Intramolecular benzene excimer formation in 13,14-diphenyldibenzo[b,j][4,7]phenanthroline.

13,14-diphenyldibenzo[b,j][4,7]phenanthroline (DBP3) in various solvents was studied by time-resolved fluorescence and fs transient absorption (fs-TA) spectroscopy. An intramolecular benzene excimer is demonstrated to form within DBP3; it exhibits strong redshifted emission with maximum at 540-640 nm. "Intrinsic" fluorescence from DBP3 is dramatically quenched down to τ = 50-400 fs in all the solvents studied. Fs-TA and time-resolved fluorescence spectra have proved that relaxed intramolecular benzene excimer is formed from S1 state via hot excimer state with three lifetime components: 50 fs, ∼3.5 ps, and ∼25 ps, which are of the inertial (electronic) and diffusive parts of the relaxation due to solute-solvent interaction. Formation of triplet states via intersystem crossing was observed directly from the upper excited electronic states of DBP3.

Iron atomic cluster supported on Co/NC having superior water oxidation activity over iron single atom.

Carbon-supported iron-cobalt bimetallic electrocatalysts usually exhibit robust catalytic activity toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, the spatial isolation of Fe species at atomic level on cobalt-carbon solid remains a great challenge for practical catalytic applications in the OER. Here, we report the fabrication of CoFe bimetal porous carbon electrocatalysts by pyrolysis of molecularly defined iron complexes such as FePc (Pc = phthalocyanine) and Fe(acac)3 pre-encapsulated in the cavities of zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF)-67. With this unique strategy, high-loading atomic Fe nanoclusters (Fe-ACs) and Fe single atoms (Fe-SAs) were supported on Co/NC hybrids relying on the size of the molecular Fe precursors. The former exhibited superior OER performance to the single Fe atom-decorated Co/NC, as well as other ZIF-67-derived electrocatalysts. Theoretical modulation suggests Co as the OER active site for Fe-ACs@Co/NC at the in situ-formed FeOOH-ACs/Co3O4 interface, while Fe was proposed as the active site for Fe-SAs@Co/NC.

Oxygen-Bridged Indium-Nickel Atomic Pair as Dual-Metal Active Sites Enabling Synergistic Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction.

Single-atom catalysts offer a promising pathway for electrochemical CO2 conversion. However, it is still a challenge to optimize the electrochemical performance of dual-atom catalysts. Here, an atomic indium-nickel dual-sites catalyst bridged by an axial oxygen atom (O-In-N6 -Ni moiety) was anchored on nitrogenated carbon (InNi DS/NC). InNi DS/NC exhibits superior CO selectivity with Faradaic efficiency higher than 90 % over a wide potential range from -0.5 to -0.8 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (vs. RHE). Moreover, an industrial CO partial current density up to 317.2 mA cm-2 is achieved at -1.0 V vs. RHE in a flow cell. In situ ATR-SEIRAS combined with theory calculations reveal that the synergistic effect of In-Ni dual-sites and O atom bridge not only reduces the reaction barrier for the formation of *COOH, but also retards the undesired hydrogen evolution reaction. This work provides a feasible strategy to construct dual-site catalysts towards energy conversion.

Engineering single-atomic ruthenium catalytic sites on defective nickel-iron layered double hydroxide for overall water splitting.

Rational design of single atom catalyst is critical for efficient sustainable energy conversion. However, the atomic-level control of active sites is essential for electrocatalytic materials in alkaline electrolyte. Moreover, well-defined surface structures lead to in-depth understanding of catalytic mechanisms. Herein, we report a single-atomic-site ruthenium stabilized on defective nickel-iron layered double hydroxide nanosheets (Ru1/D-NiFe LDH). Under precise regulation of local coordination environments of catalytically active sites and the existence of the defects, Ru1/D-NiFe LDH delivers an ultralow overpotential of 18 mV at 10 mA cm-2 for hydrogen evolution reaction, surpassing the commercial Pt/C catalyst. Density functional theory calculations reveal that Ru1/D-NiFe LDH optimizes the adsorption energies of intermediates for hydrogen evolution reaction and promotes the O-O coupling at a Ru-O active site for oxygen evolution reaction. The Ru1/D-NiFe LDH as an ideal model reveals superior water splitting performance with potential for the development of promising water-alkali electrocatalysts.

From Ru-bda to Ru-bds: a step forward to highly efficient molecular water oxidation electrocatalysts under acidic and neutral conditions.

Significant advances during the past decades in the design and studies of Ru complexes with polypyridine ligands have led to the great development of molecular water oxidation catalysts and understanding on the O-O bond formation mechanisms. Here we report a Ru-based molecular water oxidation catalyst [Ru(bds)(pic)2] (Ru-bds; bds2- = 2,2'-bipyridine-6,6'-disulfonate) containing a tetradentate, dianionic sulfonate ligand at the equatorial position and two 4-picoline ligands at the axial positions. This Ru-bds catalyst electrochemically catalyzes water oxidation with turnover frequencies (TOF) of 160 and 12,900 s-1 under acidic and neutral conditions respectively, showing much better performance than the state-of-art Ru-bda catalyst. Density functional theory calculations reveal that (i) under acidic conditions, the high valent Ru intermediate RuV=O featuring the 7-coordination configuration is involved in the O-O bond formation step; (ii) under neutral conditions, the seven-coordinate RuIV=O triggers the O-O bond formation; (iii) in both cases, the I2M (interaction of two M-O units) pathway is dominant over the WNA (water nucleophilic attack) pathway.

lnc-BAZ2B promotes M2 macrophage activation and inflammation in children with asthma through stabilizing BAZ2B pre-mRNA.

BACKGROUND: Dysregulation of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) is associated with a variety of human diseases; however, whether they have a role in childhood asthma is unknown. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the differential expression profiles of lncRNAs in PBMCs of children with asthma and the mechanisms underlying the effects of lncRNAs on the pathogenesis of asthma. METHODS: The differential expression profiles of lncRNAs were analyzed by transcriptome microarray. The effects and mechanisms by which lncRNAs influence macrophage activation were detected by real-time quantitative PCR, Western blot, RNase protection assay, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. The roles played by lncRNAs in asthma were tested in a cockroach allergen extract (CRE)-induced mouse model. RESULTS: We identified 719 lncRNAs that were differentially expressed in PBMCs of children with asthma, 502 of which were upregulated and 217 were downregulated. An lncRNA of unknown function, lnc-BAZ2B, was dominantly expressed in monocytes and significantly upregulated in children with asthma. lnc-BAZ2B promotes M2 macrophage activation by enhancing BAZ2B expression and exacerbated lung inflammation in an M2 macrophage-associated CRE-induced asthma model. Mechanistically, lnc-BAZ2B promoted the expression of its cis target gene BAZ2B by stabilizing its pre-mRNA. BAZ2B, a reader of H3K14ac modification, enhanced the transcription of IRF4 and promoted M2 macrophage activation. lnc-BAZ2B expression was correlated with that of BAZ2B in PBMCs from children with asthma. Baz2b knockdown could alleviate asthma severity in a CRE-induced asthma model. CONCLUSION: lnc-BAZ2B promotes M2 macrophage activation and inflammation in children with asthma and may serve as a potential therapeutic and diagnostic target in children with asthma.

LncRNA PTPRE-AS1 modulates M2 macrophage activation and inflammatory diseases by epigenetic promotion of PTPRE.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulators of diverse biological processes; however, their function in macrophage activation is undefined. We describe a new regulatory mechanism, where an unreported lncRNA, PTPRE-AS1, targets receptor-type tyrosine protein phosphatase ε (PTPRE) to regulate macrophage activation. PTPRE-AS1 was selectively expressed in IL-4-stimulated macrophages, and its knockdown promoted M2 macrophage activation via MAPK/ERK 1/2 pathway. In vivo, PTPRE-AS1 deficiency enhanced IL-4-mediated M2 macrophage activation and accelerated pulmonary allergic inflammation while reducing chemical-induced colitis. Mechanistically, PTPRE-AS1 bound WDR5 directly, modulating H3K4me3 of the PTPRE promoter to regulate PTPRE-dependent signaling during M2 macrophage activation. Further, the expression of PTPRE-AS1 and PTPRE was significantly lower in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with allergic asthma. These results provide evidence supporting the importance of PTPRE-AS1 in controlling macrophage function and the potential utility of PTPRE-AS1 as a target for controlling inflammatory diseases.

Iron carbonate hydroxide templated binary metal-organic frameworks for highly efficient electrochemical water oxidation.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising catalysts for electrochemical reactions. Herein, self-supported NiFe-MOF nanoplates grown on Ni foam (NF) were prepared with iron carbonate hydroxide nanosheets (FeCH NSs) as a semisacrificial template and evaluated for the electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In this approach, the porous FeCH NSs not only serve as the iron source of NiFe-MOF, but also slow down the leaching of Ni ions from the substrate, thus playing a unique role in regulating the morphology of NiFe-MOF with reduced thickness and sizes, enabling rapid electron transfer and mass transport. The resultant NiFe-MOF/FeCH-NF electrode showed higher activity than FeCH template-free electrodes and superior OER performance over other MOF based binder-free OER electrodes. A current density of 10 mA cm-2 was obtained at a low overpotential of 200 mV with excellent durability in alkaline solution. Raman and TEM measurements reveal the partial transformation of NiFe-MOF to hydroxide during water oxidation.

Iron-Salen Complex and Co2+ Ion-Derived Cobalt-Iron Hydroxide/Carbon Nanohybrid as an Efficient Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalyst.

Metal-salen complexes are widely used as catalysts in numerous fundamental organic transformation reactions. Here, CoFe hydroxide/carbon nanohybrid is reported as an efficient oxygen evolution electrocatalyst derived from the in situ formed molecular Fe-salen complexes and Co2+ ions at a low temperature of 160 °C. It has been evidenced that Fe-salen as a molecular precursor facilitates the confined-growth of metal hydroxides, while Co2+ plays a critical role in catalyzing the transformation of organic ligand into nanocarbons and constitutes an essential component for CoFe hydroxide. The resulting Co1.2Fe/C hybrid material requires an overpotential of 260 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 with high durability. The high activity is contributed to uniform distribution of CoFe hydroxides on carbon layer and excellent electron conductivity caused by intimate contact between metal and nanocarbon. Given the diversity of molecular precursors, these results represent a promising approach to high-performance carbon-based water splitting catalysts.

Iron-Based Molecular Water Oxidation Catalysts: Abundant, Cheap, and Promising.

An efficient and robust water oxidation catalyst based on abundant and cheap materials is the key to converting solar energy into fuels through artificial photosynthesis for the future of humans. The development of molecular water oxidation catalysts (MWOCs) is a smart way to achieve promising catalytic activity, thanks to the clear structures and catalytic mechanisms of molecular catalysts. Efficient MWOCs based on noble-metal complexes, for example, ruthenium and iridium, have been well developed over the last 30 years; however, the development of earth-abundant metal-based MWOCs is very limited and still challenging. Herein, the promising prospect of iron-based MWOCs is highlighted, with a comprehensive summary of previously reported studies and future research focus in this area.

Dendritic core-shell nickel-iron-copper metal/metal oxide electrode for efficient electrocatalytic water oxidation.

Electrochemical water splitting requires efficient water oxidation catalysts to accelerate the sluggish kinetics of water oxidation reaction. Here, we report a promisingly dendritic core-shell nickel-iron-copper metal/metal oxide electrode, prepared via dealloying with an electrodeposited nickel-iron-copper alloy as a precursor, as the catalyst for water oxidation. The as-prepared core-shell nickel-iron-copper electrode is characterized with porous oxide shells and metallic cores. This tri-metal-based core-shell nickel-iron-copper electrode exhibits a remarkable activity toward water oxidation in alkaline medium with an overpotential of only 180 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2. The core-shell NiFeCu electrode exhibits pH-dependent oxygen evolution reaction activity on the reversible hydrogen electrode scale, suggesting that non-concerted proton-electron transfers participate in catalyzing the oxygen evolution reaction. To the best of our knowledge, the as-fabricated core-shell nickel-iron-copper is one of the most promising oxygen evolution catalysts.

Hollow Iron-Vanadium Composite Spheres: A Highly Efficient Iron-Based Water Oxidation Electrocatalyst without the Need for Nickel or Cobalt.

Noble-metal-free bimetal-based electrocatalysts have shown high efficiency for water oxidation. Ni and/or Co in these electrocatalysts are essential to provide a conductive, high-surface area and a chemically stable host. However, the necessity of Ni or Co limits the scope of low-cost electrocatalysts. Herein, we report a hierarchical hollow FeV composite, which is Ni- and Co-free and highly efficient for electrocatalytic water oxidation with low overpotential 390 mV (10 mA cm-2 catalytic current density), low Tafel slope of 36.7 mV dec-1 , and a considerable durability. This work provides a novel and efficient catalyst, and greatly expands the scope of low-cost Fe-based electrocatalysts for water splitting without need of Ni or Co.

Molecular engineering for efficient and selective iron porphyrin catalysts for electrochemical reduction of CO2 to CO.

Iron porphyrins Fe-pE, Fe-mE, and Fe-oE were synthesized and their electrochemical behavior for CO2 reduction to CO has been investigated. The controlled potential electrolysis of Fe-mE gave exclusive 65% Faradaic efficiency (FE) whereas Fe-oE achieved quasi-quantitative 98% FE (2% H2) for CO production.

Nickel-vanadium monolayer double hydroxide for efficient electrochemical water oxidation.

Highly active and low-cost electrocatalysts for water oxidation are required due to the demands on sustainable solar fuels; however, developing highly efficient catalysts to meet industrial requirements remains a challenge. Herein, we report a monolayer of nickel-vanadium-layered double hydroxide that shows a current density of 27 mA cm(-2) (57 mA cm(-2) after ohmic-drop correction) at an overpotential of 350 mV for water oxidation. Such performance is comparable to those of the best-performing nickel-iron-layered double hydroxides for water oxidation in alkaline media. Mechanistic studies indicate that the nickel-vanadium-layered double hydroxides can provide high intrinsic catalytic activity, mainly due to enhanced conductivity, facile electron transfer and abundant active sites. This work may expand the scope of cost-effective electrocatalysts for water splitting.

An iron-based thin film as a highly efficient catalyst for electrochemical water oxidation in a carbonate electrolyte.

A highly active iron-based water-oxidation catalyst was electrodeposited from a CO2 saturated bicarbonate solution containing Fe(2+). This catalyst (Fe-Ci) produces a current density of 10 mA cm(-2) at an overpotential of 560 mV and the activity remains constant over 18 h in the environmentally benign HCO3(-)/CO3(2-) buffer (pH 9.75). A Tafel slope of 34 mV dec(-1) was obtained for Fe-Ci, which is lower than other reported values for iron-based catalysts.

Sensitizer-catalyst assemblies for water oxidation.

Two molecular assemblies with one Ru(II)-polypyridine photosensitizer covalently linked to one Ru(II)(bda)L2 catalyst (1) (bda = 2,2'-bipyridine-6,6'-dicarboxylate) and two photosensitizers covalently linked to one catalyst (2) have been prepared using a simple C-C bond as the linkage. In the presence of sodium persulfate as a sacrificial electron acceptor, both of them show high activity for catalytic water oxidation driven by visible light, with a turnover number up to 200 for 2. The linked photocatalysts show a lower initial yield for light driven oxygen evolution but a much better photostability compared to the three component system with separate sensitizer, catalyst and acceptor, leading to a much greater turnover number. Photocatalytic experiments and time-resolved spectroscopy were carried out to probe the mechanism of this catalysis. The linked catalyst in its Ru(II) state rapidly quenches the sensitizer, predominantly by energy transfer. However, a higher stability under photocatalytic condition is shown for the linked sensitizer compared to the three component system, which is attributed to kinetic stabilization by rapid photosensitizer regeneration. Strategies for employment of the sensitizer-catalyst molecules in more efficient photocatalytic systems are discussed.

Highly efficient molecular nickel catalysts for electrochemical hydrogen production from neutral water.

A series of nickel complexes containing N5-pentadentate ligands with different amine-to-pyridine ratios were studied for electrochemical H2 production in neutral water and the one with a diamine-tripyridine ligand displays a TON of up to 308,000 over 60 h electrolysis at -1.25 V vs. SHE, with a Faradaic efficiency of ∼91%.

Intramolecular iron-mediated C-H bond heterolysis with an assist of pendant base in a [FeFe]-hydrogenase model.

Although many metalloenzymes containing iron play a prominent role in biological C-H activation processes, to date iron-mediated C(sp(3))-H heterolysis has not been reported for synthetic models of Fe/S-metalloenzymes. In contrast, ample precedent has established that nature's design for reversible hydrogen activation by the diiron hydrogenase ([FeFe]-H2ase) active site involves multiple irons, sulfur bridges, a redox switch, and a pendant amine base, in an intricate arrangement to perform H-H heterolytic cleavage. In response to whether this strategy might be extended to C-H activation, we report that a [FeFe]-H2ase model demonstrates iron-mediated intramolecular C-H heterolytic cleavage via an agostic C-H interaction, with proton removal by a nearby pendant amine, affording Fe(II)-[Fe'(II)-CH-S] three-membered-ring products, which can be reduced back to 1 by Cp2Co in the presence of HBF4. The function of the pendant base as a proton shuttle was confirmed by the crystal structures of the N-protonated intermediate and the final deprotonated product in comparison with that of a similar but pendant-amine-free complex that does not show evidence of C-H activation. The mechanism of the process was backed up by DFT calculations.

Nickel complex with internal bases as efficient molecular catalyst for photochemical H2 production.

A Ni complex with internal bases that contain bipyridine-derived ligands, [Ni(L)2 (H2 O)2 ](BF4 )2 ([1](BF4 )2 , L=2-(2-pyridyl)-1,8-naphthyridine), and a reference complex that bears analogous bipyridine-derived ligands but without an internal base, [Ni(L')3 ](BF4 )2 ([2](BF4 )2 , L'=2-(2-pyridyl)quinoline), were synthesized and characterized. The electrochemical properties of these complexes were studied in CH3 CN, H2 O, and a mixture of EtOH/H2 O. The fluorescence spectroscopic studies suggest that both dynamic and the sphere-of-action static quenching exist in the fluorescein Fl(2-) /[1](2+) and Fl(2-) /[2](2+) systems. These noble-metal-free molecular systems were studied for photocatalytic H2 generation. Under optimal conditions, the turnover number of H2 evolution reaches 3230 based on [1](2+) , whereas [2](2+) displays only approximately one third of the turnover of [1](2+) . A plausible mechanism for the catalytic H2 generation by [1](2+) is presented based on DFT calculations.

Homogeneous oxidation of water by iron complexes with macrocyclic ligands.

The activity of eleven separated iron complexes and nine in situ-generated iron complexes towards catalytic water oxidation have been examined in aqueous solutions with Ce(NH4)2(NO3)6 as the oxidant. Two iron complexes bearing tridentate and tetradentate macrocyclic ligands were found to be novel water oxidation catalysts. The one with tetradentate ligand exhibited a promising activity with a turnover number of 65 for oxygen evolution.