Constructing high-activity electrocatalysts towards hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is an essential way to achieve efficient, green and sustainable energy from water electrolysis. In this work, rhodium (Rh) nanoparticles anchored on cobalt (Co)/nitrogen (N)-doped carbon nanofibers (NCNFs) catalyst is prepared by the electrospinning-pyrolysis-reduction method. The synergy effect between Co-NCNFs and Rh nanoparticles contributes to the superior HER activity and favorable durability. The optimized 0.15Co-NCNFs-5Rh sample exhibits ultralow overpotentials of 13 and 18 mV to reach 10 mA cm-2 in an alkaline and acidic electrolyte, surpassing many Rh-based or Co-based electrocatalysts reported in the literature. Additionally, the Co-NCNFs-Rh sample shows a better HER activity than benchmark Pt/C catalyst in an alkaline medium at all current densities and in an acidic condition at higher current densities, offering its promising practical applications. Thus, this work provides an efficient methodology to construct high-performance HER electrocatalysts.

Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections reported in outpatients. Drug-resistant bacteria are the major cause of treatment failure and increased mortality rate in patients with SSTIs, posing significant challenges to human health. In this study, new-generation rhodium nanoplates (RhNPs) and glycol chitosan- and polydopamine-functionalized RhNPs (Rh@GCS) are developed for the treatment of drug-resistant SSTIs. RhNPs exhibited favorable antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Ag-resistant MRSA. The modified Rh@GCS exhibited enhanced antibacterial activity and can directly kill various drug-resistant bacteria by increasing the permeability of cell membranes, including gram-positive MRSA and gram-negative multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli (E.coli) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA). Moreover, Rh@GCS effectively inhibited bacterial growth and promoted the healing of skin lesions in MRSA-induced SSTI mouse models. These results suggest that Rh@GCS is a promising nonantibiotic antimicrobial agent for the treatment of drug-resistant SSTIs.

Lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) is one of the most widely used tools for analysis and field measurement and has the advantages of high efficiency, simple operation, portability, and low cost. Therefore, in this study, we designed a proof-of-concept of LFIA based on rhodium nanoparticles and investigated its improvement by further introducing the tetramethyl benzidine and H2O2 mixture as the substrate to trigger the color reaction. The proposed methods were qualitative research by the naked eye and quantitative measurement by a smartphone and software. Under the optimal condition, the detection of ferritin was successfully established with the limit of detection of 0.3 ng/mL. The lowest visually detectable amount was 0.05 ng/mL. To verify the performance of the RhNPs-LFIA, three spiked serum samples were tested, and the recovery rate increased from 88.9 to 129.9%, revealing that the proposed methods were applicable and practically reliable for testing serum samples. The developed RhNP-based LFIA is highly sensitive and convenient, which provides a promising technology for accurate, rapid, high sensitivity, and high screening detection of ferritin in clinical diagnosis.