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A high-efficiency nickel–iron bimetallic catalyst (Ni3Fe1 alloy) was synthesized by a facile solvothermal reaction and directly used in furfural hydrogenation without pre-reduction.

The carbonization product of κ-carrageenan can fix melamine for introducing N doping, which can facilitate the four-electron transfer path, resulting in the fabrication of high-performance Zn–air batteries.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is intrinsically inert for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline media due to its electronic structures. Herein, we tune the electronic structures of MoS2 by a combined strategy of post-N doping coupled with the synergistic effect of Ti3C2TX. The as-prepared N-doped MoS2/Ti3C2TX heterostructures show remarkable alkaline HER activity with an overpotential of 225 mV at 140 mA cm-2, which ranks the N-doped MoS2/Ti3C2TX heterostructures among the best MoS2/MXene-based electrocatalysts reported for alkaline HER. The first-principles calculations indicate that the N doping can enhance the activation of nearby S sites of MoS2/Ti3C2TX and thus promote the HER process. This strategy provides a promising way to develop high-efficiency MoS2/MXene heterostructure catalysts for alkaline HER.

Sha Li, Cheng Hu, Juan Zhu, Yudi Zhou, Yaomei Cui, Qian Xu, Weiqian Tian Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Weiqian Tian, Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Hanzhong Road 155, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210029, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 139 14764426, Email tianweiqiantwq6@126.comObjective: Electroacupuncture (EA) delivered one day before surgery could reduce postoperative pain. Remifentanil-induced post-infusion hyperalgesia (RPH) was occurred after exposure to high-dose remifentanil. This study aimed to investigate the effects of preoperative EA on RPH in patients undergoing thyroidectomy.Methods: A total of 80 patients who were scheduled to undergo elective thyroidectomy were randomly assigned to two groups: an EA group and a sham EA (SEA) group. EA was delivered at the Zusanli (ST36) and Neiguan (PC6) acupoints 24 h before the surgery. To ensure uniformity across all patients, remifentanil was administered at the same set rate (0.3 μg/kg/min) to all patients. Mechanical pain thresholds were recorded by an electronic von Frey device around the skin incision and on the arm before surgery as well as at 30 min and 6, 24, and 48 h after surgery.Results: At 30 min and 6 h after surgery, the EA group showed considerably greater mechanical pain thresholds surrounding the surgical site compared with the SEA group. At 30 min and 6 h after surgery, the patients in the SEA group showed a greater incidence of postoperative hyperalgesia surrounding the surgical site than those in the EA group. At 24 and 48 h after surgery, no significant differences were found between the two groups, although the pain intensity of the EA group was less than that of the SEA group. There were also no substantial differences between the two groups in the frequency of postoperative adverse reactions and rescue analgesia needed.Conclusion: EA administered 24 h before surgery could alleviate RPH in patients undergoing thyroidectomy.Keywords: electroacupuncture, remifentanil-induced, post-infusion hyperalgesia, thyroidectomy, Zusanli acupoint, Neiguan acupoint

Cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury can induce the mitophagy of neurons in the ischemic brain. Electroacupuncture (EA) pretreatment has a protective effect on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, its internal mechanism still needs to be further studied. The present study’s purpose is to investigate whether mitophagy is involved in neuroprotection elicited by EA pretreatment in a rat model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. The rats were pretreated with vehicle, EA at the Baihui (GV20) and Shuigou (GV26) acupoints 30 min daily, for 5 days consecutively prior to the focal cerebral ischemia injury induced by the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model. Compared to the sham group, the neurological scores, infarction volume, number of autophagosomes, FUNDC1, p62, and the ratio of LC3-II/I were significantly increased but mitochondrial membrane potential and autophagy-related protein p-mTORC1 significantly decreased in the I/R group. However, EA pretreatment significantly reversed these trends. Overall, the results of this study demonstrated that EA pretreatment protected the cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury which maybe correlated with mitophagy.

BackgroundKejinyan decoction, as an experienced formula of Zhou Zhongying (the Master of Traditional Chinese Medicine) has been widely used in clinic for lung cancer treatment in China, while the anti-lung cancer mechanism of it is still remained to be elucidated. Herein, our basic study found that the survival of lung cancer xenograft mice was significantly prolonged after intragastrically administered high dose of Kejinyan decoction (3.8 g per kg BW) for 15 days. More importantly, we found that Kejinyan decoction inhibited the metastasis of lung cancer cells in vivo. Thus in this study, we aim to elucidate the anti-metastasis effects of Kejinyan decoction.MethodsRNA-Seq was used to find out the gene regulation of Kejinyan decoction on the mice, flow cytometry assay was used to detect the immunocytes in the spleen, ELISA assay was used to detect the inflammatory factors in the serum and spleen, and immunofluorescence assay was used to detect the level of immune cells and the expression of glycol-metabolism related enzymes in situ. Also, we established a lung cancer orthotopic xenograft tumor model to assess the influence of Kejinyan decoction on the metastatic ability of lung cancer cells in vivo.ResultsGO analysis of gene sequencing of tumor tissue samples showed that Kejinyan decoction regulated immune response. Further flow cytometry analysis of splenic lymphocyte showed that Kejinyan decoction upregulated M1 macrophages and downregulated M2 macrophages, while the total level of macrophages changed little, which was verified by detection of CD68, F4/80, CD206, and CD86 in tumor tissue section. Moreover, detection of inflammatory cytokines showed that Kejinyan decoction downregulated TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6, as well as IL-4, IL-13 in tumor microenvironment. Further studies also showed that Kejinyan decoction had little effect on tumor hypoxia, but downregulated glycolysis in tumor tissues. More importantly, we found that Kejinyan decoction inhibited the metastasis of lung cancer cells in vivo.ConclusionOur findings conclude that Kejinyan decoction inhibited lung cancer cell metastasis through affecting macrophage polarization and energy reprogramming.

Cellulose acetate (CA) ultrafiltration membranes are attracting more attention in wastewater purification due to its biodegradability and eco-friendly. The application of CA membranes, however, is limited by high susceptibility to bacterial corrosion and lack of mechanical tolerance that results in loss of life. To solve the above problems, we first fabricated the CA-based composite membranes incorporated with bamboo-based lignocellulose nanofibrils (LCNFs) by a strategy of phase inversion. LCNFs was prepared by using a combined method of one-step chemical pretreatment and acid hydrolysis coupled with high-pressure homogenization. The as-prepared CA/LCNFs composite membranes with 4 wt% lignin in the LCNFs exhibited high tensile strength of 7.08 MPa and strain-at-break of 12.21%, and high filtration permeability of 188.23 L·m

It still remains a great challenge to develop alternative electrocatalysts with low cost, high efficiency and good stability for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In this study, effectively conductive rGO (reduced graphene oxide) was used as the support both to promote charge transfer and to refine the particle size of WC, to realize efficient and stable HER performance. The facile in situ method can make highly dispersed WC nanoparticles firmly anchor onto the rGO substrate. Benefiting from its unique morphology and strong synergistic effect, the designed WC@rGO achieves a giant improvement in HER activity in both acidic and alkaline solutions compared with pristine WC. The overpotentials of WC@rGO are 2.82 and 2.30 times smaller than those of pristine WC to achieve 10 mA cm−2 in acid and alkaline solutions. More specifically, the Pt-modified WC electrocatalyst with negligible accumulation of Pt (4 wt%) even exhibits superior electrocatalytic performance (η10 and Tafel slope of 54 mV and 21 mV dec−1 in acid solution and 61 mV and 28 mV dec−1 in alkaline solution) to commercial 10 wt% Pt@C. The method reported in this study enables eco-friendly preparation of cheap, stable and effective HER electrodes.

Neuropathic pain (NP) is a syndrome that arises from central or peripheral nerve injury, which manifests primarily as hyperalgesia, spontaneous pain, and allodynia. The recent trend has exhibited a shift towards the development of therapies for managing NP. Activation of autophagy is involved in the function of the glial cells, which may be implicated further to attenuate pain.In this study, the analgesic effects of electroacupuncture (EA) were evaluated among NP rats developed using spared nerve injury (SNI). Acupuncture treatment or EA was carried out after 7 days of SNI at two acupoints, i.e., the Zusanli (ST36) and Huantiao (GB30).The application of EA was found to attenuate mechanical hyperalgesia. The marker protein for microglial cells (CD11b) alone, without either the astrocyte marker or neuronal marker, was co-expressed with the autophagy indicator p62, as illustrated with immunofluorescence staining. Western blotting demonstrated that the expression levels of p62, Beclin-1, and LC3-II/LC3-I were elevated in the spinal cords of rats in the SNI group compared to the control levels. EA treatment resulted in reduced expression of p62, while the expressions of Beclin-1 and LC3-II/LC3-I were increased. The electron microscopy results indicated that EA could induce autophagy progression in the microglia of the spinal dorsal horn in SNI rats. Furthermore, we explored the causal relationship between EA-induced inhibition of NP and increased autophagic levels in microglia using the AMPK inhibitor compound C, and found that the mechanism of EA-induced analgesia may contribute to the promotion of AMPK/mTOR-mediated autophagy in spinal microglia.Our work showed that the analgesic impact of EA is partly related to AMPK/mTOR pathway activation and autophagy induction in microglial cells, providing a potential therapeutic target for NP.

Abstract— Neuropathic pain (NP) treatment remains a challenge because the pathomechanism is not yet fully understood. Because of low treatment efficacy, there is an important unmet need in neuropathic pain patients, and the development of a more effective pharmacotherapy is urgently required. Neuroinflammation induced by oxidative stress-mediated activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) plays an important role in NP. In this study, we aimed to investigate the protective properties of tetrahydropalmatine (THP) on a spared nerve injury (SNI) model of neuropathic pain in mice in in vivo and also in in vitro experiments. THP decreased mechanical hyperalgesia and cold allodynia compared with the SNI group. A microarray was applied to analyze differentially expressed of mRNA among different groups, and THP noticeably changed the expression of MAPK-related proteins compared with the SNI groups. H&E staining showed that the THP changed the inflammation after the spared nerve injury, with decreased NO expression in the THP group as compared to the SNI group. In addition, SNI-induced pain was reversed by intraperitoneal administration of THP, and further results indicated that THP suppressed inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS, pro-nociceptive mediators), phosphorylated MAPKs, and p65 in the dorsal root ganglions and sciatic nerve, while the serum levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β were significantly higher in the SNI group as compared to the THP group. To identify the molecular mechanism of the antineuropathic activity of THP, sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-induced neuro-2a (N2a) cells, LPS-induced BV2 cells, and LTA-induced astrocytes were further investigated in signaling pathways. In vitro experiments indicated that THP suppressed the expression of IL-1β, iNOS, phosphorylated MAPKs, and p65, which were assayed using western blotting, and immunofluorescence.

In this study, we immobilized pectinase preparation on porous zeolite ZSM-5 as an enzyme carrier. We realized this immobilized enzyme catalyst, pectinase preparation@ZSM-5, via a simple combined strategy involving the van der Waals adsorption of pectinase preparation followed by crosslinking of the adsorbed pectinase preparation with glutaraldehyde over ZSM-5. Conformal pectinase preparation coverage of various ZSM-5 supports was achieved for the as-prepared pectinase preparation@ZSM-5. The porous pectinase preparation@ZSM-5 catalyst exhibited ultra-efficient biocatalytic activity for hydrolyzing the β-glycosidic bonds in the model substrate 4-nitrophenyl β-D-glucopyranoside, with a broad operating temperature range, high thermal stability, and excellent reusability. The relative activity of pectinase preparation@ZSM-5 at a high temperature (70 °C) was nine times higher than that of free pectinase preparation. Using thermal inactivation kinetic analysis based on the Arrhenius law, pectinase preparation@ZSM-5 showed higher activation energy for denaturation (315 kJ mol−1) and a longer half-life (62 min−1) than free pectinase preparation. Moreover, a Michaelis–Menten enzyme kinetic analysis indicated a higher maximal reaction velocity for pectinase preparation@ZSM-5 (0.22 µmol mg−1 min−1). This enhanced reactivity was attributed to the microstructure of the immobilized pectinase preparation@ZSM-5, which offered a heterogeneous reaction system that decreased the substrate–pectinase preparation binding affinity and modulated the kinetic characteristics of the enzyme. Additionally, pectinase preparation@ZSM-5 showed the best ethanol tolerance among all the reported pectinase preparation-immobilized catalysts, and an activity 247% higher than that of free pectinase preparation at a 10% (v/v) ethanol concentration was measured. Furthermore, pectinase preparation@ZSM-5 exhibited potential for practical engineering applications, promoting the hydrolysis of β-glycosidic bonds in baicalin to convert it into baicalein. This was achieved with a 98% conversion rate, i.e., 320% higher than that of the free enzyme.

Objective: Electroacupuncture (EA) pretreatment has been shown to alleviate cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. To investigate the involvement of mTOR signaling in the protective role of EA in I/R-induced brain damage and mitochondrial injury. Methods: Sprague-Dawley male rats were pretreated with vehicle, EA (at Baihui and Shuigou acupoints), or rapamycin + EA for 30 min daily for 5 consecutive days, followed by the middle cerebral artery occlusion to induce I/R injury. The neurological functions of the rats were assessed using the Longa neurological deficit scores. The rats were sacrificed immediately after neurological function assessment. The brains were obtained for the measurements of cerebral infarct area. The mitochondrial structural alterations were observed under transmission electron microscopy. The mitochondrial membrane potential changes were detected by JC-1 staining. The alterations in autophagy-related protein expression were examined using Western blot analysis. Results: Compared with untreated I/R rats, EA-pretreated rats exhibited significantly decreased neurological deficit scores and cerebral infarct volumes. EA pretreatment also reversed I/R-induced mitochondrial structural abnormalities and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. Furthermore, EA pretreatment downregulated the protein expression of LC3-II, p-ULK1, and FUNDC1 while upregulating the protein expression of p-mTORC1 and LC3-I. Rapamycin effectively blocked the above-mentioned effects of EA. Conclusion: EA pretreatment at Baihui and Shuigou alleviates cerebral I/R injury and mitochondrial impairment in rats through activating the mTORC1 signaling. The suppression of autophagy-related p-ULK1/FUNDC1 pathway is involved in the neuroprotective effects of EA.

A novel kind of C-coated and Sb-doped SnO2 (ATO/C) nanocomposite is prepared by a facile hydrothermal method following with high-temperature pyrolysis. The ATO/C particles are uniform, irregular, crystalline and small sizes (∼5–8 nm). High specific BET surface area of 192.1 m2 g−1 and low charge transfer resistance of 98.9 Ω are obtained for the ATO/C. When used as the anode of lithium ion battery, the ATO/C shows an ultrahigh lithium storage capacity. It may deliver an initial discharge specific capacity of 2634.9 mAh g−1 with the Coulombic efficiency of 88.4% at 0.1 C, and the capacity increases to the highest 2847.4 mAh g−1 after 50 cycles. Even after 1000 cycles at the increased current density of 1 C, the discharge capacity of 1008.5 mAh g−1 can be preserved indicating its high cyclic stability. Besides, it has a capacity of 370.8 mAh g−1 at the higher current density of 10 C, exhibiting the robust rate property.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are hybrid porous crystalline networks with tunable chemical and structural properties. However, their excellent potential is limited in practical applications by their hard-to-shape powder form, making it challenging to assemble MOFs into macroscopic composites with mechanical integrity. While a binder matrix enables hybrid materials, such materials have a limited MOF content and thus limited functionality. To overcome this challenge, nanoMOFs are combined with tailored same-charge high-aspect-ratio cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) to manufacture robust, wet-stable, and multifunctional MOF-based aerogels with 90 wt% nanoMOF loading. The porous aerogel architectures show excellent potential for practical applications such as efficient water purification, CO

Antibiotic pollution is becoming an increasingly serious threat in different regions of China. The distribution of antibiotics in water sources varies significantly in time and space, corresponding to the amount of antibiotics used locally. The main source of this contamination in the aquatic environment is wastewater from antibiotic manufacturers, large scale animal farming, and hospitals. In response to the excessive antibiotic contamination in the water environment globally, environmentally friendly alternatives to antibiotics are being developed to reduce their use. Furthermore, researchers have developed various antibiotic treatment techniques for the degradation of antibiotics, such as physical adsorption, chemical oxidation, photodegradation, and biodegradation. Among them, biodegradation is receiving increasing attention because of its low cost, ease of operation, and lack of secondary pollution. Antibiotic degradation by enzymes could become the key strategy of management of antibiotics pollution in the environment in future. This review summarizes research on the distribution of antibiotics in China’s aquatic environments and different techniques for the degradation of antibiotics. Special attention is paid to their degradation by various enzymes. The adverse effects of the pollutants and need for more effective monitoring and mitigating pollution are also highlighted.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS

Acute gouty arthritis is a self-limiting inflammatory disease resulting from the deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals. It has been shown that Gentiopicroside (GPS) possesses anti-inflammatory and analgesic functions. The aim of this study was to parse out whether GPS has an effect on acute gouty arthritis. We established an acute gouty arthritis model by the injection of MSU into the paw, and found that GPS relieves MSU-induced mechanical, thermal hyperalgesia, and paw swelling. Furthermore, GPS down-regulated the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines in paw tissues, including IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, and TNF-α. The results of H&E staining and MPO activity measurement showed that GPS inhibits neutrophil infiltration. And the over-expressions of NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC), and Caspase-1 induced by MSU were inhibited by treatment with GPS. These results revealed that GPS can treat acute gouty arthritis based on anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties in vivo, which might be ascribed to the inhibition on NLRP3 inflammasome. Furthermore, we performed in vitro study to confirm the results of in vivo study. Consistently, the results proved that GPS could inhibit the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in RAW264.7 macrophages stimulated by LPS-MSU. In conclusion, this study provides an experimental basis for the application of GPS and expands the potential value of GPS in the therapy of acute gouty arthritis.

Conducting polymers are the natural choice for soft electronics. However, the main challenge is to pattern conducting polymers using a simple and rapid method to manufacture advanced devices. Filtration of conducting particle dispersions using a patterned membrane is a promising method. Here, we show the rapid prototyping of various micropatterned organic electronic heterostructures of PEDOT:PSS by inducing the formation of microscopic hydrogels, which are then filtered through membranes containing printed hydrophobic wax micropatterns. The hydrogels are retained on the un-patterned, hydrophilic regions, forming micropatterns, achieving a resolution reaching 100 μm. We further solve the problem of forming stacked devices by transferring the acidified PEDOT:PSS micropattern using the adhesive tape transfer method to form vertical heterostructures with other micropatterned electronic colloids such as CNTs, which are patterned using a similar technique. We demonstrate a number of different heterostructure devices including micro supercapacitors and organic electrochemical transistors and also demonstrate the use of acidified PEDOT:PSS microstructures in cell cultures to enable bioelectronics., This work presents a simple yet powerful method to micropattern electronic multilayer heterostructures of conducting polymers and nanomaterials. Using wax printing, filtration and tape transfer, we rapidly prototype advanced heterostructure devices.

In this letter, a strategy dedicated to the concise and efficient development of the customized large-signal models for GaAs HEMTs is proposed, which is specialized for MMIC designers. The core concepts of the strategy are a deconstruction of the original thought of model construction and dimension reduction of the objective functions of optimization algorithms. The development of an Angelov-based customized large-signal model following this strategy has been successfully applied to GaAs HEMTs in 70nm process. The results show that it takes less than five minutes to execute such a parameter extraction algorithm with a one-button extraction function and good agreement is achieved between the model simulation and device measurement up to 65GHz.

Large-sized reduced graphene oxide prepared was prepared by combined microwave intermittent heating and an extraction process (e.g., 900 W for 10 min (MRG-900-10)) with a lateral size of several micrometers and a thickness of 4-6 monosheets . The MRG-900-10 has a high C/O molar ratio (5.89) and a sp2 C content of 69.0 %, which leads to a fast electronic transmission in the sample. In addition, MRG-900-10 possesses a large specific surface area of 568.2 m2 g-1 , which increases the contact surface area between the active material and the electrolyte, thus enhancing the electron and ion transport in the interfaces when used as the electrode material in supercapacitors. MRG-900-10 possesses a low charge-transfer resistance (≈0.36 Ω). Used as the electrode material for a supercapacitor in 6 m KOH aqueous electrolyte, MRG-900-10 produces a high specific capacity of 327.6 F g-1 at the current density of 0.5 A g-1 . A specific capacity of 248.3 F g-1 was obtained at a high current density of 100 A g-1 , which indicated its high-rate ability. The initial capacity of 92 % can be maintained after 40 000 cycles at 5 A g-1 , which indicated its high cycling stability. As for the MRG-900-10 symmetric supercapacitors, the energy densities of 11.0 and 36.2 Wh kg-1 were obtained in 6 m KOH aqueous and 1 m tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate ([TEA]BF4 )/acetonitrile (ACN) electrolytes, respectively. Importantly, a high energy density of 68.6 Wh kg-1 was achieved in the nonflammable ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide ([EMIM][TFSI])/ACN (80 vol % [EMIM][TFSI]), and the supercapacitor was effective from room temperature to 100 °C.

We here report a liquid-phase exfoliation strategy to delaminate multilayered biochars into multi-heteroatom (Fe, N, S) co-doped graphene-like carbon nanosheets, in which the multilayered biochars derived from naturally evolved layer-by-layer precursors. This strategy provides the versatile capability to tailor the textural properties of the as-synthesized carbon nanosheets, such as obtaining a controllable specific surface area of up to 2491 m2 g−1. Thanks to the unique integration of graphene-like microstructures with a thickness of 4.3 nm, large specific surface area and hierarchical pores, homogenous co-doping of N, S, and Fe, and high electronic conductivity, the as-synthesized Fe-N-S co-doped carbon nanosheets could act as multifunctional electrodes for electrocatalytic process of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and capacitive energy storage. The optimized nanosheets showed a better ORR catalytic performance than commercial Pt/C catalyst, with a more positive onset potential (1.026 V) and half-wave potential (0.829 V), higher long-term stability, and outstanding methanol tolerance in alkaline mediums. Furthermore, the porous carbon nanosheets exhibited excellent supercapacitive performances which delivered a high energy density of 29.1 Wh kg−1 at a high power density of up to 39.5 kW kg−1 in an ionic liquid electrolyte. This liquid-phase exfoliation strategy will offer new inspiration for the synthesis of various biomass-derived graphene-like carbon nanosheets for multifunctional applications.

Unusual three-dimensional mesoporous carbon/reduced graphene oxide (MP-C/rGO) matrix possessing graphene nanolayer pore walls built up by three to five graphene monosheets and some carbon particles with the sizes of about 5 nm located between the graphene nanolayers was prepared by facile freeze-drying and then carbonization of the poly(vinyl alcohol) and graphene oxide mixture. The mesoporous carbonaceous MP-C/rGO sample has a high specific surface area of 661.6 m2 g-1, large specific pore volume of 1.54 m3 g-1, and focused pore size distribution of 2-10 nm. About 64 wt % sulfur could be held in the pores of the MP-C/rGO matrix. As the cathode of a Li-S battery, the MP-C/rGO/S composite showed excellent electrochemical property including a high initial specific capacity of 919 mA h g-1 at 1 C with the capacity retention ratio of 63.3% and the Coulombic efficiency above 90% after 500 cycles. Meanwhile, the initial specific capacity of 602 mA h g-1 at 5 C and remaining capacity of 391 mA h g-1 after 500 cycles with an outstanding Coulombic efficiency of 97% indicate its exceptionally stable rate performance.

A type of unusual interconnected graphitized carbon nanosheets (GCNS) was fabricated from biomass waste, i.e., inner shaddock skins using a facile combined method of simultaneous carbonization-activation and post-vacuum-annealing processes. The obtained GCNS has an optimized integration of a cage-like high-aspect-ratio nanosheet structure (∼8 nm thickness), a large surface area of 2327 m2 g−1 and hierarchical meso/micropore systems (82.3% mesopore volume). Given the effect of post-vacuum-annealing process, enhanced graphitization degree and excellent electronic conductivity (7.9 S cm−1) were obtained for the GCNS. The enhanced graphitization degree not only effectively improves electronic/ionic-transport kinetics in favor of rate capability but also prevents electrolyte degradation thus benefitting cyclic life. The ionic liquid-based supercapacitors assembled with symmetric GCNS electrodes exhibited an ultrahigh rate capability of 87% at current density of 100 A g−1 (holding 132 F g−1) and a long cyclic life of 97.6% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles. The excellent rate capability resulted in an integrated high energy-power property at an energy density of 56 Wh kg−1 (29.2 Wh L−1), corresponding to a power density of 93 kW kg−1 (48.4 kW L−1).

A novel ternary rGO/PPy/S nanocomposite possessing of a hierarchical nanostructure via incorporating the matrix of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) coated by polypyrrole (PPy) with sulphur was prepared by a facile one-pot in situ method. The chemical bonds exist between PPy and rGO through the formation of graphitic N and pyridine oxide N, and the C S, S C = S and S O chemical bonds form between rGO/PPy and S in the structure of the rGO/PPy/S material. The loading content of sulphur is 69.43 wt.% for the rGO/PPy/S sample. The rGO/PPy/S material exhibits a high performance when used as the cathode of Li-S battery. The initial and last discharge capacity arrived at 991.5 and 626.7 mAh g −1 at 1C with 400 cycles which is corresponding to the capacity retention ratio of 63.2%, indicating its very high cyclic stability. The discharge capacity of 537.4 mAh g −1 could be obtained at 5C and it maintained at 442.1 mAh g −1 after 400 cycles with the Coulombic efficiency of more than 90%, showing its excellent rate stability.

In this study, we synthesized an excellent ternary graphene-based carbon coated SnO2 (rGO/PC/SnO2) nanocomposite anode for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), in which carbon-coated SnO2 nanoparticles homogeneously grow on the surface of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) using glucose as the soft templating agent. Using glucose can limit the growth of the SnO2 particles; as a result, the size of the SnO2 particles would be relatively uniform. Moreover, the carbon coated on the surface of SnO2 particles can effectively prevent their agglomeration on the surface of rGO and limit their volume expansion during charge–discharge cycles. The porous structure of the rGO/PC/SnO2 nanocomposite can effectively accommodate the severe volume variation upon cycling and provide additional contact areas between the active material and the electrolyte. Significantly, the rGO/PC/SnO2 anode delivers an initial specific discharge capacity of 2238.2 mA h g−1 and retains 1467.8 mA h g−1 after 150 cycles at a current density of 0.1C (1C = 782 mA g−1). Even at the high specific current of 1C after 200 cycles, the reversible specific capacity is still as high as 618.3 mA h g−1. The rGO/PC/SnO2 anode exhibits excellent rate performances and possesses a reversible specific capacity of 445.9 mA h g−1 at 5C implying its good structural stability.

Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly is a versatile tool for fabricating multilayers with tailorable nanostructures. LbL, however, generally relies on polyelectrolytes, which are mostly insulating and induce large interlayer distances. We demonstrate a method in which we replace polyelectrolytes with the smallest unit capable of LbL self-assembly: a molecule with multiple positive charges, tris(3-aminopropyl)amine (TAPA), to fabricate LbL films with negatively charged single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs). TAPA introduces less defects during the LbL build-up and results in more efficient assembly of films with denser micromorphology. Twenty bilayers of TAPA/CNT showed a low sheet resistance of 11 kΩ, a high transparency of 91% at 500 nm, and a high electronic conductivity of 1100 S/m on planar substrates. We also fabricated LbL films on porous foams with a conductivity of 69 mS/m and used them as electrodes for supercapacitors with a high specific capacitance of 43 F/g at a discharging current density of 1 A/g.

The family of two-dimensional (2D) metal carbides and nitrides, known as MXenes, are among the most promising electrode materials for supercapacitors thanks to their high metal-like electrical conductivity and surface-functional-group-enabled pseudocapacitance. A major drawback of these materials is, however, the low mechanical strength, which prevents their applications in lightweight, flexible electronics. A strategy of assembling freestanding and mechanically robust MXene (Ti

The rapid development of cellulosic bioethanol has produced a mass of hydrolysate residue as byproducts during the pretreatment process of lignocellulose. The high value-added utilization of hydrolysate residue plays a key role in the economic viability of large-scale/green industrial production of lignocellulose into bioethanol. Here the hydrolyzate residue was exploited as a carbon precursor for the fabrication of an interlinked graphitized porous carbon nanoflake (GPCNF) by an in situ carbonization–activation process. The final GPCNF presents an optimum integration of a large surface area of 2026 m2 g–1, bimodal pore systems (86% of mesopore volume), and an excellent electric conductivity of 5.4 S cm–1. These characteristics favorably endow that the GPCNF is ideally suited for nonaqueous electrolyte-based supercapacitor applications. In organic electrolyte of 1 M TEA BF4/AN, the GPCNF-based supercapacitor exhibits a high rate capability of 74% initial capacitance at a high current density of 100 A g–1....

To study the self-assembly behavior of colloidal spheres in the solid/liquid interface and elucidate the mechanism of liquid crystal phase transition under microgravity, a Colloidal Material Box (CMB) was designed which consists of three modules: (i) colloidal evaporation experimental module, made up of a sample management unit, an injection management unit and an optical observation unit; (ii) liquid crystal phase transition experimental module, including a sample management unit and an optical observation unit; (iii) electronic control module. The following two experimental plans will be performed inside the CMB aboard the SJ-10 satellite in space. (i) Self-assembly of colloidal spheres (with and without Au shell) induced by droplet evaporation, allowing observation of the dynamic process of the colloidal spheres within the droplet and the change of the droplet outer profile during evaporation; (ii) Phase behavior of Mg2Al LDHs suspensions in microgravity. The experimental results will be the first experimental observations of depositing ordered colloidal crystals and their self-assembly behavior under microgravity, and will illustrate the influence of gravity on liquid crystal phase transition.