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The performance of lithium‐sulfur batteries is compromised by the loss of sulfur as dissolved polysulfides in the electrolyte and consequently the polysulfide redox shutting effect. Accelerating the conversion kinetics of polysulfide intermediates into sulfur or lithium sulfide through electrocatalysis has emerged as a root‐cause solution. Co−N−C composite electrocatalyst is commonly used for this purpose. It is illustrated here that how the effectiveness can be improved by modulating the coordination chemistry of Co−N−C catalytic sites through introducing Ru species (RuCo−NC). The well‐dispersed Ru in the Co−NC carbon matrix altered the total charge distribution over the Co−N−C catalytic sites and led to the formation of electron‐rich Co−N, which is highly active for the polysulfide conversion reactions. Using Ru to modulate the electronic structure in the Co−N−C configuration and the additional catalytic sites over the Ru−Nx species can manifest optimal adsorption behavior of polysulfides. Consequently, the sulfur cathode with RuCo−NC can reduce the capacity fade rate from 0.11 % per cycle without catalyst (initial capacity of 701 mAh g−1) to 0.054 % per cycle (initial capacity of 1074 mAh g−1) over 400 cycles at 0.2 C rate. The results of this study provide the evidence for a feasible catalyst modification strategy for the polysulfide electrocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many herbs have been shown to safely and successfully treat hyperlipidemia. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying their treatment remain unclear. In this study, 103 prescriptions for the treatment of hyperlipidemia containing 146 herbs were screened. Cluster analyses identified a core prescription comprising five herbs, namely, Crataegus pinnatifida (Shan Zha), Cassiae semen (Jue Ming Zi), Alisma orientale (Sam.) Juz. (Ze Xie), Salvia miltiorrhiza (Dan Shen), and Radix Polygoni Multiflori (He Shou Wu), in combination for the treatment of hyperlipidemia. Next, 9, 62, 5, 132, and 34 potential targets for each of the core herbs and a total of 512 hyperlipidemia-related protein targets were detected. Finally, 40 targets shared by core herbs and hyperlipidemia were identified. IL6, AKT1, IL1B, PTGS2, VEGFA, PPARG, and NOS3 were the seven proteins that were found to be most important in the treatment of hyperlipidemia. Interestingly, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway indicated that these targets were mainly enriched in the lipid and atherosclerosis pathway and the cancer pathway. In addition, core target proteins such as AKT1, PTGS2, and PPARG have been demonstrated to play critical roles in hyperlipidemia and pancreatic cancer. Significant affinity between bioactive chemicals and proteins involved in cancer pathways was found by molecular docking. Molecular docking results showed that AKT1, PTGS2, and PPARG exhibited good binding ability with three bioactive chemicals, including 3-beta-hydroxymethyllenetanshiquinone, danshexinkum d, and physciondiglucoside. The treatment of hyperlipidemia by herbs may be mediated through the modulation of proteins associated with the cancer pathway. This study helps to provide a theoretical basis for future combined therapy for hyperlipidemia and cancer. [Figure: see text].

The performance of lithium-sulfur batteries is compromised by the loss of sulfur as dissolved polysulfides in the electrolyte and consequently the polysulfide redox shutting effect. Accelerating the conversion kinetics of polysulfide intermediates into sulfur or lithium sulfide through electrocatalysis has emerged as a root-cause solution. Co-N-C composite electrocatalyst is commonly used for this purpose. It is illustrated here that how the effectiveness can be improved by modulating the coordination chemistry of Co-N-C catalytic sites through introducing Ru species (RuCo-NC). The well-dispersed Ru in the Co-NC carbon matrix altered the total charge distribution over the Co-N-C catalytic sites and led to the formation of electron-rich Co-N, which is highly active for the polysulfide conversion reactions. Using Ru to modulate the electronic structure in the Co-N-C configuration and the additional catalytic sites over the Ru-N x species can manifest optimal adsorption behavior of polysulfides. Consequently, the sulfur cathode with RuCo-NC can reduce the capacity fade rate from 0.11 % per cycle without catalyst (initial capacity of 701 mAh g -1 ) to 0.054 % per cycle (initial capacity of 1074 mAh g -1 ) over 400 cycles at 0.2 C rate. The results of this study provide the evidence for a feasible catalyst modification strategy for the polysulfide electrocatalysis., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)