Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials最新文献

The development of environmentally friendly slow-release fertilizers with effective water retention is an urgent need in modern agriculture. Although biochar can improve soil fertility as a nutrient carrier, it suffers from poor slow-release performance and water retention. Conversely, soy protein hydrogels, characterized by their hydrophilic nature with three-dimensional cross-linked networks, can retain large amounts of water and facilitate the slow release of fertilizers and water due to their high specific surface area. Hence, a novel slow-release composite material with high water retention was prepared by introducing bamboo biochar into a soy protein–based hydrogel (SPB) network through graft copolymerization. The findings indicated that the bamboo biochar promoted the SPB cross-linked network density, which improved the swelling rate of SPB materials and soil water-holding capacity. Moreover, SPB-2–4% and SPB-3–4% exhibited superior slow-release capabilities for nitrogen fertilizer. Cucumber seedlings treated with SPB materials containing bamboo biochar demonstrated enhanced growth and chlorophyll content than those treated with biochar-free SPB materials. Compared with the control, the cucumber plants treated with SPB-2–4% displayed a significant increase in fresh weight, root length, and leaf area by 139.32%, 99.20%, and 149.45%, respectively, which can be attributed to the positive synergistic effect of soy protein and bamboo biochar. Furthermore, the nutrients and porous structures of bamboo biochar favor the proliferation of microorganisms, enriching the soil microbial community. Therefore, the bamboo biochar-soybean protein hydrogel composites have great application prospects for sustainable agriculture and provide a new direction for the development of slow-release and water-retention fertilizers.

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When the permittivity is equal to zero or very close to zero, unique physical properties are triggered in epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) materials, which have broad application prospects in perfect absorption, superlens, invisible cloak, and other fields. In this work, by doping high-entropy alloy (HEA) into reduced graphene oxide (HEA@RGO), ENZ performance at 19 MHz is realized from three-dimensional (3D) printed polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/HEA@RGO film when HEA@RGO content reaches 15 wt%. However, negative permittivity from 2 to 80 MHz is realized from 3D-printed PDMS/graphene film with 15 wt% graphene content. Theory calculations are used to explore the mechanism of ENZ performance at radio frequency. Compared with the band structure of graphene, when HEA is formed, the band of HEA@RGO is flatter, resulting in an increase in the effective electron mass, which causes a decrease in the plasma frequency, realizing radio frequency ENZ performance. Moreover, the 3D-printed PDMS/HEA@RGO ENZ film exhibits excellent magnetic actuation performance because of the strong saturation magnetization of HEA@RGO. Furthermore, the film exhibits good biocompatibility and is prepared into a wearable capacitive sensor device with a laminated structure, which realizes effective monitoring of human movement.

The last decade has seen dramatic progress in graphene-based composites as advanced adsorbents for application in wastewater treatment. The ability to be tuned and modified as per application-based requirement especially the environmental conditions, nature of different adsorbate moieties, etc. has driven extensive research activity on graphene-based composites. Research publication has shown a spurt in reviews on the synthesis, properties, modifications and applications of such adsorbents. Still a well-defined classification of graphene-based composites and a detailed assessment on the binding affinity of various materials with graphene are missing. A clear picture regarding the advanced properties exhibited by the graphene-based composites vis-à-vis their pristine counterparts is missing. Finally, the adsorption behaviour of graphene-based composites towards a particular class of pollutants is also vague in the literature. Thus, with the aim of providing information on the interfacial surface interactions between the different class of materials with graphene-based materials, the review has presented a systematic classification of graphene-based composites and provided a comprehensive overview of the updated literature on the material properties and adsorptive performance of such classified adsorbents towards the removal of different organic and metal ion pollutants. The overview has detailed not only on the experimental parameters, adsorption behaviour, regeneration efficiency but also on the mechanistic aspects. A comparative assessment has highlighted the advancements made for the graphene-based composites. Challenges and gaps thus identified have provided a road map for future research prospects in developing a general criteria for designing graphene-based composites as per the nature and behaviour of particular class of target pollutant in aqueous medium under different conditions.

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Residue organic matter such as antibiotics and dyes are left in wastewater that are difficult to remove. Herein, we reported a bismuth oxyiodide (Bi₅O₇I)/zeolite imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) catalyst with an S-scheme heterojunction for the degradation of tetracycline (TC) using an in-situ growth strategy. The degradation process of TC is divided into two parts: adsorption and photocatalysis. Under dark reaction conditions, the Bi₅O₇I/ZIF-8 composites have an eminent adsorption effect on TC. When exposed to visible light, the resulting Bi₅O₇I/ZIF-8 composites revealed an outstanding photocatalytic activity and high stability toward TC degradation. Experiments utilizing active species trapping showed that O₂ is essential to the photocatalytic process and the efficacy of the process is further improved by the addition of h⁺ and •OH. Likewise, these catalysts catalyzed the degradation of 84.6% of TC, and the Bi₅O₇I/ZIF-8 also exhibited high degradation stability after 4-cycle trial. This work optimizes the degradation performance of antibiotic residues by presenting a practical and doable approach for creating green semiconductor heterojunctions.

Since their breakthrough in 2011, MXenes, transition metal carbides, and/or nitrides have been studied extensively. This large family of two-dimensional materials has shown enormous potential as electrode materials for different applications including catalysis, energy storage, and conversion. MXenes are suitable for the aforementioned applications due to their high electrical conductivity, tunable surface chemistry, large surface area, layered structure, flexural property, and hydrophilicity amongst others. This article aims to cover the development of MXene/hybrid structures their computational insight, synthesis techniques, structural morphology, properties, and potential applications in energy conversion and storage devices. Several approaches have been adopted to develop MXene hybrids, such as modifying traditional MXenes by decorating surfaces, intercalating, and in-situ fabrication, to target high electrochemical performance. In addition, this review has concisely and uniquely presented recent advances in the application of MXene hybrid structures in battery design, clean hydrogen fuel generation, carbon dioxide reduction, and other relevant reactions. Finally, the latest trends and prospects of hybrid MXene materials are also summarized.

The electrodeposition of polypyrrole on AA2024-T3 was prepared by applying a constant potential via three different dopants including sulfuric acid (SA), p-toluenesulfonic acid (pTSA), and 2-naphthalenesulfonic acid (2NS). The polypyrrole coating was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The anti-corrosion behavior was examined by Tafel curves to find the optimized concentration and deposition time for each dopant. Polypyrrole was successfully electrodeposited on AA2024-T3 with pTSA and 2NS dopants, which exhibited better corrosion protection compared with bare AA2024-T3. In addition, a conventional coating was applied with spray paint considered as a topcoat to further investigate the protection efficiency of the polypyrrole. The 2NS-doped polypyrrole exhibited a good protection efficiency of 99.99%. The results demonstrated that the chemical structure of the dopant influences the corrosion protection where the corrosion potential has positively increased with the extended electrodeposition time. Topcoat with spray paint working as a surface barrier can protect the polypyrrole coating and enlarge the protection time.

The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂RR) stands as a pivotal pathway for mitigating atmospheric CO₂ levels and realizing carbon neutrality objectives. Among the investigated metal elements, copper (Cu) has emerged as a key heterogeneous catalyst capable of facilitating the formation of C₂₊ products in CO₂RR. However, challenges persist, including subpar activity and selectivity in CO₂RR, hampering the widespread application of Cu-based catalysts. The construction of single-atom sites represents a promising strategy to enhance the catalytic efficiency of CO₂ conversion. Heteroatom doping offers a means to alter the coordination environment and influence the electronic state of active sites. Single-atom alloy catalysts (SAAs), with their distinctive structure and superior catalytic selectivity, have emerged as significant players in the realm of CO₂RR. This review work provides a comprehensive summary of recent advancements in Cu-based SAAs for CO₂RR, with particular emphasis on synthesis strategies and selective CO₂ conversion. Ultimately, this review aims to offer fresh insights into the design and preparation of Cu-based SAAs for enhanced CO₂RR performance.

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Cuproptosis is an emerging regulated cell death that depends on the intracellular copper ion and mitochondrial respiration, showing great potential in cancer treatment. However, increasing the specific accumulation of copper ions in mitochondria while simultaneously enhancing mitochondrial respiration is highly needed and still a major challenge to promote cuproptosis. Herein, the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) inhibitor galloflavin (GF) self-assembles with the copper ionophore elesclomol (ES) through copper ion-driven cooperative coordination to form GF/CuES hybrid nanoparticles, synergistically targeting mitochondria and anaerobic glycolysis to boost cuproptosis-immunotherapy. After cellular internalization, the GF/CuES hybrid nanoparticles responsively dissociate to release Cu²⁺ and ES, co-transporting into mitochondria to collaboratively trigger cuproptosis, which subsequently evokes immunogenic cell death (ICD). Notably, the liberated GF leads to effective LDH suppression, which not only further amplifies cuproptosis via disrupting anaerobic glycolysis and enhancing mitochondrial respiration but also reduces lactate production, thus alleviating the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and augmenting anti-tumor immunity driven by ICD. Thus, the GF/CuES hybrid nanoparticles exhibit strong antitumor effects through cooperatively targeting glycolysis, cuproptosis, and immunotherapy, offering a unique opportunity to enhance cancer treatment strategies.