The progress in the study on complicated reverse aggregation of surfactants in non-polar organic solvents is reviewed. Firstly, the problem of surfactant dissolution in non-polar organic solvents(oils) is resolved. The inverted aggregates with full core-shell structure can be expected to form using synthesized new surfactants with a large headgroup or by introducing suitable additives to interact with the head of surfactant and increase the effective size of the head of surfactant. These steps of promoting aggregate formation drive the surfactants to disperse and dissolve in non-polar solvents. Based on this way, a one-step method of directly dissolving and preparing homogeneous solutions of surfactants in oils is developed and the key factors about this method are discussed. Comparatively, the direct dissolution method is more convenient and also more effective than the methanol dissolution method as reported in literature. Some typical homogeneous systems of surfactants in cyclohexane are exhibited and the dissolution method upon aggregate formation is reviewed. In these systems, the aggregates show varied morphologies. The effect of surfactant head size on aggregate morphology is also discussed.

Since the end of the 19th century, fingermark identification has always been one of the most useful evidences of individual identification for criminal investigation worldwide. However, up to now the age determination of a fingermark remains a relatively unexplored area. The physical features of the fingermark ridges and chemical compositions of the fingermark residues vary remarkably with different donor characteristics, substrate properties and environmental variables. Moreover, the physical ridge features, molecular species and content of the chemical components in fingermark change dramatically with different storage factors and aging kinetics. Studying the ridge physical features, the initial chemical compositions of fingermark residues and their relationship with the fingermark age is a crucial topic in the forensic science field, because it contributes not only to the development of new fingermark detection approaches and techniques, but also to the correlating identification of fingermarks found at crime scenes. This review discusses the previous achievements of fingermark dating methods and techniques such as liquid chromatography, fluorescence spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and high-resolution imaging, and the limits for the application of such approaches in practice. Besides, the challenges and perspectives of developing a potentially more reliable methodology for fingermark age determination are described.

As a novel two-dimensional carbon nano-material, graphene has the structure of hexagonally-packed single-layer carbon atoms as well as outstanding electrical, chemical, mechanical and thermal properties. However, due to the existence of strong π-π bond and van der Waals force between adjacent graphene sheets, graphene are easily agglomerated or re-stacked, therefore greatly reducing their specific surface area and seriously degrading corresponding properties. To date, one of the most effective strategies to address the above problems is to build three-dimensional porous graphene-based materials, thereby not only retaining the intrinsic properties of graphene such as excellent electrical and mechanical properties but also acquiring the advantages of low density, high porosity and large specific surface area. As a result, three-dimensional graphene-based materials have been widely used in versatile functional application fields such as adsorbent, catalyst carrier, biosensor, battery as well as supercapacitor electrode materials. Therefore, the development of the preparation technology of three-dimensional graphene-based materials has attracted great attention. The existing preparation methodologies of three-dimensional graphene-based materials, including self-assembling(hydrothermal reduction, chemical reduction and freeze-drying), templating(colloid template, template-assisted chemical vapor deposition and template-assisted hydrothermal reduction), and 3D printing(direct inking writing, inkjet printing, fused deposition modeling, stereolithography, selective laser sintering/melting)are reviewed.Their advantages as well as disadvantages and forcasts the promising development direction of the preparation technology for three-dimensional graphene-based materials are also summarized.

Exploition of novel antibacterial agents that contact non-specifically with bacteria is one of the solutions to the problem of bacterial infection. Firstly, guanidine-based antibacterial polymers having prolonged, broad-spectrum, high-efficiency antibacterial properties, without eukaryotic cytotoxicity, and making it difficult for bacteria to develop resistance are introduced briefly. Then, the antibacterial mechanism of non-specific electrostatic attraction with bacteria is reviewed. In addition, the design, synthesis, and antimicrobial property of the main-chained guanidine-based antibacterial polymers, side-chained guanidine-based antibacterial polymers, and surface-grafted guanidine-based antibacterial polymers are described in detail. Finally, the future development of controllable synthetic strategy and practical application of the novel guanidine-based antibacterial polymers are prospected.

The self-healing function of materials has high application value in many fields. It is reported some factors impact the self-healing efficiency, such as the constants of bond disassemble/assemble, the direction of bonding, chain relaxation time. According to the materials’ properties, self-healing materials can be divided into extrinsic self-healing polymer materials and intrinsic self-healing polymer materials. The possibility to disassemble structurally dynamic polymers is the basic of intrinsic self-healing materials, and a Diels-Alder reaction is used to realize this idea. Within the intrinsic self-healing materials, supramolecular chemistry is highly attractive to achieve self-healing for the fast equilibrium state, bonding directionality, and sensitivity. The research of self-healing polymers materials based on dynamic supramolecular motifs is built on the work on hydrogen-bonded monomer units. In this paper, the research progress of supramolecular self-healing polymer is the center of attention. The design and synthesis of supramolecular are summarized, at the same time, the application of supramolecular materials is introduced. At the end of the paper, the future research direction and development trend are prospected. It is considered that whether the environmental resistance of self-healing polymers materials can reach the standard is the key to its future application.

Increasing the voltage is one of the important ways to improve the energy density of lithium ion batteries. For example, LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ (4.7 V), LiNiPO₄(5.1 V) and lithium-rich manganese-based materials exhibit high energy density and low cost at high charge cut-off voltage, showing good application prospects. In addition, increasing the charge cut-off voltage of LiCoO₂ and NMC battery systems is a simple and effective approach to increase the energy density. However, when the charge cut-off voltage is increased, not only the electrolyte will be oxidatively decomposed at the cathode /electrolyte interface, but also the dissolution of the metal cation from the cathode materials will be accelerated. These are the main causes for the decreased cycle stability and safety. The electrolyte additives can be used for modifying positive electrode interfaces, thus passivating the cathode/electrolyte interface and inhibiting the decomposition of the electrolyte. Moreover, the modified electrolyte can effectively suppress the destruction of the cathode structure. Based on the molecular structure of the additives, the related research results of additives such as sulfonate ester, boric acid ester, phosphate ester, fluorocarbonate, nitrile, anhydride and lithium salt at the positive electrode interface are introduced in this paper. The action mechanisms of different additives are explained and generalized. Furthermore, the combination technology of additives for different batteries are introduced. At last, the development of new electrolyte additives for cathode/electrolyte interface modification are discussed.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has been developing rapidly at an unprecedented speed in the field of photovoltaics since 2009 and its certified record power conversion efficiency has exceeded 23%. Interface engineering is one of the most effective approaches for improving the performance of PSCs. This paper reviews the main progress in the interface engineering of electron transport layer/light absorption layer of PSCs. The related investigations have been classified into three categories, improving the quality of perovskite film, improving the energy level matching between the electron transport layer and the perovskite layer, and improving the stability of the solar cells, according to their effects. Finally, the prospect of improving the performance of PSCs through the interface engineering is prospected.

Soot particles from diesel engines, which cause serious environmental pollution and make great harm to human health, have attracted extensive attention. At present, catalytic purification technology is one of the most effective and widely used technologies for controlling emissions of soot particles. The development of catalysts with excellent performance is the most critical factor for catalytic purification technology. In this paper, the research progress of manganese-based catalysts for soot combustion are summarized. The manganese-based catalysts, including single-component manganese-based catalysts, manganese-based composite oxide catalysts, and manganese-based fixed oxides catalysts(i.e. perovskite-type, spinel-type, and hydrotalcite-type manganese-based catalysts), are detailedly introduced. Meanwhile, the research progress of manganese-based catalysts for the simultaneous removal of soot particles and NO_x is briefly described. At last, the existing problems of manganese-based catalysts for catalyzing soot combustion and the prospect of manganese-based catalysts are proposed.

Vulcanized rubber products have been applied in various fields for more than 100 years, due to their high elasticity, good biological compatibility, chemical resistance, long-time use stability, etc. Additives like reinforcing fill er, lubricant, coupling agent, and accelerating agent, are necessary to be mixed with the raw rubber to give the rubber certain properties. Specifically, the rein-forcing filler plays the role of enhancing the mechanical strength, abrasive and thermal resistance, as well as prolonging the service life of the rubber. Compared with the traditional reinforcing fillers like carbon black and fumed silica, the graphene, a newly emerging nanomaterial, can reinforce the rubber properties with very small incorporation amount, due to its superior properties. However, the strong van der Vaals force amongst graphene sheets seriously inhibits its dispersion in the rubber. Meanwhile, the dispersion state of the graphene in silicone rubber matrix directly influences the reinforcing effect of the graphene. In recent years, many researchers focus on the functionalization method of the graphene, physically or chemically, to enhance the dispersion of the graphene in rubber matrix, and the interfacial interactions between graphene and rubber. The recent advances in the wet functionalization approaches conducted to the graphene and the applications of the functional graphene in fabricating rubber composites are discussed.

The membrane based pervaporation process for sulfur removal from gasoline is a new kind of desulfurization technology, which maintains distinct advantages such as low investment and operating cost, low octane value loss, etc. The research background of pervaporation desulphurization is briefly introduced. Based on solution-diffusion model, the selection of polymer membrane materials used for desulfurization is analyzed under the guidance of solubility parameter theory. Based on the research progress of pervaporation desulfurization membranes reported in recent 20 years, the polymeric membrane materials and inorganic/organic hybrid membrane materials used for desulfurization are introduced in detail, including polydimethylsiloxane, polyethylene glycol, polyimide, polyether amide, cellulose acetate, poly-phosphate nitrile, etc. The structural characteristics, modification methods and the relationship between structure and properties of membrane materials are also discussed. The desulfurization performances of different membrane materials are compared and the primary challenge for advancement of pervaporation desulfurization membrane is summarized. Finally, the prospect and research direction of pervaporation desulfurization are proposed.

Environmental pollution has become one of the great challenges to the sustainable development of human society. Wastewater discharged from chemical, smelting and nuclear fuel cycle processes contain a lot of heavy metal ions, organic matter, and radionuclides. If discharged without treatment, it will bring great harm to the environment. The adsorption method for wastewater treatment has many advantages such as high efficiency, simple operation, no by-products, recyclability, and no secondary pollution, thus making it one of the significant methods for wastewater treatment. Due to the low cost, abundance in raw materials, and renewability of agroforestry waste biomass, the adsorption materials prepared on the basis of it are widely studied. In this paper, the research focuses on biochar, cellulose, and lignin, which are prepared from agroforestry waste biomass as raw materials, the preparation and modification methods of biochar, modification methods of natural cellulose, methods of modifying lignin, and their application in wastewater treatment are reviewed. The effects of adsorption properties on the adsorption of pollutants in water are discussed from the aspects of raw materials, preparation process, and modification methods. The problems of pollutant adsorption by biomass-based adsorption materials are pointed out and an outlook on their future research direction is made.

Bioactive glass nanosphere(BGN) contains elements such as silicon, calcium and phosphorus. It has controlled morphology and particle size, ordered mesoporous structure, high specific surface area and porosity, and due to the good biocompatibility and osteogenic activity, BGN has been widely used in bone repair and dental treatment. BGN can also be doped with different metal ions to enhance osteogenic, vascular, etc., or to provide antibacterial or bioimaging capabilities. At the same time, spherical shape, ordered mesoporous structures, nanoscale size and high specific surface facilitate the entry of drugs/biological-factors into cells, which gives BGN potential for high loading capacity and targeted therapeutic capabilities. However, since it is difficult to prepare monodisperse BGN with nanoscale particle size, and the agglomeration problem is common in nanoscale particles, the impact on the body is not completely clear. Therefore, BGN cannot be used as a drug carrier in clinical, and related research still needs to be further studied. In this paper, the research and application status of BGN preparation, loading capacity, biocompatibility and biological activity in recent years are reviewed, and its development directions are prospected.