The pursuit of durable and cost-effective non-noble metal-based electrocatalysts for direct methanol fuel cells remains a major challenge. To this end, a series of La1-xBixFeO3 nanoparticles with x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 were synthesized using modified Pechini pathway and assessed as potential electrocatalysts, for the first time, for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) in alkaline media. Among these materials, La0.9Bi0.1FeO3 electrocatalyst exhibited superior performance, delivering a current density of 10 mA.cm-geo2 at 1.40 V and achieving a current density of 77.33 mA.cm- 2 geo at 1.53 V, which is about 2.23 times higher than that of the unmodified electrocatalyst 34.60 mA.cm- 2 geo. This enhanced activity was attributed to its improved reaction kinetics, as indicated by a lower Tafel slope, increased electrochemical active surface area, reduced solution and charge transfer resistance values. Additionally, the La0.9Bi0.1FeO3 electrocatalyst maintained over 73% of its activity after 24 h of continuous operation, demonstrating good stability and promising potential for MOR applications.

The authors regret that, in the original version of this article [...]

Advancements in compact, flexible, and high-efficiency energy storage systems are vital to meet the escalating energy demands of wearable electronics, electric mobility solutions, and smart integrated platforms. Herein, we report a high-performance asymmetric micro-supercapacitor (AMSC) based on laser-induced graphene (LIG) integrated with electrochemically activated CoNi layered double hydroxides (CoNi-LDH(v)). Porous interdigitated LIG electrodes were directly patterned on polyimide (PI) substrates via CO2 laser irradiation and subsequently functionalized by electrodeposition of CoNi-LDH and FeOOH as the positive and negative electrodes, respectively. Electrochemical activation induces partial deprotonation of hydroxyl groups in CoNi-LDH, accompanied by structural reconstruction and altered metal–oxygen coordination, which contributes to enhanced pseudocapacitive behavior. The resulting LIG-CoNi-LDH(v)//LIG-FeOOH AMSC operates within a wide voltage window of 0–1.8 V without the use of additional current collectors, binders, or separators. The device delivers high areal and volumetric capacitance values of respectively 38.28 mF cm-2 and 5.60 F cm-3 at 0.25 mA cm-2, along with enhanced rate capability, cycling stability, and mechanical flexibility. Moreover, the AMSC exhibits stable electrochemical performance in neutral gel electrolytes containing various cations (Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, and Ca²⁺), demonstrating good compatibility with multi-cation charge storage. A practical demonstration using a solar cell to power a commercial LED further highlights the potential of this system for integrated and self-powered flexible electronics. This work presents a scalable and environmentally friendly strategy for constructing high-performance micro-supercapacitors and provides insights into the role of electrochemical deprotonation in LDH-based energy storage materials.

Perfluoroalkyl ether carboxylic acids (PFECAs), an emerging subclass of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), have raised significant environmental and health concerns due to their prevalence in various samples. We report the room-temperature synthesis of a core-shell magnetic composite, Fe3O4@fluorine-functionalized covalent organic framework (Fe3O4@F-COF), and its application as a dual-functional platform of an efficient adsorbent and an inorganic matrix for the sensitive analysis of PFECAs. It was applied in surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI-MS) to detect three PFECAs, perfluoro (2-methyl-3-oxahexanoate) (GenX), 3H-perfluoro-3-[(3-methoxy-propoxy) propionic acid] (ADONA), and perfluoro [(2-ethyloxy-ethoxy) acetic acid] (EEA), in spring water, fish muscle, and human serum. The method showed high sensitivity, with limits of detection (LODs) of 0.075–0.20 µg/L in water/serum samples and 0.10–0.20 ng/g in fish muscle. Furthermore, Fe3O4@F-COF served as an effective matrix for laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (LDI-MSI), enabling the visualization and quantification of GenX in exposed animal kidney tissue with a linear range of 0.05–50 mg/L and LOD of 0.01 mg/L. These results establish the Fe3O4@F-COF combined LDI-MS as a highly versatile and sensitive platform for the analysis and imaging of PFECAs in environmental and biological matrices.

The thermochemical valorization of industrial crop residues into bio-based inputs offers a sustainable pathway for waste utilization and crop protection. In this study, we evaluated the antifungal efficacy of wood vinegar (pyroligneous acid) produced via slow pyrolysis at 210 degrees C from four lignocellulosic feedstocks-coconut shell (Cocos nucifera), palm kernel shell (Elaeis guineensis), acacia wood (Acacia mangium), and mahang wood (Mac-aranga gigantea)-against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense Tropical Race 4 (Foc TR4), the causal agent of Fusarium wilt in banana. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) revealed that palm kernel shell and coconut shell vinegars contained high levels of acetic acid, phenol, and furfural. In vitro assays, supported by standardized turbidity scoring, showed complete inhibition at 0.8 % (palm kernel) and 1.2 % (coconut shell), with fungicidal activity confirmed by the absence of regrowth on agar media. Greenhouse trials with 2 % soil drench applications over 11 weeks significantly suppressed wilt, reducing the Disease Severity Index (DSI) to 4-8 % compared with 54 % in the inoculated control. Coconut shell vinegar further enhanced plant performance, producing the highest gains in height (+22.1 cm), leaf emergence (+2.9), and pseudostem diameter (+0.90 cm). The innovative contribution of this study lies in demonstrating, for the first time, that underutilized tropical residues can yield low-toxicity fungicides effective at < 2 % concentrations, supported by integrated chemical, in vitro, and in vivo evidence. These findings underscore the potential of wood vinegar as a scalable, eco-friendly biopesticide while advancing circular bioeconomy strategies for tropical agriculture.

Aptamers, nucleic acid molecules that fold into specific three-dimensional structures, have been extensively used in the biosensing field to accomplish sensitive and specific monitoring of a wide range of biomarkers. Peptide nucleic acid (PNA), in this context, can be considered as a potential next-generation scaffold for aptamer synthesis and biomarker sensing, owing to its high stability in comparison to DNA counterparts. In this work, we investigated the performance of a series of PNA aptamers for monitoring of a prominent cardiac biomarker, cardiac troponin I (cTnI), using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and showed that PNA sequences shorter than those previously reported for DNA can exhibit picomolar affinity, provided the essential structural features are preserved. Two different immobilization strategies (covalent and non-covalent) are validated in parallel for PNAs. The stability of sensor response in the presence of endonucleases such as DNase I was investigated further, as their occurrence in blood, plasma, and serum hydrolyses phosphodiester bonds and could be a limiting factor for point-of-care (PoC) application of DNA aptamers. Owing to their unnatural backbone, PNAs exhibited higher stability against DNase I in comparison to their DNA aptamer counterpart. Additionally, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of DNA and PNA aptamers revealed similarities in their secondary structures, as well as distinctions in their propensity to adopt compact conformations. Overall, our findings not only provided a comprehensive framework for PNA design, surface functionalization, and cTnI biomarker detection using PNA-based bio-recognition scaffolds but also substantiated the biostability of PNAs, suggesting their high relevance for future PoC diagnostic applications.

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are recognized as ideal platforms owing to their highly tunable pore structures and tailorable functional sites. Nevertheless, their real-world applications are hindered by inadequate binding affinity and slow mass transport toward target molecules. Herein, A dual-engineered molecularly imprinted-defective zirconium metal-organic framework MI-d-Zr-MOF platform was pioneered via one-step synthesis, combining porogen and template strategies. Flexible ligand L-aspartic acid enabled size-adaptive regulation and functional alternariol (AOH) adsorption via dicarboxylic/amino groups, while trifluoroacetic acid porogen modulated crystallization, increasing specific surface area from 14.5 m²·g⁻¹ to 443 m²·g⁻¹ . Driven by the synergistic effects of surface imprinting, hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions, the MI-d-Zr-MOF achieved a maximum adsorption capacity of 456 mg·g⁻¹ . MI-d-Zr-MOF was used as an adsorbent for dispersed solid-phase extraction and combined to determine trace AOH in six cereal samples. The developed method has high selectivity and sensitivity, with a detection limit and recovery rate of 0.01-0.03 μg·kg⁻¹ and 86-112%, respectively. This dual-engineering strategy provides a versatile blueprint for advanced MOF-based adsorbents, enabling precise customization for diverse targets such as AOH and its validated, selective quantification in complex cereal matrices, demonstrating significant potential for safety monitoring.

Water remediation of toxic hexavalent chromium (Cr(vi)) commonly involves single-function materials based on physical adsorption. In this research study, Fe3O4-protonated C3N4/polyaniline (Fe3O4-pCN/PANI) magnetic composite was investigated for the removal of Cr(vi) from aqueous solution by batch adsorption experiments and Monte Carlo simulations. As a result of the synergistic hybridization of its components, the Fe3O4-pCN/PANI composite exhibits a higher adsorption capacity than Fe3O4/pCN, PANI/pCN, and Fe3O4/PANI across all tested pH levels. It attains a maximum capacity of 79.02 mg g-1 at pH 2, disclosing the strong synergy among the three components. Additionally, a high Langmuir adsorption capacity of 971.88 mg g-1 and a pseudo-second-order kinetic profile are recorded. The findings indicate that Cr(vi) removal proceeds via a coupled adsorption-reduction pathway, where electrostatic capture is followed by redox reduction, as confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analyses. This indicates that detoxification is governed by the adsorption and reduction of Cr(vi) to Cr(iii) and its chelation, resulting in a stable system with significantly improved removal performance. DFT calculations further confirm the thermodynamic favorability of the adsorption process and provide atomistic support for the dual adsorption-reduction mechanism. Regeneration experiments demonstrate the enhanced structural stability and regeneration capability of the prepared composite over multiple successive cycles, confirming its practical potential for real water remediation applications.

This study presents the development of a solid symmetric supercapacitor using porous structured Fe-Cr-O oxide layers as both anode and cathode. The porous structures were obtained through a simple and efficient anodization method of stainless steel substrate. Further, an oxide layer containing Fe and Cr species was formed on the porous stainless steel mesh via a low-cost thermal oxidation process in an uncontrolled atmosphere. The prepared porous Fe-Cr-O structures delivered areal capacities of 172.66 and 155.77 mC & sdot;cm-2 from cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanic charge-discharge (GCD) measurements, respectively, and retained 96.5% of their capacity after 10,000 cycles. Additionally, a solid-state symmetric supercapacitor assembled employing Fe-Cr-O electrodes and a gelatinous PVA/KOH polymer electrolyte exhibited an operating voltage of 2 V and a capacity of 31.33 mC.cm-2 at a scan rate of 5 mV s-1, with 84.03% retention after 2000 cycles. The recorded energy density was 2.39 mWh cm-2 and the power density was 2669 mW cm-2. These performances reinforce the potential of porous Fe-Cr-O structures as electrode materials for the next generation of high-energy-density solid-state energy storage systems.

Perfluoroalkyl ether carboxylic acids (PFECAs), an emerging subclass of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), have raised significant environmental and health concerns due to their prevalence in various samples. We report the room-temperature synthesis of a core-shell magnetic composite, Fe3O4@fluorine-functionalized covalent organic framework (Fe3O4@F-COF), and its application as a dual-functional platform of an efficient adsorbent and an inorganic matrix for the sensitive analysis of PFECAs. It was applied in surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI-MS) to detect three PFECAs, perfluoro (2-methyl-3-oxahexanoate) (GenX), 3H-perfluoro-3-[(3-methoxy-propoxy) propionic acid] (ADONA), and perfluoro [(2-ethyloxy-ethoxy) acetic acid] (EEA), in spring water, fish muscle, and human serum. The method showed high sensitivity, with limits of detection (LODs) of 0.075–0.20 µg/L in water/serum samples and 0.10–0.20 ng/g in fish muscle. Furthermore, Fe3O4@F-COF served as an effective matrix for laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (LDI-MSI), enabling the visualization and quantification of GenX in exposed animal kidney tissue with a linear range of 0.05–50 mg/L and LOD of 0.01 mg/L. These results establish the Fe3O4@F-COF combined LDI-MS as a highly versatile and sensitive platform for the analysis and imaging of PFECAs in environmental and biological matrices.

Grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV) is one of the most severe and widespread viruses affecting grapevines, causing significant economic losses by reducing crop quality and vineyard longevity. As no curative treatment exists, disease prevention relies essentially on prophylactic measures. The standard detection method, double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA), is reliable and cost-effective but unsuitable for rapid, on-site testing. Additionally, electrochemical biosensors, which are widely used in medical diagnostics for rapid and user-friendly analysis, are still largely underexplored in agriculture. Here, we present a Double-Nanobody Sandwich Electrochemical (DNS-EC) assay for the rapid amperometric on-field monitoring of GFLV. High-affinity nanobodies, Nb75 and Nb59, targeting distinct viral epitopes, were integrated onto screen-printed gold electrodes for virus capturing, and the detection was achieved through enzymatic signal amplification using Nb75 and Nb59 fused to alkaline phosphatase (Nb75AP and Nb59AP), allowing subnanogram sensitivity within 30 min of total assay time. Validation with 15 field samples demonstrated 93% sensitivity (1 false negative) and 100% specificity (no false positives) compared to DAS-ELISA. This rapid, sensitive, and portable biosensor (with smartphone-based potentiostat compatibility) represents a promising technology for on-site GFLV diagnosis, advancing disease management in vineyards.

Synthetic antioxidants have become increasingly common pollutants across various environmental matrices, raising concerns about their potential migration into food and subsequent ingestion by humans. In this work, Fe3O4@hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets (Fe3O4@BN) composite was fabricated by a hydrothermal method and applied as inorganic matrix for the analysis of various synthetic antioxidants (2,6-di-tert-butyl-hydroxytoluene, dibenzothiazine, Irganox 2246, Irganox 565, and tns-(2.4-di-tert-butyl)-phosphite) by surface-assisted desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI-MS). The limit of detection of 2,6-di-tert-butyl-hydroxytoluene (BHT) in aquaculture wastewater and Irganox 565 in human serum were 0.25 and 1 mu g/L, respectively. Moreover, quantitative detection of tns-(2.4-di-tert-butyl)-phosphite (AO 168) in exposed cactus samples was assessed by laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (LDI-MSI) using Fe3O4@BN inorganic matrix. AO 168 was determined within the 10-1000 mu g/L linear range with a limit of detection of 2.5 mu g/L. The results demonstrated that the Fe3O4@BN nanocomposite offers excellent sensitivity and effectively detect synthetic antioxidants when applied to real-world samples using SALDI-MS & MSI.

Expression of concern for ‘Efficient capture and photothermal ablation of planktonic bacteria and biofilms using reduced graphene oxide–polyethyleneimine flexible nanoheaters’ by Milica Budimir et al. , J. Mater. Chem. B , 2019, 7 , 2771–2781, https://doi.org/10.1039/C8TB01676C.

Expression of concern for ‘An ‘on-demand’ photothermal antibiotic release cryogel patch: evaluation of efficacy on an ex vivo model for skin wound infection’ by Léa Rosselle, et al., Biomater. Sci., 2020, 8, 5911–5919, https://doi.org/10.1039/D0BM01535K.

Autologous or allogeneic platelet-derived extracellular vesicles (pEVs) show potential in enhancing tissue recovery and healing chronic wounds. pEVs promote neovascularization and cell migration while reducing inflammation, oxidative stress, and scarring. However, their efficacy in clinical settings is challenged by their susceptibility to washout by wound exudate. Hydrogel-based bandages are effective carriers that stabilize pEVs for optimal personalized wound care. These bandages can be tailored for easy removal to minimize damage to regenerated tissue and can incorporate antibacterial or moisture-retaining properties. Furthermore, the possibility of integrating sensors in the wound bed will enable a theragnostic approach to healing. This review explores advancements in pEV-loaded hydrogels and their potential for personalized clinical applications.

A promising way to address environmental problems caused by plastic waste is through its upcycling into renewable energy and resources.With annual production reaching millions of tons,one of the most widely single-use daily plastics,polyethylene terephthalate(PET),has recently been investigated in terms of chemical recycling to reduce its environmental impact and generate renewable fuels.This study intro-duces an innovative electrochemical method for the specific conversion of PET hydrolysate into high-value compounds utilizing CoCuOx@MXene/NF catalyst.Our findings revealed that the electrocatalyst was capable of facilitating the conversion of water into hydrogen(H2),while simultaneously oxidizing ethylene glycol(EG),obtained from PET plastic waste hydrolysis,into formate with a high selectivity and lower initial potential compared to water oxidation.Notably,the exceptional performance was attributed to the synergistic interfacial electronic coupling effect between CoCuOx and MXene,which results in a low overpotential(1.24 V@10 mA cm-2)and a high yield of formate product(87.6％).In addi-tion,the electrolyzer could be operated using solar energy panel for upcycling of PET to formic acid and hydrogen fuels by using CoCuOx@MXene catalyst.

Correction for ‘Diamond nanowires modified with poly[3-(pyrrolyl)carboxylic acid] for the immobilization of histidine-tagged peptides’ by Palaniappan Subramanian et al., Analyst, 2014, 139, 4343–4349, https://doi.org/10.1039/C4AN00146J.