Plastics are a ubiquitous and growing presence in our lives, with chlorinated plastics, like polyvinyl chloride (PVC), playing a pivotal role due to their superior qualities. However, the disposal and recycling of these materials present significant challenges. The chlorine content can harm catalysts, corrode equipment, and create dangerous pollutants, making the management of chlorinated plastic waste a critical issue in recycling efforts. There is a pressing need for green, effective, and atom-efficient methods to handle this waste responsibly. This review explores the potential for converting chlorinated plastic waste into valuable resources. We examine four key areas for upcycling and reusing PVC waste, including innovative separation techniques, leveraging the PVC molecular structure, and recycling the chlorine and carbon components inherent in PVC. By offering a thorough analysis of current recycling strategies and highlighting existing solutions, our review aims to inform and inspire further research in this crucial field, pushing towards more sustainable waste management practices.
Exploiting high-capacity cathode materials with superior reliability is vital to advancing the commercialization of sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Layered oxides, known for their eco-friendliness, adaptability, commercial viability, and significant recent advancements, are prominent cathode materials. However, electrochemical cycling over an extended period can trigger capacity fade, voltage hysteresis, structural instability, and adverse interface reactions which shorten the battery life and cause safety issues. Thus, it is essential to require an in-depth understanding of degradation mechanisms of layered oxides. In this review, the crystal and electronic structures of layered oxides are revisited first, and a renewed understanding is also presented. Three critical degradation mechanisms are highlighted and deeply discussed for layered oxides, namely Jahn–Teller effect, phase transition, and surface decomposition, which are directly responsible for the inferior electrochemical performances. Furthermore, a comprehensive overview of recently reported modification strategies related to degradation mechanisms are proposed. Additionally, this review discusses challenges in practical application, primarily from a degradation mechanism standpoint. Finally, it outlines future research directions, offering perspectives to further develop superior layered cathode materials for SIBs, driving the industrialization of SIBs.
Organic/polymeric conjugated materials are playing an increasingly important role in biomedical field. Their special properties such as fluorescence, photosensitization, and photothermal conversion make them promising candidates for disease diagnosis and phototherapy. However, these conjugated materials are usually extremely hydrophobic, so they tend to take a relatively long time to be excreted or metabolized after theranostics, leading to unpredictable side effects, which has made their clinical implementation a daunting task. In this review, we will focus on the safety of organic/polymeric conjugated materials for biomedical applications and discuss in detail the general strategies to improve their metabolism or degradability by rational molecular design, based on representative examples. Finally, the challenges and opportunities are also presented by considering further perspectives.
High-entropy alloys (HEAs) have emerged as a groundbreaking class of materials poised to revolutionize solid-state hydrogen storage technology. This comprehensive review delves into the intricate interplay between the unique compositional and structural attributes of HEAs and their remarkable hydrogen storage performance. By meticulously exploring the design strategies and synthesis techniques, encompassing experimental procedures, thermodynamic calculations, and machine learning approaches, this work illuminates the vast potential of HEAs in surmounting the challenges faced by conventional hydrogen storage materials. The review underscores the pivotal role of HEAs’ diverse elemental landscape and phase dynamics in tailoring their hydrogen storage properties. It elucidates the complex mechanisms governing hydrogen absorption, diffusion, and desorption within these novel alloys, offering insights into enhancing their reversibility, cycling stability, and safety characteristics. Moreover, it highlights the transformative impact of advanced characterization techniques and computational modeling in unraveling the structure–property relationships and guiding the rational design of high-performance HEAs for hydrogen storage applications. By bridging the gap between fundamental science and practical implementation, this review sets the stage for the development of next-generation solid-state hydrogen storage solutions. It identifies key research directions and strategies to accelerate the deployment of HEAs in hydrogen storage systems, including the optimization of synthesis routes, the integration of multiscale characterization, and the harnessing of data-driven approaches. Ultimately, this comprehensive analysis serves as a roadmap for the scientific community, paving the way for the widespread adoption of HEAs as a disruptive technology in the pursuit of sustainable and efficient hydrogen storage for a clean energy future.
Three-photon fluorescence (3PF) imaging is an emerging technology for imaging deep-tissue submicroscopic structures by nonlinearly redshifting the excitation wavelength to the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window; thus, this approach has great advantages, including deep penetration depth, good spatial resolution, low background, and a high signal-to-noise ratio. 3PF imaging has been demonstrated to be a powerful tool for noninvasively visualizing all kinds of deep tissues in recent years. Benefiting from excellent biosecurity and structural controllability, the development of organic 3PF probes is highly important for advancing 3PF imaging in vivo. However, there is no summary of the generalizability of the design and recent progress in organic 3PF probes. Herein, this review introduces the fundamental principle of 3PF imaging and highlights the advantages of 3PF bioimaging. The molecular design of these organic 3PF probes is also summarized based on relative optical indices. Furthermore, different 3PF imaging application scenarios are listed in detail. In the end, the main challenges, significance of probe exploitation, and prospective orientation of organic probes for precise 3PF imaging are proposed and discussed for promoting future applications and clinical translation.
Stretchable conjugated polymer films are pivotal in flexible and wearable electronics. Despite significant advancements in film stretchability through molecular engineering and multicomponent blending, these conjugated polymer films often exhibit limited elastic ranges and reduced carrier mobilities under large strain or after cyclic stretching. These limitations hinder their application in wearable electronics. Therefore, it is imperative to reveal the mechanical fatigue mechanisms and incorporate multiple strain energy dissipation strategies to enhance elastic deformation and electrical performance of stretched conjugated polymer films. In this review, we begin by introducing the typical mechanical behaviors of conjugated polymer films. Subsequently, we discuss the multiscale structural evolution under various stretching conditions based on both in-situ and ex-situ characterizations. This analysis is further related to the diverse strain energy dissipation mechanisms. We next establish the correlation between strain-induced microstructure and the electrical performance of stretched conjugated polymer films. After that, we propose to develop highly elastic conjugated polymer films by constructing stable crosslinks and promoting polymer dynamics in low-crystalline polymer films. Finally, we highlight the future opportunities for high-performance and mechanically stable devices based on stretchable conjugated polymer films.
The poor electronic conductivity of conversion-type materials (CMs) and the dissolution/diffusion loss of transition metal (TM) ions in electrodes seriously hinder the practical applications of potassium ion batteries. Simply optimizing the electrode materials or designing the electrode components is no longer effective in improving the performance of CMs. Binders, as one of the electrode components, play a vital role in improving the electrochemical performance of batteries. Here we rationally designed FeF2 electrodes for the first time by optimizing electrode materials with the introduction of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and combined with a sodium alginate (SA) binder based on strong interactions. We show that the FeF2@CNTs-SA cathode does not suffer from TM ion dissolution and delivers a high capacity of 184.7 mAh g-1 at 10 mA g-1. Moreover, the capacity of FeF2@CNTs-SA is as high as 99.2 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles at 100 mA g-1, which is a twofold increase compared to FeF2@CNTs-PVDF. After calculating the average capacity decay rate per cycle of them, we find that FeF2@CNTs-SA is about one-third lower than FeF2@CNTs-PVDF. Therefore, the SA binder can be broadly used for electrodes comprising several CMs, providing meaningful insights into mechanisms that lead to their improved electrochemical performances.
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in chronic skin wounds impedes the healing process, thus it is necessary to eliminate the ROS from the vicinity of the wound in time. Ascorbyl palmitate (AP) is a potent antioxidant that suffers from solubility constraints, which largely limits its application. This study aims to improve AP’s solubility by encapsulating it within 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) to acquire AP/CD inclusion complex (IC). This advancement facilitates the development of antioxidant and antibacterial nanofibrous membranes via electrospinning, utilizing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and quaternary ammonium chitosan (QCS). The developed PVA/QCS combined with AP/CD-IC (PVA/QCS-IC) nanofibers increase the release of AP, boasting good antioxidant property. In comparison to the PVA/QCS combined with AP counterparts (PVA/QCS-AP), where AP is not encapsulated in HP-β-CD, the PVA/QCS-IC nanofibers provide notable protection against oxidative stress in human skin fibroblasts and increased Col-I expression levels. Additionally, the PVA/QCS-IC nanofibers are able to suppress the growth of E. coli, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa. Furthermore, the PVA/QCS-IC nanofibers could effectively promote diabetic wound healing, facilitate collagen deposition, and reduce skin inflammation response when applied as a wound dressing in diabetic mice. The results suggest that the PVA/QCS-IC nanofibers represent a promising solution for both enhancing AP solubility and its therapeutic potential, positioning them as potential candidates for diabetic wound care applications.
Commercial polyolefin separators in lithium batteries encounter issues of uncontrolled lithium-dendrite growth and safety incidents due to their low Li+ transference numbers (tLi+) and low melting points. To address these challenges, this study proposes an innovative approach by upgrading conventional separators through the incorporation of metal-organic framework (MOF)-confined polyoxometalate (POM). The presence of POM restricts anion diffusion through electrostatic repulsion while facilitating Li+ transport within MOF nanochannels through their affinity for lithium ions. Moreover, MOF confinement effectively mitigates the acidification of electrolytes induced by POM. As a proof-of-concept, the polypropylene separators decorated with phosphotungstic acid@UIO66 (denoted as PW12@UIO66-PP) exhibit remarkable lithium-ion conductivity of 0.78 mS cm?1 with a high (tLi+) of 0.75 at room temperature. The modified separators also display excellent thermal stability, preventing significant shrinkage even at 150°C. Furthermore, Li symmetric cells employing PW12@UIO66-PP separators exhibit stable cycling for 1000 h, benefiting from rapid Li-ion transport and uniform deposition. Additionally, the modified separator shows promising adaptability to industrial manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries, as evidenced by the assembly of a 4 Ah NCM811/graphite pouch cell that retains 97% capacity after 350 cycles at C/3, thus highlighting its potential for practical applications.
With the rapid evolution of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, big data, robotics, and novel materials, the landscape of global ocean science and technology is undergoing significant transformation. Ocean wave energy stands out as one of the most promising clean and renewable energy sources. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) represent a cutting-edge technology for harnessing such random and ultra-low frequency energy toward blue energy. A high-performance TENG incorporating a double-spiral zigzag-origami structure is engineered to achieve continuous sensing and signal transmission in marine environment. Integrating the double-spiral origami into the TENG system enables efficient energy harvesting from the ocean waves by converting low-frequency wave vibrations into high-frequency motions. Under the water wave triggering of 0.8 Hz, the TENG generates a maximum peak power density of 55.4 W m-3, and a TENG array with six units can generate an output current of 375.2 µA (density of 468.8 mA m-3). This power-managed TENG array effectively powers a wireless water quality detector and transmits signals without an external power supply. The findings contribute to the development of sustainable and renewable energy technologies for oceanic applications and open new pathways for designing advanced materials and structures in the field of energy harvesting.