It was found previously that neither monomer MoS 2 nor WO 3 is an ideal material for the adsorption of organic dyes, while MoS 2 /WO 3 composites synthesized by a two-step hydrothermal method have outstanding adsorption effects. In this work, the chemical state of each element was found to be changed after combination by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, which lead to their differences in adsorption performance. Moreover, the adsorption test of methylene blue on MoS 2 /WO 3 composites was carried out under a series of temperatures, showing that the prepared composites also had appreciable adsorption rates at lower temperatures. The adsorption process could be well described by the Freundlich isothermal model and the pseudo-second order model. In addition, the particle-internal diffusion model simulation revealed that the internal diffusion of the particles played an important role in the whole adsorption process.

In this paper, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to evaluate the effects of diatomite on aging properties of an asphalt binder. The modified asphalts included 5%, 10%, and 15% diatomite, and were prepared in the laboratory. The changes in functional groups of asphalt were employed to investigate the aging mechanisms of the modified and control asphalts. Effects of diatomite on the anti-aging properties of asphalt were analyzed via the changes in intensity of the absorption peaks. Results showed that there were no new functional groups generated after diatomite mixing with asphalt. This indicated that the process of diatomite modification was just physical mixing. Furthermore, parts of saturates and aromatics were volatilized in the aging process of modified asphalt. Polar molecules reacted with oxygen in aging. Meanwhile, carbonyl (C=O) and sulfoxide (S=O) were also generated. The aging resistance of modified asphalt was the best when the diatomite content was 10%. The work of this paper may provide a new perspective to evaluate asphalt aging.

Highlights Cover metal microparticles with liquid films that contain water, alcohol, surfactant and catalyst. Ultrasonically disperse the liquid film-covered particles into cyclohexane. Occurrence of hydrolysis-condensation reactions of TEOS at the particle-cyclohexane interface. Coat microparticles with a uniform SiO 2 layer of desired thickness.

To provide basis for improving the quality of Gentianae macrophyllae Radix and optimising the field processing method. Gentianae macrophyllae Radix samples were collected from Long County. Five main active iridoids were determined by using HPLC. The HPLC fingerprints were measured and analysed by the traditional Chinese medicine chromatographic fingerprint similarity evaluation system. Water, total ash, acid insoluble ash and ethanol extract contents were determined in accordance with Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2015). Colour of the surface and powdered samples were determined by using a colorimeter. Data were analysed by SPSS11.0. Notable differences were found among samples from different sweating and drying processes, in spite of the relatively consistent overall chemical characteristics. Sweating and drying methods influenced the contents of some active ingredients and colour very significantly; moreover, they also showed significant effects on the water, ash, and ethanol extract contents. The necessity of sweating treatment in the field processing of Gentianae macrophyllae Radix may be insufficient. Drying in the shade and oven drying are more profitable for preserving the active constituents. Gentianae macrophyllae Radix should be dried directly without sweating, and drying in the shade and oven drying should be adopted preferentially to improve the quality.

In order to accurately simulate the performance changes of asphalt pavement in the hot rainy days, laboratory water-temperature-radiation cycle test is designed and carried out for the damage simulation of asphalt mixture under the environmental effect of rain, high temperatures, and sunshine. Ultrasonic detection method is used to determine the ultrasonic velocity of asphalt mixture specimen under different temperatures and water contents in the process of water-temperature-radiation cycles. Thus, we get the preliminary damage assessment. Splitting strength attenuation is defined as the damage parameter. In addition, the regression prediction models of the ultrasonic velocity and damage coefficient of asphalt mixture are constructed using the grey theory, neural network method, and support vector machine theory, respectively. We compare the prediction results of the three different models. It can be concluded that the model derived from the support vector machine possesses higher accuracy and stability, which can more satisfactorily reflect the relationship between ultrasonic velocity and damage coefficient. Therefore, the damage degree of the asphalt mixture can be obtained.