Controllable Synthesis of Copper Oxide/Carbon Core/Shell Nanowire Arrays and Their Application for Electrochemical Energy Storage

Rational design/fabrication of integrated porous metal oxide arrays is critical for the construction of advanced electrochemical devices. Herein, we report self-supported CuO/C core/shell nanowire arrays prepared by the combination of electro-deposition and chemical vapor deposition methods. CuO/C nanowires with diameters of ~400 nm grow quasi-vertically to the substrates forming three-dimensional arrays architecture. A thin carbon shell is uniformly coated on the CuO nanowire cores. As an anode of lithium ion batteries, the resultant CuO/C nanowire arrays are demonstrated to have high specific capacity (672 mAh·g−1 at 0.2 C) and good cycle stability (425 mAh·g−1 at 1 C up to 150 cycles). The core/shell arrays structure plays positive roles in the enhancement of Li ion storage due to fast ion/electron transfer path, good strain accommodation and sufficient contact between electrolyte and active materials

Transition Metal Carbides and Nitrides in Energy Storage and Conversion

High-performance electrode materials are the key to advances in the areas of energy conversion and storage (e.g., fuel cells and batteries). In this Review, recent progress in the synthesis and electrochemical application of transition metal carbides (TMCs) and nitrides (TMNs) for energy storage and conversion is summarized. Their electrochemical properties in Li-ion and Na-ion batteries as well as in supercapacitors, and electrocatalytic reactions (oxygen evolution and reduction reactions, and hydrogen evolution reaction) are discussed in association with their crystal structure/morphology/composition. Advantages and benefits of nanostructuring (e.g., 2D MXenes) are highlighted. Prospects of future research trends in rational design of high-performance TMCs and TMNs electrodes are provided at the end.Published versio

Inhibition of Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition and Tissue Regeneration by Waterborne Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂NPs) are among the most widely manufactured nanomaterials with broad applications in food industry, cosmetics, and medicine. Although the toxicity of TiO₂NPs at high doses has been extensively explored, the potential health risks of TiO₂NPs exposure at nontoxic concentrations remain poorly understood. Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays pivotal roles in a diversity of physiological and pathological processes, including tissue regeneration and cancer metastasis. In this study, we find that the cellular uptake of TiO₂NPs inhibits EMT-mediated cell remodeling and cell migration without exhibiting cytotoxicity. Further investigation reveals that TiO₂NPs suppress the process of EMT through the blockade of transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) signaling. Particularly, TiO₂NPs interact with the TGFβ receptor TβRI/II complex, induce its lysosomal degradation, and thereby downregulate expression of TGFβ target genes. Moreover, we show that waterborne TiO₂NPs do not elicit toxicity in healthy tissues but hamper EMT-mediated wound healing in two animal models. Long-term exposure of TiO₂NPs in environmental water and drinking water impede the regeneration of amputated fin in zebrafish and the recovery of intestinal mucosal damage in colitic mice. Our results reveal the previously unknown effects of TiO₂NPs during tissue remodeling and repair, which have significant implications in their risk assessment and management

NTIRE 2019 Challenge on Real Image Super-Resolution: Methods and Results

This paper reviewed the 3rd NTIRE challenge on single-image super-resolution (restoration of rich details in a low-resolution image) with a focus on proposed solutions and results. The challenge had 1 track, which was aimed at the real-world single image super-resolution problem with an unknown scaling factor. Participants were mapping low-resolution images captured by a DSLR camera with a shorter focal length to their high-resolution images captured at a longer focal length. With this challenge, we in-troduced a novel real-world super-resolution dataset (Re-alSR). The track had 403 registered participants, and 36 teams competed in the final testing phase. They gauge the state-of-the-art in real-world single image super-resolution