Nanoscale zerovalent iron synthesized using borohydride (B-NZVI) has been widely applied in environmental remediation in recent decades. However, the contribution of boron in enhancing the inherent reactivity of B-NZVI and its effectiveness in removing hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] have not been well recognized and quantified. To the best of our knowledge, herein, a core-shell structure of B-NZVI featuring an Fe-B alloy shell beneath the iron oxide shell is demonstrated for the first time. Alloyed boron can reduce H+, contributing to more than 35.6% of H2 generation during acid digestion of B-NZVIs. In addition, alloyed B provides electrons for Fe3+ reduction during Cr(VI) removal, preventing in situ passivation of the reactive particle surface. Meanwhile, the amorphous oxide shell of B-NZVI exhibits an increased defect density, promoting the release of Fe2+ outside the shell to reduce Cr(VI), forming layer-structured precipitates and intense Fe-O bonds. Consequently, the surface-area-normalized capacity and surface reaction rate of B-NZVI are 6.5 and 6.9 times higher than those of crystalline NZVI, respectively. This study reveals the importance of alloyed B in Cr(VI) removal using B-NZVI and presents a comprehensive approach for investigating electron pathways and mechanisms involved in B-NZVIs for contaminant removal.

The limited analgesic efficiency of magnesium restricts its application in pain management. Here, we report boron hydride (BH) with ion currents rectification activity that can enhance the analgesic efficiency of magnesium without the risks of drug tolerance or addiction. We synthesize MgB2, comprising hexagonal boron sheets alternating with Mg2+. In pathological environment, Mg2+ is exchanged by H+, forming two-dimensional borophene-analogue BH sheets. BH interacts with the charged cations via cation-pi interaction, leading to dynamic modulation of sodium and potassium ion currents around neurons. Additionally, released Mg2+ competes Ca2+ to inhibit its influx and neuronal excitation. In vitro cultured dorsal root neurons show a remarkable increase in threshold potential from the normal -35.9 mV to -5.9 mV after the addition of MgB2, indicating potent analgesic effect. In three typical pain models, including CFA-induced inflammatory pain, CINP- or CCI-induced neuropathic pain, MgB2 exhibits analgesic efficiency approximately 2.23, 3.20, and 2.0 times higher than clinical MgSO4, respectively, and even about 1.04, 1.66, and 1.95 times higher than morphine, respectively. The development of magnesium based intermetallic compounds holds promise in addressing the non-opioid medical need for pain relief.

Nanostructured metal hydrides with unique morphology and improved hydrogen storage properties have attracted intense interests. However, the study of the growth process of highly active borohydrides remains challenging. Herein, for the first time the synthesis of LiBH4 nanorods through a hydrogen-assisted one-pot solvothermal reaction is reported. Reaction of n-butyl lithium with triethylamine borane in n-hexane under 50 bar of H2 at 40-100 °C gives rise to the formation of the [100]-oriented LiBH4 nanorods with 500-800 nm in diameter, whose growth is driven by orientated attachment and ligand adsorption. The unique morphology enables the LiBH4 nanorods to release hydrogen from ≈184 °C, 94 °C lower than the commercial sample (≈278 °C). Hydrogen release amounts to 13 wt% within 40 min at 450 °C with a stable cyclability, remarkably superior to the commercial LiBH4 (≈9.1 wt%). More importantly, up to 180 °C reduction in the onset temperature of hydrogenation is successfully attained by the nanorod sample with respect to the commercial counterpart. The LiBH4 nanorods show no foaming during dehydrogenation, which improves the hydrogen cycling performance. The new approach will shed light on the preparation of nanostructured metal borohydrides as advanced functional materials.

Environmental monitoring of pesticide residues in crops is essential for both food safety and environmental protection. Traditional methodologies face challenges due to the interference of endogenous compounds in peel and pulp tissues, often being invasive, labor-intensive, and inadequate for real-time observation of hazardous substance distribution. In this study, dynamic borohydride-reduced nanoparticles were employed as enhanced substrates. For the first time, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) imaging was harnessed to enable whole-process visual detection of pesticide residues. The developed method is both stable and sensitive, boasting a detection lower limit below 1 pg/mL, coupled with robust quantitative analytical capabilities. This technique was successfully employed to detect residue signals across various crops and fruit juices. Furthermore, SERS imaging was utilized to map the distribution of pesticide residues from the exterior to the interior of fruits and vegetables. Vertex component analysis further refined the process by mitigating interference from plant autofluorescence. Collectively, this innovative strategy facilitates comprehensive pesticide residue monitoring, offering a potent tool for controlling hazardous substances in crops. Its potential applications extend beyond food safety, holding significant promise for sustainable agricultural production and enhanced environmental safeguarding.

A creatively designed novel two-step enhancement technique is presented in which B vitamin molecules are dynamically adsorbed onto the surface of silver nanoparticles by sodium borohydride, followed by local plasmon resonance in the presence of cations (calcium ions), ultimately achieving synergistic chemical and physical enhancement on the same molecule and constructing a \"surface hot spots\" two-step enhancement platform for vitamin detection. The Raman signal of the promoted vitamin molecule is enhanced by nine orders of magnitude. In a subsequent study it was observed that the vitamin B2 molecules were in a near-vertical image on the surface of the silver nanoparticles, which may also contribute to the Raman signal enhancement. Combined with deep learning techniques, the method has been successfully applied to the detection of B vitamins in body fluids. As an accurate, rapid, reproducible, non-invasive, and versatile assay platform, it holds great promise for the intelligent identification of trace B molecules in food, pharmaceuticals, and the human body.

Garnet-type oxide Li6.4 La3 Zr1.4 Ta0.6 O12 (LLZTO) features superior ionic conductivity and good stability toward lithium (Li) metal, but requires high-temperature sintering (≈1200 °C) that induces high fabrication cost, poor mechanical processability, and high interface resistance. Here, a novel high-performance tricomponent composite solid electrolyte (CSE) comprising LLZTO-4LiBH4 /xLi3 BN2 H8 is reported, which is prepared by ball milling the LLZTO-4LiBH4  mixture followed by hand milling with Li3 BN2 H8 . Green pellets fabricated by heating the cold-pressed CSE powders at 120 °C offer ultrafast room-temperature ionic conductivity (≈1.73 × 10-3  S cm-1  at 30 °C) and ultrahigh Li-ion transference number (≈0.9999), which enable the Li|Li symmetrical cells to cycle over 1600 h at 30 °C with only 30 mV of overpotential. Moreover, the Li|CSE|TiS2  full cells deliver 201 mAh g-1  of capacity with long cyclability. These outstanding performances are due to the low open porosity in the electrolyte pellets as well as the high intrinsic ionic conductivity and easy deformability of Li3 BN2 H8 .

Atomically precise clusters of group 11 metals (Cu, Ag, and Au) attract considerable attention owing to their remarkable structure and fascinating properties. One of the unique subclasses of these clusters is based on dichalcophosphate ligands of [(RO)2PE2]- type (E = S or Se, and R = alkyl). These ligands successfully stabilise the most diverse Cu, Ag, and Au clusters and superatoms, spanning from simple ones to amazing assemblies featuring unusual structural and bonding patterns. It is noteworthy that such complicated clusters are assembled directly from cheap and simple reagents, metal(I) salts and dichalcophosphate anions. This reaction, when performed in the presence of a hydride or other anion sources, or foreign metal ions, results in hydrido- or anion-templated homo- or heteronuclear structures. In this feature article, we survey the recent advances in this exciting field, highlighting the powerful synthetic capabilities of the system \"a metal(I) salt - [(RO)2PX2]- ligands - a templating anion or borohydride\" as an inexhaustible platform for the creation of new atomically precise clusters, superatoms, and nanoalloys.

The low ionic and electronic conductivity between current solid electrolytes and high-capacity anodes limits the long-term cycling performance of all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries (ASSLIBs). Herein, this work reports the fabrication of an ultra-stable electrode-solid electrolyte composite for high-performance ASSLIBs enabled by the homogeneous coverage of ultrathin Mg(BH4 )2 layers on the surface of each MgH2 nanoparticle that are uniformly distributed on graphene. The initial discharge process of Mg(BH4 )2 layers results in uniform coverage of MgH2 nanoparticle with both LiBH4 as the solid electrolyte and Li2 B6 with even higher Li ion conductivity than LiBH4 . Consequently, the Li ion conductivity of graphene-supported MgH2 nanoparticles covered with ultrathin Mg(BH4 )2 layers is two orders of magnitude higher than that without Mg(BH4 )2 layers. Moreover, the thus-formed inactive Li2 B6 with strong adsorption capability toward LiBH4 , acts as a stabilizing framework, which, coupled with the structural support role of graphene, alleviates the volume change of MgH2 nanoparticles and facilitates the intimate contact between LiBH4 and individual MgH2 nanoparticles, leading to the formation of uniform stable interfaces with high ionic and electronic conductivity on each MgH2 nanoparticles. Hence, an ultrahigh specific capacity of 800 mAh g-1 is achieved for MgH2 at 2 A g-1 after 350 cycles.

Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (EC 4.1.2.13) is a highly conserved enzyme that is involved in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. In this study, we cloned the fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase gene from Euphausia superba (EsFBA). The full-length cDNA sequence of EsFBA is 1098 bp long and encodes a 365-amino-acid protein. The fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase gene was expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli). A highly purified protein was obtained using HisTrap HP affinity chromatography and size-exclusion chromatography. The predicted three-dimensional structure of EsFBA showed a 65.66% homology with human aldolase, whereas it had the highest homology (84.38%) with the FBA of Penaeus vannamei. Recombinant EsFBA had the highest activity at 45 °C and pH 7.0 in phosphate buffer. By examining the activity of metal ions and EDTA, we found that the effect of metal ions and EDTA on EsFBA\'s enzyme activity was not significant, while the presence of borohydride severely reduced the enzymatic activity; thus, EsFBA was confirmed to be a class I aldolase. Furthermore, targeted mutations at positions 34, 147, 188, and 230 confirmed that they are key amino acid residues for EsFBA.

Thermosetting unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) composites were found widespread industrial applications. However, the numerous stable carbon-carbon bonds in cross-linked networks made them intractable for degradation, causing the large-scale composite wastes. Here a nanoscale Fe0 catalyst in-situ forming strategy was exploited to nondestructively recycle carbon fiber (CF) from UPR composites via Fenton-like reaction. The nano-Fe0 catalyst employed in this strategy activated H2O2 for removing UPR, featuring mild conditions and efficient degradation ability. Aiming at facile growth of the catalyst, a porous UPR was achieved by the hydrolysis of alkalic system. The nanoscale Fe0 catalyst was subsequently formed in-situ on the surface of hydrolyzed resin by borohydride reduction. Benefiting from fast mass transfer, the in-situ grown nano-Fe0 showed more efficient degradation ability than added nano-Fe0 or Fe2+ catalyst during Fenton-like reaction. The experiments indicated that hydrolyzed resin could be degraded more than 90% within 80 min, 80 °C. GC-MS, FT-IR analysis and Density functional theory (DFT) calculation were conducted to explained the fracture processes of carbon skeleton in hydrolyzed resin. Especially, a remarkable recovery process of CF from composites was observed, with a 100 percent elimination of resin. The recycled CF cloth exhibited a 99% strength retention and maintained the textile structure, microtopography, chemical structure, resulting in the nondestructive reclaim of CF. This in-situ formed nanoscale Fe0 catalytic degradation strategy may provide a promising practical application for nondestructively recycle CF from UPR composites.