Chemical Engineering Journal最新文献

{"title":"Chitosan-intercalated rectorite/biomass carbon aerogels with enhanced heterogeneous interfaces for broadband microwave absorption","authors":"Min Zheng, Fangtian Liu, Di Yang, Chaoji Chen, Xiangyang Dong, Hongbing Deng","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2025.165579","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.165579","url":null,"abstract":"Narrow-band absorption caused by insufficient heterogenic interfaces in biomass-derived carbon materials has significantly impeded their advanced applications in microwave absorption field. Herein, we introduce composite porous carbon aerogels, meticulously crafted by integrating natural silicate clay rectorite (REC) lamellae with chitin/chitosan (CT/CS) biomass carbon. The lamellae are intercalated with chitosan and assembled onto the surface of regenerated chitin fibers. Upon carbonization, the lamellae and chitin/chitosan-derived bio‑carbon form an oriented hierarchical cellular architecture with numerous heterogeneous interfaces. This innovative design modulates the dielectric characteristics, fine-tuning impedance matching and significantly enhancing absorption performance. Consequently, the composite aerogel, with a thickness of only 3.5 mm, achieves an unprecedented broadband microwave absorption bandwidth of 8.3 GHz (9.7–18 GHz, X-Ku band). This remarkable bandwidth extends to 58% of the X band and encompasses the entire Ku band, surpassing the capabilities of most microwave absorbing materials (MAMs) reported. Radar cross-section simulations confirm that carbonized REC/CT/CS (cRTS) can significantly diminish radar reflection signals (44 dBsm at 90°), highlighting its potential as a state-of-the-art radar stealth material. This pioneering work establishes a new paradigm in the development of MAMs, demonstrating the potential of sustainable biomass and low-cost clay in constructing microwave adsorbents with ultra-broadband absorption capabilities.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"46 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144547588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Flexible, ultra-low dielectric polyimide aerogels prepared via 10-minute ambient pressure blow-drying for high-gain Sub-6 GHz patch antenna","authors":"Jiancheng Sun, Chi Zhang, Rubing Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2025.165571","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.165571","url":null,"abstract":"Conventional rigid patch antennas, constrained by high-permittivity substrates (<em>ε</em>_<em>r</em> &gt; 3.0) with severe dielectric loss (<em>tanδ</em> &gt; 0.02), suffer from catastrophic performance degradation at elevated frequencies (&gt;3 GHz) and inherent inflexibility that fundamentally prohibits their integration in wearable electronics. This work presents a breakthrough in synthesizing PMMA-reinforced polyimide aerogels (PIAs) via a 10-min ambient pressure drying (APD) strategy, enabling tunable porosity (&gt;90%) and ultra-low dielectric constants (<em>ε</em>_<em>r</em> = 1.35, <em>tanδ</em> &lt; 0.01). The incorporation of PMMA into the PI matrix endows the aerogel skeleton with outstanding mechanical resilience (tensile strength of 7.2 MPa and fracture energy of 45.8 kJ/m²), while effectively suppressing capillary-induced shrinkage to below 2.1% during solvent evaporation. The synergistic interplay between PMMA encapsulation and APD-optimized solvent exchange yields a hierarchical nanoporous structure (30 nm average pore size) with exceptional thermal insulation (0.036 W/m·K). When deployed as a substrate for flexible Sub-6 GHz patch antennas, the aerogel exhibits 106% gain enhancement (9.92 dBi) and broad impedance bandwidth (3.862–3.941 GHz), outperforming conventional FR-4 substrates. This work establishes a scalable, low-cost paradigm for multifunctional aerogels in wearable electronics and high-frequency communication systems.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144547590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Efficient transplantation of STING protein-enriched endoplasmic reticulum for tumor immunotherapy via ionizable membrane fusion liposome","authors":"Pengfei Yuan, Xiaodie Yan, Tianci Zhu, Xiaoqing Zong, Xinjie Chen, Caiqi Yang, Siying Wei, Yaoqi Wen, Jingru Du, Xiang Liu, Fengying Liu, Jian Dai","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2025.165589","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.165589","url":null,"abstract":"The epigenetic silencing of the cGAS-STING pathway in cancer cells significantly compromises tumor immune surveillance, posing a major challenge in immunotherapy. To address this, we developed an ionizable membrane fusion liposome system capable of transplanting STING protein-enriched endoplasmic reticulum (ER) directly into the cytosol of cancer cells, thereby reactivating the suppressed STING pathway. By modifying the liposomes with demethylcantharidin (DMC, an antitumor drug), the system maintains a neutral surface charge under physiological conditions, which enhances circulation stability and reduces hepatic clearance. In the mildly acidic tumor microenvironment, DMC cleavage induces a charge reversal, thereby restoring membrane fusion capability and facilitating tumor-specific accumulation. Reactivation of the STING pathway in tumor cells, combined with DMC-induced tumor antigen release, synergistically stimulates immune cell recruitment, effectively transforming immunologically “cold” tumors into “hot” tumors. This therapeutic strategy leverages endogenous organelle-derived biomaterials to restore cellular functions by directly delivering functional proteins and bioactive components into the cytosol. Altogether, our study provides a mechanistic rationale and therapeutic proof-of-concept for harnessing natural biological materials and their composites to enable innovative treatments for complex diseases.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144547593","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High-entropy materials regulating lithium polysulfides for advanced lithium-sulfur batteries","authors":"Tao Wang ,&nbsp;Xu Tan ,&nbsp;Yanjiao Ma ,&nbsp;Yuan Ma ,&nbsp;Yuping Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2025.165580","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cej.2025.165580","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High-entropy materials (HEMs) demonstrate great potential in electrochemical energy storage systems owing to their diverse elemental compositions and tunable physicochemical properties. In lithium‑sulfur (Li–S) batteries, the synergistic effects among the multiple components of HEMs can enhance the conductivity of electrode materials, strengthen the chemisorption of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), and catalytically accelerate their reaction kinetics, ultimately improving energy density and cycle life. In this review, the definition and fundamental characteristics of HEMs are introduced; the advantages of HEMs in Li–S batteries applications are systematically analyzed. Followed by the design strategies for using various HEMs as sulfur hosts, separator modifiers, interlayers, and solid electrolytes to enhance the performance of Li–S batteries are comprehensively reviewed. Finally, the remaining challenges and future research directions for integrating HEMs into Li–S batteries are discussed. This review aims to offer valuable insights into the development of HEMs in advanced Li–S batteries.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"519 ","pages":"Article 165580"},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144547511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Barium-induced compressive strain engineering in low-iridium Co3O4 spinel for high-efficiency acidic oxygen evolution","authors":"Mengtian Huo, Qianyu Li, Yu Liang, Wei Liu, Huiying Wang, Kaichi Qin, Xinran Sun, Yue Ma, Zihao Xing, Jinfa Chang","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2025.165555","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.165555","url":null,"abstract":"Iridium (Ir)-based materials are promising candidates for the acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) but face challenges such as high cost and aggregation. In this study, we synthesized a low-Ir-content Co₃O₄ spinel catalyst (IrBa-Co₃O₄ with 1.5 at. % Ir) via electrodeposition, where barium (Ba) doping introduces compressive strain to optimize Ir active sites while mitigating Ir aggregation into clusters or nanoparticles. Structural analyses, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), confirm atomic-level dispersion of Ir and Ba, lattice contraction, and shortened Co<img alt=\"single bond\" src=\"https://sdfestaticassets-us-east-1.sciencedirectassets.com/shared-assets/55/entities/sbnd.gif\" style=\"vertical-align:middle\"/>O bonds. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) reveal electron transfer from Ir to Co/Ba, elevating Ir’s oxidation state and enhancing OER activity. In 0.5 M H₂SO₄, the IrBa-Co₃O₄ catalyst achieves 10 mA cm⁻² at an overpotential of 249 mV and operates stable for 100 h, outperforming most reported spinel-type catalysts. In-situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Raman spectroscopy, and XANES attribute the improved activity to compressive-strain-induced octahedral Co‑oxygen (Co_oct-O) bond shortening and optimized Ir-O-Ba/Co coordination. This work demonstrates a strategy for designing cost-effective, durable acidic OER catalysts through synergistic doping and strain engineering.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144533777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"4D printed kirigami metamaterial with reconfigurability for dual-mode displacement-pressure sensing","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2025.165392","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.165392","url":null,"abstract":"Mechanical metamaterials have been widely investigated because of their unique mechanical properties. Due to their exceptional properties, mechanical …","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144547591","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ni/Al₂O₃ structures on defective carbon coating derived from pyrolysis of nitrogen-enriched coal tar pitch for acetylene hydrogenation","authors":"Hedan Yao, Nannan Zhao, Dong Huang, Yi Qin, Yuchen Niu, Wenhong Li, Liuyi Pan, Dong Li","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2025.165245","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.165245","url":null,"abstract":"The development of catalysts with both high activity and superior selectivity for the selective C₂H₂ hydrogenation remains a substantial challenge in catalysis. In this work, we successfully synthesized a series of Ni/Al₂O₃ samples coated with nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) containing C defects through a hydrothermal approach. The Ni/Al₂O₃@NC achieved 98% C₂H₂ conversion and 97% C₂H₄ selectivity. This excellent performance is attributed to the synergistic effects of NC defects and the controlled thickness of the NC layer. The NC coating not only promotes uniform dispersion of Ni nanoparticles but also modulates the electronic structure of the active metal through strong metal-support interactions. Additionally, the NC layer facilitates H₂ diffusion while hindering C₂H_y species, thereby enhancing both activity and selectivity. Theoretical simulations reveal that defects reduce the energy barrier of the rate-determining step, promoting the formation of the C₂H₃^⁎ intermediate. Furthermore, the defects enhance electron transfer from the Ni to NC layer surface, strengthening the adsorption of key intermediates. This work presents a facile and efficient strategy for designing cost-effective, non-precious metal catalysts for highly selective C₂H₂ hydrogenation.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144521004","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Granulation of a planktonic thermophilic anammox culture enables high rate nitrogen removal from warm nitrogen rich wastewater: A proof of concept","authors":"Badri Narayan Ravikumar, Mingsheng Jia, Charlotte Geleyn, Thomas De Beer, José M. Carvajal-Arroyo, Ramon Ganigué","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2025.165529","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.165529","url":null,"abstract":"Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process has been widely studied for nitrogen removal from organic carbon-deficient wastewaters at mesophilic conditions (&lt;40 °C). While two recent studies have reported the enrichment of thermophilic anammox communities, their high-rate nitrogen removal potential in scalable reactors remains unexplored, which is critical to treat warm nitrogen-rich wastewaters (45-60 °C). This study illustrates the first successful cultivation of granular thermophilic anammox sludge utilizing a planktonic enrichment culture as inoculum, demonstrating the highest thermophilic nitrogen removal rates in an expanded granular sludge bed reactor at 50 °C. A stepwise increase in hydraulic upflow velocity (HUV) from 2 to 10 m/h and nitrogen loading rate (NLR) from 0.24 to 1.11 kgN/m³/d promoted the transition from planktonic growth to coarse aggregates, while a sudden reduction in HUV to 0.2 m/h triggered their transformation into stable granules, showing high specific anammox activity (0.8–1 gNH₄⁺-N/gVSS/d) and morphological characteristics similar to their mesophilic counterparts. Granulation enabled high biomass accumulation, achieving a steady state nitrogen removal rate of 8.57 ± 0.05 kg N/m³/d, the highest reported for thermophilic anammox. Microbial community analysis revealed that <em>Candidatus</em> Brocadia remained the dominant anammox genus, with a high relative abundance of 64–80% during granulation. Structural extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) from thermophilic anammox granules showed higher extraction yields than mesophilic counterparts, containing β-sheet-rich proteins as the predominant fraction. These findings provide technical insights into anammox granulation utilizing planktonic cells and establish a foundation for developing thermophilic anammox-based processes for treating warm nitrogen-rich wastewaters such as, reject water from thermophilic anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"247 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144533909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hierarchical self-healing liquid metal architectures driven by electro-chemical synergy for ultrasensitive strain sensing","authors":"Chunyu Zhang, Ke Li, Lu Li, Linyang Li, Honghao Li, Yuliang Li, Fuping Wang, Wentao Zou, Jiangang Qian, Xiaofang Zhang, Dongliang Tian, Lei Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2025.165293","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.165293","url":null,"abstract":"Hierarchical-structured liquid metal (LM) has attracted considerable attention in fields of wearable electronics, soft robots and advanced catalysis. Although much progress has been made, it is still challenging to achieve controllable micro/nano hierarchical-structured LM with self-healing properties. Herein, inspired by the preparation method of the traditional Chinese foods “cold shrimp” and “vermicelli”, we demonstrate a strategy to achieve controllable and self-healing micro/nano hierarchical-structured LM based on electro-chemical synergy. When a voltage higher than the electrowetting threshold voltage is applied, LM will wet and spread out on the porous mesh surface owing to the formation of the oxide layer, and then permeate in the form of microstructured sphere-like, sphere-silk-like and silk-like LM under electrocapillary pressure and gravity in NaOH solution. To further solve the problem of hierarchical-structured LM agglomeration owing to Rayleigh-Plateau instabilities driven by surface tension, the Cu shell on the surface of hierarchical-structured LM is introduced as robust “armour” layer, which can maintain the morphology in acidic CuSO₄ solution with the concentration exceeding 6 wt%. Furthermore, the controllable, flexible, hierarchical-structured LM demonstrates exceptional self-healing capabilities in acidic CuSO₄ solution. Additionally, a strain sensor has been devised and constructed for monitoring human motion, utilizing the unique properties of the hierarchical-structured LM. Thus, this work provides an effective method to achieve controllable and self-healing hierarchical-structured LM, and providing new perspectives and insights to the fields of wearable electronics and soft robots.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"90 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144521037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Scalable, robust and durable graphene oxide@liquid crystal elastomer fiber actuator with three-dimensional complex photothermal actuation for soft robotics and smart textiles","authors":"Xiaocui Zhang, Dingsheng Wu, Jingli Zhang, Pan Xue, Bingyan Hou, Lingyun Ren, Danyu Liu, Pengfei Lv, Qufu Wei","doi":"10.1016/j.cej.2025.165543","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.165543","url":null,"abstract":"Light-responsive liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) fibers hold considerable promise for use in the development of soft robotics and smart devices due to their flexibility and controllability. However, most of the inorganic materials with photothermal effects are incompatible with the liquid crystal elastomer matrix, which can result in unstable interfacial bonding between the inorganic materials and the organic liquid crystal system. Meanwhile, the multidimensional space deformation of liquid crystal elastomer fibers remains challenging. Here, numerous polymerizable graphene oxide (GO) monomers are employed as a photothermite, and the GO@LCE fiber actuators with stable organic-inorganic interfacial bonding are constructed by dry spinning and two-step crosslinking method. The actuators demonstrate remarkable photothermal conversion capability, and they also exhibit exceptional breaking strength, reusability and work capacity (400.7 kJ m⁻³), benefiting from the covalent bonding between the interfaces. As a proof-of-concept, light-controlled artificial muscle and micro crawler based on the one-dimensional linear motion of GO@LCE fiber actuators are successfully constructed. Importantly, GO@LCE knitted fabrics, which are capable of three-dimensional bending deformations in different degrees and forms, are skillfully woven through the design of knitted structures. This work can enhance new possibilities for the advancement of soft robotics and smart textiles.","PeriodicalId":270,"journal":{"name":"Chemical Engineering Journal","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144533781","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}