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This work highlights the potential of lignin-derivable compounds for the development of bio-derivable polysulfones with improved hydrophilicity due to the functionality (methoxy groups) of lignin-aromatics. 

Rare earth elements (REEs) are crucial for clean energy technologies but are predominantly purified by solvent extraction using strong acids. This work explores two adsorbents with selective chemistry based on lanmodulin-derived peptides. Two membrane adsorber platforms were synthesized: (1) a poly(vinylbenzyl chloride) membrane with a grafted poly(allyl methacrylate) network and (2) a poly(arylene ether sulfone)membrane with allyl pendant groups. Both membrane adsorbers were functionalized with LanM1 peptides via a thiol−ene click reaction. The morphology, surface chemistry, and adsorption of select trivalent lanthanides (La, Ce, Pr, Nd) were characterized in pH 4−5 solutions, mimicking phosphogypsum waste streams. Results from the adsorption experiments indicate that the lanmodulin peptide sequence maintains its ability to bind when it is immobilized on the surface of polymer fibers for some ions. Despite the different adsorbent designs, the measured capacity of both adsorbents is on the same order of magnitude, which may be explained by differences in the surface area of the fibers 

To quantify how the viscosities of silicone oil (SO) and liquid metal (LM) relate to emulsion-formation (LM-in-SO versus SO-in-LM), a process was developed to produce LM pastes with adjustable viscosity... 

ABSTRACT Forecasting plant responses under global change is a critical but challenging endeavour. Despite seemingly idiosyncratic responses of species to global change, greater generalisation of ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ may emerge from considering how species functional traits influence responses and how these responses scale to the community level. Here, we synthesised six long‐term global change experiments combined with locally measured functional traits. We quantified the change in abundance and probability of establishment through time for 70 alpine plant species and then assessed if leaf and stature traits were predictive of species and community responses across nitrogen addition, snow addition and warming treatments. Overall, we found that plants with more resource‐acquisitive trait strategies increased in abundance but each global change factor was related to different functional strategies. Nitrogen addition favoured species with lower leaf nitrogen, snow addition favoured species with cheaply constructed leaves and warming showed few consistent trends. Community‐weighted mean changes in trait values in response to nitrogen addition, snow addition and warming were often different from species‐specific trait effects on abundance and establishment, reflecting in part the responses and traits of dominant species. Together, these results highlight that the effects of traits can differ by scale and response of interest.