Nano -particles and nano -fibers have a marked effect on the physico-mechanical properties of polymeric mortar. In this study, to further enhance the mechanical properties of acrylic repair materials used in extreme environments (-25 degrees C or even lower), we added nano -particles (SiC, Al2O3, B4C, Si3N4, Fe2O3, SiO2), nano -fibers (CFs, MW-CNTs), nano -sheets (GNP, MOS2) and one homemade three-dimensional (3D) nano -fibers SiC-OH@APTES-g-CFs-COOH, respectively, to the polymeric mortar. We investigated how the dimensionality, content and type affect the compressive strength and flexural strength of the acrylic mortar repair materials. Acrylic mortar specimens were prepared by mixing methyl methacrylate binder, aggregates, initiator, accelerator and different nano -particles in a standard cement mixer, which is placed in standard molds of 40mm x 40mm x 160 mm and kept in -25 degrees C. Compressive and flexural strength of the acrylic mortar repair materials were determined at 1h, 1d and 10d of curing. The carbon fibers were treated with gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), and the 3D nano -fibers SiC-OH@APTES-g- CFs-COOH were prepared. The Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis indicated that a large number of SiC were uniformly and densely distributed on the surface of CFs. The mechanical strength results showed that almost all contents of nano -materials of any dimension used in this article could enhance the mechanical strength of the specimens. Notably, when 0.05 wt% SiC-OH@APTES-g-CFs-COOH was added, the compressive strength and flexural strength values of acrylic mortar specimens at 10d were improved by 41.16 % and 52.28 % than those of control specimens. The incorporation of 3D nano -fibers formed a mechanical engagement with the aggregates, which increased the contact area between the aggregates and 3D nano -fibers and the thickness of the contact layer inside the specimen, thus effectively transferring the stress when the specimen was subjected to the load, and enhance the interfacial properties between the substrate and the nanofillers. Among the explored nano -particles, the addition of Si3N4 could significantly improve the compressive and flexural strength of acrylic mortar. Compared with the control specimen, the compressive strength can be improved by 44.6 % and the flexural strength of acrylic mortar specimens can be improved by 76.2 % when the addition of Si3N4 was 0.3 % by weight. This article demonstrated the availability of nano -powders for improving the mechanical properties of polymeric mortar construction materials.

Norfloxacin, a quinolone antibiotic pollutant, posed a significant threat to environment and human being health. In this study, hydrotalcite-based g-C3N4 composites were produced using electrostatic self-assembly and the structural memory effect of hydrotalcite to optimize their adsorption-degradation of norfloxacin under visiblelight illumination. Optimized hydrotalcite and g-C3N4 composite (750 degrees C, 40 wt% of g-C3N4) exhibited a highest photo-degradation rate constant of 1.8x10(- 2) min(- 1) with 83.98 % norfloxacin degradation achieved within 1.5 h under visible-light, surpassing that of bare g-C3N4 and hydrotalcite photocatalysts. The synergistic effects of the composite, such as uniform flower-like micro-morphology and rich mesoporous structure, resulted in a large specific surface area (58.67 m(2)/g), abundant active sites, and good photo-generated charge separation efficiency. All these facilitated both sorption (7.95 mg/g) and subsequent visible-light degradation of norfloxacin. Furthermore, the superior photocatalytic performance observed in the degradation of norfloxacin under visiblelight illumination was assigned to the effective transport of photogenerated electrons and holes between hydrotalcite and g-C3N4 components. The work highlights the potentials of hydrotalcite and g-C3N4 composites as an excellent photocatalyst for environment remediation and water treatment.

A new method for estimating fast neutron energy, based on in situ X-ray fluorescence analysis technology, has been proposed. According to the simulation results, the fluorescence mainly originates from the interactions of intermediate particles protons, electrons, and X/gamma-rays with target atoms. The contribution of fluorescence excited by each type of particle to the overall fluorescence intensity presents distinct characteristics as neutron energy varies. Finally, by analyzing the fluorescence intensity ratios of Ag, Mo, W to Bi as examples, a power function relationship between neutron energy and the fluorescence intensity ratio was derived, preliminary demonstrating the feasibility of the method.

Advanced clay sorbents have attracted widespread attentions for applications in environment remediation and pollution control. Here, a facile and environmentally-friendly approach to synthesizing a porous Na-bentonite/ hickory-biochar composite sorbent from hickory waste biomass using hand-milling and carbon-bed pyrolysis was investigated. The sorbents, made using a range of clay/biomass ratios and at a range of temperatures, were characterized and examined for their ability to remove Eriochrome blue black R (EBBR) anionic organic dyes from aqueous solution. The composite sorbents showed increased microporosity and O-containing functional groups over the pyrolyzed bentonite control. The composite prepared with 10% biomass by weight, and at 600 degrees C had the greatest EBBR adsorption, and was best fit to Freundlich isotherm and intraparticle diffusion kinetics models. The modeled maximum EBBR sorption capacity of this composite (2020.5 mg g-1, R2 adj = 0.92), which was attributed to the dispersion of bentonite particles over the biochar surface. These results show the bentonite/ biochar composite to have great potential for use in environmental remediation applications.

Organic dye contamination in water was a non-negligible threat to the environment. Mesoporous Al2O3 nanofibers had been ideal and effective adsorbents for dye adsorption. Based on cost, security, and practicability, in this work, mesoporous Al2O3 nanofibers with ribbon-like structure were prepared by electrospinning technology employing aluminum nitrate (AN) and polyvinyl butyral (PVB) as starting materials. Spinning solution was acquired by mixing the AN aqueous and PVB ethanol solutions. During the calcination of as-spun nanofibers at 600–1200 °C, mesopores emerged due to the decomposition of PVB. The evolution of pore structure and microstructure of fibers were characterized. Samples prepared at 800 °C had the highest BET surface area (96.2 m2·g−1) and the strongest adsorption capacity for Congo red (230.41 mg·g−1). Adsorption processes fitted well with pseudo-2nd-order and Freundlich isotherm models. Ideal reuse performance of fibers favored their practical applications in water treatment technologies.

Maintaining high mechanical properties and thermal stability of alumina fibers is a contradictory problem. In order to solve this problem, the effects of MgO addition on the microstructure evolution and properties of alumina fibers prepared by sol-gel were studied. The addition of MgO inhibited the formation of alpha-Al2O3 and the 2 wt% MgO addition was conducive to grain refinement, reducing the grain size from 227 nm to 162 nm and increasing the Weibull strength by 66%, up to 2.03 GPa with a peak value of 2.60 GPa. The grain growth exponent increased from 4 to 7.2 during the long-term holding at 1100 degrees C, indicating the better thermal stability of alumina fibers with 2 wt% MgO as well. The mechanism of MgO addition to the phase transition and grain growth of alumina fibers was further discussed.

Biosorbent has attracted considerable attention recently for use in environment remediation and pollution control. Here, a simple and efficient method of one-step alkaline ball milling was designed to prepare porous hickory biosorbent without any thermal treatments. The products were characterized for their ability to remove methyl violet (MV) and titan yellow (TY) organic dyes from aqueous solutions. The one-step alkaline ball milled hickory (OABMH) biosorbent exhibited mesoporous microstructure, homogeneous morphology, and a diversity of oxygen-containing functional groups. Furthermore, OABMH could sorb 212.2 mg g(-1) MV and 5.6 mg g(-1) TY polar dyes, respectively, mainly through the surface complexation mechanism. Freundlich adsorption isotherm and intraparticle diffusion kinetic models best described MV adsorption by OABMH biosorbents. The results indicate that one-step alkaline ball milling technique is an efficient and economical approach for converting biomass into advanced biosorbents for environment remediation and water treatment.

Continuous mullite fibers with ultrafine diameters and good thermal stability are an ideal candidate to be used to prepare ceramic-based aerogels, sponges, or composites. In the present work, boron-containing mullite micro/nanofibers with the molar ratio of Al/Si/B = 3/1/1 were fabricated using monophasic precursor sols with different concentrations (15–37.5%) by electrospinning. Basic aluminum acetate (BAA) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) were used as the raw materials. It was found that with increasing sol concentration, the reaction rates of hydrolysis and polymerization were reduced, and the chemical homogeneity of the precursor sols decreased. Besides, the viscosities of the spinning solutions increased, which was assigned to be the determining factor that led to the increasingly thicker precursor fibers. Meanwhile, the crystallization temperatures decreased and the grain sizes increased for the sintered fibers. The main reason for this was that amorphous SiO2, which could delay the reaction between Al2O3 and B2O3 and hinder the movement of grain boundaries, was distributed more evenly.

New classes of biosorbents are needed for various environment remediation applications. Thus, a facile and benign approach to synthesize porous biosorbents was developed using acidic or alkaline one-step ball milling of hickory wood biomass (AcBH and AlBH, respectively) without any external heat treatment, and their properties were compared. AcBH and AlBH were richer in O-containing functional groups, had enhanced porous structure and greater ability to remove crystal violet (CV, 476.4 mg g-1) and Congo red (CR, 221.8 mg g-1) dyes from aqueous solution, respectively, relative to hickory wood ball milled at neutral pH. Freundlich isotherm and pseudo second order kinetic models best fitted CR and CV adsorption onto biosorbents, indicating a mainly surface complexation adsorption mechanism. Further, both sorbents exhibited excellent stability and dye adsorption reusability. These results demonstrate that acidic and alkaline one-step ball milling is a facile and efficient approach for converting wood biomass into environmentally friendly biosorbents.

Nanocellulose is a promising stabilizer for industrial emulsions that offers the advantages of sustainability, biodegradability and nontoxicity. Emulsions prepared using cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and nanocrystals (CNCs) in mildly acidic lithium bromide trihydrate (MALBTH) were characterized in this study. At fixed CNCs con-centration (0.3 wt%), increasing the CNF content from 0 to 0.9 wt% clearly influenced the stability and microstructure of Pickering emulsions. The Oil droplets size decreased and stabilized with increasing CNF loading. This emulsification behavior was attributed to the irreversible adsorption of CNCs on the surface of the oil droplets and the formation of a dense CNF network in the aqueous phase, thereby improving the emulsion stability. The universal applicability of the proposed method was verified using cyclohexane and edible olive oil as oil phases. Overall, this study may provide a novel means of producing all-natural, low-oil, food-grade emulsions with adjustable stability.

Biochar has attracted considerable attentions for its potential in many environmental and industrial applications. Here, a novel facile and efficient one-step acidic ball milling approach was designed to fabricate a porous biochar directly from hickory wood without any external heat treatment. After characterization, the biochar was tested for its ability to remove Titan Yellow (TY) organic dye from aqueous solution. Compared to the pristine ball milled biomass (BMB), the acidic ball milled biochar (ABMB) had a greater degree of carbonization and a larger diversity of oxygen-containing functional groups. As a result, the ABMB sorbed 23 times more TY dye than BMB (maximum sorption capacities of 182.3 and 8.1 mg g(-1), respectively). Freundlich isotherm and intraparticle diffusion kinetic models best described the TY adsorption by ABMB and BMB. The results suggest that the onestep acidic ball milling method has great potential as a convenient and efficient approach to convert biomass to biochar with excellent characteristics for environmental remediation and perhaps water treatment applications.

The major rivers in a region are usually vital sources of drinking water for local populations, and the concentration of radionuclides in the water is intimately tied to people's health. The varying concentration limits set by the World Health Organization are appropriate as screening values for determining the pollution of water sources, but their capacities as regulatory or early warning limits are restricted. In daily management, the regulatory authority needs to manage water bodies by level based on the concentration of radionuclide to indicate the potential pollution risks. From 2017 to 2019, a statistical analysis and dosage evaluation were conducted on the water radioactivity level in the Chongqing section of the Yangtze River in this study. The Modified Nemerow Index method based on the dose conversion coefficients was applied for the grading evaluation of the water radioactivity level, allowing the grading effect discussed. The results showed that the concentration of radionuclides in the Chongqing section of the Yangtze River and its contribution to the annual effective dose of the human body were lower than the limits stated in the Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality (Fourth Edition). And the samples in the section were 52.94% in Grade Ⅰand 47.06% in Grade Ⅱ, meaning few potential radioactive pollution risks exist there. Compared with other methods. The Modified Nemerow Index method combines the Traditional Nemerow Index method with the dose conversion coefficient of nuclides making it more realistic for the early warning and control of radioactive pollution in water bodies, which is worth popularizing and implementing.

Multiscale-structured SiO2 composite poly(ether sulfone) membranes (MSiCPESMs) are facilely prepared via the methods of nonsolvent induced phase separation and sol–gel.

Given the increase in global threats to the environment and the growth in energy demand, there is great interest in developing renewable and green biochar-based materials. This article investigated ball-milled cellulosic biochar-based composites incorporating minerals (montmorillonite, calcite, or quartz) synthesized by an in situ carbon-bed pyrolysis method. The synthesized samples were examined using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM, TEM), N-2 adsorption/desorption isotherms, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), Raman spectroscopy, and organic dyes adsorption analysis. It was shown that the mineral components incorporated during ball-milling modified the microstructure, morphology, and surface properties of biochar composites. Synergistic effects of oxygen functional groups and mesoporous layered structure contributed to the functionalization and surface modification of biochar-based montmorillonite composites, as reflected by a remarkably enhanced adsorption performance of organic dyes. Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were found to provide an accurate description of the chemical adsorption of MB onto the heterogeneous surface of the biochar-based montmorillonite composite via cation exchange.

Objective To evaluate the effect of low molecular weight heparin on the survival of reverseflow island flaps.Methods A saphenous vessel reverse-flow island flap model was established on both hind limbs in 10 New Zealand white rabbits that were randomly divided into 2 groups.Each group had 10 flaps.The flap area was 3 cm × 3 cm.The vascular pedicle length was 4 cm,and the width of the fascia reserved around the saphenous vessels was about 1 cm.In group A (control) the rabbits received no treatment after flap elevation and suture.In group B (experiment) 200 IU/kg low molecular weight heparin was administered via subcutaneous injection once a day for 5 days.Flap perfusion and drainage,color and swelling were observed daily for one week when flap survival was evaluated.Results Blood circulation of the flaps was good in the early postoperative stage.After 1 to 2 days,blood oozing from flap edges stopped in group A.The flaps began to appear obviously edematous,and the color of the flaps turned dark purple.In group B,oozing from the edge of the flaps lasted significantly longer.There was no obvious venous congestion or swelling.Seven days after flap elevation,the mean percentage of survival area of the flaps was (89.5 ± 15.2) ％ in group A and (97.5 ± 5.4) ％ in group B,respectively.The difference was significant (P ＜ 0.01).Conclusion The application of low molecular weight heparin via subcutaneous injection can improve microcirculation within the flap and increase the quality of flap survival by releasing the load of venous congestion through prolonged oozing from flap edges.