Pub Date : 2026-02-09DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2026.173841
Lu Song, Zhi-Kun Luo, Fu-Cheng He, Lan-Ya Huang, Liang-Bin Xiong, Yong-Jun Liu, Dong-Zhi Wei, Feng-Qing Wang
The structural properties of starting materials decisively govern industrial synthesis pathways for pharmaceutical steroids. Tigogenin, an economical and abundant byproduct from sisal fiber processing, exhibits substantial potential for steroid production. However, its industrial utility is limited by its saturated A-ring structure and environmentally detrimental application processes. To address these challenges, we developed an integrated chemoenzymatic pathway. First, tigogenin extracted from sisal residue was converted to 3β-hydroxy-5α-pregnane-16-ene-20-one (3β-HP) via H₂O₂ degradation, a green alternative to Marker degradation. This was followed by efficient biotransformation to 5α-pregnane-16-ene-3,20-dione (5α-PD, >95% yield) using Streptomyces lividans TK24-152 instead of conventional Oppenauer oxidation, thereby eliminating toxic metal catalysts (CrO₃ and aluminum tert-butoxide) in these traditional reaction processes. To selectively functionalize the A-ring of 5α-PD, 3-ketosteroid-Δ4-dehydrogenase (Kst4D) and 3-ketosteroid-Δ1-dehydrogenase (Kst1D) were screened, engineered, and incorporated into S. lividans TK24-152. This generated strains (Rj4K, ReK3, and Rj4K-MnK2A395G) capable of converting 3β-HP via 5α-PD to Δ4,16(17)-diene-progesterone (4-PG), Δ1,16(17)-diene-progesterone (1-PG), and Δ1,4,16(17)-triene-progesterone (1,4-PG), respectively. To resolve bioavailability limitations of water-insoluble 3β-HP during scale-up, an emulsification system (3β-HP: Tween 80: HPCD = 10: 1: 20, w/w) was optimized. In 5 L fermenters, strains Rj4K and Rj4K-MnK2A395G demonstrated exceptional performance, achieving molar yields of 92.4% (from 20 g/L 3β-HP) and 82.2% (from 40 g/L 3β-HP) for 4-PG, and 86.7% (from 20 g/L 3β-HP) and 68.9% (from 40 g/L 3β-HP) for 1,4-PG. The overall tigogenin-to-product yields achieved 56.8–63.9% (for 4-PG) and 47.7–60.0% (for 1,4-PG), outperforming traditional diosgenin-based routes. In summary, this study establishes a sustainable chemoenzymatic strategy for steroid synthesis, enabling waste utilization while replacing hazardous reagents, with demonstrated industrial and environmental benefits.
{"title":"Green upcycling of tigogenin from sisal waste: Chemoenzymatic cascade synthesis of progesterone derivatives as an alternative to traditional steroid production processes","authors":"Lu Song, Zhi-Kun Luo, Fu-Cheng He, Lan-Ya Huang, Liang-Bin Xiong, Yong-Jun Liu, Dong-Zhi Wei, Feng-Qing Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2026.173841","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2026.173841","url":null,"abstract":"The structural properties of starting materials decisively govern industrial synthesis pathways for pharmaceutical steroids. Tigogenin, an economical and abundant byproduct from sisal fiber processing, exhibits substantial potential for steroid production. However, its industrial utility is limited by its saturated A-ring structure and environmentally detrimental application processes. To address these challenges, we developed an integrated chemoenzymatic pathway. First, tigogenin extracted from sisal residue was converted to 3β-hydroxy-5α-pregnane-16-ene-20-one (3β-HP) via H₂O₂ degradation, a green alternative to Marker degradation. This was followed by efficient biotransformation to 5α-pregnane-16-ene-3,20-dione (5α-PD, >95% yield) using <em>Streptomyces lividans</em> TK24-152 instead of conventional Oppenauer oxidation, thereby eliminating toxic metal catalysts (CrO₃ and aluminum tert-butoxide) in these traditional reaction processes. To selectively functionalize the A-ring of 5α-PD, 3-ketosteroid-Δ<sup>4</sup>-dehydrogenase (Kst4D) and 3-ketosteroid-Δ<sup>1</sup>-dehydrogenase (Kst1D) were screened, engineered, and incorporated into <em>S. lividans</em> TK24-152. This generated strains (Rj4K, ReK3, and Rj4K-MnK2<sup>A395G</sup>) capable of converting 3β-HP via 5α-PD to Δ<sup>4,16(17)</sup>-diene-progesterone (4-PG), Δ<sup>1,16(17)</sup>-diene-progesterone (1-PG), and Δ<sup>1,4,16(17)</sup>-triene-progesterone (1,4-PG), respectively. To resolve bioavailability limitations of water-insoluble 3β-HP during scale-up, an emulsification system (3β-HP: Tween 80: HPCD = 10: 1: 20, <em>w</em>/w) was optimized. In 5 L fermenters, strains Rj4K and Rj4K-MnK2<sup>A395G</sup> demonstrated exceptional performance, achieving molar yields of 92.4% (from 20 g/L 3β-HP) and 82.2% (from 40 g/L 3β-HP) for 4-PG, and 86.7% (from 20 g/L 3β-HP) and 68.9% (from 40 g/L 3β-HP) for 1,4-PG. The overall tigogenin-to-product yields achieved 56.8–63.9% (for 4-PG) and 47.7–60.0% (for 1,4-PG), outperforming traditional diosgenin-based routes. In summary, this study establishes a sustainable chemoenzymatic strategy for steroid synthesis, enabling waste utilization while replacing hazardous reagents, with demonstrated industrial and environmental benefits.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"73 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146138344","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
With the rapid advancement and widespread use of electronic devices, products are becoming increasingly miniaturized and multifunctional. This trend necessitates the development of polymeric films with both high thermal conductivity and strong electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE). Moreover, the demand for stretchable and recoverable electronic materials has grown due to the diverse operating environments of modern devices. In this work, a multifunctional film was fabricated by combining the thermoplastic elastomer poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene) (SBS) with modified reduced graphene oxide (RGO) via a simple “thiol–ene” click reaction followed by vacuum-assisted filtration. The resulting composite film, with a thickness of only 47 μm, exhibits an outstanding specific EMI SE (SEt) of 2300 dB/cm and a high thermal conductivity of 4.7 W/m·K. Furthermore, the film exhibits excellent electromechanical stability, retaining its original electrical resistance even under 60% tensile strain, and shows self-healing behavior at elevated temperatures. This work not only presents a viable approach for designing high-performance stretchable films, but also underscores the potential of SBS as a versatile polymer matrix for next-generation thermal management and EMI shielding applications.
随着电子设备的快速发展和广泛使用，产品越来越趋向小型化和多功能化。这一趋势要求开发具有高导热性和强电磁干扰屏蔽效能的聚合物薄膜。此外，由于现代设备的不同操作环境，对可拉伸和可回收电子材料的需求也在增长。在这项工作中，将热塑性弹性体聚（苯乙烯-丁二烯-苯乙烯）（SBS）与改性还原氧化石墨烯（RGO）结合，通过简单的“硫醇”点击反应，然后进行真空辅助过滤，制备了多功能薄膜。所制备的复合薄膜厚度仅为47 μm，具有2300 dB/cm的特殊EMI SE （SEt）和4.7 W/m·K的高导热系数。此外，该薄膜表现出优异的机电稳定性，即使在60%的拉伸应变下也能保持其原有的电阻，并在高温下表现出自愈行为。这项工作不仅为设计高性能可拉伸薄膜提供了可行的方法，而且还强调了SBS作为下一代热管理和电磁干扰屏蔽应用的多功能聚合物基质的潜力。
{"title":"Flexible thiol–ene crosslinked reduced graphene oxide-functionalized styrene-butadiene-styrene films with enhanced thermal conductivity and electromagnetic interference shielding efficiency","authors":"Xinyu Liu, Xiaohui Lv, Chuang Peng, Linzhe He, Yibo Zhang, Song Lei, Guohua Hu, Zhehong Lu, Tao Ding, Xiaohong Li, Zhijun Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2026.173974","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2026.173974","url":null,"abstract":"With the rapid advancement and widespread use of electronic devices, products are becoming increasingly miniaturized and multifunctional. This trend necessitates the development of polymeric films with both high thermal conductivity and strong electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE). Moreover, the demand for stretchable and recoverable electronic materials has grown due to the diverse operating environments of modern devices. In this work, a multifunctional film was fabricated by combining the thermoplastic elastomer poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene) (SBS) with modified reduced graphene oxide (RGO) via a simple “thiol–ene” click reaction followed by vacuum-assisted filtration. The resulting composite film, with a thickness of only 47 μm, exhibits an outstanding specific EMI SE (SEt) of 2300 dB/cm and a high thermal conductivity of 4.7 W/m·K. Furthermore, the film exhibits excellent electromechanical stability, retaining its original electrical resistance even under 60% tensile strain, and shows self-healing behavior at elevated temperatures. This work not only presents a viable approach for designing high-performance stretchable films, but also underscores the potential of SBS as a versatile polymer matrix for next-generation thermal management and EMI shielding applications.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146145942","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-09DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2026.173963
Dua Özsoylu, Elke Börmann-El Kholy, Patrick Wagner, Michael J. Schöning
The development of synthetic materials capable of efficiently capturing bacteria is essential for applications in biosensors, environmental monitoring and pathogen detection. However, traditional bacteria-imprinted polymers (BIPs), which demand whole bacterial cells as templates, face critical limitations in biosafety, scalability, and standardization. To overcome these challenges, we present a new class of synthetic bacterial recognition materials that eliminate the need for whole bacterial templates. This is achieved via a novel imprinting strategy that combines photolithographic surface imprinting with molecular imprinting. A PDMS-based master stamp containing a high-density array of photolithographically defined biomimetic Escherichia coli microstructures was developed and subsequently chemically functionalized with E. coli surface components (lipopolysaccharides (LPSs)). Comprehensive characterization using atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), contact angle, and Zeta potential measurements confirmed that the synthetic microstructures closely mimic both the shape and surface chemistry of E. coli. The functionalized stamp enables the simultaneous formation of shape-complementary cavities and LPS-derived chemical patterns (molecular fingerprints of E. coli) on a polyurethane substrate in a single imprinting step. The resulting biomimetic molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) showed significantly enhanced bacterial capture performance (imprinting factor: 6.5), outperforming geometry-only and LPS-only imprinted surfaces. The results highlight the synergistic effect of combining physical and molecular recognition, establishing a scalable, whole-cell-templating-free strategy for fabricating high-affinity synthetic receptors.
{"title":"Lipopolysaccharide-templated biomimetic molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) surfaces for high-affinity bacterial capture","authors":"Dua Özsoylu, Elke Börmann-El Kholy, Patrick Wagner, Michael J. Schöning","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2026.173963","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2026.173963","url":null,"abstract":"The development of synthetic materials capable of efficiently capturing bacteria is essential for applications in biosensors, environmental monitoring and pathogen detection. However, traditional bacteria-imprinted polymers (BIPs), which demand whole bacterial cells as templates, face critical limitations in biosafety, scalability, and standardization. To overcome these challenges, we present a new class of synthetic bacterial recognition materials that eliminate the need for whole bacterial templates. This is achieved via a novel imprinting strategy that combines photolithographic surface imprinting with molecular imprinting. A PDMS-based master stamp containing a high-density array of photolithographically defined biomimetic <em>Escherichia coli</em> microstructures was developed and subsequently chemically functionalized with <em>E. coli</em> surface components (lipopolysaccharides (LPSs)). Comprehensive characterization using atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), contact angle, and Zeta potential measurements confirmed that the synthetic microstructures closely mimic both the shape and surface chemistry of <em>E. coli</em>. The functionalized stamp enables the simultaneous formation of shape-complementary cavities and LPS-derived chemical patterns (molecular fingerprints of <em>E. coli</em>) on a polyurethane substrate in a single imprinting step. The resulting biomimetic molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) showed significantly enhanced bacterial capture performance (imprinting factor: 6.5), outperforming geometry-only and LPS-only imprinted surfaces. The results highlight the synergistic effect of combining physical and molecular recognition, establishing a scalable, whole-cell-templating-free strategy for fabricating high-affinity synthetic receptors.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146145944","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bi2Te3-based thermoelectric (TE) materials, renowned for their excellent near-room-temperature performance, hold great promise for flexible and wearable electronics. However, their intrinsic brittleness hampers large-scale integration. Here we establish a crystal-to-device strategy that converts high-quality Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 crystals—grown by an improved temperature-gradient method with composition optimization via BiCl3 and Ga co-doping—into high-performance, mechanically compliant TE thick films. Leveraging the van der Waals gaps between quintuple layers, large-area (00l)-textured, mirror-smooth thick films are mechanically exfoliated in a graphene-like manner, retaining bulk-like transport characteristics. The optimized composition simultaneously regulates carrier concentration and enhances the Seebeck coefficient through band anisotropy modulation, yielding a Seebeck coefficient of ~212.3 μV K−1 and a power factor of ~54.7 μW cm−1 K−2 at 300 K. Integrated on flexible printed circuits, single-leg modules achieve ultrahigh sensitivity (−187.2 μV K−1), sub-second response, and robust durability over 1000 bending cycles. This work provides a versatile pathway to convert brittle layered thermoelectrics into flexible, high-efficiency platforms for next-generation wearable and intelligent thermal sensing.
{"title":"vdW-driven exfoliation of Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 thick films for high-sensitivity and durable thermoelectric sensing","authors":"Haowei Xu, Qiang Zhang, Kaikai Pang, Qiaoyan Pan, Ruyuan Li, Haoyang Hu, Jingtao Xu, Jiehua Wu, Yao Wang, Guo-Qiang Liu, Guoxiang Wang, Jun Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2026.173994","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2026.173994","url":null,"abstract":"Bi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub>-based thermoelectric (TE) materials, renowned for their excellent near-room-temperature performance, hold great promise for flexible and wearable electronics. However, their intrinsic brittleness hampers large-scale integration. Here we establish a crystal-to-device strategy that converts high-quality Bi<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>2.7</sub>Se<sub>0.3</sub> crystals—grown by an improved temperature-gradient method with composition optimization via BiCl<sub>3</sub> and Ga co-doping—into high-performance, mechanically compliant TE thick films. Leveraging the van der Waals gaps between quintuple layers, large-area (00<em>l</em>)-textured, mirror-smooth thick films are mechanically exfoliated in a graphene-like manner, retaining bulk-like transport characteristics. The optimized composition simultaneously regulates carrier concentration and enhances the Seebeck coefficient through band anisotropy modulation, yielding a Seebeck coefficient of ~212.3 μV K<sup>−1</sup> and a power factor of ~54.7 μW cm<sup>−1</sup> K<sup>−2</sup> at 300 K. Integrated on flexible printed circuits, single-leg modules achieve ultrahigh sensitivity (−187.2 μV K<sup>−1</sup>), sub-second response, and robust durability over 1000 bending cycles. This work provides a versatile pathway to convert brittle layered thermoelectrics into flexible, high-efficiency platforms for next-generation wearable and intelligent thermal sensing.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"108 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146145998","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Inspired by nature's sophisticated architectures, lightweight and robust nanofiber-assembled aerogels have emerged as promising platforms for advanced wearable electronics. Despite growing demand driven by artificial intelligence and internet of things technologies, flexible piezoresistive sensors still face challenges in balancing sensitivity and detection range, while maintaining cyclic stability and environmental adaptability. To overcome these limitations, a “layer-porous-layer” homologous hybrid dimensional network structured polyimide nanofiber (PINF)/carbon nanotube (CNT) composite aerogel was fabricated through an integrated process of electrospinning, directional freeze-drying, and thermal imidization. By selectively dissolving polyamic acid nanofibers (PAANF) with triethylamine (TEA) to generate homologous PAAS oligomers as crosslinkers, a “skeleton-binder” homologous hybrid dimensional network was constructed. Meanwhile, directional freezing was used to induce the orientation of solid components, combined with thermal imidization covalent crosslinking, to achieve the synergistic construction of hierarchical porous and conductive networks. Benefiting from the homologous hybrid dimensional network, the resulting composite aerogel demonstrated an ultra-low density (25 mg/cm3), excellent compressive cyclic stability (no significant performance degradation over 6000 cycles), high sensitivity (S = 21.77 kPa−1), and a wide detection range (0–80% strain/0–70 kPa stress). It also exhibited fast response/recovery times (100 ms and 60 ms, respectively) and outstanding long-term sensing reliability with no significant performance degradation over 6000 cycles. The integrated thermal insulation and flame-retardant characteristics further enhanced its suitability for extreme environment applications. These comprehensive performances not only verified the practical value of PINF/CNT composite aerogels in wearable electronics, human motion monitoring and extreme environment sensing applications, but also established a new technical path and material strategy for designing high-performance flexible pressure sensors.
{"title":"A “skeleton-binder” homologous hybrid aerogel with multifunctional integration for ultrasensitive wide-range piezoresistive sensing and fire-resistant thermal insulation","authors":"Lingyue Zhou, Dandan Li, Fan Yang, Changtong Yu, Guangtao Qian, Youhai Yu, Chunhai Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2026.173999","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2026.173999","url":null,"abstract":"Inspired by nature's sophisticated architectures, lightweight and robust nanofiber-assembled aerogels have emerged as promising platforms for advanced wearable electronics. Despite growing demand driven by artificial intelligence and internet of things technologies, flexible piezoresistive sensors still face challenges in balancing sensitivity and detection range, while maintaining cyclic stability and environmental adaptability. To overcome these limitations, a “layer-porous-layer” homologous hybrid dimensional network structured polyimide nanofiber (PINF)/carbon nanotube (CNT) composite aerogel was fabricated through an integrated process of electrospinning, directional freeze-drying, and thermal imidization. By selectively dissolving polyamic acid nanofibers (PAANF) with triethylamine (TEA) to generate homologous PAAS oligomers as crosslinkers, a “skeleton-binder” homologous hybrid dimensional network was constructed. Meanwhile, directional freezing was used to induce the orientation of solid components, combined with thermal imidization covalent crosslinking, to achieve the synergistic construction of hierarchical porous and conductive networks. Benefiting from the homologous hybrid dimensional network, the resulting composite aerogel demonstrated an ultra-low density (25 mg/cm<ce:sup loc=\"post\">3</ce:sup>), excellent compressive cyclic stability (no significant performance degradation over 6000 cycles), high sensitivity (S = 21.77 kPa<ce:sup loc=\"post\">−1</ce:sup>), and a wide detection range (0–80% strain/0–70 kPa stress). It also exhibited fast response/recovery times (100 ms and 60 ms, respectively) and outstanding long-term sensing reliability with no significant performance degradation over 6000 cycles. The integrated thermal insulation and flame-retardant characteristics further enhanced its suitability for extreme environment applications. These comprehensive performances not only verified the practical value of PINF/CNT composite aerogels in wearable electronics, human motion monitoring and extreme environment sensing applications, but also established a new technical path and material strategy for designing high-performance flexible pressure sensors.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146146717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bioinspired intelligent surfaces enable real-time sensing and adaptive functional regulation via stimuli-responsive mechanisms, and are increasingly important for the development of embodied intelligence and intelligent wearable devices. However, most existing bioinspired intelligent surfaces operate under a single-stimulus paradigm, which limits their ability to function in coupled multiphysics environments. Moreover, integrating multi-stimulus responsiveness into the design-to-manufacturing pipeline in an energy-efficient and high-throughput manner remains a major bottleneck in this field. To address these challenges, we employed magnetically assisted assembly to fabricate a triple-responsive bioinspired intelligent surface (TRBIS) that enables coupled photo-, thermal-, and magnetic-responsive behaviors. TRBIS is constructed from a thermoresponsive shape-memory polyurethane (SMPU) composite incorporating carbonyl iron powder (CIP), which provides magnetic actuation and photo-thermal conversion. Before curing, an external magnetic field induces CIP alignment and chain formation along the field lines, enabling fast self-assembly of a high-aspect-ratio bionic micro-pillar array. Results demonstrate that TRBIS responds to photo, thermal, and magnetic stimuli individually and enables coordinated multi-stimulus regulation. Importantly, it integrates the complementary merits of the three modes, combining rapid and reversible magnetic actuation, thermally induced shape-memory fixation/retention, and photo-enabled non-contact triggering with localized, high-precision control. This strategy also enhances the structural stability and durability of TRBIS under repeated switching cycles. Ultimately, we demonstrated robust cross-species wetting regulation under coupled photo/thermal/magnetic stimuli, providing a generalizable route toward multi-stimuli-responsive platforms for intelligent microfluidics and micro-manipulation.
{"title":"Photo/thermal/magnetic triple-stimuli-responsive bioinspired intelligent surface for cross-species functional regulation","authors":"Yanlong Shao, Luoqi Wang, Dandan Zhu, Hao Li, Zhihui Zhang, Luquan Ren","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2026.173978","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2026.173978","url":null,"abstract":"Bioinspired intelligent surfaces enable real-time sensing and adaptive functional regulation via stimuli-responsive mechanisms, and are increasingly important for the development of embodied intelligence and intelligent wearable devices. However, most existing bioinspired intelligent surfaces operate under a single-stimulus paradigm, which limits their ability to function in coupled multiphysics environments. Moreover, integrating multi-stimulus responsiveness into the design-to-manufacturing pipeline in an energy-efficient and high-throughput manner remains a major bottleneck in this field. To address these challenges, we employed magnetically assisted assembly to fabricate a triple-responsive bioinspired intelligent surface (TRBIS) that enables coupled photo-, thermal-, and magnetic-responsive behaviors. TRBIS is constructed from a thermoresponsive shape-memory polyurethane (SMPU) composite incorporating carbonyl iron powder (CIP), which provides magnetic actuation and photo-thermal conversion. Before curing, an external magnetic field induces CIP alignment and chain formation along the field lines, enabling fast self-assembly of a high-aspect-ratio bionic micro-pillar array. Results demonstrate that TRBIS responds to photo, thermal, and magnetic stimuli individually and enables coordinated multi-stimulus regulation. Importantly, it integrates the complementary merits of the three modes, combining rapid and reversible magnetic actuation, thermally induced shape-memory fixation/retention, and photo-enabled non-contact triggering with localized, high-precision control. This strategy also enhances the structural stability and durability of TRBIS under repeated switching cycles. Ultimately, we demonstrated robust cross-species wetting regulation under coupled photo/thermal/magnetic stimuli, providing a generalizable route toward multi-stimuli-responsive platforms for intelligent microfluidics and micro-manipulation.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"315 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146146736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Continuous microbial fermentation of amino acids remained a formidable challenge due to the suboptimal pathway control and insufficient cell retention. L-valine, an essential amino acid, was vital for various industries like feed and pharmaceuticals, yet its efficient and sustained biosynthesis under continuous conditions was rarely achieved. In this study, an engineered Escherichia coli (E. coli) with enhanced biofilm formation and blue light-activated metabolism was constructed for high-yield and long-term fermentation. Through investigating the flagellar- and motility-related genes, a novel cyanamide-inducible system carrying the DDI3 promoter was developed to induce fliA expression, accelerating the biofilm formation during the growth stage. Subsequently, for the efficient metabolic flux of L-valine, the expression of ilvCDE was evaluated and significantly boosted catalytic efficiency through the transient activation via the optogenetic tool pDawn in the production stage. Two-stage regulatory strategy of the final strain PDDI3-fliA+pDawn-ilvCDE sustained 462 h of the continuous fermentation in a 50 L bioreactor achieved 71.63 g/L L-valine with a glucose-to-L-valine yield of 0.57 g/g and a productivity of 2.05 g/L/h, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this was the highest glucose-to-L-valine yield ever reported in E. coli. This systematic metabolic engineering strategies established a promising and versatile platform for realizing continuous L-valine fermentation and could be readily extended to other metabolite biosynthesis.
{"title":"Engineering Escherichia coli for continuous L-valine production via two-stage biofilm and metabolic regulation","authors":"Wenjun Sun, Yu Sha, Shuqi Shi, Wenlu Qi, Qingguo Liu, Tianpeng Chen, Yong Chen, Hanjie Ying","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2026.173965","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2026.173965","url":null,"abstract":"Continuous microbial fermentation of amino acids remained a formidable challenge due to the suboptimal pathway control and insufficient cell retention. L-valine, an essential amino acid, was vital for various industries like feed and pharmaceuticals, yet its efficient and sustained biosynthesis under continuous conditions was rarely achieved. In this study, an engineered <ce:italic>Escherichia coli</ce:italic> (<ce:italic>E. coli</ce:italic>) with enhanced biofilm formation and blue light-activated metabolism was constructed for high-yield and long-term fermentation. Through investigating the flagellar- and motility-related genes, a novel cyanamide-inducible system carrying the DDI3 promoter was developed to induce <ce:italic>fliA</ce:italic> expression, accelerating the biofilm formation during the growth stage. Subsequently, for the efficient metabolic flux of L-valine, the expression of <ce:italic>ilvCDE</ce:italic> was evaluated and significantly boosted catalytic efficiency through the transient activation via the optogenetic tool pDawn in the production stage. Two-stage regulatory strategy of the final strain P<ce:inf loc=\"post\">DDI3</ce:inf>-fliA+pDawn-ilvCDE sustained 462 h of the continuous fermentation in a 50 L bioreactor achieved 71.63 g/L L-valine with a glucose-to-L-valine yield of 0.57 g/g and a productivity of 2.05 g/L/h, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this was the highest glucose-to-L-valine yield ever reported in <ce:italic>E. coli</ce:italic>. This systematic metabolic engineering strategies established a promising and versatile platform for realizing continuous L-valine fermentation and could be readily extended to other metabolite biosynthesis.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"133 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146146741","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-09DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2026.173971
Meng Chen, Jun Nan, Ziyao Wang, Langrun Song, Zhencheng Ge, Fengmin Li
The prevalence of polystyrene microplastics (PS MPs) in surface water threatens the low-pressure membrane (LPM) process used for the safe supply of drinking water. Although pre-coagulated LPM processes effectively retain PS MPs and enhance effluent quality, the dynamic role of PS MPs in fouling evolution and filtration performance throughout the entire operational cycle remains unclear. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of PS MPs on the filtration performance and fouling evolution of pre-coagulated LPM processes using various coagulants (AlCl3, poly‑aluminum chloride (PACl), and octadecyl-quaternium hybrid coagulant (OQHC)) over 720 h. During 0–100 h, membrane fouling was primarily governed by floc-membrane interfacial interactions. PS MPs alleviated membrane fouling by reducing the attractive acid-base interaction energy between flocs and the membrane by 1.29–2.34 mJ m−2. Notably, the OQHC processes achieved the highest permeability (normalized flux = 0.86). During 100–720 h, the predominant fouling type transformed to cake layer filtration (R2 = 0.9061–0.9485). Consequently, the influence of PS MPs on the filtration performance depended on the floc characteristics and cake layer structure. In this period, PS MPs deteriorated flux stability in AlCl3 (decay coefficients (D) = 0.0030) and OQHC processes (D = 0.0016), whereas they enhanced flux stability in the PACl process (D = 0.0037). To evaluate the relative significance of various floc characteristics on pre-coagulated LPM filtration performance, a multiple linear regression model was established. The results revealed that floc strength exerted the strongest influence on filtration performance, followed by fractal dimension, the proportion of sub-6 μm flocs, and Zeta potential. This study provides critical insights into the dynamic role of PS MPs in LPM processes and proposes a practical evaluation framework for optimizing pre-coagulated membrane treatment.
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