“Mn-locking” effect by anionic coordination manipulation stabilizing Mn-rich phosphate cathodes

High-voltage cathodes with high power and stable cyclability are needed for high-performance sodium-ion batteries. However, the low kinetics and inferior capacity retention from structural instability impede the development of Mn-rich phosphate cathodes. Here, we propose light-weight fluorine (F) doping strategy to decrease the energy gap to 0.22 eV from 1.52 eV and trigger a “Mn-locking” effect—to strengthen the adjacent chemical bonding around Mn as confirmed by density functional theory calculations, which ensure the optimized Mn ligand framework, suppressed Mn dissolution, improved structural stability and enhanced electronic conductivity. The combination of in situ and ex situ techniques determine that the F dopant has no influence on the Na+ storage mechanisms. As a result, an outstanding rate performance up to 40C and an improved cycling stability (1000 cycles at 20C) are achieved. This work presents an effective and widely available light-weight anion doping strategy for high-performance polyanionic cathodes

Sufentanil postoperative analgesia reduce the increase of T helper 17 cells in rat hepatocellular carcinoma surgical model: A randomised animal study

Surgery-related pain and opioids might exacerbate immune defenses in immunocompromised cancer patients which might affect postoperativd overall survival. Sufentanil is a good postoperative pain control drug,the present study aimed to figure out whether it effect T cell immunity in rat hepatocellular carcinoma surgical model. A rat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) models was established by N-nitrosodiethylamine. Forty-eight of them were randomly divided into 3 equal groups: surgery without postoperative analgesia (Group C), surgery with morphine postoperative analgesia (Group M), surgery with sufentanil postoperative analgesia (Group S). Each animal underwent a standard left hepatolobectomy, and intraperitoneally implanted with osmotic minipumps filled with sufentanil, morphine or normal saline according to the different group. The food and water consumptions, body weight changes, locomotor activity and mechanical pain threshold (MPT) were observed. The ratio of CD4.sup.+/CD8.sup.+, proportions of Th1, Th2, Th17 and Treg cells in blood were detected using flow cytometry. The liver function and the rats' survival situation of each group were observed. The food and water consumption, locomotor activity and MPT of group C declined than those of group S and M on d1, d2, d3 (P 0.05). The CD4.sup.+/CD8.sup.+ ratio and the proportion of Th1 cells were significantly higher while the proportion of Th2, Th17 and Treg cells were significantly lower in group S and group M compared with group C. The rats of group S have higher CD4.sup.+/CD8.sup.+ ratio on d3, while lower proportion of Treg cells on d7 compared with group M. The plasma ALT and AST values in group C were significantly higher than that of group S and group M on both d3 and d7. There were not significant differences in mortality rate between 3 groups.Academi

The mechanism of chronic nicotine exposure and nicotine withdrawal on pain perception in an animal model

It has been demonstrated that smoking is associated with an increase in postoperative and chronic pain. The changes in the pain-related neural pathways responsible for these effects are unknown. Additionally, the effects of nicotine withdrawal, resulting from smoking abstinence preoperatively, has not been evaluated in terms of its impact on pain sensation. In this study, an animal model has been used to assess these effects. A rat model of long-term nicotine exposure was used. Von Frey mechanical sensory tests were performed. Western Blot and immunohistological analysis were conducted on spinal cord samples. Mechanical sensory thresholds increased in the initial period (1-3 weeks), indicating hyposensitivity. Long-term (410 weeks) and under nicotine withdrawal, the mechanical sensory thresholds decreased, indicating hyperalgesia. During short-term nicotine exposure, glutamate decarboxylase 67 (GAD67), GAD65, and μ-opioid receptors (MOR) up-regulated. Beta-endorphins down-regulated. Increased γ -aminobutyric acid (GABA) and MOR appear responsible for the hyposensitivity since the GABA receptor antagonist, bicuculline and opioid receptor antagonist, naloxone decreased the mechanical thresholds of nicotine-induced hyposensitivity. In long-term nicotine exposure, the expression of GAD67, MOR, and GABA decreased. Baclofen, a derivative of GABA, reversed the hyperalgesia seen with nicotine withdrawal. Therefore, nicotine acts as an analgesic when used acutely or short-term. Long-term exposure or nicotine withdrawal (similar to smoking cessation) results in hyperalgesia. Nicotine appears to alter pain sensitivity by affecting the expression of GAD65, GAD67, MOR, endorphins, and GABA. This may partially explain the increased pain and opioid use seen in chronic smokers in the postoperative period

Sodium compensation: a critical technology for transforming batteries from sodium-starved to sodium-rich systems.

Acknowledgements: This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52274309) and Hunan province key R&D technology project (Grant No. 2023GK2070).Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have attracted wide attention from academia and industry due to the low cost and abundant sodium resources. Despite the rapid industrialization development of SIBs, it still faces problems such as a low initial coulombic efficiency (ICE) leading to a significant decrease in battery energy density (e.g., 20%). Sodium compensation technology (SCT) has emerged as a promising strategy to effectively increase the ICE to 100% and drastically boost battery cycling performance. In this review, we emphasize the importance of SCT in high-performance SIBs and introduce its working principle. The up-to-date advances in different SCTs are underlined in this review. In addition, we elaborate the current merits and demerits of different SCTs. This review also provides insights into possible future research directions in SCT for high-energy SIBs

"Mn-locking" effect by anionic coordination manipulation stabilizing Mn-rich phosphate cathodes.

Acknowledgements: W. Z. thanked the funding support from China Scholarship Council/University College London for the joint PhD scholarship. This work was supported by the financial support of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/V027433/3), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government's Horizon Europe funding guarantee (101077226; EP/Y008707/1), STFC Batteries Network (ST/R006873/1), National Natural Science Foundation of China (52274309) and the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, China (2020JJ1007).High-voltage cathodes with high power and stable cyclability are needed for high-performance sodium-ion batteries. However, the low kinetics and inferior capacity retention from structural instability impede the development of Mn-rich phosphate cathodes. Here, we propose light-weight fluorine (F) doping strategy to decrease the energy gap to 0.22 eV from 1.52 eV and trigger a "Mn-locking" effect-to strengthen the adjacent chemical bonding around Mn as confirmed by density functional theory calculations, which ensure the optimized Mn ligand framework, suppressed Mn dissolution, improved structural stability and enhanced electronic conductivity. The combination of in situ and ex situ techniques determine that the F dopant has no influence on the Na+ storage mechanisms. As a result, an outstanding rate performance up to 40C and an improved cycling stability (1000 cycles at 20C) are achieved. This work presents an effective and widely available light-weight anion doping strategy for high-performance polyanionic cathodes