Two-step route for manufacturing the bio-mesopores structure functional composites by mushroom-derived carbon/Co3O4 for lithium-ion batteries

3D Porous Co3O4/MXene Foam Fabricated via a Sulfur Template Strategy for Enhanced Li/K-Ion Storage

Co₃O₄ is a potential high-capacity anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and potassium-ion batteries (PIBs), but the poor electrical conductivity and large volume fluctuations during long-term cycling severely limit its cycle durability and rate capabilities, especially for PIBs with large K-ion size. Here, we propose a sulfur template route to fabricate an integral 3D porous Co₃O₄/MXene (Ti₃C₂T_x) foam using simple vacuum co-filtrating an aqueous dispersion of Co₃O₄, S and MXene followed by calcining to remove the S template. The 3D porous structure can easily accommodate the large volume changes of Co₃O₄ while maintains electrode structural integrity, allowing to realize outstanding long-term cycle stability when tested as anodes for both LIBs (620.4 mA h g^-1 after 1000 cycles at 1 A g^-1) and PIBs (134.1 mA h g^-1 after 1000 cycles at 0.5 A g^-1). The high metallic conductivity of the 3D porous MXene network further facilitates the electron/ion transmission, resulting in an improved rate capability of 390 mA h g^-1 at 13 A g^-1 for LIBs and 125.3 mA h g^-1 at 1 A g^-1 for PIBs. The robust performance of the 3D porous Co₃O₄/MXene foam reflects its perspective as a high-performance anode material for both LIBs and PIBs.

Evaluation and characterization of Pleurotus eryngii extract-loaded chitosan nanoparticles as antimicrobial agents against some human pathogens

With the increase of antibiotic resistance, which is present at a worrying rate, research on the use of newly developed nanoparticles as an antimicrobial agent with green biotechnology has intensified. The study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial effects of chitosan nanoparticles (CSNP) synthesized using Pleurotus eryngii extract (PE). Characterization of P. eryngii-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (PE-CSNPs) was performed with Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer, X-ray diffraction, Field-emission scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, Differential scanning calorimetry, and zeta potential techniques. The FE-SEM images showed that the surface morphology of nanoparticles is similar to CS, but has more porosity network and smaller dimensions structure. The average particle size of spherical PE-CSNPs was obtained as 330.1 nm. The specific surface area and average pore diameter of the synthesized nanoparticles were found as 3.99 m²g^-1 and 2.25 nm, respectively. X-ray diffraction determines the presence of an amorphous peak at 2θ = 21.2° results from CS and PE. PE-CSNPs synthesized using P. eryngii extract showed strong antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and Candida albicans as 0.0156, 0.0625, 0.0625 and 0.0312 mg ml^-1, respectively. Thus, it was determined that chitosan nanoparticles formed by the green synthesis of P. eryngii extract showed strong anti-microbial properties.