The application of lithium metal anodes for practical batteries is still impeded by safety issues and low Coulombic efficiency caused mainly by the uncontrollable growth of lithium dendrites. Herein, ...two types of free‐standing nitrogen‐doped amorphous Zn–carbon multichannel fibers are synthesized as multifunctional hosts for lithium accommodation. The 3D macroporous structures endow effectively reduced local current density, and the lithiophilic nitrogen‐doped carbon and functional Zn nanoparticles serve as preferred deposition sites with low nucleation barriers to guide uniform lithium deposition. As a result, the developed anodes exhibit remarkable electrochemical properties in terms of high Coulombic efficiency for more than 500 cycles at various current densities from 1 to 5 mA cm−2, and symmetric cells show long‐term cycling duration over 2000 h. Moreover, full cells based on the developed anode and a LiFePO4 cathode also demonstrate superior rate capability and stable cycle life.
Nitrogen‐doped amorphous Zn–carbon multichannel fibers decorated with carbon cages (denoted as CC‐Zn‐CMFs) have been synthesized as a multifunctional host for lithium metal anodes. With the unique hierarchical hollow architecture and functional composition, these CC‐Zn‐CMFs exhibit enhanced electrochemical properties for lithium metal anodes in terms of high Coulombic efficiency, superior rate capability, and long cycle life.
TiO2 Co nanotubes decorated with nanodots (TiO2 NDs/Co NSNTs‐CFs) are reported as high‐performance earth‐abundant electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline solution. TiO2 ...NDs/Co NSNTs can promote water adsorption and optimize the free energy of hydrogen adsorption. More importantly, the absorbed water can be easily activated in the presence of the TiO2–Co hybrid structure. These advantages will significantly promote HER. TiO2 NDs/Co NSNTs‐CFs as electrocatalysts show a high catalytic performance towards HER in alkaline solution. This study will open up a new avenue for designing and fabricating low‐cost high‐performance HER catalysts.
Electrolysis of water: Carbon‐fiber‐supported nanotubes from TiO2 nanodot‐decorated Co nanosheets were fabricated for the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The electronic interaction between TiO2 and Co can effectively activate the absorbed water molecules and optimize the free energy of H adsorption. The catalysts show an excellent electrocatalytic performance for the HER.
Nonreciprocal wave propagation typically requires strong nonlinear materials to break time reversal symmetry. Here, we utilized a sonic-crystal-based acoustic diode that had broken spatial inversion ...symmetry and experimentally realized sound unidirectional transmission in this acoustic diode. These novel phenomena are attributed to different mode transitions as well as their associated different energy conversion efficiencies among different diffraction orders at two sides of the diode. This nonreciprocal sound transmission could be systematically controlled by simply mechanically rotating the square rods of the sonic crystal. Different from nonreciprocity due to the nonlinear acoustic effect and broken time reversal symmetry, this new model leads to a one-way effect with higher efficiency, broader bandwidth, and much less power consumption, showing promising applications in various sound devices.
With many apparent advantages including high surface area, tunable pore sizes and topologies, and diverse periodic organic–inorganic ingredients, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been identified ...as versatile precursors or sacrificial templates for preparing functional materials as advanced electrodes or high-efficiency catalysts for electrochemical energy storage and conversion (EESC). In this Mini Review, we first briefly summarize the material design strategies to show the rich possibilities of the chemical compositions and physical structures of MOFs derivatives. We next highlight the latest advances focusing on the composition/structure/performance relationship and discuss their practical applications in various EESC systems, such as supercapacitors, rechargeable batteries, fuel cells, water electrolyzers, and carbon dioxide/nitrogen reduction reactions. Finally, we provide some of our own insights into the major challenges and prospective solutions of MOF-derived functional materials for EESC, hoping to shed some light on the future development of this highly exciting field.
The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is the core reaction of numerous sustainable energy‐conversion technologies such as fuel cells and metal–air batteries. It is crucial to develop a cost‐effective, ...highly active, and durable electrocatalysts for ORR to overcome the sluggish kinetics of four electrons pathway. In recent years, the carbon‐based electrocatalysts derived from metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted tremendous attention and have been shown to exhibit superior catalytic activity and excellent intrinsic properties such as large surface area, large pore volume, uniform pore distribution, and tunable chemical structure. Here in this review, the development of MOF‐derived heteroatom‐doped carbon‐based electrocatalysts, including non‐metal (such as N, S, B, and P) and metal (such as Fe and Co) doped carbon materials, is summarized. It furthermore, it is demonstrated that the enhancement of ORR performance is associated with favorably well‐designed porous structure, large surface area, and high‐tensity active sites. Finally, the future perspectives of carbon‐based electrocatalysts for ORR are provided with an emphasis on the development of a clear mechanism of MOF‐derived non‐metal‐doped electrocatalysts and certain metal‐doped electrocatalysts.
Molecular organic framework‐derived heteroatom‐doped carbon‐based electrocatalysts, including nonmetal (such as N, S, B, and P) and metal (such as Fe and Co) doped carbon materials, have attracted tremendous attention and some of them exhibit superior electrocatalytic performance for oxygen reduction reaction. Significant progress has been achieved and more innovations for carbon‐based electrocatalysts will be realized in the future.
The development of efficient electrocatalysts for overall water splitting is important for future renewable energy systems. Herein, macroporous CoO covered by Co/N-doped graphitic carbon nanosheet ...arrays (mac-CoO@Co/NGC NSAs) were constructed by engineering a mesoporous CoO nanowire (mes-CoO NWAs) core with highly conductive Co nanoparticles coated by a N-doped graphitic carbon (Co/NGC) shell. The
in situ
derived Co/NGC shell not only introduces electrocatalytic active sites for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) but also promotes the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) through the strong interaction between the CoO core and the Co/NGC shell. Moreover, the highly conductive Co/NGC shell crosslinks the isolated mesoporous CoO nanowires into a nanosheet rich in macropores, ensuring effective electron and mass transfer. Furthermore, the chemically stable N-doped graphitic carbon layer and physically stable hierarchical nanosheet arrays ensure the stability of the catalyst. Owing to the desirable interfaces and pore architecture, the as-prepared mac-CoO@Co/NGC NSAs can serve as highly effective, binder-free electrocatalysts for overall water splitting with a stable cell voltage of 1.62 V at 10 mA cm
−2
for 35 h.
Macroporous CoO@Co/N-doped graphitic carbon nanosheet arrays were constructed by engineering a mesoporous CoO nanowire core with a highly conductive Co/NGC shell, and this approach will provide a promising strategy to construct highly effective bifunctional electrocatalysts.
Exploring earth‐abundant electrocatalysts with excellent activity, robust stability, and multiple functions is crucial for electrolytic hydrogen generation. Porous phosphorized CoNi2S4 yolk‐shell ...spheres (P‐CoNi2S4 YSSs) were rationally designed and synthesized by a combined hydrothermal sulfidation and gas‐phase phosphorization strategy. Benefiting from the strengthened Ni3+/Ni2+ couple, enhanced electronic conductivity, and hollow structure, the P‐CoNi2S4 YSSs exhibit excellent activity and durability towards hydrogen/oxygen evolution and urea oxidation reactions in alkaline solution, affording low potentials of −0.135 V, 1.512 V, and 1.306 V (versus reversible hydrogen electrode) at 10 mA cm−2, respectively. Remarkably, when used as the anode and cathode simultaneously, the P‐CoNi2S4 catalyst merely requires a cell voltage of 1.544 V in water splitting and 1.402 V in urea electrolysis to attain 10 mA cm−2 with excellent durability for 100 h, outperforming most of the reported nickel‐based sulfides and even noble‐metal‐based electrocatalysts. This work promotes the application of sulfides in electrochemical hydrogen production and provides a feasible approach for urea‐rich wastewater treatment.
Phosphorus‐substituted CoNi2S4 yolk‐shell spheres (P‐CoNi2S4 YSSs) have been rationally designed and synthesized by a facile hydrothermal sulfidation and subsequent gas‐phase phosphorization strategy. The desired hollow structure and multielement composition with abundant Ni3+ active sites endow P‐CoNi2S4 YSSs with high electrocatalytic activity and robust stability towards electrochemical hydrogen production via water splitting and urea electrolysis.
Esophageal cancer (EC) is a type of aggressive cancer without clinically relevant molecular subtypes, hindering the development of effective strategies for treatment. To define molecular subtypes of ...EC, we perform mass spectrometry-based proteomic and phosphoproteomics profiling of EC tumors and adjacent non-tumor tissues, revealing a catalog of proteins and phosphosites that are dysregulated in ECs. The EC cohort is stratified into two molecular subtypes-S1 and S2-based on proteomic analysis, with the S2 subtype characterized by the upregulation of spliceosomal and ribosomal proteins, and being more aggressive. Moreover, we identify a subtype signature composed of ELOA and SCAF4, and construct a subtype diagnostic and prognostic model. Potential drugs are predicted for treating patients of S2 subtype, and three candidate drugs are validated to inhibit EC. Taken together, our proteomic analysis define molecular subtypes of EC, thus providing a potential therapeutic outlook for improving disease outcomes in patients with EC.
Strigolactones （SLs）, a group of carotenoid derived terpenoid lactones, are root-to-shoot phytohormones sup- pressing shoot branching by inhibiting the outgrowth of axillary buds. DWARF 53 （D53）, the ...key repressor of the SL signaling pathway, is speculated to regulate the downstream transcriptional network of the SL response. However, no downstream transcription factor targeted by D53 has yet been reported. Here we report that Ideal Plant Architecture 1 （IPA1）, a key regulator of the plant architecture in rice, functions as a direct downstream component of D53 in reg- ulating tiller number and SL-induced gene expression. We showed that D53 interacts with IPA1 in vivo and in vitro and suppresses the transcriptional activation activity of IPA1. We further showed that IPA1 could directly bind to the D53 promoter and plays a critical role in the feedback regulation of SL-induced D53 expression. These findings re- veal that IPA1 is likely one of the long-speculated transcription factors that act with D53 to mediate the SL-regulated tiller development in rice.
Conjugated coordination polymers have become an emerging category of redox‐active materials. Although recent studies heavily focus on the tailoring of metal centers in the complexes to achieve stable ...electrochemical performance, the effect on different substitutions of the bridging bonds has rarely been studied. An innovative tailoring strategy is presented toward the enhancement of the capacity storage and the stability of metal–organic conjugated coordination polymers. Two nanostructured d‐π conjugated compounds, NiC6H2(NH)4n (Ni‐NH) and NiC6H2(NH)2S2n (Ni‐S), are evaluated and demonstrated to exhibit hybrid electrochemical processes. In particular, Ni‐S delivers a high reversible capacity of 1164 mAh g−1, an ultralong stability up to 1500 cycles, and a fully recharge ability in 67 s. This tailoring strategy provides a guideline to design future effective conjugated coordination‐polymer‐based electrodes.
An innovative tailoring strategy toward the enhancement of the capacity storage and stability of d‐π metal‐organic conjugated coordination polymers is proposed. The tailored compound Ni‐S shows a high reversible capacity of 1164 mAh g−1, an ultralong stability up to 1500 cycles, and a fully recharge ability of only 67 s.
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