Study on the Mechanism of Rapid Oil-Water Separation by a Fe3 O4 @PMMA@PDMS Intelligent Superhydrophobic Micro/Nanorobot.

We prepared an environmentally friendly intelligent Fe3 O4 @PMMA@PDMS superhydrophobic oil-absorbing material with simple process and excellent performance, and investigated the effects of different particle sizes of Fe3 O4 , different concentrations of PDMS, and different heating times on the superhydrophobicity of the coating. The best performance of the coating was achieved at a particle size combination of 20/500 nm for Fe3 O4 , a PDMS to Fe3 O4 @PMMA mass ratio of 6 : 1, and a heating time of 2 min at 400 °C. H2-SPSS coating not only has excellent superhydrophobicity, abrasion resistance, self-cleaning property, and chemical corrosion, but also has good flux and efficiency for separating oil-water mixture, with fluxes of 40,540, 32,432, and 37,027 Lm-2 h-1 for trichloromethane, dichloromethane and bromoethane, respectively, and separation efficiencies of 99.78 %, 99.74 % and 99.73 %, respectively. In addition, we also prepared a superhydrophobic magnetic polyurethane (SPPU) sponge using Fe3 O4 @PMMA@PDMS, which not only has a good oil absorption capacity of 18-44 g/g for different oil substances, it can also move directionally by magnet attraction and absorb oil along a fixed path. Under the control of the magnet, SPPU completes the whole oil absorption process in only 4 s, showing excellent oil absorption and intelligence.

Advances in the Research of Photo, Electrical, and Magnetic Responsive Smart Superhydrophobic Materials: Synthesis and Potential Applications.

With the rapid advancement of technology, the wettability of conventional superhydrophobic materials no longer suffice to meet the demands of practical applications. Intelligent responsive superhydrophobic materials have emerged as a highly sought-after material in various fields. The exceptional superhydrophobicity, reversible wetting, and intelligently controllable characteristics of these materials have led to extensive applications across industries, including industry, agriculture, defense, and medicine. Therefore, the development of intelligent superhydrophobic materials with superior performance, economic practicality, enhanced sensitivity, and controllability assumes utmost importance in advancing technology worldwide. This article provides a summary of the wettability principles of superhydrophobic surfaces and the mechanisms behind intelligent responsive superhydrophobicity. Furthermore, it reviews and analyzes the recent research progress on light, electric, and magnetic responsive superhydrophobic materials, encompassing aspects such as material synthesis, modification, performance, and responses under diverse external stimuli. The article also explores the challenges associated with different types of responsive superhydrophobic materials and the unique application prospects of light, electric, and magnetic responsive superhydrophobic materials. Additionally, it outlines the future directions for the development of intelligent responsive superhydrophobic materials.

Study on the mechanism of rapid degradation of Rhodamine B with Fe/Cu@antimony tailing nano catalytic particle electrode in a three dimensional electrochemical reactor.

A novel particle electrode based on antimony tailings microspheres was successfully constructed by ultrasonic immersion calcination method, and the degradation of RhB was studied in a three-dimensional electrochemical reactor (3DER). It was characterized by XRD, SEM, EDS, XPS, cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry. When the pH value is 5.00, the dosage of Fe/Cu@antimony tailing is 1.50 g/L, the initial concentration is 100 mg/L, and the current density is 20 mA/cm2, the degradation efficiency is the best (99.40% for RhB and 98.81% for TOC) within 15 min. The results show that in the three-dimensional electrochemical oxidation system, electrochemical oxidation and electro Fenton oxidation occur at the same time to cause the increase of hydroxyl radicals. According to LC-MS analysis and EPR characterization, it can be found that the main degradation mechanism of RhB is that hydroxyl radicals continuously attack RhB, and realize rapid degradation of RhB through deethylation, deamination, dealkylation, decarboxylation, chromophore splitting, ring opening and mineralization. Fe/Cu@antimony tailing particles are both electrodes for electrochemical oxidation and catalysts for Fenton oxidation. The degradation effect of RhB remained at 94% after 6 cycles, and the leaching rates of Fe and Cu are only 1.20% and 0.79%, indicating that Fe/Cu@AT had significant stability. This work provides a new insight into the establishment of an efficient and stable three-dimensional electrocatalytic particle electrode.

Responses of applied voltages on the archaea microbial distribution in sludge digestion.

As the development of urban population led to the increase of domestic water consumption, consequently the generation of surplus sludge (SS) produced increasingly during sewage treatment processes. In order to enhance the SS resource utilization efficiency, an electricity-assisted anaerobic digestion (EAAD) system was employed to examine the alterations in the digestion broth and the characteristics of gas production. Additionally, the response of applied voltages on the distribution of archaeal community near various electrodes within the sludge was explored. The results revealed that the application of high voltages exceeding 3.0 V hindered the CH4 production but stimulated the CO2 generation. Subsequently, both CH4 and CO2 production were impeded by the applied voltages. Furthermore, the increased voltages significantly decreased the abundance of Methanomicrobia, Methanosaeta, and Methanosarcina, which were crucial determinants of CH4 content in biogas. Notably, the excessively high voltages intensities caused the AD process to halt and even inactivate the microbial flora. Interestingly, the distribution characteristics of archaeal community were influenced not only by the voltages intensity but also exhibited variations between the anode and cathode regions. Moreover, as the applied voltage intensified, the discrepancy of responses between the cathode and anode regions became more pronounced, offering novel theoretical and technical foundations for the advancement of electricity-assisted with AD technology.