Preparation, characterisation and comparison of glabridin-loaded hydrogel-forming microneedles by chemical and physical cross-linking.

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and carbomer were used as the hydrogel system to fabricate glabridin-loaded hydrogel-forming microneedles (HFMNs) by chemical cross-linking (CCMNs) and physical cross-linking (PCMNs). The properties and drug permeation effects of glabridin-loaded HFMNs with different methods were compared. They both owned excellent shapes, mechanical and insertion properties.

Hierarchically porous nanosheets-constructed 3D carbon network for ultrahigh-capacity supercapacitor and battery anode.

An advanced hierarchically porous nanosheets-constructed three-dimensional (3D) carbon material (HPNSC) is prepared by using low-cost agricultural waste-nelumbium seed-pods as the precursor, and potassium hydroxide (KOH) as the activator. The as-prepared HPNSC material has a hierarchically porous nanosheets-constructed structure with 3D carbon nanosheet network morphology, which can enable fast and efficient transfer of Li/Na/H during charge-discharge process. The assembled HPNSC//HPNSC symmetric supercapacitors exhibit an improved energy density of 41.

Advanced P2-NaNiMnFeO Cathode Material with Suppressed P2-O2 Phase Transition toward High-Performance Sodium-Ion Battery.

As a promising cathode material of sodium-ion battery, P2-type NaNiMnO (NNMO) possesses a theoretically high capacity and working voltage to realize high energy storage density. However, it still suffers from poor cycling stability mainly incurred by the undesirable P2-O2 phase transition. Herein, the electrochemically active Fe ions are introduced into the lattice of NNMO, forming NaNiMnFe O ( x = 0, 1/24, 1/12, 1/8, 1/6) to effectively stabilize the P2-type crystalline structure.

Pseudocapacitance-boosted ultrafast Na storage in a pie-like FeS@C nanohybrid as an advanced anode material for sodium-ion full batteries.

In order to develop promising anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), a novel pie-like FeS@C (P-FeS@C) nanohybrid, in which all ultrasmall FeS nanocrystals (NCs) are completely embedded into the carbon network and sealed by a protective carbon shell, has been prepared. The unique pie-like structure can effectively speed up the kinetics of electrode reactions, while the carbon shell stabilizes the FeS NCs inside. Studies show that the electrochemical reaction processes of P-FeS@C electrodes are dominated by the pseudocapacitive behavior, leading to an ultrafast Na+-insertion/extraction reaction.

Quasi-Solid-State Sodium-Ion Full Battery with High-Power/Energy Densities.

Developing a high-performance, low-cost, and safer rechargeable battery is a primary challenge in next-generation electrochemical energy storage. In this work, a quasi-solid-state (QSS) sodium-ion full battery (SIFB) is designed and fabricated. Hard carbon cloth derived from cotton cloth and NaV(PO)OF (NVPOF) are employed as the anode and the cathode, respectively, and a sodium ion-conducting gel-polymer membrane is used as both the QSS electrolyte and separator, accomplishing the high energy and power densities in the QSS sodium-ion batteries.

P2-Na2/3Ni1/3Mn5/9Al1/9O2 Microparticles as Superior Cathode Material for Sodium-Ion Batteries: Enhanced Properties and Mechanisam via Graphene Connection.

As a promising alternative for lithium ion batteries, room-temperature sodium ion batteries (SIBs) have become one significant research frontier of energy storage devices although there are still many difficulties to be overcome. For the moment, the studies still concentrate on the preparation of new electrode materials for SIBs to meet the applicability. Herein, one new P2-Na2/3Ni1/3Mn5/9Al1/9O2 (NMA) cathode material is successfully prepared via a simple and facile liquid-state method.