Chitosan tailored SiO aerogel for efficient removal of copper ions.

Copper ions pollution is a severe problem for the health of human beings worldwide, while the removal of copper ions with high-efficient and low-cost method remains a challenge. Herein, chitosan and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) were used as precursors to prepare SiO/chitosan hybrid aerogel. The effects of chitosan content on the density, porosity, and adsorption property of the composite aerogel were investigated by means of structure and performance characterization.

Processing natural bamboo into white bamboo through photocatalyzed lignin oxidation.

Scalable and highly efficient bamboo whitening remains a great challenge. Herein, an effective bamboo whitening strategy is proposed based on photocatalyzed oxidation, which involves HO infiltration and UV illumination. The as-prepared white bamboo well maintains the nature structure of natural bamboo and demonstrates high whiteness and superior mechanical properties.

Comprehensive Investigation of the Temperature-Dependent Electromechanical Behaviors of Carbon Nanotube/Polymer Composites.

The performances of flexible piezoresistive sensors based on polymer nanocomposites are significantly affected by the environmental temperature; therefore, comprehensively investigating the temperature-dependent electromechanical response behaviors of conductive polymer nanocomposites is crucial for developing high-precision flexible piezoresistive sensors in a wide-temperature range. Herein, carbon nanotube (CNT)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composites widely used for flexible piezoresistive sensors were prepared, and then the temperature-dependent electrical, mechanical, and electromechanical properties of the optimized CNT/PDMS composite in the temperature range from -150 to 150 °C were systematically investigated. At a low temperature of -150 °C, the CNT/PDMS composite becomes brittle with a compressive modulus of ∼1.

Impact mechanisms of aggregation state regulation strategies on the microwave absorption properties of flexible polyaniline.

In the field of electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption, intrinsic conductive polymers with conjugated long-chain structures, such as polyaniline (PANI) and polypyrrole (PPy), have gained widespread use due to their remarkable electrical conductivity and loss ability. However, current research in this area is limited to macroscopic descriptions of the absorption properties of these materials and the contribution of various components to the absorption effect. There has been insufficient exploration of the impact mechanisms of polymer aggregation states on the material's absorption performance and mechanism.

Superstrong, Lightweight, and Exceptional Environmentally Stable SiO@GO/Bamboo Composites.

Development of lightweight structural materials from fast-growing bamboos is of great significance to building a sustainable society. However, previously developed structural bamboos by delignification combined with densification would easily fail under large external loading after exposure to water due to structure collapse, severely limiting their practical applications. Here, we demonstrate an ultrastrong and exceptional environmentally stable bamboo composite consisting of a graphene oxide (GO)/bamboo core and hierarchical SiO protection layer.

High-Performance Bamboo Steel Derived from Natural Bamboo.

It is highly desirable to develop green and renewable structural materials from biomaterials to replace synthetic materials involved from civil engineering to aerospace industries. Herein, we put forward a facile but effective top-down strategy to convert natural bamboo into bamboo steel. The fabrication process of bamboo steel involves the removal of lignin and hemicellulose, freeze-drying followed by epoxy infiltration, and densification combined with in situ solidification.

High-Performance Fiber-Film Hybrid-Structured Wearable Strain Sensor from a Highly Robust and Conductive Carbonized Bamboo Aerogel.

Bamboo, one of the most abundant biomaterials, has been used as a building material since ancient times; however, its application in functional materials has been rarely explored. Herein, a highly robust and conductive carbonized bamboo aerogel (CBA) is obtained from the natural bamboo through a simple three-step process of pulp oxidization, freeze-drying, and carbonization. The CBA obtained shows not only a low density of 0.

Unveiling the Mechanisms for the Plant Volatile Organic Compound Linalool To Control Gray Mold on Strawberry Fruits.

Fungal infections significantly alter the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by plants, but the mechanisms for VOCs affecting fungal infections of plants remain largely unknown. Here, we found that infection by upregulated linalool production by strawberries and fumigation with linalool was able to inhibit the infection of fruits by the fungus. Linalool treatment downregulated the expression of rate-limiting enzymes in the ergosterol biosynthesis pathway, and this reduced the ergosterol content in the fungi cell membrane and impaired membrane integrity.

Systematically quantitative proteomics and metabolite profiles offer insight into fruit ripening behavior in × .

Profound metabolic and proteomic changes involved in the primary and the secondary metabolism are required for the ripeness of fleshy fruit such as strawberries ( × ). Here we present the quantitative proteomic profiling in parallel with metabolic and transcriptional profiling at five developmental stages of strawberry fruit ripening, and correlations between changes in representative metabolites and the abundance of related proteins were analyzed. Hierarchical clustering analysis of the quantitative proteomic profiling identified 143 proteins in strawberry fruit across five developmental stages.

Role of Wood Fibers in Tuning Dynamic Rheology, Non-Isothermal Crystallization, and Microcellular Structure of Polypropylene Foams.

Microcellular polypropylene (PP)/wood fiber composite foams were fabricated via batch foaming assisted by supercritical CO₂ (scCO₂). Effects of wood fibers on rheology, crystallization, and foaming behaviors of PP were comprehensively investigated. The obtained results showed that the incorporation of wood fibers increased the complex viscosity and the storage modulus of the PP matrix.

Styrene-Assisted Maleic Anhydride Grafted Poly(lactic acid) as an Effective Compatibilizer for Wood Flour/Poly(lactic acid) Bio-Composites.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of styrene-assisted maleic anhydride-grafted poly(lactic acid) (PLA--St/MAH) on the interfacial properties of wood flour/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) bio-composites. PLA--St/MAH was synthesized by free-radical melt grafting using styrene as a comonomer and dicumyl peroxide as an initiator. The structure of PLA--St/MAH was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

Preparation of Desirable Porous Cell Structure Polylactide/Wood Flour Composite Foams Assisted by Chain Extender.

Polylactide (PLA)/wood flour composite foam were prepared through a batch foaming process. The effect of the chain extender on the crystallization behavior and dynamic rheological properties of the PLA/wood flour composites were investigated as well as the crystal structure and cell morphology of the composite foams. The incorporation of the chain extender enhanced the complex viscosity and storage modulus of PLA/wood flour composites, indicating the improved melt elasticity.