Superior Surface Area Research Articles

Synthesis and characterization of mesoporous zinc oxide nanoparticles

In this investigation, highly crystalline and mesoporous Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles with the large surface area were synthesized without calcination. Furthermore, the effects of different pH values on structural, physicochemical and textural properties of ZnO nanoparticles were comprehensively investigated. Rietveld refinement implied that the pH variation had significant effects on the crystal structure of ZnO nanoparticles. The phase, molecular and elemental structures confirmed the formation of ZnO as a major phase in all nanopowders. The morphology of ZnO nanoparticles was irregular with an average size of 45 ± 9 nm. Both phase and atomic structures confirmed the polycrystalline arrangement of ZnO nanoparticles. Moreover, isotherms confirmed the mesoporous structure of all ZnO nanoparticles with superior specific surface area and porosity volume. Thus, owing to the concoction of high crystallinity, superior surface area and porosity volume, resultant ZnO nanoparticles can be effectively employed for diverse multifunctional therapeutic applications.

Hollow Carbon Nanoballs on Graphene as Metal‐Free Catalyst for Overall Electrochemical Water Splitting

AbstractA great deal of research effort has been dedicated for designing an efficient bifunctional metal‐free carbon catalyst for electrochemical water splitting, however, it remains challenging to introduce multiactive sites into a single catalyst. Herein, a series of bifunctional catalysts is designed that exploit intramolecular reorientation of nitrogen atom within the hollow nanoball from polyacrylonitrile on graphene through thermal treatment to achieve covalent doping. The as synthesized hollow carbon nanoballs on graphene (HCNB@G) catalysts have huge defective edges and microporous channels and contain a high density of electroactive graphitic‐N and pyridinic‐N as dual‐active sites. As a result, the optimized HCNB@G‐700 enhances electrocatalytic activities for both oxygen evolution and hydrogen evolution reactions (OER and HER) in 1.0 m KOH by generating 217 and 108 mV overpotential to gain a current density of 10 mA cm−2, respectively. This remarkable electrocatalytic activity mainly originates from the appropriate combination of suitable nitrogen active sites and edge defects with microchannels that not only facilitate the penetration of electrolyte but also improve the stability of the HCNB@G. In addition, the superior conductivity and high surface area of HCNB@G boost electrocatalytic activity by supporting efficient charge transport and enabling rapid mass diffusion with gas release, respectively.

Recent Improvement Strategies on Metal-Organic Frameworks as Adsorbent, Catalyst, and Membrane for Wastewater Treatment.

The accumulation of pollutants in water is dangerous for the environment and human lives. Some of them are considered as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that cannot be eliminated from wastewater effluent. Thus, many researchers have devoted their efforts to improving the existing technology or providing an alternative strategy to solve this environmental problem. One of the attractive materials for this purpose are metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) due to their superior high surface area, high porosity, and the tunable features of their structures and function. This review provides an up-to-date and comprehensive description of MOFs and their crucial role as adsorbent, catalyst, and membrane in wastewater treatment. This study also highlighted several strategies to improve their capability to remove pollutants from water effluent.

Immobilization of Camel Liver Catalase on Nanosilver-Coated Cotton Fabric

Nanoparticles have the advantage of a superior surface area to volume ratio, and thus such materials are useful for enzyme immobilization. A silver nanoparticle coated cotton fabric (AgNp-CF) is used to immobilize camel liver catalase in the present work. The effect of loading levels of AgNp inside cotton fabrics on the immobilization of catalase was investigated. The results revealed that a 6 mL loading level of AgNp precursor (silver nitrate, 2 mM) at pH 8 showed the maximum immobilization efficiency (76%). The morphological properties of the cotton fabric (CF), AgNp-CF and AgNp-CF-catalase were characterized by SEM. The reusability of the immobilized enzyme was tested over ten reuses to show a 67% retained function of its initial activity. Compared with the soluble enzyme’s working pH (6.5), a rather broader working pH (6.5–7.0) was observed for the immobilized catalase. Additionally, the optimum working temperature increased from 30 for the soluble enzyme to 40 °C for the immobilized one, indicating thermal stability. The free and immobilized catalase enzyme’s Km values were 22.5 and 25 mM H2O2, respectively, reflecting the enzyme’s effective properties. The inhibitory effect of metal ions on the enzyme activity was higher toward soluble catalase than the immobilized catalase. This work has developed a method for immobilizing catalase to be useful for several applications.

Recent Advancement for the Synthesis of MXene Derivatives and Their Sensing Protocol

AbstractThe highly efficient, 2D material‐based sensing devices are well‐suited with the advanced production technology which provide the data that can be applied effectively for the monitoring of environmental and health‐related problems. Recently, MXenes considered as new blood in the form of 2D transition metal carbides (TMC), transition metal nitride or transition metal carbonitrides that are added first time to 2D nanomaterials family MXene which are compounds obtained as a result of chemical delamination of quaternary or (ternary) layered nitrides or carbides found as an outstanding member of 2D elemental materials. On behalf of rich chemistries and unique morphologies, the MXenes derivatives delivered efficient sensors, energy storage, catalysis, and water purification. The superior volumetric surface area provides improved sensor response and greater optic, electrical, and magnetic characteristics, which are important advantages in biological and biomedical applications over macroscale materials. In this review article, different synthetics strategies of Mxene derivatives are organized and discuss their availability in terms of caste, yield, physical properties, and simplicity. To keep in mind, the facile synthetic approach and stable physical properties, the Ti3C2Tx Mxene is chosen as a model Mxene derivative, and its application in the field of environmental and biological sensors is discussed in detail.

Parental Educational Attainment, the Superior Temporal Cortical Surface Area, and Reading Ability among American Children: A Test of Marginalization-Related Diminished Returns.

Background: Recent studies have shown that parental educational attainment is associated with a larger superior temporal cortical surface area associated with higher reading ability in children. Simultaneously, the marginalization-related diminished returns (MDRs) framework suggests that, due to structural racism and social stratification, returns of parental education are smaller for black and other racial/ethnic minority children compared to their white counterparts. Purpose: This study used a large national sample of 9–10-year-old American children to investigate associations between parental educational attainment, the right and left superior temporal cortical surface area, and reading ability across diverse racial/ethnic groups. Methods: This was a cross-sectional analysis that included 10,817 9–10-year-old children from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Parental educational attainment was treated as a five-level categorical variable. Children’s right and left superior temporal cortical surface area and reading ability were continuous variables. Race/ethnicity was the moderator. To adjust for the nested nature of the ABCD data, mixed-effects regression models were used to test the associations between parental education, superior temporal cortical surface area, and reading ability overall and by race/ethnicity. Results: Overall, high parental educational attainment was associated with greater superior temporal cortical surface area and reading ability in children. In the pooled sample, we found statistically significant interactions between race/ethnicity and parental educational attainment on children’s right and left superior temporal cortical surface area, suggesting that high parental educational attainment has a smaller boosting effect on children’s superior temporal cortical surface area for black than white children. We also found a significant interaction between race and the left superior temporal surface area on reading ability, indicating weaker associations for Alaskan Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AIAN/NHPI) than white children. We also found interactions between race and parental educational attainment on reading ability, indicating more potent effects for black children than white children. Conclusion: While parental educational attainment may improve children’s superior temporal cortical surface area, promoting reading ability, this effect may be unequal across racial/ethnic groups. To minimize the racial/ethnic gap in children’s brain development and school achievement, we need to address societal barriers that diminish parental educational attainment’s marginal returns for middle-class minority families. Social and public policies need to go beyond equal access and address structural and societal barriers that hinder middle-class families of color and their children. Future research should test how racism, social stratification, segregation, and discrimination, which shape the daily lives of non-white individuals, take a toll on children’s brains and academic development.

MXenes and MXene-based Materials for the Removal of Water Pollutants: Challenges and Opportunities

ABSTRACT Two-dimensional MXenes with their attractive applicability and unique properties such as eco-friendly features, large surface area, remarkable chemical stability, high thermal/electrical conductivity, exclusive sorption-reduction capacity, and hydrophilicity can be employed as promising candidates for water treatment; they can be mostly deployed for the elimination of various hazardous pollutants with high sorption selectivity, efficient reduction capability, and suitable degradation potentials. However, several important physicochemical parameters (e.g., pH, temperature, and water quality) can influence the adsorption performance of MXenes. Additionally some important challenging issues regarding the toxicity, degradability, storage, and large scale/commercial production of MXenes are still need to be evaluated. The aggregation of MXenes is also a critical challenge, which can reduce the adsorption activity and surface area of these materials; the surface chemistry of MXenes and related mechanisms of contaminants removal by these materials should be analytically and systematically evaluated. Importantly, the environmental risks of MXene-based structures should also be broadly analyzed. This review delineates the pros and cons and critical issues pertaining to the deployment of MXenes endowed with their superior surface area, high selectivity/sensitivity, recyclability, and attractive mechanical properties for removing hazardous pollutants (e.g., antibiotics, dyes, pesticides, heavy metals, pharmaceutical compounds, and radionuclides) from water and wastewater.

AgCu Bimetallic Electrocatalysts for the Reduction of Biomass-Derived Compounds.

The electrochemical transformation of biomass-derived compounds (e.g., aldehyde electroreduction to alcohols) is gaining increasing interest due to the sustainability of this process that can be exploited to produce value-added products from biowastes and renewable electricity. In this framework, the electrochemical conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF) is studied. Nanostructured Ag deposited on Cu is an active and selective electrocatalyst for the formation of BHMF in basic media. However, this catalyst deserves further research to elucidate the role of the morphology and size of the coated particles in its performance as well as the actual catalyst surface composition and its stability. Herein, Ag is coated on Cu open-cell foams by electrodeposition and galvanic displacement to generate different catalyst morphologies, deepening on the particle growth mechanism, and the samples are compared with bare Ag and Cu foams. The chemical–physical and electrochemical properties of the as-prepared and spent catalysts are correlated to the electroactivity in the HMF conversion and its selectivity toward the formation of BHMF during electroreduction. AgCu bimetallic nanoparticles or dendrites are formed on electrodeposited and displaced catalysts, respectively, whose surface is Cu-enriched along with electrochemical tests. Both types of bimetallic AgCu particles evidence a superior electroactive surface area as well as an enhanced charge and mass transfer in comparison with the bare Ag and Cu foams. These features together with a synergistic role between Ag and Cu superficial active sites could be related to the twofold enhanced selectivity of the Ag/Cu catalysts for the selective conversion of HMF to BHMF, that is, >80% selectivity and ∼ 100% conversion, and BHMF productivity values (0.206 and 0.280 mmol cm–2 h–1) ca. 1.5–3 times higher than those previously reported.

Recent advances in electrochemical enzymatic biosensors based on regular nanostructured materials

Due to the emergence of nanomaterials, enzymatic biosensors have achieved fast and unprecedented development in biomedicine, agriculture, food and other fields. Recently, an increasing number of studies have verified that regular nanostructures enable the effective promotion of enzymatic reactions and electron transfer because of their superior surface area and conductivity. Therefore, nanostructure control of biosensing materials has become a new research hotspot in the past decade. In this review, we will focus on the recent progress of electrochemical enzymatic biosensors based on regular nanostructured materials, especially emphasizing the preparation methods and advances of these regular nanostructures. In addition, we carefully discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these regular nanostructured materials during the enzymatic detection of various analytes in different fields. Finally, we conclude by identifying the main challenges and prospective research directions for regular biosensing nanomaterials, as well as providing suggestions for the development of high-performance biosensors in the future.

Electronic Regulation of Bromophenyl Grafted Metal‐Free Carbon Nitride Catalysts for Enhanced Utilization of H2S

AbstractDeveloping metal‐free heterogeneous catalysts with high efficiency for the elimination of H2S into eco‐friendly products are very important for both fundamental catalytic science and industrial chemistry. Herein, we design a new modified carbon nitride catalyst engrafted with Br‐substituted aromatic heterocycle (CNU−Br) through a simple copolymerization and exfoliation method. CNU−Br exhibits excellent H2S conversion efficiency, high sulfur selectivity, and outstanding stability in the catalytic desulfurization reaction, which is better than most of the reported catalysts. The experiments and theoretical calculations show that the grafting of bromophenyl groups into the fundamental carbon nitride structural network leads to π‐delocalization, surface modification, as well as enhances the basicity of the structural active N sites. The regulation of the H and S affinity of CNU−Br that mediate the facile cleavage of H2S hydrogen‐sulfur bonds and the release of S atoms in thermodynamics. Furthermore, the superior surface area and mass transfer over CNU−Br accelerate the adsorption and oxidation of H2S in kinetics compared with the ordinary carbon nitride.

Anaerobic mixed consortium (AMC) mediated enhanced biosynthesis of silver nano particles (AgNPs) and its application for the removal of phenol

In this research, silver nano particle (AgNP), was synthesized through a novel anaerobic mixed consortium mediation method and applied for the removal of phenol. The best operating conditions for the fabrication of silver nanoparticles were identified through response surface methodology (RSM) and the maximum yield was found to be 2.65 g/100 ml of anaerobic mixed consortium at optimal conditions of pH-8.6, temperature-90 °C, silver nitrate concentration-3 mg/ml and inoculum volume-3 ml. The synthesized nano particle exhibited a maximum phenol removal of 87.65% was achieved at pH:5.8. The synthesized silver nanoparticles were characterized by superior surface area (19.26 m2/g) and the stability was confirmed by thermo gravimetric analysis (upto 500 °C). The surface morphology was well explained using High Resolution Transmission Emission Microscopy (HR-TEM) and Scanning Electron Microscope with EDS (SEM-EDS) techniques. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the changes in crystalline structure due to the adsorption of phenol. Kinetic experiments fitted well with the intra-particle diffusion model. The nature of adsorption of phenol was confirmed as monolayer by the goodness of fit with Langmuir isotherm (R2 > 0.9969).

Accelerated Synthesis of Graphene Oxide from Graphene.

Graphene oxide (GO) is an oxygenated functionalized form of graphene that has received considerable attention because of its unique physical and chemical properties that are suitable for a large number of industrial applications. Herein, GO is rapidly obtained directly from the oxidation of graphene using an environmentally friendly modified Hummers method. As the starting material consists of graphene flakes, intercalant agents are not needed and the oxidation reaction is enhanced, leading to orders of magnitude reduction in the reaction time compared to the conventional methods of graphite oxidation. With a superior surface area, the graphene flakes are quickly and more homogeneously oxidized since the flakes are exposed at the same extension to the chemical agents, excluding the necessity of sonication to separate the stacked layers of graphite. This strategy shows an alternative approach to quickly producing GO with different degrees of oxidation that can be potentially used in distinct areas ranging from biomedical to energy storage applications.

Linking Cortical Morphology to Interindividual Variability in Auditory Feedback Control of Vocal Production.

Speakers regulate vocal motor behaviors in a compensatory manner when perceiving errors in auditory feedback. Little is known, however, about the source of interindividual variability that exists in the degree to which speakers compensate for perceived errors. The present study included 40 young adults to investigate whether individual differences in auditory integration for vocal pitch regulation, as indexed by vocal compensations for pitch perturbations in auditory feedback, can be predicted by cortical morphology as assessed by gray-matter volume, cortical thickness, and surface area in a whole-brain manner. The results showed that greater gray-matter volume in the left inferior parietal lobule and greater cortical thickness and surface area in the left superior/middle temporal gyrus, temporal pole, inferior/superior parietal lobule, and precuneus predicted larger vocal responses. Greater cortical thickness in the right inferior frontal gyrus and superior parietal lobule and surface area in the left precuneus and cuneus were significantly correlated with smaller magnitudes of vocal responses. These findings provide the first evidence that vocal compensations for feedback errors are predicted by the structural morphology of the frontal and tempo-parietal regions, and further our understanding of the neural basis that underlies interindividual variability in auditory-motor control of vocal production.

Moderating cellular inflammation using 2-dimensional titanium carbide MXene and graphene variants.

The effective control of microbial and metabolically derived biological toxins which negatively impact physical health remains a key challenge for the 21st century. 2-Dimensional graphene and MXene nanomaterials are relatively new additions to the field of biomedical materials with superior external surface areas suited to adsorptive remediation of biological toxins. However, relatively little is known about their physiological interactions with biological systems and, to date, no comparative biological studies have been done. This study compares titanium carbide MXene (Ti3C2Tx) in multilayered and delaminated forms with graphene variants to assess the impact of variable physical properties on cellular inflammatory response to endotoxin stimulus. No significant impact on cell metabolism or induction of inflammatory pathways leading to cell death was observed. No significant increase in markers of blood cell activation and haemolysis occurred. Whilst graphene nanoplatelets (GNP), graphene oxide (GO) and Ti3C2Tx showed insignificant antibacterial activity towards Escherichia coli, silver nanoparticle-modified GO (GO-Ag) induced bacterial cell death and at a lower dose than silver nanoparticles. All nanomaterials significantly reduced bacterial endotoxin induced THP-1 monocyte IL-8, IL-6 and TNF-α cytokine production by >99%, >99% and >80% respectively, compared to control groups. This study suggests the utility of these nanomaterials as adsorbents in blood contacting medical device applications for removal of inflammatory cytokines linked to poor outcome in patients with life-threatening infection.

Activity enhancement of acetate precursor prepared on MnOx-CeO2 catalyst for low-temperature NH3-SCR: Effect of gaseous acetone addition

MnOx-CeO2 catalysts are developed by hydrolysis driving redox method using acetate precursor (3Mn1Ce-Ac) and nitrate precursor (3Mn1Ce-N) for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx by NH3. A counterpart sample (Cop-3Mn1Ce) was prepared by the NH3·H2O co-precipitation method for comparison purpose. Combining the results of physicochemical properties characterization and performance test, we find that the 3Mn1Ce-Ac catalyst with some nanorod structures is highly active for the deNOx process. The SCR activity of the 3Mn1Ce-Ac catalyst is more admirable than the 3Mn1Ce-N and the Cop-3Mn1Ce catalysts due to plentiful Lewis acid sites, excellent low-temperature reducibility, and superior surface area resulted from O2 generation during the preparation procedure. The 3Mn1Ce-Ac still exhibits the greatest performance for the deNOx process when gaseous acetone is in the SCR feed gas. The NOx conversion and N2 selectivity over the 3Mn1Ce-Ac are both improved by gaseous acetone above 150 °C due to the inhibition of SCR undesired side reactions (NSCR & C-O reactions) and “slow-SCR” process.

Adsorption Kinetic and Isothermal Studies of 2,4-Dichlorophenol from Aqueous Solutions with Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 (ZIF-8)

It has been observed that 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) possesses great environmental concern for its high ecotoxicity and ubiquitousness. Adsorption is one of the simplest methods to remove the 2,4-DCP from the aqueous solutions. We conducted the synthesis of zeolite imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) via a classic and facile approach as an adsorbent to remove the 2,4-DCP, while considering the superior stability and high surface area of ZIF material. The synthesized ZIF-8 material was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, field emission-scanning electron microscope, thermal gravimetric analyses, derivative thermogravimetry, and N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms. The optimal pH conditions, adsorption kinetics, and adsorption isotherms were determined via batch adsorption equilibrium experiments. The results showed that the difference of adsorption capacity under different pH conditions could be explained via the electrostatic interaction and electrostatic repulsion between ZIF-8 and 2,4-DCP, and the optimal adsorption condition was obtained in the solution with pH 9. In addition, the Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order equation could best describe the adsorption isotherm and kinetic data, respectively. The maximum adsorption capacity was 107.07 mg/g with 50 mg/L of 2,4-DCP initial concentration at 323 K, which was comparable to some previous work. In short, it is a promising method to remove 2,4-DCP with ZIF-8 from aqueous solutions.

Design and fabrication of NaFePO4/MWCNTs hybrid electrode material for sodium-ion battery

Watery rechargeable sodium-ion batteries are alluring as elective materials to replace conventional lithium-ion batteries for the improvement of next-generation devices due to the abundance of sodium assets. Hence, we report the NaFePO4/MWCNT hybrid nanocomposite for high-performance cathode material for sodium-ion batteries synthesized by a facile hydrothermal route. The structural and morphological information of the products was identified through XRD, Raman and FESEM studies. The results suggest that orthorhombic crystalline structure with Pnma space group and the disk-like NaFePO4 was consistently wrapped on the MWCNT. Furthermore, the NaFePO4 wrapped MWCNT hybrid anode electrode show superior surface area (78 m2/g) and pore size (12.74 nm) than bare NaFePO4 (78 m2/g; 43.44 nm). The electrochemical results divulge that the hybrid electrode showed outstanding stability and high specific capacitance. NaFePO4/MWCNT hybrid electrode reached discharge capacity of 90 mAhg−1 at corresponding current density of 0.1 C. Still it has maintain as 98% of retention after the 100th cycles test. The EIS further hold high electrochemical nature of the NaFePO4/MWCNT composite electrode than pristine NaFePO4.

Facile synthesis of RGO-Fe2O3 nanocomposite: A novel catalyzing agent for composite propellants

Whereas ferric oxide particles are common catalyst for energetic oxidizers such as ammonium perchlorate (APC), reduced graphene oxide (RGO) with superior thermal conductivity as well as high interfacial surface area could be candidate substrate for advanced catalytic systems. This study reports on the facile synthesis of RGO-Fe2O3 nanocomposite as a novel catalyzing agent for APC oxidizer. GO was developed via oxidation of graphite using Hummer’s method, while RGO was developed via GO reduction with hydrazine hydrate. RGO-Fe2O3 nanocomposite was developed via direct precipitation method. Morphological characterization of RGO-Fe2O3 nanocomposite demonstrated the formation of hematite RGO-Fe2O3 nanocomposite in the form of rod-shaped crystals with average crystallite size 30 nm. The synthesized RGO-Fe2O3 nanocomposite was effectively-encapsulated into APC particles via co-precipitation technique. The catalytic performance of RGO-Fe2O3 nanocomposite on APC thermal behavior was evaluated using DSC and TGA. RGO-Fe2O3 nanocomposite demonstrated superior catalytic performance; APC initial endothermic decomposition was decreased by 16% which could be ascribed to enhance the thermal conductivity and catalytic efficiency of the developed hybrid. APC total heat release was enhanced by 83%; this could be ascribed to superior interfacial surface area. Gaseous products could be efficiently-adsorbed on the catalyst surface offering high combustion enthalpy.

Adsorption of ibuprofen, ketoprofen, and paracetamol onto activated carbon prepared from effluent treatment plant sludge of the beverage industry

The presence of emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals in aquatic means presents as a serious threat, since their real consequences for the environment and human health are not well known. Therefore, this work consisted of preparing and characterize sludge-derived activated carbons (beverage sludge activated carbon - BSAC and acid-treated beverage sludge activated carbon - ABSAC) to investigate their use in the pharmaceuticals adsorption in aqueous media. The morphology study has demonstrated that ABSAC, unlike BSAC, exhibited an abundant porous structure, with smaller particles and bigger roughness. Adsorption results indicated that the ABSAC was more effective that BSAC, since it presented superior surface area (642m2g-1) and total pore volume (0.485cm3g-1) values. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model was more suitable to predict experimental data. Sips model best described the equilibrium data, with maximum adsorption capacities of 145, 105, and 57mgg-1 for paracetamol, ibuprofen, and ketoprofen, respectively. Besides, the sludge-derived adsorbent was highly efficient in the treatment of a simulated drug effluent, removing 85.16% of the pharmaceutical compounds. Therefore, the material prepared in this work possesses intrinsic characteristics that make it a remarkable adsorbent to be applied in the treatment of pharmaceutical contaminants contained in industrial wastewater.

Down-sizing the crystal size of ZK-5 zeolite for its enhanced CH4 adsorption and CH4/N2 separation performances

Down-sizing zeolite crystals to achieve enhanced gas adsorption and separation performances is largely unexplored and underestimated. Nano-sized zeolite can expose more adsorption sites and shorten the diffusion path compared to micro-sized counterparts; however, the synthesis of Nano-sized zeolite is still very challenging. Herein, nano-sized ZK-5 is successfully prepared for the first time via the regulation effects of β-cyclodextrin. The crystal size of ZK-5 can be reduced from micron-size (3 μm) to nano-size (50–100 nm), thus the nano-ZK-5 exhibits a superior surface area (370 cm2 g−1) and pore volume (0.22 cm3 g−1) than the micron-sized sample (149 cm2 g−1 and 0.07 cm3 g−1), which may be due to the reduction in crystal size, which in turn leads to more micropores being detected. The CH4 adsorption capacity on nano-sized sample increased by 64% compared to that of micron-sized ZK-5. Notably, the record-high CH4 adsorption capacity of 1.34 mmol g−1 at 298 K is obtained on the nano-ZK-5 among the commercial zeolites. The equilibrium adsorption selectivity of CH4/N2 (20/80, v/v) mixed gas is as high as 4.2 (IAST method) at 1 bar and 298 K. The adsorption kinetics experiments have illustrated the boosted gas diffusion and mass transfer rate. Furthermore, the breakthrough experiments have confirmed the practical feasibility of separating various gas-mixtures, such as CH4/N2 (20/80, v/v).