The development of unfired high-alumina bricks (UHABs) is of great economic and environmental significance, where bonding performance governs mechanical properties and application. A surprising reinforcement of UHABs bonded by merely 6 wt% rectorite via wet milling process was obtained. The effect of wet milling on the slurry rheological behavior, phase composition and microstructure evolution were investigated to understand the reinforcement mechanism. The results indicated that wet milling could promote the exfoliation of rectorite, increase the dispersity and stability of slurry binders. Reducing the solid content of slurry from 35 wt% to 25 wt% achieved a better refinement and exfoliation effect. Exfoliated sheet-like rectorite formed a face-to-face mechanically interlocked network among bauxite particles, while in-situ gismondine (CaAl2Si2O8·4 H2O) formed after heating at 750 °C bridged rectorite, increasing cold crushing strength by 67% (∼70 MPa). This study aims to provide theoretical assistance for the development of UHABs with satisfied mechanical strength.
Bladder cancer intravesical therapy remains limited by rapid urinary washout, insufficient penetration across the bladder mucosal barrier, and an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Here, we developed a bladder microenvironment-adaptive chemo-immunotherapy system, Gel/UCeNZ/Gem/CpG, to improve local bladder cancer treatment. In this system, urease-modified CeO2 nanozymes (UCeNZ), gemcitabine (Gem), and CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG ODN) were incorporated into an injectable thermosensitive adhesive hydrogel. After intravesical administration, the hydrogel rapidly formed a mucosa-adherent depot, thereby prolonging bladder residence and enabling sustained therapeutic release. Meanwhile, UCeNZ responded to endogenous urinary urea to enhance particle transport and mucosal penetration, improving local drug exposure beyond passive instillation. Functionally, CeO2-mediated redox regulation amplified Gem-induced oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis, and immunogenic cell death-associated signaling, as evidenced by HMGB1 translocation/release, calreticulin exposure, and intracellular ATP dysregulation. CpG ODN further promoted dendritic cell maturation and strengthened T cell-mediated antitumor immunity. In an orthotopic bladder cancer model, Gel/UCeNZ/Gem/CpG significantly suppressed tumor progression, prolonged survival, increased CD8+ T cell infiltration, reduced regulatory T cells and M2-like macrophages, and enhanced memory/effector-like T cell activation without obvious systemic toxicity. Transcriptomic analysis further revealed coordinated regulation of oxidative stress, apoptosis, antigen presentation, cytokine signaling, T cell activation, PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint signaling, and p53-related tumor-suppressive pathways. Overall, this study presents a bladder-adaptive intravesical chemo-immunotherapy strategy that integrates mucosal retention, urea-responsive penetration, redox-amplified immunogenic chemotherapy, and immune microenvironment remodeling for bladder cancer treatment.
Charitable giving depends not only on how much donors are asked to give, but also on how they interpret the charity behind the ask. As charities increasingly use data-driven systems to personalize suggested donation amounts, disclosure decisions become increasingly consequential. We propose a relational transparency paradox: in charitable giving, AI-personalized source disclosure does not merely inform donors that a suggested amount was generated by AI using personal data; it changes how they interpret the charity's relational orientation. Because donor–charity relationships are expected to be communal, AI-personalized source disclosure can make the charity appear less caring, less donor-oriented, and more exchange-like. Four primary experiments and one incentive-compatible behavioral extension support this account. Study 1a shows that, holding the suggested amount constant, AI source disclosure lowers donation intention and trust in the charity relative to a no-source control condition and a social-norm source condition. Study 1b extends this effect to a real bonus-allocation decision: participants donated less of an additional bonus when the recommended amount was described as AI-personalized. Study 2 shows that lower net communality accounts for these effects beyond perceived autonomy. Study 3 identifies effectiveness-focused appeal framing as a boundary condition: the penalty associated with AI source disclosure is weaker when the appeal emphasizes measurable impact rather than human need. Study 4 shows that a donor-care explanation attenuates the downside of AI source disclosure by increasing net communality and restoring a more communal interpretation of AI use. Together, these findings extend suggested-donation research by identifying AI-personalized source disclosure as a distinct feature of the ask, contribute to AI and personalization research by specifying a relational pathway for disclosure effects, and show charities how to communicate transparent AI use in ways that preserve donor support and trust in the charity.
Direct hydrogenation of CO2 with renewable H2 into value-added chemicals provides a promising pathway for sustainable carbon utilization in the future. Although extensive research has been conducted on CO2 hydrogenation, the complexity of heterogeneous catalysis under operational conditions continues to pose challenges in identifying active sites and elucidating corresponding reaction mechanisms. Conventional ex situ characterization techniques often fail to capture the dynamic structural evolution and short-lived intermediates during the reaction, thereby hindering the establishment of reliable structure-activity relationships and the identification of reaction pathways. As a result, the application of in situ characterization methods is essential for correlating catalyst structure with catalytic performance, and for uncovering mechanistic details under realistic reaction conditions. In this context, this review summarizes recent advances in the application of various in situ characterization techniques in thermocatalytic CO2 hydrogenation, emphasizing their role in identifying active centers, detecting key intermediates, and clarifying underlying reaction pathways. Furthermore, it discusses current challenges and offers perspectives on future directions for in situ characterizations in revealing the active centers and reaction networks of CO2 hydrogenation.
This study investigates the effects of Al addition and solution treatment at 1180 °C on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Fe-12Cr-5Ni-0.4 C-6Mn -(0,4)Al economical stainless steel. In both experimental steels, a reticulated carbide network was initially present. After solution treatment, the carbides were completely dissolved and austenite grains were obviously coarser. However, the addition of Al refined the austenite grains and promoted the transformation from a fully austenitic microstructure to an austenite-ferrite duplex structure. Additionally, the ferrite fraction decreased after solution treatment. In Al-free steel, the primary deformation mechanism was identified as deformation-induced α’-martensitic transformation, which became partially suppressed after solution treatment. In contrast, Al addition increased the stacking fault energy (SFE), shifting the dominant deformation mechanism to mechanical twinning. The elongation of Al-added steel was significantly enhanced due to the increased formation of mechanical twins after 30 min of solution treatment. Furthermore, in the as-forged condition, the presence of pre-existing carbides in Al-free steel resulted in lower Charpy impact absorbed energy, whereas Al-added steel exhibited even lower impact energy due to the presence of ferrite. Nevertheless, after solution treatment at 1180 °C, the formation of α’-martensite in Al-free steel and mechanical twins in Al-added steel improved crack propagation resistance, thereby enhancing the toughness of both steels.
