Enhanced electrochemical stability and ion transfer rate: A polymer/ceramic composite electrolyte for high-performance all-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries.

All-solid-state (ASS) lithium-sulfur (LiS) batteries utilizing composite polymer electrolytes (CPEs) represent a promising avenue in the domain of electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage systems, leveraging the combined benefits of polymer electrolytes (PEs) and ceramic electrolytes (CEs). However, the inherent weak interface compatibility between PEs and CEs often leads to phase separation, thereby impeding the transposition of Li. In this study, the trimethoxy-[3-(2-methoxyethoxy)propyl]silane (TM-MES) is introduced as a chemical agent to form bonds with polyethylene oxide (PEO) and LiGePS (LGPS), resulting in the development of a novel composite polymer electrolyte (CPE).

Improved-quality graphene films via the synergism of large nanosheet aligning and nanotube bridging for flexible supercapacitors.

Scalable production of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) films with high mechanical-electrical properties is desirable as these films are candidates for wearable electronics devices and energy storage applications. Removing structural incompleteness such as wrinkles or voids in the graphene films, which are generated from the assembly process, would greatly optimize their mechanical properties. However, the densely stacked graphene sheets in the films degrade their ionic kinetics and thus limit their development.

Pattern of linear growth and progression of bone maturation for girls with early-onset puberty: A mixed longitudinal study.

Background And Objective: With a worldwide trend to earlier age of onset of puberty, the prevalence of early-onset puberty (EP) among girls has increased. The impact of EP on the pattern of linear growth and bone maturation is unclear. Accordingly, the objective of our study was to describe this pattern for girls with EP in Shenzhen, China.

Combined assisted bone age assessment and adult height prediction methods in Chinese girls with early puberty: analysis of three artificial intelligence systems.

Background: The applicability and accuracy of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted bone age assessment and adult height prediction methods in girls with early puberty are unknown.

Objective: To analyze the performance of AI-assisted bone age assessment methods by comparing the corresponding methods for predicted adult height with actual adult height.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective review included 726 girls with early puberty, 87 of whom had reached adult height at last follow-up.

Tremella-like 2D Nickel-Copper Disulfide with Ultrahigh Capacity and Cyclic Retention for Hybrid Supercapacitors.

Two-dimensional (2D) disulfides possess unique physical and chemical properties and are widely used in electronic and photoelectric devices. Tuning the composition and optimizing the structure of the disulfides are feasible approaches to designing target sulfides for hybrid supercapacitors. This work synthesizes the tremella-like nanosheet-connected (CuNi)S via solvothermal and sulfur-vapor vulcanization.

Surface amorphous coating for an economical and high-stability current collector for rechargeable aluminum-ion batteries.

Rechargeable aluminum-ion batteries (AIBs) are regarded as the next-generation energy storage devices due to their low flammability, low cost and high power density as well as abundant aluminum (Al) reserves. However, these popular ionic liquid electrolytes contain highly corrosive acid, which always corrodes the most used positive current collector, thus hindering the commercialization of AIBs. This study proposes an efficient and economical method of coating amorphous NiScompound on a nickel metal current collector (Ni-S/Ni).

Effects of electrode thickness and crystal water on pseudocapacitive performance of layered birnessite MnO.

Manganese dioxide (MnO) nanomaterials with two-dimensional (2D) layered birnessite structures are promising pseudocapacitive electrode materials. However, the effects of structural factors on their electrochemical performance is not fully understood. We synthesize alkali-free crystal water containing 2D layered birnessite MnO electrodes with controllable mass loading from 0.

ZIF-derived carbons as highly efficient and stable ORR catalyst.

To develop highly efficient none-precious metal catalysts in lieu of Pt/C for catalyzing oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), ZIF-67 derived carbons are fabricated rationally in combination with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) integration and further KOH etching respectively. ZIF-C/rGO presents excellent ORR activity especially in alkali media with onset potential, half-wave potential and limited current density being 1.00 V, 0.

Dynamic charge acceptance and hydrogen evolution of a new MXene additive in advanced lead-acid batteries via a rapid screening three-electrode method.

A methodology to screen additives in lead-acid batteries is critical. We developed a three-electrode system that can rapidly check the dynamic charge acceptance (DCA) and hydrogen evolution of electrodes. The electrode with 2% MXene and 0.

A scaling law for distinct electrocaloric cooling performance in low-dimensional organic, relaxor and anti-ferroelectrics.

Electrocaloric (EC) materials show promise in eco-friendly solid-state refrigeration and integrable on-chip thermal management. While direct measurement of EC thin-films still remains challenging, a generic theoretical framework for quantifying the cooling properties of rich EC materials including normal-, relaxor-, organic- and anti-ferroelectrics is imperative for exploiting new flexible and room-temperature cooling alternatives. Here, we present a versatile theory that combines Master equation with Maxwell relations and analytically relates the macroscopic cooling responses in EC materials with the intrinsic diffuseness of phase transitions and correlation characteristics.

The Solvent Induced Inter-Dimensional Phase Transformations of Cobalt Zeolitic-Imidazolate Frameworks.

Studying inter-dimensional phase transitions of zeolitic-imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) is essential for developing strategies in controlling morphology and properties. Herein, the inter-dimensional topotactic phase transformations of 3D ZIF-67 to 2D ZIF-L are investigated in detail by employing a simple and efficient solvent-induced growth method. In addition to ZIF-67 and ZIF-L, a series of novel core-shell composites of ZIF-67@ZIF-L, with unprecedented morphologies, are also obtained and well-defined.

High-efficiency piezoelectric micro harvester for collecting low-frequency mechanical energy.

A single-layer zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod array-based micro energy harvester was designed and integrated with a piezoelectric metacapacitor. The device presents outstanding low-frequency (1-10 Hz) mechanical energy harvesting capabilities. When compared with conventional pristine ZnO nanostructured piezoelectric harvesters or generators, both open-circuit potential and short-circuit current are significantly enhanced (up to 3.

Electrical Properties of New Hollandite Complex Oxide Nanocrystals.

A new class of hollandite Ba-Mn-Ti oxide nanocrystals was synthesized. They are synthetic min- erals exclusively composed of Ba, Ti, Mn, and O elements. The BaMn3Ti4O14.

A three-dimensional interconnected hierarchical FeOOH/TiO₂/ZnO nanostructural photoanode for enhancing the performance of photoelectrochemical water oxidation.

A novel ZnO/TiO2/FeOOH hierarchical nanostructure has been synthesized by a low temperature chemical bath deposition method. The integrated three-dimensional (3D) nanostructure consists of one-dimensional (1D) ZnO/TiO2 core-shell nanowire arrays and two-dimensional (2D) interconnected FeOOH nanosheets. By applying such a hierarchical nanostructure as a photoanode for photoelectrochemical water reaction, higher photostability and photocurrent density are gained compared with the reported ZnO based nanostructures.

Green and scalable production of colloidal perovskite nanocrystals and transparent sols by a controlled self-collection process.

Colloidal perovskite oxide nanocrystals have attracted a great deal of interest owing to the ability to tune physical properties by virtue of the nanoscale, and generate thin film structures under mild chemical conditions, relying on self-assembly or heterogeneous mixing. This is particularly true for ferroelectric/dielectric perovskite oxide materials, for which device applications cover piezoelectrics, MEMs, memory, gate dielectrics and energy storage. The synthesis of complex oxide nanocrystals, however, continues to present issues pertaining to quality, yield, % crystallinity, purity and may also suffer from tedious separation and purification processes, which are disadvantageous to scaling production.

Hollandites as a new class of multiferroics.

Discovery of new complex oxides that exhibit both magnetic and ferroelectric properties is of great interest for the design of functional magnetoelectrics, in which research is driven by the technologically exciting prospect of controlling charges by magnetic fields and spins by applied voltages, for sensors, 4-state logic, and spintronics. Motivated by the notion of a tool-kit for complex oxide design, we developed a chemical synthesis strategy for single-phase multifunctional lattices. Here, we introduce a new class of multiferroic hollandite Ba-Mn-Ti oxides not apparent in nature.

Structure and performance of dielectric films based on self-assembled nanocrystals with a high dielectric constant.

Self-assembled films built from nanoparticles with a high dielectric constant are attractive as a foundation for new dielectric media with increased efficiency and range of operation, due to the ability to exploit nanofabrication techniques and emergent electrical properties originating from the nanoscale. However, because the building block is a discrete one-dimensional unit, it becomes a challenge to capture potential enhancements in dielectric performance in two or three dimensions, frequently due to surface effects or the presence of discontinuities. This is a recurring theme in nanoparticle film technology when applied to the realm of thin film semiconductor and device electronics.

Magnetoelectricity in CoFe2O4 nanocrystal-P(VDF-HFP) thin films.

Transition metal ferrites such as CoFe2O4, possessing a large magnetostriction coefficient and high Curie temperature (Tc > 600 K), are excellent candidates for creating magnetic order at the nanoscale and provide a pathway to the fabrication of uniform particle-matrix films with optimized potential for magnetoelectric coupling. Here, a series of 0-3 type nanocomposite thin films composed of ferrimagnetic cobalt ferrite nanocrystals (8 to 18 nm) and a ferroelectric/piezoelectric polymer poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropene), P(VDF-HFP), were prepared by multiple spin coating and cast coating over a thickness range of 200 nm to 1.6 μm.