Search

Bulk Cr2O3 is an antiferromagnetic (AFM) oxide that exhibits the magnetoelectric effect at room temperature, with neither spontaneous magnetization nor net electric polarization. These physical properties stem from a subtle competition between exchange and crystal field interactions. In this article, we exploit the symmetry breaking at the surface of Cr2O3 nanoparticles for unbalancing this delicate physical equilibrium. The emerging weak ferromagnetic signal we observe persists up to near room temperature (≈ 270 K) at which the antiferromagnetic order disappears. In addition, an exchange-bias effect, that rapidly decreases on heating from low temperature up to 30 K, is resistant to thermal disorder above 200 K. Our findings point to the possible formation of an entangled core/shell magnetic structure, where pinned uncompensated spins at the shell are randomly distributed in a low-temperature spin-glass ordering, with low net magnetic moment and an ordering temperature governed by the AFM Néel temperature., Work at University of Oviedo was financially supported by research projects MCIU-19-RTI2018-094683-B-C52 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and AYUD/2021/51822 (FICyT, Principality of Asturias). Thanks are due to Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste (Italy) and to Institut Laue-Langevin (France) for allocating beam time. We are grateful to the Scientific-Technical Services of the University Oviedo for providing assistance in transmission microscopy image acquisition and processing. Work at USF supported partially through US Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Science and Engineering under Award # DE-FG02-07ER46438. H. S. acknowledges support from the Bizkaia Talent Program, Basque Country (Spain). X. M. acknowledges support from the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic Grant no. 14-37427.

Porous carbon materials are at the core of many energy storage and conversion technologies. Accordingly, demand for them is steadily increasing. To satisfy this demand without compromising the environment to a larger extent, researchers are continuously looking for novel synthesis strategies. In this context, molten salts or salt melts have emerged as a powerful, eco-friendly alternative for the synthesis of porous carbons with tuneable chemical and textural properties. These salt systems play a dual role as solvent/reaction medium (they have negligible vapor pressure withstanding carbonization temperatures) and as templates. Similar to traditional templating strategies, pore generation does not take place at the expense of carbon yield, but unlike those traditional methods, removal of the template can be accomplished by washing with water or diluted acid. This review summarizes the production of porous carbons by molten salt strategies, focusing on the characteristics of the main molten salts used to date, the mechanism of pore generation, and the structure of the carbons produced. The use of molten salts as a medium for performing chemical activation processes is also described. Finally, the use of salt-templated carbons in a variety of energy storage and conversion applications is analysed in detail., This research work was supported by projects RTI2018-093712-B-I00 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and IDI/2018/000148 (regional GRUPIN2018).

An eco-friendly and sustainable salt-templating approach was proposed for the production of anode materials with a 3D sponge-like structure for sodium-ion capacitors using gluconic acid as carbon precursor and sodium carbonate as water-removable template. The optimized carbon material combined porous thin walls that provided short diffusional paths, a highly disordered microstructure with dilated interlayer spacing, and a large oxygen content, all of which facilitated Na ion transport and provided plenty of active sites for Na adsorption. This material provided a capacity of 314 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 and 130 mAh g-1 at 10 A g-1 . When combined with a 3D highly porous carbon cathode (SBET ≈2300 m2 g-1 ) synthesized from the same precursor, the Na-ion capacitor showed high specific energy/power, that is 110 Wh kg-1 at low power and still 71 Wh kg-1 at approximately 26 kW kg-1 , and a good capacity retention of 70 % over 10000 cycles., This research work was supported by project IDI/2018/000148 (FICYT/FEDER) and PID2021-123648OB−I00 (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/and ERDF A way of making Europe).

Polysulfide shuttle effects, active material losses, formation of resistive surface layers, and continuous electrolyte consumption create a major barrier for the lightweight and low-cost lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery adoption. Tuning electrolyte composition by using additives and most importantly by substantially increasing electrolyte molarity was previously shown to be one of the most effective strategies. Contrarily, little attention has been paid to dilute and super-diluted LiTFSI/DME/DOL/LiNO3 based-electrolytes, which have been thought to aggravate the polysulfide dissolution and shuttle effects. Here we challenge this conventional wisdom and demonstrate outstanding capabilities of a dilute (0.1 mol L-1 of LiTFSI in DME/DOL with 1 wt. % LiNO3) electrolyte to enable better electrode wetting, greatly improved high-rate capability, and stable cycle performance for high sulfur loading cathodes and low electrolyte/sulfur ratio in Li-S cells. Overall, the presented study shines light on the extraordinary ability of such electrolyte systems to suppress short-chain polysulfide dissolution and polysulfide shuttle effects., This work was largely supported by the National Key R&D Research Program of China (No. 2018YFB0905400),the Innovation-Driven Project of Central South University (No.2019CX033), the National Key R&D Research Program of China (No. 2018YFB0905400), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. U1910210, 51904344, 51925207, 51872277), and the DNL cooperation Fund, CAS (DNL180310), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Wk2060140026, WK2060000009). The modeling part of the work performed at ARL was supported as part of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR), an Energy Innovation Hub funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences.

An upgrade of the scalable fabrication of high-performance sulfur-carbon cathodes is essential for the widespread commercialization of this technology. Herein we present a simple, cost-effective and scalable approach for the fabrication of cathodes comprising sulfur and high-surface area, N,S-codoped carbons. The method involves the use of a sulfur salt, i.e. sodium thiosulfate, as activating agent, sulfur precursor and S-dopant, and polypyrrole as carbon precursor and N-dopant. In this way, the production of the porous host and the incorporation of sulfur are combined in the same procedure. The porous hosts thus produced have BET surface areas in excess of 2000 m2 g−1, a micro-mesoporous structure, as well as sulfur and nitrogen contents of 5–6 wt% and ~2 wt%, respectively. The elemental sulfur content in the composites can be precisely modulated in the range of 24 to ca. 90 wt% by controlling the amount of sodium thiosulfate used. Remarkably, these porous carbons are able to accommodate up to 80 wt% sulfur exclusively within their porosity. When analyzed in lithium-sulfur batteries, these sulfur-carbon composites show high specific capacities of 1100 mAh g−1 at a low C-rate of 0.1 C and above 500 mAh g−1 at a high rate of 2 C for sulfur contents in the range of 50–80 wt%. Remarkably, the composites with 51–65 wt% S can still provide above 400 mAh g−1 at an ultra-fast rate of 4 C (where a charge and discharge cycle takes only ten minutes). The good rate capability and sulfur utilization was additionally assessed for cathodes with a high sulfur content (65–74%) and a high sulfur loading (>5 mg cm−2). In addition, cathodes of 4 mg cm−2 successfully cycled for 260 cycles at 0.2 C showed only a low loss of 0.12%/cycle., This research work was supported by projects RTI2018-093712-B-I00 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and IDI/2018/000148 (regional GRUPIN2018).

Highly porous carbon nanoparticles are very suitable materials for supercapacitor electrodes due to their combination of large surface area for ion adsorption and short pathways for fast ion diffusion. Herein we describe the synthesis of highly porous carbon nanospheres (d=90 nm) by a simple strategy that involves the preparation of monodisperse nanoparticles by the oxidative polymerization of pyrrole, followed by their direct chemical activation with KHCO3. The morphology of the nanospheres is well retained after activation, and the inorganic impurities are removed by a simple washing step with water. The porous nanospheres possess a high electrical conductivity and specific surface areas exceeding 3000 m2 g−1 due to their high content of micropores and small mesopores (, This research work was supported by projects RTI2018-093712-B−I00 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and IDI/2018/000148 (regional GRUPIN2018).

Introduction Subclinical atherosclerosis improves cardiovascular risk assessment and is considered a risk modifier in individuals at borderline-to-intermediate estimated risk by clinical risk scores. Purpose We seek to propose a new decision algorithm for statin allocation based on the quantification of carotid and/or femoral atherosclerosis burden by novel 3-dimensional vascular ultrasound (3DVUS) and to explore its potential additive value when used in combination with conventional risk evaluation. Methods We conducted an observational study in all outpatients without previous history of cardiovascular events assessed in the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Unit during 2017–2020. Cardiovascular risk was assessed with the ACC/AHA 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk algorithm to establish the indication for initiating statin therapy following current clinical guidelines. All patients underwent 3DVUS evaluation for carotid plaque burden (CPB) calculated as the sum of all plaque volumes present in bilateral carotid arteries. Femoral 3DVUS evaluation was included later in the study protocol. Global plaque burden (GPB) was calculated in patients with both carotid and femoral 3DVUS as the sum of all plaque volumes present in bilateral carotid and femoral arteries. Carotid and global plaque burden was classified as high, moderate and low if a patient presented a percentile (p) >75, p50–75 and p75) or discouraging (p Results One hundred sixty-three patients (age 51±8 years; 72,4% men; 10y-ASCVD 5,9%±4,8%) were included, being the most frequent reason for referral the presence of metabolic syndrome (37%), followed by intermediate or indeterminate estimated CV risk (33%), one markedly elevated single risk factor (15%) and family history of early CVD (13%). 10y-ASCVD score classified 80 (49%) patients as low-risk without recommendation for initiating statins, 18 (11%) as high-risk indicating statin therapy and 65 (40%) patients that needed clinical-patient risk discussion. Among patients under risk discussion, the CPB percentile re-stratified 51 (78%) of them, recommending statins in 26 (40%) and discouraging statins in 25 (38%). In addition, CPB re-stratified 24 (30%) low-risk patients to recommend statins. A sub-group of 114 patients additionally underwent femoral 3DVUS, and calculated GPB led to similar results of patient re-stratification (Figure). Conclusions Quantification of 3D atherosclerosis burden and its percentile would re-stratify a significant number of patients with intermediate risk, becoming a potentially useful tool for clinical decision making. In addition, it possibly improves the detection of low-risk patients who would benefit from statin therapy. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): Dr. Lόpez-Melgar has received a grant from the Spanish Society of Cardiology “Proyecto de investigaciόn traslacional en Cardiología 2020” Patient re-stratification with CPB/GPB

High-surface area carbons are produced from biomass-based products (wood sawdust and tannic acid) by means of an environmentally friendly process based on the use of sodium thiosulfate as activating agent and an inert salt (KCl) that serves as a confinement medium for the activation reaction. These porous carbons have high BET surface areas of up to 2650 m2 g-1, large pore volumes of up to 2.3 cm3 g-1 and a porosity that combines micro- and mesopores in different amounts depending on the quantity of activating agent employed. Such carbons have two additional remarkable properties: a) they are S-doped (2–6 wt% S) and b) they have good electrical conductivities in the 2.5–4.5 S cm-1 range. The above properties make these carbon materials highly attractive as supercapacitor electrodes. Indeed, when tested in a variety of electrolytes (H2SO4, TEABF4/AN and EMImTFSI) using commercial-level mass loadings, they show high specific capacitances (up to 200 F g-1, 140 F g-1 and 160 F g-1 in aqueous, organic and ionic liquid electrolytes, respectively) and high capacitance retention at high rates in all the electrolytes in combination with a good stability under cycling and floating modes., This research work was supported by the Spanish MINECO-FEDER (CTQ2015-63552-R).

Porous carbons have become extremely important in many applications related to environmental remediation and, more recently, to challenging energy issues. Then, great efforts have been addressed to the design and production of carbon materials for emergent energy applications. Various templating approaches have emerged as suitable alternatives to traditional methods based on physical or chemical activation procedures. This review focuses on simple, sustainable templating strategies based on the use of easily removable inorganic particles (e.g., NaCl, MgO, CaCO3, ZnO) or polymeric materials (i.e., HIPE emulsions, block copolymers, surfactants). The fundamental aspects, advances, applications, and challenges are analyzed in detail. This review provides useful information for researchers interested in easy methodologies for producing porous carbons with a variety of morphologies and pore structures intended for a wide range of applications, including energy storage and production., This research work was supported by projects RTI2018-093712-B-I00 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and IDI/2018/000148 (regional GRUPIN2018).

The evidence of the interrelationships between adult attachment, conflict resolution style and relationship quality in couple relationships shows some inconsistencies and it is mostly based on English-speaking adult samples, as well as on individuals’ rather than on both couple members’ reports. Therefore, the aim was to examine the associations between adult attachment, conflict resolution style and relationship quality from a dyadic approach. A sample of 405 heterosexual young couples completed online the brief version of the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised Questionnaire, the respondent version of the Conflict Resolution Styles Inventory, and a 4-item measure of relationship quality. Avoidance attachment showed a stronger negative correlation than anxiety with relationship quality. Withdrawal and conflict engagement styles were more highly correlated with avoidance and anxiety, respectively. At a dyadic level, relationship quality was negatively predicted by actor avoidance attachment and positively predicted by partner relationship quality. No actor or partner effects of conflict resolution style on relationship quality were observed. Overall, partners with higher attachment anxiety and avoidance reported more dysfunctional conflict resolution styles and less satisfaction with the relationship.

Energy storage materials consisting of sulfur/carbon composites or highly porous carbons are successfully synthesized from cellulose or cellulose acetate, respectively, by chemical activation with sodium thiosulfate. It is a versatile synthesis approach that allows the production of sulfur/carbon composites or porous carbons depending on the washing procedure used after the high-temperature treatment. By acid washing, sulfur/carbon composites with sulfur contents in the 62–74 wt% range are produced when cellulose is used as precursor. These composites show a good electrochemical performance in Li–S batteries, providing a capacity of 7.4 mAh cm−2 at 0.05 C and 5.5 mAh cm−2 at 0.2 C under high sulfur loading conditions, and still preserving 4.1 mAh cm−2 after more than 100 cycles. Meanwhile, by water washing, highly micro–mesoporous carbons (SBET ≥ 2500 m2 g−1) with good electronic conductivity (≈5–6 S cm−1) are produced when cellulose acetate is used as precursor. These porous carbons exhibit high capacitance values (170 F g−1 at 0.2 A g−1) in an ionic liquid electrolyte, good long-term stability, and low self-discharge., This research work was supported by projects RTI2018-093712-B-I00 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and IDI/2018/000148 (regional GRUPIN2018).

The preparation of porous carbons attracts a great deal of attention given the importance of these materials in many emerging applications, such as hydrogen storage, CO2 capture, and energy storage in supercapacitors and batteries. In particular, porous carbons produced by applying chemical activation methods are preferred because of the high pore development achieved. However, given the environmental risks associated with conventional activating agents such as KOH, the development of greener chemical activation methodologies is an important objective. This Review summarizes recent progress in the production of porous carbons by using more sustainable strategies based on chemical activation. The use of less‐corrosive chemical agents as an alternative to KOH is thoroughly reviewed. In addition, progress achieved to date by using emerging self‐activation methodologies applied to organic salts and biomass products is also discussed., This research work was supported by projects RTI2018-093712-B-I00 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and IDI/2018/000148 (regional GRUPIN2018).

Porous carbon microspheres and S/microspherical carbon composites with a highly packed hexagonal arrangement have been synthesized by chemical activation of precarbonized resorcinol‐formaldehyde spheres. Sodium thiosulphate is used as a harmless activating agent, S dopant and sulfur precursor. The porous microspheres exhibit large surface areas (2060–2340 m2 g−1) and adequate micro‐mesoporosity. They also have a notable amount of sulfur heteroatoms (5–7 %) and high electronic conductivity (2.3–3.1 S cm−1). The compact organization and suitable porosity of the microspheres allow competitive values of volumetric capacitance to be achieved when used in supercapacitors operating in aqueous and organic electrolytes (130 and 64 F cm−3, respectively), while maintaining good rate capability. In addition, the sulfur/spherical carbon composites with a sulfur content above 80 % are tested as cathode material in lithium‐sulfur batteries, demonstrating high sulfur utilization, large values of volumetric capacity (768 mAh cm−3) and stable long‐term cyclability (0.086 % capacity loss per cycle)., This research work was supported by projects RTI2018-093712-B-I00 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and IDI/2018/000148 (regional GRUPIN2018).

orous carbon materials constitute an excellent conductive matrix for the immobilization of sulfur in the cathode of lithium–sulfur batteries. Herein, we provide a novel, easy, sustainable, general and scalable procedure for the preparation of such cathodes, which combines in the same process both the generation of a S-doped porous carbon and the incorporation of elemental sulfur within the pores. To achieve this, a biomass-based substance (i.e., tannic acid) is activated with sodium thiosulfate, yielding a carbonized solid that includes a high-surface area carbon (up to 2550 m2 g−1) and sodium polysulfides. Once this solid is immersed in an acid medium, the polysulfides generated as activation by-products are oxidized in situ to elemental sulfur that spontaneously diffuses into the pores of the carbon, which gives rise to the hybrid sulfur–carbon composite. When tested as cathodes in lithium–sulfur batteries, these hybrid materials exhibit high sulfur utilization (∼80%) even for the composites with a sulfur content as high as 82%, as well as an excellent rate performance (590 mA h g−1 S at 5C). The cycling stability of the batteries was confirmed by their low capacity fading (0.049% of capacity decay per cycle), maintaining 85% of their initial capacity after 300 charge–discharge cycles at 1C. Cathodes with a high sulfur loading (7.1 mg S per cm2) were steady cycled providing reversible areal capacities of 4.4 mA h cm−2 at 0.2C after 100 charge–discharge cycles., This research work was supported by projects RTI2018-093712-B-I00 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and IDI/2018/000148 (regional GRUPIN2018)., We acknowledge support by the CSIC Open Access Publication Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in ACS Appllied Energy Materials , copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://pubs.acs.org/articlesonrequest/AOR-RIENfMU7maY9wigQUU8t, see http://pubs.acs.org/page/policy/articlesonrequest/index.html], A novel Fe–N-doped carbon with a dendritic structure is analyzed as an electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction. The synthesis of the material was accomplished through a nanocasting approach using pyrrole as the nitrogen and carbon source, and iron chloride as the iron dopant. The Fe–N–C thus-synthesized consists of small nanoparticles with a diameter of ∼240 nm and a pompom-like morphology. They exhibit a relatively high specific surface area combined with a very accessible porosity and a high nitrogen (∼11 wt %) and iron (∼5 wt %) content. With respect to electrocatalytic activity, in basic electrolyte the Fe–N-doped carbon nanopompoms exhibited high onset (0.94 V) and half-wave potentials (0.82 V), and a large kinetic current density (19 mA cm–2), higher than commercial platinum catalysts. The electrocatalysts were also tested in acid electrolyte, giving an onset potential of 0.75 V and a peroxide yield lower than 10% over a wide range of potentials. Furthermore, the newly developed carbon nanostructures exhibit excellent durability, better than commercially available platinum in both media. The excellent electrocatalytic activity is attributed to a combination of a high specific surface area with very accessible porosity and the presence of numerous active centers (i.e., iron coordinated to nitrogen and nitrogen functional groups)., This research work was supported by the FICYT Regional Project (GRUPIN14-102), the Spanish MINECO-FEDER (CTQ2015-63552-R) and CSIC (201660I027).

Sexual coercion is a worldwide health problem that endangers the well-being of those involved. In the same line of the most recent and comprehensive studies, this study sought to investigate the extent of sexual coercion, both perpetration and victimization, among male and female adolescents. Moreover, it jointly analyzed the predictive power of different variables that have been considered as useful to design preventive programs. For this purpose, a cross-sectional study, using proportional stratified cluster sampling, was performed and 1,242 Spanish adolescents (15-19 years old) were surveyed. Results show that both genders had reported committing and suffering sexual coercion. However, perpetration was reported more often by males: no significant gender difference was found in victimization. It was also concluded that need for control and power, normative beliefs about sexual coercion, hostile sexism, negative alcohol expectancies, and sociosexual orientation were significant predictors of perpetration for both genders. Concerning victimization, need for control and power and normative beliefs were found to be significant predictors for males and females, as were negative alcohol expectancies and sexual esteem, though only for males. According to these results, both genders can be both perpetrators and victims of sexual coercion in adolescence, but not to the same extent. Moreover, preventive programs should include activities related to perpetration and victimization, taking into account the effectiveness of their components to intervene with male and female adolescents.

Porous carbon materials have extraordinary importance as electrodes in many electrochemical devices used for energy storage and conversion. For this reason, there is a growing interest in the design of new carbon materials with improved chemical and structural properties that enhance their electrochemical performance providing high energy and power densities as well as long cyclability. To satisfy this demand, researchers are continuously looking for new types of carbon materials that fulfill the above requirements. In this respect, carbon nanospheres (CNSs) have attracted great attention because, besides the typical characteristics of carbon materials, they have short diffusional pathways that provide fast kinetics, which is an important feature for advanced electrochemical energy systems. This review summarizes the synthesis strategies used to produce non-hollow carbon nanospheres, including methodologies based on the use of hard (e.g. silica) or soft (e.g. surfactants) templates, as well as template-free procedures that involve the production of polymer nanospheres and their conversion to CNSs and porous carbon nanospheres (PCNSs). In addition, the use of CNSs and PCNSs as electrodes in energy storage devices such as supercapacitors, batteries (e.g. alkali-ion, lithium-sulfur, etc.), or Li-ion capacitors, as well as ORR electrocatalysts for energy conversion, is analyzed in detail., This research work was supported by projects RTI2018-093712-B-I00 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and IDI/2018/000148 (regional GRUPIN2018).

Porous carbon nanoparticles (PCNs) co-doped with nitrogen and sulfur have been produced by applying a straightforward template-free method entailing a high-temperature reaction between polypyrrole nanoparticles and sodium thiosulfate. The activation process gives rise to porous carbon nanoparticles that combine several important properties: (a) a uniform size of ∼80 nm; (b) a well-developed porosity with BET surface areas of up to ∼1700 m2 g-1 and pore volumes of up to 2.20 cm3 g-1 (c) a sizable N and S heteroatom content (of up to 2.7% N and 7.7% S); and (d) a good electrical conductivity (up to 3 S cm-1). The synthesis strategy offers a great versatility since two types of materials, PCN or S/PCN (nanocomposites comprising elemental sulfur infiltrated into the PCN), can be produced by introducing minor changes to the procedure. These materials have been tested on two components of a lithium-sulfur cell. The S/PCN nanocomposite is used as the cathode, whereas the PCN material is deposited onto the separator to form a thin packed layer in order to restrict the mobility of the polysulfides. Remarkably, the PCN coating layer notably enhances the utilization of sulfur (increase of 23% during the first cycles), and it provides robustness during long-term cycling. The battery assembled with these two components exhibits a highly stable cycling performance from the very first charge-discharge cycles and delivers a reversible capacity of 841 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles at 0.2C with a Coulombic efficiency of 99.3%. Despite using a S/PCN composite with a high sulfur content (>70%), the cell was successfully cycled at 2C over 500 charge-discharge cycles and experienced a capacity decay of only 0.089% per cycle., This research work was supported by projects RTI2018-093712-B-I00 (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and IDI/2018/000148 (regional GRUPIN2018).

Li-ion hybrid supercapacitors (Li-HSCs) hold great promise in future electrical energy storage due to their relatively high power and energy density. However, a major challenge lies in the slow kinetics of Li-ion intercalation/extraction within metal-oxide electrodes. Here, it is shown that ultrafast charge storage is realized by confining anatase TiO nanoparticles in carbon nanopores to enable a high-rate anode for Li-HSCs. The porous carbon with interconnected pore walls and open channels not only works as a conductive host to protect TiO from structural degradation but also provides fast pathways for ion/electron transport. As a result, the assembled cells exhibit remarkable rate capabilities with a specific capacity of ≈140 mAh g at a slow charge and ≈60 mAh g at a 3.5 s fast charge. While the charge/discharge process can be completed as fast as that of state-of-the-art electrical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs), the produced nanocomposites show three to seven times higher volumetric capacitance than activated carbons used in commercial EDLCs with acetonitrile-based electrolytes. Equally important for some applications in cold climates or the space, the Li-HSCs can operate at subzero temperatures as low as −40 °C, which is likely only limited by thermal properties of the acetonitrile (melting point of −45 °C)., This work was supported by Sila Nanotechnologies, Inc., a Georgia Tech startup

In recent times, our understanding of the role of the immune system in different physiopathological situations has increased markedly. A new set of cells, generically known as innate lymphoid cells (ILC), has been discovered in the lymphoid compartment. Five ILC subsets can be recognized according to phenotypic and functional similarities with different subpopulations of T lymphocytes. Unlike T and B lymphocytes, ILC do not express antigen receptors nor undergo selection and clonal expansion upon activation. Instead, they respond rapidly to cytokines and danger signals in infected or inflamed tissues, producing cytokines that direct the immune response toward a type suitable for controlling the initial insult. In addition, ILC establish a crosstalk with other cells of the microenvironment that contributes to the maintenance and restoration of tissue homeostasis. Although many evidences on ILC were obtained from animal models, solid data confirm their existence in humans and their role in various inflammatory disorders. In this article, we address new knowledge on ILC, particularly on their role in the homeostasis of the immune system and in various inflammatory pathologies, in order to present new actors regulating immunity and immunopathology and affecting human health.En tiempos recientes, nuestra comprensión del rol del sistema inmune en diferentes situaciones fisiopatológicas ha aumentado notablemente. En el compartimiento linfoide se ha descubierto un conjunto de células denominadas células linfoides innatas o innate lymphoid cells (ILC). Las ILC incluyen cinco grupos, clasificados según su similitud fenotípica y funcional con diferentes subpoblaciones de linfocitos T. A diferencia de los linfocitos T y B, las ILC no expresan receptores de antígeno ni sufren selección y expansión clonal cuando se activan. En cambio, responden rápidamente frente a citoquinas y señales de peligro en tejidos infectados o inflamados produciendo citoquinas que dirigen la respuesta inmune hacia un tipo adecuado para controlar la noxa original. Además, las ILC establecen un diálogo cruzado con otras células del microambiente que contribuye al mantenimiento y la restauración de la homeostasis tisular. Si bien muchas evidencias acerca de las ILC fueron obtenidas en modelos animales, existen datos sólidos que confirman su existencia en seres humanos y su papel en diversos trastornos inflamatorios. En este artículo, abordamos los nuevos conocimientos acerca de las ILC, y su rol en la homeostasis del sistema inmune y en diversas patologías inflamatorias, con el fin de presentar nuevos actores que regulan la inmunidad y la inmunopatología, lo que repercute en la salud humana.

Natural killer (NK) cells can kill virus-infected cells and tumor cells without prior sensitization and secrete numerous cytokines and chemokines that modulate the activity of different cells of the immune system. The recognition of target cells is mediated by germ line-encoded receptors, and the activity of NK cells can be further regulated by soluble factors such as cytokines and Toll-like receptor ligands. Thus, NK cells display an exciting potential as a powerful immunotherapeutic tool against malignant diseases, and different strategies are being tested aiming to overcome tumor-induced NK cell suppression and restore NK-cell mediated antitumor activity. This section describes different flow cytometry-based protocols to study NK cell effector functions, which can be used to evaluate the immunomodulatory ability of different therapeutic compounds.

Development of new approaches for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture is important in both scientific and technological aspects. One of the emerging methods in CO2 capture research is based on the use of gas-hydrate crystallization in confined porous media. Pore dimensions and surface functionality of the pores play important roles in the efficiency of CO2 capture. In this report, we summarize work on several porous carbons (PCs) that differ in pore dimensions that range from supermicropores to mesopores, as well as surfaces ranging from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. Water was imbibed into the PCs, and the CO2 uptake performance, in dry and hydrated forms, was determined at pressures of up to 54 bar to reveal the influence of pore characteristics on the efficiency of CO2 capture and storage. The final hydrated carbon materials had H2O-to-carbon weight ratios of 1.5:1. Upon CO2 capture, the H2O/CO2 molar ratio was found to be as low as 1.8, which indicates a far greater CO2 capture capacity in hydrated PCs than ordinarily seen in CO2-hydrate formations, wherein the H2O/CO2 ratio is 5.72. Our mechanistic proposal for attainment of such a low H2O/CO2 ratio within the PCs is based on the finding that most of the CO2 is captured in gaseous form within micropores of diameter, A. S. J. thanks the financial support by King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals for funding though project DSR SR171007. M. S. and A. B. F. thank funding by FICYT Regional Project (GRUPIN14-102) and Spanish MINECO-FEDER (CTQ2015-63552-R).

Development of new approaches for carbon dioxide (CO

Purpose: The exposure to violence increases risk for future involvement; however, given that the transmission of violence is not universal, mechanisms underlying such association must be explored. The main aim of this study was to analyze the contribution of expected costs and benefits of aggressive behavior and romantic attachment to the association between past and present teen dating violence. Methods: A stratified two-stage cluster sampling was used to select a sample of 593 high school students. Participants were between 15 and 18 years old (M=16.97, SD=0.95; 41.82% male and 58.18% female) and were either currently involved or had been involved in at least one serious relationship in the previous 12 months. Results: An association between past and current aggressive behavior in dating relationships was found, as well as between dating violence and expected benefits of aggression. Other analyzed variables were found to have little or no influence on current dating violence perpetration (i.e., verbal-emotional, physical and sexual). Conclusions: This study offers evidence of the importance of early intervention. In addition, it is essential to change adolescent perceptions regarding any expected benefits of aggression and to promote skills as an alternative to violence. This study was fund by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness: National Subprogram for Knowledge Generation 2013 - Excellence (ref. PSI2013-46830-P). This sponsor had no involvement in the study design, the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, the writing of the report, the decision to submit the paper for publication, etc.

In the last decade, the renewed interest in antiferromagnetic (AF) magnetoelectric (ME) materials has been driven by the challenging multifunctionality of spintronic devices. One of the most ambitious goals is to build exchange-biased ferromagnetic/AF junctions with electric field-controlled properties. In this context, the understanding of the modifications that size reduction induces in the magnetic properties of a material being both AF and ME holds the key to control the magnetic coupling at the interface. Here, we show that the spin arrangement in chromium (III) oxide core/shell nanoparticles changes significantly as a function of the radial distance from the nanoparticle center. While the nanoparticle core retains an AF structure, magnetic moments located on a thin surface shell are in a disordered spin-glass (SG)-like state. In addition, canted spins develop at the boundary of the ME AF core. These spins, which mediate a moderate AF/SG exchange coupling at low temperature, are exchange coupled to the AF core, thus giving rise to a lower yet more robust exchange bias effect, which persists up to the Neel temperature of the AF core.

Hierarchically porous carbons with a high surface area have been synthesized by a salt template-assisted chemical activation approach using a biomass-derivative, tannic acid, as the carbon precursor. Tannic acid is pyrolyzed in the presence of KCl, acting as the template and reaction medium, and K2CO3, serving as both the template and activating agent. An important characteristic of our synthesis strategy is that the carbonaceous matter is immersed in a melted mixture constituted by the activating agent and KCl. This reaction medium greatly favours reactivity between the carbon and K2CO3, and yet enhances the carbon yields, which are in the 32–38% range. The porous carbons have large specific surface areas, in the 2250–2750 m2 g−1 range, and their microporosity can be fine-tuned by adjusting the carbonization temperature. When these carbons are tested as the electrode active material for supercapacitors, they exhibit a high capacitance in aqueous and organic electrolytes. The short diffusion pathways provided by their hierarchical architecture allow an excellent electrochemical response in situations of high power demand., This research work was supported by the Spanish MINECO-FEDER (CTQ2015-63552-R) and regional GRUPIN2018 (IDI/2018/000148). We also acknowledge support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).

Porous carbons are promising adsorbents for CO2 adsorption owing to their large surface area, easy-to-design pore structure, ready availability, tunable surface chemistry, and low energy requirements for regeneration. In this chapter, the potential of porous carbons for carbon capture in different scenarios will be shown. Firstly, the fundamentals of CO2 adsorption by porous carbons will be thoroughly described. Afterward, the synthesis strategies developed so far for the synthesis and control of the textural and chemical characteristics of porous carbons from a variety of precursors will be reviewed in combination with a comprehensive analysis of the performance of the materials produced in CO2 capture at low and high pressure. Traditional activation approaches will be discussed, with reference to recent advances that have allowed a wider control over the textural properties of the materials produced. More recent developments in carbon synthesis will also be discussed, such as nanocasting approaches, carbide-derived carbons, MOF-/COF-derived carbons, and novel polymerization approaches such as the use of deep eutectic solvents (DES).

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: N. Díez, G. A. Ferrero, A. B. Fuertes, M. Sevilla, Batteries & Supercaps 2019, 2, 701, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/batt.201900037. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving, Highly porous materials with a 3D framework have been produced by a sustainable salt template‐assisted chemical activation approach based on the use of KCl particles as template, K2CO3 particles as both template and activating agent, and biomass‐derivatives as carbon precursor (i. e., glucose and soybean meal). The self‐assembly of all the constituents into a 3D structure is achieved by a freeze‐drying process. After carbonization and a simple washing step with water, a 3D hierarchical porous carbon is obtained. The sustainability of the process is ensured by using chemicals of low or null toxicity and renewable carbon precursors. The materials produced are characterized by a 3D framework composed of thin walls rich in micropores, with BET surface areas in excess of 2000 m2 g−1 and pore volumes of up to 1.4 cm3 g−1. These materials show an improved rate capability in supercapacitors based on aqueous (H2SO4 and Li2SO4) and ionic liquid electrolytes (EMImTFSI/AN) with carbon electrode loadings well within the range of commercial values., This research work was supported by the Spanish MINECO‐FEDER (CTQ2015‐63552‐R) and regional GRUPIN2018 (IDI/2018/000148).

Iron/Nitrogen-doped carbon catalysts are considered to be one of the most promising candidates to replace platinum-based catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction in the cathode of the fuel cell. Herein, we demonstrate a simple and cost-effective strategy for the fabrication of Fe-N-C-mesoporous-carbons involving the carbonization of calcium citrate followed by a post-treatment with urea and ammonium sulfate iron (II). The synthesized materials exhibit high values of surface area, large nitrogen and iron contents. The iron is present in two configurations: i) γ-iron phase and ii) iron coordinated to nitrogen (Fe-Nx). When used as an electrocatalyst in basic electrolyte, the Fe-N-C material predominantly catalyzes the four-electron pathway with an onset potential of 0.91 V and a half-wave potential of 0.81 V. In acidic electrolyte, the optimized catalyst exhibits an onset potential of 0.73 V. The experimental results show that the N-functionalities and the Fe-N coordination sites play a major role in catalytic performance in both kinds of electrolytes and that the ɣ-iron phase has little or no catalytic effect. In this regard, pure N-doped carbon shows to be better catalyst than pure Fe-doped carbon. Hence, these results provide useful guidelines for the development of highly active and cost-effective ORR catalysts., This research work was supported by the FICYT Regional Project (GRUPIN14-102), and the Spanish MINECO-FEDER (CTQ2015-63552-R).

Among all bi-magnetic core(transition metal)@shell(transition metal oxide) nanoparticles (NPs), Ni@NiO ones show an onset temperature for the exchange bias (EB) effect far below the Neel temperature of bulk antiferromagnetic NiO. In this framework, the role played by the magnetism of NiO at the nanoscale is investigated by comparing the microstructure and magnetic properties of NiO and Ni@NiO NPs. With the aim of bridging the two systems, the diameter of the NiO NPs (~4 nm) is chosen to be comparable to the shell thickness of Ni@NiO ones (~2 nm). The EB effect in Ni@NiO NPs is attributed to the exchange coupling between the core and the shell, with an interfacial exchange energy of Δ E ~0.06 erg cm −2 , thus comparable to previous reports on Ni/NiO interfaces both in thin film and NP morphologies. In contrast, the EB detected in NiO NPs is explained in a picture where uncompensated spins located on a magnetically disordered surface shell are exchange coupled to the antiferromagnetic core. In all the studied NPs, the variation of the EB field as a function of temperature is described according to a negative exponential law with a similar decay constant, yielding a vanishing EB effect around T ~40–50 K. In addition, the onset temperature for the EB effect in both NiO and Ni@NiO NPs seems to follow a universal dependence with the NiO crystallite size.

Co-based nanoparticles (NPs) have been extensively explored due to their prospective applications in areas as diverse as efficient water treatment (Co NPs), hydrogen generation (CoO NPs) and combustion catalysis (Co3O4 NPs). In recent years, the emergence of Co-based entities as bi-magnetic core/shell NPs has opened new avenues for their innovative use in fields ranging from energy storage and magnetic recording to biomedicine. The control and characterization of these nanomaterials thus becomes of paramount importance for targeting their foreseen applications. Here, we show that the intentional oxidation of metallic Co NPs with different sizes (3–50 nm) gives rise to a wide variety of core/shell morphologies including Co, CoO and Co3O4 phases. Bridging the information coming from high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy and magnetic measurements gives us a self-consistent picture that describes the role played by the morphology and microstructure in the magnetism of Co and its oxides at the nanoscale.

The relative influence of heteroatom doping, surface area, and total pore volume of highly microporous carbon materials on CO2 uptake capacity, and the CO2/CH4 selectivity, at high pressure (≤30 bar) is presented. The separation of CO2 from natural gas (natural gas sweetening) is an important application that requires high CO2 uptake in combination with high CO2/CH4 selectivity. Porous carbon (PC), N-doped PC (NPC), and S-doped PC (SPC) materials are prepared using KOH oxidative activation at different temperatures. The surface chemical composition was determined by XPS, while the surface areas, total pore volume, and pore size distributions were obtained by analyzing N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms with support from SEM and TEM. The CO2 and CH4 uptake was determined by volumetric uptake measurements (sorption and desorption). Contrary to previous proposals that N- or S-doping results in high uptake and good selectivity, we show it is the Σ(O,N,S) wt% that is the defining factor for CO2 uptake, of which O appears to be the main factor. Based upon the data analyzed, a performance map has been defined as a guide to designing/choosing materials for both future studies and large scale fluid bed applications using pelletized materials. For CO2 uptake at 30 bar any material with a surface area >2800 m2 g−1 and a total pore volume >1.35 cm3 g−1 is unlikely to be bettered. Such a material is best prepared by thermal activation between 700–800 °C and will have a carbon content of 80–95 wt% (as determined by XPS). While it has been assumed that the parameters that make a good CO2 adsorbent are the same as those that make a material with high CO2/CH4 selectivity, our results indicate instead that for the best selectivity at 30 bar a surface area >2000 m2 g−1 and a total pore volume >1.0 cm3 g−1 and a carbon content of

Nitrogen-doped carbon microspheres with tunable porosity are investigated as electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The materials were synthesized by “nanocasting” involving the use of pyrrole as the carbon source and N-dopant, and porous silica microspheres as template. The engineered nitrogen-doped carbon particles combine several indispensable characteristics for a highly active metal-free carbon electrocatalyst: (i) a high content of nitrogen functionalities (∼8 wt%) mainly distributed in quaternary and pyridinic groups, which are highly active catalytic centers for the ORR reaction, and (ii) a high specific surface area (1200–1300 m2 g−1). Furthermore, the porosity of the N-doped microspheres can be modulated from a micro- to a mesoporous structure, i.e. from a micropore size distribution centered at ∼1 nm to a widely accessible mesoporosity with two mesopores systems (∼3 nm and ∼14 nm). The electrocatalytic activity of the N-doped carbon microspheres in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was studied in both basic and acid media. Both types of materials catalyze the ORR via the efficient 4-electron process. However, the mesoporous carbon exhibits a more positive onset potential and a higher kinetic current density than the microporous microspheres and noteworthy the values are comparable to those of commercial Pt/C under basic conditions. Moreover, the mesoporous microspheres also show a better electrocatalytic activity than the microporous ones in acid medium, and a similar onset potential to that of Pt/C with a peroxide yield lower than 10%. A detailed comparison between the N-doped micro- and mesoporous microspheres reveals that the mesoporous material outperforms the microporous one not only in catalytic activity but also in durability in both electrolytes, which proves that the bimodal mesoporous structure acts as interconnected highways providing quick and full transport towards/from the catalytic sites for both reactant and products. This leads in turn to an effective metal-free carbon catalyst that can match the commercial Pt/C catalyst., This research work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economıa y Competitividad, MINECO (MAT2012-31651), Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) and FICYT Regional Project (GRUPIN14-102). G. A. F. thanks the MINECO for his predoctoral contract and M. S. thanks the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion for her Ramon y Cajal contract. We acknowledge support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).

Highly dense porous solvated free-standing graphene films were prepared by pressing graphene hydrogels obtained by a hydrothermal approach, which entails the generation of hematite nanoparticles that act as separators and endotemplate agents to generate pores. The as-prepared solvated graphene films have characteristics that make them suitable for use in supercapacitors, that is, a free-standing nature, a thickness of around 110 μm, a high packing density (1.1 g cm−3) and a large areal mass loading (12 mg cm−2). When used as supercapacitor electrodes, the graphene films show a high cell capacitance of ≈43 F g−1 (47 F cm−3) at 0.1 A g−1 in aqueous electrolyte (H2SO4) and retain 50 % of their low rate capacitance even at a high current density of 40 A g−1. Such porous yet highly dense materials could be used to fabricate lighter and more compact supercapacitor devices than those currently based on activated carbon.

Highly porous materials with a bimodal pore size distribution in the micro-mesopore range have been produced from biomass by adding melamine to the hydrochar/KOH mixture used in the activation process. These carbons are characterized by BET surface areas in excess of ∼3300 m2 g−1 and a porosity equally distributed between micropores and mesopores. The use of melamine in the synthesis process not only extends the pore size distribution into the mesopore region, but leads to the incorporation of a certain amount of nitrogen atoms into the carbon framework. These materials combine high ion adsorption capacities (micropores) and enhanced ion-transport kinetics (mesopores) leading to an outstanding capacitive performance in ionic liquid-based supercapacitors. Thus, they have specific capacitances >160 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and >140 F g−1 at 60 A g−1 in both pure ionic liquid and in acetonitrile-diluted ionic liquid, enabling these materials to store up to a maximum of ca. 60 W h kg−1 in both kinds of electrolytes and deliver ca. 20 W h kg−1 at ∼42 kW kg−1 (discharge time ca. 2 s) in pure ionic liquid and ∼25–30 W h kg−1 at ∼97–100 kW kg−1 (discharge time ∼1 s) in acetonitrile-diluted ionic liquid., This research work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, MINECO (MAT2012-31651), and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER). M. S. thanks the MICINN for her Ramón y Cajal contract.

The study compares the influence of sexual coercion on mental health and attitude toward sexuality in 3 socio-cultural contexts. Convenience purposive sampling was used. Of a total of 7,586 invitations to participate in this research, 1,251 heterosexual college students from Bolivia, Chile, and Spain (a 17% response rate) responded to 3 online questionnaires: the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, the Scale of Sexuality and the Scale of Non-Consensual Sexual Experiences. c 2 and factorial ANOVA were used to analyze the results. A 24% of the students reported having experienced some form of sexual coercion (26% female and 20.1% male). Of these, more Bolivian (31%) youngsters than Chilean (24.1%) and Spanish (16%) youngsters reported having lived these experiences, which were associated with increased anxiety and depression and a more negative attitude towards sexuality. The impact on mental health and attitude toward sexuality seems to depend on the type of sexual coercion experienced, nationality, and sex. Socio-cultural factors may be related to its prevalence and health impact.

A simple one-pot route for the synthesis of highly porous N-doped carbons with an excellent performance as supercapacitor electrodes is presented. The synthesis scheme is based on the carbonization of an organic salt, potassium citrate, at a temperature in the 700-900 ºC range, in the presence of urea. Such porous carbons combine ultra-high BET surface areas of up to 3350 m2·g-1, a large pore volume of up to 2.65 cm3·g-1, a porosity which can be regulated to have a micropore or micro-mesopore network and a notable nitrogen content in the 0.5-4.5 wt % range, two essential properties for their use in electrochemical devices. The presence of urea in the synthesis mixture is the key to pore development in these synthesized carbons. The applicability of this type of carbon as supercapacitor electrode material with an ionic liquid as electrolyte has also been demonstrated in this study., This research work was supported by the FICYT Regional Project (GRUPIN14-102), and the Spanish MINECO-FEDER (CTQ2015-63552-R).

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.8b03264, A simple, sustainable, and affordable approach for the synthesis of highly porous carbons is presented. The procedure is based on the use of sodium thiosulfate as an activating agent and a variety of biomass-based products (glucose, sucrose, and gelatine) as carbon precursors. The synthesis scheme involves three steps: (a) mixing the reactants by grinding, (b) heat treatment at temperatures in the 800–900 °C range, and (c) extracting the carbon material from the carbonized solid by simple washing with water. The generation of the pore structure is based on the redox reaction between the carbonaceous matter and sodium thiosulfate acting as an oxidant. In this way, porous carbons with high BET surface areas in the ∼2000–2700 m2 g–1 range and large pore volumes of up to 2.4 cm3 g–1 are obtained. The porosity of these carbons consists of two pore systems made up of narrow micropores of 0.8 nm and larger pores of up to 5 nm. These porous carbons have a certain amount of sulfur (∼2–3%) that is incorporated into the carbon framework as thiophene-like and oxidized sulfur groups. Additionally, in the case of gelatine, N content up to 2–3% is preserved., This research work was supported by the Spanish MINECO-FEDER (CTQ2015-63552-R).

This is the accepted version of the following article: Fuertes, A. B. and Sevilla, M. (2015), Superior Capacitive Performance of Hydrochar-Based Porous Carbons in Aqueous Electrolytes. ChemSusChem, 8: 1049–1057. doi: 10.1002/cssc.201403267, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201403267. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with the Wiley Self-Archiving Policy, Biomass-based highly porous carbons with excellent performances in aqueous electrolyte-based supercapacitors have been developed. The synthesis of these materials is based on the chemical activation of biomass-based hydrochar. The addition of melamine to the activation mixture leads to porous carbons with a porosity consisting of micropores/small mesopores. Furthermore, melamine promotes the introduction of nitrogen heteroatoms in the carbon framework, along with abundant oxygen functionalities, to improve the wettability. The materials produced in the presence or absence of melamine exhibit high specific capacitances in aqueous electrolytes (>270 F g−1 in H2SO4 and >190 F g−1 in Li2SO4). Additionally, the mesopores present in the melamine-based micro-/mesoporous carbons notably improve the ion-transport kinetics, especially in Li2SO4. Furthermore, in Li2SO4, they remain stable up to a cell voltage of 1.6 V; thus exhibiting superior energy and power characteristics than those in H2SO4., This research work was supported by the Spanish MINECO (MAT2012-31651). M. S. thanks the Spanish MINECO for her Ramón y Cajal contract.

A versatile chemical activation approach for the fabrication of sustainable porous carbons with a pore network tunable from micro- to hierarchical micro-/mesoporous is hereby presented. It is based on the use of a less corrosive and less toxic chemical, i.e., potassium oxalate, rather than the widely used KOH. The fabrication procedure is exemplified for glucose as precursor, although it can be extended to other biomass derivatives (saccharides) with similar results. When potassium oxalate alone is used as activating agent, highly microporous carbons are obtained (S

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Chemistry of Materials copyright ©American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.7b02218, A sustainable one-pot scheme for the synthesis of hierarchical porous carbons formed from biomass is developed herein. It is based on the carbonization of biomass-derived products (glucose, glucosamine, soya flour, and microalgae) in the presence of an activating agent (potassium oxalate) and calcium carbonate nanoparticles that form a hard template. During carbonization, double carbonates are formed in situ, which results in modifications in the morphology and size of the template nanoparticles, giving rise to a carbon material with an open macroporous foam-like structure rich in micro-/mesopores, the latter developing via a redox reaction between the carbon and potassium carbonate and also as a result of the reaction between the carbon and the evolved CO2. The porosity can be tailored by selecting an appropriate precursor. Thus, the carbon materials are basically micro-/macroporous in the case of glucose and glucosamine, and micro-/meso-/macroporous when soya flour and microalgae are used. A direct relationship is observed between the amount of nitrogen present in the precursor and mesopore development. Hence, the addition of urea to the mixture of glucose and potassium oxalate and CaCO3 nanoparticles also yields micro-/meso-/macroporous carbons. The materials synthesized at 800 °C have large surface areas in the ∼1800–3100 m2/g range. At 750 °C, the materials synthesized from N-rich biomass combine ultralarge surface areas of 2400–3050 m2/g and a remarkable N-doping (2–3 wt % N). This combination of textural and chemical properties is highly appealing for many energy-related applications and also for adsorption-based processes., This research work was supported by the FICYT Regional Project (GRUPIN14- 102), and the Spanish MINECO-FEDER (CTQ2015-63552-R). G. A. F. thanks the MINECO for his predoctoral contract.

An easy, one-step procedure is proposed for the synthesis of highly porous carbon nanosheets with an excellent performance as supercapacitor electrodes. The procedure is based on the carbonization of an organic salt, i.e., potassium citrate, at a temperature in the 750–900 °C range. In this way, carbon particles made up of interconnected carbon nanosheets with a thickness of, This research work was supported by the Spanish MINECO (MAT2012-31651). M.S. acknowledges the award of a Ramón y Cajal contract.

Microporous carbons with large nitrogen contents (6–23 wt%) have been successfully synthesized by the co-carbonization of an alkali organic salt and melamine. In this way, the processes of carbonization, activation and incorporation of nitrogen heteroatoms into the carbon backbone are integrated in only one step. The general applicability of this simple procedure has been proved by using it with a variety of organic salts, including potassium gluconate, and sodium salts of gluconate, citrate and alginate. In particular, the materials produced from potassium gluconate have a narrow micropore size distribution centered at around 0.7–0.8 nm, BET surface areas up to 1040 m2 g−1, and pore volumes of ∼0.3–0.4 cm3 g−1. It was found that the presence of abundant N-groups enhances the electrochemical performance of these materials in 1 M H2SO4. They exhibit high specific capacitances (surface basis) in the 16.6–23 μF cm−2 range and a good electro-oxidation stability as evidenced by the fact that carbon oxidation is shifted to more positive potentials by as much as 500 mV with respect to undoped carbon. In particular, a supercapacitor built with the carbon material synthesized at 850 °C using a melamine/potassium gluconate weight ratio of 2 showed an excellent robustness over a voltage window of 1.2 V in 1 M H2SO4, providing a maximum energy density of 10.2 W h kg−1 (7.9 W h L−1) and a maximum power density of 5.7 kW kg−1 (4.4 kW L−1).