Phenol hydrogenation to cyclohexanone over palladium nanoparticles loaded on charming activated carbon adjusted by facile heat treatment

Selective phenol hydrogenation is a green approach to produce cyclohexanone.It still remains a big challenge to prepare efficient supports of the catalysts for the phenol hydrogenation via a simple and cost-effective approach.Herein,a facile approach was developed,i.e.,direct calcination of activated carbon(AC)under argon at high temperature,to improve its structure and surface properties.The modified AC materials were supported with Pd nanoparticles(NPs)to fabricate the Pd/C catalysts.The as-prepared Pd/C600 catalyst exhibits superior catalytic performance in the phenol hydrogenation,and its turnover frequency(TOF)value is 199.2 h^-1,1.31 times to that of Pd/C-raw.The Pd/C600 catalyst presents both better hydrophobicity and more structural defects,contributing to the improved dispersibility in the reaction solution(phenol-cyclohexane),the better Pd dispersion and the smaller Pd size,which result in the enhancement of the catalytic performance.Furthermore,the as-prepared Pd/C600 catalyst shows a good recyclability.

Nb_(2)O_(5)promoted Pd/AC catalyst for selective phenol hydrogenation to cyclohexanone

Phenol hydrogenation is a green route to prepare cyclohexanone,an intermediate for the production of nylon 66 and nylon 6.The development of high-performance catalysts still keeps a great challenge.Herein,the activated carbon(AC)was modified with an acidic material Nb_(2)O_(5)to adjust the microstructure and surface properties of AC,and the influences of the calcination temperature and Nb_(2)O_(5)content on the catalytic performance of the Pd/AC-Nb_(2)O_(5)catalysts for the phenol hydrogenation to cyclohexanone were investigated.The Nb_(2)O_(5)with proper content can be highly uniformly distributed on the AC surface,enhancing the acidity of the Pd/AC-Nb_(2)O_(5)catalysts with comparable specific surface area and Pd dispersion,thereby improving the catalytic activity.The hybrid Pd/AC-10 Nb_(2)O_(5)-500 catalyst exhibits the synergistic effect between the Pd nanoparticles and AC-10 Nb_(2)O_(5),which enhances the catalytic activity for the hydrogenation of phenol.Furthermore,the as-prepared Pd/AC-10 Nb_(2)O_(5)-500 catalyst shows good reusability during 7 reaction cycles.

Electroneutral Quaternization/Sulfosuccination for Alleviating the Adverse Effect of Paste Aging on the Properties of Corn Starch Film

For the purpose of alleviating the adverse effect of paste aging on the properties of corn starch film, a series of electroneutrally quaternized/sulfosuccinylated starches（EQSS） with different degrees of substitution（DS） were synthesized via the quaternization/sulfosuccination of acid-thinned corn starch（ATS） by varying the amounts of N-（3-chloro-2-hydroxypropl） trimethylammonium chloride, maleic anhydride, and sodium hydrogen sulfite. The influence of paste aging on the properties of starch film cast from heat-induced starch paste was investigated and the properties were explored in terms of tensile strength, elongation, work at break, degree of crystallinity, and flex-fatigue resistance. The experimental results showed that the paste ageing generated adverse influence on the elongation, work at break, and flex-fatigue resistance of starch film. Further experiments showed that electroneutral quaternization/sulfosuccination of starch were able to alleviate the negative effect of paste ageing on the elongation, work at break, and flex-fatigue resistance, thereby obviously enhancing the elongation, work at break and flex-fatigue resistance, and thus reducing the drawback of brittleness. The enhancement depended on the amounts of the substituents introduced. With the increase in DS value, the elongation and work at break as well as flex-fatigue resistance continuously rose, whereas the tensile strength gradually reduced.

Investigation on Mechanical Properties of CMSLDS/Acrylate Copolymeric Blending Films for Warp Sizing

Carboxymethyl starch with lower degree of substitution was, blended with acrylate copolymer for revealing the relation between mechanical properties and chemical structure of blending film. Effects of carboxymethylation of starch, acrylate constituent units of acrylate copolymers, and copolymer content of the film on the properties were investigated. The mechanical properties were evaluated in terms of tensile strength, breaking elongation, abrasion resistance, and flex-fatigue resistance. Film morphology was examined with X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and atomic force microscope （AFM）. It was found that the properties depended on the degree of substitution of carboxymethyl starch, chemical structure of acrylate units, and content of acrylate copolymer. Phase-separation of the two ingredients occurred within film matrix and the separation was decreased after starch carboxymethylation. Breaking elongation and flex-fatigue resistance of the film reached maximmns when acrylate copolymer content was 50%. Excessively increasing the content of acrylate copolymer reduced the film properties.

The Usability of Polyoxyethylene Stearate as Lubricant for Sizing Cotton Warp Yarns

The usability of polyoxyethylene stearate with 10 ethylene epoxides(POES 10) as lubricant in warp sizing was investigated for replacing sizing cream in order to prevent blockage of paste delivery tube.The influences of POES 10 and sizing cream upon the adhesion of starch to fibers and the performances of starch film were measured and compared.Then,the usability of POES 10 as lubricant was evaluated through the comparison between POES 10 and sizing cream in tensile behaviors,abrasion resistance,and hairiness of sized cotton yarns.The experimental observation demonstrates that the influence of POES 10 upon the adhesion is similar to that of sizing cream.POES 10 is superior to sizing cream in tensile strength and breaking elongation of starch film when mass content of lubricants is equal to or exceeds 2%.Incorporating POES 10 into starch makes starch film more resistant to wear.Furthermore,POES 10 is preferred to sizing cream in the increase in tensile strength,loss in elongation,and abrasion resistance of sized cotton yarns.Using POES 10 as lubricant in size formulation is favorable to the decrease of longer hairs on sized yarns.POES 10 exhibits potential use during cotton warp sizing for replacing sizing cream.

Effects of Some Additives on the Adhesion of Polyacrylamide Sizes to Fibers

The influences of some additives such as dissolving promoters, plasticizers and molecular stabilizers of polyacryiamide sizes on the adhesion of the sizes to polyester and cotton fibers were investigated for warp sizing. The additives evaluated included glycerine, sodium sulfate, sodium nitrite, urea, thiourea, and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate. By an impregnated roving method, the adhesion was evaluated in terms of the maximum strength and work to break of slightly sized roving. The polyacrylamide used was prepared through solution polymerization by free radical initiator. It was found that the variation in the adhesion depends not only on the type and amount of additives, but also on the fibers to be glued, Some additives improve the adhesion while others can not. To enhance the adhesion, sodium sulfate is superior to urea or sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate as dissolving promoters; sodium nitrite is better than urea as plasticizers~ and glycerine is favorable to urea and thiourea as molecule stabilizer. Moreover, the experimental results arc also discussed and analyzed from the viewpoint of adhesion theory, especially in accordance with the weak boundary layer and internal stress on the interfaces of fiber-adhesive layer.

Preparation and Characterization of Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Nanofibers

A new class of nanocomposites based on organic and inorganic species integrated at a nanoscale has obtained more attention these years. Organic-inorganic hybrids have both the advantages of organic materials, such as light weight, flexibility and good moldability, and inorganic materials, such as high strength, heat stability and chemical resistance. In this work, PVAc/TiO2 organicinorganic hybrid was prepared by sol-gel process. Eiectrospinning technique was used to fabricate PVAc/TiO2 hybrid nanofibers. The structures and properties of the hybrid nanofibers were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy （SEM）, Atomic Force Microscope （AFM）, Differential Scanning Calorimeter （DSC） and Fouriertransform infrared （FTIR） spectra. SEM and AFM were employed to study the topography of the hybrid nanofibers. The chemical structure of the hybrid nanofibers were examined by FTIR. The DSC scans revealed the second order transition temperature of the hybrid materials were higher than PVAc.

Dramatic Difference Between Cu_(20)H_(8)and Cu_(20)H_(9)Clusters in Catalysis

Sensitivity to structure and composition is very challenging to establish in nanocatalysis due to inadequate definition of structures that are very close in composition.We synthesized a pair of atomically precise copper clusters that are very close in composition,[Cu_(20)H_(9)(Tf-dpf)_(10)]·BF4(Cu_(20)H_(9))and[Cu_(20)H_(8)(Tf-dpf)_(10)]·(BF_(4))_(2)(Cu_(20)H_(8)),by using a pyridyl-functionalized flexible amidinate ligand,N,N′-di(5-trifluoromethyl-2-pyridyl)formamidinate.The one-hydride difference in their composition leads to significant variation in geometric and electronic structures and,consequently,distinctly different optical and catalytic properties.Cu_(20)H_(8)exhibits 25 times higher catalytic activity than Cu_(20)H_(9)(96.7%vs 3.7%in yield)in the selective hydrogenation of anα,β-unsaturated aldehyde(cinnamaldehyde)to saturated aldehyde(3-phenylpropanal).Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry combined with density functional theory calculations reveal that the greater ease of dissociation of one Tf-dpf ligand compared to Cu_(20)H_(8)is the key to its higher activity.This work demonstrates a clear case of structure and composition sensitivity in nanocatalysis and that one hydride,out of∼330 atoms in the nanoclusters,can make a huge difference in the catalytic activity.These insights will be useful in the design and synthesis of atomically precise nanocatalysts.

Effects of transparent inorganic pigment on spectral properties of spectrum-fingerprint anti-counterfeiting fiber containing rare earths

Transparent inorganic pigment is the color-filler material for manufacturing spectrum-fingerprint anti-counterfeiting fiber, and has great effects on the emission spectral characteristics of the fiber. In order to explain the change mechanism of the emission spectral character- istics of spectrum-fingerprint anti-counterfeiting fiber and to promote the development of the fiber, several kinds of spectrum-fingerprint fiber samples were prepared by using rare-earth strontium aluminate and polyethylene terephthalate （PET） as raw materials and by adding different kinds of transparent inorganic pigments respectively in this research. The effect of transparent inorganic pigment on the spectral characteristics of the fiber was analyzed in detail by means of scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and fluorescence spectrometer. The results showed that transparent inorganic pigment had no effect on the dispersion state and phase structure of rare-earth luminescent mate- rial in spectrum-fingerprint fiber and the microscopic morphology of the fiber. However, transparent inorganic pigment did affect the excitation and emission process of spectrum-fingerprint fiber so as to decrease its excitation and emission efficiency. The change of both the type and content of transparent inorganic pigment exerted great effects on the excitation and emission spectra of the fiber. Therefore, it was a feasible way to control the emission spectrum of spectrum-fingerprint fiber through changing the type and content of transparent inorganic pigment.

Preparation and properties of rare earth luminous fiber containing red organic fluorescent pigment

Rare earth luminous fiber was prepared by method of melt spinning. X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron micros-copy （SEM）, and fluorescence spectrophotometer as well as afterglow brightness tester were used to characterize the resulting sam-ples. Results from XRD and SEM demonstrated that the phase of SrA12O4：Eu2＋,Dy3＋in the fiber was not destroyed in the manufac-turing process and the as-formed luminous fiber consisted of irregular particles. Under ultraviolet excitation, the luminous fiber exhib-ited a yellow-green and orange-red emission band with a maximum at 520 nm and around 600 nm originating from SrAl2O4：Eu2＋, Dy3＋and red organic fluorescent pigments. The energy transfer process was further studied. Furthermore, the emission colors of lu-minous fibers could be tuned from yellow-green to orange-red easily by doping red organic fluorescent pigment, making the materials have potential application in many areas.

Factors affecting afterglow properties of red-emitting phosphor MgSiO_3:Mn^(2+),Nd^(3+) for luminescent fiber

With stable physical properties, the rare-earth silicate phosphor of MgSiO3：Mn2＋,Nd3＋ is one of the suitable luminescent materials used in preparing functional fibers. In order to promote the afterglow properties of red-emitting phosphors, we prepared it by means of solid-state reaction, and the effect of manufacturing elements including H3BO3 and environmental factor of calcining temperature, type of flux on its luminescence property were investigated through evaluating their afterglow properties. The results showed that with the concentration of Nd3＋ increasing, the amounts of H3BO3 doping and calcining temperature, the afterglow time and initial brightness of the rare-earth silicate phosphor increased and then decreased gradually. The afterglow properties of different flux concentration were different from one to another as： H3BO3〉Na＋〉K＋〉No flux.

Superhydrophobic and luminescent cotton fabrics prepared by dip-coating of APTMS modified SrAl2O4:Eu2+,Dy3+particles in the presence of SU8 and fluorinated alkyl silane

An organic-inorganic composite dip-coating method was adopted in order to obtain ideal water repellent cotton fabrics. To be specific, a dual-functional coating with both superhydrophobic and luminescent properties was prepared on cotton fabric by using a dip-coating solution comprising （3-aminopropyl） trimethoxysilane （APTMS） modified SrA1204：Eu2＋,Dy3＋particles, SU8, and fluorinated alkyl silane （FAS）. The micro/nano-scale roughness generated by SrA1204：Eu2＋,Dy3＋ particles, together with low-sur- face-energy FAS, rendered the cotton fabric superhydrophobic with a water contact angle of about 160° and a sliding angle as small as 2°. The coated fabric could withstand at least 100 cycles of standard laundry. The emission spectra of the coated fabric showed two emission peaks at 440 and 520 nm, which belonged to the blue and yellow-green color areas, respectively. The afterglow duration of the coated fabric was mainly influenced by the different depths of the trap levels in the SrA1204：Eu2＋,Dy3＋.

High-performance textile piezoelectric pressure sensor with novel structural hierarchy based on ZnO nanorods array for wearable application

With the increasing demand for smart wearable clothing, the textile piezoelectric pressure sensor (T-PEPS) that can harvest mechanical energy directly has attracted significant attention. However, the current challenge of T-PEPS lies in remaining the outstanding output performance without compromising its wearing comfort. Here, a novel structural hierarchy T-PEPS based on the single-crystalline ZnO nanorods are designed. The T-PEPS is constructed with three layers mode consisting of a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane, the top and bottom layers of conductive rGO polyester (PET) fabrics with self-orientation ZnO nanorods. As a result, the as-fabricated T-PEPS shows low detection limit up to 8.71 Pa, high output voltage to 11.47 V and superior mechanical stability. The sensitivity of the sensor is 0.62 V·kPa−1 in the pressure range of 0–2.25 kPa. Meanwhile, the T-PEPS is employed to detect human movements such as bending/relaxation motion of the wrist, bending/stretching motion of each finger. It is demonstrated that the T-PEPS can be up-scaled to promote the application of wearable sensor platforms and self-powered devices.

Effect of y/x ratio on luminescence properties of xSrO·yAl_2O_3:Eu^(2+),Dy^(3+) luminous fiber

Rare earth strontium aluminate luminous fiber is a novel functional fiber. In order to investigate the influence of Al/Sr ratio on luminescence properties of xSrO·yAl2O3：Eu2＋,Dy3＋ luminous fibers, several kinds of rare earth strontium aluminate luminous fibers were prepared by using rare-earth strontium aluminate as the rare-earth luminescent material and fiber-forming polymers such as polymer polyethylene terephthalate（PET） as a matrix and combining them with functional additives. X-ray diffraction（XRD）, fluorescence spectrophotometer, and afterglow brightness tester as well as microcomputer thermo-luminescence dosimeters were used to characterize the resulting samples. Results from XRD demonstrated that the phase of xSrO·yAl2O3：Eu2＋,Dy3＋ luminous fibers were different from one another as the Al/Sr ratio changed. Emission spectra of the samples with different Al/Sr ratios showed that emission intensity increased with the decrease of A1/Sr ratio at first then increased when it was over 2/1. From afterglow decay results, it could be found that Sr-rich sample showed lower luminance and shorter persistent time.

Green Plant Leaf-inspired Smart Camouflage Fabrics for Visible Light and Near-infrared Stealth

Due to Visible light and Near-Infrared(Vis–NIR)stealth play an important role in the commercial,military,and scientific fields,camouflage materials related to it attracted increasing attention in decades.Green plant leaves,as the most extensive background materials on the earth,were widely simulated in the camouflage materials.However,difficult full-spectrum simulation(380–2500 nm),low-similarity simulation and the complex preparation have been great challenges for Vis–NIR Camouflage Materials(Vis–NIR-CMs).Herein,basing on the color-matching principle,two novel Vis–NIR-CMs including Dark Green Materials and Light Green Materials(DGM and LGM)were facilely fabricated by simple printing organic disperse dyes including C.I.Disperse Blue 291,C.I.Disperse Yellow 114,and C.I.Disperse Orange 30(B-291,Y-114 and O-30),and titanium dioxide(TiO_(2))on the viscose fabrics.Based on the excellent red edge property of B-291 and high scattering ability of TiO2,DGM and LGM exhibited generally high spectral correlation coefficients r_(m)(>0.95)with green plant leaves.Moreover,with the great color performance,excellent objects covering performance,low areal density(<146.3 g cm^(−2)),high tensile strength(>7.7 MPa),high softness(>81.27),high air permeability(>45.848 mm s^(−1)),DGM and LGM showed good simulation performance and wearing comfort to satisfy the application needs.This work presents a high-similarity Vis–NIR-CMs as a reference for full-spectrum camouflage materials,as well as low-cost and efficient preparation method is beneficial to the development of camouflage field.

Effect of light conversion agent on luminous properties of a new down-converting material SrAl_2O_4:Eu^(2+),Dy^(3+)/light conversion agent

A new luminous material SrAl2O4：Eu^2＋,Dy^3＋/light conversion agent that can emit red light in the darkness after being excited was fabricated by combining light conversion agent on to SrAl2O4：Eu^2＋,Dy^3＋ particles through YsiX3.The morphology of the luminous materials was analyzed by scan electron microscopy（SEM）.The emission behavior was evaluated by fluorescence spectrophotometric analysis and the results demonstrated that the emission spectra of samples had a redshift compared to SrAl2O4：Eu^2＋,Dy^3＋ and the emission intensity rose dramatically at first and then decreased when the ratio of light conversion agent doping was over 1.4 wt.%.And the emission color of SrAl2O4：Eu^2＋,Dy^3＋/light conversion agent was tuned from green（SrAl2O4：Eu^2＋,Dy^3＋）to orange-red.Furthermore,the afterglow property was also investigated,and the results indicated that the afterglow brightness reached 6.5 cd/m^2,and as the light conversion agent concentration increased the brightness intensity decreased.

Researches on preparation and properties of polypropylene nonwovens containing rare earth luminous materials

Polypropylene composite nonwovens containing rare-earth strontium aluminates Sr Al2O4：Eu2＋,Dy3＋ and functional additives were fabricated by the spun-bonded technique.The optical properties, morphology and mechanical properties of the samples were characterized.Results from scanning electron microscopy photographs（SEM） indicated that the surface of the fiber was destroyed by the addition of rare earth luminescent materials lightly but the thickness of the fiber was uniform.Differential scanning calorimetry results showed that pure polypropylene has the double crystallization peak at 162.3 and 165.1 °C.Studies from X-ray diffraction showed that the nonwoven prepared with the luminescent materials contained the α-monoclinic crystal and β crystalline phase.Furthermore, the afterglow properties were tested, which showed that the afterglow curve of the luminous nonwoven was similar to that of strontium aluminate, and the intensity was more intensive than luminous nonwoven at the beginning.The nonwoven fabricated with the luminescent material did not affect the crystal lattice of the polymer making the materials have potential applications in fluorescent lamps and field emission displays（FEDs）.