Nanoporous NiO@SiO2 photo-catalyst prepared by ion-exchange method for fast elimination of reactive dyes from wastewater

Photo-catalytic elimination of organic contaminants plays a significant role in wastewater treatment. Developing a highly efficient photo-catalyst is one of the leading research topic. Herein, we reported the fabrication of a novel nanoporous NiO@SiO₂ photo-catalyst by a simple ion-exchange method to eliminate the reactive dyes. The synthesized NiO@SiO₂ catalyst exhibited fast photo-degradation and excellent adsorption capability and could efficiently remove Red FN-3GL dye from wastewater, due to a high loading of NiO and a large specific surface area, abundant electron-withdrawing groups, as well as narrow bandgap energy. In addition, the NiO@SiO₂ photo-catalyst also displayed a high capability to remove reactive dyes over a wide range of pH values (pH 3–9). The prominent adsorption and photo-degradation of dyes were strongly dependent on the surface charge of the catalyst and the generation of hydroxyl radicals (OH^?) by the catalyst, respectively. Furthermore, the NiO@SiO₂ photo-catalyst also exhibited excellent recyclability, thus demonstrating the feasibility of practical applications in industries. The strategy of covering the metal oxide to nanoporous silica is a promising method for developing active photo-catalysts and applying them in the wastewater treatments.     

Systematic Modulation of Thiol Functionalities in Inexpensive Porous Polymers for Effective Mercury Removal

Through accumulation, mercury contamination in aquatic systems still poses serious health risks despite the strict regulations on drinking water and industrial discharge. One effective strategy against this is adsorptive removal, in which a suitably functionalized porous material is added to water treatment protocols. Thiol (SH) group-grafted structures perform commendably; however, insufficient attention is paid to the cost, scalability, and reusability or how the arrangement of sulfur atoms could affect the Hg^II binding strength. We used an inexpensive and scalable porous covalent organic polymer (COP-130) to systematically introduce thiol functional groups with precise chain lengths and sulfur content. Thiol-functionalized COP-130 demonstrates enhanced wettability and excellent Hg^II uptake of up to 936 mg g⁻¹, with fast kinetics and exceptionally high selectivity. These Hg adsorbents are easily regenerated with HCl and can be used at least six times without loss of capacity even after treatment with strong acid, a rare performance in the domain of Hg-removal research.     

从废水到新能源:光催化燃料电池的优化与应用

随着经济的飞速发展,社会对能源的需求日益扩大,对工业废水的无害化处理也提出了更高的要求。光催化燃料电池 (photocatalytic fuel cell, PFC) 在燃料电池中引入半导体光催化材料作为电极,实现了有机污染物高效降解和同步对外产电的双重功能,在废水无害化与资源化利用方面具有潜在的应用价值。半导体光催化电极是PFC系统高效运行的核心组件,增强其可见光响应和光生载流子分离是提高PFC性能的关键策略。反应器结构设计和运行参数优化也有利于改善PFC性能。本文从PFC基本原理和应用入手,综述了PFC在环境污染物资源化处理中的研究进展,并详细阐述了提高PFC的污染控制性能和产电效率的优化手段,为进一步设计高效稳定的PFC系统并实现其在水污染控制和清洁能源生产中的应用提供理论指导。     

“多才多艺”的铁元素*

铁在自然界中含量丰富,化学性质活泼,能够形成多种应用广泛的物质及材料,富有发展潜力。简述了铁元素的发现与性质,并重点介绍了铁的功能与应用。其中铁的应用主要围绕铁及其化合物在医学治疗、能源材料和环境保护领域所发挥的重要作用进行了阐述。     

Numerical optimisation of chemotherapy dosage under antiangiogenic treatment in the presence of drug resistance

We consider a two-compartment model of chemotherapy resistant tumour growth under angiogenic signalling. Our model is based on the one proposed by Hahnfeldt et al. (1999), but we divide tumour cells into sensitive and resistant subpopulations. We study the influence of antiangiogenic treatment in combination with chemotherapy. The main goal is to investigate how sensitive are the theoretically optimal protocols to changes in parameters quantifying the interactions between tumour cells in the sensitive and resistant compartments, that is, the competition coefficients and mutation rates, and whether inclusion of an antiangiogenic treatment affects these results. Global existence and positivity of solutions and bifurcations (including bistability and hysteresis) with respect to the chemotherapy dose are studied. We assume that the antiangiogenic agents are supplied indefinitely and at a constant rate. Two optimisation problems are then considered. In the first problem a constant, indefinite chemotherapy dose is optimised to maximise the time needed for the tumour to reach a critical (fatal) volume. It is shown that maximum survival time is generally obtained for intermediate drug dose. Moreover, the competition coefficients have a more visible influence on survival time than the mutation rates. In the second problem, an optimal dosage over a short, 30-day time period, is found. A novel, explicit running penalty for drug resistance is included in the objective functional. It is concluded that, after an initial full-dose interval, an administration of intermediate dose is optimal over a broad range of parameters. Moreover, mutation rates play an important role in deciding which short-term protocol is optimal. These results are independent of whether antiangiogenic treatment is applied or not.     

Toward efficient interactions of bubbles and coal particles induced by stable cavitation bubbles under 600 kHz ultrasonic standing waves

The interactions of bubbles and coal particles in 600 kHz ultrasonic standing waves (USW) field has been investigated. A high-speed camera was employed to record the phenomena occurred under the USW treatment. The formation and behaviors of cavitation bubbles were analyzed. Under the driving of these cavitation bubbles, whose size is from several microns to dozens of microns, coal particles were aggregated and then attracted by large bubbles due to the acoustic radiation forces. The results of USW-assisted flotation show a significant improvement in recoveries at 600 kHz, which indicates that the interactions of bubbles and particles in the USW field are more efficient than that in the conventional gravitational field. Furthermore, the sound pressure distribution of the USW was measured and predicted by a hydrophone. The analysis of gravity and buoyancy, primary and secondary Bjerknes forces shows that bubble-laden particles can be attracted by the rising bubbles under large acoustic forces. This study highlights the potential for USW technology to achieve efficient bubble-particle interactions in flotation.     

Intensification of delignification of Tectona grandis saw dust as sustainable biomass using acoustic cavitational devices

Delignification of sawdust was studied using ultrasound assisted alkali peroxide approach using longitudinal horn for the first time and the efficacy compared with more commonly used configurations of ultrasonic reactors. Comparison with the conventional approach based on stirring has also been presented to establish the process intensification benefits. Effect of different operating parameters such as sodium carbonate concentration (0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.25 M), hydrogen peroxide concentration (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1 M) and biomass loading (2, 4, 6, 8, 10 wt%), on the efficacy of lignin extraction has been investigated for different ultrasonic reactors. The optimum conditions for probe type ultrasonic horn were established as 150 W, 50% duty cycle and 80% amplitude with optimum process conditions as Na₂CO₃ concentration as 0.2 M, H₂O₂ concentration as 1 M, biomass loading of 10 wt% and operating time of 70 min. Longitudinal horn resulted in best efficacy (both in terms of yield and energy requirements) followed by ultrasonic horn and ultrasonic bath whereas the conventional approach was least effective. The obtained lignin was also analyzed using different characterization techniques. The presence of peaks at wavelength range of 875–817, 1123–1110, and at 1599 cm⁻¹ for the extracted sample confirmed the presence of lignin. Increase in the crystallinity index of the processed sample (maximum for longitudinal horn) also confirmed the lignin removal as lignin is amorphous in nature. Overall it has been concluded that ultrasound can be effectively used for delignification with longitudinal horn as best configuration.     

不平“钒”的金属元素*

钒是地壳中含量第21丰富元素,是人体必需的微量元素。介绍钒元素的发现、自然分布以及在人体内的循环。重点从化学结构分析钒酸盐磷酸盐的拮抗作用机制,从生化机理阐述钒化合物对激酶与磷酸酶的调节、对RNA和DNA功能的影响、对活性氧作用的影响,从人体健康视角探讨钒对治疗糖尿病和癌症及保护心血管等的潜在药理学作用。     

表面喷砂对有机玻璃沿面闪络性能影响

绝缘子表面粗糙处理是提升其沿面闪络性能的重要途径,表面粗糙化处理方式不当,极易带来表面结构不均匀,难以获得稳定耐压性能的绝缘材料。为提升绝缘子表面粗糙处理的均匀性,本文利用表面喷砂技术对圆柱形有机玻璃(PMMA)绝缘子进行了粗糙化处理研究,以球形二氧化硅(SiO2)颗粒为工作介质,研究了不同喷砂粒径、氢氟酸后处理等因素对绝缘材料表面形貌和组分的影响,并利用短脉冲高压测试平台对喷砂处理前后有机玻璃绝缘子样品进行了真空沿面闪络性能测试。研究结果表明,喷砂处理在有机玻璃表面形成了较为均匀的凹坑,HF酸能够有效去除表面残留的SiO2颗粒,具有表面喷砂粗糙结构的绝缘子沿面闪络电压得到了稳定提升,相较于未处理的绝缘子闪络电压提升了约80%。