Monolithic Polyepoxide Membranes for Nanofiltration Applications and Sustainable Membrane Manufacture.

The present work details the development of carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy membranes with excellent rejection of small-molecule dyes. It is a proof-of-concept for a more sustainable membrane design incorporating carbon fibers, and their recycling and reuse. 4,4'-methylenebis(cyclohexylamine) (MBCHA) polymerized with either bisphenol-A-diglycidyl ether (BADGE) or tetraphenolethane tetraglycidylether (EPON Resin 1031) in polyethylene glycol (PEG) were used to make monolithic membranes reinforced by nonwoven carbon fibers.

3D-Printed Carbon Scaffold for Structural Lithium Metal Batteries.

Focus on advancement of energy storage has now turned to curbing carbon emissions in the transportation sector by adopting electric vehicles (EVs). Technological advancements in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), valued for their lightweight and high capacity, are critical to making this switch a reality. Integrating structurally enhanced LIBs directly into vehicular design tackles two EV limitations: vehicle range and weight.

Conjugated Microporous Polymers-Based Catalytic Membranes with Hierarchical Channels for High-Throughput Removal of Micropollutants.

Engineering a catalytic membrane capable of efficiently removing emerging organic microcontaminants under ultrahigh flux conditions is of significance for water purification. Herein, drawing inspiration from the functional attributes of lymphatic vessels involved in immunosurveillance and fluid transport with minimal energy consumption, a novel hierarchical porous catalytic membrane is engineered. This membrane, based on an innovative nitrogen-rich conjugated microporous polymer (polytripheneamine, PTPA), is synthesized using an electrospinning coupled in situ polymerization approach.

Laser-Scribed Battery Electrodes for Ultrafast Zinc-Ion Energy Storage.

Aqueous Zn batteries are promising for large-scale energy storage but are plagued by the lack of high-performance cathode materials that enable high specific capacity, ultrafast charging, and outstanding cycling stability. Here, a laser-scribed nano-vanadium oxide (LNVO) cathode is designed that can simultaneously achieve these properties. The material stores charge through Faradaic redox reactions on/near the surface at fast rates owing to the small grain size of vanadium oxide and interpenetrating 3D graphene network, displaying a surface-controlled capacity contribution (90%-98%).

A nanoengineered vanadium oxide composite as a high-performance anode for aqueous Li-ion hybrid batteries.

Aqueous lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have received increasing attention as a promising solution for stationary energy storage systems due to their low environmental impact, non-flammability and low cost. Despite recent progress in electrolyte development and cathode manufacturing, the lack of anode materials with high specific capacity presents difficult challenges for a wide range of applications. In this study, we propose a novel synthetic strategy to fabricate a pseudocapacitive VO/graphene composite as a highly functional anode material for aqueous LIBs.

Reprecipitation: A Rapid Synthesis of Micro-Sized Silicon-Graphene Composites for Long-lasting Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Silicon microparticles (SiMPs) have gained significant attention as a lithium-ion battery anode material due to their 10 times higher theoretical capacity compared to conventional graphite anodes as well as their much lower production cost than silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs). However, SiMPs have suffered from poorer cycle life relative to SiNPs because their larger size makes them more susceptible to volume changes during charging and discharging. Creating a wrapping structure in which SiMPs are enveloped by carbon layers has proven to be an effective strategy to significantly improve the cycling performance of SiMPs.

High-pressure studies of size dependent yield strength in rhenium diboride nanocrystals.

The superhard ReB system is the hardest pure phase diboride synthesized to date. Previously, we have demonstrated the synthesis of nano-ReB and the use of this nanostructured material for texture analysis using high-pressure radial diffraction. Here, we investigate the size dependence of hardness in the nano-ReB system using nanocrystalline ReB with a range of grain sizes (20-60 nm).

On the Disproportionate Contribution of Membrane Electron Donor Functionality in Membrane Biofouling.

This study set out to uncover which interfacial properties have the greatest impact on membrane organic fouling, biofouling, and fouling resistance. A relatively simple manipulation of the basic equations used in determining Lifshitz-van der Waals (LW) and Lewis acid-base (AB) surface tensions for solid materials reveals that the high electron accepticity of water makes the electron donicity of membrane and biofouling materials the key component governing their interfacial free energy of adhesion (Δ), which defines the favorability (or unfavorability) of one material (1) adhering to another (2) when immersed in a liquid (3). Various biofoulant and membrane LW and AB surface tensions were systematically characterized.

A Rapid, Scalable Laser-Scribing Process to Prepare Si/Graphene Composites for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Silicon has gained significant attention as a lithium-ion battery anode material due to its high theoretical capacity compared to conventional graphite. Unfortunately, silicon anodes suffer from poor cycling performance caused by their extreme volume change during lithiation and de-lithiation. Compositing silicon particles with 2D carbon materials, such as graphene, can help mitigate this problem.

A simple route to functionalized porous carbon foams from carbon nanodots for metal-free pseudocapacitors.

The development of potent pseudocapacitive charge storage materials has emerged as an effective solution for closing the gap between high-energy density batteries and high-power density and long-lasting electrical double-layer capacitors. Sulfonyl compounds are ideal candidates owing to their rapid and reversible redox reactions. However, structural instability and low electrical conductivity hinder their practical application as electrode materials.

Dynamic configurations of metallic atoms in the liquid state for selective propylene synthesis.

The use of liquid gallium as a solvent for catalytic reactions has enabled access to well-dispersed metal atoms configurations, leading to unique catalytic phenomena, including activation of neighbouring liquid atoms and mobility-induced activity enhancement. To gain mechanistic insights into liquid metal catalysts, here we introduce a GaSnNi liquid alloy for selective propylene synthesis from decane. Owing to their mobility, dispersed atoms in a Ga matrix generate configurations where interfacial Sn and Ni atoms allow for critical alignments of reactants and intermediates.

Labile Coordination Interphase for Regulating Lean Ion Dynamics in Reversible Zn Batteries.

Rechargeability in zinc (Zn) batteries is limited by anode irreversibility. The practical lean electrolytes exacerbate the issue, compromising the cost benefits of zinc batteries for large-scale energy storage. In this study, a zinc-coordinated interphase is developed to avoid chemical corrosion and stabilize zinc anodes.

Roots Fuel Cell Produces and Stores Clean Energy.

In recent years, extensive scientific efforts have been conducted to develop clean bioenergy technologies. A promising approach that has been under development for more than a hundred years is the microbial fuel cell (MFC) which utilizes exoelectrogenic bacteria as an electron source in a bioelectrochemical cell. The viability of bacteria in soil MFCs can be maintained by integrating plant roots, which release organic materials that feed the bacteria.

Mammalian Fuel Cells Produce Electric Current.

The increasing concern about climate change has led scientists around the world to develop clean energy technologies that may replace the traditional use of fossil fuels. A promising approach is the utilization of unicellular organisms as electron donors in bio-fuel cells. To date, this method has been limited to microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast, and microalgae.

Tailoring Metal-Organic Frameworks and Derived Materials for High-Performance Zinc-Air and Alkaline Batteries.

Developing multifunctional materials from earth-abundant elements is urgently needed to satisfy the demand for sustainable energy. Herein, we demonstrate a facile approach for the preparation of a metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived FeO/C, composited with N-doped reduced graphene oxide (MO-rGO). MO-rGO exhibits excellent bifunctional electrocatalytic activities toward the oxygen evolution reaction (η = 273 mV) and the oxygen reduction reaction (half-wave potential = 0.

Understanding the Degradation Mechanisms of Conducting Polymer Supercapacitors.

Conducting polymers like polyaniline (PANI) are promising pseudocapacitive electrode materials, yet experience instability in cycling performance. Since polymers often degrade into oligomers, short chain length anilines have been developed to improve the cycling stability of PANI-based supercapacitors. However, the capacitance degradation mechanisms of aniline oligomer-based materials have not been systematically investigated and are little understood.

Molecular Engineering of Hierarchical Conducting Polymer Composites for Highly Stable Supercapacitors.

Long cycle life and high energy/power density are imperative to energy storage systems. Polyaniline (PANI) has shown great potential as an electrode material but is limited by poor cycling and rate performance. We present a molecular design approach of binding short-chain aniline trimers (ATs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) through the formation of amide covalent linkages enabled by a simple laser scribing technique.

Phase-Dependent Energy Storage Performance of the NiSe Polymorphs for Supercapacitor-Battery Hybrid Devices.

Transition-metal chalcogenides have emerged as a promising class of materials for energy storage applications due to their earth abundance, high theoretical capacity, and high electrical conductivity. Herein, we introduce a facile and one-pot electrodeposition method to prepare high-performance nickel selenide NiSe (0.5 ≤ / ≤ 1.

A 3D-Printed, Freestanding Carbon Lattice for Sodium Ion Batteries.

Increasing mass loadings of battery electrodes critically enhances the energy density of an overall battery by eliminating much of the inactive components, while compacting the battery size and lowering the costs of the ingredients. A hard carbon microlattice, digitally designed and fabricated by stereolithography 3D-printing and pyrolysis, offers enormous potential for high-mass-loading electrodes. In this work, sodium-ion batteries using hard carbon microlattices produced by an inexpensive 3D printer are demonstrated.

Low Temperature Nano Mechano-electrocatalytic CH Conversion.

Transforming natural resources to energy sources, such as converting CH to H and carbon, at high efficiency and low cost is crucial for many industries and environmental sustainability. The high temperature requirement of CH conversion regarding many of the current methods remains a critical bottleneck for their practical uptake. Here we report an approach based on gallium (Ga) liquid metal droplets, Ni(OH) cocatalysts, and mechanical energy input that offers low-temperature and scalable CH conversion into H and carbon.

A Readily Scalable, Clinically Demonstrated, Antibiofouling Zwitterionic Surface Treatment for Implantable Medical Devices.

Unlike growth on tissue, microbes can grow freely on implantable devices with minimal immune system intervention and often form resilient biofilms that continuously pump out pathogenic cells. The efficacy of antibiotics used to treat infection is declining due to increased rates of pathogenic resistance. A simple, one-step zwitterionic surface modification is developed to significantly reduce protein and microbial adhesion to synthetic materials and demonstrate the successful modification of several clinically relevant materials, including recalcitrant materials such as elastomeric polydimethylsiloxane.

Trilayer Metal-Organic Frameworks as Multifunctional Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion and Storage Applications.

The need for enhanced energy storage and improved catalysts has led researchers to explore advanced functional materials for sustainable energy production and storage. Herein, we demonstrate a reductive electrosynthesis approach to prepare a layer-by-layer (LbL) assembled trimetallic Fe-Co-Ni metal-organic framework (MOF) in which the metal cations within each layer or at the interface of the two layers are linked to one another by bridging 2-amino-1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid linkers. Tailoring catalytically active sites in an LbL fashion affords a highly porous material that exhibits excellent trifunctional electrocatalytic activities toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (η = 116 mV), oxygen evolution reaction (η = 254 mV), as well as oxygen reduction reaction (half-wave potential = 0.

Thin-Film Composite Membranes with a Hybrid Dimensional Titania Interlayer for Ultrapermeable Nanofiltration.

The interfacial properties within a composite structure of membranes play a vital role in the separation properties and application performances. Building an interlayer can facilitate the formation of a highly selective layer as well as improve the interfacial properties of the composite membrane. However, it is difficult for a nanomaterial-based interlayer to increase the flux and retention of nanofiltration membranes simultaneously.