ZnO tetrapod materials for functional applications

Introduction Lithium-sulfur batteries are considered as a promising candidate for next-generation secondary batteries because of their high theoretical capacit y, safe operating voltage (2.15 V vs. Li/Li ), and low cost. Nevertheless, lithium-sulfur batteries suffer from capacity fading, which limits their widespread application, due to the insulating nature of sulfur and its reduced pro ducts and the dissolution of intermediate lithium polysul fides. To address these problems, carbon-based materials have been integrated with sulfur to enhance the conductivity and inhibit the polysulfide dissolutio n. Recently, graphene, a single-atom-thick carbon mate rial with superior electrical conductivity and mechanica l flexibility, has been successfully applied in lithi um-sulfur batteries. While graphene-sulfur composite cathodes  demonstrate promising electrochemical performance, their synthesis is usually complicated and challeng ing for large-scale application. On the other hand, the sol utionbased synthesis without heat treatment produces lar ge crystalline sulfur particles, resulting in low util ization of active materials and poor rate performance. Herein, we report hydroxylated graphene nanosheets as a substr ate to produce graphene-amorphous sulfur nanocomposites, exhibiting superior cyclability at high rates, by a facile in situ deposition method at room temperature.

Hydroxylated Graphene-Sulfur Nanocomposites for High-Rate Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Properties and characterization of bionanocomposite films prepared with various biopolymers and ZnO nanoparticles

Preparation, characterization, and antimicrobial activity of gelatin/ZnO nanocomposite films

Building Information Modeling (BIM) for transportation infrastructure – Literature review, applications, challenges, and recommendations

Preparation and characterization of UV-cured polyurethane acrylate/ZnO nanocomposite films based on surface modified ZnO

High temperature anhydrous proton exchange membranes based on chemically-functionalized titanium/polybenzimidazole composites for fuel cells

In this work, Al–Si was synthesized via a sol–gel process and introduced in poly 2,2′-m-(phenylene)-5,5′-bibenzimidazole (PBI). As a result, a series of five Al–Si/PBI composite (ASPBI) membranes (0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 wt%) were developed and characterized for application in high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs). The chemical and morphological structure of ASPBI membranes were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometer, and scanning electron microscopy. According to the doping level test and thermogravimetric analysis, as the concentration of Al–Si increased, the doping level increased up to 475% due to the affinity and interaction between Al and phosphoric acid (PA). Moreover, the proton conductivity, current density at 0.6 V, and maximum power density of ASPBI membranes increased up to 0.31 S cm−1, 0.320 A cm−2, and 0.370 W cm−2, respectively, because the increased concentration of Al–Si allows the membranes to hold more PA. Alternatively, as the amount of Al–Si increased, the tensile strength of PA-doped and -undoped membranes decreased. This was caused by both excess PA and aggregation, which can cause serious degradation of the membrane and induce cracks. Furthermore, the PA-doped and -undoped ASPBI12 had the lowest tensile strength of 11.6 and 77.2 MPa. The improved proton conductivity and single cell performance of ASPBI membranes implies that these membranes are possible candidates for HT-PEMFC applications. However, further studies seeking to enhance the compatibility between PBI and Al–Si and optimize the amount of filler should be performed. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:87–95, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers

Polybenzimidazole/inorganic composite membrane with advanced performance for high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Ultraviolet-curable polyurethane acrylate nanocomposite coatings based on surface-modified calcium carbonate

Low stress polyimide/silica nanocomposites as dielectrics for wafer level chip scale packaging

Kwangwon Seo

Papers

Preparation and characterization of UV-cured polyurethane acrylate/ZnO nanocomposite films based on surface modified ZnO

High temperature anhydrous proton exchange membranes based on chemically-functionalized titanium/polybenzimidazole composites for fuel cells

Polybenzimidazole/inorganic composite membrane with advanced performance for high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Ultraviolet-curable polyurethane acrylate nanocomposite coatings based on surface-modified calcium carbonate

Low stress polyimide/silica nanocomposites as dielectrics for wafer level chip scale packaging