Quantifying the Growth Kinetics of Lithium Metal Reduced from Solid Ionic Conductors.

Investigating the growth kinetics of Li metal in solid-state batteries is crucial to both a fundamental understanding and practical application. Here, by directly observing the formation of Li metal from Ta-doped LiLaZrTaO (LLZTO) in a transmission electron microscope, the growth kinetics is analyzed quantitatively. The growth kinetics of Li deposits shows a cubic-curve characteristic for LLZTO with Li-source-free.

Programmable Ferroelectricity in HfZrO Enabled by Oxygen Defect Engineering.

Ferroelectricity, especially the Si-compatible type recently observed in hafnia-based materials, is technologically useful for modern memory and logic applications, but it is challenging to differentiate intrinsic ferroelectric polarization from the polar phase and oxygen vacancy. Here, we report electrically controllable ferroelectricity in a HfZrO-based heterostructure with Sr-doped LaMnO, a mixed ionic-electronic conductor, as an electrode. Electrically reversible extraction and insertion of an oxygen vacancy into HfZrO are macroscopically characterized and atomically imaged .

Mesoporous alloy chiral nanoparticles with high production yield and strong optical activities.

Applying galvanic replacement reactions (GRRs) to the host chiral nanoparticles (CNPs) is an exclusive method to generate alloy CNPs with mesoporous structures through chirality transfer. However, the GRR-mediated chirality transfer is too inefficient to impose strong optical activities on the alloy mesoporous CNPs (or m-CNPs). Here we dope the host with gold (Au) to significantly enhance the chirality transfer, and additionally employ the Au adhesion layer to increase the production yield (PY) of binary m-CNPs.

Characterization of a Human Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Cell Line Established by SV40LT-Mediated Immortalization.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors in the digestive tract and originate from the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), which is the pacemaker for peristaltic movement in the gastrointestinal tract. Existing GIST cell lines are widely used as cell models for in vitro experimental studies because the mutation sites are known. However, the immortalization methods of these cell lines are unknown, and no Chinese patient-derived GIST cell lines have been documented.

High-quality TEM specimen preparation for lithium-ion conducting solid electrolytes by low-energy ion milling.

Focused ion beam (FIB) is a widely used method to prepare transmission electron microscopy (TEM) specimen from bulk materials. However, the surface amorphous layer induced by ion beam is an obstacle to obtain high-quality atomic-scale images for quantitative analysis, especially for the analysis of light elements such as lithium in lithium-ion conducting solid electrolytes. Here, taking lithium-ion conducting solid electrolyte materials as an example, the advantages and disadvantages of applying low-energy Ar ion for fine milling after FIB are investigated.

Maximizing light-driven CO and N fixation efficiency in quantum dot-bacteria hybrids.

Integrating light-harvesting materials with microbial biochemistry is a viable approach to produce chemicals with high efficiency from the air, water, and sunlight. Yet it remains unclear whether all absorbed photons in the materials can be transferred through the material-biology interface for solar-to-chemical production and whether the presence of materials beneficially affect the microbial metabolism. Here we report a microbe-semiconductor hybrid by interfacing CO/N-fixing bacterium with CdTe quantum dots for light-driven CO and N fixation with internal quantum efficiencies of 47.

Microstructure of the Li-Al-O Second Phases in Garnet Solid Electrolytes.

The microstructure of the LiLaZrO (LLZO) garnet solid electrolyte is critical for its performance in all-solid-state lithium-ion battery. During conventional high-temperature sintering, second phases are generated at the grain boundaries due to the reaction between sintering aids and LLZO, which have an enormous effect on the performances of LLZO. However, a detailed structure study of the second phases and their impact on physical properties is lacking.

Retrospective study of the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of gastrointestinal stromal tumors in Chinese patients.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) in mainland China. We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological characteristics and survival data of 149 patients with GISTs admitted to Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University from July 2011 to October 2017. The following details were collected from all patients: sex, age, symptoms, preoperative examination, pathology, surgical procedures, and follow-up data.

Advances in the research of the mechanism of secondary resistance to imatinib in gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. At present, surgery is the first-line treatment for primary resectable GISTs; however, the recurrence rate is high. Imatinib mesylate (IM) is an effective first-line drug used for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic recurrent GISTs.

Ultrafast Sintering for Ceramic-Based All-Solid-State Lithium-Metal Batteries.

Long processing time and high temperatures are often required in sintering ceramic electrolytes, which lead to volatile element loss and high cost. Here, an ultrafast sintering method of microwave-induced carbothermal shock to fabricate various ceramic electrolytes in seconds is reported. Furthermore, it is also possible to integrate the electrode and electrolyte in one step by simultaneous co-sintering.

Electrocatalytic NiCoO Nanofiber Arrays on Carbon Cloth for Flexible and High-Loading Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur batteries have ultrahigh theoretical energy densities, which makes them one of the most promising next-generation energy storage systems. However, it is still difficult to achieve large-scale commercialization because of the severe lithium polysulfide (LiPS) shuttle effect and low sulfur loading. Here, we report a flexible lithium-sulfur battery of a high sulfur loading with the assistance of NiCoO nanofiber array grown carbon cloth.

Layer-by-layer anionic diffusion in two-dimensional halide perovskite vertical heterostructures.

Anionic diffusion in a soft crystal lattice of hybrid halide perovskites affects their stability, optoelectronic properties and the resulting device performance. The use of two-dimensional (2D) halide perovskites improves the chemical stability of perovskites and suppresses the intrinsic anionic diffusion in solid-state devices. Based on this strategy, devices with an enhanced stability and reduced hysteresis have been achieved.

All-Solid-State Batteries with a Limited Lithium Metal Anode at Room Temperature using a Garnet-Based Electrolyte.

Metallic lithium (Li), considered as the ultimate anode, is expected to promise high-energy rechargeable batteries. However, owing to the continuous Li consumption during the repeated Li plating/stripping cycling, excess amount of the Li metal anode is commonly utilized in lithium-metal batteries (LMBs), leading to reduced energy density and increased cost. Here, an all-solid-state lithium-metal battery (ASSLMB) based on a garnet-oxide solid electrolyte with an ultralow negative/positive electrode capacity ratio (N/P ratio) is reported.