The role of nicotinamide riboside in the preservation of retinal ganglion cells using an in vitro glutamate-induced excitotoxicity model.

Delaying or preventing the loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in glaucoma is needed for vision preservation. Glutamate-mediated neurotoxicity arises from the excessive stimulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate membrane receptors by glutamate. This overstimulation, occurring specifically in RGCs, triggers a progressive deterioration of the optic nerve that ultimately leads to the vision loss in glaucoma. Our previous investigation demonstrated that nicotinamide riboside (NR) effectively preserved RGCs in multiple mouse models of glaucoma. To investigate the precise role of NR concerning RGCs which remains uncertain, a glutamate-induced excitotoxicity RGCs damage model was established using R28 cells in this study. Results showed that NR treatment could not only prevent the decrease in cell viability but also effectively inhibit the apoptosis of R28 cells induced by glutamate, as proven by flow cytometry and expression of key pro-apoptotic proteins. Additionally, it significantly attenuated oxidative stress induced by glutamate, as evaluated by the production of inflammatory factors, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial ROS (mtROS). Furthermore, NR elevated the intracellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) levels in R28 cells. Lastly, we used RNA-seq to reveal the underlying mechanism of NR protection. Combining the results of RNA-seq and Western blot, we found that NR also restored the decreased protein expression of sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator (PGC1α) induced by glutamate. These findings strongly indicated that NR exhibits a protective effect against R28 cell apoptosis in a glutamate-induced excitotoxicity RGCs damage model. This protective effect is likely mediated through the activation of the SIRT1/PGC1α pathway, achieved by increasing intracellular NAD + levels.

Tailoring Single-Atom Coordination Environments in Carbon Nanofibers via Flash Heating for Highly Efficient Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysis.

The rational design of carbon-supported transition metal single-atom catalysts necessitates precise atomic positioning within the precursor. However, structural collapse during pyrolysis can occlude single atoms, posing significant challenges in controlling both their utilization and coordination environment. Herein, we present a surface atom adsorption-flash heating (FH) strategy, which ensures that the pre-designed carbon nanofiber structure remains intact during heating, preventing unforeseen collapse effects and enabling the formation of metal atoms in nano-environments with either tetra-nitrogen or penta-nitrogen coordination at different flash heating temperatures. Theoretical calculations and in situ Raman spectroscopy reveal that penta-nitrogen coordinated cobalt atoms (Co-N5) promote a lower energy pathway for oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions compared to the commonly formed Co-N4 sites. This strategy ensures that Co-N5 sites are fully exposed on the surface, achieving exceptionally high atomic utilization. The turnover frequency (65.33 s-1) is 47.4 times higher than that of 20 % Pt/C under alkaline conditions. The porous, flexible carbon nanofibers significantly enhance zinc-air battery performance, with a high peak power density (273.8 mW cm-2), large specific capacity (784.2 mAh g-1), and long-term cycling stability over 600 h. Additionally, the flexible fiber-shaped zinc-air battery can power wearable devices, demonstrating significant potential in flexible electronics applications.

Rapid Surface Reconstruction of Amorphous-Crystalline NiO for Industrial-Scale Electrocatalytic PET Upcycling.

The conversion of plastic waste into valuable chemicals through innovative and selective nano-catalysts offers significant economic benefits and positive environmental impacts. However, our current understanding of catalyst design capable of achieving industrial-grade current densities is limited. Herein, we develop a self-supported amorphous-crystalline NiO electrocatalyst for the electrocatalytic upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into formate and hydrogen (H2) fuel. The catalyst achieves an industrial current density of over 1 A cm-2 at 1.5 V vs. RHE, with an 80% Faradaic efficiency and a formate production rate of 7.16 mmol cm-2 h-1. In situ Raman spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations reveal that the rapid transformation of amorphous-crystalline NiO into γ-NiOOH at the amorphous-crystalline interface provides a thermodynamic advantage for formate desorption, leading to the high activity required for industrial applications, which is difficult to achieve for fully crystalline NiO. A techno-economic analysis indicates that recycling waste PET using this catalytic process could generate a profit of $501 per ton. This work presents a cost-effective and highly efficient approach to promoting the sustainable utilization of waste PET.

Zn Single Atoms/Clusters/Nanoparticles Embedded in the Hybrid Carbon Aerogels for High-Performance ORR Electrocatalysis.

Carbon-supported zinc single-atom catalysts have received considerable attention in the electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) owing to the strong reduction capacity of zinc atoms and the abundant reserves of zinc elements. The common preparation method has been limited to the high-temperature pyrolysis of nitrogen-rich organic molecules and zinc ions, which makes it difficult to further improve the ORR performance. Herein, we first prepared ZnO/PNT/rGO aerogels as precursors via a simple hydrothermal method combined with freeze-drying, in which reduced graphene oxides (rGO) and polypyrrole nanotubes (PNT) together assembled into three-dimensional frames and numerous ZnO nanoparticles were anchored in the three-dimensional skeletons. Then, ZnO/PNT/rGO aerogels were calcined at 800 °C in the argon atmosphere, in which PNT/rGO were derived carbon aerogels, ZnO nanoparticles were reduced to Zn0 by carbon, and generating zinc single atoms were captured by the surrounding nitrogen atoms or aggregated into Zn clusters/nanoparticles in the carbon substrates. The obtained products were Zn single atoms/clusters/nanoparticles embedded into PNT/rGO-derived carbon aerogels, named Zn/NC catalysts. Zn/NC catalysts display a much higher half-wave potential and a larger limiting current density than pure rGO aerogels, NC, and Zn/C catalysts, indicating the synergy of excellent electronic transportation, high mass efficiency from outstanding porosity, and several active centers. Tailoring the quantity of zinc acetate can provide the optimal ORR performance with the Eonset of 0.96 V, the E1/2 of 0.845 V, and remarkable durability. This work exploits a novel strategy of carbon thermal reduction to construct high-performance Zn-based low-dimensional ORR catalysts.

Electrospun ultrafine fibers for advanced face masks.

The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has triggered great global public health concern. Face masks are essential tools to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 from human to human. However, there are still challenges to prolong the serving life and maintain the filtering performance of the current commercial mask. Filters composed of ultrafine fibers with diameter down to tens of nanometers have the potential to physically block viruses. With adjustable composition and nanostructures, the electrospun ultrafine fiber filter is possible to achieve other necessary functions beyond virus blocking, such as antiviral, transparent, and degradable, making it an important part of fighting the epidemic. In this review, beginning with the basic information of the viruses, we summarize the knowledge of masks and respirators, including the filtering mechanism, structure, classification, and standards. We further present the fabrication method, filtering performance, and reusable potential of electrospun ultrafine fiber-based masks. In the end, we discuss the development directions of ultrafine fibers in protective devices, especially their new functional applications and possible contributions in the prevention and control of the epidemic.

A Humidity-Induced Nontemplating Route toward Hierarchical Porous Carbon Fiber Hybrid for Efficient Bifunctional Oxygen Catalysis.

Hierarchical porous carbons (HPCs) are highly efficient supports for various remarkable catalytic systems. However, templates are commonly utilized for the preparation of HPCs, and the postremoval of the templates is uneconomical, time-consuming, and harmful for the environment in most cases. Herein, a new humidity-induced nontemplating strategy is developed to prepare 1D HPC with rich topologies and interconnected cavities for catalysis and energy storage applications. Porous electrospun nanofibers as calcination precursors are prepared via a humidity-induced phase separation strategy. A nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon nanofiber (HPCNF), loading Co/Co3 O4 hetero-nanoparticles as exemplary nonprecious-metal active substance (Co/Co3 O4 @HPCNF), is fabricated through the subsequent hydrothermal and pyrolysis treatment. The internal mesopore and cavity structure can be simply controlled by varying environment humidity during the electrospinning process. Benefiting from the unique topology, Co/Co3 O4 @HPCNF exhibits superior bifunctional activity when being used as electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction/evolution reactions. Moreover, the hybrid catalyst also demonstrates a remarkable power density of 102.5 mW cm-2 , a high capacity of 748.5 mAh gZn -1 , and long cycle life in Zinc-air batteries. The developed approach offers a facile template-free route for the preparation of HPCNF hybrid and can be extended to other members of the large polymer family for catalyst design and energy storage applications.

Boosting storage properties of reduced graphene oxide fiber modified with MOFs-derived porous carbon through a wet-spinning fiber strategy.

Supercapacitors that are light weight and flexible, while occupying a low volume and demonstrating good mechanical properties are in demand for portable energy storage devices. Graphene composite fibers are supposed to be ideal electrodes for flexible fiber-shaped supercapacitors. Integration of MOFs-derived porous carbon into graphene fibers provides desirable electrochemical and mechanical properties. Herein, a general strategy is shown for the preparation of MOFs-derived porous carbon/reduced graphene oxide fibers. Close-packed and aligned graphene sheets along with porous MOFs-derived porous carbon can achieve outstanding mechanical properties through synergistic effects. Consequently, a large specific capacitance of 56.05 F cm-3, a good tensile property of 86.5 MPa and a high retention of 96.6% after 10 000 cycles can be achieved with the composite fibers. Moreover, a further deposition of polyaniline (PANI) and manganese dioxide (MnO2) by in situ growth on the fabricated composite fibers provide an improvement in specific capacitance with value of 74.21 F cm-3 and 65.08 F cm-3, respectively. The above results demonstrate the promising application of composite fibers as a flexible and stable electrode and substrate for energy storage devices.

Carbon-Based Alloy-Type Composite Anode Materials toward Sodium-Ion Batteries.

In the scenario of renewable clean energy gradually replacing fossil energy, grid-scale energy storage systems are urgently necessary, where Na-ion batteries (SIBs) could supply crucial support, due to abundant Na raw materials and a similar electrochemical mechanism to Li-ion batteries. The limited energy density is one of the major challenges hindering the commercialization of SIBs. Alloy-type anodes with high theoretical capacities provide good opportunities to address this issue. However, these anodes suffer from the large volume expansion and inferior conductivity, which induce rapid capacity fading, poor rate properties, and safety issues. Carbon-based alloy-type composites (CAC) have been extensively applied in the effective construction of anodes that improved electrochemical performance, as the carbon component could alleviate the volume change and increase the conductivity. Here, state-of-the-art CAC anode materials applied in SIBs are summarized, including their design principle, characterization, and electrochemical performance. The corresponding alloying mechanism along with its advantages and disadvantages is briefly presented. The crucial roles and working mechanism of the carbon matrix in CAC anodes are discussed in depth. Lastly, the existing challenges and the perspectives are proposed. Such an understanding critically paves the way for tailoring and designing suitable alloy-type anodes toward practical applications.

The Kirkendall Effect for Engineering Oxygen Vacancy of Hollow Co3 O4 Nanoparticles toward High-Performance Portable Zinc-Air Batteries.

Structure and defect control are widely accepted effective strategies to manipulate the activity and stability of catalysts. On a freestanding hierarchically porous carbon microstructure, the tuning of oxygen vacancy in the embedded hollow cobaltosic oxide (Co3 O4 ) nanoparticles is demonstrated through the regulation of nanoscale Kirkendall effect. Starting with the embedded cobalt nanoparticles, the concentration of oxygen-vacancy defect can vary with the degree of Kirkendall oxidation, thus regulating the number of active sites and the catalytic performances. The optimized freestanding catalyst shows among the smallest reversible oxygen overpotential of 0.74 V for catalyzing oxygen reduction/evolution reactions in 0.1 m KOH. Moreover, the catalyst shows promise for substitution of noble metals to boost cathodic oxygen reactions in portable zinc-air batteries. This work provides a strategy to explore catalysts with controllable vacancy defects and desired nano-/microstructures.

Necklace-like Multishelled Hollow Spinel Oxides with Oxygen Vacancies for Efficient Water Electrolysis.

The durability and reactivity of catalysts can be effectively and precisely controlled through the careful design and engineering of their surface structures and morphologies. Herein, we develop a novel "adsorption-calcination-reduction" strategy to synthesize spinel transitional metal oxides with a unique necklace-like multishelled hollow structure exploiting sacrificial templates of carbonaceous microspheres, including NiCo2O4 (NCO), CoMn2O4, and NiMn2O4. Importantly, benefiting from the unique structures and reduction treatment to offer rich oxygen vacancies, the unique reduced NCO (R-NCO) as a bifunctional electrocatalyst exhibits the dual characteristics of good stability as well as high electrocatalytic activity for both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). At 1.61 V cell voltage, a 10 mA cm-2 water splitting current density is obtained from the dual-electrode, alkaline water electrolyzer. Calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) reveal a mechanism for the promotion of the catalytic reactions based on a decrease in the energy barrier for the formation of intermediates resulting from the introduction of oxygen vacancies through the reduction process. This method could prove to be an effective general strategy for the preparation of complex, hollow structures and functionalities.

In Situ Fabrication of Hierarchically Branched TiO2 Nanostructures: Enhanced Performance in Photocatalytic H2 Evolution and Li-Ion Batteries.

1D branched TiO2 nanomaterials play a significant role in efficient photocatalysis and high-performance lithium ion batteries. In contrast to the typical methods which generally have to employ epitaxial growth, the direct in situ growth of hierarchically branched TiO2 nanofibers by a combination of the electrospinning technique and the alkali-hydrothermal process is presented in this work. Such the branched nanofibers exhibit improvement in terms of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (0.41 mmol g-1 h-1 ), in comparison to the conventional TiO2 nanofibers (0.11 mmol g-1 h-1 ) and P25 (0.082 mmol g-1 h-1 ). Furthermore, these nanofibers also deliver higher lithium specific capacity at different current densities, and the specific capacity at the rate of 2 C is as high as 201. 0 mAh g-1 , roughly two times higher than that of the pristine TiO2 nanofibers.

Organic Integration of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicines-Future of Clinical Practice Guidelines of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicines.

The transformation and implementation of clinical practice guidelines for integrated traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Western medicine (WM) is crucial to the adoption of medical science and technological findings and is an important way for TCM to be made available to the world. First, clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) of TCM and WM integration in recent years was analyzed to clarify the current situation and problems in the existing guidelines according to the following four perspectives: (1) perspective of TCM and WM integration in guidelines, (2) diagnosis Using integrated TCM and WM, (3) integration of TCM and WM treatment, (4) promoting TCM and WM integration. Secondly, the information and quality evaluation of CPGs for integrated Chinese and Western medicine in 2020-2022 were analyzed to explore the degree and methods of integration of Chinese and Western medicine guidelines. And last this study aimed to lay a foundation for the further establishment of Chinese characteristic, repeatable, and calculable clinical practice guidelines of TCM and WM integration.

Protective Effect of Nicotinamide Riboside on Glucocorticoid-Induced Glaucoma: Mitigating Mitochondrial Damage and Extracellular Matrix Deposition.

Purpose: Glucocorticoid-induced glaucoma (GIG) is a prevalent complication associated with glucocorticoids (GCs), resulting in irreversible blindness. GIG is characterized by the abnormal deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) in the trabecular meshwork (TM), elevation of intraocular pressure (IOP), and loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of nicotinamide riboside (NR) on TM in GIG. Methods: Primary human TM cells (pHTMs) and C57BL/6J mice responsive to GCs were utilized to establish in vitro and in vivo GIG models, respectively. The study assessed the expression of ECM-related proteins in TM and the functions of pHTMs to reflect the effects of NR. Mitochondrial morphology and function were also examined in the GIG cell model. GIG progression was monitored through IOP, RGCs, and mitochondrial morphology. Intracellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) levels of pHTMs were enzymatically assayed. Results: NR significantly prevented the expression of ECM-related proteins and alleviated dysfunction in pHTMs after dexamethasone treatment. Importantly, NR protected damaged ATP synthesis, preventing overexpression of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS), and also protect against decreased mitochondrial membrane potential induced by GCs in vitro. In the GIG mouse model, NR partially prevented the elevation of IOP and the loss of RGCs. Furthermore, NR effectively suppressed the excessive expression of ECM-associated proteins and mitigated mitochondrial damage in vivo. Conclusions: Based on the results, NR effectively enhances intracellular levels of NAD+, thereby mitigating abnormal ECM deposition and TM dysfunction in GIG by attenuating mitochondrial damage induced by GCs. Thus, NR has promising potential as a therapeutic candidate for GIG treatment.

Pumpless microfluidic sweat sensing yarn.

Textile sweat sensors possess immense potential for non-invasive health monitoring. Rapid in-situ sweat capture and prevention of its evaporation are crucial for accurate and stable real-time monitoring. Herein, we introduce a unidirectional, pump-free microfluidic sweat management system to tackle this challenge. A nanofiber sheath layer on micrometer-scale sensing filaments enables this pumpless microfluidic design. Utilizing the capillary effect of the nanofibers allows for the swift capture of sweat, while the differential configuration of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties of the sheath and core yarns prevents sweat evaporation. The Laplace pressure difference between the cross-scale fibers facilitates the management system to ultimately expulse sweat. This results in microfluidic control of sweat without the need for external forces, resulting in rapid (<5 s), sensitive (19.8 nA µM-1), and stable (with signal noise and drift suppression) sweat detection. This yarn sensor can be easily integrated into various fabrics, enabling the creation of health monitoring smart garments. The garments maintain good monitoring performance even after 20 washes. This work provides a solution for designing smart yarns for high-precision, stable, and non-invasive health monitoring.

Solution Blow Spinning Ultrafine Fiber Sponge-Loaded MOF-808 for Effective Adsorption and Degradation of Mustard Gas.

Functional materials that can quickly absorb and degrade mustard gas are essential for chemical warfare emergency response kits. In this study, a fiber membrane with excellent adsorption and catalytic degradation activity was developed by solution blow spinning polystyrene (PS)/polyurethane (PU) and hydrothermal in situ growth of a zirconium-based MOF (MOF-808). The mechanical properties of the PS/PU fibers were improved by adding a trimethylolpropane tris (2-methyl-1-aziridine propionate) (TTMA) cross-linking agent. Moreover, the C═O bonds in TTMA provided abundant growth sites for MOF-808 in the hydrothermal process, thereby greatly increasing the loading capacity. The fiber surface was completely covered with the MOF-808 particles within 24 h. The PS/PU/TTMA/MOF-808 fiber membrane was used for the catalytic degradation of 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES). The degradation efficiency reached 97.7% after 72 h, indicating its great application potential in emergency wiping cloths for mustard gas adsorption and degradation.

Smart Mask as Wearable for Post-Pandemic Personal Healthcare.

A mask serves as a simple external barrier that protects humans from infectious particles from poor air conditions in the surrounding environment. As an important personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect our respiratory system, masks are able not only to filter pathogens and dust particles but also to sense, reflect or even respond to environmental conditions. This smartness is of particular interest among academia and industries due to its potential in disease detection, health monitoring and caring aspects. In this review, we provide an overlook of the current air filtration strategies used in masks, from structural designs to integrated functional modules that empower the mask's ability to sense and transfer physiological or environmental information to become smart. Specifically, we discussed recent developments in masks designed to detect macroscopic physiological signals from the wearer and mask-based disease diagnoses, such as COVID-19. Further, we propose the concept of next-generation smart masks and the requirements from material selection and function design perspectives that enable masks to interact and play crucial roles in health-caring wearables.

Flexible Textile-Based Sweat Sensors for Wearable Applications.

The current physical health care system has gradually evolved into a form of virtual hospitals communicating with sensors, which can not only save time but can also diagnose a patient's physical condition in real time. Textile-based wearable sensors have recently been identified as detection platforms with high potential. They are developed for the real-time noninvasive detection of human physiological information to comprehensively analyze the health status of the human body. Sweat comprises various chemical compositions, which can be used as biomarkers to reflect the relevant information of the human physiology, thus providing references for health conditions. Combined together, textile-based sweat sensors are more flexible and comfortable than other conventional sensors, making them easily integrated into the wearable field. In this short review, the research progress of textile-based flexible sweat sensors was reviewed. Three mechanisms commonly used for textile-based sweat sensors were firstly contrasted with an introduction to their materials and preparation processes. The components of textile-based sweat sensors, which mainly consist of a sweat transportation channel and collector, a signal-selection unit, sensing elements and sensor integration and communication technologies, were reviewed. The applications of textile-based sweat sensors with different mechanisms were also presented. Finally, the existing problems and challenges of sweat sensors were summarized, which may contribute to promote their further development.

Selective spectral absorption of nanofibers for color-preserving daytime radiative cooling.

Passive radiative cooling is a promising solution for cooling objects without consuming energy. However, chemical colors absorb visible light and generate heat, posing a challenge in the design of a colored sub-ambient daytime radiative cooler (CSDRC) in a simple and scalable way. Herein, we used nanofibers (NF) to achieve selective spectral absorption of the daytime radiative cooler through a dope-dyeing electrospinning technique. This approach allows for the selective absorption of desired colors in the visible spectrum, while the nanofiber structure provides strong visible and near-infrared light scattering to minimize solar heating. We selected cellulose acetate (CA) with mid-infrared emittance characteristics for efficient sky cooling. Our design enabled the CA NF CSDRC to exhibit an ultra-high NIR reflectance of 99%, a high MIR emittance of 95%, and vibrant colors. These unique optical properties resulted in a reduction of the maximum ambient temperature by 3.2 °C and a cooling power of ≈40 W m-2 at a solar intensity of 700 W m-2. Additionally, the flexibility and deformability of the colored nanofiber cooler make it suitable for thermal management in various practical applications. Our work provides a simple and scalable solution for designing colored passive radiative cooling materials.

Bioresource Upgrade for Sustainable Energy, Environment, and Biomedicine.

We conceptualize bioresource upgrade for sustainable energy, environment, and biomedicine with a focus on circular economy, sustainability, and carbon neutrality using high availability and low utilization biomass (HALUB). We acme energy-efficient technologies for sustainable energy and material recovery and applications. The technologies of thermochemical conversion (TC), biochemical conversion (BC), electrochemical conversion (EC), and photochemical conversion (PTC) are summarized for HALUB. Microalgal biomass could contribute to a biofuel HHV of 35.72 MJ Kg-1 and total benefit of 749 $/ton biomass via TC. Specific surface area of biochar reached 3000 m2 g-1 via pyrolytic carbonization of waste bean dregs. Lignocellulosic biomass can be effectively converted into bio-stimulants and biofertilizers via BC with a high conversion efficiency of more than 90%. Besides, lignocellulosic biomass can contribute to a current density of 672 mA m-2 via EC. Bioresource can be 100% selectively synthesized via electrocatalysis through EC and PTC. Machine learning, techno-economic analysis, and life cycle analysis are essential to various upgrading approaches of HALUB. Sustainable biomaterials, sustainable living materials and technologies for biomedical and multifunctional applications like nano-catalysis, microfluidic and micro/nanomotors beyond are also highlighted. New techniques and systems for the complete conversion and utilization of HALUB for new energy and materials are further discussed.

Biaxially Compressive Strain in Ni/Ru Core/Shell Nanoplates Boosts Li-CO2 Batteries.

Regulating surface strain of nanomaterials is an effective strategy to manipulate the activity of catalysts, yet not well recognized in rechargeable Li-CO2 batteries. Herein, biaxially compressive strained nickel/ruthenium core/shell hexagonal nanoplates (Ni/Ru HNPs) with lattice compression of ≈5.1% and ≈3.2% in the Ru {10-10} and (0002) facets are developed as advanced catalysts for Li-CO2 batteries. It is demonstrated that tuning the electronic structure of Ru shell through biaxially compressive strain engineering can boost the kinetically sluggish CO2 reduction and evolution reactions, thus achieving a high-performance Li-CO2 battery with low charge platform/overpotential (3.75 V/0.88 V) and ultralong cycling life (120 cycles at 200 mA g-1 with a fixed capacity of 1000 mAh g-1 ). Density functional theory calculations reveal that the biaxially compressive strain can downshift the d-band center of surface Ru atoms and thus weaken the binding of CO2 molecules, which is energetically beneficial for the nucleation and decomposition of Li2 CO3 crystals during the discharge and charge processes. This study confirms that strain engineering, though constructing a well-defined core/shell structure, is a promising strategy to improve the inherent catalytic activity of Ru-based materials in Li-CO2 batteries.