Hierarchical Porosity Research Articles

Chemically Modified HKUST-1(Cu) for Gas Adsorption and Separation: Mixed-Metal and Hierarchical Porosity.

The archetypical metal-organic framework (MOF), HKUST-1, has been systematically modified in both its organic and inorganic building blocks to introduce diversity in the metal centers and create defects within the network, achieving a variety of bimetallic hierarchical structures. These modifications changed the affinity of the MOFs for acid gases. The introduction of bimetallic sites mostly affects CO2 adsorption, while the hierarchical structure generates an increase in SO2 uptake capacity, allowing better performance in the separation of binary mixtures of these gases near room temperature. Notably, the synthesized HH-Cu100 material exhibited an exceptionally high IAST SO2/CO2 (10:90) selectivity of 3420 at 298 K, outperforming benchmark MOFs with open metal sites.

Fabrication of Mesoporous SiO<sub>2</sub> Shells for Dye Adsorption Studies

The present work focuses on the fabrication of novel hybrid materials for toxic dye removal from an aqueous environment. Nanocarbon template (20-30 nm) was coated with tri-ethyl-orthosilicate (TEOS). The core-shell structure developed was further air pyrolyzed at 600 °C to produce mesoporous silica shells. The pore structures and characteristics of the material were evaluated using XRD, nitrogen adsorption studies, SEM, and TEM. Owing to the hierarchical porosity in range of 1-4 nm and 10-20 nm their adsorption studies were investigated for Phenol-Red. Dye adsorption studies performed revealed 98% removal efficiency with only 20 mg of adsorbent dose within 15 minutes.

Cascade Reactions for Enhanced CO2 Capture: Concurrent Optimization of Porosity and N‐Doping

AbstractCarbon capture emerges as a pivotal decarbonization technology for addressing global warming challenges. Porous carbons, despite their cost‐effectiveness and ease of regeneration for CO2 capture, typically exhibit limited capacity owing to insufficient adsorption sites. Here, nitrogen‐doped porous carbons (NPCs) are introduced that overcome the prevalent trade‐offs between specific surface area and N‐doped content in NPCs fabrication through cascade reactions. The optimized NPC, which features hierarchical porosity ranging from ultra‐micropores to macropores, shows a superior CO2 capture capacity of 4.46 mmol g−1, ranking in the top 10% of the reported NPCs. This capacity exceeds that of the NPC fabricated with the conventional method by 58% and surpasses the control porous carbon by 106%. Langmuir adsorption modeling and mathematic correlation analysis revealed that this enhanced capacity is attributed to significantly improved ultra‐micropores volume and nitrogen‐species content. Moreover, this optimized NPC demonstrates exceptional stability, preserving its adsorption performance over 110 adsorption–desorption cycles under simulated flue gas conditions. This research not only highlights the integration of templating and N‐doping within NPCs fabrication but also offers an effective strategy to optimize porosity and nitrogen functionality in carbon materials, advancing beyond conventional methodologies.

Mechanically robust MOF beads for efficient ethylene/ethane separation with fast adsorption kinetics

Shaping of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) without obvious mass transfer resistance is crucial for scaled-up adsorption separation process. Herein, mechanically robust ultramicroporous MOF (ZU-901, also termed CPL-1-CH3) beads with hierarchical porosity were structured through the calcium alginate (CA) method, which preserved the adsorption separation performance and demonstrated fast gas diffusion rates. The highly crosslinked networks of CA contributed to the excellent mechanical properties of 95 % ZU-901@CA beads with Young’s modulus up to 1.81 MPa and a low abrasion rate of 0.32 %, superior to that of 95 % ZU-901@HPC extrudates (1.13 %). Compared with powder of ZU-901, the C2H4 uptake capacity of ZU-901@CA beads showed only 3 % loss at 298 K. The C2H4 diffusion time constant of 95 % ZU-901@CA beads (7.06 × 10−3 s−1) was comparable to that of the powders (7.61 × 10−3 s−1) and higher than that of ZU-901@HPC extrudates (2.95 × 10−3 s−1). Breakthrough experiments confirmed that ZU-901@CA beads performed well in the dynamic separation of C2H4/C2H6 binary mixture, and could be easily regenerated at room temperature. In addition, after post modification on the exterior of ZU-901 beads, the water contact angle increased from 0° to 119°. Therefore, the mechanically robust ZU-901@CA beads showed great potential in energy-efficient C2H4/C2H6 separation.

High removal of volatile organic compounds on hierarchical carbons prepared from agro-industrial waste of banana fruit production for air decontamination.

Activated carbons were prepared from residues from agro-industrial banana production (banana pseudostem) and evaluated in the capture of five different volatile organic compounds (VOCs): dichloromethane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, hexane, and cyclohexane. The biomass was first submitted to a hydrothermal treatment in the presence of KOH or ZnCl2 as activating agents, followed by a dry pyrolysis. This new advance in methodology contributes to producing activated carbons with hierarchical porosity and high surface areas (701-1312 m2g-1), promoting increased interest in managing waste from banana fruit agricultural production. VOC capture studies were performed by thermal analysis, and capture capacities were similar to or higher than those presented in the literature. Higher adsorption capacities were related to the amount of available micropores, and the capture capacity was enhanced by the contribution of small mesopores. As the highest adsorbed amounts of dichloromethane (933mgg-1 at 25°C) were obtained for the material activated with ZnCl2 (1:3), further studies were carried out for this system. The experimental data was fitted using a pseudo-first-order kinetic model. A study was carried out in different atmospheres (He, N2, air), showing that co-adsorption is occurring. Under simulated environmental conditions, the capture capacity decreased slightly at equilibrium, and the new adsorbent was used for up to ten cycles without significantly losing its efficiency, indicating good application in the field.

Mesoscale Reorganization of the Depolymerized Aluminosilicate into Single-Crystalline Hierarchical Zeolite.

Controllable synthesis of hierarchical zeolites from natural aluminosilicate minerals is considered an efficient and eco-friendly approach for the production of high-performance zeolites, but its synthesis mechanism is still obscure. Herein, we take the synthesis of a single-crystalline hierarchical NaA zeolite using submolten salt depolymerized kaolin (SMS-K) as the sole source of silicon and aluminum via a mesoscale reorganization strategy as an example to elucidate the reorganization process. Comprehensive morphological and structural analyses reveal that sodium-rich voids in SMS-K facilitate concurrent assembly both within the interior and at the interface of the amorphous gel, leading to the formation of numerous nanoparticles with short-range order which assemble into single-crystal nanocube NaA zeolites with intracrystalline mesopores. By harnessing confinement effects, SMS-K modulates the growth of nanoparticle sizes and enhances the intimate interconnection of nanocubes, thereby yielding NaA zeolite aggregates that exhibit hierarchical porosity, encompassing micro-, meso-, and macropores. This study offers the potential for designing and precisely controlling the fabrication of hierarchical zeolites derived from natural minerals.

Acid-treated waste sisal fiber derived activated carbon as efficient electrode material for solid-state supercapacitor

Activated Carbon (AC), obtained from biomass is highly adaptable and valued for its versatile benefits including high surface area, conductivity, chemical inertness, etc. in various applications. It is also used as an electrode in supercapacitors for applications requiring a high-power supply. Sisal fiber, derived from the Agave sisalana plant, has several advantages, including its fibrous and porous framework, that make it suitable for conversion into activated carbon for energy storage applications in the context of sustainability and reduced environmental impact. In this study, we have prepared H2SO4 treated KOH activated carbon from residual Sisal fiber (SFH2AC) which is then utilized as an electrode material for supercapacitors. SFH2AC exhibits hierarchical and structure-based porosity with a large specific surface area (SA) of 1185 m2/g and shows the maximum specific capacitance (Cs) of 340 F/g @ 0.5 A/g in 6 M KOH electrolyte. In KOH electrolyte, strong cycling retention (during the length of 9000 GCD cycles) is attained as; 98 % up to the first 3000 cycles at 10 A/g, 93 % up to next 3000 cycles at 20 A/g, and 90 % up to the last 3000 cycles at 30 A/g. Furthermore, the SFH2AC//SFH2AC(Gel) device was built by using SFH2AC as electrodes with PVA/KOH gel as an electrolyte in order to assess the supercapacitor performance in real time. The device has a specific power density of 7500 W/kg and a maximum energy density of 12 W h/kg. The device reveals an exceptional 97 % cycling stability, maintaining up to 9000 repeated GCD cycles at an increased current density (CD) of 30 A/g.

Ambidextrous approach in action: Mg(OMe)2-doped hierarchical porous zirconium MOFs for decontaminating toxic chemical agents in nonbuffered systems

Utilizing a ligand-truncation strategy, a hierarchically porous structure was engineered within MOF-808, designated as HP-MOF-808. Furthermore, Mg(OMe)2 doping yielded HP-MOF-808@Mg(OMe)2, materials with both hierarchical porosity and basic character, for decontamination of two types of toxic chemical agents in nonbuffered solutions. In aqueous solution, the HP-808-2 exhibited decontamination rate constants for dimethyl-4-nitrophenyl phosphate (DMNP) and the nerve agent soman (GD) that were 3.13 and 1.98 times higher than MOF-808, respectively. The decontamination half-lives of HP-808-2@Mg(OMe)2 1:2 for DMNP and GD were further reduced by 13.87 and 36.82 times compared to HP-808-2. The material retains its decontamination efficacy for DMNP even after 60-days exposure in air and maintains structural integrity in solvents devoid of labile hydrogen for at least 24 h. In methanol, HP-808-2@Mg(OMe)2 achieved 100% DMNP decontamination in 25 min, outperforming HP-808-2 at 31.8%, marking it as the fastest DMNP decontamination material in methanol. Theoretical simulations confirmed the experimental findings, clearly demonstrating the energy changes during reactions with various nucleophiles and revealing the degradation process and mechanism of DMNP on the active sites of MOFs. Moreover, these materials rapidly degraded 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES) through hydrolysis, dehydrohalogenation, and heterolytic cleavage, demonstrating great potential for dual decontamination of toxic chemical agents in unbuffered systems.

Indium oxide decorated graphitic carbon nitride/multiwalled carbon nanotubes ternary composite for supercapacitor applications

A hybrid ternary composite In2O3/g-C3N4/MWCNT (GCI) was synthesized by combining three-dimensional In2O3, two-dimensional g-C3N4, and one-dimensional MWCNTs employing a one-pot solvothermal method. The resulting In2O3/g-C3N4/MWCNTs composite leverages the combined benefits of the integration of different dimensionality materials and the synergy between its components. Integrating 1D, 2D, and 3-D materials can create hybrid structures with 3D architectures. It exhibits hierarchical porosity that provides better conductive pathways for ion transport and improves the rate performance. The distinct spatial structure of the composite with short ion diffusion paths maximizes the exposure of the active sites and enhances the conductivity, leading to superior energy storage performance. The electrochemical assessment of the In2O3/g-C3N4/MWCNTs composite exhibited a remarkable specific capacitance of 1081 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 with a commendable capacitance retention of 97.5 % at 3 A g−1 over 5000 cycles. An asymmetric supercapacitor fabricated using In2O3/g-C3N4/MWCNT//AC showcased a notable energy density of 57.5 Wh Kg−1 with an impressive power density of 2760 W Kg−1 at 1 A g−1. The outstanding electrochemical attributes of the fabricated device underscore the potential of the material for future applications in hybrid energy storage systems.

Capacitive deionization and electrochemical performance of a hierarchical porous electrodes enabled by nitrogen and phosphorus doped CNTs and removable NaCl template

Capacitive Deionization (CDI) is an electrochemical desalination technique based on the electrical double layer, which accumulate salts from the water stream; however, achieving higher salt adsorption for low-concentration salt is hindered due to several obstacles, such as low adsorption capacity and slow kinetics on the electrode surface. In this study, we reported a novel electrode fabrication method designed to enhance the hydrophilicity of the electrode material and activate hierarchical porosity, making a more accessible adsorption surface area. This modification enables more than 210 % improvement in salt adsorption capacity, achieving 17.5 mg g-1 in a single pass process with good stability in an 850 mg/L NaCl solution at 1.2 V, surpassing most reported carbon-based electrodes under similar operating conditions. Electrode formulation consists of Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorus (P) doped hierarchical carbon nanotubes (CNTs) network blended with additional NaCl as a green and removable template to reach higher levels of porosity. The electrochemical sorption behavior of the sample was characterized over a voltage range of –0.5 to 0.7 V. Furthermore, the electrode materials were characterized utilizing various characterization methods, including Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Raman Spectroscopy, Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) to explore the correlation between microstructure, morphology, and properties. Our finding reveals that not only N and P can affect adsorption, but also the novel cathode preparation method, which employs a removable NaCl templated hierarchical porous electrode, has a profound effect on the electrochemical and CDI results. This finding will open a new perspective in designing electrodes for all electrochemical systems.

Hierarchical pore-enhanced ion transport and defect-induced dual strong interactions for highly efficient lithium extraction

In the past decade, adsorption method has attracted great attention on the lithium extraction. The key issue in adsorption technology is to develop adsorbents with high adsorption capacity, selectivity, and recycle-stability. Here, the highly efficient metal–organic framework adsorbents were developed for lithium extraction, which were fabricated by the in-situ conversion of MIL-121 in alkali solution. The adsorbent after acid activation, termed as H-CAOMIL, was featured with the hierarchical porosity, enhanced density of free carboxylic groups, and exposed aluminum-oxygen defect sites to enhance the ion transport and provide dual strong interaction for Li+. H-CAOMIL exhibited the remarkable Li+ adsorption capacity (QLi+ = 5.28 mg/g) and selectivity (αKLi = 21.33, αNaLi= 9) from low-concentration lithium-containing solutions. Moreover, the H-CAOMIL can be easily regenerated in weakly acidic solution. Impressively, Li+ adsorption capacity retained at 92 % of the initial capacity even after five adsorption–desorption cycles. Furthermore, the comprehensive characterizations and theoretical calculations indicated that the specific coordination of COO-Li and AlO-Li played a crucial role in the recovery capacity and selectivity of Li+. This work offers precious insights for the future exploration of highly efficient adsorbents for lithium extraction.

Enhanced mechanical stability with hierarchical porosity of activated carbon pellets realized through the use of combined polymer binders

Enhanced mechanical stability with hierarchical porosity of activated carbon pellets realized through the use of combined polymer binders

Multiscale simulation of liquid chromatography: Effective diffusion in macro–mesoporous beds and the B-term of the plate height equation

We performed multiscale simulations of analyte sorption and diffusion in hierarchical porosity models of monolithic silica columns for reversed-phase liquid chromatography to investigate how the mean mesopore size of the chromatographic bed and the analyte-specific interaction with the chromatographic interface influence the analyte diffusivity at various length scales. The reproduced experimental conditions comprised the retention of six analyte compounds of low to moderate solute polarity on a silica-based, endcapped, C18 stationary phase with water‒acetonitrile and water–methanol mobile phases whose elution strength was varied via the volumetric solvent ratio. Detailed information about the analyte-specific interfacial dynamics received from molecular dynamics simulations was incorporated through appropriate linker schemes into Brownian dynamics diffusion simulations in three hierarchical porosity models received from physical reconstructions of silica monoliths with a mean macropore size of 1.23 µm and mean mesopore sizes of 12.3, 21.3, or 25.7 nm. The mean mesopore size was found to have a similar influence on the effective mesopore diffusivity as the analyte polarity and the mobile-phase elution strength, which together determine the analyte residence time on a column. A smaller mesopore size attenuated the increase of the effective mesopore diffusivity with increasing mobile-phase elution strength significantly. The effective bed diffusivity was limited by the analyte residence time rather than by morphological details of the mesopore space. The stronger an analyte was retained by the chromatographic interface inside the mesopores, the slower became the mass transfer between the pore space hierarchies and the lower was the effective bed diffusivity. The B-terms of the plate height equation were finally generated with the bed diffusivities and phase-based retention factors derived from the hierarchical porosity models using additional information about the stationary-phase limit obtained from the analysis of analyte–bonded phase contacts. The B-terms highlight analyte- and mobile phase-specific behavior relevant to isocratic and gradient elution conditions in chromatographic practice. In particular, U-shaped B-term curves are observed due to the dominating contribution of the retention factor and the bed diffusivity to the B-term at low and high elution strength of the mobile phase, respectively.

Collagen-based 3D printed poly (glycerol sebacate) composite scaffold with biomimicking mechanical properties for enhanced cartilage defect repair

Cartilage defect repair with optimal efficiency remains a significant challenge due to the limited self-repair capability of native tissues. The development of bioactive scaffolds with biomimicking mechanical properties and degradation rates matched with cartilage regeneration while simultaneously driving chondrogenesis, plays a crucial role in enhancing cartilage defect repair. To this end, a novel composite scaffold with hierarchical porosity was manufactured by incorporating a pro-chondrogenic collagen type I/II-hyaluronic acid (CI/II-HyA) matrix to a 3D-printed poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) framework. Based on the mechanical enforcement of PGS framework, the composite scaffold exhibited a compressive modulus of 167.0 kPa, similar to that of native cartilage, as well as excellent fatigue resistance, similar to that of native joint tissue. In vitro degradation tests demonstrated that the composite scaffold maintained structural, mass, and mechanical stability during the initial cartilage regeneration period of 4 weeks, while degraded linearly over time. In vitro biological tests with rat-derived mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) revealed that, the composite scaffold displayed increased cell loading efficiency and improved overall cell viability due to the incorporation of CI/II-HyA matrix. Additionally, it also sustained an effective and high-quality MSC chondrogenesis and abundant de-novo cartilage-like matrix deposition up to day 28. Overall, the biomimetic composite scaffold with sufficient mechanical support, matched degradation rate with cartilage regeneration, and effective chondrogenesis stimulation shows great potential to be an ideal candidate for enhancing cartilage defect repair.

Design and processing of SiOC/SiC/Si3N4/C ceramics with hierarchical porosity and non-oxide nanostructures

An integral study on the development and characterization of porous SiOC/SiC/Si3N4/C-based ceramic bodies was conducted using a less-explored approach, which is based on the direct consolidation of previously unstudied composite systems (methacryloxypropyl silsesquioxane/sucrose/prepyrolyzed powder), burn-out, and N2 pyrolysis (1300–1400 °C). Their textural, physicochemical, and microstructural properties depended on the initial system composition and pyrolysis temperature; the latter was also decisive in the materials' oxidative stability. At the highest pyrolysis temperature, SiC, mainly in the form of whiskers, and Si3N4 formed, the amount of SiOC decreased, Si2N2O crystallized, and nanocrystalline graphite-type carbon underwent graphitization. The final bodies exhibited macro- and mesopores, with micropores present only in those pyrolyzed at 1300 °C. This latter material presented the highest specific surface area, making it a potential candidate for catalysis in non-oxidizing environments at high temperatures or in oxidizing conditions at lower temperatures. Meanwhile, the material developed at 1400 °C offered high-temperature oxidative stability.

Co/CoOx–N–C bifunctional nanocatalyst derived from carbothermally optimized graphene networks with in-situ formed zeolitic imidazolate framework for high performance zinc-air batteries

Rechargeable zinc-air batteries are underpinned by high-performance and durable bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts. Among the platinum-group metals (PGMs)-free catalysts, the redox-active cobalt-nitrogen-carbon (Co/CoOx–N–C) based materials are promising, however require further structural improvements. This work utilises extremely porous graphene networks (EGO) of hierarchical porosity to in-situ grow ZIF-67 nanocrystals extensively and homogeneously within the porous structure. A simple carbonization of nanoZIF-67@EGO not only generates finely dispersed redox capable Co/CoOx–N–C active sites with the help of residual oxygen functional groups of EGO, but also produces 2-3 dimensional hierarchical porous and conducting structure, readily facilitating high electrochemical surface area. This characteristic structure synergistically contributes to rapid charge and mass transfer rates along with high activity and stability for both ORR and OER. Here, it is worth mentioning that to produce equivalent catalyst material involving different graphitic or template supports requires prolonged and multi-step synthesis routes. The optimized catalyst delivers low potential difference of 0.86 V for bifucntional activity by offering superb ORR half-wave potential of 0.83 V vs RHE and limiting current density of 5.85 mA cm−2 in 0.1 M KOH electrolyte. Zinc-air battery exhibits peak power density of ∼175 mW cm−2 and specific capacity of ∼767 mAh g−1, along with durable cycling round trip efficiency of >63 % (correspond to low voltage gap of ∼0.74 V). These characteristics are better than numerous M–N–C based catalysts reported in the literature. This new strategy holds a great potential to boost the development of diverse MOFs and carbon-based electrocatalysts for a wide range of energy storage and conversion technologies.

Eco‐friendly Anode Materials for Lithium and Sodium‐ion Batteries from Wood Sources

AbstractThe intricate materials found in nature boast remarkable multifunctional properties honed through millions of years of evolution, resulting in the highest optimal organization in terms of function, structure, and chemistry. Leveraging the distinctive attributes of natural materials through biomimicry present a captivating avenue for research, brimming with vast potential for groundbreaking discoveries. Among the array of precursors available, wood stands out as a prominent candidate that covered over 30 % of the global land surface. Renowned for its captivating mechanical properties and anisotropic hierarchical porosity finely tuned to facilitate swift pathways, wood embodies attributes of abundance and biodegradability. Consequently, scientists have drawn inspiration from wood's exceptional characteristics to engineer batteries exhibiting remarkable electrochemical performance. For instance, the characteristic hierarchical multi‐channeled construction of wood serves as a blueprint for synthesizing energy storage materials endowed with heightened ion and electron diffusivity. Serving as an integrated carbonaceous scaffold featuring a hierarchical architecture and aligned channels, wood‐based anodes enhance ion and electron conductivities, while bolstering the kinetics of charge transfer in lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs). This review underscores the recent strides made in utilizing wood as a hierarchically porous and renewable material for developing anode materials tailored for LIBs and SIBs. Additionally, it sheds light on the potential of wood‐derived anode materials for LIBs and SIBs to alleviate the strain on critical raw materials, while accentuating the additional environmental sustainability benefits derived from such innovations.

N-doped pitch assisted local interface micro-environment tailoring and microcrystalline regulation in carbon nanotube for efficient oxygen reduction reaction

Regulating the atomic micro-environment at active sites and the interfaces between carbon nanoparticles is crucial for enhancing the performance of carbon-based metal-free electrocatalysts. Herein, a novel carbon nanocomposite, nitrogen-doped coal tar pitch composite carbon nanotubes (NPC@CNTs) was proposed, along with the potential synergistic mechanisms at its heterojunction interfaces. The innovative synthesis involves encapsulating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) within coal tar pitch (CTP), followed by nitrogen doping and CO2 activation to form a layered nano-microstructure with hierarchical porosity. This configuration allows for the precise modulation of the atomic environment at the graphitic-N sites within the heterostructure, with the interfacial effects significantly promoting efficient electron transfer and mass transport. The NPC@CNTs exhibit high Eonset(0.991 V verse Reversible Hydrogen Electrode) and Ehalf-wave(0.845 V vs RHE) in alkaline solution. with an OER overpotential of 391 mV at 10 mA cm−2. Furthermore, a Zn–air battery employing NPC@CNTs indicates a peak power density of 91 mW cm−2 with sustained stability over 230 h. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations confirmed the heterostructure of graphitic nitrogen-doped CNTs provides a higher density of active sites and more efficient charge transfer at carbon atoms adjacent to nitrogen. The CNTs with functionalized shell-interface has significant potential for bifunctional catalysis, surpassing most heteroatom-doped nanocarbon catalysts and commercial Pt/C (20 %).

Facile preparation of magnetic activated carbon from Peltophorum pterocarpum flowers for persulfate activation in methyl orange treatment

Herein, Peltophorum pterocarpum flowers (PPFs) were used to fabricate magnetic activated carbon (MAC) through one-pot pyrolysis with the addition of FeCl3 and KOH. XRD results proved that zero-valent iron crytals were formed in activated carbon (AC) bases. With 16.0 wt% Fe, MAC possessed a specific saturation magnetization of 35.6 emu/g, indicating its sufficient strength for magnetic separation. Furthermore, MAC had hierarchical porosity, characterized by a specific surface area of 69 m2/g and a total pore volume of 0.104 cm3/g. Subsequently, MAC was explored for activating persulfate (PS) in methyl orange (MO) decolorization. At pH 3.0, 30 °C, 5.00 mM PS, and 1.00 g/L MAC, 93.3 % MO (0.100 mM) vanished after 120 min. In reuse experiments, only 10.6 % of iron was leached from the MAC activator, and MO removal still remained at 77.7 % after five cycles. In summary, PPF-derived MAC showed effective potential in activating PS for MO elimination.

Multiple Heteroatom Doped Nanoporous Biocarbon for Supercapacitor and Zinc-ion Capacitor.

The use of nanoporous carbon for energy storage has seen a significant rise due to its exciting properties such as high surface area, hierarchical porosity and exceptional electrochemical properties. These unique advantages of exceptional surface and electrochemical properties of these porous carbon nanostructures can be coupled with the individual doping of heteroatoms such as S, N, O, and B for achieving high energy storage capacity and stability. Herein, we integrated the synthesis of carbon nitride (CN) and borocarbonitride (BCN) with solid state activation for introducing multiple heteroatoms (B, N, O, and S) onto the nanoporous carbon frameworks. The produced materials exhibit abundance of micro and mesoporosity, a high surface area of 2909 m2 g-1, and a pore volume of 0.87 cm3 g-1. Also, it offers an exceptional capacitance of 233.5 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1 with 3 M KOH as electrolyte. Further, the optimised material was explored as cathode in zinc ion capacitor which delivers an energy and power density of 50.4 Wh kg-1 and 400 W kg-1 respectively in addition to high cyclability. Studies on the formation of the intermediate phases during charging/discharging of the cell through ex situ characterization result in some useful insights into the stability of ZIC.