Silicon monoxide (SiO) is highly attractive as an anode material for high-energy lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its significantly higher specific capacity. However, its practical application is hindered by substantial volume expansion during cycling, which leads to material pulverization and an unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer. Inspired by the natural root fixation in soil, we designed a root-like topological structure binder, cassava starch-citric acid (CS-CA), based on the synergistic action of covalent and hydrogen bonds. The abundant -OH and -COOH groups in CS-CA molecules effectively form hydrogen bonds with the -OH groups on the SiO surface, significantly enhancing the interfacial interaction between CS-CA and SiO. The root-like topological structure of CS-CA with a high tolerance alleviates the mechanical stress generated by the volume changes of SiO. More encouragingly, the hydrogen bond action among CS-CA molecules produces a self-healing effect, which is advantageous for repairing damaged electrodes and preserving their structural integrity. As such, the CS-CA/SiO electrode exhibits exceptional cycling performance (963.1 mA h g-1 after 400 cycles at 2 A g-1 ) and rate capability (558.9 mA h g-1 at 5 A g-1 ). This innovative, topologically interconnected, root-inspired binder will greatly advance the practical application of long-lasting micron-sized SiO anodes. (c) 2025 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

The increasing issue of plastic waste necessitates improved solutions, and biodegradable food packaging is a promising alternative to traditional plastic. In this study, we prepared packaging films using cassava starch (CV), chitosan (CT) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), with glycerol as a plasticizer. However, these films require modifications to enhance their mechanical properties. Therefore, we modified the films by adding vanillin as the crosslinking agent and gingerol extract stabilized silver nanoparticles. The films were fabricated using the filmcasting method and characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, TGA, mechanical property test, biodegradability test, antibacterial test and food packaging evaluation test. Among these films, CT/CV/V/CMC/Gin-AgNPs1 exhibited superior mechanical properties and demonstrated excellent anti-bacterial property both for gram-positive (S. aureus) and gram-negative (E. coli) bacteria and biodegradability, losing over 50% of its weight after 21 days of burial in soil and effectively preserved grapes at 4 degrees C for 21 days.

In an era marked by growing environmental concerns and the need for sustainable living, the development of environmentally friendly and biodegradable products has become paramount. This work proposes the preparation of eco-friendly and sustainable value-added products like carry bags and garbage bags from cassava starch. A cassava starch: plasticizer ratio of 1:0.05 has been optimized to prepare bioplastics with good mechanical properties. We have used nearly spherical shaped silver nanoparticles ranging between a particle size of 9-15 nm and spherical zinc oxide nanoparticles ranging between 12 and 38 nm prepared by green methods which were characterized using XRD, SEM and TEM. Using the optimum cassava starch:plasticizer ratio, two sets of bioplastics were prepared-one containing varying amounts of silver nanoparticles and the other with varying amounts of zinc oxide nanoparticles. For both types of bioplastics, 1% nanoparticle addition gave maximum tensile strength of 4.8037 N/mm2 for zinc oxide incorporated bioplastics and 4.3320 N/mm2 for silver incorporated bioplastics. The addition of nanoparticles did not much change the thermal stability of bioplastics. Soil, air and water degradation studies were done for 31 days. The rate of soil degradation increased on nanoparticle addition. The durability of the bioplastics was confirmed during air degradation studies. The nanoparticle incorporated samples showed lesser degradation in air and water. Thus, addition of nanoparticles customizes the properties of bioplastics, making them suitable substitutes for traditional plastics in a wide range of uses.