Siqi Wei, Jiaxin Duan, Dezhan Ye, Yanhu Zhan, Xiancai Jiang
{"title":"A Facile and Low-Energy Consumption Preparation Method for Biochar via the Hofmeister Effect for Dye Adsorption and the Electrode of Supercapacitor","authors":"Siqi Wei, Jiaxin Duan, Dezhan Ye, Yanhu Zhan, Xiancai Jiang","doi":"10.1021/acsaenm.5c00652","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaenm.5c00652","url":null,"abstract":"Activated biochar has exhibited huge potential in high performance adsorbent and supercapacitor. However, the single pyrolysis process usually could provide poor pore structure, limited surface area and insufficient surface oxygen-containing groups. Herein, we innovatively propose a facile and low-energy consumption preparation method to provide biochar with high surface area and sufficient oxygen-containing groups via gelling at room temperature, conventional drying method and one-step carbonization at 350 °C. Specially, bamboo powder, a byproduct of bamboo processing, and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were selected as the raw materials. Potassium nitrate with the strong salting-out effect was introduced into the bamboo/PVA solution at the presence of CaCl2 to lead to the sol–gel transition to form the bamboo/PVA blocks at room temperature. The bamboo/PVA blocks could be dried by the conventional drying method without the collapse of pore structure. Bamboo/PVA blocks were carbonized at 300–450 °C and the characterization indicated that the BCM-350 had significant structural advantages: the specific surface area of 907.18 ± 28.31 m2/g, the rich N/O codoped surface functional groups, and the unique micromesoporous hierarchical structure. The biochar showed excellent performance in both environmental and energy applications. For pollutant removal, it exhibited a high adsorption capacity of 569.69 ± 60.92 mg/g for methyl orange dye. As a supercapacitor electrode, it showed a high specific capacitance of 120.82 ± 0.064 mF/cm2 and excellent rate performance. The whole process is free of freezing-drying and supercritical drying process and the carbonization process is just at 350 °C. This work provided a facile and low-energy consumption preparation method for biochar.","PeriodicalId":504002,"journal":{"name":"ACS Applied Engineering Materials","volume":"3 10","pages":"3544-3556"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147888797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yuying Wang, Feifei Shao, Jianfen Jing, Han Miao, Shaoliang Lin, Xinxin Li
{"title":"Tailorable Smart Attapulgite-Based Hybrid Material for Efficient Multifunctional Oil–Water Separation and Heavy Metal Removal","authors":"Yuying Wang, Feifei Shao, Jianfen Jing, Han Miao, Shaoliang Lin, Xinxin Li","doi":"10.1021/acsaenm.5c00592","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaenm.5c00592","url":null,"abstract":"We report a tailorable strategy of constructing pH-responsive multifunctional attapulgite (APT)-polymer hybrid material by precisely grafting polymer chains onto the surface of APT via surface-initiated activators regenerated by electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ARGET ATRP), enabling the fine-tuning of interfacial properties by molecular-level design and leading to a smart inorganic–organic system with integrated oil/water separation and heavy metal ion removal capabilities. The resulting attapulgite-poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (APT-PDMAEMA) hybrid exhibits reversible pH-responsive wettability and strong environmental adaptability, achieving remarkable separation efficiencies (>99.9%) and flux (∼170 L·m–2·h–1) for various types of oil–water mixtures with excellent recyclability over 10 cycles, and allowing efficient demulsification of surfactant-stabilized emulsions (>99.5% separation efficiency), high-purity and stable water flux (∼150 L·m–2·h–1). Simultaneously, the material achieves high adsorption performance for a series of heavy metal ions with removal efficiencies up to 99% across a range of pH and concentration conditions. The strategy offers modularity, scalability, and compatibility for different environmental needs. The mechanisms underlying the pH-triggered wettability and adsorption behavior were systematically investigated, offering fundamental insights into the design of smart interfaces. Overall, this work presents a versatile and scalable strategy for the tailored design of hybrid materials, providing both theoretical significance and practical value for next-generation multifunctional wastewater treatment technologies.","PeriodicalId":504002,"journal":{"name":"ACS Applied Engineering Materials","volume":"3 10","pages":"3464-3477"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147888359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Phycocyanin/Liquid Metal Hydrogel-Based Wearable Electronics for Monitoring Physical Stimulus-Response Behavior","authors":"Bei Jing, Xinghai Wang, Jinxue Zhao, Xuejing Zhai, Xia Wei, Peiyi Li, Hongtao Lei, Lidong Wu","doi":"10.1021/acsaenm.5c00286","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaenm.5c00286","url":null,"abstract":"We present a high-performance hybrid hydrogel strain sensor based on phycocyanin (PC) and eutectic gallium–indium liquid metal (LM), designed for next-generation biocompatible wearable electronics. The hydrogel integrates a dynamic ionic coordination and hydrogen-bonded network with deformable conductive LM pathways, offering exceptional mechanical and electrical properties. It exhibits strong adhesion on biological tissue (up to 81.16 kPa on pigskin), excellent fatigue resistance (stable over 400 cycles at 100% strain), and reliable signal responsiveness. Integrated with a microcontroller, signal processor, and Bluetooth transceiver, the hydrogel sensor enables real-time monitoring of complex motions, including underwater fish movement and tactile stimuli. This multifunctional platform demonstrates strong potential for wearable bioelectronics in dynamic and aquatic environments.","PeriodicalId":504002,"journal":{"name":"ACS Applied Engineering Materials","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147890150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}