Hierarchical Carbon@SnS₂ Aerogel with “Skeleton/Skin” Architectures as a High-Capacity, High-Rate Capability and Long Cycle Life Anode for Sodium Ion Storage

Developing high-performance electrode materials with high energy and long-term cycling stability is a hot topic and of great importance for sodium ion batteries (SIBs). In this work, a highly porous carbon/tin sulfide aerogel with a “skeleton/skin” morphology (SSC@SnS2) has been developed and further used as a binder-free anode for SIBs. This SSC@SnS2 electrode delivers a high specific capacity of 612 mA h g–1 at 0.1 A g–1, a good rate capability, and a long-term cycling stability up to 1000 times with an average Coulombic efficiency of ∼99.9%. Meanwhile, this SSC@SnS2 aerogel also achieves a stable cycling performance even at a high current density up to 5.0 A g–1. The fast-yet-stable sodium ion storage performance of the prepared SSC@SnS2 aerogel can be ascribed to the reasons that (i) the carbon nanofiber/graphene skeleton provides unimpeded pathways for the rapid transfer of electrons; (ii) thin SnS2 skin with nonaggregated morphology can provide a great number of active sites for sodium ion storage; (iii) the porous structure of the SSC@SnS2 aerogel ensures a rapid penetration of electrolyte and can further accommodate the volume expansion of active SnS2 nanoflakes; and (iv) the intermediate product of Na15Sn4 alloy contributes greatly to the sodium ion storage performance of the SSC@SnS2 aerogel. The excellent electrochemical performances coupling with the unique structural features of this SSC@SnS2 aerogel make it a promising anode candidate for SIBs

DataSheet1_Accelerated catalytic ozonation for aqueous nitrobenzene degradation over Ce-loaded silicas: Active sites and pathways.docx

Cerium oxides loaded silica catalysts were synthesized by an impregnation method by simply mixing Ce precursor with silica spherule (Ce/SS) and ordered MCM-41 zeolites (Ce/MCM-41), followed by a mild calcination. Compared with pure SS and MCM-41, Ce modified Ce/SS and Ce/MCM-41 demonstrate much improved catalytic ozonation activities for mineralization of recalcitrant nitrobenzene (NB). At solution pH of 6, 86 and 97% TOC mineralization rates were achieved within 60 min for Ce/MCM-41 and Ce/SS, respectively. Characterization results suggest that Ce loading significantly increases the surface Lewis acidic sites, which would synergize with Ce3+/Ce4+ redox cycle for the activity improvement. With the aid of in situ electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra and quenching tests, hydroxyl radical (·OH), superoxide radical (O2•–), and singlet oxygen (1O2) are identified as the O3 catalytic decomposition products, while ·OH mainly accounts for NB mineralization. The detailed degradation route of NB was further investigated by the multi-chromatography analysis. NB is firstly oxidized into polyhydroxy compounds, followed by small molecular organic acids, and finally being mineralized into CO2 and H2O. This study established a facile strategy to synthesize highly active and stable Ce/SiO2 catalysts for catalytic ozonation, and elucidated the in-depth mechanisms for the activity origins of the Ce loaded silica-based materials in catalytic ozonation processes (COP).</p

<i>S</i>. <i>pneumoniae</i> infection is associated with enhanced inflammatory tissue pathology of allergic airways disease.

<p>Hematoxylin and eosin staining of lung samples from uninfected, allergic (OVA), neonatal infected, allergic (Neo/OVA), neonatal infected, non-allergic (Neo), and uninfected, non-allergic (control) mice (A) (200×). Histologic scores of pulmonary peribronchiolitis (B), pulmonary perivasculitis (C), and pulmonary alveolitis (D). Data are reported as mean ± standard error from three separate experiments (<i>n</i> = 6–8 mice/group). **<i>P</i> < 0.01, ***<i>P</i> < 0.001 <i>vs</i>. control; ^#<i>P</i> < 0.05, ^##<i>P</i> < 0.01, ^###<i>P</i> < 0.001 <i>vs</i>. OVA.</p

Additional file 1 of Economic impact of powered stapler in video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy for lung Cancer in a Chinese tertiary hospital: a cost-minimization analysis

Additional file 1: Supplemental Table. Summary of the prediction formulas for categorized hospital costs in the cost-minimization mode

Toward Stable Zinc-Ion Batteries: Use of a Chelate Electrolyte Additive for Uniform Zinc Deposition

Zn-ion batteries are re-evaluated as a potential choice to address the safety issue and cost concerns of current energy storage systems. Unfortunately, further application is severely hindered by low coulombic efficiency and poor cycle life, which are caused by the undesirable dendrite growth and side reactions on metal Zn anode. Herein, ethylenediamine­tetraacetic acid (EDTA) is employed as an electrolyte additive to solve the problem. The functional groups of EDTA adsorption layer on Zn foil results in refined grains by providing abundant nucleation sites for initial deposition and further induces uniform and flat Zn deposition without dendrites. Moreover, the chelation of EDTA with Zn2+ changes the coordination environment of hydrated Zn2+ and suppresses the side reactions. The smooth deposition of Zn endows the Zn anodes with super stability in both symmetric cells and Zn–V2O5 full cells. This work provides a simple and feasible approach for solving anode issues in high-performance and safe Zn-ion batteries

Establishment of neonatal <i>S</i>. <i>pneumoniae</i> infection model and schematic of study protocol.

<p>Neonatal BALB/c mice were divided into the following groups: infected non-allergic (Neo), infected allergic (Neo/OVA), uninfected allergic (OVA), and uninfected non-allergic (control). Mice were infected intranasally with <i>S</i>. <i>pneumoniae</i> or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) on day 0 (1 week-old). The <i>S</i>. <i>pneumoniae</i> clearance time (A) and the body weight (B) were monitored. Mice were sensitized by an i.p. injection of ovalbumin (OVA) or PBS on days 21 and 28, and challenged with aerosolized OVA or PBS to induce allergic airways disease (AAD) on days 35–42. Key features of AAD were characterized within 24 h after the final challenge (on day 43) (C).</p

S. pneumoniae infection-induced interleukin (IL)-17A is responsible for the aggravated allergic airways disease (AAD).

<p>Anti-IL-17A monoclonal antibody was administrated by i.p. injection on days 34 and 36, and features of AAD were assessed on day 43 (A). The influx of total inflammatory cells (B), neutrophils (C), eosinophils (D), airway hyperresponsiveness (E), tissue pathology (F), and the levels of interferon (IFN)-γ (G), IL-5 (H), IL-13 (I) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were assessed. Data are reported as mean ± standard error from three separate experiments (<i>n</i> = 4–6 mice/group); ***<i>P</i> < 0.001 <i>vs</i>. isotype control; ^<i>###</i><i>P</i> < 0.001 <i>vs</i>. OVA. OVA = uninfected, allergic, Neo/OVA = neonatal infected, allergic.</p

Neonatal <i>S</i>. <i>pneumoniae</i> infection enhances ovalbumin (OVA)-induced leukocyte and neutrophil infiltration of the airways.

<p>Total cells (A), eosinophils (B), and neutrophils (C) were counted from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) collected 24 h after the final challenge. OVA, uninfected, allergic; Neo/OVA, neonatal infected, allergic; Neo, neonatal infected, non-allergic; Control, uninfected, non-allergic. Data are shown as mean ± standard error from three separate experiments (<i>n</i> = 6–8 mice/group); ***<i>P</i> < 0.001 <i>vs</i>. controls; ^###<i>P</i> < 0.001 <i>vs</i>. OVA.</p

Airway inflammation in mice with neonatal <i>S</i>. <i>pneumoniae</i> infection correlates with Th17 cytokine production.

<p>Cytokine levels of interleukin (IL)-17A (A), IL-5 (B), IL-13 (C), interferon (IFN)-γ (D), IL-10 (E), and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β (F) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of uninfected, allergic (OVA), neonatal infected, allergic (Neo/OVA), neonatal infected, non-allergic (Neo), and uninfected, non-allergic (control) mice were measured by ELISA. Data are reported as mean ± standard error from three separate experiments (<i>n</i> = 6–8 mice/group); *<i>P</i> < 0.05; **<i>P</i> < 0.01, ***<i>P</i> < 0.001 <i>vs</i>. controls; ^#<i>P</i> < 0.05, ^##<i>P</i> < 0.01, ^###<i>P</i> < 0.001 <i>vs</i>. OVA.</p