System with Thermal Management for Synergistic Water Production, Electricity Generation and Crop Irrigation.

Sustainable water, energy and food (WEF) supplies are the bedrock upon which human society depends. Solar-driven interfacial evaporation, combined with electricity generation and cultivation, is a promising approach to mitigate the freshwater, energy and food crises. However, the performance of solar-driven systems decreases significantly during operation due to uncontrollable weather.

Molecular design of NIR type I phenothiazine-based photosensitizers with aggregation-enhanced ROS generation for effective photodynamic therapy applications.

In this work, four phenothiazine (PHE)-based PSs (termed PPI1, PPI2, TPI1, and TPI2) were designed and synthesized by integrating various electron donor groups (pyrene, phenanthrene, terphenyl, and tetraphenylene) with PHE to regulate their donor structure. These PSs exhibit near-infrared fluorescence and aggregation-enhanced reactive oxygen species generation ability through a type I pathway, offering a potential strategy to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of PDT in cancer treatment.

Intumescent Coatings and Their Applications in the Oil and Gas Industry: Formulations and Use of Numerical Models.

The oil and gas industry is subject to significant fire hazards due to the flammability of hydrocarbons and the extreme conditions of operational facilities. Intumescent coatings (ICs) serve as a crucial passive fire protection strategy, forming an insulating char layer when exposed to heat, thereby reducing heat transfer and delaying structural failure. This review article provides an overview of recent developments in the effectiveness of ICs in mitigating fire risks, enhancing structural resilience, and reducing environmental impacts within the oil and gas industry.

Multifunctional hydrogel encapsulated with baicalin for full-layer regeneration of drug-resistant bacteria-infected wounds after radiotherapy.

The post-radiotherapy wounds are common in patients. The irradiation-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, nucleic acid damage, and inflammation greatly hinder wound healing. The irradiation-induced immunosuppression may further cause bacterial infection.

Sustainable biomass-based filter for high-efficiency PM filtration.

Biomass materials have been widely used in various industries to achieve a carbon-neutral and sustainable society. Here, we show a heterogeneous corn-based precursor strategy that transforms low-value agricultural waste into structural air filters composed of alternating microfibers (2.61 ± 1.

Nano-to-Macroscale Insights into Solar Evaporation: Bridging Fundamental Principles to Intelligent Systems.

Solar water evaporation has emerged as an alternative vapor generation strategy to address global water scarcity and reduce carbon emissions. Recent advances have achieved significant improvements in solar evaporation efficiency, driven by innovations in nanostructured materials, interfacial engineering, and system-level integration. This review presents nano-to-macro insights into solar evaporation by bridging physicochemical fundamentals with intelligent system design.

-mediated cell membrane interference nanomedicine potentiates tumor chemo-immunotherapy a perforin-granzyme-like mechanism.

Pore formation can facilitate the release of various intracellular substances upon cell death, which is of critical benefit in tumor immunotherapy by immunogenic cell death (ICD). Given that effective endogenous antigen release is of primary importance for ICD-eliciting immunogenicity, in addition to enhancing the cytotoxicity of ICD, we designed an immunogenic induction strategy pore formation based on saponin, a composite medium of membrane-disrupting agents. In this study, saponin/polyphenol (ZS-TA) at appropriate concentrations directly caused membrane perforation by removing cholesterol from the membrane, thereby leading to the release of intracellular substances.

Enabling Flexible and Tunable Structural Color Films Based on Rapid Ethanol-Induced Nanosphere Rearrangement for Anti-Counterfeiting and Dynamic Marking.

Structural colors epitomize a profound relationship where optical precision and architectural finesse converge in the emission of unfathomable iridescent shades, transcending the limitations of traditional pigmentation. Fueled by prodigious applications in flexible displays, intelligent sensing, and anticounterfeit labels, structural color materials emerge superior. The swift production of colors enabled by straightforward solvent-mediated dynamic self-assembly represents a peak achievement in contemporary research.

Thermal Insulation Performance of Epoxy-Based Intumescent Coatings: Influence of Temperature-Induced Porosity Evolution on Heat Transfer Resistance.

This study investigated the thermal performance of reduced super intumescent (RSI) coating, focusing on the correlation between porosity evolution and thermal conductivity under elevated temperature conditions. Porosity development was quantified using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with MATLAB-based image analysis, achieving a maximum porosity of 62% after 60 min of exposure. Thermal degradation was characterized using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), which recorded a mass loss of 35% between 250 °C and 400 °C, capturing the decomposition kinetics and correlating degradation stages with char formation.

Thermally Gated Covalent Adaptivity in Liquid Crystal Elastomers for Stable Actuation.

Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs), with reversible actuation of large and anisotropic deformation, have surged in smart materials such as soft robotics, sensors and artificial muscles. LCEs incorporating dynamic covalent bonds (DCBs) endowing network with rearranging ability through reversible bond exchange, facilitating the fabrication of soft actuators with tailored actuation modes and reprogrammability. However, unintended activation of DCBs during actuation, particularly under thermal perturbations, remains a critical challenge, as it damages actuation stability which arises catastrophic failure and potential security risks in practical applications.

Flexible Waterborne Polyurethane-Bacterial Cellulose Films for Real-Time Physiological Monitoring.

The incorporation of waterborne polyurethane (WPU) into bacterial cellulose (BC) fibers significantly improved the tensile strength of the resulting WPU/BC composite film, achieving an enhancement of 19.4 times. The formation of hydrogen bonds between WPU and BC effectively eliminates cavities within the BC matrix, achieving significant plasticization and toughening.

Heterocycle-based dynamic covalent chemistry for dynamic functional materials.

Dynamic covalent chemistry, which renders reusable and degradable thermoset polymers, is a promising tool for solving the global problem of plastic pollution. Although dynamic covalent chemistry can construct dynamic polymer networks, it rarely introduces other functions into polymers, which limits the development of dynamic functional materials. Herein, we develop heterocycle-based dynamic covalent chemistry and demonstrate the reversibility of the aza-Michael addition reaction between functional heterocycle dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-thione and electron-deficient olefins.

Efficient Photocatalytic Synthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide Facilitated by Triptycene-Based 3D Covalent Organic Frameworks.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are widely studied for hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) photosynthesis, with 3D COFs standing out for their porous structures and chemical stability. However, the difficult preparation of 3D COFs and the low efficiency in separating photo-generated electrons and holes (e and h) limits the efficient production of HO. In this study, two kinds of [6+3] 3D COFs (XJU-1, XJU-2) with significant charge separation, achieving record-breaking H₂O₂ photocatalysis rates of 34 777 and 11 922 µmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, respectively.

Biomimetic Design of Breathable 2D Photothermal Fabric with Three-Layered Structure for Efficient Four-Plane Evaporation of Seawater.

2D photothermal membranes have demonstrated numerous advantages in solar desalination due to their flexibility, scalability, and low cost. However, their practical applications are limited by the restricted evaporation area and obstructed vapor channels. A biomimetic design of the breathable 2D photothermal fabric is reported, which is composed of two carbon-nanotube-hydrogel-coated polyester (PET) fabrics separated by fiber pillars, with the upper fabric layer having a hole array as stomatal channels.

Solution-Processed Thickness-Insensitive Molybdenum Oxide Hole-Transporting Layer Regulated by Reductive Ionic Liquid for Stable and Efficient Organic Solar Cells.

Developing solution-processed, thickness-insensitive hole-transporting layers (HTLs) is a key challenge in scaling high-performance organic solar cells (OSCs). Here, a simple and efficient method is presented to produce highly conductive molybdenum oxide (MoO) HTLs by n-doping ammonium heptamolybdate with a reductive ionic liquid (IL). Owing to the n-doping effect and inherent conductivity of IL, the conductivity of the 5% IL:MoO significantly increased to 8.

Interlayer Spacing Optimization Combined with Zinc-Philic Engineering Fostering Efficient Zn Storage of VCT MXenes for Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries.

As emerging cutting-edge energy storage technologies, aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have garnered extensive research attention for its high safety, low cost, abundant raw materials, and, eco-friendliness. Nevertheless, the commercialization of AZIBs is mainly limited by insufficient development of cathode materials. Among potential candidates, MXene-based materials stand out as a promising option for their unique combination of hydrophilicity and conductivity.

Permeable and Durable Liquid-Metal Fiber Mat as Implantable Physiological Electrodes with Long-Term Biocompatibility.

Implantable physiological electrodes provide unprecedented opportunities for real-time and uninterrupted monitoring of biological signals. Most implantable electronics adopt thin-film substrates with low permeability that severely hampers tissue metabolism, impeding their long-term biocompatibility. Recent innovations have seen the advent of permeable electronics through the strategic modification of liquid metals (LMs) onto porous substrates.

Self-assembled water soluble and bone-targeting phosphorylated quercetin ameliorates postmenopausal osteoporosis in ovariectomy mice.

Natural compounds have shown promising application prospects in preventing or treating various diseases, including osteoporosis on account of their abundant sources, low price, multi-targeting and multiple biological effects. As a bioactive natural product, quercetin (Que) has previously demonstrated to ameliorate osteoporosis (OP), however, its poor bioavailability resulting from low water solubility, poor stability and lack of bone-targeting largely restricted its efficacy and clinical applications. Inspired by the bone-targeting capability of phosphate compounds, we reported a one-step procedure for synthesis of phosphorylated Que (p-Que) by direct phosphorylating phenol groups of Que for the first time.

Solvation enabled highly efficient gradient assembly creates robust metal-phenolic coatings.

Metal-phenolic networks (MPNs) are supramolecular materials that have received interest in various fields, including biomedicine, separations, environmental remediation, and catalysis. Despite recent advances, the construction of thick and robust MPN coatings that withstand harsh conditions (e.g.

Water-Enabled Electricity Generation by a Smooth Liquid-Like Semiconductor Coating Surface.

Water energy-converting techniques that focus on interfacial charge separation and transfer have aroused significant attention. However, the water-repelling nature leads to a less dense liquid layer and a sharp gradient of liquid velocity, which limits its output performance. Here, a water sliding generator (WSG) based on a smooth liquid-like/semiconductor surface (SLSS) is developed that harnesses the full advantage of liquid sliding friction.

3D printed PGCL@PLA/10CSPL composite scaffolds loaded with fibronectin 1 for intervertebral disc degeneration treatment.

Restoration of disc height and biomechanical function is essential for intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) treatment. Removing abnormal nucleus pulposus (NP) tissue is an important step to facilitate bony fusion during the healing process. We analyzed publicly available single-cell transcriptome data for human normal and degenerative NP to identify genes associated with NP degeneration.

Molecular acceptor engineering to precisely design a NIR type I photosensitizer for efficient PDT-based synergistic therapy.

Molecular design plays a crucial role in regulating the photophysical properties and photodynamic therapy (PDT) performance of photosensitizers (PSs); however, realizing PDT-based synergistic therapy based on sole PSs is still rarely reported. Herein, three near-infrared red type I PSs (named TP1, TP2, and TP3) were synthesized by adjusting their electron acceptors. The results demonstrated that these PSs exhibited aggregation-enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation efficiency and cyano groups on PSs can reduce ROS generation in solution while achieving efficient PDT-based synergistic therapy in cells glutathione depletion.

Engineering Autologous Cell-Derived Exosomes to Boost Melanoma-Targeted Radio-Immunotherapy by Cascade cGAS-STING Pathway Activation.

Radio-immunotherapy has offered emerging opportunities to treat invasive melanoma due to its immunostimulatory performances to activate antitumor immune responses. However, the immunosuppressive microenvironment and insufficient response rate significantly limit the practical efficacy. This study presents an autologous cell-derived exosomes (Exo)-engineered nanoagonist (MnExo@cGAMP) containing with metalloimmunotherapeutic agent (Mn ions) and nucleotidyltransferase (2',3'-cGAMP, a STING agonist) for boosting melanoma-targeted radio-immunotherapy by cascade cGAS-STING pathway activation.

Reprocessable Epoxy-Anhydride Resin Enabled by a Thermally Stable Liquid Transesterification Catalyst.

Introducing dynamic ester bonds into epoxy-anhydride resins enhances the reprocessability of the crosslinked network, facilitated by various types of transesterification catalysts. However, existing catalysts, such as metal salts and organic molecules, often struggle with dispersion, volatility, or structural instability issues. Here, we propose to solve such problems by incorporating a liquid-state, thermally stable transesterification catalyst into epoxy resins.

Robust liquid crystal semi-interpenetrating polymer network with superior energy-dissipation performance.

Liquid crystal networks (LCN) have attracted surging interest as extraordinary energy-dissipation materials owning to their unique dissipation mechanism based on the re-orientation of mesogens. However, how to integrate high Young's modulus, good dissipation efficiency and wide effective damping temperature range in energy-dissipation LCN remains a challenge. Here, we report a strategy to resolve this challenge by fabricating robust energy-dissipation liquid crystal semi-interpenetrating polymer network (LC-semi-IPN) consisting crystalline LC polymers (c-LCP).