Using corporate social responsibility (CSR) ratings for 23,000 companies from 114 countries, we find that a firm's CSR rating and its country's legal origin are strongly correlated. Legal origin is a ...stronger explanation than "doing good by doing well" factors or firm and country characteristics (ownership concentration, political institutions, and globalization): firms from common law countries have lower CSR than companies from civil law countries, with Scandinavian civil law firms having the highest CSR ratings. Evidence from quasi-natural experiments such as scandals and natural disasters suggests that civil law firms are more responsive to CSR shocks than common law firms.
Although ether‐based electrolytes have been extensively applied in anode evaluation of batteries, anodic instability arising from solvent oxidability is always a tremendous obstacle to matching with ...high‐voltage cathodes. Herein, by rational design for solvation configuration, the fully coordinated ether‐based electrolyte with strong resistance against oxidation is reported, which remains anodically stable with high‐voltage Na3V2(PO4)2O2F (NVPF) cathode under 4.5 V (versus Na+/Na) protected by an effective interphase. The assembled graphite//NVPF full cells display superior rate performance and unprecedented cycling stability. Beyond that, the constructed full cells coupling the high‐voltage NVPF cathode with hard carbon anode exhibit outstanding electrochemical performances in terms of high average output voltage up to 3.72 V, long‐term cycle life (such as 95 % capacity retention after 700 cycles) and high energy density (247 Wh kg−1). In short, the optimized ether‐based electrolyte enriches systematic options, the ability to maintain oxidative stability and compatibility with various anodes, exhibiting attractive prospects for application.
By rational design of the solvation configuration, a cation–solvent fully coordinated ether‐based electrolyte with strong oxidation resistance up to 4.5 V (versus Na+/Na) was developed and applied in graphite//NVPF and LHC//NVPF full cells which showed superior rate performance and unprecedented cycling stability.
Covalent organic frameworks (COF) possess a robust and porous crystalline structure, making them an appealing candidate for energy storage. Herein, we report an exfoliated polyimide COF composite ...(P‐COF@SWCNT) prepared by an in situ condensation of anhydride and amine on the single‐walled carbon nanotubes as advanced anode for potassium‐ion batteries (PIBs). Numerous active sites exposed on the exfoliated frameworks and the various open pathways promote the highly efficient ion diffusion in the P‐COF@SWCNT while preventing irreversible dissolution in the electrolyte. During the charging/discharging process, K+ is engaged in the carbonyls of imide group and naphthalene rings through the enolization and π‐K+ effect, which is demonstrated by the DFT calculation and XPS, ex‐situ FTIR, Raman. As a result, the prepared P‐COF@SWCNT anode enables an incredibly high reversible specific capacity of 438 mA h g−1 at 0.05 A g−1 and extended stability. The structural advantage of P‐COF@SWCNT enables more insights into the design and versatility of COF as an electrode.
We prepare a polyimide covalent organic framework composite anode by effective in‐situ condensation of anhydride and amine on the surface of single‐walled carbon nanotubes. The construction of the conductive network accelerates the transport of electron. Dual electroactive sites in the framework, carbonyls and aromatic naphthalene rings, could store more potassium ions by the enolization and π‐K+ effect.
Hard carbon is regarded as a promising anode material for sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs). However, it usually suffers from the issues of low initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE) and poor rate performance, ...severely hindering its practical application. Herein, a flexible, self‐supporting, and scalable hard carbon paper (HCP) derived from scalable and renewable tissue is rationally designed and prepared as practical additive‐free anode for room/low‐temperature SIBs with high ICE. In ether electrolyte, such HCP achieves an ICE of up to 91.2% with superior high‐rate capability, ultralong cycle life (e.g., 93% capacity retention over 1000 cycles at 200 mA g−1) and outstanding low‐temperature performance. Working mechanism analyses reveal that the plateau region is the rate‐determining step for HCP with a lower electrochemical reaction kinetics, which can be significantly improved in ether electrolyte.
A self‐supporting, flexible, additive‐free and scalable hard carbon paper (HCP) derived from tissue is rationally developed, and it achieves outstanding Na‐storage properties in terms of high initial Coulombic efficiency (91.2%), superior high‐rate capability, ultralong cyclic stability, as well as outstanding low‐T performance in ether electrolyte. More significantly, the Na‐storage and capacity attenuation mechanism of the HCP anode is revealed.
Impossible voltage plateau regulation for the cathode materials with fixed active elemental center is a pressing issue hindering the development of Na‐superionic‐conductor (NASICON)‐type ...Na3V2(PO4)2F3 (NVPF) cathodes in sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs). Herein, a high‐entropy substitution strategy, to alter the detailed crystal structure of NVPF without changing the central active V atom, is pioneeringly utilized, achieving simultaneous electronic conductivity enhancement and diffusion barrier reduction for Na+, according to theoretical calculations. The as‐prepared carbon‐free high‐entropy Na3V1.9(Ca,Mg,Al,Cr,Mn)0.1(PO4)2F3 (HE‐NVPF) cathode can deliver higher mean voltage of 3.81 V and more advantageous energy density up to 445.5 Wh kg−1, which is attributed by the diverse transition‐metal elemental substitution in high‐entropy crystalline. More importantly, high‐entropy introduction can help realize disordered rearrangement of Na+ at Na(2) active sites, thereby to refrain from unfavorable discharging behaviors at low‐voltage region, further lifting up the mean working voltage to realize a full Na‐ion storage at the high voltage plateau. Coupling with a hard carbon (HC) anode, HE‐NVPF//HC SIB full cells can deliver high specific energy density of 326.8 Wh kg−1 at 5 C with the power density of 2178.9 W kg−1. This route means the unlikely potential regulation in NASICON‐type crystal with unchangeable active center becomes possible, inspiring new ideas on elevating the mean working voltage for SIB cathodes.
A high‐entropy effect is delicately introduced into fluorophosphate cathode for sodium‐ion batteries by in situ partial substitution of active V central atom, preparing a high‐entropy carbon‐free Na3V1.9(Ca,Mg,Al,Cr,Mn)0.1(PO4)2F3 cathode, suppressing the occurrence of detrimental phase transition process in the low‐voltage region, and further lifting up the mean working voltage of pristine Na3V2(PO4)2F3, enhancing sodium storage behavior, rate capability, and cycle performance.
Photoimmunotherapy is attractive for cancer treatment due to its spatial controllability and sustained responses. This work presents a ferrocene‐containing Ir(III) photosensitizer (IrFc1) that can ...bind with transferrin and be transported into triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells via a transferrin receptor‐mediated pathway. When the ferrocene in IrFc1 is oxidized by reactive oxygen species, its capability to photosensitize both type I (electron transfer) and type II (energy transfer) pathways is activated through a self‐amplifying process. Upon irradiation, IrFc1 induces the generation of lipid oxidation to cause ferroptosis in TNBC cells, which promotes immunogenic cell death (ICD) under both normoxia and hypoxia. In vivo, IrFc1 treatment elicits a CD8+ T‐cell response, which activates ICD in TNBC resulting in enhanced anticancer immunity. In summary, this work reports a small molecule‐based photosensitizer with enhanced cancer immunotherapeutic properties by eliciting ferroptosis through a self‐amplifying process.
A Ir(III)‐based photosensitizer with self‐amplifying properties is reported in this work. IrFc1 can cause lipid oxidation leading to ferroptosis in transferrin receptor overexpressing cancer cells, which envokes intense anticaner immnuoenhancement both in vitro and in vivo.
This study presents a pioneering synthesis of a direct Z-scheme Y2TmSbO7/GdYBiNbO7 heterojunction photocatalyst (YGHP) using an ultrasound-assisted hydrothermal synthesis technique. Additionally, ...novel photocatalytic nanomaterials, namely Y2TmSbO7 and GdYBiNbO7, were fabricated via the hydrothermal fabrication technique. A comprehensive range of characterization techniques, including X-ray diffractometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, UV-visible spectrophotometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, photocurrent testing, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, and electron paramagnetic resonance, was employed to thoroughly investigate the morphological features, composition, chemical, optical, and photoelectric properties of the fabricated samples. The photocatalytic performance of YGHP was assessed in the degradation of the pesticide acetochlor (AC) and the mineralization of total organic carbon (TOC) under visible light exposure, demonstrating eximious removal efficiencies. Specifically, AC and TOC exhibited removal rates of 99.75% and 97.90%, respectively. Comparative analysis revealed that YGHP showcased significantly higher removal efficiencies for AC compared to the Y2TmSbO7, GdYBiNbO7, or N-doped TiO2 photocatalyst, with removal rates being 1.12 times, 1.21 times, or 3.07 times higher, respectively. Similarly, YGHP demonstrated substantially higher removal efficiencies for TOC than the aforementioned photocatalysts, with removal rates 1.15 times, 1.28 times, or 3.51 times higher, respectively. These improvements could be attributed to the Z-scheme charge transfer configuration, which preserved the preferable redox capacities of Y2TmSbO7 and GdYBiNbO7. Furthermore, the stability and durability of YGHP were confirmed, affirming its potential for practical applications. Trapping experiments and electron spin resonance analyses identified active species generated by YGHP, namely •OH, •O2−, and h+, allowing for comprehensive analysis of the degradation mechanisms and pathways of AC. Overall, this investigation advances the development of efficient Z-scheme heterostructural materials and provides valuable insights into formulating sustainable remediation strategies for combatting AC contamination.
Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) showing multiple-cracking and strain-hardening under tension are appealing for the construction industry, but the high cement content in conventional ECC ...leads to high environmental impacts. Recently, the limestone and calcined clay (LCC) blend has been proposed as a promising alternative of Supplementary Cementing Materials (SCM) to address the inadequacy of common SCM such as fly ash and blast furnace slag, which have been widely-used in ECC. This paper reports a feasibility study for the first time on using ultrahigh-volume LCC blend (HVLCC, 70% and 80% by weight of binder) to produce sustainable medium-strength ECC. Three water/binder ratios (0.30, 0.35 and 0.40) and two sand/binder ratios (0.2 and 0.4) were explored. HVLCC-ECC can achieve a tensile strain capacity of 0.57–1.58%, tensile strength of 3.24–5.19 MPa and compressive strength of 33–65 MPa at 28 days. HVLCC-ECC also have sufficient early strength at 3 days (22-38 MPa), and similar fresh properties and bulk densities under surface-dry condition (1900-2100 kg/m3), as compared to conventional ECC. Additionally, HVLCC-ECC show about 1/6 higher embodied energy and about 1/6 lower embodied carbon than a typical ECC mix with 55% fly ash in the binder, and ECC with fly ash perform much better than ECC with LCC blend in terms of embodied energy and embodied carbon per unit strength or strain capacity. Nevertheless, this new version of HVLCC-ECC with adequate mechanical performance are still attractive from the perspective of shortage of fly ash in the future due to the reduced consumption of coal.
•Medium-strength ECC with Limestone-Calcined Clay (LCC) blend are reported for the first time.•Sustainable PVA-ECC with ultrahigh-volume LCC blend (70–80 wt% of binder) were explored.•Sufficient workability, early strength and 28-day compressive strength of 33–65 MPa were obtained.•28-day tensile strength of 3.24–5.19 MPa and tensile strain capacity of 0.57–1.58% were achieved.•These ECC are attractive from the perspective of shortage of fly ash due to reduced consumption of coal.
Efficient bioconversion of methanol, which can be generated from greenhouse gases, into valuable resources contributes to achieving climate goals and developing a sustainable economy. The ...methylotrophic yeast Ogataea methanolica is considered to be a suitable host for efficient methanol bioconversion because it has outstanding characteristics for the better adaptive potential to a high methanol environment (i.e., greater than 5%). This capacity represents a huge potential to construct an innovative carbon‐neutral production system that converts methanol into value‐added chemicals under the control of strong methanol‐induced promoters. In this review, we discuss what is known about the regulation of methanol metabolism and adaptation mechanisms for 5% methanol conditions in O. methanolica in detail. We also discuss about the potential to breed “super methylotrophic yeast,” which has potent growth characteristics under high methanol conditions.
Take‐away
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Ogataea methanolica has a high capacity to adapt to high methanol conditions (≥5%).
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Alcohol oxidase isozymes regulate intracellular formaldehyde levels to adapt to high methanol levels.
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Ogataea methanolica coordinates methanol metabolism in response to external methanol.
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Strictly regulating methanol metabolism maintains energy homeostasis.
The review article outlines the mechanisms of adaptation to high methanol conditions in the methylotrophic yeast Ogataea methanolica that the methanol utilizing pathway is downregulated due to the formaldehyde toxicity, while ROS scavenging system and TCA cycle are upregulated to maintain redox and energy homeostasis, respectively. Appropriate regulation of intracellular formaldehyde is one of the key points to address high methanol utilization. O. methanolica can be a model candidate for breeding a high‐methanol‐tolerant yeast, which will greatly contribute to developing the “methanol bioeconomy.”
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