Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is one of the most important molecules in solar nebula, the local S atom and SH radical abundances in the interstellar medium are strongly linked with the photodissociation of H2S by solar vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photons.
　　Recently, a research group led by Prof. YUAN Kaijun from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), in collaboration with Prof. Mike Ashfold from the University of Bristol and Prof. HU Xixi from Nanjing University, revealed the vibronic state dependent predissociation of H2S molecules.
　　"We have provided a detailed and complete picture of the photofragmentation behavior of H2S molecules, these results may be incorporated in future astrochemical modelling," said Prof. YUAN.
　　This study was published in Chemical Science on Feb.14 and was selected as the cover article.
　　The vibronic state dependent predissociation of H2S: determination of all fragmentation processes (Image by ZHAO Yarui and YUAN Kaijun)
　　The researchers presented a comprehensive study of the photochemistry of H2S, derived from cutting-edge translational spectroscopy measurements of H, S(1D) and S(1S) atom products formed by photolysis at wavelengths across range 120–155 nm. The results provided detailed insights into energy disposal in co-fragments, and the atomization routes leading to three-body products.
　　With theoretical calculations, they found that the dynamics of all fragmentation processes, especially the bimodal internal energy distributions in the diatomic products, could be rationalized in terms of non-adiabatic transitions between various potential energy surfaces.
　　The above work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Key Technology Team of CAS, and the Liaoning Revitalization Talents Program.

Formic acid and acetic acid are pivotal platform chemicals. Distillation-based water/acid separation requires large energy expenditure.Separation using membranes is identified to be a low-carbon technology. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) bring tremendous opportunities for membrane separation. Highly compact membranes benefit both separation accuracy and long-term stability. However, the preparation of such membranes for upgrading of corrosive acids is still challenging.Recently, a research group led by Prof. YANG Weishen and Dr. BAN Yujie from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) proposed a "template-guiding growth" method to prepare a highly compact MIL-53 (a class of MOF) membrane."This membrane can achieve complete dewatering from formic acid and acetic acid solutions, and save up to 77% of the energy consumption compared with the traditional distillation," said Dr. BANThis study was published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition on Feb. 22.A layered double hydroxide nanoflake template layer triggers conversion into a highly compact MIL-53 membrane (Image by BAN Yujie and WANG Yuechen)The researchers reported that a continuous layer of ZnAl-CO3 layered double hydroxide nanoflakes on an alumina supported as a template triggered chemical self-conversion to MIL-53 membrane.In this process, the template guided MIL-53 crystals to replicate its imprint out-of-plane (stage 1) and modulated the availability of al from the alumina support for in-plane growth of MIL-53 (stage 2). The membrane could realize nearly complete dewatering from formic acid and acetic acid solutions, respectively, and maintain stability in a continuous pervaporation.This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

　　β-Elemene, a sesquiterpenoid from the traditional Chinese herb Rhizoma zedoariae, has been widely applied in cancer therapies. Currently, β-elemene is mainly extracted from traditional plant, which cannot meet market demand.
　　Microbial cell factories may provide a feasible route for sustainable production of β-elemene toward industrial applications.
　　Recently, a research group led by Prof. ZHOU Yongjin from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) established a sesquiterpenoid platform by extensively rewiring the nonconventional yeast Ogataea polymorpha for β-elemene production.
　　This study was published in Metabolic Engineering on Feb. 22.
　　High-level production of sesquiterpenoid β-Elemene (Image by YE Min)
　　O. polymorpha featured with high-density fermentation and thermal tolerance is a nonconventional Crabtree-negative microorganism, which is beneficial for constructing superior cell factories.
　　In this study, the researchers achieved a global metabolic rewiring of Ogataea polymorpha by optimizing the mevalonate (MVA) pathway and enhancing the supply of acetyl-CoA and cofactor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate hydrogen (NADPH). They obtained the highest titers of 4.7 g/L in fed-batch fermentations in shake-flask.
　　"This work proved the potential of Ogataea polymorpha as a chassis cell for production of sesquiterpenoids and other acetyl-CoA derived chemicals, which might contribute to the large-scale production of β-elemene in industries," said Prof. ZHOU.
　　This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Project and the Innovation Grant of DICP.

Ammonia (NH3) is a promising energy vector for the storage and utilization of renewable energies. Artificially synthesizing NH3 from its elements (Haber-Bosch process) requires harsh reaction conditions (400-500 °C, 10-30 MPa) because N2 is inert and nonpolar with a strong N≡N bond. The synthesis of NH3 under mild conditions is still challenging.Recently, Assoc. Profs. CAO Hujun and GAO Wenbo and their collaborators from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have proposed a new process for ammonia synthesis using Li2NH as an N carrier via the method of electrodriven chemical looping.This study was published in ACS Energy Letters on Feb. 23.This electrodriven chemical looping ammonia synthesis (ECLAS) process is developed based on the conversion between LiH and Li2NH (Image by FENG Sheng and GAO Wenbo)The researchers carried out this electrodriven chemical looping ammonia synthesis (ECLAS) in a LiCl-NaCl-KCl eutectic electrolytic cell using a nickel foam as electrode.Electric energy input not only improved the hydrogenation rate of Li2NH, but also promoted the nitrogen fixation reaction of LiH. In addition, the average ammonia production rate of this ECLAS process was nearly eight times higher than that of the thermal-driven CLAS process.They found that the process contained two electrochemical reactions, one was the nitridation of LiH to form Li2NH, and the other was the hydrogenation of Li2NH to produce ammonia and regenerate LiH. This was different from the reported Li3N-mediated electrochemical ammonia synthesis process, which included three-step reactions: Li ion was reduced to Li, Li fixed dinitrogen to form Li3N, and Li3N was then protonated to produce ammonia and Li+."This ECLAS process has a low theoretical operating voltage than the Li3N-mediated electrochemical ammonia synthesis process, and it could work under as low voltages as 2.0V," said CAO."Our findings open new possibilities for developing electrodriven CLAS over imides," said CAO.The above work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of CAS, and the Liaoning Revitalization Talents Program.

A research group led by Prof. SHI Quan from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has proposed a new concept of "Spatiotemporal Phase Change Materials" (STPCMs) long-term storage and controllable release of thermal energy based on phase change materials (PCMs).This study was published in Journal of Energy Chemistry on Feb.16.PCMs are promising in the field of thermal energy storage and temperature control. However, PCMs usually release their stored latent heat spontaneously as the temperature below the phase transition temperature, which renders thermal energy storage and release uncontrollable, and thus hinders their practical application.Schematic diagram of the Spatiotemporal PCMs (Image by DENG Chengxin)To overcome this issue, the researchers developed erythritol/sodium carboxymethylcellulose/tetrasodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (ERY/CMC/EDTA-4Na) composite PCMs with novel spatiotemporal thermal energy storage properties. They were defined as spatiotemporal PCMs (STPCMs), and exhibited capacity of long-term storage and controllable release of thermal energy.They found that the composite PCMs were unable to lose latent heat due to spontaneous crystallization during cooling, but could controllably release thermal energy through cold crystallization during reheating. The cold-crystallization temperature and enthalpy of composite PCMs could be adjusted by proportional addition of EDTA-4Na to the composite.When the mass fractions of CMC and EDTA-4Na were both 10%, the composite PCMs exhibited optical cold-crystallization temperature of 51.7 °C and enthalpy of 178.1 J/g. The supercooled composite PCMs without latent heat release maintained at room temperature (10–25 °C) for up to more than two months, and subsequently the stored latent heat was controllably released by means of thermal triggering or heterogeneous nucleation."Our findings provide novel insights into the design and construction of new PCMs with spatiotemporal performance of thermal energy long-term storage and controllable release, and open a new door for the development of advanced solar thermal utilization techniques on the basis of STPCMs," said Prof. SHI.The above work was supported by the Joint Fund of Yulin University and Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, and the National Nature Science Foundation of China.

　　Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to the abundant sodium resources, suitable redox potential, and similar charge store mechanism.
　　However, the larger diameter of Na ions compared to Li ions makes the sodiation/desodiation process more difficult with a larger volumetric variation of the electrode material, thus leading to poor capacity and cycling stability. Therefore, a rational design of electrode materials is critical for improving the electrochemical performance of SIBs.
　　A research group led by Prof. DENG Dehui from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with Prof. ZHANG Jianan from Zhengzhou University, reported a synergetic effect of atomic-interface from well-constructed 2H-MoS2/Fe(SA)-N-C anode assembled with 2H-MoS2 layer on N-doped carbon confined Fe atom, which boosts the reversible sodium storage capacity.
　　This study was published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition on Feb.2.
　　Regulating the catalytic process by atomic-interface for enhanced sodium ion storage (Image by XIA Huicong and ZAN Lingxing)
　　The researchers found that driven by the work function difference at the heterointerface, the electron could transfer from Fe(SA)-N-C to 2H-MoS2 easily, enhancing the adsorption Na+ ion at the S sites of electron-rich MoS2.
　　Meanwhile, they also indicated that the spin-state of Fe site of Fe(SA)-N-C optimized the electronic structure and catalytic activity of the Fe site.
　　Compared with nitrogen-doped carbon (N-C) and pure carbon, the Fe sites of Fe(SA)-N-C could effectively promote the phase transition and structural evolution of 1T/2H-MoS2 during the sodiation/desodiation process, thus prolonging the lifetime of the materials. The 2H-MoS2/Fe(SA)-N-C anode showed a robust long-term cycling performance with a capacity of 350 mA h g-1 after 2000 cycles at 2.0 A g-1.
　　This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Strategic Priority Research Program of CAS, and the Danish company Haldor Topsoe A/S.