A bifunctional peptide containing a domain that targets cell nuclei and a domain with the ability to biomineralize and capture Au clusters is presented. The peptide-Au clusters exhibit red emission (λ(em) = 677 nm) and specifically stain the nuclei of three cell lines.

ZnO nano-rods are prepared by one-step solid-state reaction of zinc acetate dihydrate, sodium hydroxide and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) at room temperature. The samples are characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The gas-sensing properties of the prepared material have been investigated. The results indicate that the as-prepared ZnO nano-rods are uniform with diameters of 10–30 nm and lengths of about 150–250 nm. The relatively high sensor signal and stability of sensors made from ZnO nano-rods demonstrate the potential for developing a new class of sensitive sensors.

The artificial peptide with amino acid sequence CCYRGRKKRRQRRR was used to biomineralize serial Ag clusters. Under different alkaline conditions, clusters with red and blue emission were biomineralized by the peptide, respectively. The matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectra implied that the red-emitting cluster sample was composed of Ag(28), while the blue-emitting cluster sample was composed of Ag(5), Ag(6), and Ag(7). The UV-visible absorption and infrared spectra revealed that the peptide phenol moiety reduced Ag(+) ions and that formed Ag clusters were captured by peptide thiol moieties. The phenol reduction potential was controlled by the alkalinity and played an important role in determining the Ag cluster size. Circular dichroism observations suggested that the alkalinity tuned the peptide secondary structure, which may also affect the Ag cluster size.

No abstract

The electrochemical performance of supercapacitors relies not only on the exploitation of high-capacity active materials, but also on the rational design of superior electrode architectures. Herein, a novel supercapacitor electrode comprising 3D hierarchical mixed-oxide nanostructured arrays (NAs) of C/CoNi3 O4 is reported. The network-like C/CoNi3 O4 NAs exhibit a relatively high specific surface area; it is fabricated from ultra-robust Co-Ni hydroxide carbonate precursors through glucose-coating and calcination processes. Thanks to their interconnected three-dimensionally arrayed architecture and mesoporous nature, the C/CoNi3 O4 NA electrode exhibits a large specific capacitance of 1299 F/g and a superior rate performance, demonstrating 78% capacity retention even when the discharge current jumps by 100 times. An optimized asymmetric supercapacitor with the C/CoNi3 O4 NAs as the positive electrode is fabricated. This asymmetric supercapacitor can reversibly cycle at a high potential of 1.8 V, showing excellent cycling durability and also enabling a remarkable power density of ∼13 kW/kg with a high energy density of ∼19.2 W·h/kg. Two such supercapacitors linked in series can simultaneously power four distinct light-emitting diode indicators; they can also drive the motor of remote-controlled model planes. This work not only presents the potential of C/CoNi3 O4 NAs in thin-film supercapacitor applications, but it also demonstrates the superiority of electrodes with such a 3D hierarchical architecture.

Despite the fascinating Li storage properties of organic carbonyl compounds, e.g., high therotical capacity and fast kinetics, it is still lack of a facile and effective way that capable of large‐scale producion of advanced carbonyl cathodes for Li‐ion batteries (LIBs). Here, a generic strategy is proposed by combining sonication and hydrothermal techniques for scalable synthesis of high performance organic carbonyl cathodes for LIBs. A series of commercialized vat dyes with abundant electroactive conjugated carbonyl groups are confined in between the graphene layers, forming a compatible 3D hybrid architecture. The unique structure affords good Li+ ions accessibility to the electrode and short Li+ ions diffusion length. Meanwhile, each sandwiched graphene layer functions as a miniature current collector, ensuring fast electron transport throughout the entire electrode. Consequently, the cathodic performances of LIBs using the composites as electrodes, for example, Vat Green 8/graphene, Vat Brown BR/graphene, and Vat Olive T/graphene, possess high specific capacity, exceptional cycling stability, and excellent rate capability. The effect of vat dye content on the morphology, structure, and the final electrochemical performance of the composites is investigated as well. This work provides a versatile and low‐cost platform for large‐scale development of advanced organic‐based electrodes toward sustainable energy fields.

No abstract

Li4−x/2Ti5−x/2EuxO12@C (x = 0.004) was prepared via the co-precipitation method. When cycled at 100 C, the discharge capacity stayed at 92.1 mA h g−1.