ACS Photonics最新文献

A hatching-distance-controlled lattice of 65.1Co28.2Cr5.3Mo is additively manufactured via laser powder bed fusion with a couple of periodic and aperiodic arrangements of nodes and struts. Thus, the proposed lattice has an amorphous-inspired structure in the short- and long-range orders. From the structural perspective, an artificial intelligence algorithm is used to effectively align lattices with various hatching distances. Then, the metastable lattice combination exhibits an unexpectedly high specific compression strength that is only slightly below that of a solid structure. From the microstructural perspective, the nodes in the newly designed lattice, where the thermal energy from laser irradiation is mainly concentrated, exhibit an equiaxial microstructure. By contrast, the struts exhibit a columnar microstructure, thereby allowing the thermal energy to pass through the narrow ligaments. The heterogeneous phase differences between the nodal and strut areas explain the strength-deteriorating mechanism, owing to the undesirable multi-phase development in the as-built state. However, solid-solution heat treatment to form a homogeneous phase bestows even higher specific compression strength. Furthermore, electrochemical leaching leads to the formation of nanovesicles on the surface of the microporous lattice system, thereby leading to a large surface area. A more advanced valve cage for use in a power plant is designed by using artificial intelligence both to (i) effectively preserve its mechanical stiffness and (ii) actively dissipate the generated stress through the large surface area provided by the nanovesicles.

Nickel-based materials exhibit excellent electrochemical water splitting activity; however, their inferior mass transport limits further improvement in catalytic performance. Herein, we report a composite core–shell material consisting of spherical nanoparticles of NiWO₄ and rGO sheets coated on crystalline NiO for overall water splitting in an alkaline medium. The macropores created from a uniform coating of spherical nanoparticles with rGO sheets impart high porosity and short diffusion passages, facilitating fast electrolyte flow and thereby enhancing mass transport capability. Benefiting from the excellent mass transport due to mesoporosity, NiO/NiWO₄-rGO required an overpotential of 270 mV to achieve a current density of 50 mA cm⁻² for OER and 54 mV to achieve a current density of -10 mA cm⁻² for HER. A Tafel slope of 82 and 58 mV dec⁻¹ for OER and HER was observed for NiO/NiWO₄-rGO, respectively. Overall water splitting devices fabricated using NiO/NiWO₄-rGO as an anode and cathode require a cell voltage of 1.59 V to enable a current density of 50 mA cm⁻² with stability for over 50 h indicating a favorable morphological modulation at the interface of NiWO₄-rGO shell structure coated on a crystalline NiO core, which lowers the overpotential requirement. The assembled water-splitting device performs water splitting 10 M KOH and requires only 1.55 V to reach the current density of 50 mA cm⁻². Our density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal the free energy profiles of hydrogen adsorption, guiding the experimental optimization of catalysts for efficient HER and OER. Furthermore, a seawater electrocatalysis device assembled using NiO/NiWO₄-rGO required only 1.77 V to reach 50 mA cm⁻² current density with stability over 50 h. This confirms that NiO/NiWO₄-rGO is a potential material for industrial and practical water splitting.

Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) is a natural active material widely used in the biomedical fields, which is applied in the preparation of capsule shells, nano-coated materials, medical hydrogel systems, and emulsifiers. It has been reported that APS exhibits a beneficial effect on obesity although the molecular mechanisms are not clearly elucidated. In current study, APS significantly reduced the increase of body weight in high-fat diet (HFD) fed mice. APS apparently ameliorated serum lipid profiles exhibiting an increase of high-density lipoprotein and a decrease of low-density lipoprotein. APS inhibited lipid deposition in liver and adipose tissues. Importantly, APS did not damage liver and kidney function in vivo. To explore if the beneficial effect of APS on obesity was derived from its effect on metabolism, metabolomics was applied. As expected, the metabolite profile of HFD mice was dramatically altered upon APS treatment. Among them, uridine diphosphate glucose (UDPG), a glycometabolic intermediate that inhibits fatty acid production, was significantly upregulated by APS. KEGG analysis showed that the metabolites of APS-treated HFD mice were apparently enriched in biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids pathway. To further explore if APS altered metabolites impacted cellular biological functions, transcriptomics was performed. GO and KEGG analysis showed that the downregulated gene groups were mainly enriched in lipid metabolism. Furthermore, endothelial lipase (LIPG) responsible for the intracellular lipid production was among the significantly inhibited genes by APS. Above results highly hinted that inhibition of lipid deposition by APS may be closely related with UDPG and LIPG. As expected, LIPG level was greatly suppressed by APS in free fatty acid (FFA)-induced hepatocytes. Consistently, glycogen synthesis was increased, whereas lipogenesis was apparently suppressed by APS. Furthermore, UDPG treatment alone also inhibited LIPG expression and lipogenesis. We, for the first time, disclosed that APS inhibited lipogenesis in HFD-fed mice by suppressing LIPG via upregulation of UDPG, suggesting that APS may be explored as a clinical and translational candidate in preventing obesity and its related metabolic diseases.