5. In Situ Polymerization 3907 5.1. General Polymerization 3907 5.2. Photopolymerization 3910 5.3. Surface-Initiated Polymerization 3912 5.4. Other Methods 3913 6. Colloidal Nanocomposites 3913 6.1. Sol-Gel Process 3914 6.2. In Situ Polymerization 3916 6.2.1. Emulsion Polymerization 3917 6.2.2. Emulsifier-Free Emulsion Polymerization 3919 6.2.3. Miniemulsion Polymerization 3920 6.2.4. Dispersion Polymerization 3921 6.2.5. Other Polymerization Methods 3923 6.2.6. Conducting Nanocomposites 3924 6.3. Self Assembly 3926 7. Other Preparative Methods 3926 8. Characterization and Properties 3928 8.1. Chemical Structure 3928 8.2. Microstructure and Morphology 3929 8.3. Mechanical Properties 3933 8.3.1. Tensile, Impact, and Flexural Properties 3933 8.3.2. Hardness 3936 8.3.3. Fracture Toughness 3937 8.3.4. Friction and Wear Properties 3937 8.4. Thermal Properties 3938 8.5. Flame-Retardant Properties 3941 8.6. Optical Properties 3942 8.7. Gas Transport Properties 3943 8.8. Rheological Properties 3945 8.9. Electrical Properties 3945 8.10. Other Characterization Techniques 3946 9. Applications 3947 9.1. Coatings 3947 9.2. Proton Exchange Membranes 3948 9.3. Pervaporation Membranes 3948 9.4. Encapsulation of Organic Light-Emitting Devices 3948

Polymer/Silica Nanocomposites: Preparation, Characterization, Properties, and Applications

A review on novel processes of biodiesel production from waste cooking oil

A review on feedstocks, production processes, and yield for different generations of biodiesel

The over-exploitation of non-renewable resources leads to the depletion of energy reserves, as well as a rise in the price of petroleum-based fuels. Thus, there is a need to find suitable and sustainable substitutes for conventional fuels. The main features required for an alternative fuel are availability and renewability, or lower dependence on restricted resources accompanied with no or lower pollution. Due to their eco-friendly and non-toxic nature, biodiesel has been attracting increasing interest. Biodiesel production can be accomplished using various raw materials, catalysts, and technologies. In recent years, nanocatalyst technology has been widely used for biodiesel production due to its numerous advantages, such as large surface area, reusability and high activity of the nanocatalyst. This review provides an overview of biodiesel production with a description of various kinds of feedstock used, their advantages and disadvantages. Further, it offers a detailed description of different classes of biodiesel, including a characterization, assessment of qualities and limitations, and quality analysis of each type. Various methodologies used for biodiesel production are also elucidated, focusing on the potential of nanocatalyst processes. The aspect of nanocatalyst regeneration and reuse is also considered. This review delivers a comprehensive overview of biodiesel synthesis by discussing recent trends and challenges in this field, which will further the development of economically sustainable biodiesel production.

Recent advancement in biodiesel production methodologies using various feedstock: A review

One of the great technological challenges in 21st century is the development of renewable energy technologies due to serious problems related with the production and use of energy. A new promising area of research grows rapidly which is called Nanotechnologies are considered nowadays one of the most recommended choices to solve this problem. This review aims to introduce several significant applications of nanotechnology in renewable energy systems. Papers reviewed including theoretical and experimental works related with nanotechnology applications in solar, hydrogen, wind, biomass, geothermal and tidal energies. A lot of literature are reviewed and summarized carefully in a useful tables to give a panoramic overview about the role of nanotechnology in improving the various sources of renewable energies. We think that this paper can be considered as an important bridge between nanotechnology and all available kinds of renewable energies. From the other side, further researches are required to study the effect of nanotechnology to enhance the renewable energy industry especially in geothermal, wind and tidal energies, since the available papers in these fields are limited.

Applications of nanotechnology in renewable energies—A comprehensive overview and understanding

Biodiesel production from mixed soybean oil and rapeseed oil

UV-curable waterborne polyurethane-acrylate: preparation, characterization and properties

Heterogeneous solid base nanocatalyst: Preparation, characterization and application in biodiesel production

A solid base catalyst was prepared by neodymium oxide loaded with potassium hydroxide and investigated for transesterification of soybean oil with methanol to biodiesel. After loading KOH of 30 wt.% on neodymium oxide followed by calcination at 600 °C, the catalyst gave the highest basicity and the best catalytic activity for this reaction. The obtained catalyst was characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), N 2 adsorption–desorption measurements and the Hammett indicator method. The catalyst has longer lifetime and maintained sustained activity after being used for five times, and were noncorrosive and environmentally benign. The separate effects of the molar ratio of methanol to oil, reaction temperature, mass ratio of catalyst to oil and reaction time were investigated. The experimental results showed that a 14:1 M ratio of methanol to oil, addition of 6.0% catalyst, 60 °C reaction temperature and 1.5 h reaction time gave the best results and the biodiesel yield of 92.41% was achieved. The properties of obtained biodiesel are close to commercial diesel fuel and is rated as a realistic fuel as an alternative to diesel.

Fengxian Qiu

Papers

Biodiesel production from mixed soybean oil and rapeseed oil

UV-curable waterborne polyurethane-acrylate: preparation, characterization and properties

Heterogeneous solid base nanocatalyst: Preparation, characterization and application in biodiesel production

Preparation, characterization and application of heterogeneous solid base catalyst for biodiesel production from soybean oil.

Synthesis and properties of polymer containing azo-dye chromophores for nonlinear optical applications