State Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Engineering

A bimodal porous evaporator is developed for efficient, stable, and salt-rejecting desalination of seawater and high-concentration brines.

The controllable encapsulation of nanoentities (such as metal nanoparticles, quantum dots, polyoxometalates, organic and metallorganic molecules, biomacromolecules, and metal-organic polyhedra) into metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to form composite materials has attracted significant research interest in a variety of fields. These composite materials not only exhibit the properties of both the nanoentities and the MOFs but also display unique and synergistic functionalities. Tuning the sizes, compositions, and shapes of nanoentities encapsulated in MOFs enables the final composites to exhibit superior performance to those of the separate constituents for various applications. In this tutorial review article, we summarized the state-of-the-art development of MOFs containing encapsulated tunable nanoentities, with special emphasis on the preparation and synergistic properties of these composites.

Properties of CNCs obtained from cellulose with various polymorphs were investigated and compared.

Techniques for anionic defect engineering in transition metal oxides and mechanisms of how anion defects affect their oxygen reaction activities.

Abstract Developing low‐cost, high‐performance electro‐catalysts is essential for large‐scale application of electrochemical energy devices. In this article, reported are the findings in understanding and controlling oxygen defects in PrBa 0.5 Sr 0.5 Co 1.5 Fe 0.5 O 5+ δ (PBSCF) for significantly enhancing the rate of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are reported. Utilizing surface‐sensitive characterization techniques and first‐principle calculations, it is found that excessive oxygen vacancies promote OH − affiliation and lower the theoretical energy for the formation of O* on the surface, thus greatly facilitating the OER kinetics. On the other hand, however, oxygen vacancies also increase the energy band gap and lower the O 2 p band center of PBSCF, which may hinder OER kinetics. Still, careful tuning of these competing effects has resulted in enhanced OER activity for PBSCF with oxygen defects. This work also demonstrates that oxygen defects generated by different techniques have very different characteristics, resulting in different impacts on the activity of electrodes. In particular, PBSCF nanotubes after electrochemical reduction exhibit outstanding OER activity compared with the recently reported perovskite‐based catalysts.

A Janus evaporator with a low-tortuosity pore structure is reported for water generation from highly salty water. The unique pore structure together with the asymmetric wettability enables the evaporator to float on water with excellent salt excretion properties and heat localization, resulting in stable steam generation.

High-performance lignin-containing polyurethane elastomers (LPUes) were successfully synthesized via partially substituting petroleum-derived polyols with depolymerized enzymatic hydrolysis lignin (DEL). The influences of DEL on the structure, thermostability, mechanical performance, and thermal reprocessability of LPUes were systematically studied. The tensile strength and toughness of PUes were significantly enhanced after the introduction of DEL, with the maximum tensile strength reaching up to 60.7 MPa and the toughness up to 263.6 MJ/m3. The enhancement for the strength and toughness was attributed to the dual cross-linking network structure and the interfacial hydrogen bonds between lignin and the PU matrix, which were demonstrated to facilitate the orientation of chain segments and lead to strain-induced crystallization and self-reinforcement. LPUes also exhibited much better elasticity than the control sample without lignin and could maintain excellent mechanical performance after being hot reprocessed.

A fundamental understanding of lignin solubilization offers structural information that would benefit a variety of value added applications.

A novel approach, combining sulfurization and cation-exchange processes, is developed to fabricate hollow ZnCdS rhombic dodecahedral cages from ZIF-8, which exhibit superior catalytic activity and durability for hydrogen evolution from water splitting under cocatalyst-free and visible-light driven conditions.

The application of biochars as versatile catalysts and/or catalyst supports for biomass upgrading is systematically overviewed.

Abstract Developing cost effective electrocatalysts with high oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity is essential for large‐scale application of many electrochemical energy systems. Although the impacts of either lattice strain or oxygen defects on the OER performance of oxide catalysts have been extensively investigated, the effects of both factors are normally treated separately. In this work, the coupled effects of both strain and oxygen deficiency on the electrocatalytic activity of La 0.7 Sr 0.3 CoO 3−δ (LSC) thin films grown on single crystal substrates (LaAlO3 (LAO) and SrTiO3 (STO)) are investigated. Electrochemical tests show that the OER activities of LSC films are higher under compression than under tension, and are diminished as oxygen vacancies are introduced by vacuum annealing. Both experimental and computational results indicate that the LSC films under tension (e.g., LSC/STO) have larger oxygen deficiency than the films under compression (e.g., LSC/LAO), which attribute to smaller oxygen vacancy formation energy. Such strain‐induced excessive oxygen vacancies in the LSC/STO increases the e g state occupancy and enlarges the energy gap between the O 2p and Co 3d band, resulting in lower OER activity. Understanding the critical role of strain–defect coupling is important for achieving the rational design of highly active and durable catalysts for energy devices.

An ultralight, elastic, cost-effective, and highly recyclable superabsorbent was fabricated from microfibrillated cellulose fibers for oil spillage cleanup.

Highly efficient preparation and carboxylation of nanocelluloses were achieved simultaneously using innocuous and recyclable citric acid with the assistance of ultrasonication.

A magnetic Co-based heterogeneous catalyst derived from MOFs is highly efficient in selective oxidation of alcohols in neat water under an atmospheric pressure of air and base-free conditions.

The selective hydrogenation of furfural into cyclopentanone is an attractive transformation to advance in the sustainable synthesis of important chemicals from biomass.

A compressible carbon aerogel with not only super mechanical performances but also ultrahigh linear sensitivity is fabricated from MXene nanosheets and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs).

A new Tm-based complex<bold>1</bold>is synthesized and activated at different temperatures to obtain two porous MOFs (<bold>1a</bold>and<bold>1a′</bold>) with different pore sizes and pore surfaces, in which<bold>1a</bold>shows an excellent capability to selectively capture CO₂from CO₂/C₂H₂.

The present work reports a sustainable, cost-effective, and highly efficient catalytic system for directly transforming HMF to DFF that afforded &gt;99% DFF yield under relatively mild reaction conditions.

An enzyme toolbox was developed for the synthesis of valuable C-6 compounds<italic>via</italic>selective oxidation of HMF. A proof-of-concept based on DES was provided for separation of HMF and DFF.

A mechanically strong, sensitive and lightweight CNT/rGO–CNF carbon aerogel is fabricated by synergistic assembly of CNFs and CNTs to form ordered wave-shaped rGO layers and reinforcing the carbon layers.