The tritium release behavior of Li2TiO3 breeder pebbles is governed by irradiation-induced defects, microstructure, and thermal transport processes. In fusion blankets, these materials are exposed not only to neutrons but also to gamma-rays generated during nuclear reactions. In this work, Li2TiO3 pebbles were pre-irradiated with lowdose gamma-rays (100 and 500 kGy), subsequently irradiated with thermal neutrons, and then examined by tritium thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) under heating and isothermal conditions. The dominant tritium desorption peak shifted non-monotonically with gamma-ray dose, whereas the apparent activation energies obtained from peak-shift analysis changed only slightly, from 0.21 eV for the 0 kGy sample to 0.16 and 0.13 eV for the 100 and 500 kGy samples, respectively. These values represent effective kinetic parameters for the coupled release process rather than single diffusion or de-trapping barriers. Isothermal TDS showed that gamma-pre-irradiation slightly increased the fraction of tritium released during the initial holding stage, while the overall effect remained limited. The release curves can be approximated by an effective diffusion model after the early transient stage; however, the initial deviation from the model indicates the contribution of trapping or de-trapping, defect recovery, and surface processes. The results suggest that, under the present low-dose gamma-pre-irradiation conditions, the intrinsic defects and porous microstructure of Li2TiO3 pebbles still dominate the overall tritium release behavior.

We investigate entanglement transfer in a multi-giant-atom waveguide system. By tailoring chiral spontaneous emission and exploiting dark-state dynamics, the setup enables perfect, unidirectional sequential or selective transfer of quantum states and their associated entanglement. The distance between two entangled atoms, i.e., the entanglement length, can be dynamically adjusted, allowing robust conversion between long-range and short-range entanglement during propagation. The system inherently converges to a dark state, guaranteeing high-fidelity directional transfer. When the additional phase is modulated as a periodic piecewise function, spatially separated giant atoms exhibit stable, nearly lossless state exchange and maintain steady entanglement even under non-Markovian conditions. This behavior mimics conventional braided architectures without suffering from propagation delays or spatial restrictions. Our proposal offers a scalable pathway for continuous long-distance entanglement transport and resilient state exchange in quantum networks.

The similar molecular sizes and physicochemical properties of carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrocarbons like methane (CH4), acetylene (C2H2), ethylene (C2H4), and ethane (C2H6) make their separation a major industrial challenge. Here, we develop a low-cost, easily regenerable, pure-silica zeolite adsorbent "Instituto de Tecnología Química-55" (ITQ-55) capable of exclusively recognizing CO2 over these hydrocarbons. Guided by three-dimensional electron diffraction (3D ED) and density functional theory calculations, we identified commercially available and cost-effective diquaternary ammonium compounds as alternative organic structure-directing agents (OSDAs), partially replacing the previously expensive and complex ones for the synthesis of pure-silica ITQ-55. The calcined ITQ-55 features narrow 8-ring pores that enable selective CO2 adsorption while minimizing the uptake of CH4, C2H2, C2H4, and C2H6. Notably, the uptake ratio of CO2/C2H2 is much higher than that of currently reported CO2-selective adsorption materials. Dynamic breakthrough tests reveal that ITQ-55 exhibits excellent separation performance for CO2/C2H2, CO2/CH4, CO2/C2H4, and CO2/C2H6. In addition, the spent ITQ-55 adsorbent can be easily regenerated at 80 °C. Furthermore, theoretical calculations confirm that the separation mechanism of ITQ-55 for CO2/hydrocarbons is a size-exclusion mechanism.

Mo-Re alloys, with their exceptional mechanical properties, emerge as attractive candidates for high-temperature nuclear reactor applications. Nevertheless, a significant challenge they face is radiation-induced embrittlement. Here, the effects of Re solid-solution on the formation and evolution of the defects, induced by primary knock-on atoms with a recoil energy of 30 key, are quantitatively examined via molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. With help of home-made machine learning potential of high accuracy, our MD simulation results reveal a nonmonotonic relationship between the Re effect and radiation tolerance, wherein radiation tolerance initially increases and then decreases with Re concentration. The reduction in radiation tolerance is attributed to inherent Re segregation. Microscopically, regions with local Re nanosegregation can effectively capture self-interstitial atoms, hindering Frenkel pair recombination and facilitating defect aggregation, dislocation multiplication and pinning, thereby enhancing radiation damage. Moreover, radiation cascade events further intensify Re segregation, amplifying this damage effect. Our findings thus highlights the importance of homogenization heat treatment in tailoring radiation-tolerance for Mo-Re alloys.

Photocatalysis is a promising technology for removing low concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) from the atmosphere. However, the unsatisfactory photocatalytic NO removal efficiency and the high selectivity for NO2 in catalysts limit the development of this technology. In this work, we used an in-situ synthesis method to incorporate Cs3Bi2Br9 into UiO-66 for efficient and robust photocatalytic NO removal. The Cs3Bi2Br9/UiO-66 catalyst exhibits a 77.6 % NO removal efficiency and low NO2 selectivity under visible light irradiation at a WHSV of 1,650,000 mL h- 1 g- 1 , exceeding the efficiencies of Cs3Bi2Br9 (36.4 %) and UiO-66 (2.3 %), as well as those of most reported MOF-based photocatalysts. The synergy of weak Lewis acid sites from Cs3Bi2Br9 in Cs3Bi2Br9/UiO- 66 and the strong Lewis acid sites from UiO-66 promotes the enrichment of NO on the catalyst surface and act as electron traps to induce carrier separation, thereby promoting the generation of center dot O 2- to achieve high efficiency. This work provides a new idea for the development of catalysts in NO elimination.

Germinal center (GC) response ensures the generation of diverse and high-affinity antibodies during the T cell-dependent (TD) immune response. This process is controlled by coordinated transcriptional and posttranscriptional gene regulatory mechanisms. Minor intron splicing is known to be involved in posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression. RNA-binding region (RNP1, RRM) containing 3 (RNPC3) is a minor spliceosome component involved in stabilizing the U11/U12 di-snRNP complex, which is essential for minor intron splicing. However, it remains unclear if RNPC3 and RNPC3-related gene regulatory mechanisms are important for the TD immune response. In this study, we conditionally ablated RNPC3 in activated B cells and showed that the mutant mice had defective antibody generation due to impaired GC B cell response. We demonstrate that RNPC3 deficiency inhibits the proliferation and promotes the apoptosis of activated B cells. Mechanistically, we show that RNPC3 regulates the development of GC B cells in a minor spliceosome-dependent manner by controlling the removal of minor introns from minor intron-containing genes associated with cell proliferation and apoptosis. Our study thus uncovers a previously unappreciated role for RNPC3 in regulating GC B cell response.

Sodium-ion batteries offer several advantages, including excellent low-temperature performance, enhanced safety, and the availability of abundant sodium resources. As a result, they can serve as one of the most promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries. Sn exhibits a high theoretical specific capacity, however, its volume expansion during charge and discharge results in poor cycle performance. To mitigate the volume expansion of Sn, Sn@C composites were prepared using the sol-gel method. In this study, phenolic resin (PF) was synthesized on the surface of SnO2 spheres via the sol-gel process, and a carbon-coated Sn@C composite was obtained through subsequent carbonization and reduction. The effect of Sn content on the structure and electrochemical sodium storage performance of the material was investigated by varying the amount of SnO2 added. The incorporation of phenolic resin enhances the conductivity of the material and uniformly encapsulates the Sn element, effectively reducing the volume expansion during charge and discharge. The appropriate ratio of SnO2 to C can effectively enhance the cycling stability of the material's discharge capacity. The results indicate that when 0.3 g of Sn dioxide is added during the synthesis of the material, it exhibits improved cycle stability and discharge specific capacity. At a current density of 500 mA g(-1), the initial discharge specific capacity of Sn@C-0.3 is 884.3 mAh g(-1), with an initial coulombic efficiency of 74.91 %. After 500 cycles, the discharge specific capacity remains at 503.9 mAh g(-1), demonstrating good sodium storage performance.

The piezoelectric properties of Poly (vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] copolymer nanofibers, loaded with Aluminum Nitride (AlN) and Zinc Oxide (ZnO), were investigated. These nanofibers were fabricated through an electrospinning process. It was observed that the incorporation of 1.5 wt% ZnO filler and the use of a high-speed electrospinning technique significantly enhanced the piezoelectric response of the P(VDF-TrFE)/AlN/ ZnO nanofibers. The resulting piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) achieved an optimal open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 23 V and a short-circuit current (Isc) of 65 nA, which are comparable to or exceed those reported for similar devices. Building on this, a prototype gesture recognition sensor utilizing the P(VDF-TrFE)/AlN/ZnO PENG was developed. Experimental results indicate that this sensor can effectively monitor human movements and behaviors by recognizing signal features from various finger postures, showing great promise for applications in smart health monitoring systems.

Photoredox catalysis has been developed as a sustainable and eco-friendly catalytic strategy, which might provide innovative solutions to solve the current synthetic challenges and barriers in carbohydrate chemistry. During the last few decades, the study of organic photocatalyst-promoted carbohydrate synthesis and modification has received significant attention, which provides an excellent and inexpensive metal-free alternative to photoredox catalysis as well as introduces a new fastest-growing era to access complex carbohydrates simply. In this review, we aim to provide an overview of organic photocatalyst-promoted carbohydrate synthesis and modification under light irradiation, which is expected to provide new directions for further investigation.

Gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) are conceived to be a good way to build safer lithium/sodium metal batteries by substituting traditional liquid electrolytes. However, it is still very difficult for GPEs to simultaneously achieve high room-temperature ionic conductivity, uniform Na+ flow, superior interfacial compatibility, and increased mechanical strength. Herein, a composite gel electrolyte (KNT-PTGPE) with high ionic conductivity of 4.06 mS cm-1 is prepared through chemical crosslinking strategy and the introduction of inorganic nanoparticles. The hybrid gel polymer network is formed by in situ cross-linking modified TiO2 (KNT), three-armed trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate. The resulting 3D interpenetrating network facilitates the absorption of liquid electrolytes and improves the mechanical properties of electrolyte. Theoretical calculation and in situ measurements reveal that the homogeneous TiO2 fillers with abundant Lewis acid site and polymer network are involved in the solvation process of Na+, thus constructing a fast Na+ transport channel. Consequently, a stable plating/stripping process lasting over 900 h is achieved due to the uniform distribution of Na+ flux and the good mechanical properties of the electrolyte, and the assembled cell exhibits an excellent long-term cycling stability. The approach offers more opportunities to design GPEs for high performance SMBs.

Lithium-based ceramics, due to their superior overall performance are currently the closest to engineering application as tritium breeding materials for fusion reactor blankets. However, under the operating conditions of a fusion reactor, high temperatures promote lithium volatilization and neutron absorption by structural materials of the blanket, leading to a relatively low tritium breeding efficiency when using single-phase lithium-based ceramics. In this study, a solid-state synthesis was employed to incorporate the neutron multiplying element Pb into conventional Li2TiO3 ceramics, resulting in the synthesis of lithium lead titanate (Li2PbxTi1-xO3) tritium breeders. This work emphasizes the phase evolution behavior of the synthesized materials at varying Pb molar fractions (x) and identifies 1023 K as the optimal sintering temperature. Furthermore, Li2PbxTi1-xO3 ceramic pebbles were synthesized via a polymer-assisted precipitation method. The influence of varying Pb content on the mechanical properties of the pebbles was systematically investigated. Additionally, it was necessary to maintain a Pb molar fraction (x) of <= 0.5 when incorporating Pb into the Li2TiO3 substrate. Under conditions with a Pb molar fraction (x) of 0.4, ceramic pebbles containing a co-existence of three phases: Li2TiO3, Li2PbO3, and PbO, were successfully fabricated. The predominant microstructure was characterized by Li2TiO3 particles adhered to plate-like Li2PbO3 structures. Therefore, by integrating the advantages of Li2TiO3 and Li2PbO3, the ball milling load achieved was 37.01 N, which is significantly higher than the 13.61 N observed for the dominant phase Li2PbO3. Moreover, Pb contributes to the multiplication of fusion neutrons, thereby enhancing the tritium breeding ratio. This study proposes a viable technical pathway for the industrial-scale fabrication of Li2PbxTi1-xO3 ceramic pebbles.

Transition metal catalysis has long been recognized as one of the most important tools for the construction of carbon-carbon bond and carbon-heteroatom bonds in modern organic synthesis. Photoredox catalysis has emerged as a powerful tool because of its unique activation mode and significance in green synthesis. The merging of transition metal catalysis and photoredox catalysis, termed metallaphotoredox catalysis, has recently garnered attention, which not only expands opportunities for high-valent and excited-state catalysis, but also provides new opportunities to combine two powerful platforms for the constant pursuit of novel disconnections and unprecedented reactivity. In addition, photoexcited-state transition metal catalysis uses a single transition metal complex as a photocatalyst, as well as a metal catalysis capable of harnessing photon energy and catalyzing bond-breaking/forming events. Given the importance of metallaphotoredox catalysis and photoexcited-state transition metal catalysis in carbohydrate chemistry over the past decade, in this review, we highlight recent developments in the synthesis and modification of carbohydrates that involve transition metal/photoredox dual catalysis as well as photoexcited-state transition metal single catalysis.

Liquid crystalline polymers with multicolor emission have attracted great attention in view of their great potential applications such as light-emitting diodes and information storage devices. However, luminescent liquid crystalline polymers (LLCPs) still have disadvantages involving single emission color, low solid-state emission efficiency, and poor mechanical properties. Herein, a series of main-chain LLCPs were obtained by the melt polycondensation of biobased dimethyl 2,2 '-bifuran-5,5 '-dicarboxylate (BFDCE), AIE-active alpha-cyanostilbene (Z-CS), and 1,6-hexanediol. Based on the F & ouml;rster resonance energy transfer (FRET) effect between bifuran and Z-CS moieties, the emission colors of these LLCPs can be continuously tuned from blue to cyan, and then to green by changing the feed molar ratio of BFDCE and Z-CS, which can be applied in the visualization of latent fingerprints. Owing to the introduction of the rigid bifuran, the melt-pressed thin films from these main-chain LLCPs exhibit excellent tensile ductility (233%-332%), tensile strength (25.7-45.0 MPa), and medium Young's modulus (329-1028 MPa). Under 365 nm UV irradiation, the Z-CS chromophores in the main chain can undergo an irreversible [2 + 2] cyclization in the film state. Accordingly, the 'QR code' information and fluorescence pattern can be directly printed on the melt-pressed films instead of employing the common supporting substrates such as quartz and poly(ethylene terephthalate), paving a way for the development of anti-counterfeiting and information storage technologies.

Sorption-based atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) is a promising solution for addressing water scarcity. Developing cost-effective and stable water adsorbents with high water uptake capacity and a low-temperature regeneration requirement is a crucially important procedure. In this Communication, we present a novel and stable aluminophosphate (AlPO) molecular sieve (MS) named DNL-11 with 16-ring channels synthesized by using an affordable and commercialized organic structure directing agent (OSDA), whose crystallographic structure is elucidated by three-dimensional electron diffraction (3D ED). DNL-11 exhibits a significant water uptake capacity (189 mg/g) at a very low vapor pressure (5% relative humidity at 30 °C). In addition, most of the adsorbed water can be effortlessly removed by purging N2 at 25 °C under ambient pressure conditions. This may expand the possibility of AWH under extreme drought conditions.

Developing novel heteroatoms co-doped biomass porous carbon with low-cost, tunable physical/chemical properties, and environmental friendliness is an important candidate to face energy shortage and environmental pollution currently. Herein, a novel solvothermal avenue was designed using triethanolamine as self-doping solvent to treat rice straw powders with KOH. The rice straw with triethanolamine derived carbon (RSTCs-1) possessed hierarchical porous structure, N/O diatomic doping, and large specific surface area. The electrochemical energy storage performance of RSTCs-1 was evaluated in the systems of supercapacitors, aqueous zinc ion hybrid supercapacitors (AZHSs), and lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) respectively. As the results, the RSTCs-1 based symmetric supercapacitor exhibited the maximum energy density of ca. 98.4 Wh center dot kg- 1 with the excellent cycling stability. Moreover, both RSTCs-1 AZHSs and RSTCs-1 LIBs achieved the relative high discharge specific capacities of ca. 407.1 and 1906.7 mAh center dot g- 1 at current density of 0.1 A center dot g- 1. These results highlighted the huge potential of the obtained with notable electrochemical performance acting as multifunctional electrode material for the different energy storage devices.

Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) is widely known as a stable and safe anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to its so-called “zero-strain” effect. However, its low intrinsic conductivity and theoretical capacity limit its intensive application. In this work, we fabricated Li4Ti5O12/anatase TiO2 (LTO/AT) heterostructured nanosheets by a multi-step process, where the anatase phase could be facilely introduced into the main LTO phase by adjusting the amount of Li salt in the system. The presence of the AT phase could significantly enhance the kinetic insertion/extraction of Li+ in LTO, giving rise to much higher reversible capacities of LTO/AT at different C-rates than pure LTO and AT. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation results suggested that the interface between LTO and AT could reduce the diffusion barrier of Li atoms and enhance the electronic conductivity, accelerating the electrochemical kinetic process, and thus improving battery performance.

With the development of photocatalytic hydrogen production technology, the effective transport of photogenerated carrier electrons is still one of the main factors affecting the performance of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. In this work, graphdiyne was prepared by ball milling method. The CoMo-MOF with polyhedral structure was introduced into graphdiyne to construct S-scheme heterojunction to promote the efficient transfer of photogenerated carriers and enhanced hydrogen evolution activity. Graphdiyne is a new carbon material with adjustable band gap, which is synthesized from the hybrid of sp and sp2, and has excellent electrical conductivity. CoMo-MOF is a polyhedral structure that can provide more active sites and promote photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The weak point of poor conductivity in CoMo-MOF has been successfully improved by combining CoMo-MOF with graphdiyne, and the migration rate of photogenerated carriers has been accelerated. The hydrogen evolution property of graphdiyne/CoMo-MOF is 300 μmol, which is 19.61 times that of graphdiyne and 9.03 times that of CoMo-MOF. Therefore, the construction of S-scheme heterojunction provides a transport channel for electron transfer and improves the efficiency of photogenerated carrier separation. This work provides a new train of thought of design to introduce MOFs materials into carbon materials for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

The ultrasensitive recognition of biomarkers plays a crucial role in the precise diagnosis of diseases. Graphene-based field-effect transistors (GFET) are considered the most promising devices among the next generation of biosensors. GFET biosensors possess distinct advantages, including label-free, ease of integration and operation, and the ability to directly detect biomarkers in liquid environments. This review summarized recent advances in GFET biosensors for biomarker detection, with a focus on interface functionalization. Various sensitivity-enhancing strategies have been overviewed for GFET biosensors, from the perspective of optimizing graphene synthesis and transfer methods, refinement of surface functionalization strategies for the channel layer and gate electrode, design of biorecognition elements and reduction of nonspecific adsorption. Further, this review extensively explores GFET biosensors functionalized with antibodies, aptamers, and enzymes. It delves into sensitivity-enhancing strategies employed in the detection of biomarkers for various diseases (such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, infectious viruses, etc.) along with their application in integrated microfluidic systems. Finally, the issues and challenges in strategies for the modulation of biosensing interfaces are faced by GFET biosensors in detecting biomarkers.

Marine biofouling severely limits the development of the marine economy, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by electrocatalytic antifouling techniques could inactivate marine microorganisms and inhibit the formation of marine biofouling. Compared with an electro-Fenton reaction, a three-electron oxygen reduction reaction (3e(-) ORR) could generate a hydroxyl radical ((OH)-O-center dot) in situ without the limitation of pH and iron mud pollutants. Herein, Ov-rich gamma-MnO2 is designed to enhance the 3e(-) ORR performance in neutral media and exhibits excellent sterilization performance for typical marine bacteria. DFT calculation reveals that O-v is beneficial to the "end-on" adsorption and activation of O-2, and the Mn site could accept the electrons from *OOH and promote its further reduction to form (OH)-O-center dot; O-v and Mn sites together guarantee the high 3e(-) ORR efficiency. In addition, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) proves the vast formation of (OH)-O-center dot in the primary reaction stage, which is the key to sterilization. This work explores the reaction mechanism of the 3e(-) ORR in neutral media and provides the possibility for the application of electrocatalysis technology in the treatment of marine biofouling pollution.

Introduction of vacancies is a widely practiced method to improve the performance of active materials in different energy systems, such as secondary batteries, electrocatalysis, and supercapacitors. Because vacancies can generate abundant localized electrons and unsaturated cations, the incorporation of vacancies will significantly improve the electrical conductivity, ion migration, and provides additional active sites of energy storage materials. This article systematically reviews different methods to generate oxygen, nitrogen, or selenium vacancies, and techniques to characterize these vacancies. We summarize the specific roles that vacancies play for the active materials in each type energy storage device. Additionally, we provide insights into the research progress and challenges associated with the future development of vacancies technology in various energy storage systems.