Nickel-induced contact dermatitis is a severe allergic reaction to objects or environments that contain nickel. Many nanomaterials have been developed to reduce skin allergies by capturing nickel, but few agents are effective and safe. In this work, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) were synthesized and decorated with hexa-histidine peptides (denoted as MSN-His⁶), making it a strong nickel chelator. Subsequently, a dietary polyphenol, chlorogenic acid, was loaded into the mesopores of MSN (denoted as MSN-His⁶@CGA), realizing the potential of its anti-inflammatory properties. In vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that the synthesized MSN-His⁶@CGA nanoparticles exhibited more stable and stronger chelation, better biocompatibility, and ideal allergy-relieving ability, whether for environmental metal contamination or for allergic contact dermatitis caused by prolonged nickel exposure. Thus, the application of mesoporous silica-based nanoparticles may represent an ideal approach to alleviate skin allergies by capturing nickel, which would benefit people who suffer from metal-induced contact dermatitis.

Herein, a novel super-hygroscopic material, steam-exploded modified corn stalk pith (SE-CSP), was developed from corn stalk pith (CSP) via the steam explosion (SE) method, and its hygroscopic properties and mechanisms were evaluated. The results confirmed that SE effectively removed lignin and hemicellulose, disrupted the thin cell walls of natural CSP, and formed an aligned porous structure with capillary channels. SE changed the bonding distribution and surface morphology, and enhanced the crystallinity and thermal stability of CSP. The equilibrium hygroscopic percentage of SE-CSP (62.50%) was higher than that of CSP (44.01%) at 25 °C and 80% relative humidity (RH), indicating significantly greater hygroscopicity. The hygroscopic process of SE-CSP followed a Type III isotherm and fitted the Guggenheim–Anderson–de Boer (GAB), Peleg, and pseudo-first-order kinetic models. This process exhibited multi-layer adsorption with enthalpy-driven, exothermic behavior, primarily through physical adsorption involving hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces. This work offered a new approach for advancing sorption dehumidification technology.