Publications by authors named "Yuhui Ci"

Strong interfacial adhesion between cellulose and other polymers is critical to achieve the properties required for specific applications in composite materials. Here, we developed a method for the simultaneous homogeneous dissolution of cellulose and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) in 1,8-diazabicyclo (5.4.

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Biopolymer-based hydrogels have received great attention in wastewater treatment due to their excellent properties, e.g., high adsorption capacity, fast kinetics, reusability and ease of operation.

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Polyaniline (PANI) is considered as an ideal electrode material due to its remarkable Faradaic activity, exceptional conductivity, and ease of processing. However, the agglomeration and poor cycling stability of PANI largely limit its practical utilization in energy storage devices. To address these challenges, PANI was synthesized via a facile one-pot, two-step process using cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as bio-templates in this work.

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Dissolving cellulose at low temperatures is a key step in its efficient utilization as a renewable resource to produce high-value-added platform chemicals and high-performance materials. Here, the potential of four aprotic organic solvents was investigated for use as co-solvents with a sustainable DBU-derived ionic liquid (SIL) for the low-temperature dissolution and regeneration of cellulose. Combined experiments, density functional theory calculations, and molecular dynamic simulations were performed.

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Most organic solvents are unable to dissolve carbohydrates due to the lack of hydrogen bonding ability. The development of solvent systems for dissolving cellulose is of great importance for its utilization and conversion. In this study, four new cellulose solvents were designed using inexpensive levulinic acid (LevA) and 1,8-diazabicyclo [5,4,0] undec-7-ene (DBU) as raw materials.

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Enhanced interspecies electron transfer (IET) among symbiotic microorganisms is an effective method to increase the rate of methane (CH) production in anaerobic digestion. Direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET), which does not involve dissolved redox media, is considered an alternative and superior method to enhance methane production by interspecific hydrogen (H) transfer (IHT). In this study, nickel foam was built into a semicontinuous anaerobic reactor to investigate its effect on the metabolism of propionate and butyrate.

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