Prelithiation strategies for enhancing the performance of lithium-ion batteries.

During the initial cycling of lithium-ion batteries, the generation of SEI at the electrode-electrolyte interface and the occurrence of irreversible side reactions consume the active lithium, resulting in irreversible loss of volume (ICL), which may also be accompanied by electrode volume changes and structural collapse. Addressing these challenges has become critical, and pre-lithiation with additional lithium has emerged as a key way to improve battery performance. Hence, this review comprehensively analyzes and summarizes the causes of ICL in lithium-ion batteries, and systematically discusses various prelithiation methods and mechanisms of different electrode structures, especially electrodes.

Targeting host integrated stress response: lead discovery of flavonoid compounds active against coronaviruses PEDV and PDCoV.

Viral infections trigger the integrated stress response (ISR) in eukaryotic cells that leads to the activation of eIF2α kinases, the elevation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) phosphorylation, and thereby the shutdown of global protein synthesis that viruses rely on to replicate. Coronaviruses and other viruses have evolved various subversion mechanisms to counteract the antiviral ISR. These intricate host-virus interactions may be exploited by pharmacologically activating the host ISR for the development of host-directed antivirals (HDAs), an increasingly relevant area of research.

Characterizing Y224 conformational flexibility in FtmOx1-catalysis using F NMR spectroscopy.

α-Ketoglutarate-dependent non-haem iron (αKG-NHFe) enzymes play a crucial role in natural product biosynthesis, and in some cases exhibiting multifunctional catalysis capability. This study focuses on αKG-NHFe enzyme FtmOx1, which catalyzes endoperoxidation, dealkylation, and alcohol oxidation reactions in verruculogen biosynthesis. We explore the hypothesis that the conformational dynamics of the active site Y224 confer the multifunctional activities of FtmOx1-catalysis.

On-demand controlled bidirectional DNAzyme path for ultra-sensitive heavy metal ion detection.

A bidirectional self-powered biosensor is constructed for the quasi-simultaneous detection of Pb and Hg based on MoS@CuS heterostructures as an accelerator and hybridization chain reaction (HCR) as a signal amplification strategy. MoS@CuS heterostructures significantly facilitate electron transfer between glucose and bioelectrodes, thereby greatly improving the detection signal of self-powered biosensors. This novel biosensor employs the unique sequences of DNAzymes to isolate Pb and Hg by the cleavage effect and thymine (T)-Hg-thymine (T) structures, respectively.

Hydrophobic modification enhances the microstructure stability of the catalyst layer in alkaline polymer electrolyte fuel cells.

Alkaline polymer electrolyte fuel cells (APEFCs) have achieved notable advancements in peak power density, yet their durability during long-term operation remains a significant challenge. It has been recognized that increasing the hydrophobicity of the catalyst layer can effectively alleviate the performance degradation. However, a microscopic view of how hydrophobicity contributes to the stability of the catalyst layer microstructure is not clear.

Correlating active sites and oxidative species in single-atom catalyzed Fenton-like reactions.

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have gained widespread popularity in heterogeneous catalysis-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), owing to their optimal metal atom utilization efficiency and excellent recyclability by triggering reactive oxidative species (ROS) for target pollutant oxidation in water. Systematic summaries regarding the correlation between the active sites, catalytic activity, and reactive species of SACs have rarely been reported. This review provides an overview of the catalytic performance of carbon- and metal oxide-supported SACs in Fenton-like reactions, as well as the different oxidation pathways induced by the metal and non-metal active sites, including radical-based pathways (, ·OH and SO˙) and nonradical-based pathways ( O, high-valent metal-oxo species, and direct electron transfer).

Hsp90α forms condensate engaging client proteins with RG motif repeats.

Hsp90α, a pivotal canonical chaperone, is renowned for its broad interaction with numerous protein clients to maintain protein homeostasis, chromatin remodeling, and cell growth. Recent studies indicate its role in modifying various components of membraneless organelles (MLOs) such as stress granules and processing bodies, suggesting its participation in the regulation of protein condensates. In this study, we found that Hsp90α possesses an inherent ability to form dynamic condensates .

MgAl-LDH nanoflowers as a novel sensing material for high-performance humidity sensing.

This work details a novel application of MgAl-LDH nanoflowers, applied in the fabrication of humidity sensors using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). An oscillating circuit approach has been utilized to thoroughly investigate the humidity detection characteristics of QCM sensors that are fabricated using MgAl-LDH nanoflowers. The examination encompassed various parameters such as the sensors' response, humidity hysteresis, repeatability, and stability.

Characterization of a LanC-free pathway for the formation of an ll-MeLan residue and an AviMeCys residue in the newly identified class V lanthipeptide triantimycins.

The thioether-connected bis-amino acid lanthionine (Lan) residues are class-defining residues of lanthipeptides. Typically, the cyclization step of lanthionine formation, which relies on the addition of a cysteine to an unsaturated dehydroamino acid, is directed either by a standalone cyclase LanC (class I) or by a cyclase domain (class II-IV). However, the pathways of characterized class V members often lack a known cyclase (domain), raising a question on the mechanism by which their multi-macrocycle systems are formed.

Synergistic interface and structural engineering for high initial coulombic efficiency and stable sodium storage in metal sulfides.

Transition metal sulfides (TMS) have gained significant attention as potential anode materials for sodium ion batteries (SIBs) due to their high theoretical capacity and abundance in nature. Nevertheless, their practical use has been impeded by challenges such as large volume changes, unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), and low initial coulombic efficiency (ICE). To address these issues and achieve both long-term cycling stability and high ICE simultaneously, we present a novel approach involving surface engineering, termed as the "dual-polar confinement" strategy, combined with interface engineering to enhance the electrochemical performance of TMS.

Visible-light-driven alkene dicarboxylation with formate and CO under mild conditions.

Low-cost formate salt was used as the reductant and part of the carboxyl source in a visible-light-driven dicarboxylation of diverse alkenes, including simple styrenes. The highly competing hydrocarboxylation side reaction was successfully overridden. Good yields of products were obtained under mild reaction conditions at ambient temperature and pressure of CO.

Mn-induced structural flexibility enhances the entire catalytic cycle and the cleavage of mismatches in prokaryotic argonaute proteins.

Prokaryotic Argonaute (pAgo) proteins, a class of DNA/RNA-guided programmable endonucleases, have been extensively utilized in nucleic acid-based biosensors. The specific binding and cleavage of nucleic acids by pAgo proteins, which are crucial processes for their applications, are dependent on the presence of Mn bound in the pockets, as verified through X-ray crystallography. However, a comprehensive understanding of how dissociated Mn in the solvent affects the catalytic cycle, and its underlying regulatory role in this structure-function relationship, remains underdetermined.

Polyvinyl alcohol as solid proton donor to modify g-CN hydrogen bonding enabling efficient photocatalytic HO production from HO and O.

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was used as a solid proton donor to improve the photocatalytic performance of graphitic carbon nitride (CN) for hydrogen peroxide (HO) production. The modified CN (CN/PVA) was prepared by mixing CN and PVA at room temperature. The HO production efficiency of CN/PVA was 5.

Enhanced acetone gas-sensing characteristics of Pd-NiO nanorods/SnO nanowires sensors.

Acetone is a well-known volatile organic compound that is widely used in different industrial and domestic areas, but it can cause dangerous effects on human health. Thus, the fabrication of highly sensitive and selective sensors for recognition of acetone is incredibly important. Here, we prepared the SnO/Pd-NiO (SPN) nanowires-based gas sensor for the detection of acetone, in which, the amount of Pd nanoparticles were varied to enhance the performance of the devices.

Masked Modeling-Based Ultrasound Image Classification via Self-Supervised Learning.

Recently, deep learning-based methods have emerged as the preferred approach for ultrasound data analysis. However, these methods often require large-scale annotated datasets for training deep models, which are not readily available in practical scenarios. Additionally, the presence of speckle noise and other imaging artifacts can introduce numerous hard examples for ultrasound data classification.

UV-assisted synthesis of ultra-small GO-Austar for efficient PTT therapeutic architectonic construction.

Conventional Au nanomaterial synthesis typically necessitates the involvement of extensive surfactants and reducing agents, leading to a certain amount of chemical waste and biological toxicity. In this study, we innovatively employed ultra-small graphene oxide as a reducing agent and surfactant for the generation of small Au nanoparticles under ultraviolet irradiation (UV) at ambient conditions. After ultra-small GO-Au seeds were successfully synthesized, we fabricated small star-like Au nanoparticles on the surface of GO, in which GO effectively prevented Austar from aggregation.

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.

Discovery and engineering of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide (RiPP) natural products.

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) represent a diverse superfamily of natural products with immense potential for drug development. This review provides a concise overview of the recent advances in the discovery of RiPP natural products, focusing on rational strategies such as bioactivity guided screening, enzyme or precursor-based genome mining, and biosynthetic engineering. The challenges associated with activating silent biosynthetic gene clusters and the development of elaborate catalytic systems are also discussed.

Two-dimensional mesoporous metals: a new era for designing functional electrocatalysts.

Two-dimensional (2D) mesoporous metals contribute a unique class of electrocatalyst materials for electrochemical applications. The penetrated mesopores of 2D mesoporous metals expose abundant accessible undercoordinated metal sites, while their 2D nanostructures accelerate the transport of electrons and reactants. Therefore, 2D mesoporous metals have exhibited add-in structural functions with great potential in electrocatalysis that not only enhance electrocatalytic activity and stability but also optimize electrocatalytic selectivity.

Correction: Highly photoluminescent nitrogen-rich carbon dots from melamine and citric acid for the selective detection of iron(iii) ion.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/C5RA26521E.].

Recent advances in biopolymers-based carbon materials for supercapacitors.

Supercapacitors as potential candidates for novel green energy storage devices demonstrate a promising future in promoting sustainable energy supply, but their development is impeded by limited energy density, which can be addressed by developing high-capacitance electrode materials with efforts. Carbon materials derived from biopolymers have received much attention for their abundant reserves and environmentally sustainable nature, rendering them ideal for supercapacitor electrodes. However, the limited capacitance has hindered their widespread application, resulting in the proposal of various strategies to enhance the capacity properties of carbon electrodes.

Engineering of antimicrobial peptide fibrils with feedback degradation of bacterial-secreted enzymes.

Proteins and peptides can assemble into functional amyloid fibrils with distinct architectures. These amyloid fibrils can fulfil various biological functions in living organisms, and then be degraded. By incorporating an amyloidogenic segment and enzyme-cleavage segment together, we designed a peptide (enzyme-cleavage amyloid peptides (EAP))-based functional fibril which could be degraded specifically by gelatinase.

Single-nucleobase resolution of a surface energy transfer nanoruler for measurement of aptamer binding at the receptor subunit level in living cells.

identification of aptamer-binding targets on living cell membrane surfaces is of considerable interest, but a major challenge, specifically, when advancing recognition to the level of membrane receptor subunits. Here we propose a novel nanometal surface energy transfer (NSET) based nanoruler with a single-nucleobase resolution (SN-nanoruler), in which FAM-labeled aptamers and single-sized gold nanoparticle (GNP) antibody conjugates act as a donor and an acceptor. A single nucleobase resolution of the SN-nanoruler was experimentally illustrated by molecular size, orientation, quenching nature, and other dye-GNP pairs.