Design of Ti4+-doped Li3V2(PO4)3/C fibers for lithium energy storage

In this work, we propose a facile approach to fabricate Ti⁴⁺-doped Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃/C (abbreviated as C-LVTP) nanofibers using an electrospinning route followed by a high temperature treatment. In this designed nanocomposite, the ultrafine LVTP dots are homogeneously dispersed into one-dimensional carbon nanofibers and the Ti⁴⁺ doping does not destroy the crystal structure of monoclinic Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃. Compared to the undoped Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃/C (abbreviated as C-LVP), the as-fabricated C-LVTP fibers present higher reversible capacity, superior high-rate capability as well as better cyclic property. Especially, the C-LVT_7%P cathode delivers not only high capacities of 187.2 and 160.3 mAh g^?1 at 0.5 and 10 C respectively, but also stable cyclic property with the reversible capacity of 135.8 mAh g^?1 at 20 C following 500-cycle spans. The good battery characteristics of C-LVT_7%P can be mainly ascribed to Ti⁴⁺ doping, which can increase the electrical conductivity and Li⁺ diffusion coefficient.     

Influence of surfactants on rheological behaviors of polyacrylonitrile/dimethyl sulfoxide/silicon blending polymer solutions

KH550, KH560, CTAB, and F127 were adopted to modify silicon (Si) to improve the dispersity and stability of Si in the polyacrylonitrile/dimethyl sulfoxide (PAN/DMSO) polymer solutions. The influence of surfactants on rheological behaviors of PAN/DMSO/Si blending polymer solutions was investigated by an advanced solution and melt rotation rheometer. The homogeneity and stability were also studied. The results showed that the surfactants could change the viscosity dependence of blending polymer solutions on shear rate, temperature and storage time by increase the steric hindrance of Si. Among the four solutions, PAN/DMSO/Si blending polymer solution with F127 exhibited the lowest viscosity, activation energy and the smallest structural viscosity index and exhibited the trend close to the Newtonian fluids. Moreover, PAN/DMSO/Si blending polymer solution with F127 exhibited the best dispersity and stability, indicating its best physical properties and machinability.     

Influence of α′‐/α‐crystal polymorphism on properties of poly(l‐lactic acid)

Poly(l ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) is a biodegradable and biocompatible thermoplastic polyester produced from renewable sources, widely used for biomedical devices, in food packaging and in agriculture. It is a semicrystalline polymer, and as such its properties are strongly affected by the developed semicrystalline morphology. As a function of the crystallization temperature, PLLA can form different crystal modifications, namely α′‐crystals below about 120 °C and α‐crystals at higher temperatures. The α′ modification is therefore of special importance as it may be the preferred polymorph developing at processing‐relevant conditions. It is a metastable modification which typically transforms into the more stable α‐crystals on annealing at elevated temperature. The structure, kinetics of formation and thermodynamics of α′‐ and α‐crystals of PLLA are reviewed in this contribution, together with the effect of α′‐/α‐crystal polymorphism on the properties of PLLA. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry     

Nanotechnology‐based wastewater treatment

Water contamination is a global challenge impacting both the environment and human health with significant economic and social costs. The growing scarcity of usable water resources requires effective treatment of wastewater. In this context, developing cheaper, safer and more efficient wastewater treatment technologies are the need of the hour. One promising approach that several studies have reported success has been the usage of nanomaterials in water and waste water management. The rapid progress of research in nanomaterial sciences has shown their growing potential; however, there has not been a great amount of information available on their implementation. This review focuses on developments in nanotechnology that hold strong potential for wastewater treatment. The review covers key techniques in nanomaterial‐based water treatments including adsorption, filtration and photocatalysis with recent examples showing how to improve their properties and efficiencies according to the need.     

Effects of upholstery materials on the burning behavior of real‐scale residential upholstered furniture mock‐ups

Fire spread and growth on real‐scale four cushion mock‐ups of residential upholstered furniture (RUF) were investigated with the goal of identifying whether changes in five classes of materials (barrier, flexible polyurethane foam, polyester fiber wrap, upholstery fabric, and sewing thread), referred to as factors, resulted in statistically significant changes in burning behavior. A fractional factorial experimental design plus practical considerations yielded a test matrix with 20 material combinations. Experiments were repeated a minimum of two times. Measurements included fire spread rates derived from video recordings and heat release rates (HRRs). A total of 13 experimental parameters (3 based on the videos and 10 on the HRR results), referred to as responses, characterized the measurements. Statistical analyses based on Main Effects Plots (main effects) and Block Plots (main effects and factor interactions) were used. The results showed that three of the factors resulted in statistically significant effects on varying numbers of the 13 responses. The Barrier and Fabric factors had the strongest main effects with roughly comparable magnitudes. Foam was statistically significant for fewer of the responses and its overall strength was weaker than for Barrier and Fabric. No statistically significant main effects were identified for Wrap or Thread. Multiple two‐term interactions between factors were identified as being statistically significant. The Barrier*Fabric interaction resulted in the highest number of and strongest statistically significant effects. The existence of two‐term interactions means that it will be necessary to consider their effects in approaches designed to predict the burning behavior of RUF.     

Thermal desorption and pyrolysis direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry of Nafion membrane

Perfluorosulfonic acid ionomer membranes have been widely used as proton conducting membranes in various electrochemical processes such as polymer electrolyte fuel cells and water electrolysis. While their thermal stability has been studied by thermogravimetry and analysis of low molecular weight products, their decomposition mechanism is little understood. In this study a newly developed methodology of thermal desorption and pyrolysis in combination with direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry is applied for Nafion membrane. An ambient ionization source and a high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometer enabled unambiguous assignment of gaseous products. Thermal decomposition is initiated by side chain detachment above 350°C, which leaves carbonyls on the main chain at the locations of the side chains. Perfluoroalkanes are released above 400°C by main chain scission and their further decomposition products dominate above 500 °C. DFT calculation of reaction energies and barrier heights of model compounds support proposed decomposition reactions.     

Synergistic effect of bulk phase doping and layered-spinel structure formation on improving electrochemical performance of Li-Rich cathode material

In this study, La was doped into the lithium layer of Li-rich cathode material and formed a layered-spinel hetero-structure. The morphology, crystal structure, element valence and kinetics of lithium ion migration were studied by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The La doped lithium-rich cathode material exhibited similar initial discharge capacity of 262.8 mAh g^?1 at 0.1 C compared with the undoped material, but the discharge capacity retention rate can be obviously improved to 90% after 50 cycles at 1.0 C. Besides that, much better rate capability and Li⁺ diffusion coefficient were observed. The results revealed that La doping not only stabilized the material structure and reduced the Li/Ni mixing degree, but also induced the generation of spinel phase to provide three-dimensional diffusion channels for lithium ion migration. Moreover, the porous structure of the doped samples also contributed to the remarkable excellent electrochemical performance. All of these factors combined to significantly improve the electrochemical performance of the material.     

Determination of optical and structural properties of lithium silicate ceramics with different ratios of Sm doped

In this study, the synthesis and luminescence characterization of Samarium (Sm³⁺) doped lithium metasilicate (Li₂SiO₃) phosphor ceramic were investigated. It was presented and discussed the results obtained on the luminescence and other optical studies such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical absorption and luminescence properties of Li₂SiO₃:Sm³⁺ phosphor ceramic. The Li₂SiO₃ compound was shown a characteristic phase in XRD. The doping in the lithium compound was not having a significant effect on the basic crystal structure of the material. The maximum photoluminescence (PL) emission for Sm³⁺ doped Li₂SiO₃ was observed at 554, 583, 641, 725 nm and bore resemblance to the visible region of the spectrum. The glow curves of all synthesized materials have a complex peak structure after being irradiated with a ⁹⁰Sr–⁹⁰Y beta source. In addition, the peak between 400 and 600 nm was seen in the radioluminescence (RL) spectrum because of a wide peak thought to be caused by silicate.     

Structural Aspects of P2-Type Na0.67Mn0.6Ni0.2Li0.2O2 (MNL) Stabilization by Lithium Defects as a Cathode Material for Sodium-Ion Batteries

A known strategy for improving the properties of layered oxide electrodes in sodium-ion batteries is the partial substitution of transition metals by Li. Herein, the role of Li as a defect and its impact on sodium storage in P2-Na_0.67Mn_0.6Ni_0.2Li_0.2O₂ is discussed. In tandem with electrochemical studies, the electronic and atomic structure are studied using solid-state NMR, operando XRD, and density functional theory (DFT). For the as-synthesized material, Li is located in comparable amounts within the sodium and the transition metal oxide (TMO) layers. Desodiation leads to a redistribution of Li ions within the crystal lattice. During charging, Li ions from the Na layer first migrate to the TMO layer before reversing their course at low Na contents. There is little change in the lattice parameters during charging/discharging, indicating stabilization of the P2 structure. This leads to a solid-solution type storage mechanism (sloping voltage profile) and hence excellent cycle life with a capacity of 110 mAh g^-1 after 100 cycles. In contrast, the Li-free compositions Na_0.67Mn_0.6Ni_0.4O₂ and Na_0.67Mn_0.8Ni_0.2O₂ show phase transitions and a stair-case voltage profile. The capacity is found to originate from mainly Ni³⁺/Ni⁴⁺ and O^2-/O^2-δ redox processes by DFT, although a small contribution from Mn⁴⁺/Mn⁵⁺ to the capacity cannot be excluded.     

Current advances concerning the most cited metal ions doped bioceramics and silicate-based bioactive glasses for bone tissue engineering

Studies related to biomaterials that stimulate the repair of living tissue have increased considerably, improving the quality of many people's lives that require surgery due to traumatic accidents, bone diseases, bone defects, and reconstructions. Among these biomaterials, bioceramics and bioactive glasses (BGs) have proved to be suitable for coating materials, cement, scaffolds, and nanoparticles, once they present good biocompatibility and degradability, able to generate osteoconduction on the surrounding tissue. However, the role of biomaterials in hard tissue engineering is not restricted to a structural replacement or for guiding tissue regeneration. Nowadays, it is expected that biomaterials develop a multifunctional role when implanted, orchestrating the process of tissue regeneration and providing to the body the capacity to heal itself. In this way, the incorporation of specific metal ions in bioceramics and BGs structure, including magnesium, silver, strontium, lithium, copper, iron, zinc, cobalt, and manganese are currently receiving enhanced interest as biomaterials for biomedical applications. When an ion is incorporated into the bioceramic structure, a new category of material is created, which has several unique properties that overcome the disadvantages of primitive material and favors its use in different biomedical applications. The doping can enhance handling properties, angiogenic and osteogenic performance, and antimicrobial activity. Therefore, this review aims to summarize the effect of selected metal ion dopants into bioceramics and silicate-based BGs in bone tissue engineering. Furthermore, new applications for doped bioceramics and BGs are highlighted, including cancer treatment and drug delivery.