Preface

Click on the DOI link to access the article (may not be free).Energy and environmental issues are of great concerns for the public and will keep increasing in the next few decades. The demand for clean energy sources in our current society also increases with large-scale economic developments and population growth. It is crucial to build clean energy systems

Strategic synthesis of 2D and 3D conducting polymers and derived nanocomposites

In recent decades, there has been a great deal of interest in conducting polymers due to their broad applications. At the same time, various synthetic techniques have been developed to produce various nanostructures of the conducting polymers with their fascinating properties. However, the tech-niques for the manufacture of 2D nanosheets are either complex or expensive. No comprehensive approach for constructing 2D and 3D materials or their composites has been documented. Herein, a simple and scalable synthetic protocol is reported for the design of 2D, 3D, and related conducting polymer nanocomposites by interface manipulation in a bicontinuous microemulsion system. In this method, diverse bicontinuous thin layers of oil and water are employed to produce 2D nanosheets of conducting polymers. For the fabrica-tion of 3D polypyrrole (PPY) and their composites, specially designed linkers of the monomers are applied to lock the 3D networks of the conducting polymers and their composites. The technique can be extended to the fabrication of most conducting polymer composites, being cost-effective and easily scalable. The optimum electrical conductivity obtained for 2D PPY nanosheets is 219 S cm−1, the highest literature value reported to date to the best of knowledge

Advanced Functional Nanomaterials for Photocatalytic Water Splitting

Through mimicking Nature, unique assembled nanostructures can be designed and fabricated to improve certain properties of materials and device performance for targeted applications. In this presentation, we discuss the synthesis, and characterization of novel bio-inspired and biomimetic functional nanomaterials, and their properties. At the same time, we discuss how to apply them to investigate fundamental science in photocatalytic water splitting via creating their hierarchical nanostructured materials. In brief, this talk will focus on the following topics: (a) synthesis of bio-inspired functional nanomaterials; (b) fabrication of unique nanoarchitectures to better understand fundamental science; and (c) Applying these unique nanomaterials and nanostructures to resolve the scientific problems in Photocatalytic Water Splitting

PHOTOACTIVE NANOMATERIALS

Note: In lieu of an abstract, this is an excerpt from the first page. With the depletion of carbon-based energy resources and the consideration of global warming, renewable energy is considered a promising energy source for future energy [...

Intra- and Interpolyelectrolyte Complexes of Polyampholytes

At present, a large amount of research from experimental and theoretical points of view has been done on interpolyelectrolyte complexes formed by electrostatic attractive forces and/or interpolymer complexes stabilized by hydrogen bonds. By contrast, relatively less attention has been given to polymer–polymer complex formation with synthetic polyampholytes (PA). In this review the complexation of polyampholytes with polyelectrolytes (PE) is considered from theoretical and application points of view. Formation of intra- and interpolyelectrolyte complexes of random, regular, block, dendritic polyampholytes are outlined. A separate subsection is devoted to amphoteric behavior of interpolyelectrolyte complexes. The realization of the so-called “isoelectric effect” for interpolyelectrolyte complexes of water-soluble polyampholytes, amphoteric hydrogels and cryogels with respect to surfactants, dye molecules, polyelectrolytes and proteins is demonstrated

Amphoteric nano-, micro-, and macrogels, membranes, and thin films

This review describes the state-of the-art of nano-, micro- and macrogels, membranes, micro- and nanocapsules, as well as multilayered thin films exhibiting amphoteric character. The synthetic strategies and physicochemical properties of amphoteric materials are outlined in light of the stimuli-responsive behavior and their potential application in nanotechnology, biotechnology and medicine

PHOTOACTIVE TUNGSTEN-OXIDE NANOMATERIALS FOR WATER-SPLITTING

This review focuses on tungsten oxide (WO3) and its nanocomposites as photoactive nanomaterials for photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) applications since it possesses exceptional properties such as photostability, high electron mobility (~12 cm2 V −1 s −1 ) and a long hole-diffusion length (~150 nm). Although WO3 has demonstrated oxygen-evolution capability in PEC, further increase of its PEC efficiency is limited by high recombination rate of photogenerated electron/hole carriers and slow charge transfer at the liquid–solid interface. To further increase the PEC efficiency of the WO3 photocatalyst, designing WO3 nanocomposites via surface–interface engineering and doping would be a great strategy to enhance the PEC performance via improving charge separation. This review starts with the basic principle of water-splitting and physical chemistry properties of WO3, that extends to various strategies to produce binary/ternary nanocomposites for PEC, particulate photocatalysts, Z-schemes and tandem-cell applications. The effect of PEC crystalline structure and nanomorphologies on efficiency are included. For both binary and ternary WO3 nanocomposite systems, the PEC performance under different conditions—including synthesis approaches, various electrolytes, morphologies and applied bias—are summarized. At the end of the review, a conclusion and outlook section concluded the WO3 photocatalyst-based system with an overview of WO3 and their nanocomposites for photocatalytic applications and provided the readers with potential research directions

Introduction to Green Nanostructured Photocatalysts

Recently, because of major concerns regarding fossil fuels, research in modern societies has focused on the utilization of alternative renewable energy sources in order to meet future energy demands. Solar energy is recognized as the primary source of renewable energy due to its year-round availability and its applications in various fields, such as heating, water splitting, and electricity generation using photocatalysts. The major drawbacks of solar energy conversion systems are their lower conversion efficiency, higher manufacturing and replacement costs, and health and environmental impacts of the materials employed. In order to eliminate such obstacles, many studies have focused on the energy and cost efficiency of solar cells (particularly dye-sensitized solar cells and thin-film solar cells), water-splitting devices, and CO2-capturing systems using various photocatalytic green nanomaterials, such as binary and ternary metal oxides, microorganisms (bacteria, algae, and viruses), and other catalysts and cocatalysts. These materials have been extensively studied because of their many advantages: chemical stability, tunable band gap structures, and abundance on Earth. In this book, we discuss the fundamentals of solar energy conversion, green synthesis approaches using these photocatalysts, the natural photosynthetic system, water splitting, CO2 capture, and organic and inorganic contaminant removal processes using photo-active green nanomaterials, as well as the theory behind these processes and standard measurements for comparisons. We also provide an update of recent developments in the field for the benefit of reader

The Addition of Graphene to Polymer Coatings for Improved Weathering

Graphene nanoflakes in different weight percentages were added to polyurethane top coatings, and the coatings were evaluated relative to exposure to two different experimental conditions: one a QUV accelerated weathering cabinet, while the other a corrosion test carried out in a salt spray chamber. After the exposure tests, the surface morphology and chemical structure of the coatings were investigated via atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) imaging. Our results show that the addition of graphene does in fact improve the resistance of the coatings against ultraviolet (UV) degradation and corrosion. It is believed that this process will improve the properties of the polyurethane top coating used in many industries against environmental factors.United States. Dept. of Energy (DE-EE0004167