One-stop quantification of microplastics and nanoparticles based on meniscus self-assembly technology.

Micro-nano plastics (MNPs) pollution is currently a hot topic of global concern. However, there is still a lack of reliable analytical methods for completely quantitative analysis of MNPs, especially nanoplastics. This study proposes meniscus self-assembly enrichment method, which deposits nanoplastics more uniformly in a specific area. The meniscus self-assembly method greatly overcomes the agglomeration or dispersion of nanoplastics caused by traditional enrichments, and facilitates particles counting. This study investigates the effect of key parameters (e.g. time and initial concentration) on meniscus self-assembly enrichment performance. Besides, due to the large size difference between MNPs, it leads to incomplete quantification analysis when MNPs are counted at the same scale. In response to this problem, this study proposes a one-stop method to count MNPs separately through filtering. The plastics (>1 µm) are collected on the filter paper, then plastics (<1 µm) in the filtrate are homogeneously enriched by meniscus self-assembly, and finally statistically counted by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The migration of MNPs from take-out plastic containers are detected, with microplastics of 460.55 particles/mL and nanoplastics of 4196.61 particles/mL found. The method has the advantages of saving time and effort, economic efficiency and comprehensive statistics compared with the traditional method.

Mass-Produced Skin-Inspired Piezoresistive Sensing Array with Interlocking Interface for Object Recognition.

E-skins, capable of responding to mechanical stimuli, hold significant potential in the field of robot haptics. However, it is a challenge to obtain e-skins with both high sensitivity and mechanical stability. Here, we present a bioinspired piezoresistive sensor with hierarchical structures based on polyaniline/polystyrene core-shell nanoparticles polymerized on air-laid paper. The combination of laser-etched reusable templates and sensitive materials that can be rapidly synthesized enables large-scale production. Benefiting from the substantially enlarged deformation of the hierarchical structure, the developed piezoresistive electronics exhibit a decent sensitivity of 21.67 kPa-1 and a subtle detection limit of 3.4 Pa. Moreover, an isolation layer is introduced to enhance the interface stability of the e-skin, with a fracture limit of 66.34 N/m. Furthermore, the e-skin can be seamlessly integrated onto gloves without any detachment issues. With the assistance of deep learning, it achieves a 98% accuracy rate in object recognition. We anticipate that this strategy will render e-skin with more robust interfaces and heightened sensing capabilities, offering a favorable pathway for large-scale production.

Hierarchical Piezoelectric Composites for Noninvasive Continuous Cardiovascular Monitoring.

Continuous monitoring of blood pressure (BP) and multiparametric analysis of cardiac functions are crucial for the early diagnosis and therapy of cardiovascular diseases. However, existing monitoring approaches often suffer from bulky and intrusive apparatus, cumbersome testing procedures, and challenging data processing, hampering their applications in continuous monitoring. Here, a heterogeneously hierarchical piezoelectric composite is introduced for wearable continuous BP and cardiac function monitoring, overcoming the rigidity of ceramic and the insensitivity of polymer. By optimizing the hierarchical structure and components of the composite, the developed piezoelectric sensor delivers impressive performances, ensuring continuous and accurate monitoring of BP at Grade A level. Furthermore, the hemodynamic parameters are extracted from the detected signals, such as local pulse wave velocity, cardiac output, and stroke volume, all of which are in alignment with clinical results. Finally, the all-day tracking of cardiac function parameters validates the reliability and stability of the developed sensor, highlighting its potential for personalized healthcare systems, particularly in early diagnosis and timely intervention of cardiovascular disease.

A three-dimensional liquid diode for soft, integrated permeable electronics.

Wearable electronics with great breathability enable a comfortable wearing experience and facilitate continuous biosignal monitoring over extended periods1-3. However, current research on permeable electronics is predominantly at the stage of electrode and substrate development, which is far behind practical applications with comprehensive integration with diverse electronic components (for example, circuitry, electronics, encapsulation)4-8. Achieving permeability and multifunctionality in a singular, integrated wearable electronic system remains a formidable challenge. Here we present a general strategy for integrated moisture-permeable wearable electronics based on three-dimensional liquid diode (3D LD) configurations. By constructing spatially heterogeneous wettability, the 3D LD unidirectionally self-pumps the sweat from the skin to the outlet at a maximum flow rate of 11.6 ml cm-2 min-1, 4,000 times greater than the physiological sweat rate during exercise, presenting exceptional skin-friendliness, user comfort and stable signal-reading behaviour even under sweating conditions. A detachable design incorporating a replaceable vapour/sweat-discharging substrate enables the reuse of soft circuitry/electronics, increasing its sustainability and cost-effectiveness. We demonstrated this fundamental technology in both advanced skin-integrated electronics and textile-integrated electronics, highlighting its potential for scalable, user-friendly wearable devices.

A review on the alternatives to antibiotics and the treatment of antibiotic pollution: Current development and future prospects.

Antibiotics, widely used in the fields of medicine, animal husbandry, aquaculture, and agriculture, pose a serious threat to the ecological environment and human health. To prevent antibiotic pollution, efforts have been made in recent years to explore alternative options for antibiotics in animal feed, but the effectiveness of these alternatives in replacing antibiotics is not thoroughly understood due to the variation from case to case. Furthermore, a systematic summary of the specific applications and limitations of antibiotic removal techniques in the environment is crucial for developing effective strategies to address antibiotic contamination. This comprehensive review summarized the current development and potential issues on different types of antibiotic substitutes, such as enzyme preparations, probiotics, and plant extracts. Meanwhile, the existing technologies for antibiotic residue removal were discussed under the scope of application and limitation. The present work aims to highlight the strategy of controlling antibiotics from the source and provide valuable insights for green and efficient antibiotic treatment.

Molecularly-regulating oxygen-containing functional groups of ramie activated carbon for high-performance supercapacitors.

Effectively managing oxygen-containing functional groups (OCFGs) within activated carbon and methodically elucidating their intricate types and proportions are essential for considerably improving the electrochemical performance of carbon-based supercapacitors. Herein, we designed a ZnCl2-based molecular regulation strategy to introduce OCFGs into ramie-activated carbon (RAC), managing different OCFGs and revealing their structure-activity relationship with electrochemical performance. Thus, this regulated RAC, with a 3.5-fold enhancement in advantageous OCFGs (a-OCFGs: CO and COO), exhibits a supreme specific capacitance of 286.4F g-1 at 1 A/g and an excellent capacitance retention rate of 89.7 % at 20 A/g in an aqueous electrolyte, considerably surpassing that of nonregulated RAC (212.0F g-1 and 81.9 %). This confirms that a-OCFGs provide ample ion-storage accommodation and suppress solvent electronic oxidation, thereby enhancing electrochemical performance. Furthermore, its electrochemical performance is competitive with that of the commercial YP-50F (129.2F g-1 at 1 A/g). Therefore, this work not only highlights the contributions of specific OCFGs to high electrochemical performance but also designs a promising commercial electrode material to meet the demands of OCFGs-adequate carbon-based energy storage devices.

MXene-Based Micro-Supercapacitors: Ink Rheology, Microelectrode Design and Integrated System.

MXenes have shown great potential for micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) due to the high metallic conductivity, tunable interlayer spacing and intercalation pseudocapacitance. In particular, the negative surface charge and high hydrophilicity of MXenes make them suitable for various solution processing strategies. Nevertheless, a comprehensive review of solution processing of MXene MSCs has not been conducted. In this review, we present a comprehensive summary of the state-of-the-art of MXene MSCs in terms of ink rheology, microelectrode design and integrated system. The ink formulation and rheological behavior of MXenes for different solution processing strategies, which are essential for high quality printed/coated films, are presented. The effects of MXene and its compounds, 3D electrode structure, and asymmetric design on the electrochemical properties of MXene MSCs are discussed in detail. Equally important, we summarize the integrated system and intelligent applications of MXene MSCs and present the current challenges and prospects for the development of high-performance MXene MSCs.

Ultra-Efficient Synthesis of Nb4 C3 Tx MXene via H2 O-Assisted Supercritical Etching for Li-Ion Battery.

Nb4 C3 Tx MXene has shown extraordinary promise for various applications owing to its unique physicochemical properties. However, it can only be synthesized by the traditional HF-based etching method, which uses large amounts of hazardous HF and requires a long etching time (> 96 h), thus limiting its practical application. Here, an ultra-efficient and environmental-friendly H2 O-assisted supercritical etching method is proposed for the preparation of Nb4 C3 Tx MXene. Benefiting from the synergetic effect between supercritical CO2 (SPC-CO2 ) and subcritical H2 O （SBC-H2 O）, the etching time for Nb4 C3 Tx MXene can be dramatically shortened to 1 h. The as-synthesized Nb4 C3 Tx MXene possesses uniform accordion-like morphology and large interlayer spacing. When used as anode for Li-ion battery, the Nb4 C3 Tx MXene delivers a high reversible specific capacity of 430 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 , which is among the highest values achieved in pure-MXene-based anodes. The superior lithium storage performance of the Nb4 C3 Tx MXene can be ascribed to its high conductivity, fast Li+ diffusion kinetics and good structural stability.

Current status and prospect of immunotherapy for colorectal cancer.

PURPOSE: Colorectal cancer is the most common gastrointestinal tumor in China. While significant progress has been achieved in traditional chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted therapy, the prognosis of advanced colorectal cancer is poor, and the five-year survival rate is unsatisfactory. There is an urgent need to explore new treatment modalities. In this review, we examined the latest progress of colorectal cancer immunotherapy and discussed its future prospects. METHODS: We conducted a literature review to sort out the current status of immunotherapy for different types of colorectal cancer and discussed potential combination therapy options. Results Subsequent line therapy, first-line therapy and neoadjuvant therapy for MSI-H/dMMR colorectal cancer are discussed. In addition, combination therapy options for patients with MSS/pMMR colorectal cancer are presented. Finally, current valuable biomarkers for immunotherapy are highlighted. RESULTS: Subsequent line therapy, first-line therapy and neoadjuvant therapy for MSI-H/dMMR colorectal cancer are discussed. In addition, combination therapy options for patients with MSS/pMMR colorectal cancer are presented. Finally, current valuable biomarkers for immunotherapy are highlighted. CONCLUSION: This review discussed the current status of immunotherapy for different types of colorectal cancer and biomarkers for immunotherapy.

NH3-Induced In Situ Etching Strategy Derived 3D-Interconnected Porous MXene/Carbon Dots Films for High Performance Flexible Supercapacitors.

2D MXene (Ti3CNTx) has been considered as the most promising electrode material for flexible supercapacitors owing to its metallic conductivity, ultra-high capacitance, and excellent flexibility. However, it suffers from a severe restacking problem during the electrode fabrication process, limiting the ion transport kinetics and the accessibility of ions in the electrodes, especially in the direction normal to the electrode surface. Herein, we report a NH3-induced in situ etching strategy to fabricate 3D-interconnected porous MXene/carbon dots (p-MC) films for high-performance flexible supercapacitor. The pre-intercalated carbon dots (CDs) first prevent the restacking of MXene to expose more inner electrochemical active sites. The partially decomposed CDs generate NH3 for in situ etching of MXene nanosheets toward 3D-interconnected p-MC films. Benefiting from the structural merits and the 3D-interconnected ionic transmission channels, p-MC film electrodes achieve excellent gravimetric capacitance (688.9 F g-1 at 2 A g-1) and superior rate capability. Moreover, the optimized p-MC electrode is assembled into an asymmetric solid-state flexible supercapacitor with high energy density and superior cycling stability, demonstrating the great promise of p-MC electrode for practical applications.

Modulating piezoelectricity and mechanical strength via three-dimensional gradient structure for piezoelectric composites.

Advanced flexible electronic devices make urgent demand for wearing comfort and data accuracy. Piezoelectric composites exhibit great potential, but mutually constrained mechanical strength and electrical output limit their further applications. Here, we design a gradient PMN-PT/PVDF nanocomposite via a non-equilibrium process integrated with a modified electrospinning and hot-pressing process to modulate the piezoelectric output and mechanical strength. The enhanced piezoelectric output together with the mechanical strength of the gradient structure are verified from both the experimental and simulation results. Ascribed to a unique three-dimensional gradient distribution, the prepared PMN-PT/PVDF nanocomposite exhibits an excellent mechanical strength (830 MPa) and piezoelectric performance (1.08 V), which are substantially higher than those of a randomly dispersed nanocomposite. The enhancement mechanism is revealed in terms of polarization, stress and crystallinity. These results of the gradient structure offer new opportunities to understand the structure-related mechanical and electrical behaviors of a nanocomposite, and support the design of a nanocomposite with overall performance.

Synthesis of a capillary surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrate integrating sampling and detection based on meniscus self-assembled technology.

A method is proposed to fabricate a novel capillary surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate integrating sampling and detection based on meniscus evaporation self-assembled technology, named Meniscus@AgNPs@Capillary substrate. Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) were arranged in the inner wall of the capillary through meniscus evaporation. The parameters which might affect the deposition of AgNPs during evaporation were investigated, including the evaporation temperature, self-assembly time, the ratio of silver sol to ethanol, and capillary length. The enhancement effect of SERS under different fabrication conditions was investigated using rhodamine 6G (R6G) as a Raman probe. Moreover, the optimal fabricated Meniscus@AgNPs@Capillary substrate was applied to the detection of several environmental pollutants such as polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs) and various antibiotics, with limits of detection (LOD) of 10 µg/L and 1 µg/L, respectively. The Meniscus@AgNPs@Capillary substrate presented the advantages of time and effort saving, high sensitivity, and on-site sampling and testing.

Hydrophobicity-driven self-assembly of nanoplastics and silver nanoparticles for the detection of polystyrene microspheres using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

Microplastics (MPs) and Nanoplastics (NPs) accumulated in the environment have been identified as a major global issue due to their potential harm to wildlife. Current research in the detection of MPs is well established. However, the detection of NPs remains challenging. The aim of this paper is to investigate the detection of polystyrene (PS) NPs on a super-hydrophobic substrate using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) technology after high-speed centrifugation of PS NPs and AgNPs. The hydrophobic substrate reduces the contact area of droplet, concentrating PS NPs and AgNPs on a small spot, which eliminates the random distribution of nano particles. The condensed PS NPs and AgNPs improve the SERS intensity, reproductivity and detection sensitivity. The results show that SERS measurement on a hydrophobic substrate could significantly improve the detection sensitivity of PS NPs, with the detection limits of PS NPs as low as 0.5 mg/L (500 nm PS NPs) and 1 mg/L (100 nm PS NPs). The study provides an effective and rapid method for the detection of NPs at trace concentration, demonstrating more possibility for the future detection of trace NPs in the aquatic environment.

High Curvature PEDOT:PSS Transport Layer Toward Enhanced Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes.

The rapidly developed metal halide perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) are considered as a promising candidate for next-generation display and illumination, but the unbalanced charge transport is still a hard-treat case to restrict its efficiency and operational stability. Here, a high curvature PEDOT:PSS transport layer is demonstrated via the self-assembly island-like structures by the incorporation of alkali metal salts. Benefiting from the dielectric confinement effect of the high curvature surface, the modified CsPbBr3 -based PeLEDs present a 2.1 times peak external quantum efficiency (EQE) from 6.75% to 14.23% and a 3.3 times half lifetime (T50 ) from 3.96 to 13.01 h. Besides, the PeLEDs show high luminance up to 44834 cd m-2 . Evidently, this work may provide a deep insight into the structure-activity relationship between the micro-structures at the PEDOT:PSS/perovskite interface and the performance of PeLEDs, and crack the codes for ameliorating the performance of PeLEDs via interfacial micro-structured regulation.

Capillary Evaporation on High-Dense Conductive Ramie Carbon for Assisting Highly Volumetric-Performance Supercapacitors.

Conductive biomass carbon possesses unique properties of excellent conductivity and outstanding thermal stability, which can be widely used as conductive additive. However, building the high-dense conductive biomass carbon with highly graphitized microcrystals at a lower carbonization temperature is still a major challenge because of structural disorder and low crystallinity of source material. Herein, a simple capillary evaporation method to efficiently build the high-dense conductive ramie carbon (hd-CRC) with the higher tap density of 0.47 cm3 g-1 than commercialized Super-C45 (0.16 cm3 g-1 ) is reported. Such highly graphitized microcrystals of hd-CRC can achieve the high electrical conductivity of 94.55 S cm-1 at the yield strength of 92.04 MPa , which is higher than commercialized Super-C45 (83.92 S cm-1 at 92.04 MPa). As a demonstration, hd-CRC based symmetrical supercapacitors possess a highly volumetric energy density of 9.01 Wh L-1 at 25.87 kW L-1 , much more than those of commercialized Super-C45 (5.06 Wh L-1 and 19.30 kW L-1 ). Remarkably, the flexible package supercapacitor remarkably presents a low leakage current of 10.27 mA and low equivalent series resistance of 3.93 mΩ. Evidently, this work is a meaningful step toward high-dense conductive biomass carbon from traditional biomass graphite carbon, greatly promoting the highly-volumetric-performance supercapacitors.

Simultaneous Photoluminescence and Photothermal Investigation of Individual CH3NH3PbBr3 Microcrystals.

The photoluminescence (PL) of CH3NH3PbBr3 (MAPbBr3), from thin films to nanoparticles, has been widely studied, providing information about charge carrier dynamics. However, the other energy dissipative channel, nonradiative relaxation, has not been thoroughly investigated due to a lack of proper technology. In this work, we simultaneously investigated the PL and photothermal (PT) properties of single MAPbBr3 microcrystals (MCs) by a home-built PL and PT microscope. In addition to the direct observation of the heterogeneity of the PL and PT images and kinetics of different MCs, we demonstrated the variation in the absorption of single MAPbBr3 MCs, which was believed to be constant. We also proved that more absorbed energy dissipated from the nonradiative channel at higher heating power. These results show that PL and PT microscopy is an effective and convenient method to investigate the charge carrier behaviors of optoelectronic materials at the single particle level for a deep understanding of their photophysical processes.

Engineering Structural Janus MXene-nanofibrils Aerogels for Season-Adaptive Radiative Thermal Regulation.

Aerogels have provided a significant platform for passive radiation-enabled thermal regulation, arousing extensive interest due to their capabilities of radiative cooling or heating. However, there still remains challenge of developing functionally integrated aerogels for sustainable thermal regulation in both hot and cold environment. Here, Janus structured MXene-nanofibrils aerogel (JMNA) is rationally designed via a facile and efficient way. The achieved aerogel presents the characteristic of high porosity (≈98.2%), good mechanical strength (tensile stress of ≈2 MPa, compressive stress of ≈115 kPa), and macroscopic shaping property. Based on the asymmetric structure, the JMNA with switchable functional layers can alternatively enable passive radiative heating and cooling in winter and summer, respectively. As a proof of concept, JMNA can function as a switchable thermal-regulated roof to effectively enable the inner house model to maintain >25 °C in winter and <30 °C in hot summer. This design of Janus structured aerogels with compatible and expandable capabilities is promising to widely benefit the low-energy thermal regulation in changeable climate.

Hierarchical Serpentine-Helix Combination for 3D Stretchable Electronics.

3D stretchable electronics attract growing interest due to their new and more complex functionalities compared to 1D or 2D counterparts. Among all 3D configuration designs, a 3D helical structure is commonly used as it can be designed to achieve outstanding stretching ratios as well as highly robust mechanical performance. However, the stretching ratio that mainly focuses on the axis direction hinders its applications. Inspired by hierarchies in a tendon, a novel structural design of hierarchical 3D serpentine-helix combination is proposed. The structural design constructed by a sequence with repeating small units winding in a helical manner around the axis can enable large mechanical forces transferred down to a smaller scale with the dissipation of potentially damaging stresses by microscale buckling, thereby endowing the electronic components made from high-performance but hard-to-stretch materials with large stretchability (≥200%) in x-, y-, or z-axis direction, high structural stability, and extraordinary electromechanical performance. Two applications including a wireless charging patch and an epidermal electronic system are demonstrated. The epidermal electronic system made of several hierarchical 3D serpentine-helix combinations allows for high-fidelity monitoring of electrophysiological signals, galvanic skin response, and finger-movement-induced electrical signals, which can achieve good tactile pattern recognition when combined with an artificial neural network.

Vertical-MXene based micro-supercapacitors with thickness-independent capacitance.

MXenes have shown great potential as an emerging two-dimensional (2D) material for micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) due to their high conductivity, rich surface chemistry, and high capacity. However, MXene sheets inherently tend to lay flat on the substrate during film formation to assemble into compact stacked structures, which hinders ion accessibility and prolongs ion transport paths, leading to highly dependent electrochemical properties on the thickness of the film. Here, we demonstrate a vertically aligned Ti3C2Tx MXene based micro-supercapacitor with an excellent electrochemical performance by a liquid nitrogen-assisted freeze-drying method. The vertical arrangement of the 2D MXene sheets allows for directional ion transport, enabling the vertical-MXene based MSCs to exhibit thickness-independent electrochemical properties even in thick films. In addition, the MSCs displayed a high areal capacitance of 87 mF cm-2 at 10 mV s-1 along with an excellent stability of ∼87.4% after 10 000 charge-discharge cycles. Furthermore, the vertical-MXene approach proposed here is scalable and can be extended to other systems involving directional transport.

Multichannel Gradient Piezoelectric Transducer Assisted with Deep Learning for Broadband Acoustic Sensing.

As an important part of human-machine interfaces, piezoelectric voice recognition has received extensive attention due to its unique self-powered nature. However, conventional voice recognition devices exhibit a limited response frequency band due to the intrinsic hardness and brittleness of piezoelectric ceramics or the flexibility of piezoelectric fibers. Here, we propose a cochlear-inspired multichannel piezoelectric acoustic sensor (MAS) based on gradient PVDF piezoelectric nanofibers for broadband voice recognition by a programmable electrospinning technique. Compared with the common electrospun PVDF membrane-based acoustic sensor, the developed MAS demonstrates the greatly 300%-broadened frequency band and the substantially 334.6%-enhanced piezoelectric output. More importantly, this MAS can serve as a high-fidelity auditory platform for music recording and human voice recognition, in which the classification accuracy rate can reach up to 100% in coordination with deep learning. The programmable bionic gradient piezoelectric nanofiber may provide a universal strategy for the development of intelligent bioelectronics.