Combined nanofiltration and advanced oxidation processes with bifunctional carbon nanomembranes.

Wastewater reclamation is becoming a top global interest as population growth and rapid industrialization pose a major challenge that requires development of sustainable cost-effective technologies and strategies for wastewater treatment. Carbon nanomembranes (CNMs)-synthetic 2D carbon sheets-can be tailored chemically with specific surface functions and/or physically with nanopores of well-defined size as a strategy for multifunctional membrane design. Here, we explore a bifunctional design for combined secondary wastewater effluent treatment with dual action of membrane separation and advanced oxidation processes (AOP), exploiting dissolved oxygen.

Unraveling the Role of Fluorinated Alkyl Carbonate Additives in Improving Cathode Performance in Sodium-Ion Batteries.

A key issue in the development of sustainable Na-ion batteries (NIBs) is the stability of the electrolyte solution and its ability to form effective passivation layers on both cathode and anode. In this regard, the use of fluorine-based additives is considered a promising direction for improving electrode performance. Fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) and -difluoroethylene carbonate (DFEC) were demonstrated as additives or cosolvents that form effective passivating surface films in Li-ion batteries.

Sustainable existence of solid mercury (Hg) nanoparticles at room temperature and their applications.

Although liquid mercury (Hg) has been known since antiquity, the formation of stable solid nano forms of Hg at room temperature has not been reported so far. Here, for the first time, we report a simple sonochemical route to obtain solid mercury nanoparticles, stabilized by reduced graphene oxide at ambient conditions. The as-formed solid Hg nanoparticles were found to exhibit remarkable rhombohedral morphology and crystallinity at room temperature.

Horizons for Li-Ion Batteries Relevant to Electro-Mobility: High-Specific-Energy Cathodes and Chemically Active Separators.

Li-ion batteries (LIBs) today face the challenge of application in electrified vehicles (xEVs) which require increased energy density, improved abuse tolerance, prolonged life, and low cost. LIB technology can significantly advance through more realistic approaches such as: i) stable high-specific-energy cathodes based on Li Ni Co Mn O (NCM) compounds with either Ni-rich (x = 0, y → 1), or Li- and Mn-rich (0.1 < x < 0.

Remarkably Improved Electrochemical Performance of Li- and Mn-Rich Cathodes upon Substitution of Mn with Ni.

Li- and Mn-rich transition-metal oxides of layered structure are promising cathodes for Li-ion batteries because of their high capacity values, ≥250 mAh g. These cathodes suffer from capacity fading and discharge voltage decay upon prolonged cycling to potential higher than 4.5 V.