Henan Normal University

About: Henan Normal University is a education organization based out in Xinxiang, China. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Ionic liquid. The organization has 10863 authors who have published 11077 publications receiving 166773 citations.

Metal-based electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 to formic acid/formate

Abstract: The rapid increase of CO2 content in the atmosphere has caused serious environmental concern. To effectively alleviate the issue, it is of great significance to use electrocatalytic technology to convert CO2 into high value-added energy materials. In this minireview, we present the recent progress in the development of metal-based electrocatalysts for the electrocatalysis of CO2 to formic acid/formate. Firstly, we briefly study the possible reaction pathways and mechanisms of electrochemical reduction of CO2. Secondly, the emerging development of different types of metal-based electrocatalysts (homogeneous catalysts and heterogeneous catalysts) as high-performance catalysts is reviewed for improving process efficiency and productivity. Based on the insights, we summarize the current challenges and the future research directions of metal-based materials for the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2.

Low-potential synthesis of "clean" Au nanodendrites and their high performance toward ethanol oxidation.

Abstract: The shape control of Au nanocrystals is crucial to their catalytic applications and optical properties. Well-defined Au nanodendrites (NDs) have been prepared on a glassy carbon electrode using low-potential synthesis, assisted by ethylenediamine (EDA). The effects of applied potential, deposition time, and HAuCl4 (or EDA) concentrations on the morphology of the Au deposits are discussed in our work. The growth mechanism can be explained by a two-staged growth of dendrites: initial branching and subsequent dendritic growth. The Au NDs exhibits superior catalytic performance toward ethanol oxidation, in comparison with the polycrystalline Au nanoparticles. The simple and facile synthetic technique can be applied to the construction of other metals with complex hierarchical structures on a large-scale.

The architecture of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome inside virion.

Abstract: SARS-CoV-2 carries the largest single-stranded RNA genome and is the causal pathogen of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. How the SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome is folded in the virion remains unknown. To fill the knowledge gap and facilitate structure-based drug development, we develop a virion RNA in situ conformation sequencing technology, named vRIC-seq, for probing viral RNA genome structure unbiasedly. Using vRIC-seq data, we reconstruct the tertiary structure of the SARS-CoV-2 genome and reveal a surprisingly "unentangled globule" conformation. We uncover many long-range duplexes and higher-order junctions, both of which are under purifying selections and contribute to the sequential package of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Unexpectedly, the D614G and the other two accompanying mutations may remodel duplexes into more stable forms. Lastly, the structure-guided design of potent small interfering RNAs can obliterate the SARS-CoV-2 in Vero cells. Overall, our work provides a framework for studying the genome structure, function, and dynamics of emerging deadly RNA viruses.