{"title":"New applications of dodecahedral bimetallic imidazolate frameworks in the robust and superior wear-resistant epoxy composites","authors":"Weilong Chen, Jinian Yang, Bingyi Li, Xia Xu, Peng Jin, Zhoufeng Wang","doi":"10.1007/s11705-025-2537-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11705-025-2537-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this study, we put forward a facile strategy for preparing high-performance composites utilizing epoxy resin and dodecahedral bimetallic imidazolate frameworks as the matrix resin and wear-resisting agents, respectively, with varied weight ratios via a combination of sonochemical and solution-mixing methods. The results indicate that the synthesized bimetallic imidazolate frameworks possess a dodecahedral morphology, which is composed of nickel/cobalt transition metals and imidazolium salt organic ligands, dispersing homogeneously within the resin matrix. After carefully investigating the mechanical, dry-sliding and thermal properties, we have clearly demonstrated the significance of the added bimetallic imidazolate frameworks in endowing epoxy composites with excellent wear resistance. As the filler content increases, the epoxy composites display reliable mechanical properties and thermal stabilities. Meanwhile, compared with pure resin, the wear rate is significantly reduced by 92.3%, reaching the lowest value of 0.74 × 10<sup>−5</sup> mm<sup>3</sup>·Nm<sup>−1</sup>. Moreover, various characterizations have been carried out to reveal the wearing mechanism. This study aims to enhance the potential of bimetallic imidazolate frameworks in the applications of creating superior wear-resistant polymeric composites with satisfactory mechanical and thermal properties.\u0000</p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":571,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering","volume":"19 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143778069","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Advanced metal-contained composites for fluoride removal from wastewater: mechanism, preparation, properties and applications","authors":"Yiting Cheng, Xiuling Yang, Gaigai Duan, Chunmei Zhang, Weisen Yang, Hongliang Zhao, Wendong Du, Jianxiu Ma, Zhongfu Tang, Shaohua Jiang","doi":"10.1007/s11705-025-2540-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11705-025-2540-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>With the rapid development of society, fluoride pollution in the water environment caused by human activities and natural development has constituted one of the main causes of threat to human health and safety. Among the various fluoride removal technologies available, adsorption technology has been deeply explored by various scientists and has made great progress in the current emergency situation of fluoride-contaminated water sources, especially the adsorbents containing metal or metal ion materials, which have better results. This review first describes the various mechanisms of fluoride removal by adsorption, the different methods of preparation of the materials (electrospinning, hydrothermal, solvothermal, and so on), and the current applications of the materials in fluoride removal. Then, in terms of application, the influence of different factors on the fluoride removal capacity is presented. Finally, solutions to the current problems are proposed. However, to apply them to industry for large-scale use requires the continued exploration of various researchers to make the theoretical effects into practical ones, thus improving the environment on which we depend.\u0000</p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":571,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering","volume":"19 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143761792","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Investigation on the removal of NO from marine exhaust gas using the Na2S2O8-urea redox system in seawater carrier","authors":"Xiangwen Xing, Jingxuan Jiang, Jing Liu, Pei Zhao, Lin Cui, Yong Dong","doi":"10.1007/s11705-025-2533-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11705-025-2533-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The sodium persulfate (Na<sub>2</sub>S<sub>2</sub>O<sub>8</sub>)-urea system has been proven to be an excellent scrubbing solution for the wet removal of NO. Commonly, seawater is used as a wet carrier in marine applications. To further explore the feasibility of marine denitrification using Na<sub>2</sub>S<sub>2</sub>O<sub>8</sub>-urea system, this study proposed the Na<sub>2</sub>S<sub>2</sub>O<sub>8</sub>-urea-seawater composite redox system for NO removal from the marine exhaust gas. The effects of seawater carrier, reaction temperature, Na<sub>2</sub>S<sub>2</sub>O<sub>8</sub> concentration, urea concentration, pH value, and NO concentration on NO removal were investigated. Additionally, the NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> concentration in the solution was measured. Results showed that the lowest normalized NO concentration was 0.099, with the corresponding mass of NO absorbed per unit volume of solution reaching 0.108 g·L<sup>−1</sup>. The addition of seawater carrier and incremental reaction temperature, Na<sub>2</sub>S<sub>2</sub>O<sub>8</sub>, and urea concentration promoted the NO removal performance. When the pH value increased within the range of 4–7, the NO removal performance decreased. The NO removal performance increased as the pH value further increased to 8, but decreased again when the pH value increased to 11. An increase in NO concentration was detrimental to NO removal. The Cl<sup>−</sup>, HCO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>, and CO<sub>3</sub><sup>2−</sup> in seawater could augment the total concentration of active free radicals to improve denitrification performance.\u0000</p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":571,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143668091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yu Zhuang, Tong Jin, Mengting Song, Jian Du, Siwen Gu
{"title":"A kinetic model-based SOFC combined cycle power generation system for waste heat recovery","authors":"Yu Zhuang, Tong Jin, Mengting Song, Jian Du, Siwen Gu","doi":"10.1007/s11705-025-2536-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11705-025-2536-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is an extremely promising technology for sustainable energy conversion and storage through highly efficient electrochemical reaction at high-temperature conditions. The existing studies commonly address the final equilibrium state of the SOFC electrode reactions, giving less consideration to the micro kinetic of electrode reactions. In this paper, a kinetic model-based SOFC combined cycle power generation system is suggested to recover multiple waste heat, which includes a Kalina cycle (KC) as the bottom cycle and a Rankine cycle (RC) as the top cycle. In devneloping the proposed system, a novel kinetic model is presented for SOFC based on the microscopic mechanism of the oxygen reduction. A dynamic stochastic programming model is established to optimize the integrated system sequentially and simultaneously, with maximum power generation taken as the objective, depending on whether the SOFC system and the KC-RC system are simultaneously optimized. In sequential optimization, the output power of SOFC-KC-RC system is 320.56 kW and it is 415.04 kW using simultaneous optimization, achieving a 29.5% increase in power generation. Further comparison with the previous reports obtained by a thermodynamic model, this work leads to a 10.8% increase in power generation, showing the promising power production performance of the developed system.\u0000</p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":571,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering","volume":"19 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143706916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Predictive neural network model and empirical equations for the physico-chemical properties and solvent characteristics of potassium carbonate solutions in carbon capture processes","authors":"Abolhasan Ameri","doi":"10.1007/s11705-025-2532-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11705-025-2532-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Controlling and optimizing carbon capture processes is vital for improving efficiency, reducing energy consumption, and enhancing sustainability. Process analytical technology (PAT) plays a crucial role in achieving these goals. Establishing the relationship between physico-chemical properties (PCPs) and solvent characteristics, such as loading and strength, can facilitate the practical implementation of PAT. This study develops empirical models for the PCPs of potassium carbonate solutions, including density, refractive index, and electrical conductivity, as well as a mechanistic model for pH across varying temperatures, solvent concentration, and solvent loadings. The models showed strong agreement with experimental data. Density and refractive index increased with solvent strength and decreased with temperature, while conductivity correlated with solvent strength and temperature but decreased with solvent loading. A feedforward neural network was trained to predict solvent strength and loading using eight input scenarios. The highest accuracy was achieved with PCPs combined with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) or ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), using only PCPs, or using PCPs with FTIR and UV-Vis while excluding pH. The findings provide essential insights into K<sub>2</sub>CO<sub>3</sub> solution behavior, contributing to advances in carbon capture technologies.</p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":571,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11705-025-2532-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143655235","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Nitrogen-enriched pyrolysis and catalytic pyrolysis of municipal sludge extract","authors":"Wenjie Ji, Lihui Zhang, Feng Duan","doi":"10.1007/s11705-025-2531-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11705-025-2531-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Municipal sludge (MS) extract obtained by degradative solvent extraction has the typical fuel characteristics of high nitrogen content, zero moisture, and low ash, which is suitable for producing valuable nitrogen-containing chemicals. This study compared the nitrogen-rich pyrolysis characteristic of MS extracts using thermogravimetric/thermogravimetric-mass spectrometry/pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The composition of bio-oil from catalytic pyrolysis of MS extracts with HZSM-5 was studied, and the pyrolysis kinetic models was established. The results show that different from the raw MS pyrolysis, the MS extracts pyrolysis all had two main peaks with similar values in the range of 140–530 °C (Stage L and Stage W). NH<sub>3</sub> is mainly released in the range of 140–370 °C (Stage L), and the nitrogen-containing compounds content in the bio-oil in this stage is 41.81%. After adding HZSM-5, the weight loss rate in Stage L decreased by 21.97%, while that in Stage W increased by 10.04%. An obvious weight loss peak (30.32%) appeared at the temperature of 530–900 °C, which is due to the increased fixed carbon content (increased by 16.07%) of the bio-oil from catalytic pyrolysis. The number of components in the nitrogen-containing compounds decreases much, however, its yield increases by 9.45% due to the transformation of nitrogen by the catalyst effect of HZSM-5 adding.</p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":571,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143553844","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Preparation of TiO2@MCC modified PA6 composite membranes and their water-oil separation performance","authors":"Pengcheng Hu, Aonan Lai, Shufeng Zhou","doi":"10.1007/s11705-025-2530-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11705-025-2530-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Using the chemically stable and cost-effective nylon PA6 as a substrate with the help of the high hydrophilicity of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and TiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles to build micro-nanostructures on the surface of the nylon PA6, the superhydrophilic and underwater oleophobic composite membrane was fabricated to achieve the high efficiency of water-oil separation. TiO<sub>2</sub> nanoparticles wrapped in MCC were evenly dispersed on the composite membrane, and the pore size of the composite membrane decreased with increasing MCC mass fraction. MCC can be tightly bound to the surface of the PA6 membrane because of its excellent film-forming properties and ability to cross-link with PA6. The modification of TiO<sub>2</sub> and MCC led to a reduction in the surface adhesion of the composite membrane to oil droplets. The separation efficiency of the composite membrane for water-oil emulsions followed the order TiO<sub>2</sub>@2MCC-PA6 > TiO<sub>2</sub>@MCC-PA6 > TiO<sub>2</sub>-PA6 > PA6, and the change in filtration flux was exactly the opposite. TiO<sub>2</sub>@MCC-PA6 was the best composite membrane for three water-oil emulsions with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and its separation efficiency was over 96%. The water contact angle and underwater oil contact angle of TiO<sub>2</sub>@MCC-PA6 changed slightly after it was immersed in acidic and alkaline solutions for 36 h. The filtration flux and separation efficiency of TiO<sub>2</sub>@MCC-PA6 for <i>n</i>-hexane/SDS/water were still above 3100 L·m<sup>−2</sup>·h<sup>−1</sup>·bar<sup>−1</sup> and 93%, respectively, after 50 cycles.</p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":571,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143553749","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
He-Fei Wan, Xin Zhao, Qian Guo, Ce Gao, Run-Cang Sun
{"title":"Stretchable and conductive lignin hydrogel electrolyte for flexible supercapacitor","authors":"He-Fei Wan, Xin Zhao, Qian Guo, Ce Gao, Run-Cang Sun","doi":"10.1007/s11705-025-2535-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11705-025-2535-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Although lignin is the second most abundant forest biomass polymer, it has been largely neglected in hydrogel electrolytes due to its insolubility and inflexibility. In this study, a double-crosslinked hydrogel was prepared using aspartic acid-modified lignin and sodium alginate, significantly improving the mechanical properties. The hydrogel exhibited an exceptional strain of 3008% and a tensile strength of 0.03 MPa, demonstrating its remarkable mechanical properties. In addition, high ionic conductivity (11.7 mS·cm<sup>−1</sup>) was obtained due to the abundant presence of hydrophilic groups in the hydrogel. The hydrogel-assembled supercapacitor manifested an impressive specific capacitance of 39.46 F·g<sup>−1</sup>. Notably, the supercapacitor showed a wide potential window of 0–1.5 V and achieved a maximum energy density of 5.48 Wh·kg<sup>−1</sup> at the power density of 499.9 W·kg<sup>−1</sup>. The capacitance retention remained at 115% after 10000 charge-discharge cycles. Finally, the coulombic efficiency was almost 100% during the cycles. Upon reaching a bending angle of 90°, the specific capacitance retention remained impressively high at 94%. These results suggest that the supercapacitor cans maintain normal electrochemical performance under extremely harsh conditions.</p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":571,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143655171","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Decoration of ZnIn2S4 on cellulose/chitosan composite sponges for efficient tetracycline removal under sunlight","authors":"Lei Xia, Liyuan Shi, Jiaqi Zhao, Chang Liu, Youbo Di, Xupin Zhuang","doi":"10.1007/s11705-025-2534-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11705-025-2534-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Tetracycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that can rapidly inhibit bacterial growth, but its excessive usage and improper handling can lead to its discharge into water, soil, and other ecosystems, posing a significant hazard to ecology and human health. Photocatalysis is considered the most attractive solution for addressing this problem. However, most photocatalysts suffer from nanoparticle agglomeration, high electron-hole recombination rates, and low degradation efficiency. Herein, we offer a straightforward <i>in situ</i> hydrothermal phase separation strategy for synthesizing ZnIn<sub>2</sub>S<sub>4</sub> particles on cellulose/chitosan composite sponges for the effective adsorption and degradation of tetracycline in wastewater. The prepared ZnIn<sub>2</sub>S<sub>4</sub> composite sponge displayed a remarkably porous structure (with pore diameters of 150–500 µm), uniformly distributed ZnIn<sub>2</sub>S<sub>4</sub> nanoparticles (with diameters of approximately 15 nm), a narrow bandgap (2.88 eV), and exceptional compressibility. Owing to these characteristics and the affinity sites of the polysaccharide sponge skeleton, ZnIn<sub>2</sub>S<sub>4</sub> composite sponges represent an innovative model of synergistic adsorption-photocatalytic degradation. The prepared ZnIn<sub>2</sub>S<sub>4</sub> composite sponge had a removal efficiency of up to 91.5% for tetracycline under sunlight irradiation and remained effective after eight consecutive cycles. This study highlights the potential application prospects of ZnIn<sub>2</sub>S<sub>4</sub> composite sponges in the sustainable and environmentally friendly treatment of antibiotics.</p><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":571,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143655172","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xin Gao, Shuntaro Tsubaki, Huacheng Zhu, Daniel R. Slocombe, Daming Fan, Roger Ruan
{"title":"Microwave for electrification and decarbonization of the chemical industry","authors":"Xin Gao, Shuntaro Tsubaki, Huacheng Zhu, Daniel R. Slocombe, Daming Fan, Roger Ruan","doi":"10.1007/s11705-025-2528-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11705-025-2528-3","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":571,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering","volume":"19 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2025-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143655400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}