Application Prospects Research Articles

Research on the Construction of Music Recognition Model Based on Improved CNN Convolutional Neural Network

Abstract. In the context of today's informationized society, music recognition technology within the field of intelligent audio processing has received extensive attention and become a research focus. However, traditional music recognition techniques are difficult to adapt to the complex changes of music signals due to the inherent defects in feature extraction and model construction. To address these difficulties, this study constructs an innovative music recognition algorithm, which is based on an optimized convolutional neural network (CNN). The efficacy of feature extraction is enhanced by fusing the hash convolutional neural network (Hash-CNN), and the temporal data is processed using the long short-term memory network (LSTM) to improve the accuracy of recognition. In the preprocessing stage of music signals, we applied various noise reduction and normalization means to enhance the data quality to a high standard. According to the experimental data, the model performs well in recognizing complex music segments, especially when analyzing multi-level and multi-dimensional music features, it shows strong robustness. Meanwhile, compared with traditional techniques, the model proposed in this study shows significant improvement in both recognition efficiency and accuracy, confirming its great potential and broad prospect in practical applications.

A high FBR low SAR and AMC-backed compact wearable antenna array for WBAN applications

Abstract In this paper, a wearable antenna array based on a 9 × 3 artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) array is proposed with the characteristics of compact, low profile, low specific absorption rate (SAR), high front-to-back ratio (FBR) and high gain for wireless body area network (WBAN) bands. The proposed wearable antenna consists of a four-element array and an AMC array. The size of antenna array loaded AMC is 137.7 × 45.9 mm2. The dielectric substrate of the antenna and the AMC structure are made of 0.1 mm liquid crystal polymer material, which is flexible and low profiled. The antenna operates from 5.62 to 6 GHz after the AMC structure is loaded. The gain increases by 3.23 dB, reaching 12.03 dB at 5.8 GHz. And the FBR value is raised by 26.04 dB. The highest SAR value of the simulated antenna on the human model is 0.0496 W/kg, far less than the US federal or EU requirements. After constructing and testing the antenna, the outcomes of the tests agreed with the results of the simulation. The flexible antenna array with AMC structure has good prospect in WBAN applications.

Phage therapeutic delivery methods and clinical trials for combating clinically relevant pathogens.

The ongoing global health crisis caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria necessitates quick interventions to introduce new management strategies for MDR-associated infections and antimicrobial agents' resistance. Phage therapy emerges as an antibiotic substitute for its high specificity, efficacy, and safety profiles in treating MDR-associated infections. Various in vitro and in vivo studies denoted their eminent bactericidal and anti-biofilm potential. This review addresses the latest developments in phage therapy regarding their attack strategies, formulations, and administration routes. It additionally discusses and elaborates on the status of phage therapy undergoing clinical trials, and the challenges encountered in their usage, and explores prospects in phage therapy research and application.

Treatment of chronic osteomyelitis with gradient release of DGEA and vancomycin hydrogel-microsphere system and its mechanism.

In recent years, the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis mediated by biodegradable polymer platforms has received increasing attention. This paper reports an advanced drug delivery system, vancomycin (VA) and DGEA loaded microspheres embedded in injectable thermosensitive polypeptide hydrogels (i.e., hydrogel-microsphere (Gel-MP) construct), for continuous release of drugs with different mechanisms and more comprehensive treatment of chronic osteomyelitis. The Gel-MP construct exhibits continuous biodegradability and excellent biocompatibility. Microspheres (MP) are wrapped inside Gel. With the degradation of Gel, VA and MP are released from them, VA released with faster degradation speed, achieving a potent antibacterial effect and effectively controlling infection. Due to the slower degradation rate of MP compared to Gel, subsequently, DGEA is released from MP to induce bone formation and produce the effect of filling bone defects. Compared with other formulations, the in vivo combinational treatment of Gel/VA-MP/DGEA can simultaneously balance antibacterial and osteogenic effects. More importantly, local sustained-release drug delivery systems can significantly mitigate the systemic toxicity of drugs. Therefore, the injection local sequential drug delivery system has broad prospects in the clinical application of treating chronic osteomyelitis.

An application of the Bayesian network model based on the EN-ESL-GA algorithm: Exploring the predictors of heart disease in middle-aged and elderly people in China.

The morbidity and mortality of heart disease are increasing in middle-aged and elderly people in China. It is necessary to explore relationships and interactive associations between heart disease and its risk factors in order to prevent heart disease. To establish a Bayesian network model of heart disease and its influencing factors in middle-aged and elderly people in China, and explore the applicability of the elite-based structure learner using genetic algorithm based on ensemble learning (EN-ESL-GA) algorithm in etiology analysis and disease prediction. Based on the 2013 national tracking survey data from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) database, EN-ESL-GA algorithm was used to learn the Bayesian network structure. Then we input the data and the learned network structure into the Netica software for parameter learning and inference analysis. The Bayesian network model based on the EN-ESL-GAalgorithm can effectively excavate the complex network relationships and interactive associations between heart disease and its risk factors in middle-aged and elderly people in China. The Bayesian network model based on the EN-ESL-GA algorithm has good applicability and application prospect in the prediction of diseases prevalence risk.

Research on Developing Cyclone Coupling Techniques for Heterogeneous Separators with Design Optimization of Hydrocyclone Separators

Abstract: Hydrocyclone separator is a widely used equipment in the field of liquid-solid separation due to its simple structure, convenient operation, and high separation efficiency. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the working principles, application areas, design optimization, and performance evaluation of hydrocyclone separators, while discussing their future development trends. In addition, particular attention has been given to the aspects related to patents in this study.The focus is on analyzing the structural parameters and flow field characteristics of hydrocyclone separators, as well as the different effects on separation efficiency caused by various hydrocyclone structures and adjustments in hydrocyclone size. The research analysis is conducted on the inlet, cylindrical section, overflow pipe section, cone section, hydrocyclone materials, and other parts, taking into account detailed analysis of operational conditions such as inlet flow rate, pressure drop, separation efficiency, and fluid properties. The future development trend of hydraulic hydrocyclone separators lies in refinement, intelligence, multifunctionality, integration, and energy-saving and environmental protection. In the field of liquid-solid separation, the integration of hydrocyclone separation technology and intelligent devices is becoming increasingly important, and future research will focus on developing new hydrocyclone coupling separation techniques to further improve production efficiency and convenience in daily life. The application prospects are broad, and it is expected to bring significant economic and social benefits to society. It also possesses the potential for patent protection.

Alginate‑carbon dot nanocomposite: A green approach towards designing turn-on aptasenor for Candida albicans fungus

Candida albicans fungus, an opportunistic microorganism that becomes a pathogen in its host, can often cause superficial and severe infections in human body. In this work, a turn-on fluorescent aptasenor based on Alginate‑carbon dot nanocomposite has been designed through a green approach. Carbon dots (CDs) with average size of 4 ± 1 nm were synthesized hydrothermally using Philodendron bipinnatifidum plant extract as precursor. Then, mixture of carbon dot and alginate was cross-linked by Ca2+ ions to make Alginate-CD nanocomposite with negligible effect on fluorescence intensity of CDs (λex = 360 nm, λem = 400 nm). The fluorescence quantum yield and lifetime were found as 14.1 % and 3.15 ns, respectively. The nanocomposite was characterize using different spectroscopic (Photoluminescence, UV–visible, XPS, FT-IR) and microscopic (TEM and SEM) analytical techniques. An aptamer was used to selectively target (1 → 3)-β-D-glucan on the surface of the Candida albicans cell wall. It was found that the fluorescence energy resonance transfer between nanocomposite and aptamer quenches the fluorescence intensity of nanocomposite, making it suitable for designing turn-on fluorescent probe. It was found that the fluorescence could be recovered in the presence of Candida albicans fungus (in <30 min), owing to higher affinity between aptamer and (1 → 3)-β-D-glucan on the surface of Candida albicans fungus, where there were two linear ranges: low concentration of 50–200 cells/mL and high concentration of 1000–6000 cells/mL (R2 ≥ 0.989 for both linear ranges), with limit of detection of 40 cells/mL. The selectivity of the designed probe was examined against a mixture of microbial agents (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli) and Curdlan polysaccharide (1→3)-b-D-Glucan (L). The designed biosensor showed an excellent ability to directly detect Candida albicans fungus via a simple and fast (<30 min) approach. The results of this experimental study show that Alginate-CD-aptamer nanocomposite is a bright prospect in clinical applications and a suitable alternative to traditional methods of Candida albicans diagnosis.

The DFT prediction of comprehensive properties of antiperovskites Mg6CX4 (X = S, Se, Te) and effects of defects and surface adsorption

It is important to search potential materials to meet ever-increasing demand in various fields. In order to understand the new hexagonal antiperovskites material Mg6CX4 (X=S, Se, Te), their mechanical, electronic and optical properties were studied based on density functional theory (DFT). The structural stability has been confirmed by the elastic constant criteria, formation energy, phonon dispersion spectra and ab-initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulation performed at 300 K. Besides, the Poisson's ratios over 0.26 demonstrate the ductility of the studied materials. They all have direct electronic band structures with bandgaps of 0.977 eV for Mg6CS4, 0.809 eV for Mg6CSe4 and 1.274 eV for Mg6CTe4, respectively. The calculated melting temperatures are all around 1000 K, which indicates the potential for high-temperature application. Therefore, Mg6CTe4 fits most for absorber in solar cells due to its proper bandgap and dispersive band edge. The antiperovskites exhibit high and broad light absorption in visible and near ultraviolet region with absorption coefficient greater than 104 cm−1, which inidcates a broad applicable prospect in optoelectronic field. Mg6CTe4 is also a candidate for efficient solid-state refrigeration due to its lowest thermal conductivity as 0.0046 W/(K•m). The defect analysis suggests that oxygen defects are the most favorable and have complex effects on bandgaps. The high bandgap sensitivity to surface adsorbates implies potential application in gas detector.

MnO4−-triggered wavelength-changeable and rapid-response fluorescence sensor for paper-based on-site sensing of tyrosinase activity in potato

Rapid-response in situ fluorogenic reactions in aqueous solution are important for designing sensitive and stable sensing platforms. Herein, a wavelength-changeable and rapid-response (within 5 s) fluorescence sensing platform for monitoring tyrosinase (TYR) activity is constructed. The developed assay is based on TYR catalyzing the hydroxylation of mono-phenol to o-diphenol and MnO4−-triggered fluorogenic between dopamine (DA) and phenol derivatives in aqueous solution. The fluorescence wavelength can be changeable from 470 to 550 nm with strong fluorescence according to different phenol derivatives. Our proposed sensor not only exhibits a good recovery for TYR in high serum concentration (20 %), but also has been successfully applied to the screening of TYR inhibitors modeled on kojic acid. Furthermore, a paper-based wavelength-changeable fluorescence sensor was developed for on-site detection of TYR activity in potatoes with high recovery, which is consistent with our previously reported method. Consequently, the proposed sensing system has broad prospects in the practical application of TYR-associated food monitoring and clinical diagnosis.

Spinel-Type Structured Phosphor Near-Infrared-II Emission: Intervalence Charge Transfer and Hetero-Valent Chromium Pairs.

Near-infrared (NIR) emitting phosphors draw much attention because they show great applicability and development prospects in many fields. Herein, a series of inverse spinel-type structured LiGa5O8 phosphors with a high concentration of Cr3+ activators is reported with a dual emission band covering NIR-I and II regions. Except for strong ionic exchange interactions such as Cr3+-Cr3+ and Cr3+ clusters, an intervalence charge transfer (IVCT) process between aggregated Cr ion pairs is proposed as the mechanism for the ~1210 nm NIR-II emission. Comprehensive structural and luminescence characterization points to IVCT between two Cr3+ being induced by structural distortion and further enhanced by irradiation. Construction of the configurational energy level diagram enabled elucidation of this transition within the IVCT process. Therefore, this work provides insight into the emission mechanism within the high Cr3+ concentration system, revealing a new design strategy for NIR-II emitting phosphors to promote its response.

Spinel‐Type Structured Phosphor Near‐Infrared‐II Emission: Intervalence Charge Transfer and Hetero‐Valent Chromium Pairs

AbstractNear‐infrared (NIR) emitting phosphors draw much attention because they show great applicability and development prospects in many fields. Herein, a series of inverse spinel‐type structured LiGa5O8 phosphors with a high concentration of Cr3+ activators is reported with a dual emission band covering NIR‐I and II regions. Except for strong ionic exchange interactions such as Cr3+−Cr3+ and Cr3+ clusters, an intervalence charge transfer (IVCT) process between aggregated Cr ion pairs is proposed as the mechanism for the ~1210 nm NIR‐II emission. Comprehensive structural and luminescence characterization points to IVCT between two Cr3+ being induced by structural distortion and further enhanced by irradiation. Construction of the configurational energy level diagram enabled elucidation of this transition within the IVCT process. Therefore, this work provides insight into the emission mechanism within the high Cr3+ concentration system, revealing a new design strategy for NIR‐II emitting phosphors to promote its response.

Developing an efficient garnet-type near-infrared phosphor Na1.5Gd1.5Sc2Ge3O12:Cr3+ with relatively long-wavelength emission.

Developing efficient near-infrared (NIR) phosphor with an emission peak wavelength over 850 nm is crucial to realize multi-functional spectroscopy applications, while this remains a significant challenge. Herein, a garnet-type Na1.5Gd1.5Sc2Ge3O12:Cr3+ phosphor with an emission peak located at 882 nm was created from NaδGdδCa3-2δSc2Ge3O12:Cr3+ (0 ≤ δ ≤ 1.5) solid solutions basing on the effect of cationic disorder. The maximum internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of Na1.5Gd1.5Sc2-xGe3O12:xCr3+ reached 84.6% when x = 0.01. The maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) can be optimized to 20.6%. Using this material, a prototype NIR phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes (pc-LEDs) device was fabricated, which demonstrates an excellent prospect in spectroscopy applications.

Recent Patents for Optical Component Polishing Technology

Background: Fluid jet polishing, Airbag polishing, Magnetorheological polishing, and Ion beam polishing are all emerging polishing technologies commonly used for processing optical components, which can be used to manufacture various high-precision and high-quality optical components. Their processing mechanisms are to remove materials by high-speed jet impacting the surface of the workpiece; using a spherical flexible airbag as a polishing tool to obtain a super-smooth surface by adding polishing fluid containing fine abrasives; controlling the magnetic field to form a flexible polishing belt of Magnetorheological fluid, which undergoes relative motion to achieve material removal; using a neutral ion beam to bombard the surface of the workpiece to remove workpiece surface atoms and obtain a super-smooth surface through energy and momentum transfer between ions and workpiece atoms. The characteristics and removal mechanisms of various polishing methods are briefly described, and the advantages and key issues that need to be addressed for each polishing technology are pointed out, and suggestions and prospects for future research, application, and development are also given. Objective: In order to meet the growing demand for high-precision optical components and mass-manufactured optical components, this paper aims to study the various polishing technologies that are continuously improved and suggestions are made for future research and development directions. Method: This paper reviews the current patents related to various polishing technologies, such as Fluid jet polishing, Airbag polishing, Magnetorheological polishing and Ion beam polishing and other representative polishing technologies. Results: Various types of polishing technologies have been studied, and the main problem at the current stage is the lack of accuracy. The problem of the polishing device, such as fluid jet polishing, only considers the change of fluid velocity and pressure to construct the removal function model for analysis and summary, and suggestions for the latest research progress of various polishing technologies are given. Conclusion: The improvement and optimization of polishing technology are beneficial to improving the polishing accuracy and quality of optical components and have great help for the future development of related patents.

Use of Vertical Greenery Systems for the domestic scale treatment of greywaters for fit-for-purpose reuse. Applicability and future prospects.

Abstract Only less than 1% of the Earth’s water is fit for human activities. Domestic consumption accounts for roughly 20% of all uses of water, adding pressure to the increasing water scarcity stress. Water intakes of residential buildings for all everyday uses are constituted by a high-quality resource, which is either costly to produce or conspicuous in amounts to withdraw from natural sources. The present proposal aims to test the feasibility of the application of decentralized greywater treatment strategies, based on the use of vertical greenery systems integrated into residential buildings to assess both the optimal scale of application in residential settlements and a comparative analysis on reclaimed water resource savings. The aim is to promote the circular use of water resources by allowing for fit-for-purpose employment, thus reducing the overall intake due to the residential sector. The methodology hereby proposed has been developed using as a case study the most widespread residential typologies in the Southern Italian context, such as single detachment, row houses, low and medium-rise apartment buildings. The result is the proposition for each residential typology of a retrofitting strategy that employs the integration of a green infrastructure inside the residential spaces. Until now, the Mediterranean context has been characterized by limited use of strategies directed towards the efficient employment of water resources, since the mild climatic conditions have always provided for an adequate amount of freshwater. Therefore, limited studies have been carried out on the application of those strategies in Mediterranean landscapes. However, the rapid shift in precipitation patterns due to climate change has defined the need to quickly embrace new strategies, systems, and technical solutions for improving water use efficiency and promoting reuse.

Research, Development and Pharmacological Activity of Sinomenine and Its Derivatives

Abstract: In this manuscript, the resource distribution, pharmacological activity, pharma-cokinetics of sinomenine and the structure, synthesis, biological activity and mechanism of sinomenine derivatives reported from 2000 to December 2023 were reviewed. The lit-erature was retrieved through Web of Science, PubMed, Science Direct, SciFiner Scholar and other websites. Sinomenine belongs to isoquinoline alkaloids and was extracted from the Chinese herb Sinomenium acutum root. In Asian countries such as China and Japan, it is commonly prescribed as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, sinomenine also has sedative, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, neuroprotective, an-ti-drug dependence, anti-tumor and other biological activities. Sinomenine limited its ap-plication prospects because of its large dosage, poor epidermal permeability and short half-life. To overcome these defects, new sinomenine derivatives have been synthesized. Based on the comprehensive analysis of relevant literature at home and abroad, this paper reviews the recent progress in the study of sinomenine's pharmacological effects and structural modifications. Future research on sinomenine will focus on improving its thera-peutic effect, and developing new drug preparations and structural modifications. It is hoped that this review will help to better understand the research progress of sinomenine and provide constructive suggestions for further research of sinomenine.

Evaluation of the Composite Skin Patch Loaded with Bioactive Functional Factors Derived from Multicellular Spheres of EMSCs for Regeneration of Full-thickness Skin Defects in Rats.

Transplantation of stem cells/scaffold is an efficient approach for treating tissue injury including full-thickness skin defects. However, the application of stem cells is limited by preservation issues, ethical restriction, low viability, and immune rejection in vivo. The mesenchymal stem cell conditioned medium is abundant in bioactive functional factors, making it a viable alternative to living cells in regeneration medicine. Nasal mucosa-derived ecto-mesenchymal stem cells (EMSCs) of rats were identified and grown in suspension sphere-forming 3D culture. The EMSCs-conditioned medium (EMSCs-CM) was collected, lyophilized, and analyzed for its bioactive components. Next, fibrinogen and chitosan were further mixed and cross-linked with the lyophilized powder to obtain functional skin patches. Their capacity to gradually release bioactive substances and biocompatibility with epidermal cells were assessed in vitro. Finally, a full-thickness skin defect model was established to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of the skin patch. The EMSCs-CM contains abundant bioactive proteins including VEGF, KGF, EGF, bFGF, SHH, IL-10, and fibronectin. The bioactive functional composite skin patch containing EMSCs-CM lyophilized powder showed the network-like microstructure could continuously release the bioactive proteins, and possessed ideal biocompatibility with rat epidermal cells in vitro. Transplantation of the composite skin patch could expedite the healing of the full-thickness skin defect by promoting endogenous epidermal stem cell proliferation and skin appendage regeneration in rats. In summary, the bioactive functional composite skin patch containing EMSCs-CM lyophilized powder can effectively accelerate skin repair, which has promising application prospects in the treatment of skin defects.

Breakdown and interface dynamics of pulsed discharge plasma across air-water interface: From single to repetitive stimulation

Pulsed discharge in the vicinity of a multi-phase interface, where a discontinuity of physical properties exists, can be a joint problem of both electro- and thermo-physics. This study shows a comprehensive analysis of electric breakdown across an air-water interface and its successive multi-physical effects. The scenario is constructed via a pair of pin electrodes positioned on both sides of the interface, and the transient discharge is analyzed using high-speed backlight photography synchronized with electrical and optical diagnostics. It is observed that the corona/streamer develops from either side of the pin electrode. Electrostatic instability causes the interface to fluctuate and a water column to form above the interface. By increasing the applied voltage, discharge evolves from “dielectric barrier” mode (pin to interface) to “through breakdown” mode (pin to pin). Once the conductive channel bridges two electrodes, electric power of ∼40 kW peak and deposited energy of 100 mJ will be injected into the channel and promote the “streamer-spark” transition, resulting in a crown-like splash (100 m s-1) near the interface and cavity formation. As the quenching of diffused plasmas, the over-expanded splash (5 mm in diameter) would be re-compressed by the ambient air. Particularly, the shrinkage of the thin water film of the splash can reach a 20 mm jet near the axis and develop Rayleigh-Taylor instability, along with the formation of micro-jets eruption during the convergent collision. More sophisticated interactions will appear at higher repetitive frequency (>100 Hz), where the perturbation caused by one pulse will influence the next, namely the “memory” effect. Furthermore, periodic loading on the interface effectively changes the cavity characteristics, showing an attractive prospect in fluid control applications.

A Genetic Causal Explainer for Deep Knowledge Tracing

Knowledge tracing (KT) has become an increasingly relevant problem in intelligent education services. Deep learning-based knowledge tracing (DLKT) achieves superb performance in terms of prediction accuracy, but it lacks of explainability, which makes us hard to trust or understand models. The previous work on explaining DLKT was mainly based on gradients or attention scores, which is susceptible to spurious correlations, reducing the credibility of the explanation. To address this limitation, in this paper, we propose a causal explanation method based on the genetic algorithm (GA), named Genetic Causal Explainer(GCE), which constructs a causal framework to estimate the attribution of subsequence to the predictions of DLKT models, and a genetic coding system is designed. Further, A multi-strategy initialization method inspired by domain prior knowledge is proposed, and a global empirical matrix is introduced to capture the causal correlation knowledge during the search process across instances, and guiding the mutation operators. The GCE as a post hoc explanation method can generate explanation results without affecting model training, and can be applied to analyze different DLKT models. Experimental results demonstrate the GCE perform better than other explanation methods in terms of accuracy and readability in quantitative assessments. Meanwhile, the GCE also shows good application prospects in mining educational laws and comparing KT models.

Impact of Mesenchymal Stem Cells on the Gut Microbiota and Microbiota Associated Functions in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review of Preclinical Evidence on Animal Models.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a global health problem in which gut microbiota dysbiosis plays a pivotal pathogenic role. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) therapy has shown promising application prospects for its powerful immune regulation and tissue repair ability. Recent experimental data suggest that MSCs also regulate the composition of gut microbiota. The current review analyzed, for the first time, the research data linking MSCs and gut microbiota modulation in IBD models aiming at assessing the role of gut microbiota in MSCs repair of IBD. A comprehensive and structured literature search was performed up to January 2023 on the PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. The quality and risk of bias assessment followed the PRISMA guidelines and SYRCLE's tool. A total of nine pre-clinical studies on animal models were included. Although the dose and route of MSCs applied were quite heterogeneous, results showed that MSCs displayed protective effects on intestinal inflammation, including mice general assessment, immunoregulation, and intestinal barrier integrity. Meanwhile, studies showed positive effects on the composition of gut flora with MSCs administration, which had been characterized by restoration of Firmicutes/ Bacteroides balance and reduction of Proteobacteria. The beneficial bacteria Akkermansia, Bifidobacterium, and Lactobacillus were also distinctly enriched, and the pathogenic bacteria Escherichia-Shigella was conversely decreased. The alpha and beta diversity were also regulated to resemble those of healthy mice. Microbial metabolic functions, such as biosynthesis of secondary bile acid and sphingolipid metabolism, and some biological behaviors related to cell regeneration were also up-regulated, while cancer function and poorly characterized cellular function were down-regulated. Current data support the remodeling effect on gut microbiota with MSC administration, which provides a potential therapeutic mechanism for MSCs in the treatment of IBD. Additional studies in humans and animal models are warranted to further confirm the role of gut microflora in MSCs repairing IBD.

Enhanced hydrophilicity and stability of carbon-based aerogel with assembling of halloysite nanotubes and silica fibers for efficient solar seawater evaporation and desalination

Solar vapor generation has emerged as a sustainable technique for seawater evaporation and desalination. Integrating high hydrophilicity, strong light absorbance, good salt resistance, fast water transfer and good structural stability simultaneously in one evaporator at low cost for achieving cost-effective evaporation and long-term utilization is highly desirable but still challenging. Herein, an eco-friendly and low-cost aerogel (CSH) with natural chitosan, halloysite nanotubes and silica fibers was prepared by freeze-casting, which was then carbonized to construct a robust aerogel (cCSH) as evaporator. The cellular structure of cCSH aerogel with microchannels enables fast water transfer and rapid salt dissolution, the carbonized chitosan favors enhanced light absorption, the halloysite assembled on the walls endows the aerogel with excellent hydrophilicity, and the silica fibers penetrating the multilayer guarantee good structural stability. As expected, the prepared evaporator (cCSH200) exhibits remarkable evaporation rates of 2.49/7.20 kg·m−2·h−1 under one/four sun, respectively, exceeding most biomacromolecule-derived aerogels. Besides, it displays outstanding salt resistance, wastewater purification ability and long-term cycle stability. Outdoor test further substantiates the admirable evaporation performance, long-term durability and enormous application prospect of the cCSH200. This work affords a low-cost tactic for the development of efficient evaporator for solar-driven seawater desalination and wastewater treatment.