Herein, we report self-emulsifying anionic unsaturated polyester emulsions with different chain segments as novel sizing agents. The epoxy modified unsaturated polyester emulsions were synthesized via a self-emulsifying technique with no organic solvents. Emulsions were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), Zeta potential, centrifuge, and cryo-scanning electron microscopy (Cryo-SEM). The results showed that the emulsions obtained were mono-dispersed nanospheres that had adequate colloidal stability. The maximum Zeta potential of the sizing agent is −52.88 mV. In addition, these emulsions were investigated as the sizing agents in order to improve interfacial adhesion between carbon fibers (CFs) and unsaturated polyester resin (UPR). Compared with the CFs sized with the commercial epoxy sizing agent, the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of CF/UPR composites from the CFs sized by these emulsion sizing agents with three different chain structures were enhanced by 25%, 29%, and 42%, respectively. The emulsion sizing agent composed of a flexible segment synthesized from adipic acid, neopentyl glycol, and maleic anhydride is most effective and can achieve the highest enhancement of the ILSS of CF/UPR composites.

Interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and compressive strength are two of the most critical properties of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP). In this report, three types of epoxy resins—4,4’-diaminodiphenylmethane epoxy resin (AG-80), bisphenol A epoxy resin (E-1NT), and novolac epoxy (EPN)—were studied. E-1NT is characterized by low viscosity and low cost but exhibits poor mechanical properties, while AG-80 offers better wetting with carbon fiber. These two epoxy resins were mixed in various mass ratios. The study revealed that as the AG-80 content increased, the ILSS of the composite also increased, reaching a maximum of 94.04 MPa when the AG-80 content reached 60%. Beyond this point, further increases in AG-80 did not enhance the ILSS. Conversely, the compressive strength initially increased but then declined sharply as the AG-80 ratio increased. The maximum compressive strength was recorded at 748.52 MPa when the AG-80 content reached 60%, which was 21% higher than pure AG-80 and 32% higher than pure E-1NT. Additionally, the study examined three different types of ionic sizing agents and four different resin matrices (E-1NT/DDS, AG-80/DDS, AG-80/E-1NT/DDS, EPN/DDS). Among them, the 60% AG-80/40% E-1NT/DDS/CF formulation demonstrated the best balance in both ILSS and compressive strength.

Sizing agents are essential to address the increasing demands of enhanced carbon fibers (CFs), where increasing interfacial adhesion and the analysis of mechanical properties are achieved for critical engineering applications. In this work, five types of self-emulsifying sizing agents, featuring organic polymer–inorganic nano zinc oxide (ZnO) core-shell structures with varying crosslinked polymer densities in the core, were synthesized using self-emulsifying technology through a one-pot, in situ synthetic process. This study revealed that these sizing agents exhibited a uniform particle size distribution within the range of 100–200 nm, along with excellent storage stability and thermal stability up to 300 °C. The optimized sizing agent significantly enhanced the surface properties of CFs, achieving a surface roughness of 6.04 nm and a surface energy of 74.81 mJ/m². Moreover, the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and flexural strength of CF/epoxy resin (EP) composites modified with the synthesized sizing agent increased by 86% and 86.43%, respectively, compared to unoptimized composites. These improvements in mechanical properties are attributed to enhanced stress transfer at the CF/EP interface, facilitated by the interlocking mechanism of the nano ZnO particle shell and the superior anti-pressure resistance provided by the crosslinked organic polymer core.

电解水技术是实现清洁且可持续制氢的重要途径, 但其效率高度依赖催化剂的活性. 贵金属基材料是目前公认活性最高的电解水催化剂, 然而低的储量和高昂的价格严重地限制了其大规模的工业应用. 因此, 研究人员近年来重点开发低成本、资源丰富、高效且稳定的非贵金属催化剂. 其中, 介孔结构的过渡金属磷化物（meso-TMPs）凭借其高导电性、高活性位点密度、利于传质的孔道等结构优势和电子特性备受瞩目. 本文系统地综述了meso-TMPs电解水催化剂的代表性研究进展, 详细地总结了合成方法, 重点探究了形貌、元素组成、原子配合环境和电子结构的变化与催化活性间的构效关系. 最后, 本文展望了meso-TMPs电催化剂未来的发展方向. 总而言之, 本文旨在为电解水领域非贵金属高效催化剂的开发提供新的视角.

面对日益严重的环境污染和传统化石燃料的枯竭, 寻找可再生、清洁的能源变得刻不容缓. 电解水作为一种资源丰富、流程简单且零碳排放的技术, 被视为制备无碳氢气最具前景的方法之一. 电解水制氢的关键在于降低析氢反应（Hydrogen evolution reaction, HER）和析氧反应（Oxygen evolution reaction, OER）所需的过电位. 现今, 非贵金属材料作为电解水催化剂得到了广泛研究. 其中, 铁基（Fe-based）硫化物因其较高的元素储量和与氢化酶活性相似的结构, 被视为十分具有潜力的电解水催化剂. 近年来, 科研人员主要通过构筑纳米结构、元素掺杂、界面工程等策略来提升Fe-based硫化物的催化活性. 在此, 本文系统地综述了近年来Fe-based硫化物作为电解水催化剂的研究进展, 并详细地阐述了催化剂形貌设计及电子结构调控与活性间的构效关系. 最后, 本文指出Fe-based硫化物在实际应用中面临的挑战及未来发展方向.