Influence of dityrosine nanotubes on the expression of dopamine and differentiation in neural cells.

In this study, we report the synthesis of self-assembled dityrosine nanotubes as a biologically functional scaffold and their interactions with neural cells. Quantum chemical methods were used to determine the forces involved in the self-assembly process. The physicochemical properties of the nanostructures relevant to their potential as bioactive scaffolds were characterized. The morphology, secondary structure, crystallinity, mechanical properties, and thermal characteristics of YY nanotubes were analyzed. The influence of these nanotubes as scaffolds for neural cells was studied in vitro to understand their effects on cell proliferation, morphology, and gene expression. The scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence confocal microscopy demonstrated the feasibility of nanotube scaffolds for enhanced adhesion to rat and human neural cells (PC12 and SH-SY5Y). Preliminary ELISA and qPCR analyses demonstrate the upregulation of dopamine synthesis and genes involved in dopamine expression and differentiation. The expression levels of DßH, AADC, VMAT2 and MAOA in SH-SY5Y cells cultured on the nanotube scaffolds for 7 days were elevated in comparison to the control cells.

Computational and experimental investigation of the effect of cation structure on the solubility of anionic flow battery active-materials.

Recent advances in clean, sustainable energy sources such as wind and solar have enabled significant cost improvements, yet their inherent intermittency remains a considerable challenge for year-round reliability demanding the need for grid-scale energy storage. Nonaqueous redox flow batteries (NRFBs) have the potential to address this need, with attractive attributes such as flexibility to accommodate long- and short-duration storage, separately scalable energy and power ratings, and improved safety profile over integrated systems such as lithium-ion batteries. Currently, the low-solubility of NRFB electrolytes fundamentally limits their energy density. However, synthetically exploring the large chemical and parameter space of NRFB active materials is not only costly but also intractable. Here, we report a computational framework, coupled with experimental validation, designed to predict the solubility trends of electrolytes, incorporating both the lattice and solvation free energies. We reveal that lattice free energy, which has previously been neglected, has a significant role in tuning electrolyte solubility, and that solvation free energies alone is insufficient. The desymmetrization of the alkylammonium cation leading to short-chain, asymmetric cations demonstrated a modest increase in solubility, which can be further explored for NRFB electrolyte development and optimization. The resulting synergistic computational-experimental approach provides a cost-effective strategy in the development of high-solubility active materials for high energy density NRFB systems.

Designing high energy density flow batteries by tuning active-material thermodynamics.

The cost of electricity generated by wind and solar installations has become competitive with that generated by burning fossil fuels. While this paves the way for a carbon-neutral electrical grid, short- and long-term intermittency necessitates energy storage. Flow batteries are a promising technology to accommodate this need, with numerous advantages, including decoupled power and energy ratings, which imparts flexibility, thermal stability, and safety. Further, development of robust nonaqueous systems has the potential to greatly improve energy density, approaching that of lithium-ion batteries, while maintaining the advantages of flow systems. Herein we report a breakthrough on a bio-inspired nonaqueous redox flow battery (NRFB) electrolyte, which contains high-concentration active-material and maintains stability during deep cycling for extended time-periods. These advances are reinforced by thermodynamic considerations and computational investigations, which provide a clear path to further improvements. Electrochemical studies confirm that the active-material maintains its high stability at high concentration. This molecular scaffold clears two important hurdles in designing active-materials for nonaqueous electrolytes - low solubility and poor stability - providing an in-road to development of high-performance NRFB systems.