Search Results (4)

In this work, Sn-Si mixed oxide microspheres with concave hollow morphologies were first synthesized by a simple aerosol method using the very common commercial surfactant cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as a template, and then highly interconnected mesoporous and hollow Sn-Si mixed oxide microspheres were synthesized via an alkali (NaOH) treatment in the presence of CTAB. The results show that CTAB plays a crucial role not only in forming hollow morphologies during the aerosol process, but also protecting the amorphous framework and thus preventing the excessive loss of Sn species during the NaOH treatment. More importantly, it widens mesoporous distribution and forms interconnected mesoporous channels. The catalytic performance of Baeyer–Villiger oxidation on the interconnected mesoporous and hollow Sn-Si mixed oxide microspheres with 2-adamantanone and hydrogen peroxide was 9.4 times higher than that of the sample synthesized without the addition of CTAB; 2.3 times that of the untreated parent, which was due to the excellent diffusion properties derived from the hollow and interconnected mesopore structure. This method is mild, simple, low-cost, and can be continuously produced, which has the prospect of industrial application. Furthermore, the fundamentals of this study provide new insights for the rational design and preparation of highly interlinked mesoporous and hollow metal-oxides with unique catalytic performances. Full article

The energy storage performances of supercapacitors are expected to be enhanced by the use of nanostructured hierarchically micro/mesoporous hollow carbon materials based on their ultra-high specific surface areas and rapid diffusion of electrolyte ions through the interconnected channels of their mesoporous structures. In this work, we report the electrochemical supercapacitance properties of hollow carbon spheres prepared by high-temperature carbonization of self-assembled fullerene-ethylenediamine hollow spheres (FE-HS). FE-HS, having an average external diameter of 290 nm, an internal diameter of 65 nm, and a wall thickness of 225 nm, were prepared by using the dynamic liquid-liquid interfacial precipitation (DLLIP) method at ambient conditions of temperature and pressure. High temperature carbonization (at 700, 900, and 1100 °C) of the FE-HS yielded nanoporous (micro/mesoporous) hollow carbon spheres with large surface areas (612 to 1616 m² g⁻¹) and large pore volumes (0.925 to 1.346 cm³ g⁻¹) dependent on the temperature applied. The sample obtained by carbonization of FE-HS at 900 °C (FE-HS_900) displayed optimum surface area and exhibited remarkable electrochemical electrical double-layer capacitance properties in aq. 1 M sulfuric acid due to its well-developed porosity, interconnected pore structure, and large surface area. For a three-electrode cell setup, a specific capacitance of 293 F g⁻¹ at a 1 A g⁻¹ current density, which is approximately 4 times greater than the specific capacitance of the starting material, FE-HS. The symmetric supercapacitor cell was assembled using FE-HS_900 and attained 164 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹ with sustained 50% capacitance at 10 A g⁻¹ accompanied by 96% cycle life and 98% coulombic efficiency after 10,000 consecutive charge/discharge cycles. The results demonstrate the excellent potential of these fullerene assemblies in the fabrication of nanoporous carbon materials with the extensive surface areas required for high-performance energy storage supercapacitor applications. Full article

In this study, a novel three-dimensional hollow mesoporous bioactive glass nanofiber scaffold has been synthesized with a template-assisted sol-gel method using bacterial cellulose (BC) as a template and nonionic triblock copolymer (P123) as a pore-directing agent, ethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), calcium nitrate tetrahydrate (CN), and triethyl phosphate (TEP) as glass precursors. Scanning and transmission electron microscopies, X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption-desorption, and nuclear magnetic resonance method were applied to characterize the morphology, crystal structure, and chemical structure of the mesoporous bioactive glass nanofiber scaffold. Furthermore, the in vitro bioactivity and biocompatibility were also explored. The obtained scaffold depicted nanofiber-like morphology and interconnected three-dimensional network structure that replicated the BC template. The scaffold showed a large specific surface area (230.0 cm² g⁻¹) and pore volume (0.2 m³ g⁻¹). More importantly, the scaffold exhibited excellent apatite-forming ability and cellular biocompatibility. We believe that the hollow mesoporous bioactive glass nanofiber scaffold has great potential application in bone tissue regeneration. Full article

Interconnected hollow-structured carbon was successfully prepared from a readily available bio-waste precursor (orange peel) by pyrolysis and chemical activation (using KOH), and demonstrated its potential as a high-performing electrode material for energy storage. The surface area and pore size of carbon were controlled by varying the precursor carbon to KOH mass ratio. The specific surface area significantly increased with the increasing amount of KOH, reaching a specific surface area of 2521 m²/g for a 1:3 mass ratio of precursor carbon/KOH. However, a 1:1 mass ratio of precursor carbon/KOH displayed the optimum charge storage capacitance of 407 F/g, owing to the ideal combination of micro- and mesopores and a higher degree of graphitization. The capacitive performance varied with the electrolyte employed. The orange-peel-derived electrode in KOH electrolyte displayed the maximum capacitance and optimum rate capability. The orange-peel-derived electrode maintained above 100% capacitance retention during 5000 cyclic tests and identical charge storage over different bending status. The fabricated supercapacitor device delivered high energy density (100.4 µWh/cm²) and power density (6.87 mW/cm²), along with improved performance at elevated temperatures. Our study demonstrates that bio-waste can be easily converted into a high-performance and efficient energy storage device by employing a carefully architected electrode–electrolyte system. Full article