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The advancement of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) is impeded by challenges encompassing cathodic and anodic aspects, such as limited capacity and dendrite formation, constraining their broader utilization. Herein, pyrrole, an economically viable and readily accessible compound, is proposed as a versatile electrolyte additive to address these challenges. Experiments and DFT calculations reveal that pyrrole and its derivatives preferentially adsorb onto zinc foil, facilitating the formation of a pyrrole-based solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), which effectively guides uniform Zn 2+ deposition through strong attraction force and suppresses hydrogen evolution reactions and parasitic reactions. On the cathode side, the additive promotes the formation of a durable cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) enriched with poly-pyrrole (Ppy) analogues. Such layer significantly contributes to extra capacity of both polyaniline (PANI) and MnO 2 cathodes by leveraging the electrochemical reactivity of Ppy towards Zn 2+ and improves their cyclic stability. Consequently, a dendrite-free Zn anode is realized with an extended cyclic lifespan surpassing 6000 h in Zn//Zn cell, coupled with an average Coulombic efficiency of 99.7 % in Cu//Zn cell. Moreover, the PANI//Zn and MnO 2 //Zn full cells demonstrate enhanced capacities along with improved cycling stability. This work provides a new additive strategy towards concurrent stabilization of cathode and Zn anode in AZIBs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The sluggish redox reaction kinetics and "shuttle effect" of lithium polysulfides (LPSs) impede the advancement of high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs). Transition metal phosphides exhibit distinctive polarity, metallic properties, and tunable electron configuration, thereby demonstrating enhanced adsorption and electrocatalytic capabilities towards LPSs. Consequently, they are regarded as exceptional sulfur hosts for LSBs. Moreover, the introduction of a heterogeneous structure can enhance reaction kinetics and expedite the transport of electrons/ions. In this study, a composite of hollow CoP-FeP cubes with heterostructure modified carbon nanotube (CoFeP-CNTs) was fabricated and utilized as sulfur host in advanced LSBs. The presence of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) facilitates enhanced electron and Li + transport. Meanwhile, the active sites within the heterogeneous interface of CoP-FeP suppress the "shuttle effect" and enhance the conversion kinetics of LPSs. Therefore, the CoFeP-CNTs/S electrode exhibited exceptional cycling stability and demonstrated a capacity attenuation of merely 0.051 % per cycle over 600 cycles at 1C. This study presents a highly effective tactic for synthesizing dual-acting transition metal phosphides with heterostructure, which will play a pivotal role in advancing the development of efficient LSBs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Clear aligners undergo rapid stress relaxation in warm, moist oral environments, compromising therapeutic effectiveness and longevity of treatment. To develop an innovative multilayer composite material with improved stability and reduced stress release, we have engineered an innovative coating characterized by the surface aggregation of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), which imparts a pronounced hydrophobic effect. In addition, the chemically and physically cross-linked structure of the coating reduces the free volume created by molecular chain rearrangement owing to the presence of water molecules, thereby minimizing water penetration into the coating. Concurrently, the coating's internal structure is enriched with numerous polar functional groups to capture water molecules that penetrate into the inside of the coating. Through combination of these mechanisms, water molecules are effectively sequestered, thereby impeding their penetration into the polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) substrate. The impact of the polydimethylsiloxane content on the triple-action water-resistance mechanisms was thoroughly examined using attenuated total reflection (ATR)-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), water absorption rate, water swelling rate, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The low surface energy cross-linked polyurethane coating is applied to the polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) substrate to create a novel composite material with specific mechanical properties and reduced stress relaxation. The composite material remains stable in simulated oral environment with linear swelling rate of 0.58 % upon water absorption. Additionally, the stress release rate of the composite material within 336 h is notably lower (23.64 %) than that of PETG (62.29 %)., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Constructing heterostructures is an effective strategy for the synthesis of high-performance anode electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). In this study, a "bubbling" PEGylated deep eutectic solvent (DES) method is utilized to synthesize SnO 2 /SnS heterostructure nanodots anchored on carbon nanosheets (SnO 2 /SnS@CN). A comprehensive investigation of the physical and chemical processes during the "bubbling" reaction offers in-depth insights into the underlying mechanism of the PEGylated DES approach. The carbon nanosheet structure enhances the electrical conductivity between SnO 2 particle units and, due to its excellent mechanical properties, significantly contributes to material stability. The nanodot configuration of the heterostructure further improves electron transfer and lithium-ion (Li + ) migration within the SnO 2 units. The SnO 2 /SnS@CN material exhibits outstanding Li + storage performance, achieving a high capacity of 675.6 mA h/g at 1 A/g after 1000 cycles. These findings establish a theoretical foundation for preparing heterostructure anode materials using the "bubbling" PEGylated DES method., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The commercial polypropylene (PP) separator of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) suffers from abominable thermal runaway, which seriously impedes their wide application in electric vehicles, portable electronic devices, energy storage, and other fields. To resolve this obstacle, herein, we for the first time report the phenomenon of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) crystallizing on the PP separator via natural drying to form structural color, which comprehensively breaks through the safety of LIBs. In-situ thermal monitoring indicates that the chiral nematic liquid crystal phase (CLC) with structural color formed by HPMC under natural drying can uniform the temperature distribution during battery operation. The most important achievement, benefiting from the preeminent thermal stability of CLC special structure, is that the pouch cell assembled with this separator exhibits a lower temperature under nail penetration tests with Φ5 mm and Φ8 mm nail, even without any risk of thermal runaway. The superior cycling stability of the pouch cells under various commercial cathode materials indicates the HPMC coating exists stably in commercial energy storage systems. More impressively, we first achieved robust cycling performance of LIBs assembled in an atmospheric environment for more than 1000 cycles, and the milestone discovery will undoubtedly create a new research direction for LIBs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Hypothesis: Poor storage stability and oxidative deterioration are the common drawbacks of edible oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). We hypothesized that the natural zein/tannic acid self-assembly nanoparticles (ZT NPs) could be employed as stabilizers to anchor at the oil-water interface, thus constructing Pickering emulsion gel (PKEG) system for three types of PUFA-rich oils, soybean oil (SO), fish oil (FO) and cod liver oil (CLO), to improve the storage and oxidation stability., Experiments: ZT NPs were prepared by the anti-solvent coprecipitation method, and the three-phase contact angle, FT-IR, and XRD were mainly characterized. To observe the shell-core structure and oil-water interface details of SO/FO/CLO PKEGs by confocal laser scanning microscope and cryo-scanning electron microscope. Accelerated oxidation of FO was performed to assess the protective effect of PKEG on lipids., Findings: The SO, FO, and CLO PKEGs stabilized by 2 % ZT NPs, with oil fraction (φ = 0.5-0.6), were obtained. PKEGs show high viscoelasticity, clear shell-core structure spatial network structure, and ideal storage stability. Under accelerated oxidation, the degree of oxidative rancidity of FO PKEG was obviously lower than that of free FO. Overall, this work opens up new possibilities for using natural PKEG to prevent oxidative deterioration and prolong the shelf-life of PUFA-rich oils., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate ions (NO 3 - ) to nitrogen gas (N 2 ) has emerged as an effective approach for mitigating nitrate pollution in water bodies. However, the development of efficient and highly selective cathode materials remains challenging. Conventional copper-based catalysts often exhibit low selectivity because they strongly adsorb oxygen. In this study, a straightforward solvothermal and pyrolysis method was used to grow iron-doped cobalt-copper oxide heterogeneous structures on copper foam surfaces (Fe-CoO/CuO@CF). Then, the effects of the applied potential, initial NO 3 - concentration, Cl - concentration, electrolyte pH, and different catalysts on the catalyst performance were investigated. Compared with recently reported congeners, Fe-CoO/CuO@CF is less expensive and exhibits outstanding activity for NO 3 - reduction. Meanwhile, under a cathode potential of - 1.31 V vs. Ag/AgCl, Fe-CoO/CuO@CF degrades 98.6 % of NO 3 - in 200 min. In addition, when employing a method inspired by NH 4 + removal by breakpoint chlorination, N 2 selectivity over Fe-CoO/CuO@CF was raised from 10 % without Cl - to 99.7 % when supplemented with Cl - . The catalyst demonstrated excellent cyclic stability, maintaining a high electrocatalytic activity for the conversion of NO 3 - to N 2 gas over eleven cycles. Moreover, Fe-CoO/CuO@CF enabled 63.7 % removal of NO 3 - from wastewater (50 mg/L NO 3 - -N) prepared from natural water, with 100 % conversion to N 2 . Computational studies showed that iron doping decreased the free energy change of the intermediate of NO 3 - reduction reaction. This study provides an effective strategy for the electrochemical reduction of nitrate to nitrogen gas and offers good prospects for addressing nitrate pollution., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Developing highly efficient single-atom catalysts (SACs) for the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) to ammonia production has garnered significant attention in the scientific community. However, achieving high activity and selectivity remains challenging due to the lack of innate activity in most existing catalysts or insufficient active site density. This study delves into the potential of M 2 C 12 materials (M = Cr, Ir, Mn, Mo, Os, Re, Rh, Ru, W, Fe, Cu, and Ti) with high transition metal coverage as SACs for NRR using first-principles calculations. Among these materials, Os 2 C 12 exhibited superior catalytic activity for NRR, with a low overpotential of 0.39 V and an Os coverage of up to 72.53 wt%. To further boost its catalytic activity, a nonmetal (NM) atom doping (NM = B, N, O, and S) and C vacancy modification were explored in Os 2 C 12 . It is found that the introduction of O enables exceptional catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability, with an even lower overpotential of 0.07 V. Incorporating the O atom disrupted the charge balance of its coordinating C atoms, effectively increasing the positive charge density of the Os-d-orbit-related electronic structure. This promoted strong d-π* coupling between Os and N 2 H, enhancing N 2 H adsorption and facilitating NRR processes. This comprehensive study provides valuable insights into NRR catalyst design for sustainable ammonia production and offers a reference for exploring alternative materials in other catalytic reactions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The commercialization of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries has faced challenges due to the shuttle effect of soluble intermediate polysulfides and the sluggish kinetics of sulfur redox reactions. In this study, a synergistic catalyst medium was developed as a high-performance sulfur cathode material for Li-S batteries. Termed A/R-TiO 2 @ Ni-N-MXene, this sulfur cathode material features an in-situ derived anatase-rutile homojunction of TiO 2 nanoparticles on Ni-N dual-atom-doped MXene nanosheets. Using in-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique, we observed the growth process of the homojunction for the first time confirming that homojunctions facilitated charge transfer, while dual-atom doping offered abundant active sites for anchoring and converting soluble polysulfides. Theoretical calculations and experiments showed that these synergistic effects effectively mitigated the shuttle effect, leading to improved cycling performance of Li-S batteries. After 500 cycles at a 1C rate, Li-S batteries using A/R-TiO 2 @Ni-N-MXene as cathode materials exhibited stable and highly reversible capacity with a capacity decay of only 0.056 % per cycle. Even after 150 cycles at a 0.1C rate, a high-capacity retention rate of 62.8 % was achieved. Additionally, efficient sulfur utilization was observed, with 1280.76 mA h/g at 0.1C, 694.24 mA h/g at 1C, alongside a sulfur loading of 1.5-2 mg/cm 2 . The effective strategy based on homojunctions showcases promise for designing high-performance Li-S batteries., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Efficient charge transfer and effective separation of photo-generated charge carriers are crucial factors in photocatalysis. In this study, we present the design of a composite photocatalyst consisting of cobalt and bismuth (CoBi) bimetallic nanoparticles incorporated into a honeycomb nitrogen-doped graphitic carbon (N-GC) matrix. The ultra-thin porous N-GC matrix exhibits excellent electrical conductivity, a high number of active sites, and enables efficient absorption and multiple reflection of incident light. The CoBi bimetal-N-GC interface establishes a self-driven charge transport channel that effectively suppresses the backflow of photogenerated electrons, leading to prolonged separation of photo-generated carriers and a significant improvement in photocatalytic activity. The CoBi@N-GC catalyst showcases outstanding performance, producing CH 4 and CO at rates of 36.07 μmol·g -1 ·h -1 and 44.09 μmol·g -1 ·h -1 respectively, confirming its superior photocatalytic capabilities., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Lignite, as one of the coal materials, has been considered a promising precursor for hard carbon anodes in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) owing to its low cost and high carbon yield. Nevertheless, hard carbon directly derived from lignite pyrolysis typically exhibits highly ordered microstructure with narrow interlayer spacing and relatively unreactive interfacial properties, owing to the abundance of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and inert aromatic rings within its molecular composition. Herein, an innovative demineralization activating strategy is established to simultaneously modulate the interfacial properties and the microstructure of lignite-derived carbon for the development of high-performance SIBs. Demineralization process not only creates numerous void spaces in the matrix of lignite precursor to assist aromatic hydrocarbon rearrangement, thereby reducing the ordering and expanding interlayer spacing, but also exposes more interfacial oxygen-containing functional groups to effectively increasing the sodium storage active sites. As a result, the optimal demineralized lignite-derived hard carbon (DLHC 1300) delivers a high reversible capacity of 335.6 mAh g -1 at 30 mA g -1 , superior rate performance of 246.3 mAh g -1 at 6 A g -1 and nearly 100 % capacity retention after 1100 cycles at 1A g -1 . Furthermore, the optimized DLHC 1300 material functions as an outstanding anode in sodium ion full cells. This work significantly advances the development of low-cost, high-performance commercial hard carbon anodes for SIBs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Zinc-air batteries (ZABs) have garnered significant interest due to their environmental friendliness, low cost, and high energy density. However, their practical application is significantly hindered by high overpotential and sluggish reaction kinetics. Here, we propose a hollow nitrogen-doped carbon supported atomically dispersed Fe and Mn sites (FeMn-HNC) through a facile NaCl-assisted pyrolysis strategy. The synthesized FeMn-HNC catalyst possesses a hollow porous structure, resulting in exceptional oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalytic activity, remarkable durable stability, and good tolerance to methanol. Furthermore, integrating this catalyst into ZABs demonstrates significant performance advantages, achieving a maximum power density of 223.1 mW cm -2 and a high specific capacity of 804.3 mAh g -1 . This study offers a promising approach for boosting the power density and specific capacity of nitrogen-doped carbon catalysts in ZABs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The photosensitive S-nitrosocysteine (CysNO) could respond to light irradiation to produce nitric oxide (NO), exhibiting tremendous potential in accelerating peripheral nerve regeneration. However, its further application was limited by the burst release of NO and the requirement for ultraviolet excitation with low tissue penetration. Herein, a near-infrared-triggered NO controlled release nanosystem UCNP@ZIF-8/CysNO consisting of an upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP) core and zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) shell loading with CysNO was constructed, and then blended with poly-l-lactic acid powder to fabricate nerve scaffold by laser additive manufacturing technique. Once irradiated by near-infrared light, UCNP emitted ultraviolet light, triggering the S-NO cleavage of CysNO to generate NO, thereby achieving deep penetration therapy. In addition, the spatial confinement effect of 2-methylimidazole skeleton structure in ZIF-8 could effectively ensure the controlled release of NO. The Griess method test demonstrated that the scaffold exhibited sustained and stable NO release kinetics, as well as excellent near-infrared controllability. Immunofluorescence staining showed that the released NO upregulated the expression of neuronal markers Nestin and GFAP, indicating that the stem cells differentiated into neurons. Further mechanism revealed that the upregulated marker expression might be attributed to the enhanced Ca 2+ influx. Consequently, this work might provide a novel perspective for nerve repair., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The development of a rapid and convenient strategy to regulate the surface microenvironment of inert carbon supports, along with the physicochemical properties of their supported metal nanoparticles, is essential for enhancing catalytic performance. In this study, we describe a straightforward and efficient solid-state microwave method that utilizes a household microwave oven to achieve the co-doping of oxygen and nitrogen in unfunctionalized carbon black (ONCB) using urea as a nitrogen source. The microwave solid-state treatment of commercial carbon black (CB) with urea not only introduces a significant number of heteroatomic functional groups but also substantially increases the pore size and pore volume of the matrix. These enhancements facilitate the uniform growth and dispersion of ultrafine Ru nanoparticles on the surface of ONCB. Consequently, the Ru/ONCB catalyst provides abundant catalytic active sites and mass transfer channels, thereby improving catalytic performance for hydrogen evolution from ammonia borane hydrolysis (ABH). The turnover frequency of Ru/ONCB for ABH reaches 4529 ± 238 min -1 (determined based on Ru dispersion), surpassing a range of analogues and many previously reported carbon-supported Ru catalysts. This study presents a simple and rapid strategy to regulate the surface microenvironment of unfunctionalized carbon support, thereby enhancing the catalytic performance of its supported metal nanoparticles for catalytic hydrogen generation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

O3 phase layered oxides are highly attractive cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries because of their high capacity and decent initial Coulombic efficiency. However, their rate capability and long cycling life are unsatisfactory due to the narrow Na + transfer channel and irreversible phase transitions of O3 phase during sodiation/desodiation process. Constructing O3/P2 multiphase structures has been proven to be an effective strategy to overcome these challenges. In this study, we synthesized bi-phasic structured O3/P2 Na(Ni 2/9 Fe 1/3 Cu 1/9 Mn 1/3 ) 1- x Mn x O 2 (x = 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.05) materials through Mn doping during sodiation process. Benefiting from surface P2 phase layer with the enhanced Na + transfer dynamics and high structural stability, the Na(Ni 2/9 Fe 1/3 Cu 1/9 Mn 1/3 ) 0.98 Mn 0.02 O 2 (NFCM-M2) cathode delivers a reversible capacity of 139.1 mA h g -1 at 0.1 C, and retains 71.4 % of its original capacity after 300 cycles at 1 C. Our work provides useful guidance for designing multiphase cathodes and offers new insights into the structure-performance correlation for sodium-ion cathode materials., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Urea electrosynthesis has appeared to meet the nitrogen cycle and carbon neutrality with energy-saving features. Copper can co-electrocatalyze among CO 2 and nitrogen species to generate urea, however developing effective electrocatalysts is still an obstacle. Here, we developed a nitrogen-doped porous carbon loaded with FeCu clusters that convert CO 2 and NO 3 - into urea, with the highest Faradaic efficiency of 39.8 % and yield rate of 1024.6 μg h -1 mg cat. -1 , under optimized ambient conditions, exceeding that at the Fe or Cu homogeneous sites. Furthermore, a favorable CN coupling pathway originates from *NHCO and *NHCONO two intermediates with lower free energy barriers on FeCu dual active sites are verified through in-situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and theoretical calculations. This research might provide deep insights into coupling mechanisms and investigation of efficient catalysts for green urea production., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Lithium-selenium (Li-Se) batteries are considered promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries due to their higher volumetric capacity and energy density. However, they still face limitations in efficiently utilizing the active selenium. Here, we develop surface-functionalized mesoporous hollow carbon nanospheres as the selenium host. By using KOH activation, the surface of the carbon nanospheres is functionalized with hydroxyl groups, which greatly improve the utilization of selenium and facilitate the conversion of lithium selenides, leading to much higher capacities compared to ZnCl 2 activation and untreated carbon nanospheres. Theory and experimental evidence suggest that surface hydroxyl groups can enhance the reduction conversion of polyselenides to selenides and facilitate the oxidation reaction of selenides to elemental selenium. In-situ and ex-situ characterization techniques provided additional confirmation of the hydroxyl groups electrochemical durability in catalyzing selenium conversion. The meticulously engineered Se cathode demonstrates a high specific capacity of 594 mA h g -1 at 0.5C, excellent rate capability of 464 mA h g -1 at 2C, and a stable cycling performance of 500 cycles at 2C with a capacity retention of 84.8 %, corresponding to an ultra-low-capacity decay rate of 0.0144 % per cycle, surpassing many reported lithium-selenium battery technologies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Iron sulfides (FeS 2 ) are promising anode materials for sodium ion batteries (SIBs); however, their inferior electronic conductivity, large volume swelling, and sluggish sodium ion diffusion kinetics lead to unsatisfactory rate performance and cycling durability. Heteroatom doping plays a crucial role in modifying the physicochemical properties of FeS 2 anodes to enhance its sodium storage. Herein, ultra-fine Ni-doped FeS 2 nanocrystals derived from a metal-organic framework (MOF) and in-situ anchored on a nitrogen doped carbon skeleton (Ni-FeS 2 @NC) are proposed to enhance both structural stability and reaction kinetics. Material characterization, electrochemical performance, and kinetics analysis demonstrate the critical role of Ni doping in sodium storage, particularly in accelerating Na + diffusion efficiency. The N-doped carbon derived from the MOF can buffer the volume expansion and enhance the structural stability of electrode materials during sodiation/desodiation processes. As expected, Ni-FeS 2 @NC exhibits a high reversible capacity of 656.6 ± 65.1 mAh g -1 at 1.0 A g -1 after 200 cycles, superior rate performance (308.8 ± 6.0 mAh g -1 at 10.0 A g -1 ), and long-term cycling durability over 2000 cycles at 1.0 A g -1 . Overall, this study presents an effective approach for enhancing the sodium storage performance and kinetics of anode materials for high efficiency SIBs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The construction of binder-free electrodes with well-defined three-dimensional (3D) morphology and optimized electronic structure represents an efficient strategy for the design of high-performance electrocatalysts for the development of efficient green hydrogen technologies. Herein, Ru nanocrystals were modified on 3D interconnected porous FeOOH nanostructures with open network-like frameworks on NiFe foam (Ru/FeOOH@NFF), which were used as an efficient electrocatalyst. In this study, a 3D interconnected porous FeOOH with an open network structure was first electrodeposited on NiFe foam and served as the support for the in-situ modification of Ru nanocrystals. Subsequently, the Ru nanocrystals and abundant oxygen vacancies were simultaneously incorporated into the FeOOH matrix via the adsorption-reduction method, which involved NaBH 4 reduction. The Ru/FeOOH@NFF electrocatalyst shows a large specific surface area, abundant oxygen vacancies, and modulated electronic structure, which collectively result in a significant enhancement of catalytic properties with respect to the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and urea oxidation reaction (UOR). The Ru/FeOOH@NFF catalyst exhibits an outstanding OER performance, requiring a low overpotential (360 mV) at 200 mA cm -2 with a small Tafel slope (58 mV dec -1 ). Meanwhile, the Ru/FeOOH@NFF catalyst demonstrates more efficient UOR activity for achieving 200 mA cm -2 at a lower overpotential of 272 mV. Furthermore, an overall urea electrolysis cell using the Ru/FeOOH@NFF as the anode and Pt as the cathode (Ru/FeOOH@NFF||Pt) reveals a cell voltage of 1.478 V at 10 mA cm -2 and a prominent durability (120 h at 50 mA cm -2 ). This work will provide a valuable understanding of the construction of high-performance electrocatalysts with 3D microstructure for promoting urea-assisted water electrolysis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Conducting polymer hydrogels with inherent flexibility, ionic conductivity and environment friendliness are promising materials in the fields of energy storage. However, a trade-off between mechanical and electrochemical properties has limited the development of flexible/stretchable conducting polymer hydrogel electrodes, owing to the intrinsic conflict among mechanical and electrical phases. Here, we report a reliable design to enable conducting polymer with both exceptional mechanical and electrical/electrochemical performance through the construction of bi-continuous conducting polymer crosslinked network. The resultant bi-continuous conducting polymer hydrogels (BCPH) demonstrate significantly improved mechanical and electrochemical properties compared to the conventional conducting polymer hydrogel (CPH) electrode. BCPH presents a high specific capacitance of 715 F g -1 at 0.5 A/g, a high mechanical strength (∼1 MPa) and a large stretchability (∼300%). Enabled by such intrinsically deformability and electrochemical properties, we further demonstrate its utility in flexible solid-state supercapacitor (FSSC), which exhibits an outstanding specific capacitance of 760 mF cm -2 at 2 mA cm -2 , excellent electrochemical stability with 81% capacitance retention after 5000 charge/discharge cycles, and superior bending cycle stability. This simple and scalable strategy provides a platform for the fabrication of high-performance conducting hydrogel electrodes for various wearable electronic equipment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Lithium (Li) metal anode (LMA) is one of the most promising anodes for high energy density batteries. However, its practical application is impeded by notorious dendrite growth and huge volume expansion. Although the three-dimensional (3D) host can enhance the cycling stability of LMA, further improvements are still necessary to address the key factors limiting Li plating/stripping behavior. Herein, porous copper (Cu) foam (CF) is thermally infiltrated with molten Li-rich Li-zinc (Li-Zn) binary alloy (CFLZ) with variable Li/Zn atomic ratio. In this process, the LiZn intermetallic compound phase self-assembles into a network of mixed electron/ion conductors that are distributed within the metallic Li phase matrix and this network acts as a sublevel skeleton architecture in the pores of CF, providing a more efficient and structured framework for the material. The as-prepared CFLZ composite anodes are systematically investigated to emphasize the roles of the tunable lithiophilicity and hierarchical structure of the frameworks. Meanwhile, a thin layer of Cu-Zn alloy with strong lithiophilicity covers the CF scaffold itself. The CFLZ with high Zn content facilitates uniform Li nucleation and deposition, thereby effectively suppressing Li dendrite growth and volume fluctuation. Consequently, the hierarchical and lithiophilic framework shows low Li nucleation overpotential and highly stable Coulombic efficiency (CE) for 200 cycles in conventional carbonate based electrolyte. The full cell coupled with LiFePO 4 (LFP) cathode demonstrates high cycle stability and rate performance. This work provides valuable insights into the design of advanced dendrite-free 3D LMA toward practical application., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study reports the development of a photocatalytic electrochemical aptasensor for the purpose of detecting chloramphenicol (CAP) antibiotic residues in water by utilizing SYBR Green I (SG) and chemically exfoliated MoS 2 (ce-MoS 2 ) as synergistically signal-amplification platforms. The Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) were electrodeposited onto the surface of an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode. After that, the thiolate-modified cDNA, also known as capture DNA, was combined with the aptamer. Subsequently, photosensitized SG molecules and ce-MoS 2 nanomaterial were inserted into the groove of the resultant double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). The activation of the photocatalytic process upon exposure to light resulted in the generation of singlet oxygen. The singlet oxygen effectively split the dsDNA, resulting in significant enhancement in the current of [Fe(CN) 6 ] 3-/4- . When the CAP was present, both SG molecules and ce-MoS 2 broke away from the dsDNA, which turned off the photosensitization response, leading to significant reduction in the current of [Fe(CN) 6 ] 3-/4- . Under the optimal conditions, the aptasensor exhibited a linear relationship between the current of [Fe(CN) 6 ] 3-/4- with logarithmic concentrations of CAP from 20 to 1000 nM, with a detection of limit (3σ) of 3.391 nM. The aptasensor also demonstrated good selectivity towards CAP in the presence of interfering antibiotics, such as tetracycline, streptomycin, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and sulfadimethoxine. Additionally, the results obtained from the analysis of natural water samples using the proposed aptasensor were consistent with the findings acquired through the use of a liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer. Therefore, with its simplicity and high selectivity, this aptasensor can potentially detect alternative antibiotics in environmental water samples by replacing the aptamers based on photosensitization., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The difficulty of recycling and the finite photocatalytic performance of primitive nano-photocatalysts restrict their application in wastewater purification. In this study, a multifunctional membrane with efficient synergistic adsorption and degradation performance was constructed. The nano-photocatalyst layered bimetallic oxide (LDO) was combined with the matrix membrane polyarylether nitrile (PEN) by delayed phase transition technology. The introduced 2-Methylimidazole (2-MeIm) provided a virtual electron transfer pathway between PEN and LDO and enhanced the photocatalytic performance. The results suggested that PEN/LDO/2-MeIm has outstanding removal performance to organic dyes methylene blue (MB). After three consecutive cycles, the reacted membrane can be readily recovered from the system. The MB removal rate remained high at 89.38%, suggesting that the functional membrane is eligible for recycling and reuse. Finally, based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the mechanism and pathway of MB photodegradation by the PEN/LDO/2-MeIm system were proposed. Therefore, constructing PEN/LDO/2-MeIm membranes in this study may offer a novel perspective on creating eco-friendly and functional PEN-based membranes for practical use in wastewater purification., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Improving ligand-to-active metal charge transfer (LAMCT) by finely tuning the organic ligand is a decisive strategy to enhance charge transfer in metal organic frameworks (MOFs)-based catalysts. However, in most MOFs loaded with active metal catalysts, electron transmission encounters massive obstacle at the interface between the two constituents owing to poor LAMCT. Herein, amines (-NH 2 ) functionalized MOFs (NH 2 -MIL-101(Cr)) encapsulated active metal Pt nanoclusters (NCs) catalysts are synthesized by the polyol reduction method and utilized for the photoreduction of CO 2 . Surprisingly, the introduction of -NH 2 (electron donating) groups within the matrix of MIL-101(Cr) improved the electron migration through the LAMCT process, fostering a synergistic interaction with Pt. The combined experimental analysis exposed the high number of metallic Pt (Pt 0 ) in Pt@NH 2 -MIL-101(Cr) catalyst through seamless electron shuttling from N of -NH 2 group to excited Pt generating versatile hybrid Pt-N catalytic centres. Consequently, these versatile hybrid catalytic centres act as electro-nucleophilic centres, which enable the efficient and selective conversion of CO bond in CO 2 to harvest CH 4 (131.0 µmol.g -1 ) and maintain excellent stability and selectivity for consecutive five rounds, superior to Pt@MIL-101(Cr) and most reported catalysts. Our study verified that the precise tuning of organic ligands in MOFs immensely improves the surface-active centres, electron migration, and catalytic selectivity of the excited Pt NCs catalysts encaged inside MOFs through an improved LAMCT pathway., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Developing a straightforward and general strategy to regulate the surface microenvironment of a carbon matrix enriched with N/B motifs for efficient atomic utilization and electronic state of metal sites in bifunctional hydrogen production via ammonia-borane hydrolysis (ABH) and water electrolysis is a persistent challenge. Herein, we present a simple, green, and universal approach to fabricate B/N co-doped porous carbons using ammonia-borane (AB) as a triple functional agent, eliminating the need for hazardous and explosive functional agents and complicated procedures. The pyrolysis of AB induces the regulation of the surface microenvironment of the carbon matrix, leading to the formation of abundant surface functional groups, defects, and pore structures. This regulation enhances the efficiency of atom utilization and the electronic state of the active component, resulting in improved bifunctional hydrogen evolution. Among the catalysts, B/N co-doped vulcan carbon (Ru/BNC) with 2.1 wt% Ru loading demonstrates the highest performance in catalytic hydrogen production from ABH, achieving an ultrahigh turnover frequency of 1854 min -1 (depending on the dispersion of Ru). Furthermore, this catalyst shows remarkable electrochemical activity for hydrogen evolution in alkaline water electrolysis with a low overpotential of 31 mV at 10 mA cm -2 . The present study provides a simple, green, and universal method to regulate the surface microenvironment of various carbons with B/N modulators, thereby adjusting the atomic utilization and electronic state of active metals for enhanced bifunctional hydrogen evolution., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Energy consumption from air cooling systems in summer, water scarcity in hot regions, and the functional reusability of waste paper are emerging environmental problems. Finding solutions to these problems simultaneously remains a significant challenge. Herein, a superhydrophobic passive cooling Cellulose-CaCO 3 film with hierarchical nano-sheets was fabricated to realize daytime radiative cooling with a temperature drop of 15-20 °C in summer and water harvesting with harvesting efficiency of 387 mg cm -2 h -1 bd utilization of recycled waste paper. The superhydrophobic Cellulose-CaCO 3 film demonstrates its self-cleaning properties against inorganic and organic pollutants. Furthermore, the superhydrophobicity of the film was maintained after base/acid corrosions, dynamic water flushing, and thermal treatment at 100 °C for 7 h, exhibiting good durability of the superhydrophobicity. Moreover, the superhydrophobic Cellulose-CaCO 3 film is nonflammable after exposure to fire combustion for 1 min. In addition to waste paper, waste maize straws, and pasteboards were also collected to produce superhydrophobic passive cooling films. Results indicate that the above three cellulose-based raw materials can be well used to prepare durable superhydrophobic passive cooling materials. Environmental toxicology assessments confirm the safety of the material. This study not only provides a protocol for preparing superhydrophobic materials; but also demonstrates their potential for passive cooling and water harvesting., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Recently, the solar-driven interfacial evaporation desalination has attracted more and more attentions due to the advantages of low cost, zero energy consumption, and high water purification rate, etc. One of the bottlenecks of this emerging technique lies in a lack of simple and low-cost ways to construct three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical microstructures for photothermal membranes. To this end, a two-step strategy is carried out by combining surface functionalization with substrate engineering. Firstly, a silane coupling agent 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) is grafted onto an ideal photothermal material of Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene, to improve the nanochannel sizes and hydrophilicity, which are attributed to enlarged interspaces of MXene and introduced hydrophilic group e.g., -NH 2 and -OH, respectively. Secondly, a low-cost and robust nonwoven fiber (NWF) substrate, which has a 3D micron-sized mesh structure with interlaced fiber stacks, is employed as the skeleton to load enough APTES-grafted MXene by a simple soaking method. Benefited from above design, the Ti 3 C 2 T x -APTES/NWF composite membrane with a 3D hierarchical structure shows enhanced light scattering and utilization, water transport and vapor escape. A remarkable evaporation rate of 1.457 kg m -2  h -1 and an evaporation efficiency of 91.48 % are attained for a large-area (5 × 5 cm 2 ) evaporator, and the evaporation rate is further increased to 1.672 kg m -2  h -1 for a small-area (2 × 2 cm 2 ) device. The rejection rates of salt ions and heavy metal ions are higher than 99 % and 99.99 %, respectively, and the removal rates of organic dye molecules are nearly to 100 %. Besides, the composite photothermal membrane exhibits great stabilities in harsh conditions such as high salinities, long cycling, large light intensities, strong acid/alkali environments, and mechanical bending. Most importantly, the photothermal membrane shows a considerable cost-effectiveness of 89.4 g h -1 /$. Hence, this study might promote the commercialization of solar-driven interfacial evaporation desalination by collaboratively considering surface modification and substrate engineering for MXene., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The skin has a multilayered structure, and deep-seated injuries are exposed to external microbial invasion and in vivo microenvironmental destabilization. Here, a bilayer bionic skin scaffold (Bilayer SF) was developed based on methacrylated sericin protein to mimic the skin's multilayered structure and corresponding functions. The outer layer (SF@TA), which mimics the epidermal layer, was endowed with the function of resisting external bacterial and microbial invasion using a small pore structure and bio-crosslinking with tannic acid (TA). The inner layer (SF@DA@Gel), which mimics the dermal layer, was used to promote cellular growth using a large pore structure and introducing dopamine (DA) to regulate the wound microenvironment. This Bilayer SF showed good mechanical properties and structural stability, satisfactory antioxidant and promote cell proliferation and migration abilities. In vitro studies confirmed the antimicrobial properties of the outer layer and the pro-angiogenic ability of the inner layer. In vivo animal studies demonstrated that the bilayer scaffolds promoted collagen deposition, neovascularization, and marginal hair follicle formation, which might be a promising new bionic skin scaffold., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Chemotherapy and surgery stand as primary cancer treatments, yet the unique traits of the tumor microenvironment hinder their effectiveness. The natural compound epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) possesses potent anti-tumor and antibacterial traits. However, the tumor's adaptability to chemotherapy due to its acidic pH and elevated glutathione (GSH) levels, coupled with the challenges posed by drug-resistant bacterial infections post-surgery, impede treatment outcomes. To address these challenges, researchers strive to explore innovative treatment strategies, such as multimodal combination therapy. This study successfully synthesized Cu-EGCG, a metal-polyphenol network, and detailly characterized it by using synchrotron radiation and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). Through chemodynamic therapy (CDT), photothermal therapy (PTT), and photodynamic therapy (PDT), Cu-EGCG showed robust antitumor and antibacterial effects. Cu + in Cu-EGCG actively participates in a Fenton-like reaction, generating hydroxyl radicals (·OH) upon exposure to hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and converting to Cu 2+ . This Cu 2+ interacts with GSH, weakening the oxidative stress response of bacteria and tumor cells. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations verified Cu-EGCG's efficient GSH consumption during its reaction with GSH. Additionally, Cu-EGCG exhibited outstanding photothermal conversion when exposed to 808 nm near-infrared (NIR) radiation and produced singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) upon laser irradiation. In both mouse tumor and wound models, Cu-EGCG showcased remarkable antitumor and antibacterial properties., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The controlled modulation of surface functional groups, in conjunction with the intrinsic structural characteristics of MXene materials, shows great potential in alleviating the shuttle effect and improving the sluggish reaction kinetics in lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs). This study delves into the impact of surface functional groups (T = O, S, F, and Cl) on V 2 B 2 MBene concerning sulfur immobilization and kinetic catalytic properties through meticulous first-principles calculations. The results reveal that the establishment of T-Li bonds within V 2 B 2 T 2 (T = O, S, F, and Cl) enhances the adsorption of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). Moreover, the robust interactions between the T_p and V_d orbitals play a pivotal role in strengthening the T-V bond and reducing the energy barrier for Li 2 S decomposition. Comparative analyses underscore the outstanding performance of V 2 B 2 O 2 , showcasing a moderate adsorption strength for LiPSs, remarkable electrocatalytic activity for Li 2 S decomposition (with an energy barrier of 0.42 eV), and a low Li 2 S diffusion barrier (0.16 eV). These attributes facilitate effective anchoring and expedite reaction kinetics for LiPSs. Furthermore, the influences of solvation and temperature were found to have substantial impacts on the anchoring capability of V 2 B 2 T 2 except for V 2 B 2 O 2 . This study establishes a critical theoretical framework and serves as a valuable reference for advancing MBene materials as cathodes for LSBs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have received significant attention due to their high theoretical energy density. However, the inherent poor conductivity of S and lithium sulfide (Li 2 S), coupled with the detrimental shuttle effect induced by lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), impedes their commercialization. In this study, we develop NiCo alloy-decorated nitrogen-doped carbon double-shelled hollow polyhedrons (NC/NiCo DSHPs) as highly efficient catalysts for Li-S batteries. The distribution of NiCo alloy on both the inner and outer shells provides abundant catalytic active sites, effectively adsorbing LiPSs, mitigating the shuttle effect, and promoting the conversion between LiPSs and Li 2 S, even at high sulfur loadings. This results in enhanced redox kinetics within the Li-S system. Moreover, the highly conductive carbon material framework, enriched with carbon nanotubes and graphitic carbon layers, can greatly promote the efficient electron transportation. Additionally, the improved ion diffusion rates benefiting from the hollow structure can also be realized. By harnessing these synergistic effects, Li-S batteries incorporating the double-shelled NC/NiCo DSHP catalysts achieved a high specific capacity of 1310 mAh/g at 0.2C and a superior rate performance of 621 mAh/g at 4C. Furthermore, excellent cycling performance with ultralow capacity fading rate of only 0.045 % per cycle after 800 cycles at 1C was achieved. When sulfur loading reaches 6 mg cm -2 , a high capacity of 4.6 mAh cm -2 at 0.1C after 100 cycles further validates the practical potential of this design. This study presents an innovative approach to alloy catalyst design, offering valuable insights for future research of Li-S batteries., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The core-shell structure often exhibits unique properties, resulting in superior physical and chemical performance distinct from individual component in the field of photocatalysis. However, traditional prepared methods such as template synthesis and layer-by-layer self-assembly are relatively complex. Therefore, it is necessary to explore an efficient and expedient approach. Here, we have proposed a convenient method to gradually destroy the terephthalic acid (BDC) of MIL-125 from the outer to inner layers through hydrothermal stirring, followed by reassembling with photosensitive 2-amino-terephthalic acid (BDC-NH 2 ) into the exposed Ti-oxo clusters left by the BDC to create photocatalysts featuring a core-shell configuration. The special core-shell sample with the analogous mixture of MIL-125 and MIL-125-NH 2 function as a high-performance dual-functional photocatalyst for hydrogen generation and NO elimination. The optimal core-shell material (M-125-45-N) exhibits an outstanding photocatalytic hydrogen production rate of 3.74 mmol·g -1 ·h -1 and an excellent photocatalytic NO removal rate of 70.15 %. The apparent quantum yield (AQY) value and solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion efficiency (STH) at specific wavelengths are also investigated. The Density functional theory (DFT) calculation, In-situ Fourier transform infrared (In-situ FT-IR) and Electron spin resonance (ESR) have suggested that the enhanced photocatalytic activity of optimal core-shell material arised from its stronger adsorption capacity towards reactants, promoting the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) conducive to photocatalytic reactions. This study represents the first investigation of a dual functional core-shell MOFs formed via ligand-defect reassembly, showcasing the excellent efficacy in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and NO removal, which contributes to the feasible development of novel dual-functional photocatalysts with core-shell structures., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Conductive hydrogels are regarded as ideal candidates for the application of flexible sensors owing to their excellent flexibility, portability and conductivity. However, it is still challenging and meaningful to prepare multifunctional (self-healing, adhesion, anti-freezing, biocompatibility, antibacterial and conductivity properties) and multi-mode sensing hydrogel-based sensors. Herein, we developed an environmentally stable and multi-functional conductive organogel via dynamic crosslinks based on biomass materials gelatin, black wattle bark tannin and PVA in the propylene glycol/water binary solvent system. Thanks to the dynamic interactions in the system, the good mechanical strength and self-healing performance of the obtained organogel are simultaneously realized. Meanwhile, the organogel integrates many crucial properties such as adhesion, environmental stability (anti-freezing and water retention), biocompatibility, antibacterial behavior and conductivity capacity. Significantly, the organogel can be assembled as three-mode sensors for strain, bioelectricity and temperature sensing. This three-mode sensor can effectively monitor human health data, resulting in providing supplement human health information and conditions. This work displays an interesting approach to construct an intelligent multi-functional conductive biomass organogel based multi-mode flexible sensors., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Black phosphorus (BP) has been highly regarded as a favourable candidate for fast-charging anode applications owing to its high theoretical capacity and advantageous charge-discharge platform. However, BP faces challenges related to compromised electrochemical performance resulting from an unstable solid-electrolyte interface (SEI) and substantial volumetric expansion. This study proposes the engineering of an inorganic-dense SEI on the surface of BP-C through the strategic incorporation of lithium fluoride (LiF). The presence of LiF in the system preferentially promotes LiPF 6 adsorption from the electrolyte, facilitating the in-situ formation of a lithium-enriched inorganic SEI film on the BP-C particulate surfaces. This strategic formation effectively mitigates subsequent electrolytic decomposition, accommodates volumetric expansion, and substantially improves the rate capability and cycling stability of the system. Consequently, the BP-LiF-C electrode demonstrates high initial coulombic efficiency of 86.8 % and maintains a steady capacity of 926.1 mAh g -1 over 700 cycles at 2000 mA g -1 . Moreover, when paired with a LiFePO 4 cathode, the full cell exhibits long cycling stability, retaining 98.6 % of its capacity after 500 cycles at 2000 mA g -1 , and performs at high rate. Therefore, utilising LiF to modulate the interfacial architecture of BP-based electrode composites provide notable guidance to enhance energy storage systems., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Capacitive deionization (CDI) using porous carbon materials provides an environmentally friendly and sustainable solution to produce affordable fresh water. However, low salt adsorption rates significantly limit its practical application. In this study, N, O-codoped carbon aerogel (NOCA) was prepared by a simple sol-gel method using agar as the carbon framework, NaCl as the template, NH 4 HCO 3 as the nitrogen source and self-blowing agent. The electrochemical and electrosorption properties of the NOCA electrode were significantly better than compared to commercial activated carbon (CAC) electrodes. The NOCA material had the following characteristics: (i) During the rapid freeze-drying process, NaCl crystals provide a three-dimensional network structure for effective dispersion of agar, reducing the agglomeration of particles. The volatile gas generated during the thermal decomposition of NH 4 HCO 3 reduces the plugging of pores. (ii) The fluffy interconnecting network structure of the material enhances its electrical conductivity, providing sufficient channels and adsorption sites for the entry and exit of salt ions. (iii) The abundant hydroxyl and ether groups in the agar enhance the hydrophilicity of the material, whereas N doping further improves the electrical conductivity and reduces the ion transport resistance. The electrosorption capacity and adsorption rate of the NOCA material in 500 mg/L NaCl solution were 22.1 mg/g and 4.4 mg/(g·min), respectively. These values correspond to low energy consumption and high energy recovery efficiency in the electrosorption process. The adsorption capacity remained at 95.5 % after 50 adsorption/desorption cycles. These findings show that NOCA is a novel and potential electrode material for CDI applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Halide-type solid-state electrolytes (SEs) are regarded as promising candidates for the commercialization of all solid-state lithium metal batteries (ASLMBs). However, the poor reduction stability of their central structural metal cations complicates the direct contact with lithium metal, thus conventionally requiring a sulfide interlayer between the lithium metal anode and halide SE. Concerning this issue, we developed a systematic approach to identify the SE in the halide family with thermodynamic stability, cost-effectiveness, and ionic conductivity to substitute the sulfide buffer layer and support the operation of ASLMBs utilizing solely halide-type SEs. The initial screen results indicate that Li 3 Y(BrCl) 3 (LYBC) is a promising candidate. Our theoretical calculations confirmed its lower reduction potential of 0.58 V. The lithium symmetrical cell using LYBC was able to cycle for over 1000 h at a current density of 0.255 mA cm -2 and an areal capacity of 0.255mAh cm -2 . The performance of ASLMBs also notarized the feasibility of our strategy. In addition, according to our experiment, we deduce that the reduced LYBC can still conduct lithium-ion rapidly, which may be the key to supporting the normal operation of the electrochemical system. Combined with our cost analysis, LYBC is identified as one of the most suitable commercial materials for realizing the self-liberation of halide SEs. Our research proposes a novel pathway for the future development of halide SEs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In the treatment of infected wounds in bedridden or lying chair patients with mobility problems, improper wound care can lead to wound deterioration, prolong disease pain, increase treatment and care costs, and bring heavier psychological, physical, and economic burdens to patients. In the process of wound recovery, patients with mobility problems mainly face the comprehensive problems of poor air permeability, wound pressure could not be monitored, wound infection and slow healing. Therefore, in the process of wound care for such patients, it is imperative to develop a gas permeable dressing that can monitor the patient's wound compression status in real time and promote wound healing. Here, we developed a textile-shaped gel dressing with pressure-responsive properties. Polydopamine (PDA)-silver coated calcium phosphate nanoparticles (CPNPs）and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were introduced into the gel to give the gel good antibacterial and therapeutic effects, while enhancing the pressure resistance of the gel to meet the needs of wound pressure monitoring. The textured gel morphology greatly improves the gas permeability of the gel and further improves the pressure sensitivity of the gel. This multifunctional textile-like gel dressing provides a new strategy for the development of treatment monitoring integrated dressing and has broad application prospects., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Hypothesis: Poly-N-isopropylacrylamide (PNIPAM)-based microgels have garnered significant interest as effective soft particulate stabilizers because of their deformability and functionality. However, the inherent hydrophilic nature of microgel restricts their potential use in stabilizing water-in-oil (W/O) Pickering emulsions. Employing diverse polar additives can improve the hydrophobicity of microgels, thus unlocking new possibilities in inverse Pickering emulsion formation and materials fabrication., Experiments: Different types of microgels were generated using free-radical precipitation polymerization with tailored physiochemical properties. The effect of various polar additives on the wettability, adsorption kinetics, and interfacial coverage of microgels was systematically investigated. Additive-swollen microgels were utilized to stabilize inverse W/O Pickering emulsions, which served as templates to develop functional materials with stimuli responsiveness and hierarchical structures., Findings: Additive-swollen PNIPAM-based microgels exhibited enhanced hydrophobicity and superior emulsifying capability, which spontaneously assembled and jammed at oil-water interfaces, resulting in a significant interfacial energy decrease. The additive-swollen microgels formed a tightly packed, elastic, and responsive microgel monolayer. The feasibility of the strategy was verified by preparing various inverse W/O Pickering emulsions and high internal phase Pickering emulsions (HIPPEs). More importantly, this straightforward formation strategy of microgel-stabilized inverse W/O Pickering emulsions offered a novel platform to create functional materials with customized inner structures from microscale (e.g., responsive core-shell hydrogel microspheres and colloidosomes) to macroscale (e.g., hierarchical porous materials) that can be used for potential applications, such as recyclable contaminant removal and droplet manipulation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Seawater electrolysis taking advantage of coastal/offshore areas is acknowledged as a potential way of large-scale producing H 2 to substitute traditional technology. However, anodic catalysts with high overpotentials and limited lifespans (caused by chloride-induced competitive chemical reactions) hinder the system of seawater electrolysis for H 2 production. Herein, we present a citrate anion (CA) modified NiFe layered double hydroxide nanosheet array on nickel foam (NiFe LDH@NiFe-CA/NF), which serves as an efficient and stable electrocatalyst towards long-term alkaline seawater oxidation. It requires only a low overpotential of 387 mV to achieve a current density of 1000 mA cm -2 , outperforming NiFe LDH/NF (414 mV). Moreover, NiFe LDH@NiFe-CA/NF exhibits continuous oxygen evolution testing for 300 h at 1000 mA cm -2 due to its anti-corrosion characterization. Additionally, the fabricated cell can stably operate at 300 mA cm -2 (60 °C, 6 M KOH + seawater) and only require 1.69 V, achieving low energy consumption of seawater splitting., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Materials with low intrinsic thermal conductivity are essential for the development of high-performance thermoelectric devices. At the same time, the solution processing of these materials may enable the cost-effective production of the devices. Herein, we detail a high-yield and scalable colloidal synthesis route to produce Ag 2 SbBiSe 4 nanocrystals (NCs) using amine-thiol-Se chemistry. The quaternary chalcogenide material is consolidated by a rapid hot-press maintaining the cubic crystalline structure. Transport measurements confirm that n-type Ag 2 SbBiSe 4 exhibits an inherently ultralow lattice thermal conductivity of ca. 0.34 W m -1 K -1 at 760 K. Moreover, a modulation doping strategy based on the blending of semiconductor Ag 2 SbBiSe 4 and metallic Sn NCs is demonstrated to control the charge carrier concentration in the final composite material. The introduction of Sn nanodomains additionally blocks phonon propagation thus contributing to reducing the thermal conductivity of the final material. Ultimately, a peak thermoelectric figure of merit value of 0.64 at 760 K is achieved for n-type Ag 2 SbBiSe 4 -Sn nanocomposites that also demonstrate a notable Vickers hardness of 185 HV., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The lifespan of aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIB) has been hindered by the instability of zinc anodes, encountering challenges such as irregular dendritic growth, corrosion and hydrogen evolution reactions. In this study, we address these challenges by employing atomic-layer deposition (ALD) to create an ultrathin, conductive titanium oxynitride (TiN x O y ) coating with abundant zincophilic sites. This atomic-scale coating serves as a bi-functional barrier that isolates the zinc metal from the electrolyte, thereby reducing spontaneous corrosion and mitigating hydrogen evolution. Additionally, the TiN x O y layer improves the distribution of the interfacial electric field and promotes uniform zinc plating and stripping. As a result, the TiN x O y -coated zinc anode demonstrates a significantly reduced over-potential and enhanced cycling stability, maintaining performance over 1300 h at 1 mA cm -2 in a symmetric cell. When coupled with a MnO 2 cathode, the full cell achieves a capacity of 85.3 mAh g -1 after 4500 cycles at a high current density of 10C., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)