An unusual feature which involves spontaneous crystallization at the air-water interface from aqueous solution was reported for a water-soluble gemini surfactant with xylyl spacer, (p-phenylenedimethylene) bis(dodecyldimethylammonium) dibromide. Polarizing microscope, in situ confocal microscopic Raman spectroscopy, and powder XRD were used to characterize the structure of the crystal and investigate the driving force for nucleation. It was inferred that, besides the surface enrichment of amphiphiles and the intra- and intermolecular interaction of alkyl chains, the pi-pi stacking interaction of benzene rings plays an extraordinary role in promoting nucleation and stabilizing crystal structure. A mechanism for constructing supramolecular architectures in situ at the air-water interface directly from aqueous solution via water-soluble amphiphiles with groups favorable for pi-pi stacking interaction was proposed.
In this paper, we demonstrated the synthesis and electrochemical properties of macro-/ microporous carbon foams (MMCFs) for application as supercapacitor electrode materials. By using Span 80 and Tween 80 as emulsifiers, resorcinol/formaldehyde solution as aqueous phase, and 1iquid paraffin as oil phase, an O/W emulsion was obtained. Macroporous carbon foams were prepared by the polymerization of the emulsion, followed by drying and carbonization. The macroporous carbon foams then were activated at 1273 K by using KOH as an activated agent to obtain MMCFs. The resultant MMCFs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analyzer. The results indicate that the MMCFs have specific surface areas of 529-670 m2/g, total pore volumes of 0.27-0.33 cm3/g and possess dual pore size distributions with macropore sizes of 0.5-5.0 μm and micropore sizes of 1.72-1.86 nm dependent on the specific experiment parameters. The hierarchical pore structure is propitious to decreases the diffusion resistance of electrolyte and accelerate the ion transfer within the pore channel, and thus improve the electrochemical properties of MMCFs. The electrochemical properties of the MMCFs have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge with a three-electrode system in electrolyte of 6 mol/L KOH solution. The CV curves of the MMCFs show quite rectangular curve shape without observation of obvious oxidation-reduction evolution peaks, suggesting a typical nonfaradic adsorption/desorption reaction. The MMCFs present linear galvanostatic charge-discharge curve under the current densities of 1.0-4.0 A/g and their specific capacitance values are 89-110 F/g. The MMCFs has good electrochemical performance and they are good candidates as electrode materials for supercapacitors.
We reported the preparation and electrochemical properties of fluorinated mesoporous carbon foams (F-MCFs) for application as electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs). By using fluorinated resol which was obtained from the polymerization of formaldehyde, phenol, and 3-fluorophenol as the carbon source and fluorin precursor, and triblock copolymer F127 as a template, F-MCFs were prepared through evaporation induced self-assembly strategy. The F-MCFs were characterized by N2 adsorption and desorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The results indicate that the F-MCFs possess highly ordered mesostructure with a specific surface area of 675 m2/g, a uniform pore size of 2.2 nm and a pore volume of 0.12 cm3/g. The wettability of F-MCFs was investigated by contact angle analysis. The contact angle of F-MCFs for water is 111.5o, much lower than that of mesoporous carbon foams (MCFs) (141o), indicating that the surface wettability of F-MCFs is improved by the introduction of fluorin into the carbon matrix. The enhancement of wettability would increase the surface contact of electrolyte and electrode and accelerate the ion transfer within the pore channel, and thus improve the electrochemical properties of F-MCFs. The electrochemical properties of the F-MCFs have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge/discharge in electrolyte of 6 mol/L KOH with a three-electrode system. F-MCFs present linear galvanostatic charge-discharge curve at a loading current of 10 mA, and possess good charge-discharge efficiency over 98%. The specific capacitance of the F-MCFs is 220 F/g, significantly higher than that of the MCFs (140 F/g). F-MCFs show important prospect as electrode materials for the application in EDLCs.
In this paper, we present a novel approach for the synthesis of carbon microspheres via the polymerization of a high internal phase emulsion (HIPE). By using Span 80 and Tween 80 as emulsifiers, 1iquid paraffin as oil phase, and the mixture of resorcinol/formaldehyde (R/F) solution as aqueous phase, an O/W emulsion was obtained. This emulsion phase inverted to a W/O HIPE induced by ammonia which served as the polymerization catalyst. Carbon microspheres (CMs) were prepared by polymerization of the HIPE, followed by drying and carbonization. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analyzer were used to characterize as-prepared CMs. The results indicate that, in case of 0.25 wt% ammonia of the HIPE, the diameters of CMs decreased from about 2 to 1 μm when the mass fraction of aqueous R/F decreased from 0.714 to 0.357; the apparent density and the specific surface areas of the CMs, however, did not change obviously, which are about 0.6 g/cm3and 200 m2/g, respectively. The dosage of ammonia has a significant influence on the morphology and properties of CMs. With increasing of the ammonia mass to 1 wt% of the HIPE, the resultant carbon materials comprise not only CMs, but also some carbon sheets; the apparent density of which increased to 0.9 g/cm3and the specific surface areas of which decreased to below 100 m2/g. In addition, the other parameters for CMs preparation were also investigated. It was found that the proper conditions were controlling the temperature of 303-333 K and the oil/aqueous phase mass ratio of 2.5:7.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.