New insight into the granule formation in the reactor for enhanced biological phosphorus removal.

While granulated activated sludge exhibits high productivity, the processes of granule formation are incompletely studied. The processes of granule formation and succession of communities were investigated in a laboratory sequencing batch reactor (SBR) under conditions for enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) using microbiological and molecular techniques. Active consumption of acetate, primarily by the phosphate-accumulating organisms (PAO), commenced at day 150 of cultivation.

Hybrid Iodide Perovskites of Divalent Alkaline Earth and Lanthanide Elements.

Hybrid halide perovskites AMX (A = ammonium cation, M = divalent cation, X = Cl, Br, I) have been extensively studied but have only previously been reported for the divalent carbon group elements Ge, Sn, and Pb. While they have displayed an impressive range of optoelectronic properties, the instability of Ge and Sn and the toxicity of Pb have stimulated significant interest in finding alternatives to these carbon group-based perovskites. Here, we describe the low-temperature solid-state synthesis of five new hybrid iodide perovskites centered around divalent alkaline earth and lanthanide elements, with the general formula AMI (A = methylammonium, MA; M = Sr, Sm, Eu, and A = formamidinium, FA; M = Sr, Eu).

Electrochemical Cycling of Redox-Active Boron Cluster-Based Materials in the Solid State.

This work demonstrates the first successful electrochemical cycling of a redox-active boron cluster-based material in the solid state. Specifically, we designed and synthesized an ether-functionalized dodecaborate cluster, B(OCH), which is the smallest redox-active building block in the B(OR) family. This species can reversibly access four oxidation states in solution, ranging from a dianion to a radical cation.

Elusive Double Perovskite Iodides: Structural, Optical, and Magnetic Properties.

Halide double perovskites [A M M X ] are an important class of materials that have garnered substantial interest as non-toxic alternatives to conventional lead iodide perovskites for optoelectronic applications. While numerous studies have examined chloride and bromide double perovskites, reports of iodide double perovskites are rare, and their definitive structural characterization has not been reported. Predictive models have aided us here in the synthesis and characterization of five iodide double perovskites of general formula Cs NaLnI (Ln=Ce, Nd, Gd, Tb, Dy).

Synthesis and structural properties of a 2D Zn(II) dodecahydroxy--dodecaborate coordination polymer.

In this work, we discuss the synthesis and characterization of a 2D coordination polymer composed of a dianionic perhydroxylated boron cluster, [B(OH)], coordinated to Zn(II)-the first example of a transition metal-coordinated [B(OH)] compound. This material was synthesized cation exchange from the starting cesium salt and then subjected to rigorous characterization prior to and after thermal activation. Numerous techniques, including XRD, FTIR, SEM, TGA, and solid-state NMR revealed a 2D coordination polymer composed of sheets of Zn(II) ions intercalated between planes of boron clusters.