The effect of citric acid (CA) concentration and water content on the free hole volume of thermoplastic cassava starch films (TPS) was studied. To this aim, continuous in situ positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy measurements were performed at fixed moisture content and during water desorption. The results show that the increase in CA concentration leads to wider free hole volume distributions with lower mean values. During water desorption, the mean values and width of such distributions systematically decrease with the exposure time, and the evolution of the hole volumes was well-described using the Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts function. The water vapour permeability was significantly higher in films incorporating 5 % (w/w) of CA, in line with the more open network of this material that was revealed in the hole volumes distribution. The Young's modulus of all the developed films increased significantly after partial water desorption, which was attributed to the plasticizer loss reflected in a decrease in the mean hole volume value (between 4 % and 13 %). This work evidences that the control and report of the relative humidity are essential when testing TPS-based films, as their nanostructures are strongly dependent on external conditions.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.120739 | DOI Listing |
Adv Sci (Weinh)
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, University of North Texas1508 W Mulberry St, Denton, TX, 76201, USA.
Efficient removal of TcO from radioactive effluents while recovering drinking water remains a challenge. Herein, an excellent ReO (a nonradioactive surrogate of TcO ) scavenger is presented through covalently bonding imidazolium poly(ionic liquids) polymers with an ionic porous aromatic framework (iPAF), namely iPAF-P67, following an adsorption-site density-addition strategy. It shows rapid sorption kinetics, high uptake capacity, and exceptional selectivity toward ReO .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Am Chem Soc
January 2025
Department of Chemistry and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong, China.
Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have attracted widespread attention due to their potential to replace platinum-based catalysts in achieving efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), yet the rational optimization of SACs remains challenging due to their elusive reaction mechanisms. Herein, by employing ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and a thermodynamic integration method, we have constructed the potential-dependent free energetics of ORR on a single iron atom catalyst dispersed on nitrogen-doped graphene (Fe-N/C) and further integrated these parameters into a microkinetic model. We demonstrate that the rate-determining step (RDS) of the ORR on SACs is potential-dependent rather than invariant within the operative potential range.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAngew Chem Int Ed Engl
January 2025
Fudan University, Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Shanghai, 200433, Shanghai, CHINA.
Tellurium (Te), with its rich valence states (-2 to +6), could endow aqueous batteries with potentially high specific capacity. However, achieving complete and stable hypervalent Te0/Te4+ electrochemistry in an aqueous environment poses significant challenges, owing to the sluggish reduction kinetics, the easy dissolution of Te4+ species, and a controversial energy storage mechanism. Herein, for the first time, we demonstrate an amorphous strategy for robust aqueous TeO2/Te electrochemistry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Sci (Weinh)
January 2025
Division of Chemical and Material Metrology, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS), Daejeon, 34133, Republic of Korea.
Ruthenium (Ru)-based electrocatalysts have shown promise for anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) due to their ability to facilitate water dissociation in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, their performance is limited by strong hydrogen binding, which hinders hydrogen desorption and water re-adsorption. This study reports the development of RuNi nanoalloys supported on MoO, which optimize the hydrogen binding strength at Ru sites through modulation by adjacent Ni atoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChemSusChem
January 2025
Dalian University of Technology, State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, CHINA.
Water-lean absorbents are regarded as a new generation of post-combustion CO2 capture technology that could significantly relieve those drawbacks posed by traditional aqueous alkanolamines. However, the exponential increase in viscosity during CO2 absorption remains an urgent issue that needs to be resolved before their practical deployment. In this work, novel water-lean amines based on biomass glycerol have been devised as single-component CO2 absorbents with low viscosity (79~110 cP at 25 oC, 29~39 cP at 40 oC) under high capacity (12~18 wt% at 25 oC, 10~17 wt% at 40 oC).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!