A review on novel activation strategy on carbonaceous materials with special morphology/texture for electrochemical storage

Various novel carbonaceous materials including carbon nanotubes,nano-onions,carbon microspheres,graphene nanosheets,and carbon microfibers with unique properties,such as tunable surface area and pore size,high chemical stability,cost-effective and facile preparation,have attracted enormous interest for many applications.Also essential,the activation processes play a critical role to achieve these valuable properties.In this review,we provide a thorough analysis of the emerging nano-and microscopic carbon species with special morphology/textures and currently available types of chemical activation agents,and novel activation strategy to enhance electrochemical performance of activated carbon material in electrical energy storage devices including supercapacitor and alkaline ions batteries.A particular emphasis is set on recent advance in activated carbon materials with special morphology/textures for supercapacitors and sodium ion batteries.

The seahorse genome provides new insights into the evolution of its specialized morphology

Subject Code:D06Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,the research team led by Prof.Lin Qiang(林强)at the CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology(LMB),South China Sea Institute of Oceanology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,uncovered the seahorse genome and the evolution of its specialized morphology,which was published in Nature as a cover article(2016,540:395—399).

Aggregation in carbon dots

Carbon dots(CDs)possess outstanding luminescence properties,making them widely used in optical displays,anti-counterfeiting systems,bioimaging,and sensors.Presently,there is much debate about the classification of CDs,as well as their formation process,structure,and fluorescence mechanisms.Aggregation plays an important role in the formation and fluorescence(e.g.,aggregationinduced emission)of CDs,yet is seldom studied in detail.This review aims fill this knowledge gap,by first exploring how aggregation leads to the formation of different types of CDs(e.g.,graphene quantum dots,carbon quantum dots,and carbonized polymer dots),followed by a detailed examination of the effect of aggregation-induced morphology on the luminescence properties and application of CDs.Finally,opportunities and challenges for the application of CDs in various applications are discussed,with the need for better mechanistic understanding of aggregation-induced luminescence being an imperative.

Can morphological and behavioral traits predict the foraging and feeding dynamics of social arachnids?

Complex social insect species exhibit task specialization mediated by morphological and behavior-al traits.However,evidence of such traits is scarce for other social arthropods.We investigated whether the social pseudoscorpion Paratemnoides nidificator exhibits morphologically and behav-iorally specialized individuals in prey capture.We measured body and chela sizes of adult pseudo-scorpions and analyzed predation processes.Larger individuals spent more time moving through the colony and foraging than smaller pseudoscorpions.Individuals that captured prey had increased body and absolute chelae sizes.Although larger individuals had relatively small chelae size,they showed a higher probability of prey capture.Larger individuals manipulated prey often,although they fed less than smaller pseudoscorpions.Individuals that initiated captures fed more frequently and for more time than the others.Natural selection might be favoring individuals speci-alized in foraging and colony protection,allowing smaller and less efficient adults to avoid contact with dangerous prey.To our knowledge,there is incipient information regarding specialized indi-viduals in arachnids,and our results might indicate the emergence of a morphologically special-ized group in this species.