Thermal Route Research Articles

Preparation and Characterization of Thermally Conductive High Impact Polystyrene/AlN Composite

In the present work, AlN was modified with vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES), and its effect on the properties of a thermally conductive composite of high impact polystyrene (HIPS), and AlN was investigated. Three composites, HIPS/AlN5, HIPS/AlN9, and HIPS/moAlN9, were prepared by mixing HIPS and AlN in a toluene solution, followed by hot pressing. The HIPS/AlN composite was characterized by tensile test, impact strength, flexural strength, and hardness shore D. The sample HIPS/moAlN9 showed the improvement of these properties compared to that of the HIPS/AlN9 sample. The increment of those mechanical properties was due to the good interaction between the modified AlN and HIPS resin matrix, which was revealed by morphology observation by SEM. Incorporating modified AlN into the HIPS matrix was also found to enhance the thermal conductivity by about 20%, from 0.15 for HIPS to 0.18 (W/m·K) for HIPS/moAlN9. It was explained due to the good adherence of AlN to the HIPS, which provided more thermal conductive routes than HIPS/AlN. This approach provides a possible strategy to prepare thermally conductive HIPS composite, which may be suitable for electronic device that required heat dissipation.

Synergy between palladium single atoms and small nanoparticles co-anchored on carbon atom self-doped graphitic carbon nitride boosting photocatalytic H2 generation

Supramolecule self-assembly of dicyandiamide and uracil followed by thermal polymerization route is designed to prepare carbon atom self-doped g-C3N4 (CCNx), and then wet reduction is applied to fabricate Pd single atoms (Pd1) and nanoparticles (PdNPs) co-anchored CCNx heterojunctions (Pd1+NPs/CCNx). In Pd1+NPs/CCNx structure, interlayer Pd−N4 coordination is the most favorable for chemically stabilizing Pd1, while PdNPs accumulate on the in-plane of CCNx. Pd1+NPs/CCNx heterojunctions exhibit remarkably enhanced photocatalytic H2 evolution reaction (HER) activity, and HER rate and AQY value reach up to 24.1 mmol g−1 h−1 and 17.1% (400 nm) over the optimized Pd1+NPs/CCNx catalyst. Mechanism studies unveil that synergy of as-built interlayer N−Pd−N electron transfer channels at the atomic-scale and surface Mott–Schottky effect of small Pd nanoparticles notably accelerates migration of photogenerated electrons, which leads to plentiful electrons accumulation around Pd single atoms and small nanoparticles to decrease the energy barrier of H* activation and boost HER photodynamics significantly.

Thermochemistry of pyrolyzed rutin and its esters prepared from facile biocatalytic route

Pyrolysis of quercetin-3-O-rutinoside or rutin and its esters were investigated. Purified ester samples were prepared from lipase-catalyzed esterification of the parent flavonoid, i.e., rutin using acyl donors with different carbon chain length. X-ray diffraction revealed the presence of crystalline peaks in the rutin esters. The degradation activation energies (Ea) as a function of conversion degree ? were determined using Kissinger?Akahira?Sunose and Flynn?Wall?Ozawa methods, with corroborative results. Disparity in Ea implies distinct thermal degradation routes. For all studied compounds, degradation is a non-spontaneous process. The presence of acyl moieties and their corresponding carbon chain length in relation to thermodegradation profiles, Ea, entropy (?S) and enthalpy (?H) changes of the pyrolysis are discussed.

Insight into premixed diethoxymethane flames: Laminar burning velocities, temperatures, and emissions behaviour

Diethoxymethane ((CH3CH2O)2CH2, DEM) is a promising carbon-neutral fuel. DEM is a diether or acetal with a molecular structure similar to oxymethylene ethers (CH3O–(CH2O)n–CH3, OMEn). Thus, DEM can be expected to have a similar combustion behavior to OMEs, reducing harmful emissions such as NOx and particulate matter (PM) in internal combustion engines. From both experimental and kinetic modeling, fundamental studies on DEM are scarce in the literature. More studies are required to gain a detailed insight into the oxidation kinetics of DEM. Laminar burning velocity (LBV) is a critical property that allows a detailed assessment of the potential application of DEM in combustion devices. Unfortunately, the literature on the LBV of DEM is limited. Therefore, in this study we have investigated the LBV of DEM using two reactors for the first time, namely a heat flux burner and a combustion chamber. The experimental data is reported for equivalence ratio between 0.7 and 1.7, initial temperatures of 368–423 K, and initial pressure of 1–5 bar. In addition, we developed a detailed kinetic model extending our recent work of Shrestha et al. (Combust. Flame. 246 (2022) 112,426) to characterize the combustion behavior of DEM utilizing the new experimental data from this work and the literature data. Our model performs remarkably well in capturing the newly measured LBV experimental data over various experimental conditions. We found that DEM and dimethoxy methane (DMM) have similar values of LBVs (within ±1.5 cm/s) for a given condition, which indicates that intermediate chemistry governs the flame chemistry. Despite DEM being a larger molecule that is expected to have slightly lower LBVs than DMM, its effect on the measured values of LBVs is negligible. Finally, we experimentally measured NOx formation in DEM flame for the first time. The stochiometric flame has the highest NOx formation. The proposed model predicted the equivalence ratio dependence of NOx nicely. However, it overestimates the NOx formation for stoichiometric DEM/air mixtures by ∼30 %. The model suggests that the thermal NO formation route is favored at lean and stochiometric conditions. In contrast, the prompt NO formation route is enhanced for rich mixtures.

Acid-sensitive photoswitches: towards catalytic on-demand release of stored light energy

Molecular solar thermal energy storage route using teralylenes with pyridine protonatable moieties for on-demand energy release achieved upon protonation with catalytic amounts of acid.

Chemical activation of atom-precise Pd3 nanoclusters on γ-Al2O3 supports for transfer hydrogenation reactions.

Deposition of atom-precise nanoclusters onto solid supports is a promising route to synthesize model heterogeneous catalysts. However, to enhance nanocluster-support interactions, activation of the nanoclusters by removal of surface ligands is necessary. Thermal treatment to remove surface ligands from supported metal nanoclusters can yield highly active heterogeneous catalysts, however, the high temperatures employed can lead to poor control over the final size and speciation of the nanoclusters. As an alternative to high-temperature thermal treatments, chemical activation of [Pd3(μ-Cl)(μ-PPh2)2(PPh3)3]+ (Pd3) nanoclusters on γ-Al2O3 supports under mild reaction conditions has been demonstrated in this work. Hydride-based reducing agents such as NaBH4, LiBH4, and LiAlH4 have been examined for the activation of the Pd3 nanoclusters. The structural evolution and speciation of the nanoclusters after activation have been monitored using a combination of XAS, XPS, STEM-EDX mapping, and solid-state NMR techniques. The results indicate that treatment with borohydride reducing agents successfully removed surface phosphine and chloride ligands, and the extent of size growth of the nanoclusters during activation is directly correlated with the amount of borohydride used. Borate side products remain on the γ-Al2O3 surface after activation; moreover, exposure to high amounts of NaBH4 resulted in the incorporation of B atoms inside the lattice of the activated Pd nanoclusters. LiAlH4 treatment, on the other hand, led to no significant size growth of the nanoclusters and resulted in a mixture of Pd single-atom sites and activated nanoclusters on the γ-Al2O3 surface. Finally, the catalytic potential of the activated nanoclusters has been tested in the transfer hydrogenation of trans-cinnamaldehyde, using sodium formate/formic acid as the hydrogen donor. The catalytic results showed that smaller Pd nanoclusters are much more selective for hydrogenating trans-cinnamaldehyde to hydrocinnamaldehyde, but overall have lower activity compared to larger Pd nanoparticles. Overall, this study showcases chemical activation routes as an alternative to traditional thermal activation routes for activating supported nanoclusters by offering improved speciation and size control.

Phase tuning of a thermal plasma synthesized cobalt oxide catalyst and understanding of its surface modification during the hydrolysis of NaBH4.

NaBH4 is an attractive candidate for closed-loop hydrogen generation in small practical applications owing to its ambient condition hydrogen release mechanism, non-toxic byproduct, ability to regenerate, and stability at ambient conditions. The hydrolysis of NaBH4 requires a catalyst to accelerate the hydrogen generation process and cobalt oxide is one such promising catalyst in this reaction. The surface species and crystalline phases of cobalt oxide catalysts play an important role in determining the hydrogen generation rate and overall hydrolysis process. In this study, cobalt oxide nanoparticles are synthesized by a thermal plasma route. The two crystalline phases, namely c-CoO and Co3O4, are tuned using thermal plasma operating conditions. The catalysts so obtained have been thoroughly characterized using analytical techniques like XRD, XPS, HR-TEM, etc. Furthermore, the catalyst was used for hydrogen production in the hydrolysis process of NaBH4. The ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectra recorded at different stages of the hydrolysis process have been extensively used to understand surface modifications occurring at the surface of the catalyst. The Co+3/Co+2 ratio and attachment of other species during hydrolysis analyzed using XPS are correlated with the overall hydrolysis reaction before and after catalysis. It was concluded that the presence of the c-CoO (i.e. initial Co+2 species presence) phase brings stability to hydrogen production in that cycle.

Influence of Extruder Setup and Process Parameters on the Product Quality of Solid Polymer Electrolytes Using Melt Extrusion

All solid-state batteries (ASSBs) are the next generation battery technology, in which the classical liquid electrolyte is replaced by an ion-conducting solid electrolyte. Materials that are used as solid-state electrolytes are generally divided into three material classes: polymers, oxides and sulphides. Electrolyte materials for ASSBs have been extensively studied regarding their electrochemical performance and their stability towards the electrode materials. Nevertheless, the commercialization of ASSBs is still hindered by the material availability in case of oxide and sulphides and the knowledge of scaled production routes for all kinds of separators. Polymers are readily available on the global market. It is thus possible to focus more on the processing routes of polymer based solid electrolytes. The use of thermoplastics as matrix for solid electrolytes (SE) offers the prospect of facile upscaling of the process from lab-scale to industrial series production by the implementation of a solvent-free thermal extrusion process. A twin-screw extruder offers the possibility of continuously mixing the SE components to produce homogeneous polymer based SEs. With two feeding units, the addition of the components takes place separately. This eliminates the time-consuming premixing step to obtain a homogeneous mixture.Thermoplastic poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) is one of the most investigated materials for polymer based SEs due to its capability to dissolve alkali salts like Lithium(bistrifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI). The thermal process route of PEO and its effect on the polymeric properties are currently under investigation. Previous works from our research group show that the processability of PEO not only depends on the conductive salt (LiTFSI), but also on its molecular weight and applied process parameters. [1] With increasing molecular weight, PEO becomes more sensitive towards thermal and mechanical load that leads to chain scissoring and degradation even at small load. Hence, the use of low molecular weight PEO (Mw= 100.000 g mol-1) is preferable for the dry production of PEO based SEs.The aim of this work is to optimize the extrusion process using a co-rotating twin-screw extruder for the solvent free production of solid PEO/LiTFSI-electrolytes in a molar ratio of 20:1 (EO:Li). Here, we investigate the effects of several extruder set-ups on the mixing behaviour of PEO and LiTFSI. Therefore, type of dosing and screw design are varied. The screw can be designed with conveying, kneading and mixing elements. We compare the dry extrusion of a premixed PEO/LiTFSI (20:1) batch with dry extrusion of PEO/LiTFSI (20:1) using two feeding units, one for each component. Process parameters, such as pressure at the extruder die, actual screw speed, torque and barrel temperature are continuously measured during the production. Process temperature and screw speed are optimized to avoid degradation of PEO. PEO/LiTFSI-electrolytes are produced with a process temperature of 90 °C across the whole extruder barrel and with screw speeds of 5 – 15 rpm. The products are evaluated by their homogeneity and quality of the extruded electrolytes. Optical microscopy is used for macroscopic evaluation and the Li-salt distribution is checked with SEM/EDX. Conductivity and rheology measurements are performed to determine the lithium concentration within the electrolyte and loss of molecular weight, respectively. For the determination of the ionic conductivity, we examine electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The characterization of the extruded electrolytes helps to find optimal process parameters for the production of polymer based SEs.

(Best Presentation Award - 3rd Place) Evaluating the Safety Limits of Soft Shorting in Li-Ion Batteries

This study aims to redefine the safety limitations of lithium dendrite soft shorting in lithium-ion batteries using isothermal microcalorimetry and thermal reduction tests. Lithium dendrites are generally assumed to pose a safety risk by causing fatal short circuits, which can lead to thermal runaway and catastrophic battery failure. This assumption has led to massive amounts of time and capital on dendrite suppression and elimination research.Thermal reduction tests on delithiated lithium cobalt oxide were conducted to determine the absolute temperature at which thermal runaway occurs in one of the most volatile conventional systems. Isothermal microcalorimetry was conducted on the same system to measure the heat generated by the soft short circuit. Our results showed that the absolute temperature generated by the lithium dendrite soft short circuit was significantly less than the onset of thermal runaway via a thermal reduction route. These findings challenge the general assumption that lithium dendrites will directly lead to thermal runaway events in lithium-ion batteries.Our study suggests that while lithium dendritic shorting may pose a safety risk in lithium-ion batteries, it will not directly lead to a catastrophic thermal event. Further research is needed to explore the potential implications of deactivating the metallic lithium in the system via this soft shorting pathway.

Tuning the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion of Transparent Lithium Aluminosilicate Glass-Ceramics by a Two-Stage Heat Treatment

Transparent glass-ceramics with a Li2O–Al2O3–SiO2 (LAS) system have been extensively utilized in optical systems in which thermal stability is of utmost importance. This study is aimed to develop thermal treatment routes that can effectively control the structure of transparent LAS glass-ceramics and tune its thermal expansion coefficient within a wide range for novel applications in photonics and integrated optics. The optimal conditions for the nucleation and crystallization of LAS glass were determined by means of differential scanning calorimetry and a polythermal analysis. XRD, Raman spectroscopy, and TEM microscopy were employed to examine the structural changes which occurred after heat treatments. It was found that the second stage of heat treatment promotes the formation of β-eucryptite-like solid solution nanocrystals, which enables effective control of the coefficient of thermal expansion of glass-ceramics in a wide temperature range of −120 to 500 °C. This work provides novel insights into structural rearrangement scenarios occurring in LAS glass, which are crucial for accurately predicting its crystallization behavior and ultimately achieving transparent glass-ceramics with desirable properties.

Revolutionizing carbon chemistry: Solar-powered C(sp3)-N bond activation and CO2 transformation via newly designed SBE-Y cutting-edge dynamic photocatalyst.

A solvent-free sulfur-bridge-eosin-Y (SBE-Y) polymeric framework photocatalyst was prepared for the first time through an insitu thermal polymerization route using elemental sulfur (S8) as a bridge. The addition of a sulfur bridge to the polymeric framework structure resulted in an allowance of the harvesting range of eosin-Y (E-Y) for solar light. This shows that a wider range of solar light can be used by the bridge material's photocatalytic reactions. In this context, supercharged solar spectrum: enhancing light absorption and hole oxidation with sulfur bridges. This suggests that the excited electrons and holes through solar light can contribute to oxidation-reduction reactions more potently. As a result, the photocatalyst-enzyme attached artificial photosynthesis system developed using SBE-Y as a photocatalyst performs exceptionally well, resulting in high 1,4-NADH regeneration (86.81%), followed by its utilization in the exclusive production of formic acid (210.01 μmol) from CO2 and synthesis of fine chemicals with 99.9% conversion yields. The creation of more effective photocatalytic materials for environmental clean-up and other applications that depend on the solar light-driven absorption spectrum of inorganic and organic molecules could be one of the practical ramifications of this research.

Production and application of activated carbon obtained from the thermochemical degradation of corn cob

The present work aims to perform the thermal degradation of corn cob for the production of activated carbon, which is used in a column adsorption system for the dechlorination of supply water. The biomass under study and the product generated by pyrolysis in a fixed bed reactor were analyzed using classical methods (moisture, volatile materials, ash and fixed carbon, lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose and apparent density) and instrumental methods (thermogravimetry and CNH). In the pyrolysis process, the following parameters were studied: temperature (360 to 640 oC) and heating rate (13 to 27 oC/min). The reaction time was 30 minutes. The dechlorination test using the activated carbon obtained in this research was carried out in an adsorption column in continuous flow at an average flow rate of 6 mL/min. The iodine number of the adsorbent produced in this research was calculated. The results obtained showed that the carbon content (44%) and the lignin content (28%) point to the use of residual biomass studied in this research for the production of activated carbon via the thermal route. The highest activated carbon yield was 71.12% at a temperature of 360 °C with a heating rate of 20 °C/min. While the minimum yield was 21.6% with a temperature of 600 °C and a heating rate of 25 °C/min. The iodine number of the activated carbon produced at 640 oC was 820 mgI2/g. In the adsorption test, the following coefficients from the Thomas model were obtained: kTH = 0.0093 mL/mg.min and qo = 98 mg/g, when a liquid flow equal to 9.9 mL/min was used. The adsorption capacity of coal is related to the flow rate of the dye solution, being noticed that the higher the liquid flow rate in the column, the higher the adsorbate mass transfer coefficient.

Construction of carbon nitride/zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 heterojunctions on carbon fiber cloth as the photocatalyst for various pollutants removal and hydrogen production

With the macroscale and conductive carbon fiber cloth (CFC) as the substrate, the obtained self-supported photocatalysts hold great promise for enhancing the separation of generated carriers and the recyclability of catalysts, thereby improving the photocatalytic performance and practicality in various applications. Additionally, decorating metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with ultrahigh surface area on the surface of effective semiconductors is a promising method to enhance the adsorption capacity and photocatalytic performance. Herein, zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (ZIF-67) as a typical MOFs was applied to modify carbon nitride (C3N4) on the surface of macroscale and conductive CFC. CFC/C3N4/ZIF-67 (4 × 4 cm2) was obtained by a thermal condensation-chemical bath deposition two-step route, and it shows superior adsorption and photocatalytic activity toward bisphenol A (BPA), levofloxacin (LVFX), ciprofloxacin (CIP) and good hydrogen evolution activity. Besides, the recycling test for four cycles indicates the high stability of CFC/C3N4/ZIF-67 with an easy recycling process. In this study, CFC/C3N4/ZIF-67 was prepared through the hydrothermal and chemical bath deposition two-step method, which enhances light absorption and photocatalytic performance, as well as recyclability for solving environmental and energy issues.

Hair relaxation after shaping - A kinetic approach.

Hair fibres have been shaped via either a thermal route or via a chemical route. The time-relaxation transients of the shaped hairs in air, and in water, respectively, were evaluated. The collected data were kinetically modelled in order to reveal information about the rate controlling mechanism of the recovery process. Hair fibres were thermally shaped at different temperatures between heated plates and left to relax in an environment of controlled humidity and temperature. Different hair fibres were chemically shaped and left to relax in water of different controlled temperatures. Relaxation data were used for modelling the kinetics of the recovery processes by using exponential and logarithmic kinetic laws. The fitting of the models to the two sets of data has been checked by using the residual sum of squares for matching the proper model to each set of data. The processes of shaping and recovery were assimilated with a sequence of two successive quasi-chemical reactions, occurring at the used temperatures. Based on chemical and physical assumptions, the two groups of experiments were modelled by two different laws: an exponential law, suggesting a first-order process as the rate-determining step of the relaxation of thermally shaped fibres, and a logarithmic law, suggesting a slow relaxation, based on percolation theory, for the chemically shaped fibres. This allowed use of chemical kinetics tools for calculating the values of the activation energy in each case. The evaluated values of activation energy of the relaxation processes for both thermal and chemical shaping were found to be close to each other, in spite of the different methods of shaping. The kinetic analysis suggests that despite different reaction sequences occurring during the different shaping-relaxation processes, the rate-controlling mechanism that manages the recovery process is the same in all cases; and this process is proposed to be the thiol-disulphide reformation of intra-protein bonds inside hair.

Development of a spherical solar collector with a cylindrical receiver

Solar energy can be used for substitution of the depleting fossil fuels in thermal applications and electricity generation through thermal route. For medium and high temperature applications, a system for collecting solar energy at high temperatures was developed and built in this research work. The system, built at the center of development of renewable energy of the Algiers, consists of a 2=60°C included angle, R0=0.90 m diameter spherical reflector with a cylindrical receiver filled with water, tracking reflector which moves into the focus following the sun's movement. The system is capable of heating water or other fluids to temperatures above 350 °C, thus making it possible to obtain process heat for domestic use and to store solar energy in a compact and economical way. An analysis of the system's optical characteristics was performed to aid in the design of the spherical reflector and cylindrical receiver. The thermal performance of the system was analyzed. The effects of mirror reflection, concentration ratio, heat transfer to the fluid (water), incidence angle, size and form of the cylindrical receiver, environmental conditions (wind, ambient temperature), have been studied by means of thermal model. The performance of the spherical reflector was tested by the temperature of the water. Total efficiencies (solar to thermal) of = 60% - 70% were obtained for a wide range of temperatures up to 350 °C. The results of the present study show that it is possible to use the spherical reflector for systems requiring process heat and make possible substantial utilization of solar energy and considerable savings relative to fossil energy in the sunny countries of the world.

Environmental impacts of graphene at industrial production scale and its application in electric heating technology

Although graphene has shown great promise in various fields with advantageous performance, the potential environmental impacts of the consequent large-scale production and application are of increasing concern. However, most studies have focused on laboratory-scale or hypothetical mass manufacture of graphene. This study evaluates the environmental impacts of graphene at industrial production scale based on actual factory and its application in electric heating technology using the life cycle assessment. Results show that electricity is the hotspot of environmental impacts for graphene and the novel graphene electric heating element, and their impact categories concentrate on global warming potential, fine particulate matter formation potential, human carcinogenic toxicity potential, and human non-carcinogenic toxicity potential. The thermal exfoliation route has significantly superior potential environmental performances than the oxidation–reduction route in industrial production of graphene. The environmental burdens of graphene and its electric heating applicants would further reduce in the future.

Low threshold room-temperature lasing emission from high-crystalline ZnS nanowires and nanobelts

ZnS nanostructures possess exceptional features, making them highly promising as gain media and optical waveguides for nanolasers and optoelectronic devices. These features include low lasing thresholds and effortless fabrication. In this study, we present high-crystalline ZnS nanowires (NWs) and nanobelts (NBs) synthesized by using a thermal evaporation route. The remarkably low lasing thresholds of 45.3–45.5 W/cm2 are achieved at room temperature, marking a two-orders-of-magnitude improvement over reported values for ZnS nanostructures. Comprehensive analysis, incorporating techniques such as x-ray diffraction, Raman spectra, transmission electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and photoluminescence, confirms the great quality of the synthesized nanostructures. The excitonic lasing emissions from ZnS NWs and NBs exhibit small full width at half maximum values of 5.9 and 0.53 nm, respectively. These emissions occur within cavities measuring ∼5.1 to 5.6 μm, with high-quality factors (112.6 for ZnS NWs and 598.6 for ZnS NBs), further highlighting the excellent performance of the materials. Moreover, the gain factors of 17.32–26.63 underscore the significant potential of ZnS NWs and NBs as prime candidates for ultraviolet photonic devices.

The Structural and Optical Properties of Zinc-Oxide Nanomaterials Synthesized via Thermal Decomposition Method

The current study describes a novel, solvent-free, template solid-state synthesis of Zinc Oxide nanoparticles (NPs). The prepared sample was prepared by thermal decomposition route. The prepared sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Rietveld refinement, Field emissionscanningelectronmicroscopy (FESEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and Ultra violet visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). Singlephase crystalline structure of prepared NPs was confirmed using X-ray diffraction and the mean crystallite size of ZnO NPs was about 14nm. Rietveld refinement study,which yielded a good peak fitting between measured and calculated patterns. Chemical composition of the prepared sample was determined using EDX. The size and morphology were evaluated using FESEM which has almost spherical shapein the range of 6-35 nanometres. The optical properties of the as-prepared sample and their bandgap were determined using UV-Vis and it was calculated as 3.19 eV. These findings demonstrated that ethylene glycol (EG) inhibits nanoparticles for coagulate and results in the formation of homogeneous NPs with an optical bandgap of 3.19eV. This study represents an efficient thermal degradation synthesis process for the ZnO NPs with a broad range of potential applications.

Adsorption prospects of ultrafine, cubic 8 mol.% Y2O3‐stabilized ZrO2 nanoparticles

AbstractYttria‐stabilized zirconia (YSZ), although well known for a lot of excellent engineering applications, has limited footprints in the field of adsorption/dye removal. Through this work, we demonstrate the remarkable efficacy (adsorption capacity ∼550 mg/g) of 8 mol.% YSZ nano‐adsorbents for toxic azo‐dye (e.g., Congo red) removal. The consistency of our adsorption experiments was validated with the help of a series of tests, such as regeneration (via thermal and chemical routes), in real‐life river water, with mixed ion solution, and under varied pH (3–11). Noteworthy is also that the commercial trademark composition (with the same dopant concentration) showed little/no adsorption. Our success of the adsorption experiments is credited to the multitude of factors, namely, size refinement ∼6 nm, retainment of phase‐pure cubicity, and enhanced surface area (155 m2/g), which eventually led to the generation of massive oxygen vacancies on our synthesized doped‐zirconia surfaces.

Graphdiyne facilitates photocatalytic CO2 hydrogenation into C2+ hydrocarbons

Graphdiyne (GDY) is firstly introduced to the gaseous photocatalytic CO2 hydrogenation system for C2+ production, in which a GDY-modified In2O3 nanocomposite (denoted as GDY-IO) is fabricated by simple electrostatic attraction and thermal treatment routes. GDY-IO delivers much higher performance for CO2 hydrogenation compared to that of pristine In2O3, reflecting by the significantly improved C1 (CO and CH4) yield and the newly formed C2+ hydrocarbons (C2H4, C2H6, C3H6, and C3H8). The introduction of GDY promotes the transport of photogenerated holes from In2O3 to GDY and suppresses the recombination of photogenerated carriers, thereby gathering abundant electrons to participate in the CO2 hydrogenation reaction. GDY-IO interface may stabilize the key HOCH* intermediate and significantly reduce the kinetics barrier to avail CH* formation, tuning the subsequent hydrogenation and C-C coupling into thermodynamically favorable exothermal processes. This research develops a new avenue for synthesis of high value-added chemical fuels from greenhouse gases by graphdiyne-based photocatalysis.