Electrochemical water splitting in alkaline solution plays a growing role in alternative energy devices due to the need for clean and sustainable energy. However, catalysts that are active for both hydrogen evolution and oxygen evolution reactions are rare. Herein, we demonstrate that cobalt phosphide (CoP), which was synthesized via the hydrothermal route and has been shown to have hydrogen evolution activity, is highly active for oxygen evolution. A current density of 10 mA cm–2 was generated at an overpotential of only 320 mV in 1 M KOH for a CoP nanorod-based electrode (CoP NR/C), which was competitive with commercial IrO2. The Tafel slope for CoP NR/C was only 71 mV dec–1, and the catalyst maintained high stability during a 12 h test. This high activity was attributed to the formation of a thin layer of ultrafine crystalline cobalt oxide on the CoP surface.

The development of high‐efficiency electrocatalysts for large‐scale water splitting is critical but also challenging. In this study, a hierarchical CoMoSx chalcogel was synthesized on a nickel foam (NF) through an in situ metathesis reaction and demonstrated excellent activity and stability in the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline media. The high catalytic activity could be ascribed to the abundant active sites/defects in the amorphous framework and promotion of activity through cobalt doping. Furthermore, the superhydrophilicity and superaerophobicity of micro‐/nanostructured CoMoSx/NF promoted mass transfer by facilitating access of electrolytes and ensuring fast release of gas bubbles. By employing CoMoSx/NF as bifunctional electrocatalysts, the overall water splitting device delivered a current density of 500 mA cm−2 at a low voltage of 1.89 V and maintained its activity without decay for 100 h.

Loss-of-function mutations in the human voltage-gated sodium channel Na V 1.7 result in a congenital indifference to pain. Selective inhibitors of Na V 1.7 are therefore likely to be powerful analgesics for treating a broad range of pain conditions. Herein we describe the identification of μ-SLPTX-Ssm6a, a unique 46-residue peptide from centipede venom that potently inhibits Na V 1.7 with an IC 50 of ∼25 nM. μ-SLPTX-Ssm6a has more than 150-fold selectivity for Na V 1.7 over all other human Na V subtypes, with the exception of Na V 1.2, for which the selectivity is 32-fold. μ-SLPTX-Ssm6a contains three disulfide bonds with a unique connectivity pattern, and it has no significant sequence homology with any previously characterized peptide or protein. μ-SLPTX-Ssm6a proved to be a more potent analgesic than morphine in a rodent model of chemicalinduced pain, and it was equipotent with morphine in rodent models of thermal and acid-induced pain. This study establishes μ-SPTX-Ssm6a as a promising lead molecule for the development of novel analgesics targeting Na V 1.7, which might be suitable for treating a wide range of human pain pathologies.chronic pain | drug discovery | peptide therapeutic