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[Display omitted] • The p-n heterojunction Bi 2 O 3 /Ti3+-TiO 2 photocatalyst was reported by a facile method. • The Bi 2 O 3 /Ti3+-TiO 2 enabled the complete removal (100%) of tetracyclines under visible light. • The effect of environmental factors on the photodegradation of tetracyclines was detailed. • The mechanism on photodegradation was analyzed through LC–MS spectrum. The search for a highly active visible-light photocatalyst toward the complete degradation of antibiotic residuals remains a challenging task due to the fast emergence of antibiotic resistance. To address the problem, we explore a novel p-n heterojunction visible-light photocatalyst by coupling a p-type Bi 2 O 3 with an n-type Ti3+ self-doped TiO 2 porous material. The as-synthesized photocatalyst exhibits a narrowed bandgap (~2.89 eV) and enhanced visible-light absorption, leading to the complete degradation (100%) of antibiotics under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm) and excellent recyclability (98%) because of the synergistic effect of Ti3+ self-doping and p-n heterojunction. The results effectively work out the challenging task of the incomplete removal of tetracyclines over almost all of the reported visible-light photocatalysts. Additionally, the effects of antibiotics mixture, pH value, inorganic ions, water matrix, and outdoor light on the degradation of tetracyclines were also detailed. Especially, the transformation pathways and degradation mechanism of tetracycline were revealed in depth via trapping experiments and photoelectrochemical characterizations. Therefore, this work provides a new insight in exploring excellent photocatalysts to realize the complete removal of other refractory organic pollutants under visible light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A H 2 -realeasing MN patch realeases hydrogen at the deep site of diabetic wound continually. • Self-responsive H 2 -releasing microneedle patch accelerates diabetic wound healing by sequential action of H 2 and Co2+. • Sequential release of H 2 and Co2+ is achieved through the interaction of the microneedle and the backing. • An MN patch achieving integration and spatiotemporal control of antibacterial, ROS regulation, and proangiogenic functions. Oxidative stress regulation and synchronized promotion of angiogenesis are critical factors in the healing process of diabetic wounds. However, existing research often fails to fully consider the dynamic interplay between these two biological processes and their time-dependent roles in diabetic wound healing. This study innovatively introduces a novel hydrogen (H 2)-releasing microneedle patch capable of precisely controlling the regulation of oxidative stress and the promotion of angiogenesis through a bidirectional responsive mechanism of microneedles and backing layers. Specifically, we employ ammonia borane (AB)-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) as a source of H 2 , combined with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) to fabricate microneedles. This design effectively clears excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) in deep tissues and promotes the M2 polarization of macrophages. Concurrently, we utilize cobalt-adsorbed graphene oxide (GO/Co2+) mixed with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to prepare backing layers, which not only release Co2+ upon the reduction of oxygen-containing functional groups in GO by H 2 diffused from deep tissues to synergize with H 2 for enhanced vascularization, but also endow the microneedle patch with near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive antimicrobial properties, crucial for managing diabetic infected wounds. Through this innovative dual-action mechanism, our research significantly accelerates the healing process of infected wounds in a diabetic mouse model. Moreover, single-cell sequencing results further confirm the pivotal role of H 2 in regulating oxidative stress, promoting macrophage M2 polarization, and stimulating angiogenesis. These results not only showcase the unique features of our microneedle patch but also offer new perspectives and therapeutic strategies for the treatment of diabetic wounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Mn atoms on the surface of nanozymes can scavenge reactive oxygen species. • The alleviation of inflammation promotes the recovery of blood–brain barrier. • Fluorescent nanozymes enable imaging-guided therapy of traumatic brain injury. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often results in damage to the blood–brain barrier (BBB), leading to secondary effects such as neuroinflammation mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can increase the risk of long-term neurological dysfunction. Therefore, it is crucial to remove excessive ROS and monitor the status of BBB for timely clinical intervention. Here, we developed a fluorescent nanozyme by doping Mn atoms into PbS/CdS quantum dots (QDs) that emit in the near-infrared-II (NIR-IIb, 1500–1700 nm) region, enabling imaging-guided treatment of TBI. The QD-based nanozyme exhibited excellent antioxidant activity due to uniformly distributed Mn atoms on the surface, which effectively scavenged ROS and inhibited the release of pro-inflammatory factors, thus providing neuroprotective effects for TBI treatment. Additionally, the nanozyme demonstrated exceptional NIR-IIb fluorescence performance, allowing for dynamic monitoring of BBB status with high spatiotemporal resolution to guide precise TBI treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Aerogel phase in HAB-gel endows it with self-negative-pressure exudate absorption. • Hydrogel phase in HAB-gel shows excellent natures in liquid absorption and retention. • The LPU with end-capping l -cys possesses significant M2-macrophage polarization. • After β-CD loaded with PHMB, the HAB-gel shows excellent antibacterial properties. Chronic wound healing is a major and unmet challenge, due to contamination of exudate, bacterial infection and non-healing symptoms, having become urgent an problem to be solved. Developing multifunctional dressings capable of efficiently absorbing exudate by forming self-micro-negative pressure, effectively antibacterial and inducing immune regulation, would be a promising strategy for wound healing. Herein, the hydrogel-aerogel biphase gel (HAB-gel) dressing consisted of PVA grafted with PAM and bio-based polyurethane was prepared to generate synergistic therapeutic effects through removing exudates, antibacterial properties and immune regulation. The PVA grafted with PAMs features generating self-negative pressure to absorb deep exudate by aerogel phase, providing a comfortable microenvironment for wound healing, moreover, the capacities of liquid absorption and retention are enhanced by hydrogel phase, preventing wounds from exudate contamination. The incorporation of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) in the constructed polyurethane (LPU) endows the HAB-gel materials with excellent antibacterial properties after being loaded with polyhexamethylene biguanidine (PHMB). Furthermore, the HAB-gel dressing can accelerate the macrophage polarization into anti-inflammatory M2 via the hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) generation, angiogenesis promotion and collagen deposition in periwound tissue. Overall, this novel strategy for synergistic treatment of chronic wounds, provides a promising method for the management of tissue regeneration disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Imidazole-based liquid compounds containing different P oxidation states were synthesized for curing EP. • EP-DCPPI and EP-PPOAI show the combined flame-retardant mechanism of gas-phase and condensed-phase flame retardancy. • EP-DCPPI and EP-PPOAI show excellent flame-retardant, mechanical properties and heat resistance. In this work, two phosphorus-containing liquid imidazole compounds with different phosphorus oxidation states (1,1′-(phenylphosphanediyl)bis(1 H -imidazole) (DCPPI) with + 1 valence phosphorus, and imidazole-phenylphosphate (PPOAI) with + 3 valence phosphorus) were designed and synthesized. Both of DCPPI and PPOAI were used as curing agents to obtain intrinsic flame-retardant epoxy resin (EP-DCPPI and EP-PPOAI), in which the imidazole group was used as the curing group of EP, and the phosphorus-containing group was directly connected to the EP crosslinking network. On the one hand, the efficient flame-retardant groups containing + 1 or + 3 valence phosphorus were incorporated into the EP system to obtain excellent flame-retardant properties; on the other hand, the introduction of phenylphosphine or phenoxyphosphine groups in the molecular chain of EP greatly enhanced the interaction between molecular chains, adjusted crosslinking density and endowed EP with excellent tensile strength and toughness. Compared with imidazole cured EP (EP-MZ), the peak heat release rate (PHRR) of EP-15DCPPI and EP-15PPOAI decreased by 70 % and 68 %, and the total heat release rate (THR) decreased by 37 % and 36 %, respectively. Meanwhile, EP-15DCPPI passed UL-94 V-0 rating, and the limiting oxygen index (LOI) reached 36.1 %. EP-15PPOAI passed UL-94 V-1 rating and the LOI reached 29.1 %. The flame-retardant mechanism was analyzed and discussed. Compared with EP-MZ, the dynamic and static mechanical properties of EP-15DCPPI and EP-15PPOAI were enhanced simultaneously, and the glass transition temperature (T g) was obviously increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A photonic crystal-based early fire warning sensor (EFWS) was fabricated. • The EFWS gives warnings for 0.9 s at 260 °C. • Color change of the EFWS is based on the chain motion of polymers. • A good candidate for non-open flame warnings in the precombustion stage. Fire detection plays a crucial role in maintaining the safety of people's lives and property. However, most early fire detectors are designed to monitor the current or voltage changes of the sensing materials, which require external power supplies. It is still a challenge to make rapid and accurate noncontact early fire detection in precombustion due to the lack of reliable alarm signals. Herein, inspired by the discoloration of chameleon skin, we developed an early fire warning sensor (EFWS) by coating photonic crystals (PCs) on a plastic sheet with thermal expansion properties. Monodispersed zinc sulfide (ZnS) was coated on the plastic sheet as abnormal detection component for EFWS. Combined with the intelligent image recognition algorithm, the EFWS was designed and gave warnings for 0.9 s at 260 °C. For the first time, a photonic crystal-based non-contact real-time monitoring EFWS in precombustion is developed. The sensing material can be directly pasted on the surface of the detected equipment, and combined with existing surveillance cameras in the detection area, early warning of fires can be achieved. The EFWS system can be used in non-open fire alarms for aircraft, buildings, electrical appliances, substations, and other places in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• General blanket effect mechanism of impurity gases on H 2 absorption was uncovered. • Selective H 2 absorption induces impurity blanket layer and then impedes H 2 diffusion. • Quantitative mathematical description of hydrogenation kinetics was derived. • Comprehensive strategies were proposed to remarkably eliminate blanket effect. Hydrogen energy has attracted considerable attention as the promising alternative to fossil energy. However, pollutants in H 2 inevitably affect the hydrogenation kinetics of hydrogen storage materials (HSMs). In this work, the general physical blanket effect mechanism of impurity gases (He/Ar/CH 4 /N 2 /CO 2 /NO 2) on the hydrogenation kinetics is extracted and confirmed to be a single physical process unrelated to HSMs for the first time. Specifically, the selective absorption of H 2 by HSMs induces the local enrichment of impurity gases and impede H 2 diffusion physically. For example, ZrCo can achieve its theoretical capacity (2.0 wt% H 2) in 1.2 bar pure H 2 within 40 s, while only 0.46 wt% H 2 could be absorbed in 1.2 bar 3 mol% CH 4 + 97 mol% H 2 mixed gas even after 0.4 h. Such blanket effect may interlace with chemical surface poisoning effect and bring variability on hydrogenation kinetics. Notably, among the investigated impurity gases, He/Ar/N 2 /CH 4 are absolute inactive gases which cannot impede hydrogenation, thus excluding the chemical surface poisoning effect originated from active gases. This allows the precise extraction of intrinsic physical blanket effect quantitatively, instructing comprehensive strategies to promote the fast hydrogenation saturation for HSMs. In summary, optimizing engineering parameters including dynamical hydrogenation operation provides an effective approach to remarkably promote hydrogen absorption kinetics of HSMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Oxygen poisoning behaviors and mechanisms for ZrCo and Pd-coated ZrCo were revealed. • Atomic diffusion reaction to form Pd 3 Zr occurs during high-temperature vacuuming. • Coherent Pd/Pd 3 Zr@ZrCo structure was constructed by regulating heating parameters. • Excellent cycling stability was achieved with novel Pd/Pd 3 Zr@ZrCo structure. As a promising candidate for hydrogen isotopes storage, ZrCo alloy suffers tremendously from the poisoning of impurity gases, especially in oxygen-containing atmospheres, but related effective modification method for long cycling durability is still lacking. In this work, the anti-oxygen-poisoning behaviors and mechanisms of virginal ZrCo and palladium-coated ZrCo with different heating evacuation methods were detailly investigated. Notably, the phase transition occurs during traditional heating evacuation (550 °C for 60 min) with the gradual generation of Pd 3 Zr from original Pd coating and ZrCo substrate. According to absorption behaviors and degeneration state of O π p -orbital peak from theoretical calculations, O 2 undergoes spontaneous dissociation and strong hybridization at the surface of ZrCo and Pd 3 Zr, especially for ZrCo, while much weak surface absorption is recognized on Pd. Considering the superior anti-poisoning properties but weak substrate anchoring strength of Pd, it's valuable to reconstruct the Pd/ZrCo interface to generate transition Pd 3 Zr layer that is less susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement. Accordingly, a coherent structure of Pd/Pd 3 Zr@ZrCo was successfully obtained by high temperature short time pretreatment (550 °C for 10 min), and its cycling capacity retention in O 2 -containg hydrogen atmosphere is significantly enhanced from initial 74.87 % after 5 cycles to 90.83 % after 10 cycles, which is superior to Pd-plating hydrogen storage alloys ever reported. The interface reconstruction of coherent structure proposed here can function as a promising strategy for construction of protective layer for all related surface engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Nitrogen-doping enhances the H+ and D+ permeability of graphene. • D+ permeates across pyridinic-N defects faster than H+, showing an inverse KIE (0.75). • A normal KIE (1.56) is observed in pyrrolic-N defects. • KIE is influenced by the chemisorption and effective size imparted by defects. Graphene is becoming an increasingly popular platform for developing high-efficiency hydrogen isotope separation technologies operated at room temperature. However, its performance can be strongly affected by contributions from atomic defects. Understanding the influence of defects on the hydrogen isotope selectivity of graphene is thus imperative but remains elusive. In this work, we investigated the electrically driven proton/deuteron permeation through nitrogen-doped graphene membranes with varying N concentrations and configurations. The results show that N-doping significantly enhances the proton and deuteron permeability of graphene (by one order of magnitude). More importantly, deuterons are found to permeate faster through pyridinic N-containing defects than protons, demonstrating a pronounced inverse kinetic isotope effect (KIE) with k H / k D of 0.75. Conversely, pyrrolic N-containing defects exhibit a normal KIE (k H / k D = 1.56). The exclusive contribution of the pyridinic N to the inverse KIE is confirmed by the reversed KIE factor of the pyridinic N-dominated sample subjected to modification. Theoretical calculations indicate that the explicit dependence of KIE on N configuration originates from the different leading mechanisms of proton/deuteron permeation through these N-containing defects, which is governed by the size and the chemisorption imparted by defects. These findings provide fundamental insights into the correlation between defect characteristics and proton/deuteron transport in graphene, and contribute to developing economical hydrogen isotope separation technologies through the defect engineering of graphene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We explore a self-assembled hydrogel composed of cinnamaldehyde and folic acid. • The gel integrates easy absorption, satisfied injectability, self-healing property. • The gel promotes wound healing via multifunctional effects. • The gel induces anti-inflammatory macrophages from pro-inflammatory macrophages. Wound healing is one of the major challenges in biomedicine owing to the absence of ideal wound dressings which can integrate easy absorption, satisfied injectability, rapid self-healing property, and multiple therapeutic effects into one system. Here, we explore a self-assembled supramolecular hydrogel composed of herbal cinnamaldehyde (CA) and folic acid (FA). This enables the Schiff base and the Ionic crosslinking as a dynamic double cross-linked network. This nano-scale hydrogel (C-FA-gel) maintains good adhesion and is apt to get peeled off from tissues without any residuals. Further experiments show a percutaneous absorption within 12 h after the hydrogel dressing perfectly fills the irregular wound by injection on pig skin. For muti-target therapeutics, the drug sustained-release of C-FA-gel exhibits broad-spectrum antibacterial activities without evident cytotoxicity. Besides, the topical dressing on rat skin promotes wound healing via multifunctional effects including inflammatory reduction, facilitation of the angiogenesis improvement, and regeneration promotion of skin appendages. Moreover, the C-FA-gel induces anti-inflammatory macrophages from pro-inflammatory macrophages. Therefore, we successfully present a self-assembled hydrogel using the 'one system' strategy. This study offers a green and efficient design for the potential to be applied to complicated wound treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Porous carbon prepared from freeze-dried date sheets. • Porous carbon exhibits an effective pore size distribution in 0.7–0.9 nm. • Porous carbon is used as adsorbents for CO 2 in various temperature and pressure. • This work provides a practical way to develop cost-effective adsorbents. Abstract This work reports a selective chemical activation method for the controllable synthesis of porous carbons with pore sizes ranging from micropores to hierarchical micro/mesopores from date sheets. Through selectively controllable carbonization and combined activation processes, the as-prepared carbon materials exhibit a high specific surface area (3337 m2/g) mainly derived from ultra-micropores in the range of 0.7–0.9 nm, which majorly contributes to CO 2 storage at a low pressure. Among the activated carbon materials prepared, ACDS-800-4 exhibits the highest CO 2 adsorption capacity (that is, 4.36 mmol/g at 25 °C and 1 bar, and 6.4 mmol/g at 0 °C and 1 bar), a good recyclability and selectivity. ACDS-800-6 exhibits a higher CO 2 adsorption capacity of 22 mmol/g at 25 °C and a high pressure of 40 bar. This work demonstrates that the pore size is key to the CO 2 storage at lower pressures while specific surface area plays an important role under high pressure adsorption process. Since these efficient microporous carbons are synthesized from biomass, this work provides a potential way to develop cost-effective adsorbents for removing CO 2 at both low and high pressures and various temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Microbubbles can improve mass transfer and photo bio-reaction. • The scale effect between bubbles and microalgae was studied. • A multiscale bubble combination intake method was proposed. • Multiscale bubbles can provide dual-intensification function. • The multiscale bubbles method can enhance the growth efficiency of Chlorella. Abstract Based on experimental and computational fluid dynamics simulations, the scale effect between the bubbles and the algae for different sizes in the culture process were investigated in a photobioreactor column under single and combined gas intake conditions, including factors such as the bubble distribution, gas holdup and mass transfer coefficient of different scale bubbles (500 μm microbubbles and 5 mm bubbles). In general, microbubbles could improve mass transfer and photo bio-reaction. For microalgae cultures with large particle sizes or high biomass concentration, the mixing ability of microbubbles was weakened, and therefore, the culture efficiency decreased. However, this can be improved by using millimeter bubbles with the strong turbulent characteristic. Therefore, a multiscale bubble combination intake method was proposed. This method can significantly strengthen both the multiphase mixture and mass transfer processes and was beneficial to improving the growth efficiency of Chlorella. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Semiconductive Co-MOF nanorod in large quantity is prepared from discarded PET. • Co-MOF/CNT evaporator realizes wastewater purification and freshwater production. • CNT owns good photothermal conversion ability and rises photocatalysis efficiency. • Localized solar heat and rich open Co site of Co-MOF promote the activation of PMS. • Evaporator shows an evaporation rate of 2.25 kg m−2h−1 with TC removal of 99.8 % Catalytic conversion of waste plastics into semiconductive metal–organic framework (MOF) kills two birds with one stone, since it not merely offers promising possibility to realize freshwater production and water decontamination through interfacial solar evaporation and photocatalysis, but also advances upcycling of waste plastics. Nevertheless, exploiting synergistic photothermal-photocatalysis materials from recycled plastics remains a challenge. Herein, we report a facile solvothermal method of waste poly(ethylene terephthalate) bottles for the massive production of Co-MOF nanorod and construct a dual-functional Co-MOF/carbon nanotube (CNT) solar evaporator integrated with advanced oxidation process for simultaneous wastewater purification and freshwater production. Firstly, we prove that the evaporator owns high sunlight absorption due to the presence of CNT, super-hydrophilicity, and low heat conductivity, which endow it with fine photothermal conversion capability and reduced vaporization enthalpy. Benefiting from the above advantages, Co-MOF/CNT evaporator displays a high evaporation rate of 2.25 kg m−2 h−1 under 1 kW m−2 illumination, when treating tetracycline (TC)-polluted water, along with good mechanical property, high flexibility, long-term stability, and high scalability. Secondly, based on the results of COMSOL and density functional theory calculation, the localized solar heat from CNT and rich open cobalt sites of Co-MOF nanorod are proved to play a synergistic effect in the activation of peroxymonosulfate to generate various oxidation reactive species. Thereby, the dual-functional evaporator achieves a superb TC degradation activity. Lastly, an outdoor device is designed for freshwater generation and catalytic decomposition of TC. The daily freshwater production amount is 4.5 kg m−2, and the TC degradation efficiency is 93.1%. This study not merely advances the upcycling waste plastics into useful products, but also offers a sustainable platform to wastewater purification via a waste-treating-waste strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A "Plasticizing-Foaming-Reinforcing" (PFR) strategy is established to prepare PVC/polyurea blend foam. • The blend foam prepared by the PFR strategy exhibits the unique cell wall with microphase-separated structure. • PVC/polyurea blend foam shows excellent structural robustness and shape memory behavior. • The blend foam has excellent thermal insulation performance due to ultra-high expansion ratio and small cell size. Polymer rigid foams are highly required in the fields of wind power, transportation and construction due to lightweight and high performances. Herein, we have established a novel strategy of "plasticizing-foaming-reinforcing" (PFR) for preparing reprocessable thermoplastic/thermoset blend foams. PVC and the crosslinking monomers for polyurea (CMs) were melting mixed and foamed via supercritical CO 2 (sc-CO 2) foaming process followed by post-curing. The resultant PVC/polyurea blend foam presents ultra-high expansion ratio (51 times) and much smaller cell size as compared to those prepared by the traditional chemical foaming method, thus displays excellent thermal insulation performance (26.95 mW m−1 K−1) and excellent mechanical robustness, especially at lower temperature. Furthermore, the PFR strategy provides the PVC/CMs blend foam with a flexible molding ability at room temperature, allowing to form versatile three-dimensional (3D) structures. Strikingly, the microphase-separation structure of PVC-encapsulated polyurea in the cell wall endows the PVC/polyurea blend foam with excellent shape memory behavior. The PFR strategy paves a new avenue to fabricate thermoplastic/thermosetting (TP/TS) polymer blend foams in an easy-going green foaming process, which combines the performance advantages of both types of resins simultaneously possessing recyclable property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Highly intumescent char layer with core–shell structure was formed during combustion of PC/PBS composites. • The core–shell char layer is composed of an outer porous structure and an inner lamellar structure. • Linear PDMS with terminal Si-H is the key intermediate to join reaction for forming core–shell char. • The addition of 2 wt% PBS reduce the pSPR of PC by 63.2%, increase the LOI to 31.2% and pass the UL94 V-0 rating. A rare charring behaviour was found during the combustion of polycarbonate (PC) composites containing polyborosiloxane (PBS), in which a highly intumescent char layer with core–shell structure was formed. Particularly the core–shell structure is composed of an outer porous structure and an inner lamellar structure, which can effectively isolate external heat radiation and limit the diffusion of degradation products and oxygen. PC/PBS-X composites with 2 wt% PBS-X showed excellent flame retardancy without compromising mechanical properties, including passing the UL-94 V-0 rating and increasing the limiting oxygen index (LOI) to 31.2%. Compared to PC, the peak heat release rate (pHRR) and peak smoke production rate (pSPR) in the case of PC/PBS-1 composites were reduced by 63.2% and 45.5%, respectively. The mechanism for promoting the flame retardancy of PC by PBS-X was studied. The results showed that the PBS decomposed to form linear polysiloxane oligomer with terminal Si-H bond (L-PDMS-H), which reacted with the degraded products of PC to quickly form intumescent char layer with core–shell structure during the combustion. This is the reason why to PBS presented the striking effect on improving flame retardancy of PC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Highly intumescent char layer with core–shell structure was formed during combustion of PC/PBS composites. • The core–shell char layer is composed of an outer porous structure and an inner lamellar structure. • Linear PDMS with terminal Si-H is the key intermediate to join reaction for forming core–shell char. • The addition of 2 wt% PBS reduce the pSPR of PC by 63.2%, increase the LOI to 31.2% and pass the UL94 V-0 rating. A rare charring behaviour was found during the combustion of polycarbonate (PC) composites containing polyborosiloxane (PBS), in which a highly intumescent char layer with core–shell structure was formed. Particularly the core–shell structure is composed of an outer porous structure and an inner lamellar structure, which can effectively isolate external heat radiation and limit the diffusion of degradation products and oxygen. PC/PBS-X composites with 2 wt% PBS-X showed excellent flame retardancy without compromising mechanical properties, including passing the UL-94 V-0 rating and increasing the limiting oxygen index (LOI) to 31.2%. Compared to PC, the peak heat release rate (pHRR) and peak smoke production rate (pSPR) in the case of PC/PBS-1 composites were reduced by 63.2% and 45.5%, respectively. The mechanism for promoting the flame retardancy of PC by PBS-X was studied. The results showed that the PBS decomposed to form linear polysiloxane oligomer with terminal Si-H bond (L-PDMS-H), which reacted with the degraded products of PC to quickly form intumescent char layer with core–shell structure during the combustion. This is the reason why to PBS presented the striking effect on improving flame retardancy of PC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Efficient separation of solutes by nanofiltration membranes (NMs) is the key to the utilization of wastewater and sustainable economic development. However, the establishment of dense and narrow-dispersed artificial tunnels in NMs remains a challenge, leading to impractical water permeability and solutes selectivity for real-world applications. In this work, we construct approximately 1 nm-sized artificial tunnels within the GO-based membranes (GOMs) to balance the water permeation and nanofiltration performances, by intercalating the three-dimensional wrinkled graphene (WG) sheets with surface functional groups manipulated. Such peculiar nanotunneled structure in the WG/GO composite membrane, at the optimized WG/GO ratio of 1:2, is revealed by the selective filtration of large-sized PEG gel particles over sub-nm-sized counterparts, leading to a selective rejection of >1 nm-sized molecules (e.g. CV, CR, and TB) over sub-nm-sized impurities (e.g. NR, MB, NaCl, and Na 2 SO 4) with excellent mechanical stability and anti-fouling property. More importantly, the dense nanotunneled structure enables the composite membrane with an increased water flux of 65.68 L m-2h−1 bar−1, which is ∼48 times enhanced compared to that of pure GOM. Our strategy enables the precise engineering of artificial nanotunnels within compact GOM for high-performance dye/dye separation and dye desalination applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Catalytic carbonization of PP into cup-stacked carbon nanotubes (CS-CNTs). [•] Yield and morphology of CS-CNTs were modulated by halogenated compound content. [•] Halogenated compound significantly influenced the degradation products of PP. [•] Coalescence and reconstruction of NiO were affected by PP degradation products. [•] Acid-treated CS-CNT showed high performances in adsorption of metallic ions and dyes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Auxetic PU/PDA/GR composite foam with high EMI SE was prepared via simple method. • The relationship between EMI SE and reentrant structure was studied at first time. • The high EMI SE of auxetic foam results from the reentrant structure and high SE A. • The auxetic foam is promising as temperature-regulated EMI shielding material. In this work, two kinds of auxetic composite foams of polyurethane (PU) with polydopamine (PDA) and graphene (GR) (PU/PDA/GR) were prepared by dip-coating and ultrasonic immersing, then followed by triaxial compression-heating process. The electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE) value of the PU/PDA/GR auxetic composite foam with a Poisson's ratio of −2.36 from PU foam with open cellular structure reaches 59.75 dB, which is 8.9 times of the positive Poisson's ratio composite foam with the same GR content. Furthermore, the relationship of the EMI shielding performance of auxetic foam with different forms of reentrant structure was studied for the first time, in which the absolute value of negative Poisson's ratio was used to quantitatively describe the difference of the reentrant structure in the obtained auxetic foam. The larger the absolute value of negative Poisson's ratio is, the better the EMI shielding performance of the composite foam is. The high absorption EMI SE and the existence of reentrant structure are the key factors for the high EMI shielding performance of the auxetic composite foam. In addition, it is found that the EMI SE of the auxetic foam can be adjusted via simple heating treatment, showing that the auxetic composite foam may be used as a temperature-regulated EMI shielding material in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Catalytic carbonization of polypropylene (PP) into cup-stacked carbon nanotubes (CS-CNTs). [•] The yield and morphology of CS-CNTs were modulated by organically-modified montmorillonite (OMMT) content. [•] OMMT influenced the degradation products of PP and the coalescence and reconstruction of NiO nanoparticles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A one-pot method was used to prepare magnetic Ni/carbon (Ni/C) nanomaterials by catalytic carbonization of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) under the combined catalysis of Ni2O3 and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin. The yield of Ni/C nanomaterials was determined by the pyrolysis temperature, the type and the content of PVC resin. The yield of magnetic Ni/C nanomaterials first increased and then decreased with increasing PVC content. The obtained carbon nanomaterials mainly consisted of long carbon nanotubes (CNTs) at lower PVC content but short carbon nanofibers and amorphous carbon at higher PVC content. This is attributed to chlorine radicals from the decomposition of PVC resin promoting the dehydrogenation and aromatization of LLDPE macroradical fragments. The obtained magnetic Ni/C nanomaterials were used as adsorbents for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from water and showed an adsorption capacity as high as 165.5–175.2mg/g, indicating the resultant magnetic Ni/C nanomaterials had potential application in wastewater treatment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We introduce confinement effect to overcome disadvantages of directly immobilizing Fe 2 O 3 on the surface of TiO 2 by encapsulating Fe 2 O 3 in photocatalyst, which exhibits a higher photocatalytic activity. • Spatially confined Fe 2 O 3 in hierarchical SiO 2 @TiO 2 (SFT) photocatalyst was prepared. • A complete degradation of antibiotics was achieved under natural sunlight irradiation. • Transformation intermediates and pathways of antibiotics were presented. • This work provided a new insight for constructing other metal oxides confined photocatalysts. Although TiO 2 -based photocatalysts have achieved great successes for the degradation of organic pollutants, the complete removal of antibiotics is hard to be realized because of its unique macromolecular ring structure under solar-light irradiation. Herein, this work demonstrates the rational design of the hierarchical hollow SiO 2 -Fe 2 O 3 @TiO 2 (SFT) photocatalyst by introducing spatially confined Fe 2 O 3 as a modifier of TiO 2 , in which inner SiO 2 serves as a carrier to support and disperse Fe 2 O 3 in order to obtain small size of Fe 2 O 3 (2–6 nm), while outer TiO 2 acts as a bounding wall to protect Fe 2 O 3 from aggregation and abscission. The as-synthesized SFT photocatalyst not only can overcome easy corrosion, dissolution and deactivation of Fe 2 O 3 during the photoreaction process, but also can substantially enhance the adsorption of antibiotics because of its hierarchical hollow structure, facilitating the separation of electron-hole pairs and prolonging the trapping of incident light. Therefore, the SFT photocatalyst manifests the complete removal of antibiotics under simulated solar light irradiation. The intermediates of antibiotics were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and the possible degradation pathway was proposed accordingly. Besides, SFT photocatalyst exhibits an excellent recyclability due to confinement effect. Especially, the as-synthesized SFT also achieves the 100% degradation rate of antibiotics under natural sunlight irradiation, efficiently overcoming the incomplete removal of antibiotics for many previous TiO 2 -based photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]