Preparation of TiCl from Ilmenite Concentrates via Carbothermal Reduction and Boiling Chlorination for Different Carbon Proportions.

Low-temperature boiling chlorination is the most common approach used to achieve a clean preparation of TiCl from ilmenite concentrates with high contents of calcium and magnesium impurities. However, this process did not systematically investigate the impact of the Ti/C ratio of the raw materials on the chlorination efficiency of Ti, Ca, and Mg elements. Thus, the influence of the carbon allocation proportion on the carbothermal reduction and boiling chlorination process of ilmenite concentrates with high contents of calcium and magnesium impurities was investigated in this study.

ZnO/PUF composites with a large capacity for phosphate adsorption: adsorption behavior and mechanism studies.

Phosphate is present in all kinds of industrial wastewater; how to remove it to meet the strict total phosphorus discharge standards is a challenge. This study used a one-step foaming technique to fill polyurethane foam (PUF) with ZnO, taking advantage of PUF's excellent features like its porous network, lightweight, hydrophilicity, and abundance of binding sites to create ZnO/PUF composites with high adsorption capacity and exceptional separation properties. The adsorption isotherms, kinetics, starting pH, and matrix impacts of ZnO/PUF composites on phosphate were examined in batch studies.

Density Functional Theory Investigation on the Nitrogen Reduction Mechanism in Two-Dimensional Transition-Metal Boride with Ordered Metal Vacancies.

The creation of ordered collective vacancies in experiment proves challenging within a two-dimensional lattice, resulting in a limited understanding of their impact on catalyst performance. Motivated by the successful experimental synthesis of monolayer molybdenum borides with precisely ordered metal vacancies [Zhou et al. , , 801-805] through dealloying, the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) in monolayer borides was systematically investigated to elucidate the influence of such ordered metal vacancies on catalytic reactions and the underlying mechanisms.

Visible-light driven photocatalytic performance of eco-friendly cobalt-doped ZnO nanoarrays: Influence of morphology, cobalt doping, and photocatalytic efficiency.

In order to remove the organic pollution from water environment, Co-doped ZnO nanoarray photocatalyst was prepared through a hydrothermal process. The influences of Co doping amount and hydrothermal temperature on the nanostructure and photocatalytic performance of Co-doped ZnO nanoarray were discussed in detail. The standard ZnO structure and nanoarray morphology of Co-doped ZnO samples were achieved and the absorption of visible light was also realized through Co doping.

Enhanced biomineralization of shape memory composite scaffolds from citrate functionalized amorphous calcium phosphate for bone repair.

Traditional shape memory polymers (SMPs) could avoid large volume trauma during implantation; however, for bone repair, scaffolds with high porosity and biomineralization are essential to promote bone regeneration. A novel porous composite scaffold with high biomineralization activity was developed by sequential gas foaming and a freeze-drying method. The results showed that the cross-linked block structure of the polymer matrix presented excellent shape memory properties, and osteogenesis was promoted by citrate functionalized amorphous calcium phosphate (CCACP).

Biomimetic scaffolds with programmable pore structures for minimum invasive bone repair.

Due to the complexity of surgery for large-area bone injuries, implanting a large volume of materials into the injury site remains a big challenge in orthopedics. To solve this difficulty, in this study, a series of biomimetic hydroxyapatite/shape-memory composite scaffolds were designed and synthesized with programmable pore structures, based on poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), polytetrahydrofuran (PTMG) and the osteoconductive hydroxyapatite (HA). The obtained scaffolds presented various pore structures, high connectivity, tunable mechanical properties, and excellent shape memory performance.

Biomimetic Polyurethane 3D Scaffolds Based on Polytetrahydrofuran Glycol and Polyethylene Glycol for Soft Tissue Engineering.

In this study, a novel polyurethane porous 3D scaffold based on polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polytetrahydrofuran glycol (PTMG) was developed by in situ polymerization and freeze drying. Aliphatic hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) as a nontoxic and safe agent was adopted to produce the rigid segment in polyurethane polymerization. The chemical structure, macrostructure, and morphology-as well as mechanical strength of the scaffolds-were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and tensile tests.

Luminescence properties of self-activated Ca Mg Zn(VO ) and Ca Mg Zn(VO ) :xEu phosphors.

Self-activated Ca Mg Zn(VO ) and Ca Mg Zn(VO ) :xEu phosphors were synthesized via a high-temperature solid-state reaction route. The crystalline structure and luminescence properties of the phosphors were analyzed using an X-ray diffractometer and a photoluminescence spectrometer. The explored results indicated that by varying calcination temperature and the raw material ratio of Ca /Mg /Zn , the phosphors could be developed with different phases, crystallinity, and various fluorescence performances.

Cu-supported nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers with hierarchical three-dimensional net structure as binder-free anodes for enhanced lithium-ion batteries.

Cu-supported nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers (NCNFs) were fabricated via electrospinning and subsequent activation treatment with poly vinylpyrrolidone as both carbon and nitrogen sources. The NCNFs are firmly adhered to Cu foil without any additional binder and form a hierarchical three-dimensional net structure, which could effectively shorten the diffusion paths for electrons and lithium ions, thus resulting in lower impedance and superior electrochemical properties. Additionally, NCNFs feature a amorphous carbon structure, N-rich carbon lattice and wide pore distribution, not only ensuring fast ions/electrons transport, but also giving rise to the higher energy density.

Enhancement of the luminescence properties of Sr (PO ) :Dy ,Li white-light-emitting phosphors by charge compensator Li co-doping.

Sr (PO ) :Dy ,Li phosphors were prepared using a simple high temperature solid method for luminescence enhancement. The structures of the as-prepared samples agreed well with the standard phase of Sr (PO ) , even when Dy and Li were introduced. Under ultraviolet excitation at 350 nm, the Sr (PO ) :Dy sample exhibited two emission peaks at 483 nm and 580 nm, which were due to the F  →  H and F  →  H transitions of Dy ions, respectively.

Effect of replacement of Ca by Zn on the structure and optical property of CaTiO3:Eu(3+) red phosphor prepared by sol-gel method.

Eu(3+)-doped calcium titanate red phosphors, Ca(1-x)Znx TiO3:Eu(3+), were prepared by the sol-gel method. The structure of prepared Ca(1-x)Znx TiO3:Eu(3+) phosphors were investigated by X-ray diffraction and infrared spectra. Due to the (5) D0  → (7) F1-3 electron transitions of Eu(3+) ions, photoluminescence spectra showed a red emission at about 619 nm under excitation of 397 nm and 465 nm, respectively.