@misc{sun_agate_salem_lucia_pal_2021, title={Hydrogel-Based Sensor Networks: Compositions, Properties, and Applications-A Review}, volume={4}, ISSN={["2576-6422"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1021/acsabm.0c01011}, DOI={10.1021/acsabm.0c01011}, abstractNote={Hydrogels are three-dimensional porous polymeric networks prepared by physical or chemical cross-linking of hydrophilic molecules, which can be made into smart materials through judicious chemical modifications to recognize external stimuli; more specifically, this can be accomplished by the integration with stimuli-responsive polymers or sensing molecules that has drawn considerable attention in their possible roles as sensors and diagnostic tools. They can be tailored in different structures and integrated into systems, depending on their chemical and physical structure, sensitivity to the external stimuli and biocompatibility. A panoramic overview of the sensing advances in the field of hydrogels over the past several decades focusing on a variety protocols of hydrogel preparations is provided, with a major focus on natural polymers. The modifications of hydrogel composites by incorporating inorganic nanoparticles and organic polymeric compounds for sensor applications and their mechanisms are also discussed.}, number={1}, journal={ACS APPLIED BIO MATERIALS}, publisher={American Chemical Society (ACS)}, author={Sun, Xiaohang and Agate, Sachin and Salem, Khandoker Samaher and Lucia, Lucian and Pal, Lokendra}, year={2021}, month={Jan}, pages={140–162} } @article{xin_sun_zhu_yan_sun_2021, title={Hydrogen-rich syngas production by liquid phase pulsed electrodeless discharge}, volume={214}, ISSN={["1873-6785"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.energy.2020.118902}, abstractNote={Hydrogen-rich syngas produced from ethanol/water mixtures by pulsed electrodeless discharge is studied in this work. A plate-pinhole-plate device is used to achieve electrodeless discharge that positive and negative discharge can simultaneously generate in both sides of the pinhole. The study find that the gas production efficiency is higher when both sides are spark discharge. Among the produced gas, H2, CO are the main components, which account for about 99%. Meanwhile, in order to acquire hydrogen-rich syngas with high yield, both high peak voltage and appropriate electrode distance are important. The reaction process is also researched by the spectral diagnosis. The results show that the generation of ·H is the key for syngas production by pulsed electrodeless discharge that ·H is not only the important substance for hydrogen production, but also affects the generation of ·CH and ·C2 thereby determining the CO production.}, journal={ENERGY}, author={Xin, Yanbin and Sun, Bing and Zhu, Xiaomei and Yan, Zhiyu and Sun, Xiaohang}, year={2021}, month={Jan} } @article{sun_bourham_barrett_mccord_pal_2021, title={Transparent and high barrier plasma functionalized acrylic coated cellulose triacetate films}, volume={150}, ISSN={["1873-331X"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.porgcoat.2020.105988}, abstractNote={Transparent and high moisture barrier acrylic coatings were obtained by deposition of acrylic resin containing crosslinking agents onto cellulose ester films, followed by exposure to atmospheric plasma. The effects of monomers, crosslinking agents, and polymerization methods were studied. The surface chemical composition, morphology, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), light transmittance, and adhesion performance of the coated cellulose triacetate (CTA) films were characterized for the acrylic coated films and for different plasma treatments. Coated films showed a significant reduction in water vapor permeability while maintaining excellent transparency when compared with uncoated films. Furthermore, adhesion of the coating to the CTA film was also improved due to plasma treatment. It was also found that plasma curing on the coated oligomers can induce morphological changes and significantly increase surface roughness and hydrophilicity. The roughness texture observed via SEM analysis indicated that the types of plasma polymerization and the amount of crosslinking agents control the texture types for acrylic coating. Plasma-assisted acrylic coated CTA films can be used in electronic displays, medical, and packaging applications.}, journal={PROGRESS IN ORGANIC COATINGS}, author={Sun, Xiaohang and Bourham, Mohamed and Barrett, Devin G. and McCord, Marian G. and Pal, Lokendra}, year={2021}, month={Jan} } @article{xin_sun_zhu_yan_zhao_sun_ohshima_2020, title={Characteristics and pathways of hydrogen produced by pulsed discharge in ethanol-water mixtures}, volume={45}, ISSN={["1879-3487"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.ijhydene.2019.11.101}, abstractNote={Hydrogen produced by pulsed discharge in ethanol-water mixtures is optimized in this work. A needle-balls configuration is designed, which is fit for situ hydrogen production in transportation. The energy yield of hydrogen can attain 141.3 gH2/kWh, which is better than most existing methods. The high energy yield attributes to the special discharge characteristics. During the discharge, shock waves make the balls jumping in the reactor that increase the randomness and local strength of discharge. The microscopic pathway of pulsed discharge in ethanol-water mixtures is also analyzed by the comparison of rate constants. The main products can be analyzed from the microscopic pathway. In addition, CH3CHO, CH2O are important intermediates, which may be good additives for increasing hydrogen yield.}, number={3}, journal={INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY}, author={Xin, Yanbin and Sun, Bing and Zhu, Xiaomei and Yan, Zhiyu and Zhao, Xiaotong and Sun, Xiaohang and Ohshima, Takayuki}, year={2020}, month={Jan}, pages={1588–1596} } @article{sun_tyagi_agate_mccord_lucia_pal_2020, title={Highly tunable bioadhesion and optics of 3D printable PNIPAm/cellulose nanofibrils hydrogels}, volume={234}, ISSN={0144-8617}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2020.115898}, DOI={10.1016/j.carbpol.2020.115898}, abstractNote={A hybrid poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm)/cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) hydrogel composite was fabricated by inverted stereolithography 3D printing to provide a new platform for regulating lower critical solution temperature (LCST) properties and thus tuning optical and bioadhesive properties. The phenomena of interest in the as-printed PNIPAm/CNF hydrogels may be attributed to the fiber-reinforced composite system between crosslinked PNIPAm and CNFs. The optical tunability was found to be correlated to the micro/nano structures of the PNIPAm/CNF hydrogel films. It was found that PNIPAm/CNF hydrogels exhibit switchable bioadhesivity to bacteria in response to CNF distribution in the hydrogels. After 2.0 wt% CNF was incorporated, it was found that a remarkable 8°C reduction of the LCST was achieved relative to PNIPAm hydrogel crosslinked by TEGDMA without CNF. The prepared PNIPAm/CNF hydrogels possessed highly reversible optical, bioadhesion, and thermal performance, making them suitable to be used as durable temperature-sensitive sensors and functional biomedical devices.}, journal={Carbohydrate Polymers}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Sun, Xiaohang and Tyagi, Preeti and Agate, Sachin and McCord, Marian G. and Lucia, Lucian A. and Pal, Lokendra}, year={2020}, month={Apr}, pages={115898} } @article{zhao_sun_zhu_zhu_yan_xin_sun_2020, title={Pathways of hydrogen-rich gas produced by microwave discharge in ethanol-water mixtures}, volume={156}, ISSN={["1879-0682"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.renene.2020.04.088}, abstractNote={The ethanol decomposition process for hydrogen-rich gas synthesis via microwave discharge in ethanol-water mixtures was investigated in this study. Excited active species and gas-phase products based on ethanol’s varying volume fraction were detected via optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and mass spectrometry (MS). The correlation between the spectrum signal of the active species and the mass spectrum signal of the gas phase products was quantitatively analyzed. The experimental results showed that the intermediate active species mainly consisted of OH, C2, CH2, CH, C, and H, and the gas phase products mainly included H2, CH4, C2H2, CO, C2H4, and CO2. There were significantly positive linear relationships between H or CH2 and H2, demonstrating that both H and CH2 were important radicals for generating H2. Based on the experimental results and analyzed from the perspective of thermodynamics, the reactions of H + H (+M) → H2 (+M) and H + H + H2→H2 + H2, H + H + H2O → H2 + H2O, CH2 + CH2→ H2 + C2H2 were all likely to produce hydrogen.}, journal={RENEWABLE ENERGY}, author={Zhao, Xiaotong and Sun, Bing and Zhu, Tonghui and Zhu, Xiaomei and Yan, Zhiyu and Xin, Yanbin and Sun, Xiaohang}, year={2020}, month={Aug}, pages={768–776} } @article{sun_sun_xin_sun_lu_2020, title={Plasma-catalyzed Liquefaction of Wood-based Biomass}, volume={15}, ISSN={["1930-2126"]}, DOI={10.15376/biores.15.3.6095-6109}, abstractNote={Biomass resources in nature produce a large amount of waste resources (agricultural residues, wood waste, etc.) during agricultural and forestry production processes. Therefore, the effective utilization of these solid biomass waste resources has attracted widespread interest. In this paper, a pulsed discharge plasma technology was used to perform catalytic liquefaction experiments on solid biomass sawdust at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, and the reaction parameters such as the solid:liquid ratio, liquefaction solvent ratio, and catalyst ratio were optimized. The results showed that the plasma technology achieved a higher liquefaction yield; the optimized reaction parameters were: a solid:liquid ratio of 1:23.4, a liquefaction solvent polyethylene glycol (PEG) / glycerol (GL) ratio of 25:15 (V:V), and an acid volume fraction of 0.188%. In addition, the characteristics of the products of the liquefaction reaction were analyzed and discussed. The liquid products were mainly composed of small molecules. The experiment established that the liquefaction of solid sawdust by high-voltage pulsed discharge plasma can be an effective technical method.}, number={3}, journal={BIORESOURCES}, author={Sun, Xiaohang and Sun, Zijun and Xin, Yanbin and Sun, Bing and Lu, Xiaomin}, year={2020}, month={Aug}, pages={6095–6109} } @article{sun_bourham_barrett_pal_mccord_2020, title={Sustainable atmospheric-pressure plasma treatment of cellulose triacetate (CTA) films for electronics}, volume={128}, ISSN={["1089-7550"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0013633}, DOI={10.1063/5.0013633}, abstractNote={Surface treatments of cellulose triacetate (CTA) films via atmospheric pressure plasmas containing helium and either O2 or C3F6 as plasma reactive gas were performed to study their effects on moisture barrier, transmittance, thermal, surface chemistry, and morphological properties. Plasma treated CTA films were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy analytical techniques. Both surface chemical and morphological changes were correlated with water vapor transmission rates (WVTRs) and contact angle measurements. XPS spectra showed that the relative chemical composition of the C 1s spectra after O2 plasma treatments exhibits an increase in the relative amount of C—C bonds, which may be due to a change in surface cross-linking. ToF-SIMS spectra showed the depth of treatment of atmospheric plasma treatment of CTA films at about 100 nm. The WVTR of the CTA film was reduced up to 20% after sustainable atmospheric O2/helium plasma, while no significant changes were observed in light transmittance. Thus, the use of sustainable atmospheric plasmas to enhance moisture barrier while maintaining other critical properties such as light transmittance, thermal stability, and morphology of a CTA film could provide significant benefits to the electronics industry.}, number={7}, journal={JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS}, author={Sun, Xiaohang and Bourham, Mohamed and Barrett, Devin G. and Pal, Lokendra and McCord, Marian}, year={2020}, month={Aug} } @article{sun_zhang_lee_michielsen_2019, title={Equilibrium clamshell drops on conical surfaces: effect of curvature and gravity}, volume={572}, ISSN={["1873-4359"]}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2019.03.074}, DOI={10.1016/j.colsurfa.2019.03.074}, abstractNote={Although extensive research has been performed on barrel shaped drops on fibers and cones, little research has been reported for clamshell shaped drops on curved surfaces with a gradient in the curvature. In this article, equilibrium clamshell shaped drops have been simulated on conical fiber sections via finite-element simulation. The equilibrium drop shape, Gibbs free energy, and curvature-induced force along the cone of the equilibrium clamshell drops were obtained using a series of Surface Evolver (SE) simulations including the unique wetting behavior caused by the significant circumferential spreading near the apex of the cone. This series also incorporated the effect of drop volume, cone half-angle and contact angle. Furthermore, the effect of gravity was simulated based on the difference between sessile and pendant drops on the conical surface.}, journal={COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Sun, Xiaohang and Zhang, Wenwen and Lee, Hoon Joo and Michielsen, Stephen}, year={2019}, month={Jul}, pages={203–210} } @article{zhang_sun_hubbe_pal_2019, title={Flexible and Pressure-Responsive Sensors from Cellulose Fibers Coated with Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes}, volume={1}, ISSN={2637-6113 2637-6113}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsaelm.9b00182}, DOI={10.1021/acsaelm.9b00182}, abstractNote={Composite cellulose-based materials have shown increasing potential in wearable and flexible hybrid electronics for large-scale deployment because of their flexible, cost-effective, abundant, and biodegradable features. A flexible cotton cellulose-incorporated multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) based pressure sensor was fabricated. First, the cotton cellulose fibers were swelled in water solution containing sodium hydroxide and urea. Second, the MWCNTs were dispersed uniformly in the cellulosic matrix. Then, cellulosic pressure sensors were formed with a water bath process. The porous and interlaced conductive networks in the pressure sensors containing 10 wt % of MWCNTs exhibited a sensitivity about of −0.0197 kPa–1, a response time of about 20 ms, a recovery time of about 20 ms, and a wide workable pressure range from 0 to 20 kPa. Further, the practical piezoresistivity of sensor specimens was investigated. The proposed pressure sensors are prospective for various applications including smart clothing,...}, number={7}, journal={ACS Applied Electronic Materials}, publisher={American Chemical Society (ACS)}, author={Zhang, Hao and Sun, Xiaohang and Hubbe, Martin and Pal, Lokendra}, year={2019}, month={Jun}, pages={1179–1188} } @article{zhang_sun_hubbe_pal_2019, title={Highly conductive carbon nanotubes and flexible cellulose nanofibers composite membranes with semi-interpenetrating networks structure}, volume={222}, ISSN={0144-8617}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115013}, DOI={10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115013}, abstractNote={Highly conductive multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and flexible cellulose nanofibers (CNF) membranes with semi-interpenetrating networks structure were fabricated using the typical paper-making method, which was simple and cost-effective. The Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to estimate the morphology, chemical structure, and thermal stability of the membranes. The mechanical, optical, and electrical properties of the membranes were characterized with a uniaxial tensile testing machine, ultraviolet visible spectroscope, and digital multimeter, respectively. The results indicated that the membranes containing 10 wt% of MWCNTs showed a high conductivity value of 37.6 S/m, and the sheet resistances of the membranes were stable at different bending states. Furthermore, we demonstrated the electrical features of membrane-based capacitive pressure sensors based on CNF/MWCNTs. The proposed method for fabricating CNF/MWCNTs membranes can simplify the production process and have great practical potential in various electronics applications such as touch screens.}, journal={Carbohydrate Polymers}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Zhang, Hao and Sun, Xiaohang and Hubbe, Martin A. and Pal, Lokendra}, year={2019}, month={Oct}, pages={115013} } @article{sun_tyagi_agate_lucia_mccord_pal_2019, title={Unique thermo-responsivity and tunable optical performance of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-cellulose nanocrystal hydrogel films}, volume={208}, ISSN={0144-8617}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.12.067}, DOI={10.1016/j.carbpol.2018.12.067}, abstractNote={A hybrid materials system to modulate lower critical solution temperature (LCST) and moisture content for thermo-responsivity and optical tunability was strategically developed by incorporating cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) into a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) hydrogel matrix. The PNIPAm/CNC hydrogel films exhibit tunable optical properties and wavelength bandpass selectivity as characterized by PROBE Spectroscopy and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). Importantly, the micro/nano structures of the PNIPAm/CNC hydrogel films were completely different when dried below and above the LCST. Below the LCST, PNIPAm/CNC hydrogel films exhibit transparency or semi-transparency due to the uniform bonding of hydrophilic PNIPAm and CNC through hydrogen bonds. Above the LCST, the hydrogel films engage in both hydrophobic PNIPAm and hydrophilic CNC interactions due to changes in PNIPAm conformation which lead to light scattering effects and hence opacity. Furthermore, the incorporation of CNC induces a ∼ 15 °C reduction of the LCST relative to pure PNIPAm hydrogel films.}, journal={Carbohydrate Polymers}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Sun, Xiaohang and Tyagi, Preeti and Agate, Sachin and Lucia, Lucian and McCord, Marian and Pal, Lokendra}, year={2019}, month={Mar}, pages={495–503} } @article{xin_sun_zhu_yan_zhao_sun_2018, title={Carbon nanoparticles production by pulsed discharge in liquid alcohols}, volume={151}, ISSN={["0042-207X"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.vacuum.2018.02.006}, abstractNote={Carbon nanoparticles produced from alcohols by pulsed spark discharge in liquid (PSDL) was investigated in this work. The spherical carbon particles with about 10 nm diameter can be produced by PSDL, which were similar to the commercial carbon particles. With the increase of discharge power, the mean diameter of carbon particles was decreased and the size distribution was more uniform. Meanwhile, the yield of carbon produced from ethanol was more than from methanol that may be attributed to the more carbon atoms in ethanol compared with the same volume of methanol. In addition, the mechanism of carbon produced from alcohols by PSDL was also analyzed. The possible reactions were given according to the production analysis. This work presents a new method for carbon nanoparticles production and the results can play a guidance role in producing nanometer materials by plasma reforming.}, journal={VACUUM}, author={Xin, Yanbin and Sun, Bing and Zhu, Xiaomei and Yan, Zhiyu and Zhao, Xiaotong and Sun, Xiaohang}, year={2018}, month={May}, pages={90–95} } @article{xin_sun_zhu_yan_zhao_sun_2018, title={Hydrogen production from ethanol solution by pulsed discharge with TiO2 catalysts}, volume={43}, ISSN={["1879-3487"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.ijhydene.2018.04.062}, abstractNote={Hydrogen production from ethanol solution (initial ethanol concentration of 50%) by pulsed discharge coupled with TiO2 is investigated in this work. Strong ultraviolet light is emitted by pulsed discharge in liquid, which makes photocatalysis have a great prospect in plasma reforming. Two kinds of TiO2 are attempted, containing non-metal ion doping and Ag deposition. The results show that the flow rate of hydrogen produced by pulsed discharge with TiO2 coated non-metal can be achieved 1.55 L/min, which is higher than with TiO2 coated Ag, but both two are higher than discharge without TiO2. From SEM analysis, it may be associated with the larger specific surface area of TiO2 coated non-metal. However, percentage concentration of hydrogen produced with TiO2 coated Ag is higher than others, which can be attained 78%. It may be due to the high work function of Ag. In addition, mechanism of hydrogen produced by pulsed discharge coupled with TiO2 is also analyzed. It demonstrates that the increase of ·H is the main reason for increased hydrogen yield.}, number={20}, journal={INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY}, author={Xin, Yanbin and Sun, Bing and Zhu, Xiaomei and Yan, Zhiyu and Zhao, Xiaotong and Sun, Xiaohang}, year={2018}, month={May}, pages={9503–9513} } @article{sun_denhartog_zhang_mccord_2018, title={Study of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) grafted cotton fabrics initiated by atmospheric pressure plasma}, volume={453}, ISSN={["1873-5584"]}, url={https://publons.com/publon/26924640/}, DOI={10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.05.056}, abstractNote={There is a significant interest in developing environmentally responsive or stimuli-responsive smart materials. In this paper, the thermo-responsiveness of cotton fabrics treated by helium atmospheric pressure plasma was investigated. Thermo-responsive cotton fabrics were prepared by grafting poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAM) on their surfaces using atmospheric plasma. The thermoregulation properties under different environmental temperatures have been evaluated via thermal imaging analysis, comfort test and SEM. The grafting of PNIPAM on cotton fabrics was verified via ATR-FTIR, XPS, and ToF-SIMS. The analysis results indicate that cotton fabrics with PNIPAM treatments possess thermo-responsiveness when wetted. It was found that fabrics with plasma-initiated PNIPAM treatments have higher heat transfer coefficient above 32 °C and lower heat transfer coefficient below 32 °C than untreated fabrics. The heat transfer coefficient of a PNIPAM grafted cotton has a 10% difference from that of an untreated cotton at temperatures above and below LCST.}, journal={APPLIED SURFACE SCIENCE}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Sun, Xiaohang and DenHartog, Emiel and Zhang, Xiangwu and McCord, Marian}, year={2018}, month={Sep}, pages={182–191} } @article{xin_sun_zhu_yan_zhao_sun_2017, title={Hydrogen production from ethanol decomposition by pulsed discharge with needle-net configurations}, volume={206}, ISSN={["1872-9118"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.08.055}, abstractNote={Hydrogen produced from ethanol solution by pulsed discharge was investigated in this work. With needle-net configurations, hydrogen can be easily exported from the plasma reactor thereby preventing hydrogen from consuming by the oxidizing active substances generated from pulsed discharge. Both flow rate and percentage concentration of hydrogen were enhanced with the increase of energy density, but not much change with the increase of discharge time. Flow rate, percentage concentration, and energy consumption of hydrogen were achieved about 800 mL/min, 73.5%, and 0.9 kWh/m3 H2 respectively with energy density of 6.4 J/L. All products were analyzed, which were divided into main and secondary products guiding the mechanism analysis of hydrogen production. The main products contain H2, CO, CH3OH, and the secondary products include C2H2, CO2, macromolecular compounds, nano carbon particles. The high hydrogen yield, emerged nano carbon, low ethanol and energy consumption make this method possess bright prospect in hydrogen production.}, journal={APPLIED ENERGY}, author={Xin, Yanbin and Sun, Bing and Zhu, Xiaomei and Yan, Zhiyu and Zhao, Xiaotong and Sun, Xiaohang}, year={2017}, month={Nov}, pages={126–133} } @article{xin_sun_zhu_yan_zhao_sun_2017, title={Resourceful treatment of alcohol distillery wastewater by pulsed discharge}, volume={244}, ISSN={["1873-2976"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.biortech.2017.07.044}, abstractNote={Resourceful treatment of alcohol distillery wastewater by pulsed discharge in liquid (PDL) was first studied in this work. The biodegradability of alcohol wastewater can be effectively improved and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal attained over 40% within 15 min PDL treatment. Hydrogen produced from the treating processes was emphatically analyzed. The flow rate, and yield of hydrogen achieved were 80 mL/min, 146 mL/g COD removed within 30 min respectively, which were much better than existing technologies. Meanwhile, the mechanism of hydrogen production from alcohol distillery wastewater by PDL was presented in this work indicating that different region in reactor has different mechanism. In discharge channel, high-energy electrons and resultant free radicals played a leading role. Far away from discharge channel, the neutral particles with strong oxidizing were more important. This work can be a good guidance for both treatment of refractory wastewater and mechanism of hydrogen production by plasma reforming.}, journal={BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY}, author={Xin, Yanbin and Sun, Bing and Zhu, Xiaomei and Yan, Zhiyu and Zhao, Xiaotong and Sun, Xiaohang}, year={2017}, month={Nov}, pages={175–181} }