Extracts and Steroids from the Edible Mushroom Hypholoma lateritium Exhibit Anti‐Inflammatory Properties by Inhibition of COX‐2 and Activation of Nrf2

Hypholoma lateritium is an edible macrofungus with a common distribution in Europe, North America, and the Far East. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential anti‐inflammatory effects of H. lateritium extracts and its isolated steroids: fasciculic acid B, fasciculol E, fasciculol C, lanosta‐7,9(11)‐diene‐12β,21α‐epoxy‐2α,3β,24β,25‐tetraol, fasciculol F, and demethylincisterol A2. Organic (hexane, chloroform and 50 % methanol) and water extracts of H. lateritium were subjected to in vitro assays to determine pro‐inflammatory protein levels, such as cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2), cytosolic prostaglandin E2 synthase (cPGES), and antioxidant nuclear factor (erythroid‐derived 2)‐like 2 (Nrf2). Fungal extracts demonstrated significant activities on pro‐inflammatory protein levels with minor differences among the activities of the fractions of different polarities. All the compounds proved to exert notable inhibitory properties on COX‐2 and were capable to stimulate the Nrf2 pathway. Fungal extracts and the compounds exerted no cytotoxic activities on RAW 264.7 cells.     

Replacement of Ca by Ni in a Perovskite Titanate to Yield a Novel Perovskite Exsolution Architecture for Oxygen‐Evolution Reactions

For efficient catalysis and electrocatalysis well‐designed, high‐surface‐area support architectures covered with highly dispersed metal nanoparticles with good catalyst‐support interactions are required. In situ grown Ni nanoparticles on perovskites have been recently reported to enhance catalytic activities in high‐temperature systems such as solid oxide cells (SOCs). However, the micrometer‐scale primary particles prepared by conventional solid‐state reactions have limited surface area and tend to retain much of the active catalytic element within the bulk, limiting efficacy of such exsolution processes in low‐temperature systems. Here, a new, highly efficient, solvothermal route is demonstrated to exsolution from smaller scale primary particles. Furthermore, unlike previous reports of B‐site exsolution, it seems that the metal nanoparticles are exsolved from the A‐site of these perovskites. The catalysts show large active site areas and strong metal‐support interaction (SMSI), leading to ≈26% higher geometric activity (25 times higher mass activity with 1.4 V of E_on‐set) and stability for oxygen‐evolution reaction (OER) with only 0.72 µg base metal contents compared to typical 20 wt% Ni/C and even commercial 20 wt% Ir/C. The findings obtained here demonstrate the potential design and development of heterogeneous catalysts in various low‐temperature electrochemical systems including alkaline fuel cells and metal–air batteries.     

Synthesis of Novel Aryloxyethylamine Derivatives and Evaluation of Their in Vitro and in Vivo Neuroprotective Activities

A series of aryloxyethylamine derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their biological activity. Their structures were confirmed by ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR, FT‐IR and HR‐ESI‐MS. The preliminary screening of neuroprotection of compounds in vitro was detected by MTT, and the anti‐ischemic activity in vivo was tested using bilateral common carotid artery occlusion in mice. Most of these compounds showed potential neuroprotective effects against the glutamate‐induced cell death in differentiated rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12 cells), especially for (4‐fluorophenyl){1‐[2‐(4‐methoxyphenoxy)ethyl]piperidin‐4‐yl}methanone, {1‐[2‐(4‐methoxyphenoxy)ethyl]piperidin‐4‐yl}(4‐methoxyphenyl)methanone, (4‐bromophenyl){1‐[2‐(4‐methoxyphenoxy)ethyl]piperidin‐4‐yl}methanone, {1‐[2‐(4‐chlorophenoxy)ethyl]piperidin‐4‐yl}(4‐chlorophenyl)methanone, (4‐chlorophenyl)(1‐{2‐[(naphthalen‐2‐yl)oxy]ethyl}piperidin‐4‐yl)methanone, (4‐chlorophenyl){1‐[2‐(4‐methoxyphenoxy)ethyl]piperidin‐4‐yl}methanone and {1‐[2‐(4‐bromophenoxy)ethyl]piperidin‐4‐yl}(4‐chlorophenyl)methanone, which exhibited potent protection of PC12 cells at three doses (0.1, 1.0, 10 μM). Compounds (4‐fluorophenyl){1‐[2‐(4‐methoxyphenoxy)ethyl]piperidin‐4‐yl}methanone, (4‐fluorophenyl){1‐[2‐(naphthalen‐2‐yloxy)ethyl]piperidin‐4‐yl}methanone, {1‐[2‐(4‐methoxyphenoxy)ethyl]piperidin‐4‐yl}(4‐methoxyphenyl)methanone and {1‐[2‐(4‐chlorophenoxy)ethyl]piperidin‐4‐yl}(4‐chlorophenyl)methanone possessed the significant prolongation of the survival time of mice subjected to acute cerebral ischemia and decreased the mortality rate at all five doses tested (200, 100, 50, 25, 12.5 mg/kg) and had significant neuroprotective activity. In addition, (4‐fluorophenyl){1‐[2‐(4‐methoxyphenoxy)ethyl]piperidin‐4‐yl}methanone, {1‐[2‐(4‐methoxyphenoxy)ethyl]piperidin‐4‐yl}(4‐methoxyphenyl)methanone and {1‐[2‐(4‐chlorophenoxy)ethyl]piperidin‐4‐yl}(4‐chlorophenyl)methanone possessed outstanding neuroprotection in vitro and in vivo. These compounds can be used as a promising neuroprotective agents for future development of new anti‐ischemic stroke agents. Basic structure–activity relationships are also presented.     

Investigating the Effects of Chemical Gradients on Performance and Reliability within Perovskite Solar Cells with TOF‐SIMS

Time‐of‐flight secondary‐ion mass spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS), a powerful analytical technique sensitive to all components of perovskite solar cell (PSC) materials, can differentiate between the various organic species within a PSC absorber or a complete device stack. The ability to probe chemical gradients through the depth of a device (both organic and inorganic), with down to 100 nm lateral resolution, can lead to unique insights into the relationships between chemistry in the absorber bulk, at grain boundaries, and at interfaces as well as how they relate to changes in performance and/or stability. In this review, the technique is described; then, from the literature, several examples of how TOF‐SIMS have been used to provide unique insight into PSC absorbers and devices are covered. Finally, the common artifacts that can be introduced if the data are improperly collected, as well as methods to mitigate these artifacts are discussed.     

2D Metal Zn Nanostructure Electrodes for High‐Performance Zn Ion Supercapacitors

Recent supercapacitors show a high power density with long‐term cycle life time in energy‐powering applications. A supercapacitor based on a single metal electrode accompanying multivalent cations, multiple charging/discharging kinetics, and high electrical conductivity is a promising energy‐storing system that replaces conventionally used oxide and sulfide materials. Here, a hierarchically nanostructured 2D‐Zn metal electrode‐ion supercapacitor (ZIC) is reported which significantly enhances the ion diffusion ability and overall energy storage performance. Those nanostructures can also be successfully plated on various flat‐type and fiber‐type current collectors by a controlled electroplating method. The ZIC exhibits excellent pseudocapacitive performance with a high energy density of 208 W h kg^?1 and a power density from 500 W kg^?1, which are significantly higher than those of previously reported supercapacitors with oxide and sulfide materials. Furthermore, the fiber‐type ZIC also shows high energy‐storing performance, outstanding mechanical flexibility, and waterproof characteristics, without any significant capacitance degradation during bending tests. These results highlight the promising possibility of nanostructured 2D Zn metal electrodes with the controlled electroplating method for future energy storage applications.     

Oxygen‐Deficient Blue TiO2 for Ultrastable and Fast Lithium Storage

Developing a titanium dioxide (TiO₂)‐based anode with superior high‐rate capability and long‐term cycling stability is important for efficient energy storage. Herein, a simple one‐step approach for fabricating blue TiO₂ nanoparticles with oxygen vacancies is reported. Oxygen vacancies can enlarge lattice spaces, lower charge transfer resistance, and provide more active sites in TiO₂ lattices. As a result, this blue TiO₂ electrode exhibits a highly reversible capacity of 50 mAh g^?1 at 100 C (16 800 mA g^?1) even after 10 000 cycles, which is attributable to the combination of surface capacitive process and remarkable diffusion‐controlled insertion revealed by the kinetic analysis. The strategy of employing oxygen‐deficient nanoparticles may be extended to the design of other robust semiconductor materials as electrodes for energy storage.     

Unifying Charge Generation,Recombination, and Extraction in Low‐Offset Non‐Fullerene Acceptor Organic Solar Cells

Even though significant breakthroughs with over 18% power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) in polymer:non‐fullerene acceptor (NFA) bulk heterojunction organic solar cells (OSCs) have been achieved, not many studies have focused on acquiring a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms governing these systems. This is because it can be challenging to delineate device photophysics in polymer:NFA blends comprehensively, and even more complicated to trace the origins of the differences in device photophysics to the subtle differences in energetics and morphology. Here, a systematic study of a series of polymer:NFA blends is conducted to unify and correlate the cumulative effects of i) voltage losses, ii) charge generation efficiencies, iii) non‐geminate recombination and extraction dynamics, and iv) nuanced morphological differences with device performances. Most importantly, a deconvolution of the major loss processes in polymer:NFA blends and their connections to the complex BHJ morphology and energetics are established. An extension to advanced morphological techniques, such as solid‐state NMR (for atomic level insights on the local ordering and donor:acceptor π? π interactions) and resonant soft X‐ray scattering (for donor and acceptor interfacial area and domain spacings), provide detailed insights on how efficient charge generation, transport, and extraction processes can outweigh increased voltage losses to yield high PCEs.