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Abstract [Objective] The study aims to further study the leaf morphology and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics of Actinidia arguta under greenhouse cultivation conditions, and to explore the differences of leaf photomorphogenesis between greenhouse and open field cultivation. [Methods] In this experiment, the 5-year-old plants of A . arguta varieties ‘Jialv’ and ‘Kuilv’ were used as test materials to determine the relative chlorophyll content and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of leaves at different leaf ages under greenhouse and open field cultivation conditions. The differences in photomorphogenesis and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics under greenhouse and open field cultivation conditions were analyzed. [Results] The photomorphogenesis of A . arguta cultivated in greenhouse and open field was between 1- 40 d leaf age, and the fluorescence characteristics of the same variety under different cultivation conditions tended to be consistent. After flowering, the fluorescence characteristics of the same variety under different cultivation conditions were quite different. The leaf area of A . arguta cultivated in greenhouse was larger and the content of chlorophyll b was higher, which was tending to shade leaf characteristics. The performance parameters such as PIabs were significantly lower than those of open field cultivation. The absorption and capture ability of light energy was stronger, but the heat dissipation was higher. The energy used for electron transfer was lower than that of open field cultivation, and the chlorophyll fluorescence parameters showed adaptive changes to the environment. [Conclusion] The photomorphogenesis time of A . arguta leaves is 1-40 days after leaf expansion, that is, before flowering. The photomorphogenesis of A . arguta leaves in greenhouse cultivation is different from open field cultivation, and the photosynthetic capacity is decreased slightly with the increase of leaf area. Greenhouse cultivation changes in the chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics of leaves to a certain extent and reduces photosynthetic performance.

The plant pathogen Botrytis cinerea (B. cinerea) causes severe plant diseases worldwide. Trichoderma is widely used as a biocontrol agent against B. cinerea through multiple biocontrol mechanisms. However, Trichoderma spp. with high biocontrol efficiency against B. cinerea under low-temperature conditions are barely reported. This study aimed to find potential low-temperature resistance biocontrol Trichoderma spp. against B. cinerea, and to characterize the biological principles underlying the activity of Trichoderma. Trichoderma koningiopsis (T. koningiopsis) C5-9 could fully overgrow a B. cinerea colony at 16 °C in a dual-culture assay. Treatment of cucumber leaves with T. koningiopsis C5-9 fermentation broth using the dipping method prior to B. cinerea inoculation significantly reduced the necrotic lesion diameter, with an inhibition rate of 55.30%. T. koningiopsis C5-9 could be successfully cultivated using the mycelia of B. cinerea as a carbon source at 16 °C. Transcriptomic analysis indicated that the origin recognition complex, organic substance catabolic process, and peroxisome were involved in the responses of T. koningiopsis C5-9 to B. cinerea. The findings of this study not only identified T. koningiopsis C5-9 as a potential biological control agent inhibiting B. cinerea under low-temperature conditions, but also provided new insights to develop a deeper understanding of the activity of Trichoderma against B. cinerea for plant protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five new inorganic–organic hybrid compounds, [Co2(HDIBA)2(DIBA)2(H2O)4]·HPW12O40·2H2O (1), [Ni2(HDIBA)2(DIBA)2(H2O)4]·HPW12O40 (2), [Ag(H2DIBA)2·PW12O40]·2H2O (3), [Ag(H2DIBA)2·PMo12O40]·2H2O (4) and [Ag(H2DIBA)2·HSiMo12O40]·2H2O (5) (HDIBA = 3,5-di(1H-imidazol-1-yl)benzoic acid), based on Keggin-type polyoxometalates (POMs) have been synthesized by a hydrothermal method. Their structures were characterized through single-crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, powder X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The discrete units of 1 are further extended into a 3D supramolecular structure by π–π stacking and hydrogen bonding interactions. In compound 2, wavy ladderlike bimetallic chains are linked by hydrogen bonding interactions to form a 3D supramolecular structure, with POMs filling in the cages. In compounds 3–5, POMs act as bidentate inorganic bridging ligands to link [Ag(H2DIBA)2]3+ into 1D chains. Their cyclic voltammetric behaviors and electrocatalytic properties were studied. Notably, compound 4 exhibits amperometric sensing performance toward BrO3−. The organic dye pollutant removal behaviors of 1–5 were explored. In addition, the antibacterial/antifungal activities and photoluminescence properties of 3–5 were also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The film flexible sensors can convert tiny changes in size or force into electrical signals. They are key components of intelligent devices and wearable devices, and are widely used in human-computer interaction, electronic skin, health monitoring, implantable diagnosis, and other fields. This kind of sensor is generally composed of polymer matrix and conductive components, while carbon nanotubes (CNT) and graphene (GN), as typical one-dimensional and two-dimensional conductive carbon nano-materials, respectively, have been used to build film flexible sensors. In order to explore the relationship between the GN size and thickness, and the performance of film sensors, the GN-CNT/PU composite film sensors were prepared by in situ polymerization of polyurethane (PU) in the presence of GN and CNT. A highly sensitive GN-CNT/PU flexible film sensor was prepared with a high gauge factor (GF) up to 13.15 in a strain range of 0–20%; an exceptionally low percolation threshold of GN is about 0.04 vol% when the CNT content is fixed at 0.2 vol%, which is below the percolation threshold of CNT/PU nanocomposites. The size of the GN layer affects the GFs of the flexible film sensors; a GN with a smaller size can achieve a greater GF. This study paves the way for the better application of different qualities of GN in flexible sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen–oxygen sensors are pivotal for NOX emission detection, and they have been designed as key components in vehicles' exhaust systems. However, severe thermal stress concentrations during thermal cycling in the sensors create knotty structural damage issues, which are inevitable during the frequent start–stop events of the vehicles. Herein, to illustrate the effect of thermal concentration on a sensor's structure, we simulated the temperature and stress field of a sensor through finite element analysis. The failure modes of the sensor based on the multilayer structure model were analyzed. Our simulation indicated that the thermal deformation and stress of the sensors increased significantly when the heating temperature in the sensors increased from 200 to 800 °C. High stress regions were located at the joint between the layers and the right angle of the air chamber. These results are consistent with the sensor failure locations that were observed by SEM, and the sensor's failures mainly manifested in the form of cracks and delamination. The results suggest that both the multilayer interfaces and the shape of the air chamber could be optimized to reduce the thermal stress concentrations of the sensors. It is beneficial to improve the reliability of the sensor under thermal cycling operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steam reforming of diesel is performed over Ru/γ-Al 2 O 3 and Ni/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalysts. The catalysts both achieve 100% diesel conversion rate and high hydrogen selectivity at temperatures over 600 °C but Ni/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalyst shows a poor carbon tolerance, carbon deposition has been detected after 10 h of test which is determined as encapsulating carbon. Co-reforming diesel and methanol is conducted by adding methanol into the steam-diesel mixture as a stabilizer and it successfully extends the long-term life from 120 h to 600 h at 750 °C. The reformed diesel gas (RDG) is then fed into a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) to investigate fuel adaptability. The cell has achieved a peak power density of 1.34 W/cm2 at 750 °C under RDG fuel, and the cell voltage has stabilized at 0.82 V for 200 h during the galvanostatic discharge of 0.4 A/cm2. No detectable carbon deposition has occurred on the surface of the Ni-YSZ anode. The results demonstrate that the reformed diesel gas provides a good fuel choice for solid oxide fuel cell application. • 100% conversion diesel was achieved at temperatures higher than 600 °C. • Carbon deposition on catalyst was determined to be encapsulating type. • Long-term life test was extended from 120 h to 600 h after methanol was added. • Integrated diesel-fueled SOFC achieved 1.34 W/cm2 and 200 h stable discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Cu-supported Ag Nanowires (Cu/Ag_NWs) with areal capacity of 1.42 mAh cm−2. • CuO/Ag 2 O nanosheets (CuO/Ag 2 O_NSs) obtained from spent Cu/Ag_NWs electrode. • CuO/Ag 2 O_NSs based sensor with response of 27.69 and response/recovery speed (0.9/5.2 s) upon 100 ppm benzyl alcohol gas at 300 °. With the development of energy saving and new energy technology, the growing need of rechargeable batteries presents a serious waste-recycling challenge. The recycling issues should be focused on to prevent environmental pollution and huge waste of resources. In this work Cu-supported Ag nanowires (Cu/Ag_NWs) as binder-free electrode are developed for rechargeable aqueous silver-zinc batteries. With the Ag loading of 3.54 mg cm−2, the Cu/Ag_NWs electrode achieves areal capacity of 1.42 mAh cm−2 at a high current density of 10 mA cm−2. After more than 18,000 times galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD) test, the spent electrode of Cu/Ag_NWs with 20% original capacity transformed into nanosheet structure. Followed facile ultrasonic, cleaning and annealing treatment for the spent Cu/Ag_NWs electrode, the collected CuO/Ag 2 O nanosheets (CuO/Ag 2 O_NSs) are used for gas sensors. The sensor based on the CuO/Ag 2 O_NSs exhibits high response of 27.69 and fast response/recovery speed (0.9/5.2 s) upon 100 ppm benzyl alcohol gas at 300 °C. This work explores an efficient way in turning waste into treasure for the rechargeable battery in gas sensing application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]