The inherently linear poly (lactic acid) suffers unsatisfying foaming behavior due to its low melt strength and poor crystallization properties. To overcome this drawback, a random terpolymer of ethylene, acrylic ester and glycidyl methacrylate (EGMA) was employed to improve the rheological behavior, crystallization properties, and foaming performance of poly (lactic acid) (PLA) through a chain extension reaction. The branched/micro-crosslinked structure formed by the chain extension reaction between EGMA and PLA effectively improved the dynamic rheological properties of PLA. As the content of EGMA increased from 0 wt% to 20 wt%, the crystal nucleation and crystal growth rate of various PLA samples have been significantly accelerated, resulting in a larger number and smaller size of spherulites, and the crystallinity of various PLA samples increased from 7.9% to 38.54%. The cell size of various PLA foams decreased from 53.5 to 22.0 μm and the cell density increased from 3.5 × 10⁶ cells per cm³ to 2.5 × 10⁷ cells per cm³, meanwhile, the cellular morphology of PLA foam was obviously improved. Moreover, the actual weight loss of PLA foams reached 26.1%, which is higher than the theoretical weight loss.

Nitrogen and phosphorus play essential roles in ecosystems and organisms. However, with the development of industry and agriculture in recent years, excessive N and P have flowed into water bodies, leading to eutrophication, algal proliferation, and red tides, which are harmful to aquatic organisms. Biochar has a high specific surface area, abundant functional groups, and porous structure, which can effectively adsorb nitrogen and phosphorus in water, thus reducing environmental pollution, achieving the reusability of elements. This article provides an overview of the preparation of biochar, modification methods of biochar, advancements in the adsorption of nitrogen and phosphorus by biochar, factors influencing the adsorption of nitrogen and phosphorus in water by biochar, as well as reusability and adsorption mechanisms. Furthermore, the difficulties encountered and future research directions regarding the adsorption of nitrogen and phosphorus by biochar were proposed, providing references for the future application of biochar in nitrogen and phosphorus adsorption.

We report that N-heterocyclic nitreniums (NHNs) can be used as ideal charge transfer complex catalysts in the absence of any additives for the photoactivation of cycloketone oxime esters, where the NHN cation acts as a catalytic electron acceptor, and the counter-ion I⁻ is a catalytic electron donor. This strategy enables the synthesis of various trisubstituted alkenes and heterocycles.

Considering the issues of energy shortage and global warming in the near future, developing sustainable and CO₂ emission-free energy sources is necessary for industrialization and civilization.

Using green, environmentally friendly and resource-rich cellulose as a raw material, a ligand-free and highly dispersed palladium (Pd) nano-catalyst was successfully prepared in a facile way. A variety of characterization results showed that the Pd nanoparticles (NPs) were uniformly spread on the cellulose nanoporous microspheres, with an average particle size of ∼2.75 nm. As a carrier, cellulose microspheres with nanoporous structure and rich –OH groups greatly promoted the attachment and distribution of the highly dispersed Pd NPs, along with the diffusion and exchange of reactants, so as to greatly promote the catalytic activity. In the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction, the catalyst of C–Pd exhibited excellent catalytic activity (TOF up to 2126 h⁻¹), broad applicability, and good recyclability with almost no active loss in 6 continuous runs. This utilizing of bioresources to build catalyst materials is important for sustainable chemistry.

The α-olefin–maleic anhydride copolymer DIA as a chain extender was used to modify polyamide 6 (PA6) during melt blending. The ability to modulate this modification for PA6 has been shown to be dependent on the effects of its content on the molecular weight distribution, rheological properties, crystalline properties, mechanical properties, and foaming behavior of foam samples. By increasing the DIA content, the viscoelasticity, water contact angle, and elongation at break improved as a result of a significant decrease in water absorption and melt flow rate. Compared with raw PA6, the modified PA6 presented a relatively wider molecular weight distribution. However, the crystallinity of modified PA6 samples decreased, the double melting peaks became one peak, and the α crystallites at 20.3° gradually disappeared with increasing DIA content. The morphologies of composite foams with different contents were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the cell size of different PA6 samples decreased from 160 μm to 83 μm and the cell density increased from 1.1 × 10⁵ cells/cm³ to 5.9 × 10⁵ cells/cm³ when the content of DIA increased from 0 wt% to 5 wt%. Meanwhile, the cell morphology obviously improved and the cell size distribution became narrow. Thus, a preparation technology based on foaming materials with excellent performance, such as better bubble quality and low water absorption, was developed for further research and application.