National Science Review最新文献

Lattice thermal conductivity (κ _l) is of great importance in basic sciences and in energy conversion applications. However, low-κ _l crystalline materials have only been obtained from heavy elements, which typically exhibit poor stability and possible toxicity. Thus, low-κ _l materials composed of light elements should be explored. Herein, light elements with hierarchical structures in a simple square-net lattice as well as a small discrepancy in atomic mass and radius exhibit low κ _l. The hierarchical structure exhibits various chemical bonds and asymmetric geometry of building units, resulting in flat phonon branches and strong phonon-phonon interactions similar to those observed in heavy-element materials. These phenomena generate a large phonon anharmonicity, which is the prerequisite for achieving extremely low κ _l. For example, KCu₄Se₃ exhibits an extremely low κ _l of 0.12 W/(m·K) at 573 K, which is lower than that of most heavy-element materials. These findings can reshape our fundamental understanding of thermal transport properties of materials and advance the design of low-κ _l solids comprising light elements.

Protein glycosylation, the most universal post-translational modification, is thought to play a crucial role in regulating multiple essential cellular processes. However, the low abundance of glycoproteins and the heterogeneity of glycans complicate their comprehensive analysis. Here, we develop a rapid and large-scale glycopeptide enrichment strategy via bioorthogonal ligation and trypsin cleavage. The enrichment process is performed in one tube to minimize sample loss and time costs. This method combines convenience and practicality, identifying over 900 O-GlcNAc sites from a 500 μg sample. Surprisingly, it allows simultaneous identification of N-glycosites, O-GlcNAc sites, O-GalNAc sites and N-glycans via a two-step enzymatic release strategy. Combined with quantitative analysis, it reveals the distinct O-GlcNAcylation patterns in different compartments during oxidative stress. In summary, our study offers a convenient and robust tool for glycoproteome and glycome profiling, facilitating in-depth analysis to elucidate the biological functions of glycosylation.

Biomedical devices are indispensable in modern healthcare, significantly enhancing patients' quality of life. Recently, there has been a drastic increase in innovations for the fabrication of biomedical devices. Amongst these fabrication methods, the thermal drawing process has emerged as a versatile and scalable process for the development of advanced biomedical devices. By thermally drawing a macroscopic preform, which is meticulously designed and integrated with functional materials, hundreds of meters of multifunctional fibers are produced. These scalable flexible multifunctional fibers are embedded with functionalities such as electrochemical sensing, drug delivery, light delivery, temperature sensing, chemical sensing, pressure sensing, etc. In this review, we summarize the fabrication method of thermally drawn multifunctional fibers and highlight recent developments in thermally drawn fibers for modern biomedical application, including neural interfacing, chemical sensing, tissue engineering, cancer treatment, soft robotics and smart wearables. Finally, we discuss the existing challenges and future directions of this rapidly growing field.

Given their high safety, environmental friendliness and low cost, aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have the potential for high-performance energy storage. However, issues with the structural stability and electrochemical kinetics during discharge/charge limit the development of AZIBs. In this study, vanadium oxide electrodes with organic molecular intercalation were designed based on intercalating 11 kinds of charged organic carboxylic acid ligands between 2D layers to regulate the interlayer spacing. The negatively charged carboxylic acid group can neutralize Zn²⁺, reduce electrostatic repulsion and enhance electrochemical kinetics. The intercalated organic molecules increased the interlayer spacing. Among them, the 0.028EDTA · 0.28NH₄ ⁺ · V₂O₅ · 0.069H₂O was employed as the cathode with a high specific capacity (464.6 mAh g^-1 at 0.5 A g^-1) and excellent rate performance (324.4 mAh g^-1 at 10 A g^-1). Even at a current density of 20 A g^-1, the specific capacity after 2000 charge/discharge cycles was 215.2 mAh g^-1 (capacity retention of 78%). The results of this study demonstrate that modulation of the electrostatic repulsion and interlayer spacing through the intercalation of organic ligands can enhance the properties of vanadium-based materials.

Ever-increasing demand for efficient optoelectronic devices with a small-footprinted on-chip light emitting diode has driven their expansion in self-emissive displays, from micro-electronic displays to large video walls. InGaN nanowires, with features like high electron mobility, tunable emission wavelengths, durability under high current densities, compact size, self-emission, long lifespan, low-power consumption, fast response, and impressive brightness, are emerging as the choice of micro-light emitting diodes (µLEDs). However, challenges persist in achieving high crystal quality and lattice-matching heterostructures due to composition tuning and bandgap issues on substrates with differing crystal structures and high lattice mismatches. Consequently, research is increasingly focused on scalable InGaN nanowire µLEDs representing a transformative advancement in display technology, particularly for next-generation applications such as virtual/augmented reality and high-speed optical interconnects. This study presents recent progress and critical challenges in the development of InGaN nanowire µLEDs, highlighting their performance and potential as the next-generation displays in consumer electronics.

High-efficiency electrocatalysis could serve as the bridge that connects renewable energy technologies, hydrogen economy and carbon capture/utilization, promising a sustainable future for humankind. It is therefore of paramount significance to explore feasible strategies to modulate the relevant electrocatalytic reactions and optimize device performances so as to promote their large-scale practical applications. Microenvironment regulation at the catalytic interface has been demonstrated to be capable of effectively enhancing the reaction rates and improving the selectivities for specific products. In this review we summarize the latest advances in microenvironment regulation in typical electrocatalytic processes (including water electrolysis, hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells, and carbon dioxide reduction) and the related in situ/operando characterization techniques and theoretical simulation methods. At the end of this article, we present an outlook on development trends and possible future directions.