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The existence of hydroxyl and carboxyl groups makes the photothermal stability of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) poor and thus limits its scale application. This problem could be solved by doping layered double hydroxides (LDHs) nanopowders with opposite charge on the surface of CNFs. This work mainly focused on investigation of the influence of the crystal morphology of the inorganic ultraviolet shielding agent (i.e. ZnAl-LDHs) on the thermal stability of CNFs/ZnAl-LDHs composited films. The results showed that the morphology of LDHs was positively correlated with the photothermal stability of CNFs-based films. Specially, the ZnAl-LDHs with uniform crystal morphology could be prepared by controlling the molar ratio of Zn/Al at 3:1 and thus enhance the photothermal stability of CNFs-based films without any serious light transmittance deteriorating after doping. This work provided a practical and effective way for preparation of photothermal-stable CNFs-based transparent films for industrial application in the fields of photonics and electronics., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Tolerance to soil acidity is an important trait for eucalyptus clones that are introduced to commercial forestry plantations in pacific Asian countries, where acidic soil is dominant in many locations. A conserved transcription factor regulating aluminum (Al) and proton (H⁺) tolerance in land-plant species, STOP1 (SENSITIVE TOPROTON RHIZOTOXICITY 1)-like protein, was isolated by polymerase chain reaction-based cloning, and then suppressed by RNA interference in hairy roots produced by Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation. Eucalyptus STOP1-like protein complemented proton tolerance in an Arabidopsis thaliana stop1-mutant, and localized to the nucleus in a transient assay of a green fluorescent protein fusion protein expressed in tobacco leaves by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Genes encoding a citrate transporting MULTIDRUGS AND TOXIC COMPOUND EXTRUSION protein and an orthologue of ALUMINUM SENSITIVE 3 were suppressed in transgenic hairy roots in which the STOP1 orthologue was knocked down. In summary, we identified a series of genes for Al-tolerance in eucalyptus, including a gene for STOP1-like protein and the Al-tolerance genes it regulates. These genes may be useful for molecular breeding and genomic selection of elite clones to introduce into acid soil regions., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Many plant species excrete organic acids into the rhizosphere in response to aluminum stress to protect sensitive cells from aluminum rhizotoxicity. When the roots of Eucalyptus camaldulensis, a major source of pulp production, were incubated in aluminum-toxic medium, citrate released into the solution increased as a function of time. Citrate excretion was inducible by aluminum, but not by copper or sodium chloride stresses. This indicated that citrate is the major responsive organic acid released from the roots of this plant species to protect the root tips from aluminum damage. Four genes highly homologs to known citrate-transporting multidrugs and toxic compounds exclusion proteins, named EcMATE1-4, were isolated using polymerase chain reaction-based cloning techniques. Their predicted proteins included 12 membrane spanning domains, a common structural feature of citrate-transporting MATE proteins, and consisted of 502-579 amino acids with >60 % homology to orthologous genes in other plant species. One of the homologs, designated EcMATE1, was expressed in the roots more abundantly than in the shoots and in response to both Al and low pH stresses. Ectopic expression of EcMATE1 and 3 in tobacco hairy roots enhanced Al-responsive citrate excretion. Pharmacological characterization indicated that Al-responsive citrate excretion involved a protein phosphorylation/dephosphorylation process. These results indicate that citrate excretion through citrate-transporting multidrugs and toxic compounds exclusion proteins is one of the important aluminum-tolerance mechanisms in Eucalyptus camaldulensis.

A series of Ni-based catalysts were prepared using hydrogen reduction of Ni/Al hydrotalcite-like compounds (Ni/Al HTlcs) synthesized by coprecipitation. The physico-chemical properties of Ni/Al hydrotalcite-like compounds and the corresponding Ni-based catalysts were characterized using inductively coupled plasma (ICP), BET surface areas, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The results indicated that Ni/Al HTlcs with layered structures could be successfully prepared by the coprecipitation method, and the characteristic HTlcs reflections were also observed in the XRD analysis. The NiO and Ni0 phases were identified in all Ni-based catalysts, which displayed randomly interconnected pores and no layer structures. In addition, the studies also found the Ni/Al HTlcs and Ni-based catalysts had high specific surface areas, low pore volumes and low pore diameters. The catalytic hydrogenation of ethyl acetate to ethanol with Ni-based catalysts was also investigated. Among the studied catalysts, RE1NASH-110-3 showed the highest selectivity and yield of ethyl acetate to ethanol, which were 68.2% and 61.7%, respectively. At the same time, a major by-product, butyl acetate, was formed due to an ester-exchange reaction. A proposed hydrogenation pathway for ethyl acetate over Ni-based catalysts was suggested.

Added Al2SO4 greatly accelerates the hydrolysis at 150.0 degrees C of 1,5-anhydrocellobiitol, a model for the beta(1 --> 4) linkages in cellulose, in succinate buffers of room temperature pH 3.05 and 3.35; E(a) values for 20 mM Al(III)- and H+-catalysed hydrolyses are 109 +/- 3 and 140 +/- 1 kJ mol(-1), respectively.

The effects of the colorimetric buffer solutions were investigated while the two colorimetric reactions of Al-ferron complex and Fe-ferron complex occurred individually, and the effects of the testing wavelength and the pH of the solutions were also investigated. A timed complexation colorimetric analysis method of Al-Fe-ferron in view of the total concentration of (Al + Fe) was then established to determine the species distribution of polymeric Al-Fe. The testing wavelength was recommended at 362 nm and the testing pH value was 5. With a comparison of the ratios of nAl/nFe, the standard adsorption curves of the polymeric Al-Fe solutions were derived from the experimental results. Furthermore, the solutions' composition were various in both the molar nAl/nFe ratios, i.e. 0/0, 5/5, 9/1 and 0/10, and the concentrations associated with the total [Al + Fe] which ranged from 10(-5) to 10(-4) mol/L.