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The composite microgels were synthesized from N‐Isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and acrylic acid (AA) monomers in the presence of graphene oxide (GO) using an in situ radical copolymerization method. The successful preparation of these composite microgels was investigated through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet visible absorption spectroscopy (UV–vis), and Raman spectroscopy. Due to the hydrophilic properties of GO and the microgels containing oxygenated groups (OH, COOH, and CONH2), quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensors can be fabricated by spraying the GO/P(NIPAM‐co‐AA) dispersion onto QCM sensors as sensitive coating materials. The results indicate a notable enhancement in the performance of GO/P(NIPAM‐co‐AA) modified QCM humidity sensor, compared to QCM sensors modified with either GO or P(NIPAM‐co‐AA) microgels alone. This improvement is mainly evidenced by higher sensitivity and reduced moisture hysteresis. The humidity sensing mechanism is based on the combined effect of GO and P(NIPAM‐co‐AA) microgels, which synergistically enhance the sensor's performance. Additionally, the results from water contact angle measurements, laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) show that GO/P(NIPAM‐co‐AA) exhibits greater roughness and stronger hydrophilicity than either GO or P(NIPAM‐co‐AA) microgels alone. These properties make GO/P(NIPAM‐co‐AA) an effective moisture‐sensitive material for QCM sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of the battery industry has brought about a large amount of waste battery pollution. How to realize the high-value utilization of waste batteries is an urgent problem to be solved. Herein, cobalt and titanium compounds (LTCO) were firstly recovered from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) using the carbon thermal reduction approach, and plasmonic attapulgite/Co(Ti)Ox (H-ATP/Co(Ti)Ox) nanocomposites were prepared by the microwave hydrothermal technique. H-ATP had a large specific surface area and enough active sites to capture CO2 molecules. The biochar not only reduced the spinel phase of waste LIBs into metal oxides including Co3O4 and TiO2 but also increased the separation and transmission of the carriers, thereby accelerating the adsorption and reduction of CO2. In addition, H-ATP/Co(Ti)Ox exhibited a localized surface plasmon resonance effect (LSPR) in the visible to near-infrared region and released high-energy hot electrons, enhancing the surface temperature of the catalyst and further improving the catalytic reduction of CO2 with a high CO yield of 14.7 μmol·g−1·h−1. The current work demonstrates the potential for CO2 reduction by taking advantage of natural mineral and spent batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its excellent mechanical and thermodynamic stability, Cr5SiB2 is considered as a potential high-temperature ceramic candidate. However, the effect of high pressure on the structural stability and related properties of Cr5SiB2 cannot be unknown. In this paper, we apply first-principles calculations to explore the effect of pressures on the structural stability, mechanical properties, and thermodynamics of Cr5SiB2. The results show that Cr5SiB2 has thermodynamic, mechanical and dynamics stability under 0–50GPa. Note that Cr5SiB2 will transition from brittle-to-ductile around 30GPa. The anisotropy in elastic of Cr5SiB2 was characterized by three-dimensional (3D) surface constructions and three-dimensional (2D) planar projections. In addition, it is found that the melting point and thermal conductivity of Cr5SiB2 increase with increasing the pressure. Finally, the thermodynamic properties were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-dimensional layered CeO2/Bi2O3 composite was synthesized by microwave solvothermal method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), UV-Vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to studied crystal structure, morphology, optical performance, elemental composition and the surface electronic state of the samples. The photocatalytic properties of the prepared samples were evaluated by photocatalytic desulfurization under visible light. When the molar ratio of Ce and Bi was 1:2, CeO2/Bi2O3 composite presented the highest photocatalytic desulfurization rate. Transient Photocurrent measurement, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) showed that CeO2 and Bi2O3 formed a heterojunction, which could promote the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes, improving the photocatalytic activity. Furthermore, it was found that the active species of hydroxyl radical (·OH) played an important role in the photocatalytic degradation of dibenzothiophene (DBT) based on the active species capture experiment. Finally, a plausible mechanism for the photocatalytic oxidative desulfurization of this nanocomposite was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of efficient heterojunction photocatalysts with a facilitated charge carrier separation rate and improved light-harvesting capacity is still a challenging issue for effectively solving environmental pollution. Herein, a one-step refluxing process was employed to construct 2D/2D CdIn2S4/In2S3 (CISI) heterojunction photocatalysts with an intimate interface between these two components. The crystal structure, morphology, light-harvesting capacity, and Cr(VI) photoreduction performance were systematically investigated and discussed in detail. The tight interface formed between CdIn2S4 (CIS) and In2S3 (IS) could effectively facilitate the charge carrier separation and transfer. Thus, the resulting CISI composites exhibited a high efficiency for Cr(VI) photoreduction under visible light, with the optimal sample of 0.5 CISI. The charge transfer kinetics were deeply investigated by multiple techniques. Based on the characterization results, a possible mechanism for Cr(VI) photoreduction was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]