Donghua University

About: Donghua University is a education organization based out in Shanghai, China. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Fiber & Nanofiber. The organization has 21155 authors who have published 21841 publications receiving 393091 citations. The organization is also known as: Dōnghuá Dàxué & China Textile University.

Highly Efficient Porous Carbon Electrocatalyst with Controllable N-Species Content for Selective CO 2 Reduction

Abstract: We report a straightforward strategy to design efficient N doped porous carbon (NPC) electrocatalyst that has a high concentration of easily accessible active sites for the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2 RR). The NPC with large amounts of active N (pyridinic and graphitic N) and highly porous structure is prepared by using an oxygen-rich metal-organic framework (Zn-MOF-74) precursor. The amount of active N species can be tuned by optimizing the calcination temperature and time. Owing to the large pore sizes, the active sites are well exposed to electrolyte for CO2 RR. The NPC exhibits superior CO2 RR activity with a small onset potential of -0.35 V and a high faradaic efficiency (FE) of 98.4 % towards CO at -0.55 V vs. RHE, one of the highest values among NPC-based CO2 RR electrocatalysts. This work advances an effective and facile way towards highly active and cost-effective alternatives to noble-metal CO2 RR electrocatalysts for practical applications.

Dendrimers in combination with natural products and analogues as anti-cancer agents

Abstract: For the first time, an overview of dendrimers in combination with natural products and analogues as anti-cancer agents is presented. This reflects the development of drug delivery systems, such as dendrimers, to tackle cancers. The most significant advantages of using dendrimers in nanomedicine are their high biocompatibility, good water solubility, and their entry - with or without encapsulated, complexed or conjugated drugs - through an endocytosis process. This strategy has accelerated over the years in order to develop nanosystems as nanocarriers, to decrease the intrinsic toxicity of anti-cancer agents, to decrease the drug side effects, to increase the efficacy of the treatment, and consequently to improve patient compliance.

Nanofibrous polyethyleneimine membranes as sensitive coatings for quartz crystal microbalance-based formaldehyde sensors

Abstract: A novel formaldehyde sensor was fabricated by electrospinning deposition of nanofibrous polyethyleneimine (PEI)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membranes as sensitive coatings on quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The morphology of the porous three-dimensional PEI/PVA membranes comprising fibers with diameter of 40 nm to 1.8 μm was controllable by tuning the compositions of polymers and solvents in PEI/PVA solutions. The resultant sensors showed a fast response to formaldehyde and a linear relationship upon increasing the formaldehyde concentrations due to the reversible interaction between formaldehyde molecules and amine groups of PEI. The sensor responses were reversible and reproducible towards formaldehyde in the concentration range of 10–255 ppm at room temperature. The sensitivity of fibrous membrane coated QCM sensors formed from the cosolvent of water and ethanol was three times higher than that of corresponded flat membrane coated QCM sensors when exposed to 255 ppm of formaldehyde. Relative humidity in testing chamber was proved to be the key parameter to affect the sensor sensitivity. Additionally, the fibrous PEI/PVA membrane coated QCM sensors exhibited a good selectivity to formaldehyde when tested with competing vapors.

Dual-Biomimetic Superhydrophobic Electrospun Polystyrene Nanofibrous Membranes for Membrane Distillation

Abstract: A new type of dual-biomimetic hierarchically rough polystyrene (PS) superhydrophobic micro/nano-fibrous membrane was fabricated via a one-step electrospinning technique at various polymer concentrations from 15 to 30 wt %. The obtained micro/nano-fibers exhibited a nanopapillose, nanoporous, and microgrooved surface morphology that originated from mimicking the micro/nanoscale hierarchical structures of lotus leaf and silver ragwort leaf, respectively. Superhydrophobicity and high porosity of such resultant electrospun nanofibrous membranes make them attractive candidates for membrane distillation (MD) application with low energy water recovery. In this study, two kinds of optimized PS nanofibrous membranes with different thicknesses were applied for desalination via direct contact MD. The membranes maintained a high and stable permeate water vapor flux (104.8 ± 4.9 kg/m2·h, 20 g/L NaCl salt feed for a thinner PS nanofibrous membrane with thickness of 60 μm; 51 ± 4.5 kg/m2·h, 35 g/L NaCl salt feed for the...