Non-selective Defect Minimization towards Highly Efficient Metal-Organic Framework Membranes for Gas Separation.

The persistence of defects in polycrystalline membranes poses a substantial obstacle to reaching the theoretical molecular sieving separation and scaling up production. The low membrane selectivity in most reported literature is largely due to the unavoidable non-selective defects during synthesis, leading to a mismatch between the well-defined pore structure of polycrystalline molecular sieve materials. This paper presents a novel approach for minimizing non-selective defects in metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes by a constricted crystal growth strategy in a confined environment.

Prediction of perovskite oxygen vacancies for oxygen electrocatalysis at different temperatures.

Efficient catalysts are imperative to accelerate the slow oxygen reaction kinetics for the development of emerging electrochemical energy systems ranging from room-temperature alkaline water electrolysis to high-temperature ceramic fuel cells. In this work, we reveal the role of cationic inductive interactions in predetermining the oxygen vacancy concentrations of 235 cobalt-based and 200 iron-based perovskite catalysts at different temperatures, and this trend can be well predicted from machine learning techniques based on the cationic lattice environment, requiring no heavy computational and experimental inputs. Our results further show that the catalytic activity of the perovskites is strongly correlated with their oxygen vacancy concentration and operating temperatures.

Bioinspired Hydro- and Hydrothermally Responsive Tubular Soft Actuators.

Soft actuators made of thermoresponsive polymers have great potential for intelligent robotics and biomedical devices due to their reversible deformation capability in response to temperature fluctuations. However, they are constrained by a predefined phase transition temperature, limited directional deformation, and nonbiocompatible formulations, thereby restricting their practical utility. Herein a new biomimicry approach is presented to overcome these limitations by developing hydro- and hydrothermally responsive soft actuators made of biocompatible and pliable materials i.

Prediction method of surface subsidence induced by block caving method based on UAV oblique photogrammetry.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) oblique photogrammetry has been extensively employed in mining, albeit predominantly for reconstructing three-dimensional scenes and detecting changes within mining sites, lacking predictive capabilities. Leveraging 3D real scene model data, this study presents a two-stage prediction model, merging the probabilistic integral method with recurrent neural network (PIMF-RNN), to mitigate the impact of internal and external factors on surface subsidence, thereby enhancing predictive accuracy. Building upon this framework, a methodology was developed to forecast the maximum surface subsidence height and affected area under the block caving method, offering crucial data support for mitigating hazards associated with this mining technique.

Rational Designing Microenvironment of Gas-Diffusion Electrodes via Microgel-Augmented CO Availability for High-Rate and Selective CO Electroreduction to Ethylene.

Efficient electrochemical CO reduction reaction (CORR) requires advanced gas-diffusion electrodes (GDEs) with tunned microenvironment to overcome low CO availability in the vicinity of catalyst layer. Herein, for the first time, pyridine-containing microgels-augmented CO availability is presented in CuO-based GDE for high-rate CO reduction to ethylene, owing to the presence of CO-phil microgels with amine moieties. Microgels as three-dimensional polymer networks act as CO micro-reservoirs to engineer the GDE microenvironment and boost local CO availability.

A low-cost process for complete utilization of bauxite residue.

Cost-effective treatment or even valorization of the bauxite residue (red mud) from the alumina industry is in demand to improve their environmental and economic liabilities. This study proposes a strategy that provides a near-complete conversion of bauxite residue to valuable products. The first step involves dilute acid leaching, which allowed the fractionation of raw residues into (1) an aqueous fraction rich in silica and aluminium and (2) a solid residue rich in iron, titanium and rare earth elements.

Scalable Synthesis of Robust MOF for Challenging Ethylene Purification and Propylene Recovery with Record Productivity.

Ethylene (CH) purification and propylene (CH) recovery are highly relevant in polymer synthesis, yet developing physisorbents for these industrial separation faces the challenges of merging easy scalability, economic feasibility, high moisture stability with great separation efficiency. Herein, we reported a robust and scalable MOF (MAC-4) for simultaneous recovery of CH and CH. Through creating nonpolar pores decorated by accessible N/O sites, MAC-4 displays top-tier uptakes and selectivities for CH and CH over CH at ambient conditions.

Forager-farmer transition at the crossroads of East and Southeast Asia 4900 years ago.

The southward expansion of East Asian farmers profoundly influenced the social evolution of Southeast Asia by introducing cereal agriculture. However, the timing and routes of cereal expansion in key regions are unclear due to limited empirical evidence. Here we report macrofossil, microfossil, multiple isotopic (C/N/Sr/O) and paleoproteomic data directly from radiocarbon-dated human samples, which were unearthed from a site in Xingyi in central Yunnan and which date between 7000 and 3300 a BP.

Active Sites Decorated Nonpolar Pore-Based MOF for One-step Acquisition of C H and Recovery of C H.

Herein, a 2-fold interpenetrated metal-organic framework (MOF) Zn-BPZ-TATB with accessible N/O active sites in nonpolar pore surfaces was reported for one-step C H purification from C H or C H mixtures as well as recovery of C H from C H /C H /C H mixtures. The MOF exhibits the favorable C H and C H uptakes (>100 cm  g at 298 K under 100 kPa) as well as selective adsorption of C H and C H over C H . The C H - and C H -selective feature were investigated detailedly by experimental tests as well as sorption kinetic studyies.

Functional evaluation of epilepsy-associated KCNT1 variants in multiple cellular systems reveals a predominant gain of function impact on channel properties.

Objective: Gain of function variants in the sodium-activated potassium channel KCNT1 have been associated with pediatric epilepsy disorders. Here, we systematically examine a spectrum of KCNT1 variants and establish their impact on channel function in multiple cellular systems.

Methods: KCNT1 variants identified from published reports and genetic screening of pediatric epilepsy patients were expressed in Xenopus oocytes and HEK cell lines.

Facile and Eco-Friendly Approach To Produce Confined Metal Cluster Catalysts.

Zeolite-supported metal nanocluster catalysts have attracted significant attention due to their broad application in heterogeneously catalyzed reactions. The preparation of highly dispersed metal catalysts commonly involves the use of organic compounds and requires the implementation of complicated procedures, which are neither green nor deployable at the large scale. Herein, we present a novel facile method (vacuum-heating) which employs a specific thermal vacuum processing protocol of catalysts to promote the decomposition of metal precursors.

Plant-Like Tropisms in Artificial Muscles.

Helical plants have the ability of tropisms to respond to natural stimuli, and biomimicry of such helical shapes into artificial muscles has been vastly popular. However, the shape-mimicked actuators only respond to artificially provided stimulus, they are not adaptive to variable natural conditions, thus being unsuitable for real-life applications where on-demand, autonomous operations are required. Novel artificial muscles made of hierarchically patterned helically wound yarns that are self-adaptive to environmental humidity and temperature changes are demonstrated here.

Facilitation of Behavioral and Cortical Emergence from Isoflurane Anesthesia by GABAergic Neurons in Basal Forebrain.

General anesthesia shares many similarities with natural sleep in behavior and electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns. The latest evidence suggests that general anesthesia and sleep-wake behavior may share overlapping neural substrates. The GABAergic neurons in the basal forebrain (BF) have recently been demonstrated to play a key role in controlling wakefulness.

Dative B←N bonds based crystalline organic framework with permanent porosity for acetylene storage and separation.

The utilization of dative B←N bonds for the creation of crystalline organic framework (BNOF) has increasingly received intensive interest; however, the shortage of permanent porosity is an obstacle that must be overcome to guarantee their application as porous materials. Here, we report the first microporous crystalline framework, BNOF-1, that is assembled through sole monomers, which can be scalably synthesized by the cheap 4-pyridine boronic acid. The 2D networks of BNOF-1 were stacked in parallel to generate a highly porous supramolecular open framework, which possessed not only the highest BET surface area of 1345 m g amongst all of the BNOFs but also features a record-high uptake of CH and CO in covalent organic framework (COF) materials to date.

Parabrachial nucleus astrocytes regulate wakefulness and isoflurane anesthesia in mice.

The parabrachial nucleus (PBN) is an important structure regulating the sleep-wake behavior and general anesthesia. Astrocytes in the central nervous system modulate neuronal activity and consequential behavior. However, the specific role of the parabrachial nucleus astrocytes in regulating the sleep-wake behavior and general anesthesia remains unclear.

Extraordinary Separation of Acetylene-Containing Mixtures in a Honeycomb Calcium-Based MOF with Multiple Active Sites.

Acetylene (CH) separation from multicomponent mixtures is vitally important but industrially challenging for the collection of high-purity CH. To address this requirement, the reaction between the alkaline-earth Ca ions with a dicarboxylate-diazolate linker, 4,6-di(1-tetrazol-5-yl)isophthalic acid (Hdtzip), gave rise to a new metal-organic framework (MOF) material [Ca(dtzip)HO]·2HO (). The material presents unique regular tubular channels based on threefolded helical rod-like secondary building units with rich open metal sites and exposed organic hydrogen-bonding N/O acceptors that enhance the interactions with CH molecules, endowing significant selectivity for CH over CH (5.

Magnetic Hydrogel Composite for Wastewater Treatment.

Nanocomposite hydrogels are highly porous colloidal structures with a high adsorption capacity, making them promising materials for wastewater treatment. In particular, magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) incorporated hydrogels are an excellent adsorbent for aquatic pollutants. An added advantage is that, with the application of an external magnetic field, magnetic hydrogels can be collected back from the wastewater system.

Correction: Giant magnetoelectric coupling observed at high frequency in NiFeO-BaTiO particulate composite.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D0RA05782G.].

Phase control of ZIF-7 nanoparticles mechanochemical synthesis.

Mechanochemical synthesis is a greener synthesis route to form functional metal organic frameworks (MOFs) compared to the typical solvothermal method. Here we demonstrate the crystal phase control of a widely functional zeolitic imidazolate framework, ZIF-7, and its variations the mechanochemical synthesis route.

Boosting Ethane/Ethylene Separation by MOFs through the Amino-Functionalization of Pores.

Adsorption technology based on ethane-selective materials is a promising alternative to energy-intensive cryogenic distillation for separating ethane (C H ) and ethylene (C H ). We employed a pore engineering strategy to tune the pore environment of a metal-organic framework (MOF) through organic functional groups and boosted the C H /C H separation of the MOF. Introduction of amino (-NH ) groups into Tb-MOF-76 not only decreased pore sizes but also facilitated multiple guest-host interactions in confined pores.

Regulation of wakefulness by astrocytes in the lateral hypothalamus.

The lateral hypothalamus (LH) is an important brain region mediating sleep-wake behavior. Recent evidence has shown that astrocytes in central nervous system modulate the activity of adjacent neurons and participate in several physiological functions. However, the role of LH astrocytes in sleep-wake regulation remains unclear.

Regulation of wakefulness by GABAergic dorsal raphe nucleus-ventral tegmental area pathway.

The dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) has previously been proved to be involved in the regulation of the sleep-wake behavior. DRN contains several neuron types, such as 5-HTergic and GABAergic neurons. GABAergic neurons, which are the second largest cell subtype in the DRN, participate in a variety of neurophysiological functions.