Shanshan Liang

Ion adsorption on the surfaces of 2D materials is crucial for applications in ion sieving, electrochemical sensing, and synthesis of abnormal 2D crystals. However, achieving tunable cation adsorption on 2D materials remains challenging. Using first principles calculations, we reveal that electrostatic potentials enable tunable adsorption of alkali metal cations on graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) surfaces. Negative potentials markedly strengthen the adsorption for all three cations on both substrates, whereas positive potentials weaken the adsorption. Remarkably, the adsorption enhancement under negative potentials is larger on hBN than on graphene, which is attributed to the much greater charge transfer from hBN to cations. Molecular orbital analysis indicates that in cation@hBN system the HOMO is mainly localized on the N atoms and LUMO centers on the adsorbed cation, making cations on hBN more prone to reduction, while the delocalized HOMO and LUMO in cation@graphene systems hinder the π electron departure from graphene. Moreover, electrostatic potentials can modulate interlayer spacing in cation‐intercalated graphene and hBN bilayers: negative potentials contract the spacing and positive potentials expand it. These findings illuminate ion adsorption on 2D material surfaces and offer a feasible strategy to regulate ion adsorption and interlayer spacing in 2D layered membranes.

Global warming has become a core challenge for human society. This study adopted the global surface temperature anomaly dataset from 1891 to 2023 released by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). Multiple quantitative methods, including Sen’s slope estimation, Modified Mann–Kendall (MMK) test with pre-whitening, Pettitt test and GIS spatial analysis, were comprehensively applied to investigate the long-term climate change trends and regional response characteristics across the globe and China. The results indicated that the global warming rate reached 0.0802 °C per decade, while the warming rate of China was 0.1139 °C per decade, which is 42.0% higher than the global average level. Both global and Chinese temperature changes experienced three evolutionary stages, namely slow growth period, stagnation period and accelerated warming period, with an abrupt turning point occurring during 1979–1980, which was closely linked to the phase transition of Pacific Decadal Oscillation and atmospheric circulation adjustment. Obvious spatial differentiation characteristics of climate warming were identified in China, with a more rapid warming trend in northern and inland regions and a relatively slow warming rate in southern and coastal areas. Since 1980, regional accelerated warming has been driven by both anthropogenic activities and natural climate variability. The research findings can provide solid scientific support for formulating regional climate adaptation strategies and promoting collaborative global climate governance.

The stringent environmental regulations on uranium-containing wastewater have rendered traditional treatment methods largely inadequate, creating an urgent demand for high-performance and stable adsorbents. In this study, the modified UiO-66 with aminophosphonate groups (UiO-66-NH₂-P) was used to enhance its U(VI) removal capacity from water through the synergistic effect of multifunctional groups. U6NP retains a well-defined MOF framework after acid immersion(pH 1-2). Under optimal conditions, the maximum U(VI) adsorption capacity reaches 320.81 mg/g. The adsorption behavior conformed to the PSO kinetic equation and the Langmuir model, indicating a spontaneous endothermic process. Furthermore, density functional theory (DFT) calculations, combined with optimized fitting using a cluster model, were performed to analyze various coordination modes of UO₂²⁺ in this system. The results provide atomic-level insights for the rational design of high-performance and high-stability adsorbent materials.

Membrane technology holds significant promise in the antibiotics desalination. However, its practical application is constrained by the limited controllability over membrane microstructures, including pore architecture and surface charge distribution. This study proposed a two-dimensional (2D) confined interfacial polymerization (IP) strategy to address the manipulability of the nanochannel morphology and the charge distribution for fabricating membrane with high performance of antibiotic desalination. The polyethyleneimine(PEI)-grafted amino-functionalized GO nanosheets were used as building blocks to construct ultra-thin 2D nanochannel membranes, further introduction of trimesoyl chloride (TMC) triggered the interface polymerization (IP) reaction within the confined space, which not only repairs the defects but also precisely regulates the charge distribution within the nanochannels. The optimized ultra-thin (only 48.6 nm thick) membrane existed more orderly interlayer channels and a nearly neutral charge distribution. These structural advantages yielded an unexpected antibiotics desalination performance with a water permeance of 176.2 L m-2 h-1 bar-1 and NaCl/tetracycline (TC) selectivity of 75.7 under the synergy of the enhanced size sieving and the eliminated electrostatic exclusion effect. Furthermore, this membrane demonstrated outstanding long-term stability. This study provides a scientific reference for developing high-performance membrane towards pharmaceutical industry and water purification.

The resulting rGO/MXene heterogeneous membranes exhibited a high water permeance of up to 401.2 L m⁻ ² h⁻¹ bar⁻¹ together with 99.7% rejection of dye molecules.

Hydrogels do not have observable responses to external magnetic fields as they are conventionally thought to be diamagnetic. These materials require additives for magnetic control, limiting biomedical applications due to potential side effects. Here we show that calcium cations can induce strong paramagnetism of hydrogels rich in groups containing carbon–oxygen double bonds, including alginate, carboxymethyl chitosan, polyacrylamide and N-isopropyl acrylamide. Both experiments and computations reveal that the ubiquitous presence of net magnetic moments, the key to paramagnetism, is induced by the unexpected coupling of a single calcium cation and one carbonyl group under large calcium cation excess conditions. The paramagnetic phenomenon is also observed in the endogenous biomolecule sodium hyaluronate with calcium cations. We further demonstrate the applications of the strongly paramagnetic alginate-calcium hydrogel as a contrast agent in magnetic resonance imaging and a carrier in magnetic drug delivery. Our findings provide insights into the origin of magnetism and advance magnetism-related biomedical innovations.

Flexible supercapacitors have surged in popularity across various sectors, including artificial intelligence (AI), wearable technology, and renewable energy. In this work, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) submerged in an organic solution of pyrrole (Py) monomer were exposed to gamma-ray irradiation to create carbon nanotubes doped polypyrrole (CNTs/PPy) flexible supercapacitor electrode materials. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to characterize the surface microstructure of electrode materials before and after irradiation, and the formation and adhesion of new substances on the material surface and CNTs was found, which was hypothesized that gamma-ray irradiation initiated the polymerization reaction of Py monomers and the production of polypyrrole (PPy). Additional examination of the electrode materials using Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) verified the successful advancement of the polymerization reaction and the formation of PPy conductive polymer. The prepared CNTs (5 mg)/PPy electrode materials exhibited excellent electrochemical properties, with a specific capacitance of 201.6 F g^–1. The constant current charge-discharge (GCD) and alternating current impedance spectroscopy (EIS) experiments of electrode materials confirmed that the loading of CNTs effectively improved the conductivity and electrochemical stability of the material, reduced the resistivity, and demonstrated a positive effect on improving the electrochemical performance of the material. However, it was also observed that an overabundance of CNTs compromised the mechanical properties and flexibility of the material. Overall, our findings provide valuable insights and a benchmark for developing flexible supercapacitor electrode materials with enhanced electrochemical performance.

Extracting lithium from salt lake brines is crucial to achieve sustainable development of lithium resources. However, it remains a major challenge to design nanochannels with efficient selectivity and fast transport for target ions. Here, inspired by biological membranes, we reported a Janus graphene oxide membrane (JGOM) with an asymmetric structure that exhibits diode‐like ion transport behavior and achieves high‐efficiency Li ⁺ /Mg ² ⁺ separation for lithium extraction applications. During the forward transport of ions, the nGO nanochannels modified by sulfonate groups (SO ₃ ⁻ ) with precise size provide hopping recognition sites and additional electrostatic attraction for the fast transport of Li ⁺ , while imposed Mg ²⁺ dehydration and exposure to a stronger positive charge. The continuous pGO nanochannels modified by amino groups (NH ₃ ⁺ ) further prevent the passage of dehydrated Mg ²⁺ by enhanced electrostatic repulsion while allowing Li ⁺ to transfer. Under the synergy of the two nanochannels, the JGOM demonstrates robust Li ⁺ /Mg ²⁺ separation performance, outperforming symmetrical structure GO membranes and other reported membranes, which was further confirmed by simulation results. This study provides a new insight into the rational design of ion sieving membranes.