Preparation of the graphene-based smart hydrophobic nanocomposite and its application in oil/water separation.

Designing and synthesizing materials with smart hydrophobicity against an external magnetic field for efficient oil/water separation is of great importance due to the increasing problems caused by oil pollution. Here, the nanocomposites were fabricated based on graphene and different iron oxides exhibit smart hydrophobicity against an external magnetic field and they are in powder form eliminating the requirement for a substrate employing a facile and echo friendly method. The results prove that autoclaving of graphene leads to its ferromagnetic property; then it is attached to iron oxides by magnetic attraction and a nanocomposite is produced.

Scalable, Green, and Cost-Effective Carbonized Sand for Efficient Solar Desalination.

Nowadays, sweet and drinkable water shortage is a global issue which has attracted widespread attention. Desalination of seawater as the greatest source of water on our planet using solar energy as the most abundant and green energy source for producing fresh water can help us address this issue. Interfacial solar desalination is a state-of-the-art, sustainable, green, and energy-efficient method that has been studied lately.

Fast Capture, Collection, and Targeted Transfer of Underwater Gas Bubbles Using Janus-Faced Carbon Cloth Prepared by a Novel and Simple Strategy.

Transportation of bubbles in liquids in a controlled fashion is a challenging task and an important subject in numerous industrial processes, including elimination of corrosive gas bubbles in fluid transportation pipes, water electrolysis, reactions between gases, heat transfer, etc. Using superaerophilic surfaces represents a promising solution for bubble movement in a programmed way. Here, a novel and low-cost method is introduced for the preparation of Janus-faced carbon cloth (Janus-CC) using poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) coating and then burning one side of the carbon cloth/PDMS on an alcoholic burner.

Catalytic synthesis of new pyrazolo [3,4-b] pyridine via a cooperative vinylogous anomeric-based oxidation.

In this study, a novel nano-magnetic metal-organic frameworks based on FeO namely FeO@MIL-101(Cr)-N(CHPO) was synthesized and fully characterized. The prepared sample was used as catalyst in the synthesis of pyrazolo [3,4-b] pyridines as convenient medicine by condensation reaction of aldehydes, 5-(1H-Indol-3-yl)- 2H-pyrazol-3-ylamine and 3-(cyanoacetyl)indole via a CVABO. The products were obtained with high yields at 100 °C and under solvent-free conditions.

Preparation of Polycarbonate-ZnO Nanocomposite Films: Surface Investigation after UV Irradiation.

Polycarbonate (PC)-ZnO films with different percentages of ZnO were prepared by a solution stirring technique and subjected to ultraviolet (UV; = 254 nm) irradiation. Structural parameters of the samples and the effects of UV irradiation on the surface properties of the PC and PC-ZnO nanocomposites were evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), water contact angle (WCA) measurements, and a Vickers microhardness (H) tester. The XRD patterns of the nanocomposite films were found to show an increase in crystallinity with the increasing ZnO nanoparticles percentage.

Hybrid superhydrophobic/hydrophilic patterns deposited on glass by laser-induced forward transfer method for efficient water harvesting.

In recent years, the combination of factors such as growing population and global climate change has resulted in freshwater shortages. Therefore, water harvesting from the atmospheric fog in order to produce freshwater supply inspired by nature has received much attention. The water harvesting capability of the creatures is significantly based on the combination of both wettability states on their surfaces.

A magnetic porous organic polymer: catalytic application in the synthesis of hybrid pyridines with indole, triazole and sulfonamide moieties.

Herein, the synthesis and characterization of a triazine-based magnetic ionic porous organic polymer are reported. The structure, morphology, and components of the prepared structure have been investigated with several spectroscopic and microscopic techniques such as FT-IR, EDX, elemental mapping, TGA/DTA, SEM, TEM, VSM, and BET analysis. Also, catalytic application of the prepared triazine-based magnetic ionic porous organic polymer was investigated for the synthesis of hybrid pyridine derivatives bearing indole, triazole and sulfonamide groups.

Synthesis of triarylpyridines with sulfonate and sulfonamide moieties via a cooperative vinylogous anomeric-based oxidation.

Herein, novel magnetic nanoparticles with pyridinium bridges namely FeO@SiO@PCLH-TFA through a multi-step pathway were designed and synthesized. The desired catalyst and its corresponding precursors were characterized with different techniques such as Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, H NMR, C NMR, Mass spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, thermogravimetric/derivative thermogravimetry (TG/DTG) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). In addition, the catalytic application of the prepared catalyst in the synthesis of new series of triarylpyridines bearing sulfonate and sulfonamide moieties via a cooperative vinylogous anomeric-based oxidation was highlighted.

Naturally Abundant Green Moss for Highly Efficient Solar Thermal Generation of Clean Water.

Water and energy scarcity are the challenges for humankind in the coming years. Sun is the largest source of energy available on the planet. Also, brackish seawater covers more than 70% of the surface of the planet.

Facile Approach to Conductive Polymer Microelectrodes for Flexible Electronics.

Conductive polymers have been intensively investigated as materials for electrodes in flexible electronics due to their favorable biocompatibility and reliable electrochemical stability. Nevertheless, patterning of conductive polymers for the fabrication of devices and in various electronics applications confronts multifarious limitations and challenges. Here, we present a simple but efficient strategy to obtain conductive polymer microelectrodes via utilization of surface-tension-confined liquid patterns.

Extractive desulfurization of liquid fuel using diamine-terminated polyethylene glycol as a very low vapour pressure and green molecular solvent.

Removal of sulfur compounds from liquid fuel is one of the important issues in the field of energy and environment. Among the available methods, extractive desulfurization (EDS) is of great interest due to its convenient operating conditions. In this study, EDS performance of 4,7,10-trioxatridecane-1,13-diamine (TTD), a very low vapour pressure diamine-terminated oligomeric polyethylene glycol (PEG), was studied.

Elemental Sulfur-Stabilized Liquid Marbles: Properties and Applications.

Sulfur-stabilized liquid marbles were readily prepared by rolling water droplets on a sulfur (S) powder bed. Because of the construction of a gel layer on the surface of liquid marbles, the resulting liquid marbles have shape-designable characteristics. The effects of rolling time and volume of droplets on the deformability of sulfur-stabilized liquid marbles were investigated along with their mechanical stability and lifetime.

A Sharp Jump in Photocatalytic Activity of Elemental Sulfur for Dye Degradation in Alkaline Solution.

Elemental sulfur is a low-cost and abundant substance as one of the largest by-products of the oil industry which was widely used in many industrial activities. Cyclo-octasulfur (S ) is one of the sulfur allotropes that is a very stable substance in standard conditions. In this study, we report a low-cost and fast method for the degradation of methyl violet in water under visible light and also sunlight by using elemental sulfur (S ).

Laser-assisted preparation of Pd nanoparticles on carbon cloth for the degradation of environmental pollutants in aqueous medium.

Laser ablation in liquid (LAL), one of the attractive methods for fabrication of nanoparticles, was used for the modification of carbon cloth (CC) by deposition of palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs); a simple stirring method was deployed to deposit Pd NPs on the CC surface. Characterization techniques viz X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) were applied to study the surface of the ensuing samples which confirmed that LAL technique managed to fabricate and deposit the Pd NPs on the surface of CC. In addition, the catalytic prowess of the carbon cloth-Pd NPs (CC/Pd NPs) was investigated in the NaBH- or HCOOH-assisted reduction of assorted environmental pollutants in aqueous medium namely hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)], 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), congo red (CR) and methylene blue (MB).

Nanoporous Carbon Derived from MOF-5: A Superadsorbent for Copper Ions.

In this work, nanoporous carbon (NPC) was synthesized by direct carbonization of MOF-5 (a famous metal-organic framework). The structure and morphology of the prepared MOF-derived nanoporous carbon (MOF-NPC) were investigated by X-ray diffraction, N adsorption/desorption isotherm, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy methods. The MOF-NPC was then used to adsorb copper ions from aqueous solutions.

Shape-Designable Liquid Marbles Stabilized by Gel Layer.

Shape-designable liquid marbles were simply prepared by rolling the water droplets over the stearic acid powder for several seconds to encapsulate them. The effects of droplet volume, pH, and rolling time on the deformability of liquid marbles from sphere were investigated. The stearic acid-stabilized liquid marbles can be deformed to any desirable and stable shapes including ellipsoids and letters, thanks to the gel layer formed at liquid marble surfaces during the preparation.

Alginate-Based Hydrogel Beads as a Biocompatible and Efficient Adsorbent for Dye Removal from Aqueous Solutions.

In this study, sodium alginate was employed as a starting material for preparing two kinds of biocompatible adsorbents, including calcium alginate hydrogel beads and magnetic hydrogel beads. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction pattern, and scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray techniques were used to characterize the prepared adsorbents. The performance of the prepared adsorbents for the removal of methyl violet from aqueous solution was studied in detail.

Fabrication of an Oil Spill Collector Package by Using Polyurethane Foam Wrapped with Superhydrophobic ZnO Microrods/Carbon Cloth.

A new package, including polyurethane foam wrapped with superhydrophobic ZnO microrods/carbon cloth with long-life elasticity, was fabricated and was utilized for oil spill clean-up. First, the carbon cloth (CC) was coated with ZnO microrods, which were modified with stearic acid (SA) to obtain superhydrophobic and superoleophilic properties. The coating process was conducted in mild conditions, involving the hydrothermal growth of ZnO microrods on the surface of the carbon cloth.

Effect of spacer length on the interfacial behavior of N,N'-bis(dimethylalkyl)-α,ω-alkanediammonium dibromide gemini surfactants in the absence and presence of ZnO nanoparticles.

In this paper the interfacial behavior of aqueous solutions of cationic gemini surfactants of the, N,N'-bis(dimethylalkyl)-α,ω-alkanediammoniumdibromide type (known as the 12-s-12 series), in the absence and presence of ZnO nanoparticles was studied. Equilibrium and dynamic interfacial tension between n-decane and aqueous surfactant solutions were investigated. It was concluded that the synergistic effect between surfactants and nanoparticles increases the surfactant efficiency with respect to reducing the interfacial tension.

Synthesis of a Novel Highly Oleophilic and Highly Hydrophobic Sponge for Rapid Oil Spill Cleanup.

A highly hydrophobic and highly oleophilic sponge was synthesized by simple vapor-phase deposition followed by polymerization of polypyrrole followed by modification with palmitic acid. The prepared sponge shows high absorption capacity in the field of separation and removal of different oil spills from water surface and was able to emulsify oil/water mixtures. The sponge can be compressed repeatedly without collapsing.

Synergistic behaviour of ZnO nanoparticles and gemini surfactants on the dynamic and equilibrium oil/water interfacial tension.

In this work the effect of ZnO nanoparticles on the interfacial behaviour of gemini surfactants (12-3-12 and 14-3-14) at the oil/water interface was investigated. Equilibrium and dynamic interfacial tension in the absence and presence of ZnO was measured and compared. The results show that the synergistic interactions between the surfactants and nanoparticles decrease the interfacial tension beyond that observed for each component, alone.

Synergistic effect of ZnO nanoparticles and triblock copolymer surfactant on the dynamic and equilibrium oil-water interfacial tension.

The present study reports the effects of non-ionic surfactant Pluronic F-127 on the equilibrium and dynamic oil-water interfacial tension in the presence of ZnO nanoparticles. The results show that in the presence of nanoparticles, the decrease of interfacial tension is more. The cooperative behavior of F-127 and ZnO nanoparticles especially at low concentrations increases the surfactant efficiency in lowering the interfacial tension.

Effect of ZnO nanoparticle and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide on the dynamic and equilibrium oil-water interfacial tension.

The effect of ZnO nanoparticles on the dynamic and equilibrium interfacial tension in the presence and absence of cationic surfactant CTAB was investigated. The results show that nanoparticles solely have no effect on interfacial tension. However, in the presence of CTAB, both particles and surfactants are adsorbed at the interface, and by a synergistic effect decrease the interfacial tension more.

Rapid photogeneration of silver nanoparticles in ethanolic solution: a kinetic study.

Ag nanoparticles have been synthesized via UV irradiation of ethanolic solution of AgNO3 in presence of pluronic F127 surfactant. This study is aimed at developing a rapid, simple and green method to prepare Ag nanoparticles and understanding its generation kinetics. The formation dependency of silver nanoparticles on the concentration of reactants, UV exposure time and temperature has been investigated by using UV-vis spectroscopy.

A new isotherm for multisite occupancy adsorption of binary gaseous mixtures.

Adsorption is one of the most popular methods for reducing pollutants or separation of gases. Therefore it is important to introduce new and extended isotherm equations for binary systems. In the previous adsorption isotherms for binary systems, it is assumed that an adsorbate occupies one site in lattice sites.