The interaction between carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and tannic acid (TA) as well as the effects of TA adsorption on the dispersibility and biocompatibility of CNTs were evaluated.

No abstract

No abstract

The topsoil of a clayey slope is easily washed off by rain due to its loose structure. To protect the slope surface, in recent years, several types of non-traditional soil additives have been used by means of mixing with soil. In this work, a new organic polymer soil stabilizer, named aqua-dispersing-nano-binder (ADNB), was sprayed on the soil surface to stabilize the topsoil of a clayey slope. To understand the interaction between the polymer and soil particles during the infiltration process as well as the stabilization mechanism, infiltration tests, water stability tests and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses were performed with different polymer contents. The infiltration tests showed that the infiltration rate of the polymer stabilizer in the soil was slower than that of water due to its characteristics of easy adhesion to soil particles, poor fluidity and large molecular volume. The maximum effective infiltration depth was achieved in the specimen treated with 2% ADNB, and the minimum was achieved in the specimen treated with 5% ADNB. The water stability of the soil increased with the content of the soil stabilizer in the soil aggregates with diameters of either 5–10 mm or 10–20 mm. The SEM analysis showed that the quantity of polymer decreased with infiltration depth; a polymer membrane was formed on the surface of the topsoil and chains were formed inside. The amelioration of the soil water stability may have been due to the bonding between soil particles and polymers generated after evaporation of water in the emulsion. The polymer stabilizer could be applied to improve the erosion resistance of the slope topsoil and reduce soil loss.

Soil erosion is a major environmental threat. The purpose of this study was to develop new polymer soil improvers that could mitigate the risk of soil erosion by modifying the microstructure of the soil and improving the ecological self‐repair ability. In particular, this study investigated new polymer composites (ADNB) based on different combination ratios of nano‐aqueous adhesive (NAB) and superabsorbent resin (SARn). The effects of different types of ADNB on soil water characteristics and pore size distribution were systematically investigated using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). In addition, an empirical model based on experimental data was developed to describe the effects of ADNB on the soil‐water characteristic curves. The results showed that in comparison to natural soil, the application of ADNB could significantly increase the peak signal strength of the relaxation time curve. In addition, ADNB can effectively reduce the number of pores with diameters of 1.11–8.3 μm, increase the number of pores with diameters of 0.5–1.8 μm, but had little effect on the number of pores with diameters of 0–0.5 μm. Through NMR imaging analysis, the effects of ADNB on soil moisture absorption and storage were quantified. The results showed that the ratio and content of ADNB have an obvious effect on the soil‐water characteristic curve under low suction but showed little effect under high suction conditions, indicating that the water‐holding capacity has been improved.