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Inspired by the integration process, aluminum hydrogel (alum)-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions (ASEs) was assembled in a modular way. The oil phase was screened thoroughly for the enhanced anti-oxidative capability and long-term-storage stability. Subsequently, alum was adsorbed and packed on the squalene/water interphase, forming the particulate emulsion droplet. With the hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, the droplet increased the antigen loading efficiency and in [Detail] ...
As an eco-friendly, efficient, and low-cost technique, photoelectrochemical water splitting has attracted growing interest in the production of clean and sustainable hydrogen by the conversion of abundant solar energy. In the photoelectrochemical system, the photoelectrode plays a vital role in absorbing the energy of sunlight to trigger the water splitting process and the overall efficiency depends largely on the integration and design of photoelectrochemical devices. In recent years, the optimization of photoelectrodes and photoelectrochemical devices to achieve highly efficient hydrogen production has been extensively investigated. In this paper, a concise review of recent advances in the modification of nanostructured photoelectrodes and the design of photoelectrochemical devices is presented. Meanwhile, the general principles of structural and morphological factors in altering the photoelectrochemical performance of photoelectrodes are discussed. Furthermore, the performance indicators and first principles to describe the behaviors of charge carriers are analyzed, which will be of profound guiding significance to increasing the overall efficiency of the photoelectrochemical water splitting system. Finally, current challenges and prospects for an in-depth understanding of reaction mechanisms using advanced characterization technologies and potential strategies for developing novel photoelectrodes and advanced photoelectrochemical water splitting devices are demonstrated.
Reactive distillation process, a representative process intensification technology, has been widely applied in the chemical industry. However, due to the strong interaction between reaction and separation, the extension of reactive distillation technology is restricted by the difficulties in process analysis and design. To overcome this problem, the design and optimization of reactive distillation have been widely studied and illustrated for plenty of reactive mixtures over the past three decades. These design and optimization methods of the reactive distillation process are classified into three categories: graphical, optimization-based, and evolutionary/heuristic methods. The primary objective of this article is to provide an up-to-date review of the existing design and optimization methods. Desired and output information, advantages and limitations of each method are stated, the modification and development for original methodologies are also reviewed. Perspectives on future research on the design and optimization of reactive distillation method are proposed for further research.
With the increasing demand for high-performance and safe fuels in aerospace propulsion systems, gelled fuels have attracted increasing attention. Because of their unique structure, gelled fuels exhibit the advantages of both solid and liquid fuels, such as high energy density, controllable thrust and storage safety. This review provides an overview on design, preparation and performance characterization of gelled fuels. The composition, preparation process and gelation mechanism of gelled high-energy-density fuels are described. Considering these aspects, the rheology and flow behavior of gelled fuels is summarized in terms of the shear thinning property, dynamic viscoelasticity and thixotropy. Moreover, the progress of atomization of gelled fuels is reviewed with a focus on the effect of atomizing nozzles. In addition, the experiments and theoretical models of single droplet combustion and combustor combustion are described. Finally, research directions for the development and application of gelled fuels are suggested.
Microscale crystallization is at the frontier of chemical engineering, material science, and biochemical research and is affected by many factors. The precise regulation and control of microscale crystal processes is still a major challenge. In the heterogeneous induced nucleation process, the chemical and micro/nanostructural characteristics of the interface play a dominant role. Ideal crystal products can be obtained by modifying the interface characteristics, which has been proven to be a promising strategy. This review illustrates the application of interface properties, including chemical characteristics (hydrophobicity and functional groups) and the morphology of micro/nanostructures (rough structure and cavities, pore shape and pore size, surface porosity, channels), in various microscale crystallization controls and process intensification. Finally, possible future research and development directions are outlined to emphasize the importance of interfacial crystallization control and regulation for crystal engineering.
The annular centrifugal extractor (ACE) integrates mixing and separation. It has been widely used in many industrial fields because of its low residence time, compact structure, and high mass transfer efficiency. Most of the literature has focused on flow instabilities, flow visualization, and computational fluid dynamics simulations. More recently, research on hydrodynamic behavior and structural optimization has received widespread attention. With the development of ACE technology, applications have been broadened into several new areas. Hence, this paper reviews research progress regarding ACE in terms of hydrodynamic characteristics and the structural improvements. The latest applications covering hydrometallurgy, nuclear fuel reprocessing, bio-extraction, catalytic reaction, and wastewater treatment are presented. We also evaluate future work in droplet breakup and coalescence mechanisms, structural improvements specific to different process requirements, scaling-up methods, and stability and reliability after scaling-up.
The flow behaviours of cohesive particles in the ring shear test were simulated and examined using discrete element method guided by a design of experiments methodology. A full factorial design was used as a screening design to reveal the effects of material properties of partcles. An augmented design extending the screening design to a response surface design was constructed to establish the relations between macroscopic shear stresses and particle properties. It is found that the powder flow in the shear cell can be classified into four regimes. Shear stress is found to be sensitive to particle friction coefficient, surface energy and Young’s modulus. A considerable fluctuation of shear stress is observed in high friction and low cohesion regime. In high cohesion regime, Young’s modulus appears to have a more significant effect on the shear stress at the point of incipient flow than the shear stress during the pre-shear process. The predictions from response surface designs were validated and compared with shear stresses measured from the Schulze ring shear test. It is found that simulations and experiments showed excellent agreement under a variety of consolidation conditions, which verifies the advantages and feasibility of using the proposed “Sequential Design of Simulations” approach.
Supercritical water gasification is a promising technology in dealing with the degradation of hazardous waste, such as oily sludge, accompanied by the production of fuel gases. To evaluate the mechanism of Fe2O3 catalyst and the migration pathways of heteroatoms and to investigate the systems during the process, reactive force field molecular dynamics simulations are adopted. In terms of the catalytic mechanisms of Fe2O3, the surface lattice oxygen is consumed by small carbon fragments to produce CO and CO2, improving the catalytic performance of the cluster due to more unsaturated coordination Fe sites exposed. Lattice oxygen combines with •H radicals to form water molecules, improving the catalytic performance. Furthermore, the pathway of asphaltene degradation was revealed at an atomic level, as well as products. Moreover, the adsorption of hydroxyl radical on the S atom caused breakage of the two C–S bonds in turn, forming •HSO intermediate, so that the organic S element was fixed into the inorganic liquid phase. The heteroatom O was removed under the effects of supercritical water. Heavy metal particles presented in the oily sludge, such as iron in association with Fe2O3 catalyst, helped accelerate the degradation of asphaltenes.
Catalyst particle shapes and pore structure engineering are crucial for alleviating internal diffusion limitations in the hydrodesulfurization (HDS)/hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) of gas oil. The effects of catalyst particle shapes (sphere, cylinder, trilobe, and tetralobe) and pore structures (pore diameter and porosity) on HDS/HDN performance at the particle scale are investigated via mathematical modeling. The relationship between particle shape and effectiveness factor is first established, and the specific surface areas of different catalyst particles show a positive correlation with the average HDS/HDN reaction rates. The catalyst particle shapes primarily alter the average HDS/HDN reaction rate to adjust the HDS/HDN effectiveness factor. An optimal average HDS/HDN reaction rate exists as the catalyst pore diameter and porosity increase, and this optimum value indicates a tradeoff between diffusion and reaction. In contrast to catalyst particle shapes, the catalyst pore diameter and the porosity of catalyst particles primarily alter the surface HDS/HDN reaction rate to adjust the HDS/HDN effectiveness factor. This study provides insights into the engineering of catalyst particle shapes and pore structures for improving HDS/HDN catalyst particle efficiency.
An energy minimum multiscale model was adjusted to simulate the mesoscale structure of the flue gas desulfurization process in a powder-particle spouted bed and verified experimentally. The obtained results revealed that the spout morphology simulated by the adjusted mesoscale drag model was unstable and discontinuous bubbling spout unlike the stable continuous spout obtained using the Gidaspow model. In addition, more thorough gas radial mixing was achieved using the adjusted mesoscale drag model. The mass fraction of water in the gas mixture at the outlet determined by the heterogeneous drag model was 1.5 times higher than that obtained by the homogeneous drag model during the simulation of water vaporization. For the desulfurization reaction, the experimental desulfurization efficiency was 75.03%, while the desulfurization efficiencies obtained by the Gidaspow and adjusted mesoscale drag models were 47.63% and 75.08%, respectively, indicating much higher accuracy of the latter technique.
Enzyme–metal hybrid catalysts bridge the gap between enzymatic and heterogeneous catalysis, which is significant for expanding biocatalysis to a broader scope. Previous studies have demonstrated that the enzyme–metal hybrid catalysts exhibited considerably higher catalytic efficiency in cascade reactions, compared with that of the combination of separated enzyme and metal catalysts. However, the precise mechanism of this phenomenon remains unclear. Here, we investigated the diffusion process in enzyme–metal hybrid catalysts using Pd/lipase-Pluronic conjugates and the combination of immobilized lipase (Novozyme 435) and Pd/C as models. With reference to experimental data in previous studies, the Weisz–Prater parameter and efficiency factor of internal diffusion were calculated to evaluate the internal diffusion limitations in these catalysts. Thereafter, a kinetic model was developed and fitted to describe the proximity effect in hybrid catalysts. Results indicated that the enhanced catalytic efficiency of hybrid catalysts may arise from the decreased internal diffusion limitation, size effect of Pd clusters and proximity of the enzyme and metal active sites, which provides a theoretical foundation for the rational design of enzyme–metal hybrid catalysts.
Ammonia electrooxidation reaction involving multistep electron-proton transfer is a significant reaction for fuel cells, hydrogen production and understanding nitrogen cycle. Platinum has been established as the best electrocatalyst for ammonia oxidation in aqueous alkaline media. In this study, Pt/nitrogen-doped graphene (NDG) and Pt/tungsten monocarbide (WC)/NDG are synthesized by a wet chemistry method and their ammonia oxidation activities are compared to commercial Pt/C. Pt/NDG exhibits a specific activity of 0.472 mA∙cm–2, which is 44% higher than commercial Pt/C, thus establishing NDG as a more effective support than carbon black. Moreover, it is demonstrated that WC as a support also impacts the activity with further 30% increase in comparison to NDG. Surface modification with Ir resulted in the best electrocatalytic activity with Pt-Ir/WC/NDG having almost thrice the current density of commercial Pt/C. This work adds insights regarding the role of NDG and WC as efficient supports along with significant impact of Ir surface modification.
This work reports on a simple microfluidic strategy to controllably fabricate uniform polymeric microparticles containing hierarchical porous structures integrated with highly accessible catalytic metal organic frameworks for efficient degradation of organic contaminants. Monodisperse (W1/O)/W2 emulsion droplets generated from microfluidics are used as templates for the microparticle synthesis. The emulsion droplets contain tiny water microdroplets from homogenization and water nanodroplets from diffusion-induced swollen micelles as the dual pore-forming templates, and Fe-based metal-organic framework nanorods as the nanocatalysts. The obtained microparticles possess interconnected hierarchical porous structures decorated with highly accessible Fe-based metal-organic framework nanorods for enhanced degradation of organic contaminants via a heterogeneous Fenton-like reaction. Such a degradation performance is highlighted by using these microparticles for efficient degradation of rhodamine B in hydrogen peroxide solution. This work provides a simple and general strategy to flexibly combine hierarchical porous structures and catalytic metal-organic frameworks to engineer advanced microparticles for water decontamination.
A series of Cu–Ce–Zr catalysts with different Ce contents are applied to the hydrogenation of CO2 to CO/CH3OH products. The Cu–Ce–Zr catalyst with 2 wt% Ce loading shows higher CO selectivity (SCO = 0.0%–87.8%) from 200–300 °C, while the Cu–Ce–Zr catalyst with 8 wt% Ce loading presents higher CO2 conversion (
In this paper, we proposed a microextraction approach for the extraction and separation of Mn(II) and Co(II) from sulfate solution simulating leachate of spent lithium-ion battery cathode materials using saponified di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid system. The effects of the following operational variables were investigated: equilibrium pH, tri-n-butyl phosphate concentration, saponification rate, two-phase ratio and residence time. The results showcased that the microextractor can reach the extraction equilibrium within 20 s, thereby greatly reducing necessary extraction time comparing to that of conventional processes. The volumetric mass transfer coefficient showed 8–21 times larger than that of batch device. With the help of microextractor, 95% of Mn(II) was extracted with a single theoretical stage at a chosen two-phase ratio of 3:1, and the separation factor
To increase antibody secretion and dose sparing, squalene-in-water aluminium hydrogel (alum)-stabilised emulsions (ASEs) have been developed, which offer increased surface areas and cellular interactions for higher antigen loading and enhanced immune responses. Nevertheless, the squalene (oil) in previous attempts suffered from limited oxidation resistance, thus, safety and stability were compromised. From a clinical translational perspective, it is imperative to screen the optimal oils for enhanced emulsion adjuvants. Here, because of the varying oleic to linoleic acid ratio, soybean oil, peanut oil, and olive oil were utilised as oil phases in the preparation of aluminium hydrogel-stabilised squalene-in-water emulsions, which were then screened for their stability and immunogenicity. Additionally, the underlying mechanisms of oil phases and emulsion stability were unravelled, which showed that a higher oleic to linoleic acid ratio increased anti-oxidative capabilities but reduced the long-term storage stability owing to the relatively low zeta potential of the prepared droplets. As a result, compared with squalene-in-water ASEs, soybean-in-water ASEs exhibited comparable immune responses and enhanced stability. By optimising the oil phase of the emulsion adjuvants, this work may offer an alternative strategy for safe, stable, and effective emulsion adjuvants.
The high contents of nitrogen-containing organic compounds in biocrude obtained from hydrothermal liquefaction of microalgae are one of the most concerned issues on the applications and environment. In the project, Chlorella sp. and Spirulina sp. were selected as raw materials to investigate the influence of different reaction conditions (i.e., reaction temperature, residence time, solid loading rate) on the distribution of nitrogen in the oil phase and aqueous phase. Three main forms of nitrogen-containing organic compounds including nitrogen-heterocyclic compounds, amide, and amine were detected in biocrudes. The contents of nitrogen-heterocyclic compounds decreased with temperature while amide kept increasing. The effect of residence time on the components of nitrogen-containing organic compounds was similar with that of temperature. However, the influence of solid loading rate was insignificant. Moreover, it was also found that the differences of amino acids in the protein components in the two microalgae might affect the nitrogen distribution in products. For example, nitrogen in basic amino acids of Spirulina sp. preferred to go into the aqueous phase comparing with the nitrogen in neutral amino acids of Chlorella sp. In summary, a brief reaction map was proposed to describe the nitrogen pathway during microalgae hydrothermal liquefaction.
Recent advances in novel electroactive devices have placed new requirements on material development. High-performance dielectric elastomers with good mechanical stretchability and high dielectric constant are under high demand. However, the current strategy for fabricating these materials suffers from high cost or low thermal stability, which greatly hinders large-scale industrial production. Herein, we have successfully developed a novel strategy for improving the dielectric constant of polymeric elastomers via deep eutectic solvent inclusion by taking advantage of the low cost, convenient and environmentally benign synthesis process and high ionic conductivity from deep eutectic solvents. The as-prepared composite elastomers showed good stretchability and a greatly enhanced dielectric constant with a negligible increase in dielectric dissipation. Moreover, we have proven the universality of our strategy by using different types of deep eutectic solvents. It is believed that low-cost, easy-synthesis and environmentally friendly deep eutectic solvents including composite elastomers are highly suitable for large-scale industrial production and can greatly broaden the application fields of dielectric elastomers.
The diffusion kinetics of a molecular probe—rhodamine B—in ternary aqueous solutions containing poly(vinyl alcohol), glycerol, and surfactants was investigated using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering. We show that the diffusion characteristics of rhodamine B in such complex systems is determined by a synergistic effect of molecular crowding and intermolecular interactions between chemical species. The presence of glycerol has no noticeable impact on rhodamine B diffusion at low concentration, but significantly slows down the diffusion of rhodamine B above 3.9% (w/v) due to a dominating steric inhibition effect. Furthermore, introducing surfactants (cationic/nonionic/anionic) to the system results in a decreased diffusion coefficient of the molecular probe. In solutions containing nonionic surfactant, this can be explained by an increased crowding effect. For ternary poly(vinyl alcohol) solutions containing cationic or anionic surfactant, surfactant–polymer and surfactant–rhodamine B interactions alongside the crowding effect of the molecules slow down the overall diffusivity of rhodamine B. The results advance our insight of molecular migration in a broad range of industrial complex formulations that incorporate multiple compounds, and highlight the importance of selecting the appropriate additives and surfactants in formulated products.
Liposomes, the self-assembled phospholipid vesicles, have been extensively used in various fields such as artificial cells, drug delivery systems, biosensors and cosmetics. However, current microfluidic routes to liposomes mostly rely on water-in-oil-in-water double emulsion droplets as templates, and require complex fabrication of microfluidic devices, and tedious manipulation of multiphase fluids. Here we present a simple microfluidic approach to preparing monodisperse liposomes from oil-in-water droplets. For demonstration, we used butyl acetate-water-ethanol ternary mixtures as inner phase and an aqueous solution of surfactants as outer phase to make oil-in-water droplets, which can evolve into water-in-oil-in-water double emulsion droplets by liquid–liquid phase separation of ternary mixtures. Subsequently, the resultant water-in-oil-in-water droplets underwent a dewetting transition to form separated monodisperse liposomes and residual oil droplets, with the assistance of surfactants. The method is simple, does not require complex microfluidic devices and tedious manipulation, and provides a new platform for controllable preparation of liposomes.
This communication paper provides an overview of multi-scale smart systems engineering (SSE) approaches and their applications in crucial domains including materials discovery, intelligent manufacturing, and environmental management. A major focus of this interdisciplinary field is on the design, operation and management of multi-scale systems with enhanced economic and environmental performance. The emergence of big data analytics, internet of things, machine learning, and general artificial intelligence could revolutionize next-generation research, industry and society. A detailed discussion is provided herein on opportunities, challenges, and future directions of SSE in response to the pressing carbon-neutrality targets.
