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Melamine formaldehyde foam (MFF) generates many poisonous chemicals through the traditional recycling methods for organic resin wastes. Herein, a high MFF degradation ratio of ca. 97 wt.% was achieved under the mild conditions (160 °C) in a NaOH–H2O system with ammelide and ammeline as the main degradation products. The alkaline solvent had an obvious corrosion effect for MFF, as indicated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The reaction process and products distribution were studied by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Besides, the MFF degradation products that have the similar chemical structures and bonding performances to those of melamine can be directly used as the raw material for synthesis of melamine urea-formaldehyde resins (MUFs). Moreover, the degradation system demonstrated here showed the high degradation efficiency after reusing for 7 times. The degradation process generated few harmful pollutants and no pre- or post-treatments were required, which proves its feasibility in the safe removal or recovery of waste MFF.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be personalized and differentiated into neural stem cells (NSCs), thereby effectively providing a source of transplanted cells for spinal cord injury (SCI). To further improve the repair efficiency of SCI, we designed a functional neural network tissue based on TrkC-modified iPSC-derived NSCs and a CBD-NT3-modified linear-ordered collagen scaffold (LOCS). We confirmed that transplantation of this tissue regenerated neurons and synapses, improved the microenvironment of the injured area, enhanced remodeling of the extracellular matrix, and promoted functional recovery of the hind limbs in a rat SCI model with complete transection. RNA sequencing and metabolomic analyses also confirmed the repair effect of this tissue from multiple perspectives and revealed its potential mechanism for treating SCI. Together, we constructed a functional neural network tissue using human iPSCs-derived NSCs as seed cells based on the interaction of receptors and ligands for the first time. This tissue can effectively improve the therapeutic effect of SCI, thus confirming the feasibility of human iPSCs-derived NSCs and LOCS for SCI repair and providing a valuable direction for SCI research.

The component analysis and structure characterization of complex mixtures of biomass conversion remain a challenging work. Hence, developing effective and easy to use techniques is necessary. Diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY) is a non-selective and non-invasive method capable of achieving pseudo-separation and structure assignments of individual compounds from biomass mixtures by providing diffusion coefficients (D) of the components. However, the conventional 1H DOSY NMR is limited by crowded resonances when analyzing complex mixtures containing similar chemical structure resulting in similar coefficient. Herein we describe the application of an advanced diffusion NMR method, Pure Shift Yielded by CHirp Excitation DOSY (PSYCHE-iDOSY), which can record high-resolution signal diffusion spectra efficiently separating compounds in model and genuine mixture samples from cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Complicated sets of isomers (d-glucose/d-fructose/d-mannose and 1,2-/1,5-pentadiol), homologous compounds (ethylene glycol and 1,2-propylene glycol), model compounds of lignin, and a genuine reaction system (furfuryl alcohol hydrogenolysis with ring opening) were successfully separated in the diffusion dimension. The results show that the ultrahigh-resolution DOSY technique is capable of detecting and pseudo-separating the mixture components of C5/C6sugar conversion products and its derivative hydrogenation/hydrogenolysis from lignocellulose biomass.

The common method for producing graphene, the oxidation and reduction method, is not green due to application of corrosive oxidants and reductants, and the obtained graphene is rich in surface defects. Here, we show a novel edge-decoration strategy for the facile exfoliation of graphene layers from graphite. By grafting methyl isopropyl ketone (MIBK) onto the edges of graphite via the aldol condensation reaction, the dense graphene layers become loose, facilitating the exfoliation process and promoting largely the graphene yield from 1.6 to 10.9 wt %. The edge-decoration strategy produces graphene with 5–10 layers and few surface defects. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and activation experiments prove that the edges of graphite reacted with MIBK via C═O as the active site, causing the grafting of MIBK. We anticipate that the edge-decoration strategy will show great potential in the large-scale production of graphene due to its high efficiency and greenness.

As the frontier in heterogeneous catalyst, a monomer and positively charged active sites in the single-atom catalyst (SAC), anchored by high electronegative N, O, S, P, etc., atoms, may not be active for the multispecies (O2, substrates, intermediates, solvent etc.) involved liquid-phase aerobic oxidation. Here, with catalytic, aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural as an example, Pt SAC (Pt1-N4) was synthesized and tested first. With commercial Pt/C (Pt loading of 5 wt %) as a benchmark, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) yield of 97.6% was obtained. Pt SAC (0.56 wt %) gave a much lower FDCA yield (28.8%). By changing the coordination atoms from highly electronegative N to low electronegative Co atoms, the prepared Pt single-atom alloy (SAA, Pt1-Co3) catalyst with ultralow Pt loading (0.06 wt %) gave a much high FDCA yield (99.6%). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicated that positively charged Pt sites (+0.712e) in Pt1-N4almost lost the capability for oxygen adsorption and activation, as well as the adsorption for the key intermediate. In Pt1-Co3SAA, the central negatively charged Pt atom (−0.446e) facilitated the adsorption of the key intermediate; meanwhile, the nearby Co atoms around the Pt atom constituted the O2-preferred adsorption/activation sites. This work shows the difference between the SAC with NPs and the SAA during liquid-phase oxidation of HMF and gives a useful guide in the future single-atom catalyst design in other related reactions.

Neonatal spinal cord tissues exhibit remarkable regenerative capabilities as compared to adult spinal cord tissues after injury, but the role of extracellular matrix (ECM) in this process has remained elusive. Here, we found that early developmental spinal cord had higher levels of ECM proteins associated with neural development and axon growth, but fewer inhibitory proteoglycans, compared to those of adult spinal cord. Decellularized spinal cord ECM from neonatal (DNSCM) and adult (DASCM) rabbits preserved these differences. DNSCM promoted proliferation, migration, and neuronal differentiation of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and facilitated axonal outgrowth and regeneration of spinal cord organoids more effectively than DASCM. Pleiotrophin (PTN) and Tenascin (TNC) in DNSCM were identified as contributors to these abilities. Furthermore, DNSCM demonstrated superior performance as a delivery vehicle for NPCs and organoids in spinal cord injury (SCI) models. This suggests that ECM cues from early development stages might significantly contribute to the prominent regeneration ability in spinal cord.

Ternary deep eutectic solvents (TDESs) comprising choline chloride (ChCl), glycerol and l-arginine were synthesized as catalysts and solvents for the conversion of d-glucosamine (GlcNH2) into deoxyfructosazine (DOF). The interactions between these three components in the prepared TDESs were studied by 1H-, 35Cl-NMR spectra and 1H diffusion-ordered spectroscopy (DOSY) measurements. The chemical shift changes of active hydrogen in the 1H-NMR spectra of TDES system and widening of signals in the 35Cl-NMR spectra confirmed the hydrogen bonding interaction between the components, which was further supported by the decrease of diffusion coefficients (D) of the TDES components according to 1H DOSY measurements. The influences of reaction temperature and l-arginine content in the TDESs on the yield of DOF were also studied. The experimental results have shown that when the molar ratio of ChCl, glycerol, and l-arginine was 1:2:0.1, DOF was the major product with a yield of 22.6% at 90 °C for 120 min. The chemical shift titration indicated that the carboxyl group of l-arginine in the TDES is the catalytical active site, so the mechanism of the catalytic reaction between GlcNH2and the TDES was proposed. Moreover, a reaction intermediate, dihydrofructosazine, was identified in the self-condensation reaction of GlcNH2by an in situ1H NMR technique.

Using environment-friendly catalysts to convert biomass into compounds with high values is one of the central topics of green chemistry. In this work, [Ch][Pro] (cholinium as the cation and l-proline as the anion) ionic liquid was synthesized and applied as a model catalyst in the production of deoxyfructosazine (DOF) and fructosazine (FZ) from d-glucosamine (GlcNH2). The 13C NMR chemical shift titration experiments and the diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY) measurements showed that, when the [Ch][Pro] interacted with GlcNH2, the l-proline anion ([Pro]−) played a major catalytic role instead of cholinium cation ([Ch]+). The effects of the reaction temperature and the amount of [Ch][Pro] on the product yields were surveyed. The experimental results showed that the highest DOF yield (33.78%) was obtained after 30 min at 100 °C when the molar ratio of [Ch][Pro]/GlcNH2was 1. Moreover, in situ1H NMR and in situ13C NMR experiments were applied to monitor the reaction process with [Ch][Pro] as the catalyst. The reactive intermediate, dihydrofructosazine, was clearly detected by these in situtechniques. Accordingly, a possible reaction pathway was proposed. By applying other amino acids as the anions, we also prepared five other [Ch][AA] ionic liquids, and they showed different catalytic activities and selectivity in the GlcNH2self-condensation reaction.

The limited regrowth of transected axons and insufficient regeneration of lost neurons in adult mammals collectively hinder complete spinal cord injury (SCI) repair. Hence, designing an ideal bio-scaffold which could coordinate the regeneration of axons and neurons in situmight be able to effectively facilitate the reconstruction of neural circuits and the recovery of nerve function after complete SCI. In this study, a sponge-like collagen scaffold with good drug release characteristics and good nerve cell compatibility was prepared and used as a drug delivery platform. When doubly modified with Taxol liposomes and collagen-binding neurotrophic factor 3, the scaffold dually alleviated myelin-derived inhibition on neurite outgrowth of neurons and neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells in vitro. Meanwhile, the binary-drug modified scaffold was also able to simultaneously promote both axonal and neuronal regeneration when implanted into a complete transected SCI model. Additionally, the regenerated axons and neurons throughout the lesion site formed extensive synaptic connections. Finally, complete SCI rats that received binary scaffold implantation exhibited optimal neuroelectrophysiological recovery and hindlimb locomotor improvement. Taken together, implantation of the binary scaffold can establish neural bridging networks for functional recovery, representing a clinically promising strategy for complete SCI repair.

Chronic diabetic wounds, which are associated with persistent inflammation and impaired angiogenesis, occur frequently in diabetic patients. Some studies have shown that separate administration of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or stromal cell derived factor 1α (SDF-1α) exhibited a therapeutic effect in promoting angiogenesis in the wound healing process. In this study, a collagen membrane is prepared as a drug delivery scaffold to investigate whether combined administration of SDF-1α and VEGF has a synergistic therapeutic effect on diabetic wound healing. We specifically fused a collagen-binding domain (CBD) with SDF-1α and VEGF separately, and sustained release of the two recombinant proteins from the collagen scaffold is successfully observed. Meanwhile, when a CBD-VEGF and CBD-SDF-1α co-modified scaffold is implanted in a diabetic rat skin wound model, it not only shows a synergistic effect in facilitating angiogenesis but also reduces inflammation in the short-term. Moreover, long-term results reveal that the co-modified scaffold is also able to enhance rapid wound healing, promote blood vessel regeneration, and assist cell proliferation, re-epithelialization and extracellular matrix accumulation. Taken together, our study indicates that the CBD-VEGF and CBD-SDF-1α co-modified scaffold helps in quick recovery from diabetic wounds by coordinating angiogenesis and inflammation.

It is well known that the basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) promotes angiogenesis after myocardial infarction (MI), but its biological functions decrease in the event of diffusion, enzymolysis, and weak binding with co-receptors in vivo. Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG) are a major component of extracellular matrices and have been shown to regulate a wide range of cellular functions and bioprocesses by acting as a co-receptor for bFGF and affecting its bioactivities. However, the influence of HSPG on the function of bFGF after myocardial infarction is unknown. Here, exogenous HSPG along with bFGF was injected into the hearts of rats to deliver the angiogenic growth factor for ischemic heart repair following induced MI. The specific binding of HSPG with bFGF protein was demonstrated, which was about 6-fold stronger than the binding of bFGF with heparin. The biological mechanisms of HSPG binding with bFGF were further studied by cell adhesion assay, and assays of bFGF and matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) activities demonstrated that HSPG enhances cell adhesion, promotes the bioactivity of bFGF in angiogenesis, and protects bFGF from enzymolysis. Our results indicate that HSPG has potential clinical utility as a delivery agent for heparin-binding growth factors. Additionally, HSPG shows high binding affinities with different ECM proteins which also help to anchor bFGF to heart tissue. Therefore, extracellular proteins that mimic the bio-scaffold of the extracellular matrix could promote the activities of bFGF to facilitate ischemic heart repair.

An effective therapy for chronic myocardial infarction (MI) has yet to be developed. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) promotes angiogenesis and improves cardiac function after MI. However, non-targeted delivery of VEGF decreases its therapeutic efficacy. In this study, for targeting the cardiac extracellular matrix, a collagen-binding domain (CBD) VEGF was used to bind specifically to the collagen-rich cardiac extracellular matrix. When intramyocardially injected into the peri-infarct region of a chronically infarcted porcine heart, CBD-VEGF attenuated the remodeling of the left ventricle with a decreased infarct size and promoted cardiomyocyte survival and angiogenesis 3 months after injection. In the 12-month trial, mature vessel networks and myocardium-like tissues were observed in the infarct region after CBD-VEGF injection. Also these beneficial effects might derive from CBD-VEGF significantly protecting cardiomyocytes from apoptosis and recruiting cardiac progenitor cells to the infarcted region. These results demonstrated that CBD-VEGF could be a promising therapeutic strategy for chronic MI.

The combination of benzoic acid and 2,2,6,6‐teramethylpiperidin‐1‐oxyl (TEMPO) afforded an efficient catalytic system for the aerobic oxidation of 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) into 2,5‐diformylfuran (DFF) under certain conditions. The maximum conversion of 86.7 % for HMF was obtained with a nearly 77.8 % DFF yield at 1 mmol benzoic acid and 0.4 MPa oxygen pressure in acetonitrile. The aerobic oxidation ability of HMF into DFF depended on the electron density of the organic acid skeletal structure with the carboxyl group. Meanwhile, the catalyst system of benzoic acid/TEMPO also exhibited good performance for aerobic oxidation of other alcohols. Based on experimental results, we propose that the benzoic acid acted as the primary catalyst and TEMPO was the key co‐catalyst, oxidized into oxoammonium cation through electron transport and then regenerated by a superoxide radical during the reaction. Metal‐free catalysis: The combination of benzoic acid and 2,2,6,6‐teramethylpiperidin‐1‐oxyl (TEMPO) affords an efficient catalytic system for the aerobic oxidation of 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) into 2,5‐diformylfuran (DFF) under certain conditions. Based on experimental results, we propose that the benzoic acid acts as the primary catalyst and TEMPO is the key co‐catalyst, oxidized into oxoammonium cation through electron transport and then regenerated by a superoxide radical during the reaction.

Bladder reconstruction remains challenging for urological surgery due to lack of suitable regenerative scaffolds. In a previous study, we had used a collagen-binding basic fibroblast growth factor (CBD-bFGF) to bind bFGF to the collagen scaffold, which could promote bladder regeneration in rats. However, the limited graft size in rodent models cannot provide enough evidence to demonstrate the repair capabilities of this method for severely damaged bladders in humans or large animals. In this study, the CBD-bFGF was used to activate a bladder acellular matrix (BAM) scaffold, and the CBD-bFGF/BAM functional scaffold was assessed in a canine model with a large segment defect (half of the entire bladder was resected). The results demonstrated that the functional biomaterials could promote bladder smooth muscle, vascular, and nerve regeneration and improve the function of neobladders. Thus, the CBD-bFGF/BAM functional scaffold may be a promising biomaterial for bladder reconstruction.

N-doped graphene materials with various types and quantities of N species were prepared viathermal treatment of graphene oxide in flowing NH3, and their catalytic performance was tested in aerobic selective oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl-furfural (HMF). A full HMF conversion and nearly 100% selectivity to DFF can be obtained under relatively mild reaction conditions (6 h, 100 °C, 1 atm air pressure) with 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-oxyl (TEMPO) as co-catalyst. The reduction degree of graphene oxide in NH3was characterized by visible Raman spectroscopy. The amount and nature of doped nitrogen species were examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to reveal the genesis of active species by nitrogen doping. The graphitic nitrogen species doped into the graphene lattice were demonstrated to be responsible for the activation of molecular oxygen. In the selective oxidation of HMF, N-doped graphene showed a much lower apparent activation energy (ca.13.5 kJ mol−1) compared with conventional active carbon supported metal catalysts (Ru/C, Pt/C, Pd/C, Au/C, 51–77 kJ mol−1). Based on current results and previous reports, a possible reaction pathway with the graphitic N species as active sites was proposed. This study examines the origin of the enhanced catalytic activity, which can be linked to the synergistic effect of TEMPO, N-doped graphene and molecular oxygen. This kind of synergistic effect makes the oxidation of HMF run smoothly. The present study demonstrates the potential of functionalized nitrogen-doped graphene materials as an efficient and alternative material to metal-based catalysts for organic synthetic reactions.

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) plays an important role in wound repair and tissue regeneration. Considerable research has been focused on the exploration of bFGF delivery systems for maintaining efficient local concentration at the injury sites. In this study, bFGF was chemically crosslinked to the bladder acellular matrix (BAM) to create specific binding between bFGF and BAM. The BAM scaffold conjugated with bFGF (CL-BAM/bFGF) could bind more bFGF and achieve controlled release of bFGF, which promoted human fibroblasts to proliferate in vitroand accelerated cellularization and vascularization after subcutaneous implantation. Using the rat bladder reconstruction model, the CL-BAM/bFGF group showed better tissue regeneration compared with the other groups. In summary, CL-BAM/bFGF could prevent the diffusion of bFGF from BAM and maintain its activity. Thus, the scaffold conjugated with growth factor systems could be an effective way for maintaining local therapy dosage at the target site in wound repair and tissue regeneration.

Natural biological functional scaffolds, consisting of biological materials filled with promoting elements, provide a promising strategy for the regeneration of peripheral nerve defects. Collagen conduits have been used widely due to their excellent biological properties. Linear ordered collagen scaffold (LOCS) fibers are good lumen fillers that can guide nerve regeneration in an ordered direction. In addition, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is important in the recovery of nerve injury. However, the traditional method for delivering bFGF to the lesion site has no long-term effect because of its short half-life and rapid diffusion. Therefore, we fused a specific collagen-binding domain (CBD) peptide to the N-terminal of native basic fibroblast growth factor (NAT-bFGF) to retain bFGF on the collagen scaffolds. In this study, a natural biological functional scaffold was constructed using collagen tubes filled with collagen-binding bFGF (CBD-bFGF)-loaded LOCS to promote regeneration in a 5-mm rat sciatic nerve transection model. Functional evaluation, histological investigation, and morphometric analysis indicated that the natural biological functional scaffold retained more bFGF at the injury site, guided axon growth, and promoted nerve regeneration as well as functional restoration.

Nerve conduit is one of strategies for spine cord injury (SCI) treatment. Recently, studies showed that biomaterials could guide the neurite growth and promote axon regeneration at the injury site. However, the scaffold by itself was difficult to meet the need of SCI functional recovery. The basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) administration significantly promotes functional recovery after organ injuries. Here, using a rat model of T9 hemisected SCI, we aimed at assessing the repair capacity of implantation of collagen scaffold (CS) modified by collagen binding bFGF (CBD-bFGF). The results showed that CS combined with CBD-bFGF treatment improved survival rates after the lateral hemisection SCI. The CS/CBD-bFGF group showed more significant improvements in motor than the simply CS-implanted and untreated control group, when evaluated by the 21-point Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) score and footprint analysis. Both hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemical staining of neurofilament (NF) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) demonstrated that fibers were guided to grow through the implants. These findings indicated that administration of CS modified with CBD-bFGF could promote spinal cord regeneration and functional recovery.

Diabetes can impair neovascularization important for wound healing, and this study investigated the hypothesis that this effect can be reversed by an active provisional matrix. Here, a 3D collagen scaffold and uncultured adipose-derived SVFs were firstly utilized to construct a collagen-targeting system for wound healing in a diabetic porcine model. The diabetic porcine models were made by injected streptozocin (STZ) intravenously and removed full thickness skin from the dorsum. Each animal received four different samples: Group A (control groups, n=24), Group B (SVFs groups, n=24), Group C (scaffold groups, n=24), Group D (SVFs -scaffold groups, n=24). PBS was applied to the wounds in Group A. 1×105SVFs suspended in PBS were sprayed on the wounds in Group B. Scaffolds only with PBS were covered on the wounds in Group C. Scaffolds with equal volume of cell suspension containing 1×105SVFs were covered on the wounds in Group D. The healing rates were calculated and compared among the groups and the tissues of the wound were taken and evaluated for histological analysis. The diabetic wound treated with the SVFs -collagen scaffold showed a significant decrease in wound size, an increase of neovascularization and a maximum VEGF and bFGF expression in comparison with SVFs and scaffold alone. The SVFs -collagen scaffold accelerates wound healing since it stimulates higher capillary formation causes major proangiogenesis factors expression in diabetic pigs suffering from skin defects, suggesting this approach could have utility for diabetic wound healing.

To determine the supercritical reaction conditions of anisole acylation with acetic anhydride using certain solvents such as carbon dioxide or propane, the critical temperatures and pressures of the nominal reacting mixture (anisole + acetic anhydride + p-methoxyacetophenone + acetic acid + carbon dioxide or propane) were measured with the composition representing the extent of reaction (conversion of acetic anhydride) by using a high-pressure viewing cell. The effects of the initial composition, the addition of suitable solvent, and the extent of reaction on the critical properties of the reacting mixture were then investigated. Such information may be helpful to those who intend to carry out the acylation of anisole with acetic anhydride under supercritical conditions to improve the efficiency of current processes in the gas or liquid phase.

Renal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is one of the major causes of acute kidney injury. However, there is still no effective treatment for this disease. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) has been reported to be beneficial for recovery from ischemic diseases. It is vital to increase the local concentration and reduce the diffusion of bFGF in vivofor renal I/R injury therapy. A targeted growth factor delivery system that responds to specific biological signals in the regenerative environment to guide release has been highlighted in tissue repair. In the present study, a specific peptide was fused with bFGF and called bFGF-kidney injury targeting (KIT-bFGF), and this compound specifically targeted kidney injury molecule-1 both in hypoxic renal HK-2 cells in vitroand ischemic kidneys in vivoafter intravenous injection. When administered to rat models of renal I/R injury, KIT-bFGF attenuated renal tubule damage and fibrosis, and promoted functional recovery compared to the effects of native bFGF and the control. We also investigated the mechanism by which KIT-bFGF activated the ERK1/2 and Akt signaling pathways to significantly reduce apoptosis and protect against ischemic injury in the kidney. These results demonstrated that targeted delivery of KIT-bFGF could be an effective strategy for the treatment of renal I/R injury.

Industrial production and domestic discharge produce a large amount of oily wastewater, which seriously affects the stability of the ecological environment. Membrane separation technology provides another path to treating oily wastewater. And appropriate surface modification of the membrane helps to achieve high efficiency of treating oily wastewater. With green, economy and stability been more concerned. The focal research reports a completely biodegradable all cellulose composite filter paper (ACCFP) composed of I-cellulose macrofibers and II-cellulose matrix. It is a simple one-step impregnation method to adjust the surface microstructure of the pristine filter paper (PFP), and it does not involve with chemical reaction. The pre-wetted ACCFP consist of II-cellulose hydrogel and I-cellulose reinforcement in the process of oil-water separation. This layer of hydrogel is the fundamental to underwater superoleophobicity, which determines their eligibility for applications of efficient oil-water mixture or oil-in-water (oil/water) emulsion separation. The separation efficiency of oil-water mixture and oil/water emulsion exceed 95% and 99.9%, respectively. In addition, excellent mechanical properties of ACCFP in dry and wet conditions ensure its stability in service and prolong service life in applications. The focal study provides a new method for high-performance oil-water separation and it is more in line with sustainable chemistry.

Coal chemical wastewater (CCW) with the features of high toxicity and poor biodegradability is a big issue in environmental remediation, posing a great threat to aquatic ecosystems and to human beings. Such complex molecular mixtures are notoriously difficult to characterize without initial physical separation. Herein, we present the 3D diffusion ordered spectroscopy (DOSY) analysis for CCW using DOSY-COSY and DOSY-HSQC methods, the advantages of this strategy have been demonstrated in the analysis of mixtures of aliphatic oxygenates and aromatic compounds, before being implemented on a genuine CCW sample in this study. The results showed that 3D DOSY is a robust and reliable tool for providing superior resolution and virtual separation of complex pollutants, and can be used as a general approach for structural elucidation.