Surfactant-assisted self-assembly of flower-like ultrathin vanadium disulfide nanosheets for enhanced hybrid capacitive deionization

Three-dimensional coated CuNiFe-Prussian blue analogue@MXene heterostructure for capacitive deionization to slow down the damage of MXene by dissolved oxygen

Within the capacitive deionization (CDI) realm, the two-dimensional (2D) layered material T3C2Tx MXene has drawn lots of attention because of its excellent electrical conductivity, reversible ionic intercalation/deintercalation capacity, and extensive active sites. However, the performance of MXene is compromised by the fact that its surface is susceptible to oxidation by dissolved oxygen and has inherent defects of self-stacking. In this paper, CuNiFe-Prussian blue analogue@MXene (CuNiFe-PBA@MXene) with three-dimensional (3D) coated heterostructure is successfully prepared by the in-situ coprecipitation. CuNiFe-PBA is uniformly coated on the MXene surface as a functional layer to avoid the re-stacking of MXene, to enlarge their layer spacing, and to slow down the damage of MXene by dissolved oxygen. Based on a coated structure constructed by a good combination of dual pseudocapacitive materials, the CuNiFe-PBA@MXene electrode has excellent electrochemical performance (250F g-1). The composed MXene//CuNiFe-PBA@MXene hybrid cell in 500 mg/L NaCl has higher desalination capacity (44.94 mg/g), lower energy consumption (0.66 kWh kg-1), and excellent desalination capacity retention (93.46 % after 40 adsorption/desorption cycles). Furthermore, the lower oxidation degree of CuNiFe-PBA@MXene after 40 desalination cycles compared to MXene indicates that the constructed 3D heterogeneous structure can protect MXene and slow down the oxidation of MXene by dissolved oxygen.

Adsorption, Aggregation, and Application Properties of Green Pluronic Aliphatic Alcohol Ether Carboxylic Acids and Nonionic/Amphoteric Surfactants in Water

In the realm of colloid and interface science, new types of green surfactants, including anionic Pluronic alcohol ether carboxylate (AEC), branched alkyl glucoside (IG), and zwitterionic coconut oil amide propyl betaine (CAB), have been identified and merit further exploration. AEC, characterized by its inclusion of 5 EO and 3.5 PO units, was synthesized, and its behavior in aqueous solutions with IG and CAB was meticulously examined. Their performance in applications such as foam generation, wetting, and the dispersion and stabilization of graphene was also evaluated. At αAE5P3C = 0.5, AE5P3C/CAB exhibited superior surface and interfacial properties compared to AE5P3C/IG. In these hybrid systems, the self-assembly of micelles is predominantly influenced by hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions, and hydrophobic forces. Kinetic analysis further confirmed that the driving force for micelle formation in these hybrid systems is enthalpy, with the adsorption process involving a mixed diffusion-kinetic adsorption mechanism. AE5P3C/CAB demonstrated enhanced foaming ability, foam stability, and wetting properties compared to AE5P3C/IG. Intriguingly, the optimal dispersion and stabilization of graphene were achieved with AE5P3C/IG at αAE5P3C = 0.2, providing a foundational basis for its potential application in graphene-based systems. A thorough examination of the synergistic mechanisms and application potential of these three distinct surfactants in aqueous solutions was presented, taking into account various charged ions and the specific hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups of EO and PO. This study not only provides fundamental insights into their intrinsic properties but also offers a fresh perspective for the ongoing exploration of green surfactants.

Additive-Free, In Situ Rapid Repair of Vacancies in Fe[Fe(CN)6] Electrodes for Efficient Capacitive Deionization

Fe[Fe(CN)6] (FeHCF) is considered a promising material for capacitive deionization-desalination of saline wastewater due to its excellent structure. However, additives are usually introduced during the synthesis of FeHCF in order to avoid [Fe(CN)6]3- vacancy defects filled by ligand water, which can result in the appearance of harmful byproducts and additional water treatment costs. In this study, an additive-free in situ vacancy repair strategy is proposed for the rapid synthesis of high-quality FeHCF in a saturated K3Fe(CN)6 solution. During the process of synthesizing FeHCF in solution, a high concentration of [Fe(CN)6]3- is found to facilitate the binding of Fe3+ to [Fe(CN)6]3- and hinder the hydrolysis and coordination reaction of Fe3+. After undergoing repair, FeHCF4 demonstrates an increased capacity and highly reversible electrochemical performance due to the robust structure. When utilized as Faraday cathodes in hybrid capacitive deionization (HCDI) systems, FeHCF4 exhibits a higher salt removal capacity (65.67 mg g-1) and lower energy consumption (0.68 kWh kg-1-NaCl) compared to unrepaired FeHCF1, while still maintaining excellent cycling performance. This environmentally friendly approach of repairing vacancies serves as a source of inspiration for the advancement of high-performance Prussian Blue analogues as capacitive sodium-removing materials.

Self-Assembled FeIII-TAML-Based Magnetic Nanostructures for Rapid and Sustainable Destruction of Bisphenol A

This study focused on constructing iron(III)-tetraamidomacrocyclic ligand (FeIII-TAML)-based magnetic nanostructures via a surfactant-assisted self-assembly (SAS) method to enhance the reactivity and recoverability of FeIII-TAML activators, which have been widely employed to degrade various organic contaminants. We have fabricated FeIII-TAML-based magnetic nanomaterials (FeIII-TAML/CTAB@Fe3O4, CTAB refers to cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) by adding a mixed solution of FeIII-TAML and NH3·H2O into another mixture containing CTAB, FeCl2 and FeCl3 solutions. The as-prepared FeIII-TAML/CTAB@Fe3O4 nanocomposite showed relative reactivity compared with free FeIII-TAML as indicated by decomposition of bisphenol A (BPA). Moreover, our results demonstrated that the FeIII-TAML/CTAB@Fe3O4 composite can be separated directly from reaction solutions by magnet adsorption and reused for at least four times. Therefore, the efficiency and recyclability of self-assembled FeIII-TAML/CTAB@Fe3O4 nanostructures will enable the application of FeIII-TAML-based materials with a lowered expense for environmental implication.

Tear-based MMP-9 detection: A rapid antigen test for ocular inflammatory disorders using vanadium disulfide nanowires assisted chemi-resistive biosensor

A sensitive, non-invasive, and biomarker detection in tear fluids for inflammation in potentially blinding eye diseases could be of great significance as a rapid diagnostic tool for quick clinical decisions. In this work, we propose a tear-based MMP-9 antigen testing platform using hydrothermally synthesized vanadium disulfide nanowires. Also, various factors contributing to baseline drifts of the chemiresistive sensor including nanowire coverage on the interdigitated microelectrode of the sensor, sensor response duration, and effect of MMP-9 protein in different matrix solutions were identified. The drifts on the sensor baseline due to nanowire coverage on the sensor were corrected using substrate thermal treatment providing a more uniform distribution of nanowires on the electrode which brought the baseline drift to 18% (coefficient of variations, CV = 18%). This biosensor exhibited sub-femto level limits of detection (LODs) of 0.1344 fg/mL (0.4933 fmoL/l) and 0.2746 fg/mL (1.008 fmoL/l) in 10 mM phosphate buffer saline (PBS) and artificial tear solution, respectively. For a practical tear MMP-9 detection, the proposed biosensor response was validated with multiplex ELISA using tear samples from five healthy controls which showed excellent precision. This label-free and non-invasive platform can serve as an efficient diagnostic tool for the early detection and monitoring of various ocular inflammatory diseases.

The electrosorption behavior of shuttle-like FeP: performance and mechanism

Owing to its high electrochemical ability, the FeP is envisioned to be the potential electrode for capacitive deionization (CDI) with enhanced performance. However, it suffers from poor cycling stability due to the active redox reaction. In this work, a facile approach has been designed to prepare the mesoporous shuttle-like FeP using MIL-88 as the template. The porous shuttle-like structure not only alleviates the volume expansion of FeP during the desalination/salination process but also promotes ion diffusion dynamics by providing convenient ion diffusion channels. As a result, the FeP electrode has demonstrated a high desalting capacity of 79.09 mg g⁻¹ at 1.2 V. Further, it proves the superior capacitance retention, which maintained 84% of the initial capacity after the cycling. Based on post-characterization, a possible electrosorption mechanism of FeP has been proposed.

In this work, mesoporous shuttle-like FeP for electrosorption is prepared. As an electrode, it achieves a high salt adsorption capacity of 79.09 mg g⁻¹ and superior capacitance retention. The conversion of Fe^II to Fe^III is responsible for the removal of salty ions.