Advanced Electro-active Dry Adhesive Actuated by an Artificial Muscle Constructed from an Ionic Polymer Metal Composite Reinforced with Nitrogen-doped Carbon Nanocages

An advanced electro-active dry adhesive,which was composed of a mushroom-shaped fibrillar dry adhesive array actuated by an Ionic Polymer Metal Composite (IPMC) artificial muscle reinforced with nitrogen-doped carbon nanocages (NCNCs),was developed to imitate the actuation of a gecko's toe.The properties of the NCNC-reinforced Nafion membrane,the electromechanical properties of the NCNC-reinforced IPMC,and the related electro-active adhesion ability were investigated.The NCNCs were uniformly dispersed in the 0.1 wt％ NCNC/Nafion membrane,and there was a seamless connection with no clear interface between the dry adhesive and the IPMC.Our 0.1 wt％ NCNC/Nafion-IPMC actuator shows a displacement and force that are 1.6-2 times higher than those of the recast Nafion-IPMC.This is due to the increased water uptake (25.39％) and tensile strength (24.5 MPa) of the specific 3D hollow NCNC-reinforced Nafion membrane,as well as interactions between the NCNCs and the sulfonated groups of the Nafion.The NCNC/Nafion-IPMC was used to effectively actuate the mushroom-shaped dry adhesive.The normal adhesion forces were 7.85 mN,12.1 mN,and 51.7 mN at sinusoidal voltages of 1.5 V,2.5 V,and 3.5 V,respectively,at 0.1 Hz.Under the bionic leg trail,the normal and shear forces were approximately 713.5 mN (159 mN·cm-2) and 1256.6 mN (279 mN·cm-2),respectively,which satisfy the required adhesion.This new electro-active dry adhesive can be applied for active,distributed actuation and flexible grip in robots.     

Application of Rice-Straw Biochar and Microorganisms in Nonylphenol Remediation: Adsorption-Biodegradation Coupling Relationship and Mechanism

Biochar adsorption presents a potential remediation method for the control of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) pollution in the environment. It has been found that HOCs bound on biochar become less bioavailable, so speculations have been proposed that HOCs will persist for longer half-life periods in biochar-amended soil/sediment. To investigate how biochar application affects coupled adsorption-biodegradation, nonylphenol was selected as the target contaminant, and biochar derived from rice straw was applied as the adsorbent. The results showed that there was an optimal dosage of biochar in the presence of both adsorption and biodegradation for a given nonylphenol concentration, thus allowing the transformation of nonylphenol to be optimized. Approximately 47.6% of the nonylphenol was biodegraded in two days when 0.005 g biochar was added to 50 mg/L of nonylphenol, which was 125% higher than the relative quantity biodegraded without biochar, though the resistant desorption component of nonylphenol reached 87.1%. All adsorptive forms of nonylphenol (f _rap, f _slow, f _r) decreased gradually during the biodegradation experiment, and the resistant desorption fraction of nonylphenol (f _r) on biochar could also be biodegraded. It was concluded that an appropriate amount of biochar could stimulate biodegradation, not only illustrating that the dosage of biochar had an enormous influence on the half-life periods of HOCs but also alleviating concerns that enhanced HOCs binding by biochar may cause secondary pollution in biochar-modified environment.     

The Effects of Mobile Phone Radiofrequency Radiation on Cochlear Stria Marginal Cells in Sprague–Dawley Rats

To investigate the possible mechanisms for biological effects of 1,800 MHz mobile radiofrequency radiation (RFR), the radiation-specific absorption rate was applied at 2 and 4 W/kg, and the exposure mode was 5 min on and 10 min off (conversation mode). Exposure time was 24 h short-term exposure. Following exposure, to detect cell DNA damage, cell apoptosis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, the Comet assay test, flow cytometry, DAPI (4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride) staining, and a fluorescent probe were used, respectively. Our experiments revealed that mobile phone RFR did not cause DNA damage in marginal cells, and the rate of cell apoptosis did not increase (P > 0.05). However, the production of ROS in the 4 W/kg exposure group was greater than that in the control group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, these results suggest that mobile phone energy was insufficient to cause cell DNA damage and cell apoptosis following short-term exposure, but the cumulative effect of mobile phone radiation still requires further confirmation. Activation of the ROS system plays a significant role in the biological effects of RFR. Bioelectromagnetics. © 2020 The Authors. Bioelectromagnetics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

In Situ,Fast, High‐Temperature Synthesis of Nickel Nanoparticles in Reduced Graphene Oxide Matrix

For the first time, a fast heating–cooling process is reported for the synthesis of carbon‐coated nickel (Ni) nanoparticles on a reduced graphene oxide (RGO) matrix (nano‐Ni@C/RGO) as a high‐performance H₂O₂ fuel catalyst. The Joule heating temperature can reach up to ≈2400 K and the heating time can be less than 0.1 s. Ni microparticles with an average diameter of 2 µm can be directly converted into nanoparticles with an average diameter of 75 nm. The Ni nanoparticles embedded in RGO are evaluated for electro‐oxidation performance as a H₂O₂ fuel in a direct peroxide–peroxide fuel cell, which exhibits an electro‐oxidation current density of 602 mA cm^?2 at 0.2 V (vs Ag/AgCl), ≈150 times higher than the original Ni microparticles embedded in the RGO matrix (micro‐Ni/RGO). The high‐temperature, fast Joule heating process also leads to a 4–5 nm conformal carbon coating on the surface of the Ni nanoparticles, which anchors them to the RGO nanosheets and leads to an excellent catalytic stability. The newly developed nano‐Ni@C/RGO composites by Joule heating hold great promise for a range of emerging energy applications, including the advanced anode materials of fuel cells.     

东宁县废柞木屑制备活性炭工艺研究

研究了氯化锌活化废柞木屑制备活性炭的工艺条件,探讨了浸渍比、活化剂浓度、活化时间和活化温度对活化效果的影响.结果表明最佳工艺条件为:浸渍比为1:2.5,活化剂浓度为60%,活化温度为650℃,活化时间为120 min.产品各项吸附指标均超过中国国家标准要求.     

广州地区淡水水体尿素的分布特征

近年来,随着农业的发展,化学肥料尿素的使用量逐年攀升,由于土壤中氮肥的流失,导致水体中尿素含量偏高,对浮游植物的生长繁殖起到了重要的作用。于2007年8月～2008年7月对广州市区、从化市、花都区和增城区四个地区的具有代表性的河涌、河流、人工湖和水库等47个样点的尿素含量进行了一年的监测。结果表明,这四个地区河涌、河流、人工湖和水库都不同程度的受到了尿素的污染,其中广州市区尿素污染最严重,其次是花都区和增城区,污染最轻的是从化市;从水体类型来看,人工湖和大多数水库尿素污染较轻,而人口居住较密集地区和农田附近的河涌和河流污染较严重,可能与人类活动和农业生产关系较大。     

安徽农药厂厂区及周边农田土壤线虫数量特征

为了解农药对不同植被下的土壤健康和土壤质量的影响, 在2006年10月对安徽省和县华星化工股份有限公司内外不同土地利用方式下土壤线虫数量和营养类群进行了调查, 包括厂内裸地(BIF)、厂内宝塔松林地(PIF)、厂外裸地(BOF)、厂外大豆地(SOF)、厂外水稻地(POF)、厂外玉米地(COF)。结果发现有植被覆盖的样地中土壤线虫总数显著多于裸地(P<0.01), 厂外裸地显著高于厂内裸地。在有植被覆盖的土壤中植物寄生类线虫为优势类群, 其中厂内松林地内植物寄生类线虫相对丰度最高, 达到84%。在裸地中以食细菌类线虫为优势类群, 厂外裸地和厂内裸地相对丰度分别为74%和72%。此次调查表明农药的过多使用会对土壤线虫的数量和相对丰度产生影响, 同时说明植被覆盖在减轻农药使用造成的环境污染中起着重要作用。