EcoMat最新文献

This review presents a comprehensive assessment of highly adsorptive nanomaterials for detecting toxic gases and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Due to the high surface area-to-volume ratio and tunable properties of nanomaterials, their integration into sensing applications offers superior selectivity and sensitivity for trace amounts of toxic gases or VOCs. The article details the major mechanisms of sensor operation, including chemiresistor electrochemical, catalytic, optical, and field-effect transistor (FET) devices. It then essentially assesses four key nanomaterial categories: carbon-based nanomaterials (e.g., carbon black,graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes, graphene, fullerene, carbon nanofiber, and carbon quantum dots), transition metal oxides (e.g., ZnO, SnO₂, TiO₂, and perovskites), two-dimensional materials (e.g., MoS₂, germanene, and bismuthine), and zeolite-based nanoparticles. For each class, synthesis, functionalization, composites and specific gas sensing performance are discussed, supported by current research. A bibliometric analysis illustrates trends and global collaboration in this field of research. Finally, the review identifies current challenges, including cross-sensitivity and selectivity limitations, long-term stability, and recovery issues, and suggests forward-looking strategies such as machine learning, IoT integration, flexible platforms, and heterojunction engineering to develop real-world sensor applications.

Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) have garnered significant attention in recent years due to their environmental friendliness, low cost, and high theoretical capacity, positioning them as a highly promising and safe energy storage system. However, under actual battery operating conditions, zinc (Zn) anodes commonly face issues such as uncontrollable electrodeposition and the resulting dendrite growth, which severely hinder the further application and promotion of AZIBs. The key to addressing this bottleneck lies in understanding the nucleation and growth of Zn dendrites, which has been the goal of a substantial amount of recent research reports. This review thus timely summarizes recent findings related to the evolving mechanisms of Zn dendrites in a working AZIB; specifically, it focuses on those revealed by in situ diagnoses via optical and electron microscopy, the combination of which yields multi-scale observations that sufficiently cover necessary details from Zn nucleation (nanoscale) to the dendritically developing stage (microscale). By summarizing such in situ findings related to electrochemical Zn deposition, this review aims to establish a reliable model to describe the entire developing stage of dendritic Zn deposits, thus paving the theoretical basis for the strategic engineering of the Zn anode for more sustainable AZIBs.

The increasing environmental impact of single-use paper highlights the urgent need for sustainable and reusable alternatives. Herein, we report a versatile rewritable paper platform enabled by biodegradable, water-based colored inks composed of food-grade dyes and sodium alginate. The aqueous inks are compatible with freehand writing, brush-based painting, and inkjet printing, and can be completely erased using mild alkaline solutions such as sodium hydroxide or sodium bicarbonate. Rewritability is achieved by pre-treating the paper substrates with naturally abundant organic acids, including citric, oxalic, tartaric, malic, and succinic acids, which promote fibrous hydrogel formation through intermolecular interactions with alginate. The resulting paper substrates demonstrate good reusability, retaining structural integrity and optical clarity over multiple write–erase–rewrite cycles. Ink patterns remain stable for more than 6 months under ambient conditions while allowing rapid and on-demand removal. Additionally, a rewritable security ink system incorporating aromatic molecules within the alginate matrix enables hidden markings that become visible under ultraviolet light, offering potential for anti-counterfeiting and secure documentation. This work provides a practical and scalable approach to sustainable documentation technologies, consistent with green chemistry and circular design principles, with broad applicability in education, packaging, creative media, and information security.

Engineered cellulose is redefining the frontier of sustainable materials in the face of escalating environmental challenges. As the world's most abundant biopolymer, cellulose offers an unmatched foundation for developing green technologies, yet its recent transformation through surface functionalization, hybridization, and nano-engineering has unlocked far broader utility. This review critically surveys the evolution of cellulose-based systems across a spectrum of urgent applications, including water purification, soil remediation, CO₂ capture, air filtration, biodegradable packaging, energy storage, and environmental sensing. Drawing from studies published between 2020 and 2025, we highlight innovative materials with well-documented performance metrics, supported by eight comparative tables and schematic illustrations of major fabrication routes. In each domain, the mechanisms driving functionality, material-specific limitations, and future directions are discussed. Particular attention is paid to challenges, such as moisture sensitivity, process scalability, and interfacial compatibility, paired with emerging solutions like bioinspired chemistry, multifunctional composites, and circular design principles. By bridging scientific insight with technological relevance, this review positions cellulose not only as a renewable alternative but as a versatile enabler of next-generation environmental solutions.

Lithium-ion batteries have changed modern life, powering electrification life and energy storage systems. As the trend of the world accelerates to a net-zero future, the limitations of traditional lithium-ion batteries have drawn more attention. The battery has a high-level dependency on lithium, cobalt, and nickel—these key components are limited in global supply and geographically concentrated in several countries. The rising demand indicates a significant supply deficit in the near future, thereby intensifying the challenges we are encountering. Moreover, lithium-ion battery is difficult to recycle and the process is energy-intensive. Furthermore, the high volume consuming of water to extract lithium is deserved to highlight (~682 times more than sodium extraction). Shifting from “waste management” to “design for re-use” is significantly meaningful for achieving a net-zero tomorrow.

Finally, we would like to express thanks to Prof. Zijian Zheng and the Journal office's support to this special issue. And take this opportunity to thank all the authors.

All authors contribute equally to this editorial.

The authors have nothing to report.

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.

Real-time, continuous phosphate monitoring is vital in biomedical, agricultural, and environmental applications, yet most phosphate sensors are constrained by inadequate detection limits, poor selectivity, and irreversible binding. This work reports compact electrochemical devices that incorporate europium(III) complexes for sensitive phosphate detection, achieving sub-nanomolar detection limits and enabling reversible binding for continuous monitoring. The sensors are highly selective over chloride and other competing anions. Two device architectures are developed and compared, where an amperometric configuration offers simple fabrication and an organic electrochemical transistor provides signal amplification. The sensors allow a wide linear dynamic range of 1–500 nM and a state-of-the-art detection limit of 0.5 nM. The transduction mechanisms and operating parameters under different bias voltages, ionic strengths, and competing anions were systematically studied to optimize performance. The phosphate sensors are validated in complex media including artificial interstitial fluids and field samples from the Mississippi Sound. These results provide the design guidelines for electrochemical sensors using europium(III) complexes as low-cost, portable, and regenerable platforms for biological and environmental monitoring.

Recent global viral outbreaks have highlighted the urgent need for protective face masks that combine high filtration performance with environmental sustainability. Herein, we developed a biodegradable, breathable, and antiviral nanofiber (NF) filter composed of quercetin (QU) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) via a solution-blowing (SB) technique. The resulting QU/PEO NF filter exhibited a non-woven morphology with high porosity and excellent mechanical durability, showing a high yield strength of 30 MPa. It also demonstrated rapid biodegradation in soil, confirming its eco-friendly nature. Filtration tests showed a high particulate matter (PM_0.5) removal efficiency of up to 96.2% at an airflow rate of 20 L/min, with a low pressure drop, outperforming commercial mask filters. Antiviral evaluation showed significant suppression of SARS-CoV-2 pseudo-virus (PV) infectivity with reduced oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in skin cells. Sustained QU release at biologically relevant concentrations established a direct link between intrinsic bioactivity and filter-level functional performance. In particular, the QU/PEO NF filter demonstrated significant antiviral activity against the live SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. Molecular docking analyses revealed that QU may engage both 3CLpro and the ACE2 interface, suggesting a potential dual-target antiviral mechanism. These results demonstrate the strong potential of the QU/PEO NF filter as a next-generation non-woven material for personal protective equipment, requiring effective viral protection, excellent breathability, skin compatibility, and environmental sustainability.