Improved performance of the rechargeable hybrid aqueous battery at near full state-of-charge

The final publication is available at Elsevier via https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2018.03.152 © 2018. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/For the first time, a green lignin/silica nanocomposite (LSC) is introduced to the rechargeable hybrid aqueous Zn/LiMn2O4 battery (ReHAB) as additive in the cathode formulation. Lignin acts as a key role to regulate and control the structure of LSC, intending to enhance the stability of the ReHAB by improving the float charge performance while maintaining other electrochemical performances of the battery. The lignin/silica nanocomposites (LSCs) are characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, surface area and porosimetry analyzer, and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that amorphous, uniform and mesoporous LSC-1 is prepared at the mass ratio of 1:2 of lignin to silica. LSC-1 used as the cathode additive improves the float charge performance of ReHAB via decreasing the float charge capacity by 57%. To compensate the loss of conductivity caused by LSC-1 and increase the capacity of the battery, graphene (G) is added. Compared to the reference battery, battery using the cathode containing 3 wt% combined additive of LSC-1 and G at mass ratio of 1:1, has 50% lower float charge capacity, higher rate performance and better cyclability. Up to a discharge capacity of 95 mAh g−1 is still obtained after 300 cycles of 100% depth-of-discharge.National Natural Science Foundation of China [21436004]Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province [2017A030308012]Positec Canada Ltd.Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC

Impact of anxiety levels and alexithymia degree on the quality of life in patients with anxiety disorders

Objective·To evaluate the relationship between anxiety level, alexithymia degree and quality of life in patients with anxiety disorders.Methods·Anxiety disorder patients admitted to the outpatient department of Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from October 1, 2020 to March 31, 2023 were selected as the research subjects, and 438 patients were ultimately included after exclusion. Among them, there were 271 patients with generalized anxiety disorder, 101 patients with panic disorder, 48 patients with social anxiety disorder, 12 patients with agoraphobia, and 6 patients with specific phobia. Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Hamilton Depression Scale-17 (HAMD-17), the twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale-Brief Form Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) were used to assess the patients' anxiety level, depression level, alexithymia degree and quality of life, respectively, and the scale scores of patients with different subtypes of anxiety disorders were evaluated. Spearman correlation coefficient was used to analyze the correlation between anxiety level, depression level, alexithymia degree and quality of life in patients with anxiety disorders. Stepwise regression model was used to analyze the key variables affecting the quality of life in patients with anxiety disorders.Results·There were no significant differences in HAMA score, HAMD-17 score and TAS-20 score among patients with different subtypes of anxiety disorders, but the differences in WHOQOL-BRIEF score were statistically significant (H=10.076, P=0.039). The results of Spearman correlation analysis showed that the WHOQOL-BRIEF score of anxiety disorder patients was negatively correlated with HAMA score, HAMD-17 score and TAS-20 score (r=-0.256, P=0.000; r=-0.311, P=0.000; r=-0.342, P=0.000). The results of stepwise regression analysis showed that age, HAMA score, HAMD-17 score and TAS-20 score had significant impact on the quality of life of patients (all P<0.05).Conclusion·The quality of life in patients with different subtypes of anxiety disorders is different. The anxiety level, depression level and alexithymia degree are the key variables affecting their quality of life

Controlling the sustainability and shape change of the zinc anode in rechargeable aqueous Zn/LiMn2O4 battery

The final publication is available at Elsevier via https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ensm.2018.03.023 © 2018. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/The use of thixotropic gel electrolytes in the rechargeable hybrid aqueous battery improves the battery performance but it is required to have a corrosion inhibitor in the gel electrolyte. These inhibitors are not always friendly to the environment. In this work, we use lignin – a renewable material – to neutralize strong acid sites of the fumed silica gelling agent prior to gel preparation. Linear polarization, chronoamperometry, and ex-situ scanning electron microscopy examinations show that the new gel electrolyte reduces the corrosion on zinc (up to 43%) and supports planar zinc deposit. In other words, the shape of the zinc surface is controlled and it is further confirmed by the XRD and SEM of post-battery run anodes. Moreover, the battery using this new lignin coated fumed silica based gel electrolyte exhibits a float charge current as low as 0.0025 mA after 24 h of monitoring, which is 30.6% lower than the reference. The capacity retention of gelled battery is as high as 82% after 1000 cycles at 4 C, which is 14% higher than the reference battery using reference liquid electrolyte under the same CC-CV test, complemented by lower self-discharge and higher rate capability. The results lead the team nearer to a commercializable gelled battery system.National Natural Science Foundation of China ["21576106","21436004"]Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province ["2017A030308012"]Positec Canada Ltd., Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC), Mitacs ["IT06145"

Lowered circulating aspartate is a metabolic feature of human breast cancer

Distinct metabolic transformation is essential for cancer cells to sustain a high rate of proliferation and resist cell death signals. Such a metabolic transformation results in unique cellular metabolic phenotypes that are often reflected by distinct metabolite signatures in tumor tissues as well as circulating blood. Using a metabolomics platform, we find that breast cancer is associated with significantly (p = 6.27E-13) lowered plasma aspartate levels in a training group comprising 35 breast cancer patients and 35 controls. The result was validated with 103 plasma samples and 183 serum samples of two groups of primary breast cancer patients. Such a lowered aspartate level is specific to breast cancer as it has shown 0% sensitivity in serum from gastric (n = 114) and colorectal (n = 101) cancer patients. There was a significantly higher level of aspartate in breast cancer tissues (n = 20) than in adjacent non-tumor tissues, and in MCF-7 breast cancer cell line than in MCF-10A cell lines, suggesting that the depleted level of aspartate in blood of breast cancer patients is due to increased tumor aspartate utilization. Together, these findings suggest that lowed circulating aspartate is a key metabolic feature of human breast cancer

INFLUENCE OF LIGNOSULFONATES ON THE PROPERTIES OF DIMETHOMORPH WATER-DISPERSIBLE GRANULES

Different molecular weight fractions of lignosulfonates (LS), LS having different cations, and modified LS with different degree of sulfonation and intrinsic viscosity were prepared and used as dispersants for Dimethomorph water-dispersible granules (DWG). The suspending ratio of DWG was tested to evaluate the effectiveness of LS as a dispersant. Moreover, the stability of DWG suspensions was measured by a new instrument (Turbiscan LabExpert). The suspending ratios of DWG having different molecular weight fraction of LS increased with increasing molecular weight in a suitable range. The kind of cation associated with the LS didn’t have an obvious influence the effectiveness of LS as a dispersant. Furthermore, the higher degree of sulfonation of LS, of which the intrinsic viscosity was similar, the better was its effectiveness as a dispersant. When the intrinsic viscosity increased within a suitable range, the effectiveness of LS as a dispersant increased. Similar findings were achieved by evaluating the stability of DWG suspensions with all the LS as dispersants, and larger molecular weight could decrease the growth of particle size

Lignosulfonate-Assisted Synthesis of Porous Carbon-Supported MnO₂ Composites with Reinforced Interface Bonding for High-Performance Asymmetric Supercapacitors

Carbon/transition metal oxide composites exhibit promising potential as electrode materials for energy storage, but regulating their interfacial composite structures remains a formidable challenge. In this work, we develop a lignosulfonate-assisted synthesis strategy to fabricate a porous carbon-supported MnO2 composite (LSC/MnO2-2) with a robust interface for asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs). The functionalized lignin porous carbon, achieved through π–π interactions with lignosulfonate, exhibited improved dispersibility, thereby facilitating the deposition of MnO2 onto the carbon matrix. Consequently, LSC/MnO2-2 demonstrates uniform MnO2 loading and enhanced interfacial bonding. The robust interaction between Mn sites and the lignosulfonate-functionalized carbon substrate can promote electron transfer and ion transfer kinetics, effectively activating the electrochemical activity of MnO2. The as-prepared LSC/MnO2-2 demonstrates high specific capacitances of 750 F/g at 0.5 A/g and 400 F/g at 10.0 A/g in a 1 M KOH electrolyte. Furthermore, the assembled ASC exhibits an outstanding energy density of 54.4 Wh/kg at 998.2 W/kg and excellent cyclic stability (94.7% retention over 10,000 cycles at 2.0 A/g). This study presents an alternative method to precisely control the deposition of metal oxides onto carbon materials, aiming to enhance the performance of carbon composites

Effect of Temperature on a Lignin-based Polymer with Two Types of Microstructures

A lignin-based polymer (GCL1-JB) was dispersed in solvents with different proportion between 1,4 dioxane and water for forming linear and spherical microstructures. The effects of temperature on the solution behaviors and adsorption characteristics of GCL1-JB with different microstructures were investigated by light scattering, conductivity, zeta potential, UV-Vis spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and contact angle measurements. Results showed that GCL1-JB solutions with different microstructures have different responses to environmental temperature changes, which is related to the movements of charges. For GCL1-JB with a spherical microstructure, as the temperature increases, the degree of ionization does not decrease. However, the surface charges decrease due to the charged groups moving from the surface into the interior because of the charge gradient, which induces a significant decrease in the zeta potential. As the surface charges decrease and the hydrophobic interaction increases, the GCL1-JB aggregates. Therefore, the scattered light intensity increases significantly and the corresponding GCL1-JB adsorbed film has a larger adsorbed amount, a more rough surface, and a larger contact angle. However, for GCL1-JB with a linear microstructure, the surface charges do not obviously change with a temperature increase, even though the charged groups move from side to side. Therefore, the zeta potential and the scattered light intensities of these GCL1-JB solutions are basically independent of temperature, and the corresponding adsorption characteristics do not obviously change

Bioinspired Engineering towards Tailoring Advanced Lignin/Rubber Elastomers

The pursuit of high volume and high value-added applications for lignin has been a long-term challenge. In this work, inspired by the energy sacrificial mechanism from biological materials, we developed high-performance lignin/carbon black (CB)/nitrile rubber (NBR) elastomers by constructing a dual-crosslinking network consisting of sulfur covalent bonds and dynamic coordination sacrificial bonds. Lignin was not only used for the substitution of half mass of CB in the NBR elastomer but also served as natural ligands for the Zn-based coordination bonds, providing a significant synergistic coordination enhancement effect. The mechanical performance of the elastomers can be easily manipulated by adjusting the proportion of non-permanent coordination bonds and permanent covalent bonds. Lignin/CB/NBR elastomers with a higher strength and modulus than CB-filled elastomers were obtained while maintaining excellent elasticity. The thermal stability and the high-temperature oil resistance of NBR elastomers were also improved by incorporation of lignin and metal coordination bonds. Overall, this work inspires a new solution for the design of high-performance lignin/rubber elastomers with a high lignin loading content