Soil salinization and alkalinization threaten plant growth worldwide. In response, plants deploy various physiological and molecular defense mechanisms. Nanobiotechnology offers a potential strategy to enhance crop stress tolerance. Here, we found that nano-Fe3O4 increased salt-alkali tolerance in melon seedlings by suppressing the expression of the transcription factor CmBHLH93. Transcriptomic analysis revealed strong downregulation of CmBHLH93 upon nano-Fe3O4 application under salt-alkali stress. Functional assays showed that CmBHLH93 acted as a negative regulator of salt tolerance. It directly bound the promoters of key defense-related genes involved in abscisic acid (ABA) synthesis (CmNCED3), jasmonic acid (JA) synthesis (CmAOS), antioxidant activity (CmPOD-1), and Na[+] transport (CmSOS1), thereby repressing their transcription. Taken together, nano-Fe3O4 enhanced melon salt tolerance by downregulating CmBHLH93 transcription and activating downstream responses associated with ABA/JA signaling, antioxidant capacity, and Na[+]/K[+] homeostasis. These results define a regulatory mechanism through which nanomaterials modulate plant tolerance to salt-alkali stress and provide a conceptual basis for improving crop stress tolerance using nanotechnology.

Rising atmospheric CO2 and climate pressures have intensified interest in carbon capture and utilization (CCU). The reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction offers a direct route to convert CO2 into CO, a versatile syngas component for Fischer-Tropsch, methanol synthesis, and other downstream processes, thereby supporting a circular carbon economy. RWGS is inherently challenging: it is endothermic and favored only at high temperatures (>600 °C), which promotes catalyst sintering and high energy demand, while at lower temperatures the competing Sabatier reaction dominates, producing CH4 over Ni. Catalyst selection further complicates implementation: noble metals (Au, Pt, Rh) offer high CO selectivity but are costly, whereas base metals (Ni, Fe, Cu) are more abundant yet prone to methanation, sintering, or phase instability. Industrial deployment also demands resilience under water-rich environments, high space velocities, and thermal cycling associated with variable renewable H2 supply. This Account presents our efforts to address these challenges through rational catalyst design guided by three central principles: electronic modulation via promoters to control adsorption and reaction pathways; active phase engineering to tune catalytic functionality and suppress undesired reactions, and structural and interfacial design to enhance stability and durability under realistic conditions. These principles are systematically explored using Ni- and Fe-based catalysts as model systems for scalable CO2 valorization. Alkali-promoted Ni catalysts, particularly Cs-modified Ni/CeO2, demonstrate how electronic tuning and metal-support interactions suppress methanation and enable CO-selective RWGS across a wide temperature range. Phase engineering further transforms Ni into phosphide intermetallic (Ni2P, Ni12P5), introducing active sites that favor CO formation while minimizing hydrogenation pathways. Complementary strategies in Fe-based systems, including MOF-derived Fe/carbon composites and Fe-Cu bimetallics, highlight the role of metal-support and metal-metal interactions in stabilizing active phases and enhancing CO yields. To address deactivation, nanoscale architectural control, such as core-shell and yolk-shell structures, has been employed to mitigate sintering and carbon deposition. Beyond single-function catalysts, dual-function and switchable materials integrate CO2 capture with catalytic conversion and enable dynamic operation across RWGS, methanation, and dry reforming, providing flexibility under variable process conditions. Mechanistic insights derived from operando spectroscopy reveal how surface defects, promoters, and support redox properties govern reaction pathways, including formate-mediated and redox mechanisms, thereby linking catalyst structure to function. Collectively, these studies demonstrate how integrating electronic, compositional, and structural design strategies can reconcile the competing demands of activity, selectivity, and stability in RWGS catalysis. By bridging mechanistic understanding with practical engineering considerations, this work advances RWGS from a fundamental reaction toward a scalable platform for CO2 valorization. These insights provide a framework for the design of next-generation catalytic materials and highlight the broader potential of rational materials engineering in enabling sustainable carbon utilization technologies. Looking ahead, operando-guided discovery, AI-assisted materials design, and integration with renewable energy infrastructures will be critical to realizing its full potential.

Wnt proteins regulate adult tissue homeostasis and repair by driving stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. High-performance Wnt preparations have enormous therapeutic potential, especially alongside various stem cell technologies. Currently, a major limitation of most Wnt preparations is that they inevitably require fetal bovine serum (FBS) or detergents to maintain Wnt solubility and activity. Recently, afamin (AFM) was identified as a serum factor that solubilizes Wnt3a in conditioned media (CM), obviating the requirement for animal sera. Here, we show that serum albumin (SA) helps maintain the activity and stability of AFM-solubilized Wnt3a in CM, likely through a stabilizing effect. We further demonstrate, using test-tube assays, that SA alone efficiently solubilizes purified Wnt3a (pWnt3a) independently of AFM. This approach enables the conversion of conventional detergent-solubilized pWnt3a (CHAPS-pWnt3a) into SA-pWnt3a through dialysis-mediated detergent removal. Together, these findings define a simple and robust SA-based strategy for preserving Wnt3a activity, addressing a long-standing challenge in both experimental and therapeutic settings.

Nerve agents, a class of extremely toxic chemical warfare agents, pose a severe threat, making their rapid degradation an urgent necessity. Zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks are promising catalysts for hydrolyzing organophosphorus nerve agents, but their practical application is severely hampered by the reliance on external alkaline buffers to regenerate active sites. Furthermore, conventional kinetic models are inadequate for fully describing the time-dependent catalytic behavior. Herein, we report a general strategy to overcome these limitations by constructing a built-in alkaline microenvironment within nanoflower-like zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks (denoted as MOFF/Mg-n) through loading magnesium methoxide. In this dual-component system, the Zr6 nodes function as catalytic centers while the loaded Mg(OMe)2 serves as a consumable alkaline reservoir. Under the tested conditions (Zr6:DMNP = 1:2), the optimized catalyst MOFF/Mg-2 exhibits a significantly shortened hydrolysis half-life of only 2.8 min toward nerve-agent simulant dimethyl 4-nitrophenyl phosphate (DMNP) under nonbuffered conditions, while MOFF/Mg-4 can hydrolyze DMNP almost completely within 20 min. To gain deeper insight into the kinetic behavior of this complex system, we successfully applied the Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts (KWW) stretched-exponential model, which provided an excellent fit of the experimental data and yielded two key parameters of the characteristic rate constant and the stretching exponent, for quantitative performance evaluation. This work demonstrates that constructing a built-in alkaline microenvironment is a feasible and powerful strategy for achieving efficient, nonbuffered nerve agent degradation, paving a new route for practical decontamination in real-world scenarios. Moreover, the successful application of the KWW model provides a robust empirical kinetic framework for designing and evaluating high-performance decontamination catalysts for complex surface reactions. The system operates as a reusable MOF scaffold with a replenishable alkaline reservoir, enabling sustained performance through simple re-impregnation of Mg (OMe)2.

The chlorine evolution reaction (CER) is central to chlor-alkali electrolysis, yet Ru‑based anodes often suffer from competitive oxygen evolution and anodic dissolution under acidic potentials. Here, we report 2D ultrathin amorphous Sn‑doped RuOx nanosheets prepared via atomic engineering, in which Ru-O covalency and the Ru oxidation state are simultaneously modulated. Structural and spectroscopic analyses indicate that Ru centers are stabilized against over‑oxidation, suppressing the formation of volatile RuO4 or soluble RuO5 [2-]. Operando attenuated total reflection surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy, combined with [18]O isotope labeling, reveals negligible lattice‑oxygen participation and a preference for direct Cl[-] adsorption, thereby suppressing oxygen evolution and promoting CER. The optimized Ru-based catalyst achieves high CER selectivity (∼97%), long-term stability (>300 h), and mass activity nearly 40 times higher than commercial benchmarks. These results highlight the significant potential of metal-oxide bond-covalency modulation as a viable strategy for durable anodic oxidation electrocatalysis.

To reduce labor costs, mitigate plastic pollution, and enhance disease control in cold-region rice seedling nurseries, this study developed a biodegradable film-based seedling system.From 2022 to 2024, large-scale comparative field experiments were conducted over three consecutive years in seven major rice-producing cities and counties in Heilongjiang Province, including Tailai, Tonghe, and Fangzheng, to systematically analyze the effect of this technique on seedling morphology, biomass, vigor, and other key indicators, as well as its ecological and inter-annual adaptability. The results showed that, compared with traditional mechanical transplanting tray seedling raising (CK), the biodegradable film-based treatment (T1) increased seedling height, root length, stem base width,dry weight per hundred seedlings, and the classic strong seedling index (SRI) by an average of 6.82%, 8.97%, 9.52%, 10.26%, and 12.41%, respectively, while maintaining a stable root-shoot ratio and water metabolism.No bacterial wilt or seedling blight was observed throughout the experimental period, and no white plastic residue was detected.The total costof seedling raising was reduced by 15%-20%. Regionally, the technique performed best in high-biomass zones (e.g., Tonghe, Mishan) and balanced robust seedling zones (e.g., Suibin, Qing'an), while also showing positive effects in stress-prone regions. This technique demonstrates potential for improving seedling quality while reducing costs and plastic residue.Across 21 site-year combinations spanning seven major rice-producing regions, the system demonstrated consistent positive effects (T1/CK ratios >1.02) with the highest advantages observed in high-biomass regions (Tonghe and Mishan), confirming broad ecological adaptability.

Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) requires considerable soil moisture throughout its life cycle, therefore, its cultivation in water constraint area is difficult. Though different soil moisture conservation technologies and lower water use irrigation systems have been developed for crop cultivation, their successful deployment largely depends on the locality, especially on soil characteristics. This study evaluated the effects of irrigation regimes, mulching practices, and their combination on growth, stress physiology and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) of brinjal across two field locations with contrasting soil conditions. Location 1 had coarser soil, lower nutrient and organic matter content profiles and lower water-holding capacity than location 2. The experiment comprised three irrigation levels [rainfed (I0), conventional furrow irrigation (IC), and drip irrigation (ID)] and three mulching treatments [no mulch (M0), straw mulch (MS), and plastic mulch (MP)] with three replications at both locations. Irrigation and mulching both significantly influenced growth, stress indicators, fruit yield, and IWUE, though the effects of the treatment on these parameters varied between locations. At Location 1, drip irrigation (ID) produced a fruit yield of 8.90 ± 5.68 t ha-1, with considerable variability among replicates, and did not differ significantly (p = 0.88) from conventional furrow irrigation (IC) or the rainfed treatment (I0). In contrast, at location 2, drip irrigation outperformed (21.88 ± 9.44 t ha-1) other treatments, being 117% and 32% higher than I0 and IC, respectively. Plastic mulching (MP) improved growth, reduced drought stress and increased yield compared to MS and M0 at both locations. The highest yield at location 1 (23.18 ± 6.62 t ha-1) occurred under IC × MP, while the highest yield at location 2 (32.93 ± 1.62 t ha-1) was achieved under ID × MP. IWUE peaked at 38.84 kg ha-1 mm-1 (IC × MP) in location 1 and 65.87 kg ha-1 mm-1 (ID × MP) in location 2. A linear mixed model estimated that plastic mulch increased yield by ~10.63 t ha-1 (95% CI: 6.58-14.68 t ha-1, p < 0.001) over no mulch, and IC × MP produced a synergistic yield gain of 11.03 t ha-1 (95% CI: 5.3-16.76 t ha-1, p = 0.003) over the control. Overall, plastic mulching consistently enhanced brinjal performance, while the benefit of drip irrigation was soil-dependent and was most evident in the higher water-retention field.

Vegetation dynamics in dryland ecosystems are defined by competition for water, a limiting and increasingly variable resource. As aridification creates warmer and drier conditions, with more frequent and intense droughts, the nature of competitive relationships may be altered, leading to changes in community composition. Reduced water availability is expected to decrease the cover and abundance of cool-season C3 grasses on the Colorado Plateau, with unknown impacts on other plant functional types, such as drought-tolerant C4 species. Here, we explore the effects of competitive release on Pleuraphis jamesii, a dominant C4 grass with rooting and photosynthetic traits that may enable it to capitalize on the mortality of less drought tolerant C3 species. To accomplish this, we used herbicide to create three removal treatments (C3 grass and forb removal, C4 grass removal, and control (no removal)) surrounding P. jamesii focal individuals and measured the subsequent impacts on water availability and plant water relations and growth. The experimentally induced mortality resulted in greater water availability for focal individuals in the C3 removal treatment. Increased water availability in C3 removal plots translated to less water stress and greater biomass production of focal P. jamesii plants, suggesting that competitive release can serve as the basis for shifts in community composition towards drought tolerant C4 plants observed regionally. These responses were not observed in the C4 removal treatment despite removing roughly equivalent amounts of total plant cover. Our results suggest that reductions in C3 competitors may benefit drought-tolerant C4 species through increased resource availability. These findings contribute to a mechanistic understanding of competitive interactions in increasingly water-limited systems.

Hydrocalumite-like phases, belonging to the layered double hydroxide family, are potential biomaterials for bone repair; however, their cellular effects remain incompletely understood. Here, we evaluated a hydrocalumite-like material of composition [Ca2Al(OH)6]Cl·nH2O (abbreviated Ca2Al-Cl) in preosteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells, assessing viability, adhesion/signaling, osteogenic differentiation, extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, and cytokine profiles. Across a 0.002-0.2 mg mL[-1] range of Ca2Al-Cl, preserved cell viability and membrane integrity were observed, with the highest concentration (0.2 mg mL[-1]) eliciting the largest increase in metabolic activity (~270% of control), with a progressive reduction at lower concentrations; quantitative Crystal Violet staining showed increased total attachment at 0.2 and 0.02 mg mL[-1], while early adhesion transcripts (Integrin-β1, FAK, Src, PP2A, Cofilin) decreased. Cell-cycle readouts revealed increased p21 and decreased CDK6, with CDK2/4 levels remaining unchanged. During 14-day differentiation, Osteocalcin increased, and ALP staining revealed more foci, yet Alpl, Runx2, and Osterix/Sp7 decreased, and Alizarin Red showed no visible mineral increase; OPG/RANKL were not modulated, thus the regulatory axis of bone resorption was not altered. The collagen content, as determined by Picrosirius staining, matched that of the Control, whereas the osteogenic medium was lower. Gelatin zymography indicated relatively higher MMP-2 (pro/intermediate/active) and lower MMP-9 under Ca2Al-Cl. Cytokine profiling revealed increased levels of IL-6 and IL-33, accompanied by reduced IL-1/IL-1β and IL-10, and unchanged TNF. Collectively, Ca2Al-Cl induces an ECM-centric, early osteogenic priming phenotype characterized by selective remodeling (MMP-2-biased) and cytokine modulation without late mineral accrual under these conditions. These findings position Ca2Al-Cl as a potential modulator of the early bone regenerative microenvironment, a property that could be harnessed for applications where controlled matrix organization is prioritized over rapid mineralization. However, further studies quantifying ion release dynamics and utilizing 3D/co-culture models are essential to elucidate the causal mechanisms and translate this priming effect into a functional regenerative outcome.

Carbon-based anode materials offer compelling advantages for rechargeable ion batteries, and particularly fullerene C60 has a higher theoretical capacity of 446 mAh g[-1] than the traditional graphite anode in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, its zero-dimensional cage structure tends to spontaneously aggregate, and its alkali-metal intercalated intermediate (fulleride) facilely dissolves in organic electrolytes, severely limiting its practical anode capacity and deteriorating recyclability. Herein, for the first time, we apply metal-free two-dimensional C60 covalent network (2D-C60) with distinct bonding patterns, including tetragonal phase (TP-2D-C60) and hexagonal phase (HP-2D-C60) nanosheets, as novel anode materials for LIBs, achieving high anode capacity, breaking the theoretical limit of C60 molecule. TP-2D-C60 delivers a specific capacity of 522.0 mAh g[-1] at 0.1 A g[-1], outperforming HP-2D-C60 (408.6 mAh g[-1]) and pristine C60 (3.4 mAh g[-1]). This phenomenon is rationalized by DFT calculations, revealing that TP-2D-C60 exhibits a higher density of Li-ion binding sites and a lower Li-ion migration barrier than HP-2D-C60. To assess its universality across ion-battery chemistries, we further demonstrate the application of TP-2D-C60 as an anode for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), achieving a high discharge capacity of 309.9 mAh g[-1] at 0.1 A g[-1].

The development of cost-effective and durable anode materials derived from renewable biomass is essential for practical lithium- and sodium-ion batteries (LIBs/SIBs). However, conventional strategies for integrating high-capacity metal oxides with biomass carbon often suffer from weak oxide-carbon adhesion, nanoparticle aggregation, and large volume changes during cycling. To overcome these limitations, we present an interfacial engineering approach in which carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) serves as a molecular bridge to anchor Fe3O4 nanoparticles in situ onto ginkgo branch-derived biochar (GBC). The abundant hydroxyl and carboxyl groups of CMC simultaneously guide uniform Fe3O4 nucleation and create a molecular bridge that mediates interfacial chemical interactions that facilitate charge transfer while accommodating volume strain. Structural and compositional analyses confirm the formation of CMC/Fe3O4/GBC with well-dispersed nanocrystals, a hierarchically porous architecture, and magnetic responsiveness. As an anode, CMC/Fe3O4/GBC delivers 256 mAh/g at 2000 mA/g in SIBs, substantially higher than that of bare GBC and unmodified Fe3O4/GBC. Comparable durability is observed in LIBs, where the composite retains 297 mAh/g after 2000 cycles at the same rate. Kinetic studies using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic intermittent titration technique, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reveal that CMC bridging enhances pseudocapacitive contribution and accelerates ion diffusion. Post-cycling X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy further confirm the preserved electrode integrity. These results establish a scalable interfacial modification strategy for biomass-derived magnetic composites toward durable alkali-ion storage.

Zeolite-P is a synthetic member of the gismondine (GIS) framework family and is intrinsically microporous, with intersecting eight-membered-ring channels. Mesoporosity reported for some Zeolite-P samples is therefore a secondary textural feature arising from interparticle voids, crystal aggregation, defects, or deliberately hierarchical architectures rather than from the GIS framework itself. This critical review focuses specifically on waste-derived GIS/Zeolite-P and integrates polymorph selection (Na-P1 and Na-P2), phase-purity assessment, precursor-to-property relationships, shaping, regeneration, and adsorption under increasingly realistic conditions. Structural and compositional evidence from X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), solid-state [29]Si and [27]Al magic-angle-spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis is evaluated in terms of what each technique can establish specifically for GIS materials. Waste-derived synthesis routes-including hydrothermal, alkali-fusion-assisted, microwave-assisted, ultrasound-assisted, sol-gel, and solvent-free methods-are compared without assuming that a waste precursor or a shorter synthesis is intrinsically lower-impact. Particular attention is paid to water purification, ion exchange, dehydration, and selective gas adsorption, while distinguishing single-solute batch tests from multicomponent, real-water, regeneration, and breakthrough evidence. The review also reconciles computational predictions with experiments: idealized pure-silica GIS models can overpredict CO2 uptake relative to realistic aluminosilicate Na-P1/Na-P2, for which extra-framework cations, hydration, and restricted diffusion strongly affect accessibility. The resulting analysis identifies phase purity, matrix effects, regeneration, leaching safety, shaping, and process-level techno-economic/life-cycle metrics as the key barriers to translation of waste-derived Zeolite-P from laboratory studies to deployable adsorbents.