oil adsorption.

The development of oil sorbents with high thermal stability, adsorption capacity, reusability and recoverability is of great significance for hot oil leakage protection, especially for oil spillage of oil refinery, petrochemical industry and cars. In our work, highly efficient hot oil adsorption of polyimide (PI) fibers with excellent thermal stability was successfully prepared by a facile electrospinning method followed by post-treatment. The corresponding morphologies, structures and oil adsorption properties of as-prepared PI fibers at different temperatures were analyzed and characterized.