Yebio Bioengineering (China)

The CL-20/1,4-DNI cocrystal is a novel high explosive with exceptional energy density and detonation parameters. However, in comparison with insensitive explosives including TNT and TATB, it still retains a relatively high level of sensitivity. To mitigate the sensitivity of the CL-20/1,4-DNI cocrystal explosive, this study constructed a molecular model of the CL-20/1,4-DNI cocrystal, and then separately incorporated five distinct classes of polymers-butadiene rubber (BR), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), polyethylene glycol (PEG), fluoropolymer (F2603), and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-onto its four most probable crystal planes, namely (1 0 1), (0 0 2), (0 1 1), and (1 1 0), a series of polymer-bonded explosives (PBXs) were thereby fabricated, and the influence of varying polymer matrices on the resulting materials-including their stability, trigger bond length, mechanical properties, and detonation performance-was systematically predicted and evaluated. Among the five developed PBX models, the CL-20/1,4-DNI/PEG composite attained the highest binding energy and the shortest trigger bond length. These outcomes demonstrate that the CL-20/1,4-DNI/PEG system possesses optimal stability, compatibility, and minimal sensitivity. Additionally, while the CL-20/1,4-DNI/F2603 composite exhibited superior detonation initiation capability, of note is that the compatibility of this particular formulation was relatively low. Consequently, the CL-20/1,4-DNI/PEG composite, which demonstrates an optimal stability-performance balance, emerges as the definitive choice, highlighting PEG as the preferred binder for CL-20/1,4-DNI-derived PBXs. Utilizing the molecular dynamics (MD) framework implemented in Materials Studio, the relevant functions embedded in the Forcite module were employed for the calculations; the performance of CL-20/1,4-DNI-based PBXs was evaluated. The simulation parameters were configured to a time step of 1fs and a cumulative run time of 2ns. The isothermal-isobaric (NPT) ensemble was employed for the 2-ns MD simulations. The COMPASS force field was adopted, and the simulation temperature was fixed at 295 Kelvin (K).

Amid rising global temperatures and accelerating carbon-neutral initiatives, the efficient valorization of greenhouse gases has emerged as a central focus of contemporary research. Microbial metabolism enables the low-cost transformation of methane, which has evolved into a strategic technological reserve for a green and low-carbon future. Methanotrophs, widely distributed across diverse habitats, utilize methane as both a carbon and an energy source. Through key enzymes in their central metabolic pathways, these microorganisms sequentially oxidize CH₄ into methanol, formaldehyde, formate, and ultimately to CO₂. In synthetic microbial consortia comprising methanotrophs and methylotrophs, inter-species cross-feeding effectively alleviates the accumulation of inhibitory metabolites, improving overall methane conversion efficiency. Beyond regulating the source-sink balance of atmospheric greenhouse gases, methanotrophic consortia also drive the high-value resource utilization of high-concentration CH₄ and CO₂. Type I, II, and X methanotrophs possess distinct carbon fixation pathways and are capable of synthesizing high-value products such as methanol, single-cell protein (SCP), and polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). Investigating their mechanisms and efficient cultivation strategies is conducive to further exploring the potential of methanotrophs in carbon cycling and biomanufacturing. However, the practical application of methanotrophs still faces several challenges, including difficulties in process control, ineffective suppression of byproduct formation, and potential safety concerns associated with the synthesized products. Addressing these bottlenecks is imperative to unlock their full potential for large-scale industrial applications in greenhouse gas mitigation and sustainable biomanufacturing.

ABSTRACT Plastics are widely used in many fields of human production and life. However, waste plastics have caused huge pollution and risks to the environment and ecosystem. How to clean waste plastics efficiently and improve the high value quality of recycled plastics has become the focus of attention. Traditional mechanical recycling and incineration are facing the bottleneck of quality deterioration and value recovery failure. Chemical recycling and upcycling processes, including the conversion of plastics into primary monomers, liquid fuels or chemical feedstocks to produce value-added products, have been identified as the most promising strategies for recovering value from waste plastics. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the recent advancements and accomplishments in recycling waste plastics through thermal cracking, catalytic cracking, microwave catalytic cracking, solvent dissolution, electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, and photoelectrocatalysis. This review provides a useful idea for further research on the comprehensive utilisation of waste plastics and the reduction of carbon emissions.