Stem cell therapy may replace lost photoreceptors and preserve residual photoreceptors during retinal degeneration (RD). Unfortunately, the degenerative microenvironment compromises the fate of grafted cells, demanding supplementary strategies for microenvironment regulation. Donor cells with both proper regeneration capability and intrinsic ability to improve microenvironment are highly desired. Here, we use cell surface markers (C-Kit+/SSEA4−) to effectively eliminate tumorigenic embryonic cells and enrich retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) from human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived retinal organoids, which, following subretinal transplantation into RD models of rats and mice, significantly improve vision and preserve the retinal structure. We characterize the pattern of integration and materials transfer following transplantation, which likely contribute to the rescued photoreceptors. Moreover, C-Kit+/SSEA4− cells suppress microglial activation, gliosis and the production of inflammatory mediators, thereby providing a healthier host microenvironment for the grafted cells and delaying RD. Therefore, C-Kit+/SSEA4− cells from hESC-derived retinal organoids are a promising therapeutic cell source.

Investigations about how to recycle the deactivated nanomaterials are well-needed. This work was designed to explore the recycling strategy of Mg(OH)(2) nanoadsorbent during treating low concentration of Cr(VI) solution as an example. It was demonstrated that a reversible route between Cr-adsorbed nano-Mg(OH)(2) and Cr-desorbed bulk-MgCO(3) · 3H(2)O can be established by using CO(2) as a phase transformation medium. In each adsorption-desorption cycle, Cr(VI) solution with initial concentration of 10 mg · L(-1) could be enriched over 40 times. An aggregation-induced rapid phase transformation mechanism from nano-Mg(OH)(2) to bulk-MgCO(3) · 3H(2)O was discovered, which was one of the critical factors to ensure the disposing efficiency of this environmental-friendly Cr(VI) disposal system. A pilot-scale experiment was conducted with this strategy to deal with 50 L Cr(VI)-containing simulated industrial wastewater. The enrichment of Cr(VI) and the recycle of nano-Mg(OH)(2) can be successfully achieved simultaneously.

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The “coordinative effect” was discovered in MEA + DEA bi‐solvents already, and it enhances both CO2 absorption and desorption within MEA + RR'NH simultaneously. A recent study verified strong coordinative effects within MEA + BEA (RR'NH) + AMP tri‐solvents, but whether the coordination was 100% attributed to interaction of MEA + BEA needs to be confirmed. This study investigated the “coordinative effect” separately within MEA + AMP (hindered amine) and MEA + BEA (RR'NH). The CO2 absorption and desorption processes were performed onto MEA + AMP and MEA + BEA (0.1 + 2–0.5 + 2 mol/L) separately. The CO2 absorption–desorption parameters were calculated to evaluate the coordinative effects on a consistent level. Results indicated negligible “coordinative effect” within MEA + AMP but strong coordination within MEA + BEA. Both CO2 absorption and desorption performance of MEA + BEA (0.2 + 2 mol/L) was better than 2.0 mol/L BEA simultaneously. The coordinative effect was optimum within MEA + BEA bi‐solvents at 0.2 + 2 mol/L close to 0.3 + 2 + 2 mol/L of MEA + BEA + AMP tri‐solvents. Based on analysis, carbamate stability and pKa were two main factors that determine negligible–strong coordinative effects between AMP and BEA; different pKa reflected the optimized blending ratios of MEA + DEA (3/7) and MEA + BEA (2/20).

Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and alkylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (OP-10) mixed templates, microencapsulated phase change materials (MEPCMs) with an n-tetradecane core, and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) shell were prepared by a self-assembly method. The effects of the core/shell mass ratio and the SDS/OP-10 mass ratio on the morphology and the phase change enthalpy of the synthesized MEPCMs were investigated by polarized optical microscope (POM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. The structure and the thermal performance of the MEPCMs were systematically characterized by the method of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), a scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), and a thermal constants analyzer. The results demonstrated that the self-assembly technique with SDS/OP-10 mixed templates could be successfully applied for the synthesis of n-tetradecane@CaCO3 MEPCMs with an encapsulation efficiency of 25.86%, and the calcium carbonate shell was the mixture of vaterite and calcite. The synthesized MEPCMs possessed nearly spherical morphology with a mean diameter of 5.0 μm, a latent heat capacity of 58.54 kJ/kg, and excellent thermal conductivity (0.61 W/(m·K)) as well as good thermal stability, indicating that it has good application prospects in cold energy storage.