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Tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) tomography is a well-established combustion diagnostic technique for imaging 2-D cross-sectional distributions of critical flow-field parameters. As two key metrics in TDLAS tomography, reconstruction accuracy and efficiency are generally traded off to satisfy either the requirement of high-fidelity image retrieval or rapid tomographic data inversion. In this article, a novel quality-hierarchical temperature imaging network for TDLAS tomography is developed based on stacked long short-term memory (LSTM). From limited line-of-sight TDLAS measurements, this network outputs two reconstructed temperature images, i.e., a coarse-quality image and a fine-quality image, with different numbers of network layers and consequently different computational costs. The coarse-quality image provides more timely temperature reconstruction, which can satisfy real-time dynamic monitoring of turbulence–chemistry interactions with a temporal resolution of tens of kilo frames per second. In contrast, the fine-quality image, which can be stored and utilized for offline analysis and diagnosis, further details the temperature reconstruction with more accurate features. Both numerical stimulation and lab-scale experiment validated the accuracy-efficiency tradeoff achieved by the proposed quality-hierarchical temperature imaging network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an in situ combustion diagnostic tool, tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) tomography has been widely used for imaging 2-D temperature distributions in reactive flows. Compared with the computational tomographic algorithms, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been proved to be more robust and accurate for image reconstruction, particularly in the case of limited access of laser beams in the region of interest (RoI). In practice, the flame in the RoI that requires to be reconstructed with the good spatial resolution is commonly surrounded by low-temperature background. Although the background is not of high interest, spectroscopic absorption still exists due to heat dissipation and gas convection. Therefore, we propose a pseudoinversed CNN (PI-CNN) for hierarchical temperature imaging that: 1) uses efficiently the training and learning resources for temperature imaging in the RoI with good spatial resolution and 2) reconstructs the less spatially resolved background temperature by adequately addressing the integrity of the spectroscopic absorption model. In comparison with the traditional CNN, the newly introduced pseudoinversion of the RoI sensitivity matrix is more penetrating for revealing the inherent correlation between the projection data and the RoI to be reconstructed, thus prioritizing the temperature imaging in the RoI with high accuracy and high computational efficiency. In this article, the proposed algorithm was validated by both numerical simulation and lab-scale experiment, indicating good agreement between the phantoms and the high-fidelity reconstructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water reduces the stability and safety of paving material, and this has been extensively studied in traditional asphalt pavement. However, the influence of water on emerging cold-mixed epoxy asphalt (CEA) has not yet been acknowledged. In addition, the microstructure composed of epoxy resin (ER) and asphalt determines the performance of the CEA binder, and the influence of water entering this structure should be focused on. Here, CEA interfacial water models were established based on experimental and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The distribution and motion of the interfacial water and their influence on the energy, compatibility, and mechanical properties of CEA were explored. The results showed that CEA had desirable water stability when the water content was less than 5%. Water moved and was rearranged at the interface of the CEA and tended to move toward the ER. The water diffusion coefficient increased proportionally to the quadratic of the water content, and the structure of the CEA changed from an ordered short-range arrangement to a disordered one. Water reduced the interaction between the ER and asphalt by a maximum of 41.7% but had little effect on the compatibility of the CEA. Water plasticized CEA because the glass transition temperature of the CEA decreased, and less than 3% of water decreased the modulus of the CEA by a maximum of 27.0%. Simultaneously, water also destroyed the isotropy of the properties of the CEA. The gyration radius of the CEA dropped to approximately half of the value without water. This study is positive for promoting the performance improvement of CEA and provides a framework for studying CEA modeling and evaluation with MD simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold-mixed epoxy asphalt (CEA) has attracted extensive attention in overloaded and steel bridge pavement and maintenance engineering because of its room temperature construction and low energy consumption. However, the compatibility of epoxy resin and asphalt in CEA is still a challenge, limiting its application to some extent. This study aims to enhance the compatibility of CEA with low amounts of plant oil-based compatibilizers and suggest appropriate methods for assessing the compatibility of CEA. GO-grafted epoxidized soybean oil (GOESO) and GO-grafted soybean oil (GOSO) were synthesized and used to modify CEA. The GO and ESO (or SO) solutions were prepared at concentrations of 0.5 mg/mL and 5 mg/mL, respectively. The pH of the solution was adjusted to 5∼6 before heating. The results showed that 0.2 wt% of GO-modified oil-based compatibilizers had similar effects as 30 wt% of oil-based compatibilizers and did not significantly alter the crystal and chemical structures of the CEAs. GOESO is the preferred recommended GO-modified compatibilizer because of the enhanced compatibilizing ability of the epoxy groups in ESO. The compatibilization mechanism involved the effects of the oils on the chemical structures, curing reaction rate, and microstructures of CEAs. The proportion of asphalt particles larger than 20 μm and the reaction rate had strong correlations with the mechanical properties of the cured CEAs. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that GOSO reduced the solubility parameter (δ) and Flory-Huggins parameter (χ) difference between components A and B by 39.4% and 65.8%, respectively, while GOESO increased the δ and χ difference between components A and B by 10.4% and 15.8%, respectively. • 0.2 wt% graphene oxide modified oil compatibilizers achieved comparable effects to 30 wt% oil-based compatibilizers. • GOESO and GOSO enhance compatibility by changing the curing reaction rate and the microstructures. • The oil with epoxy groups possibly had a strong capability of compatibility enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research evaluated the properties of cold-mixed epoxy asphalt (EA) and cold-mixed epoxy styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS)-modified asphalt (ESA) for paving steel-deck bridges. Compared with ESA, EA showed longer pot life and better processability at ambient temperature, as revealed by curing rheology analysis. The cured EA showed higher glass-transition temperature, superior thermal stability, tensile strength and elongation at breaking than ESA. These may be as a result of: (i) the high thermal stability of asphalt, (ii) the formation of a cross-linking network in the cured material, and (iii) the good compatibility between the epoxy resin and the asphalt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small molecular surfactant (SMS) such as HDC-193 was encapsulated into mesoporous silica SBA-15 and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane-modified SBA-15 (mSBA-5) to develop new controlled release SMS system. The diffusion process of HDC-193 from mesoporous silica with different structures and diameters was investigated. Both situations of large pore and organic modification promoted the adsorption and thus a larger load of SMS in mesoporous silica. The results of molecular dynamics simulations and washing durability experiments showed that the lifetime of HDC-193 encapsulated into mSBA-15 in polystyrene blends is five times longer than that of HDC-193/polystyrene. This suggests an efficient strategy for designing permanent antistatic agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the production of hydrogen through water splitting using titania (TiO 2 ) as photocatalyst has received great attention in the new energy field. In this work, a single one-step hydrothermal method is used to synthesize ultra-thin TiO 2 (B) nano-sheets, anatase TiO 2 , and their composite, using ethylene glycol (EG) and ethanol as the solvent. A new composite nanostructure with anatase TiO 2 quantum dots grown on TiO 2 (B) nano-sheets is obtained at certain ratios between EG and ethanol. Even without the help of co-catalyst, a high photocatalytic efficiency, about 45 times of that of rutile-anatase mixed Degussa P25, is observed in the TiO 2 (B)-anatase composite nanostructure. The outstanding performance can be attributed to its large specific surface area, abundant surface active sites, mixed phase promoted efficient charge separation. Moreover, the properly aligned band structure, with the conduction band level of ultra-thin TiO 2 (B) about 0.6 eV higher than that of the anatase, provides a large driving force for the reduction of water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparing with the traditional distribution network, a significant feature of the active distribution network (ADN) is that the performance of distributed generation (DG) units, energy storage units and micro-grid (MG) in the network is controllable for the distribution network operator. Considering the characteristics of the distributed power supply and micro-grid, and giving full play to the advantages of distributed generation technology in the economic, environmental and energy aspects, this paper highlights an environmental protection and energy saving optimal schedule model for ADN. The scheduling model focuses on the minimum network loss, minimum voltage deviation and minimum difference between peak and valley load. In addition, the two stage algorithm is presented to solve the proposed multi-objective scheduling model of ADN. First, a set of Pareto solutions are obtained by using the proposed particle swarm optimization combined with bacterial foraging algorithm (PSO-BFO) to solve multi-objective optimization problems, then the optimal schedule strategy of ADN is gained through evaluating the Pareto solutions with entropy weight decision-making method. To avoid the search falling into local optimal solution, the two-value crossover operator is introduced to exchange the information among subpopulations and update the position of related particles. Meanwhile, the adaptive adjusting inertia constant strategy is used to improve the algorithm convergence speed. Finally, the case study results demonstrate the rationality of the proposed optimal schedule model and the validity of its solution algorithm for ADN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High temperature and oxidation are two of the most critical factors that cause epoxy asphalt aging. This paper aims to clarify the variation of mechanical performance and structure of effect of cold-mixed epoxy asphalt (CEA) after thermal-oxidative (TO) aging. The mechanical properties of CEA were studied by tensile tests and dynamic mechanical analysis. The microstructure of CEA was studied by Fourier transform infrared spectrum, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, SEM, and fluorescence microscopy. The results indicated that the tensile strength of CEA increased to 5.16 MPa, the elongation at break decreased to 50.3%, and the T g decreased significantly after TO aging. TO aging made the epoxy resin in CEA post-cure, oxidate, degrade and the cross-linked network break. Furthermore, the asphalt particles in CEA agglomerated and oxidized. [Display omitted] • ER underwent a post-curing reaction and degradation. • Asphalt underwent volatilization of the light components and an oxidation reaction. • Thermal-oxidative aging destroyed the original phase structure of the CEA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Drosophila lymph gland is an ideal model for studying hematopoiesis, and unraveling the mechanisms of Drosophila hematopoiesis can improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of human hematopoietic malignancies. Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling is involved in a variety of biological processes and is highly conserved between Drosophila and mammals. Decapentaplegic (Dpp)/BMP signaling is known to limit posterior signaling center (PSC) cell proliferation by repressing the protooncogene dmyc. However, the role of two other TGF-β family ligands, Glass bottom boat (Gbb) and Screw (Scw), in Drosophila hematopoiesis is currently largely unknown. Here, we showed that the loss of Gbb in the cortical zone (CZ) induced lamellocyte differentiation by overactivation of the EGFR and JNK pathways and caused excessive differentiation of plasmatocytes, mainly by the hyperactivation of EGFR. Furthermore, we found that Gbb was also required for preventing the hyperproliferation of the lymph glands by inhibiting the overactivation of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and c-Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) pathways. These results further advance our understanding of the roles of Gbb protein and the BMP signaling in Drosophila hematopoiesis and the regulatory relationship between the BMP, EGFR, and JNK pathways in the proliferation and differentiation of lymph gland hemocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Euphorbia kansui Liou is a unique traditional Chinese medicinal herb. Its milky sap proteins play important roles in laticifer development, synthesis and transport of its biologically active substances. A proteomic approach was applied to analyze the E. kansui latex proteins related to laticifer development and secondary metabolite synthesis by using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A total of 125 milky sap proteins associated with development of laticifers, disease and defense, and general metabolism were identified, and 19 differentially expressed proteins at two different developmental stages of laticifers were successfully detected. Peroxidase, cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenase superfamily, lipoxygenase, and multidrug resistance protein ABC transporter family may be involved in laticifer development, secondary metabolite synthesis and transport, and plant physiology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) is introduced to prepare ESO modified cold-mixed epoxy asphalt (CEA-ESO) • Increasing ESO content will increase the compatibility of epoxy resin and asphalt. • Increasing ESO content will increase the elongation at break of cured CEA-ESO. Cold-mixed epoxy asphalt (CEA) has been used for paving steel bridges and high-grade roads because of its properties superiority and environmental protection. In order to obtain CEA with excellent performance, it is a significant mean to improve the compatibility between asphalt and epoxy resin (ER) by introducing epoxidized soybean oil (ESO). The viscosity and glass transition temperature (T g) decrease, and the asphalt dispersed more uniformly in the ER with increasing ESO concentration. Based on the dynamic mechanical analysis, the CEA-ESO30 shows only one T g and excellent compatibility between asphalt and ER. The elongation at break and storage modulus of CEA-ESO was higher than CEA, indicating that the flexible ESO molecular chain in the curing networks might improve the stiffness of CEA-ESO. The FTIR spectra exhibited that the ESO reacted with the curing agent to form 3D networks with ER, which may result in good compatibility between asphalt and ER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sub-nanometer transition metal clusters are formed using photodeposition method. • Co clusters exhibit a much higher photocatalytic activity than that using Co 3 O 4. • The oxygen bridge vacancy acts as colour centre located on the TiO 2 (0 0 1) surface. • The color centers of TiO 2 significantly impact the cluster nucleation and growth. The transition elements (Fe, Co, Ni) are important substitutes for noble metals as the co-catalysts in hydrogen evolution reaction. Enhancing the atom utilization efficiency is highly desirable, but preparation and preservation of the transition metal catalysts with the size downscaling to sub-nanometer are challenging. In this work, Fe, Co and Ni clusters with subnano size as co-catalysts are synthesized by controllable growth on 2D ultrathin TiO 2 (B) nanosheets for hydrogen evolution using a photo deposition method. The ultra-small Fe, Co, and Ni co-catalysts on the TiO 2 (B) nanosheets exhibit remarkably enhanced photo activities, compared to that with the best Pt loading. It is found that the oxygen bridge vacancies act as the colour centres locating at the position adjacent to the O 1 -Ti 1 sites on the TiO 2 (B) (0 0 1) surface. The photo-colouration and photo-bleaching have significantly impact on the nucleation and growth of the metallic clusters. The high density and uniform dispersion of the sub-nano-sized transition metal clusters benefits for the photo reduction under light irradiation, as well as efficient carrier separation, leading to a great improvement of the photo activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The compatibility of cold-mixed epoxy asphalt (CEA) significantly influences its mechanical properties, primarily mediated by the epoxy group content within CEA. However, the feasibility and mechanisms for regulating the external epoxy group content to achieve optimal performance have yet to be explored thoroughly. Herein, soybean oil, epoxidized soybean oil, and epoxy-terminated hyperbranched epoxy resin (EHER) were used to construct CEA with different external epoxy group contents, and their effects and mechanisms on the compatibility and mechanical properties of CEA were investigated based on experiments and molecular dynamics simulation. Our findings suggest that maintaining an external epoxy group content between 8.4%∼11.4% in the CEA blend and below 12.17% in the cured CEA is crucial. These criteria can be met by adding no more than 5 wt% EHER. CEA with 3 wt% EHER exhibited the most balanced compatibility and mechanical properties, characterized by a pot life of 91 min, a tensile strength of 5.02 MPa, an elongation at break of 61.3%, and a tensile toughness of 1.58 MJ/m3. The presence of external epoxy groups increased the cohesive energy density and the solubility parameter difference between epoxy resin and asphalt prior to curing, forming a "sea-island" structure with varying particle sizes, primarily comprising small-sized particles. This structure was preserved post-curing, establishing a stable system with minor energy alterations. Simultaneously, EHER enhanced the molecular rigidity and uniformity of CEA, thereby improving its mechanical properties. It is recommended to relate epoxy group content in CEA blends with indicators of compatibility and mechanical properties, enabling better prediction. • Desirable performance is exhibited by CEA with no more than 5 wt% EHER. • ER provides strength and asphalt acts as a toughener in CEA. • The "sea-island" structure is preserved post-curing with minor energy variations. • Epoxy group content in blends has a high grey correlation with performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) is an important strategic area in China. However, frequent extreme precipitation events have caused great economic losses and human casualties in this region. In this article, we explore the spatial and temporal links between extreme precipitation events and Sunspot Number (SSN), El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Arctic Oscillation (AO) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) in this important economic belt. According to the research findings, all of the extreme precipitation indices (EPIs) except for consecutive dry days (CDD) and consecutive wet days (CWD) showed an upward trend in the YREB over the 59 years. The spatial distributions of very wet days (R95p), extremely wet days (R99p), max 1-day precipitation amount (Rx1day) and max 5-day precipitation amount (Rx5day) had similar distribution patterns, showing decreasing trends from east to west. The EPIs generally had a 2–4-year band, suggesting stronger and more elusive changes. The wavelet coherence (WTC) spectra suggested that SSN, ENSO, AO, and PDO have different effects on extreme precipitation events during different time periods. Before 1985, the SSN, ENSO, AO, PDO and extreme precipitation events shared similar oscillation periods, but after 1985, their oscillation periods were no longer consistent with each other. In addition, solar activity and the AO mainly had negative correlations with extreme precipitation events, while the ENSO and PDO had predominantly positive correlations with the EPIs. This paper provides a reference for national economic strategic planning and natural resource management in the YREB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biobased cold-mix epoxy asphalt (BCEA) was prepared by adopting biodiesel and epoxy soybean oil as asphalt solvent and compatibilizer. The strength and toughness attenuation laws under freeze–thaw (FT) cycles of BCEA were studied through tensile tests, flexural tests, and dynamic mechanical analysis. The attenuation mechanism was explored through scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and water absorption tests. The results showed that the first FT cycle significantly weakened the strength and toughness of BCEA. After the third cycle, the attenuation rate of storage modulus, loss tangent, and glass transition temperature of BCEA declined. The attenuation mechanism of BCEA is as follows: (1) post-curing and destruction of the cross-linking network, (2) agglomeration and aging of asphalt, and (3) diffusion and reaction of water. This research provided a theoretical basis for the application of BCEA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold-mixed epoxy asphalt (CEA) is an emerging energy-saving and environment-friendly material for steel bridge decks, overload roads, and airfield pavement. Occasionally, CEA suffers from impact with high strain rates, which will be extremely detrimental to the pavement's safety and stability. Since little research deals with this dynamic mechanical behavior, this study aims to clarify the dynamic mechanical performance of CEA mixtures (CEAM) under high strain rates. First, this study evaluated the quasi-static strength evolution by Marshall stability tests. The Marshall stability of CEAM more than quadrupled within the first 20 h and 1.6 times up again when exposed at 60°C, while its flow value showed the opposite trend. Then, the dynamic mechanical behavior under different high strain rates and temperatures was investigated by split Hopkinson pressure bar tests. Results showed that the peak strain rate (146–316 s−1) was 1.7–2.0 times greater than the average strain rate (84–162 s−1). The strain–stress curves became steep as the temperature and the pressure ascended. Under the same test conditions, the peak stress and the peak dynamic modulus of CEAM were 1.7 times larger than that of cement concrete. CEAM absorbed more energy below 25°C than 60°C. All the CEAM had binder failure, and the crushed specimens had aggregates broken. The constitutive model of CEAM was established based on the statistical damage theory and the modified Weibull distribution function. Besides, multiparametric regression analysis proved a demarcation point during the impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• ESO made asphalt disperse uniformly and increased elongation at break of the CEA. • ESO did not react chemically with asphalt and epoxy monomer. • ESO changed the cohesion energy densities and solubility parameters. Cold-mixed epoxy asphalt (CEA) has attracted increasing attention as a superior steel bridge pavement material for its convenient construction and low energy consumption. In this paper, the compatibility of CEA was improved with incorporating biobased epoxidized soybean oil (ESO), and the micromorphology, dynamic mechanical properties, and mechanical properties were evaluated. The results showed that ESO made asphalt particles disperse uniformly, and decreased the number of the glass transition temperature of the CEA. ESO also increased elongation at break of the CEA. The compatibility mechanism was analyzed according to Fourier transform infrared spectrum and molecular dynamics simulation. The results showed that ESO did not react chemically with asphalt and epoxy monomer. Due to incorporating ESO into CEA, the difference values of cohesion energy densities and solubility parameters between asphalt and epoxy monomer decreased, while the interaction energy of the whole system strengthened. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wurtzite GaN materials underpin many aspects of optoelectronic applications due to the special tetrahedral-coordinated structure. Compared with three dimensional (3D) GaN, low dimensional GaN provides structural and electronic changes, such as different geometrical configuration, surface trapped states and quantum confinement effect, which impose dramatic effects on the properties and even the ultimate applications. To construct desirable devices and expand the scope of applications for GaN, it necessitates an in-depth understanding of the dimensionality-dependent property. In this review, we firstly review the structure and properties of GaN in different dimensionalities. Successively, strategies for realizing the synthesis of GaN with various dimensionalities are generalized. Afterwards, we examine how their structure and properties are utilized in the significant applications involving microelectronic devices and energy conversion fields. Finally, we conclude by outlining a few research directions of GaN semiconductors that might be worthwhile for exploration in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the lysosome pathway (LP) and proteasome pathway (PP) are known as major clearance systems in eukaryotic cells. The laticifer, a secretory tissue, degrades some cytoplasm during development. In this study, we investigated the distribution of LP and PP in non‐articulated laticifers of Euphorbia helioscopia L. Electron microscopy revealed that, plastids, mitochondria and some cyotsol were degraded in the late development laticifers, where there were numerous vesicles originated from dicytosomes. Accordingly, some key proteins in LP and PP were detected in E. helioscopia latex using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) proteomics. Further immunohistochemistry analysis revealed that the clathrin heavy chain (CHC) belonging to LP and the ubiquitin‐mediated proteasome degradation increases gradually as the laticifer develops. Immuno‐electron microscopy revealed that the cysteine protease, CHC and AP‐2 complex subunit beta‐1 belonging to LP were mainly distributed in vesicles deriving from dicytosomes, which we called lysosome‐like vesicles. Ubiquitin was widely distributed in the cytosol, and proteasome activity was significantly reduced when various concentrations of the inhibitor MG132 were added to the latex total protein. We hypothesize that LP and PP are distributed in E. helioscopia laticifers; and it was speculated that LP and PP might be involved in the degradation of organelles and some cytoplasmic matrix in E. helioscopia laticifers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foamed asphalt technique is widely used in road construction due to its environmental and economic effects. The various characteristics of foamed asphalt and mixtures have already been investigated; however, few studies focused on what happened on the properties of foamed asphalt when the base asphalt was aged at different degree. In this study, the foaming characteristics and rheological performance of foamed asphalt prepared by different aging levels for base asphalt and foaming water content were determined. The rheological properties such as failure temperature, Zero shear viscosity @60 °C, temperature sensitivity, and fatigue resistance were evaluated by DSR tests. The results show that the deeper aging degree of asphalt for foaming process needs higher temperature and more foaming water content. And aging process of asphalt has better for high-temperature performance and temperature sensitivity, and adverse for fatigue resistance performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work reports an aryl boron-containing phenolic resin (PR) exhibiting an extremely high thermal decomposition temperature and char yield and formed by reacting phenylboronic acid (PBA) with PR. DSC was used to study the curing behaviour of the PBA modified PR (PBPR). The structure and thermal properties of the cured PBPR were investigated by FTIR, XPS, 11B NMR and TGA. Phenylboronates were formed during the curing of PBPR, which reduced the distance between benzene rings. The TGA indicates that the temperature with the maximum decomposition rate increased for the cured PBPR by 56 °C, and the charring yield increased by 13.4 per cent (800 °C, nitrogen atmosphere) relative to PR. FTIR, XPS, XRD, 11B NMR and Raman analyses were used to study the structural evolution of the cured PBPR during pyrolysis. Boron oxide was formed during the char formation from the cleavage of B–C and B–O–C bonds via pyrolysis, which effectively avoided the release of volatile carbon oxides and retained the carbon. In addition, incorporating boron into the carbon lattice increases the crystallite height and decreases the interlayer spacing. These findings reveal that PBA exhibited obvious effects in improving the thermal stability and promoting the graphite crystallites of PR during carbonization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Biodiesel is recommended to be preferentially adopted as an asphalt solvent. • Asphalt solvents with high boiling points and moderate solubility are recommended. • Asphalt solvents should ensure CEA form a "sea-island" network. • Most asphalt solvents were preserved in the cross-linked network. Cold-mixed epoxy asphalt (CEA) is mixed and cured at room temperature, requiring dissolving asphalt before preparation. It is essential to choose suitable asphalt solvents to prepare CEA with desirable performances. This paper prepared CEAs with five kinds of asphalt solvents, including diesel, biodiesel, 1,2-dichloropropane, trichloroethylene, and solvent naphtha. The rheological properties of the CEA were studied by Brookfield viscometry and bending beam rheometry, then tensile tests and dynamic mechanical analysis were performed to study the mechanical properties. The morphology of the tensile fracture profiles of CEA was observed through scanning electron microscopy. Recommendations for selecting asphalt solvents are as follows: (1) the solubility of the solvent should ensure the formation of sea-island structure in CEA; (2) the solvent should have a high boiling point and moderate solubility to ensure CEA desirable antiaging ability. As a result, biodiesel is recommended and preferentially adopted. According to the ion chromatography, the volatilization of solvents mainly occurred within 48 h during CEA curing, and nearly 60 % of solvents were "sealed" in the CEA, participating in the formation of the cross-linking network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]