Nankai University

About: Nankai University is a education organization based out in Tianjin, China. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Enantioselective synthesis. The organization has 42964 authors who have published 51866 publications receiving 1127896 citations. The organization is also known as: Nánkāi Dàxué.

Boronic acid-containing hydrogels: synthesis and their applications

Abstract: Boronic acid-containing hydrogels are important intelligent materials. With the introduction of boronic acid functionality, these hydrogels exhibit a lot of interesting properties, such as glucose-sensitivity, reversibility and self-healing. These materials have found important applications in many areas, especially in biomedical areas. This paper aims to provide an overview of the current state of the art of the study in this area. We review the synthesis and properties of various boronic acid-containing hydrogels, including macroscopic hydrogels, microgels and layer-by-layer self-assembled films. Their applications were described, with an emphasis on the design of various glucose sensors and self-regulated insulin delivery devices. New development in this area was highlighted. Problems and the new directions were discussed.

All-Solid-State Lithium Organic Battery with Composite Polymer Electrolyte and Pillar[5]quinone Cathode

Abstract: The cathode capacity of common lithium ion batteries (LIBs) using inorganic electrodes and liquid electrolytes must be further improved. Alternatively, all-solid-state lithium batteries comprising the electrode of organic compounds can offer much higher capacity. Herein, we successfully fabricated an all-solid-state lithium battery based on organic pillar[5]quinone (C35H20O10) cathode and composite polymer electrolyte (CPE). The poly(methacrylate) (PMA)/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-LiClO4-3 wt % SiO2 CPE has an optimum ionic conductivity of 0.26 mS cm–1 at room temperature. Furthermore, pillar[5]quinine cathode in all-solid-state battery rendered an average operation voltage of ∼2.6 V and a high initial capacity of 418 mAh g–1 with a stable cyclability (94.7% capacity retention after 50 cycles at 0.2C rate) through the reversible redox reactions of enolate/quinonid carbonyl groups, showing favorable prospect for the device application with high capacity.

Recent Breakthroughs in Supercapacitors Boosted by Nitrogen-Rich Porous Carbon Materials

Abstract: Featured with unique mechanical, electronic and chemical properties, nitrogen-doped carbon materials have become the research hotspot of energy storage. As electrode materials in supercapacitors (SCs), N-doped carbons have demonstrated intriguing flexibility and superb performances in a wide electrochemical window, equipped with versatile properties as both cathodes and anodes for constructing high voltage devices. Compared with limited doping level, N-rich and porous carbon materials (NPCs) are of great desire to release the restricted properties of N species and obtain high specific capacitances (>600 F g−1), pushing the energy density towards the battery level without scarifying the capacitor-level power ability. In this Research News we firstly discuss the key factors influencing the performance of NPC electrodes to disclose related charge storage mechanisms. In addition, the trade-off among N-content, porous structure and electrical conductivity is involved as well as electrochemical behaviors in different electrolytes. Also, various progressive developments are highlighted systematically ranging from asymmetric to symmetric and hybrid configurations, covering both aqueous and non-aqueous systems. Finally, some stubborn and unsolved problems are summarized, with prospective research guidelines on NPC-based SCs.

A High-Performance Graphene Oxide-Doped Ion Gel as Gel Polymer Electrolyte for All-Solid-State Supercapacitor Applications

Abstract: A high-performance graphene oxide (GO)-doped ion gel (P(VDF-HFP)-EMIMBF4-GO gel) is prepared by exploiting copolymer (poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoro propylene), P(VDF-HFP)) as the polymer matrix, ionic liquid (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, EMIMBF4) as the supporting electrolyte, and GO as the ionic conducting promoter. This GO-doped ion gel demonstrates significantly improved ionic conductivity compared with that of pure ion gel without the addition of GO, due to the homogeneously distributed GO as a 3D network throughout the GO-doped ion gel by acting like a ion “highway” to facilitate the ion transport. With the incorporation of only a small amount of GO (1 wt%) in ion gel, there has been a dramatic improvement in ionic conductivity of about 260% compared with that of pure ion gel. In addition, the all-solid-state supercapacitor is fabricated and measured at room temperature using the GO-doped ion gel as gel polymer electrolyte, which demonstrates more superior electrochemical performance than the all-solid-state supercapacitor with pure ion gel and the conventional supercapacitor with neat EMIMBF4, in the aspect of smaller internal resistance, higher capacitance performance, and better cycle stability. These excellent performances are due to the high ionic conductivity, excellent compatibility with carbon electrodes, and long-term stability of the GO-doped ion gel.