Recent progress on nanomaterial-based electrochemical dissolved oxygen sensors

Dissolved oxygen(DO)usually refers to the amount of oxygen dissolved in water.In the environment,medicine,and fermentation industries,the DO level needs to be accurate and capable of online monitoring to guide the precise control of water quality,clinical treatment,and microbial metabolism.Compared with other analytical methods,the electrochemical strategy is superior in its fast response,low cost,high sensitivity,and portable device.However,an electrochemical DO sensor faces a trade-off between sensitivity and long-term stability,which strongly limits its practical applications.To solve this problem,various advanced nanomaterials have been proposed to promote detection performance owing to their excellent electrocatalysis,conductivity,and chemical stability.Therefore,in this review,we focus on the recent progress of advanced nanomaterial-based electrochemical DO sensors.Through the comparison of the working principles on the main analysis techniques toward DO,the advantages of the electrochemical method are discussed.Emphasis is placed on recently developed nanomaterials that exhibit special characteristics,including nanostructures and preparation routes,to benefit DO determination.Specifically,we also introduce some interesting research on the configuration design of the electrode and device,which is rarely introduced.Then,the different requirements of the electrochemical DO sensors in different application fields are included to provide brief guidance on the selection of appropriate nanomaterials.Finally,the main challenges are evaluated to propose future development prospects and detection strategies for nanomaterial-based electrochemical sensors.

Asymmetric orbital hybridization in Zn-doped antiperovskite Cu_(1-x)Zn_(x)NMn_(3)enables highly efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen production

Rational design of efficient and robust earth-abundant alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)catalysts is a key factor for developing energy conversion technologies.Currently,antiperovskite nitride CuNMn_(3)has garnered significant interest due to its remarkable properties such as negative/zero thermal expansion and magnetocaloric effects.However,when utilized as hydrogen evolution catalysts,it encounters large challenge resulting from excessively strong/weak interactions with adsorbed H on Mn/Cu active sites,which leads to low HER activity.In this study,we introduce an asymmetric orbital hybridization strategy in Zn-doped Cu_(1-x)Zn_(x)NMn_(3)by leveraging the localization of Zn electronic states to reconfigure the electronic structures of Cu and Mn,thereby reducing the energy barrier for water dissociation and optimizing Cu and Mn active sites for hydrogen adsorption and H_(2)production.Electrochemical evaluations reveal that Cu_(0.85)Zn_(0.15)NMn_(3)with x=0.15 demonstrates exceptional electrocatalytic activity in alkaline electrolytes.A low overpotential of 52 mV at 10 mA cm^(-2)and outstanding stability over a 150-h test period are achieved,surpassing commercial Pt/C.This research offers a novel strategy for enhancing HER performance by modulating asymmetric hybridization of electron orbitals between multiple metal atoms within a material structure.

A review of covalent organic frameworks for metal ion fluorescence sensing

The concentration of metallic elements is closely associated with overall health.However,the discharge of untreated industrial wastewater can lead to metal-containing pollutants entering the human body through the food chain,disrupting the organism’s homeostasis and posing a risk to human health.Co-valent organic framework materials(COFs)have emerged as a novel porous material for detecting or adsorbing metal ions due to their unique pore structure,topological structure and flexible design.This paper summarizes the role,toxicity,and sources of metal ions related to human health,as well as the design,synthesis and performance of COFs fluorescent materials for detecting these elements.The inter-action mechanism of different fluorescent COFs and metal ions are discussed.Additionally,the remaining challenges and prospects of COFs fluorescence sensors are provided.We believe this review will be useful in directing the development of fluorescent COFs towards metal ions.

Acoustic emission characteristics of damage evolution of multi-scale fiber reinforced rubberized concrete under uniaxial compression and tension after being subjected to high temperatures

Recently developed multi-scale fiber(i.e.,CaCO3 whisker,polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)fiber,and steel fiber)reinforced rubberized concrete exhibits excellent mechanical properties and spalling resistance at high temperatures.Measurement of macro properties such as strength and Young’s modulus cannot reveal and characterize damage mechanisms,particularly those relating to the multi-scale fiber strengthening effect.In this study,acoustic emission(AE)technology is applied to investigate the impact of multi-scale fiber on the damage evolution of rubberized concrete exposed to high temperatures,under the uniaxial compression and tension loading processes.The mechanical properties,AE event location,peak frequency,b-value,the ratio of rise time to amplitude(RA),average frequency(AF)values,and AE energy of specimens are investigated.The results show that the number of events observed using AE gradually increases as the loading progresses.The crumb rubber and fibers inhibit the generation and development of the cracks.It is concluded that both the peak frequency and b-value reflect the extension process of cracks.As the cracks develop from the micro scale to the macro scale,the peak frequency tends to be distributed in a lower frequency range,and the b-value decreases gradually.At the peak stress point,the AE energy increases rapidly and the b-value decreases.The specimens without multi-scale fibers exhibit brittle failure,while the specimens with fibers exhibit ductile failure.In addition,adding multi-scale fibers and crumb rubber increases the peak frequency in the medium and high frequency ranges,indicating a positive effect on inhibiting crack development.After being subjected to high temperatures,the maximum and minimum b-values decrease,reflecting an increase in the number of initial cracks due to thermal damage.Meanwhile,the RA and AF values are used to classify tensile and shear cracks.The specimens fracture with more shear cracks under compression,and there are more tensile cracks in specimens with multi-scale fibers under tension.