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Photocatalytic water splitting using a single particulate photocatalyst is a cost-efficient approach for sustainable hydrogen production. Here, the authors report a nanoscale Ba_xSr_1-xTaO₂N solid-solution photocatalyst exhibits an apparent quantum efficiency of 13.5% for H₂ evolution at 420 nm.

Although light-driven water vapor splitting may avoid material stability challenges for renewable fuel production, material performances lag behind solution-based studies. Here, authors incorporate metal hydroxides layers into particulate photocatalysts to enhance water vapor splitting activities.

A single-cell multiomic immune cell atlas from 235 Japanese, including patients with COVID-19 and healthy individuals, linked with host genetics including germline and somatic mutation, plasma proteomics and metagenomics data reveals that immune cells are dynamically regulated in a cell state-dependent manner.

Genetic mechanisms influencing COVID-19 susceptibility are not well understood. Here, the authors analyzed whole blood RNA-seq data of 465 Japanese individuals with COVID-19, highlighting thousands of fine-mapped variants affecting expression and splicing of genes, as well as the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs.

A genome-wide association study highlights a variant in DOCK2, which is common in East Asian populations but rare in Europeans, as a host genetic risk factor for severe COVID-19.

Enhancing catalytic performance holds promise for hydrogen production by water splitting in sunlight.

Analysis of the blood DNA virome in patients with COVID-19 and autoimmune disease associates endogenous HHV-6 (eHHV-6) and high anellovirus load with increased disease risk, most notably for systemic lupus erythematosus. eHHV-6 carriers show a distinct immune response.

Photocatalytic water splitting systems using Sm₂Ti₂O₅S₂, a visible light-active oxysulfide, exhibited low efficiencies due to low intrinsic photoactivity and rapid back reaction. Here, the efficiency was greatly improved by refining the preparation of photocatalysts and electron mediators

A trade-off exists between improving crystallinity and minimizing particle size in the synthesis of perovskite-type transition-metal oxynitrides. The authors break this limitation to fabricate sub-50 nm ATaO2N (A = Sr, Ca, Ba) single nanocrystals exhibiting improved photocatalytic water-splitting performance

Overall water splitting using powdered photocatalysts is a promising approach to large-scale solar hydrogen production. This Review details recent developments in particulate photocatalysts for overall water splitting based on one- and two-step photoexcitation systems.

Carbon-neutral hydrogen can be produced through photocatalytic water splitting, as demonstrated here with a 100-m² array of panel reactors that reaches a maximum conversion efficiency of 0.76%.

Activation of narrow-bandgap photocatalysts holds key to applicable solar-to-hydrogen energy conversion. Here, the authors demonstrate effective sequential cocatalyst decoration for such narrow-bandgap photocatalysts to realise highly-efficient hydrogen evolution and Z-scheme water splitting.

A global network of researchers was formed to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity; this paper reports 13 genome-wide significant loci and potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection.

Water splitting with an internal quantum efficiency of almost unity is achieved using a modified semiconductor photocatalyst that selectively promotes the hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions on separate crystal facets.

Ta₃N₅ is a semiconductor with very promising photocatalytic properties. However, performing overall water splitting with this material has remained elusive. Now, Domen and co-workers report a method for the synthesis of defect-free single-crystal Ta₃N₅ nanorods capable of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen in the presence of a co-catalyst.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 73 Japanese patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 75 healthy controls were analyzed using single-cell transcriptomics. Combining these data with genotyping data highlights the interplay between host genetics and the immune response in modulating disease severity.

Photocatalytic water splitting can produce renewable green solar hydrogen on a large scale at low cost. This Review surveys the development of materials, systems and processes for photocatalytic hydrogen production, aiming to help define a common vision for practical applications and facilitate collaboration among industry, government and academia.

The instability of sulfide ions during water oxidation prevents simultaneous evolution of hydrogen and oxygen. An oxysulfide semiconductor photocatalyst, Y₂Ti₂O₅S₂, is shown to evolve H₂ and O₂ via a water-splitting reaction under visible-light irradiation.

Photocatalytic water splitting using semiconductors is attractive for converting solar energy into hydrogen. An efficient and scalable system based on particulate photocatalyst sheets is now shown to exhibit energy conversion efficiency exceeding 1%.

Silicon is a promising anode material owing to its high theoretical capacity, but can be unstable over charge/discharge cycles owing to a large volume change during cycling. Here, the authors report improved stability (>99.8% efficiency over 100 cycles) using porous silicon films with inorganic solid electrolyte.