Single-Atomic Cu with Multiple Oxygen Vacancies on Ceria for Electrocatalytic CO₂ Reduction to CH₄

The electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ into value-added chemicals such as hydrocarbons has the potential for supplying fuel energy and reducing environmental hazards, while the accurate tuning of electrocatalysts at the ultimate single-atomic level remains extremely challenging. In this work, we demonstrate an atomic design of multiple oxygen vacancy-bound, single-atomic Cu-substituted CeO₂ to optimize the CO₂ electrocatalytic reduction to CH₄. We carried out theoretical calculations to predict that the single-atomic Cu substitution in CeO₂(110) surface can stably enrich up to three oxygen vacancies around each Cu site, yielding a highly effective catalytic center for CO₂ adsorption and activation. This theoretical prediction is consistent with our controlled synthesis of the Cu-doped, mesoporous CeO₂ nanorods. Structural characterizations indicate that the low concentration (<5%) Cu species in CeO₂ nanorods are highly dispersed at single-atomic level with an unconventionally low coordination number ∼5, suggesting the direct association of 3 oxygen vacancies with each Cu ion on surfaces. This multiple oxygen vacancy-bound, single atomic Cu-substituted CeO₂ enables an excellent electrocatalytic selectivity in reducing CO₂ to methane with a faradaic efficiency as high as 58%, suggesting strong capabilities of rational design of electrocatalyst active centers for boosting activity and selectivity

CuCoO_<i>x</i>/FeOOH Core–Shell Nanowires as an Efficient Bifunctional Oxygen Evolution and Reduction Catalyst

The rational design of active and durable reversible oxygen electrocatalysts plays a key role in renewable energy conversion and storage. Here we developed copper and cobalt-based oxide/iron hydroxide hybrid nanowire arrays (CuCoO_<i>x</i>/FeOOH) via a three-step growth–annealing–conversion approach. These hybrid nanowires offer a large surface area for electrocatalytic sites, abundant pores for fast electrolyte access, efficient charge transfer, and strong coupling between CuCoO_<i>x</i> and FeOOH components. Attributed to these features, the CuCoO_<i>x</i>/FeOOH nanowires exhibit excellent bifunctional oxygen evolution reaction and oxygen reduction reaction activities, including low overpotentials, high current densities, and outstanding stabilities. Using the CuCoO_<i>x</i>/FeOOH electrocatalyst as the oxygen electrode, a rechargeable zinc–air battery was fabricated to exhibit a small charge–discharge overpotential (0.75 V at 10 mA·cm^–2) and a long-term cycling stability (150 cycles), thus suggesting new bifunctional electrocatalysts for energy conversion and storage applications

Discovery of Potent and Orally Bioavailable Dihydropyrazole GPR40 Agonists

G protein-coupled receptor 40 (GPR40) has become an attractive target for the treatment of diabetes since it was shown clinically to promote glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Herein, we report our efforts to develop highly selective and potent GPR40 agonists with a dual mechanism of action, promoting both glucose-dependent insulin and incretin secretion. Employing strategies to increase polarity and the ratio of sp³/sp² character of the chemotype, we identified BMS-986118 (compound <b>4</b>), which showed potent and selective GPR40 agonist activity <i>in vitro</i>. <i>In vivo</i>, compound <b>4</b> demonstrated insulinotropic efficacy and GLP-1 secretory effects resulting in improved glucose control in acute animal models