Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2024102403
The rapid combustion of soot at low temperatures is critical for diesel engine cold-start emission control. This study investigates the effects of water vapor (H2O) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) on electricity-pulse-sparked catalysis (EPSC) for soot combustion over a ceramic filter paper-based potassium-supported antimony-doped tin oxide (K/ATO/CP) monolithic catalyst. Under EPSC with 2000 J pulses, the presence of H2O and NOx adversely affected soot combustion performance, yet average reaction rates remained high at 12.0 μmol·gcat−1·s−1 and 9.53 μmol·gcat−1·s−1, respectively, exceeding conventional thermal catalysis (<8 μmol·gcat−1·s−1). In situ Raman and concentration profiles revealed that electricity pulses promote rapid H2O desorption, effectively alleviating H2O poisoning and restoring catalyst activity. In contrast, NOx adsorption forms stable nitrates (e.g., KNO3) that desorb slower than the soot combustion process, leading to incomplete recovery of activity. These findings highlight the importance of adsorbate desorption kinetics in EPSC and suggest that using weakly basic alkaline-earth metals (e.g., Mg, Ca, Sr) with lower nitrate decomposition temperatures could mitigate NOx poisoning. The results provide guidance for advancing EPSC technology in hybrid vehicle exhaust aftertreatment systems.
Journal of Environmental Engineering Technology•2026•DOI: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202604004
Tire wear particles (TWPs) are emerging pollutants and constitute the dominant type of microplastics (MPs) in urban stormwater runoff, accounting for up to 90% of MPs in some cases. They are characterized by small size, high mobility, complex composition, and significant toxicity. Current research on TWPs remains fragmented, lacking a comprehensive understanding of their environmental behaviors and pollution control in aquatic systems. This review systematically analyzes the enrichment and vectoring roles of TWPs for coexisting pollutants, and their environmental fate, including ecotoxicological impacts, detection methodologies, release of intrinsic additives, and aggregation and sedimentation behaviors. Drawing on insights from other microplastic studies, the paper explores control technologies across the pollution pathway—source, transport, and terminal treatment—and proposes feasible management strategies. Key findings indicate that TWPs can adsorb heavy metals and organic contaminants, with adsorption capacities influenced by aging processes. Their aggregation is governed by solution chemistry, with critical coagulation concentrations varying with ionic strength and pH. The release of additives such as zinc and benzothiazoles is significant, posing ecological risks. Future research should focus on real-water aggregation mechanisms, additive release under natural conditions, long-term performance of treatment facilities like constructed wetlands under TWPs stress, enzymatic degradation pathways, and integration of AI, big data, and IoT for cost-effective detection and risk modeling. This review provides a scientific basis for developing targeted pollution control measures for TWPs in aquatic environments.
Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202509020
The AAOA-MBR (anaerobic-anoxic-oxic-anoxic membrane bioreactor) process is widely used in municipal wastewater treatment, but its multi-stage internal recirculation complicates sludge retention time (SRT) and carbon source distribution. This study systematically regulated three reflux ratios (R1: membrane tank to oxic tank; R2: oxic tank to anoxic I tank; R3: anoxic II tank to anaerobic tank) in a pilot-scale system (0.24 m3·d−1) to reveal their effects on nutrient removal and membrane fouling. When R1:R2:R3 = 300%:200%:100%, effluent COD, TN, TP, and NH3-N met discharge standards. Reducing R1 and R2, thereby decreasing total reflux ratio from R=6 to R=3, shortened SRT, which suppressed nitrifier accumulation and increased effluent COD and TN, but decreased TP. High-throughput sequencing of anoxic I and oxic tanks showed that denitrifying bacteria (Thauera and Ottowia) relative abundances decreased from 0.68% to 0.42% and 0.51% to 0.24%, respectively, while the phosphorus-accumulating organism Candidatus_Accumulibacter increased from 0.78% to 1.12%, enhancing phosphorus removal. Additionally, lowering R1 to 200% caused sludge accumulation in the membrane tank, exacerbating membrane fouling. Thus, internal recirculation ratios must be adjusted based on influent characteristics to balance nutrient removal and membrane performance.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3808-x
The uncontrollable Zn dendrites and serious parasitic side reactions of the zinc anode severely impede the practical application of aqueous zinc-ion batteries. In this work, a unique strategy of multipoint solvate coordination center is proposed, which anchors Zn2+ and H2O with complex sites to establish an intermolecular connection within the asymmetric solvation structure. A hydrated deep eutectic electrolyte based on multi-site methylurea (MU) with Janus properties is developed, in which Zn2+ and H2O interact with MU through Lewis acid-base and hydrogen bonding interaction, and the regulated asymmetric solvation configuration can guide the (002)-ordered Zn deposition. Simultaneously, a small amount of polyethylene glycol (PEG, Mw=20000) can facilitate homogenous (002) Zn deposition by suppressing Zn2+ transfer kinetics. Benefiting from the rationally regulated solvation structure and PEG molecules adsorbed onto Zn anodes, the side reactions and Zn dendrites are significantly inhibited. As a result, the Zn||Zn symmetric cell delivers outstanding cycling performance over 3900 h (1 mA cm−2, 0.5 mA h cm−2). In addition, the Zn||V2O5 battery maintains 79.2% capacity retention after 1000 cycles at 1 A g−1. The results suggest a promising oriented regulation strategy for sustainable aqueous zinc-ion batteries.
Journal of Fuel Chemistry and Technology•2026•DOI: 10.3724/2097-213X.2025.JFCT.0037
Alumina microspheres with a lamellar-assembled flower-like morphology were synthesized via a urea-assisted hydrothermal method and used as supports to prepare Pd/Al2O3-M catalysts by incipient wetness impregnation. The catalytic performance was evaluated in the selective hydrogenation of isoprene and the hydrogenation of 2-ethylanthraquinone for hydrogen peroxide production, and compared with a commercial alumina-supported Pd catalyst (Pd/Al2O3). Characterization revealed that the flower-like structure, composed of stacked nanosheets, promoted high Pd dispersion and enhanced metal-support interaction, leading to a higher surface Pd content and more abundant active sites. Under 60 °C and 1 MPa H2, Pd/Al2O3-M achieved 95.2% conversion of isoprene with 98.3% total selectivity to isoamylenes, and exhibited good stability over 24 h. In anthraquinone hydrogenation, it reached a hydrogenation efficiency of 15.8 g/L, a 27.4% improvement over Pd/Al2O3 (12.4 g/L). The study demonstrates that modulating carrier morphology is an effective strategy to simultaneously enhance activity, selectivity, and stability of Pd catalysts, offering a promising approach for designing efficient hydrogenation catalysts.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3446-2
Mn-doped GeTe dilute magnetic semiconductors exhibit potential for mid-temperature thermoelectric applications, yet the mechanistic role of Mn in transport remains unresolved. This study characterizes the transport, magnetic, and lattice vibrational properties of Ge1−xMnxTe (x = 0–0.1) across 50–300 K. Mn incorporation reduces carrier concentration from ~1.2 × 10^21 cm−3 (x = 0) to ~4.5 × 10^20 cm−3 (x = 0.05) and amplifies electron scattering, yielding a two-fold increase in power factor to ~28 μW cm−1 K−2 at 300 K. Concurrently, Mn doping softens optical phonons and reduces phonon group velocity, suppressing lattice thermal conductivity to ~0.65 W m−1 K−1 at 300 K. Ferromagnetic ordering below ~120 K further depresses magnetic excitation phonon modes, contributing to the overall thermoelectric performance. These findings establish a dual electronic–thermal optimization pathway for GeTe-based dilute magnetic semiconductors.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3500-x
Cation vacancies were engineered into diamond-like (DL) chalcogenides to amplify tetrahedral distortion and second harmonic generation (SHG). Substitution of Ge4+ by P5+ in Cd4GeS6 yielded the defective DL phase Cd3.5PS6, which exhibits intrinsic Cd2+ vacancies and an 8.5-fold increase in [CdS4] tetrahedral distortion relative to Cd4GeS6. Consequently, Cd3.5PS6 achieves a 2 × AgGaS2 (AGS) SHG response at 2050 nm and a laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) of 9.4 × AGS. Further equivalent substitution of Hg2+ concentrates Cd2+ vacancies at the Cd(2) site, producing Hg0.5Cd3PS6 with a 2.66-fold enhancement in [CdS4] distortion over Cd3.5PS6. This material delivers a 2.73 × AGS SHG response at 2050 nm, an LIDT of 5 × AGS, and a birefringence of 0.076 at 2050 nm. The results establish cation vacancies and mixed-atom radius scaling as effective levers for designing high-performance mid-infrared nonlinear optical crystals, circumventing the low LIDT of AgGaS2 and two-photon absorption of ZnGeP2.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3606-6
Transition-metal carbides (TMCs) have emerged as promising alternatives to platinum-based catalysts in the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), showcasing substantial potential for sustainable energy applications. Herein, a rapid microwave-plasma-assisted synthesis strategy (60 s) is employed to fabricate phosphorus-doped tungsten carbide (WC) uniformly loaded with osmium (Os) nanoclusters (Os/P-WC). The resulting Os/P-WC catalyst exhibits exceptional HER performance, achieving a benchmark current density of 10 mA cm−2 with low overpotentials of 20, 51, and 11 mV in alkaline, acidic, and alkaline seawater electrolytes, respectively. Furthermore, it maintains stable operation for 100 h at both 10 and 500 mA cm−2 in alkaline electrolyte. In-situ Raman spectroscopy, in-situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and hydrogen binding energy (HBE) experiments confirm that the electronic metal-support interaction (EMSI) generates electron-enriched Os active sites. These sites facilitate the adsorption and dissociation of water, optimize the adsorption and desorption of hydrogen intermediates (H*), and thereby significantly accelerate reaction kinetics. This work presents a novel design and synthesis strategy for developing highly active electrocatalysts with low precious metal loading for H2 evolution applications.