Highly Sensitive Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Detection of Hydroxyl Radicals in Water Microdroplets Using Phthalhydrazide/Ag Nanoparticles Nanosensor.

The spontaneous generation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) within atmospheric microdroplets, such as raindrops and aerosols, plays a crucial role in various environmental processes including pollutant degradation and oxidative stress. However, quantifying hydroxyl radicals (•OH), essential for H2O2 formation, remains challenging due to their short lifespan and low concentration. This study addresses this gap by presenting a highly sensitive and selective surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanosensor specifically designed for quantifying •OH within water microdroplets. Utilizing a phthalhydrazide (Phth) probe, the SERS technique enables rapid, interference-free detection of •OH at nanomolar concentrations. It achieves a linear detection range from 2 nM to 2 µM and a limit of detection as low as 0.34 nM. Importantly, the SERS sensor demonstrates robustness and accuracy within water microdroplets, paving the way for comprehensive mechanistic studies of H2O2 generation in the atmosphere. This innovative approach not only offers a powerful tool for environmental research but also holds potential for advancing our understanding of atmospheric H2O2 formation and its impact on air quality and pollutant degradation.

Plasmon-Driven Photochemical Reduction Reaction on Silver Nanostructures for Green Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Surface.

Green fabrication of superhydrophobic surface by water-based processing is still challenging, because introduction of the substances with hydrophilic moieties compromises its superhydrophobicity. Herein, a plasmon-driven photochemical reduction reaction under ultraviolet light (UVA) irradiation is first discovered and is applied to deoxygenation of hydrophilic organic adsorbates on rough nano-Ag coating for the formation of stable superhydrophobic surface. A nano-Ag coating with strong localized surface plasmon resonance in the UVA region is prepared by a water-based silver mirror reaction and results in a unique chemical reduction reaction on its surface. Consequently, the low residual hydrophilic functionalities and the formed cross-linked structure of the adsorbate on Ag nanoparticles (NPs) enables the coating to exhibit stable superhydrophobicity against to both air and water. The superhydrophobic Ag NP-coated sandpaper can also be used as a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate to concentrate aqueous analytes for trace detection.

Unsupported liquid-state platform for SERS-based determination of triazophos.

A highly reproducible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) unsupported liquid-state platform (ULP) was developed for accurate quantitative determination of triazophos. Herein, citrate-reduced Ag NPs suspension was concentrated and placed in a stainless steel perforated template to form the SERS ULP. The relative standard deviation of the SERS measurements was less than 5% (n ≥ 10), and the R2 of the calibration curve was 0.994. The developed SERS ULP was applied for determination of triazophos in spiked agricultural products (rice, cabbage, and apple). Experiment results showed that the coefficient of variation ranged from 5.3 to 6.2% for intra-day and from 5.5 to 6.3% for inter-day (n = 3), which proved excellent SERS reproducibility. Moreover, the results were in good agreement with those from HPLC analysis. As a liquid-state SERS substrate, the highly reproducible ULP can perform precision quantitative analysis without surface modification of NPs, which is a significant improvement. This method provides a new perspective for quantitative SERS analysis of pesticide residues. Graphical abstract.

Direct Write Printing of Ultraviolet-Curable Bulk Superhydrophobic Ink Material.

Although superhydrophobic surfaces have various promising applications, their fabrication methods are often limited to 2D plane surfaces that are vulnerable to abrasion and have limited adhesion to the substrate. Herein, an ultraviolet (UV) curable ink with bulk superhydrophobicity, consisting of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) resins, hydrophobic silica, and solvent (porogen), was successfully developed for UV-assisted direct write printing processing. After UV curing of the ink followed by solvent evaporation, the generated porous structure cooperates with silica particles to form a self-similar and hierarchical structure throughout the bulk material, which can keep its original morphology even after cyclic abrasion (over 1000 times) and thus exhibits durable superhydrophobicity. With this unique ink, UV-assisted direct write printing can not only create 2D superhydrophobic surfaces on various substrates (e.g., paper and wire mesh) but also fabricate self-supporting 3D superhydrophobic objects for various applications such as waterproofing and oil-water separation. The printed objects exhibited a stable superhydrophobicity against liquid corrosion and mechanical damage. In addition, the 3D printing approach can be used to optimize the oil-water separation performance of the superhydrophobic porous materials by tuning the pore size, thus presenting promising applications.

Lunar Dust-Mitigation Behavior of Aluminum Surfaces with Multiscale Roughness Prepared by a Composite Etching Method.

Reducing lunar dust adhesion to various material surfaces is important for protecting equipment from damage during lunar exploration missions. In this study, we investigate the lunar dust-mitigation ability and dust adhesion force of aluminum (Al) substrates prepared using different etching methods. Among them, composite etching methods (combining chemical and electrochemical steps) can result in multiscale structures with micro- and nanoroughness, reducing the contact area between the substrate and thus decreasing lunar dust adhesion. After composite etching, the dust adhesion force of the Al substrate was significantly reduced by 80% from 45.53 to 8.89 nN. The dust adhesion force of Al substrates dominates their dust-mitigation performance in floating dust environments. The lunar dust coverage (2.19%) of the Al substrate modified by composite etching (placed with a tilt angle of 90°) was 4-fold lower than that of the pristine Al substrate (9.11%), indicating excellent lunar-dust repellence. In addition, other factors such as tilt angle of the substrate and dust loading significantly affect dust-mitigation performance of the modified Al substrates. The Al substrate with an excellent dust-mitigation ability highlights good potential for lunar exploration missions.