Hetero-Diatomic CoN4-NiN4 Site Pairs with Long-Range Coupling as Efficient Bifunctional Catalyst for Rechargeable Zn-Air Batteries.

In this study, Co/Ni-NC catalyst with hetero-diatomic Co/Ni active sites dispersed on nitrogen-doped carbon matrix is synthesized via the controlled pyrolysis of ZIF-8 containing Co2+ and Ni2+ compounds. Experimental characterizations and theoretical calculations reveal that Co and Ni are atomically and uniformly dispersed in pairs of CoN4-NiN4 with an intersite distance ≈0.41 nm, and there is long-range d-d coupling between Co and Ni with more electron delocalization for higher bifunctional activity. Besides, the in situ grown carbon nanotubes at the edges of the catalyst particles allow high electronic conductivity for electrocatalysis process. Electrochemical evaluations demonstrate the superior ORR and OER bifunctionality of Co/Ni-NC catalyst with a narrow potential gap of only 0.691 V and long-term durability, significantly prevailing over the single-atom Co-NC and Ni-NC catalysts and the benchmark Pt/C and RuO2 catalysts. Co/Ni-NC catalyzed Zn-air batteries achieve a high specific capacity of 771 mAh g-1 and a long continuous operation period up to 340 h with a small voltage gap of ≈0.65 V, also much superior to Pt/C-RuO2.

EGFR Oncogenic Mutations in NSCLC Impair Macrophage Phagocytosis and Mediate Innate Immune Evasion Through Up-Regulation of CD47.

INTRODUCTION: EGFR-mutated NSCLC is characterized by an immunosuppressive microenvironment that confers limited clinical effectiveness to anti-PD-1 or PD-L1 antibodies. Despite the discouraging outcomes of immunotherapy, novel immune checkpoints are constantly emerging, among which the specific vulnerability for therapeutic intervention in the context of EGFR-mutated NSCLC remains unresolved. METHODS: Data sets of patient- and cell line-levels were used for screening and mutual validation of association between EGFR mutation and a panel of immune checkpoint-related genes. Regulatory mechanism was elucidated through in vitro manipulation of EGFR signaling pathway and evaluated by immunoblot analysis, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence staining, and chromatin immunoprecipitation. In vivo investigation of different therapeutic strategies were conducted using both immunocompetent and immunodeficient mouse models. RESULTS: Among all screened immune checkpoints, CD47 emerged as the candidate most relevant to EGFR activation. Mechanistically, EGFR mutation constitutively activated downstream ERK and AKT pathways to respectively up-regulate the transcriptional factors c-Myc and NF-κB, both of which structurally bound to the promotor region of CD47 and actively transcribed this "don't eat me" signal. Impaired macrophage phagocytosis was observed on introduction of EGFR-sensitizing mutations in NSCLC cell line models, whereas CD47 blockade restored the phagocytic capacity and augmented tumor cell killing in both in vitro and in vivo models. Remarkably, the combination of anti-CD47 antibody with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor revealed an additive antitumor activity compared with monotherapy of either antitumor agent in both immunocompetent and adaptive immunity-deficient mouse models. CONCLUSIONS: EGFR-sensitizing mutation facilitates NSCLC's escape from innate immune attack through up-regulating CD47. Combination therapy incorporating CD47 blockade holds substantial promise for clinical translation in developing more effective therapeutic approaches against EGFR-mutant NSCLC.

Oriented External Electric Fields Regurating the Reaction Mechanism of CH4 Oxidation Catalyzed by Fe(IV)-Oxo-Corrolazine: Insight from Density Functional Calculations.

Methane is the simplest alkane and can be used as an alternative energy source for oil and coal, but the greenhouse effect caused by its leakage into the air is not negligible, and its conversion into liquid methanol not only facilitates transportation, but also contributes to carbon neutrality. In order to find an efficient method for converting methane to methanol, CH4 oxidation catalyzed by Fe(IV)-Oxo-corrolazine (Fe(IV)-Oxo-Cz) and its reaction mechanism regulation by oriented external electric fields (OEEFs) are systematically studied by density functional calculations. The calculations show that Fe(IV)-Oxo-Cz can abstract one H atom from CH4 to form the intermediate with OH group connecting on the corrolazine ring, with the energy barrier of 25.44 kcal mol-1. And then the product methanol is formed through the following rebound reaction. Moreover, the energy barrier can be reduced to 20.72 kcal mol-1 through a two-state reaction pathway. Furthermore, the effect of OEEFs on the reaction is investigated. We found that OEEFs can effectively regulate the reaction by adjusting the stability of the reactant and the transition state through the interaction of electric field-molecular dipole moment. When the electric field is negative, the energy barrier of the reaction decreases with the increase of electric intensity. Moreover, the OEEF aligned along the intrinsic Fe‒O reaction axis can effectively regulate the ability of forming the OH on the corrolazine ring by adjusting the charges of O and H atoms. When the electric field intensity is -0.010 a.u., the OH can be directly rebounded to the CH3· before it is connecting on the corrolazine ring, thus forming the product directly from the transition state without passing through the intermediate with only an energy barrier of 17.34 kcal mol-1, which greatly improves the selectivity of the reaction.

The High-Effective Catalytic Degradation of Benzo[a]pyrene by Mn-Corrolazine Regulated by Oriented External Electric Field: Insight From DFT Study.

The degradation of BaP into hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene by Mn-corrolazine and its regulation by an oriented external electronic field (OEEF) were systematically studied using first-principle calculations. Extensive density function calculations showed that the degradation of BaP into hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene by Mn-corrolazine occurs via a three-step process in the absence of OEEF, in which a more toxic and stable epoxide intermediate is generated. However, upon application of OEEF along the intrinsic Mn-O reaction axis, the degradation of BaP into hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene is greatly simplified. The negative charge on the terminal O atom of Mn-OO corrolazine increases with an increase in the OEEF intensity. As the intensity of the OEEF increases over 0.004 a.u., the negatively charged terminal O atom has the ability to directly abstract the positively charged H atom of BaP and the degradation of BaP into hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene can be completed via a one-step process, avoiding the production of more toxic epoxide intermediates.

Zirconium-oxo Nodes of MOFs with Tunable Electronic Properties Provide Effective ⋠OH Species for Enhanced Methane Hydroxylation.

Direct conversion of methane to high value-added oxygenates under mild conditions has attracted extensive interest. However, the over-oxidation of target products is usually unavoidable due to the easily excessive activation of C-H bond on the sites of supported metal species. Here, we identified the most efficient Zr-oxo nodes of UiO-66 metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) catalysts for the selective oxidation of methane with H2 O2 . These nodes were modified by three types of benzene 1, 4-dicarboxylates (NH2 -BDC, H2 BDC, and NO2 -BDC). Detailed characterizations and DFT calculations revealed that these ligands can effectively tune the electronic properties of Zr-oxo nodes and the H2 BDC ligand led to optimal electronic density of Zr-oxo nodes in UiO-66. Thus the UiO-66-H catalyst promoted the formation of ⋅OH species that adsorbed on Zr-oxo nodes, and facilitated the activation of methane with a lower energy barrier and subsequent conversion to hydroxylation oxygenates with 100 % selectivity.

Theoretical Understandings of Graphene-based Metal Single-Atom Catalysts: Stability and Catalytic Performance.

Research on heterogeneous single-atom catalysts (SACs) has become an emerging frontier in catalysis science because of their advantages in high utilization of noble metals, precisely identified active sites, high selectivity, and tunable activity. Graphene, as a one-atom-thick two-dimensional carbon material with unique structural and electronic properties, has been reported to be a superb support for SACs. Herein, we provide an overview of recent progress in investigations of graphene-based SACs. Among the large number of publications, we will selectively focus on the stability of metal single-atoms (SAs) anchored on different sites of graphene support and the catalytic performances of graphene-based SACs for different chemical reactions, including thermocatalysis and electrocatalysis. We will summarize the fundamental understandings on the electronic structures and their intrinsic connection with catalytic properties of graphene-based SACs, and also provide a brief perspective on the future design of efficient SACs with graphene and graphene-like materials.

Dual Metal Active Sites in an Ir1 /FeOx Single-Atom Catalyst: A Redox Mechanism for the Water-Gas Shift Reaction.

Herein, we report a theoretical and experimental study of the water-gas shift (WGS) reaction on Ir1 /FeOx single-atom catalysts. Water dissociates to OH* on the Ir1 single atom and H* on the first-neighbour O atom bonded with a Fe site. The adsorbed CO on Ir1 reacts with another adjacent O atom to produce CO2 , yielding an oxygen vacancy (Ovac ). Then, the formation of H2 becomes feasible due to migration of H from adsorbed OH* toward Ir1 and its subsequent reaction with another H*. The interaction of Ir1 and the second-neighbouring Fe species demonstrates a new WGS pathway featured by electron transfer at the active site from Fe3+ -O⋅⋅⋅Ir2+ -Ovac to Fe2+ -Ovac ⋅⋅⋅Ir3+ -O with the involvement of Ovac . The redox mechanism for WGS reaction through a dual metal active site (DMAS) is different from the conventional associative mechanism with the formation of formate or carboxyl intermediates. The proposed new reaction mechanism is corroborated by the experimental results with Ir1 /FeOx for sequential production of CO2 and H2 .

Theoretical investigation on the electronic structure of one dimensional infinite monatomic gold wire: insights into conducting properties.

Mixed-valence metal-organic nanostructures show unusual electronic properties. In our pervious investigation, we have designed and predicted a unique one-dimensional infinite monatomic gold wire (1D-IMGW) with excellent conductivity and the interesting characteristic of mixed valency (Auc 3+ and Au0 i). For further exploring its conduction properties and stability in conducting state, here we select one electron as a probe to explore the electron transport channel and investigate its electronic structure in conducting state. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show the 1D-IMGW maintains its original structure in conducting state illustrating its excellent stability. Moreover, while adding an electron, 1D-IMGW is transformed from a semiconductor to a conductor with the energy band mixed with Auc (5d) and Aui (6s) through the Fermi level. Thus 1D-IMGW will conduct along its gold atom chain demonstrating good application prospect in nanodevices.

Theoretical investigation of an ultrastable one dimensional infinite monatomic mixed valent gold wire with excellent electronic properties.

Gold nanowires have attracted considerable attention owing to their potential applications in mesoscopic research and nanodevices. However, monatomic Au long chains are naturally metastable, making it difficult to use them directly in these applications. Herein, a unique one-dimensional (1D) infinite monatomic gold wire (1D-IMGW) was designed, and its electronic and optical properties were characterized by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The 1D-IMGW was stabilized by corrole rings, and there were strong interactions between the dz(2) orbitals of the Auc atoms in the centers of the corrole rings and the 6s orbitals of the Aui atoms in the middle of adjacent corrole rings. The excellent conductivity of one-dimensional metal nanowires was observed along the Au wire perpendicular to the corrole rings. Moreover, the 1D-IMGW demonstrated the unique characteristic of mixed valences (Au(3+) and Au(0)) and exhibited strong absorption across the entire visible range.

Catalysis on singly dispersed bimetallic sites.

A catalytic site typically consists of one or more atoms of a catalyst surface that arrange into a configuration offering a specific electronic structure for adsorbing or dissociating reactant molecules. The catalytic activity of adjacent bimetallic sites of metallic nanoparticles has been studied previously. An isolated bimetallic site supported on a non-metallic surface could exhibit a distinctly different catalytic performance owing to the cationic state of the singly dispersed bimetallic site and the minimized choices of binding configurations of a reactant molecule compared with continuously packed bimetallic sites. Here we report that isolated Rh1Co3 bimetallic sites exhibit a distinctly different catalytic performance in reduction of nitric oxide with carbon monoxide at low temperature, resulting from strong adsorption of two nitric oxide molecules and a nitrous oxide intermediate on Rh1Co3 sites and following a low-barrier pathway dissociation to dinitrogen and an oxygen atom. This observation suggests a method to develop catalysts with high selectivity.

An efficient molybdenum disulfide/cobalt diselenide hybrid catalyst for electrochemical hydrogen generation.

The electroreduction of water for sustainable hydrogen production is a critical component of several developing clean-energy technologies, such as water splitting and fuel cells. However, finding a cheap and efficient alternative catalyst to replace currently used platinum-based catalysts is still a prerequisite for the commercialization of these technologies. Here we report a robust and highly active catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction that is constructed by in situ growth of molybdenum disulfide on the surface of cobalt diselenide. In acidic media, the molybdenum disulfide/cobalt diselenide catalyst exhibits fast hydrogen evolution kinetics with onset potential of -11 mV and Tafel slope of 36 mV per decade, which is the best among the non-noble metal hydrogen evolution catalysts and even approaches to the commercial platinum/carbon catalyst. The high hydrogen evolution activity of molybdenum disulfide/cobalt diselenide hybrid is likely due to the electrocatalytic synergistic effects between hydrogen evolution-active molybdenum disulfide and cobalt diselenide materials and the much increased catalytic sites.

A lanthanum chelate possessing an open-channel framework with water nanotubes: properties and desalination.

A new type of thermally stable chelate {La(H2O)4[La(1,3-pdta)(H2O)]3}n · 12nH2O (1) [1,3-H4pdtaCH2[CH2N(CH2CO2H)2]2] with an open-channel shows significant and unusual solvent transport properties and demonstrates a use for low-pressure desalination, which is constructed by cheap and available lanthanum salt and 1,3-propanediaminetetraacetate. The chelate could be converted reversibly to its trihydrate {La(H2O)4[La(1,3-pdta)(H2O)]3}n · 3nH2O (1a), dehydrated product {La(H2O)4[La(1,3-pdta)(H2O)]3}n (1b) and ethanol adduct {La(H2O)4[La(1,3-pdta)(H2O)]3}n · 3nH2O · 3nEtOH (1c). The latter nano-confined ethanol shows a remarkable downfield shift (Δδ = 6.0 ppm) for the methylene group in the solid 13C NMR spectrum compared with that of the free EtOH. Crystal 1 with a regular hexagonal appearance can be used directly for saline water desalination on a small-scale at an ambient temperature, demonstrating a low energy consumption and environmentally friendly method. This is attributed to the 10.0 Å hydrophobic open-channel containing water nanotubes (WNTs, Φ = 4.2 Å). The nano-confined WNTs can be removed at a low temperature (45 °C).