Energy-Efficient Electrosynthesis of High Value-Added Active Chlorine Coupled with H2 Generation from Direct Seawater Electrolysis through Decoupling Electrolytes.

Direct saline (seawater) electrolysis is a well-recognized system to generate active chlorine species for the chloride-mediated electrosynthesis, environmental remediation and sterilization over the past few decades. However, the large energy consumption originated from the high cell voltage of traditional direct saline electrolysis system, greatly restricts its practical application. Here, we report an acid-saline hybrid electrolysis system for energy-saving co-electrosynthesis of active chlorine and H2. We demonstrate that this system just requires a low cell voltage of 1.59 V to attain 10 mA cm-2 with a large energy consumption decrease of 27.7 % compared to direct saline electrolysis system (2.20 V). We further demonstrate that such acid-saline hybrid electrolysis system could be extended to realize energy-saving and sustainable seawater electrolysis. The acidified seawater in this system can absolutely avoid the formation of Ca/Mg-based sediments that always form in the seawater electrolysis system. We also prove that this system in the half-flow mode can realize real-time preparation of active chlorine used for sterilization and pea sprout production.

Nature-Derived Hollow Micron-Tubular Signal Tracers Conquering the Size Limitations for Multimodal Immunochromatographic Detection of Antibiotics.

Developing signal tracers (STAs) with large size, multifunctionality, and high retention bioaffinity is believed to be a potential solution for achieving high-performance immunochromatographic assays (ICAs). However, the size limitations of STAs on strips are always a challenge because of the serious steric hindrance. Here, based on metal-quinone coordination and further metal etching, hollow micron-tubular STAs formed by natural alizarin and Fe3+ ions (named ALIFe) are produced to break through size limitations, provide more active sites, and achieve three-mode ICAs (ALIFe STAs-ICAs). Thanks to the special tubular morphology, ALIFe can successfully pass through the strip and provide an ideal signal intensity within 7 min at low mAb and probe dosages to achieve stable ICA analysis. Importantly, ALIFe shows excellent antibody enrichment and bioaffinity retention capability. With a proof-of-concept for streptomycin, the ALIFe STAs-ICAs showed the limit of detection (LOD) at 0.39 ng mL-1 for colorimetric mode, 0.32 ng mL-1 for catalytic mode, and 0.016 ng mL-1 for photothermal mode with total recoveries ranging from 80.46 to 121.59% in mike and honey samples. We anticipate that our study will help expand the ideas for the design of high-performance STAs with large size and broaden the practical application of ICA.

Photosynthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide Based on g-C3 N4 : The Road of a Cost-Effective Clean Fuel Production.

Emerging artificial photosynthesis promises to offer a competitive means for solar energy conversion and further solves the energy crisis facing the world. Hydrogen peroxide (H2 O2 ), which is considered as a benign oxidant and a prospective liquid fuel, has received worldwide attention in the field of artificial photosynthesis on account of the source materials are just oxygen, water, and sunlight. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3 N4 )-based photocatalysts for H2 O2 generation have attracted extensive research interest due to the intrinsic properties of g-C3 N4 . In this review, research processes for H2 O2 generation on the basis of g-C3 N4 , including development, fabrication, merits, and disadvantages, and the state-of-the-art methods to enhance the performance are summarized after a brief introduction and the mechanism analysis of an efficient catalytic system. Also, recent applications of g-C3 N4 -based photocatalysts for H2 O2 production are reviewed, and the significance of active sites and synthetic pathways are highlighted from the view of reducing barriers. Finally, this paper ends with some concluding remarks to reveal the issues and opportunities of g-C3 N4 -based photocatalysts for producing H2 O2 in a high yield.

Two-Dimensional Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-L-Derived Iron-Cobalt Oxide Nanoparticle-Composed Nanosheet Array for Water Oxidation.

Rational design of various functional nanomaterials using MOFs as a template provides an effective strategy to synthesize electrocatalysts for water splitting. In this work, we reported that an iron-cobalt oxide with 2D well-aligned nanoflakes assembling on carbon cloth (Fe-Co3O4 NS/CC), fabricated by an anion-exchange reaction followed by an annealing process, could serve as a high-performance oxygen-evolving catalyst. Specifically, the zeolitic imidazolate framework-L-Co nanosheet array (ZIF-L-Co NS/CC) was synthesized through a facile ambient liquid-phase deposition reaction, and then reacted with [Fe(CN)6]3- ions as precursors during the anion-exchange reaction at room temperature. Finally, the Fe-Co3O4 NS/CC was obtained via annealing treatment. On account of the compositional and structural superiority, this 3D monolithic anode exhibited outstanding electrocatalytic performance with a low overpotential of 290 mV to obtain a geometrical current density of 10 mA cm-2 and good durability for water oxidation in base.

Conductive Leaflike Cobalt Metal-Organic Framework Nanoarray on Carbon Cloth as a Flexible and Versatile Anode toward Both Electrocatalytic Glucose and Water Oxidation.

Transition metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), on account of their unique inherent properties of large pore volume, high specific surface area, tunable pores, and good catalytic activity, have been highly regarded as superior catalysts recently for water electrolysis, supercapacitors, batteries, sensors, and so on. Herein, we report on a cobalt MOF phase with 3D well-aligned nanosheets array architecture on carbon cloth (Co-MOF NS/CC), fabricated by a facile ambient liquid-phase deposition, could serve as a self-standing Janus catalytic electrode toward both glucose and water oxidation. It shows good glucose-sensing performance with low determination limit and large detection range. Also, it exhibits high water-oxidation efficiency with low overpotential and good durability. This work demonstrates the potential of utilizing transition-metal based well-aligned MOF nanoarrays for electrocatalytic oxidation.

Modified halloysite nanotubes as GRAS nanocarrier for intelligent monitoring and food preservation.

Conventional "all-in-one" methods for multi-component active packaging systems are not wholly adequate for fresh food. Given the need for multifunctional properties, introducing halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) could be a promising way to achieve controllable release of active ingredients while endowing with pH-sensitive performance. Here, we pioneered a GRAS composite with multifunctional properties, employing natural HNTs as a nanocarrier, citral (Cit) as an active antimicrobial agent, and myricetin (Myr) for monitoring freshness. The Cit-HNTs-Myr had excellent DPPH, ABTS and ·OH radical scavenging capacity, dual-model (contact and fumigant) antibacterial properties, and pH-sensitive performance. Subsequently, a smart tag prepared by dipping cellulose fibers into Cit-HNTs-Myr, which extended the shelf life of shrimp and blueberries, and provided freshness information for the shrimp. These results demonstrate the applicability of Cit-HNTs-Myr in the preservation of perishable goods and freshness monitoring.

Induction of alpha/beta interferon by myxoma virus is selectively abrogated when primary mouse embryo fibroblasts become immortalized.

Mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) are a widely used cell culture system in life sciences, including virology. Here, we show that although primary MEFs are nonpermissive to myxoma virus replication, the corresponding immortalized MEFs support a highly productive myxoma virus infection. We further demonstrate that this permissive phenotype for myxoma virus in immortalized MEFs is due to the immortalization-associated selective block to the cellular alpha/beta interferon induction machinery involved in responding to myxoma virus challenge. Thus, our report presents a clear example, illustrating that a drastic phenotypic alteration can occur with respect to virus infection between primary cells and their immortalized counterparts.

Surface Engineering of Carbon Fiber Paper toward Exceptionally High-Performance and Stable Electrochemical Nitrite Sensing.

In this work, we introduce our recent finding that the carbon fiber paper (CFP) treated by simple air annealing (OCFP) could be used for exceptionally high-performance electrochemical nitrite sensing. The air-annealing process endows the pristine CFP with higher defective edge/plane sites, more oxygen-containing functional groups, higher roughness, and improved wettability. The electrochemical studies show that the OCFP exhibits excellent sensing performance for nitrite, with an ultralow determination limit of 0.1 µM and a detection limit of 0.07 µM, an ultrawide linear determination range of 0.1-3838.5 µM, a fast current response of 1 s, and a high sensitivity of 930.4 µA mM-1 cm-2. These performance values are comparable or even superior to those for most reported noble- or transition-metal-based advanced nitrite sensors. Besides, this electrode also presents satisfactory stability, reproducibility, and feasibility of nitrite sensing in food samples. As an ideal monolithic and metal-free catalyst with ultrahigh and stable detection performance, the OCFP has a high potential to be integrated into next-generation electrochemical sensing devices.

Highly sensitive and reproducible non-enzymatic glucose sensor fabricated by drop-casting novel nanocomposite with 3D architecture and tailorable properties prepared in controllable way.

Novel nanocomposite has tailorable properties and ordered 3D architecture similar to the structure of materials prepared by electrodeposition which is convenient and efficient but the reproducibility is limited because of the uncontrollable preparation process, was scientifically synthetized in controllable way and used for non-enzymatic glucose sensor for the first time. Flower-like α-Ni(OH)2 with high specific surface areas and good anion transport ability benefited from its distinctive stacking faults and turbostratic disorder structure was synthesized through facile one-step hydrothermal method. Oversaturated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been innovatively decorated on flower-like α-Ni(OH)2 to improve the electrical conductivity, in turn, AuNPs would possess the higher catalytic activity when supported on Ni(OH)2, so the resultant AuNPs decorated α-Ni(OH)2 (AuNPs@α-Ni(OH)2) also has excellent synergistic catalytic effect and improved selectivity. On this basis, ß-cyclodextrins functionalized reduced graphene oxide (ß-rGO) with enhanced dispersivity was scientifically added at optimized proportion to reduce the interparticle resistance of AuNPs@α-Ni(OH)2 as 2D electron transport channels, and to improve film-forming ability of the obtained nanocomposite via forming stable 3D network structure. Non-enzymatic glucose sensor fabricated through drop-casting the prepared nanocomposite on glass carbon electrode has high sensitivity up to 559.314µAmM-1cm-2 over the low concentration range and 327.199µAmM-1cm-2 over the higher concentration range, comparable to the sensors modified by electrodeposition method, indicating that prepared nanocomposite with controlling nanoscale composition and architectures based on rational design is an effective strategy to construct electrochemical sensor with excellent performance.

Disruption of Erk-dependent type I interferon induction breaks the myxoma virus species barrier.

Myxoma virus, a member of the poxvirus family, causes lethal infection only in rabbits, but the mechanism underlying the strict myxoma virus species barrier is not known. Here we show that myxoma virus infection of primary mouse embryo fibroblasts elicited extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) signaling, which was integrated to interferon regulatory factor 3 activation and type I interferon induction. We further show that Erk inactivation or disruption of interferon signaling mediated by the transcription factor STAT1 broke the cellular blockade to myxoma virus multiplication. Moreover, STAT1 deficiency rendered mice highly susceptible to lethal myxoma virus infection. Thus, the Erk-interferon-STAT1 signaling cascade elicited by myxoma virus in nonpermissive primary mouse embryo fibroblasts mediates an innate cellular barrier to poxvirus infection.