The efficient activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) has become a central focus in relevant research, highlighting the urgent need for constructing novel catalysts. To address this challenge, we engineered a nanoconfined catalyst by encapsulating CoMnOx nanoparticles within carbon nanotubes (denoted as CMCNT-14). This catalyst possesses a high specific surface area, abundant actives, and reduced ion leaching. Fundamentally, the nanoconfinement architecture modulates the electronic structure, inducing electron delocalization at Co and Mn sites which optimizes charge transport efficiency and reduces the activation energy barrier. Consequently, the CMCNT-14/PMS system achieves superior tetracycline (TC) with degradation efficiency (92.9%, k = 11.4 × 10-2 min-1), which significantly outperform the unconfined counterpart. Mechanistic study revealed that the oxidation process is governed by a non-radical pathway, mainly involving singlet oxygen (1O2) and electron transfer. Moreover, nanoconfinement drastically suppresses the leaching of metal ion and eliminates the biotoxicity of the treated water, endowing the catalyst with excellent stability and environmental compatibility. This work elucidates the electronic-level benefits of nanoconfinement and provides a feasible strategy for designing advanced catalysts for sustainable water purification.

Ni–P–MoS2 composite coatings often suffer from reduced corrosion resistance despite their excellent lubricating properties. To address this limitation, this study developed a novel Ni–P–MoS2–PTFE composite coating via electrodeposition, incorporating hydrophilic-modified MoS2 nanosheets and oxidized PTFE particles to enhance co-deposition and dispersion. Electrochemical tests, salt spray exposure, and mechanical characterization demonstrated significantly improved properties. The optimized coating with 3 g L–1 PTFE exhibited superior corrosion resistance, showing a maximum electrochemical impedance of 118 300 Ω cm2 after 20 days of salt spray testing. It also displayed excellent mechanical performance with a Vickers hardness of 774.4 HV and a low friction coefficient of 0.1128. The synergistic effect of PTFE and MoS2 effectively densified the coating structure, providing enhanced barrier protection and lubrication. This work offers a practical strategy for designing high-performance anti-corrosion and wear-resistant coatings suitable for demanding industrial environments.

The role of surface functional groups in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs)-based demulsification remains poorly understood. Herein, four isostructural UiO-66 derivatives (–H, –NH2, –NO2, –F) were systematically evaluated as discrete demulsifiers for SDS‑stabilized oil‑in‑water emulsions. The study combined batch demulsification tests with measurements of SDS and toluene adsorption, dynamic interfacial tension, surface wettability, and zeta potential. The hydrophobic fluorinated sample (UiO-66-4F) achieved approximately 80% demulsification efficiency, attributed to strong hydrophobic interactions. The hydrophilic yet positively charged amino‑functionalized sample (UiO-66-NH2) also achieved about 80% efficiency, but via electrostatic attraction to the negatively charged oil‑water interface. Unmodified UiO-66 and the nitro derivative (UiO-66-NO2) exhibited lower efficiencies (<65%). Further tests showed that UiO-66-NH2 was effective only for anionic surfactants, whereas UiO-66-4F was less affected by surfactant charge. Both MOFs showed higher efficiency for aromatic oils than for aliphatic oils. These results identify two distinct design paradigms – hydrophobic capture and electrostatic neutralization – for MOF‑based particle demulsifiers. Tailoring surface hydrophobicity or charge provides effective demulsification depending on the target emulsion chemistry. This work advances the understanding of structure–property relationships in MOF demulsifiers and offers practical guidelines for developing separation materials.

Achieving low-temperature self-healing without compromising mechanical robustness remains challenging for elastomers used in large-strain sensors. Here we engineer a polyurethane elastomer in which dynamic hard domains arise from hybrid double hydrogen bonding and pi-pi interactions between phenylurea and 2-ureido-4 [1H]-pyrimidinone (UPy) motifs. The stronger hydrogen bonding between urea-UPy reinforce the hard domains and establishes a reversible cross-linking network that dissipates energy yet rapidly reorganizes after damage. Consequently, PU-10 exhibits a tensile strength of 25.64 MPa and toughness of 85.97 MJ m-3, together with a high healing efficiency up to 97.71 % at 40 degrees C. Leveraging this matrix, strain sensors are fabricated by spraying MWCNTs onto the PU surface and incorporating [EMIM]+[TFSI]-, delivering a 0-1000 % measurement range and 3.96 MPa tensile strength with stable signals under repeated loading. The sensing performance is also healable after damage. These findings indicate that hierarchical H-bond hard domains can be effectively leveraged to improve device-level durability and self-healing under mild conditions.

The exploitation of heavy oil resources faces significant challenges, including high viscosity, the existence of recalcitrant sulfur-containing compounds, and the generation of toxic wastewater. To tackle these issues, this study aims to develop and utilize multi-functional agents capable of addressing these multi-phase challenges simultaneously. To achieve this, HPW-anchored mesoporous silica Janus nanosheets (OH-SiO2-NH2@HPW JNSs) were synthesized through sol-gel and electrostatic adsorption methods. The Janus structure and interfacial activity of the as-prepared nanosheets were evaluated using comprehensive characterization and molecular dynamics simulations. Owing to this unique structure, the nanosheets form stable emulsions with an average droplet size of less than 50 mu m even at low concentrations. Experimental results reveal that the OH-SiO2NH2@HPW JNSs serve multiple highly efficient functions: as a Pickering interfacial catalyst, it achieves a highly efficient oxidative desulfurization rate of 99.21%; it effectively removes Congo red from water via catalytic Fenton-like reactions (retaining 98.94% efficiency after five cycles); and when formulated as 0.05 wt% nanofluids, they reduce the interfacial tension between heavy oil and water by 28.52%, enhancing the oil recovery rate by 13.41%. This work presents a unified strategy for designing multifunctional interfacial materials that effectively bridge the gap between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, providing a sustainable, industrial-scale solution for concurrent energy resource utilization and environmental remediation.

This study presents a novel responsive carbon dot-based surfactant system that exhibits catalytic activity at the interface of an oil-in-water Pickering emulsion microreactor containing reactants. Nickel nitrate was employed to dope carbon dots via a microwave-assisted method, imparting catalytic functionality to the resulting nano-materials. Subsequently, poly[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA) was grafted onto the surface of the nickel-doped carbon dots through electron transfer radical polymerization, yielding the catalytically responsive solid emulsifier Ni@CD-NH-Met-PDMAEMA (Ni@CD-3). Owing to the metal doping of carbon dots and subsequent emulsification functionalization, Ni@CD-3 demonstrates exceptional ability to stabilize reactive droplets in Pickering emulsion while exhibiting intrinsic catalytic activity at the oil-water interface. Notably, Ni@CD-3 exhibits high catalytic activity, with an extremely short reduction reaction time required to achieve a conversion efficiency exceeding 99%, attributed to the advantageous interfacial properties of the emulsion. Its catalytic efficiency is 560% higher than that of Fe@CD-3 under comparable conditions. Furthermore, the cyclic response property of Ni@CD-3 enables in situ separation and emulsion-breaking recovery by adjusting the pH at the end of the reaction. This property facilitates the recovery and reuse of the catalyst for up to five cycles, with the catalytic efficiency maintained above 99% for the first three cycles. These results suggest that the Ni@CD-3-based emulsion microreactor system holds great promise as a high-performance catalyst for diverse organic chemical reactions.

The treatment of complex industrial wastewater containing both emulsified oils and dissolved pollutants presents a significant challenge, demanding versatile materials with diverse interfacial properties. In this study, a dual-functional interfacial separation material, UCH-AP5.5P1, was prepared by grafting polymer chains rich in N/O sites onto UiO-66-derived carbon via an APTES-PEI co-modification strategy. UCH-AP5.5P1 exhibited excellent performance in two distinct separation processes: achieving a demulsification efficiency of 96.4% for SDSstabilized emulsions and high adsorption capacities for Congo Red (CR, 1464 mg/g) and Cr(VI) (461.3 mg/g). Mechanistic investigations suggest that the abundant N/O sites, acting as hydrogen bond donors and acceptors, play a pivotal role in both demulsification and adsorption. Specifically, strong hydrogen bonding with surfactant headgroups is proposed to synergize with hydrophobic interactions between polymer chains and surfactant tails to destabilize the oil-water interface. For CR adsorption, multiple hydrogen bonding interactions and it-it stacking enable rapid and high-capacity uptake. Notably, while the removal of the tested anionic species is primarily attributed to non-covalent interactions, the removal of Cr(VI) at pH 2 is significantly influenced by electrostatic attraction from protonated amino groups, which facilitates subsequent in-situ reduction. This study demonstrates the potential of the design principle based on enhancing non-covalent interactions to establish a versatile platform for multi-target wastewater purification. The findings offer mechanistic insights and experimental support for the rational design of multifunctional materials tailored for the treatment of complex, multiphase contaminants in industrial water matrices.

Deep oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of fuels in biphasic systems is fundamentally limited by sluggish liquid-liquid interfacial mass transfer and poor intrinsic affinity between catalysts and hydrophobic sulfur substrates. To overcome these bottlenecks, we rationally designed phosphotungstic acid (HPW)-anchored SiO2 Janus nanosheets (JNSs) grafted with flexible n-hexyl (C6-JNS@HPW) or rigid phenyl (pH-JNS@HPW) groups to construct a high-efficiency Pickering interfacial catalytic (PIC) system. Systematic evaluation revealed a dynamic competitive mechanism between physical interfacial expansion and molecular electronic interactions. At a low catalyst dosage, flexible C6 chains endow superior dispersibility and a larger reactive interfacial area, achieving a 6.85% higher desulfurization rate than the Ph-modified counterpart. In contrast, pH-modified JNSs exhibit superior reaction kinetics under interface-saturated conditions. DFT calculations confirm that electron-rich Ph groups induce targeted π-π stacking interactions with DBT, optimize the local electronic microenvironment, and synergistically accelerate the deep oxidation of DBT dominated by superoxide radicals. This work shifts the paradigm of multiphase catalyst design from bulk empirical synthesis to precise microenvironmental engineering, providing critical insights into the interplay between interfacial and electronic effects.

This study presents the synthesis and characterization of a magnetic core-shell mesoporous silica adsorbent with engineered dendritic surface topography for efficient removal of organic dyes from aqueous solutions. The adsorbent, functionalized with benzene rings to enhance affinity towards organic contaminants, was fabricated via a growth-induced corrosion method. Comprehensive characterization confirmed its hierarchical structure, high specific surface area (799.97 m(2) g(-1)), and superparamagnetic properties enabling facile magnetic separation. Adsorption evaluation using Rhodamine B as a model pollutant demonstrated a high adsorption capacity of 124.52 mg g(-1), conforming to the Langmuir isotherm model, and rapid equilibrium attainment within 15 min, following pseudo-first-order kinetics. Comparative analysis with a smooth-surface counterpart revealed that the dendritic morphology significantly enhances adsorption kinetics while maintaining high capacity. The adsorbent also exhibited excellent stability, reusability over multiple cycles, and effective removal of various organic dyes. These results highlight the decisive role of mesoscopic surface topography in regulating adsorption kinetics and mass-transfer behavior, providing guidance for the rational design of fast-response, magnetically recoverable adsorbents for wastewater treatment.

This study introduces a novel pH-responsive Janus emulsifier based on snowman-shaped NH2-PS@SiO2 Janus nanoparticles, demonstrating exceptional interfacial activity and intelligent demulsification control. The synthesized particles achieved a significant reduction in oil-water interfacial tension by 15.08 mN/m at a 1 wt% concentration, while forming stable Pickering emulsions with average droplet sizes of 72.04 mu m. The system exhibited rapid and reversible pH-responsive behavior: immediate demulsification occurred under acidic conditions (pH < 7) through amino group protonation, whereas alkaline conditions (pH > 7) maintained stability via deprotonation. Zeta potential measurements confirmed charge-switching capability across a pH range of 2-12, enabling four cycles of controlled emulsification-demulsification. The unique amphiphilic Janus architecture facilitated vertical anchoring at oil-water interfaces, substantially enhancing emulsion stability compared to homogeneous counterparts. This work establishes a versatile platform for smart emulsion systems requiring on-demand destabilization.

Hydrogen transportation pipelines require steels with enhanced hydrogen barrier properties. This study aims to develop a composite coating with integrated functions of corrosion resistance and hydrogen barrier. Firstly, a dense black oxide layer was chemically formed on X65 pipeline steel at room temperature by a modified blackening process. Then, the traditional epoxy resin was applied onto the surface of black oxide layer, obtaining a novel black oxide/epoxy resin composite coating. For the blackening process, the effects of surface pretreatment methods (untreated, polished, sandblasted) and blackening solution pH (1.5, 2.5, 3.5) on the microstructure, corrosion resistance and hydrogen barrier performance were investigated, as well as the adhesion strength of composite coating. Results show that corrosion resistance and hydrogen barrier performance of coatings depended on both blackening solution pH and pretreatment method, with polished substrates and pH 2.5 yielding optimal results. Additionally, the black oxide layer served as an effective adhesion-promoting interlayer, enhancing the bonding and durability of the composite coating. This novel black oxide/epoxy composite coating system offers valuable insights for designing hydrogen barrier coatings for pipeline steels.

Preparation of hydrogen barrier coatings on pipeline surfaces is a key strategy to achieve safe hydrogen transport. However, existing research predominantly focuses on the physical shielding effect provided by the coatings. In this study, we utilised electrodeposition and hydrothermal methods to prepare an in situ-grown Ni@MOFs pre-treated coating to enhance the hydrogen barrier resistance of conventional epoxy resin. The Ni@MOFs coating demonstrates superior hydrogen barrier resistance with a hydrogen diffusion coefficient of 3.92 × 10−7 cm2/s, which is attributed to the physical shielding effect of Ni coating as well as the active hydrogen trapping function of MOFs (utilising van der Waals adsorption of hydrogen molecules and bonding of metal ions or organic ligands to hydrogen atoms). This work provided significant inspiration for developing composite coatings for hydrogen transportation pipeline protection and hydrogen energy utilization.

To overcome the dual challenges of hydrogen permeation and corrosion in metal substrates, a novel composite coating (BO@MOFs/EP) was developed. This structure utilizes black oxide (CuO) as a solid precursor, on which a highly ordered and dense MOFs layer (HKUST-1) is grown in situ, followed by encapsulation with an epoxy resin. The coating exhibits excellent hydrogen barrier properties, with a low diffusion coefficient of 1.51 x 10-7 cm2/s, due to the synergistic effect of physical shielding and active hydrogen trapping via Kubas interaction and chemisorption. Electrochemical impedance tests confirmed long-term corrosion resistance, with |Z|0.01Hz remaining at 9.4 pound 107 Omega cm2 after 30 days in NaCl solution. The bond strength between the coatings reached 14.3 MPa, which was attributed to the anchoring effect and interfacial bonding of the MOFs layer. The proposed composite coating strategy offers promising potential for enhancing the safety and durability of hydrogen transport infrastructure.

Enhancing the recovery efficiency of heavy oil reservoirs remains one of the foremost challenges confronting the petroleum industry. Nanoparticles have garnered considerable attention as potential oil displacement agents, drawing numerous researchers to the field. In this study, temperature-responsive SiO2 Janus nanoparticles (JNs) were successfully prepared through the Pickering emulsion template method and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) reactions. Experiments on the interfacial tension (IFT) of oil-water systems indicate that JNs exhibit good dynamic interfacial activity. Furthermore, the JNs exhibit remarkable emulsification capabilities for heavy oil, facilitating the formation of stable emulsions. Notably, the modified nanoparticles exhibit a degree of salt resistance, even up to a mineralization of 1.55 x 104 mg/L. Additionally, their temperature-responsive properties enable their utilization for high-temperature emulsification and low-temperature demulsification, making them well-suited for oilfield field operations. To visualize and simulate the underground oil displacement process, a microscopic displacement visualization experimental apparatus was employed. Notably, the addition of just 0.03 wt% of Janus nanoparticles resulted in a significant enhancement of the recovery rate by 16.49%. The research findings suggest that the JNs developed in this study exhibit promising application prospects and commercial value in terms of enhancing oil recovery efficiency.

Self-healing materials show exceptional application potential for their high stability and longevity. However, a great challenge of the application of self-healing materials is the tradeoff between mechanical robustness and room temperature self-healing. In order to address this tradeoff, inspired by the characteristic that small molecules of living organisms self-assemble into large protein molecules by non-covalent interactions, we constructed polyurethane with highly dynamic and strong hard domains composed of dense hydrogen bonds and pi-pi interactions between the phenylurea groups at the end of the side chain. The prepared elastomer (PU-HU2-60) exhibits exceptional tensile performance (tensile strength is 18.27 MPa and ultimate elongation is 904.6%) and crack tolerance (fracture energy is 57.78 kJ m-2), surpassing those of most room temperature self-healing materials. After being damaged, the dynamic change process of hydrogen bonds and pi-pi interactions enables the elastomer to show a high self-healing efficiency of 92.15% at room temperature. Using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and experiments, we verified that hydrogen bonds and pi-pi interactions promote the formation of hard domains and the autonomous self-healing of elastomers. The prepared elastomers can also be recycled and they showed ultra-high and restorable adhesion between metals. This work demonstrates a new strategy to balance the mechanical and self-healing properties of elastomers to expand their practical applications such as metal adhesives.

Titanium dioxide, with excellent stability, high catalytic activity and abundant reserves, is an ideal substitute for noble metals in hydrogen reaction reactions (HER). However, the strong *H adsorption makes it only a substrate. Tuning metal-oxygen covalency can effectively optimize the adsorption energy. Herein, Ru-modified TiO2 with different phases (rutile, anatase and their mixed-phase) is synthesized, where metal-oxygen covalency and phase transition synergistically boost HER. The target m-Ru@TiO2-x exhibits high HER activity under large current density in wide pH, requiring low overpotential of 87/284 mV (acidic), and 47/366 mV (alkaline) to deliver 10 and 1000 mA center dot cm(-2) respectively, superior to benchmark Pt/C. Theoretical calculation shows that Ru incorporation and mixed rutile-anatase endow m-Ru@TiO2-x with a more negative O p band and decreased overlap between Ti d and Op states, ultimately expediting the desorption of hydrogen during HER. This work enlightens an efficient pathway for tuning the metal-oxygen covalency in HER catalysts.

This study reports the development of two pH-responsive Pickering emulsifiers utilizing carbon dots (CDs) as the core component. Both emulsifiers were fabricated via a post-synthetic method, involving the grafting of poly [2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA) onto the surface of CDs to create CD-based emulsifier. Notably, despite employing an identical synthetic route, the two CD-based emulsifiers exhibit markedly distinct pH-responsive behaviors. The findings demonstrate that both CD-based emulsifiers effectively stabilize Pickering emulsions, and their emulsification and demulsification behaviors can be precisely controlled by adjusting the pH, displaying excellent reproducibility in their pH-responsive performance. To elucidate the underlying reason for this differing pH-responsiveness, the concept of hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) was introduced. The analysis of the HLB values of the two CD-based emulsifiers revealed that their hydrophilic-lipophilic properties exhibit opposite trends under differing pH conditions, contributing to their contrasting pH-responsive behaviors. This study not only lays a fundamental basis foundation and offers guidance for further research and applications of CD-based smart-responsive emulsifiers but also presents novel insights into design and development of more intelligent and functional emulsifying agents. Moreover, owing to the enhanced fluorescence characteristics of CDs, these pH-responsive emulsifiers hold significant potential for interdisciplinary applications, such as oil and gas exploration and fluorescent labelling.

Carbon dots (CDs), a class of fluorescent nanomaterials distinguished by their unique properties such as tunable surface chemistry and nanoscale dimensions, have garnered significant attention. In this study, we synthesize CDs-based emulsifiers through a combination of hydrothermal synthesis and hydrophobic modification utilizing dynamic covalent imine bonds, imparting them with amphiphilicity and pH-responsiveness. These carbon dot-based emulsifiers stabilize the oil-water interface to form Pickering emulsions and enable the reversible regulation of amphiphilicity through pH-induced cleavage and reformation of imine bonds, thereby facilitating transitions between emulsification and demulsification. Furthermore, the amphiphilic CDs effectively reduce oil-water interfacial tension and exhibit potential application in mobilizing heavy oil in ultra-low permeability reservoirs. Consequently, we observed a 28.78 % decrease in injection pressure and an 18.65 % increase in recovery rates. Experimental and theoretical results reveal that the CDs adsorb onto both solid and oil phase surfaces, modulating the interfacial properties and enabling the oil film attached to the rock wall to be more easily stripped off during water flushing. Additionally, the small size of the CDs allowed them to enter finer pore throats and effectively displace the residual oil film. This unique characteristic holds significant promise for future advancements in the fields of smart-response Pickering emulsions and enhanced oil recovery in ultra-low permeability reservoirs.

Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) exhibits robust self-healing properties and chemical stability, along with superior hydrogen resistance and corrosion resistance. Additionally, it can serve as a hard particulate component in various coatings. In this study, an amorphous Ni–P coating doped with Al2O3 nanoparticles was applied to a Q235 steel substrate using electrodeposition technique. The investigation focused on the influence of nano-Al2O3 dosage on the properties of the Ni–P composite plating. The findings indicate that the inclusion of Al2O3 nanoparticles significantly enhances the corrosion resistance, hydrogen resistance and wear resistance of the Ni–P coating. Specifically, for the Ni–P coating with the Al2O3 addition of 3 g/L (Ni–P–Al2O3-3 coating), the impedance value increased by 64.4