Biomimetic Micro-Nanostructured Evaporator with Dual-Transition-Metal MXene for Efficient Solar Steam Generation and Multifunctional Salt Harvesting.

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation is one of the most attractive approaches to addressing the global freshwater shortage. However, achieving an integrated high evaporation rate, salt harvesting, and multifunctionality in evaporator is still a crucial challenge. Here, a novel composite membrane with biomimetic micro-nanostructured superhydrophobic surface is designed via ultrafast laser etching technology.

Particle-Solid Transition Architecture for Efficient Passive Building Cooling.

Electricity consumption for building cooling accounts for a significant portion of global energy usage and carbon emissions. To address this challenge, passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) has emerged as a promising technique for cooling buildings without electricity input. However, existing radiative coolers face material mismatch issues, particularly on cementitious composites like concrete, limiting their practical application.

Achieving Significantly Boosted Dielectric Energy Density of Polymer Film via Introducing a Bumpy Gold/Polymethylsilsesquioxane Granular Blocking Layer.

Polymer dielectrics are the key materials for pulsed energy storage systems, but their low energy densities greatly restrict the applications in integrated electronic devices. Herein, a unique bumpy granular interlayer consisting of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) and polymethyksesquioxane (PMSQ) microspheres is introduced into a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) film, forming trilayered PVDF-Au/PMSQ-PVDF films. Interestingly, the Au/PMSQ interlayer arouses a dielectric enhancement of 47% and an ultrahigh breakdown strength of 704 MV m, which reaches 153% of pure PVDF.

In-situ construction of iron-modified nickel nanoparticles assisted by hexamethylenetetramine with the internal and external collaboration for highly selective electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction.

Carbon dioxide (CO) electroreduction provides a sustainable route for realizing carbon neutrality and energy supply. Up to now, challenges remain in employing abundant and inexpensive nickel materials as candidates for CO reduction due to their low activity and favorable hydrogen evolution. Here, the representative iron-modified nickel nanoparticles embedded in nitrogen-doped carbon (Ni-Fe-NC) with the porous botryoid morphology were successfully developed.

Engineering DMNT emission in cotton enhances direct and indirect defense against mirid bugs.

Introduction: As an important herbivore-induced plant volatile, (3E)-4,8-dimethyl-1,3,7-nonatriene (DMNT) is known for its defensive role against multiple insect pests, including attracting natural enemies. A terpene synthase (GhTPS14) and two cytochrome P450 (GhCYP82L1, GhCYP82L2) enzymes are involved in the de novo synthesis of DMNT in cotton. We conducted a study to test the potential of manipulating DMNT-synthesizing enzymes to enhance plant resistance to insects.

Preparation of hollow double-layer Pt@CeO nanospheres as oxidase mimetics for the colorimetric-fluorescent-SERS triple-mode detection of glutathione in serum.

Glutathione (GSH) is an essential antioxidant in the human body, but its detection is difficult due to the interference of complex components in serum. Herein, hollow double-layer Pt@CeO nanospheres were developed as oxidase mimetics, and the light-assisted oxidase mimetics effects were found. The oxidase activity was enhanced significantly by utilizing the synergistic effect of Schottky junction and the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of Pt under UV light.

Using the Photo-Piezoelectric Effect of AuPt@BaTiO Oxidase Mimetics for Colorimetric Detection of GSH in Serum.

Nanozymes possess major advantages in catalysis and biosensing compared with natural nanozymes. In this study, the AuPt@BaTiO bimetallic alloy Schottky junction is prepared to act as oxidase mimetics, and its photo-piezoelectric effect is investigated. The synergy between the photo-piezoelectric effect and the local surface plasmon resonance enhances the directional migration and separation of photogenerated electrons, as well as hot electrons induced by the AuPt bimetallic alloy.

Exceptional Magnetocaloric Responses in a Gadolinium Silicate with Strongly Correlated Spin Disorder for Sub-Kelvin Magnetic Cooling.

The development of magnetocaloric materials with a significantly enhanced volumetric cooling capability is highly desirable for the application of adiabatic demagnetization refrigerators in confined spatial environments. Here, the thermodynamic characteristics of a magnetically frustrated spin-7/2 Gd[SiO]O is presented, which exhibits strongly correlated spin disorder below ≈1.5 K.

Using Multistage Energy Barrier of Heterojunctions in Improving Cr(VI) Detection.

Detecting heavy metals in seawater is challenging due to the high salinity and complex composition, which cause strong interference. To address this issue, we propose using a multistage energy barrier as an electrochemical driver to generate electrochemical responses that can resist interference. The Ni-based heterojunction foams with different types of barriers were fabricated to detect Cr(VI), and the effects of the energy barriers on the electrochemical response were studied.

Using the photo-enhanced barrier effect on electrochemical response for highly sensitive detection of melamine.

Melamine added to milk powder can lead to kidney injury and even death, but rapid detection is still hard due to the strong interference of milk powder solution. Herein, the CC/CeO/CNPs mesh was constructed to detect melamine by using the photo-enhanced barrier effects on electrochemical response. Schottky barrier was regulated effectively to produce electrochemical response to melamine by photo-induced electrostatic interaction, which exhibited strong resistance to interference in milk powder solution.

Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Droplet Energy Harvesting Based on Hydrophobic Composites.

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) have shown great potential in harvesting energy from water. For the TENG that harvests water energy, surface hydrophobicity is crucial for its performance. In this paper, we prepare a hydrophobic composite film of Polyvinylidene Fluoride/Polydimethylsiloxane/Polytetrafluoroethylene (PVDF/PDMS/PTFE) and an electrode of Polyaniline/Carbon nanotubes/Silver nanowires (PANI/CNTs/AgNWs) by electrospinning technology and a doping method, respectively, which are served as the friction layer and top electrode of TENG.

High-output soft-contact fiber-structure triboelectric nanogenerator and its sterilization application.

Infectious diseases are spreading rapidly with the flow of the world's population, and the prevention of epidemic diseases is particularly important for public and personal health. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a simple, efficient and non-toxic method to control the spread of bacteria and viruses. The newly developed triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) can generate a high voltage, which inhibits bacterial reproduction.

Achieving remarkable energy storage enhancement in polymer dielectrics constructing an ultrathin Coulomb blockade layer of gold nanoparticles.

High-energy density polymer dielectrics play a crucial role in various pulsed energy storage and conversion systems. So far, many strategies have been demonstrated to be able to effectively improve the energy density of polymer dielectrics, but sophisticated fabrication processes are usually needed which result in high cost and poor repeatability. Herein, an easy-operated sputtering and hot-pressing process is developed to significantly enhance the energy density of polymer dielectrics.

Gold Sputtering at the Interfaces: An Easily Operated Strategy for Enhancing the Energy Storage Capability of Laminated Polymer Dielectrics.

Polymers with excellent dielectric properties are strongly desired for pulsed power film capacitors. However, the adverse coupling between the dielectric constant and breakdown strength greatly limits the energy storage capability of polymers. In this work, we report an easily operated method to solve this problem via sputtering the interface of bilayer polymer films with ultralow content of gold nanoparticles.

Strong Magnetocaloric Coupling in Oxyorthosilicate with Dense Gd Spins.

Searching for working refrigerant materials is the key element in the design of magnetic cooling devices. Herein, we report on the thermodynamic and magnetocaloric parameters of an phase oxyorthosilicate, GdSiO, by field-dependent static magnetization and specific heat measurements. An overall correlation strength of || ≈ 3.

Influence of Mechanical Screened Recycled Coarse Aggregates on Properties of Self-Compacting Concrete.

The use of recycled coarse aggregates (RA) in concrete is a sustainable alternative to non-renewable natural aggregate (NA) to fabricate concrete products using in concrete structures. However, the adhered mortar on the surface of RA would considerably impact the qualities of concrete products. As a practical treatment procedure, mechanical screening can remove the adhered mortar.

Evaluation of Void Defects behind Tunnel Lining through GPR forward Simulation.

Voids, a common defect in tunnel construction, lead to the deterioration of the lining structure and reduce the safety of tunnels. In this study, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) was used in tunnel lining void detection. Based on the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method, a forward model was established to simulate the process of tunnel lining void detection.

Construction motion data library: an integrated motion dataset for on-site activity recognition.

Identifying workers' activities is crucial for ensuring the safety and productivity of the human workforce on construction sites. Many studies implement vision-based or inertial-based sensors to construct 3D human skeletons for automated postures and activity recognition. Researchers have developed enormous and heterogeneous datasets for generic motion and artificially intelligent models based on these datasets.

Three-Dimensional Artificial Transpiration Structure Based on 1T/2H-MoS/Activated Carbon Fiber Cloth for Solar Steam Generation.

The rise of solar steam generation is an effective strategy to mitigate clean water shortages. However, achieving further improvements in conversion efficiency and stability remains a challenge. Here, 1T/2H-MoS nanosheets were uniformly assembled on activated carbon fiber cloth (A-CFC) through a facial hydrothermal method, and a three-dimensional (3D)-artificial transpiration device (ATD) was prepared using the plant transpiration process.

Energy Conversion Analysis of Multilayered Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Synergistic Rain and Solar Energy Harvesting.

The triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is an emerging technology that offers excellent potential for the conversion of mechanical energy from rain into electricity for hybrid energy applications. However, a high-performance TENG is yet to be achieved because a quantitative analysis method for the energy conversion process is still lacking. Herein, a quantitative analysis method, termed the "kinetic energy calculation and current integration" (KECCI) method, which significantly improves the understanding of the mechanical-to-electrical energy conversion process, is presented.

Enhanced hydrogen storage properties of ZrTiVAl Fe high-entropy alloys by modifying the Fe content.

Lightweight ZrTiVAl high-entropy alloys have shown great potential as a hydrogen storage material due to their appreciable capacity, easy activation, and fast hydrogenation rates. In this study, transition metal Fe was used to improve the hydrogen storage properties of the equimolar ZrTiVAl alloy, and ZrTiVAl Fe ( = 0, 0.2, 0.

Titanium carbide MXenes coupled with cadmium sulfide nanosheets as two-dimensional/two-dimensional heterostructures for photocatalytic hydrogen production.

Two-dimensional (2D)/2D heterostructures with close contact are believed to be important for photocatalysis owing to a 2D ultrathin structure, a large surface area, and an efficient carrier separation or transfer. In this study, we designed and prepared a unique 2D/2D cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanosheet (NS)@titanium carbide (TiC) MXene composite photocatalyst. The results show that the CdS NSs can be controllably assembled on conductive TiC MXene via a one-step hydrothermal strategy.

Phosphorous-doped 1T-MoS decorated nitrogen-doped g-CN nanosheets for enhanced photocatalytic nitrogen fixation.

Herein, we report that the phosphorous-doped 1 T-MoS as co-catalyst decorated nitrogen-doped g-CN nanosheets (P-1 T-MoS@N-g-CN) are prepared by the hydrothermal and annealing process. The obtained P-1 T-MoS@N-g-CN composite presents an enhanced photocatalytic N reduction rate of 689.76 μmol L gh in deionized water without sacrificial agent under simulated sunlight irradiation, which is higher than that of pure g-CN (265.

Correction: Ghanei et al. Effect of Nano-CuO on Engineering and Microstructure Properties of Fibre-Reinforced Mortars Incorporating Metakaolin: Experimental and Numerical Studies. 2017, , 1215.

The authors regret that Figures 6 and 11b in [...