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Aqueous zinc–sulfur battery (AZSB) is a promising technology for energy storage, but its practical application is severely limited by the sluggish redox kinetics and large volume expansion of the sulfur cathode. Herein, the controllable synthesis of sub‐10 nm ZnS nanograins confined in micro‐size carbon skeleton (MN‐ZnS/C─H) and its application as the cathode for AZSB is reported. It is revealed that the carbon source, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), can weakly coordinate with Zn2+ and provide a physical confinement for inhibiting the agglomeration of ZnS nanograins during the calcination process. Moreover, the particle size of ZnS (from sub‐10 to 350 nm) and the shape of ZnS/carbon composite (from bulk to sphere) can be well controlled by tuning the chain length of PVP. In the unique hierarchical structure, the ZnS nanograins can provide an optimized ion transmission path, and the micro‐size carbon network not only ensures high electronic conductivity but also maintains structure integrity upon volume variation, endowing the MN‐ZnS/C─H electrode with a high reversible capacity of 370 mA h g−1 at 0.2 A g−1, high rate capability of 209 mA h g−1 at 4 A g−1, and a long lifespan of 210 cycles with 93.2% capacity retention at 2 A g−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the electrical conductivity of sulfur cathode while ensuring its high affinity to catalyst holds the key to facilitate the reaction kinetics of aqueous zinc–sulfur batteries. Herein, the sulfur redox in aqueous electrolyte is accelerated by introducing selenium–sulfur bonds into the sulfur structure to build an internal electron transport path. The Se with less electronegativity can act as an electron donor to accelerate the binding between S and Zn2+. Meanwhile, the bonded Se in the electron‐poor state endows the modified sulfur cathode with a strong affinity to the I3− catalyst, which further facilitates the conversion efficiency. Thus, the internal electron donor assisted sulfur cathode delivers excellent electrochemical performance in terms of high reversible capacity (1490 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1), competitive rate performance (1010 mAh g−1 at 4 A g−1), as well as outstanding cycle stability (735 mAh g−1 at 4 A g−1 after 500 cycles). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surgical resection remains the main treatment for malignant tumors. Image-guided surgery aims to remove tumor tissue completely while preserving normal tissue, thereby reducing tumor recurrence rates and injury. However, challenges like tissue autofluorescence, limited probe penetration and low contrast restrict its use. Near-infrared (NIR) persistent luminescent nanoparticles (PLNPs) provide a solution by emitting persistent luminescence (PersL) even after excitation ceases, thus circumventing autofluorescence and enabling deep tumor imaging. In this study, we prepared nano-sized (140 nm hydrodynamic size) Cr3+ doped zinc gallogermanate (ZGC) using a removable template method and modified it with folate acid to obtain ZGC-FA, which exhibits NIR (695 nm) PersL with a signal-to-noise ratio of 23.9 in vivo. We utilized a colon cancer model that selectively expressed luciferase for the first time to validate the guiding efficacy of ZGC-FA in precision surgical resection. Post-intraperitoneal injection at 50 minutes, the PersL closely matched the tumor boundaries, achieving an overlap rate of approximately 98%. Complete tumor resection was achieved under PersL guidance, with only 2.3% of healthy tissue removed. This research underscores the potential of ZGC-FA in the field of surgical oncology. The precision of the ZGC-FA guided surgical approach holds promise to enhance surgical outcomes and facilitate postoperative recovery in patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NIR persistent luminescence nanoparticles (PLNPs) are appealing for bio-imaging because of the properties of extremely low autofluorescence interference and deep tissue penetrating ability. However, current preparation methods can hardly simultaneously endow PLNPs with nano-scale size, long persistent luminescence (PersL) life, and high luminescence intensity, which can hardly meet the requirements of bio-imaging. Herein, we report a new synthetic route to nano-sized chromium-doped zinc gallate (ZGC) via a removable MOF template, i.e., one-pot hydrothermal synthesis of an intermediate followed by its calcination at 1100 °C in air. By exploiting the regulatory effect of the intermediate on Zn and Ga, the depth of traps in 170 nm-sized ZGC nanoparticles was enhanced to above 0.8 eV, and the PersL duration to more than 24 h, with an average lifetime of up to 216 s. An in vivo experiment shows that tumors can be accurately delineated for more than 3 hours. This strategy largely resolves the conflict between the particle size and PersL properties of PLNPs, and expands the application of PLNPs in bio-imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]