Electrospun Biodegradable Poly(L-lactic acid) Nanofiber Membranes as Highly Porous Oil Sorbent Nanomaterials

Crude oil spills seriously harm the ocean environment and endanger the health of various animals and plants. In the present study, a totally biodegradable polymer, poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA), was employed to fabricate highly porous oil absorbent nanofibrous materials by using a combination of electrospinning technique and subsequent acetone treatment. We systematically investigated how the electrospinning parameters affected formation of the porous structure of PLLA nanofibers and demonstrated that PLLA nanofibers with decreased and uniform diameter and improved porosity could be rapidly prepared by adjusting solution parameters and spinning parameters. We also demonstrated that the acetone treatment could obviously enhance the pore diameter and specific surface area of as-optimized electrospun PLLA nanofibers. The acetone treatment could also improve the hydrophobic property of as-treated PLLA nanofiber membranes. All these led to a significant increase in oil absorption performance. Through our research, it was found that the oil absorption of PLLA nanofiber membrane increased by more than double after being treated with acetone and the oil retention rate was also improved slightly

Interfacial Deposition of Three-Dimensional Nickel Hydroxide Nanosheet-Graphene Aerogel on Ni Wire for Flexible Fiber Asymmetric Supercapacitors

Burgeoning interest in flexible and wearable electronics sparks the rapid development of flexible fiber-shape supercapacitors (SCs). Herein, three-dimensional porous reduced graphene oxide (RGO) aerogel is deposited on flexible Ni wire via a simple aqueous reduction method. RGO aerogel exhibits good capacitive performance, thanks to its unique porous structure and good electrical conductivity. In order to fabricate an asymmetric SC, nickel hydroxide nanosheets are controllably deposited on the RGO sheets as the positive electrode while the RGO aerogel coated Ni wire is used as negative one. The obtained flexible fiber SCs exhibit good performance with high power/energy densities (10.3 kW kg^–1/3430 mW cm^–3, 24.5 Wh kg^–1/0.83 mWh cm^–3) and good cycling stability (83% retention, even after 6000 cycles). The solid-state nature combined with good flexibility makes the fiber SCs attractive for energy storage applications in portable and wearable electronics. The interfacial deposition of reduced graphene oxide and nickel hydroxide on Ni wire renders the fabrication of flexible fiber asymmetric supercapacitors for sustainable energy storage

Application of clinico-radiologic-pathologic diagnosis of diffuse parenchymal lung diseases in children in China.

UNLABELLED:Diffuse parenchymal lung diseases in children (chDPLD) or interstitial lung diseases in children (chILD) represent a heterogeneous group of respiratory disorders that are mostly chronic and associated with high morbidity and mortality. However, the incidence of chDPLD is so low that most pediatricians lack sufficient knowledge of chDPLD, especially in China. Based on the clinico-radiologic-pathologic (CRP) diagnosis, we tried to describe (1) the characteristics of chDPLD and (2) the ratio of each constituent of chDPLD in China. Data were evaluated, including clinical, radiographic, and pathologic results from lung biopsies. We collected 25 cases of chDPLD, 18 boys and 7 girls with a median age of 6.0 years, from 16 hospitals in China. The most common manifestations included cough (n = 24), dyspnea (n = 21), and fever (n = 4). There were three cases of exposure-related interstitial lung disease (ILD), three cases of systemic disease-associated ILD, nineteen cases of alveolar structure disorder-associated ILD, and no cases of ILD specific to infancy. Non-specific interstitial pneumonia (n = 9) was the two largest groups. CONCLUSION:Non-specific interstitial pneumonia is the main categories of chDPLD in China. Lung biopsy is always a crucial step in the final diagnosis. However, clinical and imaging studies should be carefully evaluated for their value in indicating a specific chDPLD