Porous Matrix Research Articles

Zinc oxide nanoparticles immobilized on polymeric porous matrix for water remediation

Zinc oxide nanoparticles immobilized on polymeric porous matrix for water remediation

The research on high efficiency water injection development of carbonate rock reservoir in the middle east

More and more attention has been paid to the waterflood development of carbonate reservoir in the Middle East with continuous expansion of the scale of carbonate reservoir development. Strong non-homogeneity of carbonate reservoirs results in serious conflicts between injection and production, causing low degree of water-driven control in the well network, and low degree of vertical mobilization. This article takes the main reservoir of an oil field in the Middle East region as an example, combining geological evaluation, dynamic analysis, and reservoir development strategies to study the effectiveness of water injection development in carbonate reservoirs. It shows that there is a correlation between pore type, oil-water relative permeability, and development method in the development of carbonate reservoirs. For reservoirs with matrix pores and micropores, water injection should be strengthened in the later stage of development; for reservoirs with dissolved pores and coarse pores, the iso-permeability point is relatively high, and the later development should focus on balanced water injection. Three different waterflooding models for formation development are designed to verify the feasibility of fine waterflooding schemes. The main differences are that one set of well patterns is combined injection and production, and three sets of well patterns are layered system waterflooding. The results show that the development effect in layered system waterflooding is the best. The daily production can be increased by about 16%, the cumulative oil production can be increased by about 8%, and the recovery factor can be increased by about 3%. Eventually, the stable oil and water control of carbonate reservoir can be realized.

Thermal and Entropic analyses of free convection of nanofluid in a partially heterogeneous porous chamber using the two-phase mixture model

Entropy generation and convection heat transfer in a partially porous chamber with different side wall temperatures using CuO–H2O have been investigated. The importance of this issue is wide application of the results in solar collectors, thermal extrusion systems, heat exchangers, bio-medicine, nuclear waste disposal, etc. The innovation of the present work is related to the investigation of fluid and heat fields and entropy generation by using a matrix with subordination of porosity to the vertical axis and permeability, thermal conductivity, and viscosity with subordination of porosity. To obtain accurate results, the two-phase mixture model was used, and thermal conductivity and viscosity of nanofluid were simulated by experimental models by temperature and volume fraction dependence. Governing equations are solved by the FVM. The main findings indicate that the best and worst optimization factor will occur in the porous matrix ε = ε(y2) and ε = -ε(y2), respectively, which is 113 % and 86 % of NH of the homogeneous matrix, respectively. Also increasing the filling of the cavity, highly improves NH, so that the NH will reach from 1.19 to 1.82 with the increase of S from 0.25 to 1.

Effect of sodium citrate on compressive strength and microstructure of NaOH-activated slag pastes/mortars exposed to high temperatures

Fire resistance is a critical consideration in the performance of concrete. This study investigated the impact of sodium citrate on the compressive strength and microstructure of NaOH-activated slag cement at temperatures ranging from 200 to 1000 °C. The findings indicated that the addition of sodium citrate led to an increase in matrix density and a decrease in porosity, ultimately resulting in a notable enhancement compressive strength for both AAS paste and mortar samples. Nevertheless, this condition was not conducive to the high temperature resistance of AAS paste due to the elevated internal pressure resulting from the vaporized water within the matrix pores. The incorporation of fine aggregates could notably enhance this capability, particularly in sodium citrate-activated specimens. This enhancement can be attributed to the optimization of the pore structure of the sand, facilitating the elimination of free water without compromising the integrity of the structure and minimizing the occurrence of micro-cracks. Furthermore, the elevated temperature of 200 °C facilitated the AAS reaction, resulting in an increased formation of gel phases.

Fe2O3 nanoparticles anchored on N-doped pinecone-based porous carbon as potential anode for potassium-ion battery

Fe2O3/carbon composites have received widespread attention as a potential anode material for lithium/sodium ion battery owing to its rich reserves, wide distribution, and environmental friendliness. However, studies on potassium-ion battery (PIB) have rarely been reported. Besides, majority carbon-based matrices are mainly focused on the utilization of synthetic carbons, which have a high cost and complicated synthesis process. In contrast, biomass-based carbon is inexpensive, environment-friendly, and abundant in terms of its precursor resources, making it a promising matrix. In this work, the dispersal of Fe2O3 nanoparticles on a N-doped pinecone-based porous carbon matrix (Fe2O3/NPC) was proposed as a simple and effective approach for improving the electrochemical performance of the Fe2O3 anode in potassium-ion battery. Fe2O3/NPC was prepared using a hydrothermal method, and the morphology of Fe2O3 was optimized by varying the reaction temperature. Compared with Fe2O3, NPC and Fe2O3/NPC prepared at different temperature, the Fe2O3/NPC-150 electrode exhibited an improved discharge capacity of 178.7 mAh·g−1 after 100 cycles at 50 mA g−1 with good rate performance and the high capacity retention rate of 91.6 % after 500 cycles. The improved electrochemical performance is attributed to the synergistic effect of small Fe2O3 nanoparticles and N-doped pinecone-based porous carbon. This strategy provides a simple, mild and low cost method for preparing iron based anode materials for potassium-ion battery, and also provides some guidances for large-scale industrial production.

Comparison of discriminant analysis coupled with principal component analysis (PCA-DA) and back propagation neural network (BPNN) as classification model for decision support system in porous ceramic matrix (PCM) based burner

Two classification models discriminant analysis coupled with principal component analysis (PCA-DA) and back propagation neural network (BPNN), are for the first time applied for decision support system in porous ceramic matrix (PCM) based burner. The PCM based burner is simulated numerically, and 121 pairs of gas and solid temperature profiles are generated as input data. The operation of PCM based burner is classified into four, on the basis of important properties of PCM like extinction coefficient and convective coupling. With the help of the data, the classification models are developed. The classification models are monitored and analyzed through different plots and classification parameters like specificity, sensitivity and precision. Further, new samples are correctly allocated to their corresponding class by the classification models. The classification models are also explored and compared under noisy data (2% and 5%). The performances of both the classification models are found to be good for no noise case with all the parameters like sensitivity, specificity, and precision values greater than 0.69, for both the models. However, with 2% noise case, BPNN performs better than PCA-DA. The minimum value of parameters (sn, sp, & pr) is 0.67 with BPNN and 0.50 with PCA-DA, respectively. Under 5% noise, the minimum values of the parameters dropped to 0.47 for PCA-DA and 0.50 for BPNN, respectively. With the help of plots though, the new samples are easily identified to their correct class 3.

Homogenized color-gradient lattice Boltzmann model for immiscible two-phase flow in multiscale porous media

In this paper, a homogenized multiphase lattice Boltzmann (LB) model is established for parallelly simulating immiscible two-phase flow in both solid-free regions (pore scale) and porous areas (continuum scale). It combines the color-gradient multiphase model with the Darcy–Brinkman–Stokes method by adding a term that includes surface force and drag force of porous matrix to multiple-relaxation-time LB equation in moment space. Moreover, an improved algorithm is proposed to characterize and implement the apparent wettability in the locally homogenized porosity field. Validations and test cases are given to demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of this new model, as well as its applicability for trans-scale fluid simulation of transport and sorption behavior from porous (Darcy flow) area to free (Stokes flow) area. For practicality, the two-phase seepage flow in a composite rock structure with multiscale pores is simulated by this new model, and the effects of viscosity ratio and wettability on the displacement process are discussed.

Sustainable metal-organic framework based paper sheet as wallpaper for passive indoor moisture control

Passive indoor moisture control is a meaningful way to reduce HVAC operation and improve building energy efficiency. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been considered one of the most promising sorbent materials for passive indoor moisture control. However, the powder form of MOF is challenging to use in the built environment. Typical shaping methods like pellets, beads, and coating can lead to problems like partial pore blocking, insufficient mechanical stability, amorphization, and low material utilization. Here, we report a new sustainable MOF paper sheet comprising 25% cellulosic fibers and 75% MOF MIL-100(Fe) powder. The porous polymer matrix provides good support and fixation for MOF particles, so it’s more applicable in the built environment. The crystalline and pore structure characteristics of the MOF in the membrane are well preserved. Hydro characteristic test results show that MIL-100(Fe) paper sheet has high water vapor uptake, S-shape isotherm, mild regeneration condition, and high MBV. Then, a numerical model was developed to calculate the relation between a material’s MBV and its thickness. MIL-100(Fe) paper sheet with the most efficient thickness was applied as wallpaper in a building energy simulation model. The simulation result shows that the MIL-100(Fe) paper sheet is promising for passive indoor moisture control. It can remove about 45%-55% of the latent cooling load in most European climate types.

Immobilization properties and reaction mechanism of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash with alkali activation technology

Municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWIFA) needs proper treatment prior to security landfilling because of considerable amounts of heavy metals and soluble chloride. Nowadays, alkali activation technology has become an effective solidification/stabilization (S/S) technology for MSWIFA. But few studies have been systematically carried out on the preparation techniques and reaction mechanism of MSWIFA S/S body. The effects of the technical parameters (alkali activator, sodium silicate modulus, alkali equivalent, water-solid ratio, curing regime) on the immobilization properties (compressive strength and heavy metal leaching toxicity) of MSWIFA S/S bodies were studied in this work. The hydration characteristics and reaction mechanism were also explored in depth based on the structure properties and microstructure characterization. Ca2+, Na+, SiO42−, [Al(OH)4]-, OH− dissociated from MSWIFA and alkali activator solution chemical reaction to form the silicates, aluminates and aluminosilicates with lower polymerization, and promoted the gel hydration products formation via depolycondensation. Lower Ca/Si molar ratio was conductive to the formation of amorphous substance, compactness of matrix pore structure and immobilization properties. Compared to the hydration products including halite, sylvine, glauberite, gypsum, calcite crystal, C–S–H gel contributed much more to the pore structure and strength improvement of MSWIFA S/S bodies. These findings will provide valuable theoretical basis for MSWIFA management and resource utilization promotion.

Synergistic Al−Al Dual‐Atomic Site for Efficient Artificial Nitrogen Fixation

AbstractSynthesis of ammonia by electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is a promising alternative to the Haber–Bosch process. However, it is commonly obstructed by the high activation energy. Here, we report the design and synthesis of an Al−Al bonded dual atomic catalyst stabilized within an amorphous nitrogen‐doped porous carbon matrix (Al2NC) with high NRR performance. The dual atomic Al2‐sites act synergistically to catalyze the complex multiple steps of NRR through adsorption and activation, enhancing the proton‐coupled electron transfer. This Al2NC catalyst exhibits a high Faradaic efficiency of 16.56±0.3 % with a yield rate of 29.22±1.2 μg h−1 mgcat−1. The dual atomic Al2NC catalyst shows long‐term repeatable, and stable NRR performance. This work presents an insight into the identification of synergistic dual atomic catalytic site and mechanistic pathway for the electrochemical conversion of N2 to NH3.

Synergistic Al-Al Dual-Atomic Site for Efficient Artificial Nitrogen Fixation.

Synthesis of ammonia by electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is a promising alternative to the Haber-Bosch process. However, it is commonly obstructed by the high activation energy. Here, we report the design and synthesis of an Al-Al bonded dual atomic catalyst stabilized within an amorphous nitrogen-doped porous carbon matrix (Al2NC) with high NRR performance. The dual atomic Al2-sites act synergistically to catalyze the complex multiple steps of NRR through adsorption and activation, enhancing the proton-coupled electron transfer. This Al2NC catalyst exhibits a high Faradaic efficiency of 16.56±0.3 % with a yield rate of 29.22±1.2 μg h-1 mgcat -1. The dual atomic Al2NC catalyst shows long-term repeatable, and stable NRR performance. This work presents an insight into the identification of synergistic dual atomic catalytic site and mechanistic pathway for the electrochemical conversion of N2 to NH3.

Effect of Nucleation Heterogeneity on Mineral Precipitation in Confined Environments

AbstractThe formation of new mineral phases in confined environments, especially in porous media, is crucial for various geological processes like mineralization and diagenesis. The nucleation and precipitation of minerals are initiated at the microscale through fluid‐rock interaction, where dissolution of primary phases leads to supersaturated conditions and nucleation and growth of secondary ones. Previous research has focused primarily on either precipitation or nucleation, without fully exploring their combined impact. Our study introduces a computational framework that integrates classical nucleation theory with the micro‐continuum method. We validated our model by comparing with experiments, and discovered that different surface nucleation rate changes the mode of precipitation from a preferential to uniform precipitate textures. Furthermore, our study uncovered that the conventional deterministic precipitation method tends to underestimate the permeability of the porous matrix. In contrast, the new framework significantly improves model accuracy by incorporating preferential precipitation and heterogeneous nucleation.

Two-dimensional counter-current capillary imbibition of a wetting phase into a partially submerged porous cylindrical matrix block

The purpose of this study is to address the two-dimensional counter-current capillary dominant imbibition of a wetting phase into a water-wet porous cylindrical matrix block partially submerged in the wetting phase. A two-dimensional unsteady-state diffusion equation is used to model the process. The governing equation is solved using a combination of the Laplace and the finite Fourier sine transforms to find and analyze the solutions for the normalized water saturation and the volume of the imbibed wetting phase. The results reveal that the volume of the imbibed wetting phase and the capillary diffusion shape factor for a partially submerged matrix block are significantly lower compared to those of a fully submerged matrix block, highlighting the overestimation of imbibed volume using available models based on full immersion in the wetting phase. It has been observed that the volume of the imbibed wetting phase increases over time until reaching a state of equilibrium. In the case of a partially submerged matrix block, the shape factor is inversely proportional to the square root of time (σ ∼ 1/t) during the early time and decreases sharply as the imbibed wetting phase reaches an equilibrium. In the case of a fully submerged matrix block, the shape factor is inversely proportional to the square root of time (σ ∼ 1/t) during the early time and later reaches a pseudo-steady-state value. The proposed model, along with the findings obtained, advances our understanding of capillary imbibition in porous media.

Mineralization, degradation and osteogenic property of polylactide multicomponent porous composites for bone repair: In vitro and in vivo study

Gelatin and hydroxyapatite were assembled into polylactide porous matrix to prepare multicomponent porous composites for bone repair (PLA-gH). PLA-gH possessed a superior ability of mineralization. During simulated body fluids (SBF), the spherical Ca-P depositions on surface of PLA-gH became bulk as Ca/P decreased, while they locally turned into the rod with different variation in Ca/P during SBF containing bovine serum albumin (SBF-BSA), indicating that the mineralization of PLA-gH could be regulated by BSA. Meanwhile, PLA-gH possessed good degradation behaviour, especially in SBF-BSA, the degradation of PLA porous matrix was higher than that in SBF after 14-day immersion, whose crystallinity (Xc) decreased to a slightly lower level. Gelatin and hydroxyapatite endowed PLA-gH with good osteogenic property, characterized by obvious osteogenic differentiation and bone regeneration. In terms of predicting the cytocompatibility, osteogenic differentiation and new bone mineralization of PLA-gH by in vitro methods, applying SBF-BSA may be more reliable than SBF.

Preparation and properties of activated carbon-based Na3PO4 composites for low-temperature thermochemical heat storage

With the advantages of low heat storage temperature, high heat storage density, and a low price, Na3PO4 has been proposed as a thermochemical heat storage candidate material for use in solar low-temperature heat storage engineering applications. However, the application of pure Na3PO4 is limited due to its propensity for agglomeration. In this study, activated carbon-based Na3PO4 (R-AC@Na3PO4) composites with mass fractions of 30%, 50%, and 80% were synthesized by melt impregnation method using activated carbon as the porous matrix. The morphology and structure of the composites were characterized, and their heat storage performances were investigated. The hydration experiments were carried out in a constant temperature and humidity chamber and dehydration experiments were carried out in thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry simultaneously. The results showed that at 30 °C, 60% relative humidity, the hydration equilibrium time for the composites were only 30%-40% of the pure material. Meanwhile, at a mass fraction of 80%, material's volumetric heat storage can reach 1793 J·cm-3 without agglomeration, and the performance was stable after 20 cyclic tests. This study provides a reference for the research and development of low-temperature thermochemical heat storage materials and offers more possibilities for R-AC@Na3PO4 composites in future engineering applications.

Enhanced photoluminescence emission intensity and stability of deep blue-emissive (Et3NH)PbBr3 perovskite nanocrystals by using metal-organic frameworks

The primary obstacle faced by researchers in the field of luminescent metal-halide perovskites is their inherent instability, prompting a shift in focus towards enhancing the stability of perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs). One of the promising approaches to address this challenge involves the utilization of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to fabricate PNCs@MOF composites. The present study reports a facile and low-cost colloidal strategy to prepare (Et3NH)PbBr3 PNCs followed by their encapsulation within UiO-67 to enhance their photoluminescence (PL) emission stability. The PNCs and modified UiO-67 were prepared separately via simple and efficient ligand-assisted reprecipitation (LARP) and hydrothermal methods, respectively. After modification of the UiO-67, the pore sizes experienced a substantial increase from 1.90 to 28.84 nm which significantly facilitated the localization of PNCs within the porous matrix. Under a full survey of experimental conditions, the resulting (Et3NH)PbBr3@UiO-67 composite exhibited a bright deep-blue emission at around 410 nm with an emission quantum yield of 52 %. The emission durability of the fabricated PNCs@MOF composites was assessed against temperature and long-time of storage, confirming the superior advantages of MOF even at elevated temperatures of up to 100 °C. The stable and luminous deep-blue emission displayed by the PNCs@MOF composites in this investigation, offers a promising advancement in materials development for optoelectronic applications.

Self-discharge in flowless Zn-Br2 batteries and its mitigation

Several decades after the invention of the flow Zn-Br2 systems, persistent attempts have been made to develop stationary Zn-Br2 batteries. Such development should increase the energy density of the system simultaneously significantly reducing their cost and opening new challenges associated with the cell design and its performance. One of the major concerns is the rapid self-discharge of stationary systems leading to spontaneous charge loss during battery storage time. While self-discharge in flow cells is generally attributed to the chemical oxidation of the Zn anode, we show that the origin of self-discharge in a static configuration is completely different. By systematic investigations of activated carbon with different surface areas under varied charging conditions, mechanistic insights into this phenomenon were provided. Based on this understanding, we proposed herein an effective way to suppress the cathode's self-discharge by encapsulation of a bromine complexing agent inside the electrode's pore matrix. The modified electrodes unveil unique chemical kinetics of deaggregation of the stable fuse salt phase composed of bromine complexing agent and Br3− anions upon discharging. To the best of our knowledge, such a phenomenon has not been reported yet. The proposed system demonstrates high capacity (up to 300 mAh/g) and impressive long-term stability.

Hydrothermal preparation of N and O-rich porous carbon microspheres and their capacitance properties

In this paper, N and O-rich porous activated carbon (N-O/AC) microsphere with various pore sizes was prepared by thermal and KOH activation of g-C3N4@graphene oxide (CN@GO) microsphere. CN@GO microsphere was pre-prepared through a hydrothermal method directly from glucose and melamine, which resulted into high content and uniform doping of O and N in the final product. CN@GO microsphere was composed of GO/CN/GO sandwich nanochips, forming a porous structure with various pore sizes. The obtained N-O/AC has high energy density (33.19 Wh/kg) and high power density (499.93 W/kg), in company with excellent cyclic stability (remaining 98.64 % after 1000 cycles). The N-O/AC derived from the hydrothermal method provides a low-cost way of constructing porous carbon matrix composites with pseudo-capacitance.

Pyrolysis temperature effect on the efficacy of biochar/CuNi composite catalysts for emerging pollutant degradation

Sugarcane pulp bagasse biochar (SCPBB) was produced through pyrolysis from 500 to 900°C under a nitrogen atmosphere, and their SCPBB/CuNi composites was produced through wetness impregnation with copper and nickel salts followed by pyrolysis. The impact of pyrolysis temperature on SCPBB and SCPBB/CuNi for physic-chemical properties was evaluated. SEM images that spherical bimetallic CuNi nanoparticles were evenly dispersed on the surface of the biochar matrix, and the size of the nanoparticles increased with increasing temperature. In particular, when the pyrolysis temperature is higher than 700°C, the nanoparticles on the surface exhibit novel structures that are partially embedded or completely enclosed within the porous biochar matrix. FT-IR ATR and Raman spectra proved that SCPBB materials contain abundant surface functional groups and carbonaceous structures, which were preserved by the introduction of metal nanoparticles. TGA demonstrated SCPBB-500 biochar started to lose mass quickly first, followed by SCPBB-700 and finally SCPBB-900, and the weight residues of SCPBB/CuNi increased by 30%-34% compared with SCPBB. In addition, the catalytic performance of the synthesized material was explored for the degradation of malachite green (MG) representing dye molecules, Amoxicillin(AMX) representing pharmaceuticals, and Methyl-parabens(MP) representing personal care products contaminants. Each SCPBB/CuNi sample showed catalytic degradation performance under Advanted oxidation processes(AOPs), among which the SCPBB/CuNi catalyst obtained by pyrolysis temperature 500°C performed best. Hence, SCPBB/CuNi demonstrates promising potential as a multifunctional catalyst for diverse environmental pollutants in wastewater treatments.

1T-rich MoS2 nanosheets anchored on conductive porous carbon as effective polysulfide promoters for lithium–sulfur batteries

The practical applications of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have severely been hindered by notorious shuttle effect and sluggish redox kinetics of lithium polysulfide intermediates (LiPSs), which bring about rapid capacity degradation, low coulombic efficiency and poor cycling stability. In this work, 1T-rich MoS2 nanosheets are in-situ developed onto the conductive porous carbon matrix (1T-rich MoS2@PC) as efficient polysulfide promotors for high-performance Li-S batteries. The porous carbon skeleton tightly anchors MoS2 nanosheets to prevent their reaggregation and ensures accessible electrical channels, and at the same time provides a favorable confined space that promotes the generation of 1T-rich MoS2 structure. More importantly, the uniformly distributed metallic 1T-rich MoS2 nanosheets not only affords rich sulfphilic sites and high binding energy for immobilizing LiPSs, but also favors rapid electron transfer and LiPSs conversation kinetics, substantially regulating sulfur chemistry in working cells. Consequently, the Li-S cell assembled with 1T-rich MoS2@PC modified separator delivers a remarkable cycling stability with ultralow capacity decay rate of 0.067 % over 500 cycles at 1C. Encouragingly, under harsh conditions (high sulfur loading of 4.78 mg cm−2 and low E/S ratio of 8 μL mg−1), a favorable electrochemical performance can still be demonstrated. This study highlights the profitable design of 1T-rich MoS2/carbon based electrocatalyst for suppressing shuttle effect and promoting catalytic conversation of LiPSs, and has the potential to be applied to in other energy storage systems.