Latest ArticlesThe escalating global issues of water scarcity and pollution emphasize the critical need for the rapid development of efficient and eco-friendly water treatment technologies. Photoelectrocatalytic technology has emerged as a promising solution for effectively degrading refractory organic pollutants in water under light conditions. This review delves into the advancements made in the field, focusing on strategies to enhance the generation of active species by modulating the micro-interface of the photoanode. Strategies, such as morphological control, element doping, introduction of surface oxygen vacancies, and construction of heterostructures, significantly improve the separation efficiency of photogenerated charges and the generation of active species, thereby boosting the efficiency of photoelectrocatalytic performance. Furthermore, the review explores the potential applications of photoelectrocatalytic technology in organic pollutant degradation in solutions. It also outlines the current challenges and future development directions. Despite its remarkable laboratory success, practical implementation of photoelectrocatalytic technology encounters obstacles related to stability, cost-effectiveness, and operational efficiency. Future investigations need to focus on optimizing the performance of photoelectrocatalytic materials and exploring strategies for upscaling their application in real water treatment scenarios.
Nanofiltration (NF) technology, with its capacity for nanoscale filtration and controllable selectivity, holds significant promise in diverse applications. However, the current upper bound of permeance and selectivity of NF membranes is intrinsically constrained by the morphology and structure of the polyamide (PA) selective layer. This issue arises because NF membranes typically exhibit relatively smooth nodular structures, which theoretically impede efficient water transport. In this study, we enhanced the formation of nanobubbles by synergistically regulating with surfactant and low temperatures, resulting in the fabrication of PA NF membranes with a crumpled morphology. We observed that lower temperatures promote enhanced gas solubility in the aqueous phase, facilitating increased nanobubble formation through the foaming effect of surfactant sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS). Consequently, this resulted in the creation of PA NF membranes with more crumpled structures and superior performance, with pure water permeance reaching 36.25 ± 0.42 L m-2 h-1 bar-1, representing an improvement of 14.47 L m-2 h-1 bar-1 compared to the control group. Additionally, it maintains a high Na2SO4 rejection rate of 97.00% ± 0.58%. The PA NF membranes produced by eliminating nanobubbles and free interfaces exhibited a smooth structure, whereas introducing nanobubbles (through NaHCO3 addition, N2 pressurization, and ultrasonication) resulted in the formation of crumpled membranes. This emphasized that the large amount of nanobubbles generated by SDBS and low temperature in the interfacial process played a critical role in shaping crumpled PA NF membranes and enhancing membrane performance. This approach has the potential to provide valuable insights into customizing the structural design of TFC PA NF membranes, contributing to further advancements in this field.
As an important class of phenanthroline derivatives containing soft N and hard O donor atoms, the laborious syntheses of unsymmetrical 1, 10-phenanthroline-derived diamide ligands (DAPhen) have hindered its extensive study. In this work, we first report a convenient synthetic method for the construction of DAPhen using Friedländer reaction by two facile steps (vs. previous 12 steps). A variety of DAPhen ligands are readily available, especially unsymmetrical ones, which give us a platform to systematically study the substituent effect on f-block elements extraction performance. The performance of unsymmetrical extractants is experimentally confirmed to falls between that of their corresponding symmetrical extractants by extracting UO22+ as the representative f-block element. This work provides a direct and versatile method to synthesize symmetrical and unsymmetrical DAPhen, which paves way for the investigations on their coordination properties with metal ions and other applications.
Integration of single-atom catalysts (SACs) onto metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with porous channels has garnered significant interest in the field of CO2 reduction. However, MOFs are usually bulky can impede the diffusion of intermediates with substrates and maximizing catalytic site utilization remains a challenge. In this study, we utilized firstly the post-synthetic single-atom chelation sites on zirconium-based metal-organic cages (Zr-MOCs) to anchor cobalt (Co) atom to synthesize single-dispersible ZrT-1-NH2-IS-Co molecular cages for CO2 photoreduction. Experimental results demonstrate that ZrT-1-NH2-IS-Co exhibits impressive catalytic performance, achieving syngas yields of up to 30.9 mmol g-1 h-1, ranking among the highest values of reported crystalline porous catalysts. Mechanistic insights reveal the newly introduced metal serving as the catalytic site and *COOH acts as a crucial intermediate in the CO2 reduction process. Furthermore, the successful synthesis of ZrT-1-NH2-IS-Ni and ZrT-1-NH2-IS-Mn show the universality of the modification strategies, with their CO2 catalytic activity surpassing that of ZrT-1-NH2.
Ferroptosis has exhibited great potential in therapies and intracellular reducing agents of sulfur species (RSSs) in the thiol-dependent redox systems are crucial in ferroptosis. This makes the simultaneous detection of multiple RSSs significant for evaluating ferroptosis therapy. However, the traditional techniques, including fluorescent (FL) imaging and electrospray ionization-based mass spectrometry (MS) detection, cannot achieve the discrimination of different RSSs. Herein, simultaneous MS detection of multiple RSSs, including cysteine (Cys), homocysteine (Hcy), glutathione (GSH) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S), was obtained upon enhancing ionization efficiency by a fluorescent probe (NBD-O-1). Based on the interaction between NBD-O-1 and RSSs, the complex of RSSs with a fragment of NBD-O-1 can be generated, which can be easily ionized for MS detection in the negative mode. Therefore, the intracellular RSSs can be well detected upon the incubation of HeLa cells with the probe of NBD-O-1, exhibiting the total RSS levels by the FL imaging and further providing expression of each RSS by enhanced MS detection. Furthermore, the RSSs during ferroptosis in HeLa cells have been evaluated using the present strategy, demonstrating the potential for ferroptosis examinations. This work has made an unconventional application of a fluorescent probe to enhance the detection of multiple RSSs by MS, providing significant molecular information for addressing the ferroptosis mechanism.
Traditional strategies for designing hyperhalogens, superatoms with exceptional electron-withdrawing capacity, rely on complex superhalogen assembly, posing significant experimental challenges. Here, we introduce a non-invasive dual external field (DEF) approach combining solvent effects and an oriented external electric field (OEEF) to construct hyperhalogens, as demonstrated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our DEF strategy proves versatile, successfully designing hyperhalogens not only in simplified Agn− model systems but also in the experimentally synthesized Ag25 nanocluster. Using the 3D Ag19− structure as a model, we further reveal the DEF's pivotal role in O2 activation, where solvent-OEEF synergy induces tunable O–O bond elongation and charge transfer, proportional to field strength. Our findings establish a field-driven paradigm for hyperhalogen design that preserves native cluster composition, providing a theoretical foundation for tailoring high-performance catalysts through precise active-site modulation.
This study investigates the properties of high-purity starches extracted from Polygonum multiflorum (PMS) and Smilax glabra (SGS). The starches were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, high-performance anion-exchange chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry. Significant differences were observed in their morphological, physicochemical, and functional properties. PMS had a smaller particle size (13.68 µm), irregular polygonal shape, A-type, lower water absorption (62.67%), and higher oil absorption (51.17%). In contrast, SGS exhibited larger particles (31.75 µm), a nearly spherical shape, B-type, higher crystallinity (50.66%), and greater amylose content (21.54%), with superior thermal stability, shear resistance, and gelatinization enthalpy. SGS also contained higher resistant starch (83.28%) and longer average chain length (20.58%), but showed lower solubility, swelling power, light transmittance, and freeze-thaw stability. The physicochemical properties differences in crystal pattern and particle morphology between PMS and SGS lead to distinct behaviors during in vitro digestion and fermentation. These findings highlight the potential of medicinal plant starches in functional ingredients and industrial processes.
Chitosan (CS), a natural polymer derived from chitin found in the exoskeletons of crustaceans, has garnered significant interest in the pharmaceutical field due to its unique properties, including biocompatibility and biodegradability. In recent years, various studies have reported that CS can affect drug bioavailability, and interestingly, it works as an oral absorption enhancer and inhibitor. This review offers an in-depth analysis of the mechanisms underlying such a phenomenon and supports its application as a pharmaceutical excipient. CS enhances oral drug absorption through various mechanisms, such as interaction with the intestinal mucosa, tight junction modulation, inhibition of efflux transporters, enzyme inhibition, solubility and stability enhancement, and complexation. On the other side, CS exhibits the ability to inhibit the absorption of certain drugs by adsorbing to lipids and sterols, modulating bile acids and gut microbiota, altering drug-cell interaction at the polar interface, and mucus-mediated entrapment and interference. Future potential pharmaceutical research in this field includes elucidating the underneath absorption relevant mechanisms, rational use in formulations as excipient, exploring functional CS derivatives, and developing CS-based drug delivery systems. This comprehensive review highlights CS’s versatile and significant role in enhancing and inhibiting oral drug absorption, providing insights into the complexities of drug delivery and the potential of CS to improve therapeutic outcomes.
To enhance the anti-resistance efficacy of our previously disclosed naphthyl-triazine 5, structure-based drug design strategy was rationally conducted to design a series of novel biphenyl-piperidine-triazine-containing non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Remarkably, several of these compounds demonstrated single-digit nanomolar antiviral potency against both wild-type (WT) human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) and five clinically relevant mutant strains. Among these, compound 11s emerged as the most potent inhibitor, showing remarkable efficacy against WT HIV-1 (50% effective concentration (EC50) = 2 nmol/L) and five mutant strains (EC50 = 0.003–0.073 µmol/L), which was significantly superior to that of compound 5. This optimized derivative demonstrated substantially improved pharmacological properties compared to existing drugs etravirine (ETR) and rilpivirine (RPV), showing a 4-fold reduction in cytotoxicity alongside 6-fold enhancement in selectivity index (50% cytotoxic concentration (CC50) = 19.69 µmol/L, selectivity index (SI) = 7438). The compound’s metabolic profile revealed exceptional stability, with an elimination half-life (t1/2 = 41.4 min) more than double that of RPV (t1/2 = 16.03 min). Comprehensive safety evaluation indicated minimal cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes interference, low cardiac ion channel activity, and no observable acute toxicity, collectively suggesting a reduced risk profile for therapeutic applications. These promising characteristics significantly advance the development potential of biphenyl-piperidine-triazine derivatives as next-generation non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), offering enhanced efficacy, improved safety, and favorable pharmacokinetic properties for antiretroviral therapy.
Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) into valuable formate provides a strategy for carbon neutrality. Bismuth (Bi) catalysts, attributed to their appropriate energy barrier of OCHO* intermediate, have demonstrated substantial potential for the advancement of electrocatalytic CO2 reduction to formate. However, due to the weak bonding of protons (H*) of Bi, the available protonate of CO2 on Bi is insufficient, which limits the formation of OCHO*. Prediction by theoretical calculation, chlorine doping can effectively promote the dissociation of H2O and thus achieve effective proton supply. We prepare chlorine-doped Bi (Cl-Bi) via an electrochemical conversion strategy for electroreduction of CO2. An obvious improvement of faradaic efficiency (FE) of formate (96.7% at −0.95 V vs. RHE) can be achieved on Cl-Bi, higher than that of Bi (89.4%). Meanwhile, Cl-Bi has the highest formate production rate of 275 µmol h−1 cm−2 at −0.95 V vs. RHE, which is 1.2 times higher than that of Bi (224 µmol h−1 cm−2). In situ characterizations and kinetic analysis reveal that chlorine doping promotes the activation of H2O and supply sufficient protons to promote the protonation of CO2 to OCHO*, which is consistent with theoretical calculation. The study presents an effective strategy for rational design of highly efficient electrocatalysts to promote green chemical production.
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