Flowthrough Capture of Microplastics through Polyphenol‐Mediated Interfacial Interactions on Wood Sawdust

Abstract

Nano‐/microplastics accumulate in aquatic bodies and raise increasing threats to ecosystems and human health. The limitation of existing water cleanup strategies, especially in the context of nano‐/microplastics, primarily arises from their complexity (morphological, compositional, and dimensional). Here, highly efficient and bio‐based flowthrough capturing materials (bioCap) are reported to remove a broad spectrum of nano‐/microplastics from water: polyethylene terephthalate (anionic, irregular shape), polyethylene (net neutral, irregular shape), polystyrene (anionic and cationic, spherical shape), and other anionic and spherical shaped particles (polymethyl methacrylate, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride). Highly efficient bioCap systems that adsorb the ubiquitous particles released from beverage bags are demonstrated. As evidence of removal from drinking water, the in vivo biodistribution of nano‐/microplastics is profiled, confirming a significant reduction of particle accumulation in main organs. The unique advantage of phenolic‐mediated multi‐molecular interactions is employed in sustainable, cost‐effective, and facile strategies based on wood sawdust support for the removal of challenging nano‐/microplastics pollutions.

Cell-Targeted Metal-Phenolic Nanoalgaecide in Hydroponic Cultivation to Enhance Food Sustainability

“…vulgaris cells (red fluorescence). Natural polyphenol has a high content of dihydroxyphenyl or trihydroxyphenyl groups, which present multiple interactions through covalent and noncovalent (including hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding, and π–π interactions) to generate strong interfacial forces that drive the cell targeting. ,, Additionally, the dihydroxyphenyl or trihydroxyphenyl groups can coordinate with Cu 2+ ions that are involved in interparticle connections of CuBes, while these connections will be broken in the cellular microenvironment. Thus, CuBes is capable of attaching on the algal surface due to the multiple interactions, thus achieving the cell-targeted release of active ingredients (Cu) to the algal cells.…”

“…Natural polyphenols are the main constituents of biomass and can be obtained from all plants on earth . Owing to their multiple interactions (including hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding, and π–π interactions), natural polyphenols are bioderived versatile “green” building blocks that enable the engineering of multifunctional supramolecular materials which offer the means to generate strong interfacial forces to drive the cell targeting. − Additionally, nanoenabled phenolic materials have been greatly explored in biotechnology and nanomedicine, − due to their biocompatibility and modular compositions. , Herein, we developed self-assembled nanoalgaecides comprising natural polyphenols and functional copper ions (Cu 2+ ions), referred to as CuBes.…”

Morphogenesis of Biogenic Phenolic Mesocrystals Mediated by Competitive Intermolecular Interactions

“…Given the multiple intermolecular interactions inherent to catechol or galloyl groups, natural polyphenols have emerged as promising biosourced building blocks that can be used to engineer materials with designed properties. − Our group and others have demonstrated that the complexation of metal ions and phenolic compounds can form ordered structures, such as mesocrystals and metal–organic frameworks . However, expanding the opportunities of such structures requires the participation of interactions beyond metal coordination, for example, multiple noncovalent interactions.…”

Dual-Mechanism Tuned Engineered Polyphenols with Cascade Photocatalytic Self-Fenton Reaction for Sustainable Biocidal Coatings

“…Still, many photoactive materials can only produce effects under special wavelengths (such as ultraviolet wavelength or infrared wavelength as the most common light sources), which makes it necessary to be equipped with professional equipment and personnel to operate during use, increasing the complexity and cost of the sterilization process . From a sustainable perspective, natural polyphenols have attracted attention because of their potential applications as promising green building blocks for developing advanced multifunctional materials. The catechol and galloyl moieties in phenolic groups offer chelating sites with metal ions and form hydrogen bonds by their hydroxyl groups. − They can also form π–π stackings and undergo hydrophobic interactions with aromatic groups .…”

“…From a sustainable perspective, natural polyphenols have attracted attention because of their potential applications as promising green building blocks for developing advanced multifunctional materials. The catechol and galloyl moieties in phenolic groups offer chelating sites with metal ions and form hydrogen bonds by their hydroxyl groups. − They can also form π–π stackings and undergo hydrophobic interactions with aromatic groups . With the development of supramolecular technology based on polyphenols and the adjustable chemical structure brought by rich functional groups, engineered polyphenols by structural design and metal involvement offer a means to generate desired optical activity and further developed as an ideal antibacterial coating to overcome the above challenges.…”