Cleanable Air Filter Transferring Moisture and Effectively Capturing PM2.5

The lethal danger of particulate matter (PM) pollution on health leads to the development of challenging individual protection materials that should ideally exhibit a high PM_2.5 purification efficiency, low air resistance, an important moisture‐vapor transmission rate (MVTR), and an easy‐to‐clean property. Herein, a cleanable air filter able to rapidly transfer moisture and efficiently capture PM_2.5 is designed by electrospinning superhydrophilic polyacrylonitrile/silicon‐dioxide fibers as the adsorption–desorption vector for moisture‐vapor, and hydrophobic polyvinylidene fluoride fibers as the repellent components to avoid the formation of capillary water under high humidity. The desorption rate of water molecules increases from 10 to 18 mg min^?1, while the diameters of polyacrylonitrile fibers reduce from 1.02 to 0.14 µm. Significantly, by introducing the hydroxyl on the surface of polyacrylonitrile nanofibers, rapid adsorption–desorption of the water molecules is observed. Moreover, by constructing a hydrophobic to super‐hydrophilic gradient structure, the MVTR increases from 10 346 to 14 066 g m^?2 d^?1. Interestingly, the prepared fibrous membranes is easy to clean. More importantly, benefiting from enhanced slip effect, the resultant fibrous membranes presented a low air resistance of 86 Pa. A field test in Shanghai shows that the air filter maintains stable PM_2.5 purification efficiency of 99.99% at high MVTR during haze event.     

The Genetic Heterogeneity among Different Mouse Strains Impacts the Lung Injury Potential of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes

Genetic variation constitutes an important variable impacting the susceptibility to inhalable toxic substances and air pollutants, as reflected by epidemiological studies in humans and differences among animal strains. While multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are capable of causing lung fibrosis in rodents, it is unclear to what extent the genetic variation in different mouse strains influence the outcome. Four inbred mouse strains, including C57Bl/6, Balb/c, NOD/ShiLtJ, and A/J, to test the pro‐fibrogenic effects of a library of MWCNTs in vitro and in vivo are chosen. Ex vivo analysis of IL‐1β production in bone marrow‐derived macrophages (BMDMs) as molecular initiating event (MIE) is performed. The order of cytokine production (Balb/c > A/J > C57Bl/6 > NOD/ShiLtJ) in BMDMs is also duplicated during assessment of IL‐1β production in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of the same mouse strains 40 h after oropharyngeal instillation of a representative MWCNT. Animal test after 21 d also confirms a similar hierarchy in TGF‐β1 production and collagen deposition in the lung. Statistical analysis confirms a correlation between IL‐1β production in BMDM and the lung fibrosis. All considered, these data demonstrate that genetic background indeed plays a major role in determining the pro‐fibrogenic response to MWCNTs in the lung.     

The Electrochemical Response of Single Crystalline Copper Nanowires to Atmospheric Air and Aqueous Solution

In this paper, single crystalline copper nanowires (CuNWs) have been electrochemically grown through anodic aluminum oxide template. The environmental stability of the as‐obtained CuNWs in both 40% relative humidity (RH) atmosphere and 0.1 m NaOH aqueous solution has been subsequently studied. In 40% RH atmosphere, a uniform compact Cu₂O layer is formed as a function of exposure time following the logarithmic law and epitaxially covers the CuNW surfaces. It is also found that the oxide layers on CuNWs are sequentially grown when subjected to the cyclic voltammetry measurement in 0.1 m NaOH solution. An epitaxially homogeneous Cu₂O layer is initially formed over the surface of the CuNW substrates by solid‐state reaction (SSR). Subsequently, the conversion of Cu₂O into epitaxial CuO based on the SSR takes place with the increase of applied potential. This CuO layer is partially dissolved in the solution forming Cu(OH)₂, which then redeposited on the CuNW surfaces (i.e., dissolution‐redeposition (DR) process) giving rise to a mixed polycrystalline CuO/Cu(OH)₂ layer. The further increase of applied potential allows the complete oxidation of Cu₂O into CuO to form a dual‐layer structure (i.e., CuO inner layer and Cu(OH)₂ outer layer) with random orientations through an enhanced DR process.     

Template-directed synthesis of nitrogen- and sulfur-codoped carbon nanowire aerogels with enhanced electrocatalytic performance for oxygen reduction

Heteroatom doping,precise composition control,and rational morphology design are efficient strategies for producing novel nanocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells.Herein,a cost-effective approach to synthesize nitrogen-and sulfur-codoped carbon nanowire aerogels using a hard templating method is proposed.The aerogels prepared using a combination of hydrothermal treatment and carbonization exhibit good catalytic activity for the ORR in alkaline solution.At the optimal annealing temperature and mass ratio between the nitrogen and sulfur precursors,the resultant aerogels show comparable electrocatalytic activity to that of a commercial Pt/C catalyst for the ORR.Importantly,the optimized catalyst shows much better long-term stability and satisfactory tolerance for the methanol crossover effect.These codoped aerogels are expected to have potential applications in fuel cells.     

Phosphorus and phosphide nanomaterials for sodium-ion batteries

Sodium-ion batteries have received remarkable attention as next-generation high-performance electrochemical energy storage devices because of their cost effectiveness and the broad geographical distribution of sodium. As a critical component of sodium-ion batteries, anode materials, especially nanostructured anodes, have a significant effect on the electrochemical performance of sodium-ion batteries. Recent research indicates that phosphorus and metal phosphides show great promise as anode candidates for sodium-ion batteries because of their low cost and relatively high theoretical gravimetric and volumetric specific capacities. In this review, we systematically summarize recent research progress on state-of-the-art nanostructured phosphorus and phosphides, including the synthetic strategies, Na-storage mechanisms, and the relationship between the nanostructure and electrochemical performance. Moreover, we present an overview of future challenges and opportunities based on current developments.

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