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Conducting polymers (CPs) are an innovative class of materials recognized for their high flexibility and biocompatibility, making them an ideal choice for health monitoring applications that require flexibility. They are active in their design. Advances in fabrication technology allow the incorporation of CPs at various levels, by combining diverse CPs monomers with metal particles, 2D materials, carbon nanomaterials, and copolymers through the process of polymerization and mixing. This method produces materials with unique physicochemical properties and is highly customizable. In particular, the development of CPs with expanded surface area and high conductivity has significantly improved the performance of the sensors, providing high sensitivity and flexibility and expanding the range of available options. However, due to the morphological diversity of new materials and thus the variety of characteristics that can be synthesized by combining CPs and other types of functionalities, choosing the right combination for a sensor application is difficult but becomes important. This review focuses on classifying the role of CP and highlights recent advances in sensor design, especially in the field of healthcare monitoring. It also synthesizes the sensing mechanisms and evaluates the performance of CPs on electrochemical surfaces and in the sensor design. Furthermore, the applications that can be revolutionized by CPs will be discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a straightforward, eco-friendly strategy for the phase modulation of MoS2 in 2D materials was developed for green-solvent-phase co-exfoliation and subsequent solvent-free drying/annealing processes, yielding binary-metal oxide nanoparticulate-decorated heterolayered 2D nanohybrids. As a green solvent, ethanol with poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) provided an effective surface tension for liquid-phase exfoliation of the 2D materials (MoS2 and graphene). Electron injection of binary metal oxides (NiFe2O4) and graphene functional groups to the Mo 4d orbital played an important role in the modulating phase conversion of semiconductive MoS2 to metallic MoS2 in the nanohybrids. Moreover, the introduction of MoS2 and graphene tuned the diameter (∼6 nm) and effective crystalline domains of the NiFe2O4 nanoparticles in the resulting nanohybrid. The electrocatalytic activity of the nanohybrids exhibited outstanding performance in the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions due to the synergetic effects of the modified MoS2/graphene/NiFe2O4 components. Density functional theory calculations and the Tafel slope indicated that the combination of 1T-MoS2/graphene/NiFe2O4 nanohybrids achieved a lower activation barrier at the first hydrogen absorption step and the RDS for the interaction of adsorbed oxygen atoms with hydroxide in the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions. The nanohybrids were prepared as symmetric electrodes to assemble an environmentally-benign hydrogel cell for water-splitting systems, exhibiting excellent stability in deswelling–swelling cycles. We believe that the proposed process allows for phase-modulating 2D materials while alleviating the negative impact on the environment, creating desirable functionality for various catalytic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discarded or waste plastic in the environment can alter the health of habitats and natural processes, severely impacting ecosystems, food production capabilities, people's livelihoods, and social well-being. Plastics constitute a major material group with a global production of approximately 368 million metric tons per year. Among them, polyurethane (PU) is a flexible substance with a wide range of applications in daily life and offers adaptability, toughness, and affordability resulting in a rapidly increasing demand worldwide. In contrast, recycling of PU is still limited, and more research and development are needed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of PU recycling and upcycling. Herein, we demonstrated a sustainable and eco-friendly conversion of waste PU into useful active micro-cleaners via a deep eutectic solvent (DES) assisted solvothermal process. In this process, a greener solvent system containing choline chloride and ferric chloride which acts as a solvent and catalyses PU foam to form valuable carbonaceous products under solvothermal conditions was established. The prepared PU-derived carbon (PUC) was characterized using suitable analytical techniques to understand its physicochemical properties and used for the adsorption of a variety of contaminants such as malachite green, methylene blue, and a pharmaceutical ciprofloxacin molecule. Furthermore, PUC successfully acted as a Fenton-like catalyst and exhibited an excellent recyclability efficiency (>80%) even after the 5th cycle which shows the potential of the material in sustainable wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]