The growing scarcity of freshwater demands sustainable and efficient purification technologies. Although solar-driven interfacial evaporation offers a low-energy solution, existing photothermal materials frequently suffer from limited light absorption, salt accumulation, and limited functionality. To address these challenges, we designed and fabricated a bifunctional bilayer aerogel evaporator using lignin-derived biochar and cellulose. The fabricated evaporator comprised a bottom hydrophilic cellulose aerogel for efficient water transport and a top carbonized lignin layer, which demonstrated broad-spectrum light absorption (>89%) and effective solar-to-thermal conversion. Furthermore, CuFeO2 photocatalysts were integrated onto the biochar via hydrothermal synthesis, endowing the evaporator with pollutant degradation capability. This performance is attributed to the strong interfacial electron transfer between the multi-metal redox cycle and the carbon carrier. Under 1kWm-2 irradiation, the device achieved a 2.19kgm-2 h-1 evaporation rate and 94.52% solar-to-vapor efficiency, alongside robust salt resistance and a 78.4% tetracycline degradation rate. Outdoor tests confirmed that the evaporator retained a high evaporation rate of 2.06kgm-2 h-1 and degraded 92.1% of pollutants in wastewater under actual, low-intensity sunlight, thereby underscoring its practical potential. This work therefore presents an integrated design that offers a promising strategy for efficient solar water purification and wastewater treatment.

Oil aerosol emissions from industrial processes pose severe environmental and health risks, demanding advanced filtration solutions. Conventional 2D fibrous filters are efficient but suffer from high airflow resistance; in contrast, 3D porous materials offer lower pressure drops but lack structural tunability, limiting their performance optimization. Herein, we propose a structurally adaptive 3D superamphiphobic sponge filter leveraging shape memory polymers (SMPs) to achieve controllable oil aerosol capture. The shape memory superamphiphobic sponge (SMSAS) was fabricated by sequentially coating a polyurethane sponge with an SMP layer and fluorinated SiO2 nanoparticles, enabling programmable structural reconfiguration upon radial and axial compression. By tailoring pore geometry and compression ratios, the SMSAS filters achieved a balance between efficiency and airflow resistance, realizing up to 95% filtration efficiency with an ultralow pressure drop of 0.054 kPa and a quality factor of 57.02 kPa-1. This work pioneers the integration of shape memory functionality into oil aerosol filtration, offering a versatile strategy to design adaptive 3D filters with tunable architectures for energy-efficient and durable air purification. Moreover, we investigated the factors influencing the separation efficiency of three-dimensional filters, providing valuable guidance for subsequent material design of novel filter media.

With the continuous exploitation of oilfields, secondary oil recovery techniques involving pressurization often result in the produced crude oil being present as oil-in-water emulsions that are difficult to separate. Moreover, advanced tertiary oil recovery technologies utilizing alkalis, salts, polymers, and surfactants have significantly complicated the subsequent produced water management. In this study, a multifunctional water treatment material was developed based on modifying copper-iron-manganese ternary oxides on porous glass filters, and a high-pressure-resistant device was fabricated for separating oil and water in emulsions. Porous glass filter substrates with varying pore sizes facilitate gravity-driven, suction and high pressure (3 bar) separation, enabling efficient and stable treatment of immiscible oil-water systems and oil-in-water emulsion systems of common oils and crude oil, respectively. Furthermore, the excellent photothermal conversion performance of this material enables it to treat high-concentration salts, polymers, and surfactants generated from tertiary oil recovery, and allows for obtaining pure water through solar evaporation. This material provides a solution for treating complex wastewater from secondary and tertiary oil recovery, thereby opening up new research directions.

Oil aerosols frequently lead to air pollution, health concerns, and the corrosion of equipment. The removal of oil aerosol from the atmosphere is critical in both industrial manufacturing and everyday living. Despite the prevalent use of 2D fibrous filters for the capture of oil aerosols, achieving efficient filtration with minimal resistance remains a significant hurdle. Herein, we report a novel method for creating 3D porous filters, which substantially diminishes the pressure drop during filtration. Employing a dip-coating technique, we produced superamphiphilic sponges (SALS) and superamphiphobic sponges (SABS), which were then combined to engineer thickness-directional asymmetric wettability. The most effective filtration was observed when the sponge arrangement consisted of SALS in the front and SABS in the rear, both with thickness of 3.5 cm. Under optimal conditions, the filtration efficiency reached 96.16% with a pressure drop of merely 0.048 kPa, yielding an ultra-high quality factor of 67.71 kPa-1. Additionally, this material is capable of continuous oil mist separation for at least 24 hours, a duration significantly longer than that reported for previously studied 2D fibrous filters. This unforeseen development may offer a novel paradigm for the design of 3D porous filters that are not only high-performing but also energy-efficient and long-lasting.

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation is an eco-friendly and promising approach to address freshwater shortage. However, the intricate preparation process and low evaporation rate of evaporators limit its further practical applications. Herein, an ingenious design strategy is proposed for a shape memory Janus (SMJ) foam to controllably increase the evaporation rate. By sequentially adhering trans-1,4-Polyisoprene (TPI) and selectively modifying sodium alginate (SA) / AlCl3 on PU substrate, a three-dimensional (3D) porous foam structure is conveniently constructed, which features a hydrophobic layer with efficient photothermal conversion and a superhydrophilic layer with sufficient water supply. Under varying light intensities, the evaporation rate of optimized SMJ foam exhibits a linear escalation through shape memory compression, specifically from 1.8 kg m- 2h- 1 to 3.2 kg m- 2h- 1 as the compression ratio increases from 0 to 80 % under one solar irradiation. Due to its large-pore porosity, the photothermal layer increases surface area density and gradually generates analogous vertical channels to enhance absorbance during compression, thereby improving the photothermal conversion effect and optimizing thermal management. Moreover, thanks to the Janus structure, the self-floating and saltresisting properties of SMJ foam guarantee stable and efficient evaporation in complicated environments. This work introduces a novel strategy for promoting the evaporation rate, intelligence, and industrial application of solar-driven interfacial evaporators.

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation is a promising desalination technology for addressing global water scarcity. However, severe salt accumulation on the evaporation surface compromises its operational efficiency and longterm stability. Herein, we present a novel asymmetric charged hydrogel membrane (ACHM) that effectively overcomes these challenges by leveraging electrostatic synergy and hydration modulation. The asymmetric coating of textile substrates with oppositely charged hydrogels poly (2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid) and poly (acryloyloxyethyl trimethylammonium chloride) creates an electrostatic field-driven ion migration mechanism, which expels salt from the evaporation zone while simultaneously maintaining the intrinsic water transport pathways. The ACHM demonstrates exceptional salt resistance, achieving salt-free operation for 15 h in a highly concentrated 20 wt% NaCl brine. Furthermore, it exhibits outstanding long-term stability, with no apparent decline in evaporation rate over 30 h in real Yellow Sea seawater under one sun irradiation. The membrane also delivers a high and stable evaporation rate of 3.01-3.35 kg m- 2 h- 1, enabling continuous cyclic operation for 10 days in natural seawater under one sun irradiation. This work opens up new possibilities for scalable, sustainable freshwater production, particularly from challenging industrial hypersaline wastewater streams.

Polymer complexes containing multiple interactions have attracted considerable interest in the development of advanced and multifunctional materials. The fundamental study on multi-interacted polymer complexes helps understand their properties and facilitates rational material design; however, it has been less systematically explored. In this work, a PEOX-EI-50/PAA complex with a dual interaction of hydrogen bonding and electrostatic force is prepared via stepwise interfacial complexation. Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) measurements indicate pH-dependent PEOX-EI-50/PAA complexation with the optimal assembly pH at 4. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) results prove the coexistence of the hydrogen bond and electrostatic interaction in the PEOX-EI-50/PAA assembly at specific pH levels and reveal that the high-affinity binding site transits from hydrogen bonding to electrostatic bonding as the pH increases from 3 to 4. In addition, hydrogen bonding could alleviate the inhibition of the electrostatic interaction between complementary polymers by salt, leading to the successful assembly of PEOX-EI-50/PAA in the presence of 1 M NaCl. A pseudo-mass-loss phenomenon is observed during PEOX-EI-50/PAA complexation, which can be further amended by eliminating charge density mismatch through pH/salt concentration adjustment. PEOX-EI-50/PAA exhibits improved pH stability compared with the PEOX/PAA hydrogen-bonding system and exceptional salt stability compared with the PEI/PAA polyelectrolyte pairs, indicating the advantage of the polymer complex with dual interaction.

Sorption-based atmospheric water harvesting (SAWH) provides a sustainable solution to global freshwater scarcity. Hygroscopic salt hydrogels have attracted attention due to their high water uptake and structural versatility. However, simultaneously achieving high water uptake capacity and rapid sorption-desorption kinetics remains a significant challenge, primarily because of their inherent limitations in mass transport properties and energy efficiency. Herein, a composite material fabricated by coating macro-porous carbon fiber felt with a hygroscopic hydrogel is presented, which significantly enhances adsorption-desorption kinetics while maintaining high water uptake. The optimized salt loading, intrinsic porosity, high solar absorption, and electrical conductivity synergistically enable high water uptake, efficient mass transfer, and effective photothermal and Joule heating conversion. Consequently, the composite material achieves a high water uptake of 1.14 g g-1 at 30% RH with 90% saturation within 4 h at 38% RH, while also enabling 90% desorption within 30 min under 2.5 V and 1 sun, resulting in a daily water yield of 6.74 L kg-1 sufficient for three people. Furthermore, a portable, solar-driven harvester based on this composite material and solar panels is designed to validate its practical applicability. This work provides new design insights for clean-energy-driven, scalable, and low-cost SAWH technologies.

Although the majority of solar steam generation devices can effectively produce fresh water, they fall short in purifying complex industrial wastewater contaminated with hazardous heavy metals and oils. Here, we develop an innovative solar-powered mercury/oil removing water purification fibrous system. This system is enhanced by modifying aluminosilicate fiber with MoS2 nanoflowers using a single-step hydrothermal process with only $3.3 per square meter, generating at least 2 L of water within 1 h. Simultaneously, the strong mercury adsorption of this fiber reduces mercury levels from 50 to 0.37 ppb, meeting the stringent criteria for potable and irrigation water quality. This fiber can also treat the nano/submicrometer-scale oil-in-water emulsion, achieving an oil removal efficiency in excess of 99.9 %. Owing to the disparate removal mechanisms for oil and mercury, no interference observed or cross-reaction between two pollutants during the wastewater treatment protocol. This investigation provides unique perspectives on the on the molecular and microscopic multi-level treatment mechanisms of water evaporation and establishes a pioneering approach for the rational design of freshwater production systems with enhanced yields, specifically tailored for wastewater purification in the presence of complex contaminants. Moreover, this material also exhibits considerable promise for deployment in the recovery of noble metals from seawater.

Although intelligent superwettability materials with tunable wettability have been extensively studied in oil-water separation, they still exhibit several limitations including singular dimension of response, nondurable surface modification, and inadequate on-demand separation capabilities. Herein, we propose an ingenious strategy that combines pH-responsive polymer and shape memory material to achieve intelligent dual-regulation of surface wettability and pore size. A porous double-regulated foam (DRF) is obtained by uniformly mixing epoxy resin with PMMA-co-PDEAEMA solution and one-piece curing it through salt template method. Simple immersion in acidic (pH = 2) and alkaline (pH = 13) solutions can transform the wettability of DRF30 (where 30 represents the mass ratio of pH-responsive polymer) between high hydrophobicity/superoleophilicity and superhydrophilicity/underwater superoleophobicity. As the temperature rises (130 °C) and cools, DRF30 also stably undergoes shape memory compression and recovery, switching pore size between 150 and 1.52 μm, with partial apertures being reducible to the nanoscale. Thus, DRF30 is endowed to separate oil-water mixtures with high flux (>1300 L m-2 h-1) in uncompressed state and emulsions to ensure separation efficiency (>99.5%) in compressed state, further incorporating changes in wettability to enable on-demand separation of various oil-water systems. Moreover, after conducting five double-regulation cycle tests and stability assessments, DRF30 consistently maintains outstanding separation performance, demonstrating commendable durability and physicochemical stability. This novel strategy shows guiding significance in smart material design and intelligent on-demand oil-water separation applications.

Freshwater scarcity threatens human survival, particularly in extreme environments like deserts, oceans, and space. Compatible atmospheric water harvesting and undrinkable water purification offer an affordable approach to solving freshwater scarcity in these extreme environments. Nonetheless, developing composite sorbent to attain efficient atmospheric water harvesting and undrinkable water purification remains challenging. Hence, a portable hybrid hygroscopic powder (HLC powder) consisting of hydroxypropyl chitosan, dibenzaldehyde-functional poly(ethylene glycol), lithium chloride (LiCl), and nano carbon black is proposed. The HLC powder with optimized LiCl load can capture moisture from the air, showing a high water uptake of 1.76 g g-1 at 34% relative humidity (RH) and appropriate over a wide humidity from 34% to 75% RH. pH-responsive sol-gel transition induced by Schiff base bonds transforms the HLC solution into hydrogel, inhibiting hydrated salt leakage. Meanwhile, to achieve efficient undrinkable water purification, the LiCl-free hybrid powder is utilized to convert the undrinkable water, including seawater, dye water, and human urine, to photothermal hydrogel evaporators with low evaporation enthalpies and high evaporation rates ranging from 1.81 to 2.05 kg m-2 h-1 under one sun. This strategy establishes a new path to conveniently obtaining freshwater, breaking hydrological restrictions.

Water energy-converting techniques that focus on interfacial charge separation and transfer have aroused significant attention. However, the water-repelling nature leads to a less dense liquid layer and a sharp gradient of liquid velocity, which limits its output performance. Here, a water sliding generator (WSG) based on a smooth liquid-like/semiconductor surface (SLSS) is developed that harnesses the full advantage of liquid sliding friction. The prepared SLSS not only retained the slippery surface's close contact with liquid droplets and the characteristic of sliding without residue but also exhibited an enhanced friction effect on the low-friction surface. The smooth liquid-like/semiconductor surface water sliding generator (SLSS-WSG) exerts outstanding liquid sliding friction energy harvesting with high output (≈16 V and ≈60 µA) demonstrated, capability in series connection, dual operation of power generation and self-cleaning effect, and high physical and chemical stability (continuous current scour and sun exposure). The prepared surface can be integrated with photovoltaic panels, enabling them to generate electricity from water-sliding energy during rainy days, compensating for the reduced output of photovoltaic panels during overcast and rainy weather. Furthermore, it allows for energy collection even during rainy nights. The prepared surface can be potentially applied in various fields, showing great potential for the development of water-based clean energy.

Compared to the resin sand mold casting process, frozen casting is more environmentally friendly, providing a better working environment and enhanced supercooling degree. The interfacial heat transfer coefficient (IHTC) between frozen sand mold and metal is an important parameter that significantly influences the final mechanical properties and microstructure of the castings. This paper solved the inverse heat conduction problem using the finite difference method (FDM). In addition, the conjugate gradient method (CGM) was adopted to calculate the temperature distribution and heat flux in the molten metal. At the same time, the particle swarm optimization algorithm (PSO) was used in temperature distribution determination in frozen sand mold. The interfacial heat transfer coefficient (IHTC) was estimated during the solidification of ZL101. The results showed a good agreement between calculated and experimental data, obtaining accurate casting interface temperature Tm, frozen sand mold interface temperature Ts, heat flux q, and IHTC. The analysis of the IHTC variation revealed a water content value within the range of 4 wt.% to 5 wt.% resulted in IHTC in two types of interpretation, called 'fluctuation type' and 'turning type.'

The proper design of catalyst structure is crucial for highly selective hydrodeoxygenation. Here, a strategy of in- situ topological transformation was proposed to prepare a MOF/LDH composite self-sacrificial template mediated by NiCo-MOF template, and a metal-monomer/metal-oxide composite heterojunction catalyst was synthesized. The result indicated that the formation of Ni3+ species on the surface of t-NiCo-60 catalyst was generated through this unique structural transformation, which promoted the charge movement between Ni-Co and caused more Co2+ to be formed, and this simultaneous reverse valence modulation between Ni3+/Co2+ facilitated the generation of oxygen vacancies, which improved the hydrogen heterocleavage activation on the catalyst and enabled the t-NiCo-60 catalyst to remove oxygen-containing groups from lignin derivatives with high selectivity. Achieved complete conversion of lignin derivatives in a short duration of time and highly selective generation of the target products (92.5 % selectivity for cyclohexanol and 99.9 % selectivity for 2methoxy-4-methylphenol). This research provides a new approach for the efficient upgrading of lignin derivatives.

Casting aluminum alloys is widely used in aerospace, rail transportation, automotive, ships, and other fields. The frozen sand mold casting (FSMC) technology provides a greener and low-cost solution for the sand mold casting industry, which has a better operating environment than the resin sand mold casting and a higher degree of subcooling for solidification process. The interfacial heat transfer coefficient (IHTC) is a significant parameter that affects the structure and properties of the frozen casting. It is also an important boundary condition in numerical simulation. In this paper, a frozen sand mold casting (FSMC) process thermal conductivity problem (IHCP) inversion model is proposed based on the 1-D heat transfer assumption using a combination of finite difference method (FDM) and conjugate gradient method (CGM). The inversion model is validated for its rationality and accuracy in terms of experiments and numerical calculations, respectively. The IHTC is determined under various frozen sand mold casting conditions, including different initial frozen temperatures, water contents, and molding sand. The accuracy of results is verified by comparing the experimental and numerical data. A new method is provided for determining IHTC in frozen casting.

The ambiguous structural defect types and sites of catalysts impede the investigation of structure-activity relationships at the atomic scale for catalytic transfer of hydrodeoxygenation of lignin and its derivatives. In this work, oxygen vacancies (Ov) and carbon defects (Cd) in Ni/CeO2/C catalysts were constructed by an in situ calcination atmosphere-induced engraving strategy. The dual defect embodied the chemical characteristics of heterogeneous frustrated Lewis pairs, and the synergy between Ov and Cd could effectively promote the adsorption and activation of isopropanol and the oxygen-containing substrate, which stimulated the production of more reactive H delta+ and H delta-, anchored the methyl group. Efficient conversion of lignin oil was achieved without initial H2 pressure, yielding 56% liquid product and 62.9% C6+ cycloalkanol selectivity. The traditional hydrodeoxygenation was transformed into a solid-liquid two-phase catalytic transfer hydrodeoxygenation, which enhanced the mass transfer. This study developed a catalytic system for catalytic transfer hydrodeoxygenation and offered insights for the preparation of heterogeneous frustrated Lewis pairs.

Environmental H2O 2 O has a significant effect on the reaction mechanism and process of VOC oxidation, of which the intrinsic mechanism is hardly reported. Herein, a series of PtCu delta-MnOx delta-MnO x catalysts with different strong metal- supported interactions were constructed by replacing some Pt species with Cu species. Among them, the PtCu3- 3- MnOx x catalyst exhibited superior catalytic performance (T90 90 = 170 degree celsius), high water resistance, and long-term stability. Furthermore, in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (in in-situ DRIFTs) showed that the acetone oxidation followed synergistic cooperation of the Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) and Mars van Krevelen (MvK) mechanism. Acetone oxidation over PtCu3-MnOx 3-MnO x occurred via the L-H mechanism producing surface acetate and formate species intermediate. Above 100 degrees C, adsorbed acetone (i.e., acetate and formate species) reacts with MnOx x lattice oxygen according to the MvK mechanism to form CO2 2 and H2O. 2 O. When water vapor was present, the L-H mechanism was impaired, inhibiting the deep oxidation of acetone. This research provides an in-depth exploration of how water vapor impacts the reaction mechanism of acetone oxidation. It offers valuable insights for creating dependable catalysts suitable for use in various industrial settings.

To date, it is extensively believed that ether electrolytes are incompatible with graphite anode in Li-ion batteries due to detrimental solvent co-intercalation and exfoliation. Here, we provide design criteria of ether electrolytes for reversible graphite anode without the high salt concentration. In short, for ether electrolytes, the reductive stability of anions (or their solvated complex) and the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) govern the reversibility of graphite anode. Exfoliation and co-intercalation are not the root cause of as-documented cell failures using graphite anodes. While reductive-instable lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI) is the optimal salt paired with DOL, reductive-stable LiBF 4 finds applications with DME. Individual 1,3-dioxolane (DOL) and 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME) based electrolytes can enable ~99.9% Coulombic efficiency with excellent capacity retention and fast-charge capability using natural graphite. In DOL electrolytes, weakened Li-solvent interaction and preferential reduction of FSI anion coordinated with Li-ion contribute to homogeneous SEI enriched with inorganic species, for example, LiF. Therefore, electrolyte reduction and Li-DOL co-intercalation are inhibited. In DME electrolytes, we show that LiBF 4 has limited reduction, majorly on the edge site. We discover that a self-terminating, heterogeneous interphase based on grainy LiF proves to be desirable for operating Li-solvent co-intercalation. Taking advantage of the anisotropic characteristics of natural graphite, we conducted a holistic investigation into the nature, function, and formation of the heterogeneous SEI. In these studies, we clarify a long-lasting confusing issue in LIBs community-that is, the compatibility between ether electrolytes and graphite anode. Our findings not only shed light on the enigmatic interphase formed by ether electrolytes but also offer critical insights into future electrolyte design for graphite anodes operated under extreme conditions.

Although oily wastewater treatment realized by superwetting materials has attracted heightened attention in recent years, how to treat enormous-volume emulsion wastewater is still a tough problem, which is ascribed to the emulsion accumulation. Herein, to address this problem,a material is presented by subtly integrating chemical demulsification and 3D inner-outer asymmetric wettability to a sponge substrate, and thus wettability gradient-driven oil directional transport for achieving unprecedented enormous-volume emulsion wastewater treatment is realized based on a “demulsification-transport” mechanism. The maximum treatment volume realized by the sponge is as large as 3 L（2.08 × 10~4L per cubic meter of the sponge） in one cycle, which is about 100 times of the reported materials. Besides, owing to the large pore size of the sponge,9000 L m~2h -1 （LMH） separation flux and 99.5% separation efficiency are realized simultaneously, which overcomes the trade-off dilemma.Such a 3D inner-outer asymmetric sponge displaying unprecedented advantage in the treatment volume can promote the development of the oily wastewater treatment field, as well as expand the application prospects of superwetting materials, especially in continuous water treatment.

Region-specific gut spheroids are precursors for gastrointestinal and pulmonary organoids that hold great promise for fundamental studies and translations. However, efficient production of gut spheroids remains challenging due to a lack of control and mechanistic understanding of gut spheroid morphogenesis. Here, we report an efficient biomaterial system, termed micropatterned gut spheroid generator (μGSG), to generate gut spheroids from human pluripotent stem cells through mechanically enhanced tissue morphogenesis. We show that μGSG enhances the biogenesis of gut spheroids independent of micropattern shape and size; instead, mechanically enforced cell multilayering and crowding is demonstrated as a general, geometry-insensitive mechanism that is necessary and sufficient for promoting spheroid formation. Combining experimental findings and an active-phase-field morphomechanics theory, our study further reveals an instability-driven mechanism and a mechanosensitive phase diagram governing spheroid pearling and fission in μGSG. This work unveils mechanobiological paradigms based on tissue architecture and surface tension for controlling tissue morphogenesis and advancing organoid technology.