Nankai University

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

Titanate Nanotubes and Nanorods Prepared from Rutile Powder

Abstract: Various sized hollow nanotubes and solid nanorods are synthesized from rutile powder (particle size ≈ 120–280 nm) using a relatively simple chemical approach in alkaline solution. The nanotubes and nanorods occur as hydrated phases: TiO2·1.25H2O and TiO2·1.0H2O, respectively. The rutile particles react in concentrated NaOH solution under hydrothermal conditions, yielding layered sodium titanate in the form of either polycrystalline nanotubes or single-crystal nanorods. The form of the product depends on the temperature and time of hydrothermal reaction: Therefore, this is a report of the template-free control of the degree of crystallinity, crystal structure, and morphology of these types of nanoscale sodium titanate products. By treating the nanotubes and nanorods with dilute HCl, the sodium ions within them could be exchanged for protons, and the morphology of the nanotubes and nanorods is retained, resulting in hydrogen titanate nanotubes and nanorods. The electrochemical performance of dehydrated hydrogen titanate nanotubes and nanorods is explored in terms of their potential performance as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. The discharge capacity is higher for thin anatase nanorods converted from hydrogen titanate nanotubes when compared to the calcined (at 500 °C and 700 °C) products of hydrogen titanate nanorods. The significance of these findings is the possibility of fabricating delicate, nanostructured materials directly from industrial raw materials, because the natural mineral of titanium dioxide and most of the raw industrial TiO2 products exist in the rutile phase.

Metal oxide-based supercapacitors: progress and prospectives

Abstract: Distinguished by particular physical and chemical properties, metal oxide materials have been a focus of research and exploitation for applications in energy storage devices. Used as supercapacitor electrode materials, metal oxides have certified attractive performances for fabricating various supercapacitor devices in a broad voltage window. In comparison with single metal oxides, bimetallic oxide materials are highly desired for overcoming the constraint of the poor electric conductivity of single metal oxide materials, achieving a high capacitance and raising the energy density at this capacitor-level power. Herein, we investigate the principal elements affecting the properties of bimetallic oxide electrodes to reveal the relevant energy storage mechanisms. Thus, the influences of the chemical constitution, structural features, electroconductivity, oxygen vacancies and various electrolytes in the electrochemical behavior are discussed. Moreover, the progress, development and improvement of multifarious devices are emphasized systematically, covering from an asymmetric to hybrid configuration, and from aqueous to non-aqueous systems. Ultimately, some obstinate and unsettled issues are summarized as well as a prospective direction has been given on the future of metal oxide-based supercapacitors.

Adsorption of Sulfonamide Antibiotics to Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract: The presence of sulfonamide antibiotics in aquatic environments has been recognized as an issue warranting consideration. In this study, we evaluated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) as a potential effective adsorbent for removal of two sulfonamide antibiotics, sulfapyridine and sulfamethoxazole, from aqueous solutions. Nonporous, functionality-free graphite was included as a comparative adsorbent. Despite the very low hydrophobicity, the two sulfonamides adsorbed strongly to MWNT and graphite, a fact attributed to π−π electron coupling with the graphene surface of the adsorbent. For both sulfonamide antibiotics, similar patterns of pH-dependent adsorption were observed between MWNT and graphite, implying the predominance of graphene structures for the adsorption to MWNT. Moreover, the observed pH effects on adsorption indicate that the protonated neutral form of sulfonamide adsorbs much more strongly than the deprotonated anionic counterpart does. The effects of ionic strength (NaCl and CaCl2) and the...

Giant thermopower of ionic gelatin near room temperature.

Abstract: Harvesting heat from the environment into electricity has the potential to power Internet-of-things (IoT) sensors, freeing them from cables or batteries and thus making them especially useful for wearable devices. We demonstrate a giant positive thermopower of 17.0 millivolts per degree Kelvin in a flexible, quasi-solid-state, ionic thermoelectric material using synergistic thermodiffusion and thermogalvanic effects. The ionic thermoelectric material is a gelatin matrix modulated with ion providers (KCl, NaCl, and KNO3) for thermodiffusion effect and a redox couple [Fe(CN)64–/Fe(CN)63–] for thermogalvanic effect. A proof-of-concept wearable device consisting of 25 unipolar elements generated more than 2 volts and a peak power of 5 microwatts using body heat. This ionic gelatin shows promise for environmental heat-to-electric energy conversion using ions as energy carriers.

Anisotropic intrinsic lattice thermal conductivity of phosphorene from first principles

Abstract: Phosphorene, the single layer counterpart of black phosphorus, is a novel two-dimensional semiconductor with high carrier mobility and a large fundamental direct band gap, which has attracted tremendous interest recently. Its potential applications in nano-electronics and thermoelectrics call for fundamental study of the phonon transport. Here, we calculate the intrinsic lattice thermal conductivity of phosphorene by solving the phonon Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) based on first-principles calculations. The thermal conductivity of phosphorene at 300 K is 30.15 W m−1 K−1 (zigzag) and 13.65 W m−1 K−1 (armchair), showing an obvious anisotropy along different directions. The calculated thermal conductivity fits perfectly to the inverse relationship with temperature when the temperature is higher than Debye temperature (ΘD = 278.66 K). In comparison to graphene, the minor contribution around 5% of the ZA mode is responsible for the low thermal conductivity of phosphorene. In addition, the representative mean free path (MFP), a critical size for phonon transport, is also obtained.