Optimizing Energy Solutions: Mott-Schottky Engineered 1D/3D CoWO(OH)·HO/MoS Heterostructure for Advanced Energy Storage and Conversion Application.

Heterostructure engineering offers a powerful approach to creating innovative electrocatalysts. By combining different materials, it can achieve synergistic effects that enhance both charge storage and electrocatalytic activity. In this work, it is capitalized on this concept by designing a 1D/3D CoWO(OH)·HO/molybdenum disulfide (CTH/MoS) heterostructure.

Negative Emotions Recruit the Parabrachial Nucleus Efferent to the VTA to Disengage Instrumental Food Seeking.

The parabrachial nucleus (PBN) interfaces between taste and feeding systems and is also an important hub for relaying distress information and threats. Despite that the PBN sends projections to the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a heterogeneous brain region that regulates motivational behaviors, the function of the PBN-to-VTA connection remains elusive. Here, by using male mice in several behavioral paradigms, we discover that VTA-projecting PBN neurons are significantly engaged in contextual fear, restraint or mild stress but not palatable feeding, visceral malaise, or thermal pain.

Revealing the Crystal Phase Transformation and Electrocatalytic Activity Correlation of MnO toward Glycerol Electrooxidation.

In this work, we report for the first time a comprehensive investigation of the intricate correlation between dynamic phase evolution and glycerol electrooxidation reaction (GEOR) performance across three primary MnO crystallographic phases (α-, β-, and γ-MnO). The results showed that all three electrocatalysts exhibited comparable selectivity toward three-carbon products (∼90%), but γ-MnO exhibited superior performance, with a low onset potential of ∼1.45 V, the highest current density of ∼1.

Anion-induced morphological regulation of cupric oxide nanostructures and their application as co-catalysts for solar water splitting.

Morphological control of nanomaterials is essential for their properties and potential applications, and many strategies have been developed. In this work, a new strategy for simultaneously preparing and modulating the morphological structure evolution of copper layered hydroxyl salts and oxides is introduced. By changing the nature of the anions in the electroplating solution, significant variations in the size and porosity of nanosheets are achieved.

Controllable electrodeposition of binary metal films from deep eutectic solvent as an efficient and durable catalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction.

In this work, we present an easy and scalable electrodeposition protocol that operates in a deep eutectic solvent, used to prepare self-supported Ni-Fe alloy films directly grown on copper foils. Unlike electrodeposition in aqueous baths, alloy compositions deposited in deep eutectic solvent are found to be the same as in plating solution owing to the enlargement of the deposition window and secondary reaction suppression. By rationally tuning the Ni/Fe ratio in deep eutectic solvent plating solution, the best oxygen evolution reaction performance was achieved by a Ni75Fe25 catalyst, which requires only a 316 mV overpotential to reach a current density of 10 mA cm-2, while its Tafel slope is as low as 62 mV dec-1.

Unraveling the critical effects of the preoxidation process toward the morphological evolution and intrinsic properties of novel ZnCoMn trimetallic hydroxides.

A strategy for simultaneously preparing and modulating the morphological structure evolution and physical properties of novel trimetallic hydroxides is introduced. The interrelations among the level of pre-oxidation, the nanostructure evolution and the physicochemical properties of the material are thoroughly investigated. In addition, the growth mechanism for this new type of ternary hydroxide is also proposed.

Molybdenum Sulfide for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction: The Importance of Solution Dynamic Wetting Behavior in The Drying Process.

MoS serving as a hydrogen evolution reaction electrocatalyst is known for its morphology sensitive characteristic. The low temperature thermo-decomposition method provides an easy and energy saving pathway to produce highly active MoS on carbon paper substrates. However, during the precursor solution drying process, the dynamics of liquid wetting behavior dominates the morphology of the precursor salt and eventually the morphology of MoS.

The response of relativistic outflowing gas to the inner accretion disk of a black hole.

The brightness of an active galactic nucleus is set by the gas falling onto it from the galaxy, and the gas infall rate is regulated by the brightness of the active galactic nucleus; this feedback loop is the process by which supermassive black holes in the centres of galaxies may moderate the growth of their hosts. Gas outflows (in the form of disk winds) release huge quantities of energy into the interstellar medium, potentially clearing the surrounding gas. The most extreme (in terms of speed and energy) of these-the ultrafast outflows-are the subset of X-ray-detected outflows with velocities higher than 10,000 kilometres per second, believed to originate in relativistic (that is, near the speed of light) disk winds a few hundred gravitational radii from the black hole.

Three-dimensional molybdenum sulfide sponges for electrocatalytic water splitting.

Electroactive MoSx catalysts on porous 3D sponges synthezied by a simple and scalable thermolysis process are proposed. Although no conducting materials are used to host the MoSx catalysts, they still serve as efficient electrodes for hydrogen evolution. The high current density of the MoSx-coated sponges are attributed to the large electrochemical surface area and their S-rich chemical structure.

Biological templates for antireflective current collectors for photoelectrochemical cell applications.

Three-dimensional (3D) structures such as nanowires, nanotubes, and nanorods have the potential to increase surface area, reduce light reflection, and shorten charge carrier transport distances. The assembly of such structures thus holds great promise for enhancing photoelectrochemical solar cell efficiency. In this study, genetically modified Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV1cys) was used to form self-assembling 3D nanorod current collectors and low light-reflecting surfaces.

Evaluating the compatibility of three colorimetric protein assays for two-dimensional electrophoresis experiments.

To evaluate compatibility of commonly used colorimetric protein assays for 2-DE experiments, we investigated the interfering mechanisms of major 2-DE component(s) in the Lowry-based assay, the Bradford assay and the bicinchoninic acid (BCA) assay. It was found that some 2-DE components did not directly interfere with the assays' color development reaction, but possibly influenced the quantitation results by interacting with proteins. Generally, simultaneous presence of 2-DE components in the samples demonstrated a cooperative rather than additive interference.