Magnetothermal Miniature Reactors Based on Fe3 O4 Nanocube-Coated Liquid Marbles

Cocatalyst Embedded Ce-BDC-CeO2 S-Scheme Heterojunction Hollowed-Out Octahedrons With Rich Defects for Efficient CO2 Photoreduction

Constructing heterojunction photocatalysts with optimized architecture and components is an effective strategy for enhancing CO2 photoreduction by promoting photogenerated carrier separation, visible light absorption, and CO2 adsorption. Herein, defect-rich photocatalysts (Ni2P@Ce-BDC-CeO2 HOOs) with S-scheme heterojunction and hollowed-out octahedral architecture are prepared by decomposing Ce-BDC octahedrons embedded with Ni2P nanoparticles and subsequent lactic acid etching for CO2 photoreduction. The hollowed-out octahedral architecture with multistage pores (micropores, mesopores, and macropores) and oxygen vacancy defects are simultaneously produced during the preparation process. The S-scheme heterojunction boosts the quick transfer and separation of photoinduced charges. The formed hollowed-out multi-stage pore structure is favorable for the adsorption and diffusion of CO2 molecules and gaseous products. As expected, the optimized photocatalyst exhibits excellent performance, producing CO with a yield of 61.6 µmol h-1 g-1, which is four times higher than that of the original Ce-BDC octahedrons. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning Kelvin probe, and electron spin resonance spectroscopy characterizations confirm the S-schematic charge-transfer route. The key intermediate species during the CO2 photoreduction process are detected by in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to support the proposed mechanism for CO2 photoreduction. This work presents a synthetic strategy for excellent catalysts with potential prospects in photocatalytic applications.

Liquid marbles: review of recent progress in physical properties, formation techniques, and lab-in-a-marble applications in microreactors and biosensors

Liquid marbles (LMs) are nonsticking droplets whose surfaces are covered with low-wettability particles. Owing to their high mobility, shape reconfigurability, and widely accessible liquid/particle possibilities, the research on LMs has flourished since 2001. Their physical properties, fabrication mechanisms, and functionalisation capabilities indicate their potential for various applications. This review summarises the fundamental properties of LMs, the recent advances (mainly works published in 2020-2023) in the concept of LMs, physical properties, formation methods, LM-templated material design, and biochemical applications. Finally, the potential development and variations of LMs are discussed.

Magneto Twister: Magneto Deformation of the Water-Air Interface by a Superhydrophobic Magnetic Nanoparticle Layer

Remote manipulation of superhydrophobic surfaces provides fascinating features in water interface-related applications. A superhydrophobic magnetic nanoparticle colloid layer is able to float on the water-air interface and form a stable water-solid-air interface due to its inherent water repulsion, buoyancy, and lateral capillarity properties. Moreover, it easily bends downward under an externally applied gradient magnetic field. Thanks to that, the layer creates a stable twister-like structure with a flipped conical shape, under controlled water levels, behaving as a soft and elastic material that proportionally deforms with the applied magnetic field and then goes back to its initial state in the absence of an external force. When the tip of the twister structure touches the bottom of the water container, it provides a stable magneto movable system, which has many applications in the microfluidic field. We introduce, as a proof-of-principle, three possible implementations of this structure in real scenarios, the cargo and transport of water droplets in aqueous media, the generation of magneto controllable plugs in open surface channels, and the removal of floating microplastics from the air-water interface.