To realize the full potential of biomass waste-derived electrodes, their synthesis must be fully reproducible and their environmental life cycle impact must be assessed quantitatively. We now show how a systematic comparison of coffee waste as a source for direct hydrazine fuel cell anodes can inform the first full life cycle assessment (LCA) of this application. The result is a practical process yielding active and replicable materials, whose quantified environmental footprint points to actionable avenues for further development.

Synergistic interactions between the supported thin oxide layer and the underlying metal oxide support led to the development of novel and exciting material properties. In this work, we present a new and general approach for the surface growth of MgAl layered double hydroxides (LDH) on ZrO₂, Al₂O₃, and TiO₂ support materials. We examine the synergistic interactions between the top MgAlO_x mixed metal oxide (MMO), obtained after LDH calcination, and the underlying metal oxide support (MMO/metal oxide) as a function of MMO loading and support type. The obtained materials are characterized using a range of analytical tools ICP-OES, H₂-TPR, CO₂-TPD, PXRD, TGA/DSC, physisorption, HRSEM-EDS and HAADF-STEM–EDS followed by catalytic testing. We show that regardless of the MMO/metal oxide combination, effective interaction between the MMO and the underlying support, more dominant at the lower MMO coverage, promotes synergistic effects, manifested by a lower Ni reduction temperature compared to Ni on bulk MMO. Evaluating the obtained catalysts (Ni/MMO/metal oxide) in the dry reforming of methane (DRM) reaction, we find that the increase in MgAlO_x-MMO coating amount on the ZrO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) leads to an improvement in DRM activity and stability. In addition, we find that for the same MgAlO_x-MMO coating amount, the Ni catalyst based on the ZrO₂ NPs is superior to the catalyst based on Al₂O₃ NPs, while the catalyst based on TiO₂ NPs is the least active. The obtained results are explained in context to the extent of coating, metal support interaction (MSI) levels, and support structure. Combined with the high versatility of LDH material, this new methodology provides a versatile synthetic route to adapt the surface property of an oxide to a certain application. For DRM, we show the tuning of MSI as governed by the interactions between the underlying metal oxide and supported MMO.

The pyrolysis of biomass is a promising route toward carbon electrodes, but its adoption in electrocatalysis is mostly limited to the oxygen reduction reaction. To prepare precise active sites for other electrocatalytic reactions in the oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon cycles, the complexity of both the biomass precursor and the pyrolysis process must be reigned in. We now report a two-stage strategy for stabilizing the synthesis of a reproducible electrocatalyst for a reaction requiring a precise active site, namely the hydrazine oxidation reaction. The strategy starts with a common yet variable biomass (ground coffee waste) and proceeds through (1) optimized activation by a range of methods, and (2) scalable introduction of Fe–N₄ centers. The result is a sustainable, highly active, and most importantly, reproducible, Fe–N–C electrocatalyst. This work should help the scientific and technological communities to realize the full potential of biomass as a source for carbon electrodes.

Antibodies are proteins prized for their ability to bind to extracellular antigens with exceptionally high affinities and specificities. These features have motivated researchers to utilize antibody-antigen binding to inhibit intracellular disease targets in the proteome, yet delivery of antibodies into the cytosol of cells has long been a considerable challenge. Here, we outline the development of a novel lipid nanoparticle (LNP) platform for delivering antibodies into cells to selectively inhibit disease-relevant cytosolic targets. This approach efficiently delivers various therapeutic antibodies into multiple cancer cell lines, inhibiting key transcription factors in inflammatory and cancer signaling pathways. We further demonstrate systemic delivery of therapeutic antibodies in disease models, including alpha-synuclein-specific antibodies for Parkinson9s disease and RelA-specific IgGs for acute lung injury using targeted LNP formulations. This work establishes a promising method for using LNPs for the delivery of antibody and antibody-derived therapeutics intracellularly to treat numerous proteome targets.

Subnanometer bimetallic clusters hold great promise for catalytic applications due to their unique electronic properties and high surface-to-volume ratios. However, precise control over their composition and size remains a major challenge, particularly for immiscible metal pairs. Here, we report a surface-anchored molecular approach for synthesizing ∼0.7–0.8 nm Cu–M (M = Ru, Mo, W, Fe) bimetallic clusters on mesoporous silica supports, using heterobinuclear N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-based complexes as precursors. The NHC ligand functionalized with an alkoxysilane anchor enables robust grafting to the silica interface. Controlled calcination and reduction lead to subnanometer clusters with tunable composition, dictated by the metal–metal bond stability in the precursor. In situ transmission electron microscopy reveals cluster growth proceeds via sintering of adjacent surface-bound units, while elevated temperatures above 300 °C triggering diffusion and phase separation. Catalytic testing in ethylene hydrogenation demonstrates composition-dependent activity and kinetics, with CuRu and CuW clusters exhibiting lower apparent activation energy barriers compared with monometallic Cu nanoparticles. This study establishes a generalizable strategy for the interfacial synthesis of alloyed clusters from molecular precursors and provides mechanistic insight into how precursor design governs nanostructure formation and catalytic behavior.

Nanoscale films play a central role in biology and osmotic separations. Their water/salt selectivity is often regarded as intrinsic property, favoring thinner membranes for faster permeation. Here we highlight and quantify a fundamental limitation arising from the dependence of ion self-energy on film thickness, governed by its ratio to Bjerrum length. The resulting relation factors out this dependence from intrinsic ion permeability, which agrees well with available data and enables evaluation of dielectric properties of ultrathin films, advancing understanding of ion transport in membranes.

Adaptable hydrogel bioelectronics that sustain long-term, uninterrupted operation are critical for early disease diagnosis and personalized health care. However, conventional hydrogel electrodes suffer from mechanical fragility, rapid dehydration, freezing, and poor comfort because of thickness-induced interfacial gaps. We report a 2.7-micrometer-thick robust, permeable, and antifreezing hydrogel electrode for high-quality 8-day electrophysiological monitoring under everyday scenarios. The ultrathin electrode is fabricated using gelatin hydrogels with temperature-controlled phase change properties reinforced by nanomesh while incorporating lithium chloride, and a binary solvent achieves antifreezing and antidehydration characteristics. The design minimizes flexural rigidity, resulting in high interfacial adhesion energy with human skin, and enhances gas (air, oxygen, and carbon dioxide) permeance and water vapor transmission rate. Consequently, the ultrathin hydrogel electrode exhibits high biocompatibility, superior wear comfort, and minimized motion and sweat artifacts, enabling reliable, uninterrupted, wireless health monitoring over eight consecutive days across various real-life activities and adaptation to cold environments.

Targeting therapeutic nanoparticles to the brain poses a challenge due to the restrictive nature of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Here we report the development of mRNA-loaded lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) functionalized with BBB-interacting small molecules, thereby enhancing brain delivery and gene expression. Screening brain-targeted mRNA-LNPs in central nervous system (CNS) in vitro models and through intravenous administration in mice demonstrated that acetylcholine-conjugated LNPs achieved superior brain tropism and gene expression, outperforming LNP modifications with nicotine, glucose, memantine, cocaine, tryptophan, and other small molecules. An artificial intelligence (AI)-based model designed to predict the BBB permeability of small-molecule ligands showed strong alignment with our experimental results, providing in vivo validation of its predictive capacity. Cell-specific biodistribution analysis in Cre-reporter Ai9 mice showed that acetylcholine-functionalized LNPs preferentially transfected neurons and astrocytes following either intravenous or intracerebral administration. Mechanistic studies suggest that acetylcholine-LNP uptake is mediated by the functional engagement of acetylcholine receptors (AchRs) followed by endocytosis, which synergistically enhances intracellular mRNA delivery. Moreover, acetylcholine-LNPs successfully crossed a human BBB-on-a-chip model, enabling transgene expression in human iPSC-derived neurons. Their effective penetration and transfection in human brain organoids further support their potential activity in human-based systems. These findings establish a predictive and modular framework for engineering CNS-targeted LNPs, advancing precision gene delivery for brain disorders.

We present pH-responsive colloidal paste based on brushes of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) grafted on silica microparticles (∼4 μm) that actively modulates bulk fluid flow in packed bed columns of the colloid paste. pH-dependent charge and conformational changes of the PAA brushes in aqueous 10 mM NaNO₃ solutions (pH 2–10) give an 8-fold change in flow rate (0.04–0.32 mL/min) through dynamic particle rearrangement in the paste, offering potential for flow rate modulation by pH. The colloid paste is a onsive “colloidal flow gate” that actively changes its permeability based on the aqueous solution acidity. We characterize the colloidal paste permeability by measuring pH variations of the flow rate through the paste.

Anion-exchange membranes (AEMs) enable electrochemical energy devices to operate in alkaline environments, allowing the use of earth-abundant, platinum group metal-free catalysts. This makes them highly attractive for applications such as AEM fuel cells (AEMFCs), water electrolyzers (AEMWEs), and oxygen separators (AEMOSs). However, two key challenges still hinder their commercialization: chemical degradation of the membranes and carbonation from atmospheric CO₂, both of which impair conductivity and reduce long-term performance. Building upon our ex situ novel technique to measure the alkaline stability of quaternary ammonium salts (QAs) and AEMs at different hydroxide hydration levels, in this study we investigate the effect of CO₂ on the stability of the AEMs. Specifically, we evaluate the stability of AEM standard benzyltrimethyl ammonium cations (BTMA⁺) in the presence of mixtures of hydroxide and (bi)carbonate anions at different ratios and hydration levels. Additionally, we introduce a novel technique to simultaneously evaluate (bi)carbonate impact and hydroxide conductivity in AEMs. Our results reveal that the presence of (bi)carbonate anions surrounding BTMA⁺ significantly reduces QA degradation. This phenomenon is further supported by molecular dynamics simulations, which suggest a “salting-out” effect, where water more strongly hydrates hydroxide ions, isolating them from the organic QA sites and reducing degradation probability. These findings provide new insight into AEM behavior in CO₂-containing environments such as ambient air. This study provides new, valuable data to overcome the critical challenge of AEM alkaline stability and opens new avenues for the design of more durable AEM materials, advancing the development of AEMFCs, AEMWEs, and AEMOSs for real-world applications.