An efficient Hauser-base electrolyte for rechargeable magnesium batteries

Rechargeable magnesium batteries(RMBs)are considered the promising candidates for post lithium-ion batteries due to the abundant storage,high capacity,and dendrite-rare characteristic of Mg anode.However,the lack of practical electrolytes impedes the development and application of RMBs.Here,through a one-step reaction of LiCl congenital-containing Knochel–Hauser base TMPL(2,2,6,6-tetrame thylpiperidinylmagnesium chloride lithium chloride complex)with Lewis acid AlCl_(3),we successfully synthesized an efficient amino-magnesium halide TMPLA electrolyte.Raman and mass spectroscopy identified that the electrolyte comprises the typical di-nuclear copolymer[Mg_(2)Cl_(3)·6THF]+cation group and[(TMP)2AlCl_(2)]-anion group,further supported by the results of density functional theory calculations(DFT)and the Molecular dynamics(MD)simulations.The TMPLA electrolyte exhibits promising electrochemical performance,including available anodic stability(>2.65 V vs.SS),high ionic conductivity(6.05mS cm^(-1)),and low overpotential(<0.1 V)as well as appropriate Coulombic efficiency(97.3%)for Mg plating/stripping.Both the insertion Mo6S8cathode and conversion Cu S cathode delivered a desirable electrochemical performance with high capacity and good cycling stability based on the TMPLA electrolyte.In particular,when compatible with low cost and easily synthesized Cu S,the Cu S||Mg cell displayed an extremely high discharge capacity of 458.8 mAh g^(-1)for the first cycle and stabilized at 170.2 mAh g^(-1)with high Coulombic efficiency(99.1%)after 50 cycles at 0.05 C.Our work proposes an efficient electrolyte with impressive compatibility with Mg anode and insertion/conversion cathode for practical RMBs and provides a more profound knowledge of the Lewis acid–base reaction mechanisms.

Research status and prospect of separators for magnesium-sulfur batteries

Magnesium-sulfur(Mg-S)batteries have attracted wide research attention in recent years,and are considered as one of the major candidates to replace lithium-ion batteries due to the high theoretical energy density,low costs of active materials,and high safety.However,there are still significant challenges that need to be overcome before they can reach the large-scale practical applications.The key issue is the dissolution and shuttle effect of magnesium polysulfides(Mg-PSs),which leads to severe capacity degradation and shortens cycling life,greatly limiting the development of Mg-S batteries.In order to overcome these challenges,great efforts have been made in cathode materials,electrolytes,and separators.Herein,we review the investigations on suppressing the shuttle effect of Mg-PSs via the modification of separators,including schemes such as coating the functional materials that can hold Mg-PSs on the surface of polyolefin-based or glass fiber(GF)separators,forming gel polymer separators via cross-linking polymerization reactions,and developing gel polymer electrolytes coupled with GF separators.Furthermore,an outlook is proposed for the future design on separator exploitation to accelerate the development of Mg-S battery technology.

Isolation and initial characterization of GW5, a major QTL associated with rice grain width and weight

Grain weight is a major determinant of crop grain yield and is controlled by naturally occurring quantitative trait loci （QTLs）. We earlier identified a major QTL that controls rice grain width and weight, GW5, which was mapped to a recombination hotspot on rice chromosome 5. To gain a better understanding of how GW5 controls rice grain width, we conducted fine mapping of this locus and uncovered a 1 212-bp deletion associated with the increased grain width in the rice cultivar Asominori, in comparison with the slender grain rice IR24. In addition, genotyping analyses of 46 rice cultivars revealed that this deletion is highly correlated with the grain-width phenotype, suggesting that the GW5 deletion might have been selected during rice domestication. GW5 encodes a novel nuclear protein of 144 amino acids that is localized to the nucleus. Furthermore, we show that GW5 physically interacts with polyubiquitin in a yeast two-hybrid assay. Together, our results suggest that GW5 represents a major QTL underlying rice width and weight, and that it likely acts in the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway to regulate cell division during seed development. This study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanisms controlling rice grain development and suggests that GW5 could serve as a potential tool for high-yield breeding of crops.

Identification and fine mapping of two blast resistance genes in rice cultivar 93-11

Rice blast, caused by Magnaporthe oryzae, is a major disease of rice almost worldwide. The Chinese indica cultivar 93-11 is resistant to numerous isolates of the blast fungus in China, and can be used as broad-spectrum resistance resource, particularly in japonica rice breeding programs. In this study, we identified and mapped two blast resistance genes, Pi60(t) and Pi61(t), in cv. 93-11 using F2 and F3 populations derived from a cross between the susceptible cv. Lijiangxintuanheigu(LTH) and resistant cv. 93-11 and inoculated with M. oryzae isolates from different geographic origins. Pi60(t) was delimited to a 274 kb region on the short arm of chromosome 11, flanked by InDel markers K1-4 and E12 and cosegregated with InDel markers B1 and Y10. Pi61(t) was mapped to a 200 kb region on the short arm(near the centromere) of chromosome 12, flanked by InDel markers M2 and S29 and cosegregating with InDel marker M9. In the 274 kb region of Pi60(t), 93-11 contains six NBS-LRR genes including the two Pia/ PiCO39 alleles(BGIOSGA034263 and BGIOSGA035032) which are quite close to the two Pia/ PiCO39 alleles(SasRGA4 and SasRGA5) in Sasanishiki and CO39, with only nine amino acids differing in the protein sequences of BGIOSGA035032 and SasRGA5. In the 200 kb region of Pi61(t), 93-11 contains four NBS-LRR genes, all of which show high identities in protein sequence with their corresponding NBS-LRR alleles in susceptible cv. Nipponbare. Comparison of the response spectra and physical positions between the target genes and other R genes in the same chromosome regions indicated that Pi60(t) could be Pia/PiCO39 or its allele, whereas Pi61(t) appears to be different from Pita, Pita-2, Pi19(t), Pi39(t) and Pi42(t) in the same R gene cluster. DNA markers tightly linked to Pi60(t) and Pi61(t) will enable marker-assisted breeding and map-based cloning.

A crosslinking hydrogel binder for high-sulfur content S@pPAN cathode in rechargeable lithium batteries

High-energy density lithium-sulfur(Li-S) batteries have received intensive attention as promising energy storage system.Among diverse sulfur-based cathodes,sulfurized pyrolyzed poly(acrylonitrile)(S@pPAN)cathode delivered superior electrochemical performance.However,the sulfur content of S@pPAN is relatively low(<50 wt%),which significantly limits the energy density.Herein,a hydrogel SA-Cu binder was proposed with a crosslinking network constructed by Cu^(2+) ions.The introduction of Cu^(2+) ions enabled excellent electrochemical behaviors of S@pPAN cathode even with high sulfur content of 52.6 wt% via chemical interaction with sulfur and polysulfide.Moreover,a favorable cathode interphase was formed containing electrochemically active and conductive CuSx.S@pPAN/SA-Cu exhibited a high sulfur utilization of 85.3%,long cycling stability over 1000 cycles and remarkable capacity of 1200 mAh g_(s)^(-1) even at10 C.Furthermore,ascribed to the improved electrode structure,high-loading electrode(sulfur loading:4 mg cm^(-2)) displayed stable cycling with areal capacity of 5.26 mAh cm^(-2)(1315 mAh g_(s)^(-1)) after 40 cycles.This study provides new directions to prepare high-sulfur content and high-loading S@pPAN cathode for higher energy density.

A new flame-retardant polymer electrolyte with enhanced Li-ion conductivity for safe lithium-sulfur batteries

Flame-retardant polymer electrolytes(FRSPEs)are attractive due to their potential for fundamentally settling the safety issues of liquid electrolytes.However,the current FRSPEs have introduced large quantity of flame-retardant composition which cannot conduct lithium ions,thus decreasing the Li-ion conductivity.Here,we synthesize a novel liquid monomer 2-((bis((2-oxo-1,3-dioxolan-4-yl)methoxy)phosphoryl)oxy)ethyl acrylate(BDPA)for preparing FRSPE by in-situ polymerization,in which PBDPA polymer can not only conduct lithium ions,but also prevent burning.The prepared FRSPE demonstrated outstanding flame-retardant property,favorable lithium-ion conductivity of 5.65×10^(-4) S cm^(-1) at ambient temperature,and a wide electrochemical window up to 4.5 V.Moreover,the Li/in-situ FRSPE/S@pPAN cell exhibited favorable electrochemical performances.We believe that this work provides an effective strategy for establishing high-performance fireproof quasi-solid-state battery system.

Electrolyte design strategies towards long-term Zn metal anode for rechargeable batteries

Rechargeable Zinc(Zn)batteries exhibit great potentials as alternative energy storage devices due to their high safety,low cost,and environmental friendliness.However,the long-standing issues of low Coulombic efficiency(CE)and poor cycle stability of Zn anode,derived from dendrite,H_(2)evolution,and passivation are directly related to their thermodynamic instability in aqueous electrolyte,severely shorten the battery's cycle life.Recently reported electrolyte design strategies,which have made great progress to address Zn metal anode problems,are summarized into two categories,that is,aqueous electrolytes about cation-water interaction controlling and interface adjusting,and novel types of electrolytes towards less water,non-aqueous solvents,even no solvents.The final section shows the brief comparisons,including failure mechanisms of electrolyte exhaustion and short circuit for aqueous and nonaqueous electrolyte based full cells respectively,and possible perspectives for future research.

Crosslinked polyacrylonitrile precursor for S@pPAN composite cathode materials for rechargeable lithium batteries

S@pPAN has become promising cathode materials in rechargeable batteries due to its high compressed density,low E/S ratio,no polysulfide dissolution,no self-discharge,and stable cycling.However,it is a big challenge to enhance its sulfur content which determines its practical specific capacity.Herein,we prepare crosslinked PAN as precursor,leading to effective enhancement of sulfur content up to 55 wt%and a reversible specific capacity of 838 mAh g _(composites)^(-1) at 0.2C.Because of the microporous structure and high specific area,crosslinked PAN provides more space to accommodate sulfur molecule and improve the interfacial reaction of S@pPAN as well.This work provides a promising direction to design S@pPAN for lithium sulfur batteries with high energy density.

Roadmap for rechargeable batteries:present and beyond

Rechargeable batteries currently hold the largest share of the electrochemical energy storage market,and they play a major role in the sustainable energy transition and industrial decarbonization to respond to global climate change.Due to the increased popularity of consumer electronics and electric vehicles,lithium-ion batteries have quickly become the most successful rechargeable batteries in the past three decades,yet growing demands in diversified application scenarios call for new types of rechargeable batteries.Tremendous efforts are made to developing the next-generation post-Li-ion rechargeable batteries,which include,but are not limited to solid-state batteries,lithium–sulfur batteries,sodium-/potassium-ion batteries,organic batteries,magnesium-/zinc-ion batteries,aqueous batteries and flow batteries.Despite the great achievements,challenges persist in precise understandings about the electrochemical reaction and charge transfer process,and optimal design of key materials and interfaces in a battery.This roadmap tends to provide an overview about the current research progress,key challenges and future prospects of various types of rechargeable batteries.New computational methods for materials development,and characterization techniques will also be discussed as they play an important role in battery research.

Post lithium-sulfur battery era:challenges and opportunities towards practical application

Lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries have been regarded as a promising next-generation energy storage system owing to the high theoretical energy density and natural abundance of sulfur.Abundant fundamental researches have pushed the flourishing development on electrochemical behaviors in recent 20 years.It is time to evolve into post-Li-S battery era with the pursuit towards practical application.During the landmark leap,numerous new challenges appear under harsh conditions,such as high sulfur loading,low cathode density,lean electrolyte and limited lithium reservoir.Herein,we summarize the considerable parameters of pouch Li-S cells and review the pioneering studies focused on the cathode structure,conversion kinetics,electrode interphase and battery safety.The interwoven relationship of these key points is concluded and discussed,which provides guidance to future researches aiming to safe and long-lifespan Li-S batteries with high energy density.

Structure and reactions mechanism of sulfurized polyacrylonitrile as cathodes for rechargeable Li-S batteries

Sulfurized polyacrylonitrile(S@pPAN)composite provides a conductive pathway for sulfur active material at the molecular level and has already become one of the most promising cathode materials in lithium-sulfur batteries because of its outstanding electrochemical performances via novel solid-solid conversion mechanism.Although there are a great number of researches on the S@pPAN composite material,the accurate structure of S@pPAN and its redox reaction mechanism during the charge-discharge process still have not been determined.The previous research and inferences about the structure of S@pPAN and its electrochemical reaction mechanism were summarized in this review,providing a reference for the future study of lithiumsulfur batteries.

Electrolyte solvation chemistry to construct an anion-tuned interphase for stable high-temperature lithium metal batteries

Lithium metal batteries are regarded as promising alternative next-generation energy storage systems.However,the unstable anode interphase results in dendrite growth and irreversible lithium consumption with low Coulombic efficiency(CE).Herein,we rationally design a Li^(+)coordination structure via electrolyte solvation chemistry.Nitrate anions are aggregated in the solvation sheath,even at low concentration in a solvent with moderate solvation ability,which promotes Li^(+)desolvation and constructs a nitrate anion-tuned interphase.Meanwhile,a high-donor-number solvent is introduced as an additive to strongly coordinate with Li^(+),which accelerates the ion-transfer kinetics and rate performance.This not only results in micro-sized lithium deposition and a high CE of 99.5%over 3500 h,but also enables superior anode stability even under 50%depth plating/stripping and with a lean electrolyte of 3 g Ah^(-1)at 50℃.A lithium-sulfur battery exhibits a prolonged lifespan of 2000 cycles with an average CE of 100%.A full battery using 1x excess lithium exhibits a high capacity near 1600 mAh g S^(-1)for 100 cycles without capacity loss.Moreover,a 0.55 Ah pouch cell delivers a reversible energy density of 423 Wh kg^(-1)based on these electrodes and electrolyte.

A Novel Chloroplast-Localized Pentatricopeptide Repeat Protein Involved in Splicing Affects Chloroplast Development and Abiotic Stress Response in Rice

Pentatricopeptide repeat （PPR） proteins comprise a large family in higher plants and modulate organellar gene expression by participating in various aspects of organellar RNA metabolism. In rice, the family contains 477 members, and the majority of their functions remain unclear. In this study, we isolated and characterized a rice mutant, white stripe leaf （wsl）, which displays chlorotic striations early in development. Map-based cloning revealed that WSL encodes a newly identified rice PPR protein which targets the chloroplasts. In wsl mutants, PEP-dependent plastid gene expression was significantly down-regulated, and plastid rRNAs and translation products accumulate to very low levels. Consistently with the observations, wsl shows a strong defect in the splicing of chloroplast transcript rpl2, resulting in aberrant transcript accumulation and its product reduction in the mutant. The wsl shows enhanced sensitivity to ABA, salinity, and sugar, and it accumulates more H2O2 than wild-type. These results suggest the reduced translation efficiency may affect the response of the mutant to abiotic stress.

Identification of a Stable Quantitative Trait Locus for Percentage Grains with White Chalkiness in Rice (Oryza sativa)

High chalkiness is a major problem in many rice-producing areas of the world, especially in hybrid rice （Oryza sativa L.） in China. We previously showed a major quantitative trait locus for the percentage of grains with white chalkiness （QTLqPGWC-8） in the interval G1149-R727 on chromosome 8 using a chromosome segment substitution line （CSSL）. Here, we selected the line-CSSL50 harboring the QTLqPGWC-8 allele from the CSSLs derived from a cross between Asominori （as a recurrent parent） and IR24 （as a donor parent）, which had higher percentage chalkiness, markedly different from that of Asominori. There were also significant differences in starch granules, appearance of amylose content （AAC） and milling qualities between Asominori and CSSL50, but not in grain size or thousand grain weight （TGW）. The BC4F2 and BC4F3 populations from a cross between CSSL50 and Asominori were used for fine mapping of qPGWC-8. We narrowed down the location of this QTL to a 142 kb region between Indel markers 8G-7 and 8G-9. QTLqPGWC-8 accounted for 50.9% of the difference in PGWC between the parents. The markers tightly linked to qPGWC-8 should facilitate cloning of the gene underlying this QTL and will be of value for marker-assisted selection in breeding rice varieties with better grain quality.

GW5-Like, a homolog of GW5, negatively regulates grain width, weight and salt resistance in rice

Grain size is an important determinant of yield potential in crops. We previously demonstrated that natural mutations in the regulatory sequences of qSW5/GW5 confer grain width diversity in rice. However, the biological function of a GW5 homolog, named GW5-Like(GW5 L), remains unknown. In this study, we report on GW5 L knockout mutants in Kitaake, a japonica cultivar(cv.)considered to have a weak gw5 variant allele that confers shorter and wider grains. GW5 L is evenly expressed in various tissues, and its protein product is localized to the plasma membrane. Biochemical assays verified that GW5 L functions in a similar fashion to GW5. It positively regulates brassinosteroid(BR) signaling through repression of the phosphorylation activity of GSK2. Genetic data show that GW5 L overexpression in either Kitaake or a GW5 knockout line, Kasaorf3(indica cv. Kasalath background), causes more slender, longer grains relative to the wild-type. We also show that GW5 L could confer salt stress resistance through an association with calmodulin protein OsCa M1-1. These findings identify GW5 L as a negative regulator of both grain size and salt stress tolerance, and provide a potential target for breeders to improve grain yield and salt stress resistance in rice.

Estimation of Postmortem Interval Using the Radiological Techniques,Computed Tomography:A Pilot Study

Estimation of postmortem interval(PMI)has been an important and difficult subject in the forensic study.It is a primary task of forensic work,and it can help guide the work in field investigation.With the development of computed tomography(CT)technology,CT imaging techniques are now being more frequently applied to the field of forensic medicine.This study used CT imaging techniques to observe area changes in different tissues and organs of rabbits after death and the changing pattern of the average CT values in the organs.The study analyzed the relationship between the CT values of different organs and PMI with the imaging software Max Viewer and obtained multiparameter nonlinear regression equation of the different organs,and the study provided an objective and accurate method and reference information for the estimation of PMI in the forensic medicine.In forensic science,PMI refers to the time interval between the discovery or inspection of corpse and the time of death.CT,magnetic resonance imaging,and other imaging techniques have become important means of clinical examinations over the years.Although some scholars in our country have used modem radiological techniques in various fields of forensic science,such as estimation of injury time,personal identification of bodies,analysis of the cause of death,determination of the causes of injury,and identification of the foreign substances of bodies,there are only a few studies on the estimation of time of death.We detected the process of subtle changes in adult rabbits after death,the shape and size of tissues and organs,and the relationship between adjacent organs in three-dimensional space in an efiort to develop new method for the estimation of PMI.The bodies of the dead rabbits were stored at 20℃ room temperature,sealed condition,and prevented exposure to flesh flies.The dead rabbits were randomly divided into comparison group and experimental group.The whole-body CT scans were performed on the experimental group of rabbits at different PMIs.NeuViz dual-slice spiral CT scanner(made by Neusoft Medical in China,2 mm×10 mm high-speed rare earth ceramic detector)is a 360°scan that could obtain two images,capable of providing a wide range of high-speed continuous spiral scan.Max Viewer(Version:1.0.0131,Neusoft,Shenyang,China)is a CT image viewing software developed by Neusoft Medical.The software can be used to view and process images in various common methods and to measure a number of parameters,such as length,area,angle,and CT values.Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS1 Statistics 19.0(SPSS,Inc.,Chicago,IL,USA).AP<0.05 was considered statistically significant.We obtained the binomial regression equation of the CT values and the related coefficient(R^(2)).In the future,we suggests that comprehensive analyses of various indicators of different organs could establish a diversified pattern to remedy the deficiencies and make the study of PMI estimation more scientific and enhance the operability.

Recent progress on selenium-based cathode materials for rechargeable magnesium batteries: A mini review

Rechargeable magnesium batteries have received increasing interest because of the prominent advantages, including high security, low cost, and high energy density. The development of rechargeable magnesium batteries is hindered by the sluggish Mg2+ion diffusion kinetics, which makes the exploration of high-performance cathode materials a problem. Recently researchers have exploited various seleniumbased cathodes for rechargeable magnesium batteries. Herein, we have critically reviewed these advancements, studying different types of reaction mechanisms and analyzing the electrochemical performance of cathode materials in rechargeable magnesium batteries. Besides, as key materials for rechargeable magnesium batteries, the exploit and optimization of electrolytes are discussed as well, including the selection of reagents, the effect of Li salts, and the compatibility between electrodes and electrolytes. Finally,promising directions are proposed for future rechargeable magnesium batteries based on selenium-based cathode materials.

High-energy silicon-sulfurized poly(acrylonitrile)battery based on a nitrogen evolution reaction

The practical application of high-energy lithium–sulfur battery is plagued with two deadly obstacles.One is the“shuttle effect”originated from the sulfur cathode,and the other is the low Coulombic efficiency and security issues arising from the lithium metal anode.In addressing these issues,we propose a novel silicon-sulfurized poly(acrylonitrile)full battery.In this lithium metal-free system,the Li source is pre-loaded in the cathode,using a nitrogen evolution reaction(NER)to implant Li+into the silicon/carbon anode.Sulfurized poly(acrylonitrile)based on a solid–solid conversion mechanism can fundamentally circumvent the“shuttle effect”.Meanwhile,the silicon/carbon anode can achieve more efficient utiliza-tion and higher security when compared with the Li metal anode.The full cell used in this technology can deliver a capacity of 1169.3 mAh g^(-1),and it can be stabilized over 100 cycles,implying its excellent elec-trochemical stability.Furthermore,the practical pouch cell with a high sulfur loading of 4.2 mg cm^(-2)can achieve a high specific energy of 513.2 Wh kg-1.The mechanism of the NER in cathode has also been investigated and analyzed by in situ methods.Notably,this battery design completely conforms to the current battery production technology because of the degassing of gasbag,resulting in a low manufactur-ing cost.This work will open the avenue to develop a lithium metal-free battery using the NER.

Controlled Synthesis of Porous Carbon Nanostructures with Tunable Closed Mesopores via a Silica-Assisted Coassembly Strategy

Controllable fabrication of mesoporous carbon nanoparticles(MCNs)with tunable pore structures is of great interest,due to the remarkable effect of pore structure on electrochemical performance of the materials.However,it has remained a major challenge.Here,we demonstrate the controlled synthesis of MCNs with tunable closed pore structures via a silica-assisted coassembly strategy,which employs polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide)diblock copolymers as soft template,phenolic resol and tetraethyl orthosilicate as carbon and silica precursors,respectively.Through simply varying the sequential cross-linking of the silica and carbon precursors or the copolymer composition,novel MCNs with alluring spherical,hollow-hoop-structured,or yolk-shell-like closed mesopores are tunably prepared.In particular,serving as cathode materials of lithium-sulfur batteries,the resultant silica-hybridized MCNs with the exceptional hollow-hoop mesopores and a moderate sulfur-loading content of 46 wt%exhibit top-level electrochemical performance.This study opens an avenue for tunable construction of mesoporous particles with closed pores and provides clues for the effect of pore geometry on the electrochemical performance of porous cathode materials for lithium-sulfur batteries.