Pillararene, a type of macrocyclic host containing a pillar-shaped cavity, has recently become an important building block to construct supramolecular systems based on host-guest interactions. Pillararenes contain family members from pillar[5]arene to pillar[15]arene. Pillar[5]arene consisting of five hydroquinone units is thermostable product and can be obtained in highest yield; then the yield of pillar[6]arene is relatively low, but still show its various functionality. Using pillar[5]arene or pillar[6]arene hosts, a variety of mechanically selflocked molecules such as(pseudo)[1]rotaxanes and(pseudo)[1]catenanes, and mechanically interlocked molecules such as [n]rotaxanes(n≥2), [2]catenanes and [c2]daisy chains have been fabricated. The independent units in such supramolecular systems often show their relative motion compared with other units. For example, the pillararene ring in a [2]rotaxane molecule generally shuttles along the axle unit of the system. Various derivative groups on these interlocked structures endow them with different functions, such as chirality inversion, F?rster resonance energy transfer, supramolecular gels, Langmuir film, organic catalyst, and even construction of rotaxane-branched dendrimers. In this review, we summarize the research progress of pillararene-based supramolecular self- and interlocked systems. The synthetic strategies and functions of these molecules are focused on, suggesting its prospective application in construction of molecular devices and other complicated supramolecular architectures.

We summarize the latest results of C(sp ³)-C(sp ³) coupling by visible-light photoredox catalysis in recent years and focus on the catalytic systems, reaction mechanisms and practical applications in synthesizing bioactivity molecules or drug molecules. Indeed, introducing transition metals or chiral catalysts in the visible light-catalyzed reaction system and the constructing of a novel synergistic catalysis system can make the precise formation of the C(sp ³)-C(sp ³) bond under mild conditions become a reality, which will have important implications for the design and development of chiral drugs. Finally, the future development of visible-light photoredox catalysis is prospected.

The surface plasmon effect is a typical representative of the application of physical effects in photocatalysis technology. And as new control technology of light field, it has opened up new directions and new ideas for the development of photocatalysis technology. The bottleneck of the development of photocatalytic technology can be solved from a new perspective, and has been extensively studied in the past decade. The localized surface plasmon resonance effect can regulate the spectral response range of the photocatalytic system by adjusting the composition, morphology and medium environment of the nanoparticles. In addition, the photocatalyst redox reaction rate, mass transfer, and adsorbed molecules on the surface of the polarized photocatalytic material can be increased by enhancing light scattering, hot electron injection, inducing a strong local electric field, and heating the surrounding environment, thereby further enhancing the photocatalytic properties of the material. Integrating these advantages into a photocatalytic material system can significantly improve the solar energy conversion efficiency of conventional photocatalytic materials, which is a very interesting development direction. In this review, the basic principles, material composition, regulation and recent progress of surface plasmon resonance in photocatalytic systems are presented in detail. Not only the process of generation and migration of hot electrons, but also the relationship between interband transition and surface plasmon resonance in noble metals is discussed. Finally, the prospective and challenges for future development of plasmonic photocatalysis are summarized.

Mercury ion(Hg²⁺) is one of the most toxic heavy metals that has severe adverse effects on the environment and humans. Therefore, more and more attention has been paid to developing analytical approaches for the rapid detection of Hg²⁺. Nanomaterials are widely used for Hg²⁺ detection due to their potential optical advantages and stability. The nanosensors for Hg²⁺in recent years are highlighted in this review. According to the composition of nanomaterials, these sensors can be divided into nanosensors based on gold, silver, carbon and silicon nanomaterials, quantum dots, organic nanoparticles and other nanomaterials. These nanosensors are described and discussed respectively in terms of design principle, identification performance and practical application. Finally, the research prospect in this field is presented.

Copper ions play very significant roles as catalytic cofactors in different cellular physiological processes. However, abnormal copper concentrations can also lead to disease and even death. Compared with copper ions, mercuric ions are the most prevalent and hazardous among various heavy metal pollutants owing to their notorious toxicity and bio-accumulation throughout the food chain. Therefore,it is very important to detect them with high sensitivity and selectivity. Fluorescence probe method has become one of the important detection means of Cu²⁺ and Hg²⁺ due to its advantages of high sensitivity, rapid and convenient, visualization and in-situ nondestructive detection. Herein, the design and synthesis of Cu²⁺ and Hg²⁺ ion double recognition fluorescence probes based on small molecules, and their performance and the latest research progress in analysis reported in recent years have been reviewed. The future research and developing trends of such fluorescent probes are prospected.

Diatomite is a porous material formed by the remains of diatom, which has the advantages of large specific surface area, good corrosion resistance, green and innocuity. Diatomite-based materials as adsorbent or photocatalyst show wide application prospects in sewage treatment because of easily available raw material and low in price. However, most of the natural diatomite contains some metal oxide impurities, which may reduce the porosity and affect the adsorption and photocatalysis performance of diatomite. Therefore, the majority of research of diatomite materials for water treatment have been focused on surface decoration and composite modification to strengthen the adsorption and photocatalytic performance. In this review, the recent research progress of diatomite-based materials in treatment of wastewater(such as organic wastewater, eutrophic wastewater, heavy metal ion wastewater, etc.) are summarized and commented based on the principle of adsorption and photocatalysis, and the relationships between structure and performance of diatomite are analyzed from different modification methods. Finally, suggestions and outlooks on the future research directions in diatomite-based materials as adsorbent or photocatalyst are given.

Dopamine, known as 4-(2-ethylamino)-benzene-1, 2-diphenol, exhibits abundance in functional groups and active sites for adsorption, as well as good biocompatibility. Recently, an important research area has been emerging using dopamine based nanocomposite for environmental remediation. In this paper, the structural characteristics of dopamine and the mechanism of self-polymerization are introduced, and the polydopamine coating onto various substrates and the relative applications for wastewater treatment are discussed.

Photo-thermal desalination has attracted extensive attention because of its potential applications in solving the problems of water resources shortage and water pollution. During the process of photo-thermal desalination, photo-thermal conversion materials are applied to absorb the solar energy and then convert the solar energy into the heat energy directly and efficiently, meanwhile the heat energy is used to evaporate, desalinate, and purify the saline water. To a great extent, the efficiency of photo-thermal desalination depends on the properties of the applied photo-thermal conversion materials. In this paper, recent researches on solar photo-thermal conversion materials, including metal-based materials, carbon-based materials, semiconductor materials, organic polymer materials, and composite photo-thermal materials are reviewed; the photo-thermal conversion mechanism are summarized. Moreover, the application progress of photo-thermal conversion materials in the field of desalination is also introduced. Based on the above analyses, the research prospects of photo-thermal conversion materials in the field of desalination are discussed. We propose that the future research should focus on the efficient absorption and utilization of photo-thermal conversion materials for the low intensity and full spectrum sun light, the improvement of thermal stability and reusability of photo-thermal conversion materials, and the minimum heat transfer loss and the maximum heat utilization efficiency of photo-thermal desalination system.

Solar energy, as the most important renewable energy source, has many advantages such as abundant reserves, wide distribution, cleanliness and safety. Therefore, the research on solar energy utilization technologies has important implications of enriching energy structure, reducing environmental pollution, and optimizing resource allocation. And as a note, the photo-thermal conversion is the simplest and most efficient way to achieve direct utilization of solar energy. This paper briefly introduces the significance, advantages and disadvantages of solar energy, and comprehensively analyzes the basic types, absorption mechanisms and the latest research results of selective absorbing coatings for indirect solar collectors. Finally, the existing problems, challenges and prospects for the development of spectrally selective absorbing coatings used for solar collectors are also commented.

Lithium ion batteries(LIBs) have been widely used as the energy storage system for the applications of the laptop, the communication equipment and the consumer electronics. And importantly, it will be largely used in the electrical vehicles in the near future. Silicon with a high theoretical capacity of 4200 mAh·g^-1(more than 10 time of current graphite anode) is one of the most promising alternative anode material for the next generation of LIBs. However, the electrode pulverization, continuous growth of solid electrolyte interphase(SEI) and lithium consumption in silicon anode material based batteries usually happen during charge/discharge process due to its huge volume change. Moreover, the weak interaction between conventional binder and silicon anode material results in the continuous separation of silicon active material. These problems severely hinder the practical application of silicon anode material. This review systematically summarize the recent progress of silicon and its related materials for LIBs. The content includes the fabrication of silicon materials, the structure of silicon materials, binders, electrolytes and electrolyte additives. Finally, the future development direction of silicon-based materials is presented.