Water contamination with various contaminants, including organic species, is a global concern. Reclamation through safe, economic and technically feasible methods is imperative. Two perovskites, zinc titanate (ZnTiO3) and manganese titanate (MnTiO3), mixed with TiO2 phases, were prepared as nano-powders and nano-films. The materials were characterized and used as catalysts in photodegradation of aqueous methylene blue, a hazardous model contaminant, using solar simulated radiation. The effects of various reaction conditions on the photodegradation were examined. The kinetics indicated the suitability of using the process at various contaminant concentrations and catalyst loadings. Both powder and film catalysts completely removed the contaminant in less than 6 h. Powder and film forms of the MnTiO3 mixture were more efficient than their ZnTiO3 counterparts. In both perovskite mixtures, the films exhibited higher catalytic efficiency than the powders. The film materials exhibited high c... [more]

Poly-o-chloroaniline (POCA) and Mn2O3/β-MnO2/POCA porous nanocomposite are both synthesized using oxidative polymerization, with K2S2O8 and KMnO4 as oxidants, respectively. The materials are characterized to confirm their optical, morphological, crystalline, chemical, and elemental properties. The nanocomposite exhibits superior optical properties compared to POCA. The promising optical characteristics make the nanocomposite an attractive candidate for light-sensing applications. Through electrical estimation, the nanocomposite photodetector displays the highest sensitivity between 340 and 440 nm, with Jph (current density) of 0.14 and 0.13 mA cm−2, correspondingly, and an estimated photon number of 7.461021 and 6.93 × 1021 photons/s, respectively. At 340 and 440 nm, the calculated photoresponsivity (R) values are 0.73 and 0.64 mA W−1, respectively, while the estimated detectivity (D) values are 1.64 × 108 and 1.45 × 108 Jones, respectively. These promising results indicate that the fa... [more]

Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) is a highly flexible experimental methodology for the growth of thin films of a broad variety of materials, based on the generation of laser-induced plasmas (LIP) with material ablated from a solid target and on the transfer of the ablated material to a substrate. This review is focused on carbon-based materials—specifically, diamond-like carbon (DLC), graphene and carbyne—and will both discuss the influence of the most critical experimental parameters on the obtained materials and present the experimental developments proposed in the recent literature to tailor the properties of the deposited films and optimize the standard PLD technique for production of various carbon-based materials.

α−Mangostin, which is a natural xanthone compound, inhibits the metastasis and survival of various cancer cell types. However, its therapeutic effectiveness is limited by low water solubility and very poor absorption. There are several studies that developed the drug delivery system for α−mangostin, but they are still a remaining challenge. Drug delivery techniques are severely hampered by the breakdown of nanoparticles inside endosomes. The abrasive chemical environment in these compartments causes both the nanoparticles and the encapsulated α−mangostin to degrade throughout the course of the voyage. Intracellular defenses against external materials refer to this collective mechanism. A pH-responsive liposome named PAsp(DET-Cit)−Toc, made of lipids and a charge-conversion polymer (CCP), has been created for the targeted transport of α−mangostin in order to avoid this deteriorative outcome. The average hydrodynamic size of CCP−liposome particles is 98.59 ± 5.1 nm with a PDI of 0.098 ±... [more]

To promote the efficiency of waste heat recovery from granulated blast furnace (BF) slag, a novel method of catalyst-enhanced steam reforming of bio-oil to recover heat from slag is proposed. CaO is utilized as a superior catalyst for the process of catalyst-enhanced steam reforming. The thermodynamic production of the catalyst-enhanced steam reforming of bio-oil in granulated BF slag is obtained using HSC 6.0 software. The optimal conditions are mainly assessed according to the hydrogen yield, hydrogen concentration and carbon production. Through the thermodynamic production and industrial application, the temperature of 608 °C, S/C of eight and pressure of 1 bar are found as the optimal conditions. At the optimal conditions, the hydrogen yield, hydrogen concentration and carbon production are 95.25%, 76.89% and 0.28 mol/kg, respectively. Taking the temperature of 625 °C, S/C of eight and pressure of 1 bar as an example, the catalyst could improve the hydrogen yield and hydrogen conce... [more]

In response to the large-scale instability failure problem of designing coal pillars and support systems for gob-side entry driving (GSED) in high-stress soft coal seams in deep mines, the main difficulties in the surrounding rock control of GSED were analyzed. The relationship between the position of the main roof breaking line, together with the width of the limit equilibrium zone and a reasonable size for the coal pillar, were quantified through theoretical calculations. The theoretical calculations showed that the maximum and minimum widths of the coal pillar are 8.40 m and 5.47 m, respectively. A numerical simulation was used to study the distribution characteristics and evolution laws of deviatoric stress and plastic failure fields in the GSED surrounding rock under different coal pillar sizes. Theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, and engineering practice were comprehensively applied to determine a reasonable size for narrow coal pillars for GSED in deep soft coal seams, w... [more]

Shale oil in the Chang 7 member is the main target for further exploration in the Ordos Basin. However, the lack of research on the characteristics of the Chang 7 member’s mudstone and shale reservoir has seriously affected the next stage of exploration for shale oil in the Chang 7 member. This study analyzed in detail the changes in the pore structure of different types of reservoirs and their influencing factors in detail through experiments such as gas adsorption, nuclear magnetic resonance, and high-pressure mercury intrusion. The results showed that black shale is mainly composed of micropores, with a micropore ratio of up to 79.88%. Dark mudstone and silty mudstone are mainly composed of mesopores, with a mesopore ratio greater than 30%. Argillaceous sandstone is mainly composed of large pores, accounting for 78.57%. From black shale to muddy sandstone, the proportion of micropores decreases, while the proportion of macropores increases. The micropore volume is mainly controlled... [more]

A novel multiple solid waste-based cementitious material (MSWCM) was developed to immobilize municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash. The compressive strength of MSWCM with different ratios of MSWI fly ash reached the standard requirements after curing for 28 days. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) in combination with the Rietveld method was employed to investigate the content and phase transformation of hydration products. The main hydration products of pure MSWCM paste were C-S-H, hydroxyapatite, ettringite and C-A-S-H. With increases in curing time, the content of ettringite and C-A-S-H increased significantly. The main hydration products of MSWCM paste with MSWI fly ash were C-S-H and Friedel’s salt. The contents increased markedly with increased curing time from 21.8% to 28.0% and from 8.53% to 16.7%, respectively. Additionally, a small amount of PbHPO4 (0.51−0.96%) and lead phosphate Pb3(PO4)2 (0.14−0.51%) were detected, indicating that phosphate had an effective curing ef... [more]

A lignin-graft-(net-poly(acrylamide-co-N,N′methylenebisacrylamide)) copolymer was synthesized by conventional free-radical crosslinking copolymerization using conventional and microwave heating. Grafting of the polymer network onto lignin was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and elemental analysis. The performance of the modified materials for the removal of lead from water was evaluated. The materials obtained by the two types of heating showed excellent removal efficiencies: sample HLigAM4h, 96%; and sample HLigAMMW5, 86%. The maximum adsorption capacity of HLigAM4h was 209.82 mg g−1. The obtained copolymer (sample HLigAM4h) was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and SEM/EDS after its evaluation as an adsorbent, which confirm the adsorption of Pb2+. This is the first of a series of st... [more]

The research presented aimed to address the treatment of fluid waste with significant environmental impact by utilizing plasma technology, specifically plasma arc flow (PAF). The goal was to develop a novel purification material based on graphene for industrial applications and to optimize the treatment process. Analysis and monitoring of a submerged arc plasma reactor were the main goals of this research. This entailed a careful examination of the incoming wastewater that needed to be treated with the goal of identifying its precise composition characteristics with the relative tolerances needed for the reactions that were to follow in the reactor. The focus of the analysis was on input-parameter optimization, production of characteristic curves, and analysis of the factors affecting hydrogen evolution in syngas. Additionally, the study investigated how to determine the best viscosity for a particular input matrix by carrying out an evaluation study. The effects of this parameter were... [more]

In this paper, a novel method for the preparation of ultra-fine-grained bulk materials called asymmetric gradient extrusion (AGE) is proposed. In AGE, the cross-section of the extrusion channel is a rectangle, and two inclined planes are staggered along the extrusion direction. To realize repetitive extrusion, the thickness of the workpiece is limited to be equal to the width of the channel outlet. In order to study the mechanism of ultra-fine grain formation in AGE, the deformation characteristics of AGE were investigated. First, the slip line field method was used to theoretically analyze the deformation characteristics and grain splitting in AGE. Then, the plastic deformation behavior of bulk samples in AGE and traditional extrusion was investigated and compared with the finite element method. In addition, the deformation characteristic and microstructure variation of pure copper bulk samples in AGE were experimentally investigated. The results showed that the deformation characteri... [more]

The role of the horizontal well in developing unconventional oil and gas reservoirs is particularly significant. Different from vertical wells, horizontal wells are greatly affected by many factors, e.g., well track, surrounding mudstone, resistivity, and pore structure heterogeneity in horizontal and vertical directions. These make it difficult to evaluate reservoir parameters and determine optimized test layers. In order to improve formation evaluation in horizontal wells, it is necessary to carry out the research of analyzing formation anisotropy, predict physical property parameters, and classify formation to determine high-quality intervals. In this study, taking Triassic Chang 8 Formation in Shunning Region, Central Ordos Basin as an example, 40 core samples were drilled and applied for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP), and resistivity experiments. The porosity, permeability, resistivity, and pore structure anisotropy are analyzed. Res... [more]

The physical and chemical characteristics of the microwave discharge in petroleum solvent during hydrogen production processes involving Ar, He, and CO2 barbotage were studied. Gas chromatography, emission spectroscopy, high-speed photography, and shadow photography were used for diagnosis. The results demonstrated the dependence of hydrogen yield on the flow rates of Ar, He, and CO2. The maximum yield values of hydrogen were 791 mL/min and 811 mL/min, while the maximum energy efficiency reached 135.6 NL/kWh and 162.2 NL/kWh in Nefras with Ar and He barbotage, respectively. The dynamics of discharge structure and the rotational and vibrational temperatures of C2 molecules were studied.

High-pressure steam pipes inevitably suffered from the reciprocal interaction of high pressure and temperature during a long-period service, causing deformation and cracking. However, only limited studies about abnormal bulging caused by condensed water have been carried out. To study the relationship between bulging and condensed water, bulging tee joints belonging to high-pressure steam pipes were investigated with a macro visual inspection, chemical composition analysis, and metallographic microscopy. According to the analysis of the bulging samples, pearlite spheroidization was found in the abnormal bulging tee joint. The ANSYS FLUENT modeling indicated that the tube wall of bulging tees was continuously subjected to alternating stress, causing the cyclic transformation of the liquid−gas phase inside the tee joint. The results indicate that the stress produced by a condensed water droplet ranges from 532.8 MPa to 59 MPa, continuously exerting pressure on the tube wall of the tee jo... [more]

Ammonia (NH3), which has a 17.7 wt% gravimetric hydrogen density, has been considered as a potential hydrogen storage material. This study looked at the thermocatalytic decomposition of NH3 using a bulk Mo2N catalyst that was boosted by alkali metals (AM: 5 wt% Li, K, Cs). The K-Mo2N catalyst outperformed all other catalysts in this experiment in terms of catalytic performance. At 6000 h−1 GHSV, 100% conversion of NH3 was accomplished using the K-Mo2N, Cs-Mo2N, and Mo2N catalysts. However, when compared to other catalysts, K-Mo2N had the highest activity, or 80% NH3 conversion, at a lower temperature, or 550 °C. The catalytic activity exhibited the following trend for the rate of hydrogen production per unit surface area: K-Mo2N > Cs-Mo2N > Li-Mo2N > Mo2N. Up to 20 h of testing the K-Mo2N catalyst at 600 °C revealed no considerable deactivation.

To solve the problem of the field application of downhole hydraulic fracturing technology due to the difficulty in sealing holes, this study analyzes the influence of special cement, expansion agents, stabilizers, and fiber material on basic properties, such as the setting time, fluidity, and compressive strength of high-pressure sealing materials through systematic tests based on a summary of conventional sealing materials. It was determined that with 20−30% special cement and 4% expansion agent added, and a fiber material length of 8 mm and volume of 1%, the high-pressure sealing material had high fluidity and a large expansion rate, demonstrating early strength. The bond performance of the high-pressure sealing material was tested through the variable-angle shear test. The relationship between the fractal dimension of the coal-rock mass around the borehole and the bond performance of the high-pressure sealing material was also explored.

Fiber-reinforced additive manufacturing components have been used in various industrial applications in recent years, including in the production of aerospace, automobile, and biomedical components. Compared to conventional methods, additive manufacturing (AM) methods can be used to obtainin lighter parts with superior mechanical properties with lower setup costs and the ability to design more complex parts. Additionally, the fabrication of onyx composites using the conventional method can result in delamination, which is a significant issue during composite machining. To address these shortcomings, the fabrication of onyx composites via additive manufacturing with the Mark forged 3D-composite printer was considered. Machinability tests were conducted using abrasive water jet machining (AWJM) with various drilling diameters, traverse speeds, and abrasive mass flow rates. These parameters were optimized using Taguchi analysis and then validated using the Genetic algorithm (GA) and the M... [more]

2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is an important monomer for manufacturing biobased plastics. Biocatalysis has been recognized as a sustainable tool in organic synthesis. To date, the efficiencies of most biocatalytic processes toward FDCA remain low. So, it is highly desired to develop efficient processes. In this work, a biocatalytic route toward FDCA was developed by integrating a cell-free extract of galactose oxidase variant M3−5 with a whole-cell biocatalyst harboring NAD+-dependent vanillin dehydrogenases and NADH oxidase, starting from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. FDCA was produced in a concurrent mode with >90% yields within 36 h at 20 mM substrate concentration. In addition, biocatalytic synthesis of FDCA was performed on a preparative scale, with 78% isolated yield. The present work may lay the foundation for sustainable production of FDCA.

Flow pattern monitoring of gas−liquid−solid mixed flow has great significance to enhance the quality and efficiency of material mixing, and the material transport mechanism and dynamic control strategy are faced with significant challenges. To solve these problems, a computational fluid mechanics and discrete element method (CFD-DEM) coupling modeling and solving approach based on soft sphere and porous models is presented to explore material transport mechanisms. The user-defined function (UDF) is adopted to perform data communication, and the porosity of the porous model is calculated to achieve the bidirectional calculation of Eulerian fluid and Lagrange particle phases. Material transport processes of gas−liquid−solid mixed flows are discussed to explore material transport mechanisms of particle flow and the flow pattern evolution laws under the inflation control are obtained. The results show that the particles are not evenly distributed under the synergistic action of impeller ro... [more]

The growth and phase formation features, along with the influence of structure and morphology on the electronic, optical, and transport properties of Cr2GeC and Cr2-xMnxGeC MAX phase thin films synthesized by magnetron sputtering technique, were studied. It was found that the Cr:Ge:C atomic ratios most likely play the main role in the formation of a thin film of the MAX phase. A slight excess of carbon and manganese doping significantly improved the phase composition of the films. Cr2GeC films with a thicknesses exceeding 40 nm consisted of crystallites with well-developed facets, exhibiting metallic optical and transport properties. The hopping conduction observed in the Cr2-xMnxGeC film could be attributed to the columnar form of crystallites. Calculations based on a two-band model indicated high carrier concentrations N, P and mobility μ in the best-synthesized Cr2GeC film, suggesting transport properties close to single crystal material. The findings of this study can be utilized t... [more]

In order to alleviate the serious problem of scaling in oilfield water injection pipelines, we developed a scale collection device and applied it in the field based on the idea to “change passive descaling to active descaling”, but the effect is not stable, so we need to improve the descaling effect. Firstly, this paper analyzed the effect of surface physical properties of eight non-metallic materials on CaCO3 scale growth and their mechanisms through shear experiments. Then, the influence of surface properties (roughness, contact angle, surface energy) on the scale growth characteristics was investigated. Finally, the influence of material surface properties on the friction coefficient was studied by a cyclic experiment. The results showed that except for PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), the fouling amount of the other seven materials changed abruptly at 18 h, and the maximum fouling amount of FRP was 2.05 g/m3. It was found by scanning electron microscopy that the fouling particles on... [more]

Cryogenic fracturing, which uses liquid nitrogen (LN2) as a fracturing fluid, is a waterless fracturing method. However, previous attempts to investigate the fracture morphology of rocks after LN2 quenching have been mainly based on standard scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis at room temperature. This can be problematic since thermally-induced fractures created by temperature difference tend to close as a sample warms and thermal stress relaxes. To address this issue, we established a novel approach employing Cryo-scanning electron microscopy (Cryo-SEM) to investigate the fracture patterns induced by liquid nitrogen quenching under cryogenic conditions. This method can achieve in-situ visualization of fractures and pores with a nano-scale resolution at −190 °C. X-ray computed tomography (CT) is also employed to illustrate the fracture distribution inside samples. Cryo-SEM and standard SEM are compared, and statistical assessments are conducted to quantify fracture aperture siz... [more]

Radial drilling-fracturing is an innovative fracturing technology that achieves superior stimulation effects. In order to study the permeability-increasing effect and main influencing factors of radial water jet drilling in the low physical section, this paper uses a fracking electrical simulation experiment, based on the principle of hydropower similarity, to simulate the reservoir conditions and well pattern in the low physical section and, at the same time, establishes the radial fracturing model of the low physical section reservoir, simulates the saturation field, pressure field, and production-change law under different drilling parameters, and studies different influencing factors. The experimental results show that when the number of drilling holes exceeds two, the effect of increasing production gradually becomes less significant as the number of drilling holes increases; Within the range of the angle between the two boreholes, the forward distance of the oil−water displacemen... [more]

Waste containing explosive chemicals are hazardous to the environment. We suggested and implemented a hybrid approach for the destruction of nitrocellulose-containing sewage sludge (NCS) from a real chemical industrial complex. Combining chemical alkaline hydrolysis and mesophilic anaerobic digestion in a up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor allowed us to successfully achieve the balance between the environmental safety and economic efficiency of the stages of the treatment. After the alkaline treatment of waste at 50 °C with 1.5 M KOH, the solid residue contained mostly just sand and no nitrocellulose (NC). The liquid phase accumulated 2869 ± 24 mg N-NO2−/L and 1698 ± 51 mg N-NO3−/L. Bioconversion of the liquid phase neutralized with acetic acid and diluted with water by a factor of 50 in a 1 L UASB reactor ensured 99% efficiency of extracting N(NO2− + NO3−) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). Further, biogas with high methane content (>70%) was obtained. The establishment of... [more]

The main purpose of tissue engineering is to fabricate and exploit engineered constructs suitable for the effective replacement of damaged tissues and organs to perfectly integrate with the host’s organism without eliciting any adverse reaction. Ideally, autologous materials represent the best option, but they are often limited due to the low availability of compatible healthy tissues. So far, one therapeutic approach relies on the exploitation of synthetic materials as they exhibit good features in terms of impermeability, deformability, and flexibility, but present chronic risks of infections and inflammations. Alternatively, biological materials, including naturally derived ones and acellular tissue matrices of human or animal origin, can be used to induce cells growth and differentiation, which are needed for tissue regeneration; however, this kind of material lacks satisfactory mechanical resistance and reproducibility, affecting their clinical application. In order to overcome th... [more]