Advances in organic anode materials for Na-/K-Ion rechargeable batteries

Funding: Faraday Institution (GrantNumber(s): FIRG018).Electrochemical energy storage (EES) devices are gaining ever greater prominence in the quest for global energy security. With increasing applications and widening scope, rechargeable battery technology is gradually finding avenues for more abundant and sustainable systems such as Na‐ion (NIB) and K‐ion batteries (KIB). Development of suitable electrode materials lies at the core of this transition. Organic redox‐active molecules are attractive candidates as negative electrode materials owing to their low redox potentials and the fact that they can be obtained from biomass. Also, the rich structural diversity allows integration into several solid‐state polymeric materials. Research in this domain is increasingly focused on deploying molecular engineering to address specific electrochemical limitations that hamper competition with rival materials. This Minireview aims to summarize the advances in both the electrochemical properties and the materials development of organic anode materials.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Surface functionalized metal-organic frameworks for binding coronavirus proteins

This work was supported by University of St Andrews Restarting Research Funding Scheme (SARRF), funded through the SFC grant reference SFC/AN/08/020 (XRR064) and European Research Council grant ADOR (Advanced Grant 787073). The authors acknowledge the EPSRC Light Element Analysis Facility Grant (EP/T019298/1) and the EPSRC Strategic Equipment Resource Grant (EP/R023751/1).Since the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, a multitude of strategies have been explored for the means of protection and shielding against virus particles: filtration equipment (PPE) has been widely used in daily life. In this work, we explore another approach in the form of deactivating coronavirus particles through selective binding onto the surface of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) to further the fight against the transmission of respiratory viruses. MOFs are attractive materials in this regard, as their rich pore and surface chemistry can easily be modified on demand. The surfaces of three MOFs, UiO-66(Zr), UiO-66-NH2(Zr), and UiO-66-NO2(Zr), have been functionalized with repurposed antiviral agents, namely, folic acid, nystatin, and tenofovir, to enable specific interactions with the external spike protein of the SARS virus. Protein binding studies revealed that this surface modification significantly improved the binding affinity toward glycosylated and non-glycosylated proteins for all three MOFs. Additionally, the pores for the surface-functionalized MOFs can adsorb water, making them suitable for locally dehydrating microbial aerosols. Our findings highlight the immense potential of MOFs in deactivating respiratory coronaviruses to be better equipped to fight future pandemics.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Mechanochemical synthesis of sodium carboxylates as anode materials in sodium ion batteries (dataset)

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Green synthesis of reticular materials

Funding: AVD, ARA and REM thank Faraday Institution for funding (Grant – FIRG018). RE and REM gratefully acknowledge financial support by the European Research Council grant ADOR (Advanced Grant 787073). EL is thankful for funds from the University of the Basque Country (Convocatoria de ayudas a grupos de investigación, GIU21/010). AL gives thanks to the University of Nottingham and gratefully acknowledges the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for funding (Grant number: EP/V055410/1). DNR acknowledges funding by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the Czech Republic through the ERC CZ project L2104.To help ensure a prosperous future on Earth for coming generations, academia and industry need to transform the way they plan and carry out the synthesis of novel materials to make them more environmentally sustainable. In particular the field of reticular materials, i.e., metal- organic frameworks, zeolitic imidazolate frameworks and covalent organic frameworks, has great potential to outperform other materials and revolutionize various fields of applications. This review highlights several key aspects from the choice of their starting materials, solvents and synthetic methodologies that fall under the umbrella of the Green Chemistry principles, and incorporates a Circular Economy perspective by providing relevant strategies such as re-use, regeneration or recycling to maximize the value of the Earth’s available resources. Moreover, it will shed light on the life cycle assessment results of selected reticular materials and consider how constraints imposed by Green Chemistry principles, life cycle assessments metrics and circular patterns will shape the future rational sustainable design and discovery of reticular materials.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Conversion of a microwave synthesized alkali-metal MOF to carbonaceous anode for Li-ion batteries

We thank the EPSRC (EP/K025112/1) and the Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2016-323) for funding.Hierarchical carbon-rich materials have shown immense potential for various electrochemical applications. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are well suited precursors for obtaining such templated carbon matrices. Usually these conversions are carried out by energy intensive processes and lead to presence of toxic transition metal residues. Herein, we demonstrate the green, scalable, microwave-assisted synthesis of a three-dimensional s-block metal based MOF and its efficient transformation into a carbonaceous material. The MOF-derived solid functions as a negative electrode for lithium-ion batteries having moderate low-rate capacities and cycling stability.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Conversion of a microwave synthesized alkali-metal MOF to carbonaceous anode for Li-ion batteries (dataset)

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