Migration of total petroleum hydrocarbon and heavy metal contaminants in the soil-groundwater interface of a petrochemical site using machine learning: impacts of convection and diffusion.

Convection and diffusion are key pathways for the migration of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) and heavy metals (HMs) from soil to groundwater. However, the extent of their influence on pollutant migration, as well as the nonlinear relationships between these processes and pollutants, remains unclear. This study investigates the spatial distribution of TPH and HMs at a petrochemical site with complex hydrogeological conditions in southwestern China.

Restraining the shuttle effect of polyiodides and modulating the deposition of zinc ions to enhance the cycle lifespan of aqueous Zn-I batteries.

The boom of aqueous Zn-based energy storage devices, such as zinc-iodine (Zn-I) batteries, is quite suitable for safe and sustainable energy storage technologies. However, in rechargeable aqueous Zn-I batteries, the shuttle phenomenon of polyiodide ions usually leads to irreversible capacity loss resulting from both the iodine cathode and the zinc anode, and thus impinges on the cycle lifespan of the battery. Herein, a nontoxic, biocompatible, and economical polymer of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is exploited as an electrolyte additive.

Selective Stereoretention of Carbohydrates upon C-C Cleavage Enabling D-Glyceric Acid Production with High Optical Purity over a Ag/γ-AlO Catalyst.

Chiral carboxylic acid production from renewable biomass by chemocatalysis is vitally important for reducing our carbon footprint, but remains underdeveloped. We herein establish a strategy that make use of a stereogenic center of biomass to achieve a rare example of D-glyceric acid production with the highest yield (86.8 %) reported to date as well as an excellent ee value (>99 %).

Insights into the potential applications of permanganate/peroxymonosulfate systems: enhancement amorphous MnO, effects of water matrices, and optimization using response surface methodology.

In this study, we developed a novel self-catalytic oxidation system involving peroxymonosulfate (PMS) and permanganate (KMnO), named as CUPP, to efficiently mineralize sulfamethoxazole (SMX) in groundwater. It was found that amorphous MnO derived from the reduction of KMnO can directly adsorb HSO, a complex hydroxyl group, mediate the internal disproportionation reaction of HSO with the manganese complex, and effectively activate PMS, thereby promoting the oxidation of SMX and its degradation intermediates through sulfonate radiation. Furthermore, by using electron spin resonance (EPR), HPLC/MS full scan, and response surface methodology, the coexistence of HO˙, SO˙, O˙, O, and active chlorine (Cl, HOCl) in the CUPP system was confirmed.

Effect of polyacrylamide morphology templated using lyotropic liquid crystal on the proton conductivity of acid hydrogels.

Acid hydrogels comprising polymer networks are promising soft electrolytes whose proton conductivities are most often regulated by acid content. Herein, promotion of conductivity by solely regulating polymer morphology has been demonstrated for acid hydrogels with identical acid content. Polymerization of acrylamide at different temperatures in the same aqueous solution, which is a lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC) of 4-(1-ethyldecyl)benzenesulfonic acid (EDBSA) exhibiting a phase transition at 30 °C, affords acid hydrogels comprising ordered and random polymer networks.

Monoammonium salts of multiprotic acids as dopants for proton-conductive hydrogel membranes: the effects of anions.

Monoammonium salts of diprotic acid (NHHSO) and triprotic acid (NHHPO), whose cations and anions are both potential proton carriers, were employed as dopants for proton-conductive hydrogel membranes to explore the effects of anions on thermal, mechanical, and electrochemical performance. Robust hydrogel membranes were obtained by radical copolymerization of acrylamide and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate dissolved in aqueous solutions of NHHSO and NHHPO. By virtue of the protonated ammonium cation, the ionic conductivities of the hydrogels doped with NHHSO and NHHPO were superior to those doped with the corresponding inorganic acids (HSO and HPO).

gelation of aqueous sulfuric acid solution for fuel cells.

Aqueous sulfuric acid solution is a versatile liquid electrolyte for electrochemical applications and gelation of it has the advantages of easy shaping and reduced leaking. Herein, aqueous sulfuric acid solutions with concentrations of 1-4 mol L are fabricated into gel membranes by polymerization of acrylamide as a monomer and divilynbenzene as a crosslinker for fuel cell applications. The gel membrane with an acid concentration of 3.

Optimization of PAHs oxidation from contaminated soil using modified nanoscale zero-valent iron combined with potassium permanganate.

A novel synergistic oxidation technology based on modified nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) and potassium permanganate (KMnO) was developed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) remediation in actual contaminated soil. In this study, three surfactants were used as dispersants to modify nZVI, including poly acrylic (PAA), sorbitan monolaurate (SPAN-20) and sugar esters (SE). The following parameters were studied to optimize the coupling oxidation process: dispersants/nZVI ratio, dosage of oxidant based on soil oxidation demand (SOD), amount of modified nanomaterials added in the coupling system.

Tuning Ligand-Coordinated Single Metal Atoms on TiO and their Dynamic Response during Hydrogenation Catalysis.

Ligand-coordinated supported catalysts (LCSCs) are of growing interest for heterogeneous single-atom catalysis. Here, the effect of the choice of organic ligand on the activity and stability of TiO -supported single-atom Pt-ligand catalysts was investigated for ethylene hydrogenation. The activity of these catalysts showed a significant dependence on the choice of ligand and also correlated with coordination number for Pt-ligand and Pt-Cl .

The performance of emerging materials derived from waste organism blood and saponified modified orange peel for immobilization of available Cd in soil.

Waste organism blood (WOB) and orange peel are emerging stabilization materials obtained as by-products from agricultural processes, which are quite suitable for heavy metal immobilization in soil. In this work, waste organism blood and chemically modified orange peel (SOP) were investigated as potential sorbents for immobilization of available Cd in soil. Application of 5% WOB and SOP effectively immobilized cadmium (Cd) with an associated regulation of soil pH, among which the pH of acidic soil increased most significantly.

Lamellar Lyotropic Liquid Crystal Superior to Micellar Solution for Proton Conduction in an Aqueous Solution of 1-Tetradecyl-3-methylimidazolium Hydrogen Sulfate.

Humidified perfluorosulfonic acid polymers with a nanoscopic phase-separated morphology are highly proton-conductive materials for fuel cells, yet morphology tuning of the acidic materials for enhanced conduction remains a challenge. Aqueous acidic lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) provide a powerful platform to construct well-defined nanostructures for proton conduction. We report an aqueous LLC formed by 1-tetradecyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate, exhibiting a proton conductivity of 210 mS cm at 25 °C, which surpasses that formed by alkylsulfonic acid, thus demonstrating that a mobile acidic anion is more efficient than constrained sulfonic acid functionality to transport protons in LLCs.

Topology-Matching Design of an Influenza-Neutralizing Spiky Nanoparticle-Based Inhibitor with a Dual Mode of Action.

In this study, we demonstrate the concept of "topology-matching design" for virus inhibitors. With the current knowledge of influenza A virus (IAV), we designed a nanoparticle-based inhibitor (nano-inhibitor) that has a matched nanotopology to IAV virions and shows heteromultivalent inhibitory effects on hemagglutinin and neuraminidase. The synthesized nano-inhibitor can neutralize the viral particle extracellularly and block its attachment and entry to the host cells.

Microwave roasting of blast furnace slag for carbon dioxide mineralization and energy analysis.

For both the waste treatment of large quantities of blast furnace (BF) slag and carbon dioxide (CO) that are discharged in ironworks, mineral carbonation by BF slag was proposed in this decade. However, it has not been widely used due to its high energy consumption and low production efficiency. In this study, a microwave roasting method was employed to mineralize CO with BF slag, and the process parameters for the sulfation and energy consumption were investigated.

TiO-Au composite nanofibers for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

TiO-based materials for photocatalytic hydrogen (H) evolution have attracted much interest as a renewable approach for clean energy applications. TiO-Au composite nanofibers (NFs) with an average fiber diameter of ∼160 nm have been fabricated by electrospinning combined with calcination treatment. reduced gold nanoparticles (NPs) with uniform size (∼10 nm) are found to disperse homogenously in the TiO NF matrix.

Polyacrylamide crosslinked by bis-vinylimidazolium bromide for high elastic and stable hydrogels.

A series of ionic compounds 1,-dialkyl-3,3'-bis-l-vinylimidazolium bromide (C VIM) are prepared and employed to crosslink acrylamide for polyacrylamide (PAAM) hydrogel preparation solution polymerization. The swelling behavior, mechanical properties and thermal stability of the prepared C VIM crosslinked PAAM hydrogels are investigated. C VIM effectively crosslink the PAAM networks to form porous structures in the hydrogel, which could stably absorb water as much as 75.

Anisotropic Dye Adsorption and Anhydrous Proton Conductivity in Smectic Liquid Crystal Networks: The Role of Cross-Link Density, Order, and Orientation.

In this work, the decisive role of rigidity, orientation, and order in the smectic liquid crystalline network on the anisotropic proton and adsorbent properties is reported. The rigidity in the hydrogen-bonded polymer network has been altered by changing the cross-link density, the order by using different mesophases (smectic, nematic, and isotropic phases), whereas the orientation of the mesogens was controlled by alignment layers. Adding more cross-linkers improved the integrity of the polymer films.