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Although a large number of intercalation cathode materials for aqueous Zn batteries have been reported, limited intercalation capacity precludes achieving a higher energy density. Here we develop a high-performance aqueous Zn battery based on BiSb alloy (Bi0.5Sb0.5) using a high-concentrated strong-basic polyelectrolyte. We demonstrate that a conversion-dissolution/deposition electrochemical mechanism (BiSb ↔ Bi + SbO2− ↔ Bi + SbO3− ↔ Bi2O3) through in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, and ex-situ X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS) characterizations with the help of density functional theory calculations. The BiSb cathode delivers large capacity of 512 mAh g−1 at 0.3 Ag−1 and superior rate capability of 90 mAh g−1 even at 20 Ag−1, and long-term cyclability with capacity retentions of 184 mAh g−1 after 600 cycles at 0.5 Ag−1 and 130 mAh g−1 after 1300 cycles at 1 Ag−1. Remarkably, even at temperatures as low as −10 and −20 °C, capacities of 210 and 197 mAh g−1 are reserved at 1 Ag−1, respectively. Moreover, the prepared pouch Zn//BiSb battery delivers a high energy density of 303 Wh kg−1BiSb at 0.3 Ag−1. When coupled with a high concentration polyelectrolyte, the Zn/BiSb battery exhibits an excellent performance over a wide temperature range (−40 to 40 °C). Our research reveals the metal cathode is promising for Zn batteries to achieve a high performance with the unique mechanism and alloys can be an effective approach to stabilize metal electrodes for cycling.

High flexibility, as one target for wearable batteries, requires each component of battery devices to be soft. However, softness, as an index reflecting the soft degree, was seldom applied in battery field. Here, several metal-deposited soft substrates, including cloth, paper and sponge were produced using a universal electroless plating method. High conductivity (4~200 kS m‒1) and high coverage of active materials was achieved without sacrificing the softness (~8 mm) of cotton cloth. Given such a visible value, the softness of the total battery device can be tuned. Consequently, batteries based on these metal-conductive cloths show excellent performance and high softness. The assembled Ag cloth//Zn battery delivered a stable output of 1.0 mAh cm‒2 with a softness of 4.21 mm. The Ni cloth//Zn battery provided a high discharge capacity of 0.98 mAh cm‒2 at 4 mA cm‒2 with a high discharge plateau around 1.7 V (energy density of 1.7 mWh cm–2 at a power density of 8.5 mW cm–2). Moreover, a large size (360 cm2) of flexible Ni cloth//Zn device with a softness of 3.34 mm and discharge capacity of 132 mAh is fabricated and mounted on a human cloth to power electronics.

The lithium-sulfur battery has attracted enormous attention as being one of the most significant energy storage technologies due to its high energy density and cost-effectiveness. However, the “shuttle effect” of polysulfide intermediates represents a formidable challenge towards its wide applications. Herein, we have designed and synthesized two-dimensional Cu, Zn and Sn-based multimetallic sulfide nanosheets to construct multi-active sites for the immobilization and entrapment of polysulfides with offering better performance in liquid Li2S6-based lithium-polysulfide batteries. Both experimental measurements and theoretical computations demonstrate that the interfacial multi-active sites of multimetallic sulfides not only accelerate the multi-chained redox reactions of highly diffusible polysulfides, but also strengthen affinities toward polysulfides. By adopting multimetallic sulfide nanosheets as the sulfur host, the liquid Li2S6-based cell exhibits an impressive rate capability with 1200 mAh/g and retains 580 mAh/g at 0.5 mA/cm2 after 1000 cycles. With high sulfur mass loading conditions, the cell with 2.0 mg/cm2 sulfur loading delivers a cell capacity of 1068 mAh/g and maintains 480 mAh/g with 0.8 mA/cm2 and 500 cycles. This study provides new insights into the multifunctional material design with multi-active sites for elevated lithium-polysulfide batteries.

High-performance lithium-sulfur batteries are limited by the severe “shuttle effect” of polysulfide migration. To entrap and immobilize polysulfides, the development of catalytic material is an effective strategy for improving the lithium-sulfur batteries. Herein, we demonstrate that borophene-like boron subunits-inserted molybdenum frameworks of molybdenum diboride (MoB2) serves as a polysulfide-anchoring center to power redox reaction processing under the high-efficient electron transfer conditions. Specifically, MoB2 not only offers active sites to anchor polysulfide via covalent B-B and metallic Mo-Mo bonds-based low lithiation structure, but also provides a high conductivity to accelerate polysulfide conversion kinetics. With these advances, the liquid Li2S6-based MoB2 electrode (area: 2 cm2) offers a high initial capacity of 1116 mAh/g, and holds 558 mAh/g at 2 C after 500 cycles. Furthermore, the currently proposed MoB2 catalyst may significantly propel the advancement of electrocatalysis technology from lithium-sulfur batteries to metal-air batteries and carbon dioxide/nitrogen electrochemical reduction.

The rapid development of wearable electronics promotes a high demand for flexible power sources. Flexible rechargeable batteries, as the stars of flexible energy storage and conversion systems, possess simultaneously high flexibility, high energy density, and dynamically stable output. However, energy density is often sacrificed largely for achieving high flexibility. In light of the exciting progress that has been achieved in flexible energy storage devices, an in-depth energy density assessment is urgently needed. This review begins with a brief introduction of the measurement method for energy density. Then state-of-the-art progress in the development of high energy flexible lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries and zinc-ion batteries are summarized and compared in detail. The strategies towards high energy density while keeping high flexibility are elucidated, including choosing active materials with high specific capacity or high voltage, minimizing the fraction of inactive components, structural engineering on both electrodes and batteries, developing solid-state electrolyte, etc. Critical challenges and important directions for future research are envisioned to close. This review aims to provide potential guidance for improving the energy density of flexible energy storage devices.

Diesel exhaust particles have a negative impact on both human health and the ecosystem. An adequate understanding of the physical and chemical characteristics of diesel exhaust particles is essential for both minimizing particles formation and optimizing particles oxidation. This paper systematically reviews the physicochemical characteristics of diesel exhaust particles. Firstly, the approaches to studying the characteristics of diesel exhaust particles are described and the main features of particulate matter (PM) such as particle size distributions, microstructure of aggregate particles, nanostructure of primary particle, chemical compositions of diesel particles and oxidation reactivity of diesel particles are discussed in this paper. Then, the effects of operating parameters containing engine speed, engine load, injection pressure, injection timing and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) on each PM feature are summarized and discussed in detail. Subsequently, the relationships between PM features and its oxidation reactivity are exclusively reviewed. It can be concluded that soot oxidation reactivity is influenced by the combination of multiple properties of the emitted PM. Finally, concluding remarks are presented and further research recommendations are listed.

Rechargeable Zn-air battery (ZAB) still relies on the precious metal-based catalysts, whose high cost, supply scarcity and inferior durability largely hamper the large-scale application of ZAB. Herein, a non-noble-metal catalyst towards both oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is successfully constructed by carbonizing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) functionalized electrospun nanofibers. The obtained bifunctional electrocatalyst shows good catalytic performance with comparable limiting diffusion current to Pt/C and comparable potential to RuO2, in particular, superior stability to both Pt/C and RuO2 towards ORR and OER. In view of the efficient bifunctional catalyst activity for ORR and OER, the obtained catalyst in ZAB displays high charge/discharge performance and long cycling stability, demonstrating great potential in grid-scale energy storage.

Electrochemical synthesis of H2O2 offers a great potential for water treatment. However, a significant challenge is the development of efficient cathode materials for the process. Herein, we implement a practical electrochemical cathode modification to support efficient H2O2 electrogeneration via the reduction of dissolved anodic O2. Graphite felt (GF) is in situ anodically modified by electrode polarity reversal technique in an acid-free, low-conductivity electrolyte. The modified GF exhibits a significantly higher activity towards O2 reduction. Up to 183.3% higher H2O2 yield is obtained by the anodized GF due to the increased concentrations of oxygen-containing groups and the hydrophilicity of the surface, which facilitates electron and mass transfer between GF and the electrolyte. Another significant finding is the ability to produce H2O2 at a high yield under neutral pH and low current intensity by the modified GF (35% of the charge need to produce the same amount by unmodified GF). Long-term stability testing of the modified GF showed a decay in the electrode's activity for H2O2 production after 30 consecutive applications. However, the electrode regained its optimal activity for H2O2 production after a secondary modification by electrode polarity reversal. Finally, in situ electrochemically modified GF is more effective for removal of reactive blue 19 (RB19, 20 mg/L) and ibuprofen (IBP, 10 mg/L) by the electro-Fenton process. The modified GF removed 62.7% of RB19 compared to only 28.1% by the unmodified GF in batch reactors after 50 min. Similarly, 75.3% IBP is removed by the modified GF compared to 57.6% by the unmodified GF in a flow-through reactor after 100 min.

Results of an experimental study were presented and discussed for hot air drying with horizontal cut (HC-HA) or vertical cut (VC-HA) at 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, and 80 °C, respectively, and heat pump drying with HC (HC-HP) or VC (VC-HP) at 40, 50, 60, and 70 °C, respectively, on drying characteristic, colour quality, chemical compositions (vitamin C, chlorophyll, total phenolic and polysaccharide) and antioxidant capacity (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC)) of okra samples. Results showed VC had shorter drying time than that of HC both during HA and HP. The effective moisture diffusivity determined by Weibull distribution function ranged from 0.992 × 10−9 m2/s to 4.409 × 10−9 m2/s for HA, and 1.915 × 10−9 m2/s to 5.291 × 10−9 m2/s for HP. The drying activation was 37.00, and 35.91 kJ/mol for the samples of HC-HA and VC-HA, 29.25, and 21.40 kJ/mol for HC-HP and VC-HP, respectively. A comprehensive evaluation of quality attributes indicated that HP was more suitable for okra drying as it improved drying rate and drying quality compared with HA. The optimal sample quality (higher contents of chemical compositions and better colour quality) was found in okra treated with VC-HP at 50 °C.

Legume-associated symbiotic diazotrophs contribute more to nitrogen (N) fixation than non-symbiotic diazotrophs in many terrestrial ecosystems. However, the percentage of legume biomass is low in alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau. Therefore, non-symbiotic diazotrophs may play important roles in N fixation in alpine meadow soils. Moreover, Tibetan alpine meadows are fragile and sensitive to global climate change, and the investigating of the key factor driving soil diazotrophic community still entails several challenges. To address these issues, we investigated diazotrophic spatial distribution and diversity along the elevational gradient between 3200 and 4200 m in the alpine meadow using amplicon sequencing of nifH gene. The result clearly showed that soil moisture and temperature were key factors driving soil diazotrophic community structures. Both altitude and soil depth significantly differentiated diazotrophic community composition. Alpha diversity indices of diazotrophic communities showed unimodal distribution along elevation gradient, strongly affected by soil moisture. Altitudinal niches were occupied by different diazotrophs. Soils at lower elevations were dominated by symbiotic diazotrophs and associative diazotrophs related to high biomass of plant hosts, while those at higher elevations were dominated by free-living psychrophiles such as Polaromonas. Furthermore, high moisture stimulated free-living anaerobes at middle elevations, such as Geobacter and Anaeromyxobacter, while suppressed legumes and symbiotic Mezorhizobium. Soil temperature not only directly affected temperature-sensitive diazotrophs, but also indirectly affected them through plants and soil properties such as pH and ammonium content. Our results suggest that climate change may strongly affect biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), and free-living diazotrophs may play important roles in BNF of alpine meadow system on the Tibetan Plateau.

In this paper, we will propose a novel approach based on graph analysis which will use community structure detection algorithm to detect topics in the keywords graph of micro-blogging data. Furthermore, considering the specificity of the Sina microblogging, we propose novel keywords filtering model and graph generation algorithm to meet the dual requirements of topic detection and community detection. We validate our approach on a big natural disaster dataset from Sina micro-blog, in which about 103 micro-blogging posts with about 104 distinct feature tags. The experimental results definitely revealed the relationship between the keywords and the natural disaster topics. Our methodology is a scalable method which can adapt to the changes in the amount of data. Especially, we can get abundant information about natural disasters in the topic detection and help the government guide the rescue of disasters.

The dendrite growth and irreversibility of lithium (Li) metal anode seriously hinders the wide-scale application of high-energy-density rechargeable batteries. Here, we report a thin Janus-faced graphene substrate, consisting of lithiophilic-lithiophobic faces separately, for Li plating/stripping. The visualized analysis demonstrates that the unique Janus-faced graphene structure provides different lithiophilic sites and pore channels to steer the Li electrodeposition and suppress the dendrite growth. As expected, the Janus-faced graphene anode achieves long-term Li plating/stripping with high Coulombic efficiency, small polarization and stable cycling throughout the symmetry, asymmetry and LiFePO4 full cells. Such an encouraging strategy for reversible Li plating/stripping provides a promising way to design long-life carbon-base anode materials for Li metal batteries.

Though molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has attracted widely attention in SO4•– based advanced oxidation process recently, the effect of ball milling on its catalytic efficiency is less studied. In this work, the purchased MoS2 was ball milled and applied as peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activator for degradation of tetracycline (TC). MoS2 materials with different milling time or ball-to-MoS2 mass ratio all exhibited higher degradation efficiency (77.2%–83.6%) compared with pristine MoS2 (68.1%). It was supposed that ball milling could optimize the surface properties of MoS2, especially increased the surface area and the amount of S-vacancies, thus exposed more Mo(IV) sites, which were the main active sites to react with PMS. Besides, the enhanced adsorption capacity and the accelerated generation of reactive species both benefited the catalytic efficiency of ball-milled MoS2. EPR spectra and quenching experiments showed that ball-milled MoS2 could generate more reactive species (SO4•–, •OH, O2•–, and 1O2), which favored TC degradation. The above results implied that ball-milled MoS2 materials are promising in advanced oxidation processes.

The Electro-Fenton process for in-situ H(2)O(2) electrogeneration is impacted by low O(2) utilization efficiency (

Wastewater from the printing and dyeing industries has become one of the critical concerns for remediation by water treatment due to its refractory and toxic characteristics. In this paper, CuO/γ-Al2O3 catalyst with excellent reuse properties was synthesized, which could be used for catalytic wet peroxide oxidation method (CWPO) to degrade reactive brilliant red X–3B. The preparation and reaction conditions of the catalyst were optimized with the decolorization efficiency and stability of the catalyst as measuring indexes. The results showed that the optimal conditions for CuO/γ-Al2O3 synthesis were: roasting temperature of 450 °C, roasting time of 4 h, and Cu loading of 5 wt%. Single-factor experiments and orthogonal experiments indicated that 0.39 mol/L H2O2, 5.50 g/L catalyst, initial pH of 8, and 2.50 h of reaction time were the best reaction conditions to degrade 0.30 g/L reactive brilliant red X–3B with CuO/γ-Al2O3. Under the optimal reaction conditions, the CuO/γ-Al2O3 showed effective reusability. After degradation of the dye wastewater repeatedly 11 times, the dye decolorization efficiency was 90.72%, and the amount of Cu2+ leached was below 0.90 mg/L. This study is an important reference, significant for the treatment of dye wastewater, and could be informative for the sustainable development of future catalysts.

Dimethoxymethane (DMM, CH3OCH2OCH3), the simplest member in the class of polyoxymethylene dimethyl ethers (PODE), is regarded as a promising fuel substitute for compression ignition engines. To better understand its combustion characteristics, a comprehensive experimental and kinetic modeling study on the combustion of DMM was conducted. Ignition delay times (IDTs) of DMM/O2/Ar mixtures were measured in a shock tube at pressures from 1.0 to 10 atm, for temperatures from 1050 to 1450 K, and equivalence ratios of 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0. A predominantly ab initio derived detailed kinetic model of DMM with 121 species and 646 reactions was developed based on AramcoMech2.0 with an updated sub-mechanism of methyl formate (MF, CH3OCHO). C O bond fissions occurred in CH2 O and CH3 O moieties were demonstrated to be the dominating reaction pathways in DMM high temperature chemistry rather than the competing non-radical decomposition channels. Flux and sensitivity analyses indicated that the two C O bond fissions have a comparatively promoting effect on reactivity, while the DMM = CH3OCH2O + CH3 reaction was the dominating channel at high temperatures. The proposed model was also validated against literature experimental data, including ignition delay times, jet stirred reactor species concentrations, laminar pre-mixed flame speciation, laminar burning velocities and plug-flow reactor speciation. The good performance of the proposed model for reproducing these data revealed its ability to predict DMM combustion over a wide range of conditions. Major reaction pathways of DMM could also apply to larger PODE compounds.

Background Exposure to heavy metals has been considered harmful and can cause cognitive deficits in preschool children. Objective To investigate the possible mediation effect of neurotransmitters on the relationship of heavy metal exposure with neurobehaviour. Methods The levels of blood heavy metals and neurotransmitters, along with the neurobehavioural scores, were determined in preschool children. Multiple linear regression was used to assess the relationship between heavy metals, neurotransmitters, and neurobehavioural scores. Furthermore, the mediating role of neurotransmitters was investigated. Results An interquartile range (IQR) increase in lead (6.10 μg/L) was associated with a decrease of 8.52%, 30.06%, and 20.10% for Glutamic acid (Glu), Glycine (Gly), and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), respectively. An IQR increase in arsenic (19.37 μg/L) was associated with an increase of 6.32% and 2.09% for Gly and GABA, respectively. Further, an IQR increase in zinc (15.58 μg/L) was associated with an increase of 1.44% for Ser, whereas the IQR increase was associated with a decrease of 2.14%, 2.24%, and 1.89% for Glu, Gly, and GABA, respectively. An IQR increase in selenium (38.75 μg/L) was associated with an increase of 1.88% for GABA. Moreover, both Glu and Gly decreased by 2.87% for an IQR increase in manganese (16.92 μg/L). An IQR increase in mercury (15.22 μg/L) was associated with a decrease of 2.43% for Ser, but the IQR increase was associated with an increase of 4.99% and 3.09% for Gly and GABA, respectively. It was found that Glu and Serine (Ser) have a significant linear relationship with conduct score and impulsivity-hyperactivity index, and that there was a significant linear relationship between Ser and the learning disability index. GABA and conduct score and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) index have a significant linear relationship. There is a significant linear relationship between Gly and conduct, anxiety, ADHD, and impulsivity-hyperactivity index. The results of the mediating effect analysis indicated that Ser, Glu, Gly, and GABA have a specific mediating effect between blood heavy metals and neurobehaviour. Conclusion We showed the mediating effect of neurotransmitters. The current study may provide valuable information regarding the prevention and management of metal-related neurological disorders in preschool children.

Precious metal Pd has the intrinsic superiority in adsorbing N2 molecule and wrecking the high cleavage barrier of the N≡N bond, however, its over-strong adsorption ability is unfavorable to the desorption of the produced NH3 during the electrochemical N2 reduction (NRR), which weighs heavily against the NH3 productivity. Here we demonstrate that the high electron-density of acetylene linkages of hydrogen substituted graphdiyne can regulate the nitrogen adsorption and NH3 desorption on the active Pd sites (Pd/HsGDY), resulting in impressive electrocatalytic NRR performance. The optimized Pd/HsGDY features an ultrahigh Faraday efficiency of 44.45% and an NH3 yield of 115.93 mg g−1 h−1 (or 11.59 µg cm−2 h−1). Density functional theory calculations reveal that the acetylene linkages in HsGDY can tune the d band center of active Pd atoms by downward shifting it from the Fermi level. This favors the hydrogenation of nitrogen on HsGDY-tuned Pd sites and benefits the desorption of produced NH3 from the catalyst surface to recover active sites induced by heat dissipation during the exothermic hydrogenation processes, resulting in a selectively facilitated electrosynthesis of NH3.

A novel magnetic force driven noncontact electromagnetic-triboelectric hybrid nanogenerator for scavenging biomechanical energy to sustainably power portable electrics is presented. Based on the effective conjunction of electromagnetic induction and triboelectrification, the hybrid nanogenerator with a small dimension consists of an electromagnetic generator (EMG) with a peak output power of 3.4 mW under a load resistance of 200 Ω and a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) with a peak output power of 0.23 mW under a load resistance of 25 MΩ. For TENG, the electrospun Fe3O4 nanoparticles embedded PVDF fibers membrane is employed as triboelectric layer. A magnet is utilized as the trigger to non-contactly drive contact-separation mode TENG due to the magnetic responsiveness of triboelectric materials, and the EMG can be drived by coupling magnet with copper coils simultaneously. The hybrid nanogenerator exhibits a good stability for the output performance and charging performance, so it can be utilized to charge energy storage devices and sustainably power some portable electronics. This work demonstrates a novel prototype of hybrid nanogenerators toward harvesting human biomechanical energy and its potential applications in building up self-powered systems.

Preterm infants often suffer from impaired postnatal brain development, and glutamate excitotoxicity is identified as a pivotal mechanism of hyperoxia-induced neurological abnormality. We aimed to investigate the effect of short time hyperoxia on glutamate homeostasis and glutamate transporters expressions in immature brain. Six-day-old (P6) rat pups were exposed to 80% oxygen for 24 hours (the hyperoxia group) or placed in atmospheric air (the control group). The concentrations of glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in immature cerebrum and cerebellum at P7, P14 and P21 were determined by ELISA. The mRNA levels of glutamate transporters including excitatory amino acid transporter 1 (EAAT1), EAAT2, EAAT3, vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGLUT1) and VGLUT2 in brain were determined by qPCR. Glutamate accumulation was induced by hyperoxia both in immature cerebrum and cerebellum at P7 but got gradually attenuated at P14 and P21, as evidenced by the changes of glutamate and GABA concentrations. Hyperoxia also induced sustained glutamatic oxidative stress in both cerebrum and cerebellum, as GSH (reduced glutathione) levels in the hyperoxia group were constantly higher than the control group at three examined time-points. Furthermore, at P7, the expressions of all glutamate transporters decreased in both cerebrum and cerebellum except that of EAAT1. At P21, VGLUT2 in cerebrum and EAAT1, EAAT3 and VGLUT2 in cerebellum still displayed significant decrease in expression levels upon hyperoxia stimulation. Taken together, our results indicate that hyperoxia induces glutamate accumulation in brain of rat pups, which is associated with increased oxidative stress and decreased expressions of glutamate transporters.

The recently emerging aqueous Al-ion batteries (AIBs) face the problems of poor rate capability (typically, less than 30% retention with a current density raised to 0.4 A g–1) and limited cycle life with rapid capacity degradation (typically, 50% capacity retention after 60 cycles.) The battery failure was typically attributed to the poor stability of the host structure associated with the large polar interaction between the Al ions and host. In this study, a defective manganese hexacyanoferrate (MnFe-PBA) cathode is designed with enlarged ion transportation tunnels and weakened Coulombic interactions with Al ions. Moreover, two reactive metal-sites of MnFe-PBA are both successfully activated, resulting in a large cavity for 1.2 Al ions storage per unit cell. Such structural and active site features contribute to a remarkable rate capability (50.7% capacity retention at 1.0 A g–1) and a high specific capacity of 106.3 mAh g−1. The intrinsic 3-dimensional (3D) framework of MnFe-PBA also delivered superior cycling stability: an ignorable capacity loss after 50 cycles at 0.2 A g−1 and 69.5% retention after 100 cycles at 0.5 A g−1. Furthermore, nanofibrillated cellulose/polyacrylamide hydrogel electrolytes were applied and successfully prolonged the cycling life to 200 cycles, and the constructed flexible quasi-state Al//MnFe-PBA batteries displayed stable output under various deformations.

In recent years, natural particles in drinking water have attracted attention due to their carry of toxic organic matter. However, the adsorption behavior of multiple antibiotics at very low concentrations on different sized particles has not been revealed. Here, the content of 17 antibiotics in water samples collected from four process stages of the water supply plant was detected. Results showed the concentration of antibiotics in water plant was in the range of 0–69.24 ng L−1. Characterization of natural particles obtained directly from raw water of waterworks showed that the surface of large particles (>1 μm) was rougher and the composition was more complex than that of small particles (0.05–1 μm). Besides, the adsorption experiments of four antibiotics (nalidixic acid (NAL), trimethoprim (TMP), roxithromycin (ROX), and penicillin G potassium salt (PG)) on small (0.05–1 μm) and large (>1 μm) natural particles were studied. The results indicated that in the binary antibiotic system, the competition and synergy between antibiotics made a greater proportion of antibiotics soluble in water comparing with single systems, and the particle-water partition coefficient (kp-w) of the total antibiotics ranged from 1.13–1.78 was reduced to 0.57–0.84. The competitive adsorption of antibiotics appeared in the binary system showed that ROX and PG had a higher adsorption capacity than NAL and TMP. Furthermore, in the binary antibiotic systems, small particles played an important role in adsorption, suggesting the urgency of their removing. This work could help predict the possible risks of drinking water and provide some insights into future drinking water treatment.

Density function theory calculations have been carried out to investigate the electronic structures of Cu-doped LiBH4 (Cu0, Cu1, Cu2 and Cu3), with the aim to provide new insights into the promoting dehydrogenation performances of LiBH4 modified by Cu. Our results show that Cu doping causes the hydrogen dissociation energy (Ed), the scaled bond order between Li-H (BOsLi-H) and the band gap (Eg) all decrease in the order of Cu0>Cu1>Cu2>Cu3. With Cu addition, the decreased B-H and Li-H interactions, coupled with the appearance of metal-like or metallic nature, may help to destabilize LiBH4, and subsequently improve the dehydrogenation performances of LiBH4.

Soil salinization and alkalization is one of the most devastating environmental problems, threatening the sustainable development of agriculture. Bio-amelioration using microorganisms such as bacteria is a promising method for the remediation of calcareous sodic and saline-sodic soil due to its high efficiency, low cost and environmental-friendly characteristics. In the present study, a salt resistant bacterium, Bacillus subtilis BSN-1, was isolated from arid region in Xinjiang, China, and its effects on salt crystallization during evaporation crystallization of saline-alkali soil solution were examined. It was found that the fermentation products of B. subtilis BSN-1, such as glutamic acid, significantly lowered the pH of saline soil solution because of the ionization of carboxyl. The complexation between Ca2+ and fermentation products inhibited the precipitation of Ca-P compounds as well, since the binding sites supplied for Ca2+ is one or two orders of magnitude than that for HPO42-. Moreover, the increased content of active phosphate is attributed to the chelation and adsorption exerted through carboxyl and amide bonds. These findings demonstrated that Bacillus subtilis BSN-1 suppressed the crystallization of phosphate and therefor increased the content of active phosphate, which may provide a promising solution for amendment and remediation of saline-alkali soil.

Aurivillius Bi5Ti3FeO15 (BTF) multiferroic (MF) nanofibers (NFs) of about 400 nm were fabricated by electrospinning and calcination. The BTF NFs exhibit an effective micro–piezoelectric coefficient of 35 pm/V and benign micro-ferroelectricity. Macro-ferroelectric and magnetoelectric coupling behavior were investigated in detail by non-sintering and pressing for the first time, which is smaller than that of the BTF ceramic or film due to the adverse effects of filled air. A magnetoelectric (ME) voltage coefficient as large as 14 mVcm−1 Oe−1 can be achieved. Weak ferromagnetism was also realized at RT. Although the sintering temperature was only 600 °C, MF BTF NFs as multiferroic materials were successfully obtained, which offers new insights into the design and application of promising lead-free MF materials for novel devices.

Two-dimension layered polymeric carbon nitride possessing unique electronic structure and high specific surface area exhibits immense potentials for visible light driven photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production by the decomposition of water molecules. Herein, porous polymeric carbon nitride nanosheets were obtained by lithium chloride ions in situ intercalating bulk materials in thermal polycondensation process and followed by liquid exfoliation in water. The porous nanosheets show two-dimension layered structure with the thickness of 2–3 nm, a high density in-plane pores with 2–3 nm diameter, a higher surface area (186.3 m2 g−1), enlarged bandgap (by 0.16 eV), prolonged charge carrier lifetime, enhanced electronic transport ability, increased charge carrier density and improved photocurrent responses, which could significantly give rise to photocatalytic activity. The results highlight the crucial role of 2D porous structure, high specific surface area and unique electronic structure on the photocatalytic performance of polymeric carbon nitride materials.

(B 1/3 /Nb 2/3 ) (B=Mg, Zn, Cu) co-substituting for Ti 4+ in B-site of Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 -based Aurivillius ceramics were prepared to improve the piezoelectric properties. The electrical properties and conduction mechanisms of them were investigated. The activation energy related with the electrical relaxation determined from the electric modulus spectra was 0.71 eV and the electrical conductivity decreased dramatically by (Mg 1/3 /Nb 2/3 )-doping, due to the enhanced structural distortion and the decrease in oxygen vacancy concentration. The (Mg 1/3 /Nb 2/3 )-substituted specimen with a Curie point of 686 °C and a large field-induced strain of 0.061% as well as a higher remnant polarization of 12.9 μC/cm 2 could be a promising material for high-temperature lead-free piezoelectric applications.

Polyoxymethylene dimethyl ethers (PODEn) are promising diesel additives that have been widely evaluated and display many advantages for improving the combustion and emissions of diesel engines. There have been few investigations, however, that have performed an energy balance analysis of diesel/PODEn blends. Such an analysis would provide new insights into understanding the energy flow distribution and help further improve the energy conversion efficiency of diesel engines fueled with diesel/PODEn blends. For this reason, an energy balance analysis was conducted on a heavy-duty China VI diesel engine fueled with various diesel/PODEn blends (mass fractions of 10%, 20%, and 30%). In addition, combustion characteristics, as well as the particulate number concentration (PNC)-NOx trade-off relationship, were also examined. The results revealed that as the PODEn blending ratio increased, the effective work ratio (i.e., the brake thermal efficiency) gradually increased, while the exhaust loss ratio, cooling loss ratio, and incomplete combustion loss ratio decreased under each given operating condition. Therefore, fueling with diesel/PODEn blends caused the energy distribution to be superior and optimized compared to fueling with diesel fuel. Moreover, the PODEn addition reduced the peak in-cylinder pressure, mean in-cylinder temperature, and maximum heat release rate. Also, both the ignition delay and combustion duration were shortened, and the heat release process became both more concentrated and closer to the top dead center. This significantly improved the brake thermal efficiency, with the maximum increment reaching 3.29%. The trade-off between the NOx and PM emissions was significantly improved by blending PODEn during all operating conditions. In conclusion, diesel blending with PODEn effectively improved the energy conversion efficiency and combustion process of a test engine, resulting in a reduction of energy losses, especially under high load conditions.

Efficient electrogeneration of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is critical for treatment of refractory pollutants by the electro-Fenton process. An effective strategy is developed by combining a flow-through reactor with a poly- tetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-modified graphite felt cathode. In this design, anodic oxygen is directly used for efficient H2O2 generation at the modified cathode. Experimental results show that the modified cathode with the optimum PTFE content can produce 29.6 mg/L of H2O2, which is 16 times higher than the unmodified graphite felt cathode for a flow rate of 3 mL/min. Maximum H2O2 production, up to 30.7 mg/L, was obtained under the following conditions: 120 mA, 3 mL/min, initial pH 13, no external aeration.

Functional oxide materials have been widely used as promising building blocks in lithium-sulfur/polysulfide batteries, however, their poor conductivity is an extreme challenge to further improve the device performance in practical applications. Herein, we develop a facile synthesis strategy to convert oxide into nitride materials - which represent high conductivity - by using nontoxic urea instead of hazard ammonia as nitric source. In particular, we have successfully synthesized carbon doped tungsten nitride (C-WN) materials through tungsten oxide, which introduces carbon-doping and lacunar surface to WN but with the conserved overall nanostructures of tungsten oxide. Their potential applications as the polysulfide host for lithium-polysulfide batteries are also investigated, as featured by the elevated electronic conductivity of WN materials with multi-active sites of tungsten, nitrogen and carbon. Attributable to the tailored material of synergetic effects, the enhanced electronic conductivity of the C-WN material not only accelerates the redox electrochemical reaction of polysulfides via the efficient redox electron transfer, but also reveals effectively immobilize polysulfides on the multi-active sites. As a result, C-WN-based lithium-polysulfide cell achieves initial 909 mAh/g at 3.2 mA/cm2, and retains 638 mAh/g after 500 cycles. This work offers a facile nitride synthesis strategy with carbon doping and rough surface, and further towards developing high efficiency lithium-polysulfide batteries and enlightening the material design in the energy storage technologies.

Rechargeable aqueous zinc batteries have attracted enormous attention due to the distinctively economic and environmental advantages. However, the present zinc batteries delivered sloping voltage profiles based on the dominant mechanism of Zn ion intercalation. Typically, a Zn–V2O5 battery exhibits a discharge slope of ~4.3 V/(Ah g−1) and a slope of ~1.5 V/(Ah g−1) is observed for MnO2 cathodes. Furthermore, the rate capacity based on intercalation is limited. Here we report a highly flat voltage profile for a reversible alkaline zinc battery with α-Bi2O3 as the cathode. Different from the conventional zinc batteries, zinc-α-Bi2O3 batteries possess a first-order phase transition process that is the responsible cause of their outstanding performance, such as an ultra-flat output voltage [slope: ~0.1 V/(Ah g−1)], a high discharge capacity of 323 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 and excellent rate capacity with a 155 mAh g−1 capacity even at 20A g−1 (61C). In addition, a high areal energy density of 1.5 mWh cm−2 is achieved at power density of 4.4 mW cm−2. Moreover, the quasi-solid-state Zn-α-Bi2O3 battery is also fabricated using a sodium polyacrylate (PANa) as the hydrogel electrolyte, exhibiting promising application as power source for flexible devices.

Lightweight and highly conductive flexible films are attractive for a wide range of devices, especially replacing heavy metal-based current collectors, which can greatly reduce the weight of inactive materials in batteries and further enhance the energy density of energy storage devices. In this study, we first report a graphite film (GF) with ultralight weight (3.44 mg cm−2), high electrical conductivity (up to 1.07*106 S m−1), fast heat transport and excellent anti-wrinkle (300 times folding) properties. When used as current collector of half-cells, GF can enhance the rate property and long cycle durability of Li-ion batteries (LIBs) by reducing the contact resistance between active materials and current collector and buffering the stress during charge/discharge. By further employing GF current collectors to completely replace the Al and Cu foils at both sides of full cells, the electrode energy density of LiCoO2‖Csi cell (4 mAh cm−2) is greatly boosted from 260 Wh kg−1 to 332 Wh kg−1. Moreover, such a GF film with excellent wrinkle resistance enables it to be used in flexible pouch cells with stable power output during various bending and distorting.

Drought, salinity, and freezing are three major abiotic stresses that adversely affect plant growth and crop yield. Previous reports have demonstrated that the overexpression of the betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH) gene can improve the tolerance of plants to osmotic and salinity stresses. In the present study, a novel and atypical BADH gene, HvBADH1 , was transferred into Cichorium intybus by an Agrobacterium tumefaciens -mediated method. The integration and expression of HvBADH1 in the transformants were confirmed by PCR, Southern blot, and RT-PCR analysis. The stress tolerance traits of the transgenic plants were investigated by evaluating the phenotype of the transformed and wild-type (WT) plants, by measuring seven physiological indicators associated with stress resistance in plants, such as the K + and Na + contents, K + /Na + ratio, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, chlorophyll content, the content of glycine betaine (GB), and relative conductivity in the leaves of the plants. The results revealed that the transgenic tissues had a better K + retention ability, a reduced sensitivity to stress-induced hydroxyl radical production, an enhanced protection of the photosynthetic system, 4.92–6.95-fold greater amount of GB, and a higher growth rate compared with the WT plant. Accordingly, we concluded that the overexpression of HvBADH1 not only enhanced the salt tolerance of transgenic Cichorium intybus , but also reduced the cellular membrane damage caused by the salinity stress.