Nanoscale Catalytic Synthesis of Biodegradable or Biobased Polymeric Materials from Carbon Dioxide

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Nanoscience and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2025 | Viewed by 2127

Special Issue Editors


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School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Interests: biodegradable plastics; chemically utilization of carbon dioxide; catalysis; energy storage and conversion
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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Interests: printed electronics; organic thin film transistors; organic photovoltaics; sensors; photodetectors; organic semiconductors; batteries
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Polymer Program, Institute of Materials Science and Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
Interests: solid state chemistry; layered compounds; clays; hydrates; polymers; composites; green science
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Interests: analytical chemistry; solid-state chemistry; sodium-ion batteries; electrode; ion storage; direct methanol fuel cells application; proton exchange membrane; nanomaterials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Carbon dioxide (CO2)-based biodegradable polymers are gaining attentions since they can alleviate both the global warming effect and white plastic pollution. Recent advances in catalysts for CO2 copolymerization will aid the development of biodegradable or biobased polymeric materials from CO2. We are seeking original research and review articles that will stimulate the continuing efforts to design and develop nanoscale catalytic synthesis of CO2 copolymers. This Special Issue aims to cover a wide range of subjects, including all kinds of polymeric materials from carbon dioxide including CO2-based polycarbonate, polyester, polyurea, polyurethane, etc. and all kinds of catalyst for CO2 copolymerization including metal complex catalyst and metal-free catalyst, as well as CO2-based polymers applied in different scene including packaging materials, foam materials, barrier materials, electrolytes or binders for lithium-ion batteries, etc.

Prof. Dr. Yuezhong Meng
Prof. Dr. Yuning Li
Prof. Dr. Luyi Sun
Dr. Shan Ren
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • nanoscale catalytic synthesis
  • carbon dioxide (CO2)
  • biodegradable materials
  • polymeric materials
  • catalyst
  • electrolytes
  • lithium-ion batteries

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 5758 KiB  
Article
Thermoplastic Polyurethane Derived from CO2 for the Cathode Binder in Li-CO2 Battery
by Haobin Wu, Xin Huang, Min Xiao, Shuanjin Wang, Dongmei Han and Sheng Huang
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(15), 1269; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14151269 - 29 Jul 2024
Viewed by 483
Abstract
High-energy-density Li-CO2 batteries are promising candidates for large-capacity energy storage systems. However, the development of Li-CO2 batteries has been hindered by low cycle life and high overpotential. In this study, we propose a CO2-based thermoplastic polyurethane (CO2-based [...] Read more.
High-energy-density Li-CO2 batteries are promising candidates for large-capacity energy storage systems. However, the development of Li-CO2 batteries has been hindered by low cycle life and high overpotential. In this study, we propose a CO2-based thermoplastic polyurethane (CO2-based TPU) with CO2 adsorption properties and excellent self-healing performance to replace traditional polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as the cathode binder. The CO2-based TPU enhances the interfacial concentration of CO2 at the cathode/electrolyte interfaces, effectively increasing the discharge voltage and lowering the charge voltage of Li-CO2 batteries. Moreover, the CO2 fixed by urethane groups (-NH-COO-) in the CO2-based TPU are difficult to shuttle to and corrode the Li anode, minimizing CO2 side reactions with lithium metal and improving the cycling performance of Li-CO2 batteries. In this work, Li-CO2 batteries with CO2-based TPU as the multifunctional binders exhibit stable cycling performance for 52 cycles at a current density of 0.2 A g−1, with a distinctly lower polarization voltage than PVDF bound Li-CO2 batteries. Full article
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13 pages, 2652 KiB  
Article
Three-Dimensional Nickel Foam-Based Lithiophilic LPP-Ni3S2@Ni Current Collector for Dendrite-Free Lithium Anode
by Xin Zhang, Linli Guo, Sheng Huang and Dongmei Han
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(13), 1158; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14131158 - 7 Jul 2024
Viewed by 573
Abstract
Lithium metal has been treated as one of the most promising anode materials for next-generation rechargeable batteries due to its extremely high theoretical capacity. However, its practical application is hindered by inhomogeneous lithium deposition and uncontrolled dendrite growth. In this work, we prepared [...] Read more.
Lithium metal has been treated as one of the most promising anode materials for next-generation rechargeable batteries due to its extremely high theoretical capacity. However, its practical application is hindered by inhomogeneous lithium deposition and uncontrolled dendrite growth. In this work, we prepared a three-dimensional nickel foam (NF)-based current collector with a lithiophilic interface layer through facile hydrothermal and coating methods. The lithiophilic Ni3S2 array synthesized via a hydrothermal method has been demonstrated to facilitate the nucleation of Li+. Moreover, it has been observed that the outer coating comprising LPP effectively enhances the inward diffusion of Li+. Additionally, this interface layer can serve as an isolating barrier between the electrodes and the electrolyte. The prepared LPP-Ni3S2@Ni shows significant reversibility both in symmetric cells (1200 h, 1 mA cm−2) and half-cells (CE: 99.60%, 500 cycles, 1 mA cm−2) with low interfacial resistance (35 Ω). Full cells with LiFePO4 as a cathode also exhibit promising electrochemical performance with over 76.78% capacity retention over 200 cycles at 1 C. Full article
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15 pages, 3395 KiB  
Article
Biodegradable and Ultra-High Expansion Ratio PPC-P Foams Achieved by Microcellular Foaming Using CO2 as Blowing Agent
by Change Wu, Tianwei Zhang, Jiaxin Liang, Jingyao Yin, Min Xiao, Dongmei Han, Sheng Huang, Shuanjin Wang and Yuezhong Meng
Nanomaterials 2024, 14(13), 1120; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14131120 - 29 Jun 2024
Viewed by 730
Abstract
Poly(propylene carbonate-co-phthalate) (PPC-P) is an amorphous copolymer of aliphatic polycarbonate and aromatic polyester; it possesses good biodegradability, superior mechanical performances, high thermal properties, and excellent affinity with CO2. Hence, we fabricate PPC-P foams in an autoclave by using subcritical CO2 [...] Read more.
Poly(propylene carbonate-co-phthalate) (PPC-P) is an amorphous copolymer of aliphatic polycarbonate and aromatic polyester; it possesses good biodegradability, superior mechanical performances, high thermal properties, and excellent affinity with CO2. Hence, we fabricate PPC-P foams in an autoclave by using subcritical CO2 as a physical blowing agent. Both saturation pressure and foaming temperature affect the foaming behaviors of PPC-P, including CO2 adsorption and desorption performance, foaming ratio, cell size, porosity, cell density, and nucleation density, which are investigated in this research. Moreover, the low-cost PPC-P/nano-CaCO3 and PPC-P/starch composites are prepared and foamed using the same procedure. The obtained PPC-P-based foams show ultra-high expansion ratio and refined microcellular structures simultaneously. Besides, nano-CaCO3 can effectively improve PPC-P’s rheological properties and foamability. In addition, the introduction of starch into PPC-P can lead to a large number of open cells. Beyond all doubt, this work can certainly provide both a kind of new biodegradable PPC-P-based foam materials and an economic methodology to make biodegradable plastic foams. These foams are potentially applicable in the packaging, transportation, and food industry. Full article
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