FlatChemPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-31DOI: 10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101008
Fatih Ciftci , Mika Sillanpää
{"title":"Bioactive 3D bioprinted N,S-graphene quantum dot reinforced Nanocellulose/Fucoidan scaffolds for wound healing","authors":"Fatih Ciftci , Mika Sillanpää","doi":"10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101008","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of printable bioinks that simultaneously possess superior rheological fidelity and multi-functional bioactivity remains a critical challenge in extrusion-based 3D bioprinting for tissue engineering. Herein, we engineered a novel nanocomposite hydrogel scaffold comprising a structural Cellulose Nanofiber (CNF) backbone and a bioactive Fucoidan (FUC) matrix, reinforced with hydrothermally synthesized Nitrogen and Sulfur co-doped Graphene Quantum Dots (N,S-GQDs). Comprehensive physicochemical characterization confirmed the successful integration of ultrasmall (∼9.28 nm), crystalline N,S-GQDs into the polymer network. Rheological analysis revealed that the incorporation of GQDs significantly modulated the viscoelastic properties; all formulations exhibited characteristic non-Newtonian pseudoplastic (shear-thinning) behavior beneficial for extrusion, while the storage modulus (<em>G'</em>) consistently dominated the loss modulus (<em>G\"</em>) across the frequency range, indicating the formation of a stable, solid-like gel structure with enhanced shape fidelity post-printing. Beyond mechanical reinforcement, the nanocomposites demonstrated exceptional biological functionality. The optimized scaffolds exhibited potent, dose-dependent antibacterial activity against <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em>, <em>Escherichia coli</em>, and <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em>, alongside a significant anti-inflammatory efficacy characterized by a 78.4% inhibition of protein denaturation. In vitro biological assessments revealed a transition from passive biocompatibility to active regeneration; the scaffolds induced a remarkable proliferative response in L929 fibroblasts, with cell viability exceeding 140% over 14 days. Furthermore, in a proliferation-independent scratch assay, the GQD-functionalized hydrogels significantly accelerated fibroblast migration, achieving near-complete wound closure (99.8%) within 48 h compared to 55.3% in the control group. These findings collectively establish the 3D printed CNF/FUC/N,S-GQD hydrogels as a robust, rheologically tunable, and bioactive “all-in-one” platform for advanced wound healing strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":316,"journal":{"name":"FlatChem","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article 101008"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146185379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
FlatChemPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-02-18DOI: 10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101013
Abdullah, Imran Khan, Timothy M. Ashani, Jisang Hong
{"title":"Directional spin seebeck effect and high-temperature spin caloritronic performance in Janus altermagnet Cr₂SeO monolayer","authors":"Abdullah, Imran Khan, Timothy M. Ashani, Jisang Hong","doi":"10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101013","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101013","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Altermagnets, characterized by compensated magnetic order and spin-split electronic states even without spin–orbit coupling, have emerged as promising candidates for generating highly spin-polarized currents. Here, we investigate the spin-dependent thermoelectric properties of the Janus Cr<sub>2</sub>SeO monolayer. The system is dynamically and thermodynamically stable, exhibiting an antiferromagnetic ground state with a Néel temperature of 425 K. The spin-polarized band structure reveals a direct band gap of 1.02 eV and a significant altermagnetic spin splitting of 0.65 eV, enabling strong spin-dependent transport. The electrical conductivity (27.51 × 10<sup>4</sup> Ω<sup>−1</sup> m<sup>−1</sup>) and electronic thermal conductivity (2.1 Wm<sup>−1</sup> K<sup>−1</sup>) at 300 K confirm the strong spin-directional transport asymmetry. Moreover, the material exhibits an ultralow lattice thermal conductivity of 0.042 Wm<sup>−1</sup> K<sup>−1</sup> and large spin-dependent directional Seebeck coefficients of 2.2 mV/K (spin) and 1.8 mV/K (charge), yielding a spin-dependent directional ZT value of 0.72. These results identify Cr₂SeO as a promising altermagnetic semiconductor for efficient spin-caloritronic and thermoelectric applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":316,"journal":{"name":"FlatChem","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article 101013"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147399567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
FlatChemPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-30DOI: 10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101006
Grandprix T.M. Kadja , Early Z. Alharissa , K. Khoiruddin , Nicholaus Prasetya , Wei-Song Hung , I.G. Wenten
{"title":"Engineering nano and sub-nanochannels in two dimensional membranes for enhanced CO2 capture: progress, challenges, and prospects","authors":"Grandprix T.M. Kadja , Early Z. Alharissa , K. Khoiruddin , Nicholaus Prasetya , Wei-Song Hung , I.G. Wenten","doi":"10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The emergence of nano and sub-nanochannels in membrane applications has gained a lot of attention due to these unique dimensions and promising functional properties. The nano and sub-nanochannels applied in various two-dimensional materials (2D materials) have been discussed in this recount as well as their main characters in membrane separation for CO<sub>2</sub> capture. Furthermore, the fundamental concept of nano- and sub-nanochannels was also elaborated in relation to the 2D materials. It would be an important aspect for executing the CO<sub>2</sub> gas separation, which also explains its mechanism comprehensively. Not only considering material properties, but also the future outlook in computational and simulation modelling on the nano and sub-nanochannels 2D materials-based membranes are also investigated, as giving bridging tools to enhance the degree of effective and efficient materials discovery. In addition, this review would provide a clear view of engineering techniques on nano and sub-nanochannels in various 2D materials, including graphene oxide (GO), covalent organic frameworks (COFs), metal organic frameworks (MOFs), zeolites, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), and MXenes, together with their actual application as CO<sub>2</sub> separation membranes. Finally, the prospects, challenges, and upcoming direction of nano and sub-nanochannels in membrane application for CO<sub>2</sub> capture have also evolved to gain more extensive ideas and employ mature technology and broaden the real application of nano and sub-nanochannels in various 2D materials as an effective CO<sub>2</sub> capture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":316,"journal":{"name":"FlatChem","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article 101006"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146185377","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Green Engineering of Reduced Graphene Oxide-MXene Nanocomposite Hydrogel for Sustainable and Ultrasensitive Electrochemical Immunodetection of CYFRA21-1","authors":"Shivam Saini , Damini Verma , Gopinath Packirisamy","doi":"10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101009","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Oral cancer is a chief global health concern due to delayed diagnosis and a lack of accessible screening tools. CYFRA 21-1, a fragment of cytokeratin-19, is a clinically established OSCC biomarker, and its salivary detection enables non-invasive early diagnosis and monitoring. Hence, this work reports the fabrication of an innovative electrochemical immunosensor based nanocomposite hydrogel comprising reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and titanium carbide MXene (Ti₃C₂), employing an eco-friendly and greener L-Cysteine (L-Cys) as a functionalizing as well as cross-linking agent. The hydrogels were synthesized in three varying ratios using GO: Ti₃C₂: L-Cysteine as precursor such as 1:1:1, 1:1:5, and 5:5:1 and characterized using XRD, FTIR, SEM, TEM, UV–Vis, XPS, BET and electrochemical techniques. Out of the three ratios, the 5:5:1 composition showed optimal electrochemical and morphological properties and was integrated onto a carbon screen-printed electrode cSPE to develop L-Cys_rGO_MXene_hydrogel/cSPE. The anti-CYFRA 21-1 antibodies were immobilized on the biosensor utiling EDC-NHS chemistry and further blocked with BSA. Electrochemical analysis using DPV demonstrated ultrasensitive [57 μA [log<sub>10</sub>(ng/mL)]<sup>−1</sup> cm<sup>−2</sup>] CYFRA 21-1 detection with a 0.005 ng/mL detection limit, and a linear detection range from 0.098to 100 ng/mL. The biosensor showed high specificity, reproducibility, and minimal interference from salivary biomolecules. Validation with spiked artificial saliva using standard addition technique confirmed diagnostic performance showing acceptable %RSD from 0.12%–4.55%. This work, therefore, establishes a portable, biocompatible, and scalable immunosensor for non-invasive, point-of-care (POC) OSCC diagnostics, especially in resource-limited settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":316,"journal":{"name":"FlatChem","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article 101009"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147399568","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Improved electrical conductivity of graphene oxide/MXene nanocomposites through interfacial Ti-O-C covalent bonding","authors":"Swati Singh, Saicharan Dharavath, Supriya Kodali, Asif Raza, Raj Kishora Dash","doi":"10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101011","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Graphene Oxide (GO)/ MXene multilayer composites were synthesized by using a vacuum filtration method, with varying proportions of GO to MXene (1:1, 2:1, 3:1). The structural and morphological characteristics of the composites were examined via X-ray diffraction (XRD), which indicated a reduction in interlayer spacing with increasing GO concentration. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) further showed that the GO and MXene sheets formed a cohesive layer, indicating strong interlayer interactions. Comprehensive material characterization was performed using Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), providing insights into the functional groups and bonding mechanisms affecting composite properties. The electrical and thermal properties results revealed that electrical conductivity increases with higher GO content, while thermal conductivity decreases. The presence of functional groups on GO and MXene, as well as the hydrogen bonding between GO and MXenes layers plays a significant role in determining the overall properties of the nanocomposites. This work highlights the potential of GO/MXene composites in applications requiring tunable electrical and thermal properties, driven by their proportion-dependent behaviour.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":316,"journal":{"name":"FlatChem","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article 101011"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147399566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
FlatChemPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-02-27DOI: 10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101017
James M. Exley , Timothy N. Hunter , Fan Fei , Thomas Pugh , Martin R. Tillotson
{"title":"Understanding structure-property relationships in graphene oxide-coated polymer membranes: The impact of flake size on dye and salt rejection","authors":"James M. Exley , Timothy N. Hunter , Fan Fei , Thomas Pugh , Martin R. Tillotson","doi":"10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101017","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101017","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Graphene oxide (GO) membranes were fabricated using vacuum filtration and their performance in the removal of dye and salts from effluent was investigated. GO flake size is thought to influence the performance of composite membrane systems. Using smaller flake GO (SFGO) and larger flake GO (LFGO) systems, filtration studies demonstrated that both cationic Methylene Blue (MB) and anionic Methyl Orange (MO) could be effectively removed from water effectively using both systems. The highest removal rates of both dyes were achieved by the 0.10 mg/mL SFGO coating, rejecting 86.4% MB and 87.8% MO, at 2 bar with 5 mg/L dyes. For both GOs, the removal of MO was higher overall, which was attributed to electrostatic repulsion between the like-charged GO and dye. MB was found to adsorb strongly onto the GO coating. Desalination of NaCl, Na<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>, MgSO<sub>4</sub> and (NH<sub>4</sub>)<sub>6</sub>Mo<sub>7</sub>O<sub>24</sub> was found moderately successful, with performance degrading significantly with permeated volume. This behaviour was attributed to the Donnan Effect and expansion of GO interlayer spacing, due to the intercalation of water molecules. The presence of Na<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub> and MgSO<sub>4</sub> in MB was demonstrated to degrade both flux and dye rejection capability of both GOs, due to the neutralisation of the electronegativity driven by the salt cations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":316,"journal":{"name":"FlatChem","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article 101017"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147400101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Scintillation performance of organic–inorganic perovskite-type crystals containing a linear carboxyl monoamine","authors":"Toranosuke Tsubokawa , Naoki Kawano , Takumi Kato , Daisuke Nakauchi , Haruaki Ezawa , Toshiaki Kunikata , Keishi Yamabayashi , Shota Otake , Yusuke Endo , Ryosei Takahashi , Keita Miyajima , Fumito Kagaya , Takayuki Yanagida","doi":"10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Organic–inorganic perovskite-type crystals with a linear carboxyl monoamine (HOOCC<sub>n</sub>H<sub>2n</sub>NH<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub>PbBr<sub>4</sub> (CnCOOH, <em>n</em> = 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11) were grown using the temperature gradient method, and the luminescence behaviors were systematically examined. All the crystals had a multiple quantum well structure. Free exciton emissions were detected from the crystals in photoluminescence, and the optimum carbon chain length of the linear carboxyl monoamine was observed in terms of luminescent intensity. Among the fabricated crystals, the C4COOH crystal showed the highest quantum yield of about 28% because of the highest radiative decay rate and the lowest non-radiative decay rate of free exciton emissions. The fabricated crystals also exhibited an emission peak at 419–450 nm upon X-ray irradiation, and the decay time of the fastest scintillation component was about 3–11 ns. Furthermore, their scintillation light yields under gamma-ray were 660–8500 photons/MeV, and the C4COOH crystal exhibited the highest value of the scintillation light yield together with the quantum yield in photoluminescence. In addition, the scintillation light yield of the C4COOH crystal with a quantum yield of 28% was lower than that of the (C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>5</sub>C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub>NH<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub>PbBr<sub>4</sub> crystal with a quantum yield of 22% due to the lower energy transfer efficiency in the C4COOH crystal.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":316,"journal":{"name":"FlatChem","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article 101014"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147399570","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
FlatChemPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-01-22DOI: 10.1016/j.flatc.2026.100999
Manase Auta , Isaac Alhamdu Baba , Muibat Diekola Yahya , Ambali Saka Abdulkareem , Yahaya Ahmed Iyaka , Moses Aderemi Olutoye , Aliyu Abdallahi Abdurahim , Kehinde Shola Obayomi
{"title":"Graphene-based materials for the treatment of contaminants in groundwater: A systematic review","authors":"Manase Auta , Isaac Alhamdu Baba , Muibat Diekola Yahya , Ambali Saka Abdulkareem , Yahaya Ahmed Iyaka , Moses Aderemi Olutoye , Aliyu Abdallahi Abdurahim , Kehinde Shola Obayomi","doi":"10.1016/j.flatc.2026.100999","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flatc.2026.100999","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This systematic review critically examines the performance and usability of graphene-based materials (graphene, graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, and their composites) in groundwater cleanups. A systematic search for peer-reviewed articles published between 2010 and June 2025 from prominent scientific databases using specific search terms and criteria uncovered a representative set of experimental literature from the existing body of research relevant to groundwater pollutants. The results of the reviewed articles show a removal capacity of 50 to >600 mg/g for heavy metals and 20 to 450 mg/g for organic pollutants adopting a removal efficiency of more than 85 to 99% for graphene-based materials. Adsorption is a function of electrostatic forces, π-π interactions, surface complexation, and redox reactions that can be dominated by material properties such as the amount of oxygen functional groups, defect sites, porosity, and inter-layer distance, as well as hydrogeochemical parameters like pH, ionic strength, competing ions, and natural organic matter. Functionalized and hybrid graphene composites that include metal oxides or magnetic domains exhibit consistently enhanced performance characteristics over purified versions with regard to selectivity, reusability, and treatment ability in the subsurface. Although a series of promising experiments have been conducted on subsurface application technology, some knowledge gaps emerge regarding scalability and environmental susceptibility.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":316,"journal":{"name":"FlatChem","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article 100999"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146048915","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enhanced catalytic performance of NbS2-passivated M3C2 MXenes for hydrogen evolution reaction: A first-principles study","authors":"Yifan Wu , Shangquan Zhao , Bin Huang , Naigen Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101015","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101015","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The design of cost-effective electrocatalysts is an open challenge for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) due to the “stable or active” dilemma. In our work, we designed a series of NbS<sub>2</sub>-passivated M<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub> MXenes as electrocatalysts for HER, and the structure, electronic properties, HER activity, and reaction mechanisms were investigated by theoretical calculations. The calculated results show that NbS<sub>2</sub> passivation significantly enhances the HER activity of M<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub> MXenes. Except for Ta<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub>O/ NbS<sub>2</sub>, the Δ<em>G</em><sub>H</sub> values of all passivated systems are optimized into the range of −0.2 eV to 0.2 eV, which is widely recognized as the optimal window for high-performance electrocatalysts. Specifically, the Δ<em>G</em><sub>H</sub> of Nb<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub>O is improved from 0.84 eV to 0.091 eV, demonstrating a catalytic potential comparable to that of Pt (−0.09 eV). This high HER activity was attributed to the charge rearrangement at the active sites of NbS<sub>2</sub>-passivated M<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub> MXenes. Notably, the results of constrained ab-initio molecular dynamics (cAIMD) with slow-growth methods show that NbS<sub>2</sub>-passivated MXenes exhibit low Tafel kinetic barriers and always maintained structural stability. This work offers valuable insights for developing high-performance HER electrocatalysts by elucidating the mechanistic effects of NbS<sub>2</sub>-passivated M<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub> MXenes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":316,"journal":{"name":"FlatChem","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article 101015"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147399565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
FlatChemPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2026-02-27DOI: 10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101018
Carmen Torres-Pedroza , Carlos M. Ramos-Castillo , Lorena Álvarez-Contreras , Beatriz Liliana España-Sánchez , Noé Arjona
{"title":"Tailoring the composition of CuAl layered double hydroxides for advanced creatinine electrochemical detection in saliva","authors":"Carmen Torres-Pedroza , Carlos M. Ramos-Castillo , Lorena Álvarez-Contreras , Beatriz Liliana España-Sánchez , Noé Arjona","doi":"10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101018","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.flatc.2026.101018","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Copper is an excellent transducer for the electrochemical detection of creatinine in biofluids; however, the sensitivity and selectivity of Cu-based materials remain challenging. In this work, copper‑aluminum layered double hydroxides (CuAl LDHs) were synthesized by a co-precipitation method while adjusting the Cu-to-Al atomic ratio (1:1, 2:1 and 3:1) for the rational design of layered structures. The CuAl 1:1 LDH contained a mixture of CuO<sub><em>x</em></sub> (52%) and CuAl LDH (48%). Increasing the Cu content to a 2:1 improved the LDH phase proportion (73%), while the highest LDH content was achieved at a 3:1 ratio (75%). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed different morphologies among the three materials, evolving from nanowires (1:1) to hexagonal nanosheets (3:1). This indicates a growth mechanism consisting of four stages: 1D growth, 1D-to-2D transition, 2D stacking, and 2D lateral and vertical growth. Creatinine detection by cyclic voltammetry showed that CuAl 1:1 and CuAl 3:1 LDHs exhibited similar performance, with a linear range of 10–600 μM (r<sup>2</sup> = 0.98). However, in the selectivity tests, only CuAl 3:1 LDH exhibited no interference from uric acid, urea, glucose, or ascorbic acid. Tests in human saliva confirmed functionality at 1:10 and 1:100 dilution ratios for single-use sensors, demonstrating that bidimensional materials such as LDHs are strong candidates for creatinine sensing under real conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":316,"journal":{"name":"FlatChem","volume":"56 ","pages":"Article 101018"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147400100","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}