Revealing the CO Tolerance Mechanism in Acidic Hydrogen Oxidation Reactions on Platinum-Based Catalyst Surfaces.

The presence of trace CO impurity gas in hydrogen fuel can rapidly deactivate platinum-based hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) catalysts due to poisoning effects, yet the precise CO tolerance mechanism remains debated. Our designed Au@PtX bifunctional core-shell nanocatalysts exhibit excellent performance of CO tolerance in acidic solution during HOR and possess exceptional Raman spectroscopy enhancement. Through capturing and analyzing in situ Raman spectroscopy evidences on *OH, metal-O species and *CO evolution under 0.

Phase-Engineered Bi-RuO Single-Atom Alloy Oxide Boosting Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysis in Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer.

Engineering nanomaterials at single-atomic sites can enable unprecedented catalytic properties for broad applications, yet it remains challenging to do so on RuO-based electrocatalysts for proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE). Herein, the rational design and construction of Bi-RuO single-atom alloy oxide (SAAO) are presented to boost acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER), via phase engineering a novel hexagonal close packed (hcp) RuBi single-atom alloy. This Bi-RuO SAAO electrocatalyst exhibits a low overpotential of 192 mV and superb stability over 650 h at 10 mA cm, enabling a practical PEMWE that needs only 1.

Beyond Tradition: A MOF-On-MOF Cascade Z-Scheme Heterostructure for Augmented CO Photoreduction.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are rigorously investigated as promising candidates for CO capture and conversion. MOF-on-MOF heterostructures integrate bolstered charger carrier separation with the intrinsic advantages of MOF components, exhibiting immense potential to substantially escalate the efficiency of photocatalytic CO reduction (CORR). However, the structural and compositional complexity poses significant challenges to the controllable development of these heterostructures.

Preparation of sulfur-doped porous carbon from polyphenylene sulfide waste for photothermal conversion materials to achieve solar-driven water evaporation.

In recent years, solar-driven photothermal water evaporation technology for seawater desalination and wastewater treatment has developed rapidly, which is of great significance for addressing the issue of freshwater scarcity. However, due to the high costs associated with the manufacturing, maintenance, and operation of such devices, their application remains challenging in remote and resource-scarce regions. Due to its excellent light absorption capability in the near-infrared region, high hydrophilicity, and stable chemical properties, coupled with the low cost of recycling waste carbonized polyphenylene sulfide, this material is an excellent choice as a photothermal material for solar-driven water evaporation devices.

B, N Codoped Defective Reduced Graphene Oxide as a Highly Efficient Frustrated Lewis Pairs Catalyst for the Selective Hydrogenation of α,β-Unsaturated Aldehydes to Unsaturated Alcohols.

The development of all-solid-state frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) metal-free hydrogenation catalysts with excellent activity and stability remains a significant challenge. In this work, B, N codoped FLPs catalysts (De-rGO-NB) were prepared by the strategy of fabricating carbon defects and heteroatom doping on the surface of reduced graphene oxide and applied in the selective hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes to unsaturated alcohols. It was found that electron-rich pyridine-N (Lewis base) and adjacent electron-deficient B-N (Lewis acid) sites could be constructed on the surface of reduced graphene oxide using dicyandiamide and metaboric acid as N and B sources, thus forming FLPs sites.

Nitrogen-Doped Two-Dimensional Carbon Nanosheets for High-Sulfur-Loading Lithium-Sulfur Batteries via a Lignin-Based High-Internal-Phase Pickering Emulsion Strategy.

Attributable to sulfur's significant theoretical energy density, its affordability, and its environmentally friendly nature, lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) are recognized as advanced energy storage technologies with considerable potential. Nonetheless, the solubility and migration of polysulfides within the electrolyte substantially hinder their practical implementation. To address this issue, we developed a nitrogen-doped two-dimensional (2D) wavy carbon nanosheet material (NCN) by using the Pickering emulsion templating method.

Long Persistent Luminescence in Cu-Doped SrGaGeO for Information Storage and Encryption.

Information storage and encryption are the key technologies for modern information transmission. However, most optical information storage technologies based on long persistent luminescent (PersL) only have one fixed response mode, which is easy to imitate, limiting their security in advanced information storage and encryption applications. Besides, the cost of rare earth-doped PersL materials restricts their wide application.

Physicochemically Cross-linked Injectable Hydrogel: an Adhesive Skin Substitute for Burned Wound Therapy.

Burns carry a large surface area, varying in shapes and depths, and an elevated risk of infection. Regardless of the underlying etiology, burns pose significant medical challenges and a high mortality rate. Given the limitations of current therapies, tissue-engineering-based treatments for burns are inevitable.

MXene Hollow Microsphere-Boosted Nanocomposite Electrodes for Thermocells with Enhanced Thermal Energy Harvesting Capability.

Thermal energy, constantly being produced in natural and industrial processes, constitutes a significant portion of energy lost through various inefficiencies. Employing the thermogalvanic effect, thermocells (TECs) can directly convert thermal energy into electricity, representing a promising energy-conversion technology for efficient, low-grade heat harvesting. However, the use of high-cost platinum electrodes in TECs has severely limited their widespread adoption, highlighting the need for more cost-effective alternatives that maintain comparable thermoelectrochemical performance.

In situ growth of ZIF-8 nanoparticles on pure chitosan nanofibrous membranes for efficient antimicrobial wound dressings.

Bacterial infections and excessive accumulation of wound exudates remain the main obstacles and clinical challenges to the healing of chronic cutaneous wounds. Conventional dressings are commonly used medical materials for acute wound care, but they do not possess the bacterial infection resistance required for chronic wound treatment. Herein, we prepared pure chitosan nanofibrous membranes (C) by electrospinning with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) as a sacrificial additive and then loaded with zinc-based metal-organic framework (MOF) as a novel antimicrobial wound dressing.

Molecularly manipulating pyrazinoquinoxaline derivatives to construct NIR-II AIEgens for multimodal phototheranostics of breast cancer bone metastases.

Multimodal phototheranostics on the basis of single molecular species shows inexhaustible and vigorous vitality, particularly those emit fluorescence in the second near-infrared window (NIR-II), the construction of such exceptional molecules nonetheless retains formidably challenging. In view of the undiversified molecular skeletons and insufficient phototheranostic outputs of previously reported NIR-II fluorophores, herein, electron acceptor engineering based on heteroatom-inserted rigid-planar pyrazinoquinoxaline was manipulated to fabricate aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-featured NIR-II counterparts with donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) architecture. Systematical investigations substantiated that one of those synthesized AIE molecules, namely 4TPQ, incorporating a fused thiophene acceptor, synchronously exhibited high molar absorptivity (ε), NIR-II emission, typical AIE tendency, significant reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and high photothermal conversion efficiency.

Cesium-Based Molecular Perovskites With Superior Stability for High-Performance X-Ray Detection.

Metal-free molecular perovskites have shown great potential for X-ray detection due to their tunable chemical structures, low toxicity, and excellent photophysical properties. However, their limited X-ray absorption and environmental instability restrict their practical application. In this study, cesium-based molecular perovskites (MDABCO-CsX, X = Cl, Br, I) are developed by introducing Cs at the B-site to enhance X-ray absorption while retaining low toxicity.

Ambient-pressure selective hydrogenation of unsaturated aldehydes and ketones into unsaturated alcohols in the water phase.

A universal and green catalytic system for the hydrogenation of unsaturated aldehydes and ketones into the corresponding alcohols with the CC bonds retained under atmospheric hydrogen pressure in the water phase was realized by -functionalized amino ligand-stabilized ruthenium complexes (-PPhCHNHMe)[(CHNHR)]RuCl (R = H, Me, Et) and (-PPhCHNMe)[(CHNHEt)]RuCl with wide substrate compatibility and excellent functionality tolerance. The structural synergism between -PPhCHNHMe and (CHNHEt) achieves the enhanced performance, with a positive correlation with the electron density of the amino ligand.

Toward Surface Passivation of Black Phosphorus via a Self-Assembled Ferrocene Molecular Layer.

Black phosphorus (BP), a promising two-dimensional material, faces significant challenges for its applications due to its instability in air and water. Herein, molecular dynamics simulations reveal that a self-assembled ferrocene (FeCp) molecular layer can form on BP surfaces and remain stable in aqueous environments, predicting its effectiveness for passivation. This theoretical finding is corroborated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and optical microscopy observations.

Influence of gut bacteria on type 2 diabetes: Mechanisms and therapeutic strategy.

The onset and progression of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are strongly associated with imbalances in gut bacteria, making the gut microbiome a new potential therapeutic focus. This commentary examines the recent publication in . The article explores the association between T2DM and gut microbiota, with a focus on the pathophysiological changes related to dysbiosis.

Multiple crosslinked, self-healing, and shape-adaptable hydrogel laden with pain-relieving chitosan@borneol nanoparticles for infected burn wound healing.

Next-generation wound dressings with multiple biological functions hold promise for addressing the complications and pain associated with burn wounds. A hydrogel wound dressing loaded with a pain-relieving drug was developed for treating infected burn wounds. Polyvinyl alcohol chemically grafted with gallic acid (PVA-GA), sodium alginate chemically grafted with 3-aminobenzeneboronic acid (SA-PBA), Zn, and chitosan-coated borneol nanoparticles with anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving activities were combined to afford a nanoparticle-loaded hydrogel with a PVA-GA/Zn/SA-PBA network crosslinked via multiple physicochemical interactions.

Development and performance validation of an affordable and portable high-resolution darkfield polarization-sensitive multispectral imaging microscope for the assessment of radiation dermatitis and fibrosis.

Radiation therapy (RT) is widely used for cancer treatment but is found with side effects of radiation dermatitis and fibrosis thereby calling for timely assessment. Nevertheless, current clinical assessment methods are found to be subjective, prone to bias, and accompanied by variability. There is, therefore, an unmet clinical need to explore a new assessment technique, ideally portable and affordable, making it accessible to less developed regions too.

Design and development of pyrazol-5-ylbenzamide derivatives containing chiral oxazoline moiety as fungicides based on molecular docking.

Background: Development of novel chiral antifungal agents for effective control of plant pathogens is urgently needed. In this study, a series of pyrazol-5-yl-benzamide derivatives containing chiral oxazoline moiety were rationally designed and developed based on molecular docking.

Results: The in vitro antifungal assay results indicated that compounds (rac)-4h (R = Et), (S)-4 h (R = S-Et) and (R)-4 h (R = R-Et) exhibited remarkable antifungal activities against Valsa mali with median effective concentration (EC) values of 0.

Light-driven in-situ synthesis of nano-sulfur and graphene oxide composites for efficient removal of heavy metal ions.

Sulfur nanoparticles (SNPs) and their composites are promising for heavy metal adsorption, yet current SNPs often lack surface S, leading to low affinity toward heavy metal and ease of aggregation. Here, we report a simple light-driven method for facile prepare SNPs with surfaces enriched with S and in-situ load them onto graphene oxide (GO) to fabricate GO-S composites. Under illumination, the O generated by photosensitizer phloxine B was able to oxidize S into elemental SNPs.

Quantitative Analysis of Multi-Elements in a Micron-Sized Single Particle Based on Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Signal Enhancement of an Optical Fiber Collimated System.

With rapid, energy-intensive, and coal-fueled economic growth, global air quality is deteriorating, and particulate matter pollution has emerged as one of the major public health problems worldwide. It is extremely urgent to achieve carbon emission reduction and air pollution prevention and control, aiming at the common problem of weak and unstable signals of characteristic elements in the application of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technology for trace element detection. In this study, the influence of the optical fiber collimation signal enhancement method on the LIBS signal was explored.

Halogen-Free Wide Band Gap Polymer Donors Based on Dicyanobithiophene for Efficient Organic Solar Cells.

Conjugated polymer donors have always been one of the important components of organic solar cells (OSCs), particularly those featuring simple synthetic routes, proper energy levels, and appropriate aggregation behavior. In this work, we employed a nonfused electron-deficient building block, dicyanobithiophene (2CT), for constructing high-performance donors. Combining this with side-chain engineering, two novel halogen-free polymer donors, PB2CT-BO and PB2CT-HD, were reported.

Activating discharge and inhibiting self-corrosion by adding indium to the anode of Mg-air battery.

Self-corrosion and low practical voltage of anodes severely limit the usage of Mg-air batteries. Although many elements, including indium (In), have been used to enhance the discharge characteristics of Mg anodes, unclear mechanism of the action of a single element and lack of research on binary alloys as anodes have restricted the development of Mg-air batteries. Herein, Mg-In ( = 0.