- Award ID(s):
- 2122178
- PAR ID:
- 10420501
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Applied Sciences
- Volume:
- 13
- Issue:
- 5
- ISSN:
- 2076-3417
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 3023
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
Anaerobic digestion (AD), microalgae cultivation, and microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are the major biological processes to convert organic solid wastes and wastewater in the agricultural industry into biofuels, biopower, various biochemical and fertilizer products, and meanwhile, recycle water. Various nanomaterials including nano zero valent irons (nZVIs), metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs), carbon-based and multicompound nanomaterials have been studied to improve the economics and environmental sustainability of those biological processes by increasing their conversion efficiency and the quality of products, and minimizing the negative impacts of hazardous materials in the wastes. This review article presented the structures, functionalities and applications of various nanomaterials that have been studied to improve the performance of AD, microalgae cultivation, and MFCs for recycling and valorizing agricultural solid wastes and wastewater. The review also discussed the methods that have been studied to improve the performance of those nanomaterials for their applications in those biological processes.more » « less
-
Abstract Synthesis of nanoparticles and particulate nanomaterials with tailored properties is a central step toward many applications ranging from energy conversion and imaging/display to biosensing and nanomedicine. While existing microfluidics‐based synthesis methods offer precise control over the synthesis process, most of them rely on passive, partial mixing of reagents, which limits their applicability and potentially, adversely alter the properties of synthesized products. Here, an acoustofluidic (i.e., the fusion of acoustic and microfluidics) synthesis platform is reported to synthesize nanoparticles and nanomaterials in a controllable, reproducible manner through acoustic‐streaming‐based active mixing of reagents. The acoustofluidic strategy allows for the dynamic control of the reaction conditions simply by adjusting the strength of the acoustic streaming. With this platform, the synthesis of versatile nanoparticles/nanomaterials is demonstrated including the synthesis of polymeric nanoparticles, chitosan nanoparticles, organic–inorganic hybrid nanomaterials, metal–organic framework biocomposites, and lipid‐DNA complexes. The acoustofluidic synthesis platform, when incorporated with varying flow rates, compositions, or concentrations of reagents, will lend itself unprecedented flexibility in establishing various reaction conditions and thus enable the synthesis of versatile nanoparticles and nanomaterials with prescribed properties.
-
Abstract Carbon nanomaterials are promising metal‐free catalysts for energy conversion and storage, but the catalysts are usually developed via traditional trial‐and‐error methods. To rationally design and accelerate the search for the highly efficient catalysts, it is necessary to establish design principles for the carbon‐based catalysts. Here, theoretical analysis and material design of metal‐free carbon nanomaterials as efficient photo‐/electrocatalysts to facilitate the critical chemical reactions in clean and sustainable energy technologies are reviewed. These reactions include the oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells, the oxygen evolution reaction in metal–air batteries, the iodine reduction reaction in dye‐sensitized solar cells, the hydrogen evolution reaction in water splitting, and the carbon dioxide reduction in artificial photosynthesis. Basic catalytic principles, computationally guided design approaches and intrinsic descriptors, catalytic material design strategies, and future directions are discussed for the rational design and synthesis of highly efficient carbon‐based catalysts for clean energy technologies.
-
Nanoscale materials have been explored extensively as agents for therapeutic and diagnostic (i.e., theranostic) applications. Research efforts have shifted from exploring new materials in vitro to designing materials that function in more relevant animal disease models, thereby increasing potential for clinical translation. Current interests include non‐invasive imaging of diseases, biomarkers, and targeted delivery of therapeutic drugs. Here, some general design considerations of advanced theranostic materials and challenges of their use, from both diagnostic and therapeutic perspectives, are discussed. Common classes of nanoscale biomaterials, including magnetic nanoparticles, quantum dots, upconversion nanoparticles, mesoporous silica nanoparticles, carbon‐based nanoparticles, and organic dye‐based nanoparticles, have demonstrated potential for both diagnosis and therapy. Variations such as size control and surface modifications can modulate biocompatibility and interactions with target tissues. The need for improved disease detection and enhanced chemotherapeutic treatments, together with realistic considerations for clinically translatable nanomaterials, will be key driving factors for theranostic agent research in the near future.
-
Doron Aurbach (Ed.)Rechargeable Li-CO2 batteries have emerged as promising candidates for next generation batteries due to their low cost, high theoretical capacity, and ability to capture the greenhouse gas CO2. However, these batteries still face challenges such as slow reaction kinetic and short cycle performance due to the accumulation of discharge products. To address this issue, it is necessary to design and develop high efficiency electrocatalysts that can improve CO2 reduction reaction. In this study, we report the use of NiMn2O4 electrocatalysts combined with multiwall carbon nanotubes as a cathode material in the Li-CO2 batteries. This combination proved effective in decomposing discharge products and enhancing cycle performance. The battery shows stable discharge–charge cycles for at least 30 cycles with a high limited capacity of 1000 mAh/g at current density of 100 mA/g. Furthermore, the battery with the NiMn2O4@CNT catalyst exhibits a reversible discharge capacity of 2636 mAh/g. To gain a better understanding of the reaction mechanism of Li-CO2 batteries, spectroscopies and microscopies were employed to identify the chemical composition of the discharge products. This work paves a pathway to increase cycle performance in metal-CO2 batteries, which could have significant implications for energy storage and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.more » « less