Yuefei Ruan

Solar energy utilisation is pivotal for advancing sustainable and renewable energy solutions, yet the rational design of high‐efficiency photothermal conversion devices remains a critical challenge. This paper systematically examines the evolution of photothermal reactor architectures from two‐dimensional (2D) to 3D structures, emphasising their respective roles in overcoming performance limitations. We highlight the superior spectral selectivity and enhanced high‐intensity irradiation absorption of 2D materials, alongside the advantages of 3D configurations in optimising temperature distribution and energy transfer efficiency. Two fundamental design strategies are critically evaluated: enhancement of intrinsic photothermal material properties and engineering of optical structures for improved light management. Key material considerations, including fabrication techniques, incidence angle dependence, light absorption bandwidth and application‐specific performance, are comprehensively discussed. Our analysis reveals that advanced 2D photothermal reactor design increasingly relies on extending optical path lengths and transcending inherent material constraints, accompanied by growing complexity in optical effect integration. This review provides a roadmap for the synergistic design of 2D and 3D photothermal reactors, aiming to accelerate their commercial viability and contribute to the next generation of solar energy utilisation technologies.

Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs), critical substances of liquid crystal displays in consumer electronics, are persistent pollutants, posing potential threats to marine ecosystems. Despite their bioaccumulative potential, their occurrence and possible biological impacts on marine megafauna remain understudied. We investigated LCM occurrence in Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) and finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) collected from the South China Sea (2007-2021) and assessed their toxicity through in vitro assays using established dolphin cell lines. By employing robust source-tracing methodologies, we provide the first evidence that LCMs from household electronics and coastal e-waste accumulate in cetacean tissues, including blubber, muscle, and, critically, brain tissues, demonstrating blood-brain barrier penetration, a previously undocumented phenomenon of LCMs in mammalian wildlife. The temporal trend of LCM burden in porpoise blubber is correlated with shifts in global liquid crystal display production. Transcriptomic profiling revealed LCM-induced DNA damage, cell cycle arrest, and impaired cell division in cetacean cells. These findings suggest that LCMs may pose potential risks to the nervous system and other organs of marine mammals, warranting further investigation into their toxicological effects and possible implications for human health. By bridging critical gaps among everyday electronics, LCM contamination, and marine conservation, this study highlights the need for urgent regulatory actions and improved e-waste governance to mitigate ecological and public health risks.

Perfluorobutanesulfonate (PFBS) is an emerging pollutant with potent endocrine disrupting effects, while probiotic bacteria can significantly modulate animal endocrinology. However, whether and how probiotics interact with PFBS to maintain the host's endocrine equilibrium are unknown. Herein, juvenile zebrafish (Danio rerio) were chronically exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of PFBS during the critical window of gonadal differentiation and maturation (from 21 days postfertilization (dpf) until 150 dpf), with or without dietary supplementation of probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus. At 35 dpf, probiotics robustly acted to alleviate PFBS body burden and regulate the toxic fingerprints of PFBS on the sex ratio, estrogen hormones, sex differentiating genes, and estrobolome dynamics. In mature adults, PFBS induced antiestrogenic effects in females, thus forming a male-biased population, accompanied by oogenesis blockade, reduced fecundity, and offspring developmental defects. However, these adverse effects were efficiently counteracted by probiotic supplementation, which was attributed to the holistic activation of the reproductive axis and marked increase of estrogen concentrations. In the gut microenvironment, probiotics mitigated the PFBS-induced disturbance of estrogen-metabolizing bacteria, β-glucuronidase enzyme activity, and critical metabolites along the pentose and glucuronate interconversion pathway, thus directing estrogen gut-liver recycling. Overall, our findings highlight the far-reaching implications of probiotics beyond the gut to mitigate endocrine disrupting effects, suggesting a health intervention strategy based on gut estrobolome remediation.