bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Promoting Literacy and Numeracy in Adult Learning and Education
Authors: Alamprese Judith A. , Hoogland Kees 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTAdults’ development of literacy and numeracy skills that can enable them to navigate the demands of contemporary life and be prepared for the future is central to their economic, social, and personal well‐being and the functioning of society. This article discusses the role of literacy and numeracy in adult learning and education, beginning with the current status of literacy and numeracy skills in OECD countries and economies. Explored are the types of frameworks and standards that are used to guide adults’ acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills and approaches to delivering instructional and supportive services for those adults. The article concludes with challenges and considerations in strengthening literacy and numeracy as critical components of adult learning and education.
Reimagining Workforce Development: A Critical Analysis of Approaches in Europe, Singapore, and the United States
Authors: El Amoud Lyndsey , Raymer Annalisa L. , Tan Renee 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTThis chapter examines three distinct approaches to lifelong learning to illustrate workforce and societal development efforts in Europe, Singapore, and the United States. The case studies bring to the fore various complex issues, including, in the case of Europe, ensuring more equitable access to workforce development initiatives for all. Singapore's size and single coordinating platform of the SkillsFuture movement allow for both opportunities and challenges to entrench lifelong learning within its citizenry. In the United States, the competing concerns of state, federal, and local levels make for a varied mixture of lifelong learning offerings and, along with it, the need to maneuver different levels to achieve goals. The case studies allow for insights and reflection into the possibilities available and difficulties to be navigated in the global workforce development and lifelong learning landscape.
Engineering the Hierarchical Porosity of Granular Hydrogel Scaffolds Using Porous Microgels to Improve Cell Recruitment and Tissue Integration
Authors: Kedzierski Alexander , Kheirabadi Sina , Jaberi Arian , Ataie Zaman , Mojazza Catherine L. , Williamson Marisa L. , Hjaltason Anton M. , Risbud Aneesh , Xiang Yuanhui , Sheikhi Amir 
Published: February 2025

AbstractGranular hydrogel scaffolds (GHS), composed of jammed hydrogel microparticles (microgels), have emerged to overcome the structural limitations of nonporous (bulk) hydrogels. Microscale void spaces among jammed microgels in GHS promote cell infiltration and host tissue integration; however, the prevalent use of spherical nonporous microgels limits the GHS void fraction to that of random close packing. To address this persistent challenge, a new class of gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) GHS comprising porous microgels, fabricated via thermally induced polymer phase separation within composite microgels, is developed. These novel GHS not only attain hierarchical porosity across inter‐ and intramicrogel length scales, but also have up to ≈ 170% increase in void fraction compared with the nonporous microgel‐based GHS counterpart. Such increase in void fraction while maintaining structural stability, to the best of our knowledge, is among the highest increase reported in the literature. Compared with nonporous microgels in which cells cannot readily infiltrate, in vitro cell infiltration is significantly higher in the porous microgels. Furthermore, in vitro cell distribution in the GHS comprising porous microgels is more uniform compared with the GHS made up of nonporous microgels. In vivo subcutaneous implantation in mice shows that the GHS comprising porous microgels undergo higher and more uniform cell infiltration. Up to ≈ 78% increase in cell infiltration into GHS is yielded in vivo using the GHS fabricated from porous microgels. This work lays the foundation of engineering GelMA GHS with hierarchical porosity, superior cell infiltration, and enhanced tissue integration, which may open new opportunities for developing next‐generation granular biomaterials for accelerating tissue repair.
A Plug‐and‐Play Ferritac Platform Degrading Membrane Proteins via Receptor Crosslinking
Authors: He Qunye , Wang Lei , Huang Lulu , Ke Yong , Paerhati Pameila , Zhang Jiawei , Zong Huifang , Zhang Baohong , Zhu Jianwei 
Published: February 2025

AbstractMembrane protein degradation techniques hijacking lysosome targeting receptors (LTRs) have provided new opportunities to develop anticancer therapeutics. However, due to varied expression of these LTRs and potential influence on their native biological function resulting from excessive endocytosis, developing alternative membrane protein degraders is highly desirable. Here, Ferritac (ferritin‐based targeting chimeras) is developed, a plug‐and‐play membrane degradation platform that displayed multivalent antibodies via Spycatcher‐Spytag chemistry to crosslink the membrane protein ectodomains nearby for degradation. Based on receptor crosslinking, the Ferritac platform obviates the dependence on specific LTRs. This study reveals the Ferritac nanoparticles efficiently degraded epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) both in vitro and in vivo. In mechanistic studies, the Ferritac‐Anti‐EGFR nanoparticles adopted clathrin‐based endocytosis and mainly involved with lysosome pathways for protein degradation, which are successfully expanded to degrade PD‐L1 (programmed death‐ligand 1) and HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) in vitro. Moreover, the efficient PD‐L1 degradation by Ferritac‐Anti‐PD‐L1 to induce a potent anticancer immune response in vivo is validated in both MC38 and B16F10 tumor models. Further combined with chemotherapeutics paclitaxel, the Ferritac‐Anti‐PD‐L1 saw a satisfactory synergistic therapeutic effect. Overall, the Ferritac platform could be easily applied to various targets by directly attaching the relevant antibodies and could be a promising candidate as a novel and versatile LTR‐independent membrane protein degrader.
Boosting CO2 Photoreduction Efficiency of Carbon Nitride via S‐scheme g‐C3N4/Fe2TiO5 Heterojunction
Authors: dos Santos Gustavo , Tian Liang , Gonçalves Renato , García Hermenegildo , Rossi Liane 
Published: February 2025

AbstractPhotocatalysis has emerged as an alternative to high energy‐demanding CO2 reduction reactions. Among the widely studied photocatalysts, g‐C3N4 stands out due to its composition based on earth‐abundant elements, its ability to absorb visible light, and its suitable band structure. In this study, a photocatalyst based on an S‐scheme heterojunction formed by g‐C3N4 and nanosized Fe2TiO5 is successfully prepared via simple hydrothermal assembly of both pre‐synthesized semiconductors. Modifications induced on g‐C3N4 during the heterojunction preparation play a crucial role in the efficiency of the CO2 photoreduction reaction. Under simulated sunlight irradiation, the g‐C3N4/Fe2TiO5 heterojunction exhibits higher photocatalytic performance than the pristine materials for both CO2 reduction to produce CO and CH4, and H2O reduction reaction, producing H2. The results obtained correspond to a 1.5‐fold improvement compared to pristine g‐C3N4. When [Ru(bpy)3]2+ is applied as a sensitizer, the visible light (>380 nm) activity of the photocatalytic system is restored, showing lower activity but higher selectivity toward CO and H2 production, a route to renewable syngas.
Critical Challenges and Optimization Strategies for Rechargeable Aluminum‐Sulfur Batteries
Authors: Wang Yu , Wu Xiaolin , Meng Jiashen , Zhang Hao , Song Yibo , Wang Xuanpeng , Liu Yakun , Mai Liqiang 
Published: February 2025

AbstractThe increasing demand for efficient, cost‐effective energy storage systems has spurred research into alternatives to lithium‐ion batteries. Among these alternatives, aluminum‐sulfur (Al‐S) batteries have become a promising option, demonstrating noteworthy advancements over the past decade. These batteries provide benefits such as high theoretical energy density, low cost, and improved safety. Nonetheless, certain fundamental electrochemical challenges, similar to those encountered by other sulfur‐based batteries, persist, including slow reaction kinetics, significant polysulfide shuttling, and uncontrollable dendrite growth on the anode. Herein, this review offers a comprehensive overview of recent advancements related to the critical challenges and optimization strategies for rechargeable Al‐S batteries. It begins by outlining the development history of Al‐S batteries and the challenges present in current systems. Next, efficient optimization strategies aimed at enhancing Al‐S batteries are summarized by focusing on optimizing each battery component, including the cathode, anode, electrolyte, and separator. Detailed examinations include structural features, electrochemical performance, structure‐property correlations, and enhancement mechanisms of key breakthroughs. Finally, the challenges and potential opportunities are explored for future research on rechargeable Al‐S batteries. This review aims to provide insightful guidance for the rational design of high‐performance Al‐S batteries and to accelerate their development for practical large‐scale energy storage applications.
Fabrication of Tubular Electricity Nanogenerator with High Power Density by Bulk Effect
Authors: Zhang Hanli , Zhang Rui , Zhao Yingda , Xiao Ke , Wu Zhuolin , Ding Zhengmao , Yang Yongfeng , Li Jinjin 
Published: February 2025

AbstractEnclosed liquid‐solid triboelectric nanogenerators (LS‐TENGs) have gained widespread attention due to the advantages of self‐storage of liquid and less susceptibility to contamination, but are limited by the low output power density. Here, a tubular bulk effect electricity nanogenerator (TBE‐ENG) is reported by inserting an internal electrode with an appropriate depth between the fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) film and the glass cross‐section in the tube. The TBE‐ENG can achieve an output current of 5.0 mA and a peak power density of 2169 W m−3 after adding a 1 M sodium chloride solution, which are much higher than those of the enclosed LS‐TENGs in previous studies. The mechanism of TBE‐ENG is elucidated via an equivalent capacitor model, and the effects of the electrode spatial position, dielectric layer thickness, and liquid properties on the output performance are well revealed in combination with experiments. Moreover, the applicability of TBE‐ENG and its application for driving electronic devices are demonstrated. This work lays the groundwork for the design of higher‐performance enclosed LS‐TENGs, and greatly expands the application of the bulk effect.
Dual Anions Doping Enhanced Conductivity and Stability of Layered δ‐MnO2 Cathode for Aqueous Zinc‐Ion Battery
Authors: Liang Jinrui , Zhao Yajun , Ren Longtao , Li Mengchao , Zhang Qiaoli , Wang Yinghong , Sun Xiaoming , Chuai Mingyan , Wang Xusheng , Liu Wen 
Published: February 2025

AbstractManganese‐based oxides have been identified as promising cathodes for aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs) due to their high theoretical energy density and cost‐effectiveness. However, their low electronic conductivity and tendency to dissolve during cycling have limited their applications in AZIBs. Herein, a one‐step calcination method is proposed to incorporate sulfur and nitrogen anions into the MnO2 structure (referred to as NS‐MnO2). Characterizations and theoretical calculations confirm that the sulfur and nitrogen dopants improve the intrinsic electronic conductivity and structural stability of MnO2. Specifically, sulfur doping accelerates the diffusion of Zn2+, while the formation of Mn─N bonds strengthens the Mn─O bonds, thereby stabilizing the structure of MnO2 during cycling. In addition, the doping process creates oxygen vacancies that facilitate Zn2+ diffusion kinetics. As a result, the NS‐MnO2 demonstrates a specific capacity of 295 mAh g‒1 at a current density of 0.2 A g‒1 and exhibits high cycling stability of 120 mAh g‒1 at 1 A g‒1 over 1500 cycles. This study highlights the effectiveness of dual anions doping in modifying the structure of transition metal oxides and suggests its potential application in designing other materials for energy storage.
Amorphization Strategy for Constructing Metal‐Triazole Framework Glass Foams with Multistage Pore Structure for Selective Removal of Mercury
Authors: Li Xiulei , Jin Zixuan , Lu Hejie , Li Yihang , Chen Xiangwen , Zhu Sichao , Jia Zhiqian , Tan Hong‐Wei , Yang Yu , Hou Li‐An 
Published: February 2025

AbstractAmorphous MOFs have attracted more attentions due to their excellent adsorption performance. However, the transformation of crystalline MOF into amorphous MOF often requires harsh conditions, and simple and scalable amorphization strategies are still lacking. In this work, amorphous MOF via a solvent‐assisted evaporation amorphization strategy is synthesized. The results show that amorphous agfBNU‐1(Zn) and agfBNU‐1(Cd) glass foams with short‐range ordered but long‐range disordered atomic structure and foam‐like multistage pore structure display adsorption capacities of up to 1009 and 1127 mg g−1 for Hg2+, surpassing those of crystalline cBNU‐1(Zn) and cBNU‐1(Cd) by 1.29 and 5.12 times, reaching a record high. The adsorption kinetics show that the adsorption rate constants of agfBNU‐1(Zn) and agfBNU‐1(Cd) are 1.49 and 7.6 times compared with those of the crystalline, and the partition coefficients for Hg2+ are 2.13 and 373 times those of the crystallines, and the separation factors of Hg2+/Ni2+ attain 1506 and 2012, exhibiting excellent adsorption selectivity. Experiments and DFT calculations show that N and S atoms in agfBNU‐1(Zn) and agfBNU‐1(Cd) are involved in the coordination with Hg2+. The present work demonstrates the benefits of utilizing amorphous MOFs glass foams for ion adsorption and provided a new strategy for the preparation of high‐performance MOFs‐based adsorbents.
Activating Oxygen Redox in Layered KxTMO2 to Construct High‐Capacity and Enable Phase‐Transition‐Free Potassium Ion Cathode
Authors: Yang Liwei , Shi Chen , Pan Xinyi , Xu Wangwang , Wang Yuanzhe , Yang Wuhai , Wang Dong , Zhao Yufeng , Gao Faming 
Published: February 2025

AbstractMn‐based layered oxides are one of the most appealing cathodes for potassium‐ion batteries (PIBs) due to its cost‐effective potassium and manganese resources, and high theoretical specific capacity. However, severe phase transitions and Jahn‐Teller distortion of Mn3+ have already hindered its practical application. To circumvent these issues, a layered P2‐type K0.67Mn0.75Ni0.23Nb0.02O2 (P2‐KMNNb) cathode is proposed where the nickel and niobium substitution enables increase non‐bonding oxygen states and structural stability. Via electrochemical test and physicochemical characterizations, it is demonstrated that the substitution induces oxygen redox activity in potassium ion battery system, favoring the highly reversible K+ (de) intercalation capability. The P2‐KMNNb exhibits a high reversible capacity of 134.8 mAh g−1 at a current density of 10 mA g−1, with a capacity retention of 85.2% after 150 cycles. The full cell, composed of the P2‐KMNNb cathode and hard carbon anode, also shows excellent electrochemical performance, achieving a high specific capacity of 63.6 mAh g−1 at a large current density of 200 mA g−1, with an initial coulombic efficiency of 95.2%. Meanwhile, in situ X‐ray powder diffraction patterns and Raman spectra show that the absence of phase transitions and the stable oxygen stacking sequence. These findings provide new strategies for modulating the redox activity and reversibility of structure.
Efficient Harvesting Waste Heat by Zn‐Ion Battery Under Thermally Regenerative Electrochemical Cycles
Authors: Sun Xiaoling , Chen Hongyi , Li Yitong , Zeng Dewen , Qiu Pengfei , Zeng Huarong , Ji Xiaobo , Chen Lidong , Shi Xun 
Published: February 2025

AbstractTypical technologies that can convert waste heat into electricity include thermoelectrics, thermionic capacitors, thermo‐cells, thermal charge cells, and thermally regenerative electrochemical cycles. They have small thermal‐to‐electrical conversion efficiency or poor stability, severely hindering the efficient recovery of waste heat. Herein, a thermally regenerative electrochemical Zn‐ion battery to work under Carnot‐like mode to efficiently harvest waste heat into electricity is successfully developed. Through introducing Layered Double Hydroxides to modify the battery's anode reaction, a record absolute high temperature coefficient of 2.944 mV K−1 is achieved in NiHCF/Zn battery, leading to a high thermal‐to‐electrical conversion efficiency of 26.08% of the Carnot efficiency and an extraordinary energy efficiency of 104.11% when the battery is charged at 50 °C and discharged at 5 °C. This work demonstrates that thermally regenerative electrochemical batteries can effectively harvest waste heat to provide a powerful energy conversion technology.
Acoustic Valley Filter, Valve, and Diverter
Authors: Wu Hao , He Hailong , Ye Liping , Lu Jiuyang , Ke Manzhu , Deng Weiyin , Liu Zhengyou 
Published: February 2025

AbstractThe discovery of valley degrees of freedom in electronic and classical waves opened the field of valleytronics and offered the prospect for new devices based on valleys. However, the implementation of valley‐based devices remains challenging in practice. Here, by taking advantage of the flexibility of phononic crystals in design and fabrication, the realizations of valley devices, or filters, valves, and diverters for acoustic waves are reported. All the devices are configured as the structures of input and output ports bridged by channels. The phononic crystals serving as ports allow the propagation of both valley polarizations, whereas the phononic crystals serving as channels, as they are narrow, only allow the propagation of single polarizations. For valley filters that achieve valley‐polarized currents, the bridge channel is simply a straight single phononic crystal, but for valley valves that can turn off the valley‐polarized currents, the channel consists of two parts, allowing the propagation of opposite valley polarizations. The valley diverters have one input port, and two output ports, and thus a branched channel, and the three parts in the channel allow the propagation of the same valley polarizations, so that the energy flow can be partitioned. The results may serve as a basis for developing advanced acoustic valley devices.
Unravelling the Atomic Structure of a Metal‐Covalent Organic Framework Assembled from Ruthenium Metalloligands
Authors: Hennessey Seán , González‐Gómez Roberto , Arisnabarreta Nicolás , Ciotti Anna , Hou Jing , Tarakina Nadezda V. , Bezrukov Andrey , Mali Kunal S. , Zaworotko Michael , De Feyter Steven , García‐Melchor Max , Farràs Pau 
Published: February 2025

AbstractCovalent and metal‐organic frameworks (COFs and MOFs) have shown great promise in light‐driven processes mainly due to their ligand‐to‐metal charge‐separation properties, as well as having access to a diverse range of photoactive metalloligands and organic linkers. However, both frameworks present individual drawbacks that can potentially be avoided by combining both systems (metal and covalent) to produce metal‐covalent organic frameworks (MCOFs), exhibiting the advantages of both material types. Yet, due to their poor crystallinity, the understanding of the structure‐properties relation of MCOFs remains unclear. Herein, we report photoactive linkers in the form of a [Ru(tpy)2]2+ (tpy: 2,2′,6,2″‐terpyridine) complex which covalently binds to a luminescent pyrene core to yield a new, photoactive Schiff‐base MCOF. The structure, thermal, electronic, and optical properties of this novel material have been exhaustively characterized by a wide range of microscopy, spectroscopic, and computational methods. This combined experimental and computational work represents a significant step toward the fundamental understanding of the photoactive units within the framework, their hierarchical arrangement and interactions with substrates, which is essential for the future design of efficient photocatalytic materials.
New Insights Into the Effects of Electrode Polarization of Chitosan on Graphene Nanomaterials
Authors: Naidoo Lyndon , Uwaya Gloria Ebube , Bisetty Krishna 
Published: February 2025

AbstractThe efficient transfer of electrons between the electrode and the analyte, influenced by electrode polarization (EP), is a crucial yet often overlooked factor in assessing the performance of electrochemical systems. This study explores the use of chitosan as an EP suppressor for graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) in a ferri/ferro cyanide redox probe, using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The CV results indicate that GO has greater pseudocapacitance than RGO does, indicating a greater abundance of oxygen‐containing functional groups that facilitate stronger interfacial interactions with chitosan. By reducing the capacitive current, as shown through EIS, the sensitivity toward the Fe2+/3+ redox couple at the electrode double layer is enhanced. These findings align with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, which indicate a charge distortion favoring chitosan, thereby allowing more efficient intrinsic electron transfer within the aromatic rings of the GO/RGO graphene nanomaterials. This research holds significant potential for advancing the development of more efficient sensors and energy storage devices.
Flexible and Wearable Devices Based on Colloidal Quantum Dots
Authors: Yu Zhaoyang , Fang Tao , Cao Wenhan 
Published: February 2025

AbstractA significant class of semiconductor nanostructures, colloidal quantum dots (CQDs), which exhibit narrow emission spectrum and tunable emission frequency, are utilized for numerous flexible and wearable applications including state‐of‐the‐art display, biological sensing, showcasing great prospects in physiological measurement, health monitoring, and rehabilitation. Interestingly, synthesizing these semiconductor particles using methods such as hot injection as colloids can directly tune their optical properties and emission wavelengths by controlling their sizes, which greatly contributes to materials production simplicity and scalability. Importantly, from a device perspective, due to the advantages of solution‐processed synthesis, and patterning methods such as inkjet printing, CQDs can be combined with soft polymeric substrates, or hierarchical structures in a facile manner, offering extraordinary device flexibility and portability. As optoelectronic devices, CQD can function as photoresistors, phototransistors, or through other mechanisms which convert light between other forms of energy, enabling highly sensitive detection applications. In this Review, synthetic approaches are summarized for CQDs, flexible device fabrication techniques, detection mechanisms, and application scenarios. Furthermore, the challenges associated with these technologies, such as device stability and cost‐efficiency are discussed, and present this outlook on the future trends of CQD devices including multi‐functional integration, as a constituent component of flexible and wearable devices.