Ionic-liquid-functionalized zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF) were synthesized using the co-ligands of 2-methylimidazole and amine-functionalized ionic liquid during the formation process of frameworks. The resulting ionic-liquid-modified ZIF had a specific surface area of 1707 m²·g⁻¹ with an average pore size of about 1.53 nm. Benefiting from the large surface area and the high solubility of carbon dioxide in ionic-liquid moieties, the synthesized materials exhibited a carbon dioxide adsorption capacity of about 24.9 cm³·g⁻¹, whereas it was 16.3 cm³·g⁻¹ for pristine ZIF at 25 °C under 800 mmHg. The results demonstrate that the modification of porous materials with ionic liquids could be an effective way to fabricate solid sorbents for carbon dioxide adsorption.

The development of low platinum loading hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts with high activity and stability is of great significance to the practical application of hydrogen energy. This paper reports a simple method to synthesize a highly efficient HER catalyst through coating a highly dispersed PtNi alloy on porous nitrogen-doped carbon (MNC) derived from the zeolite imidazolate skeleton. The catalyst is characterized and analyzed by physical characterization methods, such as XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, XPS, and LSV, EIS, it, v-t, etc. The optimized sample exhibits an overpotential of only 26 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻², outperforming commercial 20 wt% Pt/C (33 mV). The synthesized catalyst shows a relatively fast HER kinetics as evidenced by the small Tafel slope of 21.5 mV dec⁻¹ due to the small charge transfer resistance, the alloying effect between Pt and Ni, and the interaction between PtNi alloy and carrier.

The design of appropriate thermally responsive fragrance carrier systems is of significant importance for the application of fragrance in the food and tobacco industries. In this study, we investigate the potential of sorbitan monostearate and guar gum for the stabilization of menthol under ambient conditions and the thermally-induced release of menthol. Our results show that the sorbitan monostearate carrier could well stabilize the menthol for at least up to 15 days with neglectable menthol loss due to the favorable binding of menthol on the sorbitan monostearate carrier. In addition, rapid and controlled release of menthol could take place at a temperature of 80 °C in the sorbitan monostearate carrier system. As a comparison, guar gum could not stabilize menthol as a result of its poor compatibility. Our results suggest that sorbitan monostearate can be an ideal carrier material for the support of fragrance. In addition, our results also provide a useful guide for the tailored design of thermally responsive fragrance carriers.

Alkaloids, typical nitrogen compounds, were found to be abundant in tobacco waste. The recovery of alkaloids from tobacco waste for biological pesticides could reduce the use of traditional chemical pesticides and avoid the pollution of farmland by the leaching of alkaloids from tobacco waste. Considering the fact that alkaloids can easily volatilize, thermal treatment is expected to be a potential technology to achieve the release and recovery of alkaloids from tobacco waste. For better understanding of conversion behavior of nitrogen-containing compounds in tobacco waste during thermal treatment, purge/trap-GC/MS (gas chromatography mass spectrometry), PY-GC/MS (pyrolysis-gas chromatography mass spectrometry), and fixed-bed/ATD-GC/MS (auto-thermal desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry) were adopted to detect the ingredients and concentration of nitrogen-containing compounds in tobacco waste and/or volatiles. The results of purge/trap-GC/MS showed that nitrogen-containing compounds in tobacco waste could be effectively evaporated at 180 °C in the forms of N-benzyl-N-ethyl-P-isopropyl benzamide, 2-Amino-4-methylphenol, or N-butyl-tert-butylamine. Specifically, N-benzyl-N-ethyl-P-isopropyl benzamide was the main nitrogenous compound in the volatiles of tobacco wastes accordingly. (S)-3-(1-Methyl-2-pyrrolidinyl) pyridine was dominant in N-compounds in pyrolysis condition according to the results of Py-GC/MS. In air atmosphere, with the heating temperature increasing, the concentration of main (S)-3-(1-Methyl-2-pyrrolidinyl) pyridine was firstly increased and then decreased. Besides, the interactions between the released volatiles could be accelerated at a high temperature. Accordingly, these findings suggested that pyrolysis under proper conditions could effectively promote the extraction of alkaloids from tobacco waste.

In order to comprehensively reflect the cigarette quality, a method combining direct injection of diluted sample with high sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)- electrospray (ESI)- quadrupole (Q)- time of flight (TOF)- tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) was developed for the identification of major components of cigarette essences (jujube and mulberry extracts). Based on the observed relative molecular mass, MS/MS fragmentation behavior, MS/MS database and related literatures, the components of the jujube extract and mulberry extract were identified. The result shows that the composition of jujube extract and mulberry extract has some similarity. They all mainly contain amino acids, free amino compounds and Maillard reaction products, which are the main constituents of a cigarette essence.