Elucidating the Volcanic-Type Catalytic Behavior in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries via Defect Engineering.

Defects are generally considered to be effective and flexible in the catalytic reactions of lithium-sulfur batteries. However, the influence of the defect concentration on catalysis remains ambiguous. In this work, molybdenum sulfide with different sulfur vacancy concentrations is comprehensively modulated, showing that the defect level and the adsorption-catalytic performance result in a volcano relationship.

In Situ and Operando Characterization Techniques in Stability Study of Perovskite-Based Devices.

Metal halide perovskite materials have demonstrated significant potential in various optoelectronic applications, such as photovoltaics, light emitting diodes, photodetectors, and lasers. However, the stability issues of perovskite materials continue to impede their widespread use. Many studies have attempted to understand the complex degradation mechanism and dynamics of these materials.

Durable modulation of Zn(002) plane deposition reproducible zincophilic carbon quantum dots towards low N/P ratio zinc-ion batteries.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are promising candidates for next-generation energy storage systems due to their intrinsic safety, environmental friendliness, and low cost. However, the uncontrollable Zn dendrite growth during cycling is still a critical challenge for the long-term operation of ZIBs, especially under harsh lean-Zn conditions. Herein, we report nitrogen and sulfur-codoped carbon quantum dots (N,S-CDs) as zincophilic electrolyte additives to regulate the Zn deposition behaviors.

Passivating Defects at the Bottom Interface of Perovskite by Ethylammonium to Improve the Performance of Perovskite Solar Cells.

The interface of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) plays a significant role in influencing their performance, yet there is still scarce research focusing on their difficult-to-expose bottom interfaces. Herein, ethylammonium bromide (EABr) is introduced into the bottom interface and its passivation effects are studied directly. First, EABr can improve substrate wettability, which is beneficial for the perovskite-film deposition.

Extraordinarily Stable Aqueous Electrochromic Battery Based on LiTiO and Hybrid Al/Zn Electrolyte.

Aqueous electrochromic battery (ECB) is a multifunctional technology that shows great potential in various applications including energy-saving buildings and wearable batteries with visible energy levels. However, owing to the mismatch between traditional electrochromic materials and the electrolyte, aqueous ECBs generally exhibit poor cycling stability which bottlenecks their practical commercialization. Herein, we present an ultrastable electrochromic system composed of lithium titanate (LiTiO, LTO) electrode and Al/Zn hybrid electrolyte.

Observation and Suppression of Stacking Interface States in Sandwich-Structured Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes.

Interfacial quality of functional layers plays an important role in the carrier transport of sandwich-structured devices. Although the suppression of interface states is crucial to the overall device performance, our understanding on their formation and annihilation mechanism via direct characterization is still quite limited. Here, we present a thorough study on the interface states present in the electron transport layer (ETL) of blue quantum dot (QD) light-emitting diodes (QLEDs).

Antisolvent Engineering to Optimize Grain Crystallinity and Hole-Blocking Capability of Perovskite Films for High-Performance Photovoltaics.

With potential commercial applications, inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have received wide-spread attentions as they are compatible with tandem devices and processed at low-temperature. Nevertheless, their efficiencies remain unsatisfactory due to insufficient film quality on hydrophobic hole transport layer and limited hole-blocking capability of the electron transport layer. Herein, 1,3,5-Tris(1-phenyl-1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)benzene (TPBi), an n-type semiconductor, is incorporated into the antisolvent to simultaneously regulate the grain growth and charge transport of perovskite films.

Stable and Efficient Blue-Emitting CsPbBr Nanoplatelets with Potassium Bromide Surface Passivation.

Colloidal all-inorganic perovskites nanocrystals (NCs) have emerged as a promising material for display and lighting due to their excellent optical properties. However, blue emissive NCs usually suffer from low photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) and poor stability, rendering them the bottleneck for full-color all-perovskite optoelectronic applications. Herein, a facile approach is reported to enhance the emission efficiency and stability of blue emissive perovskite nano-structures via surface passivation with potassium bromide.

Aluminum-Based Surface Polymerization on Carbon Dots with Aggregation-Enhanced Luminescence.

Aggregation-induced luminescence quenching of carbon nanodots (CDs) is the main obstacle for their applications in solid-state light emitting devices. Herein, we developed a one-step synthesis of solid-state emissive CDs with surface aluminum-based polymerization by adding AlCl in citric acid and urea via a microwave-heating dehydration process. Due to the strong coordination ability of Al ions with N and O atoms, considerable steric hindrance of Al-based cross-linked polymerization was introduced on the surface of the CDs, which not only avoided aggregation of the green emissive carbon cores but also facilitated efficient energy transfer from the blue emissive polymerized surface to the green emissive carbon cores in aggregates, leading to enhanced green emissions with a photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 72.

Role of MAPKs in HSP70's Protection against Heat Stress-Induced Injury in Rat Small Intestine.

Aim: To evaluate the role of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) on the MAPK pathway activation with quercetin treatment and its protection against small intestine impairments of heat stressed rats.

Methods: Forty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 6 weeks were randomized to three groups (n=16/group), namely, control (CON), heat stress (HS), and heat stress + quercetin (HQ). The experiment lasted for 14 days with daily 50 min of heat stress treatment (43°C) for the HS and HQ groups.

Proteomic changes of the porcine skeletal muscle in response to chronic heat stress.

Background: Heat stress (HS) has an adverse effect on meat quality; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms altering meat quality due to muscle responses to stress remain unclear. Sixteen castrated male crossbreeds between Landrace × Yorkshire sows and Duroc boars (79.00 ± 1.

Mitochondrial function assessed by 31P MRS and BOLD MRI in non-obese type 2 diabetic rats.

The study aims to characterize age-associated changes in skeletal muscle bioenergetics by evaluating the response to ischemia-reperfusion in the skeletal muscle of the Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats, a rat model of non-obese type 2 diabetes (T2D). (31)P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) MRI was performed on the hindlimb of young (12 weeks) and adult (20 weeks) GK and Wistar (control) rats. (31)P-MRS and BOLD-MRI data were acquired continuously during an ischemia and reperfusion protocol to quantify changes in phosphate metabolites and muscle oxygenation.

Chronic Heat Stress Induces Immune Response, Oxidative Stress Response, and Apoptosis of Finishing Pig Liver: A Proteomic Approach.

Heat stress (HS) negatively affects human health, animal welfare, and livestock production. We analyzed the hepatic proteomes of finishing pigs subjected to chronic heat stress (HS), thermal neutral (TN), and restricted feed intake conditions, identifying differences between direct and indirect (via reduced feed intake) HS. Twenty-four castrated male pigs were randomly allocated to three treatments for three weeks: (1) thermal neutral (TN) (22 °C) with ad libitum feeding; (2) chronic HS (30 °C) with ad libitum feeding; and (3) TN, pair-fed to HS intake (PF).