MgH@Mg(BH) Core-Shell-like Nanostructures: Synthesis, Hydrolysis Performance, and Promotion Mechanism.

The hydrolysis of hydrides, represented by MgH, delivers substantial capacity and presents an appealing prospect for an on-site hydrogen supply. However, the sluggish hydrolysis kinetics and low hydrogen yield of MgH caused by the formation of a passivation Mg(OH) layer hinder its practical application. Herein, we present a dual strategy encompassing microstructural design and compounding, leading to the successful synthesis of a core-shell-like nanostructured MgH@Mg(BH) composite, which demonstrates excellent hydrolysis performance.

In Situ Formation of LiSiO-Li-NaCl Interface on Si and Its Effect on Hydrogen Evolution.

Silicon has emerged as a competitive candidate for hydrolytic hydrogen production due to its high theoretical hydrogen yield, low cost, and on-demand availability. However, the hydrolysis reaction is extremely restrained by passivated SiO, including the original one on the Si surface and the generated one during hydrolysis, and almost no hydrogen is produced in pure water. Herein, the original SiO surface has been effectively removed by milling micro-Si mixed with a small amount of Li metal and NaCl.

Alloying Pt into Ni partially amorphous for promoted alkaline hydrogen production.

Aiming at the sluggish water dissociation step in alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), the platinum-nickel alloy material (PtNi/C) featuring unique crystalline/amorphous structure supported on carbon black is deliberately designed and fabricated via a reversely rapid co-precipitation and mild thermal reduction strategy. Electrochemical results show that only 66 mV of overpotential is needed for PtNi/C to drive a current density of 10 mA cm at a lower platinum loading (8.3 μg cm-2 geo), which is much lower than that of other catalysts with a single metal source(S-Ni/C and S-Pt/C) and even the commercial Pt/C catalyst (20 wt%).

Breaking the Passivation: Sodium Borohydride Synthesis by Reacting Hydrated Borax with Aluminum.

A significant obstacle in the large-scale applications of sodium borohydride (NaBH ) for hydrogen storage is its high cost. Herein, we report a new method to synthesize NaBH by ball milling hydrated sodium tetraborate (Na B O  ⋅ 10H O) with low-cost Al or Al Si , instead of Na, Mg or Ca. An effective strategy is developed to facilitate mass transfer during the reaction by introducing NaH to enable the formation of NaAlO instead of dense Al O on Al surface, and by using Si as a milling additive to prevent agglomeration and also break up passivation layers.

Closing the Loop for Hydrogen Storage: Facile Regeneration of NaBH from its Hydrolytic Product.

Sodium borohydride (NaBH ) is among the most studied hydrogen storage materials because it is able to deliver high-purity H at room temperature with controllable kinetics via hydrolysis; however, its regeneration from the hydrolytic product has been challenging. Now, a facile method is reported to regenerate NaBH with high yield and low costs. The hydrolytic product NaBO in aqueous solution reacts with CO , forming Na B O ⋅10 H O and Na CO , both of which are ball-milled with Mg under ambient conditions to form NaBH in high yield (close to 80 %).

A novel andrographolide derivative AL-1 exerts its cytotoxicity on K562 cells through a ROS-dependent mechanism.

Andrographolide-lipoic acid conjugate (AL-1) is a new in-house synthesized chemical entity, which was derived by covalently linking andrographolide with lipoic acid. However, its anti-cancer effect and cytotoxic mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we found that AL-1 could significantly inhibit cell viability of human leukemia K562 cells by inducing G2/M arrest and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner.