Solar steam generation is a highly promising technology for harvesting solar energy and desalination. Here, a new solar steam generation system is introduced based on a surface‐modified polyurethane sponge with bilayered structures for efficient solar steam generation. The top layer, coated with polydimethylsiloxane‐modified graphite powder, serves as light‐to‐heat conversion layer with a broad optical absorption, whereas the lower part of the sponge acts as a thermal insulator with a low thermal conductivity in the wet state (0.13882 W m−1 K−1). In addition, the strong hydrophobic wettability of the top layer (water contact angle: 148°) enables self‐floating behavior on water, which is beneficial for practical applications. The results show that compared with a silver‐nanoparticle‐doped sponge and an acid‐etched sponge doped with silver nanoparticles the graphite‐modified sponge (GS) exhibits the highest evaporation efficiency of 73.3 % under 1 kW m2 irradiation, which is 2.6 times that of pure water and far higher than that of untreated polyurethane sponge (36.0 %). The GS shows excellent stability, and its evaporation efficiency remains unchanged even after immersion in water for one month. Based on its cost‐efficient, simple, and scalable manufacturing process, excellent mechanical stability, and high recyclability, the GS shows great potential as an efficient photothermal material for a wide range of large‐scale applications such as solar steam generation, light absorption, heat localization, and seawater desalination.

The demand for a clean production process of adipic acid (AA) can be achieved by developing a synthetic route using H 2 O 2 as the oxidant. In this paper, a green process with a recyclable catalyst system consisting of H 2 WO 4 , H 2 SO 4 and H 3 PO 4 was developed for the production of AA via catalytic oxidation of cyclohexene. A continuous-flow reactor was set up for the optimization of the reaction parameters and developing the industrial operation of this green process. The mixture of H 2 SO 4 and H 3 PO 4 as acidic promoter displays a significant improvement in the activity of catalyst and the stability of H 2 O 2 . The catalyst could be recovered and reused 20 times, and no significant loss of catalytic performance can be observed. The effect of Fe 3+ ion as a possible contaminant has no serious negative effect on this reaction, and the 316L stainless steel and glass-lined steel were selected as appropriate equipment material. Calorimetry and the scale-up in batch reactor demonstrate that the reaction could be operated safely on scale. The process was scaled up in a continuous-flow pilot plant, with excellent yield (94.7%) and purity (99.0%). Some advantages such as the solvent-, phase-transfer-catalyst-, and organic additive-free and low-cost light up the application of this process in the industrial production of AA. † Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Effect of acidic promoters and the pathway of oxidation of cyclohexene to adipic acid with aqueous H 2 O 2 . See

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In this article, TiO(2)-Carbon-rGO (GCT) three-component composite material has been constructed by anchoring TiO(2) nanoparticles (NPs) encapsulated in carbon shells onto reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets. The structure of GCT was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), N(2) adsorption-desorption isotherms, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This material shows a superior retention as the anode materials in lithium ion battery with a specific discharge capacity of 188 mA h g(-1) in the initial cycle and 158 mA h g(-1) after 100 cycles.

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The development of high performance flame retardant materials with better thermal insulation properties is of great importance for saving energy in modern building construction.

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