Spiro-based triphenylamine molecule with steric structure as a cathode material for high-stable all organic lithium dual-ion batteries

Redox p-type organic compounds are promising cathode materials for dual-ion batteries.However,the triphenylamine-based polymers usually with agglomerate and intertwined molecular chain nature limit the maximum reaction of their active sites with large-sized anions.Herein,we demonstrate the application of a small molecule with rigid spirofluorene structu re,namely 2,2’,7,7’-tetrakis(diphenylamine)-9,9’-spirobifluorene(Spiro-TAD),as a cathode material for lithium dual-ion batteries.The inherent sterical structure endows the Spiro-TAD with good chemical stability and large internal space for fast diffusion kinetics of anions in the organic electrolyte.As a result,the Spiro-TAD electrode shows significant insolubility and less steric hindrance,and gives a high actual capacity of 109 mA h g^(-1)(active groups utilization ratio approximately 100%) at 50 mA g^(-1)with a high discharge voltage of 3.6 V(vs.Li+/Li),excellent rate capability(60 mA h g^(-1)at 2000 mA g^(-1)) and extremely stable cycling life(98.4% capacity retention after 1400 cycles at 500 mA g^(-1)) in half cells.Such good electrochemical performance is attributed to the robust and rapid adsorption/desorption of ClO4-anions,which can be proved by the in-situ FTIR and XPS.Moreover,an all-organic lithium dual-ion battery(a-OLDIBs) is constructed using the Spiro-TAD as cathode and 3,4,9,10-Perylenetetracarboxylic diimide(PTCDI) as anode and displays long-term cycling performance of 87.5 mA h g^(-1)after 800 cycles.This study will stimulate further developments in designing all organic battery systems.

Gastrodin blocks neural stem cell differentiation into glial cells mediated by kainic acid

Kainic acid can simulate excitatory amino acids in vitro. Neural stem cells, isolated from newborn Wistar rats, were cultured in vitro and exposed to 100 4 000 #M kainic acid for 7 days to induce neuronal cell differentiation, causing the number of astrocytes to be significantly increased. Treatment with a combination of 0.5 mg/L gastrodin and kainic acid also caused the number of differentiated neurons to be significantly increased compared with treatment with kainic acid alone Experimental findings suggest that gastrodin reduces the excitability of kainic acid and induces neural stem cell differentiation into neurons.

Electrolyte-gated SrCoO_(x) FET sensor for highly sensitive detecting pH in extreme alkalinity solution

The pH monitoring is significantly important in chemical industry,biological process,and pollution treatment.However,it remains a great challenge to measure pH in extreme alkalinity conditions.Herein,we employ an electrolyte-gated field-effect-transistor(FET)strategy using non-stoichiometric SrCoO_(x) with rich oxygen-vacancy defects as channel materials for detecting extreme alkalinity.The corresponding channel can provide effective oxygen-ion-migration sites for reversible transformation of OH-↔O_(2)-+H^(+)driven by electric field.The resultant electrolyte-gated FET sensor exhibits a sensitive linear response to high concentrations of alkaline solution,1–20 M.Significantly,the sensor has the ability to directly indicate the pH values ranging from 14.0 to 17.0 in consideration of ion-activity coefficient data.This work offers a great possibility for directly detecting base concentration as well as pH values in extreme alkaline solutions.

∼2.5 nm pores in carbon-based cathode promise better zinc-iodine batteries

The relationship mechanism between the material pore structures and cathodic iodine chemistry plays a vital role in efficient Zn-I_(2) batteries,but is unclear,retarding further advances.This work innovatively indicates a great contribution of∼2.5nm pore structure of nanocarbons to efficient iodine adsorption,rapid I^(−)↔I_(2) conversion,and polyiodide inhibition,via scrupulously designing catalysts with controllable pore sizes systematically.The I_(2)-loading within the designed nitrogen-doped nanocarbons can reach up to as high as 60.8 wt%.The batteries based on the cathode deliver impressive performances with a large capacity of 178.8 mAh/g and long-term cycling stability more than 4000 h at 5.0 C.Notably,these is no polyiodide such as I_(3)−and I_(5)−detected during the charge-discharge processes from comprehensive electrochemical cyclic voltammetry,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,and Raman technique.This work provides a novel knowledge-guided concept for rational pore design,promising better Zn-I_(2) batteries,which is also hoped to benefit other advanced energy technologies,such as Li-S,Li-ion,and Al-I_(2) batteries.

Integrative analysis of ferroptosis regulators for clinical prognosis based on deep learning and potential chemotherapy sensitivity of prostate cancer

Exploring useful prognostic markers and developing a robust prognostic model for patients with prostate cancer are crucial for clinical practice.We applied a deep learning algorithm to construct a prognostic model and proposed the deep learning-based ferroptosis score(DLFscore)for the prediction of prognosis and potential chemotherapy sensitivity in prostate cancer.Based on this prognostic model,there was a statistically significant difference in the disease-free survival probability between patients with high and low DLFscore in the The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)cohort(P<0.0001).In the validation cohort GSE116918,we also observed a consistent conclusion with the training set(P=0.02).Additionally,functional enrichment analysis showed that DNA repair,RNA splicing signaling,organelle assembly,and regulation of centrosome cycle pathways might regulate prostate cancer through ferroptosis.Meanwhile,the prognostic model we constructed also had application value in predicting drug sensitivity.We predicted some potential drugs for the treatment of prostate cancer through AutoDock,which could potentially be used for prostate cancer treatment.

Nickel cobalt phosphide with three-dimensional nanostructure as al highly efficient electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction in both I acidic and alkaline electrolytes

Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) are promising candidates for noble metal free electrocatalysts in water splitting applicati ons. In this work, we prese nt the facile syn thesis of nickel cobalt phosphide electrocatalyst with three-dime nsional nano structure (3D-NiCoP) on the nickel foam, via hydrothermal reaction and phosphorization. The as-prepared electrocatalyst exhibits an excellent activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in both acidic and alkaline electrolytes, with small overpotentials to drive 10 mA/cm^2 (80 mV for 0.5 M H2SO4, 105 mV for 1 M KOH), small Tafel slopes (37 mV/dec for 0.5 M H2SO4, 79 mV/dec for 1 M KOH), and satisfying durability in long-term electrolysis. 3D-NiCoP also shows a superior HER activity compared to single metal phosphide, such as cobalt phosphide and nickel phosphide. The outstanding performa nee for HER suggests the great pote ntial of 3D-NiCoP as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for water splitting technology.

A sustainable aqueous Zn-I2 battery

Rechargeable metal-iodine batteries are an emerging attractive electrochemical energy storage technology that combines metallic anodes with halogen cathodes. Such batteries using aqueous electrolytes represent a viable solution for the safety and cost issues associated with organic electrolytes. A hybrid-electrolyte battery architecture has been adopted in a lithium-iodine battery using a solid ceramic membrane that protects the metallic anode from contacting the aqueous electrolyte. Here we demonstrate an eco-friendly, low-cost zinc-iodine battery with an aqueous electrolyte, wherein active I2 is confined in a nanoporous carbon cloth substrate. The electrochemical reaction is confined in the nanopores as a single conversion reaction, thus avoiding the production of I3- intermediates. The cathode architecture fully utilizes the active I2, showing a capacity of 255 mAh·g^-1 and low capacity cycling fading. The battery provides an energy density of -151 Wh·kg^-1 and exhibits an ultrastable cycle life of more than 1,500 cycles.

Graphene quantum dots derived from hollow carbon nano-onions

Herein, carbon nano-onions （CNOs） with different structures have been investigated as precursors for the synthesis of graphene quantum dots （GQDs）. It was found that hollow CNOs yield GQDs with a uniform size distribution, whereas metal encapsulation in the CNO structure is disadvantageous for the same. Furthermore, the hollow CNOs are also advantageous for the synthesis of GQDs with a yellow-green hybrid luminescence and long-ranged excitation wavelength （λex）-independent photoluminescent （PL） behavior, in which the λex upper limit was 480 nm. These features enable safe sensing and cell tracking applications with a longer excitation wavelength in the visible light region. The potential applications of the synthesized GQDs as fluorescent sensing probes for detecting Cu（II） ions and non-toxic cell imaging under visible light excitation have been demonstrated. This means that sensing and bioimaging can be accomplished in the natural environment with no need for UV excitation. This work provides a reference to researchers in tailoring CNO structures in terms of their inner space to synthesize GQDs with the desired luminescence behavior.

Engineering crystal phase of polytypic CuInS2 nanosheets for enhanced photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical performance

Crystal phase engineering on CulnS2(CIS)nanocrystals,especially polytypic structure,has become one of the research hotspots to design the advanced materials and devices for energy conversion and environment treatment.Here,the polytypic CIS nanosheets(NSs)including zincblende/wutzite and chalcopyrite/wurtzite types were first time achieved in a hot-injection system using oleic acid and liquid paraffin as the reaction media.As-obtained polytypic CIS NSs exhibit significantly enhanced light-absorption abillty and visible-light-driven photocatalytic performance originating from the rational hetero-crystalline interfaces and surface defect states,which efficiently inhibit the recombination of photo-generated carriers.Meanwhile,the polytypic CIS NSs were spin-coated onto the surface of fluorinated-tin oxide glass substrate and used as the photoelectrode,which shows an excellent photoelectrochemical(PEC)activity in aqueous solution.The present work not only provides a facile,rapid,low-cost,and environmental-friendly synthesis strategy to design the crystal phase and defect structure of ternary chalcogenides,but also demonstrates the relationships between the polytypic structure and photocatalytic/photoelectrochemical properties.

Polypyrrole-based hybrid nanostructures grown on textile for wearable supercapacitors

In the development of wearable energy devices,polypyrrole (PPy) is considered as a promising electrode material owing to its high capacitance and good mechanical flexibility.Herein,we report a PPy-based hybrid structure consisting of vertical PPy nanotube arrays and carbon nano-onions (CNOs) grown on textile for wearable supercapacitors.In this hybrid nanostructure,the vertical PPy nanotubes provide straight and superhighways for electron and ion transport,boosting the energy storage;while the CNOs mainly act as a conductivity retainer for the underlayered PPy film during stretching.A facile template-degrading method is developed for the large-area growth of the PPy-based hybrid nanostructures on the textile through one-step polymerization process.The fabricated stretchable supercapacitor exhibits superior energy storage capacitance with the specific capacitance of 64 F·g^-1.Also,it presents the high capacitance retention of 99% at a strain of 50% after 500 stretching cycles.Furthermore,we demonstrate that the textile-based stretchable supercapacitor device can provide a stable energy storage performance in different wearable situations for practical applications.The use of the PPy-based hybrid nanostructures as the supercapacitor electrode offers a novel structure design and a promising opportunity for wearable power supply in real applications.

5 nm NiCoP nanoparticles coupled with g-C3N4 as high-performance photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution

Graphitic carbon nitride(g-C3N4) coupled with NiCoP nanoparticles with sizes around 5 nm have been fabricated via a controllable alcohothermal process. NiCoP is an excellent electron conductor and cocatalyst in photocatalytic reactions. The coupling between tiny NiCoP nanoparticles and g-C3N4 through in-situ fabrication strategy could be a promising way to eliminate the light screening effect, hinder the recombination of photo-induced charge carriers, and improve the charge transfer. The NiCoP/g-C3N4 nanohybrids exhibit an excellent photocatalytic activity in the hydrogen generation, with a significantly improved performance compared with original g-C3N4, CoP/g-C3N4 and Ni2P/g-C3N4, respectively. This study paves a new way to design transition metal phosphides-based photocatalysts for hydrogen production.

High performance Zn-I_(2)battery with acetonitrile electrolyte working at low temperature

Large scale applications of metal-iodine batteries working at sub-zero degree have been challenged by the limited capacity and performance degradation.Herein,we firstly propose a Zn-I_(2)battery working at low temperature with a carbon composite material/iodine(CCM-I_(2))cathode,a Zn anode and an environmentally tolerable Zn(ClO4)2-ACN electrolyte.The CCM framework with hierarchical porous structure endows a powerful iodine-anchoring to overcome undesirable dissolution of iodine in organic electrolyte,and the Zn(ClO4)2-ACN electrolyte with low freezing point and high ionic conductivity enhances the low temperature performance.The synergies enable an efficiently reversible conversion of Zn-I_(2)battery even at-40℃.Therefore,the resultant Zn-I_(2)battery delivers a high specific capacity of 200 mAh·g^(-1),which is fairly approximate to the theoretical capacity of I_(2)(211 mAh·g^(-1))and a superior cycling stability with minimal capacity fading of 0.00043%per cycle over 7,000 times under 2C at-20℃.Furthermore,even at-40℃,this Zn-I_(2)battery still exhibits a good capacity retention of 68.7%compared to the capacity at 25℃ and a rapid capacity-recover ability with elevating temperature change.Our results distinctly indicate this Zn-I_(2)battery can be 1competent for the practical application under low temperature operation.