Nowadays, the pollution of water has become worse in many parts of the world, which causes a severe shortage of clean water and attracts widespread attention worldwide. Bioinspired from nature, i.e. ...spider silk, cactus, Namib desert beetle, Nepenthes alata, special wettability surfaces have attracted great interest from fundamental research to water‐harvesting applications. Here, recently published literature about creatures possessing water‐harvesting ability are reviewed, with a focus on the corresponding water‐harvesting mechanisms of creatures in dry or arid regions, consisting of the theory of wetting and transporting. Then a detailed account of the innovative fabrication technologies and bionic water‐harvesting materials with special wetting are summarized, i.e. bio‐inspired artificial spider silk, bio‐inspired artificial cactus‐like structures, and bio‐inspired artificial Namib desert beetle‐like surfaces. Special attentions are paid to the discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of the technologies, as well as factors that affect the amount of water‐harvesting. Finally, conclusions, future outlooks and the current challenges for future development of the water‐harvesting technology are presented and discussed.
Bioinspired from creatures possessing water‐harvesting abilities, a detailed account of the innovative fabrication technologies and bionic water‐harvesting materials with special wetting have emerged. Based on the corresponding water‐harvesting mechanisms of creatures in dry or arid regions, scientists find key factors that affect the amount of water‐harvesting, which is significant for future development of the water‐harvesting technology.
Inspired by the superhydrophobic lotus surface in nature, special wettability has attracted a lot of interest and attention in both academia and industry. In this review, theoretical models and ...fabrication strategies of superhydrophobic textiles have been discussed in detail. The strategies for constructing fabric surfaces with an anti-wetting property are categorized and discussed based on the morphology of particles coated on the textile fibre. Such special wettability textile surfaces are demonstrated with self-cleaning, oil/water separation, self-healing, UV-blocking, photocatalytic, anti-bacterial, and flame-retardant performances. Correspondingly, potential applications have been illustrated for self-cleaning, oil/water separation, asymmetric/anisotropic wetting janus fabric, microfluidic manipulation, and micro-templates for patterning. In each section, representative studies are highlighted with emphasis on the special wetting ability and other relevant properties. Finally, the difficulties and challenges for practical application were briefly discussed.
In this review, we have briefly summarized the fundamental theoretical models and characterization methods of textile surfaces with special wettability, various fabrication technologies and potential applications.
Concerns over air quality reduction resulting from burning fossil fuels have driven the development of clean and renewable energy sources. Supercapacitors, batteries and solar cells serve as ...eco-friendly energy storage and conversion systems vitally important for the sustainable development of human society. However, many diverse elements influence the performance of energy storage and conversion systems. The overall efficiency of systems depends on the specific structure and properties of incorporated functional materials. Carbon materials, such as graphene, are especially promising for materials development in the energy storage and conversion fields. Graphene, a two-dimensional (2D) carbon material only a single atom thick, has massless Dirac fermions (electron transport is governed by Dirac's equation), displays outstanding electrical conductivity, superior thermal conductivity and excellent mechanical properties. 2D free-standing graphene films and powders have paved the way for promising energy applications. Recently, much effort has been spent trying to improve the number of active sites in electrode materials within 3D network/aerogel structures derived from graphene. This is because graphene aerogels are promising materials for energy systems due to their porous hierarchical structure which affords rapid electron/ion transport, superior chemical and physical stability, and good cycle performance. This review aims to summarize the synthetic methods, mechanistic aspects, and energy storage and conversion applications of novel 3D network graphene, graphene derivatives and graphene-based materials. Areas of application include supercapacitors, Li-batteries, H
2
and thermal energy storage, fuel cells and solar cells.
Concerns over air quality reduction and energy crisis resulting from rapid consumption of limited fossil fuels have driven the development of clean and renewable energy sources.
The PM (particulate matter)-induced haze problem has caused serious environmental and health concerns. It is still a huge challenge to control PM pollution because of the complex structure, diverse ...sources and intricate evolution mechanism of the particles. In recent years, there has been increasing efforts to develop advanced strategies for PM treatment. Herein, we wish to provide a systematic summary of recent progress in air filtration. The review covers the definition of PM, the characterization of PM, the mechanism of PM capture, advanced purification materials, and special multifunctional performances. As for characterizing PM particles, removal efficiency, pressure drop, flow rate, quality factor and optical transparency are the basic parameters. For the advanced filters with excellent filtration performance, some special properties such as thermal stability, antibacterial property, flame retardancy, recyclability and special wettability are in great need under certain extreme conditions. Finally, some future prospects for filtration materials, like material choice and structural design, are also discussed.
The PM (particulate matter)-induced haze problem has caused serious environmental and health concerns.
The development of efficient photocatalysts for the degradation of organic pollutants and production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an attractive two‐in‐one strategy to address environmental ...remediation concerns and chemical resource demands. Graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) possesses unique electronic and optical properties. However, bulk g‐C3N4 suffers from inefficient sunlight absorption and low carrier mobility. Once exfoliated, ultrathin nanosheets of g‐C3N4 attain much intriguing photocatalytic activity. Herein, a mussel‐inspired strategy is developed to yield silver‐decorated ultrathin g‐C3N4 nanosheets (Ag@U‐g‐C3N4‐NS). The optimum Ag@U‐g‐C3N4‐NS photocatalyst exhibits enhanced electrochemical properties and excellent performance for the degradation of organic pollutants. Due to the photoformed valence band holes and selective two‐electron reduction of O2 by the conduction band electrons, it also renders an efficient, economic, and green route to light‐driven H2O2 production with an initial rate of 0.75 × 10−6 m min−1. The improved photocatalytic performance is primarily attributed to the large specific surface area of the U‐g‐C3N4‐NS layer, the surface plasmon resonance effect induced by Ag nanoparticles, and the cooperative electronic capture properties between Ag and U‐g‐C3N4‐NS. Consequently, this unique photocatalyst possesses the extended absorption region, which effectively suppresses the recombination of electron–hole pairs and facilitates the transfer of electrons to participate in photocatalytic reactions.
A facile and green strategy is developed to craft silver‐decorated ultrathin graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets (Ag@U‐g‐C3N4‐NS) through a post gas‐etching treatment of bulk g‐C3N4 in conjunction with the uniform growth of Ag nanoparticles on its surface via a mussel‐inspired dopamine polymerization. The optimum Ag@U‐g‐C3N4‐NS photocatalyst exhibits excellent electrochemical properties and performance for the degradation of organic pollutants and H2O2 production.
Acute pain signaling has a key protective role and is highly evolutionarily conserved. Chronic pain, however, is maladaptive, occurring as a consequence of injury and disease, and is associated with ...sensitization of the somatosensory nervous system. Primary sensory neurons are involved in both of these processes, and the recent advances in understanding sensory transduction and human genetics are the focus of this review. Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) are important determinants of sensory neuron excitability: they are essential for the initial transduction of sensory stimuli, the electrogenesis of the action potential, and neurotransmitter release from sensory neuron terminals. Na
1.1, Na
1.6, Na
1.7, Na
1.8, and Na
1.9 are all expressed by adult sensory neurons. The biophysical characteristics of these channels, as well as their unique expression patterns within subtypes of sensory neurons, define their functional role in pain signaling. Changes in the expression of VGSCs, as well as posttranslational modifications, contribute to the sensitization of sensory neurons in chronic pain states. Furthermore, gene variants in Na
1.7, Na
1.8, and Na
1.9 have now been linked to human Mendelian pain disorders and more recently to common pain disorders such as small-fiber neuropathy. Chronic pain affects one in five of the general population. Given the poor efficacy of current analgesics, the selective expression of particular VGSCs in sensory neurons makes these attractive targets for drug discovery. The increasing availability of gene sequencing, combined with structural modeling and electrophysiological analysis of gene variants, also provides the opportunity to better target existing therapies in a personalized manner.
•Zwitterionic sulfonated chitosan (SCS) was prepared and characterized.•Effect on antibiofilm formation of SCS against P. aeruginosa was studied.•SCS could significantly inhibit the biofilm formation ...and was dose-dependent.•SCS decreased the metabolic activity and exopolysaccharide secretion of biofilm.
The exploitation of chitosan derivatives as safe and natural polymers against microorganisms has been reconsidered as an alternative to antibiotics and chemical preservatives. Herein, inhibition of bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation by anionic chitosan (sulfonated chitosan, SCS) and cationic chitosan (chitosan hydrochloride, WCS) against P. aeruginosa were investigated. The results showed SCS exhibited good antibacterial activity with 1 mg/mL MIC and 8 mg/mL MBC, while MIC and MBC of WCS were 1 mg/mL and 16 mg/mL, respectively. The metabolic activity and secretion of exopolysaccharide in biofilm of P. aeruginosa were significantly decreased after the treatment with SCS. Scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy further demonstrated that SCS and WCS could significantly inhibit the biofilm formation in a concentration-dependent mode. Overall, these results suggest that WCS and SCS are useful to inhibit the biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa, and would be potential alternatives for the control of bacterial pathogens in food industry.
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•Co-doped MoSx is supported on ZnCdS via a one-step photochemical reduction method.•The Co-MoSx can efficiently catalyze H2 evolution reaction under visible light.•An AQE of 21.7% for ...H2 evolution was obtained on the optimized ZnCdS/Co-MoSx at 420 nm.•The catalytic H2 evolution activity of Co-MoSx was higher than noble metal (Pt、Au、Ag).
Molybdenum sulfide (MoSx) is a prevalent photocatalytic and electrocatalytic material, attributed to its highly active unsaturated sites. Despite that, its intrinsic activity is still under expectation for large-scale hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Though the incorporation of Co-promotor could further promote MoSx activity, a tedious preparation is required due to the incompatible properties of Co and Mo. Herein, we report a facile one-step precipitation of cobalt-modified amorphous molybdenum sulfide (Co-MoSx) cocatalyst while focusing on its promotional effects to ZnCdS at λ > 420 nm region. Co-MoSx at different Co/Mo ratios were photochemically-anchored on ZnCdS support through an in-situ light-induced reduction at ambient conditions. In particular, ZnCdS/Co-MoSx (Co/Mo = 1/4, 1 mol%) was emerged as the best formulated photocatalyst, with HER rate and apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of 551.48 μmol h−1 and 21.7% (420 nm), respectively. While reducing the overpotential for HER, Co-modification could also facilitate the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes for the enhanced HER. Therefore, the reported HER rate of ZnCdS/Co-MoSx is in superior to that of ZnCdS/MoSx and pristine ZnCdS, by 1.4 times and 23 times, respectively. Meanwhile, similar ascendency of Co-MoSx was also observed in its comparison against the benchmarked Pt, Au and Ag co-catalysts. Additionally, the recycling test evinced the satisfactory stability of ZnCdS/Co-MoSx catalyst, with a slightly reduced activity observed after 25 h consecutive HER, marking an average STH of 1.4% under AM 1.5G solar simulator. This work provides a facile way to synthesis Co-modified MoSx co-catalyst that rendered with excellent properties for efficient HER.
Superhydrophobic cotton fabrics were prepared via a facile and environmentally friendly strategy to deposit an organically modified silica aerogel (ormosil) thin film onto the fabrics first, followed ...by polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) topcoating. The PDMS–ormosil coating displayed a uniform 3D fractal-like structure with numerous loose micro-scale pores, while the PDMS layer increased the binding strength of the hierarchical ormosil film to form a highly robust porous network on the fibers. In comparison with hydrophilic cotton fabrics, the modified cotton fabric exhibited a highly superhydrophobic activity with a water contact angle higher than 160° and a sliding angle lower than 10°. The as-constructed PDMS–ormosil@fabrics are able to withstand 100 cycles of abrasion and 5 cycles of accelerated machine wash without an apparent decrease of superhydrophobicity. In addition, the superhydrophobic cotton fabrics are very stable in strongly acidic and alkaline solutions. Furthermore, the superhydrophobic coating has no or negligible adverse effect on the important textile physical properties of the cotton fabric, such as the strength, air permeability, and flexibility. The composite super-antiwetting fabrics have demonstrated excellent anti-fouling, self-cleaning ability and are highly efficient in oil–water separation for various oil–water mixtures. This facile synthesis technique has the advantages of scalable fabrication of multifunctional fabrics for potential applications in self-cleaning and versatile water–oil separation.
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•The prepared transparent source materials are environmentally-friendly and the process is facile.•The transparent superhydrophilic antifogging films can suffer tape peeling test for ...80 cycles and UV irradiation for 96 h.•The antifogging coating exhibits excellent self-healing property under wet environment.•The sustainable antifogging activity can be maintained for more than 7 months.
Antifogging films are essential in many areas, such as eyeglasses, windshields, goggles and so on. In this work, a transparent antifogging film was successfully prepared on glass by spin-coating a mixture of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and iron (III) chloride hexahydrate (FeCl3·6H2O). The coated film was superhydrophilic and showed excellent anti-frosting and self-healing properties. The composite coating was resistant to fouling by oil and had a very small water sliding angle about 3.1°. This coating could maintain its antifogging performance after by tape-peeling test for 80 cycles and being exposed to UV irradiation for 96 h. The diverse desirable functions demonstrated and the facile preparation procedure of the film offer huge potential in many practical applications.
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