Sustainable Materials and Technologies最新文献

Lithium-ion batteries have found widespread applications in automotive, energy storage, and numerous other fields, attributed to their remarkable features such as high energy density, extended cycle life, and the absence of a memory effect. Nevertheless, these batteries are prone to various forms of abuse, including electrical, thermal, and mechanical stress, which can lead to internal short circuits and subsequently thermal runaway. This thermal runaway poses a significant threat to the safe operation of lithium-ion batteries. In this paper, we delve into the working principles of lithium-ion batteries and provide a comprehensive overview of the reaction characteristics of critical components, including the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) film, electrolyte, electrode, and separator, during the thermal runaway process. It is found that the decomposition of SEI film and electrolyte occur at 80 and 100 °C, respectively, among which the chemical reactions between the negative electrode and the electrolyte could occur as well, while the diaphragm starts to undergo melting at 110 °C. It is crucial to highlight that various cathode materials exhibit distinct thermal decomposition temperatures, falling within a range of 150–300 °C. Notably, the melting of the diaphragm constitutes an endothermic reaction, efficiently absorbing a portion of heat, whereas all other reactions observed were exothermic. Furthermore, we conduct a detailed analysis and summary of how battery materials, battery state, external environmental conditions, and the initiating factors of thermal runaway impact voltage, temperature, and the type and concentration of gases produced during this process. Moreover, we summarize the current research efforts aimed at enhancing the safety performance of lithium-ion batteries, focusing on three key areas: thermal runaway prevention, thermal runaway early warning systems, and thermal runaway fire prevention technology. Finally, we identify the shortcomings of current technologies and provide insights into future prospects for addressing these challenges.

Solar-driven antibiotic degradation by semiconductor photocatalysis technique offers a promising route to tackle with the environmental issue we are currently facing. Herein, three kinds of brookite TiO₂, TiO₂-Glycerol (GL)/NaOH (OH⁻), TiO₂-Ethylene glycol (EG)/Ethylenediamine (EDA), and TiO₂- Ethylene glycol (EG)/NaOH (OH⁻), are prepared by changing fabrication approaches from as-prepared two different Ti-polyol precursors. The composition and structure of the above brookite nanocrystals is studied in detail, and the effects of different synthesis methods on their optical properties, surface areas and wettability, and photocatalytic degradation activities are discussed. The photocatalytic ciprofloxacin (CIP) remediation evaluation shows that the TiO₂-EG/EDA enriched amine group confirmed by FTIR and XPS measurements has the highest dark adsorption as well as subsequent photocatalytic degradation activities compare with the other two types of brookite. Subsequently, the unveiling on how the TiO₂-EG/EDA effectively degrades the CIP molecules is achieved. Indeed, on the basis of a series of characterizations, the good CIP adsorption capacity resulted from the weakest hydrophilicity, the largest specific surface area, the unique chemisorption effect by surface amine group, combining with the smallest band gap, the fastest photogenerated charge transport speed, the longest photogenerated electron lifetime and the most active sites, contribute to the rapid degradation of CIP upon the TiO₂-EG/EDA. In addition, the CIP degradation pathway is proposed by HRMS analysis, and the EPI suite program predicts the intermediate molecules have no biotoxicity for the environment. It is expected this work could provide useful reference for highly-efficient photocatalytic antibiotics-degradation in terms of experimental design and materials fabrication.

Nitrocellulose (NC) has important applications in both military and civilian fields. However, due to expiration dates, declining quality, etc., more than 100,000 tons of NC are disposed of per year, mostly by incineration, which is a great waste of resources. In this paper, using NC's characteristics of self-sustaining combustion, high gas yield and no residue, a nitrogen-doped porous hydroxyapatite bioceramic with high carbonate content (NPC-HA) was prepared in situ by a self-propagating sintering method. The C content of NPC-HA reaches 6%, and the N content is 0.34%. After treatment at the optimal temperature of 1000 °C, NPC-HA maintains the basic morphology of hydroxyapatite (HA) needle-like particles. Moreover, these particles are fused, forming a nest-like pore structure that disperses stress, producing a significant increase in compressivestrength. CCK-8 results show that NPC-HA has excellent biocompatibility due to nitrogen doping, high carbonate content and abundant pore structures. The method not only effectively utilizes NC industrial waste but also significantly reduces the sintering temperature of HA ceramics from the usual 1200 °C to 1000 °C. Therefore, it is a green preparation technology for porous HA bioceramics with considerable promise for wide industrial use.

The increasing usage of high-performance equipment necessitates the exploration of new energy storage solutions. Supercapacitors offer significant advantages over secondary batteries, including longer lifespan, faster charge/discharge rates, higher power density, and greater reliability. Three-dimensional porous NiCu(CO₃)(OH)₂ nanowires were directly synthesized on Ni foam using a binder-free hydrothermal method as positive electrodes in high-performance supercapacitors. The unique nanowire structure of NiCu(CO₃)(OH)₂ plays a pivotal role in enhancing electrical performance by providing substantial surface area, improving electrode/electrolyte contact, and shortening ion diffusion paths. The use of Ni- and Cu-based binary transition metal electrodes contributes to high specific capacitance, rapid charge-discharge rates, and excellent cycling stability, collectively resulting in the development of high-capacity supercapacitors. Furthermore, density functional theory calculations were employed to elucidate the electrode formation energy based on the Ni/Cu ratio, assessing the structural stability of electrodes and offering insights for future energy storage device development. The optimized NiCu(CO₃)(OH)₂ nanowire compound exhibited an outstanding maximum specific capacity of 211.1 mAh g⁻¹ at 3 A g⁻¹. Furthermore, an asymmetric supercapacitor was constructed using the NiCu(CO₃)(OH)₂ composite as the positive electrode and graphene as the negative electrode. The resulting asymmetric supercapacitors demonstrate a remarkable energy density of 26.7 W h kg⁻¹ at a power density of 2534 W kg⁻¹, along with exceptional cycling stability, retaining 91.3% of its capacity after 5000 cycles. Consequently, the asymmetric supercapacitors incorporating NiCu(CO₃)(OH)₂ exhibit superior electrical properties compared to most previously reported Ni- and Cu-based asymmetric supercapacitors.

One challenge in reusing uncured composite prepreg waste is the removal of the backing film. Ensuring that no backing film remains during the reuse of composite prepreg material is crucial, as the presence of backing film in the laminate can contaminate the part, leading to defects such as delamination. Manual removal of the backing film from the leftover uncured composite prepreg is a labor-intensive task, and ensuring there is no remaining backing film in the prepreg waste can be challenging. To address these issues, the authors implemented a water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film as the backing material for the prepreg, allowing less labor-intensive removal of the PVA backing film by soaking the prepreg in water before reusing. In this study, 20 μm thick 100% PVA film was utilized as backing material for carbon fiber-reinforced thermoset composite prepreg. The performance of the PVA film as a prepreg backing material was assessed, and the process of removing the backing film was demonstrated. To investigate the impact of the backing film removal process on the mechanical properties of the reused prepreg, tensile and double cantilever beam (DCB) tests were conducted. The results indicated that the PVA backing removal and drying processes did not show any significant influence on the tensile properties and interlaminar strength of the reused composite prepreg. Furthermore, this study demonstrated the recycling of the PVA solution used in the backing removal process to produce new PVA film. The application of PVA as a backing film not only simplified the backing film removal for reused prepreg but also established a sustainable closed-loop recycling system for prepreg backing film.

Silicone-based fouling release coatings (FRCs) have shown great promise as an environmentally friendly antifouling technology, while inferior mechanical properties and insufficient substrate adhesion have hindered their further application. We focused on enhancing the mechanical robustness of silicone-based coating through the synergistic effects of hydrogen bonding, π-π aromatic interaction and covalent bonding. The resulting silicone-based coating displayed a low surface energy of 23 mJ/m² and improved mechanical strength and substrate adhesion, offering values up to 6.4 MPa (9.1 times higher) and 2.87 MPa (25.7 times higher), respectively. Additionally, the modified coating demonstrated a tear strength of 9.8 kN/m and mass loss only about 30 mg after enduring 10,000 wear cycles. Alkoxysilane-functionalized polyethylene glycol and quaternary ammonium salt were grafted into the cross-linking structure to make them anchored to the networks and migrated to the surface layer in seawater without releasing. The coating provided 99.1% antibacterial efficiency and effective antidiatom performance (≤ 11.2 cell/mm²). After a 12-month marine field test, the developed film showed only 20% micro bio-fouling compared to 100% fouling coverage on the PDMS surface. By combining improved mechanical properties with antifouling characteristics, this new multifunctional silicone-based FRC exhibits tremendous potential for sustainable marine antifouling coating application.

The electrodeposited Cu-Cu₂O composite films were investigated in terms of their selectivity, efficiency, and stability in the electrochemical and photoelectrochemical conversion of CO₂ to hydrocarbons. Composite films were deposited at various potentials from an alkaline copper(II) lactate solution. The influence of electrode potential on the structure, morphology, and location of the valence and conduction bands was investigated. Finally, the catalytic activity of the materials was investigated in the dark and under illumination at various potentials in a CO₂-saturated KHCO₃ solution. Gas chromatography analysis indicated that maximum concentrations of CH₄ and C₂H₄ were observed under illumination and amounted to 13.37 and 8.99%, respectively. The highest Faradaic efficiencies for ethylene formation were observed at −0.893 V vs. RHE, while for methane at −0.893 V or 0.993 V, depending on the applied deposition potential. Performed studies indicated that at even relatively low conversion potentials, Cu₂O may not be fully reduced to metallic copper and therefore affects the mechanism and kinetics of electrode reactions. Moreover, reported results indicated possibilities for controlling the selectivity toward the formation of hydrocarbons through proper selection of the composite synthesis conditions and conversion parameters as well.

This paper investigates the impact of incorporating non-functionalised, micro-sized rubber particles derived from end-of-life tyres on the vibration damping and acoustic properties of syntactic foam. To elucidate the effects of rubber particles on the vibration properties of rubberised syntactic foam, a laser Doppler vibrometer was used to evaluate the vibration damping response and natural resonance frequencies. Integrating rubber particles lowered the syntactic foam's natural resonance frequency due to reduced stiffness and increased density. In relation to vibration damping performance, the optimal rubber size was 250–425 μm. The vibration damping performance increased with rubber content due to the viscoelastic properties of the elastomeric fillers. The mode II response revealed a 75% increase in vibration damping ratio upon the integration of 23 vol% of rubber particles. The sound absorption coefficient, measured using an impedance tube, increased with the rubber content. Additionally, the coincidence frequency in SYN(5)-EF(23) was 40% higher than that of the baseline foam. This research expands our understanding of the interplay between the constituents, the vibration damping and acoustic properties of the rubberised foam. These findings offer a pathway to optimising vibration control and acoustic performance using upcycled waste tyre-derived products.

In tandem with the water contamination brought about by emerging pollutants (EPs), bacterial contamination assumes a pivotal role in water pollution dynamics. Developing efficient yet uncomplicated adsorbents is crucial to meet these demands, even though it remains a challenging endeavor. Addressing this, a cost-effective and straightforward strategy has been proposed for creating a copper oxide (CuO) infused cellulose-dominant matrix (referred to as CuO@SBF) derived from Saccharum officinarum bagasse, aimed at effective ciprofloxacin (Cpf), and methylene blue (MB) dye adsorption, alongside exhibiting antibacterial activity. The CuO-infused SB filter exhibited remarkable effectiveness in capturing methylene blue (MB), surpassing the originally anticipated performance with an adsorption capacity of 361 mg/g, alongside exhibiting notable antibacterial efficacy, particularly with an 11 mm zone of inhibition against Bacillus cereus. In contrast, filters without CuO showed no inhibition zones, underscoring the significance of CuO for antibacterial properties. Beyond their primary function, the used CuO@SBF underwent high-temperature carbonization under nitrogen atmosphere, at 800 °C for 3 h for point-of-use energy storage devices. Remarkably, this subsequent application produced noteworthy outcomes, with the devices attaining a significant capacitance of 161 F/g at a current density of 0.3 A/g. This multifaceted application not only strengthens the adsorbents' sustainability and economic feasibility, but also opens up promising avenues for repurposing waste materials within the domain of energy storage. Hence, the dual-functional CuO@SB filter, boasting impressive antibacterial prowess, is poised to emerge as a prospective contender for effective emerging pollutant adsorption. Moreover, its multifaceted attributes suggest promising applications across diverse domains in the times ahead.

Efficient reuse of plastic wastes is turning waste into treasure, and crucial to green and sustainable development. Herein, a flexible strategy was proposed to fabricate the composite of transition metal and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), i.e., polyethylene (PE) assisted CNTs in-situ growth on Fe-Mn-O. Mn-O and Fe-Mn-O was sequentially prepared via the coprecipitation method and impregnation method, and used for CNTs synthesis from PE via the thermo-catalytic process. It was found that PE facilitated CNTs in-situ growth on Fe-Mn-O, and CNTs yield was 456.1 mg/g, which was mostly in a hollow cylindrical structure with a heterogenous metal-particle. Based on the metal yarmulke structure, the in-situ growth of CNTs on Fe-Mn-O seemed to follow the tip growth mode. Compared with Fe-Mn-O, the in-situ growth of CNTs significantly improved the electrochemical and electrocatalytic performance. Fe-Mn-O/CNTs composite exhibited a specific capacitance of 135 F/g at 0.3 A/g in 1 M Na₂SO₄ electrolyte solution and an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) overpotential of 306 mV at 50 mA/cm² in 1 M KOH electrolyte solution, which was 75 F/g higher and 59 mV lower than that of Fe-Mn-O (60 F/g and 365 mV), respectively. It was deduced that the in-situ growth of CNTs effectively reduced the electrochemical impedance and improved the charge transport, and thus promoted the electrochemical and electrocatalytic performance of Fe-Mn-based materials. This work may provide a new direction for the resource of plastic wastes and the preparation of advanced transition metal/CNTs composites in the energy conversion and storage application.