Development Of Carbon Materials Research Articles

Wrinkled hierarchical porous carbon spheres with interconnected multi-cavity for ultrahigh capacitive deionization

As one of the most promising electrode materials for capacitive deionization (CDI), the development of carbon materials with controllable pore structure and continuous mass production is essential for their practical application. Herein, a facile ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method was developed to synthesize surface-functionalized wrinkled hierarchical porous carbon spheres (HCS) with unique interconnected multi-cavity structures. The wrinkled and interconnected multi-cavity hierarchical pores of the HCS play a crucial role in providing accessible ion adsorption sites and promoting ion diffusion and storage in the “multi-cavity warehouse”. The carboxyl groups on the surface of HCS generate a negative charge that promotes the adsorption of cations. The optimized HCS possesses outstanding desalination capacity (114.25 mg g−1), fast adsorption rate (6.57 mg g−1 min−1), and superior cycling stability (95%). Meanwhile, the HCS exhibited impressive desalination capacities in brackish water. Furthermore, the density functional theory calculation results confirmed that the synergistic effect of carboxyl groups and defects significantly enhanced the Na+ adsorption capacity and facilitated ion diffusion. This study extends the synthesis method of surface-functionalized hierarchical porous carbon, which is expected to facilitate the development of CDI electrode materials.

Highly efficient degradation of tetracycline in groundwater by nanoscale zero-valent iron-copper bimetallic biochar: active [H] attack and direct electron transfer mechanism.

Development of carbon materials with high activity was important for rapid degradation of emerging pollutants. In this paper, a novel nanoscale zero-valent iron-copper bimetallic biochar (nZVIC-BC) was synthesized by carbothermal reduction of waste pine wood and copper-iron layered double hydroxides (LDHs). Characterization and analysis of its structural, elemental, crystalline, and compositional aspects using XRD, FT-IR, SEM, and TEM confirmed the successful preparation of nZVIC-BC and the high dispersion of Fe-Cu nanoparticles in an ordered carbon matrix. The experimental results showed that the catalytic activity of nZVIC-BC (Kobs of 0.0219 min-1) in the degradation of tetracycline (TC) in anoxic water environment was much higher than that of Fe-BC and Cu-BC; the effective degradation rate reached 85%. It was worth noting that the negative effects of Ca2+, Mg2+, and H2PO4- on TC degradation at ionic strengths greater than 15 mg/L were due to competition for active sites. Good stability and reusability were demonstrated in five consecutive cycle tests for low leaching of iron and copper. Combined with free radical quenching experiments and XPS analyses, the degradation of TC under air conditions was only 62%, with hydroxyl radicals (·OH) playing a dominant role. The synergistic interaction between Fe2+/Fe3+ and Cu0/Cu+/Cu2+ under nitrogen atmosphere enhances the redox cycling process; π-π adsorption, electron transfer processes, and active [H] were crucial for the degradation of TC; and possible degradation pathways of TC were deduced by LC-MS, which identified seven major aromatic degradation by-products. This study will provide new ideas and materials for the treatment of TC.

Advances in hydrogen energy conversion of graphdiyne‐based materials

AbstractGraphdiyne (GDY), a new carbon allotrope containing sp and sp2‐hybridized carbon atoms, features the one‐atom‐thick two‐dimensional structure with many unique and promising characteristics, such as highly conjugated and extremely large π structures, abundant carbon chemical bonds, naturally distributed pores, inherent band gap, excellent chemical and mechanical stability, highly uneven distributed surface charges, and can be grown on the surface of arbitrary substrates. GDY has been one of the hottest frontiers in chemistry and material sciences and represents a new development trend and research direction in the development of carbon materials. Owing to the unique characteristics in chemical and electronic structures, GDY has shown great application potentials and prospects in many fields, including catalysis, energy, optoelectronics, life science, and intelligent device. In this review, the structures, synthetic methods, and fundamental properties of GDY are introduced. In particular, the recent advances of GDY and its formed aggregates in hydrogen energy conversion are summarized and discussed.

Two-Dimensional Carbon Graphdiyne: Advances in Fundamental and Application Research.

Graphdiyne (GDY), a rising star of carbon allotropes, features a two-dimensional all-carbon network with the cohybridization of sp and sp2 carbon atoms and represents a trend and research direction in the development of carbon materials. The sp/sp2-hybridized structure of GDY endows it with numerous advantages and advancements in controlled growth, assembly, and performance tuning, and many studies have shown that GDY has been a key material for innovation and development in the fields of catalysis, energy, photoelectric conversion, mode conversion and transformation of electronic devices, detectors, life sciences, etc. In the past ten years, the fundamental scientific issues related to GDY have been understood, showing differences from traditional carbon materials in controlled growth, chemical and physical properties and mechanisms, and attracting extensive attention from many scientists. GDY has gradually developed into one of the frontiers of chemistry and materials science, and has entered the rapid development period, producing large numbers of fundamental and applied research achievements in the fundamental and applied research of carbon materials. For the exploration of frontier scientific concepts and phenomena in carbon science research, there is great potential to promote progress in the fields of energy, catalysis, intelligent information, optoelectronics, and life sciences. In this review, the growth, self-assembly method, aggregation structure, chemical modification, and doping of GDY are shown, and the theoretical calculation and simulation and fundamental properties of GDY are also fully introduced. In particular, the applications of GDY and its formed aggregates in catalysis, energy storage, photoelectronic, biomedicine, environmental science, life science, detectors, and material separation are introduced.

Preparation of MnO2-Carbon Materials and Their Applications in Photocatalytic Water Treatment.

Water pollution is one of the most important problems in the field of environmental protection in the whole world, and organic pollution is a critical one for wastewater pollution problems. How to solve the problem effectively has triggered a common concern in the area of environmental protection nowadays. Around this problem, scientists have carried out a lot of research; due to the advantages of high efficiency, a lack of secondary pollution, and low cost, photocatalytic technology has attracted more and more attention. In the past, MnO2 was seldom used in the field of water pollution treatment due to its easy agglomeration and low catalytic activity at low temperatures. With the development of carbon materials, it was found that the composite of carbon materials and MnO2 could overcome the above defects, and the composite had good photocatalytic performance, and the research on the photocatalytic performance of MnO2-carbon materials has gradually become a research hotspot in recent years. This review covers recent progress on MnO2-carbon materials for photocatalytic water treatment. We focus on the preparation methods of MnO2 and different kinds of carbon material composites and the application of composite materials in the removal of phenolic compounds, antibiotics, organic dyes, and heavy metal ions in water. Finally, we present our perspective on the challenges and future research directions of MnO2-carbon materials in the field of environmental applications.

Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) for In Situ Templating Carbon Material: Carbon Characterization and Application in Supercapacitors Containing Multivalent Ions

The development of carbon materials with desirable textures and new aqueous electrolytes is the key strategy to improve the performance of supercapacitors. Herein, a deep eutectic solvent (DES) was used for in situ templating of a carbon material. A carbon material was characterized (XRD, N2-physisorption, FTIR, SEM and EDS) and used as an electrode material for the first time in multivalent-based supercapacitors. In situ templating of carbon was performed using a novel DES, which serves as a precursor for carbon and for in situ generation of MgO. The generation of MgO and its roles in templating of carbon were discussed. Templating of carbon with MgO lead to an increase in surface area and a microporous texture. The obtained carbon was tested in multivalent-ion (Al3+ and Mg2+) electrolytes and compared with H2SO4. The charge-storage mechanism was investigated and elaborated. The highest specific capacitance was obtained for the Al(NO3)3 electrolyte, while the operating voltage follows the order: Mg(NO3)2 > Al(NO3)3 > H2SO4. Electrical double-layer capacitance (versus pseudocapacitance) was dominant in all investigated electrolytes. The larger operating voltage in multivalent electrolytes is a consequence of the lower fraction of free water, which suppresses hydrogen evolution (when compared with H2SO4). The GCD was experimentally performed on the Al(NO3)3 electrolyte, which showed good cyclic stability, with an energy density of 22.3 Wh kg−1 at 65 W kg−1.

Edge-enriched N, S co-doped hierarchical porous carbon for oxygen reduction reaction

The development of carbon materials with high electrochemical performance for next-generation energy device is emerging, especially N, S co-doped carbon materials have sparked intensive attention. However, the exploration of N, S co-doped carbon with well-defined active sites and hierarchical porous structures are still limited. In this study, we prepared a series of edge-enriched N, S co-doped carbon materials through pyrolysis of thiourea (TU) encapsulated in zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (TU@ZIF) composites, which delivered very good oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance in alkaline medium with onset potential of 0.94 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), good stability and methanol tolerance. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggested that carbon atoms adjacent to N and S are probable active sites for ORR intermediates in edge-enriched N, S co-doped carbon materials because higher electron density can enhance O2 adsorption, lower formation barriers of intermediates, improving the ORR performance comparing to intact N, S co-doped carbon materials. This study might provide a new pathway for improving ORR activity by the integration engineering of edge sites, and electronic structure of heteroatom doped carbon electrocatalysts.

Advances of the functionalized carbon nitrides for electrocatalysis

AbstractOver the past few decades, the design and development of carbon materials have occurred at a rapid pace. In particular, these porous graphene‐like carbon nitride materials have received considerable attention due to their superior structures and performances in the energy transformation field. In this review, nitrogenated holey two‐dimensional graphene and polymeric carbon nitride will be discussed in depth. The structural properties, synthetic methods, and applications including electrocatalytic reactions, such as hydrogen evolution reaction, oxygen reduction reaction, oxygen evolution reaction, and nitrogen reduction reaction, will be presented in detail. Finally, we will present the outlooks on the current obstacles to the development of carbon nitride materials. This comprehensive understanding will help guide and motivate researchers to develop and modify carbon nitride materials with better properties in the future.

Carbon material‐based anodes in the microbial fuel cells

AbstractFor the performance improvement of microbial fuel cells (MFCs), the anode becomes a breakthrough point due to its influence on bacterial attachment and extracellular electron transfer (EET). On other level, carbon materials possess the following features: low cost, rich natural abundance, good thermal and chemical stability, as well as tunable surface properties and spatial structure. Therefore, the development of carbon materials and carbon‐based composites has flourished in the anode of MFCs during the past years. In this review, the major carbon materials used to decorate MFC anodes have been systematically summarized, based on the differences in composition and structure. Moreover, we have also outlined the carbon material‐based hybrid biofilms and carbon material‐modified exoelectrogens in MFCs, along with the discussion of known strategies and mechanisms to enhance the bacteria‐hosting capabilities of carbon material‐based anodes, EET efficiencies, and MFC performances. Finally, the main challenges coupled with some exploratory proposals are also expounded for providing some guidance on the future development of carbon material‐based anodes in MFCs.

Folic Acid Coordinated Cu-Co Site N-Doped Carbon Nanosheets for Oxygen Reduction Reaction.

The design and development of carbon materials with high-efficiency oxygen reduction activity is still a problem. Folic acid (FA) has unique structural characteristics, and it can provide multiple coordination sites for metal ions. Here, folic acid (FA) was used as a metal complex ligand, and Cu-Co-based N-doped porous carbon nanosheets (Cu-CoNCNs) were synthesized by the solvothermal method, the molten salt template-assisted calcination method, and the chemical etching method. The Cu-CoNCNs synthesized by this method have highly efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity. In 0.1 mol/L KOH electrolytes, the catalyst exhibits excellent ORR activity and has a fairly high half-wave potential (0.905 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to investigate the reasons why the catalyst has excellent catalytic activity and long-life stability. It was proved that the impressive ORR activity of Cu-CoNCNs comes from Cu doping, which can regulate the surface electronic structure of the catalyst, thereby optimizing the binding ability between the intermediate and adsorbed species and improving the catalytic activity.

Opportunities and challenges in microwave absorption of nickel-carbon composites.

In recent years, the problem of electromagnetic wave (EMW) pollution has attracted more and more attention with the development of science and technology. In order to solve this complex problem, the research and development of EMW-absorbing materials is crucial. The new absorbing materials should have the characteristics of light weight, high efficiency, wide bandwidth, environmental protection, oxidation resistance, and other characteristics. Traditional single-phase Ni materials exhibit remarkable ferromagnetic behavior and double-loss mechanisms (dielectric loss and magnetic loss), and are considered as efficient EMW absorbers. However, under the action of EMWs, especially in the GHz frequency band, Ni materials tend to produce an eddy current effect, which limits their application prospects. For Ni-based materials, there is much interest in modifying the composite materials by designing a hierarchical structure for their preparation. Traditional, single-phase, carbon-based materials have been widely used in related fields because of their light weight and good conductivity. However, a single-loss mechanism will affect the impedance matching of carbon materials, thus affecting their application in the field of absorbing waves. For carbon materials, people use them as a filler or matrix material to fabricate composites with metals, metal oxides, or polymer materials to obtain carbon-containing absorbing materials. This paper reviews the evaluation and design principles of the absorbing properties of EMW-absorbing materials. Then, the progress of modified single-phase Ni-based materials (designed materials with 0D, 1D, 2D, and 3D structures), the development of carbon materials (carbon black, carbon nanotubes, carbon fiber, graphite oxide, reduced graphene oxide, and biomedical carbon), and the research progress of Ni-C composite materials (the composite material formed by nickel and carbon) are reviewed. The ultimate goal is to obtain absorbers with light weight, strong absorbing ability, and a wide frequency band. In particular, Ni-MXene, Ni-biomedical carbon, and Ni-multiphase carbon composites are the target direction for designing new and high efficiency EMW absorbers. Finally, the basic challenges and opportunities in this field are discussed.

Nickel-assisted synthesis of magnetic bamboo-shaped N-doped carbon nanostructure for excellent microwaves absorption

The development of carbon materials with unique nanostructure and appropriate magnetism is of great importance in design of high-performance microwaves absorption materials. In this work, we provide a convenient strategy for one-step synthesis of a bamboo-shaped magnetic N-doped carbon nanotube (BMN-CNT) via a nickel (Ni)-assisted pyrolysis process. During synthetic process, Ni nanoparticles form and play as a catalyst for the catalytic calcination of melamine. The BMN-CNT exhibits excellent microwaves absorption performance, where the maximal reaches − 19 dB. A model referring to multi-polarization, internal reflection, and magnetic loss is used to explain the dissipation mechanism of BMN-CNT on microwaves. This research opens up the exploration of novel magnetic carbon nanostructures for MA applications.

Nitrogen-Doped Carbonized Polymer Dots: A Potent Scavenger and Detector Targeting Alzheimer's β-Amyloid Plaques.

The fibrillization and deposition of β-amyloid protein (Aβ) are recognized to be the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD), which signify the need for the effective detection and inhibition of Aβ accumulation. Development of multifunctional agents that can inhibit Aβ aggregation, rapidly disaggregate fibrils, and image aggregates is one of the effective strategies to treat and diagnose AD. Herein, the multifunctionality of nitrogen-doped carbonized polymer dots (CPDs) targeting Aβ aggregation is reported. CPDs inhibit the fibrillization of Aβ monomers and rapidly disintegrate Aβ fibrils by electrostatic interactions, hydrogen-bonding and hydrophobic interactions with Aβ in a time scale of seconds to minutes. Moreover, the interactions make CPDs label Aβ fibrils and emit enhanced red fluorescence by the binding, so CPDs can be used for in vivo imaging of the amyloids in transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans CL2006 as an AD model. Importantly, CPDs are demonstrated to scavenge the in vivo amyloid plaques and to promote the lifespan extension of CL2006 strain by alleviating the Aβ-triggered toxicity. Taken together, the multifunctional CPDs show an exciting prospect for further investigations in Aβ-targeted AD treatment and diagnosis, and this study provides new insight into the development of carbon materials in AD theranostics.

A novel porous organic polymer-derived hierarchical carbon for supercapacitors with ultrahigh energy density and durability

Abstract The development of carbon materials with large specific surface area (SSA) and abundant porosity is very essential to construct high-performance supercapacitors. In consideration of the superiority of polymer-based carbon sources on structure and yield, herein, a unique organic polymer is selected to prepare hierarchical porous carbon material, where the key to converting polymer into porous carbon is to combine the activation process of potassium hydroxide with ammonia, which not only relieves the porosity collapse, but also introduces heteroatoms in the carbon matrix. By adjusting temperature, the optimized porous carbon achieves a high SSA of 3270 m2 g−1, a large pore volume of 2.74 cm3/g, and an appropriate nitrogen-doping level of 2.81%. Benefiting from the favorable structure and interface features of the polymer-derived porous carbon electrode, the as-fabricated symmetric supercapacitor exhibits excellent electrochemical performances (184 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 and capacity retention of 72% at 10 A g−1) in an ionic liquid-based electrolyte. Meanwhile, the assembled supercapacitor delivers an ultrahigh energy density (92.2 Wh kg−1 is achieved at 950 W kg−1), together with a long cycling life (capacity retention of 90.2% after 30,000 cycles). More importantly, such devices in series can light up the logo made of forty LED lights, showing great potential as a power-type device in practical application.

Effects of Graphitization and Bonding Configuration in Iron–Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanostructures on Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering

The development of carbon materials as highly efficient and durable substrates for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is of great importance for realizing practical application of molecular s...

Boron/Nitrogen/Oxygen Co-Doped Carbon with High Volumetric Performance for Aqueous Symmetric Supercapacitors

From the practical application of supercapacitors, the development of carbon materials with high volumetric performance is highly desired. We report the synthesis of B/N/O co-doped carbon by a facile one-step carbonization method of polyvinylpyrrolidone/melamine formaldehyde resin with boric acid/urea treatment and a subsequent washing process. It is shown that a boric acid/urea treatment is an effective approach to incorporating B into N/O enriched carbon and effectively restraining the generation of inert B-O and B-N species. Moreover, a boric acid/urea treatment and washing process can increase specific surface area, optimize pore structure, and retain many active heteroatoms without lowering density, contributing to good conductivity, fast charge transfer and electrolyte ion diffusion, and high volumetric performance. The fabricated B/N/O co-doped carbon shows high active heteroatoms of 8.69 at.% (N-5, N-6, B-C and O-I), moderate surface area, and pore volume (778.02 m2 g−1 and 0.341 cm3 g−1), high density (1.3 g cm−3), high specific volumetric, and gravimetric capacitances (309 F cm−3 and 238 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1) and superior cycling stability. The assembled symmetric supercapacitor delivers relatively high volumetric energy density (11.5 Wh L−1 at 622 W L−1) in 6 M KOH electrolyte. The B/N/O co-doped carbon has great potential for applications in supercapacitors.

Development of Carbon Sorbents Based on Nanodispersed Carbon Using Biotechnology

The development of carbon materials with the increased adsorption activity toward some toxic substances and with detoxifying and correcting properties by controlling their surface chemistry is of practical importance because it extends the spectrum of biospecific sorbents. Methods were devised to produce veterinary preparations by modification of the carbon enterosorbent Zoocarb. This enterosorbent was synthesized from nanodispersed carbon using the matrix synthesis technology at the Institute of Hydrocarbons Processing SB RAS (Omsk, Russia) and is widely employed in agribusiness. Physicochemical and medical-biological properties of Zoocarb are described. This enterosorbent has some advantages over other sorption preparations and is a promising support for the synthesis of modified enterosorbents that can be used to obtain safe and efficient targeted veterinary preparations. The synthesis of such preparations and the studies of physicochemical properties of the modified sorbents, in particular their adsorption behavior in model and real systems, are reported. It was found that the devised preparations are bifunctional and exhibit both the adsorptivity of nanoporous carbon matrix and the immunocorrecting action of biologically active components. The developed medicinal preparations are promising for use in veterinary practice.

Magnetoelastic Carbon Fiber Micro Strain Sensor

Research and development of carbon materials and advanced composites require a health monitoring of carbon fibers. A Villari effect-based method was developed for the measurement of the mechanical strain inside the carbon fiber. A microsensor was built up directly on an 8-mum-thick carbon fiber. Deposition technologies were physical vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). For patterning a coaxial spiral coil, a nanolathe implemented in a focused ion beam (FIB) system using the beam as a cutting tool in a turning process was applied. This paper describes the design, fabrication, experimental setup, and the first measurement results of the magnetoelastic microsensor.

Development of Carbon Materials and Plasma Facing Components for ITER

A significant R&D effort was carried out in EU to develop suitable CFC materials with a three-directional fibre structure. The main goal was to obtain a high thermal conductivity, which is required to remove the expected heat load with a sacrificial thickness of at least 15–20 mm, with a proper balance of the mechanical properties. Two CFC materials have been developed and are both suitable for the ITER divertor construction, namely NB31 by the French company Snecma Propulsion Solide and Concept 2 by the British company Dunlop Aerospace. The main R&D effort is now focussed in developing cheaper grades and optimising the manufacturing process.The development of suitable technologies for the manufacturing of carbon armoured high heat flux components resulted in the construction of a medium-scale divertor prototype, which was successfully tested well above the ITER design requirements. This component was followed by the manufacturing of a full-scale prototype, which is now being high heat flux tested. In parallel to the technology development, suitable non-destructive methods have been developed to inspect the delicate CFC/Cu joint. These techniques include: infrared examinations, lock-in thermography and ultrasonic examinations.An important topic that will be addressed in the near future is the definition of suitable acceptance criteria for carbon armoured components in view of the series production for ITER.

Nanocarbons in Carbon Materials

Development of carbon materials was divided into three periods; down to 1960 classic carbons were mostly studied and produced, in 1960-1985 various new carbon materials were developed and from 1985 to now fullerenes and carbon nanotubes attracted attentions. Features of each period were discussed. Different classifications of carbon materials, such as graphitizing and non-graphitizing carbons, classic and new carbons, etc., were also summarized. Based on these discussions, it was proposed that a novel classification of carbon materials, that is, nanocarbons, has to consist of not only nano-sized materials, such as fullerenes and carbon nanotubes, but also nano-structured materials, such as well-controlled porous carbons and boron-doped carbons.