Crumpled polyethyleneimine nanofiltration membranes regulated by thermocapillary effect for efficient magnesium-lithium separation.

The advancement of lithium (Li) extraction from brines is crucial for boosting Li production capacity and meeting the growing demands of emerging energy markets. However, the presence of symbiotic ions, particularly magnesium ions (Mg), poses significant challenges. Although conventional nanofiltration (NF) membranes have demonstrated considerable potential in magnesium-lithium (Mg/Li) separation, they often face the inherent trade-off between membrane permeance and salt rejection.

Direct Synthesis of Amide-Linked COFs via Ester-Amine Exchange Reaction.

Achieving both crystallinity and stability is challenging for covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as the reversible reaction required for enhancing crystallinity compromises stability. Amide linkages, a type of chemically stable bond for COF construction, are predominantly synthesized via postmodifications. This work presents a direct and convenient method for synthesizing highly crystalline amide-linked COFs via the ester-amine exchange reaction.

Long-range order enhance performance of patterned blue quantum dot light-emitting diodes.

Quantum dot light-emitting diodes show great potential for next-generation displays. Although film quantum dot light-emitting diodes have achieved or approached efficiency and stability standards for commercial applications, patterned quantum dot light-emitting diodes, particularly blue quantum dot light-emitting diodes, still face challenges in both efficiency and stability. Traditional patterning methods often lead to defects and disorder, causing non-radiative recombination and reduced performance.

Solar-driven defluorination via hydroxyl radical spillover for complete mineralization of organofluorine pollutants without fluoride byproducts.

The recalcitrance of fluorinated organic pollutants-featuring robust Csp²-F and Csp³-F bonds-poses critical challenges to aquatic ecosystems due to their extreme persistence and bioaccumulation. Whereas current destruction strategies suffer from high energy consumption and non-selective, here we present a solar-powered mineralization strategy utilizing cerium oxide/mesoporous silica (CeO/mSiO) heterojunction photocatalysts for complete defluorination of organofluorine contaminants, including fluorinated e-waste, fluoro-antibiotics and perfluorinated surfactant. Under visible light irradiation, the optimized 5%CeO/mSiO achieved 91.

Ultrahigh thermoelectricity obtained in classical BiSbTe alloy processed under super-gravity.

Thermoelectric materials allow direct conversion between heat and electricity and may be useful for power generation or solid-state refrigeration. However, improving thermoelectric performance is challenging because of the strong coupling between the electrical and thermal transport properties. We demonstrate a new super-gravity-field re-melting fabrication technology that synergistically optimizes the thermoelectric performance.

Metal Halide Perovskite Enriched with Entropy-Induced Lattice Distortion for Enhanced X-ray Detection.

Scintillator-based X-ray imaging technology is widely applied in medical diagnostics and nondestructive detection. Low-dimensional metal halide perovskites (MHPs) offer great potential in scintillation applications due to their flexible crystal structures. However, achieving strongly localized excitonic emission in low-dimensional MHPs remains challenging to further improve the photoemission performance.

An ethyl cellulose-coated bacterial cellulose based hydrophobic and degradable straw-like materials towards drinking straws.

Currently, we are facing global challenges like petrochemical resource depletion and plastic products induced environmental issues. Especially, the commonly used disposable straws in daily life represent potential issues like other plastic products. Overuse and inadequate handling of disposable straws could add burden to environmental problems due to their non-recyclability in most areas and incomplete biodegradability.

AZnNOX (A = Rb, NH, X = Cl, I): Regulating Cations and Halides Yields Birefringent Crystals with Significantly Enhanced Optical Anisotropy.

Three new isostructural crystals, AZnNOX (A = Rb, NH; X = Cl, I) were synthesized via a mild aqueous solution method by combining π-conjugated [NO] groups with d transition-metal Zn ions, crystallizing in the orthorhombic space group (No. 62). All of the three compounds produce millimeter-sized crystals, with (NH)ZnNOCl yielding crystal as large as 17 × 14 × 4 mm.

Engineering single-layered poly(amidoamine) dendrimer microcapsules for enhanced cellular uptake.

Microcapsules are considered as one of the most promising drug carriers due to their exceptional characteristics. The cellular uptake of microcapsules is determined by physicochemical properties, yet comprehensive studies on thickness and shape effects are limited. In this study, we developed single-layered poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer microcapsules with tunable thicknesses and morphologies to systematically investigate their cellular internalization.

Identifying novel therapeutic targets of natural compounds in traditional Chinese medicine herbs with hypergraph representation learning.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), with its roots in centuries of clinical practice, has established itself as an effective therapeutic system that involves a diverse range of herbal plants. Despite its proven efficacy, the intricate relationships between herbal multi-component preparations and multi-target therapies present challenges for systematic study, thereby limiting its broader application in managing chronic diseases. In this work, we aim to identify novel therapeutic targets of natural compounds found in TCM herbs by leveraging advanced hypergraph representation learning techniques.

Extending the Chemistry of Scheelite-type Oxides with Borates.

Scheelite-type oxides have been extensively investigated in diverse inorganic systems due to their exceptional structural versatility and promising multifunctional properties, ranging from luminescence to ionic conduction. However, despite decades of research, borates have remained conspicuously absent from this important structural family. This exclusion stems from a fundamental synthetic and structure chemistry challenge: the difficulty in achieving the essential zero-dimensional anionic framework composed of isolated tetrahedral units, a defining characteristic of scheelite-type materials.

Engineered Nanofluidics for Molecular Recognition and Physical Perception.

Nanofluidics has garnered significant attention as the ultra-sensitive method for molecular recognition and physical perception that are not easily accessible through the traditional methods. The development of nanofluidic devices necessitates the integrated solid-state nanochannels/nanopores with versatile surface modification strategies using precise nanofabrication techniques. This review systematically summarizes the development of the solid-state nanochannels and nanopores, nanofabrication methods, sensing principles, transport characteristics, and the strategies employed to perceive molecules and physical stimuli.

Physiological pH Responsive Integrated Antifouling and Antimicrobial Interface with Long-Term Activity via Amino-Carboxylate Coordination Chemistry.

Microbial colonization and infection of biomedical devices remain a persistent clinical challenge. Interfacial coatings with antifouling and antimicrobial functions simultaneously under physiological conditions are highly desired to mitigate the infection risks. Herein, we constructed a durable serine-derived zwitterionic antifouling and antimicrobial interfacial structure amino-carboxylate coordination with Cu(II) ions in alkaline aqueous solutions.

Bioinspired Bubble-Gated Strategy for Integrating a Polymer Fractal Micromesh toward Ultraconformal Electrocardiogram Monitoring.

Ultraflexible polymer electronic devices with geometry engineering are highly promising for applications in conformal implantable medical devices owing to their strain tolerance, high charge carrier mobility, and biocompatibility. However, due to molecular entanglement of polymer chains and uncontrollable capillary flows, it remains a significant challenge to fabricate high-resolution, continuous, and uniform polymer patterns via solution processes, thus limiting the performance and scalability of their devices. Herein, we introduced a bioinspired bubble-gated strategy to directionally guide capillary flows for the fabrication of fractal micromeshes based on semiconductive polymers.

Electron-Donating/Accepting Group Modulation Enhanced Fluorescent Sensing of Synthetic Cannabinoid JWH-018 via Through-Space Charge Transfer.

The substituent design and photophysical property manipulation are of paramount importance in fluorescent probe design, particularly crucial for chemically inactive molecules that lack reactive functional groups, such as synthetic cannabinoids. Here, a ratiometric fluorescent probe, 2-(5-phenyl-8-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)pyrimido[4,5-]pyridazin-2-yl)phenol (DPTF), was selected and synthesized using trifluoromethyl as an electron acceptor for the sensitive and specific detection of one representative synthetic cannabinoid, JWH-018 (1-naphthyl(1-pentyl-1H-indol-3-yl)methanone). The DPTF probe, driven by intermolecular through-space charge transfer (TSCT), exhibits a theoretically calculated limit of detection (LOD) of 2.

Chiral BN-Heteroacenes Embedded with B←N Coordination: Acid-Triggered Reversible Bond Switching and Optical Limiting Behavior.

Boron-nitrogen coordination (B←N) bonds have emerged as a versatile motif for engineering π-conjugated systems with tunable optoelectronic properties. Herein, we report the synthesis, structures, and properties of chiral heteroacenes (-) featuring B←N coordination within highly twisted π-frameworks. - were synthesized via a four-step approach, where the final cyclization simultaneously forged six- and five-membered rings bearing both B-N covalent and B←N dative bonds.

Dewetting Patterns of Liquid Gallium on Solid Indium Film.

Harnessing liquid metal behavior at solid interfaces opens pathways for functional material fabrication and soft-matter device integration. Leveraging the distinct wettability of liquid gallium (Ga) on solid indium (In) and silicon substrates, we propose a facile dewetting-based method for realizing the self-assembly of interfacial patterns. Nonequilibrium eutectic-type Ga liquid and In film systems are constructed, and the self-assembled behaviors of the "feather" and "cell" patterns at the interface under the effect of surface tension-driven dewetting and oxide film-induced wetting have been disclosed.

Status of heavy metals contamination in the topsoil of major Oasis cities in Northwest China.

Oasis farmland and cities are vital for production and life in arid areas. However, heavy metal contamination in these cities has intensified with economic development, harming residents' health, the environment, and agriculture. The current state of contamination in oasis cities remains unclear due to a lack of research data.

Self-Assembly of 3D-Printed Multiscale Micropillar-Based Organic Electrochemical Transistors for Ultrasensitive Dopamine Sensing.

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) with self-amplification have emerged as a promising approach for dopamine monitoring. However, the planar gate electrode structures in current OECTs significantly hinder the improvement of sensitive dopamine detection. Here, we develop an aerosol jet three-dimensional (3D) printing method to generate multiscale micropillar-based OECTs with tunable nanofeatures for ultrasensitive DA detection.

Solvated ion transport in hierarchical tremella-like ionic membranes for low-power and high-sensitivity ethanol sensing.

Biological olfactory perception relies on ionic transport, offering a promising alternative to conventional gas sensors that depend on electronic signal transmission, which often suffer from limitations such as limited sensitivity, high power consumption, and susceptibility to moisture. Inspired by biological olfactory ion channels, nanochannel-based ionic membranes incorporating 2D materials and ionic liquids have been developed. Through functional modifications, these membranes exhibit unique tremella-like structures that optimize gas diffusion pathways and provide effective gas interaction sites.

Interface Reinforced Tailoring of Quantum Dots Regulates Reaction Trajectory of CO Photoreduction.

Artificial photosynthesis using semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) is one of the most promising pathways toward converting CO into valuable chemicals. However, the multistep process of CO-to-chemical conversion endows the regulation of reaction trajectory from CO to specific products very challenging in aqueous solution. Here, it is first disclosed that the anisotropic growth of CdSe-S-InS interface in ultrafine heterojunction QDs alters the trajectory of CO photoreduction in water, i.

Algae-driven bioelectrochemical systems: Recent advances, applications, and prospects.

Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) are sustainable biotechnologies that have garnered global interest in recent decades. Since their inception, these systems have evolved through various configurations and modifications to enhance performance, prominently featuring microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Researchers are addressing the scaling challenges of MFCs with studies on algae-assisted MFCs (algae-MFCs), which simultaneously generate bioelectricity and treat wastewater cost-effectively.

Photoinduced Cation Coupled Electron Transfer for Efficient Ionic Power Harvesting Based on CNT/MoS Heterostructures.

Inspired from the light-driven proton-coupled electron transfer during photosynthesis in green plants, an engineered CNT/MoS biomimetic nanofluidic system has been successfully developed, which achieves photo-activated ion transport in iso-concentration electrolytes through synergistic photothermal-photoelectric coupling. Under light irradiation, localized photothermal effects in CNT generate a temperature gradient, driving thermophoretic ion migration, while the same irradiation triggers a MoS-mediated surface charge gradient via photoexcited carrier redistribution, encompassing both vertical charge transfer and horizontal carrier diffusion. The resultant dual gradients of surface charge asymmetry and temperature differential cooperatively drive autonomous ion pumping.

Pyrrolopyrimidines: Design, Synthesis and Antitumor Properties of Novel Tricyclic Pyrrolo [2,3-]pyrimidine Derivatives.

The pyrrolo[2,3-]pyrimidine (7-deazapurine) scaffold is a unique heterocyclic system included in the composition of most nucleotides. In this study, series of the pyrrolo[2,3-]pyrimidine-imines and 3--substituted pyrrolo[2,3-]pyrimidines were designed and prepared in high yields. Condensed pyrimidines are obtained via carbonyl-amine condensation and carbon-halogen bond formation.

Controlled Growth of Graphene-Skinned AlO Powders by Fluidized Bed-Chemical Vapor Deposition for Heat Dissipation.

The growing demand for high-performance chips, driven by digitalization and intelligence advancements, is accompanied by rising power consumption, highlighting the critical need for efficient thermal management in electronics. Graphene and its composites, characterized by their exceptional thermal conductivity, hold a distinctive position in this domain. The controlled synthesis of high-quality multilayer graphene composites, however, remains a significant challenge, hindering the full utilization of graphene's exceptional thermal conductivity.