Amount Of Oxygen Research Articles

Design and Development of a Smart Trash Bin to Minimize Odor from Household Waste Based on the Internet of Things

The problem that occurs is that household waste continues to increase along with the development of population and the number of increasingly dense settlements. The existence of this household waste is of concern to the community and the government because it can cause various negative impacts. Based on the results of observations of the existing trash cans, the accumulation of household waste is the source of this unpleasant odor. Smell is connoted as something that tends to disturb comfort, and gives the impression of being unclean and the like, such as fishy, rotten, urine, rancid, and so on. The smell of burning garbage is also dangerous because it contains H2 which reduces the amount of oxygen in the air. This study aims to prevent the occurrence of unpleasant odors from garbage. The tool will be designed using the NodeMCU microcontroller with website-based monitoring and Whatsapp notifications automatically when the trash can is full and automatic deodorizing powder spraying according to the concentration of gas released by the stench. This study uses the Experimental and Comparative Testing method in designing an IoT-based Smart Trash Bin tool and conducting tests on the built system and comparing the test results with the expected system. The results of this study indicate that the Smart Trash Bin tool can work and function as expected, namely being able to minimize the unpleasant odor emitted by the trash can and being able to monitor the sprinkling of deodorizing powder, the status of the height of the trash can and can provide notifications both automatically and manual to officers through the website.

Micro/Nanobubble-Assisted Lipotransfer: In Vivo Evidence of Improved Graft Outcomes.

Retention rates of lipotransfer remain variable, with the underlying cause associated with tissue oxygenation and blood supply barriers. One promising new method of improving tissue oxygenation is micro/nanobubbles (MNBs), which are small gas bubbles (<100 μm) generated within a saline solution. MNBs are stable and carry a significant amount of oxygen, and because of their negatively charged surface characteristics, they are an ideal oxygen-delivery solution. Thus, we hypothesize that washing/oxygenating lipoaspirate tissue prior to transplantation in a micro/nanobubble saline solution will improve graft survival and quality compared to a saline control. Human lipoaspirate samples obtained from healthy donors were washed with an oxygenated MNB or saline wash. These samples were then injected into the dorsum of sixteen 6-week-old male BALB/c mice, where each mouse received one saline and one MNB-washed graft. At 2-, 4-, 8-, and 12-week time points, the explants were harvested and weighed, and gas pycnometry was performed to assess graft volume. The tissues were also subjected to hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemistry to detect perilipin and blood vessels (CD31). These stains, as well as adipocyte count and area quantifications, were analyzed using ImageJ. HE staining revealed that the control group demonstrated notable adipocyte hypertrophy, while MNB-washed samples had evident adipocyte hyperplasia. This observation was confirmed by an analysis of variance (ANOVA), which showed that the control group had a larger average graft mass and volume (P < 0.01). MNB-washed grafts also exhibited significantly greater adipocyte counts and smaller adipocytes (P < 0.001). Perilipin staining was also greater in the MNB group at the 2- and 4-week time point indicating improved de novo adipogenesis following implantation. Lastly, CD31 staining revealed a significantly greater core vessel density and angiogenesis at the 4-week and 12-week time points (P < 0.01). Our study demonstrates that MNBs enhance tissue quality as indicated by a significant increase in de novo adipogenesis, higher vessel density, and decreased adipocyte hypertrophy. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness. Nevertheless, incorporating MNBs into procedures holds great promise in tackling the ongoing challenge of inconsistent outcomes in lipotransfer.

Engineered Metal–Organic Framework with Stereotactic Anchoring and Spatial Separation of Porphyrins for Amplified Ultrasound‐Mediated Pyroptosis and Cancer Immunotherapy

AbstractUltrasound‐mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation is pivotal in specifically inducing pyroptosis of tumor cells. However, the effectiveness of pyroptosis is generally hindered by the constraints of ROS generation efficiency. Herein, a new porphyrin‐based metal–organic framework (Fe(TCPP)‐MOF) was rationally designed via an innovative dual‐solvent strategy to amplify ROS generation for ultrasound‐controlled pyroptosis. The crystal structure of Fe(TCPP)‐MOF was elucidated by continuous rotation electron diffraction technique, revealing its regular and rigid conformation. The porphyrin molecules were precisely oriented and firmly confined within the scaffold, effectively restricting intramolecular motion. The ample distance of 6.8 Å between two porphyrin molecules, combined with the interaction region indicator visualization, confirmed the absence of π–π stacking interactions in the Fe(TCPP)‐MOF framework, thereby avoiding the aggregation‐caused quenching effect. Furthermore, the permanent porosity and expansive surface area of Fe(TCPP)‐MOF enhanced its interaction with oxygen. These ingenious structural features endowed Fe(TCPP)‐MOF with a unique ability to generate a large amount of singlet oxygen under ultrasound activation. Meanwhile, the impetus of ultrasound also accelerated the rate of the Fenton reaction catalyzed by iron ions, significantly boosting the generation of hydroxyl radicals. Benefiting from the dual amplification of ROS, Fe(TCPP)‐MOF could efficiently induce tumor cells pyroptosis under ultrasound stimulation, thereby intensifying the potency of cancer immunotherapy.

Algae-based flexible localized oxygen control around Cells: An approach leading to more Biomimetic microphysiological systems

Oxygen levels are crucial in the cellular microenvironment, affecting cellular function. Controlling pericellular oxygen is essential for understanding cell-oxygen interactions, disease mechanisms, and developing therapies. In this study, an algae strain was engineered as a biological oxygen-control material, integrated with a light-controlled microphysiological system to regulate pericellular oxygen. This technique could provide different oxygen levels and varying profiles for different locations within one microphysiological system. Additionally, the pericellular oxygen dynamics were faster than those achieved by other methods. By utilizing this algae-integrated microfluidic chip, mesenchymal stem cells differentiated into adipocytes with improved phenotypic characteristics, including increased numbers and sizes of lipid droplets, under 21-day stage-specific oxygen concentrations. Furthermore, this technique effectively mitigated the need to vent significant amounts of oxygen or nitrogen into the laboratory during long-term or virus-infested experiments, thereby enhancing both safety and practicality. The algae-integrated microfluidic chip also served as a platform for constructing a stroke-related vascular-on-chip model, enabling the evaluation of the protective effects of oxygen therapy on endothelial injury induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R). The results indicated that waving hyperoxic dynamics were most effective in safeguarding vascular tissue against OGD/R compared to other hyperoxic dynamics. This finding can guide the clinical oxygen inhalation mode during stroke management. All the aforementioned results demonstrated that the algae-light microphysiological system offered a technical platform capable of precise, dynamic pericellular oxygen control across the disciplines of biology and pharmaceutics. Moreover, The cost-effective cultivation of algae on a large scale made this method suitable for wider use.

Improving methane production and 4-chlorophenol removal in anaerobic digestion of corn straw by adding Phanerochaete chrysosporium and biochar under microaerobic conditions

The stable lignocellulose structure in the straw is the main obstacle for methane production during its anaerobic digestion, and the residual chlorophenols in the straw further increase the difficulty. In this study, the anaerobic digestion of corn straw containing 4-chlorophenol was enhanced by the addition of Phanerochaete chrysosporium and biochar. The results revealed that P. chrysosporium significantly increased the soluble COD concentration and total COD removal efficiency in the anaerobic digestion of corn straw, which initially contained a small amount of residual oxygen (4.1–4.5 mg/L). The accumulative methane production of the P. chrysosporium-coupled biochar (PC-BC) group and the PC group with P. chrysosporium alone were 232.9 ± 3.0 mL and 201.7 ± 5.1 mL, respectively, which were significantly higher than the control group (19.4 ± 1.0 mL) with the sterilized P. chrysosporium. The presence of biochar increased 4-CP removal rate to 93.3 %, which was 15.2 % higher than the control. Additionally, FTIR analysis indicated that the addition of P. chrysosporium and biochar enhanced the decomposition of lignocellulose structure. Moreover, the sludge capacitance and electron transfer capacity were highest in the PC-BC group. Also, microbial community analysis showed that biochar could enrich dechlorinating bacteria (e.g., Sedimentibacter) and electroactive microorganisms, which further enhanced dechlorination and methanogensis.

Engineered Metal-Organic Framework with Stereotactic Anchoring and Spatial Separation of Porphyrins for Amplified Ultrasound-Mediated Pyroptosis and Cancer Immunotherapy.

Ultrasound-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation is pivotal in specifically inducing pyroptosis of tumor cells. However, the effectiveness of pyroptosis is generally hindered by the constraints of ROS generation efficiency. Herein, a new porphyrin-based metal-organic framework (Fe(TCPP)-MOF) was rationally designed via an innovative dual-solvent strategy to amplify ROS generation for ultrasound-controlled pyroptosis. The crystal structure of Fe(TCPP)-MOF was elucidated by continuous rotation electron diffraction technique, revealing its regular and rigid conformation. The porphyrin molecules were precisely oriented and firmly confined within the scaffold, effectively restricting intramolecular motion. The ample distance of 6.8 Å between two porphyrin molecules confirmed the absence of π-π stacking interactions in the Fe(TCPP)-MOF framework, thereby avoiding the aggregation-caused quenching effect. Furthermore, the permanent porosity and expansive surface area of Fe(TCPP)-MOF enhanced its interaction with oxygen. These ingenious structural features endowed Fe(TCPP)-MOF with a unique ability to generate a large amount of singlet oxygen under ultrasound activation. Meanwhile, the impetus of ultrasound also accelerated the rate of the Fenton reaction catalyzed by iron ions, significantly boosting the generation of hydroxyl radicals. Benefiting from the dual amplification of ROS, Fe(TCPP)-MOF could efficiently induce tumor cells pyroptosis under ultrasound stimulation, thereby intensifying the potency of cancer immunotherapy.

HWCVD growth of hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon oxide window layers for SHJ solar cells

In recent years, successful development of n-type hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon oxide (n-nc-SiOx:H) window layers with high conductivity and low parasitic absorption, grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technology, has significantly enhanced the power conversion efficiency of silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells. Although SHJ solar cells have significant advantages in efficiency, the high cost of the PECVD equipment presents a significant barrier to their mass production. The utilization of the more cost-effective hot wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) technology presents a promising solution. Nevertheless, HWCVD technology currently lacks an industrially viable methodology for growing high-performance window layers due to a phenomenon of associated severe loss of passivation. In this work, the phenomenon and the solution have been investigated. The results demonstrate that, in HWCVD processes, large amounts of hydrogen and small amounts of oxygen, which are essential for enhancing the crystallinity and conductivity and reducing the parasitic absorption, both induce significant damage to the previously grown intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon layer, leading to poor passivation, and hence much lower cell efficiency. Introduction of a densified amorphous silicon barrier layer was found to be an effective solution to the aforementioned passivation loss, resulting in the successful growth of nc-SiOx:H window layers by HWCVD, with an efficiency enhancement of 0.37%abs. Finally, a commercial-size SHJ solar cell with an efficiency of 24.74 % was fabricated using a home-made HWCVD-based pilot SHJ cell line.

Clinical outcomes of autologous adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell combined with high tibial osteotomy for knee osteoarthritis are correlated with stem cell stemness and senescence

BackgroundMesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been proposed to treat osteoarthritis (OA) for many years. However, clinical outcomes have been inconsistent due to biological variation between patients, differences in tissue source and preparation of the MSCs, and type of donor (e.g. allogenic versus autologous). Here, we test the hypothesis that inconsistent clinical outcomes are related to variations in the stemness and senescence of the injected autologous adipose-derived (AD) MSCs.MethodsIn the prospective randomized trial, 45 knee OA patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 (n = 22) patients treated with high tibial osteotomy (HTO) alone and Group 2 (n = 23) patients treated with HTO followed by intra-articular injection of autologous AD-MSCs (HTO + AD-MSCs). MRI and X-ray were performed pre-operation and 12 months post-operation. WOMAC and VAS score were collected four times, every 6 months over a 24-month follow-up. We observed the proliferation and stemness of AD-MSCs selected from the 5 patients showing the most improvement and from the 5 patients with the least improvement, and completed further in vitro experiments including beta-galactosidase activity, reactive oxygen species and bioinformatic analysis.ResultsThe results showed that patients treated with HTO + AD-MSCs had a significant reduction in knee OA severity as compared to patients treated with HTO alone. Moreover, we discovered that proliferation and colony forming efficiency of AD-MSCs selected from the 5 patients showing the most improvement performed significantly better than cells selected from the 5 patients with the least improvement. AD-MSCs from the patients with the most improvement also had lower amounts of senescent cells and intracellular reactive oxygen species.ConclusionsClinical outcomes of autologous AD-MSCs therapy in knee osteoarthritis are correlated with stem cell stemness and senescence. Our study highlights emerging opportunities and trends in precision medicine that could potentially improve autologous MSC-based therapies.

A biomimetic phosphor that can build a rigid microenvironment for its long-lived afterglow in aqueous medium

Organic phosphorescent materials have great prospects for application, whose performance particularly depends on the preparation method. Inspired by nature’s wisdom, we report a phosphor that can utilize monomers in its environment by polymerization to construct a rigid microenvironment under light illumination, leading to a glow-in-the-dark emulsion with a phosphorescence lifetime of 1 s in water. This phosphor can achieve active growth of the aqueous emulsion with the introduction of more monomers. In the presence of trace amounts of oxygen (which has adverse effects on both polymerization and afterglow), this phosphor can still undergo photo-induced polymerization, removing the influence of oxygen and obtaining afterglow emulsion, demonstrating its adaptability to the environment. This phosphor can also catalyze the polymerization of monomers containing yellow fluorophore, obtaining long-lifetime yellow afterglow emulsion through excited state energy transfer. We have also conducted in-depth studies on the photo-catalytic and phosphorescent properties of this phosphor in model systems. This biomimetic intelligent manufacturing provides a new approach for organic phosphorescent materials and is significant for future applications.

Innovation and future development direction of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

With the increasing problem of global climate change, reducing greenhouse gas emissions has become an urgent issue for all countries to solve. The pollution of the Earth is gradually becoming severe. The extensive use of fossil fuels is a major cause of this problem. In this critical situation, energy with the least carbon emissions should be used to minimize air pollution and the harm caused by it. Hydrogen energy is currently a clean energy alternative that can achieve low carbon emissions. As a new energy vehicle, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have the advantages of being clean, efficient, and environmentally friendly. Compared with traditional fuel vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles only produce water and a small amount of oxygen during operation, and do not emit harmful substances such as carbon dioxide, which helps to significantly reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector. So, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are a viable and clean solution. In this paper, the performance evaluation, cost analysis, and future impact of hydrogen-powered vehicles are analyzed, and the future development trend of hydrogen energy battery vehicles is discussed. As a new energy vehicle, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have important strategic significance and market prospects. The purpose of this paper is to provide a useful reference for the development of China's new energy vehicle industry through the study of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Oxygen-vacancy-rich CeO2/LaFeO3 for peroxymonosulfate activation: Singlet oxygen as the main active oxygen to degrade organic pollutants in high-salinity environments

Due to the quenching effect of typical anions on free radicals, free radical based advanced oxidation processes have always been difficult to effectively treat high-salinity organic wastewater. In this work, an oxygen-vacancy-rich ceria-perovskite composite (CeO2/LaFeO3) was successfully prepared, and the oxygen vacancy became the active sites for activating peroxomonosulfate to produce a large amount of singlet oxygen (1O2) as the main reactive oxygen species (ROS) for tetracycline degradation in high-salinity organic wastewater. In the typical high-salinity environments (30000–70000 mg·L−1, NaCl, Na2SO4, NaNO3, Na2CO3, NaH2PO4, or NaBr), CeO2/LaFeO3 can achieve more than 95 % removal of TC within 40 min, and the 40 min removal rate of TC in a variety of mixed salt environments is also maintained above 94 %. Common cations (K+, Fe3+, Mn2+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cu2+, and Ba2+) were also not found to have a significant negative effect on TC removal. CeO2/LaFeO3 can completely remove TC within 40 min in 5 cycles, the granular CeO2/LaFeO3 immobilized in a self-made small device can also achieve continuous removal of more than 96.6 % of TC within 420 min. The results of pea seed germination test showed that CeO2/LaFeO3 as catalyst for heterogeneous water treatment would not bring additional environmental risks.

Radical formation in skin and preclinical characterization of a novel medical plasma device for dermatology after single application.

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) enables painless tissue treatment by producing reactive species including excited molecules and charged particles and is of great interest for medical applications. Medical CAP sources work in contact with air at ambient pressure, resulting in the generation of substantial amounts of reactive oxygen and nitrogen radicals. These radicals have a significant influence on cellular biochemistry, are crucial components of the immune system, and play a central role in wound therapy. CAP has a variety of applications, with a particular emphasis on tissue treatment in dermatology. It eradicates microorganisms by preventing biofilm formation so that wounds can be effectively disinfected and treated antiseptically. Using both in vitro and ex vivo methods, a comprehensive preclinical assessment of a novel battery-operated cold plasma handheld device with a reusable, and autoclavable glass cylinder was performed. The objectives were to evaluate the potential impact of single CAP application on radical formation with and without wound dressing, by directly measuring radicals in skin, to investigate the influence of CAP application on antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity in vitro, and to assess skin tolerance ex vivo. The direct effect of CAP on the formation of radicals in the skin after plasma application at different levels with and without wound dressing was demonstrated quantitatively for the first time using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Free radicals were measured in the skin as a function of the duration of CAP treatment. Furthermore, it was found that an alginate or wound plaster dressing does not significantly inhibit radical formation in skin compared to application without a dressing. In vitro and ex vivo data showed no cytotoxic potential with simultaneous efficacy against bacteria strains and no risk of temperature rise, pH change, skin barrier or DNA damage. These results show a high potential for wound healing applications in vivo.

Collision theory and membrane photocatalysis: Steroid hormones meet singlet oxygen in palladium-porphyrin-coated polytetrafluoroethylene membranes

Photocatalytic membrane (PCM) reactors are an emerging technology for the continuous elimination of micropollutants from water. PCM materials and process properties define performance limitations. A collision theory framework was established to elucidate the limiting factors of steroid hormone micropollutant photodegradation inside the pores (200 nm) of a palladium-porphyrin-coated polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) PCM under simulated sunlight. The collision theory can describe the degree of photodegradation of 17β-estradiol (E2). The production of singlet oxygen reactive species was limited by light intensity (up to 14 mW cm−2), porphyrin loading (up to 50 μmol/L), and membrane layer thickness (46 μm, achieved via stacking thin membranes). Further increases in these parameters did not significantly enhance the removal of E2, because the quantity of singlet oxygen generated, and consequently the collision frequency, levelled off. Not all collisions result in photodegradation reaction. By reducing the reaction time via increasing the E2 molar flux, the rate of disappearance reached a threshold of 7 ± 2 nmol/L s−1. This is identified as the maximum effective collision frequency, implying that 11 % of the total collisions (64 ± 5 nmol/L s−1) resulted in successful reaction. The study presents a novel framework based on collision theory to predict the fundamental mechanisms of and limitations to photodegradation in porphyrin-PTFE membranes, providing unprecedented insight into the performance limitations of diverse membrane reactors for advances in materials and process engineering.

Facultative anaerobic bacteria enable syntrophic fatty acids degradation under micro-aerobic conditions.

Trace amounts of oxygen stimulate facultative anaerobic bacteria (FAB) within anaerobic bioreactors, which was shown to correlate with enhanced methane production from long-chain fatty acids. The relationship between FAB and fatty acid-degrading syntrophic communities under micro-aerobic conditions is still not clear. In this work, two syntrophic co-cultures, Syntrophomonas wolfei + Methanospirillum hungatei and Syntrophomonas zehnderi + Methanobacterium formicicum, were assembled and incubated with short, medium and long-chain fatty acids, with 0-10 % O2, in the presence and absence of FAB, here represented by Pseudomonas spp. Without Pseudomonas, the syntrophic activity was inhibited by 79 % at 0.5 %O2, but with Pseudomonas, the syntrophic co-cultures successfully converted the fatty acids to methane with up to 2 %O2. These findings underscore the pivotal role of FAB in the protection of syntrophic fatty acid-degrading communities under micro-aerobic conditions and emphasizes its significance in real-scale anaerobic digesters where strictly anaerobic conditions may not consistently be maintained.

Tracking Long-Lived Free Radicals in Dandelion Caused by Air Pollution Using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

Studies on particulate air pollution indicate that a new type of pollutant should be considered from mainly fossil fuel combustion and automobile exhaust emissions, i.e., environmentally persistent free radicals. These radicals, ubiquitous in the environment, have a long life span and are capable of producing harmful reactive oxygen species. Samples of dandelion were collected in 2020 and 2021 in spring and late summer. Roots, leaves, flower stalks, and inflorescences of Taraxacum sp. were collected from six sites with three plants each, along with monitoring of particulate matter air pollution. Four sites were located at streets with heavy traffic and two were control sites in the rural part of the city. The free radical content in each part of the plant was measured by electron paramagnetic resonance. The leaf was selected as the most appropriate part of the plant for the measurement of carbon-derived free radicals. The geff value and the total number of spins were calculated. Relationships were found between location, season, and measurements. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum consists of at least two components, which can be attributed to C-type radicals and mixed C + O radicals. Their increase in numbers in the fall seasons, compared to the spring seasons, is also noticeable. It has also been observed that leaves collected in autumn have a higher geff value, which is probably related to the higher amount of oxygen- and carbon-derived free radicals.

Characterization and Synthesis of Graphite, Graphene Oxide, and Reduced Graphene Oxide Powder from Waste Dry Cell Battery Rod

In this paper, graphite, graphene oxide, and reduced graphene powders were successfully synthesized from waste dry cell batter through successive chemical solution methods. Graphite powder was extracted from the graphite electrode of waste batteries rod by acidic chemical treatment. The obtained powder was utilized as a precursor for synthesizing graphene oxide following the new modified Tour method. Eventually, reduced graphene oxide was prepared from the chemical reduction of graphene oxide (GO) by hydrazine hydrate treatment. The obtained recycled graphite, reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and GO materials have been characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL), and Raman spectroscopy effectively. All the above characterization results confirmed that graphite shows a strong peak at a diffraction angle of 26.5[Formula: see text], corresponding to the (002) plane, shifted to a lower angle of 25.2[Formula: see text] in the case of rGO. In addition, the unsmooth graphite sheet shifted to smooth and flake-like shape of the rGO’s surface morphology. The composite result revealed that different amounts of oxygen and carbon atoms are present in rG, GO and rGO. All the experimental findings ultimately launch the successful formation of exfoliated rGO and better synthesis approach was achieved.

Fabrication and characterization of foamed ceramics with a hierarchical pore structure from pyrite‐rich cyanide tailing

AbstractIn this study, foamed ceramics with hierarchical closed‐cell pore structures (HPS‐FC) were successfully prepared using pyrite‐rich cyanide tailing (CT) and fly ash. The formation mechanism of the hierarchical pore structure was analyzed by investigating the influence of the heating rate on both the pore structure and the physical properties of foamed ceramics. The results demonstrate that CT is suitable for the preparation of foamed ceramics due to its low softening temperature and self‐expansion capability at high temperatures. Interestingly, the heating rate significantly affects the pore structure of foamed ceramics prepared from CT. As the heating rate increases from 1 to 4°C/min, a hierarchical pore structure emerges, characterized by gradual alterations in bulk density, compressive strength, and thermal conductivity within the foamed ceramics. Whereas, excessive heating rates (≥6°C/min) result in the generation of abnormally large pores, which deteriorate the mechanical properties of foamed ceramics. The oxidation of FeS2 from CT consumes a large amount of oxygen during heating, which is the primary reason for the formation of the hierarchical pore structure. Therefore, HPS‐FC can be produced from CT by adjusting the heating rate, which combines high strength with good thermal insulation and demonstrates promising applications in prefabricated buildings.

The enhanced SO2 resistance of Fe-Ti catalyst by W/SO42− co-modification for NH3-SCR: A combined experimental and DFT study

It remains a great challenge to improve the low-temperature SO2 resistance of catalysts applied for selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3 (NH3-SCR). This work develops an outstanding SO2-tolerant Fe-Ti (FT) catalyst by W/SO42− co-modification via a sol–gel method using Fe(NO3)3·9H2O, tetrabutyl titanate, ammonium tungstate and thiourea as raw materials. The physicochemical characterizations, in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) measurements and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were combined to reveal the underlying mechanisms. Although W doping can effectively enhance the surface acidity, NH3 adsorption on Lewis acid sites can still be restrained by competitive adsorption of SO2, whereas SO42− modification can enhance the adsorption stability of NH3 without being affected by SO2. Simultaneously, the NO adsorption ability on Fe sites can be significantly enhanced by W/SO42− co-modification. Furthermore, the W doping or SO42− modification can induce conversion of Fe3+ to Fe2+ to affect the redox property of Fe species. A proper amount of Fe2+ suppressed the oxidizability of FT catalyst to inhibit NH3 overoxidation to enhance N2 selectivity, and created more oxygen vacancies to generate larger amount of chemisorbed oxygen to facilitate NH3 dehydrogenation and NO oxidation. More importantly, the inhibition effect of SO2 adsorption on Fe sites was strengthened by W/SO42− co-modification. Consequently, the W/SO42− co-modified FT catalyst exhibited high activity with >90 % of NO conversion and >95 % of N2 selectivity within a broad window of 275–450 °C and possessed superior SO2 + H2O tolerance at 275 °C.

Novel phthalocyanines bearing fluoro-methylquinolin substituents: Synthesis, characterization, photophysical and photochemical properties

The novel 4-((6-fluoro-2-methylquinolin-4-yl)oxy)phthalonitrile (3a), 3-((6-fluoro-2-methylquinolin-4-yl)oxy)phthalonitrile (3b), tetra 6-fluoro-2-methylquinolin-4-yl)oxy substituted zinc(II) phthalocyanines (4a and 4b) and their water soluble derivatives (5a and 5b) were prepared. The proposed structures of novel compounds were comfirmed via FT-IR, 1HNMR , UV–Vis and MALDI-TOF mass data. The aggregation tendency, fluorescence quantum yield, singlet oxygen quantum yield and photodegradation measurements were performed to examine the photodynamic therapy potential of both peripherally tetra substituted zinc(II) phthalocyanines (4a and 4b) and the water soluble quaternized tetra substituted zinc(II) phthalocyanines (5a and 5b). The result showed that both the novel tetra 6-fluoro-2-methylquinolin-4-yl)oxy substituted zinc(II) phthalocyanines (4a and 4b) and their water soluble derivatives (5a and 5b) could be used as photosensitizer agents in PDT thanks to their lack of aggregation tendency, having sufficient fluorescence emission for monitoring and produce high amount of singlet oxygen to destroy cancerous tissues and having moderate photostability.

Study of regularities and features of simultaneous contact interaction of active and inert metal melts with zirconia

ABSTRACT The mutual influence of interface processes during simultaneous contact of zirconia ceramic plate with adhesion-active Cu–Ga–Ti melt (on one side of the plate) and inert to oxides liquid copper (on other side of the plate) was studied. Wetting of ceramic with metal melts was studied by sessile drop method, the structure of the interfaces was determined using SEM. Due to the dissolution of ceramic oxygen in Cu–Ga–Ti, non-stoichiometric zirconia (ZrO2-x) is formed, then ‘surplus’ zirconium from the ZrO2-x structure dissolves in the copper melt, the stoichiometry of zirconia is restored and an additional amount of oxygen dissolves in the Cu–Ga–Ti melt. It leads to a decrease in the adhesion of Cu–Ga–Ti to ceramics, while improving the wetting of ZrO2 ceramics with copper. The ZrO2–Cu–Ga–Ti interface contains copper–titanium–oxygen intermetallides with zirconia inclusions, which does not provide adhesion of metals with solid oxides. If the contact of Cu–Ga–Ti with ZrO2 is formed before contact with liquid copper, then the interface layer contains oxidized titanium, which promotes adhesion of metal to ceramic. Thus, the design of the sample affects the processes in the studied systems in the same way as the heating mode and the amount of the active component.