Revolutionizing CO2 Electrolysis: Fluent Gas Transportation within Hydrophobic Porous Cu2O.

The success of electrochemical CO2 reduction at high current densities hinges on precise interfacial transportation and the local concentration of gaseous CO2. However, the creation of efficient CO2 transportation channels remains an unexplored frontier. In this study, we design and synthesize hydrophobic porous Cu2O spheres with varying pore sizes to unveil the nanoporous channel's impact on gas transfer and triple-phase interfaces. The hydrophobic channels not only facilitate rapid CO2 transportation but also trap compressed CO2 bubbles to form abundant and stable triple-phase interfaces, which are crucial for high-current-density electrocatalysis. In CO2 electrolysis, in situ spectroscopy and density functional theory results reveal that atomic edges of concave surfaces promote C-C coupling via an energetically favorable OC-COH pathway, leading to overwhelming CO2-to-C2+ conversion. Leveraging optimal gas transportation and active site exposure, the hydrophobic porous Cu2O with a 240 nm pore size (P-Cu2O-240) stands out among all the samples and exhibits the best CO2-to-C2+ productivity with remarkable Faradaic efficiency and formation rate up to 75.3 ± 3.1% and 2518.2 ± 8.1 µmol h-1 cm-2, respectively. This study introduces a novel paradigm for efficient electrocatalysts that concurrently addresses active site design and gas-transfer challenges.

Significant Enhancement of Negative Thermal Expansion Under Low Pressure in Cu2P2O7.

Much effort is made to achieve the negative thermal expansion (NTE) control, but rare methods reached the improvement of intrinsic NTE. In the present work, a significantly enhanced NTE is realized in Cu2P2O7 by applying low pressure. Especially, the volumetric coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of Cu2P2O7 reached to -50.0 × 10-6 K-1 (150-325K) under 0.25 GPa, which is increased by 47.5% compared to its NTE in a similar temperature range under atmosphere pressure. This character enables a more effective manifestation of the thermal compensation role of Cu2P2O7 in composites. The enhanced NTE mechanisms are analyzed by high pressure synchrotron X-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction at variable temperature and pressure, as well as density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The results show that applied pressure accelerates the contraction of the distance between adjacent CuO layers and CuO columns. Meanwhile, the low-frequency phonon contribution to NTE in α-Cu2P2O7 is improved. This work is meaningful for the exploration of methods to enhance NTE and the practical application of NTE materials.

Synchrotron X-Ray-Driven Nitrogen Reduction on an AgCu Thin Film.

Nitrogen (N2 ) is an essential element for life, but kinetically stable N2 in the atmosphere needs to be reduced to biologically available forms as a nutrient for organisms. Abiotic nitrogen fixation is critical to the origin of life on the early Earth, which is due to lightning or mineral-based reduction. Here, synchrotron X-ray-induced silver nitrate formation on a silver copper (AgCu) thin-film is reported. Time-resolved X-ray diffraction measurements show that under intense X-ray exposure, initially formed silver oxides (AgOx) are quickly converted to silver nitrate (AgNO3 ). Interestingly, AgNO3 is first formed in its high-temperature phase with a space group of R3cH, which gradually transforms to the room temperature phase with a space group of Pbca under continuous X-ray irradiation. The result not only provides a new clue about the abiotic nitrogen reduction prior to life but also demonstrates a novel strategy of materials synthesis using synchrotron X-rays.

Spontaneous Strain Buffer Enables Superior Cycling Stability in Single-Crystal Nickel-Rich NCM Cathode.

The capacity degredation in layered Ni-rich LiNixCoyMnzO2 (x ≥ 0.8) cathode largely originated from drastic surface reactions and intergranular cracks in polycrystalline particles. Herein, we report a highly stable single-crystal LiNi0.83Co0.12Mn0.05O2 cathode material, which can deliver a high specific capacity (∼209 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C, 2.8-4.3 V) and meanwhile display excellent cycling stability (>96% retention for 100 cycles and >93% for 200 cycles). By a combination of in situ X-ray diffraction and in situ pair distribution function analysis, an intermediate monoclinic distortion and irregular H3 stack are revealed in the single crystals upon charging-discharging processes. These structural changes might be driven by unique Li-intercalation kinetics in single crystals, which enables an additional strain buffer to reduce the cracks and thereby ensure the high cycling stability.

Direct Observation of Polarization Rotation in the Monoclinic MB Phase under Electrical Loading.

The monoclinic phase has received a lot of research because of its importance in explaining the origin of high piezoelectric and ferroelectric performances around the morphotropic phase boundary. In the present study, we have investigated the detailed structural evolution in monoclinic PbZr0.535Ti0.465O3 ferroelectric ceramics induced by an electric field with in situ high-energy synchrotron diffraction combined with two-dimensional (2D) geometry scattering technology. It has been discovered that an electric-field-induced single monoclinic MB phase persists indefinitely. The lattice, unit cell volume, and spontaneous polarization of the monoclinic MB structure exhibit significant and flexible responses to the external electric field, i.e., the spontaneous polarization rotates continuously and the lattice and unit cell volume present a butterfly form under the influence of the bipolar electric field. Particularly, direct experimental evidence demonstrates that the macropolarization of PbZr0.535Ti0.465O3 is derived from the spontaneous polarization rotation rather than domain switching, and its volume expansion plays a vital role in the piezoelectric response.

Controllable Ferromagnetism in Super-tetragonal PbTiO3 through Strain Engineering.

The coupling strain in nanoscale systems can achieve control of the physical properties in functional materials, such as ferromagnets, ferroelectrics, and superconductors. Here, we directly demonstrate the atomic-scale structure of super-tetragonal PbTiO3 nanocomposite epitaxial thin films, including the extraordinary coupling of strain transition and the existence of the oxygen vacancies. Large strain gradients, both longitudinal and transverse (∼3 × 107 m-1), have been observed. The original non-magnetic ferroelectric composites notably evoke ferromagnetic properties, derived from the combination of Ti3+ and oxygen vacancies. The saturation ferromagnetic moment can be controlled by the strain of both the interphase and substrate, optimized to a high value of ∼55 emu/cc in 10-nm thick nanocomposite epitaxial thin films on the LaAlO3 substrate. Strain engineering provides a route to explore multiferroic systems in conventional non-magnetic ferroelectric oxides and to create functional data storage devices from both ferroelectrics and ferromagnetics.

Structural Isomerism of Two Ce-BTC for Fabricating Pt/CeO2 Nanorods toward Low-Temperature CO Oxidation.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted enormous research interest as precursors/templates to prepare catalytic materials. However, the effect of structural isomerism of MOFs on the catalytic performance has rarely been studied. In this contribution, two topologically different Ce-benzene tricarboxylate (Ce-BTC) based on the same ligands and metal centers (viz., "MOF isomers") are prepared and used as porous supports to load Pt nanoparticles (NPs), which shows distinct differences in porosities and loading behaviors of Pt. Strikingly, an irreversible framework transformation from tetragonal Ce-BTC to monoclinic isomer is observed during water soaking treatment. The results give clear evidence that Pt/CeO2 derived from tetragonal Ce-BTC inclines to produce more Pt0 and smaller Pt NPs, which eventually improve the catalytic performance for CO oxidation (T100 = 80 °C). In situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy analyses demonstrate that the adsorbed CO-Pt0 is the dominant intermediate for CO oxidation, rather than CO-Ptσ + at the low temperature. Furthermore, MOF isomers based on the same structural units are also found in other Ln-MOFs, such as Er-BTC, Eu-BTC, Y-BTC, and Ce/Y-BTC. Overall, this study affords a fundamental understanding of the effect of MOF structural isomers on the catalytic performance of the derived composites.

Relationship among the Crystal Structure, Texture, and Macroscopic Properties of Tetragonal (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O3 Ferroelectrics Investigated by In Situ High-Energy Synchrotron Diffraction.

In situ diffraction investigations have played an important role in experimentally revealing the mechanism of piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties. In this study, a pure tetragonal ferroelectric ceramic of La-doped PbZr0.5Ti0.5O3 (LaPZT50) was investigated to eliminate the complex influence of phase coexistence. The electric field evolutions of the crystal structure, domain switching, and lattice deformation of the tetragonal phase have been revealed by in situ high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction. We found that the crystal structure of LaPZT50 is quite stable, showing a negligible change in the Pb-O bond length, unit cell volume, and spontaneous polarization upon application of an in situ external electric field. Importantly, the maximum macroscopic polarization of tetragonal LaPZT50 is defined by the 111-oriented grains. As determined by the intensity difference, the switching of non-180° domains plays a more significant role in contributing to the macroscopic strain than lattice deformation. These results further imply that the phase coexistence around the morphotropic phase boundary facilitates domain wall motion in the tetragonal phase and improves the ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties.

miR-216b Post-Transcriptionally Downregulates Oncogene KRAS and Inhibits Cell Proliferation and Invasion in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Increasing evidence has shown that miR-216b plays an important role in human cancer progression. However, little is known about the function of miR-216b in renal cell carcinoma. METHODS: The expression levels of miR-216b in renal cell carcinoma tissues and cell lines were examined by qRT-PCR. The biological role of miR-216b in renal cell carcinoma proliferation and/or metastasis was examined in vitro and in vivo. The target of miR-216b was identified by a dual-luciferase reporter assay. The expression level of KRAS protein was measured by western blotting. RESULTS: The expression of miR-216b was downregulated in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) cell lines and specimens compared to the adjacent normal tissues. Furthermore, miR-216b can bind to the 3'untranslated region (UTR) of KRAS and inhibit the expression of KRAS through translational repression. The in vitro study revealed that miR-216b attenuated ccRCC cell proliferation and invasion. Furthermore, in vivo study also showed that miR-216b suppressed tumor growth. MiR-216b exerted its tumor suppressor function through inhibiting the KRAS-related MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide, for the first time, significant clues regarding the role of miR-216b as a tumor suppressor by targeting KRAS in ccRCC.

Role of Reversible Phase Transformation for Strong Piezoelectric Performance at the Morphotropic Phase Boundary.

A functional material with coexisting energetically equivalent phases often exhibits extraordinary properties such as piezoelectricity, ferromagnetism, and ferroelasticity, which is simultaneously accompanied by field-driven reversible phase transformation. The study on the interplay between such phase transformation and the performance is of great importance. Here, we have experimentally revealed the important role of field-driven reversible phase transformation in achieving enhanced electromechanical properties using in situ high-energy synchrotron x-ray diffraction combined with 2D geometry scattering technology, which can establish a comprehensive picture of piezoelectric-related microstructural evolution. High-throughput experiments on various Pb/Bi-based perovskite piezoelectric systems suggest that reversible phase transformation can be triggered by an electric field at the morphotropic phase boundary and the piezoelectric performance is highly related to the tendency of electric-field-driven phase transformation. A strong tendency of phase transformation driven by an electric field generates peak piezoelectric response. Further, phase-field modeling reveals that the polarization alignment and the piezoelectric response can be much enhanced by the electric-field-driven phase transformation. The proposed mechanism will be helpful to design and optimize the new piezoelectrics, ferromagnetics, or other related functional materials.

Structural Correlation to Piezoelectric and Ferroelectric Mechanisms in Rhombohedral Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 Ceramics by in-Situ Synchrotron Diffraction.

The evidence of fundamental lattice strain and domain switching contribution to the piezoelectric and ferroelectric responses of ceramics has been well studied, while the contribution from crystal structure variation has been rarely reported in terms of the existence of intergranular stress/strain and crystallographic texture. In the present study, the detailed electric field induced structure evolution in rhombohedral PbZr0.55Ti0.45O3 (PZT55) has been investigated by in-situ high-energy synchrotron diffraction. The phase of PZT55 is stable in the rhombohedral one against bipolar electrical loading. It is interesting to find that both spontaneous polarization and unit cell volume exhibit a butterfly shape in response to electric field. Direct evidence has revealed that the lattice strain and volume expansion show similar variation tendency to the piezoelectric response in the rhombohedral PZT55. The macro-polarization of PZT55 derives from the combination of domain switching and spontaneous polarization change.

Local Chemical Ordering and Negative Thermal Expansion in PtNi Alloy Nanoparticles.

An atomic insight into the local chemical ordering and lattice strain is particular interesting to recent emerging bimetallic nanocatalysts such as PtNi alloys. Here, we reported the atomic distribution, chemical environment, and lattice thermal evolution in full-scale structural description of PtNi alloy nanoparticles (NPs). The different segregation of elements in the well-faceted PtNi nanoparticles is convinced by extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). Atomic pair distribution function (PDF) study evidences the coexistence of the face-centered cubic and tetragonal ordering parts in the local environment of PtNi nanoparticles. Further reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) simulation with PDF data obviously exposed the segregation as Ni and Pt in the centers of {111} and {001} facets, respectively. Layer-by-layer statistical analysis up to 6 nm for the local atomic pairs revealed the distribution of local tetragonal ordering on the surface. This local coordination environment facilitates the distribution of heteroatomic Pt-Ni pairs, which plays an important role in the negative thermal expansion of Pt41Ni59 NPs. The present study on PtNi alloy NPs from local short-range coordination to long-range average lattice provides a new perspective on tailoring physical properties in nanomaterials.

Critical Role of Monoclinic Polarization Rotation in High-Performance Perovskite Piezoelectric Materials.

High-performance piezoelectric materials constantly attract interest for both technological applications and fundamental research. The understanding of the origin of the high-performance piezoelectric property remains a challenge mainly due to the lack of direct experimental evidence. We perform in situ high-energy x-ray diffraction combined with 2D geometry scattering technology to reveal the underlying mechanism for the perovskite-type lead-based high-performance piezoelectric materials. The direct structural evidence reveals that the electric-field-driven continuous polarization rotation within the monoclinic plane plays a critical role to achieve the giant piezoelectric response. An intrinsic relationship between the crystal structure and piezoelectric performance in perovskite ferroelectrics has been established: A strong tendency of electric-field-driven polarization rotation generates peak piezoelectric performance and vice versa. Furthermore, the monoclinic M_{A} structure is the key feature to superior piezoelectric properties as compared to other structures such as monoclinic M_{B}, rhombohedral, and tetragonal. A high piezoelectric response originates from intrinsic lattice strain, but little from extrinsic domain switching. The present results will facilitate designing high-performance perovskite piezoelectric materials by enhancing the intrinsic lattice contribution with easy and continuous polarization rotation.

Zero Thermal Expansion and Semiconducting Properties in PbTiO3-Bi(Co, Ti)O3 Ferroelectric Solid Solutions.

Zero thermal expansion (ZTE) behavior is rare but important for both fundamental studies and practical applications of functional materials. Until now, most available ZTE materials are either electrical insulating oxides or conductive metallic compounds. Very few ZTE materials exhibit the semiconductor feature. Here we report a ZTE in a semiconducting ferroelectric of 0.6PbTiO3-0.4Bi(Co0.55Ti0.45)O3-δ. Its unit cell volume exhibits a negligible change over a broad temperature range from room temperature to 500 °C. The ZTE is supposed to be correlated with the spontaneous volume ferroelectronstriction. Intriguingly, the present ZTE material also exhibits the semiconducting characteristic accompanied by negative temperature coefficient of resistance. The mechanism of electric conduction is attributed to the electronic hopping from one ion (Ti3+) to another (Ti4+). The semiconductor nature has also been confirmed by the noticeable visible-light absorption with the relatively lower band gap (Eg) value of 1.5 eV, while the ferroelectric property can be well-maintained with large polarization. The first-principles calculations reveal that the drastically narrowed Eg is related to the Co-Ti substitution. The present multifunctional material containing ZTE, semiconducting, and ferroelectric properties is suggested to enable new applications such as the substrate for solar conversion devices.

New Insights into the Negative Thermal Expansion: Direct Experimental Evidence for the "Guitar-String" Effect in Cubic ScF3.

The understanding of the negative thermal expansion (NTE) mechanism remains challenging but critical for the development of NTE materials. This study sheds light on NTE of ScF3, one of the most outstanding materials with NTE. The local dynamics of ScF3 has been investigated by a combined analysis of synchrotron-based X-ray total scattering, extended X-ray absorption fine structure, and neutron powder diffraction. Very interestingly, we observe that (i) the Sc-F nearest-neighbor distance strongly expands with increasing temperature, while the Sc-Sc next-nearest-neighbor distance contracts, (ii) the thermal ellipsoids of relative vibrations between Sc-F nearest-neighbors are highly elongated in the direction perpendicular to the Sc-F bond, indicating that the Sc-F bond is much softer to bend than to stretch, and (iii) there is mainly dynamically transverse motion of fluorine atoms, rather than static shifts. These results are direct experimental evidence for the NTE mechanism, in which the rigid unit is not necessary for the occurrence of NTE, and the key role is played by the transverse thermal vibrations of fluorine atoms through the "guitar-string" effect.

Unique Piezoelectric Properties of the Monoclinic Phase in Pb(Zr,Ti)O_{3} Ceramics: Large Lattice Strain and Negligible Domain Switching.

The origin of the excellent piezoelectric properties at the morphotropic phase boundary is generally attributed to the existence of a monoclinic phase in various piezoelectric systems. However, there exist no experimental studies that reveal the role of the monoclinic phase in the piezoelectric behavior in phase-pure ceramics. In this work, a single monoclinic phase has been identified in Pb(Zr,Ti)O_{3} ceramics at room temperature by in situ high-energy synchrotron x-ray diffraction, and its response to electric field has been characterized for the first time. Unique piezoelectric properties of the monoclinic phase in terms of large intrinsic lattice strain and negligible domain switching have been observed. The extensional strain constant d_{33} and the transverse strain constant d_{31} are calculated to be 520 and -200 pm/V, respectively. These large piezoelectric coefficients are mainly due to the large intrinsic lattice strain, with very little extrinsic contribution from domain switching. The unique properties of the monoclinic phase provide new insights into the mechanisms responsible for the piezoelectric properties at the morphotropic phase boundary.

Giant Polarization and High Temperature Monoclinic Phase in a Lead-Free Perovskite of Bi(Zn0.5Ti0.5)O3-BiFeO3.

Lead-free piezoelectrics have attracted increasing attention because of the awareness of lead toxicity to the environment. Here, a new bismuth-based lead-free perovskite, (1 - x)Bi(Zn0.5Ti0.5)O3-xBiFeO3, has been synthesized via a high-pressure and high-temperature method. It exhibits interesting properties of giant polarization, morphotropic phase boundary (MPB), and monoclinic phase. In particular, large tetragonality (c/a = 1.228) and giant spontaneous polarization of 110 µC/cm2 has been obtained in 0.6 Bi(Zn0.5Ti0.5)O3-0.4BiFeO3, which is much higher than most available lead-free materials and conventional Pb(Zr,Ti)O3. MPB is clearly identified to be constituted of tetragonal and monoclinic phases at x = 0.5. Notably, a single monoclinic phase has been observed at x = 0.6, which exhibits an intriguing high-temperature property. The present results are helpful to explore new lead-free MPB systems in bismuth-based compounds.

Zero thermal expansion and ferromagnetism in cubic Sc(1-x)M(x)F3 (M = Ga, Fe) over a wide temperature range.

The rare physical property of zero thermal expansion (ZTE) is intriguing because neither expansion nor contraction occurs with temperature fluctuations. Most ZTE, however, occurs below room temperature. It is a great challenge to achieve isotropic ZTE at high temperatures. Here we report the unconventional isotropic ZTE in the cubic (Sc1-xMx)F3 (M = Ga, Fe) over a wide temperature range (linear coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), αl = 2.34 × 10(-7) K(-1), 300-900 K). Such a broad temperature range with a considerably negligible CTE has rarely been documented. The present ZTE property has been designed using the introduction of local distortions in the macroscopic cubic lattice by heterogeneous cation substitution for the Sc site. Even though the macroscopic crystallographic structure of (Sc0.85Ga0.05Fe0.1)F3 adheres to the cubic system (Pm3̅m) according to the results of X-ray diffraction, the local structure exhibits a slight rhombohedral distortion. This is confirmed by pair distribution function analysis of synchrotron radiation X-ray total scattering. This local distortion may weaken the contribution from the transverse thermal vibration of fluorine atoms to negative thermal expansion, and thus may presumably be responsible for the ZTE. In addition, the present ZTE compounds of (Sc1-xMx)F3 can be functionalized to exhibit high-Tc ferromagnetism and a narrow-gap semiconductor feature. The present study shows the possibility of obtaining ZTE materials with multifunctionality in future work.

Ordered structure and thermal expansion in tungsten bronze Pb2K(0.5)Li(0.5)Nb5O15.

The crystal structure and thermal expansion behaviors of a new tetragonal tungsten bronze (TTB) ferroelectric, Pb2K(0.5)Li(0.5)Nb5O15, were systematically investigated by selected-area electron diffraction (SAED), neutron powder diffraction, synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD), and high-temperature XRD. SAED and Rietveld refinement reveal that Pb2K(0.5)Li(0.5)Nb5O15 displays a commensurate superstructure of simple orthorhombic TTB structure at room temperature. The structure can be described with space group Bb21m. The transition to a paraelectric phase (P4/mbm) occurs at 500 °C. Compared with Pb2KNb5O15 (PKN), the substitution of 0.5K(+) with small 0.5Li(+) into PKN causes the tilting of NbO6 octahedra away from the c axis with Δθ ≈ 10° and raises the Curie temperature by 40 °C, and the negative thermal expansion coefficient along the polar b axis increases more than 50% in the temperature range 25-500 °C. We present that, by introduction of Li(+), the enhanced spontaneous polarization is responsible for the enhanced negative thermal expansion along the b axis, which may be caused by more Pb(2+) in the pentagonal caves.

Hierarchical organic microspheres from diverse molecular building blocks.

Microspherical structures find broad application in chemistry and materials science, including in separations and purifications, energy storage and conversion, organic and biocatalysis, and as artificial and bioactive scaffolds. Despite this utility, the systematic diversification of their morphology and function remains hindered by the limited range of their molecular building blocks. Drawing upon the design principles of reticular synthesis, where diverse organic molecules generate varied porous frameworks, we show herein how analogous microspherical structures can be generated under mild conditions. The assembly of simple organic molecules into microspherical structures with advanced morphologies represents a grand challenge. Beginning with a partially condensed Schiff base which self-assembles into a hierarchical organic microsphere, we systematically synthesized sixteen microspheres from diverse molecular building blocks. We subsequently explicate the mechanism of hierarchical assembly through which these hierarchical organic microspheres are produced, isolating the initial monomer, intermediate substructures, and eventual microspheres. Furthermore, the open cavities present on the surfaces of these constructs provided distinctive adsorptive properties, which we harnessed for the immobilization of enzymes and bacteriophages. Holistically, these hierarchical organic microspheres provide an approach for designing multi-functional superstructures with advanced morphologies derived from simple organic molecules, revealing an extended length scale for reticular synthesis.