DataSheet_1_Role of Marginal Seas in Deep Ocean Regeneration of Dissolved Silica: A Case Study in the Marginal Seas of the Western Pacific.docx

Deep ocean regeneration of dissolved silica (DSi) is an essential part of the ocean silica cycle and is driven by a complex series of biogeochemical processes. Here we compare the distributions of DSi and other environmental parameters in several western Pacific marginal seas to explore the role of marginal seas in deep ocean DSi regeneration. Results show that in oligotrophic marginal seas (such as the South China Sea), the DSi content in deep waters is similar to that of the adjacent Pacific waters. However, in productive marginal seas (such as the Bering Sea), the DSi content in deep waters is markedly higher than that in adjacent Pacific waters at the same depths. This is mainly due to deep ocean DSi regeneration in the marginal sea basin, which is fueled by the high biogenic particle flux from the productive surface waters. On a global scale, deep ocean DSi regeneration is accelerated in productive marginal seas, causing marginal seas such as the Bering Sea to have the highest DSi concentrations of all global waters.</p

Biobased Microspheres with Nanoshell/Micron-Core Structure via Recycled Polysterene toward Electrophoretic Imaging

As an important source of white pollution, disposable polystyrene fast food containers (DPSFFC) have attracted great attention, and the technologies for the effective reuse of DPSFFC are of great practical significance. Herein, an attempt was made to reuse DPSFFC to produce high-value microspheres for electronic devices. In the processing, DPSFFC were recycled as the matrix and biobased polyamide11 (PA11, derived from castor oil) was used as the dispersion phase to achieve a preferential location of TiO2 nanoparticles in the PA11 domains; taking advantage of the high solubility of recycled polysterene (RPS) in limonene, a biosolvent derived from citrus, PA11 microspheres encapsulated with TiO2 nanoshells (∼70 nm) were extracted from the recycled PS matrix successfully. The unique structure can be ascribed to a customized copolymer, composed of polystyrene and maleic anhydride segments (SMA-g-PS) via the RAFT (Reversible Addition–Fragmentation Chain Transfer Polymerization) strategy, introduced into the system. This copolymer acts as a compatibilizer and anchoring agent, significantly decreasing the number-average diameter of the microspheres. Impressively, the prepared microspheres demonstrate high potential as charged particles in electrophoretic imaging. This special property is highly related to the nanoshell/micron-core structure. Taking advantage of the disposable PS and bioresources, combined with scalable processing, an upcycling method was developed to produce high-value microspheres in a sustainable way

Eugenol-Derived Molecular Glass: A Promising Biobased Material in the Design of Self-Healing Polymeric Materials

One kind of molecular glass material was prepared via the epoxidation of eugenol and a subsequent thermochemical conversion process. This biobased molecular glass (ET-eugenol) shows high potential in the design of self-healing materials while being incorporated into a polymeric matrix to form a multiphase system. Here, an ET-eugenol/polymerized soybean oil (p-ESO) system with a mass ratio of 1:2 was investigated. Results show that the scratch damage can be healed effectively at a temperature of 90 °C within 15 min or by ultraviolet radiation within seconds. Good dimension stability even at high temperatures can be kept in the whole healing process. A mechanical tensile test shows that compared to the neat p-ESO matrix the incorporation of ET-eugenol (weight percent of 33%) led to a 2.7-fold increase in ultimate stress and a healing efficiency up to 88%. Gel permeation chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometer were carefully conducted to reveal the complex thermochemical reaction during the preparation process of ET-eugenol. Self-healing behaviors were characterized via atomic force microscope and optical images, and the corresponding healing mechanism was discussed from a multiphase structural viewpoint. The work reported here demonstrates the possibility of molecular glass as a promising candidate in the design of self-healing materials

Microcrystalline Cellulose-Based Eraser

Eraser, the most widely used stationery item made of vulcanized rubbers or petroleum-based resins, is too common to draw attention. Its fragments falling off during the erasing process may appear small and insignificant; however, it should be noteworthy that they are in fact microplastics, which are hard to degrade in nature and pose significant threats to the ecological environment. In this work, a microcrystalline cellulose (MCC)-based elastomer was proposed that displays an impressive erasure effect combined with good biodegradability. This special erasure function is attributed to its unique microstructure, in which a very high loading of MCC (75 wt %) was achieved via a planetary centrifugal mixing of MCC and a polyethylene glycol-derived aqueous polyurethane (APE). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that MCC particles were uniformly coated with APE. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and swelling tests further clarified the specific interactions between APE and MCC. The oriented aggregation principle and Young’s equation were employed to describe the erasure behavior and elucidate the underlying mechanism. It indicated that APE played a key role in transferring pencil lead powders from paper to the eraser. SEM, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated that MCC played another key role in facilitating the removal of pencil shavings from the eraser’s surface. This work provides a feasible thought for fabricating an “eco-eraser” based on commercially available MCC, which shows great potential in reducing the harm of eraser microplastics on the ecological environment and develops a brand new application of cellulose in composite materials

Competitive Nucleophilic Attack Chemistry Based on Undecenoic Acid: A New Chemical Route for Plant-Oil-Based Epoxies

Plant oil is one of the world’s most abundant renewable resources; however, its derived epoxies are low in thermal resistance and mechanical strength. In this work, a new chemical route referred to “competitive nucleophilic attack (CNA)” was discovered to achieve plant-oil-based epoxy with high thermal resistance and mechanical strength as well as many other unique properties comparable to those of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), one of the most popular petroleum-based epoxies. The CNA route was realized by using 10-undecenoic acid (UA), a plant-derived monomer, as a building block reacting with alicyclic oxirane chemicals, such as 4-ethenyl-7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0]­heptanes (ECP), to achieve epoxy monomers with ether-bridged cycloaliphatic ring structure. A newly formed hydroxyl (NFH) is involved in the nucleophilic attack upon oxonium to compete with UA anion during the UA–ECP reaction. The resultant epoxy is UV-curable in a few seconds, possessing high tensile strength (∼48 MPa), high glass transition temperature (∼142 °C), high transparency (∼90%), as well as low viscosity (∼1.9 Pa s). These properties are superior to the plant-oil-based epoxies published and comparable to or better than commercial DGEBA. Structure analysis revealed that the ether-bridged cycloaliphatic ring structure via the CNA route played a key role in maximizing the network performance. With the CNA feature, chain structure can be further regulated via introducing a methyl group to hinder the NFH nucleophilic attack, achieving a conversion of epoxy resin from rigid to semiductile. This finding suggests that CNA strategy could be a new direction for the design of biobased epoxies using all possible chemicals with acid–alkene structures from various renewable resources rather than plant oils only

Microcrystalline Cellulose-Based Eraser

Eraser, the most widely used stationery item made of vulcanized rubbers or petroleum-based resins, is too common to draw attention. Its fragments falling off during the erasing process may appear small and insignificant; however, it should be noteworthy that they are in fact microplastics, which are hard to degrade in nature and pose significant threats to the ecological environment. In this work, a microcrystalline cellulose (MCC)-based elastomer was proposed that displays an impressive erasure effect combined with good biodegradability. This special erasure function is attributed to its unique microstructure, in which a very high loading of MCC (75 wt %) was achieved via a planetary centrifugal mixing of MCC and a polyethylene glycol-derived aqueous polyurethane (APE). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that MCC particles were uniformly coated with APE. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and swelling tests further clarified the specific interactions between APE and MCC. The oriented aggregation principle and Young’s equation were employed to describe the erasure behavior and elucidate the underlying mechanism. It indicated that APE played a key role in transferring pencil lead powders from paper to the eraser. SEM, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated that MCC played another key role in facilitating the removal of pencil shavings from the eraser’s surface. This work provides a feasible thought for fabricating an “eco-eraser” based on commercially available MCC, which shows great potential in reducing the harm of eraser microplastics on the ecological environment and develops a brand new application of cellulose in composite materials

Microcrystalline Cellulose-Based Eraser

Eraser, the most widely used stationery item made of vulcanized rubbers or petroleum-based resins, is too common to draw attention. Its fragments falling off during the erasing process may appear small and insignificant; however, it should be noteworthy that they are in fact microplastics, which are hard to degrade in nature and pose significant threats to the ecological environment. In this work, a microcrystalline cellulose (MCC)-based elastomer was proposed that displays an impressive erasure effect combined with good biodegradability. This special erasure function is attributed to its unique microstructure, in which a very high loading of MCC (75 wt %) was achieved via a planetary centrifugal mixing of MCC and a polyethylene glycol-derived aqueous polyurethane (APE). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that MCC particles were uniformly coated with APE. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and swelling tests further clarified the specific interactions between APE and MCC. The oriented aggregation principle and Young’s equation were employed to describe the erasure behavior and elucidate the underlying mechanism. It indicated that APE played a key role in transferring pencil lead powders from paper to the eraser. SEM, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated that MCC played another key role in facilitating the removal of pencil shavings from the eraser’s surface. This work provides a feasible thought for fabricating an “eco-eraser” based on commercially available MCC, which shows great potential in reducing the harm of eraser microplastics on the ecological environment and develops a brand new application of cellulose in composite materials

Microcrystalline Cellulose-Based Eraser

Eraser, the most widely used stationery item made of vulcanized rubbers or petroleum-based resins, is too common to draw attention. Its fragments falling off during the erasing process may appear small and insignificant; however, it should be noteworthy that they are in fact microplastics, which are hard to degrade in nature and pose significant threats to the ecological environment. In this work, a microcrystalline cellulose (MCC)-based elastomer was proposed that displays an impressive erasure effect combined with good biodegradability. This special erasure function is attributed to its unique microstructure, in which a very high loading of MCC (75 wt %) was achieved via a planetary centrifugal mixing of MCC and a polyethylene glycol-derived aqueous polyurethane (APE). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that MCC particles were uniformly coated with APE. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and swelling tests further clarified the specific interactions between APE and MCC. The oriented aggregation principle and Young’s equation were employed to describe the erasure behavior and elucidate the underlying mechanism. It indicated that APE played a key role in transferring pencil lead powders from paper to the eraser. SEM, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated that MCC played another key role in facilitating the removal of pencil shavings from the eraser’s surface. This work provides a feasible thought for fabricating an “eco-eraser” based on commercially available MCC, which shows great potential in reducing the harm of eraser microplastics on the ecological environment and develops a brand new application of cellulose in composite materials

Microcrystalline Cellulose-Based Eraser

Eraser, the most widely used stationery item made of vulcanized rubbers or petroleum-based resins, is too common to draw attention. Its fragments falling off during the erasing process may appear small and insignificant; however, it should be noteworthy that they are in fact microplastics, which are hard to degrade in nature and pose significant threats to the ecological environment. In this work, a microcrystalline cellulose (MCC)-based elastomer was proposed that displays an impressive erasure effect combined with good biodegradability. This special erasure function is attributed to its unique microstructure, in which a very high loading of MCC (75 wt %) was achieved via a planetary centrifugal mixing of MCC and a polyethylene glycol-derived aqueous polyurethane (APE). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that MCC particles were uniformly coated with APE. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and swelling tests further clarified the specific interactions between APE and MCC. The oriented aggregation principle and Young’s equation were employed to describe the erasure behavior and elucidate the underlying mechanism. It indicated that APE played a key role in transferring pencil lead powders from paper to the eraser. SEM, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated that MCC played another key role in facilitating the removal of pencil shavings from the eraser’s surface. This work provides a feasible thought for fabricating an “eco-eraser” based on commercially available MCC, which shows great potential in reducing the harm of eraser microplastics on the ecological environment and develops a brand new application of cellulose in composite materials

Construction of Alkaline Gel Polymer Electrolytes with a Double Cross-Linked Network for Flexible Zinc–Air Batteries

Flexible zinc–air batteries have broad potential as the next generation of energy storage component in wearable electronic devices. However, the mechanical performance and ionic conductivity of electrolytes are urgent issues that hinder the commercial application of flexible batteries. Herein, the alkaline gel polymer electrolyte (AGPE) with a double-network structure is developed, which consists of a covalently cross-linked polyacrylamide (PAM) by in situ polymerization and a physically cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) by the freeze–thaw method. The freestanding PVA/N-PAM/KOH gel electrolyte demonstrates high ionic conductivity (309.9 mS cm–1) and excellent mechanical toughness (0.69 MJ m–3), benefiting from the synergistic effect of the double cross-linked system and hydrogen bonds. Meanwhile, the assembled ″sandwich″-type zinc–air battery presents excellent power density (40.43 mW cm–2), long-term cycle life (113 cycles), super-high-energy efficiency (70.2%), and stable discharge plateau. Impressively, the PVA/N-PAM/KOH-based batteries attached to the human body surface are reliably capable of powering light-emitting diodes