Weijie Cai

Ethanol dry reforming for syngas production over Ir/CeO2 catalyst

Abstract Syngas production from CO2 reforming of ethanol over an Ir/CeO2 catalyst was investigated. Catalysts characterization was conducted by X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature programmed reduction (TPR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and temperature programmed oxidation (TPO). The Ir/CeO2 catalyst was more active and stable toward syngas formation (molar ratio ∼1). The superior catalytic performance was interpreted in terms of the strong interaction between Ir particles and ceria support which was crucial for efficient ethanol/CO2 activation and coke removal on the catalyst surface.

Sorbitol dehydration into isosorbide over a cellulose-derived solid acid catalyst

The dehydration of sorbitol to isosorbide over an environmentally benign cellulose-derived solid acid catalyst (CCS) has been investigated in order to develop a sustainable process for isosorbide production. The as-prepared CCS sample contained large amounts of –COOH, phenolic hydroxyl and –SO3H groups and presented satisfactory catalytic activity, isosorbide selectivity and recyclability under water-free conditions. Various methods such as BET, XPS, TG, SEM, FT-IR and pyridine adsorption were conducted to characterize the CCS catalyst in order to elucidate the possible catalyst structure–performance relationship. The results of FT-IR and pyridine adsorption revealed that most of the acid sites contained in CCS catalyst were assigned as strong Bronsted sites, which were crucial for catalytic sorbitol dehydration into isosorbide. When further compared to the conventional solid acid catalyst (niobic acid), the investigated CCS catalyst in this study was considered as one of the promising alternatives to the highly efficient catalysts for isosorbide production from sorbitol.

Lactic Acid Production from Glucose Over a Novel Nb2O5 Nanorod Catalyst

A novel Nb2O5 catalyst with the highly single crystallinity and well aligned nanorods was successively synthesized by hydrothermal method and presented promising catalytic behavior for lactic acid synthesis from glucose. Notably, the sample was easily separated and reused without the obvious deactivation. It might shed light on an alternative process for lactic acid production instead of conventional fermentation.Graphical Abstract

Synthesis of ZnO sunscreen composite using lamellar self-assembly 6-PGME as template

This paper mainly investigated the controllable preparation of well-dispersed ZnO nanoparticles by a surfactant-assisted method which selected laminated 6-polyglycerol monostearate (6-PGME) supermicelle as template. Typically, nano-ZnO particles confined in 6-PGME (6-PGME-ZnO) exhibited promising ultraviolet (UV) absorption with a blue-shift in comparison with the conventional bulk ZnO. Notably, the as-prepared 6-PGME-ZnO particles could be easily dispersed in sweet almond, jojoba oil and/or evening primrose oil as sunscreen agent. The physicochemical properties of 6-PGME-ZnO sample were further characterized to elucidate its relationship with adsorption capacity. This work might provide an alternative and green route for the development of ZnO-based nanomaterials, which have remarkable potential application in anti-UV fields.

Brief Communication: Cellular Poly(arylene ether sulfone) With Pendant Sodium Carboxylate Groups: A Floatable Absorbent for Heavy Metal Ion Removal from Wastewater

A novel poly (arylene ether sulfone) with sodium carboxylate groups was designed and synthesized through direct polycondensation. The as-prepared polymer possessed a cellular structure with an average pore size less than 10 μm and a tap density of 1.333 g/cm3. The cellular polymer exhibited lightweight property and excellent adsorption capacity for heavy metal ions in simulated wastewater. This might shed light on the development of cellular polymeric materials for heavy metal pollutant treatment.