A universal spray printing strategy to prepare gradient hybrid architectures

Functionally gradient materials(FGMs)have attracted tremendous attention due to their unique properties and structures.However,it is still a great challenge to prepare scalable FGMs by a universal,cost-effective,and highly efficient method.Here,a strategy of combining in situ concentration regulation and spraying is developed to fabricate continuously gradient composite films(GCFs),where the component gradient variation can be well controlled.This strategy is universal and versatile,which is beneficial to inducing different components into GCFs with gradient distributions and further constructing them with diverse configurations on various substrates.The gradient design endows the composite films with excellent mechanical strength and gradient electron transport pathways,which ensures that GCFs directly serve as the electrodes in electrochemical devices.As a proof of concept,free-standing GCFs based on V2O5 nanomaterials are used as cathodes of aqueous zinc-ion batteries.The resultant devices deliver superior electrochemical performances in comparison with the counterparts of homogeneous case.Therefore,this universal strategy provides a promising route in the scalable production of FGMs and further extends their applications in various fields.

Neutral color and self-healable electrochromic system based on CuI/Cu and I_(3)^(-)/I^(-)conversions

The electrochromic(EC)mechanisms of inorganic materials are usually based on reversible cation insertion/extraction or metal deposition/dissolution,which are plagued by ion trapping and dendrite growth,respectively.In this paper,a novel conversion-type electrochromic mechanism is proposed,by making good use of the CuI/Cu redox couple.This CuI-based electrochromic system shows a neutral color switching from transparent and dim grey.By simply increasing the bleaching voltage,I_(3)^(-)/I^(-)redox couple can be further activated.The generated I_(3)^(-)will readily react with Cu,effectively improving the conversion reversibility and thereby rejuvenating the degraded electrochromic performance.Thanks to the well-designed electrode and the self-healing ability,this conversion electrochromic system achieves rapid response times(tcoloring:23 s,tbleaching:6 s),decant optical modulation amplitude(26.4%),high coloration efficiency(86.15 cm^(2)·C^(-1)),admirable cyclic durability(without performance degradation after 480 cycles)and excellent optical memory ability(transmittance variation<1%after 10 h open-circuit storage).The establishment of this conversion-type electrochromism may inspire the exploration of novel electrochromic materials and devices.

A novel method of determining the optimal polyhedral orientation for discrete global grid systems applicable to regionalscale areas of interest

The polyhedral discrete global grid system(DGGS)is a multi-resolution discrete earth reference model supporting the fusion and processing of multi-source geospatial information.The orientation of the polyhedron relative to the earth is one of its key design choices,used when constructing the grid system,as the efficiency of indexing will decrease if local areas of interest extend over multiple faces of the spherical polyhedron.To date,most research has focused on global-scale applications while almost no rigorous mathematical models have been established for determining orientation parameters.In this paper,we propose a method for determining the optimal polyhedral orientation of DGGSs for areas of interest on a regional scale.The proposed method avoids splitting local or regional target areas across multiple polyhedral faces.At the same time,it effectively handles geospatial data at a global scale because of the inherent characteristics of DGGSs.Results show that the orientation determined by this method successfully guarantees that target areas are located at the center of a single polyhedral face.The orientation process determined by this novel method reduces distortions and is more adaptable to different geographical areas,scales,and base polyhedrons than those employed by existing procedures.

Structural basis of interaction between the hepatitis C virus p7 channel and its blocker hexamethylene amiloride

Dear Editor, Hepatitis C virus （HCV） infection, which causes hepatitis C and can chronically lead to serious and life-threatening dis- eases including liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma （Lauer and Walker, 2001）, is a rising global health problem. More than 170 million people are infected by HCV worldwide and 3-4 million people are infected each year. No effective vaccines are available to prevent HCV infection. Moreover, HCV is a fast mutating RNA virus with seven distinct genotypes and many subtypes within each genotype. The high degree of genetic diversity can lead to further viral resistance to the current therapies within individual patients （Li et al., 2012）. Hence, there remains a strong desire in the medical community to explore new therapeutic opportunities.