Although being very challenging, utilization of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) originating from production processes and flue gases of CO 2 -intensive sectors has a great environmental and industrial potential due to improving the resource efficiency of industry as well as by contributing to the reduction of CO 2 emissions. As a renewable and environmentally friendly source of carbon, catalytic approaches for CO 2 fixation in the synthesis of chemicals offer the way to mitigate the increasing CO 2 buildup. Among the catalytic reactions, methanation of CO 2 is a particularly promising technique for producing energy carrier or chemical. This article focuses on recent developments in catalytic materials, novel reactors, and reaction mechanism for methanation of CO 2 .

Electroplating has been studied for centuries, not only in the laboratory but also in industry for machinery, electronics, automobile, aviation, and other fields. The lithium‐metal anode is the Holy Grail electrode because of its high energy density. But the recyclability of lithium‐metal batteries remains quite challenging. The essence of both conventional electroplating and lithium plating is the same, reduction of metal cations. Thus, industrial electroplating knowledge can be applied to revisit the electroplating process for lithium‐metal anodes. In conventional electroplating, some strategies like using additives, modifying substrates, applying pulse current, and agitating electrolyte have been explored to suppress dendrite growth. These methods are also effective in lithium‐metal anodes. Inspired by that, we revisit the fundamental electroplating theory for lithium‐metal anodes in this Minireview, mainly drawing attention to the theory of electroplating thermodynamics and kinetics. Analysis of essential differences between traditional electroplating and plating/stripping of lithium‐metal anodes is also presented. Thus, industrial electroplating knowledge can be applied to the electroplating process of lithium‐metal anodes to improve commercial lithium‐metal batteries and the study of lithium plating/stripping can further enrich the classical electroplating technique.

No abstract

No abstract

Perchlorate (ClO4-) has emerged as a widespread environmental contaminant and has been detected in various food products and even in human breast milk and urine. This research developed a sensing technique based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for rapid screening and monitoring of this contaminant in groundwater and surface water. The technique was found to be capable of detecting ClO4- at concentrations as low as 10(-9) M (or approximately 0.1 microg/L) by using 2-dimethylaminoethanethiol (DMAE) modified gold nanoparticles as a SERS substrate. Quantitative analysis of ClO4- was validated with good reproducibility by using both simulated and contaminated groundwater samples. When coupled with a portable Raman spectrometer, this technique has the potential to be used as an in situ, rapid screening tool for perchlorate in the environment.

No abstract

Hypochlorite (ClO − ) and ascorbic acid (AA) are reported to have a high correlation with oxidative stress and related diseases, so it is necessary and critical to develop sensitive and fast response sensors to investigate the dynamical variation of these redox substances, especially those sensors which can detect ClO − and AA in real time in two manners. However, it is still an unmet challenge for now. Herein, novel carbon dots (RD-CDs) which can respond to ClO − and AA rapidly, reversibly, and dynamically by fluorescence and colorimetry were synthesized. In the fluorescence manner, the constructed nanosensor possessed high selectivity toward ClO − in the range of 0.1−100 μM with a detection limit of 83 nM, and can be selectively recovered by AA. It endows this sensor with good capacity as a fluorescent probe for dynamic detection of ClO − and AA in living cells, which can be monitored by a fluorescence microscope. In the colorimetric manner, ClO − and AA can be detected by UV−vis in the range of 5−200 μM and 1−30 μM, respectively. The concentrations of ClO − and AA in humor can be measured by RD-CDs in both fluorescence and colorimetric mode. The results above-mentioned demonstrate its great potential in biosensing.

No abstract