Highly Efficient Methylene Blue Dye Removal by Nickel Molybdate Nanosorbent

Removing methylene blue (MB) dye from aqueous solutions was examined by the use of nickel molybdate (α-NiMoO₄) as an adsorbent produced by an uncomplicated, rapid, and cost-effective method. Different results were produced by varying different parameters such as the pH, the adsorbent dose, the temperature, the contact time, and the initial dye concentration. Adsorbent dose and pH had a major removal effect on MB. Interestingly, a lower amount of adsorbent dose caused greater MB removal. The amount of removal gained was efficient and reached a 99% level with an initial methylene blue solution concentration of ≤160 ppm at pH 11. The kinetic studies indicated that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model relates very well with that of the obtained experimental results. The thermodynamic studies showed that removing the MB dye was favorable, spontaneous, and endothermic. Impressively, the highest quantity of removal amount of MB dye was 16,863 mg/g, as shown by the Langmuir model. The thermal regeneration tests revealed that the efficiency of removing MB (11,608 mg/g) was retained following three continuous rounds of recycled adsorbents. Adsorption of MB onto α-NiMoO₄ nanoparticles and its regeneration were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The results indicated that α-NiMoO₄ nanosorbent is an outstanding and strong candidate that can be used for removing the maximum capacity of MB dye in wastewater.     

Viscose-Derived Activated Carbons Fibers as Highly Efficient Adsorbents for Dimethoate Removal from Water

Extensive use of pesticides resulting in their accumulation in the environment presents a hazard for their non-target species, including humans. Hence, efficient remediation strategies are needed, and, in this sense, adsorption is seen as the most straightforward approach. We have studied activated carbon fibers (ACFs) derived from viscose fibers impregnated with diammonium hydrogen phosphate (DAHP). By changing the amount of DAHP in the impregnation step, the chemical composition and textural properties of ACFs are effectively tuned, affecting their performance for dimethoate removal from water. The prepared ACFs effectively reduced the toxicity of treated water samples, both deionized water solutions and spiked tap water samples, under batch conditions and in dynamic filtration experiments. Using the results of physicochemical characterization and dimethoate adsorption measurements, multiple linear regression models were made to reliably predict performance towards dimethoate removal from water. These models can be used to quickly screen among larger sets of possible adsorbents and guide the development of novel, highly efficient adsorbents for dimethoate removal from water.     

生物质基氮掺杂多孔炭材料的制备及对水中亚甲基蓝的吸附性能

以柳树落叶为生物质碳源, 氨水为氮源, 采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了一系列氮掺杂多孔炭材料(WNC), 并对其结构和物理化学性质进行了表征. 结果表明, WNC材料具有较高的比表面积(528~618 m²/g)和多级孔结构; 材料表面含有丰富的含氧和含氮官能团(氮摩尔分数为8.9~9.9%); WNC材料对水体系中的亚甲基蓝(MB)表现出良好的吸附性能, 吸附为自发吸热过程, 符合Langmuir等温吸附和准二级动力学模型, 在pH值为5、 室温下最大吸附量为263.2 mg/g, 且材料可以多次循环使用. 对WNC-2及吸附染料MB后的WNC-2样品进行高温再焙烧处理, 所得样品(WNC-2-R和WNC-2-MB)的ζ电位明显升高, 表面碱性增强, 吸附容量分别提高到之前的1.3倍和1.6倍. 结合各种表征结果, 可以认为WNC材料的高比表面积和多级孔结构有利于吸附质(亚甲基蓝离子)的传输, 并能与材料表面的羰基、 醌基和吡啶氮等基团发生较强的相互作用, 从而使其表现出较高的吸附速率和吸附量.     

Mesoporous V-doped TiO2 Nanoparticles as New Adsorbents for the Removal of Methylene Blue from Color Textile Wastewater

V-doped TiO2 nanoparticles(NPs) as dye adsorbents are synthesized by the co-precipitation method and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscope, N2 adsorption at 77 K, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The adsorption of methylene blue(MB) on the V-doped TiO2 NPs is studied in detail by varying the calcination temperature and V doping amount of the adsorbent, adsorbate concentration, adsorbent dosage, agitation rate, reaction temperature, and p H. The comparison of dye adsorption on V-doped TiO2 and parent TiO2 demonstrates that the adsorptive activity of TiO2 can be improved by V doping. The enhanced adsorptive performance can be attributed to the tremendous changes in texture, structure, and surface morphology of adsorbent. The adsorption kinetic analysis shows that the adsorption follows the pseudo-second order kinetics. The apparent activation energy for adsorption is calculated by Arrhenius formula to be 37.6 k J·mol-1, indicating that the adsorption is controlled by both of the diffusion and interfacial adsorption steps. The adsorption data are analyzed using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms and the results indicate that the Langmuir model provides better correlation of the experimental data. The results conclusively show that the adsorption of MB is a spontaneous behavior and endothermic reaction with the ΔH value of 17.60 k J·mol-1.     

Hierarchical Ultrathin Layered GO-ZnO@CeO2 Nanohybrids for Highly Efficient Methylene Blue Dye Degradation

Highly efficient interfacial contact between components in nanohybrids is a key to achieving great photocatalytic activity in photocatalysts and degradation of organic model pollutants under visible light irradiation. Herein, we report the synthesis of nano-assembly of graphene oxide, zinc oxide and cerium oxide (GO-ZnO@CeO₂) nanohybrids constructed by the hydrothermal method and subsequently annealed at 300 °C for 4 h. The unique graphene oxide sheets, which are anchored with semiconducting materials (ZnO and CeO₂ nanoparticles), act with a significant role in realizing sufficient interfacial contact in the new GO-ZnO@CeO₂ nanohybrids. Consequently, the nano-assembled structure of GO-ZnO@CeO₂ exhibits a greater level (96.66%) of MB dye degradation activity than GO-ZnO nanostructures and CeO₂ nanoparticles on their own. This is due to the thin layers of GO-ZnO@CeO₂ nanohybrids with interfacial contact, suitable band-gap matching and high surface area, preferred for the improvement of photocatalytic performance. Furthermore, this work offers a facile building and cost-effective construction strategy to synthesize the GO-ZnO@CeO₂ nanocatalyst for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants with long-term stability and higher efficiency.     

One-Pot Synthesis of Cellulose/MXene/PVA Foam for Efficient Methylene Blue Removal

Ti₃C₂T_x MXene has attracted considerable interest as a new emerging two-dimensional material for environmental remediation due to its high adsorption capacity. However, its use is greatly limited by its poor mechanical properties, low processability and recyclability, and the low dispersity of such powder materials. In this work, a porous adsorbent (C–CMP) containing cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), Ti₃C₂T_x MXene and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was prepared by a simple and environmentally-friendly foaming method. Glutaraldehyde was used as crosslinker to improve the mechanical properties and boost the adsorption efficiency of methylene blue (MB) molecules. Fourier transform infrared (FT–IR), elemental analysis (EDX) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) further confirmed that the preparation of the C–CMP foam and cross-linking reaction were successful. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) indicated that the macropores were distributed homogeneously. The adsorption experiment showed that maximum adsorption capacity of MB can reach 239.92 mg·g⁻¹ which was much higher than anionic dye (methyl orange, 45.25 mg·g⁻¹). The adsorption behavior fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. Thermodynamic analysis indicated that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. Based on FT–IR, EDX and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, the adsorption mechanism between C–CMP and MB molecules was attributed to electrostatic interaction.     

Biowaste-Derived,Highly Efficient,Reusable Carbon Nanospheres for Speedy Removal of Organic Dyes from Aqueous Solutions

The current work explores the adsorptive efficiency of carbon nanospheres (CNSs) derived from oil palm leaves (OPL) that are a source of biowaste. CNSs were synthesized at 400, 600, 800 and 1000 °C, and those obtained at 1000 °C demonstrated maximum removal efficiency of ~91% for malachite green (MG). Physicochemical and microscopic characteristics were analysed by FESEM, TEM, FTIR, Raman, TGA and XPS studies. The presence of surface oxygen sites and the porosity of CNSs synergistically influenced the speed of removal of MG, brilliant green (BG) and Congo red (CR) dyes. With a minimal adsorbent dosage (1 mg) and minimum contact time (10 min), and under different pH conditions, adsorption was efficient and cost-effective (nearly 99, 91 and 88% for BG, MG and CR, respectively). The maximum adsorption capacities of OPL-based CNSs for BG were 500 and 104.16 mg/g for MG and 25.77 mg/g for CR. Adsorption isotherms (Freundlich, Langmuir and Temkin) and kinetics models (pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and Elovich) for the adsorption processes of all three dyes on the CNSs were explored in detail. BG and CR adsorption the Freundlich isotherm best, while MG showed a best fit to the Temkin model. Adsorption kinetics of all three dyes followed a pseudo-second-order model. A reusability study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of CNSs in removing the MG dye and showed ~92% efficiency even after several cycles. Highly efficient CNSs with surface oxygen groups and speedy removal of organic dyes within 10 min by CNSs are highlighted in this paper.     

Highly Efficient Photocatalysts for Methylene Blue Degradation Based on a Platform of Deposited GO-ZnO Nanoparticles on Polyurethane Foam

The demand for reactive dyes in industries has increased rapidly in recent years, and producing a large quantity of dye-containing effluent waste contaminates soils and water streams. Current efforts to remove these harmful dyes have focused on utilizing functionalized nanomaterials. A 3D polyurethane foam loaded with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and ZnO nanocomposite (PUF/rGO/ZnO) has been proposed as an efficient structural design for dye degradation under the influence of visible light. The proposed structure was synthesized using a hydrothermal route followed by microwave irradiation. The resultant 3D PUF/rGO/ZnO was examined and characterized by various techniques such as XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDAX, BET, and UV–visible spectroscopy. SEM data illustrated that a good dispersion and embedment of the rGO/ZnO NPs within the PUF matrix occurred. The adsorption capacity for neat PUF showed that around 20% of the Methylene blue (MB) dye was only adsorbed on its surface. However, it was found that an exceptional adsorption capacity for MB degradation was observed when the rGO/ZnO NPs inserted into the PUF, which initially deteriorated to ~ 70 % of its initial concentration. Notably, the MB dye was completely degraded within 3 h.     

Polyacrylonitrile/Aminated Polymeric Nanosphere Nanofibers as Efficient Adsorbents for Cr(VI) Removal

In this work, polyacrylonitrile/aminated polymeric nanosphere (PAN/APN) nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning of monodispersed aminated polymeric nanospheres (APNs) for removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. Characterization results showed that obtained PAN/APNs possessed nitrogen functionalization. Furthermore, the adsorption application results indicated that PAN/APN nanofibers exhibited a high adsorption capacity of 556 mg/g at 298 K for Cr(VI) removal. The kinetic data showed that the adsorption process fits the pseudo-second order. A thermodynamic study revealed that the adsorption of Cr(VI) was spontaneous and endothermic. The coexisting ions Na⁺, Ca²⁺, K⁺, Cl⁻, NO₃⁻ and PO₄³⁻ had little influence on Cr(VI) adsorption, while SO₄²⁻ in solution dramatically decreased the removal performance. In the investigation of the removal mechanism, relative results indicated that the adsorption behavior possibly involved electrostatic adsorption, redox reaction and chelation. PAN/APN nanofibers can detoxify Cr(VI) to Cr(III) and subsequently chelate Cr(III) on its surface. The unique structure and nitrogen functionalization of PAN/APN nanofibers make them novel and prospective candidates in heavy metal removal.     

Modified Calcium Alginate Beads with Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate and Clay as Adsorbent for Removal of Methylene Blue

In present study, we have investigated the effect of an anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and clay on calcium alginate beads was studied to remove methylene blue (MB) and to improve the adsorption capacity. The effects of various experimental parameters, such as shaking rate, initial dye concentration, temperature, and pH on the adsorption rate, have been studied. Equilibrium studies showed that the sorption of the dye was enhanced in presence of SDS. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis showed that SDS entrapped beads have more pores and cavities which could be responsible for improved adsorption of MB. The kinetics of cationic dye adsorption nicely followed pseudo-second-order process. The evaluated thermodynamic parameters (ΔG ^o, ΔH ^o, ΔS ^o) suggest endothermic adsorption of MB. The results revealed that the surfactant entrapped alginate could be considered as potential adsorbents for MB removal from aqueous solutions.     

Molecular Designs and Properties of Highly Efficient Blue Emitters for OLEDs

Advances made in the molecular design of modern optoelectronic materials have made significant contributions toward the development of organic electronics. The organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) employing monodisperse or polymeric conjugated materials possess the most promising prospects. However, materials suitable for long-term use as blue light emitters are still far from optimization in terms of stability.In the past few years, interesting materials based on 9,9-diaryl-substituted fluorene as a core structure have been developed in our laboratory. We developed a series of efficient and morphologically stable pyrimidine-containing 9,9'-spirobifluorene-cored oligoaryls as pure blue emitters. The steric hindrance inherent with the molecular structure renders the material with a record-high thin-film PL quantum yield of ～95% and a glass transition temperature (Tg) of ～200 ℃.Blue OLEDs employing this thermally stable compound as the emitting host exhibit unusual endurance for high currents. Injection current over 5,000 mA/cm2 and maximal brightness of～80,000 cd/m2 had been demonstrated, representing the highest values reported for blue OLEDs under dc driving. In addition, a series of oligofluorene homologues have been synthesized. These oligofluorenes exhibit interesting reversible bipolar redox properties and excellent morphological and thermal stability. Furthermore, nondispersive ambipolar high hole and electron mobilities over 10-3 cm2/V.s can be achieved with these oligo(9,9-diarylfluorene)s. In particular, the electron mobility observed represents the highest ever reported for amorphous molecular solids. These intriguing properties together with the high quantum yields in thin films make these oligo(9,9-diarylfluorene)s are promising for OLEDs applications as efficient blue emitters. In this meeting, the synthesis and properties of these materials and their highly efficient OLEDs device characteristics will be discussed.     

Efficient and Robust Cu/TiO2 Nanorod Photocatalysts for Simultaneous Removal of Cr(VI) and Methylene Blue under Solar Light

Because of its large bandgap, TiO₂ can function only under UV light. TiO₂ surface modification with noble metal nanoparticles can extend the light absorption from UV to visible light region and enhance the photocatalytic quantum yield. In this work, TiO₂ nanorods (Cu/TiO₂) modified by copper nanoparticles were prepared by a one‐step solvothermal method at low cost. The resultant Cu/TiO₂ nanorods show excellent synergistic effect in the oxidation of methylene blue (MB) and the reduction of aqueous Cr(VI) under solar light irradiation. Mechanistic investigation suggests that the Cr(VI) species could effectively scavenge the electrons from MB in the presence of the as‐prepared photocatalyst, leading to the simultaneous removal of both pollutants. Being economically viable, environmentally sustainable, and highly efficient, the proposed photocatalyst holds promise for technologies involving simultaneous organic degradation and heavy metal removal in wastewater treatment.     

高效蓝光有机电致磷光主体材料的研究进展

磷光有机发光二极管(PHOLEDs)相对于传统的荧光有机电致发光具有更高的量子效率, 在平板显示和固态照明方面有极大的应用前景. 本工作将近几年来外量子效率高于20%的蓝光PHOLEDs中小分子主体材料进行总结, 并按空穴传输型、电子传输型和双极传输型主体材料分类, 重点介绍这些材料的分子结构、三线态能级、HOMO/LUMO能级、热稳定性、形态稳定性以及作为蓝光PHOLEDs主体材料的器件性能, 以期对主体材料的研究及OLED产业化提供参考价值.     

Seaweed-Derived Hierarchically Porous Carbon for Highly Efficient Removal of Tetracycline

Herein we present a facile approach for the preparation of a novel hierarchically porous carbon, in which seaweeds serve as carbon source and KOH as activator. The fabricated KOH-activated seaweed carbon (K-SC) displays strong affinity towards tetracycline with maximum uptake quantity of 853.3 mg/g, significantly higher than other tetracycline adsorbents. The superior adsorption capacity ascribes to large specific surface area (2614 mbegin{document}$ ^2 $end{document}/g) and hierarchically porous structure of K-SC, along with strong begin{document}$ pi $end{document}-begin{document}$ pi $end{document} interactions between tetracycline and K-SC. In addition, the as-prepared K-SC exhibits fast adsorption kinetics, capable of removing 99% of tetracycline in 30 min. Meanwhile, the exhausted K-SC can be regenerated for four cycling adsorption without an obvious degradation in capacities. More importantly, pH and ionic strengths barely affect the adsorption performance of K-SC, implying electrostatic interactions hardly play any role in tetracycline adsorption process. Furthermore, the K-SC packed fixed-bed column (0.1 g of adsorbents) can continually treat 2780 mL solution spiked with 5.0 mg/g tetracycline before reaching the breakthrough point. All in all, the fabricated K-SC equips with high adsorption capacity, fast adsorption rate, glorious anti-interference capability and good reusability, which make it hold great feasibilities for treating tetracycline contamination in real applications.     

Biomass Novel Adsorbents for Phenol and Mercury Removal

This paper reports the use of activated carbons made from novel agriculture and industrial wastes, namely sunflower, vine shoots, and coffee endocarp, to remove two high-priority contaminants: phenol and mercury species (under different forms) from aqueous solutions. The activated carbons were used as prepared and also modified with nitric acid and triethylenediamine in order to explore additional adsorption mechanisms. The results showed an interesting potential of the materials to be used for water decontamination as indicated by the mercury uptake up to 1104 mg/g for Hg²⁺, 771 mg/g for [HgCl₄]²⁻, 966 mg/g for HgCl₂ and the maximum phenol adsorption capacity of 190 mg/g. The modification with triethylenediamine led to a significant increase in the phenol and mercury adsorption reaching an increment of 85% for phenol and 250% for Hg²⁺.     

Thermo- and pH-Responsive Gelatin/Polyphenolic Tannin/Graphene Oxide Hydrogels for Efficient Methylene Blue Delivery

Gelatin (GE), amino-functionalized polyphenolic tannin derivative (TN), and graphene oxide (GO) were associated to yield thermo- and pH-responsive hydrogels for the first time. Durable hydrogel assemblies for drug delivery purposes were developed using the photosensitizer methylene blue (MB) as a drug model. The cooling GE/TN blends provide brittle physical assemblies. To overcome this disadvantage, different GO contents (between 0.31% and 1.02% wt/wt) were added to the GE/TN blend at 89.7/10.3 wt/wt. FTIR and RAMAN spectroscopy analyses characterized the materials, indicating GO presence in the hydrogels. Incorporation studies revealed a total MB (0.50 mg/mL) incorporation into the GE/TN-GO hydrogel matrices. Additionally, the proposed systems present a mechanical behavior similar to gel. The GO presence in the hydrogel matrices increased the elastic modulus from 516 to 1650 Pa. SEM revealed that hydrogels containing MB present higher porosity with interconnected pores. Dissolution and swelling degree studies revealed less stability of the GE/TN-GO-MB hydrogels in SGF medium (pH 1.2) than SIF (pH 6.8). The degradation increased in SIF with the GO content, making the polymeric matrices more hydrophilic. MB release studies revealed a process controlled by Fickian diffusion. Our results point out the pH-responsible behavior of mechanically reinforced GE/TN-GO-MB hydrogels for drug delivery systems purposes.     

Facile Preparation of Porous Carbon Derived from Pomelo Peel for Efficient Adsorption of Methylene Blue

Pomelo peel waste-derived porous carbon (PPPC) was prepared by a facile one-step ZnCl₂ activation method. The preparation parameters of PPPC were the mass ratio of ZnCl₂ to pomelo peel of 2:1, carbonization temperature of 500 °C, and carbonization time of 1 h. This obtained PPPC possessed abundant macro-,meso-, and micro-porous structures, and a large specific surface area of 939.4 m² g⁻¹. Surprisingly, it had excellent adsorption ability for methylene blue, including a high adsorption capacity of 602.4 mg g⁻¹ and good reusability. The adsorption isotherm and kinetic fitted with Langmuir and pseudo-second order kinetic models. This work provides a novel strategy for pomelo peel waste utilization and a potential adsorbent for treating dye wastewater.     

Removal of Methylene Blue from Aging Water Solutions Treated by a Submerged Arc

Low voltage, low energy submerged pulsed arcs with a pulse repetition rate of 100 Hz, energies of 2.6–192 mJ and durations of 10–40 μs, followed by aging in the dark, were used to decompose 10 mg/l methylene blue (MB) dissolved in 40 ml of water, with the addition of 0.5 % H₂O₂. Electrode pairs composed of Fe/Fe, Ti/Ti, Cu/Cu, Cu/Fe, Fe/Cu, Ti/Fe, Fe/Ti, Cu/Ti and Ti/Cu were used. MB degraded during arc treatment, and during post arc treatment aging. The aging degraded MB faster (by a factor of ~2–3) when the MB solution was subjected to arcing with dissimilar electrodes when one of them was Cu, than for arcing with other used electrode pairs. The impact of the arc treatment time and the electrode materials on the MB removal ratio (C₀–C_ta)/C₀ was determined as a function of aging time t_a, where C₀ and C_ta are the MB concentrations initially and after t_a. For a pulse duration of 10 μs and pulse energies of 2–20 mJ, the MB removal rate increased linearly with treatment time and its growth rate increased with pulse energy. The linear dependence of the MB removal rate on treatment time was violated with pulse duration of 40 μs and pulse energies of 30–200 mJ. Kinetics of the MB degradation during aging of the arc treated solution was well described by the 1st order linear rate equation.     

Highly Efficient Organic Blue Electroluminescent Materials and Devices with Mesoscopic Structures

Due to the difficulty in achieving high efficiency and high color purity simultaneously, blue emission is the limiting factor for the performance and stability of OLEDs. Since 2003, we have been working on organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs), especially on blue light. After a series of molecular designs, novel strategies have been proposed from different aspects. At first, highly efficient deep blue emission could be achieved through molecular design with highly twisted structure to suppress fluorescence quenching and redshift. Deep blue emitters with high efficiency in solid state, a twisted structure with aggregation induced emission (AIE) characteristics was incorporated to inhibit molecular aggregation, and triplet‐triplet fusion (TTF) and hybridized localized charge transfer (HLCT) were adopted to increase the ratio of triplet exciton used. Secondly, a highly efficient blue OLED could be achieved through improving charge transport. New electron transport materials (ETMs) with wide band gap were developed to control charge transport balance in devices. Thirdly, a highly efficient deep blue emission could be achieved through a mesoscopic structure of out‐coupling layer. A mesoscopic photonic structured organic thin film was fabricated on the top of metal electrode by self‐aggregation in order to improve the light out‐coupling efficiency.