Jianshe Hu

Solar-driven photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production offers a green and sustainable alternative to the conventional anthraquinone process. MIL-68(In)-derived multicomponent sulfides have shown promise for photocatalytic hydrogen production, largely because they form intimate heterojunctions, yet their use for photocatalytic H2O2 production remains limited. In this work, MIL-68(In) was used as a sacrificial precursor to construct a binary In2S3/In2O3 (InSO) heterostructure through combined in situ sulfidation and pyrolysis, followed by metal ion exchange to prepare a series of ternary In2S3/In2O3/MⅡIn2S4 composites (InSO/MⅡInS-w; MⅡ = Cd, Mg, Mn, or Zn). Among these, the optimal InSO/CdInS-0.5 showed the highest activity, with an H2O2 production rate of 3.42 mmol g-1 h-1, exceeding the rates of most previously reported photocatalytic H2O2 systems. Electrochemical analyses, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used to elucidate the mechanism underlying the enhanced H2O2 production and the origin of the activity differences among the InSO/MⅡInS-w composites.

Solar-driven photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production offers a green and sustainable alternative to the conventional anthraquinone process. MIL-68(In)-derived multicomponent sulfides have shown promise for photocatalytic hydrogen production, largely because they form intimate heterojunctions, yet their use for photocatalytic H2O2 production remains limited. In this work, MIL-68(In) was used as a sacrificial precursor to construct a binary In2S3/In2O3 (InSO) heterostructure through combined in situ sulfidation and pyrolysis, followed by metal ion exchange to prepare a series of ternary In2S3/In2O3/MⅡIn2S4 composites (InSO/MⅡInS-w; MⅡ = Cd, Mg, Mn, or Zn). Among these, the optimal InSO/CdInS-0.5 showed the highest activity, with an H2O2 production rate of 3.42 mmol g-1 h-1, exceeding the rates of most previously reported photocatalytic H2O2 systems. Electrochemical analyses, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used to elucidate the mechanism underlying the enhanced H2O2 production and the origin of the activity differences among the InSO/MⅡInS-w composites. This work provides a strategy for constructing multilevel semiconductor heterostructures through controllable in situ transformation of MOFs and may be extended to other multicomponent metal sulfide/oxide systems.

The escalating discharge of high-chroma and toxic dye wastewater from textile industries threatens aquatic ecosystems and freshwater resources, creating an urgent demand for energy-efficient separation membranes. Conventional polymeric membranes, despite their established scalability and cost-effectiveness, are often constrained by the permeability–selectivity trade-off and limited chemical resistance when exposed to aggressive dye-laden streams. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) offer tailorable nanochannels and robust architectures, yet their practical application remains hindered by poor solution processability and severe aggregation. Herein, we report a photocrosslinking post-modification strategy that converts intractable COF powders into mechanically robust composite membranes supported on nylon. By applying thiol–ene click chemistry to preassembled alkene-bearing COF layers, we fabricate Nylon@TFDH-DP membranes with tunable crosslinking density and controlled pore architecture. This protocol exhibits broad structural adaptability, proving effective across diverse alkene topologies-specifically, pendant olefinic side chains (TFDH), sp²‐carbon‐conjugated motifs (imine‐linked TPDV), and vinylene‐integrated backbones (TFPX)–thereby establishing a generalized platform for COF membrane functionalization. B The optimized Nylon@TFDH-DP membrane achieves a liquid permeance of 1,500 L m⁻² h⁻¹ bar⁻¹ while maintaining >98% dye rejection, benefiting from its relatively large intrinsic apertures. In parallel, Nylon@TPDV-DP retains >97% Congo Red rejection over 60 h of continuous filtration, albeit at a lower permeance. Overall, this work provides a mild, photoinduced, and general route for converting poorly processable COF powders into high-performance composite membranes, and systematically clarifies how alkene configuration, crosslinking density, and pore regulation collectively govern molecular transport and dye separation performance.

Flexible conductive hydrogels have attracted much attention because of their high stretchability and signal response ability. In this work, a conductive hydrogel for multi-scenario applications was constructed. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyethylene glycol–polycarbonate (PMCC) copolymers as well as carboxylated cellulose nanofibers (CCNF) were used to co-construct a flexible matrix, while aluminum bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (Al(TFSI)₃) was introduced to endow the system with ionic conductivity and provide Al³⁺ coordination crosslinking. Multiple hydrogen-bonding interactions and Al³⁺ coordination synergistically formed a dual physically crosslinked network. DFT calculations confirmed at the molecular level that incorporating PMCC segments into PEG enhanced the multisite interaction capability of the resulting PEG-b-PMCC units. Benefiting from the above structural design, the hydrogel exhibits favorable tensile properties (maximum stress ≈ 300.4 kPa, fracture strain ≈ 308.4%) and toughness that meet the requirements of multiple application scenarios. Its conductivity increases significantly with the increase of Al(TFSI)₃ content, reaching 0.23 S m⁻¹ at 10 wt%. As a strain-sensing material, the hydrogel showed a piecewise sensitive response over the strain range of 0–300%, with a maximum gauge factor of 2.53. Based on these comprehensive properties, the hydrogel can be used in multi-scenario applications, including micro-expression recognition, speech monitoring, joint motion tracking and surface writing recognition, and can be used as a flexible bioelectrode to collect electrocardiogram and electromyogram signals. In addition, it can still stably output signals underwater for Morse code transmission and can be integrated into smart gloves to realize remote gesture control of robot detectors, demonstrating its application potential in the fields of wearable sensing and human–computer interaction.

Polystyrene (PS) is one of the most widely used plastics, and its notably low recycling rate has prompted the consideration of chemical upcycling of waste PS. Oxidative methodologies have been extensively investigated, employing molecular oxygen to upcycle PS into oxygenated products. Sulfur, a group congener of oxygen, has rarely been exploited in PS upcycling. Furthermore, elemental sulfur currently confronts an issue of an annual production surplus. Here, we report the coupcycling of PS and elemental sulfur into 2,4-diphenylthiophene and 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene by leveraging solar energy as the driving force. The practicality of this strategy is demonstrated by the rapid and efficient conversion of various postconsumer waste PS plastics under solvent-free, ambient air conditions. The photothermal effect of elemental sulfur and the generation of sulfur radicals at elevated temperatures are critical to enable this transformation. Experimental and computational studies of dimeric and tetrameric PS model compounds show that sulfur-radical-mediated hydrogen atom abstraction is the key to sustaining the reaction. These findings provide valuable insights into the photothermal behavior and reaction characteristics of elemental sulfur and hold significant implications for polymer conversion.

Transition metal (Pd) mediated C–C coupling reactions are key synthetic approaches among organic reactions and have become an integral part of synthetic endeavors.

Organic dyes are critical components in industries ranging from textiles, plastics, and paper to food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. However, their widespread use leads to significant environmental pollution. Consequently, developing efficient methods to treat dye wastewater is urgently needed. In this work, a high-performance composite membrane was developed with a poly(dibenzo-18-crown-6) covalent organic polymer (COP) interlayer. The chemical structure of the COP was verified by FT-IR, and BET analysis indicated that the as-synthesized material possesses a predominantly mesoporous structure with a minor microporous contribution. Subsequently, the membrane was fabricated by depositing a COP colloid on a nylon-66 support via vacuum filtration, followed by the formation of a dense polyamide (PA) active layer through interfacial polymerization (IP) between amine and acyl chloride monomers. Systematic evaluation of dye separation performance using a cross-flow filtration setup identified optimal operating conditions. Under these conditions, the membrane demonstrated effective molecular sieving behavior, achieving both high dye rejection and favorable solvent permeability. In long-term stability tests, the membrane maintained a rejection rate of over 99% for Congo red over 48 h, while sustaining a water flux of 103.2 L m⁻² h⁻¹ bar⁻¹ (LMH/bar). Furthermore, the membrane exhibited promising potential for dye desalination applications, achieving a high Congo red/potassium chloride separation selectivity of 186.8 with a flux of 138.2 LMH/bar. This study confirms that the poly(dibenzo-18-crown-6)-based composite membrane is a reliable and efficient material for molecular separation in wastewater treatment.

Correction for ‘Biodegradable smart materials with self-healing and shape memory function for wound healing’ by Siqin Sun et al. , RSC Adv. , 2023, 13 , 3155–3163, https://doi.org/10.1039/D2RA07493A.