Adsorption of Li(I) Ions through New High-Performance Electrospun PAN/Kaolin Nanofibers: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Calculation

Lithium (Li), as a strategic energy source in the 21st century, has a wide range of application prospects. As the demand for lithium resources grows, refining lithium resources becomes increasingly important. A novel method was proposed to directly prepare polyacrylonitrile–LiCl·2Al­(OH)3·nH2O (PAN–Li/Al-LDH) composites from kaolin with simple operation and low cost, showing effective adsorption performance for the removal of Li­(I) from brine in a salt lake. Moreover, several techniques have been applied for characterization, including X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to investigate the adsorption behaviors of PAN–Li/Al-LDHs for Li­(I) in salt-lake brines, indicating that the adsorption equilibrium could reach within 2 h, and the adsorption kinetics for Li­(I) conforms to the pseudo-second-order model. The adsorption isotherms are consistent with those obtained by the Langmuir model, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 5.2 mg/g. The competitive experimental results indicated that PAN–Li/Al-LDHs exhibited specific selectivity for Li­(I) in the mixed solutions of Mg­(II), Na­(I), K­(I), and Ca­(II) with the selectivity coefficients of 9.57, 19.38, 43.40, and 33.05, respectively. Moreover, the PAN–Li/Al-LDHs could be reused 60 times with basically unchanged adsorption capacity, showing excellent stability and regeneration ability. Therefore, PAN–Li/Al-LDHs would have promising industrial application potential for the adsorption and recovery of Li­(I) from salt-lake brines

Synthesis of Ruthenium Dioxide Nanoparticles by a Two-Phase Route and Their Electrochemical Properties

Dissolvable, size- and shape-controlled ruthenium dioxide nanoparticles are successfully achieved through a two-phase route. The influence of reaction time, temperature, and monomer concentration and the nature of capping agents on the morphologies of nanoparticles are studied through transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A possible mechanism for the formation and growth of nanoparticles is also involved. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) confirms the amorphous structure for as-prepared ruthenium dioxide nanoparticles. Samples are immobilized by simple dip-coating on a current collector, and the cyclic voltammetry measurement is utilized to investigate their electrochemical properties. The specific capacitance of one sample can reach as high as 840 F g−1, which reveals the promising application potential to electrochemical capacitors

Highly Luminescent Metal–Organic Frameworks Based on Binary Chromophoric Ligands Derived from Tetraphenylethylene

Two novel zinc-based metal–organic frameworks were constructed by employing tetraphenylethylene-derived tetracarboxylate/octacarboxylate ligands and a tetrapyridine linker, featuring a 3D porous framework. The two compounds display highly emissive green and blue-green luminescence, which may find uses in multichip LEDs

Synthesis and Chemistry of 2-Phosphafurans

Synthesis and Chemistry of 2-Phosphafuran

Synthesis and Chemistry of 2-Phosphafurans

Synthesis and Chemistry of 2-Phosphafuran

Synthesis and Chemistry of 2-Phosphafurans

Synthesis and Chemistry of 2-Phosphafuran

Synthesis and Chemistry of 2-Phosphafurans

Synthesis and Chemistry of 2-Phosphafuran

Synthesis and Chemistry of 2-Phosphafurans

Synthesis and Chemistry of 2-Phosphafuran

DataSheet1_Recovery of Lithium Ions From Salt Lakes Using Nanofibers Containing Zeolite Carriers.PDF

Lithium is a key strategic metal in the 21st century and an important raw material in the new energy sector. With rapid growth of the market demand for lithium, the high-efficient extraction of lithium resources is of important economic significance. Taking zeolite as the carrier and using chemical grafting and electrospinning technologies, a kind of nanofiber containing crown ether (CE) was synthesized to adsorb Li(I) from the salt lake brine. This realizes the selective adsorption of Li(I) while retaining specific vacancies of epoxy groups in CE. The adsorption mechanism of nanofibers containing zeolite carriers and CE for Li(I) was revealed by the use of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and density functional theory (DFT). The results show that after dsp3 hybridization of the outer orbit (2s) of Li(I), outer electrons on the nanofibers containing zeolite carriers and CE mainly migrate to the orbit for coordination with Li(I) thereat, thus realizing the capture of Li(I). The novel adsorbing material can reach adsorption equilibrium within 2.5 h and the adsorption kinetics for Li(I) conforms to the pseudo-second-order model and a maximum adsorption capacity of 8.6 mg/g. It can be found that the correlation coefficient fitted by Langmuir adsorption isotherm model is closer to 1, and the calculated maximum adsorption capacity is closer to the adsorption capacity obtained experimentally, therefore, it can be concluded that the adsorption process is more consistent with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model, and the adsorption process can be regarded as monolayer adsorption. The adsorption capacity remains at 7.8 mg/g after 5 adsorption–desorption cycles, showing favorable stability and a strong ability to be regenerated. The research provides insights into the adsorption and recovery of Li(I) from the salt lake brine.</p

LaCoO_3−δ–CoO–Partially Exfoliated Carbon Nanotube Composites as Efficient Oxygen Reduction Catalysts for Zn–Air Batteries

Zn–air battery with advantages of high capacity, safety, and environmental friendliness is an ideal candidate for the next-generation energy conversion and storage system. Highly efficient oxygen reduction reaction catalysts with low cost play an important role in Zn–air batteries. Herein, a LaCoO3−δ–CoO–partially exfoliated carbon nanotube (CNT) composite (LaCoO3−δ–CoO–CNT) is synthesized through a facile ball milling process. With the help of the sufficient energy input through ball milling, the CNT is partially exfoliated with LaCoO3−δ–CoO. The half-wave potential of LaCoO3−δ–CoO–CNT reaches 0.74 V vs RHE, and its average electron transfer number (n = 3.82) is close to 4. The working voltage of Zn–air battery with LaCoO3−δ–CoO–CNT as cathode catalyst reaches 1.26 V at 5 mA cm–2 and 1.19 V at 20 mA cm–2. In addition, the battery can maintain a stable working voltage during the long-time galvanostatic discharge at different current densities. The enhanced catalytic ability of LaCoO3−δ–CoO–CNT is mainly due to the synergistic effect of LaCoO3−δ and CoO, partially exfoliated CNT, and abundant oxygen vacancies