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The chemical structures of (a) PES and (b) SPSF.

A novel strategy to support sub-1 nm Pt nanoclusters on N and P co-doped carbon nanotubes was developed. The prepared Pt/NP-CNTs showed highly efficient HER activity and durability in acidic electrolytes, outperforming those of commercial Pt/C.

Recently, blue-emitting phosphors have attracted great interest due to their application in full-spectrum white light illumination.

The hydrophobicity of ultrafiltration membranes is the main cause of membrane fouling and reduced permeability, so it is necessary to improve the hydrophilicity and anti-fouling performance of ultrafiltration membrane materials. MoS2 nanoparticles that were modified with polydopamine (PDA) and polyethyleneimine (PEI), named MoS2-PDA-PEI, were added to fabricate a polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membrane (PES/MoS2-PDA-PEI) for the first time. The effects of modified MoS2 nanoparticles on membrane performance were clarified. The results indicated that the permeability, rejection, and anti-fouling capability of the hybrid PES/MoS2-PDA-PEI membrane have been improved compared with the pristine PES membrane. When the content of MoS2-PDA-PEI nanoparticles in the membrane is 0.5%, the pure water flux of the hybrid membrane reaches 364.03 L m−2 h−1, and the rejection rate of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and humic acid (HA) is 96.5% and 93.2% respectively. The flux recovery rate of HA reached 97.06%. As expected, the addition of MoS2-PDA-PEI nanoparticles promotes the formation of the porous structure and improves the hydrophilicity of the membrane, thereby improving its antifouling performance.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a typical reactive peroxide that is widely used in food preservation but may cause serious harm to human health. Thus, a simple, efficient and accurate method for H2O2 assay is essential. In this work, a dual Eu-MOFs-based ratiometric fluorescence sensor, a logic gate-based advanced analytical method, and a dual MOFs-loaded paper microchip for visual H2O2 assay were constructed. The H2O2 sensor was response-sensitive (limit of detection: 0.14 μM) and linearly responsive in the concentration range of 0.001–1 mM (r > 0.99). Then, an advanced AND gate logic device was established to monitor H2O2 concentration. Moreover, the paper-based microchip realized the point-of-care visual H2O2 assay via ratiometric chromaticity assisted by a portable smartphone-based visual assay device. The microchip consumes only 5 μL of sample and demonstrates long-term stability for over 30 days along with response-sensitivity. Both the MOF dispersion-based ratiometric fluorescence sensor and the paper microchip realized an accurate and precise assay of H2O2 (the recovery was 88.2–105.5% and RSD < 9.3%). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a dual MOFs-based ratiometric fluorescent H2O2 sensor, an advanced logic gate-based analytical method, and a paper-based microchip for visual point-of-care H2O2 assay.

Innovative syntheses of uniform and size-controlled chlorapatite crystals need to be developed. Molten salt synthesis is a simple process, which uses low temperatures and short reaction times to obtain synthesized powders with uniform chemical composition as well as good crystal morphology and high-phase purity. In this study, a molten salt synthesis was used to prepare ClAP microcrystallites at different temperatures, reaction times, and quantities of molten salt. ClAP microcrystallites with different sizes and morphologies were obtained, and the process parameters were optimized. The phase formation and morphologies of the ClAP microcrystallites were examined by X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The results determined the optimal parameters, as follows: synthesis temperature, 600 °C; reaction time, 4 h; and ClAP/molten salt ratio, 1 : 3. The reaction time and the quantity of the molten salt, as well as the growth mechanism of the ClAP microcrystallites, were proposed based on the phase formation and morphologies of ClAP synthesized at various temperatures. ClAP phosphors activated using different ions (Sb3+, Eu2+, and Tb3+) were prepared by the molten salt method at 600 °C for 4 h with a ClAP/salt ratio of 1 : 3. The as-prepared ClAP:Sb3+/Eu2+/Tb3+ phosphors exhibited a blue-green emission (470 nm), a blue emission (460 nm), and a green emission (547 nm). Their excellent photoluminescence properties indicated their potential for application in white light emitting diodes.