[Degradation of Triphenyl Phosphate in Water by UV-driven Advanced Oxidation Processes].

As a type of emerging pollutant of concern, organophosphate esters (OPEs) have posed a moderate risk to the remote Antarctic waters. Triphenyl phosphate (TPHP) is a common type of OPEs in water, which has been proven to have toxic effects, bioaccumulation, and amplification effects and pose a great threat to the environment and human health. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were used to investigate the degradation process of TPHP in three advanced oxidation processes (UV-AOPs), including ultraviolet-hydrogen peroxide (UV-H2O2), ultraviolet-titanium dioxide (UV-TiO2), and ultraviolet-persulfate (UV-PS) systems. This was the first instance of using FT-IR for the online observation of the change in infrared characteristic peaks in the degradation process of TPHP, and its degradation reaction kinetics, photodegradation products, and degradation pathways were analyzed. The results showed that TPHP could be effectively degraded under UV-H2O2, UV-TiO2, and UV-PS systems, and the photodegradation half-lives were 74, 150, and 89 min, respectively. The UV-H2O2 system had the best degradation effect on TPHP. Additionally, the degradation reactions of TPHP in three systems conformed to the first-order kinetics. When the concentration of H2O2 was 0-0.097 mol·L-1, the increase in H2O2 concentration promoted the degradation of TPHP, and when the concentration of TiO2 was 0-0.013 mol·L-1, the increase in TiO2 concentration promoted the degradation of TPHP. The photodegradation pathway of TPHP mainly included the P-O-C bond breaking, the C-H bond cleavage of the benzene ring structure and the hydrolysis reaction of TPHP. The UV-H2O2 system was used to degrade OPEs in the environmental water of Chengdu, and it was found that the removal rate of TPHP was 66% when the water samples of the park landscape water were degraded for 60 min.

Ultrasimple air-annealed pure graphene oxide film for high-performance supercapacitors.

Realizing both high gravimetric and volumetric specific capacitances (noted as CW and CV, respectively) is an essential prerequisite for the next-generation, high performance supercapacitors. However, the need of electronic/ionic transport for electrochemical reactions causes a "trade-off" between compacted density and capacitance of electrode, thereby impairing gravimetric or volumetric specific capacitances. Herein, we report a high-performance, film-based supercapacitor via a thermal reduction of graphene oxide (GO) in air. The reduced, layer-structured graphene film ensures high electrode density and high electron conductivity, while the hierarchical channels generated from reduction-induced gas releasing process offer sufficient ion transport pathways. Note that the resultant graphene film is employed directly as electrodes without using any additives (binders and conductive agents). As expected, the as-prepared electrodes perform particularly well in both CW (420F g-1) and CV (360F cm-3) at a current density of 0.5 A g-1. Even at an ultrahigh current density of 50 A g-1, CW and CV maintain in 220F g-1 and 189F cm-3, respectively. Furthermore, the corresponding symmetric two-electrode supercapacitor achieves both high gravimetric energy density of 54 W h kg-1 and high gravimetric power density of 1080 W kg-1, corresponding to volumetric energy density of 46 W h L-1 and volumetric power density of 917 W L-1.

Zwitterionic side chain-modified conjugated polymers with greatly enhanced ambipolar charge-transport mobilities.

A small amount of the 3-(hexyldimethylammonio)propane-1-sulfonate zwitterionic side chain was integrated into a diketopyrrolopyrrole ambipolar polymer to modulate its field-effect carrier-transport characteristics. It was found that such a modification can strengthen the interchain interaction, promote crystallization, and thus improve the hole and electron mobilities by 3.9- and 8.2-fold, respectively.

Modification of soy protein isolate by Maillard reaction and its application in microencapsulation of Limosilactobacillusreuteri.

Limosilactobacillusreuteri was encapsulated using Maillard-reaction-products (MRPs) of soy protein isolate (SPI) and α-lactose monohydrate by freeze-drying. The mixed solution of SPI and α-lactose monohydrate was placed in a water bath at 89°C for 160 min for Maillard reaction, and then freeze-dried to obtain MRPs. The effects of Maillard reaction on functional characteristics of MRPs and the properties of MRPs-microcapsules were studied. SDS-PAGE indicated that SPI subunit reacted with lactose to form a polymer, and the band of MRPs disappeared around the molecular weights of 33, 40, 63, and 100 kDa. Compared with SPI, the emulsion stability, emulsion activity, foaming capacity, foam stability, and gel strength of MRPs were increased by 259%, 55.71%, 82.32%, 58.53%, and 3266%, respectively. The results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and scanning electron micrographs confirmed that the protein structure also changed significantly. Then, MRPs were used as wall material to prepare L. reuteri microcapsules. Physical properties and viable counts of L. reuteri during the simulated gastrointestinal digestion and storage period were determined. The particle size of MRPs-microcapsules (68 µm) was smaller than that of SPI-microcapsules (91 µm). The viable counts of L. reuteri in simulated gastrointestinal digestion and after storage for 30 days were improved. The modifications with Maillard reaction can improve emulsification, foaming, and gel strength of SPI, and MRPs could be used as a new type of wall material in the production of L. reuteri microcapsules.

[Pollution Characteristics of Organophosphate Esters in Frozen Soil on the Eastern Edge of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau].

In this study, soil samples were collected from the eastern edge of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau in December 2019. The level and distribution characteristics of organophosphate esters (OPEs) in seasonal frozen soil were analyzed, and their sources were discussed. The results showed that the target analytes including tri-n-butyl phosphate (TnBP), tris(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (TEHP), tributoxyethyl phosphate (TBEP), triphenyl phosphate (TPhP), tri(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), trichloropropyl phosphate (TCPP), and tris-(2,3-dichloropropyl) phosphate (TDCPP) were detected with 100% frequency. Levels of Σ7OPEs in topsoil (0-10 cm) and sub topsoil (10-20 cm) were 146.7-348.7 ng·g-1 (mean:231.1 ng·g-1) and 206.5-333.2 ng·g-1 (mean:260.2 ng·g-1), respectively. The Σ7OPEs content level is comparable to that of urban soil,which is worthy of attention. TBEP and TDCPP were the most abundant compounds in the plateau soil. Point source emissions have significant influence on the spatial distribution of OPEs, and regional deposition of OPEs contributes to all sampling sites. The migration ability of different OPE compounds in soil was different. Stronger migration ability was observed for aromatic OPEs (TPhP) than chlorinated OPEs. Principal component analysis showed that the main sources of OPEs in plateau soil were atmospheric wet and dry deposition, manufactured consumer materials, and the release of OPEs from automobile interior decoration.

Sulfanilic Acid Pending on a Graphene Scaffold: Novel, Efficient Synthesis and Much Enhanced Polymer Solar Cell Efficiency and Stability Using It as a Hole Extraction Layer.

In this contribution, we describe a novel, facile, and scalable methodology for high degree functionalization toward graphene by the reaction between bulk graphite fluoride and in situ generated amine anion. Using this, the rationally designed sulfanilic acid pending on a graphene scaffold (G-SO3H), a two-dimensional (2D) π-conjugated counterpart of poly(styrenesulfonate), is available. Combined reliable characterizations demonstrate that a very large quantity of sulfanilic blocks are linked to graphene through the foreseen substitution of carbon-fluorine units and an unexpected reductive defluorination simultaneously proceeds during the one-step reaction, endowing the resultant G-SO3H with splendid dispersity in various solvents and film-forming property via the former, and with recovered 2D π-conjugation via the latter. Besides, the work function of G-SO3H lies at -4.8 eV, well matched with the P3HT donor. Awarded with these fantastic merits, G-SO3H behaves capable in hole collection and transport, indicated by the enhanced device efficiency and stability of polymer solar cells (PSCs) based on intensively studied P3HT:PCBM blends as an active layer. In particular, comparison with conventional poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(styrenesulfonate) and recently rising and shining graphene oxide, G-SO3H outperforms above 17 and 24%, respectively, in efficiency. More impressively, when these three unencapsulated devices are placed in a N2-filled glovebox at around 25 °C for 7 weeks, or subject to thermal treatment at 150 °C for 6 h also in N2 atmosphere, or even rudely exposed to indoor air, G-SO3H-based PSCs exhibit the best stability. These findings enable G-SO3H to be a strongly competitive alternative of the existing hole extraction materials for PSC real-life applications.