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Abstract: The dependences of the absorption spectra of chrome azurol S (CAS) and Al3+–CAS complexes on the concentration of ionic liquids (ILs), 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([C n Mim]Br, with n =8, 10, 12), were measured at 298.15K in aqueous solutions with pH=5.6. It is found that ILs can induce the significant red-shifts of the wavelength at the absorption maximum (λ max) of Al3+–CAS complex from 545 to 646nm for [C8Mim]Br, and to 642nm for [C12Mim]Br and [C16Mim]Br, respectively. Accompanying the red-shifts, the absorbance at λ max, and thereby molar absorptivity (ɛ), changes markedly with the IL concentration, and consequently the effect of ILs on the absorbance at λ max is systematically investigated in this work. Along with the experimental results of resonance light scattering, the sensitization mechanism is analyzed from the aggregation of the ILs and the interactions of ILs with CAS and Al3+–CAS complexes. It is shown that the hydrophobic interactions of IL subaggregates with CAS in Al3+–CAS complex are the crucial factor for the sensitization. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The polymer–ammonium complexes are an important class of proton conducting polymer electrolytes. In this work, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)–NH4SCN electrolytes were prepared over a large range of the salt content, and their FT-IR spectra were measured at room temperature. Based on the assignments of each band in the spectral envelope of SCN−1, their relative intensities are determined by the use of FT-IR technique. Following the experimental results and spectral analyses, this paper reports the interactions, the various ionic associations, the changes of the ionic association with NH4SCN content, and the characteristics of structure in PEO–NH4SCN electrolytes. It is shown that the hydrogen bonds of PEO and NH4SCN exert the great effect to the ionic association, the interactions of PEO with NH4SCN, and PEO crystallinity, in particular, under the condition of high NH4SCN content. In addition, the differences of ionic association among PEO–NaSCN, PEO–KSCN and NH4SCN electrolytes are also compared in this paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Solid polymer electrolytes are potentially useful electrolytes to be applied in high-energy batteries. In the present work, a novel polymer electrolyte, polyethylene oxide (PEO)–NaSCN–AlCl3, was prepared and investigated by FT-IR spectroscopic techniques. Based on the FT-IR data, the bands in the CN stretching envelope have been assigned and the effect of AlCl3 on ion–ion and ion–polymer interactions in the polymer electrolyte has been examined. It is shown that the Lewis acid–base interaction of AlCl3 with SCN1− leads to the formation of the complex anions AlCl3SCN− and Al2Cl6SCN−, depending on the content of AlCl3 and/or NaSCN in PEO; the preferential interactions of AlCl3 with crystal complex P(EO)3NaSCN occur in PEO–NaSCN–AlCl3 electrolytes; the AlCl3–NaSCN complex anions can play a plasticization role in PEO–NaSCN–AlCl3 electrolyte, and are expected to be a important factor to improve the conductivity and to enhance the cation transference number. In addition, the interactions between AlCl3 and ether oxygen of PEO were analyzed, and their effect on ionic association was also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Temperature dependence of the physiochemical characteristics of a room-temperature ionic liquid consisting of trimethylhexylammonium (TMHA) cation and bis(trifluoromethane) sulfonylimide (TFSI) anion containing different concentrations of LiTFSI salt was examined. Electrochemical properties of a spinel LiMn2O4 electrode in 1 M LiTFSI/TMHA-TFSI ionic electrolyte were investigated at different temperatures by using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic measurements, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The Li/ionic electrolyte/LiMn2O4 cell exhibited satisfactory electrochemical properties with a discharge capacity of 108.2 mA h/g and 91.4% coulombic efficiency in the first cycle under room temperature. At decreased temperature, reversible capacity of the cell could not attain a satisfactory value due to the high internal resistance of the cell and the large activation energy for lithium ion transfer through the electrode/electrolyte interface. Anodic electrolyte oxidation results in the decrease of coulombic efficiency with increasing temperature. Irreversible structural conversion of the spinel LiMn2O4 in the ionic electrolyte, possibly associated with the formation of TMHA intercalated compounds and/or Jahn−Teller distortion, was considered to be responsible for the electrochemical decay with increasing cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ternary composite with immobilization of Fe2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) onto porous polydopamine-reduced graphene oxide framework, abbreviated as Fe2O3@PDA-RGO, was fabricated via a simple, scalable and cost-efficient hydrothermal reaction. The as-prepared 3D Fe2O3@PDA-RGO nanocomposite provides a specific surface area of 119.9 m2 g-1 on account of the well-dispersed Fe2O3 NPs (~35 nm) onto the PDA-RGO sheets as spacer. When applied as a special faradic electrode material in negative potential region, Fe2O3@PDA-RGO can offer 169 mA h g-1 (609 F g−1) at 1 A g-1. The fabricated AC//Fe2O3@PDA-RGO asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) delivers an energy density of 35.8 W h kg-1 (0.94 mW h cm-3) at 800 W kg-1 (21 mW cm-3) and an outstanding cyclic stability (75.7% capacity retention after 10,000 cycles). The good performance of Fe2O3@PDA-RGO in single-electrode and ASC manifests the potential the ternary composite in energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomineralization induced by microorganisms has become a hot spot in the field of carbonate sedimentology; however, the mechanisms involved still need to be explored. In this study, the bacterium Bacillus subtilis J2 (GenBank MG575432) was used to induce the precipitation of calcium carbonate minerals at Mg/Ca molar ratios of 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12. Bacillus subtilis J2 bacteria released ammonia to increase pH, but the ammonia released only made the pH increase to 8.25. Carbonic anhydrase was also produced to catalyze the hydration of carbon dioxide, and this process released carbonate and bicarbonate ions that not only increased pH but also elevated carbonate supersaturation. The biominerals formed at a Mg/Ca molar ratio of 0 were spherulitic, elongated, dumbbell-shaped, and irregularly rhombohedral calcite; at a Mg/Ca molar ratio of 3, the biominerals were calcite and aragonite, the weight ratio of calcite decreased from 26.7% to 15.6%, and that of aragonite increased from 73.3% to 84.4% with increasing incubation time. At higher Mg/Ca molar ratios, the biominerals were aragonite, and the crystallinity and thermal stability of aragonite decreased with increasing Mg/Ca molar ratios. FTIR results showed that many organic functional groups were present on/within the biominerals, such as C–O–C, N–H, C=O, O–H, and C–H. HRTEM-SAED examination of the ultra-thin slices of B. subtilis J2 bacteria showed that nano-sized minerals with poor crystal structure had grown or been adsorbed on the EPS coating. The EPS of the B. subtilis J2 strain contained abundant glutamic acid and aspartic acid, which could be deprotonated in an alkaline condition to adsorb Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions; this made EPS act as the nucleation sites. This study may provide some references for further understanding of the mechanism of biomineralization induced by microorganisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of a simple, template-free, and one-step strategy to synthesize nanostructured Au architectures with fascinating morphology is highly desirable and technically important due to their valuable applications in varied fields. In this work, the “green” strategy of “tunable ionic liquids-water (ILs-H 2 O) interfacial synthesis” developed previously by us is utilized for feasible synthesis of gold needle mushroom-like micro/nanostructures at the 1,3-dibutylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([C 4 bim][Tf 2 N]) - water interface and ambient conditions. The as-obtained gold needle mushrooms (AuNMs) have been characterized and analyzed systemically by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. It is shown that the as-prepared AuNMs can be used as substrates to perform surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) investigation with striking SERS sensitivity. By employing ILs with different alkyl chain lengths of the imidazolium cations and/or different nature of anions, Au nanomaterials with diverse morphologies can be easily prepared at different ILs-H 2 O interfaces. Based on the analysis of the control experiments, the growth and formation of AuNMs at the [C 4 bim][Tf 2 N]-H 2 O interface have been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rich oxygen-vacancies (O V s) on transition metal oxides are favorable for charge storage in supercapacitors, but are subjected to deactivation during charge-discharge cycles. Herein, we report that Co 3 O 4 @polydopamine-reduced graphene oxide (Co 3 O 4 @PDA-RGO) nanocomposite could relieve the deactivation problem via the self-reviving of O V s. Besides the high specific surface area and ion/electron conductivities, Co 3 O 4 @PDA-RGO provides a robust framework to disperse Co 3 O 4 nanorods, and the oxygen atoms in the vicinity of O V s account for 46.2% of oxygen-species. Especially, the resultant O V s can survive the rigorous charge-discharge cycles by virtue of the reversible redox with the aid of PDA-RGO. Given the advantageous structural characteristics, a high specific capacitance of 1562 ​F ​g−1 (781C ​g−1) can be delivered at current densities of 0.5 ​A ​g−1 and retain to 771 ​F ​g−1 (385.5C ​g−1) at 20 ​A ​g−1 ​by the Co 3 O 4 @PDA-RGO electrode. Moreover, 91% of its initial capacitance can be maintained after 10,000 consecutive charge-discharge cycles. The asymmetric supercapacitor, assembled by the Co 3 O 4 @PDA-RGO electrode and an activated carbon electrode, delivers a high energy density of 46.1 ​Wh kg−1 at 800 ​W ​kg−1. This study paves an efficient avenue to synthesize self-reviving O V on metal oxides for the potential applications in supercapacitors. A Co 3 O 4 @PDA-RGO with self-surviving oxygen vacancies onto Co 3 O 4 component was prepared, the self-surviving oxygen vacancies avoid the deactivation of the faradaic electrode during electrochemical cycles, therefore enable substantially enhanced faradaic capacity and cycleability. [Display omitted] • An oxygen vacancies enriched Co 3 O 4 @PDA-RGO composite was designed. • The surviving of oxygen vacancies were achieved by the PDA-RGO mat. • Substantially enhanced faradic capacity and cycling performance were ensured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type I interferon (IFN-I) is a potent immune modulator intricately involved in regulating tumor immunity. Meanwhile, the integrity of the IFN-I signaling pathway is essential for radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. However, the clinical application of IFN-I remains challenging due to its non-specific cytotoxicity and limited half-life. To overcome these limitations, we developed a gene delivery platform, CRISPR-V, enabling the rapid creation of novel HSV-1 oncolytic viruses. Utilizing this platform, we created an oncolytic virus, OVH-IFNβ, in which the IFNβ gene was incorporated into the HSV-1 genome. However, exogenous IFNβ expression significantly inhibited OVH-IFNβ replication. Through transcriptome data analyses, we identified several ISG genes inhibiting OVH-IFNβ replication. By gene knockout and functional studies of the downstream effectors, we confirmed the prominent antiviral activities of protein kinase R (PKR). To balance the antitumor and antiviral immunity of IFNβ, we developed a novel HSV-1 oncolytic virus, OVH-IFNβ-iPKR, which can express IFNβ while inhibiting PKR, leading to a potent antitumor immunity while reducing the antiviral capacity of IFNβ. OVH-IFNβ-iPKR shows a strong ability to induce immunogenic cell death and activate tumor-specific CD8 + T cells, leading to de novo immune responses and providing a novel strategy for tumor immunotherapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

We determined whether there exists a complementary pathway of cordycepin biosynthesis in wild-type Cordyceps militaris, high-cordycepin-producing strain C. militaris GYS60, and low-cordycepin-producing strain C. militaris GYS80. Differentially expressed genes were identified from the transcriptomes of the three strains. Compared with C. militaris, in GYS60 and GYS80, we identified 145 and 470 upregulated and 96 and 594 downregulated genes. Compared with GYS80, in GYS60, we identified 306 upregulated and 207 downregulated genes. Gene Ontology analysis revealed that upregulated genes were mostly involved in detoxification, antioxidant, and molecular transducer in GYS60. By Clusters of Orthologous Groups of Proteins and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analyses, eight genes were significantly upregulated: five genes related to purine metabolism, one to ATP production, one to secondary metabolite transport, and one to RNA degradation. In GYS60, cordycepin was significantly increased by upregulation of ATP production, which promoted 3',5'-cyclic AMP production. Cyclic AMP accelerated 3'-AMP accumulation, and cordycepin continued to be synthesized and exported. We verified the novel complementary pathway by adding the precursor adenosine and analyzing the expression of four key genes involved in the main pathway of cordycepin biosynthesis. Adenosine addition increased cordycepin production by 51.2% and 10.1%, respectively, in C. militaris and GYS60. Four genes in the main pathway in GYS60 were not upregulated., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Type I interferons (IFN-I) play pivotal roles in tumor therapy for three decades, underscoring the critical importance of maintaining the integrity of the IFN-1 signaling pathway in radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. However, the specific mechanism by which IFN-I contributes to these therapies, particularly in terms of activating dendritic cells (DCs), remains unclear. Based on recent studies, aberrant DNA in the cytoplasm activates the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)- stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling pathway, which in turn produces IFN-I, which is essential for antiviral and anticancer immunity. Notably, STING can also enhance anticancer immunity by promoting autophagy, inflammation, and glycolysis in an IFN-I-independent manner. These research advancements contribute to our comprehension of the distinctions between IFN-I drugs and STING agonists in the context of oncology therapy and shed light on the challenges involved in developing STING agonist drugs. Thus, we aimed to summarize the novel mechanisms underlying cGAS-STING-IFN-I signal activation in DC-mediated antigen presentation and its role in the cancer immune cycle in this review., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Cordyceps militaris, Chinese traditional medicinal fungus, has many bioactive properties. Cordycepin (3'-deoxyadenosine) is a major bioactive component of C. militaris. Various methods can significantly elevate cordycepin production, which suggests a diverse set of metabolic regulatory mechanisms. Thus, we aimed to identify transcription factors that regulate cordycepin biosynthesis pathways. Transcriptome analysis of wild-type C. militaris, C. militaris GYS60, a cordycepin high-producing strain, and C. militaris GYS80, a low-producing strain, were used to measure expression and function of genes related to cordycepin biosynthesis. The transcriptome expression data were confirmed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. We identified 155 relevant transcription factors in 19 families that included Fork head/winged helix factors, other C4 zinc finger-type factors, C2H2 zinc finger factors, tryptophan cluster factors, nuclear receptors with C4 zinc fingers, homeodomain factors, and Rel homology region factors. Energy generation and amino acid conversion pathways were activated in GYS60 so that abundance of cordycepin precursors was increased. Genes and transcription factors for rate-limiting enzymes in these pathways were identified. Overexpression of two key transcription factors, Kruppel-like factor 4 (Klf4) and Retinoid X receptor alpha (Rxra), promoted high cordycepin production in GYS60. In GYS60, Klf4 and Rxra were responsible for upregulation of genes in cordycepin biosynthesis, namely an oxidoreductase, 3',5'-cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase, a transferase, and adenylate cyclase. Upregulation of these genes increased 3'-AMP content, thereby elevating cordycepin synthesis.

Salidroside has been widely used in anti-tumor, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular protection. However, there are few reports of its use for wound repair. Herein, salidroside inflammation-targeted emulsion gel and non-targeted emulsion gel were developed for wound repair. The inflammation-targeted emulsion gels showed an overall trend of better transdermal penetration and lower potential than non-targeted emulsion gels (-58.7 mV and -1.6 mV, respectively). The apparent improvement of the trauma surface was significant in each administration group. There was a significant difference in the rate of wound healing of the rats between each administration group and the model group at days 7 and 14. Pathological tissue sections showed that inflammatory cells in the epidermis, dermis, and basal layer were significantly reduced, and the granulation tissue was proliferated in the inflammation-targeted emulsion gel group and the non-targeted emulsion gel group. Regarding the expressions of EGF and bFGF, the expressions of bFGF and EGF in the tissues of the inflammation-targeted group at days 7, 14, or 21 were significantly higher than that of the non-targeted emulsion gel group and the model group, both of which were statistically significant compared with the model group ( p < 0.05). These results demonstrated that salidroside has the potential as an alternative drug for wound repair.

Cobalt coordinated covalent organic frameworks have attracted increasing interest in the field of CO 2 photoreduction to CO, owing to their high electron affinity and predesigned structures. However, achieving high conversion efficiency is challenging since most Co related coordination environments facilitate fast recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Here, we design two kinds of Co-COF catalysts with oxygen coordinated Co atoms and find that after tuning of coordination environment, the reported Co framework catalyst with Co-O 4 sites exhibits a high CO production rate of 18000 µmol g -1 h -1 with selectivity as high as 95.7% under visible light irradiation. From in/ex-situ spectral characterizations and theoretical calculations, it is revealed that the predesigned Co-O 4 sites significantly facilitate the carrier migration in framework matrixes and inhibit the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs in the photocatalytic process. This work opens a way for the design of high-performance catalysts for CO 2 photoreduction., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The emission of NH 3 into atmosphere is seriously harmful for human health and public safety, thus the capture and recovery of NH 3 from ammonia emissions is highly desirable. In recent years, many kinds of solid adsorbents have been exploited to absorb NH 3 . However, these materials do not show the advantages of high uptake capacity and good recyclability at the same time. Here, nontoxic and low cost few-layer BiI 3 nanosheets have been prepared from bulk BiI 3 powder by a simple and efficient liquid phase exfoliation strategy using green solvents and then applied for the NH 3 capture for the first time. The results show that the adsorption capacity of NH 3 of BiI 3 nanosheets reaches up to 22.6 mmol/g at 1.0 bar and 25 °C, which approaches the record value for NH 3 adsorption. Importantly, the NH 3 uptake in BiI 3 nanosheets is completely reversible and no clear loss in uptake capacity is observed after 10 cycles of adsorption-desorption. Furthermore, the BiI 3 nanosheets exhibit remarkable selectivity for the separation of NH 3 /CO 2 at 70 °C with theoretical selectivity coefficient of 700, which is promising for the selective separation of NH 3 and CO 2 in hot tail gas of some industrial processes. Mechanism studies indicate that such superior NH 3 capacity, excellent reversibility and remarkable selectivity are primarily attributed to the Bi 3+ -NH 3 coordination interactions.

In recent years, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been explored as emulsifiers for the fabrication of Pickering emulsions and then used for hybrid material synthesis and interface catalysis. Nevertheless, stimuli-responsive Pickering emulsions stabilized by MOFs have been rarely reported so far, although they are of great importance for fundamental research studies and practical applications. Herein, for the first time, triethylenetetramine (TETA)-functionalized MOFs (ZIF-90/TETA) have been designed, synthesized, and used for fabricating CO 2 -/N 2 -response Pickering emulsions. It is shown that even at the ZIF-90/TETA content of 0.25 wt %, the functional MOF can still efficiently emulsify n -hexane and water to form a high internal phase Pickering emulsion. Importantly, the Pickering emulsion can be easily and reversibly switched between emulsification and demulsification by bubbling of CO 2 and N 2 alternatively at atmospheric pressure. The possible mechanism of the CO 2 /N 2 switchable emulsion is investigated by zeta potential, water contact angle, interfacial tension, 13 C NMR spectroscopy, and an optical microscope. It is found that the acid-base reaction of CO 2 with TETA anchored on the surface of ZIF-90 leads to the production of hydrophilic ammonium bicarbonate and carbamate, which results in the emulsification of the Pickering emulsion. However, when N 2 is bubbled to remove CO 2 , the reverse reaction takes place to cause the demulsification of the Pickering emulsion. Moreover, the CO 2 /N 2 switchable Pickering emulsion has been successfully used as a microreactor for Knoevenagel reactions to demonstrate a highly efficient integration of chemical reaction, product separation, and ZIF-90/TETA recycling for a sustainable chemical process.

A two-dimensional (2D) nanoporous Ni(OH) 2 film was successfully developed from triethanolamine (TEA) as the alkali source and soft template using a scalable hydrothermal technique. The nanostructured Ni(OH) 2 film was flexible and translucent, and could be directly compressed on a current collector. Owing to the uniform well-defined morphology and stable structure, the Ni(OH) 2 film binder-free electrode displayed a high specific capacity, exceptional rate capability, and admirable cycle life. The specific capacitance was 453.6 mA h g -1 (1633 F g -1 ) at 0.5 A g -1 . The assembled Ni(OH) 2 //activated carbon (AC) asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) device had an energy density of 58.7 W h kg -1 at a power density of 400 W kg -1 . These prominent electrochemical properties of Ni(OH) 2 were attributed to the high electrical conductivity, high surface area, and unique porous architecture. Free tailoring, binder-free, and direct pressing were the most significant achievements of the Ni(OH) 2 film in the development of high-performance energy storage devices., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

This study proposes a facile solvothermal synthesis of nickel tungstate (NiWO 4 ) nanowires for application as a novel cathode material for supercapacitors. The structure, morphology, surface area and pore distribution were characterized and their capacitive performances were investigated. The results showed that the NiWO 4 nanowires synthesized in ethylene glycol solvent could offer a high specific capacitance of 1190 F g -1 at a current density of 0.5 A g -1 and a capacitance retaining ratio of 61.5% within 0.5-10 A g -1 . When used as a cathodic electrode of an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC), the NiWO 4 nanowire based device can be cycled reversibly in a high-voltage region of 0-1.7 V with a high specific capacitance of 160 F g -1 at 0.5 A g -1 , which therefore contributed to an energy density of 64.2 W h kg -1 at a power density of 425 W kg -1 . Moreover, 92.8% of its initial specific capacitance can be maintained after 5000 consecutive cycles (5 A g -1 ). These excellent capacitive properties make NiWO 4 a credible electrode material for high-performance supercapacitors., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The nanoplasmonic metal-driven photocatalytic activity depends heavily on the spacing between metal nanoparticles (NPs) and semiconductors, and this work shows that ethylene glycol (EG) is an ideal candidate for interface spacer. Controlling the synthetic systems at pH 3, the composite of Ag NPs with EG-stabilized amorphous TiO 2 (Ag/TiO 2 -3) was synthesized by the facile light-induced reduction. It is verified that EG spacers can set up suitable geometric arrangement in the composite: the twin hydroxyls act as stabilizers to bind Ag NPs and TiO 2 together and the nonconductive alkyl chains consisting only of two CH 2 are able to separate the two building blocks completely and also provide the shortest channels for an efficient transfer of radiation energies to reach TiO 2 . Employed as photocatalysts in hydrogen evolution under visible light, amorphous TiO 2 hardly exhibits the catalytic activity due to high defect density, whereas Ag/TiO 2 -3 represents a remarkably high catalytic efficiency. The enhancement mechanism of the reaction rate is proposed by the analysis of the compositional, structural, and optical properties from a series of Ag/TiO 2 composites.

The effect of nanosized Al2O3/ZnO fillers on the interactions in PEO-NaSCN polymer electrolytes has been studied by FT-IR, XRD, and DTA measurements. The experimental results are discussed according to the grain boundary effect, the principle of Lewis acid-base, and epitaxial effect. It is shown that the hard Lewis acid centers on the surface of Al2O3 exhibit strong interactions with ether oxygens in PEO, even with ether oxygens that coordinated to Na+. Therefore, the modes of the interaction of Al2O3 with PEO-NaSCN electrolytes are dependent on the salt content. Al2O3 cannot influence the ionic association in P(EO)8NaSCN electrolyte, but do reduce significantly the solvating ability of PEO toward NaSCN in P(EO)60NaSCN electrolyte. However, NaSCN in P(EO)20NaSCN-30%Al2O3 nanocomposite appears as a state that resembles the situation of NaSCN in PEO amorphous phase. In contrast with Al2O3, the epitaxial effect of ZnO is not found in the interested systems where only weaker interaction is observed between ZnO and ether oxygen, and the modes of interaction of ZnO with PEO-NaSCN electrolytes are hardly related to the salt content. In addition, the soft Lewis acid groups on ZnO surface exhibit stronger complexation with SCN- in PEO-NaSCN electrolytes, and both can form the complex anion ZnO...SCN-.