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Manganese dioxide is one of the key materials in battery, adsorption media, and catalytic materials in the environmental field because of its excellent properties. In this investigation, new synthetical technology—the microwave discharge plasma in liquid method was used directly to make manganese dioxide with potassium permanganate (KMnO4) solution. The synthesis was realized in one step by the microwave discharging plasma in potassium permanganate aqueous solution without using any dispersants or stabilizers. The reduction time was very short, it only takes 3 min to complete the reduction of the 0.2 mmol l−1 potassium permanganate solution for the formation of MnO2. The structure characteristics and adsorption-desorption curves were studied by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), transmission electron microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XRD, etc. it was found that the synthesized manganese dioxide nano-sheet had a layered structure and a large specific surface area (248.89 m2 g−1). The methylene blue was used to validate the effectiveness of the prepared manganese dioxide. The results showed that the synthesized manganese dioxide had good adsorption and photocatalytic properties. In conclusion, the microwave liquid-phase discharge plasma is a very effective reduction method with potential development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry reforming of methane (DRM) is an important reaction to utilize two greenhouse gases (CO2 and CH4) simultaneously and produce syngas (CO and H2) for the manufacture of downstream high‐value chemicals. One of the major obstacles to preventing the commercialization of Ni‐based catalysts in DRM is the serious coking problem. This work develops a doping‐segregation method to manipulate the active metal structure and metal‐support interaction of Mg1–xNixAl2O4 catalysts to enhance their coke resistance for DRM. The Mg1–xNixAl2O4 catalysts prepared via the sol‐gel method exhibit outstanding coke resistance: the coke deposition rate of supported catalyst Ni/MgAl2O4 is 326 times higher than that of the Mg0.7Ni0.3Al2O4 catalyst at 600 °C. The Ni structure and metal‐support interaction of Mg1–xNixAl2O4 catalysts have been systematically studied using various characterization. Combined with the temperature‐programmed surface reaction (TPSR) experiments, the enhanced coke resistance of Mg1–xNixAl2O4 catalysts is attributed to smaller Ni particles, higher Ni dispersion, and stronger metal‐support interaction, which significantly inhibit the direct dissociation of CH4 and promote the oxidation of formed coke. The findings of this work provide insights into the correlation between the enhanced coke resistance and the Ni structure of Mg1–xNixAl2O4 catalysts synthesized via the doping‐segregation strategy using spinel as the precursor, leading to a stable catalyst design for many dry reforming reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new design method of the dual‐band balanced bandpass filter (BPF) using multilayer packaging dual‐mode substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) cavities is proposed. Split‐type coupling topology based on dual‐mode resonators is developed for the design. Firstly, a single‐band balanced filter with perturbed metal vias is designed. The TE201 mode and the TE202 mode perturbed by the metal vias can form a passband. Secondly, an additional metal vias perturbed SIW cavity with the same dual‐mode is placed in the lower layer for the bandstop function. A dual‐band balanced BPF with split‐type coupling topology is successfully realised. Compared with the traditional cascaded single‐mode form, the proposed dual‐mode split‐type design has more compact size and can be more easily extended to multi‐passbands. To verify the proposed method, a dual‐band balanced filter operating at 13.3 and 14.2 GHz is designed, fabricated and measured. The designed dual‐band balanced filter has good filtering performance including differential mode passband transmission and common mode rejection. Measured results show good agreements with simulated ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, aluminum nitride particles (AlN) and boron nitride whiskers (BN w) were surface-functionalized by polydopamine, and then novel composites were prepared by co-doping. By observing with transmission electron microscopy, we clearly saw that the surfaces of AlN and BN w were successfully coated with a thin polydopamine coating. This is beneficial to enhance the filler-matrix interface interaction and the filler dispersion. The co-doping of the two thermally conductive fillers increases the chance of contact between the filler and the filler, and reduces the interfacial thermal resistance, thereby forming a thermal conduction network more efficiently. The results show that at a frequency of 1 MHz at room temperature, the dielectric constant of 30 wt%AlN@PDA/6 wt%BN w @PDA/EP composites is 4.74 and the dielectric loss tangent is 0.0171. Its thermal conductivity is 0.40 W/(m·K), the glass transition temperature reaches 250.2°C, the impact strength reaches 6.89 kJ m−2, and the breakdown field is 10.93 kV/mm. • The addition of thermal conductive AlN@PDA and BN w @PDA with excellent heat-transfer capability significantly improves the thermo-stability of epoxy resin composites. • PDA coating effectively inhibits the agglomeration of thermal conductivity particles, and the co-doping of BN w @PDA and AlN@PDA makes it easier to form heat transfer network. • With the addition of BN w @PDA and AlN@PDA, the surrounding matrix can be bridged into a stressed whole, which markedly enhances the impact strength of the composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of A-site cation substitution and B-site active metal doping-segregation on physicochemical properties of Ni-doped perovskite-structured LnFe 0.7 Ni 0.3 O 3 (Ln = La, Nd, Sm, Eu) catalysts and their catalytic performance for dry reforming of ethane (DRE) were studied. The DRE activity follows the trend: NdFe 0.7 Ni 0.3 O 3 > SmFe 0.7 Ni 0.3 O 3 > EuFe 0.7 Ni 0.3 O 3 > LaFe 0.7 Ni 0.3 O 3. The doping-segregation process of Ni was demonstrated by in-situ X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS) measurements, which significantly improves the dispersion of Ni and enhance the interaction between metal and support. The results of temperature-programmed surface reactions (TPSR) and pulse reactions indicate that oxygen vacancies generated by the exsolution of Ni play an important role in the elimination of coke and shift the product from surface carbon to gaseous CO. According to the in-situ Raman experiments, the superior catalytic stability (no coke deposition or activity loss over 100 h) of NdFe 0.7 Ni 0.3 O 3 is ascribed to its strong resistance towards carbon deposition. [Display omitted] • NdFe 0.7 Ni 0.3 O 3 shows high activity for DRE with no coke formation over 100 h reaction. • Substituting A-site cations of the perovskite tunes the catalytic performance. • The doping-segregation method modifies the electronic properties and activity of Ni. • The doping-segregation process provides more oxygen vacancies to activate CO 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect is fundamental to tumor-targeted drug delivery using nanoparticles. However, recent studies reported heterogeneity of the EPR effect, and companion diagnostics are considered to be key to predicting and optimizing the benefits of the EPR effect. Here, as a new material to simply endow the function of companion diagnostics to nanoparticles, we designed a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) derivative conjugated with low molecular fluorescent dye through synthetic substrate linker that can be cleaved in response to MMP-2, which is overexpressed in tumor extracellular matrix. Upon tumor accumulation, the low molecular fluorescent dye is released from the PEG and quickly excreted to urine, thereby reporting its tumor accumulation level as a fluorescent signal in the urine. In this study, this urinary reporter was conjugated with albumin, and the functionalized albumin exhibited efficient accumulation in various tumors. Importantly, the functionalized albumin exhibited significantly higher excretion of the fluorescent dye in the urine in mice with tumors compared with those without tumors. The PEG derivatives proposed in this study may be a promising tool to predict the EPR effect in individual cancer patients. Unlabelled Image • PEG derivatives permitted potential urinary monitoring of the EPR effect. • Urinary monitoring suggested dynamics of the EPR effect. • Considerable intra-/extravasation could be observed in various tumor models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although extensive research has been performed on barrel shaped drops on fibers and cones, little research has been reported for clamshell shaped drops on curved surfaces with a gradient in the curvature. In this article, equilibrium clamshell shaped drops have been simulated on conical fiber sections via finite-element simulation. The equilibrium drop shape, Gibbs free energy, and curvature-induced force along the cone of the equilibrium clamshell drops were obtained using a series of Surface Evolver (SE) simulations including the unique wetting behavior caused by the significant circumferential spreading near the apex of the cone. This series also incorporated the effect of drop volume, cone half-angle and contact angle. Furthermore, the effect of gravity was simulated based on the difference between sessile and pendant drops on the conical surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Developed Poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide)-Cellulose Nanocrystal hydrogel films. • Achieved unique thermo-responsivity and tunable optical performance. • Developed a hybrid materials system to modulate LCST and moisture content for thermo-responsivity and optical tunability. • Demonstrated a ∼ 15 °C reduction of the LCST relative to pure PNIPAm hydrogel films. • Below the LCST, PNIPAm/CNC hydrogel films exhibit transparency or semi-transparency. Abstract A hybrid materials system to modulate lower critical solution temperature (LCST) and moisture content for thermo-responsivity and optical tunability was strategically developed by incorporating cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) into a poly(N -isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) hydrogel matrix. The PNIPAm/CNC hydrogel films exhibit tunable optical properties and wavelength bandpass selectivity as characterized by PROBE Spectroscopy and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). Importantly, the micro/nano structures of the PNIPAm/CNC hydrogel films were completely different when dried below and above the LCST. Below the LCST, PNIPAm/CNC hydrogel films exhibit transparency or semi-transparency due to the uniform bonding of hydrophilic PNIPAm and CNC through hydrogen bonds. Above the LCST, the hydrogel films engage in both hydrophobic PNIPAm and hydrophilic CNC interactions due to changes in PNIPAm conformation which lead to light scattering effects and hence opacity. Furthermore, the incorporation of CNC induces a ∼ 15 °C reduction of the LCST relative to pure PNIPAm hydrogel films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a significant interest in developing environmentally responsive or stimuli-responsive smart materials. In this paper, the thermo-responsiveness of cotton fabrics treated by helium atmospheric pressure plasma was investigated. Thermo-responsive cotton fabrics were prepared by grafting poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAM) on their surfaces using atmospheric plasma. The thermoregulation properties under different environmental temperatures have been evaluated via thermal imaging analysis, comfort test and SEM. The grafting of PNIPAM on cotton fabrics was verified via ATR-FTIR, XPS, and ToF-SIMS. The analysis results indicate that cotton fabrics with PNIPAM treatments possess thermo-responsiveness when wetted. It was found that fabrics with plasma-initiated PNIPAM treatments have higher heat transfer coefficient above 32 °C and lower heat transfer coefficient below 32 °C than untreated fabrics. The heat transfer coefficient of a PNIPAM grafted cotton has a 10% difference from that of an untreated cotton at temperatures above and below LCST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although profiles of axisymmetric capillary bridges between two cylindrical fibers have been extensively studied, little research has been reported on capillary bridges under external forces such as the gravitational force. This is because external forces add significant complications to the Laplace–Young equation, making it difficult to predict drop profiles based on analytical approaches. In this paper, simulations of capillary bridges between two vertically stacked cylindrical fibers with gravitational effect taken into consideration are studied. The asymmetrical structure of capillary bridges that are hard to predict based on analytical approaches was studied via a numerical approach based on Surface Evolver (SE). The axial and the circumferential spreading of liquids on two identical fibers in the presence of gravitational effects are predicted to determine when the gravitational effects are significant or can be neglected. The effect of liquid volume, equilibrium contact angle, the distance between two fibers and fiber radii. The simulation results were verified by comparing them with experimental measurements. Based on SE simulations, curves representing the spreading of capillary bridges along the two cylindrical fibers were obtained. The gravitational effect was scaled based on the difference of the spreading on upper and lower fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (r-GO) continue to attract considerable research due to their applicability in many academic and industrial fields. Here, we report a liquid-phase plasma approach with fast reduction and high reactivity for directly converting GO to r-GO at mild temperatures. The liquid-phase plasma process is at the forefront, and it is a strong candidate for facilitating large-scale applications of GO and r-GO. In this work, using methanol as an additive rather than other hazardous reducing agents, the results demonstrated that methanol could provide more hydrogen radicals (·H) to improve the reduction process of the liquid-phase plasma. Meanwhile, the ·CH 2 , ·CH, ·C, ·C 2 , ·OH, ·H, ·O were formed during discharge, suggesting that the collision of energetic electrons in plasma with methanol and water, which subsequently removes oxygen-containing functional groups and restores the π-conjugated structure in GO through a radical process. The analytical results revealed that r-GO has been successfully reduced by liquid-phase plasma. In conclusion, our findings can provide underlying insights into liquid-phase plasma treatment for GO reduction. • Microwave liquid-phase plasma approach for graphene oxide reduction. • Energetic electrons and ·H for the deoxygenation and sp2 carbon restoration. • Plasma and methanol in combination results in higher ·H reduction rates. • Future studies of simultaneous reduction and defect healing: create a paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the performance improvement and size reduction of electronic equipment, the internal circuit power consumption increases and heat is generated too much. The accumulation of heat will affect the stability, durability, and service life of electronic equipment. Therefore, efficient heat dissipation is the mainstream thinking direction to solve this problem. This experiment uses the synergetic effect of two particles. With epoxy (EP) resin as the matrix, boron nitride nanoparticles are coated with polydopamine (PDA), and the hydroxyl group on the surface of PDA is modified with coupling agent. The sulfhydryl group on the coupling agent is combined with silver (Ag) nanoparticles, and finally the epoxy resin composite containing boron nitride‐polydopamine‐silver (BPA) core–shell structure is obtained. With 15 wt%. BPA filler, the thermal conductivity of this material is 0.275 W/mK, 1.54 times that of pure epoxy resin 0.179 W/mK. The breakdown strength is 8.931 kV/m, 1.05 times that of pure epoxy resin 8.493 kV/m. The impact strength is 4.06 kJ/m2, 1.37 times that of pure epoxy resin 2.97 kJ/m2. At the same time, the shape of this material has good customization and is expected to be applied in the field of thermal management materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transparent and High Barrier Plasma Functionalized Acrylic Coated Cellulose Triacetate Films. • Fabrication of transparent and high barrier coated cellulose triacetate (CTA) films. • Enhanced adhesion and curing of acrylic coatings via atmospheric plasma treatments. • Significant reduction in WVTR while maintaining excellent transparency. • Modulation of surface texture via plasma compositions and crosslinking agents. Transparent and high moisture barrier acrylic coatings were obtained by deposition of acrylic resin containing crosslinking agents onto cellulose ester films, followed by exposure to atmospheric plasma. The effects of monomers, crosslinking agents, and polymerization methods were studied. The surface chemical composition, morphology, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), light transmittance, and adhesion performance of the coated cellulose triacetate (CTA) films were characterized for the acrylic coated films and for different plasma treatments. Coated films showed a significant reduction in water vapor permeability while maintaining excellent transparency when compared with uncoated films. Furthermore, adhesion of the coating to the CTA film was also improved due to plasma treatment. It was also found that plasma curing on the coated oligomers can induce morphological changes and significantly increase surface roughness and hydrophilicity. The roughness texture observed via SEM analysis indicated that the types of plasma polymerization and the amount of crosslinking agents control the texture types for acrylic coating. Plasma-assisted acrylic coated CTA films can be used in electronic displays, medical, and packaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Tunable poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide)-cellulose nanofibrils hydrogel films. • Fabrication using inverted SLA 3D printing to provide a new manufacturing platform. • Switchable bio-adhesion to bacteria depending on the CNF content and distribution. • Unique thermo-responsivity and tunable optical performance. • Modulation of LCST (∼ 8 °C reduction) relative to pure PNIPAm hydrogel films. A hybrid poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm)/cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) hydrogel composite was fabricated by inverted stereolithography 3D printing to provide a new platform for regulating lower critical solution temperature (LCST) properties and thus tuning optical and bioadhesive properties. The phenomena of interest in the as-printed PNIPAm/CNF hydrogels may be attributed to the fiber-reinforced composite system between crosslinked PNIPAm and CNFs. The optical tunability was found to be correlated to the micro/nano structures of the PNIPAm/CNF hydrogel films. It was found that PNIPAm/CNF hydrogels exhibit switchable bioadhesivity to bacteria in response to CNF distribution in the hydrogels. After 2.0 wt% CNF was incorporated, it was found that a remarkable 8°C reduction of the LCST was achieved relative to PNIPAm hydrogel crosslinked by TEGDMA without CNF. The prepared PNIPAm/CNF hydrogels possessed highly reversible optical, bioadhesion, and thermal performance, making them suitable to be used as durable temperature-sensitive sensors and functional biomedical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CNF/MWCNTs films with a structure of semi-interpenetrating networks were fabricated. • Percolation threshold level of CNF/MWCNTs membranes of 1.88 wt% was achieved. • CNF/MWCNTs films with 10 wt% MWCNTs showed a high conductivity value of 37.6 S/m. • Resistances of CNF/MWCNTs films were affected by bending states to a minor extent. • Capacitance of the pressure sensors was almost linearly dependent on pressure. Highly conductive multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and flexible cellulose nanofibers (CNF) membranes with semi-interpenetrating networks structure were fabricated using the typical paper-making method, which was simple and cost-effective. The Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to estimate the morphology, chemical structure, and thermal stability of the membranes. The mechanical, optical, and electrical properties of the membranes were characterized with a uniaxial tensile testing machine, ultraviolet visible spectroscope, and digital multimeter, respectively. The results indicated that the membranes containing 10 wt% of MWCNTs showed a high conductivity value of 37.6 S/m, and the sheet resistances of the membranes were stable at different bending states. Furthermore, we demonstrated the electrical features of membrane-based capacitive pressure sensors based on CNF/MWCNTs. The proposed method for fabricating CNF/MWCNTs membranes can simplify the production process and have great practical potential in various electronics applications such as touch screens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellulose-based composites have attracted significant attention in the fabrication and advancement of wearable devices due to their sustainable, degradable, and cost-effective properties. However, achieving a cellulosic sensor with reliable sensory feedback remains challenging owing to the deficiency in reversible microstructures during response processes. In this study, we developed a piezoresistive sensor consisting of nearly pure cellulose handsheets using origami-inspired corrugated structures to achieve durable and sensitive piezoresistive responses. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were used as conducting agents. With the addition of 7 wt% MWCNTs, 36.27 % of the cellulose fiber surface was covered and the conductivity of cellulose handsheets was increased to 8.7 S/m. The obtained conductive cellulose handsheets were transformed into corrugated structures and integrated orthogonally to construct the piezoresistive sensors with reversible electrical paths for electrons. The restorable corrugated structure endowed the sensors with a wide workable pressure range (0–10 kPa), high sensitivity (6.09 kPa−1 in a range of 0–0.92 kPa), fast response time (<280 ms), and good durability (>1000 cycles). Furthermore, the practical applications of the proposed sensors as wearable devices were demonstrated through phonation, real-time sports monitoring, and step pressure tests. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-label learning is dedicated to learning functions so that each sample is labeled with a true label set. With the increase of data knowledge, the feature dimensionality is increasing. However, high-dimensional information may contain noisy data, making the process of multi-label learning difficult. Feature selection is a technical approach that can effectively reduce the data dimension. In the study of feature selection, the multi-objective optimization algorithm has shown an excellent global optimization performance. The Pareto relationship can handle contradictory objectives in the multi-objective problem well. Therefore, a Shapley value-fused feature selection algorithm for multi-label learning (SHAPFS-ML) is proposed. The method takes multi-label criteria as the optimization objectives and the proposed crossover and mutation operators based on Shapley value are conducive to identifying relevant, redundant and irrelevant features. The comparison of experimental results on real-world datasets reveals that SHAPFS-ML is an effective feature selection method for multi-label classification, which can reduce the classification algorithm's computational complexity and improve the classification accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feature selection is an important task in machine learning. As multi-label classification tasks appear in various fields, researchers have investigated multi-label feature selection algorithms to reduce data dimensions. Most of the existing wrapper multi-label feature selection algorithms use multi-objective method to obtain the selected features. However, there are multiple criteria to measure the quality of multi-label classification results. In view of this, this study presents a many-objective optimization based multi-label feature selection algorithm (MMFS). To improve the diversity and convergence of NSGA III, we propose an improved NSGA III algorithm with two archives. In this algorithm, new crossover and mutation operators for feature selection are designed to improve the exploration capability, and the influence of the selection threshold θ on feature scale and multi-label classification performance in real number coding is studied. Finally, we conduct experiments on 11 multi-label datasets. The experiments demonstrate that MMFS can balance multiple objectives, remove irrelevant and redundant features, and obtain satisfactory classification results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ethanol decomposition process for hydrogen-rich gas synthesis via microwave discharge in ethanol-water mixtures was investigated in this study. Excited active species and gas-phase products based on ethanol's varying volume fraction were detected via optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and mass spectrometry (MS). The correlation between the spectrum signal of the active species and the mass spectrum signal of the gas phase products was quantitatively analyzed. The experimental results showed that the intermediate active species mainly consisted of OH, C 2 , CH 2 , CH, C, and H, and the gas phase products mainly included H 2 , CH 4 , C 2 H 2 , CO, C 2 H 4 , and CO 2. There were significantly positive linear relationships between H or CH 2 and H 2 , demonstrating that both H and CH 2 were important radicals for generating H 2. Based on the experimental results and analyzed from the perspective of thermodynamics, the reactions of H + H (+M) → H 2 (+M) and H + H + H 2 →H 2 + H 2 , H + H + H 2 O → H 2 + H 2 O, CH 2 + CH 2 → H 2 + C 2 H 2 were all likely to produce hydrogen. • There were significantly positive linear relationships between H or CH 2 and H 2. • H and CH 2 were important radicals for generating H 2. • Possible reaction path of microwave discharge in ethanol solution was given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen produced by pulsed discharge in ethanol-water mixtures is optimized in this work. A needle-balls configuration is designed, which is fit for situ hydrogen production in transportation. The energy yield of hydrogen can attain 141.3 gH 2 /kWh, which is better than most existing methods. The high energy yield attributes to the special discharge characteristics. During the discharge, shock waves make the balls jumping in the reactor that increase the randomness and local strength of discharge. The microscopic pathway of pulsed discharge in ethanol-water mixtures is also analyzed by the comparison of rate constants. The main products can be analyzed from the microscopic pathway. In addition, CH 3 CHO, CH 2 O are important intermediates, which may be good additives for increasing hydrogen yield. • Hydrogen produced by pulsed discharge was optimized with needle-balls configurations. • The Energy yield of hydrogen can reach 141.3 gH 2 /kWh. • The microscopic pathway of pulsed discharge in ethanol-water mixtures was analyzed. • Aldehydes are important intermediates for hydrogen production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bentonite and its modifications have been widely used in the environmental pollution control and adsorption of heavy metals ions due to the large surface area, high adsorption capacity and low cost. However, it will become hazardous solid waste after saturation adsorption with a difficult problem to treat it. So the saturated adsorbent after adsorption of heavy metal ions needs to be disposed of properly. It will be of great scientific and economic value to study the regeneration recycling of bentonite after heavy metals ions adsorption. Desorption regeneration of magnetic bentonite (M−B) after Pb(II) adsorption with NaNO3 solution was studied in this paper. The effects of several parameters on desorption regeneration were explored and it showed effective desorption regeneration performance. The desorption rate reached 90.21% using 50 mL g–1 and 1.00 mol L–1 NaNO3 desorption liquid at pH 3.0, 35 °C for the first time.The desorption process better conformed to the second‐order kinetic equation and the Langmuir model. The physical and chemical feature of regenerated M−B and the original were comparatively analyzed by XRD, FT‐IR, SEM and BET. It showed that M−B still remained stable structure after 6 times adsorption–desorption cycles. The study will provide useful experiences and references for its high effective utilization. The desorption regeneration of magnetic bentonite (M−B) after Pb(II) adsorbed and reuse for Pb(II) adsorption were studied in this paper. The results showed stable performance on the adsorption and desorption regeneration during 6 times cycles and still maintained stable physical and chemical structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A doping-segregation method is developed to enhance the Ni-SiO 2 interaction. • This strategy makes inert silica to be active SiO 2 with chemical functionality. • The enhanced Ni-SiO 2 interaction greatly improves the catalytic stability for DRM. • The interfacial Si-O-Ni sites inhibit the formation of coke and oxidation of Ni. Silica (SiO 2) has been widely used as inert support to better disperse and stabilize active metal nanoparticles. However, enhancing the interaction between the active metal and SiO 2 could make inert silica to be active SiO 2 with chemical functionalities that can be involved in the catalytic process. Here, a Ni doping-segregation SiO 2 with post-annealing strategy was developed to achieve tunable Ni-SiO 2 interaction with abundant interfacial Si-O-Ni sites. The synthesized NiSiO x catalysts with enhanced Ni-SiO 2 interaction facilitate the formation of interfacial Si-O-Ni sites, which could inhibit the oxidation of Ni species and promote the removal of surface carbon species, leading to superior catalytic stability for dry reforming of methane (DRM). This work provides insights into the interfacial effect of SiO 2 -based catalysts, changing the traditional perception of inert SiO 2 for the DRM process. The controlled metal-SiO 2 interaction also allows SiO 2 to be used to facilitate the catalytic process in various challenging reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen production from ethanol solution (initial ethanol concentration of 50%) by pulsed discharge coupled with TiO 2 is investigated in this work. Strong ultraviolet light is emitted by pulsed discharge in liquid, which makes photocatalysis have a great prospect in plasma reforming. Two kinds of TiO 2 are attempted, containing non-metal ion doping and Ag deposition. The results show that the flow rate of hydrogen produced by pulsed discharge with TiO 2 coated non-metal can be achieved 1.55 L/min, which is higher than with TiO 2 coated Ag, but both two are higher than discharge without TiO 2 . From SEM analysis, it may be associated with the larger specific surface area of TiO 2 coated non-metal. However, percentage concentration of hydrogen produced with TiO 2 coated Ag is higher than others, which can be attained 78%. It may be due to the high work function of Ag. In addition, mechanism of hydrogen produced by pulsed discharge coupled with TiO 2 is also analyzed. It demonstrates that the increase of ·H is the main reason for increased hydrogen yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanoparticles produced from alcohols by pulsed spark discharge in liquid (PSDL) was investigated in this work. The spherical carbon particles with about 10 nm diameter can be produced by PSDL, which were similar to the commercial carbon particles. With the increase of discharge power, the mean diameter of carbon particles was decreased and the size distribution was more uniform. Meanwhile, the yield of carbon produced from ethanol was more than from methanol that may be attributed to the more carbon atoms in ethanol compared with the same volume of methanol. In addition, the mechanism of carbon produced from alcohols by PSDL was also analyzed. The possible reactions were given according to the production analysis. This work presents a new method for carbon nanoparticles production and the results can play a guidance role in producing nanometer materials by plasma reforming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen produced from ethanol solution by pulsed discharge was investigated in this work. With needle-net configurations, hydrogen can be easily exported from the plasma reactor thereby preventing hydrogen from consuming by the oxidizing active substances generated from pulsed discharge. Both flow rate and percentage concentration of hydrogen were enhanced with the increase of energy density, but not much change with the increase of discharge time. Flow rate, percentage concentration, and energy consumption of hydrogen were achieved about 800 mL/min, 73.5%, and 0.9 kWh/m 3 H 2 respectively with energy density of 6.4 J/L. All products were analyzed, which were divided into main and secondary products guiding the mechanism analysis of hydrogen production. The main products contain H 2 , CO, CH 3 OH, and the secondary products include C 2 H 2 , CO 2 , macromolecular compounds, nano carbon particles. The high hydrogen yield, emerged nano carbon, low ethanol and energy consumption make this method possess bright prospect in hydrogen production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resourceful treatment of alcohol distillery wastewater by pulsed discharge in liquid (PDL) was first studied in this work. The biodegradability of alcohol wastewater can be effectively improved and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal attained over 40% within 15 min PDL treatment. Hydrogen produced from the treating processes was emphatically analyzed. The flow rate, and yield of hydrogen achieved were 80 mL/min, 146 mL/g COD removed within 30 min respectively, which were much better than existing technologies. Meanwhile, the mechanism of hydrogen production from alcohol distillery wastewater by PDL was presented in this work indicating that different region in reactor has different mechanism. In discharge channel, high-energy electrons and resultant free radicals played a leading role. Far away from discharge channel, the neutral particles with strong oxidizing were more important. This work can be a good guidance for both treatment of refractory wastewater and mechanism of hydrogen production by plasma reforming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) could inhibit cadmium (Cd) accumulation in plants; however, its performance in an uneven iron (Fe) background remains unknown. Here, we found that the inhibitory effects of ABA on Cd accumulation in plants were optimal under nonlimiting Fe availability (25 and 50 µM), causing a reduction of 25–50 %, whereas only a 0–29 % decrease was observed in a Fe-free or -deficient (5 µM) medium. Although ABA significantly inhibited the expression of IRT1 under different Fe supplies, the inhibitory effects of ABA on Cd accumulation were lower (or absent) in irt1 -mutants than in wild-type plants growing under nonlimiting Fe availability, whereas no significant difference was found under Fe deficiency. The mechanisms by which ABA reduces Cd accumulation under different Fe environments may differ. Furthermore, under Fe sufficiency, ABA increased Fe levels of root apoplasts by 91 % without changing the activity level of root ferric reductase (FCR). In contrast, ABA resulted in a 17 % decrease in Fe concentration in apoplasts and a 37 % decrease in FCR activity under Fe-deficient conditions. Thus, under Fe sufficiency, plants may show a reduced accumulation of Cd by accumulating more Fe in the apoplasts, which in turn inhibits the expression of IRT1. However, plants are more prone to redirect apoplastic Fe to prevent Cd accumulation under Fe deficiency. The different mechanisms of inhibition of Cd accumulation by ABA under different Fe supplies revealed in this study may provide guidelines for the precise regulation of Cd accumulation in crops via ABA-based strategies. [Display omitted] • ABA reduced Cd accumulation, particularly under nonlimiting Fe availability. • ABA reduced Cd accumulation via IRT1 down-regulation under Fe sufficiency. • ABA had no effect on Cd accumulation in an Fe-free growth medium. • ABA promoted the reuse of apoplast Fe and the reduction of Cd under Fe deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen-rich syngas produced from ethanol/water mixtures by pulsed electrodeless discharge is studied in this work. A plate-pinhole-plate device is used to achieve electrodeless discharge that positive and negative discharge can simultaneously generate in both sides of the pinhole. The study find that the gas production efficiency is higher when both sides are spark discharge. Among the produced gas, H 2 , CO are the main components, which account for about 99%. Meanwhile, in order to acquire hydrogen-rich syngas with high yield, both high peak voltage and appropriate electrode distance are important. The reaction process is also researched by the spectral diagnosis. The results show that the generation of ·H is the key for syngas production by pulsed electrodeless discharge that ·H is not only the important substance for hydrogen production, but also affects the generation of ·CH and ·C 2 thereby determining the CO production. • Syngas from ethanol/water mixtures by pulsed electrodeless discharge was studied. • Spark discharge on both polarities is great for syngas production. • Peak voltage and electrode distance are important for syngas production. • The generation of ·H is associated with syngas production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]