Nondestructive Analysis of Commercial Batteries.

Electrochemical batteries play a crucial role for powering portable electronics, electric vehicles, large-scale electric grids, and future electric aircraft. However, key performance metrics such as energy density, charging speed, lifespan, and safety raise significant consumer concerns. Enhancing battery performance hinges on a deep understanding of their operational and degradation mechanisms, from material composition and electrode structure to large-scale pack integration, necessitating advanced characterization methods.

Seawater alkalization via an energy-efficient electrochemical process for CO capture.

Electrochemical pH-swing strategies offer a promising avenue for cost-effective and energy-efficient carbon dioxide (CO) capture, surpassing the traditional thermally activated processes and humidity-sensitive techniques. The concept of elevating seawater's alkalinity for scalable CO capture without introducing additional chemical as reactant is particularly intriguing due to its minimal environmental impact. However, current commercial plants like chlor-alkali process or water electrolysis demand high thermodynamic voltages of 2.

Defect Chemistry in High-Voltage Cathode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

High-voltage cathodes (HVCs) have emerged as a paramount role for the next-generation high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the pursuit of HVCs comes with inherent challenges related to defective structures, which significantly impact the electrochemical performance of LIBs. The current obstacle lies in the lack of a comprehensive understanding of defects and their precise effects.

Characterization of red blood cell deformability change during blood storage.

Stored red blood cells (RBCs) show progressive deformability changes during blood banking/storage. Their deformability changes over an 8 weeks' storage period were measured using a microfluidic device. Hydrodynamic focusing controls the orientation and position of individual RBCs within the microchannel.