In the realm of two-dimensional nanomaterials, black phosphorus (BP) is considered a promising candidate to address the shortcomings of graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). Low- dimensional black phosphorus (BP) refers to a class of nanomaterials derived from the layered semiconductor BP. These materials exhibit high structural anisotropy, tunable bandgap widths, and high hole and electron mobility, endowing BP with unique properties such as conductivity, photothermal, photodynamic, and mechanical behaviors. BP's near-infrared light response significantly enhances its effectiveness in photothermal and photodynamic antibacterial applications. Additionally, due to its unique layered structure, BP nanosheets (BPNS) possess a high surface-to-volume ratio, making them excellent carriers for loading and delivering other antimicrobial nanomaterials or drugs. First, this article discusses the physical properties of low-dimensional BP and introduces various preparation methods. Furthermore, it systematically reviews exciting therapeutic applications of polymer-modified black phosphorus nanomaterials in various fields, such as cancer treatment (phototherapy, drug delivery, and synergistic immunotherapy), bone regeneration, and neurogenesis. Finally, the paper discusses some challenges facing future clinical trials and potential directions for further research.

Solar energy is the energy source for all life on Earth, and its efficient conversion is of great significance for solving the global energy crises and environmental issues. Inspired by natural photosynthesis, researchers have recently developed whole-cell biohybrids based on semiconductors and microorganisms by integrating the excellent light absorption ability of photosensitizer semiconductors and the efficient biocatalysis ability of whole-cell microbes. The development of whole-cell biohybrids aims to realize efficient solar-to-chemical production in a green and low-carbon pathway. This review clarifies the operation principle and advantages of whole-cell biohybrids, and the properties of photosensitizer semiconductors are summarized, including the band structure, excitation wavelength and quantum yield. Moreover, this work innovatively concludes the construction mechanisms of whole-cell biohybrids and the electron transfer mechanisms in the interface between semiconductor and microbe. Moreover, the advanced progress of whole-cell biohybrids are reviewed, such as the high-value conversion of carbon dioxide, artificial nitrogen fixation, hydrogen production as well as pollutant removal and recovery. Finally, the environmental impacts and challenges of whole-cell biohybrids are discussed and the perspectives for the development of whole-cell biohybrids are proposed. This article is expected to provide fundamental insights for the further development and actual application of whole-cell biohybrids.

Electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ into value-added chemicals has been a research hotspot in recent years, among which electrocatalytic conversion of CO₂ to CO is an industrial-related potential route. Among the electrocatalysts, metal macrocyclic molecular catalysts have attracted much attention due to their functional structure diversity, high conjugation structure, high chemical stability and great potential in electrochemical research. Herein, this paper reviews and introduces several main metal macrocyclic molecular catalysts, related reaction mechanisms and development progress. As to the problems of their low electrical conductivity and instability under long-term operation, the main strategies of heterogeneous systems on catalytic activity and stability were thoroughly discussed, including the introduction of the conductive carrier with high surface areas via non-covalence or covalence connection, building the polycondensation/ polymerization or COF skeleton structure, and modification of functional group with different effect. Finally, the challenges of catalytic activity and stability were analyzed and solving strategies were proposed, focusing on heterogeneous catalysts design, optimization of electrolyzer, and machine learning.

Bifunctional small molecules are a sort of small molecules that engage multiple targets. They are subdivided into two categories: bifunctional small molecules with linkers and without linkers. Targeted protein degradation (TPD) is a currently emerging strategy hijacking cellular protein degradation systems, namely ubiquitin-proteasomal system and lysosomal system, to induce the degradation of targeted protein for drug development. Distinct from the traditional mechanism of action based on inhibition, TPD inhibits the function of targeted protein through targeted clearance, thus is advantageous in long-term inhibition and targeting undruggable proteins. With a unique mechanism of action, bifunctional small molecules are capable of binding degradation-associated protein and targeted protein simultaneously, and therefore used widely in the realm of TPD. This review summarizes the recent development of bifunctional molecules in TPD. Proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs), molecular degraders of extracellular proteins through the asialoglycoprotein receptors (MoDE-As), and autophagy targeting chimeras (AUTACs) which based on bifunctional small molecules with linkers, and molecular glue degraders (MGDs) and autophagosome-tethering compounds (ATTECs) which based on bifunctional small molecules without linkers are introduced, with their clinical application highlighted. Finally, the challenges that the two categories of bifunctional small molecules respectively face in the realm of TPD as well as prospects and suggestions for their development are proposed.

Membrane separation technology has been intensively used in numerous applications such as seawater desalination, water treatment and reuse, fine separation and product concentration, biomedical treatment and so forth owing to its low operation temperature, easy operation process, modularity, and high separation efficiency. However, due to membrane materials, membrane structures, and membrane manufacturing technology, the trade-off behavior between the water flux and the rejection rate of conventional separation membranes has become a technical bottleneck. The preparation of high-performance separation membranes using proteins as membrane materials is expected to break the trade-off behavior of conventional separation membranes. Protein separation membrane works super-efficiently for the target separation and transport, as well as the antibacterial and antifouling properties, where an emerging membrane material of proteins can transport the solute due to their inherent specific water or ion channels, rich binding sites with metal ions, regular nanostructures or low-cost and multifunctional. In this review, the widely implemented membrane materials and fabrication strategies for protein separation membranes are summarized in detail, and the research progress of the various protein separation membranes is described. Furthermore, the challenges faced by protein separation membranes are comprehensively reviewed. This review provides some insights into the construction and prospect of protein separation membranes.

Pseudo-protein materials have the advantages of high biocompatibility, biodegradability, and high tunability, and have attracted wide attention in the biomedical field as a drug carrier in recent years. Pseudo-protein molecules contain amide bonds, ester bonds and other active groups, compared with protein, not only retain the advantages of high tissue compatibility, and ester bonds and other active groups overcome the disadvantages of single protein structure, single function, make it have better mechanical properties and functionality, according to the actual demand for diversified morphology design and surface modification. The pseudo-protein drug carriers constructed by various methods such as self-assembly not only enhance the bioavailability of the drug in vivo, but also make the pseudo-protein drug carriers show ideal targeted controlled release performance with the help of specific signals at the focus. This paper focuses on the pseudo-protein drug delivery materials, introduces the construction and loading mode of pseudo-protein drug carriers, and summarizes the targeted release strategy of pseudo-protein drug carrier, and finally makes the prospect of pseudo-protein in the direction of controlled drug release, so as to provide reference for the subsequent research of pseudo-protein drug carriers.

Plastic products represented by polyethylene terephthalate (PET) have become an important part of modern life and global economy. In order to solve the resource waste and environmental problems caused by PET waste and to realize high-value recycling of materials, there is an urgent need to explore low-cost green and efficient conversion and recycling methods. Chemical depolymerization can deal with low-value, mixed, and contaminated plastics, recover polymer monomers through different chemical reactions or chemically upgrade and recycle to produce new high value-added products, realizing the closed-loop recycling of plastic waste and high value-added applications, which is a key way to establish a circular polymer economy. This paper reviews the latest research progress of chemical depolymerization process of PET waste, analyzes the problems of chemical depolymerization technology of PET waste, and looks forward to the future development trend of chemical depolymerization process of PET waste.

To advance the development of high-performance organic solar cells, in recent years, the academic community has conducted in-depth research on the design of non-fullerene acceptor materials and the interplay between their structure and properties. Structural modifications of these materials involve optimization of the core structure, side chain engineering, expansion of the conjugated system, and doping with heteroatoms. Focusing on sulfur, due to its outstanding semiconducting properties, it is widely used in the manufacturing of electronic materials and semiconductor devices, especially in the field of organic solar cells. Selenium, as a homologous element of sulfur, not only shares similar chemical and physical properties but also possesses unique characteristics. For instance, compared to sulfur, selenium has a larger atomic radius, which provides additional space within molecules, facilitating charge transfer and improving electron distribution. Moreover, due to its greater mass, selenium atoms have lower vibrational frequencies, a characteristic that enhances light absorption capabilities within the visible spectrum. Therefore, the introduction of selenium atoms is considered a potential approach to enhancing the efficiency of organic solar cells. This review focuses on the impact of the position and ratio of selenium atoms in condensed-ring electron acceptors (such as ITIC and Y6 derivatives) and certain non-condensed ring acceptors on their photovoltaic performance. It also discusses the synergistic effect of selenium atom substitution with other optimization strategies and its comprehensive impact on the performance of various types of organic solar cells (including small molecule, polymer, and all-polymer solar cells).

The exceptional waterproof and oil-repellent properties of fluorides, attributed to their remarkably low surface energy, have rendered them extensively employed in the realm of functional finishing. However, the use of fluorine presents potential hazards to human health and engenders irreversible harm to the environment. Consequently, it is progressively being regulated by nations, and discovering alternatives without fluorine has emerged as an imperative concern that necessitates immediate attention in the fields of waterproofing and anti-fouling. To clarify the definition of the fluorine-free materials with oil-repellent property and explore their potential applications in the field of chemistry, the research background of fluorine-free surfaces with oil-repellent property was described, along with a comprehensive review and evaluation of recent achievements and preparation methods. Furthermore, the mechanism of fluorine-free surfaces with oil-repellent property was analyzed, and the application status of fluorine-free coating with oil-repellent property in textiles, construction, food, liquid treatment and other fields was summarized. Additionally, an analysis of the current challenges in ongoing research process of fluorine-free surfaces with oil-repellent property was provided. Finally, a prospective outlook on the future of green and environmentally-friendly fluorine-free surface technology was prospected.

The visible-light-driven copper-catalyzed decarboxylative coupling reaction of carboxylic acids and their derivatives is a novel, efficient, and green synthetic method. It allows the construction of various carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds for the synthesis of a wide range of high-value-added chemicals, making it a hot topic in the field of modern synthetic chemistry. In recent years, researchers worldwide have conducted extensive studies in this area, achieving a series of innovative results that have been widely applied in organic synthesis, materials science, and medicinal chemistry. This paper reviews the latest experimental and theoretical advances in the visible-light-driven copper-catalyzed decarboxylative coupling reactions of carboxylic acids and their derivatives, with a focus on several typical cross-coupling reactions that form C—X (X = C, N, O, S) bonds. It also discusses the future development prospects of this catalytic method.