Facile Methodology Research Articles

A Universal Tandem Device of DC‐Driven Electrochromism and AC‐Driven Electroluminescence for Multi‐Functional Smart Windows

AbstractWith the development of modern technology, the functions of smart windows are expected to be more abundant apart from reducing energy consumption. A viable and popular solution is to develop a versatile product. Here a multi‐functional tandem device enabled by ionic gels to form a smart glass that can be applied in manifold scenarios, is reported. The ionic gels successfully fulfill the multiple tasks of simultaneously being electrolytes, ion storage medium, as well as transparent electrodes, and help heighten the overall transparency of the devices. The novel tandem configuration simply consists of five stacking functional layers and is universal for DC‐driven electrochromic and AC‐driven electroluminescent sub‐devices. The newly‐developed devices demonstrate magnificent characteristics of high and tunable transparency (0–77%), selective infrared shielding ability, diversified displaying and decoration, excellent stability (3000 cycles), and even flexibility. Multifarious application scenarios of the structure in diversified device forms are proposed and presented. The proposed device architecture provides a facile methodology to fabricate functional devices and will provoke infinite novel ideas for developing the next‐generation smart windows.

Use of Biochar Prepared from the Açaí Seed as Adsorbent for the Uptake of Catechol from Synthetic Effluents.

This work proposes a facile methodology for producing porous biochar material (ABC) from açaí kernel residue, produced by chemical impregnation with ZnCl2 (1:1) and pyrolysis at 650.0 °C. The characterization was achieved using several techniques, and the biochar material was employed as an adsorbent to remove catechol. The results show that ABC carbon has hydrophilic properties. The specific surface area and total pore volume are 1315 m2·g-1 and 0.7038 cm3·g-1, respectively. FTIR revealed the presence of oxygenated groups, which can influence catechol adsorption. The TGA/DTG indicated that the sample is thermally stable even at 580 °C. Adsorption studies showed that equilibrium was achieved in <50 min and the Avrami kinetic model best fits the experimental data, while Freundlich was observed to be the best-fitted isotherm model. Catechol adsorption on ABC biochar is governed by van der Waals forces and microporous and mesoporous filling mechanisms. The Qmax is 339.5 mg·g-1 (40 °C) with 98.36% removal of simulated effluent, showing that açaí kernel is excellent biomass to prepare good biochar that can be efficiently used to treat real industrial effluents.

Enhanced removal of tetracycline over CeMO-7 % nanorods via electronic interaction effect: Degradation, kinetics and mechanism

Although multifarious strategies, including oxygen vacancies or surface defects improvement, morphology modification, crystal phase transition and ion doping, have been developed for improving the catalytic performance of MnO2 in the removal of pollutant substances. As far as we know, there is the first report providing enhanced performance of MnO2 in the removal of pollutant substances by its electronic interaction effect. Herein, this study proposes a facile and high-efficiency method to achieve Ce-doping manganese oxide (CeMO) nanorods for the enhanced tetracycline removal via electronic interaction effect at 30 °C for the first time. The detailed characterizations and anions effect experiment have confirmed that CeMO-7 % nanorods possessed abundant surface reactive oxygen species, which is in favor of PMS activation. Compared to manganese oxide (MO), CeMO-5 % and CeMO-9 %, an obvious left shift has been observed in the Mn 2p of CeMO-7 %, suggesting that some electrons are transferred from Mn atoms to Ce atoms in CeMO-7 %, and implying that the highest degradation efficiency of CeMO-7 % in TC degradation may be due to the strong electronic interaction between Ce and Mn in CeMO-7 %. This study not only offers a facile and high-efficiency methodology for the synthesis of two-dimensional nanomaterial, but also proposes a new idea for enhancing the removal of TC.

S-doped porous carbon fibers with superior electrode behaviors in lithium ion batteries and fuel cells

The orientation construction of S-doped porous carbon fibers (SPCFs) is realized by the facile template-directed methodology using asphalt powder as carbon source. The unique fiber-like morphology without destruction can be well duplicated from the template by the developed methodology. MgSO 4 fibers serve as both templates and S dopant, realizing the in-situ S doping into carbon frameworks. The effects of different reaction temperatures on the yield and S doping level of SPCFs are investigated. The S doping can not only significantly enhance the electrical conductivity, but also introduce more defects or disorders. As anode material for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), SPCFs electrode delivers better rate capability than undoped PCFs. And the capacity of SPCFs electrode retains around 90% after 300 cycles at 2 A g −1 , exhibiting good cycling stability. As the electrocatalysts for fuel cells, the onset potentials of SPCFs obtained at 800 and 900 °C are concentrated at 0.863 V, and the higher kinetic current densities at 0.4 V of them are larger than that of PCFs, demonstrating the superior electrocatalytic performance. Due to the synergistic effect of abundant pore channels and S doping, SPCFs electrode exhibits superior electrochemical performances as anode for LIBs and elecctrocatalyst for fuel cells, respectively. Additionally, the oriented conversion of asphalt powder into high-performance electrode material in this work provides a new way for the high value application of asphalt.

Templating synthesis of oxime/amidoxime functionalized hollow nanospheres by air bubbles generated from “Ouzo-Like” effect for fast and massive uranium uptake

Simple and green synthesis of oxime or amidoxime functionalized hollow sorbents are critical for meeting the demands of highly efficient uranium extraction. To address this, a facile methodology using air bubbles generated from the “Ouzo-Like” effect as templates to synthesize oxime/amidoxime functionalized hollow PDA nanospheres (H-PDA-SO and H-PDA-AO) with fast and massive uranium extraction performances was reported. When 50 mL of Tris solution (0.6 mg mL−1) was mixed with n-propanol (6.25 mL) for 2.0 min, nanobubbles with the mean size of 56.7 nm spilled out, and uniformly sized H-PDA-SO nanospheres with oxime groups (about 250 nm) and H-PDA-AO nanospheres with amidoxime groups (about 150 nm) were simply obtained via self-assembled polydopamine and post-modification around the air/water interface. Owing to the accessible affinity sites and hollow structure, H-PDA-SO and H-PDA-AO displayed high maximum adsorption capacities (103.09 mg g−1 and 331.62 mg g−1 at 298 K) and fast adsorption rate (below 60 min) with high removal efficiency. Under the influence of coexisting ions, H-PDA-SO and H-PDA-AO showed not only a high uranium adsorption capacity but also a more predominant capacity than all the competing ions. Moreover, H-PDA-SO and H-PDA-AO exhibited high stability as well as excellent recyclability toward uranium capture after five regeneration cycles. Surface coordination of oxime/amidoxime sites with uranium was the main binding mechanism, and negative charged O-containing function groups enhance this affinity interactions.

Modular Construction of Unnatural α‐Tertiary Amino Acid Derivatives by Multicomponent Radical Cross‐Couplings

Although the synthesis of α-tertiary amino acids (ATAAs) has been extensively studied, the development of an inexpensive and facile methodology to incorporate multifunctionality on ATAAs remains challenging. In this article, we present a single-step radical approach for the modular synthesis of functionally diverse ATAAs. This synthesis takes place under mild conditions with an absence of metals, photocatalysts, and all other additives. We demonstrate the broad applications of this approach on a variety of aliphatic and aromatic carboxylic acids, alkenes, 1,3-enynes, and oxazolones. The results prove that our method provides excellent functional group tolerance and late-stage applicability, as well as gram-scale synthesis via flow chemistry. Additionally, we include mechanistic studies which reveal that the excited state of oxazolone enolate upon light excitation is a key intermediate that acts as a radical precursor and an efficient reductant.

Amine-Functionalized Silane-Assisted Preparation of AgNP-Deposited α-Ni(OH)2 Composite Materials and Their Application in Hg2+ Ion Sensing.

A facile synthetic methodology for the deposition of different concentrations of Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) on α-Ni(OH)2 sheets (α-Ni1(OH)2-Ag0.5, α-Ni1(OH)2-Ag1, α-Ni1(OH)2-Ag2, and α-Ni1(OH)2-Ag3) is reported using N-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl]diethylenetriamine (TPDT) silane. The TPDT aminosilane facilitates the formation of α-Ni(OH)2 sheets and reduces the Ag+ precursor to AgNPs, leading to the deposition of AgNPs on α-Ni(OH)2 sheets. UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, transmission microscopy analyses, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques were used to characterize the prepared α-Ni1(OH)2-Ag0.5-3 composite materials. High-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping images and scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping images were recorded to understand the α-Ni1(OH)2-Ag composite sheet materials. The optical sensing property of α-Ni1(OH)2-Ag0.5-3 composite materials toward toxic Hg2+ ions were investigated using a UV-vis absorption spectroscopy technique. The α-Ni1(OH)2-Ag2 composite material showed selective sensing behavior.

Transparent and flexible vesicles/lamellae mixed matrix organic-bridged polysilsesquioxane coatings as water vapor barrier

Siloxane-based hybrid materials with lamellar nanostructure have great potential to be water vapor barrier layer for electronic devices and photovoltaic cells encapsulation. Improving water vapor barrier ability was still a big challenge. This research article proposed a facile one-pot methodology to prepare vesicles/lamellae mixed matrix organic-bridged polysilsesquioxane (BPSQ) composite coatings with excellent water vapor barrier performance. The composite coatings were fabricated from three thioether-ester-briged silsesquioxane by sol-gel method in the presence of phytic acid. Phytic acid not only acted as catalyst to catalyze the hydrolysis and condensation reactions of silsesquioxane precursors, but also formed vesicles in ethanol solution. Experimental evidence demonstrated that vesicles size mainly influenced the barrier property of composite coatings, and with bigger vesicles, the composite coating showed 10-fold enhancement in water vapor barrier ability compared to the corresponding BPSQ coating with only lamellar nanostructure. Moreover, the vesicles/lamellae composite coatings displayed outstanding transparency and flexibility which would meet the requirements of optical related moisture resistant application fields.

Polymer Co‐Coating of Gold Nanoparticles Enables Their Integration Into Contact Lenses for Stable, Selective Ocular Light Filters

AbstractChronic exposure to long‐wavelength (red) light is associated with increased incidence and progression of myopia in preclinical models. Contact lenses are worn worldwide while chronic exposure to red light occurs, presenting a natural platform to mitigate light‐induced myopia progression. However, the integration of stable red‐light filters into contact lenses remains elusive. Here, bipyramidal gold nanoparticles (BPs) are synthesized as selective, tunable red‐light blockers and a surface‐modification method is developed to homogeneously embed them within contact lenses during manufacturing. By functionalizing the BPs with a combination of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) and methacrylate monomer, stable dispersions within etafilcon A contact lenses before, during, and after lens manufacturing are achieved. This approach enables the optical properties of hydrogel‐integrated nanoparticles to resemble their colloidal counterparts. Moreover, these BP‐laden contact lenses are stable against conditions relevant to manufacturing, sterilization, and use, including autoclaving, UV irradiation, and long‐term storage. Taken together, this work demonstrates selective light filters and a facile methodology to homogeneously embed functional nanoparticles into hydrogel biomaterials, such as contact lenses, potentiating a platform to mitigate myopia‐associated red‐light exposure.

Understanding and Evaluating the Design Space for Practical Solid-State Batteries

Solid-state batteries are promising alternatives for high-energy and -power-density rechargeable battery applications. It is vital to design and engineer SSB cells that can compete and improve on the current Li-ion battery counterparts. However, limited approaches exist today to assess and extrapolate the impact of battery designs and choices of cell components on the cell-level energy density of a solid-state battery. Herein, we introduce the Solid-State Battery Performance Analyzer and Calculator (SolidPAC), an interactive experimental toolkit to enable the design of a solid-state battery for user-specified application requirements. The toolkit is flexible enough to assist the battery community in quantifying the impact of materials chemistry and fractions, electrode thicknesses and loadings, and electron flows on cell energy density and costs and in utilizing inverse engineering concepts to correlate the cell energy density output to materials and cell design inputs. In addition to this, we will discuss a geometric modeling of composite cathode architectures to assess its impact on cell-level energy densities. Impact of packing architecture on processing parameters of a given cathode composition and thickness, as well as on achievable energy density is evaluated for a range of commonly used solid electrolyte and cathode materials. Overall, the proposed framework offers a facile exploratory methodology for establishing initial metrics for scalable processing of practical and competent SSBs.

A layer-by-layer green inkjet printing methodology for developing indium tin oxide (ITO)-based transparent and conductive nanofilms

A facile, cost-effective, and green inkjet printing methodology is proposed for the fabrication of a transparent and conductive nanostructured indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films. Unlike solution deposition methods, the ITO nanoparticles did not deposit herein on the substrate. Instead, they are formed in-situ during the inkjet printing. The layer-by-layer inkjet printing is conducted stepwise, by printing the indium acetate based ink on a glass substrate, then printing the tin acetate-based inkjet ink onto a dry previously printed layer. Next, heat treatment is carried out leading to the formation of nanostructured ITO thin film. The resulting inkjet-printed sustainable transparent three-layer thin films were characteristic of evenly dispersed ITO nanodomains taking the advantage of appropriate wettability and rheological properties of the engineered ink solution. Surprisingly, the electrical resistivity of thin film drastically dropped (874 times) from 43.72 Ω cm for one-layer (48 nm thickness) to 0.05 Ω cm for three-layer (154 nm thickness) thin films, without sensible drop in optical properties (from 88% to 84% in the same order). In view of sustainability, i.e. low-cost clean inkjet printing, green chemicals used, and water-based synthesis, this novel technique opens new avenues for developing sustainable transparent thin films with superior electrical conductivity.

Constructing an In Situ Polymer Electrolyte and a Na-Rich Artificial SEI Layer toward Practical Solid-State Na Metal Batteries.

Sodium is one of the most promising anode candidates for the beyond-lithium-ion batteries. The development of Na metal batteries with a high energy density, high safety, and low cost is desirable to meet the requirements of both portable and stationary electrical energy storage. However, several problems caused by the unstable Na metal anode and the unsafe liquid electrolyte severely hinder their practical applications. Herein, we report a facile but effective methodology to construct an in situ polymer electrolyte and Na-rich artificial solid-electrolyte interface (SEI) layer concurrently. The obtained integrated Na metal batteries display long cycling life and admirable dynamic performance with total inhibition of dendrites, excellent contact of the cathode/polymer electrolyte, and reduction of side reactions during cycling. The modified Na metal electrode with the in situ polymer electrolyte is stable and dendrite-free in repeated plating/stripping processes with a life span of above 1000 h. Moreover, this method is compatible with different cathodes that demonstrate outstanding electrochemical performance in full cells. We believe that this approach provides a practical solution to solid-state Na metal batteries.

Modifying Interface of Carbon Support-Stimulated Hydrogen Spillover for Selective Hydrogenation

Hydrogen spillover on heterogeneous catalysts offers a new opportunity to improve catalytic hydrogenation. Due to the slow migration of hydrogen under mild conditions, hydrogen spillover-improved hydrogenation is still unsatisfactory on carbon material-supported metal nanoparticles. Herein, the modifying interface of carbon support-stimulated hydrogen spillover for hydrogenation has been successfully identified on the dual-active sites of Pt nanoparticles and modified carbon black (Pt/C–H2O2). The oxygen-containing-group-modified carbon black, which was achieved by a commonly used H2O2 treatment, not only triggered the efficient hydrogen migration along the carbon supports but also enhanced the adsorption of polar substrates, thus affording simultaneously enhanced catalytic activity and selectivity as well as stability. For probe reaction of 6-chloroquinoline hydrogenation to 6-chloro-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline, Pt/C–H2O2 catalysts yielded a 6.1 times higher catalytic activity with a high selectivity >99.5% than that on Pt/C with selectivity <96.0%. This work is anticipated to provide a facile and effective methodology for fabricating highly performed hydrogenation heterogeneous catalysts.

Ultrabright Renal-Clearable Cyanine-Protein Nanoprobes for High-Quality NIR-II Angiography and Lymphography

The renal-clearable aspect of imaging agent with minimum toxicity issues and side effects is essential for clinical translation, yet clinical near-infrared-I/II (NIR-I/II) fluorophores with timely renal-clearance pathways are very limited. Herein, we rationally develop the cyanine-protein composite strategy through covalent bonding of β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) and chloride-cyanine dye to produce a brilliant and stable NIR-I/II fluorophore (e.g., β-LG@IR-780). The β-LG acts as a protecting shell with small molecular weight (18.4 kDa) and ultrasmall size (&lt;5 nm), thus endowing the β-LG@IR-780 with excellent biocompatibility and renal excretion. Our β-LG@IR-780 probe enables noninvasive and precise NIR-II visualization of the physiological and pathological conditions of the vascular and lymphatic drainage system, facilitating intraoperative imaging-guided surgery and postoperative noninvasive monitoring. The minimum accumulation of our probes in the main organs improves the overall biosafety. This study provides a facile methodology for new-generation NIR-II fluorophores and largely improves the brightness and pharmacokinetics of small molecular dyes.

Facile synthesis methodology and characterization studies of silica‐decorated hybridized anisotropic nanotubes and nanosheets

Carbonaceous nanomaterials and their derivatives have been inspired tremendous enthusiasm in the scientific community. They have been excogitated as the encouraging attributes and the qualified dispersed phase to develop multi‐functional composites. Particularly, graphene and carbon nanotube (anisotropic fillers) have gained substantial research interest owing to their promising characteristics. This highlights an innovative technique to synthesize hybridized nanotube and nanosheet. Initially, parent materials have been synthesized: The pristine CNT has been modified by acid mixture solution, and reduced graphene oxide has been prepared by chemical reduction method. Henceforth, the self‐assembly in situ sol–gel technique has been endorsed here. The synthesized nanohybrids have been characterized by different spectroscopic techniques: FTIR, Raman, UV, and XPS to confirm the attachment of multifunctionalities; meanwhile, the composition and stability have been investigated from XRD and TGA plots. The magnitude of surface charge and particle size distribution have been evaluated for the parent and hybridized products; further, morphology of all the samples has been authenticated from FESEM and TEM.

Enhanced degradation and mineralization of estriol over ZrO2/OMS-2 nanocomposite: Kinetics, pathway and mechanism

Although remarkable progresses have been achieved in the exploration of new and efficient catalytic systems for efficient degradation of estriol, there are only very few available reports providing high mineralization of estriol. Hence, it is still a serious challenge to develop the novel and efficient methods for enhanced degradation and mineralization of estriol due to its serious threat to environment and human health. Herein, this study proposes a series of ZrO2 modified manganese oxide octahedral molecular sieve (ZrO2/OMS-2) nanocomposites as efficient catalysts for enhanced degradation and mineralization of estriol via PMS activation at 30 °C. Among them, ZrO2/OMS-2-27% provided the highest degradation efficiency (95%) and mineralization degrees (70.1%), which exceeded most reported catalytic systems, in the catalytic degradation of estriol. These quenching tests and EPR analysis had confirmed that O2•- and 1O2 were primary reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the ZrO2/OMS-2-27%/PMS system, contrary to the OMS-2/PMS system for which SO4•- and OH• are primary ROS. This might be due to the abundant O-containing surface functional groups of ZrO2/OMS-2-27%. This work not only provides a facile and high-efficiency methodology for the construction of Mn-based nanomaterial, but also proposes a new and efficient nano-catalyst for estriol removal.

Facile formulation of sustainable and stable oil-in-dispersion emulsion: A release agent with high demoulding efficacy

In the hunt of new sustainable release agents for concrete removal with improved demoulding efficacy, oil-in-dispersion (OD) release agents have appeared as favourable emulsions, since they display augmented performance in contrast to conventional oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions. This work presents a novel and facile methodology for sustainable preparation of OD release agent employing emulsifiers as active components to produce stable emulsion, leading to a superior and easier commercial product formulation. The new type of OD release agent is optimized by varying the composition of two food grade emulsifiers named as span-80 and AEO-3 from 2.4 to 7.4% in the formulation. The stability and performance of new OD release agents are studied comprehensively through various parameters like creaming index, viscosity, density, pH tests, water contact angle, droplet size and shape. After dilution five times with water, the OD based release agent containing 5.4–7.4% mixed emulsifier concentrations demonstrate excellent stability even after six months of storage and performed well in physico-chemical lab testing. Moreover, OD release agents showed good application results during on-field industrial trials on iron mould surfaces. The formulated OD release agents on the mould took only 12–15 min to generate a smooth and uniform film that was demoulded easily by sledgehammering about 3–5 times. Thus, easily prepared and highly stable OD release agent could be revolutionary in construction industry for sustainable and rapid removal of mould concrete with high efficacy.

Quantifying the apparent electron transfer number of electrolyte decomposition reactions in anode-free batteries

<h2>Summary</h2> Solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is pivotal in dictating the stability of anodes in non-aqueous batteries. However, electrolyte decomposition mechanism as an indispensable piece of the puzzle to construct a stable SEI is with few quantitative understandings. Herein, as a quantitative descriptor, the apparent electron transfer number (ETN) is acquired by a facile yet precise methodology in working lithium metal batteries with lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI)-dimethyl carbonate (DMC)-based localized high-concentration electrolyte. Through accurate measurements of the electrolyte evolution and concurrently accumulated inactive Li by electrolyte quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (ely-qNMR) and titration-qNMR, respectively, the decomposition rates of different electrolyte components and ETNs that define the fate of electrolyte can all be acquired in a "one-stop" fashion. The recognition of ETNs (1.0 for DMC and 5.1 for LiFSI) provides pioneering insights into the electrolyte decomposition mechanism and affords new visions for electrolyte design to promote the continuous rise of non-aqueous rechargeable batteries.

A Thermo-Mechanically Robust Compliant Electrode Based on Surface Modification of Twisted and Coiled Nylon-6 Fiber for Artificial Muscle with Highly Durable Contractile Stroke.

In this paper, we propose a novel and facile methodology to chemically construct a thin and highly compliant metallic electrode onto a twisted and coiled nylon-6 fiber (TCN) with a three-dimensional structure via surface modification of the TCN eliciting gold-sulfur (Au-S) interaction for enabling durable electro-thermally-induced actuation performance of a TCN actuator (TCNA). The surface of the TCN exposed to UV/Ozone plasma was modified to (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) molecules with thiol groups through a hydrolysis-condensation reaction. Thanks to the surface modification inducing strong interaction between gold and sulfur as a formation of covalent bonds, the Au electrode on the MPTMS-TCN exhibited excellent mechanical robustness against adhesion test, simultaneously could allow overall surface of the TCN to be evenly heated without any significant physical damages during repetitive electro-thermal heating tests. Unlike the TCNAs with physically coated metallic electrode, the TCNA with the Au electrode established on the MPTMS-TCN could produce a large and repeatable contractile strain over 12% as lifting a load of 100 g even during 2000 cyclic actuations. Demonstration of the durable electrode for the TCNA can lead to technical advances in artificial muscles for human-assistive devices as well as soft robots those requires long-term stability in operation.

Cold kit for Rhenium-188 microspheres based selective intra-arterial therapy (SIRT): Preparation, characterization and feasibility study

Selective-intra-arterial radionuclide therapy (SIRT) using radiolabeled microspheres are being widely employed for the delivery of therapeutic radioisotope to liver cancers by exploiting the dual blood supply to liver. It delivers the therapeutic radiations to tumor and spares the healthy liver. Several radiolabeled microspheres formulations, labelled with 90Y, are commercially available. However, high-cost leads to unaffordability for several patients. 188Re-based therapy seems affordable due to commercial availability of 188W/188Re generator that have long shelf-life of more than 6 months. To provide affordable solution, the microsphere cold kit with quick and facile methodology for 188Re radiolabeling has been developed. The microsphere cold kit has been characterized for their physicochemical properties. The Quality Control (QC) tests were also performed for clinical application. The feasibility studies were performed to study distribution and retention of 188Re microspheres in tumor. The results demonstrated that the developed cold kit enables facile and quick radiolabeling with 188Re. 188Re microspheres showed good retention in tumor and found suitable for SIRT.