Epitaxial Growth of Twinned Au–Pt Core–Shell Star-Shaped Decahedra as Highly Durable Electrocatalysts

Pt epitaxial layer on a nanoparticle with twinned structure and well-defined shape is highly desirable in order to achieve high performance in both catalytic activity and durability toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, it remains tremendously challenging to produce conformal, heterogeneous, twinned nanostructures due to the high internal strain and surface energy of Pt. In addition, these twinned nanostructures may be subject to degradation in highly corrosive ORR environments due to the high energy of twin boundary. Here we report the synthesis of Au–Pt core–shell star-shaped decahedra bounded mainly by {111} facets, in which Pt shells with controlled thickness epitaxially grew on Au cores with a 5-fold twinned structure. The incorporation of the amine group decreases the surface energy of Pt by strong adsorption and thus facilitates the epitaxial growth of Pt on Au core instead of the dendritic growth. In addition, Br^– ion could largely stabilize the {111} facets of Pt, which prevent the formation of spherical nanoparticles. The Au–Pt core–shell decahedra with thicker Pt shell exhibited enhanced ORR properties in terms of activity and durability. Specifically, AuPt_1.03 star-shaped decahedra achieved the highest mass activity (0.94 mA/μg_Pt) and area activity (1.09 mA/cm²_Pt), which is ∼6.7 and 5 times, respectively, as high as those of the commercial Pt/C (ETEK). Significantly, such star-shaped decahedra were highly stable with ∼10% loss in area activity and ∼20% loss in mass activity after 30 000 CV cycles in O₂ saturated acid solution

In situ Study of Oxidative Etching of Palladium Nanocrystals by Liquid Cell Electron Microscopy

Oxidative etching has widely prevailed in the synthesis of a crystal and played a critical role in determining the final growth behavior. In this Letter, we report an in situ microscopic study on the oxidative etching of palladium cubic nanocrystals by liquid cell scanning transmission electron microscopy. The etching was realized with oxidative radiation reactants from electron–water interaction in the presence of Br^– ions. Dissolution dynamics of monodispersed and aggregated nanocrystals were both investigated and compared. Analyses on the dissolution kinetics of nanocrystals and the diffusion kinetics of the dissolved agents were carried out based on the scanning transmission electron microscopy characterizations. The results presented here pave a way toward the quantitative understanding of the oxidative etching reaction and its application in the functionally orientated fabrication of nanocrystals with certain sizes, structures, and morphologies

Comparative Study on the Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance of Boron- and Phosphorus-Doped Silicon Nanocrystals

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of doped Si nanocrystals (NCs) is critical to the development of Si-based plasmonics. We now experimentally show that LSPR can be obtained from both B- and P-doped Si NCs in the mid-infrared region. Both experiments and calculations demonstrate that the Drude model can be used to describe the LSPR of Si NCs if the dielectric screening and carrier effective mass of Si NCs are considered. When the doping levels of B and P are similar, the LSPR energy of B-doped Si NCs is higher than that of P-doped Si NCs because B is more efficiently activated to produce free carriers than P in Si NCs. We find that the plasmonic coupling between Si NCs is effectively blocked by oxide at the NC surface. The LSPR quality factors of B- and P-doped Si NCs approach those of traditional noble metal NCs. We demonstrate that LSPR is an effective means to gain physical insights on the electronic properties of doped Si NCs. The current work on the model semiconductor NCs, <i>i.e.</i>, Si NCs has important implication for the physical understanding and practical use of semiconductor NC plasmonics

Epitaxial Growth of Multimetallic Pd@PtM (M = Ni, Rh, Ru) Core–Shell Nanoplates Realized by in Situ-Produced CO from Interfacial Catalytic Reactions

Pt-based multimetallic core–shell nanoplates have received great attention as advanced catalysts, but the synthesis is still challenging. Here we report the synthesis of multimetallic Pd@PtM (M = Ni, Rh, Ru) nanoplates including Pd@Pt nanoplates, in which Pt or Pt alloy shells with controlled thickness epitaxially grow on plate-like Pd seeds. The key to achieve high-quality Pt-based multimetallic nanoplates is in situ generation of CO through interfacial catalytic reactions associated with Pd nanoplates and benzyl alcohol. In addition, the accurate control in a trace amount of CO is also of great importance for conformal growth of multimetallic core–shell nanoplates. The Pd@PtNi nanoplates exhibit substantially improved activity and stability for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) compared to the Pd@Pt nanoplates and commercial Pt catalysts due to the advantages arising from plate-like, core–shell, and alloy structures

Image_4_Serum HBsAg and HBcrAg is associated with inflammation in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients.tiff

Backgrounds & aimsLiver inflammation is the main risk factor for developing liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. To replace biopsy, additional non-invasive biomarkers to diagnose and grade liver necroinflammation are urgently required in clinical practice.MethodNinety-four CHB patients, including 74 HBeAg-positive and 20 HBeAg-negative patients, were enrolled and started entecavir or adefovir therapy. Serum HBV RNA, HBV DNA, HBsAg, hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg), ALT and AST levels, as well as intrahepatic HBV DNA and cccDNA were measured at baseline and during treatment. Liver inflammation was assessed at baseline and month 60 by liver biopsy. Inflammation regression was defined as a ≥1-grade decrease according to the Scheuer scoring system.ResultsIn HBeAg-positive CHB patients, at baseline, serum HBsAg and HBcrAg levels negatively correlated with inflammation grade, while ALT and AST levels positively correlated with inflammation grade. AST plus HBsAg exhibited excellent diagnostic ability for significant inflammation with an AUROC of 0.896. After 60 months of antiviral treatment, almost all the patients’ liver inflammation ameliorated to G1, and no patients had inflammation progression.ConclusionBesides ALT and AST, serum HBsAg and HBcrAg correlated with inflammation grade in HBeAg-positive CHB patients before NAs treatment. Moreover, the combination of HBsAg and AST exhibited excellent diagnostic ability for significant inflammation.</p

DataSheet_1_Serum HBsAg and HBcrAg is associated with inflammation in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients.docx

Backgrounds & aimsLiver inflammation is the main risk factor for developing liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. To replace biopsy, additional non-invasive biomarkers to diagnose and grade liver necroinflammation are urgently required in clinical practice.MethodNinety-four CHB patients, including 74 HBeAg-positive and 20 HBeAg-negative patients, were enrolled and started entecavir or adefovir therapy. Serum HBV RNA, HBV DNA, HBsAg, hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg), ALT and AST levels, as well as intrahepatic HBV DNA and cccDNA were measured at baseline and during treatment. Liver inflammation was assessed at baseline and month 60 by liver biopsy. Inflammation regression was defined as a ≥1-grade decrease according to the Scheuer scoring system.ResultsIn HBeAg-positive CHB patients, at baseline, serum HBsAg and HBcrAg levels negatively correlated with inflammation grade, while ALT and AST levels positively correlated with inflammation grade. AST plus HBsAg exhibited excellent diagnostic ability for significant inflammation with an AUROC of 0.896. After 60 months of antiviral treatment, almost all the patients’ liver inflammation ameliorated to G1, and no patients had inflammation progression.ConclusionBesides ALT and AST, serum HBsAg and HBcrAg correlated with inflammation grade in HBeAg-positive CHB patients before NAs treatment. Moreover, the combination of HBsAg and AST exhibited excellent diagnostic ability for significant inflammation.</p

Image_2_Serum HBsAg and HBcrAg is associated with inflammation in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients.tiff

Backgrounds & aimsLiver inflammation is the main risk factor for developing liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. To replace biopsy, additional non-invasive biomarkers to diagnose and grade liver necroinflammation are urgently required in clinical practice.MethodNinety-four CHB patients, including 74 HBeAg-positive and 20 HBeAg-negative patients, were enrolled and started entecavir or adefovir therapy. Serum HBV RNA, HBV DNA, HBsAg, hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg), ALT and AST levels, as well as intrahepatic HBV DNA and cccDNA were measured at baseline and during treatment. Liver inflammation was assessed at baseline and month 60 by liver biopsy. Inflammation regression was defined as a ≥1-grade decrease according to the Scheuer scoring system.ResultsIn HBeAg-positive CHB patients, at baseline, serum HBsAg and HBcrAg levels negatively correlated with inflammation grade, while ALT and AST levels positively correlated with inflammation grade. AST plus HBsAg exhibited excellent diagnostic ability for significant inflammation with an AUROC of 0.896. After 60 months of antiviral treatment, almost all the patients’ liver inflammation ameliorated to G1, and no patients had inflammation progression.ConclusionBesides ALT and AST, serum HBsAg and HBcrAg correlated with inflammation grade in HBeAg-positive CHB patients before NAs treatment. Moreover, the combination of HBsAg and AST exhibited excellent diagnostic ability for significant inflammation.</p

Copolymers of Bis-Diketopyrrolopyrrole and Benzothiadiazole Derivatives for High-Performance Ambipolar Field-Effect Transistors on Flexible Substrates

We develop an “acceptor dimerization” strategy by a bis-diketopyrrolopyrrole (2DPP) for an ambipolar organic semiconductor. Copolymers of 2DPP and benzothiadiazole (BTz) derivatives, P2DPP-BTz and P2DPP-2FBTz, are designed and synthesized. Both of the polymers exhibit narrow optical bandgaps of ca. 1.30 eV. The strong electron-withdrawing property of 2DPP results in low-lying lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy levels of the polymers, improving the electron mobilities. 2D grazing incident X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy indicate that the P2DPP-BTz exhibits a small π–π stacking distance of 3.59 Å and a smooth interface, thus promoting high mobility. To take full advantage of the flexibility of organic semiconductors, flexible field-effect transistors (FETs) were fabricated on poly­(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrates. The FETs based on P2DPP-BTz show high performance with hole and electron mobilities of 1.73 and 2.58 cm² V^–1 s^–1, respectively. Our results demonstrate that the 2DPP acceptor is a promising building block for high-mobility ambipolar polymers

Image_1_Serum HBsAg and HBcrAg is associated with inflammation in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients.tiff

Backgrounds & aimsLiver inflammation is the main risk factor for developing liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. To replace biopsy, additional non-invasive biomarkers to diagnose and grade liver necroinflammation are urgently required in clinical practice.MethodNinety-four CHB patients, including 74 HBeAg-positive and 20 HBeAg-negative patients, were enrolled and started entecavir or adefovir therapy. Serum HBV RNA, HBV DNA, HBsAg, hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg), ALT and AST levels, as well as intrahepatic HBV DNA and cccDNA were measured at baseline and during treatment. Liver inflammation was assessed at baseline and month 60 by liver biopsy. Inflammation regression was defined as a ≥1-grade decrease according to the Scheuer scoring system.ResultsIn HBeAg-positive CHB patients, at baseline, serum HBsAg and HBcrAg levels negatively correlated with inflammation grade, while ALT and AST levels positively correlated with inflammation grade. AST plus HBsAg exhibited excellent diagnostic ability for significant inflammation with an AUROC of 0.896. After 60 months of antiviral treatment, almost all the patients’ liver inflammation ameliorated to G1, and no patients had inflammation progression.ConclusionBesides ALT and AST, serum HBsAg and HBcrAg correlated with inflammation grade in HBeAg-positive CHB patients before NAs treatment. Moreover, the combination of HBsAg and AST exhibited excellent diagnostic ability for significant inflammation.</p

Table_1_Serum HBsAg and HBcrAg is associated with inflammation in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients.docx

Backgrounds & aimsLiver inflammation is the main risk factor for developing liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. To replace biopsy, additional non-invasive biomarkers to diagnose and grade liver necroinflammation are urgently required in clinical practice.MethodNinety-four CHB patients, including 74 HBeAg-positive and 20 HBeAg-negative patients, were enrolled and started entecavir or adefovir therapy. Serum HBV RNA, HBV DNA, HBsAg, hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg), ALT and AST levels, as well as intrahepatic HBV DNA and cccDNA were measured at baseline and during treatment. Liver inflammation was assessed at baseline and month 60 by liver biopsy. Inflammation regression was defined as a ≥1-grade decrease according to the Scheuer scoring system.ResultsIn HBeAg-positive CHB patients, at baseline, serum HBsAg and HBcrAg levels negatively correlated with inflammation grade, while ALT and AST levels positively correlated with inflammation grade. AST plus HBsAg exhibited excellent diagnostic ability for significant inflammation with an AUROC of 0.896. After 60 months of antiviral treatment, almost all the patients’ liver inflammation ameliorated to G1, and no patients had inflammation progression.ConclusionBesides ALT and AST, serum HBsAg and HBcrAg correlated with inflammation grade in HBeAg-positive CHB patients before NAs treatment. Moreover, the combination of HBsAg and AST exhibited excellent diagnostic ability for significant inflammation.</p