Cellulose/nanocellulose superabsorbent hydrogels as a sustainable platform for materials applications: A mini-review and perspective.

Superabsorbent hydrogels (SAH) are crosslinked three-dimensional networks distinguished by their super capacity to stabilize a large quantity of water without dissolving. Such behavior enables them to engage in various applications. Cellulose and its derived nanocellulose can become SAHs as an appealing, versatile, and sustainable platform because of abundance, biodegradability, and renewability compared to petroleum-based materials.

Manufacturing of Complex Silicon-Carbon Structures: Exploring SiC Materials.

This paper reports on the manufacturing of complex three-dimensional Si/C structures via a chemical vapor deposition method. The structure and properties of the grown materials were characterized using various techniques including scanning electron microscopy, aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy, confocal Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The spectroscopy results revealed that the grown materials were composed of micro/nanostructures with various compositions and dimensions.

Two-Dimensional Silicon Carbide: Emerging Direct Band Gap Semiconductor.

As a direct wide bandgap semiconducting material, two-dimensional, 2D, silicon carbide has the potential to bring revolutionary advances into optoelectronic and electronic devices. It can overcome current limitations with silicon, bulk SiC, and gapless graphene. In addition to SiC, which is the most stable form of monolayer silicon carbide, other compositions, i.

Author Correction: Structure-Mechanical Property Relations of Skin-Core Regions of Poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) Single Fiber.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.

Structure-Mechanical Property Relations of Skin-Core Regions of Poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) Single Fiber.

This study aims to elucidate the relationship between the mechanical properties and microstructures of poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA) single fibers at the micro/nano scale. The skin-core structure of Kevlar® 29 fiber was revealed through a focused electron beam experiment inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM) chamber. Cross sectional SEM images of the broken fiber showed that the thickness of the skin ranged from 300 to 800 nm and that the core region consisted of highly packed layers of fibrils.

Tracing the Bioavailability of Three-Dimensional Graphene Foam in Biological Tissues.

Graphene-based materials with a three-dimensional (3D) framework have been investigated for a variety of biomedical applications because of their 3D morphology, excellent physiochemical properties, volume stability, and their controllable degradation rate. Current knowledge on the toxicological implications and bioavailability of graphene foam (GF) has major uncertainties surrounding the fate and behavior of GF in exposed environments. Bioavailability, uptake, and partitioning could have potential effects on the behavior of GF in living organisms, which has not yet been investigated.

Transparent Bipolar Membrane for Water Splitting Applications.

This study describes the use of a benzimidazolium-based anion exchange membrane for creating bipolar membranes and the assessment of their suitability for solar-driven water splitting. Bipolar membranes were prepared by laminating anion exchange membrane with Nafion NR-211 membrane without modification of the interface. Under acidic and basic conditions, proton and hydroxide ion conductivities of 103 and 102 mS cm were obtained for Nafion and benzimidazolium-based membranes, respectively.

From graphene to silicon carbide: ultrathin silicon carbide flakes.

This study presents a new ultrathin SiC structure prepared by a catalyst free carbothermal method and post-sonication process. We have found that merging ultra-light 3D graphene foam and SiO together at high temperature leads to the formation of a complex SiC structure consisting of 3D SiC foam covered with traditional 1D nanowires. Upon breaking off, the 3D SiC was confirmed to be made from 2D nanosheets.

Ideal three-dimensional electrode structures for electrochemical energy storage.

Three-dimensional electrodes offer great advantages, such as enhanced ion and electron transport, increased material loading per unit substrate area, and improved mechanical stability upon repeated charge-discharge. The origin of these advantages is discussed and the criteria for ideal 3D electrode structure are outlined. One of the common features of ideal 3D electrodes is the use of a 3D carbon- or metal-based porous framework as the structural backbone and current collector.