Cement/Sulfur for Lithium-Sulfur Cells.

Lithium-sulfur batteries represent a promising class of next-generation rechargeable energy storage technologies, primarily because of their high-capacity sulfur cathode, reversible battery chemistry, low toxicity, and cost-effectiveness. However, they lack a tailored cell material and configuration for enhancing their high electrochemical utilization and stability. This study introduces a cross-disciplinary concept involving cost-efficient cement and sulfur to prepare a cement/sulfur energy storage material. Although cement has low conductivity and porosity, our findings demonstrate that its robust polysulfide adsorption capability is beneficial in the design of a cathode composite. The cathode composite attains enhanced cell fabrication parameters, featuring a high sulfur content and loading of 80 wt% and 6.4 mg cm-2, respectively. The resulting cell with the cement/sulfur cathode composite exhibits high active-material retention and utilization, resulting in a high charge storage capacity of 1189 mA∙h g-1, high rate performance across C/20 to C/3 rates, and an extended lifespan of 200 cycles. These attributes contribute to excellent cell performance values, demonstrating areal capacities ranging from 4.59 to 7.61 mA∙h cm-2, an energy density spanning 9.63 to 15.98 mW∙h cm-2, and gravimetric capacities between 573 and 951 mA∙h g-1 per electrode. Therefore, this study pioneers a new approach in lithium-sulfur battery research, opting for a nonporous material with robust polysulfide adsorption capabilities, namely cement. It effectively showcases the potential of the resulting cement/sulfur cathode composite to enhance fabrication feasibility, cell fabrication parameters, and cell performance values.

Fish oil increases antioxidant enzyme activities in macrophages and reduces atherosclerotic lesions in apoE-knockout mice.

OBJECTIVES: The molecular and cellular mechanisms that fish oil (FO) exerts its physiological function are complicated. The present study brings evidence on the in vivo effect of FO on the development of atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E knockout (apoE(-/-)) mice. We also test the hypothesis that the modulation of the cellular oxidative stress and antioxidant status contributes to the anti-atherosclerotic effect of FO. METHODS AND RESULTS: ApoE(-/-) mice were fed a diet rich either in FO or corn oil (CO) for 10 weeks. Both FO and CO had a plasma triacylglycerol-raising effect in apoE(-/-) mice, whereas aortic atherosclerotic lesions were significantly reduced in the mice that had consumed a high FO diet compared to those fed a high CO diet. The levels of hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities were remarkably higher in the mice fed the FO diet than in mice fed the CO diet and the control diet. We then investigated the effects of FO and CO on the production of superoxide anion (O2*-)) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cultured J774 macrophages. Antioxidant status was assessed by the determination of antioxidant enzyme activities. Both FO and CO induced high levels of O2*-) and total ROS at a short time in macrophages. However, only the FO group restored the induction of O2*-) and ROS to near basal levels after oil treatment for 24 h. Throughout the time course experiments, antioxidant enzyme activities in the FO group mostly displayed a greater increase than in the corresponding CO group after the same time period of oil treatment. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, FO reduced the formation of atherosclerotic lesions in the aortic arteries of apoE(-/-) mice not through any lipid-lowering effect. The protective role of FO in the development of atherosclerosis may result from its antioxidative defense mechanism through the induction of antioxidant enzyme activities.