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Discharge of wastewater containing lead ions poses serious risks to plants, aquatic organisms, and human health. Conventional heavy metal removal methods, such as membrane filtration and activated carbon adsorption, are often costly and less effective at trace concentrations. This study investigates the biosorption potential of three adsorbents: the green alga Cladophora glomerata (CGM) collected from the Red Sea (Egypt), silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) nanoparticles, and a hybrid composite of CGM with SiO 2 nanoparticles, for lead removal from industrial wastewater. The adsorbents were characterized using SEM and FTIR, and the effects of pH, adsorbent dose, and other operating parameters (temperature: 20 ± 2 °C, stirring speed: 300 rpm, contact time: 60 min, and initial lead concentration: 20 mgL − 1 ) were investigated. CGM achieved 100% removal efficiency at pH 5.0 with a biomass dose of 1.3 g/L, while SiO 2 nanoparticles achieved the same efficiency at 0.5 g/L. The hybrid composite reached 97.79% efficiency at 0.7 g/L, suggesting possible competition for adsorption sites. Kinetic studies indicated that the biosorption followed the pseudo-second-order non-linear model with high correlation coefficients (R² = 0.998, 0.998, and 0.9998 for CGM, SiO 2 , and the hybrid, respectively). These findings highlight the strong potential of algae-based, nanoparticle-based, and hybrid biosorbents as cost-effective and environmentally friendly solutions for surface water treatment and wastewater post-treatment.

The traditional methods in early caries detection had many limitations. So, this study aimed to evaluate the clinical performance of alternating current impedance spectroscopy ACIST in comparison with digital radiograph and ICDAS-II in detection of occlusal carious lesions. Occlusal surfaces of molar and premolar teeth from 40 adult participants were examined by two observers using three diagnostic methods: (1) international caries detection and assessment system (ICDAS-II) (2) digital radiograph (DR) and (3) Cariescan Pro device (ACIST). Agreement analysis and the difference in sensitivities and specificities were evaluated. The results showed an excellent agreement in the different groups. The difference from the visual tactile against ACIST scoring for enamel caries detection, was statistically significant (p = 0.012) and the agreement was moderate (k = 0.509). For dentinal caries the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05) and the agreement was similarly moderate (k < 0.6). The difference from the digital radiograph against ACIST scoring, for enamel caries, digital radiography had significantly higher sensitivity and specificity than ACIST (p < 0.001) while for dentinal caries detection and overall, ACIST had higher sensitivity and digital radiography had higher specificity and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Visual-tactile examination is a considered as feasible and valid technique for occlusal caries detection, digital radiography is superior to ACIST in diagnosing enamel caries, but it could underestimate the caries depth, ACIST is a reliable tool for detecting occlusal caries in dentin.

Copper ions (Cu2+) disposed to the environment at massive scale pose severe threat to human health and waste of resource. Electrochemical deionization (EDI) which captures ions by electrical field is a promising technique for water purification. However, the removal capacity and selectivity toward Cu2+ are unsatisfying, yet the recycling of the captured copper in EDI systems is yet to be explored. Herein, an efficient electrochemical copper pump (ECP) that can deliver Cu2+ from dilute brackish water into much more concentrated solutions is constructed using carbon nanosheets for the first time, which works based on reversible electrosorption and electrodeposition. The trade‐off between the removal capacity and reversibility is mediated by the operation voltage. The ECP exhibits a removal capacity of 702.5 mg g−1 toward Cu2+ and a high selectivity coefficient of 64 for Cu2+/Na+ in the presence of multiple cations; both are the highest reported to date. The energy consumption of 1.79 Wh g–1 is among the lowest for EDI of copper. More importantly, the Cu species captured can be released into a 20‐fold higher concentrated solution. Such a high performance is attributed to the optimal potential distribution between the two electrodes that allows reversible electrodeposition and efficient electrosorption. A novel electrochemical copper pump that can deliver Cu2+ from brackish water into a 20‐fold higher concentrated solution is constructed using hierarchical porous carbon nanosheets. The pump exhibits the highest removal capacity and selectivity toward Cu2+ so far and can release the captured Cu species efficiently; all are enabled by reversible electrosorption and electrodeposition at high operation voltages.

HighlightsThe composite gel electrolyte with low tortuosity ion-conducting arrays (GPE/ICAs) exhibiting high room-temperature ionic conductivity (1.08 mS cm−1) was successfully prepared by directionally growing ice crystals and in-situ polymerization.The stable and rapid Li+ migration through ICAs in the GPE is proved by 6Li solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction combined with computer simulations.Li/LiFePO4 full cells using GPE/ICAs exhibit excellent cycle performance and high-capacity retention at wide temperature (0–60 °C), which has the potential towards all-weather practical solid-state batteries.The rapid improvement in the gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) with high ionic conductivity brought it closer to practical applications in solid-state Li-metal batteries. The combination of solvent and polymer enables quasi-liquid fast ion transport in the GPEs. However, different ion transport capacity between solvent and polymer will cause local nonuniform Li+ distribution, leading to severe dendrite growth. In addition, the poor thermal stability of the solvent also limits the operating-temperature window of the electrolytes. Optimizing the ion transport environment and enhancing the thermal stability are two major challenges that hinder the application of GPEs. Here, a strategy by introducing ion-conducting arrays (ICA) is created by vertical-aligned montmorillonite into GPE. Rapid ion transport on the ICA was demonstrated by 6Li solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and synchrotron X-ray diffraction, combined with computer simulations to visualize the transport process. Compared with conventional randomly dispersed fillers, ICA provides continuous interfaces to regulate the ion transport environment and enhances the tolerance of GPEs to extreme temperatures. Therefore, GPE/ICA exhibits high room-temperature ionic conductivity (1.08 mS cm−1) and long-term stable Li deposition/stripping cycles (> 1000 h). As a final proof, Li||GPE/ICA||LiFePO4 cells exhibit excellent cycle performance at wide temperature range (from 0 to 60 °C), which shows a promising path toward all-weather practical solid-state batteries.

A dual-function organic-inorganic mesoporous structure is reported for naked-eye detection and removal of uranyl ions from an aqueous environment. The mesoporous sensor/adsorbent is fabricated via direct template synthesis of highly ordered silica monolith (HOM) starting from a quaternary microemulsion liquid crystalline phase. The produced HOM is subjected to further modifications through growing an organic probe, omega chrome black blue G (OCBBG), in the cavities and on the outer surface of the silica structure. The spectral response for [HOM-OCBBG → U(VI)] complex shows a maximum reflectance at λ max = 548 nm within 1 min response time ( t R ); the LOD is close to 9.1 μg/L while the LOQ approaches 30.4 μg/L, and this corresponds to the range of concentration where the signal is linear against U(VI) concentration (i.e., 5-1000 μg/L) at pH 3.4 with standard deviation (SD) of 0.079 (RSD% = 11.7 at n = 10). Experiments and DFT calculations indicate the existence of strong binding energy between the organic probe and uranyl ions forming a complex with blue color that can be detected by naked eyes even at low uranium concentrations. With regard to the radioactive remediation, the new mesoporous sensor/captor is able to reach a maximum capacity of 95 mg/g within a few minutes of the sorption process. The synthesized material can be regenerated using simple leaching and re-used several times without a significant decrease in capacity. Graphical abstract

Room temperature sodium-sulfur batteries have been considered to be potential candidates for future energy storage devices because of their low cost, abundance, and high performance. The sluggish sulfur reaction and the “shuttle effect” are among the main problems that hinder the commercial utilization of room temperature sodium-sulfur batteries. In this study, the performance of a hybrid that was based on nitrogen (N)-doped carbon nanospheres loaded with a meagre amount of Fe ions (0.14 at.%) was investigated in the sodium-sulfur battery. The Fe ions accelerated the conversion of polysulfides and provided a stronger interaction with soluble polysulfides. The Fe-carbon nanospheres hybrid delivered a reversible capacity of 359 mAh·g−1 at a current density of 0.1 A·g−1 and retained a capacity of 180 mAh·g−1 at 1 A·g−1, after 200 cycles. These results, combined with the excellent rate performance, suggest that Fe ions, even at low loading, are able to improve the electrocatalytic effect of carbon nanostructures significantly. In addition to Na-S batteries, the new hybrid is anticipated to be a strong candidate for other energy storage and conversion applications such as other metal-sulfur batteries and metal-air batteries.

Hydrogels have shown great promise as versatile biomaterials for various applications, ranging from tissue engineering to flexible electronics. Among their notable attributes, self‐healing capabilities stand out as a significant advantage, facilitating autonomous repair of mechanical damage and restoration of structural integrity. In this work, a dual network macromolecular biphasic composite is designed using an anisotropic structure which facilitates unidirectional chain diffusion and imparts superior self‐healing and mechanical properties. The resulting nanocomposite demonstrates significantly higher self‐healing efficiency (92%) compared to traditional polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels, while also improving the tensile strength and elastic modulus, which typically compete with each other in soft materials. This improvement is attributed to enhanced barrier properties within the matrix due to the alignment of surface‐functionalized 2D hBN nanosheets along the biopolymer scaffold. The insights gained from this research can be leveraged to develop advanced self‐healing materials by using 2D nanofillers as “safety barriers” to define the movement of polymeric chains. This work presents a novel dual‐network hydrogel utilizing surface‐functionalized hBN nanosheets and directional freezing to create anisotropic channels. This alignment helps direct the polymer chain movement, achieving a 92% self‐healing efficiency and superior mechanical strength compared to conventional isotropic hydrogels.

Zirconia is a promising candidate for many applications, especially when stabilized with metal oxide nanoparticles such as yttria and ceria. Zirconium oxide-based materials supported on carbon nanomaterials have shown excellent performance electrocatalysts due to their outstanding catalytic activities and high stability. In this work, a one-pot hydrothermal method was used to prepare porous stabilized zirconia nanoparticles with yttria and ceria (YSZ and CSZ) anchored on carbon nanosheets derived from molasses fiber waste as a sustainable source and annealing at various temperatures (MCNSs). The prepared composites YSZ/MCNSs and CSZ/MCNSs exhibit superior oxygen evolution reaction performance in alkaline medium. Various physicochemical analysis techniques such as SEM, EDX, HR-TEM, BET, XRD and XPS are employed to characterize the designed catalysts. The results showed that the doping of molasses fibers exfoliated into 2D nanosheets controlled the growth of the YSZ particles into the nanosize and increased their crystallinity. This improves the electrochemical surface area and stability, and modulates the electronic structure of zirconium, yttrium and cerium which facilitate the adsorption of OH − ions, and all contribute to the higher catalytic activity. Graphical Abstract

The limited energy density of the current Li‐ion batteries restricts the electrification of transportation to small‐ and medium‐scale vehicles. On the contrary, Li‐O2 batteries (LOBs), with their significantly higher theoretical energy density, can power heavy‐duty transportation, if the sluggish electrode kinetics in these devices can be substantially improved. The use of solid electrocatalysts at the cathode is a viable strategy to address this challenge, but current electrocatalysts fail to provide sufficient discharge depths and cyclability, primarily due to the formation of the film‐like discharge product, Li₂O₂, on catalytic sites, which obstructs charge transport and gas diffusion pathways. Here, we report that a triphase heterogeneous catalyst comprising NiCoP, NiCo2S4, and NiCo2O4, assembled into a hierarchical hollow architecture (NC‐3@Ni), efficiently modulates the morphology and orientation of the discharge product, facilitating the sheet‐like growth of Li2O2 perpendicular to the cathode surface. These modifications enable the assembled LOB to deliver a high discharge capacity of 25 162 mAh g−1 at 400 mA g−1, along with impressive cycling performance, achieving 270 cycles with a discharge depth of 1000 mAh g−1, exceeding 1350 h of continuous operation. This promising performance is attributed to the presence of individual electrophilic and nucleophilic phases within the heterogeneous microstructure of the triphase catalyst, collectively promoting the formation of sheet‐like Li2O2. Illustration of the impact of sheet‐like Li2O2 morphology in enhancing cycle stability and reducing charging overpotential in Li‐O2 batteries with a tri‐phase electrocatalytic cathode.

Graphite is known as the most successful anode material found for Li‐ion batteries. However, unfortunately, graphite delivers an ordinary capacity as anode material for the next‐generation Na‐ion batteries (SIBs) due to difficulties in intercalating larger Na+ ions in between the layers of graphene due to incompatible d‐spacing. The methodologies investigated in deriving suitable anode structures for SIBs are found to be either less effective, expensive, or rather too complex in most cases. Herein, a simple strategy is introduced to derive suitable anode materials for SIBs through a modified electrochemical exfoliation of graphite. The introduced exfoliation process is able to graft Fe3O4 (magnetite) on graphite allowing the structure to expand, supporting a swift intercalation and deintercalation of Na ions. The synthesized magnetite‐functionalized graphene nanoplatelets are identified as a well‐suited anode material for SIBs, with its efficient intercalation obtained through the expanded interlayer spacing of 3.9 Å and the surface redox pseudocapacitive activity attained through the surface‐grafted magnetite. The effectiveness of the synthesized is reflected in the obtained high discharge capacitance of 420 mAh g−1, with 96% capacitive retention over 1000 cycles. The study opens new opportunities for prospective low‐cost anode materials for energy storage applications. A simple electrochemical exfoliation method modifies graphite to synthesize magnetite‐functionalized graphene nanoplatelets (Mag‐GNP) with an expanded interlayer spacing of 3.9 Å. The composite demonstrates enhanced Na‐ion intercalation, superior pseudocapacitive activity, and remarkable cycling stability. Mag‐GNP achieves 420 mAh g−1 reversible capacity and 96% retention over 1000 cycles, presenting a cost‐effective and scalable solution for advanced sodium‐ion battery anodes.