Magnetorheological fluids (MRFs) are smart fluids made of magnetic particles in a viscous carrier fluid with rheological properties controllable by an external magnetic field. However, MRFs suffer from serious sedimentation and re-dispersibility problems of the magnetic particles, which limits their effectiveness and feasibility in a wide variety of applications. Herein, we present a novel strategy

Free-standing and flexible biocomposite films formed by a polyaleuritate matrix and nanocellulose fillers (i.e., cellulose nanofibrils) have been fabricated by a sustainable process. For this, 9,10,16-trihydroxyhexadecanoic (aleuritic) acid from shellac and nanocellulose were blended at different ratios in water through a sonication process. Polymerization of the polyhydroxylated fatty acid into polyaleuritate

Oil in water (o/w) emulsions stabilized by an amphiphilic copolymer have been studied in relation to their potential insecticidal activity against Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae. These emulsions contain as oil phase different blends of two isomeric essential oil compounds, thymol and carvacrol. The results show that the addition of carvacrol facilitates the dispersion of the oil within the aqueous phase

In this study, lignin from acid-catalysed glycerol pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse was recovered and characterised. Its effects on enzymatic hydrolysis and cellulase recycling were then investigated. Prior to lignin recovery, a two-step dilute acid and acid-catalysed glycerol (DA-AG) pretreatment was used to deconstruct sugarcane bagasse, which led to a glucan enzymatic digestibility of 99%, a glucose

An alternative approach for isoprene production from readily available formaldehyde and 2-butanone under mild conditions is reported, where efficient synthesis of a nonlinear C5 1,3-diol was involved. The C5 1,3-diol was obtained over Pt-based catalysts at ≥ 75°C with 93% yield, followed by dehydration affording isoprene in 73% yield.

Hydrogen is defined the future energy carrier and ethanol steam reforming can be a sustainable process for its production. Promoting addition of lanthanum on Ni-zirconia catalyst was evaluated, with a focus on lanthanum introduction method (incipient wetness impregnation and co-precipitation). Lanthanum addition strongly affected morphological, structural and chemical features of the catalysts. It

The flue gas CO2 from coal chemical plants can be purified and then absorbed by microalgae to produce high valued products and achieve CO2 emission reduction. The dissolution of CO2 from coal chemical flue gas was strengthened with microporous diaphragm aerators (MDA) to promote HCO3- concentration for improving photosynthetic characteristics of Arthrospira cells in 660 m2 raceway ponds with 2.5-10

In this work, alcohol deshydrogenase (ADH) enzyme was used for ethanol oxidation in an air-breathing type microfluidic fuel cell. A bioanode was prepared using a catalytic ink prepared by using a mixture of ADH enzyme, tetrabutylammonium bromide and Nafion and subsequently immobilized on TiO2 nanotubes (TNT), previously synthesized by electrochemical anodization. Several techniques were used to determine

The layer-by-layer (LBL) electrostatic assembly is an effective method for fabricating high-performance nanofiltration (NF) membranes. However, the structural integrity of the separation layers can be compromised in strong acid and alkaline conditions, which limits their applications in water reclamation. Herein, we presented novel ultrastable LBL-based NF membranes engineered by mussel-inspired “bio-glue”

Under natural light, lignin can produce a small amount of free radicals, resulting in yellowing of lignin related products. However, the activity of these free radicals is very low so that few studies on exploring the application potential of lignin as photoinitiator (PI) in photopolymerization have been reported. In this study, based on dealkaline lignin (DAL), two alkylated DAL (DAL-11ene and DAL-12ane)

A simple and rapid synthesis of bio-based epoxy resin derived from vanillyl alcohol was performed and its chemical structure was confirmed by FTIR, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Vanillin based epoxy resin (VE) was further reinforced by lignin-containing cellulose nanofibrils (LCNFs) with different weight ratios. Characteristics of the resin and the nanocomposites, including the curing process, chemical

Abstract Two-dimensional (2D) carbon nanosheets have been widely applied in many fields, and the introduction of controllable N-species and wrinkled structure in 2D carbon is an appealing strategy to optimize their properties. Herein, we reported a straightforward strategy for bifunctional regulation on the surface morphology (from smooth to wrinkled structure) and N-doping of 2D carbon nanosheets

Five ionic liquids based on quaternary ammonium core substituted with D-glucose moiety and alkyl chains of varying length were synthesized as prospective phase-transfer catalysts. The catalytic activity of obtained ionic liquids was tested in dehydrochlorination of 3,4-dichloro-1-butene to chloroprene. The reaction proceeded in a two-phase system in the presence of an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide

The two most common commercial catalysts for the acylation of isobutylbenzene to produce the major ibuprofen intermediate 4-isobutylacetophenone are HF and AlCl3, however, both of these catalysts suffer from significant drawbacks including the stringent safety issues associated with using volatile/toxic HF and the requirement for additional processing for de-acidification of AlCl3. Here, two chloroaluminate-based

Poly(aspartic acid) (PAA) is a green alternative to non-biodegradable poly(carboxylates) and has applications in both industrial and biomedical settings. PAA is synthesized by heating monomeric aspartic acid to yield a polysuccinamide that can be ring-opened to yield thermal PAA composed of 30% α-amide and 70% β-amide linkages. Here, we report the first X-ray crystal structure of a poly(aspartic acid)

Currently, conductive composite hydrogels are promising alternatives as skin-like sensors. Generally, graphene as well as its derivatives and conducting polymers (CPs) such as polypyrrole (PPy) are employed as functional fillers, which critically hinges on the simultaneously comprising of skin-like mechanical compliance, high sensitivity for multi-stimuli, and ease of processing. Herein, to fully couple

The synthesis of polyamides and poly(ester amide)s derived from 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid frequently leads to amorphous polymeric materials. Formation of intramolecular hydrogen bonds between the oxygen heteroatom in the furan ring and hydrogens of the amide bonds reduces the intermolecular hydrogen bonds that are usually responsible for the high thermal and mechanical performance of these materials

To improve the fractionation efficiency of lignin from Miscanthus x giganteus in the neutral DES (choline chloride/glycerol), three heteropoly acids with environmentally origin and economically viable (phsphotungstic, phosphomolybdic, and silicotungstic acids) were utilized as catalysts. It was found that the silicotungstic acid-choline chloride/glycerol system resulted in a high lignin yield of 78

Herein, a rapid, eco-friendly, digital printing method is proposed for directly interconnecting individual electronics formed on the front and back planes of glass substrates, across the boundary edge, to obtain bezel- and soldering-free monolithic electronics. Laser filament scanning sintering, which is characterized by rapid scanning with a long and narrow laser spot of aspect ratio 500, allows for

Owing to unstable electrical energy generation from intermittent solar and wind energy sources, the development of efficient and durable non-noble electrocatalysts is extremely desirable; in particular, those that can be used over a wide range of current densities for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), especially > 1 A cm-2, which is extremely desirable for energy transformation in power systems

Nowadays, the use of biomass derived synthons as precursor of aromatic products is an important research topic in green chemistry. In particular, Diels–Alder protocol has been applied in the construction of valuable aromatic derivatives such as terephthalic acid and esters using muconic acid and 2-pyrones as diene components. In this context, we now propose the use of 3-hydroxy-2-pyrones, prepared

Due to the increased awareness of utilization of waste biomass utilization for higher sustainability and concern for indoor air pollution associated with formaldehyde emission by wood adhesives, there are strong interests in developing bio-based formaldehyde-free wood adhesives for plywood production. In this study, bark and soybean meal were used as raw materials to develop a cost-effective and formaldehyde-free

Separating multiple mixed wastes in one step remains a serious challenge because mixtures often have to be separated using a stepwise approach. Bidirectional magnetic projection was thereby developed; the process separates mixed materials simultaneously in a container full of paramagnetic medium by sending the materials from the releasing position to their corresponding landing zones upwardly or downwardly

Two new entangled Cu(II)-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been synthesized, namely [Cu(BDC)(BPDB)0.5]n (PNU-25) and [Cu(NH2-BDC)(BPDB)0.5]n (PNU-25-NH2), using a H2O-MeOH solvent mixture. Both the PNU-25 and PNU-25-NH2 MOF materials were characterized by various analytical techniques and their catalytic potential of CO2 fixation into cyclic carbonates at an atmospheric pressure, a low reaction

Recycling of heavy metals from solid wastes and transforming into useful materials, such as metal oxides, nanocomposites, and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are beneficial for both sustainable development and environment protection. MOFs are promising for adsorptive desulfurization owing to their extremely high surface areas and tunable structures. In this paper, for the first time, MIL-53(Cr) was

The pathways for the conversion of model compounds (acetone, n-hexane, hexene-1, cyclohexane, benzene) in pure form and acetone-hydrocarbon binary mixtures on Y and ZSM-5 zeolites are investigated. The conditions of the experiments simulate the catalytic cracking of bio-oil in a mixture with conventional feed. For the n-hexane-acetone model mixture, a significant effect of acetone addition on hydrocarbon

Simple naphthoquinone-dopamine hybrid (2CND) was designed and fabricated as a colorimetric and fluorescence chemosensor for the selective recognition of Sn2+ in the aqueous medium. This simply accessible chemosensor was prepared by connecting of naphthoquinone acceptor and dopamine donor moieties via Michael-like addition reaction. The chemosensor 2CND showed turn-on fluorescence response which operated

Recent years have seen the development of technically feasible methods to retrieve kraft lignin from the black liquor as solids or liquids. This opens enormous opportunities to position kraft lignin as a renewable aromatic polymer precursor. However, the heterogeneity of kraft lignin is one major hurdle and manifests in its largely unknown molecular structure, which in recent years has drawn further

Biogas biodesulfurization has been successfully performed in biotrickling filters (BTFs). Nevertheless, elemental sulfur (S0) generation and accumulation in the packed bed causes an increase in operating costs restricting its application. This drawback could be avoided using a gas-lift bioreactor as proposed in the present work, which allows recovery and re-use of the generated S0. The effect of the

The mechanism underlying selenium-nanoparticles (SeNPs) ability to change nutrient components in crops is not clear. Foliar application of SeNPs on celery significantly enhanced the total antioxidant capacity, total flavonoids, total phenols, and vitamin C levels of celery leaves by 46.7%, 50.0%, 21.4%, and 26.7%, respectively. The SeNPs application enhanced the biosynthesis of flavonoids, such as

The defects sited at the surface and internal grain boundaries in organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite always capture the carriers and become the recombination centers, causing the decrease of carrier lifetime. Meanwhile, these centers are inclined to become the adsorption sites for water and oxygen, thus leading to the decrease in power conversion efficiency (PCE) and stability of perovskite solar

To enhance Faradaic efficiency of electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) with stable catalysts, atomically dispersed Ni-N5 active sites composed of planar Ni-N4 (in nickel phthalocyanine) coordinated with N atom in carbon matrix (denoted as NiPc/NC) were proposed to reduce CO2 into CO products. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy and aberration-corrected HAADF-STEM

Creating ordered two-dimensional (2D) metal−organic framework (MOF) nanomaterials is conducive to understanding the structure-property relationship for rationally designing high-efficiency electrocatalysts. However, controllable synthesis of ultrathin MOF nanosheets with predesigned structures and anticipative properties is still a great challenge. Here we reported an electrolyte-assisted electrochemical

A unique bifunctional oxide electrocatalyst capable of catalyzing both half reactions of water splitting, namely oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen-evolution reaction (HER), with added capability of catalyzing HER in both acidic and basic media, a rare property in water-splitting catalysts, is reported. In addition to bifunctional electrocatalytic properties, CaSrFeMnO6-δ shows OER activity

Electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to formate has become one way to increase the value of CO2 and to overcome the climate change issue. Novel catalysts for the critical role of enhancing reaction selectivity have been continuously explored to provide the best performance. Lately, composite materials have drawn much attention because the synergistic effect between the components provides enhanced physical

The catalytic activity of well-designed hollow spinel NiCoOx catalysts synthesized using a facile hard template method was investigated. These materials demonstrated higher performance during toluene oxidation compared with NiO, Co3O4 and NiCoOx nanosheets, with 100% conversion at 250 °C. Hollow NiCoOx nanospheres (h-NiCoOx) were found to have numerous surface hydroxyl groups and large surface areas