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  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Simin Feng, Xiaoli Zhang, Dunyun Shi, Zheng Wang
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2021, 15(2): 221-237. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-020-1927-8

    Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8), composed of Zn ions and imidazolate ligands, is a class of metal-organic frameworks, which possesses a similar structure as conventional aluminosilicate zeolites. This material exhibits inherent porous property, high loading capacity, and pH-sensitive degradation, as well as exceptional thermal and chemical stability. Extensive research effort has been devoted to relevant research aspects ranging from synthesis methods, property characterization to potential applications of ZIF-8. This review focuses on the recent development of ZIF-8 synthesis methods and its promising applications in drug delivery. The potential risks of using ZIF-8 for drug delivery are also summarized.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Huimei Yu, Xiaoxing Wang, Zhu Shu, Mamoru Fujii, Chunshan Song
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2018, 12(1): 83-93. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-017-1691-6

    A series of Al2O3 and CeO2 modified MgO sorbents was prepared and studied for CO2 sorption at moderate temperatures. The CO2 sorption capacity of MgO was enhanced with the addition of either Al2O3 or CeO2. Over Al2O3-MgO sorbents, the best capacity of 24.6 mg-CO2/g-sorbent was attained at 100 °C, which was 61% higher than that of MgO (15.3 mg-CO2/g-sorbent). The highest capacity of 35.3 mg-CO2/g-sorbent was obtained over the CeO2-MgO sorbents at the optimal temperature of 200 °C. Combining with the characterization results, we conclude that the promotion effect on CO2 sorption with the addition of Al2O3 and CeO2 can be attributed to the increased surface area with reduced MgO crystallite size. Moreover, the addition of CeO2 increased the basicity of MgO phase, resulting in more increase in the CO2 capacity than Al2O3 promoter. Both the Al2O3-MgO and CeO2-MgO sorbents exhibited better cyclic stability than MgO over the course of fifteen CO2 sorption-desorption cycles. Compared to Al2O3, CeO2 is more effective for promoting the CO2 capacity of MgO. To enhance the CO2 capacity of MgO sorbent, increasing the basicity is more effective than the increase in the surface area.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Sainab Omar, Yang Yang, Jiawei Wang
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2021, 15(1): 4-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-020-1933-x

    This review article summarizes the key published research on the topic of bio-oil upgrading using catalytic and non-catalytic supercritical fluid (SCF) conditions. The precious metal catalysts Pd, Ru and Pt on various supports are frequently chosen for catalytic bio-oil upgrading in SCFs. This is reportedly due to their favourable catalytic activity during the process including hydrotreating, hydrocracking, and esterification, which leads to improvements in liquid yield, heating value, and pH of the upgraded bio-oil. Due to the costs associated with precious metal catalysts, some researchers have opted for non-precious metal catalysts such as acidic HZSM-5 which can promote esterification in supercritical ethanol. On the other hand, SCFs have been effectively used to upgrade crude bio-oil without a catalyst. Supercritical methanol, ethanol, and water are most commonly used and demonstrate catalyst like activities such as facilitating esterification reactions and reducing solid yield by alcoholysis and hydrolysis, respectively.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Xiyuan Bu, Ming Tian, Hongqing Wang, Lin Wang, Liyong Yuan, Weiqun Shi
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2022, 16(11): 1632-1642. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-022-2187-6

    Although metal–organic frameworks offer a new platform for developing versatile sorption materials, yet coordinating the functionality, structure and component of these materials remains a great challenge. It depends on a comprehensive knowledge of a “real sorption mechanism”. Herein, a ternary mechanism for U(VI) uptake in metal–organic frameworks was reported. Analogous MIL-100s (Al, Fe, Cr) were prepared and studied for their ability to sequestrate U(VI) from aqueous solutions. As a result, MIL-100(Al) performed the best among the tested materials, and MIL-100(Cr) performed the worst. The nuclear magnetic resonance technique combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and zeta potential measurement reveal that U(VI) uptake in the three metal–organic frameworks involves different mechanisms. Specifically, hydrated uranyl ions form outer-sphere complexes in the surface of MIL-100s (Al, Fe) by exchanging with hydrogen ions of terminal hydroxyl groups (Al-OH2, Fe-OH2), and/or, hydrated uranyl ions are bound directly to Al(III) center in MIL-100(Al) through a strong inner-sphere coordination. For MIL-100(Cr), however, the U(VI) uptake is attributed to electrostatic attraction. Besides, the sorption mechanism is also pH and ionic strength dependent. The present study suggests that changing metal center of metal–organic frameworks and sorption conditions alters sorption mechanism, which helps to construct effective metal–organic frameworks-based sorbents for water purification.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Minghui Sun, Chen Chen, Lihua Chen, Baolian Su
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2016, 10(3): 301-347. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-016-1578-y

    Great interests have arisen over the last decade in the development of hierarchically porous materials. The hierarchical structure enables materials to have maximum structural functions owing to enhanced accessibility and mass transport properties, leading to improved performances in various applications. Hierarchical porous materials are in high demand for applications in catalysis, adsorption, separation, energy and biochemistry. In the present review, recent advances in synthesis routes to hierarchically porous materials are reviewed together with their catalytic contributions.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Wenjie Sun, Jiale Mao, Shuang Wang, Lei Zhang, Yonghong Cheng
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2021, 15(1): 18-34. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-020-1939-4

    Polymer-based dielectric capacitors are widely-used energy storage devices. However, although the functions of dielectrics in applications like high-voltage direct current transmission projects, distributed energy systems, high-power pulse systems and new energy electric vehicles are similar, their requirements can be quite different. Low electric loss is a critical prerequisite for capacitors for electric grids, while high-temperature stability is an essential pre-requirement for those in electric vehicles. This paper reviews recent advances in this area, and categorizes dielectrics in terms of their foremost properties related to their target applications. Requirements for polymer-based dielectrics in various power electronic equipment are emphasized, including high energy storage density, low dissipation, high working temperature and fast-response time. This paper considers innovations including chemical structure modification, composite fabrication and structure re-design, and the enhancements to material performances achieved. The advantages and limitations of these methods are also discussed.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Jing Wang, Guoyuan Pan, Yu Li, Yang Zhang, Hongwei Shi, Xuanbo Liu, Hao Yu, Muhua Zhao, Yiqun Liu, Changjiang Wu
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2022, 16(8): 1268-1280. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-022-2143-5

    The micro-nano composite structure can endow separation membranes with special surface properties, but it often has the problems of inefficient preparation process and poor structural stability. In this work, a novel atomization-assisted nonsolvent induced phase separation method, which is also highly efficient and very simple, has been developed. By using this method, a bicontinuous porous microfiltration membrane with robust micro-nano composite structure was obtained via commercially available polymers of polyacrylonitrile and polyvinylpyrrolidone. The formation mechanism of the micro-nano composite structure was proposed. The microphase separation of polyacrylonitrile and polyvinylpyrrolidone components during the atomization pretreatment process and the hydrogen bonding between polyacrylonitrile and polyvinylpyrrolidone molecules should have resulted in the nano-protrusions on the membrane skeleton. The membrane exhibits superhydrophilicity in air and superoleophobicity underwater. The membrane can separate both surfactant-free and surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions with high separation efficiency and permeation flux. With excellent antifouling property and robust microstructure, the membrane can easily be recycled for long-term separation. Furthermore, the scale-up verification from laboratory preparation to continuous production has been achieved. The simple, efficient, cost-effective preparation method and excellent membrane properties indicate the great potential of the developed membranes in practical applications.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Yiyi Fan, Jinyong Li, Saidi Wang, Xiuxia Meng, Yun Jin, Naitao Yang, Bo Meng, Jiaquan Li, Shaomin Liu
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2021, 15(4): 882-891. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-020-1990-1

    Hydrogen fuel has been embraced as a potential long-term solution to the growing demand for clean energy. A membrane-assisted separation is promising in producing high-purity H2. Molecular sieving membranes (MSMs) are endowed with high gas selectivity and permeability because their well-defined micropores can facilitate molecular exclusion, diffusion, and adsorption. In this work, MXene nanosheets intercalated with Ni2+ were assembled to form an MSM supported on Al2O3 hollow fiber via a vacuum-assisted filtration and drying process. The prepared membranes showed excellent H2/CO2 mixture separation performance at room temperature. Separation factor reached 615 with a hydrogen permeance of 8.35 × 108 mol·m2·s1·Pa1. Compared with the original Ti3C2Tx/Al2O3 hollow fiber membranes, the permeation of hydrogen through the Ni2+-Ti3C2Tx/Al2O3 membrane was considerably increased, stemming from the strong interaction between the negatively charged MXene nanosheets and Ni2+. The interlayer spacing of MSMs was tuned by Ni2+. During 200-hour testing, the resultant membrane maintained an excellent gas separation without any substantial performance decline. Our results indicate that the Ni2+ tailored Ti3C2Tx/Al2O3 hollow fiber membranes can inspire promising industrial applications.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Huaxin Qu, Jie Deng, Bei Wang, Lezi Ouyang, Yong Tang, Kai Yu, Lan-Lan Lou, Shuangxi Liu
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2021, 15(6): 1514-1523. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-021-2092-4

    A base-free catalytic system for the aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural was exploited by using Pt nanoparticles immobilized onto a thermoresponsive poly(acrylamide-co-acrylonitrile)-b-poly(N-vinylimidazole) block copolymer, with an upper critical solution temperature of about 45 °C. The Pt nanocatalysts were well-dispersed and highly active for the base-free oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural by molecular oxygen in water, affording high yields of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (up to>99.9%). The imidazole groups in the block copolymer were conducive to the improvement of catalytic performance. Moreover, the catalysts could be easily separated and recovered based on their thermosensitivity by cooling the reaction system below the upper critical solution temperature. Good stability and reusability were observed over these copolymer-immobilized catalysts with no obvious decrease in catalytic activity in the five consecutive cycles.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Ruifeng DONG, Zaoxiao ZHANG, Hongfang LU, Yunsong YU
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2012, 6(1): 104-111. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-011-1166-0

    Large amounts of energy are consumed during the manufacturing of cement especially during the calcination process which also emits large amounts of CO2. A large part of the energy used in the making of cement is released as waste heat. A process to capture CO2 by integrating the recovery and utilization of waste heat has been designed. Aspen Plus software was used to calculate the amount of waste heat and the efficiency of energy utilization. The data used in this study was based on a dry process cement plant with a 5-stage preheater and a precalciner with a cement output of 1 Mt/y. According to the calculations: 1) the generating capacity of the waste heat recovery system is 4.9 MW. 2) The overall CO2 removal rate was as high as 78.5%. 3) The efficiency of energy utilization increased after the cement producing process was retrofitted with this integrated design.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Tong Yu, Jiang Cheng, Lu Li, Benshuang Sun, Xujin Bao, Hongtao Zhang
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2019, 13(4): 654-664. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-019-1832-1

    In traditional ceramic processing techniques, high sintering temperature is necessary to achieve fully dense microstructures. But it can cause various problems including warpage, overfiring, element evaporation, and polymorphic transformation. To overcome these drawbacks, a novel processing technique called “cold sintering process (CSP)” has been explored by Randall et al. CSP enables densification of ceramics at ultra-low temperature (≤300°C) with the assistance of transient aqueous solution and applied pressure. In CSP, the processing conditions including aqueous solution, pressure, temperature, and sintering duration play critical roles in the densification and properties of ceramics, which will be reviewed. The review will also include the applications of CSP in solid-state rechargeable batteries. Finally, the perspectives about CSP is proposed.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Tianyi Bao, Yuanyuan Shao, Haiping Zhang, Jesse Zhu
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2022, 16(6): 985-995. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-021-2126-y

    The high contents of nitrogen-containing organic compounds in biocrude obtained from hydrothermal liquefaction of microalgae are one of the most concerned issues on the applications and environment. In the project, Chlorella sp. and Spirulina sp. were selected as raw materials to investigate the influence of different reaction conditions (i.e., reaction temperature, residence time, solid loading rate) on the distribution of nitrogen in the oil phase and aqueous phase. Three main forms of nitrogen-containing organic compounds including nitrogen-heterocyclic compounds, amide, and amine were detected in biocrudes. The contents of nitrogen-heterocyclic compounds decreased with temperature while amide kept increasing. The effect of residence time on the components of nitrogen-containing organic compounds was similar with that of temperature. However, the influence of solid loading rate was insignificant. Moreover, it was also found that the differences of amino acids in the protein components in the two microalgae might affect the nitrogen distribution in products. For example, nitrogen in basic amino acids of Spirulina sp. preferred to go into the aqueous phase comparing with the nitrogen in neutral amino acids of Chlorella sp. In summary, a brief reaction map was proposed to describe the nitrogen pathway during microalgae hydrothermal liquefaction.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Lixin Xing, Jiaming Wang, Xuehua Ruan, Gaohong He
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2022, 16(11): 1536-1559. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-022-2221-8

    Poly(ether−ether ketone) (PEEK) is a linear aromatic macromolecule, which can form semi-crystalline aggregative status, allowing PEEK materials to have strong environment tolerance and excellent physicochemical properties. PEEK materials have become a promising alternative to fabricate particular membranes used in extreme conditions. In the past few decades, many researches and evolutions have emerged in membrane fabrication with PEEK materials and its applications for treating organic solvents and their mixtures; however, there are little systematic and comprehensive literature to summarize fabrication approaches, compile applications, and elaborate PEEK property-structure relationship. In this review, the main approaches to fabricate PEEK-based membranes are illustrated concretely, including conventional thermal-induced and non-solvent-induced phase separation, and novel chemical-induced crystallization; the representative applications in ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and membrane contactor containing organic solvents are demonstrated systematically. Meanwhile, the mechanism to tune PEEK solubility in solvents, which can be achieved by altering monomers in synthesis processes or changing membrane preparation routes, is deeply analyzed. Moreover, the existing problems and the future prospects are also discussed. This review provides positive guidance for designing and fabricating membranes using PEEK and its derivative materials for task-specific applications in harsh conditions.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Shilei Ding, Zelong Jiang, Jing Gu, Hongliang Zhang, Jiajia Cai, Dongdong Wang
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2021, 15(1): 148-155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-020-2022-x

    In this paper, two carbon-coated lithium titanate (LTO-C1 and LTO-C2) composites were synthesized using the ball-milling-assisted calcination method with different carbon precursor addition processes. The physical and electrochemical properties of the as-synthesized negative electrode materials were characterized to investigate the effects of two carbon-coated LTO synthesis processes on the electrochemical performance of LTO. The results show that the LTO-C2 synthesized by using Li2CO3 and TiO2 as the raw materials and sucrose as the carbon source in a one-pot method has less polarization during lithium insertion and extraction, minimal charge transfer impedance value and the best electrochemical performance among all samples. At the current density of 300 mA·h·g–1, the LTO-C2 composite delivers a charge capacity of 126.9 mA·h·g–1, and the reversible capacity after 300 cycles exceeds 121.3 mA·h·g–1 in the voltage range of 1.0–3.0 V. Furthermore, the electrochemical impedance spectra show that LTO-C2 has higher electronic conductivity and lithium diffusion coefficient, which indicates the advantages in electrode kinetics over LTO and LTO-C1. The results clarify the best electrochemical properties of the carbon-coated LTO-C2 composite prepared by the one-pot method.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Xinhe Wang, Liuqing Yang, Xiaolin Ji, Yunfei Gao, Fanxing Li, Junshe Zhang, Jinjia Wei
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2022, 16(12): 1726-1734. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-022-2188-5

    Chemical looping reforming of methane is a novel and effective approach to convert methane to syngas, in which oxygen transfer is achieved by a redox material. Although lots of efforts have been made to develop high-performance redox materials, a few studies have focused on the redox kinetics. In this work, the kinetics of SrFeO3−δ–CaO∙MnO nanocomposite reduction by methane was investigated both on a thermo-gravimetric analyzer and in a packed-bed microreactor. During the methane reduction, combustion occurs before the partial oxidation and there exists a transition between them. The weight loss due to combustion increases, but the transition region becomes less inconspicuous as the reduction temperature increased. The weight loss associated with the partial oxidation is much larger than that with combustion. The rate of weight loss related to the partial oxidation is well fitted by the Avrami–Erofeyev equation with n = 3 (A3 model) with an activation energy of 59.8 kJ∙mol‒1. The rate law for the partial oxidation includes a solid conversion term whose expression is given by the A3 model and a methane pressure-dependent term represented by a power law. The partial oxidation is half order with respect to methane pressure. The proposed rate law could well predict the reduction kinetics; thus, it may be used to design and/or analyze a chemical looping reforming reactor.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Wei Wang, Yanying Wei, Jiang Fan, Jiahao Cai, Zong Lu, Li Ding, Haihui Wang
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2021, 15(4): 793-819. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-020-2016-8

    Two-dimensional (2D) materials have emerged as a class of promising materials to prepare high-performance 2D membranes for various separation applications. The precise control of the interlayer nanochannel/sub-nanochannel between nanosheets or the pore size of nanosheets within 2D membranes enables 2D membranes to achieve promising molecular sieving performance. To date, many 2D membranes with high permeability and high selectivity have been reported, exhibiting high separation performance. This review presents the development, progress, and recent breakthrough of different types of 2D membranes, including membranes based on porous and non-porous 2D nanosheets for various separations. Separation mechanism of 2D membranes and their fabrication methods are also reviewed. Last but not the least, challenges and future directions of 2D membranes for wide utilization are discussed in brief.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Hongbo Li, Bo Zheng, Zhiyong Pan, Baoning Zong, Minghua Qiao
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2018, 12(1): 124-131. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-017-1676-5

    This paper overviews the development of the anthraquinone auto-oxidation (AO) process for the production of hydrogen peroxide in China and abroad. The characteristics and differences between the fixed-bed and fluidized-bed reactors for the AO process are presented. The detailed comparison indicates that the production of hydrogen peroxide with the fluidized-bed reactor has many advantages, such as lower operation cost and catalyst consumption, less anthraquinone degradation, higher catalyst utilization efficiency, and higher hydrogenation efficiency. The key characters of the production technology of hydrogen peroxide based on the fluidized-bed reactor developed by the Research Institute of Petroleum Processing, Sinopec are also disclosed. It is apparent that substituting the fluidized-bed reactor for the fixed-bed reactor is a major direction of breakthrough for the production technology of hydrogen peroxide in China.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Yang Zhang, Guowu Zhan, Yibo Song, Yiping Liu, Jiale Huang, Shu-Feng Zhou, Kok Bing Tan, Qingbiao Li
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2022, 16(12): 1793-1806. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-022-2191-x

    Recycling industrial solid waste not only saves resources but also eliminates environmental concerns of toxic threats. Herein, we proposed a new strategy for the utilization of petrochemical-derived carbon black waste, a waste vanadium-bearing resource (V > 30000 ppm (10 −6)). Chemical leaching was employed to extract metallic vanadium from the waste and the leachate containing V was used as an alternative raw material for the fabrication of vanadate nanomaterials. Through the screening of various metal cations, it was found that the contaminated Na+ during the leaching process showed strong competitive coordination with the vanadium ions. However, by adding foreign Ce3+ and Y3+ cations, two rare-earth vanadates, viz., flower-like CeVO4 and spherical YVO4 nanomaterials, were successfully synthesized. Characterization techniques such as scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared, and N2 physisorption were applied to analyze the physicochemical properties of the waste-derived nanomaterials. Importantly, we found that rare-earth vanadate catalysts exhibited good activities toward the semi-hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes. The conversion of cinnamaldehyde and cinnamic alcohol selectivity were even higher than those of the common CeVO4 prepared using pure chemicals (67.2% vs. 27.7% and 88.4% vs. 53.5%). Our work provides a valuable new reference for preparing vanadate catalysts by the use of abundant vanadium-bearing waste resources.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Laura Donato, Enrico Drioli
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2021, 15(4): 775-792. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-020-1991-0

    The rapid industrial growth and the necessity of recovering and recycling raw materials increased the interest in the production of highly selective and efficient separation tools. In this perspective, a relevant input was given by the membrane-based technology and the production of imprinted membranes, which possess specific recognition properties at molecular and ionic level, offers the possibility of developing sustainable and green processes. Furthermore, the integration of imprinted membranes with traditional or membrane-based approaches is a promising strategy in the logic of process intensification, which means the combination of different operations in a single apparatus. This work discusses the concept and separation mechanisms of imprinted membranes. Furthermore, it presents an overview of their application in organic solvent nanofiltration, for the removal of toxic agents and recovery solvent, as well as valuable compounds. The recent advances in water treatment, such as pesticide removal and recovery of metal ions, are also discussed. Finally, potential applications of imprinted membranes in hybrid processes are highlighted, and a look into the future of membrane separations for water treatment and recovery of critical raw materials is offered.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Huaiwei Shi, Teng Zhou
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2021, 15(1): 49-59. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-020-1959-0

    Functional materials are widely used in chemical industry in order to reduce the process cost while simultaneously increase the product quality. Considering their significant effects, systematic methods for the optimal selection and design of materials are essential. The conventional synthesis-and-test method for materials development is inefficient and costly. Additionally, the performance of the resulting materials is usually limited by the designer’s expertise. During the past few decades, computational methods have been significantly developed and they now become a very important tool for the optimal design of functional materials for various chemical processes. This article selectively focuses on two important process functional materials, namely heterogeneous catalyst and gas separation agent. Theoretical methods and representative works for computational screening and design of these materials are reviewed.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    You Han, Yulian Wang, Tengzhou Ma, Wei Li, Jinli Zhang, Minhua Zhang
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2020, 14(5): 689-748. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-019-1902-4

    Copper has received extensive attention in the field of catalysis due to its rich natural reserves, low cost, and superior catalytic performance. Herein, we reviewed two modification mechanisms of co-catalyst on the coordination environment change of Cu-based catalysts: (1) change the electronic orbitals and geometric structure of Cu without any catalytic functions; (2) act as an additional active site with a certain catalytic function, as well as their catalytic mechanism in major reactions, including the hydrogenation to alcohols, dehydrogenation of alcohols, water gas shift reaction, reduction of nitrogenous compounds, electrocatalysis and others. The influencing mechanisms of different types of auxiliary metals on the structure-activity relationship of Cu-based catalysts in these reactions were especially summarized and discussed. The mechanistic understanding can provide significant guidance for the design and controllable synthesis of novel Cu-based catalysts used in many industrial reactions.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Ammaru Ismaila, Xueli Chen, Xin Gao, Xiaolei Fan
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2021, 15(1): 60-71. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-020-1975-0

    Thermodynamic chemical equilibrium analysis of steam reforming of glycerol (SRG) for selective hydrogen production was performed based on the Gibbs free energy minimisation method. The ideal SRG reaction (C3H8O3+3H2O→3CO2+7H2) and a comprehensive set of side reactions during SRG are considered for the formation of a wide range of products. Specifically, this work focused on the analysis of formation of H2, CO2, CO and CH4 in the gas phase and determination of the carbon free region in SRG under the conditions at atmospheric pressure, 600 K–1100 K and 1.013 × 105–1.013 × 106 Pa with the steam-to-glycerol feed ratios (SGFR) of 1:5–10. The reaction conditions which favoured SRG for H2 production with minimum coke formation were identifies as: atmospheric pressure, temperatures of 900 K–1050 K and SGFR of 10:1. The influence of using the inert carrier gas (i.e., N2) in SRG was studied as well at atmospheric pressure. Although the presence of N2 in the stream decreased the partial pressure of reactants, it was beneficial to improve the equilibrium yield of H2. Under both conditions of SRG (with/without inert gas), the CH4 production is minimised, and carbon formation was thermodynamically unfavoured at steam rich conditions of SGFR>5:1.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Leijing Liu, Hao Zhang, Bo Xiao, Yang Liu, Bin Xu, Chen Wang, Shanpeng Wen, Erjun Zhou, Gang Chen, Chan Im, Wenjing Tian
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2021, 15(1): 127-137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-020-1936-7

    Effects of a benzotriazole (BTA)-based small molecule, BTA2, as the third component on the charge carrier generation and recombination behavior of poly[[4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene-2,6-diyl][3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl)carbonyl]thieno[3,4-b]thiophenediyl]] (PTB7):[6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) organic solar cells (OSCs) were investigated by optical simulation of a transfer matrix model (TMM), photo-induced charge extraction by linearly increasing voltage (photo-CELIV) technique, atomic force microscope (AFM), and the Onsager–Braun model analysis. BTA2 is an A2-A1-D-A1-A2-type non-fullerene small molecule with thiazolidine-2,4-dione, BTA, and indacenodithiophene as the terminal acceptor (A2), bridge acceptor (A1), and central donor (D), respectively. The short-circuit current density of the OSCs with BTA2 can be enhanced significantly owing to a complementary absorption spectrum. The optical simulation of TMM shows that the ternary OSCs exhibit higher internal absorption than the traditional binary OSCs without BTA2, resulting in more photogenerated excitons in the ternary OSCs. The photo-CELIV investigation indicates that the ternary OSCs suffer higher charge trap-limited bimolecular recombination than the binary OSCs. AFM images show that BTA2 aggravates the phase separation between the donor and the acceptor, which is disadvantageous to charge carrier transport. The Onsager-Braun model analysis confirms that despite the charge collection efficiency of the ternary OSCs being lower than that of the binary OSCs, the optimized photon absorption and exciton generation processes of the ternary OSCs achieve an increase in photogenerated current and thus improve power conversion efficiency.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Qian Wu, Jincheng Zhang, Shengpeng Wang, Bajin Chen, Yijun Feng, Yongbing Pei, Yue Yan, Longcheng Tang, Huayu Qiu, Lianbin Wu
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2021, 15(4): 969-983. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-020-1988-8

    A facile strategy was developed to fabricate flexible polyurethane (PU) foam composites with exceptional flame retardancy. The approach involves the incorporation of graphene oxide (GO) into a silicone resin (SiR) solution, which is then deposited onto a PU foam surface via the dip-coating technique and cured. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy measurements demonstrated that the SiR and GO were successfully coated onto the PU skeleton and the intrinsic porous structure of the PU foam remained intact. The effects of SiR and GO on the mechanical and thermal stability and flame retardancy of PU composites were evaluated through compression tests, thermogravimetric analysis, vertical combustion tests, and the limiting oxygen index. The measurement results revealed that the composites (PU@SiR-GO) showed superior flame retardancy and thermal and mechanical stability compared to pristine PU or PU coated with SiR alone. The mechanical and thermal stability and the flame-retardant properties of the PU composites were enhanced significantly with increasing GO content. Based on the composition, microstructure, and surface morphology of PU@SiR-GO composites before and after combustion tests, a possible flame-retardance mechanism is proposed. This work provides a simple and effective strategy for fabricating flame-retardant composites with improved mechanical performance.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Yu-Chao Wang, Tian-Tian Li, Li Huang, Xiao-Qin Liu, Lin-Bing Sun
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2022, 16(11): 1623-1631. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-022-2202-y

    The number of active components and their dispersion degree are two key factors affecting the performance of adsorbents. Here, we report a simple but efficient strategy for dispersing active components by using a confined space, which is formed by mesoporous silica walls and templates in the as-prepared SBA-15 (AS). Such a confined space does not exist in the conventional support, calcined SBA-15, which does not contain a template. The Cu and Zn precursors were introduced to the confined space in the AS and were converted to CuO and ZnO during calcination, during which the template was also removed. The results show that up to 5 mmol·g–1 of CuO and ZnO can be well dispersed; however, severe aggregation of both oxides takes place in the sample derived from the calcined SBA-15 with the same loading. Confined space in the AS and the strong interactions caused by the abundant hydroxyl groups are responsible for the dispersion of CuO and ZnO. The bimetallic materials were employed for the adsorptive separation of propene and propane. The samples prepared from the as-prepared SBA-15 showed superior performance to their counterparts from the calcined SBA-15 in terms of both adsorption capacity of propene and selectivity for propene/propane.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Yichen Liu, Yongli Li, Andreas Hensel, Juergen J. Brandner, Kai Zhang, Xiaoze Du, Yongping Yang
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2020, 14(3): 350-364. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-019-1894-0

    Emulsion is a disperse system with two immiscible liquids, which demonstrates wide applications in diverse industries. Emulsification technology has advanced well with the development of microfluidic process. Compared to conventional methods, the microfluidics-based process can produce controllable droplet size and distribution. The droplet formation or breakup is the result of combined effects resulting from interfacial tension, viscous, and inertial forces as well as the forces generated due to hydrodynamic pressure and external stimuli. In the current study, typical microfluidic systems, including microchannel array, T-shape, flow-focusing, co-flowing, and membrane systems, are reviewed and the corresponding mechanisms, flow regimes, and main parameters are compared and summarized.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Ling Tan, Kipkorir Peter, Jing Ren, Baoyang Du, Xiaojie Hao, Yufei Zhao, Yu-Fei Song
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2021, 15(1): 99-108. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-020-1947-4

    The rational design of photocatalyst that can effectively reduce CO2 under visible light (l>400 nm), and simultaneously precise control of the products syngas (CO/H2) ratio is highly desirable for the Fischer-Tropsch reaction. In this work, we synthesized a series of CeO2-decorated layered double hydroxides (LDHs, Ce-x) samples for photocatalytic CO2 reduction. It was found that the selectivity and productivity of CO and H2 from photoreduction of CO2 in conjunction with Ru-complex as photosensitizer performed an obvious “volcano-like” trend, with the highest point at Ce-0.15 and the CO/H2 ratio can be widely tunable from 1/7.7 to 1/1.3. Furthermore, compared with LDH, Ce-0.15 also drove photocatalytic CO2 to syngas under 600 nm irradiation. It implied that an optimum amount of CeO2 modifying LDH promoted the photoreduction of CO2 to syngas. This report gives the way to fully utilize the rare earth elements and provides a promising route to enhance the photo-response ability and charge injection efficiency of LDH-based photocatalysts in the synthesis of syngas with a tunable ratio under visible light irradiation.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Na Wang, Fujian Li, Bangyu Fan, Suojiang Zhang, Lu Bai, Xiangping Zhang
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2022, 16(11): 1584-1594. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-022-2189-4

    The separation of rare earth elements is particularly difficult due to their similar physicochemical properties. Based on the tiny differences of ionic radius, solvent extraction has been developed as the “mass method” in industry with hundreds of stages, extremely intensive chemical consumption and large capital investments. The differences of the ionic magnetic moment among rare earths are greater than that of ionic radius. Herein, a novel method based on the large ionic magnetic moment differences of rare earth elements was proposed to promote the separation efficiency. Rare earths were firstly dissolved in the ionic liquid, then the ordering degree of them was improved with the Z-bond effect, and finally the magnetic moment differences between paramagnetic and diamagnetic rare earths in quasi-liquid system were enhanced. Taking the separation of Er/Y, Ho/Y and Er/Ho as examples, the results showed that Er(III) and Ho(III) containing ionic liquids had obvious magnetic response, while ionic liquids containing Y(III) had no response. The separation factors of Er/Y and Ho/Y were achieved at 9.0 and 28.82, respectively. Magnetic separation via quasi-liquid system strategy provides a possibility of the novel, green, and efficient method for rare earth separation.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Yanhong SUN, Zhiyong LI, Chuang XIE, Wei CHEN, Cui ZHANG
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2013, 7(1): 110-115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-013-1316-7

    In this work, the enthalpy of fusion and melting points of 2-(tert-butyl)-5-methylphenol (2B5MP) and 2-(tert-butyl)-4-methylphenol (2B4MP) were measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The binary solid-liquid equilibrium (SLE) of both compounds were predicted by integrated computer aided system (ICAS) and measured by DSC. The corresponding eutectic molar composition is 0.6998 and the eutectic temperature is 281.96 K. The quasi-static heat capacities of 2B5MP and 2B4MP were evaluated by stochastic temperature modulation DSC technique (TOPEM). The SLE experimental data were correlated using the Margules, Wilson, and non-random two liquid (NRTL) equations and a good agreement between measurement and calculation could be obtained.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Yingjie Ma, Nan Zhang, Jie Li, Cuiwen Cao
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2021, 15(1): 72-89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-020-1977-y

    The extractive dividing-wall column (EDWC) is one of the most efficient technologies for separation of azeotropic or close boiling-point mixtures, but its design is fairly challenging. In this paper we extend the hybrid feasible path optimisation algorithm (Ma Y, McLaughlan M, Zhang N, Li J. Computers & Chemical Engineering, 2020, 143: 107058) for such optimal design. The tolerances-relaxation integration method is refined to allow for long enough integration time that can ensure the solution of the pseudo-transient continuation simulation close to the steady state before the required tolerance is used. To ensure the gradient and Jacobian information available for optimisation, we allow a relaxed tolerance for the simulation in the sensitivity analysis mode when the simulation diverges under small tolerance. In addition, valid lower bounds on purity of the recycled entrainer and the vapour flow rate in column sections are imposed to improve computational efficiency. The computational results demonstrate that the extended hybrid algorithm can achieve better design of the EDWC compared to those in literature. The energy consumption can be reduced by more than 20% compared with existing literature report. In addition, the optimal design of the heat pump assisted EDWC is achieved using the improved hybrid algorithm for the first time.