Realizing Ultrathin LiSn Alloy Anode by Tuning the Wettability of Molten Li for High-Energy-Density Batteries.

Despite being heralded as the "holy grail" of anodes for their high theoretical specific capacity, lithium (Li) metal anodes still face practical challenges due to difficulties in fabricating ultrathin Li with controllable thickness and suppressing Li dendrites growth. Herein, we introduce a simple and cost-effective dip-coating method to fabricate ultrathin lithium-tin (LiSn) anode with adjustable thicknesses ranging from 4.5 to 45 µm. The in situ formation of Li22Sn5 alloy improves the wettability of the molten Li, enabling the casting of ultrathin Li metal layers on different substrates. More importantly, the abundant Li22Sn5 lithiophilic sites significantly lower the nucleation overpotential, inducing uniform Li deposition and accelerating the electrochemical reaction at the interface. As a result, the symmetric cell assembled with LiSn-Cu electrodes can cycle stably for more than 120 h with a charge/discharge depth of 50%, which is 1.5 times longer than the lifespan of the pure Li anode. In the full cells paired with NCM cathode, the discharge specific capacity is improved from 13.84 to 70.31 mA h g-1 with the LiSn-Cu anode at 8 C. The LiSn-Cu||NCM full cell realized a high energy density of 724.9 Wh kg-1 at the active material level with an N/P ratio of 1.4.

Universal, minute-scale synthesis of transition metal compound nanocatalysts via graphene-microwave system for enhancing sulfur kinetics in lithium-sulfur batteries.

The application of Li-S batteries on large scale is held back by the sluggish sulfur kinetics and low synthesis efficiency of sulfur host. In addition, the preparation of catalysts that promote polysulfide redox kinetics is complex and time-consuming, reducing the cost of raw materials in Li-S. Here, a universal synthetic strategy for rapid fabrication of sulfur cathode and metal compounds nanocatalysts is reported based on microwave heating of graphene. Heat-sensitive materials can achieve rapid heating due to graphene reaching 500 ℃ within 4 s via microwave irradiation. The MoP-MoS2/rGO catalyst demonstrated in this work was synthesized within 60 s. When used for catalysts for Li-S batteries whose graphene/sulfur cathodes were also synthesized by microwave heating, enhanced catalytic effect for sulfur redox reaction was verified via experimental and DFT theoretical results. Benefiting from fast redox reaction (MoP), smooth Li+ diffusion pathways (MoS2), and large conductive network (rGO), the assembled Li-S battery with MoP-MoS2/rGO-Add@CS displays a remarkable initial specific capacity, stable lithium anode and good cycle stability (in pouch cells) using this two-pronged strategy. The work provides a practical strategy for advanced Li-S batteries toward a wide range of applications.

Encapsulation of Titanium Disulfide into MOF-Derived N,S-Doped Carbon Nanotablets Toward Suppressed Shuttle Effect and Enhanced Sodium Storage Performance.

Titanium disulfide (TiS2 ) is a promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries due to its high theoretical capacity, but it suffers from severe volume variation and shuttle effect of the intermediate polysulfides. To overcome the drawbacks, herein the successful fabrication of TiS2 @N,S-codoped C (denoted as TiS2 @NSC) through a chemical vapor reaction between Ti-based metal-organic framework (NH2 -MIL-125) and carbon disulfide (CS2 ) is demonstrated. The C─N bonds enhance the electronic/ionic conductivity of the TiS2 @NSC electrode, while the C─S bonds provide extra sodium storage capacity, and both polar bonds synergistically suppress the shuttle effect of polysulfides. Consequently, the TiS2 @NSC electrode demonstrates outstanding cycling stability and rate performance, delivering reversible capacities of 418/392 mAh g-1 after 1000 cycles at 2/5 A g-1 . Ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscope analyses reveal that TiS2 undergoes an intercalation-conversion ion storage mechanism with the generation of metallic Ti in a deeper sodiation state, and the pristine hexagonal TiS2 is electrochemically transformed into cubic rock-salt TiS2 as a reversible phase with enhanced reaction kinetics upon sodiation/desodiation cycling. The strategy to encapsulate TiS2 in N,S-codoped porous carbon matrices efficiently realizes superior conductivity and physical/chemical confinement of the soluble polysulfides, which can be generally applied for the rational design of advanced electrodes.

Introducing Hybrid Defects of Silicon Doping and Oxygen Vacancies into MOF-Derived TiO2-X @Carbon Nanotablets Toward High-Performance Sodium-Ion Storage.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2 ) is a promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), which suffer from the intrinsic sluggish ion transferability and poor conductivity. To overcome these drawbacks, a facile strategy is developed to synergistically engineer the lattice defects (i.e., heteroatom doping and oxygen vacancy generation) and the fine microstructure (i.e., carbon hybridization and porous structure) of TiO2 -based anode, which efficiently enhances the sodium storage performance. Herein, it is successfully realized that the Si-doping into the MIL-125 metal-organic framework structure, which can be easily converted to SiO2 /TiO2-x @C nanotablets by annealing under inert atmosphere. After NaOH etching SiO2 /TiO2-x @C which contains unbonded SiO2 and chemically bonded SiOTi, thus the lattice Si-doped TiO2-x @C (Si-TiO2-x @C) nanotablets with rich Ti3+ /oxygen vacancies and abundant inner pores are developed. When examined as an anode for SIB, the Si-TiO2-x @C exhibits a high sodium storage capacity (285 mAh g-1 at 0.2 A g-1 ), excellent long-term cycling, and high-rate performances (190 mAh g-1 at 2 A g-1 after 2500 cycles with 95.1% capacity retention). Theoretical calculations indicate that the rich Ti3+ /oxygen vacancies and Si-doping synergistically contribute to a narrowed bandgap and lower sodiation barrier, which thus lead to fast electron/ion transfer coefficients and the predominant pseudocapacitive sodium storage behavior.

Icariin Induces Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cell Apoptosis and Suppresses Invasion by Inhibiting the JNK/c-Jun Signaling Pathway.

Background: Breast cancer is a common cancer worldwide. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive form of breast cancer characterized by a poor prognosis. Icariin (ICA) is a flavonoid glycoside purified from the natural product Epimedium, which is reported to exert an inhibitory effect on a variety of cancers. However, molecular mechanisms behind ICA suppressed TNBC remain elusive. Methods: The curative effects of ICA on TNBC cells and potential targets were predicted by network pharmacology and molecular biology methods screening, and the mechanism of inhibition was explained through in vitro experiments such as cell function determination, Western blot analysis, molecular docking verification, etc. Results: This study showed that ICA inhibits TNBC cell functions such as proliferation, migration, and invasion in a dose-dependent manner. ICA could induce redox-induced apoptosis in TNBC cell, as shown by ROS upregulation. As a result of network pharmacology, ICA was predicted to be able to inhibit the MAPK signaling pathway. ICA treatment inhibited the expression of JNK and c-Jun and downregulated the antiapoptotic gene cIAP-2. Our results suggested that ICA could induce apoptosis by inducing an excessive accumulation of ROS in cells and suppress TNBC cell invasion via the JNK/c-Jun signaling pathway. Conclusion: We demonstrated that ICA can effectively inhibit cell proliferation and induced apoptosis of TNBC cells. In addition, ICA could inhibit TNBC cell invasion through the JNK/c-Jun signaling pathway. The above suggests that ICA may become a potential drug for TNBC.

Lithium-Ion Batteries under Low-Temperature Environment: Challenges and Prospects.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are at the forefront of energy storage and highly demanded in consumer electronics due to their high energy density, long battery life, and great flexibility. However, LIBs usually suffer from obvious capacity reduction, security problems, and a sharp decline in cycle life under low temperatures, especially below 0 °C, which can be mainly ascribed to the decrease in Li+ diffusion coefficient in both electrodes and electrolyte, poor transfer kinetics on the interphase, high Li+ desolvation barrier in the electrolyte, and severe Li plating and dendrite. Targeting such issues, approaches to improve the kinetics and stability of cathodes are also dissected, followed by the evaluation of the application prospects and modifications between various anodes and the strategies of electrolyte design including cosolvent, blended Li salts, high-concentration electrolyte, and additive introduction. Such designs elucidate the successful exploration of low-temperature LIBs with high energy density and long lifespan. This review prospects the future paths of research for LIBs under cold environments, aiming to provide insightful guidance for the reasonable design of LIBs under low temperature, accelerating their widespread application and commercialization.

Porosity Tunable Poly(Lactic Acid)-Based Composite Gel Polymer Electrolyte with High Electrolyte Uptake for Quasi-Solid-State Supercapacitors.

The growing popularity of quasi-solid-state supercapacitors inevitably leads to the unrestricted consumption of commonly used petroleum-derived polymer electrolytes, causing excessive carbon emissions and resulting in global warming. Also, the porosity and liquid electrolyte uptake of existing polymer membranes are insufficient for well-performed supercapacitors under high current and long cycles. To address these issues, poly(lactic acid) (PLA), a widely applied polymers in biodegradable plastics is employed to fabricate a renewable biocomposite membrane with tunable pores with the help of non-solvent phase inversion method, and a small amount of poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) is introduced as a modifier to interconnect with PLA skeleton for stabilizing the porous structure and optimizing the aperture of the membrane. Owing to easy film-forming and tunable non-solvent ratio, the porous membrane possesses high porosity (ca. 71%), liquid electrolyte uptake (366%), and preferable flexibility endowing the GPE with satisfactory electrochemical stability in coin and flexible supercapacitors after long cycles. This work effectively relieves the environmental stress resulted from undegradable polymers and reveals the promising potential and prospects of the environmentally friendly membrane in the application of wearable devices.

Synergistically reinforced poly(ethylene oxide)-based composite electrolyte for high-temperature lithium metal batteries.

Traditional liquid lithium-ion batteries are not applicable for extreme temperatures, due to the shrinkage of separators and volatility of electrolytes. It is necessary to develop advanced electrolytes with desirable characteristics in terms of thermal stability, electrochemical stability and mechanical properties. Solid-state electrolytes, such as polyethylene oxide (PEO), outperform other types and bring the opportunity to realize the high-temperature lithium-ion batteries. However, the softness of PEO at elevated temperatures leads to battery failure. In this work, a three-dimensional fiber-network-reinforced PEO-based composite polymer electrolyte is prepared. The introduced polyimide (PI) framework and trimethyl phosphate (TMP) plasticizer decrease the crystallinity of PEO and increase the ionic conductivity at 30 °C from 8.79 × 10-6 S cm-1 to 4.70 × 10-5 S cm-1. In addition, the PEO bonds tightly with PI fiber network, improving both the mechanical strength and thermal stability of the prepared electrolyte. With the above strategies, the working temperature range of the PEO-based electrolytes is greatly expanded. The LiFePO4/Li cell assembled with the PI-PEO-TMP electrolyte stably performs over 300 cycles at 120 °C. Even at 140 °C, the cell still survives 80 cycles. These excellent performances demonstrate the potential application of the PI-PEO-TMP electrolyte in developing safe and high-temperature lithium batteries.

Low-Cost Al-Doped Layered Cathodes with Improved Electrochemical Performance for Rechargeable Sodium-Ion Batteries.

O3-NaNi0.25Fe0.5Mn0.25O2 layered oxide is considered one of the most promising cathode candidates for sodium-ion batteries because of its advantages, such as its large capacity and low cost. However, the practical application of this material is limited by its poor cyclic stability and insufficient rate capability. Here, a strategy to substitute the Fe3+ in NaNi0.25Fe0.5Mn0.25O2 with Al3+ is adopted to address these issues. The substitution of Fe3+ with Al3+ enhances the framework stability and phase transition reversibility of the parent NaNi0.25Fe0.5Mn0.25O2 material by forming a stronger TM-O bond, which improves the cycling stability. Moreover, partial Al3+ substitution increases the interslab distance, providing a spacious path for Na+ diffusion and resulting in fast diffusion kinetics, which lead to improved rate capability. Consequently, the target NaNi0.25Fe0.5-xAlxMn0.25O2 sample with optimal x = 0.045 exhibits a remarkable electrochemical performance in a Na-ion cell with a large reversible capacity of 131.7 mA h g-1, a stable retention of approximately 81.6% after cycling at 1C for 100 cycles, and a rate performance of 81.3 mA h g-1 at 10C. This method might pave the way for novel means of improving the electrochemical properties of layered transitional-metal oxides and provide insightful guidance for the design of low-cost cathode materials.

Bacteria cellulose framework-supported solid composite polymer electrolytes for ambient-temperature lithium metal batteries.

Composite polymer electrolyte (CPE) films with high room temperature ionic conductivity are urgently needed for the practical application of high-safety solid-state batteries (SSBs). Here, a flexible polymer-polymer CPE thin film reinforced by a three-dimensional (3D) bacterial cellulose (BC) framework derived from natural BC hydrogel was prepared via thein situphoto-polymerization method. The BC film was utilized as the supporting matrix to ensure high flexibility and mechanical strength. The BC-CPE attained a high room temperature ionic conductivity of 1.3 × 10-4S cm-1. The Li∣BC-CPE∣Li symmetric cell manifested stable cycles of more than 1200 h. The LCO∣BC-CPE∣Li full cell attained an initial discharge specific capacity of 128.7 mAh g-1with 82.6% discharge capacity retention after 150 cycles at 0.2 C under room temperature. The proposed polymer-polymer CPE configuration represents a promising route for manufacturing environmental SSBs, especially since cellulose biomaterials are abundant in nature.

A Rational Biphasic Tailoring Strategy Enabling High-Performance Layered Cathodes for Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Layered oxide cathodes usually exhibit high compositional diversity, thus providing controllable electrochemical performance for Na-ion batteries. These abundant components lead to complicated structural chemistry, closely affecting the stacking preference, phase transition and Na+ kinetics. With this perspective, we explore the thermodynamically stable phase diagram of various P2/O3 composites based on a rational biphasic tailoring strategy. Then a specific P2/O3 composite is investigated and compared with its monophasic counterparts. A highly reversible structural evolution of P2/O3-P2/O3/P3-P2/P3-P2/Z/O3'-Z/O3' based on the Ni2+ /Ni3.5+ , Fe3+ /Fe4+ and Mn3.8+ /Mn4+ redox couples upon sequential Na extraction/insertion is revealed. The reduced structural strain at the phase boundary alleviates the phase transition and decreases the lattice mismatch during cycling, endowing the biphasic electrode a large reversible capacity of 144 mAh g-1 with the energy density approaching 514 Wh kg-1 .

Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis: Etiology, Clinical Manifestation, Diagnosis and Treatment.

Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is a rare form of chronic inflammatory breast disease. Although it is a benign breast lesion, it may be sometimes difficult to distinguish from breast cancer. The cause of IGM is unknown, but may be associated with autoimmunity, abnormal hormone levels and infection. While the clinical manifestations of IGM involve various manifestations of inflammation, the diagnosis is principally established by histopathology, characterized by non-caseating granulomas and microabscess formation centered on the breast lobules. Therapeutic options for IGM range from observation to various medical treatments, such as steroids, immunosuppressants, and antibiotics, to surgical intervention, particularly if secondarily infected. Given that the controversy on etiology and treatment choices, we accomplished the present review through reviewing IGM-related literature published in 'Pubmed' and 'Web of science' databases during 1997 to 2020, aiming to provide the basis for rational clinical diagnosis and treatment.

A Flexible, Fireproof, Composite Polymer Electrolyte Reinforced by Electrospun Polyimide for Room-Temperature Solid-State Batteries.

Solid-state batteries (SSBs) have attracted considerable attention for high-energy-density and high-safety energy storage devices. Many efforts have focused on the thin solid-state-electrolyte (SSE) films with high room-temperature ionic conductivity, flexibility, and mechanical strength. Here, we report a composite polymer electrolyte (CPE) reinforced by electrospun PI nanofiber film, combining with succinonitrile-based solid composite electrolyte. In situ photo-polymerization method is used for the preparation of the CPE. This CPE, with a thickness around 32.5 µm, shows a high ionic conductivity of 2.64 × 10-4 S cm-1 at room temperature. It is also fireproof and mechanically strong, showing great promise for an SSB device with high energy density and high safety.

Robust and high thermal-stable composite polymer electrolyte reinforced by PI nanofiber network.

To address the flammable and chemical unstable problems of liquid electrolyte, the solid electrolyte is a promising candidate to replace liquid electrolyte for solid-state batteries. Herein, a composite polymer electrolyte (CPE) of 3D polyimide (PI)-nanofiber membrane-incorporated polyethylene oxide (PEO)/lithium bis (triflu-romethanesulphonyl) imid (LiTFSI) is reported. Three advantages of the PI nanofiber network in the CPE include providing a continuous, rapid transport channel of lithium ions to improve the Li-ion conductivity, improving the mechanical properties and stability, and effectively inhibiting the dendrite growth of Li metal. The PI/PEO/LiTFSI CPE delivers an ionic conductivity of 4.2 × 10-4S cm-1at 60 °C, a wider electrochemical window to 5.4 V, and an excellent thermal stability, which result in the excellent electrochemical performance of LiFePO4full cells assembled with PI/PEO/LiTFSI CPE.

A high performance lithium metal anode enabled by CF4 plasma treated carbon paper.

To substantially boost the energy density of secondary batteries, research studies on lithium metal anodes are booming to develop technologies on lithium metal batteries. However, suffering from lithium dendritic growth and volume expansion, the batteries are still far from practical applications. Herein, carbon paper (CP) is superficially fluorinated by CF4 plasma to endow the obtained composite lithium metal anode with both high areal capacity and long lifespan. The decreasing intensity of plasma from the upper surface to the bottom in the CP matrix achieves a higher F content and a lower conductivity on the top side, thus guiding more lithium to deposit inside the matrix. Besides, the fluorinated carbon paper (FCP) possesses flatter lithium plating in contrast to typical dendrites. As a result, the cells employing FCP as the anode achieve stable cycling over 350 cycles at a high areal capacity of 3 mA h cm-2 and a current density of 1 mA cm-2.

Cation-Disordered O3-Na0.8Ni0.6Sb0.4O2 Cathode for High-Voltage Sodium-Ion Batteries.

O3-type sodium-layered oxides (such as antimony-based O3 structures) have been suggested as one of the most fascinating cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Honeycomb-ordered antimony-based O3 structures, however, unsatisfactorily exhibit complex phase transitions and sluggish Na+ kinetics during cycling. Herein, we prepared a completely cationic-disordered O3-type Na0.8Ni0.6Sb0.4O2 compound by composition regulation for SIBs. Surprisingly, the measured redox potentials for typical O3-P3 phase transition are located at 3.4 V. Operando X-ray diffraction confirms a reversible phase transition process from the O3 to P3 structure accompanied with a very small volume change (1.0%) upon sodium extraction and insertion. The low activation barrier energy of 400 meV and the fast Na+ migration of 10-11 cm2·s-1 are further obtained by first-principles calculations and galvanostatic intermittent titration technique, respectively. As a result, the O3-Na0.8Ni0.6Sb0.4O2 cathode displays a reversible capacity of 106 mA h g-1 at 0.1C (12 mA g-1), smooth charge-discharge curves, and a high average working voltage of 3.5 V during battery cycling. The results highlight the importance of searching for a new O3-type structure with cation-disordering and high working voltage for realizing high energy SIBs.

Research progress of adsorption and removal of heavy metals by chitosan and its derivatives: A review.

Chitosan has received widespread attention as an adsorbent for pollutants because of its low cost and great adsorption potentials. Chitosan has abundant hydroxyl and amino groups that can bind heavy metal ions. However, it has defects such as sensitivity to pH, low thermal stability, and low mechanical strength, which limit the application of chitosan in wastewater treatment. The functional groups of chitosan can be modified to improve its performance via crosslinking and graft modification. The porosity and specific surface area of chitosan in powder form are not ideal, therefore, physical modification has been attempted to generate chitosan nanoparticles and hydrogel. Chitosan has also been integrated with other materials (e.g. graphene, zeolite) resulting in composite materials with improved adsorption performance. This review mainly focuses on reports about the application of chitosan and its derivatives to remove different heavy metals. The preparation strategy, adsorption mechanism, and factors affecting the adsorption performance of adsorbents for each type of heavy metal are discussed in detail. Recent reports on important organic pollutants (dyes and phenol) removal by chitosan and its derivatives are also briefly discussed.

Ultra-fast and facile preparation of uniform sulfur/graphene composites with microwave for lithium-sulfur batteries.

Lithium-sulfur batteries are one of the most promising energy storage systems due to their high energy density. Many efforts have been made to improve the electrochemical performance of lithium-sulfur batteries. However, the complex and time-consuming preparation process hinders their practical application. In this work, an ultra-fast and facile method has been proposed to prepare the sulfur/graphene composites in a simplified and time-saving preparation process with the assistance of microwave. Microwave is introduced to help sulfur fleetly deposit uniformly on the surface of graphene within just 30 s. Nano-sized sulfur within 30 nm is generated in this ultra-fast process. Lithium-sulfur batteries with as-prepared sulfur/graphene composites exhibit good cycling life with a capacity of 503.5 mAh g-1at 0.2 C. This method makes it possible for lithium-sulfur batteries to be practical.

Scalable and fast fabrication of holey multilayer graphene via microwave and its application in supercapacitors.

By virtue of its high specific surface area and low tortuosity for ionic storage and transportation, holey graphene has come to be regarded as a promising material for energy storage devices, such as lithium ion batteries, and supercapacitors. For practical applications, a scalable and green preparation method for holey graphene is required. This work proposes a facile preparation method for holey graphene by simply microwaving pristine graphene in air. Compared with previous scalable methods, this method exhibits much greater efficiency, reducing the preparation time from hours to minutes. The mechanism underlying the microwave irradiation-induced formation of nanosized holes involves the interaction between microwaves, electrons, oxygen in air, and carbon atoms in the defect areas of the graphene. The size, density, and distribution of holes can be controlled by tuning the microwave irradiation time and oxygen concentration. Used as a hybrid conductive agent, the as-prepared holey multilayer graphene increases capacitance retention to 96.25% at high current density (8 A g-1), and 96.48% in long cycles (1 A g-1 and 10 000 cycles).

Selenizing CoMoO4 nanoparticles within electrospun carbon nanofibers towards enhanced sodium storage performance.

Transition metal oxides/selenides as anodes for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) suffer from the insufficient conductivity and large volumetric expansion, which leads to the poor electrochemical performance. To address these issues, we herein demonstrate a facile selenization method to enhance the sodium storage capability of CoMoO4 nanoparticles which are encapsulated into the electrospun carbon nanofibers (CMO@carbon for short). The partially and fully selenized CoMoO4 within carbon nanofibers (denote as CMOS@carbon and CMS@carbon, respectively) can be readily obtained by controlling the annealing temperature (at 400 and 600 °C, correspondingly). When examined as anode materials for SIBs, the CMOS@carbon nanofibers display an outstanding electrochemical performance with a higher reversible capacity of 396 mA h g-1 after 200 cycles at 0.2 A g-1 and a high-rate capacity of 365 mA h g-1 at 2 A g-1, as compared with the CMO@carbon and CMS@carbon counterparts. The enhanced sodium storage performance of the CMOS@carbon can be owing to the partial selenization of the CoMoO4 nanoparticles which are rooted into the porous electrospun carbon nanofibers, thus endowing them with superior ionic/electronic charge transfer efficiencies and a cushion against the electrode pulverization during cycling. Moreover, this work proposed a useful strategy to enhance the sodium storage performance of metal oxides via controlled selenization, which is promising for exploiting the advanced anode materials for SIBs.