Electromechanical (EM) coupling—the conversion of energy between electric and mechanical forms—in ferroelectrics has been used for a broad range of applications. Ferroelectric polymers have weak EM coupling that severely limits their usefulness for applications. We introduced a small amount of fluorinated alkyne (FA) monomers (<2 mol %) in relaxor ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene-chlorofluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE-CFE) terpolymer that markedly enhances the polarization change with strong EM coupling while suppressing other polarization changes that do not contribute to it. Under a low–dc bias field of 40 megavolts per meter, the relaxor tetrapolymer has an EM coupling factor (
k
33
) of 88% and a piezoelectric coefficient (
d
33
) >1000 picometers per volt. These values make this solution-processed polymer competitive with ceramic oxide piezoelectrics, with the potential for use in distinct applications.
The rational construction of highly active and stable non-noble metal electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is an ongoing challenge for practical applications of catalysts. Here, we report a novel nanostructured hollow N-doped carbon hybrid through pyrolysis of silica@CoZn-coordinated zeolitic imidazolate frameworks. The carbon layer encased cobalt nanoparticles were embedded in the hierarchically porous carbon catalyst (Co@C-HN-hC). Profiting from the synergistic effect between highly active Co@C NPs and HN-hC, the Co@C-HN-hC catalyst exhibited remarkable catalytic performances as compared to porous N-doped hollow carbon (N-hC) and N-doped carbon encased Co NPs (Co@N-C). The electrochemical measurements show that the performances of the Co@C-HN-hC catalyst is close to that of the Pt/C catalysts, along with an excellent stability and durability in the ORR process. This study provides a guideline for controllable design of carbon-based ORR catalysts for substituting noble metal catalysts.
Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-based therapeutic strategies play an important role in cancer treatment. However, in situ, real-time and quantitative analysis of intracellular ROS in cancer treatment for drug screening is still a challenge. Herein we report one selective hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) electrochemical nanosensor, which is prepared by electrodeposition of Prussian blue (PB) and polyethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT) onto carbon fiber nanoelectrode. With the nanosensor, we find that the level of intracellular H 2 O 2 increases with NADH treatment and that increase is dose-dependent to the concentration of NADH. Highdose of NADH (above 10 mM) can induce cell death and intratumoral injection of NADH is validated for inhibiting tumor growth in mice. This study highlights the potential of electrochemical nanosensor for tracking and understanding the role of H 2 O 2 in screening new anticancer drug.
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