A functional hybrid nano-hydroxyapatite (carboxymethyl cellulose-phytic acid-n-HA, CMC-PA-n-HA) was prepared by adding CMC and PA. The results of Fourier transformation infrared spectra, X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis and dispersion experiments indicated that the addition of CMC and PA affected the morphology, crystallinity and crystal size of hybrid n-HA, and CMC endowed hybrid n-HA with excellent dispersion. Scanning electron microscope results showed that CMC-PA-n-HA nanoparticle could be uniformly dispersed in chitosan (CS) matrix to obtain composite membrane by casting technology, so that the highest tensile strength of CMC-PA-n-HA/CS composite membrane was 69.64% and 144.45% higher than that of CS membrane and n-HA/CS composite membrane, respectively. Contact angle test showed that CMC-PA-n-HA effectively improved hydrophilicity of the CS membrane. The simulated body fluid immersion results indicated that the CMC-PA-n-HA/CS composite membrane not only exhibited good degradability but also promoted bone-like apatite deposition. The cell proliferation experiments proved that the introduction of PA made the composite membrane have better cell adhesion and proliferation ability. Antibacterial tests demonstrated that PA could effectively improve the antibacterial properties of the composite membrane, which is expected to be applied as guide bone tissue regeneration membrane.

In this study, perovskite-type La_0.7Ca_0.3Co_0.3Fe_0.6M_0.1O_3–δ (M = Cu, Zn) powders were synthesized using a scalable reverse co-precipitation method, presenting them as novel materials for oxygen transport membranes. The comprehensive study covered various aspects including oxygen permeability, crystal structure, conductivity, morphology, CO₂ tolerance, and long-term regenerative durability with a focus on phase structure and composition. The membrane La_0.7Ca_0.3Co_0.3Fe_0.6Zn_0.1O_3–δ exhibited high oxygen permeation fluxes, reaching up to 0.88 and 0.64 mL·min⁻¹·cm⁻² under air/He and air/CO₂ gradients at 1173 K, respectively. After 1600 h of CO₂ exposure, the perovskite structure remained intact, showcasing superior CO₂ resistance. A combination of first principles simulations and experimental measurements was employed to deepen the understanding of Cu/Zn substitution effects on the structure, oxygen vacancy formation, and transport behavior of the membranes. These findings underscore the potential of this highly CO₂-tolerant membrane for applications in high-temperature oxygen separation. The enhanced insights into the oxygen transport mechanism contribute to the advancement of next-generation membrane materials.

Reducing the production costs of clean energy carriers such as hydrogen through scalable water electrolysis is a potential solution for advancing the hydrogen economy. Among the various material candidates, our group demonstrated transition-metal-based materials with tunable electronic characteristics, various phases, and earth-abundance. Herein, electrochemical water oxidation using Cu₂Se–V₂O₅ as a non-precious metallic electrocatalyst via a hydrothermal approach is reported. The water-splitting performance of all the fabricated electrocatalysts was evaluated after direct growth on a stainless-steel substrate. The electrochemically tuned Cu₂Se–V₂O₅ catalyst exhibited a reduced overpotential of 128 mV and provided a reduced Tafel slope of 57 mV·dec^–1 to meet the maximum current density of 250 mA·cm^–2. The optimized strategy for interfacial coupling of the fabricated Cu₂Se–V₂O₅ catalyst resulted in a porous structure with accessible active sites, which enabled adsorption of the intermediates and afforded an effective charge transfer rate for promoting the oxygen evolution reaction. Furthermore, the combined effect of the catalyst components provided long-term stability for over 110 h in an alkaline solution, which makes the catalyst promising for large-scale practical applications. The aforementioned advantages of the composite catalyst overcome the limitations of low conductivity, agglomeration, and poor stability of the pure catalysts (Cu₂Se and V₂O₅).