Symmetry Breaking of FeN Moiety via Edge Defects for Acidic Oxygen Reduction Reaction.

Fe-N-C catalysts, with a planar D symmetric FeN structure, show promising as noble metal-free oxygen reduction reaction catalysts. Nonetheless, the highly symmetric structure restricts the effective manipulation of its geometric and electronic structures, impeding further enhancements in oxygen reduction reaction performance. Here, a high proportion of asymmetric edge-carbon was successfully introduced into Fe-N-C catalysts through morphology engineering, enabling the precise modulation of the FeN active site.

Riveting Nucleation Enabled Long Cycling Life Calcium Metal Anodes.

Calcium metal batteries with high capacity and low cost are promising alternatives to Li-ion batteries for large-scale energy storage. However, its development is crucially impeded by the irreversible Ca metal anode, which is highly associated with uncontrollable Ca plating/stripping. Here, we report a new riveting strategy to regulate the nucleation and growth of a Ca metal anode in the 3D structure of a carbon nanotube film (CNF) by introducing in situ-formed Na metal mediators.

Photoinduced Pd-Catalyzed 1,4-Dicarbofunctionalization of 1,3-Butadienes via Aliphatic C-H Bond Elaboration.

A three-component coupling strategy for 1,4-dicarbofunctionalization of 1,3-butadiene with C-H bearing substrates has been developed using photoinduced Pd catalysis, with aryl bromide serving as the hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) reagent. This photocatalytic coupling process achieves functionalized oxindole motifs in good yield and regioselectivity under mild reaction conditions. The versatility and synthetic utility of this method are demonstrated through the addition of a variety of C-H-bearing partners and various oxindole substrates to both substituted and unsubstituted butadiene.

The sp Hybridization of Tin Single Atoms for Dendrite-Free Sodium Metal Batteries.

Restricting the growth of sodium (Na) dendrites at the atomic level is the premise to enable both the stability and safety of sodium metal batteries (SMBs). Here, the universal synthesis of the fourth main group element (Sn, Ge, Pb) as single metal atoms anchored on graphene (Sn, Ge, Pb SAs/G) with sp hybridization for dendrite-free sodium metal anode is reported. The in situ real-time observation of Na growth on Sn SAs/G uncoils a kinetically uniform planar deposition at the atomic level for substantially suppressing the dendrite growth.

Neutralizing antibody test supports booster strategy for young individuals after SARS-CoV-2 Omicron breakthrough.

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, since its initial detection, has rapidly spread across the globe, becoming the dominant strain. It is important to study the immune response of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant due to its remarkable ability to escape the majority of existing SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. The surge in SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infections among most Chinese residents by the end of 2022 provides a unique opportunity to understand immune system's response to Omicron in populations with limited exposure to prior SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Hierarchically aligned heterogeneous core-sheath hydrogels.

Natural materials with highly oriented heterogeneous structures are often lightweight but strong, stiff but tough and durable. Such an integration of diverse incompatible mechanical properties is highly desired for man-made materials, especially weak hydrogels which are lack of high-precision structural design. Herein, we demonstrate the fabrication of hierarchically aligned heterogeneous hydrogels consisting of a compactly crosslinked sheath and an aligned porous core with alignments of nanofibrils at multi-scales by a sequential self-assembly assisted salting out method.

A Stable Solid-Electrolyte Interphase Constructed by a Nucleophilic Molecule Additive for the Zn Anode with High Utilization and Efficiency.

The solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) strongly determines the stability and reversibility of aqueous Zn-ion batteries (AZIBs). In traditional electrolytes, the nonuniform SEI layer induced by severe parasitic reactions, such as the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), will exacerbate the side reactions on Zn anodes, thus leading to low zinc utilization ratios (ZURs). Herein, we propose to use methoxy ethylamine (MOEA) as a nucleophilic additive, which has a stronger nucleophilic characteristic than water, with the advantage of an abundance of nucleophilic atoms.

Midinfrared Cavity-Enhanced Two-Photon Absorption Spectroscopy for Selective Detection of Trace Gases.

Detection of trace gases, such as radioactive carbon dioxide, clumped isotopes, and reactive radicals, is of great interest and poses significant challenges in various fields. Achieving both high selectivity and high sensitivity is essential in this context. We present a highly selective molecular spectroscopy method based on comb-locked, mid-infrared, cavity-enhanced, two-photon absorption.

Efficient Sampling for Machine Learning Electron Density and Its Response in Real Space.

Electron density is a fundamental quantity that can in principle determine all ground state electronic properties of a given system. Although machine learning (ML) models for electron density based on either an atom-centered basis or a real-space grid have been proposed, the demand for a number of high-order basis functions or grid points is enormous. In this work, we propose an efficient grid-point sampling strategy that combines targeted sampling favoring a large density and a screening of grid points associated with linearly independent atomic features.

General synthesis of neighboring dual-atomic sites with a specific pre-designed distance via an interfacial-fixing strategy.

A potential non-precious metal catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction should contain metal-N moieties. However, most of the current strategies to regulate the distances between neighboring metal sites are not pre-designed but depend on the probability by tuning the metal loading or the support. Herein, we report a general method for the synthesis of neighboring metal-N moieties (metal = Fe, Cu, Co, Ni, Zn, and Mn) via an interfacial-fixing strategy.

Multiscale integral synchronous assembly of cuttlebone-inspired structural materials by predesigned hydrogels.

The overall structural integrity plays a vital role in the unique performance of living organisms, but the integral synchronous preparation of different multiscale architectures remains challenging. Inspired by the cuttlebone's rigid cavity-wall structure with excellent energy absorption, we develop a robust hierarchical predesigned hydrogel assembly strategy to integrally synchronously assemble multiple organic and inorganic micro-nano building blocks to different structures. The two types of predesigned hydrogels, combined with hydrogen, covalent bonding, and electrostatic interactions, are layer-by-layer assembled into brick-and-mortar structures and close-packed rigid micro hollow structures in a cuttlebone-inspired structural material, respectively.

Boosting Hot Electron Generation in Energy Center Embedded Metal-Organic Frameworks for Photocatalysis.

The ligands in metal-organic framework (MOF) play as light absorption center and transfer photogenerated electrons to metal node through ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) during photocatalysis, and energy utilization efficiency is strongly restricted by the light inertness of ligands. Herein, a ligand updating strategy is proposed by inserting energy centers to MOFs to activate the inherent ligands, realizing boosting hot electron generation and photocatalytic activities via the cascaded proceeding of energy transfer and charge transfer. By taking PCN-777 (a zeotype mesoporous Zr-containing MOF) as an example, this study shows that the embedded energy center of 1-pyrenecarboxylic acid (PCA) can activate the inherent ligand of PCN-777 through triplet-triplet energy transfer, where triplet excitons would dissociate into photocarriers migrating to the Zr metal cluster via LMCT process.

Compartmentalized localization of perinuclear proteins within germ granules in C. elegans.

Germ granules, or nuage, are RNA-rich condensates that are often docked on the cytoplasmic surface of germline nuclei. C. elegans perinuclear germ granules are composed of multiple subcompartments, including P granules, Mutator foci, Z granules, SIMR foci, P -bodies, and E granules.

Deciphering the role of the MALT1-RC3H1 axis in regulating GPX4 protein stability.

Ferroptosis, a unique form of iron-dependent cell death triggered by lipid peroxidation accumulation, holds great promise for cancer therapy. Despite the crucial role of GPX4 in regulating ferroptosis, our understanding of GPX4 protein regulation remains limited. Through FACS-based genome-wide CRISPR screening, we identified MALT1 as a regulator of GPX4 protein.

Tailoring Acid-Salt Hybrid Electrolyte Structure for Stable Proton Storage at Ultralow Temperature.

The critical challenges in developing ultralow-temperature proton-based energy storage systems are enhancing the diffusion kinetics of charge carriers and inhibiting water-triggered interfacial side reactions between electrolytes and electrodes. Here an acid-salt hybrid electrolyte with a stable anion-cation-HO solvation structure that realizes unconventional proton transport at ultralow temperature is shown, which is crucial for electrodes and devices to achieve high rate-capacity and stable interface compatibility with electrodes. Through multiscale simulations and experimental investigations in the electrolyte employing ZnCl introduced into 0.

Structural Repair of Reduced Graphene Oxide Promoted by Single-Layer Graphene.

High-temperature graphitization of graphene oxide (GO) is a crucial step for enhancing interlayer stacking and repairing the in-plane defects of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) films. However, the fine control of the structural repair and reducing the energy consumption in thermal treatment remain challenges. In this study, ab-initio molecular dynamics simulations combined with experiments are used to investigate the structural evolution of rGO upon thermal annealing, with or without the presence of single-layer graphene (SLG).

Mechanically Stable and Damage Resistant Freestanding Ultrathin Silver Nanowire Films with Closely Packed Crossed-Lamellar Structure.

One-dimensional (1D) functional nanowires are widely used as nanoscale building blocks for assembling advanced nanodevices due to their unique functionalities. However, previous research has mainly focused on nanowire functionality, while neglecting the structural stability and damage resistance of nanowire assemblies, which are critical for the long-term operation of nanodevices. Biomaterials achieve excellent mechanical stability and damage resistance through sophisticated structural design.

Sustainable High-Performance Structural Materials from Micro/nanostructured Corn Stover.

Corn stover, as an abundant agricultural residue, has not been well reutilized due to the lack of efficient utilization methods. Based on micro/nanoscale structure design of corn stover, we report an environmentally friendly strategy to prepare micro/nanostructured corn stover-based building blocks. Then, through the directed deformation assembly approach, a high value-added corn stover structural material (CSSM) that with higher strength and more excellent thermal stability than most widely used plastics and wood-plastic composites can be prepared.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy: a half-century historical perspective.

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has evolved significantly over fifty years into a powerful analytical technique. This review aims to achieve five main goals. (1) Providing a comprehensive history of SERS's discovery, its experimental and theoretical foundations, its connections to advances in nanoscience and plasmonics, and highlighting collective contributions of key pioneers.

Advanced Synthesis of Spherical Nucleic Acids: A Limit-Pursuing Game with Broad Implications.

Spherical nucleic acids (SNAs) consist of DNA strands arranged radially and packed densely on the surface of nanoparticles. Due to their unique properties, which are not found in naturally occurring linear or circular DNA, SNAs have gained widespread attention in fields such as sensing, nanomedicine, and colloidal assembly. The rapidly evolving applications of SNAs have driven a modernization of their syntheses to meet different needs.

Spatial Optical Simulator for Classical Statistical Models.

Optical simulators for the Ising model have demonstrated great promise for solving challenging problems in physics and beyond. Here, we develop a spatial optical simulator for a variety of classical statistical systems, including the clock, XY, Potts, and Heisenberg models, utilizing a digital micromirror device composed of a large number of tiny mirrors. Spins, with desired amplitudes or phases of the statistical models, are precisely encoded by a patch of mirrors with a superpixel approach.

Photo-Cross-linked DNA Structures Greatly Improves Their Serum Nuclease Resistances and Gene Knock-In Efficiencies.

The stabilization and structural integrity of DNA architectures remain significant challenges in their biomedical applications, particularly when inserting functional units into the genome using long single-stranded DNA (lssDNA). To address these challenges, a site-specific photo-cross-linking method is employed. Single-stranded oligonucleotides, containing one or two photosensitive cyanovinylcarbazole nucleoside (K) molecules, are precisely incorporated and cross-linked at the specific sites of ssDNA through base-pairing, followed by rapid UV irradiation at 365 nm.