A facile one-pot hydrothermal method to produce SnS2/reduced graphene oxide with flake-on-sheet structures and their application in the removal of dyes from aqueous solution

Protective and Flame-Retardant Bifunctional Epoxy-Based Nanocomposite Coating by Intercomponent Synergy between Modified CaAl-LDH and rGO

Extensive utilization in various settings poses extra requirements of coatings beyond just anticorrosion properties. Herein, 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) intercalated CaAl-based layered double hydroxide (CaAl-8HQ-LDH) was loaded on reduced GO (rGO) through a one-pot hydrothermal reaction, which was employed as the nanofiller endowing the epoxy (EP/CaAl-8HQ LDH@rGO) with excellent flame-retardancy while ensuring efficient protection for mild steel. Results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) demonstrated the durability of the EP/CaAl-8HQ LDH@rGO-coated specimen, with the impedance at the lowest frequency (|Z|0.01Hz) maintained as 1.84 × 1010 Ω cm2 after 120 days of immersion in a 3.5 wt % NaCl solution. Even for the scratched EP/CaAl-8HQ LDH@rGO system, only a slight decline in |Z|0.01Hz was observed during 180 h of exposure to the NaCl solution, indicating a self-healing feature supported by salt spray tests. UL-94 burning tests revealed the V-0 rating for EP/CaAl-8HQ LDH@rGO with improved thermostability. Strong physical barrier from two-dimensional rGO and the release of 8-HQ from LDH interlayers accounted for the anticorrosive and self-healing properties. However, O2-concentration dilution and charring-layer promotion governed the flame-retardant behavior of the nanocomposite coating. The intercomponent synergy of nanofillers achieved in this work may provide a useful reference for designing multifunctional coatings.

Defect-rich, negatively-charged SnS2 nanosheets for efficient photocatalytic Cr(VI) reduction and organic dye adsorption in water

Nanostructures of layered materials have gained increasing attention in photocatalytic and water-treatment processes. Herein, we report on sub-30 nm SnS₂ nanosheets (NSs) which can perform photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) quite efficiently on one hand, while removes large quantities of toxic organic dye molecules by choosing an adsorption mode of operation over photo-degradation on the other hand, unlike most other SnS₂ nanostructures. The NSs have a highly extended crystallinity growing perpendicular to the (001) lattice direction but exhibit poor X-ray diffraction for the 10 l (1 = 1,2,3…) lattice planes. With such defects, the NSs have a narrow bandgap of 2.21 eV and exhibit a significant photocurrent density at near band-edge illumination. Cr(VI) photo-reduction using the SnS₂ NSs follows a first-order reaction kinetics (rate constant of 0.10 min-1), five-fold higher than commercial TiO₂ (P-25). Furthermore, the NSs adsorb Rhodamine B dye molecules from an aqueous solution by forming a monolayer of dye molecules following a pseudo-second-order kinetic model and exhibit an adsorption capacity of ∼ 53.28 mg/g. We show that the NSs have a Zeta potential of ∼ -22 eV and preferably adsorb cationic dyes only. Thus the SnS₂ NSs can be effective for Cr(VI) contaminated waste-water treatment in a photocatalytic manner and can also act as a potential adsorbent for polluting dye molecules either in the presence or absence of sunlight. While both these activities are known for SnS₂ as well as other materials, the competitive nature of the two mechanisms while each of them is a possibility has never been investigated. Therefore, besides the high activities, the study highlights the presence of different active sites on the material surface that can respond preferentially to either inorganic or organic impurities.

Controllable synthesis of an intercalated SnS2/aEG structure for enhanced NO2 gas sensing performance at room temperature

An intercalated SnS₂/aEG structure with abundant heterojunctions for enhanced NO₂ gas sensing performance at room temperature.

N-Doped Carbon Aerogels Obtained from APMP Fiber Aerogels Saturated with Rhodamine Dye and Their Application as Supercapacitor Electrodes

We developed an efficient and environmentally friendly strategy for synthesizing an N-doped carbon aerogel by the carbonization of an alkaline peroxide mechanical pulp (APMP) fiber aerogel saturated with rhodamine B (RB) dyes. The APMP aerogel was prepared via cellulose extraction, sol-gel, and freeze drying. The resulting aerogel had a high adsorption capacity (250 mg g−1) and a fast adsorption rate (within 30 s) towards RB dyes. The saturated aerogel was used as a starting material for further carbonization to prepare N-doped carbon aerogels. SEM studies showed that the 3D network structure of the APMP aerogels was well preserved after RB adsorption and carbonization. The prepared carbon aerogel exhibited a graphitized structure, and N (2.15%) was doped at pyridinic N and pyrrolic N sites in the 3D carbon network. The specific capacitance of the N-doped carbon aerogel reached 185 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1, which is higher than carbon aerogels (155 F g−1).

Alkylammonium thiostannate inorganic/organic hybrids as high-performance photocatalysts with a decoupled adsorption–photodegradation mechanism

For traditional photocatalysts, the adsorption and successive surface reaction constitute a coupled and integrated process, owing to the limited number of catalytic active centres available. An attempt to boost the photocatalytic performance to optimize the adsorption and surface reaction process may be performed by exploring various photocatalyst infrastructures. Herein, we use a facile solvothermal method to synthesize a series of layered alkylammonium thiostannate hybrids, namely (baH)₂Sn₃S₇, (haH)₂Sn₃S₇ and (oaH)₂Sn₃S₇ (ba = butylamine, ha = hexylamine, oa = octylamine). The hybrids showed broad UV-visible light absorption with appropriate band gaps. The inorganic/organic amphiphilic infrastructure of these hybrids enables them to exhibit prominent ion-exchange properties for Rhodamine B, with a large capacity over a wide pH range (1–11). And the adsorbed Rhodamine B is photodegraded within 30 minutes. A mechanistic study indicates that the adsorption and photodegradation steps are performed at the organic and inorganic layers within these hybrids, respectively, which are decoupled and independent. We conclude that the high-performance integrated adsorption–photodegradation ability is a consequence of the lipophilicity of intercalated alkylammonium and the photocatalysis performance of the 2D [Sn₃S₇]_n²ⁿ⁻ monolayers.

For traditional photocatalysts, the adsorption and successive surface reaction constitute a coupled and integrated process, owing to the limited number of catalytic active centres available.

Rational Design of 3D Honeycomb-Like SnS2 Quantum Dots/rGO Composites as High-Performance Anode Materials for Lithium/Sodium-Ion Batteries

Structure pulverization and poor electrical conductivity of metal dichalcogenides result in serious capacity decay both in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). To resolve the above problems, a combination of metal dichalcogenides with conductive scaffolds as high-performance electrode materials has aroused tremendous interest recently. Herein, we synthesize a 3D honeycomb-like rGO anchored with SnS₂ quantum dots (3D SnS₂ QDs/rGO) composite via spray-drying and sulfidation. The unique 3D-ordered honeycomb-like structure can confine the volume change of SnS₂ QDs in the lithiation/delithiation and sodiation/desodiation processes, provide enough space for electrolyte reservoirs, promote the conductivity of the SnS₂ QDs, and improve the electron transfer. As a result, the 3D SnS₂ QDs/rGO composite electrode delivers a high capacity and long cycling stability (862 mAh/g for LIB at 0.1 A/g after 200 cycles, 233 mAh/g for SIB at 0.5 A/g after 200 cycles). This study provides a feasible synthesis route for preparing 3D-ordered porous networks in varied materials for the development of high-performance LIBs and SIBs in future.

A facile approach to synthesize oxygen doped g-C3N4 with enhanced visible light activity under anoxic conditions via oxygen-plasma treatment

Photocatalytic oxidation technology for the anoxic removal of organic pollutants that exist under some oxygen-free conditions is attractive but challenging.

Tin disulphide/nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide/polyaniline ternary nanocomposites with ultra-high capacitance properties for high rate performance supercapacitor

In this work, SnS₂/NRGO/PANI ternary composites are synthesized via in situ polymerization of aniline monomers on the surface of SnS₂/NRGO nanosheets binary composites with different loading of the conducting polymers.

Porous BiOBr/Bi2MoO6 Heterostructures for Highly Selective Adsorption of Methylene Blue

Porous BiOBr/Bi2MoO6 (Br/Mo) heterostructures were designed and successfully fabricated, in which BiOBr nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of the secondary nanoplate of three-dimensional porous Bi2MoO6 architectures through a deposition-precipitation process. The as-prepared Br/Mo heterostructures were used as an adsorbent to remove methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution. The batch adsorption results indicated that 50.0 wt % Br/Mo heterostructures show an enhanced adsorption capacity compared with pure Bi2MoO6 and BiOBr. The effects of initial solution, initial concentration, and contact time were systematically investigated. The optimum adsorbent amount and the pH value were determined to be 0.8 g L-1 and 2, respectively. Meanwhile, the experiments also revealed that porous Br/Mo heterostructures possess higher preferential adsorptivity for MB than that for methyl orange (MO-) and rhodamine B (RhB+). The dynamic experimental result indicated that the adsorption process conforms to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Weber's intraparticle diffusion model indicated that two steps took place during the adsorption process. Thermodynamic analysis results showed that the adsorption is a physisorption process, which conforms to the Langmuir isotherm model. Additionally, the possible adsorption mechanism was also investigated. The present study implied that Br/Mo heterostructures are promising candidates as adsorbents for MB removal. Therefore, fabrication of semiconductor-based heterostructures could be a strategy to design new efficient adsorbents for the removal of environmental pollutants.

Macroporous three-dimensional graphene oxide foams for dye adsorption and antibacterial applications

Applicability of graphene oxide foams in water remediation.

Fabrication of a reversible SnS2/RGO nanocomposite for high performance lithium storage

Herein, we report a facile solvothermal synthesis of reversible SnS₂/RGO nanocomposites with improved reversibility in Li⁺ storage.

A facile approach to synthesizing S–Co–O tridoped g-C3N4 with enhanced oxygen-free photocatalytic performance via a hydrothermal post-treatment

S–Co–O tridoped g-C₃N₄ nanorods, which have outstanding visible light activity under anoxic conditions, are synthesized via hydrothermal post-treatment.

Hydrophilic hollow carbon nanocapsules for high-capacity adsorptive removal of cationic dyes in aqueous systems

The hollow carbon nanocapsules prepared from Ni₃C nanoparticles show a high adsorption rate and a high maximum adsorption capacity to organic dyes in water solutions.

Porous graphene materials for water remediation

Water remediation has been a critical issue over the past decades due to the expansion of wastewater discharge to the environment. Currently, a variety of functional materials have been successfully prepared for water remediation applications. Among them, graphene is an attractive candidate due to its high specific surface area, tunable surface behavior, and high strength. This Concept paper summarizes the design strategy of porous graphene materials and their applications in water remediation, such as the cleanup of oil, removal of heavy metal ions, and elimination of water soluble organic contaminants. The progress made so far will guide further development in structure design strategy of porous materials based on graphene and exploration of such materials in environmental remediation.