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Graphene and graphene oxide (GO), as wonder materials, have penetrated nearly every field of research. One of their most attractive features is the functionality and assembly of graphene or GO, in which they can be considered to be chemically functionalized building blocks for creating unconventional porous graphene materials (PGMs) that not only combine the merits of both porous materials and graphene, but also have major advantages over other porous carbons for specific applications. The chemistry and approaches for functionalizing graphene and GO are first introduced, and typical procedures for pore creation (e.g., in-plane pores, 2D laminar pores, and 3D interconnected pore assemblies), self-assembly, and tailoring mechanisms for PGMs to highlight the significance of precise control over the pore morphology and pore size are summarized. Because of their unique pore structures, with different morphologies and intriguing properties, PGMs serve as key components in a variety of applications such as energy storage, electrocatalysis, and molecular separation. Finally, the challenges relating to PGMs from the understanding of chemical self-assembly to specific applications are discussed, and promising solutions on how to tackle them are presented. This provides an insightful outlook for the future development of the chemistry and applications of PGMs.

Ferroptosis, implicated in several diseases, is a new form of programmed and nonapoptotic cell death triggered by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation after inactivation of the cystine/glutamate antiporter system xc–, which is composed of solute carrier family 7 membrane 11 (SLC7A11) and solute carrier family 3 membrane 2 (SLC3A2). Therefore, inducing ferroptosis through inhibiting the cystine/glutamate antiporter system xc– may be an effective way to treat cancer. In previous screening tests, we found that the benzopyran derivative 2-imino-6-methoxy-2H-chromene-3-carbothioamide (IMCA) significantly inhibited the viability of colorectal cancer cells. However, the impact of IMCA on ferroptosis remains unknown. Hence, this study investigated the effect of IMCA on ferroptosis and elucidated the underlying molecular mechanism. Results showed that IMCA significantly inhibited the cell viability of colorectal cancer cells in vitro and inhibited tumor growth with negligible organ toxicity in vivo. Further studies showed that IMCA significantly induced the ferroptosis of colorectal cancer cells. Mechanistically, IMCA downregulated the expression of SLC7A11 and decreased the contents of cysteine and glutathione, which resulted in reactive oxygen species accumulation and ferroptosis. Furthermore, overexpression of SLC7A11 significantly attenuated the ferroptosis caused by IMCA. In addition, IMCA regulated the activity of the AMPK/mTOR/p70S6k signaling pathway, which is related to the activity of SLC7A11 and ferroptosis. Collectively, our research provided experimental evidences on the activity and mechanism of ferroptosis induced by IMCA and revealed that IMCA might be a promising therapeutic drug for colorectal cancer.

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The bentonite clay@ionic liquid based solid-state electrolyte can effectively suppress the self-discharge rate via the confinement effect of ion transfer.

Recent advances in exfoliation techniques of layered and non-layered materials for energy conversion and storage are summarized.

How 2D Ti3C2 enhances photocatalytic efficiency remains unclear. Now, it is shown that it is graphene quantum dots (GQDs) derived from Ti3C2, rather than 2D Ti3C2 itself, that play the role of co‐catalyst for La2Ti2O7/Ti3C2 (LTC) composites during the photocatalytic reaction. After modification of Ti3C2 derivatives, the photocatalytic efficiency of La2Ti2O7 is enhanced 16 times over pure La2Ti2O7. Solid‐state NMR, Raman, and HRTEM results confirm the existence of GQDs in Ti3C2 and LTC composites. The GQDs are formed during the chemical change from Ti3AlC2 to Ti3C2 via HF etching, as Ti atoms are removed and unsaturated carbon bonds are left, which react with each other to form sp2 π‐conjugation GQDs. 2D Ti3C2 is completely oxidized to COx modified TiOx species, causing Ti3C2 to lose its electrical conductivity and the role as co‐catalyst. GQDs largely suppress the photogenerated charge recombination of La2Ti2O7, as revealed by the photoluminescence (PL) and transient photocurrent.

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