Alloying Confined Regulation of Nanoparticles in a Hierarchically Directed Porous Carbon for Zinc-Air Batteries.

The rational design of non-noble metal-based electrocatalysts with efficient bifunctional catalytic activity is critical for the widespread application of zinc-air batteries (ZABs). In this study, an FeNi alloy encapsulated three-dimensional honeycomb-like network structure of carbon aerogels (FeNi/CAs) electrocatalyst was constructed using directional freeze-drying technology. The innovative architecture, combined with the synergistic effect between Fe and Ni, endows the FeNi/CAs catalyst with outstanding bifunctional catalytic activity compared with the introduction of a single metal in carbon aerogels.

Reconfigurable Optical Physical Unclonable Functions Enabled by VO Nanocrystal Films.

Optical physical unclonable function (PUF) is one of the most promising hardware security solutions, which has been proven to be resistant to machine learning attacks. However, the disordered structures of the traditional optical PUFs are usually deterministic once they are manufactured and therefore exhibit fixed challenge-response behaviors. Herein, a reconfigurable PUF (R-PUF) is proposed and demonstrated by using the reversible phase transition behavior of VO nanocrystals combined with TiO disordered nanoparticles.

Analytical solution of epidemic threshold for coupled information-epidemic dynamics on multiplex networks with alterable heterogeneity.

The phase transition of epidemic spreading model on networks is one of the most important concerns of physicists to theoretical epidemiology. In this paper, we present an analytical expression of epidemic threshold for interplay between epidemic spreading and human behavior on multiplex networks. The threshold formula proposed in this paper reveals the relation between the threshold on single-layer networks and that on multiplex networks, which means that the theoretical conclusions of single-layer networks can be used to improve the threshold accuracy of multiplex networks.

Surface-Charge-Assisted Microdroplet Generation on a Superhydrophobic Surface.

The ability to generate and manipulate droplets down to microscales has attracted great attention in a variety of applications, such as in printing, microreactors, and biological assays. However, the production of microdroplets is often limited by special equipment or the size of needles. Here, an unexplored and facile approach is demonstrated; microdroplets can be generated and trapped yet not pinned on a micro-nano-structured superhydrophobic surface by controllable surface charge during drop impact.