Current-induced effective magnetic fields can provide efficient ways of electrically manipulating the magnetization of ultrathin magnetic heterostructures. Two effects, known as the Rashba spin orbit field and the spin Hall spin torque, have been reported to be responsible for the generation of the effective field. However, a quantitative understanding of the effective field, including its direction with respect to the current flow, is lacking. Here we describe vector measurements of the current-induced effective field in Ta|CoFeB|MgO heterostructrures. The effective field exhibits a significant dependence on the Ta and CoFeB layer thicknesses. In particular, a 1 nm thickness variation of the Ta layer can change the magnitude of the effective field by nearly two orders of magnitude. Moreover, its sign changes when the Ta layer thickness is reduced, indicating that there are two competing effects contributing to it. Our results illustrate that the presence of atomically thin metals can profoundly change the landscape for controlling magnetic moments in magnetic heterostructures electrically.

▲Current-induced effective field vector in Ta│CoFeB│MgO

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), an emerging class of porous materials, have shown intriguing and promising properties in a wide range of applications due to their versatile structures, large surface areas, tunable porosity and tailorable chemistry. In recent years one of the most active research fields is to explore energy applications of MOF-based materials. In this review, we present a critical overview on the recent progress of the use of MOF-based materials for gaseous fuel storage, chemical hydrogen storage, solar and electrochemical energy storage and conversion. The challenges and opportunities towards advanced energy technologies with the MOF-based materials are discussed.

Metal–organic frameworks as a platform for clean energy applications

Ni-based metal organic frameworks (Ni-MOFs) with unique hierarchical hollow ball-in-ball nanostructure were synthesized by solvothermal reactions. After successive carbonization and oxidation treatments, hierarchical NiO/Ni nanocrystals covered with a graphene shell were obtained with the hollow ball-in-ball nanostructure intact. The resulting materials exhibited superior performance as the anode in lithium ion batteries (LIBs): they provide high reversible specific capacity (1144 mAh/g), excellent cyclability (nearly no capacity loss after 1000 cycles) and rate performance (805 mAh/g at 15 A/g). In addition, the hierarchical NiO/Ni/Graphene composites demonstrated promising performance as anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Such a superior lithium and sodium storage performance is derived from the well-designed hierarchical hollow ball-in-ball structure of NiO/Ni/Graphene composites, which not only mitigates the volume expansion of NiO during the cycles but also provides a continuous highly conductive graphene matrix to facilitate the fast charge transfer and form a stable SEI layer.

Metal Organic Frameworks Derived Hierarchical Hollow NiO/Ni/Graphene Composites for Lithium and Sodium Storage

High-energy nickel (Ni)-rich cathode will play a key role in advanced lithium (Li)-ion batteries, but it suffers from moisture sensitivity, side reactions, and gas generation. Single-crystalline Ni-rich cathode has a great potential to address the challenges present in its polycrystalline counterpart by reducing phase boundaries and materials surfaces. However, synthesis of high-performance single-crystalline Ni-rich cathode is very challenging, notwithstanding a fundamental linkage between overpotential, microstructure, and electrochemical behaviors in single-crystalline Ni-rich cathodes. We observe reversible planar gliding and microcracking along the (003) plane in a single-crystalline Ni-rich cathode. The reversible formation of microstructure defects is correlated with the localized stresses induced by a concentration gradient of Li atoms in the lattice, providing clues to mitigate particle fracture from synthesis modifications.

Reversible planar gliding and microcracking in a single-crystalline Ni-rich cathode.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is an adaptable material that has distinctive properties, such as high-sensitivity, large specific area, non-toxicity, good compatibility and a high isoelectric point, which favours it to be considered with a few exceptions. It is the most desirable group of nanostructure as far as both structure and properties. The unique and tuneable properties of nanostructured ZnO shows excellent stability in chemically as well as thermally stable n-type semiconducting material with wide applications such as in luminescent material, supercapacitors, battery, solar cells, photocatalysis, biosensors, biomedical and biological applications in the form of bulk crystal, thin film and pellets. The nanosized materials exhibit higher dissolution rates as well as higher solubility when compared to the bulk materials. This review significantly focused on the current improvement in ZnO-based nanomaterials/composites/doped materials for the application in the field of energy storage and conversion devices and biological applications. Special deliberation has been paid on supercapacitors, Li-ion batteries, dye-sensitized solar cells, photocatalysis, biosensors, biomedical and biological applications. Finally, the benefits of ZnO-based materials for the utilizations in the field of energy and biological sciences are moreover consistently analysed.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6528/ab268a/pdf

A review on ZnO nanostructured materials: energy, environmental and biological applications.

An Overview on the Advances of LiCoO 2 Cathodes for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

In the effort to develope more effective electrocataysts for water electrolysis hydrogen generation through hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), the well-crystallized molybdenum phosphide nanoparticles dispersed in three-dimensional N,P-codoped graphite carbon nanosheets (3D MoP/NPG) are synthesized in this work using a SiO2-template-assisted strategy. Instrument characterization shows that the catalyst has a large specific surface area, high electrical conductivity, and the coupled interfaces & synergistic effect between MoP and carbon sheets toward electrocatalytic HER. Experimental results reveal that MoP/NPG possesses remarkable catalytic HER activity and stability in a wide pH range. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the coupled interaction between MoP and carbon sheet interfaces can induce an optimal free energy of hydrogen adsorption on the catalyst surface. Both the theoretical calculations and experimental results demonstrate that the hierarchical structure with synergistic interaction between MoP and carbon sheets can facilitate charge transfer kinetics to enhance HER performance.

/pdf/hierarchical-molybdenum-phosphide-coupled-with-carbon-as-a-28a011ecu4.pdf

Hierarchical molybdenum phosphide coupled with carbon as a whole pH-range electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction

https://www.cell.com/developmental-cell/pdf/S1534-5807(11)00299-1.pdf

Lgl1 Activation of Rab10 Promotes Axonal Membrane Trafficking Underlying Neuronal Polarization

LiMn0.8Fe0.2PO4/C cathode material synthesized via co-precipitation method with superior high-rate and low-temperature performances for lithium-ion batteries

Axon development requires membrane addition from the intracellular supply, which has been shown to be mediated by Rab10-positive plasmalemmal precursor vesicles (PPVs). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the membrane trafficking processes of PPVs remain unclear. Here, we show that myristoylated alanine-rich C-kinase substrate (MARCKS) mediates membrane targeting of Rab10-positive PPVs, and this regulation is critical for axon development. We found that the GTP-locked active form of Rab10 binds to membrane-associated MARCKS, whose affinity depends on the phosphorylation status of the MARCKS effector domain. Either genetic silencing of MARCKS or disruption of its interaction with Rab10 inhibited axon growth of cortical neurons, impaired docking and fusion of Rab10 vesicles with the plasma membrane, and consequently caused a loss of membrane insertion of axonal receptors responsive to extracellular axon growth factors. Thus, this study has identified a novel function of MARCKS in mediating membrane targeting of PPVs during axon development.

/pdf/marcks-regulates-membrane-targeting-of-rab10-vesicles-to-55g2ctom31.pdf

Yang Liu

Papers

An Overview on the Advances of LiCoO 2 Cathodes for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Hierarchical molybdenum phosphide coupled with carbon as a whole pH-range electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction

Lgl1 Activation of Rab10 Promotes Axonal Membrane Trafficking Underlying Neuronal Polarization

LiMn0.8Fe0.2PO4/C cathode material synthesized via co-precipitation method with superior high-rate and low-temperature performances for lithium-ion batteries

MARCKS regulates membrane targeting of Rab10 vesicles to promote axon development