To achieve the goals of saving water and being salt‐free in the coloration of cotton fabric with reactive dye, nonionic reverse micelles were prepared and optimised with a surfactant, Triton X‐100, n‐octanol and isooctane by injecting a small amount of CI Reactive Red 195 aqueous solution. The adsorption, diffusion and fixation of this dye on cotton fabric in Triton X‐100 reverse micelle and bulk water were then investigated. The equilibrium and kinetic data of the dye adsorption process were evaluated. The colour strength and fixation rate of cotton fabrics dyed in the micelle and in bulk water were also examined and compared. The results indicated that the amount of dye adsorbed increased with the increasing temperature and the initial dye concentration. The dye adsorption process could be described using the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo‐second‐order kinetic equations. It was found that CI Reactive Red 195 showed a stronger adsorption property on cotton fabric in Triton X‐100 reverse micelle than in bulk water without the addition of sodium chloride. Using Triton X‐100 reverse micelle as the dyeing medium offered the reactive dye better diffusion performance within the cotton fibre as compared with bulk water. Moreover, higher fixation of the dyes absorbed on the cotton fibre was achieved when the optimum concentration of sodium carbonate was used as the alkali agent in Triton X‐100 reverse micelle.

Protein separation materials that are both selective and effective could have wide applications in fields of bioengineering and pharmaceutical industry. However, preparation of such materials has proven to be extremely challenging. Herein, we present a scalable methodology to prepare carboxyl group functionalized nanofibrous membranes (SFNM) by combining sustainable silk and electrospinning. The naturally abundant silk is thus reconstructed into nanofibrous membranes with tunable surface functions. The resultant SFNMs exhibit integrated properties of ultrathin fiber diameter (125 nm), larger surface area (14 m2 g–1), high porosity, superhydrophilicity, and negatively charged fiber surface, which can reversibly adsorb lysozyme with a robust capacity of 710 mg g–1 and high durability, matching well with the requirements for purifying protein solutions. The fabrication of such fascinating materials may provide new insights into the design and development of multifunctional separation membranes for various applications.

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Creating photoactive nanofibrous membranes for effective antibacterial activity is highly desired for healthy living, yet it still remains a great challenge. Herein, we present a scalable methodology to prepare anthraquinone-2-carboxylic acid grafted silk fibroin/cellulose acetate blend nanofibrous membranes (G-SF/CA BNM) by combining green biomass materials and electrospinning, which could produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) under UVA irradiation. The resultant G-SF/CA BNMs exhibited integrated properties of ultrathin fiber diameter (154 nm), larger surface area (11.25 m2 g–1), good mechanical properties, robust photoactive activity, and high bactericidal efficiency (99.9999% contact-killing). The fabrication of such fascinating materials may provide new insights into the design and development of photoactive nanofibrous membranes for antibacterial application.

Enzyme-immobilized nanoparticles that are both catalysis effective and recyclable would have wide applications ranging from bioengineering and food industry to environmental fields; however, creating such materials has proven extremely challenging. Herein, we present a scalable methodology to create Candida rugosa lipase-immobilized magnetic nanoparticles (L-MNPs) by the combination of nonionic reverse micelle method and Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Our approach causes the naturally abundant and sustainable Candida rugose lipase to ordered-assemble into nanoparticles with high catalytic activity and durability. The resultant L-MNPs exhibit the integrated properties of high porosity, large surface area, fractal dimension, robust enzymatic activity, good durability, and high magnetic saturation (59 emu g−1), which can effectively catalyze pentyl valerate esterification and be easily separated by an external magnet in 60 second. The fabrication of such fascinating L-MNPs may provide new insights for developing functional enzyme-immobilized materials towards various applications.

Constructing nanosized photoactive membrane materials would facilitate the pretreatment of dyeing wastewater and reducing environmental pollution. However, preparation of such membrane materials remains tremendously challenging. In this work, we fabricate the silk-derived nanofibrous membranes modified with 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BDSNM) that could yield reactive oxygen species (ROS) driven under UV light irradiation. The premise of this study is that BDSNM can store photoactive activity at UV light and release ROS under dark conditions. The resultant BDSNM exhibited extra-fine fiber diameter (129 nm), larger surface area (13.8 m2 g–1), superhydrophilicity, fast ROS production, good activity storing capacity, and good degradation capacity for reactive red 195 (>99.9999%) within 30 min. The effective synthesis of such economic and fascinating BDSNM may pave a way for fabrication of photoactive membranes for dye degradation.

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