1. |
- Cao, Wei, et al.
(author)
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Dual-Cationic Poly(ionic liquid)s Carrying 1,2,4-Triazolium and Imidazolium Moieties : Synthesis and Formation of a Single-Component Porous Membrane
- 2021
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In: ACS Macro Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2161-1653. ; 10:1, s. 161-166
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Both imidazolium and 1,2,4-triazolium cations are important functional moieties widely incorporated as building blocks in poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs). In a classical model, a PIL usually contains either imidazolium or 1,2,4-triazolium in its repeating unit. Herein, via exploiting the slight reactivity difference of alkyl bromide with imidazole and 1,2,4-triazole at room temperature, we synthesized dual-cationic PIL homopolymers carrying both imidazolium and 1,2,4-triazolium moieties in the same repeating unit, that is, an asymmetrically dicationic unit. We investigated their fundamental properties, for example, thermal stability and solubility, as well as their unique function in forming supramolecular porous membranes via a water-initiated phase-separation and cross-linking process. With such knowledge, we identified a water-based fabricate strategy toward air-stable porous membranes from single-component Pits. This study will enrich the design tools and chemical structure library of PILs and expand their application spectrum.
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2. |
- Cao, Wei, et al.
(author)
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Ionic organic cage-encapsulated metal clusters for switchable catalysis
- 2021
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In: Cell Reports Physical Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 2666-3864. ; 2:9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The capability to build up stable, switchable catalysts for complex artificial systems that can mimic the responsiveness of biological systems to multiple triggers is highly desirable and challenging. Herein, we engineer such a system by physically locking catalytically active metal clusters (MCs) inside individual cationic molecular organic cages (I-Cages), where the responsive and task-specific counteranions of I-Cages impart MCs with a programmable gating effect. This allows for precise spatial and temporal control over chemical reactions by regulating accessibility of reagents to the MC sites. Following this strategy, we have successfully tailored catalytic activity of a series of model catalysis (e.g., methanolysis of ammonia borane, and the reduction of 4-nitroaniline) by employing light and pH stimuli, as well as their combination, for programmable-activity control.
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3. |
- Chang, Jian, et al.
(author)
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Reduced Graphene Oxide-Poly (Ionic Liquid) Composite Films of High Mechanical Performance
- 2021
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In: Frontiers in materials. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2296-8016. ; 8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Graphene and its derivatives are a classical group of two-dimensional (2D) building blocks possessing excellent mechanical and/or electrical properties in favor of preparing flexible electronic devices. Natural materials, such as nacre, provide inspiration and an exciting guideline for assembling 2D nanosheets into functional nanocomposites. In this context, despite recent advance, methods to assemble graphene-derived nanosheets into nanocomposites with the integrated enhancement of mechanical properties and electrical conductivity are eagerly pursued. Here, a rational design has been proposed and demonstrated, which utilizes synergistic supramolecular interactions between a polymeric additive and reduced graphene-oxide nanosheets to fabricate exceptional, integrated, strong, and tough nanocomposite films with high electrical conductivity. Such materials can be applied in areas such as, aerospace, artificial muscle, tissue engineering, and flexible electronics.
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4. |
- Chang, Jian, et al.
(author)
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Smart Sand by Surface Engineering : Toward Controllable Oil/Water Separation
- 2021
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In: Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0888-5885 .- 1520-5045. ; 60:26, s. 9475-9481
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sand, an abundant resource from the nature, is a promising candidate for oil/water separation. Herein, raw sand was designed with switchable surface wettability to enable recyclability and versatility in practical oil/water separation. The smart sand was fabricated by grafting pH-responsive poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) and oleophilic/hydrophobic octadecyltrimethoxysilane (OTS) onto its surface. The decorated sand can be used as the oil sorbent for controllable oil sorption and desorption in response to different pHs, as well as a filter to selectively separate either oil or water on demand. This novel design offers an intelligent, low-cost, large-scale, and highly efficient route to potentially settle the issues of industrial oily wastewater and oil spill.
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5. |
- Chang, Jian, et al.
(author)
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Ultratough and ultrastrong graphene oxide hybrid films via a polycationitrile approach
- 2021
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In: Nanoscale Horizons. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2055-6764 .- 2055-6756. ; 6:4, s. 341-347
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Graphene oxide (GO) is a classic two dimensional (2D) building block that can be used to develop high-performance materials for numerous applications, particularly in the energy and environmental fields. Currently, the precise assembly of GO nanosheets into macroscopic nanohybrids of superior strength and toughness is desirable, and faces challenges and trade-offs. Herein, we exploited the freshly established polycationitrile method as a powerful molecular crosslinking strategy to engineer ultratough and ultrastrong GO/polymer hybrid films, in which a covalent triazine-based network was constructed in a mild condition to reinforce the interface between GO nanosheets. The tensile strength and toughness reached 585 +/- 25 MPa and 14.93 +/- 1.09 MJ m(-3), respectively, which, to the best of our knowledge, are the current world records in all GO-based hybrid films. As an added merit of the tailor-made polymer crosslinker, the high mechanical performance can be maintained in large part at an extremely high relative humidity of 98%. This emerging interface-engineering approach paves a new avenue to produce integrated strong-and-tough 2D nanohybrid materials that are useful in aerospace, artificial muscle, energy harvesting, tissue engineering and more.
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6. |
- Chen, Zhi, et al.
(author)
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Large-Area Crystalline Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Thin Films
- 2021
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In: Angewandte Chemie International Edition. - : Wiley. - 1433-7851 .- 1521-3773. ; 60:25, s. 14124-14130
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report that continuous MOF films with highly controlled thickness (from 44 to 5100 nm) can be deposited over length scales greater than 80 centimeters by a facile, fast, and cost-effective spray-coating method. Such success relies on our discovery of unprecedented perfectly dispersed colloidal solutions consisting of amorphous MOF nanoparticles, which we adopted as precursors that readily converted to the crystalline films upon low-temperature in situ heating. The colloidal solutions allow for the fabrication of compact and uniform MOF films on a great deal of substrates such as fluorine-doped tin oxide, glass, SiO2, Al2O3, Si, Cu, and even flexible polycarbonate, widening their technological applications where substrates are essential. Despite the present work focuses on the fabrication of uniform cobalt-(2-methylimidazole)2 and zinc-(2-methylimidazole)2 films, our findings mark a great possibility in producing other high-quality MOF thin films on a large scale.
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7. |
- Garakani, Sadaf Saeedi, et al.
(author)
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Template-synthesis of a poly(ionic liquid)-derived Fe1−xS/nitrogen-doped porous carbon membrane and its electrode application in lithium–sulfur batteries
- 2021
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In: Materials Advances. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2633-5409. ; 2:15, s. 5203-5212
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study deals with the facile synthesis of Fe1−xS nanoparticle-containing nitrogen-doped porous carbon membranes (denoted as Fe1−xS/N-PCMs) via vacuum carbonization of hybrid porous poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) membranes, and their successful use as a sulfur host material to mitigate the shuttle effect in lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries. The hybrid porous PIL membranes as the sacrificial template were prepared via ionic crosslinking of a cationic PIL with base-neutralized 1,1′-ferrocenedicarboxylic acid, so that the iron source was molecularly incorporated into the template. The carbonization process was investigated in detail at different temperatures, and the chemical and porous structures of the carbon products were comprehensively analyzed. The Fe1−xS/N-PCMs prepared at 900 °C have a multimodal pore size distribution with a satisfactorily high surface area and well-dispersed iron sulfide nanoparticles to physically and chemically confine the LiPSs. The sulfur/Fe1−xS/N-PCM composites were then tested as electrodes in Li–S batteries, showing much improved capacity, rate performance and cycle stability, in comparison to iron sulfide-free, nitrogen-doped porous carbon membranes.
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8. |
- Kheirabad, Atefeh Khorsand, et al.
(author)
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Ferrocene-Containing Porous Poly(Ionic Liquid) Membranes : Synthesis and Application as Sacrificial Template for Porous Iron Oxide Films
- 2021
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In: Macromolecular rapid communications. - : Wiley. - 1022-1336 .- 1521-3927. ; 42:13
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Herein, the fabrication of iron-containing porous polyelectrolyte membranes (PPMs) via ionic complexation between an imidazolium-based poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) and 1,1-ferrocenedicarboxylic acid is reported. The key parameters to control the microstructure of porous hybrid membranes are investigated in detail. Further aerobic pyrolysis of such porous hybrid membranes at 900 °C can transfer the ferrocene-containing PPMs into freestanding porous iron oxide films. This process points out a sacrificial template function of porous poly(ionic liquid) membranes in the fabrication of porous metal oxide films.
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9. |
- Khorsand Kheirabad, Atefeh, et al.
(author)
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Hydrazine-Enabled One-Step Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticle-Functionalized Gradient Porous Poly(ionic liquid) Membranes
- 2021
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In: Macromolecular rapid communications. - : Wiley. - 1022-1336 .- 1521-3927. ; 42:8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this communication, a one-step synthetic route is reported toward free-standing metal-nanoparticle-functionalized gradient porous polyelectrolyte membranes (PPMs). The membranes are produced by soaking a glass-plate-supported blend film that consists of a hydrophobic poly(ionic liquid) (PIL), poly(acrylic acid), and a metal salt, into an aqueous hydrazine solution. Upon diffusion of water and hydrazine molecules into the blend film, a phase separation process of the hydrophobic PIL and an ionic crosslinking reaction via interpolyelectrolyte complexation occur side by side to form the PPM. Simultaneously, due to the reductive nature of hydrazine, the metal salt inside the polymer blend film is reduced in situ by hydrazine into metal nanoparticles that anchor onto the PPM. The as-obtained hybrid porous membrane is proven functional in the catalytic reduction of p-nitrophenol. This one-step method to grow metal nanoparticles and gradient porous membranes can simplify future fabrication processes of multifunctional PPMs.
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10. |
- Li, Xiaoting, et al.
(author)
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"Mix-Then-On-Demand-Complex" : In Situ Cascade Anionization and Complexation of Graphene Oxide for High-Performance Nanofiltration Membranes
- 2021
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In: ACS Nano. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1936-0851 .- 1936-086X. ; 15:3, s. 4440-4449
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Assembling two-dimensional (2D) materials by polyelectrolyte often suffers from inhomogeneous microstructures due to the conventional mixing-and-simultaneous-complexation procedure (mix-and-complex) in aqueous solution. Herein a mix-then-on-demand-complex concept via on-demand in situ cascade anionization and ionic complexation of 2D materials is raised that drastically improves structural order in 2D assemblies, as exemplified by classical graphene oxide (GO)-based ultrathin membranes. Specifically, in dimethyl sulfoxide, the carboxylic acid-functionalized GO sheets (COOH-GOs) were mixed evenly with a cationic poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) and upon filtration formed a well-ordered layered composite membrane with homogeneous distribution of PIL chains in it; next, whenever needed, it was alkali-treated to convert COOH-GO in situ into its anionized state COO--GO that immediately complexed ionically with the surrounding cationic PIL chains. This mix-then-on-demand-complex concept separates the ionic complexation of GO and polyelectrolytes from their mixing step. By synergistically combining the PIL-induced hydrophobic confinement effect and supramolecular interactions, the as-fabricated nanofiltration membranes carry interface transport nanochannels between GO and PIL, reaching a high water permeability of 96.38 L m(-2) h(-1) bar(-1) at a maintained excellent dye rejection 99.79% for 150 h, exceeding the state-of-the-art GO-based hybrid membranes. The molecular dynamics simulations support the experimental data, confirming the interface spacing between GO and PIL as the water transport channels.
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