Low cost 3D printable flow reactors for electrochemistry.

Transition to carbon neutrality requires the development of more sustainable pathways to synthesize the next generation of chemical building blocks. Electrochemistry is a promising pathway to achieve this goal, as it allows for the use of renewable energy to drive chemical transformations. While the electroreduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen evolution are attracting significant research interest, fundamental challenges exist in moving the research focus toward performing these reactions on scales relevant to industrial applications. To bridge this gap, we aim to facilitate researchers' access to flow reactors, which allow the characterization of electrochemical transformations under conditions closer to those deployed in the industry. Here, we provide a 3D-printable flow cell design (manufacturing cost < $5), which consists of several plates, offering a customizable alternative to commercially available flow reactors (cost > $6,000). The proposed design and detailed build instructions allow the performance of a wide variety of chemical reactions in flow, including gas and liquid phase electroreduction, electro(less)plating, and photoelectrochemical reactions, providing researchers with more flexibility and control over their experiments. By offering an accessible, low-cost reactor alternative, we reduce the barriers to performing research on sustainable electrochemistry, supporting the global efforts necessary to realize the paradigm shift in chemical manufacturing.

Stroke Induces Prolonged Changes in Lipid Metabolism, the Liver and Body Composition in Mice.

During recovery, stroke patients are at risk of developing long-term complications that impact quality of life, including changes in body weight and composition, depression and anxiety, as well as an increased risk of subsequent vascular events. The aetiologies and time-course of these post-stroke complications have not been extensively studied and are poorly understood. Therefore, we assessed long-term changes in body composition, metabolic markers and behaviour after middle cerebral artery occlusion in mice. These outcomes were also studied in the context of obesity, a common stroke co-morbidity proposed to protect against post-stroke weight loss in patients. We found that stroke induced long-term changes in body composition, characterised by a sustained loss of fat mass with a recovery of lean weight loss. These global changes in response to stroke were accompanied by an altered lipid profile (increased plasma free fatty acids and triglycerides) and increased adipokine release at 60 days. After stroke, the liver also showed histological changes indicative of liver damage and a decrease in plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was observed. Stroke induced depression and anxiety-like behaviours in mice, illustrated by deficits in exploration, nest building and burrowing behaviours. When initial infarct volumes were matched between mice with and without comorbid obesity, these outcomes were not drastically altered. Overall, we found that stroke induced long-term changes in depressive/anxiety-like behaviours, and changes in plasma lipids, adipokines and the liver that may impact negatively on future vascular health.