Current Organic Chemistry - Volume 17, Issue 13, 2013

Functional nanofibrous membranes, fabricated by the electrospinning technology, can be used to remove heavy metal ions through adsorption from contaminated water. These membranes, while already being considered as superior microfiltration media as they possess higher permeation flux and lower pressure drop performance than conventional microfiltration membranes, also possess a high surface-to-volume ratio an Read More

An increasing demand and shortage of clean water sources have become an issue in the modern society due to the rapid development of industrialization, environmental pollution and long-term droughts. Semiconductor photocatalytic process has shown a great potential as a low-cost, environmental friendly and sustainable treatment technology to align with the “zero” waste scheme in the water/ wastewater industry. El Read More

The pressing needs of global demands to generate sufficient renewable and clean energy have attracted significant attention to harvest photochemical energy. Two types of artificial photoenergy processes, including the dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and photoreduction of CO2 solar fuel cells are discussed in this review. In the artificial photoenergy application, electrospinning process has attracted wide interest i Read More

The applications of electrospun carbon fiber webs to the development of energy storages devices, including both supercapacitors and lithium ion batteries (LIBs), are reviewed. Following a brief discussion of the fabrication process and characterization methods for ultrafine electrospun carbon fibers, recent advances in their performance as supercapacitors and LIB anode materials are summarized. Optimization of the overall el Read More

Electrospinning is an effective technology for preparing free-standing fiber mats with ultrathin fiber diameter. In this review, the electrospinning technology for application in supercapacitors is discussed. Electrode materials assembled by electrospinning and other post-treatment and chemical modification for electrical double-layer capacitors and pseudocapacitors are summarized. Meanwhile, the electrospun nanofib Read More

Electrospinning technique has been well known for its facile production of one-dimensional (1D) continuous fibrous structure. With the advantage of simple setup and scalable capability using this technology, electrospun carbon nanofiber has raised great interest in recent years due to its superior conductive potentiality, mechanical flexibility and well-established fabrication method. This review addresses the various applications of Read More

Long 1D nanofibers provide unique properties, such as a high specific surface area, a high aspect ratio and easy electron transfer. Electrospinning using a high electric voltage is the most promising and practical way to fabricate nanosized nanofibers. These nanofibers have been used in numerous fields because of their many unique properties. This review will discuss the recent application of electrospun nanofibers for e Read More

Porous carbon nanofibers (PCNFs) are excellent one dimensional (1D) carbon materials that have fascinating applications in the fields of gas separation, catalyst support, sensors, energy storage and conversion devices, due to their highly developed pore structure and large surface area. Therefore, fabrication of PCNFs has attracted much attention, and many kinds of methods have been explored. Recent developments in Read More

Sn/carbon composite nanofibers with various compositions were prepared from Sn(II) acetate/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursors by a combination of electrospinning and carbonization methods, and their potential use as anode materials for rechargeable lithiumion batteries was investigated. The composite electrode derived from 20 wt% Sn(II) acetate/PAN precursor showed excellent electrochemical properties, including a lar Read More

Graphene-embedded porous and smaller fibrous carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were prepared by a simple electrospinning method with the help of zinc chloride (ZnCl2), and their electrochemical properties as supercapacitor electrodes were investigated. The CNFs were characterized as having a large specific surface area of up to 520 m2g-1, mesopore volume fraction up to 35%, and high electrical conductivity (over 0.45 Scm-1) Read More

The novel isotropic pitch that exhibits both high solvent solubility (100% soluble in THF) and a high softening point (over 200'C) was successfully synthesized by the bromination of 2-methylnaphthalene followed by dehydrobromination/polymerization and extraction in n-hexane to eliminate lighter constituents. The molecular structure of the pitch was relatively linear with flexible methylene cross-linkages between naphthalen Read More