Application of perovskite type oxide La Ce coo in lignin depolymerization and mono-phenol preparation.

This study successfully prepared La Ce CoO ( = 0.2, 0.4, 0.

Symmetrical and asymmetrical surface structure expansions of silver nanoclusters with atomic precision.

Controlling symmetrical or asymmetrical growth has allowed a series of novel nanomaterials with prominent physicochemical properties to be produced. However, precise and continuous size growth based on a preserved template has long been a challenging pursuit, yet little has been achieved in terms of manipulation at the atomic level. Here, a correlated silver cluster series has been established, enabling atomically precise manipulation of symmetrical and asymmetrical surface structure expansions of metal nanoclusters.

Water solubility and folate receptor affinity-driven plasma membrane-targeted carbon dots for cancer cell imaging.

Long-term labeling of the plasma membrane is crucial for visualizing membrane protein expression and morphological changes but is challenging due to the high fluidity of the plasma membrane, which can lead to probe diffusion or internalization of cells. Here, we precisely control the localization of carbon dots (M-CDs) on the plasma membrane without internalization after long-term observation under fluorescence microscopy. Adjusting the molar ratio of folic acid to -phenylenediamine allowed fine-tuning of the water solubility and fluorescence emission of the carbon dots.

Size disproportionation among nanocluster transformations.

Controllable transformation is a prerequisite to the in-depth understanding of structure evolution mechanisms and structure-property correlations at the atomic level. Most transformation cases direct the directional evolution of nanocluster sizes, , size-maintained, size-increased, or size-reduced transformation, while size disproportionation was rarely reported. Here, we report the Au-doping-induced size disproportionation of nanocluster transformation.

Strategies to boost the electrochemical performance of bismuth anodes for potassium-ion batteries.

Potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) are considered potential candidates for large-scale energy storage systems due to the abundant resources of potassium. Among various reported anode materials, bismuth anodes with the advantages of high theoretical specific capacity, low cost, and nontoxicity have attracted widespread attention. However, bismuth anodes experience significant volume changes during the charge/discharge process, leading to unsatisfactory cycling stability and rate performance.

Construction of an AuCd nanocluster with circularly polarized luminescence by a metal- and ligand-exchange strategy.

Excellent luminescence properties and unique chiral structures enable nanoclusters to be a novel class of circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) materials, and their precise structures facilitate the clarification of structure-activity relationships. However, efficiently preparing nanoclusters with CPL properties is still a great challenge. In this work, the luminescent properties as well as the molecular symmetry were simultaneously manipulated to transform the centrosymmetric AuCd into a chiral AuCd nanocluster, which has CPL properties.

Unleashing the high energy potential of zinc-iodide batteries: high-loaded thick electrodes designed with zinc iodide as the cathode.

The realization of high energy is of great importance to unlock the practical potential of zinc-iodine batteries. However, significant challenges, such as low iodine loading (mostly less than 50 wt%), restricted iodine reutilization, and severe structural pulverization during cycling, compromise its intrinsic features. This study introduces an optimized, fully zincified zinc iodide loaded onto a hierarchical carbon scaffold with high active component loading and content (82 wt%) to prepare a thick cathode for enabling high-energy Zn-I batteries.

Bidirectional manipulation of iodine redox kinetics in aqueous Fe-I electrochemistry.

Catalyzing conversion is a promising approach to unlock the theoretical potentials of the I/I redox couple in aqueous Fe-I electrochemistry. However, most reported results only obtain one-directional efficient iodine conversion and cannot realize a balance of full reduction and reoxidation, thereby resulting in rapid capacity decay and/or low coulombic efficiency. Herein, the concept of bidirectional catalysis based on a core-shell structured composite cathode design, which accelerates the formation and the decomposition of FeI simultaneously during battery dynamic cycling, is proposed to regulate the Fe-I electrochemical reactions.

Proton penetration mechanism and selective hydrogen isotope separation through two-dimensional biphenylene.

Hydrogen isotope separation is of prime significance in various scientific and industrial applications. Nevertheless, the existing technologies are often expensive and energy demanding. Two-dimensional carbon materials are regarded as promising candidates for cost-effective separation of different hydrogen isotopes.

Restriction of intramolecular rotation for functionalizing metal nanoclusters.

The restriction of intramolecular rotation has been extensively exploited to trigger the property enhancement of nanocluster-based materials. However, such a restriction is induced mainly by intermolecular aggregation. The direct restriction of intramolecular rotation of metal nanoclusters, which could boost their properties at the single molecular level, remains rarely explored.

Bright near-infrared circularly polarized electrochemiluminescence from AuAg nanoclusters.

Metal nanoclusters are excellent electrochemiluminescent luminophores owing to their rich electrochemical and optical properties. However, the optical activity of their electrochemiluminescence (ECL) is unknown. Herein, we achieved, for the first time, the integration of optical activity and ECL, , circularly polarized electrochemiluminescence (CPECL), in a pair of chiral AuAg metal nanocluster enantiomers.

Facile synthesis of water-soluble silver nanoclusters for the photocatalytic degradation of dyes by multivariate optimization approach.

In this study, silver nanoclusters protected by the natural tripeptide ligand (GSH@Ag NCs) were constructed for photocatalytic dye degradation. The ultrasmall GSH@Ag NCs were found to exhibit a remarkably high degradation capability. Aqueous solutions of the hazardous organic dye Erythrosine B (Ery.

High-yield production of liquid fuels in CO hydrogenation on a zeolite-free Fe-based catalyst.

Catalytic conversion of CO to long-chain hydrocarbons with high activity and selectivity is appealing but hugely challenging. For conventional bifunctional catalysts with zeolite, poor coordination among catalytic activity, CO selectivity and target product selectivity often limit the long-chain hydrocarbon yield. Herein, we constructed a singly cobalt-modified iron-based catalyst achieving 57.

Structured copper-hydride nanoclusters provide insight into the surface-vacancy-defect to non-defect structural evolution.

Exploring the structural evolution of clusters with similar sizes and atom numbers induced by the removal or addition of a few atoms contributes to a deep understanding of structure-property relationships. Herein, three well-characterized copper-hydride nanoclusters that provide insight into the surface-vacancy-defect to non-defect structural evolution were reported. A surface-defective copper hydride nanocluster [Cu(S--CH)(PPhPy)H] (Cu-PPhPy for short) with only one symmetry axis was synthesized using a one-pot method under mild conditions, and its structure was determined.

Photochemical synthesis of 1,2,4-triazoles addition reaction of triplet intermediates to diazoalkanes and azomethine ylide intermediates.

The reactivity of diazoalkanes most commonly proceeds through the formation of carbene intermediates or dipolar cycloaddition reactions. The reaction of diazoalkanes with intermediates with unpaired electrons, however, is much less elaborated. Herein, we report on the photochemical reaction of acceptor-only diazoalkanes with azodicarboxylates.

Piezoelectric built-in electric field advancing TiO for highly efficient photocatalytic air purification.

Photocatalytic air purification is a promising technology; however, it suffers from a limited rate of photocatalytic mineralization (easily inactivated surfactant sites of hydroxyls) and poor kinetics of degradation. Herein, we report a ferroelectric strategy, employing a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) layer embedded with TiO, where the polarization field of stretched PVDF dramatically enhances and stabilizes active adsorption sites for the promotion of charge separation. The F (-) and H (+) atomic layers with distinct local structures in stretched PVDF increase the electron cloud density around Ti which simultaneously promotes the dissociation of water to form hydroxyl groups which are easier to activate for adsorption of formaldehyde molecules.

Activation of MoS monolayer electrocatalysts reduction and phase control in molten sodium for selective hydrogenation of nitrogen to ammonia.

Electrochemical nitrogen fixation under ambient conditions is promising for sustainable ammonia production but is hampered by high reaction barrier and strong competition from hydrogen evolution, leading to low specificity and faradaic efficiency with existing catalysts. Here we describe the activation of MoS in molten sodium that leads to simultaneous formation of a sulfur vacancy-rich heterostructured 1T/2H-MoS monolayer reduction and phase transformation. The resultant catalyst exhibits intrinsic activities for electrocatalytic N-to-NH conversion, delivering a faradaic efficiency of 20.

Super-stable SnO/MoS enhanced the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution in acidic environments.

For electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution in acidic environments, the stability of catalysts has always been a significant factor restricting development. Here, we prepared a superstable SnO/MoS coupled nanosheet array on carbon cloth (CC@SnO/MoS), exhibiting an overpotential of 166 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm. According to the results of various tests and theoretical calculations, it is shown that the establishment of SnO/MoS interface engineering is to accelerate the electron transmission on the heterogeneous interface and S defects on the edge of MoS, and finally improve the conductivity and catalytic activity of the catalyst.

Fabrication of a family of atomically precise silver nanoclusters dual-level kinetic control.

The controllable preparation of metal nanoclusters in high yield is an essential prerequisite for their fundamental research and extensive application. Here a synthetic approach termed "dual-level kinetic control" was developed to fabricate a family of new silver nanoclusters. The introduction of secondary ligands was first exploited to retard the reduction rate and accomplish the first-level kinetic control.

Molecularly imprinted polymer coated Mn-doped ZnS quantum dots embedded in a metal-organic framework as a probe for selective room temperature phosphorescence detection of chlorpyrifos.

As one of the most widely used organophosphorus pesticides, chlorpyrifos (CPF) is toxic to humans. However, the rapid, effective and sensitive detection of CPF is still a challenge. In this paper, a novel molecularly imprinted phosphorescent sensor with a core-shell structure (Mn:ZnS QDs@ZIF-8@MIP) using Mn:ZnS quantum dots (QDs) as phosphorescent emitters was prepared for the highly sensitive and selective detection of CPF, and a simple and rapid room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) detection method for CPF was proposed.

A three-dimensional nanostructure of NiFe(OH) nanoparticles/nickel foam as an efficient electrocatalyst for urea oxidation.

Developing high-performance electrocatalysts for urea oxidation reaction (UOR) can not only solve the problem of environmental pollution, but also solve the problem of the energy crisis by producing hydrogen for electrodes. The preparation of porous three-dimensional nanostructures as efficient electrocatalysts has become important work. Here, we developed a novel three-dimensional (3D) nanostructure of NiFe(OH) nanoparticles/nickel foam with a high active area by a simple electroplating method and a subsequent treatment with ferric ion solution.

New atomically precise (M = Au/Ag) nanoclusters as excellent oxygen reduction reaction catalysts.

By introducing 1,1'-bis-(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene (dppf) as an activating ligand, two novel nanoclusters, (M = Au/Ag), have been controllably synthesized and structurally characterized. The atomically precise structures of the nanoclusters were determined by SCXC and further confirmed by ESI-TOF-MS, TGA, XPS, DPV, and FT-IR measurements. The nanoclusters supported on activated carbon (C) are exploited as efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts in alkaline solutions.

Synthesis of carbon-supported sub-2 nanometer bimetallic catalysts by strong metal-sulfur interaction.

Small-sized bimetallic nanoparticles that integrate the advantages of efficient exposure of the active metal surface and optimal geometric/electronic effects are of immense interest in the field of catalysis, yet there are few universal strategies for synthesizing such unique structures. Here, we report a novel method to synthesize sub-2 nm bimetallic nanoparticles (Pt-Co, Rh-Co, and Ir-Co) on mesoporous sulfur-doped carbon (S-C) supports. The approach is based on the strong chemical interaction between metals and sulfur atoms that are doped in the carbon matrix, which suppresses the metal aggregation at high temperature and thus ensures the formation of small-sized and well alloyed bimetallic nanoparticles.

Tailoring silver nanoclusters doping: advances and opportunities.

Atomically precise noble metal nanoclusters (especially Au and Ag) have been pursued due to their fascinating molecule-like properties. In spite of the significant progress on Au nanoclusters (NCs), the structure and property evolution of Ag NCs is still in high demand. Doping is a useful strategy for improving the physicochemical performances of Ag NCs.