Facile synthesis of Li4Ti5O12/Graphene nanocomposites for high performance lithium-ion batteries via a thermal-decomposition reduction in air

Bifunctional Modification Enhances Lithium Extraction from Brine Using a Titanium-Based Ion Sieve Membrane Electrode

Salt lake brine has become a promising lithium resource, but it remains challenging to separate Li⁺ ions from the coexisting ions. We designed a membrane electrode having conductive and hydrophilic bifunctionality based on the H₂TiO₃ ion sieve (HTO). Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was combined with the ion sieve to improve electrical conductivity, and tannic acid (TA) was polymerized on the surface of ion sieve to enhance hydrophilicity. These bifunctional modification at the microscopic level improved the electrochemical performance of the electrode and facilitated ion migration and adsorption. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was used as a binder to further intensify the macroscopic hydrophilicity of the HTO/RGO-TA electrode. Lithium adsorption capacity of the modified electrode in 2 h reached 25.2 mg g^-1, more than double that of HTO (12.0 mg g^-1). The modified electrode showed excellent selectivity for Na⁺/Li⁺ and Mg²⁺/Li⁺ separation and good cycling stability. The adsorption mechanism follows ion exchange, which involves H⁺/Li⁺ exchange and Li-O bond formation in the [H] layer and [HTi₂] layer of HTO.

Co-Sn-Cu oxides/graphene nanocomposites as green catalysts for preparing 1,8-dioxo-octahydroxanthenes and apoptosis-inducing agents in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells

In this work, Co-Sn-Cu oxides/graphene nanocomposite, 30-40 ± 0.5 nm in size, was synthesized by solid-state microwave irradiation. This method presents several advantages such as operational simplicity, fast, low cost, safe and energy efficient, and suitability for production of high purity of nanoparticles. Other advantages of this method are there is no need for the use of solvent, fuel, and surfactant. Co-Sn-Cu oxides/graphene nanocomposites have been characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The synthesized nanocomposites were used as novel highly efficient catalysts for the synthesis of 1,8-dioxo-octahydroxanthenes at room temperature. The catalysts are recoverable and can be reused for six runs without loss of their activity. Also, the obtained nanocomposites exhibited significant anticancer activity against breast cancer cells and they could induce apoptosis in cancer cells.