Lithium Storage in Nanodimensional TiO₂/Carbon Nanosheet Composites: Implications for Battery Applications

Two-dimensional (2D) TiO2/carbon nanosheet (NS) composites have been demonstrated to exhibit higher Li+ intercalation specific capacity as the electrode materials for Li-ion batteries compared to the theoretical capacity of TiO2 according to our previous work. In order to demonstrate the Li+ storage mechanism, TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs), NSs, and nanotubes (NTs) with a highly regular arrangement into layered carbon NSs are constructed in the current work. Benefiting from the high interfacial charge storage of the TiO2 NS/carbon NS superlattice structure, carbon/TiO2 NSs exhibit a better Li+ intercalation ability compared to NPs and NTs. The highest capacity of 575 mA h g–1 is obtained at 0.1 A g–1 for the carbon/TiO2 NS composite. In addition, a high capacity of 79 mA h g–1 still remains even at a discharge current of 12.8 A g–1. The effect of the 2D layered superlattice structure can promote rapid electron transport between carbon NSs and TiO2 NSs. However, slow kinetics of ion intercalation occurs inside the TiO2 NPs as well as on the surface of the TiO2 NTs. The results reveal the importance of the interfacial charge storage in layered materials, which can deliver additional Li+ storage capacity and provide theoretical and practical guidance for the construction of next-generation electrode materials with higher capacity, excellent rate performance, and outstanding structural stability

Prediction of prognostic and immune therapy response in lung adenocarcinoma based on MHC-I-related genes

The study investigated the prognostic and immune predictive potential of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). With TCGA-LUAD and GEO datasets (GSE26939, GSE72094) as the training and validation sets, respectively, we identified 8 MHC-I-related genes and established a prognostic model via Cox regression analysis. The predictive capacity of the model was assessed in both sets using the receiver operating characteristic curve and Kaplan-Meier survival curves, with outcomes illustrating that the model could accurately forecast the prognosis of LUAD individuals, and high-risk patients exhibiting lower survival rates. Furthermore, Cox regression analysis verified that the riskscore independently predicted the prognosis for LUAD. Immune analysis results revealed that individuals classified as high-risk had lower levels of immune cell infiltration and impaired immune function. Additionally, we found through immunophenoscore, TIDE score, and analysis of an immunotherapy cohort (GSE78220) that the low-risk group possessed a better response to immune checkpoint blockade therapy. Tumor mutation burden and intra-tumor heterogeneity analyses ascertained that the high-risk group exhibited greater malignancy and treatment complexity. Moreover, by employing the cMAP database, we have pinpointed small-molecule medications that possess the ability to enhance the prognosis of LUAD. Among these drugs, theobromine and pravastatin have been identified as having great potential in improving the prognosis of LUAD. Overall, the study revealed MHC-I-related molecular prognostic biomarkers as robust indicators for LUAD prognosis and immune therapy response.</p

Flame Synthesis of Tin Oxide Nanorods: A Continuous and Scalable Approach

Well-crystalline SnO2 nanorods were first synthesized via a continuous and scalable iron-assisted flame approach with production rate up to 50 g/h in laboratory-scale. The as-prepared SnO2 nanorods with uniform length up to 200 nm and diameter around 20 nm are smooth and single crystal rutile structures, growing along the [001] direction. Iron dopant is incorporated into the SnO2 lattice and selectively effects a specific SnO2 crystal plane, promoting the further crystal oriented growth into nanorods. Meanwhile, the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of such SnO2 nanorods exhibits a broad, stronger orange-emission peak around 620 nm, suggesting potential applications in optoelectronics. It is noteworthy that this dopant-assisted flame approach provides a new strategy for sequentially engineering one-dimensional nanomaterials

Tin Oxide Nanowires Synthesized via Flat Flame Deposition: Structures and Formation Mechanism

Premixed atmospheric flat flame deposition is a large-scale composite fabrication method that combined the advantages of flame synthesis and thermal evaporation. The technology has been successfully developed to sythesize SnO2 nanowires. The results showed that the as-prepared SnO2 nanowires with special tips are uniform single crystals, growing along [001] direction. Meanwhile, the growth mechanism of the present novel structure, which is a combination of both a vapor-solid (VS) growth mechanism and a particle formation mechanism in a flame without any catalyst, is also proposed. Furthermore, the optical property is investigated by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, indicating that such SnO2 nanowires exhibit a much stronger emission peak at 620 nm. More importantly, this approach also provides a new pathway for sequentially engineering one-dimensional nanomaterials

Confined Synthesis of FeS₂ Nanoparticles Encapsulated in Carbon Nanotube Hybrids for Ultrastable Lithium-Ion Batteries

To address the large volume change and polysulfide dissolution of FeS₂-based materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), we demonstrate the synthesis of FeS₂ nanoparticles encapsulated in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by a confined reaction. There is sufficient void space between adjacent FeS₂ nanoparticles for guaranteeing the highly structural integrity. The resultant FeS₂/CNT hybrids, when served as anode materials for LIBs, predictably exhibit a very stable capacity retention of 800 mAh g^–1 over 200 cycles at 200 mA g^–1. Even at 2000 mA g^–1, they still deliver high-rate and long-life performance with a high specific capacity of 525 mAh g^–1 after 1000 cycles. Such a kind of encapsulated structure is helpful for enhancing rate capability and cycling stability in LIBs applications. Importantly, the present confined reaction strategy can be extensively applied to synthesize other analogous hybrids for energy storage and conversion

Confined Synthesis of Noble Metal Clusters Assisted by Liquid Film for Photocatalytic CO₂ Reduction

The important concept of confined synthesis is considered a promising strategy for the design and synthesis of definable nanostructured materials with controllable compositions and specific morphology, such as highly loaded single-atom catalysts capable of providing abundant active sites for photocatalytic reactions. In recent years, researchers have been working on developing new confined reaction systems and searching for new confined spaces. Here, we present for the first time the concept of a bubble liquid film as a novel confined space. The liquid film has a typical sandwich structure consisting of a water layer, sandwiched between the upper and lower surfactant layers, with the thickness of the intermediate water layer at the micro- and nanometer scales, which can serve as a good confinement. Based on the above understanding and combined with the photodeposition method, we successfully confined synthesized Ag/TiO2, Au/TiO2, and Pd/TiO2 photocatalysts in liquid film. By HAADF-STEM, it can be seen that the noble metal morphologies are all nanoclusters of about 1 nm and are highly uniformly dispersed on the TiO2 surface. Compared with photodeposition in solution, we believe that the surfactant molecular layer restricts a limited amount of precursor to the liquid film, avoiding the accumulation of noble metals and the formation of large particle size nanoparticles. The liquid film, meanwhile, restricts the migration path of noble metal precursors, allowing for thorough in situ photodeposition and enables the complete and uniform dispersion of noble metal precursors, greatly reducing the photodeposition time. The uniform loading of the three noble metals proved the universality of the method, and the catalysts showed high activity for photocatalytic CO2 reduction. The rates of reduction of CO2 to CO over the Ag/TiO2 photocatalytic reached 230 μmol g–1 h–1.This study provides a new idea for the expansion of the confined reaction system and a reference for the study of liquid film as the confined space

Benchmarking the pH–Stability Relationship of Metal Oxide Anodes in Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis

Anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) is one of the most promising technologies for producing green hydrogen; however, they still suffer from durability issues. One task is to find suitable electrolyte conditions for anode catalysts that endow them with both high activity and stability. Herein, we benchmark the pH–stability relationship of four typical metal oxides as anode catalysts in the AEMWE. Their electrochemical performance and structural stability were in-depth analyzed through impedance, dissolved composition in the electrolyte, and correlated Pourbaix diagram. NiFe2O4 with the best activity and stability in the strong alkaline (pH = 14) shows terrible stability in pure water, which is then verified due to the severe Fe leaching, and it cannot be alleviated by alkaline pre-activation. Notably, Co3O4 shows comparable activity and stability to IrO2 in pure water and weak alkaline conditions. At pH = 12, it entails only ∼2.18 V to reach 1.0 A cm–2 and stabilizes for 40 h, being superior to others. This work screens out suitable transition metal oxides as a substitute for noble metals and their optimal application scenarios for AEMWE

Controlled Synthesis of Ultrathin Hollow Mesoporous Carbon Nanospheres for Supercapacitor Applications

Ultrathin, uniform and monodisperse hollow mesoporous carbon nanospheres (HMCNs) with a thickness of ∼3.8 nm have been synthesized. The obtained HMCNs have a high specific surface area (568 m² g^–1), large pore volume (1.63 cm³ g^–1), and highly accessible mesopores (∼9.1 nm). Notably, we realized precise control of the shell thickness in the range of ultrathin size (<10 nm). When applied as supercapacitor electrodes, the HMCNs demonstrate impressive capacitive properties, such as high specific capacitance (253 F g^–1), excellent rate capability (111 F g^–1 at 60 A g^–1) and outstanding cycling stability (only 3.8% loss after 5000 cycles). The results suggest that the unique structure of HMCNs can allow high rate electrolyte infiltration and rapid ion diffusion. The present findings push forward the development of carbon materials, exhibiting huge potential for applications in energy storage fields