Color construction of multi-colored carbon fibers using glucose.

Carbon fibers (CFs) have attracted attention in the automotive, aviation, and aerospace industries. However, the coloration of CFs is challenging due to their brittleness, inertness, complexity, and time/energy-intensive processes. Herein, inspired by the naturally grown protrusive nanostructures on the green central surface of peacock back feathers, we report an in-situ self-growing strategy for developing carbon spheres (CSs) on the CFs surface to achieve color tuning. This is achieved via the dynamic growth of CSs using glucose as the feeding material. Combined with the coloration process, the interaction between CSs and CFs promotes stable interfacial forces in integrated molding. This strategy allows the coloring system to continuously vary its color in a designated manner, thereby, endowing it with satisfactory mechanical robustness, acid durability, and light fastness. We anticipate this developed approach can be potentially competitive in the color construction of CFs with multi-colors due to its low-cost manufacturing.

A flexible pH sensor based on polyaniline@oily polyurethane/polypropylene spunbonded nonwoven fabric.

To fabricate a two-electrode flexible pH sensor based on polypropylene spunbonded nonwoven fabric (PP SF), oily polyurethane (OPU) was first coated on the surface of PP SF to obtain OPU/PP SF. Then, silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) paste, used as the reference electrode and conductive carbon (C) paste were transferred to the OPU/PP SF surface through screen printing. Polyaniline (PANI) was deposited on the surface of the C paste to form a sensing working electrode via the electro-chemical deposition method. The results showed that the surface of the obtained PANI@OPU/PP SF flexible pH sensor (3D PANI pH sensor) presented a three-dimensional (3D) porous network structure. The 3D PANI pH sensor had good mechanical properties, an excellent Nernst response (-67.67 mV pH-1) and linearity (R2 = 0.99) in the pH range from 2.00 to 8.00 in the normal state. In the bent state, the 3D PANI pH sensor retained similar sensitivity (-68.87 mV pH-1) and linearity (R2 = 0.99). Moreover, the 3D PANI pH sensor exhibited a short response time (8 s), excellent reversibility (1.20 mV), low temperature drift (-0.0872 mV pH-1 °C-1) and long-term stability (0.83 mV h-1) in the normal state. Furthermore, the 3D PANI pH sensor can be effectively applied for pH monitoring of liquids and fruits with irregular curved surfaces. The error margin is no more than 0.16 compared to a commercial pH meter.

Metal-Organic Frameworks Meet Metallic Oxide on Carbon Fiber: Synergistic Effect for Enhanced Photodegradation of Antibiotic Pollutant.

Photodegradation shows a potential strategy for alleviating the excessive antibiotics crisis. The synergistic effect of various metal compounds immobilized on conductive substrates has been considered for wastewater treatment. However, developing a facile and universal approach for rational design and enhancing photocatalytic properties has endured extreme challenges. Herein, we develop a strategy to facilitate the photocatalytic reactions by designing a composite architecture of ZIF-8 ligand binding to the in-situ synthesis ZnO seed layer on carbon fiber. In this architecture, the dissolution and release of the seed layer in the excessive 2-Methylimidazole methanol solution were used as the binder to enhance the interplay between organic ligand and substrate. As an evaluated system for antibiotic contaminants, the photodegradation of tetracycline hydrochloride was performed with a removal efficiency of 88.47% (TC = 50 mg/L, pH = 4, 0.08 g of photocatalyst, illumination within 100 min). Moreover, the photocatalyst exhibited a steady photocatalytic activity (75.0%) after five cycles. The present work demonstrated a strategy for enhancing the photocatalytic performances of carbon fiber and accordingly provided useful perception into the design of the synergistic structure.

A Flexible and Weavable Lignocellulose-Based Photocatalyst Supported by Natural Three-Dimensional Porous Juncus effusus for Highly Efficient Degradation of Environmental Contaminants.

Lignocellulosic biomass is a potential biotemplate for disposing the burden of the uncontrollable accumulation of environmental contaminants disrupting the hydrophytic ecosystems. Herein, an efficient solar-driven catalyst was prepared using a natural three-dimensional (3D) porous lignocellulose-based Juncus effusus (JE) fiber for wastewater treatment. Owing to the exquisite 3D microstructure and abundant hydroxyl groups, the two-dimensional lamellar graphitic carbon nitride/graphene oxide (g-C3N4/GO) nanocomposites were successfully synthesized and decorated on the carboxymethylated JE fiber via the electrostatic self-assembly method. The as-prepared g-C3N4/GO-JE (CNG-JE) photocatalyst exhibits excellent light absorption efficiency and a superior ability to accelerate photogenerated electron migration. The outstanding adsorption performance toward pollutants also contributes to the photodegradation property of CNG-JE, showing highly efficient degradation of C.I. Reactive Red 120 (99.8%), C.I. Acid Yellow 11 (99.8%), methylene blue (99.4%), Cr(VI) (98.8%), and tetracycline (87.2%). Most importantly, the lignocellulose-based CNG-JE fibers could be fabricated into a photocatalyst textile due to their flexible and weavable properties. In actual application, the CNG-JE textile can be reused for at least five cycles under the sun, demonstrating that the flexible CNG-JE textile is practical and recyclable. This study may provide a platform for constructing efficient, flexible, and weavable biomass-based porous materials for cost-effective and sustainable catalytic applications.

Purification of dye-contaminated ethanol-water mixture using magnetic cellulose powders derived from agricultural waste biomass.

Eco-friendly ethanol (EtOH)-water (H2O) mixture has demonstrated huge potential in the textile industry. However, the uncontrolled discharge of dye-contaminated EtOH-H2O mixture to the ecosystem has numerous adverse effects. Herein, a sustainable approach utilizing the agricultural waste biomass-Juncus effusus (JE) to synthesize magnetic cellulose JE powders (M-JEPs) has been proposed for purification of dye-contaminated EtOH-H2O mixture. Batch experiments and physical-chemical analyses were performed to explore the adsorption performance and mechanism. The as-prepared cellulose M-JEPs exhibited ultrafast adsorption performance, which can reach the adsorption equilibrium within 10 min. The adsorption isotherms and kinetics demonstrated that the adsorption fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models, exhibiting the maximum adsorption capacity towards C.I. Reactive Red 195 and C.I. Reactive Blue 222 of 58.21 mg/g and 86.06 mg/g at the temperature of 303K. These findings indicate the feasibility of using cellulose M-JEPs for rapid purification of the dye-contaminated EtOH-H2O mixture.

Juncus effusus fiber-based cellulose cigarette filter with 3D hierarchically porous structure for removal of PAHs from mainstream smoke.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from cigarettes are one of the main pollutants affecting public health. Herein, a cellulose cigarette filter with three-dimensional (3D) hierarchically porous structure was fabricated using a natural cellulose Juncus effusus (JE) fiber, whose pore size was well controlled by biocompatible polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) using a simple dip-dry method. The adsorption capacity and mechanism of the PVP-JE filter tips (PJF) against PAHs were investigated in detail. Compared with conventional cellulose acetate filter tips (CAF), the cellulose PJF were superior at filtering and adsorbing of PAHs from mainstream smoke with the removal efficiency of 61.79 %, which was 22.57 % higher than that of CAF (39.22 %). The ternary structures including polymer filter membrane, 3D network, and interconnected channels were demonstrated as the main roles for highly effective removal of PAHs. The JE-based cellulose cigarette filter can be a promising candidature to broaden the application range of polysaccharide in pollutant elimination.

Titanium dioxide decorated natural cellulosic Juncus effusus fiber for highly efficient photodegradation towards dyes.

The removal of dyes via photocatalytic degradation has been identified as an eco-friendly method for producing clean and purified water. Natural cellulosic fibers are significant renewable resource and important in a wide range of applications. Herein, we report a natural cellulosic Juncus effusus (JE) fiber with 3D network structure as a framework to provide controllable space for the growth of TiO2 particles. The TiO2-JE showed remarkable activity in the removal of C.I. Reactive Red 120 (RR120), C.I. Direct Yellow 12 (DY12), and methylene blue (MB) with a photodegradation efficiency of 99.9 % under simulated sunlight irradiation. Additionally, an orientate fabric was fabricated using the prepared TiO2-JE fibers for the photocatalytic degradation of dye-contaminated water in the sun, further confirming its practical application. The TiO2 decorated natural cellulosic JE fiber can be a promising material for photocatalysis and sustainable chemistry.

Utilization of Waste Leather Powders for Highly Effective Removal of Dyes from Water.

As a natural polymer, leather and its associated industries are known to be the leading economic sector in many countries. However, the huge amounts of leather waste generated from the leather industry causes severe environmental pollution. Herein, cow leather (CL) powders were prepared using a homemade machine and used as a low-cost adsorbent for the effective removal of reactive dyes from wastewater. The as-prepared CL powders exhibited dot-like, rod-like, and fiber-like morphologies. A Fourier transform infrared analysis and an x-ray diffraction analysis demonstrated that the CL powders retained the main structure of the protein contained in it. In addition, an improvement in thermal stability was also observed for the CL powders. Dye adsorption experiments indicate that the CL powders showed the highly effective removal of C.I. Reactive Red 120 (RR120), C.I. Reactive Yellow 127 (RY127), and C.I. Reactive Blue 222 (RB222) with the adsorption capacity of 167.0, 178.9, and 129.6 mg·g-1, respectively. The Langmuir, pseudo-second order, and intraparticle diffusion models could well depict the adsorption equilibrium and kinetics of CL powders toward the investigated reactive dyes. The as-prepared CL powders can be used as a potential adsorbent in the treatment of dye contaminated wastewater. Future studies will mainly focus on the application of the adsorbed CL powders for the pigment printing of textile materials.

Paraboea wenshanensis, a new species of Gesneriaceae from Yunnan, China.

Paraboea wenshanensis is a new species of Gesneriaceae from Yunnan, China and is described and illustrated here. It is morphologically similar to P. angustifolia, P. martinii and P. glutinosa, but the congeners of this new taxon can be distinguished by several salient characters. A description of P. wenshanensis, together with illustrations and photographs, a distribution map and conservation assessment are presented.

Construction of a flocculating yeast for fuel ethanol production.

The expression vector pYX212 harboring FLO1 gene and kanMX gene was transformed into Saccharomyces. cerevisiae ZWA46. The transformant, ZWA46-F2, showed strong and stable flocculation ability during 20 serial batch cultivations. The flocculation onset of the strain is in the early stationary growth phase, not coincident with the glucose depletion in the culture medium. The flocculation ability of the transformant showed no difference with the initial pH ranging from 3.5 to 6.0. Furthermore, the ethanol concentration and other properties of the transformant strain ZWA46-F2 were similar to those of the wild-type strain ZWA46.