ABSTRACT Graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C 3 N 4 ) is a promising metal‐free semiconductor photocatalyst for energy conversion and environmental remediation, due to its suitable band gap, excellent stability and low‐cost synthesis. However, its inherent limitations (rapid photogenerated electron–hole recombination, small specific surface area, narrow visible‐light absorption) severely restrict practical applications. Rare earth elements, with unique 4f electronic configurations, abundant energy level transitions and strong electron transfer capabilities, are ideal modifiers for g‐C 3 N 4 . This review systematically summarizes the research progress of rare earth‐doped g‐C 3 N 4 ‐based photocatalysts, focusing on fundamental theories, heterojunction modification strategies and typical applications. The combination of rare earth doping and Z‐scheme, S‐scheme or 2D/2D heterojunctions synergistically enhances charge separation, visible‐light utilization and redox capability, endowing the catalysts with remarkable performance in water splitting, CO 2 reduction and pollutant degradation. Current challenges and future directions are also prospected, including revealing structure‐activity relationships via in situ characterization and DFT calculations, constructing integrated modification systems and advancing engineering applications. This review offers valuable insights for designing high‐performance rare earth‐doped g‐C 3 N 4 ‐based photocatalysts, facilitating sustainable energy production and environmental governance.

ABSTRACT Recovery and valorization of scraps generated during product manufacturing represent a crucial opportunity for material consumption efficiency, reducing the demand for virgin resources and minimizing waste production. Life cycle assessment (LCA) analysis provides a quantitative evaluation of the environmental benefits arising from scrap management strategies. However, the lack of a unified methodology for LCA modeling prevents unambiguous conclusions. This work addresses this topic by focusing on post‐industrial scrap management in a real industrial scenario of plastic packaging production, where scrap is collected, regranulated, and either internally re‐used or sold to other companies. Environmental impacts are evaluated by exploring different LCA modeling approaches (the Cut‐off method, the closed‐loop approximation, and the Circular Footprint Formula approach). At the same time, the system circularity is evaluated using specific indicators. Results highlight that impacts are highly influenced by the chosen LCA methodology and, moreover, the environmental sustainability and circularity might not always be aligned.

ABSTRACT Integrating photoelectrochemical (PEC) and colorimetric (CL) detection into a single platform enables cross‐validation, improved reliability, and high sensitivity, which critically relies on high‐performance muti‐functional signal tags. Herein, a rationally designed ternary Cu 2 O@Cu‐MOF(4,4‐bpy)@Ag 2 S heterostructure was synthesized via an in situ formation strategy with Ag 2 S as a sensitizer. This composite serves as an efficient bifunctional signal probe, exhibiting a stable photocurrent and peroxidase‐mimicking activity. Ag 2 S enhances charge separation for PEC response and offers Ag‐S anchoring sites for aptamer immobilization. The aptamer confers excellent specificity for bisphenol A (BPA) targets via selective molecular recognition. For sensor fabrication, a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) layer was prepared on an ITO electrode, creating target‐specific cavities after template removal. Upon capturing BPA within the MIP cavities, the target is selectively bound by the aptamer, precisely immobilizing the signal probe onto the electrode. This generates dual signals proportional to BPA concentration: a photocurrent and a colorimetric signal from TMB oxidation. The sensor achieves ultrasensitive detection, with PEC and CL linear ranges of 1.0 × 10 − 1 3 –1.0 × 10 − 6 m and 10.0–600.0 n m , and detection limits of 6.43 × 10 − 14 m and 5.91 n m , respectively. The developed platform offers a promising approach for high‐performance dual‐mode sensing in environmental and food analysis.

ABSTRACT To address key challenges in photocatalytic CO 2 reduction for syngas production—including low catalyst activity, difficult product ratio control, and poor photogenerated charge separation efficiency, a one‐step molten salt strategy was utilized to synthesize Cu + ‐doped In 2 S 3 , which achieves photocatalytic CO 2 reduction to syngas with yields of CO:H 2 ≈ 1:1. The introduced Cu + ions create sulfur vacancies, synergistically boosting CO 2 adsorption, charge separation, and light‐harvesting. Importantly, density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm that Cu + doping effectively reduces the formation energy barrier of the key * CO intermediate, providing a thermodynamic driving force for the selective reduction of CO 2 to CO. This effectively promotes CO 2 adsorption and activation while thermodynamically lowering the energy barrier for the CO 2 reduction reaction. This study elucidates the synergistic enhancement mechanism between Cu + and sulfur vacancies and provides a feasible strategy for developing solar‐driven photocatalysts for CO 2 reduction.

ABSTRACT Zinc Oxide (ZnO) tetrapods with its unique shape, high crystallinity, excellent optoelectronic characteristics, and significantly lower intrinsic density defects than other morphologies. This paper communicates the rapid and facile preparation of ZnO tetrapods by a modified catalyst‐free thermal sublimation process, viable for photocatalytic activity. The ZnO tetrapods are tested as a photocatalyst to degrade methylene blue, rhodamine B, and methyl orange dyes individually and also as a mixture under a 200 W white LED light irradiation with low energy consumption, affordable cost and suitability to be rapidly and almost completely recycled. The ZnO tetrapods are tested for continuous photodegradation by cyclic study in their powder form and are then immobilized into ZnO‐T/PVB sheet and used for 10 cycles, demonstrating their promising stability under white LED light. Photo‐corrosion study for ZnO tetrapods are demonstrated under white LED light for 2, 4 and 8 days, indicating distortion of tetrapodal morphology into platelet‐like particles exposing active sites and increasing the surface area with increased efficiency. The ZnO tetrapods is found to effectively degrade the dyes by the defect‐mediated mechanism, proving it as a cost‐effective visible light photocatalyst for extending its use for continual degradation as a supplement to natural Sunlight.

ABSTRACT Hydrogels are widely used in regenerative medicine due to their biocompatibility and tissue‐like properties; however, many rely on non‐renewable resources and exhibiting limited functionality. This study presents a sustainable hydrogel composite derived from agro‐marine waste, addressing both environmental and biomedical challenges. The composite integrates nanocellulose (NCs) extracted from date fruit pomace with collagen methacryloyl (ColMA) obtained from fish skin. The extracted NCs exhibited an average length of 529 nm, diameter of 63 nm, and crystallinity index of 40.2%. Incorporating 6% NCs into ColMA significantly improved the hydrogel's mechanical strength, increasing the bulk and nano‐elastic moduli to 31 and 24 kPa, respectively. The NC‐ColMA hydrogels displayed excellent shear‐thinning behavior, recovery ability, and UV crosslinking potential, alongside reduced pore size and swelling ratio with enhanced enzymatic and hydrolytic stability. Moreover, the hydrogels supported >95% hMSC viability, promoted proliferation, and upregulated chondrogenic markers (SOX‐9, ACAN, ELN) without elevating pro‐inflammatory cytokines, while modestly increasing TGF‐β1 expression. The composite also demonstrated superior injectability and printability, enabling precise 3D bioprinting. Overall, this NC‐ColMA hydrogel, with its tunable mechanical characteristics and biological compatibility, shows great potential for diverse medical applications while also contributing to waste reduction efforts in the date and fishing industries.

ABSTRACT Increasing the usage of recycled aluminum (Al) is an efficient way to maintain a low‐carbon supply‐chain for modern automobile companies, where the major challenge is the mitigation of the negative effect of tramp element, such as Fe. This paper aims at the application scenario of recycled Al in automobile profiles, presenting a thorough investigation on the morphology, size, and fraction of Fe‐contained intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in Al‐Mg‐Si alloys with excess Fe contents. Comprehensive understandings were established across the entire process chain, leading to a two‐pronged adjustment strategy. First, the Mn/Fe ratio and Mn content were found to govern the morphology and fraction of IMCs, while the solidification cooling rate dictates their size and distribution. Notably, we revealed that the solidification cooling rate exerts a decisive, penetrative influence that persists through homogenization and deformation processes. This combined effect yields fine, short‐rod IMCs in the as‐cast microstructure, which subsequently undergo spheroidization and fragmentation during homogenization and deformation, minimizing the harmful impact of Fe‐contained IMCs. Second, the Mg/Si ratio and aging parameters enable direct control over Mg 2 Si precipitation, optimizing the strength‐ductility balance. Further, plant‐scale trials successfully produced Al–Mg–Si extrusions from recycled Al, which fully meet the mechanical property requirements for automotive structural components.

ABSTRACT Activated carbon (AC) is a vital porous material with a longstanding history of utilization as an adsorbent. Typically manufactured from fossil precursors such as coal and petroleum coke, its production raises concerns about sustainability and carbon dioxide emissions. In response, biomass has become an appealing, readily accessible renewable resource for AC production, providing a means to support circular economy models by valorizing waste streams. This review provides a comprehensive and critical overview of the progression from biomass to multifunctional activated materials carbon. We carefully analyze integrated production methods, including carbonization and various activation techniques (chemical, physical, physicochemical, and microwave), assessing their advantages and disadvantages, as well as their effects on key parameters such as surface area, pore volume, and yield. Furthermore, we critically evaluate the impact of synthesis parameters like temperature, duration, and impregnation ratio on the final properties of carbons. Moving beyond traditional adsorption, this review highlights cutting‐edge applications of biomass‐derived activated carbon, particularly in sustainable energy storage (e.g., supercapacitors, sodium‐ion batteries, and lithium‐ion batteries) and environmental remediation (removing dyes, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and other pollutants from wastewater). This review synthesizes extensive information to guide the design of high‐performance, biomass‐derived AC for specific multifunctional uses.

ABSTRACT Harnessing magnetic noise fields for sustainable energy harvesting offers a pervasive power source for wireless devices. In this context, recently developed 2D van der Waals heterostructures have emerged as promising candidates for advancing the fundamental understanding of magnetoelectric (ME) coupling and the development of nanoscale ME devices. This work investigates thermo‐magneto‐electric coupling to enable MoS 2 /MoTe 2 ‐based heterostructures for harvesting energy from stray magnetic fields. Furthermore, introducing a nickel layer further enhances interfacial interactions under a magnetic field, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm its significant influence on the ME behavior of the heterostructures. The optimized flexible heterostructure demonstrated an open‐circuit voltage of ∼4.5 V and a power density of ∼2.12 mW/cm 3 under an alternating current (AC) magnetic noise field of 1.33 mT. These results highlight the potential of the novel 2D‐based heterostructure for harvesting stray magnetic fields and powering low‐power electronic devices in self‐powered wireless sensor network applications.

ABSTRACT Anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) holds promise as a low‐cost, efficient hydrogen production method, but its internal polarization mechanisms remain poorly resolved. A precisely controlled single‐cell experimental platform is developed to completely decouple ionic transfer, charge transfer, and mass transfer processes under realistic operating conditions. Distribution of relaxation times (DRT) analysis assigns each resolved spectral peak to specific polarization processes, and the assignments are validated through carefully designed variations in membrane thickness, electrocatalysts, temperature, and flow rate. Based on these results, a frequency‐mechanism map is constructed and applied to quantify impedance evolution across a wide range of current densities. The shifting contributions of dominant polarization processes are clearly revealed, and a robust, experimentally supported framework for interpreting impedance spectra in AEM systems is established. This work provides a mechanism‐specific diagnostic reference and guidance for future optimization and control strategies in AEM electrolyzers.