Preparation of Biochars from Different Sources and Study on Their Phosphorus Adsorption Properties.

Biochar is a solid product generated through the pyrolysis of biomass materials under anaerobic or hypoxic conditions, and it is characterized by its strong adsorption capacity. To investigate the phosphorus adsorption performance of biochar derived from wheat straw, bamboo, and water hyacinth in wastewater, iron modification treatments were applied to these biochars, and the most effective modified biochar was identified. The physicochemical properties of the modified biochars were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Plasma Tailoring of NH-MIL-53 with Enhanced Fluorescence Emission for Simultaneous Detection of Multiple Heavy Metals in Water.

Indium, copper, and mercury are important raw materials in the electronics industry and often coexist in factory wastewater. Therefore, the development of a highly sensitive and selective method for the simultaneous detection of these heavy metal ions is of great significance for water quality monitoring and environmental protection. Herein, we report a NH-MIL-53 fluorescent probe for the simultaneous detection of trace In, Cu, and Hg in water.

One-Step Physical and Chemical Dual-Reinforcement with Hydrophobic Drug Delivery in Gelatin Hydrogels for Antibacterial Wound Healing.

Gelatin-based bioadhesives, especially methacrylated gelatin (GelMA), have emerged as superior alternatives to sutureless wound closure. Nowadays, their mechanical improvement and therapeutic delivery, particularly for hydrophobic antibiotics, have received ever-increasing interest. Herein, a reinforced gelatin-based hydrogel with a hydrophobic drug delivery property for skin wound treatment was reported.

High-yield production of liquid fuels in CO hydrogenation on a zeolite-free Fe-based catalyst.

Catalytic conversion of CO to long-chain hydrocarbons with high activity and selectivity is appealing but hugely challenging. For conventional bifunctional catalysts with zeolite, poor coordination among catalytic activity, CO selectivity and target product selectivity often limit the long-chain hydrocarbon yield. Herein, we constructed a singly cobalt-modified iron-based catalyst achieving 57.

NH Plasma Functionalization of UiO-66-NH for Highly Enhanced Selective Fluorescence Detection of U(VI) in Water.

Radioactive U(VI) in nuclear wastewater is a global environmental pollutant that poses a great threat to human health. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop a U(VI) sensor with desirable sensitivity and selectivity. Inspired by electron-donating group modification for enhancement of binding affinity toward U(VI), we report an amine group functionalization of UiO-66-NH, using a low-cost, environmentally friendly, and low-temperature NH plasma technique as a fluorescence switching nanoprobe for highly sensitive and selective detection of U(VI).

Hydrothermal preparation of hierarchical ZIF-L nanostructures for enhanced CO capture.

A zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-L) with hierarchical morphology was synthesized through hydrothermal method. The hierarchical product consists of ZIF-L leaves with length of several micrometers, width of 1 ∼ 2 μm and thickness of ∼300 nm cross connected symmetrically. It was found that the hydrothermal temperature is crucial for the formation of such hierarchical nanostructure.

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Metal-Polyphenol Coordination Crystals and Their Derived Metal/N-doped Carbon Composites for Oxygen Electrocatalysis.

Cobalt (or iron)-polyphenol coordination polymers with crystalline frameworks are synthesized for the first time. The crystalline framework is formed by the assembly of metal ions and polyphenol followed by oxidative self-polymerization of the organic ligands (polyphenol) during hydrothermal treatment in alkaline condition. As a result, such coordination crystals are even partly stable in strong acid (such as 2 m HCl).

One-step fabrication of amino functionalized magnetic graphene oxide composite for uranium(VI) removal.

Amino functionalized magnetic graphene oxide composite (AMGO), a good sorbent for U(VI), was fabricated and characterized. The AMGO was applied as a magnetic sorbent for the U(VI) removal from aqueous solutions. The AMGO can be easily recovered from the solution with the magnetic separation within one minute.

Rapid Construction of ZnO@ZIF-8 Heterostructures with Size-Selective Photocatalysis Properties.

To selectively remove heavy metal from dye solution, inspired by the unique pore structure of ZIF-8, we developed a synthetic strategy for rapid construction of ZnO@ZIF-8 heterostructure photocatalyst for selective reduction of Cr(VI) between Cr(VI) and methylene blue (MB). In particular, ZnO@ZIF-8 core-shell heterostructures were prepared by in situ ZIF-8 crystal growth using ZnO colloidal spheres as template and zinc source within 8-60 min. The shell of the resulting ZnO@ZIF-8 core-shell heterostructure with a uniform thickness of around 30 nm is composed of ZIF-8 crystal polyhedrons.

Incorporation of well-dispersed sub-5-nm graphitic pencil nanodots into ordered mesoporous frameworks.

Over the past few decades the direct assembly of optical nanomaterials into ordered mesoporous frameworks has proved to be a considerable challenge. Here we propose the incorporation of ultrasmall (sub-5-nm) graphitic pencil nanodots into ordered mesoporous frameworks for the fabrication of optoelectronic materials. The nanodots, which were prepared from typical commercial graphite pencils by an electrochemical tailoring process, combine properties such as uniform size (∼3 nm), excellent dispersibility and high photoconversion efficiency (∼27%).

Self-curled coral-like γ-Al₂O₃ nanoplates for use as an adsorbent.

Biomimetic self-curled nanoplates assembled coral-like nanoporous γ-Al2O3 has been prepared by a solvothermal method using ethylene glycol (EG)H2O as the mixed solvent, followed by the annealing process. The resulting samples are composed of micro/nanostructured units (∼1.5 μm) with self-curled porous nanoplates on the surface.

Impact of water quality parameters on the sorption of U(VI) onto hematite.

In this study, the sorption of U(VI) from aqueous solution on hematite was studied as a function of various water quality parameters such as contact time, pH, ionic strength, soil humic acid (HA) or fulvic acid (FA), solid content and temperature by using a batch technique. The results demonstrated that the sorption of U(VI) was strongly dependent on ionic strength at pH<6.0, and outer-sphere surface complexation may be the main sorption mechanism.

Tower-like structure of ZnO nanocolumns.

The tower-like structure of ZnO nanocolumns grows normal to alumina substrates via pyrolysis and oxidation of ZnS, and is formed by stacking of ZnO nanocrystals layer upon layer.