Transition metal oxides are important functional materials that have gained enormous research interest in recent years. In this work, porous cubic manganese cobalt spinel Mn 1.5 Co 1.5 O 4 core-shell microspheres were first prepared via a urea-assisted solvothermal route followed by pyrolysis of the carbonate precursor. The microsphere is composed of the shell of 400 nm thickness and the core with a 2.5 mm diameter. Nitrogen sorption isotherms show that this structure possesses a high surface area of 27.0 m 2 g À1 with an average pore diameter of 30 nm. Compared with a simple spherical nanopowder, such a core-shell like porous structure is expected to improve the electrochemical performance, due to its higher resistance against separation or isolation during the electrochemical reaction. The asprepared Mn 1.5 Co 1.5 O 4 core-shell microspheres show an excellent cyclic performance at high current density with more than 90% capacity retention in a testing range of 300 cycles when used as an anode material for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), which can be attributed to the appropriate pore size and unique core-shell structures. Therefore, the Mn 1.5 Co 1.5 O 4 core-shell microspheres prepared by the present synthetic route could be identified as a potential anode candidate for the near future development of LIBs.

The Au@ZnO yolk-shell nanospheres with a distinctive core@void@shell configuration have been successfully synthesized by deposition of ZnO on Au@carbon nanospheres. Various techniques were employed for the characterization of the structure and morphology of as-obtained hybrid nanostructures. The results indicated that the Au@ZnO yolk-shell nanospheres have an average diameter of about 280 nm and the average thickness of the ZnO shell is ca. 40 nm. To demonstrate how such a unique structure might bring about more excellent gas sensing property, we carried out a comparison of the sensing performances of ZnO nanospheres with different inner structures. It was found that Au@ZnO yolk-shell nanospheres exhibited an obvious improvement in response to acetone compared with the pure ZnO nanospheres with hollow and solid inner structures. For instance, the response of the Au@ZnO nanospheres to 100 ppm acetone was about 37, which was about 2 (3) times higher than that of ZnO hollow (solid) nanostructures. The enhanced sensing properties were attributed to their unique microstructures (porous shell and internal voids) and the catalytic effect of the encapsulated Au nanoparticles.

Invasive species cause considerable ecological and economic damage. Despite decades of broad impacts of invasives on diversity and agriculture, the genetic adaptations and near-term evolution of invading populations are poorly understood. The fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea, a highly successful invasive species that originated in North America, spread throughout the Northern Hemisphere during the past 80 years. Here, we use whole-genome sequencing of invasive populations and transcriptome profiling to probe the underlying genetic bases for the rapid adaptation of this species to new environments and host plants. We find substantial reductions in genomic diversity consistent with founder effects. Genes and pathways associated with carbohydrate metabolism and gustatory receptors are substantially expanded in the webworm genome and show strong signatures of functional polymorphisms in the invasive population. We also find that silk-yielding-associated genes maintained a relatively low level of functional diversity, and identify candidate genes that may regulate the development of silk glands in fall webworms. These data suggest that the fall webworm's ability to colonize novel hosts, mediated by plasticity in their gustatory capabilities along with an increased ability to utilize novel nutrition sources and substrates, has facilitated the rapid and successful adaptation of the species throughout its range.