Improvement of the activity and SO2 tolerance of Sb-modified Mn/PG catalysts for NH3-SCR at a low temperature.

A series of MnM/palygorskite (PG) (M = La, W, Mo, Sb, Mg) catalysts was prepared by the wetness co-impregnation method for low-temperature selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH3. Conversion efficiency followed the order Sb > Mo > La > W > Mg. A combination of various physico-chemical techniques was used to investigate the influence of Sb-modified Mn/PG catalysts. MnSb0.156/PG catalyst showed highest NO conversion at low temperatures in the presence of SO2 which reveals that addition of Sb oxides effectively enhances the SCR activity of catalysts. A SO2 step-wise study showed that MnSb0.156/PG catalyst displays higher durable resistance to SO2 than Mn/PG catalyst, where the sulfating of active phase is greatly inhibited after Sb doping. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction results showed that Sb loading enhances the dispersion of Mn oxides on the carrier surface. According to the results of characterization analyses, it is suggested that the main reason for the deactivation of Mn/PG is the formation of manganese sulfates which cause the permanent deactivation of Mn-based catalysts. For Sb-doped Mn/PG catalyst, SOx ad-species formed were mainly combined with SbOx rather than MnOx. This preferential interaction between SbOx and SO2 effectively shields the MnOx as active species from being sulfated by SO2 resulting in the improvement of SO2 tolerance on Sb-added catalyst. Multiple information support that, owing to the addition of Sb, original formed MnOx crystallite has been completely transformed into highly dispersed amorphous phase accounting for higher SCR activity.

Electrospun LiFePO4/C Composite Fiber Membrane as a Binder-Free, Self-Standing Cathode for Power Lithium-Ion Battery.

A LiFePO4/C composite fiber membrane was fabricated by the electrospinning method and subsequent thermal treatment. The thermal decomposition process was analyzed by TG/DSC, the morphology, microstructure and composition were studied using SEM, TEM, XRD, Raman, respectively. The results indicated that the prepared LiFePO4/C composite fibers were composed of nanosized LiFePO4 crystals and amorphous carbon coatings, which formed a three dimensional (3D) long-range networks, greatly enhanced the electronic conductivity of LiFePO4 electrode up to 3.59× 10-2 S · cm-2. The 3D LiFePO4/C fiber membrane could be directly used as a binder-free, self-standing cathode for lithium-ion battery, and exhibited an improved capacity and rate performance. The LiFePO4/C composite electrode delivered a discharge capacity of 116 mAh·g-1, 109 mAh·g-1, 103 mAh·g-1, 91 mAh·g-1, 80 mAh·g-1 at 0.1 C, 0.5 C, 1 C, 3 C, 5 C, respectively. And a stable cycling performance was also achieved that the specific capacity could retain 75 mA·g-1 after 500 cycles at 5 C. Therefore, this LiFePO4/C composite fiber membrane was promising to be used as a cathode for power lithium ion battery.

Modification of V2O5-WO3/TiO2 Catalyst by Loading of MnOx for Enhanced Low-Temperature NH3-SCR Performance.

V2O5-WO3/TiO2 as a commercial selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst usually used at middle-high temperatures was modified by loading of MnOx for the purpose of enhancing its performance at lower temperatures. Manganese oxides were loaded onto V-W/Ti monolith by the methods of impregnation (I), precipitation (P), and in-situ growth (S), respectively. SCR activity of each modified catalyst was investigated at temperatures in the range of 100-340 °C. Catalysts were characterized by specific surface area and pore size determination (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature programmed reduction (TPR), etc. Results show that the loading of MnOx remarkably enhanced the SCR activity at a temperature lower than 280 °C. The catalyst prepared by the in-situ growth method was found to be most active for SCR.

Synthesis and characterization of electrospun molybdenum dioxide-carbon nanofibers as sulfur matrix additives for rechargeable lithium-sulfur battery applications.

One-dimensional molybdenum dioxide-carbon nanofibers (MoO2-CNFs) were prepared using an electrospinning technique followed by calcination, using sol-gel precursors and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as a processing aid. The resulting samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) surface area measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). MoO2-CNFs with an average diameter of 425-575 nm obtained after heat treatment were used as a matrix to prepare sulfur/MoO2-CNF cathodes for lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. The polysulfide adsorption and electrochemical performance tests demonstrated that MoO2-CNFs did not only act as polysulfide reservoirs to alleviate the shuttle effect, but also improve the electrochemical reaction kinetics during the charge-discharge processes. The effect of MoO2-CNF heat treatment on the cycle performance of sulfur/MoO2-CNFs electrodes was examined, and the data showed that MoO2-CNFs calcined at 850 °C delivered optimal performance with an initial capacity of 1095 mAh g-1 and 860 mAh g-1 after 50 cycles. The results demonstrated that sulfur/MoO2-CNF composites display a remarkably high lithium-ion diffusion coefficient, low interfacial resistance and much better electrochemical performance than pristine sulfur cathodes.

Electrospinning preparation of oxygen-deficient nano TiO2-x/carbon fibre membrane as a self-standing high performance anode for Li-ion batteries.

Improving the specific capacity and electronic conductivity of TiO2 can boost its practical application as a promising anode material for lithium ion batteries. In this work, a three-dimensional networking oxygen-deficient nano TiO2-x/carbon fibre membrane was achieved by combining the electrospinning process with a hot-press sintering method and directly used as a self-standing anode. With the synergistic effects of three-dimensional conductive networks, surface oxygen deficiency, high specific surface area and high porosity, binder-free and self-standing structure, etc., the nano TiO2-x/carbon fibre membrane electrode displays a high electrochemical reaction kinetics and a high specific capacity. The reversible capacity could be jointly generated from porous carbon, full-lithiation of TiO2 and interfacial lithium storage. At a current density of 100 mA g-1, the reversible discharge capacity can reach 464 mA h g-1. Even at 500 mA g-1, the discharge capacity still remains at 312 mA h g-1. Compared with pure carbon fibre and TiO2 powder, the TiO2-x/C fibre membrane electrode also exhibits an excellent cycle performance with a discharge capacity of 209 mA h g-1 after 700 cycles at the current density of 300 mA g-1, and the coulombic efficiency always remains at approximately 100%.