Development
of versatile, broad-spectrum adsorbents for the removal
of diverse dyes from contaminated water and oil is highly desirable.
In this study, a calcium alginate carbon aerogel (CCA) as an adsorbent
for various types of dyes was fabricated from sodium alginate by wet
spinning, cross-linking, drying, and high-temperature carbonization.
The CCA carbonized at 1000 °C (CCA-1000) showed a good adsorption
effect on methylene blue as a cationic dye, methyl orange as an anionic
dye, oil red O as a solvent dye, and nine other dyes. Adsorption kinetics,
adsorption effect of various parameters such as temperature and solution
pH, regeneration performance, and adsorption mechanism were studied.
The ultrahigh adsorption capacities of CCA-1000 for malachite green,
crystal violet, and acid fuchsin, each with similar triphenylmethane
structures, were determined to be 7059, 2390, and 6964 mg g–1, respectively. Interestingly, unlike previously reported carbon
aerogels with simple oil–water separation, due to the amphiphilicity,
CCA-1000 fabricated herein can be utilized to separate oil–water,
surfactant-stabilized water-in-oil, and oil-in-water emulsions with
simultaneous dye removal from water and oil. The present work may
open up a new avenue for designing carbon aerogels with exceptional
performance for broad-spectrum dye adsorption and oil–water
separation from sustainable natural seaweed resources.
Colorful blue phase liquid crystal (BPLC) patterns have attracted wide research attention owing to their intriguing and advantageous properties and promising applications. However, it remains a challenge to develop novel and highresolution patterns from BPLC owing to the complicated synthetic procedure for the functional molecules. This study reports a high-resolution "live" pattern by well-designed diffusion of 5CB ink on the wettability-modified BPLC networks. Interestingly, the shape and color of the as-prepared pattern change with time, which results in unique spectra change of the printed pattern, "first red-shift and subsequent blue-shift of the stopband position" and "continuous growth in reflectivity intensity" with time. The hydrophobic substrate greatly suppresses the random spreading and diffusion of ink, contributing to highresolution patterns. The promising applications of live patterns for program display and active labels are demonstrated. Various high-resolution erasable colorful patterns are obtained. The structure reconfiguration of the writing and erasing processes is proved by transmitted electronic microscope images and Kossel diffraction diagrams, which ensures the reversible writing/erasing of the pattern on the membrane. This work is of significance for the development of novel rewritable paper and high-quality optic devices based on BPLC materials.
ZrO2 nanorods are prepared by annealing precursor powders produced in the novel inverse microemulsion system. The length and diameter of ZrO2 nanorods are a few micrometers and 40–100 nm, respectively. The microstructure of the resultant nanorods are studied by XRD, TEM, selected area electron diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. The ZrO2 nanorods are single crystalline and have monoclinic structure. The formation of ZrO2 nanorods is discussed.
Blue‐phase liquid crystal (BPLC) lasers have received extensive attention and have potential applications in sensors, displays, and anti‐counterfeiting, owing to their unique 3D photonic bandgap. However, the working temperature range of such BPLC lasers is insufficient, and investigations are required to elucidate the underlying mechanism. Herein, a broad‐temperature reconstructed laser is successfully achieved in dye‐doped polymer‐stabilized blue‐phase liquid crystals (DD‐PSBPLCs) with an unprecedented working temperature range of 25–230 °C based on a robust polymer scaffold, which combines the thermal stability and the tunability from the system. The broad‐temperature lasing stems from the high thermal stability of the robust polymerized system used, which affords enough reflected and matched fluorescence signals. The temperature‐tunable lasing behavior of the DD‐PSBPLCs is associated with the phase transition of the unpolymerized content (≈60 wt%) in the system, which endows with a reconstructed characteristic of BP lasers including a U‐shaped lasing threshold, a reversible lasing wavelength, and an obvious lasing enhancement at about 70 °C. This work not only provides a new idea for the design of broad‐temperature BPLC lasers, but also sets out important insight in innovative microstructure changes for novel multifunctional organic optic devices.
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