INFORMATION:
See the article:
Yang H, Gao S, Rao DW, Zhang CN, Zhou XC, Yang SK, Ye JJ, Yang SS, Lai FL, Yan XH. Non-metallic electronic regulation in CuCo oxy-/thio-spinel as advanced oxygen evolution electrocatalysts. Sci. China Chem., 2020, DOI: 10.1007/s11426-020-9895-2.
http://engine.scichina.com/publisher/scp/journal/SCC/doi/10.1007/s11426-020-9895-2
Non-metallic electronic regulation in CuCo oxy-/thio-spinel as OER electrocatalysts
2021-02-02
(Press-News.org) Oxygen evolution reaction (OER), as a vital half-reaction in some clean energy storage and conversion technologies including rechargeable metal-air batteries, regenerative fuel cells and electrochemical water splitting, has been of crucial importance for exploring highly efficient sustainable energy to substitute exhaustible fossil fuels. Among them, electrochemical water splitting can effectively produce clean and reproducible hydrogen fuels through renewable energy sources as power input like solar energy, etc. Unfortunately, the efficiency of water splitting is mainly impeded by the high anodic overpotential of OER, in which seeking efficient and stable electrocatalysts is highly desirable. It has been considered that spinel-structure materials can be meaningful alternative catalysts for OER. In recent years, many works are devoted to developing CuCo spinels for OER catalysis based on the synergistic effect regarding bimetals in spinel, morphology characteristic and conductive substrates, while the mechanism, especially the function of non-metallic in the structure, has not been systematically studied, as well as the influence on the electronic structure of metal active centers and improved performance.
Very recently, through a facile hydrothermal method with or without the oxidation of ammonia water, Prof. Xiaohong Yan, Dr. Dewei Rao and colleagues in Jiangsu University elaborately fabricated oxy-spinel Cu1-xCo2+xO4 nanoflakes and thio-spinel Cu1-xCo2+xS4 nanospheres. The as-prepared Cu1-xCo2+xO4 has a low overpotential of only 267 mV for achieving the current density of 10 mA/cm2, outperforming Cu1-xCo2+xS4 (297 mV), and their activities are superior to the commercial precious catalyst of RuO2 (321 mV). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis exhibits the higher ratio value of Co(III)/Co(II) in Cu1-xCo2+xO4 than that in Cu1-xCo2+xS4, suggesting that the strongly-electronegative oxygen efficiently predominates in regulating valence states of Co active sites in spinel structures. Remarkably, density functional theory simulation further reveals that the increased valence state of Co could accelerate the electron exchange between catalysts and oxygen adsorbates during electrocatalysis, thus contributing to the higher OER activity of Cu1-xCo2+xO4 catalysts. Our work provides the systematic exploration of OER catalytic mechanism on the non-metallic electronic regulation in CuCo oxy-/thio-spinel for water oxidation, which will guide the further design of high-performance materials for new spinel structure catalysts.
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Tsunamis and tsunami warning: recent progress and future prospects
2021-02-02
Tsunamis are one of the most destructive disasters in the ocean. Large tsunamis are mostly generated by earthquakes, and they can propagate across the ocean without significantly losing energy. During the shoaling process in coastal areas, the wave amplitude increases dramatically, causing severe life loss and property damage. There have been frequent tsunamis since the 21st century, drawing the attention of many countries on the study of tsunami mechanism and warning. Tsunami records also play an essential role in deriving earthquake rupture models in subduction zones.
A recent paper entitled "Tsunamis and tsunami warning: recent progress and future prospects" by Dr. Chao An from Shanghai Jiao Tong University reviews the recent research progress of earthquake-generated ...
Study finds recommended ICU sedatives equally safe, effective
2021-02-02
Sedative medications used in intensive care are associated with increased delirium, which is in turn connected with higher medical costs and greater risk of death and ICU-related dementia.
A study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine provides the most definitive evidence to date that, of the two drugs recommended for light sedation of patients receiving mechanical ventilation in the ICU, one is as effective and safe as the other.
Mechanical ventilation is a life-saving intervention often involving a breathing tube inserted in the patient's windpipe, typically entailing light sedation to quell the attendant discomfort, anxiety and psychological stress. Several studies have sought evidence of which ...
New evidence sheds light on treatment for patients with respiratory failure from COVID-19
2021-02-02
Boston, Mass. - COVID-19 has caused more than 2 million deaths worldwide since the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic in March 2020. Patients with severe COVID-19 frequently experience respiratory distress and require assistance breathing. For patients whose lungs are so injured that even a ventilator is unable to deliver enough oxygen, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) -- which does the work of the lungs by removing carbon dioxide and adding oxygen to blood outside the body -- may improve the odds of survival for certain patients with severe COVID-19.
A study by physician-researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) provides new evidence that critically ill patients with ...
Harvard researchers use machine learning models to study health impacts of walnuts
2021-02-02
FOLSOM, Calif., February 2, 2021 - Researchers, from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in collaboration with investigators from Rovira i Virgili University and the University of Navarra, Spain, used machine learning models, a subset of artificial intelligence, to identify more precisely the components in walnuts that may be responsible for potentially reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases - two of the leading causes of death in the U.S.
This study, supported by the California Walnut Commission and published in the Journal of Nutrition, used a novel machine learning model to identify 19 metabolites that were associated with walnut consumption. The body forms specific metabolites based on what food is consumed. The walnut ...
Study aims to break the chains of incarceration in African American males
2021-02-02
Over the last three decades, the United States prison population has exploded from 300,000 to more than 2 million. More than 1.1 million are African American men - the vast number of whom have returned within one to three years of their release. In fact, according to the World Prison Brief, America boasts the highest recidivism rate at more than 50 percent.
Although African American men are more likely to participate in re-entry programs, they continue to struggle with recidivism and reunification at higher rates. The common conception of assisting individuals impacted by incarceration is to provide practical needs such as housing, food and employment. Often, these services are insufficient when the core of their issues is related to psychological factors. ...
Significant cancer rates in California sea lions has major human health implications
2021-02-02
Scientists at The Marine Mammal Center - the world's largest marine mammal hospital - have found that viral-caused cancer in adult California sea lions is significantly increased by their exposure to toxins in the environment. The study is the result of over 20 years of research and examination of nearly 400 California sea lion patients by The Marine Mammal Center.
The Marine Mammal Center has been on the forefront of researching and understanding cancer in California sea lions and its connection to both ocean and human health. Since the cancer in sea lions was first discovered in 1979, between 18-23 percent of adult sea lions admitted to the Center's hospital have died of the fatal disease - the ...
Big name corporations more likely to commit fraud
2021-02-02
PULLMAN, Wash. - Fortune 500 firms with strong growth profiles are more susceptible to "cooking the books" than smaller, struggling companies, according to a recent study published in Justice Quarterly.
Researchers from Washington State University, Pennsylvania State University and Miami University examined the characteristics of more than 250 U.S. public corporations that were involved in financial securities fraud identified in Securities and Exchange Commission filings from 2005-2013. They were then compared to a control sample of firms that were not named in SEC fraud filings.
Clear trends emerged in the risk of fraud including corporations that were listed in the Fortune 500, traded on the New York Stock Exchange and had strong growth expectations. ...
Breast cancer-on-a-chip for testing immunotherapy drugs
2021-02-02
(LOS ANGELES) - There are many mechanisms by which the body responds to foreign invaders. One of these involves the T-cells of the immune system, which have a number of different proteins on their surface called "checkpoint proteins." These checkpoint proteins bind to proteins on the surface of other cells and can result in either stimulation or suppression of T-cell activity. Normally, surface proteins on foreign or invading cells will produce a stimulation of T-cell activity against these cells, while T-cell suppression is a built-in mechanism to prevent the immune system from attacking the body's own normal cells.
Tumor cells, ...
Child head injury guidelines created
2021-02-02
Australia's and New Zealand's first set of clinical guidelines for children's head injuries has been created by a network of specialists based at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI).
The guidelines, developed by the Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative (PREDICT) and published in Emergency Medicine Australasia, will allow emergency department clinicians to best diagnose and treat children's head injuries while reducing unnecessary exposure to radiation from CT scans. They also address head injuries in children with underlying problems, such as a bleeding disorder.
Matthew ...
Bottoms are up at the HIV Research for Prevention Virtual Conference
2021-02-02
PITTSBURGH, 2 February, 2021 - Researchers seeking to develop on-demand and behaviorally congruent HIV prevention options for people who practice anal sex are reporting the results of three early phase clinical trials of rectal microbicides at this week's HIV Research for Prevention (HIV R4P) Virtual Conference. The Phase I studies, led by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Microbicide Trials Network (MTN), found both of two gel-based products well-tolerated, with higher doses of the active drugs likely required to provide protection from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The results are being presented ...