Acute toxicity of binary mixtures for quorum sensing inhibitors and sulfonamides against Aliivibrio fischeri: QSAR investigations and joint toxic actions.

Quorum sensing inhibitors (QSIs), as a kind of ideal antibiotic substitutes, have been recommended to be used in combination with traditional antibiotics in medical and aquaculture fields. Due to the co-existence of QSIs and antibiotics in environmental media, it is necessary to evaluate their joint risk. However, there is little information about the acute toxicity of mixtures for QSIs and antibiotics. In this study, 10 QSIs and 3 sulfonamides (SAs, as the representatives for traditional antibiotics) were selected as the test chemicals, and their acute toxic effects were determined using the bioluminescence of Aliivibrio fischeri (A. fischeri) as the endpoint. The results indicated that SAs and QSIs all induced S-shaped dose-responses in A. fischeri bioluminescence. Furthermore, SAs possessed greater acute toxicity than QSIs, and luciferase (Luc) might be the target protein of test chemicals. Based on the median effective concentration (EC50) for each test chemical, QSI-SA mixtures were designed according to equitoxic (EC50(QSI):EC50(SA) = 1:1) and non-equitoxic ratios (EC50(QSI):EC50(SA) = 1:10, 1:5, 1:0.2, and 1:0.1). It could be observed that with the increase of QSI proportion, the acute toxicity of QSI-SA mixtures enhanced while the corresponding TU values decreased. Furthermore, QSIs contributed more to the acute toxicity of test binary mixtures. The joint toxic actions of QSIs and SAs were synergism for 23 mixtures, antagonism for 12 mixtures, and addition for 1 mixture. Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models for the acute toxicity QSIs, SAs, and their binary mixtures were then constructed based on the lowest CDOCKER interaction energy (Ebind-Luc) between Luc and each chemical and the component proportion in the mixture. These models exhibited good robustness and predictive ability in evaluating the toxicity data and joint toxic actions of QSIs and SAs. This study provides reference data and applicable QSAR models for the environmental risk assessment of QSIs, and gives a new perspective for exploring the joint effects of QSI-antibiotic mixtures.

Molecular-caged metal-organic frameworks for energy management.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) hold great promise for diverse applications when combined with polymers. However, a persistent challenge lies in the susceptibility of exposed MOF pores to molecule and polymer penetration, compromising the porosity and overall performance. Here, we design a molecular-caged MOF (MC-MOF) to achieve contracted window without sacrificing the MOF porosity by torsional conjugated ligands. These molecular cages effectively shield against the undesired molecule penetration during polymerization, thereby preserving the pristine porosity of MC-MOF and providing outstanding light and thermal management to the composites. The polymer containing 0.5 wt % MC-MOF achieves an 83% transmittance and an exceptional haze of 93% at 550 nanometers, coupled with remarkable thermal insulation. These MC-MOF/polymer composites offer the potential for more uniform daylighting and reduced energy consumption in sustainable buildings when compared to traditional glass materials. This work delivers a general method to uphold MOF porosity in polymers through molecular cage design, advancing MOF-polymer applications in energy and sustainability.

Constructing amidoxime adsorption sites on the core-shell structured natural silk protein for uranium capture.

Amidoxime-based fiber adsorbents hold significant promise for uranium extraction. However, a notable issue is that these adsorbents primarily originate from synthetic polymer materials, which, aside from providing good mechanical support, have no other functions. In recent study, we shifted our focus to silk fiber (SF), a natural protein fiber known for its unique core-shell structure and rich amino acids. The shell layer, due to its abundant functional groups, makes it easily modifiable, while the core layer provides excellent mechanical strength. Leveraging these inherent properties, an amidoxime-based fiber adsorbent was developed. This adsorbent utilizes amino and carboxyl groups for enhanced performance synergistically. This method involves establishing uranium affinity sites on the outer sericin layer of SF via chemical initiation of graft polymerization (CIGP) and amidoximation (SF-g-PAO). The water absorption ratio of SF-g-PAO is as high as 601.16 % (DG = 97.17 %). Besides, SF-g-PAO demonstrates an exceptional adsorption capacity of 15.69 mg/g in simulated seawater, achieving a remarkable removal rate of uranyl ions at 95.06 %. It can withstand a minimum of five adsorption-elution cycles. Over a 4-week period in natural seawater, SF-g-PAO displayed an adsorption capacity of 4.95 mg/g. Furthermore, SF-g-PAO also exhibits impressive uranium removal efficiency in real nuclear wastewater, with a removal rate of 63 % in just 15 min and a final removal rate of 90 %. It is hoped that this SF-g-PAO, prepared through this straightforward method and characterized by the synergistic action of amino and carboxyl groups, can offer innovative insights into the development of uranium extraction adsorbents.

Synergistic Effects of Amine Functional Groups and Enriched-Atomic-Iron Sites in Carbon Dots for Industrial-Current-Density CO2 Electroreduction.

Metal phthalocyanine molecules with Me-N4 centers have shown promise in electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (eCO2R) for CO generation. However, iron phthalocyanine (FePc) is an exception, exhibiting negligible eCO2R activity due to a higher CO2 to *COOH conversion barrier and stronger *CO binding energy. Here, amine functional groups onto atomic-Fe-rich carbon dots (Af-Fe-CDs) are introduced via a one-step solvothermal molecule fusion approach. Af-Fe-CDs feature well-defined Fe-N4 active sites and an impressive Fe loading (up to 8.5 wt%). The synergistic effect between Fe-N4 active centers and electron-donating amine functional groups in Af-Fe-CDs yielded outstanding CO2-to-CO conversion performance. At industrial-relevant current densities exceeding 400 mA cm-2 in a flow cell, Af-Fe-CDs achieved >92% selectivity, surpassing state-of-the-art CO2-to-CO electrocatalysts. The in situ electrochemical FTIR characterization combined with theoretical calculations elucidated that Fe-N4 integration with amine functional groups in Af-Fe-CDs significantly reduced energy barriers for *COOH intermediate formation and *CO desorption, enhancing eCO2R efficiency. The proposed synergistic effect offers a promising avenue for high-efficiency catalysts with elevated atomic-metal loadings.

Double pyramid stacked CoO nano-crystals induced by graphene at low temperatures as highly efficient Fenton-like catalysts.

Transition metal oxides are widely used as Fenton-like catalysts in the treatment of organic pollutants, but their synthesis usually requires a high temperature. Herein, an all-solid-state synthesis method controlled by graphene was used to prepare a double pyramid stacked CoO nano-crystal at a low temperature. The preparation temperature decreased by 200 °C (over 30% reduction) due to the introduction of graphene, largely reducing the reaction energy barrier. Interestingly, the corresponding degradation rate constants (kobs) of this graphene-supported pyramid CoO nano-crystals for organic molecules after their adsorption were over 2.5 and 35 times higher than that before adsorption and that of free CoO, respectively. This high catalytic efficiency is attributed to the adsorption of pollutants at the surface by supporting graphene layers, while free radicals activated by CoO can directly and rapidly contact and degrade them. These findings provide a new strategy to prepare low carbon-consuming transition metal oxides for highly efficient Fenton-like catalysts.

Construction of Sugar-Gourd-Shaped Carbon Nanofibers Embedded with Heterostructured Zinc-Cobalt Selenide Nanocages for Superior Potassium-Ion Storage.

Transition metal selenides are considered as promising anode materials for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) due to their high theoretical capacities. However, their applications are limited by low conductivity and large volume expansion. Herein, sugar-gourd-shaped carbon nanofibers embedded with heterostructured ZnCo-Se nanocages are prepared via a facile template-engaged method combined with electrospinning and selenization process. In this hierarchical ZnCo-Se@NC/CNF, abundant phase boundaries of CoSe2/ZnSe heterostructure can promote interfacial electron transfer and chemical reactivity. The interior porous ZnCo-Se@NC nanocage structure relieves volume expansion and maintains structural integrity during K+ intercalation and deintercalation. The exterior spinning carbon nanofibers connect the granular nanocages in series, which prevents the agglomeration, shortens the electron transport distance and enhances the reaction kinetics. As a self-supporting anode material, ZnCo-Se@NC/CNF delivers a high capacity (362 mA h g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 after 100 cycles) with long-term stability (95.9% capacity retention after 1000 cycles) and shows superior reaction kinetics with high-rate K-storage. Energy level analysis and DFT calculations illustrate heterostructure facilitates the adsorption of K+ and interfacial electron transfer. The K+ storage mechanism is revealed by ex situ XRD and EIS analyses. This work opens a novel avenue in designing high-performance heterostructured anode materials with ingenious structure for PIBs.

Amide Covalent Bonding Engineering in Heterojunction for Efficient Solar-Driven CO2 Reduction.

Inefficient charge separation and slow interfacial reaction dynamics significantly hamper the efficiency of photocatalytic CO2 reduction. Herein, a facile EDC/NHS-assisted linking strategy was developed to enhance charge separation in heterojunction photocatalysts. Using this approach, we successfully synthesized amide-bonded carbon quantum dot-g-C3N4 (CQD-CN) heterojunction photocatalysts. The formation of amide covalent bonds between CN and CQDs in the CN-CQD facilitates efficient carrier migration, CO2 adsorption, and activation. Exploiting these advantages, the CN-CQD photocatalysts exhibit high selectivity with CO and CH4 evolution rates of 79.2 and 2.7 µmol g-1 h-1, respectively. These rates are about 1.7 and 3.6 times higher than those of CN@CQD and bulk CN, respectively. Importantly, the CN-CQD photocatalysts demonstrate exceptional stability, even after 12 h of continuous testing. The presence of the COOH* signal is identified as a crucial intermediate species in the conversion of CO2 to CO. This study presents a covalent bonding engineering strategy for developing high-performance heterojunction photocatalysts for efficient solar-driven reduction of CO2.

Effect of benzoic acid and dopamine hydrochloride as a modulator in the water resistance of Universitetet i Oslo-67: Adsorption performance and mechanism.

The severe hazards on ecological environment and human body caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have attracted worldwide substantial attention. In this research, a series of novel modified Universitetet i Oslo-67 (UiO-67) with water resistance were prepared and characterized, which had modified by benzoic acid and dopamine hydrochloride (67-ben-DH). On this basis, the adsorption performance, adsorption kinetics, defect engineering and water resistance of adsorbent were investigated. The results indicated that the excellent pore structure and specific surface area of 67-ben-DH-6 (molar ratio of Zr4+ to DH was 1:6) were retained while the adsorption performance and water resistance of the adsorbent were improved. Due to more defects, excellent adsorption diffusion and strong π-π interactions of 67-ben-DH-6, it performed the maximum adsorption capacity of toluene (793 mg g-1). Furthermore, the outstanding water resistance was attributed to the fact that N element of DH reduced the affinity of the adsorbent with water. Finally, the density functional theory (DFT) calculations showed that the adsorbent 67-ben-DH-6 had the maximum adsorption energy for toluene (-99.4 kJ mol-1) and the minimum adsorption energy for water (-17.8 kJ mol-1). Thus, the potential mechanism of 67-ben-DH for efficient toluene adsorption and water resistance was verified from a microscopic perspective.

Environmental biotechnology and the involving biological process using graphene-based biocompatible material.

Biotechnology is a promising approach to environmental remediation but requires improvement in efficiency and convenience. The improvement of biotechnology has been illustrated with the help of biocompatible materials as biocarrier for environmental remediations. Recently, graphene-based materials (GBMs) have become promising materials in environmental biotechnology. To better illustrate the principle and mechanisms of GBM application in biotechnology, the comprehension of the biological response of microorganisms and enzymes when facing the GBMs is needed. The review illustrated distinct GBM-microbe/enzyme composites by providing the GBM-microbe/enzyme interaction and the determining factors. There are diverse GBM modifications for distinct biotechnology applications. Each of these methods and applications depends on the physicochemical properties of GBMs. The applications of these composites were mainly categorized as pollutant adsorption, anaerobic digestion, microbial fuel cells, and organics degradation. Where information was available, the strategies and mechanisms of GBMs in improving application efficacies were also demonstrated. In addition, the biological response, from microbial community changes, extracellular polymeric substances changes to biological pathway alteration, may become important in the application of these composites. Furthermore, we also discuss challenges facing the environmental application of GBMs, considering their fate and toxicity in the ecosystem, and offer potential solutions. This research significantly enhances our comprehension of the fundamental principles, underlying mechanisms, and biological pathways for the in-situ utilization of GBMs.

Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction to Ethylene: From Mechanistic Understanding to Catalyst Surface Engineering.

Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR) provides a promising way to convert CO2 to chemicals. The multicarbon (C2+) products, especially ethylene, are of great interest due to their versatile industrial applications. However, selectively reducing CO2 to ethylene is still challenging as the additional energy required for the C-C coupling step results in large overpotential and many competing products. Nonetheless, mechanistic understanding of the key steps and preferred reaction pathways/conditions, as well as rational design of novel catalysts for ethylene production have been regarded as promising approaches to achieving the highly efficient and selective CO2RR. In this review, we first illustrate the key steps for CO2RR to ethylene (e.g., CO2 adsorption/activation, formation of *CO intermediate, C-C coupling step), offering mechanistic understanding of CO2RR conversion to ethylene. Then the alternative reaction pathways and conditions for the formation of ethylene and competitive products (C1 and other C2+ products) are investigated, guiding the further design and development of preferred conditions for ethylene generation. Engineering strategies of Cu-based catalysts for CO2RR-ethylene are further summarized, and the correlations of reaction mechanism/pathways, engineering strategies and selectivity are elaborated. Finally, major challenges and perspectives in the research area of CO2RR are proposed for future development and practical applications.

Epoxy-rich Fe Single Atom Sites Boost Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysis.

Electrocatalysts for highly efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are crucial for energy conversion and storage devices. Single-atom catalysts with maximized metal utilization and altered electronic structure are the most promising alternatives to replace current benchmark precious metals. However, the atomic level understanding of the functional role for each species at the anchoring sites is still unclear and poorly elucidated. Herein, we report Fe single atom catalysts with the sulfur and oxygen functional groups near the atomically dispersed metal centers (Fe1/NSOC) for highly efficient ORR. The Fe1/NSOC delivers a half-wave potential of 0.92 V vs. RHE, which is much better than those of commercial Pt/C (0.88 V), Fe single atoms on N-doped carbon (Fe1/NC, 0.89 V) and most reported nonprecious metal catalysts. The spectroscopic measurements reveal that the presence of sulfur group induces the formation of epoxy groups near the FeN4S2 centers, which not only modulate the electronic structure of Fe single atoms but also participate the catalytic process to improve the kinetics. The density functional theory calculations demonstrate the existence of sulfur and epoxy group engineer the charges of Fe reactive center and facilitate the reductive release of OH* (rate-limiting step), thus boosting the overall oxygen reduction efficiency.

Functional Group Modulation in Carbon Quantum Dots for Accelerating Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction.

This study investigates the mechanism behind the enhanced photocatalytic performance of carbon quantum dot (CQD)-induced photocatalysts. Red luminescent CQDs (R-CQDs) were synthesized using a microwave ultrafast synthesis strategy, exhibiting similar optical and structural properties but varying in surface functional group sites. Model photocatalysts were synthesized by combining R-CQDs with graphitic carbon nitride (CN) using a facile coupling technique, and the effects of different functionalized R-CQDs on CO2 reduction were investigated. This coupling technique narrowed the band gap of R1-CQDs/CN, made the conduction band potentials more negative, and made photogenerated electrons and holes less likely to recombine. These improvements greatly enhanced the deoxygenation ability of the photoinduced carriers, increased light absorption of solar energy, and raised the carrier concentration, resulting in excellent stability and remarkable CO production. R1-CQDs/CN demonstrated the highest photocatalytic activity, with CO production up to 77 µmol g-1 within 4 h, which is approximately 5.26 times higher than that of pure CN. Our results suggest that the superior photocatalytic performance of R1-CQDs/CN arises from its strong internal electric field and high Lewis acidity and alkalinity, attributed to the abundant pyrrolic-N and oxygen-containing surface groups, respectively. These findings offer a promising strategy for producing efficient and sustainable CQD-based photocatalysts to address global energy and environmental problems.

Graphene hydrogel improves S. putrefaciens' biological treatment of dye wastewater: Impacts of extracellular electron transfer and function of c-type cytochromes.

Biocompatible materials and biocarriers have attracted great attention in biological wastewater treatment owing to their excellent performance in improving pollutant removal. Graphene-based material, a biocarrier candidate, with excellent adsorbability and conductivity was increasingly applied in anaerobic digestion due to its exceptional potential in the adsorption and electron transfer process. Nevertheless, the green approach for the formation of bio-graphene complexes and their mechanism in dye removal is limited. The aim of this study is to investigate and assess the performance of biological graphene hydrogel (BGH) formed by Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 on the removal of methyl orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB). The results showed that the formation of BGH is determined by the physicochemical characteristics of graphene oxide, including sheet size, oxidation degree, and interlayer distance. BGHs significantly increased the removal efficiency of dyes in comparison to non-graphene samples, with a 24-h removal rate of MO and MB reaching 92.9% and 91%, respectively. The synergetic mechanism of BGH on the enhanced removal rate of organic dye can be ascribed to GO's ability in accelerating extracellular electron transfer and stimulating biodegradation pathways relating to c-type cytochromes, including MtrA and MtrC. These findings provided an understanding of the relationship between graphene-based nanomaterials and Shewanella, which facilitated their future application in environmental biotechnology.

Membrane-based purification and recovery of phosphate and antibiotics by two-dimensional zeolitic nanoflakes.

The pervasive presence of persistent contaminants in water resources, including phosphate and antibiotics, has attracted significant attention due to their potential adverse effects on ecosystems and human health. Adsorption membranes packed with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been proposed as a potential solution to this challenge due to their high surface area to volume ratio, and the tailored functionality they can provide for selective purification. However, devising a straightforward method to enhance the stability of MOF membranes on polymer supports and manipulate their surface morphology remains challenging. In this study, we present a facile solution immersion technique to fabricate a ZIF-L adsorption membrane on commercial supports by leveraging the self-polymerization characteristics of dopamine. The simple coating methodology provides a polydopamine-lined interface that regulates the ZIF-L heteroepitaxial growth, along with tailored nanoflake morphology. Compared with crystals prepared in bulk solution, the sorbents grown on the membrane exhibit a higher saturation capacity of 248 mg g-1 of phosphate (∼80 mg phosphorus per g sorbent) and 196 mg g-1 for tetracycline in static adsorption experiments at 30 °C. Additionally, the membranes are capable of selectively removing 99.5% of the phosphate in simulant solutions comprising competitive background ions in various concentrations, and efficiently removing tetracycline. The result from the static adsorption experiments directly translates to a flow-through process, showcasing the utility of a composite membrane with a 3 µm thick active layer in practical adsorption applications. The facile solution immersion fabrication protocol introduced in this work may offer a more efficient paradigm to harness the potential of MOF composite membranes in selective adsorption and resource recovery applications.

Recent progress and strategic perspectives of inorganic solid electrolytes: fundamentals, modifications, and applications in sodium metal batteries.

Solid-state electrolytes (SEs) have attracted overwhelming attention as a promising alternative to traditional organic liquid electrolytes (OLEs) for high-energy-density sodium-metal batteries (SMBs), owing to their intrinsic incombustibility, wider electrochemical stability window (ESW), and better thermal stability. Among various kinds of SEs, inorganic solid-state electrolytes (ISEs) stand out because of their high ionic conductivity, excellent oxidative stability, and good mechanical strength, rendering potential utilization in safe and dendrite-free SMBs at room temperature. However, the development of Na-ion ISEs still remains challenging, that a perfect solution has yet to be achieved. Herein, we provide a comprehensive and in-depth inspection of the state-of-the-art ISEs, aiming at revealing the underlying Na+ conduction mechanisms at different length scales, and interpreting their compatibility with the Na metal anode from multiple aspects. A thorough material screening will include nearly all ISEs developed to date, i.e., oxides, chalcogenides, halides, antiperovskites, and borohydrides, followed by an overview of the modification strategies for enhancing their ionic conductivity and interfacial compatibility with Na metal, including synthesis, doping and interfacial engineering. By discussing the remaining challenges in ISE research, we propose rational and strategic perspectives that can serve as guidelines for future development of desirable ISEs and practical implementation of high-performance SMBs.

Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances Induce Immunotoxicity via the TLR Pathway in Zebrafish: Links to Carbon Chain Length.

Previous studies have reported the immunotoxicity of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), but it remains a significant challenge to assess over 10,000 distinct PFASs registered in the distributed structure-searchable toxicity (DSSTox) database. We aim to reveal the mechanisms of immunotoxicity of different PFASs and hypothesize that PFAS immunotoxicity is dependent on the carbon chain length. Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBA), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) representing different carbon chain lengths (4-9) at environmentally relevant levels strongly reduced the host's antibacterial ability during the zebrafish's early-life stage. Innate and adaptive immunities were both suppressed after PFAS exposures, exhibiting a significant induction of macrophages and neutrophils and expression of immune-related genes and indicators. Interestingly, the PFAS-induced immunotoxic responses were positively correlated to the carbon chain length. Moreover, PFASs activated downstream genes of the toll-like receptor (TLR), uncovering a seminal role of TLR in PFAS immunomodulatory effects. Myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) morpholino knock-down experiments and MyD88 inhibitors alleviated the immunotoxicity of PFASs. Overall, the comparative results demonstrate differences in the immunotoxic responses of PFASs due to carbon chain length in zebrafish, providing new insights into the prediction and classification of PFASs mode of toxic action based on carbon chain length.

Insights into the Use of Te-O Pairs as Active Centers of Carbon Nanosheets for Efficient Electrochemical Oxygen Reduction.

Previous theoretical calculations have predicted that the incorporation of tellurium (Te) into carbon materials can significantly enhance their catalytic activity. Nevertheless, the experimental realization of efficient Te-doped carbon materials remains challenging. Here, we employed theoretical calculations to deduce the possible structure of Te-doped carbon materials. Our findings unveil that the formation of Te-O pairs in carbon materials with a relatively low oxygen coordination microenvironment can impart strong electron-donating capabilities, thereby boosting the electrocatalytic activity of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). To verify our theoretical predictions, we synthesized Te-O pair-doped carbon materials using a tandem hydrothermal dehydration-pyrolysis strategy. This approach enabled efficient infiltration of Te into carbon materials. Our unconventional Te-O pair-doped carbon materials exhibit expanded interlayer distances and graphene-like nanosheet architectures, which provide enlarged active areas. These structural features contribute to the enhanced ORR catalytic performance of the as-prepared carbon catalyst. Our findings provide molecular-level insights into the design of various carbon-based electrocatalysts with binary-heteroatom-doped active sites.

Design of Imide Oligomer-Mediated MOF Clusters for Solar Cell Encapsulation Systems by Interface Fusion Strategy.

Dielectric encapsulation materials are promising for solar cell areas, but the unsatisfactory light-management capability and relatively poor dielectric properties restrict their further applications in photovoltaic and microelectronic devices. Herein, an interface fusion strategy to engineer the interface of MOF (UiO-66-NH2 ) with anhydride terminated imide oligomer (6FDA-TFMB) is designed and a novel MOF cluster (UFT) with enhanced forward scattering and robust porosity is prepared. UFT is applied as an optical and dielectric modifier for bisphenol A epoxy resin (DGEBA), and UFT epoxy composites with high transmittance (>80%), tunable haze (45-58%) and excellent dielectric properties can be prepared at low UFT contents (0.5-1 wt%), which delivers an optimal design for dielectric encapsulation systems with efficient light management in solar cells. Additionally, UFT epoxy composites also show excellent UV blocking, and hydrophobic, thermal and mechanical properties. This work provides a template for the synthesis of covalent bond-mediated nanofillers and for the modulation of haze and dielectric properties of dielectric encapsulation materials for energy systems, semiconductors, microelectronics, and more.

Recent advances of metal-organic framework-based and derivative materials in the heterogeneous catalytic removal of volatile organic compounds.

Since the environmental hazards of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are well known, heterogeneous catalysis has become one of the most popular methods to treat VOCs due to its environmental friendliness and simplicity of operation. Although a large number of reports have reviewed the application of catalytic oxidation for the degradation of VOCs, relatively few reports are based on this direction of metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and MOF derivatives. Herein, this paper reviews the recent applications of heterogeneous catalytic technologies in the degradation of VOCs, including photocatalysis, thermal catalysis and other catalytic approaches. The applications of MOFs and their derivatives in VOCs degradation, such as the progress of MOF-derived metal oxides in the treatment of toluene, were highlighted. The mechanisms of VOCs degradation by different catalytic approaches were systematically presented. Finally, we presented the views and directions of VOCs treatment technology development. We hope that this reaction type-oriented review will provide important insights into MOFs and MOF-derived materials for VOCs pollution control.

Nonionic Surfactant-Assisted In Situ Generation of Stable Passivation Protective Layer for Highly Stable Aqueous Zn Metal Anodes.

A highly stable interface for aqueous rechargeable Zn batteries is of importance to inhibit the growth of Zn dendrites and suppress the side reactions. In this work, we have developed a stable honeycomb-like ZnO passivation protective layer on the Zn surface, which is in situ generated with the assistance of a nonionic surfactant additive (polyethylene glycol tert-octylphenyl ether, denoted as PEGTE). The ZnO passivation layer can facilitate the uniform distribution of the electric field, guiding the uniform deposition of Zn2+ and inhibit the generation of dendrites. As a result, the symmetric cell using the electrolyte with PEGTE shows an excellent performance at high areal capacity, reflected by stable cycling for over 2400 h at 5 mAh/cm2 and 1300 h at 10 mAh/cm2. The full cell paired with V2O5 demonstrates a long lifespan for more than 600 cycles at a low negative/positive capacity ratio.