Lignin has recently attracted considerable attention as a promising carrier for pesticide delivery owing to its biodegradability, biocompatibility and intrinsic antioxidant activity. However, its heterogeneous distribution of hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups and strong tendency to aggregate have limited its practical applications. Herein, alkali lignin (AL) was functionalized by grafting nonionic surfactant monomers bearing polyethylene oxide chains, thereby endowing AL with an ordered amphiphilic architecture and enhanced interfacial activity. This modification enabled the formation of stable lignin-polyether (AL-PE) aqueous dispersions. Abamectin (AVM) was encapsulated into AL-PE by a solvent-exchange method to form nanospheres (AVM@AL-PE). The resulting AVM@AL-PE exhibited excellent dispersion stability in water and high drug encapsulation efficiency (77.62-83.96 %). Under the synergistic effect of polyethylene glycol-polypropylene glycol block copolymergrafted lignin (APG) and bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine (BEMT), the photolytic half-life of AVM increased to 3.29 times that of the commercial microemulsion (ME). The nanoscale size and interfacial interactions further imparted improved resistance to rainfall erosion. Toxicity assays confirmed that the nanospheres retained strong inhibitory activity against Botrytis cinerea while exhibiting favorable biosafety toward mung bean and zebrafish. This study provides an environmentally benign, functionalized lignin-based carrier for enhancing pesticide efficacy and mitigating ecological risks.

In this study, alkali lignin (AL) was used as the raw material to prepare sulfomethylated lignin (SAL). Phenyl and imidazole groups were introduced into SAL molecules to synthesize modified lignin dispersants for nano-disperse dye pastes. Results showed that SAL exhibited poor grinding performance and thermal stability in nano-pastes. In contrast, the comprehensive properties of histidine-modified SAL (His-SAL) and phenylalanine-modified SAL (Phe-SAL) were significantly improved. Among them, His-SAL demonstrated optimal performance. Studies on dispersants’ adsorption behavior in nano-paste systems indicated that SAL formed weak monolayer adsorption through hydrophobic van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonding. The absence of strong adsorption groups led to desorption due to increased Brownian motion during thermal storage, thereby reducing system stability. The phenyl groups in Phe-SAL enhanced hydrophobic van der Waals forces and π-π stacking interactions between the dispersant and dyes, increasing the adsorption capacity (|ΔF|). However, multilayer adsorption used up excess dispersant, leaving less free dispersant and weakening control over the size of newly formed nano dye particles. His-SAL established monolayer ligand adsorption through electron-transfer complexation between imidazole groups and dyes. The sufficient free dispersant enables the dispersion system to continuously encapsulate new nanoparticles, effectively preventing particle agglomeration caused by Ostwald ripening and resulting in the best thermal stability in the dispersion.

Lignin-based microcapsules exhibit promising potential among natural sunscreen agents. However, their applications are hindered by poor photostability and biocompatibility of core materials. Here, we optimize the core formulation of lignin microcapsules to improve their stability and biocompatibility. A novel core formulation including four chemical sunscreen actives is encapsulated in enzymatic hydrolysis lignin (EHL) via one-step ultrasonic cavitation. Optimal microcapsules with an average diameter of 383 nm are obtained, and the formulated creams with 10 wt % EHL microcapsules as the sole active ingredient achieve a sun protection factor (SPF) value of 147. Due to the excellent photo and thermal stability of the optimized core formulation, the SPF value of the microcapsule-based sunscreen decreases by only 14.7% after 10 h of UV irradiation, while it has little change under 50 °C. Due to the above advantages and good biocompatibility, the proposed EHL-based microcapsules have better potential in developing natural sunscreen.

This study aims to develop a lignin-based dispersant with excellent high-temperature dispersion properties by introducing cyclohexyl and phenyl hydrophobic groups into sulfomethylated lignin (SAL) molecules through a grafting modification strategy, thereby addressing the limitations of traditional disperse dye pastes in terms of grinding efficiency and thermal stability. The results show that graft-modified lignin dispersants outperform both SAL and the commercial dispersant Reax-85A. They not only improve the grinding efficiency of disperse dye pastes but also markedly enhance their thermal stability. The particle size of disperse dye paste significantly decreased from greater than 5 μm to 1 μm. The lignin dispersant containing cyclohexyl and phenyl groups significantly enhanced the hydrophobic van der Waals adsorption forces toward disperse dyes. Under high-temperature conditions, the prepared disperse dye pastes maintained excellent diffusion performance and thermal stability. QCM-D studies revealed that the adsorption capacity |ΔF| of hydrophobically-modified SAL on disperse dyes was significantly enhanced compared to that of SAL and Reax-85A, and it exhibited strong adsorption stability with minimal desorption, demonstrating robust adhesion to disperse dyes. Furthermore, the adsorption quantity of phenyl-modified SAL on disperse dyes was greater than that of cyclohexyl-modified SAL.

This study employed a grafting modification strategy to introduce three ligand groups - phenolic hydroxyl, imidazolyl, and pyridyl - as electron donor functional groups into sulfonated lignin (SAL) molecules. The goal was to enhance the thermal stability of SAL as a dye dispersant. The modified dispersants were systematically evaluated against the commercial dispersant Reax-85A, with a focus on grinding efficiency, dispersibility, and thermal stability. The results demonstrated that ligand-modified SAL exhibited improved grinding efficiency compared to unmodified SAL and achieved thermal stability comparable to Reax-85A. The thermal stability ranking was determined as: histidine-modified SAL > Reax-85A > tyrosine-modified SAL> 4-aminopyridine-modified SAL > SAL. Quartz crystal microbalance analysis revealed a significant increase in adsorption capacity (|Delta F|) of ligand-modified SAL on dispersed dyes, along with reduced desorption tendency. The results indicate that the introduced ligand groups form stable electron transfer complexes with electron-withdrawing groups (e.g., anthraquinone and cyano groups) on dye surfaces, thereby enhancing adsorption strength and thermal resistance. This study provides a molecular design strategy for optimizing lignin-based dispersants, offering new insights for developing high-performance dye dispersant.

Despite the widespread utilization of nano silver composites in the domain of catalytic hydrogenation of aromatic pollutants in wastewater, certain challenges persist, including the excessive consumption of chemical reagents during the preparation process and the difficulty in recycling. In this study, silver ions were reduced insitu by taking advantage of the adsorptive and reducing capacities of hydroxyls and amino groups on lignin porous microspheres (LPMs) under mild ultrasonic conditions, and lignin porous microspheres loaded with silver nanoparticles (Ag@LPMs) were conveniently prepared. Ag@LPMs had excellent catalytic and cycling performances for p-nitrophenol (4-NP), methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO). The 4-NP could be completely reduced to 4-AP within 155 s under the catalysis of Ag@LPMs, with a pseudo-first-order kinetic constant of 1.28 min(-1). Furthermore, Ag@LPMs could still complete the catalytic reduction of 4-NP within 10 min after five cycles. Ag@LPMs with the particle size ranging from 100 to 200 mu m conferred ease of recycling, and the porous structure effectively resolved the issue of sluggish mass transfer encountered during the catalytic process. At the same time, the binding force of nano silver and LPMs obtained by ultrasonic was stronger than that of heating, so the materials prepared by ultrasonic had better cycling performance. Silver ions concentration and pH value in the preparation process affected the catalytic performance of Ag@LPMs, 50 mmol/L Ag+ and pH value of 7 turned out to be the optimization conditions.

In this paper, N-vinylpyrrolidone was copolymerized with acrylic acid and itaconic acid by free radical polymerization, and a series of polyacrylic acid-co-itaconic acid-co-N-vinylpyrrolidone (PAIN) dispersants with different pyrrolidone ligand contents were synthesized and characterized. Then, the cobalt blue nano-pigment slurry (20 wt%) was prepared through a water-based grinding method, and the optimum grinding technology was explored and determined as follows: PAIN2 as a dispersant, a dispersant dosage of 10 wt%, and a grinding time of 480 min. According to this optimum grinding technology, the prepared pigment slurry had a significantly decreased agglomeration, the D90 of which was 82 nm, and separately increased to 130 nm and 150 nm after heat storage for 3 and 7 days, exhibiting excellent heat storage stability. Additionally, its TSI value was also the lowest (1.9%), indicating good dispersion stability. The QCM and adorption capacity measuring results showed PAIN2 had a larger adsorption capacity, and the formed adsorption layer had a higher rigidity and was not easy to fall off. This was caused by both the interaction of carboxyl groups and the pyrrolidone ligand (strong coordination interaction) in PAIN2 with cobalt blue. The XPS and FT–IR measurements further proved the above-mentioned adsorption mechanism.

Lignin exhibits good potential in natural sunscreens, but its dark color is still an obstacle. Herein, a strategy combining ultrafiltration and ultrasonic cavitation is developed to whiten enzymatic hydrolysis lignin (EHL). Results show that fractions with the smallest molecular weight possess the lightest color due to the lower bulk density and fewer surface chromophores. The hydrophobic aromatic skeleton and abundant phenol and carboxyl groups endow the fraction with good dispersibility and reactivity. Oil chemical sunscreen actives are effectively emulsified and encapsulated via ultrasonic cavitation. As-prepared capsules have an average diameter of 269 nm and a whiteness index of -15, representing 71% and 63% whiteness improvement compared to EHL and EHL-based capsules. The capsule-based sunscreen approaches white even under a dosage of 10 wt %. The sun protection factor of the sunscreen reaches 96 and maintains good performance at both room and high temperatures.

Improving the thermal storage stability of nanosuspension concentrate (SC) prepared from low-melting-point pesticide is a recognized problem. In this work, using pyraclostrobin as the raw material, 25 wt% of pyraclostrobin nano-SC was prepared through a water-based grinding method, and the optimal grinding conditions were obtained as follows: a grinding time of 23 h, D-3911 as dispersant and a dispersant dosage of 12 wt%. The pyraclostrobin nano-SC D90 size prepared based on this best formula was 216 nm. Adding glycerin could improve the stability of nano-SC at room temperature, but its thermal storage stability was still poor. For this problem, sodium lignosulfonate and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (NaLS/CTAB) colloidal spheres were prepared through electrostatic and hydrophobic self-assembly and characterized. The delamination and precipitation of nano-SC can be significantly improved by adding an appropriate amount of colloidal spheres, and the nano-SC D90 size decreased from 2726 to 1023 nm after 7 days of thermal storage. Farmland experiments indicated the control efficiency of pyraclostrobin nano-SC against flowering cabbage downy mildew disease was about 30% higher than that of SC. Especially after adding the wetting agent, the effect of nano-SC could be comparable to that of commercial Kairun (currently the best pyraclostrobin formulation in the world).

In this work, lignin/polyethylene glycol (L-PEG) film-forming agents with different lignin contents were synthesized using industrial alkali lignin (AL) as hydrophobic monomers and PEG as hydrophilic monomers, and then used to prepare 5 wt% of chlorantraniliprole flowable concentrate for seed coating (CFS). Next, the effects of CFS on the coating performance, germination and growth of mung bean, maize, white pea, soybean, green pea and wheat seeds were further investigated. Results showed L-PEG films presented a good mechanical property, thermal stability and biodegradability. All CFSs had a satisfactory viscosity as well as excellent dispersion stability and cold storage stability. The coating performance of CFS on different seeds was obviously different. For example, the wheat had a lowest coating shedding percentage (1.92%), highest coating uniformity (96.7%), shortest film-forming time (115 s) and lowest leaching mass loss percentage. The pot experimental results showed CFS owned a wide adaptability, which had no inhibitory effect on the germination of all seeds and could promote the root development of maize, wheat and mung bean seeds. The present research would broaden the efficient utilization of lignin into the pesticide flowable concentrate for seed coating field, which had important economic, social and environmental significance.

To promote the application of lignin in Pickering emulsions, the influences of six lignin particles with different hydrophobicity on the emulsifying and stabilizing performances for oil phases with different polarity to form oil in water Pickering emulsions were investigated. The results showed that the best emulsification performance was achieved when the three-phase (oil-water-lignin particle) contact angle was close to 90 & DEG;. Alkyl-bridged lignin particles with stronger hydrophobicity have a better emulsification effect on cyclohexane with less polarity, while carboxymethylated lignin particles with stronger hydrophilicity have better emulsification effect on n-heptanol with higher polarity. Furthermore, the stability of Pickering emulsions can be improved by appropriately increasing the surface charge and decreasing the particular size of the lignin particles.

Pickering emulsion stabilized by lignin particles has many advantages such as high flexibility, natural non-toxicity, anti-oxidation, and anti-ultraviolet. In order to promote the application of industrial lignin in the field of Pickering emulsions, this study has done comparatively systematic and basic research on Pickering emulsions stabilized by lignin particles. The emulsification effects of lignin particles on cyclohexane and n-decanol which have opposite polarity were compared firstly under different oil-water ratios. It was found that stable emulsions formed when the three-phase contact angle of oil/water/lignin was closer to 90°. The weakly polar cyclohexane could be well-emulsified by lignin particles, while the strong polar n-decanol could not. Cyclohexane was used as the oil phase to discuss the emulsification ability of lignin particles under different concentrations or with different particle sizes. The results show increasing the concentration of lignin particles or reducing the particle size can improve the emulsification performance.

Polyether amine-bridged sulfonated alkali lignin (PSAL) with different sulfonic group contents and molecular weights was firstly synthesized and characterized. Then, 10 wt% of chlorantraniliprole Nano-suspension concentrate (SC) was prepared by the water-based grinding method, and the optimum grinding parameters were explored and obtained. Based on this optimum grinding formula, chlorantraniliprole Nano-SC was prepared and three optimum dispersants were finally obtained as follows: the compounds of polycarboxylate D-2 separately with P1SAL0.68, P1SAL0.84 and TERSPERSE 2500 at the mass ratio of 1:1. All Nano-SC prepared by these three dispersants had a D90 particle size below 200 nm, suspension percentage above 99%, water separation proportion below 1%, excellent thermal storage stability, and also better wettability on banana leaf surface. Additionally, adding glycerin could effectively inhibit the agglomeration and austenogenization of pesticide nanoparticles, and thus improve the stability of Nano-SC. Finally, the farmland experiments indicated chlorantraniliprole Nano-SC prepared in this work had a significantly improved pesticide effect on first-instar rice leaf rollers than traditional micron-sized SC. This work provided a new dispersant with excellent performance for chlorantraniliprole Nano-SC as well as broadened the high value-added utilization of industrial lignin into pesticide Nano-SC field, which had great economic and environmental benefits.

Inside front cover image: Aqueous Zn-ion batteries (AZIBs) have exhibited great potential in large-scale energy storage systems. However, delivery of stable electrode-electrolyte interface (EEI) become the main challenge for the development of AZIBs. On the cathode side, dissolution of active materials, formation of byproducts, and unsatisfactory interfacial compatibility frequently occur. Meanwhile, the Zn metal anodes usually suffer from inevitable Zn dendrites and parasitic reactions. In article number 10.1002/cnl2.54, key scientific issues occurred at EEI have been comprehensively summarized. Additionally, corresponding interfacial optimization strategies including surface modification and electrolyte optimization are proposed, aiming at providing guideline for the design of high-performance AZIBs.

To remove Cr(VI) in water, a novel lignin-based anionic adsorption resin epichlorohydrin cross-linking lignin grafted by diethylenetriamine (E-DAL) was prepared by the direct cross-linking and curing of alkali lignin grafted by diethylenetriamine in aqueous solutions. Under the determined optimum synthesis conditions, E-DAL with higher nitrogen (7.46%) and lignin (32.78%) contents was obtained. Structural and physicochemical measurement results showed E-DAL was a macroporous resin, having a regular connected pore structure with porosity of 67.48% and pore size of 615.6 nm, also strong hydrophilicity, excellent acid-alkaline resistance and thermal stability. Adsorption experiment results indicated the adsorption isotherm of E-DAL to Cr(VI) was well-described by Langmuir model. E-DAL showed a higher adsorption capacity to Cr(VI), and the fitted maximum adsorption capacity reached up to 775.2 mg/g. Pseudo-second-order model could fit this adsorption process well, suggesting its chemisorption characteristics. The calculated thermodynamic parameters indicated a spontaneous and endothermic adsorption of E-DAL to Cr(VI). Dynamic column adsorption results showed E-DAL could completely remove Cr(VI) in wastewater. This whole preparation process only used a very small amount of cheaper amination agent and was relatively low-cost. This work provided efficient technical supports for the structural design of high-performance lignin-based anionic adsorption materials in water treatment field.

The solar-driven interfacial evaporation has attracted great attention for the purpose of alleviating freshwater shortage. Lignosulfonate (LS), a main byproduct of sulfite pulping processes, is an abundant natural resource but has not been reasonably utilized. To mitigate the above problems, biochar-based interfacial evaporators derived from LS for solar steam generation were studied in this paper. First, LS was used as a raw material for fabricating carbon materials by carbonization to construct LS-derived carbon (CLS). Meanwhile, LS-derived porous carbon (PCLS) in the presence of CaCO3 as the activator was also prepared. Next, the two biochar powders, as solar absorbers, were crosslinked with polyvinyl alcohol to prepare the interfacial evaporation materials (PVA@PCLS and PVA@CLS). The open porous structure facilitated the capillary effect and water transport to the evaporator surface. It was also found that the light absorption of the materials could reach more than 97% in the 250-2500 nm range. Moreover, the water evaporation rate and the solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency of PVA@PCLS and PVA@CLS were 2.33, 1.82 kg m-2 h-1, and 83.7%, 69.3% respectively under 1 sun (1 kW m-2) irradiation. The solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency of PVA@PCLS was much increased after the carbonization of LS. In addition, the material cost of PVA@PCLS is only $38.3/kg due to the low price of LS. Therefore, this work provides an economic and efficient strategy for solar-driven desalination and a possible way for the high-value utilization of lignin. Lignosulfonate was used as a raw material by carbonization to construct lignosulfonate-derived biochar powder. Porous biochar powder as solar absorber was cross-linked with polyvinyl alcohol to prepare a solar interfacial evaporator with efficient desalination performance. This work provides an economic and efficient strategy for solar-driven desalination and a possible way for high-value utilization of lignin.image Biochar was produced through the carbonization of lignosulfonate.PCLS has smaller particle size and larger multistage pore.Green, efficient interfacial evaporation materials derived from biochar were prepared by simple processes.Among the three interfacial evaporation materials, PVA@PCLS has the largest water evaporation rate and solar-to-vapor conversion efficiency.The material cost of PVA@PCLS is rather low.

The molecular simulation software was firstly applied to analyze the adsorption of sulfomethylated lignin (SAL) on dye surfaces. Then, SALs with different sulfonic group contents were prepared and characterized by FTIR, NMR, EA and GPC measurements using alkali lignin (AL) as raw materials and sodium sulfite as sulfonating agents. Next, SAL1.53 was determined to the optimum dispersant by TSI, particle size and thermal storage stability measurements, which had the smallest particle size of 173 nm and highest stability, comparable to the commercial Reax 85A lignin dispersant and basically satisfying the requirement of nano disperse dyes used in the digital printing technology. QCM, AFM and zeta potential results indicated that as the sulfonic group content of SAL increased, the adsorption mass, rigidity of the adsorbed layer, adsorption force and absolute zeta potential value all showed a gradually increasing tendency due to an enhanced hydrophilicity, and thus a decreased intermolecular agglomeration and an increased molecular chain stretching degree. A maximum was observed for SAL1.53. This research not only provided a novel approach to the preparation of high-performance lignin dispersants for nano disperse dyes, but also would broaden the high value-added industrial applications of biomass lignin into the digital printing and dyeing field.

In this work, sulfomethylated lignin (SAL) was firstly synthesized using alkali lignin (AL) as raw materials, and then grafted with pyrrolidone as adsorption groups to prepare sulfomethylated lignin grafted by pyrrolidone (SALN). Results showed that SALN had a lower sulfonic group content than SAL but additionally contained 0.79 mmol/g of pyrrolidone groups. SAL and SALN were separately used as dispersants to prepare 20 wt% of cobalt blue nano pigment paste, and the minimum particle size of 82 nm and 52 nm was achieved when the dispersant dosage was 10 wt% and the grinding time was 4 h. After 7 days of thermal storage at 60 degrees C, the particle size of nano pigment paste prepared by SALN nearly remained unchanged, but that prepared by SAL increased from 82 nm to 285 nm, and there was obvious precipitation. Therefore, the thermal storage stability of cobalt blue nano pigment paste prepared by SALN was much better than that of SAL. Adsorption isotherm and infrared spectra experimental results indicated a firm multi-point anchoring complexing adsorption was formed between the pyrrolidone group of SALN and Co-O on cobalt blue surface, which made SALN not easy to desorb during collisions caused by Brownian motions. SAL was adsorbed through -C(=O)O-, and thus easy to desorb. Therefore, the stability of the nano pigment paste prepared by SALN was superior to that of SAL.

The complex chemical structure and broad molecular weight distribution of lignin lead to heterogeneity and unsatisfactory performance, essentially restricting its high-value utilization. A novel lignin fractionation process is proposed here to solve this problem and overcome the shortcomings of common fractionation methods. Using enzymatic hydrolysis lignin (EHL) as raw material, five lignin fractions were obtained by cooling precipitation in the ethanol/water mixed solvent. Their chemical structure and physicochemical properties were compared. All lignin fractions presented reduced heterogeneity compared to the EHL and a gradual decrease of molecular weights accompanied by increasing hydrophilic group content. In addition, temperature-induced self-assembly for forming lignin colloidal spheres co-occurred during cooling precipitation. Interestingly, a fraction with light color and high UV-blocking activity was obtained. By combining this color-light sample with pure hand cream, a lignin-based sunscreen was prepared, which had a 40 % higher sun protection factor (SPF) than EHL sunscreen.

In this study, a porous polyamine lignin microsphere (PPALM) was prepared through the inverse suspension polymerization combined with freeze-drying, during which sodium lignosulfonate and polyetheramine (PEA) were crosslinked with epichlorohydrin (ECH) as the cross-linker. By adjusting the amount of ECH and PEA, the optimized PPALM exhibited suitable crosslinking degree, ensuring a balance of framework flexibility and ri-gidity, thereby facilitating the formation of abundant and fine pores. PPALM demonstrated good mechanical properties comparable to commercial sulfonated polystyrene cationic resin, with a porosity of 61.12 % and an average pore size of 283.51 nm. The saturation adsorption capacity of PPALM for Pb2+ was measured to be 156.82 mg/g, and it remained above 120 mg/g after five cycles of regeneration. Particularly, the concentration of 50 mg/L Pb2+ solution could be reduced to 0.98 mg/L after flowing through the PPALM packed bed, indicating the great potential of PPALM for application in wastewater treatment.