Local tetragonal distortion of Pt alloy catalysts for enhanced oxygen reduction reaction efficiency

Platinum-based alloy nanoparticles are the most attractive catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction at present,but an in-depth understanding of the relationship between their short-range structural information and catalytic performance is still lacking.Herein,we present a synthetic strategy that uses transition-metal oxide-assisted thermal diffusion.PtCo/C catalysts with localized tetragonal distortion were obtained by controlling the thermal diffusion process of transition-metal elements.This localized structural distortion induced a significant strain effect on the nanoparticle surface,which further shortened the length of the Pt-Pt bond,improved the electronic state of the Pt surface,and enhanced the performance of the catalyst.PtCo/C catalysts with special short-range structures achieved excellent mass activity(2.27 Amg_(Pt)^(-1))and specific activity(3.34 A cm^(-2)).In addition,the localized tetragonal distortion-induced surface compression of the Pt skin improved the stability of the catalyst.The mass activity decreased by only 13% after 30,000 cycles.Enhanced catalyst activity and excellent durability have also been demonstrated in the proton exchange membrane fuel cell configuration.This study provides valuable insights into the development of advanced Pt-based nanocatalysts and paves the way for reducing noble-metal loading and increasing the catalytic activity and catalyst stability.

Atomic Layer Deposition of High-Capacity Anodes for Next-Generation Lithium-Ion Batteries and Beyond

Electrification has great impacts on our modern society.To electrify future transportation,state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)are still not sufficient in multiple aspects including cost,energy density,lifespan,and safety.To this end,next-generation high-energy LIBs and beyond are highly regarded.In this regard,high-capacity anodes are undergoing intensive investigation,such as silicon,SnO_(2),and lithium metal.However,such anode materials are commonly experiencing large volume changes and related issues,which are reflected on mechanical degradation,capacity fading,low efficiency,and unsatisfactory lifetime.To address these challenges,many technical strategies have been investigated.In the past decade,atomic layer deposition(ALD)has emerged as a new promising technique enabling atomic-scale surface modification and nanoscale design of high-capacity anodes for high performance.In this review,recent ALD studies on developing high-capacity anodes for LIBs and beyond are thoroughly summarized.In addition,ALD strategies and their effectiveness in pursing high-energy LIBs and beyond are discussed.Particularly,we highlighted the latest advances of ALD for addressing the notorious issues associated with Li metal anodes.It is expected that this work will promote the applications of ALD in new battery systems.

Construction and Expression of a Single Chain Antibody Mimicing Human Ovarian Cancer Antigen CA125

One concept for immune therapy of cancer involves induction of antigen mimic antibodies to trigger the immune response against tumor cells. Anti-idiotypic antibodies directed against the antigen-binding site of antibodies specific for tumor antigen may functionally and even structurally mimic antigen and induce anti-anti-idiotypic immune response. Monoclonal antibody W J02 is one of such anti-idiotypic antibodies, which contains internal image of CA125. In order to improve the immunospecificity of mAb WJ02, we constructed a single chain of mAb WJ02 in Vl-linker-Vh orientation. The scFv-WJ02, could be expressed and secreted in the recombinant Pichia pastoris system. The secreted scFv protein with a molecular weight of 30 kD retained the biological activity of mAb WJ02, which was proved by a direct binding assay and inhibition experiment. Our results indicated that the scFv-WJ02 could be used as a possible tool for idiotypic therapy against ovarian cancer, which might enhance the possibility of eliminating nonspecific responses induced by mAb WJ02.

Resistive Switching Properties and Failure Behaviors of(Pt, Cu)/Amorphous ZrO_(2)/Pt Sandwich Structures

The effect of Pt and Cu electrodes on the resistive switching properties and failure behaviors of amor- phous ZrO2 films were investigated. Compared with Cu/ZrO2/Pt structures, the Pt/ZrO2/Pt structures exhibit better resistive switching properties such as the higher resistance ratio of OFF/ON states, the longer switch- ing cycles and narrow distribution of OFF state resistance （Roff）. The switching mechanism in the Pt/ZrO2/ Pt structure can be attributed to the formation and rupture of oxygen vacancy filaments; while in the Cu/ZrO2/Pt structure, there exist both oxygen vacancy filaments and Cu filaments. The formation of Cu filaments is related to the redox reaction of Cu electrode under the applied voltage. The inhomoge- neous dispersive injection of Cu ions results in the dispersive Ro~ and significant decrease of operate voltage, Schematic diagrams of the formation of conductive filaments and the failure mechanism in the Cu/ZrO2/ Pt structures are also proposed.

Thymic Nurse Cells Support CD4CD8^+ Thymocytes to Differentiate into CD4^+CD8^+ Cells

Thymic nurse cells （TNCs） represent a unique microenvironment in the thymus for T cell maturation. In order to investigate the role of thymic nurse cells during T cell differentiation, a TNC clone, RWTE-1, which formed a typical complex with fetal thymocytes in vitro was established from normal Wistar rat. Hanging drop culture method was applied to reveal the interaction between TNCs and thymocytes. Our result revealed that eighty percent of immature CD4^-CD8^＋ cells differentiated into CD4^＋CD8^＋ cells after a 12-hour hanging drop culture with RWTE-1. However, in a 12-hour culture of immature CD4^-CD8^＋ cells with or without RWTE-1 supernatant, only 30% of the cells differentiated into CD4^＋CD8^＋ cells spontaneously. This observation led to the conclusion that RWTE-1 cell has the capacity to facilitate immature CD4^-CD8^＋ thymocytes to differentiate into CD4^＋CD8^＋ T cells by direct interaction.