Artificial Photosynthetic Cell with Molecular Biomimetic Thylakoid.

The construction of solar-to-chemical conversion system by mimicking the photosynthetic network of the chloroplast holds great promise on efficient solar energy utilization. We developed an artificial photosynthetic cell (APC) based on molecular biomimetic thylakoid (CoTPP-FePy) to split water into hydrogen and oxygen (H and O) at low driving voltage (1.1 V) and neutral condition (pH≈7).

Boosting seawater denitrification in an electrochemical flow cell.

Nitrogen compounds in current seawater treatment processes typically are converted to nitrate, threatening seawater quality and marine ecology. Electrochemical denitrification is a promising technique, but its efficiency is severely limited by the presence of excess chloride ions. In this work, a flow-through cell went through an on-demand chlorine-mediated electrochemical-chemical tandem reaction process was designed for efficient seawater denitrification.

Activating nickel foam with trace titanium oxide for enhanced water oxidation.

Nickel-based electrocatalysts for water oxidation suffer from low activity and poor stability. In this work, 0.015 mg cm TiO nanosheets anchored on Ni foam addressed these problems after electrochemical activation.

Solar utilization beyond photosynthesis.

Natural photosynthesis is an efficient biochemical process which converts solar energy into energy-rich carbohydrates. By understanding the key photoelectrochemical processes and mechanisms that underpin natural photosynthesis, advanced solar utilization technologies have been developed that may be used to provide sustainable energy to help address climate change. The processes of light harvesting, catalysis and energy storage in natural photosynthesis have inspired photovoltaics, photoelectrocatalysis and photo-rechargeable battery technologies.

An electrochemical gram-scale protocol for pyridylation of inert N-heterocycles with cyanopyridines.

Here, we present a protocol to decyanopyridate inert N-heterocycles access to N-fused heterocycles via the mechanism of dual proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET). We describe a detailed guide to performing an electrochemical gram-scale protocol for decyanopyridation of inert N-heterocycles. The desired pyridylated quinolone is synthesized in a 5.

Electrochemical ammonium-cation-assisted pyridylation of inert N-heterocycles via dual-proton-coupled electron transfer.

A straightforward and practical strategy for pyridylation of inert N-heterocycles, enabled by ammonium cation and electrochemical, has been described. This protocol gives access to various N-fused heterocycles and bidentate nitrogen ligand compounds, through dual-proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) and radical cross-coupling in the absence of exogenous metal and redox reagent. It features broad substrate scope, wide functional group tolerance, and easy gram-scale synthesis.

Photoelectrochemical energy storage materials: design principles and functional devices towards direct solar to electrochemical energy storage.

Advanced solar energy utilization technologies have been booming for carbon-neutral and renewable society development. Photovoltaic cells now hold the highest potential for widespread sustainable electricity production and photo(electro)catalytic cells could supply various chemicals. However, both of them require the connection of energy storage devices or matter to compensate for intermittent sunlight, suffering from complicated structures and external energy loss.

Asymmetric Oxo-Bridged ZnPb Bimetallic Electrocatalysis Boosting CO -to-HCOOH Reduction.

Electrochemical CO reduction (ECR) is one of the promising CO recycling technologies sustaining the natural carbon cycle and offering more sustainable higher-energy chemicals. Zn- and Pb-based catalysts have improved formate selectivity, but they suffer from relatively low current activities considering the competitive CO selectivity on Zn. Here, lead-doped zinc (Zn(Pb)) electrocatalyst is optimized to efficiently reduce CO to formate, while CO evolution selectivity is largely controlled.

The early response expression profiles of miRNA-mRNA in farmed yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) challenged with Edwardsiella tarda infection.

Edwardsiella tarda, the bacterial pathogen that causes ascites disease and red-head disease, poses a serious threat to yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) aquaculture. In this study, the spleens of E. tarda-infected and non-infected yellow catfish were sequenced to obtain the microRNA (miRNA) and mRNA expression profiles.

Reversible Hybrid Aqueous Li-CO Batteries with High Energy Density and Formic Acid Production.

Metal-CO batteries, an attractive technology for both energy storage and CO utilization, are typically classified into organic Li(Na)-CO batteries with a high energy density/output voltage and aqueous Zn-CO batteries with flexible chemical production. However, achieving both high-efficiency energy storage and flexible chemical production is still challenging. In this study, a reversible hybrid aqueous Li-CO battery is developed, integrating Li with an aqueous phase, which exhibits not only a high operating voltage and energy density but also highly selective formic acid production.

Recent Development of CO Electrochemistry from Li-CO Batteries to Zn-CO Batteries.

Metal-CO batteries with CO as cathode active species give rise to opportunities to deal with energy and environmental issues simultaneously. This technology is more appealing when CO is flexibly reduced to chemicals and fuels driven by surplus electricity because it represents a low-cost and controllable approach to maximized electricity utilization and value-added CO utilization. Nonaqueous metal-CO batteries exhibited high discharge voltage and capacity with carbon and oxalate as reduction products from CO electrochemistry that lacks proton.

Rechargeable Zn-CO Electrochemical Cells Mimicking Two-Step Photosynthesis.

Metal-CO batteries represent a promising priority for sustainable energy and the environment. However, CO utilization in nonaqueous electrolytes mostly involves difficult CO electrochemistry, leading to poor selectivity and limited cycle performance. Herein, an aqueous rechargeable Zn-CO electrochemical cell that tunably produced CO fuel gas (90% Faradaic efficiency) during cell discharge (cathodic reaction: CO + 2e + 2H → CO + H O) and O during cell charge at ≈2 V (cathodic reaction: H O → 1/2O + 2e + 2H ), mimicking the separate steps of CO fixation and water oxidation during photosynthesis while exhibiting the advantages of high efficiency, tunable products, and operation independent of sunlight is proposed and realized.

Reversible Aqueous Zinc-CO Batteries Based on CO -HCOOH Interconversion.

As a promising technique for CO fixation/utilization and energy conversion/storage, the metal-CO battery has been studied to improve its interconversion between CO and carbonates/oxalates. Herein, we propose and realize a reversible aqueous Zn-CO battery based on the reversible conversion between CO and liquid HCOOH on a bifunctional Pd cathode. The 3D porous Pd interconnected nanosheet with enriched edge and pore structure, has a highly electrochemical active surface to facilitate simultaneous selective CO reduction and HCOOH oxidation at low overpotentials.

CO Overall Splitting by a Bifunctional Metal-Free Electrocatalyst.

Photo/electrochemical CO splitting is impeded by the low cost-effective catalysts for key reactions: CO reduction (CDRR) and water oxidation. A porous silicon and nitrogen co-doped carbon (SiNC) nanomaterial by a facile pyrolyzation was developed as a metal-free bifunctional electrocatalyst. CO -to-CO and oxygen evolution (OER) partial current density under neutral conditions were enhanced by two orders of magnitude in the Tafel regime on SiNC relative to single-doped comparisons beyond their specific area gap.

Direct Solar-to-Electrochemical Energy Storage in a Functionalized Covalent Organic Framework.

A covalent organic framework integrating naphthalenediimide and triphenylamine units (NT-COF) is presented. Two-dimensional porous nanosheets are packed with a high specific surface area of 1276 m  g . Photo/electrochemical measurements reveal the ultrahigh efficient intramolecular charge transfer from the TPA to the NDI and the highly reversible electrochemical reaction in NT-COF.

Metal-Free Fluorine-Doped Carbon Electrocatalyst for CO Reduction Outcompeting Hydrogen Evolution.

The electrochemical CO reduction (ECDRR), as a key reaction in artificial photosynthesis to implement renewable energy conversion/storage, has been inhibited by the low efficiency and high costs of the electrocatalysts. Herein, we synthesize a fluorine-doped carbon (FC) catalyst by pyrolyzing commercial BP 2000 with a fluorine source, enabling a highly selective CO -to-CO conversion with a maximum Faradaic efficiency of 90 % at a low overpotential of 510 mV and a small Tafel slope of 81 mV dec , outcompeting current metal-free catalysts. Moreover, the higher partial current density of CO and lower partial current density of H on FC relative to pristine carbon suggest an enhanced inherent activity towards ECDRR as well as a suppressed hydrogen evolution by fluorine doping.

Prevalence, Antibiotic Susceptibility and Diversity of Isolates in Seafood from South China.

is a leading cause of foodborne infections in China and a threat to human health worldwide. The main objective of this study is to determine the prevalence and characteristic of isolates in fish, oyster and shrimp samples from the South China domestic consumer market. To accomplish this, we examined 504 seafood samples from 11 provinces of China.

Highly exposed Fe-N active sites in porous poly-iron-phthalocyanine based oxygen reduction electrocatalyst with ultrahigh performance for air cathode.

Progress in the development of efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reactions is imperative for various energy systems such as metal-air batteries and fuel cells. In this paper, an innovative porous two-dimensional (2D) poly-iron-phthalocyanine (PFe-Pc) based oxygen reduction electrocatalyst created with a simple solid-state chemical reaction without pyrolysis is reported. In this strategy, silicon dioxide nanoparticles play a pivotal role in preserving the Fe-N structure during the polymerization process and thereby assist in the development of a porous structure.

Reduced graphene oxide supported palladium nanoparticles via photoassisted citrate reduction for enhanced electrocatalytic activities.

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) supported palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) with a size of ∼3 nm were synthesized using one-pot photoassisted citrate reduction. This synthetic approach allows for the formation and assembly of Pd NPs onto the rGO surface with a desired size and can be readily used for other metal NP preparation. The prepared rGO-Pd exhibited 5.

Phenothiazine derivative-accelerated microbial extracellular electron transfer in bioelectrochemical system.

In bioelectrochemical system (BES) the extracellular electron transfer (EET) from bacteria to anode electrode is recognized as a crucial step that governs the anodic reaction efficiency. Here, we report a novel approach to substantially enhance the microbial EET by immobilization of a small active phenothiazine derivative, methylene blue, on electrode surface. A comparison of the currents generated by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 and its mutants as well as the electrochemical analytical results reveal that the accelerated EET was attributed to enhanced interactions between the bacterial outer-membrane cytochromes and the immobilized methylene blue.

Graphene oxide nanoribbons greatly enhance extracellular electron transfer in bio-electrochemical systems.

Bridging microbes and electrode to facilitate the extracellular electron transfer (EET) is crucial for bio-electrochemical systems (BESs). Here, a significant enhancement of the EET process was achieved by biomimetically fabricating a network structure of graphene oxide nanoribbons (GONRs) on the electrode. This strategy is universal to enhance the adaptability of GONRs at the bio-nano interface to develop new bioelectronic devices.