An ultrasensitive ECL immunosensor with a dual signal amplification strategy using AuNPs@GO@SmMoSe and Gd(MoO) for estriol detection.

Background: Estriol (E3) is a common estrogen responsible for regulating the female reproductive system, but excessive amount can pose health risks to humans and wild life. Therefore, sensitive and accurate detection of estriol level is crucial. A novel competitive ECL immunosensor based on a dual signal amplification strategy of AuNPs@GO@SmMoSe and Gd(MoO) was fabricated for ultrasensitive detection of estriol.

Enhanced Dielectric Performance in PVDF-Based Composites by Introducing a Transition Interface.

Polymeric dielectrics have garnered significant interest worldwide due to their excellent comprehensive performance. However, developing polymeric dielectric films with high permittivity () and breakdown strength () and low dielectric loss (tan) presents a huge challenge. In this study, amorphous aluminum oxide (AlO, AO) transition interfaces with nanoscale thickness were constructed between titanium oxide (TiO, TO) nanosheets and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) to manufacture composites (PVDF/TO@AO).

Chemoresistive Gas Sensors Based on Noble-Metal-Decorated Metal Oxide Semiconductors for H Detection.

Hydrogen has emerged as a prominent candidate for future energy sources, garnering considerable attention. Given its explosive nature, the efficient detection of hydrogen (H) in the environment using H sensors is paramount. Chemoresistive H sensors, particularly those based on noble-metal-decorated metal oxide semiconductors (MOSs), have been extensively researched owing to their high responsiveness, low detection limits, and other favorable characteristics.

The Influence of Mg Doping in α-AlO Crystals Investigated with First-Principles Calculations and Experiment.

The influence of Mg doping in α-AlO crystals is investigated in this article by first-principles calculations and formation energies, density of states, and computed absorption spectra. Three models related to Mg substituting for Al doping structures were constructed, as well as spinel structure models with varying aluminum-magnesium ratios. The formation energy calculations confirmed the rationality of the MgV model, which means that Mg substitutional doping incorporating oxygen vacancies is most likely to form in crystals.

[Directed evolution improves the catalytic activity of laccase in papermaking].

As a biocatalyst, laccase has been widely studied and applied in the papermaking industry. However, the low catalytic efficiency and poor stability of natural laccase limit its application in the pulping process. To develop the laccase with high activity and strong tolerance, we carried out directed evolution for modification of the laccase derived from and screened out the mutants F282L/F306L and Q275P from the random mutant library by high-throughput screening.

Electrochemo-Mechanics insights of Sn foil anode in Sodium-Ion batteries.

The development of high-performance sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) is crucial to meeting the growing demand for low-cost, sustainable energy storage alternatives to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, achieving stable cycling performance in SIBs is challenging, particularly with tin (Sn) foil anodes, which suffer from issues like sodium trapping and structural degradation due to significant volume changes during sodiation and desodiation. In this study, we investigate the electrochemo-mechanical behavior of Sn foil anodes, focusing on the mechanisms of sodium trapping and structural evolution that impair battery performance.

Controllable synthesis of nonlayered high-κ MnO single-crystal thin films for 2D electronics.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have been identified as promising candidates for future electronic devices. However, high dielectric constant (κ) materials, which can be integrated with 2D semiconductors, are still rare. Here, we report a hydrate-assisted thinning chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique to grow manganese oxide (MnO) single crystal nanosheets, enabled by a strategy to minimize the substrate lattice mismatch and control the growth kinetics.

Efficient removal of cationic malachite green using co-pyrolyzed corn straw biochar-montmorillonite composites.

New efficient and sustainable methods for the removal of malachite green (MG) from environmental media are needed. In this study, corn straw was co-pyrolyzed with montmorillonite under a variety of conditions (400, 500, 600, and 700 °C and 10-40 wt% montmorillonite), without any use of toxic chemicals, to produce a series of biochar-clay composites. Characteristics of the composites that make them promising contaminant sorbents include a uniform lamellar-particle micromorphology, enhanced mesoporous structure and surface area (53.

The chemistry of halide-based solid electrolytes: unlocking advances in solid-state Li-ion batteries.

Solid-state batteries (SSBs) represent a transformative advancement in electrochemical energy storage, offering exceptional energy density, enhanced safety, and broad operational temperature ranges, making them ideal for next-generation applications. While liquid electrolytes dominate conventional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high conductivity and efficient electrode interface wetting, their flammability and volatility pose significant safety risks, particularly in electric vehicles and portable electronics. Solid electrolytes, a cornerstone of SSB technology, offer a promising pathway to enhance LIB energy density and safety.

Clew-like CuO/CuO Microsphere Adsorbents for Highly Efficient Anionic Dye Removal.

Adsorbents with high selectivity and adsorption capacity are of significant interest for the removal of dye pollutants. Herein, we report a facile low-temperature solvothermal synthesis of clew-like CuO/CuO microspheres by using cupric acetate monohydrate as the copper resource and ethylene glycol as the solvent and morphology modulator. The synthesized CuO/CuO microspheres showed high selective adsorption to anionic dyes (e.

Structural and electrochemical investigation of P2-NaFeMnO high-performance sodium ion cathode materials.

Fe/Mn-based metal oxides have attracted considerable attention as cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries owing to their low cost and high specific capacity. However, the relatively large ionic radius of the sodium ion (1.02 Å) results in inefficient diffusion kinetics, resulting in reduced battery performance.

Emergence of Near-Infrared Photoluminescence via ZnS Shell Growth on the AgBiS Nanocrystals.

AgBiS nanocrystals (NCs), composed of nontoxic, earth-abundant materials and exhibiting an exceptionally high absorption coefficient from visible to near-infrared (>10 cm), hold promise for photovoltaics but have lack of photoluminescence (PL) due to intrinsic nonradiative recombination and challenging shell growth. In this study, we reported a facile wet-chemical approach for the epitaxial growth of ZnS shell on AgBiS NCs, which triggered the observation of PL emission in the near-infrared (764 nm). Since high quality of the core is critical for epitaxial shell growth, we first obtained rock-salt structured AgBiS NCs with high crystallinity, nearly spherical shape and monodisperse size distribution (<6%) via a dual-ligand approach reacting Ag-Bi oleate with elemental sulfur in oleylamine.

Impact of electric vehicle battery recycling on reducing raw material demand and battery life-cycle carbon emissions in China.

The rapid growth of electric vehicles (EVs) in China challenges raw material demand. This study evaluates the impact of recycling and reusing EV batteries on reducing material demand and carbon emissions. Integrating a national-level vehicle stock turnover model with life-cycle carbon emission assessment, we found that replacing nickel-cobalt-manganese batteries with lithium iron phosphate batteries with battery recycling can reduce lithium, cobalt, and nickel demand between 2021 and 2060 by up to 7.

Rotation symmetry mismatch and interlayer hybridization in MoS-black phosphorus van der Waals heterostructures.

Interlayer coupling in 2D heterostructures can result in a reduction of the rotation symmetry and the generation of quantum phenomena. Although these effects have been demonstrated in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with mismatched interfaces, the role of band hybridization remains unclear. In addition, the creation of flat bands at the valence band maximum (VBM) of TMDs is still an open challenge.

Unveiling the physicochemical, photocatalytic, antibacterial and antioxidant properties of MWCNT-modified AgO/CuO/ZnO nanocomposites.

Water pollution, oxidative stress and the emergence of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains are significant global threats that require urgent attention to protect human health. Nanocomposites that combine multiple metal oxides with carbon-based materials have garnered significant attention due to their synergistic physicochemical properties and versatile applications in both environmental and biomedical fields. In this context, the present study was aimed at synthesizing a ternary metal-oxide nanocomposite consisting of silver oxide, copper oxide, and zinc oxide (ACZ-NC), along with a multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified ternary metal-oxide nanocomposite (MWCNTs@ACZ-NC).

Solvent Engineering in Ligand Exchange of the Hole Transport Layer Enables High-Performance PbS Quantum Dot Solar Cells.

The performance of lead sulfide colloidal quantum dot (PbS-CQD) solar cells has long been hindered by interface defects in the transport layer. Traditionally, 1,2-ethanedithiol (EDT), used in solid-state ligand exchange, has been a common choice as the hole transport layer (HTL) in many PbS-CQD solar cells. However, the rapid reaction rate and chain length mismatch (shorter-chain EDT versus longer-chain oleic acid) during the ligand exchange process often introduce crack defects in the HTL film, resulting in an unexpected low performance.

Anchoring platinum clusters in CoP@CoNi layered double hydroxide to prepare high-performance and stable electrodes for efficient water splitting at high current density.

Hydrogen production via electrocatalytic water splitting has garnered significant attention, due to the growing demand for clean and renewable energy. However, achieving low overpotential and long-term stability of water splitting catalysts at high current densities remains a major challenge. Herein, a CoP@CoNi layered double hydroxide (LDH) electrode was synthesized via a two-step electrodeposition process, demonstrating oxygen evolution reaction, with an overpotential (ƞ) of 373 mV and a Tafel slope of 64.

3D Printed Titanium Scaffolds with Bi-Directional Gradient QK-Functionalized Surface.

3D printed titanium scaffold has promising applications in orthopedics. However, the bioinert titanium presents challenges for promoting vascularization and tissue growth within the porous scaffold for stable osteointegration. In this study, a modular porous titanium scaffold is created using 3D printing and a gradient-surface strategy to immobilize QK peptide on the surface with a bi-directional gradient distribution.

Construction of CuMoS/ZnO Heterostructures and Mechanism of Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production.

Constructing wide and narrow band gap heterogeneous semiconductors is a method to improve the activity of photocatalysts. In this paper, CMS/ZnO heterojunctions were prepared by solvothermal loading of ZnO particles on the surface of CuMoS nanosheets. The photocatalytic H precipitation rate is about 545 μmol·g·h, which is 6.

Uncovering the role of the Cr dopant in RuO in highly efficient acid water oxidation.

The design of acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts with high activity and durability is the key to achieving efficient hydrogen production. Herein, we report a Cr-doped RuO (RuCrO) catalyst that exhibits good OER activity in acidic electrolytes. The doping of Cr increases the valence state of Ru, which enhances the activity of the catalyst, and a current density of 10 mA cm can be achieved at only 235 mV, which is superior to that of unmodified RuO of 299 mV.

Mott-Schottky Heterojunction Modulating Iron-Vanadium Oxide for High-Performance Aqueous Zinc Battery Cathodes.

Vanadium-based oxides have garnered significant attention for aqueous zinc batteries (AZBs), whereas sluggish Zn diffusion and structural collapse remain major challenges in achieving high-performance cathodes. Herein, different structures of iron-vanadium oxides were fabricated by modulating the amount of vanadium content. It is found that the porous Mott-Schottky heterojunction composed of FeVO and FeVO mixed phase was used to construct a self-generated FeVO-5 structure, which could lower the diffusion barrier and improve the electron transport derived from the formed built-in electric field at the interface, showing faster reaction kinetics and improved capacity compared with the singe-phase FeVO-1.

Lanthanide-polyoxometalate-based self-erasing luminescent hydrogels with time-dependent and resilient properties for advanced information encryption.

In such an era of information explosion, improving the level of information security is still a challenging task. Self-erasing luminescent hydrogels are becoming ideal candidates for improving the level of information security with simple encryption and decryption methods. Herein, a lanthanide-polyoxometalate-based self-erasing luminescent hydrogel with time-dependent and resilient properties was constructed through a covalent crosslinked network constructed with polyacrylamide and a non-covalent crosslinked network constructed with [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethyl ammonium chloride/NaDyWO, along with doping urease.

Dynamically Cyclic Fe/Fe Active Sites as Electron and Proton-Feeding Centers Boosting CO Photoreduction Powered by Benzyl Alcohol Oxidation.

Solar-driven CO photoreduction holds promise for sustainable fuel and chemical productions, but the complex proton-coupled multi-electron transfer processes and sluggish oxidation half-reaction kinetics substantially hinder its efficiency. Here, we devised a rational catalyst design to address these challenges by fabricating ferrocene carboxylic acid-functionalized CsSbBr nanocrystals (CSB-Fc NCs), which facilitate simultaneous benzyl alcohol oxidation and CO reduction reactions under visible-light irradiation. The synchronized proton-coupled electron transfer processes between the reduction and oxidation half-reactions on CSB-Fc NCs resulted in a 5-fold increase in the CO reduction rate (45.

3D printed biomimetic bilayer limbal implants for regeneration of the corneal structure in limbal stem cell deficiency.

Limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) causes vision loss and is often treated by simple corneal epithelial cell transplantation with poor long-term efficiency. Here, we present a biomimetic bilayer limbal implant using digital light processing 3D printing technology with gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) and poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) bioinks containing corneal epithelial cells (CECs) and corneal stromal stem cells (CSSCs), which can transplant CECs and improve the limbal niche simultaneously. The GelMA/PEGDA hydrogel possessed robust mechanical properties to support surgical transplantation and had good transparency, suitable swelling and degradation rate as a corneal implant.

Research on a Low-Cost, Low-Waste Method for Surface Flatness Improvement of WAAM Components Based on Tungsten Inert Gas Arc Remelting (TIGAR).

Wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) has fully empowered the design and manufacturing of metals with its unparalleled efficiency and flexibility. However, the process has relatively poor shape control capabilities, often requiring machining post-processing. This study explores a tungsten inert gas arc remelting (TIGAR) process to improve the surface flatness of WAAM components at a low cost and significantly reduce machining waste (up to 76%), which is crucial for the sustainable development of the process.