The exploration of highly efficient and stable bifunctional electrocatalysts for overall water splitting is currently of extreme interest for the efficient conversion of sustainable energy sources. Herein, we provide an earth-abundant, low-cost, and highly efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst composed of cobalt sulfide (CoS) and molybdenum carbide (MoC) nanoparticles anchored to metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-derived nitrogen, sulfur-codoped graphitic carbon (CoS-NSC@MoC). The new composite mode of the electrocatalyst was realized through simple pyrolysis processes. The composite electrocatalyst shows outstanding hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance and excellent stability over the entire pH range. For example, it has a lower overpotential of 74, 89, and 121 mV with the Tafel slopes of 69.3, 86.7, and 106.4 mV dec to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm in 0.5 M HSO, 1.0 M KOH, and 1.0 M phosphate-buffered saline solutions, respectively. Moreover, it shows a small overpotential of 293 mV with a Tafel slope of 59.7 mV dec to reach 10 mA cm for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in 1.0 M KOH. The significantly enhanced HER and OER activities of CoS-NSC@MoC are mainly attributable to the electron transfer from Co to MoC, resulting in a lower Mo valence and a higher Co valence in CoS-NSC@MoC. Furthermore, using the CoS-NSC@MoC bifunctional electrocatalyst as both the anode for the OER and the cathode for the HER for overall water splitting, a cell voltage of only 1.61 V is needed to derive a current density of 10 mA cm. This interesting work offers a general method for designing and fabricating highly efficient and stable non-noble electrocatalysts for promising energy conversion.

Few prospective studies have reported the cumulative incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in the intensive care unit (ICU), especially for patients receiving guideline-recommended VTE prophylaxis. We aimed to design a prospective observational study to investigate the cumulative incidence and risk factors of ICU-acquired VTE for those populations. We prospectively studied 281 consecutively included patients in the ICU at a single center. All patients provided informed consent. Patients received ultrasound evaluation and were followed for VTE before ICU discharge or within 28 days of ICU stay. The type of VTE thromboprophylaxis was also recorded for all patients. Variables from univariate analyses that were associated with VTE were included in the binary logistic regression analysis to determine VTE predictors. The cumulative VTE incidence with 95% confidence interval (CI) was estimated using Kaplan–Meier methods. Patients had a median age of 60 years (range, 18–89) and an acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II score of 17 (range, 4–36). Despite all patients receiving guideline-recommended thromboprophylaxis, the cumulative incidence of VTE at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days was 4.45% (95% CI 2.55–7.71), 7.14% (95% CI 4.61–10.97), 7.53% (95% CI 4.92–11.43), and 9.55% (95% CI 6.55–13.81), respectively. Central venous catheter use ( P = .002, odds ratio [OR] = 4.50), Caprini score ( P = .012, OR = 1.20), and ICU length of stay ( P = .006, OR = 1.08) were independent risk factors related to the incidence of VTE for patients admitted to the ICU. Our prospective observational study found that the 28-day cumulative incidence of VTE was relatively high for patients admitted to the ICU, despite the use of guideline-recommended thromboprophylaxis. Patients with femoral central venous catheter, prolonged ICU length of stay, or a high Caprini score may have an increased risk of developing VTE.

The development of outstanding noble-metal-free electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has attracted broad interest. Herein, a novel one-dimensional (1D) HER hybrid catalyst consisted of cobalt phosphide (CoP) and molybdenum carbide (Mo2C) nanoparticles wrapped by nitrogen-doped graphitic carbon (called CoP/Mo2C-NC) was successfully fabricated by a facile continuous-flow method and a simple two-step annealing process. During these processes, the successful synthesis of the MoO3 nanorods coated with cobalt zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (Co-ZIF-67) (Co-ZIF-67@MoO3) through the continuous-flow method plays a key role. The as-synthesized CoP/Mo2C-NC hybrid electrocatalyst exhibits a significantly enhanced HER electrocatalytic activity over the entire pH range relative to that of the control materials CoP, Mo2C-NC, and physically mixed CoP and Mo2C-NC. The outstanding HER catalytic performance is mainly due to the fact that the electron cloud transfers from Co to Mo in CoP/Mo2C-NC through the Co–P–Mo bond, resulting in the formation of a high valence state for Co (Co3+) species and lower valence states for Mo (i.e., Mo2+, Mo3+) species, providing the abundant HER active sites. Moreover, the Gibbs free energy (ΔG H*) of CoP/Mo2C-NC obtained by the density function theory calculations indicates a good balance between the Volmer and Heyrovsky/Tafel steps in HER kinetics. Such a cobalt zeolitic imidazolate framework-mediated strategy depicted in this work offers an interesting perspective for developing highly efficient noble-metal-free electrocatalysts for hydrogen production.

The design and preparation of an excellent corrosion protection coating is still a grand challenge and is essential for large-scale practical application. Herein, a novel cationic reduced graphene oxide (denoted as RGO-ID)-based epoxy coating was fabricated for corrosion protection. RGO-ID was synthesized by in situ synthesis and salification reaction, which is stable dispersion in water and epoxy latex, and the self-aligned RGO-ID-reinforced cathodic electrophoretic epoxy nanocomposite coating (denoted as RGO-ID coating) at the surface of metal was prepared by electrodeposition. The self-alignment of RGO-ID in the coatings is mainly attributed to the electric field force. The significantly enhanced anticorrosion performance of RGO-ID coating is proved by a series of electrochemical measurements in different concentrated NaCl solutions and salt spray tests. This superior anticorrosion property benefits from the self-aligned RGO-ID nanosheets and the quaternary-N groups present in the RGO-ID nanocomposite coating. Interestingly, the RGO-ID also exhibits a high antibacterial activity toward Escherichia coli with 83.4 ± 1.3% antibacterial efficiency, which is attributed to the synergetic effects of RGO-ID and the electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding between RGO-ID and E. coli. This work offers new opportunities for the successful development of effective corrosion protection and self-antibacterial coatings.