Bioresource derived porous carbon from cottonseed hull for removal of triclosan and electrochemical application

Evaluation of the Effect of Precursor NMC622@TiO2 Core-Shell Powders Using a Prelithiated Anode from Fig Seeds: Spotlight on Li-ion Full-Cell Performance

In this study, innovative electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) were developed and characterized, demonstrating significant performance enhancements. Initially, NMC622@TiO2 was synthesized using a wet-chemical method with titanium(IV) ethoxide as the Ti source. Advanced structural investigations confirmed the successful formation of a core@shell structure with negligible cation mixing (Li+/Ni2+) at the NMC622 surface, contributing to enhanced electrochemical performance. Subsequently, carbon-based anode materials were produced from biomass, specifically fig seeds, and subjected to high-temperature heat treatment. The resulting powders exhibited dominant graphitic properties, evidenced by a Raman ID/IG ratio of 0.5. Electrochemical evaluations of both electrode materials were conducted using half-cell configurations. The optimization of the TiO2 coating process was assessed through half-cell performance metrics and diffusion rates calculated from galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) experiments. The final phase focused on full-cell design, employing a prelithiation strategy for anodes using a direct contact technique. Optimization of the prelithiation process led to the assembly of full cells combining NMC622/prelithiated fig-seed anodes and NMC622@TiO2/prelithiated fig-seed anodes. The results revealed that TiO2-coated NMC622, paired with prelithiated carbon anodes derived from fig seeds, delivered superior performance compared to uncoated NMC622 full cells. This study underscores the potential of biomass-derived carbon anodes and TiO2 coatings in enhancing the efficiency and performance of LIBs.

Phyllanthus emblica Seed-Derived Hierarchically Porous Carbon Materials for High-Performance Supercapacitor Applications

The electrical double-layer supercapacitance performance of the nanoporous carbons prepared from the Phyllanthus emblica (Amala) seed by chemical activation using the potassium hydroxide (KOH) activator is reported. KOH activation was carried out at different temperatures (700-1000 °C) under nitrogen gas atmosphere, and in a three-electrode cell set-up the electrochemical measurements were performed in an aqueous 1 M sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) solution. Because of the hierarchical pore structures with well-defined micro- and mesopores, Phyllanthus emblica seed-derived carbon materials exhibit high specific surface areas in the range of 1360 to 1946 m² g^-1, and the total pore volumes range from 0.664 to 1.328 cm³ g^-1. The sample with the best surface area performed admirably as the supercapacitor electrode-material, achieving a high specific capacitance of 272 F g^-1 at 1 A g^-1. Furthermore, it sustained 60% capacitance at a high current density of 50 A g^-1, followed by a remarkably long cycle-life of 98% after 10,000 subsequent charging/discharging cycles, demonstrating the electrode's excellent rate-capability. These results show that the Phyllanthus emblica seed would have significant possibilities as a sustainable carbon-source for the preparing high-surface-area activated-carbons desired in high-energy-storage supercapacitors.

Preparation of biosorbent for the removal of organic dyes from aqueous solution via one-step alkaline ball milling of hickory wood

Biosorbent has attracted considerable attention recently for use in environment remediation and pollution control. Here, a simple and efficient method of one-step alkaline ball milling was designed to prepare porous hickory biosorbent without any thermal treatments. The products were characterized for their ability to remove methyl violet (MV) and titan yellow (TY) organic dyes from aqueous solutions. The one-step alkaline ball milled hickory (OABMH) biosorbent exhibited mesoporous microstructure, homogeneous morphology, and a diversity of oxygen-containing functional groups. Furthermore, OABMH could sorb 212.2 mg g^-1 MV and 5.6 mg g^-1 TY polar dyes, respectively, mainly through the surface complexation mechanism. Freundlich adsorption isotherm and intraparticle diffusion kinetic models best described MV adsorption by OABMH biosorbents. The results indicate that one-step alkaline ball milling technique is an efficient and economical approach for converting biomass into advanced biosorbents for environment remediation and water treatment.

Sustainable supercapacitors of nitrogen-doping porous carbon based on cellulose nanocrystals and urea

The development of porous carbon materials from sustainable natural sources is an attractive topic in the field of energy storage materials. This study proposed the production of nitrogen-doped porous carbon (NPC) materials from the renewable cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) as carbon source and water-soluble urea as nitrogen source without any external activation. The liquid compounding treatment and subsequent carbonization provided the NPC materials a uniform and stable N-doping (7.4% nitrogen content), high specific surface area (366.5 m²/g) and various superior electrochemical properties. The fabricated NPC sample (CU-3, with the weight ratio of 1:10 for CNC and urea) exhibited a high specific capacitance of 570.6 F/g at a current density load of 1 A/g and good cycling stability (91.2% capacitance retention after 1000 cycles at a current density of 10 A/g) in the 6 M KOH electrolyte. Applying this NPC material as the electrode component in the assembled symmetric supercapacitor demonstrated the promising electrochemical stability with the specific capacitances of 88.2 F/g at the current density of 1 A/g and capacitance retention of 99.8% after 5000 cycles. The developed N-doped porous carbon material from CNCs and urea is expected to be a sustainable electrode component for the supercapacitor materials.

Hyperbranched multiple polythioamides made from elemental sulfur for mercury adsorption

Different from traditional polyethylenimine (PEI) modified Hg(ii) adsorbent materials, a novel hyperbranched polythioamide adsorbent (SPD) was prepared by using sulfur, PEI and 1,4-diethynylbenzene (DEB) as monomers.

Fe3O4-Encapsulating N-doped porous carbon materials as efficient oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalysts for Zn–air batteries

Fe₃O₄-Encapsulating N-doped porous carbon was synthesized for Zn–air batteries with higher energy density and better stability than Pt/C equipped devices.