Combining CuPc with semiconductor materials as organic‒inorganic hybrid photocatalysts can effectively improve the light absorption capacity and separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes in semiconductor photocatalysts. Herein, a CuPc/Bi2WO6 Z-scheme heterojunction was successfully designed and used for CO2 photoreduction. The separation of photogenerated electrons and holes is greatly enhanced because of the formation of a compact organic‒inorganic heterointerface and the built-in electric field between CuPc and Bi2WO6, which increases the photocatalytic CO2 reduction efficiency. Moreover, the photosensitizer CuPc can effectively enhance the light absorption of Bi2WO6. The optimal 1CuPc/ Bi2WO6 composite exhibits the best photocatalytic performance, with a CO production rate of 2.95 μmol g− l h− 1, which is three times greater than that of Bi2WO6 under visible-light irradiation. This work provides a new idea for the construction of an organic‒inorganic photocatalytic system for CO2 reduction.

Toxic gas emissions are a critical global health concern, responsible for numerous deaths each year. These hazardous gases can cause severe physiological reactions and even death upon exposure. To address this issue, we propose a graphene-Kaptonbased flexible biosensor for non-invasive toxic gas detection. The sensor is designed to accurately detect and identify several harmful gases, including carbon monoxide (CO), fluorine azide ( FN3), hydrogen iodide (HI), nitrogen ( N2), methane ( CH4), nitrous oxide ( N2O), and ozone ( O3). Utilizing the Computer Simulation Technology (CST) Studio Suite 2024, we simulate the detection process, focusing on advanced techniques and miniature flexible structures. The sensor’s active element is a graphene patch embedded within a polyimide (Kapton) film, which allows for precise determination of the RF planar resonant structure’s frequency response. The graphene–Kapton biosensor is shown to have remarkable detection performance, as demonstrated by the results of the simulation, with a diffusivity of 9.09e−08[m2∕S] , an accuracy of 6.62e−13 , and a power loss of 1.5mW . These findings highlight the sensor’s potential as an effective tool for detecting and identifying toxic gases with high precision and efficiency.

Sodium sulfate, as a commonly used early strengthening agent, has been widely used in different areas. Because of its sulfonic acid group, sodium sulfate is also used as a cement capillary crystal waterproof material. However, temperature has a significant effect on concrete mixed with sodium sulfate. The effect of sodium sulfate on the early hydration rate at different temperatures was studied by conducting a time and hydration thermal analysis. The effects of sodium sulfate on the mechanical properties of concrete at different temperatures were studied through compressive strength experiments. Impermeability at different temperatures was studied by testing resistance to chloride ion penetration and resistance to water penetration. The effect of resistance to sulfate attack was also experimentally. The hydration products were analyzed by electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The experimental results showed that at low temperature, sodium sulfate can accelerate the early hydration reaction rate, and the effect becomes weaker with increasing temperature. At low temperature, the addition of sodium sulfate can effectively improve the degree of hydration, and enhance the permeability resistance and ion erosion resistance of the matrix.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) poses a significant global public health challenge, accounting for 10% of newly diagnosed cancer cases and causing 9.4% of cancer-related deaths. Conventional treatment methods like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation have shown limited success despite the increasing incidence of CRC. Thus, there is an urgent need for innovative therapeutic approaches. Researchers are continually working on developing novel technologies, notably focused on the creation of safe and effective cancer nanomedicines, in their continuous effort to advance cancer treatment. Nanoparticles exist at the nanoscale. Nanoparticles at the nanoscale have distinctive properties that leverage the metabolic disparities between cancerous and normal cells. This property allows them to selectively induce substantial cytotoxicity in cancer cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. Carbon nanomaterials (CNMs), including graphene oxide (GO), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and nanodiamonds (NDs), have undergone extensive investigation due to their biocompatibility, surface-to-volume ratio, thermal conductivity, rigid structural properties, and ability for post-chemical modifications. Notably, GO has emerged as a promising two-dimensional (2D) material for cancer treatment. Several groundbreaking nanoparticle-based therapies, predominantly utilizing GO, are currently undergoing clinical trials, with some already gaining regulatory clearance.

In this work, a series of BaTiO3-based ceramic materials, Ba(Al0.5Nb0.5)xTi1-xO3 (x = 0, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08), were synthesized using a standard solid-state reaction technique. X-ray diffraction profiles indicated that the Al+Nb co-doping into BaTiO3 does not change the crystal structure significantly with a doping concentration up to 8 %. The doping ions exist in Al3+ and Nb5+ chemical states, as revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The frequencydependent complex dielectric properties and electric modulus were studied in the temperature range of 100~380 K. A colossal dielectric permittivity (>1.5 × 104) and low dielectric loss (<0.01) were demonstrated at the optimal dopant concentration x = 0.04. The observed dielectric behavior of Ba(Al0.5Nb0.5)xTi1-xO3 ceramics can be attributed to the Universal Dielectric Response. The complex electric modulus spectra indicated the grains exhibited a significant decrease in capacitance and permittivity with increasing co-doping concentration. Our results provide insight into the roles of donor and acceptor co-doping on the properties of BaTiO3-based ceramics, which is important for dielectric and energy storage applications.

The Balloon-borne Investigation of Temperature and Speed of Electrons in the corona (BITSE) mission, performed by KASI and NASA, used a high-altitude scientific balloon. The purpose of BITSE was to investigate the scientific feasibility of electron temperature and velocity measurements in the solar corona using wavelength-dependent polarization brightness differences. KASI was responsible for developing the command and data handling (C&DH) system, including the main electronics unit and flight software (FSW). Here, we introduce the development of C&DH system of BITSE and describe the ground integration and test and flight operations. The main electronics unit was built using an industrial-grade modular system in customized enclosures that withstood the operating environment. The FSW was developed using the core Flight System (cFS), an open-source software framework developed by NASA and used in several successful space missions. BITSE was launched at Fort Sumner, New Mexico, USA, on September 18, 2019. It observed the solar corona for approximately 4 hours at an altitude of approximately 40 km and collected 16,000 solar corona images. This study could provide guidelines for developing the C&DH system for future balloon missions.

This review explores the potential of pillared bentonite materials as solid acid catalysts for synthesizing diethyl ether, a promising renewable energy source. Diethyl ether offers numerous environmental benefits over fossil fuels, such as lower emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon oxides (COx) gases and enhanced fuel properties, like high volatility and low flash point. Generally, the synthesis of diethyl ether employs homogeneous acid catalysts, which pose environmental impacts and operational challenges. This review discusses bentonite, a naturally occurring alumina silicate, as a heterogeneous acid catalyst due to its significant cation exchange capacity, porosity, and ability to undergo modifications such as pillarization. Pillarization involves intercalating polyhydroxy cations into the bentonite structure, enhancing surface area, acidity, and thermal stability. Despite the potential advantages, challenges remain in optimizing the yield and selectivity of diethyl ether production using pillared bentonite. The review highlights the need for further research using various metal oxides in the pillarization process to enhance surface properties and acidity characteristics, thereby improving the catalytic performance of bentonite for the synthesis of diethyl ether. This development could lead to more efficient, environmentally friendly synthesis processes, aligning with sustainable energy goals.

수염풍뎅이(Polyphylla laticollis manchurica)는 과거에는 흔히 발견되었으나, 1970년대 이후 한반도 내 개체수 가 급격히 감소하여 2005년 환경부에 의해 멸종위기 야생생물 Ⅰ급으로 지정되었다. 또한 해당종의 분자생물학적 연구는 멸종위기종이라는 특성으로 인해 제한적으로 진행되었다. 그로 인해 NCBI 등 공공 데이터베이스에서 제공되는 서열정보들 또한 부족한 실정이다. 이 연구는 이러한 한계를 극복하고 수염풍뎅이의 유전적 특성을 규명하기 위해 생물정보학적 기술을 활용하여 전사체 분석을 진행하였다. Illumina HiSeq 2500 플랫폼을 사용하여 53,433,048개의 RNA reads를 얻었으며, Trinity와 TGICL을 이용한 De novo 어셈블리 분석을 통해 18,172개의 unigenes를 생성하였다. 생성된 unigenes는 GO, KOG, KEGG, PANM DB를 활용하여 annotation을 진행하였다. 그 결과, GO 분석에서는 ‘binding and catalytic activities’와 관련된 항목이 높은 발현을 보였으며, KOG 분석의 경우 ‘Cellular Processes and Signals’ 범주가 높은 비율을 나타내었다. KEGG 분석을 통해 2,118개의 unigenes가 metabolic 카테고리에 annotation된 것을 확인하였다. SSR 모티프 분석에서는 AT/AT (42.90%) 모티프, AAT/ATT (13.13%) 모티프 순으로 많이 나타나는 것을 확인하였다. 이 연구를 통해 분석한 결과 들을 이용하여 유전자원 및 종 정보를 실시간 제공 및 정보 공유가 가능하도록 Database 및 web-interface를 구축하 였으며, 이러한 자료들은 국내 멸종위기종인 수염풍뎅이의 고유한 유전적 특성을 발굴 및 확보할 수 있는 기반자 료로써 활용될 수 있을 것으로 사료된다.

장내 미생물 군집은 소화 과정, 면역 시스템, 질병 발생 등 숙주의 다양한 면에 광범위한 영향을 주는 것으로 알려져 있으며, 주요 장내 미생물 종은 숙주의 생리 기능에 핵심적인 역할을 수행한다고 발표된 바 있다. 곤충의 장내 미생물 군집에 관한 연구가 최근 활발히 이루어지고 있으며, 이들 연구는 주로 장내 미생물 군집과 기생충, 병원체 간의 상호작용, 종간의 신호 전달 네트워크, 먹이의 소화 과정 등을 중심으로 이루어지고 있다. 이러한 연구들은 대부분 Illumina MiSeq을 활용하여 16S rRNA 유전자의 V1부터 V9 영역 중 선택된 특정 부분을 대상으로 짧은 서열 정보를 대상으로 진행되었다. 그러나, 최근에는 PacBio HiFi 기술이 상용화되면서 16S rRNA의 전장 분석이 가능할 수 있게 되었다. 이번 연구는 장수말벌(Vespa mandarinia)의 해부를 통해 gut과 carcass 부분을 분리한 뒤, 각 샘플을 Illumina MiSeq과 PacBio HiFi 기술을 활용하여 미생물 군집 간의 차이점을 확인하기 위하여 수행되었다.

Wearable sensors with highly flexible and sensitive characteristics have attracted research interests in the promising field of electronic skin, health monitoring, and soft robotics. However, the developing of high-performance piezoresistive sensor is full of challenges due to the expensive equipment and complex procedures. Herein, we fabricate a reduced graphene oxide/ polyurethane composite sponge (GPCS) pressure sensor combining with dual-templates. The polyurethane (PU) sponge provides an elastic structure as solid template. Meanwhile, air bubbles as gas template are used to uniformly disperse graphene oxide (GO) sheets. The burst of air bubbles in the process of thermal treatment makes GO coating on the surface of PU skeleton, avoiding the aggregation of reduced graphene oxide. Therefore, the GPCS exhibits excellent compressibility and uniform coating structure. As a result, it also possesses high sensitivity (Gauge Factor = 3.00 in the range of 0–10% strain), fast response time (35 ms), and excellent cyclic piezoresistive stability (5000 loading–unloading cycles) when applied in the pressure sensor field. Moreover, the flexible wearable stress–strain sensor assembled by the GPCS can be easily adhered on the surface of human skin and precisely detect human movements such as elbow bending and finger bending. Such low-cost procedure and excellent sensing performance enable GPCS sensor to demonstrate tremendous application potential in the field of advanced wearable devices.

This study reports the synthesis of a novel graphene/chitosan/β-cyclodextrin composite material (GO/CS/β-CD) via a onestep chemical reduction method, which combines the advantages of graphene, chitosan, and β-cyclodextrin. The morphology and structure of the composite were characterized using various techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy. Subsequently, sortase A (SA) was immobilized onto the GO/CS/β-CD for the detection of Staphylococcus aureus. The sensor exhibited a good linear relationship within the concentration range of 30–300 CFU/mL, with a detection limit of 12 CFU/mL. The GO/CS/β-CD composite material showed enhanced properties due to the synergistic effect of graphene, chitosan, and β-cyclodextrin. The immobilization of sortase A onto the composite material improved the sensitivity and selectivity of the sensor for the detection of S. aureus. This study presents a novel graphene/chitosan/β-cyclodextrin composite material with immobilized sortase A, demonstrating enhanced sensitivity and selectivity for the detection of Staphylococcus aureus, which has potential for the development of high-performance sensors in various fields.

Curing agents are critical components of aqueous epoxy resin systems. Unfortunately, its uses and applications are restricted because of its low emulsifying yields. Epoxy resins are frequently used in electrical devices, castings, packaging, adhesive, corrosion resistance, and dip coating. In the presence of curing agents, epoxy resins become rigid and infusible. Eco-friendliness and mechanical functionality have emerged as vulcanization properties. Curing agents are used for surface modification, thermodynamic properties, functional approaches to therapeutic procedures, and recent advances in a variety of fields such as commercial and industrial levels. The curing agent has superior construction and mechanical properties when compared to the commercial one, which suggests that it has the potential for use as the architectural and industrial coatings. The thermal stability of cured products is good due to the presence of the imide group and the hydrogenated phenanthrene ring structure. Over the course of the projection period, it is anticipated that the global market for curing agents will continue to expand at a steady rate. The growth of the market is mainly driven by its expanding range in future applications such as adhesives, composites, construction, electrical, electronics, and wind energy. This review focused on the most recent advancements in curing techniques, emphasizing their thermal and mechanical properties. The review also presents a critical discussion of key aspects and bottleneck or research gap of the application of curing agents in the industrial areas.