NiCo2O4 nanostructures were directly grown on fluorine‐doped tin oxide (FTO) conductive substrates by using a facile, low‐temperature hydrothermal process and their morphology was precisely adjusted from nanowires (NW) to nanosheets (NS) and novel nanowire‐woven nanosheet (NW–NS) arrays. Such nanostructures were then explored for photoelectrodes of p‐type dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), in which the conversion efficiency demonstrated a strong dependence on the morphology. NiCo2O4 NW–NS based p‐DSSCs showed a high conversion efficiency of 0.785 %, which is higher than the values reported for NiO and other materials in p‐DSSCs based on the classical I3−/I− electrolyte. The mechanism of enhanced performance was analyzed in detail and mainly attributed to synergistic effects in the photoelectrodes, with a significantly improved efficiency of light harvesting and fast hole transport.

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An approach to hydrocarbazoles bearing an all‐carbon quaternary center at C4a position was developed via a Brønsted acid‐initiated Diels‐Alder cycloaddition/retro‐aza‐Michael addition cascade process from azepino[4,5‐b]indoles and commercially available dienophiles. The method provided a range of hydrocarbazoles in 63–99% yields. The practicality of this transformation was demonstrated by a scale‐up experiment and various transformations to several hydrocarbazole derivatives and the tetracyclic indoline scaffold. Moreover, hetero‐Diels‐Alder cycloadditions of azepino[4,5‐b]indoles were explored with 4‐phenyl‐3H‐1,2,4‐triazole‐3,5(4H)‐dione (PTAD) and 82–99% yields were obtained.

Curcumin (Cur) is a natural anticancer pigment, but its poor absorption and extensive metabolism limit its clinical applications. In this study, an ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry method was employed to investigate the metabolic profiles of a Cur self‐emulsifying drug delivery system (C‐SEDDS) in rat plasma, urine, bile and feces after oral administration at 100 mg/kg. Protein precipitation, solid‐phase and ultrasonic extractions were used to prepare different biosamples. A total of 34 metabolites were identified using available reference standards, or tentatively identified based on the mass spectrometric fragmentation patterns and the chromatographic elution order. Nine metabolites of Cur were found for the first time in vivo. Glucuronidation, sulfation, reduction, dehydroxylation, demethylation, demethoxylation and methylation were its possible metabolic reactions. Moreover, the differences were compared in terms of plasma metabolites found in C‐SEDDS‐treated, Cur suspension‐treated and rats treated with a commercial curcuminoid phospholipid complex administered at the same oral dose. Dihydrocurcumin (DHC), DHC glucuronide and methylated DHC were found only in the metabolic profile of C‐SEDDS‐treated rat plasma, suggesting that different drug delivery systems may cause a change in Cur metabolic pathways. This study provides a sensitive and rapid method for the identification of Cur metabolites in biosamples.