Search

[Display omitted] • Polyphenolic compounds were used to form Fenton-like reaction systems. • Hydrogels prepared using Fenton-like reaction have excellent overall properties. • The drug release amount in transdermal drug-delivery is up to 22.32%. • Hydrogels are promising transdermal drug-delivery motion-sensing materials. External injuries that restrict movement require hydrogel sensors capable of delivering drugs to the corresponding skin for therapy and concurrently motion monitoring to assist in restoring motor function. In this study, we incorporated gallic acid (GA)-Fe3+–H 2 O 2 Fenton-like dynamic redox autocatalysis into hydrogels to generate significant quantities of hydroxyl radicals and accelerate gelation times (to seconds). The synthesized GA-Fe3+/ polyacrylic acid (PAA) hydrogels possess copious hydrogen and metal-coordination bonds due to the incorporation of GA and Fe3+, imparting self-healing capabilities and antibacterial properties in addition to a maximum tensile strength of 50.37 kPa, a self-adhesive strength of 17.53 kPa, 100 % UV resistance, and a conductivity of 1.401 S m−1. Hydrogels employed in wearable-sensing application exhibit high sensitivities, repeatabilities, and rapid response properties, enabling precise monitoring of human movement. Additionally, drug-loaded hydrogels exhibited up to 22.31 % drug release during 1 h of transdermal drug delivery. A significant reduction in drug release during transdermal experiments with drug-loaded hydrogels following motion stretching indicates that the drug had been successfully released during tensile sensing testing. Consequently, this autocatalytic system presents promising prospects for developing hydrogels suitable to transdermal drug-delivery motion-sensing for movement recovery caused by external injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Redox-driven ultrafast free-radical polymerization process. • Gelation in a time scale of seconds at ambient temperature. • LS and CNC significantly enhance the mechanical robustness of hydrogel electrolytes. • The hydrogel electrolytes endow the high t zn 2+ and ionic conductivity. • The hydrogel electrolytes suppress Zn dendrites and interfacial side reactions. Hydrogel electrolytes with high intrinsic toughness and ionic conductivity are considered essential for realising flexible energy storage. Polyzwitterionic hydrogel electrolytes typically exhibit excellent ionic transference number and conductivity because of their distinct rapid anionic and cationic channels, thereby achieving superior ionic transport kinetics. This paper presents an ultrafast autocatalytic gelation process, which can produce a self-adhesive hydrogel electrolyte (PAD@SC) via copolymerization of vinyl monomer acrylic acid and zwitterionic monomer sulfobetaine in a time scale of seconds instead of hours at room temperature (approximately 20 °C). The incorporation of bio-based functional enhancement components, namely, sodium lignosulfonate and nanocellulose, into the hydrogel precursor solution facilitated the reconstruction of noncovalent hydrogen bond networks within the hydrogel, resulting in enhanced mechanical properties. Moreover, the PAD@SC hydrogel electrolyte prepared using this autocatalytic system can effectively inhibit the growth of Zn dendrites to realize a stable Zn anode. The assembled PAD@SC-based flexible Zn-ion capacitors possess high specific capacitance (85.4 mAh g−1), rate performance, and cycling stability (10000 cycles at 5 A g−1), indicating remarkable potential for practical application in flexible power supplies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single layer graphene hybridized 2D ternary GR/(0 0 1)/(1 0 0)WO 3 heterojunction synthesized through a simple two step hydrothermal method showed highly efficient photocatalytic oxygen evolution performance mainly owing to the synergistic promoting effects of the improved separation and prolonged lifetime of photocharges, the reduced energy barrier for O O formation, and the lower overpotential of water oxidation reaction comparable to most active RuO 2. [Display omitted] • GR hybridized GR/(0 0 1)/(1 0 0)WO 3 possesses an AQE of 26.7 % at 420 nm. • The -C-W- "bridge" acts as electron transfer channel for construction of internal electric field at GR-(0 0 1)WO 3 interface. • The apparent activation energy and overpotential of GR/(0 0 1)/(1 0 0)WO 3 are comparable to the most active RuO 2. An unique graphene hybridized 2D ternary GR/(0 0 1)/(1 0 0)WO 3 facet junction is designed by combining the advantages of heterojunction and unique bi-functional graphene working as hole trap and co-catalyst in photocatalytic water splitting. By a facile two-step hydrothermal method, (0 0 1)WO 3 with highly exposed facet is connected to graphene through -C-W-"bridge", while (1 0 0)WO 3 grows on the surface of (0 0 1)WO 3 affording efficient generation of photocharges. GR/(0 0 1)/(1 0 0)WO 3 is highly active in oxidation of water, with an apparent quantum efficiency of 26.7 % at 420 nm. The -C-W- "bridge" acts as electron transfer channel for construction of internal electric field at GR/(0 0 1)WO 3 interface, which would direct photo-generated holes towards graphene for water oxidation. The charges dynamics analysis and theoretical simulations demonstrate that the superior photocatalytic activity mainly results from the synergistic promoting effects of the improved separation and prolonged lifetime of photocharges, the reduced energy barrier for O O formation, and the lower overpotential of water oxidation reaction comparable to the most efficient RuO 2. This work provides a promising pathway to develop graphene hybridizing structure with dual functions for boosting photocatalytic reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Au-NPs were immobilized on natural tubular Kappa fiber for catalytic applications. [•] The preparation process is simple, mild, efficient and eco-friendly. [•] The eco-friendly nanocomposite can rapidly catalyze the reduction of Congo Red dye. [•] Hydrogen was simultaneously produced along with the catalytic reduction of dye. [•] The nanocomposite can be used to treat dye wastewater and produce hydrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Hydrophilic zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 nanocrystals with hydroxyl were prepared. • Perfluoro-alkylsiloxane-modified nanoparticles can form a superhydrophobic coating. • Epoxy resin as binding layer enhanced the anti-abrasion and durability of the coating. • Superhydrophobic composite coating can be readily spray-coated on various substrate. • Composite coating shows splendid self-cleaning, anti-corrosion, anti-icing, and so on. A superhydrophobic composite coating was facilely constructed based on MOF (ZIF-8) nanoparticles and organic resin. Hydrophilic ZIF-8 nanoparticles with hydroxyl group were firstly prepared in aqueous media at room temperature, and then modified with low surface energy perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (POTS) through hydrolytic condensation to give a superhydrophobic paint. Additionally, epoxy resin (EP) was innovatively introduced as adhesive layer to improve the robustness and adhesive force of the superhydrophobic coating. The as-prepared ZIF-8/POTS/EP composite coating showed high water-repellency (water contact angle = 168.2°), mechanical and chemical robustness, and durability that it could maintain the superhydrophobicity after weathering in air for 300 days or immersing in 3.5 wt% NaCl aqueous solution for 60 days. The superhydrophobic composite coating also possessed excellent performance in self-cleaning, corrosion resistance, anti-icing and loading-increasing. Noteworthily, for the corrosion resistance, the ZIF-8/POTS/EP coating could increase the impedance modulus (at 0.01 Hz) of Q235 steel by about 7 orders of magnitude after immersion in 3.5 wt% NaCl aqueous solution for 7 days. We believe that this work can not only promote the effortless and large-scale preparation of superhydrophobic surface and their practical applications in future, but also provide a novel way for applying MOF materials into more fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Liquid metal can initiate the gelation process and generate Ga3+ to crosslink PAA. • The PIL-A gel exhibits anti-dehydration and self-healing in a wide temperature range. • The PIL-A gel shows high transparency, superior mechanical and sensing performance. • The sensor achieves human motion detection and physiological signal tracking. Flexible electronic devices, sensing human movement and monitoring physiological signals, might be useful for performing research in the area of intelligent detection. Gallium (Ga), a liquid metal (LM), is often used as a soft conductive material in the form of droplets because of its unique properties. Herein, a liquid metal-induced ionogel is synthesized by polymerizing acrylic acid (AA) with the existence of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) and Ga droplets. In the system, the free radical formed from Ga oxidation process initiates the polymerization of AA. Meanwhile, the Ga3+ produced by Ga oxidation forms a coordination with the –COO− on PAA chains. The coordination crosslinking sites create slip when the gel is exposed to external force, increasing the stretchability (5000 %) of the ionogel. When the Ga droplets are completely oxidized to Ga3+, the gel changes from silvery gray to transparent (80 %). In addition, the ionic liquids and the electrostatic interactions within the network enable the resultant ionogel anti-dehydration (98 %) and self-healing performances in a wide temperature range (-20 ∼ 20 °C). The liquid metal-induced ionogel can be assembled into a flexible sensor with adequate sensitivity, rapid response time (240 ms), and cyclic stability, demonstrating human movement patterns with accuracy to keep track of physiological signs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • MnO 2 adsorbent with tailored hollow mesoporous structure was synthesized. • The improved adsorption property was achieved by structural design. • The adsorbent has super high adsorption capacity for heavy metals in water and soil. • The adsorbent has good stability in the application process. • The main removal mechanism is the synergy of physical and chemical adsorption. Heavy metals in wastewater and soil pose serious threats to the ecological environment and human health. Chemical modification and composite design are the main design strategies for high-performance heavy metal adsorbents. However, in this study, a unique way was adopted to improve the adsorption performance of MnO 2 by tailoring its hollow mesoporous structure (HMN). Unmodified HMN which has good stability under acidic conditions was directly used for adsorption and fixation of heavy metals in wastewater and soil. The adsorption capacity of HMN has been greatly improved compared with other MnO 2 adsorbents, and its adsorption capacities for Pb2+, Cu2+ and Cd2+ reached 897.0, 437.5 and 354.3 mg g−1, respectively. Such high adsorption performance is rarely seen in manganese-based adsorbents. Purification results of laboratory wastewater and industrial wastewater showed that it has good application prospect for actual environmental water samples. The adsorption mechanism mainly includes physical adsorption, electrostatic adsorption, surface complexation (oxygen sites and hydroxyl groups) and ion exchange between Na+ and heavy metal ions. In addition, HMN can effectively passivate heavy metals in contaminated soil and reduce their leaching concentration to improve soil safety. This improvement in the performance of adsorbents by tailoring their structures is instructive and provides insight and approach for the design and preparation of advanced adsorbents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Co 3 O 4 -Au polyhedron as mimic peroxidase and electronic extinguisher for amplify signal response. • TiO 2 /Bi 2 S 3 heterostructure with high photoelectric conversion efficiency. • Cascade enzyme-assisted cycling process for miRNA detection to improve the sensitivity. A photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensor was constructed based on cascade enzyme-assisted cycling process and Co 3 O 4 -Au polyhedron for miRNA-141 detection. The biotin-modified DNA was immobilized on ITO/TiO 2 /Bi 2 S 3 to link streptomycin-modified Co 3 O 4 -Au through the specific interaction between streptavidin and biotin. The Co 3 O 4 -Au with the competitive consumption effect of electron donor and excitation light energy could effectively reduce the photocurrent signal. Additionally, Co 3 O 4 -Au as peroxidase mimetics enzyme could catalyze the formation of benzo-4-chlorohexanedione (4-CD) precipitate on the electrode surface, which could efficiently prevent electron transfer and decrease the photocurrent signal of PEC biosensor. In the cascade enzyme-assisted cycling process, a small amount of miRNA-141 triggered the double-strand specific endonucleases-assisted cycling process, which could generate DNA fragment for next step experiment. Then the biotin-modified DNA was decomposed by Exonuclease III (Exo III) in the Exo III-assisted cycling process, resulting in the separation of biotin from the electrode surface and the reduction in the loading of streptomycin-modified Co 3 O 4 -Au. The fabricated PEC biosensor with a wide linear range and a low detection limit has potential applications in highly accurate and ultrasensitive monitoring of bioanalysis and disease diagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]