In this work, Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) loaded inside and outside halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were prepared and developed as the heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysts for the removal of representative organic pollutants. Characterization results indicated that the samples with Fe₃O₄ NPs loaded outside the HNTs lumen (Fe₃O₄/HNTs) and inside the HNTs lumen (Fe₃O₄@HNTs) were successfully prepared. Both samples had typical magnetic hysteresis loops, while Fe₃O₄@HNTs exhibited higher magnetization intensity. The comparative experiments showed that Fe₃O₄@HNTs had better Fenton-like catalytic ability than that of Fe₃O₄/HNTs in the degradation of various organic pollutants. Taking Rhodamine B (RhB) as an example, the adsorption thermodynamics and kinetics of RhB onto Fe₃O₄/HNTs and Fe₃O₄@HNTs were also investigated. The comparative results demonstrated that the adsorption ability of Fe₃O₄/HNTs was better than that of Fe₃O₄@HNTs. Moreover, the dissolved concentration of Fe²⁺ and production amount of hydroxyl radical (·OH) in the Fe₃O₄@HNTs-H₂O₂ system were significantly higher than those in the Fe₃O₄/HNTs-H₂O₂ system. Based on aforementioned comparison, the nano-confinement effect in the Fe₃O₄@HNTs-H₂O₂ system was verified. This work provides meaningful guidance for the cheap and convenient design of nanoreactors for Fenton-like applications.

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted widespread attention due to their regular structures, multiple material centers, and various ligands. They are always considered as one kind of ideal templates for developing highly sensitive and selective gas sensors. In this study, the advantages of MOFs with the high specific surface area (71.9891 m²·g⁻¹) and uniform morphology were fully utilized, and urchin-like SnO₂ nanowires were obtained by the hydrothermal method followed by the calcination using Sn-MOFs consisting of the ligand of C₉H₆O₆ (H₃BTC) and Sn/Ce center ions as sacrificial templates. This unique urchin-like nanowire structure facilitated gas diffusion and adsorption, resulting in superior gas sensitivity. A series of Ce-doped SnO₂ nanowires with different doping ratios were synthesized, and their gas sensing properties towards formaldehyde were studied. The resulted Ce-SnO₂ was revealed to have high sensitivity (201.2 at 250 °C), rapid response (4 s), long-term stability, and good repeatability for formaldehyde sensing, and the gas sensing mechanism of Ce-SnO₂ exposed to formaldehyde was also systematically discussed.

Diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) often evolves into chronic wounds that resist healing over an extended period, sometimes necessitating amputation in severe cases. Traditional wound management approaches generally fail to control these chronic sores successfully. Thus, it arouses a huge demand in clinic for a novel wound dressing to treat DFU effectively. Hydrogel as an ideal delivery system exhibits excellent loading capacity and sustainable release behavior. It also boasts tunable physical and chemical properties adaptable to diverse biomedical scenarios, making it a suitable material for fabricating functional wound dressings to treat DFU. The hydrogel dressings are classified into hemostatic, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, and healing-promoting hydrogel dressings by associating the pathogenesis of DFU in this paper. The design and fabrication strategies for the dressings, as well as their therapeutic effects in treating DFU, are extensively reviewed. Additionally, this paper highlights future perspectives of multifunctional hydrogel dressings in DFU treatment. This review aims to provide valuable references for material scientists to design and develop hydrogel wound dressings with enhanced capabilities for DFU treatment, and to further translate them into the clinic in the future.

To determine the contribution of non-repetitive domains to the bioactivity of the heavy chain in silk fibroin (SF) macromolecules, a gene motif f(1) encoding this fragment and its multimers (f(4) and f(8)) were biosynthesized from Escherichia coli BL21. Based on the positive application potential of SF materials for the vascular tissue engineering, this study focused on examining the active response of these polypeptides to vascular endothelial cells. Biosynthetic polypeptides F(1), F(4), and F(8) were separately grafted onto the surfaces of bioinert polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films, resulting in remarkable improvements in the spread and proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Using the same grafting dose, the activity of cells on polypeptide-modified PET films enhanced with the increase of the molecular weight of those grafted polypeptides from F(1) to F(8). Meanwhile, the growth of cells on the surface of the alkaline-treated PET film was improved, indicating that the hydrophilicity of the surface material had influence on the growth of HUVECs. Moreover, on surfaces with the same water contact angle, the spread and proliferation activity of cells on PET films were significantly lower than those on polypeptide-modified PET films.

In the field of bone defect repair, critical requirements for favorable cytocompatibility and optimal mechanical properties have propelled research efforts towards the development of composite materials. In this study, carbon nanotubes/polylactic acid/hydroxyapatite (CNTs/PLA/HA) scaffolds with different contents (0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 wt.%) of CNTs were prepared by the thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) method. The results revealed that the composite scaffolds had uniform pores with high porosities over 68% and high through performances. The addition of CNTs significantly enhanced the mechanical properties of resulted PLA/HA, in which the 1.5 wt.% CNTs/PLA/HA composite scaffold demonstrated the optimum mechanical behaviors with the bending elastic modulus of (868.5 ± 12.34) MPa, the tensile elastic modulus of (209.51 ± 12.73) MPa, and the tensile strength of (3.26 ± 0.61) MPa. Furthermore, L929 cells on the 1.5 wt.% CNTs/PLA/HA scaffold displayed good spreading performance and favorable cytocompatibility. Therefore, it is expected that the 1.5 wt.% CNTs/PLA/HA scaffold has potential applications in bone tissue engineering.

The choice of cathode and anode materials for electrochromic devices plays a key role in the performance of electrochromic smart windows. In this research, WO₃/Ag and TiO₂/NiO composite thin films were separately prepared by the hydrothermal method combined with electrodeposition. The electrochromic properties of the single WO₃ thin film were optimized, and TiO₂/NiO composite films showed better electrochromic performance than that of the single NiO film. WO₃/Ag and TiO₂/NiO composite films with excellent electrochromic properties were respectively chosen as the cathode and the anode to construct a WO₃/Ag‒TiO₂/NiO electrochromic device. The response time (t_c = 4.08 s, t_b = 1.08 s), optical modulation range (35.91%), and coloration efficiency (30.37 cm²·C⁻¹) of this electrochromic device are better than those of WO₃‒NiO and WO₃/Ag‒NiO electrochromic devices. This work provides a novel research idea for the performance enhancement of electrochromic smart windows.

The absorption of high-viscosity oil by traditional oil absorbing materials has always been a challenge. So there is an urgent need to solve the problem of slow absorption of high-viscosity oil. In this work, an emulsion composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), carbon black (CB) and waterborne polyurethane (solid content 40%) was sprayed on the melamine foam (MF). After volatilization of organic solvents, the photothermal material CB was fixed on the MF framework, making it photothermal. By raising the temperature of the modified foam to accelerate the internal thermal movement of high-viscosity oil molecules around the foam, intermolecular forces are reduced, thereby accelerating the separation process. The absorption capacity of this modified MF towards organic solvents and oil is up to 79 times its own weight. In addition, the mechanical properties of the modified foam are improved to a certain extent, more conducive to the continuous oil–water separation. This photothermal absorption material provides ideas for the rapid removal of high-viscosity oil, heavy oil, etc.

The coating-modified magnesium (Mg) alloys exhibit controllable corrosion resistance, but the insufficient antibacterial performance limits their clinical applications as degradable implants. Superhydrophobic coatings show excellent performance in terms of both corrosion resistance and inhibition of bacterial adhesion and growth. In this work, a hydroxyapatite (HA)/palmitic acid (PA) superhydrophobic composite coating was fabricated on the Mg alloy by the hydrothermal technique and immersion treatment. The HA/PA composite coating showed superhydrophobicity with a contact angle of 153° and a sliding angle of 2°. The coated Mg alloy exhibited excellent corrosion resistance in the simulated body fluid, with high polarization resistance (77.10 kΩ·cm²) and low corrosion current density ((0.491 ± 0.015) μA·cm⁻²). Meanwhile, the antibacterial efficiency of the composite coating was over 98% against E. coli and S. aureus in different periods. The results indicate that the construction of such superhydrophobic composite coating (HA/PA) on the Mg alloy can greatly improve the corrosion resistance of Mg alloy implants within the human body and avoid bacterial infection during the initial stages of implantation.

Flexible sensors with high sensitivity and stability are essential components of electronic skin, applicable to detecting human movement, monitoring physiological health, preventing diseases, and other domains. In this study, we utilized a straightforward and efficient femtosecond laser direct writing technique using phenolic resin (PR) as a carbon precursor to produce high-quality laser-induced graphene (LIG) characterized by high crystallinity and low defect density. The fabricated LIG underwent comprehensive characterization using SEM, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, and XRD. Subsequently, we developed strain sensors with a hexagonal honeycomb pattern and temperature sensors with a line pattern based on PR-derived LIG. The strain sensor exhibited an outstanding measurement factor of 4.16 × 10⁴ with a rapid response time of 32 ms, which is applied to detect various movements like finger movements and human pulse. Meanwhile, the temperature sensor demonstrated a sensitivity of 1.49%/°C with a linear response range of 20–50 °C. The PR-derived LIG shows promising potential for applications in human physiological health monitoring and other advanced wearable technologies.

Zinc-based flow battery is an energy storage technology with good application prospects because of its advantages of abundant raw materials, low cost, and environmental friendliness. The chemical stability of zinc electrodes exposed to electrolyte is a very important issue for zinc-based batteries. This paper reports on details of chemical stability of the zinc metal exposed to a series of solutions, as well as the relationship between the morphological evolution of zinc electrodes and their properties in an alkaline medium. Chemical corrosion of zinc electrodes by the electrolyte will change their surface morphology. However, we observed that chemical corrosion is not the main contributor to the evolution of zinc electrode surface morphology, but the main contributor is the Zn/Zn²⁺ electrode process. The morphological evolution of zinc electrodes was controlled by using ionic liquids, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (EMIA), and 1-propylsulfonic-3-methylimidazolium tosylate (PSMIT), and the electrode performance was recorded during the morphological evolution process. It was observed that the reversible change of zinc electrode morphology was accompanied by better electrode performance.

Aqueous Zn//MnO₂ rechargeable zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) possess potential applications in electrochemical energy storage due to their safety, low cost, and environmental friendliness. However, manganese dioxide as the cathode material has poor cycle stability and low conductivity. In this work, the SnO₂@K-MnO₂ (SMO) composite was prepared using the hydrothermal method followed by the treatment with SnCl₂ sensitization, and its electrochemical characteristics were examined using SMO as the cathode material for ZIBs. The reversible specific capacity reaches 298.2 mA·h·g⁻¹ at 0.5 A·g⁻¹, and an excellent capacity retention of 86% is realized after 200 cycles, together with a high discharge capacity of 105 mA·h·g⁻¹ at 10 A·g⁻¹ and a long-term cycling life of over 8000 cycles with no apparent capacity fade. This cathode exhibits a long cycle life up to 2000 cycles at 2 A·g⁻¹ with the mass loading of 5 mg·cm⁻², and the battery maintains the capacity of 80%. The reversible co-embedding mechanism of H⁺/Zn²⁺ in such a Zn//SMO battery was confirmed by XRD and SEM during the charge/discharge process. This work can enlighten and promote the development of advanced cathode materials for ZIBs.

MIL-101(Cr) has a special pore cage structure that provides broad channels for the transport of water molecules in the reverse osmosis (RO) water separation and purification. Combining MIL-101(Cr) with Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles forms a water transport intermediate layer between the polyamide separation membrane and the polysulfone support base under an external magnetic field. MIL-101(Cr) is stable in both water and air while resistant to high temperature. With the introduction of 0.003 wt.% MIL-101(Cr)/Fe₃O₄, the water flux increased by 93.31% to 6.65 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹·bar⁻¹ without sacrificing the NaCl rejection of 95.88%. The MIL-101(Cr)/Fe₃O₄ multilayer membrane also demonstrated certain anti-pollution properties and excellent stability in a 72-h test. Therefore, the construction of a MIL-101(Cr)/Fe₃O₄ interlayer can effectively improve the permeability of RO composite membranes.

The biggest challenge for organic phase change materials (PCMs) used in cold energy storage is to maintain high heat storage capacity while reducing the leakage risk of PCMs during the phase transition process. This is crucial for expanding their applications in the more demanding cold storage field. In this study, novel form-stable low-temperature composite PCMs are prepared with mesoporous materials, namely SBA-15 and CMK-3 (which are prepared using the template method), as supporting matrices and dodecane as the PCM. Owing to the combined effects of capillary forces within mesoporous materials and interactions among dodecane molecules, both dodecane/SBA-15 and dodecane/CMK-3 exhibit outstanding shape stability and thermal cycling stability even after 200 heating/cooling cycles. In comparison to those of dodecane/SBA-15, dodecane/CMK-3 exhibits superior cold storage performance and higher thermal conductivity. Specifically, the phase transition temperature of dodecane/CMK-3 is −8.81 °C with a latent heat of 122.4 J·g⁻¹. Additionally, it has a thermal conductivity of 1.21 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹, which is 9.45 times that of dodecane alone. All these highlight its significant potential for applications in the area of cold energy storage.

Combining molecular imprinting technique with titanium dioxide (TiO₂) photocatalysis technique can improve the degradation ability and selectivity of TiO₂ nanoparticles towards pollutants. In this work, methyl orange-imprinted polysiloxane particles (MIPs) were synthesized using TiO₂ as matrix and silane as functional monomers. The adsorption capacity (Q_e) of MIPs was 20.48 mg·g⁻¹, while the imprinting efficiency (IE) was 3.4. Such MIPs exhibited stable imprinting efficiencies and adsorption efficiencies towards methyl orange (MO) in the multi-cycle stability test. Photocatalytic degradation performances of both MIPs and non-imprinted polysiloxane particles (NIPs) were investigated. Compared with NIPs, MIPs exhibited better photocatalytic degradation performance towards MO, with the degradation efficiency of 98.8% in 12 min and the apparent rate constant (K_obs) of 0.077 min⁻¹. The interaction between silane and MO was also studied through molecular dynamics simulation. This work provides new insights into the use of silane for the synthesis of MIPs as well as the molecular imprinting technique for applications in the field of TiO₂ photocatalysis.

This study focuses on the synthesis and characterization of a thin film comprising of trimetallic sulphide, Cu₂S:ZnS:NiS₂. The fabrication process involved the utilization of diethyldithiocarbamate as a sulfur source, employing physical vapor deposition. A range of analytical techniques were employed to elucidate the material’s structure, morphology, and optical characteristics. The thin film exhibited a well-defined crystalline structure with an average crystallite size of 33 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy provided distinct core level peaks associated with Cu 2p, Zn 2p, Ni 2p, and S 2p. The electrochemical properties were assessed through voltammetry measurements, which demonstrated an impressive specific capacitive of 797 F·g⁻¹. The thin film demonstrated remarkable stability over multiple cycles, establishing it as a highly promising candidate for diverse energy storage applications. In addition, comprehensive investigations were carried out to assess the photocatalytic performance of the fabricated material, particularly its efficacy in the degradation of diverse environmental pollutants. These notable findings emphasize the versatility of trimetal sulphide thin films, expanding their potential beyond energy storage and opening avenues for further research and technological advancements in fields including photocatalysis and beyond.

Zinc-based composites represent promising materials for orthopedic implants owing to their adjustable degradation rates and excellent biocompatibility. In this study, a series of Zn–10Mg–xHA (x = 0–5 wt.%) composites with the core–shell structure were prepared through spark plasma sintering, and their microstructural, mechanical, and in vitro properties were systematically evaluated. Results showed that the doped hydroxyapatite (HA) is concentrated at the outer edge of the MgZn₂ shell layer. The compression strength of the Zn‒10Mg‒HA composite gradually decreased with the increase of the HA content, while its corrosion rate decreased initially and then increased. The corrosion resistance of the composite with the addition of 1 wt.% HA was improved compared to that of Zn–10Mg–0HA. However, the further increase of the HA content beyond 1 wt.% resulted in a faster degradation of the composite. Moreover, the Zn–10Mg–1HA composite significantly enhanced the activity of MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts. Based on such findings, it is revealed that the composite containing 1 wt.% HA exhibits superior overall properties and is anticipated to serve as a promising candidate for bone implant materials.