Characterization of carbon thin films prepared by the thermal decomposition of spin coated polyacrylonitrile layers containing metal acetates

Ultralight and Ultrathin Electrospun Membranes with Enhanced Air Permeability for Chemical and Biological Protection

With the growing interest in chemical and biological warfare agents (CWAs/BWAs), the focus has shifted toward aerosol protection using protective clothing. However, compared to air-permeable membranes, those with water vapor permeability have been investigated more extensively. Filtering membranes without air permeability have limited practical usage in personal protective suits and masks. In this study, polyacrylonitrile membranes with tightly attached activated carbon and doped copper(II) oxide were prepared via electrospinning. The nanofibers with uniformly controlled diameters and smooth morphologies enable water/air breathability and protection against aerosol (100 nm polystyrene nanobeads similar to SARS-CoV-2) penetration. The uniformly distributed and tightly attached activated carbon and doped copper(II) oxide particles enhance the sorptive performance of the membranes by blocking gaseous CWAs, including soman, nerve chemical agents, and BWAs. Such dual-purpose membranes can be implemented in protective equipment owing to their high performance and easy processing.

Effect of Calcination Time on the Physicochemical Properties and Photocatalytic Performance of Carbon and Nitrogen Co-Doped TiO2 Nanoparticles

The application of highly active nano catalysts in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) improves the production of non-selective hydroxyl radicals and co-oxidants for complete remediation of polluted water. This study focused on the synthesis and characterisation of a highly active visible light C–N-co-doped TiO2 nano catalyst that we prepared via the sol-gel method and pyrolysed at 350 °C for 105 min in an inert atmosphere to prevent combustion of carbon moieties. Then we prolonged the pyrolysis holding time to 120 and 135 min and studied the effect of these changes on the crystal structure, particle size and morphology, electronic properties and photocatalytic performance. The physico-chemical characterisation proved that alteration of pyrolysis holding time allows control of the amount of carbon in the TiO2 catalyst causing variations in the band gap, particle size and morphology and induced changes in electronic properties. The C–N–TiO2 nano composites were active under both visible and UV light. Their improved activity was ascribed to a low electron–hole pair recombination rate that enhanced the generation of OH· and related oxidants for total deactivation of O.II dye. This study shows that subtle differences in catalyst preparation conditions affect its physico-chemical properties and catalytic efficiency under solar and UV light.

The formation of conjugated structure and its transformation to pseudo-graphite structure during thermal treatment of polyacrylonitrile

Three types of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) were considered in order to investigate the effect of molecular composition and configuration on the formation of conjugated structures during stabilization and the conversion of that to pseudo-graphite sheets after carbonization. The stabilization process was performed in an inert or oxidative atmosphere with a temperature ramp from 180°Cto 280°C. The thermal behavior was studied by differential scanning calorimetry, and the change of chemical groups and conjugated structures was detected by in situ measurement of infrared (Fourier transform infrared) and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, respectively. The carbonization process of the stabilized samples was performed using a thermogravimetric analyzer under nitrogen atmosphere in the temperature range of 150°C–1200°C, and Raman spectra were applied to study the pseudo-graphite sheets of the residuals. It is suggested that the introduction of comonomer or the improvement of the isotactic regularity of the polymer chain are helpful to promote the stabilization reactions and accelerate the formation of conjugated structures rather than the extent of conjugation during stabilization in nitrogen. Moreover, they are also beneficial to obtain higher degree of graphitization and larger size of the pseudo-graphite sheets with less structural defects after carbonization. While stabilization is performed in air, atactic PAN copolymer has the highest extent of stabilization among these three PAN samples, but they are extremely close. PAN samples with comonomer or higher isotacticity still show a little advantage in the formation speed of the conjugated structures. After carbonization, PAN with higher isotacticity has the highest carbon yield and graphitization degree and the largest size of pseudo-graphite sheets with least structural defects. In addition, the presence of oxygen during stabilization is contributory to increase the extent of stabilization and generate some bigger conjugated structures, which leads to obtain higher graphitization degree and larger size of pseudo-graphite sheets, but it also brings more structural defects.