Uncovering the genetic diversity and adaptability of Butuo Black Sheep through whole-genome re-sequencing.

The Butuo Black Sheep (BBS) is well-known for its ability to thrive at high altitudes, resist diseases, and produce premium-quality meat. Nonetheless, there is insufficient data regarding its genetic diversity and population-specific Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). This paper centers on the genetic diversity of (BBS). The investigation conducted a whole-genome resequencing of 33 BBS individuals to recognize distinct SNPs exclusive to BBS. The inquiry utilized bioinformatic analysis to identify and explain SNPs and pinpoint crucial mutation sites. The findings reveal that reproductive-related genes (GHR, FSHR, PGR, BMPR1B, FST, ESR1), lipid-related genes (PPARGC1A, STAT6, DGAT1, ACACA, LPL), and protein-related genes (CSN2, LALBA, CSN1S1, CSN1S2) were identified as hub genes. Functional enrichment analysis showed that genes associated with reproduction, immunity, inflammation, hypoxia, PI3K-Akt, and AMPK signaling pathways were present. This research suggests that the unique ability of BBS to adapt to low oxygen levels in the plateau environment may be owing to mutations in a variety of genes. This study provides valuable insights into the genetic makeup of BBS and its potential implications for breeding and conservation efforts. The genes and SPNs identified in this study could serve as molecular markers for BBS.

Study on synergistic mechanism of molybdenum disulfide/sodium carboxymethyl cellulose composite nanofiber mats for photothermal/photodynamic antibacterial treatment.

Innovative antibacterial therapies using nanomaterials, such as photothermal (PTT) and photodynamic (PDT) treatments, have been developed for treating wound infections. However, creating secure wound dressings with these therapies faces challenges. The primary focus of this study is to prepare an antibacterial nanofiber dressing that effectively incorporates stable loads of functional nanoparticles and demonstrates an efficient synergistic effect between PTT and PDT. Herein, a composite nanofiber mat was fabricated, integrating spherical molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanoparticles. MoS2 was deposited onto polylactic acid (PLA) nanofiber mats using vacuum filtration, which was further stabilized by sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) adhesion and glutaraldehyde (GA) cross-linking. The composite nanofibers demonstrated synergistic antibacterial effects under NIR light irradiation, and the underlying mechanism was explored. They induce bacterial membrane permeability, protein leakage, and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) elevation, ultimately leading to >95 % antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli), which is higher than that of single thermotherapy (almost no antibacterial activity) or ROS therapy (about 80 %). In addition, the composite nanofiber mats exhibited promotion effects on infected wound healing in vivo. This study demonstrates the great prospects of composite nanofiber dressings in clinical treatment of bacterial-infected wounds.

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Growth Superiority in a Novel Gymnocypris Hybrid, Gymnocypris przewalskii ♀ × Gymnocypris eckloni ♂.

Artificial hybrid breeding can optimize parental traits to cultivate excellent hybrids with enhanced economic value. In this study, we investigated the growth performance and transcriptomes of Gymnocypris przewalskii (♀) and Gymnocypris eckloni (♂) and their F1 hybrid fishes. Hatched individuals of G. przewalskii (GP) and G. eckloni (GE) of the same size and their F1 hybrids (GH) were separately cultured for eight months in three cement tanks (n = 3). The growth indexes were measured, which showed that the growth rate of the groups was GE > GH > GP, while the survival rate was GH > GE > GP. The RNA-Seq data analysis of the muscles from the three Gymnocypris fish strains revealed that gene transcription has a significant impact on F1 hybrid fish and its parents. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in GH show less differences with GP, but more with GE. qRT-PCR was used to confirm the expression profiles of the chosen DEGs, and the results showed positive correlations with the RNA-seq data. KEGG enrichment results indicated that the DEGs were related to a variety of molecular functions, such as glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, arachidonic acid formation, citrate cycle, and the MAPK, PI3K-Akt, or mTOR signal pathways. Subsequent analysis indicated that there may be a significant correlation between the differential expression of IGF2 and a difference in the growth of GE and GP.

Nanofibrous Dressing with Nanocomposite Monoporous Microspheres for Chemodynamic Antibacterial Therapy and Wound Healing.

The excessive use of antibiotics and consequent bacterial resistance have emerged as crucial public safety challenges for humanity. As a promising antibacterial treatment, using reactive oxygen species (ROS) can effectively address this problem and has the advantages of being highly efficient and having low toxicity. Herein, electrospinning and electrospraying were employed to fabricate magnesium oxide (MgO)-based nanoparticle composited polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibrous dressings for the chemodynamic treatment of bacteria-infected wounds. By utilizing electrospraying, erythrocyte-like monoporous PCL microspheres incorporating silver (Ag)- and copper (Cu)-doped MgO nanoparticles were generated, and the unique microsphere-filament structure enabled efficient anchoring on nanofibers. The composite dressings produced high levels of ROS, as confirmed by the 2,7-dichloriflurescin fluorescent probe. The sustained generation of ROS resulted in efficient glutathione oxidation and a remarkable bacterial killing rate of approximately 99% against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). These dressings were found to be effective at treating externally infected wounds. The unique properties of these composite nanofibrous dressings suggest great potential for their use in the medical treatment of bacteria-infected injuries.

Construction of Steady Amorphous Colloidal Array Patterns via Infiltration-Driven Assembly of Core-Shell Microparticles followed by Short-Time Heating.

Although core-shell microparticles with a hard core and soft shell are often used to fabricate photonic crystal films, they are rarely applied to construct steady amorphous colloidal array (ACA) patterns. In this work, a series of monodisperse core-shell microparticles with a polystyrene (PS) core and poly(methyl methacrylate-butyl acrylate) (P(MMA-BA)) shell have been successfully synthesized, and the glass transition temperatures (Tg) of the shell layer have been well regulated. The synthesized core-shell microparticles were then used to fabricate ACA patterns via a convenient infiltration-driven assembly method. The results showed that the Tg of the shell significantly affected the microstructure of the amorphous colloidal arrays (ACAs). During the assembly process, the microparticles quickly contacted each other and the lower-Tg shells could merge with each other to form a continuous film. In this situation, the PS core was embedded and ranked in the P(MMA-BA) film, and both the refractive index contrast and order degree of the colloidal array became relatively low, resulting in a poor structural color. However, when the Tg of the shell layer was moderately high, a short-range ordered array was prepared via infiltration-driven assembly, thereby displaying a bright structural color. More importantly, the shell layers could merge with each other to some extent after short-time heating, resulting in fine mechanical stability. In brief, this study provides a facile and environmental approach to construct steady ACA patterns, which is promising in printing and painting industries.

Preparation of Biochar Composite Microspheres and Their Ability for Removal with Oil Agents in Dyed Wastewater.

Oil agents produced from the degreasing treatment of synthetic fibers are typical pollutants in wastewater from printing and dyeing, which may cause large-scale environmental pollution without proper treatment. Purifying oily dye wastewater (DTY) at a low cost is a key problem at present. In this study, biochar microspheres with oil removal ability were prepared and derived from waste bamboo chips using the hydrothermal method. The structure of the biochar microsphere was regulated by activation and modification processes. Biochar microspheres were characterized, and their adsorption behaviors for oily dye wastewater were explored. The results show that the adsorption efficiency of biochar microspheres for oily dye wastewater (DTY) was improved significantly after secondary pyrolysis and the lauric acid grafting reaction. The maximum COD removal quantity of biochar microspheres for DTY was 889 mg/g with a removal rate of 86.06% in 30 min. In addition, the kinetics showed that chemisorption was the main adsorption manner. Considering the low cost of raw materials, the application of biochar microspheres could decrease the cost of oily wastewater treatment and avoid environmental pollution.

Multifunctional nanofibrous mats: toward antibacterial and anti-inflammatory applications, and visual bacterial diagnosis.

In most circumstances, wounds face the challenges of bacterial invasions and inappropriate inflammatory responses when they lack proper wound management. Endowing dressings with both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory functions is a compelling strategy for resolving the above issues. However, seizing the right moment to change the dressings and providing satisfactory management of wounds are still urgently required. Herein, an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory nanofibrous mat is proposed by encapsulating antibiotic gentamicin sulfate (GS) and anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen (IB) into nanofibers via a coaxial electrospinning technique and is further decorated with Prussian blue nanocrystals (PBNCs) to enhance anti-inflammatory activity and, more importantly, to monitor bacterial infections and guide dressing changes in a timely manner. Such a nanofibrous mat releases most of the therapeutic drugs within 120 min and reveals excellent antibacterial activity and anti-inflammatory ability. Specifically, it can destroy both Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli), as well as conspicuously reduce the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in macrophages. In addition, the nanofibrous mat can be used for point-of-use diagnosis of living bacteria relying on the naked eye or color analysis, which exhibits the potential of monitoring wound infection and guiding dressing changes promptly. This finding demonstrates the theranostic applications of multifunctional nanofibrous mats in wound healing.

Super-assembly platform for diverse nanoparticles with tunable topological architectures and surface morphologies.

Self-assembly leveraged by nature enables the sophisticated generation of a wide range of nanoparticles (NPs) with rich architectures and morphologies. However, existing artificial self-assembly platforms largely only allow for the fabrication of single type of NPs with limited structures, due to their inability to define interfacial interaction between seeds and growth materials, which is critically important to gain controllable growth patterns of the grown materials on the seeds' surface. Here, we report a versatile super-assembly platform that shows the capabilities to fabricate diverse NPs with tunable topological architectures and surface morphologies, e.g., molecular-like NPs, hollow asymmetric NPs, patchy NPs, etc. We unprecedentedly discovered the powerful functions of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), which enable us to well define interfacial interaction between growth materials and seeds to achieve the controllable and tunable generation of various complex topological growth patterns. Moreover, the nucleation pattern (island nucleation or layered nucleation) of the patches can be thermodynamically modulated via the polarity of the solvent, while the number and size of the patches can be kinetically tuned by the ratio of polystyrene (PS), precursor, and catalyst. Interestingly, the hollow NPs can be generated by single-one processing step in our platform, unlike the multiple steps laboriously and widely employed by previously reported fabrication platforms. In addition, we demonstrate that our annealed NPs can not only selectively reflect visible light, and show well-controlled colors from gray, blue, to green, but also exhibit excellent photothermal conversion performances with a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 68.7% that are superior to currently routinely reported of 40%. This super-assembly platform can serve as a powerful toolset to sophisticatedly create varied NPs with tunable hierarchical architectures and controllable surface morphologies, which would significantly benefit the development of drug delivery, nanomaterial assembly, nano pigments, nanoreactors, and beyond.

Composite nanofibrous dressing loaded with Prussian blue and heparin for anti-inflammation therapy and diabetic wound healing.

Diabetic ulcer is a severe complication of diabetes that can lead to amputation due to the overproduction of pro-inflammatory factors and reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, a composite nanofibrous dressing was developed by combining Prussian blue nanocrystals (PBNCs) and heparin sodium (Hep) through electrospinning, electrospraying, and chemical deposition. The nanofibrous dressing (PPBDH) was designed to take advantage of the excellent pro-inflammatory factor-adsorbing capability of Hep and the ROS-scavenging capabilities of PBNCs, resulting in synergistic treatment. It is worth noting that the nanozymes were firmly anchored to the fiber surfaces through slight polymer swelling caused by the solvent during electrospinning, thereby guaranteeing the preservation of the enzyme-like activity levels of PBNCs. The PPBDH dressing was found to be effective in reducing intracellular ROS levels, protecting cells from ROS-induced apoptosis, and capturing excessive pro-inflammatory factors, including chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß). Furthermore, a chronic wound healing evaluation conducted in vivo demonstrated that the PPBDH dressing was able to effectively alleviate the inflammatory response and accelerate wound healing. This research presents an innovative approach to fabricate nanozyme hybrid nanofibrous dressings, which have great potential in accelerating the healing of chronic and refractory wounds with uncontrolled inflammation.

Demulsification Performance and Mechanism of Tertiary Amine Polymer-Grafted Magnetic Nanoparticles in Surfactant-Free Oil-in-Water Emulsion.

Numerous cationic magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have previously been developed for demulsifying oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion, and results showed that the cationic MNPs could effectively flocculate and remove the negatively charged oil droplets via charge attraction; however, to the best of our knowledge, there are no research reports regarding the synergetic influence of both the positive charge density and interfacial activity of MNPs on the demulsification performance. In this study, three tertiary amine polymer-grafted MNPs, namely, poly(2-dimethylaminoethyl acrylate)-grafted MNPs (M-PDMAEA), poly(2-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)-grafted MNPs (M-PDMAEMA), and poly(2-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate)-grafted MNPs (M-PDEAEMA), were synthesized and evaluated for their demulsification performance. Results demonstrated that a high positive charge density and superior interfacial activity of MNPs could cause partial oil droplet re-dispersion when excessive MNPs were introduced, leading to a lower magnetic separation efficiency and narrower demulsification window. Herein, a demulsification window is defined as a range of nanoparticle dosages in which the MNPs can effectively demulsify the O/W emulsion under certain conditions. For highly positively charged MNPs, their good interfacial activity could aggravate the formation of a narrower demulsification window. When tertiary amine polymer-grafted MNPs carried a lower positive charge density or weak interfacial activity, that is, M-PDMAEA at pH 4.0, M-PDMAEMA at pH 5.0-9.0, and M-PDEAEMA at pH 9.0-10.0, wide demulsification windows were observed. Additionally, a recycling experiment suggested that MNPs could maintain high demulsification efficiency up to at least five cycles, indicating their satisfactory recyclability. The three tertiary amine polymer-grafted MNPs can be potentially used for efficient demulsification from surfactant-free O/W emulsion in various pH ranges.

Metal-Enhanced Helical Chirality of Coil Macromolecules: Bioinspired by Metal Coordination-Induced Protein Folding.

Although the supramolecular helical structures of biomacromolecules have been studied, the examples of supramolecular systems that are assembled using coils to form helical polymer chains are still limited. Inspired by enhanced helical chirality at the supramolecular level in metal coordination-induced protein folding, a series of alanine-based coil copolymers (poly-(l-co-d)-ala-NH2) carrying (l)- and (d)-alanine pendants were synthesized as a fresh research model to study the cooperative processes between homochirality property and metal coordination. The complexes of poly-(l-co-d)-ala-NH2 and metal ions underwent a coil-to-helix transition and exhibited remarkable nonlinear effects based on the enantiomeric excess of the monomer unit in the copolymers, affording enhanced helical chirality compared to poly-(l-co-d)-ala-NH2. More importantly, the synergistic effect of amplification of asymmetry and metal coordination triggered the formation of a helical molecular orbital on the polymer backbone via the coordination with the d orbital of copper ions. Thus, the helical chirality enhancement degree of poly-(l-co-d)-ala-NH2/Cu2+ complexes (31.4) is approximately 3 times higher than that of poly-(l-co-d)-ala-NH2/Ag+ complexes (9.8). This study not only provides important mechanistic insights into the enhancement of helical chirality for self-assembly but also establishes a new strategy for studying the homochiral amplification of asymmetry in biological supramolecular systems.

Large-Scale Fabrication of Tunable Sandwich-Structured Silver Nanowires and Aramid Nanofiber Films for Exceptional Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) Shielding.

The recent advancements in communication technology have facilitated the widespread deployment of electronic communication equipment globally, resulting in the pervasive presence of electromagnetic pollution. Consequently, there is an urgent necessity to develop a thin, lightweight, efficient, and durable electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding material capable of withstanding severe environmental conditions. In this paper, we propose an innovative and scalable method for preparing EMI shielding films with a tunable sandwich structure. The film possesses a nylon mesh (NM) backbone, with AgNWs serving as the shielding coating and aramid nanofibers (ANFs) acting as the cladding layer. The prepared film was thin and flexible, with a thickness of only 0.13 mm. AgNWs can easily form a conductive network structure, and when the minimum addition amount was 0.2 mg/cm2, the EMI SE value reached 28.7 dB, effectively shielding 99.884% of electromagnetic waves and thereby meeting the commercial shielding requirement of 20 dB. With an increase in dosage up to 1.0 mg/cm2, the EMI SE value further improved to reach 50.6 dB. The NAAANF film demonstrated remarkable robustness in the face of complex usage environments as a result of the outstanding thermal, acid, and alkali resistance properties of aramid fibers. Such a thin, efficient, and environmentally resistant EMI shielding film provided new ideas for the broad EMI shielding market.

Anchoring silver nanoparticles on nanofibers by thermal bonding to construct functional surface.

Generally, the anchoring of inorganic nanoparticles onto the surface of fibers faces the problem of poor stability, which limits the wide application of nanoparticle functionalized fibers. Herein, nanofibers with shell-core structures were constructed by coaxial electrospinning of two polymers with different melting points (Tm). Polyglycolic acid (PGA, Tm = 225 °C) was employed as the core layer, while polycaprolactone (PCL, Tm = 60 °C) was used as the shell layer. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were electrosprayed on the nanofibers and the shell layer (PCL) was heated and melted to bond the AgNPs, thus realizing a stable AgNP-composited nanofiber for the construction of antibacterial functional surface. By regulating the shell-core flow ratio and the condition for heat treatment, the appropriate thickness of the shell layer was obtained with a flow ratio of 3:1 (PCL:PGA). The optimal composite structure was constructed when the thermal bonding was taken under 80 °C for 5 min. Furthermore, it was found that the composite nanofibers prepared by thermal bonding had better hydrophilicity, mechanical property, and AgNPs bonding stability, and their antibacterial rate against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) reached over 97%. Overall, a facile and universal method for the preparation of nanoparticle-anchored nanofibers was established in this study. The robust nanoparticle-composited nanofibers are promising for applications in optoelectronic devices, electrode materials, and so on.

Interfacial-assembly engineering of asymmetric magnetic-mesoporous organosilica nanocomposites with tunable architectures.

The asymmetric morphology of nanomaterials plays a crucial role in regulating their physical and chemical properties, which can be tuned by two key factors: (i) interfacial interaction between seed particles and growth materials (anisotropic island nucleation) and (ii) reaction kinetics of the growth material (growth approach). However, controllable preparation of asymmetric nanoarchitectures is a daunting challenge because it is difficult to tune the interfacial energy profile of a nanoparticle. Here, we report an interfacial-assembly strategy that makes use of different surfactant/organosilica-oligomer micelles to actively regulate interfacial energy profiles, thus enabling controllable preparation of well-defined asymmetric nanoarchitectures (i.e., organosilica nano-tails) on magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles. For our magnetic nanocomposite system, the assembly structure of surfactant/organosilica-oligomer micelles and the interfacial electrostatic interaction are found to play critical roles in controlling the nucleation and architectures of asymmetric magnetic-mesoporous organosilica nanocomposite particles (AMMO-NCPs). Surfactant/organosilica-oligomer micelles with a one-dimensional wormlike linear structure could strengthen the interfacial assembly behavior between seed particles and growth materials, and thus achieved the longest tail length (25 µm) exceeding the previously reported highest recorded value (2.5 µm) of one order of magnitude. In addition, clickable AMMO-NCPs can employ a thiol-ene click reaction to modify their surface with a broad range of functional groups, such as amines, carboxyls, and even long alkyl chains, which allows for expanding functionalities. We demonstrate that C18 alkyl-grafted AMMO-NCPs can self-assemble into self-standing membranes with robust superhydrophobicity. In addition, carboxyl-modified AMMO-NCPs exhibit excellent adsorption capacity for cationic compounds. This study paves the way for designing and synthesizing asymmetric nanomaterials, which possess immense potential for future engineering applications in nanomaterial assembly, nanoreactors, biosensing, drug delivery, and beyond.

Fabrication of flower-like Ag/lignin composites and application in antibacterial fabrics.

The bacterial infection and its transmission pose a great threat to life and health, which leads to the urgent development of efficient and broad-spectrum antibacterial agents. Herein, Ag/lignin layered nanoflower (Ag/EHL-CM-0.05) was synthesized by using biomass lignin as reducing and capping agents and silver nitrate as precursor. The study showed that the size distribution of Ag NPs was uniform distribution and about 20-40 nm. The crystal surface of Ag NPs was Ag (111) surface. The minimum inhibitory concentration of Ag/EHL-CM-0.05 against E. coli and S. aureus was all 7.8 µg/mL, which was the lowest of other Ag/lignin antibacterial materials and reached a level nearly as polycationic antibacterial agents. The antibacterial mechanism suggested that Ag/EHL-CM-0.05 could release OH and Ag+, which could cause bacterial death. Finally, Ag/EHL-CM-0.05 was sprayed onto the viscose fabrics by liquid-phase spray deposition method. It was found that the inhibition zone diameter of modified viscose fabrics against E. coli and S. aureus only dropped about 0.16 cm on average after friction treatment and 0.32 cm on average after washing treatment. This work provides a new idea for the design and synthesize of efficient, broad-spectrum, and bio-compatible antibacterial agents, which has important social, economic, and environmental significance.

Synthesis and characterization of a broad-spectrum TiO2@lignin UV-protection agent with high antioxidant and emulsifying activity.

TiO2 with biocompatibility and low price was limited application in cosmetics due to its narrow UV protection range, producing free radicals under UV irradiation to accelerated skin aging and whitish. Herein, a series of highly effective broad-spectrum TiO2@lignin sunscreen microscopes (TWLx) were prepared by modulating van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonding interactions between TiO2 and lignin. The results showed that the UV main absorption peak of TWLx increased from UVA to UVA + UVB. TWLx could completely eliminate the hydroxyl radical produced by TiO2 under UV irradiation owe to introduction of lignin. Meanwhile, the combination of TiO2 and lignin could neutralize color, which made TWLx color closer to human skin. The UV-protection test showed that the SPF value of sunscreen containing 3 wt% TWLx reached 137.4. The antioxidant experiment showed that TWLx has about 16 times the DPPH radical scavenging ability of TiO2. Finally, high internal phase Pickering emulsions were prepared by using TWLx as a stabilizer. It was found that the internal phase volume fraction of the emulsion was up to 86 vol%, which could be recognized as the highest internal phase reported in suntan lotion. This work would provide new ideas for the synthesis of highly effective broad-spectrum sunscreens.

Facile Preparation of Silk Fabrics with Enhanced UV Radiation Shielding and Wrinkle Resistance by Cross-Linking Light-Responsive Copolymers.

Enhanced UV radiation shielding is realized by cross-linking the light-responsive copolymer poly(di(ethylene glycol)methyl ether methacrylate-co-oligo(ethylene glycol)methyl ether methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol methacrylate-co-6-(4-phenylazo-phenoxy)hexyl methacrylate), abbreviated as PMOEA, with silk fabrics. Owing to the existence of the azobenzene component in 6-(4-phenylazo-phenoxy)hexyl methacrylate, UV radiation can be significantly absorbed in an aqueous PMOEA solution by the trans-cis isomerization of azobenzene. After immobilization onto the silk fabrics by the cross-linker 1,2,3,4-butanetetracarboxylic acid, the cross-linked copolymer-coated silk fabrics present an enhanced capability of UV radiation absorption. More than 70% of the UV radiation is efficiently shielded by the cross-linked copolymer-coated silk fabrics, which is double that of the original silk fabrics. Considering the limited amount of the light-responsive copolymer applied (5 wt %), UV protection is successfully realized for the silk fabrics. In addition, the cross-linked copolymer layer also forms covalent bonds with the hydroxyl and amino groups on the silk fabrics. Wrinkles on the silk fabrics, typically caused by the movement of the silk chains, are suppressed by the formed covalent bonds, significantly hindering such chain movement. Therefore, the wrinkle resistance capability is also improved by cross-linking PMOEA on silk fabrics. As the glass transition temperature of the copolymer is lower than room temperature, the hand feel of silk fabrics is not affected by the cross-linking layer. Based on these advantages, the cross-linked copolymer-coated silk fabrics can be used for light clothes to shield against UV radiation from the sun during outdoor activities in summer.

Chain-ring covalently interconnected cellulose nanofiber/MWCNT aerogel for supercapacitors and sensors.

Bending multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) into rings and structuring them into aerogels is difficult. In this study, cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-MWCNT composite fibers with chain-ring structures were prepared by covalently interconnecting carboxylated CNF and aminated MWCNT by dehydration condensation, solving the problems of the formation of MWCNT aerogels and their phase separation during the compounding process and providing CNF-based aerogels with electrical conductivity. The covalently interconnected aerogels (CAs) had hierarchical porous structures with mechanical resilience and chain-ring fibers, which drove the CNF and MWCNT to form a continuous homogeneous network resulting in a high compression resistance of 269.02 kPa. The CA-based flexible all-solid-state supercapacitor had a quality specific capacitance of 114.8 F g-1, a capacitance retention rate of 94.78% and a Coulomb efficiency of 100%. The CA-based flexible sensor can sense different pressures with a stable response for 1000 cycles. This first study of pulling and bending MWCNT through CNF is expected to inspire more applications of MWCNTs in the fields of flexible supercapacitors and sensors.

Controllable Microemulsion Synthesis of Hybrid TiO2-SiO2 Hollow Spheres and Au-Doped Hollow Spheres with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity.

Hollow structures in TiO2 materials can enhance the photocatalytic properties by reducing the diffusion length and improving the accessibility of active sites for the reactants. However, existing approaches for preparing hollow TiO2 materials have two drawbacks that restrict their engineering applicability: first, a heavy reliance on templates to form a hollow structure, which makes the preparation laborious, complicated, and costly; second, difficult-to-achieve high crystallization while maintaining the small grain size in calcinated TiO2, which is crucial for enhancing photocatalytic activity. Herein, a simple, effective method is proposed that not only enables the preparation of hybrid TiO2-SiO2 hollow spheres without the template fabrication and removal process via microemulsion technology but also achieves both high crystallization and a small grain size in calcinated TiO2 at once through the calcination of amorphous TiO2 with organosilane at a high temperature of 850 °C. The prepared TiO2-SiO2 hollow spheres with tunable sizes demonstrate high photocatalytic activity with a maximum k value of 133.74 × 10-3 min-1, which is superior to commercial photocatalyst P25 (k = 114.97 × 10-3 min-1). In addition, Au can be doped in the hybrid TiO2-SiO2 shell to gain Au-doped hollow spheres that show a high k value of up to 694.14 × 10-3 min-1, which is 6 times larger than that of P25 and much better than that reported in the literature. This study not only provides an effective approach to stabilize and tune the grain growth of the TiO2 photocatalyst during calcination but also enables the simple preparation of hollow TiO2-based materials with controllable hollow nanostructures.

Flame Retardancy, Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Novel Intumescent Flame Retardant/MXene/Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Nanocomposites.

Poly(vinylphosphonic acid) (PVPA) and polyethylenepolyamine (PEPA) are used as novel intumescent flame retardants to improve the properties of MXene (2D Ti3C2Tx)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanocomposites. We investigated the flame-retardant properties, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of MXene/PVA nanocomposites. The results show that MXene was homogeneously dispersed in the PVA matrix containing PVPA and PEPA. PVPA and PEPA effectively improved the flame-retardant properties of MXene/PVA nanocomposites and they did not obviously change the thermal degradation of the MXene/PVA nanocomposites. Moreover, MXene improved the thermal stability of the PVA matrix. The elongation at break of MXene/PVA nanocomposites reached its maximum when the MXene mass fraction was 1.0 wt.%, regardless of whether PVPA and PEPA were present in the PVA matrix, whereas the tensile strength and Young's modulus of MXene/PVA nanocomposites increased with the increase in MXene content in the PVA matrix.