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The development of efficient oxygen electrocatalysts and understanding their underlying catalytic mechanism are of significant importance for the high-performance energy conversion and storage technologies. Herein, we report novel CoCu-based bimetallic metal-organic framework nanoboxes (CoCu-MOF NBs) as promising catalysts toward efficient electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER), fabricated via a successive cation and ligand exchange strategy. With the highly exposed bimetal centers and the well-designed architecture, the CoCu-MOF NBs show excellent OER activity and stability, with a small overpotential of 271 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and a high turnover frequency value of 0.326 s-1 at an overpotential of 300 mV. In combination of quasi in situ X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and density-functional theory calculations, the post-formed CoCu-based oxyhydroxide analogue during OER is believed to account for the high OER activity of CoCu-MOF NBs, where the electronic synergy between Co and neighbouring Cu atoms promotes the O-O bond coupling toward fast OER kinetics.

Exploring earth-abundant electrocatalysts with excellent activity, robust stability, and multiple functions is crucial for electrolytic hydrogen generation. Porous phosphorized CoNi2 S4 yolk-shell spheres (P-CoNi2 S4 YSSs) were rationally designed and synthesized by a combined hydrothermal sulfidation and gas-phase phosphorization strategy. Benefiting from the strengthened Ni3+ /Ni2+ couple, enhanced electronic conductivity, and hollow structure, the P-CoNi2 S4 YSSs exhibit excellent activity and durability towards hydrogen/oxygen evolution and urea oxidation reactions in alkaline solution, affording low potentials of -0.135 V, 1.512 V, and 1.306 V (versus reversible hydrogen electrode) at 10 mA cm-2 , respectively. Remarkably, when used as the anode and cathode simultaneously, the P-CoNi2 S4 catalyst merely requires a cell voltage of 1.544 V in water splitting and 1.402 V in urea electrolysis to attain 10 mA cm-2 with excellent durability for 100 h, outperforming most of the reported nickel-based sulfides and even noble-metal-based electrocatalysts. This work promotes the application of sulfides in electrochemical hydrogen production and provides a feasible approach for urea-rich wastewater treatment.

Prussian blue analogs (PBAs) are considered as reliable and promising cathode materials for aqueous Zn‐ion batteries (AZIBs), but they suffer from low capacity and poor cycling stability due to insufficient active sites and structural damage caused by the ion insertion/extraction processes. Herein, a template‐engaged ion exchange approach has been developed for the synthesis of Co‐substituted Mn‐rich PBA hollow spheres (CoMn‐PBA HSs) as cathode materials for AZIBs. Benefiting from the multiple advantageous features including hollow structure, abundant active sites, fast Zn2+ ion diffusion, and partial Co substitution, the CoMn‐PBA HSs electrode shows efficient zinc ion storage properties in terms of high capacity, decent rate capability and prolonged cycle life., Co‐substituted Mn‐rich Prussian Blue Analog (PBA) hollow spheres (CoMn‐PBA HSs) are rationally designed and synthesized through an efficient self‐templating approach. Benefiting from the hollow structure and partial Co substitution, the CoMn‐PBA HSs electrode exhibits enhanced zinc ion storage performance with high capacity, favorable rate capability, and impressive cycling stability.

The development of efficient and low-cost electrocatalysts toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is critical for improving the efficiency of several electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices. Here, we report an elaborate design and synthesis of porous Co-based trimetallic spinel oxide nanoboxes (NiCo2-x Fex O4 NBs) by a novel metal-organic framework engaged strategy, which involves chemical etching, cation exchange, and subsequent thermal oxidation processes. Owing to the structural and compositional advantages, the optimized trimetallic NiCo2-x Fex O4 NBs (x is about 0.117) deliver superior electrocatalytic performance for OER with an overpotential of 274 mV at 10 mA cm-2 , a small Tafel slope of 42 mV dec-1 , and good stability in alkaline electrolyte, which is much better than that of Co-based bi/monometallic spinel oxides and even commercial RuO2 .

Calcium ions are crucial for the growth and development of photosynthetic organisms, whereas its eco-physiological significance on the edible cyanobacterium Nostoc sphaeroides remains unclear. The percentage of spherical microcolonies from N. sphaeroides vegetative filaments was up to 88–93% after 18 days at higher Ca2+ levels (0.25, 1, and 4 mM), but only about 51% at lower Ca2+ levels (0.01 and 0.06 mM). When cultured at higher Ca2+ levels, N. sphaeroides specific growth rates based on the chlorophyll a content and absolute growth rates based on the dry weight significantly increased by 13–18% and 23–30%, respectively, compared to those at lower Ca2+ levels. The colonies cultured at higher Ca2+ levels exhibited 13–20% increase in light-limited photosynthetic efficiency, 28–42% increase in the maximum electron transport rate and 57–95% increase in the light-saturated photosynthetic rate relative to those at lower Ca2+ levels. The higher Ca2+-treated colonies were more tolerant to high light than lower Ca2+-treated colonies and more rapid recovery of photoinhibited colonies induced by the subsequent dim light was also observed in higher Ca2+-treated colonies. We further found the photosynthetic recovery of photoinhibited colonies required the influx of apoplastic Ca2+ and the maintenance of photosynthetic activity for desiccated colonies during rehydration was also extracellular Ca2+-dependent. These results indicated that higher levels of Ca2+ promoted colony formation, growth, and photosynthesis of N. sphaeroides, suggesting available calcium ions in natural environment may be an important factor affecting its productivity and distribution.

Isolated cobalt atoms have been successfully decorated onto the surface of W18O49 ultrathin nanowires. The Co-atom-decorated W18O49 nanowires (W18O49@Co) greatly accelerate the charge carrier separ...

Osteoporosis (OP) behaves in different manners in different parts of the skeleton. This study aims to investigate the effects of curcumin on bone mass of the mandibular and femur from ovariectomized OP rats and to validate whether enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2)/Wnt/β‐Catenin pathway is involved in this process. Curcumin was administered intragastrically into ovariectomized rats for 12 weeks. The bone parameters and the morphology of the trabecular bone of the left mandible and left femur were assessed by micro‐computed tomography assay. Morphological changes of the left mandible and left femur were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The mRNA levels of EZH2, β‐Catenin, and Runx2 in the right mandible and right femur were examined by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Immunohistochemistry was performed to assess EZH2 expression. Both the mandible and femur exhibited OP‐like changes in ovariectomized rats, while the mandible bone resorption was less than the femur bone resorption. Curcumin intragastric administration improved bone microstructure and promoted bone formation in the mandible and femur. Curcumin inhibited EZH2 mRNA level and induced that of β‐Catenin and Runx2 in the mandible and femur. Collectively, curcumin exerts protective effects against OP, possibly by regulating the EZH2/Wnt/β‐Catenin pathway.

The advances in process engineering, nanotechnology, and materials science gradually enable the potential applications of biomass in novel energy storage technologies such as lithium secondary batteries (LSBs). Of note, biomass-derived materials that range from inorganic multi-dimensional carbons to renewable organic biomolecules or biopolymers can contribute towards “green battery” systems, serving as sustainable battery components. This review offers a comprehensive overview of the fabrication and application of both biomass and biomass-derived materials in LSBs. First, the processing routes of biomass towards different products are considered and described. The corresponding mechanistic understanding of biomass processing is particularly underscored. Classified by the battery components, focused discussions on biomass applied as electrode scaffolds, active cathode/anode materials, binders/additives, and separators/solid-state electrolyte layers in LSBs are systematically provided. The insights from this review demonstrate that biomass has significant potential for the development of high-performance “green battery” systems, which to different extents employ sustainable and green biomass-derived battery components. To accelerate its industrialization, specific attention should be paid to upgrading the processing technologies to maximize biomass utilization with high efficiency and low cost. Meanwhile, we summarize the present limitations over the application of biomass in LSBs and propose potential strategies for revolution. Additionally, we foresee further use of biomaterials to advance LSBs and other alkali-metal secondary batteries. This review comprehensively describes the significance of biomass and biomass-derived materials that have already received some attention and will bring numerous breakthroughs in the battery community. It is intended to attract the broad attention of scientists to this prospective trend of development in “green batteries”. Ministry of Education (MOE) National Research Foundation (NRF) Accepted version

Polymer-based dielectric nanocomposites as raw materials of dielectric capacitors used in advanced electronics and electrical systems have a great application prospect but remain a huge challenge to energy storage performance in high electric fields. In this work, MgAl layered double hydroxide (MgAl LDH) nanosheets loaded with Ni nanoparticles were designed and synthesized, and incorporated into polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) to fabricate Ni–MgAl LDH/PVDF nanocomposites with high energy density. The effect of Ni–MgAl LDH nanosheet content (0.2 to 0.8 wt%) on the energy storage performance of MgAl LDH/PVDF nanocomposites was studied. As a result, after adding 0.6 wt% Ni–MgAl LDH nanosheets, the nanocomposites obtained the highest energy density 23.87 J cm−3 (at 640 kV mm−1) and the charge–discharge efficiency reached 65%, which was 76% and 18% higher than that of pure PVDF, respectively. This improvement could be attributed to the multiple functions of Ni–MgAl LDH nanosheets under an applied electric field. On the one hand, Ni nanoparticles on the surface of the MgAl LDH nanosheets could enhance the interfacial conductivity, form plenty of parallel micro-capacitors and produce Coulomb blockade effect, which resulted in high dielectric constant and high breakdown strength. On the other hand, two functions contributed by MgAl LDH nanosheets, homogenizing the electric field and inhibiting the growth of the electric tree coming from its medium dielectric constant and sheet structure, were beneficial to increase the breakdown strength. Furthermore, finite element simulations were employed to explain the mechanism of improved dielectric properties of the Ni–MgAl LDH/PVDF nanocomposites.

Developing noble-metal-free bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts is of great significance for energy conversion and storage systems. Herein, we have developed a transformation method for growing NiMn-based bimetal-organic framework (NiMn-MOF) nanosheets on multi-channel carbon fibers (MCCF) as a bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst. Owing to the desired components and architecture, the MCCF/NiMn-MOFs manifest comparable electrocatalytic performance towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with the commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst and superior performance towards oxygen evolution reaction (OER) to the benchmark RuO2 electrocatalyst. X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the strong synergetic effect of adjacent Ni and Mn nodes within MCCF/NiMn-MOFs effectively promotes the thermodynamic formation of key *O and *OOH intermediates over active NiO6 centers towards fast ORR and OER kinetics. Ministry of Education (MOE) National Research Foundation (NRF) Accepted version X.W.L. acknowledges the funding support from the Ministry of Education of Singapore through the Academic Research Fund (AcRF) Tier-1 funding (RG116/18), and the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Singapore via the NRF Investigatorship (NRF-NRFI2016-04). The authors thank Dr. Shibo Xi and the X-ray absorption fine structure for catalysis (XAFCA) beamline of the Singapore Synchrotron Light Source (SSLS) for supporting the XAFS measurements.

Single-atom catalysts (SACs), in which the metal active sites are isolated on the support and stabilized by coordinated atoms such as oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, etc., represent the maximum usage efficiency of the metal atoms. Benefiting from the recent progress in synthetic strategies, characterization methods, and computational models, many SACs that deliver an impressive catalytic performance for a variety of reactions have been developed. The catalytic selectivity and activity are critical issues that need to be optimized and augmented in the areas of nanotechnology and biomedicine. This review summarizes some recent experimental and theoretical progress aimed at clarifying the structure of SACs and how they influence the catalytic performance. The examples described here elaborate on the utility of SACs and highlight the strengths of these catalysts in the applications of biomedicine, environmental protection, and energy conversion. Finally, some current challenges and future perspectives for SACs are also discussed., Some recent experimental and theoretical progress is summarized, aimed at clarifying the structure of single-atom catalysts and how they influence the catalytic performance.

The growth of Li dendrites hinders the practical application of lithium metal anodes (LMAs). In this work, a hollow nanostructure, based on hierarchical MoS2 coated hollow carbon particles preloaded with sulfur (C@MoS2 /S), was designed to modify the LMA. The C@MoS2 hollow nanostructures serve as a good scaffold for repeated Li plating/stripping. More importantly, the encapsulated sulfur could gradually release lithium polysulfides during the Li plating/stripping, acting as an effective additive to promote the formation of a mosaic solid electrolyte interphase layer embedded with crystalline hybrid lithium-based components. These two factors together effectively suppress the growth of Li dendrites. The as-modified LMA shows a high Coulombic efficiency of 98 % over 500 cycles at the current density of 1 mA cm-2 . When matched with a LiFePO4 cathode, the assembled full cell displays a highly improved cycle life of 300 cycles, implying the feasibility of the proposed LMA.

Berberine is an alkaloid extracted from medicinal plants such as Coptis chinensis and Phellodendron chinense. It possesses anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour and anti-oxidation properties, and regulates Glc and lipid metabolism. This study explored the mechanisms of the protective effects of berberine on barrier function and inflammatory damage in porcine intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) induced by LPS. We first evaluated the effects of berberine and LPS on cell viability. IPEC-J2 cells were treated with 5 μg/ml LPS for 1 h to establish an inflammatory model, and 75, 150 and 250 μg/ml berberine were used in further experiments. The expression of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α was measured by RT-PCR. The key proteins of the NF-κB/MAPK signalling pathway (IκBα, p-IκBα, p65, p-p65, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p-JNK, p38, p-p38, ERK1/2 and p-ERK1/2) were detected by Western blot. Upon exposure to LPS, IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α mRNA levels and p-IκBα p-p65 protein levels were significantly enhanced. Pre-treatment with berberine reduced the expression of inflammatory factors and was positively correlated with its concentration, and dose dependently inhibited the expression of IκBα, p-IκBα, p-p65, p-p38 and JNK. These results demonstrated that pre-treating intestinal epithelial cells with berberine was useful in preventing and treating diarrhoea induced by Escherichia coli in weaned pigs.

Purine signaling pathway plays an important role in inflammation and tissue damage. To investigate the role of purine signaling pathway in acute alcoholic liver injury and chronic alcoholic liver fibrosis, we replicated two animal models and two cellular models. We found that body weights, liver indexes, serum biochemical parameters, serum fibrosis indexes, and pathological and immunohistochemical results had significant changes in two treatment groups compared with two control groups. In addition, gene expressions of purine receptors, inflammatory cytokines, fibrogenic cytokines, and inflammasomes increased obviously in two animal models and two cellular models. Furthermore, purine receptor inhibitors could significantly inhibit protein expressions of purine receptors and reduce protein expressions of inflammatory cytokines, fibrogenic cytokines, and inflammasomes. Besides, P2X7R small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) had the same effects. Meanwhile, we detected protein expressions of inflammatory cytokines secreted by inflammasomes, and we found that purine receptor-mediated inflammasomes activation was a key event in the process of chronic alcoholic liver fibrosis. In summary, this study shows that inhibition of purine receptors can alleviate acute alcoholic liver injury and chronic alcoholic liver fibrosis in mice. Therefore, purine receptor is a potential new target for the treatment of acute alcoholic liver injury and chronic alcoholic fibrosis.

The construction of hybrid architectures for electrode materials has been demonstrated as an efficient strategy to boost sodium-storage properties because of the synergetic effect of each component. However, the fabrication of hybrid nanostructures with a rational structure and desired composition for effective sodium storage is still challenging. In this study, an integrated nanostructure composed of copper-substituted CoS2 @Cux S double-shelled nanoboxes (denoted as Cu-CoS2 @Cux S DSNBs) was synthesized through a rational metal-organic framework (MOF)-based templating strategy. The unique shell configuration and complex composition endow the Cu-CoS2 @Cux S DSNBs with enhanced electrochemical performance in terms of superior rate capability and stable cyclability. NRF (Natl Research Foundation, S’pore) MOE (Min. of Education, S’pore) Accepted version

Description, Structutral evolution of Br-Ni-MOF hollow prism catalysts during OER is promptly identified by operando XAFS spectroscopy., Fundamental insights into the structural evolution of oxygen electrocatalysts under operating conditions are of substantial importance for designing efficient catalysts. Here, on the basis of operando x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, we probe the in situ activation of Br-confined conductive Ni-based metal-organic framework (Br-Ni-MOF) hollow prisms toward an active oxygen electrocatalyst during the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) process. The successive structural transformations from pristine Br-Ni-MOF to a β-Ni(OH)2 analog then subsequently to a γ-NiOOH phase during OER are observed. This post-formed γ-NiOOH analog manifests high OER performance with a superior overpotential of 306 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a high turnover frequency value of 0.051 s−1 at an overpotential of 300 mV, making Br-Ni-MOF one of the most active oxygen electrocatalysts reported. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the strong electronic coupling between Br and Ni atoms accelerates the generation of the key *O intermediate toward fast OER kinetics.

CircRNAs (circRNAs) are commonly dysregulated in a variety of human diseases and are involved in the development and progression of cancer. However, the role of circRNAs in hepatic fibrosis (HF) is still unclear. Our previous high throughput screen revealed changes in many circRNAs in mice with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced HF. For example, circCREBBP was significantly down-regulated in primary hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and liver tissue of HF mice induced by CCl4 compared to those in the vehicle group. Overexpression of circCREBBP with AAV8-circCREBBP in vivo prevented CCl4-induced HF worsening by reducing serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) contents, liver hydroxyproline levels, collagen deposition, and levels of pro-fibrosis genes and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, in vitro function loss and function gain analysis showed that circCREBBP inhibited HSCs activation and proliferation. Mechanically, circCREBBP acts as a sponge for hsa-miR-1291 and subsequently promotes LEFTY2 expression. In conclusion, our current results reveal a novel mechanism by which circCREBBP alleviates liver fibrosis by targeting the hsa-miR-1291/LEFTY2 axis, and also suggest that circCREBBP may be a potential biomarker for heart failure.

Materials for high-efficiency photocatalytic CO2 reduction are desirable for solar-to-carbon fuel conversion. Herein, highly dispersed nickel cobalt oxyphosphide nanoparticles (NiCoOP NPs) were confined in multichannel hollow carbon fibers (MHCFs) to construct the NiCoOP-NPs@MHCFs catalysts for efficient CO2 photoreduction. The synthesis involves electrospinning, phosphidation, and carbonization steps and permits facile tuning of chemical composition. In the catalyst, the mixed metal oxyphosphide NPs with ultrasmall size and high dispersion offer abundant catalytically active sites for redox reactions. At the same time, the multichannel hollow carbon matrix with high conductivity and open ends will effectively promote mass/charge transfer, improve CO2 adsorption, and prevent the metal oxyphosphide NPs from aggregation. The optimized hetero-metal oxyphosphide catalyst exhibits considerable activity for photosensitized CO2 reduction, affording a high CO evolution rate of 16.6 μmol h-1 (per 0.1 mg of catalyst).

Development of efficient and robust electrocatalysts is critical for practical fuel cells. We report one-dimensional bunched platinum-nickel (Pt-Ni) alloy nanocages with a Pt-skin structure for the oxygen reduction reaction that display high mass activity (3.52 amperes per milligram platinum) and specific activity (5.16 milliamperes per square centimeter platinum), or nearly 17 and 14 times higher as compared with a commercial platinum on carbon (Pt/C) catalyst. The catalyst exhibits high stability with negligible activity decay after 50,000 cycles. Both the experimental results and theoretical calculations reveal the existence of fewer strongly bonded platinum-oxygen (Pt-O) sites induced by the strain and ligand effects. Moreover, the fuel cell assembled by this catalyst delivers a current density of 1.5 amperes per square centimeter at 0.6 volts and can operate steadily for at least 180 hours. NRF (Natl Research Foundation, S’pore) Accepted version

Hierarchical hollow structures for electrode materials of supercapacitors could enlarge the surface area, accelerate the transport of ions and electrons, and accommodate volume expansion during cycling. Besides, construction of heterostructures would enhance the internal electric fields to regulate the electronic structures. All these features of hierarchical hollow heterostructures are beneficial for promoting the electrochemical properties and stability of electrode materials for high-performance supercapacitors. Herein, CoO/Co-Cu-S hierarchical tubular heterostructures (HTHSs) composed of nanoneedles are prepared by an efficient multi-step approach. The optimized sample exhibits a high specific capacity of 320 mAh g-1 (2300 F g-1 ) at 2.0 A g-1 and outstanding cycling stability with 96.5 % of the initial capacity retained after 5000 cycles at 10 A g-1 . Moreover, an all-solid-state hybrid supercapacitor (HSC) constructed with the CoO/Co-Cu-S and actived carbon shows a stable and high energy density of 90.7 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 800 W kg-1 .

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have received great attention due to the low cost and abundance of sodium resources, and their chemical/electrochemical properties are similar to those of established lithium-ion batteries. In the past few years, we have witnessed the resuscitation and rapid development of various advanced electrode materials. Rationally designed nanostructures endow the electrodes with high reversible capacity, superior rate capability, and long-term cyclability. In this Review, we summarize some recent research progress in the rational design and synthesis of nanostructured electrode materials with controlled shape, structural complexity, composition, and boosted sodium storage performance. We seek to provide some understanding on the effect of nanostructure engineering on the sodium storage properties of electrode materials. It is thus anticipated that this Review will shed some light on the development of high-performance electrode materials for advanced SIBs.

Metal sulfides with excellent redox reversibility and high capacity are very promising electrode materials for sodium-ion batteries. However, their practical application is still hindered by the poor rate capability and limited cycle life. Herein, a template-based strategy is developed to synthesize nitrogen-doped carbon-coated Cu9 S5 bullet-like hollow particles starting from bullet-like ZnO particles. With the structural and compositional advantages, these unique nitrogen-doped carbon-coated Cu9 S5 bullet-like hollow particles manifest excellent sodium storage properties with superior rate capability and ultra-stable cycling performance.

Metal sulfides have received considerable attention for efficient sodium storage owing to their high capacity and decent redox reversibility. However, the poor rate capability and fast capacity decay greatly hinder their practical application in sodium-ion batteries. Herein, an elegant multi-step templating strategy has been developed to rationally synthesize hierarchical double-shelled nanoboxes with the CoS2 nanosheet-constructed outer shell supported on the CuS inner shell. Their structure and composition enable these hierarchical CuS@CoS2 nanoboxes to show boosted electrochemical properties with high capacity, outstanding rate capability, and long cycle life. NRF (Natl Research Foundation, S’pore) Accepted version

AIMS In acute alcoholic liver injury, alcohol can directly or indirectly induce endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) to participate in liver injury, and it is found that the expression of serum exosomal miR-122 is significantly affected. Therefore, the present study investigated the effects of endoplasmic reticulum stress inhibition on the expression of serum exosomal miR-122 and acute liver injury. METHODS The acute alcoholic liver injury models were established by the intragastric administration of ethanol (5 g/kg) in ICR mice. Intervention group received 4-phenylbutyric acid (PBA, endoplasmic reticulum stress inhibitor; 75 mg/kg and 150 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) 12 and 24 hours before intragastric administration. Mice treated with saline were used as controls. RESULTS The ethanol treated mice exhibited significantly elevated hepatosomatic index (liver weight/body weight) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), compared with those in the control group (P < 0.05). The ERS inhibitor 4-phenylbutyric acid protected against ethanol induced acute liver injury and hepatocyte necrosis, and PBA 150 mg/kg significantly attenuated ethanol induced hepatic ER stress-related proteins (GRP78, pIRE1α and pIF2α) (P < 0.05). Moreover, PBA 150 mg/kg markedly alleviated ethanol induced elevation of hepatic and serum exosomal miR-122 and pri-miR-122 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that ER stress inhibitor PBA attenuated ethanol induced acute liver injury and serum exosomal miR-122, and provides a potential therapy strategy for acute alcoholic liver injury.

Aluminum foams/aluminum plate was transient liquid phase diffusion bonded with Cu/Al/Cu composite interlayer, then the investigation on joint microstructure, element diffusion and joint strength was conducted at 565°C. The results showed that, there was a significant grain boundary penetration phenomenon near the interface and it was more seriously at the side of aluminum foams. The XRD results showed indicated that the main phases near the interface were α-Al, CuAl2, AlCu, Al4Cu9, Al2O3. By EDS line scanning, it indicated that the diffusion behavior of elements was different at three regions, compared with the edge region, the interface of the central region was better and the depth of element diffusion is larger, at the pore region, the liquefaction of interlayer was not successfully and the morphology was lamellar. Mechanical properties test showed that the largest shear strength of joint was 4.61 MPa when the duration was 40 min. Key words: Aluminum foams; transient liquid phase bonding; microstructure; element diffusion; shear strength

Designing advanced structures for semiconductor photocatalysts is an effective approach to enhance their performance. However, it is not easy to fabricate functional photocatalytic materials with complex nano-architectures. Here we have developed a sequential solution growth, sulfidation and cation-exchange strategy to fabricate CdS hierarchical multi-cavity hollow particles (HMCHPs). This strategy starts with the growth of Zn-based zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) onto cobalt glycerate (Co-G) solid spheres. Sulfidation of the obtained Co-G@ZIF-8 composite particles leads to the formation of CoSx@ZnS HMCHPs, which are converted into CdS HMCHPs via a cation-exchange reaction. Owing to the favourable properties of the well-defined hierarchical hollow structure, the CdS HMCHPs exhibit enhanced activity for photocatalytic CO2 reduction compared with other CdS photocatalysts with solid and common hollow structures. The performance of CdS HMCHPs can be further promoted by loading of Au to reach a CO generation rate of 3758 μmol h−1 g−1 under visible light irradiation.

Efficient electrocatalysts are of great importance in improving the water splitting efficiency. Herein, we develop a self-templating strategy to construct porous iron cobalt (oxy)phosphide (Fe–Co–P) nanoboxes as promising pre-catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline solution. The constructed Fe–Co–P nanoboxes exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activity and afford a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at a small overpotential of 269 mV. Moreover, the structural evolution of the metal phosphides in the oxygen evolution process has been well monitored. X-ray absorption near-edge structure analyses and computational studies reveal that the structural merits and the effective intramolecular electronic coupling between the Fe and Co atoms via P/O bridges are responsible for the greatly improved electrocatalytic activity.

A micro-impinging stream reactor (MISR) consisting of a commercial T-junction and steel capillaries, which is of intensified micromixing efficiency as compared with traditional stirred reactors (STR), was applied for the preparation of Co and Al co-doped Ni(OH)2 nanocomposites and their modification with reduced graphene oxide (RGO). The co-precipitation preparation process was conducted under precisely controlled proportions and concentrations of reactants in the MISR. Therefore, element analysis showed a higher uniform distribution of metal ions within the nanocomposites obtained through the MISR. The structural characterization and electrochemical measurements also showed that the MISR-prepared metal-doped nanocomposites were of more uniform dispersion and superior electrochemical performance than those prepared with STR. In addition, by modifying with RGO in the MISR, the electrochemical performance of Co and Al co-doped Ni(OH)2 nanocomposites could be further improved. The Co and Al co-doped Ni(OH)2/RGO prepared under optimal conditions achieved an ultrahigh specific capacitance of 2389.5 F g−1 at the current density of 1 A g−1 and displayed an excellent cycling stability with 83.7% retention of the initial capacitance after 1000 charge/discharge cycles in 6 M KOH aqueous solution.

The design and synthesis of hierarchical microboxes, assembled from SnS nanoplates coated with nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) as an anode material for sodium-ion batteries, is demonstrated. The template-engaged multistep synthesis of the SnS@NC microboxes involves sequential phase transformation, polydopamine coating, and thermal annealing in N2 . The SnS@NC composite with two-dimensional nano-sized subunits rationally integrates several advantages including shortening the diffusion path of electrons/Na+ ions, improving electric conductivity, and alleviating volume variation of the electrode material. As a result, the SnS@NC microboxes show efficient sodium storage performance with high capacity, good cycling stability, and excellent rate capability. NRF (Natl Research Foundation, S’pore) Accepted version

Ag nanoparticle–embedded nitrogen-doped carbon macroporous fibers are rationally designed as the host for Li metal anodes., Lithium metal has been considered as an ideal anode candidate for future high energy density lithium batteries. Herein, we develop a three-dimensional (3D) hybrid host consisting of Ag nanoparticle–embedded nitrogen-doped carbon macroporous fibers (denoted as Ag@CMFs) with selective nucleation and targeted deposition of Li. The 3D macroporous framework can inhibit the formation of dendritic Li by capturing metallic Li in the matrix as well as reducing local current density, the lithiophilic nitrogen-doped carbons act as homogeneous nucleation sites owing to the small nucleation barrier, and the Ag nanoparticles improve the Li nucleation and growth behavior with the reversible solid solution–based alloying reaction. As a result, the Ag@CMF composite enables a dendrite-free Li plating/stripping behavior with high Coulombic efficiency for more than 500 cycles. When this anode is coupled with a commercial LiFePO4 cathode, the assembled full cell manifests high rate capability and stable cycling life.

Conductive metal-organic framework (MOF) materials have been recently considered as effective electrocatalysts. However, they usually suffer from two major drawbacks, poor electrochemical stability and low electrocatalytic activity in bulk form. Here, we have developed a rational strategy to fabricate a promising electrocatalyst composed of a nanoscale conductive copper-based MOF (Cu-MOF) layer fully supported over synergetic iron hydr(oxy)oxide [Fe(OH)x] nanoboxes. Owing to the highly exposed active centers, enhanced charge transfer, and robust hollow nanostructure, the obtained Fe(OH)x@Cu-MOF nanoboxes exhibit superior activity and stability for the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Specifically, it needs an overpotential of 112 mV to reach a current density of 10 mA cm−2 with a small Tafel slope of 76 mV dec−1. X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy combined with density functional theory calculations unravels that the highly exposed coordinatively unsaturated Cu1-O2 centers could effectively accelerate the formation of key *H intermediates toward fast HER kinetics. Ministry of Education (MOE) National Research Foundation (NRF) Published version X.W.L. acknowledges the funding support from the Ministry of Education of Singapore through the Academic Research Fund (AcRF) Tier-2 funding (MOE2019-T2-2-049) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Singapore via the NRF Investigatorship (NRF-NRFI2016-04).

The application of lithium metal anodes for practical batteries is still impeded by safety issues and low Coulombic efficiency caused mainly by the uncontrollable growth of lithium dendrites. Herein, two types of free-standing nitrogen-doped amorphous Zn-carbon multichannel fibers are synthesized as multifunctional hosts for lithium accommodation. The 3D macroporous structures endow effectively reduced local current density, and the lithiophilic nitrogen-doped carbon and functional Zn nanoparticles serve as preferred deposition sites with low nucleation barriers to guide uniform lithium deposition. As a result, the developed anodes exhibit remarkable electrochemical properties in terms of high Coulombic efficiency for more than 500 cycles at various current densities from 1 to 5 mA cm-2 , and symmetric cells show long-term cycling duration over 2000 h. Moreover, full cells based on the developed anode and a LiFePO4 cathode also demonstrate superior rate capability and stable cycle life. Ministry of Education (MOE) National Research Foundation (NRF) Accepted version X.W.L. acknowledges the funding support from the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Singapore via the NRF investigatorship (NRF-NRFI2016-04), and Ministry of Education of Singapore via the AcRF Tier-1 grant (RG3/20). X.T.Z. acknowledges the funding support from National Natural Science Foundation of China (51772069).

Highly efficient electrocatalysts are essential for the production of green hydrogen from water electrolysis. Herein, a metal-organic framework-assisted pyrolysis-replacement-reorganization approach is developed to obtain ultrafine Pt-Co alloy nanoparticles (sub-10 nm) attached on the inner and outer shells of porous nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNT) with closed ends. During the thermal reorganization, the migration of Pt-Co nano-alloys to both surfaces ensures the maximized exposure of active sites while maintaining the robust attachment to the porous carbon matrix. Density functional theory calculations suggest a nearly thermodynamically-neutral free energy of adsorption for hydrogen intermediates and diversified active sites induced by alloying, thus resulting in a great promotion in intrinsic activity towards the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Benefiting from the delicate structural design and compositional modulation, the optimized Pt3 Co@NCNT electrocatalyst manifests outstanding HER activity and superior stability in both acidic and alkaline media. Ministry of Education (MOE) National Research Foundation (NRF) Accepted version X.W.L. acknowledges funding support from the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Singapore via the NRF investigatorship (NRF-NRFI2016-04), and Ministry of Education of Singapore via the AcRF Tier-2 grant (MOE2019-T2-2-049).

The growth of lithium (Li) dendrites and the huge volume change are the critical issues for the practical applications of Li-metal anodes. In this work, a spatial control strategy is proposed to address the above challenges using lotus-root-like Ni-Co hollow prisms@carbon fibers (NCH@CFs) as the host. The homogeneously distributed bimetallic Ni-Co particles on the N-doped carbon fibers serve as nucleation sites to effectively reduce the overpotential for Li nucleation. Furthermore, the 3D conductive network can alter the electric field. More importantly, the hierarchical lotus-root-like hollow fibers provide sufficient void space to withstand the volume expansion during Li deposition. These structural features guide the uniform Li nucleation and non-dendritic growth. As a result, the NCH@CFs host enables a very stable Li metal anode with a low voltage hysteresis during repeated Li plating/stripping for 1200 h at a current density of 1 mA cm-2 . Ministry of Education (MOE) Submitted/Accepted version L.Y. acknowledges financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51902016), and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. buctrc201829). N.W.L. acknowledges the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21975015), and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. buctrc201904). X.W.L. acknowledges the funding support from the Ministry of Education of Singapore via the AcRF Tier-1 grant (RG3/20).

Alcoholic liver fibrosis (ALF) is commonly associated with long-term alcohol consumption and the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Inhibiting the activation and proliferation of HSCs is a critical step to alleviate liver fibrosis. Increasing evidence indicates that ecto-5′-nucleotidase (CD73) plays a vital role in liver disease as a critical component of extracellular adenosine pathway. However, the regulatory role of CD73 in ALF has not been elucidated. In this study, both ethanol plus CCl4-induced liver fibrosis mice model and acetaldehyde-activated HSC-T6 cell model were employed and the expression of CD73 was consistently elevated in vivo and in vitro. C57BL/6 J mice were intraperitoneally injected with CD73 inhibitor Adenosine 5′-(α, β-methylene) diphosphate sodium salt (APCP) from 5th week to the 8th week in the development of ALF. The results showed APCP could inhibit the activation of HSCs, reduce fibrogenesis marker expression and thus alleviate ALF. Silencing of CD73 inhibited the activation of HSC-T6 cells and promoted apoptosis of activated HSC-T6 cells. What's more, the proliferation of HSC-T6 cells was inhibited, which was characterized by decreased cell viability and cycle arrest. Mechanistically, Wnt/β-catenin pathway was activated in acetaldehyde-activated HSC-T6 cells and CD73 silencing or overexpression could regulate Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Collectively, our study unveils the role of CD73 in HSCs activation, and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway might be involved in this progression.

The design of advanced structures for semiconductor photocatalysts is an effective approach to enhance their performance toward solar‐to‐chemical energy conversion. Hollow and frame‐like structures show advantageous features for photocatalytic reactions with enlarged surface area, shortened charge‐transfer distance, promoted light‐absorption ability, and enhanced mass‐transfer capability. Here, a facile two‐step sulfidation strategy is developed to fabricate unique CdS frame‐in‐cage particles for photocatalytic hydrogen generation. Cd‐based Prussian blue analog (Cd‐PBA) cubes are first converted to Cd‐PBA cube‐in‐CdS cage particles, which are further transformed to CdS frame‐in‐cage particles. Benefiting from the novel frame‐in‐cage structure, the obtained CdS photocatalyst exhibits high activity under visible‐light irradiation with the hydrogen generation rate of 13.6 mmol h−1 g−1, which is much enhanced compared with those of the CdS cubes and cages. Ministry of Education (MOE) National Research Foundation (NRF) Accepted version X.W.L. acknowledges the funding support from the Ministry of Education of Singapore through the AcRF Tier-2 grant (MOE2017-T2-2-003), and the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Singapore via the NRF Investigatorship (NRF-NRFI2016-04).

Extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a danger signal released by dying and damaged cells, and it functions as an immunostimulatory signal that promotes inflammation. The ectonucleotidases CD39/ectonucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase-1 and CD73/ecto-5'-nucleotidase are cell-surface enzymes that breakdown extracellular ATP into adenosine. This drives a shift from an ATP-driven proinflammatory environment to an anti-inflammatory milieu induced by adenosine. The CD39-CD73-adenosine pathway changes dynamically with the pathophysiological context in which it is embedded. Accumulating evidence suggests that CD39 and CD73 play important roles in liver disease as critical components of the extracellular adenosinergic pathway. Recent studies have shown that the modification of the CD39-CD73-adenosine pathway alters the liver's response to injury. Moreover, adenosine exerts different effects on the pathophysiology of the liver through different receptors. In this review, we aim to describe the role of the CD39-CD73-adenosine pathway and adenosine receptors in liver disease, highlighting potential therapeutic targets in this pathway, which will facilitate the development of therapeutic strategies for the treatment of liver disease.

Numerous metal oxides (MOs) have been considered as promising electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage devices, including lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and electrochemical capacitors (ECs), because of their outstanding features such as high capacity/capacitance, low cost, as well as environmental friendliness. However, one major challenge for MO-based electrodes is the poor cycling stability derived from the large volume variation and intense mechanic strain, which are inevitably generated during repeated charge/discharge processes. Nanostructure engineering has proven to be one of the most effective strategies to improve the electrochemical performance of MO-based electrode materials. Among various nanostructures, one-dimensional (1D) metal oxide–carbon hybrid nanostructures might offer some solution for the challenging issues involved in bulk MO-based electrode materials for energy storage devices. Herein, we give an overview of the rational design, synthesis strategies and electrochemical properties of such 1D MO–carbon structures and highlight some of the latest advances in this niche area. It starts with a brief introduction to the development of nanostructured MO-based electrodes. We will then focus on the advanced synthesis and improved electrochemical performance of 1D MO–carbon nanostructures with different configurations, including MO–carbon composite nanowires, core–shell nanowires and hierarchical nanostructures. Lastly, we give some perspective on the current challenges and possible future research directions in this area.

The structural evolution of the cocatalyst in the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution process is directly probed., A cocatalyst is necessary for boosting the electron-hole separation efficiency and accelerating the reaction kinetics of semiconductors. As a result, it is of critical importance to in situ track the structural evolution of the cocatalyst during the photocatalytic process, but it remains very challenging. Here, atomically dispersed Ru atoms are decorated over multi-edged TiO2 spheres for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. Experimental results not only demonstrate that the photogenerated electrons can be effectively transferred to the isolated Ru atoms for hydrogen evolution but also imply that the TiO2 architecture with multi-edges might facilitate the charge separation and transport. The change in valence and the evolution of electronic structure of Ru sites are well probed during the photocatalytic process. Specifically, the optimized catalyst produces the hydrogen evolution rate of 7.2 mmol g−1 hour−1, which is much higher than that of Pt-based cocatalyst systems and among the highest reported values.

An innovative strategy enabled by spansules is rationally designed for the lithium metal anode to realize an ultralong cycle life., The lithium metal anode (LMA) is considered as a promising star for next-generation high-energy density batteries but is still hampered by the severe growth of uncontrollable lithium dendrites. Here, we design “spansules” made of NaMg(Mn)F3@C core@shell microstructures as the matrix for the LMA, which can offer a long-lasting release of functional ions into the electrolyte. By the assistance of cryogenic transmission electron microscopy, we reveal that an in situ–formed metal layer and a unique LiF-involved bilayer structure on the Li/electrolyte interface would be beneficial for effectively suppressing the growth of lithium dendrites. As a result, the spansule-modified anode affords a high Coulombic efficiency of 98% for over 1000 cycles at a current density of 2 mA cm−2, which is the most stable LMA reported so far. When coupling this anode with the Li[Ni0.8Co0.1Mn0.1]O2 cathode, the practical full cell further exhibits highly improved capacity retention after 500 cycles.

Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the major cell type involved in the deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) during the development of hepatic fibrosis. In this study, we revealed that left-right determination factor 2 (LEFTY2), one of the proteins belonging to the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) protein superfamily, was remarkedly decreased in human hepatic fibrosis tissues and in a carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver fibrosis mouse model. In addition, TGF-β1 treatment markedly reduced the level of LEFTY2 in HSCs. Importantly, overexpression of LEFTY2 suppressed the activation and proliferation of HSCs. LEFTY2 inhibited the expression of TGF-β1-induced fibrosis-associated genes (α-SMA and COL1a1) in human (LX-2) and rat (HSC-T6) HSC cell lines in vitro. Mechanistically, we demonstrated, for the first time, the role of LEFTY2 in inhibiting TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling, suggesting that there is a mutual antagonism between LEFTY2 and TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling during liver fibrosis. Similarly, we observed that LEFTY2 has a negative effect on its downstream genes, including c-MYC, CDK4, and cyclin D1, in liver fibrosis. Collectively, our data strongly indicated that LEFTY2 plays an important role in controlling the proliferation and activation of HSCs in the progression of liver fibrosis and this could be a potential therapeutic target for its treatment.

Limited by the sluggish four‐electron transfer process, designing high‐performance nonprecious electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is urgently desired for efficient rechargeable Zn–air batteries (ZABs). Herein, the successful synthesis of porous nitrogen‐doped cobalt pyrite yolk–shell nanospheres (N‐CoS2 YSSs) is reported. Benefiting from the abundant porosity of the porous yolk–shell structure and unique electronic properties by nitrogen doping, the as‐prepared N‐CoS2 YSSs possess more exposed active surface, thus giving rise to superior activity for reversible oxygen electrocatalysis and outstanding cycling stability (more than 165 h at 10 mA cm−2) in ZABs, exceeding the commercial Pt/C and RuO2 hybrid catalysts. Moreover, the assembled ZABs, delivering a specific capacity of 640 mAh gZn −1, can be used for practical devices. This work provides a novel tactic to engineer sulfides as high efficiency and promising bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts for advanced metal–air batteries., Nitrogen‐doped cobalt pyrite yolk–shell spheres (N‐CoS2 YSSs) are synthesized by a facile two‐step method. The unique morphological architecture and electronic properties endow N‐CoS2 YSSs with more exposed active sites and they are thus suitable for rapid charge transfer, resulting in superior activity for reversible oxygen electrocatalysis and outstanding cycling stability in Zn–air batteries.

Acute lung injury is an acute inflammatory disease with high morbidity rate and high mortality rate. However, there is still no effective clinical treatment to date. Our previous studies found that NLRC5 was significantly increased in acute liver injury model induced by LPS to reduce the secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α. Nevertheless, there is no report on the role of NLRC5 in regulating the development of acute lung injury. In this study we successfully established a model of acute lung injury induced by tracheal instillation of LPS in mice, and found NLRC5 expression was apparently elevated in mouse lung tissue and primary alveolar macrophages. NLRC5 overexpression negatively regulated secretion of inflammatory cytokines in murine alveolar macrophage cells through NF-κB and p38 MAPK pathway inhibition. There is a positively feedback between NLRC5 and NF-κB or p38 MAPK pathway. This study may provide some new ideas for clinical prevention of lung injury.

Anisotropic nanocrystals express “valence” when assembling into functional colloidal clusters, which demonstrate high catalytic activity., The ability to construct discrete colloidal clusters (CCs) as complex as molecular clusters is limited due to the lack of available colloidal building blocks and specific directional bonds. Here, we explore a strategy to organize anisotropic Prussian blue analog nanocrystals (NCs) toward CCs with open and highly ordered structures, experimentally realizing colloidal analogs to zeolitic clathrate structures. The directional interactions are derived from either crystallographic or morphological anisotropy of the NCs and achieved by the interplay of epitaxial growth, oriented attachment, and local packing. We attribute these interparticle interactions to enthalpic and entropic valences that imitate hybridized atomic orbitals of sp3d2 octahedron and sp3d3f cube. Benefiting from the ordered multilevel porous structures, the obtained CCs exhibit greatly enhanced catalytic activity for CO2 photoreduction. Our work offers some fundamental insights into directional bonding among NCs and opens an avenue that promises access to unique CCs with unprecedented structures and applications.

Summary Engineering complex nanostructures, particularly topologically intricate architectures, represents an appealing challenge for chemists and material scientists because such structures often manifest unique properties. Here, we demonstrate the versatility of a self-templated epitaxial growth strategy for construction of single-crystalline hollow nanostructured Prussian blue analogs (PBAs). Specifically, this strategy enables a controllable synthesis of Co-Fe PBA cages, frames, and boxes with diverse geometries by tuning their growth kinetics and thus expands the richness of their topological complexity. As an attempt, the topologies of these structures are identified and discussed. After thermal treatment, the corresponding oxide derivatives with preserved structures exhibit enhanced electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline medium, where the frame structures demonstrate the best catalytic performance. Our work may further advance the topology in chemistry and materials science for realizing not only the geometries of the nanostructures but also their topology-dependent catalytic properties.

Summary The development of high-performance anode materials for next-generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is vital to meeting the requirements for large-scale applications ranging from electric vehicles to power grids. Conversion-type transition-metal compounds are attractive anodes for next-generation LIBs because of their diverse compositions and high theoretical specific capacities. Here, we provide an overview of the recent development of some representative conversion-type anode materials (CTAMs) in LIBs. In this review, we start with an introduction to typical CTAMs and their lithium storage mechanisms. Then, we present the obstacles to their widespread implementation and the corresponding nanoengineering strategies for high-performance CTAMs, including the use of low-dimensional nanostructures, hierarchical porous nanostructures, hollow structures, and hybridization with various carbonaceous materials. Particularly, we highlight the relationship between these nanostructures and the lithium storage properties. Lastly, we present some perspectives on the current challenges and possible research directions for nanostructured CTAMs.

Summary Tin disulfide (SnS 2 ) is a promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries because of its high specific capacity. However, the low conductivity and large volume change during reaction with Na + ions greatly limit its practical application. Herein, a multistep templating method has been exploited for the rational design and synthesis of SnS 2 nanosheets confined in carbon nanotubes (SnS 2 @CNTs). To demonstrate the universality of this method, SnS 2 nanosheets confined in carbon nanoboxes (SnS 2 @CNBs) and hollow carbon nanospheres (SnS 2 @CNSs) have also been synthesized by simply changing the template in the reaction system. Due to their unique structural merits, the SnS 2 @CNTs, SnS 2 @CNBs, and SnS 2 @CNSs show improved sodium storage performance in terms of high specific capacity, good cycling stability, and superior rate capability.