Epigallocatechin-3-gallate Inhibits LPS/AßO-induced Neuroinflammation in BV2 Cells through Regulating the ROS/TXNIP/NLRP3 Pathway.

Neuroinflammation is a key factor in cognitive dysfunction and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), so inhibiting neuroinflammation is considered as a potential treatment for AD. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a polyhydroxyphenol of green tea, has been found to exhibit anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the inhibitory effect of EGCG on inflammation and its mechanism. In this study, BV2 cells were simultaneously exposed to lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and the amyloid-ß oligomer (AßO) to induce inflammatory microenvironments. Inflammatory cytokines and NLRP3 inflammasome-related molecules were detected by RT-PCR and Western Blot. The results show that EGCG inhibits LPS/AßO-induced inflammation in BV2 cells through regulating IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α. Meanwhile, EGCG reduces the activation of the NOD-, LRR-, and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and levels of intracellular ROS in BV2 cells treated with LPS/AßO by affecting the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). Further research found that EGCG inhibited MMP through regulating thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) in LPS/AßO-induced neuroinflammation. In conclusion, EGCG may alleviate LPS/AßO-induced microglial neuroinflammation by suppressing the ROS/ TXNIP/ NLRP3 pathway. It may provide a potential mechanism underlying the anti-inflammatory properties of EGCG for alleviating AD.

General Fabrication of Robust Alloyed Metal Anodes for High-Performance Metal Batteries.

Revitalizing metal anodes for rechargeable batteries confronts challenges such as dendrite formation, limited cyclicity, and suboptimal energy density. Despite various efforts, a practical fabrication method for dendrite-free metal anodes remains unavailable. Herein, focusing on Li as exemplar, a general strategy is reported to enhance reversibility of the metal anodes by forming alloyed metals, which is achieved by induction heating of 3D substrate, lithiophilic metals, and Li within tens of seconds. It is demonstrated that preferred alloying interactions between substrates and lithiophilic metals created a lithiophilic metal-rich region adjacent to the substrate, serving as ultrastable lithiophilic host to guide dendrite-free deposition, particularly during prolonged high-capacity cycling. Simultaneously, an alloying between lithiophilic metals and Li creates a Li-rich region adjacent to electrolyte that reduces nucleation overpotential and constitutes favorable electrolyte-Li interface. The resultant composite Li anodes paired with high areal loading LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 cathodes achieve superior cycling stability and remarkable energy density above 1200 Wh L-1 (excluding packaging). Furthermore, this approach shows broader applicability to other metal anodes plagued by dendrite-related challenges, such as Na and Zn. Overall, this work paves the way for development of commercially viable metal-based batteries that offer a combination of safety, high energy density, and durability.

Laser-Scribed Battery Electrodes for Ultrafast Zinc-Ion Energy Storage.

Aqueous Zn batteries are promising for large-scale energy storage but are plagued by the lack of high-performance cathode materials that enable high specific capacity, ultrafast charging, and outstanding cycling stability. Here, a laser-scribed nano-vanadium oxide (LNVO) cathode is designed that can simultaneously achieve these properties. The material stores charge through Faradaic redox reactions on/near the surface at fast rates owing to the small grain size of vanadium oxide and interpenetrating 3D graphene network, displaying a surface-controlled capacity contribution (90%-98%). Multiple characterization techniques unambiguously reveal that zinc and hydronium ions co-insert with minimal lattice change upon cycling. It is demonstrated that a high specific capacity of 553 mAh g-1 is achieved at 0.1 A g-1, and an impressive 264 mAh g-1 capacity is retained at 100 A g-1 within 10 s, showing excellent rate capability. The LNVO/Zn can also reach >90% capacity retention after 3000 cycles at a high rate of 30 A g-1, as well as achieving both high energy (369 Wh kg-1) and power densities (56306 W kg-1). Moreover, the LNVO cathode retains its excellent cycling performance when integrated into quasi-solid-state pouch cells, further demonstrating mechanical stability and its potential for practical application in wearable and grid-scale applications.

Ultrafast deposition of faceted lithium polyhedra by outpacing SEI formation.

Electrodeposition of lithium (Li) metal is critical for high-energy batteries1. However, the simultaneous formation of a surface corrosion film termed the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI)2 complicates the deposition process, which underpins our poor understanding of Li metal electrodeposition. Here we decouple these two intertwined processes by outpacing SEI formation at ultrafast deposition current densities3 while also avoiding mass transport limitations. By using cryogenic electron microscopy4-7, we discover the intrinsic deposition morphology of metallic Li to be that of a rhombic dodecahedron, which is surprisingly independent of electrolyte chemistry or current collector substrate. In a coin cell architecture, these rhombic dodecahedra exhibit near point-contact connectivity with the current collector, which can accelerate inactive Li formation8. We propose a pulse-current protocol that overcomes this failure mode by leveraging Li rhombic dodecahedra as nucleation seeds, enabling the subsequent growth of dense Li that improves battery performance compared with a baseline. While Li deposition and SEI formation have always been tightly linked in past studies, our experimental approach enables new opportunities to fundamentally understand these processes decoupled from each other and bring about new insights to engineer better batteries.

Investigation of reversible metal ion (Li+, Na+, Mg2+, Al3+) insertion in MoTe2 for rechargeable aqueous batteries.

In this work, we report the electrochemical reactivity of MoTe2 for various metal ions with special emphasis on Al3+ ion storage in aqueous electrolytes for the first time. A stable discharge capacity of 100 mA h g-1 over 250 cycles at a current density of 1 Ag-1 could be obtained for the Al3+ ion, whereas inferior storage capacities were shown for other metal ions.

Neural Network Accelerated Investigation of the Dynamic Structure-Performance Relations of Electrochemical CO2 Reduction over SnO x Surfaces.

Heterogeneous catalysts, especially metal oxides, play a curial role in improving energy conversion efficiency and production of valuable chemicals. However, the surface structure at the atomic level and the nature of active sites are still ambiguous due to the dynamism of surface structure and difficulty in structure characterization under electrochemical conditions. This paper describes a strategy of the multiscale simulation to investigate the SnO x reduction process and to build a structure-performance relation of SnO x for CO2 electroreduction. Employing high-dimensional neural network potential accelerated molecular dynamics and stochastic surface walking global optimization, coupled with density functional theory calculations, we propose that SnO2 reduction is accompanied by surface reconstruction and charge density redistribution of active sites. A regulatory factor, the net charge, is identified to predict the adsorption capability for key intermediates on active sites. Systematic electronic analyses reveal the origin of the interaction between the adsorbates and the active sites. These findings uncover the quantitative correlation between electronic structure properties and the catalytic performance of SnO x so that Sn sites with moderate charge could achieve the optimally catalytic performance of the CO2 electroreduction to formate.

Structured cerebellar connectivity supports resilient pattern separation.

The cerebellum is thought to help detect and correct errors between intended and executed commands1,2 and is critical for social behaviours, cognition and emotion3-6. Computations for motor control must be performed quickly to correct errors in real time and should be sensitive to small differences between patterns for fine error correction while being resilient to noise7. Influential theories of cerebellar information processing have largely assumed random network connectivity, which increases the encoding capacity of the network's first layer8-13. However, maximizing encoding capacity reduces the resilience to noise7. To understand how neuronal circuits address this fundamental trade-off, we mapped the feedforward connectivity in the mouse cerebellar cortex using automated large-scale transmission electron microscopy and convolutional neural network-based image segmentation. We found that both the input and output layers of the circuit exhibit redundant and selective connectivity motifs, which contrast with prevailing models. Numerical simulations suggest that these redundant, non-random connectivity motifs increase the resilience to noise at a negligible cost to the overall encoding capacity. This work reveals how neuronal network structure can support a trade-off between encoding capacity and redundancy, unveiling principles of biological network architecture with implications for the design of artificial neural networks.

Expanding the cryogenic electron microscopy toolbox to reveal diverse classes of battery solid electrolyte interphase.

Advancements in energy storage technologies such as Li-based batteries depend on a deep understanding of the chemical and structural aspects of critical interfaces. Among these, the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) governs how batteries operate yet remains one of the most elusive to characterize due to its rapid degradation under an electron beam and sensitivity to ambient conditions. In recent years, cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has emerged as a promising technique to provide atomic-resolution imaging of beam-sensitive battery materials. Distinct SEIs have been discovered with unique chemical compositions and structural features. In this perspective, the role of cryo-EM in uncovering the physicochemical properties of three classes of SEIs (i.e., compact, extended, and indirect SEI) will be defined and discussed. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis of new cryo-EM imaging modalities will be provided to highlight directions for the future development of cryo-EM.

Hippocampal place codes are gated by behavioral engagement.

As animals explore an environment, the hippocampus is thought to automatically form and maintain a place code by combining sensory and self-motion signals. Instead, we observed an extensive degradation of the place code when mice voluntarily disengaged from a virtual navigation task, remarkably even as they continued to traverse the identical environment. Internal states, therefore, can strongly gate spatial maps and reorganize hippocampal activity even without sensory and self-motion changes.

Spheres of Graphene and Carbon Nanotubes Embedding Silicon as Mechanically Resilient Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Novel anode materials for lithium-ion batteries were synthesized by in situ growth of spheres of graphene and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) around silicon particles. These composites possess high electrical conductivity and mechanical resiliency, which can sustain the high-pressure calendering process in industrial electrode fabrication, as well as the stress induced during charging and discharging of the electrodes. The resultant electrodes exhibit outstanding cycling durability (∼90% capacity retention at 2 A g-1 after 700 cycles or a capacity fading rate of 0.014% per cycle), calendering compatibility (sustain pressure over 100 MPa), and adequate volumetric capacity (1006 mAh cm-3), providing a novel design strategy toward better silicon anode materials.

Controllable Cu0 -Cu+ Sites for Electrocatalytic Reduction of Carbon Dioxide.

Cu-based electrocatalysts facilitate CO2 electrochemical reduction (CO2 ER) to produce multi-carbon products. However, the roles of Cu0 and Cu+ and the mechanistic understanding remain elusive. This paper describes the controllable construction of Cu0 -Cu+ sites derived from the well-dispersed cupric oxide particles supported on copper phyllosilicate lamella to enhance CO2 ER performance. 20 % Cu/CuSiO3 shows the superior CO2 ER performance with 51.8 % C2 H4 Faraday efficiency at -1.1 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode during the 6 hour test. In situ attenuated total reflection infrared spectra and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were employed to elucidate the reaction mechanism. The enhancement in CO2 ER activity is mainly attributed to the synergism of Cu0 -Cu+ pairs: Cu0 activates CO2 and facilitates the following electron transfers; Cu+ strengthens *CO adsorption to further boost C-C coupling. We provide a strategy to rationally design Cu-based catalysts with viable valence states to boost CO2 ER.

Concentrating and activating carbon dioxide over AuCu aerogel grain boundaries.

Alloys are active in CO2 electroreduction due to their unique electronic and geometric structures. Nevertheless, CO2 reduction selectivity is still low due to the low concentration of CO2 near the catalyst surface and the high energy barrier for CO2 activation. This paper describes an AuCu nanochain aerogel (NC-AuCu) with abundant grain boundaries (GBs) that promote the accumulation and activation of CO2 for further electrochemical reduction, employing in situ attenuated total reflection surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. GBs can induce a strong local electric field to concentrate the electrolyte cations and thus accumulate CO2 near the catalyst surface. NC-AuCu exhibits a superior Faradaic efficiency of close to 100% for CO2 electroreduction to CO at an extremely low overpotential of 110 mV with a high CO partial current density of 28.6 mA cm-2 in a flow cell. Coupling with a Si solar cell to convert solar energy to CO, a very high conversion efficiency of ∼13.0% is achieved. It potentially provides broad interest for further academic research and industry applications.

Enhanced CO2 Electroreduction on Neighboring Zn/Co Monomers by Electronic Effect.

It is of great significance to reveal the detailed mechanism of neighboring effects between monomers, as they could not only affect the intermediate bonding but also change the reaction pathway. This paper describes the electronic effect between neighboring Zn/Co monomers effectively promoting CO2 electroreduction to CO. Zn and Co atoms coordinated on N doped carbon (ZnCoNC) show a CO faradaic efficiency of 93.2 % at -0.5 V versus RHE during a 30-hours test. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure measurements (EXAFS) indicated no direct metal-metal bonding and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) showed the electronic effect between Zn/Co monomers. In situ attenuated total reflection-infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations further revealed that the electronic effect between Zn/Co enhanced the *COOH intermediate bonding on Zn sites and thus promoted CO production. This work could act as a promising way to reveal the mechanism of neighboring monomers and to influence catalysis.

Selective Electroreduction of Carbon Dioxide over SnO2 -Nanodot Catalysts.

The development of electrochemical CO2 conversion allows green carbon utilization. Formate and syngas are two typical products of electrochemical CO2 reduction, and the coproduction of these two products will maximize the energy efficiency of CO2 conversion. However, few works have successfully achieved the cogeneration of formate and syngas. This paper describes a novel strategy to maximize the efficiency of CO2 conversion through coproduction of formate and syngas on ultrasmall SnO2 nanodots (NDs) homogeneously anchored on carbon nanotubes (CNT#SnO2 NDs) electrodes. The CNT#SnO2 NDs not only decreased the adsorption energy of *OCHO but also reduced the adsorption energy difference of *COOH and *H. High energy efficiency toward formate and adjustable H2 /CO ratio were obtained over a broad potential window with long-term stability. In addition, CNT#SnO2 NDs and Ir foil were coupled together to construct an electrolyzer for electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction (CO2 ERR-OER), which also produced formate and syngas with 24 h stability. A promising approach is presented for the electrochemical CO2 conversion in fuel production.

Three-Phase Photocatalysis for the Enhanced Selectivity and Activity of CO2 Reduction on a Hydrophobic Surface.

The photocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CRR) represents a promising route for the clean utilization of stranded renewable resources, but poor selectivity resulting from the competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in aqueous solution limits its practical applicability. In the present contribution a photocatalyst with hydrophobic surfaces was fabricated. It facilitates an efficient three-phase contact of CO2 (gas), H2 O (liquid), and catalyst (solid). Thus, concentrated CO2 molecules in the gas phase contact the catalyst surface directly, and can overcome the mass-transfer limitations of CO2 , inhibit the HER because of lowering proton contacts, and overall enhance the CRR. Even when loaded with platinum nanoparticles, one of the most efficient HER promotion cocatalysts, the three-phase photocatalyst maintains a selectivity of 87.9 %. Overall, three-phase photocatalysis provides a general and reliable method to enhance the competitiveness of the CRR.

Ultrathin Pd-Au Shells with Controllable Alloying Degree on Pd Nanocubes toward Carbon Dioxide Reduction.

Electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2ER) to reusable carbon resources is a significant step to balance the carbon cycle. This Communication describes a seed-mediated growth method to synthesize ultrathin Pd-Au alloy nanoshells with controllable alloying degree on Pd nanocubes. Specifically, Pd@Pd3Au7 nanocrystals (NCs) show superior CO2ER performance, with a 94% CO faraday efficiency (FE) at -0.5 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode and approaching 100% CO FE from -0.6 to -0.9 V. The enhancement primarily originates from ensemble and ligand effects, i.e., appropriately proportional Pd-Au sites and electronic back-donation from Au to Pd. In situ attenuated total reflection infrared spectra and density functional theory calculations clarify the reaction mechanism. This work may offer a general strategy for the synthesis of bimetallic NCs to explore the structure-activity relationship in catalytic reactions.