Alkalies - Science topic

Microplastics (MPs) are widespread in coastal seas, posing risks to marine life. Planktonic fish larvae and juveniles, essential for fish population sustainability, are particularly susceptible to MPs, environmental stress, and predation. However, the effects of MP ingestion on larval fish remain poorly understood. This study investigated MP ingest...

Extraction of gold from electronic waste was commonly conducted using aqua regia. Here, we have shown a method to produce chloroauric acid in a salt solution by bipolar AC electrolysis. The developed bipolar AC electrolysis method provides an environment-friendly process to extract gold from electronic waste containing gold without using any strong...

Perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) are promising materials for photonic and optoelectronic devices, relying on efficient and reliable patterning methods. However, the complex patterning process and poor stability of PQDs restrict their practical applications. Here, a patterning‐induced encapsulation strategy (PIE‐PQDs) is demonstrated for directly patt...

Samples of glass from four sites in Scotland were analysed using portable X-ray fluorescence. Three of the sites were archaeological excavations in Ullapool, Stirling and Hume Castle, where glass shards were recovered; the fourth site was a historic building, Traquair House, with original window glass in situ. Each of the sites yielded a chemically...

This study investigates the effect of 1% sodium hydroxide (NaOH)‐treated and untreated Ronier fibers (Borassus aethiopum) on concrete's mechanical and durability properties. Ronier fibers were incorporated into concrete at proportions of 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% by volume. The fibers treated with 1% NaOH underwent chemical modification to enhance their b...

Sulfur aqueous battery (SAB) is promising owing to its high theoretical capacity and cost competitiveness. Although decoupled electrolyte design has successfully endowed transition metal ion‐SABs with customizability to achieve high energy density, its effectiveness in alkali ion‐SABs remains problematic. Here, we identify for the first time an int...

The demand for sustainable, high-performance materials has led to increased interest in bio-based composites. However, optimizing the mechanical properties of such materials for engineering applications remains a challenge. This study addresses this gap by developing and characterizing an epoxy-based biocomposite reinforced with sugarcane bagasse p...

Membrane-based separation processes hold great promise for sustainable extraction of lithium from brines for the rapidly expanding electric vehicle industry and renewable energy storage. However, it remains challenging to develop high-selectivity membranes that can be upscaled for industrial processes. Here we report solution-processable polymer me...

In this work, γ-Al2O3NPs were successfully biosynthesized, mediated aluminum nitrate nona hydrate Al(NO3)3.9H2O, sodium hydroxide, and aqueous clove extract in alkali media. The γ-Al2O3NPs were characterized by different techniques like Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron...

Mullite castables, employed as the lining materials in high‐salinity organic waste liquids incinerators, are subjected to severe alkali attack. The alkali corrosion resistance of four types of mullite castables based on Mullite60 (M60), Mullite45 (M45), Fire clay (FC), and Glass‐rich mullite (GRM) materials, named CM60, CM45, CFC, and CGRM respecti...

A series of dicobalt(III) metallohosts, [LCo2A4](OTf)2, which have different auxiliary amine ligands A (=EtNH2, PhCH2NH2, PhC2H4NH2, PhC3H6NH2), were synthesized in order to investigate the tuning of the guest uptake/release kinetics without significantly affecting the guest binding affinity. The metallohosts were characterized by spectroscopic met...

Natural fibres from renewable resources offer a sustainable and biodegradable alternative to synthetic reinforcements. This study investigates the thermal and mechanical properties of Borassus husk fibre/epoxy composites, fabricated via the hand layup process using untreated and alkali-treated fibres. The fibres were treated with 5% NaOH for varyin...

Terawatt‐scale hydrogen production using anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEM‐WEs) requires the development of facilely prepared, alkali‐stable, and high‐performance anion exchange membranes (AEMs). State‐of‐the‐art polyarylpiperidinium AEMs fail to match the alkaline stability of piperidinium due to conformational deformation caused by...

Soda saline-alkali soils pose significant challenges to agricultural productivity due to high pH and excessive sodium content. This study investigated the removal of excess salts in soda saline-alkali soil through electrochemical treatment (ECT). Traditional ECT often led to uneven soil pH distribution, with acidic conditions near the anode and alk...

Clay minerals are abundant in soil, sediment, and rock on the Earth's surface and brittle upper crust. They are functional materials increasingly used to develop diverse new applications. These minerals can adsorb a wide range of substances, including environmental contaminants and decontaminating agents (e.g., catalysts). To achieve effective cont...

Deleterious aggregate reactions induced by iron sulfide minerals, especially pyrrhotite and pyrite, have devastated concrete structures across many global regions. While these minerals have been extensively studied under acidic conditions, their behavior in alkaline environments, such as concrete, remains poorly understood. This study investigates...

The physicochemical changes in fly ash geopolymers represent a complex reaction that continues to spark extensive debate. This study focuses on the mechanical and durability properties of these materials, evaluating their potential applications across various industries and environments. Specifically, it investigates the evolution and structural ch...

This study assesses comparison between acid and alkaline activations of powders of two raw laterite samples denoted as B and P respectively for Compressed Earth Blocks (CEB) issue. For this purpose, phosphoric acid solutions of P2O5 / H2O molar ratio 0.06, 0.09, 0.12 and 0.15 and alkaline solutions in which NaOH molarities were 6,8,10 and 12 M were...

Lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) have dominated the market for a long time. However, the scarcity of lithium resources has sparked concerns about future energy storage devices, leading many researchers to turn their attention to other energy storage devices, such as sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs), potassium‐ion batteries (KIBs), zinc‐ion batteries (ZIBs),...

Alunite is a type of multi-element mineral resource that can be utilized comprehensively to produce a range of potassium, sulfur, aluminum, and silicon products. This paper provides a summary of the alunite properties, from geological distribution, and upstream geological exploration, to intermediate dressing, downstream metallurgy, and product for...

A novel composite cementitious material was constructed by synergistically utilizing multiple industrial solid wastes, including electrolytic manganese residue (EMR), red mud (RM), and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), with calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2] as an alkaline activator. In addition, the mechanical properties of the composite cemen...

4$He nanodroplets doped with an alkali ion feature a snowball of crystallized layers surrounded by superfluid helium. For large droplets, we predict that a transitional supersolid layer can form, bridging between the solid core and the liquid bulk, where the $^4$He density displays modulations of icosahedral group symmetry. To identify the differen...

Constructing mechanically strong and environmentally stable nanofluidic fibers with excellent ion transport remains a challenge. Herein, we design a mechanically robust and stable aramid nanofiber/carboxylated aramid nanofiber (ANF/cANF) hybrid nanofluidic fiber with a high ionic conductivity via a wet spinning-induced orientation strategy. Benefit...

Due to the construction industry's dependency on Portland cement, approximately 5-8% of global CO₂ emissions are attributed to its production, which requires an alternative sustainable solution. Recently, alkali-activated materials (AAMs), particularly originating from ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS), have emerged and presented sustain...

Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) oil production generates press cakes, a by-product rich in plant-based proteins. As demand for alternative proteins grows, sustainable extraction methods like deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are essential for reducing the environmental impact. Alkali solubilization/isoelectric precipitation (ALKIS) is a widely used meth...

Fe single atom catalysts (SACs) with high coordination numbers have emerged as high-performance catalysts for the conversion of CO2 to CO. However, the influence of alkali cations at the catalyst–electrolyte interface has not yet been understood clearly. Here, we investigate the role of various alkali metal cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺) in catalytic CO2 r...

Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) can mitigate alkali-silica reaction by lowering the alkali metal concentration in the pore solution. This is a theoretical study on the applicability of a thermodynamic model (GEMS) and the empirical Taylor model to predict the required replacement level of portland cement (PC) by SCMs to achieve an alkal...

The development of catalysts for the direct one‐step conversion of syngas to higher alcohols is still a challenge. In this study, different alkali metal‐modified MCoMo/Al2O3 (M = Li, Na, K, and Cs) catalysts were prepared by impregnation and temperature‐programmed carbonization process. Characterization by XRD, H2‐TPR, and XPS revealed that the int...

The Ag2O/CuO nanoshuttles stacked with nanosheets were fabricated in CH3COONa solution via direct current (DC) diaphragm discharge plasma technique, in which a silver-copper (Ag-Cu) alloy sheet was used as anode, and a graphite rod inserted into a quartz glass tube with a small hole on the sidewall was acted as cathode. The preparation mechanism of...

Three hydroxyl-containing cationic surfactants are synthesized and characterized by FTIR and ¹HNMR, and their thermal stability is tested and analyzed. The surface activity, adsorption and aggregation behavior of the synthesized target product were investigated by testing its contact angle, static surface tension and dynamic surface tension. As the...

This paper explores the historical genesis, multidimensional practical manifestations, and con-temporary implications of the patriotic spirit among scientists during the Republic of China era. It begins by analyzing the era's motivating factors behind the formation of this patriotic spirit among scientists, including the dual drives of national sal...

This study presents a comprehensive investigation into the efficacy of metakaolin based alkali activated materials for the efficient removal of nickel and lead ions from aqueous solutions. The synthesis process involved the preparation of porous structures with high porosity, leading to an expanded surface area and an increased number of sorption s...

This study presents a comprehensive investigation of landslide susceptibility along the 83.5-km Chukyatan-Kumrat road, Upper Dir, North Pakistan. Despite its critical role in transportation and tourism, the region faces recurrent landslides due to hydrometeorological hazards, posing significant threats to stability. Employing a multidisciplinary ap...

A new process for the extraction of SiO2 by low-temperature roasting with potassium feldspar as raw material and sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate (NaOH-Na2CO3) as auxiliaries was investigated. Under the optimal conditions, the silica extraction rate reached 99.59%. Through the design of alkali ore ratio, NaOH-Na2CO3 molar ratio, roasting tempe...

A hitherto unknown Schiff base ligand (H3L) is synthesized upon condensing benzhydrazide with 2,5‐diformylpyrrole in 2 : 1 molar ratio. H3L displays well‐resolved UV‐vis absorption bands with high molar extinction coefficients. It also exhibits photoluminescence (PL) with large Stokes shifts and high emission intensities. H3L is found to be a remar...

In this study, phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) with good phosphate-solubilizing capability were isolated from phosphogypsum (PG) storage yard, and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria without antagonistic effect were selected to construct phosphate solubilizing microbial consortium (PSMC), and the synergistic effect of PSMC and PG on the physical...

Premature deterioration of reinforced concrete structures, often caused by chloride and carbonation-induced corrosion, significantly shortens service life. In many instances, signs of degradation such as cracks in the cover concrete appear within a few years of construction. This study evaluates the effect of mixture proportions on the durability-r...

We theoretically investigate the spin structure of weakly bound diatomic van der Waals molecules formed by two identical bosonic alkali atoms. Our studies were performed using known Born-Oppenheimer potentials while developing a reduced interaction potential model. Such reduced potential models are currently a key for solving certain classes of few...

The demand for frequent irrigation in cotton crops compelled researchers to explore some alternate cellulosic fibre to fulfil the demand for cotton in traditional and technical textile fields. Phalsa (Grewia asiatica L., Tiliaceae) is an exotic shrub plant that is cultivated as a fruit crop and the stem of the plant is considered agriculture waste....

The growing emphasis on sustainable construction has intensified research into alkali-activated concrete (AAC) as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional Portland cement-based concrete. This review evaluates the physical, mechanical, and sustainability properties of AAC synthesized from industrial by-products, including FA, GGBFS, and metakaoli...

Solid waste fly ash has a great impact on the environment and pollutes water, air and soil to different degrees. Therefore, it is of great significance to realize the high-value utilization of fly ash. In this paper, high purity SiO2 was successfully extracted from fly ash by high temperature calcination, alkali fusion activation and pickling. Then...

Alkali-activated materials (AAMs) are being envisaged as a future alternative to cements because AAMs (i) can be made solely from locally available secondary raw materials and (ii) because of their low energy consumption during synthesis. However, products that cannot be reused should never enter the market. Therefore, the circular economy viabilit...

A novel series of biocomposites was prepared through the utilisation of hot-pressing and blending methods, utilising bamboo particles of varying sizes and a zein solution. The influence of particle size and the parameters of hot pressing on the mechanical properties of the composites was investigated through the application of an alkali solution to...

A new scheme of a highly efficient hybrid laser cavity is proposed and experimentally demonstrated utilizing a hot cesium (Cs) vapor cell as an optical gain medium. The laser cavity consists of a macroscopic concave reflector (> 99% reflectivity) and a 4% Fresnel-reflecting facet of a single mode fiber (SMF). The cesium gain cell is located between...

Rice husks are significantly creating environmental challenges in terms of air pollution because of their unsustainable disposal methods. In this study, pyrolysis of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) alkali‐modified rice husks using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was carried out to determine combustion and kinetic parameters at three different heating rate...

Technology of alkali activation is an alternative sustainable approach to producing paving paver, where reactive aluminosilicate precursor undergoes a reaction with an alkaline solution to form binded product. The case study presents the functional usability of a technology as part of the Georis project. The construction pavers are composed of over...

This study investigates the effect of alkali treatment on the physical, thermal, flexural and thermos-mechanical properties of Borassus husk fibre-reinforced epoxy composites according to different authorized standards. Composites were fabricated using the hand layup process with untreated and alkali-treated Borassus fibres (0.25-2 hours treatment...

Metal decorations with gold- and platinum-like colors are widely used in ceramic products, particularly in the Western tableware industry. Tableware is typically decorated with thin metal films formed by the thermal decomposition of organometallic compounds called resinate. To be microwave-safe, decorative metal films should be insulated by forming...

Red mud (RM), a solid waste byproduct of the alumina industry, has accumulated in significant global stockpiles. Currently, the primary application of RM involves magnetic separation to recover iron oxides, while the residual RM is predominantly landfilled. Due to its strong alkalinity, RM can serve as a substitute for strong alkalis or sodium salt...

Building sustainable earth construction to replace cement concrete is a major challenge in fast-developing tropical regions. Poured earth, shaped like concrete, offers a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative. Poured earth usually relies on industrial dispersants and hydraulic binders to fluidify and solidify the soil paste. However, these add...

Dredged sediments from dredging operations pose environmental hazards and disposal challenges. The geopolymerization method for treating these sediments offers an eco-friendly alternative to Portland cement. This study develops geopolymer materials using uncalcined dredged sediment, fly ash, and an alkali activator (sodium hydroxide and sodium sili...

Laser spectroscopy of hot atomic vapours has been studied extensively. Theoretical models that predict the absolute value of the electric susceptibility are crucial for optimising the design of photonic devices that use hot vapours, and for extracting parameters, such as external fields, when these devices are used as sensors. To date, most of the...

Increasing the salt concentration of an electrolyte to over 10 M brings new solute‐solvent interactions that define an emerging class of super‐concentrated electrolytes for rechargeable batteries. To this class we introduce a super‐concentrated alkaline electrolyte. Nearly saturated with KOH (at 15 M), the aqueous solution displays a broad electroc...

In this work, three samples of primary aluminium dross were investigated and compared to construction aluminium waste. The composition was determined, and an evaluation of hydrogen generation via hydrolysis in a low-concentration alkali solution was performed. The composition revealed low to moderate aluminium content and the presence of various cr...

Soil salinization, recognized globally as a significant environmental issue, can directly impact the sustainable development of agriculture worldwide. As a key crop driving the global agricultural economy, maize is particularly vulnerable to the detrimental effects of salt–alkali stress, which can impede its growth and development from germination...

Wood is a versatile raw material and renewable building material favored for its abundance, low cost, sustainability and significant contribution to peak carbon and carbon neutrality. Wood coated with tung oil, while having a longer service life by preventing insect bites and reducing volume loss, is also more flammable in a fire. In the present st...

This paper focuses on the alkaline activation of municipal waste incineration (MSWI) bottom ash to create a dense, non-porous composite structure. Normally, high pH solutions are used to activate MSWI bottom ash, but this has the side effect of creating residual effects in the bottom ash. Due to the uniqueness of the incineration process, the botto...

The massive dredging of silt and soft soil has caused serious environmental problems. Carrying out the resource utilization of silt can turn waste into treasure, improve the utilization rate of solid waste, and achieve the goal of energy conservation, emission reduction, and efficiency improvement. The solidification of dredged sediment with a mois...

Compared to fiber‐enhanced polymer composites, geopolymer matrix composites have higher operating temperatures and advantageous flow properties for manufacturing ceramic matrix composites. However, to obtain flame‐retardant composite materials, an investigation of the reaction behavior of matrix materials suitable for forming geopolymer structures...

Electrochemical extraction of uranium from seawater is a promising strategy for the sustainable supply of nuclear fuel, whereas the current progress suffers from the co-deposition of impurities. Herein, we construct a synergistic coordination-reduction interface in CMOS@NSF, achieving electrochemical extraction of black UO2 product from seawater. T...

Piezoelectric ceramics tailored for high-power resonance applications are investigated, utilizing a composite structure comprising the ferroelectric phase (K,Na)NbO<sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> as a matrix integrated with the alkali titanoniobate dielectric phase KTiNbO<sub xm...

The early-age viscoelasticity of alkali-activated slag concrete (AASC) is critical for its early-age cracking proneness and long-term performance, particularly regarding creep and internal stress development. This study employs an innovative approach to quantify the early-age viscoelastic behavior of AASC, utilizing a Temperature Stress Testing Mac...

Indonesia, which has a tropical climate, is one of the largest producers of cane sugar in the world. Therefore, waste from the sugar cane production process has the potential to be an alternative material for composite material fillers, as it is easily available and environmentally friendly. Along with industrial development, innovation in composit...

The Otopetrin (Otop) proteins, comprising Otop1-3, are proton-gated proton channels with key biological functions. Otop1 acts as a receptor for sour and ammonium salt tastes in mammals, but its gating mechanisms and pharmacology remain poorly understood. Here, we report the functional characterization of three small molecule positive allosteric mod...

With the increasing demand for clean energy, driven by advancements in science and technology, anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) have emerged as a promising solution for efficient and clean energy conversion. As the core component of AEMFCs, anion exchange membranes (AEMs) are crucial for ion transport and the separation of the cathode an...

This article presents first-of-a-kind experimental works for the conversion of tailings generated from an Indian uranium mill into geopolymers. Geopolymer block samples were prepared from uranium mill tailings by alkali activation method using 4-6% NaOH and 27-39% Na 2 SiO3. The key physical, mechanical, and most importantly radiological characteri...

This investigation examined the valorization potential of coffee husk through thermochemical conversion, with a focus on its decomposition kinetics, co-product recovery, and operational challenges. Kinetic and thermodynamic parameters were determined using iso-conversional model-free methods (Flyn-Wall-Ozawa, Kissinger-AkahiraSunose, Starink, and F...

In this study, alkali lignin derived from alkaline paper pulping waste liquids was modified through phosphorylation to obtain phosphorylated lignin. Subsequently, lead-phosphorylated lignin composite anodes were prepared by employing powder metallurgy and mechanical alloying techniques. The phosphorylated lignin was characterized using Field Emissi...

Finding stable binding sites of alkali metal ions on two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) is crucial for predicting and engineering the usage of these materials in batteries and optoelectronic devices. However, conventional approaches using density functional theory (DFT), where the energies of the intercalated layers are analyze...

The use of seawater and sea sand for the preparation of alkali-activated concretes plays an important role in reducing carbon emissions and alleviating resource scarcity. However, both alkali-activated concretes and products made from seawater and sea sand tend to exhibit significant drying shrinkage. Therefore, this study investigates the effect o...

The so far unattended version of the Hirao reaction involving the coupling of the less reactive chloroarenes with >P(O)H reagents, such as diarylphosphine oxides, diethyl phosphite, and ethyl phenyl-H-phosphinate, was investigated in detail using Pd(OAc)2 as the catalyst precursor, and applying some excess of the P-reagent to provide the ligand via...

Geopolymers, commonly called alkali-activated binding, have emerged as an acceptable substitute for conventional binders (such as cement) in the mixtures used for paving blocks. The increasing interest of researchers in the geopolymer method for paving blocks is driven by the exploitation of pozzolanic material as a source material, which results i...

The Torreya grandis meal (TGM) is a protein-rich by-product during the seed oil manufacturing process. In this study, the T. grandis meal protein (TGMP) was extracted from the defatted TGM by alkali extraction and isoelectric point precipitation, and the effect of in vitro digestion on peptide release of the TGMP was evaluated using static digestio...

Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst of V2O5‐WO3/TiO2 type is widely used in industrial denitration process. Deactivated spent SCR denitration catalyst can be used for tungsten recovery. In the existing hydrometallurgical recovery processes, NaOH leaching and Na2CO3 leaching need high temperature and high pressure to obtain high leaching ef...

Sustainable and eco-friendly materials are vital for structural and energy storage applications. Synthetic fiber composites have long been utilized, but their high manufacturing cost and negative environmental impacts are concerning. This study aims to enhance the mechanical strength, thermal stability and electrical conductivity of jute fiber–rein...

The inherent variability of biomass composition and structure, as well as the increased trends towards blending of biomass feedstock for energy, chemicals and materials, requires the systematic characterisation of biomass from both established and new sources. The high-value sweet protein thaumatin is produced from Thaumatococcus daniellii (T.d) fr...

Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and hydrogen chloride (HCl) are common industry pollutants. Since they are emitted as gases, they can be challenging to prevent their release into the environment. It has been proposed that SO₂ and HCl can be absorbed by a molten mixture of alkali carbonates. The mixture is used in gas-liquid scattering studies to determine the...

Lignin is a potential renewable feedstock for the production of aromatic chemicals but due to the recalcitrant nature of its aryl ether bonds (C–O), and recondensation of depolymerized products, it is challenging to produce aromatic compounds with selectivity in high yield. Here we present that a heterogeneous catalyst containing highly dispersed p...

Solar photospheric abundances and CI-chondrite compositions are reviewed and updated to obtain representative solar system abundances of the elements and their isotopes. The new photospheric abundances obtained here lead to higher solar metallicity. Full 3D NLTE photospheric analyses are only available for 11 elements. A quality index for analyses...

Intelligent membranes with programmable permeance and precise sieving performance are in high demand for complex water treatment scenarios. Herein, a bioinspired membrane featuring intelligent adaptive 2D nanochannels with outstanding molecule sieving performance is reported. In particular, a protein‐mimetic 2D nanochannel with pH‐responsive charac...