This paper describes a visual sensor array for pattern recognition analysis of proteins based on two different optical signal changes: colorimetric and fluorometric, by using two types of novel blue-emitting collagen protected gold nanoclusters and macerozyme R-10 protected gold nanoclusters with lower synthetic demands. Eight proteins have been well-discriminated by this visual sensor array, and protein mixtures after one-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis also could be well-discriminated. The possible mechanism of this sensor array was illustrated and validated by fluorescence spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fluorescence lifetime, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) experiments. It was attributed to that the adsorption of proteins onto the surface of gold nanoclusters (Au NCs), forming the protein-Au NCs complex. Furthermore, serums from normal and hepatoma patients were also effectively discriminated by this visual sensor array, showing feasible potential for diagnostic applications.

Electrochemical splitting of water to produce hydrogen remains a great challenge owing to the sluggish reaction dynamics of the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Replacing the OER with the thermodynamically more favorable urea oxidation reaction (UOR) offers the prospect of energy-saving H2 production together with urea-rich wastewater purification. In this study, 3D hierarchical Ni4N/Cu3N nanotube arrays are successfully fabricated, which exhibit excellent performance both in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER, −0.098 V to achieve 10 mA cm–2) and in the UOR (1.34 V to achieve 10 mA cm–2). The excellent performance is benefited from the highly electrochemical active metal nitrides and unique hierarchically nanoarray structure. Remarkably, the symmetrical electrolyzer by using Ni4N/Cu3N/copper foam (CF) as both the cathode and the anode exhibits a low cell voltage of 1.48 V to reach the current of 10 mA cm–2. It also possesses remarkable long-term stability (10 h at 100 mA cm–2) and near 100% Faradaic efficiency for hydrogen evolution.

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