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Hollow site and Cu top site emerged as the primary adsorption sites, with the initial relative positions of I 2 molecules relative to the surface influencing adsorption effectiveness. [Display omitted] • Efficient iodine removal: This study targets radioactive gaseous iodine from spent nuclear fuel. • Strong adsorption: CuS surfaces show excellent adsorption capabilities for iodine molecules. • Defect impact: Surface defects significantly enhance I 2 binding compared to pristine CuS. • Mechanism differences: Cu and S vacancy defects exhibit distinct effects on I 2 adsorption mechanisms. The present work investigated the adsorption of gaseous iodine molecules (I 2) on stable CuS surface, which has demonstrated excellent performance as an adsorbent for I 2 removal, with first-principles density functional theory (DFT). In this work, a pair of asymmetric surfaces (marked as slab1 and slab2) formed by breaking the weakest bond along (0 0 1) direction are chosen to present CuS surfaces. The findings indicate that the adsorption of I 2 molecules on the pristine CuS(0 0 1) surface is relatively weak, while surface defects significantly enhance the binding strength of I 2. In particular, S-vacancy CuS(0 0 1) surfaces exhibit considerably higher adsorption energy for I 2 compared to Cu-vacancy surfaces. We found that the hollow and Cu-top sites are typically the dominant adsorption sites, and the initial orientation of I 2 relative to the surface also influences the adsorption performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rechargeable magnesium batteries (RMBs), as one of the most promising candidates for efficient energy storage devices with high energy, power density and high safety, have attracted increasing attention. However, searching for suitable cathode materials with fast diffusion kinetics and exploring their magnesium storage mechanisms remains a great challenge. CuS submicron spheres, made by a facile low-temperature synthesis strategy, were applied as the high-performance cathode for RMBs in this work, which can deliver a high specific capacity of 396 mAh g−1 at 20 mA g−1 and a remarkable rate capacity of 250 mAh g−1 at 1000 mA g−1. The excellent rate performance can be assigned to the nano needle-like particles on the surface of CuS submicron spheres, which can facilitate the diffusion kinetics of Mg2+. Further storage mechanism investigations illustrate that the CuS cathodes experience a two-step conversion reaction controlled by diffusion during the electrochemical reaction process. This work could make a contribution to the study of the enhancement of diffusion kinetics of Mg2+ and the reaction mechanism of RMBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interfacial solar desalination generation (ISDG) presents a promising solution for obtaining freshwater from seawater. However, developing solar evaporators with robust salt resistance using simple methods to ensure consistent desalination performance remains a major challenge. In this study, we engineered a solar evaporator (CuS-PDA-PVAF) by modifying polyvinyl alcohol foam (PVAF) with polydopamine (PDA) and CuS using a straightforward solution immersion method. The incorporation of PDA and CuS enhances the sunlight absorption capability of PVAF to approximately 98 %, resulting in an evaporation rate of 1.44 kg m–2 h–1 under 1-solar intensity. The CuS-PDA-PVAF solar evaporator leverages the macroporous structure and excellent hydrophilicity, enabling it to withstand 15 wt% saltwater while maintaining a steady evaporation rate of about 1.17 kg m–2 h–1. Outdoor tests confirm that a 1 m2 CuS-PDA-PVAF can generate approximately 5.6 kg of freshwater daily. This solar evaporator, designed simply and resistant to salt, possesses substantial potential for alleviating freshwater scarcity. • CuS-PDA-PVAF was designed with a simple solution immersion method. • CuS improves the sunlight absorption of PDA-PVAF to 98 %. • CuS-PDA-PVAF can steadily resist 15 wt% saltwater. • 1 m2 CuS-PDA-PVAF can produce about 5.6 kg of freshwater per day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic stress caused by prolonged emotional pressure can lead to various physiological issues, including reproductive dysfunction. Although reproductive problems can also induce chronic stress, the impact of chronic stress-induced reproductive dysfunction remains contentious. This study investigates the effects of chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) on reproductive neuropeptides, sperm quality, and testicular morphology. Sixteen twelve-week-old Sprague Dawley rats were divided into two groups: a non-stress control group and a CUS-induced group. The CUS regimen involved various stressors over 28 days, with both groups undergoing behavioural assessments through sucrose-preference and forced-swim tests. Hypothalamic gene expression levels of CRH, PNX, GPR173, kisspeptin, GnRH, GnIH , and spexin neuropeptides were measured via qPCR, while plasma cortisol, luteinizing hormone (LH), and testosterone concentrations were quantified using ELISA. Seminal fluid and testis samples were collected for sperm analysis and histopathological evaluation, respectively. Results showed altered behaviours in CUS-induced rats, reflecting stress impacts. Hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) expression and plasma cortisol levels were significantly higher in CUS-induced rats compared to controls (p < 0.05). Conversely, phoenixin (PNX) expression decreased in the CUS group (p < 0.05), while kisspeptin, spexin , and gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) levels showed no significant differences between groups. Despite a significant increase in GnRH expression (p < 0.05), plasma LH and testosterone concentrations were significantly lower (p < 0.05) in CUS-induced rats. Histopathological analysis revealed abnormal testis morphology in CUS-induced rats, including disrupted architecture, visible interstitial spaces between seminiferous tubules, and absence of spermatogenesis. In conclusion, CUS affects reproductive function by modulating PNX and GnRH expression, influencing cortisol levels, and subsequently reducing plasma LH and testosterone concentrations. This study highlights the complex interplay between chronic stress and reproductive health, emphasizing the significant impact of stress on reproductive functions. • Chronic stress has recently associated with decreasing of reproductive health quality among males. • Chronic stress significantly reduced reproductive neuropeptides gene expression, phoenixin levels and reproductive hormones. • CUS influences reproductive function by modulating phoenixin and GnRH expression. • Testis and sperm morphology are severely affected by the CUS induced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) by utilizing sulfide electrolytes (SEs) have recently attracted much attention because of their advantages such as high ionic conductivity and low processing temperature of SEs. To enhance the electrochemical properties of ASSBs such as areal capacity and cycle performance, it is highly desired to obtain an intimate contact between active materials and SEs in the cathode and decrease the content of non-active materials including electronically conductive carbon and SEs. In this work, a carbon-free composite cathode with CuS as the active material and lithium argyrodite Li 5.5 PS 4.5 Cl 1.5 (LPSCl) as the SE was prepared by ball milling. Due to the tight contact between LPSCl and CuS caused by ball milling, high theoretical specific capacity, and relatively large electronic conductivity of CuS, the ASSB with a composite cathode containing a CuS loading of 10.2 mg cm−2 delivered a large initial discharge capacity of 434.3 mAh g–1 electrode based on the cathode mass and a high areal capacity of 5.5 mAh cm−2 at room temperature. At a higher CuS loading of 20.4 mg cm−2, an ultrahigh areal capacity of 12.7 mAh cm−2 and a calculated specific energy of 955 Wh kg–1 electrode based on the cathode were obtained at 60 °C. Our work demonstrates that the carbon-free, CuS-based composite cathode is a highly promising cathode for high-energy-density ASSBs. [Display omitted] • A carbon-free CuS-based cathode for all-solid-state batteries is reported. • An intimate contact between CuS and sulfide electrolyte is achieved. • An ultrahigh areal capacity of 12.7 mAh cm−2 is obtained for the cathode. • The energy density based on the total mass of the cathode is 955 Wh kg–1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CuS/Ag2S microspheres with reduced graphene oxide (CuS/Ag2S-rGO) composites have been successfully prepared via a hydrothermal method. The characteristic of CuS/Ag2S-rGO microspheres were characterized by the Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the transmission electron (TEM), the X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-Vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS). The photocatalytic experiments results shown that the CuS/Ag2S-rGO have high photodegradation rate about 98% for methylene blue (MB) under visible-light irradiation, and still retained 90% original catalytic activity after four cycles. The high visible photocatalytic degradation was attributed to the interfacial charge transfer in the Z-scheme photocatalytic systems of CuS/Ag2S and fast separation of photoelectric. This composition was expected to show considerable potential applications in water purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flower-like CuS microspheres were synthesised at 25 °C for 24 h in a choline chloride/ethylene glycol (1:3)-based deep eutectic solvent (DES) via an elemental-direct-reaction method. The as-synthesised CuS samples were characterised by XRD, SEM, EDS, TEM and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectra. Moreover, a detailed mechanism on the formation of a CuS flower-like structure has been elucidated. In addition, CuS microspheres exhibit high photocatalytic activity for the degradation of MB dye under visible light irradiation in the presence of H2O2. On the basis of the experimental results, a mechanism of photocatalysis also has been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Capability of reducing the overpotential and also increasing the current density of hydrogen evolution reaction, HER, through exposure to light can be aid in the development of effective HER driven by sunlight. With this in mind, herein, the hybrid electrode based on polypyrrole –CuS composite, PPyCuS, is fabricated with the aim to form an electrode photo-electrocatalyst for HER. Therefore, an in situ sonoelectrochemical method was employed to synthesis of hybrid nanocomposite film on copper substrate. The photoelectrochemical performance of PPyCuS@GOPt hetrostructure was investigated in acidic solution under visible light irradiation by linear sweep voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, EIS, and Tafel slopes evaluation. Actually, we could prepare the PPyCuS@GOPt nanocomposite film on Cu 2 O nano particles exhibited a much smaller onset overpotential with high current density for photo-HER. It was proven that GO, and Pt can act as effective dual co-catalysts to enhance the photocatalytic H 2 production activity of PPyCuS. The higher photoactivity is attributed to the fact that the photoinduced interfacial charge transfer in the heteronanostructures follow by further transfer in GO sheets. This work is expected to provide a new concept for development of highly efficient polymer-sulfide compounds photoelectrocatalysts for HER under simulated sunlight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time, a flower-like nanostructured CuS material was synthesised through a facile hydrothermal route using copper foil and brenstone as Cu and S sources, respectively. The obtained CuS was characterised by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The effects of the concentrations of the brenstone, reaction time, reaction temperature and NH4F additive on the morphologies of CuS nanostructures were studied in detail. It was found that morphological adjustment of the samples could be easily realised by optimising the amount of NH4F. However, the thickness of the CuS nanoplates highly depends on the combination of reaction time, reaction temperature and the concentrations of the brenstone and NH4F. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper sulphide CuS was deposited on three substrates; glass, Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) and Ti by using spray pyrolysis deposition (SPD). After depositing CuS thin films on the substrates at 200 °C, they were annealed at 50, 100, 150, and 200 °C for 1 hour. Structural measurements revealed covellite CuS and chalcocite Cu 2 S phases for thin films before and after annealing at 200 °C with changes in intensities, and only covellite CuS phase for thin films after annealing at 50, 100, and 150 °C. Morphological characteristics show hexagonal-cubic crystals for the CuS thin film deposited on glass substrate and plates structures for films deposited on ITO and Ti substrates before annealing, these crystals became bigger in size and there were be oxidation and some agglomerations in some regions with formation of plates for CuS on glass substrate after annealing at 200 °C. For Hall Effect measurements, thin films sheet resistivity and mobility increased after annealing while the carrier concentration decreased. Generally, the thin film deposited on ITO substrate had the lowest resistivity and the highest carrier concentration before and after annealing. The thin film deposited on Ti substrate had the highest mobility before and after annealing, which makes it the best thin film for device performance. The objective of this research is to show the improvement of thin films electrical properties especially the mobility after annealing those thin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the synthesis and structural studies of copper sulfide nanocrystals from copper(II) dithiocarbamate single molecule precursors. The optical studies of the as-prepared copper sulfide nanoparticles were carried out using UV–Visible and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The absorption spectra show absorption band edges at 287 nm and exhibit considerable blue shift that could be ascribed to the quantum confinement effects as a result of the small crystallite sizes of the nanoparticles and the photoluminescence spectra show emission curves that are red shifted with respect to the absorption band edges. The structural studies were carried out using powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The XRD patterns revealed the formation of hexagonal structure of covellite CuS with estimated crystallite sizes of 17.3–18.6 nm. The TEM images showed particles with almost spherical or rod shapes with average crystallite sizes of 3–9.8 nm. SEM images showed morphology with ball-like microsphere on the surfaces and EDS spectra confirmed the presence of CuS nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the present work, 3D flowerlike CuS nanostructures were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal process using Cu2O hollow microspheres as templates. Reaction of Cu2O hollow microspheres with thioacetamide at 40°C for 2h followed by hydrothermal treatment at 120°C for 12h resulted in high yield of 3D flowerlike structure with diameters ranging from 200 to 300nm. The Influence of experimental parameters on the morphology of the CuS nanostructures was investigated in detail. Different stages of the formation process were studied and thus the formation mechanism of the 3D flowerlike CuS nanostructures was presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A new type of CuS-loaded inverse opal g-C 3 N 4 photocatalyst was fabricated. • The prepared composites showed better performance of photocatalytic reduction of CO 2. • The optimal CuS loading was 2 wt%, and the corresponding CO production rate was 13.24 μmol g−1 h−1, which was 3.2 times that of IO CN and 5 times that of Bulk CN. • The direct photo-induced interfacial charge transfer mechanism is proposed to explain the photogenerated electron transfer path. • The improvement of performance is mainly attributed to the combination of inverse opal structure and CuS as cocatalyst. As a greenhouse gas, CO 2 is also a rich carbon resource. Using sunlight to reduce CO 2 to usable substances through photocatalysis can alleviate the greenhouse effect and realize energy recycling. Herein, CuS nanoparticles are grown in situ on the surface of inverse opal g-C 3 N 4 by a one-step hydrothermal method. The inverse opal structure can increase the specific surface area of the material, and CuS can be used as the cocatalyst to accept photo-generated electrons on the conduction band of g-C 3 N 4 , thereby promoting the separation and transfer of photo-generated charges. And the interfacial charge transfer mechanism of CuS further improves the separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes. The photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 activity of the prepared catalyst is greatly improved. The CO yield reaches 13.24 μmol g−1 h−1. A new strategy is provided to develop artificial photosynthesis for reduction of CO 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanonail shaped ZnS-CuS-Bi three component nanoparticles are synthesized via a simple one-pot colloidal synthesis route by thermal decomposition of metal-thiolate precursors. A thiol serves as the sulfur source and a phase directing capping agent promotes selective anisotropic growth of the nanocrystals in a noncoordinating solvent. After the nucleation and growth of a CuS rod, reactive Cu ions serve as catalytic seeds for the nucleation and growth of ZnS and Bi at the CuS nanorod tips. Thereby the obtained ZnS-CuS-Bi nanocrystals form a chain of two semiconductors of decreasing band gap and a metallic Bi nanoparticle. The three components absorb light in different spectral regions enabling efficient light harvesting. Furthermore, the band edge alignment of ZnS and CuS promote photogenerated electron funneling towards the Bi catalyst particle, which promotes charge carrier separation, effectively channeling the catalytic activity. The photocatalytic performance is assessed at the example of the photodegradation of the organic dye Rhodamine B, and shows excellent performance rendering these nanonails as inexpensive, non-toxic and efficient photocatalyst to remedy environmental pollution. [Display omitted] • One-pot synthesis of 1D heterostructures. • Bi based novel photocatalyst. • Charge carrier dynamic pointing towards a funneling effect. • Photocatalytic dye degradation for waste water treatment and environmental preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The poor drug delivery and unsatisfying therapeutic effects remain to be the primary challenges for cancer therapy. Nanosystem that combines multiple functions into a single platform is an ideal strategy. Here, a smart drug delivery nanoplatform (Z@C-D/P) based on ZnO@CuS nanoparticles, loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) and pirfenidone (PFD) was constructed. Importantly, the β-CD-DMA and PEG-DMA could be activated in the mild acidic tumor microenvironment, then the nanosystem underwent charge reversal and PFD release. PFD could inhibit cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) activation and enhance tumor penetration. And the residual nanostructure ZnO@CuS could trigger cascade amplified ROS generation to induce tumor cell death. The photothermal effect further strengthened the anti-tumor efficacy. Finally, the nanosystem showed remarkable inhibition of tumor growth (89.7%) and lung metastasis. The innovatively designed nanosystem integrating chemotherapy and photothermal effect would provide a promising strategy in breast cancer therapy. A new drug-delivery nanosystem combing ZnO and CuS, loading two kinds of drugs simultaneously, DOX and PFD, was established. This nanosystem could respond to the tumor acidic microenvironment, and then the size got smaller and the charge reversed, leading to the deep penetration of nanoparticles. ZnO, CuS, and DOX could facilitate tumor cell death through amplified ROS production and GSH-GPX4 pathways regulation. PFD, as the TGF-β downregulation agent, restrained tumor metastasis. Photothermal therapy combined with chemotherapy further enhanced the anti-tumor effect. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CuS/g-C 3 N 4 and CuS/h-BN nanocomposites are synthesized by simple hydrothermal technique. • The nanocomposites exhibit superior peroxidase like activity and catalyze the oxidation of TMB. • Presence of Ibuprofen hinders the TMB oxidation process by scavenging the OH radicals. • Ibuprofen can be detected upto 16.01 and 21.20 mg/L using CuS/g-C 3 N 4 and CuS/h-BN respectively. This work reports a selective and sensitive method for detection of Ibuprofen (Ibu), a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) based on the peroxidase mimic activity of CuS nanoparticles (NPs) decorated on 2D graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4) and hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets (h-BN). CuS/g-C 3 N 4 and CuS/h-BN nanocomposites are synthesized by simple hydrothermal technique and characterized by different sophisticated analytical techniques like XRD, BET, HRTEM and XPS analysis. The surface charge of the nanocomposites is determined by zeta potential analysis. The peroxidase mimic activity of the nanocomposites are analyzed by carry out the catalytic oxidation of 3, 3ʹ, 5, 5ʹ-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in presence of H 2 O 2 to produce a blue colored oxidized product (oxTMB). The synthesized nanocomposites are employed for the colorimetric detection of Ibu a model pharmaceutical pollutant in an aqueous medium. Ibu is commonly used by human beings to cure certain ailments and excreted in environmental wastewaters that have several bad effects. The principle of sensing is the inhibition of the peroxidase mimic activity of the nanozymes by Ibu. The detection limit of Ibu achieved in the colorimetric detection technique is found to be 16.01 and 21.20 mg/L (ppm) within the linear range of 0−100 mg/L in presence of CuS/g-C 3 N 4 and CuS/h-BN nanocomposites, respectively. The practical application of the proposed sensor is successfully demonstrated using various environmental water samples spiked with different concentrations of Ibu. The proposed sensing probes exhibit high specificity and anti-interfering ability over other water contaminates and considerable feasibility in real water systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]