Single-Ion Conductive Polymer-Based Composite Electrolytes for High-Performance Solid-State Lithium Metal Batteries.

Flexible composite polymer electrolytes (CPEs) with inorganic electrolyte fillers dispersed in polymer electrolytes integrate the merits of the polymer and inorganic electrolytes and have attracted much attention in recent years. In order to increase the electrochemical performance, especially the low lithium (Li)-ion transference number in traditional dual-ion Li salt-containing CPEs, single-ion conductive CPEs are synthesized with a single-ion polymer conductor (SIPC) as the matrix and Li6.4 La3 Zr1.4 Ta0.6 O12 (LLZTO) particles as the active fillers. The single-ion conductive CPEs show a high Li-ion transference number (up to 0.96), high room-temperature (RT) ionic conductivity (>1.0 × 10-4 S cm-1 ), wide electrochemical stability window (>5.0 V, vs Li/Li+ ), and excellent long-term cycling stability with Li metal at RT (3200 h). Based on the SIPC-LLZTO CPE, the solid-state lithium metal batteries with LiFePO4 - and LiCoO2 -based cathodes deliver average discharge capacities of 159 mAh g-1 for 600 cycles and 119 mAh g-1 for 200 cycles at RT, respectively. This study sheds light on the design of high-performance CPEs for next-generation solid-state lithium metal batteries.

Porous Ultrathin NiSe Nanosheet Networks on Nickel Foam for High-Performance Hybrid Supercapacitors.

Transition metal selenides (TMSs) with excellent electrochemical activity and high intrinsic electrical conductivity have attracted considerable attention owing to their potential use in energy storage devices. However, the low energy densities of the reported TMSs, which originate from the small active surface area and poor electrolyte ion mobility, substantially restrict their application potential. In this work, porous ultrathin nickel selenide nanosheet networks (NiSe NNs) on nickel foam are fabricated by using a novel, facile method, that is, selenylation/pickling of the pre-formed manganese-doped α-Ni(OH)2 . Removal of Mn resulted in NNs with a highly porous structure. The 3D framework of the NNs and the inherent nature of the NiSe affords high ion mobility, abundant accessible activated sites, vigorous electrochemical activity, and low resistance. One of the highest specific capacities of TMSs ever reported, that is, 443 mA h g-1 (807 µAh cm-2 ) at 3.0 A g-1 , is achieved with the NNs as electrodes. The assembled NiSe NNs//porous carbon hybrid supercapacitor delivers a high energy density of 66.6 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 425 W kg-1 , with excellent cycling stability. This work provides a new strategy for the production of novel electrode materials that can be applied in high-performance hybrid supercapacitors, and a fresh pathway towards commercial applications of hybrid supercapacitors based on TMS electrodes.

Diameter-optimized high-order waveguide nanorods for fluorescence enhancement applied in ultrasensitive bioassays.

Development of fluorescence enhancement (FE) platforms based on ZnO nanorods (NRs) has sparked considerable interest, thanks to their well-demonstrated potential in chemical and biological detection. Among the multiple factors determining the FE performance, high-order waveguide modes are specifically promising in boosting the sensitivity and realizing selective detection. However, quantitative experimental studies on the influence of the NR diameter, substrate, and surrounding medium, on the waveguide-based FE properties remain lacking. In this work, we have designed and fabricated a FE platform based on patterned and well-defined arrays of vertical, hexagonal prism ZnO NRs with six distinct diameters. Both direct experimental evidence and theoretical simulations demonstrate that high-order waveguide modes play a crucial role in FE, and are strongly dependent on the NR diameter, substrate, and surrounding medium. Using the optimized FE platform, a significant limit of detection (LOD) of 10-16 mol L-1 for Rhodamine-6G probe detection is achieved. Especially, a LOD as low as 10-14 g mL-1 is demonstrated for a prototype biomarker of carcinoembryonic antigen, which is improved by one order compared with the best LOD ever reported using fluorescence-based detection. This work provides an efficient path to design waveguiding NRs-based biochips for ultrasensitive and highly-selective biosensing.

Biowaste-Derived Hierarchical Porous Carbon Nanosheets for Ultrahigh Power Density Supercapacitors.

Low-cost activated carbons with high capacitive properties remain desirable for supercapacitor applications. Herein, a three-dimensional scaffolding framework of porous carbon nanosheets (PCNSs) has been produced from a typical biowaste, namely, ground cherry calyces, the specific composition and natural structures of which have contributed to the PCNSs having a very large specific surface area of 1612 m2 g-1 , a hierarchical pore size distribution, a turbostratic carbon structure with a high degree graphitization, and about 10 % oxygen and nitrogen heteroatoms. A high specific capacitance of 350 F g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 has been achieved in a two-electrode system with 6 m KOH; this value is among the highest specific capacitance of biomass-derived carbon materials. More inspiringly, a high energy density of 22.8 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 198.8 W kg-1 can be obtained with 1 m aqueous solution of Li2 SO4 , and an ultrahigh energy density of 81.4 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 446.3 W kg-1 is realized with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate electrolyte.

miRNA-185 serves as a prognostic factor and suppresses migration and invasion through Wnt1 in colon cancer.

Colon cancer is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide; abnormal microRNA expression is common during colon cancer development. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the role played by miR-185 in this context. We used quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) to measure miR-185 expression levels in colon cancer cell lines. The effects of miR-185 on colon cancer cell proliferation and invasion were assessed using the MTT, colony-forming, wound-healing, and transwell assays. A luciferase activity assay was used to confirm the target of miR-185. Our data showed that miR-185 was significantly down-regulated in colon cancer cells and colonic cancer tissues compared with NCM460 normal colonic epithelial cells and adjacent normal tissues. A functional analysis revealed that ectopic expression of miR-185 significantly inhibited colon cancer cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion. In addition, western blot, qRT-PCR, and luciferase assays confirmed in colon cancer cells that Wnt1 was a downstream target of miR-185, in turn suppressing ß-catenin-mediated signaling. In conclusion, we found that miR-185 inhibits colon cancer cell proliferation and invasion by targeting Wnt1, and that it serves as a tumor suppressor, indicating that the modulation of miR-185 levels may potentially be therapeutic in colon cancer patients.

Expression and clinical significance of Sirt1 in colorectal cancer.

The objective of the present study was to examine the expression of Silent information regulator 1 (Sirt1) in colorectal cancer and peritumoral normal mucosa tissue, and therefore analyze the role and molecular mechanism of Sirt1 in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer tissue specimens were employed as the experimental group, and adjacent normal mucosa tissues >5 cm from tumor lesions were used as the control group. The expression of Sirt1 was detected by the immunohistochemical streptavidin peroxidase detection method in paraffin-embedded sections, whilst Sirt1 protein expression was examined by western blot analysis in the fresh tissues. Sirt1 protein was primarily expressed in the nuclei of the tumor cells, and positive staining was brownish-yellow in color. The relative expression quantities of Sirt1 in the peritumoral normal rectal mucosa and rectal carcinoma were 1.15 and 2.62, and the differences between the two groups were statistically significant (P<0.05). The expression level of Sirt1 in colorectal carcinoma was significantly associated with the depth of tumor invasion, differentiation and tumor size (P<0.05). Sirt1 expression was also found to be associated with tumor tissue type, lymph node metastasis, Duke's stage and patient age. These characteristics combined may therefore be used as markers for the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer pathogenesis.