Search Results (5,078)

Styrene–acrylic elastomeric waterproofing membranes are widely used in exterior construction because of their flexibility, adhesion, and ease of application; however, their long-term performance depends on resistance to environmental aging and on surface interactions with water. This work presents a comparative experimental assessment of commercially available elastomeric waterproofing membranes, combining tensile/elongation testing before and after hydrolytic, thermal, and QUV accelerated aging with static water contact-angle measurements on selected systems. Four Sika systems (Sika^® Elastic Roof, SikaFill^®-90 MP, SikaFill^®-365 Duralastic Terrace, and SikaFill^®) as well as two additional commercially available competitor membranes (Competitor 1 and Competitor 2) were examined. Membrane films were prepared at controlled thickness and curing conditions, and elongation at break and elongation retention were used as primary mechanical durability descriptors. All investigated membranes exhibited pronounced elastomeric behavior in the unaged state, with elongation values exceeding 500% and, for the most flexible formulations, 1000%. Environmental aging progressively reduced deformation capacity, with QUV exposure producing the most severe mechanical degradation. Baseline surface wettability measurements on unaged specimens further differentiated the selected membranes: Competitor 2 revealed the highest mean water contact angle (98.8 ± 3.7°), followed by Sika^® Elastic Roof (91.4 ± 2.2°), both indicating hydrophobic behavior; SikaFill^® was slightly hydrophilic and close to the 90° transition (87.3 ± 3.3°), while SikaFill^®-365 Duralastic Terrace exhibited the lowest contact angle (84.6 ± 3.0°) and hydrophilic behavior. The combined results indicated that initial flexibility alone is insufficient to describe long-term functional performance. Elongation retention provides a direct measure of mechanical durability, whereas contact angle captures differences in baseline surface wettability that are relevant to water–membrane interactions. The observed ranking in wettability highlights the influence of formulation and surface chemistry and provides complementary baseline information alongside the accelerated-aging assessment. These findings support performance-based selection and formulation optimization of elastomeric waterproofing membranes for demanding exterior applications. Full article

Nitrate, as a core component of water pollution, poses a severe threat to the ecological environment and human health. Electrochemical ammonia synthesis via nitrate reduction (NO₃RR) is a highly promising sustainable technology, yet the simultaneous achievement of high activity and high selectivity remains a critical challenge in this field. Conventional Cu-based catalysts suffer from insufficient intrinsic activity and sluggish reaction kinetics. Moreover, the Cu^δ+ active sites are prone to valence evolution and structural reconstruction during electrocatalysis, making it difficult to meet the demands of long-term industrial-scale operation. To break through the aforementioned bottlenecks, this study proposes a rare-earth-regulated electronic structure engineering strategy. By constructing a Cu 3d–O 2p–La 4f gradient orbital coupling system, the surface chemisorption behavior of transition metals is precisely optimized, and the electron transfer pathway is efficiently modulated. The introduction of La not only strengthens electron delocalization and transport through the gradient orbital channel to enhance the adsorption and activation capability of NO₃⁻, but also stabilizes the Cu^δ+ active sites via its unique 4f electronic structure, optimizes the adsorption energy of key intermediates, and synergistically boosts the catalytic performance. Experimental results demonstrate that the optimized La_0.02-CuO_x electrode exhibits no obvious performance degradation after continuous operation for 30 h at a large current density of 2.5 A cm⁻², delivering an ammonia yield of 186.99 mg·h⁻¹·cm⁻² and a Faradaic efficiency of 94.39%. This rare-earth orbital coupling strategy provides a new research insight for the rational design of highly stable Cu-based NO₃RR catalysts. Full article

The practical application of active food packaging materials is increasingly constrained by performance degradation and functional oversimplification. Although Sargassum fusiforme polyphenols (SP) possess potent antioxidant activity, their potential in edible films remains unexplored. In this study, the effects of incorporating varying proportions of SP (0.5–2.0%, w/v) into Chitosan–Sargassum fusiforme polyphenol edible films (CSFFs) on the physicochemical properties and preservative efficacy for chilled golden pompano fillets were investigated. SP incorporation was found to alter film structure and properties significantly. At SP concentrations ≥ 1.0%, reductions in tensile strength, elongation at break, and water vapor permeability were observed, along with increased opacity and enhanced UV-Vis light barrier capacity. SP concentration-dependent increases in DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities were revealed, and the CSFFs exhibited broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against six pathogenic strains. In preservation trials at 4 °C, the 2.0% SP coating yielded optimal results, with total bacterial count (5.63 log CFU/g) and total volatile basic nitrogen (18.45 mg/100 g) remaining below acceptable limits on day 15. Additionally, pH increase was inhibited, weight loss was reduced, and declines in hardness and springiness were prevented. Collectively, this study demonstrates that SP can serve as an effective functional component to enhance chitosan-based edible films, offering a scalable active packaging strategy for refrigerated aquatic product preservation. Full article

As a core component of the new power system, energy-storage batteries undergo capacity degradation, increasing internal resistance and declining state of health (SOH) as a result of calendar aging. These changes compromise the operational safety and life-cycle economic performance of energy-storage stations. To address the need for calendar-aging risk management in stationary batteries and accurate SOH estimation from cycling data, this study develops two complementary components: a field priority-charging strategy for stationary cells and a data-driven SOH prediction model evaluated on public cycling datasets. The strategy defines criteria for low-energy stationary batteries and establishes weighted priority-charging rules for risk-cell locking and power replenishment. We construct an SOH prediction model that integrates interactive convolution and adaptive spectral modules, and we use the Dream Optimization Algorithm to optimize its hyperparameters and address multi-scale feature entanglement and limited prediction accuracy. The results show that the strategy replenishes SOC and increases cell voltage in stationary batteries, and that the risk score is significantly correlated with SOH. On the CALCE and Oxford cycling datasets, the model yields lower errors than the evaluated baselines, although the reduction depends on the battery and comparator. Ablation tests confirm the superiority of each module. This study provides a field risk-management scheme for stationary batteries and a high-precision SOH prediction method validated on public cycling datasets. Full article

The electrochromic (EC) behavior of tungsten oxide (WO₃) is strongly influenced by its nanoscale architecture and local chemical environment, which determine the efficiency of ion–electron transport during switching. Here, a systematic polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)–Manganese (Mn) synergistic engineering approach was developed using bare WO₃ (WO), PVP-assisted WO₃ (P-WO), Mn-doped WO₃ (Mn-WO), and PVP-assisted Mn-doped WO₃ (P-Mn-WO) to clarify the individual and combined effects of PVP and Mn on EC performance. All films retained the amorphous WO₃ structure, while morphological evolution revealed a transition from compact nanoparticle assemblies to an interconnected porous architecture in P-Mn-WO. The optimized P-Mn-WO film exhibited enhanced Li⁺ transport, with diffusion coefficients of 0.45 × 10⁻¹⁰ and 4.08 × 10⁻¹⁰ cm²/s for oxidation and reduction, respectively. This favorable transport environment enabled 75.8% optical modulation at 635 nm, a coloration efficiency of 142.63 cm²/C, and 92.59% charge reversibility, with only 5.24% degradation during repeated switching. At the device level, P-Mn-WO delivered 82.30% bleached transmittance, 12.02% colored transmittance, and 70.28% optical modulation, while showing only 4.5% degradation over 2000 s of continuous operation. These results demonstrate that coupling PVP-assisted growth with Mn doping provides effective control over WO₃ morphology, Li⁺ transport, charge utilization, and optical switching, establishing a promising route toward a durable, high-contrast WO₃-based EC smart-window. Full article

Background/Objectives: Trachystemon orientalis (L.) D. Don has been reported to be used in folk medicine for the treatment of inflammatory wounds and for its contained rosmarinic acid, a phenolic compound known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and wound healing properties. This study aimed to obtain a rosmarinic acid-enriched extract from the aerial parts of T. orientalis and evaluate its in vitro wound healing potential. Methods: Extraction conditions were optimized using fractional factorial design and Box–Behnken optimization. Rosmarinic acid content was quantified by RP-HPLC. A rosmarinic acid-enriched extract was compared with a maceration extract and isolated rosmarinic acid. Elastase, hyaluronidase, and collagenase inhibitory activities were determined. Cytotoxicity was evaluated on L929 fibroblasts using the MTT assay, and non-cytotoxic concentrations were assessed for their effects on in vitro wound healing by scratch assay. In addition, in silico target prediction and network pharmacology analyses were performed using rosmarinic acid. Results: Optimization successfully yielded a rosmarinic acid-enriched extract from T. orientalis. The rosmarinic acid-enriched extract inhibited wound-related enzymes and enhanced wound closure in the scratch assay. Network pharmacology analysis showed putative molecular targets and signaling pathways potentially associated with the wound healing activity of rosmarinic acid, especially those involved in inflammatory responses, extracellular matrix remodeling, and tissue regeneration. Conclusions: The rosmarinic acid-enriched extract exhibited promising in vitro wound healing-related activity through the inhibition of extracellular matrix degrading enzymes and promotion of wound closure. Furthermore, network pharmacology analysis provided preliminary mechanistic insights based on computational predictions. Full article

While NAND flash memory has continuously increased its storage capacity, capacity-centric techniques have also exacerbated reliability problems. Conventionally, SSDs address reliability issues by incorporating read-retry operations that search for the optimal read reference voltage (${\mathrm{V}}_{OPT}$). Read-retry reduces raw bit error rates (RBERs), but it significantly degrades read performance because multiple read iterations are required to complete a single host read request. To minimize this overhead, we propose Process-Aware History Tracking (PAHT), a novel technique that eliminates unnecessary read iterations during read-retry. PAHT is motivated by two observations: (i) ${\mathrm{V}}_{OPT}$ does not need to be updated for a long interval, and (ii) the ${\mathrm{V}}_{OPT}$ offset between wordlines (WLs) is identical across blocks in a chip. Our proposal integrates two optimizations. First, when a read on a given WL succeeds, we record and reuse the ${\mathrm{V}}_{OPT}$ for future reads to the same WL. Second, we keep only one ${\mathrm{V}}_{OPT}$ per block. For other WLs, we determine the ${\mathrm{V}}_{OPT}$ using a predefined offset table that accounts for process variability in 3D flash memory. Based on comprehensive characterizations using 160 real 3D flash chips, system evaluations show that PAHT improves SSD performance by 58.3% on average by reducing read-retry invocations. Full article

Optical communication systems rely on reliable transmission of light through the atmosphere, yet atmospheric turbulence poses a significant challenge by introducing distortions and fluctuations that degrade signal quality. Perfect Laguerre–Gaussian (PLG) beams—a class of structured beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM)—offer a promising solution due to their unique phase structures and resistance to turbulence-induced degradation. In this study, we employ the Random Phase Screen (RPS) framework to systematically investigate the propagation characteristics of PLG beams in turbulent atmospheres. Our quantitative analysis compares PLG beams with conventional Gaussian beams under identical turbulence conditions, revealing that PLG beams exhibit lower intensity fluctuations and reduced beam broadening. Furthermore, we examine the influence of topological charge on propagation performance and find that the optimal OAM value for minimizing scintillation depends critically on the strength of turbulence. These results provide practical guidelines for selecting appropriate beam parameters in turbulence-resilient optical communication systems, highlighting PLG beams’ potential to enhance link reliability in real-world atmospheric channels. Full article

In grid-connected PV-ESS plants, battery degradation is often treated as an external correction rather than a quantity coupled directly to sizing and dispatch decisions. This study develops a constraint-aware NSGA-II framework in which cycle- and calendar-induced capacity fade are evaluated from the simulated state-of-charge trajectory at every fitness evaluation and optimized jointly with net present cost (NPC), expected energy not served (EENS), and curtailment. The key innovation is in the explicit coupling of four-objective degradation and optimization, along with identifying an intermediate lifecycle-cost operating region, rather than assuming that minimum degradation is always the most economical choice. The framework runs in MATLAB/Simulink R2023b. Degradation performance is assessed against laboratory data and compared with 18 months of battery management system data from Nigeria’s Olorunsogo site; cases in South Africa and India are simulated and serve as transferability tests rather than field validations. In the pooled NMC simulation results, a descriptive cost fit has an interior minimum near 2% per year; the selected regional solutions range from 2.2% to 2.8% per year. Relative to an aggressive 4% per year cycling baseline, the model estimates approximately 11% lower 20-year lifecycle cost in this intermediate operating region and with later battery replacement. While the exact optimal point varies with chemistry and assumptions, sensitivity analysis indicates that an intermediate, moderate degradation rate stays economically advantageous within the tested uncertainty ranges. In practice, this framework helps designers balance initial battery size and cycling frequency against replacement risk, rather than choosing systems based only on immediate cost. Full article

The release of methyl orange (MO) into bodies of water represents a serious environmental problem due to its chemical stability, toxicity, and persistence. To address this issue, this work presents the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using natural extracts of rose leaves (RL), rose petals of the pink Castile rose (PCR), and common yellow rose petals (YRP) as reducing agents. The formation of the AgNPs was confirmed by ultraviolet–visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy through the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) band and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) obtaining sizes smaller than 15 nm, while FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of phenols, flavonoids, and proteins, which are suggested by spectral shifts to act as reducing and stabilizing agents. After optimizing the synthesis, the AgNPs were supported on gamma-alumina (γ-Al₂O₃). Gamma-alumina is characterized by a large surface area and high chemical and thermal stability; it inhibits nanoparticle agglomeration, thereby significantly improving electron-hole pair separation in photocatalytic processes, ultimately forming AgNPs/γ-Al₂O₃ photocatalysts. The activity of these composites was evaluated in the degradation of MO under UV irradiation (254 nm) and white light LED (380–750 nm). The catalysts demonstrated a dye removal trend, achieving degradation efficiencies under ultraviolet light of 4.94% (RL), 24.69% (YRP), and 60.49% (PCR); these figures increased under white LED light to 43.21% (RL), 64.20% (YRP), and 76.54% (PCR) after 60 min. It is hypothesized that this enhanced performance under visible light arises from mechanisms driven by reactive oxygen species (ROS) boosted by the LSPR effect, as has been documented in similar plasmonic systems. It is concluded that these supported photocatalysts constitute an environmentally friendly, sustainable, and alternative for wastewater treatment. Full article

To tackle poor water retention in degraded mine soil and the low stability and short water-holding duration of natural polymer hydrogels, an itaconic acid-modified guar gum composite hydrogel (IAGG hydrogel) was developed using guar gum (GG) as the polymer substrate and itaconic acid (IA) as the functional monomer. This study aimed to improve the stability, water-retention duration, and water-absorption performance of GG-based hydrogels through a covalent–dynamic multiple-crosslinking design and to evaluate their potential for mine ecological restoration. The hydrogel network was constructed through IA-related covalent interactions, ECH-mediated ether crosslinking, and borax-mediated dynamic interactions, forming a covalent–dynamic multiple-crosslinked structure. IA-introduced carboxyl groups enhanced hydrophilicity and water retention via hydrogen bonding and ionic hydration, while covalent–dynamic crosslinking synergy improved network stability and wet–dry cycle resistance. Under the optimized preparation conditions, the IAGG hydrogel exhibited a water absorption capacity of 370.7 g/g in deionized water, and the I5G5 hydrogel retained a water absorption capacity of 255.4 g/g after 10 swelling–dehydration cycles. Soil experiments showed that IAGG increased mine soil water-holding capacity from 13.3 to 77.6 g/g, extended retention from 5 to 14 days, and supported the germination and subsequent seedling development of Suaeda salsa. After 4 months of soil burial, the hydrogel exhibited approximately 63% weight loss, indicating substantial structural deterioration under the tested soil-burial conditions. These results demonstrate the potential of IAGG as a water-retention material for mine ecological restoration. Full article

Distributed navigation interference is a critical technique for degrading the performance of multi-element adaptive nulling antennas, where optimal spatial deployment of interference sources is pivotal to maximizing overall interference effectiveness. However, interference signal propagation is constrained by transmit power, path loss, and terrain occlusion, rendering optimal cooperative source deployment in complex terrain a core challenge in navigation spectrum analysis and interference management. To address this gap, this paper proposes DDL-NSGA-II, an improved NSGA-II algorithm for distributed navigation interference source deployment. By integrating the free-space propagation model with reference-plane-based viewshed analysis, the effective coverage of interference signals in 3D terrain is estimated, and a bi-objective model is constructed with multi-weight coverage rate and effective dispersion as optimization objectives. Three well-established mechanisms are adapted and integrated into standard NSGA-II for this specific problem: differential evolution mutation with binomial crossover, stage-wise dynamic deduplication, and external archive-assisted local search refinement. The contribution lies in their problem-specific integration and adaptation to integer-encoded multi-source deployment, which significantly enhances global exploration and convergence accuracy. Simulation results show that DDL-NSGA-II delivers high-coverage deployment schemes with favorable dispersion under varying terrain resolutions, source quantities, and single-station interference ranges. It outperforms three baseline algorithms in convergence, Pareto front coverage, and solution uniformity, providing robust algorithmic support for intelligent multi-source cooperative deployment in complex terrain. Full article

Metal sulfide semiconductors have attracted considerable attention in solar-driven energy conversion and environmental remediation because of their strong visible-light response, tunable electronic structures, and abundant surface-active sites. Nevertheless, further improvements in their photocatalytic performance remain constrained by rapid charge-carrier recombination, photocorrosion, insufficient reaction selectivity, and limited operational stability under practical conditions. Existing reviews have largely focused on specific sulfide materials, individual photocatalytic reactions, or a single structural-regulation strategy, whereas the intrinsic relationships among material composition, structural engineering, charge-carrier dynamics, and application requirements have not been systematically examined. Following the conceptual framework of “material composition–structural regulation–charge-carrier dynamics–reaction pathways–engineering applications,” this review provides a systematic overview of the design principles and application advances of metal sulfide photocatalysts. First, the crystal structures, band characteristics, surface-active sites, and photocorrosion behavior of different classes of metal sulfides are analyzed to clarify how their intrinsic properties govern catalytic processes. The effects of morphology engineering, defect regulation, compositional optimization, interface construction, and cocatalyst modification on light absorption, charge transport, and surface reaction kinetics are then discussed, with particular attention to how these strategies balance activity enhancement and stability retention. The distinctive features of metal sulfides in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, biomass photoreforming, CO₂ reduction, H₂O₂ synthesis₂, pollutant degradation, and photoelectrochemical sensing are further summarized, revealing the distinct requirements of different reaction systems for electronic structures and active sites. Finally, current challenges and future research directions are discussed in terms of mechanistic reliability, material stability, adaptability to realistic systems, and sustainable development. This review aims to establish an application-oriented framework for the rational design of metal sulfide photocatalysts and to provide a theoretical basis for developing efficient, stable, and sustainable photocatalytic systems. Full article

Maxillofacial prosthetic rehabilitation requires elastomeric materials that combine mechanical performance, dimensional stability, aesthetic reproducibility, and biological safety with compatibility with digital manufacturing. This study developed three photocurable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based formulations for liquid crystal display masked stereolithography (LCD-MSLA) and evaluated formulation- and pigmentation-related differences in their physicochemical, mechanical, dimensional, chemical, and biological behaviors. Formulations with different PDMS/copolymer/silica ratios were assessed under unpigmented, natural-pigment, and synthetic-pigment conditions and compared with a commercial silicone reference. Mechanical behavior, thermal stability, color, solvent degradation, apparent porosity, dimensional stability during accelerated aging, fibroblast viability, Candida albicans biofilm metabolic activity, and ATR-FTIR functional-group conversion were evaluated. Conversion increased from 63%–77% after printing to 74%–89% after 80 °C/2 h post-curing, indicating further consumption of reactive functionalities. M1 showed the most favorable tear-resistance and elongation profile, whereas M2 exhibited the lowest apparent porosity and lowest numerical RMSE among experimental formulations during aging. Natural-pigment conditions generally showed higher fibroblast viability than synthetic-pigment counterparts; however, all material-exposed groups remained below the 70% viability threshold in the indirect-contact assay; pigment type did not significantly affect C. albicans biofilm metabolic activity within formulations. Overall, formulation composition strongly influenced material performance, with M1 and M2 showing complementary mechanical and dimensional/microstructural advantages, supporting further optimization for personalized maxillofacial prosthetic applications. Full article

With the rapid growth of plastic production, plastic pollution has become increasingly widespread and persistent in the environment. This persistent pollution poses potential risks to ecosystems and human health. Microbial biodegradation offers a promising approach to plastic waste management because it operates under mild reaction conditions and has potential for sustainable application. This review summarizes recent advances in the major microbial groups involved in plastic biodegradation, methods for assessing degradation efficiency, underlying mechanisms, and strategies for improving degradation performance. Assessment methods are discussed, from physicochemical characterization to biochemical validation. Meanwhile, it emphasizes that real plastic biodegradation and degradation efficiency require multiple complementary lines of evidence to judge in a more complete and objective way. The complete process and molecular mechanisms of microbial plastic degradation are then described, including microbial attachment and biofilm formation, enzymatic degradation, intracellular metabolism, and mineralization of degradation products. In addition, it summarizes various efficiency optimization strategies for degradation, including plastic pretreatment, bioaugmentation, and regulation of environmental parameters. The lack of standardized assessment, limited practical translation, and ecological risks are the identified key challenges. Finally, standardized efficiency evaluation strategies, plastic upcycling, and emerging technologies for subsequent development were discussed. This review aims to provide a reference for understanding microbial plastic degradation. Full article