Influence of Glutamic Acid on the Properties of Poly(xylitol glutamate sebacate) Bioelastomer

In order to further improve the biocompatibility of xylitol based poly(xylitol sebacate) (PXS) bioelastomer, a novel kind of amino acid based poly(xylitol glutamate sebacate) (PXGS) has been successfully prepared in this work by melt polycondensation of xylitol, N-Boc glutamic acid and sebacic acid. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results indicated the glass-transition temperatures could be decreased by feeding N-Boc glutamic acid. In comparison to PXS, PXGS exhibited comparable tensile strength and much higher elongation at break at the same ratio of acid/xylitol. The introduction of glutamic acid increased the hydrophilicity and in vitro degradation rate of the bioelastomer. It was found that PXGS exhibited excellent properties, such as tensile properties, biodegradability and hydrophilicity, which could be easily tuned by altering the feeding monomer ratios. The amino groups in the PXGS polyester side chains are readily functionalized, thus the biomelastomers can be considered as potential biomaterials for biomedical application

Developing an Efficient Processing System Treatment for the High Concentration of Eucalyptus Chemical Mechanical Pulp Wastewater

The current wastewater treatment method shows low efficiency in treating wastewater with high concentrations of chemical mechanical pulp (CMP). Therefore, a chlorine dioxide Pretreatment Anaerobic Treatment (DPAT) was developed and applied to treat the CMP wastewater to obtain higher efficiency, obtaining the following results: The biodegradability of CMP wastewater improved after chlorine dioxide pretreatment. The COD of wastewater treated with chlorine dioxide was reduced from 5634 mg/L to 660 mg/L. The removal rate for chemical oxygen demand (COD) was 88.29%, 29.13% higher than the common anaerobic treatment. The reasons for the high efficiency of the DPAT treatment were that chlorine dioxide pretreatment removed the toxic substances in the original wastewater and thereby promoted the proliferation and growth of the anaerobe. The results show that pretreatment with chlorine dioxide can effectively enhance the biodegradability of high-concentration CMP wastewater. Therefore, DPAT treatment of high-concentration CMP wastewater is beneficial to environmental protection

Optical and structure properties of amorphous Ge-Sb-Se films for ultrafast all-optical signal processing

In this paper, we deposited amorphous chalcogenide Ge-Sb-Se films using the RF sputtering method, then measured their optical and structural properties using various diagnosis tools. The linear refractive index and optical band-gap for as-deposited film

An Ultra‐Low Self‐Discharge Aqueous|Organic Membraneless Battery with Minimized Br2 Cross‐Over

Abstract Batteries dissolving active materials in liquids possess safety and size advantages compared to solid‐based batteries, yet the intrinsic liquid properties lead to material cross‐over induced self‐discharge both during cycling and idle when the electrolytes are in contact, thus highly efficient and cost‐effective solutions to minimize cross‐over are in high demand. An ultra‐low self‐discharge aqueous|organic membraneless battery using dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) and tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBABr) added to a zinc bromide (ZnBr2) solution as the electrolyte is demonstrated. The polybromide is confined in the organic phase, and bromine (Br2) diffusion‐induced self‐discharge is minimized. At 90% state of charge (SOC), the membraneless ZnBr2|TBABr (Z|T) battery shows an open circuit voltage (OCV) drop of only 42 mV after 120 days, 152 times longer than the ZnBr2 battery, and superior to 102 previous reports from all types of liquid active material batteries. The 120‐day capacity retention of 95.5% is higher than commercial zinc‐nickel (Zn–Ni) batteries and vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB, electrolytes stored separately) and close to lithium‐ion (Li‐ion) batteries. Z|T achieves >500 cycles (2670 h, 0.5 m electrolyte, 250 folds of membraneless ZnBr2 battery) with ≈100% Coulombic efficiency (CE). The simple and cost‐effective design of Z|T provides a conceptual inspiration to regulate material cross‐over in liquid‐based batteries to realize extended operation

Unleashing the Potential of MXene-Based Flexible Materials for High-Performance Energy Storage Devices

Since the initial discovery of Ti3C2 a decade ago, there has been a significant surge of interest in 2D MXenes and MXene-based composites. This can be attributed to the remarkable intrinsic properties exhibited by MXenes, including metallic conductivity, abundant functional groups, unique layered microstructure, and the ability to control interlayer spacing. These properties contribute to the exceptional electrical and mechanical performance of MXenes, rendering them highly suitable for implementation as candidate materials in flexible and wearable energy storage devices. Recently, a substantial number of novel research has been dedicated to exploring MXene-based flexible materials with diverse functionalities and specifically designed structures, aiming to enhance the efficiency of energy storage systems. In this review, a comprehensive overview of the synthesis and fabrication strategies employed in the development of these diverse MXene-based materials is provided. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis of the energy storage applications exhibited by these innovative flexible materials, encompassing supercapacitors, Li-ion batteries, Li-S batteries, and other potential avenues, is conducted. In addition to presenting the current state of the field, the challenges encountered in the implementation of MXene-based flexible materials are also highlighted and insights are provided into future research directions and prospects.ISSN:2198-384

Unleashing the Potential of MXene‐Based Flexible Materials for High‐Performance Energy Storage Devices

Abstract Since the initial discovery of Ti3C2 a decade ago, there has been a significant surge of interest in 2D MXenes and MXene‐based composites. This can be attributed to the remarkable intrinsic properties exhibited by MXenes, including metallic conductivity, abundant functional groups, unique layered microstructure, and the ability to control interlayer spacing. These properties contribute to the exceptional electrical and mechanical performance of MXenes, rendering them highly suitable for implementation as candidate materials in flexible and wearable energy storage devices. Recently, a substantial number of novel research has been dedicated to exploring MXene‐based flexible materials with diverse functionalities and specifically designed structures, aiming to enhance the efficiency of energy storage systems. In this review, a comprehensive overview of the synthesis and fabrication strategies employed in the development of these diverse MXene‐based materials is provided. Furthermore, an in‐depth analysis of the energy storage applications exhibited by these innovative flexible materials, encompassing supercapacitors, Li‐ion batteries, Li–S batteries, and other potential avenues, is conducted. In addition to presenting the current state of the field, the challenges encountered in the implementation of MXene‐based flexible materials are also highlighted and insights are provided into future research directions and prospects