Physical-chemical Interactions Research Articles

Investigation of the salting-in/-out, hydrotropic and surface-active behavior of plant-based hormone and phenolic acid salts

HypothesisThe role of hormones and polyphenolic acids in communication and regulation of biological processes can be linked to their physical–chemical interaction with target compounds and water. Further, the variety of polyphenolic acids suggests adjustable hydrotropic properties of these natural compounds. ExperimentsPhase transition temperature (PTT) measurements of binary water/di(propylene glycol) n-propyl ether (DPnP) or propylene glycol n-propyl ether (PnP) systems with sodium dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (NaDHEAS), indole-3-acetate (NaIAA), indole-3-butyrate (NaIBA) – common hormones -, and sodium polyphenolates should unravel their salting-in/-out properties. Their salting-in/-out behavior was compared to the compounds’ surface-active and structuring properties via surface tension, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments. FindingsAll hormone salts were revealed as salting-in agents. PTT, surface tension and DLS measurements indicated surfactant-like behavior of the hormone NaDHEAS, and hydrotropic behavior of NaIAA and NaIBA. The salting-in/-out properties of sodium polyphenolates – in an (anti-)hydrotrope range – are adjustable with functional groups. The (i) absence of nano-structuring in pure water, (ii) the reduction of the DPnP nano-structuring in water in presence of sodium polyphenolates and (iii) the absence of a slope change of the PTT curves at the critical aggregation concentration showed that the DPnP/polyphenolate interactions are of molecular hydrotropic and not of micellar/aggregative nature.

Enhanced the bonding reliability of titanium alloy and CFRTP via interfacial multiple modification: Synergy of physical interlocking and chemical interaction

A novel multiple modification approach including laser texturing, micro-arc oxidation process and silane coupling agent treatment was proposed to optimize the bonding interface. Firstly, laser texturing was fabricated to promote the mechanical interlocking. Secondly, the micro-arc oxidation porous structure was designed to modify its physical structure and chemical states. This promoted the interfacial mechanical interlocking in dual scales including texturing and porous structures. Moreover, the new chemical bonds such as Ti-C and Ti-O were generated at the interface. The bonding strength of TC4/CFRTP was enhanced from 10.23 MPa to 23.41 MPa. Besides, more hydroxyl groups (–OH) were adsorbed inside the optimized structure, and the hydrogen bonds were successfully induced by silane coupling film via the final step. This further enhanced the bonding strength to the maximum of 27.22 MPa. Therefore, the multiple modification approach realized the comprehensive enhancement of mechanical interlocking, chemical bonding and functional groups interaction, which enhanced the bonding reliability by 166% than pretreated case. These results benefit future research in the process optimization to improve the reliability of metal-CFRTP bonding structures.

Improvement of the environmental safety of weaving equipment by reducing the wear of contact surfaces

The purpose of the work is improvement of the environmental safety of weaving equipment by reducing the wear of contact surfaces. For the environment, minimizing the wear during the operation of weaving equipment is of great importance. Nevertheless, the physical-chemical interaction of metal surfaces with the environment in its individual sections is uneven due to its polycrystalline structure and heterogeneity. At the same time, the value of their residual stresses (microstresses), the degree of plastic deformation, etc., have a significant effect on the physical and chemical activity of separate surface grains. The article covers the causes of wear of the batten mechanism of a shuttleless loom because of friction. In order to ensure the environmental safety of weaving equipment, methods of increasing the wear resistance of the batten mechanisms of shuttleless looms have been proposed. The article substantiates that an effective method for improving the efficiency of the batten mechanisms of shuttleless looms can be the method of surface plastic deformation of the inner surface of the batten teeth shed. As a result, the uniformity of the physical-chemical interaction of metal surfaces with the environment is ensured, as the resistance to wear and fatigue failure increases.

A comparison of indices used to evaluate asphalt-filler interactions

Based on the physicochemical reactions between asphalt and filler, the structural asphalt film is formed. The interaction can significantly affect the strength of structural asphalt film and the mechanical properties of asphalt mastic. The strength of asphalt-filler interaction is hard to intuitively characterize. Hence, we need the index to evaluate the ability of interaction. To select the optimum evaluation index to characterize filler-asphalt interactions, we compared the rationality and reliability of six interaction indices (Palierne C, complex shear modulus coefficient ΔG*, Einstein coefficient ΚE, complex viscosity coefficient Δη*, Ziegel-B and Luis Ibrarra-A). This comparison was based on the complex modulus, phase angle and viscosity of asphalt mastics manufactured from four asphalt binders and nine mineral fillers comprising different fractions of filler volume. Comparing the sensitivity of the evaluation indices to changes in asphalt performance, filler type, and filler volume fraction, respectively, the complex shear modulus coefficient index (ΔG*), Einstein coefficient (KE) and complex viscosity coefficient (Δη*) of the filler volume fraction is the dominant factor, and as the filler volume fraction increases, the values of the indices increase. This observation of interaction indices growing with filler volume fraction is inconsistent with the physical–chemical interactions between asphalt and filler. Therefore, these indices cannot be applied to evaluate the filler-asphalt physical–chemical interactions. When the filler volume fraction changes from 0.23 to 0.68, the range of Palierne C index values is 0.84 ∼ 1.42. The higher the filler volume fraction, the smaller the Palierne C value. When the filler volume fraction is below 0.53, the Palierne C varies little. This changing rule of Palierne C is consistent with the adsorbed asphalt layer theory. Hence, Palierne C was ultimately selected as the optimum interaction index based on the relationship between adsorbed asphalt layer on mineral filler and filler volume fraction. We applied Palierne C to evaluate the interaction between different asphalts and mineral fillers.We used the Palierne C index to analyze the effects of asphalt, filler type and filler volume fraction on the asphalt-filler interaction. The results showed that SBS modified asphalt had the greatest effect on the filler-asphalt interaction, followed by high viscosity modified asphalt, SK 90 matrix asphalt, and finally, KL70 matrix asphalt. We also found that although the filler-asphalt interaction increases as the proportion of cement and hydrated lime increases, the cement and hydrated lime demonstrated an insignificant effect on the interaction. The effects of the hydrated lime-asphalt interaction were stronger than that of cement. The higher the filler volume fraction, the lower the value of Palierne C.Finally, gray system theory was used to analyze the correlation between the asphalt-filler interaction and the composition of filler and asphalt. The correlation degrees of the Palierne C index with filler composition were MgO > GaO > K2O > Fe2O3 > SiO2 > AL2O3 > P2O5 > MnO > Na2O > Ga(OH)2 > TiO2. Results indicate that the filler composition has a stronger effect on the filler-asphalt interaction than the asphalt composition. This result is consistent with previous research. The filler particles absorb the polar composition of asphalt, and the reactions occur between the filler alkaline group and the asphalt acid group. The results showed that the composition of MgO and GaO fillers most significantly affected the filler-asphalt interaction. And this conclusion further confirms the feasibility of using the Palierne C index to evaluate the filler-asphalt interaction.

Ni-Cu Alloy Nanoparticles Confined by Physical Encapsulation with SiO2 and Chemical Metal-Support Interaction with CeO2 for Methane Dry Reforming.

Fabrication of sintering- and carbon-free Ni catalysts for methane dry reforming (MDR), which is attractive to upgrade greenhouse gases CH4 and CO2, is challenging. In this work, we innovatively synthesized Ni-Cu alloy nanoparticles confined by physical encapsulation and chemical metal-support interaction (MSI); the synergism of alloy effect, size effect, MSI, and confinement effect in the catalysts gave high rates of CH4 and CO2 of 6.98 and 7.16 mmol/(gNis), respectively, at 1023 K for 50 h. The rates were 2-3 times enhanced compared to those in the literature. XRD, TEM, H2-TPR, and so forth revealed that the alloy effect, size effect, and MSI of Ni-Cu and CeO2 enhanced the MDR activity; MSI promoted the ceria surface lattice oxygen mobility and generated more oxygen vacancies, almost completely gasifying carbon deposits; chemical confinement from MSI and physical confinement from SiO2 nanospheres realized sintering-free alloys and CeO2 nanoparticles. The synergistic approach provides a universal strategy for sintering- and carbon-free Ni catalyst design for MDR reaction.

Evaluation of the Contribution Rates of Different Phases on Pavement Performance of Cement-Casting Asphalt Mixture

Cement-casting asphalt mixture (CCAM) exhibits excellent antirutting properties and has been widely used to address the severe rutting distress across the world. However, CCAM’s failure mechanism has not been comprehensively understood. To this end, the contribution rates of porous asphalt mixture (PAM), cementitious network, and asphalt-cement interface phases to CCAM’s pavement performance are evaluated. A novel method was developed to fabricate the cementitious network with the aid of plastic balls. Abrasion loss, strength, peak force, and fracture energy of PAM, cement samples, and CCAM samples are obtained through different tests. Analysis results show that the contribution rate of cementitious network to Cantabro loss is around 60% and that of the interface phase is around 30%. Interface phase and PAM phase approximately contribute 90% to the overall strength and fracture energy of CCAM. With the increase of polymer contents in asphalt binder, the contribution rate of PAM phase increases and the contribution rate of interface decreases. Contribution rates results together with samples’ fracture surface observation verify that the interaction between asphalt skeleton and cement network plays a vital role during CCAM’s failure process. Attention should be given to the physical-chemical interactions between asphalt and cement in the future study.

Structural build-up and breakdown of sodium hydroxide-activated slag paste assessed using oscillatory rheology

Concentrated suspensions of inorganic binders are thixotropic fluids with non-Newtonian behaviour. In addition to the physical-chemical interactions responsible for the flocculation of the particles, the rheological behaviour in time is affected by the formation of the reaction products. In this paper, this topic was tackled using oscillatory rheology, namely, by increasingly used measurements at the constant strain amplitude and frequency over time (time sweep test), by the combination of these tests with an inserted rotational step (ORO test), and by almost unexplored oscillation amplitude sweep tests, leading to structural breakdown due to increasing strain amplitude. Common sodium hydroxide-activated slag paste was used for this purpose. The results showed that the recovery of the structure is not significantly altered if the sample is remixed at least after 30 minutes of reaction. In addition, the strain sweep tests suggested that the formation of the first reaction products started after about 15 minutes of reaction and had a decisive impact on the evolution of viscoelastic moduli and the corresponding stresses during this kind of test.

Rechargeable Iodine Batteries: Fundamentals, Advances, and Perspectives.

Lattice distortion and structure collapse are two intrinsic issues of intercalative-type electrodes derived from repeated ion shuttling. In contrast, rechargeable iodine batteries (RIBs) based on the conversion reaction of iodine stand out for high reversibility and satisfying voltage output characteristics no matter when dealing with both monovalent and multivalent ions. Foreseeable performance superiorities lead to an influx of considerable focus and thus a renaissance in RIBs. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamental chemistry of RIBs from the perspectives of physicochemical properties, conversion mechanism, and existing issues. Furthermore, we refine the optimization strategies for high-performance RIBs, focusing on physical adsorption and chemical interaction strengthening, electrolytes regulation, and nanoscale-iodine design. Then the pros and cons of tremendous RIBs are compared and specified. Ultimately, we conclude with remaining challenges and perspectives to our best knowledge, which may inspire the construction of next-generation RIBs.

An Interpretable Machine-Learning Algorithm to Predict Disordered Protein Phase Separation Based on Biophysical Interactions.

Protein phase separation is increasingly understood to be an important mechanism of biological organization and biomaterial formation. Intrinsically disordered protein regions (IDRs) are often significant drivers of protein phase separation. A number of protein phase-separation-prediction algorithms are available, with many being specific for particular classes of proteins and others providing results that are not amenable to the interpretation of the contributing biophysical interactions. Here, we describe LLPhyScore, a new predictor of IDR-driven phase separation, based on a broad set of physical interactions or features. LLPhyScore uses sequence-based statistics from the RCSB PDB database of folded structures for these interactions, and is trained on a manually curated set of phase-separation-driving proteins with different negative training sets including the PDB and human proteome. Competitive training for a variety of physical chemical interactions shows the greatest contribution of solvent contacts, disorder, hydrogen bonds, pi–pi contacts, and kinked beta-structures to the score, with electrostatics, cation–pi contacts, and the absence of a helical secondary structure also contributing. LLPhyScore has strong phase-separation-prediction recall statistics and enables a breakdown of the contribution from each physical feature to a sequence’s phase-separation propensity, while recognizing the interdependence of many of these features. The tool should be a valuable resource for guiding experiments and providing hypotheses for protein function in normal and pathological states, as well as for understanding how specificity emerges in defining individual biomolecular condensates.

Predicting the interaction between organic layer and metal substrate through DFTB and electrochemical approach for excellent corrosion protection

Despite the growing interest in dealing with how to control the corrosion behavior of steel alloys via organic corrosion inhibitors (CIs), the adsorption mechanism of CIs has remained less understood with respect to the physical–chemical interactions as well as the self-assembly of organic coatings, which might be the primary sources for excellent electrochemical resistance. For this purpose, a new carbocyclic compound, namely 4-Hydroxy-3-(2-methoxybenzoyl)-2,6-bis(4-methoxylphenyl)-4-(2-methoxyphenyl)cyclohexane-1,1dicarbonitrile (PTC), was synthesized as a sustainable-green corrosion inhibitor for mild steel (MS) in HCl solution in a bid to understand the organic-metal mechanism, the adsorption behavior, and the correlation between charge transfer phenomena and corrosion properties of PTC compound. NMR (1H and 13C) spectroscopy, electrochemical techniques and surface analysis were used to characterize and evaluate the inhibitive performance of PTC compound on the metal substrate. The electrochemical results revealed that the PTC inhibitor exhibited high corrosion resistance with inhibition efficiency reaches 92.86 % at 10−3 M due to the significant growth of organic layer sealing the micro-defects present in corroded metal. Furthermore, thePTC inhibitor showed good performance at all temperatures (303–333 K) studied and maintainedprotective ability at the maximum temperature. Then, the protective layer assembled by the adsorption of PTC inhibitor presents robust protection and reliable corrosion stability. Multi-level theoretical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT), density functional based tight-binding (DFTB) and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations were performed to explore the corrosion protection mechanism activated by the presence of PTC inhibitor. As a result, the PTC-surface interactions are mainly dominated by the formation of strong covalent bonds such as N–Fe and O–Fe in the parallel adsorption geometries, in which the formation of the organic layer is consistent with improved charge transfer behavior. Thus, the PTC molecule was preferentially adsorbed through polar functional groups and exhibits high adsorption energy (–6.43 eV), resulting from self-assembly triggered by an organic-metal interaction. This was confirmed experimentally by the results of electrochemical assessments, which showed that reliable and excellent barrier properties were provided for more than 72 h owing to the significant role of functional groups in the π–π interactions of adsorbed PTC molecule. Finally, the computational perspectives provide a profound explanation for the interfacial mechanism of the PTC molecule and show a good correlation with the experimental observations.

Microscopic impactor debris at Kamil Crater (Egypt): The origin of the Fe-Ni oxide spherules

Kamil crater (Egypt) is a natural laboratory for the study of processes and products associated with the impacts of small iron projectiles on the Earth’s crust. In particular, because of the distinctive composition of the impactor (an ungrouped Ni-rich ataxite) and the target (Cretaceous sandstones and minor wackes) it offers a unique opportunity to study impactor–target physical–chemical interactions. Continuing the study of impact melt ejecta, we investigated the mineralogy and geochemistry of 25 Fe-Ni spherules - representative of a suite of 135 - recovered from the soil around the crater. Samples were collected during our 2010 geophysical expedition and investigated by combining scanning electron microscope imaging, electron probe microanalyzer and Raman spectroscopy analyses. Spherules range in size from 100 to 500 µm and show a variety of dendritic textures and mineral compositions dominated by Fe-Ni oxides of the wüstite – bunsenite and magnetite – trevorite series or Fe-Ni metal. All these features indicate quenching of high temperature (1600–1500 °C) oxide or metal liquid droplets under varying oxidizing conditions. A geochemical affinity with the iron impactor recorded by the Fe, Co, Ni ratios in the constituent phases (average Ni/Co element ratio of 25.1 ± 7.6; average Ni/(Ni + Fe) molar ratio of 0.21 ± 0.13), combined with target contamination (i.e., the ubiquitous occurrence of Si and Al from trace to minor amounts), document their origin as impact melt spherules formed through the physical and chemical interaction between metal projectile and silicate target melts and air. We propose a petrogenetic model that envisions formation as liquid droplet residues of immiscible projectile in a mixed silicate melt and their subsequent separation as individual spherules by stripping during hypervelocity ejection. We also argue that this model applies to all impact events produced by small iron projectiles and that such individual Fe-Ni oxide and metal spherules should be common impact products, despite little documentation in the literature. Our detailed mineralogical and geochemical characterization will facilitate their distinction from other, similar spherules of different origin (cosmic spherules, ablation spherules) often encountered in the geologic record.

Dexamethasone Loaded Electrospun Nanocomposite Ocular Insert: In-vitro Drug Release and Mechanical Assessment

Background: Dexamethasone is currently available as suspension for the treatment of anterior ocular inflammatory diseases that are given through eye drops. Upon topical delivery by eye-drops, less than 5% of the drug gets absorbed when applied topically as eye drops. The major portion of administered drug either comes out from the eye or gets subjected to nasolacrimal drainage resulting in poor bioavailability. Objective: The present study is aimed at developing polymeric ocular insert containing dexamethasone as a drug by employing the use of electrospinning technique. Methods: Dexamethasone (0.1% w/v) loaded electrospun sheet was also made using 10% w/v EC: HPMC: PEO (60:20:20) in solvent system of ethanol: water (90:10) at optimized electrospinning parameters of 12kV with a flow rate of 0.8mL/hr and distance of 20 cm between tip and collector. Results: The prepared nanocomposite insert was characterized for DSC and FTIR-ATR spectroscopy revealing no physical-chemical interaction between drug with polymers. The thickness of the electrospun sheet was found to be 270±0.02 μm and % drug content was found to be 0.43±0.01% w/w. The release profile showed that around 95% drug was released in 48 hrs. This release profile showed the prepared drug-loaded electrospun ocular insert was best suitable for once-a-day delivery. Assessment of mechanical properties like young’s modulus, tensile strength, and % elongation showed that the prepared insert can be handled easily without any breakage or damage. Conclusion: Upon delivery in conjunctival sac, this is best suitable for once-a-day delivery. The developed electrospun insert, consisting of a unique polymer composite of biodegradable polymers, avails the benefits of nanofibers imparting prolonged release and this novel formulation overcomes the limitations of conventional therapies. This reduces the dosing frequency and improves patient compliance.

FCC spent catalyst as an alternative reagent in Mo-contaminated hazardous waste enhanced stabilization

Hazardous wastes containing heavy metals must be stabilized through the addition of appropriate and costly chemical reagents before they can be safely disposed in non-hazardous waste landfill. Although effective, this practice can also significantly increase the waste final mass. This work focuses on the possibility of using another Mo contaminated waste, as an alternative reagent, to partially stabilize critical contaminant leaching trough chemical-physical interactions. Thanks to its unusual properties, spent fluid catalytic cracking (FCCSC) catalyst, classified as hazardous waste, was tested here as good candidate for Mo-contaminated waste partial stabilization. Results highlighted that FCCSC can be effective in drastically reducing the Molybdenum leaching below the legal limit for non-hazardous waste landfill disposal while significantly limiting the increase of the final mass of waste to be disposed with a substantial reduction of the industrial treatment cost, landfill volume requirement and overall environmental burden. By minimizing the waste to be landfilled, this research supports both the European directives and policies on sustainable waste management strategies and BAT (Best Available Techniques) for the treatment of industrial wastes within a circular economy framework.

Facile Synthesis of MgO Nanoparticle-Embedded Fe/N/S Codoped Carbon Materials from Oily Sludge for Efficient CO2 Capture

Oily sludge generated from the modern petrochemical industry is a large-scale hazardous solid waste. Pyrolysis with efficient catalysts is considered as a promising technology to convert the oily sludge into value-added chemicals or fuels without significant impact on the environment, but the solid char with spent catalysts does not find an application. In this study, the solid char obtained from catalytic pyrolysis of the oily sludge is applied as an adsorbent for CO2 capture. The char can be regarded as MgO nanoparticle-embedded Fe/N/S codoped carbon (MgO·FeOx@NSC) based on its structure and composition. MgO·FeOx@NSC presents a favorable performance toward CO2 capture. The maximum CO2 adsorption capacity is 4.57 mol/kg, and this value remains unchanged for more than 10 cycles of reuse. The mechanism for CO2 capture is analyzed with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Physical adsorption and chemical interaction are identified as the primary contributors to the CO2 adsorption with MgO·FeOx@NSC, in which MgO, nitride-N, and sulfide-S are the main species contributing to the chemical interactions between CO2 and MgO·FeOx@NSC. This study will open up a new way for the sustainable management of hazardous organic solid wastes.

Parenteral nutrition: how to prescribe your inputs

Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a vital therapeutic modality for a specific group of patients in need of nutritional support. The proper use of this complex therapy is capable of maximizing its clinical benefits, minimizing the potential risks of adverse events. In certain situations, the clinical lability in which the patient finds himself requires the prescription of customized parenteral formulas. Due to the number of components used in these solutions, the possibilities of Physico-chemical incompatibilities are common and represent a serious problem. For this, prescribers must be familiar with its composition process in order to guarantee a safe formula for infusion. The objective of this work is to present the various inputs (amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, trace elements, electrolytes, and drugs) commonly prescribed in PN formulas, as well as their possibilities of interaction for the formation of precipitates. The concept of osmolarity and its relationship with infusion sites (central or peripheral) will also be addressed. However, an excellent understanding of the different types of inputs used in PN formulas, and also of their physical-chemical interactions capabilities, associated with good clinical judgment in the individualization of these solutions, has reduced sources of errors and ensured greater safety and quality in this type. of intervention to patients.

Graphite nanosheet/polyaniline nanocomposites: Effect of in situ polymerization and dopants on the microstructure, thermal, and electrical conduction properties

AbstractThis work proposed a study of in situ polymerization of polyaniline (Pani) in the presence of graphite nanosheets (GNS). The study focused on the different physical–chemical interactions promoted among them during the Pani synthesis using different dopants (HCl and DBSA). By means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry (TG/DTG), and DC electrical conductivity, the study demonstrated the production of nanocomposites with different electrical, thermal, and morphological properties and correlating them with the different physicochemical interactions evidenced from the different dopants used. The type of anchoring has been shown to directly influence the amount of GNS that could be incorporated into the reaction medium. It also demonstrated as highlight the possible existence of a hybrid intercalation/pseudo‐intercalation process that was responsible for promoting an increase of up to 50°C in the thermal stability of the nanocomposites depending on the general characteristics of the synthesized Pani type. The electrical conductivity of the nanocomposites proved to be dependent on the type of dopant, the GNS/Pani interaction, and the regularity of the Pani coating on the nanostructure surface, resulting in a non‐universal percolation profile.

A comparative study of chemical treatment by MgCl2, ZnSO4, ZnCl2, and KOH on physicochemical properties and acetaminophen adsorption performance of biobased porous materials from tree bark residues

Preparing sustainable and highly efficient biomass-based carbon materials (BBPM) as adsorbents remains a challenge for organic pollutant management. In this work, novel biobased carbon material has been synthesized via facile, sustainable, and different single-step pyrolysis chemical methods (KOH, ZnCl2, ZnSO4, and MgCl2) using a Norway spruce bark as suitable and efficient carbon precursor. The effects of each chemical activator on the physicochemical structure of synthesized were thoroughly investigated as well as its performance on the acetaminophen adsorption. The results showed that the use of different chemical activation provoked remarkable differences in the BBPM physicochemical characteristics. The KOH activation generated material with the highest specific surface area (2209 m2 g−1), followed by ZnCl2 (1019 m2 g−1), ZnSO4 (446 m2 g−1), and MgCl2 (98 m2 g−1). The chemical characterization of the carbon materials indicated that the activation of MgCl2 yielded a material around three times more hydrophobic when compared with the other activation methods. The acetaminophen removal showed to be ultrafast, not only due to the BBPM’s microstructure but also to the abundant active sites provided by the different chemical activation methods. The adsorption equilibrium times were reached at 1 min for BBPM-KOH and BBPM-MgCl2 and 15 min for BBPM-ZnSO4 and BBPM-ZnCl2. The adsorption process suggests that the pore-filling mechanism mainly dominates the acetaminophen removal but also some physical-chemical interactions such as hydrogen bonding between the amide group of acetaminophen and oxygenated or nitrogenated groups of biochar, π-π interactions between the aromatic ring of the pharmaceutical and the aromatics of biochar, n-π interaction, van der Waals interactions. The BBPM regeneration studies showed very good cyclability; in the 3rd cycle, the removal was approximately 70% for all four samples. The samples were also used to treat two synthetic effluents, which attained a removal percentage up to 91.9%.

Cyano-bridged Schottky junction of CN-TiC for enhanced photocatalytic H2 evolution and tetracycline degradation

The electron collection and accumulation at carbon nitride (CN) surfaces play critical roles in coupling multielectron processes with carriers' dynamics for boosting tetracycline (TC) degradation, where MXenes are excellent candidates for tailoring carriers' dynamics in CN. Cyano-intermediated heterojunctions between CN and titanium carbide (CN-TiC) were synthesized via TiC-assisted thermopolymerization. Mesoporous morphology and combination of two materials were confirmed. Investigations on optical properties indicate that cyano groups were formed via this TiC-assisted polymerization, leading to strong chemical-physical interaction for intimate hetero-contact and enhanced visible absorption. As results, the optimized CN-TiC shows improved TC degradation rate (k = 0.05292 min−1), 3.5 times higher that of CN (k = 0.0153 min−1) or 176 times that of TiC (0.0003 min−1). Kinetics investigations reveal that superoxide radicals (.O2–) dominate TC oxidation, where TiC facilitates electrons' transportation/collection. Further photochemical investigations and band analysis suggest that the formation of Schottky junction between CN and TiC promotes electron-hole separation/transportation and electrons' accumulation for boosting TC degradation. We expanded this design to photocatalytic H2 evolution (PHE) or rhodamine degradation, achieving the PHE rate of 1941 μmol·g−1·h−1 or rhodamine removal ratio of 96%, far higher than that of CN.

Customized Structure Design and Functional Mechanism Analysis of Carbon Spheres for Advanced Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) are attracting much attention due to their high theoretical energy density and are considered to be the predominant competitors for next-generation energy storage systems. The practical commercial application of LSBs is mainly hindered by the severe "shuttle effect" of the lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and the serious damage of lithium dendrites. Various carbon materials with different characteristics have played an important role in overcoming the above-mentioned problems. Carbon spheres (CSs) are extensively explored to enhance the performance of LSBs owing to their superior structures. The review presents the state-of-the-art advances of CSs for advanced high-energy LSBs, including their preparation strategies and applications in inhibiting the "shuttle effect" of the LiPSs and protecting lithium anodes. The unique restriction effect of CSs on LiPSs is explained from three working mechanisms: physical confinement, chemical interaction, and catalytic conversion. From the perspective of interfacial engineering and 3D structure designing, the protective effect of CSs on the lithium anode is also analyzed. Not only does this review article contain a summary of CSs in LSBs, but also future directions and prospects are discussed. The systematic discussions and suggested directions can enlighten thoughts in the reasonable design of CSs for LSBs in near future.

A metal–organic framework-modified separator enables long cycling lithium-ion capacitors with asymmetric electrolyte design

An asymmetric electrolyte design has been proposed for lithium-ion capacitors which was enabled by a metal–organic framework modified separator because of the physical obstruction and chemical interactions toward the soluble redox mediators.