Developing low-cost, efficient, and bifunctional electrocatalysts for both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is an appealing yet challenging task. Herein, for the first time, a NiS microsphere film was grown in situ on Ni foam (NiS/Ni foam) via a sulfurization reaction as an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting with superior activity and good durability. This NiS/Ni foam electrode delivers 20 mA cm⁻² at an overpotential of 158 mV for the HER and 50 mA cm⁻² at an overpotential of 335 mV for the OER in 1.0 M KOH. This bifunctional electrode also enables a high-efficiency alkaline water electrolyzer with 10 mA cm⁻² at a cell voltage of only 1.64 V, which could be promising in water splitting devices for large-scale hydrogen production.

The authors show that the pluripotency factor NANOG interacts with TET1 and TET2 methylcytosine hydroxylases, and that the hydroxylation of 5-methylcytosine to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine enhances the efficiency of somatic cell reprogramming in a NANOG-dependent manner. This study provides new insight into the reprogramming mechanism of the pluripotency factor NANOG by showing that two TET family 5-methylcytosine (5mC) hydroxylases, TET1 and TET2, interact with it. TET1 and TET2 facilitate reprogramming in a manner that is dependent on their catalytic activity. This represents the first report of a role for 5mC hydroxylases in the establishment of naive pluripotency. Molecular control of the pluripotent state is thought to reside in a core circuitry of master transcription factors including the homeodomain-containing protein NANOG1,2, which has an essential role in establishing ground state pluripotency during somatic cell reprogramming3,4. Whereas the genomic occupancy of NANOG has been extensively investigated, comparatively little is known about NANOG-associated proteins5 and their contribution to the NANOG-mediated reprogramming process. Using enhanced purification techniques and a stringent computational algorithm, we identify 27 high-confidence protein interaction partners of NANOG in mouse embryonic stem cells. These consist of 19 previously unknown partners of NANOG that have not been reported before, including the ten-eleven translocation (TET) family methylcytosine hydroxylase TET1. We confirm physical association of NANOG with TET1, and demonstrate that TET1, in synergy with NANOG, enhances the efficiency of reprogramming. We also find physical association and reprogramming synergy of TET2 with NANOG, and demonstrate that knockdown of TET2 abolishes the reprogramming synergy of NANOG with a catalytically deficient mutant of TET1. These results indicate that the physical interaction between NANOG and TET1/TET2 proteins facilitates reprogramming in a manner that is dependent on the catalytic activity of TET1/TET2. TET1 and NANOG co-occupy genomic loci of genes associated with both maintenance of pluripotency and lineage commitment in embryonic stem cells, and TET1 binding is reduced upon NANOG depletion. Co-expression of NANOG and TET1 increases 5-hydroxymethylcytosine levels at the top-ranked common target loci Esrrb and Oct4 (also called Pou5f1), resulting in priming of their expression before reprogramming to naive pluripotency. We propose that TET1 is recruited by NANOG to enhance the expression of a subset of key reprogramming target genes. These results provide an insight into the reprogramming mechanism of NANOG and uncover a new role for 5-methylcytosine hydroxylases in the establishment of naive pluripotency.

Developing a smart adsorbent that can efficiently detect and remove toxic organophosphorus pesticides is important but still a great challenge. Here, a novel MOF-based smart adsorbent, Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@UiO-67, was successfully fabricated via a versatile layer by layer assembly strategy and applied to the simultaneous selective recognition, detection and removal of glyphosate. The prepared smart adsorbent contains Zr–OH groups with high affinity for phosphate groups, endowing it with selective recognition and a higher adsorption capacity for glyphosate. Moreover, combining it with glyphosate leads to changes in the fluorescence intensity of the smart adsorbent, and incorporating silica impedes electron transfer between UiO-67 and the magnetic core, which can lead to the identification of the adsorbate and its concentration, and achieve a lower detection limit. Furthermore, using Fe₃O₄ as the magnetic core of the smart adsorbent facilitates the separation and removal process via an external magnetic field. Under optimized conditions, the obtained smart adsorbent exhibits excellent detection and adsorption performance with a high adsorption capacity (256.54 mg g⁻¹), good reusability, and a low detection limit (0.093 mg L⁻¹) for glyphosate, implying that the smart adsorbent has integrated the advantages of the individual components. All of this indicates that MOF-based smart adsorbents are promising for synchronous adsorption/detection and the removal of OPPs, presenting a viable option for monitoring water quality and treating wastewater.

Multifunctional MFe ₂ O ₄ (M = Mn, Co)–MoS ₂ –carbon dot nanohybrid composites were fabricated using a one-pot solvothermal method and applied for efficient Pb( ii ) removal.