Lignin has many potential applications and is a biopolymer with a three-dimensional network structure. It is composed of three phenylpropane units, p-hydroxyphenyl, guaiacyl, and syringyl, connected by ether bonds and carbon–carbon bonds, and it contains a large number of phenol or aldehyde structural units, resulting in complex lignin structures. This limits the application of lignin. To expand the application range of lignin, we prepared lignin thermoplastic phenolic resins (LPRs) by using lignin instead of phenol; these LPRs had molecular weights of up to 1917 g/mol, a molecular weight distribution of 1.451, and an O/P value of up to 2.73. Due to the complex structure of the lignin, the synthetic lignin thermoplastic phenolic resins were not very tough, which greatly affected the performance of the material. If the lignin phenolic resins were toughened, their application range would be substantially expanded. Polybutylene succinate (PBS) has excellent processability and excellent mechanical properties. The toughening effects of different PBS contents in the LPRs were investigated. PBS was found to be compatible with the LPRs, and the flexible chain segments of the small PBS molecules were embedded in the molecular chain segments of the LPRs, thus reducing the crystallinities of the LPRs. The good compatibility between the two materials promoted hydrogen bond formation between the PBS and LPRs. Rheological data showed good interfacial bonding between the materials, and the modulus of the high-melting PBS made the LPRs more damage resistant. When PBS was added at 30%, the tensile strength of the LPRs was increased by 2.8 times to 1.65 MPa, and the elongation at break increased by 31 times to 93%. This work demonstrates the potential of lignin thermoplastic phenolic resins for industrial applications and provides novel concepts for toughening biobased aromatic resins with PBS.

As the foremost category of carbon materials, carbon dots (CDs) have been extensively applied in many domains because of their special fluorescence features and outstanding biocompatibility. However, in early studies of fluorescent CDs, as the fluorescence wavelength of most CDs was restricted to the blue or green region and was excitation dependent, the application of CDs was limited. In this study, three representative CDs, fluorescing yellow, green, and blue, were synthesized under alkaline, neutral, and acidic circumstances, respectively, while using a hydrothermal method in which catechol and phthalaldehyde acted as carbon sources and methanol functioned as the reaction solvent. The carbon nuclei of the three fluorescent CDs all had comparable graphite structures. The diversity of photoluminescence (PL) emission from these three CDs was attributed mainly to the different sizes of the sp² conjugated structures among them. Mixing synthesized CDs with epoxy resin, three colors (yellow, green, and blue) of LED using CIE coordinates (0.40, 0.44), (0.33, 0.46), and (0.21, 0.22), respectively, were successfully prepared.

Carbon black (CB) serves as the most crucial reinforcing filler in natural rubber (NR) applications. However, conventional CB production relies on petroleum or coal resources, raising concerns about non-renewability and unsustainable resource consumption. Although biomass-derived carbon materials have been explored as alternatives for natural rubber reinforcement, their practical application remains constrained by inherent limitations such as large particle size and low graphitic structure, which compromise reinforcement efficiency. This study presents a novel walnut shell biochar (WSB) for natural rubber enhancement. The biochar was prepared via conventional pyrolysis and subsequently subjected to an environmentally friendly physical ball-milling process. This treatment effectively increased graphitized domains while enriching surface functional groups. Systematic investigations were conducted on the effects of ball-milling duration and biochar loading on rubber reinforcement performance. Results demonstrate that the biochar-reinforced vulcanizates achieved a 22% improvement in tensile strength compared to unfilled rubber. Notably, at 10 phr loading, the tensile strength of biochar-filled vulcanizates reached 98% of that achieved by CB(N330)-filled counterparts. The study further revealed that biochar incorporation effectively reduced hysteresis loss and enhanced elastic recovery in rubber composites. This work proposes a facile method to develop sustainable biochar-based reinforcing agents with significant potential for natural rubber applications.

Rich biological information in sweat provides great potential for health monitoring and management. However, due to the complexity of sweat, the development of environmentally friendly green electronic products is of great significance to the construction of ecological civilization. This study utilized a simple combination of polystyrene sulfonate sodium (PSS) and filter paper (FP) to prepare cellulose materials coated with conductive polymers, developing an electrochemical sensor based on the modified materials. The mechanical and electrochemical properties of the fabricated PSS/FP membrane were optimized by adjusting the feeding dosage of PSS. The realized PSS/FP composite containing 7% PSS displayed good conductivity (9.1 × 10⁻² S/m), reducing electric resistance by 99.2% compared with the original FP membrane (6.7 × 10⁻⁴ S/m). The stable current of the membrane in simulated sweat under different pH environments is highly correlated with the pH values. Additionally, when the membrane is exposed to simulated sweat with varying ion concentrations, the current signal changes in real time with the concentration variations. The response time averages around 0.3 s.

Achieving precise control over the solid‐state optical properties of carbon dots (CDs) remains a significant challenge, primarily due to aggregation‐caused quenching (ACQ) and their intrinsically narrow absorption. Herein, we establish a framework that links surface chemistry to aggregation behavior by demonstrating that precursor stoichiometry programs the surface functionality of CDs, which in turn dictates their packing geometry. By varying the molar ratio of 2,3‐diaminonaphthalene to o ‐phthalaldehyde, CDs with distinct surface chemistries are engineered. Under aldehyde‐rich conditions, CDs with aldehyde‐enriched surfaces self‐assemble into ordered, layered structures through directional hydrogen bonding. This ordered arrangement effectively suppresses π – π stacking and enables efficient red solid‐state fluorescence (SSF). Conversely, amine‐rich surfaces promote face‐to‐face π – π stacking, leading to compact, spherical aggregates. Such dense packing establishes a continuous donor–acceptor interface, facilitating broadband visible absorption through efficient intermolecular charge transfer (ICT). This work establishes a general design principle according to which aldehyde‐rich surfaces enable SSF, while amine‐rich surfaces confer broadband absorption and photothermal capability. Our findings demonstrate that precursor stoichiometry serves as a powerful tool for directing CDs aggregation and provides a unified platform for developing multifunctional CDs‐based materials.

The safety of drinking water has a significant impact on human life and health, with the common presence of Pb (II) causing harm to human beings. The physical adsorption method is an effective means of removing Pb (II) from water. In this study, three types of biochar were produced through a one-step process using agricultural and forestry wastes (rape straw, bagasse, and walnut shell) as raw materials and KHCO₃ as a co-carbonization agent. The resulting biochar exhibited remarkable adsorption capacities for Pb (II). The biochar prepared via a single carbonization process demonstrates excellent adsorption performance towards Pb (II). The adsorption capacity of bagasse-derived biochar reaches 76.94 mg/g, which is 4.5-fold higher than that of the control. For walnut shell-derived biochar, the adsorption value attains 124.90 mg/g, representing a 7.5-fold enhancement. Notably, rape straw-derived biochar demonstrates the maximum adsorption capacity, up to 265.69 mg/g. Mechanistic analysis reveals that the adsorption of rape straw biochar is dominated by ion exchange, while also being influenced by physical adsorption, coprecipitation, and electrostatic attraction. Intriguingly, in this study, the sole use of KHCO₃ as a co-carbonization agent remarkably increases the specific surface area of the biochar and facilitates the formation of micropores. Without the need for pre-carbonization, this approach substantially boosts the Pb (II) adsorption capacity of the biochar. This one-step carbonization strategy exhibits distinct operational convenience and cost-effectiveness, providing promising materials for the low-cost removal of Pb (II) in natural water bodies and open environments, while also offering a viable technical route for the fabrication of high-performance biochar for heavy metal remediation.