Coal cinder is an abundant byproduct of the extensive consumption of coal in industrial production and daily life.Making full use of the cinder is conducive to a low-carbon economy.In this study,inspired by the burnin...Coal cinder is an abundant byproduct of the extensive consumption of coal in industrial production and daily life.Making full use of the cinder is conducive to a low-carbon economy.In this study,inspired by the burning of coal,a new method for constructing a silica-based composite porous material(SiO_(2)-CPM)was developed by combusting a siloxane-modified anthracite coal gel(CSiO_(2) gel).During this process,the combustion product was directly converted into a porous material,and the calorific value of the coal remained nearly unchanged(~98%of the original calorific value was retained),demonstrating the viability of this method for energy-efficient applications.The SiO_(2)-CPM exhibited an ultra-low thermal conductivity(0.036 W/(m·K)at room temperature),outperforming conventional insulation materials(e.g.,cotton~0.05 W/(m·K)).Additionally,it showed enhanced mechanical strength(fracture stress of 41.8 kPa)compared to the powder state of the coal cinder.Experimental results indicate that the amount of siloxane,structure-directing agent,and an acidic environment were critical for mechanical enhancement.The SiO_(2)-CPM showed good dimensional stability against thermal expansion and exhibited excellent thermal insulation and fire resistance even at 900℃.Meanwhile,the SiO_(2)-CPM with complex geometry could be easily fabricated using this method owing to the excellent shaping ability of the CSiO_(2) gel.Compared to conventional methods such as sol-gel synthesis or freeze-drying,this approach for fabricating SiO_(2)-CPM is simpler and cost-effective and allows the direct utilization of coal cinder post-combustion.展开更多
Silver nanoparticles(Ag NPs)have attracted attention in the field of biomaterials due to their excellent antibacterial property.However,the reducing and stabilizing agents used for the chemical reduction of Ag NPs are...Silver nanoparticles(Ag NPs)have attracted attention in the field of biomaterials due to their excellent antibacterial property.However,the reducing and stabilizing agents used for the chemical reduction of Ag NPs are usually toxic and may cause water pollution.In this work,Ag NPs(31.2 nm in diameter)were prepared using the extract of straw,an agricultural waste,as the reducing and stabilizing agent.Experimental analysis revealed that the straw extract contained lignin,the structure of which possesses phenolic hydroxyl and methoxy groups that facilitate the reduction of silver salts into Ag NPs.The surfaces of Ag NPs were negatively charged due to the encapsulation of a thin layer of lignin molecules that prevented their aggregation.After the prepared Ag NPs were added to the precursor solution of acrylamide,free radical polymerization was triggered without the need for extra heating or light irradiation,resulting in the rapid formation of an Ag NP-polyacrylamide composite hydrogel.The inhibition zone test proved that the composite hydrogel possessed excellent antibacterial ability due to the presence of Ag NPs.The prepared hydrogel may have potential applications in the fabrication of biomedical materials,such as antibacterial dressings.展开更多
Free electron radiation,particularly Smith-Purcell radiation,provides a versatile platform for exploring lightmatter interactions and generating light sources.A fundamental characteristic of Smith-Purcell radiation is...Free electron radiation,particularly Smith-Purcell radiation,provides a versatile platform for exploring lightmatter interactions and generating light sources.A fundamental characteristic of Smith-Purcell radiation is the monotonic decrease in radiation frequency as the observation angle increases relative to the direction of the free electrons’motion,akin to the Doppler effect.Here,we demonstrate that this fundamental characteristic can be altered in Smith-Purcell radiation generated by photonic crystals with left-handed properties.Specifically,we have achieved,to our knowledge,a novel phenomenon that the lower-frequency components propagate forward,while the higher-frequency components propagate backward,which we define as reverse Smith-Purcell radiation.Additionally,this reverse Smith-Purcell radiation can confine the radiation to a narrow angular range,which provides a way to obtain broadband light sources in a specific observation angle.Furthermore,by precisely adjusting the grating geometry and the kinetic energy of the free electrons,we can control both the radiation direction and the output frequencies.Our results provide a promising platform to study unexplored light-matter interactions and open avenues to obtain tunable,broadband light sources.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52573220)the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2023YFC3404201)+1 种基金the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(No.FRF-IDRY-GD24-005)the State Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Reuse for Building Materials(No.SWR-2022-009).
文摘Coal cinder is an abundant byproduct of the extensive consumption of coal in industrial production and daily life.Making full use of the cinder is conducive to a low-carbon economy.In this study,inspired by the burning of coal,a new method for constructing a silica-based composite porous material(SiO_(2)-CPM)was developed by combusting a siloxane-modified anthracite coal gel(CSiO_(2) gel).During this process,the combustion product was directly converted into a porous material,and the calorific value of the coal remained nearly unchanged(~98%of the original calorific value was retained),demonstrating the viability of this method for energy-efficient applications.The SiO_(2)-CPM exhibited an ultra-low thermal conductivity(0.036 W/(m·K)at room temperature),outperforming conventional insulation materials(e.g.,cotton~0.05 W/(m·K)).Additionally,it showed enhanced mechanical strength(fracture stress of 41.8 kPa)compared to the powder state of the coal cinder.Experimental results indicate that the amount of siloxane,structure-directing agent,and an acidic environment were critical for mechanical enhancement.The SiO_(2)-CPM showed good dimensional stability against thermal expansion and exhibited excellent thermal insulation and fire resistance even at 900℃.Meanwhile,the SiO_(2)-CPM with complex geometry could be easily fabricated using this method owing to the excellent shaping ability of the CSiO_(2) gel.Compared to conventional methods such as sol-gel synthesis or freeze-drying,this approach for fabricating SiO_(2)-CPM is simpler and cost-effective and allows the direct utilization of coal cinder post-combustion.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52203209)the State Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Reuse for Building Materials,China(No.SWR-2022-009)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities,China(No.FRF-IDRY22-012)。
文摘Silver nanoparticles(Ag NPs)have attracted attention in the field of biomaterials due to their excellent antibacterial property.However,the reducing and stabilizing agents used for the chemical reduction of Ag NPs are usually toxic and may cause water pollution.In this work,Ag NPs(31.2 nm in diameter)were prepared using the extract of straw,an agricultural waste,as the reducing and stabilizing agent.Experimental analysis revealed that the straw extract contained lignin,the structure of which possesses phenolic hydroxyl and methoxy groups that facilitate the reduction of silver salts into Ag NPs.The surfaces of Ag NPs were negatively charged due to the encapsulation of a thin layer of lignin molecules that prevented their aggregation.After the prepared Ag NPs were added to the precursor solution of acrylamide,free radical polymerization was triggered without the need for extra heating or light irradiation,resulting in the rapid formation of an Ag NP-polyacrylamide composite hydrogel.The inhibition zone test proved that the composite hydrogel possessed excellent antibacterial ability due to the presence of Ag NPs.The prepared hydrogel may have potential applications in the fabrication of biomedical materials,such as antibacterial dressings.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(61988102,62401113)Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province(25QNJJ2315)Fund of Key Laboratory of THz Technology,Ministry of Education。
文摘Free electron radiation,particularly Smith-Purcell radiation,provides a versatile platform for exploring lightmatter interactions and generating light sources.A fundamental characteristic of Smith-Purcell radiation is the monotonic decrease in radiation frequency as the observation angle increases relative to the direction of the free electrons’motion,akin to the Doppler effect.Here,we demonstrate that this fundamental characteristic can be altered in Smith-Purcell radiation generated by photonic crystals with left-handed properties.Specifically,we have achieved,to our knowledge,a novel phenomenon that the lower-frequency components propagate forward,while the higher-frequency components propagate backward,which we define as reverse Smith-Purcell radiation.Additionally,this reverse Smith-Purcell radiation can confine the radiation to a narrow angular range,which provides a way to obtain broadband light sources in a specific observation angle.Furthermore,by precisely adjusting the grating geometry and the kinetic energy of the free electrons,we can control both the radiation direction and the output frequencies.Our results provide a promising platform to study unexplored light-matter interactions and open avenues to obtain tunable,broadband light sources.
