Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) pose serious threats to environmental and public health, and monitoring ARGs in wastewater is a growing need because wastewater is an important source. Microfluidic devices can integrate basic functional units involved in sample assays on a small chip, through the precise control and manipulation of micro/nanofluids in micro/nanoscale spaces, demonstrating the great potential of ARGs detection in wastewater. Here, we (1) summarize the state of the art in microfluidics for recognizing ARGs, (2) determine the strengths and weaknesses of portable microfluidic chips, and (3) assess the potential of portable microfluidic chips to detect ARGs in wastewater.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnderstanding the chemical structural differences of key components at varying bamboo heights enhances knowledge of its biological properties and adaptive mechanisms, promoting its high-value utilization. In this study, lignin and lignin-carbohydrate complexes (LCC) were extracted from the base, middle, and top sections of bamboo culms, and the chemical composition, micro-regional distribution, and structural characteristics of key components were analyzed. Results showed that both lignin and hemicellulose contents followed the trend: top > base > middle.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAerogels are widely applied for construction, aerospace, military, and energy owing to their lightweight, high specific surface area, and high porosity. The high porosity of aerogels often leads to a lack of mechanical strength, which limits their applications. Here, this study reports a mechanically robust MXene/cellulose nanocrystal composite aerogel enabled by inducing dense bridging through salting-out.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChinese seedless breadfruit is rich in starch, lipids, and protein. To explore the interactions among these macromolecules during food processing, the seedless breadfruit starch-endogenous lipid-endogenous protein complex was investigated. Native seedless breadfruit starches are categorized as low-resistant-content starch [low-resistant starch (LRS)] or high-resistant starch (HRS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the wine industry, Acetobacter sp. is a typical spoilage microorganism responsible for increased volatile acids and wine spoilage. This study investigated the impact of combined treatment using varying concentrations of resveratrol (RES) and pulsed electric field (PEF) on the bactericidal efficacy, intracellular enzyme activities, and cellular metabolism of Acetobacter sp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, the VO@5%Cu-VMOF/graphite felt (GF) is prepared as an electro-Fenton cathode via hydrothermal process and low-temperature carbonization for efficient antibiotics degradation. The VO@5%Cu-VMOF/GF cathode exhibit great ciprofloxacin (CIP) degradation performance over the pH range of 2.1-7.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEmulating biological perception mechanisms to construct intelligent sensing devices and systems represents a paradigm for promoting human-computer interaction in the Internet of Everything era. Nonetheless, developing highly sensitive, real-time sensing and rapidly integrated intelligent interaction units remains a challenging and time-consuming endeavor. This study employs a low-temperature glow discharge technique to rapidly fabricate graded nanotexturing architectural triboelectric nanopaper, upon which wearable triboelectric sensors for real-time tactile detection are designed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAgainst the backdrop of rapid advancements in 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, there is an urgent need to upgrade food sensing systems to achieve automation, digitalization, and intelligence. However, this transformation process faces numerous challenges. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), as an emerging energy conversion and sensing technology, play a crucial role in this context.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomimetic engineering surfaces featuring heterogeneous wettability are vital for atmospheric water harvesting applications. Existing research predominantly focuses on the coordinated regulation of surface wettability through structural and chemical modifications, often overlooking the prevalent triboelectric charge effect at the liquid-solid interface. In this work, we designed a heterogeneous wettability surface by strategic masking and activated its latent triboelectric charge using triboelectric brushes, thereby enhancing the removal and renewal of surface droplets.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUtilizing the ubiquitous fog in nature to create decentralized energy-harvesting devices, free from geographical and hydrological constraints, presents an opportunity to foster sustainable power generation. Extracting electrical energy from fog relies heavily on fog-digesting performance. Improving the efficiency of fogwater utilization remains a formidable challenge for existing fogwater energy-harvesting technologies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFControlling CaCO precipitation within anaerobic granular sludge (AnGS) is crucial for the anaerobic treatment of paper recycling wastewater. A viable strategy was proposed to control calcification by adjusting a mild acidic condition in an anaerobic reactor without hindering organic degradation. The results indicated that lowering the bulk pH (6.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNoncontact sensing technology serves as a pivotal medium for seamless data acquisition and intelligent perception in the era of the Internet of Things (IoT), bringing innovative interactive experiences to wearable human-machine interaction perception networks. However, the pervasive limitations of current noncontact sensing devices posed by harsh environmental conditions hinder the precision and stability of signals. In this study, the triboelectric nanopaper prepared by a phase-directed assembly strategy is presented, which possesses low charge transfer mobility (1618 cm V s) and exceptional high-temperature stability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWearable sensors are experiencing vibrant growth in the fields of health monitoring systems and human motion detection, with comfort becoming a significant research direction for wearable sensing devices. However, the weak moisture-wicking capability of sensor materials leads to liquid retention, severely restricting the comfort of the wearable sensors. This study employs a pattern-guided alignment strategy to construct microhill arrays, endowing triboelectric materials with directional moisture-wicking capability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBamboo is a promising biomass resource. However, the complex multilayered structure and chemical composition of bamboo cell walls create a unique anti-depolymerization barrier, which increases the difficulty of separation and utilization of bamboo. In this study, the relationship between the connections of lignin-carbohydrate complexes (LCCs) within bamboo cell walls and their multilayered structural compositions was investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRapid advancements in flexible electronics technology propel soft tactile sensing devices toward high-level biointegration, even attaining tactile perception capabilities surpassing human skin. However, the inherent mechanical mismatch resulting from deficient biomimetic mechanical properties of sensing materials poses a challenge to the application of wearable tactile sensing devices in human-machine interaction. Inspired by the innate biphasic structure of human subcutaneous tissue, this study discloses a skin-compliant wearable iontronic triboelectric gel via phase separation induced by competitive hydrogen bonding.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLightweight, easily processed, and durable polymeric materials play a crucial role in wearable sensor devices. However, achieving simultaneously high strength and toughness remains a challenge. This study addresses this by utilizing an ion-specific effect to control crystalline domains, enabling the fabrication of a polymeric triboelectric material with tunable mechanical properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) with high toxicity, lipid solubility, chemical stability. Despite the current ban on usage of Lindane, residual contamination cannot be ignored, and HCH are frequently detected in groundwater and threaten human health. Cultures capable of degrading α-HCH, β-HCH, γ-HCH, and δ-HCH individually have been enriched in anoxic aqueous conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs intelligent technology surges forward, wearable electronics have emerged as versatile tools for monitoring health and sensing our surroundings. Among these advancements, porous triboelectric materials have garnered significant attention for their lightness. However, these materials face the challenge of improving structural stability to further enhance the sensing accuracy of triboelectric sensors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, we investigated the effects of salinity on elemental sulfur-driven autotrophic denitrification (SAD) efficiency, and microbial communities. The results revealed that when the salinity was ≤6 g/L, the nitrate removal efficiency in SAD increased with the increasing salinity reaching 95.53% at 6 g/L salinity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConverting carbon dioxide (CO) into high-value chemicals using solar energy remains a formidable challenge. In this study, the CSC@PM6:IDT6CN-M:IDT8CN-M non-fullerene small-molecule organic semiconductor is designed with highly efficient electron donor-acceptor (D-A) interface for photocatalytic reduction of CO. Atomic Force Microscope and Transmission Electron Microscope images confirmed the formation of an interpenetrating fibrillar network after combination of donor and acceptor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe pulp and paper sectors are thriving yet pose significant environmental threats to water bodies, mainly due to the substantial release of pollutants. Lignin-derived compounds are among the most problematic of these contaminants. To address this issue, we present our initial results on utilizing organic semiconductor photocatalysis under visible light for treating lignin-derived compounds.
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