Faculty-to-faculty incivility in nursing academia: A qualitative systematic review.

BACKGROUND: There is limited research evidence to show that faculty-to-faculty incivility exists in nursing academia. PURPOSE: This systematic literature review aimed to synthesize the current qualitative evidence on experiences of incivility between faculty colleagues. METHODS: A meta-aggregation approach was applied according to guidelines established by the Joanna Briggs Institute. Studies published from inception to January 31, 2022 were searched from the databases including PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science, SCOPUS, ERIC, PQDT, Ebook Central, and ProQuest Central Korea. RESULTS: Thirteen qualitative studies were included, resulting in the following six synthesized findings: (1) incivility tactics, (2) nursing academic environment that enabled incivility, (3) individual characteristics that aggravated incivility, (4) reactions to incivility, (5) coping strategies, and (6) impacts of incivility. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the synthesized findings listed above, this study offers the following four recommendations: (1) the academic culture should be improved, (2) institutional policies and procedures should be prepared, (3) faculty members should be educated on respectful communication skills, and (4) better mentoring programs should be provided to newcomers and novice faculty members. As all relevant studies were conducted in Western countries, it is important for future research to focus on issues pertaining to faculty-to-faculty incivility in Eastern culture. REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42022321261.

[Interorganizational Networks for Smoking Prevention and Cessation: A Blockmodeling Approach].

PURPOSE: This study examined characteristics and patterns of interorganizational networks for smoking prevention and cessation in Korea. METHODS: We surveyed two community health centers, ninety-five hospitals or clinics, ninety-two pharmacies, and sixty-five health welfare organizations in two districts of Seoul in 2020. Data on the organizations' characteristics of smoking cessation and interorganizational activities for information sharing, client referral, and program collaboration were collected and analyzed using network statistics and blockmodeling. RESULTS: Network size was in the order of information sharing, client referral, and program collaboration networks. Network patterns for interorganizational activities on information sharing, client referral, and program collaboration among four organizations were similar between the two districts. Community health centers provided information and received clients from a majority of the organizations. Their interactions were not unidirectional but mutual with other organizations. Pharmacies were involved in information sharing with health welfare organizations and client referrals to hospitals or clinics. Health welfare organizations were primarily connected with the community health centers for client referrals and program collaboration. CONCLUSION: A community health center is the lead agency in interorganizational activities for smoking prevention and cessation. However, hospitals or clinics, pharmacies, and health welfare organizations also participate in interorganizational networks for smoking prevention and cessation with diverse roles. This study would be evidence for developing future interorganizational networks for smoking prevention and cessation.

Risk of genital and urinary tract infections associated with SGLT-2 inhibitors as an add-on therapy to metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A retrospective cohort study in Korea.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors are antidiabetic drugs with associated safety concerns regarding the risk of genital and urinary tract infections. This study assessed the risk of genital and urinary tract infections associated with prescription of SGLT-2 inhibitors as an add-on therapy to metformin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) compared to dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, sulfonylurea (SU), and thiazolidinedione (TZD). We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the NHIS-National Health Insurance-Database in Korea from 2014 to 2017. Patients aged ≥19 years and those diagnosed with T2DM prior to drug prescription were enrolled. The outcomes were genital and urinary tract infections. Analysis was performed using Cox's proportional hazard model following 1:1 propensity score matching to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Among the 107 131 patients included in the study, a total of 7738, 7145, and 2175 patients were assigned to the DPP-4 inhibitors, SU, and TZD comparator groups, using the propensity score (PS) of each comparator based on 7741 people in the assessed drug SGLT-2 inhibitor group. SGLT-2 inhibitors were associated with a higher risk of genital infections than DPP-4 inhibitors (HR: 2.39, 95% CI: 2.07-2.76), SU (HR: 3.23, 95% CI: 2.73-3.81), and TZD (HR: 3.23, 95% CI: 2.35-4.44), as an add-on therapy to metformin. Similar results were observed for the risk of urinary tract infections. In conclusion, SGLT-2 inhibitors are significantly associated with a higher risk of genital and urinary tract infections compared to DPP-4 inhibitors, SU, and TZD.

Advance care planning for older adults in community-based settings: An umbrella review.

BACKGROUND: Advance care planning (ACP) is critical to ensure better quality end of life care, and older adults are often a target of ACP. However, ACP interventions and their outcomes are neither standardised nor conclusive. OBJECTIVES: To synthesise existing ACP systematic reviews and identify the types and outcomes of ACP interventions for older adults in community-based settings. METHODS: An umbrella review of systematic reviews. The Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewer's Manual was followed. Relevant systematic reviews were searched by utilising bibliographic databases, grey literature sources, and manual searches between April and July, 2019. Nine systematic reviews met the inclusion criteria. Critical appraisal on the selected reviews was conducted. Data were independently extracted using a data extraction tool by two researchers and synthesised based on consensus. RESULTS: The systematic reviews suggest the critical features of ACP interventions for older adults in community-based settings including clinicians' face-to-face communication with patients and their family members, comprehensive and individualized decisional aids, a proper intensity of ACP interventions, and professional training. When categorising ACP outcomes according to Sudore et al.'s (Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 55, 2018, 245) framework, action outcomes (e.g., documentation, discussion) were frequently measured with positive outcomes. Quality of care outcomes such as congruence with care preference and healthcare outcomes such as health status were not reported sufficiently. CONCLUSIONS: The reviews suggested essential features of ACP interventions, which were often omitted in ACP interventions for older adults. Although the outcomes were generally positive, it is inconclusive as to whether ACP interventions eventually improved quality of end of life care or health status of older adults in community-based settings. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: For ACP interventions to be effective and comparable in their outcomes, we recommend adopting the key intervention components identified in this study. As the effects of ACP interventions are inconclusive, further investigations are warranted.

Feasibility of an Advance Care Planning Program (ACP) for Korean Community-Dwelling Older Adults and ACP Training of Advance Practice Nurses.

This study aimed to develop a locally suitable advance care planning (ACP) program for older community-dwelling adults and a training program for nurse facilitators in Korea, and to evaluate their feasibility from the facilitators' experiences. This was a mixed methods pilot study that assessed the feasibility of an ACP program by analyzing survey, checklist, and focus group interview data. The ACP program was named CLOSE (Communicating and Listening to Our Seniors' voices about End-of-life care). Home health care nurses (N = 9) participated in this study. The participants reported that CLOSE was applicable to older community-dwelling adults and the training program was useful for increasing facilitator competency. We suggest some lessons from this pilot study that can be used to improve the ACP program and encourage community health nurses to participate in ACP as facilitators.

The Acceptability and Effect of a Communication-Based Advance Care Planning Program for Older Adults.

This study was a preliminary study that assessed the acceptability of a communication-based advance care planning (ACP) intervention for older adults to improve decision making for treatment at the end of life. Twenty dyads were recruited, including patients who were older than 65 years and registered in a home health care center of a teaching hospital in South Korea and their surrogates. The intervention is a patient-centered ACP program with surrogates and a structured and guided discussion by home health care nurses as the trained interventionists. The acceptability of the intervention was assessed by a mixed method including a survey and a structured interview with participants. Findings in this study indicate that recruiting older adults with chronic diseases and their surrogates in a home health care center and conducting the intervention by home health care nurses is feasible. In addition, the outcomes of this study suggest that the intervention may have a potential impact on end-of-life care decision making for older adults in South Korea. A larger-scale trial is required to determine the effects of the ACP program when implemented with various groups. This study suggests that older adults need an ACP program as part of routine care.

Experiences of undergraduate nursing students with faculty incivility in nursing classrooms: A meta-aggregation of qualitative studies.

Faculty-to-student incivility can have detrimental impacts on both the individual students and the nursing profession. This study synthesized the current qualitative research evidence on the experiences of undergraduate nursing students with faculty incivility in nursing classrooms. A meta-aggregation approach was applied in a systematic review of qualitative studies based on the guideline of the Joanna Briggs Institute. The analysis of 11 qualitative studies identified four synthesized findings: (1) faculty incivility included a wide range of uncivil behaviors from disruptive to threatening behaviors, (2) pedagogical incompetence, including ineffective teaching, unresponsiveness, and unfairness, was perceived as uncivil, (3) faculty incivility negatively impacted on psychological well-being and learning, and (4) adaptation efforts included seeking support from family and friends and voicing the need for an official support system. Nursing faculty members need to be aware of the malicious impacts of faculty incivility, have formal teaching preparation, and develop pedagogical competency. The students and faculty members should be empowered by establishing official support systems for students and training faculty members to be role models for civility, respectively. Faculty perspectives of their incivility to students, interventions for cultivating faculty civility, and the long-term effects of faculty incivility are suggested as areas for further research.

Effect of PM10 on pulmonary immune response and fetus development.

Despite numerous reports that ambient particulate matter is a key determinant for human health, toxicity data produced based on physicochemical properties of particulate matters is very lack, suggesting lack of scientific evidence for regulation. In this study, we sampled inhalable particulate matters (PM10) in northern Seoul, Korea. PM10 showed atypical- and fiber-type particles with the average size and the surface charge of 1,598.1 ± 128.7 nm and -27.5 ± 2.8, respectively, and various toxic elements were detected in the water extract. On day 90 after the first pulmonary exposure, total cell number dose-dependently increased in the lungs of both sexes of mice. PM10 induced Th1-dominant immune response with pathological changes in both sexes of mice. Meanwhile, composition of total cells and expression of proteins which functions in cell-to-cell communication showed different trends between sexes. Following, male and female mice were mated to identify effects of PM10 to the next generation. PM10 remained in the lung of dams until day 21 after birth, and the levels of IgA and IgE increased in the blood of dams exposed to the maximum dose compared to control. In addition, the interval between births of fetuses, the number of offspring, the neonatal survival rate (day 4 after birth) and the sex ratio seemed to be affected at the maximum dose, and particularly, all offspring from one dam were stillborn. In addition, expression of HIF-1α protein increased in the lung tissue of dams exposed to PM10, and level of hypoxia-related proteins was notably enhanced in PM10-exposed bronchial epithelial cells compared to control. Taken together, we suggest that inhaled PM10 may induce Th1-shifting immune response in the lung, and that it may affect reproduction (fetus development) by causing lung hypoxia. Additionally, we propose that further study is needed to identify particle-size-dependent effects on development of the next generation.

Inhaled underground subway dusts may stimulate multiple pathways of cell death signals and disrupt immune balance.

In this study, we aimed to identify a toxic mechanism and the potential health effects of ambient dusts in an underground subway station. At 24 h exposure to human bronchial epithelial (BEAS-2B) cells (0, 2.5, 10, and 40 µg/mL), dusts located within autophagosome-like vacuoles, whereas a series of autophagic processes appeared to be blocked. The volume, potential and activity of mitochondria decreased in consistent with a condensed configuration, and the percentage of late apoptotic cells increased accompanying S phase arrest. While production of reactive oxygen species, expression of ferritin (heavy chain) protein, secretion of IL-6, IL-8 and matrix metalloproteinases, and the released LDH level notably increased in dust-treated cells (40 µg/mL), intracellular calcium level decreased. At day 14 after a single instillation to mice (0, 12.5, 50, and 200 µg/head), the total number of cells increased in the lungs of dust-treated mice with no significant change in cell composition. The pulmonary levels of TGF-ß, GM-CSF, IL-12 and IL-13 clearly increased following exposure to dusts, whereas that of CXCL-1 was dose-dependently inhibited. Additionally, the population of cytotoxic T cells in T lymphocytes in the spleen increased relative to that of helper T cells, and the levels of IgA and IgM in the bloodstream were significantly reduced in the dust-treated mice. Subsequently, to improve the possibility of extrapolating our findings to humans, we repeatedly instilled dusts (1 time/week, 4 weeks, 0.25 and 1.0 mg/head) to monkeys. The total number of cells, the relative portion of neutrophils, the level of TNF-α significantly increased in the lungs of dust-treated monkeys, and the expression of cytochrome C was enhanced in the lung tissues. Meanwhile, the pulmonary level of MIP-α was clearly reduced, and the expression of caveolin-1 was inhibited in the lung tissues. More importantly, inflammatory lesions, such as granuloma, were seen in both mice and monkeys instilled with dusts. Taken together, we conclude that dusts may impair the host's immune function against foreign bodies by inhibiting the capacity for production of antibodies. In addition, iron metabolism may be closely associated with dust-induced cell death and inflammatory response.

Nurse educators' experiences with student incivility: a meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.

This study aimed to synthesize the best available qualitative research evidence on nurse educators' experiences with student incivility in undergraduate nursing classrooms. A meta-synthesis of qualitative evidence using thematic synthesis was conducted. A systematic search was performed of 12 databases for relevant literature published by March 31, 2019. Two reviewers independently conducted critical quality appraisals using the checklist for qualitative research developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute. Eleven studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected for review. From the pooled study findings, 26 descriptive themes were generated and categorized into the following 5 analytical themes: (1) factors contributing to student incivility, (2) management of student incivility, (3) impact: professional and personal damage, (4) impact: professional growth, and (5) initiatives for the future. Many nurse educators became confident in their role of providing accountability as both educators and gatekeepers and experienced professional growth. However, others experienced damage to their personal and professional life and lost their motivation to teach. Nurse educators recommended the following strategies for preventing or better managing student incivility: institutional efforts by the university, unified approaches for student incivility within a nursing program, a faculty-to-faculty network for mentoring, and better teaching and learning strategies for individual educators. These strategies would help all nurse educators experience professional growth by successfully preventing and managing student incivility.

Questionnaire Development of a Good Nurse and Better Nursing From Korean Nurses' Perspective.

BACKGROUND: The concepts of "good nurse" and "better nursing" have changed over time and should be investigated from the perspective of nurses. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to develop and assess the psychometric properties of two questionnaires used to assess "good nurse" and "better nursing." METHODS: The interview data of 30 registered nurses (RNs) from a previous study were reviewed to develop the questionnaire items, and content validity was examined. One hundred seventeen RNs participated in a pilot survey for pretesting the constructs, 469 RNs participated in a main survey to explore these constructs using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and 468 RNs participated in model refining and validation using confirmatory factor analysis. RESULTS: After a critical review of RN interview data and content validity evaluation, 73 of 124 statements on "good nurse" and 56 of 57 statements on "better nursing" were selected. In the pilot survey, the number of items was reduced to 45 for both questionnaires using an EFA. In the main survey, EFA was used to load 34 items on the five factors of the good nurse questionnaire and 26 items on the three factors of the better nursing questionnaire. In the confirmatory factor analysis, to obtain better fitting models, the good nurse questionnaire consisted of 17 items on the five factors of collaboration, professional competency, self-efficacy, a sense of achievement, and compassion, whereas the better nursing questionnaire consisted of 16 items on the three factors of person-centered nursing, proactive nursing, and expertise in caring. The construct reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the questionnaires were achieved. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The concept of "good nurse" from the perspectives of the nurses in this study was similar with those of patients in previous studies, while including individual traits such as sense of achievement. Better nursing is conceptualized with the exemplary performance of nursing focusing on the nature of nursing and leading excellence and power in clinical practice. The study findings inform what nursing education and workforce development should focus on for nursing to continuously progress. Furthermore, it is recommended that the concepts of a good nurse and better nursing be compared across different countries using the questionnaires.

Amorphous silica nanoparticle-induced pulmonary inflammatory response depends on particle size and is sex-specific in rats.

Due to mass production and extensive use, the potential adverse health effects of amorphous silica nanoparticles (ASiNPs) have received a significant attention from the public and researchers. However, the relationship between physicochemical properties of ASiNPs and their health effects is still unclear. In this study, we manufactured two types of ASiNPs of different diameters (20 and 50 nm) and compared the toxic response induced in rats after intratracheal instillation (75, 150 or 300 µg/rat). There were no dose-related differences in mortality, body weight gain or organ weight between the groups. However both types of ASiNPs significantly decreased the proportion of neutrophils in male rats, whereas the levels of hemoglobin and hematocrit were markedly reduced only in female rats instilled with 20 nm-ASiNPs. ASiNPs-induced lung tissue damage seemed to be more evident in the 20 nm ASiNP-treated group and in female rats than male rats. Similarly, expression of caveolin-1 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 seemed to be most notably enhanced in female rats treated with 20 nm-ASiNPs. The total number of bronchial alveolar lavage cells significantly increased in rats instilled with 20 nm-ASiNPs, accompanying a decrease in the proportion of macrophages and an increase in polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Moreover, secretion of inflammatory mediators clearly increased in human bronchial epithelial cells treated with 20 nm-ASiNPs, but not in those treated with 50 nm-ASiNPs. These results suggest that pulmonary effects of ASiNPs depend on particle size. Sex-dependent differences should also be carefully considered in understanding nanomaterial-induced adverse health effects.

Repeated-oral dose toxicity of polyethylene microplastics and the possible implications on reproduction and development of the next generation.

With the increased distribution of microplastics in the environment, the potential for harmful effects on human health and ecosystems have become a global concern. Considering that polyethylene microplastics (PE-MPs) are among the most produced plastics worldwide, we administered PE-MPs (0.125, 0.5, 2 mg/day/mouse) by gavage to mice (10 mice/sex/dose) for 90 days. Compared to control, the body weight gain was significantly reduced in the male mice, and the proportion of neutrophils in the blood stream clearly increased in both sexes of mice. Persistence of a PE-MPs-like material and migration of granules to the mast cell membrane and accumulation of damaged organelles were observed in the stomachs and the spleens from the treated dams, respectively. Additionally, the IgA level in the blood stream was significantly elevated in the dams administered with PE-MPs compared to control, and the subpopulation of lymphocytes within the spleen was altered. Following, we performed an additional study to screen the effects of PE-MPs on reproduction and development (5 mice/sex/dose). Importantly, number of live births per dam, the sex ratio of pups, and body weight of pups was notably altered in groups treated with PE-MPs compared to the control group. Additionally, PE-MPs affected the subpopulation of lymphocytes within the spleen of the offspring, as did in the dams. Therefore, we propose that reproductive and developmental toxicity testing is warranted to evaluate the safety of microplastics. Additionally, we suggest that the IgA level may be used as a biomarker for harmful effects following exposure on microplastics.

Inhaled Kathon may induce eosinophilia-mediated disease in the lung.

In 2011, a link between humidifier disinfectants and patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was identified in Korea, and Kathon was suggested as one of the causative agents. In this study, Kathon induced apoptotic cell death along with membrane damage at 24 h post-exposure. Additionally, on day 14 after a single instillation with Kathon, the total number of pulmonary cells and the levels of TNF-α, IL-5, IL-13, MIP-1α, and MCP-1α clearly increased in the lung of mice. The proportion of natural killer cells and eosinophils were significantly elevated in the spleen and the bloodstream, respectively, and the level of immunoglobulin (Ig) A, but not IgG, IgM, and IgE, dose-dependently increased. Therefore, we suggest that inhaled Kathon may induce eosinophilia-mediated disease in the lung by disrupting homeostasis of pulmonary surfactants. Considering that eosinophilia is closely related to cancer and fibrosis, further studies are needed to understand the relationship between them.

Systematic Review of Behavioral Therapy to Improve Swallowing Functions of Patients With Parkinson's Disease.

Decreased swallowing function is a common and main cause of malnutrition and aspiration pneumonia in patients with Parkinson's disease. The aims of this systematic review were to summarize and qualitatively analyze the studies that have been published on behavioral therapies for improving swallowing functions in patients with Parkinson's disease. Studies published from January 2000 to December 2015 were identified via electronic database searches using Ovid-MEDLINE, Ovid-EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and 8 Korean databases. Two reviewers independently evaluated the studies using inclusion criteria. Nine studies were included, of which 6 evaluated rehabilitation technique studies and 3 evaluated compensatory strategies. The 9 studies were evaluated qualitatively using a methodology checklist of the Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network, according to which all of the studies had acceptable quality. The available data on the effects of rehabilitation techniques and compensatory strategies remain insufficient. Further randomized controlled studies should be done to investigate the effect of behavioral therapy on improving swallowing functions in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Si Nanocrystal-Embedded SiO x nanofoils: Two-Dimensional Nanotechnology-Enabled High Performance Li Storage Materials.

Silicon (Si) based materials are highly desirable to replace currently used graphite anode for lithium ion batteries. Nevertheless, its usage is still a big challenge due to poor battery performance and scale-up issue. In addition, two-dimensional (2D) architectures, which remain unresolved so far, would give them more interesting and unexpected properties. Herein, we report a facile, cost-effective, and scalable approach to synthesize Si nanocrystals embedded 2D SiO x nanofoils for next-generation lithium ion batteries through a solution-evaporation-induced interfacial sol-gel reaction of hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSiO1.5, HSQ). The unique nature of the thus-prepared centimeter scale 2D nanofoil with a large surface area enables ultrafast Li+ insertion and extraction, with a reversible capacity of more than 650 mAh g-1, even at a high current density of 50 C (50 A g-1). Moreover, the 2D nanostructured Si/SiO x nanofoils show excellent cycling performance up to 200 cycles and maintain their initial dimensional stability. This superior performance stems from the peculiar nanoarchitecture of 2D Si/SiO x nanofoils, which provides short diffusion paths for lithium ions and abundant free space to effectively accommodate the huge volume changes of Si during cycling.

Multiscale Engineered Si/SiO x Nanocomposite Electrodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries Using Layer-by-Layer Spray Deposition.

Si-based high-capacity materials have gained much attention as an alternative to graphite in Li-ion battery anodes. Although Si additions to graphite anodes are now commercialized, the fraction of Si that can be usefully exploited is restricted due to its poor cyclability arising from the large volume changes during charge/discharge. Si/SiO x nanocomposites have also shown promising behavior, such as better capacity retention than Si alone because the amorphous SiO x helps to accommodate the volume changes of the Si. Here, we demonstrate a new electrode architecture for further advancing the performance of Si/SiO x nanocomposite anodes using a scalable layer-by-layer atomization spray deposition technique. We show that particulate C interlayers between the current collector and the Si/SiO x layer and between the separator and the Si/SiO x layer improved electrical contact and reduced irreversible pulverization of the Si/SiO x significantly. Overall, the multiscale approach based on microstructuring at the electrode level combined with nanoengineering at the material level improved the capacity, rate capability, and cycling stability compared to that of an anode comprising a random mixture of the same materials.

Instruments and Taxonomy of Workplace Bullying in Health Care Organizations.

PURPOSE: This study was aimed to evaluate the methodological issues and comprehensiveness of workplace bullying instruments and to suggest a taxonomy of psychological abuse. METHODS: Nineteen instruments applied in health care organizations and 469 questionnaire items mainly regarding psychological abuse were collected through a literature review. Three researchers classified the questionnaire items according to a "taxonomy of psychological abuse in the workplace." RESULTS: Many instruments of workplace bullying were developed in the 2000s using a reflective measurement model, but their psychometric property was not sufficient and the measurement model is questioned. Based on the questionnaire items, the "taxonomy of psychological abuse in the workplace" was modified by adding two new subcategories (unachievable work and unfair treatment) and clarifying some operational definitions. According to the modified taxonomy of 11 (sub)categories, the reviewed instruments assessed 6.5 (sub)categories on average. No instrument measured all (sub)categories. Category 4.2 (disrespect, humiliation, and rejection of the person) was measured in all instruments, followed by Categories 5 (professional discredit and denigration) and 1.2 (social isolation) behaviors. CONCLUSION: The current instruments are not comprehensive enough. It is suggested that the modified taxonomy is verified and guide more reliable and inclusive instruments in the future. Furthermore, a formative measurement model, which defines a bullying as an inventory of different types of behaviors, should be used.

Si/SiOx -Conductive Polymer Core-Shell Nanospheres with an Improved Conducting Path Preservation for Lithium-Ion Battery.

Non-stoichiometric SiOx based materials have gained much attention as high capacity lithium storage materials. However, their anode performance of these materials should be further improved for their commercial success. A conductive polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), is employed as a flexible electrical interconnector to improve the electrochemical performance of Si/SiOx nanosphere anode materials for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). The resulting Si/SiOx -PEDOT:PSS core-shell structured material with the small amount (1 wt %) of PEDOT:PSS shows the improved initial reversible capacity of 968.2 mA h g-1 with excellent long-term cycle performance over 200 cycles. These promising properties can be attributed to the use of the electroconductive and flexible PEDOT:PSS shell layer, which protects the electrical conduction pathways in the electrode from the large volume changes of silicon during cycling.

A swelling-suppressed Si/SiOx nanosphere lithium storage material fabricated by graphene envelopment.

A swelling-suppressed, Si nanocrystals-embedded SiOx nanospheres lithium storage material was prepared by graphene envelopment. The free void spaces formed between the graphene envelope and Si/SiOx nanospheres effectively accommodated the volume changes of Si/SiOx nanospheres during cycling, which significantly suppresses the swelling behavior and improves the capacity retention up to 200 cycles.