VoL.343 No.2 2020 IPE UPDATESThe discovery of artemisinin won Chinese scientist Tu Youyou a Nobel...

IPE UPDATESVoL.343 No.2 2020

Science Communication Column

Contents

Highlights

03 New Technology Enables Large-03 scale Production of Artemisinin 03 for Malaria

06 China Eyes Producing Anti-05 malaria Drug in Africa

07 Chinese Scientists Develop 06 Eco-friendly Catalyst to Purify 06 Water

08 Scientists Develop Metal-free 07 Photocatalyst Photocatalyst to 07 Purify Pathogen-rich Water in 07 Minutes

P03

过程工程所 2019 年国际科学

传播工作获中科院点赞

2019 年度中科院国际科学传播数据统计及传播成效已在全院通报（科发际函字〔2019〕48号），共 128家单位参与统计。在本次通报的“国际科学传播总体排名前 20”、“新闻宣传（外文）排名前 20”、“全院英文网站群最佳的 20 个单位”等指标中，过程工程所均位列其中。此外，因整体国际科学传播工作取得较大进步，过程工程所与其他 5家单位被着重表扬。

Editor-in-chief

CAO Hongmei

Vice Editors-in-chief

ZHANG Suojiang, ZHU Qingshan,

YANG Chao, GUAN Bing, XIAO Xin, WAN Yinhua,

TAN Qiangqiang, LI Ying, GAO Lian

Editors

LI Xiangyu, XU Yang

Institute of Process Engineering,

Chinese Academy of Sciences

http://english.ipe.cas.cn

Email: [email protected]

1 North 2nd Street, Zhongguancun, Haidian District,

Beijing 100190, China

INTERNAL PUBLICATION

Research Progress 11 Scientists Synthesize New Nanowires to 08 Improve High-Speed Communication

14 Scientists Develop Stereodefined N and 10 S Atom-Codoped Graphdiyne for Oxygen 10 Evolution 16 Proof of Sandwiched Graphene-membrane 12 Superstructure Opens up a Membrane-12 specific Drug Delivery Mode

18 Scientists Propose New Mechanism for 14 Peptide Supramolecular Self-assembly and 14 Crystals 20 Researchers Develop Amorphous Nanoparticle 16 Formulation for Highly Efficient Enzyme 16 Delivery and Catalysis

22 Silicon Nanowires as Lithium Ion Battery Anode 18 Materials Achieve Kilogram Mass Production

24 New System Improves Coking Wastewater 20 Treatment Efficiency

Perspective 27 Bridging Paradigm Shift in Science with 22 Tackling Global Challenges

29 Ionic Liquids Research in China Brings us a 24 Greener World 31 Chinese EV Battery Makers Eye More 25 Recycling

Feature 33 IPE, A Turning Point in My Life

36 An Interview with Rai TG3 (An Italian TV 29 Station) about Belt and Road Initiative

P P11 1807 P

Highlights

03

HighlightsScience Communication Column

New Technology Enables Large-scale Production of Artemisinin for Malaria

Source: Xinhua | Cited by Iran Daily, News Pakistan, News Ghana, PUNCH, China Daily, today.ng, Pharma News, Ecns.cn, China.org, Desert Herald, The Herald, China Plus, Premium Times, ARIYA, CAS, etc.

Chinese researchers have developed a new

technology to produce artemisinin, a

top malaria treatment, on a large scale.

Sweet wormwood was used in ancient Chinese therapy

to treat various illnesses, including fevers typical of

malaria. Nearly five decades ago, Chinese scientists

identified its active ingredient, artemisinin.

In 2005, the World Health Organization recom-

mended artemisinin-based Combination Therapies

(ACTs) as the most effective malaria treatment avail-

able. Global demand for artemisinin increased, but the

quality and supply have not been stable.

According to researchers from the Institute of

Process Engineering (IPE), Chinese Academy of

Sciences, due to its complex structure, artemisinin is

currently difficult and not economically feasible to

chemically synthesize.

The traditional industrial method to produce arte-

04

IPE UPDATES

misinin is to treat sweet wormwood leaves with organ-

ic solvents like petroleum ether.

The extraction process is long, energy consumption

is high and productivity is low.

In the study, the IPE researchers proposed en-

hancing contact between the solvent and the leaves

by reflux to speed up the artemisinin extraction. The

extraction time was reduced from seven hours to four

and a half.

After treating sweet wormwood leaves with sol-

vents, they optimized the evaporation process with

a thin film evaporator, an apparatus that provides

a continuous evaporation process, especially for

heat-sensitive products, to retrieve the solvents.

Compared to the traditional process, the time it

takes to produce the artemisinin concentrate is re-

duced by 87.5 percent.

Meanwhile, the purity of the final product is in-

creased to more than 99 percent, and energy consump-

tion is also reduced.

The new technology puts the recovery of the sol-

vents at 99.9 percent, while energy consumption per

05


ton of artemisinin drops by 43 percent and the product

purity rises to higher than 99 percent, said Wang Hui

from the IPE.

“This technology solves the main shortcomings

in the traditional artemisinin production process and

could also provide ideas for other natural products

production,” said Zhang Suojiang, IPE director.

The new technology has been deployed at a plant of

Tianyuan Biotechnology in Yuzhou in Henan province.

Jiang Hongge, manager of the company, said that

the production line using the new technology had

been in stable operation for a year at the plant with an

annual production of 60 tons of artemisinin.

Sixty tons of artemisinin corresponds to about 150

million treatment courses of ACT.

The WHO says an estimated 409 million treatment

courses of ACT were procured by countries in 2016.

Artemisinin produced at the plant has been sold to

India, Sudan and other developing countries. The com-

pany also plans to build artemisinin production lines in

Ghana.

06

IPE UPDATES

China has built the world’s first large-

scale production line for the anti-malaria

drug artemisinin, and will introduce the

production line to malaria-stricken African countries.

The production line adopted a new technology

jointly developed by scientists from the Institute of

Process Engineering of Chinese Academy of Sciences

and Henan-based Yuzhou Tianyuan Biotechnology

Company, has been successfully operated for a year

in a plant of the company in Central China’s Henan

Province with an annual capacity of 60 tons.

Wang Hui, one of the key researchers of the tech-

nology from the institute, told the Global Times on

Thursday that the new technology increased the annu-

al capacity by up to four times comparing with tradi-

tional way of producing artemisinin.

Meanwhile, the new technology, based on recrys-

tallization to extract pure artemisinin from herbs, in-

creases the efficiency and purity and decreases energy

consumption during production, while the traditional

means are considered to be heavily polluting, accord-

ing to the institute.

Down-stream products based on artemisinin have

been sold to countries including India and Sudan,

and the Tianyuan company has reached cooperation

Source: Global Times | Cited by en.people, Supply Management, CAS, etc.

intention to help build a complete production line for

artemisinin in Ghana, and guarantee the supply of raw

materials of artemisinin, said Zhang Mei, one of the

shareholders from the company, according to a press

release the institute sent to the Global Times on Thurs-

day.

Artemisinin, a high-efficient, safe and low toxic

anti-malaria drug, has become the first choice for the

international community in the treatment of malaria.

The discovery of artemisinin won Chinese scientist Tu

Youyou a Nobel Prize in 2015.

According to the latest World Malaria Report

released by World Health Organization on November

19, 2018, an estimated 219 million cases of malar-

ia occurred worldwide in 2017, and 15 countries in

sub-Saharan Africa and India carried almost 80 per-

cent of the global malaria burden.

The institute plans to introduce the technology to

more African countries to accelerate elimination of

malaria in the world and greatly reduce deaths resulted

from it, said Zhang Suojiang, director of the institute

who led the research.

Zhang told the Global Times that the plan is also

in line with the Belt and Road Initiative.

China Eyes Producing Anti-malaria Drug in Africa


07

Chinese Scientists Develop Eco-friendly Catalyst to Purify Water

Source: Xinhua | Cited by China.org, Global Times, CGTN, Khmer Times, Dunya News Pakistan, SHINE, New York Post, BGR News, Tech Sabado, PRC State Council, London Post, China Plus, CAS, etc.

Chinese scientists have developed a metal-free

catalyst that can purify pathogen-rich water

in half an hour.

The study published in the latest version of journal

Chem described the method that could produce drinking

water in 30 minutes with a disinfection efficiency over

99.9999 percent under visible light.

To disinfect water with sunlight and with metal is

cost-effective but leads to second pollution. The metal-free

catalysts, however, tend to have lower efficiency, according

to the study.

Researchers from Yangzhou University and the Institute

of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of

Sciences developed a material based on graphitic carbon

nitride.

They used wet-chemical method to introduce

certain chemical groups at the edges of graphitic

carbon nitride, significantly improving its ability to

disinfect.

“Its first-order disinfection rate was five

times higher than that of previously reported best

metal-free photocatalysts with only one tenth cata-

lyst consumption,” said the paper’s co-author Wang

Chengyin from Yangzhou University.

This catalyst can be fixed on substrates, re-

ducing the potential toxicity caused by dispersed

nano-materials in drinkable water, according to the

study.

08

IPE UPDATES

Scientists across the world have been rack-

ing their brains to solve the global problem

of clean water scarcity. Chinese scientists

have recently found a new way to purify pathogen-rich

water with high efficiency and without using metal.

With a metal-free photocatalyst jointly developed

by researchers from Yangzhou University (YZU) and

the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chi-

Scientists Develop Metal-free Photocatalyst to Purify Pathogen-rich Water in Minutes

Cited by BBC News, Phys.org, Nanowerk, Scientific American, Water Online, Smart Water Magazine, Knowridge, Parallelstate, New Food Magazine, Scifi Technique, 7th space, e Science News, EurekAlert!, PBS, ScienceNews, Naked Science, Asian Scientist, Science Alert, ScienceDaily, Revolution.green, one new page, Terra Daily, TuniseSoir News, ClimateChange.ie, Technology Networks, howstuffworks, AZO Cleantech, industry tap, CAS, etc.

nese Academy of Sciences, and University of Technol-

ogy Sydney (UTS), this method can provide standard

drinking water in 30 minutes with disinfection efficien-

cy over 99.9999% under visible light irradiation.

This discovery was published in Chem on February 7.

Photocatalytic disinfection is a promising approach

due to its low cost and direct utilization of sunlight. How-

ever, current popular metal-based nanomaterial cata-

lysts may lead to secondary pollution due to the inev-

itable release of metal ions. Metal-free photocatalysts

developed later, however, have much lower efficiency.

“We investigated a facile wet-chemical method to

site-selectively introduce the certain groups at the edges of

graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets,” said WANG

Dan, a principal investigator at IPE.

These introduced groups not only induced an up-

ward bending of their energy band, improving oxygen

molecule adsorption, but also promoted the separation

of photo-generated electron-hole pairs, according to

WANG Dan.

“Its first-order disinfection rate was five times

higher than that of previously reported best metal-free

photocatalysts with only 1/10 catalyst consumption,”

said WANG Chengyin from YZU. The catalytic activity

The electron withdrawing groups were selectively introduced onto the edge of g-C3N4 nanosheets for photo disinfection. (Image by TENG Zhenyuan and YANG Nailiang)

09


“This work presents a facile preparation strate-

gy for highly efficient metal-free photo-disinfection

catalysts,” said WANG Dan. “It also provides a new

strategy for controlling the surface charge densities of

carbon materials.”

More unique properties and promising applica-

tions in catalysis, electronics, and targeted therapy are

expected, based on the selective functionalization of

two-dimensional carbon nanomaterials, said WANG

Guoxiu from UTS.

ReferenceDOI: 10.1016/j.chempr.2018.12.009

was also comparable to the best metal-based photocat-

alyst.

Moreover, this photocatalyst can be fixed on

substrates, thus significantly reducing the potential ec-

otoxicity caused by dispersed nanomaterials in drink-

able water.

A facile protocol for incorporating this metal-free

photocatalyst into portable devices for highly efficient

water disinfection is now available, according to re-

searchers.

IPE UPDATES

10

Research Progress

11

Scientists Synthesize New Nanowires to Improve High-Speed Communication

Cited by EurekAlert!, Nanowerk, Phys.org, e Science News, Science Codex, Power Systems Design, Bioengineer.org, AZO Nano, ECN, 5G Technology World, Global Cyber Security Report, Smart2.0, MWee, Science Points, CAS, etc.

Chinese scientists have synthesized new

nanowires with high carrier mobility and

fast infrared light (IR) response, which

could help in high-speed communication. Their find-

ings were published in Nature Communications on

April 10th.

Nowadays, effective optical communications use

1550 nm IR, which is received and converted into

an electrical signal for computer processing. Fast

light-to-electrical conversion is thus essential for high-

speed communications.

According to quantum theory, 1550 nm IR has

energy of ~ 0.8 eV, and can only be detected by semi-

conductors with bandgaps lower than 0.8 eV, such as

germanium (0.66 eV) and III-V compound materials

such as InxGa1-xAs (0.35-1.42 eV) and InxGa1-xSb

IPE UPDATES

12

(0.17-0.73 eV). However, those materials usually have huge crys-

tal defects, which cause substantial degradation of photoresponse

performance.

Scientists from the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of

the Chinese Academy of Sciences, City University of Hong Kong

(CityU) and their collaborators synthesized highly crystalline

ternary In0.28Ga0.72Sb nanowires to demonstrate high carrier

mobility and fast IR response.

In this study, the In0.28Ga0.72Sb nanowires (bandgap 0.69

eV) showed a high responsivity of 6000 A/W to IR with high

response and decay times of 38ms and 53ms, respectively, which

are some of the best times so far. The fast IR response speed can

be attributed to the minimized crystal defects, as also illustrated

by a high hole mobility of up to 200 cm2/Vs, according to Prof.

Johnny C. Ho from CityU.

The minimized crystal defect is achieved by a “catalyst ep-

itaxy technology” first established by Ho’s group. Briefly, the

III-V compound nanowires are catalytically grown by a metal

catalyst such as gold, nickel, etc.

“These catalyst nanoparticles play a key role in nanowire

growth as the nanowires are synthesized layer by layer with the

atoms well aligned with those in the catalyst,” said HAN Ning, a

professor at IPE and senior author of the paper.

Research ProgressScience Communication Column

13

ReferenceDOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09606-y

The growth mechanism and fast 1550 nm IR detection of the single-crystalline In0.28Ga0.72Sb ternary nanowires (Image by HAN Ning)

IPE UPDATES

14

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is

of great significance in energy-related

techniques, such as metal-air batteries

and water splitting. Chinese scientists have doped

site-defined sp-N and S atoms into graphdiyne, which

enables highly active catalysis of OER. Their findings

Scientists Develop Stereodefined N and S Atom-Codoped Graphdiyne for Oxygen Evolution

Cited by EurekAlert!, Weekly Science & Technology Report, innovations-report, Bioengineer.org, Parallelstate, Phys.org, CAS, etc.

were published in J. Am. Chem. Soc.

Traditional OER catalysts, e.g. RuO2 and IrO2,

are limited by high cost and declining stability. He-

teroatom-doped carbon materials, especially dual

doping, have displayed intriguing potential for highly

efficient electrocatalysis owing to the synergistic

Stereodefined sp-N and S atoms for efficient oxygen evolution (Image by ZHAO Yasong)


15

OER performance of catalysts and commercial RuO2 (Image by ZHAO Yasong)

SEM, AFM and TEM characterizations of catalysts (Image by ZHAO Yasong)

ReferenceDOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b13695

effect. However, the doping sites for different atoms

are highly uncontrollable, which makes the struc-

ture-property study difficult.

The synergistic effect can only take place

within a certain distance between the dual atoms,

and 0.75 nm is the upper limit for N and S atoms to

obtain a strong synergistic effect.

Scientists from the Institute of Process Engi-

neering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

successfully prepared “stereodefined” N and S at-

oms codoped graphdiyne, and the relative positions

of the N and S atoms were well controlled.

“N-, S-codoped graphdiyne presented higher

catalytic activity than those catalysts with individ-

ual-element doping (N or S atom) and commercial

RuO2 in catalyzing the OER, possessing lower

overpotential (299 mV) and higher current density

(47.2 mA/cm2, 1.6 V),” said WANG Dan, who led

this research.

This study opens an avenue for understanding

the synergistic effects in heteroelement-doped met-

al-free catalysts, and for further guiding the rational

design and preparation of highly efficient catalysts

for energy conversion and storage.

IPE UPDATES

16

Proof of Sandwiched Graphene-membrane Superstructure Opens up a Membrane-specific Drug Delivery Mode

Cited by Fooshya, Phys.org, Long Room, ATNEWS, Gedco, INTERNET OF THINGS NEWS, Reddit, Infoscum, Ghayt, General Physics Laboratory, Parallelstate, Science and Technology News, BNN, satoshinakamotoblog, Science Codex, Tech News, EurekAlert!, Bioengineer.org, CAS, etc.

Researchers from the Institute of Process

Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Acad-

emy of Sciences and Tsinghua Univer-

sity (THU) proved a sandwiched superstructure for

graphene oxide (GO) that transport inside cell mem-

branes for the first time.

The discovery, published in Science Advances ,

opens up a membrane-specific drug delivery mode,

which could significantly improve cytotoxicity effects

over traditional drug carriers.

(Left): Graphic illustration; (middle) cryo-TEM experimental evidence; and (right) superior drug delivery efficacy (GO-VTB) of the sandwiched graphene-membrane superstructure. (Images by YUE Hua and CHEN Pengyu)


17

is also extremely beneficial when delivering vaccine

adjuvants (e.g., membrane receptor ligands) for en-

hanced immune effect, according to WEI.

All the cell interactions, diffusion dynamics and

the enhanced efficiency of membrane-specific drug

delivery of sandwiched GO were simulated by Prof.

YAN Litang from THU.

“It is a very nice study of graphene-membrane su-

perstructures. It discloses different transport regimes,

the presence of pores and a number of other potential-

ly interesting features related to these systems,” said

peer reviewers from Science Advances. “Moreover,

they demonstrate the applicability of GOs for drug

delivery. Overall, the paper is very timely and tells a

good story.”

The GO-based sandwiched superstructure offers

immense design capabilities that may enable a con-

siderable number of applications for these emerging

nanomaterials in the cutting-edge fields of biological

and medical science.

The transport of nanoparticles at bio-nano inter-

faces is essential for cellular responses and biomedical

applications. How two-dimensional nanomaterials in-

teract or diffuse inside the cell membrane is unknown,

thus hindering their applications in the biomedical

area.

“The sandwiched graphene membrane is a long-sim-

ulated superstructure but an unproved issue in vitro. We

are excited to provide substantial experimental evidence

and open an avenue for novel membrane-specific drug

delivery,” said WEI Wei, a professor from the State Key

Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering of IPE.

The formation process of sandwiched GO was

visualized in a fully hydrated/native state, and the sig-

nificant influence on cell roughness, cell fluidity and

membrane rigidity was also revealed.

Furthermore, the sandwiched GO induced great-

er drug entry and quicker diffusion time inside the

membrane lipid layer, thus outperforming a typical

liposome carrier in anti-cancer efficacy. This feature

ReferenceDOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw3192

IPE UPDATES

18

A research group led by Prof. YAN Xuehai

from the Institute of Process Engi-

neering (IPE) of Chinese Academy of

Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with researchers from

University of Tel Aviv and the Institute of Chemistry of

CAS, proposed the hierarchically oriented organization

mechanism of supramolecular peptide crystals.

This new mechanism, which is distinct from the

traditional crystallization growth mechanism based

Scientists Propose New Mechanism for Peptide Supramolecular Self-assembly and Crystals

Cited by CAS

on the Ostwald ripening process, provides theoretical

guidance for the design and development of novel

supramolecular functional materials. The study was

published in Nature Reviews Chemistry.

Hierarchical self-assembly and crystallization with

long-range ordered spatial arrangement is ubiquitous

in nature, and plays an essential role in the regulation

of structures and biological functions such as protein

transport, signal transduction and cell division.


19

Research on the fundamental mechanisms underly-

ing the hierarchical self-assembly and crystallization is

crucial for understanding the materials’ structure and

function, and further gaining insights into the devel-

opment of novel complex biomaterials. However, it

is still a critical challenge to modulate the thermo-

dynamics and kinetics of self-assembly process to

achieve the controlled nucleation-elongation of simple

biomolecules self-assembly, aiming for the construc-

tion of hierarchical architectures and crystals.

Researchers from IPE have been working on

the self-assembly of biomolecules (especially short

peptides) and their physicochemical mechanisms for

many years, and made a series of progress in the mo-

lecular mechanism of short peptide self-assembly.

In their previous works, they have fabricated a

variety of functional supramolecular materials by

controlling molecular structures of peptides or com-

bining with pigments, and developed their biomedical

applications. (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 1921-1927;

J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 10794-10802; Angew.

Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 17084-17088; Angew. Chem.

Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 2000-2004).

Moreover, they pay more attention to the initial

stage prior to nucleation of short peptide self-assembly.

It is discovered that trace water molecules serve as key

pioneers to induce the formation of stable noncovalent

peptide clusters. Such molecular clusters further trigger

the nucleation and subsequent growth (ACS Nano 2016,

10, 2138-2143; Small 2017, 13, 1702175; Angew. Chem.

Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 5872-5876).

In this study, they and their collaborators discovered

the general rule governing supramolecular peptide crys-

tal formation through the statistical analysis of the mul-

tiscale hierarchical structures frequently found in the

peptide self-assembly process, and proposed the theo-

retical model of “hierarchically oriented organization”

for formation of supramolecular peptide crystals.

This principle is also applicable to other small or-

ganic molecules, and is expected to be widely used in

the self-assembling crystals and accurate construction

of molecular materials.

Schematic illustration of the classical and hierarchically oriented organization mechanism (Image by YAN Xuehai )

ReferenceDOI: 10.1038/s41570-019-0129-8

IPE UPDATES

20

Researchers Develop Amorphous Nanoparticle Formulation for Highly Efficient Enzyme Delivery and Catalysis

Cited by CAS

Recently, researchers from the

Institute of Process Engineering

(IPE) of the Chinese Academy

of Sciences, Tsinghua University (THU),

and Tianjin University developed a new plat-

form based on the amorphous metal-organic

framework (aMOF), which enables efficient

intracellular delivery of enzymes and in-situ

detection of cellular metabolites in single

cells. This work was published in Nature

Communications .

“Limited by the cell membrane barrier

and the degradation condition in the cell, it is

difficult for the exogenous enzyme to exert

an efficient biocatalysis. To solve this prob-

lem, we designed an amorphous nanoparticle

platform for the enzyme loading and further

activity.” Said GE Jun, an associated professor

from THU.

Exploiting an amorphous nanoparticle for in-situ detection of cellular metabolites. (Image by YUE Hua, WU Xiaoling, and ZHANG Yuanyu)


21

“The nanosized aMOF could overcome the mem-

brane barrier and carry the enzyme into the cell, and

the natural enzyme was avoided to be degraded after

protection by the nanoparticle,” said Prof. WEI Wei

from IPE. “Moreover, the structure of the amorphous

MOF skeleton was mesoporous, which was larger than

that for the crystal MOF and greatly facilitated the

substrate transportation; all these advantageous merits

improved the activity of encapsulated enzyme.”

The aMOF with specific enzymes can be utilized

for in situ detection of intracellular metabolites (e.g.

ReferenceDOI:10.1038/s41467-019-13153-x

glucose). The product catalyzed by the delivered

enzyme could react with a fluorescent probe and

achieved on-live and non-damage detection at a single

cell level.

The aMOF could not only fulfill the absolute quan-

tification of glucose but also discriminate different

cell types, distinguishing normal and cancer cells.

This work sheds light on the application in mon-

itoring chronic diseases and diagnosing early cancer

via detecting cellular metabolic processes in a mild

and efficient way.

IPE UPDATES

22

Cited by CAS

Researchers from the Institute of Process

Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Acad-

emy of Sciences made important prog-

ress in the preparation of silicon nanowires (Si NWs)

Silicon Nanowires as Lithium Ion Battery Anode Materials Achieve Kilogram Mass Production

as anode materials by thermal plasma. The thermal

plasma equipment can achieve mass production of

kilogram Si NWs per hour, nearly matching industri-

al scales. And after combined with carbon, it could

Synthesis and Characterization of the Si-C WBs Consisting of Si/C NWs (Image by HOU Guolin)


23

nanowires were successfully prepared,” said HOU

Guolin, the first author. Then Si NWs and carbon were

further assembled to prepare multiscale buffering

carbon-coated Si-C wool-balls.

These wool-ball-like frameworks, prepared at high

yields, nearly matching industrial scales, which can be

routinely produced at a rate of 300 g/h. And as anodes,

they show ultrastable lithium storage (2000 mAh/g for

1000 cycles). The prepared Si-C WBs can effectively

buffer the volume expansion effect and withstand a

certain external force to ensure the structure not de-

stroyed for charge.

The structure design and large-scale synthesis

could facilitate the practical applications of Si/C com-

posites in lithium ion anodes, according to YUAN.

In their previous works, silicon nanospheres with

a uniform shape and diameter of about 50 nm were

prepared by high frequency induction thermal plas-

ma device developed independently, and the research

results were published in Journal of Materials Chemis-

try A and Nano Energy, respectively.

ReferenceDOI: 10.1021/acsnano.9b03355

achieve a capacity of 2000mAh/g after 1000 cycles

as anode materials. The relevant research results were

published in ACS Nano.

The theoretical capacity of traditional commercial

graphite anode materials is about 372mAh/g, which can

hardly meet the current requirements of high-capacity

batteries. Nano silicon is expected to be the next gener-

ation anode materials due to its high specific capacity.

However, it is still a critical challenge to apply this ma-

terial for industrialization because of low yield and high

cost.

The research group led by Prof. YUAN Fangli

from IPE has been working on preparation of special

powder materials and equipment development of

high-frequency induction thermal plasma for many

years.

“In plasma preparation of nano silicon, we find

that in the plasma reactor with different temperature

gradients, products with different morphologies and

structures are obtained. By introducing a hot wall re-

actor, prolonging the growth time of particles, silicon

IPE UPDATES

24

Chinese researchers have developed a sys-

tem for the treatment of coking waste-

water from large-scale industries with

lower costs and higher efficiency.

Heating coal over high temperatures provides

both heat and carbon (coke) required for iron pro-

duction. During the process, recycled scrubber water,

which is used as a coolant, contains large amounts of

suspended solids and chemicals that are toxic to the

environment and biological systems.

In China, more than 100 million tonnes of such

wastewater is produced from the coking industries. On

April 16, 2015, China issued its Action Plan for the

Prevention and Control of Water Pollution to ensure

water safety.

However, the conventional end-of-pipe treatment,

which processes waste before discharging, ends up in

higher costs and low efficiency, hindering the sustain-

able development of the industries.

Based on the idea of whole-process pollution

New System Improves Coking Wastewater Treatment Efficiency

Source: Xinhua | Cited by China Daily, CAS, etc.


25

control, researchers from the Institute of Process Engi-

neering (IPE), Chinese Academy of Sciences, lowered

the cost of coking wastewater treatment by 20 percent

in their new system, and achieved stable and efficient

removal of toxic organics.

So far, the system has been used in 41 water pol-

lution control projects in large Chinese enterprises like

Ansteel, Wuhan Iron and Steel Corporation and China

Coal Energy.

According to the IPE researchers, the installed

systems now can treat more than 55.2 million tonnes

of coking wastewater every year.

Over the past three years, the systems have treated

152 million tonnes of coking wastewater, recycling

750,000 tonnes of tar and reducing emissions of

240,000 tonnes of chemical oxygen demand as well as

90,000 tonnes of ammonia nitrogen.

The researchers said the system enables the coking

industries to meet the national standards for industrial

wastewater discharges, achieving efficient pollution

control with low-cost operation.

26

IPE UPDATES

PerspectivePerspective

27

PerspectiveScience Communication Column

Bridging Paradigm Shift in Science with Tackling Global Challenges

Cited by CAS and mesoscience.org

In recent years, paradigm shift in science

gradually becomes a hot topic in the scien-

tific community. Meanwhile, tackling global

challenges such as climate change, natural disasters,

and serious diseases is also quite urgent.

However, these two aspects are often touched

separately. For the former, discussions focus on gen-

eral trends, and for the latter, more considerations are

given to detailed issues. Unification of the two aspects

could propel the two aspects in a synergistic way, and

breakthroughs might be made more efficiently. The

key is to find the bridge.

Scientists from the Institute of Process Engineer-

ing (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have

analyzed the essential contents of paradigm shift in

science and the core scientific issues underlying glob-

al challenges, proposing a strategy in an article enti-

tled “Paradigm shift in science with tackling global

28

IPE UPDATES

challenges” in National Science Review.

“The essential contents are the changes in re-

search contents, approaches, and domains, which

emerge with or promote the paradigm shift in sci-

ence,” said LI Jinghai from IPE.

In more words, research contents are extended

from equilibrium static states to dynamic structures

and from local phenomena to system behavior, re-

search methods shift from qualitative analysis to

quantitative prediction, from single discipline-based to

transdisciplinarity-oriented, and from data processing

to artificial intelligence, and research domains move

from fragmented knowledge to integrated knowledge

system, from traditional theories to complexity sci-

ences, from detail-focused to multiscale-associated,

and from multilevel discipline-based study to the

pursuit of universal principles.

“The above changes should be accounted for in

research activities so as to adapt to and promote the

paradigm shift in science, and to tackle global chal-

lenges,” said HUANG Wenlai, also from IPE.

The authors tried to propose a new strategy,

where each complex issue of interest is treated as

multilevel systems, and a system at each level con-

tains many elements. Attention is paid not only to the

behavior of a single element, but also to the collective

effects (caused by the interaction between elements)

and their influence on the system behavior.

For a system at a specified level, the influence of

internal conditions and external environments on the

system behavior is clarified as well.

With a combination of reductionist and holistic

approaches, the behavior at the mesoscale (between

the element scale and the system scale) is specially

explored to reveal the mechanisms governing the col-

lective effects, and the critical conditions for the col-

lective effects to emerge and to vanish are determined.

The correlation between systems at different levels is

established as well.

“Transdisciplinarity has become the major route

to scientific breakthroughs, and bridging paradigm

shift in science with tackling global challenges re-

quires the joint efforts from different disciplines and

fields,” said LI.

ReferenceDOI:10.1093/nsr/nwz155

29

PerspectiveScience Communication Column

A salt in liquid state “Ionic liquids”, as

one of the most typical solvents in

green chemistry, has been widely ap-

plied in clean energy, new materials, biochemistry,

green process engineering, etc. It provides new op-

portunities for green technologies in the path towards

sustainable development.

Over 700 scientists and delegates of the industrial

sector from Australia, China, France, Germany, India,

Japan, Korea, UK and USA and other more than 30

countries gather in Beijing for the 8th International

Congress on Ionic Liquids (COIL-8) from May 13th

to17th, focusing on the development and application

of ionic liquids in the future. 443 presentations were

presented, including 20 plenary lectures, 18 keynotes,

47 invited lectures, 131 oral presentations and 227

posters. This is the first time that COIL is held in

China.

Institute of Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chi-

nese Academy of Sciences has made great progress in

developing ionic liquid-based technologies and their

industrial application, including isobutane alkylation,

CO2 conversion to carbonate, ammonia recovery.

“Ionic liquid has experienced stages from its initial

Ionic Liquids Research in China Brings us a Greener World

Cited by CAS

Opening ceremony of COIL-8 (Photo by IPE)

30

IPE UPDATES

IPE Director ZHANG Suojiang made the opening address (Photo by IPE)

Panel discussion attended by Sheng Dai, Margarida Costa Gomes, Buxing Han, Boyan Iliev, Toshiyuki Itoh, Douglas MacFarlane, Robin D. Rogers, Blake A. Simmons, Tom Welton (Photo by IPE)

appearance to the fundamental research to its demon-

stration application in industry, and now has stepped

into a new era where fundamental research and in-

dustrial application interact between each other,” said

ZHANG Suojiang, director of IPE.

“The World’s first plant for production of dimeth-

yl carbonate/ethylene glycol (DMC/EG) from CO2

catalyzed by supported ionic liquids was built in Chi-

na, with an output of 33,000 t/a. The quality of DMC

reached the battery level standard (purity≥99.99%),

and EG was superior to the national standard (puri-

ty≥99.93%). This technology will reduce about 0.5

ton CO2 per ton product, save energy consumption by

50%”, according to ZHU Jianmin, Director of Ox-

iranchem, who collaborated with the research group

led by Prof. ZHANG Suojiang to commercialize the

CO2 conversion technology.

China’s contributions to the field of ionic liquids

have become more and more prominent, and IPE has

also attracted world attention in this field. COIL, the

most influential international congress in the field of

ionic liquids, was firstly held in 2005 and is held ev-

ery two years since then.

“IPE has the opportunity to focus on commercializa-

tion on a bigger scale. And I hope the technology could

be developed through IPE, applied in the Chinese market

and help direct the rest of the world, and also try to de-

velop more sustainable technology”, according to Prof.

Robin Rogers, one of the winners of Presidential Green

Chemistry Challenge Award.

“Ionic liquid research of IPE becomes a leader in the

world in this field definitely”, said Prof. Douglas Mac-

Farlane, member of Australian Academy of Sciences and

Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and En-

gineering, “IPE is tackling a lot of important sustainabili-

ty issues that are very important in China and the world.”

Ionic liquid has started to be applied in high-end

fields, including energy storage, nuclear fuel reprocess-

ing, pharmaceutical, biomaterials, etc. The emerging

global ionic liquids (ILs) market size is anticipated to

reach over USD 40 Million for the forecasted year 2016

to 2024 with a CAGR around 9.35 %, according to Hexa

Research. Innovative techniques based on ionic liquids

will make contributions to the green and sustainable de-

velopment for the mankind.

31

recycling of the new waste, in line with the resource

endowment change of the recovered materials. He

estimated that there are 20 nickel-cobalt-manganese

battery projects underway in China.

While there is a large north-south split in the

world with the raw materials located in the southern

hemisphere and battery manufacturing in the northern

hemisphere (mainly east Asia), he said upstream and

downstream changes are taking place.

CATL has reached an estimated market value of

AU$41bn after it was founded in December 2011.

Significant investment has been announced in battery

manufacturing facilities, mainly by large Asian manu-

facturers such as CATL, BYD and LG Chem.

A major change, said Lin, is that Germany is like-

ly to attract more battery manufacturing investment

in 2019 than China, while Indonesia is shaping up as

a significant raw material producer through laterite

nickel and high-pressure acid leach projects being

pursued by China’s Tsingshan, the world’s largest

stainless steel producer.

Chinese electric vehicle battery makers

are increasingly focusing on recycling as

part of a sustainable life cycle strategy.

“Greener manufacturing, increased metals ex-

traction, better materials and recycling are all major

parts of sustainability for electric vehicle batteries,” Dr.

Xiao LIN, associate professor of the Institute of Pro-

cess Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Sciences,

told delegates at a battery metals conference in Perth.

“Waste management, metals recycling and mate-

rials engineering are important factors in sustainable

engineering,” he said, adding that a pilot plant has been

established in China to recycle battery grade lithium,

nickel, cobalt and manganese from spent batteries and

from scrap material.

Lin stressed the need for risk to be reduced from

waste and used batteries by “getting metal back”. He

also confirmed that the spent battery composition is

changing to high nickel from original high cobalt of

mineral resource and traditional Lithium ion battery

composition, new metal separation processes and high-

er selective extraction systems are needed to ensure the

Chinese EV Battery Makers Eye More Recycling

Source: Argus Media | Cited by CAS

32

IPE UPDATES

Feature

33

FeatureScience Communication Column

Since I was young, I have dreamed of be-

ing a scientist like the Egyptian Nobel

laureate Prof. Ahmed Zewail. His success

story always impressed me. After secondary school,

my parents insisted on my being a pharmacist, but I

filled my application secretly and chose the faculty of

IPE, A Turning Point in My Life

Source: Experience CAS, Explore China --CAS stories from foreign researchers

science. After that, my parents respected my wish and

helped me to achieve my dream. In 2006, I graduated

from the faculty of science with a very good grade and

at that time, I told myself “the first step for achieving

my dream has been taken”. I was lucky to be accepted

at the “scientists for next generation” program, which

34

IPE UPDATES

was organized for the first time by The Academy of

Scientific Research and Technology, Egypt. The acad-

emy awarded me a scholarship for my master’s degree

at Cairo University.

After my master’s graduation, I got the chance

to meet my idol Prof. Ahmed Zewail in a scientific

meeting and have dinner with him. I remember I cried

when I met him and told myself “I’m moving on the

right track”. I decided after meeting him to get my

PhD from abroad, as he had done. I applied for a PhD

scholarship in many countries including China until I

met my closest Chinese friend “Ying” in Germany and I

asked her about the lifestyle in China. Her words about

China, and especially Beijing, encouraged me to accept

the Chinese government scholarship at the Institute of

Process Engineering (IPE) of the Chinese Academy of

Sciences (CAS). At the same time, I was offered a PhD

scholarship in Japan, but I preferred to go to China.

35


project is about plastic hydrolysing enzymes expres-

sion for plastic biodegradation. Thankfully, I have two

research articles under review now at very good inter-

national journals. This success would not have been

achieved without the wonderful guidance from Prof.

Xing. He is always caring and supportive. I have been

lucky to have generous support from my supervisors

and IPE staff.

On the family side, I’ve always had generous sup-

port from my husband. I got married in August 2016

and started my small family in Beijing. My husband

is also studying at IPE, CAS and is now my lab mate.

We are supporting each other to achieve a better life

with better research achievement. We also visited

many Chinese cities such as Dalian, Xi’an, Tianjin,

Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Macao. Final-

ly, I am thankful for and appreciate the great support

of the Chinese government and the Chinese Academy

of Sciences for the PhD scholarship and the President's

International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI) for postdoc-

toral research. After finishing my postdoc in China and

returning to Egypt, I will always be in collaboration

with my supervisors and IPE staff.

Thanks, IPE …. Thanks, CAS

I feel that my real life started when I reached

Beijing in 2014. I cannot deny that I faced many chal-

lenges during my first year there, but I was lucky to

have perfect lab mates and Chinese friends. My Chi-

nese friends helped me to improve my Chinese lan-

guage that is considered the main obstacle for any for-

eigner in China. My PhD life in IPE, CAS was very

fruitful. I finished my PhD study within three years

and published three research articles in outstanding

international journals. Directly, I got the outstanding

PIFI postdoctoral award in December 2017. My PhD

supervisor (Prof. Chunzhao Liu) and my postdoc su-

pervisor (Prof. Jianmin Xing) gave me full support to

get this award.

My postdoctoral research investigates promising

nanomaterials which can be used to solve the problem

of water contamination by different microorganisms

especially in the form of biofilms. These biofilms are

very difficult to eradicate and causes numerous patho-

genic diseases. My postdoc research also investigates

the nano-biosensors fabrication for dissolved H2S de-

tection in wastewater. In addition, Prof. Xing helped

me to become a member of an international research

project of Horizon 2020 (Europe) and the National

Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). The

36

IPE UPDATES

An Interview with Rai TG3 (An Italian TV Station) about Belt and Road Initiative

During the interview, Nadia Samak highlighted why she

chose IPE to conduct her research and the projects she is

working on.

37


Science Promotion Activities

Let's seize the day and live it to the full.

只争朝夕不负韶华

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