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A newly developed research topic, fabricated paper-based microfluidic sensors, was discussed in the field of low-cost environmental detection. Distinguished with the traditional dipstick or lateral-flow setups, these paper-based microfluidic sensors can serve as a tool for onsite quantitative and semi-quantitative measurements, without risks to cause environmental pollution. They have attracted increasing interest since the first easy-fabricated paper-based setup reported by Whitesides group in 2007. Most of the publications utilized paper-based sensors in clinical detection. In recent years, some groups started to use these sensors in environmental measurement, leading to precise, easy operation, low-cost, and eco-friendly methods for onsite detection. In this review, paper-based microfluidic sensors were briefly introduced, followed by literatures review and discussion for future perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to severe acute respiratory syndrome-corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) prompts humoral immune responses in the human body. As the auxiliary diagnosis of a current infection, the existence of viral proteins can be checked from specific antibodies (Abs) induced by immunogenic viral proteins. For people with a weakened immune system, Ab treatment can help neutralize viral antigens to resist and treat the disease. On the other hand, highly immunogenic viral proteins can serve as effective markers for detecting prior infections. Additionally, the identification of viral particles or the presence of antibodies may help establish an immune defense against the virus. These immunogenic proteins rather than SARS-CoV-2 can be given to uninfected people as a vaccination to improve their coping ability against COVID-19 through the generation of memory plasma cells. In this work, we review immunogenic and immune-response proteins derived from SARS-CoV-2 with regard to their classification, origin, and diverse applications (e.g., prevention (vaccine development), diagnostic testing, and treatment (via neutralizing Abs)). Finally, advanced immunization strategies against COVID-19 are discussed along with the contemporary circumstances and future challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread globally since December 2019 and has generated distinctive spikes in death counts. To effectively control the viral spread, decision-makers and public health experts have advocated a number ofㅜa strategies (e.g., testing, tracing, and full vaccination). For all those damage control measures, diagnosis is the first and critical step that enables subsequent countermeasures against COVID-19. In diagnostic research, molecular and immunological tests (immunoassays) are generally regarded as the two major options. This review focuses on recent advances in in vitro immunoassays for COVID-19 diagnosisnsive view of the ba with a comprehensive discussion on the basic strategies available to establish advanced immunological detection systems for COVID-19. This review is thus expected to help develop upscaled point-of-care diagnostic systems for efficient screening of COVID-19 and for early seroprevalence surveys toward possible future COVID-19 outbreaks. • Diagnosis is the first and critical step for countermeasure against COVID-19. • Overall merits of immunological tests for diagnosing COVID-19 are fully summarized. • Research hotspots and outlooks for immunoassays are reviewed from new perspectives. • The review offers a diagnostic reference for highly contagious diseases like COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of a high specific capacity and stable vanadium-based cathode material is very attractive for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs). Herein, an in situ electrochemically oxidized cathode is fabricated based on a V2O3@MXene cathode for Zn-ion storage. V2O3@MXene undergoes a phase transition to Zn3(OH)2V2O7·2H2O and ZnyVOz on the first charge, thus allowing for the subsequent insertion/de-insertion of zinc ions, which can be regulated by the amount of H2O in the electrolyte. The MXene in the composite was also beneficial to electron transfer and cycling stability. V2O3@MXene delivered a high capacity of 450 mA h g−1 at 0.2 A g−1, ultra-high-rate performance and cycling stability as well as high energy density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanozymes are synthetic compounds with enzyme-like tunable catalytic properties. The success of nanozymes for catalytic applications can be attributed to their small dimensions, cost-effective synthesis, appreciable stability, and scalability to molecular dimensions. The emergence of single atom nanozymes (SANzymes) has opened up new possibilities in bioanalytical applications. In this regard, this review outlines enzyme-mimicking features of SANzymes for food safety applications in relation to the key variables controlling their catalytic performance. The discussion is extended further to cover the applications of SANzymes for the monitoring of various compounds/biomaterials of significance with respect to food safety (e.g., pesticides, veterinary drug residues, foodborne pathogenic bacteria, mycotoxins/bacterial endotoxin, antioxidant residues, hydrogen peroxide residues, and heavy metal ions). Furthermore, the performance of SANzymes is evaluated in terms of various performance metrics such as limit of detection (LOD), linear dynamic range, and figure of merit (FoM). The challenges and future road map for the applications of SANzymes are also addressed along with their upscaling in the area of food safety. [Display omitted] • SANzymes exhibit enzyme-mimicking tunable catalytic properties. • SANzymes offer small dimensions, cost effective and scalable synthesis, and good stability. • The applications of SANzymes for monitoring of food contaminants has been discussed. • The performance of SANzymes has been evaluated in terms of LOD, LDR, and FoM. • The challenges and future road map of SANzymes for food safety applications have been outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu-Fe 2 VO 4 porous nanorods are obtained by introducing Cu2+ into MIL-88A(Fe) and further ion-exchanged with NH 4 VO 3 , exhibiting excellent zinc storage properties as an cathode in zinc-ion battery. [Display omitted] Zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) have attracted an increasing attention as a potential low-cost, environmentally friendliness, and high-safety energy storage system. Among them, transition metal vanadates with high oxidation state vanadium have great potential in ZIBs cathode research due to their high theoretical capacity. However, many vanadate particles still inevitably suffer from low ion mobility, low electrical conductivity and stability. Cation doping or compositing is an effective pathway capable of enhancing electrical conductivity. In this work, layered Cu-Fe 2 VO 4 porous nanorods are obtained by introducing Cu2+ into MIL-88A(Fe) (a metal–organic framework; MIL stands for materials from Institute Lavoisier) and further ion-exchanged with NH 4 VO 3 , exhibiting excellent zinc storage properties as an cathode. The existence of oxygen vacancies and the change of electronic structure caused by Cu2+ substituting part of Fe2+ enhanced the conductivity and electron transfer rate. It delivers a reversible discharge capacity of 237 mAh/g at 0.3 A/g and a satisfactory high rate capacity of 126 mAh/g after 30 cycles at 5 A/g, and stable cycling performance (198 mAh/g after 1000 cycles at 1 A/g). Furthermore, the energy density can reached to 230.97 Wh kg−1 at 208.6 W kg−1. The assembled quasi-solid-state ZIBs maintain a high capacitance retention of 75% after 8000 cycles at 1 A/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viral detection presents a host of challenges for even the most sensitive analytical techniques, and the complexity of common detection platforms typically preclude portability. With these considerations in mind, we designed a paper microzone plate-based virus detection system for the detection of viral genetic material that can be performed with simple instruments. The sensing system can detect viral cDNA reverse-transcribed from total RNA extraction by utilizing a biotinylated capture probe and an Alexa Fluor® 647-labeled reporter probe. The biotinylated capture probe was linked to the paper surface via NeutrAvidin® that was physically adsorbed on the paper. After addition of reverse-transcribed sample and reporter probe in sequence, the reverse-transcribed target captured the reporter probe and tethered it to the capture probe in a bridged format. Fluorescence intensity was imaged using a Western blot imaging system, and higher target concentration was visible by the increased emission intensity from Alexa Fluor® 647. By utilizing paper, this detection setup could also serve as a sample concentration method via evaporation, which could remarkably lower the detection limit if needed. This detection platform used Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) RNA as a proof-of-concept by sensing cDNA resulting from reverse transcription and can be further expanded as a general method for other pathogens. EBV is a well-known human tumor virus, which has also recently been linked to the development of cervical cancer. The assay was accomplished within two hours including the room-temperature RNA extraction and reverse transcription steps. Also, this paper microzone plate-based platform can potentially be applicable for the development of point-of-care (POC) detection kits or devices due to its robust design, convenient interface, and easy portability. The experiment could be stopped after each step, and continued at a later time. The shelf-life of the modified paper plate setup was at least 3 months without a discernible change in signal, and the result from day 1 could be read at 3 months – both of which are important criteria for POC analytical testing tools, especially in resource-poor settings. All of the required assay steps could potentially be performed without any significant equipment using inexpensive paper microzone plates, which will be ideal for further development of POC testing devices. Although, this platform is not at the stage where it can be directly used in a point-of-care setting, it does have fundamental characteristics such as a stable platform, a simple detection method, and relatively common reagents that align closely with a POC system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperbranched epoxy resins (HEPs) attract an increasingly interest due to their remarkably reinforcing and toughening properties on thermoset. A major challenge for HEPs is the serious environmental pollution resulted from the large amount of organic solvents used during tedious synthetic procedure. Another challenge is low yield and low epoxy content of HEPs, resulting in low crosslinking density and impairing mechanical strength and compatibility with matrix. Here we report a fast and environmentally friendly approach to addressing these challenges using a UV-initiated thiol-ene click reaction. The new synthesis process has been used to prepare not only hyperbranched epoxides with high epoxy content, and also many kinds of glycidyl ether epoxy resins (mono-epoxide, di-epoxides, tri-epoxides) based on thiols precursors and allylglycidyl ether. Their chemical structures and molecular weights were characterized by FT-IR, 1 H NMR, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI–MS) and GPC spectra. All the click reactions took only 5–10 min of UV radiation at room temperature and show very high yields between 98.1 and 99.8%, and epoxy equivalent weight of all the epoxy resins is very close to its theoretical value. This fast and environmentally friendly process may open a new avenue for the design and synthesis of HEPs as well as common epoxy resins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc sulfide (ZnS) is an important photocatalytic and photoelectric material. Considerable efforts have been devoted to developing processes for synthesis of wurtzite ZnS with controllable morphology and structure. Control over the crystal structure and preparation of sphalerite ZnS remains to be a challenge. Here we report controllable fabrication of self-assembled ZnS particles in a number of crystal structures and morphologies using an amino-ended hyperbranched polyamide as template. The parameters affecting the morphology of the self-assembled ZnS, including template content, reaction temperature and time, molar ratio between zinc acetate and dithizone, were discussed in detail. We obtained three types (spherical, cubical and flower-shaped) of ZnS self-assemblies by tuning the reaction temperature. Both the cubical and the flower-shaped self-assembled ZnS particles are identified as forms of cubic sphalerite structure and the spherical particles are identified as a hexagonal wurtzite structure. In the fabrication of spherical self-assembled ZnS particles, initial ZnS crystal particles form first, and this followed by the formation of ZnS nanorods due to aggregation of the ZnS crystal particles and self-assembly of ZnS nanorods. The microstructure, morphology and optical properties of the self-assembled ZnS particles were characterized using SEM, XRD, XPS, Raman, UV–vis absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is generally made by painful and prolonged procedures for blood screening. Therefore, it is desirable to develop rapid, non-invasive monitoring strategies as an alternative. It is noted that the majority of the typical molecular markers related to the progression and diagnosis of CKD have not been explored sufficiently for the clinical applications. This review extends systematic and critical overview on the microfluidic wearable biosensors for the monitoring of CKD associated targets in peripheral body fluids (e.g., interstitial fluid (ISF), sweat, saliva, and tears). The performance of recently reported wearable devices is also assessed in terms of various quality assurance parameters used for the analysis of CKD related metabolites (i.e., limit of detection, measurement range, and analytical method). At last, our discussion is extended to the various challenges and future prospects for their practical adoption and upscaling. [Display omitted] • The potential of wearable devices is explored for POC diagnosis of CKD biomarkers. • Basic architecture of a typical wearable biosensing device has been discussed. • The resistive nature of skin, saliva, and tears for wearable biosensors is described. • Various biosensing modalities are evaluated for detection of CKD biomarkers. • Challenges for the diagnosis of CKD biomarkers by wearable devices are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a method for the visual and colorimetric determination of total nereistoxin-related insecticide residues. It is based on the nereistoxin-induced aggregation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The nereistoxin-related insecticides are first converted to nereistoxins in a pretreatment step that involves liquid-liquid extraction and hydrolysis for sample clean-up. Next, the interaction between nereistoxins and AuNPs provides a possibility to visually semi-quantify or accurately quantify nereistoxins because it is associated with a color change from red to blue. The interaction between nereistoxins and AuNPs is caused by the electrostatic interactions and the strong Au-S covalent bonds. The photometric assay is performed by measuring the ratio of absorbances at 660 and 519 nm, respectively. It has a detection range from 50 to 250 μg kg and a detection limit of 40 μg kg to for the total quantity of nereistoxin-related insecticides. The visually detectable color change to blue occurs in the 50 to 100 μg kg concentration range, and this enables a fast visual test on whether or not the concentration of total nereistoxin-related insecticides exceeds the tolerated level of 100 μg kg. The method was applied to the analysis of nereistoxin-related insecticides in agricultural products. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Existence of endotoxin in food and injection products indicates bacterial contaminations and therefore poses threat to human health. Herein, a simple and rapid colorimetric method for the effective detection of endotoxin in food and injections based on counterion-mediated gold nanorods aggregation is first proposed. By taking advantage of the color change of unmodified gold nanorods resulted from endotoxin mediated gold nanorods aggregation, endotoxin could be detected in the concentration range of 0.01–0.6μM. Further, we studied the performance of gold nanorods with different aspect ratios (2.7 and 3.3) in determination of endotoxin and found that gold nanorods with higher aspect ratio (AR) showed superiority in the sensing sensitivity of endotoxin. A good specificity for endotoxin, a detection limit of 0.0084μM and recoveries ranging from 84% to 109% in spiked food and injection samples are obtained with the colorimetric method. Results demonstrate that the present method provides a novel and effective approach for on-site screening of endotoxin in common products, which is beneficial for monitoring and reducing the risk of bacterial contaminations in food and injections production. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In comparison with carbon and glass fibres, natural fibres can readily absorb a substantial amount of moisture from the surrounding environment, leading to poor interfacial bond with polymer matrices. In this paper, we first present a single fibre microdroplet test procedure for measuring the interfacial shear strength in natural fibre composites. We then investigated the influence of relative humidity (RH) in composite fabrication on the interfacial shear strength and flexural properties of flax/unsaturated polyester composites. The interfacial shear strength of the flax/unsaturated polyester composite started to drop sharply at 70% RH and ended up with a more than sixfold reduction at 90% RH. The results highlighted the importance for air conditioning and dehumidification in natural fibre composite fabrication facilities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The self-assembly of an amido-ended hydrophilic hyperbranched polyester (HTDA-2) into ordered, compact, 2D, tree-like structures with a diameter of over 500 μm and a trunk-width of about 3-5 μm by the induction effect of cupric ions is presented. Influencing factors on the morphology of the self-assemblies, including temperature, time, solvents, concentration, and humidity, investigated by polarizing optical microscopy (POM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), are discussed. The self-assembly mechanism is analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), SEM, and Fourier transform IR (FTIR) spectroscopy. A dimension ( Df) of about 1.50 for the perfect fractal behavior and the crystal behavior of the self-assemblies are determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Recent trend toward semiquantitative strip tests has been driven by a strong demand for rapid screening of toxic or harmful substances in food. Here, a detector-free semiquantitative immunochromatographic assay (ICA) has been developed. In the assay, the test zone is formed by dispensing three test lines [TLs (TL-I, TL-II and TL-III)] with the same capture reagent onto a nitrocellulose membrane. The competition between the migrating analyte and the immobilized capture reagent on three TLs for the limited number of antibody binding sites causes less nanogold–Ab probe to accumulate on TLs, which provides an easily visible color owing to the red color itself. When analyte concentration is up to the threshold level, no color appears on the TL. That's to say, the appearing number of color bands after a reaction indicates the content (range) of analyte. Analyte concentration levels can thus be determined by observing the number of TLs developed in the test zone. Taking major aflatoxins as target analytes, the threshold levels for TL-I–III and the visual detection limit of the detector-free semiquantitative strip (DFQ-strip) assay were determined, respectively. Results show that the DFQ-strip assay is superior to traditional ICAs because it offers multiple dynamic detection ranges and semiquantitative analytical capability. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Addition of natural inorganic nanotubes to epoxy acrylate resin can significantly improve their mechanical properties. Halloysite nanotubes are one kind of novel reinforcing and toughening materials for polymers. In the present work, halloysite nanotubes were compounded to epoxy acrylate resin to improve the wear resistance and toughness of the composites. To improve the embedding of halloysite nanotubes within the epoxy acrylate resin matrix, the halloysite nanotubes surface was grafted by poly (methyl methacrylate). The morphology of the grafted halloysite nanotubes particles demonstrates a core-shell structure with halloysite nanotubes as the core and the grafted polymer as the shell. Poly (methyl methacrylate) was chemically attached to the halloysite nanotubes particles as indicated by the Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results. The poly (methyl methacrylate) grafted halloysite nanotubes (poly (methyl methacrylate)-g-halloysite nanotubes) then compounded with epoxy acrylate resin and composites are formed via ultraviolet-curing method. The hardness, flexibility, impact resistance and wear resistance of epoxy acrylate/poly (methyl methacrylate)-g-halloysite nanotubes composites were markedly improved in comparison with that of neat epoxy acrylate. The improvement was correlated to the well-dispersed halloysite nanotubes and the interfacial bonding between epoxy acrylate resin and poly (methyl methacrylate)-g-halloysite nanotubes. The well dispersion of halloysite nanotubes in the matrix is attributed to the modification on the surface of halloysite nanotubes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The novel hybrid self-assembly of a carboxy-ended hyperbranched polyester/copper complex on glass substrates is presented. Ordered, tree-like self-assemblies with sizes of about 400-900 μm and branch widths of about 1 μm are obtained, which demonstrate an intriguing crystalline and fractal structure by XRD, DSC, and SEM techniques. The fractal dimension ( Df) of 1.67 suggests a perfect supramolecular structure. Factors affecting the morphology of self-assembly, including self-assembly time, relative humidity, and concentration of the complex, are investigated and the hybrid self-assembly is attributed to the synergistic action of cupric ion coordination induction, micelle formation, and diffusion-limited aggregation of micelles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The self-assembly of hyperbranched polymers has attractedmuchattention because of their wide application. In this article, we reporta new facile surface self-assembly method for a carboxyl-ended hyperbranchedpolyester/platinum complex (HTD-3-Pt) and obtain ordered structuralmicrorods with a length of 10–20 μm and a width of 1μm. The length and diameter of the self-assembled microrodscould be increased to 300–600 μm and 4–5 μm,respectively, by hierarchical self-assembly. The main factors affectingthe morphology of the self-assemblies, including temperature, time,solvent and solubility parameter, and relative humidity were discussedby transmission/reflection polarizing optical microscopy (TRPOM),SEM, and HRSEM. The indications for the coordination bond (−COOPt)included the appearance of a new peak at 1606 cm–1and its shifting to 1634 cm–1in the FT-IR spectra,the disappearance of the C 1s peak at about 288.6 eV, and the increasein the O 1s electron binding energy in the XPS spectra. Furthermore,an interesting crystal property of the HTD-3-Pt self-assemblies wasdiscovered and confirmed by XRD. The study results from the surfaceself-assembly mechanism suggest that the coordination induction ofthe platinum ion play a key role in driving microphase separationbetween the intermolecular chains and end groups of the HTD-3-Pt toform the microrod self-assemblies. Another interesting finding wasthat HTD-3-Pt showed a higher catalytic activity for hydrosilylationthan did a traditional homogeneous catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The residue of pesticide has posed a serious threat to human health. Fast, broad-spectrum detection methods are necessary for on-site screening of various types of pesticides. With citrate-coated Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) as colorimetric probes, a visual and spectrophotometric method for rapid assay of cartap, which is one of the most important pesticides in agriculture, is reported for the first time. Based on the color change of Au colloid solution from wine-red to blue resulting from the aggregation of Au NPs, cartap could be detected in the concentration range of 0.05–0.6mg/kg with a low detection limit of 0.04mg/kg, which is much lower than the strictest cartap safety requirement of 0.1mg/kg. Due to the limited research on the rapid detection of cartap based on Au NPs, the performance of the present method was evaluated through aggregation kinetics, interference influence, and sample pretreatment. To further demonstrate the selectivity and applicability of the method, cartap detection is realized in cabbage and tea with excellent analyte concentration recovery. These results demonstrate that the present method provides an easy and effective way to analyze pesticide residue in common products, which is of benefit for the rapid risk evaluation and on-site screening of pesticide residue. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Polyphosphate esters have received a great deal of attention due to their important application in biomaterials field. Hyperbranched structure of polymers may support unique properties, including low viscosity and perfect intrinsic property. We report here three generations of hyperbranched polyphosphate esters (HPPE-1, HPPE-2 and HPPE-3) synthesized from a dehydrochlorination reaction between 1,3,5-tris(2-hydroxyethyl)cyanuric acid (THEIC) and phosphorus oxychloride (POCl3), and characterize their chemical structures by FT-IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, 31P NMR and 2D NMR (1H,1H-COSY and 13C, 1H-HSQC) techniques. Degrees of branching of HPPE-1, HPPE-2 and HPPE-3 are 0.90, 0.91 and 0.87 respectively from the calculation of their 13C NMR spectra. Molecular weights of HPPE-1, HPPE-2 and HPPE-3 are m/z 1530, 1768 and 2750 from their MALDI-TOF-MS spectra. Study on thermal degradation mechanism of the HPPE-2 by a 3D FT-IR/TG technology shows that there are two cracking processes of its molecular chains, including the thermal degradation of hydroxylethyl-ended groups, nitrogen heterocycle and –CH2CH2– groups of HPPE-2. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: It is critical to develop a cost-effective quantitative/semiquantitative assay for rapid diagnosis and on-site detection of toxic or harmful substances. Here, a naked-eye based semiquantitative immunochromatographic strip (NSI-strip) was developed, on which three test lines (TLs, TL-I, TL-II and TL-III) were dispensed on a nitrocellulose membrane to form the test zone. Similar as the traditional strip assay for small molecule, the NSI-strip assay was also based on the competitive theory, difference was that the analyte competed three times with the capture reagent for the limited number of antibody binding sites. After the assay, the number of TLs developed in the test zone was inversely proportional to the analyte concentration, thus analyte content levels could be determined by observing the appeared number of TLs. Taking aflatoxin B1 as the model analyte, visual detection limit of the NSI-strip was 0.06ngmL−1 and threshold concentrations for TL-I–III were 0.125, 0.5, and 2.0ngmL−1, respectively. Therefore, according to the appeared number of TLs, the following concentration ranges would be detectable by visual examination: 0–0.06ngmL−1 (negative samples), and 0.06–0.125ngmL−1, 0.125–0.5ngmL−1, 0.5–2.0ngmL−1 and >2.0ngmL−1 (positive samples). That was to say, compared to traditional strips the NSI-strip could offer more parameter information of the target analyte content. In this way, the NSI-strip improved the qualitative presence/absence detection of traditional strips by measuring the content (range) of target analytes semiquantitatively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The thermal degradation and kinetics of HTDE/DGEBA hybrid resin were investigated with TGA using Kissinger and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa method. The results show the thermal degradation activation energies of DGEBA, 9 wt% HTDE-1/DGEBA, 3 wt% HTDE-2/DGEBA, 9 wt% HTDE-2/DGEBA, 15 wt% HTDE-2/DGEBA, 9 wt% HTDE-3/DGEBA and 9 wt% HTDE-4/DGEBA are 173.3, 153.8, 162.4, 143.6, 164.1, 155.9 and 154.1 kJ·mol−1 respectively by Kissinger method and the activation energies are 173.3, 153.8, 162.4, 147.3, 136.9, 155.9 and 154.1 kJ·mol−1 respectively by the Flynn–Wall-Ozawa method. With the increase of HTDE content, the activation energies of HTDE/DGEBA hybrid resin decrease, although molecular weight or generation of HTDE has little effect on the thermal degradation activation energies and other kinetics data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Here we report the design of a bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET)-based sensing system that could detect nucleic acid target in 5min with high sensitivity and selectivity. The sensing system is based on adjacent binding of oligonucleotide probes labeled with Renilla luciferase (Rluc) and quantum dot (Qd) on the nucleic acid target. Here Rluc, a bioluminescent protein that generates light by a chemical reaction, is employed as an energy donor, and a quantum dot is used as an energy acceptor. Bioluminescence emission of Rluc overlaps with the Qd absorption whereas the emission of Qd is shifted from the emission of Rluc allowing for monitoring of BRET. In the presence of target, the labeled probes bind adjacently in a head-to-head fashion leading to BRET from Rluc to Qd upon addition of a substrate coelenterazine. The sensing system could detect target nucleic acid in buffer as well as in Escherichia coli cellular matrix in 5min with a detection limit of 0.54pmol. The ability to detect target nucleic acid rapidly in a cellular matrix with high sensitivity will prove highly beneficial in biomedical and environmental applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To solve the problem of low selectivity of current immunochromatographic assay (ICA) for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) alone detection, a novel selective ICA was developed here. With very high selectivity, a new AFB1 monoclonal antibody (MAb) 3G1 was preparaed by immunizing Balb/c mice with aflatoxin B2a-BSA (AFB2a-BSA) rather than AFB1-BSA used in other reports and 3G1 possessed the highest selectivity than those used in published ICAs. The ICA with visual detection limit (VDL) of 1ngmL−1 showed no cross-reactivity with other aflatoxins. Comparing with previous reports, the ICA here provided the most powerful guarantee for avoiding false positive results leaded by coexistence of other aflatoxins in samples. For validation, naturally contaminated samples including peanut, puer-tea, vegetable oil and feedstuff were respectively assayed by ICA and a standard high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and good agreement of results was obtained between two methods. Therefore, the developed ICA could well meet the selective detection of AFB1 in agro-products. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An ultrasensitive immunochromatographic (IC) assay for simultaneous detection of total aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2) was developed to meet the requirement for rapidly monitoring aflatoxins in agro-products. The assay was based on a competitive format and its sensitivity was improved by using a novel criterion to screen the optimal amount of monoclonal antibody (MAb) labeled to nanogold particles. The visual detection limits (VDLs) for aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 in peanut matrix were 0.03, 0.06, 0.12, and 0.25ngmL−1, respectively, which were lower than those of published literatures. The results of IC assay were in good agreement with those of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in the analysis of aflatoxins in peanuts, demonstrating the practical applicability of the developed assay in real samples. This qualitative test based on the visual evaluation of results did not require any equipment. Overall, to our knowledge, this is the first report of qualitative detection for total aflatoxins by immunochromatographic assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against pyrethroid insecticide fenvalerate were achieved, identified, and applied in environmental water. Mice were immunized with a novel synthesized hapten conjugated with bovine serum albumin (BSA). Three positive clones of MAbs were obtained after cell fusion and hybridoma selection, among them MAb-2 (5B10) showed the highest reactivity toward fenvalerate. The IC50 of MAb-2 was 94.5 ng mL-1; moreover, it showed lower cross-reactivity with other pyrethroids such as bifenthrin, tetramethrin, deltamethrin and beta-cypermethrin. Optimization of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was studied. The limit of detection (LOD) of the assay was 8.8 ng mL-1 and the detection range was 0.017-27.33 μg mL-1. For preliminary application, addition recovery experiments in water samples were performed. The mean recoveries of three kinds of samples varied from 90.6% to 108.7% and the coefficients of variation ranged from 0.5% to 5.3%. The results showed that MAb-2 could be used for the detection of fenvalerate contamination in environmental water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low viscosity aromatic hyperbranched poly(trimellitic anhydride diethylene glycol) ester epoxy resin (HTDE) was synthesized from the reaction between epichlorohydrin (ECH) and carboxyl-ended hyperbranched poly(trimellitic anhydride diethylene glycol) ester (HTD). HTD was prepared from inexpensive materials A2 (diethylene glycol, DEG) and B3 (trimellitic anhydride, TMA) monomers by a pseudo-one step method. Molecular weight of the HTD was calculated by its acid value with a “Recursive Probability Approach”, and its degree of branching (0.62∼ 0.71) was characterized by model compounds and 1H-NMR-minus spectrum technology. HTDE has an epoxy equivalent weight of < 530 g/mol and its viscosity of < 700 cp, respectively. The structure of the AB2 monomer, HTD and HTDE were also characterized by MS, 1H-NMR and FT-IR spectra technology. HTDE is an ellipsoid-like molecular with a size of < 10.34 nm. This low viscosity novel epoxy resin has important applications in the fields of “no-solvent” coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Monoclonal antibodies (McAbs) cross-reactive with four major aflatoxins were achieved using a modified two-step screening procedure. The first step was twice modified indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and resulted in positive hybridomas and hapten-specific antibodies. The modified indirect competitive ELISA (ciELISA) was the second step, in which the competition incubation time was decreased to 30min, aflatoxin B 1, B 2, G 1 and G 2 were all used as competitors, the concentrations of four aflatoxins were gradiently decreased in each screening. 2–3 subclonings were performed after every modified fusion and resulted in eight hybridomas that secreted antibodies with good cross-reactivity and high affinity to four aflatoxins. Five McAbs were chosen for further analysis. Of the five, two antibodies had similar reaction efficiency with aflatoxin B 1, B 2 and G 1 but showed a weak cross-reaction to G 2. Another two had almost identical reaction capability with four aflatoxins. One clone 1C11 exhibited the highest sensitivity for all four aflatoxins. The concentrations of aflatoxin B 1, B 2, G 1 and G 2 at 50% inhibition for 1C11 were 1.2, 1.3, 2.2 and 18.0pgmL−1 respectively. This is the most sensitive for all four major aflatoxins described so far. The results indicated that the modified two-step screening procedure had superiority and these antibodies could be used for simultaneous analysis of total aflatoxins. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper reports on the use of liquid hyperbranched aromatic polyester epoxy resin (HTME) as an additive to an epoxy resin/amine system. Four kinds of different molecular weight and epoxy equivalent weight HTME as modifiers in the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) amine systems are discussed in detail. It was shown that the content and molecular weight of HTME have important effect on the performance of the cured system, and the performance of the HTME/DGEBA blends has maximum with the increase of content and molecular weight or generation of HTME. The impact strength and fracture toughness of the cured system with 9 wt.% second or three generation of HTME are almost 2.77 and 1.71 times, respectively, DGEBA performance; furthermore, the tensile and flexural strength can be enhanced about 17% and 20%, respectively. The glass transition temperature and Vicat temperature, however, are found to decrease to some extent. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and molecular simulation technology are used to study the situ reinforcing and toughening mechanism. The three-dimensional size and structure shape of HTME-2 are displayed by molecular simulation technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Low-viscosity liquid epoxidized aromatic hyperbranched polymers are synthesized by the reaction between epichlorohydrin (ECH) and carboxy-end hyperbranched polymers prepared from low-cost products trimellitic anhydride (B3 TMA) and dihydroxy alcohols (A2). The low-viscosity property, especially the lowest viscosity of epoxidized aromatic hyperbranched polymers is only 350cp which has not reported among epoxidized aromatic hyperbranched polymers before, make them can be used to coatings and adhesion fields without organic solvent hopefully. The properties of the epoxidized aromatic hyperbranched polymers are measured by GPC, FT-IR and viscometer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This manuscript reports the porous P-Fe 7 S 8 nanospheres synthesized by phosphorus doping into Fe 3 S 4 nanospheres obtained from one-step vulcanization strategy. The structure performs well in supercapacitor, and the Ni x Fe 1-x S samples synthesized by the same vulcanization strategy show excellent electrocatalysis performance in oxygen evolution reaction. [Display omitted] Transition metal sulfides are promising battery-type materials for electrochemical energy storage and a great electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, the poor conductivity and sluggish reaction kinetic as well as the deficiency of electrochemically active sites hinder the practical application of Fe x S y. Herein, we design Fe 7 S 8 porous nanoparticles with surface phosphate ions and enriched sulfur-vacancies (P-Fe 7 S 8), which is reported as a new high-specific-capacity material for asymmetric supercapacitor. Benefiting from the merits of substantially improved electrical conductivity and increased active sites, the optimized P-Fe 7 S 8 negative electrode delivers ultra-high specific capacitance of 804.7F/g at 0.4 mA. Moreover, the assembled NiS//P-Fe 7 S 8 ASC presents an impressive specific capacitance of 335.9F/g at 1.2 A/g, a high energy density of 134.8 Wh/kg at a power density of 1042.1 W/kg, and great flexibility under different bending angles. Furthermore, the one-step vulcanization process is provided with universal applicability for the synthesis of Ni x Fe 1-x S bimetallic sulfide. With the synergy effect produced by the bimetal, the Ni 0.5 Fe 0.5 S hollow porous nanoparticles exhibit the remarkable activity of oxygen evolution reaction with a low overpotential of 174 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and Tafel slope of 41 mV dec−1. This simple method provides new insight into the synthesis of novel multifunctional metal sulfide nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The phosphate ion is introduced in tunnel (NH 4) 0.25 WO 3. • The aqueous NH 4 + full battery has excellent capacity and cycle stability. • A self-powered flexible wearable pressure sensing system is constructed. With the rapid development of human–machine interfaces and artificial intelligence, the high-performance devices with flexibility, wearable, and lightweight are highly required. In this study, we construct a flexible self-powered sensing system by integrating a pressure sensor with ammonium-ion battery which possesses the advantages of environmental friendliness, low cost, and high theoretical power/energy density. One of the key factors for the self-powered system is the design of flexible bifunctional electrode with ammonium-ion storage and pressure sensor ability in a wide pressure sensing range. Herein, we fabricate a phosphate ion decorated tunnel (NH 4) 0.25 WO 3 electrode (denotes as P-NWO) for the first time. Benefiting from the expanded tunnel space, excellent structural stability and enhanced electronegativity upon phosphate ion introduction, the P-NWO exhibits superior NH 4 + storage capacity of 148.4 mAh/g at a current density of 0.2 A/g. Spectroscopy studies, electrochemical analysis and theoretical calculation suggest a NH 4 + insertion with hydrogen bonds formation/breaking mechanism. Furthermore, the P-NWO//PANI battery provides a stable output power supply to the sensors with an excellent cycle stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: A novel aqueous/aprotic electrolyte with low salt concentration (i.e., 0.5 m Zn(CF3SO3)2+1 m LiTFSI) demonstrated an expanded electrochemical window, which can simultaneously stabilize Zn metal anode and increase the operation voltage of Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitors. The coordination shell of the electrolyte induced by acetonitrile and LiTFSI can not only suppress the Zn corrosion and hydrogen evolution reaction but also promote the cathodic stability and ion migration, which is depicted by the density functional theory simulations together with experimental characterizations. The Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitor based on the developed electrolyte can operate within 0–2.2 V in a wide temperature range with an ultra-long lifespan (> 120,000 cycles). With the merits of the high energy density of batteries and power density of supercapacitors, the aqueous Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitors emerge as a promising candidate for applications where both rapid energy delivery and moderate energy storage are required. However, the narrow electrochemical window of aqueous electrolytes induces severe side reactions on the Zn metal anode and shortens its lifespan. It also limits the operation voltage and energy density of the Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitors. Using 'water in salt' electrolytes can effectively broaden their electrochemical windows, but this is at the expense of high cost, low ionic conductivity, and narrow temperature compatibility, compromising the electrochemical performance of the Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitors. Thus, designing a new electrolyte to balance these factors towards high-performance Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitors is urgent and necessary. We developed a dilute water/acetonitrile electrolyte (0.5 m Zn(CF3SO3)2 + 1 m LiTFSI-H2O/AN) for Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitors, which simultaneously exhibited expanded electrochemical window, decent ionic conductivity, and broad temperature compatibility. In this electrolyte, the hydration shells and hydrogen bonds are significantly modulated by the acetonitrile and TFSI− anions. As a result, a Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitor with such an electrolyte demonstrates a high operating voltage up to 2.2 V and long lifespan beyond 120,000 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epoxy resins (EPs), accounting for about 70% of the thermosetting resin market, have been recognized as the most widely used thermosetting resins in the world. Nowadays, 90% of the world's EPs are obtained from the bisphenol A (BPA)-based epoxide prepolymer. However, certain limitations severely impede further applications of this advanced material, such as limited fossil-based resources, skyrocketing oil prices, nondegradability, and a "seesaw" between toughness and strength. In recent years, more and more research has been devoted to the preparation of novel epoxy materials to overcome the compromise between toughness and strength and solve plastic waste problems. Among them, the development of bio-based hyperbranched epoxy resins (HERs) is unique and attractive. Bio-based HERs synthesized from bio-derived monomers can be used as a matrix resin or a toughener resulting in partially or fully bio-based epoxy thermosets. The introduction of a hyperbranched structure can balance the strength and toughness of epoxy thermosets. Here, we especially focused on the recent progress in the development of bio-based HERs, including the monomer design, synthesis approaches, mechanical properties, degradation, and recycling strategies. In addition, we advance the challenges and perspectives to engineering application of bio-based HERs in the future. Overall, this review presents an up-to-date overview of bio-based HERs and guidance for emerging research on the sustainable development of EPs in versatile high-tech fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manufacture of multifunctional and high-performance wearable supercapacitors (SCs) requires a new class of flexible electrodes with high conductivity, high mechanical stability, good water-proof ability and self-healable capability. Herein, we report a stretchable and self-healable SC based on a MoS2/PEDOT/CNT electrode. The specific capacitance of the SC could be retained up to 81.98% even after the 21st breaking/healing cycle. Furthermore, a sheet-type asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) based on a MoS2/PEDOT/CNT positive electrode and SnS2/CNT negative electrode is constructed, and it exhibits high performance with an extended potential window of 1.7 V, areal capacitance of 103.76 mF cm−2 at 1.5 mA cm−2, and outstanding stability with no capacitance degradation under a wide range of bending conditions. The ASC is sealed by polyimide films, and it shows high electrochemical stability in hot water and under high speed centrifugation conditions, indicating good water-proof ability and wearability. The as-prepared ASC is also encapsulated in elastic films to provide 225% stretchability. The ASC devices packaged in all these ways exhibit high capacitance retention (>90%) under various bending and dynamic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new family of reversible fluorescent adhesives based on Diels–Alder covalent adaptable networks with dynamic AIE crosslinks was developed. The accurate intrinsic correlation between the emission behavior, cross-linking state, and adhesion capability can be established, enabling the in situ visualization of adhesion capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of hydrogels often suffers from their inherent limitation of poor mechanical properties. Here, a carboxyl‐functionalized and acryloyl‐terminated hyperbranched polycaprolactone (PCL) was synthesized and used as a macro‐cross‐linker to fabricate a super strong and ultra‐tough ionic hydrogel. The terminal acryloyl groups of hyperbranched PCL are chemically incorporated into the network to form covalent cross‐links, which contribute to robust networks. Meanwhile, the hydrophobic domains formed by the spontaneous aggregation of PCL chains and coordination bonds between Fe3+ and COO− groups serve as dynamic non‐covalent cross‐links, which enhance the energy dissipation ability. Especially, the influence of the hyperbranched topological structure of PCL on hydrogel properties has been well investigated, exhibiting superior strengthening and toughening effects compared to the linear one. Moreover, the hyperbranched PCL cross‐linker also endowed the ionic hydrogel with higher sensitivity than the linear one when used as a strain sensor. As a result, this well‐designed ionic hydrogel possesses high mechanical strength, superior toughness, and well ionic conductivity, exhibiting potential applications in the field of flexible strain sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of hydrogels often suffers from their inherent limitation of poor mechanical properties. Here, a carboxyl‐functionalized and acryloyl‐terminated hyperbranched polycaprolactone (PCL) was synthesized and used as a macro‐cross‐linker to fabricate a super strong and ultra‐tough ionic hydrogel. The terminal acryloyl groups of hyperbranched PCL are chemically incorporated into the network to form covalent cross‐links, which contribute to robust networks. Meanwhile, the hydrophobic domains formed by the spontaneous aggregation of PCL chains and coordination bonds between Fe3+ and COO− groups serve as dynamic non‐covalent cross‐links, which enhance the energy dissipation ability. Especially, the influence of the hyperbranched topological structure of PCL on hydrogel properties has been well investigated, exhibiting superior strengthening and toughening effects compared to the linear one. Moreover, the hyperbranched PCL cross‐linker also endowed the ionic hydrogel with higher sensitivity than the linear one when used as a strain sensor. As a result, this well‐designed ionic hydrogel possesses high mechanical strength, superior toughness, and well ionic conductivity, exhibiting potential applications in the field of flexible strain sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lightweighting of automotives is crucial for the decrease of fuel and energy consumption, as well as CO2 emission and environmental pollution. Polymer composites, especially the high strength glass fiber/polyamide (GF/PA) composites, have great potential in lightweight; however, they have not been universally accepted due to their insufficient performance. Here, a stearate‐ended hyperbranched polyester (HBP‐12‐n) is designed and high‐performance GF/PA6 composites with high GF content are prepared. The flowability of the composites can be further increased by combining carboxyl‐ended hyperbranched polymer (HyPer C181) with HBP‐12‐n. Compared with unmodified GF/PA6 composites, the melt flow index (MFI) can be increased remarkably to 587% by adding a 0.7 wt% mixture of HBP‐12‐75 and HyPer C181, and the strength and toughness remain competitive. The simultaneous improvement in MFI and impact strength of GF/PA6 composites is the first discovery of this kind, and a synergistic mechanism of amphiphilic bridging‐deformation slipping‐interfacial strengthening of hyperbranched polymers is proposed to account for this phenomenon. This work provides a simple strategy to fabricate GF/PA6 composites with the extensive application for automotive parts and has great prospects in making automotives lightweight and reduction of CO2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the point-of-care testing (POCT) of food and agricultural commodities to guarantee food safety and human health, the development of tiny and portable microfluidic detection devices is of extreme significance. Fluorescent microfluidics has witnessed the rapid development of accurate, and reliable food safety analysis owing to its superiority, involving fast, high-efficiency reaction efficiency, small, portable, operational, and economical. However, the development of fluorescent microfluidics has rarely been presented in a complete and in-depth manner, from materials to application. In order to address the aforementioned issues, we thoroughly summarize the basic materials of the fluorescent microfluidic chip in this review as well as the most recent advancements in their application in food safety control. This includes the materials used in the production of microfluidic chips, their fluorescence sensing mechanism, and their use for food contaminants. The challenges and potential uses of fluorescent microfluidic chips are aimed at promoting food safety and more quickly achieving the detection of food concerns. The detection sensitivity of several pollutants in food substrate was improved by the combination of the microfluidic chip and the fluorescence sensing technique. Fluorescence-based microfluidic chips have great potential in biological cells, medical and food detection and so on. In particular, complex food and agricultural samples are highly specific, so they can be applied to continuously monitor a variety of food analytes to ensure sustainable food safety. [Display omitted] • Fluorescence microfluidic is an emerging approach in detecting and analysing food quality and safety. • Fluorescence microfluidic relies on fluorescence sensing methods. • The application of fluorescence microfluidic in food detection is diverse and has broad prospects. • This review is highlighting various fluorescence microfluidic and their application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microalgae have been widely employed in water pollution treatment since they are eco-friendly and economical. However, the relatively slow treatment rate and low toxic tolerance have seriously limited their utilization in numerous conditions. In light of the problems above, a novel biosynthetic titanium dioxide (bio-TiO2 NPs)—microalgae synergetic system (Bio-TiO2/Algae complex) has been established and adopted for phenol degradation in the study. The great biocompatibility of bio-TiO2 NPs ensured the collaboration with microalgae, improving the phenol degradation rate by 2.27 times compared to that with single microalgae. Remarkably, this system increased the toxicity tolerance of microalgae, represented as promoted extracellular polymeric substances EPS secretion (5.79 times than single algae), and significantly reduced the levels of malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase. The boosted phenol biodegradation with Bio-TiO2/Algae complex may be attributed to the synergetic interaction of bio-TiO2 NPs and microalgae, which led to the decreased bandgap, suppressed recombination rate, and accelerated electron transfer (showed as low electron transfer resistance, larger capacitance, and higher exchange current density), resulting in increased light energy utilization rate and photocatalytic rate. The results of the work provide a new understanding of the low-carbon treatment of toxic organic wastewater and lay a foundation for further remediation application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epoxy-ended hyperbranched polymers (EHPs), as important type of functional thermosetting hyperbranched polymers, have attracted broad and continuing interest from both academic and industrial researchers. Benefiting from their high-crosslinking ability, void-containing topological structure and very low viscosity, EHPs have been widely applied in reinforcing and toughening diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) and in solvent-free or environmentally-friendly coatings. Therefore, the design and synthesis of EHPs provide a robust tool for controlling the interfacial interaction between EHPs and DGEBA to finally gain excellent comprehensive performance. In this review, the perspectives and recent advances of preparation methods, performance control and promising applications of various EHPs have been comprehensively summarized. In addition, a single toughening function, a simultaneously reinforcing and toughening function and the mechanism of DGEBA by EHPs are also discussed and investigated by integrating molecular simulations, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) technologies. EHPs with high contents of epoxy group show simultaneous reinforcing and toughening in DGEBA, regardless of their aliphatic and aromatic structures, and whether there is phase-separation or homogenous structure associated with the fractured surface. The simultaneous reinforcing and toughening mechanism changes the conventional conception of inter-contradiction between the toughening and reinforcing function. It was also found that EHPs with different synthetic strategies and diverse performance have allowed an increasing number of versatile industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry spun carbon nanotube yarns made from vertically aligned multiwalled carbon nanotube forests possess high mechanical strength and behave like semiconductors with electrical conductivity of the order of 4 × 104 S m−1. Coating a submicron-thick film of silver particle-filled polymer on the surface increased the electrical conductivity of the carbon nanotube yarn by 60-fold without significantly sacrificing its mechanical strength. The transitional characteristics of the silver-coated carbon nanotube yarn were investigated by varying the take-up ratio of the silver coating. A step change in conductivity was observed when the silver content in the coated yarn was between 7 and 10 wt% as a result of the formation of connected silver particle networks on the carbon nanotube yarn surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Front Cover: 2D ordered trees‐like self‐assemblies with sizes of over 500 μm and branch widths of 3 to 5 μm are obtained by surface self‐assembly of an amido‐ended hydrophilic hyperbranched polyester/copper complex, showing intriguing crystal and fractal behaviors. The selfassembly mechanism is explained by diffusion‐limited aggregation (DLA) theory. Further details can be found in the article by J. Li, D. Zhang,* S. Li, Z. Xu, S. Chen,* T. Li, J. Zhang, S. Chen, A. Zhang on page 1724. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel responsive hydrogel exhibiting self-reinforcement and self-healing capacity was developed based on the hydrophobic aggregation of strained 1,2-dithiolane rings. Oligomerization of 1,2-dithiolane within hydrophobic domains under UV irradiation not only reinforced the hydrogel but also maintained its dynamic cross-linked nature by converting the intraring dynamic S–S bond to an outer one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A versatile strategy for smart fluorescent materials is lacking due to their diverse responding mechanisms and incompatibility of responsive behaviors. Herein an adaptable strategy is presented toward a multi‐stimuli‐responsive fluorescent material with stage‐by‐stage responsive behavior by blending linear polymers modified with different stimulus‐responsive moieties and AIE cross‐linker. Under stimuli, the linear polymer can cross‐link with the cross‐linker to form networks, which intrinsically restrict the intramolecular rotation of the AIE molecule to induce strong emission. A unified stimuli‐responsive mechanism is involved in that various stimuli are transferred through the organized "stimulus‐crosslink‐emission" process. This strategy ensures the compatibility of different stimuli‐responses and the adjustability of stimulus‐response behavioral logic. These multi‐stimuli‐responsive fluorescent materials exhibited strong accessibility and adaptability for information encryption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A versatile strategy for smart fluorescent materials is lacking due to their diverse responding mechanisms and incompatibility of responsive behaviors. Herein an adaptable strategy is presented toward a multi‐stimuli‐responsive fluorescent material with stage‐by‐stage responsive behavior by blending linear polymers modified with different stimulus‐responsive moieties and AIE cross‐linker. Under stimuli, the linear polymer can cross‐link with the cross‐linker to form networks, which intrinsically restrict the intramolecular rotation of the AIE molecule to induce strong emission. A unified stimuli‐responsive mechanism is involved in that various stimuli are transferred through the organized "stimulus‐crosslink‐emission" process. This strategy ensures the compatibility of different stimuli‐responses and the adjustability of stimulus‐response behavioral logic. These multi‐stimuli‐responsive fluorescent materials exhibited strong accessibility and adaptability for information encryption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

P-CoS 1-x with S vancancy was obtained by one-step hydrothermal sulfurization and further phosphating and reduction treatment. The electrode shows a high electronic conductivity and excellent electrochemical performance and OER performance. [Display omitted] Cobalt sulfide (CoS) is a promising battery-type material for electrochemical energy storage. However, the poor conductivity and slow charge transfer kinetics as well as the deficiency of electrochemically active sites seriously limit their applications. Herein, a class of the P-doping induced hexagonal CoS nanosheets with S defects (P-CoS 1-x) derived from Co-based metal organic frameworks (MOFs) supported on carbon nanotube film (CNT) is designed and prepared. The density functional theory (DFT) simulations show the higher conductivity of the P-CoS 1-x electrode than CoS. Taking advantage of the synergistic effects of the high conductive P-CoS nanosheets with rich S defects and the flexible CNT, the P-CoS 1-x /CNT electrode exhibits a high reversible capacity of 4.3F cm−2, remarkable rate capability, and outstanding long-term cyclability. Impressively, the flexible asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) based on P-CoS 1-x //CoS@PPy achieves a satisfying energy density of 0.18 mWh cm−2 and high bending stability. The electrocatalytic result suggests that the P-CoS 1-x possesses the lowest overpotential and the smallest Tafel slope. This vacancy engineering strategy also provides a new insight into active materials and should be beneficial for the design of the next generation of energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural byproducts have excellent potential for pollutant remediation due to their low-cost and environmental sustainability. Konjac flying powder (KFP) is a fine particulate byproduct of the production of konjac glucomannan, accounting for 30–40 wt% of the total raw materials. In this work, KFP was modified by free radical grafting copolymerization with acrylic acid, methacrylic acid and N,N′-methylene bis(acrylamide). The lightly crosslinked product demonstrated excellent adsorption performance for heavy metals, with the maximum adsorption capacity for Cd(II), Pb(II) and Cu(II) reaching 635 mg g−1, 812 mg g−1, and 855 mg g−1, respectively, under optimized conditions. The adsorption isotherm of heavy metal ions fitted well with the Langmuir model. Moreover, the adsorption performance was nearly unchanged after several adsorption–desorption cycles, suggesting that polymeric derivation of KFP has great potential for the remediation of heavy metal pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient "one‐pot" strategy for the structure‐controlled synthesis of hyperbranched polymers (HBPs) based on a "latent" inimer (LI‐Br), containing a furan‐protected maleimide monomer and a haloalkane initiator, is presented. At high temperatures, the "latent" inimer is converted to a "real" inimer after releasing maleimide (MI) via a retro‐Diels–Alder (r‐DA) reaction and then copolymerized with methyl methacrylate by self‐condensing vinyl copolymerization. Due to the dynamic characteristic of the r‐DA reaction, the release of naked MI and the subsequent copolymerization can be regulated by the temperature or stereochemistry of Diels–Alder (DA) adducts. Thus, the "one‐pot" structure‐controlled synthesis of HBPs with various degrees of branching was achieved. By further implementation of a programmable temperature change, some valuable hyperbranched topologies such as star‐shaped and long‐chain hyperbranched polymers can be constructed avoiding sophisticated synthetic routes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]