Methods on Investigating Properties of Electrode/Electrolyte Interfaces in Lithium-Ion Batteries

The rechargeable lithium-ion battery has been extensively used in mobile communication and portable instruments due to its many advantages, such as high volumetric and gravimetric energy density and low self-discharge rate. In addition, it is the most promising candidate as the power source for ( hybrid) electric vehicles and stationary energy storage. The properties of electrode/electrolyte interfaces play an important role in the electrochemical performance of the electrode material and a battery, such as the capacities, irreversible charge "loss", rate capability and cyclability. In present paper, the methods to investigate the properties of electrode/electrolyte interfaces, for example, traditional electrochemical methods, microscopy methods, spectroscopic methods, electrochemical quartz crystal microgravimetry (EQCM) are summarized. The principles, advantages and disadvantages of these methods and their applications in investigating the properties of electrode/electrolyte interfaces, especially the progress in the combination of these methods to investigate the properties of electrode/electrolyte interfaces, are introduced in detail, and these methods will be considerable to study the new materials or the traditional materials for lithium-ion batteries in the future

Anti-Proliferative Activity of HPOB against Multiple Myeloma Cells via p21 Transcriptional Activation

Histone acetylation or deacetylation is closely associated with the progression of multiple myeloma (MM). Currently, many histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors have been approved for being used in clinical trials, but theirtherapeutic effectsarestill not ideal. As a novel HDAC inhibitor, hydroxamicacid-based small-moleculeN-hydroxy-4-(2-[(2-hydroxyethyl)(phenyl)amino]-2-oxoethyl)benzamide (HPOB)’s possible roles in MM have not been studied. In this present study, the effect of HPOB as a potential anti-tumor agent in preventingproliferation and inducing apoptosis of MM cells had been investigated in detail. Our results showed that HPOB decreased the survival of MM cells in dose- and time-dependent manner. In addition, HPOB caused the accumulation of MM cells in G1 phase compared with the dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) control group. Interestingly, we found that HPOB could overcome bortezomib (BTZ) resistance inMM cells and combining HPOB with BTZ could further sensitize MM cells. Certainly, our data illuminated that HPOB-mediated cell death occurs via transcriptional activation of p21, which was associated with an elevated level of global histone 3 acetylation (H3Ac) modification. Therefore, HPOB could be a potential candidate for MM treatment and the combination of HPOB and bortezomibcould bea possible therapeutic strategy for relapsed and refractory MM

Structural characteristics of corncob and eucalyptus contributed to sugar release during hydrothermal pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis

Explicitly understanding biomass recalcitrance through the characterization of biomass physicochemical properties may help to develop efficient pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis strategies. The lignin of corncob and eucalyptus contain the same main linkage bonds: beta-O-4 aryl ether bonds, beta-beta and beta-5 structures, but the lignin of eucalyptus was of the syringyl (S)-guaiacy (G) type, while that of corncob was SG-p-hydroxyphenyl (H) type, corresponding to lignin S/G ratios of 1.6 and 1.1 respectively. Under the optimum microwave-hydrothermal pretreatment condition of 180 degrees C for 30 min at a 12.5% substrate concentration, the maximum total xylose yield of corncob (64.7%) was lower than that of eucalyptus (79.2%). In contrast, corncob resulted in a greater increase in enzymatic digestibility, from 59.6 to 82.4%, after pretreatments, compared with 16.7 to 74.9% for eucalyptus. There was a positive correlation between the xylose yield and lignin S/G ratio, but the lignin content was negatively correlated with enzymatic digestibility. Furthermore, based on the non-destructive characterization of three-dimensional X-ray microscopy, not only was the increase in the number and size of surface pores beneficial to the accessibility of cellulose to cellulosic enzymes, but the swelling of cell wall could reduce the recalcitrance of sugar release

A MEMS-based Electronic Capsule for Time Controlled Drug Delivery in the Alimentary Canal

A controlled drug delivery system (CDDS) that is capable of releasing right dose of drug in the alimentary canal at the prespecified time has been designed, fabricated and tested. This micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS)-based CDDS, in the form of an electronic capsule, has four major components: a timer module for controlling drug release, a driving unit for releasing drug to the alimentary canal, a microfluidic chamber for drug reservoir, and a power supply. Of these four components, the timer module is the most critical one as it needs to provide precise timing points for drug release and must have a simple mechanism for setting up timing parameters externally. To this end, a microcontroller has been employed to realize the timer, while an external resistance network is used to program the timing parameter. The performance of the electronic capsule is evaluated through in vitro and in vivo animal experiments. The preliminary results have confirmed that the electronic capsule can release drug reliably and effectively at the scheduled time points

Phase-Exchange Solvent Pretreatment Improves the Enzymatic Digestibility of Cellulose and Total Sugar Recovery from Energy Sorghum

Traditional liquid hot water pretreatment (LHWP) has a high water consumption, a high reaction temperature, and low lignin removal, making it unsuitable for industrial applications of biomass conversion. In this study, we developed a new phase-exchange solvent pretreatment (PESP) based on the varied phase composition of furfural (FF)-water at different temperatures. Substitution of water with FF had no significant influence on xylan hydrolysis, but it improved the mass transfer performance. At the optimum conditions of 180 degrees C, an FF:water ratio of 30:70 (v/v), a solid:liquid ratio of 1:8 (w/v), and 0.2 wt % sulfuric acid for 30 min, the PESP of energy sorghum achieved a 74.98% total xylose yield and removed 85.08% of the lignin, while there was a selective distribution of sugar and lignin in the aqueous and organic phases, respectively. Moreover, 99.58% of the cellulase enzyme digestibility and 94.02% of the total sugar recovery were achieved after 72 h. This unusually high enzymatic digestibility could be attributed to the physicochemical changes in the substrate after the pretreatment. When compared with a traditional LHWP (5% solid loading), the water consumption decreased by approximately 72% and the lignin removal increased by 60.74%. These results demonstrate that PESP is a promising technology for biorefining lignocellulosic biomass with high efficiency and low energy consumption