TiO2@PDA inorganic-organic core-shell skeleton supported Pd nanodots for enhanced electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination

Multimodal Synergistic Antimicrobial Activity of the Copper-Doped and Oxygen-Defective In Situ Nanocoating on Medical Titanium

To combat escalating antibiotic resistance in titanium implant-associated infections, oxygen-vacancy-rich polydopamine/TiCu nanocoating (PDA/p-TiCu-300 °C) was developed on medical-grade titanium, uniquely enabling synergistic photothermal (PTT), photodynamic (PDT), and sonodynamic (SDT) antimicrobial strategies. Unlike previous dual-modal approaches, this trimodal strategy, activated by near-infrared light and ultrasound, achieved exceptional broad-spectrum bactericidal efficacy against both Escherichia coli (99.19% killing) and Staphylococcus aureus (95.03% killing) via enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and membrane disruption. The engineered oxygen vacancies within the PDA/p-TiCu-300 °C nanocoating significantly boosted ROS production, outperforming conventional photocatalytic materials. Crucially, the nanocoatings demonstrated excellent in vitro cytocompatibility. This PTT-PDT-SDT platform exhibits synergistic multimodal bactericidal activity, overcoming the limitations of existing strategies and representing a paradigm shift in implant surface modification with significant translational potential against severe infections.

Heteroatom Introduction and Electrochemical Reconstruction on Heterostructured Co-Based Electrocatalysts for Hydrogenation of Quinolines

Electrocatalytic hydrogenation (ECH) of quinoline provides an eco-friendly and prospective route to achieve the highly value-added generation of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline (THQ). Co element has been proven to be the efficient catalytic site for ECH of quinoline, but the rational regulation of the electronic structure of active Co site to improve the activity is still a challenge. Herein, the hierarchical core-shell structure consisting of NiCo-MOF nanosheets encapsulated Cu(OH)2 nanorods (Cu(OH)2@CoNi-MOF) is constructed. The heterojunction promotes the transfer of interfacial charge and optimizes the electronic structure of the Co site. The introduction of Ni significantly increases the binding between Co and Cu, preventing the exfoliation of Co sites from Cu(OH)2 core, and reducing the reaction energy barrier of rate-determining step, thus resulting in superior reactivity and durability. Besides, electrochemical reconstruction further modulates the electronic structure of Co by forming the multi-metallic compound with a low valence state (NiCoCu), achieving an optimal performance with a conversion of 99.5% and THQ selectivity of 100%. A flow-cell system is assembled, demonstrating the prospect for industrial application.

Cobalt (II) porphyrin nanoaggregates as sacrificial templates to improve the peroxidase-like activity of light-controlled TiO2-based nanozymes for colorimetric determination of amikacin

Although porphyrin modification can improve the peroxidase-like activity of some inorganic nanozymes, it is hardly studied that metal porphyrin self-assembled nanoaggregates as sacrificial templates to turn on the peroxidase-like activity of inorganic nanozymes under light illumination. In this work, cobalt (II) 5,10,15,20-Tetrakis (4-carboxylpheyl)porphyrin (CoTCPP) self-assembled nanoaggregates are firstly used as soft templates to prepare TiO2-based nanozymes with the enhanced peroxidase-like activity. Interestingly, CoTCPP nanoaggregates can be changed into Co oxide nanoparticles dispersed into the nanosphere composites. Furthermore, the peroxidase-like activity of CoTCPP-TiO2 nanospheres can be controlled by light illumination. Comparatively, CoTCPP-TiO2 nanoshperes exhibit the highest peroxidase-like activity of three nanospheres (CoTCPP-TiO2, H2TCPP-TiO2 and TiO2) with similar morphology under the light illumination. Other than the existence of oxygen vacancy, the formation of heterostructure between TiO2 and a small amount of Co3O4 are ascribed to increase the catalytic activity of CoTCPP-TiO2 composites. Thus, a facile and convenient colorimetric sensing platform has been constructed and tuned by light illumination for determining H2O2 and amikacin in a good linear range of 20-100 and 50-100 μM with a limit of detection (LOD) of 3.04 μM and 1.88 μM, respectively. The CoTCPP-TiO2 based colorimetric sensing platform has been validated by measuring the amikacin residue in lake water.

A sequencing electroreduction-electrooxidation system driven by atomic hydrogen for enhancing 2,4-dichloronitrobenzene removal from wastewater

The sequencing electroreduction-electrooxidation process has emerged as a promising approach for the degradation of the chloronitrobenzenes (CNBs) due to its elimination of electro-withdrawing groups in the reduction process, facilitating further removal in the subsequent oxidation process. Herein, we developed a cathode consisting of atom Pd on a Ti plate, which enabled the electro-generation of atomic hydrogen (H*) and the efficient electrocatalytic activation of H2O2 to hydroxyl radical (•OH). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) curves and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra verified the existence of H* and •OH. The electroreduction-electrooxidation system achieved 94.7% of 20 mg L-1 2,4-DCNB removal with a relatively low H2O2 addition (5 mM). Moreover, the inhibition rate of Photobacterium phosphoreum in the effluent decreased from 95% to 52% after the sequencing electroreduction-electrooxidation processes. It was further revealed that the H* dominated the electroreduction process and triggered the electrooxidation process. Our work sheds light on the effective removal of electron-withdrawing groups substituted aromatic contaminants from water and wastewater.

Melanin-Inspired Composite Materials: From Nanoarchitectonics to Applications

Synthetic melanin is a mimic of natural melanin analogue with intriguing properties such as metal-ion chelation, redox activity, adhesion, and broadband absorption. Melanin-inspired composite materials are formulated by assembly of melanin with other types of inorganic and organic components to target, combine, and build up the functionality, far beyond their natural capabilities. Developing efficient and universal methodologies to prepare melanin-based composite materials with unique functionality is vital for their further applications. In this review, we summarize three types of synthetic approaches, predoping, surface engineering, and physical blending, to access various melanin-inspired composite materials with distinctive structure and properties. The applications of melanin-inspired composite materials in free radical scavenging, bioimaging, antifouling, and catalytic applications are also reviewed. This review also concludes current challenges that must be addressed and research opportunities in future studies.

Silk fibroin-based coating with pH-dependent controlled release of Cu2+ for removal of implant bacterial infections

The implantation of medical devices is frequently accompanied by the invasion of bacteria, which may lead to implant failure. Therefore, an intelligent and responsive coating seems particularly essential in hindering implant-associated infections. Herein, a self-defensive antimicrobial coating, accompanied by silk fibroin as a valve, was successfully prepared on the titanium (Ti-Cu@SF) for pH-controlled release of Cu2+. The results showed that the layer could set free massive Cu2+ to strive against E. coli and S. aureus for self-defense when exposed to a slightly acidic condition. By contrary, a little Cu2+ was released in the physiological situation, which could avoid damage to the normal cells and showed excellent in vitro pH-dependent antibiosis. Besides, in vivo experiment confirmed that Ti-Cu@SF could work as an antibacterial material to kill S. aureus keenly and display negligible toxicity in vivo. Consequently, the design provided support for endowing the layer with outstanding biocompatibility and addressing the issue of bacterial infection during the implantation of Ti substrates.

Internal electric field-assisted copper ions chelated polydopamine/titanium dioxide nano-thin film heterojunctions activate peroxymonosulfate under visible light to catalyze degradation of gatifloxacin: Theoretical calculations and biotoxicity analysis

The combination of photocatalysis and peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation is considered effective in treating organic pollutants in water; however, the photocatalysts currently used to activate PMS are primarily in powder form, which cause secondary contamination because they are difficult to recycle. In this study, copper-ion-chelated polydopamine/titanium dioxide (Cu-PDA/TiO₂) nanofilm were prepared for PMS activation on fluorine-doped tin oxide substrates using hydrothermal and in-situ self-polymerization methods. The results showed that Cu-PDA/TiO₂ + PMS + Vis degraded 94.8% of gatifloxacin (GAT) within 60 min, and the reaction rate constant reached 4.928 × 10^-2 min^-1, which was 6.25 and 4.04 folds higher than that of TiO₂ + PMS + Vis (0.789 × 10^-2 min^-1) and PDA/TiO₂ + PMS + Vis (1.219 × 10^-2 min^-1), respectively. The Cu-PDA/TiO₂ nanofilm is easily recyclable and activates PMS to degrade GAT with no inferior performance, unlike the powder-based photocatalysts, and simultaneously maintains outstanding stability, which is highly suitable for applications in real aqueous environments. Biotoxicity experiments were conducted using E. coli, S. aureus, and mung bean sprouts as experimental subjects, and the results showed that the Cu-PDA/TiO₂ + PMS + Vis system had excellent detoxification ability. In addition, a detailed investigation of the formation mechanism of step-scheme (S-scheme) Cu-PDA/TiO₂ nanofilm heterojunctions was conducted by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Finally, a specific process for activating PMS to degrade GAT was proposed, which provides a novel photocatalysts for practical applications in aqueous pollution.

Electrocatalytic hydro-dehalogenation of halogenated organic pollutants from wastewater: A critical review

Halogenated organic pollutants are often found in wastewater effluent although it has been usually treated by advanced oxidation processes. Atomic hydrogen (H*)-mediated electrocatalytic dehalogenation, with an outperformed performance for breaking the strong carbon-halogen bonds, is of increasing significance for the efficient removal of halogenated organic compounds from water and wastewater. This review consolidates the recent advances in the electrocatalytic hydro-dehalogenation of toxic halogenated organic pollutants from contaminated water. The effect of the molecular structure (e.g., the number and type of halogens, electron-donating or electron-withdrawing groups) on dehalogenation reactivity is firstly predicted, revealing the nucleophilic properties of the existing halogenated organic pollutants. The specific contribution of the direct electron transfer and atomic hydrogen (H*)-mediated indirect electron transfer to dehalogenation efficiency has been established, aiming to better understand the dehalogenation mechanisms. The analyses of entropy and enthalpy illustrate that low pH has a lower energy barrier than that of high pH, facilitating the transformation from proton to H*. Furthermore, the quantitative relationship between dehalogenation efficiency and energy consumption shows an exponential increase of energy consumption for dehalogenation efficiency increasing from 90% to 100%. Lastly, challenges and perspectives are discussed for efficient dehalogenation and practical applications.