Huanjiang Wang

The environmental aging of microplastics significantly influences their removal, however, developing a universal and efficient removal strategy remains challenging. In this study, the aging behavior of 1 μm and 5 μm polystyrene (PS) microplastics under different pH conditions was systematically investigated in simulated real water environments using UV and/or H2O2 aging. The results indicate that 1 μm and 5 μm PS microplastics underwent significant aging and fragmentation during UV/H2O2 treatment under both neutral and alkaline conditions, resulting in smaller particles with an increased presence of oxygen-containing functional groups. Subsequently, a green lignin-based hydrogel (LG-ECH-PVA@2) was developed for the efficient adsorption of aged PS. Compared to pristine PS, the hydrogel’s adsorption capacity for aged PS increased by 51.3% at pH 7.0, with equilibrium adsorption capacities reaching 347.3±15.81, 395.7±17.65, and 427.6±16.42 mg/g at pH 3.0, 7.0, and 10.0, respectively. Experimental characterization, density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and wavefunction-based visualization analyses of noncovalent interactions in real space were conducted. For pristine PS, the primary adsorption enhancement mechanisms involved π–π stacking and C–H···π interactions. Notably, the aged PS surface exhibited a higher concentration of oxygen-containing functional groups and increased polarity, leading to a predominant adsorption mechanism transformation toward stronger hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions. More importantly, this study not only advances the understanding of the environmental aging behavior and interfacial mechanisms of microplastics but also provides a novel strategy for developing targeted remediation technologies based on the self-evolution patterns of microplastics.

Xanthoceras sorbifolium Bunge is an oil-bearing shrub native to China, whose seeds are rich in oil and can be used for extracting edible oil. The primary extraction methods for Xanthoceras sorbifolium Bunge oil (XSBO) include pressing, solvent extraction (SE), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), aqueous enzymatic extraction (AEE), micro-wave-assisted extraction (MAE), and supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (SFE-CO₂). This review not only compares the advantages and disadvantages of these oil extraction techniques regarding extraction principles, oil yield efficiency, and cost-effectiveness but also reviews the existing purification processes for the active components in oil. XSBO exhibits various health benefits, including antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor properties. In particular, it contains a special component called nervonic acid, which rarely exists in other plant oils, and has garnered significant attention for its potential in alleviating the impact of neurological diseases. XSBO has been widely applied in food, pharmaceuticals, and health supplements. However, the underlying mechanisms of its bioactive functions have not been fully elucidated, and there is limited research on encapsulation techniques, which restricts its application in food and pharmaceutical health products. Further studies in this domain can focus on purification processes, identifying the precise mechanism of action, to achieve efficient development and utilization of XSBO.

An alkene-bridged thioether ligand (L) was designed and used for its first study within a polyoxometalate (POM) hybrid system, and a POM-based copper(I)-alkene compound [(CuIL)2(PVMoVI12O40)]center dot(CuIL) (1) was isolated and characterized by X-ray crystallography. A unique alkene-coordinating N(eta 2-C=C)N mode of L is observed, and the Cu centers are captured by sigma 2,pi-L in a pocket fashion, giving birth to discrete [CuIL]+ cations and [(CuIL)2(PVMoVI12)]-anions. The ionic crystal exhibits solubility in aprotic polar solvents, and the electrospray ionization mass spectrometry is used to explore the nature of species present in the solution. It is found that the whole cluster [PVMoVI12]3- is completely present, and all the main peaks can be assigned to different charged fragments of the same parent cluster.