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Chemical Science Jun 2024Transition-metal compounds (TMCs) have recently become promising candidates as lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery cathode materials because they have unique adsorption and...
Transition-metal compounds (TMCs) have recently become promising candidates as lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery cathode materials because they have unique adsorption and catalytic properties. However, the relationship between the anionic species and performance has not been sufficiently revealed. Herein, using FeCoNiX (X = O, S, and P) compounds as examples, we systematically studied the effects of the anion composition of FeCoNiX compounds on the adsorption and catalytic abilities of sulfur cathodes in Li-S batteries. Adsorption tests and density functional theory calculations showed that the adsorption ability toward lithium polysulfides follows the order: FeCoNiP > FeCoNiO > FeCoNiS, while ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry revealed that the catalytic ability for lithium polysulfide conversion follows the order: FeCoNiP > FeCoNiS > FeCoNiO. These results indicate that FeCoNiP is an excellent polysulfide immobilizer and catalyst that restricts shuttling and improves reaction kinetics. Electrochemical tests further demonstrated that the FeCoNiP cathode delivered superior cycling performance to FeCoNiO or FeCoNiS. In addition, the battery performance order is consistent with that of catalytic ability, which suggests that catalytic ability plays a key influencing role in batteries. This study provides new insight into the use of O-, S-, and P-doped TMCs as functional sulfur carriers.
PubMed: 38939152
DOI: 10.1039/d4sc01628a -
Chemical Science Jun 2024Bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide lithium salt (Li-TFSI) is commonly used as an effective dopant to improve the performance of the hole-transporting material (HTM) in...
Bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide lithium salt (Li-TFSI) is commonly used as an effective dopant to improve the performance of the hole-transporting material (HTM) in n-i-p perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, the ultra-hygroscopic and migratory nature of Li-TFSI leads to inferior stability of PSCs. Here, we report on a strategy to regulate the anion unit in Li-TFSI from linear to cyclic, constructing a new dopant, lithium 1,1,2,2,3,3-hexafluoropropane-1,3-disulfonimide (Li-CYCLIC), for the state-of-the-art poly[bis(4-phenyl)(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)amine] (PTAA). Mechanistic and experimental results reveal that the cyclic anion CYCLIC exhibits stronger interaction with Li and PTAA˙ compared with the linear anion TFSI, thus significantly restraining the moisture absorption and migration of Li and improving the thermodynamic stability of PTAA˙CYCLIC. With this molecular engineering, the resulting PSCs based on Li-CYCLIC obtained an improved efficiency, along with remarkably enhanced stability, retaining 96% of the initial efficiency after over 1150 hours under continuous 1 sun illumination in an N atmosphere, yielding an extrapolated of over 12 000 hours. In a broader context, the proposed strategy of linear-to-cyclic doping provides substantial guidance for the subsequent advancement in the development of effective dopants for photoelectric devices.
PubMed: 38939142
DOI: 10.1039/d4sc02020k -
PeerJ 2024Pyrophosphatases (PPases) are enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of pyrophosphate (PPi), a byproduct of the synthesis and degradation of diverse biomolecules. The... (Review)
Review
Pyrophosphatases (PPases) are enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of pyrophosphate (PPi), a byproduct of the synthesis and degradation of diverse biomolecules. The accumulation of PPi in the cell can result in cell death. Although the substrate is the same, there are variations in the catalysis and features of these enzymes. Two enzyme forms have been identified in bacteria: cytoplasmic or soluble pyrophosphatases and membrane-bound pyrophosphatases, which play major roles in cell bioenergetics. In eukaryotic cells, cytoplasmic enzymes are the predominant form of PPases (c-PPases), while membrane enzymes (m-PPases) are found only in protists and plants. The study of bacterial cytoplasmic and membrane-bound pyrophosphatases has slowed in recent years. These enzymes are central to cell metabolism and physiology since phospholipid and nucleic acid synthesis release important amounts of PPi that must be removed to allow biosynthesis to continue. In this review, two aims were pursued: first, to provide insight into the structural features of PPases known to date and that are well characterized, and to provide examples of enzymes with novel features. Second, the scientific community should continue studying these enzymes because they have many biotechnological applications. Additionally, in this review, we provide evidence that there are m-PPases present in fungi; to date, no examples have been characterized. Therefore, the diversity of PPase enzymes is still a fruitful field of research. Additionally, we focused on the roles of H/Na pumps and m-PPases in cell bioenergetics. Finally, we provide some examples of the applications of these enzymes in molecular biology and biotechnology, especially in plants. This review is valuable for professionals in the biochemistry field of protein structure-function relationships and experts in other fields, such as chemistry, nanotechnology, and plant sciences.
Topics: Inorganic Pyrophosphatase; Bacteria; Fungi; Diphosphates
PubMed: 38938619
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17496 -
Journal of Nanobiotechnology Jun 2024Efficient monitoring of glucose concentration in the human body necessitates the utilization of electrochemically active sensing materials in nonenzymatic glucose...
Controlled synthesized of ternary Cu-Co-Ni-S sulfides nanoporous network structure on carbon fiber paper: a superior catalytic electrode for highly-sensitive glucose sensing.
BACKGROUND
Efficient monitoring of glucose concentration in the human body necessitates the utilization of electrochemically active sensing materials in nonenzymatic glucose sensors. However, prevailing limitations such as intricate fabrication processes, lower sensitivity, and instability impede their practical application. Herein, ternary Cu-Co-Ni-S sulfides nanoporous network structure was synthesized on carbon fiber paper (CP) by an ultrafast, facile, and controllable technique through on-step cyclic voltammetry, serving as a superior self-supporting catalytic electrode for the high-performance glucose sensor.
RESULTS
The direct growth of free-standing Cu-Co-Ni-S on the interconnected three-dimensional (3D) network of CP boosted the active site of the composites, improved ion diffusion kinetics, and significantly promoted the electron transfer rate. The multiple oxidation states and synergistic effects among Co, Ni, Cu, and S further promoted glucose electrooxidation. The well-architected Cu-Co-Ni-S/CP presented exceptional electrocatalytic properties for glucose with satisfied linearity of a broad range from 0.3 to 16,000 μM and high sensitivity of 6829 μA mM cm. Furthermore, the novel sensor demonstrated excellent selectivity and storage stability, which could successfully evaluate the glucose levels in human serum. Notably, the novel Cu-Co-Ni-S/CP showed favorable biocompatibility, proving its potential for in vivo glucose monitoring.
CONCLUSION
The proposed 3D hierarchical morphology self-supported electrode sensor, which demonstrates appealing analysis behavior for glucose electrooxidation, holds great promise for the next generation of high-performance glucose sensors.
Topics: Copper; Electrodes; Nickel; Catalysis; Humans; Cobalt; Electrochemical Techniques; Biosensing Techniques; Sulfides; Carbon Fiber; Glucose; Nanopores; Oxidation-Reduction; Blood Glucose
PubMed: 38937768
DOI: 10.1186/s12951-024-02635-w -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruit quality depends on many traits including visual, biochemical and mineral characteristics. One of the negative traits is aril...
Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruit quality depends on many traits including visual, biochemical and mineral characteristics. One of the negative traits is aril whitening (AW) which is a frequently observed disorder in hot and dry climates, that leads to decline in desirable fruit quality. Color, antioxidant, and mineral contents of the arils are of prime importance as quality traits. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of shading and foliar minerals on fruit quality during the fruit development stages of pomegranate. Treatments included shaded (50% green net) and unshaded trees and foliar application of trees with potassium sulfate (K, 1% and 2%) or sodium silicate (Si, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.15%) during two growing seasons. Results showed that the severity of AW at harvest decreased significantly when trees were covered with shading compared to control. The color values of L* and ⁰hue for arils were lower in fruits grown under shading conditions indicating darker red arils. Shading significantly reduced chilling injury in cold storage compared to open field fruits. Shading and Si 0.15% increased superoxide dismutase, and catalase enzymes activity while decreased Polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase. Covering trees with shading and Si 0.15% spray resulted in the highest total anthocyanin, antioxidant activity, and total phenolics content in the arils. Shading as well as Si 0.15% increased macronutrients content of the arils. The study concluded that covering pomegranate trees and spraying with Si in hot climate reduced AW, increased antioxidant traits, and led to higher fruit quality.
Topics: Antioxidants; Fruit; Pomegranate; Silicates; Sulfates; Minerals; Color; Anthocyanins
PubMed: 38937529
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65084-3 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024Past and present habitability of Mars have been intensely studied in the context of the search for signals of life. Despite the harsh conditions observed today on the...
Past and present habitability of Mars have been intensely studied in the context of the search for signals of life. Despite the harsh conditions observed today on the planet, some ancient Mars environments could have harbored specific characteristics able to mitigate several challenges for the development of microbial life. In such environments, Fe minerals like siderite (already identified on Mars), and vivianite (proposed, but not confirmed) could sustain a chemolithoautotrophic community. In this study, we investigate the ability of the acidophilic iron-oxidizing chemolithoautotrophic bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans to use these minerals as its sole energy source. A. ferrooxidans was grown in media containing siderite or vivianite under different conditions and compared to abiotic controls. Our experiments demonstrated that this microorganism was able to grow, obtaining its energy from the oxidation of Fe that came from the solubilization of these minerals under low pH. Additionally, in sealed flasks without CO, A. ferrooxidans was able to fix carbon directly from the carbonate ion released from siderite for biomass production, indicating that it could be able to colonize subsurface environments with little or no contact with an atmosphere. These previously unexplored abilities broaden our knowledge on the variety of minerals able to sustain life. In the context of astrobiology, this expands the list of geomicrobiological processes that should be taken into account when considering the habitability of environments beyond Earth, and opens for investigation the possible biological traces left on these substrates as biosignatures.
Topics: Acidithiobacillus; Mars; Oxidation-Reduction; Iron; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Ferrous Compounds; Minerals; Exobiology; Extraterrestrial Environment; Carbonates; Ferric Compounds
PubMed: 38937525
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64246-7 -
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science Jun 2024Piezocatalysis has emerged as a sustainable alternative for hydrogen peroxide production. However, the current development of efficient piezocatalysts is predominantly...
Piezocatalysis has emerged as a sustainable alternative for hydrogen peroxide production. However, the current development of efficient piezocatalysts is predominantly focusing on those conventional piezoelectric ceramic oxides with high permittivity and limited catalytic activities. Therefore, innovative approaches to develop novel piezocatalysts in particular from these outstanding paraelectric semiconductors are highly required. In this work, by employing a feasible doping strategy, robust piezoelectric property is created on the BaNbFeO double perovskite oxides, typically characterized by a stable paraelectric cubic structure. Optimum Fe doping not only intensifies the double perovskite phase but also inspires a phase transition from a centrosymmetric cubic to a piezoelectric tetragonal phase, thereby achieving desirable piezoelectricity and enabling a series of favorable physical properties including redox activity, active sites of anion defects, reduced bandgap, and increased free charge density. All these are important factors to enhance piezocatalytic activity. As a result, BaNbFeO achieved by the optimum Fe doping demonstrated exceptional piezocatalytic HO yield of 512 and 690 µmol g h under atmosphere and oxygen-purging conditions, respectively, without the presence of any sacrificial agents. Mechanistic investigations reveal that both water oxidation and oxygen reduction involve in the HO production, wherein piezopotential plays a critical role not only in facilitating the charge carrier separation and transportation but also in modulating the band structure to enhance the catalyst redox capacity. This study offers a feasible and universal strategy for the design of novel piezocatalysts, expanding the windows for catalyst selection for piezocatalysis.
PubMed: 38936082
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.06.179 -
PloS One 2024Geotextiles are excellent anti-filtration materials commonly used in the field of water conservancy engineering; however, the factors affecting the water permeability...
Geotextiles are excellent anti-filtration materials commonly used in the field of water conservancy engineering; however, the factors affecting the water permeability performance of geotextiles under stressed states during operation have not been fully identified. To investigate the effect of unidirectional stretching on the water permeability of geotextiles, a unidirectional rheological head infiltration test was conducted on the geotextiles using a self-developed test apparatus. In addition, the water permeability of geotextiles with different thicknesses and tensile states was calculated using a set of water permeability calculation methods based on the nonlaminar flow state of geotextiles. The results showed that the water permeability of the W120 geotextile samples initially decreased and then increased under warp stretching and gradually increased under weft stretching. However, the water permeability of the W200 geotextile samples initially decreased and then increased under both warp and weft stretching. Therefore, the thickness of the geotextile affected its permeability properties.
Topics: Permeability; Water; Tensile Strength; Rheology; Materials Testing
PubMed: 38935683
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306057 -
Indian Journal of Public Health Oct 2023LAMP assay is widely used for detecting pathogens. We observed that the conventional and gradient polymerase chain reaction (PCR) could not detect the extracted...
Electrophoresis of Amplicons is a Better Method to Understand the Performance of Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification Assay for Screening the Presence of Escherichia coli in Water.
LAMP assay is widely used for detecting pathogens. We observed that the conventional and gradient polymerase chain reaction (PCR) could not detect the extracted Escherichia coli DNA; real-time PCR was able to detect up to a certain limit (10-8 bacterial dilution). At the same time, the LAMP assay could detect the bacteria at a much lower concentration (10-14 dilution). The results of the LAMP assay were evaluated using agarose gel electrophoresis and DNA binding dye (PicoGreen), but only gel electrophoresis gave reliable results. Therefore, we propose using electrophoresis-based amplicon detection to overcome the limitations of dye-based detection. We believe that this amplicon detection will go a long way in the screening of potable drinking water.
Topics: Escherichia coli; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; Water Microbiology; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Humans; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; DNA, Bacterial; Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; Drinking Water
PubMed: 38934812
DOI: 10.4103/ijph.ijph_1628_22 -
Indian Journal of Dental Research :... Jan 2024Wet oral environment may have deleterious effects on performance of the composites due to influences of water sorption and solubility. The study evaluated the hydrolytic...
INTRODUCTION
Wet oral environment may have deleterious effects on performance of the composites due to influences of water sorption and solubility. The study evaluated the hydrolytic degradation caused because of water sorption and solubility of silorane and methacrylate-based dental composites.
METHODS
Ten disc samples (2 mm × 10 mm) were prepared. Samples were analyzed for water solubility and sorption according to ISO 4049:2000 regulations and tested for mass gain or loss following immersion in water or in artificial saliva at 1 day, 15 days, and 30 days period. Student's 't' test, repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Tukey's post-hoc tests determined statistical significance of the experimental results with global significance set at P = 0.05.
RESULTS
Considerable sorption and solubility was observed with time in both materials on immersion. Silorane composites showed lower water sorption and solubility than methacrylate-based composite (MBC). Artificial saliva demonstrated higher sorption and solubility compared to distilled water.
CONCLUSION
Silorane composites display enhanced hydrolytic stability even after a month of immersion in contrast to conventional methacrylate-based composites (MBCs), making it a better alternative to MBC resins clinically.
Topics: Solubility; Methacrylates; Composite Resins; Water; Silorane Resins; Saliva, Artificial; Materials Testing; Hydrolysis; Dental Materials
PubMed: 38934754
DOI: 10.4103/ijdr.ijdr_195_23