MOF-derived Zn-Co-Ni sulfides with hollow nanosword arrays for high-efficiency overall water and urea electrolysis

Water electrolysis is a promising technology to produce hydrogen but it was severely restricted by the slow oxygen evolution reaction(OER).Herein,we firstly reported an advanced electrocatalyst of MOF-derived hollow Zn-Co-Ni sulfides(ZnS@Co_(9)S_(8)@Ni_(3)S_(2)-1/2,abbreviated as ZCNS-1/2)nanosword arrays(NSAs)with remarkable hydrogen evolution reaction(HER),OER and corresponding water electrolysis performance.To reach a current density of 10 mA cm^(-2),the cell voltage of assembled ZCNS-1/2//ZCNS-1/2 for urea electrolysis(1.314 V)is 208 mV lower than that for water electrolysis(1.522 V)and stably catalyzed for over 15 h,substantially outperforming the most reported water and urea electrolysis electrocatalysts.Density functional theory calculations and experimental result clearly reveal that the properties of large electrochemical active surface area(ECSA)caused by hollow NSAs and fast charge transfer resulted from the Co_(9)S_(8)@Ni_(3)S_(2) heterostructure endow the ZCNS-1/2 electrode with an enhanced electrocatalytic performance.

Recent advances in carbon-supported non-precious metal singleatom catalysts for energy conversion electrocatalysis

Non-precious metal single-atom catalysts(NPM-SACs)with unique electronic structures and coordination environments have gained much attention in electrocatalysis owing to their low cost,high atomic utilization,and high performance.NPM-SACs on carbon support(NPM-SACs/CS)are promising because of the carbon substrate with a large surface area,excellent electrical conductivity,and high chemical stability.This review provides an overview of recent developments in NPM-SACs/CS for the electrocatalytic field.First,the state-of-the-art synthesis methods and advanced characterization techniques of NPM-SACs/CS are discussed in detail.Then,the structural adjustment strategy of NPM-SACs/CS for optimizing electrocatalytic performance is introduced concisely.Furthermore,we provide a comprehensive summary of recent advances in developing NPM-SACs/CS for important electrochemical reactions,including carbon dioxide reduction reaction,hydrogen evolution reaction,oxygen evolution reaction,oxygen reduction reaction,and nitrogen reduction reaction.In the end,the existing challenges and future opportunities of NPM-SACs/CS in the electrocatalytic field are highlighted.

Effective CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing in large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea)

The large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) is an economically important marine species with the highest annual production among the farmed marine fishes in China. However, the aquaculture industry of this species is suffering from severe problems that include weakened disease resistance, decreased growth rate, and reduced meat quality due to frequent inbreeding. Genome editing, which has a huge potential for solving those problems by introducing favorable genetic changes, is not yet available for the large yellow croaker. Here, we pioneered the techniques of embryo microinjection and genome editing using the CRISPR/Cas9 system in this species. Recombinant plasmids encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) were introduced into the fertilized eggs of L. crocea by microinjection before the chorion had hardened. A high survival rate (40%) and GFP-positive larvae rate (81.8%) were achieved, indicating that the microinjection technique in L. crocea was successfully established. On this basis, Cas9 mRNA and sgRNA targeting the tyrosinase a gene in L. crocea (Lc-tyra) were co-injected into fertilized eggs of L. crocea. Mutant individuals with insertion and deletion mutations of Lc-tyra were detected. These results indicated that the CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing technology established herein could efficiently introduce mutations at a specific site in the L. crocea genome. This method provides the potential for genetic improvement and functional genomic study in this species. This is the first report on effective CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing in L. crocea.