Styrene Sulfonate Research Articles

Separation of Magnesium and Lithium Ions Utilizing Layer-by-Layer Polyelectrolyte Modification of Polyacrylonitrile Hollow Fiber Porous Membranes

This study explores the layer-by-layer (LBL) modification of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) hollow fibers for effective Mg2+/Li+ separation. It employs an LBL method of surface modification using polyelectrolytes, specifically aiming to enhance ion selectivity and improve the efficiency of lithium extraction from brines or lithium battery wastes, which is critical for battery recycling and other industrial applications. The modification process involves coating the hydrolyzed PAN fibers with alternating layers of positively charged polyelectrolytes, such as poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH), polyethyleneimine (PEI), or poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) and negatively charged polyelectrolytes, such as poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS), to form polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs). This study evaluates the modified membranes in Mg2+ and Li+ salt solutions, demonstrating significant improvements in selectivity for Mg2+/Li+ separation. PAH was identified as the optimal positively charged polyelectrolyte. PAN hollow fibers modified with ten bilayers of PAH/PSS achieved rejection rates of 95.4% for Mg2+ ions and 34.8% for Li+ ions, and a permeance of 0.39 LMH/bar. This highlights the potential of LBL techniques for effectively addressing the challenges of ion separation across a variety of applications.

Negative temperature coefficient effect of TPU/SWCNT/PEDOT:PSS polymer matrices for wearable temperature sensors

Composite-based temperature sensors utilizing the negative temperature coefficient (NTC) effect have gained significant attention across various fields, particularly in healthcare. However, the development of innovative, highly linear, and high-performance NTC-based temperature sensors remains a challenge. In this study, we developed a composite temperature sensor comprising thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). A series of performance tests demonstrated that the TPU/SWCNT/PEDOT:PSS (TSP) composite effectively monitors temperature variations with both linearity and superior performance, attributed to the synergistic NTC effects of SWCNTs and PEDOT:PSS. This flexible temperature sensor retained its sensing functionality after repeated cycles of temperature fluctuations and multiple bending tests. Moreover, due to the unique properties of CNTs, the TSP sensor exhibited photothermal responses, showing highly sensitive resistance changes upon exposure to infrared radiation. The TSP sensor proved to be effective for various practical applications, including biosignal monitoring through thermal detection, temperature tracking during phone charging, and accurate temperature sensing on curved surfaces. Additionally, non-contact heat detection can be reliably performed regardless of whether tensile stress is applied. These findings underscore the immense potential of TSP sensors for future use in wearable healthcare technologies.

Electrocapacitive removal of Na and Cd ions from contaminated aqueous solution using Fe3O4-poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrene sulfonate) modified chitosan nanosheets

Chitosan nanosheets (NS) stabilized on poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS) was functionalized using Fe3O4 to capacitively remove chloride ions and toxic cadmium ions at optimized pH, concentration, and number of charging cycles. The synthesis procedure was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscope – Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). The analyses confirms increase in surface area of the nanocomposite from 41 to 132 m2/g and a decrease in crystallinity from 75.3 to 66.9% after nanosheet formation. The highest sorption exchange capacity (SEC) for this work, 93% CdCO3 removal is achieved at 100 CDI cycles while 82% NaCl removal was achieved at 80 cycles. The SEC% increased with pH during Na ion deionization and decreased with pH during Cd removal. The works shows that chitosan is able to impart advanced structural properties to Fe3O4 and PEDOT and is able to reduce reverse migration of ions from electrodes to bulk solution, leading to higher SEC performance.

UV-curable polymer-treated polydimethylsiloxane substrate for ultrahigh-efficient flexible organic light-emitting diodes

Flexible organic light-emitting diodes (FOLEDs) have developed rapidly and have been successfully implemented in the technology of foldable smartphones. As one of the most promising flexible substrates, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) suffers from the drawbacks of low thermal stability and weak interfacial adhesion with the low-cost solution-processed poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) film electrodes. In this work, a UV-curable polymer, Norland Optical Adhesive 63 (NOA63), is proposed to enhance the thermal stability and interfacial adhesion, as well as facilitating the light extraction of PDMS substrate. The PEDOT:PSS electrode film on the NOA63 modified PDMS substrate performs a uniform and smooth surface morphology with a low roughness of 3.1 nm, a high transmittance of 94.7 % at 550 nm wavelength, a low sheet resistance of 160 Ω/sq, and superior mechanical durability even after 18,000 bending cycles. The outstanding characteristics of the PDMS/NOA63 substrate enables the fabrication of an ultrahigh-efficient FOLED with a maximum current efficiency, power efficiency and external quantum efficiency of 230.6 cd/A, 144.9 lm/W and 65 %, respectively. This study paves the way to realize high-performance FOLEDs for wearable electronics in the future.

Rapidly self-healing, highly conductive, stretchable, body-attachable hydrogel sensor for soft electronics

Self-healing hydrogels are widely used in body-attachable sensors because they are stretchable, skin-friendly, highly sensitive, and mechanically strong. We developed a polyvinyl alcohol/poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PVA/PEDOT:PSS) hydrogel that responds rapidly and self-heals following external mechanical damage for use in body-attachable-sensor applications. The addition of ethylenediamine during hydrogel synthesis enhanced the crosslinking reaction and facilitated gelation. The hydrogel demonstrated a self-healing efficiency of 80 % and a gauge factor of 0.67 when strained in the 0–70 % range. The self-healing sensor exhibited response and recovery times of less than 0.25 s, with a self-healing time of less than 5 min. The self-healing sensor was tested for bodily motions, such as finger pressure, bending, voice vibration, severe stretching at 70 % strain, and stretching for 1000 continuous cycles.

Neuro-Actuating Photonic Skin Enabled by Ion-Gel Transistor with Thermo-Adaptive Block Copolymer.

Despite significant progress in developing artificial synapses to emulate the human nervous system for bio-signal transmission, synapses with thermo-adaptive coloration and soft actuators driven by temperature change have seldom been reported. Herein, a photonic neuro-actuating synaptic skin is presented enabling thermoresponsive synaptic signal transmission, color variation, and actuation. First, a thermoresponsive display synapse is developed based on a 3-terminal ion-gel transistor with a poly (3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly (styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) semiconducting channel mixed with 2D titanium carbide (Ti3C2Tx) MXene and a thermo-adaptive 1D block copolymer (BCP) photonic crystal (PC) gate insulator. Temperature-dependent synaptic behavior is successfully observed in the ion-gel transistor with the corresponding structural colors, leading to a thermo-adaptive display synapse. The 3 × 3 arrays of thermo-adaptive display synapses with Joule heaters show that each pixel is controlled by the thermoresponsive structural color and synaptic output. The synaptic output current from the MXene ion-gel transistor can be converted and amplified to a voltage signal, which powers a soft actuator connected to the ion-gel display synapse and triggers temperature-dependent actuation related to the thermoresponsive synaptic performance. This study showcases a thermo-adaptive photonic neuro-actuating artificial skin that emulates muscle-combined neuronal human skin with visualization capability.

PEDOT:PSS Electropolymerization Protocol for Microelectrodes Enabling Low‐Cost Impedance‐Based Cellular Assays

ABSTRACTElectric cell‐substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) is a label‐free method for in vitro cell analysis in different research fields such as virology, cancer research, and stem cell research. In the ECIS configuration, the working electrode (WE) is typically much smaller than the counter electrode, thus the measured impedance between both is mainly dominated by the impedance of the WE. However, if the impedance of the WE is too high, it is challenging to detect small changes in impedance caused by cells attached to the electrode surface. In this study, we present an easily reproducible and cost‐effective method to lower the impedance of commercial ECIS electrodes, and by this increase the cell contribution in adhesion assays. Hereby we deposit a thin layer of poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) only onto the gold electrodes by electropolymerization and study the layer characteristics in detail. We compare cell‐free and cell‐covered impedance spectra of gold and PEDOT:PSS electrodes recorded with a low‐cost potentiostat and analyze the ECIS spectra of two different cell lines in detail.

Significant enhancement in the conductivity of highly transparent PEDOT:PSS thin film through maleic acid treatment

Abstract The conductivity of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS, a conducting polymer) thin film is enhanced by simply maleic acid treatment. Here, we have investigated the conductivity enhancement with the variation of maleic acid concentration. The conductivity enhances up to 1.0 M maleic acid concentration and decreases afterward. The optimum conductivity is obtained as 9.35 S cm–1, which is nearly 263 times more compared to the pristine PEDOT:PSS film. The conductivity of the film also depends upon the treating temperature. Therefore, the effect of different treating temperatures on the conductivity enhancement is studied, and the optimum temperature is found to be 140°C. Maleic acid-treated PEDOT:PSS films also exhibit high transmittances, i.e., ≈ 90 – 84 % in the visible region. The mechanism related to the conductivity enhancement and other related information are collected through different spectroscopic and microscopic measurements. Besides, frequency-dependant impedance and electrochemical activity of maleic acid-treated PEDOT:PSS films are also performed. The interaction of maleic acid with PEDOT:PSS promotes the reduction of ionic interaction between PEDOT and PSS chains, resulting in the phase separation between PEDOT and PSS. As a result, the PSS– turn into neutral PSSH and is rinsed away by water, which supports the morphological change and the conductivity enhancement due to the conformational change of coil-like PEDOTs to elongated and better-connected PEDOT chains.

Synthesis and characterization of MoO3/PEDOT:PSS nanocomposite for flexible photodetector and nonlinear optical applications

We present our findings on the preparation, UV photoresponse of nanocomposite films(NCF) on a flexible substrate consisting of orthorhombic molybdenum oxide (α −MoO3) and the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). We also studied the nonlinear optical properties of prepared NCF on glass substrate. The pristine MoO3 was synthesized using a direct precipitation method which is followed by annealing to ensure the formation of high quality orthorhombic MoO3. MoO3/PEDOT:PSS nanocomposite films with varying MoO3 concentrations were fabricated and employed in photodetector devices to investigate the influence of MoO3 content on photoresponse behaviour. Comprehensive structural investigations were conducted using X-ray diffraction (XRD), revealing minor variations in structural parameters like crystallite size, microstrain, and dislocation density, indicative of the interaction between MoO3 and the polymer matrix. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) provided detailed insights into the morphological characteristics, showing uniform distribution. UV–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy demonstrated bandgap variations correlated with the MoO3 concentration in the nanocomposites, highlighting the tunability of optical properties through compositional adjustments. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy elucidated the vibrational properties of the nanocomposites, confirming the successful incorporation of MoO3 within the polymer matrix and its impact on vibrational modes. The fabricated photodetectors exhibited a negative photoresponse at low MoO3 concentrations, characterized by a decrease in current under UV illumination, indicative of unique charge trapping and recombination mechanisms. However, as the concentration of MoO3 in the nanocomposite increased, the photoresponse transitioned to a positive mode, reflecting a decrease in resistance upon UV exposure. This tunable photoresponse behaviour underscores the potential of MoO3/PEDOT:PSS nanocomposites for flexible UV photodetector applications. Nonlinear optical studies show the enhanced saturable absorption in NCFs. These findings underscore the significant saturable absorption properties and negative photoresponse, indicating promising avenues for further investigation into the photoresponse and nonlinear optical characteristics of NCFs.

Temperature-dependent photoluminescence of PEDOT:PSS-coated acrylic for use as transparent electrodes in the DarkSide-20k time projection chamber

Dual-phase time-projection chambers (TPCs) filled with noble elements are used for particle detection, with many focusing on rare-event searches. These detectors measure two signals: one from scintillation light, and another from drifting ionized electrons. The DarkSide-20k design uses a transparent vessel with external photodetectors. Electrodes, used to drift the electrons, are located between the active medium and the photodetectors, requiring them to be transparent to allow scintillation light to transmit through them. The transparent electrode coating for DarkSide-20k is poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) or Clevios. For rare-event search detectors, the fluorescence of materials that are between the active volume and the photodetectors may lead to backgrounds in the data. Since Clevios is a new material for TPC electrodes, its fluorescent properties need to be characterized to understand their potential impact on backgrounds. Previous studies have indicated that Clevios can fluoresce, with maximal fluorescence produced using UV-excitation. Our study analyzes the fluorescence of Clevios, under UV-excitation, using both time-resolved and spectral techniques between 4 K and 300 K. We find that the fluorescence of Clevios is negligible when compared to the fluorescence of common fluorescent materials used in TPCs, such as 1,1,4,4-tetraphenyl-1,3-butadiene (TPB).

High volumetric-energy-density flexible supercapacitors based on PEDOT:PSS incorporated with carbon quantum dots hybrid electrodes

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is a highly successful conductive polymer utilized as an electrode material in energy storage units for portable and wearable electronic devices. Nevertheless, employing PEDOT:PSS in supercapacitors (SC) in its pristine state presents challenges due to its suboptimal electrochemical performance and operational instability. To surmount these limitations, PEDOT:PSS has been integrated with carbon-based materials to form flexible electrodes, which exhibit physical and chemical stability during SC operation. We developed a streamlined fabrication process for high-performance SC electrodes composed of PEDOT:PSS and carbon quantum dots (CQDs). The CQDs were synthesized under microwave irradiation, yielding green- and red-light emissions. Through optimizing the ratios of CQDs to PEDOT:PSS, the SC electrodes were prepared using a spray-coating technique, marking a significant improvement in device performance with a high volumetric capacitance (104.10 F cm−3), impressive energy density (19.68 Wh cm−3), and excellent cyclic stability, retaining ∼85% of its original volumetric capacitance after 15,000 repeated GCD cycles. Moreover, the SCs, when utilized as a flexible substrate, demonstrated the ability to maintain up to ∼85% of their electrochemical performance even after 3,000 bending cycles (at a bending angle of 60°). These attributes render this hybrid composite an ideal candidate for a lightweight smart energy storage component in portable and wearable electronic technologies.

Facile fabrication of foldable electrospun nanofiber electrodes for electrodes for electronic biosensing

This study presents a rapid, sensitive and selective sensor based on electrospun nanofibers on laser-patterned electrodes, in which the laser micromachining process can directly fabricate the graphene electrode device for the electronical detection of glucose molecule. The layer of graphene film was formed on the glass substrate by a screen printing technique, and then the graphene electrodes can be fabricated by the ultraviolet (UV) nanosecond laser process with the wavelength of 355 nm. Based on the controlled the laser fluence and pulses, the electrode gap of 60 μm within the device can be fabricated. The polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and glucose oxidase (GOD) composite nanofiber with weight percentage of 8% can be used by the electrospun process with used Glutaraldehyde(GA) steam for cross linking process. After that, it is blended with the conductivity of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly (styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), and the foldable nanofiber structures was made by electrospun process on the graphene electrode device. Finally, the electrical detection of graphene electrode device with the nanofibers at different concentrations of glucose can be measured, resulting in the linear variation is detecting the glucose concentration ranging form 0.01 to 3.12 mM. This work indicated that the low concentration and highly sensitive can be used for electronic biosensors

Manipulating overcompensation of poly (allylamine hydrochloride) in layer-by-layer nanofiltration membranes for Mg2+/Li+ separation

Surface modification of the positive charges in the polyamide thin-film composite nanofiltration (NF) membranes has been explored for separation of Mg2+/Li+ via Donnan exclusion. However, manipulation of the surface charges in layer-by-layer (LBL) NF membranes presents significant challenges because the overall charge within the entire separation layer, rather than just the top surface, provides effective Donnan effect. In this work, we reported a facile approach to increase the positive charge within poly (styrene sulfonate) (PSS)/poly (allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) LBL NF membranes. A significant improvement in the permselectivity of (PSS/PAH)2.5 NF membranes was achieved by varying the PAH concentration from 0.001 M to 0.1 M. The increased PAH concentration led to overcompensation within the separation layer, resulting in a higher charge density and increase in the rejection of MgCl2, MgSO4 and LiCl, but decline in the rejection of Na2SO4. Although the pore size slightly reduced, the overall improvement in the permselectivty was mainly attributed to the Donnan exclusion effect. The optimal membrane, prepared using a PAH concentration of 0.1 M, showed a high pure water permeance of 10.9 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 with a MgCl2 rejection of 96.6 %, and the highest separation factor SMg,Li of 19.6 for mixed salt solutions. The assembly process of LBL membranes typically involved two stages during each coating cycle: polyelectrolyte (PE) adsorption and diffusion. PAH concentration primarily affected the adsorption process, while the diffusion process was influenced by NaCl concentration. Higher concentration of PAH and NaCl led to coiled conformation. This collectively led to the overcompensation of PAH. Among these, PAH concentration was identified as a more important factor for overcompensation. This study highlights the versatility of LBL NF membranes, demonstrating their potential for precise ion separation through tailored surface charge manipulation.

Fabrication of porcine acellular dermal matrix and oxidized hyaluronic acid conductive composite hydrogels for accelerating skin wound healing under electrical stimulation

Electrical stimulation (ES) of skin wounds can promote cell proliferation, protein synthesis, inflammatory response, and improve neurological function. In this study, the dynamical cross-linked conductive hydrogels have been developed by integration of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) into porcine acellular dermal matrix (PADM) and oxidized hyaluronic acid (OHA) using dopamine-Fe complex (DA@Fe) as cross-linking agent. The as-obtained conductive composite hydrogels have the characteristics of rapid gelation, excellent deformation ability, high water absorption, and suitable degradation rate. Four-point probes resistivity measurement system has been used to test the electrical properties of the as-obtained hydrogels, and showing their conductivity at 0.207–0.322 S/m. In addition, the developed dynamical cross-linked conductive hydrogels exhibit excellent biocompatibility, thereby inducing cells proliferation and migration. In vivo results show that the resultant composite hydrogel can accelerate wound healing with combination of electrical stimulation (ES) by promoting expression of vascular factor (CD31) and decreasing the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α).

A split organic photophotochemical transistor/vision sensing platform based on MNZ composite and ZIF-67/CuCoO nanospheres for ultra-sensitive detection of CEA

In this study, a novel organic photophotochemical transistor (OPECT) biosensing platform was proposed for dual-mode detection of CEA. The dual-mode detecting system is achieved benefit from the exceptional photoelectric performance of MIL-53(Fe) -NH2@ZnIn2S4 (MNZ) and the peroxidase enzyme (POD) activity of ZIF-67/Cu0.76Co2.24O4 (ZIF-67/CuCoO). Ab2- ZIF-67/CuCoO probe was immobilized on a 96-well plate by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, which accelerated the oxidation of 3,3,5,5-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) by hydrogen peroxide and thus successfully realized visual detection of CEA. Additionally, in OPECT biosensing mode, the oxidized form of TMB (oxTMB·) serves as a consumptive agents of the electron donor AA, which cause the photocurrent change of MNZ heterojunction, leading to a decrease in the channel current of poly (ethylenedioxythiophene): poly (styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS) organic transistor. The integration of nanobiocatalysts and the OPECT system demonstrates excellent detection performance for CEA, with a detection limit as low as 3.24 fg mL−1 and expanded their prospective applications for clinical detection of nucleic acids, proteins, and other tumor markers.

PEDOT:PSS Nanoparticle Membranes for Organic Solvent Nanofiltration.

Recycling of valuable solutes and recovery of organic solvents via organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) are important for sustainable development. However, the trade-off between solvent permeability and solute rejection hampers the application of OSN membranes. To address this issue, the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) nanoparticle membrane with hierarchical pores is constructed for OSN via vacuum filtration. The small pores (the free volume of the polymer chain) charge for the solute rejection (high rejection efficiency for low molecule weight solute) and allow solvent passing while the large pores (the void between two PEDOT:PSS nanoparticles) promote the solvent transport. Owing to the lack of connectivity among the large pores, the fabricated PEDOT:PSS nanoparticle membrane enhanced solvent permeance while maintaining a high solute rejection efficiency. The optimized PEDOT:PSS membrane affords a MeOH permeance of 7.2 L m-2 h-1 bar-1 with over 90% rejection of organic dyes, food additives, and photocatalysts. Moreover, the rigidity of PEDOT endows the membrane with distinctive stability under high-pressure conditions. The membrane is used to recycle the valuable catalysts in a methanol solution for 150h, maintaining good separation performance. Considering its high separation performance and stability, the proposed PEDOT:PSS membrane has great potential for industrial applications.

An adhesive, highly stretchable and low-hysteresis alginate-based conductive hydrogel strain sensing system for motion capture

A strain sensor stands as an indispensable tool for capturing intricate motions in various applications, ranging from human motion monitoring to electronic skin and soft robotics. However, existing strain sensors still face difficulties in simultaneously achieving superior sensing performance sufficing for practical applications like high stretchability and low hysteresis, as well as seamless device fabrication like desirable interfacial adhesion and system-level integration. Herein, we develop a highly stretchable and low-hysteresis strain sensor with adhesive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)/polyacrylamide (PAAm)–sodium alginate (SA) composite hydrogel, allowing the successful construction of a wireless motion capture sensing system that can provide precise data collection within a large deformation range. The resultant composite hydrogel displays favorable interfacial adhesion and robust mechanical stability, and the fabricated strain sensor demonstrates a wide working strain range (up to 500%) with high sensitivity (gauge factor = 11) and ultra-low hysteresis (1.52%), outperforming previous PEDOT-based hydrogel strain sensors. Enabled by the intriguing material properties and high sensing performance, we further demonstrate the fabrication and integration of a wireless motion capture sensing system for diverse applications like human motion monitoring, gesture recognition, and interactive communication.

Two-dimensional Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite solar cells with an efficiency exceeding 19 % by inserting a self-assembled monolayer

Two-dimensional Ruddlesden-Popper (2DRP) phase perovskites have excellent long-term environmental and structure stability. However, the efficiency of 2DRP perovskite solar cells (PSCs) still lags seriously behind 3D counterparts due to the large exciton binding energy between the large-volume organic spacer and the inorganic plate compared to their 3D analogs. Here, a thin layer of self-assembled monolayer material (2-(3,6-dibromo-9H-carbazol-9-yl)ethyl)phosphonic acid (2PACz-Br) is employed between poly (3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS) and β-guanidinopropanoic acid (β-GUA)-based perovskite film (β-GUA)2(FA)4Pb5I16 for efficient and stable 2DRP-based PSCs. The 2PACz-Br-based 2DRP perovskite films show superior crystallinity and quality compared with the control perovskite films. The defect density in 2PACz-Br-based perovskite films is reduced, and the non-radiative recombination is further suppressed. The experimental results show that introducing 2PACz-Br can effectively promote the matched energy levels between the perovskite thin film and the charge-carrier transport layer. Benefiting from the conducive collection and transmission of charge carriers, (β-GUA)2(FA)4Pb5I16 (n = 5)-based PSCs can realize an outstanding power conversion efficiency of 19.13 %, much higher than that of devices without 2PACz-Br modification (17.70 %). Moreover, 2PACz-Br-based 2DRP PSCs show better stability than the control devices. Our work paves the way to efficient and stable 2DRP-based PSCs by inserting a multifunctional self-assembled monolayer.

Symmetric and asymmetric ceramic-supported polyelectrolyte multilayer nanofiltration membranes

Polyelectrolyte multilayer based nanofiltration membranes can remove organic micropollutants from water. Such polyelectrolyte multilayer membranes (PEMMs) are often assembled on polymeric supports, but less research focuses on inorganic (ceramic) supports. In this work, we assembled symmetric and asymmetric, coatings of poly(allylamine (PAH) and poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS) on ceramic supports. Symmetric membranes are assembled with the same salt concentration in the coating solution for each layer. Asymmetric membranes use very permeable layers (high salt concentration in coating solution) as base layers and dense top layers with lower permeability (low salt concentration in coating solution) as filtration layers. By reversing the coating order – first salt-free and after that high salt concentration, we obtained reverse asymmetric membranes. They consistently outperformed the symmetric and standard asymmetric design in removing organic micropollutants, reaching an average retention of 85 ± 13 % compared to 77 ± 14 % for the standard asymmetric membranes. We attribute this higher retention to a more efficient pore overcoating for the reverse asymmetric membranes. This work demonstrates that ceramic supports combined with reverse asymmetric PEMMs can be efficiently used for micropollutant removal from water.

Fabrication of Ti3CN quasi-MXene based poly glycidyl methacrylate and poly (3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene): Poly (styrene sulfonate) conducting polymer coated materials for photocatalytic eradicator of organic pollutants

MXene, a two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbide or nitride, has gained significant attention due to its exceptional properties and wide-ranging applications. MXenes exhibit distinctive physical and chemical characteristics, making them suitable for electrocatalysis, supercapacitors, semiconductors, batteries, sensors, biomedicine, water splitting, and photocatalysis. In environmental photocatalysis, efforts have been made to improve conductivity, structural stability, and morphology. This study synthesized a photocatalyst by coating or doping a conducting polymer onto a quasi-MXene (Ti3CN) substrate. Initially, Ti3AlCN was exfoliated using HF to form 2D Ti3CN quasi-MXene, which was then doped with GMA and PEDOT: PSS conducting polymers for photocatalytic dye degradation. The broad heterogeneous interfaces in this network significantly enhance photocatalytic performance and pollutant removal capacity. The Ti3CN@GMA/PEDOT: PSS photocatalyst was characterized through SEM, FTIR, XPS, XRD, BET, and EDX techniques and tested for the degradation of various pollutants in wastewater under visible light. The degradation rates achieved were 94.1 % for Rose Bengal, 91.6 % for Rhodamine B, and 90.6 % for Methylene Blue, with corresponding rate constants of 0.0366 min−1, 0.0400 min−1, and 0.0388 min−1 over 60 min. The photocatalyst demonstrated excellent performance, highlighting several advantages, including low energy consumption, cost-effectiveness, non-toxic properties, and environmental compatibility, making it a promising solution for wastewater treatment applications.