Latest ArticlesIn order to solve the contradiction between the rapidly growing energy demand and the excessive exploitation of fossil fuels, it is urgent to research and develops more environmentally friendly and efficient energy storage technologies. Therefore, the development of high-performance cathode materials to enhance the energy density of SIB is currently one of the most important topics of scientific research. Advanced high-voltage and low-cost cathode material for SIBs, a composite of carbon-coated Na4MnCr(PO4)3 (NASICON-type), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and modified carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is prepared by sol-gel and freeze-drying method. Due to the high conductivity of CNTs, the conductivity of the composite is significantly improved, and its initial capacity is increased to 114 mAh/g at 0.5 C and 96 mAh/g at 5 C (Mn2+/Mn4+ conversion for voltage windows 1.4-4.3 V). Moreover, the multi-electrons transfer of Cr3+/Cr4+ and Mn2+/Mn4+ can provide a high capacity of 165 mAh/g at 0.1 C and 102 mAh/g at 5 C in the high voltage window of 1.4-4.6 V. Furthermore, PVP can effectively inhibit the Jahn-Teller effect caused by Mn ion, making the composite have more excellent high-rate performance and stability. In addition, GITT, EIS and CV curves were drawn to better reveal the excellent kinetic properties of Na4MnCr(PO4)3@C@PVP@CNT cathode, and the mechanism of its performance improvement is deeply studied and discussed. Accordingly, the co-doping of CNTs and PVP is a simple way to high conductivity and fast charging of cathode materials for SIBs.
So far, a clear understanding about the relationship of variable energy band structure with the corresponding charge-discharge process of energy storage materials is still lacking. Here, using optical spectroscopy (red-green-blue (RGB) value, reflectivity, transmittance, UV–vis, XPS, UPS) to study α-Co(OH)2 electrode working in KOH electrolyte as the research object, we provide direct experimental evidence that: (1) The intercalation of OH– ions will reduce the valence/conduction band (VB and CB) and band gap energy (Eg) values; (2) The deintercalation of OH– ions corresponds with the reversion of VB, CB and Eg to the initial values; (3) The color of Co(OH)2 electrode also exhibit regular variations in RGB value during the charge-discharge process.
Rechargeable alkaline aqueous zinc batteries (RAZBs) have attracted increasing attention. However, most RAZBs are hindered by the limited availability of cathode materials. The practical electrochemical performance of most cathode materials is lower than the theoretical value due to their poor electrical conductivity and low utilization capacity. In this work, we develop a facile hydrothermal procedure to prepare highly uniform bimetallic sulfides as novel cathode materials for RAZBs. Copper-cobalt binary metallic oxides materials possess higher conductivity and larger capacity compared with their mono-metal oxides compounds due to bimetallic synergistic effects and multiple oxidation states. Furthermore, bimetallic sulfide compounds have smaller bond energy and longer bond length than their oxides, leading to less structural damage, faster kinetics of electrochemical reactions, and better stability. The as-prepared Co-Cu bimetallic sulfides show enhanced electrochemical performance due to various valences of Co and Cu as well as the existence of S. As a result, aqueous Zn/CuCo2S4 battery shows a high specific capacity of 117.4 mAh/g at 4 A/g and a good cycle life of over 8000 cycles. Based on PANa hydrogel electrolytes, a flexible Zn/CuCo2S4 battery demonstrates excellent cycling stability. This battery can also meet the requirements of electronic devices with different shapes and performs well in extreme environments, such as freezing, drilling, and hammering. This work opens new avenues to obtain high-rate and long-life cathode materials for RAZBs by utilizing the synergistic effects of bimetallic sulfides and provides a new platform for flexible energy storage devices.
Stimuli-responsive smart materials exhibit reverse chemical/physical changes in response to external stimuli and research on stimuli-responsive smart materials with self-powered properties is still uncultivated ground. Here, we report perovskite crystalline self-powered multiple stimuli-responsive materials triggered by chemical and thermal stimuli. [HMEP]PbI3·(H2O) (1; HMEP is a hydroxytris(1-methylethyl)phosphorus cation) crystallizes in a chiral space group P21 at 293 K and has the piezoelectric reaction (d33 = 10 pC/N and output voltage = 1 V) of self-powered modes, this value is larger than the value of 3 pC/N for the classical piezoelectric material ZnO. Piezoelectric materials can generate energy due to mechanical deformation, and using thermal heating to lose water, [HMEP]PbI3 (2) can be obtained. 2 crystallizes in the non-centrosymmetric space group, undergoes two reversible phase transitions at 243/255 K and 315/348 K, and shows second harmonic generation switching. Interestingly, 2 can return to the hydrated form 1 after absorbing water. This work will lay the foundation for self-powered stimuli-responsive compounds and contribute to the construction of novel organic-inorganic hybrid materials with second harmonic generation switching.
Achieving high activity and durability for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with an ultra-low amount of platinum is significant to promote the widespread application of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Here we report a new ultrathin (~1 nm) ternary PtNiGa alloy nanowires (PtNiGa NWs) electrocatalyst, in which the presence of gallium (Ga) enhances the oxidation resistance of platinum (Pt) and nickel (Ni) and suppresses the dissolution of Ni. The mass and specific activities of PtNiGa NWs are about 11.2 and 7.6 times higher than those of commercial Pt/C catalysts for ORR. Moreover, the mass activity of PtNiGa/C NWs nanocatalyst decreased only by 12.8% and largely retained its electrochemical surface area (ECSA) after 10,000 potential cycles, compared with 38% loss of ECSA for commercial Pt/C catalyst. Therefore, this work provides a general guideline for preparing ternary alloy electrocatalysts and enhancing the activity and stability of the cathode ORR reaction of PEMFCs.
We report a facile template-free fabrication of heterostructured Co3O4/CuO hollow nanospheres using pre-synthesized Co/Cu-glycerate as conformal precursor. The introduction of copper nitrate in the solvothermal reaction system of glycerol/isopropanol/cobalt nitrate readily induces the conversion from solid Co-glycerate to hollow Co/Cu-glycerate nanospheres, and the effect of the Co/Cu atomic ratio on the structure evolution of the metal glycerates as well as their corresponding oxides were investigated. When examined as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, the well-defined Co3O4/CuO hollow nanospheres with Co/Cu molar ratio of 2.0 demonstrate excellent lithium storage performance, delivering a high reversible capacity of 930 mAh/g after 300 cycles at a current density of 0.5 A/g and a stable capacity of 650 mAh/g after 500 cycles even at a higher current density of 2.0 A/g, which are much better than their counterparts of bare CuO and Co3O4. The enhanced lithium storage performance can be attributed to the synergistic effect of the CuO and Co3O4 heterostructure with hollow spherical morphology, which greatly enhances the charge/electrolyte transfer and effectively buffers the volume changes upon lithiation/delithiation cycling.
Patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) wild-type non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) often show primary resistance to gefitinib therapy. It is thus necessary to study the metabolism of gefitinib in NSCLC cells to comprehensively reveal the reasons for the primary resistance of tumors. Herein, we develop a platform for studying drug metabolism heterogeneity based on single-cell mass spectrometry (sDMH-scMS) by integrating living-cell electrolaunching ionization MS (ILCEI-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography-MS (HPLC-MS) analysis, and the primary resistance of NSCLC cells to gefitinib was studied using this platform. The ILCEI-MS analysis showed that approximately 11.9% of NSCLC single cells contained the gefitinib metabolite M11; HPLC-MS detection diluted the intensity of M11 in subpopulations and concealed the heterogeneity of drug metabolism in tumor single cells. The intensity of gefitinib in EGFR wild-type A549 cells was markedly lower than in mutant PC9 cells, and the intensity of gefitinib metabolites was significantly higher than in PC9 cells, suggesting that the primary resistance of NSCLC cells is related to gefitinib metabolism. Moreover, the combination of gefitinib and the drug-metabolizing enzyme inhibitor α-naphthoflavone was shown to overcome the primary resistance of the NSCLC cells. Overall, the results of this study are expected to be applicable for clinical drug resistance diagnosis and treatment at the single-cell level.
Rare earth luminescence has attracted widespread attention for several decades, among which near-infrared (NIR) light-related up-conversion luminescence and NIR-Ⅱ luminescence are widely used in the biomedical field. The NIR-related luminescence is widely studied due to the excellent performance, such as good biocompatibility, deep tissue penetration depth, low self-fluorescence and minimal light damage to organisms. In this review, we mainly introduce the mechanism for rare earth up-conversion luminescence, NIR-Ⅱ luminescence and conclude their advantages compared with traditional luminescence. These excellent priorities provide the basis for NIR-related luminescence bioimaging in vivo. Additionally, we hilglight the scheme for the sensitive detection of substances in organisms and various methods for biological therapy. In spite of the existing research, it is outlined that NIR-related luminescence has great potential to be applied in different aspects, expanding perspectives and future challenges of research in related fields. Based on the current scientific achievements, this review can provide reference for research in the areas mentioned above, expand the research direction and arouse a broad interest in different disciplines to pay attention to rare earth luminescence.
Native amino-directed palladium-catalyzed C(sp3)–H activation/functionalization has been developed for modification of α-amino acids and peptides. Herein a palladium(Ⅱ)-catalyzed C(sp2)–H arylation of α-amino-β-aryl esters has been disclosed, using the native amino as the directing group. A variety of chiral α-amino-β-aryl esters can be functionalized to give the corresponding ortho-substituted mono- and di-arylated products.
Bone metastasis, a life-threatening complication of advanced breast cancer, is often accompanied by debilitating pain (cancer-induced bone pain, CIBP) that severely impairs life quality and survival. The concurrent treatment of bone metastases and CIBP remains a clinical challenge because the therapeutic options are limited. In this study, we construct a near-infrared light-activated nano-therapeutic system to meet this conundrum. In detail, sorafenib (SRF) and photosensitizer (chlorin e6, Ce6) are encapsulated into mesoporous hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HANPs), which are further functionalized with hyaluronic acid (HA) to obtain HA-SRF/Ce6@HANPs system. The designed nanoplatform destroys tumor cells in vitro and in vivo via the synergism of SRF (interrupting the exchange of cystine/glutamate by inhibiting SLC7A11) and photodynamic therapy (PDT, inducing reactive oxygen species generation). The decrease in tumor burden and reduction of extracellular glutamate significantly attenuate CIBP in mice model with developing bone cancer. Moreover, the combination of HA-SRF/Ce6@HANPs and PDT inhibit osteoclasts activation, promote osteoblast differentiation and accelerate bone repair. Overall, the nanoagent with good biocompatibility may provide an effective therapy method for the concurrent treatment of breast cancer bone metastasis and CIBP.
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