Novel Nanohybrid Expandable Graphite Flame Retardant on Enhancing the Fire Safety and Conductivity of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Solid Electrolytes.

Obtaining a good balance between fire safety and conductivity in a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-based solid electrolyte still faces an enormous challenge, primarily due to the flammability and lower conductivity of the PVA material. Herein, to address this concern, a nano novel silica@expandable graphite (SiO@EG) hybrid was fabricated by a hydrothermal method, showcasing a promising potential in constructing flame retardant and conductive polyaniline@PVA (PANI@PVA) composite films. The impact of the SiO@EG hybrid with different hybridization ratios on the structure, flame retardancy, and conductivity of PANI@PVA composite films was investigated in detail.

Epigenetic age acceleration mediates the association between low-grade systemic inflammation and cardiovascular diseases: insight from the NHANES 1999-2002.

Background: Currently, with the global aging of the population, inflammation, recognized as a hallmark in age-related diseases, has been studied and linked to cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, limited evidence on whether inflammation modifies epigenetic aging and affects CVD risk.

Methods: This study included 404 CVD patients and 1941 non-CVD individuals from the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey cross-sectional data.

Joint associations among non-essential heavy metal mixtures and nutritional factors on glucose metabolism indexes in US adults: evidence from the NHANES 2011-2016.

Dietary intake can modify the impact of metals on human health, and is also closely related to glucose metabolism in human bodies. However, research on their interaction is limited. We used data based on 1738 adults aged ≥20 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2016.

A karst-inspired hierarchical Mg/Al layered double hydroxide with a high entropy-driven process for interception and storage.

Karstification plays a crucial role in forming magnificent scenery, and storing oil, natural gas, mineral resources, and water. Through the inspiration of karstification, a hierarchical layered double hydroxide (LDH) with funnel-like and cave-like structures (called Karst-LDH) is formed by the dissolution of acrylic acid/water solution. Meanwhile, the results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) show that Karst-LDH has complicated and interconnected internal pipe networks.

Holstein Cattle Face Re-Identification Unifying Global and Part Feature Deep Network with Attention Mechanism.

In precision dairy farming, computer vision-based approaches have been widely employed to monitor the cattle conditions (e.g., the physical, physiology, health and welfare).

Fabrication of MgAl LDH@graphene oxide nanohybrids and their effect on the thermal stability and crystallization behavior of polypropylene.

The co-precipitation method is used to fabricate layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanohybrids with surface engineering of graphene oxide (GO) by radially grafting borate-LDH (BLDH) to BLDH@GO nanosheets, aiming at improving the surface characteristics and compatibility of LDH with the polymer matrix. The results prove the successful fabrication of BLDH@GO and LDH@GO nanosheets. The nanosheets are mixed into polypropylene (PP) by melt blending to study the structure and properties of the composites.

Selective dispersion of neutral nanoplates and the interfacial structure of copolymers based on coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations.

The selective dispersion of neutral nanoplates (NNP) and the control of the interfacial structure of copolymers are challenging. In this work, we employ coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CGMD) to investigate the dispersion of NNP and the interfacial structure. The introduction of NNP significantly changes the interfacial structure and formation mechanism of diblock copolymers (DBCP), which is related to the matrix phase, distribution, composition, and length of two different chain segments (A and B) in AB-DBCP.

Microstructure design of polypropylene/expandable graphite flame retardant composites toughened by the polyolefin elastomer for enhancing its mechanical properties.

The enhanced toughness of flame-retardant polymer composites is still a big challenge due to the deterioration of their mechanical properties. In this work, polypropylene (PP)/nanohybrid expandable graphite (nEG) flame-retardant composites toughened by octene-ethylene copolymer (POE) were fabricated for obtaining good mechanical properties and flame retardancy. The structure, rheological and crystallization behaviors, morphology, flame retardancy, and mechanical property of PP/nEG/POE composites with different contents of POE were investigated.

Effect of molecular weight of polyethylene glycol on crystallization behaviors, thermal properties and tensile performance of polylactic acid stereocomplexes.

In this work, the poly(d-lactic acid)-polyethylene glycol-poly(d-lactic acid) (PDLA-PEG-PDLA) triblock copolymer as a novel modification agent was incorporated into poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) to improve the thermal and mechanical properties of PLLA. The influences of molecular weight of PEG in the triblock copolymer on the structure, crystallization behaviors, heat resistance and tensile properties of PDLA-PEG-PDLA/PLLA blends were investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and tensile testing. The results from FTIR, XRD and DSC confirm the formation of a polylactide stereocomplex in the PLLA blends.

Co-exposure of serum calcium, selenium and vanadium is nonlinearly associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in a Chinese population.

Background: Metals play an important role in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aimed to explore the association of T2DM risk with single metal exposure and multi-metal co-exposure.

Methods: A case-control study with 223 T2DM patients and 302 controls was conducted.

MOFs Conferred with Transient Metal Centers for Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity.

Highly effective photocatalysts for the hydrogen-evolution reaction were developed by conferring the linkers of NH -MIL-125(Ti), a metal-organic framework (MOF) constructed from TiO clusters and 2-aminoterephthalic acid (linkers), with active copper centers. This design enables effective transfer of electrons from the linkers to the transient Cu /Cu centers, leading to 7000-fold and 27-fold increase of carrier density and lifetime of photogenerated charges, respectively, as well as high-rate production of H under visible-light irradiation. This work provides a novel design of a photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution using non-noble Cu /Cu as co-catalysts.

Metal-organic framework-based nanomaterials for photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide production.

As an environmentally friendly and renewable energy source, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) could be produced photocatalytically through selective two-electron reduction of O2 using effective photocatalysts. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs), as hybrid porous materials consisting of organic linkers and metal oxide clusters, have aroused great interest in the design of effective catalysts for photocatalysis under visible light irradiation due to their unique properties, such as large surface area, good chemical stability, and diverse and tunable chemical components. In this perspective, we highlight our recent progress in the application of various MOF-based nanomaterials for photocatalytic H2O2 production from the selective two-electron reduction of O2 in a single-phase system (acetonitrile) and two-phase system (water/benzyl alcohol).

Triply Biobased Thermoplastic Composites of Polylactide/Succinylated Lignin/Epoxidized Soybean Oil.

Soybean oil is beneficial to improve the compatibility between polylactide (PLA) and succinylated lignin (SAL), which leads to the preparation of a host of biobased composites containing PLA, SAL, and epoxidized soybean oil (ESO). The introduction of SAL and ESO enables the relatively homogeneous morphology and slightly better miscibility obtained from triply PLA/SAL/ESO composites after dynamic vulcanization compared with unmodified PLA. The rigidity of the composites is found to decline gradually due to the addition of flexible molecular chains.

Synthesis, characterization, and crystallization behaviors of poly(-lactic acid)-based triblock copolymer.

Poly(-lactic acid) (PDLA) with different polyethylene glycol (PEG) segment synthesized PDLA-PEG-PDLA triblock copolymer through the ring-opening reaction of -LA and PEG will be used as a toughening modifier. The microstructure, crystal structures and crystallization behaviors of this triblock copolymer were investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized optical microscopy (POM). The triblock copolymer is synthesized from the appearance of CH stretching vibration peak at 2910 cm and C-O stretching vibration peak at 1200 cm from PEG in FTIR spectra.

Association of UCP1 polymorphisms with type 2 diabetes mellitus and their interaction with physical activity and sedentary behavior.

Background: Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) has been reported to be associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in different populations, however, little is reported in Chinese population. The present study aimed to explore the association between some polymorphisms of UCP1 with T2DM and the interactions between UCP1 and physical activity/sedentary behavior (PA/SB) lifestyle in Chinese population.

Methods: Three polymorphisms (rs1472268, rs3811790 and rs3811791) were genotyped in 929 T2DM patients and 1044 nondiabetic controls.

The Influence of Compatibility on the Structure and Properties of PLA/Lignin Biocomposites by Chemical Modification.

Lignin, a natural amorphous three-dimensional aromatic polymer, is investigated as an appropriate filler for biocomposites. The chemical modification of firsthand lignin is an effective pathway to accomplish acetoacetate functional groups replacing polar hydroxyl (-OH) groups, which capacitates lignin to possess better miscibility with poly(lactic acid) (PLA), compared with acidified lignin (Ac-lignin) and butyric lignin (By-lignin), for the sake of blending with poly(lactic acid) (PLA) to constitute a new biopolymer based composites. Generally speaking, the characterization of all PLA composites has been performed taking advantage of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic Mechanical analysis (DMA), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), rheological analysis, and tensile test.

Impacts of different aged landfill leachate on PVC corrosion.

Landfill leachate is generally transferred to in situ facilities for advanced treatment by using a pipe system. Because of its harmful and complex compounds, leachate may react with pipe materials, leading to corrosion and scaling. This experimental study uses typical PVC pipe material and investigates its anti-corrosion performance by placing the material samples into different aged leachates.

Copper Phosphide-Enhanced Lower Charge Trapping Occurrence in Graphitic-CN for Efficient Noble-Metal-Free Photocatalytic H Evolution.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) fundamental photophysical processes exhibit a high frequency of charge trapping due to physicochemical defects. In this study, a copper phosphide (CuP) and g-CN hybrid was synthesized via a facile phosphorization method. CuP, as an electron acceptor, efficiently captures the photogenerated electrons and drastically improved the charge separation rate to cause a significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance.

Novel Intumescent Flame Retardant Masterbatch Prepared through Different Processes and Its Application in EPDM/PP Thermoplastic Elastomer: Thermal Stability, Flame Retardancy, and Mechanical Properties.

In this work, the ethylene-propylene-diene monomer/polypropylene (EPDM/PP) thermoplastic elastomer filled with intumescent flame retardants (IFR) is fabricated by melting blend. The IFR are constituted with melamine phosphate-pentaerythritol (MP/PER) by compounding and reactive extruding, respectively. The effects of two kinds of MP/PER with different contents on the thermal stability, flame retardancy, and mechanical properties of materials are investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL-94, cone calorimeter test (CCT), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

The effect of thermo-oxidative ageing on crystallization, dynamic and static mechanical properties of long glass fibre-reinforced polyamide 10T composites.

The performances and microstructure of long glass fibre-reinforced polyamide 10T (PA10T/LGF) composites that experienced different ageing temperatures (160 and 200°C) with increasing ageing time are characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), mechanical analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy to probe the correlation between properties of the composites and thermo-oxidative ageing. The DSC results show that PA10T/LGF composites occur on degradation, the fracture of molecular chains and the destruction of crystallization structure, which leads to the crystallization and melting peaks of PA10T/LGF composites to shift to high temperature. On the basis of dynamic mechanical analysis data, the reduction of the interfacial bonding between the glass fibre and PA10T matrix and the motion of molecular chain segments result in the thermo-oxidative ageing of composites.

Porous CuO nanotubes/graphene with sandwich architecture as high-performance anodes for lithium-ion batteries.

Constructing a porous conductive framework represents a promising strategy for designing high-performance anodes for Li-ion batteries. Here, porous CuO nanotubes/graphene with hierarchical architectures were fabricated by simple annealing of copper nanowires/graphene hybrids synthesized by a microwave-assisted process. In these nanoarchitectures, the embedded porous CuO nanotubes can prevent restacking of the graphene sheets, whereas graphene can increase the electrical conductivity of CuO.

Mussel-inspired adhesive and transferable free-standing films by self-assembling dexamethasone encapsulated BSA nanoparticles and vancomycin immobilized oxidized alginate.

This study developed an adhesive and transferable free-standing (FS) film with dual function of osteoinductivity and antibacterial activity, which was obtained by sequentially assembling vancomycin immobilized oxidized sodium alginate and dexamethasone encapsulated chitosan coated BSA nanoparticles on a poly-dopamine layer. The FS films enabled the dual release of vancomycin and dexamethasone. The FS films had excellent osteoinductivity and antibacterial activity by cell culture and antibacterial assay.

Microwave absorption behavior of ZnO whisker modified by nanosized Fe3O4 particles.

Tetra-needle-like ZnO whisker was magnetic modified through in situ synthesis of nanosized Fe3O4 particles on the surface of the whisker, and the microwave absorption behavior of the as-prepared product was investigated in detail. The result of the comparative microwave absorbing experiment showed that the magnetic modified ZnO whisker appeared more superior property of microwave absorption than that of the original ZnO whisker in 2-18 GHz. Further investigation indicated that the microwave absorption behavior of the product was influenced by ferrite content and Fe3O4 particles' distribution in the product.