A hollow graphene/conducting polymer composite fiber is created with high mechanical and electronic properties and used to fabricate novel fiber-shaped supercapacitors that display high energy densities and long life stability. The fiber supercapacitors can be woven into flexible powering textiles that are particularly promising for portable and wearable electronic devices.

This work for the first time reports engineered oxygen-deficient, blue TiO2 nanocrystals with coexposed {101}-{001} facets (TiO2–x {001}-{101}) to enhance CO2 photoreduction under visible light. The TiO2–x {001}-{101} material demonstrated a relatively high quantum yield (0.31% under UV–vis light and 0.134% under visible light) for CO2 reduction to CO by water vapor and more than 4 times higher visible light activity in comparison with TiO2 with a single {001} plane or {101} plane and TiO2(P25). Possible reasons are the exposure of more active sites (e.g., undercoordinated Ti atoms and oxygen vacancies), the facilitated electron transfer between {001} and {101} planes, and the formation of a new energy state (Ti3+) within the TiO2 band gap to extend the visible light response. An in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) study was applied to understand the roles of coexposed {001}-{101} facets and Ti3+ sites in activating surface intermediates. The in situ DRIFTS analysis suggested that the coexposed {001}-{101} facets increased the capacity of reversible CO2 adsorption and that the combination of {001}-{101} and Ti3+ enhanced the activation and conversion kinetics of adsorbed species. The visible light responsive TiO2–x {001}-{101} material is not oxidized after long-term exposure to an air environment. This work is a significant contribution to the design of efficient and stable solar fuel catalysts.

The Li-CO 2 battery is a promising energy storage device for wearable electronics due to its long discharge plateau, high energy density, and environmental friendliness. However, its utilization is largely hindered by poor cyclability and mechanical rigidity due to the lack of a flexible and durable catalyst electrode. Herein, flexible fiber-shaped Li-CO 2 batteries with ultralong cycle-life, high rate capability, and large specific capacity are fabricated, employing bamboo-like N-doped carbon nanotube fiber (B-NCNT) as flexible, durable metal-free catalysts for both CO 2 reduction and evolution reactions. Benefiting from high N-doping with abundant pyridinic groups, rich defects, and active sites of the periodic bamboo-like nodes, the fabricated Li-CO 2 battery shows outstanding electrochemical performance with high fulldischarge capacity of 23 328 mAh g −1 , high rate capability with a low potential gap up to 1.96 V at a current density of 1000 mA g −1 , stability over 360 cycles, and good flexibility. Meanwhile, the bifunctional B-NCNT is used as the counter electrode for a fiber-shaped dye-sensitized solar cell to fabricate a self-powered fiber-shaped Li-CO 2 battery with overall photochemicalelectric energy conversion efficiency of up to 4.6%. Along with a stable voltage output, this design demonstrates great adaptability and application potentiality in wearable electronics with a breath monitor as an example.

We synthesized the needle-like cobalt oxide/graphene composites with different mass ratios, which are composed of cobalt oxide (Co3O4 or CoO) needle homogeneously anchored on graphene nanosheets as the template, by a facile hydrothermal method. Without the graphene as the template, the cobalt precursor tends to group into urchin-like spheres formed by many fine needles. When used as electrode materials of aqueous supercapacitor, the composites of the needle-like Co3O4/graphene (the mass ratio of graphene oxide(GO) and Co(NO3)2·6H2O is 1:5) exhibit a high specific capacitance of 157.7 F g(-1) at a current density of 0.1 A g(-1) in 2 mol L(-1) KOH aqueous solution as well as good rate capability. Meanwhile, the capacitance retention keeps about 70% of the initial value after 4000 cycles at a current density of 0.2 A g(-1). The enhancement of excellent electrochemical performances may be attributed to the synergistic effect of graphene and cobalt oxide components in the unique multiscale structure of the composites.

No abstract

An overview of the recent technical advances and major dilemmas facing currently available flexible metal–gas batteries for use in wearable electronics is presented.

No abstract

Stevioside is a sweet-tasting glycoside occurring abundantly in the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana (Compositae). It has been used popularly in Japan and Brazil as a sugar substitute for decades. Previous study has shown that it lowered blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) when administered intravenously. This study shows that intraperitoneal injection of stevioside 25 mg/kg also has antihypertensive effect in SHRs. In isolated aortic rings from normal rats, stevioside could dose-dependently relax the vasopressin-induced vasoconstriction in both the presence and absence of endothelium. However, stevioside had no effect on phenylephrine- and KCl-induced phasic vasoconstriction. In addition, stevioside lost its influence on vasopressin-induced vasoconstriction in Ca(2+)-free medium. The results indicate that stevioside caused vasorelaxation via an inhibition of Ca(2+) influx into the blood vessel. This phenomenon was further confirmed in cultured aortic smooth muscle cells (A7r5). Using 10(-5) M methylene blue for 15 min, stevioside could still relax 10(-8) M vasopressin-induced vasoconstriction in isolated rat aortic rings, showing that this vasorelaxation effect was not related to nitric oxide. The present data show that the vasorelexation effect of stevioside was mediated mainly through Ca(2+) influx inhibition.