Preparation and properties of a metal-organic frameworks polymer material based on Sa-son seed gum capable of simultaneously absorbing liquid water and water vapor.

Atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) technology has attracted significant attention as an effective strategy to tackle the global shortage of freshwater resources. Work has focused on the use of hydrogel-based composite adsorbents in water harvesting and water conservation. The approaches adopted to make use of hygroscopic inorganic salts which subject to a "salting out" effect. In this study, we report the first use of modified UIO-66-NH2 as a functional steric cross-linker and Sa-son seed gum was used as polymeric substrate to construct super hygroscopic hydrogels by free radical copolymerization. The maximum water uptake on SMAGs (572 cm3·g-1) outperforms pure UIO-66-NH2 (317 cm3·g-1). Simultaneously, our first attempt to use it for anti-evaporation applications in an arid environment (Lanzhou, China) simulating sandy areas. The evaporation rate of the anti-evaporation material treated with 0.20 % super moisture-absorbent gels (SMAGs) decreased by 6.1 % over 64 h period under natural condition in Lanzhou, China. The prepared material can not only absorb liquid water but also water vapor, which can provide a new way for water collection and conservation technology. The design strategy of this material has wide applications ranging from atmospheric water harvesting materials to anti-evaporation technology.

Preparation and water erosion resistance properties of tara gum-g-poly (acrylic acid-co-methyl methacrylate) emulsion.

The main purpose of this paper is to synthesize a new kind of green and environmental protection emulsion, which can be used as water erosion resistant materials. Here, a non-toxic polymer was prepared by grafting acrylic acid (AA) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) onto the long chains of tara gum (TG) to synthesize a copolymer emulsion (TG-g-P (AA-co-MMA)). The structure, thermal stability, morphology and wettability of the polymer were characterized by conventional methods, and the effects of key synthesis conditions on the performance of the emulsion (viscosity) were optimized. The erosion resistance and compressive strength of polymer-treated loess and laterite soils were evaluated under laboratory conditions. The results showed that the successful grafting of AA and MMA monomers onto TG improved its thermal stability and viscosity. In soil performance tests with low amounts of polymer additive, a 0.3 wt% application of TG-g-P (AA-co-MMA) to loess could resist continuous precipitation for >30 h with an erosion rate of 2.0 %. The compressive strength of the laterite treated with 0.4 % TG-g-P (AA-co-MMA) was 3.7 MPa, which was about three times that of the untreated soil. The results from this study suggest that TG-g-P (AA-co-MMA) emulsions have good potential for soil remediation applications.

Preparation and fertilizer retention/anti-leakage performances of superabsorbent composite based on hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose.

To reduce the preparation cost of superabsorbent composites (SACs) and improve the water and fertilizer retention properties of soil, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose grafted with acrylic acid, polyaspartic acid and palygorskite (HPMC-g-P(AA-co-PASP)/ATP) was synthesized by aqueous solution polymerization and used to reduce of preventing water leakage in soil. The structure, surface morphology and thermal stability of the optimized SACs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis. Under optimum synthesis conditions, the maximum equilibrium absorption of SACs was 1785 g·g-1, 254 g·g-1, 138 g·g-1 in deionized water, tap water and NaCl solution (0.9 wt%) respectively. Application of the SACs to soils increased their water holding and water retention capacities. In addition, the reduced leaching of added urea and low water permeability of the treated soils indicated that the SACs has the potential for applications in future sustainable agriculture.

Material and Optical Properties of Fluorescent Carbon Quantum Dots Fabricated from Lemon Juice via Hydrothermal Reaction.

The water-soluble fluorescent carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are synthesized by utilizing lemon juice as carbon resource via a simple hydrothermal reaction. The obtained CQDs are with an average size of 3.1 nm. They reveal uniform morphology and well-crystalline and can generate bright blue-green light emission under UV or blue light irradiation. We find that the fluorescence from these CQDs is mainly induced by the presence of oxygen-containing groups on the surface and edge of the CQDs. Moreover, we demonstrate that the as-prepared CQDs can be applied to imaging plant cells. This study is related to the fabrication, investigation, and application of newly developed carbon nanostructures.