Boosting the activity and stability synergistic catalysis of Co nanoparticles and MoC to construct a bifunctional electrocatalyst for high-performance and long-life rechargeable zinc-air batteries.

The high overpotential of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) leading to slow air cathode kinetics is still a major challenge for zinc-air batteries (ZABs), hindering the commercialization of ZABs. With the advantages of cost-effectiveness and feasibility of synthesis at room temperature, zeolite imidazole frameworks (ZIFs) are regarded as advanced precursors. But a majority of ZIF-derived catalysts show only one catalytic activity, which limits their performance in ZABs as well as the cycling stability.

Insights into the mechanism underlying remediation of Cr(VI) contaminated aquifer using nanoscale zero-valent iron@reduced graphene oxide.

Currently, there is an urgent need to develop functional nanomaterials for highly effective environmental remediation. However, the long-term effect of remedial materials upon their injection into contaminated aquifer has frequently been overlooked. Here, the remediation of Cr(VI) contaminated aquifer by reduced graphene oxide (rGO) supported nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI@rGO) was investigated from a long-term perspective.

Degradation of micropollutants in flow-through UV/chlorine reactors: Kinetics, mechanism, energy requirement and toxicity evaluation.

The degradation of three micropollutants (i.e., atrazine (ATZ), sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and metoprolol (MET)) was comprehensively investigated in flow-through UV/chlorine reactors.

[Development of bio-jet fuel production technology: a review].

Due to the large amount of greenhouse gas emissions and the high dependence on fossil fuels, the sustainable development of aviation industry has attracted worldwide attention. Bio-jet fuel is considered to be a promising alternative to traditional aviation fuel. This article summarizes the representative technological route, development status, opportunities and challenges faced by the development of bio-jet fuel industry.

Effect of metallic lubricant additives on morphology, nanostructure, graphitization degree and oxidation reactivity of diesel particles.

This paper investigates the impact of metallic lubricant additives on the morphology, nanostructure, graphitization degree, and oxidation reactivity of diesel exhaust particles. The experiments were conducted on a turbocharged heavy-duty diesel engine. Four typical lubricant oil additives, including Ca-based, Zn-based, Mo-based and ashless additives, were mixed into diesel at 0.

Effects of Oxygen Pressurization on Li/Ni Cation Mixing and the Oxygen Vacancies of LiNiCoAlO Cathode Materials.

Ni-rich cathode materials are a low-cost and high-energy density solution for high-power lithium-ion batteries. However, Li/Ni cation mixing and oxygen vacancies are inevitably formed during the high-temperature calcination process, resulting in a poor crystal structure that adversely affects the electrochemical performance. In this work, the LiNiCoAlO cathode material with a regular crystal structure was prepared through oxygen pressurization during lithiation-calcination, which effectively solved the problems caused by the high calcination temperature, such as oxygen loss and a reduction of Ni.

Nonsacrificial Nitrile Additive for Armoring High-Voltage LiNi Co Mn O Cathode with Reliable Electrode-Electrolyte Interface toward Durable Battery.

High-capacity Ni-rich layered oxides are considered as promising cathodes for lithium-ion batteries. However, the practical applications of LiNi Co Mn O  (NCM83) cathode are challenged by continuous transition metal (TM) dissolution, microcracks and mixed arrangement of nickel and lithium sites, which are usually induced by deleterious cathode-electrolyte reactions. Herein, it is reported that those side reactions are limited by a reliable cathode electrolyte interface (CEI) layer formed by implanting a nonsacrificial nitrile additive.

Segregation of effect between granules and flocs in PN/A system treating acrylic fiber wastewater: Performance and mechanism.

Nitrogen removal of petrochemical wastewater through partial nitritation/anammox (PN/A) is appealing, but its feasibility and stability under toxic inhibition remain unclear. This study started a PN/A granular sludge system in a membrane bioreactor and fed it with diluted acrylic fiber wastewater. During long-term operation, the nitritation and anammox performance remained stable at a 30% volume ratio, and declined with increasing volume ratio, resulting in deteriorated nitrogen removal.

An emerging unrated mobile reservoir for antibiotic resistant genes: Does transportation matter to the spread.

The regional distribution of antibiotic resistance genes has been caused by the use and preference of antibiotics. Not only environmental factors, but also the population movement associated with transportation development might have had a great impact, but yet less is known regarding this issue. This research study has investigated and reported that the high-speed railway train was a possible mobile reservoir of bacteria with antibiotic resistance, based on the occurrence, diversity, and abundance of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB), antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and mobile gene elements (MGEs) in untreated train wastewater.

Template-Guided Regioselective Encaging of Platinum Single Atoms into Y Zeolite: Enhanced Selectivity in Semihydrogenation and Resistance to Poisoning.

It is challenging to establish single metal atoms with a uniform coordination environment at targeted sites of a zeolite. In this study, single platinum atoms were selectively encaged in the six-membered rings of sodalite (SOD) cages within Y zeolite using a template-guiding strategy. During the in situ synthesis process, template molecules were designed to occupy supercages and thereby force coordinated platinum species into SOD cages.

Continuous Homogeneous Catalytic Oxidation of C-H Bonds by Metal-Free Carbon Dots with a Poly(ascorbic acid) Structure.

The activation of the C-H bond, a necessary step to get high-value-added compounds, is one of the most important issues in modern catalysis. Combining the advantages of both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, a certain continuous homogeneous process should be one of the ideal routes for the catalytic activation of C-H bonds. Here, through machine learning (ML), we predicted and fabricated metal-free carbon dot (C-Dot) homogeneous catalysts for C-H bond oxidation.

Semi-Immobilized Ionic Liquid Regulator with Fast Kinetics toward Highly Stable Zinc Anode under -35 to 60 °C.

Aqueous zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) have been extensively investigated as a next-generation energy storage system due to their high safety and low cost. However, the critical issues of irregular dendrite growth and intricate side reactions severely restrict the further industrialization of ZIBs. Here, a strategy to fabricate a semi-immobilized ionic liquid interface layer is proposed to protect the Zn anode over a wide temperature range from -35 to 60 °C.

Determination of trace organic chlorides in hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles by gas chromatography coupled with ion mobility spectrometry.

A method for the determination of organic chlorides in hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles by gas chromatography coupled with ion mobility spectrometry was established. Organic chlorides were separated by a non-polar gas chromatography column and detected in the negative ion mode of the ion mobility spectrometer. The effect of operating parameters of ion mobility spectrometer including drift gas flow rate and drift tube temperature on sensitivity and resolution were evaluated.

Crystal Plane Reconstruction and Thin Protective Coatings Formation for Superior Stable Zn Anodes Cycling 1300 h.

Some new insights into traditional metal pretreatment of anticorrosion for high stable Zn metal anodes are provided. A developed pretreatment methodology is employed to prefer the crystal plane of polycrystalline Zn and create 3.26 µm protective coatings mainly consisting of organic polymers and zinc salts on Zn foils (ROZ@Zn).

Ferrocene-based conjugated microporous polymer and its multiwalled carbon nanotube composite for direct photocatalytic benzene hydroxylation to phenol.

Ferrocene is used as a catalytically active site and building block to construct a new conjugated microporous polymer (CMP), named Fc-POP. A corresponding carbon nanotube composite (CNTs@Fc-POP) with tubular structure was obtained through the π-π interaction between multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and reactive molecules. This innovative modification method of carbon nanotubes provides a way to construct functionalized carbon materials.

Effect of HSiF modification of IM-5 on catalytic performance in benzene alkylation with ethylene.

Ethylbenzene (EB) is an important bulk chemical intermediate. The vapor-phase process is considered to be more efficient than the liquid-phase process when using dilute ethylene ( FCC or DCC off-gas) as the feed due to its high ethylene space velocity. However, realizing a balance between reducing the xylene formation and enhancing the EB selectivity is still a challenge due to the poor performance of ZSM-5 at low reaction temperature.

Spongy titanosilicate promotes the catalytic performance and reusability of WO in oxidative cleavage of methyl oleate.

A tungsten containing catalyst catalyzed oxidative cleavage of methyl oleate (MO) by employing HO as an oxidant and is known as an efficient approach for preparing high value-added chemicals, however, the tungsten leaching problem remains unresolved. In this work, a binary catalyst consisting of tungsten oxide (WO) and spongy titanosilicate (STS) zeolite is proposed for MO oxidative cleavage. The function of STS in this catalyst is investigated.

Ni nanocatalysts supported on MIL-53(Al) for DCPD hydrogenation.

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) with many unique advantages have drawn wide attention in the field of catalysis. However, the poor structural stability of MOFs limits its application. Heat treatment for MOFs can enhance its electrical conductivity and structural stability, which helps to improve the catalytic performance.

Preparation of Hollow Niobium Oxide Nanospheres with Enhanced Catalytic Activity for Oxidative Desulfurization.

Hollow niobium oxide nanospheres were successfully synthesized by using prepared three-dimensional (3D) mesoporous carbon as the hard template. The 3D mesoporous carbon materials were prepared by using histidine as the carbon source and silica microspheres as the hard template. The samples were characterized by XRD, BET, SEM, TEM and other methods.

Solvent Effect on Product Distribution in the Aerobic Autoxidation of 2-Ethylhexanal: Critical Role of Polarity.

In the aerobic oxidation of aldehydes to acids, how the solvent affect the reaction remains unclear. Herein, the solvent effect in the oxidation of 2-ethylhexanal (2-ETH) to 2-ethylhexanoic acid (2-ETA) was systematically investigated. The vastly different product distributions were observed which could be ascribed to the dominant intermolecular forces.

Nickel-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation of γ-Keto Acids, Esters, and Amides to Chiral γ-Lactones and γ-Hydroxy Acid Derivatives.

A highly efficient asymmetric hydrogenation of a series of γ-keto acid derivatives, including γ-keto acids, esters, and amides, using a Ni-(,)-QuinoxP* complex as the catalyst has been developed to afford chiral γ-hydroxy acid derivatives with excellent enantioselectivities, up to 99.9% ee. This method provides not only an economical one-pot approach for the synthesis of chiral γ-lactones but also access to ()-norfluoxetine, an inhibitor of neural serotonin reuptake and an essential intermediate for pharmaceutical synthesis.

Kinetic Model of Olefins/Isobutane Alkylation Using Sulfuric Acid as Catalyst.

The alkylation of isobutane and low molecular olefins using strong acid as catalysts is an important process in the petrochemical field, and its product, alkylate, is an ideal gasoline blending component due to high octane number, low vapor pressure, low sulfur, and lack of aromatics. To better meet the optimization process of the simulation of the alkylation unit, a reaction kinetic model with 20 reactions based on industrial data was developed, in which the alkylation products were divided into lumped components in detail. The reactor model was established based on the flow state and structural pattern of the industrial reactor, considering the internal circulation flow, and is suitable for the simulation of the DuPont alkylation process.