Electrosynthesis of eco-friendly electrocatalyst based nickel-copper bimetallic nanoparticles supported on poly-phenylenediamine with highest current density and early ethanol oxidation onset potential

Bimetallic catalysts have been investigated as the most efficient materials to accelerate the chemical transformations at the anode in Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells. A comparative study is presented here to synthesize Ni–Cu bimetallic nanoparticles for the ethanol oxidation reaction on three conducting polymers: poly-ortho-phenylenediamine, poly-meta-phenylenediamine, and poly-para-phenylenediamine. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) were used to analyze the modified electrodes. A series of bimetallic Ni–Cu nanoparticles with tunable ratios were successfully synthesized by simply changing the concentrations of Nickel and Copper. It has been confirmed that the best Ni/Cu molar ratio was 25% in the aspect of catalytic performance. The electrocatalyst exhibited an excellent catalytic activity with an anodic current of 70.5 mA cm^?2 at the lowest onset potential of 0.39 V with impressive stability. Ni₄Cu₁/PpPD should be considered as a good alternative to noble metal anode catalyst.     

Nano TiC-Graphene-Cu composites fabrication by a modified ball-milling method followed by reactive sintering: Effects of reinforcements content on microstructure,consolidation, and mechanical properties

A two-step mechanical milling followed by a reactive sintering process was used to synthesize Nano TiC-Graphene-Cu composites from a mixture of Cu, Ti, and Graphene (GN) powders in four different compositions, and effects of reinforcements content on the microstructure and mechanical properties were studied. The results showed that a part of GN reacted with Ti atoms in the matrix, leading to the successful formation of hybrid nanocomposites. Uniform distribution of in-situ TiC with nanometer size and unreacted GN in the nanostructured Cu (Ti) solid solution were obtained. Addition of high percentage of the reinforcements led to an increase in the porosity and microhardness, coarsening of TiC nanoparticles, and decreasing the grain size of the matrix after sintering. The simultaneous presence of GN and TiC nanoparticles in the Cu matrix improved the hardness and wear resistance and reduced the friction coefficient by self-lubricating behavior. The nanocomposite with the nominal composition of Ti-40 vol % TiC showed the highest wear resistance and the lowest friction coefficient.     

S/Se dual-doping promotes the formation of active Ni/Fe oxyhydroxide for oxygen evolution reaction of (sea)water splitting

Surface reconstruction produces metal oxyhydroxide (1OOH) active sites, and promoting surface reconstruction is essential for the design of OER electrocatalysts. In this paper, we reported that a large amount of active NiFeOOH was generated in-situ on the surface of nickel-iron sulfide selenide, thus exposing more active sites and efficiently catalyzing OER. In 1 M KOH solution, NiFeOOH(S,Se) achieves an ultra-low overpotential of 195 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm^?2, and the Tafel slope is only 31.99 mV dec^?1, showing excellent catalytic performance. When the current density is 100  mA cm^?2, the over-potential of NiFeOOH(S,Se) in KOH + seawater solution is 239 mV, which is almost equivalent to 231 mV in KOH solution. The excellent OER stability of the NiFeOOH(S,Se) catalyst in alkaline electrolytes was confirmed, and the overpotential did not change significantly after 4 days of testing in KOH + seawater solution.     

Wavelength-dependent photoactivity of ZnxCd1−xS and ZnCo2O4/ZnxCd1−xS for H2 and H2O2 production

Zinc cadmium sulfide (Zn_xCd_1?xS) is a good photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), but an optimum x (x_m) at which a maximum HER rate is reached varies from one report to another. In this work, we examine the effect of light wavelength, not only for the HER to H₂ in the presence of Na₂S and Na₂SO₃, but also for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) without addition of any sacrifices. For the HER under a 365 and 420 nm LED lamp, the x_m were 0.9 and 0.7, respectively. For the HER under a 330 and 395–515 nm cut-off xenon lamp, the x_m were 0.7 and 0.5, respectively. For the ORR under a 420 nm cut-off halogen lamp, a maximum production of H₂O₂ was observed at x = 0.3. Furthermore, after 4% ZnCo₂O₄ loading, Zn_xCd_1?xS had an increased activity and stability, either for the HER or for the ORR. Through a (photo)electrochemical measurement, it is proposed that the photocatalytic activity of Zn_xCd_1?xS is determined by its light absorptivity and electron reactivity. The improved performance of n-type Zn_xCd_1?xS by p-type ZnCo₂O₄ is due to formation of a p-n junction, promoting the HER (ORR) on Zn_xCd_1?xS, and the sulfide (water) oxidation on ZnCo₂O₄. This work highlights that Zn_xCd_1-xS is a promising photocatalyst for H₂ and H₂O₂ production, respectively.     

Tailoring Cu/Al2O3 catalysts for the catalytic pyrolysis of tomato waste

In this study, pyrolysis of tomato waste has been performed in fixed bed tubular reactor at 500 °C, both in absence and presence of Cu/Al₂O₃ catalyst. The influences of heating rate, catalyst preparation method and catalyst loading on bio-oil yields and properties were examined. According to pyrolysis experiments, the highest bio-oil yield was obtained as 30.31% with a heating rate of 100 °C/min, 5% Cu/Al₂O₃ catalyst loading ratio and co-precipitation method. Results showed that the catalysts have strong positive effect on bio-oil yields. Bio-oil quality obtained from fast catalytic pyrolysis was more favorable than that obtained from non-catalytic and slow catalytic pyrolysis.     

燃油选择性吸附脱硫的多孔材料研究进展

吸附脱硫技术具有操作条件温和、节能、不改变燃油品质和成本低等特点而备受关注。针对噻吩类难脱除硫化物的深度脱除和转化问题，综述了近年来应用多孔吸附材料选择性吸附超深度脱除燃油中噻吩类硫化物的作用机理及最新研究进展。重点分析了分子筛、金属有机骨架、多孔炭材料、复合材料等不同吸附剂的研究现状，并探讨了各种吸附材料的吸附机理、改性方式和优缺点。本文指出分子筛因优异的热稳定性、高比表面积、均一的孔道结构、低成本和易于工业化等特点，是目前最具优势的吸附剂材料。未来研究应着重阐明吸附机理、提高合成便捷性、脱硫性能以及再生能力，更全面系统的研究将为开发具有理想选择性和再生能力的高效吸附剂奠定基础。     

华北地区含硫化氢地下储气库脱硫运行技术

为了进一步推动国内含H_2S地下储气库的优化运行,以华北地区X地下储气库为例,为防止其运行过程中采出的天然气因含H_2S引发的安全问题,提出了有针对性的脱硫运行技术对策。主要包括:井筒抗硫技术、含硫气井井口失控远程点火技术和地面H_2S处理技术。地下选用国产宝钢生产的D114.3 mm BGT1气密封型防硫化氢螺纹油管及耐压强度达34.5 MPa的井下安全阀。对含硫井口配备失控远程点火系统。在地面主要采用"活性炭+脱硫剂"分层装填脱硫塔的方式实现采出混合气体脱硫,并结合储气库井受双向压力及井底热传导效应促进硫溶解。通过摸索并实施一系列针对性的技术对策,X储气库完全自主实现零事故安全运行,为类似地下储气库的建设及运行提供了一定的参考。     

Removal of copper(II) from aqueous solution using chemically modified fruit peels as efficient low-cost biosorbents

Fruit peels, which are common agricultural byproducts, have been extensively used as abandoned or low-cost biosorbents to remove heavy metals. In this study, dragon fruit peel (DFP), rambutan peel (RP), and passion fruit peel (PFP) were used to remove Cu(II) ions from an aqueous solution. Concentrations of the adsorbed metal ions were determined using the atomic absorption spectroscopic method. Adsorption experiments were performed with different adsorbent dosages, pH values, contact times, and initial copper concentrations. The optimum set of conditions for biosorption of Cu(II) ions was found to be an adsorbent dosage of 0.25 g, a contact time of 180 min, an initial concentration of 100 mg/L, a pH value of 4 for RP and PFP, and a pH value of 5 for DFP. The adsorption conformed with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The adsorption data were consistent with the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models, but the best fit was with the Langmuir model. The Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity values of DFP, RP, and PFP were calculated to be 92.593, 192.308, and 121.951 mg/g, respectively. RP showed a higher adsorption capacity of Cu(II) ions than PFP and DFP for all parameters. The results indicate that these biosorbents might be used to effectively adsorb Cu(II) ions from wastewater treatment plants.     

Ultrathin perovskite based solar cells with the efficiency enhanced by charge transfer process

We report a new approach of improving the solar cells efficiency based on ultrathin perovskite films. We propose the addition of CuPc compound to perovskite active layer for enhanced charge generation and transfer process by charge transfer process between CuPc and perovskite. The performance of the devices with and without addition of CuPc was studied in respect to thickness of the active layer. The thickness was varied by the change of the spin coating speed in the range of 4000, 7000 and 10000 rpm, different concentration of CuPc also been studied. The process of charge carrier recombination, crystallinity and Raman characteristics of the obtained films was studied. The perovskite device with an active layer of MAPbI₃ mixed with CuPc spin coated with the speed of 10000 rpm with thickness of about 150 nm demonstrated the efficiency of 12.7%. The ultrathin mixed perovskite film (10000 rpm perovskite film of 15% CuPc) based device presents 33% thickness and 85% efficiency of common pure perovskite device (4000 rpm pure perovskite film).     

Integrated experimental and thermodynamic modeling study of phase equilibria in the ‘CuO0.5’-MgO-SiO2 system in equilibrium with liquid Cu metal for characterizing refractory-slag interactions

An integrated experimental and thermodynamic modeling study of the phase equilibria in the ‘CuO_0.5’-MgO-SiO₂ system in equilibrium with liquid Cu metal has been undertaken to better understand the reactions between MgO-based refractories and liquid slag in copper converting and refining processes. New experimental phase equilibria data at 1250–1680 °C were obtained for this system using a high-temperature equilibration of synthetic mixtures with predetermined compositions in silica ampoules or magnesia crucibles, a rapid quenching technique, and electron probe X-ray microanalysis of the equilibrated phase compositions. The system has been shown to contain primary phase fields of cristobalite (SiO₂), tridymite (SiO₂), pyroxene/protoenstatite (MgSiO₃), olivine/forsterite (Mg₂SiO₄), periclase (MgO), and cuprite (Cu₂O). Three regions of 2-liquid immiscibility were found—two in the high-silica range of compositions above the cristobalite primary phase field (close to ‘CuO_0.5’-SiO₂ and MgO–SiO₂ binaries) and one in the low-SiO₂, high-‘CuO_0.5’ compositional region above the periclase and olivine phase fields. The results obtained in this study indicate that silica in high-copper refining slags likely led to olivine and pyroxene phase formation, increased solubility of MgO in liquid slag, and decline in the performance of MgO-based refractories. New experimental data were used in the development of a thermodynamic database describing this pseudo-ternary system.