Combined Promoting Effects of Specific Organic Functional Groups and Alumina Surface Characteristics for the Design of a Highly Efficient NiMo/Al_(2)O_(3) Hydrodesulfurization Catalyst

To prepare a highly efficient NiMo/Al_(2)O_(3) hydrodesulfurization catalyst,the combined effects of specific organic functional groups and alumina surface characteristics were investigated.First,the correlation between the surface characteristics of four different alumina and the existing Mo species states was established.It was found that the Mo equilibrium adsorption capacity can be used as a specific descriptor to quantitatively evaluate the changes in surface characteristics of different alumina.A lower Mo equilibrium adsorption capacity for alumina means weaker metal-support interaction and the loaded Mo species are easier to transform into MoS2.However,the Mo-O-Al bonds still exist at the metal-support interface.The introduction of cationic surfactant hecadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide(CTAB)can further improve Mo species dispersion through electrostatic attraction with Mo anions and interaction of its alkyl chain with the alumina surface;meanwhile,the introduction of ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid(EDTA)can complex with Ni ions to enhance the Ni-promoting effect on Mo.Therefore,the NiMo catalyst designed using alumina with lower Mo equilibrium adsorption capacity and the simultaneous addition of EDTA and CTAB exhibits the highest hydrodesulfurization activity for 4,6-dimethyl dibenzothiophene because of its proper metal-support interaction and more well-dispersed Ni-Mo-S active phases.

Overstory functional groups indicate the legacy of land use in a secondary tropical forest in southwestern China

Anthropogenic disturbances are widespread in tropical forests and influence the species composition in the overstory.However,the impacts of historical disturbance on tropical forest overstory recovery are unclear due to a lack of disturbance data,and previous studies have focused on understory species.In this study,the purpose was to deter-mine the influence of historical disturbance on the diver-sity,composition and regeneration of overstory species in present forests.In the 20-ha Xishuangbanna tropical sea-sonal rainforest dynamics plot in southwestern China,the historical disturbance boundaries were delineated based on panchromatic photographs from 1965.Factors that drove species clustering in the overstory layer(DBH≥40 cm)were analyzed and the abundance,richness and composition of these species were compared among different tree groups based on multiple regression tree analysis.The coefficient of variation of the brightness value in historical panchro-matic photographs from 1965 was the primary driver of spe-cies clustering in the overstory layer.The abundance and richness of overstory species throughout the regeneration process were similar,but species composition was always different.Although the proportion of large-seeded and vigorous-sprouting species showed no significant differ-ence between disturbed and undisturbed forests in the tree-let layer(DBH<20 cm),the difference became significant when DBH increased.The findings highlight that historical disturbances have strong legacy effects on functional group composition in the overstory and the recovery of overstory species was multidimensional.Functional group composi-tion can better indicate the dynamics of overstory species replacement during secondary succession.

Stabilizing Buried Interface via Synergistic Effect of Fluorine and Sulfonyl Functional Groups Toward Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells

The interfacial defects and energy barrier are main reasons for interfacial nonradiative recombination.In addition,poor perovskite crystallization and incomplete conversion of PbI_(2) to perovskite restrict further enhancement of the photovoltaic performance of the devices using sequential deposition.Herein,a buried interface stabilization strategy that relies on the synergy of fluorine(F)and sulfonyl(S=O)functional groups is proposed.A series of potassium salts containing halide and non-halogen anions are employed to modify SnO_(2)/perovskite buried interface.Multiple chemical bonds including hydrogen bond,coordination bond and ionic bond are realized,which strengthens interfacial contact and defect passivation effect.The chemical interaction between modification molecules and perovskite along with SnO_(2) heightens incessantly as the number of S=O and F augments.The chemical interaction strength between modifiers and perovskite as well as SnO_(2) gradually increases with the increase in the number of S=O and F.The defect passivation effect is positively correlated with the chemical interaction strength.The crystallization kinetics is regulated through the compromise between chemical interaction strength and wettability of substrates.Compared with Cl−,all non-halogen anions perform better in crystallization optimization,energy band regulation and defect passivation.The device with potassium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide achieves a tempting efficiency of 24.17%.

States of graphene oxide and surface functional groups amid adsorption of dyes and heavy metal ions

Water pollution regarding dyes and heavy metal ions is crucial facing the world.How to effectively separate these contaminants from water has been a key issue.Graphene oxide(GO)promises the greenwater world as a long-lasting spotlight adsorbent material and therefore,harnessing GO has been the research hotspot for over a decade.The state of GO as well as its surface functional groups plays an important role in adsorption.And the way of preparation and structural modification matters to the performance of GO.In this review,the significance of the state of existence of stock GO and surface functional groups is explored in terms of preparation,structural modification,and adsorption.Besides,various adsorbates for GO adsorption are also involved,the discussion of which is rarely established elsewhere.

Eff ects of stand condition and root density on fi ne-root dynamics across root functional groups in a subtropical montane forest

Fine roots play key roles in belowground C cycling in terrestrial ecosystems.Based on their distinct functions,fi ne roots are either absorptive fi ne roots(AFRs)or transport fi ne roots(TFRs).However,the function-based fi ne root dynamics of trees and their responses to forest stand properties remain unclear.Here,we studied the dynamics of AFRs and TFRs and their responses to stand conditions and root density in a subtropical montane mixed forest based on a 2-a root window experiment.Mean(±SE)annual production,mortality,and turnover rate of AFRs were 7.87±0.17 m m^(−2)a^(−1),8.13±0.20 m m^(−2)a^(−1)and 2.96±0.24 a^(−1),respectively,compared with 7.09±0.17 m m^(−2)a^(−1),4.59±0.17 m m^(−2)a^(−1),and 2.01±0.22 a^(−1),respectively,for TFRs.The production and mortality of fi ne roots were signifi cantly higher in high root-density sites than in low-root density sites,whereas the turnover of fi ne roots was faster in the low root-density sites.Furthermore,root density had a larger positive eff ect than other environmental factors on TFR production but had no obvious impact on AFR production.Tree species diversity had an apparent positive eff ect on AFR production and was the crucial driver of AFR production,probably due to a complementary eff ect,but had no evident impact on TFR.Both tree density and tree species diversity were positively correlated with the mortality of AFRs and negatively related to the turnover of TFRs,suggesting that higher root density caused stronger competition for rooting space and that plants tend to reduce maintenance costs by decreasing TFR turnover.These fi ndings illustrated the importance of root functional groups in understanding root dynamics and their responses to changes in environmental conditions.

Effect of acidic surface functional groups on Cr(Ⅵ) removal by activated carbon from aqueous solution

The activated carbon with high surface area was prepared by KOH activation.It was further modified by H2SO4 and HNO3 to introduce more surface functional groups.The pore structure of the activated carbons before and after modification was analyzed based on the nitrogen adsorption isotherms.The morphology of those activated carbons was characterized using scanning electronic microscopy （SEM）.The surface functional groups were determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR）.The quantity of those groups was measured by the Boehm titration method.Cr（VI） removal by the activated carbons from aqueous solution was investigated at different pH values.The results show that compared with H2SO4,HNO3 destructs the original pore of the activated carbon more seriously and induces more acidic surface functional groups on the activated carbon.The pH value of the solution plays a key role in the Cr（VI） removal.The ability of reducing Cr（VI） to Cr（III） by the activated carbons is relative to the acidic surface functional groups.At higher pH values,the Cr（VI） removal ratio is improved by increasing the acidic surface functional groups of the activated carbons.At lower pH values,however,the acidic surface functional groups almost have no effect on the Cr（VI） removal by the activated carbon from aqueous solution.

The Trace Elements are Bounded by Organic Functional Groups in Coal:A Studying Result Based on FTIR Analysis

The relationship between trace elements in coal and organic functional groups of coal, also some of aromatic structure, was investigated by using curve fitting of infrared spectra. Cluster analysis was also performed according to the degree of affinity of organic groups to the trace elements. The results show that there is a possibility that trace elements, especially LREE, were bound to peripheral organic functional groups of middle rank coal macromolecule. The most possible functional group that binds trace element is the hydroxyl, and to the less degree, the asymmetric -CH3 and 〉CH2 stretching, -CH3 stretching, etc. The degree of affinity of trace elements to different functional groups varies. The tendency obeys the natural structural changing law of trace elements-- the periodic law. The deviation of some trace elements from this regular trend is attributed to the deviation of intrinsic ＂confusion degree＂ （conventional molar entropy） of the matter system of coal basin, which is affected by the inner and outer factors during the evolution.

Synthesis and Adsorption Properties of Polystyrene-supported Chelating Resins Containing Heterocyclic Functional Groups

A series of new chelating resins with incorporating heterocyclic functional groups： pyridine, thiadizole, benzothizole into macroporous chloromethylated polystyrene were synthesized via hydrophilic spacer arm of polyethylene glycol containing sulfur. These chelating resins were found to show high adsorption capacities for Ag^＋, Hg^2＋, Au^3＋ and Pd^2＋, and the presence of spacer arm can enhance adsorption ability due to increase the hydrophilicity of the chelating resins.

Adsorption of cadmium ions from aqueous solutions by activated carbon with oxygen-containing functional groups

The adsorption of aqueous cadmium ions(Cd(Ⅱ)) have been investigated for modified activated carbon(AC-T)with oxygen-containing functional groups.The oxygen-containing groups of AC-T play an important role in Cd(Ⅱ) ion adsorption onto AC-T.The modified activated carbon is characterized by scanning electron microscopy,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).The results of batch experiments indicate that the maximal adsorption could be achieved over the broad pH range of 4.5 to 6.5.Adsorption isotherms and kinetic study suggest that the sorption of Cd(Ⅱ) onto AC-T produces monolayer coverage and that adsorption is controlled by chemical adsorption.And the adsorbent has a good reusability.According to the FT-IR and XPS analyses,electrostatic attraction and cation exchange between Cd(Ⅱ) and oxygen-containing functional groups on AC-T are dominant mechanisms for Cd(Ⅱ) adsorption.

Board-invited review: Sensitivity and responses of functional groups to feed processing methods on a molecular basis

In complex feed structures, there exist main chemical functional groups which are associated with nutrient utilization and availability and functionality. Each functional group has unique molecular structure therefore produce unique molecular vibration spectral profile. Feed processing has been used to improve nutrient utilization for many years. However, to date, there was little study on processing-induced changes of feed intrinsic structure and functional groups on a molecular basis within intact tissue. This is because limited research technique is available to study inherent structure on a molecular basis. Recently bioanalytical techniques： such as Synchrotron Infrared Microspectroscopy as well as Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform molecular spectroscopy have been developed. These techniques enable to detect molecular structure change within intact tissues. These techniques can prevent destruction or alteration of the intrinsic protein structures during processing for analysis. However, these techniques have not been used in animal feed and nutrition research. The objective of this review was show that with the advanced technique, sensitivity and responses of functional groups to feed processing on a molecular basis could be detected in my research team. These functional groups are highly associated with nutrient utilization in animals.

The key environmental factors driving the succession of phytoplankton functional groups in Hongfeng Reservoir, southwest China

Reservoirs are an important water source in many densely populated areas in southwest China.Phytoplankton play an essential role in maintaining the structure and function of reservoir ecosystems.Understanding the succession in phytoplankton communities and the factors driving it are essential for eff ective water quality management in drinking water reservoirs.In this study,water samples were collected monthly at the surface layers from March 2016 to December 2019 in Hongfeng Reservoir,southwest China.The relationship between functional group succession was analyzed based on nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis(NMDS),redundancy analysis(RDA),succession rate,and other analysis methods.The results showed distinct shifts in the community structure of phytoplankton functional groups within study period.The Cyclotella sp.was dominant in 2016 and 2017,and Pseudanabaena limnetica was the dominant group in 2018 and 2019.It appears that the phytoplankton composition and biomass are closely related to the water temperature and nutrient status in this reservoir.The results clearly showed that the permanganate index(COD_(Mn))was the key factor of dramatic phytoplankton functional group succession,and the change in succession rates was closely caused by total nitrogen concentration(TN).Therefore,the succession pattern and key factors of Hongfeng Reservoir revealed in this study were important guidance for the management of drinking water reservoirs in southwest China.A reasonable limit on exogenous nutrient input should be a priority,especially in high water temperature period.

Synthesis and Adsorption Properties of Chelating Resins Containing Sulfoxide and Heterocyclic Functional Groups

Several of new chelating resins containing sulfoxide and heterocyclic functional groups （3-aminopyridine and 2-mercaptobenzothiazole） based on macroporous chloromethylated polystyrene were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and infrared spectra. Their adsorption capacities towards Zn^2＋, Cu^2＋, Pb^2＋, Hg^2＋ and Ag^＋ at pH 3.0 and 6.0 were investigated in detail. It was found that the adsorption capacities of the resins containing bis[（3-pyridylaminoethyl）sulfoxide or （2-benzothiazolylthioethyl）sulfoxide for the above ions were higher than that on ones containing single above-mentioned groups.

Diversity and biomass of different functional groups of herbaceous species along an altitudinal gradient in the semi-arid Zagros mountain forests of Iran

The response of diversity and biomass of herbaceous functional groups along an altitudinal gradient in mountainous forests of southern Zagros,Khuzestan Province,Iran was studied by sampling vegetation in 30 circular 1000-m^2 plots in herb layer of the forest floor within 646–2447 m asl(lowland:<1000 m asl,midland:1000–2000 m asl,highland:>2000 m asl).The most important herbaceous functional groups were classified based on two aspects of growth form:annuals–perennials,grasses–forbs.Then the relationship between the diversity,richness,evenness,biomass and elevation was analyzed.The results showed that the annual functional group in the low-and midland classes,and perennial functional group in the lowland class had the highest species diversity and evenness in annual and perennial functional groups,respectively(p<0.01).The perennials in the highland class had the maximum total,above-and belowground dry biomass(p<0.01).On the other hand,the forb functional group in the lowland class had the greatest species diversity,richness,and evenness(p<0.01)and in the highland class had the maximum total dry,above-and belowground dry biomass in the grass and forb functional groups(p<0.01).Increasing the diversity,richness,and species evenness resulted in a decrease in the plant dry biomass.

Species-area relationship within and across functional groups at alpine grasslands on the northern Tibetan Plateau,China

The species-area relationship （SAR） is one of the most fundamental concepts in community ecology and is helpful for biodiversity conservation. However, few studies have systematically addressed this topic for different alpine grassland types on the Tibetan Plateau, China. We explored whether the plant composition of different functional groups affects the manner in which species richness inereases with increasing area at scales ≤ 1.0 m^2. We also compared species richness （S） within and across forbs, legumes, sedges and grasses, with sampling subplot area （A） increasing from 0.0625 m^2 to 1.0 m^2 between alpine meadow and steppe communities. We applied a logarithmic function （S = b0 ＋ b1 ln A） to determine the slope and intercept of SAR curves within and across functional groups. The results showed that the logarithmic relationship holds true between species richness and sampling area at these small scales. Both the intercept and slope of the logarithmic forbs-area curves are significantly higher than those for the three other functional groups （P 〈 0.05）. Forb accounts for about 91.9 % of the variation in the intercept and 75.0% of the variation in the slope of the SAR curve when all functional groups＇ data were pooled together. Our results indicated that the different SAR patterns should be linked with species dispersal capabilities, environmental filtering, and life form composition within alpine grassland communities. Further studies on the relationship between species diversity and ecosystem functions should specify the differential responses of different functional groups to variations in climate and anthropogenic disturbances.

The high catalytic activity and strong stability of 3%Fe/AC catalysts for catalytic wet peroxide oxidation of m-cresol: The role of surface functional groups and FeO_(x) particles

FeO;supported on activated carbon(AC) has been shown to be an ideal catalyst for catalytic wet peroxide oxidation(CWPO) due to its high CWPO reaction activity and stability. Although there have been some studies on the mechanism of Fe/AC catalysis in CWPO, the specific contribution of each component(surface oxygen groups and FeOxon AC) inside an Fe/AC catalyst and their corresponding reaction mechanism remain unclear, and the reaction stability of CWPO catalysts has rarely been discussed. Then the optimal CWPO catalyst in our laboratory, 3%Fe/AC, was selected.(1) By removing certain components on the AC through heat treatment, its contribution to the reaction and the corresponding reaction mechanism were investigated. With the aid of temperature-programmed desorption–mass spectrometry(TPD–MS) and the CWPO reaction, the normalized catalytic contributions of components were shown to be: 37.3%(carboxylic groups), 5.3%(anhydride), 19.3%(ether/hydroxyl),-71.4%(carbonyl groups) and 100%(FeOx),respectively. DFT calculation and EPR analysis confirmed that carboxylic groups and Fe_(2)O_(3) are able to activate the H_(2)O_(2) to generate·OH.(2) The catalysts at were characterized at different reaction times(0 h, 450 h, 900 h, 1350 h, and 1800 h) by TPD–MS and M?ssbauer spectroscopy. Results suggested that the number of carboxylic goups gradually increased and the size of paramagnetic Fe_(2)O_(3) particle crystallites gradually increased as the reactions progressed. The occurrence of strong interactions between metal oxides and AC was also confirmed. Due to these effects, the strong stability of 3%Fe/AC was further improved. Therefore, the reasons for the high activity and strong stability of 3%Fe/AC in CWPO were clearly shown. We believe that this work provides an idea of the removal of cresols from wastewater into the introduction to show the potential applications of CWPO.

Oxygen-Containing Functional Groups Regulating the Carbon/Electrolyte Interfacial Properties Toward Enhanced K^(+)Storage

Oxygen-containing functional groups were found to e ectively boost the K^(+)storage performance of carbonaceous materials,however,the mechanism behind the performance enhancement remains unclear.Herein,we report higher rate capability and better long-term cycle performance employing oxygen-doped graphite oxide(GO)as the anode material for potassium ion batteries(PIBs),compared to the raw graphite.The in situ Raman spectroscopy elucidates the adsorption-intercalation hybrid K^(+)storage mechanism,assigning the capacity enhancement to be mainly correlated with reversible K^(+)adsorption/desorption at the newly introduced oxygen sites.It is unraveled that the C=O and COOH rather than C-O-C and OH groups contribute to the capacity enhancement.Based on in situ Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR)spectra and in situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS),it is found that the oxygen-containing functional groups regulate the components of solid electrolyte interphase(SEI),leading to the formation of highly conductive,intact and robust SEI.Through the systematic investigations,we hereby uncover the K^(+)storage mechanism of GO-based PIB,and establish a clear relationship between the types/contents of oxygen functional groups and the regulated composition of SEI.

Surface functional groups and redox property of modified activated carbons

A series of activated carbons（ACs） were prepared using HNO_3,H_2O_2 and steam as activation agents with the aim to introduce functional groups to carbon surface in the ACs preparation process.The effects of concentration of activation agent,activation time on the surface functional groups and redox property of ACs were characterized by Temperature Program Desorption（TPD） and Cyclic Voltammetry（CV）.Results showed that lactone groups of ACs activated by HNO_3 increase with activation time,and the carboxyl groups increase with the concentration of HNO_3.Carbonyl/quinine groups of ACs activated by H_2O_2 increase with the activation time and the concentration of H_2O_2,although the acidic groups decrease with the concentration of H_2O_2.The redox property reflected by CV at 0 and 0.5 V is different with any kinds of oxygen functional groups characterized by TPD,but it is consistent with the SO_2 catalytic oxidization /oxidation properties indicated by TPR.

Effect of PCEs with Different Functional Groups on the Performance of Cement Paste

The adsorption behaviors and dispersing properties of polycarboxylate superplasticizer(PCE) with different functional groups were systematically analyzed to reveal the theory and methods of modifying PCE molecular structures and regulating PCE performances. By substituting carboxylic groups with sulfonic groups, ester groups or acylamino groups, respectively, modified PCEs with different functional groups were synthesized. Results show that introducing low amount of ester groups or sulfonic groups into the PCE molecules has no negative effects on the fluidity of cement paste, while introducing acylamino groups into PCE molecules significantly weakens the fluidity of cement paste. At low amount(when the molar ratio of sodium methallyl sulfonate to TPEG is lower than 0.4), the rapid adsorption of sulfonic groups onto the cement particles contributes to the high dispersing performance of the sulfonic group modified PCEs. When the substitution ratio of acrylic acid by sulfonic acid is higher than 0.4, the viscosity and the yield stress of cement paste increases sharply. Redundant sulfonic groups lead to the excessive charge density of the PCE, which contributes to the inhomogeneous adsorption on the cement grains and hence results in the decline of the dispersing performance. Substitution of carboxylic group by acylamino group or ester group slightly changes the viscosity as well as the yield stress of cement paste. Introducing sulfonic group into PCE molecule improves the adsorption behavior of PCEs, while introducing ester group or acylamino group into PCE depresses the adsorption properties.

Biomass Allocation Patterns of Alpine Grassland Species and Functional Groups along a Precipitation Gradient on the Northern Tibetan Plateau

Variations in the fractions of biomass allocated to functional components are widely considered as plant responses to resource availability for grassland plants. Observations indicated shoots isometrically relates to roots at the community level but allometrically at the species level in Tibetan alpine grasslands. These differences may result from the specific complementarity of functional groups between functional components, such as leaf, root, stem and reproductive organ. To test the component complementary responses to regional moisture variation, we conducted a multi-site transect survey to measure plant individual size and component biomass fractions of common species belonging to the functional groups： forbs, grasses, legumes and sedges on the Northern Tibetan Plateau in peak growing season in 2010. Along the mean annual precipitation （MAP） gradient, we sampled 7o species, in which 2o are in alpine meadows, 20 in alpine steppes, 15 in alpine desert-steppes and 15 in alpine deserts, respectively. Our results showed that the size of alpine plants is small with individual biomass mostly lower than 1.0 g. Plants keep relative conservative component individual responses moisture functional fractions across alpine grasslands at the level. However, the complementary between functional components to variations specifically differ among groups. These results indicate that functional group diversity may be an effective tool for scaling biomass allocation patterns from individual up to community level. Therefore, it is necessary andvaluable to perform intensive and systematic studies on identification and differentiation the influences of compositional changes in functional groups on ecosystem primary services and processes.

Effect of Graphene Surface Functional Groups on the Mechanical Property of PMMA Microcellular Composite Foams

The functional groups on graphene sheets surface affect their dispersion and interfacial adhesion in polymer matrix. We compared the mechanical property of polymethymethacrylate（PMMA） microcellular foams reinforced with graphene oxide（GO） and reduced graphene oxide（RGO） to investigate this influence of functional groups. RGO sheets were fabricated by solvent thermal reduction in DMF medium. UV-Vis, FT-IR and XPS analyses indicate the difference of oxygen-containing groups on GO and RGO sheets surface. The observation of SEM illustrates that the addition of a smaller number of GO or RGO sheets causes a fine cellular structure of PMMA foams with a higher cell density(about 1011 cells/cm3) and smaller cell sizes（about 1-2 μm） owing to their remarkable heterogeneous nucleation effect. Compared to GO reinforced foams, the RGO/PMMA foams own lower cell density and bigger cell size in their microstructure, and their compressive strength is lower even when the reinforcement contents are the same and the foam bulk density is higher. These results indicate that the oxygen-containing groups on GO sheets’ surface are beneficial to adhere CO2 to realize a larger nucleation rate, and their strong interaction with PMMA matrix improves the mechanical property of PMMA foams.