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Catalytic conversion of biomass to fuels and chemicals has attracted considerable attention in addressing the global challenges associated with energy and environmental crisis. Catalyst plays a crucial role in the biomass conversion process, and the characteristic of catalysts are continuously improved to meet the requirements. Niobium (Nb) based catalysts, generally in the form of niobic acid, niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5), niobium phosphate (NbOPO4), and their supporting materials, have been widely employed for bioenergy production. This review summarizes the special characteristics of Nb-based catalysts, and the application of these catalysts on the catalytic conversion of biomass, including (I) properties of Nb-based catalysts, (II) catalytic hydrolysis/dehydration for platform chemicals, (III) catalytic pyrolysis for hydrocarbons, (IV) catalytic esterification, (V) catalytic hydrogenation, and (VI) catalytic oxidation. The Nb compounds become an attractive candidate in the bioenergy field, and this review serves as a basis for future research on biomass catalytic conversion over Nb-based catalysts.

It is still a significant challenge to replace noble metal based catalysts by non-noble metal-based, highly efficient and earth-abundant catalysts in the H2 generation upon hydrolysis of sodium borohydride. Herein, we first design and synthesize the highly selective and heterogeneous CoxWy nanocomposites from ZIF-67 as robust catalysts for H2 production upon the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride. Among them, the Co0.45W0.55 nanocatalyst exhibits the highest TOF of 1770 mLH2 gcat−1 min−1 (the TOF related to only cobalt nanoparticles 8401 mLH2 gCo−1 min−1) over pure ZIF-67 or W nanoparticles and other ones. In addition, the Co0.45W0.55 catalyst has been successfully recycled at least 5 times without any significant activity loss, although the W (VI) has been partly reduced to W (V), W (IV) and W (0) in the hydrolysis of sodium borohydride. This stability is taken into account by the highly active Co species rather than the activity of W itself. Based on the results obtained, we have shown that Co0.45W0.55 nanocomposite can be a potential candidate for the replacement of a noble metal catalyst for H2 generation.

Surface ripple, as an important factor of corrugations in two-dimensional (2D) atomic crystals, plays important roles in determining their mechanical and physical properties. Here, we systematicall...

It is very significant to obtain highly efficient, cost-effective, and durable electrocatalysts toward triiodide reduction reaction (TRR) in hybrid photovoltaics. In this study, a nickel-based single-atom catalyst (SAC) (Ni-SAC) was prepared by the facile carbonization of NiPc@ZIF-8 and explored as a highly efficient Pt-free catalyst for TRR. During the carbonization process, the Ni species were separated by coordinate nitrogen atoms and distributed homogeneously within the porous carbon matrix, with the formation of the atomically dispersed Ni–N₄ active sites, revealed by the X-ray absorption fine structure and high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy. Compared to the reference porous nitrogen-doped carbon, Ni-SAC exhibited superior catalytic activity toward TRR. More importantly, Ni-SAC possessed better stability over the triiodide/iodide redox couple than the Pt counterpart during the stability test. The resultant solar cell presented an efficiency of 7.42%, comparable to that of the Pt-based device (7.69%). Additionally, the Kelvin probe force microscopy measurement revealed that the enhanced catalytic activity of Ni-SAC originated from the moderate energy level matching with the triiodide/iodide redox couple. The formation of Ni–N₄ active sites within the carbon matrix promoted the electron transferring at the interfaces of the catalyst/electrolyte. All results demonstrated that the SAC could be one of the Pt-free catalysts toward efficient TRR in hybrid photovoltaics.

Low-cost Si-based anode materials with excellent electrochemical lithium storage present attractive prospects for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, porous Si-Cu3 Si-Cu microsphere@C composites are designed and prepared by means of an etching/electroless deposition and subsequent carbon coating. The composites show a core-shell structure, with a porous Si/Cu microsphere core surrounded by the N-doped carbon shell. The Cu and Cu3 Si nanoparticles are embedded inside porous silicon microspheres, forming the porous Si/Cu microsphere core. The microstructure and lithium storage performance of porous Si-Cu3 Si-Cu microsphere@C composites can be effectively tuned by changing electroless deposition time. The Si-Cu3 Si-Cu microsphere@C composite prepared with 12 min electroless deposition delivers a reversible capacity of 627 mAh g-1 after 200 cycles at 2 A g-1 , showing an enhanced lithium storage ability. The superior lithium storage performance of the Si-Cu3 Si-Cu microsphere@C composite can be ascribed to the improved electronic conductivity, enhanced mechanical stability, and better buffering against the large volume change in the repeated lithiation/delithiation processes.

FOLFOX, the combinational strategy of folinic acid (FnA), 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu), and oxaliplatin (OxP), has been used as standard treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) for decades. Despite the improved survival, patients still suffer from drawbacks such as low efficacy, high toxicity, and long course of treatment. New strategies to address these issues are needed to further clinical benefits. In this study, a nanoprecipitate (C26H35N9O7Pt) was formed by the active form of OxP ([Pt(DACH)(H2O)2]2+) and FnA, which was formulated into an aminoethyl anisamide targeted PEGylated lipid nanoparticle within microemulsions using nanoprecipitation technique. The resultant formulation (namely Nano-Folox) significantly promoted the blood circulation and tumor accumulation of platinum drug and FnA in an orthotopic CRC mouse model. Emerging evidence indicates that OxP can not only provide anticancer cytotoxic effects but also induce immunogenic cell death (a type of apoptosis that primes anticancer immune responses). Consequently, Nano-Folox demonstrated favorable chemo-immunotherapeutic activities in orthotopic CRC mice. In addition, when compared to FOLFOX the significantly stronger chemo-immunotherapeutic responses were achieved by the combination of Nano-Folox and 5-Fu without showing toxicity. Moreover, the anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody enhanced Nano-Folox/5-Fu for decreased liver metastases in mice. These results indicate the potential of Nano-Folox-based combination strategy for the treatment of CRC.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) resistant to both chemotherapy and immunotherapy is among the deadliest malignancies. Doxorubicin widely used in transarterial chemotherapy in HCC can induce immunogenic cell death (ICD), but the resulting immunogenicity is still weak. We aim to seek a strategy for improving the efficacy of ICD in HCC based on an immunoregulatory drug called icaritin. Icaritin induced mitophagy and apoptosis to provoke ICD both in mouse Hepa1-6 and human Huh7 HCC cells. A combination of icaritin and doxorubicin with a molar ratio of 1:2 played a synergistic role in ICD induction. The poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA)-polyethylene glycol (PEG)-aminoethyl anisamide (AEAA) nanoparticle (NP) targeted codelivery of icaritin and doxorubicin remodeled the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and triggered a robust immune memory response, which efficiently improved anti-HCC effect at an early stage in mouse HCC model. In addition, the combo PLGA-PEG-AEAA NP together with lenvatinib significantly prolonged survival time of mice at the advanced stage of HCC. Collectively, our findings reveal an anti-HCC mechanism of icaritin on mitophagy and provide an effective immune-based therapeutic strategy for HCC.

Hierarchically branched array architectures have received tremendous research attention for the application in energy conversion and storage owing to their unique microstructures. Herein, novel in-situ formed hierarchically branched CoC2O4@CoO/Co composite arrays are successfully designed and prepared via a facile self-corrosion process and subsequent calcination treatment. The resultant CoC2O4@CoO/Co composite materials have a novel hierarchically branched array microstructure, with secondary CoC2O4 nanoneedles in-situ grown on the surface of primary cores. As the binder-free anodes for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), the hierarchically branched CoC2O4@CoO/Co composite arrays exhibit remarkable electrochemical lithium storage properties, including high reversible capacity, excellent cycling performance, and superior rate capability. Further kinetic analyses reveal that capacitance and diffusion-controlled mechanisms are responsible for their high electrochemical lithium storage, and the pseudocapacitive behavior can contribute extra capacity. This structural design concept may open an avenue for the construction of hierarchically branched high-performance materials for application in energy conversion and storage devices.

Highly active, durable and inexpensive oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalysts are crucial for achieving practical and high-efficiency water splitting. Herein, hierarchical interconnected NixCo1−xOOH nanosheet arrays supported on TiO2/Ti substrate have been fabricated through a facile photodeposition method. Compared with pristine NiOOH, the obtained NixCo1−xOOH nanosheet arrays possess larger exposed electrochemical active surface area, faster transfer and collection of electrons and stronger electronic interaction, showing a low overpotential of 350 mV at a current density of 10 mA·cm−2 and a small Tafel slope of 41 mV·dec−1 in basic solutions, with the OER performance superior to pristine NiOOH and most Ni-based catalysts. Furthermore, the NixCo1−xOOH electrode demonstrates excellent stability at the current density of 10 mA·cm−2 for 24 hours, which is attributed to the structural maintenance caused by the good adhesion of the catalyst and the substrate. Our study provides an alternative approach for the rational design of highly active and promising OER electrocatalysts.

Smart factories have been widely adopted as a new manufacturing paradigm, in which the state‐of‐the‐art technologies are introduced to improve relevant processes. Yet, whether smart factories affect the environmental performance remains unknown. In this article, we examine the environmental performance of a smart refrigerator factory by comparing the environmental impacts of its product to a similar model that is produced in a traditional fashion. This article quantifies and verifies the theoretically predicted impacts of this smart factory on the individual processes. Though the overall differences in the two models are quite minor, we find that this smart factory can notably reduce the values of most impact categories associated with the parts and refrigerator production; the reduction in the value of climate change is 33%. Owing to higher material efficiency—raw material savings in this smart factory contributes to the greatest reductions in most categorized impacts—the contribution to the reduction of climate change is 39%. Yet, all categorized impacts of procurement and delivery are increased due to product personalization and direct delivery. The results of sensitivity analysis show that promoting product modularity, adopting clean energy such as wind power can further improve the environmental performance of the selected refrigerator. The introduction of auxiliary equipment and systems slightly increases the value of each category; yet their impacts are negligible compared to their benefits as facilitating production efficiency. Based on the quantitative results, recommendations are given to improve the environmental performance of smart factory, including optimizing current strategies and promoting horizontal and end‐to‐end integration.

Inspired by the melanin and marine mussel binders, the super-adhesion polydopamine (PDA) plays a unique role in the surface modification of materials. In this work, dopamine was coated on silk fabric in a short time by rapid oxidative polymerization, and Fe2+ was wrapped by using the reactive groups on the surface of polydopamine (PDA) as a secondary platform. The hydrophobic, flame retardant and UV resistant properties of the treated fabric were investigated. The surface morphology, crystal form, composition and carbon residue morphology of the treated silk fabric were analyzed. The PDA coating and Fe2+ mineralization wrap changed the morphological structure of the silk fabric, giving the fabric superhydrophobicity, flame retardancy and UV shielding ability. In particular, the wrapped Fe2+ mineralization formed micro-nano particles and a rough structure on the surface of silk fibers, endowing silk fabric with superhydrophobicity. The PDA coating also increased the carbonization property of the fabric during combustion. Furthermore, the formation of metal salts by combustion of mineralized materials was helpful to prevent heat and gas sources, thus making silk fabric have good flame retardancy, showing potential applications as multifunctional advanced textiles.

Background Gold nanorods (AuNRs), due to the optical and electronic properties namely the surface plasma resonance, have been developed to achieve the light-mediated photothermal therapy (PTT) for cancer. However, PTT alone may suffer from inefficient tumor killing. Recently, the combination of PTT and chemotherapy has been utilized to achieve synergistic anticancer effects. Methods In this study, AuNRs capped with hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), and PEGylated anisamide (a ligand known to target the sigma receptor) have been developed to produce a range of negatively charged anisamide-targeted PEGylated AuNRs (namely Au-CTAB-PAA-PEG-AA) for the combination of PTT and chemotherapy (termed as chemo-photothermal therapy [CPTT]). Epirubicin (EPI, an anthracycline drug) was efficiently loaded onto the surface of Au800-CTAB-PAA-PEG-AA via the electrostatic interaction forming Au800-CTAB-PAA-PEG-AA.EPI complex. Results The resultant complex demonstrated pH-dependent drug release, facilitated nucleus trafficking of EPI, and induced antiproliferative effects in human prostate cancer PC-3 cells. When Au800-CTAB-PAA-PEG-AA.EPI complex was further stimulated with desired laser irradiation, the synergistic outcome was evident in PC-3 xenograft mice. Conclusion These results demonstrate a promising strategy for clinical application of CPTT in cancer.

Transition-metal chalcogenides (TMCs) materials have attracted increasing interest both for fundamental research and industrial applications. Among all these materials, two-dimensional (2D) compounds with honeycomb-like structure possess exotic electronic structures. Here, we report a systematic study of TMC monolayer AgTe fabricated by direct depositing Te on the surface of Ag(111) and annealing. Few intrinsic defects are observed and studied by scanning tunneling microscopy, indicating that there are two kinds of AgTe domains and they can form gliding twin-boundary. Then, the monolayer AgTe can serve as the template for the following growth of Te film. Meanwhile, some Te atoms are observed in the form of chains on the top of the bottom Te film. Our findings in this work might provide insightful guide for the epitaxial growth of 2D materials for study of novel physical properties and for future quantum devices., 16 pages, 5 figures

Scientific and technological literature resources sharing can improve the utilization of literature resources. Understanding how scientific and technological literature resources are shared can help academia better share literature resources. Based on bibliometrics and the CiteSpace software, this paper conducts cooperative network analysis and co-occurrence network analysis of articles in the field of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) from 1990 to 2019 in the Web of Science database. The analysis found that Jolliet O. et al., the scholar with the highest degree of central nodes, played a great bridging role in the process of LCA method development and knowledge sharing, and the research of LCA experienced a transition from methodological research to applications. Combined with the background investigation data from Wanfang Dataset, we find that such resources are generally shared in the academic community through academic exchanges, academic visits and supervisor-student relations. Academic cooperation within a same institution or organization is extremely common. International communication among scholars promotes the sharing of literature resources among international organizations, and team leaders are more likely to share their literature resources. The bibliometrics based on time series and background investigation method can more intuitively and deeply explore the sharing model of literature resources.

Air-to-air energy recovery ventilators (AERVs) are widely applied in building heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to reduce energy consumption by reducing heating and cooling loads caused by ventilation. Its energy exchange efficiency data are typically acquired experimentally and are time consuming to be applied to engineering fields when the number of working scenarios to be tested is large. Instead of manual labor and time, detailed numerical calculation methods require the characteristic information of the membrane material, which is difficult for manufacturers to provide. Hence, an energy exchange efficiency prediction approach based on a multivariate polynomial regression model is proposed herein to predict the energy exchange efficiency of the membrane-based AERV (MERV) core. In the proposed approach, a simplified numerical efficiency calculation model of a cross-flow air-to-air enthalpy exchanger is trained with a small sample of experimentally measured efficiency data. Subsequently, the trained model is adopted to predict the energy exchange efficiency of the MERV core made of the same membrane, under other flowrates and structures. As verified by the experimental data, the proposed approach can predict the energy exchange efficiency with absolute deviation limits within ±8.0%. Compared to detailed numerical calculation methods, the proposed approach requires less membrane characteristic information and calculations; thus, the proposed approach is practical for engineering applications to simulate the equipment performance over different conditions and help sizing the equipment with less requirements.

Nanostructured silicon/carbon composites with enhanced lithium storage are especially attractive for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The SiAl/Al-MOF core-shell precursor is prepared by the self-corrosion reaction of SiAl alloy with an organic acid in the hydrothermal condition, and the following rational annealing and etching treatments lead to the formation of the porous silicon microsphere@C (pSiMS@C) core-shell composite. The pSiMS@C composite is composed of an amorphous carbon shell and the porous silicon microsphere core consisting of interconnected nanowires, manifesting a novel core-shell structure. The as-prepared pSiMS@C electrode delivers a reversible capacity of 1027.8 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 1 A g−1, with a good capacity retention of 79%. The carbon shell may markedly improve the electronic conductivity, and the porous silicon microsphere core may promote the kinetics for Faradic reaction and diffusion process and alleviate the huge volume change during the charge/discharge cycling, responsible for the excellent lithium storage performance of the pSiMS@C core-shell composite.

Oxygen-defective Fe2O3/CoOx nanorod array composite films are prepared using a facile and environmentally friendly photodeposition method followed by annealing in oxygen deficient atmosphere. Compared with the original Fe2O3/CoOx sample, the optimized oxygen-defective Fe2O3/CoOx composite film electrode annealed at 250 °C has a 120 mV negative shifting of overpotential and lower Tafel slope. Moreover, the optimized oxygen-defective Fe2O3/CoOx composite film electrode exhibits competitive OER stability for 16 h. This can be attributed to numerous active sites on oxygen-defective CoOx and its weak crystallinity that promises excellent activity as well as stability. Furthermore, the amount of oxygen vacancies in CoOx can be finely tuned by changing annealing temperature. Based on XPS spectra and electrochemical analysis results, we show the relationship between the electronic states of Co and its electrocatalytic OER activity. The results may find broad applications in designing highly efficient catalysts for electrochemical process.

Although flax fibres are largely used to reinforce plastic, the quality of these fibres depends on the cultivation conditions, moreover, the global production volume of these fibres is also limited. The main aim of this current work was to investigate the feasibility of replacing flax fibres with bamboo fibres for reinforcing thermoplastics in terms of mechanical and environmental performance of both fibres. Two types of bamboo fibres, bamboo original fibres (BOF) and bamboo viscose fibres (BVF) and flax fibres as reference were used to reinforce polypropylene (PP). The composites were fabricated into laminates using manual stacking and hot pressing and the mechanical properties (tensile, flexural and impact) of the composites were evaluated. In order to evaluate the environmental performance of these composites life cycle assessment approach was conducted which showed that the composites reinforced with bamboo fibres were eco-friendlier as compared to the composites with flax fibres. However, the flax fibre-reinforced composite showed better mechanical performance. The BOF/PP composites showed better life cycle environmental performance as compared to both flax/PP and BVF/PP composites. Finally, a compatibilizer, i.e., maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene, was added which resulted in better mechanical and environmental performance of the bamboo fibre reinforced composites. Comparison between the environmental impacts of different disposal routes for the composites demonstrated that incineration and recycling are more environmental friendly disposal practises than placing waste in a landfill.

Carbon coating is one of the most effective strategies to improve the electrochemical performance of nanostructured transition metal oxides (TMOs). Herein, we report a facile and scalable method to prepare hierarchical Fe3O4@C nanospheres. The fabrication includes one-step solvothermal synthesis of Fe2O3/MIL-100(Fe) precursor and subsequent annealing treatment in Ar. The Fe3O4@C nanospheres with an average size of about 200 nm are composed of many interconnected small nanoparticles, with an amorphous carbon layer on the surface of Fe3O4, exhibiting a unique hierarchical nanostructure with a larger specific surface area of 176.5 m2 g−1. The hierarchical Fe3O4@C nanosphere electrode delivers a high capacity of 757.9 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at a current density of 500 mA g−1, demonstrating superior high-rate lithium storage performance. This may be ascribed to the unique hierarchical nanoarchitecture, higher specific surface area and the uniform carbon layer in-situ generated from MIL-100(Fe).

Developing sustainable business models for high energy-consuming equipment (HECE) has attracted increasing attention. Product Service System (PSS) is one eminent candidate, in which assessing economic and environmental performance of PSS during the entire lifecycle of the equipment is of utmost importance. All the stakeholders should conclude their own benefits in advance. Yet, there is only few decision-making support tools for developing PSS of HECE, and the stakeholders can hardly apply them because of a lack of expertise. This paper articulates an evaluation tool which combines life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) to support the development of PSS for HECE. A framework is proposed to guide the evaluation procedure which consists of seven steps including goal and scope definition, system boundary determination, methods selection, scenarios construction, data collection, quantitative analysis and results interpretation. Air separation equipment (ASE), a typical HECE, is selected as a case study. The results show that extra economic benefits for both manufacturer and client are associated with increased investment, more environmental burdens and higher risk. Developing PSS might not always be a sustainable practice, e.g., gas supply service would lead to extra economic and environmental burdens due to frequent transportation. The suitable conditions for implementing different PSS modes are analysed and discussed. The case study demonstrates that the stakeholders can carry out LCA and LCC in a more efficient, convenient and comprehensive manner using our proposed evaluation tool.

Hierarchically nanostructured binary/multiple transition-metal oxides with electrically conductive coatings are very attractive for lithium-ion batteries owing to their excellent electrochemical properties induced by their unique compositions and microstructures. Herein, hierarchical MnO-doped Fe3O4@C composite nanospheres are prepared by a simple one-step annealing in Ar atmosphere, using Mn-doped Fe-based metal–organic frameworks (Mn-doped MIL-53(Fe)) as precursor. The MnO-doped Fe3O4@C composite particles have a uniform nanosphere structure with a diameter of ∼100 nm, and each nanosphere is composed of clustered primary nanoparticles with an amorphous carbon shell, forming a unique hierarchical nanoarchitecture. The as-prepared hierarchical MnO-doped Fe3O4@C composite nanospheres exhibit markedly enhanced lithium-storage performance, with a large capacity of 1297.5 mAh g–1 after 200 cycles at 200 mA g–1. The cycling performance is clarified through analyzing the galvanostatic discharge/charge voltage p...

The problem of fitting circles and circular arcs to observed points arises in many areas of science. However, the fitting results by using most geometric and algebraic methods are not usually accep...

Mechanical recycling of waste plastics is an environmental solution to the problem of waste plastic disposal, and has already become a common practice in industry. However, limited information can be found on either the industralised plastic recycling or the recycled materials, despite the use of recycled plastics has already extended to automobile production. This study investigates the life cycle environmental impacts of mechanical plastic recycling practice of a plastic recycling company in China. Waste plastics from various sources, such as agricultural wastes, plastic product manufacturers, collected solid plastic wastes and parts dismantled from waste electric and electronic equipments, are processed in three routes with products end up in different markets. The results of life cycle assessments show that the extrusion process has the largest environmental impacts, followed by the use of fillers and additives. Compared to production of virgin plastics and composites, the mechanical recycling is proved to be a superior alternative in most environmental aspects. Substituting virgin plastic composites with recycled plastic composites has achieved the highest environmental benefits, as virgin composite production has an impact almost 4 times higher that of the recycled composite production in each ReCiPe endpoint damage factor. Sensitivity analysis shows that the coverage of collecting network contribute affect little to overall environmental impact, and centralisation plays an important role in reducing overall environmental impacts. Among the fillers and additives, impact modifiers account for the most significant contributions to the environmental impacts of recycled composites. This study provides necessary information about the existing industrialised plastic recycling practice, and recommendations are given. Research implications are presented with the purpose to achieve higher substitution rate and lower environmental impact.

Nano-sized LiFePO4·Li3V2(PO4)3/C was synthesized via a sol-gel route combining with freeze-drying. X-ray diffraction results show that this composite mainly consists of olivine LiFePO4 and monoclinic Li3V2(PO4)3 phases with small amounts of V-doped LiFePO4 and Fe-doped Li3V2(PO4)3. The magnetic properties of LiFePO4·Li3V2(PO4)3/C are significantly different from LiFePO4/C. Trace quantities of ferromagnetic impurities and Fe2P are verified in LiFePO4/C and LiFePO4·Li3V2(PO4)3/C by magnetic tests, respectively. LiFePO4·Li3V2(PO4)3/C possesses relatively better rate capacities and cyclic stabilities, especially at high charge-discharge rates. The initial discharge capacities are 136.4 and 130.0 mA h g−1 , and the capacity retentions are more than 98% after 100 cycles at 2 C and 5 C, respectively, remarkably better than those of LiFePO4/C. The excellent electrochemical performances are ascribed to the mutual doping of V3+ and Fe2+, complementary advantages of LiFePO4 and Li3V2(PO4)3 phases, the residual high-ordered carbon and Fe2P with outstanding electric conductivity in the nanocomposite.

Management of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is a vital part in solid waste management, there are still some difficult issues require attentionss. This paper investigates the potential of applying Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data as the solutions to the WEEE management problems. The massive data generated during the production, consumption and disposal of Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) fits the characteristics of Big Data. Through using the state-of-the-art communication technologies, the IoT derives the WEEE “Big Data” from the life cycle of EEE, and the Big Data technologies process the WEEE “Big Data” for supporting decision making in WEEE management. The framework of implementing the IoT and the Big Data technologies is proposed, with its multiple layers are illustrated. Case studies with the potential application scenarios of the framework are presented and discussed. As an unprecedented exploration, the combined application of the IoT and the Big Data technologies in WEEE management brings a series of opportunities as well as new challenges. This study provides insights and visions for stakeholders in solving the WEEE management problems under the context of IoT and Big Data.

Ever-increasing demand and production of lithium-ion batteries result in disposal problems. There is little known information about recycling lithium-ion batteries from consumer electronics in China, despite China is the largest lithium-ion battery manufacturer and consumer. To address this gap, this paper aims at investigating the current status of recycling spent lithium-ion batteries from consumer electronics in China, and to provide recommendations for improving spent lithium-ion battery recycling rate. Generation, collection and recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries were investigated using a combined methodology consists of online surveys, field investigations and estimations. The survey shows that although respondents have expressed their willingness towards recycling, most of them did not know where to send their spent lithium-ion batteries. Field investigations were carried out to trace the material flow of spent lithium-ion batteries in current waste electric and electronic equipment collection systems. It was found that the spent lithium-ion batteries are not included in current collection systems, as only few recycling practitioners are collecting spent lithium-ion batteries. Inadequate supply was found to have a significant impact on current recycling industry. Combining official statistics, survey results and actual throughput of the recycling plants, it was roughly estimated that less than 10% of lithium-ion batteries used in consumer electronics are currently recycled, while others always end up in idle or landfill. This study provides essential information on status quo of recycling lithium-ion batteries from consumer electronics in China including consumers' behaviours, recycling practices and estimated recycling rate. Further, policy implications were proposed with the purpose of promoting recycling rates of spent LIBs from CEs.

Development of multifunctional nanomaterials, one of the most interesting and advanced research areas in the field of nanotechnology, is anticipated to revolutionize cancer diagnosis and treatment. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are now being widely utilized in bio-imaging and phototherapy due to their tunable and highly sensitive optical and electronic properties (the surface plasmon resonance). As a new concept, termed "theranostics," multifunctional AuNPs may contain diagnostic and therapeutic functions that can be integrated into one system, thereby simultaneously facilitating diagnosis and therapy and monitoring therapeutic responses. In this review, the important properties of AuNPs relevant to diagnostic and phototherapeutic applications such as structure, shape, optics, and surface chemistry are described. Barriers for translational development of theranostic AuNPs and recent advances in the application of AuNPs for cancer diagnosis, photothermal, and photodynamic therapy are discussed.

Ion-exchange is a widely used purification technology in the heparin manufacturing process. To improve the rate and efficiency, the cationic monomer Acryloxyethyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (DAC) was grafted on silica gel particles by using a surface-initiated graft-polymerization technique, and a novel adsorption polymer of PDAC/SiO2 was prepared. The adsorption experiments of PDAC/SiO2 for heparin show that there are strong electrostatic interactions between heparin with a high density of negative charges and PDAC/SiO2 that exists in many quaternary ammonium cations. Comparing the adsorption kinetics of PDAC/SiO2 with D201 anionic strong alkali exchange resin, PDAC/SiO2 shows higher adsorption capacity and faster adsorption rate. The pH and temperature of solutions have a great influence on the adsorption amount, and there is a maximum adsorption capacity of 121mg/g when pH=7 at 25 °C. The adsorption of PDAC/SiO2 for heparin is an exothermic process and driven by entropy.

Mobile power bank (MPB) is an emerging consumer electronic that stores and delivers electricity to other electronics. Nowadays, MPBs are produced and discarded in massive quantities, yet their environmental impacts have never been quantitatively evaluated. Employing a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach, this study assesses the life cycle environmental impacts of MPBs, with a specific focus on comparing the environmental performance of different MPBs that are based on two types of batteries, namely, lithium-ion battery (LIB) and lithium-ion polymer battery (LIPB). The results suggest that battery production is the greatest contributor to the environmental impacts of both MPBs. LIPB based MPB is environmentally friendlier due to its higher energy density and longer cycle life. In addition, it is found that recycling can reduce the environmental burden of MPB industry as well as ease the vast depletion of metals such as cobalt and copper. The sensitivity analysis shows that figuring out an optimal retirement point and using less carbon-intensive electricity can reduce the climate change potential of MPBs. This study provides recommendations to further improve the environmental performance of MPB, including the usage of more sustainable cathode materials, market promoting direction, and formulation of end-of-life management policy.

As CO2 emissions are quantified by allowances and traded in markets, wise trading strategies will bring emitting companies higher profits or lower costs. Based on the big data of Community Independent Transaction Log (CITL), this article hereby presents a micro study on the emitting companies' efforts in increasing profits and saving costs during the allowances trading in the first two phases of the European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS). The efforts are measured by an after-action factor of trading performance, which is built on a series of behaviour and monetary variables. By comparison, demanders of the emitting companies are more inclined to reach a higher trading performance, while that inclination is heterogeneous among the suppliers. In addition, emitting companies with lower emission levels had a better trading performance. With a higher proportion of low-emitting companies, the manufacturing sector had a better trading performance than the energy sector. The effect of the trading requirement on trading performance are investigated via a quantile regression mode. Results suggest that: (1) the selling requirement of suppliers has a positive effect on their trading performance, while the effect becomes weaker when the selling requirement increases; (2) the buying requirement has a positive effect on the demanders' trading performance only when the requirement is high, and the effect becomes stronger as the requirement increases; and (3) when the buying requirement is at a lower level, demanders' trading performance becomes worse as the requirement grows. The conclusion is that the emission level, industrial sector and trading requirement do have influences on the trading performance of emitting companies in emission trading.

The chemistry of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) facilitates surface modifications and thus these bioengineered NPs have been investigated as a means of delivering a variety of therapeutic cargos to treat cancer. In this study we have developed AuNPs conjugated with targeting ligands to enhance cell-specific uptake in prostate cancer cells, with a purpose of providing efficient non-viral gene delivery systems in the treatment of prostate cancer. As a consequence, two novel AuNPs were synthesised namely AuNPs-PEG-Tf (negatively charged AuNPs with the transferrin targeting ligands) and AuNPs-PEI-FA (positively charged AuNPs with the folate-receptor targeting ligands). Both bioconjugated AuNPs demonstrated low cytotoxicity in prostate cancer cells. The attachment of the targeting ligand Tf to AuNPs successfully achieved receptor-mediated cellular uptake in PC-3 cells, a prostate cancer cell line highly expressing Tf receptors. The AuNPs-PEI-FA effectively complexed small interfering RNA (siRNA) through electrostatic interaction. At the cellular level the AuNPs-PEI-FA specifically delivered siRNA into LNCaP cells, a prostate cancer cell line overexpressing prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA, exhibits a hydrolase enzymic activity with a folate substrate). Following endolysosomal escape the AuNPs-PEI-FA.siRNA formulation produced enhanced endogenous gene silencing compared to the non-targeted formulation. Our results suggest both formulations have potential as non-viral gene delivery vectors in the treatment of prostate cancer.

A parametric study on the stability and morphology of the liquid cone in a flow focusing process is carried out through experimental and numerical methods. For the numerical simulations, we solve the Navier-Stokes equations coupled with a diffuse interface method. A scaling analysis which considers the competition between the viscous shear stress and the interfacial tension force is proposed, showing the effect of flow rates, geometrical parameters and liquid physical properties on the cone instability. The experimental and numerical results validate the scaling law and further show the effects of parameters on the cone morphology. We study the flow fields inside the liquid cone, with emphatic focus on the recirculation flow pattern which occurs at relatively high viscosity ratio between the focusing and the focused liquids. The occurrence of recirculation flow is close related to the tangential velocity distribution at both sides of the cone interface, and the change of flow rates and geometrical parameters is found to significantly affect the size of the recirculation flow. This study is expected to give a guidance to the optimization of process parameters in flow focusing system, which would contribute to the formation of a stable cone-jet structure and the production of microdroplets with high throughput.

Investment of clean energy industry aims at developing clean alternative energy sources to substitute fossil fuels, the consumption of which leads to climate change and air pollution. However, how the supply and demand of steam coal affect the investment remains an extremely understudied issue, as the extant research focuses on crude oil, while steam coal satisfies most of the energy demand in emerging economies like China. This study empirically investigates the time-varying co-movements between steam coal prices and clean energy stock indices in China at the sectoral level; the former denotes the supply and demand, and the latter represents the investment. Five clean energy sectors are considered, including geothermal power, hydrogen power, nuclear power, solar power and wind power. The studied period is from Jan 2, 2008 to Feb 28, 2019. The analysis is carried out using a VAR-DCC-GARCH framework. The empirical findings indicate the presence of significant bi-directional volatility spillover between the steam coal market and the clean energy stocks. We further portray and explain the dynamic conditional correlation among steam coal prices, clean energy sectoral indices and an environmental under the fluctuating China's stock markets. Based on the empirical evidence, we provide policy implications to facilitate the development of the clean energy industry.

Si based alloy anode materials with remarkably enhanced electrochemical lithium storage are crucial forthe next generation high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, novel porous Si–Cu3Si–Cu microsphere composites are prepared from commercially available low-cost SiAl alloy microsphere precursor by a facile chemical reduction/etching strategy. The formation mechanism and unique microstructure of the porous Si–Cu3Si–Cu microsphere composites are elucidated, based on the physical characterizations of different intermediates and final products as well as the precursor. The final product Si–Cu3Si–Cu composite shows a porous microsphere structure, with Cu/Cu3Si nanoparticles anchoring on the Si surface and embedding in the 3D porous silicon networks. This improves the electronic conductivity of the composite and enhances the structure stability of porous Si microspheres. The as-prepared porous Si–Cu3Si–Cu microsphere composite displays an excellent electrochemical lithium storage performance, with a reversible capacity of 1401.2 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at a relatively high rate of 1 A g−1. Based on the unique microstructures and the electrochemical experimental results, the enhanced lithium storage performance of the porous Si–Cu3Si–Cu microsphere composites is clarified.

Repurposing spent batteries in communication base stations (CBSs) is a promising option to dispose massive spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) from electric vehicles (EVs), yet the environmental feasibility of this practice remains unknown. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is used in this study to compare the environmental impacts of repurposed EV LIBs and lead-acid batteries (LABs) used in conventional energy storage systems (ESSs) of CBSs. The economic-based allocation method is used in the multi-functional system. The LCA results suggest that the manufacturing and reusing stages are the dominant contributors to the environmental impacts of repurposed LIBs, whereas battery recycling can reduce environmental impacts. In addition, the secondary use of EV LIBs results in less environmental impact than the use of LABs in all selected categories, except for metal depletion, which is attributed to the large lead consumption and low energy density of LABs. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to measure the influences of two alternative allocation methods (i.e., cut-off allocation and 50/50 allocation), the cycle life, and the electricity sources on the results. It is found that repurposing spent LIBs with 50/50 allocation method has the poorest environmental performance and is not sufficiently advantageous over using LABs. Moreover, extending the cycle life of repurposed LIBs and using a cleaner energy mix significantly reduce environmental impacts. This study offers implications to mitigate the end-of-life management problem of EV LIBs, including a life cycle management platform, an effective integration of the supply chain, and references for the ongoing “green” transition of the communication industry.

By mounting two or more GNSS antennas on one platform, the attitude of the platform can be determined. Rapid, reliable integer ambiguity resolution is the key to the viability of GNSS-based attitude determination. To reduce the complexity of the search space and retain the high ambiguity resolution success rates, Teunissen developed the affine-constrained multivariate attitude model. The quality measures of the affine-constrained GNSS attitude model are addressed. When there are enough satellites in common-view visibility, the affine constraints will probably provide a marginal contribution to the quality measures. However, the strength of the model validation can be improved significantly by equipping the array with more antennas in case that there are only five common-view satellites available. Although the phase-slip minimal detectable bias measures in a roving-platform case will be worse than those in a stationary-platform case, the code-spike minimal detectable bias measures are practically independent of whether the platform is moving or stationary. The main contribution of the affine constraints is that one can now ‘trade’ satellites for receiver/antennas.

The application of integrated municipal solid waste (MSW) management has become increasingly common for the mitigation of the ever-growing MSW stream. However, despite their popularity across the globe, little is known about the performance of integrated MSW management (MSWM) plants. This study quantitively investigates the environmental and economic performance of an integrated MSW treatment center in the city of Horqin Left Rear Banner, Inner Mongolia Province, China, using a combined life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) methodology. Results indicate that the integrated MSWM plant is sustainable in both environmental and economic aspects, as the life cycle environmental impacts and economic costs can be offset by substituting virgin products with recycled counterparts. Amongst the included treatments, MSW separation, brick making and plastic recycling are the greatest contributors to the total environmental burdens and economic expenses. LCC results demonstrate that the equipment cost, tax and other asset costs are the greatest contributors to the total costs of the plant. Sensitivity analysis confirms that the increasing source separation ratio results in the reduction of environmental burdens and economic expenses via the usage of biogas and photovoltaic power. Furthermore, we offer recommendations for the promotion of the environmental and economic sustainability of integrated MSW treatment facilities.

Individual users cannot readily access the collection channels is a persistent problem in municipal solid waste (MSW) management, resulting in low MSW collection rates. A new waste management model, "Internet+Recycling", has come into being; this model enables individuals to arrange collection appointment through various online platforms, then the collectors pick up the waste on-site. It is believed that "Internet+Recycling" can be a solution to mitigate the collection barrier in MSW management, as it provides individuals a convenient access to formal waste management systems. However, whether this emerging MSW collection model would bring environmental benefits is yet unknown. We here quantitatively examine the mass balance and environmental performance of MSW recycling associated with the use of such a "Internet+Recycling" mobile application - Aibolv. All transactions occurred on the mobile application within a period of six monthare included, and all related activities are modeled using the methodology that combines material flow analysis (MFA) and life cycle assessment (LCA). According to the extant MSW management legislation in China, we classify the collected MSW into three categories, subsidized waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) like television and refrigerator - T1, unsubsidized WEEE like mobile phone - T2, and other recyclables like paper and fabric - T3. The MFA results show that plastics and common metals are the dominate secondary material streams, and glass, precious metals and battery metals are mainly recovered from WEEE. The LCA results indicate that the disposal of the T2 waste has the highest environmental savings, due to the recovery of precious metals. Increased remanufacturing rates impart negative impacts, while increments in the quantity of spent mobile phones could significantly improve overall environmental performance. Based on the acquired results, recommendations are provided for facilitating the future development of "Internet+Recycling", and limitations of this work are identified as well.

In this paper, a network model is constructed using real trading data from the EU carbon market. Metric indicators are then introduced to measure the network, and the economic meanings of the indicators are discussed. By integrating time windows with the network model, three types of network features are examined: growth features, structural features, and scale-free features. The growth pattern of the carbon trading network is then analyzed. As the market grow, the geodesic distances become shorter and the clustering coefficients become larger. The trends of these two indicators suggest that the market is evolving towards efficiency, however, their tiny changes are insufficient to have significant impact. By modeling the heterogeneity of the carbon trading network, we find that the trading relationships between firms obey a broken power law model, which consists of two power law models. The broken power law model can be approximately defined as a traditional power law but with a longer tail in distribution. Furthermore, we find that the model is valid for most of the time of both phases, the model only invalid when the market approaches a high growth rate.

As an icon of sharing economy and product service systems, bicycle sharing is gaining an increasing global popularity, yet there is little knowledge about the environmental performance of this emerging traveling mode. To seek the answer to the question, the paper employs a survey-based method and a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach. We first conduct a questionnaire-based survey to identify the changes in traveling modes after the introduction of shared bicycles. The survey results show that the use of shared bicycles is more popular among young and low-income populations, and shared bicycles are predominantly used to replace walking and bus-taking. Based on the survey results, we model the environmental impacts of the changed traveling behaviors and the life cycle of shared bicycle with the aid of Gabi software. The LCA results shows that bicycle sharing is currently an environmentally friendly practice, as it brings environmental savings in all the indicators except metal consumption. Further, the results of sensitivity analysis show that aging, rising rental fees, and increasing volume of shared bicycles would impart negative impacts on the environmental performance of bicycle sharing. The findings of this work facilitate the management and development of bicycle sharing.

Spoken language understanding (SLU) is a core component of a spoken dialogue system, which involves intent prediction and slot filling and also called semantic frame parsing. Recently recurrent neural networks (RNN) obtained strong results on SLU due to their superior ability of preserving sequential information over time. Traditionally, the SLU component parses semantic frames for utterances considering their flat structures, as the underlying RNN structure is a linear chain. However, natural language exhibits linguistic properties that provide rich, structured information for better understanding. This paper proposes to apply knowledge-guided structural attention networks (K-SAN), which additionally incorporate non-flat network topologies guided by prior knowledge, to a language understanding task. The model can effectively figure out the salient substructures that are essential to parse the given utterance into its semantic frame with an attention mechanism, where two types of knowledge, syntax and semantics, are utilized. The experiments on the benchmark Air Travel Information System (ATIS) data and the conversational assistant Cortana data show that 1) the proposed K-SAN models with syntax or semantics outperform the state-of-the-art neural network based results, and 2) the improvement for joint semantic frame parsing is more significant, because the structured information provides rich cues for sentence-level understanding, where intent prediction and slot filling can be mutually improved.

Metastatic prostate cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death in men and current chemotherapies are largely inadequate in terms of efficacy and toxicity. Hence improved treatments are required. The application of siRNA as a cancer therapeutic holds great promise. However, translation of siRNA into the clinic is dependent on the availability of an effective delivery system. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are known to be effective and non-toxic siRNA delivery agents. In this study, a stable gold nanosphere coated with poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) was prepared to yield PEI capped AuNPs (Au-PEI). The PEI was further conjugated with the targeting ligand anisamide (AA, is known to bind to the sigma receptor overexpressed on the surface of prostate cancer cells) to produce an anisamide-targeted nanoparticle (Au-PEI-AA). The resulting untargeted and targeted nanoparticles (Au-PEI and Au-PEI-AA respectively) were positively charged and efficiently complexed siRNA. Au-PEI-AA mediated siRNA uptake into PC3 prostate cancer cells via binding to the sigma receptor. In addition, the Au-PEI-AA·siRNA complexes resulted in highly efficient knockdown of the RelA gene (∼70%) when cells were transfected in serum-free medium. In contrast, no knockdown was observed in the presence of serum, suggesting that adsorption of serum proteins inhibits the binding of the anisamide moiety to the sigma receptor. This study provides (for the first time) proof of principle that anisamide-labelled gold nanoparticles can target the sigma receptor. Further optimisation of the formulation to increase serum stability will enhance its potential to treat prostate cancer.

Humins, waste from biomass hydrolysis, are the main factor limiting the utilization efficiency of biomass carbon. In the present study, waste humins were employed for activated carbon production though KOH activation in a temperature range of 500&ndash, 900 &deg, C. The structure and properties of the activated carbons were studied, and a honeycomb-like macropore structure was observed. High activation temperature was demonstrated to be capable of promoting the formation of activated carbon with high surface area, high pore volume and high adsorption capacity. The activated carbon obtained by carbonization at 800 &deg, C (KOH800) was selected as sorbent to adsorb methylene blue (MB) and phenol in aqueous solution, and the adsorption process can be explained by pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The adsorption behavior complies with Langmuir isotherm model and exhibits superior adsorption capacity of 1195 and 218 mg/g for MB and phenol, respectively. The impacts of surface area, acidic active sites and pore structures were also investigated, and it was found that the adsorption of approximately 44.0% MB and 39.7% phenol were contributed by the pores with apertures from 1.7 nm to 300 nm.