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The complexities of energy transfer mechanisms in the flagella of mammalian sperm flagella have been intensively investigated and demonstrate significant diversity across species. Enzymatic shuttles, particularly adenylate kinase (AK) and creatine kinase (CK), are pivotal in the efficient transfer of intracellular ATP, showing distinct tissue- and species-specificity. Here, the expression profiles of AK and CK were investigated in mice and found to fall into four subgroups, of which Subgroup III AKs were observed to be unique to the male reproductive system and conserved across chordates. Both AK8and AK9were found to be indispensable to male reproduction after analysis of an infertile male cohort. Knockout mouse models showed that AK8 and AK9 were central to promoting sperm motility. Immunoprecipitation combined with mass spectrometry revealed that AK8 and AK9 interact with the radial spoke (RS) of the axoneme. Examination of various human and mouse sperm samples with substructural damage, including the presence of multiple RS subunits, showed that the head of radial spoke 3 acts as an adapter for AK9 in the flagellar axoneme. Using an ATP probe together with metabolomic analysis, it was found that AK8 and AK9 cooperatively regulated ATP transfer in the axoneme, and were concentrated at sites associated with energy consumption in the flagellum. These findings indicate a novel function for RS beyond its structural role, namely, the regulation of ATP transfer. In conclusion, the results expand the functional spectrum of AK proteins and suggest a fresh model regarding ATP transfer within mammalian flagella.

Existing cooperative enclosing outcomes are primarily conducted relying on continuous transmission flow among agents, and transient specifications are not explicitly incorporated into the design, which may consume a large amount of communication resources and violate the preset transient constraints. To address abovementioned issues, by resorting to a path-following framework, this article proposes a novel cooperative enclosing control with aperiodic communication and modified guaranteed performance for unmanned vehicles, consisting of communication and guidance levels. At communication level, by constructing an event-triggered rule and a continuous-time state predictor, an aperiodic communication tactic is established to mitigate the real-time transmission cost of network medium and obviate unnecessary resource wastage. At guidance level, a modified guaranteed performance control (MGPC) with the deployment of novel unsymmetrical envelopes is proposed to prescribe path-following errors within user-defined constraints while excluding any overshoots. The striking innovation includes two aspects, one is that by utilizing the aperiodic communication tactic, transmission data amount among multiple vehicles in experimental results can be reduced by approximately 54.7% compared with the time-triggered alternative, another is that the performance guarantees (e.g., overshoot-free property and preassigned convergence rate) can be retained by resorting to suggested MGPC. All deviations of the entire system are analyzed to be constrained without triggering Zeno behaviors. The effectiveness is further validated by simulation and experimental outcomes.

This article investigates a multi-circular path-following formation control with reinforced transient profiles for nonholonomic vehicles connected by a digraph. A multi-circular formation controller endowed with the feature of spatial-temporal decoupling is devised for a group of vehicles guided by a virtual leader evolving along an implicit path, which allows for a circumnavigation on multiple circles with an anticipant angular spacing. In addition, notice that it typically imposes a stringent time constraint on time-sensitive enclosing scenarios, hence an improved prescribed performance control (IPPC) using novel tighter behavior boundaries is presented to enhance transient capabilities with an ensured appointed-time convergence free from any overshoots. The significant merits are that coordinated circumnavigation along different circles can be realized via executing geometric and dynamic assignments independently with modified transient profiles. Furthermore, all variables existing in the entire system are analyzed to be convergent. Simulation and experimental results are provided to validate the utility of suggested solution.

This article investigates a robust path-following control problem of multiple autonomous vehicles along an implicit elliptical curve. At the kinematic level, by formulating a novel coordinated error in terms of projective arc length instead of relative distance, a new distributed guidance law is developed for multiple vehicles evolving along a geometric path, achieving an equal arc separation and a uniform forward speed. Based on simple filtering operations upon available states and invariant manifold, unknown system dynamics estimators (USDEs)-based robust kinetic controllers with a concise structure are derived to enable a satisfied nominal tracking of velocity and angular rate subject to uncertainties while eliminating the computational complexity encountered in the available function approximators. The remarkable merit of the explored solution lies in that robust cooperative behaviors over an implicit elliptical curve can be attained by specifying successive projective arc length for nonholonomic vehicles, avoiding the time-consuming path variable synchronization calculation inherent in parameterized reference-guided paradigms, eliminating temporal limitations of time-related function in trajectory tracking strategies. It is proven that all signals of a closed-loop system are convergent by using the input-to-state stable (ISS) principle. Simulation and experimental outcomes are both delivered to substantiate the efficacy and superiority of the presented method.

With significant advances in metal–organic framework (MOF) nanostructure preparation, however, the facile synthesis of large-scale MOF films with precise control of the interface structure and surface chemistry is still challenging to achieve with satisfactory performance. Herein, we introduce a universal strategy bridging metal corrosion chemistry and bionic mineralization to synthesize 16 MOF films on 7 metal supports under ambient conditions. The robustness to explore unlimited libraries of MOF films (e.g., carboxylate-, N-heterocycle-, phenolic-, and phosphonate-MOFs) on supports is evoked by independently regulating the metal redox behavior, electrolyte properties, and organic ligands along with hydrogen evolution or oxygen reduction, which offers the basic guidelines for regulating the microstructure and composition of MOFs on the Pourbaix diagram. In conjunction with multiple manufacturing methods, we demonstrated proof of concept for “printing” a large variety of MOF patterns from micrometer to meter scales. Furthermore, a large-area electrolyzer (64 cm2) devised enables 5-hydroxymethylfurfural oxidation to achieve a record-breaking current of 3.0 A at 1.63 V with 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid production, leading to the simultaneous production of H2gas and valuable feedstocks. The improved electrocatalytic activity for significantly boosting the 5-hydroxymethylfurfural oxidation exemplifies one of the functional MOF films for given applications beyond biomass upgrading.

In this article, a novel multifunctional reconfigurable wideband frequency-selective surface is proposed. Compared with the conventional structures that can only realize two switchable states of transmission and reflection, this design could independently manipulate the TE and TM waves through four modes. Second-order equivalent circuits based on two polarizations are studied to solve the impedance mismatch caused by the asymmetric structure and biasing system, by using compensation capacitors. With different biasing voltages, the passband and stopband can be achieved by second-order filter and multireflection responses, respectively. Each mode does not affect the others, while their transmission or reflection performances in the corresponding modes are almost the same. From 0° to 45° incidences, in the transmission state, high-transmittance windows (the minimum insertion loss is 0.1 dB) with a −3 dB fractional bandwidth of 43.2% are realized. When this design operates in the shielding state, it can prevent the incident energy from penetrating the structure with extremely stable oblique incident performances from lower frequencies to 11 GHz. Finally, a prototype is fabricated for measurements, and the proposed design is validated by the calculated, simulated, and measured results.

The mercury triple point (Hg TP), one of the defining points of the international temperature scale of 1990 (ITS-90), has the distinguishing role for reducing Type 1 and 3 nonuniqueness with the subrange between the argon triple point (Ar TP) and the water triple point (TPW). However, mercury is highly toxic and will be banned from global commercial trade by the action of Minamata Convention on Mercury. The triple points of xenon (Xe TP), carbon dioxide (CO2 TP), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6 TP) are the candidates for the replacement of the Hg TP. We presented in this study our analytical investigation of the propagation of uncertainties with the fixed points, the propagation of calibration errors for standard platinum resistance thermometers (SPRTs), and Type 3 nonuniqueness. We observed that, given the Hg TP as the reference, the interpolation formula using the single Xe TP for the replacement is capable for the reduction of 57% of the uncertainties of propagation and 48% of the errors of calibration for SPRTs. The formula using the single CO2 TP for the replacement is capable of the reduction of 31% of the uncertainties of propagation and 26% of the errors of calibration for SPRTs. Because of the lack of calibration data, we failed to get an entire insight of the effect on Type 1 and Type 3 nonuniqueness with the replacements of the typical interpolation formulas. Instead, we conducted a limit evaluation on Type 3 nonuniqueness only with three SPRTs calibrated at the CO2 TP. We observed no general effect on Type 3 nonuniqueness for the interpolation formula using the single CO2 TP.

To improve the power-extraction performance of the Savonius vertical-axis wind turbine (S-VAWT), additional cylinders, which are used to control the fluid flow around the wind turbine blade, were introduced into the blade design. In contrast to the traditional numerical method, a mathematical model in the form of a dynamical system was used in this study. A numerical calculation program that could effectively solve the equations of wind-induced rotation of S-VAWT was developed, and combined with the Taguchi experimental method to investigate the influence of additional cylinders on the power-extraction characteristics of the S-VAWT. The results showed that the additional cylinders have a significant impact on the power-extraction performance of the S-VAWT. At 4-m/s wind speed, the average power coefficient of the S-VAWT with additional cylinders is 15% higher than that of the conventional S-VAWT. After construction of the wind turbine prototype and power-extraction tests, the results showed that compared with a conventional S-VAWT, the output power was 29% higher for the S-VAWT with additional cylinders under the same particular conditions.

The escalating challenge of water scarcity, intensified by water-energy interdependency, demands an urgent shift towards sustainable solutions. As this concern heightens, the focus on water-energy-infrastructure-human nexus (WEIHN) becomes pivotal to achieving sustainable and resilient water management strategies. In the context of rapid urbanization and population growth, decentralized water systems (DWS) have emerged as a promising alternative to centralized water systems (CWS), offering cost-effective and environmentally sustainable solutions tailored to local water needs and demands. However, a comprehensive and integrative analysis of the economic, social, and environmental impacts needs to be considered before the implementation of DWS in WEIHN. Therefore, analyzing WEIHN at a cross-sectoral level and exploring the roles of infrastructure and humans can provide valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with DWS development. This review provides a forward-looking roadmap that highlights the critical roles of the infrastructure and human perspectives in WEIHN. First, we identify roadblocks in the CWS and then point out the targeted areas supporting DWS. Second, we investigate the current capability and limitation of infrastructure spatial configuration, safety-related metrics, and interdependency in WEIHN. Third, we emphasize the significance of various human roles, including end-users, operators, and decision-makers in WEIHN. Finally, based on the review findings in water, energy, infrastructure, and human dimensions, we conduct a comprehensive in-depth analysis of innovative technologies (e.g., sensor fusion, digital water infrastructure) and effective management policies.

In this letter, an active second-order frequency-selective surface that features a switchable wide pass-band is proposed. Compared to other multilayer feeding structures, only one layer of frequency-selective surface (FSS) is elaborately reconfigured in this design, whose full planar symmetry structure is not destroyed, to achieve the desired all-polarized controlled behavior. The presented design provides good responses under different incident angles and polarizations. The fulfilled structure is composed of three FSS layers and is controlled by semiconductor switches. When the switches are in off-state, the proposed design acts as a high-transmittance second-order filter with a low ripple level, whose −0.5 dB passband width is over 24.4% and minimum insertion loss is only 0.1 dB. By switching the semiconductors to on-state, the unit cells of the top FSS layer are short-connected, which leads to an ultrawideband shielding behavior from 0 to 10 GHz. Moreover, the proposed structure presents consistent responses under 0°–90° rotation polarizations. Both filter and shielding responses can be obtained up to the 60° incidence. Finally, a prototype is fabricated and measured, and the desired wideband, high-efficiency, wide-angle, and polarization-insensitive switchable performances are obtained through equivalent-circuit calculations, numerical simulations, and experimental measurements.

This article proposes a path-following control capable of reinforcing transient performances for networked mobile robots over a single curve. By resorting to a new coordinated error formulated by projective arc length rather than relative distance, a path-following controller consisting of an individual steering law and a distributed velocity control law is constructed for multiple robots traveling along a common curve, accomplishing a queue formation pattern with an equal arc spacing at a uniform velocity. Additionally, note that multirobot missions always impose stringent time limits in practice, hence a tracking differentiator-based prescribed performance control (TDPPC) scheme is proposed to enforce tracking deviations of geometric and dynamic objectives approximating to pregiven ranges before an appointed time. The prominent merits of the developed scheme are that a cooperative behavior over a general curve can be acquired by assigning projective arc lengths, and a desired settling time for each robot can be arbitrarily designated free from initial conditions. All error variables of entire system are analyzed to be convergent. Simulation and experimental outcomes are given to reveal the utility of presented method.

Based on the Laurent decomposition (LD) and the Rimoldi decomposition (RD) with the reduced-search technique, we propose a low-complexity continuous phase modulation (CPM) detection algorithm through the operation of the $g$ -th power. In this way, the denominator of the modulation index is effectively equivalent to a smaller value, achieving the usage of much fewer trellis states in the Viterbi algorithm (VA). Finally, simulation results show that, compared to the optimal detection method, the proposed algorithms significantly reduce the complexity with negligible bit error rate (BER) loss.

This paper investigates a novel GPS-free collaborative elliptical circumnavigation control for multiple non-holonomic vehicles, where two realistic issues—achieving a higher efficiency observation and saving the energy expenditures during cooperation are involved. By defining a novel coordinated error relative to neighboring arc length, under the premise of accessible global position, a cooperative elliptical enclosing control strategy is derived for multiple vehicles connected by a digraph to enable formation behaviors with a uniform forward speed. To surmount the reliance on global position data in hostile surroundings where GPS is being attacked or disrupted, by resorting to a distance-based relative position observer, a new GPS-free cooperative elliptical circling controller is formulated to force all vehicles to collaboratively evolve along the prescribed ellipse. The special innovation includes two aspects, one is that by specifying the adjacent arc length instead of separation angles appearing in existing vehicle coordination, energy consumption can be reduced by approximately 7.6% during cooperative periodic enclosing process, another is that the dependency on global position can be removed by resorting to a relative position estimator utilizing distance-only data. It is inferred from Lyapunov stability that all signals are demonstrated to be convergent. Eventually, both simulation and experimental results substantiate the utility of suggested avenue.

The rational design of efficient and stable carbon-based electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions is crucial for improving energy density and long-term stability of rechargeable zinc-air batteries (ZABs). Herein, a general and controllable synthesis method was developed to prepare three-dimensional (3D) porous carbon composites embedded with diverse metal phosphide nanocrystallites by interfacial coordination of transition metal ions with phytic acid-doped polyaniline networks and subsequent pyrolysis. Phytic acid as the dopant of polyaniline provides favorable anchoring sites for metal ions owing to the coordination interaction. Specifically, adjusting the concentration of adsorbed cobalt ions can achieve the phase regulation of transition metal phosphides. Thus, with abundant cobalt phosphide nanoparticles and nitrogen- and phosphorus-doping sites, the obtained carbon-based electrocatalysts exhibited efficient electrocatalytic activities toward oxygen reduction and evolution reactions. Consequently, the fabricated ZABs exhibited a high energy density, high power density of 368 mW cm−2, and good cycling/mechanical stability, which could power water splitting for integrated device fabrication with high gas yields.

Is Long COVID-19 under-diagnosed? The definition of this new condition has received many contributions, and it is still under development as a great variety of symptoms have been associated to it. This study explores the possibility that there are non-diagnosed cases among individuals who have been infected by SARS-CoV-2 and have not been vaccinated. The long-term symptoms identified among a sample 255 individuals have been associated to Long COVID-19 by recent literature. The study relates these symptoms to risk factors and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) negative impacts. The individuals were screened 1 year after discharge to explore its potential relation to Long COVID-19. Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and discharged from designated hospitals in a Chinese province between January and April 2020 were included in this study. They received computed tomography (CT) scans one month after discharge. One year after discharge, patients were invited to physical examination and interviewed with questionnaire on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and post-COVID-19 symptoms. Tobit regression and Logistic regression were applied to evaluate the risk factors for health utility value and pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. One year after discharge, 39.61% patients complained of several of the symptoms associated to Long COVID-19. More than half had abnormal chest CT. Previous studies focused on the post-COVID-19 symptoms and chest CT findings of patients, but few studies have assessed the COVID-19-associated risk factors for health-related quality of life.

Zinc–iodine batteries are promising energy storage devices with the unique features of aqueous electrolytes and safer zinc. However, their performances are still limited by the polyiodide shuttle and the unclear redox mechanism of iodine species. Herein, a single iron atom was embedded in porous carbon with the atomic bridging structure of metal–nitrogen–carbon to not only enhance the confinement effect but also invoke the electrocatalytic redox conversion of iodine, thereby enabling the large capacity and good cycling stability of the zinc–iodine battery. In addition to the physical trapping effect of porous carbon with good electronic conductivity, the in situ experimental characterization and theoretical calculation reveal that the metal–nitrogen–carbon bridging structure modulates the electronic properties of carbon and adjusts the intrinsic activity for the reversible conversion of iodine via the thermodynamically favorable pathway. This work demonstrates that the physicochemical confinement effect can be invoked by the rational anchoring of a single metal atom with nitrogen in a porous carbon matrix to enhance the electrocatalytic redox conversion of iodine, which is crucial to fabricating high-performing zinc–iodine batteries and beyond by applying the fundamental principles.

Mortar thermal storage layers incorporating phase change material (PCM) can improve the thermal performance of radiant floors in buildings, reduce indoor temperature fluctuations and thus provide further savings in building heating energy consumption, offering great potential for the application of active thermal energy storage systems. This study combines slag cement and microencapsulated phase change materials as cementitious composites for heat storage mortars with the aim of determining the addition ratio of phase change materials in slag cement mortars, thereby expanding the practical application of PCM mortars in radiant floors. For this purpose, slag cement mortar blocks containing microencapsulated phase change materials were prepared to further evaluate their thermal and mechanical properties. This involves incorporating PCM particles from 0% to 15% and adjusting the water content during the initial mixing stages. The characterization results reveal that the inclusion of PCM particles in slag cement mortar significantly affects its thermal and mechanical properties. Notably, each 1% increment in PCM particles reduces bulk density, compressive strength, and thermal conductivity of the mortar by 2%, 24%, and 9%, respectively. SSC3 specimens (with a PCM ratio of 1.97 wt%) showed promising thermal and mechanical properties and could be a thermally enhanced building material for the design of thermal storage layers in radiant floor heating systems.

Based on the continuous spectrum theory, the plasma parameters of a vacuum arc under curved contact are diagnosed in this study. A colorimetric temperature measurement system composed of a color high-speed camera and bimodal filter is built, which is corrected by a tungsten strip lamp. According to the shape characteristics of a vacuum arc under curved contact, a calculation method of radiation intensity using curved space transformation is proposed, which reduces the error caused by the curved contact structure. Finally, the plasma parameter distributions for vacuum arcs under curved contact and butt contact are obtained, and the reason and effect on these distributions are investigated.

Modular multilevel DC transformers(MMDCTs) have become a research focus in DC grids with different voltage levels based on their advantages of strong expansibility and high voltage levels. It is necessary to apply pre-charging control to avoid inrush currents generated by the charging of the capacitor and the inrush current of the transformer during the starting process. A fast pre-charging strategy based on compound frequency control is proposed in this study. The independent control of the direct current component and intermediate frequency component is used to realize simultaneous charging of the primary and secondary sides. The primary side adopts double closed-loop control, whereas the secondary side adopts variable-step phase-shift peak current control, which resolves the contradiction between the charging speed and inrush current. Additionally, a quantitative comparative analysis of various pre-charging strategies was conducted. The effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed pre-charging strategy are verified through simulations and experiments. The results demonstrate that the magnitude of the inrush current and charging time were effectively controlled by the proposed method.

As “the third pole”, the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is sensitive to climate forcing and has experienced rapid warming in recent decades. This study analyzes annual and seasonal near-surface air temperature changes on the TP in response to transient and stabilized 2.0°C/1.5°C global warming targets based on simulations of the Community Earth System Model (CESM). Elevation-dependent warming (EDW) with faster warming at higher elevations is predicted. A surface energy budget analysis is adopted to uncover the mechanisms responsible for the temperature changes. Our results indicate a clear amplified warming on the TP with positive EDW in 2.0°C/1.5°C warmer futures, especially in the cold season. Mean TP warming relative to the reference period (1961–90) is dominated by an enhanced downward longwave radiation flux, while the variations in surface albedo shape the detailed pattern of EDW. For the same global warming level, the temperature changes under transient scenarios are ~0.2°C higher than those under stabilized scenarios, and the characteristics of EDW are broadly similar for both scenarios. These differences can be primarily attributed to the combined effects of differential downward longwave radiation, cloud radiative forcing, and surface sensible and latent heat fluxes. These findings contribute to a more detailed understanding of regional climate on the TP in response to the long-term climate goals of the Paris Agreement and highlight the differences between transient and stabilized warming scenarios.

Gesture recognition is an effective method to voice-off communication in daily life, offering an intuitive and immersive means to interactive terminal. Current commercialized solutions to gesture recognition are exposed to limitations of either susceptibility to environmental conditions or the huge cost on fabrication, energy, and computing power. Here, we propose a deep-learning-enabled smart gesture recognition glove system that can capture and recognize the hand gesture in real time and execute the users’ interactive instructions for multifunctional rescue tasks. The self-powered gesture recognition glove system can successfully classify 7 typical gestures with an accuracy as high as 98.57%. As a proof of concept, a rescue vehicle equipped with water pump, dexterous robotic arm, or laser radar is demonstrated to be guided by gestures outside the environment to complete rescue tasks even in environments that are inaccessible to humans. We aim to use the self-powered gesture recognition glove for future intelligent interaction and intelligent manufacturing, especially in the diversified scenarios that require more advanced and dexterous manipulations in the dark or blocked spaces.

While previous studies have largely focused on anthropogenic warming characterized by surface air temperature, little is known about the behaviors of human‐perceived temperature (HPT), which describe the “feels‐like” equivalent temperature by considering the joint effects of temperature, humidity and/or wind speed. Here we adopted an optimal fingerprinting method to compare seasonal mean HPTs in China with those from simulations conducted with multiple climate models participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6. We found clear anthropogenic signals in the observational records of changes in both summer and winter HPTs over the period 1971–2020. Moreover, the anthropogenic greenhouse gas influence was robustly detected, with clear separation from natural and anthropogenic aerosol forcings. The anthropogenic greenhouse gas forcing plays the dominant role (>90%) of human‐perceived warming. Urbanization effects contribute slightly and moderately to the estimated trends in summer and winter HPTs, respectively, in addition to the effects of external forcing. Human influences have been identified in the observed warming quantified by surface air temperature (SAT), but SAT alone is inadequate as a metric for human thermal comfort. Here we focus on human‐perceived temperature (HPT), which describes the “feels‐like” equivalent temperature by considering the joint effects of temperature, humidity, and/or wind speed. We isolate anthropogenic impacts on the observed increase in summer and winter HPTs in China during 1971–2020 by comparing observations with state‐of‐the‐art climate models. Results show that the influence of anthropogenic greenhouse gas is detected, with clear separation from other external forcings such as solar and volcanic activities and anthropogenic aerosols. The human‐induced greenhouse gas increases are also found to explain most (>90%) of the observed human‐perceived warming. Along with the effects of large‐scale anthropogenic forcing, urbanization effects also have a slight to moderate influence on the estimated trends in summer and winter HPTs. Our work is an early attempt to provide quantitative evidence for the physiological impacts of anthropogenic global warming and local urbanization on human beings. The warming is quantified by human‐perceived temperature that considers the joint effects of temperature, humidity and/or wind speedHuman influence could be robustly detected in both summer and winter human‐perceived warmingThe observed increase in human‐perceived temperature is mostly attributed to anthropogenic greenhouse gas increases The warming is quantified by human‐perceived temperature that considers the joint effects of temperature, humidity and/or wind speed Human influence could be robustly detected in both summer and winter human‐perceived warming The observed increase in human‐perceived temperature is mostly attributed to anthropogenic greenhouse gas increases

Sperm is the ultimate executor of male reproductive function. Normal morphology, quantity, and motility of sperm ensure the normal reproductive process. Palmitoylation is a posttranslational modification mediated by palmitoyltransferases whereby palmitoyl is added to proteins. Seven palmitoyltransferases have been identified in Saccharomyces cerevisiaeand 23 in humans (including ZDHHC1–9 and ZDHHC11–24), with corresponding homologs in mice. We identified two testis-specific palmitoyltransferases ZDHHC11 and ZDHHC19 in mice. The Zdhhc11and Zdhhc19-knockout mouse models were constructed, and it was found that the Zdhhc11knockout males were fertile, while Zdhhc19knockout males were sterile. ZDHHC19 is located in the cell membrane of step 4–9 spermatids in the mouse testis, and phenotypic analysis showed that the testicular weight ratio in the Zdhhc19−/−mice decreased along with the number and motility of the sperm decreased, while sperm abnormalities increased, mainly due to the “folded” abnormal sperm caused by sperm membrane fusion, suggesting the involvement of ZDHHC19 in maintaining membrane stability in the male reproductive system. In addition, Zdhhc19−/−mice showed abnormal sperm morphologies and apoptosis during spermatogenesis, suggesting that spermatogenesis in the Zdhhc19−/−mice was abnormal. These results indicate that ZDHHC19 promotes membrane stability in male germ cells.ZDHHC19 is located in the cell membrane of Step4–9 spermatids in mouse testis; Zdhhc19knockout mice showed male infertility, abnormal spermatogenesis, sperm morphology and motility.

Purpose: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) and asthma are both the top concurrent non-communicable diseases in the world, and the existence of a relationship between the two is an area of debate. Methods: All eligible observational studies in PubMed and EMBASE databases from inception to August 2021 were searched for data extraction and analysis. The pooled odds ratio (OR) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) was evaluated using fixed-effects or random-effects models in RevMan 5.3, and I2and Cochran Q tests were used to assess the heterogeneity. Results: 22 studies with 25,578 T1D and 3,330,901 non-T1D were included in this meta‐analysis. After data analysis, there seems to be no apparent connectivity between asthma and T1D as the crude OR (cOR) was 1.07 (95%CI, 0.93–1.23). Nevertheless, after limiting the meta-analysis to 6 studies with adjusted OR (aOR) available, the results suggested a positive association between T1D and asthma (aOR, 1.15; 95%CI, 1.06–1.25). Corresponding with this, a meta-analysis of cohort studies also found a positive association between T1D and asthma with the pooled cOR of 1.27 (95% CI, 1.09–1.49) and aOR of 1.15 (95%CI, 1.05–1.26). Further analysis of 7 studies in which the diagnosis of asthma precedes T1D onset revealed that asthma patients are at increased risk of subsequent T1D with the pooled cOR of 1.23 (95%CI, 1.04–1.44) and aOR of 1.58 (95% CI, 1.11–2.24). Conclusion: Our meta-analysis suggests a possible association between T1D and asthma, and patients who were previously diagnosed with asthma carried higher odds of developing T1D.

Aqueous rechargeable zinc-iodine batteries (ZIBs) emerged as a promising energy storage alternative has attracted considerable attention. However, ZIBs still suffer from the severe shuttle effect of polyiodide and poor reversibility, leading to the poor cycling lifetime and potential safety issues. Herein, the assembly of Al-based metal-organic frameworks (Al-MOFs) in the presence of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) viaelectrospinning technique enables the formation of Al-MOF/PAN fibers. With the subsequent pyrolysis, the hierarchical porous carbon fibers with nitrogen doping (NPCNFs) are prepared for loading iodine. Benefiting from the confinement effect of the highly porous carbon network and the nitrogen doping, the self-supported carbon nanofiber electrode is capable of inhibiting the shuttle effect of polyiodide species. Especially, the in-situRaman spectroscopy reveals the reversible two-step conversion reaction between iodine and polyiodide, which enables the best cycling stability for over 6,000 cycles with negligible capacity. This work demonstrates an efficient approach to regulating the porous structure and surface properties in the design of advanced iodine electrodes for high-performance ZIBs.

Infertility affects 10–15% of families worldwide. However, the pathogenesis of female infertility caused by abnormal early embryonic development is not clear. A recent study showed that poly(A)binding protein nuclear 1-like (PABPN1L) recruited BTG anti-proliferation factor 4 (BTG4) to mRNA 3′-poly(A) tails and was essential for maternal mRNA degradation. Here, we generated a PABPN1L-antibody and found “ring-like” PABPN1L aggregates in the cytoplasm of MII oocytes. PABPN1L–EGFP proteins spontaneously formed “ring-like” aggregates in vitro. This phenomenon is similar with CCR4–NOT catalytic subunit, CCR4-NOT transcription complex subunit 7 (CNOT7), when it starts deadenylation process in vitro. We constructed two mouse model (Pabpn1l−/−and Pabpn1ltm1a/tm1a) simulating the intron 1–exon 2 abnormality of human PABPN1L and found that the female was sterile and the male was fertile. Using RNA-Seq, we observed a large-scale up-regulation of RNA in zygotes derived from Pabpn1l−/−MII oocytes. We found that 9222 genes were up-regulated instead of being degraded in the Pabpn1l−♀/+♂zygote. Both the Btg4and CCR4-NOT transcription complex subunit 6 like (Cnot6l) genes are necessary for the deadenylation process and Pabpn1l−/−resembled both the Btg4and Cnot6lknockouts, where 71.2% genes stabilized in the Btg4−♀/+♂zygote and 84.2% genes stabilized in the Cnot6l−♀/+♂zygote were also stabilized in Pabpn1l−♀/+♂zygote. BTG4/CNOT7/CNOT6L was partially co-located with PABPN1L in MII oocytes. The above results suggest that PABPN1L is widely associated with CCR4–NOT-mediated maternal mRNA degradation and PABPN1Lvariants on intron 1–exon 2 could be a genetic marker of female infertility.“Ring-like” PABPN1L aggregates were found in the cytoplasm of MII oocytes and in vitro; intron 1–exon 2 abnormality of Pabpn1lleads female sterile in mice.

Asthenozoospermia (AZS) is a common male infertility phenotype, accounting for 18% of infertile patients. The N-DRC (Nexin-dynein Regulatory Complex) complex is the motor regulating device in the flagellum, which is found in most eukaryotic organisms with flagellum. The deletion of TCTE1 (T-Complex-Associated Testis-Expressed 1), a component of the N-DRC complex also known as DRC5 (Dynein regulatory complex subunit 5), has been shown to cause asthenospermia in mice. This study mainly introduces a clinical case of male infertility with normal sperm count, normal morphological structure, but low motility and weak forward movement. By whole-exome sequencing, we found that TCTE1became a frameshift mutant, ENST00000371505.5: c.396_397insTC (p.Arg133Serfs*33), resulting in the rapid degradation of TCTE1 protein and male infertility. This phenotype is similar to the Tcte1−/−(Tcte1knockout) mice, which showed structural integrity but reduced motility. Further, different from mice, in vitro Fertilization (IVF) could successfully solve the patient’s problem of infertility. Our data provides a better understanding of the biological functions of TCTE1 in human flagellum assembly and male fertility.

The hollow carbon spheres loaded with Pd/Pd4S heterostructure (Pd/Pd4S@HCS) could promote the composition and decomposition of toroid-like discharge product with the efficient bi-functional catalytic activity.

Significant challenges remain for developing efficient catalysts in an electrochemical multielectron CO2reduction reaction (CO2RR), which usually suffers from poor activity and selectivity. Motivated by the recent experimental progress in fabricating dual-metal atom catalysts (DMACs) in N-doped graphene materials (graphene-N6V4; N: nitrogen and V: vacancy), we sampled eight types of homonuclear (N6V4-M2, M = Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Pd, and Ag) catalysts and 28 types of heteronuclear (N6V4-M1M2) catalysts to study CO2RR activity via first-principles high-throughput screening. Using stability, activity, and selectivity as indicators along with the broken conventional scaling relationship, N6V4-AgCr was selected as a promising candidate for deep CO2reduction to methane with a low overpotential of 0.55 V after two screening rounds. Further analysis showed that a frustrated Lewis pair, formed between metal and the para-N, owing to the difference in the electronic arrangement of the d orbitals of various transition metals, caused a difference in the spin polarization of the systems and affected the catalytic performance of each DMAC. Our work not only provides a solid strategy for screening potential catalysts but also demonstrates that their CO2reduction activities originate from the various atomic and electronic structures of DMACs.

Transition metal–nitrogen-carbon complexes, featuring single metal atoms embedded in a nitrogen-doped carbon matrix, emerge as promising alternatives to traditional platinum-based catalysts, offering cost-effectiveness, abundance, and enhanced catalytic performance. This work introduces a novel method for the etching and doping of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) with transition metals, creating a uniform distribution of secondary metal centers on ZIF surfaces. By disrupting the crystalline symmetry of ZIFs through synthetic defect engineering, we gain access to their entire internal volume, creating multichannel pathways. The absorption of metal ions is theoretically simulated, demonstrating their thermodynamically spontaneous nature. The selective removal of defect channels under Lewis acidic conditions, induced by metal ion alcoholysis/hydrolysis, facilitates the introduction of metal atoms into ZIF cavities. The resulting single-atom catalyst, after pyrolysis, features a three-dimensional (3D) multichannel structure, high surface area, and uniformly dispersed metal atoms within the N-doped carbon matrix, establishing it as an exceptional catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Our findings highlight the potential of using metal etching in defect-engineered metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) for single-atom catalyst preparation, paving the way for the next generation of high-performance, cost-effective ORR catalysts in sustainable energy systems.

Carbon-loaded metal nanoparticles (NPs) are widely employed as functional materials for electrocatalysis. In this study, a rapid thermal shock method was developed to load various metal nanoparticles onto carbon supports. Compared to conventional pyrolysis processes, Joule heating enables rapid heating to elevated temperatures within a short period, effectively preventing the migration and aggregation of metal atoms. Simultaneously, the anchoring effect of defective carbon carriers ensures the uniform distribution of NPs on the carbon supports. Additionally, nitrogen doping can significantly enhance the electronic conductivity of the carbon matrix and strengthen the metal-carbon interactions, thereby synergistically improving catalyst performance. When used as electrocatalysts for electrocatalytic CO2reduction, bismuth-, indium-, and tin/carbon-carrier-based catalysts exhibit excellent Faraday efficiencies of 92.8%, 86.4%, and 73.3%, respectively, for formate generation in flow cells. The influence of different metals and calcination temperatures on catalytic performance was examined to provide valuable insights into the rational design of carbon-based electrocatalysts with enhanced electrocatalytic activity.

Passive bionic feet, known for their human-like compliance, have garnered attention for their potential to achieve notable environmental adaptability. In this paper, a method was proposed to unifying passive bionic feet static supporting stability and dynamic terrain adaptability through the utilization of the Rigid-Elastic Hybrid (REH) dynamics model. First, a bionic foot model, named the Hinge Tension Elastic Complex (HTEC) model, was developed by extracting key features from human feet. Furthermore, the kinematics and REH dynamics of the HTEC model were established. Based on the foot dynamics, a nonlinear optimization method for stiffness matching (NOSM) was designed. Finally, the HTEC-based foot was constructed and applied onto a BHR-B2 humanoid robot. The foot static stability is achieved by the ability of self-stabilize. The enhanced adaptability is observed as the robot traverses square steel, lawn, and cobblestone terrains. Through proposed design method and structure, the mobility of the humanoid robot is improved.

The surface coating technology, encompassing ceramics, refractory materials, metallic alloys containing Al or Si, and multicomponent composites, presents a viable approach to improve the corrosion resistance of ferritic/martensitic (F/M) steels with (9–12) wt.% Cr in liquid lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) environment. Among these coating materials, chromium (Cr) coating emerges as a particularly noteworthy option. This study specifically focused on depositing a 3 μm thick Cr coating on on T91 and SIMP steels using magnetron sputtering. Subsequently, the corrosion behavior of the Cr coating was investigated in LBE at temperatures of 600 °C and 700 °C. The results revealed that, after 300 h at 600 °C, T91 and SIMP steels formed oxide scales with approximately 32.6 μm and 19.3 μm thicknesses, respectively. At 700 °C for 140 h, these oxide scales increased to about 82.4 μm and 73.1 μm for T91 and SIMP steels, respectively. However, the application of a Cr coating resulted in the formation of a dense layer of chromium oxide with a thickness of 4–5 μm. This layer effectively impeded oxygen diffusion and Fe migration leading to a significant reduction in the corrosion rate of the steel. Notably, the Cr coating maintained secure attachment to the steel even after exposure to high-temperature LBE corrosion. These findings underscore the capacity of coating to markedly enhance the corrosion resistance of T91 and SIMP steels in high-temperature LBE environments, providing robust protection against the detrimental effects of challenging conditions. Consequently, Cr coating emerges as a promising solution for future fission nuclear reactors.

Fibrous energy–autonomy electronics are highly desired for wearable soft electronics, human–machine interfaces, and the Internet of Things. How to effectively integrate various functional energy fibers into them and realize versatile applications is an urgent need to be fulfilled. Here, a multifunctional coaxial energy fiber has been developed toward energy harvesting, energy storage, and energy utilization. The energy fiber is composed of an all fiber-shaped triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), supercapacitor (SC), and pressure sensor in a coaxial geometry. The inner core is a fibrous SC by a green activation strategy for energy storage; the outer sheath is a fibrous TENG in single-electrode mode for energy harvesting, and the outer friction layer and inner layer (covered with Ag) constitute a self-powered pressure sensor. The electrical performances of each energy component are systematically investigated. The fibrous SC shows a length specific capacitance density of 13.42 mF·cm–1, good charging/discharging rate capability, and excellent cycling stability (∼96.6% retention). The fibrous TENG shows a maximum power of 2.5 μW to power an electronic watch and temperature sensor. The pressure sensor has a good enough sensitivity of 1.003 V·kPa–1to readily monitor the real-time finger motions and work as a tactile interface. The demonstrated energy fibers have exhibited stable electrochemical and mechanical performances under mechanical deformation, which make them attractive for wearable electronics. The demonstrated soft and multifunctional coaxial energy fiber is also of great significance in a sustainable human–machine interactive system, intelligent robotic skin, security tactile switches, etc.

BackgroundInfertility affects approximately 15% of couples worldwide with male infertility being responsible for approximately 50% of cases. Although accumulating evidence demonstrates the critical role of the X chromosome in spermatogenesis during the last few decades, the expression patterns and potential impact of the X chromosome, together with X linked genes, on male infertility are less well understood.MethodsWe performed X chromosome exome sequencing followed by a two-stage independent population validation in 1333 non-obstructive azoospermia cases and 1141 healthy controls to identify variant classes with high likelihood of pathogenicity. To explore the functions of these candidate genes in spermatogenesis, we first knocked down these candidate genes individually in mouse spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) using short interfering RNA oligonucleotides and then generated candidate genes knockout mice by CRISPR-Cas9 system.ResultsFour low-frequency variants were identified in four genes (BCORL1, MAP7D3, ARMCX4and H2BFWT) associated with male infertility. Functional studies of the mouse SSCs revealed that knocking down Bcorl1or Mtap7d3could inhibit SSCs self-renewal and knocking down Armcx4could repress SSCs differentiation in vitro. Using CRISPR-Cas9 system, Bcorl1and Mtap7d3knockout mice were generated. Excitingly, Bcorl1knockout mice were infertile with impaired spermatogenesis. Moreover, Bcorl1knockout mice exhibited impaired sperm motility and sperm cells displayed abnormal mitochondrial structure.ConclusionOur data indicate that the X-linked genes are associated with male infertility and involved in regulating SSCs, which provides a new insight into the role of X-linked genes in spermatogenesis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common subtype of primary liver cancer and one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. To gain more insights into the transcriptomic landscape and molecular mechanism of HCC, we performed TMT-labelled tandem mass spectrometry (n= 4) and whole-transcriptome sequencing (n= 3) based on HCC tumour (T) and adjacent normal (N) tissues from seven HCC patients. To comprehensively evaluate the gene-regulatory circuits in HCC, differential expression and enrichment analyses were performed on the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), genes (DEGs), miRNAs (555), lncRNAs (29) and circRNAs (895). A total of 977 proteins and 243 genes were found to be differentially expressed in HCC tumours compared with adjacent normal tissues. HCC data from The Cancer Genome Atlas were used to validate the results. Combined with the results above, 56 DEP-DEGs with common changes in relative quantity were identified. Functional pathway analysis showed that the DEP-DEGs were mainly enriched in the spliceosome and various metabolic processes. Bioinformatics analysis showed that hsa-miR-1266-5p, hsa-miR-128-1-5p, hsa-miR-139-5p, hsa-miR-34b-3p and hsa-miR-570-3p were involved in the regulation of the hub genes mentioned above. The crucial coexpression (lncRNA–mRNA, circRNA–mRNA) and competing endogenous RNA interaction axes showed the possible functions of the lncRNAs and circRNAs. We explored potential cancer biomarkers by combining proteomic and transcriptomic studies. Our study provides a valuable resource for understanding regulatory mechanisms at the RNA level and may ultimately further assist in the development of diagnostic and/or therapeutic targets for HCC.

The conversion of carbon dioxide into valuable organic compounds is a highly promising approach to address the energy issues and environmental problems (e.g., global warming). Herein, we presents a facile and efficient method to prepare highly dense and well-dispersed SnO2nanocrystals on 1D N-doped carbon nanowires as advanced catalysts for the efficient electroreduction of CO2to formate. The ultrasmall SnO2coated on the N-doped carbon nanowires (SnO2@N-CNW) has been synthesized via the simple hydrothermal treatment coupled with a pyrolysis process. The unique structure enables to expose the active tin oxide and also provides the facile pathways for rapid transfer of electron and electrolyte along with the highly porous carbon foam composed with interconnected carbon nanowires. Therefore, SnO2@N-CNW electrocatalyst exhibits good durability and high selectivity for formate formation with a Faradaic efficiency of ca. 90%. This work demonstrates a simple method to rationally design high-dense tin oxide nanocrystals on the conductive carbon support as advanced catalysts for CO2electroreduction.

BackgroundMale infertility is a prevalent issue worldwide, mostly due to the impaired sperm motility. Multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella (MMAF) present aberrant spermatozoa with absent, short, coiled, bent and irregular-calibre flagella resulting in severely decreased motility. Previous studies reported several MMAF-associated genes accounting for approximately half of MMAF cases.Methods and resultWe conducted genetic analysis using whole-exome sequencing in 88 Han Chinese MMAF probands. CFAP65homozygous mutations were identified in four unrelated consanguineous families, and CFAP65compound heterozygous mutations were found in two unrelated cases with MMAF. All these CFAP65mutations were null, including four frameshift mutations (c.1775delC [p.Pro592Leufs*8], c.3072_3079dup [p.Arg1027Profs*41], c.1946delC [p.Pro649Argfs*5] and c.1580delT [p.Leu527Argfs*31]) and three stop-gain mutations (c.4855C>T [p.Arg1619*], c.5270T>A [p.Leu1757*] and c.5341G>T [p.Glu1781*]). Additionally, two homozygous CFAP65variants likely affecting splicing were identified in two MMAF-affected men of Tunisian and Iranian ancestries, respectively. These biallelic variants of CFAP65were verified by Sanger sequencing and were absent or very rare in large data sets aggregating sequence information from various human populations. CFAP65, encoding the cilia and flagella associated protein 65, is highly and preferentially expressed in the testis. Here we also generated a frameshift mutation in mouse orthologue Cfap65using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. Remarkably, the phenotypes of Cfap65-mutated male mice were consistent with human MMAF.ConclusionsOur experimental observations performed on both human subjects and on Cfap65-mutated mice demonstrate that the presence of biallelic mutations in CFAP65causes the MMAF phenotype and impairs sperm motility.

This roadmap demonstrates a series of two-dimensional nanomaterials, such as graphene, black phosphorus, oxides, layered double hydroxides, chalcogenides, bismuth-based layered compounds, MXenes, metal organic frameworks, covalent organic frameworks, and others, for environmental catalysis.

Electrospun nanofibers with highly efficient photothermal/electrothermal performance are extremely popular because of their great potential in wearable heaters. However, the lack of necessary wearable properties such as high mechanical strength and quick response of electrospun micro/nanofibers seriously affects their practical application. In this work, a technical route combining electrospinning and surface modification technology is proposed. The 3-triethoxysilylpropylamine-polyacrylonitrile@ copper sulfide (K-PAN@CuS) composite fabric was achieved by modifying the original electrospinning PAN fiber and subsequently loading CuS nanoparticles. The results show that the break strength of the K-PAN@CuS fabric was increased by 10 times compared to that of the original PAN@CuS fabric. Furthermore, the saturated temperature of the K-PAN@CuS fabric heater could reach 116 °C within 15 s at a relatively low voltage of 3 V and 120.3 °C within 10 s under an infrared therapy lamp (100 W). In addition, due to its excellent conductivity, such a unique structural design enables the fiber to be closely attached to the human skin and helps to monitor human movements. This K-PAN@CuS fabric shows great potential in wearable heaters, hyperthermia, all-weather thermal management, and in vitrophysical therapy.

The coupling of zinc with iodine evokes the fabrication of advanced rechargeable batteries via redox conversion. However, the easy sublimation of iodine and high solubility of polyiodides restrict the application of the battery. Herein, the dispersion of iron nitride nanoclusters among three-dimensional porous carbon frameworks (PC@Fe2N) enables the efficient accumulation of iodine in combination with the promising electrocatalysis for reversible conversion. The experimental and theoretical results revealed that the Fe2N nanoclusters anchored on the carbon support is more efficient to inspire the ensemble effect for reversible redox reactions of iodine via suppressing the formation of polyiodide. Therefore, the zinc-iodine (Zn-I2) battery delivers excellent rate performance and ultralong cycling life for 20,000 cycles. Even at an elevated temperature of 60 °C, the pouch cell with a high iodine loading exhibited a reversible capacity 148 mAh g−1, which exemplifies rational fabrication of advanced Zn-I2batteries for safe high-temperature energy storage.

To address the insulating nature and the shuttle effect of iodide species that would deteriorate the battery performance, herein iron nitride is well-dispersed into porous carbon fibers with good flexibility viathe facile electrospinning method and subsequent pyrolysis. The polyacrylonitrile precursor introduces the nitrogen doping under thermal treatment while the addition of iron acetylacetonate leads to the in-situformation of iron nitride among the carbon matrix. The crucial pyrolysis procedure is adjustable to determine the hierarchical porous structure and final composition of the novel carbon fiber composites. As the self-supporting electrode for loading iodine, the zinc-iodine battery exhibits a large specific capacity of 214 mAh/g and good cycling stability over 1600 h. In the combination of in-situ/ex-situexperimental measurements with the theoretical analysis, the in-depth understanding of intrinsic interaction between composited support and iodine species elucidates the essential mechanism to promote the redox kinetics of iodine viathe anchoring effect and electrocatalytic conversion, thus improving cycling life and rate performance. Such fundamental principles on the basic redox conversion of iodine species would evoke the rational design of advanced iodine-based electrodes for improving battery performance.

The development of low-cost efficient bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts is of importance for optimizing the performance of metal-air batteries. By using manganese dioxide spheres as both the redox initiator and the self-sacrificing template for the in-situ interfacial polymerization of aniline monomers, we demonstrated a facile approach to preparing porous polyaniline spheres in the presence of phytic acid. Subsequent pyrolysis led to nitrogen and phosphorous co-doped carbon spheres (NPCSs) with highly porous structure and good bifunctional electrocatalytic activities for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Specifically, NPCSs exhibited a comparable half-wave potential (0.83 V vs. RHE) to that of commercial Pt/C, but a larger current density, for ORR and was superior to RuO2(overpotential, 320 mV) for OER with a smaller overpotential of 310 mV. The Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations revealed firstly that the heteroatom-doping at the edges of the porous structure plays a dominate role in achieving the high bifunctional catalytic activities. Furthermore, the bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysis enabled the fabrication of high-performance Zn-air batteries in aqueous and solid-state electrolytes, exhibiting large energy density, high power density, and good cycling stability.

The development of water splitting technology is severely impeded by the limited strategies for preparing efficient photocatalyst with optimal structure. Herein, a facile structure and doping engineering strategy is proposed to obtain the atomic-thin mesoporous graphite carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets with a large specific surface area of 212.5 m2 g−1, an ultra-large pore volume of 1.55 cm3 g−1, high C and O contents of ∼51.4 and 4.8% via an acid-assisted exfoliation route without any hard templates. The theoretical calculation reveals that the introduction of additional C/O atoms into g-C3N4matrix would boost the charge transfer rate and charge separation efficiency due to the enhanced electronic polarization effect (Bader Charge) and shortened bond lengths. Additionally, the electronic conductivity is demonstrated to be enhanced due to the formation of delocalized π-bonding both experimentally and theoretically. The synergic contribution of textural and electronic features renders an excellent photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance with 50–60 times larger photocurrent in comparison with the pristine g-C3N4and high hydrogen evolution rates of 830.1 and 115.5 μmol g−1 h−1under the solar- and visible-light irradiation, respectively. This in-situ exfoliation approach demonstrates a facile yet efficient method to synthesize highly porous carbon nitride materials with optimal structure and composition for efficient water splitting.

The direct coating of graphene sheets obtained by electrochemical exfoliation on commercial paper renders the preparation of highly conductive flexible paper substrate for subsequent deposition of polyaniline (PANi) nanorods via electrochemical polymerization. The deposition of PANi can be well-controlled by adjusting the electrochemical polymerization time, leading to the formation of PANi coated graphene paper (PANi-GP). The as-prepared electrode exhibited high areal capacitance of 176 mF cm−2in three-electrode system at a current density of 0.2 mA cm−2, which is around 10 times larger than that of pristine graphene paper due to the pseudocapacitive behavior of PANi. In-situ Raman test was used to determine the molecular changes during redox process of PANi. More importantly, all-solid-state symmetric capacitor assembled with two PANi-GP electrodes in a polymer electrolyte delivered an areal capacitance of 123 mF cm−2, corresponding to an areal energy density of 17.1 µWh cm−2and an areal power density of 0.25 mW cm−2. The symmetric capacitor held a capacitive retention of 74.8% after 500 bending tests from 0 to 120°, suggesting the good flexibility and mechanical stability. These results showed the great promising application in flexible energy-storage devices.