Highly selective adsorption of rhenium by amyloid-like protein material

Rhenium separation from molybdenum in molybdenite minerals and waste leachate has become an emerging challenge.Addressing this challenge,we prepared a set of protein-based alkylamine/alkylammonium salts complexes as extractants for selective uptake of rhenium from molybdenum,where the protein component turned into the insoluble amyloid-like structure when its internal disulfide bonds were reduced,namely phase-transition process.Among them,the phase-transited lysozyme and methyletrioctyleammonium chloride complex(PTL-N263)exhibited the most efficient adsorption at the alkaline condition for the electrostatic interaction between negatively charged metal ions with positively charged center(R_(4)N^(+))in N263,where negatively charged protein residues hindered the ion exchange of Cl^(-)in N263 for larger size Mo species(Mo_(7)O_(24)^(6-))than smaller size Re species(ReO^(4-)).The adsorption follows the Freundlich model and pseudo-second-order kinetics,which exhibits toplevel adsorption performance with a maximum adsorption capacity of 124 mg/g and a separation factor(β_(Re/Mo))of 2.78×10^(3)for Re.The adsorption capacity per unit area(57.2 mg/(g m^(2)))is 1.6–41 times higher than previously reported adsorbents,and the cost for adsorbing 1 g of Re(VII)is$1.07,indicating its industrial capability.This adsorption strategy can be applied to separating Re from Mo in binary solutions and industrial wastewater with other competing ions.

Detaching adhesive oil staining from a surface by water

Using household detergents to clean oil stains has always caused global concerns,as these detergents negatively impact the ecosystem and are toxic.Therefore,it is essential to effectively attenuate the adhesion force between oil stains and substrates to create an easy and detergent-saving cleaning pathway.To address this challenge,we herein develop a strategy to reduce the strength of oil adhesion on common substrates by∼20 times through a lamination layer,which contains phase-transitioned lysozyme nanofilm(PTL)and cellulose nanocrystals(CNCs).The resultant CNC/PTL coating significantly enhances the capability of cleaning oil stains in an underwater detergent-free manner;this strategy is applicable to edible oil packaging material and tableware,without impairing the usability and aesthetics of these materials.This coating exhibits excellent mechanical stability and regeneration characteristics through simple soaking,ensuring its robustness in real applications in an infinite life cycle.By eliminating 100%detergent in routine cleaning,the CNC/PTL coating demonstrated remarkable cost-effectiveness,saving 57.7%of water and 83.3%of energy when washing tableware only with water.This work presents an ingenious design to create oil-repellent packaging materials and tableware toward detergent-free water-cleaning pathways,thereby greatly reducing the negative environmental impact of surfactant emissions.

Advancements in dental hard tissue restorative materials and challenge of clinical translation

Dental hard tissues,primarily enamel and dentin,serving essential functions such as cutting,chewing,speaking,and maintaining facial aesthetics,mainly composed well-aligned hydroxyapatite(HAp)nanocrystals interlaced with a protein matrix.These tissues exhibit remarkable mechanical and aesthetic behaviors.However,once damaged,its ability to self-repair is extremely limited,often accompanied by dentin hypersensitivity(DH).Currently,although dental restorations using synthetic materials and remineralization techniques have made clinical progress,these methods still have limitations that affect their widespread use in clinical applications.Therefore,understanding the formation mechanisms of dental hard tissues and developing high-performance restorative technologies that can mimic natural teeth and meet clinical needs are crucial.This review focuses on the current strategies and research advancements in enamel regeneration and dentin desensitization,and challenges of clinical translation.We emphasize that scientific research should start with clinical needs,and these studies,through translation,ultimately serve the clinic to form a mutually reinforcing virtuous cycle.This review aims to provide a new perspective on the prevention and treatment of dental hard tissues,promote innovation in restorative materials and techniques,and bring better clinical translation products and services to patients.

Transforming waste particles into valuable adsorbents via amyloid-mediated molecular engineering

The high-value utilization of industrial solid waste using a facile and eco-friendly process is of great interest and significance in reducing environmental pollution and developing a green circular economy.Herein,we propose an amyloid-mediated molecular engineering strategy to transform particulate waste into valuable adsorbents for metal ions.Our method has the advantage of aqueous solution fabrication under mild conditions without the use of high-temperature hydrothermal methods and toxic chemical reagents.Amyloid-mediated molecular engineering manipulates the phase transition of bovine serum albumin(BSA)on particulate waste surfaces,resulting in a remarkable~3.1 times improvement in the adsorption capacity of fly ash,a typical industrial solid waste for gold ions after modification with the phase-transitioned BSA(PTB).The resultant adsorption ability was 69–1,980 times higher than those of conventional and emerging adsorbent materials such as ion exchange resins,activated carbon(AC),covalent organic frameworks(COFs),and metal-organic frameworks(MOFs).We further demonstrated the application of our PTB-modified materials in the recovery of precious metals from low-grade gold ore and electronic waste leachates.Consequently,this strategy could increase the value of waste materials nearly 27 times.In addition,this method is generally extendable to other conventional industrial adsorbents such as resin,clay,and Al_(2)O_(3),and enhances their adsorption capabilities at least twofold.Overall,this work provides a simple and green approach for improving the adsorption performance of solid particles,and is expected to develop into a universal strategy for transforming waste particles into high-value-added products.