Developing high-performance electrocatalysts for the alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is essential for sustainable hydrogen production. Herein, we fabricate ultralow-Ru modified Fe3O4 catalyst grown directly on iron foam (Ru/Fe3O4/IF) via a one-step galvanic corrosion route, where the IF serves simultaneously as a conductive 3D scaffold and the iron source. The spontaneous redox reaction between Ru3+ and Fe0 yields highly dispersed Ru species anchored on Fe3O4, generating abundant metal/oxide interfacial sites with low Ru loading. Experimental characterizations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations collectively reveal that interfacial Ru species regulate the local electronic structure of Fe3O4, downshift the Fe d-band center, and optimize the hydrogen adsorption free energy (Delta GH*), thereby promoting water dissociation and facilitating H* desorption. As a result, the optimal Ru/Fe3O4/IF electrode delivers an ultralow overpotential of 56 mV at 10 mA cm-2 in 1.0 M KOH, along with a long-term durability of 168 h of water electrolysis at 1A cm-2. Additionally, under 808 nm near-infrared irradiation, localized photothermal self-heating markedly accelerates alkaline HER kinetics, leading to a dramatic reduction of ti10 to 11 mV. Temperature-dependent measurements and Arrhenius analysis further demonstrate that NIR illumination lowers the apparent activation energy, corroborating the photothermal contribution to overcoming the sluggish Volmer step in alkaline media. The catalyst also exhibits no significant deactivation under repeated light on/off cycling, highlighting its robustness. This work presents an effective strategy that integrates interfacial electronic modulation with localized photothermal activation to develop energy-saving electrocatalysts for alkaline water electrolysis.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive malignancy often characterized by chemoresistance, partly due to the overexpression of drug efflux transporters like ABCG2. To address this challenge, this study developed and evaluated a cRGD-modified, pH-sensitive liposomal system for the targeted co-delivery of docetaxel (DTX) and siRNA against ABCG2 (si-ABCG2). The synthesized nanoparticles (DTX/siRNA/cRGD-PLPs) exhibited optimal physicochemical properties, including a mean particle size of approximately 241.7 nm, efficient co-loading of DTX and siRNA, and pH-responsive cargo release, while protecting the siRNA from degradation in serum. Also, DTX/siRNA/cRGD-PLPs maintained homogeneous size distributions over the storage period and induced minimal hemoglobin release, with hemolysis rates remaining below safety threshold. These liposomes demonstrated enhanced, time-dependent uptake into TNBC cell lines HCC1937 and MDA-MB-231. In vitro, the DTX/siRNA/cRGD-PLPs formulation was significantly more effective at inhibiting cell viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion, and at inducing apoptosis, compared to the free drug combinations and other controls. Moreover, the dual-payload co-delivery liposomes (DTX/siRNA/cRGD-PLPs) exerted superior anti-tumor effects relative to single-agent formulations. In an MDA-MB-231 xenograft mouse model, the liposomal treatment was well-tolerated and resulted in marked tumor growth inhibition, which was associated with reduced cell proliferation (Ki67) and increased apoptosis (Caspase-3) within the tumor tissue. This targeted co-delivery system shows significant potential for improving TNBC treatment by synergistically enhancing therapeutic efficacy and overcoming chemoresistance.

The design of efficient, durable and low-loading noble metal electrocatalysts for acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) remains highly desirable and is paramount for scalable hydrogen production in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE). In this work, Ru/RuO2 composite catalysts anchored on graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) are prepared via a simple hydrothermal-calcination synthetic route. The simultaneous partial reduction of RuO2 by g-C3N4 in calcination process results in the in-situ construction of Ru/RuO2 heterojunctions. The optimized Ru/RuO2/g-C3N4-2 catalyst exhibits robust catalytic activity toward the OER superior to pristine RuO2 with an overpotential of 179.5 mV to achieve 10 mA cm-2, a Tafel slope of 60.72 mV dec-1 and exceptional durability for without noticeable degradation. More importantly, Ru/RuO2/g-C3N4-2 catalyst has a low Ru loading of 0.125 mg cm-2 and exhibits a robust mass activity of mA mg-1 Ru, which is 21 times greater than that of benchmark RuO2. This work highlights a viable strategy toward engineering high-performance, low-noble loading catalysts for acidic oxygen evolution, and provides a rational and scalable approach for constructing ultra-low-loading RuO2-based acidic OER catalysts through electronic modulation and interfacial engineering.

Developing highly efficient and stable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts in acidic media is vital for advancing water electrolysis in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE). In this work, Ru/ RuO2 heterostructure anchored on MnO2 supported on carbon fiber paper (CP) is prepared via a simple hydrothermal reaction-galvanic displacement-sintering synthetic route. The as-prepared Ru/RuO2/MnO2@CP catalysts exhibit petal-like morphology composed of nanosheets, featuring abundant active sites. The optimal Ru/RuO2/MnO2@CP-1 catalyst demonstrates superior electrocatalytic activity and stability toward the acidic OER to commercial RuO2 with an ultralow overpotential of mere 150 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm-2, a Tafel slope of 46 mV & sdot;dec-1, and no significant deactivation after 50 h of water electrolysis at 100 mA cm-2. Ru/ RuO2/MnO2@CP-1 catalyst possesses a Ru loading of 0.202 mg cm-2 and exhibits a robust mass activity of 742 mA mg-1 Ru. This work highlights a universal and feasible strategy toward interfacial engineering highperformance ruthenium-based OER catalysts.

Developing high-performance electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is essential for scalable hydrogen generation. In this study, interfacial Co-Fe3O4 heterostructures with nanoparticle morphology (Co-Fe3O4/IF) was constructed in situ on an iron foam (IF) substrate via a facile one-step hydrothermal synthesis. Experimental characterizations combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate the Co-Fe3O4 heterojunction interaction effectively modulates the surface electronic configuration, facilitates electron transfer, and tunes the hydrogen adsorption free energy (Delta GH*) of active sites, which in turn are favorable for the enhancement of catalytic performance for HER. The resultant Co-Fe3O4/IF electrocatalyst exhibits robust catalytic activity toward the alkaline HER superior to Ni-Fe3O4/IF, with an overpotential of 81 mV to achieve 10 mA cm-2. The incorporation of Co species lowers the d-band center of Fe and introduces new active Co sites with moderate H* binding energy. The optimized electronic configuration facilitates water dissociation and H* desorption, thereby accelerating HER kinetics. This work demonstrates the potential of Fe3O4-based electronic modulation strategies in designing economical and high-performance HER catalysts for industrial alkaline water splitting.

Alkaline uranium-containing wastewater presents a significant remediation challenge due to the formation of stable, anionic uranyl-carbonate complexes that are recalcitrant to conventional treatment methods. Developing efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable biosorbents for uranium removal under alkaline conditions remains a critical need. Building upon previous findings that living Halomonas campaniensis JX-12 efficiently removes uranium from such effluents, this study systematically evaluated the performance and mechanisms of heat-treated, non-living JX-12 biomass for uranium removal under pH conditions of 7.0–9.0 (neutral to alkaline). Batch adsorption experiments demonstrate that the inactivated biomass achieves faster and more efficient uranium removal than its living counterpart at a low uranium concentration of 10 mg/L. Under selected conditions (60 min, 30°C, 180 rpm), removal rate reached 82.80 ± 0.41% (pH 7.0), 81.15 ± 0.34% (pH 8.0), and 77.99 ± 0.24% (pH 9.0). Kinetic modeling indicated that biosorption was dominated by rapid surface complexation, with FT-IR analysis confirming that hydroxyl, amide, carboxyl, amino, and phosphate groups served as the primary binding sites. The adsorption process was determined to be a spontaneous, exothermic, and entropy-driven monolayer chemisorption, wherein electrostatic attraction and ion exchange played secondary roles. Notably, the contributions of amide, amino, and phosphate groups to uranium binding intensified significantly with increasing pH. These findings demonstrate that heat-treated H. campaniensis JX-12 biomass is a robust, efficient, and promising biosorbent, offering a potential low-cost solution for the remediation, using biological processes, of alkaline wastewater that has been contaminated by uranium in nuclear and mining contexts.

ObjectiveEmbryonic stem cell (ESC)-derived small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) exhibit considerable potential as an innovative therapeutic approach in the fields of regenerative medicine and disease management. This in vitro study aimed to evaluate the protective efficacy of ESC-sEVs against lead acetate (PbAc)-induced damage in cochlear spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs).MethodsCochlear SGNs of neonatal rats were primarily cultured and administrated with (i) serum-free medium (control); (ii) 25 μM PbAc; (iii) 0.05 μg/μl ESC-sEVs (ESC-sEVs); (iv) 25 μM PbAc + 0.05 μg/μl ESC-sEVs (PbAc + ESC-sEVs). After treatment, cell viability of SGNs was assessed by CCK-8 assay. The changes in levels of reactive oxygen species, lipid peroxides, and apoptosis were detected by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. The protective mechanisms of ESC-sEVs against lead-induced SGNs damage were elucidated by RNA sequencing and western blot analysis.ResultsThe findings revealed that ESC-sEVs significantly increased the viability of SGNs subjected to PbAc exposure. Immunofluorescence and flow cytometry revealed that ESC-sEVs effectively attenuated oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and apoptotic processes in PbAc-exposed SGNs. Furthermore, RNA sequencing and western blot analysis demonstrated that ESC-sEVs activated the PI3 K/AKT signaling pathway, which plays a pivotal role in alleviating lead-induced neuronal injury.ConclusionIn conclusion, this study provides the first evidence supporting the therapeutic potential of ESC-sEVs in addressing lead-induced ototoxicity.