Browsing by Author "Wen, Zhenhai"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    3D Hybrid of Layered MoS2/Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Nanosheet Aerogels: An Effective Catalyst for Hydrogen Evolution in Microbial Electrolysis Cells
    Hou, Yang; Zhang, Bo; Wen, Zhenhai; Cui, Shumao; Guo, Xiaoru; He, Zhen; Chen, Junhong (The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2014-06-18)
    Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have been conceived and intensively studied as a promising technology to achieve sustainable wastewater treatment. However, doubts and debates arose in recent years regarding the technical and economic viability of this technology on a larger scale and in a real-world applications. Hence, it is time to think about and examine how to recalibrate this technology's role in a future paradigm of sustainable wastewater treatment. In the past years, many good ideas/approaches have been proposed and investigated for MFC application, but information is scattered. Various review papers were published on MFC configuration, substrates, electrode materials, separators and microbiology but there is lack of critical thinking and systematic analysis of MFC application niche in wastewater treatment. To systematically formulate a strategy of (potentially) practical MFC application and provide information to guide MFC development, this perspective has critically examined and discussed the problems and challenges for developing MFC technology, and identified a possible application niche whereby MFCs can be rationally incorporated into the treatment process. We propose integration of MFCs with other treatment technologies to form an MFC-centered treatment scheme based on thoroughly analyzing the challenges and opportunities, and discuss future efforts to be made for realizing sustainable wastewater treatment.
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    CNT@TiO2 nanohybrids for high-performance anode of lithium-ion batteries
    Wen, Zhenhai; Ci, Suqin; Mao, Shun; Cui, Shumao; He, Zhen; Chen, Junhong (Springer, 2013-11-22)
    This work describes a potential anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), namely, anatase TiO2 nanoparticle-decorated carbon nanotubes (CNTs@TiO2). The electrochemical properties of CNTs@TiO2 were thoroughly investigated using various electrochemical techniques, including cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, galvanostatic cycling, and rate experiments. It was revealed that compared with pure TiO2 nanoparticles and CNTs alone, the CNT@TiO2 nanohybrids offered superior rate capability and achieved better cycling performance when used as anodes of LIBs. The CNT@TiO2 nanohybrids exhibited a cycling stability with high reversible capacity of about 190 mAh g-1 after 120-cycles at a current density of 100-mA-g-1 and an excellent rate capability (up to 100 mAh g-1 at a current density of 1,000-mA-g-1).
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    Nitrogen-doped activated carbon as a metal free catalyst for hydrogen production in microbial electrolysis cells
    Zhang, Bo; Wen, Zhenhai; Ci, Suqin; Chen, Junhong; He, Zhen (The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2014-09-26)
    Nitrogen-doped activated carbon was investigated as an alternative cathode catalyst for hydrogen production in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs). Both electrochemical and MEC tests confirmed that nitrogen doping was an effective method in improving the catalytic activity of activated carbon towards the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). This improvement was attributed to the increased nitrogen content in activated carbon, as a higher content of nitrogen would facilitate the Volmer step in HER. Although the overall performance of the nitrogen-doped activated carbon was lower than the platinumbased catalysts, its low cost and (potentially) long-term stability would compensate for a low hydrogen production rate.
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    One-pot synthesis of high-performance Co/graphene electrocatalysts for glucose fuel cells free of enzymes and precious metals
    Ci, Suqin; Wen, Zhenhai; Mao, Shun; Hou, Yang; Cui, Shumao; He, Zhen; Chen, Junhong (The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015-05-01)
    A facile recipe has been developed to prepare three-dimensional nanoarchitectures of nitrogen-doped graphene loading Co nanoparticle hybrids (Co/NG). The hybrids show an outstanding electrocatalytic activity for glucose oxidation reaction (GOR) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), and thus can be used as electrode materials of a nonenzymatic and precious-metal-free glucose fuel cell (GFC).