New Nanoconfined Galvanic Replacement Synthesis of Hollow Sb@C Yolk-Shell Spheres Constituting a Stable Anode for High-Rate Li/Na-Ion Batteries.

In the current research project, we have prepared a novel Sb@C nanosphere anode with biomimetic yolk-shell structure for Li/Na-ion batteries via a nanoconfined galvanic replacement route. The yolk-shell microstructure consists of Sb hollow yolk completely protected by a well-conductive carbon thin shell. The substantial void space in the these hollow Sb@C yolk-shell particles allows for the full volume expansion of inner Sb while maintaining the framework of the Sb@C anode and developing a stable SEI film on the outside carbon shell.

Solution-assisted ultrafast transfer of graphene-based thin films for solar cells and humidity sensors.

Vacuum filtration enables the fabrication of large-area graphene-based membranes (GBMs), possessing a smoother surface than that by spray, spin coating or drop casting. However, due to the strong interaction with substrates, the separation of thin GBMs from the filter is problematic. Conventional stamping separation/transfer of graphene oxide (GO) thin films requires another substrate and pressing for >10 h, which may damage the delicate structure of the transfer substrates.

Vapor Growth and Tunable Lasing of Band Gap Engineered Cesium Lead Halide Perovskite Micro/Nanorods with Triangular Cross Section.

Although great efforts have been devoted to the synthesis of halide perovskites nanostructures, vapor growth of high-quality one-dimensional cesium lead halide nanostructures for tunable nanoscale lasers is still a challenge. Here, we report the growth of high-quality all-inorganic cesium lead halide alloy perovskite micro/nanorods with complete composition tuning by vapor-phase deposition. The as-grown micro/nanorods are single-crystalline with a triangular cross section and show strong photoluminescence which can be tuned from 415 to 673 nm by varying the halide composition.

Incorporating Pyrrolic and Pyridinic Nitrogen into a Porous Carbon made from C Molecules to Obtain Superior Energy Storage.

Nitrogen-doped porous carbon is obtained by KOH activation of C in an ammonia atmosphere. As an anode for Li-ion batteries, it shows a reversible capacity of up to ≈1900 mA h g at 100 mA g . Simulations suggest that the superior Li-ion storage may be related to the curvature of the graphenes and the presence of pyrrolic/pyridinic group dopants.

Two crystal structures reveal design for repurposing the C-Ala domain of human AlaRS.

The 20 aminoacyl tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) couple each amino acid to their cognate tRNAs. During evolution, 19 aaRSs expanded by acquiring novel noncatalytic appended domains, which are absent from bacteria and many lower eukaryotes but confer extracellular and nuclear functions in higher organisms. AlaRS is the single exception, with an appended C-terminal domain (C-Ala) that is conserved from prokaryotes to humans but with a wide sequence divergence.

Evolutionary Gain of Alanine Mischarging to Noncognate tRNAs with a G4:U69 Base Pair.

Fidelity of translation, which is predominately dictated by the accuracy of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases in pairing amino acids with correct tRNAs, is of central importance in biology. Yet, deliberate modifications of translational fidelity can be beneficial. Here we found human and not E.

Quantum correlations in chiral graphene nanoribbons.

We compute the entanglement and the quantum discord (QD) between two edge spins in chiral graphene nanoribbons (CGNRs) thermalized with a reservoir at temperature T (canonical ensemble). We show that the entanglement only exists in inter-edge coupled spin pairs, and there is no entanglement between any two spins at the same ribbon edge. By contrast, almost all edge spin pairs can hold non-zero QD, which strongly depends on the ribbon width and the Coulomb repulsion among electrons.

A facile strategy for rapid preparation of graphene spongy balls.

Porous three dimensional (3D) graphene macrostructures have demonstrated the potential in versatile applications in recent years, including energy storage, sensors, and environment protection, etc. However, great research attention has been focused on the optimization of the structure and properties of graphene-based materials. Comparatively, there are less reports on how to shape 3D graphene macrostructures rapidly and effortlessly, which is critical for mass production in industry.

Stacking orders induced direct band gap in bilayer MoSe2-WSe2 lateral heterostructures.

The direct band gap of monolayer semiconducting transition-metal dichalcogenides (STMDs) enables a host of new optical and electrical properties. However, bilayer STMDs are indirect band gap semiconductors, which limits its applicability for high-efficiency optoelectronic devices. Here, we report that the direct band gap can be achieved in bilayer MoSe2-WSe2 lateral heterostructures by alternating stacking orders.

In situ TEM visualization of superior nanomechanical flexibility of shear-exfoliated phosphorene.

Recently discovered atomically thin black phosphorus (called phosphorene) holds great promise for applications in flexible nanoelectronic devices. Experimentally identifying and characterizing nanomechanical properties of phosphorene are challenging, but also potentially rewarding. This work combines for the first time in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging and an in situ micro-manipulation system to directly visualize the nanomechanical behaviour of individual phosphorene nanoflakes.

Neddylation requires glycyl-tRNA synthetase to protect activated E2.

Neddylation is a post-translational modification that controls the cell cycle and proliferation by conjugating the ubiquitin-like protein NEDD8 to specific targets. Here we report that glycyl-tRNA synthetase (GlyRS), an essential enzyme in protein synthesis, also plays a critical role in neddylation. In human cells, knockdown of GlyRS, but not knockdown of a different tRNA synthetase, decreased the global level of neddylation and caused cell-cycle abnormality.

Spin susceptibilities in armchair graphene nanoribbons with Rashba spin-orbit coupling.

Based on linear response theory, we studied the spin susceptibilities of armchair graphene nanoribbons (AGNRs) with Rashba spin-orbit coupling (RSOC) in an oscillating magnetic field. It is shown that by tuning the field frequency, RSOC or ribbon width to satisfy the resonance condition, the spins in AGNRs will be effectively magnetized at room temperature due to the electron transitions between RSOC-induced spin-split subbands. Moreover, in this process the magnitude of spin magnetization can also be flexibly manipulated by selecting different resonant frequency or RSOC.

A Novel Association of the Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 1 (SOCS1) Gene Polymorphisms in Ischemic Stroke Patients.

Ischemic stroke is a common neurological disease and a leading cause of permanent disability in many countries. Recent studies provide evidence on the role of the suppressor of the cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) gene in the development and progression of atherosclerotic lesions. However, few studies have assessed the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on SOCS1 gene and ischemic stroke.

Ultrafast Preparation of Black Phosphorus Quantum Dots for Efficient Humidity Sensing.

Black phosphorus quantum dots (BPQDs) have been prepared by a high turbulent shear rate generated from a household kitchen blender. A layer-by-layer disintegration mechanism of bulk BP crystals is suggested. As-synthesized BPQDs have shown excellent humidity sensing and photothermal converting properties.

New Insights into Electrochemical Lithiation/Delithiation Mechanism of α-MoO3 Nanobelt by in Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy.

The α-MoO3 nanobelt has great potential for application as anode of lithium ion batteries (LIBs) because of its high capacity and unique one-dimensional layer structure. However, its fundmental electrochemical failure mechanism during first lithiation/delithiation process is still unclear. Here, we constructed an electrochemical setup within α-MoO3 nanobelt anode inside a transmission electron microscope to observe in situ the mircostructure evolution during cycles.

Zn-Cu-In-Se Quantum Dot Solar Cells with a Certified Power Conversion Efficiency of 11.6%.

The enhancement of power conversion efficiency (PCE) and the development of toxic Cd-, Pb-free quantum dots (QDs) are critical for the prosperity of QD-based solar cells. It is known that the properties (such as light harvesting range, band gap alignment, density of trap state defects, etc.) of QD light harvesters play a crucial effect on the photovoltaic performance of QD based solar cells.

Elemental superdoping of graphene and carbon nanotubes.

Doping of low-dimensional graphitic materials, including graphene, graphene quantum dots and single-wall carbon nanotubes with nitrogen, sulfur or boron can significantly change their properties. We report that simple fluorination followed by annealing in a dopant source can superdope low-dimensional graphitic materials with a high level of N, S or B. The superdoping results in the following doping levels: (i) for graphene, 29.

Investigation of dodecane in three-dimensional porous graphene sponge by Raman mapping.

Three-dimensional (3D) carbon nano-materials, e.g. a graphene sponge (GS) are promising candidates for the removal of pollutants and the separation of oil and water.

A single iron site confined in a graphene matrix for the catalytic oxidation of benzene at room temperature.

Coordinatively unsaturated (CUS) iron sites are highly active in catalytic oxidation reactions; however, maintaining the CUS structure of iron during heterogeneous catalytic reactions is a great challenge. Here, we report a strategy to stabilize single-atom CUS iron sites by embedding highly dispersed FeN4 centers in the graphene matrix. The atomic structure of FeN4 centers in graphene was revealed for the first time by combining high-resolution transmission electron microscopy/high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy with low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy.

Detection of short single-strand DNA homopolymers with ultrathin Si3N4 nanopores.

A series of nanopores with diameters ranging from 2.5 to 63 nm are fabricated on a reduced Si3N4 membrane by focused ion beam and high energy electron beam. Through measuring the blocked ionic currents for DNA strands threading linearly through those solid-state nanopores, it is found that the blockade ionic current is proportional to the square of the hydrodynamic diameter of the DNA strand.

Real-Time Elastography Visualization and Histopathological Characterization of Rabbit Atherosclerotic Carotid Arteries.

To evaluate the feasibility of non-invasive vascular real-time elastography imaging (RTE) in visualizing the composition of rabbit carotid atherosclerotic plaque as determined by histopathology, a rabbit model of accelerated carotid atherosclerosis was used. Thirty rabbits were randomly divided into two groups of 15 rabbits each. The first group was fed a cholesterol-rich diet and received balloon-induced injury the left common carotid artery endothelium, whereas the second group only received a cholesterol-rich diet.

Impaired protein translation in Drosophila models for Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy caused by mutant tRNA synthetases.

Dominant mutations in five tRNA synthetases cause Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) neuropathy, suggesting that altered aminoacylation function underlies the disease. However, previous studies showed that loss of aminoacylation activity is not required to cause CMT. Here we present a Drosophila model for CMT with mutations in glycyl-tRNA synthetase (GARS).

Three-dimensional transvaginal tomographic ultrasound imaging for cervical cancer staging.

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using 3-D transvaginal tomographic ultrasound imaging (TUI) to stage patients with cervical carcinoma. Eighty women with cervical cancer who underwent transvaginal TUI examinations were enrolled. In all patients, cancer was confirmed pre-operatively by pathologic examination.