Spinal tissue identification using a Forward-oriented endoscopic ultrasound technique.

The limited imaging depth of optical endoscope restrains the identification of tissues under surface during the minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS), thus increasing the risk of critical tissue damage. This study is proposed to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of automatic spinal soft tissue identification using a forward-oriented ultrasound endoscopic system. Total 758 ex-vivo soft tissue samples were collected from ovine spines to create a dataset with four categories including spinal cord, nucleus pulposus, adipose tissue, and nerve root.

Photoredox-Catalyzed Alkene Acylesterification with Acyloxime Esters via C-C and Tertiary C-O Bond Formation.

We describe an efficient acyl esterification method for alkenes utilizing acyloxime esters as bifunctional reagents featuring radical acylation and congested C-O bond formation. This approach is characterized by mild photoredox conditions, high step and atom economy, a broad substrate scope, and excellent regioselectivity. A variety of valuable α-acyl hindered alcohol esters, including those obtained via gram-scale synthesis and late-stage functionalization of pharmaceutical molecules, were presented, demonstrating its synthetic potential and practicability.

Improving the Antioxidant Properties of Tin-Based Perovskite for the Enhanced Performance of Near-Infrared Light-Emitting Diodes Through the Synergy of Sn and SnF.

Tin-based perovskite has emerged as an excellent luminescent material due to its non-toxicity and narrow bandgap compared to lead-based perovskite. However, its tin ions are easily oxidized by oxygen, which leads to increased vacancy defects and poor crystallinity, presenting a significant challenge in obtaining high-quality perovskite films. In this context, we introduced an approach by synergistically adding SnF and tin powder into the precursor solution to enhance the antioxidation of Sn ions.

Engineering Air-Stable Triarylmethyl Radicals with One Pyrrole Ring.

Herein, seven air-stable triarylmethyl radicals (-), each featuring a pyrrole ring, were successfully synthesized. A comprehensive investigation into the linkages at the α-, β-, and -positions of the pyrrole ring, along with various substituents, revealed that the p-π conjugation between the central radical carbon and the pyrrole ring plays a crucial role in the distribution of spin density and overall stability. Notably, radicals to displayed excellent electrochemical and photostability.

Recent Advances in Wide-Range Temperature Metal-CO Batteries: A Mini Review.

The metal-carbon dioxide batteries, emerging as high-energy-density energy storage devices, enable direct CO utilization, offering promising prospects for CO capture and utilization, energy conversion, and storage. However, the electrochemical performance of M-CO batteries faces significant challenges, particularly at extreme temperatures. Issues such as high overpotential, poor charge reversibility, and cycling capacity decay arise from complex reaction interfaces, sluggish oxidation kinetics, inefficient catalysts, dendrite growth, and unstable electrolytes.

The SUMO (Singly Unoccupied Molecular Orbital)-LUMO (Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital) Inversion Radicals.

Herein, SUMO-LUMO inversion (SLI) radicals - were designed by the combination of the tris(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)methyl (TTM) radical and pyridinium derivatives (electron-withdrawing groups) for the first time. The energy of the LUMO lies below that of the SUMO, which deviated from the Aufbau principle as an alternative electronic configuration beyond the well-established SOMO-HOMO inversed system. Thus, for SLI radicals, the injection of one extra electron preferred to occupy the LUMO rather than the SUMO, giving diradicals, one of which had been fully confirmed by single crystal analysis, VT-NMR and VT-EPR experiments, as well as DFT calculations.

Yttrium-doped LiTiO nanoparticles as anode for high-rate and high-energy lithium-ion batteries.

LiTiO (LTO) batteries are known for safety and long lifespan due to zero-strain and stable lattice. However, their low specific capacity and lithium-ion diffusion limit practical use. This study explored modifying LTO through yttrium doping by hydrothermal method to form LiYTiO nanoparticles.

A Wet-Adhesion and Swelling-Resistant Hydrogel for Fast Hemostasis, Accelerated Tissue Injury Healing and Bioelectronics.

Hydrogel bioadhesives with adequate wet adhesion and swelling resistance are urgently needed in clinic. However, the presence of blood or body fluid usually weakens the interfacial bonding strength, and even leads to adhesion failure. Herein, profiting from the unique coupling structure of carboxylic and phenyl groups in one component (N-acryloyl phenylalanine) for interfacial drainage and matrix toughening as well as various electrostatic interactions mediated by zwitterions, a novel hydrogel adhesive (PAAS) is developed with superior tissue adhesion properties and matrix swelling resistance in challenging wet conditions (adhesion strength of 85 kPa, interfacial toughness of 450 J m, burst pressure of 514 mmHg, and swelling ratio of <4%).

Synthesis of fluorine-containing bicyclo[4.1.1]octenes photocatalyzed defluorinative (4 + 3) annulation of bicyclo[1.1.0]butanes with -difluoroalkenes.

Although bicyclo[4.1.1] systems are privileged scaffolds in many natural products and drug molecules, efficient synthetic approaches to these systems remain underdeveloped.

Tough Polyurethane Hydrogels with a Multiple Hydrogen-Bond Interlocked Bicontinuous Phase Structure Prepared by In Situ Water-Induced Microphase Separation.

Hydrogels with mechanical performances similar to load-bearing tissues are in demand for in vivo applications. In this work, inspired by the self-assembly behavior of amphiphilic polymers, polyurethane-based tough hydrogels with a multiple hydrogen-bond interlocked bicontinuous phase structure through in situ water-induced microphase separation strategy are developed, in which poly(ethylene glycol)-based polyurethane (PEG-PU, hydrophilic) and poly(ε-caprolactone)-based polyurethane (PCL-PU, hydrophobic) are blended to form dry films followed by water swelling. A multiple hydrogen bonding factor, imidazolidinyl urea, is introduced into the synthesis of the two polyurethanes, and the formation of multiple hydrogen bonds between PEG-PU and PCL-PU can promote homogeneous microphase separation for the construction of bicontinuous phase structures in the hydrogel network, by which the hydrogel features break strength of 12.

Low-Frequency Phonon Dispersion Relation Enabling Stable Cathode from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Direct recycling technology can effectively solve the environmental pollution and resource waste problems caused by spent lithium-ion batteries. However, the repaired LiNiCoMnO (NCM) black mass by direct recycling technology shows an unsatisfactory cycle life, which is attributed to the formation of spinel/rock salt phases and rotational stacking faults caused by the in-plane and out-of-plane migration of transition metal (TM) atoms during charge/discharge. Herein, local lattice stress is introduced into the regenerated cathode during repair.

Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization Q-Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Gas-Phase High-Energy Dissociation Routes of Triarylamine Derivatives.

Triarylamine groups have been widely utilized in the development of high-performance charge-transporting or luminescent materials for fabricating organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). In this study, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) Q-Orbitrap mass spectrometry was adopted to investigate the dissociation behaviors of these triarylamine derivatives. Specifically, taking [M+H] as the precursor ion, high-energy collision dissociation (HCD) experiments within the energy range from 0 to 80 eV were carried out.

Ultrawide Bandgap Diamond/ε-GaO Heterojunction pn Diodes with Breakdown Voltages over 3 kV.

Robust bipolar devices based on exclusively ultrawide bandgap (UWBG) semiconductors are highly desired for advanced power electronics. The heterojunction strategy has been a prevailing method for fabricating a bipolar device due to the lack of effective bipolar doping in the same UWBG material. Here, we demonstrate a unique heterojunction design integrating the p-type diamond and n-type ε-GaO that achieves remarkable breakdown voltages surpassing 3000 V.

Lithium extraction from low-quality brines.

In the quest for environmental sustainability, the rising demand for electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies has substantially increased the need for efficient lithium extraction methods. Traditional lithium production, relying on geographically concentrated hard-rock ores and salar brines, is associated with considerable energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, groundwater depletion and land disturbance, thereby posing notable environmental and supply chain challenges. On the other hand, low-quality brines-such as those found in sedimentary waters, geothermal fluids, oilfield-produced waters, seawater and some salar brines and salt lakes-hold large potential owing to their extensive reserves and widespread geographical distribution.

Emerging two dimensional MXene for corrosion protection in new energy systems: Design and mechanisms.

With the development of new and clean energy (offshore wind power, fuel cells, aqueous zinc ion batteries, lithium-ion batteries, etc.), the corrosion and security problems in special environments of the new energy system have attracted much attention. Corrosion protection on the metals applied in new energy system can reduce the economic loss, security risk, and energy consumption, as well as guarantee the efficiency of energy system.

Photoinduced Aromatization-Driven Deconstructive Fluorosulfonylation of Spiro Dihydroquinazolinones.

A catalyst-free photoinduced deconstructive fluorosulfonylation cascade of spiro dihydroquinazolinones with DABSO and NFSI is reported. This protocol features mild reaction conditions, good yields and excellent functional group tolerance, providing a practical approach to the quinazolin-4(1)-one-functionalized aliphatic sulfonyl fluorides. In addition, the ease of gram-scale synthesis and the versatility of the SuFEx exchange highlight the application potential of this protocol.

Sn-Pb Perovskite with Strong Light and Oxygen Stability for All-Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells.

Research on mixed Sn-Pb perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is gaining significant attention due to their potential for high efficiency in all-perovskite tandem solar cells. However, Sn in Sn-Pb perovskite is susceptible to oxidation, leading to a high defect density. The oxidation primarily occurs through two pathways: one involving a reaction with oxygen, and the other related to iodine defects, which generate I and further accelerate the oxidation of Sn⁺, greatly reducing stability.

Engineering the secretome of Aspergillus niger for cellooligosaccharides production from plant biomass.

Background: Fermentation of sugars derived from plant biomass feedstock is crucial for sustainability. Hence, utilizing customized enzymatic cocktails to obtain oligosaccharides instead of monomers is an alternative fermentation strategy to produce prebiotics, cosmetics, and biofuels. This study developed an engineered strain of Aspergillus niger producing a tailored cellulolytic cocktail capable of partially degrading sugarcane straw to yield cellooligosaccharides.

Miniaturized silicon-based capacitive six-axis force/torque sensor with large range, high sensitivity, and low crosstalk.

Miniaturized six-axis force/torque sensors have potential applications in robotic tactile sensing, minimally invasive surgery, and other narrow operating spaces, where currently available commercial sensors cannot meet the requirements because of their large size. In this study, a silicon-based capacitive six-axis force/torque sensing chip with a small size of 9.3 × 9.

Multienzyme-like polyoxometalate for oxygen-independent sonocatalytic enhanced cancer therapy.

Artificially synthesized nanozymes exhibit enzymatic activity similar to that of natural enzymes. However, in the complex tumor microenvironment, their diversity and catalytic activity show significant variations, limiting their effectiveness in catalytic therapy. Developing artificial enzymes with multiple enzymatic activities and spatiotemporal controllable catalytic abilities is of great clinical significance.

Enhancing Mechanical Durability and Long-Term Stability in Organic Solar Cells via Flexible Linker-Sequential Block Copolymerized Donors.

Multi-component copolymerized donors (MCDs) hold great promise for improving both the efficiency and mechanical robustness of flexible organic solar cells (f-OSCs) owing to their facile molecular tunability and advantageous one-pot copolymerization. However, despite the excellent crystallinity imparted by their highly conjugated polymer backbone, MCDs often struggle to retain photovoltaic performance under large external deformations, limiting their applicability in wearable devices. Herein, we developed a novel series of flexible linker-sequential block MCDs (Fs-MCDs), specifically PM6-Cl-b-D18-Cl-BTB, PM6-Cl-b-D18-Cl-BTH, and PM6-Cl-b-D18-Cl-BTD, by precisely incorporating flexible functional groups into the conjugated polymer skeleton.

Far-UVC direct photolysis of iohexol and acetochlor: an experimental and mechanism study.

Recently, the emission of 222 nm Far-UVC krypton chloride (KrCl*) excimer lamps, has gained widespread attention in the field of water treatment. This study compared the degradation kinetics of IOX and ACE under UV and UV irradiation. The results demonstrated that UV irradiation exhibited higher efficiency, increasing the removal rates of IOX and ACE from 72.

An Assessment of the Catalytic and Adsorptive Performances of Cellulose Acetate-Based Composite Membranes for Oil/Water Emulsion Separation.

Cellulose acetate (CA) mixed-matrix membranes incorporating polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), bentonite (B or Ben), graphene oxide (GO), and titanium dioxide (TiO) were prepared by the phase inversion separation technique for oil/water separation. An investigation was performed where the mixed-matrix membrane was tested for the separation performance of hydrophilic and hydrophobic surface properties. An ultrafiltration experiment at the laboratory scale was used to test dead-end ultrafiltration models developed for the treatment performances of oily wastewater under dynamic full-scale operating conditions.