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Zinc cobalt oxide-zinc hydroxide (ZnCo2O4-Zn(OH)2) microspheres were successfully fabricated on carbon cloth via a sample hydrothermal method. The surface morphology of these microspheres and their efficacy in degrading methyl violet were further modulated by varying the thermal annealing temperatures. Adjusting the thermal annealing temperatures was crucial for controlling the porosity of the ZnCo2O4-Zn(OH)2 microspheres, enhancing their photocatalytic performance. Various analytical techniques were utilized to evaluate the physical and chemical properties of the ZnCo2O4-Zn(OH)2 microspheres, including field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, field-emission transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV-vis spectroscopy. Compared to untreated ZnCo2O4-Zn(OH)2 microspheres, those subjected to thermal annealing exhibited increased specific surface area and light absorption capacity, rendering them highly effective photocatalysts under UVC light exposure. Subsequent studies have confirmed the superior performance of ZnCo2O4-Zn(OH)2 microspheres as a reusable photocatalyst for degrading methyl violet and tetracycline. Furthermore, trapping experiments during the photodegradation process using ZnCo2O4-Zn(OH)2 microspheres identified hydroxyl radicals (·OH) and superoxide radicals (·O2⁻) as the primary reactive species.

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In the present paper, carbon cloth (CC) as a flexible substrate was modified by molybdenum carbide nanospheres (Mo2C NSs @CC) by the drop-coating method to develop a sensitive electrochemical platform for detecting caffeic acid. The uniform Mo2C NSs were prepared via an easy route followed by pyrolyzing the precursor of the Mo-polydopamine (Mo-PDA) NSs. The Mo2C NSs were characterized and analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (FE-SEM/EDS), Raman spectroscopy (RS), and electrochemical methods. CC not only gave a flexible feature to the sensor but also provided a larger surface area for Mo2C NSs. Meanwhile, the excellent conductivity and large electroactive specific surface area of Mo2C NSs exhibited excellent electrocatalytic performance for caffeic acid determination. The developed sensor showed high sensitivity and selectivity, good reproducibility, and long-term stability with a limit of detection (LOD) and a wide linear range of 0.001 µM (S/N = 3) and 0.01-50 µM, respectively. In addition, the Mo2C NSs @CC sensor showed a promising application prospect for the detection of caffeic acid in green and black tea samples, indicating its importance in food safety and the food industry.

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Nitrite is a common nitrogen-containing compound that possesses high biological toxicity, thereby posing a serious threat to aquatic organisms. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a rapid and quantitative determination approach for nitrite. In this study, the aim was to prepare a novel electrochemical sensor to determine nitrite. This was achieved by synthesizing Au/Zn dendritic complexes on a carbon cloth self-supported electrode after plasma treated by a stepwise strategy of electrodeposition and in-situ corrosion. In accordance with the optimal experimental conditions, the electrode exhibited remarkable catalytic activity for the electrooxidation of nitrite ions (pH = 8.0), accompanied by a considerable enhancement in peak anodic current in comparison to the unmodified electrode. The sensor exhibited a wide linear range (1-833 µM, 833-8330 µM), high sensitivity (3506 µA mM-1 cm-2, 538 µA mM-1 cm-2), a low detection limit (0.43 µM), and excellent selectivity, reproducibility, and stability for the determination of nitrite. Furthermore, the prepared sensor was successfully applied to the detection of nitrite in tap water, fish holding pond water and duck pond water, demonstrating good recovery and no significant difference from the spectrophotometric results. The results suggest that the electrochemical sensor developed in this study represents a straightforward yet efficacious approach to the development of advanced portable sensors for aquaculture applications.

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Nitric oxide (NO) in human tears regulates numerous ocular surface processes, such as tear generation, corneal wound healing, conjunctival vascular tone, and so forth. Any deviation from its normal concentration is linked to various ocular syndromes, including microbial keratitis, conjunctivitis, pterygium, dry eye, retinitis, glaucoma, and so forth. Therefore, precise monitoring of NO in tears can be considered as a potential biomarker for ocular diseases. Here, we report a highly sensitive and selective electrochemical NO sensor using carbon ink-based electrodes. Counter, working (WE), and reference electrodes have been designed and painted on a butter paper by using carbon ink. To improve the sensing performance, the WE has been modified with a gold nanoparticle (Au NP)-deposited carbon cloth (CC). Such a paper-based sensor demonstrated high sensitivity of ∼0.34 µA µM-1 cm-2, ultralow detection limit of ∼2.35 nM, wide linear range of 10 nM-0.4 mM, and fast response time (0.35 s). The sensor also showed excellent stability and selectivity toward the interfering agents in human body fluids. Such a low-cost, flexible paper-based sensor was employed for the detection of NO in artificial tears.

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A flexible asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) is successfully developed by using the composite of MoO3 and graphene oxide (GO) electrochemically deposited on carbon cloth (CC) (MoO3/rGO/CC) as the cathode, the MnO2 deposited on CC (MnO2/CC) as the anode, and Na2SO4/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the gel electrolyte. The results show that the introduction of the GO layer can remarkably increase the specific capacitance of MoO3 from 282.7 F g-1 to 341.0 F g-1. Furthermore, the combination of such good electrode materials and a neutral gel electrolyte renders the fabrication of high-performance ASC with a large operating potential difference of 1.6 V in a 0.5 mol L-1 Na2SO4 solution of water. Furthermore, the ASCs exhibit excellent cycle ability and the capacitance can maintain 87% of its initial value after 6000 cycles. The fact that a light-emitting diode can be lit up by the ASCs indicates the device's potential applications as an energy storage device. The encouraging results demonstrate a promising application of the composite of MoO3 and GO in energy storage devices.

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Textile-based wearable robotics increasingly integrates sensing and energy materials to enhance functionality, particularly in physiological monitoring, demanding higher-performing and abundant robotic textiles. Among the alternatives, activated carbon cloth stands out due to its monolithic nature and high specific surface area, enabling uninterrupted electron transfer and energy storage capability in the electrical double layer, respectively. Yet, the potential of monolithic activated carbon cloth electrodes (MACCEs) in wearables still needs to be explored, particularly in sensing and energy storage. MACCE conductance increased by 29% when saturated with Na2SO4 aqueous electrolyte and charged from 0 to 0.375 V. MACCE was validated for measuring pressure up to 28 kPa at all assessed charge levels. Electrode sensitivity to compression decreased by 30% at the highest potential due to repulsive forces between like charges in electrical double layers at the MACCE surface, counteracting compression. MACCE's controllable sensitivity decrease can be beneficial for garments in avoiding irrelevant signals and focusing on essential health changes. A MACCE charge-dependent sensitivity provides a method for assessing local electrode charge. Our study highlights controlled charging and electrolyte interactions in MACCE for multifunctional roles, including energy transmission and pressure detection, in smart wearables.

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Previous laboratory-scale studies have consistently shown that carbon-based conductive materials can notably improve the anaerobic digestion of food waste, typically employing reactors with regular capacity of 1-20 L. Furthermore, incorporating riboflavin-loaded conductive materials can further address the imbalance between fermentation and methanogenesis in anaerobic systems. However, there have been few reports on pilot-scale investigation. In this study, a 10 m2 of riboflavin modified carbon cloth was incorporated into a pilot-scale (2 m3) food waste anaerobic reactor to improve its treatment efficiency. The study found that the addition of riboflavin-loaded carbon cloth can increase the maximum organic loading rate (OLR) by 40% of the pilot-scale reactor, compared to the system using carbon cloth without riboflavin loading, while ensuring efficient operation of the reaction system, effectively alleviating system acidification, sustaining methanogen activity, and increasing daily methane production by 25%. Analysis of the microbial community structure revealed that riboflavin-loaded carbon cloth enriched the methanogenic archaea in the genera of Methanothrix and Methanobacterium, which are capable of extracellular direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET). And metabolic pathway analysis identified the methane production pathway, highly enriched on the reduction of acetic acid and CO2 at riboflavin-loaded carbon cloth sample. The expression levels of genes related to methane production via DIET pathway were also significantly upregulated. These results can provide important guidance for the practical application of food waste anaerobic digestion engineering.

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In this study, an electrochemical sensor based on MoS2 with enhanced electrochemical signals from electrochemically activated carbon cloth (EACC) electrodes and cross-linked o-aminothiophenol functionalized AuNPs (o-ATP@AuNPs) was developed for the detection of the unsaturated vegetable oil antioxidant tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ). In this approach, carbon cloth is activated through the implementation of electrochemical methods, thereby effectively increasing its specific surface area. The resulting EACC, serving as an electrode substrate, enables the growth of additional nanomaterials and enhances conductivity. The incorporation of MoS2 effectively augments the sensitivity of the electrochemical sensor. Subsequently, MIP/MoS2/EMCC is formed via electropolymerization, utilizing TBHQ as the template molecule and o-ATP@AuNPs as the functional monomer. The SS bond of o-ATP ensures a strong and stable connection between MoS2 and o-ATP@AuNPs, thereby facilitating the immobilization of MIP. In addition, the high conductivity possessed by o-ATP@AuNPs could effectively improve the sensitivity of the electrochemical sensor. Under the optimal conditions, MIP/MoS2/EMCC could determine TBHQ in the range of 1 × 10-3 µM to 120 µM by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) with a detection line of 0.72 nM. The proposed MIP/MoS2/EMCC is expected to be applied in the future for the selective and sensitive detection of TBHQ in vegetable oils.

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BACKGROUND: Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an important reactive oxygen species (ROS) molecule involved in cell metabolism regulation, transcriptional regulation, and cytoskeleton remodeling. Real-time monitoring of H2O2 levels in live cells is of great significance for disease prevention and diagnosis. RESULTS: We utilized carbon cloth (CC) as the substrate material and employed a single-atom catalysis strategy to prepare a flexible self-supported sensing platform for the real-time detection of H2O2 secreted by live cells. By adjusting the coordination structure of single-atom sites through P and S doping, a cobalt single-atom nanoenzyme Co-NC/PS with excellent peroxidase-like activity was obtained. Furthermore, we explored the enzyme kinetics and possible catalytic mechanism of Co-NC/PS. Due to the excellent flexibility, high conductivity, strong adsorption performance of carbon cloth, and the introduction of non-metallic atom-doped active sites, the developed Co-NC/PS@CC exhibited ideal sensing performance. Experimental results showed that the linear response range for H2O2 was 1-17328 µM, with a detection limit (LOD) of 0.1687 µM. Additionally, the sensor demonstrated good reproducibility, repeatability, anti-interference, and stability. SIGNIFICANCE: The Co-NC/PS@CC prepared in this study has been successfully applied for detecting H2O2 secreted by MCF-7 live cells, expanding the application of single-atom nanoenzymes in live cell biosensing, with significant implications for health monitoring and clinical diagnostics.

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Uneven lithium (Li) metal deposition typically results in uncontrollable dendrite growth, which renders an unsatisfactory cycling stability and coulombic efficiency (CE) of Li metal batteries (LMBs), preventing their practical application. Herein, a novel carbon cloth with the modification of ZnO nanosheets (ZnO@CC) is fabricated for LMBs. The as-prepared ZnO@CC with a cross-linked network significantly reduces the local current density, and the design of ZnO nanosheets can promote the uniform deposition of Li metal as lithiophilic sites. As a result, the Li metal anodes (LMAs) based on ZnO@CC (ZnO@CC@Li) enables a long cycle life over 640 hours with a low overpotential of 65 mV at a current density of 4 mA cm-2 with a capacity of 1 mAh cm-2 in the symmetric cell. Moreover, when coupling the ZnO@CC@Li with a LiFePO4 cathode, the assembled full cell exhibits excellent long cycle and rate performance, highlighting its promising practical application prospect.

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With the continuous development of green energy, society is increasingly demanding advanced energy storage devices. Manganese-based asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs) can deliver high energy density while possessing high power density. However, the structural instability hampers the wider application of manganese dioxide in ASCs. A novel MnO2-based electrode material was designed in this study. We synthesized a MnO2/carbon cloth electrode, CC@NMO, with NH4+ ion pre-intercalation through a one-step hydrothermal method. The pre-intercalation of NH4+ stabilizes the MnO2 interlayer structure, expanding the electrode stable working potential window to 0-1.1 V and achieving a remarkable mass specific capacitance of 181.4 F g-1. Furthermore, the ASC device fabricated using the CC@NMO electrode and activated carbon electrode exhibits excellent electrochemical properties. The CC@NMO//AC achieves a high energy density of 63.49 Wh kg-1 and a power density of 949.8 W kg-1. Even after cycling 10,000 times at 10 A g-1, the device retains 81.2% of its capacitance. This work sheds new light on manganese dioxide-based asymmetric supercapacitors and represents a significant contribution for future research on them.

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OBJECTIVE: Activated carbon cloth (ACC), known as Zorflex dressing, has emerged as an innovative approach in managing bacterial infection in diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) treatment. This pilot study was undertaken to determine the efficacy of Zorflex ACC dressing (Chemviron Carbon Cloth Division, UK) compared to standard silver-based dressing on DFUs. METHOD: An open label, comparative, randomised controlled trial enrolling patients who attended the diabetic foot clinic was conducted between August 2022 and August 2023. The primary endpoint was a difference of 20% in wound area reduction with the ACC dressing compared to silver-based dressing within eight weeks. The secondary endpoints were proportion of complete healing, time to healing and adverse events. RESULTS: The cohort comprised 40 patients. The mean wound reduction percentage at 8 weeks for patients in the ACC arm was 85.40±16.00% compared with 65.08±16.36% in the silver-based dressing arm. Complete healing was observed in six of 20 patients in the ACC arm compared to two of 20 in the silver-based dressing arm. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that the ACC dressing promotes better ulcer healing in DFU patients than the silver-based dressing.

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An electrochemical sensor for detecting ketoprofen was constructed by in-situ grown copper cobaltate (CuCo2O4) nanoneedle arrays on a carbon cloth (CC) substrate. The resulting porous nanoneedle arrays not only expose numerous electrochemically active sites but also significantly enhance the electrochemical apparent active area and current transmission efficiency. By leveraging its electrochemical properties, the sensor achieves an impressive detection limit for ketoprofen of 0.7 pM, with a linear range spanning from 2 pM ~ 2 µM. Furthermore, the sensor exhibits remarkable reproducibility, anti-interference capabilities, and stability. Notably, the developed sensor also performed ketoprofen detection on real samples (including drug formulations and wastewater) and demonstrated excellent recognition ability. These exceptional performances can be attributed to the direct growth of CuCo2O4 nanoneedle arrays on the CC substrate, which facilitates a robust electrical connection, provides abundant electrocatalytic active sites, and expands the apparent active area. Consequently, these improvements contribute to the efficient trace detection capabilities of the ketoprofen sensor.

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In this work, a novel and efficient Fe-Ni LDH@ZIF-67 catalyst modified carbon cloth (CC) cathode was developed for tetracycline (TC) degradation in heterogeneous electro-Fenton (Hetero-EF) process. Compared to Fe-Ni LDH/CC (75.7%), TC degradation rate of Fe-Ni LDH@ZIF-67/CC cathode increased to 95.6% within 60 min. The synergistic effect of hetero-EF and anodic oxidation process accelerated electron transfer, the maximum H2O2 production of Fe-Ni LDH@ZIF-67/CC electrode reached 264 mg/L, improving utilization efficiency of H2O2. The cathode possessing a satisfied TC degradation performance over a wide pH (3-9). Free radical capture experiment revealed the collaboration of ·O2-, ·OH, and 1O2 play a significant role in TC degradation. The 5 cycles experiment and metal ion leaching experiment showed that the proposed Fe-Ni LDH@ZIF-67/CC has good recyclability and stability. In addition, the proposed Fe-Ni LDH@ZIF-67/CC cathode achieved satisfying performance in real water (tap water: 97.3%, lake water: 97.7%), demonstrating the possibility for practical application. TC degradation pathways were proposed by theory analysis and experimental results. The toxicity of TC intermediates was reduced by Hetero-EF degradation according to Toxicity Estimation Software Tool and Escherichia coli growth inhibition experiments. This work provides a novel modified cathode to improve removal efficiency of antibiotics in wastewater.

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Highly anticipated potassium metal batteries possess abundant potassium reserves and high theoretical capacity but currently suffer from poor cycling stability as a result of dendritic growth and volume expansion. Here, carbon cloths modified with different functional groups treated with ethylene glycol, ethanolamine, and ethylenediamine are designed as 3D hosts, exhibiting different wettability to molten potassium. Among them, the hydroxyl-decorated carbon cloth with a high affinity for potassium can achieve molten potassium perfusion (K@EG-CC) within 3 s. By efficiently inducing the uniform deposition of metal potassium, buffing its volume expansion, and lowering local current density, the developed K@EG-CC anode alleviates the dendrite growth issue. The K@EG-CC||K@EG-CC symmetric battery can be cycled stably for 2100 h and has only a small voltage hysteresis of ≈93 mV at 0.5 mA cm-2 . Moreover, the high-voltage plateau, high energy density, and long cycle life of K metal full batteries can be realized with a low-cost KFeSO4 F@carbon nanotube cathode. This study provides a simple strategy to promote the commercial applications of potassium metal batteries.

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In recent nanomaterials research, combining nanoporous carbons with metallic nanoparticles, like palladium (Pd), has emerged as a focus due to their potential in energy, environmental and biomedical fields. This study presents a novel approach for synthesizing Pd-decorated carbons using magnetron sputter deposition. This method allows for the functionalization of nanoporous carbon surfaces with Pd nano-sized islands, creating metal-carbon nanocomposites through brief deposition times of up to 15 s. The present research utilized direct current magnetron sputtering to deposit Pd islands on a flexible activated carbon cloth substrate. The surface chemistry, microstructure, morphology and pore structure were analyzed using a variety of material characterization techniques, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, gas sorption analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed Pd islands of varying sizes distributed across the cloth's carbon fibers, achieving high-purity surface modifications without the use of chemicals. The synthesis method preserves the nanoporous structure of the carbon cloth substrate while adding functional Pd islands, which could be potentially useful in emerging fields like hydrogen storage, fuel cells and biosensors. This approach demonstrates the possibility of creating high-quality metal-carbon composites using a simple, clean and economical method, expanding the possibilities for future nanomaterial-based applications.

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The fast development of flexible and wearable electronics increases the demand for flexible secondary batteries, and the emerging high-performance K-ion batteries (KIBs) have shown immense promise for the flexible electronics due to the abundant and cost-effective potassium resources. However, the implementation of flexible cathodes for KIBs is hampered by the critical issues of low capacity, rapid capacity decay with cycles, and limited initial Coulombic efficiency. To address these pressing issues, a freestanding K-rich iron hexacyanoferrate/carbon cloth (KFeHCF/CC) electrode is designed and fabricated by cathodic deposition. This innovative binder-free and self-supporting KFeHCF/CC electrode not only provides continuous conductive channels for electrons, but also accelerates the diffusion of potassium ions through the active electrode-electrolyte interface. Moreover, the nanosized potassium iron hexacyanoferrate particles limit particle fracture and pulverization to preserve the structure and stability during cycling. As a result, the K-rich KFeHCF/CC electrode shows a reversible discharging capacity of 110.1 mAh g-1 at 50 mA g-1 after 100 cycles in conjunction with capacity retention of 92.3% after 1000 cycles at 500 mA g-1 . To demonstrate the commercial feasibility, a flexible tubular KIB is assembled with the K-rich KFeHCF/CC electrode, and excellent flexibility, capacity, and stability are observed.

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Cow dung generates globally due to increased beef and milk consumption, but its treatment efficiency remains low. Previous studies have shown that riboflavin-loaded conductive materials can improve anaerobic digestion through enhance direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET). However, its effect on the practical anaerobic digestion of cow dung remained unclear. In this study, carbon cloth loaded with riboflavin (carbon cloth-riboflavin) was added into an anaerobic digester treating cow dung. The carbon cloth-riboflavin reactor showed a better performance than other two reactors. The metagenomic analysis revealed that Methanothrix on the surface of the carbon cloth predominantly utilized the CO2 reduction for methane production, further enhanced after riboflavin addition, while Methanothrix in bulk sludge were using the acetate decarboxylation pathway. Furthermore, the carbon cloth-riboflavin enriched various major methanogenic pathways and activated a large number of enzymes associated with DIET. Riboflavin's presence altered the microbial communities and the abundance of functional genes relate to DIET, ultimately leading to a better performance of anaerobic digestion for cow dung.

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This work reports the development of multifunctional or polymorphous surfaces using zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods, silica (SiO2), and fluoropolymer functionalization in a sequential process. Firstly, zinc oxide nanorods were grown on activated carbon cloth (ACC) using a simple low-temperature synthesis process. ZnO nanorods-coated ACC substrate was applied to investigate the antimicrobial properties, and the results showed inhibition of 50% for Escherichia coli (E.coli) and 55% for Bacillus subtilis (B.subtilis) over 48 h of incubation time. Subsequent in-situ modification of silica nanoparticles like layer on ZnO nanorods-coated ACC surface was developed and used as an electrode for brackish water desalination in a capacitive deionization system. ZnO-SiO2 modified ACC surface enhanced the desalination efficiency by 1.6 times, the salt removal rate (SRR) by threefold, and the durability (fouling prevention) for long-term usage compared to pristine ACC. Further modification of the ZnO-SiO2-ACC surface using fluoropolymer rendered the surface superhydrophobic and oleophilic. Vegetable (1.4 g/g) and crude oil (1.6 g/g) adsorption capacities were achieved for modified surface which was 70% enhancement compared with pristine ACC. The dynamic oil spill adsorption test exhibited the complete removal of oil spills on water surfaces within a few seconds, suggesting a potential application in oil spill cleaning.

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The development of hydrogen energy sources based on electrochemical water splitting is of increasing interest due to its advantages in energy and environmental fields. In this study, Co3O4 was decorated on carbon cloth (CC) by a hydrothermal method and was used as an electrode for water splitting. The structural and morphological properties of the materials are assessed using a range of reliable techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with EDX mapping, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Results indicate that the Co3O4/CC material was synthesized at 140 °C for 9 h and calcined at 350 °C achieving a superior overall water-splitting activity in the direction of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) reaction than that of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In detail, HER characteristics with an overpotential at -0.234 V and a current density at 10 mA cm-2. In addition, the Co3O4/CC material also gives overpotential at 0.54 V for OER process. Furthermore, the electrochemical surface area of Co3O4/CC material is 7.6 times higher than CC electrode. Moreover, the CC fabric is destroyed when the annealing temperature is higher than 350 °C, leading to a significant decrease in the activity of Co3O4/CC. The as-prepared Co3O4 shows good adhesion and stability based on CC substrate without binder substance or further treatment of CC.