Latest ArticlesInhibition of foam cell formation is considered a promising treatment method for atherosclerosis, the leading cause of cardiovascular diseases worldwide. However, currently available therapeutic strategies have shown unsatisfactory clinical outcomes. Thus, herein, we design aloperine (ALO)-loaded and hyaluronic acid (HA)-modified palladium (Pd) octahedral nanozymes (Pd@HA/ALO) that can synergistically scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) and downregulate cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression to induce macrophage polarization, thus inhibiting foam cell formation to attenuate atherosclerosis. Due to the targeted effect of HA on stabilin-2 and CD44, which are overexpressed in atherosclerotic plaques, Pd@HA/ALO can actively accumulate in atherosclerotic plaques. Subsequently, the antioxidative effects of Pd octahedral nanozymes are mediated by their intrinsic superoxide dismutase- and catalase-like activities capable of effective scavenging of ROS. In addition, anti-inflammatory effects are mediated by controlled, on-demand near-infrared-triggered ALO release leading to inhibition of COX-2 expression. Importantly, the combined therapy can promote the polarization of macrophages to the M2 subtype by upregulating Arg-1 and CD206 expression and downregulating expression of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6, thereby inhibiting atherosclerosis-related foam cell formation. In conclusion, the presented in vitro and in vivo data demonstrate that Pd@HA/ALO enhanced macrophage polarization to reduce plaque formation, identifying an attractive treatment strategy for cardiovascular disease.
2D MBenes have been theoretically predicted to possess unique electronic structures and physicochemical properties, and thus shown great promise in various applications. However, the synthesis of individual single-layer MBene remains a grand challenge due to its orthorhombic structure of MAB phases. Recently, scientists from Linköping University have fabricated 2D monolayer Mo4/3B2-xTz with ordered metal vacancies. Their results demonstrated the feasibility of top-down approach by chemical exfoliation of laminated compounds and provided the principle for further preparation of a wealth of MBenes.
Fabricating an efficient charge transfer pathway at the compact interface between two kinds of semiconductors is an important strategy for designing hydrogen production heterojunction photocatalysts. In this work, we prepared a compact, stable and oxygen vacancy-rich photocatalyst (SnO2/TiO2 heterostructure) via a simple and reasonable in-situ synthesis method. Briefly, SnCl2–2H2O is hydrolyzed on the TiO2 precursor. After the pyrolysis process, SnO2 nanoparticles (5 nm) were dispersed on the surface of ultrathin TiO2 nanosheets uniformly. Herein, the heterojunction system can offer abundant oxygen vacancies, which can act as active sites for catalytic reactions. Meanwhile, the interfacial contact of SnO2/TiO2 grading semiconductor oxide is uniform and tight, which can promote the separation and migration of photogenerated carriers. As shown in the experimental results, the hydrogen production rate of SnO2/TiO2 is 16.7 mmol h−1 g−1 (4.4 times higher than that of TiO2), which is owing to its good dynamical properties. This work demonstrates an efficient strategy of tight combining SnO2/TiO2 with abundant oxygen vacancies to improve catalytic efficiency.
A dual-readout sensing platform based on two signal transduction channels can integrate the unique advantages of each sensing pattern, compensate for the deficiency in the adaptive capacity, and enable a more convincing performance in analytical applications. Here, we introduce a responsive molecule dye, xylenol orange (XO), to combine with lanthanide terbium ions (Tb3+). The resultant Tb3+-XO complex exhibited tunable optical properties and was used as a novel colorimetric and luminometric dual-readout sensing platform for assaying the anthrax biomarker, dipicolinic acid (DPA). In the presence of Tb3+, the XO solution underwent a color change from yellow to magenta; however, upon adding DPA, the color changed back to yellow immediately, accompanied by the characteristic luminescence emission of Tb3+. Considering the strong affinity between DPA/XO and metal ions, the proposed sensing platform was further employed for the determination and differentiation of certain metal ions using linear discriminant analysis. This convenient dual-readout sensing platform offers several notable features and significantly promotes the application and development of lanthanide-based materials.
In this study, through direct pyrolysis of a nitrogen-rich metal-organic framework of Fe-BTT at different temperatures and followed by acid treatment, we prepared a series of Fe–N–CT (T = 800–1000 ℃) composite catalysts with uniform cubic morphology and homogeneously distributed active sites. Acid leaching leads to the removal of excess Fe NPs and the exposure of more pyridinic N and porphyrin-like Fe–Nx sites and creates a higher specific surface area. Structural and electrochemical performance test results showed that Fe–N–C900 catalyst exhibited the highest selectivity for CO product at –1.2 V vs. Ag/AgCl, with 496 mV of overpotential and 86.8% of Faraday efficiency, as well as excellent long-term stability, due to the good inheritance from rich-N Fe–BTT precursor.
Derivative-extremum analysis (DEA) of j-E curves is a newly proposed method of half wave potential (E1/2) and activation feature extraction from steady-state voltammetry. Here, the DEA is demonstrated to be valid in the full range of reversibility using numerical simulations with a derived universal electrode equation, providing a novel perspective of electrochemical kinetics in the reversibility domain. The results reveal that E1/2 is a better choice of the reference potential instead of equilibrium potential (Eeq) in electrode equations, especially since Eeq is meaningless in an irreversible case. The equations referenced with standard potential, E1/2 and Eeq, are summarized in three tables, and their applications in parameter determinations are specified. Finally, reversibility is proved to be a relative measure between kinetic slowness and mass transport of electroactive species, and the reversibility classifications are proposed according to the DEA feature in the reversibility domain. This work, based on the DEA principle, refines the electrode equation forms and generalizes their applicability in the full range of reversibility.
Lithium–sulfur (Li-S) batteries are regarded as one of the most promising energy storage devices because of their low cost, high energy density, and environmental friendliness. However, Li-S batteries suffer from sluggish reaction kinetics and serious "shuttle effect" of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), which causes rapid decay of battery capacity and prevent their practical application. To address these problems, introducing single-atom catalysts (SACs) is an effective method to improve the electrochemical performance of Li-S batteries, due to their high catalytic efficiency and definite active sites for LiPSs. In this paper, we summarized the latest developments in enhancing the electrochemical performance of cathode for Li-S batteries through introducing different SACs. Furthermore, we briefly introduced the catalytic mechanism of SACs and discussed the strategies of synthesizing SACs, including the spatial confinement strategy and the coordination design strategy. Finally, the challenges and prospects in this field are proposed. We believe that this review would help to design and fabricate high-performance Li-S batteries via introducing SACs and boost their practical application.
A new biobased flame retardant (MHPA) with remarkable compatibility was synthesized via a facile and low-cost neutralization reaction of magnesium hydroxide (MH) and phytic acid (PA). By blending the prepared MHPA into ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), the fire retardancy, smoke suppression and mechanical properties of the composites were significantly improved. When 50 wt% of MH was added into EVA matrix, the value of limiting oxygen index (LOI) reached 26.1%. Whereas, when 10 wt% MH in the EVA composites (with initial 50 wt% MH) was replaced by MHPA, the resulted EVA composites had a LOI value of 30.8%, indicating high efficiency of addition of MHPA to improve flame retardancy. Moreover, the heat release rate (HRR) and total smoke production (TSP) of the EVA composites reduced by 54.4% and 27.6%, respectively, suggesting that incorporation of MHPA could effectively hinder rapid degradation of EVA composites during burning process. The fire-retardant mechanism may reside in that the MHPA combined with MH can present the excellent carbonization and expansion effects. This study illustrates that the biobased MHPA has a broad application prospect to develop flame-retardant EVA composites.
Sluggish kinetics of lithium/sulfur (Li/S) conversion chemistry and the ion channels formation in the cathode is still a bottleneck for developing future Li/S batteries with high-rate, long-cycling and high-energy. Here, a rational cathode structure design of an oxygen (O) and nitrogen (N) tailoring carbon fiber aerogel (OCNF) as a host material integrated with platinum (Pt) electrocatalysis interface is employed to regulate Li/S conversion chemistry and ion channel. The Pt nanoparticles were uniformly sprayed onto the S surface to construct the electrocatalysis interface (Pt/S/OCNF) for generating ion channels to promote the effective penetration of electrolyte into the cathode. This Pt/S/OCNF gives the cathode a high sulfur utilization of 77.5%, an excellent rate capacity of 813.2 mAh/g (2 C), and an outstanding long-cycling performance with a capacitance retention of 82.6% and a decay of 0.086% per cycle after 200 cycles at 0.5 C. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the Pt electrocatalysis interface makes the cathode a high density of state (DOS) at Fermi level to facilitate the electrical conductivity, charge transfer kinetics and electrocatalysis to accelerate the lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) electrochemical conversion. Furthermore, the unique chemisorption structure and adsorption ability of Li2Sn (n = 1, 2, 4, 6, 8) and S8 on OCNF are attributed to the bridging effects of interfacial Pt and the bonding of N-Li. The Pt electrocatalysis interface combined with the unique 3D hierarchical porous structure and abundant functional active sites at OCNF guarantee strong adsorption confinement, fast Li/S electrocatalytic conversion and unblocked ion channels for electrolyte permeation in cathode.
Supercapacitors (SCs) are rated as the foremost efficient devices bridging the production and consumption of renewable energy. To address the ever-increasing energy requirements, it is indispensable to further develop high-performance SCs with merits of high energy-density, acceptable price and long-term stability. This review highlights the recent advances on halogen-based functionalized chemistry engineering in the state-of-the-art electrode system for high-performance SCs, primarily referring to the doping and decoration strategies of F, Cl, Br and I elements. Due to the discrepancy of electronegativity and atomic radius, the functionalization of each halogen element endows the substrate materials with different physicochemical properties, including energy bandgap structure, porosity distribution and surface affinity. The principle of halogen embedment into host materials by precisely controlling ionic adsorption and electronic structure is presented. And, the vital perspectives on the future challenges of halogen functionalization are also discussed. This work aims to deepen the understanding of halogen-based functionalized strategies to motivate further research for the development of high-performance SCs, and it also provides a prospect for exploring new material modification methods for electrochemical energy storage.
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