Rational Defect and Fluorine Chemistry in Tin Oxide Enables Reversible Na Intercalation with a Stable NaF-Rich SEI Formation.

Significant efforts have been devoted to optimizing the morphology and synthesizing composite materials to activate SnO for sodium-ion batteries. However, challenges arising from its intrinsic crystal structure remain insufficiently addressed. This study aims to introduce both oxygen vacancies and fluorine ions into the SnO lattice, yielding a modified compound with a chemical composition of SnO£F.

Local Distortion Balancing Entropy-Enthalpy Compensation for Fast Li Migration in Garnet Solid-State Electrolytes.

Pivoting toward high-safety solid-state batteries, garnet-type solid-state electrolytes (SEs) with 3D ion transport channels are highly promising candidates. Complex cation substitutions are proved efficacious in enhancing ionic conductivity, while the role of pre-exponential factor in Arrhenius equation receives insufficient attention compared to the activation energy term. Herein, multiple lattice site substitution is employed to elucidate the contribution of increased configurational entropy to phase formation and the predominance of local distortion on ionic conductivity.

Tip-Enhanced Oxygen Reduction on Pt@Ni Cones via Concentrated Electric and Magnetic Fields.

Efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is crucial for energy conversion technologies, yet its sluggish kinetics remain a significant challenge. Beyond optimizing the catalyst's intrinsic properties, field effects can also profoundly impact the microenvironment at the catalyst/electrolyte interface, thereby affecting electrocatalytic performance. This study explores the tip-enhanced ORR by leveraging the coupled effects of electric and magnetic fields at the reaction interface.

Fast Potassium-Ion Conduction in KLnSiO (Ln = Y and Gd) Enabled by P-Doping Toward Ultrastable Quasi-Solid-State Batteries.

Solid-state potassium-ion batteries are promising options for large-scale energy storage due to their high safety and abundance of potassium resources. However, solid-state potassium-ion batteries are still in their infancy and the reported electrolyte materials are very limited, making the exploration of solid electrolytes with high ionic conductivity and physical/electrochemical stability a major challenge. Here novel triclinic KLnSiO (Ln = Y and Gd) potassium-ion solid electrolyte is reported with low activation energy and high stability.

Precise Oligomer Organization Enhanced Electrostatic Interactions for Efficient Cell Membrane Binding.

Efficient binding of cell membranes onto nanomaterials is essential for biomedical applications such as diagnostics and cellular engineering. We find that fine control over oligomer orientation led to enhanced electrostatic interactions with the cell membrane and improved cell membrane capture. Specifically, we designed polycation oligomers incorporating positively charged imidazole heads and alkyl tails synthesized through the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) reaction.

Galvanostatic cycling of a micron-sized solid-state battery: Visually linking void evolution to electrochemistry.

The formation of interface voids, peculiar to the solid-solid contact between metal anodes and solid electrolytes (SEs), has become a fundamental obstacle for developing practical lithium metal solid-state batteries (SSBs). Addressing this issue requires the operando observation of void evolution with high spatio-temporal resolution and the direct linkage of voids to solid-state electrochemistry. Here, we present such an attempt by visualizing both the stripping and plating interfaces of a micron-sized SSB cycled in galvanostatic mode in a transmission electron microscope.

Activating fast and reversible sodium storage in NASICON cationic defect sites through fluorine doping.

Cycling positive electrode materials with high voltages and long lifetimes remains a challenge. On the one hand, operating electrodes at high voltages is usually accompanied by severe structural distortions and irreversible reactions. On the other hand, the significant volume variation upon Na insertion/extraction limits the long cycling life.

Activating Sodium Intercalation in Cation-Deficient FeO Through Mo Substitution.

Magnetite (FeO), a conversion-type anode material, possesses high capacity, cost-effectiveness and environmental friendliness, positioning it as a promising candidate for the large-scale energy storage applications. However, the multi-electron reactions in sodium-ion batteries face challenges originated from the electrochemical inactivity of Na intercalation in the conversion-type oxides. In this work, controllable Fe vacancies are tailored in FeO lattice through the gradient Mo doping.

Overcoming Biological Barriers in Cancer Therapy: Cell Membrane-Based Nanocarrier Strategies for Precision Delivery.

Given the unique capabilities of natural cell membranes, such as prolonged blood circulation and homotypic targeting, extensive research has been devoted to developing cell membrane-inspired nanocarriers for cancer therapy, while most focused on overcoming one or a few biological barriers. In fact, the journey of nanosystems from systemic circulation to tumor cells involves intricate processes, encompassing blood circulation, tissue accumulation, cancer cell targeting, endocytosis, endosomal escape, intracellular trafficking to target sites, and therapeutic action, all of which pose limitations to their clinical translation. This underscores the necessity of meticulously considering these biological barriers in the design of cell membrane-mimetic nanocarriers.

Room-Temperature Synthesis of Carbon Nanochains via the Wurtz Reaction.

In the field of surface synthesis, various reactions driven by the catalytic effect of metal substrates, particularly the Ullmann reaction, have been thoroughly investigated. The Wurtz reaction facilitates the coupling of alkyl halides through the removal of halogen atoms with a low energy barrier on the surface; however, the preparation of novel carbon nanostructures via the Wurtz reaction has been scarcely reported. Here, we report the successful synthesis of ethyl-bridged binaphthyl molecular chains on Ag(111) at room temperature via the Wurtz reaction.

Distorting Local Structures to Modulate Ligand Fields in Vanadium Oxide for High-Performance Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries.

Layered hydrate vanadates are promising cathode materials for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs). Various intercalants have been preinserted into the interplanar space of hydrate vanadates with significantly enhanced kinetics and stabilized structures. However, such an enhancement is induced by various intercalants, and the relationship between the property enhancement and the type of intercalant still needs to be revealed.

Preferences for breast cancer screening: Results of a discrete choice experiment.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the preferences of breast cancer patients in China for screening services using a discrete choice experiment (DCE) and latent class modeling (LCM). The findings are intended to inform the development of more patient-centered screening programs.

Study Design: A cross-sectional, hospital-based survey employing discrete choice experiment methodology.

Epitaxial Electrodeposition of Zinc on Different Single Crystal Copper Substrates for High Performance Aqueous Batteries.

The aqueous zinc metal battery holds great potential for large-scale energy storage due to its safety, low cost, and high theoretical capacity. However, challenges such as corrosion and dendritic growth necessitate controlled zinc deposition. This study employs epitaxy to achieve large-area, dense, and ultraflat zinc plating on textured copper foil.

Melatonin improves endometrial receptivity and embryo implantation via MT2/PI3K/LIF signaling pathway in sows.

Background: Increased backfat thickness of sows in early gestation is negative to reproductive performance. Endometrial receptivity is an important determinant of reproductive success, but it is unclear whether the effect of sow backfat thickness on litter size is associated with endometrial receptivity and whether melatonin treatment may have benefits. The present study seeks to answer these questions through in vitro and in vivo investigations.

Evaluating the accuracy of a nutritional screening tool for patients with digestive system tumors: A hierarchical Bayesian latent class meta-analysis.

Background: Cancer, particularly tumors of the digestive system, presents a major global health challenge. The incidence and mortality rates of these cancers are increasing, and many patients face significant nutritional risks, which are often overlooked in clinical practice. This oversight can lead to serious health consequences, underscoring the need for effective nutritional assessment tools to improve clinical outcomes.

Enhancing the Cycling and Rate Performance of NaNiFeMnO Cathodes by La/Al Codoping.

O3-type layered oxides hold significant promise as the material for cathodes in sodium-ion batteries for their favorable electrochemical properties, while irreversible structural degradation and harmful phase transitions during cyclic operation limit the practical application of these materials. In this work, we proposed a La/Al codoping strategy in O3-Na(NiMnFe)O cathode materials and found that batteries with the Na (NiMnFe)LaAlO (NFM-La/Al) cathodes exhibited not only promoted capacity from 135.80 to 170.

Magnetically Enhanced Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Mild Alkaline Electrolytes by Building Catalysts on Magnetic Frame.

Under large current densities, the excessive hydroxide ion (OH) consumption hampers alkaline water splitting involving the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). High OH concentration (≈30 wt.%) is often used to enhance the catalytic activity of OER, but it also leads to higher corrosion in practical systems.

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of antibacterial activity and mechanism of luteolin from Humulus scandens against Escherichia coli from chicken.

Resistance of Escherichia coli (E.coli) to antibiotics has steadily increased over time; hence, there is an urgent need to develop safer alternatives to antibiotics. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of luteolin (Lut) on E.

Isolation of Bacillus licheniformis and its protective effect on liver oxidative stress and apoptosis induced by aflatoxin B1.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is one of the most toxic mycotoxins. The use of probiotics is an effective approach to reduce aflatoxins content in foods. To find efficient bacterial species that can eliminate or detoxify AFB1, a bacterial strain S51 capable of degrading AFB1 was isolated from chicken intestine and soil samples by using a culture medium containing coumarin as the sole carbon source.

Kojic acid inhibits pig sperm apoptosis and improves capacitated sperm state during liquid preservation at 17°C.

The parameters of sperm apoptosis and capacitation during liquid storage at 17°C can indicate the quality of pig sperm and the potential development of early embryos. However, the effect of kojic acid (KA) on semen preservation and its mechanism has not been fully understood. In this study, we discovered that adding KA to the diluent improved the antioxidant capacity of sperm mitochondria, maintained the normal structure of sperm mitochondria, and reduced sperm apoptosis.

Facilitating alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction on the hetero-interfaced Ru/RuO through Pt single atoms doping.

Exploring an active and cost-effective electrocatalyst alternative to carbon-supported platinum nanoparticles for alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) have remained elusive to date. Here, we report a catalyst based on platinum single atoms (SAs) doped into the hetero-interfaced Ru/RuO support (referred to as Pt-Ru/RuO), which features a low HER overpotential, an excellent stability and a distinctly enhanced cost-based activity compared to commercial Pt/C and Ru/C in 1 M KOH. Advanced physico-chemical characterizations disclose that the sluggish water dissociation is accelerated by RuO while Pt SAs and the metallic Ru facilitate the subsequent H* combination.