News from China
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Nov-2025 01:11 ET (23-Nov-2025 06:11 GMT/UTC)
A fast and high-precision satellite-ground synchronization technology in satellite beam hopping communication
Beijing Institute of Technology Press Co., LtdNear-space communications: The last piece of 6G space–air–ground–sea integrated network puzzle
Beijing Institute of Technology Press Co., LtdWho knew? Tremendous use for waste medical masks: The buster of microplastic
Higher Education PressPeer-Reviewed Publication
An ingenious, simple and low-cost method of converting waste medical masks into carbon quanta dots and synergistically enhance the ability of photocatalytic degradation of microplastics is provided.
- Journal
- Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica
Unlocking the performance of sodium-ion batteries by coating Na3V2(PO4)3 with Nb2O5
Higher Education PressPeer-Reviewed Publication
Adding a thin layer of niobium oxide (Nb2O5) to a sodium battery cathode material makes the battery last longer, charge faster, and stay stable even in extreme temperatures. This coating also protects the material from chemical damage during repeated charging cycles.
- Journal
- Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica
Phosphorescent carbon nanodot inks for scalable and high-resolution invisible printing
Higher Education PressPeer-Reviewed Publication
Matrix-free phosphorescent carbon nanodot inks enable scalable, invisible printing with ultrahigh resolution and high fidelity, highlighting their potential for large-scale information storage and time-delayed display applications.
- Journal
- Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica
Covalent bond modulation of charge transfer
Higher Education PressPeer-Reviewed Publication
Tungsten species atomically dispersed on carbon-rich graphitic carbon nitride with the N–W–O covalent bond was designed as the photoanode for constructing a self-powered photocatalytic fuel cell sensing of heavy metal copper ions.
- Journal
- Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica
Who are driving changes in China’s cropland ecosystem services?
Higher Education PressCropland not only provides basic materials such as food and feed for humanity but also fulfills crucial ecological functions including water retention, carbon storage, and soil retention. Collectively termed “cropland ecosystem services (ESs)”, these functions are vital for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Journal
- Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering
Dual-action fermented oats (Avena sativa L.): Anti-inflammatory and skin barrier restoration
Journal of Dermatologic Science and Cosmetic TechnologyThis study presents a comprehensive exploration of fermented oats (FO) as a next-generation skincare ingredient with dual anti-inflammatory and skin barrier-restoring functions. By utilizing Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation, the authors successfully enhanced the bioactive composition of oats, significantly increasing β-glucan, proteins, flavonoids, amino acids, and their derivatives. These biochemical improvements translate into potent biological activity, positioning FO as a multifunctional soothing and repairing ingredient for sensitive and photodamaged skin. A major highlight of this research is its multi-model validation across cellular assays, zebrafish embryos, and 3D reconstructed skin. FO demonstrated a marked ability to modulate inflammatory pathways, including a 79.87% inhibition of TNF-α/TNFR1 binding, suppression of LPS-induced nitric oxide release, and reduction of neutrophil recruitment. These results collectively establish FO as a robust anti-inflammatory agent capable of suppressing both cytokine- and TRPV1-mediated inflammatory responses. Equally noteworthy is FO’s impact on skin barrier repair. In UVB-irradiated 3D skin models, FO significantly upregulated key structural proteins—including loricrin, filaggrin, transglutaminase 1, and caspase-14—which are essential for epidermal reinforcement, differentiation, and natural moisturizing factor formation. The ingredient also enhanced hydration by increasing both skin moisture content and AQP3 expression.
Overall, this study highlights fermented oats as an innovative, solvent-free, bioactivated skincare ingredient that simultaneously alleviates inflammation, repairs barrier damage, and improves hydration. Its strong mechanistic support and multi-level experimental confirmation underscore its potential as an effective soothing and repairing ingredient for sensitive skin formulations.
- Journal
- Journal of Dermatologic Science and Cosmetic Technology
Efficient neutral nitrate-to-ammonia electrosynthesis using synergistic Ru-based nanoalloys on nitrogen-doped carbon
Shanghai Jiao Tong University Journal CenterPeer-Reviewed Publication
Electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) represents a sustainable and environmentally benign route for ammonia (NH3) synthesis. However, NO3RR is still limited by the competition from hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the high energy barrier in the hydrogenation step of nitrogen-containing intermediates. Here, we report a selective etching strategy to construct RuM nanoalloys (M = Fe, Co, Ni, Cu) uniformly dispersed on porous nitrogen-doped carbon substrates for efficient neutral NH3 electrosynthesis. Density functional theory calculations confirm that the synergic effect between Ru and transition metal M modulates the electronic structure of the alloy, significantly lowering the energy barrier for the conversion of *NO2 to *HNO2. Experimentally, the optimized RuFe-NC catalyst achieves 100% Faraday efficiency with a high yield rate of 0.83 mg h−1 mgcat−1 at a low potential of − 0.1 V vs. RHE, outperforming most reported catalysts. In situ spectroscopic analyses further demonstrate that the RuM-NC effectively promotes the hydrogenation of nitrogen intermediates while inhibiting the formation of hydrogen radicals, thereby reducing HER competition. The RuFe-NC assembled Zn-NO3− battery achieved a high open-circuit voltage and an outstanding power density and capacity, which drive selective NO3− conversion to NH3. This work provides a powerful synergistic design strategy for efficient NH3 electrosynthesis and a general framework for the development of advanced multi-component catalysts for sustainable nitrogen conversion.
- Journal
- Nano-Micro Letters