Gels

Zinc dendrite growth and side reactions remain critical challenges hindering the advancement of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs). This study proposes a gel-based strategy for designing high-performance separators by regulating the crystal morphology of the metal–organic framework UiO-66 within a cellulose nanofiber (CNF) gel matrix. The resulting gel-derived separators exhibit distinctive structural and interfacial properties that significantly enhance battery performance. Compared with hierarchical porous structures (H-UiO-66), the octahedral morphology (O-UiO-66) disperses more uniformly in the CNF gel network, forming well-defined ion transport channels through its integrated gel architecture. The fabricated O-UiO-66/CNF gel separator demonstrates exceptional hydrophilicity (contact angle 21°), high porosity (73.2%), and significantly improved zinc ion migration number (0.72). Electrochemical tests reveal that this gel-based separator effectively guides uniform zinc deposition while suppressing dendrite growth. Zn/Zn symmetric cells using the O-UiO-66/CNF gel separator achieve a cycle life exceeding 800 h at 1 mA cm⁻². The Zn/MnO₂ full cell maintains 98.1% capacity retention after 100 cycles at 1 A g⁻¹. This work establishes a structure–performance relationship between MOF morphology and gel separator properties, providing new insights for designing advanced gel-based materials for AZIBs.

Lost circulation in oil-based drilling fluids (OBDFs) remains difficult to mitigate because particulate lost circulation materials depend on bridging/packing and gel systems for aqueous media often lack OBDF compatibility and controllable in situ sealing. A dual-precursor oil–water biphasic metal–organic supramolecular gel enables rapid in situ sealing in OBDF loss zones. The optimized formulation uses an oil-phase to aqueous gelling-solution volume ratio of 10:3, with 2.0 wt% Span 85, 12.5 wt% TXP-4, and 5.0 wt% NaAlO₂. Apparent-viscosity measurements and ATR–FTIR analysis were used to evaluate the effects of temperature, time, pH, and shear on MOSG gelation. Furthermore, the structural characteristics and performances of MOSGs were systematically investigated by combining microstructural characterization, thermogravimetric analysis, rheological tests, simulated fracture-plugging experiments, and anti-shear evaluations. The results indicate that elevated temperatures (30–70 °C) and mildly alkaline conditions in the aqueous gelling solution (pH ≈ 8.10–8.30) promote P–O–Al coordination and strengthen hydrogen bonding, thereby facilitating the formation of a three-dimensional network. In contrast, strong shear disrupts the nascent network and delays gelation. The optimized MOSGs rapidly exhibit pronounced viscoelasticity and thermal resistance (~193 °C); under high shear (380 rpm), the viscosity retention exceeds 60% and the viscosity recovery exceeds 70%. In plugging tests, MOSG forms a dense sealing layer, achieving a pressure-bearing gradient of 2.27 MPa/m in simulated permeable formations and markedly improving the fracture pressure-bearing capacity in simulated fractured formations.

This study provides the first comparative analysis of the physicochemical and functional properties of oil body suspensions derived from different parts—entire fruit (EOB), peel (POB), and seed (SOB)—of Idesia polycarpa Maxim (IPM) during in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion. Results demonstrated that the properties of the different suspensions exhibited significant difference during digestion stages. The average particle size of all suspensions decreased, with the most significant reduction observed in POB (91.50%), which was attributable to its lower interfacial protein content and inferior stability. The absolute ζ-potential decreased in the model of gastric digestion (MGD) due to interface disruption but increased in the model of intestinal digestion (MID) following the adsorption of bile salts. Throughout the simulated digestion process, the protein hydrolysis degree, free fatty acid (FFA) release rate, reducing power, and inhibition rates against α-amylase and α-glucosidase all increased, concurrently with a decrease in DPPH radical scavenging activity. Notably, the POB suspension exhibited the highest extent of lipid digestion, with the highest cumulative FFA release rate (27.83%). In contrast, the SOB suspension showed the most significant enhancement in total reducing power (increased by 199.32% after intestinal digestion) and the highest α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. These findings clarify that the part source is a critical factor influencing the digestive properties and functional activities of IPM oil bodies, providing a theoretical foundation for the targeted application in functional foods.