Controllable fabrication of FeCoS_(4) nanoparticles/S-doped bowl-shaped hollow carbon as efficient lithium storage anode

To address the low conductivity and easy agglomeration of transition metal sulfide nanoparticles,FeCoS_(4) nanoparticles embedded in S-doped hollow carbon(FeCoS_(4)@S-HC)composites were successfully fabricated through a combination of hydrothermal processes and sulfidation treatment.The unique bowlshaped FeCoS_(4)/S-HC composites exhibit excellent structural stability with a high specific surface area of 303.7 m^(2)·g^(-1) and a pore volume of 0.93 cm^(3)·g^(-1).When applied as anode material for lithium-ion batteries,the FeCoS_(4)@S-HC anode exhibits efficient lithium storage with high reversible specific capacity(970.2 mA·h·g^(-1) at 100 mA·g^(-1))and enhanced cycling stability(574 mA·h·g^(-1) at 0.2 A·g^(-1) after 350 cycles,a capacity retention of 84%).The excellent lithium storage is attributed to the fact that the bimetallic FeCoS_(4) nanoparticles with abundant active sites can accelerate the electrochemical reaction kinetics,and the bowl-shaped S-HC structure can provide a stable mechanical structure to suppress volume expansion.

Bioinformatics comprehensive analysis confirmed the potential involvement of SLC22A1 in lower-grade glioma progression and prognosis

Background:Although it has been established that the human Solute Carrier Family 22(SLC22)functions as a cationic transporter,influencing cellular biological metabolism by modulating the uptake of various cations,its impact on cancer prognosis remains unclear.Methods:We conducted a comprehensive analysis utilizing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and other databases to assess the prognostic value and functional implications across various tumors.Silence of SLC22A1 RNA in glioma U251 cells was performed to access the impact of SLC22A1 on lowergrade glioma(LGG)progression.Results:Our findings demonstrated a significant correlation between SLC22A1 expression and the survival time of patients with various cancers(p<0.05).Importantly,we found the potential involvement of SLC22A1 in occurrence and progress of certain cancers,with a pronounced impact on LGG.Further examination of the SLC22A1-LGG relationship revealed its status as an independent risk factor for LGG,suggesting its potential involvement in regulating diverse immune pathways and metabolic activities.Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas(CGGA)data supported the reliability of the risk score as a prognostic and recurrence indicator,emphasizing the accuracy of the nomograph(1,3,and 5-year-AUC>0.8).Cell proliferation and clone formation experiment proved that decreased expression of SLC22A1 in glioma U251 cells inhibited glioma cell growth.Conclusion:Our findings suggest SLC22A1 has huge prospects as a promising biomarker and therapeutic target for LGG prognosis.SLC22A1 has only been proved to support cellular function previously.Our findings demonstrated a robust connection between the tumor microenvironment and functional proteins that maintain basal cell metabolism,which gifts unique tumor immune characteristics of gliomas.Additionally,we provide a highly practical prediction model for estimating the survival rate of LGG patients.

KOH-assisted aqueous synthesis of ZIF-67 with high-yield and its derived cobalt selenide/carbon composites for high-performance Li-ion batteries

To solve the environmental pollution and low yield during the sythesis of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks(ZIFs)and their derived materials,a KOH-assisted aqueous strategy is proposed to synthesize cobalt zeolitic imidazolate framework(ZIF-67)polyhedrons,which are used as precursors to prepare cobalt selenide/carbon composites with different crystal phases(Co_(0.85)Se,CoSe_2).When evaluated as anode material for lithium ion batteries,Co_(0.85)Se/C composites deliver a reversible capacity of 758.7 m A·h·g^(-1)with a capacity retention rate of 90.5%at 1.0 A·g^(-1)after 500 cycles,and the superior rate capability is 620 m A·h·g^(-1)at 2.0 A·g^(-1).The addition of KOH accelerates the production of ZIF-67 crystals by boosting deprotonation of dimethylimidazole,resulting in rapid growth and structures transition from two-dimensional to three-dimensional of ZIF-67 in aqueous solution,which greatly promotes the application of MOFs in the field of energy storage and conversion.

KOH-assisted aqueous synthesis of bimetallic metal-organic frameworks and their derived selenide composites for efficient lithium storage

To solve low efficiency,environmental pollution,and toxicity for synthesizing zeolitic imidazolate frameworks(ZIFs)in organic solvents,a KOH-assisted aqueous strategy is proposed to synthesize bimetallic ZIFs polyhedrons,which are used as precursors to prepare bimetallic selenide and N-doped carbon(NC)composites.Among them,Fe–Co–Se/NC retains the three-dimensional(3D)polyhedrons with mesoporous structure,and Fe–Co–Se nanoparticles are uniform in size and evenly distributed.When assessed as anode material for lithium-ion batteries,Fe–Co–Se/NC achieves an excellent initial specific capacity of 1165.9 m Ah·g^(-1)at 1.0 A·g^(-1),and the reversible capacity of Fe–Co–Se/NC anode is 1247.4 m Ah·g^(-1)after 550 cycles.It is attributed to that the uniform composite of bimetallic selenides and N-doped carbon can effectively tune redox active sites,the stable 3D structure of Fe–Co–Se/NCs guarantees the structural stability and wettability of the electrolyte,and the uniform distribution of Fe–Co–S nanoparticles in size esuppresses the volume expansion and accelerates the electrochemical reaction kinetics.

Fabricating titanium dioxide/N-doped carbon nanofibers as advanced interlayer for improving cycling reversibility of lithium-sulfur batteries

"Shuttle effect" is detrimental for maintaining the high capacity and cycling reversibility of lithium-sulfur batteries(LSBs).To inhibit polysulfide migration,N-doped carbon nanofibers(N-CNFs) membrane comprising TiO_(2)nanoparticles(TiO_(2)/N-CNFs) is fabricated using an electrospinning-calcination method and further applied as interlayer in LSBs.The TiO_(2)/N-CNFs interlayer helps the battery to deliver a high specific capacity of 1155.2 mA·h·g^(-1)at 0.2 C with high Coulombic efficiency,good rate capability and stability.When cycling at 0.5 C,a capacity retention rate of 62.4% is achieved over 300 cycles,which is higher than that of CNFs and TiO_(2)/CNFs counterparts.The excellent performance should mainly be attributed to the alleviated "shuttle effect" deriving from high polysulfide trapping ability of TiO_(2)nanoparticles and N heteroatoms in interwoven CNFs.

Cobalt-based multicomponent nanoparticles supported on N-doped graphene as advanced cathodic catalyst for zinc-air batteries

To improve the efficiency of cathodic oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)in zinc-air batteries(ZABs),an adsorption-complexation-calcination method was proposed to generate cobalt-based multicomponent nanoparticles comprising Co,Co_(3)O_(4)and CoN,as well as numerous N heteroatoms,on graphene nanosheets(Co/Co_(3)O_(4)/CoN/NG).The Co/Co_(3)O_(4)/CoN nanoparticles with the size of less than 50 nm are homogeneously dispersed on N-doped graphene(NG)substrate,which greatly improve the catalytic behaviors for ORR.The results show that the half-wave potential is as high as 0.80 V vs.RHE and the limiting current density is 4.60 mA·cm^(−2),which are close to those of commercially available platinum/carbon(Pt/C)catalysts.Applying as cathodic catalyst for ZABs,the battery shows large specific capacity and open circuit voltage of 843.0 mAh∙g^(−1) and 1.41 V,respectively.The excellent performance is attributed to the efficient two-dimensional structure with high accessible surface area and the numerous multiple active sites provided by highly scattered Co/Co_(3)O_(4)/CoN particles and doped nitrogen on the carbon matrix.

3-epi-bufotalin suppresses the proliferation in colorectal cancer cells through the inhibition of the JAK1/STAT3 signaling pathway

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has been increasingly employed in the last decades in China for both preventing and treating a variety of cancers.3-epi-bufotalin is an active ingredient of TCM“Chanpi”with anti-tumor potential.However,the effect and mechanism of 3-epi-bufotalin on colorectal cancers were not well disclosed.The present study demonstrated that 3-epi-bufotalin could reduce viability,trigger apoptosis,and block the cell cycle at the G2/M stage in colorectal cancer cell lines HT29,RKO,and COLO205 in vitro.Moreover,3-epi-bufotalin inhibited the JAK1/STAT3 signaling pathway.These results indicated the anti-proliferation ability of 3-epi-bufotalin in colorectal cancer cells.

Influence of Beta-Cyclodextrin Functionalized Tin Phenylphosphonate on the Thermal Stability and Flame Retardancy of Epoxy Composites

To enhance the thermal stability and flame retardancy of epoxy resin(EP),beta-cyclodextrin(β-CD)is successfully introduced into the layered tin phenylphosphonate(SnPP),which is incorporated into EP matrix for preparing EP/β-CD@SnPP composites.The results indicate that the addition ofβ-CD@SnPP obviously improve the thermal stability and residual yield of EP composites at higher temperature.When the amount ofβ-CD@SnPP is only 4 wt%,EP/4β-CD@SnPP composites pass V-1 rating,and LOI value is up to 30.8%.Meanwhile,β-CD@SnPP effectively suppress the heat release and reduce the smoke production of EP/β-CD@SnPP composites in combustion,and the peak heat release rate(PHRR),total heat release(THR),smoke production rate(SPR)of EP/6β-CD@SnPP composites reduce by 28.4%,33.0%and 44.8%by comparison with those of pure EP.The good flame retardancy and smoke suppression are ascribed to the synergistic effect of excellent carbon-forming capability and fire retardancy ofβ-CD@SnPP.

Weakened tanning ability is an important mechanism for evolutionary skin lightening in East Asians

The evolution of light-skin pigmentation among Eurasians is considered as an adaptation to the high-latitude environments.East Asians are ideal populations for studying skin color evolution because of the complex environment of East Asia.Here,we report a strong selection signal for the pigmentation gene phenylalanine hydroxylase(PAH)in light-skinned Han Chinese individuals.The intron mutation rs10778203 in PAH is enriched in East Asians and is significantly associated with skin color of the back of the hand in Han Chinese males(P<0.05).In vitro luciferase and transcription factor binding assays show that the ancestral allele of rs10778203 could bind to SMAD2 and has a significant enhancer activity for PAH.However,the derived T allele(the major allele in East Asians)of rs10778203 decreases the binding activity of transcription factors and enhancer activity.Meanwhile,the derived T allele of rs10778203 shows a weaker ultraviolet radiation response in A375 cells and zebrafish embryos.Furthermore,rs10778203 decreases melanin production in transgenic zebrafish embryos after ultraviolet B(UVB)treatment.Collectively,PAH is a potential pigmentation gene that regulates skin tanning ability.Natural selection has enriched the adaptive allele,resulting in weakened tanning ability in East Asians,suggesting a unique genetic mechanism for evolutionary skin lightening in East Asians.

F127 assisted fabrication of Ge/r GO/CNTs nanocomposites with three-dimensional network structure for efficient lithium storage

To solve the volume expansion and poor electrical conductivity of germanium-based anode materials,Ge/rGO/CNTs nanocomposites with three-dimensional network structure are fabricated through the dispersion of polyethylene-polypropylene glycol(F127)and reduction of hydrogen.An interesting phenomenon is discovered that F127 can break GeO_(2)polycrystalline microparticles into 100 nm nanoparticles by only physical interaction,which promotes the uniform dispersion of GeO_(2)in a carbon network structure composed of graphene(rGO)and carbon nanotubes(CNTs).As evaluated as anode material of Lithium-ion batteries,Ge/rGO/CNTs nanocomposites exhibit excellent lithium storage performance.The initial specific capacity is high to 1549.7 mAh/g at 0.2 A/g,and the reversible capacity still retains972.4 mAh/g after 100 cycles.The improved lithium storage performance is attributed to that Ge nanoparticles can effectively slow down the volume expansion during charge and discharge processes,and threedimensional carbon networks can improve electrical conductivity and accelerate lithium-ion transfer of anode materials.

High N-doped hierarchical porous carbon networks with expanded interlayers for efficient sodium storage

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have been attracting considerable attention as a promising candidate for large-scale energy storage because of the abundance and low-cost of sodium resources. However, lack of appropriate anode materials impedes further applications. Herein, a novel self-template strategy is designed to synthesize uniform flowerlike N-doped hierarchical porous carbon networks (NHPCN) with high content of N (15.31 at.%) assembled by ultrathin nanosheets via a self-synthesized single precursor and subsequent thermal annealing. Relying on the synergetic coordination of benzimidazole and 2-methylimidazole with metal ions to produce a flowerlike network, a self-formed single precursor can be harvested. Due to the structural and compositional advantages, including the high N doping, the expanded interlayer spacing, the ultrathin two-dimensional nano-sized subunits, and the three-dimensional porous network structure, these unique NHPCN flowers deliver ultrahigh reversible capacities of 453.7 mAh·g^−1 at 0.1 A·g^−1 and 242.5 mAh·g^−1 at 1 A·g^−1 for 2,500 cycles with exceptional rate capability of 5 A·g^−1 with reversible capacities of 201.2 mAh·g^−1. The greatly improved sodium storage performance of NHPCN confirms the importance of reasonable engineering and synthesis of hierarchical carbon with unique structures.

Zephyranthes-like Co2NiSe4 arrays grown on 3D porous carbon frame-work as electrodes for advanced supercapacitors and sodium-ion batteries

Developing suitable electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage devices by biomorph assisted design has become a fascinating topic due to the fantastic properties derived from bio-architectures.Herein,zephyranthes-like Co_(2)NiSe_(4)arrays grown on butterfly wings derived three-dimensional(3D)carbon framework(Z-Co_(2)NiSe_(4)/BWC)is fabricated via hydrothermal assembly and further conversion method.Benefiting from its unique structure and multi-components,the obtained Z-Co_(2)NiSe_(4)/BWC electrode for supercapacitor delivers an excellent specific capacitance of 2,280 F·g^(-1)at 1 A·g^(-1).Impressively,the constructed asymmetric supercapacitor using Co_(2)NiSe_(4)/BWC as positive electrode and activated butterfly wings carbon as negative electrode acquires a high energy density of 42.9 Wh·kg^(-1)at a power density of 800 W·kg^(-1)with robust stability of 94.6%capacitance retention at 10 A·g^(-1)after 5,000 cycles.Moreover,the Z-Co_(2)NiSe_(4)/BWC as anode for sodium-ion batteries exhibits a high specific capacity of 568 mAh·g^(-1)at 0.1 A·g^(-1)and high cycling stability(maintaining 80.1%of the second cycle after 100 cycles).The outstanding electrochemical performances are ascribed to that the synergistic effect of bimetallic selenides and N-doped carbon improves electrochemical activities and conductivity.One-dimensional(1D)nanoneedles grown on 3D porous framework increase the exposure of redox-active sites,endow adequate transmission channels of electrons/ions,and guarantee stability of the electrode during charge/discharge processes.This study will shed light on the avenue towards extending such nanohybrids to excellent energy storage applications.

A channel-confined strategy for synthesizing CoN-CoO_(x)/C as efficient oxygen reduction electrocatalyst for advanced zinc-air batteries

Designing hybrid transition metal compounds with optimized electronic structure and firmly dispersing them on a matrix to avoid aggregation and shedding is of great significance for achieving high electrocatalytic performances.Herein,an adsorption-complexation-calcination strategy based on channel confining effect is explored to obtain CoN-CoO_(x)hybrid nanoparticles uniformly dispersed in mesoporous carbon.The CoN-CoO_(x)/C composite exhibits excellent electrocatalytic behavior for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR).The half-wave potential and durability are comparable or superior to those of Pt/C.When applying as cathode catalyst for a primary zinc-air battery,the open-circuit voltage and peak power density reach up to 1.394 V and 109.8 mW·cm^(−2),respectively.A high gravimetric energy density of 950.3 Wh·kgZn^(−1) is delivered at 10 mA·cm^(−2) with good rate capability and stability.Density functional theory(DFT)calculation demonstrates the favorable ORR intermediate adsorbability and metallic characteristics of CoN grains with oxide hybridization to optimize the electronic structure.This work provides a facile adjustable approach for obtaining highly dispersed nanoparticles with controllable hybrid composition on a substrate,which is important for future design and optimization of high-performance electrocatalysts.

Preparation and lithium storage performances of g-C_(3)N_(4)/Si nanocomposites as anode materials for lithium-ion battery

As the anode material of lithium-ion battery,silicon-based materials have a high theoretical capacity,but their volume changes greatly in the charging and discharging process.To ameliorate the volume expansion issue of silicobased anode materials,g-C_(3)N_(4)/Si nanocomposites are prepared by using the magnesium thermal reduction technique.It is well known that g-C_(3)N_(4)/Si nanocomposites can not only improve the electronic transmission ability,but also ameliorate the physical properties of the material for adapting the stress and strain caused by the volume expansion of silicon in the lithiation and delithiation process.When g-C_(3)N_(4)/Si electrode is evaluated,the initial discharge capacity of g-C_(3)N_(4)/Si nanocomposites is as high as 1033.3 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g,and its reversible capacity is maintained at 548 mAh/g after 400 cycles.Meanwhile,the improved rate capability is achieved with a relatively high reversible specific capacity of 218 mAh/g at 2.0 A/g.The superior lithium storage performances benefit from the unique g-C_(3)N_(4)/Si nanostructure,which improves electroconductivity,reduces volume expansion,and accelerates lithiumion transmission compared to pure silicon.

Improving Thermal and Flame Retardant Properties of Epoxy Resin with Organic NiFe-Layered Double Hydroxide-Carbon Nanotubes Hybrids

To improve the dispersion of carbon nanotubes （CNTs） and flame retardancy of layered double hydroxide （LDH） in epoxy resin （EP）, organic nickel-iron layered double hydroxide （ONiFe-LDH-CNTs） hybrids were assembled through co-precipitation. These hybrids were further used as reinforcing filler in EP. EP/ONiFe-LDH-CNTs nano- composites containing 4 wt% of ONiFe-LDH-CNTs with different ratios of ONiFe-LDH and CNTs were prepared by ultrasonic dispersion and program temperature curing. The structure and morphology of the obtained hybrids were characterized by different techniques. The dispersion of nanofillers in the EP matrix was observed by transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results revealed a coexistence of exfoliated and intercalated ONiFe-LDH- CNTs in polymer matrix. Strong combination of the above nanofillers with the EP matrix provided an efficient thermal and flame retardant improvement for the nanocomposites. It showed that EP/ONiFe-LDH-CNTs nanocomposites exhibited superior flame retardant and thermal properties compared with EP. Such improved thermal properties could be attributed to the better homogeneous dispersion, stronger interfacial interaction, excellent charring performance of ONiFe-LDH and synergistic effect between ONiFe-LDH and CNTs.