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Respiratory masks are the primary and most effective means of protecting individuals from airborne hazards such as droplets and particulate matter during public engagements. However, conventional electrostatically charged melt-blown microfiber masks typically require thick and dense membranes to achieve high filtration efficiency, which in turn cause a significant pressure drop and reduce breathability. In this study, we have developed a multielectrospinning system to address this issue by manipulating the pore structure of nanofiber networks, including the use of uniaxially aligned nanofibers created via an electric-field-guided electrospinning apparatus. In contrast to the common randomly collected microfiber membranes, partially aligned dual-nanofiber membranes, which are fabricated via electrospinning of a random 150 nm nanofiber base layer and a uniaxially aligned 450 nm nanofiber spacer layer on a roll-to-roll collector, offer an efficient way to modulate nanofiber membrane pore structures. Notably, the dual-nanofiber configuration with submicron pore structure exhibits increased fiber density and decreased volume density, resulting in an enhanced filtration efficiency of over 97% and a 50% reduction in pressure drop. This leads to the highest quality factor of 0.0781. Moreover, the submicron pore structure within the nanofiber networks introduces an additional sieving filtration mechanism, ensuring superior filtration efficiency under highly humid conditions and even after washing with a 70% ethanol solution. The nanofiber mask provides a sustainable solution for safeguarding the human respiratory system, as it effectively filters and inactivates human coronaviruses while utilizing 130 times fewer polymeric materials than melt-blown filters. This reusability of our filters and their minimum usage of polymeric materials would significantly reduce plastic waste for a sustainable global society.

Serious climate changes and energy-related environmental problems are currently critical issues in the world. In order to reduce carbon emissions and save our environment, renewable energy harvesting technologies will serve as a key solution in the near future. Among them, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), which is one of the most promising mechanical energy harvesters by means of contact electrification phenomenon, are explosively developing due to abundant wasting mechanical energy sources and a number of superior advantages in a wide availability and selection of materials, relatively simple device configurations, and low-cost processing. Significant experimental and theoretical efforts have been achieved toward understanding fundamental behaviors and a wide range of demonstrations since its report in 2012. As a result, considerable technological advancement has been exhibited and it advances the timeline of achievement in the proposed roadmap. Now, the technology has reached the stage of prototype development with verification of performance beyond the lab scale environment toward its commercialization. In this review, distinguished authors in the world worked together to summarize the state of the art in theory, materials, devices, systems, circuits, and applications in TENG fields. The great research achievements of researchers in this field around the world over the past decade are expected to play a major role in coming to fruition of unexpectedly accelerated technological advances over the next decade.

The emergence and development of thick electrodes provide an efficient way for the high-energy-density supercapacitor design. Wood is a kind of biomass material with porous hierarchical structure, which has the characteristics of a straight channel, uniform pore structure, good mechanical strength, and easy processing. The wood-inspired low-tortuosity and vertically aligned channel architecture are highly suitable for the construction of thick electrochemical supcapacitor electrodes with high energy densities. This review summarizes the design concepts and processing parameters of thick electrode supercapacitors inspired by natural woods, including wood-based pore structural design regulation, electric double layer capacitances (EDLCs)/pseudocapacitance construction, and electrical conductivity optimization. In addition, the optimization strategies for preparing thick electrodes with wood-like structures (e.g., 3D printing, freeze-drying, and aligned-low tortuosity channels) are also discussed in detail. Further, this review presents current challenges and future trends in the design of thick electrodes for supercapacitors with wood-inspired pore structures. As a guideline, the brilliant blueprint optimization will promote sustainable development of wood-inspired structure design for thick electrodes and broaden the application scopes.

Humans rely increasingly on sensors to address grand challenges and to improve quality of life in the era of digitalization and big data. For ubiquitous sensing, flexible sensors are developed to overcome the limitations of conventional rigid counterparts. Despite rapid advancement in bench-side research over the last decade, the market adoption of flexible sensors remains limited. To ease and to expedite their deployment, here, we identify bottlenecks hindering the maturation of flexible sensors and propose promising solutions. We first analyze challenges in achieving satisfactory sensing performance for real-world applications and then summarize issues in compatible sensor-biology interfaces, followed by brief discussions on powering and connecting sensor networks. Issues en route to commercialization and for sustainable growth of the sector are also analyzed, highlighting environmental concerns and emphasizing nontechnical issues such as business, regulatory, and ethical considerations. Additionally, we look at future intelligent flexible sensors. In proposing a comprehensive roadmap, we hope to steer research efforts towards common goals and to guide coordinated development strategies from disparate communities. Through such collaborative efforts, scientific breakthroughs can be made sooner and capitalized for the betterment of humanity.

Smart wearable electronic textiles (e-textiles) that can detect and differentiate multiple stimuli, while also collecting and storing the diverse array of data signals using highly innovative, multifunctional, and intelligent garments, are of great value for personalized healthcare applications. However, material performance and sustainability, complicated and difficult e-textile fabrication methods, and their limited end-of-life processability are major challenges to wide adoption of e-textiles. In this review, we explore the potential for sustainable materials, manufacturing techniques, and their end-of-the-life processes for developing eco-friendly e-textiles. In addition, we survey the current state-of-the-art for sustainable fibers and electronic materials (i.e., conductors, semiconductors, and dielectrics) to serve as different components in wearable e-textiles and then provide an overview of environmentally friendly digital manufacturing techniques for such textiles which involve less or no water utilization, combined with a reduction in both material waste and energy consumption. Furthermore, standardized parameters for evaluating the sustainability of e-textiles are established, such as life cycle analysis, biodegradability, and recyclability. Finally, we discuss the current development trends, as well as the future research directions for wearable e-textiles which include an integrated product design approach based on the use of eco-friendly materials, the development of sustainable manufacturing processes, and an effective end-of-the-life strategy to manufacture next generation smart and sustainable wearable e-textiles that can be either recycled to value-added products or decomposed in the landfill without any negative environmental impacts.

The recent emerging significance of the Internet of Things (IoT) demands sensor devices to be integrated with many different functional structures and devices while conserving their original functionalities. To this end, optical transparency and mechanical flexibility of sensor devices are critical requirements for optimal integration as well as high sensitivity. In this work, a transparent, flexible, and sensitive gas sensor building platform is introduced by using multilevel self-assembly of block copolymers (BCPs) and polystyrene (PS) colloids. For the demonstration of an H2gas sensor, a hierarchically porous Pd metal mesh structure is obtained by overlaying the two different patterned template structures with synergistic, distinctive characteristic length scales. The hierarchical Pd mesh shows not only high transparency over 90% but also superior sensing performance in terms of response and recovery time owing to enhanced Pd-to-hydride ratio and short H2diffusion lengths from the enlarged active surface areas. The hierarchical morphology also endows high mechanical flexibility while securing reliable sensing performance even under severe mechanical deformation cycles. Our scalable self-assembly based multiscale nanopatterning offers an intriguing generalized platform for many different multifunctional devices requiring hidden in situmonitoring of environmental signals.

The massive production of polymer-based respiratory masks during the COVID-19 pandemic has rekindled the issue of environmental pollution from nonrecyclable plastic waste. To mitigate this problem, conventional filters should be redesigned with improved filtration performance over the entire operational life while also being naturally degradable at the end. Herein, we developed a functional and biodegradable polymeric filter membrane consisting of a polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) matrix blended with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and montmorillonite (MMT) clay, whose surface properties have been modified through cation exchange reactions for good miscibility with PBAT in an organic solvent. Particularly, the spontaneous evolution of a partial core–shell structure (i.e., PBAT core encased by CTAB-MMT shell) during the electrospinning process amplified the triboelectric effect as well as the antibacterial/antiviral activity that was not observed in naive PBAT. Unlike the conventional face mask filter that relies on the electrostatic adsorption mechanism, which deteriorates over time and/or due to external environmental factors, the PBAT@CTAB-MMT nanofiber membrane (NFM)-based filter continuously retains electrostatic charges on the surface due to the triboelectric effect of CTAB-MMT. As a result, the PBAT@CTAB-MMT NFM-based filter showed high filtration efficiencies (98.3%, PM0.3) even at a low differential pressure of 40 Pa or less over its lifetime. Altogether, we not only propose an effective and practical solution to improve the performance of filter membranes while minimizing their environmental footprint but also provide valuable insight into the synergetic functionalities of organic–inorganic hybrid materials for applications beyond filter membranes.

The process of exsolution for the synthesis of strongly anchored metal nanoparticles (NPs) on host oxide lattices has been proposed as a promising strategy for designing robust catalyst-support composite systems. However, because conventional exsolution processes occur in harsh reducing environments at high temperatures for long periods of time, the choice of support materials and dopant metals are limited to those with inherently high thermal and chemical stability. Herein, we report the exsolution of a series of noble metal catalysts (Pt, Rh, and Ir) from metal oxide nanofibers (WO3NFs) supports in an entirely ambient environment induced by intense pulsed light (IPL)-derived momentary photothermal treatment (>1000 °C). Since the exsolution process spans an extremely short period of time (<20 ms), unwanted structural artifacts such as decreased surface area and phase transition of the support materials are effectively suppressed. At the same time, exsolved NPs (<5 nm) with uniform size distributions could successfully be formed. To prove the practical utility of exsolved catalytic NPs functionalized on WO3NFs, the chemiresistive gas sensing characteristics of exsolved Pt-decorated WO3NFs were analyzed, exhibiting high durability (>200 cyclic exposures), enhanced response (Rair/Rgas> 800 @ 1 ppm/350 °C), and selectivity toward H2S target gas. Altogether, we successfully demonstrated that ultrafast exsolution within a few milliseconds could be induced in ambient conditions using the IPL-derived momentary photothermal treatment and contributed to expanding the practical viability of the exsolution-based synthetic approaches for the production of highly stable catalyst systems.

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Oxygen-based electrocatalysis is an integral aspect of a clean and sustainable energy conversion/storage system. The development of economic bifunctional electrocatalysts with high activity and durability during reversible reactions remains a great challenge. The tailored porous structure and separately presented active sites for oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions (ORR and OER) without mutual interference are most crucial for achieving desired bifunctional catalysts. Here, we report a hybrid composed of sheath–core cobalt oxynitride (CoOx@CoNy) nanorods grown perpendicularly on N-doped carbon nanofiber (NCNF). The brush-like CoOx@CoNynanorods, composed of metallic Co4N cores and oxidized surfaces, exhibit excellent OER activity (E= 1.69 V at 10 mA cm–2) in an alkaline medium. Although pristine NCNF or CoOx@CoNyalone had poor catalytic activity in the ORR, the hybrid showed dramatically enhanced ORR performance (E= 0.78 V at −3 mA cm–2). The experimental results coupled with a density functional theory (DFT) simulation confirmed that the broad surface area of the CoOx@CoNynanorods with an oxidized skin layer boosts the catalytic OER, while the facile adsorption of ORR intermediates and a rapid interfacial charge transfer occur at the interface between the CoOx@CoNynanorods and the electrically conductive NCNF. Furthermore, it was found that the independent catalytic active sites in the CoOx@CoNy/NCNF catalyst are continuously regenerated and sustained without mutual interference during the round-trip ORR/OER, affording stable operation of Zn–air batteries.

Conductive metal–organic frameworks (cMOFs) offer high porosity and electrical conductivity simultaneously, making them ideal for application in chemiresistive sensors. Recently, incorporating foreign elements such as catalytic nanoparticles into cMOFs has become a typical strategy to enhance their sensing properties. However, this approach has led to critical challenges, such as pore blockage that impedes gas diffusion, as well as limited improvement in reversibility. Herein, single-atom catalyst (SAC)-functionalized cMOF is presented as a robust solution to the current limitations. Facile functionalization of SACs in a cMOF can be achieved through electrochemical deposition of metal precursors. As a proof of concept, a Pd SAC-functionalized cMOF is synthesized. The Pd SACs are stabilized at the interplanar sites of cMOF with Pd–N4coordination while preserving the porosity of the MOF matrix. Notably, the microenvironment created by Pd SACs prevents irreversible structural distortion of cMOFs and facilitates a reversible charge transfer with NO2. Consequently, the cMOF exhibits a fully recoverable NO2response, which was not previously attainable with the nanoparticle functionalization. Additionally, with the combination of preserved porosity for gas diffusion, it demonstrates the fastest level of response and recovery speed compared to other 2D-cMOFs of this class.

Chemiresistive gas sensors based on semiconducting metal oxides typically rely on noble metal catalysts to enhance their sensitivity and selectivity. However, noble metal catalysts have several drawbacks for practical utilization, including their high cost, their propensity for spontaneous agglomeration, and poisoning effects with certain types of gases. As such, in the interest of commercializing the chemiresistive gas sensor technology, we propose an alternative design for a noble-metal-free sensing material through the case study of Co-doped ceria (Co–CeO2) catalysts embedded in a SnO2matrix. In this investigation, we utilized electrospinning and subsequent calcination to prepare Co–CeO2catalyst nanoparticles integrated with SnO2nanofibers (NFs) with uniform particle distribution and particle size regulation down to the sub-2 nm regime. The resulting Co–CeO2@SnO2NFs exhibited superior gas sensing characteristics toward isoprene (C5H8) gas, a significant biomarker for monitoring the onset of various diseases through breath diagnostics. In particular, we identified that the Co–CeO2catalysts, owing to the transition metal doping, facilitated the spillover of chemisorbed oxygen species to the SnO2sensing body. This resulting in the sensor having a 27.4-fold higher response toward 5 ppm of C5H8(compared to pristine SnO2), exceptionally high selectivity, and a low detection limit of 100 ppb. The sensor also exhibited high stability for prolonged response–recovery cycles, attesting to the strong anchoring of Co–CeO2catalysts in the SnO2matrix. Based on our findings, the transition metal-doped metal oxide catalysts, such as Co–CeO2, demonstrate strong potential to completely replace noble metal catalysts, thereby advancing the development of the commercially viable chemiresistive gas sensors free from noble metals, capable of detecting target gases at sub-ppm levels.

The chemical conversion of CO2into value-added products is the key technology to realize a carbon-neutral society. One representative example of such conversion is the reverse water–gas shift reaction, which produces CO from CO2. However, the activity is insufficient at ambient pressure and lower temperatures (<600 °C), making it a highly energy-intensive and impractical process. Herein, we report indium oxide nanofibers modified with palladium catalysts that exhibit significantly potent redox activities toward the reduction of CO2splitting via chemical looping. In particular, we uncover that the doped palladium cations are selectively reduced and precipitated onto the host oxide surface as metallic nanoparticles. These catalytic gems formed operando make In2O3lattice oxygen more redox-active in H2and CO2environments. As a result, the composite nanofiber catalysts demonstrate the reverse water–gas shift reaction via chemical looping at record-low temperatures (≤350 °C), while also imparting high activities (CO2conversion: 45%). Altogether, our findings expand the viability of CO2splitting at lower temperatures and provide design principles for indium oxide-based catalysts for CO2conversion.

Lithium–oxygen batteries have been considered as one of the most viable energy source options for electric vehicles due to their high energy density. However, they are still faced with technical challenges, such as low round-trip efficiency and short cycle life, which mainly originate from the cathode part of the battery. In this work, we designed a three-dimensional nanofibrous air electrode consisted of hierarchically structured carbon nanotube-bridged hollow Fe2O3nanoparticles (H-Fe2O3/CNT NFs). Composite nanofibers consisted of hollow Fe2O3NPs anchored by multiple CNTs offered enhanced catalytic sites (interconnected hollow Fe2O3NPs) and fast charge-transport highway (bridged CNTs) for facile formation and decomposition of Li2O2, leading to outstanding cell performance: (1) Swagelok cell exhibited highly reversible cycling characteristics for 250 cycles with a fixed capacity of 1000 mAh g–1at a current density of 500 mA g–1. (2) A module composed of two pouch-type cells stably powered an light-emitting diode lamp operated at 5.0 V.