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• Improvement potential of deep IGCtH are first assessed by advanced exergy analysis. • Efficiency of deep IGCtH are measured and compared by CExC per kg hydrogen as index. • CExC per kg hydrogen reduction by 16.4% for deep IGCtH compared with Lurgi SGCtH. • Lowest cost by deep IGCtH and better ability to resist market risk than Lurgi SGCtH. • Carbon tax of 132 RMB/t CO 2 for deep IGCtH with 80% CR equalize cost of without CCS. The deep in-situ gasification based coal-to-hydrogen (deep IGCtH) is attracting attention for its unique advantage in utilizing unrecoverable coal seam. In this paper, its improvement scope in energy conversion and utilization is analyzed using advanced exergy analysis, and the efficiency from cumulative exergy consumption (CExC) perspective and economic competitiveness with Lurgi surface gasification based coal-to-hydrogen (Lurgi SGCtH), coke-oven gas-to-hydrogen (COGtH) and natural gas-to-hydrogen (NGtH) are compared. Results indicate 39.9 % and 25.1 % of the exergy destruction of deep IGCtH and Lurgi SGCtH are unavoidable, while steam methane reforming and coal gasification possess the largest improvable potential, with avoidable endogenous/exogenous destruction of 96.63 MW/81.58 MW and 162.52 MW/151.19 MW, suggesting thermodynamic improvement can also be achieved by improving other components or optimizing process structure in addition to increasing its own efficiency. The CExC of deep IGCtH outputting 1 kg hydrogen is only 83.6 % that of Lurgi SGCtH, indicating it is more efficient route with significantly energy consumption reduction and can better demonstrate its efficiency advantage under large production capacity condition. The deep IGCtH shows only 68.7 % that of Lurgi SGCtH in investment and also presents significant advantage in cost. However, its profitability advantage over NGtH loses with hydrogen price increasing and there exists lower limit on capacity of 0.46 billion Nm3 to maintain cost and profitability competitiveness over COGtH. Furthermore, deep IGCtH shows emission reduction cost advantage over Lurgi SGCtH when capture rate exceeds 80 %, and profitability will not be limited by carbon tax and coal seam thickness within the considered range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Species distribution of Na & Cl in kitchen waste and hydrothermal products was quantified. • Feedstocks and cooking method had little effect on Na & Cl migration. • All Na and inorganic Cl ionically flow into liquid phase during hydrothermal carbonization. • The content of organic chlorine retained in hydrochar was 0.21–0.32 wt%. • 90% of organic Cl can be removed by adding Na 2 CO 3 solution or pyrolysis treatment. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a sustainable approach to recover nutrients from kitchen waste (KW) to realize the applications of hydrochar as fuel, soil amendment and so on. However, the salt content of KW can be as high as 5 wt%, which brings potential risks for product utilization. Thus, the migration path of endogenous (from ingredients) and exogenous (from condiments) Na & Cl in KW during HTC process was investigated. Results showed that the endogenous and total Na element in KW was 0.03–2.98 wt% and 2.97–4.82 wt%, respectively. The main form of sodium was water-soluble (48–82%). The KW feedstocks and cooking methods had little effect on the migration of Na & Cl. During HTC treatment, all sodium element was transformed into water-soluble state, subsequently about 97% was dissolved into the liquid phase. The content of Na element in hydrochar was only below 0.05 wt%, so its negative effect can be negligible. As for the fate of chlorine, the endogenous and total Cl element in KW was 0.31–1.62 wt% and 1.82–3.19 wt%, respectively, and the main form was inorganic Cl accounting for 83–91%. During HTC treatment, about 40–75% of endogenous organochlorine was converted into inorganic Cl by breaking C-Cl bonds, and all inorganic Cl was leached into the liquid phase. In this pattern, partial organochlorine remained in hydrochar with a content of 0.21–0.32 wt%, which need to be further reduced. Methods of adding Na 2 CO 3 solution or HTC-pyrolysis were effective, and approximately 90% of the organic Cl can be removed. Based on the above findings, this study can provide theoretical guidance for the value-added conversion of solid waste with high moisture and high salinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A pH- & redox-responsive system was developed for CPT delivery. • CPT@Zein-FA improves the bioactivity of CPT against lepidopteran pests. • CPT@Zein-FA has baiting properties that accelerate the death of pests. Pesticides are critical to securing crop yields, but the extremely low utilization of conventional pesticides puts a serious strain on human development and the environment. Natural product pesticides meet the needs of sustainable development, but challenges like high costs and slow efficacy hinder their widespread use. Camptothecin (CPT) is a natural product with potent bioactivity for various insect pests, but its bioactivity for lepidopteran pests is limited due to the ring-opening in their alkaline midgut. To enhance CPT's efficacy, a nanopesticide CPT@Zein-FA, which consists of the plant-derived zein and ferulic acid (FA), was designed and verified to be able to improve the bioactivity of CPT against lepidopteran pests including Ostrinia furnacalis , Spodoptera frugiperda and Mythimna separata. The nanopesticide CPT@Zein-FA approximately 100 nm in size, exhibited uniform dispersion, strong adhesion, and stability. CPT@Zein-FA utilizes pH and redox dual response mechanisms to achieve protection in the midgut environment and release in the hemocoel/intracellular environment. With the help of zein bait, CPT@Zein-FA can also promote the feeding of insects and accelerate their death. Metabolomic analysis revealed CPT's lethal impact on insect metabolism by inhibiting nucleotide synthesis, disrupting body size and development through lipid metabolism and insect hormone synthesis inhibition. This work provides new ideas for the large-scale application of natural product pesticides and contributes to the sustainable development of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Urine pretreatment is utilized to boost the MCFAs production for the first time. • 25% urine pretreatment promotes MCFAs production and selectivity by up to 4.3 times. • Urine pretreatment improves WAS degradation in anaerobic fermentation. • Urine pretreatment promotes the electron transfer efficiency from WAS to MCFAs. • Urine pretreatment boosts the solubilization, hydrolysis, acidification, and CE steps. Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) represent a promising form of energy recovered from waste activated sludge (WAS) through anaerobic fermentation. However, the low WAS degradability hindered the MCFAs generation from WAS. In this study, urine pretreatment of 5 – 25 wt% was applied to enhance the MCFAs production in anerobic WAS fermentation with ethanol as an electron donor. Urine pretreatment (5 – 25 wt%) dose-dependently improved the MCFAs production by 0.8 – 3.3 times (from 2.4 to 4.4 – 12.8 g chemical oxygen demand (COD)/L) and enhanced the MCFAs selectivity by 0.8 – 3.5 times (from 12.2 % to 21.4 % – 54.4 %). Urine pretreatment (5 – 25 wt%) improved WAS degradation by up to 54.8 % and enhanced electron transfer efficiency from substrates (i.e. WAS and ethanol) to MCFAs by up to 18.6 %, which contributed to the improvement in MCFAs production. According to model-based analysis, the MCFAs production potential (P m) rose from 2.71 ± 0.09 g COD/L with 0 % urine pretreatment to 4.51 – 13.11 g COD/L with 5 – 25 wt% urine pretreatment, while the lag phase (λ) decreased from 5.30 d to 4.67 – 3.08 d, which may be the reason for the improved MCFAs production. Additionally, urine pretreatment significantly facilitated each step involved in the MCFAs generation, i.e. solubilization, hydrolysis, acidification, and chain elongation, by up to 600 %, 51 %, 17 %, and 42 %, respectively. This study for the first time reported an innovative method, urine pretreatment, enhances energy recovery by MCFAs from WAS through anaerobic fermentation, which potentially brings wastewater treatment plants economic and environmental profits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • ZIF-8 micro-/nano-crystals are controllably grown soy protein for the first time. • Different sizes of ZIF-8 is used to achieve selective hydrophobic modification. • Hydrophilic/superhydrophobic patterned surface has good water collection property. Abstract Inspired by the Stenocara beetle that can collect water from moist air in the Namib desert, here, we propose a simple dynamic control of crystal growth of ZIF on a natural polymer, soy protein. By adjusting the precursor concentration as well as the crystal growth time, hierarchical micro-/nano-crystals are constructed on the protein film surface. Taking advantage of the size difference of such crystals, selectively hydrophobic modification with a low surface-energy agent, stearic acid, can be performed on the surface, creating controllably hydrophilic/superhydrophobic patterns in favor of efficient water harvesting from fog. The effects of the as-prepared patterns on the water condensation behavior and collection efficiency are investigated; the maximum water collection efficiency, notably, can reach as high as 917.6 mg·cm−2·h−1. The results suggest that the biomimetic films hold a potential application in atmospheric water collection and the simple pattern-constructing approach is helpful to develop functional surface-patterned materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Raw hydrochar from HTL of municipal sludge has a low value for combustion. • Hydrochar can be upgraded to a solid fuel by acid washing with phosphorus recovery. • Acidic leaching can mitigate slagging/fouling risks for hydrochar combustion. • Hydrochar combustion is controlled by a two-step nth-order reaction mechanism. • Acid modification reduced activation energy for hydrochar combustion. Hydrochar from hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of municipal sludge is often seen as waste. Initially, acidic leaching has been performed on hydrochar to recover phosphorus. This study evaluated the resulting hydrochar as solid fuel, thus achieving zero waste for integrating HTL into wastewater treatment plants. The effects of various leaching conditions on acid-modified hydrochar properties were examined. Compared to raw hydrochar, acid-modified hydrochar had a significant ash reduction (up to 44%). The leaching conditions (10 mL of 0.6 N HNO 3 /g for 2 h) for near-complete phosphorus extraction also achieved the following most desirable properties of acid-modified hydrochar: Maximized fuel ratio (1.3), higher heating value (20.5 MJ/kg), carbon content (48%), and minimized ash content (34%) on a dry basis. By removing most alkali and alkaline earth metals, acid-modified hydrochar could carry a low slagging and fouling risk compared to a high/severe risk for raw hydrochar. Acidic leaching also enhanced ignition temperature from 317 to 351 °C for safer storage and transportation of hydrochar, with a higher comprehensive combustion index (up to 9.9 × 10−8 min−2 °C−3). Overall, hydrochar fuel property was improved by acid modification, comparable to bituminous coal. For the first time, it was identified that hydrochar combustion was controlled by a two-step nth-order reaction mechanism f(α) = (1 − α)n with the reaction order changing from 3 to 1 as progressed. The acid modification did not affect combustion mechanisms but reduced activation energy in the first stage. The results demonstrated a sustainable approach for closing the waste loop and provided a pathway for transforming hydrochar into biofuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Correlation models of hydrochar properties based on random forest was obtained. • Relative significances of organic components and reaction parameters were acquired. • Kitchen waste with high lipid and low carbohydrate is suitable for fuel utilization. • Kitchen waste derived hydrochar can be used in saline-alkali land. • Kitchen waste of high protein and lipid is expected to be excellent adsorbents. Due to the complex and variable composition of kitchen waste (KW), it is difficult to master the product properties after hydrothermal carbonization treatment. In this study, random forest method was adopted to firstly predict the application performance of hydrochar from the perspectives of fuel, soil amendment and adsorbent. A total of 9 correlation models were established, with organic components and reaction parameters taken as input variables. The training set was supported by 132 literature data and 153 experimental data, with 18 experimental data as testing set. Results showed that the correlation coefficients of 9 models were up to 0.89–0.99. The relative significance of input variables was also acquired by mean decrease impurity method. It was found that the effects of reaction temperature/time on hydrochar properties were relatively negligible. Thus, hydrochar properties can be generally predicted based on the composition of KW feedstocks. The high heating value of hydrochar was mainly in the range of 20–30 MJ/kg, which was comparable to that of coal. To obtain hydrochar with good fuel performance, KW with high lipid (>50%) and low carbohydrate (<25%) is suitable. The pH value and cation exchange capacity of hydrochar was 3.23–5.69 and 1.08–42.37 cmol+/kg, respectively, which can be used for the improvement of saline-alkali land. KW of high protein (>35%), high lipid (>25%) and low carbohydrate (<35%) was potential to be converted into excellent adsorbents with specific surface area over 2000 m2/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Fenton/CaO-treated sludge gasification ash is used as adsorbent. • The sludge gasification ash shows the best H 2 S and NH 3 adsorption performance at 1173 K. • The CaO conditioned ash with better pore structures boosts the SO 2 adsorption performance. • The conversion of H 2 S to sulfate and sulfide is improved by iron-calcium compounds. • The adsorption of NH 3 mainly depended on the acid sites carbon structures at 873 K. Abstract Gasification technology can effectively convert the organic substances to combustible gas, but the high content of inorganic matter in sludge will cause a large amount of gasification ash needed to be utilized remaining. On the basis of our previous study, Fenton's reagent (Fe2+/H 2 O 2) and CaO conditioning brought more Fe- and Ca-containing compounds, providing the potential for gasification ash as adsorbent. This study explored the mechanism of sludge gasification ash sorbent for sulfur and nitrogen containing pollutants removal. Conditioned sludge was gasified in a lab-scale fixed bed at 873 and 1173 K, then SO 2 , H 2 S and NH 3 adsorption experiments were conducted in a self-designed reactor to evaluate in situ adsorption capacity of gasification ash. According to the results, gasification ash was more suitable for the adsorption and degradation of H 2 S and NH 3 at high temperature with outlet concentration reaching the minimum of 14 and 30 ppm respectively. Iron substances can promote the surface structure of ash, while the surface area pretreated with CaO was increased twice as large as that of raw sludge ash, which can partly explain the SO 2 adsorption performance. The raw sludge gasification ash mainly promoted the decomposition of H 2 S to sulfur, while the iron and calcium salts in gasification ash converted H 2 S to sulfides and sulfates cooperatively. As for NH 3 , the adsorbents also showed great removal effect at 873 K, mainly depending on the carbon structure and surface Lewis acid sites measured by in situ FTIR. With temperature increasing, the catalytic effect of calcium and iron compounds, which can react with NH 3 to form intermediates, played a dominant role in the decomposition of NH 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Hydrothermal decomposition of sludge was not complete at 290 °C-15 min condition. • N-heterocyclic compounds were the most abundant in HTL aqueous phase. • Up to 2.3 g/L gallic acid equivalent phenolics were detected in HTL aqueous. • N-heterocyclics and phenolics were identified as possible inhibitory compounds. • No metal accumulation was detected in sludge-derived HTL aqueous phase. For the incorporation of the hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) process into wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), the liquid by-product of the process, named HTL aqueous, creates the biggest bottleneck because of its high volume and contaminant levels. In this study, an extensive characterization of various HTL aqueous samples, obtained from the liquefaction of mixed sludge cake at 290–360 °C and 0–30 min, was performed. From the most to least abundant, compounds found in HTL aqueous samples were N-heterocyclics, volatile fatty acids (VFAs), amides, ketones, amines, and phenolics. The characteristics that make HTL aqueous suitable for biological treatment were pH, alkalinity, macro- and micro-nutrients. However, along with N-heterocyclic compounds, total ammonia levels of 3.9–7.1 g/L and total phenol levels of 1.5–2.3 g/L were identified as compounds that would potentially inhibit biological treatment processes. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) levels of HTL aqueous samples were 87–103 g/L. HTL aqueous obtained under 325 °C-0 min (no retention at 325 °C) condition was identified as the most suitable for biological treatment owing to its high VFA (17 g/L), carbohydrate (827 mg/L), and low phenol (1.6 g/L) concentrations. By increasing HTL reaction severity (temperature and retention time), COD, dissolved protein, total carbohydrate, total phenol, and total short-chain VFA levels decreased, whereas total ammonia, pH, alkalinity, valeric acid, and iso -valeric acid concentrations increased. Regression analysis was used to obtain equations that reveal patterns between HTL reaction parameters and aqueous phase characteristics. Overall, a pretreatment application was found necessary for the detoxification of HTL aqueous before biological treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • High-energy ball-milling was conducted to regulate the surface property of Mn 3 O 4. • Ball-milled Mn 3 O 4 switched 1O 2 -dominated pathway into electron transfer process. • Electron transfer achieved higher intrinsic activity and PMS utilization. • Electron transfer exhibits practical applicability in water purification. • Mechanical force altered e g occupancy of Mn and contributed to reactive complex. Heterogeneous metal catalysts have attracted considerable interest in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) for wastewater treatment by activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS). However, it remains challenging to the rational design of efficient reaction pathway for high-performance contaminants removal by regulating the inherent structure of metal oxides. Herein, a high-energy ball milling method was employed to modulate the electronic structure of hausmannite (denoted as BM Mn 3 O 4), which achieved the switching of singlet oxygen into electron transfer process (ETP)-dominated activation of PMS for efficient removal of bisphenol A - an emerging organic pollutant. The reaction pathway was evidenced through galvanic oxidation process, electrochemical techniques, and in-situ Raman spectroscopy, confirming the electrons transferred from pollutants to metastable PMS* complex with BM Mn 3 O 4 serving as electron shuttle. The ETP mechanism was verified to be closely correlated with decreased e g occupancy of Mn in BM Mn 3 O 4 , offering high spatial overlapping with O 2p orbital in PMS for generating PMS* complex. Benefitting from the fine-tuned ETP, BM Mn 3 O 4 /PMS system showed enhanced intrinsic activity, higher PMS utilization efficiency, and practical applicability for selective oxidation of electron-rich pollutants. This study provided new insights into rational design of reaction-oriented catalysts for environmental engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Treatment capacity of an AD digester is expanded by 50% using FA pretreatment. • FA pretreatment and decreased SRT increase biomass-specific hydrolysis rate by 80% • FA pretreatment improves removal of pathogen by 1.3–2.0 log with capacity expansion. • FA pretreatment increases ARGs removal by 34–86% while increasing capacity. Population growth rapidly increased waste activated sludge (WAS) production in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), making the expansion of sludge treatment capacity urgent. Free ammonia (FA) pretreatment is experimentally applied to expand the treatment capacity of an anaerobic digester through reducing sludge retention time (SRT) for the first time. Two semi-continuous flow mesophilic (37 °C) anaerobic digestion systems, control system with a uniform SRT of 12 d and the experimental systems with progressively reduced SRTs (from 12 d to 10 d and then 8 d), were operated for>7 months. The volatile solids (VS) destruction in the experimental system at a SRT of 8 d was comparable to the control system (30.0 ± 1.4 % vs 30.5 ± 1.7 %) but increased by 16.2 % (35.1 ± 1.5 % vs 30.2 ± 1.4 %) under an SRT of 10 d, which was supported by methane production and total chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal. The biomass-specific hydrolysis rate was significantly increased by up to 80 % (from 0.05 ± 0.01 g COD/g VS/d to 0.09 ± 0.01 g COD/g VS/d), which may contribute to the expanded capacity. The volatile fatty acids (VFAs)/alkalinity of systems maintained a reasonable range (0.01 – 0.06), suggesting the stability of digesters. FA pretreatment played a dominant role in the changes in the bacterial microbial community (52.80 % in PC1) and archaeal community (94.25 % in PC1). FA pretreatment improved the removal of pathogen by 1.3–2.0 log and antibiotic resistance genes by 34–86 %. This study first demonstrated that FA pretreatment expands the treatment capacity of an anaerobic digester by up to 50 % with economic and environmental benefits, promoting FA pretreatment to be a wider and pragmatic implementation for WWTPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • FA pretreatment enhanced vS removal by 12% in anaerobic primary sludge digestion. • Hydrolysis rate and degradability extent were improved by 27% and 9%. • Dewaterability of digested primary sludge was improved by 14% via FA pretreatment. • The removal of pathogens in primary sludge was improved by 0.6–1.4 log. • FA pretreatment could be implemented on the mixture of primary and secondary sludges. Primary sludge (PS) is one of the major sludge sources for anaerobic digesters in wastewater treatment plants. Although the impact of free ammonia (FA) pretreatment on methane production from anaerobic PS digestion was previously investigated using batch biochemical methane potential tests, these tests could not fully represent the continuous/semi-continuous anaerobic digestion that is currently used in practice. This study comprehensively evaluated the impact of FA pretreatment on the performance of anaerobic PS digestion for the first time using semi-continuous systems that run for over 120 days. FA pretreatment (560 mg NH 3 -N/L, 24 h) improved the volatile solids (VS) removal of PS by 12.2 % from 60.5 % to 67.9 %, with a similar improvement in total chemical oxygen demand removal of 14.9 % and methane production of 16.1 %. FA pretreatment increased the biomass-specific hydrolysis rate of digesters by 23.5 %. Model-based analysis revealed that the enhanced anaerobic digestion performance may be due to both the increased apparent hydrolysis rate (increased by 26.7 %) and the enhanced degradability extent (increased by 9.5 %) of PS, caused by FA pretreatment. The dewaterability of digested sludge was enhanced by 14.0 % due to FA pretreatment, which is also supported by the reduced capillary suction time from 15.1 s to 10.9 s. Removals of Fecal Coliform and E. Coli were enhanced by 0.6 and 1.4 log Most Probable Number/g vS by FA pretreatment. This study firstly manifested that FA pretreatment is a favourable approach to improve the performance of anaerobic PS digestion with extra benefits in pathogen removal and dewaterability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • We developed a novel solar-driven interfacial evaporator for continuous and efficient desalination. • The developed evaporator is based on the MXene-decorated magnetic phase-change microcapsules. • The microcapsules show high latent-heat capacity and high solar photothermal conversion efficiency. • The evaporator achieves an increase in evaporation mass under intermittent solar illumination. • This study offers an effective solution for salt acumination problem in seawater desalination. Solar-driven interfacial evaporators provide a powerful means for rapid wastewater purification and seawater desalination. However, there is still an immense challenge in interfacial evaporators with efficient energy utilization and long-term evaporation stability due to intermittent solar illumination and salt accumulation. To address these issues, we developed a novel type of interfacial evaporator based on the microencapsulated n -tetracosane and n -eicosane as twin phase-change material (PCM) cores with a SiO 2 /Fe 3 O 4 composite shell along with a surface-coated polypyrrole layer and surface-decorated MXene nanosheets. The resultant microcapsules act as both a solar absorber and a latent-heat storage material for sustainable evaporation of seawater. Benefiting from a rational combination of PCMs and solar absorbers, the evaporator based on the microcapsules achieved a high light absorption efficiency of 95.4 % together with evaporation rates of 2.04 and 4.11 kg·m−2·h−1 under 1.0-sun and 2.0-sun illumination, respectively. Owing to the photothermal energy released by the PCM cores, the developed evaporator exhibits a consecutive and stable evaporation behavior even without solar illumination. Compared to conventional evaporators without a PCM, there is an increase by 0.45 kg·m−2 in the yield of the distilled water obtained from the developed evaporator under 2.0-sun illumination and then in the dark environment. Based on magnetic Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles in the silica-matrix shell, the separability of the microcapsules from the accumulated salt crystals was improved through simple washing and magnetic separation. Through an innovative integration of magnetic phase-change microcapsules and solar absorbers, this study will provide a new idea and promising approach for the sustainable evaporation system design based on solar energy utilization for applications of seawater desalination and wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of anions on the polymerization and adsorption processes of Cu(II) ion-imprinted polymers (Cu(II)-IIPs) were investigated. Cu(II)-IIPs were synthesized by bulk polymerization with copper salts containing different anions (SO 4 2− , Cl − , NO 3 − and CH 3 COO − ) as templates, methanol as solvent, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as crosslinking agent, and azodiisobutyronitrile as initiator. The introduction of diphenylcarbazide as a ligand greatly improved the adsorption performance. Methacrylic acid was selected as monomer. The anions in the template, especially for Cl − and CH 3 COO − , have significant influences on the polymerization process. Characterization of synthesized four Cu(II)-IIPs was conducted by scanning electron microscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, zeta potential, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Brunauer, Emmett and Teller method. The synthesized Cu(II)-IIPs exhibit higher adsorption capacity and faster adsorption rate than the adsorbents reported previously. The adsorption capacities of synthesized four Cu(II)-IIPs increase with the increase of initial Cu(II) ion concentration and pH value. The orthogonal experiment was designed using four Cu(II)-IIPs and four aqueous solutions with different anions to explore the effects of anions on adsorption capacity and selectivity. Due to different ionic radii, the adsorption capacities of four Cu(II)-IIPs for CuCl 2 solution are the highest and the adsorption capacities of Cu(II)-IIP synthesized with Cl − for all aqueous solutions are the lowest. The adsorption capacity of Cu(CH 3 COO) 2 -IIP is lower than that of the other three IIPs for four aqueous solutions with different anions because of the organic anion CH 3 COO − . Zn(II), Ni(II), and Co(II) ions were selected as competitive ions for Cu(II) ion. The adsorption selectivity of synthesized Cu(II)-IIPs with different anions in the templates follows the sequence CH 3 COO − > Cl − > SO 4 2− > NO 3 − . Moreover, Cu(II)-IIPs exhibit excellent regeneration ability and can be used repeatedly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) conditions were optimized for max energy recovery. • Energy recovery was linearly and positively correlated to biocrude yield. • HTL byproducts (aqueous and hydrochar) were minimized at the optimal conditions. • High HTL reaction severities improved biocrude quality (more C and less heteroatoms). • Elemental distribution (including metals) among HTL products was evaluated. The treatment of significant amounts of municipal sewage sludge requires novel and efficient technologies. This study evaluated hydrothermal liquefaction as a means to sustainably convert sludge waste into a renewable energy source – biocrude, which can mitigate both environmental and energy-related challenges. Response surface methodology was employed to investigate the effects of reaction temperature (290–360 °C) and residence time (0–30 min) on product yield and biocrude quality. Both the highest and the lowest reaction temperature or residence time had negative effects on biocrude yield and energy recovery (ER), while high reaction severities improved biocrude quality. Under optimized conditions (332 °C for 16.9 min), biocrude yield (48.9%, dry ash-free) and ER (70.8%) were maximized. Biocrude composition followed the order of N-heterocycles > O-heterocycles > hydrocarbons, while nitrogenous compounds reduced, and hydrocarbons increased with reaction temperature. More distillable fractions in biocrude were also produced at higher reaction severities. The possible reaction pathways of biocrude formation were discussed and updated to include catalytic effects on inherent metals and Brønsted (acidic and basic) sites. The high content of O (7.8–13.1%), N (4.4–4.9%), and TAN (48.6–63.6 mg KOH/g) suggested the necessity of biocrude upgrading. Separating and recycling trace metals (e.g., 497–656 mg/kg Fe) from biocrude are necessary to relieve upgrading challenges. C, N, and P were mostly distributed into HTL biocrude, aqueous, and hydrochar, respectively, allowing their recovery. Most metals were concentrated in hydrochar. The results contribute to the advancement of the state of the art in biorefinery, which will guide the design of full-scale HTL sludge treatment systems combining resource recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The electrolyte composed of H 2 SO 4 /H 3 PO 4 can form enhanced hydrogen bond network. • The prototype anode achieved ultra-long cycling stability in the electrolyte. • A high rate capability of 33 mAh g−1 at 100 A g−1 was achieved for the full-cell. • The stability of the full-cell is also improved during the wide temperature range. Aqueous hydrogen ion batteries (HIBs) are emerging as a potential alternative to lithium ion batteries due to their advantages in cost effectivity and intrinsic safety. However, their low cycling performances due to instability of electrode materials in acidic electrolytes significantly retard the practical applications of HIBs. Herein, we propose a simple composite acidic electrolyte composed of H 2 SO 4 and H 3 PO 4 to improve the cycling stability of the normal anode. Intriguingly, the hydrogen bonds within the as-prepared electrolyte are strongly enhanced compared with in the electrolytes of either component alone, which efficiently reduces dissolution of the anode material and promotes intercalation of hydrogen ions. Benefiting from this effect, the prototype MoO 3 anode showed an excellent long-term cycling stability in the electrolyte with 85% capacity retention at 5 A g−1 even after 2000 cycles. The assembled full-cell also presented outstanding electrochemical performances including high rate capability of 33 mAh g−1 at 100 A g−1 and improved stability to a wide temperature change from 0 to 60 °C. This work sheds light on the design of advanced electrolytes for HIBs and may provide basis for potentially promoting aqueous batteries towards practical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • We developed a new type of phase-change composites for solar-driven seawater desalination. • The composites are based on polyimide/MXene hybrid aerogel and PEG phase change material. • The composites show high latent-heat capacity and high solar photothermal conversion efficiency. • The composites exhibit a seawater evaporation rate of 1.24 kg·m−2·h−1 under one sun illumination. • The composites have great potential for the application in sustainable seawater desalination. Aiming to explore a high-efficient seawater desalination technique based on solar photothermal energy as the cleanest and most abundant renewable energy source, we developed a novel type of phase-change composites based on a polyimide (PI)/MXene hybrid aerogel as a supporting material and polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a phase change material. The introduction of Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene nanosheets as a high-efficient sunlight absorber not only significantly enhanced solar photothermal energy-conversion efficiency up to 87.28% for the aerogel/PEG composites, but also improved the volume capacity of the hybrid aerogels. This resulted in an extremely high PEG loading rate of up to 97.68 wt% and a high enthalpy efficiency of up to 95.16%. The hybrid aerogel/PEG composites also exhibit an outstanding thermal energy-storage capability under a high latent heat capacity of over 170 J·g−1, high thermal cycle stability, good leakage-resistant performance, excellent thermal impact resistance, and good shape/form stability to deal with the use in seawater desalination. More importantly, the hybrid aerogel/PEG composites show a high seawater evaporation mass of 6.07 kg·m−2, a high evaporation rate of 1.24 kg·m−2·h−1 under one-sun illumination, and a high evaporation efficiency of 50.6% when used in a solar-driven evaporation device. The PI/MXene hybrid aerogel/PEG composites developed by this work exhibit a great potential for application in sustainable seawater desalination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Up to 99.5% V(V) and 80.7% U(VI) were synchronously removed. • U(VI) and V(V) were biologically reduced to insoluble U(IV) and V(IV) • Several functional U(VI) and V(V) reducing bacteria were identified. • Temporal change of pH, TOC and sulfate suggested sequential mixotrophy occurred. • Thiobacillus , Bacteroides and Azotobacter contributed to U(VI) and V(V) removal. Mining and smelting of vanadium uranium ore results in the release and coexistence of vanadium and uranium in environment, raising severe risks. The feasibility of synchronous removal of pentavalent vanadium (V(V)) and hexavalent uranium (U(VI)) was investigated in mixotrophic column reactor packed with woodchips and elemental sulfur (S0). The impact of various groundwater chemistry (i.e., elevated V(V) or U(VI)) and hydraulic retention time was investigated. Over the course of the 140-day experiment, the removal efficiencies of U(VI) and V(VI) ranged from 55.1 to 80.7% and 52.2 to 99.5%, respectively. The soluble V(V) and U(VI) were transformed into insoluble V(IV) and U(IV), and further removed in the form of precipitation. Several functional V(V) and U(VI) reducing microorgisms including Azospira , Luteolibacter , Azotobacter , Meniscus , Pseudomonas , Thiobacillus and Bacteroides, were identified and they had close partnerships. Further, the co-occurrence network revealed autotrophic sulfur oxidizing bacteria Thiobacillus was positively correlated with other heterotrophic bacteria. The carbohydrate metabolism and digestive system related genes were enriched in the final stage. Multiple lines of evidence suggested a mixotrophic process occurred in the woodchip- and sulfur-based column reactor, offering promising strategies for synchronous management of V(V) and U(VI) contaminated groundwater via mixotrophic processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Sludge-derived ash and hydrochar are promising waste sources for P recovery. • P recovery from hydrochar is significant for implementing hydrothermal liquefaction. • Feasibilities and challenges of wet-chemical methods for P recovery are identified. • Sequential extraction is practical and effective to address metal interference. • The integration of wastewater treatment and resource recovery is prospected. Phosphorus (P) is a non-renewable resource, and its recovery and recycling are necessary for meeting future P demands and environmental conservation. Ash and hydrochar from incineration and hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of municipal sludge, respectively, represent promising sources for efficient P recovery. The full-scale application of wet-chemical techniques has proven their technical feasibility for P recovery from sludge-derived ash. HTL for sludge treatment has received significant attention for producing biocrude with net-positive energy recovery. P recovery from the solid by-product of sludge HTL, hydrochar, is a critical step in holistic sustainable sludge management. This review aims to guide P recovery from sludge-derived ash and hydrochar by presenting recent advances in wet-chemical extraction and precipitation. By comparing their characteristics, ash and hydrochar derived from municipal sludge exhibit similar feasibilities and challenges for P recovery. Extraction is recognized as the critical step for P recovery. The advantages and disadvantages of various P extraction approaches are provided. Acidic extraction achieves high efficiency (up to 100%) but requires removal of co-extracted heavy metals. Alkaline extraction prevents metals contamination but shows low efficiency (<70%). Sequential extraction is first identified as an important advance in this review, with promising P extraction efficiencies (70–91%) and low metal interferences. Three possible fertilizers (struvite, calcium phosphates, and vivianite) are recommended through the final precipitation, given their pros and cons of recovery. Ultimately, this review highlights the need for a wastewater biorefinery integrating wastewater treatment, HTL (energy recovery), and nutrient recovery for sustainable sludge management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A self-thermoregulatory enzyme carrier was designed for immobilization of laccase. • The enzyme carrier was constructed by Au/PDA-functionalized phase-change microcapsules. • The enzyme carrier can perform thermal self-regulation during the biocatalytic process. • Enzyme activity can be improved for immobilized laccase on this carrier at high temperatures. • This study provides a new strategy for biocatalytic enhancement of immobilized enzymes. The immobilized enzymes on conventional solid carriers usually have to suffer from progressive deterioration in biocatalytic activity at high temperatures. To address such an annoying problem, we designed a self-thermoregulatory enzyme carrier system based on phase-change microcapsules for immobilization of laccases. A primary phase-change microcapsule system was first fabricated with n -docosane as a phase change material core and silica as an inorganic shell via interfacial polycondensation, and then a polydopamine/gold nanoparticles hybrid layer was coated on the surface of silica shell through surfactant-assisted self-assembly and in-situ reduction of Au ions to form the enzyme carrier. The introduction of n -docosane core endows the enzyme carrier with a thermal self-regulation function through phase transition. A laccase was immobilized onto the surface of this enzyme carrier by using an immobilized copper chelate method. The resultant immobilized laccase exhibits a perfect layer-by-layer core-shell microstructure and a satisfactory latent heat-storage capacity over 120 J/g. By a unique combination of laccase and the self-thermoregulatory enzyme carrier, the resulting immobilized laccase not only achieves a significant improvement in biocatalytic activity at high temperatures due to in-situ thermal management and temperature regulation by its n -docosane core during the biocatalytic process, but also gains an enhancement in thermal and storage stabilities. In addition, the immobilized laccase on the novel enzyme carrier developed by this work demonstrates outstanding performance in operation reliability, phase-change reversibility, thermal and shape stabilities, reusability, and tolerance to various metal ions and organic solvent for practical biocatalytic applications along with effective thermal self-regulation. This study offers an innovative strategy for design and development of immobilized enzymes with an enhanced enzyme activity for biocatalytic applications in a wider temperature region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sawdust-aided thermal hydrolysis significantly improved sludge dewaterability. • Effective hydrolysis temperature was lowered from 180 °C to 150 °C by sawdust. • Vector relations of zeta potential-pH in co-thermal hydrolysis were revealed. • Sawdust was able to accelerate thermal hydrolysis reaction. • Sludge derived fuel had a better combustion performance. To simultaneously solve problems of high water content and poor fuel performance hindering sludge incineration, carbonaceous skeleton-aided thermal hydrolysis was firstly developed in this study. Results showed that thermal hydrolysis could break sludge particle and release bound water. Sawdust as a typical carbonaceous skeleton improved permeability of sludge, decreased the specific resistance to filtrate significantly and lowered effective thermal hydrolysis temperature from 180 °C to 150 °C. The water content of sawdust-aided 150 °C hydrolysis sludge reached 42.2% after dewatered at 1 MPa. Zeta potential was not always linked to sludge dewatering performance after carbonaceous skeleton-aided thermal hydrolysis. The changes of zeta potential-pH in sawdust-aided thermal hydrolysis at different temperature, which was affected by aliphatic acid and acetic acid derived from sludge and sawdust respectively, were vector sums of that in hydrolysis alone. Zeta potential-pH vector relations and filtrate composition revealed that sawdust could interact with sludge and accelerate thermal hydrolysis reaction. Maillard reaction was the main color reaction in thermal hydrolysis consuming protein and polysaccharide in EPS. There were two stages for the combustion of derived fuel. Thermal hydrolysis could homogenize the sludge and reduce the temperature intervals between two stages. More fixed carbon, higher heating values and comprehensive combustibility index suggested a better combustion performance of derived fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood circulation and antitumor mechanism of nanodrugs. • AgPd bimetallic nanozyme possesses outstanding peroxidase-like activity. • Superior catalytic efficacy of AgPd nanozyme results from alloying of Ag and Pd. • The lower pH value (7.4–5.5), the stronger catalytic ability of AgPd nanozyme. • AgPd nanozyme has higher photothermal conversion efficiency than Ag nanoparticle. We prepared an Ag/Pd bimetallic nanozyme with the peroxidase-like activity as a nanocarrier to load doxorubicin (DOX). It combines photothermal conversion ability and catalytic production of hydroxyl radicals (HO•) to achieve enhanced antitumor effects. The temperature rise under near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation was recorded to demonstrate the photothermal conversion ability of the Ag/Pd bimetallic nanoparticles (AgPd NPs). The peroxidase-like activity of the AgPd NPs was visually characterized by a color rendering experiment of TMB. Compared with bare Ag NPs, bimetallic AgPd NPs exhibit better photothermal conversion capability (η = 40.97%) and catalytic ability resulting from alloying with palladium. The antitumor effect was evaluated by cell experiments and tumor-bearing mice experiments, and it was confirmed that AgPd@BSA/DOX has excellent antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. These results indicate that the AgPd@BSA/DOX can effectively catalyze hydrogen peroxide to generate hydroxyl radicals and induce hyperthermia under the irradiation of the NIR laser while releasing the chemotherapy drug DOX to achieve triple modality treatment. Intrinsic enzymatic activity and photothermal property of AgPd@BSA/DOX can be synergized for efficient antitumor treatment, which provided a novel strategy for cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Highly porous carbon was obtained by activation of urea-assisted hydrochar. • Highly porous carbon possessed ultra-high surface area up to 3053 m2/g. • N-containing groups involving activation of hydrochar facilitated the porosity. • Good liner relation of between variations of surface area and N content was found. • Highly porous carbon showed excellent capacities for toluene and iodine adsorption. In order to promote the physicochemical properties and the pollutants adsorption capacities of porous carbon, a novel urea-assisted hydrothermal method was developed to produce N-doped hydrochar as an ideal precursor from orange peel waste. Different from the modification technologies for nitrogen doping, the highly porous carbon prepared by KOH activation of the urea-assisted hydrochar contained extremely low N content. But such sample showed ultra-high specific surface area up to 3053 m2/g, with 63% and 39% higher than the porous carbons through conventional N-free method and hydrochar-urea mixing activation method respectively. In-depth study revealed that during 600–800 °C activation procedure, the N-containing groups including pyridinic-N, pyridonic-N and graphitic-N in the urea-assisted hydrochar reacted sufficiently with K 2 CO 3 , an intermediate of KOH activation, and generated NH 3 , creating richer porous structures in carbon. Particularly, there was a good linear relationship between the relative increment of specific surface area and the relative reduction of N content in porous carbon when the activation temperature increasing. This connection can be served as a reference to increase the porosity of porous carbon through the activation of N-doped carbonaceous precursor. As for pollutants adsorption, the highly porous carbon from urea-assisted hydrochar possessed excellent toluene adsorption capacity up to 724 mg/g and iodine adsorption capacity up to 2252 mg/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This review discusses the development of mineral adsorbents for Hg0 removal. • Species, physicochemical characteristics and modification methods are summarised. • Mercury removal performance, influence factors and mechanisms are also summarised. • Modified mineral adsorbents are low-cost and effective in removing mercury. Mercury emissions from coal-fired power plant flue gas (CFFG 1 1 CFFG is an abbreviation for coal-fired power plant flue gas.) threaten the natural environment and human health, and this has attracted the attention of environmental protection departments and scientific researchers in recent years. Mineral adsorbents perform well at mercury removal and extensive studies on them have been conducted. This review discusses the progress in researching the application of mineral adsorbents to mercury emission control technologies applied to CFFG. The species and physicochemical characteristics of some common mineral adsorbents are briefly introduced and various modification methods, mainly including high temperature activation, acid activation, organic modification, inorganic modification and combinations of modifications, are summarised. As well, the mercury removal performance of various mineral adsorbents is evaluated, and the results indicate that removal performance relates to the actions of the mineral carrier combined with modification methods which are able to improve the physical structure of minerals and/or increase the number of active sites for mercury removal on the mineral surfaces. The effects of the main process parameters, including reaction temperature and flue gas components (O 2 , HCl, SO 2 , NO, H 2 O, Hg0, etc.), on mercury removal by different mineral adsorbents are also systematically reviewed. Moreover, the possible adsorption and oxidation approaches involved in the process of mercury removal by mineral adsorbents are discussed. This review indicates that the chemical active site is the key factor for mercury removal. Our economic evaluation indicates that the cost of mineral adsorbent is much lower than that of activated carbon, showing that mineral adsorbents have promise in terms of industrial applications. Finally, future work necessary for the continued development of mineral adsorbent injection technology for CFFG mercury control is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Large-scale and controllable preparation of NiFe 2 O 4 -FeNi/C composites. • RL min is −68.74 dB at 16.08 GHz with a thickness of 1.61 mm and a filler loading 30 wt%. • Effective absorption bandwidth can be up to 6.37 GHz at 1.9 mm. • The enhanced electromagnetic wave absorption mechanisms are investigated in detail. In the electronic information age, and even in the impending "intelligent era", electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbers have inevitably received more and more attention. However, their practical applications are currently limited by a lack of suitable mass-production strategies for high performance EMW absorbers. Herein, we propose a facile strategy for large-scale and controllable preparation of NiFe 2 O 4 -FeNi/C (NFO-FN/C) composites with various microstructural features advantageous to enhanced EMW absorption, including core-shell structure, porous structure, hierarchical nano-micro topography, and electromagnetic heterointerfaces. The composites are synthesized through the confinement pyrolysis of the polydopamine (PDA)-coated NiFe 2 O 4 (NFO), and their microstructural features can be facilely tailored by changing the number of PDA confinement. The synthesized composite of NFO-FN/C-2 performs best after two repetitions of PDA confinement throughout the preparation process, with a reflection loss (RL min) of −68.74 dB at a thickness of 1.61 mm and a broad effective absorption of 6.37 GHz at a thickness of 1.9 mm. This impressive EMW absorption performance is attributed to the synergistic effect of multiple loss mechanisms and excellent impedance matching derived from the tailored microstructural features of our EMW absorbers. This work provides a new perspective on the large-scale preparation of highly efficient EMW absorbing materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A serpentine structure with low curvature is designed to improve stability. • By sacrificing the substrate, the stretchability of the SSC electrode is improved. • The patterned electrolyte thin film was prepared. • The supercapacitor with high tensile strength and high stability was prepared. Optimizing electrode structures is a promising solution for wearable electronics and flexible power sources. Nevertheless, there are still significant challenges in how to get rid of the constraints of the substrate and electrolyte on the electrode structure, thereby reducing the impact of such constraints on the elongation of supercapacitors and stabilizing the electrochemical output. In this work, a serpentine structure of low curvature (SSLC) was designed and fabricated by comparing the effect of the curvature of the turning structure on the performance of the serpentine structure. The superiority of SSLC electrodes over existing electrode structures is verified using finite element analysis (FEA) and stability experiments. Further, the SSLC electrode is used for physiological signal detection (ECG, EMG, GSR), showing excellent stability and low electrode–skin contact impedance, which is better than the medical wet electrode. A high-stretch supercapacitor (SSC) was prepared by sacrificing the substrate of the SSLC electrode and integrating the patterned electrolyte film. When the scan rate is 10 mV·s−1, the area specific capacitance of SSC is as high as 197.9 mF·cm−2. Under extreme deformation conditions (stretch 100%, bend 180°, twist 180°) SSC can maintain stable output. And after 10,000 charge–discharge cycles, the SSC can still output 91.96% of the initial power stably, indicating that the prepared SSC has high stretchability and stability. With highly stretchable and stable low-curvature serpentine structure electrodes, the SSC coupled with patterned electrolyte films and sacrificial substrate electrodes in this paper offer a promising solution for stretchable flexible power supplies and wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sandwich-like ion-imprinted polymer (IIP) was prepared using functional graphene oxide (GO) as the support, acrylamide as the functional monomer, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the crosslinking agent in the presence of copper ions with various solvents (porogen). The effect of solvent type on polymerization process and properties of polymers was investigated. Methanol/acetonitrile was considered as the best porogen, and almost no redundant secondary polymer particles were produced. This can be explained by the good thermodynamic compatibility and slow phase separation property of monomers and crosslinking agents in polymerization process. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy were used to confirm the prepared IIP. The effects of pH, initial concentration of the Cu(II) aqueous solution, and contact time on adsorption behavior were investigated. Adsorption by prepared IIP was fast (adsorption equilibrium was reached within 15 min) and followed pseudo-second-order kinetic and Freundlich isotherm models. The IIP showed a good imprinted factor and the maximum adsorption capacity was up to 132.77 mg g −1 , which is higher than that of IIP prepared by bulk polymerization, owing to the large surface area of GO and surface imprinted technology. The selectivity factors for Cu/Zn, Cu/Ni, Cu/Co, and Cu/Cd were 36.33, 8.44, 77.3, and 8.5, respectively. The polymer showed a widely application prospect for recovery of Cu ions from aqueous solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synergies of cesium trifluoroacetate (Cs-TFA) when utilized as a novel additive, in which it not only provides cesium cations (stabilizer) for perovskite lattice but also simultaneously modulates crystal growth and passivates grain boundaries defects, are shown. Eventually, the corresponding perovskite solar cells delivers a champion efficiency of 22.82%. [Display omitted] • Cs-TFA as a novel cesium source is adopted to prepare high-quality perovskite film. • Cs-TFA can modulate crystal growth and passivate defects simultaneously. • The devices with Cs-TFA deliver a champion efficiency of 22.82%. • The storage stability of device is greatly improved. The prejudicial defects accumulated at the grain boundaries and surface are one of the most important reasons that cause perovskite solar cells (PSCs) to deviate from the theoretical Shockley–Queisser efficiency limit and poor stability. Consequently, it is highly desirable to reduce defect densities of the polycrystalline perovskite film through manipulating perovskite crystallization and introducing passivation strategy. Herein, the synergistic effects of cesium trifluoroacetate (Cs-TFA) as a novel additive are demonstrated, where it not only provides cesium cations (stabilizer) for perovskite lattice, but also can simultaneously modulate crystal growth and passivate grain boundaries defects. The resultant perovskite films possess more regular morphology, larger grain sizes, and lower defect density. The enlarged crystal grains derive from the incorporation of Cs-TFA that slows down nucleation process, which is demonstrated by in-situ laser confocal photoluminescence imaging. As a result, the encouraging efficiency up to 22.82% is realized for the resulting optimized device. Additionally, the unencapsulated devices sustain around 91% of its initial efficiency after storing 850 h in the air with 40–45% relatively humidity (R.H.) under dark. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Mo-based MXene is first applied as a cathode catalyst for Li-CO 2 batteries. • An innovative surface modification strategy, mild oxidation by CO 2 , is employed. • The catalyst optimizes the growth and decomposition of discharge products. • This MoO 2 @Mo 2 C-based Li-CO 2 battery outperforms most other MXene-based catalysts. The lithium-carbon dioxide (Li-CO 2) batteries hold promise for energy storage, given their capacity to capture and convert carbon dioxide (CO 2). However, the practical application of Li-CO 2 batteries continues to face substantial obstacles caused by sluggish CO 2 reduction/evolution kinetics, resulting in high overpotential and short lifespan. This work presents the fabrication of a highly effective MoO 2 @Mo 2 C heterostructure hybrid catalyst using a CO 2 oxidation strategy. This strategy integrated (in-situ) MoO 2 onto the surface of two-dimensional (2D) Mo 2 C MXene, enhancing catalytic activity while preserving 2D electron/ion pathways. As a result, the MoO 2 @Mo 2 C, when used as a catalyst in Li-CO 2 battery showcased a discharge capacity of 20790.8 mAh g−1 at a current density of 200 mA g−1. Notably, it achieved a long cycling life of 230 cycles at a cutoff capacity of 1000 mAh g−1 with a voltage gap as low as 1.85 V, which was significantly superior to that of a pristine Mo 2 CT x catalyst (3.61 V after twenty cycles). This work provides critical insights into the design of MXenes-based high-performance catalysts for advanced Li-CO 2 batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel fractal Langmuir adsorption equation on coal based on the fractal characteristics of pore heterogeneity is proposed. • The proposed equation achieves a breakthrough in the calculation of the methane adsorption capacity in pores with different pore diameter ranges. • The proposed equation can more accurately reflect the methane adsorption in coal pores compared with the conventional Langmuir equation. The conventional Langmuir equation based on the homogeneous surface assumption is failed to characterize the gas adsorption in coal due to the obvious heterogeneity of the coal pore structure. Therefore, a novel fractal Langmuir adsorption equation on coal is proposed based on the fractal characteristics of pore heterogeneity in this paper. The pore heterogeneity in coal displays obvious fractal characteristic, which can be characterized by the fractal dimension for the pore tortuosity (D T) and the fractal dimension for the pore size (D f). The principles and methodology of the proposed equation are deduced and summarized in detail. The results indicate that the proposed fractal Langmuir adsorption equation displays the higher accuracy than the conventional Langmuir equation. In addition, the proposed equation is the function of the fractal dimension for the pore tortuosity (D T), the fractal dimension for the pore size (D f), and the pore structural parameters (λ min , λ max , and L), which more comprehensively reflects the influence of pore structure on adsorption. Therefore, the proposed equation achieves a breakthrough in the calculation of the methane adsorption capacity in pores with different pore diameter ranges, which can more accurately reflect the methane adsorption in coal pores compared with the conventional Langmuir equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The electrochemical sensor was fabricated to detect extracellular vesicles (EVs) based on the unique properties of PbS colloidal quantum dots (CQDs). • The electrochemical sensor can effectively detect EVs by analyzing the expression level of protein biomarkers in EVs, with a wide linear detection range (102 ∼ 108 particles mL−1) and a low detection limit (19 particles mL−1). • The present study paves the way to a sensitive and rapid platform for the detection of sEVs and POC diagnostics. Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), primarily referring to exosomes, have emerged as potent tools for investigating pathological mechanisms and facilitating precise diagnostics owing to their ability to transfer informative molecules between cells and their accessibility from diverse biological fluids. Despite the multitude of biomedical applications, achieving enhanced specificity and sensitivity in detecting trace sEV samples continues to pose a significant challenge. Considering the potential of electrochemical sensing in efficient molecular detection, this study proposes a viable strategy for specifically recognizing sEVs by targeting their membrane proteins. Additionally, it demonstrates sensitive and quantitative detection of sEVs based on the unique performance of PbS colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) nanomaterials. The good immobilization of target proteins on the chemically modified electrode is achieved through the synergistic effect of the charge–discharge mechanism and strong suspension bonds of PbS CQDs. The results obtained from the analysis of differential pulse voltammetry demonstrate rapid and highly sensitive electrochemical responses. The CD63 antibody-modified sensor can achieve highly sensitive detection of sEVs, providing a wide linear detection range (102 ∼ 108 particles mL−1) and a low detection limit (19 particles mL−1). The established method is ultimately employed to differentiate the sEVs originating from distinct tumor cells, thereby demonstrating its potential in membrane-biomarker-based diagnostics. Consequently, the presented electrochemical sensor demonstrates remarkable efficiency in quantifying EVs with exceptional specificity and sensitivity, thereby offering extensive prospects for applications in EV analysis and point-of-care tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A semiconductor-based E-SERS substrate was developed by integrating black phosphorous-graphene oxide composite with a PVDF matrix. • A triple SERS signal amplification was achieved on a novel semiconductor-based E-SERS substrate. • Charge transfer efficiency was promoted by "electrostatic repulsion" and "electrostatic attraction" effects of the polarization charge. Electrical modulation is considered to be effective in improving the localized electromagnetic strength of surface enhanced Raman scattering substrates (E-SERS). In this field, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as a versatile piezoelectric matrix has been extensively employed to construct E-SERS substrates by combining with noble metals. However, there is nearly no exploration of the impact of the piezoelectric effect on the charge transfer within bare semiconductors, which will greatly expand the variety of E-SERS substrates. In this study, a novel semiconductor-based E-SERS substrate was developed by integrating black phosphorous (BP)-graphene oxide (GO) composite with a PVDF matrix. A significant SERS signal amplification was achieved when subjected to mechanical stress. Such amplification was owing to the improvement of charge transfer efficiency facilitated by the external force-triggered polarization charge, which was proved by the photocurrent test. The piezoelectric effect was verified to boost chemical enhancement and the semiconductor-based E-SERS substrate was capable of achieving high sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Hierarchical core–shell AgNW@Ni(OH) 2 @PPy electrode is fabricated and exhibits superior energy storage performance. • Dual-electric channels greatly increase the charge delivery effectively and utilization efficiency of active material. • Ultrahigh energy density up to 121 Wh kg−1 is obtained, the highest value for Ni(OH) 2 -based supercapacitors up to date. • ASC exhibits superior cyclic stability with a retention of 97.4% over 10,000 cycles. Pseudocapacitive transition-metal oxides/hydroxides, due to their high theoretical capacity, are increasingly promising for supercapacitor electrodes. While, the most critical predicament involved is the inferior electrical conductivity that has lowered specific capacitance and further undermined the practical applications. To this end, we design a conductivity dual-enhanced structure, i.e. coaxial hierarchical AgNW@Ni(OH) 2 @PPy that the electrochemical active Ni(OH) 2 is grown on highly conductive Ag nanowires (AgNW) and further wrapped by a highly conductive polypyrrole layer (PPy). The designed AgNW@Ni(OH) 2 @PPy electrode demonstrates an outstanding specific capacitance (3103.5 F g−1 at 2.6 A g−1) that can be retained in 92.2% after 20,000 charging/discharging cycles. The all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) based on AgNW@Ni(OH) 2 @PPy is further fabricated and exhibits an ultrahigh energy density of about 121 Wh kg−1 and excellent cyclic stability with 97.4% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles. Finally, three ASCs in series that can achieve a high output voltage of 4.5 V, after charging for only 10 s, light up a LED light (0.03 W) over 2.5 h. The high performance is attributed to the coaxial hierarchical design with innermost and outermost dual-electric channels that not only ensure good conductivity and rapid charge transport, but also significantly improve the utilization efficiency of Ni(OH) 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • MBBR inoculated with HN-AD bacteria was firstly employed in low-carbon wastewater. • 10.02 mg L-1h−1 TN removal rate was achieved aerobically at a C/N of 4. • Oligotrophic bacteria Thauera and Azoarcus played a key role at C/N ratio of 4. • NorB and NosZ played a significant role in reduction of nitrate to nitrogen gas. • Aerobic denitrification pathway of the system was NO 3 –-N → NO → N 2 O → N 2. To improve the poor denitrification efficiency of traditional biological treatment for low-carbon wastewater, a novel pure biofilm moving bed biofilm reactor (PH-MBBR) based on heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification (HN-AD) bacteria was proposed. The start-up of PH-MBBR inoculated with HN-AD bacteria and the operating performances and microbial community composition under various C/N ratios were studied. The results showed that at C/N ratio of only 4, the total nitrogen (TN) removal rate of 10.02 mg/(L·h) was achieved under aerobic conditions. Microbial analysis indicates that the synergistic effect of oligotrophic bacteria Thauera and Azoarcus was the main reason for the high pollutant removal at C/N ratio of 4. Furthermore, the analysis of functional genes and enzymes reveals that NorB and NosZ played important roles in nitrate metabolism in PH-MBBR, and aerobic denitrification pathway was NO 3 –-N → NO → N 2 O → N 2. This study provides a practical and theoretical basis for low-carbon nitrate wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The W-CeO 2 core@shell nanospheres were synthesized for H 2 S detection. The 7% W-CeO 2 composite showed exceptional sensing capabilities with a response of 18.4 and a detection threshold of 50 ppb at 225 °C with 80% RH. A sensor array with four W-CeO 2 sensors was developed for improved discrimination. By combining the array with an algorithm, qualitative (100%) and quantitative (89%) classification of H 2 S, ethanol, and mixtures in high humidity were achieved. The sensor array was also used in an electronic nose system for accurate H 2 S detection in breath, demonstrating effective diagnostic efficacy for halitosis. • W-doped CeO 2 core@shell nanospheres were prepared by a one-step hydrothermal. • The enhanced performance can attribute to oxygen vacancies and heterostructures. • A sensor array was utilized to amplify the differences in gas-sensing responses. • E-nose can distinguish simulated halitosis and healthy samples. Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), an endogenous gas intricately linked with various physiological disorders, carries paramount importance for medical diagnostics. Despite its significance, rapid and precise H 2 S detection in the complex atmosphere of exhaled breath remains a formidable challenge. In this study, W-CeO 2 core@shell nanospheres were synthesized employing a facile one-step hydrothermal method. Particularly, the 7 % W-CeO 2 composite showcased exceptional gas sensing capabilities, characterized by a response of 18.4 and an effective detection threshold of 50 ppb at 225 °C with 80 % RH. The underlying gas-sensing mechanism was meticulously expounded. To enhance the discrimination of sensor responses towards diverse gases, a sensor array encompassing four distinct W-CeO 2 sensors was meticulously devised. By synergizing this sensor array with an algorithmic approach, the discrimination accuracy for qualitative (100 %) and quantitative (89 %) classification of H 2 S, ethanol, and their mixtures within a high humidity range. Furthermore, the proposed sensor array's utility was extended to the design of an electronic nose system tailored for H 2 S detection in exhaled breath. This platform effectively evaluated its diagnostic efficacy for halitosis, evidencing its capability to discern exhaled breath samples from healthy exhaled samples and simulated halitosis exhaled samples accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• New fluoropolymer containing hydroxyl groups is developed with high coating stability. • Ignition characteristics of single Al-FCOS composite particles is carefully examined. • The new coatings greatly shortens the ignition delay of virgin Al particles. • Al-FCOS enhance the combustion intensity and efficiency of common solid propellant. • Combustion and agglomeration can be tuned by adjusting the new fluoropolymer content. Fluorine-containing organic substances (FCOS) are often added to aluminized solid propellants to improve their ignition and combustion characteristics, but existing FCOS coatings tend to have poor mechanical strength, limiting their reliability in practical applications. In this experimental study, we investigate the effect of adding a new functionalized FCOS to aluminized solid propellants. Specifically we focus on the oxidation and ignition characteristics of Al-FCOS composite particles and on the combustion of fluorine-containing propellants. By altering the surface pre-ignition reaction, FCOS-modified particles are found to ignite more quickly and produce more gaseous products. For pressures above 5 MPa, adding FCOS can both increase and decrease the burning rate relative to a baseline Al propellant, depending on the precise Al-FCOS content used, with 8.5 wt% and 17 wt% Al-FCOS producing a higher and lower burning rate, respectively. Compared with the baseline Al propellant, the FCOS-modified propellants are found to produce smaller agglomerates. This shows that the ignition, combustion and agglomeration characteristics can be readily tuned by adjusting the content of the new functionalized fluoropolymer. These findings can help guide the development of FCOS additives for aluminized propellants in solid rocket motors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ce-doped SnS QDs/SnS 2 nanocomposites were prepared by a facile one-step hydrothermal method for room-temperature gas sensors. • Experimental analysis revealed that single atom Ce can preferentially combine with SnS to form Sn-S-Ce bond to hinder the growth and oxidation of SnS quantum dots. • By optimizing the Ce doping ratio, the amount and size of SnS quantum dots on the surface of SnS 2 nanosheets can be regulated to obtain an ideal heterostructure, can improve the gas-sensing performance. Metal sulfide-based gas sensors have the advantage of high sensitivity at room temperature, enabling high integration and low power consumption. However, a trade-off between low baseline resistance and good long-term stability at room temperature still needs to be addressed. Therefore, a single-atom Ce-targeted regulation strategy for p-SnS/n-SnS 2 was proposed. By doping different amounts of Ce, the amount and size of SnS quantum dots on the surface of SnS 2 can be regulated. Furthermore, Sn-S-Ce bonds are formed by combining single-atom Ce with SnS, which effectively hinders the growth and oxidation of SnS quantum dots, as evidenced by STEM, XPS, DFT, FTIR and EAXFS methods. Due to the unique energy band structure of p-SnS and n-SnS 2 , Ce-doped SnS quantum dots serve as electronic sensitizers, effectively increasing the carrier concentration in SnS 2. The optimal gas sensor based on the 1% Ce-doped SnS/SnS 2 composites enables high sensitivity (with a response of 22.1 to 1 ppm NO 2), ultralow detection limit (1 ppb), excellent long-term stability at room temperature, and a lower baseline resistance. This engineering strategy of metal sulfide semiconductor heterostructures through single-atom targeted regulation provides new insights for further optimizing the composite system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A facile one-pot method was developed for the synthesis of bimetallic Sn/Zn-ZIF-8. • The doping of Sn2+ could help to maintain the morphology of MOF during pyrolysis. • The Sn/Zn-ZIF-8 based SnO 2 -ZnO composite is readily engineered for acetone sensing. • Considerable sensing response (140.27) and detection limit (0.82 ppb) was achieved. • The sensing mechanism was investigated in detail using in situ infrared spectroscopy. Aiming to achieve high-sensitivity disease diagnosis, it is of great significance to continuously improve the sensing performance of metal oxide based sensors. The morphology and component of metal oxides can be rationally engineered by using metal–organic frameworks as highly versatile platforms. Herein, the bimetallic Sn/Zn-ZIF-8 is synthesized by self-assembly, and then SnO 2 -ZnO hollow nanoparticles are obtained by using bimetallic Sn/Zn-ZIF-8 as precursor. The obtained SnO 2 -ZnO composite maintained the dodecahedral structure of Sn/Zn-ZIF-8, and in which SnO 2 is orthogonal due to the framework-induced effect. Based on the unique structure and composition of SnO 2 -ZnO, 6% SnO 2 -ZnO exhibits excellent selectivity, high response, low detection limit (0.82 ppb) and good response linearity between response and concentration of acetone, showing the potential of the practical application in clinical diagnosis of diabetic patients. In-depth discussions reveal that the excellent sensing performance can be attributed to the n-n heterostructure of SnO 2 -ZnO that is favorable for electron transport, the larger adsorption energy to acetone that results from orthogonal SnO 2 , and the abundant active reaction sites provided by the dodecahedral mesoporous structure. This synthetic strategy may provide an effective method for the facile engineering of high-performances metal oxide-based sensors toward practical health assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports a H 2 O 2 trapper based on single-atom iron nanozymes (SAFs), which have excellent POD-like and CAT-like activities. Moreover, an enzyme-nanozyme nanoreactor containing SAFs and L-glutamate oxidase (LGOX) was constructed to produce α-ketoglutarate. SAFs could eliminate the by-product H 2 O 2 produced during the oxidation of L-glutamate by LGOX and prevent the α-ketoglutarate from being oxidized to succinic acid. [Display omitted] • Nanoreactors based on SAFs are designed to synthesize α-ketoglutarate through in situ removing byproduct. • Enzyme-like coordination structure and catalytic activities of SAFs are studied. • The K cat of SAFs is 19.11 times and 8.37 times higher than that of horseradish peroxidase and catalase, respectively. • SAFs enhance the pH and temperature tolerance and thermal stability of L-Glutamate oxidase. Efficient removal of the by-product hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) in the oxidase-catalyzed reactions is a major challenge in biocatalysis that hinders the production of high yields of ketoacids. Here, we demonstrate the use of single-atom Fe nanozymes (SAFs) for H 2 O 2 decomposition inspired by natural enzymes, to improve the efficiency of L-Glutamate oxidase (LGOX)-assisted catalysis for α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) synthesis. SAFs exhibit Metal-Nitrogen coordination and atomically dispersed active sites, providing superior enzyme-like activity for H 2 O 2 decomposition. The SAFs@LGOX nanozyme-enzyme nanoreactors exhibit high catalytic efficiency due to in situ removal of H 2 O 2 by SAFs during the deamination reaction. Additionally, SAFs enhance the pH and temperature tolerance, as well as thermal stability of LGOX. The nanoreactors achieved about 90% substrate conversion to α-KG within 2.5 h, compared to almost complete oxidation of the product in the absence of single atom Fe active sites. These findings suggest that the nanozyme-based strategy for rapid byproducts removal through mimicking enzymatic activity has promising applications in biocatalysis and may inspire the design of more effective nanozymes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hexaazatriphenylene-based polymer (HAT-PPDA) is reported as anodes for Li-/Na-/K-ion batteries, showing that every HAT-PPDA unit could accept 6 electrons for Na-/K-ion batteries and 9 electrons for Li-ion batteries. Particularly, the performance of HAT-PPDA was superior to the previously reported organic anodes for PIBs; while the rate performance of HAT-PPDA in SIBs was better than those in PIBs and LIBs. [Display omitted] • A polymer was reported as universal anode for Li-/Na-/K-ion batteries. • Every repeat unit could accept 6 electrons for Na- and K-ion batteries. • Every repeat unit could accept 9 electrons for Li-ion batteries. • The performance in K-ion batteries was superior to the reported organic anodes. • The rate performance in Na-ion batteries was better than in Li-/K-ion batteries. Organic electrodes have attracted a lot of attention in alkali metal-ion batteries recently due to their flexibility, potentially low cost, and environmental benignity compared to traditional inorganic materials. Even though alkali metal-ion batteries are supposed to be alike, the application of one organic electrode in different batteries was rarely reported and systematically investigated. Here, we report a hexaazatriphenylene-based polymer (HAT-PPDA) as anodes for Li-/Na-/K-ion batteries. The results showed that every hexaazatriphenylene imide unit could accept 6 electrons for Na- (SIBs) and K-ion batteries (PIBs); while it could accept 3 more electrons for Li-ion batteries (LIBs), yielding high reversible capacities of 405 mAh g−1 in PIBs, 397 mAh g−1 in SIBs and 681 mAh g−1 in LIBs at 100 mA g−1, respectively. Particularly, the performance of HAT-PPDA was superior to the previously reported organic anodes for PIBs. On the other hand, the rate performance of HAT-PPDA in SIBs was better than those in PIBs and LIBs. This work provides universal high performance anodes for Li-/Na-/K-ion batteries, reveals insights into the charge storage of organic electrodes in alkali metal-ion batteries and will guide the future development of organic materials for achieving high performance batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Note: W 18 O 49 sensitized with Pd nanoparticles for formaldehyde detection. [Display omitted] • An ultrasonic-solvothermal method is developed to prepare Pd-sensitized flower-like W 18 O 49. • Pd-sensitized flower-like W 18 O 49 demonstrates ultrasensitive ppb-level formaldehyde detection. • The DFT theoretical calculation explores the sensing mechanism of Pd-sensitized W 18 O 49 for formaldehyde. The rapid detection of ppb-level formaldehyde is desirable but challenging for both air quality monitoring and health. Herein, we adopt the ultrasonic-solvothermal method to co-assemble W and Pd precursors to developing a direct and controllable flower-like W 18 O 49 synthesis method, in which evenly dispersed Pd NPs are tightly fixed on the surface of the nanostructure for efficient formaldehyde detection. The sensitization of Pd NPs increases the oxygen vacancies and provides plenty of accessible sites for gas molecules. Meanwhile, the synergistic effect of Pd NPs and flower-like W 18 O 49 interface promotes electron transfer. Thus, the enhanced gas sensing performance of the Pd-sensitized W 18 O 49 could be attributed to chemical and electronic sensitization. The Pd-sensitized W 18 O 49 sensor exhibits extremely low actual detection concentration (50 ppb), ultrasensitive (2.96/50 ppb), ultrafast response (1 sec), excellent reversibility, and good selectivity. DFT theoretical calculations systematically validate the gas sensing mechanism of Pd-sensitized W 18 O 49 for formaldehyde. This work provides new insights into the design strategy of Pd-sensitized W 18 O 49 nanomaterials for high-performance quantitative detection of formaldehyde gas sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • TFC HF membrane with outstanding water/ethanol separation performance is prepared. • The separation performance is maximized by tuning PA-metal complex assembly for selective layer construction. • The separation factor is improved by 34 times by metal-assisted crosslinking of polyamide layer. • Superior separation performance to previous works is achieved. Polyamide (PA)-based thin film composite (TFC) membranes have been extensively applied in various membrane-based separations. However, research works for bioethanol purification are relatively limited due to insufficient hydrophilicity and chain packing density of the PA selective layer by conventional interfacial polymerization. In this work, a new TFC hollow fiber (HF) membrane is fabricated by metal-assisted multiple crosslinking strategy, that is, metal-coordinated crosslinking of the pristine PA layer and coordination complexation between metal ions and phytic acid (PhA) for advanced water/ethanol separation. By tuning coordination abilities of metal ions with PA and PhA and the cycle number of PhA/metal ion assembly, PA-based TFC HF membrane is perfected. Additionally, a joint experiment/simulation characterization is deployed to reveal the coordination abilities of various metal ions with the pristine PA and grafted PhA. Ultimately, the synergistic effect between PA layer and PhA-metal ion complexes (i.e., 1 + 1 > 2 effect) is embodied in the separation performance of water/ethanol separation. The resulting TFC-Fe3+-PhA membrane with the strongest PhA-metal ion coordination ability exhibits the best water/ethanol separation performance, i.e., the separation factor of 1703 (34 times higher than pristine PA TFC HF membrane) and total flux of 1705 g/m2 h. This metal-assisted multiple crosslinking strategy is therefore believed to shed important lights on the development of next-generation high-performance TFC membranes for bioethanol purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic emission during fuel combustion is of great concern due to its high toxicity. CaO shows a great capacity for arsenic capture and the addition of CaO is a promising way to suppress arsenic emission during fuel combustion. SO 2 in the flue gas could also react with CaO and might influence arsenic capture. It remains unknown which temperature is proper for CaO injection for arsenic capture considering the effect of SO 2 . And the reaction mechanism is still unclear at different temperature range. In the present study, the capture of arsenic by CaO was investigated in simulated flue gas with and without SO 2 at temperatures ranging from 573 to 1323 K. The results show that arsenic capture was predominantly through physical adsorption at 573 and 723 K while was mainly carried out through chemical oxidation at higher temperatures. With temperature increasing, arsenic capture was enhanced. Nevertheless, the sintering of CaO particles occurred at 1173 and 1323 K. It is sure that arsenic capture was remarkably suppressed at these temperatures owing to the particles sintering. On the other hand, SO 2 competed with arsenic vapors to react with CaO. The enhancement of sulfate reaction strongly inhibited arsenic capture with temperature increased from 573 to 1023 K. At higher temperatures, the formed CaSO 4 was confirmed to be able to absorb arsenic vapors which could partly facilitate arsenic capture. Considering the sintering of CaO particles and the effect of SO 2 , the proper temperature for arsenic capture should be around 873 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • This study focuses on an ingenious integration of biosensors and phase change materials. • We designed a smart biosensor for enhancing detection effectiveness in a high temperature region. • The biosensor was constructed with bioelectrocatalytic phase-change microcapsules. • The biosensor shows a thermal self-regulatory ability to buffer thermal swings. • The biosensor exhibits good performance for detection of catechol under in-situ thermal management. Conventional enzyme-based biosensors are highly sensitive to operation temperature due to a strong temperature dependency of biocatalytic activity. Aiming to enhance the biosensing detection of hazardous substances at high ambient temperatures, we focused on the design and construction of a thermal self-regulatory smart biosensor through an innovative combination of phase change material (PCM) and bioelectrocatalytic material. A bioelectrocatalytic phase-change microcapsule system was first fabricated by microencapsulating n -eicosane as a PCM core in the TiO 2 shell and then depositing polypyrrole (PPy) as an electroactive coating layer on the surface of TiO 2 shell, followed by immobilizing horseradish peroxidase on the surface of PPy coating layer through physical adsorption. The resultant microcapsules exhibit a regular spherical morphology and layer-by-layer core–shell microstructure with the desired chemical compositions. The microcapsules not only exhibit a good thermal management ability to perform effective temperature regulation under a latent-heat capacity of approximately 115 J/g, but also reveal high thermal impact resistance and good thermal cycle stability for the long-term thermal management application in biosensors. A working electrode was modified with the microcapsules obtained above and then used to construct an electrochemical biosensing system imparted with a thermal self-regulation capability. With a high sensitivity of 5.571 µA·L·µmol−1·cm−2 and a low detection limit of 5.384 µmol/L at 55 °C, the resultant smart biosensor exhibits a better determination ability to detect catechol as a model hazardous substance at high operation temperatures than conventional biosensors thanks to the in-situ thermal management derived from its n -eicosane core. This study provides a new approach for development of thermal self-regulatory smart biosensors with an enhanced identification capability to detect hazardous substances over a wide range of temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • 3D Al 3 Ni 2 /Ni electrode is directly fabricated via molten salt electrolysis. • The electrochemical mechanism for generation of Al 3 Ni 2 on Ni is discussed. • The Al 3 Ni 2 /Ni electrode exhibits excellent HER activities comparable to Pt. • The tailored phase composition and morphology synergistically promote catalytic HER. Exploring more efficient and low-cost electrocatalysts to replace platinum (Pt) is highly desired to promote the practical hydrogen production through water splitting. Herein, a facile and effective strategy is proposed to fabricate self-standing Al 3 Ni 2 /Ni electrode with controlled phase composition and surface morphology, which is obtained by one-step electrochemical reduction of Al3+ on commercially available nickel in eutectic NaCl-KCl melt. Different from previously reported approaches, uniform Al 3 Ni 2 monolith catalyst can directly grow onto Ni substrate. The deposit possesses unique three-dimensional (3D) cauliflower-like morphology comprising of nano- and microparticles due to the rapid nucleation rate during molten salt electrolysis. The as-fabricated Al 3 Ni 2 /Ni electrode can be directly used as the cathode to catalyze Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Impressively, it exhibits remarkable HER activity comparable to commercial Pt, including a low overpotential of 83.4 mV for a current density of 10 mA cm−2, a small Tafel slope of 40.7 mV dec-1, and excellent long-term stability over 36 h of continuous HER operation in 0.5 M H 2 SO 4 solution. The intrinsic catalytic ability of Al 3 Ni 2 with the unique hierarchical structure of nano/microsized grains can offer multiple effects, including massive exposed active sites, enhanced charge transfer and mass transport, and fast gas releasing that synergistically contribute to improving the electrocatalytic performance of HER. This work represents a highly promising approach to the design and one-step controllable fabrication of efficient and self-standing base metal electrode for electrocatalytic hydrogen production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Ag 2 O-HMnO 2 electrode with rapid ion/electron transport channels was fabricated. • Ag 2 O-HMnO 2 electrode exhibited unprecedented utilization efficiency. • Ultrahigh volumetric energy density up to 7.33 mWh cm−3 was obtained. • ASC device demonstrates 92.25% capacitance retention over 12,000 cycles. High volumetric energy density (VED) is essential for supercapacitors' practicality, but is extremely challengeable when high mass-loading is simultaneously demanded, because the high mass-loaded electrode always encounters the limited ions-diffusion accessibility and sluggish electron transferability. Herein, for the first time, Ag 2 O-intercalated hollow MnO 2 (Ag 2 O-HMnO 2) electrode with rapid ion/electron transport channels is rationally designed and fabricated by a facile in-suit growth & self-sacrificing template method. Ultrahigh mass-loading benefits from the randomly arrayed MnO 2 -nanosheets fully covered on silver-nanowire@polypyrrole (AgNW@PPy-template). Vast interior space in MnO 2 , which forms after the oxidative decomposition of AgNW@PPy-template, offers large electrode–electrolyte interfaces and huge open space channel for unimpeded ions transport. Such Ag 2 O-intercalated hierarchical hollow structure not only provides spacious "ion transport channel" (hollow interior space) and "reservoir" (much space between neighboring MnO 2 -nanosheets) for ions diffusion/storage, but also boosts electron transferability via the conductive Ag 2 O-particulate-based percolation networks. As a consequence, Ag 2 O-HMnO 2 exhibits excellent electrochemistry performance and unprecedented MnO 2 utilization efficiency. Ag 2 O-HMnO 2 -based supercapacitor exhibits a remarkably enhanced VED of 7.33 mWh cm−3, approximately sixfold improvement compared to that of pristine MnO 2. The novel structure engineering strategy presented herein facilitates the excellent ion/electron transferability, which may open a new avenue for transition-metal-oxide/hydroxides-based supercapacitors to achieve high mass-loading and VED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cr(VI) reduction is accelerated by mixed biogas form MEC containing H 2 and CH 4. • Biogas yield and component are mainly regulated by Geobacter and Methanobacterium. • Cr(VI) is reduction either by single genera independently or by microbial synergy. • Genes relevant to Cr(VI) reduction (yieF) and CH 4 oxidation (mcrA) increase. • Extracellular Cyt c and intracellular NADH promote electron transfers. Microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) is an attractive technology to produce biogas containing hydrogen (H 2) and methane (CH 4). Both gaseous products are effective electron donors for chromate [Cr(VI)] bioreduction when either is applied individually. However, microbial Cr(VI) reduction driven by H 2 and CH 4 mixture remains poorly understood. This study investigates Cr(VI) biotransformation supported by fluctuant MEC-produced biogas. Synergy between H 2 and CH 4 promoted Cr(VI) detoxification. Maximum Cr(VI) removal rate reached 1.81 ± 0.17 mg/L·d with 200.5 ± 13.6 μmol H 2 and 203.3 ± 9.0 μmol CH 4 produced by MEC at 0.6 V in a 4-d cycle. Biogas yield and H 2 /CH 4 mole ratio were mainly regulated by Geobacter and Methanobacterium. The process in which Cr(VI) reduced to insoluble Cr(III) was proposed in two major pathways. A single autohydrogenotrophic genus (e.g., Hydrogenophaga , Thiobacillus) oxidized H 2 independently coupled with Cr(VI) reduction. Cr(VI) reduction was also achieved through CH 4 -metabolizing microorganisms (e.g., Methanobacterium , Methanosaeta), which convert CH 4 into organic metabolites to donate electrons for heterotrophic Cr(VI) reducers (e.g., Geobacter , Anaerolineaceae). Genes relevant to Cr(VI) reduction (yieF) and CH 4 oxidation (mcrA) increased significantly. Electrons were effectively transferred through extracellular cytochrome c and intracellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. This study offers an innovative route to sustainable bioremediation of Cr(VI)-polluted groundwater and promising direct utilization of mixed biogas from MEC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel self-thermoregulatory microelectrode system was designed for supercapacitors. • The system was constructed by PANi/CNTs-functionalized phase-change microcapsules. • The system has a high latent heat-storage capacity and good thermal regulation effectiveness. • The system exhibits the improved supercapacitor performance and cycle stability. • This work offers an innovative strategy for design of high-performance electrode materials. To overcome the drawback that the electrochemical performance of supercapacitors tends to deteriorate at high working temperatures due to exothermic redox reactions during the charge–discharge process, we designed and fabricated a novel type of polyaniline (PANi)/carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-functionalized hierarchical phase-change microcapsules (MEPCM-PANi/CNTs) as a self-thermoregulatory microelectrode system. In this system, a layer-by-layer shell configuration was constructed by fabricating a SiO 2 base shell onto the n -docosane core via emulsion-templated interfacial polycondensation, followed by coating a PANi/CNTs electrochemically active layer through in-situ oxidation polymerization. Such a configuration was identified by morphological observations and chemical characterizations. The resultant MEPCM-PANi/CNTs not only show a good self-regulation capability of temperature and a high latent heat-storage capacity over 140 J/g, but also present several promising advantages for thermal management applications in practice, including excellent phase-change reversibility, high working reliability, long durability, good shape stability, and high heat resistance. Most of all, the MEPCM-PANi/CNTs exhibit better supercapacitor performance than the control sample without PCM core at high working temperatures due to the effective in-situ temperature regulation and thermal management derived from their n -docosane core. Moreover, the combination of PANi and CNTs also makes contributions to an excellent pseudocapacitive behavior and good charge–discharge cycle stability due to the improvement of electric conductivity and ion-accessible specific surface in the electrochemically active layer. This study provides a new strategy for design and development of the smart self-thermoregulatory electrode materials suitably used for high-performance supercapacitors in a broader working temperature range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Dual-functional coating was prepared via a one-step mussel-inspired chemistry. • This non-leachable coating effectively killed drug-resistant bacteria on contact. • Pre-osteoblast proliferation and hydroxyapatite formation on it were promoted. Prevention of infection and promotion of osteoconduction are the key factors to achieve long-term success in orthopaedic implants. In this work, an effective antimicrobial and osteoconductive coating is facilely prepared by the cross-linking of ε-poly-L-lysine (EPL) and catechol (abbreviated as EPLC) via a one-step mussel-inspired chemistry. A series of EPLC paints were prepared by catechol (15 mM) and varying concentrations of EPL (30, 40, and 50 mM) and named as EPLC1, EPLC2, and EPLC3. The coatings were easy to paint on implants. EPLC3 with the highest EPL concentration exhibited the most potent antimicrobial activity (greater than 99.99%) against both Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Gram-positive "superbug" methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and inhibited the biofilm formation of MRSA up to one week. Furthermore, the EPLC3 painted Ti implant was capable of reducing more than 3-log bacterial burden in a rodent subcutaneous infection model infected by MRSA. More interestingly, EPLC3 coating increased the osteoconductivity of Ti surfaces by promoting mouse pre-osteoblast MC3T3-E1 adhesion and proliferation. And the EPLC3 painted Ti surfaces could induce hydroxyapatite (HAp) formation after incubation in simulating human body fluids (SBF) within two weeks. Overall, the mussel-inspired EPLC paint can be easily applied to orthopaedic implants, and endowed Ti with antimicrobial activity and promoted its osteoconductivity, which will benefit the long-term success of Ti implants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]