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Per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pose significant environmental and health risks due to their ubiquitous presence and persistence in water systems. Herein, the efficacy of piezocatalysis using barium titanate nanoparticles under ultrasound irradiation for the degradation and defluorination of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in water is investigated. The research demonstrates a substantial 90.5% degradation and 29% defluorination of PFOS after 6 h of treatment, highlighting the potential of piezocatalysis as a promising approach for PFAS degradation. Additionally, the quantification of degradation products elucidates the transformation pathways of PFOS, suggesting a stepwise chain‐shortening mechanism. The findings underscore the importance of continued research in optimizing piezocatalytic processes and exploring synergistic approaches with other advanced oxidation methods to effectively address PFAS contamination challenges. These efforts are essential for advancing sustainable water treatment strategies and mitigating the environmental and health hazards associated with PFAS contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs) emerged as versatile materials with promising potential in biomedicine. Their customizable functionalities and tunable pore structures make them valuable for various biomedical applications such as biosensing, bioimaging, antimicrobial activity, and targeted drug delivery. Despite efforts made to create nanoscale COFs (nCOFs) to enhance their interaction with biological systems, a comprehensive understanding of their inherent biological activities remains a significant challenge. In this study, a thorough investigation is conducted into the biocompatibility and anti‐neoplastic properties of two distinct imine‐based nCOFs. The approach involved an in‐depth analysis of these nCOFs through in vitro experiments with various cell types and in vivo assessments using murine models. These findings revealed significant cytotoxic effects on tumor cells. Moreover, the activation of multiple cellular death pathways, including apoptosis, necroptosis, and ferroptosis is determined, supported by evidence at the molecular level. In vivo evaluations exhibited marked inhibition of tumor growth, associated with the elevated spontaneous accumulation of nCOFs in tumor tissues and the modulation of cell death‐related protein expression. The research contributes to developing a roadmap for the characterization of the intricate interactions between nCOFs and biological systems and opens new avenues for exploiting their therapeutic potential in advanced biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past decade has seen an upsurge in the development of small‐scale magnetic robots for various biomedical applications. However, many of the reported designs comprise components with biocompatibility concerns. Strategies for fabricating biocompatible and degradable microrobots are required. In this study, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)‐based magnetic hydrogel microrobots with different morphologies and tunable stability are developed by combining a 3D printed template‐assisted casting with a salting‐out process. 3D sacrificial micromolds are prepared via direct laser writing to shape PVA‐magnetic nanoparticle composite hydrogel microrobots with high architectural complexity. By adjusting the PVA composition and salting‐out parameters, the hydrogel dissolubility can be customized. Due to their high mobility, tunable stability, and high biocompatibility, these PVA‐based magnetic microrobots are suitable platforms for targeted drug and cell delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezocatalysis has gradually come into the limelight due to its great potential for solving energy shortages and environmental pollution problems. However, limited piezocatalytic efficiency is a severe bottleneck for its practical applications. Here, well‐defined BaTiO3 nanosheets with highly exposed {001} polar facets are successfully synthesized to enhance the piezocatalytic activity. The [001] piezoelectric polarization can drive the carriers to migrate to the surface along the out‐of‐plane direction. The polar surface provides abundant active sites for the piezocatalytic reaction. As a result, a superior piezocatalytic degradation ratio of organic pollutants is obtained with a high first‐order rate constant k of 0.0835 min−1, which is 2.7 times higher than the BaTiO3 nanoparticles. Furthermore, BaTiO3 nanosheets display an outstanding H2 production capability, with the rate of 305 µmol g−1 h–1, which is almost two times higher than that of BaTiO3 nanoparticles. This work thus provides a novel and comprehensive strategy for designing high‐performance piezocatalysts with an out‐of‐plane polarization, and also provides novel insights for the optimization of the piezocatalytic activity by regulating the polar facet of piezocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]