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Perovskite LaFeO 3 /montmorillonite nanocomposites (LaFeO 3 /MMT) have been successfully prepared via assembling LaFeO 3 nanoparticles on the surface of montmorillonite with citric acid assisted sol-gel method. The results indicated that the uniform LaFeO 3 nanoparticles were densely deposited onto the surface of montmorillonite, mainly ranging in diameter from 10 nm to 15 nm. The photocatalytic activity of LaFeO 3 /MMT was evaluated by the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation, indicating that LaFeO 3 /MMT exhibited remarkable adsorption efficiency and excellent photocatalytic activity with the overall removal rate of RhB up to 99.34% after visible light irradiation lasting for 90 min. The interface characteristic and possible degradation mechanism were explored. The interface characterization of LaFeO 3 /MMT suggested that LaFeO 3 nanoparticles could be immobilized on the surface of montmorillonite with the Si-O-Fe bonds. The abundant hydroxyl groups of montmorillonite, semiconductor photocatalysis of LaFeO 3 and Fenton-like reaction could enhance the photocatalytic degradation through a synergistic effect. Therefore, the LaFeO 3 /MMT is a very promising photocatalyst in future industrial application to treat effectively wastewater of dyes.

Novel antimicrobial nanocomposite incorporating halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and silver (Ag) into zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles is prepared by integrating HNTs and decorating Ag nanoparticles. ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) with a size of about 100 and 8 nm, respectively, are dispersively anchored onto HNTs. The synergistic effects of ZnO NPs, Ag NPs, and HNTs led to the superior antibacterial activity of the Ag-ZnO/HNTs antibacterial nanocomposites. HNTs facilitated the dispersion and stability of ZnO NPs and brought them in close contact with bacteria, while Ag NPs could promote the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and enhanced the antibacterial activity of ZnO NPs. The close contact with cell membrane enabled the nanoparticles to produce the increased concentration of reactive oxygen species and the metal ions to permeate into the cytoplasm, thus induced quick death of bacteria, indicating that Ag-ZnO/HNTs antibacterial nanocomposite is a promising candidate in the antibacterial fields.

Clay minerals are essential components of soil systems and understanding their role in soil structure and function is critical for soil environmental quality management and sustainable agricultural development. An in-depth study of clay minerals and the development of related materials is essential for a complete understanding and effective management of soil systems. This review is a detailed compilation of relevant studies over the past decade in this area, focusing on an overview of clay minerals and their modified materials and their regulation of soil structure and function. We focus on the direct influence of clay minerals on the physical, chemical and biological properties of soils, such as soil structure, soil fertility, plant growth, soil microbial activity and soil carbon sequestration. Finally, we concluded by summarizing the existing issues with clay mineral materials in soil improvement and by outlining potential future development trends and strategies.

Advanced functional two‐dimensional (2D) nanomaterials offer unique advantages in drug delivery systems for disease treatment. Kaolinite (Kaol), a nanoclay mineral, is a natural 2D nanomaterial because of its layered silicate structure with nanoscale layer spacing. Recently, Kaol nanoclay is used as a carrier for controlled drug release and improved drug dissolution owing to its advantageous properties such as surface charge, strong biocompatibility, and naturally layered structure, making it an essential development direction for nanoclay‐based drug carriers. This review outlines the main physicochemical characteristics of Kaol and the modification methods used for its application in biomedicine. The safety and biocompatibility of Kaol are addressed, and details of the application of Kaol as a drug delivery nanomaterial in antibacterial, anti‐inflammatory, and anticancer treatment are discussed. Furthermore, the challenges and prospects of Kaol‐based drug delivery nanomaterials in biomedicine are discussed. This review recommends directions for the further development of Kaol nanocarriers by improving their physicochemical properties and expanding the bioapplication range of Kaol. This review summarizes the recent progress of Kaol nanoclay for therapeutic delivery. Their naturally layered structure, abundant surface charge as well as strong biocompatibility, make Kaol a superior 2D nanocarrier. By summarizing the modification strategies and addressing the bio‐safety concerns, Kaol‐based nanocarriers were applied for antibacterial, anti‐inflammatory, and antitumor therapy.

Death from acute hemorrhage is a major problem in military conflicts, traffic accidents, and surgical procedures, et al. Achieving rapid effective hemostasis for pre-hospital care is essential to save lives in massive bleeding. An ideal hemostasis material should have those features such as safe, efficient, convenient, economical, which remains challenging and most of them cannot be achieved at the same time. In this work, we report a rapid effective nanoclay-based hemostatic membranes with nanoclay particles incorporate into polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) electrospun fibers. The nanoclay electrospun membrane (NEM) with 60 wt% kaolinite (KEM1.5) shows better and faster hemostatic performance in vitro and in vivo with good biocompatibility compared with most other NEMs and clay-based hemostats, benefiting from its enriched hemostatic functional sites, robust fluffy framework, and hydrophilic surface. The robust hemostatic bandages based on nanoclay electrospun membrane is an effective candidate hemostat in practical application. Rapid, easy and effective haemostasis is needed to reduce the loss of life from traumatic haemorrhage. Here, the authors report on the creation of polymer-nanoclay electrospun membranes and demonstrate haemostatic effects showing superior effects to other clay based haemostats.

The in situ synthesis of mesoporous nanotubes from natural minerals remains a great challenge. Herein, we report the successful synthesis of mesoporous silica nanotubes （MNTs） with a varying inner-shell thickness and a preserved clay outer shell from natural-halloysite nanotubes （HNTs）. After the enlargement of the lumen diameter of the tubular aluminosilicate clay by acid leaching, uniform mesopores were introduced by a modified pseudomorphic transformation approach, while the clay outer shell was well-preserved. Using density functional theory calculations, the atomic structure evolution and the energetics during A1 leaching and Si-OH condensation were studied in detail. After the leaching of A1 ions from the HNTs, local structural changes from Al（Oh） to A1（V） at a medium leaching level and to AI（Td） at a high leaching level were confirmed. The calculated hydroxylation energy of two kinds of silica components in the acid-leached HNTs （the distorted two-dimensional silica source in the inner shell and the intact aluminosilicate structure in the outer shell） was 0.5 eV lower or 1.0 eV higher than that of bulk silica, which clarifies the different behavior of the silica components in the hydrothermal process. The successful synthesis of reactive MNTs from HNTs introduces a new strategy for the synthesis of mesoporous nanocontainers with a special morphology using natural minerals. In particular, MNT samples with numerous reactive AI（V） species and a specific surface area up to 583 m^2/g （increased by a factor of 10） are promising drugloading nanocontainers and nanoreactors.

Benefiting from the advantageous features of high safety, abundant reserves, low cost, and high energy density, aqueous Zn‐based rechargeable batteries (AZBs) have received extensive attention as promising candidates for energy storage. To achieve high‐performance AZBs with high reversibility and energy density, great efforts have been devoted to overcoming their drawbacks by focusing on the modification of electrode materials and electrolytes. Based on different cathode materials and aqueous electrolytes, the development of aqueous AZBs with different redox mechanisms are discussed in this review, including insertion/extraction chemistries (e.g., Zn2+, alkali metal ion, H+, NH4+, and so forth) dissolution/deposition reactions (e.g., MnO2/Mn2+), redox couples in flow batteries (e.g., I3−/3I−, Br2/Br−, and so forth), oxygen electrochemistry (e.g., O2/OH−, O2/O22−), and carbon dioxide electrochemistry (e.g., CO2/CO, CO2/HCOOH). In particular, the basic reaction mechanisms, issues with the Zn electrode, aqueous electrolytes, and cathode materials as well as their design strategies are systematically reviewed. Finally, the remaining challenges faced by AZBs are summarized, and perspectives for further investigations are proposed. The main mechanisms, challenges, and most recent advances of various aqueous Zn‐based batteries (AZBs) are comprehensively reviewed. The development of the design of Zn anodes, electrolytes, cell configurations, and the modification of cathode materials are highlighted. Finally, future perspectives regarding different components are proposed. This review provides valuable instructions on the design of high‐performance AZBs.

Trace ethylene poses a significant challenge during the storage and transportation of agricultural products, causing over-ripening, reducing shelf life, and leading to food waste. Zeolite-supported silver adsorbents show promise for efficiently removing trace ethylene. Herein, hierarchical Ag/NZ5(X) adsorbents were prepared via different ammonia modifications, which featured enhanced ethylene adsorption ability. Ag/NZ5(2.5) exhibited the largest capacity and achieved near-complete removal at room temperature with prolonged efficacy. Characterization results indicated that the ammonia modification led to the formation of a hierarchical structure in the zeolite framework, reducing diffusion resistance and increasing the accessibility of the active sites. Additionally, desilication effects increased the defectiveness, generating a stronger metal–support interaction and resulting in a higher metal dispersion rate. These findings provide valuable insights into the development of efficient adsorbents for removing trace ethylene, thereby reducing food waste and extending the shelf life of agricultural products.

Natural halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were hybridized with metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) to prepare novel composites. MOFs were transformed into carbon by carbonization calcination, and palladium (Pd) nanoparticles were introduced to build an emerging ternary compound system for hydrogen adsorption. The hydrogen adsorption capacities of HNT-MOF composites were 0.23 and 0.24 wt%, while those of carbonized products were 0.24 and 0.27 wt% at 25 °C and 2.65 MPa, respectively. Al-based samples showed higher hydrogen adsorption capacities than Zn-based samples on account of different selectivity between metal and hydrogen and approximate porous characteristics. More pore structures are generated by the carbonization reaction from metal–organic frameworks into carbon; high specific surface area, uniform pore size, and large pore volume benefited the hydrogen adsorption ability of composites. Moreover, it was also possible to promote hydrogen adsorption capacity by incorporating Pd. The hydrogen adsorption capacity of ternary compound, Pd-C-H3-MOFs(Al), reached 0.32 wt% at 25 °C and 2.65 MPa. Dissociation was assumed to take place on the Pd particles, then atomic and molecule hydrogen spilled over to the structure of carboxylated HNTs, MOFs, and the carbon products for enhancing the hydrogen adsorption capacity.

Emerging hierarchical MoS2/pillared-montmorillonite （MoS2/PMMT） hybrid nanosheets were successfully prepared through facile in-situ hydrothermal synthesis of MoS2 within the interlayer of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide PMMT, and their catalytic performance was evaluated by the reduction reaction of 4-nitrophenol （4-NP） using NaBH4 as a reductant. Microstructure and morphology characterization indicated that MoS2/PMMT exhibited hybrid-stacked layered structures with an interlayer spacing of 1.29 nm, and the MoS2 nanosheets were intercalated within the montmorillonite （MMT） layers, with most of the edges exposed to the outside. The catalytic activity and stability of MoS2/PMMT were both enhanced by the MMT. With the MoS2/PMMT as the catalyst, the apparent reaction rate constant of the 4-NP reduction was 0.723 min-1 and was maintained at -0.679 min-1 after five reaction cycles. The structural evolution of MoSdPMMT and the possible catalysis mechanism for the reduction reaction of 4-NP were investigated. The as-prepared MOSR/PMMT hybrid nanosheets are promising candidates for catalytic application in the water-treatment and biomedical fields. The strategy developed in this study can provide insights for designing hybrid nanosheets with diverse heterogeneous two-dimensional （2D） nanomaterials.