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Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) particles have been frequently used to treat pollutants as an excellent reactive nanomaterial in last two decades. However, loading nZVI particles on the substrate with large surface area, easy handling and in particular, production on a large scale is still a problem. Herein, a facile approach was developed for in-situ preparation of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) particles on cotton fibers at room temperature. The cotton fabric was firstly oxidized to generate carboxylic groups for complexing ferric ions. Then, nZVI particles were immobilized on cotton fabric by reducing agent sodium borohydride. The nZVI immobilized cotton fabric (nZVI@cotton fabric) was thoroughly characterized and could decolorize more than 96% methylene blue and brilliant green within 40 min, respectively. The sorption isotherm study revealed that the reactive sorption of methylene blue on nZVI@cotton fabric fits the Freundlich model. The degradation intermediates of methylene blue were identified by HPLC/MS and possible degradation pathway was proposed. The method of immobilizing nZVI particles on carboxylated cotton fibers may be promising to prepare fibrous, easy handling reactive compounds for environmental remediation.

Collagen is the oldest and most abundant extracellular matrix protein and has many applications in biomedical, food, cosmetic, and other industries. Previous reviews have already introduced collagen’s sources, structures, and biosynthesis. The biological and mechanical properties of collagen-based composite materials, their modification and application forms, and their interactions with host tissues are pinpointed. It is worth noting that self-assembly behavior is the main characteristic of collagen molecules. However, there is currently relatively little review on collagen-based composite materials based on self-assembly. Herein, we briefly reviewed the biosynthesis, extraction, structure, and properties of collagen, systematically presented an overview of the various factors and corresponding characterization techniques that affect the collagen self-assembly process, and summarize and discuss the preparation methods and application progress of collagen-based composite materials in different fields. By combining the self-assembly behavior of collagen with preparation methods of collagen-based composite materials, collagen-based composite materials with various functional reactions can be selectively prepared, and these experiences and outcomes can provide inspiration and practical techniques for the future development directions and challenges of collagen-based composite biomaterials in related applications fields.

Smart textiles have got increasing attention for potential application in personal thermal management, wearable human motion monitoring, and healthcare. However, it is still a challenge to prepare a multifunctional electronic textile with water-resistant, electro-thermal response, mechanical-sensitive performance, and antibacterial activities. Here, a multifunctional conductive cotton textile is fabricated by in-situ reduction silver nanoparticles(Ag NPs) on cotton fiber under the assistance of tannic acid, followed decorating with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). These obtained multifunctional textiles (cotton/TA/Ag NPs/PDMS textile) not only maintain the innate flexibility, and permeability characteristics of cotton textiles, but also exhibit rapid thermal response, outstanding long-time steady heating performance, and antifouling property. Furthermore, the cotton/TA/Ag NPs/PDMS textiles exhibit excellent strain sensing performance for potential human motions monitoring. Impressively, cotton/TA/Ag NPs/PDMS textiles show resistance to bacterial. Thus, this multifunctional cotton textile provides a new way for the study of the next generation of lightweight, portable, and wearable electronic textile devices.Graphic abstract

The ever-increasing worldwide energy demand and the limited resources of fossil have forced the urgent adoption of renewable energy sources. Additionally, concerns over CO2 emissions and potential increases in fuel prices have boosted technical efforts to make hybrid and electric vehicles more accessible to the public. Rechargeable batteries are undoubtedly a key player in this regard, especially lithium ion batteries (LIBs), which have high power capacity, a fast charge/discharge rate, and good cycle stability, while their further energy density improvement has been severely limited, because of the relatively low theoretical capacity of the graphite anode material which is mostly used. Among various high-capacity anode candidates, tin (II) sulfide (SnS2) has been attracted remarkable attention for high-energy LIBs due to its enormous resource and simplicity of synthesis, in addition to its high theoretical capacity. However, SnS2 has poor intrinsic conductivity, a big volume transition, and a low initial Coulombic efficiency, resulting in a short lifespan. SnS2/carbon composites have been considered to be a most promising approach to addressing the abovementioned issues. Therefore, this review summarizes the current progress in the synthesis of SnS2/carbon anode materials and their Li-ion storage properties, with special attention to the developments in Li-based technology, attributed to its immense current importance and promising prospects. Finally, the existing challenges within this field are presented, and potential opportunities are discussed.

Fabricating multifunctional superhydrophobic cotton fabric via a simple strategy is highly desirable for various applications but it is rare. Herein, we proposed a one step in-situ redox reaction strategy based on polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) and [Ag(NH3)2]+ ions to endow cotton fabrics with both superhydrophobic and antibacterial properties. The obtained cotton fabrics show high repellency against common liquids like green tea, cola, milk, orange juice, coffee, NaCl, HCl, and NaOH solution, and possess significant antibacterial activity against both E. coli and S. aureus due to generated Ag nanoparticles. Even subjected to laundering, rubbing, acidic (pH 1)/alkaline (pH 13) solution attack, freezing at liquid nitrogen, or heating treatment (120 °C), the superhydrophobic and antibacterial properties of modified cotton fabrics can remain stable without being damaged, which is highly desirable for long-lasting anti-fouling, oil/water separation, and antibacterial applications. Considering the universality, simplicity, and scalability of the surface functionalization method, this proposal to develop novel multifunctional cotton fabrics with robust water repellent and antibacterial properties has promising and versatile applications in wide areas.

The application of functional textiles in our daily life is expanding increasingly. However, manufacturing, designing, and developing mild but efficient functional textiles remains a challenge. In this work, a straightforward method to construct functional cotton fabrics (CF) with superhydrophobicity and antibacterial activity using dipentaerythritol pentaacrylate-branched poly(ethyleneimine) (5Acl-BPEI) reactive coating as the secondary reactions layer and subsequently treating with bis(3-aminopropyl)-terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS-NH2) and 1-(12-(mercaptododecyl)-3-methylimidazolium bromide (MDMIBr). The obtained CF@5Acl-BPEI@PDMS-NH2 showed integrated performances with hydrophobic behavior (water contact angle of 151.7 ± 0.8° and sliding angle of 8.8 ± 0.9°), self-cleaning, excellent efficiency in oil–water separation (above 99.4%). Additionally, the oil flux remained consistently high, exceeding 4000 L m−2 h−1 after 10 cycles in various oil–water mixtures and it remained stable under various harsh conditions. And the prepared CF@5Acl-BPEI@MDMIBr significantly enhances the antibacterial properties of textiles, exhibiting a bacteriostatic rate of 99%. In addition, the air permeability, whiteness and thermal stability of CF after coating and surface modification have no obvious changes. These results indicate that the 5Acl-BPEI coating serves as a versatile platform for the development of various functional materials, providing invaluable insights into coating modification.

The creation of efficient artificial systems that mimic natural photosynthesis represents a key current challenge. Here, we describe a high-performance recyclable photocatalytic core–shell nanofibre system that integrates a cobalt catalyst and a photosensitizer in close proximity for hydrogen production from water using visible light. The composition, microstructure and dimensions—and thereby the catalytic activity—of the nanofibres were controlled through living crystallization-driven self-assembly. In this seeded growth strategy, block copolymers with crystallizable core-forming blocks and functional coronal segments were coassembled into low-dispersity, one-dimensional architectures. Under optimized conditions, the nanofibres promote the photocatalytic production of hydrogen from water with an overall quantum yield for solar energy conversion to hydrogen gas of ~4.0% (with a turnover number of >7,000 over 5 h, a frequency of >1,400 h−1 and a H2 production rate of >0.327 μmol h−1 with 1.34 μg of catalytic polymer (that is, >244,300 μmol h−1 g−1 of catalytic polymer)).Artificial systems capable of photocatalytic hydrogen production are not typically based on precisely controlled scaffolds. Now, statistical seeded crystallization of block copolymers—bearing either a pendant cobalt catalyst or a photosensitizer—from solution has been shown to yield recyclable, colloidally stable nanofibres that can be tailored to promote photocatalytic hydrogen production from water.

Regulating electron transport rate and ion concentrations in the local microenvironment of active site can overcome the slow kinetics and unfavorable thermodynamics of CO 2 electroreduction. However, simultaneous optimization of both kinetics and thermodynamics is hindered by synthetic constraints and poor mechanistic understanding. Here we leverage laser-assisted manufacturing for synthesizing Cu x O bipyramids with controlled tip angles and abundant nanograins, and elucidate the mechanism of the relationship between electron transport/ion concentrations and electrocatalytic performance. Potassium/OH − adsorption tests and finite element simulations corroborate the contributions from strong electric field at the sharp tip. In situ Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and differential electrochemical mass spectrometry unveil the dynamic evolution of critical *CO/*OCCOH intermediates and product profiles, complemented with theoretical calculations that elucidate the thermodynamic contributions from improved coupling at the Cu + /Cu 2+ interfaces. Through modulating the electron transport and ion concentrations, we achieve high Faradaic efficiency of 81% at ~900 mA cm −2 for C 2+ products via CO 2 RR. Similar enhancement is also observed for nitrate reduction reaction (NITRR), achieving 81.83 mg h −1 ammonia yield rate per milligram catalyst. Coupling the CO 2 RR and NITRR systems demonstrates the potential for valorizing flue gases and nitrate wastes, which suggests a practical approach for carbon-nitrogen cycling. Controlling the kinetics and thermodynamics of electrochemical processes is essential to achieve high-performance multielectron reduction. Here, the authors report laser-induced copper bipyramids with abundant nanograins and controlled tip angles for enhanced multielectron CO 2 and nitrate reduction.

Support-induced strain engineering is useful for modulating the properties of two-dimensional materials. However, controlling strain of planar molecules is technically challenging due to their sub-2 nm lateral size. Additionally, the effect of strain on molecular properties remains poorly understood. Here we show that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are ideal substrates for inducing optimum properties through molecular curvature. In a tandem-flow electrolyser with monodispersed cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) on single-walled CNTs (CoPc/SWCNTs) for CO 2 reduction, we achieve a methanol partial current density of >90 mA cm −2 with >60% selectivity, surpassing wide multiwalled CNTs at 16.6%. We report vibronic and X-ray spectroscopies to unravel the distinct local geometries and electronic structures induced by the strong molecule–support interactions. Grand canonical density functional theory confirms that curved CoPc/SWCNTs improve *CO binding to enable subsequent reduction, whereas wide multiwalled CNTs favour CO desorption. Our results show the important role of SWCNTs beyond catalyst dispersion and electron conduction. While strain engineering via support modification is a powerful strategy to tune catalytic properties, it is complex to control for immobilized molecular complexes. Now the curvature of carbon nanotubes is leveraged to induce strain to metal phthalocyanine complexes and boost their electrocatalytic activity

To investigate whether driving pressure–guided ventilation could contribute to a more homogeneous distribution in the lung for gynecological laparoscopy. Chinese patients were randomized, after pneumoperitoneum, to receive either positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) of 5 cm H 2 O (control group), or individualized PEEP producing the lowest driving pressure (titration group). Ventilation homogeneity is quantified as the global inhomogeneity (GI) index based on electrical impedance tomography, with a lower index implying more homogeneous ventilation. The perioperative arterial oxygenation index and respiratory system mechanics were also recorded. Blood samples were collected for lung injury biomarkers including interleukin-10, neutrophil elastase, and Clara Cell protein-16. A total of 48 patients were included for analysis. We observed a significant increase in the GI index immediately after tracheal extubation compared to preinduction in the control group ( p  = 0.040) but not in the titration group ( p  = 0.279). Furthermore, the GI index was obviously lower in the titration group than in the control group [0.390 (0.066) vs 0.460 (0.074), p  = 0.0012]. The oxygenation index and respiratory compliance were significantly higher in the titration group than in the control group. No significant differences in biomarkers or hemodynamics were detected between the two groups. Driving pressure–guided PEEP led to more homogeneous ventilation, as well as improved gas exchange and respiratory compliance for patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopy. Trial Registration : ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04374162; first registration on 05/05/2020.