Search

Abstract Conventionally, rocking-chair batteries capacity primarily depends on cation shuttling. However, intrinsically high-charge-density metal-ions, such as Al3+, inevitably cause strong Coulombic ion-lattice interactions, resulting in low practical energy density and inferior long-term stability towards rechargeable aluminium batteries (RABs). Herein, we introduce tunable quantum confinement effects and tailor a family of anion/cation co-(de)intercalation superlattice cathodes, achieving high-voltage anion charge compensation, with extra-capacity, in RABs. The optimized superlattice cathode with adjustable van der Waals not only enables facile traditional cation (de)intercalation, but also activates O2– compensation with an extra anion reaction. Furthermore, the constructed cathode delivers high energy-density (466 Wh kg–1 at 107 W kg−1) and one of the best cycle stability (225 mAh g–1 over 3000 cycles at 2.0 A g–1) in RABs. Overall, the anion-involving redox mechanism overcomes the bottlenecks of conventional electrodes, thereby heralding a promising advance in energy-storage-systems.

Abstract Realizing an efficient turnover frequency in the acidic oxygen evolution reaction by modifying the reaction configuration is crucial in designing high-performance single-atom catalysts. Here, we report a “single atom–double site” concept, which involves an activatable inert manganese atom redox chemistry in a single-atom Ru-Mn dual-site platform with tunnel Ni ions as the trigger. In contrast to conventional single-atom catalysts, the proposed configuration allows direct intramolecular oxygen coupling driven by the Ni ions intercalation effect, bypassing the secondary deprotonation step instead of the kinetically sluggish adsorbate evolution mechanism. The strong bonding of Ni ions activates the inert manganese terminal groups and inhibits the cross-site disproportionation process inherent in the Mn scaffolding, which is crucial to ensure the dual-site platform. As a result, the single-atom Ru-Ni-Mn octahedral molecular sieves catalyst delivers a low overpotential, adequate mass activity and good stability.

Abstract Establishing appropriate metal-support interactions is imperative for acquiring efficient and corrosion-resistant catalysts for water splitting. Herein, the interaction mechanism between Ru nanoparticles and a series of titanium oxides, including TiO, Ti4O7 and TiO2, designed via facile non-stoichiometric engineering is systematically studied. Ti4O7, with the unique band structure, high conductivity and chemical stability, endows with ingenious metal-support interaction through interfacial Ti–O–Ru units, which stabilizes Ru species during OER and triggers hydrogen spillover to accelerate HER kinetics. As expected, Ru/Ti4O7 displays ultralow overpotentials of 8 mV and 150 mV for HER and OER with a long operation of 500 h at 10 mA cm−2 in acidic media, which is expanded in pH-universal environments. Benefitting from the excellent bifunctional performance, the proton exchange membrane and anion exchange membrane electrolyzer assembled with Ru/Ti4O7 achieves superior performance and robust operation. The work paves the way for efficient energy conversion devices.

Abstract Background Though (1S, 3R)-RSL3 has been used widely in basic research as a small molecular inducer of ferroptosis, the toxicity on normal cells and poor pharmacokinetic properties of RSL3 limited its clinical application. Here, we investigated the synergism of non-thermal plasma (NTP) and low-concentration RSL3 and attempted to rise the sensitivity of NSCLC cells on RSL3. Methods CCK-8 assay was employed to detect the change of cell viability. Microscopy and flowcytometry were applied to identify lipid peroxidation, cell death and reactive oxygen species (ROS) level respectively. The molecular mechanism was inspected with western blot and RT-qPCR. A xenograft mice model was adopted to investigate the effect of NTP and RSL3. Results We found the synergism of NTP and low-concentration RSL3 triggered severe mitochondria damage, more cell death and rapid ferroptosis occurrence in vitro and in vivo. NTP and RSL3 synergistically induced xCT lysosomal degradation through ROS/AMPK/mTOR signaling. Furthermore, we revealed mitochondrial ROS was the main executor for ferroptosis induced by the combined treatment. Conclusion Our research shows NTP treatment promoted the toxic effect of RSL3 by inducing more ferroptosis rapidly and provided possibility of RSL3 clinical application. Graphical Abstract Video Abstract

Designing nanocomposites with heterointerface as bifunctional electrocatalysts is a potential strategy to overcome the intrinsic activity limitation of electrocatalytic water splitting in acidic media, but it remains challenging. Herein, the highly efficient RuO2/Co3O4 electrocatalyst with a uniform nanoflower structure is prepared by hydrothermal growth combined with interface engineering. Benefiting from the unique nanostructure, the migration of electrons and intermediates is optimized by the sufficient exposure of abundant micropores and defects. Moreover, the formation of strong electronic interaction at the RuO2/Co3O4 heterointerfaces boosts the electrochemical active surface area and accelerates the reaction kinetics, which effectively improve the catalytic activity and stability of the catalyst. Based on enhanced intrinsic activity and electron transfer, the as‐synthesized RuO2/Co3O4 displays impressive hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction activity, which respectively require low overpotentials of 240 and 100 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in 0.5 m H2SO4. As a bifunctional electrode, RuO2/Co3O4 exhibits a low operating voltage of 1.58 V at 10 mA cm−2 for overall electrochemical water splitting. This study demonstrates the importance of heterostructure engineering in providing an avenue to achieve acid‐stable bifunctional electrocatalysts for energy conversion applications.

Rational regulation of electrochemical reconfiguration and exploration of activity origin are important for electrocatalysis. Here, a novel CoC2O4@MXene tubular catalyst is rationally designed to achieve rapid complete reconfiguration engineering during the hydrogen evolution reaction process.

Electrical energy generation and storage have always been complementary to each other but are often disconnected in practical electrical appliances. Recently, efforts to combine both energy generation and storage into self-powered energizers have demonstrated promising power sources for wearable and implantable electronics. In line with these efforts, achieving self-rechargeability in energy storage from ambient energy is envisioned as a tertiary energy storage (3rd-ES) phenomenon. This review examines a few of the possible 3rd-ES capable of harvesting ambient energy (photo-, thermo-, piezo-, tribo-, and bio-electrochemical energizers), focusing also on the devices' sustainability. The self-rechargeability mechanisms of these devices, which function through modifications of the energizers’ constituents, are analyzed, and designs for wearable electronics are also reviewed. The challenges for self-rechargeable energizers and avenues for further electrochemical performance enhancement are discussed. This article serves as a one-stop source of information on self-rechargeable energizers, which are anticipated to drive the revolution in 3rd-ES technologies.

Silicon (Si) is one of the most promising anode materials for the next generation of lithium-ion battery (LIB) due to its high specific capacity, low lithiation potential, and natural abundance. However, the huge variation in volume during the storage of lithium, along with the low conductivity of element, are the main factors hindering its commercial application. Designing micro–nano structures as well as composites of heterogeneous materials have proven to be effective strategies to overcome these issues. Electrospinning technology is an affordable and scalable method for easily constructing a unique hierarchical micro–nano structure while realizing composites of heterogeneous materials. So far, many efforts have been made to solve the problems of Si-based anodes with general electrospinning. This review considers the technical fundamental and design strategies for electrospun Si-based nanofibers, including preparation processes, structural engineering, and lithium storage performance. The structure–performance relationship of various materials and the effects of compositing with heterogeneous materials are explored in detail. Finally, the remaining challenges are discussed, along with directions for future research. This review will provide inspiration for researchers in the design and manufacture of electrospun Si-based nanofibers for LIBs.

Abstract Aluminum-ion batteries (AIBs) are promising next-generation batteries systems because of their features of low cost and abundant aluminum resource. However, the inferior rate capacity and poor all-climate performance, especially the decayed capacity under low temperature, are still critical challenges toward high-specific-capacity AIBs. Herein, we report a binder-free and freestanding metal–organic framework-derived FeS2@C/carbon nanotube (FeS2@C/CNT) as a novel all-climate cathode in AIBs working under a wide temperature window between −25 and 50 °C with exceptional flexibility. The resultant cathode not only drastically suppresses the side reaction and volumetric expansion with high capacity and long-term stability but also greatly enhances the kinetic process in AIBs with remarkable rate capacity (above 151 mAh g−1 at 2 A g−1) at room temperature. More importantly, to break the bottleneck of the inherently low capacity in graphitic material-based all-climate AIBs, the new hierarchical conductive composite FeS2@C/CNT highly promotes the all-climate performance and delivers as high as 117 mAh g−1 capacity even under −25 °C. The well-designed metal sulfide electrode with remarkable performance paves a new way toward all-climate and flexible AIBs.

Summary: High-performance thermally chargeable supercapacitors (TCS) greatly depend on the design of electrode materials. The unique features of succulents of absorbing water for sustaining their lives during long severe droughts imply that there exist vast spaces inside these plants, which inspires us of fabricating biomass-based electrodes by means of such succulents to develop highly efficient TCS. The optimized porous carbon prepared from succulents presents a high specific surface area of up to 3188 m2 g−1, resulting in the superior capability of accommodating a vast amount of ions and promising thermal charging performance. The TCS with this carbon electrode can generate an open-circuit voltage of 565 mV under a temperature difference of 50°C with a temperature coefficient as high as 11.1 mV K−1. This article provides a new method for the preparation of porous carbon from biomass for the TCS system.

Abstract Searching for advanced anode materials with excellent electrochemical properties in sodium-ion battery is essential and imperative for next-generation energy storage system to solve the energy shortage problem. In this work, two-dimensional (2D) ultrathin FePS3 nanosheets, a typical ternary metal phosphosulfide, are first prepared by ultrasonic exfoliation. The novel 2D/2D heterojunction of FePS3 nanosheets@MXene composite is then successfully synthesized by in situ mixing ultrathin MXene nanosheets with FePS3 nanosheets. The resultant FePS3 nanosheets@MXene hybrids can increase the electronic conductivity and specific surface area, assuring excellent surface and interfacial charge transfer abilities. Furthermore, the unique heterojunction endows FePS3 nanosheets@MXene composite to promote the diffusion of Na+ and alleviate the drastic change in volume in the cyclic process, enhancing the sodium storage capability. Consequently, the few-layered FePS3 nanosheets uniformly coated by ultrathin MXene provide an exceptional reversible capacity of 676.1 mAh g−1 at the current of 100 mA g−1 after 90 cycles, which is equivalent to around 90.6% of the second-cycle capacity (746.4 mAh g−1). This work provides an original protocol for constructing 2D/2D material and demonstrates the FePS3@MXene composite as a potential anode material with excellent property for sodium-ion batteries.

Abstract Engineering of structure and composition is essential but still challenging for electrocatalytic activity modulation. Herein, hybrid nanostructured arrays (HNA) with branched and aligned structures constructed by cobalt selenide (CoSe2) nanotube arrays vertically oriented on carbon cloth with CoNi layered double hydroxide (CoSe2@CoNi LDH HNA) are synthesized by a hydrothermal‐selenization‐hybridization strategy. The branched and hollow structure, as well as the heterointerface between CoSe2 and CoNi LDH guarantee structural stability and sufficient exposure of the surface active sites. More importantly, the strong interaction at the interface can effectively modulate the electronic structure of hybrids through the charge transfer and then improves the reaction kinetics. The resulting branched CoSe2@CoNi LDH HNA as trifunctional catalyst exhibits enhanced electrocatalytic performance toward oxygen evolution/reduction and hydrogen evolution reaction. Consequently, the branched CoSe2@CoNi LDH HNA exhibits low overpotential of 1.58 V at 10 mA cm−2 for water splitting and superior cycling stability (70 h) for rechargeable flexible Zn‐air battery. Theoretical calculations reveal that the construction of heterostructure can effectively lower the reaction barrier as well as improve electrical conductivity, consequently favoring the enhanced electrochemical performance. This work concerning engineering heterostructure and topography‐performance relationship can provide new guidance for the development of multifunctional electrocatalysts.

The radiation-induced bystander effect (RIBE), an important non-targeted effect of radiation, has been proposed to be associated with irradiation-caused secondary cancers and reproductive damage beyond the irradiation-treated area after radiotherapy. However, the mechanisms for RIBE signal(s) regulation and transduction are not well understood. In the present work, we found that a Golgi protein, GOLPH3, was involved in RIBE transduction. Knocking down GOLPH3 in irradiated cells blocked the generation of the RIBE, whereas re-expression of GOLPH3 in knockdown cells rescued the RIBE. Furthermore, TNF-α was identified as an important intercellular signal molecule in the GOLPH3-mediated RIBE. A novel signal axis, GOLPH3/ERK/EGR1, was discovered to modulate the transcription of TNF-α and determine the level of released TNF-α. Our findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanism of the RIBE and a potential target for RIBE modulation.

Establishing appropriate metal-support interactions is imperative for acquiring efficient and corrosion-resistant catalysts for water splitting. Herein, the interaction mechanism between Ru nanoparticles and a series of titanium oxides, including TiO, Ti4O7 and TiO2, designed via facile non-stoichiometric engineering is systematically studied. Ti4O7, with the unique band structure, high conductivity and chemical stability, endows with ingenious metalsupport interaction through interfacial Ti–O–Ru units, which stabilizes Ru species during OER and triggers hydrogen spillover to accelerate HER kinetics. As expected, Ru/Ti4O7 displays ultralow overpotentials of 8 mV and 150 mV for HER and OER with a long operation of 500 h at 10 mA cm-2 in acidic media, which is expanded in pH-universal environments. Benefitting from the excellent bifunctional performance, the proton exchange membrane and anion exchange membrane electrolyzer assembled with Ru/Ti4O7 achieves superior performance and robust operation. The work paves the way for efficient energy conversion devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]