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In the field of lithium-ion batteries, the challenges posed by the low melting point and inadequate wettability of conventional polyolefin separators have increased the focus on ceramic-coated separators. This study introduces a highly efficient and stable boehmite/polydopamine/polyethylene (AlOOH-PDA-PE) separator. It is crafted by covalently attaching functionalized nanosized boehmite (γ-AlOOH) whiskers onto polyethylene (PE) surfaces. The presence of a covalent bond increases the stability at the interface, while amino groups on the surface of the separator enhance the infiltration of the electrolyte and facilitate the diffusion of lithium ions. The PE-PDA-AlOOH separator, when used in lithium-ion batteries, achieves a discharge capacity of 126 mAh g−1 at 5 C and retains 97.1% capacity after 400 cycles, indicating superior cycling stability due to its covalently bonded ceramic surface. Thus, covalent interface modification is a promising strategy to prevent delamination of ceramic coatings in separators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new nanobiomaterial, alendronate hydroxyapatite (AL-HAP), was synthesized by the conventional co-precipitation method with alendronate (AL) as dopant, and applied in the removal of heavy metal contaminants for the first time. The characterization results showed that the crystallinity of the AL-HAP nanocomposite biomaterials after doping has been greatly deteriorated, and the pore volume and pore size increased. When the doping amount of AL was 10 %, the maximum adsorption capacity of AL-HAP for Pb 2+ , Cd 2+ and Cu 2+ can reach 1431.8, 469 and 226.6 mg/g, respectively, which was much higher than that reported in other literature. Meanwhile, the adsorption mechanism of AL-HAP for heavy metal ions was discussed from both the views of experimental and Multiwfn program theoretical calculation based on density functional theory (DFT). Quantitative molecular surface analysis was carried out for the first time to study the minimum points and the positions of electrostatic potential (ESP) and average local ionization energy(ALIE), as well as the exact values, giving more accurate and reliable analysis conclusions for the reaction sites and binding mode. In addition, the independent gradient model (IGM) method was also firstly applied to investigate the interactions between AL and HAP or AL-HAP nanocomposite with metal ions. AL-HAP is a potential adsorption material for heavy metal wastewater treatment and soil remediation because of its advantages such as convenient synthesis, excellent adsorption performance and no secondary pollution., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)