Journal home Browse Most cited

Most cited

  • Select all
  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Kathryn A. MUMFORD, Yue WU, Kathryn H. SMITH, Geoffrey W. STEVENS
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2015, 9(2): 125-141. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-015-1514-6

    Currently, a large proportion of global fossil fuel emissions originate from large point sources such as power generation or industrial processes. This trend is expected to continue until the year 2030 and beyond. Carbon capture and storage (CCS), a straightforward and effective carbon reduction approach, will play a significant role in reducing emissions from these sources into the future if atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are to be stabilized and global warming limited below a threshold of 2 °C. This review provides an update on the status of large scale integrated CCS technologies using solvent absorption for CO2 capture and provides an insight into the development of new solvents, including advanced amine solvents, amino acid salts, carbonate systems, aqueous ammonia, immiscible liquids and ionic liquids. These proposed new solvents aim to reduce the overall cost CO2 capture by improving the CO2 absorption rate, CO2 capture capacity, thereby reducing equipment size and decreasing the energy required for solvent regeneration.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Wei WANG, Jinlong GONG
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2011, 5(1): 2-10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-010-0528-3

    Although being very challenging, utilization of carbon dioxide (CO2) originating from production processes and flue gases of CO2-intensive sectors has a great environmental and industrial potential due to improving the resource efficiency of industry as well as by contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions. As a renewable and environmentally friendly source of carbon, catalytic approaches for CO2 fixation in the synthesis of chemicals offer the way to mitigate the increasing CO2 buildup. Among the catalytic reactions, methanation of CO2 is a particularly promising technique for producing energy carrier or chemical. This article focuses on recent developments in catalytic materials, novel reactors, and reaction mechanism for methanation of CO2.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Kai Wang, Jinbo Pang, Liwei Li, Shengzhe Zhou, Yuhao Li, Tiezhu Zhang
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2018, 12(3): 376-382. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-018-1705-z

    Carbon nanotubes/graphene composites have superior mechanical, electrical and electrochemistry properties with carbon nanotubes as a hydrophobicity boosting agent. Their extraordinary hydrophobic performance is highly suitable for electrode applications in lithium ion batteries and supercapacitors which often employ organic electrolytes. Also the hydrophobic features enable the oil enrichment for the crude oil separation from seawater. The ever reported synthesis routes towards such a composite either involve complicated multi-step reactions, e.g., chemical vapor depositions, or lead to insufficient extrusion of carbon nanotubes in the chemical reductions of graphene oxide, e.g., fully embedding between the compact graphene oxide sheets. As a consequence, the formation of standalone carbon nanotubes over graphene sheets remains of high interests. Herein we use the facile flash light irradiation method to induce the reduction of graphene oxides in the presence of carbon nanotubes. Photographs, micrographs, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis all indicate that graphene oxides has been reduced. And the contact angle tests confirm the excellent hydrophobic performances of the synthesized carbon nanotube/reduced graphene oxide composite films. This one-step treatment represents a straightforward and high efficiency way for the reduction of carbon nanotubes/graphene oxides composites.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Hao Guo, Xianhui Li, Wulin Yang, Zhikan Yao, Ying Mei, Lu Elfa Peng, Zhe Yang, Senlin Shao, Chuyang Y. Tang
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2022, 16(5): 681-698. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-021-2103-5

    In recent decades, nanofiltration (NF) is considered as a promising separation technique to produce drinking water from different types of water source. In this paper, we comprehensively reviewed the progress of NF-based drinking water treatment, through summarizing the development of materials/fabrication and applications of NF membranes in various scenarios including surface water treatment, groundwater treatment, water reuse, brackish water treatment, and point of use applications. We not only summarized the removal of target major pollutants (e.g., hardness, pathogen, and natural organic matter), but also paid attention to the removal of micropollutants of major concern (e.g., disinfection byproducts, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and arsenic). We highlighted that, for different applications, fit-for-purpose design is needed to improve the separation capability for target compounds of NF membranes in addition to their removal of salts. Outlook and perspectives on membrane fouling control, chlorine resistance, integrity, and selectivity are also discussed to provide potential insights for future development of high-efficiency NF membranes for stable and reliable drinking water treatment.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Zhantong Wang, Haiyan Gao, Yang Zhang, Gang Liu, Gang Niu, Xiaoyuan Chen
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2017, 11(4): 633-646. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-017-1620-8

    Ferritin, a major iron storage protein with a hollow interior cavity, has been reported recently to play many important roles in biomedical and bioengineering applications. Owing to the unique architecture and surface properties, ferritin nanoparticles offer favorable characteristics and can be either genetically or chemically modified to impart functionalities to their surfaces, and therapeutics or probes can be encapsulated in their interiors by controlled and reversible assembly/disassembly. There has been an outburst of interest regarding the employment of functional ferritin nanoparticles in nanomedicine. This review will highlight the recent advances in ferritin nanoparticles for drug delivery, bioassay, and molecular imaging with a particular focus on their biomedical applications.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Xiao Feng, Yang Zhang, Le Kang, Licheng Wang, Chongxiong Duan, Kai Yin, Jinbo Pang, Kai Wang
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2021, 15(2): 238-250. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-020-1956-3

    The emergence of electronic devices has brought earth-shaking changes to people’s life. However, an external power source may become indispensable to the electronic devices due to the limited capacity of batteries. As one of the possible solutions for the external power sources, the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) provides a novel idea to the increasing number of personal electronic devices. TENG is a new type of energy collector, which has become a hot spot in the field of nanotechnology. It is widely used at the acquisition and conversion of mechanical energy to electric energy through the principle of electrostatic induction. On this basis, the TENG could be integrated with the energy storage system into a self-powered system, which can supply power to the electronic devices and make them work continuously. In this review, TENG’s basic structure as well as its working process and working mode are firstly discussed. The integration method of TENGs with energy storage systems and the related research status are then introduced in detail. At the end of this paper, we put forward some problems and discuss the prospect in the future.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Jinli ZHANG, Nan LIU, Wei LI, Bin DAI
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 0: 514-520. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-011-1114-z

    Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has become the third most used plastic after polyethylene and polypropylene and the worldwide demand continues to increase. Polyvinyl chloride is produced by polymerization of the vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), which is manufactured industrially via the dehydrochlorination of dichloroethane or the hydrochlorination of acetylene. Currently PVC production through the acetylene hydrochlorination method accounts for about 70% of the total PVC production capacity in China. However, the industrial production of VCM utilizes a mercuric chloride catalyst to promote the reaction of acetylene and hydrogen chloride. During the hydrochlorination, the highly toxic mercuric chloride tends to sublime, resulting in the deactivation of the catalyst and also in severe environmental pollution problems. Hence, for China, it is necessary to explore environmental friendly non-mercury catalysts for acetylene hydrochlorination as well as high efficiency novel reactors, with the aim of sustainable PVC production via the acetylene-based method. This paper presents a review of non-mercury heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts as well as reactor designs, and recommends future work for developing cleaner processes to produce VCM over non-mercury catalysts with high activity and long stability.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Kaojin Wang, Satu Strandman, X. X. Zhu
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2017, 11(2): 143-153. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-017-1632-4

    Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are smart materials that can change their shape in a pre-defined manner under a stimulus. The shape memory functionality has gained considerable interest for biomedical applications, which require materials that are biocompatible and sometimes biodegradable. There is a need for SMPs that are prepared from renewable sources to be used as substitutes for conventional SMPs. In this paper, advances in SMPs based on synthetic monomers and bio-compounds are discussed. Materials designed for biomedical applications are highlighted.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Merve İzmir, Batur Ercan
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2019, 13(1): 28-45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-018-1759-y

    In recent years, nanostructured oxide films on titanium alloy surfaces have gained significant interest due to their electrical, catalytic and biological properties. In literature, there is variety of different approaches to fabricate nanostructured oxide films. Among these methods, anodization technique, which allows fine-tuning of oxide film thickness, feature size, topography and chemistry, is one of the most popular approaches to fabricate nanostructured oxide films on titanium alloys, and it has been widely investigated for orthopedic applications. Briefly, anodization is the growth of a controlled oxide film on a metallic component attached to the anode of an electrochemical cell. This review provides an overview of the anodization technique to grow nanostructured oxide films on titanium and titanium alloys and summarizes the interactions between anodized titanium alloy surfaces with cells in terms of cellular adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. It will start with summarizing the mechanism of nanofeatured oxide fabrication on titanium alloys and then switch its focus on the latest findings for anodization of titanium alloys, including the use of fluoride free electrolytes and anodization of 3D titanium foams. The review will also highlight areas requiring further research to successfully translate anodized titanium alloys to clinics for orthopedic applications.

  • 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.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Elena SMIRNOVA, Alexander GUSEV, Olga ZAYTSEVA, Olga SHEINA, Alexey TKACHEV, Elena KUZNETSOVA, Elena LAZAREVA, Galina ONISHCHENKO, Alexey FEOFANOV, Mikhail KIRPICHNIKOV
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2012, 6(2): 132-138. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-012-1290-5

    We have studied the effect of the engineered nanomaterial Taunit, containing multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), on the growth of Onobrychis arenaria seedlings and investigated whether affected plants uptake and accumulate MWCNTs. We found that 100 μg/mL and 1000 μg/mL of Taunit stimulated the growth of roots and stems, and enhanced the peroxidase activity in these parts of plants. Microscopy studies showed the presence of MWCNTs in the root and leaf tissues of seedlings exposed to Taunit, suggesting that MWCNTs have a capacity to penetrate the cell walls, accumulate in roots and translocate to the leaves. Thus the stimulating effect of MWCNTs on seedlings of O. arenaria may be associated with the primary uptake and accumulation of MWCNTs by plant roots followed by translocation to the other plant tissues.

  • 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.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Hiep Thuan Lu, Wen Li, Ehsan Soroodan Miandoab, Shinji Kanehashi, Guoping Hu
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2021, 15(3): 464-482. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-020-1983-0

    The global energy market is in a transition towards low carbon fuel systems to ensure the sustainable development of our society and economy. This can be achieved by converting the surplus renewable energy into hydrogen gas. The injection of hydrogen (≤10% v/v) in the existing natural gas pipelines is demonstrated to have negligible effects on the pipelines and is a promising solution for hydrogen transportation and storage if the end-user purification technologies for hydrogen recovery from hydrogen enriched natural gas (HENG) are in place. In this review, promising membrane technologies for hydrogen separation is revisited and presented. Dense metallic membranes are highlighted with the ability of producing 99.9999999% (v/v) purity hydrogen product. However, high operating temperature (≥300 °C) incurs high energy penalty, thus, limits its application to hydrogen purification in the power to hydrogen roadmap. Polymeric membranes are a promising candidate for hydrogen separation with its commercial readiness. However, further investigation in the enhancement of H2/CH4 selectivity is crucial to improve the separation performance. The potential impacts of impurities in HENG on membrane performance are also discussed. The research and development outlook are presented, highlighting the essence of upscaling the membrane separation processes and the integration of membrane technology with pressure swing adsorption technology.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Cunyao Li, Wenlong Wang, Li Yan, Yunjie Ding
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2018, 12(1): 113-123. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-017-1672-9

    Hydroformylation has been widely used in industry to manufacture high value-added aldehydes and alcohols, and is considered as the largest homogenously catalyzed process in industry. However, this process often suffers from complicated operation and the difficulty in catalyst recycling. It is highly desirable to develop a heterogeneous catalyst that enables the catalyst recovery without sacrificing the activity and selectivity. There are two strategies to afford such a catalyst for the hydrofromylation: immobilized catalysts on solid support and porous organic ligand (POL)-supported catalysts. In the latter, high concentration of phosphine ligands in the catalyst framework is favorable for the high dispersion of rhodium species and the formation of Rh-P multiple bonds, which endow the catalysts with high activity and stability respectively. Besides, the high linear regioselectivity could be achieved through the copolymerization of vinyl functionalized bidentate ligand (vinyl biphephos) and monodentate ligand (3vPPh3) into the catalyst framework. The newly-emerging POL-supported catalysts have great perspectives in the industrial hydroformylation.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Tzu-Lan CHANG, Honglei ZHAN, Danni LIANG, Jun F. LIANG
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2015, 9(1): 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-015-1509-3

    With the development of modern technology like high throughput screening, combinatorial chemistry and computer aid drug design, the drug discovery process has been dramatically accelerated. However, new drug candidates often exhibit poor aqueous or even organic medium solubility. Additionally, many of them may have low dissolution velocity and low oral bioavailability. Nanocrystal formulation sheds new light on advanced drug development. Due to small (nano- or micro- meters) sizes, the increased surface-volume ratio leads to dramatically enhanced drug dissolution velocity and saturation solubility. The simplicity in preparation and the potential for various administration routes allow drug nanocrystals to be a novel drug delivery system for specific diseases (i.e. cancer). In addition to the comprehensive review of different technologies and methods in drug nanocrystal preparation, suspension, and stabilization, we will also compare nano- and micro-sized drug crystals in pharmaceutical applications and discuss current nanocrystal drugs on the market and their limitations.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Min Liu,Shenghui Liu,Zhenliang Xu,Yongming Wei,Hu Yang
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2016, 10(1): 57-75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-016-1561-7

    A review of recent research related to microporous polymeric membranes formed via thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) and the morphologies of these membranes is presented. A summary of polymers and suitable diluents that can be used to prepare these microporous membranes via TIPS are summarized. The effects of different kinds of polymer materials, diluent types, cooling conditions, extractants and additive agents on the morphology and performance of TIPS membranes are also discussed. Finally new developments in TIPS technology are summarized.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Njud S. Alharbi, Baowei Hu, Tasawar Hayat, Samar Omar Rabah, Ahmed Alsaedi, Li Zhuang, Xiangke Wang
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2020, 14(6): 1124-1135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-020-1923-z

    With the rapid development of industrial, large amounts of different inorganic and organic pollutants are released into the natural environments. The efficient elimination of environmental pollutants, i.e., photocatalytic degradation of persistent organic pollutants into nontoxic organic/inorganic chemicals, in-situ solidification or sorption-reduction of heavy metal ions, is crucial to protect the environment. Nanomaterials with large surface area, active sites and abundant functional groups could form strong surface complexes with different kinds of pollutants and thereby could efficiently eliminate the pollutants from the aqueous solutions. In this review, we mainly focused on the recent works about the synthesis of nanomaterials and their applications in the efficient elimination of different organic and inorganic pollutants from wastewater and discussed the interaction mechanism from batch experimental results, the advanced spectroscopy techniques and theoretical calculations. The adsorption and the photocatalytic reduction of organic pollutants and the sorption/reduction of heavy metal ions are generally considered as the main methods to decrease the concentration of pollutants in the natural environment. This review highlights a new way for the real applications of novel nanomaterials in environmental pollution management, especially for the undergraduate students to understand the recent works in the elimination of different kinds of inorganic and organic chemicals in the natural environmental pollution management.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Guoting Xia, Yinuo Huang, Fujiang Li, Licheng Wang, Jinbo Pang, Liwei Li, Kai Wang
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2020, 14(6): 1039-1051. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-019-1901-5

    A flexible, multi-site tactile and thermal sensor (MTTS) based on polyvinylidene fluoride (resolution 50 × 50) is reported. It can be used to implement spatial mapping caused by tactile and thermal events and record the two-dimensional motion trajectory of a tracked target object. The output voltage and current signal are recorded as a mapping by sensing the external pressure and thermal radiation stimulus, and the response distribution is dynamically observed on the three-dimensional interface. Through the mapping relationship between the established piezoelectric and pyroelectric signals, the piezoelectric component and the pyroelectric component are effectively extracted from the composite signals. The MTTS has a good sensitivity for tactile and thermal detection, and the electrodes have good synchronism. In addition, the signal interference is less than 9.5% and decreases as the pressure decreases after the distance between adjacent sites exceeds 200 µm. The integration of MTTS and signal processing units has potential applications in human-machine interaction systems, health status detection and smart assistive devices.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    J. Ulrich, P. Frohberg
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2013, 7(1): 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-013-1304-y

    This review discusses important research developments and arising challenges in the field of industrial crystallization with an emphasis on recent problems. The most relevant areas of research have been identified. These are the prediction of phase diagrams; the prediction of effects of impurities and additives; the design of fluid dynamics; the process control with process analytical technologies (PAT) tools; the polymorph and solvate screening; the stabilization of non-stable phases; and the product design. The potential of industrial crystallization in various areas is outlined and discussed with particular reference to the product quality, process design, and control. On this basis, possible future directions for research and development have been pointed out to highlight the importance of crystallization as an outstanding technique for separation, purification as well as for product design.

  • CHEN He, PENG Baoxiang, WANG Dezheng, WANG Jinfu
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2007, 1(1): 11-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-007-0003-y
    Methyl esters (biodiesel) were produced by the transesterification of cottonseed oil with methanol in the presence of solid acids as heterogeneous catalysts. The solid acids were prepared by mounting H2SO4 on TiO2 · nH2O and Zr(OH)4, respectively, followed by calcining at 823K. TiO2-SO42- and ZrO2-SO42- showed high activity for the transesterification. The yield of methyl esters was over 90% under the conditions of 230°C, methanol/oil mole ratio of 12:1, reaction time 8 h and catalyst amount (catalyst/oil) of 2% (w). The solid acid catalysts showed more better adaptability than solid base catalysts when the oil has high acidity. IR spectral analysis of absorbed pyridine on the samples showed that there were Lewis and BrØnsted acid sites on the catalysts.
  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Shanshan WANG, Yang LI, Xiaobin FAN, Fengbao ZHANG, Guoliang ZHANG
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2015, 9(1): 77-83. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-014-1450-x

    A novel method for the preparation of β-cyclodextrin grafted graphene oxide (GO-β-CD) has been developed. The GO-β-CD was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 13C NMR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The ability of GO-β-CD to remove fuchsin acid from solution was also studied. The GO-β-CD had an excellent adsorption capacity for fuchsin acid and could be recycled and reused. The adsorption capacities of GO-β-CD for other dye pollutants such as methyl orange and methylene blue were also investigated. The absorption capacities for the three dyes are in the order: fuchsin acid>methylene blue>methyl orange.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Alan J. McCue, James A. Anderson
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2015, 9(2): 142-153. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-015-1516-4

    Recent advances with Pd containing catalysts for the selective hydrogenation of acetylene are described. The overview classifies enhancement of catalytic properties for monometallic and bimetallic Pd catalysts. Activity/selectivity of Pd catalysts can be modified by controlling particle shape/morphology or immobilisation on a support which interacts strongly with Pd particles. In both cases enhanced ethylene selectivity is generally associated with modifying ethylene adsorption strength and/or changes to hydride formation. Inorganic and organic selectivity modifiers (i.e., species adsorbed onto Pd particle surface) have also been shown to enhance ethylene selectivity. Inorganic modifiers such as TiO2 change Pd ensemble size and modify ethylene adsorption strength whereas organic modifiers such as diphenylsulfide are thought to create a surface template effect which favours acetylene adsorption with respect to ethylene. A number of metals and synthetic approaches have been explored to prepare Pd bimetallic catalysts. Examples where enhanced selectivity is observed are generally associated with decreased Pd ensemble size and/or hindering of the ease with which an unselective hydride phase is formed for Pd. A final class of bimetallic catalysts are discussed where Pd is not thought to be the primary reaction site but merely acts as a site where hydrogen dissociation and spillover occurs onto a second metal (Cu or Au) where the reaction takes place more selectively.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Shoshan T. Abrahami, John M. M. de Kok, Herman Terryn, Johannes M. C. Mol
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2017, 11(3): 465-482. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-017-1641-3

    For more than six decades, chromic acid anodizing (CAA) has been the central process in the surface pre-treatment of aluminum for adhesively bonded aircraft structures. Unfortunately, this electrolyte contains hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)), a compound known for its toxicity and carcinogenic properties. To comply with the new strict international regulations, the Cr(VI)-era will soon have to come to an end. Anodizing aluminum in acid electrolytes produces a self-ordered porous oxide layer. Although different acids can be used to create this type of structure, the excellent adhesion and corrosion resistance that is currently achieved by the complete Cr(VI)-based process is not easily matched. This paper provides a critical overview and appraisal of proposed alternatives to CAA, including combinations of multiple anodizing steps, pre- and post anodizing treatments. The work is presented in terms of the modifications to the oxide properties, such as morphological features (e.g., pore size, barrier layer thickness) and surface chemistry, in order to evaluate the link between fundamental principles of adhesion and bond performance.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Zhen-liang XU, Li-yun YU, Ling-feng HAN
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2009, 3(3): 318-329. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-009-0199-0

    Polymer-nanoinorganic particles composite membranes present an interesting approach for improving the physical and chemical, as well as separation properties of polymer membranes, because they possess characteristics of both organic and inorganic membranes such as good permeability, selectivity, mechanical strength, thermal stability and so on. The preparations and structures of polymer-nanoinorganic particles composite membranes and their unique properties are reviewed.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Shaolong WAN, Yong WANG
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2014, 8(3): 280-294. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-014-1436-8

    Catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) is deemed as the most promising way to convert biomass to transportation fuels or value added chemicals. Most works in literature so far have focused on the in situ CFP where the catalysts are packed or co-fed with the feedstock in the pyrolysis reactor. However, the ex situ CFP with catalysts separated from the pyrolyzer has attracted more and more attentions due to its unique advantages of individually optimizing the pyrolysis conditions and catalyst performances. This review compares the differences between the in situ and ex situ CFP operation, and summarizes the development and progress of ex situ CFP applications, including the rationale and performances of different catalysts, and the choices of suitable ex situ reactor systems. Due to the complex composition of bio-oil, no single approach was believed to be able to solve the problems completely among all those existing technologies. With the increased understanding of catalyst performances and reaction process, the recent trend toward an integration of biomass or bio-oil fractionation with subsequent thermo/bio-chemical conversion routes is also discussed.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Krishnendu Bhattacharyya
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2011, 5(3): 376-384. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-011-1121-0

    In this paper, an investigation is made to study the effects of radiation and heat source/sink on the unsteady boundary layer flow and heat transfer past a shrinking sheet with suction/injection. The flow is permeated by an externally applied magnetic field normal to the plane of flow. The self-similar equations corresponding to the velocity and temperature fields are obtained, and then solved numerically by finite difference method using quasilinearization technique. The study reveals that the momentum boundary layer thickness increases with increasing unsteadiness and decreases with magnetic field. The thermal boundary layer thickness decreases with Prandtl number, radiation parameter and heat sink parameter, but it increases with heat source parameter. Moreover, increasing unsteadiness, magnetic field strength, radiation and heat sink strength boost the heat transfer.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Gang FAN,Le YANG,Zhijian CHEN
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2014, 8(4): 405-417. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-014-1445-7

    In recent years, boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) and boron-azadipyrromethene (aza-BODIPY) dyes have attracted considerable multidisciplinary attention due to their diverse applications. By introducing various hydrophilic groups, such as quaternary ammonium, sulfonate or oligo-ethyleneglycol moieties into the BODIPY core, the solubilities of these dyes in aqueous solution can be greatly improved while maintaining their high fluorescence quantum yields. Accordingly, applying these fluorescent dyes in aqueous systems to areas such as chemosensors, biomacromolecule labeling, bio-imaging and photodynamic therapy has been achieved. In this article, the recent progress on the synthesis, optical properties and application of water-soluble BODIPY dyes and aza-BODIPY dyes is reviewed.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Bozhen Wu, Biyao Geng, Yufei Chen, Hongzhi Liu, Guangyao Li, Qiang Wu
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2017, 11(4): 554-563. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-017-1673-8

    Bleached bamboo kraft pulp was pretreated by 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxy radical (TEMPO)-mediated oxidation using a TEMPO/NaBr/NaClO system at pH= 10 in water to facilitate mechanical disintegration into TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibrils (TO-CNs). A series of TO-CNs with different carboxylate contents were obtained by varying amounts of added NaClO. An increase in carboxylate contents results in aqueous TO-CN dispersions with higher yield, zeta potential values, and optical transparency. When carboxylate groups are introduced, the DPv value of the TO-CNs remarkably decreases and then levels off. And the presence of hemicellulose in the pulp is favorable to TEMPO oxidization. After the oxidization, the native cellulose I crystalline structure and crystal size of bamboo pulp are almost maintained. TEM micrographs revealed that the degree of nanofibrillation is directly proportional to the carboxylate contents. With increasing carboxylate contents, the free-standing TO-CN films becomes more transparent and mechanically stronger. The oxygen permeability of PLA films drastically decreases from 355 for neat PLA to 8.4 mL·m−2·d1 after coating a thin layer of TO-CN with a carboxylate content of 1.8 mmol·g−1. Therefore, inexpensive and abundant bamboo pulp would be a promising starting material to isolate cellulose nanfibrils for oxygen-barrier applications.

  • RESEARCH ARTICLE
    Huanhuan Shang, Xiaoman Zhang, Jing Xu, Yifan Han
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2017, 11(4): 603-612. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-017-1661-z

    CO oxidation has been investigated on three CuO/CeO2 catalysts prepared by impregnation, co-precipitation and mechanical mixing. The origin of active sites was explored by the multiple techniques. The catalyst prepared by impregnation has more highly dispersed CuO and stronger interactions between CuO and CeO2 to promote the reduction of CuO to Cu+ species at the Cu-Ce interface, leading to its highest catalytic activity. For the catalyst prepared by co-precipitation, solid solution structures observed in Raman spectra suppress the formation of the Cu-Ce interface, where the adsorbed CO will react with active lattice oxygen to form CO2, and thus it displays a lower catalytic performance. No Cu-Ce interface exists in the catalyst prepared by the mechanical mixing method due to the separate phases of CuO and CeO2, resulting in its lowest activity among the three catalysts.

  • REVIEW ARTICLE
    Jennica L. Zaro,Wei-Chiang Shen
    Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2015, 9(4): 407-427. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-015-1538-y

    Over the past few decades, cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) have become an important class of drug carriers for small molecules, proteins, genes and nanoparticle systems. CPPs represent a very diverse set of short peptide sequences (10?30 amino acids), generally classified as cationic or amphipathic, with various mechanisms in cellular internalization. In this review, a more comprehensive assessment of the chemical structural characteristics, including net cationic charge, hydrophobicity and helicity was assembled for a large set of commonly used CPPs, and compared to results from numerous in vivo drug delivery studies. This detailed information can aid in the design and selection of effective CPPs for use as transport carriers in the delivery of different types of drug for therapeutic applications.