Modulating Ni-S coordination in NiS to promote electrocatalytic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural at ampere-level current density.

Electricity-driven oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is a highly attractive strategy for biomass transformation. However, achieving industrial-grade current densities remains a great challenge. Herein, by modulating the water content in a solvothermal system, NiS/NF with stabilized and shorter Ni-S bonds as well as a tunable coordination environment of Ni sites was fabricated.

Atomically dispersed cobalt catalysts for tandem synthesis of primary benzylamines from oxidized β-O-4 segments.

This work presents an innovative approach focusing on fine-tuning the coordination environment of atomically dispersed cobalt catalysts for tandem synthesis of primary benzylamines from oxidized lignin model compounds. By meticulously regulating the Co-N coordination environment, the activity of these catalysts in the hydrogenolysis and reductive amination reactions was effectively controlled. Notably, our study demonstrates that, in contrast to cobalt nanoparticle catalysts, atomically dispersed cobalt catalysts exhibit precise control of the sequence of hydrogenolysis and reductive amination reactions.

Lotus leaf-inspired thermal insulation and anti-icing topography.

Porous sandwich-like structures with surface roughness possess the capacity to sustain droplets, diminish the area of contact between solids and liquids, and augment heat conductivity, and thus delay ice formation when the temperature drops below the freezing point. The prevalence of this combination of surface roughness and a hollow sandwich structure has been observed in several organisms, such as lotus leaves, which have developed these features as a result of environmental adaptation. This study introduces a new design for a surface consisting of a micro-nano conical array and a foam structure with a gradient of pores.

A molecular view of single-atom catalysis toward carbon dioxide conversion.

Carbon dioxide (CO) conversion has attracted much interest recently owing to its importance in both scientific research and practical applications, but still faces a bottleneck in selectivity control and mechanism understanding owing to diversified active sites. Single-atom catalysts (SACs) featuring isolated and well-defined active centers are proved to not only exhibit unparalleled performances in various processes of CO conversion but also provide excellent research paradigms by circumventing the heterogeneity of active sites. Herein, we will not only critically review recent progress on the application of SACs in chemical CO conversion based on previous comprehension of general thermodynamics and kinetics, but also try to offer a multi-level understanding of SACs from a molecular point of view in terms of the central atom, coordination environment, support effect and synergy with other active centers.

Effects of different heat treatment media on odorous constituents, chemical decomposition and mechanical properties of two hardwoods.

With China's increasing dependence on foreign wood, African wood has gradually become a potential imported species, but its use is seriously affected by problems such as unpleasant odors. In this study, we investigate the effect of heat treatment medium on odor-causing VOCs, decomposition of structural polymers, Modulus of Rupture (MOR) and Modulus of Elasticity (MOE) of hardwood. Samples of "" and "" wood were heated under air and palm oil for two hours at 160 °C, 180 °C, and 200 °C, respectively.

Surface enrichment of Ir on the IrRu alloy for efficient and stable water oxidation catalysis in acid.

Inducing the surface enrichment of active noble metal can not only help to stabilize the catalyst but also modify the catalytic performance of the catalyst through electronic and geometric effects. Herein, we report the surface enrichment of Ir on IrRu alloy during the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The surface enrichment of Ir was probed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and electrochemical Cu stripping, leading to complementary characterizations of the dynamic reconstruction of the IrRu alloy during OER.

Chitosan-based oxygen-doped activated carbon/graphene composite for flexible supercapacitors.

Flexible supercapacitors have attracted widespread attention from many researchers as a type of portable energy storage device. As a unique carbon material, graphene has shown great potential in supercapacitor electrodes, mainly due to its large theoretical specific surface area, high conductivity and chemical stability. Therefore, reasonable design of graphene-based hydrogels with low cost, high specific surface area, and excellent mechanical properties is of great significance for flexible and wearable energy storage device applications.

Preparation of rigid polyurethane foam from lignopolyol obtained through mild oxypropylation.

Lignin, one of the main components of lignocellulose, can be used as an alternative to chemical polyols in the production of polyurethane because of its abundant phenolic and alcohol hydroxyls. Traditionally, lignin is directly applied in the preparation of polyurethane; however, modified lignin has been proved to be superior, especially that obtained by the oxypropylation reaction. Therefore, lignopolyol obtained by mild and efficient oxypropylation was utilized in the production of rigid polyurethane foam in this study.

Coal fly ash driven zeolites for the adsorptive removal of the ceftazidime drug.

The overall cost and efficiency of an adsorbent material is a major issue in deriving a sorbent into commercial markets. In this study, efforts have been directed to produce adsorption-capable zeolites from the dispensable product of coal power plants, , coal fly ash (CFA). In addition, coal mining water (CW) was used as a direct hydrothermal solvent.

Effects of amendments on the bioavailability, transformation and accumulation of heavy metals by pakchoi cabbage in a multi-element contaminated soil.

This study aims to assess the effect of green waste compost (GWC), biochar (BC) and humic acid (HA) amendments of an alkaline heavy metal-contaminated soil. In this study, amendments with GWC, GWC + BC and GWC + HA were applied to the heavy metal-contaminated soil in four application rates (0, 1, 2 and 5%), and was aimed at substantially mitigating the bioavailability of heavy metals for pakchoi cabbage from the sewage irrigation soils. The addition of different ratios of amendments can increase the pH of the soil by 0.

Biochar prepared from maize straw and molasses fermentation wastewater: application for soil improvement.

A novel method was applied to improve biochar properties and its soil application by introducing molasses fermentation wastewater into a maize straw pyrolysis process. In this study, maize straw biochar (MSB) was prepared from maize straw mixed with different amounts (1, 2 and 3 mL g straw, v/w) of molasses fermentation wastewater which contained high organics and nitrogen contents. Characterization results indicated that the yield, carbon content, N/C, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) of MSB increased gradually with the increasing dosage of fermentation wastewater.

High-poly-aluminum chloride sulfate coagulants and their coagulation performances for removal of humic acid.

High-poly-aluminum chloride sulfate (HPACS) coagulants with different [SO ]/[Al] molar ratio () were prepared and proved to have high coagulation efficiency for the removal of humic acid and strong stability for storage and application. The results showed that the higher the SO addition, the bigger the aluminum polymerization particles and the more the polymerization Al existed in the prepared HPACS coagulants. The HPACS exhibited higher coagulation efficiency, a better aging stability and stronger resistance to the change of pH and Ca concentration of raw water than the polyaluminum chloride (PAC) and poly-aluminum chloride sulfate (PACS) reported before.

Comparison of the oxidation of halogenated phenols in UV/PDS and UV/HO advanced oxidation processes.

UV/peroxydisulfate (PDS) and UV/hydrogen peroxide (HO) can effectively degrade halophenols (HPs, , 2,4-bromophenol and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol); meanwhile, information about the discrepancies in the related degradation kinetics and mechanisms of these two processes is limited. To gain this knowledge, the degradation of two typical HPs (, bromophenols and chlorophenols) in UV/PDS and UV/HO processes were investigated and compared. The results showed that the degradation rates of HPs with different substitution positions in the UV/PDS process were in the order of -substituted HPs (, 4-BP and 4-CP) > -substituted HPs (, 2-BP and 2-CP) > -substituted HPs (, 3-BP and 3-CP), while in the UV/HO process, these rates were in the order of -substituted HPs > -substituted HPs > -substituted HPs.

Comparison of emulsifying capacity of two hemicelluloses from moso bamboo in soy oil-in-water emulsions.

Oil-in-water food emulsions consisting of natural emulsifiers has been an active field of green scientific inquiry. Here, we extract two types of new hemicellulose-based emulsifiers (H and H) from holocellulose and dewaxed materials of bamboo (), as well as compare their emulsifying soy oil ability, respectively. The main content of H is arabinoxylan, while the primary composition in H is glucan.

Correction: Performance evaluation of interfacial polymerisation-fabricated aquaporin-based biomimetic membranes in forward osmosis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/C9RA00787C.].

Performance evaluation of interfacial polymerisation-fabricated aquaporin-based biomimetic membranes in forward osmosis.

Aquaporins play a promising role in the fabrication of high-performance biomimetic membranes. Interfacial polymerisation is a promising strategy for synthesizing aquaporin-based membranes. In this study, robust and high-performance aquaporin-based biomimetic membranes were successfully fabricated by interfacial polymerisation, and the membrane separation performance and interfacial polymerisation method were systematically evaluated.

Evaluation of xylooligosaccharide production from residual hemicelluloses of dissolving pulp by acid and enzymatic hydrolysis.

Xylooligosaccharides (XOS) are useful food and pharmaceutical additives, which can be produced from various xylans. However, the XOS prepared from lignocellulosic materials are difficult to purify due to the complexity of the degradation products. Thus, hemicelluloses with a high-purity will be the preferred feedstock for XOS production.

Responses of the electron transfer capacity of soil humic substances to agricultural land-use types.

Humic substances (HS) are redox-active organic compounds that constitute a major fraction of natural organic matter in soils. The electron transfer capacity (ETC) of soil HS is mainly dependent on the type and abundance of redox-active functional groups in their structure. It is unclear whether or not agricultural land-use types can affect the ETC of HS in soils.

Synthesis of a cationic polyacrylamide by a photocatalytic surface-initiated method and evaluation of its flocculation and dewatering performance: nano-TiO as a photo initiator.

In the face of complex water quality changes, the application of existing cationic polyacrylamide has been largely limited. In this study, a series of cationic polyacrylamides (TPADs) with excellent flocculation/dewatering performance and low dosage were synthesized through photocatalytic surface initiation using acrylamide (AM) and acryloyloxyethyl trimethylammonium chloride (DAC) as monomers and nano-TiO as an initiator. Characterization using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (H NMR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric/differential scanning calorimetry (TG/DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze the structural and morphological properties of TPADs.

Facile synthesis of urchin-like RuCu and hollow RuCuMo nanoparticles and preliminary insight to their formation process by cyclic voltammetry.

Urchin-like RuCu nanoparticles and hollow RuCuMo nanoparticles were prepared by a one-pot chemical reduction method. The nanoparticles were characterized by EDX, HRTEM, XPS and ICP-AES. By combining cyclic voltammetry and TEM, the formation process of nanoparticles was obtained.