Explore the vast range of titles available.

SBA-15 mesoporous materials functionalized with N -propyl-2-pyridylimine and ethylenediaminepropyl-2-pyridylimine denoted as SBA-PA and SBA-NPA were prepared and used as adsorbents for decontamination of aqueous solutions from Cu(II) and Pb(II) ions. Batch tests were carried out and pH value of 5.0 was selected for the adsorption process. The experimental data were well represented by pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model, indicating the adsorption was promoted by chemical process and occurred on monolayer. The theoretical maximum values of sorption capacities of SBA-PA and SBA-NPA for Cu(II) were 35.87 and 48.26 mg/g, and for Pb(II) were 82.05 and 106.62 mg/g, respectively. The adsorption of Cu(II) and Pb(II) was enhanced with the increase of temperature and the thermodynamics parameters were also studied. In addition, the two adsorbents could be easily regenerated over four times without significant loss of adsorption efficiency. Therefore, these nanocomposites prepared here could be promising for heavy metal ions removal in aqueous solution. Synthesized pyridyl Schiff base functionalized SBA-15 mesoporous silica for adsorption. Highlights Two types of pyridyl Schiff base functionalized SBA-15 mesoporous silica materials denoted as SBA-PA and SBA-NPA were prepared for the removal of Cu(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solution. The theoretical maximum values of sorption capacities of SBA-PA and SBA-NPA for Cu(II) were 35.87 and 48.26 mg/g, and for Pb(II) were 82.05 and 106.62 mg/g, respectively. Considering the good reusability and regeneration of the adsorbents, these nanocomposites are potential for the removal of aqueous heavy metal ions in practical application.

SBA-15 type mesoporous silica modified with bis-salicylaldehyde Schiff base (SBA-DSA) was developed for the Pb(II) and Cu(II) ions removal from water. The adsorption properties of SBA-DSA were also compared with SBA-15 decorated with mono-Schiff base (SBA-SA). Sorption of Pb(II) and Cu(II) on SBA-DSA and SBA-SA was pH-dependent and the optimum pH for adsorption was selected at pH 5.0. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model described the sorption process well. Besides, adsorption isotherm data were better represented by the Langmuir model, confirming the adsorption processes occurred on the monolayer. Maximum adsorption capacities of SBA-DSA were 60.9 mg g−1 for Pb(II) and 36.6 mg g−1 for Cu(II), which were higher than adsorption performance of SBA-SA. The synthesized SBA- DSA showed excellent adsorption selectivity for Pb(II) in mixed metal ions solution. Considering the good reusability and regeneration of the adsorbent, SBA-DSA prepared here is promising for decontamination of water solutions from heavy metal ions.HighlightsBis-salicylaldehyde Schiff base modified mesoporous silica (SBA-DSA) was prepared.Maximum adsorption capacities of SBA-DSA were 60.9 mg g−1 for Pb(II) and 36.6 mg g−1 for Cu(II).SBA-DSA could selectively adsorb Pb(II) from mixed metal ions solution including Pb(II), Cu(II), Co(II), Ni(II) Cd(II) and Mn(II).Considering the good reusability of the adsorbent, SBA-DSA is potential for the removal of aqueous heavy metal ions in practical application.

To achieve energy saving and emission reduction goals, recyclable and healable thermoset materials are highly attractive. Polymer copolymerization has been proven to be a critical strategy for preparing high‐performance polymeric materials. However, it remains a huge challenge to develop high‐performance recyclable and healable thermoset materials. Here, polyimine dynamic networks based on two monomers with bulky pendant groups, which not only displayed mechanical properties higher than the strong and tough polymers, e.g., polycarbonate, but also excellent self‐repairing capability and recyclability as thermosets are developed. Owing to the stability of conjugation effect by aromatic benzene rings, the final polyimine networks are far more stable than the reported counterparts, exhibiting excellent hydrolysis resistance under both alkaline condition and most organic solvents. These polyimine materials with conjugation structure can be completely depolymerized into monomers recovery in an acidic aqueous solution at ambient temperature. Resulting from the bulky pendant units, this method allows the exchange reactions of conjugation polyimine vitrimer easily within minutes for self‐healing function. Moreover, the introduction of trifluoromethyl diphenoxybenzene backbones significantly increases tensile properties of polyimine materials. This work provides an effective strategy for fabricating high‐performance polymer materials with multiple functions. CO‐polyimine materials (PIMs) films are successfully synthesized by copolymerization and evaluated. Owing to the presence of π–π conjugation effects and steric effects as well as the high cross‐linking density of dynamic imine bonds, CO‐PIMs films as thermosets not only exhibit excellent mechanical strength and self‐healable behavior, water, and solvent resistance but also closed‐loop recycling.

Three-dimensional (3D) temperature mapping method with high spatial resolution and acquisition rate is of vital importance in evaluating thermal processes in micro-environment. We have synthesized a new temperature-sensitive functional material (Rhodamine B functionalized Polydimethylsiloxane). By performing optical sectioning of this material, we established an advanced method for visualizing the micro-scale 3D thermal distribution inside microfluidic chip with down to 10 ms temporal resolution and 2 ~ 6°C temperature resolution depending the capture parameters. This method is successfully applied to monitor the local temperature variation throughout micro-droplet heat transfer process and further reveal exothermic nanoliter droplet reactions to be unique and milder than bench-top experiment.

Well-dispersed cupric oxide (CuO) nanoparticles with the size from 10 to 100 nm were successfully synthesized by thermal decomposition of CuC 2 O 4 precursor at 400 °C. The prepared CuO nanoparticles of different sizes used as anode materials for Li ion battery all exhibit high electrochemical capacity at the first discharge. However, with the particles size changing, an interesting phenomenon appears. That is, the larger size of the particles is, the discharge capacity of the first time smaller is, while that of the second time is larger. At the same time, the mechanism of the above phenomenon is discussed in this paper. Surprisingly, we have synthesized the copper nanoparticles with different sizes by the CuO of different sizes as the electrodes.

It is also well known that naked SiO 2 is not an efficient photocatalyst due to its relatively large band gap, which could only absorb short-wave ultraviolet light. In this report, SiO 2 /carbon quantum dot (SiO 2 /CQD, about 4 nm) nanocomposites were successfully prepared by one-step thermal method using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as the source of both silicon and carbon. The nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These nanocomposites exhibit higher photocatalytic activity for rhodamine B (RhB) degradation than C-doped SiO 2 and pure SiO 2 nanoparticles under near-UV light irradiation at room temperature in air. In the present catalyst system, CQD play two important roles for the enhanced photocatalytic activity of SiO 2 /CQD nanocomposites. It is expected that these novel, environmentally friendly and highly photoactive SiO 2 /CQD nanocomposites may promote practical applications of photocatalysts and provide an effective approach to high-efficiency complex catalyst design.

Novel Fe 3 O 4 octahedrons and Fe microtubes were successfully prepared in different alkaline concentration solutions by the reduction of hematite (α-Fe 2 O 3 ) with hydrazine hydrate. The as-prepared powders were characterized in detail by conventional techniques such as X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The role of alkaline concentration during the reaction process is discussed in detail. Compared to the reaction in a water system, the reaction in ethanol required less sodium hydroxide and smaller particles were obtained. In addition, the magnetic properties of the samples were characterized using a vibrating sample magnetometer.

A hybrid of ZnO nanorods grown onto three-dimensional (3D) reduced graphene oxide (RGO)@Ni foam (ZnO/RGO@NF) is synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. The as-prepared hybrid material is physically characterized by SEM, XRD, Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). When the as-prepared 3D hybrid is investigated as a photocatalyst, it demonstrates significant high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue (MB), rhodamine (RhB), and mixed MB/RhB as organic dye pollutants. In addition, the practical application and the durability of the as-prepared catalyst to degradation of malachite green (MG) in seawater are firstly assessed in a continuous flow system. The catalyst shows a high degradation efficiency and stable photocatalytic activity for 5 h continuous operation, which should be a promising catalyst for the degradation of organic dyes in seawater.

The composites were synthesized by the reaction of Bi(NO3)3·5H2O, KI, and MoS2 and were prepared with different molar ratios of Bi/Mo (1:5, 1:2, 1:1, and 4:1) by altering the amount of bismuth nitrate pentahydrate. The phase composition and chemical bonds of the composites were characterized via X-ray diffraction and FT-IR, and the morphologies of the samples were characterized via scanning electron microscopy. With the increase of lanthanum source, the lamellar structure of the sample surface became more and more obvious. The results showed that the phase composition of the composites with different ratios of Bi/Mo was different. When the Bi/Mo reached 4:1, the composite material was Bi2MoO6/BiOI. The heterojunction structure formed between Bi2MoO6 and BiOI effectively promotes the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes and improved the photocatalytic activity. Therefore, the effect of the composites on the degradation of RhB was better than pure BiOI under the irradiation of a 350-W xenon lamp.

Octahedral-like Li 0.5 Fe 2.5 O 4 crystallites have been fabricated using a TEA-assisted route under mild conditions. The as-prepared powders were characterized in detail by conventional techniques such as XRD, TEM, and FESEM. The saturation magnetization ( M s), remnant magnetization ( M r), and coercivity ( H c) have been determined to be 84, 6 emu/g, and 85 Oe, respectively. Meanwhile, the electrochemical properties of Li 0.5 Fe 2.5 O 4 demonstrate that it delivers a large discharge capacity, which might find possible application as an electrode material in lithium cells.