Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are emerging as promising sustainable lubricants. However, most reported DESs, particularly those based on choline chloride, exhibit limited biodegradability due to the presence of halide ions. Herein, halogen-free, fully biomass-derived DESs were synthesized from L-proline and glycolic acid. Among various molar ratios, Pro1-GA2 exhibits moderate viscosity, excellent thermal stability, and the strongest hydrogen bonding interactions. Consequently, under a high contact pressure of 0.43 GPa and entrainment velocity of 250 mm·s−1, it achieves stable macroscopic superlubricity (μ = 0.0037) on K9 glass/GCr15 tribopairs, corresponding to an 81.86% reduction in friction compared with PAO 10. The lubrication films were monitored and measured, revealing that an optimal film thickness ratio leads to the superior tribological performance. Combined with worn surface analysis, the performance is attributed to the synergistic effect of opportune fluid lubrication films and interfacial tribofilms. This work demonstrates excellent friction-reduction performance in a fully biomass-derived DES, providing new insights for the development of next-generation green lubricants.

Lignin holds great promise for fabricating multifunctional carbon materials, yet it is hindered by the difficulty of simultaneous pore structure regulation and heteroatom doping. To address this challenge, we propose a novel molten KCl-thiourea synergistic strategy for the scalable synthesis of N/S co-doped lignin-derived porous carbons without additional chemical activators. Molten KCl provides a growing environment to inhibit carbon agglomeration, guiding the formation of a hierarchical micropore-mesopore structure. Thiourea serves as a multi-role precursor: it crosslinks lignin-derived fragments to prevent structural collapse, acts as an in-situ N/S source, and reacts with residual Na+ in lignin to form water-soluble salts for in-situ desalination. The optimal sample exhibits a high surface area of 1802 m2·g−1, a balanced pore size distribution, and a heteroatom content of N/S for CO2 adsorption (5.7 mmol·g−1) and supercapacitor applications (345F·g−1 at 0.1 A·g−1 and 98% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles). This work not only provides a sustainable and cost-effective route for lignin valorization but also reveals the synergistic mechanism of molten salts and heteroatom precursors in regulating carbon structures. The resulting carbons exhibit great potential for practical applications in carbon capture and electrochemical energy storage.

Although methane (CH 4 ) predominantly exists in low concentration, it contributes significantly to global warming and just second to CO 2 . Its inert characteristics present both a pressing need and a significant challenge for mitigation strategies, including thermal catalytic oxidation. To address this challenge, we synthesized low cost mordenite zeolite (MOR) with highly dispersed Cu–Pd (Pd: 0.10 wt%) as efficient thermo‐catalyst to oxidize low‐concentration CH 4 (200 ppm). The Cu–Pd–MOR catalyst achieves 90% CH 4 conversion at 358 °C and exhibits improved durability over 100 h of continuous operation. Incorporating Cu enables reduction in Pd loading while maintaining high activity, demonstrating a synergistic Cu–Pd interaction that enhances metal dispersion and thermal stability. Compared with Pd‐only MOR catalysts, the Cu–Pd system delivers advanced low‐temperature activity and long‐term stability, offering a cost‐effective route for methane removal.

Solid amine adsorbents coupled with microwave-assisted regeneration offer a promising alternative for energy-efficient carbon capture technologies, but the lack of systematic structure-performance relationships has hindered the simultaneous achievement of high adsorption capacity and low regeneration energy. Herein, we report a microwave-responsive PEI/CNT@SiO2 adsorbent designed for targeted interfacial heating. We systematically investigate the effects of CNT diameter, carbon- SiO2 ratio, PEI loading, and molecular weight on textural properties, dielectric performance, CO2 adsorption, and microwave regeneration behavior. The optimal adsorbent (PEI50-CNT20-CS82) exhibits a high CO2 adsorption capacity of 2.23 mmol·g−1 at 60 °C under 14 vol% CO2/N2, and then achieves an ultralow regeneration energy of 1.5 MJ·kg−1 CO2 under 15 W microwave irradiation for 12 s. The adsorbent also shows excellent cyclic stability, retaining >75% of its initial capacity after 50 adsorption-regeneration cycles. The superior performance originates from the rational design of the CNT@SiO2 composite, which balances high amine loading capacity with efficient microwave-to-heat conversion. This work establishes a clear structure-performance relationship for microwave-responsive CO2 adsorbents and provides a scalable strategy for low-energy industrial carbon capture.

The study of water resistance of methane photo-oxidation catalysts is important and challenging for the removal of methane from the atmosphere. Herein, we investigate the mechanistic role of water in the photocatalytic oxidation of trace methane on ZnO decorated with various metal (Cu, Pt). We found that suppressing water dissociation at active sites mitigates hydroxyl-induced catalyst poisoning. Critical insight reveals that photogenerated holes (h+) mediate the conversion of passivating hydroxyl groups (OH*) into reactive hydroxyl radicals (center dot OH), simultaneously liberating active sites and promoting the reaction. In addition, temperaturedependent experiments revealed that increasing the temperature from 20 to 80 degrees C enhanced the methane conversion by approximately 4-fold, proving that partial desorption of water molecules from the catalyst surface releases active sites. The experimental results show that 0.5 % Pt/ZnO is about 2-fold more water resistant than 0.5 % Cu/ZnO. These findings provide valuable experience and guidance for both mechanistic understanding of water-mediated methane photooxidation and rational design of high-performance catalysts.

Slip is a boundary condition in fluid mechanics, which is essential for understanding fluid behavior at solid-liquid interfaces. Although atomic force microscopy (AFM), especially the colloidal probe AFM (CP-AFM) technique, has been identified as a high-precision method for measuring the slip length, the results often show errors of several nanometers. To reveal the reasons behind this, in this work, the AFM slip length data reported in the literature were collected and analyzed to investigate the effects of factors, such as curvature, roughness, and velocity, on the determination of slip length. Subsequently, an error propagation analysis of the data processing using the original and simplified Vinogradova model was conducted quantitatively, together with further analysis of the interval choice. The results indicate that curvature, surface roughness, velocity, and data interval choice can all introduce significant discrepancies in the slip length, even for the same system. Moreover, both the original and simplified Vinogradova models exhibit an error-amplification trend during the slip-fitting process due to error propagation through intermediate variables such as separation, hydrodynamic force, velocity, etc. This error amplification represents a primary source of the substantial uncertainties observed in slip length determination. Subsequently, this work suggests alternatives, where (1) a resistance-based method using "hydrodynamic force/approach rate" instead of "approach rate/hydrodynamic force", which converts the error-amplification trend into an error-attenuation trend; and (2) quantitatively determining the fitting interval using the Stribeck interval screening framework is suggested.

This work offers a paradigm to understand the correlation between sorbent properties and performance, which guides the design of sorbents for efficient CO 2 capture.

Efficient solid–liquid separation is essential for industrial effluent discharge compliance and for mitigating water scarcity and environmental pollution. Highly turbid wastewater containing fine kaolin is difficult to treat because small particle size and strong negative surface charge promote the formation of stable colloidal suspensions. This study aimed to develop a green and efficient lignin-based flocculant for the purification of highly stable colloidal systems. Inspired by the coordinated capture behaviour of multiple octopus tentacles, an interfacial enhancement–multi-arm bridging strategy was proposed. Xanthate groups were introduced into the lignin backbone to strengthen particle–polymer interfacial interactions, and cationic acrylamide–diallyldimethylammonium chloride segments were grafted via a ”grafting to” strategy to construct a biomimetic multi-arm xanthated lignin-based flocculant. The optimised flocculant exhibited excellent turbidity removal performance at low dosages, achieving 99.72% turbidity removal at only 2.5 mg/L under optimal conditions, while maintaining high treatment efficiency over a broad pH range of 3–11. This work provides a feasible strategy for designing high-performance bio-based flocculants for treating highly stable colloidal systems.

Lignin is a renewable biomass resource, and a clear understanding of its dissolution behavior in solvents is essential for unlocking its potential in high-value applications. Traditional methods for experimentally determining Hansen solubility parameters (HSPs) are impractical due to the structural complexity of kraft lignin (KL). This study employs the HSP framework to characterize the solubility behavior of KL and proposes a hybriddriven strategy that integrates mechanistic insights from COSMO-RS with machine learning (ML) approaches to predict the HSPs of KL. Four ML algorithms (RF, XGBoost, AdaBoost, and MLPR) are evaluated for their predictive performance, with RF identified as the optimal algorithm. Notably, the hybrid-driven strategy achieves a prediction deviation of 10.33% due to its superior accuracy and generalization capability, which is lower than that of the other two strategies. This improvement arises from integrating microscopic dissolution mechanisms, which are quantified by molecular interaction descriptors that characterize molecular-level dissolution behaviors. Mechanistic analysis reveals that molecular density and dipole moment are key contributors to delta d and delta p, respectively, while hydrogen bonding potential primarily influences delta h. The study identifies that relative energy difference (RED) values between the solvents and KL are below 1, confirming the excellent solubility of KL in solvents. This multi-scale modeling strategy provides a powerful computational framework for suitable solvent design in lignin valorization and biomass processing.

Deep eutectic solvents (DES) are promising green media for lignin dissolution due to their tunable hydrogen-bond networks. However, the vast compositional space of DES makes the rational design of efficient lignin solvents challenging. To address this, this study developed a hybrid COSMO-RS and machine learning (ML) framework for accurate lignin solubility prediction and rapid solvent screening. By shifting the focus from direct numerical fitting to residual learning, prediction accuracy can be substantially improved, which effectively provides a high-order correction for many-body interaction energy contributions within the thermodynamic cycles. Among three prediction targets tested, the deviation-based model achieved the highest accuracy. The multilayer perceptron (MLP) yielded the best performance, increasing test R 2 from 0.9182 to 0.9941 and reducing the average absolute relative deviation (AARD %) to below 8.94%. Interpretability results revealed that hydrogen bond, the solubility calculated by COSMO-RS, and temperature are the dominant factors governing solubility. This work presents a hybrid modeling framework that integrates physical insights with data-driven calibration, enabling precise and interpretable predictions for complex lignin-solvent systems.

Fluids at the nano/microscopic interface, particularly when influenced by external fields, exhibit significant variations in microstructures, resulting in complex properties that differ markedly from those of single molecules and bulk fluids. The diversity in microstructures leads to unique interfacial transport and reaction phenomena. Notably, the microstructure is a group of molecular clusters with different configurations distributed at the interface in a balanced state, yet the governing factors that determine the cluster structure and their distribution remain to be understood. Herein, we introduce interfacial structural entropy (ISE) as a metric to capture the combined effects of solid surfaces and external fields on fluid microstructure. Specifically, ISE quantitatively characterizes fluid microstructures and connects them to interfacial properties, offering a new perspective from a fluid standpoint to comprehend interfacial phenomena. Using the hydrogen evolution reaction as a case study, we outline the methodology for constructing the ISE, elucidate general principles for its optimization, and describe technical strategies for future developments. The ISE provides statistical insights into fluid microstructures that relate to interfacial properties, which are anticipated to facilitate rational and high-throughput computational screening and the design of materials and manipulation methods under external fields.

Ethylene oxide (EO), a widely used chemical intermediate with high industrial demand, has been primarily produced via the conventional direct oxidation process, which relies on fossil energy and carbon resources and suffers from substantial CO2 emissions. We first proposed an economically viable and low-carbon alternative process that employed green electricity to drive in situ hydrogen peroxide synthesis from oxygen and water for ethylene epoxidation for EO production (EP process). For comparison, the fossil-based routes, including the conventional direct oxidation process (CP) and the anthraquinone-based oxidation process (AOCP), were also modeled. All three pathways were systematically evaluated in terms of energy consumption, techno-economic performance (TEA), and life cycle environmental impact (LCA). Compared with CP and AOCP, the EP process achieved an EO production cost of 908.04 USD·t−1 EO and a carbon footprint of 0.862 kg·kg−1 (CO2e/EO), corresponding to 10%−20% lower costs and an 80% reduction in carbon emissions. Further integration of the electrochemical CO2-to-ethylene reaction (ECR) with the EP process to reduce reliance on fossil carbon demonstrated that the coupled route could lower EO production costs to 818.80 USD·t−1 EO while achieving negative carbon emissions (−4.276 kg·kg−1 (CO2e/EO)). These results indicate that the green electricity-driven ECR-EP system provides both economic feasibility and substantial carbon reduction potential.

To address the challenges of multifunctional integration in electronic devices, this study establishes a versatile material matrix that combines exceptional performance with structural design flexibility, enabling multifunctional "on-demand integration" and "synergistic optimization." We successfully constructed a polyimide Janus matrix film through an innovative dual-pore-forming agent synergistic pore-forming strategy. The unique "dense-layer-porous-layer" asymmetric structure integrates high mechanical strength (>70 MPa), flexibility, ultralow thermal conductivity (0.067 W·m-1·K-1), and outstanding chemical stability, forming a tailorable functional integration universal platform We demonstrated its "on-demand functionalization" potential by loading CNTs@Fe3O4 hybrid materials, transforming the platform into a functional composite with advanced capabilities such as highly efficient electromagnetic shielding (>40 dB) and active overheating warning. This work transcends the traditional approach of developing single-function materials. The constructed polyimide platform material provides an innovative solution for the integrated design of future electronic devices.

The photocatalytic removal of atmospheric methane significantly reduces the climate risk associated with global warming. However, the development of the photocatalysts has been limited by the stability of the methane molecule and the low photon absorption rate. In the paper, field synergy theory of mass transfer was adopted to guide the structural design of the photocatalytic reactor, providing an alternative approach to enhancing methane oxidation performance. A photothermal-flow-reaction mathematical model coupling fluid flow, heat transfer, mass transfer, and reaction kinetics was developed and validated against experimental data. Experiments were conducted in a reactor with inlet methane concentrations of 100 ppm and flow rates of 50 mL/min under Xe lamp irradiation (580-1380 W/m2). The results indicate that the thermal effect induced by the Xe lamp disrupted the mass-transfer boundary layer, improving the field synergy number and enhancing methane photocatalytic efficiency. Reducing the inlet methane concentration and flow rate enhanced the synergy between the velocity and concentration fields within the reactor. The photocatalytic efficiency and field synergy number were 74.37 % and -0.0356 respectively, at a flow rate of 10 mL/min, an inlet concentration of 2 ppm, and a light intensity of 1000 W/m2. Fins with a height of 0.2H were installed in the reactor to economically reduce mass transfer resistance and enhance photocatalytic performance. This paper verified the applicability of the field synergy theory in the structural design of photocatalytic reactor and offered new perspective for enhancing photocatalytic methane performance.

Direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (DSHP) from H 2 and O 2 is indeed a promising sustainable alternative to the conventional anthraquinone oxidation process, yet achieving high H 2 O 2 productivity and selectivity simultaneously remains a significant challenge. Herein, we designed a diode‐inspired interfacial microenvironment to address this challenge by synchronizing the kinetic relay of the key transport and reaction steps in DSHP. Specifically, this microenvironment was fabricated by grafting hydrophobic silane molecules onto the carbon surface followed by loading palladium nanoparticles. Results indicate that the interfacial microenvironment enables an efficient relay of H 2 dissociation, H 2 O 2 formation and desorption, shutting down the reverse path of the side reaction. Benefiting from this diode‐inspired interfacial design, high H 2 O 2 productivity of 21,647.1 mol kg Pd −1 h −1 and H 2 O 2 selectivity of 93.3% were successfully achieved under ambient conditions. This work demonstrated the critical role of the interfacial microenvironment in regulating the synergy between mass transfer and reaction in heterogeneous reaction.

The requirement for surface wetting to enhance efficient electrolysis reactions, along with the need for dewetting to accelerate H2 desorption from the electrode surface, creates a paradox in effective electrode design. In this study, we created an asymmetric hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrode that synergizes mass transfer and reaction processes on both sides. Using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD), we fabricated an asymmetric self-supported electrode (CW-GNs-Pd) on carbonized cedar wood. This electrode features a graphene-coated side with high roughness, enhancing superhydrophobicity for efficient hydrogen bubble desorption, while the uncoated side retains the natural porous structure for rapid mass transfer. Pd single atoms and nanoclusters were deposited on the graphene surface via ALD,modifying the electronic structure of the Pd active sites, as confirmed by XPS (Pd 3d peaks) and XAS (Pd K-edge absorption). The CW-GNs-Pd electrode demonstrates exceptional HER performance in both alkaline and acidic environments, achieving low overpotentials of 29 mV and 45 mV at 10 mA cm- 2, with Tafel slopes of 24.73 mV dec- 1 and 10.11 mV dec-1, respectively. It also shows remarkable stability over 120 h. The unique design, which separates mass transfer and catalytic zones, addresses traditional electrode limitations and presents a promising strategy for developing cost-effective, high-performance HER electrodes.

Although electrical energy storage and microfluidic systems employing electrically responsive ionic media such as ionic liquids (ILs) have seen substantial progress, the mechanisms by which ion migration and adsorption at electrochemically controlled interfaces dictate wettability and triboelectric behavior remain elusive. In this work, we investigated the interfacial adsorption and friction behaviors of two ILs containing imidazolyl chains and imidazolylamino cations on charged, organosilicon-modified Au surfaces. The mechanisms of ion migration and adsorption were further elucidated through molecular dynamics simulations. Notably, the two ILs exhibited opposite friction responses under negative electrical potentials, revealing an ion-specific electro-responsive behavior. This difference arises from the interplay of van der Waals attractions, electrostatic interactions, and short-range forces, which collectively govern wetting strength and dominate the dissipation of sliding energy. Furthermore, a semi-quantitative correlation between nanofriction and ILs wettability under applied potentials was established, highlighting the critical role of molecular structure design in enabling tunable electro-responsive friction. By identifying key molecular and interfacial parameters that control electro-responsive friction, this work provides strategies for optimizing surface functionalization, ionic liquid selection, and applied potentials in electro-lubrication systems, while establishing molecular-level design rules for electrically tunable interfaces with broad implications for micro/nanofluidics, electrowetting, soft robotics, and energy-storage applications.

ABSTRACT Oxime synthesis via hydroxylamine is the preferred route and is conventionally achieved by ammoxidation of ammonia with hydrogen peroxide. Yet, in alkaline environments, the simultaneous presence of ionic hydroperoxide (OOH − ) and molecular H 2 O 2 severely constrains oxidant efficiency. Here, we introduce a life cycle control strategy that coordinates the generation, stabilization, transport, and consumption of OOH − to concentrate it into a centralized OOH − population. Implemented in a continuous electrochemical‐thermal cascade operating in weakly protic methanol, this approach enables efficient oxime production directly from ammonia and offers a route to reengineer traditional manufacturing. Detailed mechanistic studies show that the centralized OOH − population yields an oxidant utilization efficiency of up to 96.8% and a 60.3% enhancement in oxime synthesis rate versus conventional thermocatalysis. By establishing a paradigm for regulating the population of a key reactive intermediate, this work delivers guiding principles for the rational design of advanced cascade catalytic systems.

Direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (DSHP) from H2 and O2 is indeed a promising sustainable alternative to the conventional anthraquinone oxidation process, yet achieving high H2O2 productivity and selectivity simultaneously remains a significant challenge. Herein, we designed a diode-inspired interfacial microenvironment to address this challenge by synchronizing the kinetic relay of the key transport and reaction steps in DSHP. Specifically, this microenvironment was fabricated by grafting hydrophobic silane molecules onto the carbon surface followed by loading palladium nanoparticles. Results indicate that the interfacial microenvironment enables an efficient relay of H2 dissociation, H2O2 formation and desorption, shutting down the reverse path of the side reaction. Benefiting from this diode-inspired interfacial design, high H2O2 productivity of 21,647.1 mol kgPd -1 h-1 and H2O2 selectivity of 93.3% were successfully achieved under ambient conditions. This work demonstrated the critical role of the interfacial microenvironment in regulating the synergy between mass transfer and reaction in heterogeneous reaction.