Dry-Solid-Electrochemical Synthesis: A General Method for Large Scale Synthesis of Single-Atom Catalysts with High Metal loadings.

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) with high metal loadings are highly desirable but still challenging for large scale synthesis. Here we report a new technique named as dry-solid-electrochemical synthesis (DSES) for a general large-scale synthesis of SACs with high metal loadings in an energy-conservation and environment-friendly way. With it, a series of pure carbon-supported metal SACs (Platinum up to 35.

Potential Dominates Structural Recombination of Single Atom Mn Sites for Promoting Oxygen Reduction Reaction.

Single atom sites (SAS) often undergo structural recombination in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), while the effect of valence state and reconstruction on active centers needs to be investigated thoroughly. Herein, the Mn-SAS catalyst with uniform and precise Mn-N configuration is rationally designed. We utilize operando synchrotron radiation to track the dynamic evolution of active centers during ORR.

Ion-Dipole Interaction Enabling Highly Efficient CsPbI Perovskite Indoor Photovoltaics.

Metal halide perovskites are ideal candidates for indoor photovoltaics (IPVs) because of their easy-to-adjust bandgaps, which can be designed to cover the spectrum of any artificial light source. However, the serious non-radiative carrier recombination under low light illumination restrains the application of perovskite-based IPVs (PIPVs). Herein, polar molecules of amino naphthalene sulfonates are employed to functionalize the TiO substrate, anchoring the CsPbI perovskite crystal grains with a strong ion-dipole interaction between the molecule-level polar interlayer and the ionic perovskite film.

Perylene Monoimide Phosphorus Salt Interfacial Modified Crystallization for Highly Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells.

Reducing the interfacial defects of perovskite films is key to improving the performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this study, two kinds of perylene monoimide (PMI) derivative phosphonium bromide salts were designed and used as a multifunctional interface-modified layer in PSCs. These two molecules are inserted between SnO and perovskite to produce a bidirectional passivation effect.

Ir Single Atom Catalyst Loaded on Amorphous Carbon Materials with High HER Activity.

The research of high efficiency water splitting catalyst is important for the development of renewable energy economy. Here, the progress in the preparation of high efficiency hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst is reported. The support material is based on a polyhexaphenylbenzene material with intrinsic holes, which heals into carbon materials upon heating.

Semi-Planar Non-Fullerene Molecules Enhance the Durability of Flexible Perovskite Solar Cells.

Flexible perovskite solar cells (FPSCs) represent a promising technology in the development of next-generation photovoltaic and optoelectronic devices. SnO electron transport layers (ETL) typically undergo significant cracking during the bending process of FPSCs, which can significantly compromise their charge transport properties. Herein, the semi-planar non-fullerene acceptor molecule Y6 (BT-core-based fused-unit dithienothiophen [3,2-b]-pyrrolobenzothiadiazole derivative) is introduced as the buffer layer for SnO -based FPSCs.

Grafting nanometer metal/oxide interface towards enhanced low-temperature acetylene semi-hydrogenation.

Metal/oxide interface is of fundamental significance to heterogeneous catalysis because the seemingly "inert" oxide support can modulate the morphology, atomic and electronic structures of the metal catalyst through the interface. The interfacial effects are well studied over a bulk oxide support but remain elusive for nanometer-sized systems like clusters, arising from the challenges associated with chemical synthesis and structural elucidation of such hybrid clusters. We hereby demonstrate the essential catalytic roles of a nanometer metal/oxide interface constructed by a hybrid Pd/BiO cluster ensemble, which is fabricated by a facile stepwise photochemical method.

Virus Disinfection from Environmental Water Sources Using Living Engineered Biofilm Materials.

Waterborne viruses frequently cause disease outbreaks and existing strategies to remove such viral pathogens often involve harsh or energy-consuming water treatment processes. Here, a simple, efficient, and environmentally friendly approach is reported to achieve highly selective disinfection of specific viruses with living engineered biofilm materials. As a proof-of-concept, biofilm matrix protein CsgA was initially genetically fused with the influenza-virus-binding peptide (C5).

High-Valence Nickel Single-Atom Catalysts Coordinated to Oxygen Sites for Extraordinarily Activating Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) are efficient for maximizing electrocatalytic activity, but have unsatisfactory activity for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, the NaCl template synthesis of individual nickel (Ni) SACs is reported, bonded to oxygen sites on graphene-like carbon (denoted as Ni-O-G SACs) with superior activity and stability for OER. A variety of characterizations unveil that the Ni-O-G SACs present 3D porous framework constructed by ultrathin graphene sheets, single Ni atoms, coordinating nickel atoms to oxygen.

Zinc-Mediated Template Synthesis of Fe-N-C Electrocatalysts with Densely Accessible Fe-N Active Sites for Efficient Oxygen Reduction.

Owing to their earth abundance, high atom utilization, and excellent activity, single iron atoms dispersed on nitrogen-doped carbons (Fe-N-C) have emerged as appealing alternatives to noble-metal platinum (Pt) for catalyzing the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, the ORR activity of current Fe-N-C is seriously limited by the low density and inferior exposure of active Fe-N species. Here, a novel zinc-mediated template synthesis strategy is demonstrated for constructing densely exposed Fe-N moieties on hierarchically porous carbon (SA-Fe-NHPC).

[LnO] Cluster-Encapsulating Polyplumbites as New Polyoxometalate Members and Record Inorganic Anion-Exchange Materials for ReO Sequestration.

Various types of polyoxometalates (POMs) have been synthesized since the 19th century, but their assortment has been mostly limited to Groups 5 and 6 metals. Herein, a new family of POMs composed of a carbon group element as the addenda atoms with two distinct phases, (Ln = Sm to Ho, Y) and (Ln = Er and Tm) is reported. Both structures are built from [LnO] rare-earth metal hexamers being incorporated in [PbO]/[PbO] polyplumbites, and unbound perchlorates as charge-balancing anions.

Single-Cell Mobility Analysis of Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells.

Efforts have been taken to enhance the study of single-cells, however, the task remains challenging because most previous investigations cannot exclude the interactions between single cells or separately retrieved cells with specificity for further analyses. Here, a single-cell mobility analysis platform (SCM-Chip) is developed that can not only real-time monitor single-cell migration in independent niches but can also selectively recover target cells one by one. The design of each channel with a single-cell capture unit and an outlet enables the system to place single cells in different isolated niches with fluidic capture and to respectively collect target cells based on mobilities.

Precursor Self-Assembly Identified as a General Pathway for Colloidal Semiconductor Magic-Size Clusters.

Little is known about the formation pathway of colloidal semiconductor magic-size clusters (MSCs). Here, the synthesis of the first single-ensemble ZnSe MSCs, which exhibit a sharp optical absorption singlet peaking at 299 nm, is reported; their formation is independent of Zn and Se precursors used. It is proposed that the formation of MSCs starts with precursor self-assembly followed by Zn and Se covalent bond formation to result in immediate precursors (IPs) which can transform into the MSCs.

Bifunctional Nitrogen and Cobalt Codoped Hollow Carbon for Electrochemical Syngas Production.

Electrochemical conversion of CO and HO into syngas is an attractive route to utilize green electricity. A competitive system economy demands development of cost-effective electrocatalyst with dual active sites for CO reduction reaction (CORR) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Here, a single atom electrocatalyst derived from a metal-organic framework is proposed, in which Co single atoms and N functional groups function as atomic CORR and HER active sites, respectively.

Visualizing glioma margins by real-time tracking of γ-glutamyltranspeptidase activity.

Distinguishing tumor from adjacent non-cancerous tissue can be problematic during surgical treatment of malignant glioma. Consequently, a novel approach to selective discrimination is required. The goal of this study was to determine whether a fluorescent probe activated by γ-Glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT), an enzyme that is overexpressed on glioma cell membranes but only minimally expressed in normal brain tissue, could be used to visualize glioma margins.

3D Nitrogen, Sulfur-Codoped Carbon Nanomaterial-Supported Cobalt Oxides with Polyhedron-Like Particles Grafted onto Graphene Layers as Highly Active Bicatalysts for Oxygen-Evolving Reactions.

The extensive research and developments of highly efficient oxygen electrode electrocatalysts to get rid of the kinetic barriers for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are very important in energy conversion and storage devices. Especially, exploring nonprecious metal alternatives to replace traditional noble metal catalysts with high cost and poor durability is the paramount mission. In this paper, we utilize property-flexible ZIF-67 and sulfur-functionalized graphene oxide to obtain a cobalt, nitrogen, and sulfur codoped nanomaterial with 3D hierarchical porous structures, owing to their rich dopant species and good conductivity.

Microstructure variations induced by excess PbX or AX within perovskite thin films.

We systematically investigated the impact of stoichiometric ratio variation between PbX and AX on hybrid perovskite films from the perspective of microstructure, especially on the plane stacking directions, using the two-dimensional synchrotron radiation grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) technique. The tuned crystal plane stacking in perovskite films can consequently enlighten further explorations about the relationship between microstructure and solar cell performance.

Coiled Plant Tendril Bioinspired Fabrication of Helical Porous Microfibers for Crude Oil Cleanup.

Fabrication of the helical fibers with sheath/core structure comprising 3D interconnected porous polystyrene (PS) and ductile polyvinylidene fluoride is inspired by coiled plant tendril. The key innovation point applied in this study is to produce a helical porous system based on sheath/core structure that can come into being a huge storage space in the sorption process for crude oil. More importantly, the mechanical properties confirm to have a more excellent improvement than that of the initial PS fibers, which make it become a possible candidate for the large-area sorption and reuse of crude oil from the ocean or industry.

Bioinspired Thermoresponsive Photonic Polymers with Hierarchical Structures and Their Unique Properties.

Thermoresponsive photonic materials having hierarchical structures are created by combining a template of Morpho butterfly wings with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) through a chemical bonding and polymerization route. These materials show temperature-induced color tunability. Through reacting with both NIPAM monomers and the amino groups of chitosan in wing scales, glutaraldehyde workes as a bridge by creating chemical bonding between the biotemplate and the PNIPAM.

Crystallinity Engineering of Hematite Nanorods for High-Efficiency Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting.

is presented, via tuning the crystallinity and sintering temperature by substrate modification. It is demonstrated that the as-prepared doping-free hematite nanorods with fine nanostructures obtain a significantly higher photocurrent density of 2.12 mA cm at 1.

Characteristics of secondary inorganic aerosol and sulfate species in size-fractionated aerosol particles in Shanghai.

Sulfate, nitrate and ammonium (SNA) are the dominant species in secondary inorganic aerosol, and are considered an important factor in regional haze formation. Size-fractionated aerosol particles for a whole year were collected to study the size distribution of SNA as well as their chemical species in Shanghai. SNA mainly accumulated in fine particles and the highest average ratio of SNA to particulate matter (PM) was observed to be 47% in the fine size fraction (0.

Template-free synthesis of hematite photoanodes with nanostructured ATO conductive underlayer for PEC water splitting.

Hematite is a promising semiconductor candidate for PEC water splitting. However, hematite is far well short of the theoretical value of solar-to-fuel conversion efficiency because of the fast recombination of photogenerated carriers. To address this limitation, a facile template-free preparation of hematite photoanode with nanostructured ATO (antimony-doped tin oxide) conductive underlayer served as a scaffold to transport photogenerated electron was developed to decrease the recombination opportunities of the carriers.