Exploration (Beijing, China)最新文献

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have gained increasing attention in electrochemiluminescence (ECL) as endogenous co-reactants, yet their application in the most widely used tris(bipyridine)-ruthenium(II) system remains limited due to the scarcity of suitable co-reactant accelerators (CRAs) with selective oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalytic activity. Here, this work reports a series of facet-tunable homogeneous NiNPs catalysts, which can stimulate ECL at distinguishable cathodic/anodic potentials in tris(bipyridine)-ruthenium(II) system. Experimental studies and theoretical calculation results reveal that the Ni(1 1 0) surface, with its lower charge density, impedes the fourth step of 4e⁻ ORR, thus favoring 2e⁻ pathway and consequently promoting substantial ROS generation and ECL at the cathode. Conversely, the Ni(1 1 1) and (2 0 0) surface prompt robust and stable anodic ECL via hydroxyl radical by controlling the OER. These excellent CRAs link cathodic/anodic ECL with ORR/OER, offering a novel strategy for precisely designing predictable non-precious metal CRAs. Furthermore, sensitive immunosensors were developed using these CRAs, demonstrating successful application in potential-resolved ECL analysis for practical purposes.

Electrochemical CO₂ electrolyzers are increasingly recognized for their potential to convert CO₂ into valuable chemical feedstocks, addressing critical environmental and economic challenges. Traditionally, the catalytic properties of the cathode, where CO₂RR directly occurs, have been the main focus of research due to their control over product selectivity. More recently, however, membrane-based electrolyzers—commonly used in fuel cells and water electrolyzers—have shown substantial potential for commercial CO₂ reduction, offering improved scalability and efficiency. Nevertheless, the complex components in membrane-based electrolyzers require precise optimization, as each unit directly impacts system performance and product selectivity. In this review, the structures and components of membrane-based CO₂ electrolyzers are systematically examined, including the electrolyzer design, flow channels, membranes, electrolytes, CO₂ supply units, and electrodes. Recent innovations in the optimization of these components are highlighted to provide insights into advancing CO₂RR technology toward commercially feasible applications. This approach can assist considerably in improving the CO₂RR electrolyzer performance, thereby helping predict optimal pathways for commercial realization and guide future development.

Young individuals migrating to high altitudes exhibit varying susceptibilities to high-altitude heart disease, often triggered by maladaptation to hypobaric hypoxic environments. The migration to high-altitude plateaus significantly reshaped the gut microbiome and metabolome signatures. Lower abundances of Veillonella rogosae, Streptococcus rubneri, and gut microbiota-associated serum metabolites promoted the remodeling of metabolic processes, thereby increasing susceptibility to high-altitude heart health abnormalities.

Autophagy is a process of engulfing cytoplasmic proteins or organelles, thereby fulfilling cells’ metabolic needs and the renewal of specific organelles. Given its key roles in tumor progression, autophagy has attracted tremendous attention in cancer therapies. Notably, there is a megatrend to integrating autophagy regulation into mainstream treatments. This review focuses on autophagy-targeting nanomedicine (ApT-NM) to modulate autophagy in tumor therapy, including the unmodified and functionalized nanoparticles that target tumors by carrying autophagy modulators. On the one hand, it can reverse treatment resistance by inhibiting protective autophagy, and on the other hand, it can promote the death of cancer cells through type II apoptosis by inducing autophagy. Moreover, advanced nanoplatforms combining various treatments (such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, photothermal therapy, and photodynamic therapy, etc.) have also been summarized. Last, the future perspectives and directions for ApT-NM research are provided, hoping to emphasize this rising filed and promote the development of ApT-NM.

This study introduces an ultraflexible electrode array enabling both neural recording and neuromodulation. The densely packed microelectrodes allow precise targeting of brain regions, with stimulating currents as low as 5 μA inducing mouse turning behavior. Additionally, the array is integrated into a brain-to-brain interface system, achieving over 95% accuracy in controlling turning behaviors of multiple mice using human brain signals.

The causal relationship between gut microbiota and brain tumors and potential prognostic value of microbiota are still unclear. This study confirmed the causal effects of specific gut microbiota on three common brain tumors and identified microbe-related genes that are expressed in brain tissue and correlated with the abundance of gut microbiota. Further, the prognostic model based on machine learning and microbiota established in this study, namely microbe-related signature, could robustly predict prognosis of glioma and provide insights for immunotherapy benefits.

The wind from Sun Wukong's Banana Leaf Fan, like miR-29, suppresses the inflammatory activities of CD8+ T cells. This wind not only extinguishes the flames of inflammation but also cools the surrounding environment, creating a soothing microclimate that promotes healing and homeostasis.

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) have garnered significant concern as materials with high energy density for energy storage. Nevertheless, their severe shuttle effect and delayed redox kinetics limit their practical application. Herein, a strategy based on the regulation of oxygen vacancy concentration in CoWO₄ has been proposed to accelerate polysulfide kinetics. Experiments and density functional theory calculations reveal that catalytic materials with the appropriate number of oxygen vacancies (CWO-M) have moderate adsorption energy and optimal catalytic capacity for polysulfides due to strong p-d orbital hybridization. More importantly, CWO-M not only accelerates the reduction of sulfur during discharge but also significantly accelerates the oxidation of Li₂S during charging, showing a favorable bidirectional catalytic effect. Benefiting from these unique advantages, the CWO-M/S-based battery exhibits an excellent rate performance of 768 mAh g^-1 at 2 C and a capacity retention of 91.1% after 100 cycles at 0.2 C. Stable cycling performance with a high capacity of nearly 4 mAh cm^-2 was achieved even after 100 cycles at a high sulfur loading of 8.02 mg cm^-2 and a low electrolyte/sulfur (E/S) ratio of 8 µL mg S^-1. This work provides significant insights into bidirectional catalysts by modulating the oxygen vacancy concentration for application in LSBs.

Although iodine (I) doped Li₆PS₅Cl argyrodite sulfide electrolytes have attracted significant attention, a comprehensive understanding of how I⁻ occupancy influences ionic conductivity is still lacking. Herein, through ab initio molecular dynamics theoretical calculations, it was revealed that the incorporation of excess halogen at the sulfur site (4d) significantly accelerates the inter-cage jumps of Li⁺ with a low migration energy barrier of 0.28 eV, enhancing the ionic diffusion kinetics. Subsequently, iodine-rich Li_6−xPS_5−xClI_x (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2) electrolytes are successfully synthesized and deliver high ionic conductivity. Moreover, a stable Li/Li_6−xPS_5−xClI_x interface is achieved to inhibit side reactions and lithium dendrite growth. Therefore, Li symmetric cells with the optimized electrolyte present splendid cyclic stability (7000 h at 0.1 mAh cm⁻² and 1500 h at 0.5 mAh cm⁻²). The constructed full cells with optimized electrolytes exhibit excellent electrochemical properties at a broad temperature range and with different active materials. This work deepens the understanding of the relationship between ion transport and structure in lithium argyrodite sulfide electrolytes.

Droplet boiling is a common occurrence in many industrial processes, but it can be hindered by the Leidenfrost effect. The Leidenfrost point (LP), defined as the temperature at which an accumulated and stagnant vapor forms between the liquid and the heated solid, consequently deteriorates cooling performance. In this study, inspired by nature, we demonstrate how using a nano-micro hierarchical triple-passage architecture with a higher aspect ratio enhances both vapor and liquid spreading dynamics, boosts heat transfer, and thus elevates the LP. Our results show that the LP is promoted to 273°C, which is a delay of approximately 130°C compared to the LP of 145°C on a copper surface. Through theoretical analysis, we develop a multi-force competition model to reveal the underlying physics of this sustained nucleate boiling. Our findings challenge traditional wisdom, indicating that lower impact velocities of a droplet, though sacrificing the convection, delay the LP through impact pattern manipulation. Additionally, we adopt a physics-informed deep neural network framework to accurately model the nonlinear behavior of droplet boiling (from nucleate boiling to LP) on various surfaces within an ≈11% error. The results here have potential applications in designing more efficient droplet-based boiling heat transfer devices and in controlling droplet boiling at high temperatures.