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[Display omitted] • A novel non-radical-dominated MOF-derived PMS catalytic membrane was proposed. • The MOF-derived heterojunction structure facilitated an enhanced electron transfer mechanism. • The formation of the heterostructure and the efficient cycling of Ni2+/Co3+ contributed to a remarkable non-radical process. • The M−NNCO−THFM demonstrated broad pH adaptability, excellent stability in complex water matrices, and good reusability. Traditional peroxymonosulfate (PMS) catalytic membranes dominated by radical pathways often face interference from complex components in water bodies. Herein, we employed a controlled electro-deposition technique to coat a Ni-Co metal–organic framework (MOF) precursor onto titanium hollow fiber membrane (THFM), followed by high-temperature calcination to synthesize a MOF-derived NiO-NiCo 2 O 4 /THFM (M−NNCO−THFM) PMS catalytic membrane. Then, the M−NNCO−THFM filtration integrated with PMS activation (MFPA process) for water treatment. Experimental results demonstrated that the M−NNCO−THFM MFPA process successfully achieved complete phenol (PE) removal via a non-radical-dominated degradation pathway, involving singlet oxygen (1O 2) and electron transfer, while exhibiting wide pH adaptability and exceptional stability in complex water matrices. Mechanism analysis revealed that the electron transfer process was significantly enhanced by the MOF-derived heterojunction structure, which increased the flat-band potential from 0.39 eV to 0.56 eV, thereby facilitating efficient electron transfer for PE removal. The non-radical 1O 2 pathway was primarily due to the cycling of metal valence states (Ni2+/Co3+), leading to the reduction of Co2+ and its reaction with PMS, resulting in the generation of reactive species. Furthermore, electrochemical measurements indicated that the M−NNCO−THFM exhibited lower charge transfer resistance and enhanced charge transfer efficiency compared to non-MOF-derived NNCO-THFM, corresponding to the superior catalytic performance and electrochemically active surface area of M−NNCO−THFM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to the traditional open mixing process used for the production of the rubber composites, wet mixing process is a lower shear force mixing method. This article revealed the influence of the open mixing process and the wet mixing process on the microstructure, density, mechanical properties, and ablation performance of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber/fiber/hollow glass microsphere composite system. The results showed that the wet mixing process increased the fiber length by more than 300% compared to the open mixing process, while the fragmentation rate of the hollow glass beads was reduced by 94.4%, these effectively maintained the structural integrity of the fibers and the hollow glass microsphere filler. By using the wet mixing process, the density of EPDM composite materials can be reduced by about 20%, and the tensile strength and ablation resistance of these composites were also significantly improved. Compared to polyimide fiber and aramid fiber short fibers, the wet mixing process of solution‐based rubber had a more significant effect on improving the length and ablation resistance of phenolic fiber and carbon fiber fibers which having poor shear strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We experimentally demonstrate the coherent random laser emission by combining CdSe/ZnS colloidal quantum dots with hollow optical fiber. Through the localized surface plasmon resonance induced by Ag nanoparticles (NPs), well-distinguished discrete spikes are observed from the Ag modified hollow fiber loaded with CdSe/ZnS QDs solution. In addition, coherent random laser action with low threshold is also realized in the hollow optical fiber filled with high packing-density CdSe/ZnS QDs even if the Ag NPs is not introduced. The self-assembled clusters of CdSe/ZnS QDs serve as the optical gain media as well as the strong scattering centers. The angle measurement experiments show that the directional emission of random laser can be adjusted by using different pumping manners. This facile, inexpensive, low pump threshold random laser could be widely used in photonic devices and display imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid phase microextraction techniques are considered as the miniaturized version of traditional liquid-liquid extraction, which use only several microliters of a proper solvent to extract the analytes from sample. In these methods, the target analytes are migrated into a water-immiscible organic solvent (acceptor phase) from an aqueous sample (donor phase). They are mainly classified into three main groups including (a) single-drop microextraction, (b) dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction, and (c) hollow fiber-liquid phase microextraction. These techniques have been successfully applied to the assessment of different analytes in food samples, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and so on. This review mainly focuses on up-to-date information on the application of liquid phase microextraction techniques in dairy products. The advantages and disadvantages of the developed liquid phase microextraction methods were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The countercurrent hollow fiber membrane module is proposed for cold water generation. • A 3-D numerical model is developed accounting for irregular fiber filling. • Channeling effect and flow dead zones degrade the heat and moisture transport. • Irregular fiber filling increases the air side heat transfer resistance by >158 %. • Irregular fiber filling offers the potential to improve energy efficiency under certain conditions. The countercurrent hollow fiber membrane-based evaporative water cooler (MEWC) offers an eco-friendly and compact solution for cold water generation. This study introduces a random sequential addition algorithm to model the real-world irregular fiber filling within the MEWC. Inspired by the honeycomb structure, the developed 3-D numerical model adopts a calculation unit featuring a hexagonal prism comprising multiple fibers. Validation against experimental data reveals an average relative error of 2.81 % concerning outlet water temperature. The effects of fiber filling patterns (regular layout and random layout) on the velocity and temperature fields of the MEWC are investigated. Comparisons of outlet water temperature, cooling efficiency, consumptive electric power ratio, and heat and mass transfer resistance composition between these layouts under various operating conditions are conducted. The results indicate that the random layout fosters severe channeling effect and large flow dead zones, impairing air side heat and moisture transfer. The random layout exhibits over 15.9 % reduction in cooling efficiency and 36.3 % decrease in consumptive electric power ratio compared to the regular layout. Irregular fiber filling leads to a notable 158.6 % increase in air side heat transfer resistance and a 35.9 % rise in mass transfer resistance. Although irregular filling compromises the cooling performance, it demonstrates potential for energy savings under certain conditions. Design schemes should be carefully tailored to meet specific application requirements by considering these trade-offs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel and effective adsorbent based on magnetic polymeric ionic liquid nanocomposite-coated hollow fiber membrane (MPILNC-HFM) was developed and applied for magnetic solid phase extraction of Pb (II) and Cu (II) from environmental water and fruit juice samples with microinjection sampling-flame atomic absorption spectrometry (MIS-FAAS). During extraction process, the adsorbent coated on the surface of the hollow fiber can be removed from the solution using tweezers without using a magnet. Additionally, the need to use a centrifuge during adsorption and desorption steps is also eliminated, thereby increasing the speed, simplicity, and efficiency of the extraction process. The nanocomposite characterized through Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive x-ray (EDX) analyses to ensure its applicability. The experimental parameters were optimized by applying one-variable-at the-time (OVAT) approach. Under optimal conditions, limits of detection were achieved 16.5 µg L−1 for Pb (II) and 20.4 µg L−1 for Cu (II), respectively, with relative standard deviations up to 7.9% and relative recoveries in the range of 91.8%–02.2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the permeation flux equations, Richardson and Paripatyadar kinetic model, and lumen-shell mass balances were combined to develop a simulation model for the integrated CO 2 separation-dry reforming of methane (DRM) reaction in La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.8 Fe 0.2 O 3-δ (LSCF)-carbonate hollow fibre membrane reactor. The interactions of the reactants for the DRM and reverse water gas shift reactions were simulated at different operating parameters. Greater membrane area gave higher CO 2 and CH 4 conversions and H 2 /CO (syngas) molar ratio of ∼1. Lower temperature of 700 °C provided higher DRM performance in membrane reactor, which was due to the higher CO 2 permeation from the higher electronic conductivity of LSCF. Higher CH 4 amount in the sweep gas facilitated CO 2 permeation, conversion, syngas yield, and ratio. The optimum DRM performance of the membrane reactor was achieved at a lumen-to-shell flow rate ratio of 0.5, whereas the limiting factor was the CH 4 availability at the shell side. [Display omitted] • Richardson and Paripatyadar (R–P) kinetic model was used to simulate DRM and RWGS. • Permeation of CO 2 across LSCF-molten carbonate hollow fibre membrane was simulated. • MATLAB simulation of DRM in a ceramic-carbonate membrane reactor was developed. • Parametric study on temperature, membrane area, and flow conditions were presented. • RSM was used to optimize the DRM performance of membrane reactor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, numerous studies have focused on the use of mixed ionic-electronic conducting oxides for coupled oxygen separation and catalytic reactions in membrane reactors. A promising strategy for the efficient fabrication of oxygen separation membranes involves modification of the membrane surface via exsolved metal nanoparticles decoration. Here, we present a detailed characterization of the structural and transport properties of a novel membrane material La 0.4 Sr 0.6 Fe 0.95 Nb 0.05 O 3−δ (LSFNb5). The exsolution of Fe nanoparticles was observed after heating of LSFNb5 in a reducing atmosphere (5 % Н 2 /Ar) and was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis, Mössbauer spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The formation of Fe nanoparticles on the surface of LSFNb5 hollow fiber membrane in the reduction process leads to the enhancement of oxygen fluxes and reduces the apparent activation energy. Kinetic parameters for oxygen transport through LSFNb5 hollow fiber membrane estimated using two different models, are in good agreement with the experimental results. Furthermore, LSFNb5 hollow fiber membrane demonstrates stable performance both before and after surface treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the problem of air pollution is getting more and more serious, especially the pollution of tiny solid particles (PM, particulate matter) in the air, which poses a great challenge to the environment and human health. Therefore, it is particularly important to develop air filtration materials with high filtration efficiency and low resistance to meet this challenge. In this study, we propose to prepare air filtration membranes by centrifugal jet electrospinning technology, design multifactorial orthogonal coupling experiments, and investigate the effects of key process parameters of centrifugal jet electrostatic spinning, including solution concentration, airflow rate, rotational speed, and voltage, on the fiber diameter and uniformity by applying the polar analysis of variance and analysis of variance. PAN‐BaTiO3 electret nanofiber filtration membranes with high efficiency and low resistance were prepared by combining the optimized process of centrifugal blowing electrospinning. Various characterization methods (tensile test, water contact angle test, surface charge test, filtration test) were used to evaluate the effect of different BaTiO3 electret contents (0%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%) on the comprehensive performance of the filtration membranes, and the electret filtration efficiency of the electret filtration membranes prepared by the present process reached as high as 96.56% with a pressure drop of 29 Pa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study proposes a fluid simulation and analysis of oxygenated membrane fabrics for Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) by applying knitting technology from the field of textile technology. This is aimed at addressing the lack of research on the impact of the oxygenator flow field before and after knitting of oxygenated membrane fabrics. For this investigation, a commercial oxygenator was selected, featuring a polymethylpentene (PMP) hollow fiber membrane as the oxygenator membrane material, along with a knitted yarn made of a 50D/24F polyester low-elasticity filament. The knitting organization utilized warp knitting technology with a pillar stitch/weft lining structure. Through the integration of theoretical geometric modeling and finite element analysis method of flow-solid coupling, the study examined the influence of knitting on the oxygenator before and after the knitting of the PMP membrane material. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) technology represents a sophisticated equipment within the domain of in vitro medical treatment. The research findings indicated that the total pressure drop in the oxygenator's flow field was 472.6 Pa for the unknitted PMP membrane and 269.4 Pa for the knitted oxygenator fabric, signifying a near 40% reduction in pressure with the knitted PMP membrane. This reduction in pressure also led to a 50% decrease in turbulence within the flow field. The maximum displacement of the knitted PMP membrane within the flow field was measured at 0.16 mm, whereas the unknitted membrane displayed a maximum displacement of 0.37 mm. The knitted PMP membrane significantly enhanced the pressure and velocity uniformity of the oxygenator's flow field, resulting in decreased stress-strain effects and improved service life of the oxygenator. In conclusion, the study illustrates that knitting the PMP membrane can substantially improve the flow field distribution of ECMO oxygenators, leading to enhanced oxygenation efficiency and membrane durability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas-filled hollow core fibers allow the generation of single-cycle pulses at megahertz repetition rates. When coupled with difference frequency generation, they can be an ideal driver for generating carrier-envelope phase stable, octave-spanning pulses in the short-wavelength infrared. In this work, we investigate the dependence of the polarization state in gas-filled hollow-core fibers (HCF) on the subsequent difference frequency generation stage. We show that by adjusting the input polarization state of light in geometrically symmetric systems, such as hollow-core fibers, one can achieve precise control over the polarization state of the output pulses. This manipulation preserves the temporal characteristics of the generated ultrashort pulses, especially when operating at a near single-cycle regime. We leverage this property to boost the downconversion efficiency of the near single-cycle pulses in a type I difference frequency generation stage. Our technique overcomes the bandwidth and dispersion constraints of the previous methods that rely on broadband waveplates or adjustment of crystal axes relative to the laboratory frame. This advancement is crucial for experiments demanding pure polarization states in the eigenmodes of the laboratory frame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Methods Results Conclusion A patient with an extensively drug‐resistant (XDR) New Delhi metallo‐β‐lactamase (NDM) and oxacillinase (OXA‐48) producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) infection was awaiting orthotopic liver transplant. There is no standardized antibiotic prophylaxis regimen; however, in line with the Infectious Diseases Society of America guidance, an antibiotic prophylactic regimen of ceftazidime‐avibactam 2.5 g TDS with aztreonam 2 g three times a day (TDS) IV was proposed.The hollow fiber system (HFS) was applied to inform the individualized pharmacodynamic outcome likelihood prior to prophylaxis.A 4‐log reduction in CFU/mL in the first 10 h of the regimen exposure was observed; however, the killing dynamics were slow and six 8‐hourly infusions were required to reduce bacterial cells to below the limit of quantification. Thus, the HFS supported the use of the regimen for infection clearance; however, it highlighted the need for several infusions. Standard local practice is to administer prophylaxis antibiotics at induction of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT); however, the HFS provided data to rationalize earlier dosing. Therefore, the patient was dosed at 24 h prior to their OLT induction and subsequently discharged 8 days after surgery.The HFS provides a dynamic culture solution for informing individualized medicine by testing antibiotic combinations and exposures against the bacterial isolates cultured from the patient's infection. . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of hollow fiber membranes is one of the excellent processes to treat oily wastewater and wetland water. Treating oily wastewater and wetland water is a significant challenge and reported expensive. These wastes generally come from due the expansion of massive industries and human activities these days. This review discusses the critical ways of membrane hollow fiber application in treating oily wastewater as well as wetland water. It is also reported in literature that there is mostly organic contaminant accommodated in oily wastewater and wetland water. Due to that, the application of hollow fiber is the best way as a removal organic contaminant in oily wastewater as well as wetland water. Apart from that, the conventional and advanced methods are also well explained within this review followed by detail treatments, application, and performance of this hollow fiber membrane application. To achieve the best completed outcome of pollutants removal, several applications relate to other processes before contacting to hollow fiber membranes. The integration between conventional and advanced membrane technology in oily wastewater and wetland treatment is also well explained. The important factors in the fabrication and application of hollow fiber membrane depend on membrane materials and filtration processes. It means that the selection between membrane materials and final processes to choose are depending on the urgency, source of pollutants, and intended use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A two-stage catalytic membrane reactor (CMR) that couples CO2 splitting with methane oxidation reactions was constructed based on an oxygen-permeable perovskite asymmetric membrane. The asymmetric membrane comprises a dense SrFe0.9Ta0.1O3-d (SFT) separation layer and a porous Sr0.9(Fe0.9Ta0.1)0.9Cu0.1O3-d (SFTC) catalytic layer. In the first stage reactor, a CO2 splitting reaction (CDS: 2CO2/2CO þ O2) occurs at the SFTC catalytic layer. Subsequently, the O2 product is selectively extracted through the SFT separation layer to the permeated side for the methane combustion reaction (MCR), which provides an extremely low oxygen partial pressure to enhance the oxygen extraction. In the second stage, a Sr0.9(Fe0.9Ta0.1)0.9Ni0.1O3-d (SFTN) catalyst is employed to reform the products derived from MCR. The two-stage CMR design results in a remarkable 35.4% CO2 conversion for CDS at 900 °C. The two-stage CMR was extended to a hollow fiber configuration combining with solar irradiation. The solar-assisted two-stage CMR can operate stably for over 50 h with a high hydrogen yield of 18.1 mL min-1 cm-2. These results provide a novel strategy for reducing CO2 emissions, suggesting potential avenues for the design of the high-performance CMRs and catalysts based on perovskite oxides in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the post‐buckling damage behavior of cylindrical composite tubes was examined experimentally. The samples were reinforced with glass, carbon, and kevlar fibers to obtain glass‐reinforced fiber polymer (GRFP), carbon‐reinforced fiber polymer (CRFP), and Kevlar‐reinforced fiber polymer (KRFP) cylindrical tubes. The samples were produced using 4 stacking layers with filament winding technology. In producing all composite tubes, the outer diameter was kept constant at 17 mm, and two inner diameters of 12 and 13 mm, two wall thicknesses, 5 winding angles, and two lengths were used as parameters. The load was applied to the samples until completely damaged, and the maximum post‐buckling load values obtained were measured on the testing device. The effect of different reinforcement materials, winding angle, wall thickness, and length on the load‐carrying capacity was analyzed and it was understood that they had a significant effect. It was observed that the load‐carrying capacity of GFRP samples was the highest compared to the others, followed by CFRP and KFRP samples, respectively. In all samples, it was observed that a 0.5 mm wall thickness increase increased the load‐carrying capacity, while a 50 mm length increase decreased it. The energy absorption (EA) values of GFRP, CFRP, and KFRP samples were 46.99, 25.22, and 15.48 Joules, respectively. It was understood that the energy absorption of GFRP samples was 1.86 times better than CFRP and 3 times better than KFRP. Highlights: The samples were produced using the fiber winding method, which is one of the most common production methods in the manufacture of tubes.Three different polymer reinforcement materials were used in the production of the samples.The effects of polymer reinforcement material, winding angle, length, and wall thickness on the maximum post‐buckling load were investigated.Wall thickness was found to have a significant effect on the maximum post‐buckling load.It was observed that GFRP samples had the highest energy absorption feature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene oxide (GO) membranes have been widely studied and used for gas separation processes, but some structural changes are necessary to guarantee high membrane selectivities. The thermal reduction process stands out for reducing the interlayer channel size of the GO nanosheets to improve the molecular sieving mechanism. Herein, thermally annealed GO layers were deposited on the outer surface of porous alumina hollow fiber substrates and the produced composite membranes were tested for selective hydrogen (H 2) separations. The influence of the thermal annealing process at different mild temperatures (80 and 160 °C) on the characteristics of the GO structure was investigated towards the improvement of the membrane efficiency for H 2 separation. ATR-FTIR results confirmed the elimination of oxygenated groups, and XRD analyses showed the GO interlayer space decreased from 8.71 to 7.38 Å after the thermal annealing process at 160 °C. The GO thermally annealed membrane presented an H 2 permeance of 2032.47 ± 101.69 GPU and an H 2 /N 2 selectivity of 12.16 ± 0.30, which is 315% greater than the selectivity of the pristine GO membrane. Hence, the application of the thermal reduction method to produce GO membranes with greater selectivities is a viable alternative to deal with gas separation processes. • A thin graphene oxide (GO) layer was deposited on asymmetric Al 2 O 3 hollow fibers. • Thermal treatment at 160 °C produced a quasi-reduced GO membrane. • The GO d-space decreased with the thermal treatment at a mild temperature of 160 °C. • H 2 /CO 2 and H 2 /N 2 selectivities were boosted with the thermal treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymeric composites are prone to undergoing damage, such as microcracks, during their operation, which can ultimately lead to catastrophic failure. To contradict such a problem, efforts have been carried out, by the scientific community, towards developing self-healing composites that, by mimicking biological systems, can autonomously and prematurely repair flaws, extending the durability and improving the security of materials. The present review explores the progress made in this area, focusing on extrinsic self-healing methods, as these can be employed to a variety of materials. Reservoir-based techniques, which resort to capsules, hollow fibers or microvascular networks, and thermoplastic-based ones are overviewed, prioritizing innovative approaches made in recent years. At last, promising practical applications for self-healing composites are highlighted and future challenges and opportunities are pointed out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the fabrication of ceramic Nb2O5 hollow fibers covered by a thin graphene oxide (GO) layer using the vacuum‐assisted dip‐coating process for the efficient photocatalysis degradation of methylene blue (MB) under UVC light irradiation. Pristine and GO‐coated Nb2O5 hollow fibers were evaluated for photocatalytic degradation at different initial dye concentrations and pH values. A photodegradation of 66.4% of the dye molecules was achieved using the pristine Nb2O5 hollow fibers at 57.4 ± 0.1 mg mL1, initial MB concentration of 10 mg L−1, and pH of 11. Under the same experimental conditions, the GO‐coated Nb2O5 hollow fibers degraded 100% of the MB molecules. Additionally, the GO‐coated Nb2O5 hollow fibers were successfully reused for four reaction cycles and exhibited suitable long‐term stability. Thus, the proposed ceramic Nb2O5 hollow fibers with a surface decorated by a GO layer presented suitable characteristics for use as a photocatalyst in MB degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] In recent years, aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) have emerged as a prominent research topic due to their inherent safety attributes, relatively low cost, and comparatively higher energy density. However, the challenges associated with the zinc metal anode in the form of dendrite formation, hydrogen evolution, and severe side reactions have proven to be particularly vexing. Thus, it is imperative to investigate novel intercalation-type anode materials for ZIBs that exhibit exceptional structural properties and appropriate redox potentials based on conversion mechanisms. In this work, through adding polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) surfactant to precursors and tailoring reaction time, hierarchical CuS hollow spheres are successfully constructed by a facile one-step hydrothermal process. When applied as an anode in ZIBs, the hollow hierarchical CuS with large surface area can effectively reduce the transport distance of electrons and Zn2+ and alleviate volume expansion during the insertion/extraction of Zn2+. The hierarchical CuS hollow spheres prepared over 8 h (CuS-8) exhibit a specific capacity of 126 mAh/g and long-term cycle life (1500 cycles) at a current density of 3 A/g. In addition, CuS-8//MnO 2 @CNTs full-cell shows a capacity retention of 117 mAh/g after 300 cycles at 1 A/g current density, which proves the advantage of hierarchical CuS hollow spheres in serving as an efficient and durable anode material for ZIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood clot formation inside the membrane oxygenator (MO) remains a risk in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). It is associated with thromboembolic complications and normally detectable only at an advanced stage. Established clinical monitoring techniques lack predictive capabilities, emphasizing the need for refinement in MO monitoring towards an early warning system. In this study, an MO was modified by integrating four sensor fibers in the middle of the hollow fiber mat bundle, allowing for bioimpedance measurement within the MO. The modified MO was perfused with human blood in an in vitro test circuit until fulminant clot formation. The optical analysis of clot residues on the extracted hollow fibers showed a clot deposition area of 51.88% ± 14.25%. This was detectable via an increased bioimpedance signal with a significant increase 5 min in advance to fulminant clot formation inside the MO, which was monitored by the clinical gold standard (pressure difference across the MO (dp-MO)). This study demonstrates the feasibility of detecting clot growth early and effectively by measuring bioimpedance within an MO using integrated sensor fibers. Thus, bioimpedance may even outperform the clinical gold standard of dp-MO as a monitoring method by providing earlier clot detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Co-CoTe nanostructure assembled hollow fibers with highly efficient catalytic performance promote the development of high-performance ZAB. [Display omitted] • The theoretical evaluations on Co-CoTe heterostructure reveal its large work function difference and BIEF. • Co-CoTe heterostructures in tiny carbon nanotube assemble the Co-CoTe@HFS hollow fibers. • The Co-CoTe@HFS has good flexibility and superior oxygen catalytic properties. • The full ZAB with Co-CoTe@HFS cathode achieves high performance in diverse environments. The design of highly efficient catalysts to enhance the kinetics of oxygen reduction (OER) and oxygen evolution (ORR) reactions is the key issue for the development of high-performance Zn-air battery. In this work, we report the design of Co-CoTe heterostructured fibers as the bifunctional oxygen catalyst for Zn-air battery. Firstly, the theoretical analysis was carried out on Co-CoTe heterostructure. The large work function difference is favorable to construct strong interfacial built-in electric field (BIEF), and the low energy barrier endows high catalytic activities. Moreover, the in-situ grown carbon shell was designed to build "core–shell" Co-CoTe/C unit to realize its high performance. They assemble the Co-CoTe@HFS fiber with good self-supporting and flexible features. Taken the advantages of the strong BIEF, the "core–shell" basic unit, and the freestanding substrate, the Co-CoTe@HFS fiber achieves the good electrocatalytic properties and high reliability. The full Zn-air battery (ZAB) with the Co/CoTe@HFS air cathode achieves the high peak power density and cycling stability over long-term cycling. Therefore, this work provides a clue to design bifunctional oxygen catalysts for high-performance ZABs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental and ecological concerns drive researchers to synthesize functional materials using components from natural resources. Nanocellulose (NC), derived from plants, marine animals, or microorganisms, is a green material attracting attention due to its abundance, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. NC’s interstice properties enable the synthesis of functional nanocomposites in forms like aerogels, foams, paper, sheets, or hollow filaments. This review briefly describes NC classification and production while comprehensively presenting its mechanical, rheological, optical, and electrical properties, offering foundational knowledge for future research. Additionally, it highlights recent developments in NC-based products across fields such as papermaking, water treatment, civil engineering, electronics, cosmetics, food, and medicine. For the first time, this paper explores recent advances in NC molecular simulation, providing insights into structure, arrangement, and interactions through molecular dynamic simulation. Finally, future prospects for NC-based applications are discussed to encourage studies addressing current challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a hollow-core fiber (HCF) based transient absorption experiment, with capabilities beyond common titanium:sapphire based setups. By spectral filtering of the HCF spectrum, we provide pump pulses centered at 425 nm with several hundred nJ of pulse energy at the sample position. By employing the red edge of the HCF output for seeding CaF2, we obtain smooth probing spectra in the range between 320 and 900 nm. We demonstrate the capabilities of our experiment by following the ultrafast relaxation dynamics of a radical cationic photocatalyst to prove its pre-association with an arene substrate, a phenomenon that was not detectable previously by steady-state spectroscopic techniques. The detected preassembly rationalizes the successful participation of radical ionic photocatalysts in single electron transfer reactions, a notion that has been subject to controversy in recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global climate change is mainly caused by carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. To help reduce CO2 emissions and conserve thermal energy, sustainable materials based on flexible thermal insulation are developed to minimize heat flux, drawing inspiration from natural systems such as polar bear hairs. The unique structure of hollow double‐shell fibers makes it possible to achieve low thermal conductivity in the material while retaining exceptional elasticity, allowing it to adapt to insulation systems of any shape. The layered system of porous mats reaches a thermal conductivity coefficient of 0.031 W∙m⁻¹∙K⁻¹ and enables to reduce the heat transfer. The results achieved using scanning thermal microscopy (SThM) correlate with the simulated heat flow in the case of individual fibers. This research study brings new insights into the energy efficiency of domestic environments, thereby addressing the growing demand for sustainable and high‐performance insulation materials for saving energy loss and reducing pollution footprint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asymmetric carbon molecular sieve (CMS) hollow fiber membranes with tunable micro‐ and macro‐structural morphologies for energy efficient propylene‐propane separation are reported here. A sub‐glass transition temperature (sub‐Tg) thermal oxidative crosslinking strategy enables simultaneous optimization of the intrinsic molecular sieving properties while also reducing the thickness of the CMS “skin” derived from the 6FDA : BPDA/DAM polyimide precursors. Such synergistic tuning of CMS microstructure and macroscopic morphology of CMS hollow fibers enables significantly increased propylene permeance (reaching 186.5 GPU) while maintaining an appealing propylene/propane selectivity of 13.3 for 50/50 propylene/propane mixed gas feeds. Our findings reveal a more refined and versatile tool than available with previous O2‐doping pretreatments. The advanced approach here should be broadly useful to other polyimide precursors and diverse gas pairs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We proposed a novel fiber Mach–Zehnder interferometer (FMZI) that can perform an ultrahigh extinction ratio (ER), ultracompact, and ultra-broadband interference characteristics. The FMZI structure is based on an extremely tiny hollow core fiber (HCF) with a small diameter of 10 μm (named HCF10) connected with a beam splitter of a large core of 50 μm HCF (named HCF50). The refractive index (RI) of the air core is lower than that of the HCF cladding; a leaky-guided fiber waveguide (LGFW) occurs in such a short-section HCF10 waveguide to simultaneously have the core and cladding modes. To achieve better fringe visibility of the interference, the section of HCF50 assists in splitting the optical light into core and cladding beams launched into the HCF10 with appropriate intensities. Experimental and simulation results show that the optical characteristics of the proposed LGFW-FMZI are very similar. Based on the results of the study, the length of the HCF10 primarily influences the free spectral range (FSR) of the interference spectra, and the HCF50 splitter significantly controls the optimal extinction ratio (ER) of the interference fringes. By exactly adjusting the lengths of HCF10 and HCF50, the proposed fiber interferometers can perform the capability of an ultrahigh ER over 50 dB with the arbitrary FSR in the transmitted interference spectra over an ultra-broad wavelength range of 1250 nm to 1650 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This comprehensive study explores the kinetics of adsorption and its photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange (MO) using an advanced copper-decorated photocatalyst in the form of hollow fibers (HFs). Designed to boost both adsorption capacity and photocatalytic activity, the photocatalyst was tested in batch experiments to efficiently remove MO from aqueous solutions. Various isotherm models, including Langmuir, Freundlich, Sips, Temkin, and Dubinin–Radushkevich, along with kinetic models like pseudo-first and pseudo-second order, Elovich, Bangham, and Weber–Morris, were utilized to assess adsorption capacity and kinetics at varying initial concentrations. The results indicated a favorable MO physisorption on the nanocomposite photocatalyst under specific conditions. Further analysis of photocatalytic degradation under UV exposure revealed that the material maintained high degradation efficiency and stability across different MO concentrations. Through the facilitation of reactive oxygen species generation, oxygen played a crucial role in enhancing photocatalytic performance, while the degradation process following the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model. The study also confirmed the robustness and sustained activity of the nanocomposite photocatalyst, which could be regenerated and reused over five successive cycles, maintaining 92% of their initial performance at concentrations up to 15 mg/L. Overall, this effective nanocomposite photocatalyst structured in the form of HF shows great promise for effectively removing organic pollutants through combined adsorption and photocatalysis, offering valuable potential in wastewater treatment and environmental remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inherent brittleness of ceramics poses significant challenges in the fabrication of hollow ceramic fibers, severely constraining their practical applications. In this study, a novel method for creating three-dimensional hollow fiber ceramic structures using UV-assisted single-channel direct ink writing was demonstrated. A concentric single-channel nozzle featuring shell/core structure was devised through the coaxial embedding method, and this specially designed nozzle was manufactured using digital light processing technology. During the UV-assisted direct ink writing process, the photosensitive ceramic slurry can be rapidly cured in place under the irradiation of UV light, ensuring high fidelity of the printed components. The hollow fiber structure produced in this study has a circular, pentagram, triangular and quadrilateral inner core, which can be adjusted according to the designed nozzle structure. This approach facilitates a straightforward and expedited creation of scaffolds featuring small-diameter hollow fiber structures, broadening the scope of potential applications for direct ink writing. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thrombosis and plasma leakage are two of the most frequent dysfunctions of polypropylene (PP) hollow fiber membrane (PPM) used in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy. In this study, a superhydrophilic endothelial membrane mimetic coating (SEMMC) was constructed on polydopamine-polyethyleneimine pre-coated surfaces of the PPM oxygenator and its ECMO circuit to explore safer and more sustainable ECMO strategy. The SEMMC is fabricated by multi-point anchoring of a phosphorylcholine and carboxyl side chained copolymer (PMPCC) and grafting of heparin (Hep) to form PMPCC-Hep interface, which endows the membrane superior hemocompatibility and anticoagulation performances. Furthermore, the modified PPM reduces protein adsorption amount to less than 30 ng/cm2. More significantly, the PMPCC-Hep coated ECMO system extends the anti-leakage and non-clotting oxygenation period to more than 15 h in anticoagulant-free animal extracorporeal circulation, much better than the bare and conventional Hep coated ECMO systems with severe clots and plasma leakage in 4 h and 8 h, respectively. This SEMMC strategy of grafting bioactive heparin onto bioinert zwitterionic copolymer interface has great potential in developing safer and longer anticoagulant-free ECMO systems. A superhydrophilic endothelial membrane mimetic coating was constructed on surfaces of polypropylene hollow fiber membrane (PPM) oxygenator and its ECMO circuit by multi-point anchoring of a phosphorylcholine and carboxyl side chain copolymer (PMPCC) and grafting of heparin (Hep). The strong antifouling nature of the PMPCC-Hep coating resists the adsorption of plasma bio-molecules, resulting in enhanced hemocompatibility and anti-leakage ability. The grafted heparin on the zwitterionic PMPCC interface exhibits superior anticoagulation property. More significantly, the PMPCC-Hep coating achieves an extracorporeal circulation in a pig model for at least 15 h without any systemic anticoagulant. This endothelial membrane mimetic anticoagulation strategy shows great potential for the development of safer and longer anticoagulant-free ECMO systems. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hollow fibre membrane (HFM) is favourable for carbon dioxide (CO2) due to its high packing density and high volume to area ratio. In this study, the effect of air gap and bore fluid ratio is explored to study its influence on the morphology and separation performance. With high dope extrusion rate (DER), the shear‐induced polymer orientation can be preserved with low air gap which come with the cost of deformed lumen. As such, the coagulant activity of the bore fluid can be reduced by introducing solvent, which in turn reduces rate of phase inversion to prevent sudden contraction of polymer at low air gap, thus allowing proper formation of lumen. With the presence of solvent, the flowability of the dope solution increased due to reduced viscosity as the bore fluid with high solvent content make contact the external coagulant. HFM spun with low air gap with the presence of solvent in the bore fluid shows increased stretched ratio due to the influence of gravitational pull upon being extruded from the spinneret. This in turn improved the polymer chain orientation due to the stretch across the spinning line. Subsequently, HFM spun with 80 wt.% of N‐methyl‐2‐pyrollidone (NMP) in the bore fluid using narrow gap spinneret with 5‐cm air gap shows the highest ideal CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4 selectivity at 23.4 and 28 respectively, even though it also exhibit the lowest CO2 permeance at only 3.1 GPU which was ascribed to the formation of dense skin layer. Meanwhile, when HFM was spun with a bigger annulus gap, the ideal CO2/N2 and CO2/CH4 selectivity slightly dropped, however the CO2 permeance exhibit increment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visible light is an important energy source for all living organisms on Earth. Given the importance of visible light, visible light sensors have attracted widespread interest from scientists. With the rapid development of wearable devices, the sensors used in them need to be flexible, stretchable, and lightweight. Herein, an intelligent electrolyte based on spiropyran (SP) that responds to visible light is developed. The reversible change rate in the electrical resistance of an SP/FeCl3·6H2O methyl cyanide (MeCN) aqueous solution under visible light irradiation is as high as 19.26%. Additionally, flexible and conductive fibrous visible light sensors with a core‐sheath structure are prepared using an SP/FeCl3·6H2O MeCN aqueous solution and silicon rubber hollow fibers as the core and outer layers, respectively. These fibrous visible light sensors are then woven into fabrics with multiple functions, such as sensing and locating visible light, reversible photochromism, and thermal management. The fibrous visible light sensors and fabrics prepared in this study have broad development prospects and application potential in the fields of fashion, smart textiles, flexible conductive fibers, flexible fibrous sensors, electronic skins, and wearable devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relying on the long-distance mode retention capability of hollow core fibers (HCFs) to achieve particle capture and advancement has become a breakthrough in optical tweezers research. This first requires the HCF to get a balance long distance and pure mode. However, the unique light guide mechanism and complex drawing process make it a difficult question to decrease the number of the allowed modes. In this paper, a hollow core photonic bandgap fiber (HC-PBF) that only supports pure TE01 mode over 100 nm bandwidth covering the C + L band with the lowest loss of 10.2 dB/km is proposed. The core wall is used as the only control variable to control the coupling position of surface modes (SMs) in the bandgap to filter unwanted modes and achieve stable single-mode transmission in the fiber. The thick core wall allows the fiber to be crimped to a radius of 0.25 mm. Moreover, characteristics such as mode conversion and manufacturing tolerances are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the interactions between nitric oxide (NO)/nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and the polymer materials of a gas exchanger system used in an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) setting are characterized. FTIR-ATR, XPS, and SEM were used to analyze the effects of the gas treatment. The polymer materials used in the gas exchanger system consisted of polymethylpentene (PMP) hollow fiber membranes, inlet/outlet caps made of methyl methacrylate acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (MABS), casting material consisting of polyurethane (PU), and the gas hoses made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Gas treatment with NO and NO2 was conducted, with exposure times ranging from 30 min to 10 days. The gas concentrations range from 80 to 1000 ppm in the case of NO2 and a maximum of 10,000 ppm in the case of NO. The formation of nitro and nitrate ester groups and nitric acid (HNO3) adsorption on the polymers' surface was observed using FTIR-ATR and XPS. The investigations showed that these effects depend on exposure time and gas concentration. The alterations persisted over more extended periods. The XPS measurements showed that the reaction only occurred exclusively on the surface of the polymers. The recorded SEM images showed no macroscopic changes in the surface structures of the polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen sulfide is present in active or extinct volcanic areas (mofettas). The habitable premises in these areas are affected by the presence of hydrogen sulfide, which, even in low concentrations, gives off a bad to unbearable smell. If the living spaces considered are closed enclosures, then a system can be designed to reduce the concentration of hydrogen sulfide. This paper presents a membrane-based way to reduce the hydrogen sulfide concentration to acceptable limits using a cellulosic derivative–propylene hollow fiber-based composite membrane module. The cellulosic derivatives considered were: carboxymethyl–cellulose (NaCMC), P1; cellulose acetate (CA), P2; methyl 2–hydroxyethyl–cellulose (MHEC), P3; and hydroxyethyl–cellulose (HEC), P4. In the permeation module, hydrogen sulfide is captured with a solution of cadmium that forms cadmium sulfide, usable as a luminescent substance. The composite membranes were characterized by SEM, EDAX, FTIR, FTIR 2D maps, thermal analysis (TG and DSC), and from the perspective of hydrogen sulfide air removal performance. To determine the process performances, the variables were as follows: the nature of the cellulosic derivative–polypropylene hollow fiber composite membrane, the concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the polluted air, the flow rate of polluted air, and the pH of the cadmium nitrate solution. The pertraction efficiency was highest for the sodium carboxymethyl–cellulose (NaCMC)–polypropylene hollow fiber membrane, with a hydrogen sulfide concentration in the polluted air of 20 ppm, a polluted air flow rate (QH2S) of 50 L/min, and a pH of 2 and 4. The hydrogen sulfide flux rates, for membrane P1, fall between 0.25 × 10−7 mol·m2·s−1 for the values of QH2S = 150 L/min, CH2S = 20 ppm, and pH = 2 and 0.67 × 10−7 mol·m−2·s−1 for the values of QH2S = 50 L/min, CH2S = 60 ppm, and pH = 2. The paper proposes a simple air purification system containing hydrogen sulfide, using a module with composite cellulosic derivative–polypropylene hollow fiber membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer fibers are considered ideal transmission media for all-optical networks, but their high intrinsic loss significantly limits their practical use. Quantum dot-doped polymer fiber amplifiers are emerging as a promising solution to this issue and are becoming a significant focus of research in both academia and industry. Based on the properties of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots and PMMA material, this study experimentally explores three fabrication methods for CdSe/ZnS quantum dots-doped PMMA fibers: hollow fiber filling, melt-drawing, and melt extrusion. The advantages and disadvantages of each method and key issues in fiber fabrication are analyzed. Utilizing the CdSe/ZnS quantum dots-doped PMMA fibers that were fabricated, we theoretically analyzed the key factors affecting gain performance, including fiber length, quantum dots doping concentration, and signal light intensity. Under the conditions of 1.5 W power and 445 nm laser pumping, a maximum on-off gain of 16.2 dB was experimentally achieved at 635 nm. Additionally, using a white light LED as the signal source, a broadband on-off gain with a bandwidth exceeding 70 nm and a maximum gain of 12.4 dB was observed in the 580–650 nm range. This research will contribute to the development of quantum dots-doped fiber devices and broadband optical communication technology, providing more efficient solutions for future optical communication networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of different braid materials (polyethylene terephthalate, nylon 6, and their hybrid), weaving frequencies of the braids (7, 9, 11, 13 Hz), and concentrations of polyether sulfone solution (15% and 18 wt%) on braid angles, braid thickness, and bursting resistance. The results showed that for all types of single and hybrid braids, the braid angle decreases with increasing spinning frequency. When spinning frequency was increased from 7 to 13 Hz, the average wall thickness of polyethylene terephthalate, nylon 6, and the hybrid braids increased by approximately 50%, 65%, and 60%, respectively. The bursting pressure results were obtained in the range of 9.3 to 20.2 bars. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results revealed no chemical bond between the braids and the polyether sulfone layer. Optical and electron microscope analyses revealed formation of uniform thickness of the polyether sulfone layers on the surface of the braids, as well as the penetration of polyether sulfone into the gaps between the filaments. The analyses also showed macroscopic adhesion of polyether sulfone to the braids and provided information on the amount and size of the pores in the polymer layers. The results showed that the selection of appropriate weaving frequency, braid materials, and polyether sulfone layer concentration are important as controllable parameters for producing polymeric hollow fiber composites with excellent burst pressure resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mullite fibers possess low thermal conductivity, excellent high-temperature stability, and thermal shock resistance, making them extensively utilized in high-temperature heat-insulating components. However, the majority of current mullite fibers have solid structures, limiting the potential for further enhancement of their heat-insulating properties. Metaplexis fiber, a plant fiber with a hollow structure, effectively obstructs heat transfer, and therefore exhibits excellent heat-insulating properties. In this study, we employed metaplexis fibers as templates to fabricate mullite fibers with hollow structures. First, a precursor solution was prepared using Al(NO 3) 3 ·9H 2 O and ethyl orthosilicate as the solute and anhydrous ethanol as the solvent. The metaplexis fibers were immersed in the solution, removed, and dried to obtain precursor fibers. Finally, the precursor fibers were heated to the target temperature to obtain hollow mullite fibers. The investigation focused on the impact of preparation parameters such as sintering temperature, precursor solution concentration, and aluminum–silicon molar ratio on the morphologies, phases, pore-size distributions, and thermal conductivities of the resulting hollow mullite fibers. The results demonstrated that the prepared mullite fibers inherited the hollow structure of metaplexis fibers, with the cavity diameter in the range of 3–6 μm and porosity of 91 %. Compared to traditional solid mullite fibers, the thermal insulation performance was improved by more than 59 %. These findings highlight the significant potential of hollow ceramic fibers for the development of heat-insulating materials. Using the unique characteristics of their hollow structure, these fibers offer improved heat-insulating properties compared to their solid counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hollow fiber filter is the primary cell‐retention device used in high‐density perfusion cell culture and often used in an alternating tangential flow (ATF) configuration. The limited commercially available diaphragm pumps for ATF prevent utilization of vertical space when scaling beyond 500 L. Stacking hollow fiber filters coupled with viscous cell culture imposes vacuum pressure exceeding facility capabilities. Additionally, the longer filter assembly increases the hold‐up volume and exceeds the diaphragm pump's fluid exchange capacity. The conventional tangential flow filtration (TFF) configuration circumvents this issue by exchanging culture from the bioreactor and cell‐retention device in a unidirectional recirculation loop; however, the increased filter length when scaled up exacerbates the TFF's inherent issue with product retention from Starling flow. Stacking commercially available 20 cm TFF filters to make up the similar single‐module length TFF used for the platform 3 and 50 L perfusion process at 41.5 and 65 cm, respectively, attempts to reduce fouling caused by Starling flow. The permeate of a single‐module filter is partitioned into short independent segments through serially stacked filters, each harvested separately. By partitioning the permeate, the sieving coefficient increased for both 3 and 50 L scales. Reduction of Starling flow was confirmed with lower total hydraulic membrane resistance throughout the culture. This work demonstrates a method for increasing sieving coefficient and filter capacity by stacking TFF filters with independent permeate streams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this study is to conduct pioneering research on utilizing poplar seed hair fibers in needle punched nonwovens. These fibers were blended with hollow PET fibers at two different weight ratios to obtain needle punched webs for the first time. The weight, thickness, abrasion resistance, bursting and tensile properties, hydrophobic/oleophilic surface characteristics of the nonwovens are analyzed elaborately. Finally, it has been demonstrated that poplar fiber-containing nonwovens have superior rose oil absorption compared to solely PET nonwoven fabrics. When compared the maximum adsorption capacities, the incorporation of 37.3 wt.% and 21.7 wt.% poplar fiber into PET nonwoven increased the oil absorption by approximately 35 and 24 times, respectively. Although pristine PET nonwoven was able to remove only 16% of MB dye from aqueous dye solution, addition of poplar fiber enhanced the removal process and the solution had been decolorized to nearly colorless. The results indicated that poplar blended nonwoven fabrics treated with NaClO2 show the high-performance removal of MB dye from wastewater, with the increased percentage of 40% and 67% for PET-PO30 and PET-PO60 fabric, respectively. Therefore, developing industrial scale surfaces with non-traditional and sustainable poplar seed fibers, marks a significant advancement for the textile industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the flexural behavior of reinforced concrete one-way slabs with longitudinal hollows. Hollow ratios (weight reductions) used in this work are 11.43% and 22.86%. Two longitudinal reinforcement ratios (ρ = 0.58 % and 1.03 %) and four steel fibers volumetric ratios (Vf = 0, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8%), were used. Results show that slabs with longitudinal hollows having weight reduction up to 22.86%, show reductions in strength (ultimate load) up to 32% and toughness (energy absorption) up to 45% and higher deflections compared to corresponding solid slabs. However, these reductions lowered to 27.5% and 24.5%, respectively using 0.8% steel fibers or 6.3% and 25.5%, respectively by increasing longitudinal reinforcement from 0.58% to 1.03%. Furthermore, increasing longitudinal reinforcement from 0.58% to 1.03% along with using 0.4% steel fibers in a hollow slab gives a strength gain of 17.5% with a reduction in toughness of only 9.8% compared to reference solid slab with 0.58% longitudinal reinforcement and 0% steel fibers. Results also showed that hollow slabs offer stiffer load deflection behavior (lower deflections) and less maximum crack width as longitudinal reinforcement and/or steel fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the advancements in brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) and reverse engineering the brain, highlighting the convergence of neuroscience, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence. BMIs facilitate direct interaction between the human brain and external technological equipment, with applications in healthcare, robotics, and personal performance improvement. Reverse engineering the brain aims to decipher its complex pathways for potential interventions in disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The ethical implications of these technologies, including privacy concerns and the potential for exploitation, are also addressed in the article. [Extracted from the article]

Sample preparation is the first and most important step of analytical methods, especially for the analysis of complex matrices such as soil. A new and simple microextraction method termed solvent bar microextraction (SBME) was able to provide good results in terms of precision, accuracy, selectivity, and enrichment factor. Here, for the first time, a new analytical method based on ion-pair solvent bar microextraction (IP-SBME) in combination with UV–Visible spectrophotometry was introduced for the simple determination of paraquat (PQ) in soil samples. In this two phase process, an anionic surfactant was added initially into the donor solution to form a hydrophobic ion pair with the cationic analyte. Thereupon, the ion pair formed was enriched into organic solvent immobilized in the pores and lumen of the hollow fiber (HF) and finally back washed with methanol. Significant parameters affecting the proposed method were optimized as pH 6, concentration of SDS 5 mM, stirring rate of 500 rpm, time of extraction 15 min, without addition of salt. Under the optimized extraction conditions, the method showed a good linear dynamic range (1–2000 μgL−1) with a lower limit of detection (0.3 μgL−1) and excellent preconcentration factor (PF = 355.34). Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of PQ in soil samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) modified hollow fiber (HF) membranes have been synthesized by dry‐jet wet phase inversion technique for desalination via direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD). UiO‐66 metal‐Organic framework (MOF) and surface‐modified UiO‐66 with h‐BN nanomaterial have been incorporated with PVDF‐HF membrane. The various analytical methods like FE‐SEM, FTIR, PXRD, TGA, tensile strength, were used to characterize prepared MOF and HF membranes. It was observed from DCMD results that the h‐BN@UiO‐66/PVDF (M3) HF membrane gives higher flux than UiO‐66/PVDF (M2) and pure PVDF (M1) membrane. In the present investigation, response surface methodology (RSM) by box‐behnken design (BBD) was used to optimize the DCMD system and evaluate the behavior of operating parameters such as feed temperature, feed concentration, and feed flow rate. The optimum operating values of feed temperature, feed flow rate, and feed concentration were found as 65 °C, 1 LPM, and 1.5 wt.%, respectively. Under optimum conditions, the M3 HF membrane gives the highest flux of 26.78 L/m2 ⋅ h compared to M2 and M1 membranes. During DCMD, salt rejection is almost greater than 99.8 % for all prepared membranes. Other salts like potassium chloride (KCl), Magnisium Sulphate (MgSO4), and calcium sulphate (CaSO4) are also used to check salt rejection of all membranes at optimum operating conditions. Moreover, the M3 membrane exhibits stable permeate flux and high salt rejection (>99.9 %) at optimized process parameters over 80 h running. Overall, the present study provides the positive effects of h‐BN nanoparticles and UiO‐66 MOF on HF membrane to improve performance in DCMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this Letter, we present the generation of terawatt-scale few-cycle short-wave infrared (SWIR) lasers using nonlinear compression in a large-core gas-filled hollow core fiber. Through the experimental verification, we investigate the energy scaling properties and nonlinear pulse propagation in the argon-filled hollow core fiber. At static pressure, the system delivers pulses with 5.55 mJ/9.04 fs at a central wavelength of 1.45 μm, resulting in a peak power of about 0.5 TW. Subsequently, based on the chirped input pulses and pressure gradient, the system delivers terawatt-scale two-cycle SWIR pulses with 9.52 mJ/10.65 fs, resulting in a record peak power of about 0.7 TW. This study marks a crucial advancement in the field of SWIR ultra-intense, ultrashort pulse nonlinear interaction platforms. This high-energy, few-cycle SWIR source has significant applications in high-intensity THz radiation, x-ray generation, and other fields of strong-field physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The separation of p‐xylene from its xylene isomers (o‐xylene, m‐xylene) is a significant concern in the petrochemical industry. MFI zeolite membranes offer great potential for energy‐efficient and high‐selective xylene separation. Synthesizing ultrathin (< 1 µm) MFI zeolite membrane for high‐flux separation is highly desired but remains challenging. Herein, a novel and facile strategy for synthesizing hierarchical MFI zeolite membranes on ceramic hollow fibers from multi‐dimensionally assembled (2D@0D) seed layers is demonstrated. Owing to the rapid growth of 0D MFI seeds and the voids‐preserved growth of stacked 2D MFI seeds, the hierarchical MFI membrane synthesized for 2 h yielded an ultrathin skin layer (≈255 nm thick) and many macro‐voids within the sublayer (void fraction: 14.86%), which facilitated molecular permeation and simultaneously maintained high separation selectivity of zeolitic pores. The membrane exhibited over sevenfold higher p‐xylene permeance (2.81 × 10−7 mol m−2 s−1 Pa−1) and over threefold improved p‐/o‐xylene separation factor (1228) than the conventional MFI membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Only 35.6%–50.8% of patients with Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) pulmonary disease achieve sustained sputum culture conversion (SSCC) on treatment with the azithromycin-ethambutol-rifabutin standard of care (SOC). We tested the efficacy of ceftriaxone, a β-lactam with a lung-to-serum penetration ratio of 12.18-fold. Methods We mimicked lung concentration-time profiles of 7 ceftriaxone once-daily doses for 28 days in the hollow fiber system model of intracellular MAC (HFS-MAC). Monte Carlo experiments were used for dose selection. We also compared once-daily ceftriaxone monotherapy to 3-drug SOC against 5 MAC clinical isolates in HFS-MAC using γ (kill) slopes, and translated to SSCC rates. Results Ceftriaxone killed 1.02–3.82 log10 colony-forming units (CFU)/mL, at optimal dose of 2 g once-daily. Ceftriaxone killed all 5 strains below day 0 versus 2 of 5 for SOC. The median γ (95% confidence interval [CI]) was 0.49 (.47–.52) log10 CFU/mL/day for ceftriaxone and 0.38 (.34–.43) log10 CFU/mL/day for SOC. In patients, the SOC was predicted to achieve SSCC rates (CI) of 39.3% (36%–42%) at 6 months. The SOC SSCC was 50% at 8.18 (3.64–27.66) months versus 3.58 (2.20–7.23) months for ceftriaxone, shortening time to SSCC 2.35-fold. Conclusions Ceftriaxone is a promising agent for creation of short-course chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the hydrophilicity of carboxylated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and the paramagnetism of ferroferric oxide (Fe3O4), a CNT‐Fe3O4 nanocomplex was produced by in situ liquid phase synthesis and a magnetically induced polysulfone amide (PSA) composited CNT‐Fe3O4 ultrafiltration membrane was prepared using an immersion precipitation phase transformation with an inexpensive PSA fiber as the matrix. Fe3O4 nanoparticles were distributed evenly on the CNTs, and the obtained CNT‐Fe3O4 complex exhibited good magnetic properties. For the magnetically induced PSA composited CNT‐Fe3O4 ultrafiltration membrane, the water flux and retention rate under the magnetic field of 1450 Gs were 421.26 L/m2 h and 96.70%, respectively; porosity and pore size were 38.75% and 58.52 nm; contact angle was 39.48°; average tensile strength was 4.61 N/mm2; and weight retention rate reached 29.00% under heat treatment at 900°C. The water flux decreased by 5.40% and 39.33% after 3 weeks of acid and alkaline immersions, respectively. The inhibition zone diameter of Escherichia coli was 11 ± 0.24 mm, and that of Staphylococcus aureus was 11 ± 0.35 mm. The magnetically induced PSA composited CNT‐Fe3O4 ultrafiltration membrane demonstrated stronger electronegativity, smaller average roughness, higher flux recovery rate value, and lower irreversible flux recovery rate value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is the first to focus on the preconcentration and determination of histamine (HIS) in food samples using zeolite imidazole frameworks (ZIFs) on a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) platform. ZIF was developed on a polypropylene hollow fiber (PPHF) substrate (ZIF@PPHF) and characterized. The extraction performance was optimized by adjusting several parameters, including pH, contact time for adsorption, and desorption conditions. Under the optimized conditions, a wide linear dynamic range (0.05–250 mg/L) with high R2 values (0.9989), low limit of detection (0.019 mg/L), and low limit of quantification (0.050 mg/L) were determined as analytical figures of merit. Additionally, a reusability study confirmed that ZIF@PPHF preconcentrated 83% of the HIS up to the fourth cycle. The developed method was used to preconcentrate HIS in fish and cheese samples. The spiked real samples confirmed the validity and accuracy of this method. The percentage mean recoveries ± relative standard deviation (% RSD, n = 3) at the concentration levels of 5, 10, and 50 mg/L of HIS and the sample amount of 5 g for intra- and inter days ranged from 97 ± 1.10 to 102.80 ± 0.90 and from 96.40 ± 1.82 to 103.40 ± 0.79, respectively. The results suggest that the analytical method validation parameters were acceptable, indicating the repeatability and sensitivity of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Separating helium (He) and hydrogen (H2), two gases that are extremely similar in molecular size and condensation properties, presents a formidable challenge in the helium industry. The development of membranes capable of precisely differentiating between these gases is crucial for achieving large‐scale, energy‐efficient He/H2 separation. However, the limited selectivity of current membranes has hindered their practical application. In this study, we propose a novel approach to overcome this challenge by engineering submicroporous membranes through the fluorination of partially carbonized hollow fibers. We demonstrate that the fluorine substitution on the inner rim of the micropore walls within the carbon hollow fibers enables tunability of the microporous architecture. Furthermore, it enhances interactions between H2 molecules and the micropore walls through the polarization and hydrogen bonding induced by C−F bonds, resulting in simultaneous improvements in both He/H2 diffusivity and solubility selectivities. The fluorinated HFM‐550‐F‐1 min membrane exhibits exceptional mixed‐gas separation performance, with a binary mixed‐gas He/H2 selectivity of 10.5 and a ternary mixed‐gas He/(H2+CO2) selectivity of 20.8, at 40 bar feed pressure and 35 °C, surpassing all previously reported polymer‐based gas separation membranes, and remarkable plasticization resistance and long‐term continuous stability over 30 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]