Reconstructing proton channels via Zr-MOFs realizes highly ion-selective and proton-conductive SPEEK-based hybrid membrane for vanadium flow battery

There is an urgent need to break through the trade-off between proton conductivity and ion selectivity of proton exchange membrane(PEM)in vanadium flow battery(VFB).Proton channels in PEM are the key to controlling the ion sieving and proton conductivity in VFB.Herein,two types of proton channels are reconstructed in the hybrid membrane via introducing modified Zr-MOFs(IM-UIO-66-AS)into SPEEK matrix.Internal proton channels in IM-UIO-66-AS and interfacial proton channels between grafted imidazole groups on Zr-MOFs and SPEEK greatly improve the conductivity of the IM-UIO-66-AS/SPEEK hybrid membrane.More importantly,both reconstructed proton channels block the vanadium-ion permeation to realize enhanced ion selectivity according to the size sieving and Donnan exclusion effects,respectively.Moreover,the hybrid membrane exhibits good mechanical property and dimensional stability.Benefiting from such rational design,a VFB loading with the optimized membrane exhibits enhanced voltage efficiency of 79.9%and outstanding energy efficiency of 79.6%at 200 m A cm^(-2),and keeps a notable cycle stability for 300 cycles in the long-term cycling test.Therefore,this study provides inspiration for preparing next-generation PEMs with high ion selectivity and proton conductivity for VFB application.

Ultracompact silicon on-chip polarization controller

On-chip polarization controllers are extremely important for various optical systems.In this paper,a compact and robust silicon-based on-chip polarization controller is proposed and demonstrated by integrating a special polarization converter and phase shifters.The special polarization converter consists of a 1×1 Mach–Zehnder interferometer with two polarization-dependent mode converters at the input/output ends.When light with an arbitrary state of polarization(SOP)is launched into the chip,the TE_(0)and TM_(0)modes are simultaneously excited.The polarization extinction ratio(PER)and the phase difference for the TE_(0)∕TM_(0)modes are tuned by controlling the first phase shifter,the polarization converter,and the second phase shifter.As a result,one can reconstruct the light SOP at the output port.The fabricated polarization controller,as compact as~150μm×700μm,exhibits an excess loss of less than 1 dB and a record PER range of>54 dB for arbitrary input light beams in the wavelength range of 1530–1620 nm.

Liver Stiffness Measurement Can Reflect the Active Liver Necroinflammation in Population with Chronic Liver Disease:A Real-world Evidence Study

Background and Aims: Non-invasive evaluation of liver nec-roinflammation in patients with chronic liver disease is an un-met need in clinical practice.The diagnostic accuracy of transient elastography-based liver stiffness measurement(LSM)for liver fibrosis could be affected by liver necroinflam-mation,the latter of which could intensify stiffness of the liver.Such results have prompted us to explore the diagnosis potential of LSM for liver inflammation.Methods: Three cross-sectional cohorts of liver biopsy-proven chronic liver dis-ease patients were enrolled,including 1417 chronic hepatitis B(CHB)patients from 10 different medical centers,106 non-al-coholic steatohepatitis patients,and 143 patients with auto-immune-related liver diseases.Another longitudinal cohort of 14 entecavir treatment patients was also included.The re-ceiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was employed to explore the diagnostic value of LSM.Results: In CHB patients,LSM value ascended with the increased severity of liver nec-roinflammation in patients with the same fibrosis stage.Such positive correlation between LSM and liver necroinflammation was also found in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and autoim-mune-related liver diseases populations.Furthermore,the ROC curve exhibited that LSM could identify moderate and se-vere inflammation in CHB patients(area under the ROC curve as 0.779 and 0.838)and in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis pa-tients(area under the ROC curve as 0.826 and 0.871),respec-tively.Such moderate diagnostic value was also found in autoimmune-related liver diseases patients.In addition,in the longitudinal entecavir treated CHB cohort,a decline of LSM values was observed in parallel with the control of inflam-matory activity in liver.Conclusions: Our study implicates a diagnostic potential of LSM to evaluate the severity of liver necroinflammation in chronic liver disease patients.

Effect of Initial Oxide Film on the Formation and Performance of Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation Coating on 7075 Aluminum Alloy

In the early stage of plasma electrolytic oxidation(PEO),the quick formation of the initial oxide film on the surface of the aluminum substrate is necessary for the subsequent discharge spark process.Furthermore,the compactness of the initial oxide film greatly affects the quality of the PEO coating,but the related mechanisms are not investigated in detail.In this paper,the status of the initial oxide film was adjusted by adding the(NaPO)into the based electrolyte,and then the effect of initial oxide film on the formation of the PEO coating was compared.Microstructure and chemical composition were analyzed by scanning electron microscope,transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectrometer.The compactness of the initial oxide film was characterized by Mott-Schottky plots.The corrosion resistance was measured by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.The results show that the addition of(NaPO)can promote the co-deposition of phosphide compound into the initial oxide film and improve the film compactness,which is beneficial for the more uniform spark discharge in the later stage.As a result,the addition of(NaPO)is helpful to obtain PEO coating with better performance.

Topographical biointerface regulating cellular functions for bone tissue engineering

The physiochemical properties of the implant interface significantly influence cell growth,differentiation,cellular matrix deposition,and mineralisation,and eventually,determine the bone regeneration efficiency.Cells directly sense and respond to the physical,chemical,and mechanical cues of the implant surface,and it is increasingly recognized that surface topography can evoke specific cellular responses,conferring biological functions on substrate materials and regulating tissue regeneration.Current progress towards the fundamental understanding of the interplay between the cell and topographical surface has been made by combined advance in fabrication technologies and cell biology.Particularly,the precise fabrication and control of nano/microscale topographies can provide the fundamental knowledge of the mechanotransduction process that governs the cellular response as well as the knowledge of how the specific features drive cells towards a defined differentiation outcome.In this review,we first introduce common techniques and substrate materials for designing and fabricating micro/nanotopographical surfaces for bone regeneration.We then illustrate the intrinsic relationship of topological cues,cellular signal transduction,and cell functions and fates in osteogenic differentiation.Finally,we discuss the challenges and the future of using topological cues as a cell therapy to direct bone tissue regeneration.