tangbin1993

Due to the rise of viral infections in humans and possible viral outbreaks, the use of nano- or micro-sized materials as antiviral agents is rapidly increasing. This review explores their antiviral properties against RNA and DNA viruses, either as a prevention or a treatment tool, by delving into their mechanisms of action and how to properly assess their antiviral activity.

Abstract

This review is dedicated to five different families of materials, which are extensively studied for their antiviral activity over the years, namely metal nanoparticles (NPs) and metal oxides, carbon-based nanomaterials, Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs), and silica-based materials. First, the materials of interest and the viruses that have been tested will shortly be described. Next, the methods to calculate the antiviral activity will be discussed. Lastly, the main mechanisms of inactivation of viruses will be stated, and an extensive list of applications is given, grouped per family of material.

Nature, Published online: 08 August 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-01913-3

Time pressure gets in the way of ideas. Developing ‘creative oases’ and small grants for risky ideas can encourage innovative thinking in science.

Atomically dispersed catalysts with novel S-bridged Cu-S-Ni sites (named Cu-S-Ni/SNC) is synthesized with biomass wool keratin as precursor. The plentiful disulfide bonds in wool keratin overcame the limitations of conventional gas-phase S-ligand etching process and realized one-step formation of S-bridged sites. The S-bridged sites facilitate the charge redistribution of Cu and Ni during CO₂RR, resulting in high CO selectivity.

Abstract

Double-atom catalysts (DACs) with asymmetric coordination are crucial for enhancing the benefits of electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction and advancing sustainable development, however, the rational design of DACs is still challenging. Herein, this work synthesizes atomically dispersed catalysts with novel sulfur-bridged Cu-S-Ni sites (named Cu-S-Ni/SNC), utilizing biomass wool keratin as precursor. The plentiful disulfide bonds in wool keratin overcome the limitations of traditional gas-phase S ligand etching process and enable the one-step formation of S-bridged sites. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) confirms the existence of bimetallic sites with N₂Cu-S-NiN₂ moiety. In H-cell, Cu-S-Ni/SNC shows high CO Faraday efficiency of 98.1% at −0.65 V versus RHE. Benefiting from the charge tuning effect between the metal site and bridged sulfur atoms, a large current density of 550 mA cm⁻² can be achieved at −1.00 V in flow cell. Additionally, in situ XAS, attenuated total reflection surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (ATR-SEIRAS), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations show Cu as the main adsorption site is dual-regulated by Ni and S atoms, which enhances CO₂ activation and accelerates the formation of *COOH intermediates. This kind of asymmetric bimetallic atom catalysts may open new pathways for precision preparation and performance regulation of atomic materials toward energy applications.

Lithium (Li) nucleation and early growth processes significantly determine the final deposition behavior. The recent progress in influential models proposed to understand the process of Li nucleation and early growth is highlighted. Inspired by the abovementioned understanding, diverse anode‐design strategies, which contribute to better batteries with superior electrochemical performance and dendrite‐free deposition behavior, are also summarized.

Abstract

Lithium (Li) metal is one of the most promising alternative anode materials of next‐generation high‐energy‐density batteries demanded for advanced energy storage in the coming fourth industrial revolution. Nevertheless, disordered Li deposition easily causes short lifespan and safety concerns and thus severely hinders the practical applications of Li metal batteries. Tremendous efforts are devoted to understanding the mechanism for Li deposition, while the final deposition morphology tightly relies on the Li nucleation and early growth. Here, the recent progress in insightful and influential models proposed to understand the process of Li deposition from nucleation to early growth, including the heterogeneous model, surface diffusion model, crystallography model, space charge model, and Li‐SEI model, are highlighted. Inspired by the abovementioned understanding on Li nucleation and early growth, diverse anode‐design strategies, which contribute to better batteries with superior electrochemical performance and dendrite‐free deposition behavior, are also summarized. This work broadens the horizon for practical Li metal batteries and also sheds light on more understanding of other important metal‐based batteries involving the metal deposition process.

Tumor heterogeneity drives disease progression, treatment resistance, and patient relapse, yet remains largely underexplored in invasion and metastasis. Here, we investigated heterogeneity within collective cancer invasion by integrating DNA methylation and gene expression analysis in rare purified lung cancer leader and follower cells. Our results showed global DNA methylation rewiring in leader cells and revealed the filopodial motor MYO10 as a critical gene at the intersection of epigenetic heterogeneity and three-dimensional (3D) collective invasion. We further identified JAG1 signaling as a previously unknown upstream activator of MYO10 expression in leader cells. Using live-cell imaging, we found that MYO10 drives filopodial persistence necessary for micropatterning extracellular fibronectin into linear tracks at the edge of 3D collective invasion exclusively in leaders. Our data fit a model where epigenetic heterogeneity and JAG1 signaling jointly drive collective cancer invasion through MYO10 up-regulation in epigenetically permissive leader cells, which induces filopodia dynamics necessary for linearized fibronectin micropatterning.