Effects of Steel Slag on the Hydration Process of Solid Waste-Based Cementitious Materials.

Aiming to enhance the comprehensive utilization of steel slag (SS), a solid waste-based binder consisting of SS, granulated blast furnace slag (BFS), and desulfurization gypsum (DG) was designed and prepared. This study investigated the reaction kinetics, phase assemblages, and microstructures of the prepared solid waste-based cementitious materials with various contents of SS through hydration heat, XRD, FT-IR, SEM, TG-DSC, and MIP methods. The synergistic reaction mechanism between SS and the other two wastes (BFS and DG) is revealed. The results show that increasing SS content in the solid waste-based binder raises the pH value of the freshly prepared pastes, advances the main hydration reaction, and shortens the setting time. With the optimal SS content of 20%, the best mechanical properties are achieved, with compressive strengths of 19.2 MPa at 3 d and 58.4 MPa at 28 d, respectively. However, as the SS content continues to increase beyond 20%, the hydration process of the prepared binder is delayed. The synergistic activation effects between SS and BFS with DG enable a large amount of ettringite (AFt) formation, guaranteeing early strength development. As the reaction progresses, more reaction products CSH and Aft are precipitated. They are interlacing and overlapping, jointly refining and densifying the material's microstructure and contributing to the long-term strength gain. This study provides a reference for designing and developing solid waste-based binders and deepens the insightful understanding of the hydration mechanism of the solid waste-based binder.

Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from closed activated sludge- to aerobic granular sludge-based biosystems via gas circulation.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from biological treatment units are challenging wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) due to their wide applications and global warming. This study aimed to reduce GHG emissions (especially N2O) using a gas circulation strategy in a closed sequencing-batch reactor when the biological unit varies from activated sludge (AS) to aerobic granular sludge (AGS). Results show that gas circulation lowers pH to 6.3 ± 0.2, facilitating regular granules but elevating total N2O production. From AS to AGS, N2O emission factor increased (0.07-0.86 %) due to decreasing ammonia-oxidizing rates while the emissions of CO2 (0.3 ± 0.1 kg-CO2/kg-chemical oxygen demand) and CH4 remained in the closed biosystem. The gas circulation decreased N2O emission factor by 63 ± 15 % after granulation higher than 44 ± 34 % before granulation, which is implemented by heterotrophic denitrification. This study provides a feasible strategy to enhance heterotrophic N2O elimination in the biological WWTPs.

Interferometric modulation for generating extended light sheet: improving field of view.

Significance: Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) has emerged as a powerful and versatile imaging technique renowned for its remarkable features, including high-speed 3D tomography, minimal photobleaching, and low phototoxicity. The interference light-sheet fluorescence microscope, with its larger field of view (FOV) and more uniform axial resolution, possesses significant potential for a wide range of applications in biology and medicine. Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the interference behavior among multiple light sheets (LSs) in LSFM and optimize the FOV and resolution of the light-sheet fluorescence microscope. Approach: We conducted a detailed investigation of the interference effects among LSs through theoretical derivation and numerical simulations, aiming to find optimal parameters. Subsequently, we constructed a customized system of multi-LSFM that incorporates both interference light sheets (ILS) and noninterference light-sheet configurations. We performed beam imaging and microsphere imaging tests to evaluate the FOV and axial resolution of these systems. Results: Using our custom-designed light-sheet fluorescence microscope, we captured the intensity distribution profiles of both interference and noninterference light sheets (NILS). Additionally, we conducted imaging tests on microspheres to assess their imaging outcomes. The ILS not only exhibits a larger FOV compared to the NILS but also demonstrates a more uniform axial resolution. Conclusions: By effectively modulating the interference among multiple LSs, it is possible to optimize the intensity distribution of the LSs, expand the FOV, and achieve a more uniform axial resolution.

Unveiling the role of ferrous ion in driving microalgae granulation from salt-tolerant strains for mariculture wastewater treatment.

Development of microalgal-bacterial granular sludge (MBGS) from saline-adapted microalgae is a promising approach for efficient mariculture wastewater treatment, whereas the elusive mechanisms governing granulation have impeded its widespread adoption. In this study, spherical and regular MBGS were successfully developed from mixed culture of pure Spirulina platensis and Chlorella sp. GY-H4 at 10 mg/L Fe2+ concentration. The addition of Fe2+ was proven to induce the formation of Fe-precipitates which served as nucleation sites for microbial attachment and granulation initiation. Additionally, Fe2+ increased the prevalence of exopolysaccharide-producing cyanobacteria, i.e. Synechocystis and Leptolyngbya, facilitating microbial cell adhesion. Furthermore, it stimulated the secretion of extracellular proteins (particularly tryptophan and aromatic proteins), which acted as structural backbone for the development of spherical granule form microalgal flocs. Lastly, it fostered the accumulation of exogenous heterotrophic functional genera, resulting in the efficient removal of DOC (98 %), PO43--P (98 %) and NH4+-N (87 %). Nevertheless, inadequate Fe2+ hindered microalgal floc transformation into granules, excessive Fe2+ expanded the anaerobic zone within the granules, almost halved protein content in the TB-EPS, and inhibited the functional genes expression, ultimately leading to an irregular granular morphology and diminished nutrient removal. This research provides valuable insights into the mechanisms by which Fe2+ promotes the granulation of salt-tolerant microalgae, offering guidance for the establishment and stable operation of MBGS systems in mariculture wastewater treatment.

The Effect of Angiotensin Receptor Blockers on In-Stent Restenosis After Stent Implantation: A Meta-Analysis.

AIM: Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) have been shown to inhibit restenosis in vitro and in vivo, but the evidence found in humans is inconsistent. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ARBs in preventing in-stent restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHOD: Databases including the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE, and CNKI were searched to collect randomised controlled trials on ARBs inhibiting restenosis that were published before October 2022. A total of 1,056 patients enrolled in eight trials were included in the study. RESULTS: The ARBs group showed lower target lesion revascularisation than the control group (RR 0.54; 95% CI 0.34-0.86; p=0.01), but the restenosis incidence between these two groups was not statistically significant (RR 0.85; 95% CI 0.65-1.11; p>0.05). CONCLUSION: This study found that ARBs might have a potential effect on reducing target lesion revascularisation after PCI in coronary heart disease patients but has no impact on angiographic restenosis.

Novel oxicam nonsteroidal compound XK01 attenuates inflammation by suppressing the NF-κB and MAPK pathway in RAW264.7 macrophages.

Traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) show serious adverse effects during clinical use, which limits their usage. Oxicams (e.g., piroxicam, meloxicam) are widely used as NSAIDs. However, selectivity to cyclooxygenase (COX) 2 may cause cardiovascular problems considering the long-term use of the drugs. Therefore, it is important to develop new non-steroidal compounds as anti-inflammatory drugs. In the present study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory activity of a newly developed nonsteroidal drug XK01. Our data showed that XK01 reduced the contents of nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS)and inhibited the transcription levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1ß in a dose-dependent manner in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated mouse RAW264.7 macrophages. XK01 showed no significant inhibitory effect on COX-1, but inhibited the expression of COX-2. At molecular level, XK01 prevented the translocation of p65 protein from the cytoplasm to the nucleus and inhibited the phosphorylation of p65, IκB, and MAPKs proteins. And high concentration of XK01 also inhibited the phosphorylation of JNK, p38 and ERK, showing stronger effect than that of meloxicam. In addition, the anti-inflammatory activity of XK01 was further validated in Xylene-induced mouse ear swelling model. Thus, this study verified that XK01 inhibits the expression of inflammatory mediators and COX-2, and exhibits potential anti-inflammatory effects via suppressing the NF-κB and MAPK pathway.

The Odorant Receptor Recognizing Camphor in a Camphor Tree Specialist Orthaga achatina (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae).

Camphor has been used as an effective repellent and pesticide to stored products for a long history, but Orthaga achatina (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) has evolved to specifically feed on the camphor tree Cinnamomum camphora. However, the behavioral response of O. achatina to camphor and the molecular basis of camphor perception are totally unknown. Here, we demonstrated that both male and female adults were behaviorally attracted to camphor, suggesting the adaptation of O. achatina to and utilization of camphor as a signal of C. camphora. Second, in 40 O. achatina OR genes obtained by analyzing antenna transcriptomes, only OachOR16/Orco significantly responded to camphor in the Xenopus oocyte system. Finally, by molecular docking analysis and site-directed mutagenesis, the Ser209 residue is confirmed to be essential for binding of the oachOR16 with camphor. This study not only reveals the camphor-based host plant choice and olfactory mechanisms of O. achatina but also provides a molecular target for screening more potential insect repellents.

Exercise Alleviates Fluoride-Induced Learning and Memory Impairment in Mice: Role of miR-206-3p and PREG.

Fluorosis decreases the learning and memory ability in humans and animals, while exercise can reduce the risk of cognitive decline. However, the effect of exercise on learning and memory in fluoride-exposed mice is unclear. For this purpose, in this study, mice were randomly allotted into four groups (16 mice per group, half male and half female): control group (group C), fluoride group (group F, 100 mg/L sodium fluoride (NaF)), exercise group (group E, treadmill exercise), and E plus F group (group EF, treadmill exercise, and 100 mg/L NaF). During 6 months of exposure, exercise alleviated the NaF-induced decline in memory and learning. In addition, NaF induced injuries in mitochondria and myelin sheath ultrastructure and reduced the neurons number, while exercise restored them. Metabolomics results showed that phosphatidylethanolamine, pregnenolone (PREG), and lysophosphatidic acid (LysoPA) were altered among groups C, F, and EF. Combined with previous studies, it can be suggested that PREG might be a biomarker in response to exercise-relieving fluorine neurotoxicity. The miRNA sequencing results indicated that in the differently expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs), miR-206-3p, miR-96-5p, and miR-144-3p were shared in groups C, F, and EF. After the QRT-PCR validation and in vitro experiments, it was proved that miR-206-3p could reduce cell death and regulate AP-1 transcription factor subunit (JunD) and histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) to alleviate fluoride neurotoxicity. To sum up, the current study reveals that exercise could alleviate NaF-induced neurotoxicity by targeting miR-206-3p or PREG, which will contribute to revealing the pathogenesis and therapeutic method of fluoride neurotoxicity.

Bibliometric analysis of biochar-based organic fertilizers in the past 15 years: Focus on ammonia volatilization and greenhouse gas emissions during composting.

Biochar-based organic fertilizer is a new type of ecological fertilizer formulated with organic fertilizers using biochar as the primary conditioning agent, which has received wide attention and application in recent years. This study conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the main hot spots and research trends in the field of biochar-based organic fertilizer research by collecting indicators (publication year, number, prominent authors, and research institutions) in the Web of Science database. The results showed that the research in biochar-based organic fertilizer has been in a rapid development stage since 2015, with exponential growth in publications number; the main institution with the highest publications number was Northwest Agriculture & Forestry University; the researchers with the highest number of publications was Mukesh Kumar Awasthi; the most publications country is China by Dec 30, 2022. The hot spots of biochar-based organic fertilizer research have been nitrogen utilization, greenhouse gas emission, composting product quality and soil fertility. Biochar reduces ammonia volatilization and greenhouse gas emissions from compost mainly through adsorption. The results showed that adding 10% biochar was an effective measure to achieve co-emission reduction of ammonia and greenhouse gases in composting process. In addition, biochar modification or combination with other additives should be the focus of future research to mitigate ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions from composting processes.

Different crystalline manganese dioxide and biochar co-conditioning aerobic composting: Reduced ammonia volatilization and improved organic fertilizer quality.

Aerobic composting is a sustainable and effective waste disposal method. However, it can generate massive amounts of ammonia (NH3) via volatilization. Effectively reducing NH3 volatilization is vital for advancing aerobic composting and protecting the ecological environment. Herein, two crystal types of MnO2 (α-MnO2 and δ-MnO2) are combined with biochar (hydrochar (WHC) and pyrochar (WPC), respectively) and used as conditioners for the aerobic composting of chicken manure. Results reveal that α-MnO2 (34.6%) can more effectively reduce NH3 accumulation than δ-MnO2 (27.1%). Moreover, the combination of WHC and MnO2 better reduces NH3 volatilization (48.5-58.9%) than the combination of WPC and MnO2 (15.8-40.1%). The highest NH3 volatilization reduction effect (58.9%) is achieved using the combination of WHC and δ-MnO2. Because the added WHC and δ-MnO2 promote the humification of the compost, the humic acid to fulvic acid ratio (HA/FA ratio) dramatically increases. The combination of WHC and δ-MnO2 doubled the HA/FA ratio and resulted in a net economic benefit of 130.0 RMB/t. Therefore, WHC and δ-MnO2 co-conditioning can promote compost decomposition, improving the quality of organic fertilizers and substantially reducing NH3 volatilization.

Enhanced interfacial boiling of impacting droplets upon vibratory surfaces.

HYPOTHESIS: Despite the flourishing studies of droplet interfacial boiling, the boiling upon vibratory surfaces, which may cause vigorous liquid-vapor-solid interactions, has rarely been investigated. Enhanced boiling normally can be gained from rapid removal of vapor and disturbance of liquid-vapor interface. We hypothesize that the vibratory surfaces enhance both effects with new intriguing phenomena and thus, attain an enhanced boiling heat transfer. EXPERIMENTS: We experimentally investigated the impacting fluid dynamics and coupled heat transfer patterns of multiple droplets and a single droplet impinging on still and vibratory surfaces of various materials and different wettability. FINDINGS: The boiling under vibratory surfaces with increased vibration velocity amplitude and enhanced wettability can be enhanced by 80% in heat transfer coefficient and Nusselt number, which is attributed to several reasons: shortened bubble lifespan, thinner and smaller bubbles, and enhanced disturbances in liquid-vapor interfaces. The vibration also delays the Leidenfrost point when the droplet impacts a descending surface, which shows that the droplet impact moment (vibration phase angle) is particularly crucial. The descending surface releases the generated vapor actively and facilitates liquid-solid contact, thereby delaying the Leidenfrost. From fundamentals to application, this article strengthens our understanding of vibrated interfacial boiling in scenarios closer to multiple natural processes and practical industries.

An odorant receptor tuned to an attractive plant volatile vanillin in Spodoptera litura.

The insect olfaction plays crucial roles in many important behaviors, in which ORs are key determinants for signal transduction and the olfactory specificity. Spodoptera litura is a typical polyphagous pest, possessing a large repertoire of ORs tuning to broad range of plant odorants. However, the specific functions of those ORs remain mostly unknown. In this study, we functionally characterized one S. litura OR (OR51) that was highly expressed in the adult antennae. First, by using Xenopus oocyte expression and two-electrode voltage clamp recording system (XOE-TEVC), OR51 was found to be strongly and specifically responsive to vanillin (a volatile of S. litura host plants) among 77 tested odorants. Second, electroantennogram (EAG) and Y-tube behavioral experiment showed that vanillin elicited significant EAG response and attraction behavior especially of female adults. This female attraction was further confirmed by the oviposition experiment, in which the soybean plants treated with vanillin were significantly preferred by females for egg-laying. Third, 3D structural modelling and molecular docking were conducted to explore the interaction between OR51 and vanillin, which showed a high affinity (-4.46 kcal/mol) and three residues (Gln163, Phe164 and Ala305) forming hydrogen bonds with vanillin, supporting the specific binding of OR51 to vanillin. In addition, OR51 and its homologs from other seven noctuid species shared high amino acid identities (78-97%) and the same three hydrogen bond forming residues, suggesting a conserved function of the OR in these insects. Taken together, our study provides some new insights into the olfactory mechanisms of host plant finding and suggests potential applications of vanillin in S. litura control.

HMC: Hybrid model compression method based on layer sensitivity grouping.

Previous studies have shown that deep models are often over-parameterized, and this parameter redundancy makes deep compression possible. The redundancy of model weight is often manifested as low rank and sparsity. Ignoring any part of the two or the different distributions of these two characteristics in the model will lead to low accuracy and a low compression rate of deep compression. To make full use of the difference between low-rank and sparsity, a unified framework combining low-rank tensor decomposition and structured pruning is proposed: a hybrid model compression method based on sensitivity grouping (HMC). This framework unifies the existing additive hybrid compression method (AHC) and the non-additive hybrid compression method (NaHC) proposed by us into one model. The latter group the network according to the sensitivity difference of the convolutional layer to different compression methods, which can better integrate the low rank and sparsity of the model compared with the former. Experiments show that our approach achieves a better trade-off between test accuracy and compression ratio when compressing the ResNet family of models than other recent compression methods using a single strategy or additive hybrid compression.

Conserved Odorant Receptors Involved in Nonanal-Induced Female Attractive Behavior in Two Spodoptera Species.

Moths rely on plant volatiles to locate appropriate plants for feeding and laying eggs. While extensive research has been conducted on the global agricultural pests, Spodoptera frugiperda and Spodoptera litura, their molecular mechanisms for detecting plant volatiles remain mostly unknown. Here, we have demonstrated that nonanal, a common plant volatile, is attractive for both virgin and gravid females of the two species. Second, we have identified a conserved odorant receptor clade (SfruOR47 clade) that is primarily tuned to nonanal. Finally, by three-dimensional (3D) structure prediction, molecular docking, and site-directed mutagenesis, we have revealed that the His57 and Glu61 residues, also shared by other six orthologous ORs, are essential for nonanal binding in SfruOR47 and SlituOR9, indicating the conserved structure and function of ORs in the SfruOR47 clade. These findings offer novel insights into the molecular mechanisms and evolutionary aspects of moth behavior in response to plant volatiles.

Photosynthetic oxygen-supported algal-bacterial aerobic granular sludge can facilitate carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus removal from wastewater: Focus on light intensity selection.

Photosynthetic O2 is a promising alternative for mechanical aeration, the major energy-intensive unit in wastewater treatment plants. This study aimed to investigate the effects of light intensity varied from 190 to 1400 µmol·s-1·m-2 on photosynthetic O2-supported algal-bacterial aerobic granular sludge (AGS) system. Results indicate photosynthetic O2 can implement aerobic phosphorus (P) uptake and ammonia oxidation under the test illumination range even at dissolved oxygen concentration < 0.5 mg/L. An obvious O2 accumulation occurred after 60-90% nutrients being removed under 330-1400 µmol·s-1·m-2, and highly efficient ammonia removal, P uptake, and dissolved inorganic carbon removal were achieved under 670-1400 µmol·s-1·m-2. On the other hand, photosynthesis as O2 supplier showed little effect on major ions except for K+. This study provides a better understanding of the roles of light intensity on photosynthetic O2-supported algal-bacterial AGS system, targeting a sustainable wastewater industry.

A Multi-Scale Dehazing Network with Dark Channel Priors.

Image dehazing based on convolutional neural networks has achieved significant success; however, there are still some problems, such as incomplete dehazing, color deviation, and loss of detailed information. To address these issues, in this study, we propose a multi-scale dehazing network with dark channel priors (MSDN-DCP). First, we introduce a feature extraction module (FEM), which effectively enhances the ability of feature extraction and correlation through a two-branch residual structure. Second, a feature fusion module (FFM) is devised to combine multi-scale features adaptively at different stages. Finally, we propose a dark channel refinement module (DCRM) that implements the dark channel prior theory to guide the network in learning the features of the hazy region, ultimately refining the feature map that the network extracted. We conduct experiments using the Haze4K dataset, and the achieved results include a peak signal-to-noise ratio of 29.57 dB and a structural similarity of 98.1%. The experimental results show that the MSDN-DCP can achieve superior dehazing compared to other algorithms in terms of objective metrics and visual perception.

Fast adaptation of multi-task meta-learning for optical performance monitoring.

An algorithm is proposed for few-shot-learning (FSL) jointing modulation format identification (MFI) and optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) estimation. The constellation diagrams of six widely-used modulation formats over a wide range of OSNR (10-40 dB) are obtained by a dual-polarization (DP) coherent detection system at 32 GBaud. We introduce auxiliary task to model-agnostic meta-learning (MAML) which makes the gradient of meta tasks decline faster in the direction of optimal target. Ablation experiments including multi-task model-agnostic meta-learning (MT-MAML), single-task model-agnostic meta-learning (ST-MAML) and adaptive multi-task learning (AMTL) are executed to train a data set with only 20 examples for each class. First, we discuss the impact from the number of shots and gradient descent steps for support set on the meta-learning based schemes to determine the best hyper parameters and conclude that the proposed method better captures the similarity between new and previous knowledge at 4 shot and 1 step. Withdrawn fine-tuning, the model achieves the lowest error ∼0.37 dB initially. Then, we simulate two other schemes (AMTL and ST-MAML), and the numerical results shows that mean square error (MSE) are ∼0.6 dB, ∼0.3 dB and ∼0.18 dB, respectively, proposed method has faster adaption to main task. For low order modulation formats, the proposed method almost reduces the error to 0. Meanwhile, we reveal the degree of deviation between the prediction and target and find that the deviation is mainly concentrated in the high OSNR range of 25-40 dB. Specifically, we investigate the variation curve of adaptive weights during pretraining and conclude that after 30 epoch, the model's attention was almost entirely focused on estimating OSNR. In addition, we study the generalization ability of the model by varying the transmission distance. Importantly, excellent generalization is also experimentally verified. In this paper, the method proposed will greatly reduce the cost for repetitively collecting data and the training resources required for fine-tuning models when OPM devices need to be deployed at massive nodes in dynamic optical networks.

Hydrothermal carbonization aqueous phase promotes nutrient retention and humic substance formation during aerobic composting of chicken manure.

The aqueous phase (AP) of hydrothermal carbonization is rich in humic substances (HSs), which could influence the poultry manure composting process and the product quality. Here, raw AP and its modified product (MAP) with different nitrogen (N) contents were added into chicken manure composting at low (5%) or high (10%) rate. Results showed that all APs addition decreased the temperature and pH but AP-10% increased total N, HSs, and humic acid (HA) of compost by 12%, 18% and 27%, respectively. MAP applications increased the total phosphorus by 8-9% and MAP-10% enhanced the total potussium content by 20%. Additionally, both AP and MAP additions increased the contents of three major components of dissolved organic matter by 20-64%. In conclusion, both AP and MAP can generally improve the chicken manure compost quality, which provides a new idea for the recycling of APs derived from agro-forestry wastes during hydrothermal carbonization.

Highly efficient carbon assimilation and nitrogen/phosphorus removal facilitated by photosynthetic O2 from algal-bacterial aerobic granular sludge under controlled DO/pH operation.

Reducing CO2 emission and energy consumption is crucial for the sustainable management of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In this study, an algal-bacterial aerobic granular sludge (AGS) system was developed for efficient carbon (C) assimilation and nitrogen (N)/phosphorus (P) removal without the need for mechanical aeration. The photosynthetic O2 production by phototrophic organisms maintained the dissolved oxygen (DO) level at 3-4 mg/L in the bulk liquid, and an LED light control system reduced 10-30% of light energy consumption. Results showed that the biomass assimilated 52% of input dissolved total carbon (DTC), and the produced O2 simultaneously facilitated aerobic nitrification and P uptake with the coexisting phototrophs serving as a C fixer and O2 supplier. This resulted in a stably high total N removal of 81 ± 7% and an N assimilation rate of 7.55 mg/(g-MLVSS∙d) with enhanced microbial assimilation and simultaneous nitrification/denitrification. Good P removal of 92-98% was maintained during the test period at a molar ∆P/∆C ratio of 0.36 ± 0.03 and high P release and uptake rates of 10.84 ± 0.41 and 7.18 ± 0.24 mg/(g- MLVSS∙h), respectively. Photosynthetic O2 was more advantageous for N and P removal than mechanical aeration. This proposed system can contribute to a better design and sustainable operation of WWTPs using algal-bacterial AGS.

Design and Scalable Fabrication of Liquid Metal and Nano-Sheet Graphene Hybrid Phase Change Materials for Thermal Management.

Here, a paraffin/liquid metal (LM)/graphene hybrid thermal composite material with a high thermal-conductivity as well as  high latent heat is developed. The paraffin is encapsulated in calcium alginate, which produces leakage-free phase change material (PCM) capsules. LM is filled among the gaps of PCM capsules to enhance overall heat conduction. Graphene nano-sheets coating attains efficient heat dissipation because of its high spectral emissivity (>91%) in the spectrum of the mid-infrared region. The developed material is verified to have strong compatibility and durable stability. The composite is utilized as a thermal buffer (TB) for central processing unit thermal management to demonstrate the synergy of these superior thermal properties. In certain cases, active cooling normally used could be replaced by the developed TB without any energy consumption for thermal management, demonstrating a completely passive cooling strategy. Compared to traditional heat sink active cooling, general energy savings of 10.4-26.3% could thus be achieved by the developed composite in wider operating conditions, proving its potential for more efficient and sustainable data center cooling alongside thermal management of other ground-based electrical/electronic equipment.