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Advanced artificial nerve conduits offer a promising alternative for nerve injury repair. Current research focuses on improving the therapeutic effectiveness of nerve conduits by optimizing scaffold materials and functional components. In this study, a novel poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)‐integrated fish swim bladder (FSB) is presented as a conductive nerve conduit with ordered topology and electrical stimulation to promote nerve regeneration. PEDOT nanomaterials and adhesive peptides (IKVAV) are successfully incorporated onto the decellularized FSB substrate through pre‐coating with polydopamine. The obtained PEDOT/IKVAV‐integrated FSB substrate exhibits outstanding mechanical properties, high electrical conductivity, stability, as well as excellent biocompatibility and bioadhesive properties. In vitro studies confirm that the PEDOT/IKVAV‐integrated FSB can effectively facilitate the growth and directional extension of pheochromocytoma 12 cells and dorsal root ganglion neurites. In addition, in vivo experiments demonstrate that the proposed PEDOT/IKVAV‐integrated FSB conduit can accelerate defective nerve repair and functional restoration. The findings indicate that the FSB‐derived conductive nerve conduits with multiple regenerative inducing signals integration provide a conducive milieu for nerve regeneration, exhibiting great potential for repairing long‐segment neural defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intricate physiological structure of the inner ear presents challenges for traditional medication treatment strategies, including systemic adverse responses, trouble penetrating the blood–labyrinth barrier, and low local cochlear concentration, resulting in poor therapeutic outcomes. An intriguing tactic that is extensively developed over decades is utilizing drug delivery systems to transport medication molecules to the inner ear. Herein, the challenges associated with inner ear delivery are discussed, cutting‐edge achievements in inner ear drug delivery systems are emphasized, including nano‐, micro‐, and macrocarriers, and finally opportunities to leverage advanced technologies to improve existing drug delivery strategies are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-based advanced oxidation process have been raised widely attention due to the efficient the degradation of antibiotics. However, the low efficiency in PMS activation is still a challenge for practical application. Designing the catalysts which can activate PMS towards hybrid of radical and non-radical pathways may be a promising approach. Herein, CoP@Co 2 P heterostructure catalyst has been constructed by a convenient calcination method. Characterizations and theoretical calculations confirm the electron transfer process between CoP and Co 2 P interface, which forms the electron-deficient Co 2 P and electron-rich CoP. Thus, Co 2 P oxidizes PMS to produce 1O 2 , and CoP reduces PMS to produce SO 4 •-, which mediates both the radical and the non-radical reaction for tetracycline (TC) degradation. Besides, the TC degradation efficiency by CoP@Co 2 P-3/PMS system was 4.53 and 5.37 times than CoP/PMS and Co 2 P/PMS system, respectively, and the mineralization rate of TC reached 84.7% after 60 min. CoP@Co 2 P-3/PMS system still displayed outstanding catalytic performances with the coexistence of anions in natural water, indicating the excellent stability of the catalysts. Besides, three possible degradation pathways of TC were proposed and CoP@Co 2 P/PMS oxidation system was very efficient at detoxifying TC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibration energy harvesting based on piezoelectric materials attracts wide attention due to its advantages of high power density, architectural simplicity, and scalability. In this paper, the piezoelectric macro fiber composites (MFCs) for vibration energy harvesting were developed by using a hot pressing technique. The microscopic appearance analysis shows that there exists a good interfacial bonding property among the piezoelectric ceramic fibers and the epoxy resin matrix. The mechanical testing result proves that the largest tensile stress of the MFCs along the piezoelectric ceramic fibers direction reaches 71.27 MPa. The MFCs cantilever harvesters for the vibration energy harvesting under low frequency were tailored, and the research results show that the increase of the vibration acceleration, interdigital electrode space and volume fraction of piezoelectric ceramic fibers in MFCs can improve the open circuit voltage amplitude of the MFCs harvester. The application validation results show that electric power generated by one piece of MFC cantilever harvester can supply 88 LEDs and a small calculator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless network-on-chip (WiNoC) face serious reliability challenges, and the fault-tolerant design of wireless routers (WRs) has a significant impact on the transmission efficiency of the overall on-chip network. Due to the continuous shrinking of CMOS technology and the integration of wireless technology in complex circuits, WRs appear to become more prevalent. In this paper, we propose a dynamic detection strategy for wireless interface faults in WiNoC, which classifies the fault scenarios of wireless interfaces in WRs, implements wireless interface fault detection in WiNoC operation, and updates the fault scenarios. Meanwhile, a fault-free WR table-based nearest route algorithm is also presented to maximize the network performance. The Evaluations show that the proposed scheme can effectively guarantee the network performance when WR faults occur in the network and is also effective under the case of moderate WR fault rate. • We propose two mechanisms to ensure efficient communication in wireless network. • First, we propose a dynamic detection mechanism for potential faults in the wireless interface. • Next, we propose a WI fault-tolerant routing algorithm to select the optimal routing path. • Finally, the evaluation results show that the proposed scheme maintains low latency and large throughput under moderate faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The laminated 2-2 connectivity cement/polymer based piezoelectric composites with varied piezoelectric phase distribution were fabricated by employing Lead Zirconium Titanate ceramic as active phase, and mixture of cement powder, epoxy resin, and hardener as matrix phase with a mass proportion of 4:4:1. The dielectric, piezoelectric, and electromechanical coupling properties of the composites were studied. The composites with large total volume fraction of piezoelectric phase have large piezoelectric strain constant and relative permittivity, and the piezoelectric and dielectric properties of the composites are independent of the dimensional variations of the piezoelectric ceramic layer. The composites with small total volume fraction of piezoelectric phase have large piezoelectric voltage constant, but also large dielectric loss. The composite with gradually increased dimension of piezoelectric ceramic layer has the smallest dielectric loss, and that with the gradually increased dimension of matrix layer has the largest piezoelectric voltage constant. The novel piezoelectric composites show potential applications in fabricating ultrasonic transducers with varied surface vibration amplitude of the transducer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The propagation of ultrasonic wave in cement paste is closely related to its physical properties, and therefore shows a potential application in fields of online monitoring of hydration and hardening properties of the cementitious materials. Here, the hydration characteristics of cement paste doped with triethanolamine were studied based on the ultrasonic transmission method using the tailor-made horizontal omnidirectional piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer. The results show that clear ultrasonic waveforms can be observed at hydration age of 2 h. The dominant frequency of the reception wave is low at early hydration age and shifts towards the high frequency direction with hydration. The amplitude of the head wave increases sharply before hydration of 24 h, and the increasing extent decreases gradually until hydration of 166 h. The hydration process of cement at early hydration age can be classified into three stages based on amplitude changes of the head wave, that is, the induction period before 4 h, the acceleration period during 4–12 h, and the deceleration period after 12 h. The acoustic parameters of cement paste at early hydration age conform well to the logistic function distribution. The research finding might provide a new method to estimate hydration and hardening properties of cementitious materials, especially on large construction sites. [Display omitted] • A novel embedded omnidirectional piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer was proposed. • The ultrasonic technique was employed for real time monitoring of hydration process of cement. • A logistic function distribution of acoustic parameters at early hydration period was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sediments act as crucial sink and source for metal contamination in aquatic environment of reservoir systems. However, the high complexity and heterogeneity of sediments make it difficult to trace the sources of metals in reservoir sediments. As a toxic metal, how to trace anthropogenic Pb sources in sediments is important for the water quality safety, especially in reservoir. Herein, 98 sediment samples collected from the connected Panjiakou Reservoir (PJKR) and Daheiting Reservoir (DHTR) were analyzed. A novel approach for tracing anthropogenic Pb sources was established by combining the regional geochemical baseline (RGB) and Pb isotopic ratios. The results showed that the mean concentration of Pb in these two reservoirs was 44.59 mg/kg, and the RGB value of Pb was 43.77 mg/kg. Pollution assessments using RGB and enrichment factor indicated that the influence of anthropogenic Pb is greater in DHTR sediments than in PJKR sediments. Based on the RGB model, samples influenced by anthropogenic activities (SS-AA) were screened and found in the DHTR. The anthropogenic Pb contribution in DHTR SS-AA was totally 35.29%. Moreover, the mean value of 206Pb/207Pb in DHTR SS-AA (1.107 ± 0.029) was slightly lower than those of natural inputs, indicating there was a small amount of anthropogenic Pb input in DHTR. The anthropogenic Pb sources were further identified using Pb isotopic ratios (206Pb/207Pb and 208Pb/207Pb) for DHTR SS-AA. Their apportionments were calculated with the help of the RGB model. The results showed that iron mining (20.42%) and coal combustion (14.87%) were the two main anthropogenic Pb sources. Aerosol deposition was likely the main pathway for coal combustion input. The results confirm that the proposed method of combining RGB and Pb isotopic ratios was a good attempt to trace the anthropogenic Pb sources in reservoir sediments. Unlabelled Image • Anthropogenic Pb sources were quantified by geochemical baseline and Pb isotopes. • Sediments influenced by anthropogenic activities were found in the DHTR using RGB. • Anthropogenic contributions of PJKR and DHTR were 8.21% and 35.29%, respectively. • Mining activities and coal combustion were main human inputs to DHTR. • Aerosol deposition was likely the main pathway for Pb input of coal combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous reduction in transistor size, the power consumption issue associated with the adoption of Network-on-Chips (NoCs) in multicore systems has become increasingly prominent and severe, particularly in terms of static power consumption. Currently, the techniques employed to address the issue of static power consumption in NoCs can be broadly categorized into two forms: power gating and simplified router architecture. However, these designs face critical bottlenecks in maintaining network performance stability and flexibility. In this paper, we propose a power gating approach utilizing double buffering to conserve power. Firstly, we introduce the DBU-PG router architecture, which effectively reduces network power consumption by sharing an input buffer between every two input ports when the network load is low. Secondly, through improved arbitration and flow control mechanisms, packets can be efficiently transmitted between shared buffers. Finally, we propose an improved router architecture, DBU-PG2, which enables packets in different virtual channels of the same buffer to be executed concurrently. Based on evaluation in real application, our DBU-PG and DBU-PG2 routers achieved reductions of 69% and 66%, respectively, in static power consumption compared to the baseline. Additionally, DBU-PG2 reduced packet latency by 7.5% while incurring only a 2.3% increase in area overhead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Networks-on-Chip (NoCs) are becoming the communication backbone in multicore chips. The router buffer holds a critical significance for the communication performance of NoC. However, the bursty traffic means that the buffers are idle for many periods and generate a significant amount of static power. Moreover, due to the uneven traffic distribution, some buffers within the router stand idle even at network saturation. Both the performance and power budget of NoC heavily depends on the router's buffer budget. Therefore, we desperately demand a mechanism to maximize the usage of idle buffers to balance the load and improve the performance ceiling of NoC. Dynamically based on network traffic, early switching on or off of buffers to save power consumption. We propose a modified microarchitecture of the virtual channel sharing router, MVCR. The MVCR innovatively applies aggressive fine-grained power gating mechanisms to the idle buffers of each directional input port (east, west, south, and north) to achieve static power savings. Moreover, the MVCR further extends the sleeping VC period through an efficient packet-transmission adjustment mechanism, thus achieving maximum static power savings and improved network performance. Synthetic applications and real benchmarks have been used to validate MCVR. Compared to traditional router scheme, MVCR increases throughput by 30%, reduces power consumption by 47%, and has a latency overhead of about 6%. The key performance metrics are better than other solutions, and the added area cost is moderate. • We design a reconfigurable virtual channel sharing router micro-architecture. • First, we propose a buffer-sharing mechanism for neighboring ports to optimize the packet transmission path. • Next, we modify the credit update mechanism to ensure correct network backpressure. • Finally, simulation results show that the proposed scheme ensures energy-efficient communication in system-on-chip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Toxic metals in the sediments of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) in China are a conspicuous scientific issue. However, compared with the commonly monitored metals, the geochemical behavior and potential risk of antimony (Sb) in TGR sediments remains unclear. Here, sediment samples were collected from the entire TGR. Multiple assessment approaches (i.e., geochemical baseline concentration of Sb (GBC Sb), grain size normalization, potential ecological risk, and health risk assessment) were used to evaluate the Sb status in sediments. The average Sb concentration was 1.14 ± 0.20 mg/kg, ranging from 1.10 to 1.19 mg/kg. The spatial distribution of Sb exhibited a tendency to accumulate from upstream to downstream. Normalization by fine grain size revealed that fine grain particles mainly influenced the Sb spatial distribution in TGR sediments. The temporal variation of Sb revealed that the mean content of Sb was higher in the dry season than in the wet season. Moreover, GBC Sb (1.10 mg/kg) was higher than the background value of Sb in Yangtze River sediments. Determination of the anthropogenic contribution rate gave a mean value of 11.43% using the GBC model, indicating that the main contribution of Sb in TGR sediments originated from natural sources. According to sediment loads during 2015 and 2016, the anthropogenic input deposited 2.74 and 3.32 t of sediments in 2015 and 2016, respectively. In addition, the assessment results of the potential ecological risk index based on GBC Sb suggested that Sb presented a low ecological risk in TGR sediments. Sb accumulation in fish caused by the sediment resuspension was calculated by the environmental impact assessment model. Further assessment of target hazard quotients demonstrated that Sb was at a safe level for fish consumption. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • The anthropogenic contribution and Sb stock were calculated by geochemical baseline • A low anthropogenic contribution (11.43%) was found in TGR sediments • The grain size effect can influence the spatial distribution of Sb in TGR sediments • An environmental impact assessment model calculated the Sb content in fish • Fish consumption is safe, but the health risk caused by Sb is a potential issue [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Noble-metal-free Ni-Mo alloys as co-catalyst is successfully modified on g-C 3 N 4. • The Ni 0.4 Mo 0.6 /g-C 3 N 4 composites show significantly enhanced photocatalytic H 2 generation. • The Ni-Mo/g-C 3 N 4 photocatalysts significantly promote the separation of e− and h+. Abstract Photocatalytic water splitting is an environmentally friendly technique for sustainable solar hydrogen production, which requires low-cost and earth-abundant co-catalysts to replace expensive noble metal such as platinum. Herein, for the first time, we demonstrate noble-metal-free Ni-Mo alloys which has been widely attended in the field of electrocatalysis as co-catalysts to drastically enhance the activity of g-C 3 N 4 visible light photocatalyst for H 2 production from water. The novel Ni-Mo/g-C 3 N 4 photocatalyst is in-situ synthesized by an effective and simple one-pot synthesis method. For the synthesized Ni 0.4 Mo 0.6 and with optimized content of 10 wt%, composite photocatalyst Ni 0.4 Mo 0.6 /g-C 3 N 4 shows the champion photocatalytic H 2 generation rate 1785 μmol g−1 h−1, which is about 37 times higher than that of pure g-C 3 N 4 , and comparable to that of the optimized Pt/g-C 3 N 4. Based on the detailed analyses of UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectra, photocurrent response curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy Nyquist plots, the present good efficiency of Ni-Mo/g-C 3 N 4 is mainly attributed to the presence of Ni-Mo alloys, which effectively promote the separation and suppress the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract As the sole drinking water source for Beijing City, Cd has been previously assessed as the major contaminant in Miyun Reservoir (MYR) riparian soils. However, the potential release risk of Cd in such soils, and the labile-Cd release–resupply process from the soil solid phase to solution after water impoundment remain poorly understood. We established a geochemical baseline concentration (GBC) of Cd in MYR riparian soils, combined with the diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT) technique and DGT-induced fluxes in soil (DIFS) model, to reveal a dynamic release–resupply process and influencing factors of labile Cd in riparian soils. The results showed that Cd GBC in riparian soils was 0.12 mg/kg, which was higher than the Cd background value (BV) for Beijing. Using Cd GBC as BV to assess the Cd contaminant level, the geo-accumulation index showed that Cd in riparian soils was at the uncontaminated level. In addition, Cd in the soils belonged to the non-residual fraction using the Community Bureau of Reference method. Cd mobility coefficients (F1/C Total -Cd) of soils at low elevation had relatively high values, implying that Cd may be released during the initial impoundment of the MYR. Moreover, correlation analysis was used to found the major influencing factors between DGT-labile Cd and several parameters. The results showed that the DGT-labile Cd was positively correlated to the reducible and oxidizable fraction, C DGT -Fe, and total organic carbon, illustrating that the release of Cd from soils was controlled by Fe oxides and organic matter. The resupply ability (R values) and DIFS model parameters revealed that Cd in MYR soils belonged to the partially sustained case, and the slow desorption rate suggested that the release risk of Cd was low in the MYR riparian soils. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • DGT/DIFS and GBC were applied to assess Cd release risk in reservoir riparian soils. • I geo revealed uncontaminated level in soils using GBC of Cd as background value. • Cd release risk in soils was low due to slow desorption rate fitting by DIFS model. • Organic matters and iron oxides in soils controlled the Cd release from soil solid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid advancement of information technology, microelectronic devices have found widespread applications in critical sectors such as nuclear power plants, aerospace equipment, and satellites. However, these devices are frequently exposed to diverse radiation environments, presenting significant challenges in mitigating radiation-induced damage. Hence, this review aims to delve into the intricate damage mechanisms of microelectronic devices within various radiation environments and highlight the latest advancements in radiation-hardening techniques. The ultimate goal is to bolster the reliability and stability of these devices under extreme conditions. The review initiates by outlining the spectrum of radiation environments that microelectronic devices may confront, encompassing space radiation, nuclear explosion radiation, laboratory radiation, and process radiation. It also delineates the potential damage types that these environments can inflict upon microelectronic devices. Furthermore, the review elaborates on the underlying mechanisms through which different radiation environments impact the performance of microelectronic devices, which includes a detailed analysis of the characteristics and fundamental mechanisms of damage when microelectronic devices are subjected to total ionizing dose effects and single-event effects. In addition, the review delves into the promising application prospects of several key radiation-hardening techniques for enhancing the radiation tolerance of microelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Using GBCs to investigate Tl pollution characteristics in TGR sediments. • Tl contents generally increased in TGR sediments during five consecutive water seasons. • Average anthropogenic contribution of Tl calculated by GBCs was approximately 6.43%. • Mean Tl content in tributary sediment was higher than that in mainstream. Abstract The Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) is the world’s largest hydrological project. However, the response of thallium (Tl) in TGR sediments to reservoir operation remains highly uncertain. Here, we investigated the pollution characteristics of Tl in TGR sediments during five consecutive water seasons. Geochemical baseline concentrations (GBCs) were used to distinguish the anthropogenic input of Tl and to quantitatively estimate the Tl anthropogenic contribution in TGR sediments. The results showed that the average Tl concentration in TGR sediments was 0.72 ± 0.14 mg/kg (ranging from 0.26 to 1.07 mg/kg) during five consecutive water seasons. The average Tl content in tributary sediment was higher than that in mainstream sediment. In the mainstream, Tl in TGR sediments showed an accumulation tendency from the upstream to downstream. Additionally, the temporal variation revealed that the mean value of Tl in TGR sediments in the dry season was higher than that in the wet season during 2015–2016. Furthermore, the average GBCs of Tl (0.71 mg/kg) was higher than background values (BVs) in the Yangtze River sediments. Using the GBCs of different water seasons to calculate the anthropogenic input of Tl in the TGR, the average anthropogenic contribution was found to be approximately 6.43% (2.81%–9.12%). The assessment results by two different methods (geo-accumulation index and potential ecological risk index) used GBCs as the BVs, indicating that TGR sediments were at “uncontaminated” level and close to the “low ecological risk”, respectively. Comparing to the GBC of Tl, the assessment of Tl pollution in TGR using BVs in the Yangtze River sediments may be over-evaluated. This study is beneficial for assessing Tl pollution in TGR sediments response to consecutive water seasons and estimating the anthropogenic contribution of Tl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 two-dimensional (2D) composite photocatalysts were prepared through a simple hydrothermal method followed by a post thermal treatment. The H 2 generation activity of these photocatalysts in the visible light was evaluated. The photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectra, transmission electron microscopy and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy et al. These results show that the orthorhombic-phase WO 3 nanoparticles with a grain size from 5 to 80 nm were successfully anchored on g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets surface with intimate contact. Furthermore, the charge separation mechanisms of photo-generated charge carriers of the 2D WO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 photocatalysts were further studied by photoelectrochemical response and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The result shows that the 2D WO 3 /g-C 3 N 4 photocatalyst with 10 wt% WO 3 possesses the maximum photocatalytic performance for H 2 generation, as high as of 1853 μmol h −1 g −1 , which is about 6.5 times higher than that of bare g-C 3 N 4 , indicating the fast injection of interface interaction between 2D g-C 3 N 4 and WO 3 . The increased photocatalytic performance of the composite photocatalyst can be attributed to the enhanced absorption of visible light, the higher photo-generated electrons and holes separation efficiency and low recombination rate of electrons and holes generated by photoexcitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient and earth-abundant electrocatalysts for water oxidation are essential for renewable and sustainable energy conversion technologies. And Ni(Fe)O x H y especially attractive as a state-of-the-art best candidate catalyst for efficient electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In previous research, Cr has been reported could benefit the Ni(Fe)O x H y catalysts with conflicting mechanism. Here, a series of ternary (Ni, Fe and Cr) amorphous metal oxide catalysts for OER are synthesized via a simple thermal decomposition method. We show that Ni 0.6 Fe 0.3 Cr 0.1 O x has a turnover frequency of 0.046 ± 0.004 s −1  at 300 mV overpotential which is ∼31% more active than an analogous Ni 0.6 Fe 0.4 O x film, 0.035 ± 0.007 s −1 , in 0.1 M KOH media. Using electrochemical voltammetry and AC impedance analysis, we demonstrate that Cr increases the number of electrochemically available active sites, as a pore forming agent, but does not affect the intrinsic per metal atom activity. We find that the Cr begins to leach immediately upon electrochemical testing, and the Cr is almost completely depleted after a 24 h stability test. Importantly, along with the decreased content of Cr, the catalyst activity is further promoted. Although the Cr itself may not be responsible for the improvement, its dissolution results in an ideal type of pore and/or active sites. We further optimize the deposition of high-surface-area and high-mass-loading Ni 0.6 Fe 0.3 Cr 0.1 O x on carbon-cloth electrodes and demonstrate an overpotential as low as 251 mV at 10 mA cm −2 in 1 M KOH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezoelectric composites are gaining increasingly importance in ultrasonic fields due to their superior properties. Here novel 1–3 multi-element piezoelectric composites were developed by using piezoelectric ceramic as functional phase, epoxy resin as matrix phase, and silica gel and polyurethane as decoupling materials. The effects of decoupling materials and composite thickness on dielectric, piezoelectric and electromechanical coupling properties of the composites were investigated. The coupling response among various elements of the composites was discussed by setting up an ultrasonic testing platform. The results show that the multi-element piezoelectric composites have larger piezoelectric voltage factor than piezoelectric ceramic, however, less relative permittivity and piezoelectric strain factor. With decreasing the composite thickness, the thickness resonant peaks of the piezoelectric composite shift toward high frequency direction, and no obvious high-order and coupling resonant peaks appear. The multi-element piezoelectric composites have larger thickness electromechanical coupling coefficient k t and less mechanical quality factor Q m than piezoelectric ceramic. When composite thickness is 5 mm, the epoxy/silica piezoelectric composite has a maximum k t value of 70.41%, and a minimum Q m value of 11.29. The coupling response testing results show that epoxy/silica piezoelectric composite shows less crosstalk effect than epoxy/epoxy and epoxy/polyurethane piezoelectric composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The corrosion behavior of steel in concrete is an engineering issue that needs to be monitored to ensure structural safety. Novel cement/polymer-based piezoelectric composites were used to fabricate embedded ultrasonic transducers. This study investigated the corrosion development of reinforcement bar in concrete by employing ultrasonic transmission technique. The transmitted ultrasonic wave and acoustic parameters were extracted to reveal the corrosion process of steel. Results show that ultrasonic time- and frequency-domain spectra have weak amplitude attenuation when the corrosion rate of steel is less than 1%. Corrosion then weakens further when the corrosion rate is higher than 5%. A similar variation is observed on the frequency-domain spectrum. Variations in the corrosion rates of steel bars in concrete can be categorized into three periods based on the acoustic parameters, namely, the initial corrosion period when the corrosion rate is less than 1%, rapid corrosion period at a corrosion rate of 1%–6%, and corrosion development period when the corrosion rate is higher than 6%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalytic oxygen activation is an excellent strategy for algae control in water. However, the fast recombination of photogenerated charge and slow rate of oxygen transfer limit the reactive oxygen species generation efficiency for algae inactivation. Herein, to solve above issues, magnetic field was introduced to the BiO 2−x /Bi 3 NbO 7 system to effectively covert oxygen into reactive radicals. The electrochemical experiment and DFT calculation results indicated the charge separation could be accelerated by the Lorentz force generated by the magnetic field, resulting in increase of electron concentration. Meanwhile, the value of volumetric gas-liquid mass transfer coefficient was increased by 59.79 % with magnetic field, thus more oxygen could be reduced to superoxide radical. Photocatalytic algae inactivation rate by BiO 2−x /Bi 3 NbO 7 with magnetic field could be increased by 2.07 times than that without magnet filed. This work further extends the strategy of using magnetic field to simultaneously facilitate the charge separation and oxygen transfer rate. [Display omitted] • Magnetic field was introduced to the BiO 2−x /Bi 3 NbO 7 system for algae inactivation. • Photocatalytic algae inactivation rate with magnetic field could be increased by 2.07 times. • Magnetic field could accelerate the charge separation by the Lorentz force. • Volumetric gas-liquid mass transfer coefficient was increased by 59.79 % with magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimately coupled photocatalysis and biodegradation (ICPB) is an emerging technology that has potential applications in the degradation of bio-recalcitrant pollutants. However, the interaction principles between photocatalysts and biofilms in ICPB have not been well developed. This article covers a cooperative degradation scheme coupling photocatalysis and biodegradation for efficient degradation and mineralization of ciprofloxacin (CIP) using ICPB with B-doped Bi 3 O 4 Cl as the photocatalyst. In consequence, a removal rate of ∼95 % is reached after 40 d. The biofilms inside the ICPB carriers can mineralize the photocatalytic products, thus improving the removal rate of total organic carbon (TOC) by more than 20 %. Interior biofilms are not destroyed by CIP or photocatalysis, and they adapt to ICPB of CIP by enriching in Pseudoxanthomonas , Ferruginibacter , Clostridium , Stenotrophomonas and Comamonas and reconstructing their microbial communities using energy produced by the light-excited photoelectrons. Furthermore, this research gives new opinion into the degradation principles of the ICPB system. [Display omitted] • ICPB involves macro-porous carriers coated B/Bi 3 O 4 Cl on surface and biofilms in core. • CIP degradation rate is reached at 95 % after 40 d in a perturbation reactor. • Mineralization is accelerated by 20 % with biodegradation of photocatalytic products. • Light-excited photoelectrons help regulated microbial community. • The viability of biofilms is well protected at the interior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on characterizing microplastics and non-microplastics released from surgical masks (SMs), N95 masks (N95), KN95 masks (KN95), and children's masks (CMs) after simulating sunlight aging. Based on micro-Raman spectrum analysis, it was found that the dominant particles released from masks were non-microplastics (66.76–98.85%). Unfortunately, CMs released the most microplastics, which is 8.92 times more than SMs. The predominant size range of microplastics was 30–500 µm, and the main polymer types were PP and PET. Compared with the whole SMs, the microplastic particles released from the cutting-SMs increased conspicuously, which is 12.15 times that of the whole SMs. The main components of non-microplastics include β-carotene, microcrystalline cellulose 102, and eight types of minerals. Furthermore, non-microplastics were mainly fibrous and fragmented in appearance, similar to the morphology of microplastics. After 15 days of UVA-aging, the fibers of the face layers had cracks to varying degrees. It was estimated that these four types of masks can release at least 31.5 trillion microplastics annually in China. Overall, this study demonstrated that the masks could release a large quantity of microplastics and non-microplastics to the environment after sunlight aging, deserving urgent attention in the future study. [Display omitted] • Disposable face masks can release massive microplastics and non-microplastics. • Dominant particles released from masks were non-microplastics (66.76–98.85 %). • The main components of non-microplastics include β-carotene, MCC 102 and minerals. • Face masks can release at least 31 trillion microplastics annually in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal semiconductor catalysts with oxygen vacancies can make full use of near infrared light to active O 2 for degradation of emerging pollutants. However, the surface oxygen vacancies can also become the combination center of electron-hole pairs, leading O 2 cannot accept more electrons for activation, often becoming the bottleneck. In this study, by doping half-metal BiO 2−x with Nd to form unsaturated Nd-Bi dual-metal sites as oxygen chemisorption and electron transfer sites, this bottleneck can be well solved. Systematic characterization results imply that Nd-Bi dual-metal sites can raise the center of the defect band to the Fermi level, which preserves the energy of photoexcited electrons. Thus, more electrons are driven to adsorbates for O 2 •- generation. Under liquid phase determination conditions, the modified sample achieves the reaction-rate constant for doxycycline degradation of 134.4 × 10−4 min−1, which is about 24.2 times higher than that of pristine BiO 2−x under NIR irradiation. [Display omitted] • Doping defective half-metal BiO 2−x with Nd to form unsaturated Nd-Bi dual-metal sites is reported. • The unsaturated Nd-Bi dual-metal sites can promote the O 2 chemisorption and activation. • Charge separation and transfer are enhanced via unsaturated dual-metal sites mechanism. • The Nd-BiO 2−x shows the best photocatalytic degradation of Emerging organic pollutants. • The degradation path and toxicity analysis are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, on-chip routers consume the majority of the power budget. Moreover, the static power consumption has taken up a significant fraction of the total power consumption in the router. Especially in the light traffic state, the router idle time is notable, but fragmented owing to the impact of some burst traffic, increasing the challenge of reducing static power consumption through power gating. In this paper, a reconfigurable and energy-efficient router architecture design (REE) is proposed: bypass connections are set for routers, and deflection rules are formulated to ensure that routers maintain connectivity in the network under power gating situation, and reduce the deflection rate of packets encountering sleeping routers. Meanwhile, a reusable predictor is introduced to efficiently predict the idle time to wake up the sleeping router appropriately. In addition, the fine-grained power gating (PG) design is introduced in the wireless interface of wireless routers (WRs) to obtain the scheme REE+, which reduces the idle time of transmitter (TX) components and effectively saves the static power consumption of Wireless Interface. Experiments demonstrate that both the REE and REE + schemes in this paper have negligible impact on latency as well as throughput, while the energy savings are significant: 64.5% and 68.3% average static power savings for REE and REE + schemes, respectively, compared to No_PG, and 13.7% and 20.5% average improvement in terms of static power saving compared to Turn-on on Turn (TooT), respectively. • In order to optimize router energy efficiency and to and avoid performance penalties due to power gating routers, this paper proposes reconfigurable and energy-efficient WiNoC routers with the following main contributions. • First, we propose reconfigurable router designs with a combination of coarse and fine granularity. The Schemes make the TX side of WI and the router go to sleep when idle, guaranteeing the connectivity of the router in the network. In addition, a deflection rules are formulated to effectively avoid deflection of the router and ensure deadlock-free routing. • Next, we propose a new router wake-up mechanism to reduce the number of times to wake up the router, effectively prolonging the sleep time of PG router. • Finally, the evaluations illustrate that compared with the TooT scheme, both REE and REE+ schemes have negligible impact on latency and throughput, and achieve significant energy savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we developed three types of 1–3 connectivity piezoelectric composites consisting of the piezoelectric ceramic rods of gauss variation. The piezoelectric strain constant of the composites exhibits good gauss distribution along the length or radial directions of the composites. The electromechanical and acoustic properties of the piezoelectric composites are greatly improved. The k t value of the Gaussian area array composite is 65.02%, which increases by 30% compared with the piezoelectric ceramic. The acoustic impedance value of the composites with Gaussian linear array, Gaussian orthotropic linear array and Gaussian area array is 5.15, 4.74 and 5.93 MRayl, respectively. Our work shows that the ultrasonic transducer which has broad bandwidth, good acoustic impedance matching ability and small acoustic beam side lobe effect can be achieved based on the proposed Gaussian piezoelectric composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a novel and facile strategy to load low-cost and earth-abundant oxygen evolution catalyst NiFeO x by spin-coating on Ti-doped α-Fe 2 O 3 films was reported. The NiFeO x modified hematite photoanode was prepared by a two-step process, which consisted of a hydrothermal method and a subsequent NiFeO x loading step. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to characterize the resulting photoanode. The highest photocurrent increment and lowest onset potential were observed with 30 mM NiFe precursor treatment. Increasing the loading content in a range from 10 to 90 mM, the photocurrent density increases from 0.998 for the pristine α-Fe 2 O 3 to 1.126 mA/cm 2 at 1.23 V vs RHE (i.e., 12.7% increment) with 30 mM NiFe precursor treatment. Concomitant with this improvement was a cathode shift in the onset potential by nearly 55 mV and higher incident-photon-to-current efficiencies. Hematite photoanodes after NiFeO x deposition showed better performance than pristine samples, because of a lower overpotential for water oxidation resulted from NiFeO x modifying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc-cobalt layered double hydroxide (LDH) was electrodeposited on Ti-doped hematite photoanodes for the first time, and a significant enhanced performance for photoelectrochemical water splitting was demonstrated over the composite photoanodes. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were characterized with the resulted photoanodes. With the electrodepositing treatment, the photocurrent density increased from 1.27 mA/cm 2 for pristine hematite to 1.73 mA/cm 2 for modified materials at 1.23 V vs. RHE (i.e. 36% improvement). The photocurrent improvement is mainly attributed to a suppression of electron–hole recombination and reduced overpotential for water oxidation at the hematite-electrolyte interface due to the formation of Zn-Co LDH layer on hematite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogel patches have outstanding values in wound treatment; challenges in this field are concentrated on developing functional and intelligent hydrogel patches with new antibacterial strategies for improving healing process. Herein, a novel melanin‐integrated structural color hybrid hydrogel patches for wound healing is presented. Such hybrid hydrogel patches are fabricated by infusing asiatic acid (AA)‐loaded low melting‐point agarose (AG) pregel into the melanin nanoparticles (MNPs)‐integrated fish gelatin inverse opal film. In this system, MNPs not only impart the hybrid hydrogels with properties of photothermal antibacterial and antioxidant, but also improve the visibility of structural colors by providing an inherent dark background. Besides, the photothermal effect of MNPs under near‐infrared irradiation can also trigger liquid transformation of AG component in hybrid patch, resulting in the controllable release of its loaded proangiogenic AA. Attracting, this drug release induced refractive index variations in the patch can be detected as visible structural color shifting, which can be used to monitor their delivery processes. Benefiting from these features, the hybrid hydrogel patches are demonstrated to achieve excellent therapeutic effects for in vivo wound treatment. Thus, it is believed that the proposed melanin‐integrated structural color hybrid hydrogels are valuable as multifunctional patches for clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The removal of algae by reactive oxygen species (ROS) through photocatalytic O 2 activation is still a challenge. Herein, we constructed a van der Waals (VDW) heterojunction photocatalyst by coupling BiO 2−x with Bi 3 NbO 7 for photocatalytic inactivation of Microcystic aeruginosa and photodegradation of Microcystin-LR. The oxygen vacancies in BiO 2−x /Bi 3 NbO 7 can effectively promote the chemisorption of O 2 , and the VDW force can drive the photoelectrons in Bi 3 NbO 7 transfer to BiO 2−x through S-scheme transfer path, resulting more electrons reduce O 2 to·O 2 -. Hence, photocatalytic inactivation of algae by BiO 2−x /Bi 3 NbO 7 is 14.17 and 19.05 times higher than BiO 2−x and Bi 3 NbO 7 , respectively. During the photocatalysis, the·O 2 - damages the antioxidant system and cell membrane of algae, resulting in the release of organic matter and Microcystin-LR and finally causing the death of algae. The three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy indicates BiO 2−x /Bi 3 NbO 7 can further availably photodegrade the organic matter, and four possible photodegradation pathways of MC-LR are proposed. [Display omitted] • The BiO 2−x and Bi 3 NbO 7 based 2D/2D novel Van der Waals heterostructure is reported. • The oxygen vacancies in BiO 2−x /Bi 3 NbO 7 can promote the chemisorption of O 2. • BiO 2−x /8.0Bi 3 NbO 7 shows the best photocatalytic inactivation of algae. • Charge separation in VDW heterojunction is enhanced via S-scheme mechanism. • Photocatalytic inactivation mechanism of algae is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasonic receiving transducers were fabricated by using 1-3 type cement/polymer based piezoelectric composites as sensing elements and a mixture of cement and epoxy resin as packaging material. An electromagnetic shielding coating material was used as a shielding layer. Based on the ultrasonic wave technique, the hydration reaction processes of Portland cement pastes with various water-to-cement ratios (w/c = 0·28, 0·40 and 0·50) were monitored by using the ultrasonic transducers. Performance analysis of the transducers showed that the shielded transducer has characteristics of a high signal-to-noise ratio, large head wave amplitude and a clear waveform. The head wave amplitude of the shielded transducer was 73% greater than that of the unshielded transducer, and the amplitude ratio of the head wave to the second wave of the shielded transducer was also increased (by 46%). The relationship between waveform and the wave parameters of the received ultrasonic wave and cement hydration reaction time was analysed. It was found that the cement hydration reaction process can be divided into different periods. The wave velocity in the cement paste is sensitive to w/c ratio, and increases with the progress of cement hydration reaction as well as the compressive strength. This was confirmed by the micro-morphology of the cement paste at various periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here the modified cement/polymer based 1–3 piezoelectric composites containing inorganic fillers were prepared. The influences of filler content and composite thickness on dielectric and electromechanical properties of the composites were investigated. The results indicate that the composites with fillers of graphite and strontium ferrite (Sr-ferrite) have larger static relative dielectric constant and smaller dielectric loss than those with silicon powder. The strontium ferrite can improve the thickness electromechanical coupling property of the composites. When the strontium ferrite content is 5 wt.% of the cement/polymer matrix, the piezoelectric composite has the largest thickness electromechanical coupling coefficient of 64.27% and the smallest mechanical quality factor 8.64. The graphite filler shows a certain suppression effect on the planar resonance of the composites. The coupling effects between the planar and thickness modes of the composites were reduced by decreasing the composite thickness, and pure thickness mode resonance can be obtained at a small composite thickness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A kind of embedded impedance-based piezoelectric sensor was fabricated by using mixture of cement powder and epoxy resin as packaging layer. Effects of temperature and load on impedance and conductance spectra of the sensor were investigated. The results show that the baseline of conductance spectra shifts with increasing temperature, and the resonance peaks in the conductance spectra show obvious temperature dependence. The impedance spectra of the embedded sensor under external load from different direction was discussed. The results indicate that the sensor is sensitive to the initial load when the external load is parallel to the thickness direction of the sensor. When the load is along the planar direction of the sensor, the impedance spectra of the sensor show good correlation with the load variation. The root mean square deviation (RMSD) index was also employed here to intuitively indicate the impedance variation of the embedded PZT sensor under temperature and load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to develop cement-based piezoelectric intelligent composites suitable for concrete structural health monitoring, 1-3-2 type piezoelectric composites were fabricated by using piezoelectric ceramic as the functional component and epoxy resin and different kinds of cement as the matrix. The properties of the composites were studied. The results show that, compared with pure piezoelectric ceramic, the relative dielectric factor of the composite decreased while the dielectric loss tan increased. The planar electromechanical coupling coefficient , mechanical quality factor and acoustic impedance of all the composites decreased, while the thickness electromechanical coupling coefficient increased. The composite with ordinary Portland cement matrix had the largest values of , tan , and (piezoelectric strain factor). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Cement/polymer materials were developed to package piezoelectric elements. [•] EMI spectra of the piezo-sensors are sensitive to variation of coupling structures. [•] Cement/polymer based piezocomposite sensors are suitable for EMI technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Floods did not affect MP organizations between upstream and downstream of TGD. • The proportion of SMPs was the highest (∼65.4%) among the all size MPs. • Flooding control operation weakened the TGD barrier on MPs transportation. • PE became the dominant polymer concentrating in SMPs fragments after flooding. • TGR faced the potential ecological risks of SMPs after flood event. The Three Gorges Dam (TGD) is the world's largest hydropower project. It could potentially influence the footprint and transport of microplastics (MPs) in Yangtze River, which is the largest riverine input of oceanic MPs worldwide. In addition to analyzing the MP particles of all size categories and polymer groups, we also evaluated the stability, pollution risk and source identification of MPs after the catastrophic flood of 2020 in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) and downstream of the TGD. We found that the MP abundance (6214 ± 5394 particles/m3) in the TGR water increased by a 57.9% growth after this catastrophic flood. Interestingly, we observed the small-sized MPs (SMPs; < 300 μm) were dominant in the TGR (accounting for ∼65.4% of the total MP particles). After flooding, the main morphological types were fragment and fiber, while the major polymer was polyethylene (PE). Although the MP level was at a low pollution risk, 13.6% of the sampling sites in the TGR water faced potential ecological risks driven by SMPs. In particular, there was no significant difference in the abundances, morphological types, and polymer composition of MPs between upstream and downstream of the TGD (p > 0.05), indicating flooding control operation could weaken the barrier effect of the dam on MPs. Further, based on the conditional fragmentation model, the PE fragments in SMPs of the TGR remained at a stable state. MPs in the TGR mainly originated from anthropogenic activities (wastewater, containers, and agriculture films), with atmospheric deposition as a potential transport pathway for polymers. Our study demonstrates that dam operation during the flood period can influence the MP organization in TGR, providing new insights of the global land-sea transportation of MPs in the Yangtze River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A series of receiving type piezoelectric composites were designed and fabricated by cutting and filling technique. The piezoelectric composites were also optimized from such aspects as matrix phase, functional phase and composite connectivity. The researches show that these piezoelectric composites have larger piezoelectric voltage factor, thickness electromechanical coupling coefficient and lower acoustic impedance than the pure piezoelectric ceramic. The early cement hydration reaction process monitoring result indicates that the ultrasonic wave receiving ability of the piezoelectric composite is obviously better than that of the pure piezoelectric ceramic. Therefore, these kinds of piezoelectric composites have potential application prospect in cement hydration reaction process monitoring. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The piezoelectric ceramic PbSr(ZrTi)O + 0.1 wt% (NiO + CrO) + x wt%CeO (PCrNi-4) was prepared using a traditional solid state sintered method. The effects of CeO doping on phase structure, microstructure, piezoelectric, and dielectric properties were analyzed by means of XRD, SEM, and electrical property measurements. The results indicate that when CeO doping content is 0.3 wt% and sintering temperature is 1,280 °C, the dielectric loss value of the ceramic is the least with a value of 0.00238, and the dielectric factor $$ \varepsilon_{33}^{\text{T}} $$, piezoelectric strain factor d, planar electromechanical coupling coefficient K and mechanical quality factor Q of the ceramic is 1400, 375 pCN, 0.68, and 460, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: PZT piezoelectric ceramic was used as sensing element to fabricate piezoelectric sensor. The fabricated PZT piezoelectric sensor was embedded into and affixed to the structure to detect the structural damage, respectively. The structural crack damage was investigated using the impedance spectra of the sensor. The results show that the electric impedance of the PZT piezoelectric sensor with both different arrangements can reflect the variations of the structural crack damage in the testing frequency ranges. In the frequency range of 20–70kHz, both the impedance value and the resonance frequency of the embedded PZT piezoelectric sensor can show the incipient crack damage and the increase of crack depth clearly. The impedance spectra of the affixed and embedded PZT piezoelectric sensors show the similar variation regularity with increasing the structural crack damage degree. Furthermore, the impedance spectra variation of the PZT piezoelectric sensor with different arrangements in the thickness resonance frequency range is more obvious than that in the planar resonance frequency range. A scalar damage metric is presented based on the impedance spectra of the PZT piezoelectric sensor around the resonance frequency, and the cracks in different positions of the structure were also analyzed using the damage metric. The variation of structural crack damage can be observed effectively and obviously using this damage metric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A 1-3 piezoelectric ceramic–cement composite has been fabricated using sulphoaluminate cement and lead niobium-magnesium zirconate titanate ceramics (P(MN)ZT) as matrix and functional component, respectively. The influences of piezoelectric ceramic volume fraction, aspect ratios of piezoelectric ceramic rods and temperature on the piezoelectric and dielectric properties of the composites were studied. This composite was shown to exhibit an improved electromechanical coupling coefficient with the mechanical quality factor reduced. Furthermore, the acoustic impedance of the composites could also be adjusted to match concrete structures. It has been demonstrated that by adjusting the piezoelectric ceramic volume fraction and shape parameters, the developed composite can be eventually used as sensing element in structural health monitoring. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A 2-2 type cement based piezoelectric composites were fabricated by dice-and-fill technique. The influences of lead magnesium niobate-lead zirconate-lead titanate (PMN) ceramic volume fraction on the electromechanical properties of the composite were investigated. The results indicate that the planar electromechanical coupling factor K p of the composite is hardly influenced by the PMN volume fraction, which fluctuates between 35% and 37%, while both the thickness electromechanical coupling factor K t and the mechanical quality factor Q m exhibit the trend of increase. When PMN volume fraction is 69.2%, K t could reach to 49.8%, which is larger than that of the PMN ceramic (K t =46%).When PMN volume fraction is 41.7%, Q m is 4.5, which is also much less than that of the PMN ceramic (Q m =70). This means that the composite has wider frequency band and higher sensitivity to be used as transducers. With the increase of PMN volume fraction, the acoustic impedance of the composite also exhibits the trend of increase. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cement-based piezoelectric composites with 2-2 connectivity were fabricated from lead magnesium niobate-lead zirconate-lead titanate (PMN) and sulfoaluminate cement by a dice-and-fill technique. The influences of PMN volume fraction and frequency on the piezoelectric and dielectric properties of the composite were analyzed. The results indicated that with increasing the PMN volume fraction, both the piezoelectric strain factor d33 and the relative dielectric factor a. of the composite increased, while the piezoelectric voltage factor g33 decreased. The dielectric resonance peaks, antiresonance absorption peaks, and the dielectric loss peaks of the composites commonly appeared around 200 kHz. With increasing the PMN volume fraction, both the dielectric resonance peaks value and the antiresonance absorption peaks value increased, while the dielectric loss peaks value decreased. At the high frequency zone, the relative dielectric factor ε and dielectric loss tan δ of the composite changed smoothly with increasing frequency [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study carbon fiber reinforced cement-based composites (CFRC) are fabricated by compressing, and the smart properties of the composites are studied. The results show that there exists a remarkable negative temperature coefficient (NTC) and a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) in the composite. The resistivities of the composites formed under 10 MPa are more sensitive to temperature than that of the composites formed under 2 MPa, and the critical temperature zone of the composites formed under 10 MPa (100-130°C) is narrower than that of the composites formed under 2 MPa (50-100°C). The fractional change in resistance of CFRC shows obvious one-to-one correspondence with cyclic load. The amplitude of the fractional change in resistance of the composites formed under 10 MPa is obviously larger than that of the composites formed under 2 MPa. which is more suitable for the application of important buildings such as bridges, dams, and so on to realize the real-time, dynamic and health monitoring, and damnification evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • B concentrations in sediments slightly increased as periodic water-level fluctuation. • Distribution of B exhibited relatively high spatial heterogeneity in TGR sediments. • Dam construction facilitated the sediments redistribution along the TGR area. • Small amount of B originated from anthropogenic source removing sediment size effect. • Accumulation of B in TGR sediments exhibited low potential ecological risk. Hydropower dam construction can alter the continuity of the river flow, thereby influencing geochemical cycle of seldom monitored trace elements due to the change of hydrological regime by reservoir regulation. Here, we investigated the response of hydrological regime on migration of boron (B) in the sediments of Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) using multiple geochemical approaches. Although B concentrations in TGR sediments increased slightly during five consecutive water seasons, the potential ecological risk exhibited relatively low. The spatial distribution patterns of B with high heterogeneity in TGR sediments were influenced by periodic water-level fluctuation. This high spatial heterogeneity significantly correlated with the distribution of fine-grain sediments, which was attributed to the change of hydrological regime (including the decrease of water flow velocity, sediment accumulation, and extended residence time of suspended fine-grain sediments). In order to remove the sediment size effect, the geochemical normalization approach was applied, and revealed that the slope of normalization curve remarkably decreased from 0.9402 to 0.3682. This indicated that a small amount of B was still accumulated in the mid- and downstream of TGR after removing the hydrological regime effect. Further source identification using geochemical baseline model and principal component analysis, exposed that this slight accumulation of B in sediments originated from the anthropogenic input (8.45%). Our findings provide a geochemical insight on the environmental impacts of reservoir operation on toxic element cycling, with potential implications for ecological assessment of hydropower worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the completion of Three Gorges Dam, the water-level-fluctuation zone (WLFZ) of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) experiences the periodic anti-seasonal inundation. However, knowledge for mechanisms of mobilization and transformation of arsenic (As) in WLFZ soils of the TGR remains scarce. To address this gap, a combination of field observation and simulated flooding experiments attempts to illustrate the As mobilization, the transformation between As(V) and As(III), and the factors driving these processes. The study revealed that anti-seasonal inundation (with a temperature at 13 ℃) mitigated As release from submerged soils. Interestingly, the total As and ratio of As(III) (the more toxic form of As) concentrations in porewater at 13 ℃ was lower, and the prevalence of As(III) occurred later than those at 32 °C (imitate the seasonal inundation condition). The results indicated that the As reduction and the corresponding toxic risks in submerged soils were alleviated under anti-seasonal inundation. The study proposes the reduction of As-bearing manganese (Mn) mineral assemblages and competitive adsorption of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) as primary mechanisms for As mobilization. Furthermore, microorganism-mediated detoxification/reduction processes involving DOC, nitrogen, and Mn (oxyhydr)oxides were identified as central pathways for As(III) enrichment under anti-seasonal inundation. This study enhances understandings of the biogeochemical processes and fate of As in WLFZ soils influenced by artificial regulation of the reservoir. [Display omitted] • Anti-seasonal inundation alleviated As mobilization from submerged soils. • As(III) appeared earlier and at higher contents under the seasonal inundation. • Inundated temperature affected microbial activities in the soil and overlying water. • Anti-seasonal operation probably attenuates the release risk of As in WLFZ soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photonic crystals are a new class of optical microstructure materials characterized by a dielectric constant that varies periodically with space and features a photonic bandgap. Inspired by natural photonic crystals such as butterfly scales, a series of artificial photonic crystals are developed for use in integrated photonic platforms, biosensing, communication, and other fields. Among them, colloidal photonic crystals (CPCs) have gained widespread attention due to their excellent optical properties and advantages, such as ease of preparation and functionalization. This work reviews the classification and self‐assembly principles of CPCs, details some of the latest biomedical applications of large‐area, high‐quality CPCs prepared using advanced self‐assembly methods, summarizes the existing challenges in CPC construction and application, and anticipates future development directions and optimization strategy. With further advancements, CPCs are expected to play a more critical role in biosensors, drug delivery, cell research, and other fields, bringing significant benefits to biomedical research and clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ultrathin B-doped Bi 3 O 4 Cl nanosheets has been synthesized via mild solvothermal method. • B-doped Bi 3 O 4 Cl shows excellent photocatalytic activity on CIP and BPA degradation. • Boron doping tailors the electronic structure of Bi 3 O 4 Cl by inducing midgap states. • B-doped Bi 3 O 4 Cl can generate OH and O 2 – efficiently. Ultrathin 2D Bi 3 O 4 Cl nanosheets are promising photocatalysts for photocatalytic organic pollutions degradation, and tailoring the electronic structure by non-metal element doping of Bi 3 O 4 Cl is an important strategy to increase its photocatalytic activity. However, the role of doped non-metal atoms on charge carriers separation and light absorption has not been understood in depth. Here, the B-doped Bi 3 O 4 Cl ultrathin nanosheets are fabricated via a solvothermal way, which increase solar absorption and electron-hole separation of Bi 3 O 4 Cl. The products are characterized by FE-SEM, TEM, AFM, indicating that B-doped Bi 3 O 4 Cl are 3.87 nm thick nanosheets. And UV–Vis-DRS, XPS, PL and density functional theory show that the doped B atoms play multiple roles in facilitating photocatalytic performance: (1) inducing midgap states to immensely expand the light response region up from 450 nm to 557 nm; (2) acting as the electron capture centers to accelerate charge carries separation. The ESR technology shows that B-doped Bi 3 O 4 Cl can produce more O 2 – and OH radicals. As a result, the B-doped sample achieves a high-efficient photocatalytic bisphenol A and ciprofloxacin degradation, 3-fold and 2.1-fold higher than pure Bi 3 O 4 Cl, respectively. This work presents new opinions into the design of photocatalyst and confirms the role of electronic structure modulation on tuning catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heart‐on‐a‐chip plays an important role in revealing the biological mechanism and developing new drugs for cardiomyopathy. Tremendous efforts have been devoted to developing heart‐on‐a‐chip systems featuring simplified fabrication, accurate imitation and microphysiological visuality. In this paper, the authors present a novel electroconductive and anisotropic structural color hydrogel by simply polymerizing non‐close‐packed colloidal arrays on super aligned carbon nanotube sheets (SACNTs) for visualized and accurate heart‐on‐a‐chip construction. The generated anisotropic hydrogel consists of a colloidal array‐locked hydrogel layer with brilliant structural color on one surface and a conductive methacrylated gelatin (GelMA)/SACNTs film on the other surface. It is demonstrated that the anisotropic morphology of the SACNTs could effectively induce the alignment of cardiomyocytes, and the conductivity of SACNTs could contribute to the synchronous beating of cardiomyocytes. Such consistent beating rhythm caused the deformation of the hydrogel substrates and dynamic shifts in structural color and reflection spectra of the whole hybrid hydrogels. More attractively, with the integration of such cardiomyocyte‐driven living structural color hydrogels and microfluidics, a visualized heart‐on‐a‐chip system with more consistent beating frequency has been established for dynamic cardiomyocyte sensing and drug screening. The results indicate that the electroconductive and anisotropic structural color hydrogels are potential for various biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B is a potentially toxic element, and its potential ecological influences in aquatic environments have gained increasing attention in recent years, especially in reservoir ecosystems. As the largest freshwater reservoir in China, the estimation of B's ecological risks in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) is critical for national drinking water safety. However, the lack of a toxicity coefficient (T c) for B limits its ecological risk assessment (E r) in aquatic environments, especially for sediments. In this study, the T c of B was carefully calculated, considering toxicological, sedimentological, and ecological ranking factors. The E r for B was then assessed for surface sediments collected from the TGR. Enrichment factors (EFs) were also used to identify the influence of human activities on B. The results show that the average concentrations of B in mainstream and tributary sediments were 53.98 mg/kg and 90.88 mg/kg, respectively, slightly higher than sediment background B values in China (48 mg/kg). Additionally, EFs showed that the tributary sediments were moderately enriched in B. The EF 1.5 value was higher than zero, indicating that the anthropogenic influence in tributary sediments than in mainstream sediments. Moreover, chemical speciation of B in TGR sediments was mainly attributed to the residual fraction, indicating weak migration of B in sediments. Furthermore, after calculating T c according to the principles of E r , it was found that it is more scientific to assign the T c of B in sediments a value of 2. Based on this T c value, the E r in the TGR was assessed and it revealed that B in TGR sediments had low ecological risk. The scientific calculation of the T c provides an important parameter for B ecological risk assessments in aquatic environments in the future. Unlabelled Image • The B toxicity coefficient was calculated and applied in reservoir sediments. • Toxicological, sedimentological, and ecological ranking factors were considered. • The value of the toxicity coefficient (T c) for B was 2. • B accumulation in reservoir sediments exhibited low ecological risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization and urban construction lead to entensive environmental deterioration. Trace metals in urban soils pose a threat to urban water bodies and local populations. However, the release ability of labile metals and their release risk in urban soils remains unclear. Here, soils were collected from different functional zones in the Pingshan District (PSD) of Shenzhen. Based on results of soil properties, total contents of trace metals, geochemical index (I geo), and risk assessment code (RAC), diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) and DGT-induced fluxes in soil (DIFS) model were further used to assess the release risk of trace metals in urban soils. The results showed that the average total concentrations of trace metals (As, Cr, Cu, Pb, and V) were higher than the local soil background values, implying that trace metals accumulated in urban soils. However, the distributions of labile metals determined by DGT were not similar to those of total metal concentrations. Except for As, urban soils from PSD sites exhibited "uncontaminated to moderately contaminated" levels based on the average values of I geo. Moreover, the pollution and migration of Cu in urban soils are problematic as evidenced by the I geo and RAC assessments. Release ability of Cu was assessed using parameters of DIFS model (i.e., bioavailability concentrations (C E), resupply ability (R), response time (T c), desorption rate (k −1), and sorption rate (k 1)). Residential areas showed high C E values for Cu, while the resupply ability was low. Furthermore, considering the influences of R, T c , k −1 , and k 1 , membership function value was used to re-calculate the order of C E in urban soils. The final results suggested that the agricultural zone exhibited the highest release risk among soils from various functional zones. Therefore, DGT and DIFS model should be effective tools to assess the release risk of trace metals in urban soils. Unlabelled Image • I geo and RAC were used to evaluate pollution risk and mobility of trace metals in urban soils. • Influence of Cu in urban soils should not be neglected as per I geo and RAC assessments. • DGT/DIFS was used to assess the release risk of labile-Cu in urban soils. • Parameters of DIFS model indicated that the release risk of Cu was low in urban soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]