Chunde Jin

Fabrication of cellulose-based aerogels from waste newspaper without any pretreatment and their use for absorbents.

Cellulose-based aerogel (CBA) was prepared from waste newspaper (WNP) without any pretreatment using 1-allyl-3-methyimidazolium chloride (AmImCl) as a solvent via regeneration and an environmentally friendly freeze-drying method. After being treated with trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) via a simple thermal chemical vapor deposition process, the resulting CBAs were rendered both hydrophobic and oleophilic. Successful silanization on the surface of the porous CBA was verified by a variety of techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and water contact angle (WCA) measurements. As a result, the silane-coated, interconnected CBAs not only exhibited good absorption performance for oils (e.g., waste engine oil), but also showed absorption capacity for organic solvents such as chloroform (with a representative weight gain ranging from 11 to 22 times of their own dry weight), making them diversified absorbents for potential applications including sewage purification.

Green and facile fabrication of carbon aerogels from cellulose-based waste newspaper for solving organic pollution.

Carbon-based aerogel fabricated from waste biomass is a potential absorbent material for solving organic pollution. Herein, the lightweight, hydrophobic and porous carbon aerogels (CAs) have been synthesized through freezing-drying and post-pyrolysis by using waste newspaper as the only raw materials. The as-prepared CAs exhibited a low density of 18.5 mg cm(-3) and excellent hydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 132° and selective absorption for organic reagents. The absorption capacity of CA for organic compounds can be 29-51 times its own weight. Moreover, three methods (e.g., squeezing, combustion, and distillation) can be employed to recycle CA and harvest organic pollutants. Combined with waste biomass as raw materials, green and facile fabrication process, excellent hydrophobicity and oleophilicity, CA used as an absorbent material has great potential in application of organic pollutant solvents absorption and environmental protection.

Fabrication of robust superhydrophobic bamboo based on ZnO nanosheet networks with improved water-, UV-, and fire-resistant properties

Bamboo with water-resistant, UV-resistant, and fire-resistant properties was desirable in modern society. In this paper, the original bamboo was firstly treated with ZnO sol and then hydrothermally the ZnO nanosheet networks grow onto the bamboo surface and subsequently modified with fluoroalkyl silane (FAS-17). The FAS-17 treated bamboo substrate exhibited not only robust superhydrophobicity with a high contact angle of 161° but also stable repellency towards simulated acid rain (pH = 3) with a contact angle of 152°. Except for its robust superhydrophobicity, such a bamboo also presents superior water-resistant, UV-resistant, and fire-resistant properties.

Fabrication of superhydrophobic bamboo timber based on an anatase TiO2 film for acid rain protection and flame retardancy

A facile method for fabricating superhydrophobic bamboo timber based on an anatase TiO2 film for acid rain protection and flame retardancy is described in the present work. Bamboo timber with a maximal water contact angle of 154° has been prepared by the hydrothermal deposition of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles and further modified with octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS). The geometric microstructure of the anatase TiO2 nanoparticles and the chemical composition of the superhydrophobic coating were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The wetting behavior of the bamboo timber samples was investigated by water contact angle (WCA) measurements. The results indicated that strong hydrogen bonds were formed between the amorphous TiO2 and the hydroxide radicals of the bamboo timber surfaces, and the strong interaction contributed to the heat stability enhancement of the TiO2/bamboo timber composites. Moreover, the diverse performance of the superhydrophobic bamboo timber has been evaluated as well. The treated bamboo timber exhibited outstanding superhydrophobicity, excellent waterproofing durability, acid rain resistance, and flame retardancy, offering a potential opportunity to accelerate the large-scale production of superhydrophobic woody material for new industrial applications.

A simple, one-step hydrothermal approach to durable and robust superparamagnetic, superhydrophobic and electromagnetic wave-absorbing wood.

In this work, lamellar MnFe2O4 was successfully planted on a wood surface through the association of hydrogen bonds via the one-pot hydrothermal method. Simultaneously, the fluoroalkylsilane (FAS-17) on the surface of the MnFe2O4 layer formed long-chain or network macromolecules through a poly-condensation process and provided a lower surface energy on the wood surface. The MnFe2O4/wood composite (FMW) presented superior superparamagnetism, superhydrophobicity and electromagnetic wave absorption performance. The results indicated a saturation magnetization of the FMW with excellent superparamagnetism of 28.24 emu·g−1. The minimum value of reflection loss of the FMW reached −8.29 dB at 16.39 GHz with a thickness of 3 mm. Even after mechanical impact and exposure to corrosive liquids, the FMW still maintained a superior superhydrophobicity performance.

Cellulose as an adhesion agent for the synthesis of lignin aerogel with strong mechanical performance, Sound-absorption and thermal Insulation

The lignin aerogels that are both high porosity and compressibility would have promising implications for bioengineering field to sound-adsorption and damping materials; however, creating this aerogel had a challenge to adhesive lignin. Here we reported cellulose as green adhesion agent to synthesize the aerogels with strong mechanical performance. Our approach—straightforwardly dissolved in ionic liquids and simply regenerated in the deionized water—causes assembly of micro-and nanoscale and even molecule level of cellulose and lignin. The resulting lignin aerogels exhibit Young’s modulus up to 25.1 MPa, high-efficiency sound-adsorption and excellent thermal insulativity. The successful synthesis of this aerogels developed a path for lignin to an advanced utilization.

A 3D titanate aerogel with cellulose as the adsorption-aggregator for highly efficient water purification

Making full use of the hydrophilicity, hydroxyl reactivity, high strength and stiffness, low weight and biodegradability of cellulose, a novel cellulose-based adsorption-aggregator is creatively exploited. In this work, a 3D titanate aerogel with cellulose as the adsorption-aggregator has been fabricated for highly efficient water purification. Herein, the polyhydric cellulose not only acts as a crosslinking agent, but also facilitates ion-induced aggregation, which strongly promotes the adsorption efficiency of the titanate and effectively improves its inherent shortcomings as an inorganic adsorbent. The Pb2+, Sr2+, Cu2+, Ra2+, and Cd2+ adsorption capacities surprisingly reach 2.46, 1.43, 2.51, 1.22, and 1.98 mmol g−1, respectively. Moreover, it may be applied in the fields of water purification agents, oxidants, catalysts, disinfectants and photoelectrochemical components, in view of the hydroxyl oxidation, hydroxyl induction, disinfection, and water purification abilities of cellulose. Therefore, the development of cellulose adsorption-aggregating agents is both reasonable and of great value.

One-step solvothermal deposition of ZnO nanorod arrays on a wood surface for robust superamphiphobic performance and superior ultraviolet resistance

In the present paper, uniformly large-scale wurtzite-structured ZnO nanorod arrays (ZNAs) were deposited onto a wood surface through a one-step solvothermal method. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetry (TG), and differential thermal analysis (DTA). ZNAs with a diameter of approximately 85 nm and a length of approximately 1.5 μm were chemically bonded onto the wood surface through hydrogen bonds. The superamphiphobic performance and ultraviolet resistance were measured and evaluated by water or oil contact angles (WCA or OCA) and roll-off angles, sand abrasion tests and an artificially accelerated ageing test. The results show that the ZNA-treated wood demonstrates a robust superamphiphobic performance under mechanical impact, corrosive liquids, intermittent and transpositional temperatures, and water spray. Additionally, the as-prepared wood sample shows superior ultraviolet resistance.

3D assembly based on 2D structure of Cellulose Nanofibril/Graphene Oxide Hybrid Aerogel for Adsorptive Removal of Antibiotics in Water

Cellulose nanofibril/graphene oxide hybrid (CNF/GO) aerogel was fabricated via a one-step ultrasonication method for adsorptive removal of 21 kinds of antibiotics in water. The as-prepared CNF/GO aerogel possesses interconnected 3D network microstructure, in which GO nanosheets with 2D structure were intimately grown along CNF through hydrogen bonds. The aerogel exhibited superior adsorption capacity toward the antibiotics. The removal percentages (R%) of the antibiotics were more than 69% and the sequence of six categories antibiotics according to the adsorption efficiency was as follows: Tetracyclines > Quinolones > Sulfonamides > Chloramphenicols > β-Lactams > Macrolides. The adsorption mechanism was proposed to be electrostatic attraction, p-π interaction, π-π interaction and hydrogen bonds. In detail, the adsorption capacities of CNF/GO aerogel were 418.7 mg·g−1 for chloramphenicol, 291.8 mg·g−1 for macrolides, 128.3 mg·g−1 for quinolones, 230.7 mg·g−1 for β-Lactams, 227.3 mg·g−1 for sulfonamides, and 454.6 mg·g−1 for tetracyclines calculated by the Langmuir isotherm models. Furthermore, the regenerated aerogels still could be repeatedly used after ten cycles without obvious degradation of adsorption performance.

Naturally three-dimensional laminated porous carbon network structured short nano-chains bridging nanospheres for energy storage

The electrode material is the core component of an energy storage system and determines the ultimate electrochemical performance. There is an urgent demand for carbon nanomaterials with unique structures for applications as the anode of lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitor electrodes. Here, we synthesize three-dimensional laminated porous carbon aerogels (CAs), composed of carbon nanospheres bridged with short carbon chains, by using simple annealing processes inspired by the natural structure of the kiwifruit as a precursor. The carbon material obtained at 800 °C (CA-800) exhibits a high lithium storage capacity (504.8 mA h g−1 at 100 mA g−1) and specific capacitance (337.4 F g−1 in the three-electrode electrochemical configuration and 322.9 F g−1 in a symmetric two-electrode supercapacitor cell at a current density of 0.5 A g−1). Moreover, extensible and flexible symmetric supercapacitors obtained using CA-800 display stable electrochemical performance after a folding test with different curvatures and even 10 000 cycles of a bending test. This study considers a fascinating route of producing excellent electrode materials and energy storage devices derived from inexpensive, sustainable, and available natural resources.