Interface Structure Strengthening of a Mesoporous Silicon/Expanded Perlite Microevaporator for Efficient Solar-Driven Interfacial Evaporation.

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation is one of the cutting-edge technologies for seawater desalination and wastewater purification. Herein, a floating carbon-coated silica microsphere/expanded perlite integrated interfacial microevaporator (HEPCL) is reported. The carbon nanolayer allows the HEPCL to have better broadband light absorption performance than natural graphite and graphene oxide.

Visible Light Locking in Mineral-Based Composite Phase Change Materials Enabling High Photothermal Conversion and Storage.

Fully stimulating the capacity of light-driven phase change materials (PCMs) for efficient capture, conversion, and storage solar energy requires an ingenious combination of PCMs, supporting structural materials, and photothermal materials, therefore motivating the synergistic effects between the components. Herein, this work thoroughly explores the interaction forces between PCMs and supporting structural materials and the synergy between PCMs and photothermal materials in photothermal conversion. Rejoicingly, when capitalizing on the prepared directional channel structure of hierarchically porous composite aerogel (PEPG) as a supporting structural material, a superior paraffin wax (PW) encapsulation rate of 85.

Functionally constructed magnetic-dielectric mineral microspheres for efficient thermal energy storage and microwave absorption.

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) and equipment heat dissipation problems are becoming increasingly prominent in advanced applications such as modern wireless communications, driverless cars, and portable devices. Multifunctional composites with efficient energy storage, conversion, and microwave absorption are urgently needed. We reported an effective strategy to construct attapulgite (ATP), carbon nanotubes (CNT), and NiCo alloys composite mineral microspheres (ACNC).

Mineral-modulated Co catalyst with enhanced adsorption and dissociation of BH for hydrogenation of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol.

Slow adsorption and dissociation kinetics of NaBH onto the catalyst surface limit the hydrogenation reduction of hazardous p-nitrophenol to worthy p-aminophenol. Herein, we design a mineral-modulated catalyst to facilitate the rate-limiting step. Carbon-coated etched attapulgite (EAtp@C) is obtained by HF treatment.

Energetics, Interlayer Molecular Structures, and Hydration Mechanisms of Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO)-Kaolinite Nanoclay Guest-Host Interactions.

Two-dimensional (2D) kaolinite nanoclay is an important natural mineral with promising application potential, especially tuned with organic intercalates. However, thus far, the organics-kaolinite guest-host interactions, the atomic scale structures of organic intercalates under confinement, and molecular level mechanisms of hydration are rarely systematically explored using both experimental and computational methodologies. We integrated density functional theory with dispersion scheme (DFT-D) with various experimental methods to investigate the intercalation of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in kaolinite with and without hydration.