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Developing non-noble metal catalysts with high performance to reduce the cost of hydrazine fuel cells is urgent. Herein, in this study, a series of carbon-supported phosphatized CuNi catalysts (P- CuxNiy/C) are designed for hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR) via high temperature phosphating process. Among them, the P Cu2Ni/C is found to be a promising candidate for hydrazine electrooxidation. Electrochemical measurement results indicate that the P Cu2Ni/C catalyst exhibits higher catalytic activity and stability for HzOR in comparison with P CuNi/C, P CuNi2/C, Cu2Ni/C, Cu/C and Ni/C catalysts. Additionally, HzOR kinetics are also investigated, and it proves that hydrazine electrooxidation on P Cu2Ni/C is a diffusion controlled irreversible process. Meanwhile, physical characterization reveals that the catalysts have doped phosphorus successfully. All results demonstrate that as-prepared P Cu2Ni/C catalyst is a promising electrocatalyst for direct hydrazine fuel cells.

The novel lanthanum-doped nickel hydroxidenitrate (La NiHN) nanoflowers are prepared by a facile one-step solvothermal growth method. The doping of La ions into the lattice of the NiHN nanoflowers can effectively increase the electrical conductivity, lattice volume and c-axis spacing of NiHN nanosheets and lead to rapid transfer of electrolyte ions and electrons between the nanosheet channels, resulting in a high specific capacity of 154 mAh g−1 (at 1 A g−1) and high rate performance for supercapacitor positive electrode. Moreover, the Fe2O3 supported on graphene nanosheets (Fe2O3/GNS) with high specific capacity and excellent stability is selected as negative electrode to match the La NiHN nanoflowers positive electrode for assembly of a novel La NiHN//Fe2O3/GNS asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC). By virtue of their excellent electrochemical properties and complementary working voltage, the as-assembled ASC possesses a wide operating voltage of 1.65 V, high energy density of 51 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 825 W kg−1, as well as the acceptable cycling stability of 87% capacity retention after 5000 cycles.

Fluorescence cell staining has become an important tool in biology for sensing and imaging applications. Surprisingly, the introduction of halogen atoms, especially iodine atoms, into small molecules’ framework is able to enhance the cellular uptake of fluorescent objects. However, for these iodo-containing fluorescent probes, the inherent disadvantages, such as water insolubility, high toxicity, and aggregation-caused quenching, prevent them from extensive applications. Furthermore, iodination of organic molecules is really difficult to produce. In our research work, we synthesized fluorescence probes by a copolymerization method, by which the water-soluble copolymers of P-TPE, P-TPE-I1 P-TPE-I2, and P-TPE-I3 with different iodine element contents were synthesized. The study on fluorescence performances demonstrated that these polymers are of high fluorescence quantum yields and long fluorescence lifetimes (up to 15 ns). Both of these characteristics are very beneficial to fluorescence probes being used ...

The flame synthesis provides a simple low-cost method to produce novel carbon materials. In this study, N, B co-doped carbon (N B C) materials have been prepared by flame synthesis. Among many as-prepared samples, the N B C catalyst which prepared under carbonization temperature of 1000 °C for 3 h with acetonitrile/acetone precursor of 1:1 exhibits the best catalytic activity and stability, as well as good resistance to methanol interference for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), with half-wave potential being almost nearly to Pt/C, and a quasi-four-electron transfer process. This study would provide an economic, environmental feasible and scalable approach for fabricating novel heteroatom co-doped carbon materials for ORR applications.

To achieve high-energy density of supercapacitors and maintain their intrinsic high power density, the operating voltage should be extended by assembling high specific capacitance electrode materials into an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) device. Herein, an ASC was assembled based on a three-dimensional (3D) interconnected porous carbon framework (PRPC-1K) as a negative electrode and 3D sphere-like nickel nitride (Ni3N) nanosheets as a positive electrode in an aqueous KOH electrolyte. The PRPC-1K was prepared by a simple activation process with biomass poplar root as the carbon precursor, and the Ni3N nanosheets were successfully synthesized via a simple low-temperature hydrothermal and further urea-assisted nitridation process. Due to the unique structures and high capacitive performances of these materials, the Ni3N//PRPC-1K ASC assembled based on these two materials achieved the high energy density of 30.9 W h kg−1 at the high power density of 412 W kg−1 and acceptable electrochemical cycling stability with an 81% retention after 5000 cycles.

White-light emitting materials have attracted extensive research interest in recent years, which is largely ascribed to their potential applications in lighting devices and display media. Scientists have reported that organic white-light emitters mostly depend on the integration of several components that simultaneously emit different colors of light. However, it is a challenge to rationally tune the ratios of colored luminescent dyes to produce white-light emitting materials since we still cannot find the general principles to guide their preparation. In this paper, we demonstrate that “equal is important”, which means that once the emission intensities from two complementary colored luminescent dyes are equally maintained, white light emission can be generated in a range of states, including in solids, solutions, and gels. During the research process, we also found that cationic fluorescent cores are highly sensitive to the polarity of solvents. Therefore, our results could inform the design of visual indicators for the polarity and electrical conductivity of solvents using fluorescence signals.

The search for non-precious-metal catalysts with low cost, high activity and stability to substitute Pt in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) attracts tremendous attention. Herein, novel ORR electrocatalysts of cerium species embedded N-doped carbon (CENC) materials are prepared by the chemical oxidative polymerization and pyrolysis methods, using polyaniline-coated cerium organic complex (Ce(TTA)3Phen) as the precursor. The experimental results have revealed that the electrocatalytic activity of the obtained electrocatalysts for ORR is affected by the pyrolysis temperature. Remarkably, the as-prepared CENC-1000 exhibits a good catalytic activity in terms of limiting current density, onset potential and half wave potential, as well as superior tolerance to methanol crossover for ORR as comparable to commercial Pt/C in alkaline media. The high performance is attributed to the introduction of nitrogen active sites and Ce active species (generated from the pyrolysis of CENC precursor), which endow CENC-1000 with enhanced electrocatalytic activity. This approach makes CENC-1000 a promising candidate as cathode catalyst in renewable energy conversion devices.

The exploration of photocatalysts used in converting CO2 into applicable organic products is of significant importance for addressing the universal problems of both global warming and energy shortage. In this work, the sensitizer Cu(II) tetra(4-carboxylphenyl)porphyrin (CuTCPP) was successfully combined with hydroxylated commercial P25 (TiO2) by hydrothermal treatment (denoted as P25m). The as-prepared composite CuTCPP/P25m shows photocatalytic activity for CO2 reduction to give methane under UV-vis irradiation. The characterizations entailed in our work not only confirm the effective combination of the composite, but exhibit a stronger light absorption capability than P25m. During the photocatalytic evaluation, the photocatalytic system employing 0.5% CuTCPP/P25m (CuTCPP account for 0.5% in the total amount) engendered approximately 46 times higher methane than generated by P25m alone. This impressive amelioration can be attributed to a strengthened capability of CuTCPP/P25m in light absorption and enhanced separation efficiency of photo-induce electrons and holes.

Due to the uncontrollable anticoagulant activity and limited source, Heparin, which is commonly used in clinical anticoagulation therapies, faces the risk of spontaneous bleeding and thrombocytopenia. Herein, a series of anionic poly(amino acid) s poly ( l -Serine-ran-L-Glutamic acid-ran-L-Cysteine-SO3) (PSEC-SO3) were prepared by the controlled Ring Opening Polymerization (ROP) of N-Carboxyanhydrides (NCAs). The anticoagulant activities of PSEC-SO3 can be regulated by simply adjusting the feeding ratio of monomers. In vitro tests show that these polypeptides can effectively prolong the Activated Partical Thromboplastin Time (APTT) and inhibit Factor IIa and Factor Xa, but has no significant effect on Prothrombin Time (PT) and Thrombin Time (TT), which indicates that PSEC-SO3 mainly act on the intrinsic pathway. In summary, the activity-tunable heparin-like polypeptides are expected to have good application prospects in the anticoagulant field.

Precise molecular engineering is the most fundamental and even a great challenging task for the development of small organic fluorophores used as phototheranostic agents in multimodal imaging-guided synergistic therapy. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no previous reports regarding the fine fabrication of molecular structure from a proof-of-concept study, providing a single molecule with all phototheranostic modalities. Herein, an electron donating-accepting (D-A) system is constructed by using triphenylamine derivatives as donors and diverse electron-deficient partners as acceptors, yielding aggregation-induced emission luminogens with tunable emission wavelength (up to 933 nm) and light absorption capability (e up to 6.9 × 104 M-1 cm-1). Notably, by integrating the spin-orbit coupling-promoted carbonyl group and the strong stretching vibrations of -CN to the D-A systems, a highly performing phototheranostic agent, namely, MeTIC, is constructed. When encapsulating MeTIC into nanovehicles, the obtained MeTIC nanoparticles show excellent performance in multimodality theranostics for cancer treatment. This work is expected to provide an organic phototheranostic agent designing principle for potential clinical trials.

Intersystem crossing (ISC) is of great significance in photochemistry , and has a decisive influence on the properties of photosensitizers (PSs) for use in photodynamic therapy (PDT). However, the rationally design PSs with efficient ISC processes to implement superb reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is still a very challenging work. In this contribution, we described how a series of high-performance PSs were constructed through electron acceptor and donor engineering by integrating the smaller singlet-triplet energy gap (Δ EST) and larger spin-orbit coupling (SOC)-beneficial functional groups into the PS frameworks. Among the yielded various PSs, TaTIC was confirmed as the best candidate for application in PDT, which was due to its most outstanding ROS generation capability, bright near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence with peak over 840 nm, as well as desired aggregation-induced emission (AIE) features. Importantly, the ROS generation efficiency of TaTIC was even superior to that of some popularly used PSs, including the most reputable PS of Rose Bengal. In order to further extend therapeutic applications, TaTIC was encapsulated with biocompatible amphiphilic matrix and formulated into water-dispersed nanoparticles (NPs). More excitedly, the as-prepared TaTIC NPs gave wonderful PDT performance on tumor-bearing mouse model, actualizing complete tumor elimination outcomes. Coupled with excellent biosecurity, TaTIC NPs would be a promising theranostic agent for practical clinical application.

Lanthanide(III)-based luminescent materials have attracted great research interests due to their unique optical, electronic, and chemical characteristics. Up to now, how to extend these materials into large, broad application fields is still a great challenging task. In this contribution, we are intended to present a simple but facile strategy to enhance the luminescence from lanthanide ions and impart lanthanide(III)-based luminescent materials with more applicable properties, leading to meet the requirements from different purposes, such as being used as highly emissive powders, hydrogels, films, and sensitive probes under external stimuli. Herein, a water soluble, blue color emissive, temperature sensitive, and film-processable copolymer (Poly-ligand) was designed and synthesized. Upon complexing with Eu3+ and Tb3+ ions, the red color-emitting Poly-ligand-Eu and green color-emitting Poly-ligand-Tb were produced. After finely tuning the ratios between them, a standard white color emitting Poly-ligand-Eu1:Tb4 (CIE = 0.33 and 0.33) was obtained. Furthermore, the resulted materials not only possessed the emissive luminescent property but also inherited functions from the copolymer of Poly-ligand. Thus, these lanthanide(III)-based materials were used for fingerprint imaging, luminescent soft matters formation, colorful organic light-emitting diode device fabrication, and acid/alkali vapors detection.

A novel high-performance asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) has been fabricated based on the cobalt manganese oxide (Co2Mn3O8) nanoneedles as a positive electrode and the hibiscus fruits-based carbon nanosheet (HBFC) as a negative electrode. The Co2Mn3O8 nanoneedles are synthesized by employing a one-step hydrothermal procedure using nickel foam as a support framework for the nanoneedle growth. The Co2Mn3O8 sample shows a distinct urchin-like morphology structure consisting of uniform nanoneedle arrays. The HBFC is prepared by chemical activation of the hibiscus fruits biomass carbon precursor using NH4Cl and KOH activation reagents. The as-prepared Co2Mn3O8 nanoneedles exhibited the highest specific capacity of 238 mAh g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1. Moreover, the novel Co2Mn3O8//HBFC ASC device assembled based on those electrode materials at a maximum operating potential of 1.7 V shows an excellent energy density of 24.3 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 850 W kg−1. Besides, long-term cycling stability of 91.7% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles in 2 M KOH electrolyte.

The introduction of defects can enhance the active sites on transition metal dichalcogenides, which can cause changes in crystal structures, and then lead to a change in the original catalytic performance. Herein, an efficient method of introducing defects was reported. In this method, high-energy iron ions were irradiated on the surface of Bi2Te3 nanosheets by ion irradiation technology, which resulted in the generation of a variety of defects. Compared to the original Bi2Te3 nanosheets, the Bi2Te3 nanosheets irradiated by iron ions showed significant improvement in the hydrogen evolution reaction performance in acidic solution. After the iron ion irradiation, the electric double layer capacitance of the Bi2Te3 nanosheets increased significantly, which indicated an increase in the number of active sites on the surface of Bi2Te3. Analysis of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images reveals the occurrence of various defects on the surface of Bi2Te3 after the iron ion irradiation, which increased the active sites. Moreover, the conductivity of the iron ion-irradiated Bi2Te3 nanosheets was also significantly improved. It is noteworthy that iron ion irradiation changed the characteristic of the Bi2Te3 surface from hydrophobic to hydrophilic, which facilitated the release of hydrogen bubbles from the catalyst surface and exposed the active sites in time. At the same time, the damage caused by the large bubbles to the electrode material could be avoided, and the stability of the material was improved. This efficient iron ion irradiation method provides an innovative idea for the design of other high-efficient catalysts.

For proven effects of eco-friendly super absorbent polymer and gibberellin on germination and growth of alfalfa, taking the germination and growth test in the artificial climate box by adding the different amount of super absorbent polymer and gibberellin. Observed the germination potential, germination rate, shoot length, root length, fresh weight and dry weight, under the different experiment conditions. The test showed that the super absorbent polymer had a promoting effect on alfalfa. The property of slowly release water, water supply on super absorbent polymer could keep plants prolonging the survival rate in the case of insufficient water supply. It could improve the germination rate of the seed of alfalfa. Adding super absorbent polymer and gibberellin not only improved the survival rate, but also promoted the growth of root and shoot on alfalfa.

Hydroxypropyl cellulose-g-poly (acrylicacid-co-2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid)/laterite (HPC-g-P (AA-co-AMPS)/laterite) with excellent water (salt) absorbency, water retention performance, re-swelling property, and fast water absorption rate was prepared by free-radical polymerization. The structure and morphology of the synthetic materials were characterized by FTIR, SEM, and TGA. The water absorbency of superabsorbent resin in different salt solutions was studied, and it was proved that the superabsorbent resin was more sensitive to salt solutions. The swelling kinetic mechanism of superabsorbent resin was explained by pseudo-second-order swelling kinetic model. The effects of the ratio of laterite to loess on water evaporation and the content of superabsorbent resin on soil water evaporation and shrinkage of soil crust were studied.

Doping has been widely recognized as an effective method for adjusting the performance of electrocatalysts. It can cause changes in the electronic structure of substances. Thereby, it can affect the intrinsic catalytic performance. Herein, we report a facile doping method in which phosphorus can be simultaneously doped into both CoTe2 and C. In the acidic solution, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance of the obtained P-CoTe2/C nanoparticles was significantly improved compared with that of undoped nanoparticles. At a current density of 10 mA cm-2, the overpotential decreased from 430 mV to 159 mV. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that phosphorus doping can produce new high activity Co-P catalytic sites. In addition, phosphorus can be doped into the carbon in the composite at the same time, which enhances the electrical conductivity of the composite. Moreover, in the process of calcination and doping, the electric double layer capacitance (Cdl) of the composite is significantly increased, which helps in exposing more active sites. This work has developed a multi-effect doping method that simultaneously increases the intrinsic activity, conductivity and active sites of the material. This method provides a new strategy for the performance regulation of other electrocatalysts.

Specific organelle imaging and long-term cellular tracking are of paramount importance in monitoring biological processes, pathological pathways, and therapeutic effects, etc. Herein, we report a novel macromolecule fluorescent probe (TPPA–DBO), which is synthesized from tris(4-(pyridin-4-yl)phenyl)amine (TPPA) and 1,8-dibromononane (DBO) with a gram scale by a simple method. TPPA–DBO demonstrates a highly specific nucleolus-targeting ability, which is very challenging in the bioimaging research field. We have shown that the green nucleolus-specificity probe TPPA–DBO has advantages over the commercially available nucleolus-staining probes such as DAPI, Hoechst dyes and SYTOs in terms of its AIE-performance, large Stokes shift (175 nm), excellent photostability, and promising usefulness in live cell imaging experiments. Surprisingly, after internalizing TPPA–DBO into the nucleus region for a period of time, some TPPA–DBO are reversely diffused from nucleolus into the cytoplasm, thus resulting in the staining of mitochondria with a redder emission color. This research result may provide a new concept of cellular tracker design and provide insight into biological questions, understanding disease mechanismss, and designing new therapeutic strategies.

Reasonable design and synthesis of high-efficiency rare earth oxides-based materials as alternatives to noble-metal catalysts are of great significance for oxygen electrocatalysis. Herein, we report three-dimension (3D) Rosa centifolia-like CeO

In this study, inorganic magnesium hydroxide (MH) was modified by three phosphoric acids respectively to obtain three different novel functionalized monomers. The chemical structure and morphology of (Pn-MH) were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Further, functional monomers were introduced into the PET main chain structure. A new type of high-performance co-polyesters was successfully prepared. The specific structure of P1-MH-PET was characterized by 1H NMR spectroscopy. Thermal stability of Pn-MH-PETs was analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The flame retardant properties were evaluated by limiting oxygen index (LOI), vertical combustion test (UL-94) and cone calorimeter. The results show that the thermal stability and flame retardant properties of 5%Pn-MH-PETs are greatly improved. Among them, the best performance is 5%P1-MH-PET, LOI is 32.5%, UL-94 test reached V-0 grade. Compared with neat PET, the peak heat release rate (PHRR), peak smoke release rate (PSPR), carbon dioxide release rate (CO2PR) and carbon monoxide release rate (COPR) decreased by 57.0%, 38.1%, 54.6% and 57.3%, respectively. Fortunately, the mechanical properties of 5%P3-MH-PET were also improved.

Fine-tuning emission fluorescent bioprobes are highly desirable but still scarce for dual-alternating-color live cell imaging. Herein, a facile strategy has been reported to develop a dual-color nanoprobe for targeted cancer cell imaging. A new kind of nonconjugated polymer dots (Pdots) is prepared by the solution self-assembly of an amphiphilic 4-arm star polymer TPE-tetraPNIPAM-Eu(III) in aqueous media. The as-prepared Pdots show two well-separated emission peaks with a wavelength difference of 195 nm and possess a fluorescent-thermoresponsive property with a LCST at 37 °C. Furthermore, the efficient cellular uptake and low cytotoxicity of Pdots can be favorable for their applications in live cell imaging. The investigation of cellular imaging indicates that the photoswitchable dual-emission could be easily realized in targeted three cancer cells with a fluorescent label of Pdots by merely tuning the excitation wavelength. Therefore, this research may be of great help to open up a new and feasible path ...

Two-dimensional conducting polymers nanosheet prepared by the soft-template-assisted technique in aqueous system still has rarely been reported, especially the formation of nanosheets structure by protonic acid assisted controlling the stability of the micelles method. Herein, a facile, one-step, bottom-up approach is developed to synthesize novel and uniform conductive poly(4-aminodiphenylamine) (P(4-ADPA)) nanosheets with controlled morphology via regulating the proton acid concentration during the self-assembly of surfactant lamellar micelles. The as-produced conducting P(4-ADPA) demonstrates a integral nanoframework structure with uniform and intertwined nanosheets, resulting in a satisfactory specific capacitance of 395 F g–1 at the current density of 0.5 A g–1. Furthermore, another pseudocapacitor electrode material, urchin-like W18O49, is selected as a negative electrode material to fabricate a novel P(4-ADPA)//W18O49 asymmetric supercapacitor, which extends the operating voltage window up to 1.5 V...

We have prepared nitrogen doped biomass activated carbon (CSC-1) using the agricultural wastes corn silks as raw materials and ZnCl2 as activating agent (the same weight of corn silks and ZnCl2) carbonized at 800 °C. The activated carbon has high specific surface areas of 1764.8 m2 g−1, large specific capacitance of 358.0 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1, 67% of the capacitance retention at 20 A g−1, and 99.2% of initiatory specific capacitance after 5000 consecutive cycles. To improve the energy density of the symmetric supercapacitor based on CSC-1 electrodes, we employed the 1 M H2SO4 aqueous solution with alizarin red (AR) and bromoamine acid (ABA) as an advanced electrolyte to fabricate a novel hybrid symmetric cell. Surprisingly, the above device obtains a high specific capacitance of 260.8 F g−1 and a high energy density of 17.8 Wh kg−1, which are markedly higher than those in the conventional electrolyte. The improved energy storage is attributed to Faradaic pseudocapacitance related to the redox-active species of AR and ABA in the H2SO4 electrolyte. Based on the excellent characteristics, the device is expected as a promising candidate to fabricate high performance supercapacitors.

The newly emerged pathogenic bacteria leads to the bactericides generations one by one, which is definitely a long-term and costly process. For the small organic molecule used as antibacterial materials, photostability, biomembrane penetrating ability, and long-term antibacterial ability still are questionable. In this work, we synthesized the multiple-cation-charged aggregation-induced emission (AIE)-active polymer 1,2-diphenyl-1,2-bis(4-(pyridin-4-yl)phenyl) ethane–1,8-dibromooctane (DBPE-DBO). Due to the incorporating the dark toxicity from positively charged polymers, and the phototoxicity from generation of singlet oxygen, as well as AIE-active fluorescence performance, DBPE-DBO could be employed as an efficient bacteria targeting, imaging, and killing materials. Interestingly, DBPE-DBO was less toxic to the normal mammalian cells, which leads us to verify that DBPE-DBO could be used as a very cell-membrane permeable nucleus imaging probes. Thus, our research results may provide a new concept for the...

It is highly desirable but challenging to develop and construct a high activity, good stability and cost-effective catalyst system applied for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). In this study, a series of CeNiOx@CN-n catalysts (carbonized polypyrrole coated CeNiOx) is prepared by an in-situ polymerization method. The effects of bimetal component and nitrogen-doped carbon layer thickness in a “nitrogen-doped carbon layer-oxide composite” system are explored for ORR. It shows that the atomic ratio of Ce: Ni = 1:1 is the optimal ratio, and the ratio of polypyrrole: oxide = 1: 1 is the optimal layer thickness. As the best-performing electrocatalyst, CeNiOx@CN-4 follows a 4e− pathway for ORR. Moreover, it exhibits good electrocatalytic activity and stability. Especially, its ability of anti-methanol poisoning is stronger than that of Pt/C catalyst. Predictably, this “nitrogen-doped carbon layer-oxide composite” system would open up a potential way to design more efficient electrocatalysts.

An amorphous ultra-dispersed electrocatalyst, AU-Pt/PMC, is successfully synthesized via severe etching process for glycerol oxidation reaction. What's appealing, it presents amorphous structure with ultra-small Pt clusters (0.36 nm) anchoring on nitrogen functionalized carbon support. Notably, the AU-Pt/PMC electrocatalyst takes on 5.1 times the activity and 24.3 times the stability compared with commercial Pt/C for glycerol oxidation reaction. The impressive electrocatalytic performance originates from the unique amorphous ultra-dispersed structure, as well as the superimposed effect between Pt clusters and Strong Metal-Support Interactions.

Isopropanol is regarded as one of the most promising anodic electrooxidation candidates for direct alcohol fuel cells. However, developing the efficacious electrocatalysts remains the critical issue in the propelling of isopropanol electrooxidation. In this study, a good electrocatalyst combined with the benefits of a novel N-doping carbon support (CN support) and Pd-based alloy nanoparticles (Pd3Fe anchoring on CN support, Pd3Fe/CN), was successfully prepared and estimated. Electrochemical results indicate that the as-obtained Pd3Fe/CN electrocatalyst possesses larger electrochemical active surface area, higher activity, better anti-CO poisoning and superior stability compared to Pd/C towards isopropanol electrooxidation. This work would propose a good electrocatalyst for the development of isopropanol electrooxidation.

To engineering high-efficient, sustainable and novel Pt-based composite system, a newly “Pt-oxide” based composites electrocatalyst of “CeO2 overlapped with nitrogen-doped carbon layer anchoring Pt nanoparticles” (Pt CeO2@CN) has been fabricated. In comparison with Pt/C, the results exhibit that Pt CeO2@CN possesses a preferable methanol tolerance ability, superior stability (30000 s degradation: 35% for Pt CeO2@CN vs. 50% for Pt/C), and more positively the onset potential (16 mV) as well as half-wave potential (29 mV) towards oxygen reduction reaction. Further, the investigation shows that Pt CeO2@CN has a certain selectivity with quasi-four electron pathway (n = 3.2–3.3 e−). This is attributed to the establishment of “nitrogen-doped carbon layer” structure, which heightens the conductivity of CeO2, further promotes electron transfer between Pt and CeO2, as well as strengthens the anchoring effect for Pt nanoparticles. Overall, this study would shed bright light to develop some effective Pt-oxide based composite electrocatalysts.

Sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) and lithium‑sulfur batteries (LSBs) have attracted increasing research attention as promising energy storage systems. And renewable biomass-derived carbon materials play an important role in improving their electrochemical performance due to their heteroatoms-doping, electrical conductivity and exceptional porous structure. Here, xanthoceras sorbifolia husks have been employed to prepare amorphous porous carbon (XSH-PC) for NIBs and LSBs. As an anode material for NIBs, XSH-PC delivers a reversible specific capacity of 269.5 mA h g−1 at 0.05 A g−1 with initial coulombic efficiency as high as 65.9%, and retains stable capacity of 113 mA h g−1 after 500 cycles at 1 A g−1. As well, after sulfur loading, as obtained XSH-PC/S composite shows stable coulombic efficiencies of 100 ± 0.3% and a reversible specific capacity of 442.4 mA h g−1 after 500 cycles at 2 A g−1 with a low average capacity decay rate of 0.065% per cycle when used for LSBs. These excellent electrochemical properties can be attributed to the unique structure of XSH-PC showing mesoporous structure with abundant carbon edge defects and large specific surface areas. These results illuminate the potential application of xanthoceras sorbifolia husks-derived porous carbon in NIBs and LSBs.

Fluorescence-tunable materials are becoming increasingly attractive because of their potential applications in optics, electronics, and biomedical technology. Herein, a multicolor molecular pixel system is realized using a simple copolymerization method. Bleeding of two complementary colors from blue and yellow fluorescence segments reproduced serious multicolor fluorescence materials. Interestingly, the emission colors of the polymers can be fine-tuned in the solid state, solution phase, and in hydrogel state. More importantly, the positive fluorescent polymers exhibited cell-membrane permeable ability and were found to accumulate on the cell nucleus, exhibiting remarkable selectivity to give bright fluorescence. The DNA/RNA selectivity experiments in vitro and in vivo verified that [tris(4-(pyridin-4-yl)phenyl)amine]-[1,8-dibromooctane] has prominent selectivity to DNA over RNA inside cells.

A new compound, {[Co(BPFI)(NDC)]H2O·0.5DMF}n (1) has been synthesized under hydrothermal condition by the self-assembly of V-shaped N-containing rigid ligand BPFI with Co(II) ions in the presence of H2NDC acid, where BPFI = 2,8-di(1H-imidazole-1-yl)dibenzo[b,d]furan, H2NDC = naphthalene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid. Compound 1 was characterized by elemental analysis, single crystal X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectroscopy and UV–visible spectra. Structural analysis reveals that compound 1 is a unique dinuclear Co-based 2D (4,4) layer structure decorated with parallel double chains. In addition, magnetic study reveals the existence of antiferromagnetic coupling interactions between the Co(II) ions within the dinuclear unit of 1.

Materials hybrided by organic and inorganic partners via chemical bonds formation are able to display stable and multi-functional behaviors. Then, the versatile sensing platform could be established depending on their specific chemical and physical properties. In this research paper, we prepared the fluorescence materials (POSS-PDB and POSS-NTB) by a simple method. Among of them, POSS-NTB was verified as a mesoporous material with a narrowed pore diameter around 17 nm and the large Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of 227 m2/g. Then, the solid powder of POSS-NTB was selected and evidenced as effective gas sensor toward CO2, N2 and O2 at 273 K under 1 atm pressure. Additionally, these fluorescence materials could be successfully applied as a pH sensor in the solution phase. Through combining biocompatible POSS and fluorescent molecules, POSS-NTB could enter into the cells and aggregate in the cytoplasm successfully.

In this study, rare-earth bimetallic carbide CeLa2Cx-NC has been prepared by a facile pyrolysis of o-phthalic anhydride, melamine and rare-earth elements (Ce and La). The as-prepared CeLa2Cx-NC electrocatalyst shows satisfactory electrocatalytic activity towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline electrolyte, as well as good suffering from methanol and CO poisoning, and superior stability than commercial Pt/C. It demonstrates that this rare-earth bimetallic carbide would provide a neoteric avenue for the development of ORR catalyst.

The development of biomass-derived nitrogen-doped porous carbons (NPCs) for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is important for sustainable energy systems. Herein, NPCs derived from Astragali Radix (AR) via a cost-effective strategy are reported for the first time. The as-prepared AR-950-5 catalyst shows a stacked layer-like structure and porosity. Notably, the optimized AR-950-5 delivers catalytic activity comparable to that of commercial Pt/C (C-Pt/C), with high onset potential, positive half-wave potential and large limiting current density. It also displays superior long-term stability and methanol tolerance for ORR. This work will pave the way for a new approach in the development of highly active and low-cost NPCs for fuel cells.

A series of hyperbranched, thermo-responsive and mussel-inspired polypeptides were synthesized and used for surgical adhesion, hemostasis and interventional embolization. These polypeptides showed excellent tissue-adhesive properties according to adhesive strength tests on porcine skin and bone in vitro, where the maximum lap-shear adhesion strength on porcine skin was 114.5 kPa and the maximum tensile adhesion strength on bone was 786 kPa. In vivo animal experiments indicated that these polypeptides exhibit superior hemostatic properties and healing effects in skin incisions and osteotomy gap; the skin incision healing and osteotomy gap remodeling were completed in all rats after 14 and 60 days, respectively. In vivo evaluation of the embolization ability of these polypeptides was performed on rabbit kidney models, resulting in successful occlusion of renal arteries, which led to gross ischemic changes in the embolized kidneys up to 16 days. A trial embolization procedure on H22 tumor-bearing rat models also confirmed the gelability of these polypeptides in tumor arteries, which might cause damage to embolized tumors. Therefore, these polypeptides are expected to be good candidates as surgical tissue adhesives, antibleeding materials, and effective embolic materials.

A set of multiple cation-doped linear polymers (abbreviated as OPY-1,2-BE, OPY-1,4-BB, OPY-1,8-BO, OPY-1,4-OBB) synthesized from a dipyridine derivative (OPY) and dibrominated compounds were employed as fluorescent probes for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) sensing. Among them, OPY-1,8-BO is particularly able to recognize ATP over its related compounds adenosine diphosphate (ADP), adenosine monophosphate (AMP), and other phosphate anions, with very desirable switch off–on performances. The interesting phenomenon of aggregate-induced emission (AIE) is proposed as the main reason for the ATP sensing, which is due to the ATP being more negative than the polymers and therefore there is more opportunity for connections with the multiple cation doped polymers through electrostatic attractions. Cell imaging measurements were carried out and demonstrated that even though these probes bear the same OPY core and only slightly different linkers, they are able to image different cell environments. The controlled cell imaging verified that the OPY-1,8-BO probe has ATP-specific recognition in living cells.

Herein, uniform cobalt manganese hydroxide (CMOH) nanoneedle arrays were firstly prepared via a low-temperature hydrothermal process using nickel (Ni) foam as a nanoneedle growth support framework. Subsequently, stable and integrated heterostructures of cobalt–manganese sulfides (CMS) with porous structures can be simultaneously formed and grown through the reaction of CMOH with Na2S during the hydrothermal anion-exchange reaction process while retaining their intrinsic nanoneedle array structure. The as-prepared CMS nanoneedle arrays as binder-free electrodes for supercapacitors exhibit a high area capacity of 0.53 mA h cm−2 at 2 mA cm−2 and good rate performance, as well as outstanding cycle life (only 6.3% capacity loss after 1500 cycles). Based on the unique architecture and excellent electrochemical performance of CMS nanoneedle arrays, a novel CMS-8//AC asymmetric supercapacitor with a high operating voltage of 1.7 V was fabricated using CMS nanoneedle arrays as the positive electrode and activated carbon (AC) as the negative electrode, respectively, and provided a maximum specific energy of 48.5 W h kg−1 at a specific power of 524.5 W kg−1. Such excellent electrochemical behaviors suggest that the CMS nanoneedle arrays are promising electrode materials for high performance supercapacitors. Moreover, the present synthesis strategy can be extended to prepare other porous, integrated and heterostructured metal compounds.