Boosting C Alcohols Selectivity and Activity in High-Current CO Electroreduction using Synergistic Cu/Zn Co-Catalysts.

The electrosynthesis of multi-carbon (C) alcohols, specifically ethanol and n-propanol through CO electroreduction (CORR) in HO, presents a sustainable pathway for intermittent renewable energy storage and a low-carbon economy. However, achieving high selectivity for alcohol production at industrial current densities is kinetically hampered by side reactions such as ethylene generation and hydrogen evolution reaction, which result from competing adsorption of *CO and *H. In this study, we developed a Cu/Zn alloy catalyst to simultaneously enhance the activity and selectivity for alcohol production by increasing CO capture capacity and enriching active hydrogen on Cu sites.

Unidirectional Chiral Emission via Twisted Bi-layer Metasurfaces.

Controlling and channeling light emissions from unpolarized quantum dots into specific directions with chiral polarization remains a key challenge in modern photonics. Stacked metasurface designs offer a potential compact solution for chirality and directionality engineering. However, experimental observations of directional chiral radiation from resonant metasurfaces with quantum emitters remain obscure.

Exploration of Nutraceutical Potentials of Isorhapontigenin, Oxyresveratrol and Pterostilbene: A Metabolomic Approach.

Resveratrol (-3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene, RES) is one of the most well-known natural products with numerous health benefits. To explore the nutraceutical potentials of some dietary RES derivatives including isorhapontigenin (-3,5,4'-trihydroxy-3'-methoxystilbene, ISO), oxyresveratrol (-3,5,2',4'-tetrahydroxystilbene, OXY) and pterostilbene (-3,5-dimethoxy-4'-hydroxystilbene, PTS), their impacts on metabolism and health were assessed in Sprague Dawley rats after a two-week daily oral administration at the dose of 100 µmol/kg/day. Non-targeted metabolomic analyses were carried out with the liver, heart, brain and plasma samples using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS).

Efficient photon-pair generation in layer-poled lithium niobate nanophotonic waveguides.

Integrated photon-pair sources are crucial for scalable photonic quantum systems. Thin-film lithium niobate is a promising platform for on-chip photon-pair generation through spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC). However, the device implementation faces practical challenges.

Phytochemical fingerprint revealing antibacterial and antioxidant activities of endemic banana cultivars in Southeast Asia.

This study explores the bioactive secondary metabolite profiles of the peels of three major cultivars of bananas ( and ). These cultivars are primarily grown in Southeast Asia and are widely consumed due to their rich nutritional and fiber content. The research utilizes advanced analytical techniques, specifically HPLC-DAD-q-TOF-MS/MS, in conjunction with both univariate and multivariate statistical analyses, to analyze the ethanolic extracts of the banana peels.

Approaching Angstrom-Scale Resolution in Lithography Using Low-Molecular-Mass Resists (<500 Da).

Resists that enable high-throughput and high-resolution patterning are essential in driving the semiconductor technology forward. The ultimate patterning performance of a resist in lithography is limited because of the trade-off between resolution, line-width roughness, and sensitivity; improving one or two of these parameters typically leads to a loss in the third. As the patterned feature sizes approach angstrom scale, the trade-off between these three metrics becomes increasingly hard to resolve and calls for a fundamental rethinking of the resist chemistry.

A Gold Nanoparticle-Based Cortisol Aptasensor for Non-Invasive Detection of Fish Stress.

Cortisol is a key stress biomarker in humans and animals, including fishes. In aquafarming, stress monitoring using cortisol quantification can help to optimize aquaculture practices for welfare and productivity enhancement. However, most current methods for cortisol detection rely on invasive tissue sampling.

Realization of Two-Dimensional Intrinsic Polar Metal in a Buckled Honeycomb Binary Lattice.

Structural topology and symmetry of a two-dimensional (2D) network play pivotal roles in defining its electrical properties and functionalities. Here, a binary buckled honeycomb lattice with C symmetry, which naturally hosts topological Dirac fermions and out-of-plane polarity, is proposed. It is successfully achieved in a group IV-V compound, namely monolayer SiP epitaxially grown on Ag(111) surface.

Ultra-high Performance Thermochromic Polymers via a Solid-solid Phase Transition Mechanism and Their Applications.

Thermochromic materials are substances that change color in response to temperature variations. Today, sustainability concerns are the main drivers of thermochromic research, with smart, energy-efficient windows being one of the primary applications. While vanadium oxides and leuco dyes are traditionally the main thermochromic materials, hydrogels operating based on change of solvation have risen as some of the most promising materials due to their high optical transparency and good solar modulating abilities.

Low vaporization enthalpy of modified chitosan hydrogel for high performance solar evaporator.

The high vaporization enthalpy of water attributed to the strong hydrogen bonds between water molecules is limiting the performance of solar evaporators. This work demonstrates a deliberate attempt to significantly reduce the vaporization enthalpy of water through the introduction of weak water-amine hydrogen bond interactions in hydrogel evaporators. In this article, bio-based chitosan-agarose/multiwalled carbon nanotube hydrogel film evaporators (CAMFEs) exhibit larger vaporization enthalpy reduction with the presence of primary amine groups in chitosan.

Cyclotriphosphazene: A Versatile Building Block for Diverse Functional Materials.

Cyclotriphosphazene (CP) is a cyclic inorganic compound with the chemical formula NP. This unique molecule consists of a six-membered ring composed of alternating nitrogen and phosphorus atoms, each bonded to two chlorine atoms. CP exhibits remarkable versatility and significance in the realm of materials chemistry due to its easy functionalization via facile nucleophilic substitution reactions in mild conditions as well as intriguing properties of resultant final CP-based molecules or polymers.

Electrofluorochromic Switching of Heat-Induced Cross-Linkable Multi-Styryl-Terminated Triphenylamine and Tetraphenylethylene Derivatives.

High-performance electrochromic (EC) and electrofluorochromic (EFC) materials have garnered considerable interest due to their diverse applications in smart windows, optoelectronics, optical displays, military camouflage, etc. While many different EC and EFC polymers have been reported, their preparation often requires multiple steps, and their polymer molecular weights are subjected to batch variation. In this work, we prepared two triphenylamine (TPA)-based and two tetraphenylethylene (TPE)-based derivatives functionalized with terminal styryl groups via direct Suzuki coupling with (4-vinylphenyl)boronic acid and vinylboronic acid pinacol ester.

A Rapid Total Bacterial Count Method for Food Samples using Syringe Filters and Lectin-Conjugated Semiconductor Nanorods.

Total bacterial count in food is one of important food safety criteria. The current plate count method (Heterotrophic Plate Count) for food analysis requires microbiology lab facilities and at least 2 days turnover time. We developed a rapid fluorescence-based total bacterial count method that utilises semiconductor nanorods (SNRs) conjugated with a lectin Griffonia simplicifolia II (GSII-SNRs) to stain bacterial cells captured on syringe filters, via the common N-acetylglucosamine molecules on bacterial cell wall.

High yield electrosynthesis of oxygenates from CO using a relay Cu-Ag co-catalyst system.

As a sustainable alternative to fossil fuel-based manufacture of bulk oxygenates, electrochemical synthesis using CO and HO as raw materials at ambient conditions offers immense appeal. However, the upscaling of the electrosynthesis of oxygenates encounters kinetic bottlenecks arising from the competing hydrogen evolution reaction with the selective production of ethylene. Herein, a catalytic relay system that can perform in tandem CO capture, activation, intermediate transfer and enrichment on a Cu-Ag composite catalyst is used for attaining high yield CO-to-oxygenates electrosynthesis at high current densities.

Strategies to Enhance the Electrochromic Properties of Conjugated Polymers Bearing Pyromellitic Diimide Acceptors.

A series of conjugated polymers bearing thiophene-based donors and pyromellitic diimide (PMDI) acceptor were prepared, and their electrochromic (EC) properties were studied via using fabricated thin-film EC devices. It was observed that structurally regular alternating polymers with fewer (1 and 2) thiophene donors do not exhibit any EC properties while increasing the number of donors eventually led to the emergence of orange-red-to-green colour switching. On this basis, two more random co-polymers containing higher donor-to-acceptor ratios were synthesized to further improve EC switching properties.

Synergistic Combination of SbSiTe Additives for Enhanced Average ZT and Single-Leg Device Efficiency of BiSbTe-based Composites.

Thermoelectric materials are highly promising for waste heat harvesting. Although thermoelectric materials research has expanded over the years, bismuth telluride-based alloys are still the best for near-room-temperature applications. In this work, a ≈38% enhancement of the average ZT (300-473 K) to 1.

Stable n-Type Perylene Derivative Ladder Polymer with Antiambipolarity for Electrically Reconfigurable Organic Logic Gates.

Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are one of the promising building blocks to realize next-generation bioelectronics. To date, however, the performance and signal processing capabilities of these devices remain limited by their stability and speed. Herein, the authors demonstrate stable and fast n-type organic electrochemical transistors based on a side-chain-free ladder polymer, poly(benzimidazoanthradiisoquinolinedione).

Programming the Assembly of Oligo-Adenine with Coralyne into a pH-Responsive DNA Hydrogel.

External stimuli-responsive DNA hydrogels present interesting platforms for drug loading and triggered release. Typically, drug molecules are encapsulated within three-dimensionally hybridized DNA networks. However, the utilization of drug molecules as cofactors to facilitate the directed assembly of DNA strands into hydrogel frameworks and their subsequent controlled release remains to be explored.

Enabling an Inorganic-Rich Interface via Cationic Surfactant for High-Performance Lithium Metal Batteries.

An anion-rich electric double layer (EDL) region is favorable for fabricating an inorganic-rich solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) towards stable lithium metal anode in ester electrolyte. Herein, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), a cationic surfactant, is adopted to draw more anions into EDL by ionic interactions that shield the repelling force on anions during lithium plating. In situ electrochemical surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy results combined with molecular dynamics simulations validate the enrichment of NO/FSI anions in the EDL region due to the positively charged CTA.

Turning Nonemissive CsPbBr Crystals into High-Performance Scintillators through Alkali Metal Doping.

X-ray scintillators have utility in radiation detection, therapy, and imaging. Various materials, such as halide perovskites, organic illuminators, and metal clusters, have been developed to replace conventional scintillators due to their ease of fabrication, improved performance, and adaptability. However, they suffer from self-absorption, chemical instability, and weak X-ray stopping power.

2D/2D Heterojunction of BiOBr/BiOI Nanosheets for In Situ H O Production and Activation toward Efficient Photocatalytic Wastewater Treatment.

The presence of toxic organic pollutants in aquatic environments poses significant threats to human health and global ecosystems. Photocatalysis that enables in situ production and activation of H O presents a promising approach for pollutant removal; however, the processes of H O production and activation potentially compete for active sites and charge carriers on the photocatalyst surface, leading to limited catalytic performance. Herein, a hierarchical 2D/2D heterojunction nanosphere composed of ultrathin BiOBr and BiOI nanosheets (BiOBr/BiOI) is developed by a one-pot microwave-assisted synthesis to achieve in situ H O production and activation for efficient photocatalytic wastewater treatment.

Electrophotochemical Synthesis Facilitated Trifluoromethylation of Arenes Using Trifluoroacetic Acid.

The trifluoromethyl (CF) group is an essential moiety in medicinal chemistry due to its unique physicochemical properties. While trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is an inexpensive and easily accessible reagent, its use as a source of CF is highly challenging due to its high oxidation potential. In this study, we present a novel electrophotochemical approach that enables the use of TFA as the CF source for the selective, catalyst- and oxidant-free trifluoromethylation of (hetero)arenes.

A copper-iodide cluster microcube-based X-ray scintillator.

Newly developed copper-iodide cluster microcubes offer a solution to the issues commonly faced by powder scintillation screens. These problems include inadequate scintillation performance and significant light scattering, resulting in poor image quality. With the advent of monodisperse copper-iodide cluster microparticle scintillators, efficient and long-term stable scintillation is achieved, while ensuring biocompatibility.