Hybrid Ascharite/Reduced Graphene Oxide with Polysulfide Adsorption Host for Advanced Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Balancing the adsorption of lithium-polysulfide intermediates on polar host material surfaces and the effect of their electronic conductivity in the subsequent oxidation and reduction kinetics of electrochemical reactions is necessary and remains a challenge. Herein, we have evaluated the role of polarity and conductivity in preparing a series of ascharite/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) aerogels by dispersing strong polar ascharite nanowires of varying mass into the conductive RGO matrix. When severed as Li-S battery cathodes, the optimized S@ascharite/RGO cathode with a sulfur content of 73.

Leaching NCM cathode materials of spent lithium-ion batteries with phosphate acid-based deep eutectic solvent.

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) play an important role in efficient recovery of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). In this study, we proposed an efficient and safe method by using a choline chloride-phenylphosphinic acid DES as a lixiviant for the leaching of LiNiCoMnO (NCM) cathode active materials of spent LIBs. The leaching conditions were optimized based on the leaching time, liquid-solid ratio, and leaching temperature.

Co-registered optical coherence tomography and fluorescence molecular imaging for simultaneous morphological and molecular imaging.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) provides high-resolution, cross-sectional imaging of tissue microstructure in situ and in real time, while fluorescence molecular imaging (FMI) enables the visualization of basic molecular processes. There is a great deal of interest in combining these two modalities so that the tissue's structural and molecular information can be obtained simultaneously. This could greatly benefit biomedical applications such as detecting early diseases and monitoring therapeutic interventions.

GHz apertureless near-field scanning optical microscopy of ferroelectric nanodomain dynamics.

Nanoscale domain dynamics of (Ba,Sr)TiO(3) thin films are investigated at microwave frequencies with a home-developed GHz-frequency apertureless near-field scanning optical microscope (GHz-ANSOM). Using a microwave phase-modulation technique, we decoupled topographic artifacts from the optical signal, providing an enhanced and background-free temporal response. Interleaved acquisition of images taken at sequential time intervals provides amplitude and phase information about the electrooptic response at <50 nm spatial resolution and <10 ps temporal resolution.

Lattice-scale domain wall dynamics in ferroelectrics.

Ferroelectric domain walls are atomically thin, and consequently their dynamics are sensitive to the periodic potential of the underlying lattice. Despite their central role in domain dynamics, lattice-scale effects have never been directly observed. We investigate local domain dynamics in thin film ferroelectrics using atomic-force microscopy.