Controllable construction of a 3D-honeycomb-like porous carbon network as a high-performance cathode for promoting Zn-ion storage capability.

Inheriting the energy storage mechanism of supercapacitors and rechargeable ion batteries, zinc ion capacitors (ZICs) greatly increase their energy density at high power without sacrificing their life span. However, sluggish kinetics and insufficient active sites for Zn storage induced by the significant mismatch of charge carriers with limited pore size hinder the efficient Zn storage and smooth application of carbonaceous cathode materials. Herein, a three-dimensional honeycomb-like porous carbon network (HPCN) was fabricated, which can reduce the diffusion barrier for fast kinetics, produce a high-density defect area, effectively increase active sites for charge storage, and generate a high nitrogen-doping content.

Controllable synthesis of electric double-layer capacitance and pseudocapacitance coupled porous carbon cathode material for zinc-ion hybrid capacitors.

The designability of the porous structure of carbon material makes it a popular material for zinc-ion hybrid capacitors (ZIHCs). However, the micropore confinement effect leads to sluggish kinetics and is not well resolved yet. In this work, a pore-size controllable carbon material was designed to enhance ion accessibility.

Controllable construction of hierarchically porous carbon composite of nanosheet network for advanced dual-carbon potassium-ion capacitors.

Benefitting from the abundance and inexpensive nature of potassium resources, potassium-ion energy storage technology is considered a potential alternative to current lithium-ion systems. Potassium-ion capacitors (PICs) as a burgeoning K-ion electrochemical energy storage device, are capable of delivering high energy at high power without sacrificing lifespan. However, owing to the sluggish kinetics and significant volume change induced by the large K-diameter, matched electrode materials with good ion accessibility and fast K intercalation/deintercalation capability are urgently desired.

Ultrasonic vibration used for improving interfacial adhesion strength between metal substrate and high-aspect-ratio thick SU-8 photoresist mould.

The fabrication of high-aspect-ratio metal micro device on metal substrate is largely limited by its poor interfacial adhesion strength between metal substrate and thick SU-8 photoresist mould. In this paper, ultrasonic treatment is introduced to improve the interfacial adhesion strength between metal substrate and a high-aspect-ratio inertial switch SU-8 mould. Firstly, a device for ultrasonic treatment was developed, ultrasonic vibration is applied to SU-8 film after post exposure baking in order to improve the interfacial adhesion strength.

Enhanced Hydrolysis of Cellulose in Ionic Liquid Using Mesoporous ZSM-5.

Mesoporous ZSM-5 prepared by alkaline treatment was demonstrated as an efficient catalyst for the cellulose hydrolysis in ionic liquid (IL), affording a high yield of reducing sugar. It was demonstrated that mesoporous ZSM-5 (SiO₂/Al₂O₃ = 38) had 76.2% cellulose conversion and 49.

Enhancing the adhesion strength of micro electroforming layer by ultrasonic agitation method and the application.

Micro electroforming is widely used for fabricating micro metal devices in Micro Electro Mechanism System (MEMS). However, there is the problem of poor adhesion strength between micro electroforming layer and substrate. This dramatically influences the dimensional accuracy of the device.

Study on Improving Thickness Uniformity of Microfluidic Chip Mold in the Electroforming Process.

Electroformed microfluidic chip mold faces the problem of uneven thickness, which decreases the dimensional accuracy of the mold, and increases the production cost. To fabricate a mold with uniform thickness, two methods are investigated. Firstly, experiments are carried out to study how the ultrasonic agitation affects the thickness uniformity of the mold.

Dramatic change of water-cluster accessibility of highly pure double-walled carbon nanotubes with high temperature annealing.

Highly pure double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) synthesized by a catalytic chemical vapour deposition method have a well-ordered bundle structure giving explicit diffraction peaks by synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurement. The changes of nanopore structural properties and water adsorptivity of DWCNTs with high-temperature heat treatment were investigated using molecular probe adsorption methods. It was founded that their nanoporosities and apparent hydrophilicities decreased with thermal annealing.

Evidence of water adsorption in hydrophobic nanospaces of highly pure double-walled carbon nanotubes.

Highly pure double-walled carbon nanotubes synthesized by a catalytic chemical vapor deposition method have a quasi one-dimensional nanopore system. We determined these nanotubes' nanopore structures by means of molecular probe adsorption using N(2) at 77 K, CO(2) at 273 K, and water at 298, 308, and 318 K, as well as high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The water vapor adsorption behavior of this system was quite unusual.

Hydrophilicity-controlled carbon aerogels with high mesoporosity.

Highly mesoporous carbon aerogels with hydrophilicity-controlled pore walls were synthesized using a unique approach that combines CO(2) supercritical drying and colloidal silica nanocasting. The samples were characterized using nitrogen adsorption at 77 K, water adsorption at 303 K, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The nitrogen adsorption revealed the presence of micropores and mesopores with narrow pore size distributions.

Conductive and mesoporous single-wall carbon nanohorn/organic aerogel composites.

Conductive and mesoporous single-wall carbon nanohorn/resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogel composites were fabricated by embedding organic resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogels with single-wall carbon nanohorns. Samples were characterized with transmission electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption at 77 K, and direct-current volume electrical conductivity measurement. It was demonstrated that these composites have important properties, such as controllable nanoporosity and high electrical conductivity in the range of 10-4 S m-1, which enables many potential applications.

Comparative study on pore structures of mesoporous ZSM-5 from resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogel and carbon aerogel templating.

Resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogels and carbon aerogels of different mesoporosities have been used as templates for preparing bimodal zeolites of mesopores. Samples were thoroughly characterized with X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, N(2) adsorption at 77 K, as well as FT-IR spectroscopy and (29)Si nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The mesoporous ZSM-5 zeolites have additional mesopores of 9-25 nm in widths and 0.

Synthesis of mesoporous zeolite a by resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogel templating.

Mesoporous zeolite A has been synthesized by using a template method with resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogels having three-dimensional mesopores. It was characterized with X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and nitrogen adsorption/desorption. The pore size distribution calculated from the nitrogen adsorption isotherm is a bimodal distribution with micropores and mesopores.

ZSM-5 monolith of uniform mesoporous channels.

A ZSM-5 monolith of uniform mesopores(meso-ZSM-5) was synthesized with the template method using carbon aerogel of uniform mesopores of great pore volume. The pore size distribution determined by N2 adsorption showed the presence of mesopores with an average pore width of 11 nm and micropores with an average pore width of 0.51 nm.