Journal of Colloid and Interface Science最新文献

Constructing integrated multifunctional hydrogels with both high toughness and diverse functionalities is beneficial for the development of flexible antibacterial materials and wearable sensors. However, current hydrogels often fail to achieve a synergistic balance among toughness, antibacterial activity, and sensing responsiveness, limiting their practical applications. Herein, a "nano-bridge" strategy is proposed to fabricate a double-network hydrogel system (PHS-CT) composed of a covalent polyacrylamide network and a dynamic borate-crosslinked hydroxypropyl guar gum/sodium alginate network. The incorporated Cu-TA nanosheets serve not only as "structural bridges" to enhance the crosslinking density and mechanical performance (strain up to 1997.7%, toughness up to 1.53 MJ/m³), but also as "functional bridges" to enable photothermal conversion and improved antibacterial activity (bacterial killing rate of 99.0% against E. coli under NIR irradiation). In addition, benefiting from the dynamic reversibility of borate ester bonds as well as the re-forming capability of hydrogen bonds at the fracture interface, the hydrogel exhibits favorable self-healing ability (self-healing efficiency up to 91.0%), and can function as a flexible strain sensor capable of accurately detecting both large-scale and subtle deformations. This strategy provides a feasible strategy for constructing multifunctional dual-network hydrogels, and may be useful for photothermal antibacterial and flexible sensing applications.

Electrochemical methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) provides a promising route to reduce the anodic overpotential of water electrolysis while co-generating value-added chemicals. However, developing cost-effective catalysts that achieve highly efficient and selective methanol-to-formate conversion remains a significant challenge. In this work, we developed a series of potential cost-effective electrocatalysts synthesized via a hydrothermal-calcination route. Among them, the iron-substituted nickel oxide (Fe-NiO) electrode delivers the highest current density of ∼150 mA cm^-2 at 1.60 V vs. RHE, and remarkable MOR selectivity with a formate Faradaic efficiency of ∼100%, largely above control samplesof pristine NiO-, and Fe₂O₃-based electrode. At a lower external potential of 1.55 V, this electrode presents a remarkable stability, sustaining a high current density over 100 mA cm^-2 even at the end of 100 h operation.Advanced characterization combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveals that Fe incorporation modulates the electronic structure of NiO, optimizes the adsorption of key reaction intermediates, and significantly reduces the energy barrier of the rate-determining step. This work establish an effective electronic-structure engineering strategy for designing earth-abundant, high-performance MOR electrocatalysts and provides mechanistic insights into tuning metal oxides for energy-efficient hydrogen co-production.

Lithium‑sulfur batteries (LSBs) suffer from lithium polysulfide (LiPS) shuttling and slow redox kinetics. To mitigate these issues, we report an efficient electrocatalytic interlayer based on a FeCoNiCrMn high-entropy alloy embedded in N-doped carbon nanofibers (HEA@NCNF). The multi-metallic HEA offers abundant active sites, while the N-doped carbon shell not only prevents HEA particle agglomeration and metal leaching, but also establishes a three-dimensional conductive network. Combined X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations elucidate the underlying mechanism: electron modulation from the N-doped carbon layer raises the d-band center of the HEA, thereby strengthening LiPS adsorption and promoting its electrocatalytic conversion. Consequently, the HEA@NCNF interlayer functions as an efficient "trap-and-convert" reactor for LiPSs, which simultaneously suppresses shuttle effects and accelerates redox kinetics. The cells with HEA@NCNF demonstrate exceptional cycling and rate performance, with a capacity decay of only 0.023% per cycle over 1500 cycles at 1C. Remarkably, this superior performance extends to challenging conditions, including high sulfur loading (≥ 7 mg cm^-2), lean electrolyte, and high-rate operation. This work demonstrates a strategy of integrating HEAs with conductive N-doped carbon matrices to create a synergistic trap-convert mediator for LiPSs.

The construction of stable Cu⁰/Cu⁺ active sites is essential for achieving high-performance copper-based Fenton-like catalysis. In this work, we develop a novel ethanol-mediated quenching reduction strategy synergistically integrated with rational two-dimensional structural engineering to precisely construct and stabilize Cu⁰/Cu⁺ pairs within a two-dimensional Cu-CuO/TiO₂ heterojunction (CTO-Q). The approach leverages the transient thermal energy generated during rapid cooling to initiate ethanol dehydrogenation, during which in-situ electrons are released and subsequently reduce Cu²⁺ ions, thereby facilitating the controlled formation and long-term stabilization of coexisting Cu⁰/Cu⁺ species. Advanced spectroscopic characterizations provide direct evidence for the successful generation and chemical state stability of the Cu⁰/Cu⁺ active sites. The resultant CTO-Q catalyst exhibits superior PMS activation capability, achieving 95% removal of levofloxacin within 30 min, with an observed rate constant (k_obs = 0.35 min^-1) that is 3.89-fold higher than that of the conventional catalyst. Remarkably, the catalytic performance remains nearly unchanged after five consecutive cycles, maintaining approximately 95% degradation efficiency, which underscores its exceptional operational stability-attributable to a self-sustaining redox cycle that mitigates irreversible oxidation. The generality and scalability of this synthetic strategy are further validated by the successful fabrication of a family of two-dimensional Cu-based heterojunctions (Cu-CuO/CeO₂, Cu-CuO/SiO₂, and Cu-CuO/Al₂O₃). Critically, this methodology enables the valorization of Fenton sludge into a high-efficiency catalytic material, thereby establishing a direct link between advanced functional material design and sustainable environmental remediation.

Dynamic materials with broadband absorption and deflecting reflective beam properties are crucial for electromagnetic defense in complex environments. This work presented a cellulose nanofiber-based aerogel (MBAA) with superb elastic properties, featuring a reticulated pore wall structure via one-dimensional interface engineering. The reticulated pore walls of MBAA ensured excellent stress transfer, while the incorporation of silver nanowires introduced significant conductive losses. These features enabled the strain-driven tunable electromagnetic property of MBAA, yielding the lowest RL value of -65.56 dB and EAB of 4.0 GHz at 20% strain amplitude. Furthermore, a hollow aerogel metamaterial (MBAM) inspired by the natural structure of pine was proposed. Simulation results confirmed that the structural advantages of hexagonal cavity in MBAM activated EMW transmission paths, achieved broadband EMW absorption across a wide frequency range (1-18 GHz) optimizing through eight structural parameters. Moreover, MBAM demonstrated surprisingly deflection reflected beam properties varying from effective attenuation to anomalous reflection/scattering at different strain amplitudes. This was due to the abundant structure resonance and edge scattering effects, with a reduction in radar cross-section (RCS) reaching up to 43.33 dB·m². This study pioneers the realization of dynamically tunable broadband absorption and deflection-reflected beam properties, offering valuable insights for metamaterial design in electromagnetic defense.

Rechargeable magnesium-ion batteries (RMBs) demonstrate notable benefits, including higher theoretical energy density, cost-effectiveness, and improved safety characteristics, positioning them as a viable substitute for conventional energy storage solutions. Nevertheless, the ongoing development of high-performance RMBs continues to face inevitable challenges, such as unsatisfactory practical capacity, inadequate cycle durability, swift energy degradation, and a comparatively limited-service life. Herein, CoS/NiS nanomaterials with cubic-shaped morphology were prepared by a two-step metal sulfide template-free solvothermal synthesis method. The material with internal cavity structure effectively mitigates the large expansion of magnesium-ion battery cathode material due to Mg²⁺ embedding during the charging and discharging process, and provides a robustness electrode-electrolyte interface, thus greatly improving the cycle life. Besides, the introduction of Ni elements into CoS materials may form heterojunctions thereby lowering the potential barrier of the conversion reaction and improving the reaction kinetics and redox reversibility. In addition, the abundance of highly electronegative SS bonds in the CoS/NiS material, which also provides many electrochemically active sites and smooth transport paths for the embedding of Mg²⁺, leads to the reduction of its polarization and the improvement of its reaction kinetics, which makes the CoS/NiS as a RMBs cathode material with a high specific capacity and a long cycling life. Thus, this research presents a feasible and effective strategy for enhancing the Mg²⁺ storage capability of engineered CoS nanomaterials, with potential applicability and adaptability to other electrode materials.