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Topography is tightly coupled with soil organic carbon (SOC) cycling in sloping landscapes. However, we know little about the spatial variation of SOC accumulation and persistence along a topographic gradient and the controlling processes. Here, we assessed the spatial variation of SOC and its composition along a topographic gradient in a humid mountain forest. The variables associated with environmental factors, topographical traits, carbon input from plants, and soil physico-chemical properties were analyzed to assess their contributions. Results showed that both SOC and mineral-bound organic carbon (MOC) contents were comparable among the topographic positions (ridge, middle slope, lower slope and valley). However, particulate organic carbon (POC) content decreased significantly from ridge to valley. Our measured environmental variables explained 67%, 74% and 77% of the variations in SOC contents for 0–10 cm, 10–20 cm and 20–40 cm soils, respectively. Soil physico-chemical properties (including pH and soil reactive Fe/Al oxides) were the main driver on SOC and MOC variations. In contrast, the variation in POC was more explained by topographical traits and carbon input. We also observed significantly lower SOC stability for ridge soil than valley soil. The significant topographic patterns for SOC fraction and SOC stability suggested that the soil carbon cycling processes were dependent on landscape positions. Future carbon budget and carbon dynamic researches in the humid sloping landscapes should take into account the topographic effects, especially for the free and light carbon fractions.

DNA-modified lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (DNA-UCNPs) that combine the functions of DNA and the optical features of UCNPs have shown great promise in a wide range of fields. However, challenges remain in precisely tethering and orienting the DNA strands on the UCNP surface. Herein, we systematically investigate the sequence dependence of DNAs in their interactions with UCNPs, and reveal that poly-cytosine (poly-C) has high affinity for the UCNP surface. A general approach to synthesize monodispersed DNA-UCNP conjugates is developed using poly-C-containing diblock DNA strands. The poly-C segment of the DNA strand binds to the surfaces of UCNPs and the second segment is oriented perpendicularly on the UCNP surface, making the DNA-UCNPs highly stable and monodispersed in aqueous solution. The dense layer of DNA on the UCNP surface enables the programmable assembly of UCNPs with other DNA-functionalized nanoparticles or DNA origamis through hybridization, resulting in the formation of well-organized complex structures.

Despite being a crucial component of nutrient cycling and soil carbon (C) dynamics in forest ecosystems, there is too little information from past studies to discern whether dissolved organic carbon (DOC) exchanges with soil organic carbon or passes unaltered through soils. In this study, we added 13C-labelled litter-derived DOC into different depth soil columns in a 180-day incubation experiment to determine the fate of DOC in soils, and to monitor the changes in DOC composition when it percolates through the soil. The results showed that δ13C values increased in soil microbes, which indicated that some litter-derived DOC was immobilized by soil microbial communities. Approximately 76% of litter-derived DOC was retained in the soil (60% in topsoil and 16% in midsoil). Meanwhile, 18%, 4%, and 3% of litter-derived DOC were mineralized into CO2 in topsoil, midsoil and subsoil respectively. Only 0.04% of litter-derived DOC leached from the soil column (0–60 cm). These results indicated that DOC was mainly retained on soil, and a small portion was mineralized by microorganisms, with minimal leaching. The composition of water soluble soil organic carbon (WSOC) and leachate DOC (LDOC) were similar between the control and treatment. This indicated that the composition of WSOC and LDOC was more similar to soil C than the added DOC, which supports the previously hypothesized dynamic exchange model. These findings provide new insight by showing that most litter-derived DOC is sequestered in forest soils.

Preparing few-layer black phosphorus flakes, in a scalable, fast, and benign way, is a key step to promote both the fundamental research and practical applications of black phosphorus. Although the...

The root-knot nematode is one of the most damaging plant-parasitic nematodes worldwide, and the ecofriendly alternative approach of biological control has been used to suppress nematode populations. Here the nematicidal activity of Aspergillus japonicus ZW1 fermentation filtrate against Meloidogyne incognita was evaluated in vitro and in greenhouse, and the effects of A. japonicus ZW1 fermentation filtrate on seed germination and the active compound of A. japonicus ZW1 fermentation filtrate were determined. The 2-week fermentation filtrate (2-WF) of A. japonicus ZW1 exhibited markedly inhibitory effects on egg hatching, and 5% 2-WF showed potential nematicidal activities on second-stage juveniles (J2s); the mortality of J2s was 100% after 24 h exposure. The internal contents of nematodes were degraded and remarkable protruded wrinkles were present on the body surface of J2s. The nematicidal activity of the fermentation was stable after boiling and was not affected by storage time. A germination assay revealed that 2-WF did not have a negative effect on the viability and germination of corn, wheat, rice, cowpeas, cucumbers, soybeans, or tomato seeds. The pot-grown study confirmed that a 20% fermentation broth solution significantly reduced root galls and egg numbers on tomatoes, and decreased galls and eggs by 47.3% and 51.8% respectively, over Czapek medium and water controls. The active compound from the A. japonicus ZW1 fermentation filtrate was isolated and identified as 1,5-Dimethyl Citrate hydrochloride ester on the basis of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and LC-MS (liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer) techniques. Thus, fermentation of A. japonicus ZW1 could be considered a potential new biological nematicide for the control of M. incognita.

The emerging wearable and foldable electronic devices drive the development of flexible lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Carbon materials are considered as one of the most promising electrode materials for LIBs due to their light weight, low cost and good structural stability against repeated deformations. However, the specific capacity, rate capability and long-term cycling performance still need to be improved for their applications in next-generation LIBs. Herein, we report a facile approach for immobilizing phosphorus into a large-area carbon nanosheets/nanofibers interwoven free-standing paper for LIBs. As an anode material for LIBs, it shows high reversible capacity of 1100 mAh g−1 at a current density of 200 mA g−1, excellent rate capabilities (e.g., 200 mAh g−1 at 20,000 mA g−1). Even at a high current density of 1000 mA g−1, it still maintains a superior specific capacity of 607 mAh g−1 without obvious decay.

Deep soil stores a large amount of organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). However, little is known regarding the interactions between soil C and net N mineralization in deep soil, which complicates the prediction of ecosystem C and N dynamics. In this study, a 150-day laboratory soil incubation experiment was performed under 20 °C and 25 °C to investigate the influence of soil depth and warming on C and net N mineralization and their relationship. Soils were collected from a Hapludalfs profile in a subtropical forest with three depth intervals: 0–10 (topsoil), 10–30 (midsoil), and 30–60 cm (subsoil). Soil microbial community-level physiological profiling (CLPP) was conducted to investigate the role of the microbial community in C and N mineralization. The results demonstrated that both C and net N mineralization rates in subsoil were significantly lower than in topsoil. Compared to topsoil, subsoil had lower temperature sensitivity of C mineralization and relatively higher temperature sensitivity of net N mineralization. Cumulative soil C and net N mineralized were positively correlated in topsoil with the mineralized N per mineralized C showed as 0.19 and 0.31 at 20 °C and 25 °C, respectively. However, there was no significant correlation between cumulative soil C and net N mineralized in subsoil due to the low amount of net N mineralization. The lack of labile C source and degradable organic N were believed to limit the net N mineralization in subsoil. The microbial community in topsoil used relatively more easily decomposable carbohydrates and carboxylic acids, which favored C mineralization. In contrast, the microbial community in subsoil had relatively high utilization of amino acids (N-containing substrates), which indicated there was N limitation. This distinguished substrate utilization patterns of microbial communities could explain the observed C and N mineralization rates among the soil depths, and suggests that the microbial community played an important role in soil C and N mineralization. The decoupled relationships between soil C and net N mineralization in deep soil and their differentiated responses to warmer temperatures among soil depths indicated that deep soil should be considered separately from topsoil for ecosystem C and N cycling, especially for ecosystem C dynamic models.

Lithium-sulfur batteries show great potential in the field of energy storage because of their high-energy density, but the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfide has seriously hindered their practical process. Quasi-solid-state electrolyte (QPE) is considered to be a promising alternative to traditional liquid electrolyte, which can improve the safety and cycling performance of lithium-sulfur batteries. Herein, a novel poly(vinyl carbonate-co-butyl acrylate) QPE with 3D crosslinked network (PEGDA-P(VCA-co-BA)) is designed to capture lithium polysulfide through a chemical adsorption of abundant ester groups. The PEGDA-P(VCA-co-BA) QPE exhibits high ionic conductivity of 2.9 mS cm−1. In order to synergize the beneficial effect of the PEGDA-P(VCA-co-BA) QPE, the nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube film-supported sulfur/Li cells are assembled with the QPE. As-assembled lithium-sulfur batteries show high initial capacity of 1080 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C, long cycle life (capacity retention of 715 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles) and superior rate performance.

Black phosphorus, an emerging layered material, exhibits promising applications in diverse fields, ranging from electronics to optics. However, controlled synthesis of black phosphorus, particularly its few-layered counterparts, is still challenging, which should be due to the unclear growth mechanism of black phosphorus. Here, taking the most commonly used Sn-I assisted synthesis of black phosphorus as an example, we propose a growth mechanism of black phosphorus crystals by monitoring the reactions and analyzing the as-synthesized products. In the proposed mechanism, Sn24P19.3I8 is the active site for the growth of black phosphorus, and the black phosphorus crystals are formed with the assistance of SnI2, following a polymerization-like process. In addition, we suggest that all Sn-I assisted synthesis of black phosphorus should share the same reaction mechanism despite the differences among Sn-I containing additives. Our results shown here should shed light on the controlled synthesis of black phosphorus and facilitate further applications of black phosphorus.

A mitochondria-targeting nanosystem, BP@PDA–Ce6&TPP NSs, has been constructed, and exhibit excellent performance in imaging-guided synergistic photothermal and photodynamic cancer therapy., Organelle-targeting nanosystems are envisioned as promising tools for phototherapy, which can generate heat or reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced cytotoxicity in the targeted location but leave the surrounding biological tissues undamaged. In this work, an imaging-guided mitochondria-targeting photothermal/photodynamic nanosystem has been developed on the basis of functionalized black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets (NSs). In the nanosystem, BP NSs are coated with polydopamine (PDA) and then covalently linked with both chlorin e6 (Ce6) and triphenyl phosphonium (TPP) through carbodiimide reaction between the amino group and the carboxyl group, forming BP@PDA–Ce6&TPP NSs. Due to the strong absorbance of BP@PDA in the near-infrared region and the highly efficient ROS generation of Ce6, the as-prepared nanosystem with mitochondria-targeting capacity (TPP moiety) shows remarkably enhanced efficiency in cancer cell killing. Combined photothermal and photodynamic therapy is implemented and monitored by in vivo fluorescence imaging, achieving excellent performance in inhibiting tumor growth. This study presents a novel nanotheranostic agent for mitochondria-targeting phototherapy, which may open new horizons for biomedicine.