SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3617-x
Macrophages are pivotal in infection resolution and tissue repair via dynamic M1-to-M2 phenotypic polarization. Although various nano-biomaterials can modulate macrophage polarization, achieving sequential M1-to-M2 transition using a single nanoformulation remains challenging. Here, we propose a strategy employing transition metal carbide/nitride (MXene) nanosheets, internalized by macrophages, as the sole regulator to induce sequential polarization. Under a rotating magnetic field, the high electrical conductivity and magnetoelectric activity of endocytosed MXene generate electrical signals and reactive oxygen species (ROS), driving M1 polarization. Upon magnetic field removal, the inherent bioactivity of MXene facilitates repolarization to the M2 phenotype. Mechanistically, this transition involves inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway and activation of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway. In vivo, MXene nanosheets under on-off rotating magnetic field stimulation enabled sequential M1-to-M2 polarization, promoting bacterial clearance and tissue regeneration in infected wounds. This two-step sequential strategy targeting macrophages offers a promising therapeutic approach for infected wound healing.
Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202508084
Granite mining areas generate large quantities of abandoned soil and rock powder, posing environmental challenges and resource waste. This study investigates the synergistic preparation of porous ceramsite from two typical granite solid wastes—weathered granite soil (high Al2O3) and granite waste rock powder (high SiO2)—with waste glass powder as a fluxing agent. Single-factor experiments and response surface methodology (Box-Behnken) were employed to optimize the process and elucidate the pore-forming mechanism. The optimal conditions were a mass ratio of weathered granite soil:granite waste rock powder:waste glass powder of 5.6:2.4:2, a preheating temperature of 480 °C, a sintering time of 32 min, and a sintering temperature of 1140 °C. Under these conditions, the resulting porous ceramsite achieved a compressive strength of 1.74 MPa. The ceramsite effectively immobilized heavy metals, ensuring environmental safety. This research demonstrates that multi-component complementarity and multi-factor coupling optimization can produce porous ceramsite with favorable mechanical properties and stable pore structure, providing a theoretical basis and technical support for high-value utilization of granite solid waste.
Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.0000/202605-2
Surface sediment samples were collected from 28 stations in the intertidal zones of Xiangshan Harbor, Sanmen Bay, and the southern coast of Hangzhou Bay, major fishery waters in Ningbo, to assess heavy metal pollution and ecological risk. Concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Hg, and As were determined. Results showed that Cu and Cr were the primary超标 factors, with mean concentrations exceeding the Class I standard (GB 18668-2002) by factors of 1.03 and 1.1, respectively, in Xiangshan Harbor; in Sanmen Bay, Cr exceeded by 1.1 times, while Cu did not. In Hangzhou Bay, Cu and Cr were elevated but below the standard. Coefficients of variation (CV) for five metals in Hangzhou Bay exceeded 30%, indicating strong external influence. In Xiangshan Harbor, As showed strong variation, and in Sanmen Bay, Hg showed strong variation. The potential ecological risk indices (RI) were 38.5, 36.7, and 31.1 for Xiangshan Harbor, Sanmen Bay, and Hangzhou Bay, respectively, all indicating low ecological risk. Spatial distribution in Hangzhou Bay revealed a decreasing gradient from a chemical industrial park, suggesting industrial discharge as a primary source. The study provides baseline data for environmental management and recommends source control and bioremediation in high-risk areas.
Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202511087
Identifying the sources and driving factors of heavy metals (HMs) in paddy soils around mining areas is crucial for safeguarding regional agricultural production and food security. This study focused on paddy soils near a mining area in southern Jiangxi Province, integrating Spearman correlation analysis, positive matrix factorization (PMF), and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) coupled with SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) to quantitatively apportion potential ecological risks, pollution sources, and driving factors. Results showed that mean concentrations of Pb, Ni, and Cu exceeded the soil background values of Jiangxi Province, except for Cr. The mean comprehensive potential ecological risk index (RI) was 17.4, with 25.7% of sampling sites exhibiting moderate risk, and Ni being the primary ecological risk factor. Source apportionment identified three main sources: natural background (51.1%), industrial and mining activities (26.6%), and a mixed source of agricultural activities and traffic emissions (22.3%). Spatial variation of Cr, Cu, and Ni was predominantly governed by soil physicochemical properties (Fe and P contents), whereas Pb distribution was significantly influenced by industrial and mining activities. The combination of PMF and XGBoost-SHAP effectively delineated sources and driving factors, providing a scientific basis for targeted soil management and pollution control in mining-affected agricultural regions.
Chinese Journal of Environmental Engineering•2026•DOI: 10.12030/j.cjee.202511020
With the increasing number of oil pipelines crossing rivers, the potential risks of oil leakage and surface spreading to river ecosystems and water environments are becoming more severe. Scenario-based simulation of oil spill diffusion is a prerequisite for effective interception point placement and leakage risk prevention. Numerous factors influence oil spill diffusion, including environmental conditions, river hydrology, and accessibility of emergency resources. This study integrates these factors and multiple dynamic processes to design eight typical scenarios for oil spill diffusion simulation, considering emergency resource locations, river hydrological regimes, and leakage modes. A case study is conducted on an oil pipeline crossing a river in northwest China. Results indicate that the diffusion distance and affected area are primarily controlled by water conditions and emergency resource accessibility. In emergency management, the efficiency of maintenance and repair resources during high-water months should be prioritized. Mechanistically, external forces such as hydraulic and wind forces have a greater influence on diffusion distance, surpassing internal forces like gravity, viscosity, and surface tension within a short time. For river crossings near emergency resources, internal force effects should be considered in oil spill diffusion simulations. When emergency resource arrival times are long, the diffusion distance based on Fay's theory is relatively small and can be neglected in engineering practice. This study provides a computational basis and methodological reference for risk assessment and emergency response to potential oil spills from pipelines crossing rivers, enhancing the scientific and effective nature of risk prevention and emergency handling.
Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2026030202
High nitrogen (N) inputs, low N use efficiency, and substantial greenhouse gas emissions constrain sustainable double-cropping rice production in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. To evaluate whether humic acid urea (HAU) can reconcile yield stability with N reduction and carbon mitigation, a field experiment was conducted in a double-cropping rice system. Five treatments were established: conventional urea at the recommended N rate (U), HAU at the recommended N rate (HAU), conventional urea with a 20% reduction in N input (U-20), HAU with a 20% reduction in N input (HAU-20), and a no-N control (CK). Rice yield, N uptake and utilization, and the full life-cycle carbon footprint were quantified. Results showed that HAU significantly increased double-cropping rice yield by 6.46% (early rice) and 8.76% (late rice) compared to U (P < 0.05). HAU-20 maintained yield equivalent to U, while U-20 significantly reduced yield. HAU-20 significantly improved nitrogen fertilizer apparent utilization rate, agronomic efficiency, and partial factor productivity. Specifically, apparent utilization rate increased by 9.24 percentage points (early rice) and 7.80 percentage points (late rice); agronomic efficiency increased by 18.51% and 26.69%, and partial factor productivity by 22.79% and 25.58% for early and late rice, respectively (P < 0.05). Life-cycle carbon footprint was significantly reduced by 26.25% (early rice) and 40.38% (late rice) under HAU-20 compared to U, with per-unit product carbon footprint reduced by 0.22 t CO2-eq·t−1 and 0.86 t CO2-eq·t−1, respectively. The reduction was primarily attributed to decreased CH4 and N2O emissions: early rice CH4 and N2O cumulative emissions decreased by 28.92% and 44.34%, and late rice by 44.46% and 63.85% (P < 0.05). In conclusion, HAU with 20% N reduction sustains yield, enhances N use efficiency, and significantly lowers carbon footprint, offering a viable path for green and low-carbon double-cropping rice production.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3917-x
The escalating global challenge of antibiotic contamination demands advanced sensing technologies for environmental monitoring and public health protection. Here, we present a structurally well-defined, intercalation-engineered metal-organic framework (MOF), HSB-W18, which functions as an ultrasensitive and selective fluorescence sensor for fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis unambiguously determined both the framework architecture and the spatial organization of intercalated 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalate molecules at atomic resolution. Through ultrasound-assisted synthesis, highly stable book-shaped microsheets (HSB-W18-MS) were obtained, maintaining exceptional aqueous dispersibility and luminescence intensity for over one month. These microsheets offer distinct advantages for antibiotic detection: specific recognition of diverse fluoroquinolones via unique fluorescence signatures; highly sensitive ratiometric detection of enoxacin (ENX) with a limit of detection (LOD) of 5.62 nM and rapid response kinetics (<30 s); exceptional selectivity alongside reusability. Systematic mechanistic investigations revealed a synergistic detection process involving multiple photophysical pathways. Furthermore, a smartphone-based portable detection system was successfully implemented, and the practical utility of the sensor was validated by quantifying ENX in complex environmental samples: tap water LOD = 18.32 nM and river water LOD = 29.87 nM. This study contributes to fundamental materials science and environmental monitoring by elucidating discernible structure-property relationships in intercalated MOFs, demonstrating a robust platform for field-deployable antibiotic detection and proposing an innovative design paradigm for environmental optical sensors.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4121-9
Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are a promising photovoltaic technology, yet their commercialization is hindered by insufficient long-term operational stability under real-world conditions. While progress has improved resilience against static stressors (constant heat, electrical bias, humidity), durability under dynamic outdoor environments—particularly diurnal light cycling and temperature fluctuations—remains inadequately understood. Cyclic illumination induces interfacial expansion and contraction, leading to mechanical stress accumulation and grain-boundary (GB) fragmentation, ultimately decomposing the perovskite into Pb2+ and inactive phases. To address this, Zhang et al. propose a dynamic GB-resilience strategy integrating a photoswitchable isomeric compound, 4-(phenylazo) benzoic acid (Ca-Abz), into triple-cation lead-based perovskite grain boundaries. In the dark, Ca-Abz adopts a planar trans (E) configuration, anchoring via carboxylic acid-Pb2+ coordination. Under UV illumination, electronic excitation lowers the rotational barrier of the azo bond, triggering a transition to a sterically twisted cis (Z) configuration. This reversible molecular switching dynamically accommodates periodic lattice expansion and contraction, dissipating intergranular stress and regulating local strain. Density functional theory and first-principles molecular dynamics simulations show the Z isomer binds slightly stronger to the perovskite surface (−11.01 eV) than the E isomer (−10.99 eV), indicating illumination actively strengthens passivation. This approach represents a shift from static passivators to stimuli-responsive interfacial regulators that utilize UV energy to stabilize grain boundaries during lattice expansion, offering a promising route to enhance PSC operational stability under cyclic illumination.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3548-9
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is constrained by the absence of tumor selectivity in conventional photosensitizers (PSs), which produces phototoxicity in normal tissues and risks activation by ambient light. Covalent conjugation of PSs to targeting peptides improves accumulation but does not suppress off-target activation. This work reports B-HCPP-RGD, a single-molecule PS that integrates αVβ3 integrin targeting with dual responsiveness to H2O2 and cathepsin B. The hypocrellin-derived type I PS HCEA is masked by a 4-(bromomethyl)phenylboronic acid pinacol ester H2O2-responsive group and conjugated to cyclic Arg-Gly-Asp (cRGD) through a cathepsin B-cleavable Gln-Val dipeptide linker. ROS generation in solution is effectively suppressed until both H2O2 and cathepsin B are present, at which point HCEA is released. In vitro, B-HCPP-RGD shows negligible phototoxicity toward normal cells and pronounced phototoxicity toward tumor cells, including under hypoxic conditions. In vivo, the conjugate actively targets tumor tissue and achieves a high tumor inhibition rate with favorable biosafety. The results establish a modular design for dual-responsive, tumor-targeted PSs that improves the precision and safety of PDT.