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Abstract Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to produce high-value ethylene is often limited by poor selectivity and yield of multi-carbon products. To address this, we propose a cyanamide-coordinated isolated copper framework with both metallic copper (Cu0) and charged copper (Cu1+) sites as an efficient electrocatalyst for the reduction of carbon dioxide to ethylene. Our operando electrochemical characterizations and theoretical calculations reveal that copper atoms in the Cuδ+NCN complex enhance carbon dioxide activation by improving surface carbon monoxide adsorption, while delocalized electrons around copper sites facilitate carbon-carbon coupling by reducing the Gibbs free energy for *CHC formation. This leads to high selectivity for ethylene production. The Cuδ+NCN catalyst achieves 77.7% selectivity for carbon dioxide to ethylene conversion at a partial current density of 400 milliamperes per square centimeter and demonstrates long-term stability over 80 hours in membrane electrode assembly-based electrolysers. This study provides a strategic approach for designing catalysts for the electrosynthesis of value-added chemicals from carbon dioxide.

Abstract In van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs), the manipulation of interlayer stacking/coupling allows for the construction of customizable quantum systems exhibiting exotic physics. An illustrative example is the diverse range of states of matter achieved through varying the proximity coupling between two-dimensional (2D) quantum spin liquid (QSL) and superconductors within the TaS2 family. This study presents a demonstration of the intertwined physics of spontaneous rotational symmetry breaking, hidden magnetism, and Ising superconductivity (SC) in the three-fold rotationally symmetric, non-magnetic natural vdWHs 6R-TaS2. A distinctive phase emerges in 6R-TaS2 below a characteristic temperature (T *) of approximately 30 K, which is characterized by a remarkable set of features, including a giant extrinsic anomalous Hall effect (AHE), Kondo screening, magnetic field-tunable thermal hysteresis, and nematic magneto-resistance. At lower temperatures, a coexistence of nematicity and Kondo screening with Ising superconductivity is observed, providing compelling evidence of hidden magnetism within a superconductor. This research not only sheds light on unexpected emergent physics resulting from the coupling of itinerant electrons and localized/correlated electrons in natural vdWHs but also emphasizes the potential for tailoring exotic quantum states through the manipulation of interlayer interactions.

Abstract The interaction between lattice vibrations and electrons plays a key role in various aspects of condensed matter physics — including electron hydrodynamics, strange metal behavior, and high-temperature superconductivity. In this study, we present systematic investigations using Raman scattering and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) to examine the phononic and electronic subsystems of the topological superconductor candidate 2M-WS2. Raman scattering exhibits an anomalous nonmonotonic temperature dependence of phonon linewidths, indicative of strong phonon–electron scattering over phonon–phonon scattering. The ARPES results demonstrate pronounced dispersion anomalies (kinks) at multiple binding energies within both bulk and topological surface states, indicating a robust and mode-selective coupling between the electronic states and various phonon modes. These experimental findings align with previous calculations of the Eliashberg function, providing a deeper understanding of the highest superconducting transition temperature observed in 2M-WS2 (8.8 K) among all transition metal dichalcogenides as induced by electron–phonon coupling. Furthermore, our results may offer valuable insights into other properties of 2M-WS2 and guide the search for high-temperature topological superconductors.

Abstract Diode effects are of great interest for both fundamental physics and modern technologies. Electrical diode effects (nonreciprocal transport) have been observed in Weyl systems. Optical diode effects arising from the Weyl fermions have been theoretically considered but not probed experimentally. Here, we report the observation of a nonlinear optical diode effect (NODE) in the magnetic Weyl semimetal CeAlSi, where the magnetization introduces a pronounced directionality in the nonlinear optical second-harmonic generation (SHG). We demonstrate a six-fold change of the measured SHG intensity between opposite propagation directions over a bandwidth exceeding 250 meV. Supported by density-functional theory, we establish the linearly dispersive bands emerging from Weyl nodes as the origin of this broadband effect. We further demonstrate current-induced magnetization switching and thus electrical control of the NODE. Our results advance ongoing research to identify novel nonlinear optical/transport phenomena in magnetic topological materials and further opens new pathways for the unidirectional manipulation of light.

Abstract In-plane anisotropic van der Waals materials have emerged as a natural platform for anisotropic polaritons. Extreme anisotropic polaritons with in-situ broadband tunability are of great significance for on-chip photonics, yet their application remains challenging. In this work, we experimentally characterize through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements a van der Waals plasmonic material, 2M-WS2, capable of supporting intrinsic room-temperature in-plane anisotropic plasmons in the far and mid-infrared regimes. In contrast to the recently revealed natural hyperbolic plasmons in other anisotropic materials, 2M-WS2 supports canalized plasmons with flat isofrequency contours in the frequency range of ~ 3000-5000 cm−1. Furthermore, the anisotropic plasmons and the corresponding isofrequency contours can be reversibly tuned via in-situ ion-intercalation. The tunable anisotropic and canalization plasmons may open up further application perspectives in the field of uniaxial plasmonics, such as serving as active components in directional sensing, radiation manipulation, and polarization-dependent optical modulators.

Abstract Background Although hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major risk factor for hepatic cancer, the majority of HBV carriers do not develop this lethal disease. Additional molecular alterations are thus implicated in the process of liver tumorigenesis. Since phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is decreased in approximately half of liver cancers, we investigated the significance of PTEN deficiency in HBV-related hepatocarcinogenesis. Methods HBV-positive human liver cancer tissues were checked for PTEN expression. Transgenic HBV, Alb-Cre and Pten fl/fl mice were inter-crossed to generate WT, HBV, Pten −/− and HBV; Pten −/− mice. Immunoblotting, histological analysis and qRT-PCR were used to study these livers. Gp73 −/− mice were then mated with HBV; Pten −/− mice to illustrate the role of hepatic tumor biomarker golgi membrane protein 73 (GP73)/ golgi membrane protein 1 (GOLM1) in hepatic oncogenesis. Results Pten deletion and HBV transgene synergistically aggravated liver injury, inflammation, fibrosis and development of mixed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). GP73 was augmented in HBV; Pten −/− livers. Knockout of GP73 blunted the synergistic effect of deficient Pten and transgenic HBV on liver injury, inflammation, fibrosis and cancer development. Conclusions This mixed HCC-ICC mouse model mimics liver cancer patients harboring HBV infection and PTEN/AKT signaling pathway alteration. Targeting GP73 is a promising therapeutic strategy for cancer patients with HBV infection and PTEN alteration.

Abstract Metallic 2M or 1T′-phase transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) attract increasing interests owing to their fascinating physicochemical properties, such as superconductivity, optical nonlinearity, and enhanced electrochemical activity. However, these TMDs are metastable and tend to transform to the thermodynamically stable 2H phase. In this study, through systematic investigation and theoretical simulation of phase change of 2M WS2, we demonstrate that ultrathin 2M WS2 has significantly higher intrinsic thermal stabilities than the bulk counterparts. The 2M-to-2H phase transition temperature increases from 120 °C to 210 °C in the air as thickness of WS2 is reduced from bulk to bilayer. Monolayered 1T′ WS2 can withstand temperatures up to 350 °C in the air before being oxidized, and up to 450 °C in argon atmosphere before transforming to 1H phase. The higher stability of thinner 2M WS2 is attributed to stiffened intralayer bonds, enhanced thermal conductivity and higher average barrier per layer during the layer(s)-by-layer(s) phase transition process. The observed high intrinsic phase stability can expand the practical applications of ultrathin 2M TMDs.

In the context of global climate change, promoting the low-carbon transformation of cities has become an important strategy to cope with environmental challenges. This paper takes Wenzhou Garden Expo Park area as the research object, combines its practical experience as a pilot of a national low-carbon city, and discusses how to effectively control carbon emission in the spatial planning of national territory. The study systematically evaluated the impact of different land use types and development intensities on carbon emissions, as well as the relationship between daytime temperature and carbon emissions, by constructing a carbon emission measurement model and a random forest regression model. This evaluation was based on an analysis of remote sensing data and land use changes from 2000 to 2023. The results show that between 2000 and 2023, the carbon emission from building land in the Garden Expo Park area will increase by about 70%, while the carbon emission can be reduced by more than 25% through rational land use layout and development intensity control. At the same time, the expansion of green space and forest land increases the carbon sink capacity by about 16.7%. With rising temperatures, carbon emissions exhibit a significant upward trend. This study suggests that specific optimization strategies for low-carbon planning, along with an indicator system—particularly through increasing the allocation of green spaces such as arboreal forests and parks—can significantly improve regional carbon balance. This study may provide a reference for other rapidly urbanizing regions to balance economic development and carbon emissions.

Highlights High-entropy oxides O3-Na0.95Li0.06Ni0.25Cu0.05Fe0.15Mn0.49O2 cathode constructed by compatible radius and different Fermi level ions was designed for solid-state Na-ion batteries. Na0.95Li0.06Ni0.25Cu0.05Fe0.15Mn0.49O2 cathode exhibits high-rate performance, air stability and electrochemically thermal stability. A series of characterizations were performed to explore energy storage mechanism of Na0.95Li0.06Ni0.25Cu0.05Fe0.15Mn0.49O2.

Highly active bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts accelerate the development of high-performance Zn-air battery, but suffer from the mismatched activities of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduced reaction (ORR). Herein, highly integrated bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts, cobalt-tin alloys coated by nitrogen doped carbon (CoSn@NC) are prepared by MOFs-derived method. In this hybrid catalyst, the binary CoSn nanoalloys mainly contribute to highly active OER process while the Co (or Sn)−N−C serves as ORR active sites. Rational interaction between CoSn and NC donates more rapid reaction kinetics than Pt/C (ORR) and IrO2 (OER). Such CoSn@NC holds a promise as air-cathode electrocatalyst in Zn-air battery, superior to Pt/C + IrO2 catalyst. First-principles calculations predict that CoSn alloys can upgrade charge redistribution on NC and promote the transfer to reactants, thus optimizing the adsorption strength of oxygen-containing intermediates to boost the overall reactivity. The tuning of oxygenate adsorption by interactions between alloy and heteroatom-doped carbon can guide the design of bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts.

Ticks are specialized ectoparasites that feed on blood, causing physical harm to the host and facilitating pathogen transmission. The genus Haemaphysalis contains vectors for numerous infectious agents. These agents cause various diseases in humans and animals. Mitochondrial genome sequences serve as reliable molecular markers, forming a crucial basis for evolutionary analyses, studying species origins, and exploring molecular phylogeny. We extracted mitochondrial genome from the enriched mitochondria of Haemaphysalis tibetensis and obtained a 14,714-bp sequence. The mitochondrial genome consists of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA, 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), and two control regions. The nucleotide composition of H. tibetensis mitochondrial genome was 38.38 % for A, 9.61 % for G, 39.32 % for T, and 12.69 % for C. The A + T content of H. tibetensis mitochondrial genome was 77.7 %, significantly higher than the G + C content. The repeat units of H. tibetensis exhibited two identical repeat units of 33 bp in length, positioned downstream of nad1 and rrnL genes. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses based on the 13 PCGs indicated that Haemaphysalis tibetensis (subgenus Allophysalis) formed a monophyletic clade with Haemaphysalis nepalensis (subgenus Herpetobia) and Haemaphysalis danieli (subgenus Allophysalis). Although the species Haemaphysalis inermis, Haemaphysalis kitaokai, Haemaphysalis kolonini, and Haemaphysalis colasbelcouri belong to the subgenus Alloceraea, which were morphologically primitive hemaphysalines just like H. tibetensis, these four tick species cannot form a single clade with H. tibetensis. In this study, the whole mitochondrial genome sequence of H. tibetensis from Tibet was obtained, which enriched the mitochondrial genome data of ticks and provided genetic markers to study the population heredity and molecular evolution of the genus Haemaphysalis.

2D ferroelectric materials have attracted much interest due to their potential for developing flexible self‐powered nanogenerators. Niobium oxide diiodide (NbOI2) has in‐plane anisotropy of electrical properties and large lateral piezoelectric coefficient, which makes it possess high‐performance and unique behavior in flexible sensing. In this work, multidirectional piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) devices using NbOI2 flake are fabricated and excellent energy harvesting and sensing capabilities are found. Specifically, the NbOI2‐based PENG can exhibit a long‐time stable voltage output of 215 mV at a large strain of 1.1%. More importantly, the periodic output signal pattern of the twelve‐electrode NbOI2‐based PENG in six directions is investigated, and this anisotropy provides the possibility of achieving simultaneous signal harvesting in multiple directions. This work broadens the scope of applications of 2D materials in nano‐energy and provides new ideas and insights for further exploration of nano‐energy and smart wearable nano‐electronic devices.

Crystal structure determines electrochemical energy storage characteristics; this is the underlying logic of material design. To date, hundreds of electrode materials have been developed to pursue superior performance. However, it remains a great challenge to understand the fundamental structure–performance relationship and achieve quantitative crystal structure design for efficient energy storage. In this review, we introduce the concept of crystal packing factor (PF), which can quantify crystal packing density. We then present and classify the typical crystal structures of attractive cathode/anode materials. Comparative PF analyses of different materials, including polymorphs, isomorphs, and others, are performed to clarify the influence of crystal packing density on energy storage performance through electronic and ionic conductivities. Notably, the practical electronic/ionic conductivities of energy storage materials are based on their intrinsic characteristics related to the PF yet are also affected by extrinsic factors. The PF provides a novel avenue for understanding the electrochemical performance of pristine materials and may offer guidance on designing better materials. Additional approaches involve size regulation, doping, carbon additives, and other methods. We also propose extended PF concepts to understand charge storage and transport behavior at different scales. Finally, we provide our insights on the major challenges and prospective solutions in this highly exciting field.

Self-reconstruction is an efficient method to synthesize active electrocatalysts. Here, the authors demonstrate a bottom-up evolution route of electrochemically reducing Cs3Rh2I9 halide-perovskite clusters to prepare ultrafine Rh nanoparticles with multiply sites for alkaline hydrogen evolution.

The rapid and accurate identification of parasites is crucial for prompt therapeutic intervention in parasitosis and effective epidemiological surveillance. For accurate and effective clinical diagnosis, it is imperative to develop a nucleic-acid-based diagnostic tool that combines the sensitivity and specificity of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) with the speed, cost-effectiveness, and convenience of isothermal amplification methods. A new nucleic acid detection method, utilizing the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated (Cas) nuclease, holds promise in point-of-care testing (POCT). CRISPR/Cas12a is presently employed for the detection of Plasmodium falciparum, Toxoplasma gondii, Schistosoma haematobium, and other parasites in blood, urine, or feces. Compared to traditional assays, the CRISPR assay has demonstrated notable advantages, including comparable sensitivity and specificity, simple observation of reaction results, easy and stable transportation conditions, and low equipment dependence. However, a common issue arises as both amplification and cis-cleavage compete in one-pot assays, leading to an extended reaction time. The use of suboptimal crRNA, light-activated crRNA, and spatial separation can potentially weaken or entirely eliminate the competition between amplification and cis-cleavage. This could lead to enhanced sensitivity and reduced reaction times in one-pot assays. Nevertheless, higher costs and complex pre-test genome extraction have hindered the popularization of CRISPR/Cas12a in POCT.

Metal chalcogenides have shown promising performances for renewable hydrogen evolution and such activities are sensitive to the material electronic structures. Here, authors modulate the electronic properties of molybdenum sulfide in 1T'''-MoS2 for hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis.

The synthesis and characterization of new crystalline-amorphous hybrid materials is challenging. Here, the authors report the preparation of a nested order-disorder framework by applying high pressure to a nested copper chalcogenide Cu12Sb4S13.

The intrinsically superconducting Dirac semimetal 2M-WS_{2} is a promising candidate for realizing proximity-induced topological superconductivity in its protected surface states. A precise characterization of the bulk superconducting state is essential to understand the nature of surface superconductivity in the system. Here, we report a detailed experimental study of the temperature-dependent London penetration depth, λ(T), the upper critical field, H_{c2}(T), and the effects of nonmagnetic disorder on these quantities, as well as on the superconducting transition temperature T_{c} in single crystals of 2M-WS_{2}. We observe a power-law variation of λ(T)∝T^{3} at temperatures below 0.35T_{c}. Nonmagnetic pointlike disorder induced by 2.5 MeV electron irradiation at various doses results in a significant suppression of T_{c}. These observations are markedly different from expectations for a fully gapped isotropic s-wave superconductor. Together with the substantial increase of slope, dH_{c2}/dT|_{T=T_{c}}, with increasing disorder, our results suggest a strongly anisotropic s^{++} multiband superconducting state. These results have direct consequences for the expected proximity-induced superconductivity of the topological surface states.

Abstract Two‐dimensional (2D) ferroelectrics have attracted considerable attention due to their potential in the development of devices of miniaturization and multifunction. Although several van der Waals (vdW)‐layered materials show ferroelectricity, the experimental demonstrations of ferroelectric behavior in monolayers are very limited. Here we report the observation of room‐temperature out‐of‐plane switchable electric polarization in supported MoS2 monolayers exfoliated from 3R‐stacked bulk crystals under ambient conditions. Using in situ piezoelectric force microscopy and Kelvin probe force microscopy in a glovebox, we reveal that trapped water/ice molecules are responsible for this switchable electric polarization and this conclusion is strongly supported by theoretical simulations. It is worth noting that the water/ice trapping in the monolayers exfoliated from 2H‐stacked MoS2 crystals is not as much as that in 3R monolayers and, consequently, the out‐of‐plane electric polarization is missing there. Our findings indicate that monolayers with a trapped single layer of polar molecules might be emerging alternatives to 2D ferroelectrics. Furthermore, the stacking sequences may bring new properties and applications to 2D vdW materials not only when we stack them up but also when we thin them down.

We develop a facile one-step solid-state-chemistry strategy for synthesizing BiOI crystals with layered microstructure. The BiOI photocatalyst shows typical mesoporous feature with available surface area, considerable wide-spectrum light absorption and carriers lifetime properties, and remarkable solar to thermal effect for efficient solar-driven photocatalytic CO2 reduction to CH4. The engineered BiOI displays a superior CH4 formation performance with the space-time yield of 13.1 μmol g−1 h−1 and the selectivity of 82.3% as well as excellent photostability for CO2 photoreduction under solar light irradiation. Furthermore, the versatile BiOI can boost the photo-stimulated efficiency on clean H2 generation and pollutant degradation.

Abstract Inducing new phases of transition metal dichalcogenides by controlling the d‐electron‐count has attracted much interest due to their novel structures and physicochemical properties. 1T’’ ReSe2 is a promising candidate for sodium storage, but the low electronic conductivity and limited active sites hinder its electrochemical capacity. Herein, new‐phase 1T’ Re0.75V0.25Se2 crystals (P2/m) with zig‐zag chains are successfully synthesized. The 1T’’‐1T’ phase transition results from the electronic reorganization of 5d orbitals via electron extraction after V‐atom doping. The electrical conductivity of 1T’ Re0.75V0.25Se2 is 2.7 × 105 times higher than that of 1T’’ ReSe2. Moreover, density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that 1T’ Re0.75V0.25Se2 has a larger interlayer spacing, lower bonding energy, and migration energy barrier for Na+ ions than 1T’’ ReSe2. As a result, 1T’ Re0.75V0.25Se2 electrode shows an excellent rate capability of 203 mAh g−1 at 50 C with no capacity fading over 5000 cycles for sodium storage, which is superior to most reported sodium‐ion anode materials. This 1T’ Re0.75V0.25Se2 provides a new platform for various applications such as electronics, catalysis, and energy storage.

Abstract Large current‐driven alkaline water splitting for large‐scale hydrogen production generally suffers from the sluggish charge transfer kinetics. Commercial noble‐metal catalysts are unstable in large‐current operation, while most non‐noble metal catalysts can only achieve high activity at low current densities 500 mA cm−2). Herein, a sulfide‐based metallic heterostructure is designed to meet the industrial demand by regulating the electronic structure of phase transition coupling with interfacial defects from Mo and Ni incorporation. The modulation of metallic Mo2S3 and in situ epitaxial growth of bifunctional Ni‐based catalyst to construct metallic heterostructure can facilitate the charge transfer for fast Volmer H and Heyrovsky H2 generation. The Mo2S3@NiMo3S4 electrolyzer requires an ultralow voltage of 1.672 V at a large current density of 1000 mA cm−2, with ≈100% retention over 100 h, outperforming the commercial RuO2||Pt/C, owing to the synergistic effect of the phase and interface electronic modulation. This work sheds light on the design of metallic heterostructure with an optimized interfacial electronic structure and abundant active sites for industrial water splitting.

Abstract High‐capacity alloying‐type anodes suffer poor rate capability due to their great volume expansion, while high‐rate intercalation‐type anodes are troubled with low theoretical capacity. Herein, a novel mechanism of alloying in the intercalative frameworks is proposed to confer both high‐capacity and high‐rate performances on anodes. Taking the indium‐vanadium oxide (IVO) as a typical system, alloying‐typed In is dispersed in the stable intercalative V2O3 to form a solid solution. The alloying‐typed In element provides high lithium storage capacity, while the robust, Li‐conductive V−O frameworks effectively alleviate the volume expansion and aggregation of In. Benefiting from the above merits, the anode exhibits a high specific capacity of 1364 mA h g−1 at 1 A g−1 and an extraordinary cyclic performance of 814 mA h g−1 at 10 A g−1 after 600 cycles (124.9 mA h g−1 after 10 000 cycles at 50 A g−1). The superior electrochemical rate capability of (In,V)2O3 solid solution anode rivals that of the reported alloying anode materials. This strategy can be extended for fabricating other alloying/intercalation hybrid anodes, such as (Sn,V)O2 and (Sn,Ti)O2, which demonstrates the universality of confining alloying motifs in intercalative frameworks for rapid and high‐capacity lithium storage.

Abstract Large surface area, high conductivity, and rich active site of carbon electrode materials are necessary characteristics for energy storage devices. However, high conductivity and high nitrogen doping of carbon electrode materials are difficult to coordinate. Here, a facile method via the carbonization of nitrogen‐containing Schiff base polymer has been developed to prepare high conductivity and high nitrogen‐doped hierarchical porous carbon. The organic components with a benzene ring structure in the polymer promote the formation of more sp2‐graphitized carbon, which is beneficial for the improvement of electrical conductivity. Nitrogen‐doped hierarchical porous carbon calcined at 900°C under the NH3 atmosphere possesses high nitrogen content of 7.48 at%, a large specific surface area of 1613.2 m2/g, and high electrical conductivity of 2.7 S/cm. As electrode materials in an aqueous‐based supercapacitor, nitrogen‐doped hierarchical porous carbon exhibits superior specific capacitance of 385 F/g at 1 A/g as well as excellent rate performance (242 and 215 F/g at a current density of 100 and 200 A/g, respectively). In addition, the specific capacitance of electrode measured in a two‐electrode system is 335 F/g at 1 A/g, and the long‐term cycling stability can be achieved with more than 94% initial capacitance after 10 000 cycles. The constructed symmetric supercapacitor delivers high energy density and high power density. The outstanding electrochemical performances combined with the novel and scalable synthetic approach make the nitrogen‐doped hierarchical porous carbon potential electrode material for electrochemical devices.

Anodes equipped with limited lithium offer a way to deal with the increasing market requirement for high-energy-density rechargeable batteries and inadequate global lithium reserves. Anode-free lithium-ion batteries (AFLBs) with zero excess metal could provide high gravimetric energy density and high volumetric energy density. Moreover, the elimination of lithium with a bare current collector on the anode side can reduce metal consumption, simplify the cell technological procedure, and improve manufacturing safety. However, some great challenges, such as insufficient cycling stability, significant lithium dendrite growth, as well as unstable solid electrolyte interface, impede the commercial application of AFLBs. Fortunately, significant progress has been made for AFLBs with enhanced electrode stability and improved cycling performance. This review highlights research on the design of anode-free lithium-ion batteries over the past two decades, presents an overview of the main advantages and limitations of these designs, and provides improvement strategies including the modification of the current collectors, improvement of the liquid electrolytes, and optimization of the cycling protocols. Prospects are also given to broaden the understanding of the electrochemical process, and it is expected that the further development of these designs can be accelerated in both scientific research and practical applications.

Abstract As evidenced by the behavior of loss-of-function mutants of PTEN in the context of a gain-of-function mutation of AKT1, the PTEN-AKT1 signaling pathway plays a critical role in human cancers. In this study, we demonstrated that a deficiency in PTEN or activation of AKT1 potentiated the expression of platelet-derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFRα) based on studies on Pten−/− mouse embryonic fibroblasts, human cancer cell lines, the hepatic tissues of Pten conditional knockout mice, and human cancer tissues. Loss of PTEN enhanced PDGFRα expression via activation of the AKT1-CREB signaling cascade. CREB transactivated PDGFRα expression by direct binding of the promoter of the PDGFRα gene. Depletion of PDGFRα attenuated the tumorigenicity of Pten-null cells in nude mice. Moreover, the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway has been shown to positively correlate with PDGFRα expression in multiple cancers. Augmented PDGFRα was associated with poor survival of cancer patients. Lastly, combination treatment with the AKT inhibitor MK-2206 and the PDGFR inhibitor CP-673451 displayed synergistic anti-tumor effects. Therefore, activation of the AKT1-CREB-PDGFRα signaling pathway contributes to the tumor growth induced by PTEN deficiency and should be targeted for cancer treatment.

GaFeO3-type oxides are promising multiferroic materials due to the coexistence of spontaneous magnetization and ferroelectric polarization properties at room temperature. As these ferroic properties feature a large anisotropy, single crystals are required. However, the magnetization of GaFeO3-type single crystals remains low at room temperature. In this study, we largely enhanced the magnetization at room temperature of GaFeO3-type single crystals by increasing the Fe content and co-doping Sc3+ and Al3+. Single crystals of AlxSc0.1−xGa0.6Fe1.3O3 (x = 0.01–0.04) were prepared using the optical floating-zone method. The single crystals were rod-shaped, with a diameter and length of ∼6 mm and 7 cm, respectively. X-ray diffraction measurements confirmed the ferroelectric polarization of the crystals. In addition, they exhibited room-temperature ferrimagnetism, with Curie temperature in the range of 326–338 K; the crystals exhibit magnetic anisotropy along the a-axis. The magnetization of the single crystal at 300 K and 0.3 kOe was 13 emu g−1, which is over ten times larger than those of previously reported single crystals with GaFeO3-type crystal structure.

Realizing transparent supercapacitor is hindered by the trade-off between capacitance and transparency of the electrode material. Here, the authors report an interstitial doping strategy to boost the electrochemical activity of transparent conducting oxides while maintaining their optical feature.

Rb0.21(H2O)yWS2, rubidium hydrate dithiotungstate, is a new quasi two-dimensional sulfide. Its crystal structure consists of ordered WS2 layers, separated by disordered Rb+ ions and water molecules. All atomic sites are located on mirror planes. The WS2 layers are composed of edge-sharing [WS6] octahedra and extend parallel to (001). The presence of structural water was revealed by thermogravimetry, but the position and exact amount could not be determined in the present study. The temperature dependence of the electrical resistance indicates that Rb0.21(H2O)yWS2 is semiconducting between 80–300 K.

Interactions between incident electromagnetic energy and matter are of critical importance for numerous civil and military applications such as photocatalysis, solar cells, optics, radar detection, communications, information processing and transport et al. Traditional mechanisms for such interactions in the microwave frequency mainly rely on dipole rotations and magnetic domain resonance. In this study, we present the first report of the microwave absorption of Al/H2 treated TiO2 nanoparticles, where the Al/H2 treatment not only induces structural and optical property changes, but also largely improves the microwave absorption performance of TiO2 nanoparticles. Moreover, the frequency of the microwave absorption can be finely controlled with the treatment temperature, and the absorption efficiency can reach optimal values with a careful temperature tuning. A large reflection loss of −58.02 dB has been demonstrated with 3.1 mm TiO2 coating when the treating temperature is 700 °C. The high efficiency of microwave absorption is most likely linked to the disordering-induced property changes in the materials. Along with the increased microwave absorption properties are largely increased visible-light and IR absorptions, and enhanced electrical conductivity and reduced skin-depth, which is likely related to the interfacial defects within the TiO2 nanoparticles caused by the Al/H2 treatment. : Synopsis: Al/H2 treatment brings enhanced improvement in microwave absorption performance of TiO2 nanoparticles. Keywords: Microwave absorption, Black TiO2 nanoparticles, Hydrogenation, Aluminum reduction

Although IrSe2 is a superior oxygen evolution catalyst, its electronic structure lacks active sites for hydrogen production and hinders its use as a bifunctional catalyst. The intercalation of Bi atoms into the IrSe2 framework regulates its electronic structure with the improvement of performance. Herein, novel bismuth inserted iridium‐based selenide (BiIr4Se8) is synthesized via solid‐state reaction. Interestingly, BiIr4Se8 exhibits impressive activities with dual functionality in pH‐universal electrolytes. It achieves small overpotentials at 10 mA cm−2 toward hydrogen evolution (85 mV in acid and 252 mV in alkali) and oxygen evolution (379 mV in acid and 364 mV in alkali), which overmatches the benchmarking noble metal‐based electrocatalysts. When served as the bifunctional electrocatalyst to drive a water electrolyzer, BiIr4Se8 affords 10 mA cm−2 at a voltage of 1.56 and 1.52 VRHE in 0.5 m H2SO4 and 1 m KOH, far exceeding the Pt/C||RuO2 and other published materials. Theoretical calculations show that a narrow bandgap is obtained due to the induced intermediate band derived from the combination of the p orbitals of Bi atoms and structure reconstruction, which promotes the electrocatalytical performance. This research introduces a new strategy to design channel structures and sheds light on their applications for water splitting.

Sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs), as next‐generation energy storage devices, can be made by a similar production process to lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). The key to accelerating their commercialization is to discover appropriate high‐performance electrode materials with low cost, nontoxicity, and simple synthetic features. Herein, layered‐structure Na2Ti3O7, with the advantages of appropriate charge/discharge plateaus, superior stability, environmental friendliness, and ease of preparation using cheap raw materials, is selected for assembly in full‐cell battery packs to evaluate its suitability for practical application. When evaluated in a coin cell, it has a capacity of 77.2 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1 after 10 000 cycles with capacity retention of 99.9%, demonstrating its excellent stability. In the case of a soft‐pack battery, it retains 22.3 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 and 18.1 mAh g−1 at 0.05 A g−1 after 50 cycles. After cycling, there is no sodium dendrite formation or active material shedding, further confirming its safety in practical application. Therefore, Na2Ti3O7 as another intercalation/deintercalation mechanism material has application potential in the future.

Abstract The development of an efficient electrocatalyst toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is of significant importance in transforming renewable electricity to pure and clean hydrogen by water splitting. However, the construction of an active electrocatalyst with multiple sites that can promote the dissociation of water molecules still remains a great challenge. Herein, a partial‐single‐atom, partial‐nanoparticle composite consisting of nanosized ruthenium (Ru) nanoparticles (NPs) and individual Ru atoms as an energy‐efficient HER catalyst in alkaline medium is reported. The formation of this unique composite mainly results from the dispersion of Ru NPs to small‐size NPs and single atoms (SAs) on the Fe/N codoped carbon (Fe–N–C) substrate due to the thermodynamic stability. The optimal catalyst exhibits an outstanding HER activity with an ultralow overpotential (9 mV) at 10 mA cm−2 (η10), a high turnover frequency (8.9 H2 s−1 at 50 mV overpotential), and nearly 100% Faraday efficiency, outperforming the state‐of‐the‐art commercial Pt/C and other reported HER electrocatalysts in alkaline condition. Both experimental and theoretical calculations reveal that the coexistence of Ru NPs and SAs can improve the hydride coupling and water dissociation kinetics, thus synergistically enhancing alkaline hydrogen evolution performance.

Summary: The understanding and control of the structural complexity of mesoporous semiconductors with single-crystal-like nature are both attractive and challenging. Here, we report a crystallization-driven epitaxial assembly from monomicelles to construct branched mesoporous TiO2 mesocrystals (m-TiO2 MCs) with coherent atomic domains. The star-shaped multipods are obtained by two-step evaporation with nanocrystal mediation, primarily consisting of arms along < 001 >, < 101 >, and < 111 > crystal directions. For each arm, ordered open mesochannels arrange in parallel along the growth direction. The m-TiO2 MC multipods have a surface area of ∼116 m2/g and single-crystal-like frameworks and are good hydrogen evolution photocatalysts. Under full-spectrum irradiation, the branched m-TiO2 MCs exhibit a hydrogen evolution rate of 8 mmol h−1 g−1, which is more than four times higher than that of commercial TiO2 P25. This crystallization-driven self-assembly approach may provide valuable insight into designing programmable mesoporous mesocrystals by controlling the oriented assembly of monomicelle building blocks.

Summary: Single-atom catalysts with unique electronic structures are drawing increasing attention as compared with nano-catalysts. However, subnano-catalysts, falling between the two categories, may match the demands of catalytic reactions better due to their tunable electronic structure, but they have rarely been studied. Here, we report a subnano-ruthenium species anchored on nano-SnO2 (Ru@SnO2). Although rutile SnO2 and RuO2 are isostructural and tend to form a spinodal structure in bulk materials, the Ru@SnO2 nano-structure is successfully prepared by our newly developed micro-etching technique. The optimized sample displays high activity for alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction with low overpotential and flat Tafel slope, superior to commercial Pt/C (20 wt%), while density functional theory investigations on the hydrogen-binding energy and Gibbs free energy are consistent with these results. The inherent design and synthesis strategies reported herein may open a new avenue for further catalyst development.

Abstract We report the use of 2H-NbS2 film as a novel counter electrode in perovskite solar cells fabricated with a cold isostatic pressing method. The 2H-NbS2 film, which was prepared through an exfoliation method followed by restacking from LixNbS2 powder, shows high electrical conductivity of 8.7 × 103 S cm−1 and work function of 5.20 eV. The two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide was used for the first time as a counter electrode in meso-structured perovskite solar cells. Through this process, we demonstrated a new alternative to noble metals. The perovskite solar cell base on the 2H-NbS2 counter electrode showed an open-circuit voltage of 1.046 V, comparable to that of gold, and a power conversion efficiency of 8.3%.

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21705-3

Aqueous supercapacitors are powerful energy sources, but they are limited by energy density that is much lower than lithium-ion batteries. Since raising the voltage beyond the thermodynamic potential for water splitting (1.23 V) can boost the energy density, there has been much effort on water-stabilizing salvation additives such as Li2SO4 that can provide an aqueous electrolyte capable of withstanding ~1.8 V. Guided by the first-principles calculations that reveal water can promote hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions, here, we pursue a new strategy of covering the electrode with a dense electroplated polymerized polyacrylic acid, which is an electron insulator but a proton conductor and proton reservoir. The combined effect of salvation and coating expands the electrochemical window throughout pH 3 to pH 10 to 2.4 V for both fast and slow proton-mediated redox reactions. This allows activated carbon to quadruple the energy density, a kilogram of nitrogen-doped graphene to provide 127 Watt-hour, and both to have improved endurance because of suppression of water-mediated corrosion. Therefore, aqueous supercapacitors can now achieve energy densities quite comparable to that of a lithium-ion battery, but at 100 times the charging/discharging speed and cycle durability.

Although single-atom catalysts significantly improve the atom utilization efficiency, the multistep preparation procedures are complicated and difficult to control. Herein, we demonstrate that one-step in situ synthesis of the single-atom Pt anchored in single-crystal MoC (Pt1/MoC) by using facile and controllable arc-discharge strategy under extreme conditions. The high temperature (up to 4000°C) provides the sufficient energy for atom dispersion and overall stability by forming thermodynamically favourable metal-support interactions. The high-temperature-stabilized Pt1/MoC exhibits outstanding performance and excellent thermal stability as durable catalyst for selective quinoline hydrogenation. The initial turnover frequency of 3710 h-1 is greater than those of previously reported samples by an order of magnitude under 2 MPa H2 at 100°C. The catalyst also shows broad scope activity toward hydrogenation containing unsaturated groups of C=C, C=N, and C=O. The facile, one-step, and fast arc-discharge method provides an effective avenue for single-atom catalyst fabrication that is conventionally challenging.

Summary: Li4Ti5O12 anode can operate at extraordinarily high rates and for a very long time, but it suffers from a relatively low capacity. This has motivated much research on Nb2O5 as an alternative. In this work, we present a scalable chemical processing strategy that maintains the size and morphology of nano-crystal precursor but systematically reconstitutes the unit cell composition, to build defect-rich porous orthorhombic Nb2O5-x with a high-rate capacity many times those of commercial anodes. The procedure includes etching, proton ion exchange, calcination, and reduction, and the resulting Nb2O5-x has a capacity of 253 mA h g−1 at 0.5C, 187 mA h g−1 at 25C, and 130 mA h g−1 at 100C, with 93.3% of the 25C capacity remaining after cycling for 4,000 times. These values are much higher than those reported for Nb2O5 and Li4Ti5O12, thanks to more available surface/sub-surface reaction sites and significantly improved fast ion and electron conductivity. : Energy Storage; Chemical Synthesis; Energy Materials Subject Areas: Energy Storage, Chemical Synthesis, Energy Materials

The synthesis, structure, and magnetic properties of lithium dibarium calcium oxide fluoride disulfide are reported. LaCa0.143 (4)O0.857 (4)F0.143 (4)Bi0.857 (4)S2 crystallizes in the tetragonal space group P4/nmm. The structure exhibits disorder of the Ca2+ and Bi3+ cations, and the O2− and F− anions. The structure is composed of a stacking of [(O,F)2La2] layers and double [(Bi,Ca)S2] layers. Magnetic property measurements indicate a very small magnetization at 300 K and the existence of weak ferromagnetism at 2 K.

The mixed-metal title compound, BaCu1/3Ta2/3S3 [barium copper(II) tantalum(V) trisulfide], was prepared through solid-state reactions. The crystal structure adopts the BaTaS3 structure type and consists of face-sharing [MS6] (M = Ta,Cu) octahedra (point-group symmetry -3m.) that are condensed into infinite chains along [001]. Adjacent chains are linked through the barium cations (site symmetry -6m2), which exhibit a coordination number of twelve. The M site is occupied by 2/3 of TaV and 1/3 of CuII, whereby the average M—S distances are slightly longer than those of ordered BaTaS3. The classical charge balance of the title compound can be represented by [Ba2+] [(Ta/Cu)4+] [S2−]3.

Alveolar echinococcosis is a worldwide zoonosis of great public health concern. Analysis of genome data for Echinococcus multilocularis has identified antigen families that can be used in diagnostic assays and vaccine development. However, little gene expression data is available for antigens of the egg and early larval stages. To address this information gap, we used a Next-Generation Sequencing approach to investigate three different stages (non-activated and activated oncospheres, and early stage metacestodes) of E. multilocularis (Nemuro strain). Transcriptome data analysis revealed that some diagnostic antigen gp50 isoforms and the antigen Eg95 family dominated in activated oncospheres, and the antigen B family dominated in early stage metacestodes. Furthermore, heat shock proteins and antigen II/3 are constantly expressed in the three stages. The expression pattern of various known antigens in E. multilocularis may give fundamental information for choosing candidate genes used in diagnosis and vaccine development.