Prof. YU Shilin | Publications & Academic Profile | SinoGreenTech

Research Publications & English Decoded Briefs

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SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4217-y

Incorporating Triphenylamine Chromophores into Covalent Triazine Frameworks for Effective Photocatalytic Aerobic Oxidations

Rational design and construction of effective photocatalysts is a promising way for green and sustainable chemistry, but still a great challenge. Herein, taking triphenylamine-containing aldehydes as reactants, two covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs), tris(4-formylphenyl)amine (TPA)-CTF and tris(4-formylbiphenyl)amine (TBPA)-CTF, were rationally constructed. The strong electron donor property of the triphenylamine moieties derived from the initial reactants and the strong electron acceptor nature of the in-situ formed built-in triazine rings in CTFs endowed these robust triphenylamine-based CTFs with donor-acceptor (D-A) or donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) structure features. Photocatalytic experiments revealed that, compared with the controlled phenyl analogue CTF, 1,3,5-tri(p-formylphenyl)benzene (TFPB)-CTF, both of the triphenylamine-based CTFs exhibited superior photocatalytic activity not only in photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide generation, but also in photocatalytic aerobic oxidations of diverse organic substrates. Theoretical studies further confirmed that their enhanced photocatalytic performance should be attributed to their unique D-A or D-π-A features in the constructed triphenylamine-based CTFs. This work successfully demonstrated that rational selection of reactants containing electron donor moieties to construct CTFs should be a reliable way for the construction of effective photocatalysts for photocatalytic oxidation reactions.

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Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202507043

Thermal Steel Ball-Enhanced Rotary Drum Drying of Sludge: Drying Characteristics, Moisture Diffusion Behavior, and Mechanisms

Municipal sludge with high moisture content and strong viscosity tends to form a dense crust during conventional rotary drum drying, reducing heat and mass transfer efficiency and prolonging drying time. This study proposes a thermal steel ball-enhanced rotary drum drying method that introduces high heat capacity, high thermal conductivity steel balls to achieve synergistic contact heat conduction and mechanical disturbance. An evaluation system incorporating dimensionless moisture ratio (MR), drying rate (DR), characteristic drying time (tdry), effective moisture diffusivity (Deff), and volumetric evaporation intensity (U) was established. Results show that compared with conventional drying, steel ball-enhanced drying increased maximum drying rate (DRmax) by 22.59%–41.19%, U by 38.06%–93.43%, and shortened tdry by 27.56%–48.30%, with more pronounced advantages under high load conditions. Deff was significantly higher throughout the process, with maximum increase up to 48.30%, indicating that ball rolling and collision effectively disrupt the crust and promote moisture migration. Mechanistic analysis reveals that the performance enhancement arises from the dual action of thermal-mechanical coupling and mechanical disturbance, which enhances local heat flux via contact conduction and dynamically renews the drying interface, shortening diffusion paths. This study elucidates the heat and mass transfer mechanisms of thermal steel ball-enhanced sludge drying, providing theoretical support and technical reference for efficient sludge volume reduction and dryer design optimization.

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SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3825-x

Correlating the dielectric properties with chain packing density of polar functionalities in hyperbranched polyimides

Polymer-based dielectric materials with high energy density and thermal stability are critical for modern electric/electronic industries. Polyimide (PI) based materials are promising due to their high temperature resistance and chemical inertness, yet their inherently low dielectric constant and limited charge-discharge energy density restrict applications in film capacitors. While incorporating ferroelectric or conductive fillers can enhance dielectric performance, batch-to-batch inconsistency and physical deterioration remain problematic. This study focuses on molecular structure design and modulation, preparing hyperbranched polyimides with different dianhydride monomers and branching degrees. The effects of chain packing density with polar groups on dielectric and energy storage performances were systematically investigated via experimentation and molecular simulation. Results demonstrate a significant correlation between monomers' electrical distribution and packing density in polymer systems. Molecular simulation further elucidated the underlying mechanism. This work establishes a foundation for designing polymer-based dielectric materials with high dielectric and energy storage performances at the molecular level.

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