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[Display omitted] • I-CNT with enhanced electronic conductivity is reported as a multifunctional sulfur skeleton material. • I-CNT skeleton boosts adsorption effect and conversion reaction kinetics of LiPSs. • DFT calculation, quasi in-situ EIS and in-situ Raman spectroscopy reveal the polysulfides conversion mechanism. • The Li 2 S potentiostatic deposition i - t curves also confirm the improved liquid–solid reaction kinetics. • I-CNT@S exhibits satisfactory cycle stability of 528.9 mAh g−1 at 2C after 700 cycles. Compared with lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs), based on electrochemical reactions involving multi-step 16-electron transformations provide higher specific capacity (1672 mAh g−1) and specific energy (2600 Wh kg−1), exhibiting great potential in the field of energy storage. However, the inherent insulation of sulfur, slow electrochemical reaction kinetics and detrimental shuttle-effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) restrict the development of LSBs in practical applications. Herein, the iodine-doped carbon nanotubes (I-CNTs) is firstly reported as sulfur host material to the enhance the adsorption-conversion kinetics of LSBs. Iodine doping can significantly improve the polarity of I-CNTs. Iodine atoms with lone pair electrons (Lewis base) in iodine-doped CNTs can interact with lithium cations (Lewis acidic) in LiPSs, thereby anchoring polysulfides and suppressing subsequent shuttling behavior. Moreover, the charge transfer between iodine species (electron acceptor) and CNTs (electron donor) decreases the gap band and subsequently improves the conductivity of I-CNTs. The enhanced adsorption effect and conductivity are beneficial for accelerating reaction kinetics and enhancing electrocatalytic activity. The in-situ Raman spectroscopy, quasi in-situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and Li 2 S potentiostatic deposition current–time (i-t) curves were conducted to verify mechanism of complex sulfur reduction reaction (SRR). Owing to above advantages, the I-CNTs@S composite cathode exhibits an ultrahigh initial capacity of 1326 mAh g−1 as well as outstanding cyclicability and rate performance. Our research results provide inspirations for the design of multifunctional host material for sulfur/carbon composite cathodes in LSBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant cancers worldwide. The prognosis of HCC remains poor. Currently, sorafenib is the first-line drug for advanced HCC. Although sorafenib's mechanism of action involving several established cancer-related protein kinase targets is well-characterized, the underlying molecular mechanism is still unclear. Here, we found that sorafenib inhibited viability, proliferation, and migration of HCC cells in a dose-dependent manner. Sorafenib treatment of HCC cells destroyed mitochondrial morphology, accompanied by decreased activity of oxidative phosphorylation, collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential, and reduced synthesis of ATP, with consequent cell death due to ferroptosis. Pharmacological utilization of glutathione (GSH) rescued the sorafenib-induced ferroptosis, eliminated the accumulation of cellular mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS), and lipid peroxide. GSH depletion through cysteine deprivation or cysteinase inhibition exacerbated sorafenib-induced ferroptotic cell death and lipid peroxides generation, and enhanced oxidative stress and mitochondrial ROS accumulation. Collectively, these findings indicate that depletion of cysteine acts synergistically with sorafenib and renders HCC cells vulnerable to ferroptosis, presenting the potential value of new therapeutic combinations for advanced HCC. • Sorafenib destroyed mitochondrial morphology, induced mitochondrial dysfunction, with consequent cell death due to ferroptosis. • GSH rescued the sorafenib-induced ferroptosis and eliminated the accumulation of ROS and lipid peroxidation. • GSH depletion exacerbated sorafenib-induced ferroptotic cell death and lipid ROS generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, AlGaN/GaN superlattices (SLs) structures were grown on SiC substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The influence of AlGaN/GaN period numbers, the ratio of AlGaN thickness to GaN thickness (t A l G a N / t G a N ), and the Al content on the strain state of AlGaN/GaN SLs are investigated. Moreover, the strain relaxation mechanism of the SLs is analysed. Our results show that the surface roughening, the formation of misfit dislocations and the generation of cracks are all contribute to the strain relaxation of the SLs. Moreover, the main reason cause the formation of cracks in the SLs is the large lattice mismatch between the SLs and the template rather than the large lattice mismatch between the GaN and AlGaN in the SLs. It is worth noting that understanding the strain relaxation mechanism is crucial for the design and fabrication of high-quality optoelectronic devices based on AlGaN/GaN SLs by MOCVD. • The strain states of MOCVD-grown AlGaN/GaN superlattices (SLs) are studied. • The strain relaxation mechanism of AlGaN/GaN SLs is analysed. • Large lattice mismatch between SLs and template causes the formation of cracks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, blue-green InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) were grown on SiC substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. The influence of growth pressure on the structural and optical properties and surface morphology of the MQWs was studied. The photoluminescence measurement results indicate that the indium content in the MQWs nearly doubles when the growth pressure increases from 100 to 400 mbar, and the MQWs grown at different pressures exhibit distinct temperature-dependent optical behaviors. Meanwhile, the growth pressure also influences the structural characteristics of the MQWs significantly. Besides, with changing the growth pressure, the surface root-mean-square roughness, V-shaped pits density, V-shaped pits size, and localization state density of the MQWs were changed accordingly. [Display omitted] • The influence of different growth pressures on the structural characteristics of multiple quantum wells is investigated. • The luminescence properties of localization states of quantum wells are studied. • The formation of V-shaped pits is suppressed by increasing the growth pressure. • The incorporation efficiency of indium is improved at higher growth pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]