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Effective coalbed methane extraction is a key strategy for boosting natural gas production and storage in addition to raising the safety of the production standard of coal mines. In order to examine the effects of important variables such as pore parameters, desorption rate under temperature and pressure conditions, and seepage capacity on coalbed methane production during the coalbed methane extraction process. The low-temperature nitrogen adsorption tests (LTN 2 A), methane adsorption/desorption experiments at various temperatures, and the changes in the desorption rate constants, the initial desorption rate, and the desorption rate decay index with temperature and pressure were quantitatively analyzed. And COMSOL software was used to simulate the seepage characteristics of coalbed methane under various reservoir pressures. The results demonstrated that the large interior pore volumes of the samples are beneficial for gas adsorption. Because of its better pore connectivity, the QL sample had a desorption amount that was 55.65% and 48.01% higher at 313.15 and 333.15 K than the WJB sample. The three parameters of k , V 1 and k t are at a high level with increasing temperature; hence, the desorption rate peaks at 333.15 K and pressures between 1 and 4 MPa. Furthermore, the WJB sample is more sensitive to the temperature than the QL sample. The COMSOL simulation shows that the methane pressure inside the reservoir can be released better when the reservoir pressure is below 10 MPa. The Darcy seepage rate is fast and stable, which is favorable for the seepage of coalbed methane. The findings show a relationship between the desorption and seepage properties of CBM and its pore structure, which may offer empirical and theoretical support for the successful development of the CBM.

A series of polyaryl-substituted fluoranthenes is built in good to excellent yields via Earth-abundant metal-catalyzed [2 + 2+ 2] cycloaddition of 1,6-diynes with alkynes is developed. This method runs smoothly using a cheap catalytic system (CoI 2 /dppe/Zn) as the catalyst. Generally, this strategy exhibits low cost, high efficiency, good atom economy, and good functional group tolerance. Additionally, both terminal alkynes, especially heteroaryl-substituted acetylenes, and internal alkyne, tolerate smoothly in this work. Furthermore, the photophysical properties of the selected fluoranthenes is also investigated.

Monolayer two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have emerged as leading candidates for next-generation electronic devices beyond silicon, owing to their atomically thin structure and superior electrostatic control. However, their integration into industrial applications remains limited due to high densities of lattice defects and challenges in achieving stable and effective doping. In this work, we present a passivation and doping technique that significantly recovers and enhances the electrical properties of monolayer tungsten diselenide (WSe 2 ). Our defect-facilitated (NH 4 ) 2 S surface passivation approach has achieved robust enhancements in both the on-state and off-state performance of monolayer WSe 2 p-type field-effect transistors (p-FETs), enhancing channel mobility 3-fold, reaching a subthreshold slope ( SS min ) value of 70 mV/dec, on-currents of 110 μA/μm, and I max / I min > 10 9 , while maintaining stability across a range of conditions. Furthermore, we establish a strong correlation between device off-state performance and the full width at half-maximum (fwhm) of the Raman characterization peak. The defect engineering approach, combined with (NH 4 ) 2 S treatment at room temperature, offers a viable pathway for passivation and substitutional doping, advancing the potential for improved charge transport in future 2D TMD-based electronic devices.

Water pollution by dyes is a serious environmental issue of modern society that needs to be addressed effectively. Herein, a promising adsorbent, i.e., 3D composite aerogel, was developed by using reduced graphene oxide and silk fibroin (rGO-SF) via hydrothermal and freeze-drying techniques. The efficiency of the prepared aerogel toward methylene blue (MB) dye adsorption was explored in batch adsorption experiments. A study revealed the adsorption capacity of rGO-SF120 as 249.89 mg/g toward methylene blue (MB) dye. The aerogel also selectively adsorbs MB over other dyes, such as rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene orange (MO). The adsorption process was mainly chemical (as data fitted well to both pseudo-second-order and Elovich kinetic models) and followed the Langmuir model, indicating that it formed a single layer of dye on its surface. Overall, the rGO-SF120 aerogel is an effective and potential candidate for treating dye-loaded water with high efficiency.

The current traditional treatment for bacterial infections is to treat them with antibiotics, and the misuse of antibiotics can lead to an increase in bacterial resistance. In contrast, the development of new antibiotics is much slower than the speed of adaptation of drug-resistant bacteria, making it necessary to develop a drug that does not rely on antibiotics. Therefore, based on the advantages of photothermal therapy, NIR II-responsive gold hollow nanorods (GHNRs) were developed to overcome the limitation of bacterial drug resistance in conventional bacterial therapy. GHNRs can quickly respond to a 980 nm laser with a high photothermal conversion efficiency of 41.78%. The high temperature produced by GHNRs can effectively kill Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli , providing a new strategy for the clinical treatment of bacterial infectious diseases without antibiotic dependence.

Acquired resistance in cancer remains a significant challenge in oncology, posing obstacles to the efficacy of diverse therapeutic approaches. The nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway plays an important role in the development of drug resistance in tumor cells. Herein, we employed NF-κB inhibitors and cisplatin to synthesize multitarget Pt(IV) antitumor prodrugs. Among them, the antiproliferation activity of complex 8 demonstrated a remarkable 146.92-time increase compared to cisplatin against A549/CDDP cells. Moreover, complex 8 could effectively induce DNA damage, promote ROS generation, induce autophagy, trigger the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway, and suppress cell proliferation through the NF-κB signaling pathway. Furthermore, complex 8 effectively downregulated the levels of VEGF and HIF-1α and exerted antiproliferative activity through the PI3K/AKT and STAT-3 pathway in A549/CDDP cells. Interestingly, complex 8 showed a superior in vivo antitumor activity than cisplatin, 5a , or their combination, suggesting its potential as a promising candidate for further drug development in lung cancer treatment.

Defect engineering critically influences metal oxide catalysis, yet controlling coordinatively unsaturated metal sites remains challenging due to their inherent instability under reaction conditions. Here, we demonstrate that high-flux argon ion (Ar + ) irradiation above recrystallization temperatures generated well-defined coordinatively unsaturated Zn (CUZ) sites on ZnO(101̅0) surfaces that exhibited enhanced stability and activity for CO hydrogenation. Combining low-temperature scanning probe microscopy, ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and surface-ligand infrared spectroscopy with density functional theory calculations, we identified <12̅10> step edges exposing CUZ sites as the dominant active sites. These sites facilitate hydrogen-assisted CO dissociation through a mechanism distinct from formate-mediated pathways on stoichiometric ZnO. The ion-irradiation approach effectively addressed instability of Zn species, a major problem in ZnO catalysis, enabling stable performance in syngas conversion when combined with zeolites. Our atomic scale investigation provided spectroscopic fingerprints for active sites on the ZnO catalyst and insights into the structure-activity relationships of ZnO for CO hydrogenation. Our approach for engineering thermally stable defect sites in oxide catalysts provided opportunities for rational catalyst design beyond traditional preparation methods.

Magnetic microrobots hold great promise for applications in drug delivery and environmental remediation, but achieving collective reconfiguration and effective propulsion for dense, motile magnetic microrobots remains a significant challenge. In this research, we have fabricated Chlorella -based biohybrid magnetic microrobots in bulk using a facile biotemplating process and studied their superior reconfiguration and propulsion performance. Our results show that the dispersed superparamagnetic individuals can self-organize into a swarm of chain-like multimers, achieving effective propulsion via rolling or tumbling modes. The near-bound locomotion process demonstrates pseudochiral periodic reciprocation properties, and a detailed morphological analysis has been conducted. Furthermore, the microrobots can form vortices and realize swarm propulsion in spinning mode. These findings indicate that the spheroidal microrobots exhibit high maneuverability in programmable self-assembly, collective reconfiguration, and swarm propulsion based on dynamic magnetic interactions. In summary, this research provides a feasible method for constructing reconfigurable magnetic microrobots and explores an applicable paradigm for their flexible swarm control and collective cooperation. These advances have significant implications for practical applications of magnetic microrobots in various fields.

Nootkatone and limonene are valuable volatile organic compounds (VOCs), but their biosynthetic production is hindered by volatility. This study employed machine learning to guide cyclodextrin (CD) selection for encapsulating these VOCs, with a focus on nootkatone capture during fermentation to prevent losses and potentially replace dodecane as an organic solvent extractant. A LightGBM model accurately predicted complexation free energies (Δ G ) between CDs and guest molecules ( R 2 = 0.80 on a 10% test set, with a mean absolute error of 1.31 kJ/mol and a root-mean-squared error of 1.90 kJ/mol). Experimental ranking of 7 CD types validated the model's Δ G predictions and encapsulation performance rankings. Nootkatone showed high encapsulation efficiencies ranging from 21.29% (α-CD) to 88.41% (Me-β-CD), capturing 22.61-116.71 mg/g CD. Notably, Hp-γ-CD, which is the least studied or used CD in research, performed well with nootkatone (63.64%, 84.01 mg/g CD) despite model discrepancies. For limonene, encapsulation efficiencies spanned from 0.62% (Hp-γ-CD) to 55.45% (β-CD), with 0.61-84.28 mg/g CD encapsulated. Constructed engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains produced nootkatone (up to 97.30 mg/L captured by 10 mM Me-β-CD) from de novo fermentation using glucose as a carbon source. This approach demonstrated the potential of CDs to replace dodecane as an organic solvent for terpene extraction during fermentation. The study highlights machine learning's potential for guiding CD selection to enhance volatile terpene biosynthesis, capture, and utilization during fermentation, offering a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional organic solvent-based extraction methods.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) causes osteomyelitis (OM), which seriously threatens public health due to its antimicrobial resistance. To increase the sensitivity of antibiotics and eradicate intracellular bacteria, a Zn 2+ and vancomycin (Van) codelivered nanotherapeutic (named Man-Zn 2+ /Van NPs) was fabricated and characterized via mannose (Man) modification. Man-Zn 2+ /Van NPs exhibit significant inhibitory activity against extra- and intracellular MRSA and obviously decrease the minimum inhibitory concentration of Van. Man-Zn 2+ /Van NPs can be easily internalized by MRSA-infected macrophages and significantly accumulated in infected bone via Man-mediated targeting. In vivo experiments in a mouse OM model verified that Man-Zn 2+ /Van NPs significantly reduce the extra- and intracellular MRSA burden, improve gait patterns, increase bone mass, and decrease inflammatory cytokine expression. The antibacterial mechanism of Man-Zn 2+ /Van NPs includes destruction of the MRSA membrane, degeneration of intracellular proteins and DNA, inhibition of MRSA glycolysis, and intervention in the energy metabolism of bacteria. Overall, this metal-antibiotic nanotherapeutics strategy provides new insight for combating extra- and intracellular infections caused by MRSA-induced OM.

Electronic grade hydrogen peroxide plays a crucial role in the fabrication of large-scale integrated circuits. However, hydrogen peroxide prepared by the anthraquinone method contains impurities such as lead ions (Pb 2+ ) and phosphate, which can seriously affect the yield of the circuit. Traditional adsorbent materials have difficulty in solving the problem of simultaneous adsorption of trace anions and cations in hydrogen peroxide due to the single adsorption site and poor adsorption kinetics. In this study, UiO-66-NH 2 was prepared by introducing a -NH 2 group on the terephthalic acid ligand, and a series of hybrid matrix hollow fiber membranes with different UiO-66-NH 2 contents were prepared by loading it on polysulfone (PSF). This initiative not only improved the pore size and water flux of hollow fiber membranes but also enhanced the removal efficiency of ions from hydrogen peroxide solution, thereby facilitating practical application. Among them, UiO-66-NH 2 @PSF-1.5 showed the best adsorption of phosphate and lead ions with adsorption capacities of 3.099 and 2.160 mg g -1 and reached the removal efficiency of 67.1 and 60.1%, which fully confirms the practicability in the purification of electronic chemicals. This work innovatively proposes that UiO-66-NH 2 @PSF hybrid matrix hollow fiber membranes have great potential as simultaneous adsorbents for cations and anions in the efficient purification of electronic grade solvents.

The interfacial mechanical characteristics of sandwich structures are crucial in defining the comprehensive mechanical performance of the whole structure. Nevertheless, in practical applications, the interface often emerges as the weakest segment due to potential defects in the interface of porous metal sandwich plates (PMSP). This study aims to explore the regulatory mechanisms influencing the mechanical characteristics of nano-SiO 2 -reinforced aluminum foam sandwich structure (AFS) interfaces and to propose an effective strategy to achieve AFS interfaces with superior and stable mechanical properties. Results indicated that surface modification conditions and the amount of nano-SiO 2 introduced are the primary process variables determining the strength of the AFS interface. The modified silane coupling agent was capable of enhancing its dispersion in the epoxy resin, thereby improving the interfacial strength of AFS. The most significant enhancement in interfacial strength occurred at a nano-SiO 2 concentration of 0.4 wt %, although a marked reduction in interfacial strength was observed with further increases in the nano-SiO 2 content. The overall strength and energy absorption capacity of AFS were enhanced by 14.65% and 405.43%, respectively, through the utilization of this enhancement method. More importantly, the AFS produced using this method demonstrated a stable performance and high repeatability.

Anion dimerization poses a significant challenge for the application of Li-rich cathode materials (LCMs) in high-energy-density Li-ion batteries because of its deleterious effects, including rapid capacity and voltage decay, sluggish reaction kinetics, and large voltage hysteresis. Herein, we propose a metal-ligand spin-lock strategy to inhibit anion dimerization, which involves introducing an Fe-Ni couple having antiferromagnetic superexchange interaction into the LCM to lock the spin orientations of the unpaired electrons in the anions in the same direction. As proof of concept, we applied this strategy to intralayer disordered Li 2 TiS 3 (ID-LTS) to inhibit S-S dimerization. Electrochemical characterization using the galvanostatic charge/discharge and intermittent titration technique demonstrated the considerably enhanced anionic redox activity, reduced voltage hysteresis, and improved kinetics of the Fe-Ni-couple-incorporated ID-LTS. Fe L 2,3 -edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy and magnetic susceptibility measurements revealed that the metal-ligand spin-lock effect and consequent suppression of anion dimerization involve ligand-to-metal charge transfer between S and Fe. Further electrochemical tests on a Fe-Ni-couple-incorporated Li-rich layered oxide (Li 0.7 Li 0.1 Fe 0.2 Ni 0.1 Mn 0.6 O 2 ) indicated the importance of the π backbond in enhancing ligand-to-metal charge transfer from S to Fe. These findings demonstrate the potential application of our metal-ligand spin-lock strategy in the development of high-performance LCMs.

Artificial dimension control has been playing a vital role in electronic structure manipulation and properties generation. However, systematic investigations into the dimensional regulation, such as transformation from two-dimensional (2D) materials to well-controlled one-dimensional (1D) ribbons, remain insufficient via molecular beam epitaxy. Here, high-quality ultranarrow zigzag CuTe nanoribbons are atomically precisely prepared via the dimensional regulation induced by adjusting the Te chemical potential, utilizing CuSe monolayer as the starting 2D template. Introducing Te atoms into the CuSe monolayer and subsequent annealing, Te atoms replace Se atoms within CuSe lattice. As the Te substitution ratio increases, strain accumulates and elongated nanopores emerge, which expand and interconnect to form 1D CuSe 1- x Te x (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) nanoribbons and ultimately coalesce into a 1D ultranarrow zigzag CuTe nanoribbons with a honeycomb lattice. The entire structural transformation is verified through scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT). Contrary to the 2D semiconducting nature of CuSe and CuSe 1- x Te x monolayers, newly formed 1D CuTe nanoribbons exhibit metallic properties. Intriguingly, DFT calculations further reveal spin-polarized states at the zigzag edges of CuTe nanoribbons. Our proposed dimensional regulation strategy from 2D materials to well-controlled 1D nanoribbons presents avenues for refining and enhancing the synthesis process.

CDK2 and CDK9 play pivotal roles in cell cycle progression and gene transcription, respectively, making them promising targets for cancer treatment. Herein, we discovered a series of N 4 -(substituted thiazol-2-yl)- N 2 -(4-substituted phenyl)pyrimidine-2,4-diamines as highly potent CDK2/9 dual inhibitors. Especially, compound 20a significantly inhibited CDK2 (IC 50 = 0.004 μM) and CDK9 (IC 50 = 0.009 μM), achieving a 1000- and 2800-fold improvement over lead compound 11 , and demonstrating broad antitumor efficacy. Mechanistic studies indicated that 20a effectively and simultaneously suppressed CDK2 and CDK9 proteins in the HCT116 cell line, leading to G2/M cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis by regulating cell cycle- and apoptosis-related protein expression. Most importantly, 20a exhibited 86.7% oral bioavailability in rats and effectively inhibited tumor growth in HCT116 xenograft and C6 glioma rat models without significant toxicity. Overall, these observations clearly confirmed the promising therapeutic strategy of CDK2/9 dual inhibitors and provided a novel potent candidate for cancer therapy.

The rearranged-during-transfection (RET) kinase is a validated target for the treatment of RET-altered cancers. Currently approved RET-selective kinase inhibitors, selpercatinib (LOXO-292) and pralsetinib (BLU-667), increase the oncogenic RET protein level upon treatment, which may affect their efficacy. We seek to reduce the oncogenic RET protein level and RET kinase activity simultaneously. Here, we report the development of proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) degraders of oncogenic RET protein. Compound YW-N-7 exhibited dual action of selectively inhibiting and depleting RET protein both in vitro and in vivo . Proteomic analysis indicated that YW-N-7 is highly specific to RET. In cell cultures, reducing RET fusion protein potentiated the activity of LOXO-292. Furthermore, YW-N-7 showed significant activity in inhibiting KIF5B-RET-driven xenograft tumors in animals. This study exemplifies the feasibility of simultaneously inhibiting and degrading oncogenic RET kinase for cancer therapy.

Electrochemical batteries play a crucial role for powering portable electronics, electric vehicles, large-scale electric grids, and future electric aircraft. However, key performance metrics such as energy density, charging speed, lifespan, and safety raise significant consumer concerns. Enhancing battery performance hinges on a deep understanding of their operational and degradation mechanisms, from material composition and electrode structure to large-scale pack integration, necessitating advanced characterization methods. These methods not only enable improved battery performance but also facilitate early detection of substandard or potentially hazardous batteries before they cause serious incidents. This review comprehensively examines the operational principles, applications, challenges, and prospects of cutting-edge characterization techniques for commercial batteries, with a specific focus on in situ and operando methodologies. Furthermore, it explores how these powerful tools have elucidated the operational and degradation mechanisms of commercial batteries. By bridging the gap between advanced characterization techniques and commercial battery technologies, this review aims to guide the design of more sophisticated experiments and models for studying battery degradation and enhancement.

Understanding the growth mechanism of AgInS 2 nanoparticles could benefit the designed growth of I-III-VI 2 nanomaterials and their applications in photonics, optoelectronics, etc. Herein, using tris(dibutyldithiocarbamate) indium(III) [In((C 4 H 9 ) 2 NCS 2 ) 3 ] ([InR 3 ]) and dibutyldithiocarbamate silver(I) [Ag((C 4 H 9 ) 2 NCS 2 )] ([AgR]) precursors, AgInS 2 -based nanoparticles with different structures have been synthesized in a controlled manner through a one-pot approach via different growth mechanisms in 1-dodecanethiol (DDT) and oleylamine (OLA), respectively. The DDT and OLA could participate in the decomposition of precursors; thus, the [AgR]/DDT, [InR 3 ]/DDT, [AgR]/OLA, and [InR 3 ]/OLA were used herein to describe the decomposition steps. In DDT, the decomposition activity of [AgR]/DDT was much higher than that of [InR 3 ]/DDT; thus, the sequential decomposition of [AgR]/DDT and [InR 3 ]/DDT led to the formation of the Ag 2 S nanoparticles intermediate first, which then reacted with [InR 3 ]/DDT to form metastable o -AgInS 2 nanoparticles via the cation exchange and alloy process, and finally evolved into o -AgInS 2 @InS x core@shell nanoparticles, while in OLA, the decomposition activity of [AgR]/OLA was slightly higher than that of [InR 3 ]/OLA. Thus, the quasi-co-decomposition of [AgR]/OLA and [InR 3 ]/OLA led to the formation of Ag-rich Ag-In-S amorphous nanoparticles intermediate first and then quickly evolved into stable t -AgInS 2 /InS x nanoparticles. In addition, the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of t -AgInS 2 /InS x nanoparticles was higher than that of o -AgInS 2 @InS x nanoparticles.

The FLT3-ITD (internal tandem duplication) mutant has been a promising target for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) drug discovery but is now facing the challenge of resistance due to point mutations. Herein, we have discovered a type II FLT3 inhibitor, SILA-123 . This inhibitor has shown highly potent inhibitory effects against FLT3-WT (IC 50 = 2.1 nM) and FLT3-ITD (IC 50 = 1.0 nM), tumor cells with the FLT3-ITD mutant such as MOLM-13 (IC 50 = 0.98 nM) and MV4-11 (IC 50 = 0.19 nM), as well as BaF3 cells associated with the FLT3-ITD mutant and point mutations like BaF3-FLT3-ITD-G697R (IC 50 = 3.0 nM). Moreover, SILA-123 exhibited promising kinome selectivity against 310 kinases (S score (10) = 0.06). In in vivo studies, SILA-123 significantly suppressed the tumor growth in MV4-11 (50 mg/kg/d, TGI = 87.3%) and BaF3-FLT3-ITD-G697R (50 mg/kg/d, TGI = 60.0%) cell-inoculated allograft models. Our data suggested that SILA-123 might be a promising drug candidate for FLT3-ITD-positive AML.

Properties of layered superconductors can vary drastically when thinned down from bulk to monolayer owing to the reduced dimensionality and weakened interlayer coupling. In transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), the inherent symmetry breaking effect in atomically thin crystals prompts novel states of matter such as Ising superconductivity with an extraordinary in-plane upper critical field. Here, we demonstrate that two-dimensional (2D) superconductivity resembling those in atomic layers but with more fascinating behaviors can be realized in the bulk crystals of two new TMD-based superconductors Ba 0.75 ClTaS 2 and Ba 0.75 ClTaSe 2 with superconducting transition temperatures 2.75 and 1.75 K, respectively. They comprise an alternating stack of H-type TMD layers and Ba-Cl layers. In both materials, intrinsic 2D superconductivity develops below a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition. The upper critical field along the ab plane ( H c 2 | | a b ) exceeds the Pauli limit ( μ 0 H p ); in particular, Ba 0.75 ClTaSe 2 exhibits an extremely high μ 0 H c 2 | | a b ≈ 14 μ 0 H p and a colossal superconducting anisotropy ( H c 2 | | a b / H c 2 ⊥ a b ) of ∼150. Moreover, the temperature-field phase diagram of Ba 0.75 ClTaSe 2 under an in-plane magnetic field contains a large phase regime of vortex dissipation, which can be ascribed to the Josephson vortex motion, signifying an unprecedentedly strong fluctuation effect in TMD-based superconductors. Our results provide a new path toward the establishment of 2D superconductivity and novel exotic quantum phases in bulk crystals of TMD-based superconductors.

Perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) have attracted significant interest in next-generation intelligent displays. Vacuum deposition is a promising method for integrating PeLEDs into intelligent displays due to its high manufacturability and easy pixelation, as proven in industrial organic light-emitting diode production. However, achieving spatially confined grains with optimized crystal remains challenging in vacuum-deposited perovskite. Here, a trisource coevaporation strategy is proposed to introduce MABr to form the MA x Cs 1- x PbBr 3 structure with carriers' spatial confinement and defect suppression as well. This approach enables PeLEDs to contain excellent external quantum efficiency (EQE), which is nearly 10-fold as the untreated device. Based on this, we realize the first reported vacuum-deposited transparent PeLEDs with double-sided emission and an amazing maximum EQE of 7.6% by replacing Al with an optimized Ag:Mg electrode. These transparent PeLEDs are integrated into a bifunctional intelligent display device with both accurate heart rate detection and imaging display, which exhibit bright patterned emission and accurate heart rate detection.

High-sensitivity fluorescent probes provide a powerful tool for understanding life processes and functioning mechanisms. Therefore, the development of a universal strategy to optimize probes holds substantial importance. Herein, we developed a novel strategy for common probe upgrades: rather than simply pursuing a higher fluorescence intensity of the probe itself, we tried to promote the detection sensitivity by enhancing the probe-substrate interactions. Fortified with polyionic polymers, self-assembled probes could be endowed with enhanced attractions to the substrate. In this work, we took the AChE-AuNCs detection system as a typical and important example to verify this concept of the "enrichment-enhanced detection" strategy (EED strategy). Two probes, AuNCs@GC and AuNCs@CMCS, with similar composing polymers (chitosan derivatives), microstructures, fluorescence profiles, and distinct charges were delicately designed and thoroughly studied. CMCS with an abundance of negatively charged carboxy groups plays an important role in the enrichment of thiocholine through electrostatic interactions. Thus, despite having similar composing components, structures, and almost identical fluorescence profiles, the negatively charged composite shows superior sensitivity (15.2-fold enhancement) and response time (2-fold faster) compared to the AuNCs@GC, thereby validating the feasibility of the EED strategy. Overall, our work validates the EED strategy and applies it to the accurate detection of AChE activity. We believe that this strategy offers substantial insights for the generalization and enhancement of advanced nanoprobes.

The restructuring of dilute alloys under gas environments has shown a great impact on their catalytic performance due to intriguing structural sensitivity, but the structural dynamics and underlying mechanism remains elusive. Herein, we directly resolved the distinct dynamic behaviors of PdFe 0.08 dilute alloys under CO or O 2 environment by multidimensional imaging. The stronger binding of gaseous CO with Fe atoms stimulates Fe segregation out of the PdFe 0.08 , resulting in 3D growth of Fe islands, whereas the dissociative adsorption of O 2 results in 2D layer-by-layer growth of segregated FeO as encapsulation overlayers that bind strongly with the Pd surface underneath. Such varied structures remarkably tune the catalytic activity for CO oxidation, showing a considerably high activity for a CO-treated sample. Our results reveal the competitive mechanism between adsorbate-metal and metal-metal interaction for gas-induced surface segregation, which should be highly considered for the rational design of dilute alloys with dynamically tuned structure and reactivity.

The retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γt (RORγt) is a key regulator of Th17 cells, associated with autoimmune diseases, making it a significant drug target. Herein, we designed and synthesized 1-(phenylsulfonyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline derivatives, improving upon GSK2981278 to enhance bioavailability. Of which, D4 exhibited superior bioavailability (F = 48.1 and 32.9% in mice and rats, respectively) compared to GSK2981278 (F = 6.2 and 4.1%, respectively), and effectively treated psoriasis in mice at lower doses. Moreover, for the first time, we report the efficacies of a RORγt inverse agonist in mouse models of rheumatoid arthritis. ( R )-D4 , the eutomer of D4 , matched or exceeded GSK2981278's therapeutic effects at lower doses, with no adverse effects observed after 2 weeks of administration. These results position ( R )-D4 as a promising and orally bioavailable candidate for Th17-mediated autoimmune disease treatment.

Room-temperature sodium-sulfur (RT Na-S) batteries with high energy density and low cost are considered promising next-generation electrochemical energy storage systems. However, their practical feasibility is seriously impeded by the shuttle effect of sodium polysulfide (NaPSs) resulting from the sluggish reaction kinetics. Introducing a suitable catalyst to accelerate conversion of NaPSs is the most used strategy to inhibit the shuttle effect. Traditional catalytic approaches often want to avoid the irreversible phase transition of the catalyst at a deep discharge. On the contrary, here, we leverage the intrinsic structural tunability of the MoS 2 catalyst in the opposite direction and innovatively propose a voltage modulation strategy for in situ generation of trace Mo single atoms (Mo SAC ) during the first charge-discharge process, leading to the formation of highly active catalytic phases (MoS 2 /Mo SAC ) through the self-reconstruction. Theoretical calculations reveal that the incorporation of Mo SAC modulates the electronic structure of the Mo d-band center, which not only effectively promotes the d-p orbital hybridization but also accelerates the catalytic intermediate desorption by the bonding transition, the dynamic single-atom synergistic catalytic mechanism enhances the adsorption response between the metal active site and NaPSs, which significantly improves the sulfur redox reaction (SRR), and the initial capacity of the MoS 2 /Mo SAC /CF@S cell at 0.2 A g -1 is increased by 46.58% compared to that of the MoS 2 /CF@S cell. The discovery of the MoS 2 /Mo SAC /CF catalyst provides new insights into adjusting the structure and function of transition metal disulfide catalysts at the atomic scale, offering hope for the development of high-specific-energy RT Na-S batteries.

The neighborhood effect averaging problem (NEAP) is a fundamental statistical phenomenon in mobility-dependent environmental exposures. It suggests that individual environmental exposures tend toward the average exposure in the study area when considering human mobility. However, the universality of the NEAP across various environmental exposures and the mechanisms underlying its occurrence remain unclear. Here, using a large human mobility data set of more than 27 000 individuals in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, we provide robust evidence of the existence of the NEAP in a range of individual environmental exposures, including green spaces, air pollution, healthy food environments, transit accessibility, and crime rates. We also unveil the social and spatial disparities in the NEAP's influence on individual environmental exposure estimates. To further reveal the mechanisms behind the NEAP, we perform multiscenario analyses based on environmental variation and human mobility simulations. The results reveal that the NEAP is a statistical phenomenon of regression to the mean (RTM) under the constraints of spatial autocorrelation in environmental data. Increasing travel distances and out-of-home durations can intensify and promote the NEAP's impact, particularly for highly dynamic environmental factors like air pollution. These findings illuminate the complex interplay between human mobility and environmental factors, guiding more effective public health interventions.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has gained widespread acceptance as a clinical cancer treatment modality and has been attracting intensive attention on developing novel PDT strategies. However, the hypoxic environment in tumors is considered as a significant challenge for efficient type II PDT, based on the inference of the highly oxygen-concentration-related 1 O 2 generation. Contrary to this conventional understanding, our research demonstrates oxygen concentration independence in the photosensitized generation of 1 O 2 , as evidenced through steady-state and transient spectroscopy for chlorin e6 and methylene blue from normoxic to hypoxic conditions. We propose an oxygen-concentration-independent kinetic model, suggesting that efficient 1 O 2 generation can take place as long as the triplet-state lifetime ratio of the photosensitizer (τ h /τ n ) is in a similar range to pO 2 n /pO 2 h . Our findings provide insights into PDT mechanisms and indicate that the oxygen concentration reduction concerns may not be critical for effective PDT in hypoxic tumor environments.

Aiming at the time and space limitation of gas control in the first mining face of newly built outburst mine, this study takes Longfeng Coal Mine in Guizhou as the engineering background and puts forward a concept of far- and near-field gas collaborative joint control based on "orientation + general drilling". The correlation between effective extraction radius and extraction time of No. 9 coal seam is determined by establishing the mathematical model of gas migration in which stress field, diffusion field, and seepage field are coupled. Combined with the mining and deployment planning of the first mining face, the three-level strengthened regional gas management scheme of "directional middle, cross-layer, and cross-layer supplement" was designed, the spacing of drilling holes was optimized, and the spatiotemporal collaborative joint management system of gas advanced large areas was constructed. Practice has proven that the three-level gas extraction cooperative and joint management mode adopted in the 1903 first mining face effectively realized the spatiospatial matching of gas extraction and mining progress at all levels, realized the gas extraction standard and safe mining in advance, and provided an effective technical solution for the gas treatment of the first mining face in the newly built outburst mine., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Aqueous zinc ion batteries are excellent energy storage devices with high safety and low cost. However, the corrosion reaction and zinc dendrite formation occurring on the surface of zinc anodes are hindering their further development. To solve the problems, zirconium acetate (ZA) was used as an electrolyte additive in the ZnSO 4 electrolyte. Attributing to the higher electro-positivity of Zr 4+ than Zn 2+ , these high valence metal cations preferentially adsorb onto the surface of metallic zinc, shielding parasitic reactions between zinc and electrolyte, reshaping the electric field distribution, and directing preferential homogeneous deposition of Zn-ions on the Zn (002) crystal plane. Furthermore, the adsorption of Zr 4+ on the Zn metal after electrochemical cycles can enhance the energy barrier of zinc atom diffusion, resulting in high resistance of corrosion and manipulation of the Zn 2+ nucleation configuration. Attributing to these properties, the Zn//Zn symmetric cell with an electrolyte additive of ZA was able to cycle for 400 h under an extremely high current density of 40 mA cm -2 with an area capacity of 2 mAh cm -2 . Meanwhile, the MnO 2 //Zn coin cell still had 81.7 mAh g -1 (85% retention of capacity) after 850 cycles under a current density of 1 A g -1 .

Time reversal symmetry breaking in superconductors, resulting from external magnetic fields or spontaneous magnetization, often leads to unconventional superconducting properties. In this way, an intrinsic phenomenon called the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) state may be realized by the Zeeman effect. Here, we construct the FFLO state in an artificial CrOCl/NbSe 2 van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure by utilizing the superconducting proximity effect of NbSe 2 flakes. The proximity-induced superconductivity demonstrates a considerably weak gap of about 0.12 meV, and the in-plane upper critical field reveals the behavior of the FFLO state. First-principles calculations uncover the origin of the proximitized superconductivity, which indicates the importance of Cr vacancies or line defects in CrOCl. Moreover, the FFLO state could be induced by the inherent large spin splitting in CrOCl. Our findings not only provide a practical scheme for constructing the FFLO state but also inspire the discovery of an exotic FFLO state in other two-dimensional vdW heterostructures.

This study conducts a systematic investigation into the catalytic mechanism of norcoclaurine synthase (NCS), a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of tetrahydroisoquinolines (THIQs) with therapeutic applications. By integration of LiGaMD and DFT calculations, the reaction pathway of NCS is mapped, providing detailed insights into its catalytic activity and selectivity. Our findings underscore the critical role of E103 in substrate capture and reveal the hitherto unappreciated influence of nonpolar residues M183 and L76 on tunnel dynamics. A prominent discovery is the identification of a high-energy barrier (44.2 kcal/mol) associated with the aromatic electrophilic attack, which pinpoints the rate-limiting step. Moreover, we disclose the existence of dual transition states leading to different products with the energetically favored six-membered ring formation consistent with experimental evidence. These mechanistic revelations not only refine our understanding of NCS but also advocate for a renewed emphasis on enzyme tunnel engineering for optimizing THIQs biosynthesis. The research sets the stage for translating these findings into practical enzyme modifications. Our results highlight the potential of NCS as a biocatalyst to overcome the limitations of current synthetic methodologies, such as low yields and environmental impacts, and provide a theoretical contribution to the efficient, eco-friendly production of THIQs-based pharmaceuticals.

Enhancing the antimicrobial activity of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters while maintaining filtration efficiency and pressure drop is currently an urgent issue for preventing the spread of pathogenic microorganisms. Herein, inspired by vines which can enwind fences to fix as well as decorate them, a flexible antimicrobial chitin nanofiber (ChNF@CuO x ) was fabricated and loaded onto the rigid glass fiber (GF) skeleton of a HEPA filter. Through the physical interaction, ChNF@CuO x was spontaneously enwound on GF, and ChNF@CuO x itself interweaved to form a new nanonetwork between the GF skeleton. The obtained antimicrobial air filter (ChNF@CuO x /GF) with a unique nanonetwork increased the filtration efficiency of the HEPA filter. Meanwhile, it possessed excellent inactivation ability against Staphylococcus aureus , Escherichia coli , and Candida albicans due to the urchin-like in situ grown CuO x on the ChNF. In particular, the oxygen vacancies generated unexpectedly in CuO x enabled it to produce reactive oxygen species. After eight cycles of antimicrobial assays, the antimicrobial rates of bacteria were higher than 99.5%, and those of fungi were greater than 98.3%. The successful synthesis of antimicrobial fibers and the construction of multidimensional nanoscale structures through a simple postprocessing method provide a new design mentality for antimicrobial functionalization for HEPA filters.

Previous toxicological research has suggested the potential neurotoxicity of ultrafine particulate matter (UFP, particles ≤0.1 μm in diameter). However, evidence from human beings, particularly regarding the neurodevelopmental impacts of UFP, is still limited. We enrolled 11,230 children aged 3-5.5 years from Shanghai, China. Residential UFP exposure was assessed by a land use regression model with a spatial resolution of 50 m. The neurodevelopment of preschoolers was assessed using the Ages & Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition. Generalized linear mixed models were used to examine the associations of UFP exposure with risk of suspected neurodevelopmental delay. For our participants, the median of UFP exposure was 24,478 [interquartile range (IQR): 22,773-27,657] number per cubic centimeter. We observed that each IQR increase in UFP was associated with 8% [odds ratio (OR), 1.08; 95% CI, 1.02-1.15] and 12% (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.02-1.22) higher odds of suspected neurodevelopmental delay in gross and fine motor skills, respectively. These associations show a monotonically upward dose-response manner across overall UFP concentrations. Our findings suggest that UFP exposure during early childhood is associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental delay among Chinese preschoolers., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Co-published by Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and American Chemical Society.)

Diabetic wounds are prone to recurrent infections, often leading to delayed healing. To address this challenge, we developed a chitin-copper sulfide (CuS@CH) composite sponge, which combines bacterial trapping with near-infrared (NIR) activated phototherapy for treating infected diabetic wounds. CuS nanoparticles were synthesized and incorporated in situ within the sponge using a chitin assisted biomineralization strategy. The positively charged chitin surface effectively adhered bacteria, while NIR irradiation of CuS generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) heat and Cu 2+ to rapidly damage the trapped bacteria. This synergistic effect resulted in an exceptional antibacterial performance against E. coli (∼99.9%) and S. aureus (∼99.3%). The bactericidal mechanism involved NIR-induced glutathione oxidation, membrane lipid peroxidation, and increased membrane permeability. In diabetic mouse models, the CuS@CH sponge accelerated the wound healing of S. aureus infected wounds by facilitating collagen deposition and reducing inflammation. Furthermore, the sponge demonstrated good biocompatibility. This dual-functional platform integrating bacterial capture and NIR-triggered phototherapy shows promise as an antibacterial wound dressing to promote healing of infected diabetic wound.

Foodborne illnesses caused by Salmonella bacteria pose a significant threat to public health. It is still challenging to detect them effectively. Herein, biotemplated Janus disk-shaped magnetic microrobots (BJDMs) based on diatomite are developed for the highly efficient detection of Salmonella in milk. The BJDMs were loaded with aptamer, which can be magnetically actuated in the swarm to capture Salmonella in a linear range of 5.8 × 10 2 to 5.8 × 10 5 CFU/mL in 30 min, with a detection limit as low as 58 CFU/mL. In addition, the silica surface of BJDMs exhibited a large specific surface area to adsorb DNA from captured Salmonella, and the specificity was also confirmed via tests of a mixture of diverse foodborne bacteria. These diatomite-based microrobots hold the advantages of mass production and low cost and could also be extended toward the detection of other types of bacterial toxins via loading different probes. Therefore, this work offers a reliable strategy to construct robust platforms for rapid biological detection in practical applications of food safety.

Electronic-grade isopropyl alcohol is widely utilized in the cleaning of semiconductors and microelectronic components. Removing ions like Pb 2+ is crucial since the presence of impurities may cause degradation of electronics, increased failure rates, and short circuits. Membrane materials offer a number of advantages in the field of adsorption separation; however, the lack of adsorption sites results in limited adsorption capacity. In the current work, guanidino-grafted NH 2 -MIL-101(Fe) was incorporated into polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) to prepare MOF/PVDF mixed matrix membranes (NM/PVDF) for the removal of Pb 2+ from isopropanol. Benefiting from the larger specific surface area and more lone electron pairs in the guanidine group, the Pb 2+ adsorption capacity of the as-prepared NM/PVDF membrane was 29.4458 mg/g, which was higher than that of the NH 2 -MIL-101(Fe)/PVDF membrane (20.9306 mg/g) and the pure PVDF membrane (6.7324 mg/g). The NM/PVDF membrane was able to reduce the concentration of Pb 2+ from 500 to 86.73 ppb. This work highlights the potential of guanidine-grafted Fe-based MOFs/PVDF membranes as adsorbents for acquisition of electronic-grade solvents.

Ship emissions are a significant source of air pollution, and the primary policy to control is fuel oil quality improvement. However, the impact of this policy on particle size distribution and composition characteristics remains unclear. Measurements were conducted on nine different vessels (ocean-going vessels, coastal cargo ships, and inland cargo ships) to determine the impact of fuel upgrading ( S < 0.1% m/m marine gas oil (MGO) vs S < 0.5% m/m heavy fuel oil (HFO)) on elemental carbon (EC) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) emitted by ships. (1) Fuel improvement significantly reduced EC and PAH emission, by 31 ± 25 and 45 ± 38%, respectively. However, particle size distributions showed a trend toward finer particles, with the peak size decreasing from D P = 0.38-0.60 μm (HFO) to D P = 0.15-0.25 μm (MGO), and the emission factor of D P < 100 nm increased. (2) Changes in emission characteristics led to an increase in the toxicity of ultrafine particulate matter. (3) Ship types and engine conditions affected the EC and PAH particle size distributions. Inland ships have a more concentrated particle size distribution. Higher loads result in higher emissions. (4) The composition and engine conditions of fuel oils jointly affected pollutant formation mechanisms. MGO and HFO exhibited opposite EC emissions when emitting the same level of PAHs.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are recognized as promising targets for liquid biopsy, which play an important role in early diagnosis and efficacy monitoring of cancer. However, due to the extreme scarcity of CTCs and partial size overlap between CTCs and white blood cells (WBCs), the separation and detection of CTCs from blood remain a big challenge. To address this issue, we fabricated a microfluidic chip by integrating a passive contraction-expansion array (CEA) inertial sorting zone and an active magnetophoresis zone with the trapezoidal groove and online coupled it with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for rapid separation and precise detection of MCF-7 cells (as a model CTC) in blood samples. In the integrated microfluidic chip, most of the small-sized WBCs can be rapidly removed in the circular CEA inertial sorter, while the rest of the magnetically labeled WBCs can be further captured in the trapezoidal groove under the magnetic field. As a result, the rapid separation of MCF-7 cells from blood samples was achieved with an average recovery of 91.6% at a sample flow rate of 200 μL min -1 . The developed online integrated inertial-magnetophoresis microfluidic chip-ICP-MS system has been applied for the detection of CTCs in real clinical blood samples with a fast analysis speed (5 min per 1 mL blood). CTCs were detected in all 24 blood samples from patients with different types of cancer, exhibiting excellent application potential in clinical diagnosis.

Transition metal sulfides (TMSs) show the potential to be competitive candidates as next-generation anode materials for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high theoretical specific capacity. However, sluggish ionic/electronic transportation and huge volume change upon lithiation/delithiation remain major challenges in developing practical TMS anodes. We rationally combine structural design and interface engineering to fabricate a tubular-like nanocomposite with embedded crystalline Cu 9 S5 nanoparticles and amorphous MoS x in a carbon matrix (C/Cu 9 S 5 -MoS x NTs). On the one hand, the hybrid integrated the advantages of 1D hollow nanostructures and carbonaceous materials, whose high surface-to-volume ratios, inner void, flexibility, and high electronic conductivity not only enhance ion/electron transfer kinetics but also effectively buffer the volume changes of metal sulfides during charge/discharge. On the other hand, the formation of crystalline-amorphous heterostructures between Cu 9 S 5 and MoS x could further boost charge transfer due to an induced built-in electric field at the interface and the presence of a long-range disorder phase. In addition, amorphous MoS x offers an extra elastic buffer layer to release the fracture risk of Cu 9 S 5 crystalline nanoparticles during repetitive electrochemical reactions. Benefiting from the above synergistic effect, the C/Cu 9 S 5 -MoS x electrode as an LIB anode in an ether-based electrolyte achieves a high-rate capability (445 mAh g -1 at 6 A g -1 ) and superior ultralong-term cycling stability, which delivers an initial discharge capacity of 561 mAh g -1 at 2 A g -1 and its retention capacity after 3600 cycles (376 mAh g -1 ) remains higher than that of commercial graphite (372 mAh g -1 ).

Bacterial infections have been a serious threat to mankind throughout history. Natural antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and their membrane disruption mechanism have generated immense interest in the design and development of synthetic mimetics that could overcome the intrinsic drawbacks of AMPs, such as their susceptibility to proteolytic degradation and low bioavailability. Herein, by exploiting the self-assembly and pore-forming capabilities of sequence-defined peptoids, we discovered a family of low-molecular weight peptoid antibiotics that exhibit excellent broad-spectrum activity and high selectivity toward a panel of clinically significant Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains, including vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VREF), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE), Escherichia coli , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and Klebsiella pneumoniae . Tuning the peptoid side chain chemistry and structure enabled us to tune the efficacy of antimicrobial activity. Mechanistic studies using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), bacterial membrane depolarization and lysis, and time-kill kinetics assays along with molecular dynamics simulations reveal that these peptoids kill both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria through a membrane disruption mechanism. These robust and biocompatible peptoid-based antibiotics can provide a valuable tool for combating emerging drug resistance.

Ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM) is promising for data-intensive artificial intelligence applications due to its large-scale parallel in-memory computing capabilities. However, it is still challenging to build a reliable TCAM cell from a single circuit component. Here, we demonstrate a single transistor TCAM based on a floating-gate two-dimensional (2D) ambipolar MoTe 2 field-effect transistor with graphene contacts. Our bottom graphene contacts scheme enables gate modulation of the contact Schottky barrier heights, facilitating carrier injection for both electrons and holes. The 2D nature of our channel and contact materials provides device scaling potentials beyond silicon. By integration with a floating-gate stack, a highly reliable nonvolatile memory is achieved. Our TCAM cell exhibits a resistance ratio larger than 1000 and symmetrical complementary states, allowing the implementation of large-scale TCAM arrays. Finally, we show through circuit simulations that in-memory Hamming distance computation is readily achievable based on our TCAM with array sizes up to 128 cells.

Contact engineering on monolayer layer (ML) semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) is considered the most challenging problem toward using these materials as a transistor channel in future advanced technology nodes. The typically observed strong Fermi-level pinning induced in part by the reaction of the source/drain contact metal and the ML TMD frequently results in a large Schottky barrier height, which limits the electrical performance of ML TMD field-effect transistors (FETs). However, at a microscopic level, little is known about how interface defects or reaction sites impact the electrical performance of ML TMD FETs. In this work, we have performed statistically meaningful electrical measurements on at least 120 FETs combined with careful surface analysis to unveil contact resistance dependence on interface chemistry. In particular, we achieved a low contact resistance for ML MoS 2 FETs with ultrahigh-vacuum (UHV, 3 × 10 -11 mbar) deposited Ni contacts, ∼500 Ω·μm, which is 5 times lower than the contact resistance achieved when deposited under high-vacuum (HV, 3 × 10 -6 mbar) conditions. These electrical results strongly correlate with our surface analysis observations. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed significant bonding species between Ni and MoS 2 under UHV conditions compared to that under HV. We also studied the Bi/MoS 2 interface under UHV and HV deposition conditions. Different from the case of Ni, we do not observe a difference in contact resistance or interface chemistry between contacts deposited under UHV and HV. Finally, this article also explores the thermal stability and reliability of the two contact metals employed here.

Toxic heavy metals are widely present in typical scenarios, such as mines and electroplating wastewater, presenting significant risks to biological and environmental safety. Membrane processes encounter a challenge in effectively intercepting heavy metals due to their small hydration radius. This research showcases the high efficiency of micelle-enhanced nanofiltration (MENF) in removing heavy metals. At the critical micelle concentration, sodium dodecyl sulfate demonstrated a high removal of Cu 2+ , Ni 2+ , Zn 2+ , and Cd 2+ while maintaining substantial potential for complexation of heavy metals. The formation of micelles and the bonding of heavy metals with surfactants bolstered the resistance of heavy metal ions to transmembrane transport. The presence of heavy metals in ionic form in wastewater facilitated their complexation with surfactants or micelles. Notably, the valence state and concentration of interfering ions in the environment could slightly influence the removal of heavy metals by MENF. Additionally, MENF displayed remarkable antifouling properties. The loose gel layer created by surfactant molecules and the micelle enhanced the membrane permeability and reduced the scaling tendency of heavy metals. This study contributes to an improved understanding of the mechanisms involved in heavy metal rejection by using MENF.

Copper-doped Bi 2 Se 3 (Cu x Bi 2 Se 3 ) is of considerable interest for tailoring its electronic properties and inducing exotic charge correlations while retaining the unique Dirac surface states. However, the copper dopants in Cu x Bi 2 Se 3 display complex electronic behaviors and may function as either electron donors or acceptors depending on their concentration and atomic sites within the Bi 2 Se 3 crystal lattice. Thus, a precise understanding and control of the doping concentration and sites is of both fundamental and practical significance. Herein, we report a solution-based one-pot synthesis of Cu x Bi 2 Se 3 nanoplates with systematically tunable Cu doping concentrations and doping sites. Our studies reveal a gradual evolution from intercalative sites to substitutional sites with increasing Cu concentrations. The Cu atoms at intercalative sites function as electron donors while those at the substitutional sites function as electron acceptors, producing distinct effects on the electronic properties of the resulting materials. We further show that Cu 0.18 Bi 2 Se 3 exhibits superconducting behavior, which is not present in Bi 2 Se 3 , highlighting the essential role of Cu doping in tailoring exotic quantum properties. This study establishes an efficient methodology for precise synthesis of Cu x Bi 2 Se 3 with tailored doping concentrations, doping sites, and electronic properties., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Co-published by University of Science and Technology of China and American Chemical Society.)

Self-powered wearable electronic products have rapidly advanced in the fields of sensing and health monitoring, presenting greater challenges for triboelectric materials. The limited surface polarity and structural defects in wood fibers restrict their potential as substitutes for petroleum-based materials. This study used bagasse fiber as the raw material and explored various methods, including functionalizing cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) with polydopamine (PDA), in situ embedding of silver particles, filtration, and freeze-drying. These methods aimed to enhance the triboelectric output, antibacterial properties, and filtration properties of lignocellulosic materials. The Ag/PDA/CNF-based triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) demonstrated an open-circuit voltage of 211 V and a short-circuit current of 18.1 μA. An aerogel prepared by freeze-drying the Ag/PDA/CNF material, combined with a polyvinylidene fluoride nanofiber structure fabricated by electrospinning, constitutes the TENG unit. A self-powered respiratory detection mask was created using this combination, achieving a filtration efficiency of 94.23% for 0.3 μm particles and an antibacterial rate exceeding 99%. In addition, it effectively responded to respiratory frequency signals of slow breathing, normal breathing, and shortness of breath, with the output electrical signal correlating with the respiratory frequency. This study considerably contributes to advancing wood fiber-based triboelectric materials as alternatives to petroleum-derived materials in self-powered wearable electronic products for medical applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Steviol glycosides (SGs) are a natural sweetener widely used in the food and beverage industry, but the low solubility and stability of SG aqueous solutions greatly limit their application performance, especially in liquid formulations. In this work, we explore the solubility behavior of rebaudioside A (Reb A) in water, a major component of SGs, with the aim of clarifying the underlying mechanisms of the solubility and stability constraints of SGs, as well as the impact on their multifunctional properties. We demonstrate for the first time that Reb A exhibits hierarchical self-assembly in solutions, forming spherical micelles first when the concentration exceeds its critical micelle concentration (5.071 mg/mL), which then further assemble into large rod-like aggregates. The formation of such large Reb A aggregates is mainly dominated by hydrogen bonding and short-range Coulomb interaction energy, thus leading to the low solubility and precipitation of Reb A solutions. Surprisingly, aggregated Reb A structures display significantly improved organoleptic properties, revealing that self-aggregation can be developed as a simple, efficient, and green strategy for improving the taste profile of SGs. Additionally, the self-aggregation of Reb A at high concentrations impairs active encapsulation and also affects its interfacial and emulsifying properties.

There has been widespread concern about the health hazards of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which may be the risk factor for hyperuricemia with evidence still insufficient in the general population in China. Here, we conducted a nationwide study involving 9,580 adults aged 18 years or older from 2017 to 2018, measured serum concentrations of uric acid and PFAS (PFOA, PFOS, 6:2 Cl-PFESA, PFNA, PFHxS) in participants, to assess the associations of individual PFAS with hyperuricemia, and estimated a joint effect of PFAS mixtures. We found positive associations of higher serum PFAS with elevated odds of hyperuricemia in Chinese adults, with the greatest contribution from PFOA (69.37%). The nonmonotonic dose-response (NMDR) relationships were observed for 6:2 Cl-PFESA and PFHxS with hyperuricemia. Participants with less marine fish consumption, overweight, and obesity may be the sensitive groups to the effects of PFAS on hyperuricemia. We highlight the potential health hazards of legacy long-chain PFAS (PFOA) once again because of the higher weights of joint effects. This study also provides more evidence about the NMDR relationships in PFAS with hyperuricemia and emphasizes a theoretical basis for public health planning to reduce the health hazards of PFAS in sensitive groups.

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting materials with anisotropic physical properties have induced lively interest due to their application in the field of polarizing devices. Herein, we have designed a family of penta-PtXY (X = Se, Te; Y = S, Te; X ≠ Y) monolayers and predicted the electronic and optical properties based on the first-principles calculation. The results suggest that the penta-PtXY (X = Se, Te; Y = S, Te; X ≠ Y) monolayers are indirect-gap semiconductors with a medium bandgap of 2.29-2.66 eV. The penta-PtXY (X = Se, Te; Y = S, Te; X ≠ Y) monolayers own a remarkable mechanical anisotropy with a high Young's modulus anisotropic ratio (3.0). In addition, the penta-PtXY (X = Se, Te; Y = S, Te; X ≠ Y) monolayers exhibit a high anisotropy ratio of hole/electron mobility in the x and y directions (1.16-3.54). The results calculated by the G 0 W 0 +BSE method indicate that the single-layers also bear a salient optical anisotropy ratio (1.56-2.11). The integration of the anisotropic electronic, optical, and mechanical properties entitles penta-PtXY (X = Se, Te; Y = S, Te; X ≠ Y) monolayers as potential candidates in multifunctional polarized nanodevices., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)