Constructing a Highly Robust Interface Film for Enhancing Rate Performance of Graphite Anode via a Novel Electrolyte Additive.

Solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is regarded as a key factor to enable high power outputs of Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, we demonstrate a modified electrolyte consisting of a novel electrolyte additive, 1,1,2,2-perfluorooctyltrimethoxysilane (FTMS) to construct a highly robust and stable SEI on a graphite anode for LIBs to enhance its rate performance. With 2% FTMS, the anode presents an improved capacity retention from 77.

High power density output and durability of microbial fuel cells enabled by dispersed cobalt nanoparticles on nitrogen-doped carbon as the cathode electrocatalyst.

To endow microbial fuel cells (MFCs) with low cost, long-term stability and high-power output, a novel cobalt-based cathode electrocatalyst (Nano-Co@NC) is synthesized from a polygonal metal-organic framework ZIF-67. After calcining the resultant ZIF-67, the as-synthesized Nano-Co@NC is characteristic of cobalt nanoparticles (Nano-Co) embedded in nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) that inherits the morphology of ZIF-67 with a large surface area. The Nano-Co particles that are highly dispersed and firmly fixed on NC not only ensure electrocatalytic activity of Nano-Co@NC toward the oxygen reduction reaction on the cathode, but also inhibit the growth of non-electrogenic bacteria on the anode.

A facile synthesis of FeS/FeC nanoparticles highly dispersed on grown N-doped CNTs as cathode electrocatalysts for microbial fuel cells.

A novel composite of iron sulfide, iron carbide and nitrogen carbides (Nano-FeS/FeC@NCNTs) as a cathode electrocatalyst for microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is synthesized by a one-pot solid state reaction, which yields a unique configuration of FeS/FeC nanoparticles highly dispersed on grown nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs). The highly dispersed FeS/FeC nanoparticles possess large active sites, while the NCNTs provide an electronically conductive network. Consequently, the resultant Nano-FeS/FeC@NCNTs exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), with a half-wave potential close to that of Pt/C (about 0.

Interfacial assembly of chitin/MnO composite hydrogels as photothermal antibacterial platform for infected wound healing.

To combat bacteria and even biofilm infections, developing alternative antibacterial wound dressings independent of antibiotics is imperative. Herein, this study developed a series of bioactive chitin/MnO composite hydrogels under mild conditions for infected wound healing application. The in situ synthesized MnO NPs homogeneously distribute throughout chitin networks and strongly interact with chitin matrix, and as well as endow the chitin/MnO hydrogels with NIR-assisted outstanding photothermal antibacterial and antibiofilm activities.

Rational design of silver NPs-incorporated quaternized chitin nanomicelle with combinational antibacterial capability for infected wound healing.

Bacterial and biofilm infections are prevalent, photothermal antibacterial therapy exploiting Ag NPs was an alternative. However, various matrix materials including polysaccharides used to stabilize Ag NPs are not efficiently utilized. In this study, catechol functionalized quaternized chitin (DQC) is first synthesized, then Ag is in situ reduced to small Ag NPs stabilized and well-dispersed by DQC to form Ag NPs-incorporated quaternized chitin (DQCA) nanomicelle in a green and simple way.

Transcriptional regulation of NRF1 on metabotropic glutamate receptors in a neonatal hypoxic‑ischemic encephalopathy rat model.

Background: Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a kind of brain injury that causes severe neurological disorders in newborns. Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) and ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) are significantly associated with HIE and are involved in ischemia-induced excitotoxicity. This study aimed to investigate the upstream mechanisms of mGluRs and the transcriptional regulation by nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1).

Activation of TRPV1 by capsaicin-loaded CaCO nanoparticle for tumor-specific therapy.

Capsaicin is a natural non-toxic small molecular organic substance, which is often used clinically to reduce inflammation and pain. Here, we report an acid-responsive CaCO nanoparticle loaded with capsaicin that can specifically activate TRPV1 channels and trigger tumor calcium ion therapy. The excellent acid responsiveness of calcium carbonate enables it to precisely target the tumor sites.

Identification and Validation of a Potent Multi-lncRNA Molecular Model for Predicting Gastric Cancer Prognosis.

Gastric cancer (GC) remains the third deadliest malignancy in China. Despite the current understanding that the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a pivotal function in the growth and progression of cancer, their prognostic value in GC remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to construct a polymolecular prediction model by employing a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network signature obtained by integrated bioinformatics analysis to evaluate patient prognosis in GC.

Safety analysis of early oral feeding after esophagectomy in patients complicated with diabetes.

Objective: To evaluate the safety of early oral feeding in patients with type II diabetes after radical resection of esophageal carcinoma.

Methods: The clinical data of 121 patients with type II diabetes who underwent radical resection of esophageal carcinoma in the department of cardiothoracic surgery of Jinling Hospital from January 2016 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the median time (7 days) of the first oral feeding after surgery, the patients were divided into early oral feeding group (EOF, feeding within 7 days after surgery, 67 cases) and late oral feeding group (LOF, feeding after 7 days, 54 cases).

Biocompatibility of nanomaterials and their immunological properties.

Nanomaterials (NMs) have revolutionized multiple aspects of medicine by enabling novel sensing, diagnostic, and therapeutic approaches. Advancements in processing and fabrication have also allowed significant expansion in the applications of the major classes of NMs based on polymer, metal/metal oxide, carbon, liposome, or multi-scale macro-nano bulk materials. Concomitantly, concerns regarding the nanotoxicity and overall biocompatibility of NMs have been raised.

LiFSI and LiDFBOP Dual-Salt Electrolyte Reinforces the Solid Electrolyte Interphase on a Lithium Metal Anode.

Metallic lithium (Li) has great potential as an anode material for high-energy-density batteries due to its high specific capacity. However, the uncontrollable dendritic lithium growth on the metallic lithium surface limits its practical application owing to the instability of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). A tailored SEI composition/structure can mitigate or inhibit the lithium dendrites' growth, thereby enhancing the cyclability of the Li-metal anode.

Light-Induced Caspase-3-Responsive Chimeric Peptide for Effective PDT/Chemo Combination Therapy with Good Compatibility.

Activated doxorubicin (DOX) often has severe systemic toxicity and side effects due to its inability to distinguish tumor cells from normal cells, which seriously affects the prognosis of patients. Here, we synthesized an inactivated a DOX prodrug that could be selectively activated by a light-induced caspase-3 enzyme in the tumor site. In the absence of light, this uniformly dispersed nanoparticle avoided the unnecessary toxicity under physiological conditions.

Assessing the impacts of signal coordination on the crash risks of various driving cohorts.

Introduction: Signal coordination has been wildly implemented on urban arterials to improve traffic efficiency. The impacts of signal coordination on traffic safety, however, are largely overlooked, particularly on crash propensities of driver-vehicle cohorts, which will vary due to changing traffic flow patterns.

Method: The paper aims to compare crash risks of various driving cohorts (measured by relative crash involvement ratio) on arterials with and without signal coordination with quasi-induced exposure technique, which has been well developed in estimating crash risks for driver-vehicle characteristics (i.

Reasonably retard O consumption through a photoactivity conversion nanocomposite for oxygenated photodynamic therapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) brings excellent treatment outcome while also causing poor tumor microenvironment and prognosis due to the uncontrolled oxygen consumption. To solve this issue, a novel PDT strategy, oxygenated PDT (maintain the tumor oxygenation before and after PDT) was carried out by a tumor and apoptosis responsive photoactivity conversion nanocomposite (MPPa-DP). Under physiological conditions, this nanocomposite has a low photoactivity.

Insight into the capacity fading of layered lithium-rich oxides and its suppression a film-forming electrolyte additive.

The capacity fading of layered lithium-rich oxide (LiMnNiCoO, LLO) cathodes greatly hinders their practical application in next generation lithium ion batteries. It has been demonstrated in this work that the slow capacity fading of a LLO/Li cell within 120 cycles is mainly caused by electrolyte oxidation and LLO phase transformation with Ni dissolution. After 120 cycles, the dissolution of Mn becomes worse than that of Ni, leading to structural destruction of the generated spinel phase structure of LLO and fast capacity fading.

Constructing Unique Cathode Interface by Manipulating Functional Groups of Electrolyte Additive for Graphite/LiNiCoMnO Cells at High Voltage.

A novel electrolyte additive, 1-(2-cyanoethyl) pyrrole (CEP), has been investigated to improve the electrochemical performance of graphite/LiNiCoMnO cells cycling up to 4.5 V vs Li/Li. The 4.

Insight into the Mechanism of Improved Interfacial Properties between Electrodes and Electrolyte in the Graphite/LiNiMnCoO Cell via Incorporation of 4-Propyl-[1,3,2]dioxathiolane-2,2-dioxide (PDTD).

4-Propyl-[1,3,2]dioxathiolane-2,2-dioxide (PDTD) has been investigated as an electrolyte additive for the graphite/LiNiMnCoO pouch cell. A significant improvement on the initial Coulombic efficiency and cycling stability has been achieved by incorporating 1.0 wt % PDTD additive.

Structural Exfoliation of Layered Cathode under High Voltage and Its Suppression by Interface Film Derived from Electrolyte Additive.

Layered cathodes for lithium-ion battery, including LiCoNiMnO and xLiMnO·(1-x)LiMO (M = Mn, Ni, and Co), are attractive for large-scale applications such as electric vehicles, because they can deliver additional specific capacity when the end of charge voltage is improved to over 4.2 V. However, operation under a high voltage might cause capacity decaying of layered cathodes during cycling.

Constructing a Protective Interface Film on Layered Lithium-Rich Cathode Using an Electrolyte Additive with Special Molecule Structure.

Phenyl vinyl sulfone (PVS) as a novel electrolyte additive is used to construct a protective interface film on layered lithium-rich cathode. Charge-discharge cycling demonstrates that the capacity retention of Li(LiMnNiCo)O after 240 cycles at 0.5 C between 2.

All-Aqueous Directed Assembly Strategy for Forming High-Capacity, Stable Silicon/Carbon Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Silicon (Si) particles have emerged as a promising active material for next-generation lithium-ion battery anodes. However, the large volume changes during lithiation/delithiation cycles result in fracture and pulverization of Si, leading to rapid fading of performance. Here, we report a simple, all-aqueous, directed assembly-based strategy to fabricate Si-based anodes that show capacity and capacity retention that are comparable or better than other more complex methods for forming anodes.

Quantum chemistry study of the oxidation-induced stability and decomposition of propylene carbonate-containing complexes.

Oxidation-induced decomposition reactions of the representative complexes of propylene carbonate (PC)-based electrolytes were investigated using density functional theory (DFT) and a composite G4MP2 method. The cluster-continuum approach was used, where the oxidized PCn cluster was surrounded by the implicit solvent modeled via a polarized continuum model (PCM). The oxidative stability of the PCn (n = 2, 3, and 4) complexes was found to be around 5.

Theoretic calculation for understanding the oxidation process of 1,4-dimethoxybenzene-based compounds as redox shuttles for overcharge protection of lithium ion batteries.

The effect of substituents on the oxidation potential for the one-electron reaction of 1,4-dimethoxybenzene was understood with a theoretical calculation based on density functional theory (DFT) at the level of B3LYP/6-311+G(d). It is found that the oxidation potential for the one-electron reaction of 1,4-dimethoxybenzene is 4.13 V (vs Li/Li(+)) and can be changed from 3.

Theoretical investigations on oxidative stability of solvents and oxidative decomposition mechanism of ethylene carbonate for lithium ion battery use.

The electrochemical oxidative stability of solvent molecules used for lithium ion battery, ethylene carbonate (EC), propylene carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, and ethyl methyl carbonate in the forms of simple molecule and coordination with anion PF(6)(-), is compared by using density functional theory at the level of B3LYP/6-311++G (d, p) in gas phase. EC is found to be the most stable against oxidation in its simple molecule. However, due to its highest dielectric constant among all the solvent molecules, EC coordinates with PF(6)(-) most strongly and reaches cathode most easily, resulting in its preferential oxidation on cathode.