To be successfully implemented, an efficient conversion, affordable operation and high values of CO 2 -derived products by electrochemical conversion of CO 2 are yet to be addressed. Inspired by the natural CaO-CaCO 3 cycle, we herein introduce CaO into electrolysis of SnO 2 in affordable molten CaCl 2 -NaCl to establish an in situ capture and conversion of CO 2 . In situ capture of anodic CO 2 from graphite anode by the added CaO generates CaCO 3 . The consequent coelectrolysis of SnO 2 and CaCO 3 confines Sn in carbon nanotube (Sn@CNT) in cathode and increases current efficiency of O 2 evolution in graphite anode to 71.9 %. The intermediated CaC 2 is verified as the nuclei to direct a self-template generation of CNT, ensuring a CO 2 -CNT current efficiency and energy efficiency of 85.1 % and 44.8 %, respectively. The Sn@CNT integrates confined responses of Sn cores to external electrochemical or thermal stimuli with robust CNT sheaths, resulting in excellent Li storage performance and intriguing application as nanothermometer. The versatility of the molten salt electrolysis of CO 2 in Ca-based molten salts for template-free generation of advanced carbon materials is evidenced by the successful generation of pure CNT, Zn@CNT and Fe@CNT.

No abstract

To be successfully implemented, an efficient conversion, affordable operation and high values of CO 2 -derived products by electrochemical conversion of CO 2 are yet to be addressed. Inspired by the natural CaO-CaCO 3 cycle, we herein introduce CaO into electrolysis of SnO 2 in affordable molten CaCl 2 -NaCl to establish an in situ capture and conversion of CO 2 . In situ capture of anodic CO 2 from graphite anode by the added CaO generates CaCO 3 . The consequent coelectrolysis of SnO 2 and CaCO 3 confines Sn in carbon nanotube (Sn@CNT) in cathode and increases current efficiency of O 2 evolution in graphite anode to 71.9 %. The intermediated CaC 2 is verified as the nuclei to direct a self-template generation of CNT, ensuring a CO 2 -CNT current efficiency and energy efficiency of 85.1 % and 44.8 %, respectively. The Sn@CNT integrates confined responses of Sn cores to external electrochemical or thermal stimuli with robust CNT sheaths, resulting in excellent Li storage performance and intriguing application as nanothermometer. The versatility of the molten salt electrolysis of CO 2 in Ca-based molten salts for template-free generation of advanced carbon materials is evidenced by the successful generation of pure CNT, Zn@CNT and Fe@CNT.

In this study, a novel photocatalytic self-cleaning nanofiltration (NF) membrane was fabricated by constructing aspartic acid-functionalized graphene quantum dots (AGQDs) into the polydopamine/polyethyleneimine (PDA/PEI) selective layer via the co-deposition method. The chemical composition, microstructure, and hydrophilicity of the prepared membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), attenuated total reflection (ATR-FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and water contact angle (WCA). Meanwhile, the effects of PEI molecular weight and AGQDs concentration on NF membrane structures and separation performance were systematically investigated. The photocatalytic self-cleaning performance of the PDA/PEI/AGQDs membrane was evaluated in terms of flux recovery rate. For constructing high-performance NF membranes, it is found that the optimal molecular weight of PEI is 10,000 Da, and the optimal concentration of AGQDs is 2000 ppm. The introduction of hydrophilic AGQDs formed a more hydrophilic and dense selective layer during the co-deposition process. Compared with the PDA/PEI membrane, the engineered PDA/PEI/AGQDs NF membrane has enhanced water flux (55.5 LMH·bar−1) and higher rejection (99.7 ± 0.3% for MB). In addition, the PDA/PEI/AGQDs membrane exhibits better photocatalytic self-cleaning performance over the PDA/PEI membrane (83% vs. 69%). Therefore, this study provides a facile approach to construct a self-cleaning NF membrane.