Latest ArticlesA novel organocatalytic asymmetric approach to oxazoline derivatives that proceeds through Mannich/annulation reaction of N-acylimines with 3-chlorooxindoles is presented. This strategy provides an efficient and convenient method to access enantioenriched oxazolines such as valuable chiral S, N-oxazoline ligand as well as Ferrox ligand in high yields with excellent enantio– and diastereroselectivity. Furthermore, the optically active oxazoline products can be converted to valuable 1, 2-amino alcohols. More importantly, the synthetic utility of this transformation is demonstrated in the expeditious assembly of chiral Phox-type ligand, which shows excellent catalytic activities.
Solid-state batteries (SSBs) with thermal stable solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) show intrinsic capacity and great potential in energy density improvement. SSEs play critical role, however, their low ionic conductivity at room temperature and high brittleness hinder their further development. In this paper, polypropylene (PP)-polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 (LATP)-Lithium bis(trifluoromethane sulphonyl)imide (LiTFSI) multi-layered composite solid electrolyte (CSE) is prepared by a simple separator coating strategy. The incorporation of LATP nanoparticle fillers and high concentration LiTFSI not only reduces the crystallinity of PVDF, but also forms a solvation structure, which contributes to high ionic conductivity in a wide temperature. In addition, using a PP separator as the supporting film, the mechanical strength of the electrolyte was improved and the growth of lithium dendrites are effectively inhibited. The results show that the CSE prepared in this paper has a high ionic conductivity of 6.38×10–4 S/cm at room temperature and significantly improves the mechanical properties, the tensile strength reaches 11.02 MPa. The cycle time of Li/Li symmetric cell assembled by CSE at room temperature can exceed 800 h. The Li/LFP full cell can cycle over 800 cycles and the specific capacity of Li/LFP full cell can still reach 120 mAh/g after 800 cycles at 2 C. This CSE has good cycle stability and excellent mechanical strength at room temperature, which provides an effective method to improve the performance of solid electrolytes under moderate condition.
Currently, it is still a challenge to develop an organic photosensitizer (PS) with outstanding near-infrared absorption, low O2 dependence, precise tumor targeting and rapid clearance through the kidney to improve the overall outcome of phototherapy. In this study, we have designed an organic PS (NcPB) with an excellent near-infrared light absorption through a refined molecular strategy. Meanwhile, NcPB was assembled into nanoparticles with different sizes (NanoNcPB-1 and NanoNcPB-0) by a supramolecular modulation strategy. As the results, the nanoparticle with an ultra-small size (NanoNcPB-1) generated a large number of superoxide anion (O2•−) in a low-O2-dependent manner and release plenty of heat. Furthermore, the results of in vivo experiments demonstrated that NanoNcPB-1 actively accumulated in tumor tissues and showed a 92% tumor inhibition after photodynamic and photothermal combination therapy. More importantly, NanoNcPB-1 could be rapidly cleared from the body of mice via the renal pathway, which alleviates potential side effects of prolonged retention of PS in the circulation.
Venetoclax (Vene), a BCL-2 inhibitor, is widely used as a chemotherapeutic drug in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, its treatment specificity for leukemia cells is limited, often leading to side effects and treatment resistance. In this study, we utilized l-phenylalanine as an efficient nanocarrier to enhance the delivery of Vene, forming the complex Vene@8P6. This complex was then applied to AML mouse models and human AML cell lines. The in vitro analysis showed that THP-1 and HL60 cells rapidly absorbed the Vene@8P6 nanoparticles. This absorption resulted in severe DNA damage, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, elevated apoptosis rates, and decreased cell proliferation compared to the administration of Vene alone. In vivo studies demonstrated that Vene@8P6 more efficiently targeted leukemia cells than normal hematopoietic cells within the bone marrow and other major organs in AML mice, as evidenced by bioluminescence imaging and flow cytometry analysis. Furthermore, Vene@8P6 treatment resulted in reduced drug side effects and improved therapeutic efficacy in AML mice. Overall, Vene@8P6 represents a novel and efficient therapeutic agent for AML, offering enhanced leukemia target specificity, reduced side effects, and improved treatment outcomes.
Herein, we report the design and synthesis of alternating donor-acceptor nanorings [3]C-NA and [4]C-NA, along with a reference linear molecule [3]L-NA, via electrochemical oxidation-induced reductive elimination of alkynyl platinum(Ⅱ) complexes. Unlike [3]L-NA, which exhibits charge defects at its end-groups, the cyclic structures of [3]C-NA and [4]C-NA facilitate enhanced electron delocalization, enabling efficient charge transfer in low-polarity toluene. In the polar solvent dichloromethane (DCM), the increased flexibility of [4]C-NA promotes intramolecular charge transfer and suppresses charge recombination. The observed faster intramolecular charge transfer and slower charge recombination rates in these nanoring acceptor materials suggest their potential for improving the power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells, providing valuable insights for the design of nanoring acceptor materials.
High-capacity Ni-rich layered cathodes LiNixCoyMn1−x−yO2 (NCM) have been widely recognized as highly promising candidates for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, NCM cathodes are suffered from sluggish Li-ion kinetics and fast capacity decay. Herein, the Nb/Ti co-doping strategy has been proposed by formation energy analysis to enhance the mechanical and chemical integrities of NCM cathode. Nb/Ti co-doping facilitates Li-ion transport of NCM cathode for boosting the rate ability. Furthermore, the structure stability is prominently improved for the stronger Nb–O and Ti–O bonds, resulting from the suppressed sharp contraction of c axis, inhibited microcracks formation, and alleviated electrolyte corrosion. Inspired by the synergistic effect of Nb/Ti co-doping, the modified NCM exhibits superior comprehensive electrochemical performances. The Nb/Ti co-doping NCM exhibits an increased discharge capacity of 144.3 mAh/g at 10 C and an outstanding capacity retention remained 92.7% after 300 cycles at 1 C. This work offers a promising approach to developing high-performance cathode materials.
Flexible zinc-ion batteries (FZIBs) have been acknowledged as a potential cornerstone for the future development of flexible energy storage, yet conventional FZIBs still encounter challenges, particularly concerning performance failure at low temperatures. To address these challenges, a novel anti-freezing leather gel electrolyte (AFLGE-30) is designed, incorporating ethanol as a hydrogen bonding acceptor. The AFLGE-30 demonstrates exceptional frost resistance while maintaining favorable flexibility even at −30 ℃; accordingly, the battery can achieve a high specific capacity of about 70 mAh/g. Cu//Zn battery exhibits remarkable stability at room temperature, retaining ~96% efficiency after 120 plating/stripping cycles at 1 mA/cm2. Concurrently, the Zn//Zn symmetric batteries demonstrate a lifespan of 4100 h at room temperature, which is attributed to the enhancement of Zn2+ deposition kinetics, restraining the formation of zinc dendrites. Furthermore, FZIBs exhibit minimal capacity loss even after bending, impacting, or burning. This work provides a promising strategy for designing low-temperature-resistant FZIBs.
Natural phytoconstituents exhibit distinct advantages in the management and prevention of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), attributed to their robust biological activity, multi-target effects, and elevated safety profile. Although promising, the clinical application of phytoconstituents have been impeded by poor water solubility, low oral bioavailability, and inadequate colonic targeting. Recent advancements in nanotechnology has offered prospective avenues for the application of phytoconstituents in the treatment of IBD. A common strategy involves encapsulating or conjugating phytoconstituents with nanocarriers to enhance their stability, prolong intestinal retention, and facilitate targeted delivery to colonic inflammatory tissues. Furthermore, drawing inspiration from the self-assembling nanostructures that emerge during the decoction process of Chinese herbs, a variety of natural active compounds-based nanoassemblies have been developed for the treatment of IBD. They exhibit high drug-loading capacities and surmount the challenges posed by poor water solubility and low bioavailability. Notably, phyto-derived nanovesicles, owing to their unique structure and biological functions, can serve as therapeutic agents or novel delivery vehicles for the treatment of IBD. Consequently, this review provides an extensive overview of emerging phytoconstituent-derived nano-medicines/vesicles for the treatment of IBD, intending to offer novel insights for the clinical management of IBD.
Transition metal selenides are considered promising electrochemical energy storage materials due to their excellent rate properties and high capacity based on multi-step conversion reactions. However, its practical applications are hampered by poor conductivity and large volume variation for Na+ storage, which resulting fast capacity decay. Herein, a facile metal-organic framework (MOF) derived method is explored to embed Cu2-xSe@C particles into a carbon nanobelts matrix. Such carbon encapsulated nanobelts' structural moderate integral electronic conductivity and maintained the structure from collapsing during Na+ insertion/extraction. Furthermore, the porous structure of these nanobelts endows enough void space to mitigate volume stress and provide more diffusion channels for Na+/electrons transporting. Due to the unique structure, these Cu2-xSe@C nanobelts achieved ultra-stable cycling performance (170.7 mAh/g at 1.0 A/g after 1000 cycles) and superior rate capability (94.6 mAh/g at 8 A/g) for sodium-ion batteries. The kinetic analysis reveals that these Cu2-xSe@C nanobelts with considerable pesoudecapactive contribution benefit the rapid sodiation/desodiation. This rational design strategy broadens an avenue for the development of metal selenide materials for energy storage devices.
Despite significant progress has been achieved regarding the shuttle-effect of lithium polysulfides, the suppressed specific capacity and retarded redox kinetics under high sulfur loading still threat the actual energy density and power density of lithium-sulfur batteries. In this study, a graham condenser-inspired carbon@WS2 host with coil-in-tube structure was designed and synthesized using anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane with vertically aligned nanopores as template. The vertical array of carbon nanotubes with internal carbon coils not only leads to efficient charge transfer across through the thickness of the cathode, but also provides significant confinement to polysulfide diffusion towards both the lateral and longitudinal directions. Few-layer WS2 in the carbon coils perform a synergistic role in suppressing the shuttle-effect as well as boosting the cathodic kinetics. As a result, high specific capacity (1180 mAh/g at 0.1 C) and long-cycling stability at 0.5 C for 500 cycles has been achieved at 3 mgS/cm2. Impressive areal capacity of 7.4 mAh/cm2 has been demonstrated when the sulfur loading reaches 8.4 mg/cm2. The unique coil-in-tube structure developed in this work provides a new solution for high sulfur loading cathode towards practical lithium-sulfur batteries.