Preparation of FeCo/C-N and FeNi/C-N Nanocomposites from Acrylamide Co-Crystallizates and Their Use as Lubricant Additives

FeCo and FeNi nanoalloy particles encapsulated in a nitrogen-doped carbonized shell (FeCo/C-N and FeNi/C-N) were synthesized by thermolysis at 400 °C of polyacrylamide complexes after frontal polymerization of co-crystallizate of Fe and Co or Ni nitrates and acrylamide. During the thermolysis of polyacrylamide complexes in a self-generated atmosphere, Co(II) or Ni(II) and Fe(III) cations are reduced to form FeCo and FeNi nanoalloy particles, while polyacrylamide simultaneously forms a nitrogen-doped carbon shell layer. This unique architecture provides high chemical and thermal stability of the resulting nanocomposites. The average crystallite size of FeCo and FeNi nanoparticles is 10 and 12 nm, respectively. The nanocomposites were studied by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The nanocomposites have been tested as antifriction and antiwear additives in lubricating oils. The optimal concentrations of nanoparticles were determined, at which the antifriction and antiwear properties of the lubricant manifest themselves in the best possible way.

Carbon Nanofiber Double Active Layer and Co-Incorporation as New Anode Modification Strategies for Power-Enhanced Microbial Fuel Cells

Co-doped carbon nanofiber mats can be prepared by the addition of cobalt acetate to the polyacrylonitrile/DMF electrospun solution. Wastewater obtained from food industries was utilized as the anolyte as well as microorganisms as the source in single-chamber batch mode microbial fuel cells. The results indicated that the single Co-free carbon nanofiber mat was not a good anode in the used microbial fuel cells. However, the generated power can be distinctly enhanced by using double active layers of pristine carbon nanofiber mats or a single layer Co-doped carbon nanofiber mat as anodes. Typically, after 24 h batching time, the estimated generated power densities were 10, 92, and 121 mW/m2 for single, double active layers, and Co-doped carbon nanofiber anodes, respectively. For comparison, the performance of the cell was investigated using carbon cloth and carbon paper as anodes, the observed power densities were smaller than the introduced modified anodes at 58 and 62 mW/m2, respectively. Moreover, the COD removal and Columbic efficiency were calculated for the proposed anodes as well as the used commercial ones. The results further confirm the priority of using double active layer or metal-doped carbon nanofiber anodes over the commercial ones. Numerically, the calculated COD removals were 29.16 and 38.95% for carbon paper and carbon cloth while 40.53 and 45.79% COD removals were obtained with double active layer and Co-doped carbon nanofiber anodes, respectively. With a similar trend, the calculated Columbic efficiencies were 26, 42, 52, and 71% for the same sequence.

Dopamine-derived cavities/Fe3O4 nanoparticles-encapsulated carbonaceous composites with self-generated three-dimensional network structure as an excellent microwave absorber

Dopamine-derived cavities/Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles-encapsulated carbonaceous composites with self-generating three-dimensional (3D) network structure were successfully fabricated by a facile synthetic method, in which sodium alginate provided carbon matrix pores and excellent microwave absorption performance was established. The hollow cavities derived from the core–shell-like CaCO₃@polydopamine were creatively introduced into the 3D absorber to significantly improve the absorption performance. The sample calcined at 700 °C exhibited the most outstanding microwave absorption performance, with minimal reflection loss up to −50.80 dB at 17.52 GHz with a rare thickness of only 1.5 mm when filler loading was 35% in paraffin matrix. The effective absorption bandwidth of reflection loss < −10 dB reached 3.52 GHz from 14.48 GHz to 18 GHz, corresponding to the same thickness of 1.5 mm. In contrast, the sample without hollow dopamine-derived cavities showed poor performance due to poor impedance matching, and this highlights the role of hollow cavities brought into the 3D structure, which led to a difference in interfacial polarization, multiple reflections and scattering. The novel dopamine-derived cavities/Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles-encapsulated carbonaceous composites with 3D network structure can be regarded as a promising candidate for application as a microwave absorber with strong absorption.

Hollow dopamine-derived cavities/Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles-encapsulated carbonaceous composites with self-generating 3D network structure were fabricated for potential application as excellent microwave absorbers.

Co3O4/carbon composite nanofibrous membrane enabled high-efficiency electromagnetic wave absorption

Electromagnetic (EM) wave absorbing materials have been fabricated from diverse materials such as conductive polymers, carbon based nanostructures and magnetic metal oxides. Nevertheless, it has remained a great challenge to develop lightweight and high-efficiency EM wave absorbing materials with a broad frequency range. Herein, we report a scalable strategy to create Co₃O₄/carbon composite nanofibrous membrane by electrospinning technique followed by stabilization and carbonization processes. An optimal reflection loss (R_L) value of 36.27 dB is reached at 13.76 GHz for a layer of 2 mm thickness. RL exceeding −20 dB can be realized in any interval within the 4.5–14.4 GHz range by selecting a proper thickness of the absorbing layer between 1 and 5 mm. The Co₃O₄/carbon composite nanofibrous membrane could be well served as promising and attractive candidates for lightweight and enhanced EM wave absorbing materials. This presented research provides an innovative and effective approach to design the novel EM wave absorbing material in a broad frequency range for practical applications.

FeCo nanoparticles-embedded carbon nanofibers as robust peroxidase mimics for sensitive colorimetric detection of l-cysteine

A simple and low cost detection of l-cysteine is essential in the fields of biosensors and medical diagnosis. In this study, we have developed a simple electrospinning, followed by calcination process to prepare FeCo nanoparticles embedded in carbon nanofibers (FeCo-CNFs) as an efficient peroxidase-like mimic for the detection of l-cysteine. FeCo nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed within CNFs, and their diameters are highly influenced by the calcination temperature. The calcination temperature also influences the peroxidase-like catalytic activity, and the maximum activity is achieved at a calcination temperature of 550 °C. Owing to the high catalytic activity of the as-prepared FeCo-CNFs, a colorimetric technique for the rapid and accurate determination of l-cysteine has been developed. The detection limit is about 0.15 μM with a wide linear range from 1 to 20 μM. In addition, a high selectivity for the detection of l-cysteine over other amino acids, glucose and common ions is achieved. This study provides a simple, rapid and sensitive sensing platform for the detection of l-cysteine, which is a promising candidate for potential applications in biosensing, medicine, environmental monitoring.

Influence of copper content on the electrocatalytic activity toward methanol oxidation of Co(χ)Cu(y) alloy nanoparticles-decorated CNFs

In this study, CoCu alloy nanoparticles-incorporated carbon nanofibers are introduced as effective non precious electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation in alkaline medium. The introduced electrocatalyst has been synthesized by simple and effective process; electrospinning. Typically, calcination, in nitrogen atmosphere, of electrospun nanofibers composed of cobalt acetate, copper acetate and poly (vinyl alcohol) leads to form carbon nanofibers decorated by CoCu nanoparticles. The nanofibrous morphology and alloy structure have been confirmed by SEM, TEM and XRD analyses. Investigation of the electrocatalytic activity indicates that copper content has strong influence, the alloy nanoparticles having the composition Cu_5%Co_95% showed distinct high performance; 100 times higher than other formulations. Overall, the introduced study revealed the veil about the distinct role of copper in enhancing the electrocatalytic activity of cobalt-based materials.

Robust SiO2-modified CoFe2O4 hollow nanofibers with flexible room temperature magnetic performance

Flexible room temperature magnetic parameters (M_s and H_c) of electrospun SiO₂-modified CoFe₂O₄ hollow nanofibers annealed at 1000 °C.

Cobalt/copper-decorated carbon nanofibers as novel non-precious electrocatalyst for methanol electrooxidation

In this study, Co/Cu-decorated carbon nanofibers are introduced as novel electrocatalyst for methanol oxidation. The introduced nanofibers have been prepared based on graphitization of poly(vinyl alcohol) which has high carbon content compared to many polymer precursors for carbon nanofiber synthesis. Typically, calcination in argon atmosphere of electrospun nanofibers composed of cobalt acetate tetrahydrate, copper acetate monohydrate, and poly(vinyl alcohol) leads to form carbon nanofibers decorated by CoCu nanoparticles. The graphitization of the poly(vinyl alcohol) has been enhanced due to presence of cobalt which acts as effective catalyst. The physicochemical characterization affirmed that the metallic nanoparticles are sheathed by thin crystalline graphite layer. Investigation of the electrocatalytic activity of the introduced nanofibers toward methanol oxidation indicates good performance, as the corresponding onset potential was small compared to many reported materials; 310 mV (vs. Ag/AgCl electrode) and a current density of 12 mA/cm2 was obtained. Moreover, due to the graphite shield, good stability was observed. Overall, the introduced study opens new avenue for cheap and stable transition metals-based nanostructures as non-precious catalysts for fuel cell applications.

Influence of the nanofibrous morphology on the catalytic activity of NiO nanostructures: an effective impact toward methanol electrooxidation

In this study, the influence of the morphology on the electrocatalytic activity of nickel oxide nanostructures toward methanol oxidation is investigated. Two nanostructures were utilized: nanoparticles and nanofibers. NiO nanofibers have been synthesized by using the electrospinning technique. Briefly, electrospun nanofiber mats composed of polyvinylpyrolidine and nickel acetate were calcined at 700°C for 1 h. Interestingly, compared to nanoparticles, the nanofibrous morphology strongly enhanced the electrocatalytic performance. The corresponding current densities for the NiO nanofibers and nanoparticles were 25 and 6 mA/cm2, respectively. Moreover, the optimum methanol concentration increased to 1 M in case of the nanofibrous morphology while it was 0.1 M for the NiO nanoparticles. Actually, the one-dimensional feature of the nanofibrous morphology facilitates electrons' motion which enhances the electrocatalytic activity. Overall, this study emphasizes the distinct positive impact of the nanofibrous morphology on the electrocatalytic activity which will open a new avenue for modification of the electrocatalysts.

An in situ polymerization approach for the synthesis of superhydrophobic and superoleophilic nanofibrous membranes for oil-water separation

Superhydrophobic and superoleophilic nanofibrous membranes exhibiting robust oil-water separation performance were prepared by a facile combination of electrospun cellulose acetate (CA) nanofibers and a novel in situ polymerized fluorinated polybenzoxazine (F-PBZ) functional layer that incorporated silica nanoparticles (SiO(2) NPs). By employing the F-PBZ/SiO(2) NPs modification, the pristine hydrophilic CA nanofibrous membranes were endowed with a superhydrophobicity with the water contact angle of 161° and a superoleophilicity with the oil contact angle of 3°. Surface morphological studies have indicated that the wettability of resultant membranes could be manipulated by tuning the surface composition as well as the hierarchical structures. The quantitative hierarchical roughness analysis using the N(2) adsorption method has confirmed the major contribution of SiO(2) NPs on enhancing the porous structure, and a detailed correlation between roughness and solid-liquid interface pinning is proposed. Furthermore, the as-prepared membranes exhibited fast and efficient separation for oil-water mixtures and excellent stability over a wide range of pH conditions, which would make them a good candidate in industrial oil-polluted water treatments and oil spill cleanup, and also provided a new insight into the design and development of functional nanofibrous membranes through F-PBZ modification.