Constrained C2 adsorbate orientation enables CO-to-acetate electroreduction.

The carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide electroreduction reactions, when powered using low-carbon electricity, offer pathways to the decarbonization of chemical manufacture1,2. Copper (Cu) is relied on today for carbon-carbon coupling, in which it produces mixtures of more than ten C2+ chemicals3-6: a long-standing challenge lies in achieving selectivity to a single principal C2+ product7-9. Acetate is one such C2 compound on the path to the large but fossil-derived acetic acid market. Here we pursued dispersing a low concentration of Cu atoms in a host metal to favour the stabilization of ketenes10-chemical intermediates that are bound in monodentate fashion to the electrocatalyst. We synthesize Cu-in-Ag dilute (about 1 atomic per cent of Cu) alloy materials that we find to be highly selective for acetate electrosynthesis from CO at high *CO coverage, implemented at 10 atm pressure. Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy indicates in situ-generated Cu clusters consisting of <4 atoms as active sites. We report a 12:1 ratio, an order of magnitude increase compared to the best previous reports, in the selectivity for acetate relative to all other products observed from the carbon monoxide electroreduction reaction. Combining catalyst design and reactor engineering, we achieve a CO-to-acetate Faradaic efficiency of 91% and report a Faradaic efficiency of 85% with an 820-h operating time. High selectivity benefits energy efficiency and downstream separation across all carbon-based electrochemical transformations, highlighting the importance of maximizing the Faradaic efficiency towards a single C2+ product11.

PdMo bimetallene for oxygen reduction catalysis.

The efficient interconversion of chemicals and electricity through electrocatalytic processes is central to many renewable-energy initiatives. The sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER)1-4 has long posed one of the biggest challenges in this field, and electrocatalysts based on expensive platinum-group metals are often required to improve the activity and durability of these reactions. The use of alloying5-7, surface strain8-11 and optimized coordination environments12 has resulted in platinum-based nanocrystals that enable very high ORR activities in acidic media; however, improving the activity of this reaction in alkaline environments remains challenging because of the difficulty in achieving optimized oxygen binding strength on platinum-group metals in the presence of hydroxide. Here we show that PdMo bimetallene-a palladium-molybdenum alloy in the form of a highly curved and sub-nanometre-thick metal nanosheet-is an efficient and stable electrocatalyst for the ORR and the OER in alkaline electrolytes, and shows promising performance as a cathode in Zn-air and Li-air batteries. The thin-sheet structure of PdMo bimetallene enables a large electrochemically active surface area (138.7 square metres per gram of palladium) as well as high atomic utilization, resulting in a mass activity towards the ORR of 16.37 amperes per milligram of palladium at 0.9 volts versus the reversible hydrogen electrode in alkaline electrolytes. This mass activity is 78 times and 327 times higher than those of commercial Pt/C and Pd/C catalysts, respectively, and shows little decay after 30,000 potential cycles. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the alloying effect, the strain effect due to the curved geometry, and the quantum size effect due to the thinness of the sheets tune the electronic structure of the system for optimized oxygen binding. Given the properties and the structure-activity relationships of PdMo metallene, we suggest that other metallene materials could show great promise in energy electrocatalysis.

Long Non-coding RNA Neat1, NLRP3 Inflammasome, and Acute Kidney Injury.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in hospitalized patients and is associated with high mortality. Inflammation plays a key role in the pathophysiology of AKI. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are increasingly recognized as regulators of the inflammatory and immune response, but its role in AKI remains unclear. METHODS: We explored the role of lncRNA Neat1 in (1) a cross-sectional and a longitudinal cohort of AKI in human; (2) three murine models of septic and aseptic AKI and (3) cultured C1.1 mouse kidney tubular cells. RESULTS: In human, hospitalized patients with AKI (n=66) demonstrated significantly increased lncRNA Neat1 levels in urinary sediment cells and buffy coat versus control participants (n=152) from a primary care clinic; and among 6 kidney transplant recipients, Neat1 levels were highest immediately after transplant surgery followed by a prompt decline to normal levels in parallel with recovery of kidney function. In mice with AKI induced by sepsis (via LPS injection or cecal ligation and puncture) and renal ischemia-reperfusion, kidney tubular Neat1 was increased versus sham-operated mice. Knockdown of Neat1 in the kidney using short hairpin RNA preserved kidney function, suppressed overexpression of the AKI biomarker NGAL, leukocyte infiltration and both intrarenal and systemic inflammatory cytokines IL-6, CCL-2 and IL-1ß. In LPS-treated C1.1 cells, Neat1 was overexpressed via TLR4/NF-κB signaling, and translocated from the cell nucleus into the cytoplasm where it promoted activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes via binding with the scaffold protein Rack1. Silencing Neat1 ameliorated LPS-induced cell inflammation, whereas its overexpression upregulated IL-6 and CCL-2 expression even without LPS stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate a pathogenic role of Neat1 induction in human and mice during AKI with alleviation of kidney injury in 3 experimental models of septic and aseptic AKI after knockdown of Neat1. LPS/TLR4-induced Neat1 overexpression in tubular epithelial cells increases the inflammatory response by binding with the scaffold protein, Rack1, to activate NLRP3 inflammasomes.

Unveiling the Structural Origins of Dynamic Diversity in Pd-Based Metallic Glasses.

The ß-relaxation is one of the major dynamic behaviors in metallic glasses (MGs) and exhibits diverse features. Despite decades of efforts, the understanding of its structural origin and contribution to the overall dynamics of MG systems is still unclear. Here two palladium-based Pd─Cu─P and Pd─Ni─P MGs are reported with distinct different ß-relaxation behaviors and reveal the structural origins for the difference using the advanced X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy and absorption fine structure techniques together with the first-principles calculations. The pronounced ß-relaxation and fast atomic dynamics in the Pd─Cu─P MG mainly come from the strong mobility of Cu atoms and their locally favored structures. In contrast, the motion of Ni atoms is constrained by P atoms in the Pd─Ni─P MG, leading to the weakened ß-relaxation peak and sluggish dynamics. The correlation of atomic dynamics with microscopic structures provides a way to understand the structural origins of different dynamic behaviors as well as the nature of aging in disordered materials.

Cadmium Isotope Fractionation during Adsorption onto Edge Sites and Vacancies in Phyllomanganate.

Cadmium (Cd) geochemical behavior is strongly influenced by its adsorption onto natural phyllomanganates, which contain both layer edge sites and vacancies; however, Cd isotope fractionation mechanisms at these sites have not yet been addressed. In the present work, Cd isotope fractionation during adsorption onto hexagonal (containing both types of sites) and triclinic birnessite (almost only edge sites) was investigated using a combination of batch adsorption experiments, extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy, surface complexation modeling, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Light Cd isotopes are preferentially enriched on solid surfaces, and the isotope fractionation induced by Cd2+ adsorption on edge sites (Δ114/110Cdedge-solution = -1.54 ± 0.11‰) is smaller than that on vacancies (Δ114/110Cdvacancy-solution = -0.71 ± 0.21‰), independent of surface coverage or pH. Both Cd K-edge EXAFS and DFT results indicate the formation of double corner-sharing complexes on layer edge sites and mainly triple cornering-sharing complexes on vacancies. The distortion of both complexes results in the negative isotope fractionation onto the solids, and the slightly longer first Cd-O distances and a smaller number of nearest Mn atoms around Cd at edge sites probably account for the larger fractionation magnitude compared to that of vacancies. These results provide deep insights into Cd isotope fractionation mechanisms during interactions with phyllomanganates.

Identification of novel biomarkers based on lipid metabolism-related molecular subtypes for moderately severe and severe acute pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an unpredictable and potentially fatal disorder. A derailed or unbalanced immune response may be the root of the disease's severe course. Disorders of lipid metabolism are highly correlated with the occurrence and severity of AP. We aimed to characterize the contribution and immunological characteristics of lipid metabolism-related genes (LMRGs) in non-mild acute pancreatitis (NMAP) and identify a robust subtype and biomarker for NMAP. METHODS: The expression mode of LMRGs and immune characteristics in NMAP were examined. Then LMRG-derived subtypes were identified using consensus clustering. The weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was utilized to determine hub genes and perform functional enrichment analyses. Multiple machine learning methods were used to build the diagnostic model for NMAP patients. To validate the predictive effectiveness, nomograms, receiver operating characteristic (ROC), calibration, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used. Using gene set variation analysis (GSVA) and single-cell analysis to study the biological roles of model genes. RESULTS: Dysregulated LMRGs and immunological responses were identified between NMAP and normal individuals. NMAP individuals were divided into two LMRG-related subtypes with significant differences in biological function. The cluster-specific genes are primarily engaged in the regulation of defense response, T cell activation, and positive regulation of cytokine production. Moreover, we constructed a two-gene prediction model with good performance. The expression of CARD16 and MSGT1 was significantly increased in NMAP samples and positively correlated with neutrophil and mast cell infiltration. GSVA results showed that they are mainly upregulated in the T cell receptor complex, immunoglobulin complex circulating, and some immune-related routes. Single-cell analysis indicated that CARD16 was mainly distributed in mixed immune cells and macrophages, and MGST1 was mainly distributed in exocrine glandular cells. CONCLUSIONS: This study presents a novel approach to categorizing NMAP into different clusters based on LMRGs and developing a reliable two-gene biomarker for NMAP.

Spatially Confined PdHx Metallenes by Tensile Strained Atomic Ru Layers for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution.

Hydride metallenes show great potential for hydrogen-related catalytic applications due to favorable electronic structures modulated by interstitial hydrogen atoms and large active surface areas of metallenes. Metallene nanostructures generally have compressive strain relative to bulk, which can affect both the stability and the catalytic behavior of hydride metallenes but in general cannot be controlled. Here, we demonstrate highly stable PdHx metallenes with a tensile strained Ru surface layer and reveal the spatial confinement effect of the Ru skin by multiple spectroscopic characterizations and molecular dynamics simulations. These PdHx@Ru metallenes with a 4.5% expanded Ru outer layer exhibit outstanding alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction activity with a low overpotential of 30 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and robust stability with negligible activity decay after 10,000 cycles, which are superior to commercial Pt/C and most reported Ru-based electrocatalysts. Control experiments and first-principles calculations reveal that the tensile strained Ru outer layer lowers the energy barrier of H2O dissociation and provides a moderate hydrogen adsorption energy.

Cooperative Rh-O5/Ni(Fe) Site for Efficient Biomass Upgrading Coupled with H2 Production.

Designing efficient and durable bifunctional catalysts for 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) oxidation reaction (HMFOR) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is desirable for the co-production of biomass-upgraded chemicals and sustainable hydrogen, which is limited by the competitive adsorption of hydroxyl species (OHads) and HMF molecules. Here, we report a class of Rh-O5/Ni(Fe) atomic site on nanoporous mesh-type layered double hydroxides with atomic-scale cooperative adsorption centers for highly active and stable alkaline HMFOR and HER catalysis. A low cell voltage of 1.48 V is required to achieve 100 mA cm-2 in an integrated electrolysis system along with excellent stability (>100 h). Operando infrared and X-ray absorption spectroscopic probes unveil that HMF molecules are selectively adsorbed and activated over the single-atom Rh sites and oxidized by in situ-formed electrophilic OHads species on neighboring Ni sites. Theoretical studies further demonstrate that the strong d-d orbital coupling interactions between atomic-level Rh and surrounding Ni atoms in the special Rh-O5/Ni(Fe) structure can greatly facilitate surface electronic exchange-and-transfer capabilities with the adsorbates (OHads and HMF molecules) and intermediates for efficient HMFOR and HER. We also reveal that the Fe sites in Rh-O5/Ni(Fe) structure can promote the electrocatalytic stability of the catalyst. Our findings provide new insights into catalyst design for complex reactions involving competitive adsorptions of multiple intermediates.

Tubulovascular protection from protease-activated receptor-1 depletion during AKI-to-CKD transition.

BACKGROUND: Thromboembolic events are prevalent in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients due to increased thrombin generation leading to a hypercoagulable state. We previously demonstrated that inhibition of protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR-1) by vorapaxar reduces kidney fibrosis. METHODS: We used an animal model of unilateral ischemia-reperfusion injury-induced CKD to explore the tubulovascular crosstalk mechanisms of PAR-1 in acute kidney injury (AKI)-to-CKD transition. RESULTS: During the early phase of AKI, PAR-1-deficient mice exhibited reduced kidney inflammation, vascular injury, and preserved endothelial integrity and capillary permeability. During the transition phase to CKD, PAR-1 deficiency preserved kidney function and diminished tubulointerstitial fibrosis via downregulated transforming growth factor-ß/Smad signaling. Maladaptive repair in the microvasculature after AKI further exacerbated focal hypoxia with capillary rarefaction, which was rescued by stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factor and increased tubular vascular endothelial growth factor A in PAR-1-deficient mice. Chronic inflammation was also prevented with reduced kidney infiltration by both M1- and M2-polarized macrophages. In thrombin-induced human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs), PAR-1 mediated vascular injury through activation of NF-κB and ERK MAPK pathways. Gene silencing of PAR-1 exerted microvascular protection via a tubulovascular crosstalk mechanism during hypoxia in HDMECs. Finally, pharmacologic blockade of PAR-1 with vorapaxar improved kidney morphology, promoted vascular regenerative capacity, and reduced inflammation and fibrosis depending on the time of initiation. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings elucidate a detrimental role of PAR-1 in vascular dysfunction and profibrotic responses upon tissue injury during AKI-to-CKD transition and provide an attractive therapeutic strategy for post-injury repair in AKI.

Notoginsenoside R1 can inhibit the interaction between FGF1 and VEGFA to retard podocyte apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a chronic condition resulting from microangiopathy in a high-glucose environment. The evaluation of vascular injury in DN has primarily focused on active molecules of VEGF, namely VEGFA and VEGF2(F2R). Notoginsenoside R1 (NGR1), a traditional anti-inflammatory medication, exhibits vascular activity. Therefore, identifying classical drugs with vascular inflammatory protection for the treatment of DN is a valuable pursuit. METHODS: The "Limma" method was employed to analyze the glomerular transcriptome data, while the Spearman algorithm for Swiss target prediction was utilized to analyze the drug targets of NGR1. The molecular docking technique was employed to investigate the relationship between vascular active drug targets, and the COIP experiment was conducted to verify the interaction between fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) and VEGFA in relation to NGR1 and drug targets. RESULTS: According to the Swiss target prediction, the LEU32(b) site of the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (VEGFA) protein, as well as the Lys112(a), SER116(a), and HIS102(b) sites of the Fibroblast Growth Factor 1 (FGF1) protein, are potential binding sites for NGR1 through hydrogen bonding. Additionally, the Co-immunoprecipitation (COIP) results suggest that VEGFA and FGF1 proteins can interact with each other, and NGR1 can impede this interaction. Furthermore, NGR1 can suppress the expression of VEGFA and FGF1 in a high-glucose environment, thereby decelerating podocyte apoptosis. CONCLUSION: The inhibition of the interaction between FGF1 and VEGFA by NGR1 has been observed to decelerate podocyte apoptosis.

Identification and immunological characterization of lipid metabolism-related molecular clusters in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is now the major contributor to chronic liver disease. Disorders of lipid metabolism are a major element in the emergence of NAFLD. This research intended to explore lipid metabolism-related clusters in NAFLD and establish a prediction biomarker. METHODS: The expression mode of lipid metabolism-related genes (LMRGs) and immune characteristics in NAFLD were examined. The "ConsensusClusterPlus" package was utilized to investigate the lipid metabolism-related subgroup. The WGCNA was utilized to determine hub genes and perform functional enrichment analysis. After that, a model was constructed by machine learning techniques. To validate the predictive effectiveness, receiver operating characteristic curves, nomograms, decision curve analysis (DCA), and test sets were used. Lastly, gene set variation analysis (GSVA) was utilized to investigate the biological role of biomarkers in NAFLD. RESULTS: Dysregulated LMRGs and immunological responses were identified between NAFLD and normal samples. Two LMRG-related clusters were identified in NAFLD. Immune infiltration analysis revealed that C2 had much more immune infiltration. GSVA also showed that these two subtypes have distinctly different biological features. Thirty cluster-specific genes were identified by two WGCNAs. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that cluster-specific genes are primarily engaged in adipogenesis, signalling by interleukins, and the JAK-STAT signalling pathway. Comparing several models, the random forest model exhibited good discrimination performance. Importantly, the final five-gene random forest model showed excellent predictive power in two test sets. In addition, the nomogram and DCA confirmed the precision of the model for NAFLD prediction. GSVA revealed that model genes were down-regulated in several immune and inflammatory-related routes. This suggests that these genes may inhibit the progression of NAFLD by inhibiting these pathways. CONCLUSIONS: This research thoroughly emphasized the complex relationship between LMRGs and NAFLD and established a five-gene biomarker to evaluate the risk of the lipid metabolism phenotype and the pathologic results of NAFLD.

Relevance of the pyroptosis-related inflammasome drug targets in the Chuanxiong to improve diabetic nephropathy.

BACKGROUND: A chronic inflammatory disease caused by disturbances in metabolism, diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a chronic inflammatory disease. Pyroptosis is a novel form of programmed cell death in many inflammation-related diseases, including DN. Therefore, pyroptosis could be a promising target for DN therapy. METHODS: To get the components and pharmacodynamic targets of Chuanxiong, we identified by searching TCMID, TCMSP, ETCM and HERB databases. Then, from the Molecular Signatures Database (MSigDB) and Gene Ontology (GO) database, pyroptosis genes were collected. Identification of critical genes in DN by bioinformatics analysis and then using the ConsensusClusterPlus package to divide the express data of diff genes into some subgroups with different levels of pyroptosis; the WGCNA machine algorithm was used to simulate the mechanism Chuanxiong improving DN. RESULTS: In this study, we found DHCR24, ANXA1, HMOX1, CDH13, ALDH1A1, LTF, CHI3L1, CACNB2, and MTHFD2 interacted with the diff genes of DN. We used GSE96804 as a validation set to evaluate the changes of APIP, CASP6, CHMP2B, CYCS, DPP8, and TP53 in four different cell proapoptotic states. WGCNA analysis showed that DHCR24, CHI3L1, and CACNB2 had significant changes in different cell proapoptotic levels. In the experimental stage, we also confirmed that the active ingredients of Chuanxiong could improve the inflammatory state and the levels of pyroptosis under high glucose. CONCLUSION: The improvement of DN by Chuanxiong is related to the change of pyroptosis.

Efficacy of liraglutide in patients with diabetic nephropathy: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of liraglutide to treat type 2 diabetic nephropathy (T2DN) remains controversial. Thus, we conducted this meta-analysis to systematically evaluate the clinical effect of liraglutide on T2DN patients. METHODS: Eight databases (PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang database, China Science and Technology Journal Database, and China Biology Medicine Database (CBM)) were searched for published articles to evaluate the clinical efficacy of liraglutide in subjects with T2DN. The Revman 5.3 and Stata 13 software were used for analyses and plotting. RESULTS: A total of 18 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 1580 diabetic nephropathy patients were screened. We found that the levels of UACR, Scr, Cysc were lower in the experimental group of T2DN patients treated with liraglutide than in the control group intervened without liraglutide. Liraglutide also reduced the levels of blood glucose (including FBG, PBG, and HbA1c), body mass index (BMI), and anti-inflammatory indicators (TNF-α, IL-6). However, there was no significant difference in BUN and eGFR between the experimental group and the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Liraglutide reduced the levels of Blood Glucose, BMI, renal outcome indicators, and serum inflammatory factors of patients with T2DN, suggesting the beneficial effects of liraglutide on renal function.

Atomic Indium Catalysts for Switching CO2 Electroreduction Products from Formate to CO.

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to chemicals and fuels is an interesting and attractive way to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and energy shortages. In this work, we report the use of atomic In catalysts for CO2 electroreduction to CO. The atomic In catalysts were anchored on N-doped carbon (InA/NC) through pyrolysis of In-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and dicyandiamide. It was discovered that InA/NC had outstanding performance for selective CO production in the mixed electrolyte of ionic liquid/MeCN. It is different from those common In-based materials, in which formate/formic acid is formed as the main product. The faradaic efficiency (FE) of CO and total current density were 97.2% and 39.4 mA cm-2, respectively, with a turnover frequency (TOF) of ∼40 000 h-1. It is one of the highest TOF for CO production to date for all of the catalysts reported. In addition, the catalyst had remarkable stability. Detailed study indicated that InA/NC had higher double-layer capacitance, larger CO2 adsorption capacity, and lower interfacial charge transfer resistance, leading to high activity for CO2 reduction. Control experiments and theoretical calculations showed that the In-N site of InA/NC is not only beneficial for dissociation of COOH* to form CO but also hinders formate formation, leading to high selectivity toward CO instead of formate.

Cadmium Isotope Fractionation during Adsorption and Substitution with Iron (Oxyhydr)oxides.

Cadmium (Cd) isotopes have great potential for understanding Cd geochemical cycling in soil and aquatic systems. Iron (oxyhydr)oxides can sequester Cd via adsorption and isomorphous substitution, but how these interactions affect Cd isotope fractionation remains unknown. Here, we show that adsorption preferentially enriches lighter Cd isotopes on iron (oxyhydr)oxide surfaces through equilibrium fractionation, with a similar fractionation magnitude (Δ114/110Cdsolid-solution) for goethite (Goe) (-0.51 ± 0.04‰), hematite (Hem) (-0.54 ± 0.10‰), and ferrihydrite (Fh) (-0.55 ± 0.03‰). Neither the initial Cd2+ concentration or ionic strength nor the pH influence the fractionation magnitude. The enrichment of the light isotope is attributed to the adsorption of highly distorted [CdO6] on solids, as indicated by Cd K-edge extended X-ray absorption fine-structure analysis. In contrast, Cd incorporation into Goe by substitution for lattice Fe at a Cd/Fe molar ratio of 0.05 preferentially sequesters heavy Cd isotopes, with a Δ114/110Cdsolid-solution of 0.22 ± 0.01‰. The fractionation probably occurs during the transformation of Fh into Goe via dissolution and reprecipitation. These results improve the understanding of the Cd isotope fractionation behavior being affected by iron (oxyhydr)oxides in Earth's critical zone and demonstrate that interactions with minerals can obscure anthropogenic and natural Cd isotope characteristics, which should be carefully considered when applying Cd isotopes as environmental tracers.

Metastable Facet-Controlled Cu2WS4 Single Crystals with Enhanced Adsorption Activity for Gaseous Elemental Mercury.

Purposively designing environmental advanced materials and elucidating the underlying reactivity mechanism at the atomic level allows for the further optimization of the removal performance for contaminants. Herein, using well facet-controlled I-Cu2WS4 single crystals as a model transition metal chalcogenide sorbent, we investigated the adsorption performance of the exposed facets toward gaseous elemental mercury (Hg0). We discovered that the decahedron exhibited not only facet-dependent adsorption properties for Hg0 but also recrystallization along the preferential [001] growth direction from a metastable state to the steady state. Besides, the metastable crystals with a predominant exposure of {101} facets dominated the promising adsorption efficiency (about 99% at 75 °C) while the saturated adsorption capacity was evaluated to be 2.35 mg·g-1. Subsequently, comprehensive characterizations and X-ray adsorption fine structure (XAFS), accompanied by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, revealed that it might be owing to the coordinatively unsaturated local environment of W atoms with S defects and the surface relative stability of different facets, which could be affected by the change in surface atom configuration. Hence, the new insight into the facet-dependent adsorption property of transition metal chalcogenide for Hg0 may have important implications, and the atomic-level study directly provides instructions for development and design of highly efficient functional materials.

Boosting CO2 Electroreduction over a Cadmium Single-Atom Catalyst by Tuning of the Axial Coordination Structure.

Guided by first-principles calculations, it was found that Cd single-atom catalysts (SACs) have excellent performance in activating CO2 , and the introduction of axial coordination structure to Cd SACs cannot only further decrease the free energy barrier of CO2 reduction, but also suppress the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Based on the above discovery, we designed and synthesized a novel Cd SAC that comprises an optimized CdN4 S1 moiety incorporated in a carbon matrix. It was shown that the catalyst exhibited outstanding performance in CO2 electroreduction to CO. The faradaic efficiency (FE) of CO could reach up to 99.7 % with a current density of 182.2 mA cm-2 in a H-type electrolysis cell, and the turnover frequency (TOF) value could achieve 73000 h-1 , which was much higher than that reported to date. This work shows a successful example of how to design highly efficient catalysts guided by theoretical calculations.

Highly Efficient CO2 Electroreduction to Methanol through Atomically Dispersed Sn Coupled with Defective CuO Catalysts.

Using renewable electricity to drive CO2 electroreduction is an attractive way to achieve carbon-neutral energy cycle and produce value-added chemicals and fuels. As an important platform molecule and clean fuel, methanol requires 6-electron transfer in the process of CO2 reduction. Currently, CO2 electroreduction to methanol suffers from poor efficiency and low selectivity. Herein, we report the first work to design atomically dispersed Sn site anchored on defective CuO catalysts for CO2 electroreduction to methanol. It exhibits high methanol Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 88.6 % with a current density of 67.0 mA cm-2 and remarkable stability in a H-cell, which is the highest FE(methanol) with such high current density compared with the results reported to date. The atomic Sn site, adjacent oxygen vacancy and CuO support cooperate very well, leading to higher double-layer capacitance, larger CO2 adsorption capacity and lower interfacial charge transfer resistance. Operando experiments and density functional theory calculations demonstrate that the catalyst is beneficial for CO2 activation via decreasing the energy barrier of *COOH dissociation to form *CO. The obtained key intermediate *CO is then bound to the Cu species for further reduction, leading to high selectivity toward methanol.

Selenium Stimulates Cadmium Detoxification in Caenorhabditis elegans through Thiols-Mediated Nanoparticles Formation and Secretion.

Antagonism between heavy metal and selenium (Se) could significantly affect their biotoxicity, but little is known about the mechanisms underlying such microbial-mediated antagonistic processes as well as the formed products. In this work, we examined the cadmium (Cd)-Se interactions and their fates in Caenorhabditis elegans through in vivo and in vitro analysis and elucidated the machinery of Se-stimulated Cd detoxification. Although the Se introduction induced up to 3-fold higher bioaccumulation of Cd in C. elegans than the Cd-only group, the nematode viability remained at a similar level to the Cd-only group. The relatively lower level of reactive oxygen species in the Se & Cd group confirms a significantly enhanced Cd detoxification by Se. The Cd-Se interaction, mediated by multiple thiols, including glutathione and phytochelatin, resulted in the formation of less toxic cadmium selenide (CdSe)/cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles. The CdSe/CdS nanoparticles were mainly distributed in the pharynx and intestine of the nematodes, and continuously excreted from the body, which also benefitted the C. elegans survival. Our findings shed new light on the microbial-mediated Cd-Se interactions and may facilitate an improved understanding and control of Cd biotoxicity in complicated coexposure environments.

Thermodynamically Stable Orthorhombic γ-CsPbI3 Thin Films for High-Performance Photovoltaics.

All-inorganic lead halide perovskites demonstrate improved thermal stability over the organic-inorganic halide perovskites, but the cubic α-CsPbI3 with the most appropriate bandgap for light harvesting is not structurally stable at room temperature and spontaneously transforms into the undesired orthorhombic δ-CsPbI3. Here, we present a new member of black-phase thin films of all-inorganic perovskites for high-efficiency photovoltaics, the orthorhombic γ-CsPbI3 thin films with intrinsic thermodynamic stability and ideal electronic structure. Exempt from introducing organic ligands or incorporating mixed cations/anions into the crystal lattice, we stabilize the γ-CsPbI3 thin films by a simple solution process in which a small amount of H2O manipulates the size-dependent phase formation through a proton transfer reaction. Theoretical calculations coupled with experiments show that γ-CsPbI3 with a lower surface free energy becomes thermodynamically preferred over δ-CsPbI3 at surface areas greater than 8600 m2/mol and exhibits comparable optoelectronic properties to α-CsPbI3. Consequently, γ-CsPbI3-based solar cells display a highly reproducible efficiency of 11.3%, among the highest records for CsPbI3 thin-film solar cells, with robust stability in ambient atmosphere for months and continuous operating conditions for hours. Our study provides a novel and fundamental perspective to overcome the Achilles' heel of the inorganic lead iodide perovskite and opens it up for high-performance optoelectronic devices.