Silver@mesoporous Anatase TiO2 Core-Shell Nanoparticles and Their Application in Photocatalysis and SERS Sensing

Nanostructured noble metal-semiconductor materials have been attracting increasing attention because of their broad application in the field of environmental remediation, sensing and photocatalysis. In this study, a facile approach for fabricating silver@mesoporousanataseTiO2 (Ag@mTiO2) core-shell nanoparticles employing sol-gel and hydrothermal reaction is demonstrated. The Ag@mTiO2nanoparticles display excellent surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensitivity and they can detect the methylene blue (MB) molecules with the concentration of as low as 10−8 M. They also exhibit outstanding photocatalytic activity compared with mTiO2, due to the efficient separation and recombination restrain of electron–hole pairs under ultraviolet light. The Ag@mTiO2nanoparticles also present good stability and they can achieve recyclable photocatalytic degradation experiments for five times without loss of activity. Subsequently, the nanoparticles with dual functions were successfully used to in situ monitor the photodegradation process of MB aqueous solution. These results, demonstrating the multifunctional Ag@mTiO2 nanoparticles, hold promising applications for simultaneous SERS analysis and the removal of dye pollutants in environmental field.

Facile In Situ Synthesis of Co(OH)2–Ni3S2 Nanowires on Ni Foam for Use in High-Energy-Density Supercapacitors

Ni3S2 nanowires were synthesized in situ using a one-pot hydrothermal reaction on Ni foam (NF) for use in supercapacitors as a positive electrode, and various contents (0.3−0.6 mmol) of Co(OH)2 shells were coated onto the surfaces of the Ni3S2 nanowire cores to improve the electrochemical properties. The Ni3S2 nanowires were uniformly formed on the smooth NF surface, and the Co(OH)2 shell was formed on the Ni3S2 nanowire surface. By direct NF participation as a reactant without adding any other Ni source, Ni3S2 was formed more closely to the NF surface, and the Co(OH)2 shell suppressed the loss of active material during charging–discharging, yielding excellent electrochemical properties. The Co(OH)2–Ni3S2/Ni electrode produced using 0.5 mmol Co(OH)2 (Co0.5–Ni3S2/Ni) exhibited a high specific capacitance of 1837 F g−1 (16.07 F cm−2) at a current density of 5 mA cm−2, and maintained a capacitance of 583 F g−1 (16.07 F cm−2) at a much higher current density of 50 mA cm−2. An asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) with Co(OH)2–Ni3S2 and active carbon displayed a high-power density of 1036 kW kg−1 at an energy density of 43 W h kg−1 with good cycling stability, indicating its suitability for use in energy storage applications. Thus, the newly developed core–shell structure, Co(OH)2–Ni3S2, was shown to be efficient at improving the electrochemical performance.

The Effect of Reactive Electric Field-Assisted Sintering of MoS2/Bi2Te3 Heterostructure on the Phase Integrity of Bi2Te3 Matrix and the Thermoelectric Properties

In this work, a series of Bi2Te3/X mol% MoS2 (X = 0, 25, 50, 75) bulk nanocomposites were prepared by hydrothermal reaction followed by reactive spark plasma sintering (SPS). X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) indicates that the native nanopowders, comprising of Bi2Te3/MoS2 heterostructure, are highly reactive during the electric field-assisted sintering by SPS. The nano-sized MoS2 particles react with the Bi2Te3 plates matrix forming a mixed-anion compound, Bi2Te2S, at the interface between the nanoplates. The transport properties characterizations revealed a significant influence of the nanocomposite structure formation on the native electrical conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity of the initial Bi2Te3 matrix. As a result, enhanced ZT values have been obtained in Bi2Te3/25 mol% MoS2 over the temperature range of 300–475 K induced mainly by a significant increase in the electrical conductivity.

Slippery Surface with Petal-like Structure for Protecting Al Alloy: Anti-corrosion, Anti-fouling and Anti-icing

The harsh working environment affects the performance and usage life of Al and its alloys, thus limiting their application. In recent years, Slippery Liquid-infused Porous Surface (SLIPS) has attracted much attention due to excellent anti-corrosion, anti-fouling and anti-icing properties. This may be an effective way to improve the properties of Al and its alloys. Here, the SLIPS with petal-like structure was constructed on the Al alloy via simple hydrothermal reaction, Stearic Acid (STA) modification and lubricant injection. A variety of droplets (including oil-in-water emulsions) can slide on the SLIPS at a low angle, even the Sliding Angle (SA) of the water droplet is only 3°. Furthermore, the SLIPS exhibits outstanding mechanical and chemical properties. It can maintain fine oil-locking ability under high shearing force and keep slippery stability after immersion in acid/alkaline solutions. In addition, the SLIPS possesses excellent anti-corrosion, anti-fouling and anti-icing properties, which provides a new way to promote the application of Al and its alloys. Therefore, the SLIPS is expected to be an effective way to improve the properties of Al and its alloys, as well as play a role in anti-fouling and self-cleaning in construction, shipbuilding and automotive manufacturing industries, thereby expanding the practical application of Al and its alloys.

Chemical Modification of Chitosan for Removal of Pb(II) Ions from Aqueous Solutions

Biomacromolecule have a significant contribution to the adsorption of metal ions. Moreover, chitosan is one of the most studied biomacromolecule, which has shown a good performance in the field of wastewater treatment. In this context, a new adsorbent of the aminophosphonic modified chitosan-supported Ni(II) ions type was prepared from the naturally biopolymer, chitosan. In the first step, modified chitosan with aminophosphonic acid groups was prepared using the “one-pot” Kabachnik-Fields reaction. It was characterized by different techniques: FTIR, SEM/EDAX, TGA, and 31P-NMR. In the second step, the modified chitosan with aminophosphonic acid was impregnated with Ni(II) ions using the hydrothermal reaction at different values of pH (5, 6 and 7). The physical-chemical characteristics of final products (modified chitosan carrying aminophosphonic groups and Ni(II) ions) were investigated using FTIR, SEM images, EDAX spectra and thermogravimetric analysis. In this work, the most important objective was the investigation of the adsorbent performance of the chitosan modified with aminophosphonic groups and Ni(II) ions in the process of removing Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions by studying the effect of pH, contact time, and Pb(II) ions concentration. For removal of Pb(II) ions from the aqueous solution, the batch adsorption method was used.

Controllable Fabrication of SiC@C-Fe3O4 Hybrids and Their Excellent Electromagnetic Absorption Properties

In this work, a batch of novel ternary hybrids (SiC@C-Fe3O4), characterized by SiC nanowires core, carbon shell, and adhered Fe3O4 nanoparticles were controllably synthesized via surface carbonization of SiCnw followed by hydrothermal reaction. Carbon, which was derived from SiC with nanometer thickness, possesses an amorphous structure, while Fe3O4 nanoparticles are in a crystalline state. Simultaneously, the inducement of Fe3O4 nanoparticles can provide significant magnetic loss, which is well-tuned by changing the molar content of iron precursors (FeCl3·6H2O and FeCl2·4H2O). SiC@C-Fe3O4 hybrids show great electromagnetic absorption performance owing to the synergy effect of dielectric and magnetic losses. The minimum refection loss can reach to −63.71 dB at 11.20 GHz with a thickness of 3.10 mm, while the broad effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) can reach to 7.48 GHz in range of 10.52–18.00 GHz with a thickness of 2.63 mm. Moreover, the EAB can also cover the whole X band and Ku band. The outstanding performance of the obtained material implys that it is a promising candidate as an electromagnetic absorber.

Low Temperature One-Pot Hydrothermal Carbonization of Corn Straw into Hydrochar for Adsorbing Cadmium (II) in Wastewater

Corn straw, a typical agricultural waste, was directly converted into hydrochar with a yield of 77.56% by hydrothermal carbonization at 140–230 °C for 2 h with a solid–liquid ratio of 1:20. The morphology and surface properties were characterized by elemental analysis, specific surface area and pore size analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results showed that with the increase of hydrothermal reaction temperature, some physical and chemical properties such as the increase of hydrocarbon content, crystallinity, and specific surface area of hydrochar changed significantly. A series of chemical reactions such as dehydration, decarboxylation, and aromatization occurred in the hydrothermal carbonization process so that the prepared hydrochar had rich oxygen-containing functional groups (-HO, C-O-C, C=O) and unique porous structure made the hydrochar prepared at 170 °C had the best removal effect on Cd2+ in solution (5.84 mg/g). These specific conditions could remove Cd2+ and greatly improve the adsorption performance. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Freundlich isotherm model could better describe the adsorption behavior of Cd2+. Therefore, corn straw hydrochar as a potential adsorbent for removing Cd2+ from water.

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Biphasic Calcium Phosphate from Cuttlebone Assisted by the Biosurfactant L-rhamnose Monohydrate for Biomedical Materials

The motivation of this research work is to develop novel medical material from cuttlebone (calcium source) by L-rhamnose monohydrate (biosurfactant) for aged people. The process can be synthesized biphasic calcium phosphate which is eco-friendly to environment. One of the most important aspects for this work is to use cuttlebone as a naturally occurring calcium source from a local beach in Thailand. It usually contains 90% calcium carbonate. The objective of this research work is to synthesize the biphasic calcium phosphate by hydrothermal reaction. Critical micelle concentrations (CMCs) of 10, 20, 100, 500 and 1000 of L-rhamnose monohydrate were used to control particle size and shape. XRD revealed a mixture of β-tricalcium phosphate and hydroxyapatite powder. SEM reported that the size of particles can be effectively controlled by the addition of L-rhamnose monohydrate, and with the addition of surfactant, size uniformity was achieved. The cytotoxicity test was reported to be in the range of 70–75%. It was remarkable to note that biphasic calcium phosphate synthesized from cuttlebone with the aid of L-rhamnose monohydrate will be considered an excellent candidate as a scaffold material.

Minimization of Ultra-High Temperature Filtration Loss for Water-Based Drilling Fluid with ß-Cyclodextrin Polymer Microspheres

Due to the rapid degradation of conventional biopolymer or synthetic polymeric additives at high temperature (HT) or ultra-high temperatures (ultra-HT), effective control of water-based drilling fluid filtration in HT or Ultra-HT environment is still a great challenge in drilling operation. β-cyclodextrin polymer microspheres (β-CPMs), generally using for drug release and waste water treatment, are evaluated as environmentally friendly ultra-HT filtration reducer. The impact of the microspheres on water-based drilling fluids’ properties including rheology and filtration prior to and after hot rolling at different temperatures ranging from 120 to 240°C was investigated. The high temperature and high pressure (HTHP) filtration properties of the microspheres compared to several commercial high temperature filtration reducers were conducted according to the API recommended procedures. The filtration controlling mechanism was analyzed from zeta potential measurement, particle size distribution measurement, and scanning electron microscope observation of filter cake. The results indicated that the β-CPMs exhibited peculiar filtration behavior differently from conventional additives. When the hot rolling temperature was below 160℃, β-CPMs performed a 30% filtration reduction at 1 w/v% content in comparison with control sample. Once the hot rolling temperature was above 160℃, the capacity of filtration control was further improved with increasing temperatures. This is contrast with conventional filtration reducers that the filtration control capacity deteriorate with increasing temperatures. The microspheres still exhibited superior filtration control after exposure to 240℃. Furthermore, β-CPMs showed little effect on the drilling fluid's rheology. When the temperature was below 160℃, the filtration reduction was obtained by water absorption and swelling of β-CPMs. When the temperature was above 160℃, hydrothermal reaction occurred for β-CPMs. Numerous micro- and nano-sized carbon spheres formed, which bridge across micro and nanopores within filter cake and reduce the filter cake permeability effectively. When the temperature was higher than 160℃, hydrothermal reaction occurs. Carbon spheres generated by the hydrothermal degradation of the β-CPMs, which are responsible for the effective filtration control. The hydrothermal reaction changes the adverse effect of high temperature into favorable improvement of filtration control, which provides a novel avenue for HT and ultra-HT filtration control. The β-CPMs show potential application in deep well drilling as environmental friendly and high temperature filtration reducers.

Eco Friendly Synthesis of Carbon Dot by Hydrothermal Method for Metal Ions Salt Identification

In this work, we report the synthesis method of carbon quantum dots (CDs) using the one-step method for fast and effective metal ion determination. Ascorbic acid was used as an inexpensive and environmentally friendly precursor. High-pressure and high-temperature reactors were used for this purpose. Microscopic characterization revealed the size of CDs was in the range of 2–6 nm and they had an ordered structure. The photoluminescence properties of the CDs depend on the process temperature, and we obtained the highest PL spectra for 6 h of hydrothermal reaction. The maximum emission spectra depend poorly on synthesis time. Further characterization shows that CDs are a good contender for sensing Fe3+ in aqueous systems and can detect concentrations up to 0.49 ppm. The emission spectra efficiency was enhanced by up to 200% with synthesis time.