Antimony (Sb) contamination released from mine tailings represents a global threat to natural ecosystems and human health. The geochemical conditions of Sb tailings, which are oligotrophic and replete in sulfur (S) and Sb, may promote the coupled metabolism of Sb and S. In this study, multiple lines of evidence indicate that a novel biogeochemical process, S oxidation coupled to Sb(V) reduction, is enzymatically mediated by Desulfurivibrio spp. The distribution of Desulfurivibrio covaried with S and Sb concentrations, showing a high relative abundance in Sb mine tailings but not in samples from surrounding sites (i.e., soils, paddies, and river sediments). Further, the metabolic potential to couple S oxidation to Sb(V) reduction, encoded by a non-canonical, oxidative sulfite reductase (dsr) and arsenate reductase (arrA) or antimonate reductase (anrA), respectively, was found to be common in Desulfurivibrio genomes retrieved from metal-contaminated sites in southern China. Elucidation of enzymatically-catalyzed S oxidation coupled to Sb(V) reduction expands the fundamental understanding of Sb biogeochemical cycling, which may be harnessed to improve remediation strategies for Sb mine tailings.
Many animals and plants have evolved wonderful hydrophobic abilities to adapt to the complex climate environment. The microstructure design of a superhydrophobic surface focuses on bionics and will be restricted by processing technology. Although certain functions can be achieved, there is a lack of unified conclusion on the wetting mechanism and a few quantitative analyses of the continuity of the three-phase contact line. Therefore, the relationship between the surface microstructure of the lattice pattern and the critical sliding angle of the water droplet in the Cassie state was investigated in this paper, and we proposed a method to quantitatively analyze the continuity of the three-phase contact line by a dimensionless length f. The results showed that the three-phase contact line was an important factor to determine the sliding performance of the droplet. The upward traction force generated by the surface tension through the force analysis on the three-phase contact line can enhance the sliding ability of the droplet on the solid surface. There was a good negative linear correlation between the critical sliding angle and dimensionless length, which provided a guiding basis for the optimal design of superhydrophobic surfaces.
It is confirmed that surfaces with specific microstructures could exhibit good superhydrophobic properties, and there are also a lot of conclusions about droplet hysteresis behavior. However, most of the research methods are based on two-dimensional ideal model and experimental observation at the macroscale. Further research needs to be conducted about the hysteresis behavior of droplets on the microstructure surface under three-dimensional conditions. In this paper, the influence of curvature variation of the liquid surface between pillars on the contact angle hysteresis (CAH) has been investigated. The simulation results were in good agreement with the experimental measurements. Analyses were conducted on the morphology change and force of the liquid surface between pillars, and an index was proposed to describe the degree of difficulty of liquid surface movement. It was revealed that a change in the direction of the surface tension at the three-phase interface caused by curvature variation of the liquid surface between pillars played an important role in the movement of the liquid surface. The greater the surface tension component in the normal direction of the liquid surface, the more likely it was for the liquid surface to advance or recede. The local curvature of the liquid surface increased or the angles between the pillars increased, and the effect of the CAH would be weakened.
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