Sustainable Catalytic Processes Driven by Graphene-Based Materials

In the recent two decades, graphene-based materials have achieved great successes in catalytic processes towards sustainable production of chemicals, fuels and protection of the environment. In graphene, the carbon atoms are packed into a well-defined sp2-hybridized honeycomb lattice, and can be further constructed into other dimensional allotropes such as fullerene, carbon nanotubes, and aerogels. Graphene-based materials possess appealing optical, thermal, and electronic properties, and the graphitic structure is resistant to extreme conditions. Therefore, the green nature and robust framework make the graphene-based materials highly favourable for chemical reactions. More importantly, the open structure of graphene affords a platform to host a diversity of functional groups, dopants, and structural defects, which have been demonstrated to play crucial roles in catalytic processes. In this perspective, we introduced the potential active sites of graphene in green catalysis and showcased the marriage of metal-free carbon materials in chemical synthesis, catalytic oxidation, and environmental remediation. Future research directions are also highlighted in mechanistic investigation and applications of graphene-based materials in other promising catalytic systems.

Download Full-text

Fe0/H2O Systems for Environmental Remediation: The Scientific History and Future Research Directions

Water ◽

10.3390/w10121739 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 1739 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Rui Hu ◽

Xuesong Cui ◽

Willis Gwenzi ◽

Shuanghong Wu ◽

Chicgoua Noubactep

Keyword(s):

Environmental Remediation ◽

Scientific Literature ◽

Direct Reduction ◽

Future Research ◽

Contaminant Removal ◽

Research Directions ◽

Future Research Directions ◽

Water Provision ◽

Intrinsic Reactivity ◽

Further Development

Elemental iron (Fe0) has been widely used in groundwater/soil remediation, safe drinking water provision, and wastewater treatment. It is still mostly reported that a surface-mediated reductive transformation (direct reduction) is a relevant decontamination mechanism. Thus, the expressions “contaminant removal” and “contaminant reduction” are interchangeably used in the literature for reducible species (contaminants). This contribution reviews the scientific literature leading to the advent of the Fe0 technology and shows clearly that reductive transformations in Fe0/H2O systems are mostly driven by secondary (FeII, H/H2) and tertiary/quaternary (e.g., Fe3O4, green rust) reducing agents. The incidence of this original mistake on the Fe0 technology and some consequences for its further development are discussed. It is shown, in particular, that characterizing the intrinsic reactivity of Fe0 materials should be the main focus of future research.

Download Full-text

The Emerging Proteomic Research Facilitates in-Depth Understanding of the Biology of Honeybees

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms20174252 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (17) ◽

pp. 4252 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Solomon Zewdu Altaye ◽

Lifeng Meng ◽

Yao Lu ◽

Jianke Li

Keyword(s):

Computational Analysis ◽

Scientific Progress ◽

Biological Research ◽

Future Research ◽

Research Topics ◽

Research Directions ◽

Mechanistic Investigation ◽

Future Research Directions ◽

Behavioral Physiology ◽

Proteomic Research

Advances in instrumentation and computational analysis in proteomics have opened new doors for honeybee biological research at the molecular and biochemical levels. Proteomics has greatly expanded the understanding of honeybee biology since its introduction in 2005, through which key signaling pathways and proteins that drive honeybee development and behavioral physiology have been identified. This is critical for downstream mechanistic investigation by knocking a gene down/out or overexpressing it and being able to attribute a specific phenotype/biochemical change to that gene. Here, we review how emerging proteome research has contributed to the new understanding of honeybee biology. A systematic and comprehensive analysis of global scientific progress in honeybee proteome research is essential for a better understanding of research topics and trends, and is potentially useful for future research directions.

Download Full-text

Nanoporous copper: fabrication techniques and advanced electrochemical applications

Corrosion Reviews ◽

10.1515/corrrev-2016-0023 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 34 (5-6) ◽

pp. 249-276 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Aumber Abbas ◽

Saleem Abbas ◽

Xianli Wang

Keyword(s):

Volume Ratio ◽

Future Research ◽

Synthesis Methods ◽

Special Focus ◽

Research Directions ◽

Catalytic Systems ◽

Electrochemical Applications ◽

Nanoporous Copper ◽

Future Research Directions ◽

Energy Sensing

AbstractNanoporous copper (NPC), a representative type of nanostructured materials, holds an extensive ability to generate propitious potential for a broad range of highly promising applications. Especially, with the advancement in fabrication techniques, NPC with numerous special and superior properties, such as unique pore structure, large surface-to-volume ratio, enlarged specific surface area, and high electrical and thermal conductivities, has boosted the interest to explore its electrochemical properties and extended its promising applications in energy, sensing, actuation, and catalytic systems. Therefore, timely updates of such a type of material are highly demanding and appealing for a broad audience. This review summarizes the latest advances in the development of NPC with a special focus on synthesis methods and state-of-the-art electrochemical applications such as electrocatalysts, sensors, and energy conversion/storage systems. The important scientific disputes and future research directions are also presented.

Download Full-text

Deep Learning-Based Applications for Safety Management in the AEC Industry: A Review

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11020821 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 821

Author(s):

Lei Hou ◽

Haosen Chen ◽

Guomin (Kevin) Zhang ◽

Xiangyu Wang

Keyword(s):

Deep Learning ◽

Safety Management ◽

Research Progress ◽

Structural Defects ◽

Future Research ◽

Wide Range ◽

Future Research Directions ◽

Methodological Problems ◽

Future Work ◽

Aec Industry

Safety is an essential topic to the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry. However, traditional methods for structural health monitoring (SHM) and jobsite safety management (JSM) are not only inefficient, but also costly. In the past decade, scholars have developed a wide range of deep learning (DL) applications to address automated structure inspection and on-site safety monitoring, such as the identification of structural defects, deterioration patterns, unsafe workforce behaviors and latent risk factors. Although numerous studies have examined the effectiveness of the DL methodology, there has not been one comprehensive, systematic, evidence-based review of all individual articles that investigate the effectiveness of using DL in the SHM and JSM industry to date, nor has there been an examination of this body of evidence in regard to these methodological problems. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to disclose the state of the art of current research progress and determine the relevant gaps, challenges and future work. Methodically, CiteSpace was employed to summarize the research trends, advancements and frontiers of DL applications from 2010 to 2020. Next, an application-focused literature review was conducted, which led to a summary of research gaps, recommendations and future research directions. Overall, this review gains insight into SHM and JSM and aims to help researchers formulate more types of effective DL applications which have not been addressed sufficiently for the time being.

Download Full-text