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Coastal darkening is emerging as a global threat to fringing reefs. While some reef‐building corals exhibit resistance to low‐light environments, the mechanisms behind this resistance, particularly the role of coral hosts, remain inadequately understood. Here, we investigated variations in underwater photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and employed the Bayesian stable isotope mixing model (MixSIAR) to estimate the contributions of autotrophic (i.e., dissolved inorganic matter, DIM) and heterotrophic sources (i.e., particulate organic matter, POM, and dissolved organic matter, DOM) to the nutrition of the reef coral Galaxea fascicularis on the Luhuitou turbid reef in the northern South China Sea. Our findings revealed that the heterotrophic contribution to coral nutrition increased to 58.5% with decreasing PAR and that the heterotrophic contribution was significantly negatively correlated with δ13C difference between host and symbiont (δ13Ch–s). Moreover, we observed significant seasonal variations in the respective contributions of POM and DOM to coral nutrition, linked to the sources of these nutrients, demonstrating that G. fascicularis can selectively ingest POM and DOM based on their bioavailability to enhance its heterotrophic contribution. This heterotrophic plasticity improved the low‐light resistance of G. fascicularis and contributed to its prominence within coral communities. However, with a low‐light threshold of approximately 3.73% of the surface PAR for G. fascicularis, our results underscore the need for effective strategies to mitigate low‐light conditions on nearshore turbid reefs. In summary, our study highlights the critical role of heterotrophic plasticity in coral responses to natural low‐light environments, suggesting that some reef‐building corals with such plasticity could become dominant or resilient species in the context of coastal darkening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parasitic electrolyte reactions and dendrite growth make Zn metal anodes with high Zn utilization rates (ZURs) more inaccessible, holding back the advance of aqueous zinc metal batteries (AZMBs). Here, sodium isoascorbate (SIA) is introduced to aqueous electrolytes as a self‐deoxidizing and self‐dehydrogenating additive. Coexisting C6H7O6−/C6H5O6− couple spontaneously captures dissolved oxygen and eliminates generated hydrogen by acting as a redox buffer, which leads to the creation of antioxidant Interfaces due to an in situ formed ZnCO3‐dominated solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). This SEI enables the (100) faceted electrode with dendrite‐free and non‐corrosive Zn plating/stripping, thus yielding a Coulombic efficiency of 99.7% up to 1100 h at 5 mAh cm−2, as well as a stable cycle sustaining for over 335 h under a high ZUR of 85.5%. Full‐cell properties are demonstrated by matching a poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) intercalated vanadium oxide (PEDOT‐V2O5) cathode, which harvests a high capacity of 302 mAh g−1 (at 0.01 A g−1) and holds 94.2% capacity retention over 600 cycles (at 1 A g−1) under practical conditions (N/P = 4.2 and E/C = 7.6 µL mg−1). These findings provide a new solution for electrolyte design for industrializing AZMBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium‐sulfur (Li−S) batteries have many advantages but still face problems such as retarded polysulfides redox kinetics and Li dendrite growth. Most reported single atom catalysts (SACs) for Li−S batteries are based on d‐band transition metals whose d orbital constitutes active valence band, which is inclined to occur catalyst passivation. SACs based on 4f inner valence orbital of rare earth metals are challenging for their great difficulty to be activated. In this work, we design and synthesize the first rare earth metal Sm SACs which has electron‐rich 4f inner orbital to promote catalytic conversion of polysulfides and uniform deposition of Li. Sm SACs enhance the catalysis by the activated 4f orbital through an f‐d‐p orbital hybridization. Using Sm‐N3C3 modified separators, the half cells deliver a high capacity over 600 mAh g−1 and a retention rate of 84.3 % after 2000 cycles. The fabricated Sm‐N3C3‐Li|Sm‐N3C3@PP|S/CNTs full batteries can provide an ultra‐stable cycling performance of a retention rate of 80.6 % at 0.2 C after 100 cycles, one of the best full Li−S batteries. This work provides a new perspective for the development of rare earth metal single atom catalysis in electrochemical reactions of Li−S batteries and other electrochemical systems for next‐generation energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen‐associated electron doping Mottronics within d‐orbital transitional metal oxides (TMOs) opens up a new paradigm to explore exotic physical phenomena that enable promising applications such as artificial intelligence, Mottronic/iontronic devices, energy conversions, bio‐electronic sensing, and smart windows. Although remarkable progress is achieved over the past decade, systematic and in‐depth insights into hydrogen‐associated exotic physical phenomena within TMOs are still lacking. Herein, this review delivers a comprehensive and timely picture of hydrogen‐triggered electronic phase transitions within TMOs, covering the hydrogenation strategies, research progress, underneath mechanisms, multidisciplinary applications, and beyond. Furthermore, of particular interest, the hydrogenation or protonation enables the possibility of exploring the novel electronic phase and exotic physical properties within TMOs via breaking the intrinsic coupling in the charge, spin, lattice, and orbital degrees of freedom. Beyond that, a broader vision is further cast into the cutting‐edge researching fields of the multifunctionality associated with hydrogenated TMOs and the role of hydrogen in filling‐controlled Mottronic transitions by using hydrogenation. As combined with the critical overview of the existing open questions and future prospects, this review is expected to provide useful guidance on the hydrogen‐associated electronic phase transitions within TMOs and further broaden the promising applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) are widely regarded as promising next‐generation batteries due to their high theoretical specific capacity and low material cost. However, the practical applications of LSBs are limited by the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), electronic insulation of charge and discharge products, and slow LiPSs conversion reaction kinetics. Accordingly, the introduction of catalysts into LSBs is one of the effective strategy to solve the issues of the sluggished LiPS conversion. Because of their nearly 100% atom utilization and high electrocatalytic activity, single‐atom catalysts (SACs) have been widely used as reaction mediators for LSBs' reactions. Excitingly, the SACs with asymmetric coordination structures have exhibited intriguing electronic structures and superior catalytic activities when compared to the traditional M–N4 active sites. In this review, we systematically describe the recent advancements in the installation of asymmetrically coordinated single‐atom structure as reactions catalysts in LSBs, including asymmetrically nitrogen coordinated SACs, heteroatom coordinated SACs, support effective asymmetrically coordinated SACs, and bimetallic coordinated SACs. Particularly noteworthy is the discussion of the catalytic conversion mechanism of LiPSs spanning asymmetrically coordinated SACs. Finally, a perspective on the future developments of asymmetrically coordinated SACs in LSB applications is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current‐induced magnetization switching via spin‐orbit torque (SOT) holds great potential for applications in high‐speed and energy‐efficient magnetic memory and logic devices. In the extensively studied heavy metal/ferromagnet (HM/FM) SOT heterostructures, the thickness of the FM layer is typically restricted to a few nanometers or less due to the rapid spin dephasing, making it challenging to implement thermally stable memory cells with high density. In this study, it is demonstrated that this thickness constraint can be significantly alleviated by utilizing an oxide ferromagnet La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LSMO). Through electrical transport and magnetic optical measurements, it is found that the SOT can switch the magnetization in Pt/LSMO heterostructures even at an LSMO thickness of 35 nm, which is one order of magnitude larger than that for metallic FMs, such as CoFeB. Furthermore, based on the FM thickness dependence of the switching current and the domain switching type revealed by magnetic optical Kerr effect imaging (MOKE), a possible picture is proposed to describe the SOT switching in Pt/LSMO, which highlights the critical role of the domain wall propagation in the vertical direction. The work provides valuable insights into the behavior of SOT switching in ultra‐thick FM films, offering new possibilities for their practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psoriasis is an immune‐mediated inflammatory disease commonly accompanied by various metabolic disorders. It is widely known that biologics could affect the metabolic status and comorbidities in psoriasis patients, however, the effects of biologics on metabolism in psoriasis patients remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to elucidate the characteristic changes of metabolic profiling in psoriasis vulgaris (PsV) patients before and after applying biologics. Plasma samples were collected from a retrospective cohort of 43 PsV patients. Non‐targeted metabolomics analyses were performed using liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry (LC–MS) to compare the metabolic profiles before and after applying adalimumab (ADA) or ixekizumab (IXE) for 4 weeks. Additionally, correlation analyses were conducted to investigate the associations between metabolite expression levels and clinical characteristics. The biologics significantly affected the metabolic profiles of PsV patients especially in glycerophospholipids (GPs). First, phosphatidylcholine (PC), unsaturated lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), unsaturated lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and unsaturated lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) were significantly up‐regulated, whereas phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), saturated LPC, saturated LPA and saturated LPE were predominantly down‐regulated after biologic treatment. What is more, the changes in PE and LPA were mainly observed after applying IXE instead of ADA. Second, we also found GPs including PC, unsaturated LPC, unsaturated LPA and unsaturated LPE were primarily negatively correlated with disease severity, whereas, PE, saturated LPC, saturated LPA and saturated LPE displayed inverse correlations. Biologics could affect GP metabolism and facilitate the transition of metabolic status from a pro‐inflammatory to an anti‐inflammatory phenotype in PsV patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tin diselenide, a promising anode material for sodium ion batteries (SIBs), still faces sluggish Na+ diffusion kinetics and severe volume change, resulting in undesirable cycling stability and rate capability. Heterostructure construction is an effective strategy for boosting Na+ storage of SnSe2. Herein, an appealing yolk‐shell nanostructure of SnSe2/NiSe2 heterointerface with rich Se vacancies embedded into N‐doped carbon (SnSe2/NiSe2@NC) is precisely designed through a facile hydrothermal process followed by a selenization strategy. The experimental studies coupled with theoretical calculations results verify that the heterostructure interfaces and Se vacancies accelerate the charge and Na+ transfer efficiency, improve Na+ adsorption energy and supply ample active sites. The yolk‐shell nanostructure and N‐doped carbon buffer the volume variation and improve the structural stability of the electrode material during sodium storage processes. The SnSe2/NiSe2@NC delivers ultra‐long term cycling stability (322.7 mAh g−1 after 7500 cycles at 3 A g−1) and exceptional rate capability (314.6 mAh g−1 at 10 A g−1). The Na‐ion storage mechanism of SnSe2/NiSe2@NC is explored through in situ X‐ray diffraction and ex situ high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis. The present work provides an effective avenue to the rational design of heterostructure anode materials for high efficiency SIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous Zn−ion batteries (AZIBs) promise appealing advantages including safety, affordability, and high volumetric energy density. However, rampant parasitic reactions and dendrite growth result in inadequate Zn reversibility. Here, a biocompatible additive, L‐asparagine (Asp), in a low‐cost aqueous electrolyte, is introduced to address these concerns. Combining substantive verification tests and theoretical calculations, it is demonstrated that an Asp‐containing ZnSO4 electrolyte can create a robust nanostructured solid‐electrolyte interface (SEI) by simultaneously modulating the Zn2+ solvation structure and optimizing the metal‐molecule interface, which enables dense Zn deposition. The optimized electrolyte supports excellent Zn reversibility by achieving dendrite‐free Zn plating/stripping over 240 h at a high Zn utilization of 85.5% in the symmetrical cell and an average 99.6% Coulombic efficiency for over 1600 cycles in the asymmetrical cell. Adequate full‐cell performance is demonstrated with a poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) intercalated vanadium oxide (PEDOT‐V2O5) cathode, which delivers a high areal capacity of 4.62 mAh cm−2 and holds 84.4% capacity retention over 200 cycles under practical conditions with an ultrathin Zn anode (20 µm) and a low negative/positive capacity ratio (≈2.4). This electrolyte engineering strategy provides new insights into regulating the anode/electrolyte interfacial chemistries toward high‐performance AZIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy‐driven CO2 reduction and H2 evolution is considered as a very promising pathway to address energy shortage and environmental issues. Multivariate metal organic frameworks (MTV‐MOFs) as a class of distinctive crystal porous materials are assembled from different metals or different ligands via one pot reaction or postsynthesis approach. Recently, MTV‐MOFs have gathered significantly interest in the field of photocatalytic CO2 reduction and H2 evolution owing to their excellent structural stability, tailorable light‐absorption, and catalytic abilities. In this review, incorporating different functional ligands or metals into the parent MOFs are focused on to boost the photocatalytic performance of MTV‐MOFs. First, the synthesis and unique advantages of MTV‐MOF‐based photocatalysts are introduced. Next, an overview on the recent advance on MTV‐MOFs for solar‐to‐chemical energy conversion is summarized into three main categories, consisting of mixed‐metal MOFs, mixed‐ligand MOFs, and mixed‐metal and mixed‐ligand MOFs. Finally, future perspectives and challenges in CO2 conversion and H2 evolution over MTV‐MOF‐based photocatalysts are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the current situation of high‐energy consumption and high pollution in the textile industry, developing an eco‐friendly and universal dyeing technology is urgently required. Towards this goal, in this study, the dyeing technology with room temperature, salt‐free, zero release, and rapid cycle dyeing for 20 min was realized using a polymer of catechol and polyethyleneimine as a dye. The dyed fabrics exhibited washing, rubbing, and perspiration fastness characteristics for practical needs, mainly attributing to the hydrogen bonding and π–π interaction between the dye molecules and the fabrics. Benefiting from the unique dyeing technology, the dyed fabrics show excellent leveling properties and adjustable chromaticity. Importantly, the mussel‐inspired coating strategies are universally applicable, so the dyeing technology can be applied to various fabrics. Consequently, the environmentally friendly dyeing process based on low‐cost catecholamine polymers as a dye will have a broad application prospect in the printing and dyeing industry. Moreover, the antibacterial tests showed that dyed cotton cloth, mulberry silk, and polyester fabrics all have favorable antibacterial properties, especially dyed mulberry silk fabrics have a greater than 90% bacterial reduction rate for both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a new AC@Catechol/PEI adsorbent was prepared via the copolymerization of catechol and polyethyleneimine (PEI) onto pretreated commercial activated carbon (AC). It achieved a high adsorption capacity of 411.52 mg/g for the anionic dye Congo red (CR), which was approximately 7 times that of pretreated AC without modification. In bath adsorption experiment, 1 g of adsorbent was used to treat 4 L of 100 mg/L CR solution, resulting in 98.5% CR removal. In addition, the prepared AC@Catechol/PEI adsorbent exhibited highly efficient CR competitive adsorption against SO42− ions and cationic malachite green dye. The adsorption mechanism was mainly attributed to electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding, and π–π stacking. Catecholamine modification greatly improved the adsorption capacity and adsorption selectivity of commercial AC for CR dyes. This low‐cost adsorbent may have broad prospects for the removal of anionic dyes in wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work reports the preparation of unique hierarchical yolk/double‐shelled SiOx@TiO2@C nanospheres with different voids by a facile sol‐gel method combined with carbon coating. In the preparation process, SiOx nanosphere is used as a hard template. Etch time of SiOx yolk affects the morphology and electrochemical performance of SiOx@TiO2@C. With the increase in etch time, the yolk/double‐shelled SiOx@TiO2@C with 15 and 30 nm voids and the TiO2@C hollow nanospheres are obtained. The yolk/double‐shelled SiOx@TiO2@C nanospheres exhibit remarkable lithium‐ion battery performance as anodes, including high lithium storage capacity, outstanding rate capability, good reversibility, and stable long‐term cycle life. The unique structure can accommodate the large volume change of the SiOx yolk, provide a unique buffering space for the discharge/charge processes, improve the structural stability of the electrode material during repeated Li+ intercalation/deintercalation processes, and enhance the cycling stability. The SiOx@TiO2@C with 30 nm void space exhibits a high discharge specific capacity of ≈1195.4 mA h g−1 at the current density of 0.1 A g−1 after 300 cycles and ≈701.1 mA h g−1 at 1 A g−1 for over 800 cycles. These results suggest that the proposed particle architecture is promising and may have potential applications in improving various high performance anode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unique structure SiO2/S@polyaniline (PANI) composite with radial meso‐channels was designed and synthesized by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline on SiO2/S surface. The composite was used as the cathode for lithium−sulfur batteries. The SiO2 nanospheres with radial meso‐channels provided sufficient internal space to accommodate the volume expansion for sulfur and possessed strong adsorption capability for lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). Additionally, the thin PANI coating serving as conductive frameworks generated sufficient electrical conduction paths and effectively prevented the outward diffusion of LiPSs, leading to long‐term stability. Benefitting from the composites' unique structural and compositional advantages, we obtained an initial specific capacity of 1008.6 mA h g−1 at 0.2 C and an outstanding cycling stability at 1 C rate over 1000 cycles with a capacity decay of 0.04% per cycle. An excellent rate performance of 630.2 mA h g−1 at 2 C was also achieved. Our work reveals the potential application of the porous SiO2@PANI‐based sulfur cathodes in future high‐performance lithium−sulfur batteries. Furthermore, first‐principle calculations and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis prove the strong adsorption of LiPSs by the SiO2 surface. The formation of S−O bond on the SiO2 is also found to dominate the adsorption mechanism between LiPSs and SiO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new family of asymmetric oxadiazole based energetic compounds were designed. Their electronic structures, heats of formation, detonation properties and stabilities were investigated by density functional theory. The results show that all the designed compounds have high positive heats of formation ranging from 115.4 to 2122.2 kJ mol−1. −N− bridge/−N3 groups played an important role in improving heats of formation while −O− bridge/−NF2 group made more contributions to the densities of the designed compounds. Detonation properties show that some compounds have equal or higher detonation velocities than RDX, while some other have higher detonation pressures than RDX. All the designed compounds have better impact sensitivities than those of RDX and HMX and meet the criterion of thermal stability. Finally, some of the compounds were screened as the candidates of high energy density compounds with superior detonation properties and stabilities to that of HMX and their electronic properties were investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop further understanding towards the role of a heterogeneous microstructure on tensile crack initiation and failure behavior in chopped carbon fiber chip‐reinforced composites, uni‐axial tensile tests are performed on coupons cut from compression molded plaque with varying directions. Experimental results indicate that failure initiation is relevant to the strain localization, and a new criterion with the nominal modulus to predict the failure location is proposed based on the strain analysis. Furthermore, optical microscopic images show that the nominal modulus is determined by the chip orientation distribution. At the area with low nominal modulus, it is found that chips are mostly aligning along directions transverse to loading direction and/or less concentrated, while at the area with high nominal modulus, more chips are aligning to tensile direction. On the basis of failure mechanism analysis, it is concluded that transversely oriented chips or resin‐rich regions are easier for damage initiation, while longitudinally oriented chips postpone the fracture. Good agreement is found among failure mechanism, strain localization and chip orientation distribution. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:E962–E974, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reef-building corals are complex holobionts, harbouring diverse microorganisms that play essential roles in maintaining coral health. However, microbiome development in early life stages of corals remains poorly understood. Here, microbiomes of Acropora gemmifera were analysed during spawning and early developmental stages, and also under different seawater partial pressure of CO2 ( pCO2) conditions, using amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA gene for bacteria and archaea and of ITS2 for Symbiodinium. No remarkable microbiome shift was observed in adults before and after spawning. Moreover, microbiomes in eggs were highly similar to those in spawned adults, possibly suggesting a vertical transmission from parents to offspring. However, significant stage-specific changes were found in coral microbiome during development, indicating that host development played a dominant role in shaping coral microbiome. Specifically, Cyanobacteria were particularly abundant in 6-day-old juveniles, but decreased largely in 31-day-old juveniles with a possible subclade shift in Symbiodinium dominance from C2r to D17. Larval microbiome showed changes in elevated pCO2, while juvenile microbiomes remained rather stable in response to higher pCO2. This study provides novel insights into the microbiome development during the critical life stages of coral. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reef-building corals are complex holobionts, harbouring diverse microorganisms that play essential roles in maintaining coral health. However, microbiome development in early life stages of corals remains poorly understood. Here, microbiomes of Acropora gemmifera were analysed during spawning and early developmental stages, and also under different seawater partial pressure of CO2 ( pCO2) conditions, using amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA gene for bacteria and archaea and of ITS2 for Symbiodinium. No remarkable microbiome shift was observed in adults before and after spawning. Moreover, microbiomes in eggs were highly similar to those in spawned adults, possibly suggesting a vertical transmission from parents to offspring. However, significant stage-specific changes were found in coral microbiome during development, indicating that host development played a dominant role in shaping coral microbiome. Specifically, Cyanobacteria were particularly abundant in 6-day-old juveniles, but decreased largely in 31-day-old juveniles with a possible subclade shift in Symbiodinium dominance from C2r to D17. Larval microbiome showed changes in elevated pCO2, while juvenile microbiomes remained rather stable in response to higher pCO2. This study provides novel insights into the microbiome development during the critical life stages of coral. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The functional basis for species sorting theory remains elusive, especially for microbial community assembly in deep-sea environments. Using artificial surface-based biofilm models, our recent work revealed taxonomic succession during biofilm development in a newly defined cold seep system, the Thuwal cold seeps II, which comprises a brine pool and the adjacent normal bottom water (NBW) to form a metacommunity via the potential immigration of organisms from one patch to another. Here, we designed an experiment to investigate the effects of environmental switching between the brine pool and the NBW on biofilm assembly, which could reflect environmental filtering effects during bacterial immigration to new environments. Analyses of 16S rRNA genes of 71 biofilm samples suggested that the microbial composition of biofilms established in new environments was determined by both the source community and the incubation conditions. Moreover, a comparison of 18 metagenomes provided evidence for biofilm community assembly that was based primarily on functional features rather than taxonomic identities; metal ion resistance and amino acid metabolism were the major species sorting determinants for the succession of biofilm communities. Genome binning and pathway reconstruction of two bacterial species ( Marinobacter sp. and Oleispira sp.) further demonstrated metal ion resistance and amino acid metabolism as functional traits conferring the survival of habitat generalists in both the brine pool and NBW. The results of this study shed new light on microbial community assembly in special habitats and bridge a gap in species sorting theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biology of biofilm in deep-sea environments is barely being explored. Here, biofilms were developed at the brine pool (characterized by limited carbon sources) and the normal bottom water adjacent to Thuwal cold seeps. Comparative metagenomics based on 50 Gb datasets identified polysaccharide degradation, nitrate reduction and proteolysis as enriched functional categories for brine biofilms. The genomes of two dominant species: a novel Deltaproteobacterium and a novel Epsilonproteobacterium in the brine biofilms were reconstructed. Despite rather small genome sizes, the Deltaproteobacterium possessed enhanced polysaccharide fermentation pathways, whereas the Epsilonproteobacterium was a versatile nitrogen reactor possessing nar, nap and nif gene clusters. These metabolic functions, together with specific regulatory and hypersaline-tolerant genes, made the two bacteria unique compared with their close relatives, including those from hydrothermal vents. Moreover, these functions were regulated by biofilm development, as both the abundance and the expression level of key functional genes were higher in later stage biofilms, and co-occurrences between the two dominant bacteria were demonstrated. Collectively, unique mechanisms were revealed: (i) polysaccharides fermentation, proteolysis interacted with nitrogen cycling to form a complex chain for energy generation, and (ii) remarkably exploiting and organizing niche-specific functions would be an important strategy for biofilm-dependent adaptation to the extreme conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An improved strategy to synthesize SiO2-PMMA nanoparticles with tunable shell thickness is demonstrated, via iron (III) catalyst-mediated activators generated by electron transfer for atom transfer radical polymerization (AGET ATRP). To investigate the effect of the content monomer and ligand on the PMMA shell thickness, hydrophobic PMMA-PSt diblock copolymer brushes on the surface of the silica nanospheres are designed and synthesized by AGET ATRP. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) show that the product has a core-shell-like structure and that the average shell thickness of the PMMA can easily be tuned by simply adjusting the amount of monomer or ligand. In addition, the Mn of the PMMA can be tuned from 37 800 to 62 400 g mol−1 by changing the shell thickness, and the PDI is 1.213-1.473. These results confirm the living nature of the polymerization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesis of covalently linked porous polymers with high surface area and larger pore volume for two or more task‐specific functionalities is always a big challenge. In this article, the facile Friedel–Crafts reaction is employed to construct the hierarchical hybrid porous polymers (HPPs) from tetraphenyladamantane and octavinylsilsesquioxane. The resulting polymers, HPP‐1 to HPP‐3, possessed the surface areas from 1356 to 1511 m2 g−1, and the pore volumes from 2.05 to 2.67 cm3 g−1. All these polymers feature micropores, mesopores, and macropores in nature. The resultant polymers exhibit high CO2 adsorption capacity up to 2.0 mmol g−1 (8.82 wt %), at 273 K, 1.0 bar, and the maximum Rhodamine B (RB) sorption capacity of 653.6 mg g−1. To illustrate the adsorption process, the effects of factors, contact time, initial concentration, temperature, and pH value on the adsorption capacity of RB were studied. The adsorption equilibrium data displayed a better fitting to the Langmuir isotherm model than the Freundlich model and the adsorption kinetics fitted well with the pseudo‐second‐order kinetic model. The recycle experiments displayed that the capacity recovery was still higher than 95% after four cycles. Theses polymers are promising to be the adsorbents for capturing CO2 and removing RB. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020, 136, 48572. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal selenides (TMSes) are considered promising candidates for the anodes of sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) due to their substantial theoretical capacity. However, TMSes still face with inferior cycling lifespan caused by sluggish Na+ diffusion kinetics and vigorous volume variations during dis/charge processes. Engineering heterostructure is an attractive solution for rapid Na+ transfer, and introducing carbonaceous materials also facilitates enhanced conductivity and structural stability. Herein, CoSe/MoSe2 heterostructure combined with homogeneous carbon composites are rational designed. The kinetic analysis and theoretical calculations verified that heterointerface engineering induced build‐in electric field effect can amplifies the Na+ diffusion kinetics, while carbon contributes to enhanced electrical conductivity and structural stability. Expectedly, the CoSe/MoSe2‐C exhibits high capacity and extremely ultra‐long lifespan (320.9 mAh g−1 at 2.0 A g−1 over 10,000 cycles with an average decay of only 0.01781 mAh g−1 per cycle). Furthermore, in situ X‐ray diffraction (XRD), ex situ X‐ray photoelectorn (XPS), and high‐resolution electron microscopy (HRTEM) are exploited to explore the Na+ storage mechanism. In addition, the Na3V2(PO4)3@rGO//CoSe/MoSe2‐C (NVP@rGO//CoSe/MoSe2‐C) pouch‐type full‐cells are successfully assembled and delivered satisfactory performance. This research presents a viable strategy for the targeted engineering of TMSes aimed at enhancing the efficiency of SIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Back Cover: An improved strategy to synthesize SiO2‐PMMA nanoparticles with tunable shell thickness is demonstrated, via iron (III) catalyst‐mediated activators generated by electron transfer for atom transfer radical polymerization (AGET ATRP). The product has a core‐shelllike structure and that the average shell thickness of the PMMA can easily be tuned by adjusting the amount of monomer or ligand. Further details can be found in the article by L. Zhang, G. Zhou,* B. Sun, F. Chen, M. Zhao, and T. Li on page 1602. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]