To identify an efficient photocatalyst for the removal of Escherichia coli (E. coli) contamination, ZnO was sythesized via a hydrothermal method. A series of nanocomposites with varying mass ratios (ZnCo₂O₄-ZnO) was fabricated by anchoring ZnCo₂O₄ onto ZnO using an in-situ growth technique, with the objective of enhancing ZnO’s photocatalytic performance. The resulting S-scheme heterojunction ZnCo₂O₄-ZnO materials were systematically characterized for their crystalline structures and photoelectrochemical properties, and evaluated for their of E. coli inactivation efficiency under visible light irradiation. The synthesized ZnO exhibited a hexagonal zincite phase, whereas ZnCo₂O₄ was confirmed to be a spinel phase. The enhanced light absorption and charge carrier transfer efficiency of ZnCo₂O₄-ZnO contributed to superior photocatalytic activity. The influence of the mass ratio of ZnCo₂O₄-ZnO on the antimicrobial performance was thoroughly investigated. At an optimal mass ratio of ZnCo₂O₄:ZnO=1:20, a maximum E. coli inhibition efficiency of 92.64% was achieved. Moreover, the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of cefalexin (CEX) using 10 mg of 5%ZnCo₂O₄-ZnO reached 61.13%, representing a 43.97% improvement over the 17.16% degradation achieved with pristine ZnO. These findings demonstrated that the ZnCo₂O₄-ZnO composite exhibits markedly enhanced photocatalytic and antimicrobial activity compared to ZnO.

The development of intelligent sensors with enhanced stability and sensitivity is imperative for the expeditious, precise and on-site monitoring of food and health. Because of the widespread popularity, portability and powerful imaging capability of smartphones, smartphone-integrated intelligent sensors have gradually become ideal devices for portable sensing. These sensors rely on diverse sensing materials, including carbon-based nanomaterials, metal/metal oxide nanoparticles, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), MXenes, and single-atom materials (SAMs), offering unique physicochemical properties for target recognition and signal amplification. The sensing performance is predominantly governed by the active sites. However, a systematic review on the optimization strategies of sensing materials is still lacking. Here, we systematically discuss the optimization strategies of the sensing materials, including regulations of nonmetal active sites, metal active sites, metal coordination environment, and defect sites. Then, some emerging sensing materials, MOFs, COFs, MXenes and SAMs are briefly introduced. Subsequently, the applications of intelligent electrochemical sensors in food safety monitoring and health monitoring are summarized. Finally, the development prospects of smartphone-integrated electrochemical sensors are put forward. This review is helpful to the design of sensitive and reliable detection methods based on smartphones.

Due to the issue of energy depletion, photocatalytic hydrogen evolution has gained significant attention in recent years as a sustainable energy conversion technology. However, traditional single photocatalytic materials often face problems of low catalytic activity and stability. To address this challenge, this study proposes novel BiOBr/Cd_0.805Zn_0.195S (BO/CZS) nanocomposite materials, which effectively enhance photocatalytic hydrogen evolution efficiency through an S-scheme heterojunction design. Under visible light without the use of a co-catalyst, pure BO shows almost no photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity, while CZS exhibits a hydrogen evolution rate of 4.0 mmol·g^‒1·h^‒1. The hydrogen evolution rate of the 2% BO loading composite material (2-BO/CZS) significantly increases to 5.9 mmol·g^‒1·^h‒1. Stability tests show that the 2-BO/CZS composite material retains 97% of its initial activity after four cycles. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis and differential charge density analysis confirm that the heterojunction mechanism of this composite material follows the S-scheme charge transfer mechanism, which effectively promotes the separation and migration of photogenerated charge carriers, reduces charge recombination, and significantly improves catalytic efficiency. This system demonstrates outstanding stability and efficiency in hydrogen evolution, making it a promising candidate material for sustainable hydrogen production applications.

Nanofabrication of tunable two-dimensional (2D) supramolecular architecture relies on the delicate balance between molecule-molecule and molecule-substrate interactions, where carefully designed molecules as building blocks are required. In this study, we introduced isopropylethynyl groups into two tripodal molecules, i.e., 1,3,5-tris-(isopropylethynyl)-benzene (iPr-TEB) and 2,4,6-tris-(isopropylethynyl)-1,3,5-triazine (iPr-TET), and investigated their self-assembly on Au(111) and Ag(111) surfaces under ultra-high-vacuum using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). On Au(111) and Ag(111), iPr-TEB formed relatively comparable self-assembled nanopatterns through side-by-side dimers aggregation. These subtle differences in aggregation correlate with their negligible variations in adsorption conformation and energy. In contrast, iPr-TET exhibited pronounced substrate-dependent adsorption geometries due to stronger molecule-substrate interactions, resulting in disparate self-assembled nanoarchitectures on these two surfaces. Our results highlight the rotational flexibility of the isopropyl groups enabled by the single bond connecting them to the main acetylenic core, modulating intermolecular interactions and fine-tuning molecule-substrate interactions strength, hence providing a new strategy for crystal engineering in two dimensions.

Combined radiation and wound injury (CRWI), caused by the interaction between radiation and trauma, presents major challenges to wound healing and is a key focus in trauma and radiation medicine. This study developed a microsphere-encapsulated composite hydrogel loaded with leptin (LP) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to enhance CRWI wound healing. Drug-loaded sodium alginate (SA) microspheres were fabricated using the emulsion cross-linking method and integrated into thermosensitive Pluronic hydrogel to form the VEGF/LP-SA@P nanodelivery system. The microspheres’ physicochemical properties were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), rheometry, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. The results showed that the microspheres had an intact structure with uniform size distribution, LP and VEGF encapsulation efficiencies of 48.01% and 49.58%, respectively, and enabled sustained drug release over 14 d. The hydrogel exhibited a phase transition temperature of 21.2 °C and a rapid phase transition time of 8 s. In vitro, VEGF/LP-SA@P reversed radiation-induced reductions in cell migration, oxidative stress elevation, and apoptosis. In vivo, the hydrogel accelerated CRWI wound healing and reduced scar tissue formation, likely through promoting angiogenesis, modulating collagen fiber ratios, and inhibiting apoptosis. In conclusion, VEGF/LP-SA@P shows significant potential for CRWI treatment.

Design and synthesis of highly active and durable bifunctional electrocatalysts is crucial toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in unitized regenerative proton exchange membrane fuel cells (UR-PEMFCs). Herein, we report a simple phase-transfer reduction method to synthesize PtIr nanoparticles with different molar ratios. When the Pt/Ir molar ratio is 2.2:1, the bifunctional oxygen activity is optimal. The ORR mass activity of Pt_2.2Ir nanoparticles is 190.3 mA/mg_Pt @ 0.9 V (vs. RHE), which is 1.8 times and 3.7 times those of commercial Pt black and physically mixed commercial Pt and Ir black (Pt+Ir black), respectively. At the potential of 1.53 V vs. RHE, the OER mass activity of Pt_2.2Ir nanoparticles is 202.7 mA/mg_Ir, which is 2.0 times and 1.3 times those of Ir black and Pt+Ir black, respectively. An overpotential gap of Pt_2.2Ir nanoparticles (618 mV) between the half-wave potential of ORR and the potential at 10 mA/cm² of OER is superior to Pt+Ir black (662 mV). After durability tests, the ORR/OER activity of Pt_2.2Ir nanoparticles remained much better than Pt+Ir black. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggests that the electronic interaction between Pt and Ir accounts for enhanced bifunctional oxygen activity. Eventually, the Pt_2.2Ir nanoparticles were evaluated in UR-PEMFCs.

The development of heterojunction photocatalysts with highly efficient charge separation is essential for achieving solar-driven overall water splitting without sacrificial agents. In this work, a well-defined Type-II TiO₂/g-C₃N₄ heterojunction was constructed and co-loaded with Pt nanoparticles and MnOx as hydrogen and oxygen evolution cocatalysts, respectively, forming a Pt-P/CN-MnX composite. The optimized Pt-P/CN-Mn30 sample exhibited broadened visible-light absorption (up to 600 nm) and a notably reduced charge recombination rate. Under the irradiation of simulated sunlight, it achieved a hydrogen evolution rate of 530.6 μmol·g^–1·h^–1, 10.3, 5.0 and 2.7 times higher than those of g-C₃N₄-Mn3%, P25-Pt2% and P25/CN, respectively, without sacrificial agents. Moreover, the photocatalyst retained over 79.75% of its activity after six cycles, demonstrating excellent stability. Mechanistic analysis revealed efficient spatial charge separation, with electrons transferring from g-C₃N₄ to TiO₂ and holes migrating toward MnO _x. These synergistic effects significantly enhanced redox kinetics. This study presents a novel dual-cocatalyst strategy for multi-interface photocatalysis and provides valuable insights into designing high-performance systems for sustainable water splitting.

The sensitive and accurate detection of glucose is of immense importance due to its potential applications in clinical diagnosis, biotechnology and food industry. However, the commercialization of such biosensors is greatly limited by the unsustainability of electrode substrates, which are extracted from fossil fuels. Herein, from the view of sustainability (e.g., cost effectiveness, ecofriendliness and recycling), the bamboo derived nitrogen-doped porous carbons (B-dNPC) were synthesized by employing waste biomass of bamboo as raw material, and the glucose biosensor was developed by using B-dNPC as the support for biocatalyst for the first time. Electrochemical experiments prove a remarkable electrocatalytic activity towards oxygen reduction at the B-dNPC-based biosensor, which allows for sensitive detection of changes in oxygen concentration produced by glucose oxidation. Consequently, the B-dNPC-based biosensor displays a superior performance with a wider linear range (0.2–6.6 mmol/L) and higher sensitivity (30.3 μA·mmol^-1·L·cm^-2) compared to a typical carbon material (carbon nanotube)-based glucose biosensor. Additionally, the biosensor is robust to common interfering substances. Significantly, this work demonstrates the tremendous potential of B-dNPC for glucose detection in complex systems, setting up a typical example to produce high value-added material for the development of sensing analysis.

Graphene oxide (GO)-based membranes have garnered significant attention in water purification and dye separation due to their electrostatic interactions arising from abundant functional groups and exceptional molecular sieving capabilities. However, challenges such as the inability to produce uniform GO membranes at an industrial scale and poor stability in an aqueous environment hinder their widespread application in industry. In this work, a scalable and easily adjustable technique is proposed to GO membrane with long-term stability in an aqueous environment by multilayer integration rod-coating with highpower UV reduction. A piece of multilayer graphene oxide membrane (MGM) with a size of 30 cm×30 cm with uniformity and efficiency can be easily formed. MGM demonstrates remarkable performance in dye separation, achieving a stable flux of 10.76 LMH·bar⁻¹ [LMH: L/(m²·h); 1 bar=10⁵ Pa] over more than 300 h of testing, along with a dye separation efficiency exceeding 95.0%. Moreover, the separation performance as well as the pore parameter can be flexibly modulated by changing the rod-coating times to adapt to the dye molecules under different conditions. The excellent performance of MGM paves the way for their largescale industrial production in dye separation applications.

In this study, various inorganic salts were investigated for the one-step synthesis of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) by reaction of ethylene oxide (EO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and methanol (MeOH). The bi-component catalytic system of KI/NaCl achieved high activities and selectivity with a DMC yield of 83% and a by-product, 2-methoxyethanol (2-MET), yield of 2%. The reaction involved two tandem reactions of the cycloaddition of EO and CO₂ and the transesterification of EC and MeOH. Kinetic studies were conducted to investigate the reaction mechanism and found that the strongly nucleophilic KI was the active species of cycloaddition and weak Lewis basic NaCl was the active species of transesterification, respectively. In addition, transesterification was the rate-determining step in the synthesis of DMC. CO₂/KI was capable of synergistically suppressing the by-product 2-MET. This catalytic system exhibited a substrate generality for different epoxides.