New research from Shenzhen University and Jinan University explores the use of carbon fiber composites in civil engineering, focusing on recycling methods and structural applications. The study, published in Engineering, highlights an integrated approach to extending the lifespan of reinforced concrete structures through impressed current cathodic protection and structural strengthening. Additionally, it presents an electrochemical recycling technique that efficiently recovers carbon fibers, maintaining their strength and functionality. These advancements offer practical solutions for sustainable construction and resource management.

Hypersonic vehicles face critical aerodynamic heating during flight, demanding advanced thermal protection systems (TPS). A team of Chinese researchers has developed a novel carbon-bonded carbon fiber (CBCF) composite modified with SiBCN ceramics (CBCF/SiBCN), enabling efficient in-plane heat dissipation while maintaining thermal insulation. The composite exhibits exceptional anisotropic thermal properties and mechanical strength, addressing long-standing limitations in traditional CBCF materials for aerospace TPS.

The combustion chamber temperature of the new generation aircraft engines can reach an ultra-high temperature of 1800 °C, making temperature monitoring of key components crucial. Thin-film thermocouples (TFTCs) are highly sensitive and have rapid response time; however, their upper temperature limit remains below 1800 °C. This study proposes an ultra-high temperature film thermocouple, enhanced by yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) for positive film, indium oxide (In₂O₃) for negative film, aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃) for protect film. The thermocouple is designed based on temperature measurement principles, First-principles, and simulations, and it is manufactured via screen-printing. The results indicate that the maximum working temperature is 1850 ℃. In experiments with different doping ratios at 1800 ℃, the thermocouple achieves a maximum temperature electromotive force (TEMF) of 258.5 mV and a maximum Seebeck coefficient of 180.9 μV/°C, with an In₂O₃:YSZ92(ZrO2:Y₂O₃ = 92:8 wt%) ratio of 9:1 wt%. Using the lumped heat capacity method, the response time is measured at 2.8 ms, demonstrating good dynamic response characteristics. The film thermocouple is successfully utilized to measure the gas temperature of 1090 °C at the outlet of air turbine rocket engine, confirming its high-temperature operational capability. To improve the repeatability of the TFTCs without affecting their thermoelectric outputs, a CNN-LSTM-attention neural network is implemented to mitigate repeatability errors, achieving a high repeatability of 99.53%. Additionally, the compensated temperature data are compared with those obtained from a standard B-type thermocouple, showing a full-scale error of ±0.73% FS. This study provides a feasible solution for ultra-high temperature measurements.

Natural biomass-derived carbon material is one promising alternative to traditional graphene-based catalyst for oxygen electrocatalysis. However, their electrocatalytic performance were constrained by the limited modulating strategy. Herein, using N-doped commercial coconut shell-derived activated carbon (AC) as catalyst model, the controllably enhanced sp²-C domains, through an flash Joule heating process, effectively improve the edge defect density and overall graphitization degree of AC catalyst, which tunes the electronic structure of N configurations and accelerates electron transfer, leading to excellent oxygen reduction reaction performance (half-wave potential of 0.884 V_RHE, equivalent to commercial 20% Pt/C, with a higher kinetic current density of 5.88 mA cm^-2) and oxygen evolution reaction activity (overpotential of 295 mV at 10 mA cm²). In a Zn-air battery, the catalyst shows outstanding cycle stability (over 1200 h) and a peak power density of 121 mW cm^-2, surpassing commercial Pt/C and RuO₂ catalysts. Density functional theory simulation reveals that the enhanced catalytic activity arises from the axial regulation of local sp²-C domains. This work establishes a robust strategy for sp²-C domain modulation, offering broad applicability in natural biomass-based carbon catalysts for electrocatalysis.

Rational design of multifunctional nanoplatforms capable of combining therapeutic effects with real-time monitoring of drug distribution and tumor status is emerging as a promising approach in cancer nanomedicine. Here, we introduce pyropheophorbide a–bisaminoquinoline conjugate lipid nanoparticles (PPBC LNPs) as a bimodal system for image-guided phototherapy in bladder cancer treatment. PPBC LNPs not only demonstrate both powerful photodynamic and photothermal effects upon light activation, but also exhibit potent autophagy blockage, effectively inducing bladder cancer cell death. Furthermore, PPBC LNPs possess remarkable photoacoustic (PA) and fluorescence (FL) imaging capabilities, enabling imaging with high-resolution, deep tissue penetration and high sensitivity for tracking drug biodistribution and phototherapy efficacy. Specifically, PA imaging confirms the efficient accumulation of PPBC LNPs within tumor and predicts therapeutic outcomes of photodynamic therapy, while FL imaging confirms their prolonged retention at the tumor site for up to 6 days. PPBC LNPs significantly suppress bladder tumor growth, with several tumors completely ablated following just two doses of the nanoparticles and laser treatment. Additionally, PPBC LNPs were formulated with lipid-based excipients and assembled using microfluidic technology to enhance biocompatibility, stability, and scalability, showing potential for clinical translation. This versatile nanoparticle represents a promising candidate for further development in bladder cancer therapy.

Abstract

Purpose – This article aims to examine whether corporate green investment intentions were inhibited by the online concerns of retail investors, a group accounting for more than 90% of the total stock investors in China.

Design/methodology/approach – A panel regression model is used to examine whether retail investor concerns inhibit corporate green investment intentions based on data from Chinese listed companies and data extracted from online social platforms where retail investors exchange information from 2010 to 2022. Machine learning methods are used to construct text word frequency indicators representing corporate green investment intentions. A series of endogeneity and robustness tests and a heterogeneity analysis are used to examine the regression results.

Findings – This article finds that retail investor concerns shown on online social platforms significantly inhibit corporate green investment intentions. The inhibition effect comes from the investment stages of source prevention and process control, while a promotion effect is identified at the stage of end-pipe treatment. Furthermore, the inhibition effect is smaller for companies with improved credibility of information disclosure.

Originality/value – This article innovatively uses the word frequency construction method based on text data to measure green investment intentions after clarifying the concept of green investment, which differs from green transformation, social responsibility, green finance and other popular terms. This article focuses on the emerging online social platform instead of discussing the function and mechanism of traditional information intermediaries. By verifying the market pressure caused by retail investor concerns about corporate green investment, this article expands the coverage of the market pressure hypothesis from traditional media to online social platforms and provides an empirical basis for implementing the national policy of de-retailer. This article’s validation of endogeneity is comprehensive compared to the literature on the selection of instrumental variables based on regional or sectoral averages.

A study in Science China Life Sciences reveals how hybrid fish maintain fertility despite genomic divergence. By analyzing structural variations, gene expression, and chromatin accessibility in testicular cells, researchers identified conserved allelic and testis-specific genes, with rnf212b as a key regulator of reproductive traits.