Coupling photocatalytic CO2 reduction and CH3OH oxidation for selective dimethoxymethane production.

Currently, conventional dimethoxymethane synthesis methods are environmentally unfriendly. Here, we report a photo-redox catalysis system to generate dimethoxymethane using a silver and tungsten co-modified blue titanium dioxide catalyst (Ag.W-BTO) by coupling CO2 reduction and CH3OH oxidation under mild conditions. The Ag.W-BTO structure and its electron and hole transfer are comprehensively investigated by combining advanced characterizations and theoretical studies. Strikingly, Ag.W-BTO achieve a record photocatalytic activity of 5702.49 µmol g-1 with 92.08% dimethoxymethane selectivity in 9 h of ultraviolet-visible irradiation without sacrificial agents. Systematic isotope labeling experiments, in-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier-transform analysis, and theoretical calculations reveal that the Ag and W species respectively catalyze CO2 conversion to *CH2O and CH3OH oxidation to *CH3O. Subsequently, an asymmetric carbon-oxygen coupling process between these two crucial intermediates produces dimethoxymethane. This work presents a CO2 photocatalytic reduction system for multi-carbon production to meet the objectives of sustainable economic development and carbon neutrality.

Identification and characterization of a novel intronic splicing mutation in CSF1R-related leukoencephalopathy.

AIMS: Colony stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R)-related leukoencephalopathy is a rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease caused by CSF1R gene mutations. This study aimed to identify and investigate the effect of a novel intronic mutation (c.1754-3C>G) of CSF1R on splicing. METHODS: A novel intronic mutation was identified using whole-exome sequencing. To investigate the impact of this mutation, we employed various bioinformatics tools to analyze the transcription of the CSF1R gene and the three-dimensional structure of its encoded protein. Furthermore, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to validate the findings. RESULTS: A novel mutation (c.1754-3C>G) in CSF1R was identified, which results in exon 13 skipping due to the disruption of the 3' splice site consensus sequence NYAG/G. This exon skipping event was further validated in the peripheral blood of the mutation carrier through RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing. Protein structure prediction indicated a disruption in the tyrosine kinase domain, with the truncated protein showing significant structural alterations. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings underscore the importance of intronic mis-splicing mutations in the diagnosis and management of CSF1R-related leukoencephalopathy.

Dimethyl Fumarate Modulates the Immune Environment and Improves Prognosis in the Acute Phase after Ischemic Stroke.

INTRODUCTION: Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) has shown potential for protection in various animal models of neurological diseases. However, the impact of DMF on changes in peripheral immune organs and the central nervous system (CNS) immune cell composition after ischemic stroke remains unclear. METHODS: Eight-week-old C57BL/6J mice with photothrombosis ischemia and patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) were treated with DMF. TTC staining, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence staining were used to evaluate the infarct volume and changes in immune cells in the periphery and the CNS. RESULTS: DMF reduced the infarct volume on day 1 after PT. DMF reduced the percentages of peripheral immune cells, such as neutrophils, dendritic cells, macrophages, and monocytes, on day 1, followed by NK cells on day 3 and B cells on day 7 after PT. In the CNS, DMF significantly reduced the percentage of monocytes in the brain on day 3 after PT. In addition, DMF increased the number of microglia in the peri-infarct area and reduced the number of neurons in the peri-infarct area in the acute and subacute phases after PT. In AIS patients, B cells decreased in patients receiving alteplase in combination with DMF. CONCLUSION: DMF can change the immune environment of the periphery and the CNS, reduce infarct volume in the acute phase, promote the recruitment of microglia and preserve neurons in the peri-infarct area after ischemic stroke.

In Situ Spectroscopic Studies of NH3 Oxidation of Fe-Oxide/Al2O3.

Simple temperature-regulated chemical vapor deposition was used to disperse iron oxide nanoparticles on porous Al2O3 to create an Fe-oxide/Al2O3 structure for catalytic NH3 oxidation. The Fe-oxide/Al2O3 achieved nearly 100% removal of NH3, with N2 as a major reaction product at temperatures above 400 °C and negligible NOx emissions at all experimental temperatures. The results of a combination of in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy and near-ambient pressure-near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy suggest a N2H4-mediated oxidation mechanism of NH3 to N2 via the Mars-van Krevelen pathway on the Fe-oxide/Al2O3 surface. As a catalytic adsorbent-an energy-efficient approach to reducing NH3 levels in living environments via adsorption and thermal treatment of NH3-no harmful NOx emissions were produced during the thermal treatment of the NH3-adsorbed Fe-oxide/Al2O3 surface, while NH3 molecularly desorbed from the surface. A system with dual catalytic filters of Fe-oxide/Al2O3 was designed to fully oxidize this desorbed NH3 to N2 in a clean and energy-efficient manner.

Tailoring and Identifying Brønsted Acid Sites on Metal Oxo-Clusters of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Catalytic Transformation.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with Brønsted acidity are an alternative solid acid catalyst for many important chemical and fuel processes. However, the nature of the Brønsted acidity on the MOF's metal cluster or center is underexplored. To design and optimize the acid strength and density in these MOFs, it is important to understand the origin of their acidity at the molecular level. In the present work, isoreticular MOFs, ZrNDI and HfNDI (NDI = N,N'-bis(5-isophthalate)naphthalenediimide), were prepared as a prototypical system to unravel and compare their Brønsted and Lewis acid sites through an array of spectroscopic, computational, and catalytic characterization techniques. With the aid of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and density functional calculations, Hf6 oxo-clusters on HfNDI are quantitatively proved to possess a higher density Brønsted acid site, while ZrNDI-based MOFs display stronger and higher-population Lewis acidity. HfNDI-based MOFs exhibit a superior catalytic performance in activating dihydroxyacetone (DHA) and converting DHA to ethyl lactate, with 71.1% selectivity at 54.7% conversion after 6 h. The turnover frequency of BAS-dominated Hf-MOF in DHA conversion is over 50 times higher than that of ZSM-5, a strong BAS-based zeolite. It is worth noting that HfNDI is reported for the first time in the literature, which is an alternative platform catalyst for biorefining and green chemistry. The present study furthermore highlights the uniqueness of Hf-based MOFs in this important biomass-to-chemical transformation.

Genome-wide identification of RUB activating enzyme and conjugating enzyme gene families and their expression analysis under abiotic stresses in Capsicum annuum.

NEDD8/RUB, as a ubiquitin-like protein, participates in the post-translational modification of protein and requires unique E1, E2, and E3 enzymes to bind to its substrate. The RUB E1 activating enzyme and E2 conjugating enzyme play a significant role in the neddylation. However, it is unknown whether RUB E1 and E2 exist in pepper and what its function is. In this study, a total of three putative RUB E1 and five RUB E2 genes have been identified in the pepper genome. Subsequently, their physical and chemical properties, gene structure, conserved domains and motifs, phylogenetic relationship, and cis-acting elements were analyzed. The structure and conserved domain of RUB E1 and E2 are similar to that of Arabidopsis and tomato. The RUB E1 and E2 genes were randomly distributed on seven chromosomes, and there were two pairs of collinearity between pepper and Arabidopsis and eight pairs of collinearity between pepper and tomato. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that RUB E1 and E2 genes of pepper have a closer relationship with that of tomato, potato, and Nicotiana attenuate. The cis-elements of RUB E1 and E2 genes contained hormone response and stress response. RUB E1 and E2 genes were expressed in at least one tissue and CaRCE1.3 and CaRCE2.1 were exclusively expressed in flowers and anthers. Moreover, the expression of RUB E1 genes (CaECR1, CaAXR1.1, and CaAXR1.2) and RUB E2 genes (CaRCE1.1, CaRCE1.2, and CaRCE2.1) was increased to varying degrees under low-temperature, drought, salt, ABA, and IAA treatments, while CaRCE1.3 and CaRCE2.2 were down-regulated under low-temperature treatment. In addition, these genes were hardly expressed under MeJA treatment. In summary, this study provides a theoretical foundation to explore the role of RUB E1 and E2 in the response of plants to stress.

Neuromorphic-computing-based adaptive learning using ion dynamics in flexible energy storage devices.

High-accuracy neuromorphic devices with adaptive weight adjustment are crucial for high-performance computing. However, limited studies have been conducted on achieving selective and linear synaptic weight updates without changing electrical pulses. Herein, we propose high-accuracy and self-adaptive artificial synapses based on tunable and flexible MXene energy storage devices. These synapses can be adjusted adaptively depending on the stored weight value to mitigate time and energy loss resulting from recalculation. The resistance can be used to effectively regulate the accumulation and dissipation of ions in single devices, without changing the external pulse stimulation or preprogramming, to ensure selective and linear synaptic weight updates. The feasibility of the proposed neural network based on the synapses of flexible energy devices was investigated through training and machine learning. The results indicated that the device achieved a recognition accuracy of ∼95% for various neural network calculation tasks such as numeric classification.

Dual sensing signal decoupling based on tellurium anisotropy for VR interaction and neuro-reflex system application.

Anisotropy control of the electronic structure in inorganic semiconductors is an important step in developing devices endowed with multi-function. Here, we demonstrate that the intrinsic anisotropy of tellurium nanowires can be used to modulate the electronic structure and piezoelectric polarization and decouple pressure and temperature difference signals, and realize VR interaction and neuro-reflex applications. The architecture design of the device combined with self-locking effect can eliminate dependence on displacement, enabling a single device to determine the hardness and thermal conductivity of materials through a simple touch. We used a bimodal Te-based sensor to develop a wearable glove for endowing real objects to the virtual world, which greatly improves VR somatosensory feedback. In addition, we successfully achieved stimulus recognition and neural-reflex in a rabbit sciatic nerve model by integrating the sensor signals using a deep learning technique. In view of in-/ex-vivo feasibility, the bimodal Te-based sensor would be considered a novel sensing platform for a wide range application of metaverse, AI robot, and electronic medicine.

Identification and bioinformatic analysis of the CaCesA/Csls family members and the expression of the CaCslD1 in the flower buds of CMS/Rf system in pepper.

The cellulose synthase gene superfamily contains cellulose synthase (CesA) and cellulose synthase-like (Csl) gene families, which synthesize cellulose and hemicellulose in plant cell walls and play a crucial role in plant growth and development. However, the CesA/Csl gene family has not been reported in pepper. Therefore, the genome-wide research of the CaCesA/CaCsl gene family was conducted in pepper. In this study, a total of 39 CaCesA/CaCsls genes (10 CesAs genes and 29 Csls genes) were identified in pepper and unevenly distributed on 11 chromosomes. These CaCesA/Csls were divided into seven subfamilies (CesAs, CslAs, CslBs, CslCs, CslDs, CslEs, CslGs), and most of CaCesA/Csls genes are closely related to AtCesA/Csls genes. The cis-acting elements in the promoters of CaCesA/Csls genes are mainly related to hormone response and stress response. There are ten collinear gene pairs between the CesA/Csls gene family of pepper and Arabidopsis, and four fragment duplication gene pairs of the CaCesA/Csls genes were discovered. RNA-seq analysis shows that the majority of CaCesA/Csls are expressed in a variety of plant tissues, indicating that most CaCesA/Csls gene expression patterns are not organ-specific, and CaCslD1/D4 have the highest expression in anthers, followed by petal, ovary, and F9. RNA-seq analysis shows that most CaCesA/Csls are responsive to five hormones (IAA, GA3, ABA, SA, and MeJA). The tissue-specific expression analysis of the CaCslD1 gene shows that the CaCslD1 gene is expressed specifically in flowers. In the flower buds IV of cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) and its restoration of fertility (Rf) system, CaCslD1 reach the highest expression respectively. However, the relative expression level of CaCslD1 in the fertile accessions is extremely significantly higher than in the sterile accessions. This study shows an overall understanding of the CaCesA/Csls gene family and provides a new insight for understanding the function of CaCslD1 in pollen development and exploring the fertility restoration of CMS in pepper.

Identification and relative expression analysis of CaFRK gene family in pepper.

Fructokinase is the main catalytic enzyme for fructose phosphorylation and can also act as a glucose receptor and signal molecule to regulate the metabolism of plants, which plays an important role in plant growth and development. In this study, the CaFRK gene family and their molecular characteristics are systematically identified and analyzed, and the specific expression of CaFRKs under different tissues, abiotic stresses and hormone treatments were explored. Nine FRK genes were authenticated in pepper genome database, which were dispersedly distributed on eight reference chromosomes and predicted to localize in the cytoplasm. Many cis-acting elements that respond to light, different stresses, hormones and tissue-specific expression were found in the promoters of CaFRKs. FRK proteins of four species including Capsicum annuum, Arabidopsis thaliana, Solanum lycopersicum and Oryza sativa were divided into four groups via phylogenetic analysis. The collinearity analysis showed that there were two collinear gene pairs between CaFRKs and AtFRKs. In addition, it was significantly found that CaFRK9 expressed far higher in flower than other tissues, and the relative expression of CaFRK9 was gradually enhanced with the development of flower buds in fertile accessions, 8B, R1 and F1. Nevertheless, CaFRK9 hardly expressed in all stages of cytoplasmic male sterile lines. Based on the quantitative real-time PCR, most of CaFRK genes showed significant up-regulation under low-temperature, NaCl and PEG6000 treatments. On the contrary, the expression levels of most CaFRKs revealed a various trend in response to hormone treatments (IAA, ABA, GA3, SA and MeJA). This study systematically analyzed CaFRK gene family and studied its expression pattern, which lay the foundation of CaFRK genes cloning and functional verification response to abiotic stresses, and provides new insights into exploring the CaFRK genes on the pollen development in pepper. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-022-03196-1.

Lumiflavin Reduces Cisplatin Resistance in Cancer Stem-Like Cells of OVCAR-3 Cell Line by Inducing Differentiation.

Ovarian cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) play a vital role in drug resistance and recurrence of ovarian cancer. Inducing phenotypic differentiation is an important strategy to enhance the effects of chemotherapy and reduce the drug resistance of CSCs. This study found that lumiflavin, a riboflavin decomposition product, reduced the development of CSC resistance and enhanced the chemotherapy effect of cisplatin (DDP) on CSCs in DDP-resistant ovarian cancer OVCAR-3 cell line (CSCs/DDP) and was related to the induction of CSC phenotypic differentiation. Results showed that the development of DDP-resistant OVCAR-3 cells was related to the increase in the proportion of CSCs/DDP, and the treatment with lumiflavin reduced the DDP-resistance levels of OVCAR-3 cells and proportion of CSCs/DDP. Further investigation found that lumiflavin synergistic with DDP increased apoptosis, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, and inhibited the clonal formation of CSCs/DDP. Meanwhile, in vivo experiments showed that lumiflavin dose-dependently enhanced the chemotherapy effect of DDP on tumor-bearing nude mice inoculated by CSCs/DDP. Lumiflavin treatment also reduced the ratio of CD133+/CD177+ to CD44+/CD24 cells, which is the identification of CSCs, in CSCs/DDP. In addition, transcriptome sequencing results suggested that the role of lumiflavin was related to the notch and stem cell pathway, and Western blot analysis showed that lumiflavin inhibited the protein expression of notch signaling pathway in CSCs/DDP. In conclusion, lumiflavin reduces the development of the drug resistance of OVCAR-3 cell and increases the sensitivity of CSCs/DDP to DDP by inducing phenotypic differentiation, which may have a potential role in the chemotherapy treatment of ovarian cancer.

Shielding Protection by Mesoporous Catalysts for Improving Plasma-Catalytic Ambient Ammonia Synthesis.

Plasma catalysis is a promising technology for decentralized small-scale ammonia (NH3) synthesis under mild conditions using renewable energy, and it shows great potential as an alternative to the conventional Haber-Bosch process. To date, this emerging process still suffers from a low NH3 yield due to a lack of knowledge in the design of highly efficient catalysts and the in situ plasma-induced reverse reaction (i.e., NH3 decomposition). Here, we demonstrate that a bespoke design of supported Ni catalysts using mesoporous MCM-41 could enable efficient plasma-catalytic NH3 production at 35 °C and 1 bar with >5% NH3 yield at 60 kJ/L. Specifically, the Ni active sites were deliberately deposited on the external surface of MCM-41 to enhance plasma-catalyst interactions and thus NH3 production. The desorbed NH3 could then diffuse into the ordered mesopores of MCM-41 to be shielded from decomposition due to the absence of plasma discharge in the mesopores of MCM-41, that is, "shielding protection", thus driving the reaction forward effectively. This promising strategy sheds light on the importance of a rational design of catalysts specifically for improving plasma-catalytic processes.

Surface Modulation of 3D Porous CoNiP Nanoarrays In Situ Grown on Nickel Foams for Robust Overall Water Splitting.

The careful design of nanostructures and multi-compositions of non-noble metal-based electrocatalysts for highly efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen and oxygen evolution reaction (HER and OER) is of great significance to realize sustainable hydrogen release. Herein, bifunctional electrocatalysts of the three-dimensional (3D) cobalt-nickel phosphide nanoarray in situ grown on nickel foams (CoNiP NA/NF) were synthesized through a facile hydrothermal method followed by phosphorization. Due to the unique self-template nanoarray structure and tunable multicomponent system, the CoNiP NA/NF samples present exceptional activity and durability for HER and OER. The optimized sample of CoNiP NA/NF-2 afforded a current density of 10 mA cm-2 at a low overpotential of 162 mV for HER and 499 mV for OER, corresponding with low Tafel slopes of 114.3 and 79.5 mV dec-1, respectively. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that modulation active sites with appropriate electronic properties facilitate the interaction between the catalyst surface and intermediates, especially for the adsorption of absorbed H* and *OOH intermediates, resulting in an optimized energy barrier for HER and OER. The 3D nanoarray structure, with a large specific surface area and abundant ion channels, can enrich the electroactive sites and enhance mass transmission. This work provides novel strategies and insights for the design of robust non-precious metal catalysts.

Surface Structures of Fe-TiO2 Photocatalysts for NO Oxidation.

Commercial rutile TiO2 particles capped with Al2O3 and ZrO2 layers, which are widely used in white pigments, can serve as a starting material for the fabrication of visible light-responsive photocatalysts toward gas-phase NO oxidation. The as-received TiO2 with iron impurities exhibited reduced photocatalytic activity, and the activity was boosted by the deposition of additional iron comparable in quantity to the intrinsic iron impurity level. Analyses using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy, and low-energy ion scattering spectroscopy revealed that the deposited iron and intrinsic impurity iron are dissimilar in terms of location, oxidation states, and interaction with TiO2. This suggests that tracking the structure and impurity levels of photocatalyst elements can be crucial for understanding structure-activity relationships of real catalysts.

Identification and expression analysis of phospholipase C family genes between different male fertility accessions in pepper.

Phospholipase C (PLC) is one of the major lipid-hydrolyzing enzymes, involved in lipid-mediating signal pathway. PLCs have been found to play a significant role in the growth and development of plants. In this study, the genome-wide identification and characteristic analysis of CaPLC family genes in pepper were conducted and the expression of two CaPLC genes were investigated. The results showed that a total of 11 CaPLC family genes were systematically identified, which were distributed on five chromosomes and divided into two groups based on their evolutionary relevance. Some cis-elements responding to different hormones and stresses were screened in the promoters of CaPLC genes. Quantitative real-time PCR indicated that the expression of CaPIPLC1 and CaPIPLC5 in flowers were dozens of times higher than in other tissues. In addition, with the development of flower buds, the relative expressions of CaPIPLC1 and CaPIPLC5 gradually increased in fertile materials R1 and F1. However, no expression of CaPIPLC1 and CaPIPLC5 were detected at all developmental stages of cytoplasmic male sterile lines (CMS) compared with fertile accessions. The study revealed the number and characteristics of the CaPLC family genes, which supplied a basic and systematic understanding of CaPLC family. In addition, these findings provided new insights into the role of CaPLC genes in pollen development and fertility restoration in pepper.

Engineering Interface on a 3D CoxNi1-x(OH)2@MoS2 Hollow Heterostructure for Robust Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

Clarifying the responsibilities and constructing the synergy of different active phases are of great significance but still an urgent challenge for the heterostructure catalyst to improve the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) process. Here, three-dimensional (3D) CoxNi(1-x)(OH)2 hollow structure integrating MoS2 nanosheet catalysts [CoxNi(1-x)(OH)2@MoS2] were ingeniously designed and prepared. This unique structure has realized the construction of a dual active phase for the optimized stepwise-synergetic hydrogen evolution process over a universal pH range through interface assembly engineering. Meanwhile, the 3D hollow heterostructure with a high surface-to-volume ratio can effectively avoid the agglomeration of MoS2 and enhance the CoxNi(1-x)(OH)2-MoS2 heterointerfaces. Thus, superior HER activity and stability were obtained over the universal pH range. Density functional theory calculation reveals that CoxNi(1-x)(OH)2 and MoS2 phases provide efficient active sites for rate-determining water dissociation and H* adsorption/H2 generation on CoxNi(1-x)(OH)2-MoS2 heterointerfaces, respectively, resulting in an optimized energy barrier for HER. This work proposes a constructive strategy to design highly efficient electrocatalysts based on the heterointerface with a defined responsible active phase of electrocatalysts.

Combined Treatment of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Fasudil Promotes Neurovascular Remodeling and Neurological Function Recovery in Ischemic Stroke.

Stroke remains a highly deadly and disabling disease with limited treatment tragedies due to the limitations of available treatments; novel therapies for stroke are needed. In this article, the synergistic results of dual bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC) and fasudil treatment in rat models of ischemic stroke still require further identification. Sprague-Dawley rats were used to construct the middle cerebral artery, occlusion models. BMSCs were incubated with fasudil, and MTT was performed to evaluate cell proliferation. The rats were treated with fasudil + BMSC, BMSC, fasudil, and saline. Blood samples were collected for complete blood count analysis and measurement of serum TNF-α levels. The neurological functions were evaluated. After the rats were sacrificed, immunohistochemical staining and TTC staining was performed. Fasudil promoted the proliferation of BMSCs and induced their differentiation into neuron-like cells. BMSCs increased the proportion of neutrophils; nevertheless, fasudil counteracted the neutrophil increase. The TUJ-1/MAP2/VIII factor expression in the fasudil + BMSC group was significantly higher than that in the other groups. The number of GFAP-positive cells decreased in the fasudil + BMSC and BMSC alone groups. The infarct volume in the fasudil + BMSC and BMSC alone groups was significantly lower than in the fasudil alone and control groups. Both BMSCs and fasudil exert neurorestorative effects in rat models of cerebral ischemia. Fasudil neutralizes the pro-inflammatory effects of BMSCs, while BMSCs and fasudil together had synergistic effects promoting neurovascular remodeling and neurological function recovery in stroke. A combination of BMSCs and fasudil provides a promising method for the treatment of ischemic stroke.

Does ICT diffusion lead to energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in emerging Asian economies?

The role of information and communication technology (ICT) is imperative in the transformation of the world. ICT is directly affecting all the sectors of the whole economy. Thus, the present study is determined to investigate the effect of ICT on energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in emerging Asian economies from 1990 to 2019. The panel augmented autoregressive distributed lag-pooled mean group approach has been used for empirical investigation. Two separate models have been designed to attain the empirical consensus. ICT is measured through two proxies namely broadband subscriptions (internet) and mobile cellular subscriptions (mobile). Results show that internet and mobile upsurge the energy efficiency in the long run. However, internet and mobile have a reducing impact on carbon emissions in the long run. While FDI enhances energy efficiency and reduces carbon emissions inferring that environmental efficiency improves in the long run. The study suggests that policymakers must be aware of the impact of ICT on energy efficiency and environmental quality and regulate their manufacturers to enable the amalgamation of ICT into users' routines.

Assessment of Occlusal Force and Local Gas Release Using Degradable Bacterial Cellulose/Ti3C2Tx MXene Bioaerogel for Oral Healthcare.

Dental diseases resulting from movement disorders and volatile gases are very common. The classic method for detecting occlusal force is effective; however, its function is one-time rather than real-time monitoring, and the technology is very time-consuming. Herein, we report a multifunctional, flexible, and degradable bacterial cellulose/Ti3C2Tx MXene bioaerogel for the accurate detection of occlusal force and early diagnosis of periodontal diseases. Combining the mechanical properties of MXene and the abundant functional groups of bacterial cellulose, 3D porous bioaerogels exhibit both pressure-sensitive and ammonia (NH3)-sensitive responses. By integrating these substances into a flexible array, the resulting device can distinguish the intensity, location, and even the time sequence of the occlusion force; moreover, it can provide NH3 gas and occlusion force response signals. Therefore, this technology is promising for both disease diagnosis and oral health. In addition, the introduction of a renewable biomaterial allows the bioaerogel to degrade completely using a low-concentration hydrogen peroxide solution, making the device environmentally friendly and satisfying the demands for sustainable development.

Enhanced removal efficiency of toluene over activated carbon under visible light.

Toluene removal rates using activated carbon (AC) at various relative humidity (RH) levels (0%, 30%, 60%) were compared under dark and visible-light conditions. Light exposure significantly increased toluene-removal efficiency independent of RH. When AC was pre-treated with an optimal concentration of HNO3, its toluene-removal efficiency was enhanced further with light, an effect that can be attributed to increased surface-area and porosity. Fourier-transform infrared analysis confirmed that exposure of HNO3-modified AC to light induced partial oxidation of toluene. Within visible-light range (380-650 nm), shorter wavelengths were more effective for toluene-removal compared with longer wavelengths. This suggests that hydroxyl groups formed on AC-surface under light strongly interact with aromatic rings of toluene, allowing for greater uptake of toluene. Moreover, AC can sustain its photo-activity when mixed with cement and cured, suggesting its potential applications in air-purifying building materials. An efficient and practical method for regeneration of spent AC is also demonstrated.