One-step Processes Research Articles

A Comparative Study on the Corrosion Resistance and Long-Term Stability of Hierarchical Superhydrophobic Nickel Coatings Obtained by One-Step and Two-Step Electrodeposition Processes

A Comparative Study on the Corrosion Resistance and Long-Term Stability of Hierarchical Superhydrophobic Nickel Coatings Obtained by One-Step and Two-Step Electrodeposition Processes

Interfacial Design of Particulate Photocatalyst Materials for Green Hydrogen Production.

Green hydrogen production using particulate photocatalyst materials has attracted much attention in recent years because this process could potentially lead to inexpensive and scalable solar-to-chemical energy conversion systems. Although the development of efficient particulate photocatalysts enabling one-step overall water splitting (OWS) with solar-to-hydrogen efficiencies in excess of 10 % remains challenging, promising photocatalyst candidates exhibiting OWS activity have been demonstrated. This review provides a comprehensive introduction to the solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion process of semiconductor photocatalyst materials and highlights recent advances in photocatalytic OWS via both one-step and two-step photoexcitation processes. The review also covers recent developments in the photocatalytic OWS of SrTiO3, including the establishment of large-scale photocatalytic systems, interfacial design using cocatalysts to enhance water splitting activity, and its photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties at the electrified solid/liquid interface. In addition, there is a special focus on visible-light-absorbing oxynitride and oxysulfide particulate photocatalysts with absorption edges near 600 nm. Methods for photocatalyst preparation and surface modification, as well as PEC properties, are also discussed. The semiconductor properties of particulate photocatalysts obtained from photoelectroanalytical evaluations using particulate photoelectrodes are evaluated. This review is intended to provide guidelines for the future development of particulate photocatalysts capable of efficient and stable OWS.

Potential and characteristics of rare-earth metals acid bioleaching from the rare-earth-rich tailings with the enriched functional bacterial consortium: Comparison between one-step and two-step processes

The irreplaceable roles of rare-earth metals (REMs) in modern technologies have renewed interest in the grand challenges of mineral processing and metallurgical engineering—the efficient extraction of REMs. However, traditional methods for extracting REMs are inefficient, costly and harmful to health and the environment. In this study, a method of biological extraction (bioleaching), which has been proved to be effective in the field of mineral processing for extraction of the metals, was employed for REMs bioleaching from Bayan Obo rare-earth-rich tailings (RERT) using the acid functional bacterial consortium, and the optimal culture and leaching conditions were optimized. Under the optimal conditions for 18 days, the total bioleaching rate of the five main REMs of La, Ce, Pr, Nd and Sm was obtained at 82.78 % for one-step process and 83.51 % for two-step process, which has a significant improvement comparing to previous studies. The results demonstrated that REMs could be efficiently bioleached by acid bioleaching functional bacterial consortium, and the difference in leaching efficiency between the one-step and two-step bioleaching process was not significant. In addition, by analyzing the mineral composition of the RERT and leaching residue, the extensively bioleach of REMs in bastnaesite are observed. To sum up, the rare-earth resources of Bayan Obo RERT could be effectively leached by acid bioleaching method.

Insight into Low-Temperature One-Step Biopreparation and Natural Dyeing of Cotton as an Environmentally Benign Route

The goal of this study is to present an environmentally benign route for cotton fabric and investigate the effect of different pretreatments in natural dyeing. In this context, conventional alkaline scouring, conventional hydrogen peroxide bleaching, low-temperature one-step biopreparation processes, namely enzymatic scouring (alkaline pectinase and alkaline pectinase-neutral cellulase combination) at 55 °C and enzyme-bleaching agent (hydrogen peroxide/sodium percarbonate/sodium perborate)-activator agent (TAED) combinations at 65 °C were applied to 100% cotton knitted fabric. The use of agricultural waste and eco-friendly mordants was preferred in natural dyeing. For this purpose, pretreated fabrics were dyed with the outer green shell of almond fruit extracts and a low amount of 0.4 g/L metal mordants (alum and iron(II) sulfate) in accordance with the simultaneous mordanting method. The dyeing properties of bio- and conventionally prepared cotton fabrics were examined in terms of colorimetric data (K/S, CIELa*b*C*h°) and wash fastness compared with water absorbency, whiteness, weight loss, pectin removal, and type of mordant. Excellent wash fastness values were achieved regardless of the type of pretreatment. Low-temperature one-step biopreparation can be a good substitute for conventional scouring and bleaching processes. Since different results can be achieved, it is essential to determine and evaluate all bioprocess conditions depending on the end-use characteristics of the textile (e.g. whether it will be white or dyed/printed, its color and lightness/darkness) at the laboratory and industrial scale applications.

Extended Review Concerning the Integration of Electrochemical Biosensors into Modern IoT and Wearable Devices.

Electrochemical biosensors include a recognition component and an electronic transducer, which detect the body fluids with a high degree of accuracy. More importantly, they generate timely readings of the related physiological parameters, and they are suitable for integration into portable, wearable and implantable devices that are significant relative to point-of-care diagnostics scenarios. As an example, the personal glucose meter fundamentally improves the management of diabetes in the comfort of the patients' homes. This review paper analyzes the principles of electrochemical biosensing and the structural features of electrochemical biosensors relative to the implementation of health monitoring and disease diagnostics strategies. The analysis particularly considers the integration of the biosensors into wearable, portable, and implantable systems. The fundamental aim of this paper is to present and critically evaluate the identified significant developments in the scope of electrochemical biosensing for preventive and customized point-of-care diagnostic devices. The paper also approaches the most important engineering challenges that should be addressed in order to improve the sensing accuracy, and enable multiplexing and one-step processes, which mediate the integration of electrochemical biosensing devices into digital healthcare scenarios.

Constructing compartmental models of dynanic systems using a software package for symbolic computation in Julia

This paper considers the problem of constructing compartmental models of dynamic systems by using a software package for symbolic calculation written in Julia. The software package is aimed at unifying the formalized construction of compartmental models, taking into account the meaningful description of possible interactions among compartments and the influence of various factors on the evolution of systems. An approach to the development of the instrumental and methodological basis for modeling the dynamic systems the behavior of which can be described by one-step processes is developed. The proposed software package enables the symbolic representation of the differential equations of the model in both stochastic and deterministic cases. It is implemented in Julia and uses the Julia Symbolics computer algebra library. A comparison between the Julia Symbolics tools and some other computer algebra systems is carried out. The application of the developed software package to a compartmental model is considered. The results can be used to solve problems of constructing and studying dynamic models in natural sciences that are represented by onestep processes.

The 50th anniversary of the coupled channels Born approximation (CCBA) and the coupled reaction channels (CRC) theories of nucleon transfer reactions (a unique interplay between theory, experiment and computer technology, conducted during the most tumultuous period in modern American society)

Nucleon transfer reactions have played a fundamental role in understanding the single-particle components, shell structure and collective properties of atomic nuclei. The conventional distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA) envisioned the nucleon transfer reaction as a one-step process, which proceeds directly from the ground state of the target nucleus to a state of the residual nucleus. The coupled channels Born approximation (CCBA) and coupled reaction channels (CRC) theories evolved because a number of nucleon transfer reaction cross sections could not be reconciled within the DWBA. These coupled channels models revealed that, in addition to the “one-step” process of the DWBA, “multi-step” nucleon transfer processes involving accessary pathways can participate in populating the final nuclear state. In the CCBA, the auxiliary pathways involved inelastic excitations of the target and/or residual nucleus, whereas, in the CRC, the pathways included sequential nucleon transfer passing through nuclear states of an intermediate partition. Coherent addition of contributions from one-step and multi-step nucleon transfer processes resulted in dramatic alterations in reaction cross sections, which were experimentally confirmed. The CCBA and CRC linked the structure of the nuclei participating in a reaction to modalities of nucleon transfer arising during the relative motion between the interacting ions. These complementary theories inexorably changed physicists’ interpretations of nucleon transfer reactions and, in doing so, heralded in the new field of direct heavy-ion reactions.

Cesium lead bromide perovskite nanocrystals synthesized via supersaturated recrystallization at room temperature: comparison of one-step and two-step processes.

Over more than a decade, lead halide perovskites (LHPs) have been popular as a next-generation semiconductor for optoelectronics. Later, all-inorganic CsPbX3 (X = Cl, Br, and I) nanocrystals (NCs) were synthesized via supersaturated recrystallization (SR) at room temperature (RT). However, compared to the hot injection (HI) method, the formation mechanism of NCs via SR-RT has not been well studied. Hence, this study will contribute to elucidating SR-RT based on the LaMer model and Hansen solubility parameter. Herein, we also demonstrate the entropy-driven mixing between two dissimilar polar-nonpolar (DMF-toluene) solvents. Next, we find that, in a poor solvent (toluene ≫ DMF in volume), ∼60 nm sized CsPbBr3 NCs were synthesized in one step, whereas in a marginal solvent (toluene ≈ DMF), ∼3.5 nm sized NCs were synthesized in two steps, indicating the importance of solvent polarity, specifically the 'solubility parameter'. In addition, in the presence of a CuBr2 additive, high-quality cubic NCs (with ∼3.8 nm and ∼21.4 nm edge sizes) were synthesized. Hence, through this study, we present a 'solubility parameter-based nanocrystal-size control model' for SR-RT processes.

Application of liquid Ga-Pb cathode for selective separation of samarium fission products from molten alkali metal chlorides

The efficient separation of the rare earth element Sm from spent nuclear fuel is of strategic importance for the nuclear industries. This study explored the feasibility of a novel liquid Ga-Pb hybrid electrode for electrochemical extraction of samarium compounds, and the electrochemical reduction mechanism and dynamic properties of Sm(III) ions were provided in NaCl-2CsCl molten salt. It was established that the reduction mechanisms of Sm(III) to Sm(II) and Pb(II) to Pb(0) on the Mo cathode were a one-step reaction processes, respectively, while Ga(III) to Ga(0) was a two-step reaction process. The co-deposition mechanisms of Sm(III), Ga(III) and Pb(II) ions on the Mo cathode were identified, and the types of intermetallic compounds, formation potentials and reaction processes were analyzed. The deposition potential of Sm on Ga-Pb mixed cathode is determined, and the value of its depolarization was greater than on the liquid Pb electrode. Simultaneously, Sm ions have higher exchange current densities and lower activation energies for electrode reactions on the liquid Ga-Pb mixed electrodes than on the liquid Pb electrodes. Furthermore, the electro-separation of NaCl-2CsCl-SmCl3 molten salt was executed via potentiostatic electrolysis technique, and the separation efficiency and the effect of cathode product type were analyzed and compared in Ga-Pb hybrid electrode and Pb electrode. It was obtained that the maximum extraction efficiency on the Ga-Pb hybrid electrode and the separation efficiency of Sm could reach 91.3 % after 8 h of electrolysis.

Metals recovery from polymetallic sulfide tailings by bioleaching functional bacteria isolated with the improved 9K agar: Comparison between one-step and two-step processes

Due to the characteristics of simple process, environmental friendliness and low operating costs, biometallurgy has become a popular technology for metals recovering from low-grade ores and tailings. In order to enhance the efficiency of bioleaching functional bacteria acquisition, the 9K agar was optimized by adjusting the ratio of two solutions to achieve better and faster solidification for the functional bacteria growth and isolation. By using the improved 9K agar, six functional stains within genera of Acidithiobacillus ferriphilus, A. ferrooxidans and Leptospirillum ferrooxidans were isolated from the enrichment of acid mine drainage. After the Fe2+ oxidation ability evaluation, three strains of WT1-1, XT2-2, and YT3-1 within the three genera were selected and employed as the individual inoculum for the bioleaching from polymetallic sulfide tailings. Eventually, a maximum leaching efficiency of 58.37% Cu, 53.14% Al, 80.09% Mg, and 76.95% Zn were observed by A. ferriphilus WT1-1 after 28 d. To further improve the bioleaching efficiency, the three strains were mixed proportionally as the inoculum in both one-step and two-step bioleaching processes. Comparing to the pure cultures, the leaching efficiencies of Cu and Mg were significantly enhanced in both one- and two-steps, while no significant change in Zn. By comparing the one- and two-step processes, leaching efficiencies of Al, Mg, and Zn were higher in the one-step process, whereas Cu was observed to be higher in the two-step process. Therefore, the selection on leaching process of one or two steps should be determined based on tailings composition and target metals.

Impact of Ag on Electrochemical Recovery of UO2 in Molten LiCl-KCl Salt

To investigate the effect of fission element Ag on the electrochemical recovery of UO2, the electroreduction mechanisms of Ag+ and kinetic property of Ag+/Ag couple were first studied on W electrode by different electrochemical techniques. The electrode reactions of Ag+ and were found to be one-step and two-step reduction processes, respectively. The exchange current density of Ag+/Ag couple was estimated to be 0.0431∼0.0727 A cm−2 in the temperature range of 723∼798 K by LP technique, and its activation energy was evaluated to be 33.91 kJ mol−1. The deposition products obtained by constant potential electrolysis (CPE) were characterized by XRD and SEM-EDS, which showed the formed Ag and UO2 having pine-branch and micron-scale polyhedral structure, respectively. The influence of Ag+ on the electrochemical behavior of and morphology of UO2 were studied. The deposition potential of Ag+ was close to that of to UO2. The changes of Ag+ concentration and scan rate had no effect on the electroreduction mechanism of CPE was conducted, and the result indicated that UO2 and Ag could be co-deposited. The deposited Ag could change the morphology of recovered UO2.

In-depth analysis of corrosion-resistance and dynamic stability of superhydrophobic copper developed by a green approach

This study gives a systematic analysis of corrosion resistant behaviour of superhydrophobic copper fabricated by two-step (electrodeposition followed by coating) and one-step (coating without electrodeposition) processes using behenic acid. Wetting and corrosion characteristics of coated copper have been continuously evaluated by abrasion with sand paper, immersion in acidic and alkaline solutions, and heating at elevated temperature. Although, wetting properties of coating have been obviously decreased with continuous abrasion, contact with acidic and alkaline ambiance, and hot temperature exposure, but corrosion properties of coated copper have not shown the similar trends which has been discussed through polarisation tests and EIS study in detail. Additionally aforesaid both processes generate durable superhydrophobic copper surface with excellent corrosion-resistant and anti-wetting characteristics; however, a two-step process is proved more efficient than the one-step process and promises to produce anti-wetting coatings for real-world applications.

Construction of aggregation-induced emission photosensitizers through host-guest interactions for photooxidation reaction and light-harvesting

In the present work, we have designed and synthesized a triphenylamine modified cyanophenylenevinylene derivative (TPCI), which can self-assembly with cucurbit[6]uril (CB[6]) and cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) through host-guest interactions to form supramolecular complexes (TPCI-CB[6]) and supramolecular polymers (TPCI-CB[8]) in the aqueous solution. The supramolecular assemblies of TPCI-CB[6] and TPCI-CB[8] not only exhibited high singlet oxygen (1O2) production efficiency as photosensitizers, but also realized the application in the construction of artificial light-harvesting systems due to the excellent fluorescence properties in the aqueous solution. The production efficiency of 1O2 has been effectively improved after the addition of CB[6] and CB[8] for TPCI, which were applied as efficient photosensitizers in the photooxidation reactions of thioanisole and its derivatives with the highest yield of 98% in the aqueous solution. The excellent fluorescence properties of TPCI-CB[6] and TPCI-CB[8] can be used as energy donors in artificial light-harvesting systems with energy acceptors sulforhodamine 101 (SR101) and cyanine dye 5 (Cy5), in which one-step energy transfer processes of TPCI-CB[6]+SR101 and TPCI-CB[8]+Cy5, and a two-step sequential energy transfer process of TPCI-CB[6]+SR101+Cy5 were constructed to simulate the natural photosynthesis system.

Challenges and opportunities in plasma-activated reactions of CO2 with light alkanes

Upgrading CO 2 with surplus light alkanes to value-added chemicals using one-step plasma-activated processes under mild conditions, where opportunities and challenges for improving product selectivity focus on understanding reaction pathways, decoupling and benchmarking plasma and catalyst roles in reactions, tuning catalyst structural and electronic properties under plasma activation, and developing in situ characterization techniques.

Ni-doped α-MnO2 nanosheets coupled carbontubes for highly efficient Na+ ions capacity storage

Manganese dioxide (MnO2) has been broadly investigated as electrode material candidate for supercapacitors due to its high theoretical capacity and environmental protection. However, MnO2 also suffer from poor electrical conductivity. Herein, nickel-doped MnO2 coupled carbontubes (Ni-MnO2@CTs) material is prepared by one-step hydrothermal method and carbonization processes. Compared with undoped MnO2, Ni-doped MnO2 can improve the electrical conductivity and expand the voltage window of supercapacitors. This is because Ni doping can introduce additional charge states and regulate the reaction kinetics, changing the energy storage mechanism of the material. Additionally, the carbontubes substrate can enhance both the electrical conductivity and surface area of the material. Based on these advantages, Ni-MnO2@CTs can extend the voltage window of the positive to 0–1 V with high specific capacitance of 366 F g−1 at 1 A g−1. To explore the practical application of the materials, the asymmetric supercapacitor is fabricated with Ni-MnO2@CTs positive and Fe3O4/CTs negative (Ni-MnO2@CTs//Fe3O4/CTs) in a wide voltage window of 2 V. The supercapacitor displays excellent rate capability and cycle performance, while also possessing a high energy density of 44.5 Wh kg−1. These results suggest that the materials utilized in this study have the potential to be used in the development of wide-voltage aqueous asymmetric supercapacitors, which can further enhance their energy density.

Electrochemical extraction of Pr on reactive Ga, Ga–Pb and Pb electrodes in molten NaCl–2CsCl eutectic

The electrochemical behavior of Pr(III) ions in molten NaCl–2CsCl solutions was investigated via different electrochemical techniques on Mo inert and Ga, Ga–Pb and Pb reactive electrodes. It was determined that the electrochemical reduction process on inert electrodes proceeds in one stage. It is reversible at low scan rates below 0.1 V/s, whereas it is irreversible at high scan rates. The diffusion coefficients of PrCl63- complex ions were determined at different temperatures, and the activation energy of this process was calculated as 42.2 kJ mol−1. The co-reduction of Pr(III), Ga(III) and Pb(II) ions was investigated, and the redox potentials of forming different alloys were determined. The electrodeposition of Pr(III) ions was studied on three reactive electrodes, and one-step electrode processes were determined. The current exchange density of Pr(III) ions increased in the order of Pb < Ga–Pb < Ga. The composition of Ga2Pr and Pb3Pr intermetallic compounds was formed on reactive electrodes and their specific thermodynamic characteristics were calculated. Finally, praseodymium was successfully extracted from the molten salt in the form of Ga2Pr and Pb3Pr intermetallic compounds on three liquid reactive electrodes via potentiostatic electrolysis.

“Yixie” is likely not created equal for everyone: Distinct reasoning procedures in interpreting the same scalar quantifier

The present study examines the reasoning procedures involved in interpreting the scalar quantifier yixie (‘some’) in Mandarin Chinese via a mouse-tracking technique. Results showed that the aggregate mouse movement in accessing the pragmatic interpretation involved an extra step compared with that in accessing the logical interpretation. However, on the individual-trial level, participants differed significantly in their reasoning procedures. Some of the participants who consistently preferred the logical interpretation followed one-step processes; for those who consistently preferred the pragmatic interpretation, some of them followed two-step processes and some others followed one-step processes. These findings provided evidence for both the contextualist models and defaultist models, but raised concern over the constraint-based accounts. The distinct reasoning processes among the participants may reflect their different views on the nature of scalar implicatures, even for the same scalar quantifier. This extends the observation of scalar diversity to the level of language users. Not only are scalar implicatures from various scales accessed at different rates, but also the scalar implicature for the same scalar term may be represented with distinct status among language users.

DEVELOPMENT OF ALGORITHMS AND SOFTWARE FOR MODELING CONTROLLED DYMAMIC SYSTEMS USING SYMBOLIC COMPUTATIONS AND STOCHASTIC METHODS

The development of software for synthesizing and analyzing models of controlled systems taking into account their deterministic and stochastic description is an important direction of research. Results of the development of software for modeling dynamic systems the behavior of which can be described by onestep processes are presented. Models of population dynamics are considered as an example. The software uses a deterministic description of the model at its input to obtain a corresponding stochastic model in symbolic form and also analyze the model in detail (calculate trajectories in the deterministic and stochastic cases, find control functions, and visualize the results). An important aspect of the development is the use of computer algebra for analyzing the model and synthesizing controls. Methods and algorithms based on deterministic and stochastic Runge–Kutta methods, stability and control theory, methods for designing self-consistent stochastic models, numerical optimization algorithms, and artificial intelligence are implemented. The software was developed using high-level programming languages Python and Julia. As the basic tools, high-performance libraries for vector–matrix computations, symbolic computation libraries, libraries for the numerical solution of ordinary differential equations, and libraries of global optimization algorithms are used.

Device integration of electrochemical biosensors.

Electrochemical biosensors incorporate a recognition element and an electronic transducer for the highly sensitive detection of analytes in body fluids. Importantly, they can provide rapid readouts and they can be integrated into portable, wearable and implantable devices for point-of-care diagnostics; for example, the personal glucose meter enables at-home assessment of blood glucose levels, greatly improving the management of diabetes. In this Review, we discuss the principles of electrochemical biosensing and the design of electrochemical biosensor devices for health monitoring and disease diagnostics, with a particular focus on device integration into wearable, portable and implantable systems. Finally, we outline the key engineering challenges that need to be addressed to improve sensing accuracy, enable multiplexing and one-step processes, and integrate electrochemical biosensing devices in digital health-care pathways.

Trifunctional Microgel-Mediated Preparation and Toughening of Printable High-Performance Chitosan Hydrogels for Underwater Communications.

Natural and biocompatible chitosan has demonstrated wide applications. However, rapidly fabricating high-performance chitosan hydrogels in one-step controllable processes is still a challenge for some advanced applications. Here, we report a trifunctional microgel-mediated photochemical (TMMP) strategy to achieve the fabrication of printable tough chitosan-based hydrogels (PTCHs) in seconds. Such microgels help the slow release of persulfate anions and their uniform dispersion in an aqueous solution of cationic chitosan. The released persulfates are available for preparing multiple networks of phenolic coupling of modified chitosan and radical polymerization of Pluronic F127 via orthogonal tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(II)-based photochemistry, respectively. Trifunctional microgels have reversible Ca2+-crosslinked networks that further improve the hydrogels' mechanical properties and toughness. The maximum stress and toughness increase by >20 folds compared to the chitosan and F127 hydrogels with single network structures. Moreover, these microgels enable the precursor to have a good shearing-thinning property and benefit the controllable preparation of PTCHs in a short time, as low as ∼4 s under visible light irradiation. It, therefore, is compatible with standard printing techniques to make complex structures. Strain sensors based on structured PTCHs have stable mechanical and responsive properties in the water, which are applied for real-time underwater communications (<0.4 s). It is anticipated that this one-step TMMP strategy opens new horizons for designing advanced chitosan hydrogels.