Hydrothermal synthesized delafossite CuGaO as an electrocatalyst for water oxidation.

Hydrogen production from water splitting provides an effective method to alleviate the ever-growing global energy crisis. In this work, delafossite CuGaO (CGO) crystal was synthesized through hydrothermal routes with Cu(NO)·3HO and Ga(NO)·xHO used as reactants. The addition of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was found to play an important role in modifying the morphology of CuGaO (CGO-CTAB).

Nanocrystals of CuCoO derived from MOFs and their catalytic performance for the oxygen evolution reaction.

In this work, two different solvothermal synthesis routes were employed to prepare MOF-derived CuCoO (CCO) nanocrystals for electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) application. The effects of the reductants (ethylene glycol, methanol, ethanol, and isopropanol), NaOH addition, the reactants, and the reaction temperature on the structure and morphology of the reaction product were investigated. In the first route, Cu-BTC derived CCO (CCO1) nanocrystals with a size of ∼214 nm and a specific surface area of 4.

Metal-organic framework derived bimetal oxide CuCoO as efficient electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction.

Metal-organic framework (MOF) materials with tunable porous morphology, controlled crystalline structure, various compositions, and high specific surface area are widely used as precursors to synthesize electrocatalysts for water splitting, which is beneficial for improving their oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance. Using ZIF-67 as a Co source and Cu-BTC as a Cu source, hexagonal MOF-derived CuCoO (MOF-CCO) nanocrystals with the size of ∼288 nm were prepared through a one-step solvothermal method. The influence of the content of the precursor solvents (absolute ethanol and deionized water), reaction temperature, mass ratio of reactants, NaOH addition, and reactant concentration of precursors on the structure and morphology of the products was investigated.

[Metabolic engineering study on biosynthesis of 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol from L-tyrosine in Escherichia coli].

As an important active ingredient in the rare Chinese herb Gastrodiae Rhizoma and also the main precursor for gastrodin biosynthesis, 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol has multiple pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammation, anti-tumor, and anti-cerebral ischemia. The pharmaceutical products with 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol as the main component have been increasingly favored. At present, 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol is mainly obtained by natural extraction and chemical synthesis, both of which, however, exhibit some shortcomings that limit the long-term application of 4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol.

Up-scaling the synthesis of Cu₂O submicron particles with controlled morphologies for solar H₂ evolution from water.

The synthesis of Cu2O was studied to examine the effects of up-scaling on the size and morphology of the resultant particles. As a result, a successful protocol employing an automated laboratory reactor was developed for large-scale synthesis of phase-pure Cu2O colloids with specific sizes in the submicron to micrometer range (0.2-2.

Silicon nanowire arrays coupled with cobalt phosphide spheres as low-cost photocathodes for efficient solar hydrogen evolution.

We demonstrate the first example of silicon nanowire array photocathodes coupled with hollow spheres of the emerging earth-abundant cobalt phosphide catalysts. Compared to bare silicon nanowire arrays, the hybrid electrodes exhibit significantly improved photoelectrochemical performance toward the solar-driven H2 evolution reaction.

One-Step Synthesis of Self-Supported Nickel Phosphide Nanosheet Array Cathodes for Efficient Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Generation.

Nickel phosphide is an emerging low-cost, earth-abundant catalyst that can efficiently reduce water to generate hydrogen. However, the synthesis of nickel phosphide catalysts usually involves multiple steps and is laborious. Herein, a convenient and straightforward approach to the synthesis of a three-dimensional (3D) self-supported biphasic Ni5 P4 -Ni2 P nanosheet (NS) array cathode is presented, which is obtained by direct phosphorization of commercially available nickel foam using phosphorus vapor.

Transciptome analysis reveals flavonoid biosynthesis regulation and simple sequence repeats in yam (Dioscorea alata L.) tubers.

Background: Yam (Dioscorea alata L.) is an important tuber crop and purple pigmented elite cultivar has recently become popular because of associated health benefits. Identifying candidate genes responsible for flavonoid biosynthesis pathway (FBP) will facilitate understanding the molecular mechanism of controlling pigment formation in yam tubers.

Ordered arrays of tilted silicon nanobelts with enhanced solar hydrogen evolution performance.

Well-ordered tilted silicon nanobelt arrays have been fabricated over a large area (≥2.5 cm(2)) by metal assisted chemical etching of pre-patterned silicon, which demonstrated markedly enhanced solar hydrogen evolution performance, compared with planar silicon of the same type and previously reported silicon nanowires prepared in a similar way.