High Areal Capacity Hybrid Magnesium–Lithium-Ion Battery with 99.9% Coulombic Efficiency for Large-Scale Energy Storage

Hybrid magnesium–lithium-ion batteries (MLIBs) featuring dendrite-free deposition of Mg anode and Li-intercalation cathode are safe alternatives to Li-ion batteries for large-scale energy storage. Here we report for the first time the excellent stability of a high areal capacity MLIB cell and dendrite-free deposition behavior of Mg under high current density (2 mA cm^–2). The hybrid cell showed no capacity loss for 100 cycles with Coulombic efficiency as high as 99.9%, whereas the control cell with a Li-metal anode only retained 30% of its original capacity with Coulombic efficiency well below 90%. The use of TiS₂ as a cathode enabled the highest specific capacity and one of the best rate performances among reported MLIBs. Postmortem analysis of the cycled cells revealed dendrite-free Mg deposition on a Mg anode surface, while mossy Li dendrites were observed covering the Li surface and penetrated into separators in the Li cell. The energy density of a MLIB could be further improved by developing electrolytes with higher salt concentration and wider electrochemical window, leading to new opportunities for its application in large-scale energy storage

Responses of osteoblasts under varied tensile stress types induced by stretching basement materials

Osteoblasts are mechanosensitive cells. Tensile stress with different conditions, including loading time, frequency, magnitude, etc. would cause varied responses in osteoblasts. However, it was not clarified that the effect of the loading types on the osteoblasts. In this study, we focused on the effect of varied tensile stress types on osteoblasts, including isotropic stretch, biaxial stretch, and uniaxial stretch with the negative ratio of transverse strain to axial strain (NR) −1, 0, and 0.2 respectively. Cell proliferation was determined to be most efficient when stimulated by 6% strain at a frequency of 1 Hz and a negative value of 0 for 1 h/day. The varied strain resulted in a thickening of the F-actin cytoskeleton and a thinning of the nucleus. Nuclear flattening caused Yes-associated protein (YAP) to be transported to the nucleus. It was suggested that the influence of loading types on the mechanobiology responses must be noticed. The mechanism of cell mechanical sensitivity under varied loading types was explored, which would provide good suggestions for designing microstructures to control deformation patterns in bone tissue engineering.</p

Heavily n‑Dopable π‑Conjugated Redox Polymers with Ultrafast Energy Storage Capability

We report here the first successful demonstration of a “π-conjugated redox polymer” simultaneously featuring a π-conjugated backbone and integrated redox sites, which can be stably and reversibly n-doped to a high doping level of 2.0 with significantly enhanced electronic conductivity. The properties of such a heavily n-dopable polymer, poly­{[<i>N</i>,<i>N</i>′-bis­(2-octyldodecyl)-1,4,5,8-naphthalenedicarboximide-2,6-diyl]-<i>alt</i>-5,5′-(2,2′-bithiophene)} (P­(NDI2OD-T2)), were compared <i>vis-à-vis</i> to those of the corresponding backbone-insulated poly­{[<i>N</i>,<i>N</i>′-bis­(2-octyldodecyl)-1,4,5,8-naphthalenedicarboximide-2,6-diyl]-<i>alt</i>-5,5′-[2,2′-(1,2-ethanediyl)­bithiophene]} (P­(NDI2OD-TET)). When evaluated as a charge storage material for rechargeable Li batteries, P­(NDI2OD-T2) delivers 95% of its theoretical capacity at a high rate of 100C (72 s per charge–discharge cycle) under practical measurement conditions as well as 96% capacity retention after 3000 cycles of deep discharge–charge. Electrochemical, impedance, and charge-transport measurements unambiguously demonstrate that the ultrafast electrode kinetics of P­(NDI2OD-T2) are attributed to the high electronic conductivity of the polymer in the heavily n-doped state

Additional file 1 of Clinical courses and outcomes of COVID-19 associated pulmonary aspergillosis in 168 patients with the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant

Supplementary Material 1: Supplementary Table 1. Comparison of laboratory results of CAPA group and non-fungal infection group. Supplementary Table 2. Differences between survival group and death group in patients with CAP

A Yolk-Shell Design for Stabilized and Scalable Li-Ion Battery Alloy Anodes

Silicon is regarded as one of the most promising anode materials for next generation lithium-ion batteries. For use in practical applications, a Si electrode must have high capacity, long cycle life, high efficiency, and the fabrication must be industrially scalable. Here, we design and fabricate a yolk-shell structure to meet all these needs. The fabrication is carried out without special equipment and mostly at room temperature. Commercially available Si nanoparticles are completely sealed inside conformal, thin, self-supporting carbon shells, with rationally designed void space in between the particles and the shell. The well-defined void space allows the Si particles to expand freely without breaking the outer carbon shell, therefore stabilizing the solid-electrolyte interphase on the shell surface. High capacity (∼2800 mAh/g at C/10), long cycle life (1000 cycles with 74% capacity retention), and high Coulombic efficiency (99.84%) have been realized in this yolk-shell structured Si electrode

Scalable Green Method to Fabricate Magnetically Separable NiFe₂O₄‑Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites with Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance Driven by Visible Light

A reduced graphene oxide (RGO)-supported nickel ferrite (NiFe₂O₄) photocatalyst was prepared by a simple mechanical ball-milling method. No additional solvents, toxic chemical reductants, or ultrasonic or high-temperature heat treatments were needed. The exfoliation and reduction of graphite oxide (GO) and the <i>in situ</i> anchoring of NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles on graphene sheets were fulfilled simultaneously under the strong shear force. The structure characterization shows that the NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed on RGO sheets. Amazingly, after coupling with an appropriate amount of RGO, the photocatalytically inert NiFe₂O₄ exhibited superior photodegradation performance and recycling stability for the degradation of organic pollutant under visible-light irradiation at room temperature. It suggested that the synergistic effect between RGO and NiFe₂O₄ improved the photocatalytic performance of the composite. Moreover, the NiFe₂O₄-RGO is magnetically separable for recycling. Hopefully, this work could shed light on the environment-friendly large-scale production of graphene-based composites through the efficient ball-milling method

ONSD measurement.

<p>The ONSD measurement was assessed 3 mm posterior to the orbit. The ONSDs of the patient with increased ICPs were significantly enlarged.</p

Time-Resolved Fluoroimmunoassay as an Advantageous Analytical Method for Assessing the Total Concentration and Environmental Risk of Fluoroquinolones in Surface Waters

Due to the widespread occurrence in the environment and potential risk toward organisms of fluoroquinolones (FQs), it is of importance to develop high efficient methods for assessing their occurrence and environmental risk. A monoclonal antibody (Mab) with broad cross-reactivity to FQs was produced by immunizing BALB/c mice with a synthesized immunogen prepared by conjugating ciprofloxacin with bovine serum albumin. This developed Mab (C2F3C2) showed broad and high cross-reactivity (40.3–116%) to 12 out of the 13 studied FQs. Using this Mab and norfloxacin conjugated with carrier protein ovalbumin as coating antigen, a time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TRFIA) method was developed for determining the total concentration of at least 12 FQs in environmental waters. The respective detection limit (LOD) and IC₅₀ calculated from the standard curve were 0.053 μg/L and 1.83 μg/L for enrofloxacin (ENR). The LODs of the other FQs, estimated based on the corresponding cross-reactivity and the LOD of ENR, were in the range of 0.051–0.10 μg/L. The developed TRFIA method showed good tolerance to various interfering substances present in environmental matrix at relevant levels, such as humic acids (0–10 mg/L DOC), water hardness (0–2% Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺, w/v), and heavy metals (0–1 mg/L). The spiked recoveries estimated by spiking 0.5, 1, and 2 μg/L of five representative FQs into various water samples including paddy water, tap water, pond water, and river water were in the range of 63–120%. The measured total FQ concentration by TRFIA agreed well with that of liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and was applied to directly evaluate the occurrence and environmental risk of FQs in the surface water of a case area. TRFIA showed high efficiency and great potential in environmental risk assessment as it measures directly the total concentration of a class of pollutants

Solubility Phase Diagram of the Quaternary System Li⁺, Mg²⁺//Cl^–, SO₄^2––H₂O at 298.15 K: Experimental Redetermination and Model Simulation

Solubility isotherms for the ternary system MgCl₂–MgSO₄–H₂O and the quaternary reciprocal system Li⁺, Mg²⁺//Cl^–, SO₄^2––H₂O were determined at 298.15 K by an isothermal dissolution method. In the ternary phase diagram, there are six solubility branches corresponding to the solid phases MgSO₄·<i>n</i>H₂O_(s) (<i>n</i> = 7, 6, 5, 4, 1) and MgCl₂·6H₂O_(s). In the quaternary equilibrium phase diagram, there are 16 solubility co-saturated lines corresponding to the solid phases MgSO₄·<i>n</i>H₂O_(s) (<i>n</i> = 7, 6, 5, 4, 1), MgCl₂·6H₂O_(s), Li₂SO₄·H₂O_(s), LiCl·MgCl₂·7H₂O_(s), and LiCl·H₂O_(s). This report describes for the first time that the equilibrium solid phases MgSO₄·H₂O_(s) and MgSO₄·4H₂O_(s) have been found to exist in this quaternary system. However, the phase field of MgSO₄·H₂O_(s) overlaps with the phase fields of MgSO₄·4H₂O_(s) and MgSO₄·5H₂O_(s), which indicates that MgSO₄·4H₂O_(s) and MgSO₄·5H₂O_(s) are metastable phases; MgSO₄·H₂O_(s) is a relatively more stable phase in both the ternary and quaternary systems. A Pitzer–Simonson–Clegg thermodynamic model was used to simulate the properties of the sub-binary and subternary systems and to predict the solubility phase diagram of the quaternary system. The results of the modeling are in reasonable agreement with the experimental data

ROC curve for the optic nerve sheath diameter.

<p>AUC = 0.965 (95% CI: 0.947–0.984).</p