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In this study, a Cu 2 O-Au nanoparticles (NPs) heterojunction catalyst anchored on wood was developed by in situ reduction and hydrothermal treatment, and the properties of the catalyst were systematically characterized. The catalyst exhibited prominent photocatalysis of methyl orange (MO, 0.169 min - 1 ), and tetracycline (TC, 0.122 min -1 ) which were degraded completely within 20 min. Even after four recyclings, the efficiency of MO degradation by the catalyst remained at 80%. The natural wood with three-dimensional porous structures acted as a reducing agent and a stabilizer for Au NPs and Cu 2 O, which helped to maintain high performance and reusability. The presence of Au NPs mediated the light-induced electron transfer and enhanced the absorption of visible light for promoting photocatalytic activity. The intermediates of contaminants within the degradation process were characterized by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Additionally, the photogenerated superoxide radicals and holes were identified by electron spin resonance. Thus, the potential degradation mechanism catalyzed by the Cu 2 O-Au NPs-wood was proposed. This findings of this study valorizes biomass as a photocatalyst for wastewater remediation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

To reveal the existence of p -hydroxyphenyl (H) units in compressed wood lignin, four different milled wood lignins were extracted using Pinus massoniana Lamb compressed wood, Pinus massoniana Lamb normal wood, and sugarcane bagasse as raw materials. Then, three dehydrogenation polymers (DHPs) were synthesized using coniferyl/ p -coumaryl alcohol as raw materials to reveal the interunit linkages of H units. The lignin and DHP samples were systematically characterized by 1H, 13C, 2D HSQC, and 31P NMR techniques. Compared with the opposite wood milled wood lignin (OW-MWL) and the normal wood milled wood lignin (NW-MWL), the compressed wood milled wood lignin (CW-MWL) contained a large amount of H units, and the H/G ratio and the p -hydroxyphenyl OH group contents were 0.15 and 1.09 mmol/g, respectively. Through the characterization of CW-MWL and DHPs, it was revealed that p -hydroxyphenyl units mainly coupled with other units by β-O-4, β-β, and β-5 linkages. Compared to the sugarcane bagasse milled wood lignin, it was clearly demonstrated that the H unit rather than p -coumarate ester occurred in CW-MWL. This study comprehensively explored the structural characteristics and linkages of H units in compress wood lignin, and provided useful information for revealing the participation of H units in the construction of lignin macromolecules. • More p -hydroxyphenyl unit was quantified in the compressed wood lignin. • More p -hydroxyphenyl units lead to a decrease of β-O-4 and β-5 linkages. • The main interunit linkage of G-DHP, H-DHP, and GH-DHP were β-O-4, β-β, β-5. • The p -hydroxyphenyl unit was presented as β-O-4, β-β, β-5 in the compressed lignin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the chemical modification of paulownia wood is described, along with its utilization as a novel adsorbent for the adsorption of Ni2+ from simulated wastewater. A wood-based adsorbent was prepared by esterification using phosphoric acid, and the reaction conditions were optimized to realize an efficient process. The samples were systematically analyzed through various techniques, and the results showed that the phosphorylation of wood was successfully completed, as its phosphate group content was quantified as 2.94 mmol·g−1. The effects of pH, initial ion concentration, temperature, and time on the adsorption of Ni2+ by the samples were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, the maximum adsorption capacity of PEW was 130.2 mg·g−1. The adsorption of Ni2+ by PEW was a combination of physical and chemical adsorption, which was a spontaneous process. The coordination of Ni2+ by phosphate on PEW was the main adsorption mechanism. Overall, this research provides a facile and green method for preparing a wood-based adsorbent with low cost, high performance and easy recycling for heavy ion mediation. [Display omitted] • The wood based adsorbent was prepared by esterification using phosphoric acid. • The phosphorylated wood exhibits high adsorption performance of Ni2+. • The phosphorylation process was enhanced by pre-extracted with the sodium hydroxide. • The main adsorption mechanism was coordination of Ni2+ by phosphate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbonized wood (CW) electrodes with low-tortuosity and high conductivity have received extensive attention in the fields of energy storage and electrocatalysis. Directly carbonized wood electrodes have low specific surface area and high electrochemical impedance, and require secondary physical or chemical activation to achieve acceptable performance. Herein, we reported a facile method to prepare the CW electrode with superior surface area through self-activation using CO 2 and water vapor generated during the pyrolysis which was conducted with a low inert gas flow rate. The specific surface area and electrical conductivity of the self-activated carbonized wood (SCW, ~ 0.46 g cm−3) were as high as 1145 m2 g−1 and 20.3 S cm−1, respectively. The SCW applied as a freestanding electrode demonstrated an impressive specific capacitance of 6.63 F cm−2 (143.6 F g−1) at 1 mA cm−2. After 10,000 cycles, the capacitance of the SCW electrode was retained as high as 101.7%. The symmetrical supercapacitor (SSC) assembled with two SCW electrodes showed an energy density of 0.27 mWh cm−2 (8.60 Wh L−1) at a power density of 0.5 mW cm−2 (11.8 W L−1). This work provides a simple, low-cost and green procedure for fabricating high-performance CW electrodes, which has great promotional significance and practical value on valorization of biomass. • Pre-oxidation of wood at 220 °C produced substantial amount of CO 2. • Low inert gas rate retains the concentration of CO 2 allowing self-activation. • Self-activated carbonized wood electrode exhibited superior specific surface area. • The freestanding SCW electrode exhibited high energy density at the device level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conveniently recoverable photocatalyst with self-floating and photothermal performance has attracted considerable attention. Herein, AgI/UiO-66-NH 2 was anchored on carbonized wood (CW) via a facile solvothermal and ion exchange deposition process. The catalytic properties and performance of the fabricated heterojunction were systematically characterized. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy confirmed AgI/UiO-66-NH 2 was anchored on CW surface. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the shift of Zr 3d and Ag 3d, proving the heterojunction formation of samples. The heterojunction exhibited the strong UV adsorption peaks between 400 and 800 nm. The infrared photothermal analysis showed the heterojunction (41.2 °C) can adsorb more heat than AgI/UiO-66-NH 2 (31.2 °C) within 15 min visible light irradiation. As the floating carrier, CW enhanced the adsorption and utilization of sunlight. More than 96% of Rh B were degraded within 150 min with irradiation when the heterojunction was applied, and above 85% degradation rate were preserved after 6 cycling recycles, confirming its outstanding stability. Conclusively, this study paved a new pathway for fabricating the potential of easy recyclability and high stability of AgI/UiO-66-NH 2 @CW from biomass for wastewater treatment. [Display omitted] • AgI/UiO-66-NH 2 @CW was synthesized via a facile two-step procedure. • Carbonized wood solved the aggregating disadvantages of powder catalyst. • AgI/UiO-66-NH 2 @CW has good photocatalytic performance and recyclability. • The active species during the degradation process were identified as h+ and ∙O 2 −. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs) were grown in nitrogen-doped carbonized wood (NCW). • Cu 1.0 NPs@NCW-1000 exhibited high specific capacitance of 10.39 F cm−2. • SSC delivered 0.59 mWh cm−2 with a retention of 92.02 % after 5000 cycles. • Cu 1.0 NPs@NCW-1000 showed a overpotential of 100.43 mV at 10 mA cm−2. • Cu 1.0 NPs@NCW-1000 exhibited a Tafel slope of 95 mV dec−1. The development of self-supporting electrodes using natural wood is promising for energy storage and conversion but still challenging. Here, the nitrogen-doped carbonized wood electrode decorated with copper nanoparticles is synthesized to escalate its capacitive performance and HER. Cu 1.0 NPs@NCW-1000 exhibits a high specific capacitance of 10.39 F cm−2 at 1 mA cm−2. The symmetric supercapacitor achieves an energy density of 0.59 mWh cm−2 at 3.5 mW cm−2 while achieving a capacitance retention of 89.51 % after 8,000 cycles. Cu 1.0 NPs@NCW-1000 also displays good HER activity, comprising an overpotential of 100.43 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 95 mV dec−1. Its outstanding properties were attributed to doping-nitrogen, high specific surface area, hierarchical porous structure, and the interaction between Cu NPs and NCW, which increased active sites and accelerated charge transfer. This work provides a new strategy for the preparation of self-supported carbon electrodes for the energy storage and electrocatalysis applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ru 1 Co 10 /CW-2 exhibits good intrinsic activity and stability for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), which can be attributed to tunable lattice tensile strain and electronic interactions, while the porous carbonized wood facilitates rapid electron transfer, electrolyte transport and gas escape. [Display omitted] • Ru doping regulates the lattice tensile strain in Ru-Co bimetallic nanoparticles. • Porous structure favors electron transfer, electrolyte transport and gas escape. • Ru-Co bimetallic nanoparticles decorated on carbonized wood exhibits good HER. • The best alkaline HER overpotential was −42 mV at −10 mA/cm−2. The development of high-performance catalysts for hydrogen production originating from water electrolysis at the cathode is very crucial, but still a challenge. Here, trace Ru-doped Co bimetallic nanoparticles (named Ru x Co y /CW-z, x/y and z represent the molar ratio and total molar content of metals) were in situ decorated on carbonized wood by the vacuum impregnation and high-temperature annealing method. Ru 1 Co 10 /CW-2 demonstrates good hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) intrinsic activity with the overpotential of −42 mV (at −10 mA/cm−2) and Tafel slope of 75 mV dec−1 in a 1.0 M KOH, indicating its favorable HER reaction kinetics, and Ru 1 Co 10 /CW-2 exhibits good stability for 100 h (at −50 mA/cm−2). The good performances of Ru 1 Co 10 /CW-2 can be ascribed to the adjustable lattice tensile strain and electronic interactions, while the porous carbonized wood promotes electron transfer, electrolyte transport and gas escape. This work combines the advantages of lattice tensile strain with self-supported porous carbonized wood for HER in alkaline solution, which provides a valuable reference for synthesizing carbonized wood electrode materials with very low Ru content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the development of the modern electronics industry, the high mechanical performance, the green, and high-performance electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials need to urgently be developed. Herein, polythiophene/Wood (PEDOT/wood) was fabricated through in situ polymerizing thiophene in the delignified paulownia wood. The results indicated that PEDOT were evenly distributed on the carbohydrates framework of the wood, endowing the composite with a highly electrical conductivity of 112.8 S m−1 and a superior electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of 46.2 dB at 2 mm thickness. The normalized SE (EMI SE/thickness) of the composite calculated as 213 dB/cm. Meanwhile, a high compressive strength and tensile strength of the prepared PEDOT/wood composite were tested as 50.9 MPa and 67.8 MPa, respectively. Such a high conductivity, strong mechanical properties and renewable PEDOT/wood suggests it as a potential candidate for the application in electromagnetic interference shielding and paves a new way for the biomass-based electromagnetic shielding materials. [Display omitted] • The conductive wood was prepared by in suit polymerization of polythiophene. • The PEDOT/wood exhibits high mechanical strength and electromagnetic shielding. • The PEDOT loading was enhanced by pre-impergnation of wood with Fe3+. • The electromagnetic wave shielding was dominated by absorption loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous monolithic microreactors show great promise in catalytic applications, but are usually based on non-renewable materials. Herein, we demonstrate a Ni/Au nanoparticle-decorated carbonized wood (Ni/Au-CW) monolithic membrane microreactor for the efficient reduction of 4-nitrophenol. The hierarchical porous wood structure supports uniformly distributed heterobimetallic Ni/Au nanoparticles. As a consequence of these two factors, both mass diffusion and electron transfer are enhanced, resulting in a superior reduction efficiency of 99.5% as the liquor flows through the optimised Ni/Au-CW membrane. The reaction mechanism was investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. The proposed attraction-repulsion mechanism facilitated by the bimetallic nanoparticles has been ascribed to the different electronegativities of Ni and Au. The Ni/Au-CW membrane exhibits excellent catalytic performance and could be applicable to other catalytic transformations. [Display omitted] • Carbonized wood decorated with Ni/Au nanoparticles exhibits high catalytic property. • Long-curved wood channels enhances the interaction between pollutant and catalyst. • Ni/Au-CW catalyzes the reduction of 4-nitrophenol under continuous-flow conditions. • An attraction-repulsion catalytic mechanism is proposed with DFT calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]