Search

The long transmission pathways and slow lithium-ion insertion process are the main challenges of anode materials for fast-charging and low-temperature lithium-ion batteries. Herein, hierarchical supramolecular structures with a herringbone packing motif were achieved in the self-assembled crystals of contorted hexabenzocoronene octa-ketone (c-HBC-8O) through C–H⋯π interactions. Due to the formation of ordered three-dimensional lithium-ion transport channels, c-HBC-8O yielded a lithium-ion diffusion coefficient of up to 4.1 × 10−8 cm2 s−1, which is one order of magnitude higher than those of previously reported organic anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. As a proof-of-concept, the c-HBC-8O anode delivered outstanding fast-charging ability, high capacity and durable cycle stability of 298.3 mA h g−1 at 5 A g−1 after 3000 cycles (25 °C) and 320 mA h g−1 at 200 mA g−1 after 1000 cycles even at low temperature (−20 °C). The present strategy opens up new approaches for the design of π-conjugated anode materials for lithium-ion batteries based on weak C–H⋯π interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a common disease that seriously threatens human health. So far, the pathogenesis of AS has not been fully understood. This project investigates the effects of circARHGAP12 on AS and its regulatory mechanism. ApoE−/− knockout mice (ApoE) were adopted and reared with a high‐fat diet to construct an AS model. Lentivirus was established to knock down the expression of circARHGAP12 in mice. After 12 weeks, the aorta was removed and the expression of circARHGAP12 was detected. Vascular oil red O staining was used to detect the degree of AS. The expression of inflammatory factors was detected by ELISA. Aortic smooth muscle cells (MASMCs) were cultured to evaluate the effects of circARHGAP12 on the phenotype of MASMCs. RNA pull‐down and luciferase assay were used to verify the downstream target genes of circARHGAP12. In addition, the effects of circARHGAP12 on MASMCs proliferation and migration were detected by MTT and transwell assay. Compared with the normal group, the expression of circARHGAP12 in the MASMCs under ox‐LDL treatment was elevated, and circARHGAP12 silencing could inhibit AS in vitro and in vivo. The results of the mechanism study showed that circARHGAP12 can directly bind with miR‐630. In addition, miR‐630 can also target EZH2 to modulate the transcription of TIMP2 and to influence the migration of MASMCs. circARHGAP12 is upregulated in AS. CircARHGAP12 knockdown can inhibit the progression of AS. This study expands on the role of circRNA in AS and provides potential targets for the treatment of AS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Divergent synthesis of four contorted aromatics containing pentagons, a heptagon, and/or an azulene from the same difluorenyl pentacenediene precursor were realized in one step. The subtle differences in molecular structure were confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The mechanisms for the control of different products, which involve a ring-expansion rearrangement, Scholl reactions, and/or Mallory cyclization were proposed on the basis of control experiments and DFT calculations. Such development adds good structure versatility and materials accessibility to the study of contorted aromatics.