Associations between biological aging and the risk of endometriosis: Evidence from a large population-based prospective cohort study.

Background: Endometriosis is a common disease for women of reproductive ages. Individuals with accelerated biological aging are at a higher risk of developing various diseases, however, the effect of biological aging on the risk of endometriosis remains unclear. We aimed to explore the associations between biological aging and the risk of endometriosis.

Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and the Risk of Psoriasis: A Large Prospective Cohort Study.

The sales of ultra-processed food (UPF) are rapidly increasing worldwide, and there have been reports linking UPF consumption to several chronic diseases. However, there is limited prospective evidence exploring the impact of UPF on inflammatory skin diseases. This study investigates the association between UPF intake and the incidence of psoriasis using data from the UK Biobank.

Redox-active Janus separator based on polyaniline nanosheets and bacterial cellulose nanofibers for lithium-ion batteries.

Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) have received widespread attention in energy storage as an environmentally friendly and stable separator for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Polyaniline (PANI) is one representative kind of electroactive pseudocapacitance electrode material. In order to manufacture an electrochemically PANI-functionalized CNF separator which can increase the capacities of the LIBs, this work presents a novel redox-active Janus separator for LIBs incorporating an insulated bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofiber layer with a redox-active PANI layer.

Unveiling Corrosion Pathways of Sn Nanocrystals through High-Resolution Liquid Cell Electron Microscopy.

Unveiling materials' corrosion pathways is significant for understanding the corrosion mechanisms and designing corrosion-resistant materials. Here, we investigate the corrosion behavior of Sn@NiSn and Sn nanocrystals in an aqueous solution in real time by using high-resolution liquid cell transmission electron microscopy. Our direct observation reveals an unprecedented level of detail on the corrosion of Sn metal with/without a coating of NiSn at the nanometric and atomic levels.

Ternary NiMo-Bi liquid alloy catalyst for efficient hydrogen production from methane pyrolysis.

Methane pyrolysis (MP) is a potential technology for CO-free hydrogen production that generates only solid carbon by-products. However, developing a highly efficient catalyst for stable methane pyrolysis at a moderate temperature has been challenging. We present a new and highly efficient catalyst created by modifying a Ni-Bi liquid alloy with the addition of Mo to produce a ternary NiMo-Bi liquid alloy catalyst (LAC).

Unraveling Li growth kinetics in solid electrolytes due to electron beam charging.

Revealing the local structure of solid electrolytes (SEs) with electron microscopy is critical for the fundamental understanding of the performance of solid-state batteries (SSBs). However, the intrinsic structural information in the SSB can be misleading if the sample's interactions with the electron beams are not fully understood. In this work, we systematically investigate the effect of electron beams on Al-doped lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide (LLZO) under different imaging conditions.

Observation of formation and local structures of metal-organic layers via complementary electron microscopy techniques.

Metal-organic layers (MOLs) are highly attractive for application in catalysis, separation, sensing and biomedicine, owing to their tunable framework structure. However, it is challenging to obtain comprehensive information about the formation and local structures of MOLs using standard electron microscopy methods due to serious damage under electron beam irradiation. Here, we investigate the growth processes and local structures of MOLs utilizing a combination of liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy, cryogenic electron microscopy and electron ptychography.

Defect-mediated ripening of core-shell nanostructures.

Understanding nanostructure ripening mechanisms is desirable for gaining insight on the growth and potential applications of nanoscale materials. However, the atomic pathways of nanostructure ripening in solution have rarely been observed directly. Here, we report defect-mediated ripening of Cd-CdCl core-shell nanoparticles (CSN) revealed by in-situ atomic resolution imaging with liquid cell transmission electron microscopy.

Insights into the Mechanism of Methanol Steam Reforming Tandem Reaction over CeO Supported Single-Site Catalysts.

We demonstrated how the special synergy between a noble metal single site and neighboring oxygen vacancies provides an "ensemble reaction pool" for high hydrogen generation efficiency and carbon dioxide (CO) selectivity of a tandem reaction: methanol steam reforming. Specifically, the hydrogen generation rate over single site Ru/CeO catalyst is up to 9360 mol H per mol Ru per hour (579 mL g s) with 99.5% CO selectivity.

Dynamic deformability of individual PbSe nanocrystals during superlattice phase transitions.

The behavior of individual nanocrystals during superlattice phase transitions can profoundly affect the structural perfection and electronic properties of the resulting superlattices. However, details of nanocrystal morphological changes during superlattice phase transitions are largely unknown due to the lack of direct observation. Here, we report the dynamic deformability of PbSe semiconductor nanocrystals during superlattice phase transitions that are driven by ligand displacement.

Revealing of the Activation Pathway and Cathode Electrolyte Interphase Evolution of Li-Rich 0.5LiMnO·0.5LiNiCoMnO Cathode by in Situ Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance.

The first-cycle behavior of layered Li-rich oxides, including LiMnO activation and cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) formation, significantly influences their electrochemical performance. However, the LiMnO activation pathway and the CEI formation process are still controversial. Here, the first-cycle properties of xLiMnO·(1- x) LiNiCoMnO ( x = 0, 0.

Anomalous Shape Evolution of AgO Nanocrystals Modulated by Surface Adsorbates during Electron Beam Etching.

An understanding of nanocrystal shape evolution is significant for the design, synthesis, and applications of nanocrystals with surface-enhanced properties such as catalysis or plasmonics. Surface adsorbates that are selectively attached to certain facets may strongly affect the atomic pathways of nanocrystal shape development. However, it is a great challenge to directly observe such dynamic processes in situ with a high spatial resolution.

Spring-Like Pseudoelectroelasticity of Monocrystalline CuS Nanowire.

Prediction from the dual-phase nature of superionic conductors-both solid and liquid-like-is that mobile ions in the material may experience reversible extraction-reinsertion by an external electric field. However, this type of pseudoelectroelasticity has not been confirmed in situ, and no details on the microscopic mechanism are known. Here, we in situ monitor the pseudoelectroelasticity of monocrystalline CuS nanowires (NWs) using transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Novel Sulfur Host Composed of Cobalt and Porous Graphitic Carbon Derived from MOFs for the High-Performance Li-S Battery.

A composite consisting of cobalt and graphitic porous carbon (Co@GC-PC) is synthesized from bimetallic metal-organic frameworks and employed as the sulfur host for high-performance Li-S batteries. Because of the presence of a large surface area (724 m g) and an abundance of macro-/mesopores, the Co@GC-PC electrode is able to alleviate the debilitating effect originating from the volume expansion/contraction of sulfur species during the cycling process. Our in situ UV/vis analysis indicates that the existence of Co@GC-PC promotes the adsorption of polysulfides during the discharge process.

New Insights into the Structure Changes and Interface Properties of Li3VO4 Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries during the Initial Cycle by in-Situ Techniques.

Li3VO4 has been regarded as a new-type anode of lithium-ion batteries in recent years, which has a high theoretical specific capacity of 394 mAh g(-1), a proper potential for Li(+) insertion/deinsertion (∼1 V), and a good rate capacity. However, its low initial Coulombic efficiency, poor conductivity, and poor cycle performance restricts its development. In order to figure out the cause of the low initial Coulombic efficiency of Li3VO4 material, the nanosized Li3VO4 material was synthesized by citric acid-assisted sol-gel method.

Uniform Concave Polystyrene-Carbon Core-Shell Nanospheres by a Swelling Induced Buckling Process.

We have developed a facile procedure that can create asymmetrical building blocks by uniformly deforming nanospheres into C(∞v) symmetry at low cost and high quality. Concave polystyrene@carbon (PS@C) core-shell nanospheres were produced by a very simple microwave-assisted alcohol thermal treatment of spherical PS@C nanoparticles. The dimensions and ratio of the concave part can be precisely controlled by temperature and solvents.

Tailoring nanostructures in micrometer size germanium particles to improve their performance as an anode for lithium ion batteries.

A facile and scalable single-step approach is employed to synthesize a bulk germanium electrode, which consists of nanoscale Ge-grains in ∼5 μm porous powders. This three-dimensional Ge electrode exhibits superior specific capacity (∼1500 mA h g(-1)) and cyclic performance, attributed to its unique lithiation/delithiation processes.

Porous graphitic carbon loading ultra high sulfur as high-performance cathode of rechargeable lithium-sulfur batteries.

Porous graphitic carbon of high specific surface area of 1416 m(2) g(-1) and high pore volume of 1.11 cm(3) g(-1) is prepared by using commercial CaCO3 nanoparticles as template and sucrose as carbon source followed by 1200 °C high-temperature calcination. Sulfur/porous graphitic carbon composites with ultra high sulfur loading of 88.