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| Open AccessA facile synthesis of α,β-unsaturated imines via palladium-catalyzed dehydrogenation
α,β-unsaturated compounds serve as versatile synthons in organic chemistry, but the α,β-desaturation of aliphatic imines is challenging due to easy hydrolysis and preferential dimerization. Herein, the authors report the synthesis of α,β-unsaturated imines by employing a pre-fluorination and palladium-catalyzed dehydrogenation reaction sequence.
- Chunyang Zhao
- , Rongwan Gao
- & Junkai Fu
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Article
| Open AccessActive transcription and epigenetic reactions synergistically regulate meso-scale genomic organization
Chromatin within interphase nuclei forms compacted nanoscale DNA domains of uniform size. By integrating theory and imaging, here the authors show how the interplay between transcription and epigenetic mechanisms determine this size, independent of cell type.
- Aayush Kant
- , Zixian Guo
- & Vivek B. Shenoy
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Article
| Open AccessDiscovery of fungal onoceroid triterpenoids through domainless enzyme-targeted global genome mining
Tang et al. describe the development of a fungal genome mining tool which can be used to identify biosynthetic gene clusters from fungal genomes that lack detectable protein domains and demonstrate its functionality.
- Jia Tang
- & Yudai Matsuda
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| Open AccessNon-coplanar helimagnetism in the layered van-der-Waals metal DyTe3
Helimagnetic materials host a twisted magnetic texture, realizing screws, cycloids, and cones. While helimagnets are common in three dimensional materials, layered van der Waals helimagnets are exceedingly rare. Here, Akatsuka et al. demonstrate conical ordering in the easily cleavable magnet DyTe3.
- Shun Akatsuka
- , Sebastian Esser
- & Max Hirschberger
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Article
| Open Access“Ion-imprinting” strategy towards metal sulfide scavenger enables the highly selective capture of radiocesium
Selective capture of radiocaesium is highly challenging in radioactive contamination remediation. Here, authors developed “ion-imprinting” strategy towards metal sulfide scavengers to achieve selective capture of Cs(I) in high-salt environments and successful cleanup of actual 137Cs-liquid-wastes.
- Jun-Hao Tang
- , Shao-Qing Jia
- & Xiao-Ying Huang
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| Open AccessAntiferromagnetic magnonic charge current generation via ultrafast optical excitation
Néel spin-orbit torques arise due to charge currents in some antiferromagnets, and have sparked interest as a possible pathway for achieving electrical control of antiferromagnetic order. While the driving of antiferromagnetic order by Néel spin-orbit torques is now experimentally well established, the inverse process, where magnetic excitations in an antiferromagnetic drive a charge current is not reported. Here Huang, Liao, Qiu, and coauthors observe this inverse process in an Mn2Au thin film.
- Lin Huang
- , Liyang Liao
- & Cheng Song
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| Open AccessConcentration-induced spontaneous polymerization of protic ionic liquids for efficient in situ adhesion
Adhesives require a balance between cohesion and interfacial adhesion, which can be challenging to achieve. Here the authors report the polymerisation of a protic ionic liquid-based monomer, with internal and external non-covalent interactions contributing to both cohesion and adhesion.
- Jun Zhang
- , Xuan Zhou
- & Shiguo Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessBright and durable scintillation from colloidal quantum shells
Traditional scintillators face challenges in achieving fast response and avoiding afterglow. Guzelturk et al. report colloidal quantum shell heterostructures with bright multiexciton emission, enabling efficient, fast, and robust scintillation for high-resolution and high-speed X-ray imaging.
- Burak Guzelturk
- , Benjamin T. Diroll
- & Mikhail Zamkov
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Article
| Open AccessBounds to electron spin qubit variability for scalable CMOS architectures
Understanding the microscopic variability of CMOS spin qubits is crucial for developing scalable quantum processors. Here the authors report a combined experimental and numerical study of the effect of interface roughness on variability of quantum dot spin qubits formed at the Si/SiO2 interface.
- Jesús D. Cifuentes
- , Tuomo Tanttu
- & Andre Saraiva
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Article
| Open AccessA delayed 400 GeV photon from GRB 221009A and implication on the intergalactic magnetic field
Gamma ray bursts (GRBs) are transient events and GRB 221009A was a particularly interesting event due to its brightness and duration. Here, the authors show detection of delayed 400 GeV photon from GRB 221009A, which may indicate cascade emission scenario.
- Zi-Qing Xia
- , Yun Wang
- & Yi-Zhong Fan
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Article
| Open AccessThe role of microstructure in the thermal fatigue of solder joints
Thermal fatigue frequently leads to failure in electronic solder joints. Here, the authors measure and quantitatively explain how microstructure affects thermal fatigue in a ball grid array package and propose optimum microstructures for thermal fatigue resistance.
- J. W. Xian
- , Y. L. Xu
- & C. M. Gourlay
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Article
| Open AccessThermoelectric active cooling for transient hot spots in microprocessors
The authors model the transient temperature response of micro-thermoelectric devices with AC current applied, which is locally integrated under a transient hot spot. They develop a strategy for actively canceling the transient temperature variations.
- Yihan Liu
- , Hao-Yuan Cheng
- & Feng Xiong
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Article
| Open AccessEmergent ribozyme behaviors in oxychlorine brines indicate a unique niche for molecular evolution on Mars
Mars, an attractive candidate for potential presence of extraterrestrial life, contains oxychlorine species such as perchlorate at its surface. Here, the authors show perchlorate brines support folding and catalysis of functional RNAs, while inactivating representative protein enzymes, and that perchlorate enables new ribozyme functions, including ribozyme catalyzed chlorination of organic molecules.
- Tanner G. Hoog
- , Matthew R. Pawlak
- & Aaron E. Engelhart
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Article
| Open AccessMedical history predicts phenome-wide disease onset and enables the rapid response to emerging health threats
Preventive interventions often require strategies to identify high-risk individuals. Here, the authors illustrate the potential utility of medical history in predicting the onset risk for thousands of diseases across clinical specialties including COVID-19.
- Jakob Steinfeldt
- , Benjamin Wild
- & Roland Eils
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| Open AccessRevealing trends and persistent cycles of non-autonomous systems with autonomous operator-theoretic techniques
Data-driven detection of governing rules and trends in dynamics of nonautonomous systems usually requires a significant amount of measured data. The authors propose an operator-theoretic technique for identifying trends and persistent cycles using data from a single measured trajectory, relevant for the analysis of climate dynamics.
- Gary Froyland
- , Dimitrios Giannakis
- & Joanna Slawinska
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| Open AccessAtomically dispersed Iridium on Mo2C as an efficient and stable alkaline hydrogen oxidation reaction catalyst
High-performance hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cells rely on the anode loading of platinum-group metals. Here, the authors report a highly active hydrogen oxidation electrocatalyst which contains atomically dispersed Ir on Mo2C nanoparticles supported on a carbon substrate.
- Jinjie Fang
- , Haiyong Wang
- & Zhongbin Zhuang
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| Open AccessExtreme magnetoresistance at high-mobility oxide heterointerfaces with dynamic defect tunability
Extreme magnetoresistance is characterized by a large and non-saturating magnetoresistance. Typically, it is observed in materials with compensated bandstructures, however, here, Christensen et al demonstrate a large and non-saturating magnetoresistance in a γAl2O3/SrTiO3 heterostructure, which is related to disorder, rather than the materials bandstructure.
- D. V. Christensen
- , T. S. Steegemans
- & N. Pryds
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| Open AccessTunable exciton valley-pseudospin orders in moiré superlattices
Control of correlated excitonic states is a key goal of modern optoelectronic physics. Here, the authors demonstrate filling- and field-tunable exciton valley-pseudospin orders in a moiré heterostructure.
- Richen Xiong
- , Samuel L. Brantly
- & Chenhao Jin
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| Open AccessCentimeter-scale nanomechanical resonators with low dissipation
Exploring new mechanics regime, researchers created centimeter-long, nanometer-thin resonators, achieving unmatched room temperature mechanical isolation via cutting edge nanoengineering and machine learning design; rivaling cryogenic counterparts.
- Andrea Cupertino
- , Dongil Shin
- & Richard A. Norte
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| Open AccessEvidence for multiferroicity in single-layer CuCrSe2
The authors observe multiferroicity in a single-layer non van der Waals material, CuCrSe2. The coexistence of room-temperature ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism up to 120 K is corroborated by a set of comprehensive experimental techniques.
- Zhenyu Sun
- , Yueqi Su
- & Baojie Feng
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| Open AccessA large-strain and ultrahigh energy density dielectric elastomer for fast moving soft robot
Dielectric elastomer actuators require high driving electric fields to achieve high performances for soft robots due to their low dielectric constant and high stiffness. Here, the authors introduce polar fluorinated groups and nanodomains aggregated by long alkyl side chains into the dielectric elastomer design to overcome these issues and develop fast soft robots.
- Wenwen Feng
- , Lin Sun
- & Chao Wang
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| Open AccessHigh-performance flexible p-type Ce-filled Fe3CoSb12 skutterudite thin film for medium-to-high-temperature applications
The authors fabricate p-type Fe3CoSb12-based skutterudite films exhibiting high thermoelectric performance, stability, and flexibility at medium-to-high temperatures, based on preparing custom target materials and pulsed laser deposition techniques.
- Dou Li
- , Xiao-Lei Shi
- & Zhi-Gang Chen
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Article
| Open AccessPolarization-driven band topology evolution in twisted MoTe2 and WSe2
The band topology of twisted 2D systems is a key factor behind their fascinating physics. Here, the authors demonstrate the role of polarization in driving the band topology evolution in twisted transition metal dichalcogenide homobilayers.
- Xiao-Wei Zhang
- , Chong Wang
- & Di Xiao
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Article
| Open AccessHigh spin axion insulator
Existing proposals of axion insulators are limited to spin-1/2 systems. Here the authors put forward a concept of a high spin axion insulator with several peculiar properties, such as the absence of gapless surface states and tunability of the axion field by an external magnetic field.
- Shuai Li
- , Ming Gong
- & X. C. Xie
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Article
| Open AccessStrong microwave squeezing above 1 Tesla and 1 Kelvin
At the quantum limit, vacuum fluctuations determine the precision with which a signal can be measured. In this work the authors use a technique known as squeezing to greatly reduce the vacuum fluctuation noise present at microwave frequencies.
- Arjen Vaartjes
- , Anders Kringhøj
- & Jarryd J. Pla
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Article
| Open AccessDroplet-based mechanical transducers modulated by the symmetry of wettability patterns
Asymmetric mechanical transducers are pivotal in various applications; however, conventional methods demand continuous energy and intricate fabrication. Here, the authors demonstrate a droplet-based mechanical transducer utilizing wettability-patterned surfaces, enabling precise control of droplet dynamics.
- Luanluan Xue
- , An Li
- & Yanlin Song
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Article
| Open AccessDivacancy and resonance level enables high thermoelectric performance in n-type SnSe polycrystals
N-type polycrystalline SnSe shows inferior ZT to p-type polycrystalline due to its high thermal conductivity and lower power factor. The authors overcome the problem via the synergy of divacancy defect and introducing resonance level into the conduction band.
- Yaru Gong
- , Wei Dou
- & Guodong Tang
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Article
| Open AccessElectric pulse-tuned piezotronic effect for interface engineering
Interface engineering by local polarization is becoming increasingly important for tunable electronics. Here, authors demonstrate an electric pulse-tuned piezotronic effect in Ag/HfO2/n-ZnO junction, enabling reversible and accurate regulation of barrier height and piezotronic modification range.
- Qiuhong Yu
- , Rui Ge
- & Yong Qin
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Article
| Open AccessPhotoacoustic Tomography with Temporal Encoding Reconstruction (PATTERN) for cross-modal individual analysis of the whole brain
Here, the authors introduce Photoacoustic Tomography with Temporal Encoding Reconstruction (PATTERN) - a high-speed, non-destructive photoacoustic brain imaging technique that constructs 3D fluorescent maps of the brain and improves upon some of the limitations associated with traditional whole-brain optical imaging techniques.
- Yuwen Chen
- , Haoyu Yang
- & Bo Lei
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Article
| Open AccessCopper(I)-nitrene platform for chemoproteomic profiling of methionine
Methionine plays an essential role in various biological and cell regulatory processes, making its chemoproteomic profiling necessary to understand its function. Here, the authors present Copper(I)-Nitrene Platform (CuNiP) for robust and selective labelling of methionine to generate highly stable sulfonyl sulfimide conjugates under physiological conditions.
- Samrat Sahu
- , Benjamin Emenike
- & Monika Raj
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| Open AccessEnhancing in vivo cell and tissue targeting by modulation of polymer nanoparticles and macrophage decoys
Targeted drug delivery in vivo is a complex challenge, and understanding the characteristics that define the behavior of delivery vehicles in vivo is vital for advancing delivery vehicle design. Here the authors use a library of polymeric delivery vehicles and high-throughput tools to study the structure-function relationships guiding the physiological fate of nanomedicines.
- Alexandra S. Piotrowski-Daspit
- , Laura G. Bracaglia
- & W. Mark Saltzman
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| Open AccessElectrically empowered microcomb laser
Here the authors demonstrate a laser system that can directly output soliton microcombs, with high power efficiency and reconfigurability, paving the way for communication, computing, and metrology based on integrated photonics.
- Jingwei Ling
- , Zhengdong Gao
- & Qiang Lin
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Article
| Open AccessActive droplets through enzyme-free, dynamic phosphorylation
Despite the importance of dynamic phosphorylation in biology, enzyme-free, synthetic systems that use dynamic phosphorylation to regulate supramolecular processes are unexplored. Here, the authors report an enzyme-free chemical reaction cycle that can dynamically phosphorylate amino acids and peptides using simple phosphorylating agents and regulate supramolecular functions.
- Simone M. Poprawa
- , Michele Stasi
- & Job Boekhoven
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| Open AccessPolyoxometalate-based plasmonic electron sponge membrane for nanofluidic osmotic energy conversion
Nanofluidic membranes have great potential in harvesting osmotic energy, but performance is hampered by insufficient permselectivity. Here, the authors solve this problem with a polyoxometalate-based nanofluidic plasmonic electron sponge membrane.
- Chengcheng Zhu
- , Li Xu
- & Chen Wang
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| Open AccessA scalable Li-Al-Cl stratified structure for stable all-solid-state lithium metal batteries
Sulfide electrolytes’ incompatibility with Li metal hinders their use in all-solid-state Li metal batteries. Here, the authors propose a scalable Li-Al-Cl stratified structure, formed via strain-activated phase separation, to effectively stabilize the negative electrode/electrolyte interface.
- Han Su
- , Jingru Li
- & Jiangping Tu
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| Open AccessPara-selective nitrobenzene amination lead by C(sp2)-H/N-H oxidative cross-coupling through aminyl radical
Direct radical C–H amination strategies have exhibited innovation, but challenges remain with C–H amination of electron-poor nitroarenes due to the essence of the electron-deficient nitrogen radical. Herein, the authors report a transition metal-free dehydrogenative C(sp2)-H/N-H cross-coupling between electron-poor nitroarenes and amines.
- Zhen Zhang
- , Shusheng Yue
- & Hu Cai
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| Open AccessMonosymmetric Fe-N4 sites enabling durable proton exchange membrane fuel cell cathode by chemical vapor modification
The limited durability of metal-nitrogen-carbon electrocatalysts hinders their use in proton exchange membrane fuel cells for the oxygen reduction reaction. Here the authors transform active sites from FeN4 to stable monosymmetric FeN2 + N’2 via chemical vapor modification, resulting in enhanced improving the durability of the catalyst.
- Jingsen Bai
- , Tuo Zhao
- & Wei Xing
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Article
| Open AccessTime-resolved THz Stark spectroscopy of molecules in solution
Stark spectroscopy of molecules in liquid solutions was once challenging due to orientation effects, solved by freezing but limiting ambient studies. Now, THz Stark spectroscopy with intense terahertz pulses enables dynamic analysis of molecules in both non-polar and polar solvents at any temperature, advancing conventional methods.
- Bong Joo Kang
- , Egmont J. Rohwer
- & Thomas Feurer
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Article
| Open AccessReduction of precious metal ions in aqueous solutions by contact-electro-catalysis
Currently, precious metal recovery from e-waste water is usually performed by liquid extraction or sorbent processes. Here, the authors show the untapped potential of dielectric insulators as catalysts for the 1-step selective recovery of gold in aqueous solutions by contact-electrocatalysis.
- Yusen Su
- , Andy Berbille
- & Zhong Lin Wang
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Article
| Open AccessAdvancing interactive systems with liquid crystal network-based adaptive electronics
There is significant interest in developing electronic units that can perform sensing, signal processing, and actuation functions independently, similar to biological systems. Lyu et al. develop electronic units based on liquid crystal oligomer networks that exhibit adaptive behavior in response to environmental stimuli such as light and heat.
- Pengrong Lyu
- , Dirk J. Broer
- & Danqing Liu
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Article
| Open AccessLong-term relapse-free survival enabled by integrating targeted antibacteria in antitumor treatment
Tumor-resident intracellular microbiota (TRIM) could be a potential target for anticancer treatment. Here the authors report Au@Ag2Se nano-assemblies enabling bacterial killing, tumor inhibition and immune regulation in tumor microenvironment.
- Yuanlin Wang
- , Yaqian Han
- & Miao Yu
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Article
| Open AccessA reactive neural network framework for water-loaded acidic zeolites
Modelling of acidic zeolites, one of the key industrial catalysts, under realistic operating conditions is currently limited to specific cases. Here, the authors report a machine learning framework allowing for accurate high-throughput modelling.
- Andreas Erlebach
- , Martin Šípka
- & Lukáš Grajciar
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Article
| Open AccessDisentangling the effects of structure and lone-pair electrons in the lattice dynamics of halide perovskites
By comparing CsSrBr3 and CsPbBr3 with close structural similarity but the latter lacking lone-pair electrons on the octahedral metal, the authors reveal the similar vibrational anharmonicities in the two perovskites, which disentangles the electronic properties and vibrational anharmonicities.
- Sebastián Caicedo-Dávila
- , Adi Cohen
- & David A. Egger
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Article
| Open AccessDynamically stable radiation pressure propulsion of flexible lightsails for interstellar exploration
Ultrathin laser-driven lightsails represent a unique vision for interstellar space exploration. Here, the authors show how spinning flexible membranes can be both shape- and trajectory-stable with multiphysics structural and nanophotonic engineering.
- Ramon Gao
- , Michael D. Kelzenberg
- & Harry A. Atwater
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Article
| Open AccessUniversal scaling in real dimension
Universality of critical behaviour of O(N) field theories on regular homogeneous lattices is established, but open questions remain for more complex lattices. Bighin et al. study universality on a non-homogeneous graph showing that its scaling theory is controlled by a single parameter, the spectral dimension.
- Giacomo Bighin
- , Tilman Enss
- & Nicolò Defenu
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Article
| Open AccessBioinformatics leading to conveniently accessible, helix enforcing, bicyclic ASX motif mimics (BAMMs)
Researchers mimic protein interface helices by stapling peptide side chains, or replacing hydrogen bonds with covalent ones, and synthetic helical mimics are heavily biased towards stapling. Here the authors describe bioinformatic discovery of hydrophobic triangles at helix N-termini, and rigid, bicyclic synthetic mimics of them.
- Tianxiong Mi
- , Duyen Nguyen
- & Kevin Burgess
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Article
| Open AccessAccelerating reliable multiscale quantum refinement of protein–drug systems enabled by machine learning
Biomacromolecule structures are vital for drug design. Here, the authors integrate one or two machine learning potentials in an ONIOM-based quantum refinement method, achieving reliable drug structures at an QM level in proteins with high efficiency.
- Zeyin Yan
- , Dacong Wei
- & Lung Wa Chung
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Article
| Open AccessRemote epitaxy of single-crystal rhombohedral WS2 bilayers
Rhombohedral-stacked (R-stacked) transition metal dichalcogenide bilayers exhibit remarkable properties, but their large-area epitaxial growth remains challenging. Here, the authors report the remote epitaxy of centimetre-scale single-crystal R-stacked WS2 bilayer films on sapphire substrates.
- Chao Chang
- , Xiaowen Zhang
- & Xiaozhi Xu
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| Open AccessSingle-zinc vacancy unlocks high-rate H2O2 electrosynthesis from mixed dioxygen beyond Le Chatelier principle
The principle of Le Chatelier is a fundamental concept in textbooks, serving as a guiding principle for controlling chemical and catalytic systems. In this study, the authors present an oxygen electroreduction system based on a single zinc vacancy catalyst, which operates in a manner that extends “beyond” Le Chatelier’s principle.
- Qi Huang
- , Baokai Xia
- & Sheng Chen