Enhanced volatile fatty acid production from waste activated sludge by urea hydrogen peroxide: performance and mechanisms.

Anaerobic acidogenesis of waste activated sludge (WAS) presents significant potential for resource recovery and waste treatment. However, the slow hydrolysis of WAS limits the efficiency of this approach. In this study, we applied urea hydrogen peroxide (UHP) pretreatment to enhance WAS hydrolysis and investigated the effects of operating parameters on volatile fatty acid (VFA) production and the associated mechanisms.

Study of a three-dimensional biofilm-electrode reactor (3D-BER) that combined heterotrophic and autotrophic denitrification (HAD) to remove nitrate from water.

A three-dimensional biofilm-electrode reactor (3D-BER) that combined heterotrophic and autotrophic denitrification (HAD) was developed to remove nitrate. The denitrification performance of the 3D-BER was evaluated under different experimental conditions, including current intensities (0-80 mA), COD/N ratios (0.5-5), and hydraulic retention times (2-12 h).

Modification of sulfonated poly(arylene ether nitrile) proton exchange membranes by poly(ethylene--vinyl alcohol).

The modification of the physicochemical properties of sulfonated poly(arylene ether nitrile) (SPAEN) proton exchange membranes was demonstrated by poly(ethylene--vinyl alcohol) (EVOH) doping (named SPAEN-%). By controlling the temperature during membrane preparation, the side reactions of the sulfonic acid groups to form sulfonic acid esters were effectively prevented, greatly reducing the proton conductivity of the membranes. Due to the flexible chain of EVOH, SPAEN-8% showed a relatively high elongation of 30.

Tristate ferroelectric memory effect attained by tailoring the ferroelectric behavior in Bi(NaK)TiO with Eu doping.

The ferroelectric behavior of Bi(NaK)TiO has been tailored by Eu doping and the intermediate relaxor state is utilized for tristate ferroelectric memory effect. As Eu content increases, the local structural disorder tends to get enhanced and the stability of ferroelectric order gets weakened. The disruption effect of Eu is manifested structurally in XRD and PL spectra, and electrically in the ferroelectric, dielectric and piezoelectric properties.

Evolution and fabrication of carbon dot-based room temperature phosphorescence materials.

Traditional room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials usually include organometallic composites and pure organic compounds, which generally possess the disadvantages of high toxicity, high cost and complicated preparation. Carbon dots (CDs) are a new kind of luminescent material and have attracted widespread attention due to their benefits of excellent tunable emission, nice biocompatibility, cost-effectiveness, facile preparation and environmental friendliness. Since photoluminescence is an important luminescent property of carbon-based fluorescent nanomaterials, CD-based RTP materials have sparked a new research wave due to the properties of extremely long phosphorescence lifetime, large Stokes shift and high environmental sensitivity.

Fabrication and desired properties of conductive hydrogel dressings for wound healing.

Conductive hydrogels are platforms recognized as constituting promising materials for tissue engineering applications. This is because such conductive hydrogels are characterized by the inherent conductivity properties while retaining favorable biocompatibility and mechanical properties. These conductive hydrogels can be particularly useful in enhancing wound healing since their favorable conductivity can promote the transport of essential ions for wound healing the imposition of a so-called transepithelial potential.

Degradable FeO-based nanocomposite for cascade reaction-enhanced anti-tumor therapy.

Cascade catalytic therapy has been recognized as a promising cancer treatment strategy, which is due in part to the induced tumor apoptosis when converting intratumoral hydrogen peroxide (HO) into highly toxic hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) based on the Fenton or Fenton-like reactions. Moreover this is driven by the efficient catalysis of glucose oxidization associated with starving therapy. The natural glucose oxidase (GO ), recognized as a "star" enzyme catalyst involved in cancer treatment, can specially and efficiently catalyze the glucose oxidization into gluconic acid and HO.

Cycling stability of FeO nanosheets as supercapacitor sheet electrodes enhanced by MgFeO nanoparticles.

The FeO material is a common active material for supercapacitor electrodes and has received much attention due to its cheap and easy availability and high initial specific capacitance. In the present study, we prepared adhesive-free FeO sheet electrodes for supercapacitors by growing FeO material on nickel foam by hydrothermal method. The sheet electrode exhibited a high initial specific capacitance of 863 F g, but we found that the sheet lost its specific capacitance too quickly through cyclic stability tests.

Tumor identification portable Raman detection of sialic acid with a dual gold nanoprobe system.

A dual gold nanoprobe system was designed for portable Raman detection of sialic acid (SA) for tumor identification. The dual gold nanoprobe system contained two gold nanoprobes, Au10-DTTC/PEG-PBA and Au40-PEG-SA. Au10-DTTC/PEG-PBA was constructed on a 10 nm gold nanoparticle modified with 3,3'-diethylthia tricarbocyanine iodide (DTTCI) as the Raman reporter and 3-aminophenylboronic acid (APBA) through a thiol PEG succinimidyl carboxymethyl ester (HS-PEG-NHS) linker for specific recognition of SA.

Synthesis and characterization of rod-like amino acids/nanohydroxyapatite composites to inhibit osteosarcoma.

In this study, rod-like hydroxyapatite (HA) with uniform morphology and controllable particle size modified by doping with two different amino acids (alanine and threonine) was synthesized by a microwave hydrothermal method. The physical and chemical properties of the composites were tested by utilizing X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), general thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM and XRD results show that the presence of amino acids (especially threonine) can significantly reduce the aspect ratio and crystallinity of hydroxyapatite.

Preparation of ecofriendly water-borne polyurethane elastomer with mechanical robustness and self-healable ability based on multi-dynamic interactions.

Self-healing materials have attracted widespread attention owing to their capacity to extend the lifetime of materials and improve resource utilization. However, achieving superior mechanical performance and high self-healable capability simultaneously under moderate conditions remains a long-standing challenge. Integrating multiple dynamic interactions in waterborne polyurethane (WPU) systems can overcome the above-mentioned issue.

Porous LaFeO perovskite catalysts synthesized by different methods and their high activities for CO oxidation.

In this study, spherical α-FeO prepared by the hydrothermal method was used as a template for the first time; LaFeO perovskite catalysts were successfully synthesized by the molten salt method (M-LF-), sol-gel method (S-LF-), and co-precipitation method (C-LF-), respectively. To determine the optimal synthesis method, X-ray diffraction patterns were obtained and showed that single phase LaFeO with good crystallinity was prepared by the molten salt method after calcination at 600 °C for 4 h. SEM and TEM images showed that the M-LF-600 catalyst preserved the spherical structure of α-FeO template.

Advances in wearable textile-based micro energy storage devices: structuring, application and perspective.

The continuous expansion of smart microelectronics has put forward higher requirements for energy conversion, mechanical performance, and biocompatibility of micro-energy storage devices (MESDs). Unique porosity, superior flexibility and comfortable breathability make the textile-based structure a great potential in wearable MESDs. Herein, a timely and comprehensive review of this field is provided according to recent research advances.

Multiple fluorescence response behaviours to proteins/bacteria and selective antibacterial activity of cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC)-based cationic carbon dots.

Direct interaction between carbon dots (CDs) and biomolecules leads to changes in the chemical and physical status as well as properties of CDs, which can have various biological and biomedical applications. In this work, the surface of CDs was modified with cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) to facilitate interactions between CDs and biomolecules. Multiple fluorescence response behaviours of CPC-based CDs were observed towards several proteins (bovine serum albumin, lysozyme, protamine, and hemoglobin) and bacterial cells ( and ).

Nature-inspired preparation of self-adhesive, frost-resistant, and ion-conductive hydrogels for flexible strain sensors.

A nature-inspired strategy has been developed to prepare polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/catechol-modified quaternized chitosan (QCS-C)/MXene hydrogels with good self-adhesion, frost-resistance, and high ion-conductivity. The PVA/QCS-C/MXene hydrogel shows an ionic conductivity of 8.82 S m and a gauge factor of 33.

Attenuation of the Bauschinger effect and enhancement of tension-compression asymmetry in single crystal aluminum by temperature.

Temperature has a great influence on the mechanical properties of nano-materials. The molecular dynamics method was used to study the effect of temperature on the tension-compression asymmetry and Bauschinger effect of nano single crystal aluminum (NSCA). The strain-hardening behavior of NSCA in the tensile plastic stage is significantly enhanced when the temperature is higher than 400 K.

A regio- and stereoselective Heck-Matsuda process for construction of γ-aryl allylsulfonyl fluorides.

A highly efficient regio- and stereoselective Heck-Matsuda method was developed employing aryl diazoniums and allylsulfonyl fluorides for the construction of a class of novel γ-aryl allylsulfonyl fluorides in the presence of Pd(OAc) and PPh. The method features excellent regio- and stereoselectivity (up to 100% -selectivity), broad substrate scope and mild reaction conditions. Further application of γ-aryl allylsulfonyl fluoride in SuFEx reactions was achieved to provide their corresponding sulfonates and sulfonamides in excellent yields.

Design and synthesis of TiO/C nanosheets with a directional cascade carrier transfer.

Directed transfer of carriers, akin to excited charges in photosynthesis, in semiconductors by structural design is challenging. Here, TiO nanosheets with interlayered sp carbon and titanium vacancies are obtained by low-temperature controlled oxidation calcination. The directed transfer of carriers from the excited position to Ti-vacancies to interlayered carbon is investigated and proven to greatly increase the charge transport efficiency.

A novel method of preparing vanadium-based precursors and their enhancement mechanism in vanadium nitride preparation.

Vanadium nitride is widely used because of its excellent properties. The existing production methods are affected by the problems of complex preparation for the vanadium source, high temperature, and low N content. In this work, a wide range of vanadium solutions were used as the vanadium source to prepare vanadium nitride with high N content.

Positional isomeric effect of monobrominated ending groups within small molecule acceptors on photovoltaic performance.

As an ending acceptor unit (A) within acceptor-donor-acceptor (A-D-A)-type small molecule acceptors (SMAs), monobrominated 1,1-dicyanomethylene-3-indanone (IC-Br) plays a critical role on developing high-performance SMAs and polymer acceptors from polymerizing SMAs. IC-Br is usually a mixture (IC-Br-m) consisting of positional isomeric IC-Br-γ and IC-Br-δ (bromine substituted on the γ and δ positions, respectively). The positional isomeric effect of these monobrominated ending groups has been witnessed to take an important role on regulating the photovoltaic performance.

Effects of inorganic particles on the crystallization, mechanical properties and cellular structure of foamed PP composites in the IMD/MIM process.

Foamed polypropylene (PP) composites containing inorganic particles were prepared using a combined in-mold decoration and microcellular injection molding (IMD/MIM) method, and supercritical fluid-nitrogen was used as the physical blowing agent. Calcium carbonate (CaCO) and montmorillonite (MMT) with particle size that varied from nanometer to micron were selected as reinforcement particles. The effect of inorganic particle type and size on the crystallization, mechanical properties, and cellular structure of the parts were investigated.

Mineralization of calcium phosphate induced by a silk fibroin film under different biological conditions.

Silk fibroin is a promising biomaterial that has been used for tissue engineering applications. However, the influence of silk fibroin on the mineralization of calcium phosphate in different biological environments has not been discussed before. In this work, we fabricated organized silk fibroin film as the organic framework and amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) deposited on the films as precursors.

Bandgap adjustment assisted preparation of >18% Cs FA PbI Br -based perovskite solar cells using a hybrid spraying process.

The preparation of Cs FA PbI Br -based perovskite by ultrasonic spraying has valuable application in the preparation of tandem solar cells on textured substrates due to its excellent stability and the advantages of large-area uniform preparation from the spraying technology. However, the bandgap of perovskite prepared by spraying method is difficult to adjust, and perovskites with a wide bandgap have the issue of phase instability. Here, we improved the crystallinity of the perovskite by simply controlling the post-annealing temperature.

Experimental study on the degradation mechanism of LaCoO-based symmetric supercapacitors.

In this paper, LaCoO powders were prepared by the urea combustion method and used as electrode materials for supercapacitors. The effect of the potential window and the current density on the performance degradation of LaCoO electrodes during the cycling test was analyzed. The degradation mechanism of LaCoO-based symmetric supercapacitors was discussed.