In this work, an Al2O3 ceramic slurry was prepared with tert-butanol (TBA) as the solvent and Ni powder as the magnetic primer, followed by freeze casting at a constant cooling temperature. A static magnetic field was applied on both sides of the mold to successfully prepare the bio-inspired Al2O3 porous ceramics with a bidirectional ladder-structure. The circular pores exhibited a ladder-structure along both the freezing and magnetic field directions. Moreover, along the magnetic field direction, a clear phase separation between Ni-rich and Nipoor regions was observed. In the process of directional freezing, with an increase in freezing distance, the size of the ice crystals increased, the pore diameter of the porous ceramics increased, and the pore wall thickness decreased. In addition, Ni particles in the slurry were attracted to both sides of the ceramic scaffolds by the magnetic field, and Ni and ice crystals were distributed in the ladder-structure along the magnetic field direction. The pore structure in the side region of the scaffold (i.e., Ni-rich region) was oriented parallel to the magnetic field direction. The pore structure at the center of the scaffold (i.e., Ni-poor region) was oriented along the freezing direction. Increasing the Ni content (0-9 wt%) in the slurry thereby increased its viscosity and accelerated the ice-front solidification rate(31 -> 67 mu m/s), which consequently reduced the structural wavelength, pore size (37 f 3.5 -> 13 f 1.5 mu m), and wall thickness (71 f 8 -> 18 f 2 mu m) while increasing the linear shrinkage rate (14 f 1 -> 33 f 1 %) of the Al2O3 porous ceramics, thereby decreasing porosity (88 f 1 -> 83 f 1 %) and improving compressive properties (7.2 f 0.5 MPa).

Hydrogel-based flexible sensors have attracted significant attention in the fields of motion sensing. However, the construction of hydrogel substrate with long-term stability for humid and sweating conditions sensing still remains challenging. Herein, tannic acid-modified copper sulfide nanoparticles (TA-CuS NPs)-based multifunctional hydrogel with excellent adhesion, mechanical strength, swelling ability and antibacterial properties was developed as wearable sensor for sensitive and durable motion monitoring in moist environments. The hydrogel, containing abundant phenolic hydroxyl groups, allows dynamic cross-linking with sodium alginate (SA) and polyacrylamide (PAM), improving tensile strain to 1590 % and adhesion strength to 32 kPa. Meanwhile, its electrical conductivity increased from 0.02403 S.m(-1) to 0.11432 S.m(-1), attributed to the formation of conductive pathways and interfacial interactions between TA-CuS NPs and polymer chains. Additionally, the incorporation of ions and hydrophilic functional groups within the hydrogel imparts superior swelling behavior and ionic conductivity, which facilitates sweat adsorption and stable signal transmission. Further, the peroxidase-like (POD)-like activity of TA-CuS NPs-based hydrogel promotes the generation of hydroxyl radicals (center dot OH), effectively inhibiting the growth of both Staphylococcus aureus (88.0 %) and Escherichia coli (93.8 %) within 24 h. As a result, this multifunctional flexible hydrogel-based sensor, endowed with sweat management and antibacterial capability can achieve the real-time and reliable human motion monitoring in wet scenarios with the working range of 0-500 %, and can further combine with designed integrated circuit and Bluetooth for wireless signals output. This designed wireless system allows for the recognition of various motions and provides early warnings of harmful motions, demonstrating the potential for practical application in the field of wearable sensing.

Herein, an electrochemically activated zinc-cobalt-layered double hydroxide/nickel-cobalt-sulfide (EA ZnCo-LDH/NCS) hierarchical composite electrode was fabricated in situ via coupled hydrothermal synthesis and electrodeposition. The influence of electrolyte concentration on the activation efficiency was systematically analyzed, and the corresponding effects of electrochemical activation on each component were elucidated. Benefiting from the introduction of the Zn component and subsequent electrochemical activation, the composite electrode exhibits a marked performance enhancement. The EA ZnCo-LDH/NCS electrode achieves a high areal specific capacitance (Cs) of 11.39 F cm-2 at 4 mA cm-2, maintains 70.15% of this value when the current density is increased ten-fold, and retains 80.05% of its initial capacity after 5000 cycles.

The NiCo2O4/nickel cobalt sulfide (NiCoS) electrode was constructed on a nickel foam (NF) substrate using a combination of hydrothermal synthesis and constant potential electrodeposition. The NiCo2O4 prepared via an in situ hydrothermal method followed by calcination served as an intermediate layer, providing structural support and abundant active sites for the subsequent electrodeposition of the NiCoS top layer. The NiCoS loading amount was optimized by adjusting the deposition time. The optimized NiCo2O4/NiCoS electrode delivered an areal specific capacitance (Cs) of 6.94 F cm-2 at a discharge current density of 2 mA cm-2 with a coulombic efficiency of 98.85%. It retained 64.52% of its initial capacitance as the current density increased from 2 to 80 mA cm-2 and exhibited an equivalent series resistance (RESR) of 1.06 Ω cm-2. Furthermore, the NiCo2O4/NiCoS electrode retained 88.24% of its initial capacitance after 700 charge/discharge cycles, eventually stabilizing at 81.25% within 4000 cycles.

Traditional freeze-cast SiO2 porous ceramics have monotonous pore structures and insufficient compressive strength, limiting engineering applications. This study proposes a rotating magnetic field-assisted freeze-casting strategy, using SiO2 as matrix and Fe3O4 as magnetic alignment agent, to controllably fabricate bioinspired helical-structured porous ceramics. Effects of magnetic field type, intensity (46, 85, 138 mT) and rotational speed (0.05-0.15 r/min) were investigated. The results show that SiO2 porous ceramics show disordered structure and low compressive strength (10 +/- 2 MPa) without magnetic field. Static/rotating magnetic fields optimize their structure and mechanical properties; compressive strength peaks at 30 +/- 3 MPa at 85 mT and 0.1 r/min, with Young's modulus rising with field strength. The mechanism is dynamic balance between magnetic torque and viscous resistance torque. This study pioneers the structure, supporting porous ceramic design and compressive properties optimization.

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) based on Fenton reaction are highly effective for degrading recalcitrant organic dyes. However, their scalable application is severely hindered by secondary iron sludge pollution, difficult catalyst recovery, and reliance on costly, offline analytical methods. Herein, an intelligent, dual-functional platform that integrates a highly robust double-network polyacrylamide/sodium alginate-Fe2+ (PAAM/SA-Fe2+) hydrogel with a machine learning (ML)-driven monitoring system was fabricated for wastewater treatment. The three-dimensional hydrogel achieves spatial confinement of Fe2+ via a synergistic free radical polymerization and ionic crosslinking strategy, thereby effectively eliminating iron leaching and secondary sludge generation. Upon H2O2 activation, these spatially confined catalytic sites drive efficient heterogeneous Fenton-like AOPs, achieving 100% degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) within 15 min. Crucially, the macroscopic nature of the PAAM/SA-Fe2+ hydrogel not only enables facile separation and exceptional recyclability but also provides a stable foundation for long-term continuous operation. Furthermore, a hybrid convolutional neural network-long short-term memory (CNN-LSTM) model was developed, enabling low-cost, in situ, and real-time prediction of degradation dynamics. This work demonstrates a paradigm shift from passive catalytic materials to an integrated, smart monitoring-and-treatment system, offering a highly sustainable and scalable solution for organic wastewater remediation.

Developing efficient visible-light-responsive photocatalysts via eco-friendly strategies is pivotal for sustainable environmental remediation. Herein, macro-flower-like hierarchical BiOCl1-xIx solid solutions are synthesized via a facile, room-temperature hydrolysis mediated by polyethylene glycol (PEG). This low-energy approach effectively modulates the band structure and morphology, endowing the optimized BiOCl0.9I0.1 with superior photocatalytic activity. BiOCl0.9I0.1 exhibits remarkable removal efficiency for diverse pollutants, including antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, tetracycline) and dyes (rhodamine B), under both visible and simulated sunlight irradiation. Notably, BiOCl0.9I0.1 achieves 94.3% (visible light) and 97.5% (simulated sunlight) removals of ciprofloxacin within 70 min, demonstrating exceptional reaction kinetics. The BiOCl0.9I0.1 also maintains robust stability in the presence of various coexisting ions, although specific anions like HPO42− showed inhibitory effects. Mechanism investigations reveal that the enhanced performance stems from the synergistic effects of extended visible-light absorption, efficient charge separation, and the hierarchical microstructure, with holes (h+) and hydroxyl radicals (·OH) identified as the dominant reactive species. Based on LC-MS analysis, the degradation pathway is proposed. This work presents a scalable and green synthesis route for high-performance solid solution photocatalysts, offering a promising candidate for practical wastewater treatment.

The CuCo2O4/nickel-cobalt-sulfide (NCS) composite electrode was fabricated on nickel foam (NF) substrate using a combination of hydrothermal method and constant-potential electrodeposition. Supported by the underlying CuCo2O4, the NCS layer was then systematically deposited by varying the deposition time to achieve the optimal deposition amount. This hierarchical architecture maximizes the exposure and utilization of electrochemically active sites from both components. The optimized CuCo2O4/NCS electrode delivers an areal specific capacitance (Cs) of 5.18 F cm-2 at a discharge current density of 2 mA cm-2, with a coulombic efficiency of 99.61%. Upon increasing the current density 30-fold to 60 mA cm-2, the electrode retains 67.95% of its original capacitance. The equivalent series resistance (RESR) is 0.96 Omega cm-2. Cycling stability tests show that 90% of the initial Cs is maintained after 2200 cycles, dropping to 80% at 2900 cycles and remaining stable thereafter.

In this study, a triisopropanolamine (TIPA)-modified polycarboxylate cement grinding aid was synthesized via a free radical polymerization reaction, and its effects on cement properties were investigated. The synthesized grinding aid was evaluated through cement grinding experiments, by comparing cement samples with and without the additive. The influences on particle size distribution, specific surface area, residue content, setting behavior, flowability, and mechanical strength were systematically evaluated. The results demonstrated that the modified polycarboxylate cement grinding aid significantly refined size distribution of particles, enlarged the specific surface area to 4900 cm2/g (27.9% increase), decreased 45 μm residue content to 0.8%, accelerated setting, and improved the flowability of the cement paste. Strength tests of cement mortar indicated that the additive improved both early and late compressive strength, with 3d and 28d strengths increasing by 6.5 MPa and 5.7 MPa, respectively, compared to the blank sample, providing strong theoretical support for its potential use in industrial cement production.

Nano-Fe3O4-coated Al2O3 ceramic particles were used to prepare an aqueous ceramic slurry. By applying a transverse static magnetic field (85 mT) during directional freeze casting, an porous Al2O3 scaffold with a nacre-like structure was obtained. At this magnetic field strength, the Al2O3 ceramic layers exhibited uniform alignment and a high mineral bridging ratio. Subsequently, molten Al was infiltrated into the porous ceramic scaffold via vacuum pressure infiltration, producing a nacre-inspired Al/Al2O3 composite. The composite demonstrated isotropic mechanical behavior, with comparable strength and toughness in both longitudinal and transverse directions.

In this study, a Co doped polyhedral carbon skeleton (Co CN) was prepared by nitrogen carbonization using ZIF67 as a precursor. The Co CN features a rough surface with excellent electrical conductivity, and the Co atoms exhibit unique catalytic properties. Based on these characteristics, we used Co CN as a carrier to load Au nanoparticles (NPs) onto its surface through the linkage and reduction effects of polyoxometalates (POMs). The resulting Au/POM/Co CN three-component composite nanoparticles exhibited exceptional performance in dopamine detection, showing a reliable linear response within the concentration ranges of 0.4-58 mu M and 58-298 mu M, with a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 0.198 mu M. Additionally, the sensor showed excellent stability, anti-interference properties, and high recovery in experimental tests. This approach provides a novel concept for bimetallic catalysis and expands possibilities for dopamine detection.

In this work, a complex and eco-friendly biomass raffinose monomer-modified polycarboxylate superplasticizer (RAF-PCE) was designed and synthesized via the free radical polymerization technique to simultaneously improve paste fluidity and delay fluidity loss in concrete applications. The adsorption, fluidity, and early hydration behaviors of cementitious systems after the introduction of RAF-PCE have been systematically investigated. Experimental results demonstrate that the hydroxy group in raffinose promotes the adsorption of RAF-PCE on the cement particles, thereby elevating the dispersion characteristic of cement paste through electrostatic repulsion, enabling excellent initial fluidity (310 mm). Additionally, its steric hindrance effect has also been identified to play a role in improving paste fluidity and reducing the slump loss of cement slurry. Detailed analyses unveil that RAF-PCE can reduce the concentration of free Ca2+ in the pore solution through complexation with Ca2+, which prevents the early precipitation of hydration products and realizes a delayed effect on cement hydration, ultimately evolving into a homogeneous and compact microstructure for superior compressive tensile strength of the cement mortar. The 28-day compressive strength of cement incorporating RAF-PCE reached 79.2 MPa, representing a 5.5% enhancement over conventional PCE systems. Our work provides novel insights into the promotion of innovative and green development in the concrete industry by utilizing renewable biomass resources for high-performance materials.

In this work, poly(L-lactide) (PLLA)/poly(D-lactide) (PDLA)/carbon fiber (CF) composites with different PDLA content were prepared by simple melt blending. The stereocomplex (SC) crystallites were in situ formed. The effects of CFs and SC crystallites on the morphology, crystallization, rheological behaviors, mechanical properties, heat resistance, thermal and electrical conductivity of composites were investigated. The SC crystallites acted as nucleating agents of PLLA to accelerate the crystallization of PLLA, improve the degree of crystallinity, and refine spherical crystals, which led to a more homogeneous and dense dispersion of CFs. For the PLLA/PDLA/CF composite with 10 wt

MiRNA-214 can regulate the expression of their downstream target genes after post-transcriptional and are involved in the biological processes of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). In this work, the small-sized luminescent Nb2C nanosheet-based whispering gallery mode-enhanced electrochemiluminescence (ECL) strategy was successfully constructed to detect miRNA-214 in TNBC. Firstly, we have synthesized small-sized luminescent Nb2C nanosheets from Nb2AlC MXene. The Nb2C nanosheets not only exhibited more stable chemical properties and reduced the defects of the large sheet structures, but also possessed the quantum confinement effect with the discrete energy level. As a result, the prepared small-sized Nb2C nanosheets had unique luminescent and electrochemical properties. Furthermore, in order to improve the ECL performance of Nb2C nanosheets, SiO2 microspheres were self-assembled on the electrode surface by gas-liquid interface method to form whispering gallery mode structure. Because the light was continuously reflected at the interface of the microcavity in the whispering gallery mode, the ECL signal of Nb2C luminescent nanosheets was amplified largely. Finally, the whispering gallery mode-based ECL sensing platform was established. The results showed that the biosensor had a good linear correlation between the ECL intensity and the logarithm of concentration of miRNA-214 in the range of 10 fM to 100 nM with a limit of detection of 2.5 fM. The actual detection of miRNA-214 content in clinical TNBC tissue samples was realized successfully.

The steady-state temperature of electric heating films is highly contingent upon the applied voltage, and the controllability of thermal energy has facilitated their widespread adoption in everyday life. This paper details the enhancement of the electrothermal properties of nano-graphite/multilayer graphene electric heating film by doping with barium titanate, using acrylic resin as the polymer matrix. The resulting modified films exhibit a 32.7% increase in the steady-state temperature (44.3°C without barium titanate addition) of the pristine films. To further augment the electrothermal efficacy, the composite powders are calcined at elevated temperatures. Experimental evidence indicates that the 3% barium titanate composite achieved the maximum steady-state temperature of 93.6°C after 1.5 hours of calcination at 700°C, compared to the original specimen without the addition of calcined barium titanate representing an enhancement of nearly 103%. The sample also demonstrates excellent durability and reliability, with its performance remaining stable after undergoing 50 cycle tests. After continuous operation for 10 days, it can still maintain a uniform temperature distribution, showing outstanding thermal stability and thermal management performance.

Natural-fiber-reinforced poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a simple and effective method to improve properties with retaining the fully biodegradability and eco-friendliness. Herein, we prepared the poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA)/poly(d-lactic acid) (PDLA)/bamboo fiber (BF) bio-composites through melt compounding. The stereocomplex PLA (SC-PLA) was formed during the melt blending. The SC-PLA crystals combined with BFs in the PLLA/PDLA/BF bio-composites had synergistic effects that could enhance crystallization rate, rheological and mechanical properties, and heat resistance. The results showed that the SC-PLA crystals drastically increased the nucleation density and accelerated the crystallization process of the bio-composites. The rheological properties of the bio-composites were obviously enhanced by the incorporation of BFs and PDLA. Mechanical properties of the bio-composites were increased compared to neat PLLA. The bio-composite with 10 wt

The inherent shortcomings of fully biodegradable poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) copolyesters including low strength, modulus, and melt viscoelasticity were addressed by melt blending of PBAT with high-stiffness and biological poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) (P34HB). An epoxy-based chain extender was used to increase interfacial adhesion of partially miscible PBAT/P34HB (70wt/30wt) blends. The addition of chain extender refined phase-separated morphology of blends from SEM and decreased the degree of crystallinity by DSC. Compared with neat PBAT, PBAT/P34HB blends with chain extender showed much higher melt viscosity and elasticity, as indicated by rheological properties analyses. Compared with the PBAT/P34HB blend without chain extender, the breaking strength and elongation at break of PBAT/P34HB blend with incorporation of 1 wt% ADR were increased by 91.8% and 58.7%, respectively. It could be concluded that the combination of blending and chain-extension reaction simultaneously improved the strength, elongation at break, and melt viscoelasticity, which contributed to the suitability of biodegradable polymer blends for a wider range of end-use applications.

Herein, nickel–cobalt sulfide (NCS) nanoflakes covering the surface of Cu(OH)2 nanorods were achieved by a facile two-step electrodeposition strategy. The effect of CH4N2S concentration on formation mechanism and electrochemical behavior is investigated and optimized. Thanks to the synergistic effect of the selected composite components, the Cu(OH)2/NCS composite electrode can deliver a high areal specific capacitance (Cs) of 7.80 F cm−2 at 2 mA cm−2 and sustain 5.74 F cm−2 at 40 mA cm−2. In addition, coulombic efficiency was up to 84.30% and cyclic stability remained 82.93% within 5000 cycles at 40 mA cm−2. This innovative work provides an effective strategy for the design and construction of hierarchical composite electrodes for the development of energy storage devices.

The shuttling effect of polysulfide and its sluggish reaction kinetics are the primary issues with lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. In this work, an improved coimpregnation technique was used to add cobalt atoms to nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (Co-NCNTs) and compound them onto mesoporous silicon (SiO2). Co-NCNTs/SiO2 composites were then used as modification materials for Li-S battery separators, which were capable of physical and chemical adsorption of lithium polysulfide (LiPSs). Between silica and LiPSs, there is chemical as well as physical adsorption in the mesoporous structure of the mesoporous silica. Cobalt has a significant capacity for adsorbing LiPSs, and the cobalt site possesses catalytic activity that can promote the redox kinetics of LiPSs. NCNTs have better electrical conductivity and a dense network structure, which facilitates electrolyte penetration and Li+ transfer. As a result, Li-S batteries built with a modified separator made of Co-NCNTs/SiO2 exhibit good capacity, cycle performance, and multiplier performance, with a 1314 mA h g(-1) initial capacity at 0.2 C. After 200 cycles at 1 C, the capacity is 448 mA h g(-1). This work proved that Co-NCNTs/SiO2 can efficiently adsorb LiPSs and accelerate their transformation, which slows down polysulfides' shuttle effect and speeds up their slow kinetics.

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBH) has gained significant attention because of its biodegradability and sustainability. However, its expanded application in some fields is limited by the brittleness and low melt viscoelasticity. In this work, poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) was introduced into PHBH/poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) blends via melt compounding with the aim of obtaining a good balance of properties. Dynamic mechanical analysis results suggested that PPC and PHBH were immiscible. PVAc was miscible with both a PHBH matrix and PPC phase, while it showed better miscibility with PHBH than with PPC. Therefore, PVAc was selectively localized in a PHBH matrix, reducing interfacial tension and refining dispersed phase morphology. The crystallization rate of PHBH slowed down, and the degree of crystallinity decreased with the introduction of PPC and PVAc. Moreover, the PVAc phase significantly improved the melt viscoelasticity of ternary blends. The most interesting result was that the remarkable enhancement of toughness for PHBH/PPC blends was obtained by adding PVAc without sacrificing the strength markedly. Compared with the PHBH/PPC blend, the elongation at the break and yield strength of the PHBH/PPC/10PVAc blend increased by 1145% and 7.9%, respectively. The combination of high melt viscoelasticity, toughness and strength is important for the promotion of the practical application of biological PHBH.