Enhancing Pollutant Mineralization through Organic-Inorganic Defect-Transit Dual S-scheme with a Robust Internal Electric Field.

Achieving superior photomineralization of pollutants relies on a rational design of a dual S-scheme with a robust internal electric field (IEF). In this study, to tackle the low mineralization rate in type-II In2 O3 /In2 S3 (IO/IS) systems, an organic-inorganic dual S-scheme In2 O3 /PDI/In2 S3 (IO/PDI/IS) nanostructured photocatalyst is synthesized via a method combining solvent-induced self-assembly and electrostatic forces. Due to the unique energy band position and strong IEF, the photoinduced defect-transit dual S-scheme IO/PDI/IS facilitates the degradation of lignin and antibiotics. Notably, a promising mineralization rate of 80.9% for sodium lignosulfonate (SL) is achieved. The charge transport pathway of IO/PDI/IS are further validated through the analysis of in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (in situ XPS), density functional theory calculations, and radical trapping experiments. In-depth, two possible pathways for the photocatalytic degradation of lignin are proposed based on the intermediates monitored by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). This study presents a new strategy for the design of organic-inorganic dual S-scheme photocatalysts with a robust IEF for pollutant degradation.

Multifunctional Super-Hydrophilic MXene/Biomass Composite Aerogel Evaporator for Efficient Solar-Driven Desalination and Wastewater Treatment.

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation is recognized as a sustainable and effective strategy for desalination to mitigate the freshwater scarcity issue. Nevertheless, the challenges of oil contamination, salt accumulation, and poor long-term stability of the solar desalination process limit its applications. Herein, a 3D biomass-based multifunctional solar aerogel evaporator is developed for water production with fabricated chitosan/lignin (CSL) aerogel as the skeleton, encapsulated with carbonized lignin (CL) particles and Ti3C2TiX (MXene) nanosheets as light-absorbing materials. Benefitting from its super-hydrophilic wettability, interconnected macropore structure, and high broadband light absorption (ca. 95.50%), the prepared CSL-C@MXene-20 mg evaporator exhibited a high and stable water evaporation flux of 2.351 kg m-2 h-1 with an energy conversion efficiency of 88.22% under 1 Sun (1 kW m-2) illumination. The CSL-C@MXene-20 mg evaporator performed excellent salt tolerance and long-term solar vapor generation in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. Also, its super-hydrophilicity and oleophobicity resulted in superior salt resistance and anti-fouling performance in high salinity brine (20 wt.% NaCl) and oily wastewater. This work offers new insight into the manufacture of porous and eco-friendly biomass-based photothermal aerogels for advanced solar-powered seawater desalination and wastewater purification.

A novel twin-grasper assisted mucosal inverted closure technique for closing large artificial gastric mucosal defects.

BACKGROUND: Large artificial gastric mucosal defects are always left unclosed for natural healing due to technique difficulties in closure. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and safety of a new Twin-grasper Assisted Mucosal Inverted Closure (TAMIC) technique in closing large artificial gastric mucosal defects. METHODS: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) was performed in fifteen pigs to create large gastric mucosal defects. The mucosal defects were then either left unclosed or closed with metallic clips using TAMIC technique. Successful closure rate and the wound outcomes were assessed. RESULTS: Two mucosal defects with size of about 4.0 cm were left unclosed and healed two months after surgery. Thirteen large gastric mucosal defects were created by ESD with a medium size of 5.9 cm and were successfully closed with the TAMIC technique (100%), even in a mucosal defect with a width up to 8.5 cm. The mean closure time was 59.0 min. Wounds in eight stomachs remained completely closed 1 week after surgery (61.5%), while closure in the other five stomachs had partial wound dehiscence (38.5%). Four weeks later, all the closed defects healed well and 61.5% of the wounds still remained completely closed during healing. There was no delayed perforation or bleeding after surgery. In addition, there was less granulation in the submucosal layer of the closed wound sites than those under natural healing. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that TAMIC is feasible and safe in closing large artificial gastric mucosal defects and could improve mucosal recovery compared to natural healing process.

Preparations of 25 wt% of Pyraclostrobin Nanosuspension Concentrate (SC) Using Lignosulfonate-Based Colloidal Spheres to Improve Its Thermal Storage Stability.

Improving the thermal storage stability of nanosuspension concentrate (SC) prepared from low-melting-point pesticide is a recognized problem. In this work, using pyraclostrobin as the raw material, 25 wt% of pyraclostrobin nano-SC was prepared through a water-based grinding method, and the optimal grinding conditions were obtained as follows: a grinding time of 23 h, D-3911 as dispersant and a dispersant dosage of 12 wt%. The pyraclostrobin nano-SC D90 size prepared based on this best formula was 216 nm. Adding glycerin could improve the stability of nano-SC at room temperature, but its thermal storage stability was still poor. For this problem, sodium lignosulfonate and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (NaLS/CTAB) colloidal spheres were prepared through electrostatic and hydrophobic self-assembly and characterized. The delamination and precipitation of nano-SC can be significantly improved by adding an appropriate amount of colloidal spheres, and the nano-SC D90 size decreased from 2726 to 1023 nm after 7 days of thermal storage. Farmland experiments indicated the control efficiency of pyraclostrobin nano-SC against flowering cabbage downy mildew disease was about 30% higher than that of SC. Especially after adding the wetting agent, the effect of nano-SC could be comparable to that of commercial Kairun (currently the best pyraclostrobin formulation in the world).

More Accurate Method for Evaluating the Activity of Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution and Its Reaction Kinetics Equation.

Photocatalytic water splitting to hydrogen is a sustainable energy conversion method. However, there is a lack of sufficiently accurate measurement methods for an apparent quantum yield (AQY) and a relative hydrogen production rate (rH2) at the moment. Thus, a more scientific and reliable evaluation method is highly required to allow the quantitative comparison of photocatalytic activity. Herein, a simplified kinetic model of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution was established, the corresponding photocatalytic kinetic equation was deduced, and a more accurate calculation method is proposed for the AQY and the maximum hydrogen production rate vH2,max. At the same time, new physical quantities, absorption coefficient kL and specific activity SA, were proposed to sensitively characterize the catalytic activity. The scientificity and practicality of the proposed model and the physical quantities were systematically verified from the theoretical and experimental levels.

Functionalized Regulation of Metal Defects in ln2S3 of p-n Homojunctions.

The introduction of metal vacancies into n-type semiconductors could efficiently construct intimate contact interface p-n homojunctions to accelerate the separation of photogenerated carriers. In this work, a cationic surfactant occupancy method was developed to synthesize an indium-vacancy (VIn)-enriched p-n amorphous/crystal homojunction of indium sulfide (A/C-IS) for sodium lignosulfonate (SL) degradation. The amount of VIn in the A/C-IS could be regulated by varying the content of added cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). Meanwhile, the steric hindrance of CTAB produced mesopores and macropores, providing transfer channels for SL. The degradation rates of A/C-IS to SL were 8.3 and 20.9 times higher than those of crystalline In2S3 and commercial photocatalyst (P25), respectively. The presence of unsaturated dangling bonds formed by VIn reduced the formation energy of superoxide radicals (•O2-). In addition, the inner electric field between the intimate contact interface p-n A/C-IS promoted the migration of electron-hole pairs. A reasonable degradation pathway of SL by A/C-IS was proposed based on the above mechanism. Moreover, the proposed method could also be applicable for the preparation of p-n homojunctions with metal vacancies from other sulfides.

Twin-grasper assisted mucosal inverted closure achieves complete healing of large perforations after gastric endoscopic full-thickness resection.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility and safety of a novel twin-grasper assisted mucosal inverted closure (TAMIC) technique for large perforations after gastric endoscopic full-thickness resection (EFTR) in a porcine model. METHODS: Iatrogenic large perforations of the stomach were created and closed by an experienced endoscopist using the TAMIC technique in 12 pigs. Repeat gastroscopy was performed in 4 weeks after surgery to examine the wound sites and then the animals were killed. The primary outcomes were the successful TAMIC closure rate and the complete healing rate. Secondary end points included procedure time of TAMIC, complete inverted healing rate, delayed bleeding rate, and postsurgery perforation. Histologies of the wounds were analyzed by hematoxylin-eosin, Masson trichrome, and immunohistochemistry staining. RESULTS: The median size of the defects was 3.5 (range 2.5-4.5) cm. TAMIC was successfully performed in all the 12 pigs. Complete healing was achieved in 11 pigs 4 weeks after operation as one pig died postsurgery due to severe pneumonia. The median procedure time for TAMIC was 39 (range 23-81) min. The complete inverted healing rate was 45.5% (5/11). No delayed bleeding or postsurgery perforation was observed. Histologic analyses showed that both the epithelium and muscularis mucosae layers were appropriately connected under inverted healing. CONCLUSIONS: Twin-grasper assisted mucosal inverted closure is feasible and safe for closure of large perforations after gastric EFTR and could be a propagable and promising technique for clinical practice.

Monodispersed Lignin Colloidal Spheres with Tailorable Sizes for Bio-Photonic Materials.

Lignin colloidal spheres (LCSs) are promising biomaterials for application in drug storage and delivery, pollutant adsorption, and ultraviolet protection due to their biocompatibility, amphiphilicity, and conjugated structure. However, wide size distribution of LCSs greatly limits their performances, especially in many precise and advanced applications. Herein, the fabrication of monodispersed LCSs with tailorable sizes ranging from the nanoscale to microscale is reported. Lignin raw materials are first fractionated by solvent extraction, and then the lignin fraction is used to fabricate monodispersed LCSs by solvent/antisolvent self-assembly. The underlying mechanism for the formation of monodispersed LCS is primarily ascribed to the improved homogeneity of long-range intermolecular forces, especially the electrostatic forces and hydrophobic forces, between lignin molecules. Moreover, by manipulating the short-range order of LCSs, an innovative application of lignin as bio-photonic materials with tunable structural colorations (e.g., red, green, or blue) is demonstrated. This work not only provides deep insight and an effective strategy to eliminate the serious inhomogeneity of LCSs, but also makes lignin resources have great potential as biodegradable and biocompatible photonic materials in diverse advanced optical application fields such as photonic devices, anti-counterfeiting labels, and structural color pigments.

Fabrication of a Highly Efficient Wood-Based Solar Interfacial Evaporator with Self-Desalting and Sterilization Performance.

Solar interfacial evaporation based on wood-derived materials has been considered a promising strategy for desalination and wastewater purification. Herein, we adopted delignified wood (DW) as the water transport substrate and lignosulfonate (LS)-modified narrow-band gap semiconductor nickel disulfide (NiS2) as the light-absorbing agent (LS-NiS2) to fabricate a high-efficiency evaporator (LS-NiS2@DW). On the one hand, the high absorbance (>95%) within a broad wavelength range and excellent photothermal conversion efficiency of LS-NiS2 endow efficient solar energy utilization. On the other hand, the hydrophilicity of DW facilitates water activation, which results in a lower evaporation enthalpy of LS-NiS2@DW (1274.4 kJ kg-1) than that of pure water. By combining LS-NiS2 and DW, LS-NiS2@DW achieved an evaporation rate as high as 2.80 kg m-2 h-1 under one sun irradiation (1 kW m-2), and the evaporation efficiency reached 87.4%. Notably, LS-NiS2@DW exhibits a high evaporation rate (2.42-2.69 kg m-2 h-1) in simulated seawater for 24 h with no salt crystals formed on the surface. Moreover, LS-NiS2@DW shows high antibacterial activity with about 90% reduction in bacterial survival rate. This work could provide new perspectives for the design of a high-efficiency wood-based photothermal evaporator.

Ibudilast, a Phosphodiesterase-4 Inhibitor, Ameliorates Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Neonatal Mice by Alleviating Inflammation and Apoptosis.

BACKGROUND Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a sudden and serious disease with increasing morbidity and mortality rates. Phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) is a novel target for inflammatory disease, and ibudilast (IBU), a PDE4 inhibitor, inhibits inflammatory response. Our study investigated the effect of IBU on the pathogenesis of neonatal ARDS and the underlying mechanism related to it. MATERIAL AND METHODS Western blotting was performed to analyze the expression levels of PDE4, CXCR4, SDF-1, CXCR5, CXCL1, inflammatory cytokines, and proteins related to cell apoptosis. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was performed to observe the pathological morphology of lung tissue. Pulmonary edema score was used to assess the degree of lung water accumulation after pulmonary injury. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to assess levels of inflammatory factors (TNF-alpha, IL-1ß, IL-6, and MCP-1) in serum. TUNEL assay was used to detect apoptotic cells. RESULTS Increased expression of PDE4 was observed in an LPS-induced neonatal ARDS mouse model, and IBU ameliorated LPS-induced pathological manifestations and pulmonary edema in lung tissue. In addition, IBU attenuated the secretion of inflammatory cytokines by inactivating the chemokine axis in the LPS-induced neonatal ARDS mouse model. Finally, IBU significantly reduced LPS-induced cell apoptosis in lung tissue. CONCLUSIONS IBU, a PDE4 inhibitor, protected against ARDS by interfering with pulmonary inflammation and apoptosis. Our findings provide a novel and promising strategy to regulate pulmonary inflammation in ARDS.

Impact of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery and Fast Track Surgery Pathways on Healthcare-associated Infections: Results From a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to establish if enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) and fast track surgery (FTS) protocols are associated with reduction in healthcare-associated infection (HAIs). BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that prevention strategies for HAIs should be multifaceted and transdisciplinary. ERAS and FTS protocols are collaborative approaches to perioperative care which reduce length of stay but may also be an effective strategy for reducing HAIs. METHODS: We performed a meta-analysis of randomized trials involving either ERAS or FTS for abdominal or pelvic surgery. Primary outcome included postoperative incidence of 3 major HAIs: lung infection (LI), urinary tract infection (UTI), and surgical site infection (SSI). RESULTS: Among all included trials, ERAS/FTS was associated with a significant reduction in postoperative LI [risk ratio (RR) = 0.38; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.23-0.61; P < 0.0001; I = 0%], UTI (RR = 0.42; 95% CI = 0.23-0.76; P = 0.004; I = 0%), and SSI (RR = 0.75; 95% CI = 0.58-0.98; P = 0.04; I = 0%) compared with conventional controls. Sensitivity analysis performed following the exclusion of high risk of bias publications did not appreciably affect these results. ERAS/FTS was also associated with a significant decrease in hospital length of stay (standard mean difference = -0.83; 95% CI = -0.92 to -0.75; P < 0.0001; P for heterogeneity <0.0001, I = 93%). Subgroup analysis of trials involving colorectal surgery and open incision also resulted in significant reduction in all 3 HAIs among ERAS/FTS compared with conventional counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest ERAS/FTS protocols are powerful tools to prevent HAIs. Further study is needed to establish the mechanism. Providers should consider adoption of similar transdisciplinary programs to reduce perioperative HAIs and at the same time improve the value of surgical care.

A Meta-analysis of Intraoperative Ventilation Strategies to Prevent Pulmonary Complications: Is Low Tidal Volume Alone Sufficient to Protect Healthy Lungs?

BACKGROUND: The clinical benefits of intraoperative low tidal volume (LTV) mechanical ventilation with concomittent positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) and intermittent recruitment maneuvers-termed "protective lung ventilation" (PLV)-have not been investigated systematically in otherwise healthy patients undergoing general anesthesia. METHODS: Our group performed a meta-analysis of 16 studies (n = 1054) comparing LTV (n = 521) with conventional lung ventilation (n = 533) for associated postoperative incidence of atelectasis, lung infection, acute lung injury (ALI), and length of hospital stay. A secondary analysis of 3 studies comparing PLV (n = 248) with conventional lung ventilation (n = 247) was performed. RESULTS: Although intraoperative LTV ventilation was associated with a decreased incidence of postoperative lung infection (odds ratio [OR] = 0.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16-0.68; P = 0.003) compared with a conventional strategy, no difference was noted between groups in incidence of postoperative ALI (OR = 0.38; 95% CI, 0.10-1.52; P = 0.17) or atelectasis (OR = 0.86; 95% CI, 0.26-2.81; P = 0.80). Analysis of trials involving protective ventilation (LTV + PEEP + recruitment maneuvers) showed a statistically significant reduction in incidence of postoperative lung infection (OR = 0.21; 95% CI, 0.09-0.50; P = 0.0003), atelectasis (OR = 0.36; 95% CI, 0.20-0.64; P = 0.006), and ALI (OR = 0.15; 95% CI, 0.04-0.61; P = 0.008) and length of hospital stay (Mean Difference = -2.08; 95% CI, -3.95 to -0.21; P = 0.03) compared with conventional ventilation. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative LTV ventilation in conjunction with PEEP and intermittent recruitment maneuvers is associated with significantly improved clinical pulmonary outcomes and reduction in length of hospital stay in otherwise healthy patients undergoing general surgery. Providers should consider application of all the 3 elements for a comprehensive protective ventilation strategy.

Alternative splicing of estrogen receptor alpha in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The role of estrogen receptor alpha (ERa), estrogen receptor beta (ERb) and ERa36 signaling in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is not fully addressed. METHODS: In this study, three cohorts were included: (i) primary HCC patients (N = 76, cohort P), (ii) colorectal liver metastasis (mCRC) (N = 32, cohort S), and (iii) HCC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) (N = 121). The levels of ERa36 and wtER36 were measured and their correlation with clinicopathologic features was determined. RESULTS: WtERa was downregulated and that ERa36 was upregulated in tumor tissues in both cohort P and TCGA data set. ERa36 was downregulated in tumor tissues in cohort S. In cohort P, wtERa was differentially expressed in gender (P < 0.000), age (P = 0.004), tumor number (P = 0.043), tumor size (P = 0.002), intrahepatic recurrence (P = 0.054). ERa36 was unequally expressed in different non-tumor liver status (P = 0.040). WtERa was negatively associated with overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) in cohort P. Compared with non-tumor tissues, the expression of ERa36 was increased in primary HCC but decreased in secondary HCC, showing opposite expression patterns of ERa36 between primary HCC and secondary HCC. CONCLUSIONS: Primary HCC is associated with the decreased WtERa but increased ERa36. The expression pattern of ERa36 is different between primary HCC and secondary HCC, as the former with the increased ERa36 but the latter with the decreased ERa36. Therefore, the expression of ERa36 may be used to differentiate the primary HCC and the secondary one.

TaqI polymorphism of VDR gene contributes to breast cancer risk.

Previous studies on the association of Vitamin D receptor (VDR) TaqI gene polymorphism with breast carcinogenesis have yielded inconsistent and inconclusive findings. The current meta-analysis was performed to provide a more precise assessment on the role of VDR TaqI polymorphism in breast cancer risk. 20 eligible case-control studies involving 9,055 cases and 10,516 controls were identified after a comprehensive literature search of the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Wanfang databases. The pooled odds ratio (OR) with corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was calculated. Stratified analyses by ethnicity and study quality were conducted for further estimation. All statistical analyses were conducted by use of STATA (STATA Corporation, College Station, TX, Version 11.0). The overall ORs showed that the variant t allele and tt genotype were related to an increased risk of breast cancer (OR(t vs. T) = 1.05, 95% CI 1.01-1.10, P(OR) = 0.025; OR(tt vs. TT) = 1.12, 95% CI 1.03-1.23, P(OR) = 0.011; OR(tt vs. Tt + TT) = 1.10, 95% CI 1.01-1.20, P(OR) = 0.023). Stratified analyses of studies in Caucasians and with high-quality further confirmed the results. However, no significant relationship was observed among Asians. This meta-analysis suggests that the VDR TaqI polymorphism confers risk effect on the breast cancer development, particularly in Caucasians.

[Evaluation of the rationality of current T staging of gastric cancer with transverse mesocolon invasion].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the rationality of T staging of gastric cancer with transverse mesocolon invasion. METHODS: Data of 808 patients with primary gastric cancer undergoing surgical treatment was screened from the Data base of Gastric Cancer of Sun Yat-sen University, from April 1996 to October 2009. According to the information of transverse mesocolon invasion, all cases were divided into groups NOI (T4a stage, non organ invasion, n = 638), NTMI (T4b stage, non transverse mesolon invasion, with organ invasion, n = 126), and TMI (transverse mesocolon invasion, n = 44). The clinicopathological features, surgical procedure and prognosis were compared among the three groups. RESULTS: No significant difference was found in gender, age, lymph node metastasis, hepatic metastasis, tumor's Borrmann type, histological type, differentiation degree, value of serum CEA among the 3 groups (all P > 0.05). In the groups NOI, NTMI and TMI, the ratio of mean tumor diameter ≥ 5 cm was 39.0% (249/638), 61.1% (77/126) and 54.5% (24/44), respectively; the ratio of distal metastasis was 11.9% (76/638), 30.2% (38/126) and 43.2% (19/44), respectively; the ratio of peritoneal metastasis was 8.2% (52/638), 26.2% (33/126) and 38.6% (17/44), respectively; the ratio of TNM IV stage was 25.4% (162/638), 84.7% (107/126) and 93.7% (41/44), respectively; and the ratio of radical resection was 92.0% (587/638), 69.8% (88/126) and 77.3% (34/44), respectively; all with significant differences (P < 0.01), and the results of pairwise comparisons (Bonferroni correction, significant level α = 0.05/3 = 0.0167) showed that these parameters were significantly different between groups NOI and TMI (P < 0.0167), but non-significant between groups NTMI and TMI (P > 0.0167). The median survival time was 42.0, 16.4 and 19.0 months in the groups NOI, NTMI and TMI, respectively (P < 0.01), and the results of pairwise comparison showed that the prognosis were significant different between the groups NOI and TMI (P < 0.01), but non-significant between the groups NTMI and TMI (P > 0.05). In the cases who received radical resection, the median survival time was 47.9, 23.5 and 21.4 months in the groups NOI, NTMI and TMI, respectively (P < 0.01), and the results of pairwise comparison showed that the prognosis was significantly different between the groups NOI and TMI (P < 0.05), but not significant between groups NTMI and TMI (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The tumor size, distal meatastasis, peritoneal metastasis, TNM stage, surgical procedure and prognosis of gastric cancer with transverse mesocolon invasion are similar to that of T4b gastric cancer, but are significantly different from that of T4a gastric cancer. Gastric cancer with transverse mesocolon invasion should be reclassified as T4b stage.

Ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of lignin-based ultrasmall silver nanoparticles for photothermal-mediated sterilization.

Lignin-based silver nanoparticles have been considered a promising antimicrobial material. However, it remains challenging to prepare ultra-small size silver nanoparticles sustainably with superior antibacterial performance. In this work, we modified ethanol-extracted lignin (EL) with carboxymethyl groups and further synthesized ultra-small particle size (3.8 ± 0.1 nm) nanosilver incorporated carboxymethyl lignin complexes (AgNPs@CEL) using ultrasonic technology. Due to the outstanding antibacterial properties of the ultra-small size nanosilver, AgNPs@CEL could cause 5.3 and 5.4 log10 CFU/mL reduction against E. coli and S. aureus in 5 min. Meanwhile, AgNPs@CEL exhibited remarkable photothermal antibacterial performance, which caused 6.2 and 6.1 log10 CFU/mL reduction of E. coli and S. aureus, with NIR irradiation for 5 min. Furthermore, the composite films prepared by doping only 0.5 wt% AgNPs@CEL into ethyl cellose could achieve a bactericidal rate more than 99.99 %. This study provides a new insight into design of controlled particle size lignin-based antibacterial nanosilver materials in a sustainable manner and holds promise for applications in antibacterial fields.

Thiocyanogen-modulated N, S Co-doped lignin hierarchical porous carbons for high-performance aqueous supercapacitors.

Constructing heteroatom-doped porous carbons with distinct charge storage properties is significant for high-energy-density supercapacitors, yet it remains a formidable challenge. Herein, we employed a thiocyanogen-modulated alkali activation strategy to synthesize N and S co-doped lignin hierarchical porous carbon (NSLHPC). In this process, thiocyanogen serves as a surface modulation mediator to substitute oxygen with nitrogen and sulfur species, while the combination of KOH activation and MgO template generates numerous nanopores within the carbon structure. The three-dimensional interconnected nanosheet architecture facilitates rapid ion transfer and enhances accessibility to active sites. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that introducing N and S heteroatoms through oxygen substitution reduces the adsorption energy barrier of Zn2+. Consequently, the optimized NSLHPC exhibits a remarkable specific capacitance of 438F/g at 0.5 A/g in 6 M KOH, delivering an energy density of 10.4 Wh/kg in the symmetric supercapacitor and an impressive energy density of 104.9 Wh/kg in the zinc-ion hybrid capacitor. The NSLHPC cathode also shows an excellent lifespan with capacitance retention of 99.0 % and Columbic efficiency of 100 % over 10,000 cycles. This study presents innovative strategies for engineering high-performance porous carbon electrode materials by emphasizing pore structure modulation and N, S co-doping as crucial approaches.

Fabrication and Optimization of Pickering Emulsion Stabilized by Lignin Nanoparticles for Curcumin Encapsulation.

To develop reversible pH-responsive emulsifiers of natural origin, alkali lignin (AL) was used to develop oil-in-water Pickering emulsions. AL was first modified to synthesize quaternized alkali lignin (QAL), which displayed pH-responsive properties and demonstrated solubility in both acidic and alkaline solutions. In contrast, QAL exhibited insolubility and formed particles in neutral solutions, thereby making it a suitable candidate for utilization as an emulsifier in doubly pH-responsive Pickering emulsions. At pH 5-9, the emulsions were stable. Above or below this pH range, the system demulsifies, resulting in a reversible Pickering emulsifier with two pH-controlled transitions. On the basis of this pH-dependent behavior, lignin-based Pickering emulsions (LPE) could be subjected to several cycles of emulsification-demulsification by alternating the pH of the aqueous phase between basic and acidic, while the droplet size and storage stability were maintained. Curcumin was used as a drug model to study the loading/release behavior of LPE, finding that 50.08% of curcumin could be encapsulated in LPE. The in vitro release of curcumin was pH-dependent. In addition, LPE exhibited an outstanding protective effect against the ultraviolet-induced degradation of curcumin.