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CO 2 reduction photocatalysts are favorable for obtaining renewable energy. Enriched active sites and effective photogenerated-carriers separation are keys for improving CO 2 photo-reduction. A thulium (Tm) single atom tailoring strategy introducing carbon vacancies in porous tubular graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) surpassing the ever-reported g-C 3 N 4 based photocatalysts, with 199.47 µmol g -1  h -1 CO yield, 96.8% CO selectivity, 0.84% apparent quantum efficiency and excellent photocatalytic stability, is implemented in this work. Results revealed that in-plane Tm sites and interlayer-bridged Tm-N charge transfer channels significantly enhanced the aggregation/transfer of photogenerated electrons thus promoting CO 2 adsorption/activation and contributing to *COOH intermediates formation. Meanwhile, Tm atoms and carbon vacancies both benefit for rich active sites and enhanced photogenerated-charge separation, thus optimizing reaction pathway and leading to excellent CO 2 photo-reduction. This work not only provides guidelines for CO 2 photo-reduction catalysts design but also offers mechanistic insights into single-atom based photocatalysts for solar fuel production., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The stability and catalytic activity of acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are strongly determined by the coordination states and spatial symmetry among metal sites at catalysts. Herein, an ultrafast oxygen evaporation technology to rapidly soften the intrinsic covalent bonds using ultrahigh electrical pulses is suggested, in which prospective charged excited states at this extreme avalanche condition can generate a strong electron-phonon coupling to rapidly evaporate some coordinated oxygen (O) atoms, finally leading to a controllable half-metallization feature. Simultaneously, the relative metal (M) site arrays can be orderly locked to delineate some intriguing atom-fingerprints at pyrochlore catalysts, where the coexistence of metallic bonds (M─M) and covalent bonds (M─O) at this symmetry-breaking configuration can partially restrain crystal field effect to generate a particular high-spin occupied state. This half-metallization catalyst can effectively optimize the spin-related reaction kinetics in acidic OER, giving rise to 10.3 times (at 188 mV overpotential) reactive activity than pristine pyrochlores. This work provides a new understanding of half-metallization atom-fingerprints at catalyst surfaces to accelerate acidic water oxidation., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

CoFe 2 O 4 has potential for application as a magnetically recoverable visible-light photocatalyst, but its photocatalytic activity is encumbered by the high recombination probability of its photogenerated holes ( h + ) and electrons ( e - ). This work was undertaken to boost the photocatalysis of CoFe 2 O 4 through coupling with conjugated poly(vinyl chloride) derivative (CPVC). An easily implementable solvothermal-liquid solid mixing-evaporation of the solvent-pyrolysis method was exploited to synthesize CoFe 2 O 4 /CPVC nanocomposites. The photocatalytic capabilities of the products were assessed through photocatalyzing the reduction of Cr(VI) under visible-light (λ > 420 nm). The results demonstrate that the optimal CoFe 2 O 4 /CPVC nanocomposite (CoFe 2 O 4 /CPVC-2) has markedly heightened photocatalytic activity (3.6 times that of CoFe 2 O 4 ) and competent reusability and is magnetically recoverable. Furthermore, CoFe 2 O 4 /CPVC-2 also shows superior performance toward photocatalytic treatment of the diluted Cr(VI)-containing passivation solution of copper alloys. It is deduced based on the photoelectricity measurement results that the increased photocatalysis of CoFe 2 O 4 /CPVC-2 is chiefly attributed to its p-n heterojunction structure, which greatly elevates the h + - e - separation and transfer efficiency. When waste PVC plastic films (replacing the new pure PVC powder) were utilized for the synthesis, the obtained CoFe 2 O 4 /CPVC nanocomposite exhibited even better photocatalytic activity (4 times that of CoFe 2 O 4 ). This work not only has made a new magnetically recoverable, efficient visible-light photocatalyst for decontamination of Cr(VI) in water but also is inspirational for recycling PVC plastic waste to produce high-valued visible-light photocatalysts.

In this work, the interaction between different chloro-substituted phenylurea herbicides (diuron (DIU) and chlortoluron (CHL)) and BSA were investigated and compared at three different temperatures (283 K, 298 K and 310 K) adopting UV-vis, fluorescence, and circular dichroism spectra. The quenching mechanism of the interaction was also proposed. The energy transfer between BSA and DIU/CHL was investigated. The binding sites of DIU/CHL and BSA and the variations in the microenvironment of amino acid residues were studied. The changes of the secondary structure of BSA were analyzed. The results indicate that both DIU and CHL can significantly interact with BSA, and the degree of the interaction between DIU/CHL and BSA increases with the increase of the DIU/CHL concentration. The fluorescence quenching of BSA by DIU/CHL results from the combination of static and dynamic quenching. The DIU/CHL has a weak to moderate binding affinity for BSA, and the binding stoichiometry is 1:1. Their binding processes are spontaneous, and hydrophobic interaction, hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces are the main interaction forces. DIU/CHL has higher affinity for subdomain IIA (Site I) of BSA than subdomain IIIA (Site II), and also interacts with tryptophan more than tyrosine residues. The energy transfer can occur from BSA to DIU/CHL. By comparison, the strength of the interaction of DIU-BSA is always greater than that of CHL-BSA, and DIU can destroy the secondary structure of BSA molecules greater than CHL and thus the potential toxicity of DIU is higher due to DIU with more chlorine substituents than CHL. It is expected that this study on the interaction can offer in-depth insights into the toxicity of phenylurea herbicides, as well as their impact on human and animal health at the molecular level., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Beyond optimizing electronic energy levels, the modulation of the electronic spin configuration is an effective strategy, often overlooked, to boost activity and selectivity in a range of catalytic reactions, including the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). This electronic spin modulation is frequently accomplished using external magnetic fields, which makes it impractical for real applications. Herein, spin modulation is achieved by engineering Ni/MnFe 2 O 4 heterojunctions, whose surface is reconstructed into NiOOH/MnFeOOH during the OER. NiOOH/MnFeOOH shows a high spin state of Ni, which regulates the OH - and O 2 adsorption energy and enables spin alignment of oxygen intermediates. As a result, NiOOH/MnFeOOH electrocatalysts provide excellent OER performance with an overpotential of 261 mV at 10 mA cm -2 . Besides, rechargeable zinc-air batteries based on Ni/MnFe 2 O 4 show a high open circuit potential of 1.56 V and excellent stability for more than 1000 cycles. This outstanding performance is rationalized using density functional theory calculations, which show that the optimal spin state of both Ni active sites and oxygen intermediates facilitates spin-selected charge transport, optimizes the reaction kinetics, and decreases the energy barrier to the evolution of oxygen. This study provides valuable insight into spin polarization modulation by heterojunctions enabling the design of next-generation OER catalysts with boosted performance., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Gel-state polymer electrolytes with superior mechanical properties, self-healing abilities and high Li + transference numbers can be obtained by in situ polymerization of monomers with hydrogen-bonding moieties. However, it is overlooked that the active hydrogen atoms in hydrogen-bond donors experience displacement reactions with lithium metal in lithium metal batteries (LMBs), leading to corrosion of the lithium metal. Herein, it is discovered that the addition of hydrogen-bond acceptors to hydrogen-bond-rich gel-state electrolytes modulates the chemical activity of the active hydrogen atoms via the formation of hydrogen-bonded intermolecular interactions. The characterizations reveal that the added hydrogen-bond acceptors encapsulate the active hydrogen atoms to suppress the interfacial chemical corrosions of lithium metals, thereby enhancing the chemical stability of the polymer structure and interphase. With the employment of this strategy, a 1.1 Ah LiNi 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 O 2 /Li metal pouch cell achieves stable cycling with 96.3 % capacity retention at 100 cycles. This new approach indicates a feasible path for achieving in situ polymerization of highly stable gel-state-based LMBs., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

In this study, the interaction of triazine herbicides with three kinds of different alkyl groups (simetryne, ametryn and terbutryn) with human serum albumin (HSA) are investigated through UV-vis, fluorescence, and circular dichroism (CD) spectra. The mechanisms on the fluorescence quenching of HSA initiated by triazine herbicides are obtained using Stern-Volmer, Lineweaver-Burk and Double logarithm equations. The quenching rate constant (K q ), Stern-Volmer quenching constant (K sv ), binding constant (K A ), thermodynamic parameters such as enthalpy change (∆H), entropy change (∆S) and Gibbs free energy (∆G) and number of binding site (n) are calculated and compared. The variations in the microenvironment of amino acid residues are studied by synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy. The binding sites and subdomains are identified using warfarin and ibuprofen as site probes. The conformational changes of HSA are measured using CD spectra. The results reveal that the triazine herbicides with different alkyl groups can interact with HSA by static quenching. The combination of the three herbicides and HSA are equally proportional, and the binding processes are spontaneous. Hydrophobic interaction forces play important roles in simetryne-HSA and ametryn-HSA, while the interaction of terbutryn-HSA is Van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonding. Moreover, the three herbicides can bind to HSA at site I (sub-domain IIA) more than site II (subdomain IIIA), and combine with tryptophan (Trp) more easily than tyrosine (Tyr) residues, respectively. By comparison, the order of interaction strength is terbutryn-HSA > ametryn-HSA > simetryne-HSA. Terbutryn can destroy the secondary structure of HSA more than simetryne and ametryn, and the potential toxicity of terbutryn is higher. It is expected that the interactions of triazine herbicides with HSA via multi-spectral analysis can offer some valuable information for studying the toxicity and the harm of triazine herbicides on human health at molecular level in life science., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a condition that affects the nervous system and that requires considerably more in-depth study. Abnormal Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+) metabolism and disulfide levels have been demonstrated in AD. This study investigated novel hub genes for disulfide levels and NAD+ metabolism in relation to the diagnosis and therapy of AD., Methods: Data from the gene expression omnibus (GEO) database were analyzed. Hub genes related to disulfide levels, NAD+ metabolism, and AD were identified from overlapping genes for differentially expressed genes (DEGs), genes in the NAD+ metabolism or disulfide gene sets, and module genes obtained by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Pathway analysis of these hub genes was performed by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). A diagnostic model for AD was constructed based on the expression level of hub genes in brain samples. CIBERSORT was used to evaluate immune cell infiltration and immune factors correlating with hub gene expression. The DrugBank database was also used to identify drugs that target the hub genes., Results: We identified 3 hub genes related to disulfide levels in AD and 9 related to NAD+ metabolism in AD. Pathway analysis indicated these 12 genes were correlated with AD. Stepwise regression analysis revealed the area under the curve (AUC) for the predictive model based on the expression of these 12 hub genes in brain tissue was 0.935, indicating good diagnostic performance. Additionally, analysis of immune cell infiltration showed the hub genes played an important role in AD immunity. Finally, 33 drugs targeting 10 hub genes were identified using the DrugBank database. Some of these have been clinically approved and may be useful for AD therapy., Conclusion: Hub genes related to disulfide levels and NAD+ metabolism are promising biomarkers for the diagnosis of AD. These genes may contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of AD, as well as to improved drug therapy., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2024 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.)

Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 (BOC)/Bi 4 O 5 Br 2 (BOB)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) Z-scheme heterojunction with promising photocatalytic properties was synthesized via a facile one-pot room-temperature method. Ultra-thin nanosheets of BOC and BOB were grown in situ on rGO. The formed 2D/2D direct Z-scheme heterojunction of BOC/BOB with oxygen vacancies (OVs) effectively leads to lower negative electron reduction potential of BOB as well as higher positive hole oxidation potential of BOC, showing improved reduction/oxidation ability. Particularly, rGO is an acceptor of the electrons from the conduction band of BOC. Its dual roles significantly improve the transfer performance of photo-induced charge carriers and accelerate their separation. With layered nanosheet structure, rich OVs, high specific surface area, and increased utilization efficiency of visible light, the multiple synergistic effects of BOC/BOB/rGO can achieve effective generation and separation of the electron-holes, thereby generating more •O 2 - and h + . The photocatalytic reduction efficiency of CO 2 to CO (12.91 µmol/(g·hr)) is three times higher than that of BOC (4.18 µmol/(g·hr)). Moreover, it also achieved almost 100% removal of Rhodamine B and cyanobacterial cells within 2 hours., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

One-unit-cell, single-crystal, hexagonal CuInP 2 S 6 atomically thin sheets of≈0.81 nm in thickness was successfully synthesized for photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 . Exciting ethene (C 2 H 4 ) as the main product was dominantly generated with the yield-based selectivity reaching ≈56.4 %, and the electron-based selectivity as high as ≈74.6 %. The tandem synergistic effect of charge-enriched Cu-In dual sites confined on the lateral edge of the CuInP 2 S 6 monolayer (ML) is mainly responsible for efficient conversion and high selectivity of the C 2 H 4 product as the basal surface site of the ML, exposing S atoms, can not derive the CO 2 photoreduction due to the high energy barrier for the proton-coupled electron transfer of CO 2 into *COOH. The marginal In site of the ML preeminently targets CO 2 conversion to *CO under light illumination, and the *CO then migrates to the neighbor Cu sites for the subsequent C-C coupling reaction into C 2 H 4 with thermodynamic and kinetic feasibility. Moreover, ultrathin structure of the ML also allows to shorten the transfer distance of charge carriers from the interior onto the surface, thus inhibiting electron-hole recombination and enabling more electrons to survive and accumulate on the exposed active sites for CO 2 reduction., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The lipid-inspired biosilicification process enables the creation of a series of concave silica nanoarchitectures in the complex shapes of nanobowls, nanodishes, nanoboats, and nanoloops. The reaction at a pH of 8 initially allows the formation of thin and elastic circular gel nanosheets that can undergo inducible stretching and folding, which subsequently evolves into nanodish and nanobowl through a potential global buckling process. The adjustment of the pH to 9 and 4 enables the production of more complex morphogens of nanoboat and nanoloop, respectively. These unique silica nanoarchitectures may have a wide scope of potential application from nanoreactors in heterogenous catalysis to drug delivery systems and optical materials.

Harnessing abundant renewable resources and pollutants on a large scale to address environmental challenges, while providing sustainable freshwater, is a significant endeavour. This study presents the design of fully functional solar vaporization devices (SVD) based on organic-inorganic hybrid nanocomposites (CCMs-x). These devices exhibit efficient photothermal properties that facilitate multitargeted interfacial reactions, enabling simultaneous catalysis of sewage and desalination. The localized interfacial heating generated by the photothermal effect of CCMs-x triggers surface-dominated catalysis and steam generation. The CCMs-x SVD achieves a solar water-vapor generation rate of 1.41 kg m -2 h -1 (90.8%), and it achieves over 95% removal of pollutants within 60 min under one-sun for practical application. The exceptional photothermal conversion rate of wastewater for environmental remediation and water capture is attributed to customized microenvironments within the system. The integrated parallel reaction system in SVD ensures it is a real-life application in multiple scenarios such as municipal/medical wastewater and brine containing high concentrations. Additionally, the SVD exhibits long-term durability, antifouling functionality toward complex ionic contaminants. This study not only demonstrates a one-stone-two-birds strategy for large-scale direct production of potable water from polluted seawater, but also opens up exciting possibilities for parallel production of energy and water resources., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The existence of excessive tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) in the ecological environment has seriously threatened human health, so there is an urgent need to develop a high-performance photocatalyst that can efficiently and greenly remove TCH. Currently, most photocatalysts have the problems of fast recombination of photogenerated charge carriers and low degradation efficiency. Herein, S-scheme AgI/Bi 4 O 5 I 2 (AB) heterojunctions was constructed for TCH removal. Compared with the single component, the apparent kinetic constant of the 0.7AB is 5.6 and 10.2 time as high as the AgI and Bi 4 O 5 I 2 , and the photocatalytic activity only decreases by 3.0% after four recycle runs. In addition, to verify the potential practical application of the fabricated AgI/Bi 4 O 5 I 2 nanocomposite, the photocatalytic degradation of TCH was performed under different conditions by regulating the dosage of photocatalyst, the TCH concentration, pH, and the existence of various anions. Systematical characterizations are conducted to investigate the intrinsic physical and chemical properties of the constructed AgI/Bi 4 O 5 I 2 composites. Based on the synergetic characterizations by in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, band edge measurements, as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS) detections, the S-scheme photocatalytic mechanism is proved. This work provides a valuable reference for developing efficient and stable S-scheme AgI/Bi 4 O 5 I 2 photocatalyst for TCH removal., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Photochemical conversion of CO 2 into high-value C 2+ products is difficult to achieve due to the energetic and mechanistic challenges in forming multiple C-C bonds. Herein, an efficient photocatalyst for the conversion of CO 2 into C 3 H 8 is prepared by implanting Cu single atoms on Ti 0.91 O 2 atomically-thin single layers. Cu single atoms promote the formation of neighbouring oxygen vacancies (V O s) in Ti 0.91 O 2 matrix. These oxygen vacancies modulate the electronic coupling interaction between Cu atoms and adjacent Ti atoms to form a unique Cu-Ti-V O unit in Ti 0.91 O 2 matrix. A high electron-based selectivity of 64.8% for C 3 H 8 (product-based selectivity of 32.4%), and 86.2% for total C 2+ hydrocarbons (product-based selectivity of 50.2%) are achieved. Theoretical calculations suggest that Cu-Ti-V O unit may stabilize the key *CHOCO and *CH 2 OCOCO intermediates and reduce their energy levels, tuning both C 1 -C 1 and C 1 -C 2 couplings into thermodynamically-favourable exothermal processes. Tandem catalysis mechanism and potential reaction pathway are tentatively proposed for C 3 H 8 formation, involving an overall (20e - - 20H + ) reduction and coupling of three CO 2 molecules at room temperature., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The optoelectronic properties of transition metal oxide semiconductors depend on their oxygen vacancies, nanostructures and aggregation states. Here, we report the synthesis and photoluminescence (PL) properties of substoichiometric tungsten oxide (WO 3- x ) aggregates with the nanorods, nanoflakes, submicro-spherical-like, submicro-spherical and micro-spherical structures in the acetic acid solution without and with the special surfactants (butyric or oleic acids). Based on theory on the osmotic potential of polymers, we demonstrate the structural change of the WO 3- x aggregates, which is related to the change of steric repulsion caused by the surfactant layers, adsorption and deformation of the surfactant molecules on the WO 3- x nanocrystals. The WO 3- x aggregates generate multi-color light, including ultraviolet, blue, green, red and near-infrared light caused by the inter-band transition and defect level-specific transition as well as the relaxation of polarons. Compared to the nanorod and nanoflake WO 3- x aggregates, the PL quenching of the submicro-spherical-like, submicro-spherical and micro-spherical WO 3- x aggregates is associated with the coupling between the WO 3- x nanoparticles and the trapping centers arising from the surfactant molecules adsorbed on the WO 3- x nanoparticles.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) is considered as a promising low-cost polymeric semiconductor as conjugated photocatalyst for energy and environmental application. This study exhibits a Na-doped g-C 3 N 4 with willow-leaf-shaped structure and high degree of crystallinity, which was synthesized with a convenient thermal polymerization using sodium carbonate (Na 2 CO 3 ) as the sodium source. The π-conjugated systems of g-C 3 N 4 were improved by doping sodium, which could accelerate the electron transport efficiency resulting in outstanding photocatalytic properties. Furthermore, optimum Na-doped g-C 3 N 4 (CN-0.05) attributed its enhanced irradiation efficiency of light energy to its narrower band gap and significant improvement in charge separation. Consequently, the H 2 evolution rate catalyzed with CN-0.05 can achieve 3559.8 μmol g -1 h -1 , which is about 1.9 times higher than that with pristine g-C 3 N 4 . The rate of CN-0.05 for reduction of CO 2 to CO (3.66 μmol g -1 h -1 ) is 6.6 times higher than that of pristine g-C 3 N 4 . In experiments of pollutants degradation, the reaction constants of degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) and methyl orange (MO) with CN-0.05 were 0.0271 and 0.0101 min -1 , respectively, which are 4.7 and 7.2 times more efficient than pristine g-C 3 N 4 , respectively. This work provides a simple preparation method for tailoring effective photocatalyst for the sustainable solution of environmental issues., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Excessive use of fossil fuels leads to energy shortages and environmental pollution, threatening human health and social development. As a clean, green, and sustainable technology, generation of renewable energy from solar light through photocatalysis has received increasing attention to cope with the impending energy and environmental crisis. The atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors with large surface area and abundant low-coordinate surface atoms prove to exhibit enormous potential to attain efficient photocatalytic performance. These 2D ultrathin materials can shorten the transport distance of charge carriers from the interior to the surface, enhance reactants' ( e.g. CO 2 and H 2 O) adsorption and activation to lower the energy barrier, promote specific reaction processes and inhibit competitive reactions, and regulate the efficiency and selectivity of the catalytic reaction. This Feature article provides a concise overview of the preparation, catalytic mechanism, strategies for boosting the photoconversion performance, various photocatalytic applications, and characterization techniques of atomically thin 2D semiconductors. The major challenges and opportunities of the ultrathin photocatalysts are also addressed. It is hoped that this review can provide useful guidelines toward further research on 2D nanocatalysts, and inspire practical applications of these unique materials for energy conversion.

Despite significant scientific efforts in the field of water treatment, pollution of drinking water by toxic metal ions and synthetic organic compounds is becoming an increasing problem. The photocatalytic capabilities of CuInS 2 nanoparticles were examined in this study for both the degradation of chloramphenicol (CAP) and the reduction of Cr(VI). CuInS 2 nanoparticles were produced using a straightforward solvothermal approach and subsequently characterized by many analysis techniques. Simultaneous photocatalytic Cr(VI) reduction and CAP oxidation by the CuInS 2 nanoparticles under visible-light demonstrated that lower pH and sufficient dissolved oxygen favored both Cr(VI) reduction and CAP oxidation. On the basis of active species quenching experiments, the possible photocatalytic mechanisms for Cr(VI) conversion with synchronous CAP degradation were proposed. Additionally, the CuInS 2 retains a high rate of mixed pollutant removal after five runs. This work shows that organic contaminants and heavy metal ions can be treated concurrently by the visible-light-induced photocatalysis of CuInS 2 ., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zhu, Li, Chai, Zhang, Li, Zhang, Liu and Li.)

Designing efficient photocatalysts is vital for the photoreduction of CO 2 to produce solar fuels, helping to alleviate issues of fossil fuel depletion and global warming. In this work, a novel ZnCr-LDH/Ti 3 C 2 T x Schottky junction is successfully synthesized using an in situ coprecipitation method. ZnCr-LDH nanoflakes collectively grow on the surface of Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene nanosheets. When using Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene as a cocatalyst in the prepared heterojunction, the light absorption intensity, photo-induced electron separation and migration efficiency increase. As a result, the composite ZnCr-LDH/Ti 3 C 2 T x results in significant improvement in the performance of photocatalytic CO 2 reduction under simulated solar irradiation. The optimized sample ZCTC25 has the highest photocatalytic CO 2 reduction rates of 122.45 μmol g -1 CO and 19.95 μmol g -1 CH 4 (after 6 h of irradiation). These values are approximately 2.65 times higher than those of pristine ZnCr-LDH. The product selectivity towards CO is 86%. This work provides a new method for the construction of novel 2D semiconductor photocatalysts and enriches the application of an unusual type of layered double hydroxides in the photoreduction of CO 2 .

Background: Lung metastasis is a common metastasis site of colorectal cancer which largely reduces the quality of life and survival rates of patients. The discovery of potential novel diagnostic biomarkers is very meaningful for the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer with lung metastasis., Methods: In the present study, the metabonomic profiling of serum samples of lung metastasis mice was analyzed by 1 H-nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H-NMR). Principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were used to elucidate the distinguishing metabolites between different groups, and all achieved excellent separations, which indicated that metastatic mice could be differentiated from control mice based on the metabolic profiles at serum levels. Furthermore, during lung metastasis of colorectal cancer, metabolic phenotypes changed significantly, and some of metabolites were identified., Results: Among these metabolites, approximately 15 were closely associated with the lung metastasis process. Pathway enrichment analysis results showed deregulation of metabolic pathways participating in the process of lung metastasis, such as synthesis and degradation of ketone bodies pathway, amino acid metabolism pathway and pyruvate metabolism pathway., Conclusion: The present study demonstrated the metabolic disturbances of serum samples of mice during the lung metastasis process of colorectal cancer and provides potential diagnostic biomarkers for the disease., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2022 Zhang et al.)

A simple and efficient ultrasonic-assisted approach was designed to synthesize CdS/microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) nanocomposite photocatalyst. The obtained products have been characterized by XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, UV-Vis DRS, and nitrogen adsorption isotherms. The results showed that the intimate contact of MCC and CdS is beneficial for enhancing the photocatalytic performance because heterojunction formation can efficiently promote the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes of the nanocomposite photocatalyst. By using 10% MCC coupled CdS, the decoloration rate of methylene blue (MB) in the solution under visible-light was increased nearly 50%. In addition, the reuse experiments confirmed that the CdS/MCC nanocomposite photocatalyst had outstanding cycle performance and durability. Mechanism study demonstrated that hydroxyl radicals, photogenerated holes and superoxide radicals were the active species in the photocatalytic oxidization degradation of MB., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zhu, Zhang, Zhang, Li, Wang, Jia and Liu.)

The development of advanced anode materials is crucial to enhance the performance of sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). In this study, SnSe 2 nanoparticles chemically embedded in a carbon shell (SnSe 2 @C) were fabricated from Sn-organic frameworks and evaluated as an anode material for SIBs. The structural characterization demonstrated that there existed C-Sn chemical bonds between the SnSe 2 nanoparticles and carbon shell, which could strongly anchor SnSe 2 nanoparticles to the carbon shell. Such a structure can not only facilitate charge transfer but also ensure the structural stability of the SnSe 2 @C electrode. In addition, the carbon shell also helped in the dispersion of SnSe 2 nanoparticles, thus offering more redox-active sites for Na + storage. The as-prepared SnSe 2 @C nanocomposite could deliver good cycling stability and a superior rate capability of 324 mA h g -1 at 2 A g -1 for SIBs.

In this work, novel perovskite-type calcium titanate nanoparticles (CaTiO 3 NPs) were for the first time exploited for the immobilization of proteins and the development of electrochemical biosensor. The CaTiO 3 NPs were synthesized with a simple and cost-effective route at low temperature, and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic spectrum, electrochemical impedance spectrum, UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrum, and cyclic voltammetry, respectively. The results indicated that CaTiO 3 NPs exhibited large surface area, and greatly promoted the direct electron transfer between enzyme molecules and electrode surface. The immobilized enzymes on this matrix retained its native bioactivity and exhibited a surface controlled, quasi-reversible two-proton and two-electron transfer reaction with an electron transfer rate of 3.35s -1 . Using glucose oxidase as model, the prepared glucose biosensor showed a high sensitivity of 14.10±0.5mAM -1 cm -2 , a wide linear range of 7.0×10 -6 to 1.49×10 -3 M, and a low detection limit of 2.3×10 -6 M at signal-to-noise of 3. Moreover, the biosensor also possessed good reproducibility, excellent selectivity and acceptable storage life. This research provided a new-type and promising perovskite nanomaterials for the development of efficient biosensors., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In this work, we reported an efficient platinum nanoparticles functionalized nitrogen doped graphene (PtNPs@NG) nanocomposite for devising novel electrochemical glucose biosensor for the first time. The fabricated PtNPs@NG and biosensor were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, static water contact angle, UV-vis spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectra and cyclic voltammetry, respectively. PtNPs@NG showed large surface area and excellent biocompatibility, and enhanced the direct electron transfer between enzyme molecules and electrode surface. The glucose oxidase (GOx) immobilized on PtNPs@NG nanocomposite retained its bioactivity, and exhibited a surface controlled, quasi-reversible and fast electron transfer process. The constructed glucose biosensor showed wide linear range from 0.005 to 1.1mM with high sensitivity of 20.31 mA M(-1) cm(-2). The detection limit was calculated to be 0.002 mM at signal-to-noise of 3, which showed 20-fold decrease in comparison with single NG-based electrochemical biosensor for glucose. The proposed glucose biosensor also demonstrated excellent selectivity, good reproducibility, acceptable stability, and could be successfully applied in the detection of glucose in serum samples at the applied potential of -0.33 V. This research provided a promising biosensing platform for the development of excellent electrochemical biosensors., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A tetragonal columnar-shaped TiO2 (TCS-TiO2) nanorods are synthesized via a facile route for the immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOx). A novel electrochemical glucose biosensor is constructed based on the direct electrochemistry of GOx at TCS-TiO2 modified glassy carbon electrode. The fabricated biosensor is characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectra and cyclic voltammetry. The immobilized enzyme molecules on TCS-TiO2 nanorods retain its native structure and bioactivity and show a surface controlled, quasi-reversible and fast electron transfer process. The TCS-TiO2 nanorods have large surface area and provide a favorable microenvironment for enhancing the electron transfer between enzyme and electrode surface. The constructed glucose biosensor shows wide linear range from 5.0×10(-6) to 1.32×10(-3) M with a high sensitivity of 23.2 mA M(-1) cm(-2). The detection limit is calculated to be 2.0×10(-6) M at signal-to-noise of 3. The proposed glucose biosensor also exhibits excellent selectivity, good reproducibility, and acceptable operational stability. Furthermore, the biosensor can be successfully applied in the detection of glucose in serum sample at the applied potential of -0.50 V. The TCS-TiO2 nanorods provide an efficient and promising platform for the immobilization of proteins and development of excellent biosensors., (© 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)-nanoflake-like SnS(2) nanocomposite were designed for immobilization of glucose oxidase (GOx). The direct electrochemistry of GOx and glucose sensing at MWCNTs-SnS(2) modified glassy carbon electrode were studied. Compared with single MWCNTs or SnS(2), the MWCNTs-SnS(2) film has larger surface area and provides a more favorable microenvironment for facilitating the electron transfer between enzyme and electrode surface. The properties of GOx/MWCNTs-SnS(2) were examined by scanning electron microscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. The immobilized enzyme on MWCNTs-SnS(2) composite film retained its native structure and bioactivity and showed a surface controlled, reversible two-proton and two-electron transfer reaction with a apparent electron transfer rate constant of 3.96 s(-1). The constructed glucose biosensor exhibits wider linear range from 2.0×10(-5) M to 1.95×10(-3) M, much lower detection limit of 4.0×10(-6) M at signal-to-noise of 3 and higher sensitivity of 21.65 mA M(-1) cm(-2) than our previous nanoflake-like SnS(2)-based glucose sensor. The proposed biosensor has excellent selectivity, good reproducibility, and acceptable operational stability and can be successfully applied in the reagentless glucose sensing at -0.43 V. This MWCNTs-SnS(2) composite provides a new avenue for immobilizing proteins and fabricating excellent biosensors., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A novel biosensor is developed based on immobilization of proteins on nanoflake-like SnS₂ modified glass carbon electrode (GCE). With glucose oxidase (GOD) as a model, direct electrochemistry of the GOD/nanoflake-like SnS₂ is studied. The prepared SnS₂ has large surface area and can offer favorable microenvironment for facilitating the electron transfer between protein and electrode surface. The properties of GOD/SnS₂ are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and cyclic voltammetry (CV), respectively. The immobilized enzyme on nanoflake-like SnS₂ retains its native structure and bioactivity and exhibits a surface-controlled, reversible two-proton and two-electron transfer reaction with the apparent electron transfer rate constant (k(s)) of 3.68 s⁻¹. The proposed biosensor shows fast amperometric response (8s) to glucose with a wide linear range from 2.5 × 10⁻⁵ M to 1.1 × 10⁻³ M, a low detection limit of 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ M at signal-to-noise of 3 and good sensitivity (7.6 ± 0.5 mA M⁻¹ cm⁻²). The resulting biosensor has acceptable operational stability, good reproducibility and excellent selectivity and can be successfully applied in the reagentless glucose sensing at -0.45 V. It should be worthwhile noting that it opens a new avenue for fabricating excellent electrochemical biosensor., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)