Metal-free N-doped carbons with controllable pore texture were derived from carbonization of ionic liquid and served as catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with an activity comparable to that of Pt/C. The investigation shows that both the ORR activity and kinetics are strongly correlated with the pore size distribution.

A sacrificial-post templating method is presented for directing block copolymer self-assembly to form nanostructures consisting of monolayers and bilayers of microdomains. In this approach, the topographical post template is removed after self-assembly and therefore is not incorporated into the final microdomain pattern. Arrays of nanoscale holes of different shapes and symmetries, including me...

We investigated the propagation of intense stress waves across silica nanofoams, with the pore size ranging from 50 nm to 1 mm and the porosity of 60%. The experimental results showed that if the pore size was relatively large, the stress wave remained localized and its energy was dissipated in narrow bands; if the pore size was below 200 nm, however, the stress wave was homogenized in a broad ...

In this study, we develop a lab-on-a-chip approach to study pore-scale salt precipitation dynamics during CO2 sequestration in saline aquifers-a challenge with this carbon management strategy. Three distinct phases-CO2 (gas), brine (liquid), and salt (solid)-are tracked through microfluidic networks matched to the native geological formations. The resulting salt formation dynamics indicate poro...

A new tetrazolate zeolite-like framework with a diamond topology, UTSA-49, was synthesized. UTSA-49 shows high selectivity for CO2/CH4 and CO2/N2 indicating a synergistic effect of the suitable pore size/shape and functional groups.

Nanocrystalline anatase TiO(2) materials with different specific surface areas and pore size distributions are prepared via sol-gel and miniemulsion routes in the presence of surfactants. The samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen sorption, transmission electron microscopy, and electrochemical measurements. The materials show a pure anatase phase with average crystallite size ...

Depth profiled positronium annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) is an extremely useful probe of the pore characteristics of nanoporous thin films in general and low-dielectric constant ðkÞ thin films in particular. PALS is sensitive to all pores (both closed and open) in the size range from 0.3 to B300 nm and to the closed-to-open pore transition. Deduced pore sizes have been extensively c...

The need to improve the access to safe water is generally recognized for the benefit of public health in developing countries. This study's objective was to identify critical parameters which are essential for improving the performance of ceramic pot filters (CPFs) as a point-of-use water treatment system. Defining critical production parameters was also relevant to confirm that CPFs with high-...

A facile approach to fabricate novel highly microporous carbons has been developed by direct carbonization of lowly cross-linked polystyrene. The as-prepared highly microporous carbons demonstrate unusually high micropore rate (97%), high surface area (1108 m(2) g(-1)) and uniform pore size distribution, and thus exhibit excellent size-selective adsorption and electrochemical properties.

A flexible porous coordination polymer with interdigitated structure (CID-3) has been synthesized whose pore size and structural flexibility are suitable for CO(2) capture, providing us with highly selective adsorption properties of CO(2) from a ternary O(2), N(2) and CO(2) mixture.