The electrochemical production of sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) offers potential for water treatment. Although chlorine evolution reaction (CER) and ROS generation had been widely investigated in acidic media, further exploration was warranted under tap-water conditions. In this study, a ruthenium single-atom-based electrocatalyst (Ru SAs/IrCeOx/Co3O4) was developed, which achieved a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 98.5% for CER in acidic electrolyte and demonstrated stable operation for 1750h at 625mA·cm-2 during an accelerated durability test. The electrocatalyst generated 1.4ppm total oxidants within 2min in simulated tap water, and showed stability for 1630h in a medium-salinity electrolyte. Theoretical analyses demonstrated that Ru SAs/Co3O4 surface lowered the thermodynamic barrier for Cl2 formation, the moderate chlorine adsorption energy of IrO2 establishes an electrocatalytic interface for the reaction system, CeO2 facilitated the spontaneous generation of *O species and promoted O-O coupling, endowing the electrocatalyst with bifunctional activity toward both CER and ROS production under simulated tap water conditions. The electrocatalyst, coupled with a self-designed continuous-flow electrolyzer, achieves 95% pollutant degradation within 30min. This study provides guidance for reducing the fabrication cost of commercial DSA electrodes and enabling their application in advanced electrochemical oxidation processes.

In general, the activation of CO2-rather than the availability of hydrogen source-is considered to be the determining step in electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (eCO2RR) processes. However, the dissociation of H2O, which is the dominant hydrogen source in most metal-based catalysts for the eCO2RR in alkaline/neutral and even acidic electrolytes, suffers from the challenges of high dissociation barrier and carbonate formation. Herein, we design nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs). N-CNTs possess weak H2O dissociation ability and can switch the hydrogen source from the dissociation of H2O to hydrated protons, thereby greatly enhancing the eCO2RR activity. In situ characterization and theoretical calculations confirm that the protons, rather than H2O, act as the hydrogen source on the N-CNTs catalyst in an acidic electrolyte, which boosts the proton-coupled electron transfer process of *COOH formation and lowers the eCO2RR barrier. Impressively, N-CNTs exhibit a remarkable faradaic efficiency of CO (FECO) at current densities ranging from -50 to -350 mA cm-2 and sustained FECO at 200 mA cm-2, outperforming most reported carbon catalysts. These findings identify the hydrogen source pathway as a new activity-tuning parameter for the eCO2RR, paving a new path for the design of efficient electrocatalytic systems.

Current Fe single-atom catalysts suffer from active-site blockage and aggregation. This study creates 2D nanosheet catalysts with axial chlorine-coordinated Fe-N4 sites (Fe-N4Cl) via molten salt-assisted pyrolysis. This configuration tunes the electronic structure, enhancing oxygen reduction. The catalyst outperforms Pt/C in alkaline, neutral, and acidic electrolytes, with half-wave potentials of 0.921 V, 0.742 V, and 0.771 V, respectively. In Zn-air batteries, it achieves a high power density of 176.5 mW cm-2 and stability over 720 hours, showing great potential for efficient energy conversion.

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) have emerged as exceptional electrocatalysts due to their unique structural and electronic properties. In this work, we synthesized PtRhPdIrRu HEA nanoaggregates by precisely controlling the zeta potential during synthesis. The resulting catalyst demonstrated superior oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity in both acidic and alkaline electrolytes, outperforming commercial Pt/C. Remarkably, the HEA nanoaggregates exhibited outstanding stability, retaining half-wave potentials (E1/2) of 0.851 V after 13,000 cycles in acidic media and 0.864 V after 30,000 cycles in alkaline media. These results highlight the exceptional electrocatalytic performance and durability of HEA nanoaggregates, making them highly promising candidates for next-generation ORR catalysts.

Gel-free capillary zone electrophoresis at acidic pH for micro DNA and RNA analysis.

Aqueous zinc metal batteries (AZMBs) offer safety and sustainability but face challenges from hydrogen evolution, corrosion, and dendrite formation in mildly acidic electrolytes. Electrolyte additives improve anode stability by modifying interfacial chemistry through surface adsorption or altering zinc ion solvation. However, the mechanisms by which trace amounts of additives, often less than one percent of total ions, yield large performance improvements remain unclear. This suggests highly specific interfacial effects that require deeper investigation of charge transfer kinetics and interfacial resistances. Using fast scan voltammetry on ultramicroelectrodes (UMEs), we show that additives affect both the exchange current density and kinetic reversibility, a parameter reflecting the steady-state regime at high scan rates. We propose kinetic reversibility as a complementary metric to evaluate anode stability. Three amide-based additives, hexamethylphosphoramide, trimethylphosphoramide, and phosphoramide differing only in methyl substitution on the amide nitrogen, serve as model systems to study how molecular structure influences solvation, adsorption, and plating behavior. Electroanalysis on UMEs, supported by density functional theory, reveals the interplay of kinetics and interfacial chemistry. Galvanostatic cycling and morphological studies validate these findings. This work provides mechanistic insight and introduces kinetic reversibility as a valuable design criterion for stable zinc metal anodes.

The oxygen reduction activity of palladium (Pd) can be significantly boosted through alloy formation with transition metals. However, achieving long-term durability in acidic media remains challenging. Herein, ordered PdFe intermetallic (O-PdFe/C) electrocatalysts are synthesized via impregnation-reduction followed by thermal annealing, converting disordered PdFe alloy (D-PdFe/C) into an ordered intermetallic phase. Benefiting from the atomic ordering structure with Pd-Fe covalent bonding and compressive strain, O-PdFe/C delivers outstanding activity relative to D-PdFe/C and Pd/C, as evidenced by a half-wave potential (E1/2) of 0.854 V vs RHE and mass activity (MA) of 0.17 A mg-1Pd in acidic electrolyte. Remarkably, the crystalline substrate of O-PdFe/C maintains exceptional durability with a 131 mV shift after 30000 cycles. The identical location transmission electron microscopy (IL-TEM) characterization reveals that the ordered intermetallic structure suppresses Fe leaching and prevents carbon corrosion, which is the key mechanism for enabling long-term durability. This work demonstrates that atomic ordering represents a promising approach to enhancing the oxygen reduction performance of carbon-supported Pd-based catalysts while effectively mitigating degradation during operation.

The prevailing paradigm in electrocatalytic CO2 reduction asserts that multinuclear copper are indispensable for facilitating C-C coupling, whereas isolated single-copper sites in MOFs are considered inefficient for C2+ production. Herein, we challenge this wisdom using two Cu-MOFs from the same ligand: CuTTB-1 featuring isolated single copper sites and CuTTB-2 possessing multinuclear copper. Counterintuitively, CuTTB-1 achieved a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of ethylene production comparable to that of CuTTB-2, along with a superior partial current density across both alkaline and acidic electrolytes. Remarkably, CuTTB-1 delivered an exceptional FE(C2H4) of 47.4% with a high partial current density of -142.2mAcm-2 at an applied potential of -1.3V vs. RHE and the corresponding overpotential of 1.38V in acidic medium, surpassing all reported MOFs-based catalysts and rivaling the performance of state-of-the-art catalysts. Density functional theory calculations combined with operando infrared spectra revealed that *CO intermediate generated on an isolated copper site in CuTTB-1 can desorb and migrate to a distant *CHO species, enabling asymmetric C-C coupling. This newly identified mechanism exhibits a substantially lower free energy compared to conventional symmetric coupling in CuTTB-2. This work redefines the design principles for single-site catalysts by demonstrating the viability of asymmetric coupling via reactant migration.

Electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) to value-added hydrocarbon fuels, such as CH4, is desirable for a carbon-neutral future but suffers from low selectivity, especially in acidic electrolytes with the competing hydrogen evolution reaction. Leveraging the hydrogenation of *CO intermediate with *H species, while avoiding its desorption or dimerization, is indispensable for selective CO2-to-CH4 electroreduction, which also remains challenging. Here, we report a synergistic Cu-based catalyst (Cu1+SNs) with dual-functional sites on mesoporous silica (SBA-15), comprising isolated Cu single atoms (Cu1-SAs) and ensembled CuOx sub-nanoparticles (CuOx-SNs), enables acidic CO2RR toward CH4 production with high performance. The CuOx-SNs are responsible for CO2 activation, and their elongated Cu─O─Cu bonds inhibit conventional C─C coupling process of *CO intermediates; while the adjacent Cu1-SAs play a pivotal role in water dissociation, providing abundant *H species for *CO hydrogenation to *CHO intermediate. Consequently, the synergistic Cu1+SNs catalyst exhibits outstanding CO2RR-to-CH4 performance in acidic electrolyte, reaching a Faradaic efficiency of 70.4%. Remarkably, the robust Cu1+SNs catalyst also displays high selectivity (> 70%) in pH-universal (acidic, neutral, and alkaline) electrolytes. This work paves a new pathway for designing optimal catalysts with structural heterogeneity toward selective product generation in multistep reactions.

In vivo studies in chickens demonstrate that the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome is a key driver of renal injury during infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) infection. Pharmacological inhibition of NLRP3 significantly alleviates renal inflammation and tissue damage without affecting viral replication, highlighting the central role of host inflammatory responses in disease progression. Importantly, we report for the first time that NLRP3 activation is predominantly localized to AQP2-positive collecting ducts, a nephron segment essential for uric acid excretion and electrolyte balance. IBV infection reprograms these epithelial cells into a pro-inflammatory, metabolically dysregulated state, promoting urate crystal formation and amplifying tissue injury. These findings reveal a spatially confined epithelial-immune axis of coronavirus-induced renal pathology and suggest new avenues for targeted intervention.

Abstract The development of high‐efficiency, non‐precious metal electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs) that operate robustly in both acidic and alkaline electrolytes is essential to replace costly Pt‐based catalysts. In this study, we present a novel heterostructure design: Mo‒Mo 2 C nanoparticles embedded within nitrogen and carbon co‐doped nanofibers (denoted as Mo‒Mo 2 C/NC NFs), fabricated via an organic‒inorganic hybridization strategy and subsequent hydrogen reduction. Our key material innovation lies in the precise regulation of the metallic Mo content, and thus the density of Mo‒Mo 2 C heterostructures, by controlling the aniline monomer dosage during synthesis. Comprehensive experimental characterization confirms that strong electronic coupling at these heterointerfaces effectively modulates the local electron density, leading to optimize hydrogen adsorption energy and enhanced H 2 desorption kinetics. Furthermore, the ternary conductive network, comprising metallic Mo, Mo 2 C nanoparticles, and N, C‐doped carbon, synergistically promotes charge transfer and inhibits nanoparticle agglomeration. As a result, the optimized electrocatalyst exhibits notable HER performance, achieving competitive overpotentials of 167 mV in 0.5 M H 2 SO 4 and 140 mV in 1 M KOH at 10 mA cm ‒2 , with Tafel slopes of 81 and 86 mV dec ‒1 , respectively. This work differentiates from prior Mo 2 C‐based systems by deliberate multi‐component interface engineering and presents a general strategy for designing high‐performance, pH‐universal electrocatalysts through precise heterostructure control.

Breaking activity-stability trade-off via Pt-In dual site dissociative pathway for highly durable oxygen reduction.

ABSTRACT Maximizing the energy density of aqueous supercapacitors based on MXenes remains a critical challenge due to narrow voltage windows, sluggish or irreversible redox reactions, particularly at extreme and positive potentials. Here, we report a previously unexplored etched manganese–aluminum carbide (EMAX) synthesized via a circular route from waste surgical masks, delivering sustainability alongside performance. EMAX features improved porosity, low work function (2 eV), and a layered architecture with rough surface, while encoding Mn 4+ /Mn 2+ redox sites that underpin fast and reversible pseudocapacitance. In a three–electrode configuration, EMAX achieves superior gravimetric (975 F g −1 ) and volumetric (1657 F cm −3 ) capacitances. Its intrinsically low work function enables favorable electrode potential alignment (avoiding irreversible anodic oxidation) and effective operation in acidic aqueous electrolytes at extended positive potentials. Consequently, when paired with high‐work‐function nitrogen‐doped graphene, the asymmetric device operates particularly efficiently at 1.6 V, reaching a specific energy of 125.5 Wh kg −1 and 213 Wh L −1 and at a specific power of 863 W L −1 , previously considered unachievable in aqueous electrolyte devices. Together, these results highlight work function engineering, coupled with sustainable carbide synthesis, fast and reversible Mn redox sites, and etching‐induced nano‐architecture, leading to a substantial performance advancement in aqueous asymmetric supercapacitors.

Acidic electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) holds promise for high CO2 utilization. However, corrosive and reductive acidic electrolytes typically cause catalyst degradation and undesirable self-reduction. In this study, we strategically design an implanting-structured catalyst encompassing Bi2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) core within zeolite crystals through a novel stepwise seed-directed crystallization technique. This design potently inhibits the dissolution, detachment, agglomeration and reshaping of NPs during acidic CO2RR and precisely controls NP size to offer high-density active sites per unit area. The concomitant strong metal oxide-support interaction induces the electron shielding effect, which drives electrons unidirectionally exported from Bi to *OCHO intermediate and zeolite but prevents the electron inflow to Bi, preventing the working Bi2O3 from self-reduction during acidic CO2RR. Meanwhile, the interfacial electron transfer steers the CO2RR intermediates coverage by enhancing *OCHO intermediate stabilization and weakening *H binding. This innovative catalyst has been effectively utilized in acidic CO2 electrolysis, attaining a maximum HCOOH Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 99% and a remarkable partial current density of 865mA cm-2 at 1 A cm-2, particularly achieving extraordinary stability - sustain FE exceeding 94% for 500 hours in strongly acidic media. This work opens up new opportunities of ultrastable implanting-structured catalyst for long-lasting acidic CO2 electrolysis and other catalytic systems.

Abstract Acidic electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) holds promise for high CO 2 utilization. However, corrosive and reductive acidic electrolytes typically cause catalyst degradation and undesirable self‐reduction. In this study, we strategically design an implanting‐structured catalyst encompassing Bi 2 O 3 nanoparticles (NPs) core within zeolite crystals through a novel stepwise seed‐directed crystallization technique. This design potently inhibits the dissolution, detachment, agglomeration and reshaping of NPs during acidic CO 2 RR and precisely controls NP size to offer high‐density active sites per unit area. The concomitant strong metal oxide‐support interaction induces the electron shielding effect, which drives electrons unidirectionally exported from Bi to *OCHO intermediate and zeolite but prevents the electron inflow to Bi, preventing the working Bi 2 O 3 from self‐reduction during acidic CO 2 RR. Meanwhile, the interfacial electron transfer steers the CO 2 RR intermediates coverage by enhancing *OCHO intermediate stabilization and weakening *H binding. This innovative catalyst has been effectively utilized in acidic CO 2 electrolysis, attaining a maximum HCOOH Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 99% and a remarkable partial current density of 865 mA cm −2 at 1 A cm −2 , particularly achieving extraordinary stability – sustain FE exceeding 94% for 500 hours in strongly acidic media. This work opens up new opportunities of ultrastable implanting‐structured catalyst for long‐lasting acidic CO 2 electrolysis and other catalytic systems.

Copper-based catalysts are the premier choice for electrochemical reduction of CO2 (CO2RR) into hydrocarbons or oxygenates. However, the facilely structural reconstruction of copper sites during electrolysis poses significant challenges to the long-life electrolytic efficiency. Herein, we leverage the strong σ-π dative bonding between Cuδ+ and alkyne-based ligands to stabilize copper sites for the prolonged CO2RR. We demonstrate the feasibility of taming the electronic structures of copper sites through the tug of war between σ and π backbonding interactions. The optimal copper organic polymer with methoxy group functionalization (OMe-PhCu) exhibits a moderate charge density of copper sites and an intensified local asymmetric charge distribution of coordinative carbon, enhancing the selectivity of methane with a Faradaic efficiency of 68.8% and a partial current density of 324.5 mA cm−2 in acidic electrolyte. In situ spectra and density functional theory calculations reveal enhanced *CO adsorption and lowered energy barrier for CO2RR into methane over OMe-PhCu. Building upon such stable Cuδ+ sites, we further construct Cuδ+/Cu0 catalytic interfaces for the generally enhanced electrosynthesis of multi-carbons and ammonias. This synthetic chemistry paves the pathway for the design of stable catalytic active sites for renewable conversions.

We report a comprehensive study on the effect of H2SeO4 electrolyte temperature on the composition, defect, morphological, and luminescent properties of porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO). An increase in the synthesis temperature led to a decrease in the AAO cell diameter from 85–115 nm to 38–58 nm (depending on the electrolyte concentration) and enhanced the etching of the AAO walls, which even resulted in the disintegration of the AAO into individual fibers at 40 °C. The selenium concentration in the samples formed in 0.5–1.5 M H2SeO4 in the temperature range of 5–40 °C did not exceed 2 at.% and fell below the detection limit at 40 °C. The formation of a nanocrystalline Al2O3 phase was observed in the H2SeO4 electrolyte at 40 °C. The samples exhibited weak photoluminescence. We identified three types of paramagnetic centers in AAO formed in H2SeO4: F+ centers (NsF = 8.2 × 1015 g−1), newly discovered centers with an unpaired electron localized on an oxygen atom (NsO = 1017 g−1), and centers associated with selenate radicals (NsS = 6 × 1018 g−1). By comparing the photoluminescence spectra and defect concentrations, we conclude that the luminescence of AAO formed in selenic acid is exclusively due to F+ centers, while other paramagnetic centers do not contribute.

Amorphous materials have garnered significant research interest because of their high structural tolerances and useful functionalities. Here, we develop an effective synthesis method for atomically thin, highly disordered RuO2 nanosheets that exhibit a promising electrocatalytic performance and a distinct pH-dependent operation mechanism. The poor orbital overlap and coordinatively unsaturated nature of the Ru ions in the highly disordered RuO2 nanosheets have a synergistic effect on the electrocatalytic performance by enhancing surface adsorption and the activation of lattice oxygen. The highly disordered RuO2 nanosheets exhibit high electrocatalytic activities in the oxygen evolution reactions (OERs) performed in both alkaline and acidic electrolytes. Various in situ spectroscopic investigations reveal that structural disordering causes a greater contribution of the lattice oxygen participation mechanism in acidic media than in alkaline media. This pH-dependent mechanism can be attributed to the amorphization-induced enhancement of lattice oxygen occupation in the acidic OER medium and increased hydroxide adsorption in the alkaline OER medium. Such disorder-driven pH tuning of the electrocatalytic operation mechanism enables the fabrication of pH-universal high-performance electrocatalysts.

The electrocatalytic synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) using carbon-based materials is currently constrained by limited activity levels that fall short of industrially relevant production rates, particularly in acidic electrolytes, as well as a lack of atomic-level understanding of the active motifs. Herein, we utilize well-defined zero-dimensional carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with delicately engineered edge-site oxygen functional groups to elucidate the nature of sp3-hybridized carbon active sites and the promotional effects of aldehyde (-CHO), hydroxyl (-OH), and carboxyl (-COOH) groups in promoting acidic O2-to-H2O2 conversion. Moreover, Ampere-level current densities are successfully achieved by integrating these CQDs into a solid-state electrolyte electrolyzer, resulting in a H2O2 Faradaic efficiency of up to 99.03% and a production rate of up to 3.0 μmol s-1 cm-2 with optimized ionic conduction over CQDs-CHO. Theoretical modeling and calculations reveal that the reconfiguration of carbon edge sites upon functionalization can alter the adsorption behavior of oxygenated intermediates in the 2e- oxygen reduction pathway. Additionally, the combined experimental and theoretical findings underscore the crucial role of electron-withdrawing functional groups in facilitating charge transfer kinetics, thereby enhancing the efficiency of H2O2 electrosynthesis.

Quantitative deconvolution of proton transport mechanisms in acidic electrolytes