Separate Cycles Research Articles

Full recovery of brines at normal temperature with process-heat-supplied coupled air-carried evaporating separation (ACES) cycle

Conventional air-carried evaporating separation (ACES) technology, to achieve complete separation and recovery of water and salt in brine, tends to necessitate heating air above a critical temperature (typically>90 °C). In this paper, a novel concept of process-heat-supplied and an ACES cycle with this technique is proposed. A comprehensive thermodynamic analytical investigation is conducted. The results indicate that at heat source supply temperature Tsupply of only 45.17 °C, this novel unit is capable of achieving complete separation of water and salt from 5 wt% concentration brine. Meanwhile, thermodynamic mechanism analysis reveals that sufficient process-heat-supplied affords the fluid self-adaptive regulation on the driving potential of heat and mass transfer, thus circumventing traditional heat and mass transfer limitation. Additionally, a solar ACES system with process-heat-supplied incorporating heat pump is further proposed. For this system, theoretical evaporation rate for unit area of solar irradiation me-solar = 2.23 kg/(m2·h), integrated solar utilization efficiency ηi = 188%; while considering overall losses me-solar = 1.41 kg/(m2·h), ηi = 95.2%.

Focal adhesions, reticular adhesions, flat clathrin lattices: what divides them, what unites them?

The majority of cells within multicellular organisms requires anchorage to their surroundings in the form of cell-cell or cell-matrix adhesions. In regards to cell-matrix adhesions, the transmembrane receptors of the integrin family have long been recognized as the central scaffold around which these adhesion complexes are built. Via their extracellular domains integrins bind extracellular matrix ligands while their intracellular tails interact with a plethora of proteins that link integrin-based adhesions to the cytoskeleton and turn them also into important signaling platforms. Depending on the specific intracellular interactome of the integrins, different types of integrin adhesion complexes have been classified. The best-studied ones are the focal adhesions, in which integrins become firmly linked to contractile actomyosin fibers, allowing force transduction. But integrins also form an integral part of adhesion structures that lack the strong actomyosin link and are enriched in endocytic proteins. These have been named reticular adhesions, flat clathrin lattices, or clathrin plaques. Initially, the different types of integrin adhesion complexes have been viewed as discrete entities with their own separate life cycles. However, in the past years it has become more and more apparent how closely intertwined they are. In fact, it was shown that they can trigger each other's biogenesis or can even directly convert into each other. Here, we describe similarities as well as differences between integrin adhesion complexes, focusing on the versatile αvβ5 integrins, and discuss the recently discovered close links and interconversion modes between the different αvβ5 integrin adhesion types.

Enhanced oil/water separation using superhydrophobic nano SiO2-modified porous melamine sponges

Recent advancements in functional sponge materials have garnered significant interest due to their efficacy and cost-effectiveness in oil spill remediation. This study introduces both silane coupling agent (methyltrichlorosilane and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane) and nano-SiO₂ particles into the melamine sponge framework via impregnation. Additionally, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) serves a crucial role in curing to fuse the substrate with the coating through robust covalent bonds. The modified sponges (SiMAPs) facilitate the formation of rough surfaces comprising hierarchical structures by the deposition of nano-SiO₂ particles, while the silane coupling agents and PDMS contribute to a reduced surface energy. These SiMAP sponges maintain high stability with a water contact angle of 162.6° and demonstrate an adsorption capacity ranging from 40 to 90 times their weight in oil or organic solvents. Furthermore, they achieve a separation efficiency exceeding 98% and an oil flux of 14.38 L/m2∙s in immiscible oil-water mixtures. Additionally, the sorption of trichloromethane reaches 88.1 g/g, and the separation efficiency for surfactant-stabilized emulsions containing diesel is 62.8%. Remarkably, the oil-water separation efficiency surpasses 99.8% in dynamic continuous oil-water separation cycles, as evidenced by 20 experimental trials. These results underscore the substantial potential of SiMAP-modified sponges for addressing oil pollution by enhancing oil-water separation.

Thermally regulated gating phenomenon in bio-derived ultra-narrow nanoporous carbon for enhancing hydrogen isotope separation

The temperature-triggered gating in flexible nanoporous frameworks exhibits dynamic nanopore regulation under external stimuli, leading to optimum pore sizes and enhanced selectivity for isotopologue separation. In this work, we report one of the very rare observations of temperature-responsive gating in efficient bio-derived ‘nanoporous carbon’ material. The distinctive characteristics of this material, such as its suitable pore sizes for Kinetic Quantum Sieving (KQS) that lead to strong diffusion limitation, as well as its capacity to operate at higher temperatures, overcome the limitations of existing crystalline porous materials. It is remarkable that this activated carbon derived from biological sources, even without any strong binding sites, can release hydrogen isotopologues at a higher temperature of 180 K in comparison to MOF-74(Ni), which possesses many open metal sites but releases mostly at 90–100 K. The separation performance is also demonstrated to reach up to 120 K, and only six separation cycles are needed to enrich from a low concentration of 4 % to –92 % D2 in a mixture of deuterium (D2/H2). This finding suggests that inexpensive porous carbon’s thermal pore size modulation can significantly increase the operating temperature for precise separation of hydrogen isotopologues.

Recovered graphene-hydrogel nanocomposites for multi-modal human motion recognition via optimized triboelectrification and machine learning

Hydrogels have extensive applications in portable, flexible, wearable, and self-powered electronic devices based on triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). An important issue with hydrogels is their tendency to dehydrate over time, which leads to a decline in both ionic conductivity and mechanical flexibility. Furthermore, the current techniques used to produce these hydrogels mostly rely on the freeze–thaw process, which has limited ability to modify the polymer conformation. Herein, a novel water-assisted recovered hydrogel is proposed using a simple strategy to prepare high-performance hydrogel-based TENGs by optimizing the cross-linking and crystalline domains. Synthesis of the electrostatic electrode in the TENG involved the incorporation of polyethylene oxide (PEO) into a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel network via cross-linking. Graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) were added to precisely tune the electrical conductivity. GNP constructs the backbone structures in the hydrogel and enhances the charge transport capacity. Electrical conductivity is changed by the GNP concentration and thus, electrical output of the hydrogel can be facilely controlled. The water reabsorption increased density and crystallinity of the cross-linking and allowed the hydrogel to show superior performance compared to the original one. The 7th recovery hydrogel produced around 594 V, 40 μA, and 32 nC. The 7th recovery hydrogel had exceptional endurance, with the capacity to withstand over 16,000 cycles of contact separation. Moreover, it could be stretched up to 541 % of its original length and improved by almost twice as much as that without the recovery process. By combining multi-modal graphene-based TENG sensors with machine learning, a state-of-the-art behavioral monitoring system was created that could reliably detect tapping fingers with an average accuracy rate of 95 %. The findings of this research will pave the way for new approaches to the development of autonomous motion sensors and flexible renewable energy sources.

Recyclable Amphiphilic Magnetic-responsive Mixed-Shell Nanoparticles With High Interfacial Activity Comparable to Janus Particles for Oily Water Purification.

Amphiphilic magnetic-responsive mixed-shell nanoparticles (Mag-MSNPs) with tailorable compositions are synthesized by electrostatic-mediated cross-linking of core-forming blocks of two diblock copolymers, followed by in situ growth of magnetite in the cross-linked core. The Mag-MSNPs have a magnetic-responsive core and hydrophilic/lipophilic mixed shells, firmly anchoring at the oil-water interface of emulsified oil droplets due to their high interfacial activity (13.1 mN m-1 at a rather low emulsifier concentration of 1.2 mg mL-1 in the n-hexane/water system), outperforming most of Janus particles. Driven by the magnetic field, the emulsified oil droplets with Mag-MSNPs at the interface are drawn to one side for collection. The oil-water separation efficiency reaches 99.5%, manifesting their excellent ability to remove emulsified oil droplets from oily water. After five separation and regeneration cycles, the separation efficiency remains at 98.8%, showcasing their potential for recyclable oily water purification.

High Quality Carbon Nanotube Thin Films for Transistor Application

Semiconducting carbon nanotubes (s-CNTs) are promising channel materials for both high-performance ultra-scaled field-effect transistors (FETs) and thin film transistors (TFTs) due to their excellent electronic properties. Many research groups have demonstrated the application of s-CNTs in either logical computing circuits or large area electronics. However, before the CNT-based electronics technology takes real impact, many challenges should be overcome, such as achieving high purity of s-CNTs, reliable methods for their deposition and alignment, development of scalable and cost-effective production techniques, and corresponding quality characterization metrology. In this presentation, we will report our progress on the s-CNT materials and their application for FETs and TFTs.Conjugated polymer wrapping method was used to extract s-CNTs from the raw CNT materials. We have developed a closed-loop recycling strategy, in which raw materials (CNTs and polymers) and solvents were all recycled and reused for multiple separation cycles, thus high-purity (99.9999%) and high structural quality s-CNTs were mass produced. The cost was reduced to ~ 1% in comparison with commercially available products, and total yield was increased to 36% in comparison with 2%–5% of usual separation methods.Highly unform and density-controllable thin films of random-oriented CNTs (R-CNTs) were fabricated by a dip-coating method on 4-inch/8-inch Si wafers and 2.5th generation (G2.5) backplane glasses (370 mm × 470 mm). Ultra-clean wafer-scale aligned s-CNTs (A-CNTs) were fabricated by a modified dimension-limited self-alignment (m-DLSA) method. To quantify the overall quality of both R-CNT and A-CNT films, we proposed a four-parameter metrology which includes the local tube density (DL), global density uniformity (Cv), local degree of order (OL), and the relative tube proportion in a certain orientation (Pθ) at a location. The four-parameter metrology is not only powerful for overall quality evaluation of CNT films, but also able to predict the performance fluctuation of fabricated devices.TFTs fabricated using the R-CNTs show mobility of 45-55 cm2/Vs with a high-performance uniformity (Cv ≈ 11%–13%) on a 4-inch wafer. A micro-LED display with 32×32 pixels were driven successfully by 2T1C AMTFT back plane based on R-CNT TFTs. Top-gated FETs based on A-CNTs exhibit excellent electronic performance with an on-state current (Ion) of 2.2 mA/μm, peak transconductance (gm) of 1.1 mS/μm, low contact resistance (Rc) of 191 Ω•μm and negligible hysteresis, among the best reported performance of CNT FETs. We believe our progress in the s-CNT materials will greatly push the CNT-based electronics technology into practical applications.

Modeling of the Nanofiltration Process Based on Convective Diffusion Theory

The article formulates the state of the problem of improving the theoretical calculation of the nanofiltration kinetic characteristics in the time cycle of separation of industrial solutions containing copper(II), iron(III), trisodium phosphate and OP-10 (a wetting agent used in electroplating, a product of treating a mixture of mono- and dialkylphenols with ethylene oxide) using the equations of convective diffusion, hydrodynamics and mass transfer. To calculate the kinetic characteristics of the nanofiltration process, the mathematical model was improved by numerically solving the equations of convective diffusion, the Navier–Stokes equation and the flow continuity equation in a polar coordinate system with initial and boundary conditions. The theoretical results obtained in the process of an analytical solution of the system of equations allow calculating changes in concentrations in the permeate and retentate tracts and the permeate volume during nanofiltration separation. The acceptability of the developed nanofiltration method for separating solutions is assessed by comparing the calculated data according to the mathematical model with the experimental data obtained on the nanofiltration unit during separation of solutions containing copper(II), iron(III), trisodium phosphate and OP-10.

Anhydrous interfacial polymerization induced by isopropanol to construct high permeance polyamide membranes for organic solvent nanofiltration

Highly permeable polyamide (PA) membranes with precise molecular sieving capabilities are crucial for energy-efficient chemical separations. There is a critical need to design solvent-stabilized membranes with enhanced permeance to improve separation efficiency. In this work, we propose a novel anhydrous interfacial polymerization (IP) method, where flexible polyethyleneimine (PEI) and rigid p-phenylenediamine (PPD) are uniquely dissolved in isopropanol (IPA) and subsequently crosslinked with trimethyl chloride (TMC) in situ to fabricate high-performance PA membranes. Notably, the use of IPA as a solvent represents a significant advancement in membrane fabrication. This approach resulted in PA membranes with a relatively loose selective layer compared to traditional PA membranes, allowing for exceptionally high solvent permeance while maintaining strong rejection performance in organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN). The obtained PEI + PPD/TMC PA membranes demonstrated outstanding ethanol (EtOH) permeance of 46.44 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 in the organic solvent system, along with good rejection for small organic molecules, such as 93.84% for Eriochrome Black T (EBT, 461.38 Da). In addition, the performance of the PEI + PPD/TMC PA membranes remained at a high level even during 510 min of continuous cross-flow filtration, under high pressure (5 bar) testing, and after 6 cycles of separation, which demonstrated their good stability in long-term service. This work establishes a robust foundation for employing anhydrous IP reactions and innovative solvent systems, such as IPA, to develop high-permeance PA membranes.

Improving the non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS) pathway using quality improvement methodology

BackgroundThe National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline quality standard for non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS) pathway states that adults who have an intermediate or higher risk...

Development of a novel ECTFE melt-blown nonwoven materials and its application in oil-water separation

The removal of oil from water surfaces is crucial for protecting the environment and living organisms from the hazards posed by industrial oily wastewater and offshore oil spills. However, achieving enhanced mechanical robustness, corrosion resistance, and durability in oil-water separation membranes presents a significant challenge. In this study, poly(ethylene chlorotrifluoroethylene) (ECTFE) resin, a novel semicrystalline polymer material composed of alternating ethylene and chlorotrifluoroethylene molecules, was fabricated into melt-blown fabric (MB) by melt-blowing technology. By optimizing the side wind temperature, collector distance, roller speed, and hot air pressure, ECTFE MB with superior mechanical properties was established. Additionally, the obtained ECTFE MB exhibited excellent hydrophobicity with a water contact angle reaching 127.8°. The separation efficiency for various oil-water mixtures (oil phase including carbon tetrachloride, petroleum ether, dichloromethane, n-hexane, and isooctane) exceeded 99 %. Furthermore, after 90 cycles of oil-water separation, ECTFE MB maintained high flux (72183.16 L m−2 h−1) and separation efficiency of 99.40 % when carbon tetrachloride was used as oil phase. Notably, ECTFE MB demonstrated exceptional resistance to harsh environments, including strong acids, bases, and mild high temperature. The investigation of failure modes of ECTFE MB revealed that the primary failure mode of ECTFE MB was the disruption of the oil-water interface. The maximum water height that the ECTFE MB could withstand was 1376 mm. Consequently, ECTFE MB exhibit excellent mechanical properties, chemical stability, and cycling stability, indicating the potential application in the field of oil-water separation.

Double bioinspired of robust BaSO4/SnO2 membrane with anti-crude oil adhesion and remarkable emulsion separation

Pollution from oily waste water is a serious environmental problem worldwide, causing serious damage to the environment and human health. At the same time, emulsifiers also cause great difficulties in wastewater treatment. Although efforts have been made to develop many high performance emulsion separation membranes, it is difficult to have the ability to resist crude oil pollution in practical applications. The construction of superoleophobic micro/nano-scale lamellar structured membranes with the potential to efficiently separate oil/water emulsions was inspired by the oil-resistant properties of fish scales and the unique adhesion of mussels. Tin dioxide, polydopamine and hydrophilic barium sulphate have been modified on the surface of stainless steel mesh by in-situ hydrothermal and dip coating. The superhydrophilic stainless steel mesh was successfully prepared by using the adhesion of polydopamine. Using the excellent underwater hydration ability of tin dioxide and the hydroxyl group-rich hydrophilic barium sulfate, the modified membrane showed excellent resistance to crude oil pollution. The superhydrophilic membrane can continuously separate different types of oil-in-water emulsions with high separation efficiency (99.9 %) and excellent separation flux (900 L m−2 h−1), with no decrease in efficiency and flux after 10 emulsion separation cycles. In addition, the superhydrophilic membrane has excellent durability and stability, remaining super-oleophobic underwater to sand shock, sandpaper abrasion, high saline corrosion and UV ageing. The prepared stainless steel membrane not only provides a novel anti-fouling strategy, but its excellent stability also provides some new inspiration for the treatment of oil and water pollution in the future.

Biomimetic super-wetting membranes via in-situ growth and synchronous integration of ZIF nanoleaves (ZIF-Ls) for emulsified oily wastewater purification and catalytic Knoevenagel condensation

To address the increasingly severe oil spill accidents and water contamination, the development of super-wetting membranes with high oil/water separation efficiency is in great demand but remains challenging. The critical challenge lies in the rational design and fabrication of robust rough surface with hierarchical micro/nano-structure. In this study, biomimetic super-wetting polyacrylonitrile composite membrane was developed through in-situ synthesis and synchronous integration of zeolitic imidazolate framework nanoleaves (ZIF-Ls). Thorough investigation was conducted to assess the effect of the ZIF-Ls growth time on membrane morphology and surface wetting property. Incorporating the nanoleaf-like ZIF-Ls onto the surface of the membrane provided the surface with micro/nano rough structure and superamphiphilic/superlyophobic features. The prepared membrane showed great separation capability toward various O/W and W/O emulsions, and could be easily regenerated by employing a simple rinsing and drying procedure with high separation efficiency sustained even after multiple separation cycles. Moreover, the membrane with ZIF-Ls demonstrated outstanding catalytic performance in the Knoevenagel condensation. This study achieves advancements in the development of super-wettable membranes with outstanding performance in separating emulsions and the as-prepared membranes have the potential to serve as promising candidates for practical oily mixture treatment.

Bioinspired interlaced wetting surfaces for continuous on-demand emulsion separation

Maintaining high separation performance during continuous emulsion separation remains a challenge. Herein, based on biomimetic coupling ideas, hole array interlaced wetting surfaces (HAIWSs) and mastoid array interlaced wetting surfaces (MAIWSs) were prepared by laser processing, electroless silver deposition, thiol modification, and spraying for on-demand emulsion separation. When the separation is going on, randomly moving emulsion droplets are prone to being captured by holes or mastoids due to interlaced wettability. Under this unique interface behavior, the occurrence of filter cake and pore clogging is reduced, thus achieving both high efficiency (∼99.5 and ∼99.3 %). Meanwhile, the high flux can also be maintained (∼3212 and ∼3458 L m−2 h−1). Significantly better than surfaces without pores or mastoid structures. Further, the as-prepared surfaces also exhibit excellent recyclability. After 50 separation cycles, optimized HAIWS and MAIWS still maintained high efficiency (∼96.2 and ∼95.8 %) and high flux (∼3042 and ∼3164 L m−2 h−1), exceeding other surfaces without hole or mastoid structure. Notably, complex physical/chemical cleaning processes are avoided. Besides, even in harsh conditions, HAIWS and MAIWS still maintain excellent stability. The above strategy provides a novel mechanism for effective on-demand emulsion separation and is expected to encourage the creation of new-class separation devices for oily wastewater treatment in industry.

A versatile superhydrophilic/air-superoleophobic glass fiber membrane: Fabrication and application in oil/water separation

Superwetting materials have received extensive interest owing to their potential for efficient oil/water separation. Herein, a superhydrophilic-superoleophobic glass fiber membrane was fabricated through a simple spraying coating method. The membrane was coated with a composite layer of methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS), fluorosurfactant (FS-50) and TiO2 nanoparticles. Accordingly, both hydrophilic groups (i.e., -OH) and oleophobic groups (i.e., fluorinated groups) were distributed on the membrane, and its surface roughness was improved by TiO2. The contact angles of water and oil on the coated membrane were 0° and 156.8° in air, respectively. By virtue of its selective permeability, it demonstrated separation efficiencies larger than 99.2 % for oil/water mixtures, which remained 98.7 % after 40 separation cycles. Furthermore, its separation efficiencies for oil-in-water emulsions were over 98.3 %, which remained 98 % after 10 separation cycles. Owing to its strong superoleophobicity, it displayed prominent anti-oil-fouling performance both in air and underwater. Besides, presence of TiO2 endowed it with photocatalytic capability, enabling it to recover from organic dye pollution. Moreover, the coated membrane maintained superoleophobic after 10 sandpaper-abrading or squeezing cycles. It also exhibited excellent stability under acid/alkali/salt conditions. The study provided new insights for constructing superwetting materials and an effective strategy for oil/water separation.

Preparation of superhydrophobic coatings with excellent durability by synergistic reinforcement of cationic starch and tannic acid

The intrinsic hydrophilicity of sustainable and environmentally friendly biobased materials like starch and its derivatives limits their potential as hydrophobic functional materials. This study presents an eco-friendly and non-toxic method to create coatings with exceptionally high hydrophobicity. Octadecyltrimethoxysilane (ODS) reacts with nano silica (SiO2) through a silane coupling reaction to form superhydrophobic SiO2. The Si-OH groups generated from ODS hydrolysis can undergo a condensation reaction with tannic acid (TA), which is rich in phenolic hydroxyl groups. This enables the hydrophobic silane to bind indirectly with cationic starch (CS), resulting in a stable superhydrophobic CS-based coating. The coating demonstrates significant hydrophobicity (contact angle >170°), excellent UV light transmittance (<4.05 %), self-cleaning properties, prolonged shelf life (over eight months), antibacterial activity, and encapsulation capability. It also shows a separation efficiency exceeding 99 % after 25 oil-water separation cycles and is easily recoverable. The study elucidates the mechanism behind the preparation process and the factors enhancing hydrophobic properties. The research findings suggest that the novel, cost-effective CS/TA/ODS/SiO2 coating offers a scalable solution for superhydrophobic applications and broadens the horizon for green starch use in hydrophobic materials.

Candle soot-modified rPET electrospun nanofibrous membrane for separating on-demand oil-water mixture and emulsions

The CS-rPET electrospun nanofibrous membrane is fabricated from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) through electrospinning and enhanced with candle soot (CS) to separate oil-water mixtures and emulsions when pre-wetted by oil or water. Using rPET polymers and CS waste reduces the environmental impact of plastic bottle waste and improves its value. The CS-rPET electrospun nanofibrous membrane showed excellent separation performance in oil-water mixtures, achieving over 81.18 % and 71.38 % of separation efficiency through 40 separation cycles after pre-wetting by oil and after washing with ethanol and pre-wetting by water, respectively. The membrane maintained high separation performance after being pre-wetted by oil for water-in-oil emulsions with efficiencies above 99 % and flux exceeding 12,200 L m−2 h−1. Similarly, the efficiencies remained above 98 % for oil-in-water emulsions after being pre-wetted by water, with a flux over 8000 L m−2 h−1. Additionally, the CS-rPET electrospun nanofibrous membrane exhibited high separation efficiencies above 97 % and flux over 14,000 L m−2 h−1 after pre-wetting by oil and 7700 L m−2 h−1 after pre-wetting by water in harsh environmental conditions. Its adaptability of switchable wettability on-demand after pre-wetting by oil or water highlights its potential for a wide range of challenging oil-water separation applications. However, multiple separation cycles, separation efficiency and flux were reduced, indicating the necessity to improve the membrane's efficiency and reduce the chance of water accumulation in multicycle separation.

Intergenerational continuation of parent-child separation and 1-year telomere length attrition among mother-offspring dyads in rural China: The moderating effects of resilience

BackgroundAlthough stressor exposure early in life was known risk factor for telomere length (TL) attrition, limited literature explored it across generations. Furthermore, the effects of resilience have rarely been examined. Here, we examined whether the effects of intergenerational parent-child separation on offspring 1-year TL attrition vary by the levels of resilience. MethodIn a sample of 342 mother-child dyads living in rural China, the intergenerational continuation of parent-child separation was defined as the two generations both experiencing parent-child separation from both parents for >6 months a year early in life assessed by the parent-reported questionnaire, whereas intergenerational discontinuity refers to parent-child separation exposed in one generation only. TL was measured at baseline (from June to November 2021) and 1-year later with children's buccal mucosa swabs, with resilience polygenic risk scores (PRS) evaluated based on 4 single-nucleotide variations in 4 resilience-related genes (OXTR, FKBP5, NPY, and TNF-α). ResultsAmong 342 mother-offspring dyads, 35 (10.2 %) experienced intergenerational continuation of parent-child separation, and 139 (40.6 %) were identified as discontinuous. Remarkably, a 0.12-point reduction in TL attrition was only associated with intergenerational continuation of parent-child separation (95 % CI: 0.04, 0.21, P < 0.01) but not discontinuity. Importantly, the association between intergenerational continuation of parent-child separation with accelerated TL attrition disappeared in offspring with high resilience PRS (β = 0.07, 95%CI: −0.06, 0.21). ConclusionOur findings highlight the importance of breaking the intergenerational cycle of parent-child separation and the moderating effects of resilience on TL attrition for children exposed to adversity.

Advanced absorption-storage water molecules strategy reinforces antifouling property for stable oil/water emulsions separation

Constructing membranes with extraordinary resistance to oil contamination under high permeation flux is a considerable challenge. Herein, an advanced absorption-storage water molecules strategy is proposed for constructing the robust hydration layers to achieve effective anti-oil fouling and stable oily wastewater purification. Specifically, metal–organic framework (MOF, UiO-66-NH2) nanoparticles with powerful water-absorbing characteristics are preferentially adsorbed to collect water in oil/surfactant/water systems. Combining excellent water retention, the micro-/ nano-networks formed by attapulgite (APT) could store the water molecules captured by MOF. The synergistic effect of the water-absorbing/water-retaining interactions between the MOF and APT created robust hydration layers defense barriers, which enhanced the resistance of membrane to oil contamination. Furthermore, the abundant hydrophilic groups (e.g., –OH, –NH2 and –CONH2) of chitosan (CS) further improved the membrane surface hydrophilic coverage, permeability and hydration ability. As a result, the developed CS/APT@MOF composite membrane exhibited significant anti-oil fouling capability and realized superior purification property towards various oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by surfactants. The CS/APT@MOF composite membrane demonstrated outstanding oil repellency (flux recovery ratio > 99.6 %, total flux decline ratio < 3.8 %) over 10 cycles under large permeability (>660 L m-2h−1 bar−1). Meanwhile, the constructed CS/APT@MOF composite membrane exhibited stable separation cycle capability (10 cycles) and continuous purification performance (60 min) for different oil/water emulsions. Therefore, this advanced strategy based on absorption-storage water molecules to construct robust hydration layers provides a promising insight for the development of superior antifouling and operationally stable oil/water emulsions separation membranes.

Mesh coated with microbially induced nanoscale vaterite for oil-in-water emulsion separation

Microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP), with its hydrophilic rough microstructures and as an environmentally friendly material modification method, has shown great potential for oil-water separation. However, its efficiency in separating oil-in-water emulsions remains challenging. This study advances the MICP method by producing microbially induced nanoscale calcium carbonate on a mesh using calcium acetate instead of traditional calcium chloride, successfully achieving efficient separation of oil-in-water emulsions. The stainless-steel mesh (SSM) after calcium acetate-MICP treatment obtained nano-elliptical flake-like vaterite (vaterite-SSM) and demonstrated superior superhydrophilicity and underwater superoleophobicity compared to the mesh coated with micro-cubic structured calcite (calcite-SSM) treated by calcium chloride-MICP. Notably, vaterite-SSM achieved a flux of up to 309 L·m−2·h−1 and an oil rejection rate of over 98.7 % in gravity-driven separation of oil-in-water emulsions, demonstrating significant reusability after 6 cycles. Conversely, calcite-SSM was ineffective in emulsion separation due to coating instability and large particle spacing. Additionally, vaterite-SSM effectively separated various oil-water mixtures, maintaining high performance across 30 separation cycles. This study underscores the important use of calcium acetate in MICP to obtain nano-elliptical flake-like vaterite for efficient oil-water emulsion separation, advancing the promise of MICP as an effective and sustainable method for environmental applications.