Rechargeable Li-ion batteries are currently being explored for high-power applications such as electric vehicles. However, in order to deploy Li-ion batteries in next-generation vehicles, it is essential to develop electrodes made from durable, nontoxic, and inexpensive materials with a high charge/discharge rate and a high reversible capacity. Transition metal oxides such as Fe

Figure S1. XRD of CVD grown BiVO 4 (black) thin film grown on FTO coated glass substrate. Also provided are reference peaks of FTO and monoclinic scheelite (ms) BiVO 4 .

This is the first report, to our knowledge, of changes in mitochondrial fusion/fission proteins in cardiovascular disease. These changes have implications for mitochondrial function and apoptosis, contributing to the cell loss which is part of the downward progression of the failing heart.

Coupled CuO−TiO2 nanocomposite photocatalysts were prepared by a deposition precipitation method and were characterized with a variety of techniques. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy was employed to study the local structures of surface/interfacial Cu2+ sites using Cu2+ as a sensitive paramagnetic probe. The addition of bulk CuO to TiO2 led to decreased photocatalytic efficiency in the degradation of methylene blue. However, doping with a very small amount of CuO (0.1 wt % copper loading) significantly enhanced the photocatalytic activity of TiO2. EPR study of the TiO2 surface revealed the presence of both highly dispersed CuO clusters and substitutional Cu2+ sites (Ti−O−Cu linkages) at 0.1 wt % copper loading. The data suggest that the Ti−O−Cu linkages contributed to the improved photooxidative activity of the 0.1% CuO−TiO2 nanocomposite. In contrast, at higher loadings the bulk form of CuO created charge recombination centers lowering the photoactivity of the composites.

Artificial photosynthesis relies on the availability of semiconductors that are chemically stable and can efficiently capture solar energy. Although metal oxide semiconductors have been investigated for their promise to resist oxidative attack, materials in this class can suffer from chemical and photochemical instability. Here we present a methodology for evaluating corrosion mechanisms and apply it to bismuth vanadate, a state-of-the-art photoanode. Analysis of changing morphology and composition under solar water splitting conditions reveals chemical instabilities that are not predicted from thermodynamic considerations of stable solid oxide phases, as represented by the Pourbaix diagram for the system. Computational modelling indicates that photoexcited charge carriers accumulated at the surface destabilize the lattice, and that self-passivation by formation of a chemically stable surface phase is kinetically hindered. Although chemical stability of metal oxides cannot be assumed, insight into corrosion mechanisms aids development of protection strategies and discovery of semiconductors with improved stability.

Monoclinic scheelite bismuth vanadate (m-BiVO 4 ) is a promising semiconductor photoanode for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. Despite considerable recent progress in achieving improved photocurrents and photovoltages, there remain open questions about the basic optoelectronic properties of this material. Indeed, there is disagreement about the nature of its fundamental bandgap, with theoretical predictions and some experimental observations pointing to an indirect bandgap and other experimental studies to a direct bandgap. Knowledge of this property is critical for understanding light absorption and photocarrier properties, as well as for establishing rational approaches to improved efficiency. Here, experimental spectroscopic techniques are used to resolve this issue and provide a fundamental portrait of the optical properties of the material. Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering proves conclusively that m-BiVO 4 is an indirect bandgap semiconductor. These measurements are supported by UV−vis absorption spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry, which confirm this finding and also indicate the presence of a direct transition located at 200 meV above the indirect one. The spectral dependence of the optical constants is determined by development of a photophysical model for the ellipsometric data. Photogenerated carrier dynamics are probed by transient absorption spectroscopy, which reveals a relatively long lifetime compared to other commonly utilized metal oxide photoanodes and is attributed to the indirect nature of the fundamental gap. The combination of strong visible light absorption and relatively long excited state lifetime provides the basis for the high performance that has been achieved from BiVO 4 photoanodes for water splitting.

Bismuth vanadate (BiVO 4 ) has attracted increasing attention as a photoanode for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. It has a band gap in the visible light range (2.4−2.5 eV) and a valence band position suitable for driving water oxidation under illumination. While a number of methods have been used to make BiVO 4 photoanodes, scalable thin film deposition has remained relatively underexplored. Here, we report the synthesis of BiVO 4 thin films by reactive sputtering. The use of separate Bi and V sputtering targets allows control of the Bi/V ratio in the film. Under optimized, slightly V-rich conditions, monoclinic phase BiVO 4 with photoactivity for water oxidation is obtained. The highest photocurrents, ca. 1 mA cm −2 at the reversible O 2 /H 2 O potential with simulated AM 1.5G illumination, are obtained with bilayer WO 3 /BiVO 4 , where the WO 3 serves as a hole-blocking layer.

Exosomes, which are 50- to 100-nm-diameter lipid vesicles, have been implicated in intercellular communication, including transmitting malignancy, and as a way for viral particles to evade detection while spreading to new cells. Previously, we demonstrated that adult cardiac myocytes release heat shock protein (HSP)60 in exosomes. Extracellular HSP60, when not in exosomes, causes cardiac myocyte apoptosis via the activation of Toll-like receptor 4. Thus, release of HSP60 from exosomes would be damaging to the surrounding cardiac myocytes. We hypothesized that 1) pathological changes in the environment, such as fever, change in pH, or ethanol consumption, would increase exosome permeability; 2) different exosome inducers would result in different exosomal protein content; 3) ethanol at "physiological" concentrations would cause exosome release; and 4) ROS production is an underlying mechanism of increased exosome production. We found the following: first, exosomes retained their protein cargo under different physiological/pathological conditions, based on Western blot analyses. Second, mass spectrometry demonstrated that the protein content of cardiac exosomes differed significantly from other types of exosomes in the literature and contained cytosolic, sarcomeric, and mitochondrial proteins. Third, ethanol did not affect exosome stability but greatly increased the production of exosomes by cardiac myocytes. Fourth, ethanol- and hypoxia/reoxygenation-derived exosomes had different protein content. Finally, ROS inhibition reduced exosome production but did not completely inhibit it. In conclusion, exosomal protein content is influenced by the cell source and stimulus for exosome formation. ROS stimulate exosome production. The functions of exosomes remain to be fully elucidated.