Solvent Mediated Interfacial Microenvironment Design for High-Performance Electrochemical CO Reduction to C Products.

Electrochemical CO reduction (CORR) in membrane electrode assembly (MEA) represents a viable strategy for converting CO into value-added multi-carbon (C) compounds. Therefore, the microstructure of the catalyst layer (CL) affects local gas transport, charge conduction, and proton supply at three-phase interfaces, which is significantly determined by the solvent environment. However, the microenvironment of the CLs and the mechanism of the solvent effect on C selectivity remains elusive.

Buried interface engineering towards stable zinc anodes for high-performance aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

The dendrite and corrosion issues still remain for zinc anodes. Interface modification of anodes has been widely used for stabilizing zinc anodes. However, it is still quite challenging for such modification to simultaneously suppress zinc dendrites and corrosion issues.

Theoretical calculations of the performance of LiNbO and its doped Phases as solid electrolytes.

Materials with Hexagonal Close Packed (HCP) anionic configuration contain promising lithium-ion conductors. In the HCP anionic structure, when the non-lithium cations occupy the octahedral sites (the important diffusion channels for lithium ions), it is not known whether the nature of fast lithium-ion diffusion will be retained. This work systematically studied the lithium-ion diffusion properties of LiNbO as well as its doped phases on the basis of first-principles calculations.

Customized Li Solvation Sheath at the Poly(ethylene oxide)-Based Electrolyte/Ultrahigh-Nickel Cathode Interface toward Room-Temperature Solid-State Lithium Batteries.

The matching of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based electrolytes with ultrahigh-nickel cathode materials is crucial for designing new-generation high-energy-density solid-state lithium metal batteries (SLMBs), but it is limited by serious interfacial side reactions between PEO and ultrahigh-nickel materials. Here, a high-concentration electrolyte (HCE) interface with a customized Li solvation sheath is constructed between the cathode and the electrolyte. It induces the formation of an anion-regulated robust cathode/electrolyte interface (CEI), reduces the unstable free-state solvent, and finally achieves the compatibility of PEO-based electrolytes with ultrahigh-nickel cathode materials.

BF Tailoring Solvation Chemistry of Ether-Based Electrolytes to Construct Stable Electrode/Electrolyte Interfaces for Sodium-Ion Full Batteries.

The ether-based electrolytes show excellent performance on anodes in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), but they still show poor compatibility with the cathodes. Here, ether electrolytes with NaBF as the main salt or additive were applied in NFM//HC full cells and showed enhanced performance than the electrolyte with NaPF. Then, BF was found to have a stronger interaction with Na, which could reduce the solvation of Na with the solvent, thus inducing the formation of the cathode electrolyte interface (CEI) and solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layers rich in inorganic species.

Breaking the Solubility Limit of LiNO in Carbonate Electrolyte Assisted by BF to Construct a Stable SEI Film for Dendrite-Free Lithium Metal Batteries.

Lithium (Li) metal is regarded as a potential candidate for the next generation of lithium secondary batteries, but it has poor cycling stability with the broadly used carbonate-based electrolytes due to the uncontrollable dendritic growth and low Coulombic efficiency (CE). LiNO is an effective additive and its limited solubility (<800 ppm) in carbonate-based electrolytes is still a challenge, as reported. Herein, using BF (Lewis acid) is proposed to enhance the solubility of LiNO in carbonate-based electrolytes.

Production of the C/TiO composite with a high-performance electrochemical property from titanium-rich sludge via in-situ C coating.

Resource recycling from waste-water and sludge is an important part of the 14th Five-Year Plan in China. The emerging titanium-based coagulants have drawn growing attentions due to their strong coagulation capability in water purification and value-added Ti-loaded sludge production. Management and recovery of the high value-added sludge into functional nanomaterials is highly significant for both sludge reduction and environmental remediation.

Uncovering the Redox Shuttle Degradation Mechanism of Ether Electrolytes in Sodium-Ion Batteries and its Inhibition Strategy.

Ether-based electrolytes exhibit excellent performance when applied in different anode materials of sodium ion batteries (SIBs), but their exploration on cathode material is deficient and the degradation mechanism is still undiscovered. Herein, various battery systems with different operation voltage ranges are designed to explore the electrochemical performance of ether electrolyte. It is found for the first time that the deterioration mechanism of ether electrolyte is closely related to the "redox shuttle" between cathode and low-potential anode.

Uniform Densification of Garnet Electrolyte for Solid-State Lithium Batteries.

Highly uniformly dense garnet type solid-state electrolyte plays a significant role in determining the performance of solid-state lithium batteries. Herein, a rational powder-covering sintering strategy is proposed and demonstrated, in which narrow-particle-size-distribution fine powder and uniform sintering temperature distribution are considered as very significant factors. It is suggested that powder materials with wider particle size distribution dramatically decrease the densified level of electrolytes.

A Fresh One-Step Spray Pyrolysis Approach to Prepare Nickel-Rich Cathode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The Ni-rich layered cathode material LiNiCoMnO (NCM811) with high specific capacity and acceptable rate performance is one of the key cathode materials for high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries. Coprecipitation, the widely utilized method in the precursor synthesis of NCM811 materials, however, suffers long synthetic processes and challenges in uniform element distribution. The spray pyrolysis method is able to prepare oxide precursors in seconds where all transition-metal elements are well distributed, but the difficulty of lithium distribution will also arise when the lithium salts are added in the subsequent sintering process.

Inhibiting Mn Migration by Sb-Pinning Transition Metal Layers in Lithium-Rich Cathode Material for Stable High-Capacity Properties.

Owing to the interacted anion and cation redox dynamics in Li MnO , the high energy density can be obtained for lithium-rich manganese-based layered transition metal (TM) oxide [Li Ni Mn O , LNMO]. However, irreversible migration of Mn ions and oxygen release during highly de-lithiation can destroy its layered structure, leading to voltage and capacity decline. Herein, non-TM antimony (Sb) is pinned to the TM layer of LNMO by a facile sol-gel method.

Multi-scale boron penetration toward stabilizing nickel-rich cathode.

Nickel-rich layered oxides LiNi Co Mn O ( ≥ 0.8) have been recognized as the preferred cathode materials to develop lithium-ion batteries with high energy density (>300 Wh kg). However, the poor cycling stability and rate capability stemming from intergranular cracks and sluggish kinetics hinder their commercialization.

Research Progress of Single-Crystal Nickel-Rich Cathode Materials for Lithium Ion Batteries.

Single-crystal nickel-rich cathode materials (SC-NRCMs) are the most promising candidates for next-generation power batteries which enable longer driving range and reliable safety. In this review, the outstanding advantages of SC-NRCMs are discussed systematically in aspects of structural and thermal stabilities. Particularly, the intergranular-crack-free morphology exhibits superior cycling performance and negligible parasitic reactions even under severe conditions.

Change in Invasively Measured Mean Pulmonary Artery Pressure After Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair Is Associated With Heart Failure Readmission.

Background: Pre-existing pulmonary hypertension is associated with poor outcomes after transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVr) for mitral regurgitation (MR). However, the impact of an immediate change in mean pulmonary artery pressure (ΔmPAP) following TMVr on outcomes is unknown.

Methods: Patients who underwent TMVr from December 2015 to February 18, 2020 at our institution for symptomatic 3-4+ MR and who had invasive hemodynamics measured immediately pre- and post-TMVR were included.

Highly-Dispersed Submicrometer Single-Crystal Nickel-Rich Layered Cathode: Spray Synthesis and Accelerated Lithium-Ion Transport.

For conventional polycrystalline Ni-rich cathode material consisting of numerous primary particles in disordered orientation, the crystal anisotropy in charge/discharge process results in the poor rate capability and rapid capacity degradation. In this work, highly-dispersed submicron single-crystal LiNi Co Al O (SC-NCA) cathode is efficiently prepared by spray pyrolysis (SP) technique followed by a simple solid-state lithiation reaction. Porous Ni Co Al O precursor prepared via SP exhibits high chemical activity for lithiation reaction, enabling the fabrication of single-crystal cathode at a relatively low temperature.

A Renewable Sedimentary Slurry Battery: Preliminary Study in Zinc Electrodes.

Low-cost, scalable energy storage is the key to continuing growth of renewable energy technologies. Here a battery with sedimentary slurry electrode (SSE) is proposed. Through the conversion of discrete particles between sedimentary and suspending types, it not only inherits the advantages of semi-solid flow cell but also exhibits high energy density and stable conductive network.

Effect of phase-change material blood containers on the quality of red blood cells during transportation in environmentally-challenging conditions.

Background: The effect of phase-change material blood containers on the quality of stored red blood cells (RBCs) transported in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau remains to be studied.

Study Design And Methods: RBCs stored in a phase-change material blood container were transported from Chengdu to Tibet and then back to Chengdu. The detection time points were the 1st day of fresh-collected RBCs (group 1), the 14th day of resting refrigerated storage (group 2), and the 14th day of plateau transportation under refrigerated storage in the container (group 3).

BODIPY-Based Conjugated Porous Polymer and Its Derived Porous Carbon for Lithium-Ion Storage.

Conjugated porous polymers (CPPs) possess great potential in the energy storage aspect. In this work, a boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY)-conjugated porous polymer (CPP-1) is achieved by a traditional organic synthesis route. Following this, a carbonization process is employed to obtain the carbonized porous material (CPP-1-C).

Novel LiV(PO)F with ultrahigh rate capability and prolonged cycle life.

Novel triclinic LiV(PO4)0.9F1.3, characterized through its crystal lattice expansion, ultrafine primary particle size and uniform carbon coating, was designed and fabricated through regulating the PO4/F ratio.