높은 종횡비와 원자 수준의 얇은 두께를 갖는 다공성 2D 소재는 고성능 분리막 제작에 활용된다. 이를 위해서는 다공성 2D 소재를 다공성 지지체 위에 균일하게 도포할 수 있는 코팅법이 필수이다. 본 연구는 이를 위한 제올라이트 MFI 나노막의 간단하면서도 효과적인 코팅법을 제시한다. 직접합성법으로 합성된 제올라이트 MFI 나노막은 물에 분산되면서 동 시에 표면 활성을 보여, 이 특성을 활용하여 소수성 계면에 흡착시키는 것이 가능하다. 소수성 개질을 다양한 형태의 지지체 에 적용하여, 이들 표면에 고밀도의 나노막 흡착 코팅이 가능함을 보였다. 또한, 이 흡착코팅의 반복 수행을 통해 나노막의 완전피복을 달성하고, 이를 연속적인 MFI 필름 및 멤브레인으로 성장시킬 수 있었다. 이 간단한 코팅법은 제올라이트 나노막 뿐만 아니라, 표면활성을 보이는 다른 2D 소재에도 적용 가능할 것으로 보이며, 2D 소재의 활용도를 제고할 수 있을 것이다.

Pt/C catalysts were prepared using black carbon (CB), and evaluated for their potential application as a catalyst of liquid-phase catalystic exchange for tritium treatment. CB was treated with 10% H2O2 solution for 0 and 2 hours at 105°C, Ethylene glycol and 40wt% Pt were added to the dried treated sample to prepare a Pt/C catalyst. The physical and chemical properties of the prepared catalysts were evaluated by BET, XRD, elemental analysis (EA), and TEM analyses. As a result of BET analysis, the surface area of CB without 10% H2O2 was 237.2 m2·g-1, and after treatment with 10% H2O2, it decreased to 181.2 m2·g-1 for 2 hours. However, the internal surface area increased, indicating the possibility that more Pt could be distributed inside the CB treated with 10% H2O2. In the XRD analysis results, the presence of Pt was confirmed by observing the Pt peak in the prepared Pt/C catalyst, and it was also observed through TEM analysis that Pt was evenly distributed within the CB. The elemental analysis (EA) results showed that the ratio of S and N decreased and the ratio of O increased with increasing 10% H2O2 treatment time. The H2O2 treated carbon supported Pt catalysts and polytetrafluoroethylene were then loaded together on a foamed nickel carrier to obtain hydrophobic catalysts. Our hydrophobic Pt catalyst using H2O2 treated black carbon are expected to be usefully used in the tritium treatment system.

Owing to the great demand for portable and wearable chemical sensors, the development of all-solid-state potentiometric ion sensors is highly desirable considering their simplicity and stability. However, most ion sensors are challenged by the penetration of water and gas molecules into ion-selective membranes, causing unstable and undesirable sensing performances. In this study, a hydrophobic ionic liquid-modified graphene (Gr) sheet was prepared using a fluid dynamics-induced exfoliation and functionalization process. The high hydrophobicity and electrical double-layer capacitance of Gr make it a potential solid-state ion-to-electron transducer for the development of potentiometric sodium-ion ( Na+) sensors. The as-prepared Na+ sensors effectively prevented the formation of the water layer and penetration of gas species, resulting in stable and high sensing performances. The Na+ sensors showed a Nernstian sensitivity of 58.11 mV/[Na+] with a low relative standard deviation (0.46), fast response time (5.1 s), good selectivity (K < 10− 4), and good durability. Furthermore, the Na+ sensor demonstrated its feasibility in practical applications by measuring accurate and reliable ion concentrations of artificial human sweat and tear samples, comparable to a commercial ion meter.

We report the rapid single-step flame synthesis of hydrophobic carbon layers (C-layers) on the surface of stainless-steel (SS) substrates using vaporized biodiesel as the fuel. A co-flow canola methyl ester/air diffusion flame is used to generate a hydrophobic monolayer on the surface of the metal substrate upon its insertion into the reaction zone. Carbon deposition on the surface of the SS substrates varies by changing the SS disk’s position in the post-flame, and by varying its exposure time. The thickness and mass of the flame-formed monolayer varied depending on the substrate’s insertion point into the flame. However, the variation of mass did not significantly impact the C-layer’s uniformity or hydrophobicity. We hypothesize that a small “inner-cone” of the biodiesel flame along with a high soot propensity can result in an ideal medium to form uniform hydrophobic C-layers of unique hierarchical surface structure. This is supported by introducing SS substrates in methane/air flames formed using the same co-flow burner. The hydrophobic property of the carbon deposits was quantified by measuring the contact angle of water droplets placed on the film’s surface. A water droplet drop test was conducted on the flame-formed hydrophobic layers to study their wettability property.