Effects of IFN-γ on the immunological microenvironment and TAM polarity in stage IA non-small cell lung cancer and its mechanisms.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) on the immune microenvironment and the polarity of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in stage IA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its mechanisms. METHODS: Human non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells were treated with a series of IFN-γ concentrations (0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 ng/mL). Tumor tissues from patients with stage IA NSCLC were cultured using the air-liquid interface culture technique to establish a tumor microenvironment (TME) organ model. The NSCLC model was constructed by subcutaneously embedding small tumor pieces into the back of nonobese diabetic severe combined immune deficiency (NOD SCID) mice. The size and weight of the tumors were recorded, and the tumor volume was calculated. CCK-8 assays were used to investigate cell proliferation, flow cytometry and TUNEL staining were used to evaluate cell apoptosis, colony formation was investigated by cloning experiments, and cell invasion and migration were evaluated by Transwell assays and scratch tests. The expression of apoptosis-related proteins (Bax, Bcl-2 and C-caspase 3), M2 polarization-related markers (CD163, CD206 and IDO1), and marker proteins of cytotoxic T cells and helper T cells (CD8 and CD4) was detected by Western blot. The expression of Ki-67 and IDO1 was detected by immunohistochemistry, and the levels of IL-6, IL-10, IL-13 and TNF-α were measured by ELISA. The expression of CD68 was measured by RT‒qPCR, and the phagocytosis of TAMs was evaluated by a Cell Trace CFSE kit and cell probe staining. RESULTS: The proliferation activity of A549 cells increased with increasing IFN-γ concentration and peaked when the concentration reached 200 ng/mL, and the proliferation activity of A549 cells was suppressed thereafter. After treatment with 200 ng/mL IFN-γ, the apoptosis rate of cells decreased, the number of cell colonies increased, the invasion and migration of cells were promoted, the expression of Bax and C-caspase 3 was downregulated, and the expression of Bcl-2 was upregulated in cells and the TME model. In the TME model, CD163, CD206, IDO1 and Ki-67 were upregulated, CD8 and CD4 were downregulated, apoptosis was reduced, the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were decreased, and the levels of IL-10 and IL-13 were increased. IL-4 induced TAMs to express CD163 and CD206, reduced the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α, increased the levels of IL-10 and IL-13, and weakened the phagocytic function of TAMs. IFN-γ treatment further enhanced the effect of IL-4 and enhanced the viability of A549 cells. IDO1 decreased the viability of T cells and NK cells, while suppressing the effect of IFN-γ. In mice, compared with NSCLC mice, the tumor volume and weight of the IFN-γ group were increased, the expression of CD163, CD206, IDO1, Ki-67 and Bcl-2 in tumor tissue was upregulated, the expression of Bax and C-caspase 3 was downregulated, and apoptosis was reduced. The levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were decreased, and the levels of IL-10 and IL-13 were increased in the serum of mice. CONCLUSION: In stage IA NSCLC, a low concentration of IFN-γ promotes the polarization of TAMs to the M2 phenotype in the TME model by upregulating the expression of IDO1, promoting the viability of cancer cells, inhibiting the viability of T cells and NK cells, and thus establishing an immune microenvironment conducive to tumor progression.

Highly Soluble and Stable, High Release Rate Nanocellulose Codrug Delivery System of Curcumin and AuNPs for Dual Chemo-Photothermal Therapy.

As a natural antitumor drug, curcumin (CUR) has received increasing attention from researchers and patients due to its various medicinal properties. However, currently CUR is still restricted due to its low and stand-alone therapeutic effects that seriously limit its clinical application. Here, by using cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as a nanocarrier to load CUR and AuNPs simultaneously, we developed a hybrid nanoparticle as a codrug delivery system to enhance the low and stand-alone therapeutic effects of CUR. Aided with the encapsulation of ß-cyclodextrin (ßCD), both the solubility and the stability of CUR are greatly enhanced (solubility increased from 0.89 to 131.7 µg/mL). Owing to the unique rod-like morphology of CNCs, the system exhibits an outstanding loading capacity of 31.4 µg/mg. Under the heat effects of coloaded AuNPs, the system demonstrates a high release rate of 77.63%. Finally, with CNC as a bridge nanocarrier, all aforementioned functions were integrated into one hybrid nanoparticle. The all-in-one integration ensures CUR to have enhanced therapeutic effects and enables the delivery system to exhibit combined chemo-photothermal therapy outcomes. This work presents a significant step toward CUR's clinical application and provides a new strategy for effective and integrative treatment of tumor disease.

Highly Thermally Stable, Green Solvent Disintegrable, and Recyclable Polymer Substrates for Flexible Electronics.

Flexible electronics require its substrate to have adequate thermal stability, but current thermally stable polymer substrates are difficult to be disintegrated and recycled; hence, generate enormous electronic solid waste. Here, a thermally stable and green solvent-disintegrable polymer substrate is developed for flexible electronics to promote their recyclability and reduce solid waste generation. Thanks to the proper design of rigid backbones and rational adjustments of polar and bulky side groups, the polymer substrate exhibits excellent thermal and mechanical properties with thermal decomposition temperature (Td,5% ) of 430 °C, upper operating temperature of over 300 °C, coefficient of thermal expansion of 48 ppm K-1 , tensile strength of 103 MPa, and elastic modulus of 2.49 GPa. Furthermore, the substrate illustrates outstanding optical and dielectric properties with high transmittance of 91% and a low dielectric constant of 2.30. Additionally, it demonstrates remarkable chemical and flame resistance. A proof-of-concept flexible printed circuit device is fabricated with this substrate, which demonstrates outstanding mechanical-electrical stability. Most importantly, the substrate can be quickly disintegrated and recycled with alcohol. With outstanding thermally stable properties, accompanied by excellent recyclability, the substrate is particularly attractive for a wide range of electronics to reduce solid waste generation, and head toward flexible and "green" electronics.

BODIPY-embedded electrospun materials in antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation.

Drug-resistant pathogens, particularly those that result in hospital acquired infections (HAIs), have emerged as a critical priority for the World Health Organization. To address the need for self-disinfecting materials to counter the threat posed by the transmission of these pathogens from surfaces to new hosts, here we investigated if a cationic BODIPY photosensitizer, embedded via electrospinning into nylon and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers, was capable of inactivating both bacteria and viruses via antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation (aPDI). Materials characterization, including fiber morphology and the degree of photosensitizer loading, was assessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), and demonstrated that the materials were comprised of nanofibers (125-215 nm avg. diameter) that were thermostable to >300 °C. The antimicrobial potencies of the resultant Nylon-BODIPY(+) and PAN-BODIPY(+) nanofiber materials were evaluated against four strains of bacteria recognized by the World Health Organization as either critical or high priority pathogens: Gram-positive strains methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA; ATCC BAA-44) and vancomycin-resistant E. faecium (VRE; ATCC BAA-2320), and Gram-negative strains multidrug-resistant A. baumannii (MDRAB; ATCC BAA-1605) and NDM-1 positive K. pneumoniae (KP; ATCC BAA-2146). Our results demonstrated the detection limit (99.9999%; 6 log units reduction in CFU mL-1) photodynamic inactivation of three strains upon illumination (30-60 min; 40-65 ± 5 mW cm-2; 400-700 nm): MRSA, VRE, and MDRAB, but only minimal inactivation (47-75%) of KP. Antiviral studies employing PAN-BODIPY(+) against vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), a model enveloped virus, revealed complete inactivation. Taken together, the results demonstrate the potential for electrospun BODIPY(+)-embedded nanofiber materials as the basis for pathogen-specific anti-infective materials, even at low photosensitizer loadings.

Excimer Ultraviolet-Irradiated Carbon Nanofibers as Advanced Anodes for Long Cycle Life Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) bearing oxygen-containing functional groups and inhomogeneous nanopores are successfully prepared by excimer UV radiation. The CNFs demonstrate potential for use as an anodic material in rechargeable Li-ion batteries. Their improved electrochemical performances are attributed to the chemically bonded solid-electrolyte interface films on the CNF surface. This approach is also applicable to other carbonaceous electrode materials.

NiCu Alloy Nanoparticle-Loaded Carbon Nanofibers for Phenolic Biosensor Applications.

NiCu alloy nanoparticle-loaded carbon nanofibers (NiCuCNFs) were fabricated by a combination of electrospinning and carbonization methods. A series of characterizations, including SEM, TEM and XRD, were employed to study the NiCuCNFs. The as-prepared NiCuCNFs were then mixed with laccase (Lac) and Nafion to form a novel biosensor. NiCuCNFs successfully achieved the direct electron transfer of Lac. Cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry were used to study the electrochemical properties of the biosensor. The finally prepared biosensor showed favorable electrocatalytic effects toward hydroquinone. The detection limit was 90 nM (S/N = 3), the sensitivity was 1.5 µA µM(-1), the detection linear range was 4 × 10(-7)-2.37 × 10(-6) M. In addition, this biosensor exhibited satisfactory repeatability, reproducibility, anti-interference properties and stability. Besides, the sensor achieved the detection of hydroquinone in lake water.

A Comparatively Low Cost, Easy-To-Fabricate, and Environmentally Friendly PVDF/Garnet Composite Solid Electrolyte for Use in Lithium Metal Cells Paired with Lithium Iron Phosphate and Silicon.

Solid electrolytes may be the answer to overcome many obstacles in developing the next generation of renewable batteries. A novel composite solid electrolyte (CSE) composed of a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) base with an active nanofiber filler of aluminum-doped garnet Li ceramic, Li salt lithium bis-(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI), Li fluoride (LiF) stabilizing additive, and plasticizer sulfolane was fabricated. In a Li|CSE|LFP cell with this CSE, a high capacity of 168 mAh g-1 with a retention of 98% after 200 cycles was obtained, representing the best performance to date of a solid electrolyte with a PVDF base and a garnet inorganic filler. In a Li metal cell with Si and Li, it yielded a discharge capacity of 2867 mAh g-1 and was cycled 60 times at a current density of 100 mAh g-1, a significant step forward in utilizing a solid electrolyte of any kind with the desirable Si anode. In producing this CSE, the components and fabrication process were chosen to have a lower cost and improved safety and environmental impact compared with the current state-of-the-art Li-ion battery.

Preoperative pulmonary nodule localization: A comparison of hook wire and Lung-pro-guided surgical markers.

In minimally invasive thoracoscopic surgery, for solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) far from the pleura, it is difficult to resected by only relying on imaging data, and effective preoperative localization can significantly improve the success rate of surgery. Therefore, preoperative localization is particularly important for accurate resection. Here, we compare the value of a novel Lung-pro-guided localization technique with Hook-wire localization in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. METHOD: In this study, 70 patients who underwent CT-guided Hook-wire localization and Lung-pro guided surgical marker localization before VATS-based SPNs resection between May 2020 and March 2021 were analyzed, and the clinical efficacy and complication rate of the two groups were compared. RESULT: Thirty-five patients underwent Lung-pro guided surgical marker localization, and 35 patients underwent CT-guided Hook-wire localization. The localization success rates were 94.3% and 88.6%, respectively (p = 0.673). Compared with the puncture group, the locating time in the Lung-pro group was significantly shorter (p = 0.000), and the wedge resection time was slightly shorter than that in the puncture group (P = 0.035). There were no significant differences in the success rate of localization, localization complications, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative hospital stay, and the number of staplers used. CONCLUSION: The above studies show that the Lung-pro guided surgical marker localization and the CT-guided Hook-wire localization have shown good safety and effectiveness. However, the Lung-pro guided surgical marker localization may show more safety than the Hook-wire and can improve the patient's perioperative experience.

Targeting the KLF5-EphA2 axis can restrain cancer stemness and overcome chemoresistance in basal-like breast cancer.

Ephrin type-A receptor 2 (EphA2) is a member of the tyrosine receptor kinases, a family of membrane proteins recognized as potential anticancer targets. EphA2 highly expressed in a variety of human cancers, playing roles in proliferation, migration, and invasion. However, whether and how EphA2 regulates basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) cell stemness and chemoresistance has not been revealed. Here, KLF5 was proven to be a direct transcription factor for EphA2 in BLBC cells, and its expression was positively correlated in clinical samples from breast cancer patients. The inflammatory factor TNF-α could promote BLBC cell stemness partially by activating the KLF5-EphA2 axis. Moreover, phosphorylation of EphA2 at S897 (EphA2 pS897) induced by TNF-α and PTX/DDP contributes to chemoresistance of BLBC. Furthermore, the EphA2 inhibitor ALW-II-41-27 could effectively reduce EphA2 pS897 and tumor cell stemness in vitro and significantly enhance the sensitivity of xenografts to the chemotherapeutic drugs PTX and DDP in vivo. Clinically, tumor samples from breast patients with less response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy showed a high level of EphA2 pS897 expression. In conclusion, KLF5-EphA2 promotes stemness and drug resistance in BLBC and could be a potential target for the treatment of BLBC.

Wet Spinning of Graphene Oxide Fibers with Different MnO2 Additives.

We present the fabrication of graphene oxide (GO) and manganese dioxide (MnO2) composite fibers via wet spinning processes, which entails the effects of MnO2 micromorphology and mass loading on the extrudability of GO/MnO2 spinning dope and on the properties of resulted composite fibers. Various sizes of rod and sea-urchin shaped MnO2 microparticles have been synthesized via hydrothermal reactions with different oxidants and hydrothermal conditions. Both the microparticle morphology and mass loading significantly affect the extrudability of the GO/MnO2 mixture. In addition, the orientation of MnO2 microparticles within the fibers is largely affected by their microscopic surface areas. The composite fibers have been made electrically conductive via chemical or thermal treatments and then applied as fiber cathodes in Zn-ion battery prototypes. Thermal annealing under an argon atmosphere turns out to be an appropriate method to avoid MnO2 dissolution and leaching, which have been observed in the chemical treatments. These rGO/MnO2 fiber cathodes have been assembled into prototype Zn-ion batteries with Zn wire as the anode and xanthan-gum gel containing ZnSO4 and MnSO4 salts as the electrolyte. The resulted electrochemical output depends on the annealing temperature and MnO2 distribution within the fiber cathodes, while the best performer shows stable cycling stability at a maximum capacity of ca. 80 mA h/g.

Advanced Zinc Anode with Nitrogen-Doping Interface Induced by Plasma Surface Treatment.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are one of the most ideal candidates for grid-scale energy storage applications due to their excellent price and safety advantages. However, formation of Zn dendrites and continuous side reactions during cycling result in serious instability problems for ZIBs. In this work, the authors develop a facile and versatile plasma-induced nitrogen-doped Zn (N-Zn) foil for dendrite-free Zn metal anode. Benefitting from the uniform nucleation sites and enhanced surface kinetics, the N-Zn anode exhibits exceptionally low overpotential (around 23 mV) at 1 mA cm-2 and can be cycled for over 3000 h under 1 mA cm-2 because of the enhanced interface behavior. The potential application of N-Zn anode is also confirmed by introducing a full Zn/MnO2 battery with outstanding capacity stability for 2000 cycles at 1 A g-1 . Overall, this work offers new fundamental insights into homogenizing Zn electrodeposition processes by pre-introduced active nucleation sites and provides a novel direction of interface design engineering for ultra-stable Zn metal anode.

Enhancing conversion of polysulfides via porous carbon nanofiber interlayer with dual-active sites for lithium-sulfur batteries.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are promising candidates for next-generation energy storage. However, the notorious lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) shuttle effect and torpid redox kinetics hinder their practical application. Enhancing phase conversion efficiency and limiting the dissolution of LiPSs are critical for stabilizing Li-S batteries. Herein, sulfiphilic defective TiO2 nanoparticles (D-TiO2) were integrated into the lithiophilic N-doped porous carbon nanofiber membrane (D-TiO2@NPCNF) to construct interlayer for catalyzing the conversion of LiPSs. The D-TiO2@NPCNF provides hierarchical porous structure and large specific surface area, and the formed 3D conductive network accelerates the transport of electrons and ions. The dual-active sites (N and D-TiO2) enhance the interface conversion and chemisorption ability of LiPSs via forming "Li-N and Ti-S" bonds. Due to the structural advantage of the D-TiO2@NPCNF, the Li-S batteries exhibit excellent cycling stability (only 0.049% decay per cycle in 800cycles at 1.0C) and impressive specific capacity (608 mAh g-1 at 3.0C). This work is expected to deepen the comprehension of complex interphase conversion processes of LiPSs and provide novel ideas for the design of new interlayer materials.

Highly Foldable, Super-Sensitive, and Transparent Nanocellulose/Ceramic/Polymer Cover Windows for Flexible OLED Displays.

Polymer cover windows are important components of flexible OLED displays but they easily generate wrinkles because of their weak folding resistance. Increasing the polymer thickness can improve the folding resistance but it decreases the touch sensitivity. Thus, fabricating highly foldable and supersensitive polymer cover windows is still challenging. Here, by incorporating cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and zirconia (ZrO2) into colorless polyimide (CPI), we developed a highly foldable and supersensitive hybrid cover window. Inspired by the theory of elasticity, we added rigid CNCs into CPI to improve the elastic modulus and hence the foldability. ZrO2 was introduced to improve dielectric properties, which leads to improved touch sensitivity. After these modifications, the elastic modulus of the cover windows was increased from 1432 to 2221 MPa, whereas its dielectric constant was increased from 2.95 to 3.46 (@1 × 106 Hz), resulting in significantly enhanced foldability and sensitivity. Meanwhile, because of the nano size of CNCs and ZrO2, the hybrid cover windows exhibit excellent optical properties with the transmittance of ∼88.1%@550 nm and haze of 2.39%. With improved and balanced mechanical, dielectric, and optical properties, these hybrid cover windows overcome current cover windows' defects and could be widely used in next-generation flexible displays.

Multifunctional ZnO/Nylon 6 nanofiber mats by an electrospinning-electrospraying hybrid process for use in protective applications.

ZnO/Nylon 6 nanofiber mats were prepared by an electrospinning-electrospraying hybrid process in which ZnO nanoparticles were dispersed on the surface of Nylon 6 nanofibers without becoming completely embedded. The prepared ZnO/Nylon 6 nanofiber mats were evaluated for their abilities to kill bacteria or inhibit their growth and to catalytically detoxify chemicals. Results showed that these ZnO/Nylon 6 nanofiber mats had excellent antibacterial efficiency (99.99%) against both the Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Bacillus cereus bacteria. In addition, they exhibited good detoxifying efficiency (95%) against paraoxon, a simulant of highly toxic chemicals. ZnO/Nylon 6 nanofiber mats were also deposited onto nylon/cotton woven fabrics and the nanofiber mats did not significantly affect the moisture vapor transmission rates and air permeability values of the fabrics. Therefore, ZnO/Nylon 6 nanofiber mats prepared by the electrospinning-electrospraying hybrid process are promising material candidates for protective applications.

ZnO-assisted synthesis of lignin-based ultra-fine microporous carbon nanofibers for supercapacitors.

Reducing the material size could be an effective approach to enhance the electrochemical performance of porous carbons for supercapacitors. In this work, ultra-fine porous carbon nanofibers are prepared by electrospinning using lignin/ polyvinylpyrrolidone as carbon precursor and zinc nitrate hexahydrate (ZNH) as an additive, followed by pre-oxidation, carbonization, and pickling processes. Assisted by the ZnO template, the pyrolytic product of ZNH, abundant micropores are yielded, leading to the formation of microporous carbon nanofibers with specific surface area (SSA) up to 1363 m2 g-1. The average diameter of the lignin-based ultra-fine porous carbon nanofibers (LUPCFs) is effectively controlled from 209 to 83 nm through adjusting the ZNH content. With good flexibility and self-standing nature, the LUPCFs could be directly cut into electrodes for use in supercapacitors. High accessible surface, enriched surface N/O groups, and reduced fiber diameters endow the LUPCFs-based electrodes with an excellent specific capacitance of 289 F g-1. The reduction of fiber diameters remarkably improves the rate performance of the LUPCFs and leads to a low relaxation time constant of 0.37 s. The high specific capacitance of 162 F g-1 is maintained when the current density is increased from 0.1 to 20 A g-1. Besides, the fabricated LUPCFs show exceptional cycling stability in symmetrical supercapacitors, manifesting a promising application prospect in the next generation of supercapacitors.

Flexible, transparent and tough silver nanowire/nanocellulose electrodes for flexible touch screen panels.

Flexible touch screen panel (f-TSP) has been emerging recently and metallic nanowire transparent conductive electrodes (TCEs) are its key components. However, most metallic nanowire (MNW) TCEs suffer from weak bonding strength between metal nanowire electrode layers and polymer substrates, which causes delamination of TCEs and produces serious declines in durability of f-TSPs. Here, we introduce AgS bonding and develop tough and strong electrode-substrate bonded MNW TCEs, which can enhance durability of f-TSPs significantly. We used silver nanowires (AgNWs) as metal conductive electrode and thiol-modified nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC-HS) nanopaper as substrates. Because of the existence of Ag from AgNWs and S from NFC-HS, strong AgS bonding was generated and tough TCEs were obtained. The TCEs exhibit excellent electrical stability, outstanding optical and electrical properties. The f-TSP devices integrated with the TCEs illustrate striking durability. This technique may provide a promising strategy to produce flexible and tough TCEs for next-generation high-durability f-TSPs.

Disintegrable, transparent and mechanically robust high-performance antimony tin oxide/nanocellulose/polyvinyl alcohol thermal insulation films.

Polymer-based thermal insulation films are widely utilized to reduce the influence of solar radiation. However, current thermal insulation films face several challenges from poor thermal insulation performance and severe environmental pollution, which are caused by the non-disintegratability of polymer substrates. Here, cellulose nanofiber (CNF)/antimony tin oxide (ATO) hybrid films with and without polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) are presented and they can be used as window thermal barrier films and personal thermal management textiles. The hybrid films exhibit prominent thermal insulation performance, blocking 91.07% ultraviolet(UV) light, reflecting 95.19% near-infrared(NIR) light, and transmitting 44.89% visible(VIS) light. Meanwhile, the hybrid films demonstrate high thermal stability, high anti-UV aging stability, and robust mechanical properties. Moreover, the used-up hybrid films based on natural cellulose are of high disintegratability and recyclability. Our present work is anticipated to open up a new avenue for the fabrication of next-generation high-performance thermal insulation films with sustainable and environmentally friendly processes.

Assembly of carbon-SnO2 core-sheath composite nanofibers for superior lithium storage.

Protective coating: Carbon-SnO(2) core-sheath composite nanofibers are synthesized through the creative combination of electrospinning and electrodeposition processes (see figure). They display excellent electrochemical performance when directly used as binder-free anodes for rechargeable lithium ion batteries.

Melt-spun modified poly (styrene-co-butyl acrylate) fiber as a carrier to support manganese oxide and its application in dye wastewater decolorization.

Polymer fiber, a kind of versatile material, has been widely used in many fields. However, emerging applications still urge us to develop some new kinds of fibers. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have created a promising prospect for organic wastewater decontamination; thus, it is of important significance to design a kind of special fiber that can be applied in AOPs. In this work, a viable route is proposed to fabricate manganese oxide-supporting melt-spun modified poly (styrene-co-butyl acrylate) fiber, and the prepared fiber has an excellent activity to catalyze H2O2 and O3 to decolorize dye-containing water. The results show that the decolorization of a cationic blue solution can be completely accomplished within 10 min with the prepared fiber as a catalyst, and its decolorization efficiency can reach up to 96.2% within 40 min. The concentration of total organic carbon can decrease from 20.3 to 12.3 mg/L. The prepared fiber can be reused five times without any loss in decolorization efficiency. Compared with other manganese oxide-based catalysts reported in the literature, the prepared fiber also shows many advantages in decolorizing methylene blue such as easy separation, mild reaction condition, and high decolorization efficiency. Therefore, we are confident that the fiber introduced in this study will exhibit a great application potential in the field of dye wastewater treatment.

Fabrication of porous carbon nanofibers and their application as anode materials for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

Porous carbon nanofibers were prepared by the electrospinning of a bicomponent polymer solution, followed by thermal treatments under different atmospheres. The surface morphology, thermal properties, and crystalline features of these nanofibers were characterized using various analytic techniques, and it was found that they were formed with turbostratically disordered graphene sheets and had small pores and large surface areas. The unique structure of these porous carbon nanofibers resulted in good electrochemical performance such as high reversible capacity and good cycle stability when they were used as anodes for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.