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Omniphobic membranes, due to their exceptional properties, have drawn significant attention for overcoming the bottleneck in membrane distillation (MD) technology. This study demonstrates an innovative method for fabricating an omniphobic membrane that is simple and facile compared to other methods such as wet/dry etching and photolithography. The surface morphology of springtails was imitated using electrospraying technique to coat a polyvinylidene fluoride substrate with concave-shaped polystyrene beads that were successfully developed by controlling the electrical traction (voltage) and air resistance (humidity). Then, the lipid coating of springtail surfaces was mimicked by dip-coating the membrane in a low-toxicity short-chain perfluoropolyether lubricant. The concave structure’s tiny air pockets increased membrane hydrophobicity significantly, indicated by the fact that the first round of water bouncing took only 16.3 ms. Finally, in MD treatment of seawater containing 1.0 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate, the optimized omniphobic membrane maintained a stable 99.9% salt rejection rate. Here, authors successfully fabricated a springtail-inspired nano-concave reentrant structured polystyrene (PS) membrane using electrospraying technology followed by lubricant dip-coating, which endowed the membrane with omniphobic properties.

Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) could combine the advantages of both polymeric membranes and porous fillers, making them an effective alternative to conventional polymer membranes. However, interfacial incompatibility issues, such as the presence of interfacial voids, hardening of polymer chains, and blockage of micropores by polymers between common MMMs fillers and the polymer matrix, currently limit the gas separation performance of MMMs. Ternary phase MMMs (consisting of a filler, an additive, and a matrix) made by adding a third compound, usually functionalized additives, can overcome the structural problems of binary phase MMMs and positively impact membrane separation performance. This review introduces the structure and fabrication processes for ternary MMMs, categorizes various nanofillers and the third component, and summarizes and analyzes in detail the CO2 separation performance of newly developed ternary MMMs based on both rubbery and glassy polymers. Based on this separation data, the challenges of ternary MMMs are also discussed. Finally, future directions for ternary MMMs are proposed. [Display omitted] •Recent progress of ternary MMMs for CO2 separation has been reviewed.•Pros and cons of ternary MMMs for CO2 separation compared to conventional binary MMMs have been discussed.•Fabrication methods of ternary MMMs were summarized.•About 300 CO2 permeation data were collected and analyzed for ternary MMMs.•Perspectives and future research directions of ternary MMMs were proposed.

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) supported Rh, Fe, and Rh-Fe catalysts were prepared by impregnation, and the synergy effects between the catalyst and NTP (non-thermal plasma) on N2O catalytic decomposition were also investigated. CO2-TPD results show that HAP synthesized at high pH have a greater number of surface alkaline sites and promoted the adsorption of N2O. RhFe/HAP-11 catalyst exhibited 95.9% activity for the direct catalytic decomposition of N2O at 350 °C. Combining NTP with the RhFe/HAP-11 catalyst can significantly enhance the catalytic decomposition of N2O and greatly reduce the reaction temperature. The one-stage combination method enables the radicals generated by the plasma to participate in the reaction immediately on the catalyst surface, so it is more conducive to the N2O catalytic decomposition in the range of 150–200 °C. When NTP is applied, N2O conversion on RhFe/HAP-11 at 200 °C increases a lot from 7.1 to 90.0%.

The large-scale application of aromatic polyamide (PA) thin-film composite (TFC) membranes for reverse osmosis has provided an effective way to address worldwide water scarcity. However, the water permeability and salt rejection capabilities of the PA membrane remain limited. In this work, cyclic micropores based on crown ether were introduced into the PA layer using a layer-by-layer interfacial polymerization (LbL-IP) method. After interfacial polymerization between m-phenylenediamine (MPD) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC), the di(aminobenzo)-18-crown-6 (DAB18C6) solution in methanol was poured on the membrane to react with the residual TMC. The cyclic micropores of DAB18C6 provided the membrane with rapid water transport channels and improved ion rejection due to its hydrophilicity and size sieving effect. The membranes were characterized by FTIR, XPS, SEM, and AFM. Compared to unmodified membranes, the water contact angle decreased from 54.1° to 31.6° indicating better hydrophilicity. Moreover, the crown ether-modified membrane exhibited both higher permeability and enhanced rejection performance. The permeability of the crown ether-modified membrane was more than ten times higher than unmodified membranes with a rejection above 95% for Na2SO4, MgSO4, MgCl2, and NaCl solution. These results highlight the potential of this straightforward surface grafting strategy and the modified membranes for advanced water treatment technologies, particularly in addressing seawater desalination challenges.

A bstract Pt was replaced with tungsten carbide (WC) in the Ni–Pt structure for decalin dehydrogenation on base of their similar properties. The catalytic performance of Ni–WC catalyst was predicted by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and further confirmed by dehydrogenation reaction. Replacing Pt with WC significantly reduces the side reactions such as ring-opening and coking. The highest conversion of decalin is about 93 % and the selectivity to naphthalene is nearly 100 % over Ni–WC/AC catalyst. The improved catalytic activity of Ni–WC/AC demonstrates the feasibility to replace Pt with WC as an active and less expensive dehydrogenation catalyst. Graphical Abstract .

KF/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared by impregnation method and investigated for the transesterification of ethylene carbonate (EC) with ethanol to synthesize diethyl carbonate (DEC). The KF/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts were characterized by nitrogen physisorption, XRD and FT-IR techniques, and three new species: K₃AlF₆, KOH and K₂CO₃ were found on the catalysts. Experimental results indicate that KOH and K₂CO₃ are the major active species and K₃AlF₆ is inactive for DEC synthesis. Increasing the KF loading favors the formation of K₂CO₃ and consequently enhances the activity of the KF/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts. However, when KF loading exceeded 50 mmol/g, the activity of the KF/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts decreased. This may be due to the presence of intact KF on the catalyst, which may dilute the content of active species in the catalyst and cover the active species. The KF/γ-Al₂O₃ (50 mmol/g) catalyst exhibits the best catalytic performance. With this catalyst, a 72 mol% yield of DEC (based on EC) was obtained at 298 K. Graphical Abstract KF/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst was prepared and employed for diethyl carbonate (DEC) synthesis. Three new species: K₃AlF₆, KOH and K₂CO₃ were formed on the KF/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts. Among of them, KOH and K₂CO₃ are the major active species and K₃AlF₆ is inactive for DEC synthesis. [graphic removed]

The widely used dyes in the pharmaceutical, chemical, and medical industries have brought about an intensive concern for the sustainable development of the environment. Membrane separation offers a versatile method for classified recycling and the reuse of residual components. In this work, polyimide membranes were synthesized via the polymerization of 4,4′-(hexafluor-isopropylidene) diphthalic anhydride and 1,4-bis (4-aminophenoxy) benzene diamine. The organic solvent nanofiltration membrane was prepared by casting onto a glass plate and precipitating in the non-solvent phase. The properties of the membranes were recorded by FTIR, 1HNMR, TGA, and GPC. The molecular simulations were carried out to analyze the affinity between the membrane and different solvents. The membrane was used in the removal of Rose Bengal, methyl blue, Victoria blue B, and crystal violet from methanol. The effects of the feed liquid concentration, operating pressure, swelling degree, organic solvent resistance, and long-term running on the membrane performance were studied. Results showed that membranes prepared in this work demonstrated high solvent permeation and dye rejection due to the sieving effect and solvent affinity. For methyl blue, the solvent performance achieved a permeability of 2.18 L∙m−2∙h−1∙bar−1 corresponding to a rejection ratio of 94.2%. Furthermore, the membrane exhibited good stability over 60 h of continued testing. These results recommend a potential strategy in the development of a suitable monomer to prepare a polyimide membrane for dye separation.

Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) is a common greenhouse gas and urgent need to be contained. Direct catalytic decomposition of N 2 O by high activity catalyst into N 2 and O 2 is a low-cost and harmless method. Bimetallic catalysts show good catalytic activity in many classes of reactions, and plasma technologies, applied to prepare of catalyst, are considered to be a promising method. In our contribution, DBD cold plasma is applied to synthesize Rhodium and Cobalt bimetallic catalysts for catalytic N 2 O decomposition. The influence of cobalt and rhodium content on N 2 O decomposition activity shows that the optimal amount of metal is determined as 5wt. % cobalt and 0.5wt. % rhodium loaded on Al 2 O 3 . The best working voltage is determined as 18kV. The results indicated that the Rh/Al 2 O 3 catalysts prepared by atmospheric-pressure DBD cold plasma showed smaller size and high dispersion of Rh particles, so that the metal-support interaction and the catalytic activity are enhanced. Atmospheric-pressure DBD cold plasma is proved to be an environmentally friendly and efficient method for preparing high performance Rhodium and Cobalt bimetallic catalysts for catalytic N 2 O decomposition.

KF/γ-[Al.sub.2][O.sub.3] catalysts were prepared by impregnation method and investigated for the transesterification of ethylene carbonate (EC) with ethanol to synthesize diethyl carbonate (DEC). The KF/γ-[Al.sub.2][O.sub.3] catalysts were characterized by nitrogen physisorption, XRD and FT-IR techniques, and three new species: [K.sub.3]Al[F.sub.6], KOH and [K.sub.2]C[O.sub.3] were found on the catalysts. Experimental results indicate that KOH and [K.sub.2]C[O.sub.3] are the major active species and [K.sub.3]Al[F.sub.6] is inactive for DEC synthesis. Increasing the KF loading favors the formation of [K.sub.2]C[O.sub.3] and consequently enhances the activity of the KF/γ-[Al.sub.2][O.sub.3] catalysts. However, when KF loading exceeded 50 mmol/g, the activity of the KF/γ-[Al.sub.2][O.sub.3] catalysts decreased. This may be due to the presence of intact KF on the catalyst, which may dilute the content of active species in the catalyst and cover the active species. The KF/γ-[Al.sub.2][O.sub.3] (50 mmol/g) catalyst exhibits the best catalytic performance. With this catalyst, a 72 mol% yield of DEC (based on EC) was obtained at 298 K.

DNA origami is capable of spatially organizing molecules into sophisticated geometric patterns with nanometric precision. Here we describe a reconfigurable, two-dimensional DNA origami with geometrically patterned CD95 ligands that regulates immune cell signalling to alleviate rheumatoid arthritis. In response to pH changes, the device reversibly transforms from a closed to an open configuration, displaying a hexagonal pattern of CD95 ligands with ~10 nm intermolecular spacing, precisely mirroring the spatial arrangement of CD95 receptor clusters on the surface of immune cells. In a collagen-induced arthritis mouse model, DNA origami elicits robust and selective activation of CD95 death-inducing signalling in activated immune cells located in inflamed synovial tissues. Such localized immune tolerance ameliorates joint damage with no noticeable side effects. This device allows for the precise spatial control of cellular signalling, expanding our understanding of ligand–receptor interactions and is a promising platform for the development of pharmacological interventions targeting these interactions. A pH-responsive DNA origami device displays a precise geometric array of CD95 ligands to selectively induce activated immune cell death and elicit localized immune tolerance to alleviate rheumatoid arthritis.