Massive water production from lunar ilmenite through reaction with endogenous hydrogen.

Finding water resources is a crucial objective of lunar missions. However, both hydroxyl (OH) and natural water (H2O) have been reported to be scarce on the Moon. We propose a potential method for obtaining water on the Moon through H2O formation via endogenous reactions in lunar regolith (LR), specifically through the reaction FeO/Fe2O3 + H → Fe + H2O. This process is demonstrated using LR samples brought back by the Chang'E-5 mission. FeO and Fe2O3 are lunar minerals containing Fe oxides. Hydrogen (H) retained in lunar minerals from the solar wind can be used to produce water. The results of this study reveal that 51-76 mg of H2O can be generated from 1 g of LR after melting at temperatures above 1,200 K. This amount is ∼10,000 times the naturally occurring OH and H2O on the Moon. Among the five primary minerals in LR returned by the Chang'E-5 mission, FeTiO3 ilmenite contains the highest amount of H, owing to its unique lattice structure with sub-nanometer tunnels. For the first time, in situ heating experiments using a transmission electron microscope reveal the concurrent formation of Fe crystals and H2O bubbles. Electron irradiation promotes the endogenous redox reaction, which is helpful for understanding the distribution of OH on the Moon. Our findings suggest that the hydrogen retained in LR is a significant resource for obtaining H2O on the Moon, which is helpful for establishing a scientific research station on the Moon.

A highly sensitive method for the detection of p-Aminophenol based on Cu-Au nanoparticles and KIO3.

BACKGROUND: As a common industrial raw material and chemical intermediate, p-Aminophenol (pAP) is recognized as a serious pollutant that poses harm to both the environment and human health. The traditional detection methods for pAP have the advantages of good selectivity and high sensitivity, but their complex operation and time-consuming defects limit their application in on-site detection. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a simple, low-cost, rapid and high-sensitivity method for the detection of pAP. RESULTS: Noble metal nanoparticles have been widely used in colorimetric sensing because of their simplicity and practicality. Herein, we presented a simple, excellent sensitive and selective colorimetric method for high-performance detection of pAP based on Cu-Au nanoparticles (Cu-Au NPs) and KIO3. In the presence of pAP, KIO3 was reduced to I2, which subsequently chemically adsorbed onto Cu-Au NPs surface and induced the dispersion and reorganization of Cu-Au NPs, along with prominent color change of the dispersion from gray-blue to pink and the transformation of Cu-Au NPs from chain-like aggregates to individual dispersed, irregular, subspherical nanoparticles. The mechanism was verified by TEM, DLS, Zeta potential, UV-vis and XPS. Meanwhile, Cu-Au NPs probe can rapidly detect pAP within 25 min, the limit of detection of pAP probe is 5 µM by the naked eyes and 0.03 µM by UV-vis absorption spectrum. SIGNIFICANCE AND NOVELTY: This is the first colorimetric assay for pAP based on Cu-Au NPs probe. The satisfactory linearity (R2 = 0.9984) indicates that the colorimetric probe based on Cu-Au NPs and KIO3 can be utilized for quantitative detection of pAP. The detection results of pAP in real environmental water samples, urine samples and paracetamol tables demonstrate the practicability of pAP colorimetric probe.

Designed a novel EP + GO/ZRC + GO coating with bilayered structure for enhancing corrosion resistance of steel substrate.

The study aimed to provide an effective way to combine the advantages of both the zinc-rich epoxy coating and the graphene-based coating. Herein, we introduce ZRC + GO/EP + GO and EP + GO/ZRC + GO coatings with bilayered structure. In addition, the bilayered ZRC, ZRC + GO and EP + GO coatings were also fabricated to comparatively investigate the anticorrosion mechanisms of the coatings. In order to obtain better dispersion of GO in waterborne coatings, ionic liquid (1-aminoethyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide) was successively grafted on GO, which was confirmed by XPS, Raman and FT-IR results. The results obtained from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and salt spray test proved that the as-prepared EP + GO/ZRC + GO coating presented superior corrosion protection which was derived from the synergistic effect of barrier property and cathodic protection endowed by the special bilayered structure of the coating. Besides, SEM, EDS and XRD results of the coating-exfoliated steel substrates also revealed the steel substrate coated by EP + GO/ZRC + GO was not obviously corroded at the end of the immersion.

A novel hybrid nanoadsorbent for effective Hg2+ adsorption based on zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-90) assembled onto poly acrylic acid capped Fe3O4 nanoparticles and cysteine.

This research reports a new mercury adsorbent in which Fe3O4 as a core was embedded into the shell of ZIF-90 in a one-pot synthesis and the subsequent post synthesis modification (PSM) of its surface with cysteine covalently, via a Schiff's base reaction. Poly acrylic acid (PAA) was capped on the surface of nanoparticles to prevent agglomeration of the nanoparticles. In addition, -COOH groups of PAA coordinated with Zn2+ of ZIF-90 and this provided the platform for ZIF-90 to grow on the nanoparticles forming the core-shell structure. Based on the strong interactions between the thiol groups on the adsorbent and mercury ions as elucidated by the XPS analysis, the as-synthesized adsorbent showed selectivity for Hg2+. The sorbent exhibited high adsorption capacity of 900 mg g-1 towards Hg2+ as calculated at pH 4 and the adsorption kinetics followed pseudo-second-order kinetics model better. The Hg2+ loaded adsorbent was easily regenerated and it maintained about 70 % efficiency after the third use. Low-cost, readily available and green materials, facile preparation, efficient removal and the breakthrough in three times recyclability give the novel ZIF-90 based hybrid nanoadsorbent wide prospects in the field of environmental remediation as a good adsorbent for Hg2+ removal in wastewater.

Preparation of modified sodium alginate aerogel and its application in removing lead and cadmium ions in wastewater.

A low-cost, environment-friendly sodium alginate-meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid hybrid aerogel (SA-DMSA) was synthesized by simple chemical grafting and vacuum freeze-drying method and used to remove heavy metal ions in wastewater. The as-prepared SA-DMSA showed high affinity for heavy metal ions, such as Pb2+, Cd2+, Cu2+, Cr3+, and Co2+, and can remove >90% of the metal ions from the corresponding solution. SA-DMSA also exhibited high selectivity to Pb2+ and Cd2+, and the maximum adsorption capacities for Pb2+ and Cd2+ reached 116.4 and 91.2 mg/g, respectively. The SA-DMSA adsorbent can be regenerated by a simple one-step acid washing, and the adsorption performance remained stable after repeated use. Given its low-cost and easy-to-obtain raw materials, simple preparation process, and simple regeneration process of the adsorbent, SA-DMSA has broad application prospects in the treatment of low-concentration heavy metal ions, especially for wastewater containing Pb2+ and Cd2+.

Colorimetric detection of Ba2+, Cd2+ and Pb2+ based on a multifunctionalized Au NP sensor.

In this work, we developed a colorimetric method for the detection of three kinds of ions with one kind of detection reagent. In detail, gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) multifunctionalized with 3-mercaptonicotinic acid and 4-aminobenzo-18-crown-6 (3-MPA-abc) were prepared and used as a colorimetric sensor for the simple and rapid detection of Ba2+, Cd2+ and Pb2+ ions. After adding Ba2+/Cd2+/Pb2+, the oxygen atom in the crown ether cavity and the carboxyl group of 3-mercaptopropionic acid can react with Ba2+/Cd2+/Pb2+ to form coordination bonds, resulting in the aggregation of the functionalized Au NPs and the color change of Au NP solution. The LOD of the colorimetric sensor for Ba2+/Cd2+/Pb2+ is 20 nM, 20 nM and 50 nM by the naked eye, respectively. A good linear relationship (R2 = 0.9984, R2 = 0.9917, R2 = 0.9934) between the absorbance ratio and Ba2+/Cd2+/Pb2+ concentrations indicates that our Au NP based colorimetric sensor can be used for the quantitative assay of Ba2+/Cd2+/Pb2+, and this detection method was successfully applied in the detection of Ba2+/Cd2+/Pb2+ in real environmental samples.

Analysis of oxidation degree of graphite oxide and chemical structure of corresponding reduced graphite oxide by selecting different-sized original graphite.

The thermal exfoliation and reduction of graphite oxide (GO) is the most commonly used strategy for large-scale preparation of graphene, and the oxidation degree of GO would influence the chemical structure of prepared graphene, thereby affecting its final physical and chemical properties. In addition to serving as the precursor for synthesizing graphene, GO also possesses great potential for various important applications owing to its abundant oxygen-containing groups and hybrid electronic structure. Therefore, systematically studying the influencing factors on the oxidation degree of GO and clarifying the effect of oxidation degree on the corresponding graphene is particularly important. Herein, we have studied the effect of the lateral size of the original graphite on the oxidation degree of GO in order to control the oxidation degree of GO. GOs with different degrees of oxidation were synthesized using a modified Hummers method. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy revealed that decreased lateral size of the original graphite would lead to increased oxidation degree of GO. Furthermore, the interlayer spacing of the GO samples achieved 0.9-1.0 nm, which indicated that the modified Hummers method could make well oxidized graphite. The corresponding reduced graphite oxide (rGO) was also prepared by low-temperature exfoliation of GO at 140 °C under ambient atmosphere. It was found that a larger lateral size of GO resulted in rGO with fewer oxygen-containing functional groups, but a smaller lateral size of graphite possessed a higher exfoliation degree with a larger specific surface area. More importantly, the relationship between binding energy (E B) of photoelectron of C atom in oxygen-containing groups and the number of oxygen-containing groups in GO and rGO samples was analyzed theoretically.

High-Performance Colorimetric Detection of Thiosulfate by Using Silver Nanoparticles for Smartphone-Based Analysis.

Developing thiosulfate (S2O32-) sensors with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for analysis of aqueous solutions with the interference of other anions remains challenging. In this study, we propose a new strategy for excellent selective colorimetric detection of S2O32-. The nonmorphological transition of AgNPs leading to a color change from yellow to brown is verified by UV-vis, TEM, DLS, SEM, and XPS analyses. The sensor exhibits high sensitivity with detection limits of 1.0 µM by naked-eye determination and 0.2 µM by UV-vis spectroscopy analysis. The linear relationship (R2 = 0.998) between the (A0 - A)/A0 values and S2O32- concentrations from 0.2 µM to 2.0 µM indicates that the fabricated AgNPs-based colorimetric sensor can be employed for quantitative assay of S2O32-. Colorimetric responses are also monitored using the built-in camera of a smartphone. The sensor shows a linear response to S2O32- in 0-20.0 µM solutions under the optimized conditions and is thus more suitable for rapid on-site tests than other detection methods. A smartphone application (app) is downloaded under Android or IOS platforms to measure the RGB (red, green, blue) values of the colorimetric sensor after exposure to the analyte. Following data processing, the RGB values are converted into concentration values by using preloaded calibration curves. Confirmatory analysis indicates that the proposed S2O32- colorimetric sensor exhibits feasibility and sensitivity for S2O32- detection in real environmental samples.

A Direct Method to Extract Transient Sub-Gap Density of State (DOS) Based on Dual Gate Pulse Spectroscopy.

Sub-gap density of states (DOS) is a key parameter to impact the electrical characteristics of semiconductor materials-based transistors in integrated circuits. Previously, spectroscopy methodologies for DOS extractions include the static methods, temperature dependent spectroscopy and photonic spectroscopy. However, they might involve lots of assumptions, calculations, temperature or optical impacts into the intrinsic distribution of DOS along the bandgap of the materials. A direct and simpler method is developed to extract the DOS distribution from amorphous oxide-based thin-film transistors (TFTs) based on Dual gate pulse spectroscopy (GPS), introducing less extrinsic factors such as temperature and laborious numerical mathematical analysis than conventional methods. From this direct measurement, the sub-gap DOS distribution shows a peak value on the band-gap edge and in the order of 10(17)-10(21)/(cm(3)·eV), which is consistent with the previous results. The results could be described with the model involving both Gaussian and exponential components. This tool is useful as a diagnostics for the electrical properties of oxide materials and this study will benefit their modeling and improvement of the electrical properties and thus broaden their applications.

A Rapid Colorimetric Sensor of Clenbuterol Based on Cysteamine-Modified Gold Nanoparticles.

Demonstrated was a simple visual and rapid colorimetric sensor for detection of clenbuterol (CLB) based on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) modified with cysteamine (CA) and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), UV-vis. The solution color from red to blue gray with increasing clenbuterol concentration resulted from the aggregation of AuNPs. The detection limit of clenbuterol is 50 nM by naked eyes. The selectivity of CA-AuNPs detection system for clenbuterol is excellent compared with other interferents in food. This sensor has been successfully applied to detect clenbuterol in real blood sample.

The colorimetric detection of Pb2+ by using sodium thiosulfate and hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide modified gold nanoparticles.

A simple, rapid colorimetric detection method for Pb(2+) in aqueous solution has been developed by using sodium thiosulfate (Na2S2O3) and hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) modified gold nanoparticles (Au NPs). Na2S2O3 was added into the Au NP solution and thiosulfate ions (S2O3(2-)) were adsorbed on the surface of the Au NPs due to electrostatic interactions. Au atoms on the surface of the Au NPs were then oxidized to Au(i) by the O2 that existed in the solution in presence of thiosulfate. The addition of Pb(2+) (the final concentration was lower than 10 µM), accelerated the leaching of the Au NPs, and Pb-Au alloys also formed on the surface of the Au NPs. There was an obvious decrease in the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption of the Au NPs. The lowest concentration for Pb(2+) that could be detected by the naked eye was 0.1 µM and using UV-vis spectroscopy was 40 nM. This is lower than the lead toxic level defined by the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), which is 75 nM. In this method, CTAB, as a stabilizing agent for Au NPs, can accelerate the adsorption of S2O3(2-) on the surface of the Au NPs, which shortened the detection time to within 30 min. Moreover, this detection method is simple, cheap and environmentally friendly.

Deoxyschizandrin isolated from the fruits of Schisandra chinensis ameliorates Aß1₋42-induced memory impairment in mice.

In the present study, we examined the effects of deoxyschisandrin (DS) from Schisandra chinensis on the amyloid-beta1₋42 (Aß1₋42)-induced memory impairment in mice and investigated the possible antioxidative mechanism. Mice were given an intracerebroventricular (i. c. v.) injection with the aggregated Aß1₋42 and then treated with DS (4, 12, and 36 mg/kg body weight) or donepezil (DPZ), a positive control drug (0.65 mg/kg), by intragastric infusion for 14 days. Non-cognitive disturbances and cognitive performance were evaluated by the locomotor activity, Y-maze, and water maze tests. Antioxidative enzyme activities including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px) and levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) within the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of mice were measured to investigate the mechanism. Our results showed that DS significantly improved Aß1₋42-induced short-term and spatial memory impairments in the Y-maze and water maze tests. Furthermore, in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of mice, the reduced activities of SOD and GSH-px, the GSH level, and the GSH/GSSG ratio were increased, and increased levels of MDA and GSSG were reduced following treatment with DS, although the improvement of GSH and the reduction of GSSG levels were not marked. These results suggest that DS is a potential cognitive enhancer in Alzheimer's disease through its antioxidative action.

Schizandrin, an antioxidant lignan from Schisandra chinensis, ameliorates Aß1-42-induced memory impairment in mice.

In the present study, we examined the effect of schisandrin (SCH) of Schisandra chinensis on the amyloid-beta(1-42)- (Aß(1-42)-) induced memory impairment in mice and elucidated the possible antioxidative mechanism. Mice were intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injected with the aggregated Aß(1-42) and then treated with SCH (4, 12, and 36 mg/kg body weight) or donepezil (DPZ), a reference drug (0.65 mg/kg) by intragastric infusion for 14 days. Noncognitive disturbances and cognitive performance were evaluated by locomotor activity test, Y-maze test, and water maze test. Antioxidative enzyme activities including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px) and levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) within the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of mice were measured to elucidate the mechanism. Our results showed that SCH significantly improved Aß(1-42)-induced short-term and spatial reference memory impairments in Y-maze test and water maze test. Furthermore, in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of mice, SOD and GSH-px activities, GSH level, and GSH/GSSG ratio were increased, and levels of MDA and GSSG were decreased by the treatment of SCH. These results suggest that SCH is a potential cognitive enhancer against Alzheimer's disease through antioxidative action.