Publications

Effect of solution conditions (such as contact time, solution pH, ionic strength, reaction temperature, solid-liquid ratio and humic acid (HA)) on U(VI) immobilization on montmorillonite from Huangshan, China in environment was investigated by batch technique. U(VI) adsorption on montmorillonite is fairly affected by the solution pH and the ionic strength. Thermodynamic parameters (ΔH°, ΔS°, and ΔG°) suggest that U(VI) adsorption on montmorillonite shows a spontaneous and endothermic process. The coexisted HA in solution could promote the U(VI) adsorption on montmorillonite. Notably, Huangshan montmorillonite has the potential in enrichment and solidification of U(VI) ions under environmental conditions.

New heterometallic complex [NiCu(NO3)2(H2O)2] (1) was prepared via the reaction of aqueous solutions of (oxalic acid, nickel nitrate and copper nitrate). Mixed oxide CuO-NiO was successfully obtained with different morphological structures (2) and (3) through the annealing of 1 at different temperature 300 °C and 600 °C, respectively. The materials were characterized using FT-IR, TGA, XRD and SEM. As showed from XRD data, with increasing the calcination temperature the crystallinity of CuO-NiO in sample 3 was improved and the diffraction peaks exhibited narrower and stronger than CuO-NiO in sample 2. The average size of CuO-NiO crystals obtained was calculated from Debye-Scherrer equation and found to be 16.65 nm. To assemble the working electrode of 2-aminophenol (2-AP) chemical sensor, a thin layer of CuO-NiO NPs was deposited on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with conducting binder and used to detect 2-AP in aqueous medium successfully. The chemical sensor is exhibited the higher stability, good sensitivity (20.2729 μAmM−1 cm−2) and enhanced electrochemical activity at room conditions. Therefore, the fabricated chemical sensor with active CuO-NiO NPs may be an effective and sensitive sensor for detection of hazardous materials by reliable I–V method for broad scales environmental safety of and healthcare sectors.

A new organic ligand of pyrene-containing tetracarboxylic acid and its first metal–organic framework UTSA-72 was designed and synthesized. The MOF has the two-dimensional (4,4) framework topology. The activated UTSA-72a exhibits permanent porosity and moderately high selectivities for CO2/N2, C2H2/CH4, and CO2/CH4 gas separations at room temperature because of the small pores within the framework.

NH3 is one of the most important chemicals with a wide range of applications. NH3 is mainly produced via the Haber-Bosch process, which leads to large energy consumption and carbon emission. Electrochemical reduction has emerged as an environmentally-benign and sustainable alternative for artificial N2 fixation under ambient conditions, but needs materials to effectively catalyze the N2 reduction reaction (NRR). In this communication, we report that β-FeOOH nanorods behave as an efficient and durable NRR electrocatalyst. In 0.5 M LiClO4, such an electrocatalyst achieves a high NH3 yield of 23.32 μg h-1 mgcat.-1 and a faradaic efficiency of 6.7%, outperforming most reported aqueous-based NRR electrocatalysts under ambient conditions. Notably, this catalyst also shows good electrochemical stability and excellent selectivity. The catalytic mechanism of the NRR on the FeOOH(110) surface is further discussed using density functional theory calculations.

In the title mol-ecule, C(9)H(10)BrN(3)O(2)S, the thia-zine ring has an envelope conformation with the S atom at the flap. The geometry around the S atom is distorted tetra-hedral. In the crystal, inversion dimers linked by pairs of N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds occur, generating R(2) (2)(6) ring motifs. N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and C-H⋯O inter-actions connect the dimers, forming a three-dimentional network structure.

TiO₂–rGO is a superior catalyst for electrochemical N₂ fixation to NH₃ in 0.1 M Na₂SO₄, achieving a high FE of 3.3% with a NH₃ yield of 15.13 μg h⁻¹ mg_cat.⁻¹.

In this study, a new effective solid‐phase extractor (PU‐TZnO 3) was developed for a selective extraction and determination of mercury using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The selectivity of PUA (PU‐TZnO 0.5, PU‐TZnO 1, PU‐TZnO 3, or PU‐TZnO 5) was investigated toward several metal ions, including Au(III), Cd(II), Co(II), Cu(II), Hg(II), Pb(II), Pd(II), and Zn(II). Based on selectivity and pH studies, Hg(II) was the most quantitatively adsorbed on PU‐TZNO 3 phase at pH 2, indicating that PU‐TZnO 3 is more selective for Hg(II) as compared to other metal ions. Based on the adsorption isotherm analysis, the maximum adsorption capacity of PU‐TZnO 3 phase for Hg(II) was found to be 99.68 mg g −1 , following the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. Further kinetic models suggested pseudo second‐order kinetic model for adsorption of Hg(II) on the PU‐TZnO 3. In addition, results of thermodynamic investigation demonstrated that a general spontaneous process is favorable for adsorption mechanism of Hg(II) on PU‐TZnO 3. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:2106–2112, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers

For flexible electronics, the substrates play key roles in ensuring their performance. However, most substrates suffer from weak bonding with the conductive ink and need additional aids. Here, inspired by the Ag-S bond theory, a novel cellulose nanopaper substrate is presented to improve the bond strength with the Ag nanoparticle ink through a facile printing method. The substrate is fabricated using thiol-modified nanofibrillated cellulose and exhibits excellent optical properties (∼85%@550 nm), ultra-small surface roughness (3.47 nm), and high thermal dimensional stability (up to at least 90 °C). Most importantly, it can attract Ag nanoparticles initiatively and bind them firmly, which enable the conductive ink to be printed without using the ink binder and form a strong substrate-ink bonding and maintain a stable conductivity of 2 × 10^-4 Ω cm even after extensive peeling and bending. This work may lead to exploring new opportunities to fabricate high-performance flexible electronics using the newly developed nanopaper substrate.