Controllable Synthesis of Polar Modified Hyper-Cross-Linked Resins and Their Adsorption of 2‑Naphthol and 4‑Hydroxybenzoic Acid from Aqueous Solution

We synthesized a series of polar hyper-cross-linked resins, and the porosity and polarity of these resins were effectively tuned by feeding different amounts of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA). As the feeding amount of GMA increased, the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area, pore volume, micropore area, and micropore volume sharply decreased; the pore size distribution of the resins showed a large population of pores in the microporous region extending to a higher part of the mesoporous region, and the O content increased while the static contact angle lowered. The adsorption experiments indicated that these resins were efficient for adsorption of 2-naphthol and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4-HBA). The adsorption process was very fast, and the kinetic data for the adsorption of 2-naphthol could be well-fitted by a pseudo-second-order rate equation, while those for the adsorption of 4-HBA could be characterized by a pseudo-first-order rate equation

Nanoscale Ultrafine Zinc Metal Anodes for High Stability Aqueous Zinc Ion Batteries

Aqueous Zn batteries (AZBs) are a promising energy storage technology, due to their high theoretical capacity, low redox potential, and safety. However, dendrite growth and parasitic reactions occurring at the surface of metallic Zn result in severe instability. Here we report a new method to achieve ultrafine Zn nanograin anodes by using ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGME) molecules to manipulate zinc nucleation and growth processes. It is demonstrated that EGME complexes with Zn2+ to moderately increase the driving force for nucleation, as well as adsorbs on the Zn surface to prevent H-corrosion and dendritic protuberances by refining the grains. As a result, the nanoscale anode delivers high Coulombic efficiency (ca. 99.5%), long-term cycle life (over 366 days and 8800 cycles), and outstanding compatibility with state-of-the-art cathodes (ZnVO and AC) in full cells. This work offers a new route for interfacial engineering in aqueous metal-ion batteries, with significant implications for the commercial future of AZBs