Perfectly hydrophobic (PHO) coatings consisting of silicone nanofibers have been obtained via a solution process using methyltrialkoxysilanes as precursors. On the basis of thermal gravimetry and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results, the formula of the nanofibers was tentatively given and a possible growth mechanism of the nanofibers was proposed. Because of the low affinity between the coatings and the small water droplet, when using these coatings as substrate for collecting water vapor, the harvesting efficiency could be enhanced as compared with those from bare glass substrate for more than 50% under 25 °C and 60-90% relative humidity. By removing the surface methyl group by heat treatment or ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, the as-prepared perfectly hydrophobic surface can be converted into a superhydrophilic surface.

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The ash (Ash) and biochar (BC) derived from the partial combustion of rice-straw are ubiquitous in soils and sediments and can potentially affect the environmental fate of organic contaminants. In this study, the effects of Ash and BC on the sorption and desorption behaviors of methylene blue (MB) were investigated. Ash was obtained from the direct burning of the rice-straw, and BC was separated from Ash by HCl treatment. SEM, BET, FT-IR, and pore size distribution analyses were used to characterize the Ash and BC prepared. Sorption capacities of MB on Ash-amended soil (AS) and BC-amended soil (BS) increased significantly with increasing contents of Ash and BC in soils. Sorption isotherms of soil amended with various amounts of Ash or BC fitted better to the Langmuir equation. The significant increase of apparent desorption hysteresis could be observed with increasing content of Ash or BC in the soils, especially in the case of BC, presumably due to the presence of micropores, hydroxyl groups and relatively higher specific surface area. It is believed that the presence of small amounts of BC produced from the rice-straw-derived ash in soil can have a marked effect on the transfer behavior of dye contaminations.

A novel Sm(III)–hyperbranched poly(ester‐amide) complex (Sm(III)–HBPEA) was synthesized, and characterized using Fourier transform infrared, 13C NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Under the conditions used, HBPEA chelates to Sm3+ ions mainly via oxygen and nitrogen atoms of functional groups on the HBPEA chain. Modes of bonding of carboxyl groups, terminal hydroxyl groups and amide carbonyl structures may play the most important role in the coordination interaction. On excitation with UV light, the complex exhibits characteristic emission of both HBPEA and Sm3+. The presence of Sm3+ ions slightly accelerates HBPEA decomposition. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry

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