Volume 39, Issue 6

ZIF-8 and ZIF-67 are the most investigated zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) materials that have aroused enormous scientific interests in numerous areas of application including electrochemistry, gas storage, separation, and sensors by reason of their fascinating structural properties. Recently, there is a rapidly growing demand for chemical gas sensors for the detection of various analytes in widespread applications including environmental pollution monitoring, clinical analysis, wastewater analysis, industrial applications, food quality, consumer products, and automobiles. In general, the key to the development of superior gas sensors is exploring innovative sensing materials. ZIF-X (8, 67) based nanostructures have demonstrated great potential as ideal sensing materials for high-performance sensing applications. In this review, the general properties and applications of ZIF-X (8, 67) including gas storage and gas adsorption are first summarized, and then the recent progress of ZIF-X (8, 67) based nanostructures for gas-sensing applications and the structure-property correlations are summarized and analyzed.

Amassing remarkable properties, silicones are practically indispensable in our everyday life. In most classic applications, they play a passive role in that they cover, seal, insulate, lubricate, water-proof, weather-proof etc. However, silicone science and engineering are highly innovative, seeking to develop new compounds and materials that meet market demands. Thus, the unusual properties of silicones, coupled with chemical group functionalization, has allowed silicones to gradually evolve from passive materials to active ones, meeting the concept of “smart materials”, which are able to respond to external stimuli. In such cases, the intrinsic properties of polysiloxanes are augmented by various chemical modifications aiming to attach reactive or functional groups, and/or by engineering through proper cross-linking pattern or loading with suitable fillers (ceramic, magnetic, highly dielectric or electrically conductive materials, biologically active, etc.), to add new capabilities and develop high value materials. The literature and own data reflecting the state-of-the art in the field of smart silicones, such as thermoplasticity, self-healing ability, surface activity, electromechanical activity and magnetostriction, thermo-, photo-, and piezoresponsivity are reviewed.

Semicarbazide (OC(NH 2 )(N 2 H 3 )) and thiosemicarbazide (SC(NH 2 )(N 2 H 3 )) are well-known for their coordination complex formation ability. They contain nonbonding electrons in the form of heteroatoms (N, O and S) and π-electrons in the form of >C=O and >C=S through they strongly coordinate with the metal atoms and ions. Because of their association with this property, the Semicarbazide (SC), thiosemicarbazide (TSC) and their derivatives are widely used for different applications. They serve as building blocks for synthesis of various industrially and biologically useful chemicals. The SC, TSC and they derivatives are also serve as strong aqueous phase corrosion inhibitors. In the present reports, the coordination ability and corrosion protection tendency of Semicarbazide (SC), thiosemicarbazide (TSC) and their derivatives is surveyed and described. These compounds are widely used as inhibitors for different metals and alloys. Through their electron rich sites they adsorb on the metal surface and build corrosion protective film. Their adsorption mostly followed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Through their adsorption they increase the value of charge transfer resistance and decrease the value of corrosion current density. Computational studies adopted in the literature indicate that SC, TSC and their derivatives adsorb flatly and spontaneously using charge transfer mechanism.

Although the world is shifting toward using more renewable energy resources, combustion systems will still play an important role in the immediate future of global energy. To follow a sustainable path to the future and reduce global warming impacts, it is important to improve the efficiency and performance of combustion processes and minimize their emissions. Machine learning techniques are a cost-effective solution for improving the sustainability of combustion systems through modeling, prediction, forecasting, optimization, fault detection, and control of processes. The objective of this study is to provide a review and discussion regarding the current state of research on the applications of machine learning techniques in different combustion processes related to power generation. Depending on the type of combustion process, the applications of machine learning techniques are categorized into three main groups: (1) coal and natural gas power plants, (2) biomass combustion, and (3) carbon capture systems. This study discusses the potential benefits and challenges of machine learning in the combustion area and provides some research directions for future studies. Overall, the conducted review demonstrates that machine learning techniques can play a substantial role to shift combustion systems towards lower emission processes with improved operational flexibility and reduced operating cost.

Methacrylic acid based microgels have got much consideration in the last two decades because of their potential uses in different fields owing to their responsive behaviour towards external stimuli. Synthesis, properties and uses of methacrylic acid based microgels and their hybrids have been critically reviewed in this article. With minute change in external stimuli such as pH and ionic strength of medium, these microgels show quick swelling/deswelling reversibly. The methacrylic acid based microgels have been widely reported for applications in the area of nanotechnology, drug delivery, sensing and catalysis due to their responsive behaviour. A critical review of current research development in this field along with upcoming perception is presented here. This discussion is concluded with proposed probable future studies for additional growth in this field of research.

With the rapid development of economy, the demand for energy is increasing rapidly. And the output and processing amount of vacuum residue oil are also increasing year by year. The processing of vacuum residue oil is always a difficult problem in petrochemical industry. The high viscosity is the significant characteristic of vacuum residue oil. It is easy to cause serious influence in residue oil processing, such as reactor blockage. With the development of ultrasonic technology, ultrasonic viscosity reduction has become the focus of research. Its potential role in petrochemical industry has attracted more and more attention. Ultrasonic viscosity reducing vacuum residue oil is a new viscosity reducing process. Compared with the traditional viscosity reduction method, it has good viscosity reduction effect. The research progress of ultrasonic viscosity reducing vacuum residue oil is reviewed. In this paper, the mechanism of ultrasonic action, physical and chemical effects, ultrasonic viscosity reduction treatment conditions, viscosity reduction residue oil system influence and viscosity recovery, ultrasonic sound field simulation are reviewed and analyzed. In addition, ultrasound has a synergistic effect. Ultrasonic synergistic physicochemical methods (microwave; hydrogen donor) also has remarkable effects. Ultrasonic treatment technology is adopted on the basis of traditional microwave viscosity reduction and residue oil hydrogenation donor. This kind of ultrasonic collaborative method has excellent application prospect. But there are problems with this technology. The research direction of ultrasonic viscosity reduction residue oil in the future is also suggested. It can provide reference for related research.