Developing cheap and earth-abundant electrocatalysts with high activity and stability for oxygen reduction reactions (ORRs) is highly desired for the commercial implementation of fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Tremendous efforts have been made on doped-graphene catalysts. However, the progress of phosphorus-doped graphene (P-graphene) for ORRs has rarely been summarized until now. This review focuses on the recent development of P-graphene-based materials, including the various synthesis methods, ORR performance, and ORR mechanism. The applications of single phosphorus atom-doped graphene, phosphorus, nitrogen-codoped graphene (P, N-graphene), as well as phosphorus, multi-atoms codoped graphene (P, X-graphene) as catalysts, supporting materials, and coating materials for ORR are discussed thoroughly. Additionally, the current issues and perspectives for the development of P-graphene materials are proposed.

Carbon nano-materials have been widely used in many fields due to their electron transport, mechanics, and gas adsorption properties. This paper introduces the structure and properties of carbon nano-materials the preparation of carbon nano-materials by chemical vapor deposition method (CVD)—which is one of the most common preparation methods—and reaction simulation. A major factor affecting the material structure is its preparation link. Different preparation methods or different conditions will have a great impact on the structure and properties of the material (mechanical properties, electrical properties, magnetism, etc.). The main influencing factors (precursor, substrate, and catalyst) of carbon nano-materials prepared by CVD are summarized. Through simulation, the reaction can be optimized and the growth mode of substances can be controlled. Currently, numerical simulations of the CVD process can be utilized in two ways: changing the CVD reactor structure and observing CVD chemical reactions. Therefore, the development and research status of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for CVD are summarized, as is the potential of combining experimental studies and numerical simulations to achieve and optimize controllable carbon nano-materials growth.

Waterborne polyurethane (WPU) was cured with a flame retardant composed of polydimethylsiloxanes and boron phenolic resin. In comparison to unmodified WPU, the heat resistance of the cured WPU film was significantly improved by approximately 40.0 °C, and the limited oxygen index (LOI) increased from 21.9% to 32.6%. The outcomes reveal that the char residue yield of the cured WPU reached a substantial 8.93 wt.% at 600 °C, which is 60 times that of the unmodified WPU. The flame retardant facilitates the creation of char residue with a high degree of graphitization. Furthermore, the total smoke production (TSP), average effective heat of combustion (AEHC), total heat release (THR), and peak heat release rate (pHRR) of the cured WPU were diminished by 66.29%, 48.89%, 28.01%, and 27.96%, respectively, compared to the unmodified WPU. The CO/CO₂ emission ratio was elevated by 46.32%, and the total flue gas emission was cut by 66.29%, demonstrating a remarkable smoke suppression effect. The cured WPU attained the UL-94 V0 rating without melt-dripping. These results indicate that the combined flame retardants (2.0 wt.%) can endow WPU with outstanding flame retardant properties.

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.

The control of alumina morphology is crucial yet challenging for its various applications. Unfortunately, traditional methods for preparing alumina particles suffer from several limitations such as irregular morphology, poor dispersibility, and restricted application areas. In this study, we develop a novel method for preparing spherical mesoporous alumina using chitin and Pluronic P123 as mixed templates. The effects of reaction temperature, time, and the addition of mixed templates on the phase structure, micromorphology, and optical absorption properties of the samples were investigated. The experimental results indicate that lower temperature and shorter reaction time facilitated the formation of spherical mesoporous alumina with excellent CO₂ adsorption capacity. The periodic density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that both the (110) and (100) surfaces of γ-Al₂O₃ can strongly adsorb CO₂. The difference in the amount of CO₂ adsorbed by Al₂O₃ is mainly due to the different surface areas, which give different numbers of exposed active sites. This approach introduces a novel strategy for utilizing biological compounds to synthesize spherical alumina and greatly enhances mesoporous alumina’s application efficiency in adsorption fields. Moreover, this study explored the electrochemical performance of the synthesized product using cyclic voltammetry, and improved loading of electrocatalysts and enhanced electrocatalytic activity were discovered.

Motivated by the prominent catalytic performance and durability of nanoalloy catalysts, the Pd-based bimetallic nanoalloy catalysts were prepared using an aqueous reduction method. The Fe-Pd bimetallic nanoalloy catalyst (nano-Fe/Pd) demonstrated 98.4% yield and 99.7% selectivity for the unsaturated 1,4-dicarboxylic acid diesters. Moreover, the inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis shows that the Pd leaching of the catalyst can be effectively suppressed by alloying Fe atoms into the Pd crystal lattice for acetylene dicarbonylation. The detailed catalyst structure and morphology characterization demonstrate that introducing Fe into the Pd nanoparticles tunes the electronic–geometrical properties of the catalyst. Theoretical calculations indicate that the electrons of Fe transfer to Pd in the nano-Fe/Pd catalyst, enhancing activation of the C≡C bond in acetylene and weakening CO absorption capacity on catalyst surfaces. Alloying Fe into the Pd nanocatalyst effectively inhibits active metal leaching and improves catalyst activity and stability under high-pressure CO reactions.