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Textile‐based generators that can convert low‐grade energy from the human body or environment into sustainable electricity have generated immense scientific interest in self‐powered wearable applications. However, their low power density and environmental suitability have extremely restricted their portable applications in complex and mutable environments. Herein, an asymmetric sandwich structure between molybdenum disulfide (MoS2)‐carbonized silks (MCs) and MoS2/MXene–Cottons (MMCs) to construct efficient thermo–hydroelectric generators (THEGs) that synergistically harvest heat‐moisture energy to generate considerable electricity is rationally designed. Notably, the large surface area of MoS2/MXene van der Waals heterojunctions (vdWhs) enables efficient charge collection, and the vertical MoS2 nanosheet arrays supply abundant nanochannels for a highly efficient hydration effect, generating an output power density of 32.26 µW cm−2 after wetting with deionized water. Combined with the sensitive temperature recognition ability with a Seebeck coefficient of 23.5 µV K−1, the application possibilities of these prepared THEGs in the mutual conversion of fingertip temperature/language, and the monitoring of the human physiological state is foresee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precise fabrication of organic micro/nanostructures with regular morphology has gained a considerable concern in developing high‐performance optoelectronic devices, which is still a huge challenge to realize tunable morphology without the dependence on molecule packing arrangement. Herein, a thermodynamic/kinetic controlled self‐assembly for triphenylene‐7,7,8,8‐tetracyanoquinodimethane (TP‐TCNQ) cocrystal, with well‐defined microwires and microplates based on the same crystal structure, is proposed. With the low solution concentration of C = 5 mm, the comparable growth rates along [011] driven by π–π interaction and along [100] driven by charge‐transfer (CT) interaction facilitate the formation of thermodynamically favored shape of microplates. In contrast, the prominent CT interaction along [100] leads to the construction of microwires at kinetic state under high‐concentration solution of C = 10 mm. Furthermore, the prepared TP‐TCNQ microwires and microplates demonstrate isotropic photonic transmissions with the low optical loss coefficient of 0.033 and 0.042 dB µm−1, respectively. This strategy provides a novel avenue to finely construct the organic microcrystals with desired morphology for potential optoelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic textiles present an enticing prospect for personal health assessment and physical monitoring, owing to their strong stretchability, high flexibility, mechanical robustness and high capacity in sensing small deformations in human motions. Herein, a multifunctional robust flexible knitting-shaped strain sensor based on the functional heterostructure composed of the conductive MXene (Ti3C2Tx) nanosheet and the antimicrobial Cu2O nanoparticles is prepared via a solution-processable dip-dry coating approach. The textile-based strain sensor exhibits a highly stable and immediate response over a wide range, which shows great advantages in detecting and monitoring human activities, such as smiling, swallowing, and wrist/finger/joint bending. Significantly, these prepared strain sensors present a promising application in smart wear, which was typically employed as the smart sensing gloves in barrier-free communication for hearing-impaired people. Interestingly, the different resistance evolutions of the knitted sensor under both low and high strain were carried out to study the sensing mechanism for the first time. Notably, the strain sensor displays a reliable antibacterial efficiency of ∼99.1% for Escherichia coli and outstanding breathability as high as 190 mm/s. This developed MXene/Cu2O hybrid materials supplies a new insight for the rational design and synthesis of multifunctional nanomaterials, as well as the achievement of the flexible wearable sensor with high performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Full-spectrum photocatalysis from ultraviolet to near infrared has generated immense scientific interest in environmental purification and energy conversion, which is still a huge challenge. Herein, we utilized a solution combustion method to prepare W18O49/N-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO) hybrid nanomaterials for full-spectrum photocatalytic degradation, which degraded organic dye molecules within a short reaction time (45 min) and demonstrated a high degradation rate (more than 90%) and a low initial concentration of degradation (50 mg L−1). Moreover, the relationship between irradiation light source, temperature, time, photocatalytic properties and photocatalytic mechanism of the degraded organic dye molecules have been investigated. This research afforded a full-spectrum photocatalyst for effectively removing organic dyes under any wavelength range of sunlight, whether UV, Vis or NIR light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rational construction of one-dimensional (1D) nanomaterials with a hierarchical structure, including multi-block, core/shell and branching structures, is a significant challenge and a crucial step toward effective control of their electrical, optical and mechanical properties. Herein, we develop a synergistic approach, integrating precipitation and microwave processes to fabricate barnyardgrass-like CuO/Cu2O heterostructure nanowires. PEG200 is an important solvent acting as a template for the formation of the barnyardgrass-like hierarchical nanostructure as well as a reductant for subsequent reduction of CuO into Cu2O via a microwave process. Furthermore, the barnyardgrass-like CuO/Cu2O heterostructure nanowires were employed as a glucose sensor with a high sensitivity of 1281 μA mM−1 cm−2, a detection limit of 16.7 μM and good stability >20 cycles. This stepwise synergistic approach opens up a new avenue for controllably synthesizing hierarchically-structured nanomaterials with excellent performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Cd TiO2 nanorods were synthesized by the vapor transport method of water molecules, and urea was used as the carbon and nitrogen source. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction and photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The scanning electron microscope images showed that as-prepared TiO2 powders were nanorods, which were formed by the stacking of nanoparticles with a uniform size around 40nm. The degradation of methylene blue with the prepared nanorods demonstrated the photocatalytic activities of TiO2 under visible light are improved by doping with C and N elements. The main reasons were discussed: doping with C and N elements could enhance the corresponding visible-light absorption of TiO2. On the other hand, doping C and N could create more oxygen vacancies in the TiO2 crystals, which could capture the photogenerated electrons more effectively. Thus, more photogenerated holes could be left to improve the photocatalytic activity of TiO2. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: AgI doped SnO2 nano-composites were prepared by the chemical coprecipitation method and were characterized by the X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Results showed that main of the I− ions remained in the AgI lattice which is highly dispersed in the system. The photo-catalytic experiments performed under visible light irradiation using methylene blue as the pollutant revealed that not only the photo-catalytic activity but also the stability of SnO2 based photocatalyst could be improved by introduction of an appropriate amount of AgI, and the result was further supported by the UV–Vis diffuse reflection spectra and the electron spin-resonance spectra. Among all of the samples, AgI–SnO2 nano-composite with 2At% AgI exhibited the best catalytic efficiency and stability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Flexible hydroelectric generators (HEGs) are promising self-powered devices that spontaneously derive electrical power from moisture. However, achieving the desired compatibility between a continuous operating voltage and superior current density remains a significant challenge. Herein, a textile-based van der Waals heterostructure is rationally designed between conductive 1T phase tungsten disulfide@carbonized silk (1T-WS 2 @CSilk) and carbon black@cotton (CB@Cotton) fabrics with an asymmetric distribution of oxygen-containing functional groups, which enhances the proton concentration gradients toward high-performance wearable HEGs. The vertically staggered 1T-WS 2 nanosheet arrays on the CSilk fabric provide abundant hydrophilic nanochannels for rapid carrier transport. Furthermore, the moisture-induced primary battery formed between the active aluminum (Al) electrode and the conductive textiles introduces the desired electric field to facilitate charge separation and compensate for the decreased streaming potential. These devices exhibit a power density of 21.6 µW cm -2 , an open-circuit voltage (V oc ) of 0.65 V sustained for over 10 000 s, and a current density of 0.17 mA cm -2 . This performance makes them capable of supplying power to commercial electronics and human respiratory monitoring. This study presents a promising strategy for the refined design of wearable electronics., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Optical interconnects exhibit superior potential in the precise regulation of photon transmission for organic photonic circuits. However, the rational design of well-defined organic heterostructures toward active optoelectronics remains challenging. Herein, we designed organic branched heterostructures (OBHs) with accurate spatial organization for optical interconnection. Notably, the precise regulation of OBHs has been controllably achieved including the trunk morphologies and the branched microwire number. Significantly, these as-prepared OBHs inherently exhibit the multichannel coupling outputs and the excitation position-dependent waveguide characteristics, leading to various outcoupling signals with tunable intensity and emission colors. The optical interconnects are realized due to the occurrence of exciton conversion and photon propagation between branch and trunk at the heterojunction, benefiting the application possibilities of two-dimensional (2D) optical barcodes., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides are of particular interest in high-performance photothermal conversion, yet there remains a huge challenge in their practical application in smart textiles for healthcare, energy, and personal protection. Herein, we controllably prepared MoS 2 hollow nanospheres with a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 36% via a microemulsion-hydrothermal method, which was further applied to construct photothermal fibers for personal thermal management after a hot-blast dip-drying process. Because of the prominent photothermal effect, the temperature of the photothermal fibers sharply increases from the room temperature value of 25.0 to 55.5 °C in 60 s under near-infrared illumination with a power density of 500 W/cm 2 . Furthermore, the photothermal fiber pad demonstrated an obvious temperature enhancement of 38.0 °C from a skin temperature of 22.0 °C after it was irradiated by natural sunlight for 60 s. Significantly, the antibacterial elimination rates of the photothermal fibers for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus are ∼99.9 and ∼99.8%, respectively. This strategy affords an avenue toward the practical application of photothermal materials in smart fibers for personal thermoregulation.