Hybrid-Mechanism Synergistic Flexible Nb2O5@WS2@C Carbon Nanofiber Anode for Superior Sodium Storage.

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have demonstrated remarkable development potential and commercial prospects. However, in the current state of research, the development of high-energy-density, long-cycle-life, high-rate-performance anode materials for SIBs remains a huge challenge. Free-standing flexible electrodes, owing to their ability to achieve higher energy density without the need for current collectors, binders, and conductive additives, have garnered significant attention across various fields. In this work, we designed and fabricated a free-standing three-dimensional flexible Nb2O5@WS2@C carbon nanofiber (CNF) anode based on a hybrid adsorption-intercalation-conversion mechanism of sodium storage, using electrospinning and hydrothermal synthesis processes. The hybrid structure, aided by synergistic effects, releases the advantages of all materials, demonstrating a superior rate performance (288, 248, 211, 158, 90, and 48 mA h g-1 at the current density of 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, and 10 A g-1, respectively) and good cycling stability (160 mA h g-1 after 200 cycles at 1 A g-1). This work provides certain guiding significance for future research on hybrid and flexible anodes of SIBs.

Research on the energy storage performance of laminated composites based on multidimensional co-design in a broad temperature range.

Polymer dielectrics play an irreplaceable role in electronic power systems because of their high power density and fast charge-discharge capability, but it is limited by their low stability in the temperature range of 25-200 °C. Rather than the introduction of one-dimensional fillers in polymers, we used a kind of multidimensional synergistic design to prepare Al2O3-TiO2-Al2O3/PI composites with layered structures by introducing multi-dimensional materials in polyimide (PI). In fact, the composite achieves much higher temperature stability than the pure PI film. The optimally proportioned composite has an energy density of 3.41 J cm-3 (vs. 1.48 J cm-3 for pure PI) even at 200 °C. Additionally, it reaches an impressive energy density retention of up to 90% and maintains an energy efficiency as high as 86% at 400 MV m-1 in the temperature range of 25-200 °C. The multidimensional coordination design is proposed to obtain composite films, and provides a feasible strategy in the study of polymer-based composites with high-temperature performance.

Employing a chelating agent as electrolyte additive with synergistic effects yields highly reversible zinc metal anodes.

Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) have attracted sustained attention owing to their intrinsic safety and low cost. Unfortunately, the dendrite growth and parasitic side reactions of metallic zinc anodes severely degrade the cycling stability of the batteries and limit the practical application of AZIBs. In this work, calcium gluconate (CG), a chelating agent, as a novel electrolyte additive was introduced to tackle the thorny issue of zinc anodes in a 2 M ZnSO4 electrolyte by the synergistic effects of gluconate (GA-) anions and Ca2+ cations. Experimental characterization and computational simulations confirmed that the incorporation of GA- can not only mitigate the precipitation of Ca2+ ions, but also affect the primary solvation shell (PSS) of Zn2+ and modulate the electrode/electrolyte interfacial reaction, thereby inhibiting side reactions. Besides, trace amounts of Ca2+ cations can preferentially adsorb on the surface of the zinc anode tip, forming an electrostatic shielding shell that guides the uniform deposition of zinc ions. The Zn//Zn symmetric cells achieved a remarkably prolonged cycling lifespan ranging from 174 h to 3745 h at 6.37 mA cm-2 and 2.88 mA h cm-2 with an ultrahigh cumulative plating capacity (CPC) of about 11 900 mA h cm-2. Even at a higher current density of 5 mA cm-2 and an areal specific capacity of 5 mA h cm-2, Zn//Zn cells with the CG additive cycled for 248 h, about 5 times better than that without the CG additive. These results pave the way for the exploitation of new electrolyte additives with synergistic effects in AZIBs.

Designing Yolk-Shell Nanostructures for Reversible Water-Vapor-Responsive Dual-Mode Switching of Fluorescence and Structural Color.

Metal halide perovskites offer ample opportunities to develop advanced optoelectronic devices. This work showcases that the integration of metal halide perovskites into metal oxide nanoshells with controllable interior cavities can enable water-vapor-responsive dual-mode switching of fluorescence and structural color. Through a ship-in-a-bottle method to introduce a controlled amount of CsPbBr3 into MnO2 nanoshells, we have designed CsPbBr3@MnO2 yolk-shell nanostructures, which can uptake a defined amount of water to exhibit rapid (less than 1 s) and reversible (≥100 cycles) responses in both fluorescence on-off and color change when exposed to dynamic water vapor. These responses originate from the water-triggered phase transformation of CsPbBr3 to CsPb2Br5 and the structural color change of the MnO2 shell. The altered electronic and bonding structure at the oxide-halide interface, rapid water accumulation in the yolk-shell cavity, and protective effect of the oxide shell facilitate the reversible transformations. The response characteristics of the yolk-shell nanostructures have been further demonstrated in fabricating patterned films capable of multiple fluorescence/structural color responses, highlighting their potential for applications in advanced anticounterfeiting and encryption.

A rationally designed 3DTiO2@CdZnS heterojunction photocatalyst for effectively enhanced visible-light-driven hydrogen evolution.

Hydrogen production with higher efficiency and lower cost is of great significance for the sustainable development of energy. Zinc cadmium sulfide (CZS) is gaining more attention owing to its excellent photocatalytic properties. However, its development is greatly limited due to photogenerated charge recombination. In this work, an innovative design with a unique 3D morphology was introduced by integrating 3DTiO2 into CZS to form a novel 3DTiO2/CZS heterojunction photocatalyst. As a result, the optimized composite achieved a very high hydrogen production rate of 75.38 mmol h-1 g-1 under visible light, which is 2.4 times higher than that of the original CZS. It can also be greatly demonstrated through photoelectrochemical tests that this unique 3D morphology contributes to the effective separation of electrons and holes, thus dramatically improving the photocatalytic activity of 3DTiO2/CZS composites. The 3DTiO2/CZS composite has a rational energy band structure, which makes it more favorable for the hydrogen precipitation reaction. It is believed that such a modification strategy based on 3DTiO2 can be applied to other similar photocatalysts as well for boosting hydrogen evolution.

Inhibitors of Stimulator of Interferon Genes from 2019 to July 2022: An Overview of the Structure and Bioactivity.

Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) plays a vital role in the human innate immune system. Aberrant expression of STING has been proven to be associated with several diseases, such as STING-associated vasculopathy with onset in infancy, Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome, and systemic lupus erythematosus. Therefore, inhibition of the STING signaling pathway can also be expected to provide effective therapeutic strategies for treating specific inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. However, the development of STING inhibitors is still in its infancy. There is still a need for additional efforts toward the discovery of new skeletons and more potent lead compounds for STING inhibition to meet clinical demand. In this review, we provide a summary of STING inhibitors, classified by different structural skeletons, reported in patents published from 2019 to July 2022. In addition, we also focus on the STING inhibitors, representative structures, biological activity, and mechanisms of action.

In Situ Growth of CdZnS Nanoparticles@Ti3C2Tx MXene Nanosheet Heterojunctions for Boosted Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

Using natural light energy to convert water into hydrogen is of great significance to solving energy shortages and environmental pollution. Due to the rapid recombination of photogenerated carriers after separation, the efficiency of photocatalytic hydrogen production using photocatalysts is usually very low. Here, efficient CdZnS nanoparticles@Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheet heterojunction photocatalysts have been successfully prepared by a facile in situ growth strategy. Since the CdZnS nanoparticles uniformly covered the Ti3C2Tx Mxene nanosheets, the agglomeration phenomenon of CdZnS nanoparticles could be effectively inhibited, accompanied by increased Schottky barrier sites and an enhanced migration rate of photogenerated carriers. The utilization efficiency of light energy can be improved by inhibiting the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. As a result, under the visible-light-driven photocatalytic experiments, this composite achieved a high hydrogen evolution rate of 47.1 mmol h-1 g-1, which is much higher than pristine CdZnS and Mxene. The boosted photocatalytic performances can be attributed to the formed heterojunction of CdZnS nanoparticles and Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets, as well as the weakened agglomeration effects.

Establishment of a controlled induced pluripotent stem cell line SDPHi004-A from a healthy male donor.

The current induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSCs) line was created from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) obtained from a male donor who was in good health.The iPSCs line SDPHi004-A exhibited the expression of pluripotency markers, absence of free type vectors, maintenance of a normal karyotype, and potential for in vitro trilineage differentiation.This cell line could provide a foundation for disease modeling and facilitate further investigation into the molecular pathogenesis.

Establishment of an induced pluripotent stem cell line SDQLCHi048-A from a healthy boy donor.

The induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) line was generated using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from a healthy 1-month-old boy. Expression of pluripotency markers, deletion of free episomal vectors, preservation of normal karyotype, and potential for in vitro trilineage differentiation were demonstrated in the iPSCs line SDQLCHi048-A. This cell line may serve as a basis for disease modeling and help to further explore the molecular pathogenesis.

Imidazo[1,2-a]Pyridine Derivatives as Novel Dual-Target Inhibitors of ABCB1 and ABCG2 for Reversing Multidrug Resistance.

ABCB1 and ABCG2 are the important ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters associated with multidrug resistance (MDR). Herein, we designed a series of imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine derivatives as dual-target inhibitors of ABCB1 and ABCG2 through the scaffold hopping strategy. Compound Y22 displayed potential efflux function inhibitory toward both ABCB1 and ABCG2 (reversal fold: ABCB1 = 8.35 and ABCG2 = 2.71) without obvious cytotoxicity. Y22 also enhanced the potency of antiproliferative drugs in vitro. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that Y22 slightly suppressed ATPase activity but did not affect the protein expression of ABCB1 or ABCG2. Notably, Y22 exhibited negligible CYP3A4 inhibition and enhanced the antiproliferative activity of adriamycin in vivo by restoring the sensitivity of resistant cells. Thus, Y22 may be effective clinically in combination with common chemotherapy agents. In summary, Y22 is a potential dual-target inhibitor that reverses MDR by blocking the efflux function of ABCB1 and ABCG2.

Medicinal chemistry perspective on cGAS-STING signaling pathway with small molecule inhibitors.

The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling pathway serves as a pivotal mediator of innate immunity by triggering the secretion of type I interferons and other proinflammatory cytokines. In view of the immune-related diseases caused by abnormal activity of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway, considerable progress in this field has encouraged the discovery of cGAS-STING inhibitors in the past five years. In this review, we will focus on the link between the cGAS-STING signaling pathway and autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, summarize the development and optimization of cGAS-STING signaling pathway inhibitors, discuss the therapeutic effects on inflammatory diseases and propose suggestions and insights for future exploitation.

Constructing chiral bicyclo[3.2.1]octanes via palladium-catalyzed asymmetric tandem Heck/carbonylation desymmetrization of cyclopentenes.

Transition-metal-catalyzed tandem Heck/carbonylation reaction has emerged as a powerful tool for the synthesis of structurally diverse carbonyl molecules, as well as natural products and pharmaceuticals. However, the asymmetric version was rarely reported, and remains a challenging topic. Herein, we describe a palladium-catalyzed asymmetric tandem Heck/carbonylation desymmetrization of cyclopentenes. Alcohols, phenols and amines are employed as versatile coupling reagents for the construction of multifunctional chiral bicyclo[3.2.1]octanes with one all-carbon quaternary and two tertiary carbon stereogenic centers in high diastereo- and enantioselectivities. This study represents an important progress in both the asymmetric tandem Heck/carbonylation reactions and enantioselective difunctionalization of internal alkenes.

Palladium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Intramolecular Reductive Heck Desymmetrization of Cyclopentenes: Access to Chiral Bicyclo[3.2.1]octanes.

A palladium-catalyzed asymmetric reductive Heck reaction of unactivated aliphatic alkenes, with eliminable ß-hydrogen atoms, has been realized for the first time. A series of optically active bicyclo[3.2.1]octanes bearing chiral quaternary and tertiary carbon stereocenters were obtained in good yields with excellent enantioselectivities, exhibiting good functional-group tolerance and scalability. Moreover, deuterated optically active bicyclo[3.2.1]octanes were also obtained in high efficiency.