Synthesis of visible light-responsive cuprous oxide/sunflower stem pith hybrid materials for detoxification of methylene blue.

The detoxification of dye-contaminated water by photocatalysis has become a research priority. Here, a novel hybrid material, cuprous oxide/sunflower stem pith (CuO/SSP), was successfully synthesized in situ, using copper hydroxide gel, prepared by ion exchange, as the precursor to CuO. The presence of CuO nanoparticles on the SSP was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses.

Influence of the thermal-fluid behavior on the microstructure evolution during the process of selective laser melting of Ti6Al4V.

To account for the microstructure evolution corresponding to the changed scanning speed, the thermal-fluid dynamic model of the meltpool during the selective laser melting (SLM) process of Ti6Al4V was established by numerical method to study the thermal characteristics and the melt flow behavior. Results showed that increasing the laser scanning speed would result in a lower peak temperature but a higher heating and cooling rate on the specimen. Both the meltpool size and its duration were reduced with the increased laser scanning velocity.

Preparation of visible light-responsive photocatalytic paper containing BiVO@diatomite/MCC/PVBCFs for degradation of organic pollutants.

Combining adsorption and photocatalysis is an effective strategy for degrading organic pollutants. Here, BiVO@diatomite composite photocatalyst (BiVO@diatomite CP) was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis from Bi(NO)·5HO glycerin solution, NHVO solution and diatomite. BiVO@diatomite/microcrystalline cellulose/PVB composite fibers (BiVO@diatomite/MCC/PVBCFs) were prepared from BiVO@diatomite CPs, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and PVB ethanol solution using the electrospinning method.

Adsorption behaviors of methylene blue on sunflower stem pith.

Adsorption behaviors of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution using sunflower stem pith (SSP) as adsorbent were investigated. The effects of adsorption conditions such as adsorption time, initial concentration of MB and dosage of SSP on the detoxification of MB were examined. The equilibrium adsorption data were analyzed using three well-known isotherms: Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin.

Polyaniline/cellulose fiber composite prepared using persulfate as oxidant for Cr(VI)-detoxification.

Cellulose fibers were engineered by in situ oxidative polymerization of aniline using ammonium persulfate as oxidant/initiator. The polyaniline/cellulose fiber composite was used for the treatment of Cr(VI)-contaminated water, and its effect was evaluated. Under the conditions studied, the composite exhibited very high water detoxification efficiency, as a result of reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) in combination with adsorption of the Cr(III) onto the cellulosic substrate.

An integrated approach for Cr(VI)-detoxification with polyaniline/cellulose fiber composite prepared using hydrogen peroxide as oxidant.

In this short communication, the demonstration of a new integrated process concept involving the use of a bio-based material for detoxification of Cr(VI)-contaminated water is presented. Specifically, the bio-based material is a polyaniline/cellulose fiber composite prepared by in situ polymerization of aniline in the presence of cellulose fibers, using the industrially favorable hydrogen peroxide (instead of costly oxidants such as ammonium persulfate) as the oxidant. Ferric chloride was used to catalyze the polymerization reaction.