Dye-containing pollutants are currently a threat to the environment, and it is highly challenging to eliminate these dyes photocatalytically under visible light. Herein, we designed and prepared a ZnO/CuO/g-C₃N₄ (ZCG) heterostructure nanocomposite by a co-crystallization procedure and applied it to eliminate pollutants from wastewater via a photocatalytic scheme. The structural and morphological features of the composite confirmed the formation of a ZCG nanocomposite. The photocatalytic capability of the ZCG photocatalyst was investigated via the decomposition of methylene blue dye. The outstanding activity level of 97.46% was reached within 50 min. In addition, the proficiency of the ZCG composite was 753%, 392%, 156%, and 130% higher than photolysis, g-C₃N₄, CuO, and ZnO, respectively. Furthermore, the photodeterioration activity on Congo red was also evaluated and found to be excellent. The enhanced catalytic achievement is attributed to the construction of heterojunctions among the constituent compounds. These properties boost the charge transfer and decrease the recombination rate. Moreover, the reusability of the ZCG product was explored and a negligible photoactivity decline was detected after six successful runs. The outcomes suggest the as-prepared nanocomposite can be applied to remove pollutants, which opens a new door to practical implementation.

In this study, soft magnetic metal was coated on carbon fibers (CFs) using an electroless FeCoNi-plating method to enhance the electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding properties of CFs. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and a vibrating sample magnetometer were employed to determine the morphologies, structural properties, and magnetic properties of the FeCoNi-CFs, respectively. The EMI shielding behavior of the FeCoNi-CFs was investigated in the frequency range of 300 kHz to 3 GHz through vector network analysis. The EMI shielding properties of the FeCoNi-CFs were significantly enhanced compared with those of the as-received CFs. The highest EMI shielding effectiveness of the 60-FeCoNi-CFs was approximately 69.4 dB at 1.5 GHz. The saturation magnetization and coercivity of the 60-FeCoNi-CFs were approximately 103.2 emu/g and 46.3 Oe, respectively. This indicates that the presence of FeCoNi layers on CFs can lead to good EMI shielding due to the EMI adsorption behavior of the magnetic metal layers.

This study researches the effect of phase change materials (PCMs) containing carbonized rice husks (CRHs) in wood plastic composites (WPCs) as roof finishing materials on roof-surface and indoor temperatures. A cool roof miniature model was prepared, and measurements were taken using three fixed temperatures of 30 to 32 °C, 35 to 37 °C, and 40 to 42 °C. Sodium sulfate decahydrate (Na₂SO₄·10H₂O) and paraffin wax were selected as the PCMs. CRHs were used as additives to improve the thermal conductivities of the PCMs. At lower fixed temperatures such as 30 to 32 °C and 35 to 37 °C, the rates of increase of the surface temperatures of roofs containing CRHs with Na₂SO₄·10H₂O, and paraffin wax, were observed to gradually decrease compared to those of the roofs without PCMs. The indoor temperatures for the above-mentioned PCMs containing CRHs were maintained to be lower than those of the indoors without PCMs. Additionally, as the CRH content in the PCM increased, the rates of increase of the roof-surface and indoor temperatures decreased due to a faster roof heat absorption by PCMs through the improved thermal conductivity of CRHs. However, under higher artificial temperatures such as 40 to 42 °C, Na₂SO₄·10H₂O with CRHs exhibited no effect due to being out of latent heat range of Na₂SO₄·H₂O. For paraffin wax, as CRH content increased, their roof- surface and indoor temperatures decreased. Especially, the surface temperature of the roof containing paraffin contained 5 wt.% CRHs reduced by 11 °C, and its indoor temperature dropped to 26.4 °C. The thermal conductivity of PCM was enhanced by the addition of CRHs. A suitable PCM selection in each location can result in the reduction of the roof-surface and indoor temperatures.