Advanced Sustainable Systems最新文献

This work presents the synthesis of two molecules, methacrylated 2-hydroxypropyl ricinoleate (2-HPR MMA) and methacrylated ricinoleic ethanolamide (ROEA MMA), appropriate for wood coating applications. The synthesized compounds are structurally verified by ¹H NMR, ESI-MS, FT-IR, and XRD. The rheological measurements, DSC, TGA, and the mechanical tensile and flexural tests provided a complex investigation of properties. Eventually, the coating applicability is evaluated by the standardized ISO 2409 cross-hatch test and the Wolff-Wilborn test. Both proposed curable molecules, 2-HPR MMA and ROEA MMA, exhibit comparable rheological profiles and thermal properties to the reference, Castor Oil MMA. From the mechanical properties and coating applicability standpoint, 2-HPR MMA and ROEA MMA perform considerably better than the reference. ROEA MMA reached the best-performing results: the tensile modulus reached 155 ± 6 MPa Methacrylated Castor Oil (Castor Oil MMA's value reached 9 ± 1 MPa), the flexural modulus attained 166 ± 2 MPa (Castor Oil MMA's value reached 8 ± 3 MPa), the tensile strength recorded 9.4 ± 0.5 MPa (Castor Oil MMA's value reached 0.4 ± 0.1 MPa), and the flexural strength reached 6.1 ± 0.2 MPa (Castor Oil MMA's value reached 0.8 ± 0.0 MPa).

The rational design of heterostructured photocatalysts with engineered architectures is crucial for advancing sustainable energy-environmental technologies. Here, a microwave-assisted strategy is developed to construct a Zr-MOF/Ag₄P₂O₇ heterostructure, synergistically integrating the high surface area and robustness of zirconium-based-frameworks with the visible-light activity of silver pyrophosphate. The hybrid exhibits enhanced charge separation and solar photon harvesting, enabling efficient degradation of a broad range of organic dyes and fluoroquinolone antibiotics. The coexistence of hexagonal and orthorhombic Ag₄P₂O₇ phases is proposed to form internal phase junctions that enhance charge-carrier separation, contributing to the superior photocatalytic performance of the heterostructure. The optimized MOF/Ag-2 composition (Zr:Ag = 1:2) achieved removal efficiencies above 95% for multiple pollutants, supported by mechanistic insights from dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analyses, which identified •OH and h⁺ as the dominant reactive species. Advanced characterization, LC-MS monitoring, and phytotoxicity assays validated the transformation of contaminants into less harmful intermediates. Importantly, Six-Flux Modeling demonstrated that the heterostructure absorbs nearly seven times more visible photons than UVA, confirming its solar responsiveness. These findings highlight Zr-MOF/Ag₄P₂O₇ as a cost-effective and structurally engineered photocatalyst, offering a blueprint for the next generation of multifunctional materials tailored for sustainable environmental remediation and beyond.

Computational methods have become a cornerstone for elucidating the nature of catalytic activity and electrocatalytic mechanisms in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. However, key factors such as the morphology, interfacial structure, and active sites of catalytic materials in Li-S batteries are highly complex, making it difficult to fully interpret their mechanisms based solely on single-scale simulations. Thus, achieving a multiscale understanding—spanning from the atomic-scale to data-driven approaches—has emerged as a critical yet challenging frontier in the design of Li-S battery materials. This review adopts a multiscale simulation perspective to gain deeper insights into the structure–activity relationships within Li-S battery catalysis. The paper begins by outlining recent advances and existing challenges in Li-S batteries, followed by a systematic survey of research methodologies across four scales: electronic/atomic, molecular/interfacial, macroscopic, and data-driven. Finally, this review summarizes the crucial role of multiscale computational simulations in advancing the understanding of various processes, including the design of cathode catalytic materials, simulations of electrode–electrolyte interfaces, mechanistic revelations of reaction conversion processes, and suppression of lithium dendrite formation at the anode. This review aims to offer methodological support for the development of high-performance Li-S batteries.

The increasing discharge of oily industrial wastewater and the rising incidence of oil spills have made the development of effective strategies for removing oil and organic pollutants from aquatic environments a pressing global challenge. In this study, a novel, rapidly synthesized lignin-based carbon aerogel (LCA) is presented, which is both eco-friendly and exhibits high efficiency in adsorbing organic pollutants and crude oil. Unlike conventional methods using resorcinol as a carbon source, industrial alkali lignin is employed to enhance utilization efficiency and reduce environmental impact. To improve lignin dissolution, a choline chloride (ChCl)/lactic acid (LA) deep eutectic solvent (DES) is utilized, which simultaneously minimized gel shrinkage during sol–gel formation. The resulting solar-driven superhydrophobic LCA (water contact angle: 151°) exhibited a high specific surface area (729.18 m² g⁻¹), exceptional mechanical properties (stress: 8818 kPa; strain: 65.9%), and can adsorb viscous crude oil and organic solvents at capacities up to 10.1 times its weight. Moreover, the LCA maintained 95% adsorption capacity after 10 rounds of oil adsorption, demonstrating outstanding reusability. Owing to its rapid preparation, fast oil adsorption rate, and high capacity, this work holds great promise for providing an efficient solution to oil-water separation.

The self-powered photothermoelectric photodetector is promising for diverse military and civilian applications. However, the substandard mechanical flexibility and high manufacturing costs limit its promotion in wearable electronics. Herein, a cost-effective route is demonstrated for manufacturing a flexible photothermoelectric photodetector using industrial waste. By the precipitation reaction under the coupling of ultrasonic waves and shear force, waste copper etching solution is successfully recycled into copper sulfide nanoparticles. The resulting plasmonic Cu₉S₈ nanoparticles, with an average size of ≈10 nm, exhibit strong near-infrared light absorption as well as the high photothermal conversion efficiency of 48% due to the plasmonic enhancement effects. Then, the flexible photothermoelectric device is fabricated by depositing the Cu₉S₈ thin film on Nylon filter membranes. The simplified device demonstrates a responsivity of 0.3 mA W⁻¹ and a rapid response time of 4.1 s (rise) and 3.0 s (fall) to 808 nm infrared light. Furthermore, microcrack engineering within the Cu₉S₈ thin film enhances the device's mechanical durability. The flexible photodetector shows almost no degradation in photoresponse even after 1000 bending-releasing cycles. This work not only provides a way to turn waste etching solution into treasure, but also opens up a new path for low-cost preparation of flexible photodetectors.

X. Jin, Y. Liang, Y. Liu, H. Ye, R. Yang, Y. Wu, W. Zhao, C. Sonne, C. Xia. Adv. Sustain. Syst. 9 (2025), e00568. https://doi.org/10.1002/adsu.202500568

In paragraph 1 of the “Introduction” section, the reference cited in the text “Over 90% of administered antibiotics cannot be metabolized within the body and are subsequently excreted into sewage systems.^[3]” was incomplete. This should have added a reference [3a] to support the statement about the “90% of the administered antibiotics not being metabolized and excreted into the sewage systems.” The corrected reference is as follows:

[3] a) K. Kumar, S. C. Gupta, Y. Chander, A. K. Singh, Advances in agronomy 2005, 87, 1; b) Y. Wang, Y. He, Q. Wang, X. Wang, B. L. Tardy, J. J. Richardson, O. J. Rojas, J. Guo, Matter 2023, 6, 260.

The authors also admitted to the need to clarify the definition of “bed volume” vs “column size” and were able to provide the explanation of them. The corrected sentences were added in paragraph 4 of the “2.2. Stability and Adsorption Performance of FeTi-bioCap” section. The corrected sentences are as follows:

“The results show that after processing 20 column bed volumes, FeTi-bioCap still achieved a high removal rate of 98.4% for ciprofloxacin (Figure 3f). The bed volume is the unit for measuring solution volume. One bed volume equals the solution volume of one separation column having a size is 1.6 cm in diameter and 20 cm in length in our experiments.”

The c₀ represents the concentration of antibiotics in the initial solution, and c_t refers to the concentration of antibiotics in the solution at the measuring point.

In paragraph 4 of the “2.4. Influence of Flow Rate and Concentration on Antibiotics Adsorption and Removal” section, the text “This result indicates that as the column size increases, the residence time of the antibiotic solution within the column and its contact time with the adsorption sites on FeTi-bioCap also increase, effectively enhancing the antibiotic removal efficiency.” was incorrect. This should have read: “According to results, we infer that as the column size increases, the residence time of the antibiotic solution within the column and its contact time with the adsorption sites on FeTi-bioCap also increase, effectively enhancing the antibiotic removal efficiency.”

The authors confirm that all the experimental results and corresponding conclusions mentioned in the paper remain unaffected.

The authors apologize for these errors.

To replace rare and expensive precious metals, developing an electrocatalyst that combines cost-effectiveness, stability, and enhanced efficiency for hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) remains a major challenge. In this study, graphdiyne with in situ formation of CuO nanoparticles is prepared using a simple one-pot method, followed by the photodeposition of silver (Ag) under varying light exposure durations. Interestingly, GDY/Cu/Ag_{10min/0 °C} demonstrated outstanding HER activity, with a reduced onset overpotential of 193 mV and a Tafel slope of 84 mV dec⁻¹. This performance rivals or surpasses that of many reported non-precious metal catalysts. The enhanced catalytic activity is attributed to a more accessible active site, resulting from the size reduction of Ag particles and the synergistic effect localized at the Cu/Ag interface. In particular, it is found that the Cu/Ag interface plays a pivotal role in the proton adsorption, which significantly enhances HER performance. Theoretical calculations revealed that proton adsorption at the Cu/Ag interface is significantly improved. Notably, the active sites at the Cu/Ag interface exhibited lower free adsorption energies (0.22–0.24 eV), resulting in lower limiting potential, in agreement with HER activity. The catalyst exhibits excellent performance, remarkable stability, and high efficiency, meeting the requirements for hydrogen production in diverse applications.

Efficient removal of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) from urban air is a pressing environmental need. Here, Ni-doped SnS₂ nanoflowers are synthesized via a microwave-assisted solvothermal method and their visible-light-driven NO_x abatement performance is evaluated. X-ray diffraction and Raman confirm phase-pure hexagonal SnS₂, while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy verifies successful Ni²⁺ incorporation without secondary phases. Ni doping slightly distorts the marigold flower-like morphology observed in pristine SnS₂ and narrows the bandgap (UV–vis), enhancing visible-light absorption and charge separation. Photoluminescence spectra reveal suppressed carrier recombination, with 5 wt% Ni-doped SnS₂ showing the lowest emission intensity. Photocatalytic tests demonstrate that this composition achieves the highest NO_x removal efficiency (14.2%) within 60 min, 1.6× higher than pristine SnS₂, while maintaining 70% activity after ten cycles. Theoretical calculations reveal Ni-3d/S-p hybridization and the introduction of mid-gap states, which lower the optical transition threshold and support the experimentally observed bandgap narrowing and enhanced light harvesting. A mechanism involving Ni-induced electron trapping and reactive oxygen species generation is proposed to explain the enhanced activity. This work establishes Ni doping as an effective strategy to tailor the structural, optical, and electronic properties of SnS₂, delivering a low-cost, stable, and highly active photocatalyst for sustainable NO_x mitigation.

In this study, the hydrogelations of Fmoc-Tyr-OH (Fmoc-Y) and Fmoc-Trp-OH (Fmoc-W) have been investigated in 50 mm phosphate buffer (saline) of pH 7.4. Gold and silver nanoparticles have been synthesized in situ within these hydrogels under physiological conditions without using any toxic reducing agents to achieve hybrid hydrogels formation successfully. The nanoparticles formation kinetics have been monitored through UV-vis spectroscopy. Native and hybrid hydrogels have been characterized by using UV-vis, fluorescence, FTIR, XRD, FE-SEM, and HR-TEM analyses. Rheological measurements revealed their mechanical strength and thixotropic behaviour. Moreover, both native and hybrid hydrogels show potent antibacterial activities against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Interestingly, these as-synthesized gold nanoparticles containing hybrid hydrogels and their xerogels exhibited excellent catalytic activities for the reduction of p-nitrophenol (p-NP) to p-aminophenol (p-AP), monitored through time-dependent UV-vis spectroscopy. These catalysts retained their activities over multiple cycles, highlighting their reusability and stability. To the best of our literature knowledge, this is a green, sustainable, fastest, economical and effective reduction reaction of hazardous p-NP using amino acids-stabilized gold nanoparticles containing xerogels in water ever reported to produce value-added chemical precursor p-AP for the syntheses of various drug molecules. This is a minimalistic approach to device biomaterials-based advanced sustainable system for environmental remediation and value-added chemical production.

The sustainable development of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) depends on efficient recycling methods, with direct regeneration enabling material reuse. However, the effective separation of electrode materials remains a critical challenge. Traditional methods often rely on strong acids, bases, or high-temperature treatments, which are energy intensive, environmentally harmful, and may damage the material structure, thus affecting regeneration quality. To address this, an ethylene glycol (EG) based separation method is proposed. Using LiNi_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ (NCM111) as a representative cathode material, EG effectively dissolves the polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) binder at 160 °C, while its ─OH groups replace the hydrogen bonds between PVDF and the Al foil, thereby promoting the separation of the cathode material. The recovered Al foil remains intact without corrosion, enhancing its economic value. Finally, a eutectic salt method (LiOH and Li₂CO₃, molar ratio 5.25:1) is employed to repair the structural degradation of the cathode material caused by Li⁺ loss, with its recovery assessed through characterization and electrochemical testing. The EG-based regeneration method enables efficient and sustainable recycling of LIBs cathode materials, contributing to the development of environmentally friendly battery recycling technologies.