Construction of Dynamic Alloy Interfaces for Uniform Li Deposition in Li-Metal Batteries

It is well accepted that a lithiophilic interface can effectively regulate Li deposition behaviors,but the influence of the lithiophilic interface is gradually diminished upon continuous Li deposition that completely isolates Li from the lithiophilic metals.Herein,we perform in-depth studies on the creation of dynamic alloy interfaces upon Li deposition,arising from the exceptionally high diffusion coefficient of Hg in the amalgam solid solution.As a comparison,other metals such as Au,Ag,and Zn have typical diffusion coefficients of 10-20 orders of magnitude lower than that of Hg in the similar solid solution phases.This difference induces compact Li deposition pattern with an amalgam substrate even with a high areal capacity of 55 mAh cm^(-2).This finding provides new insight into the rational design of Li anode substrate for the stable cycling of Li metal batteries.

Basal defense is enhanced in a wheat cultivar resistant to Fusarium head blight

Fusarium head blight(FHB),mainly caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium graminearum,is one of the most destructive wheat diseases.Besides directly affecting the yield,the mycotoxin residing in the kernel greatly threatens the health of humans and livestock.Xinong 979(XN979)is a widely cultivated wheat elite with high yield and FHB resistance.However,its resistance mechanism remains unclear.In this study,we studied the expression of genes involved in plant defense in XN979 by comparative transcriptomics.We found that the FHB resistance in XN979 consists of two lines of defense.The first line of defense,which is constitutive,is knitted via the enhanced basal expression of lignin and jasmonic acid(JA)biosynthesis genes.The second line of defense,which is induced upon F.graminearum infection,is contributed by the limited suppression of photosynthesis and the struggle of biotic stress-responding genes.Meanwhile,the effective defense in XN979 leads to an inhibition of fungal gene expression,especially in the early infection stage.The formation of the FHB resistance in XN979 may coincide with the breeding strategies,such as selecting high grain yield and lodging resistance traits.This study will facilitate our understanding of wheat-F.graminearum interaction and is insightful for breeding FHB-resistant wheat.

Dual-Ion Co-Regulation System Enabling High-Performance Electrochemical Artificial Yarn Muscles with Energy-Free Catch States

Artificial yarn muscles show great potential in applications requiring low-energy consumption while maintaining high performance. However, conventional designs have been limited by weak ion-yarn muscle interactions and inefficient “rocking-chair” ion migration. To address these limitations, we present an electrochemical artificial yarn muscle design driven by a dual-ion co-regulation system. By utilizing two reaction channels, this system shortens ion migration pathways, leading to faster and more efficient actuation. During the charging/discharging process, PF_6~- ions react with carbon nanotube yarn, while Li~+ ions react with an Al foil. The intercalation reaction between PF_6~- and collapsed carbon nanotubes allows the yarn muscle to achieve an energy-free high-tension catch state. The dual-ion coordinated yarn muscles exhibit superior contractile stroke, maximum contractile rate, and maximum power densities, exceeding those of “rocking-chair” type ion migration yarn muscles. The dual-ion co-regulation system enhances the ion migration rate during actuation, resulting in improved performance. Moreover, the yarn muscles can withstand high levels of isometric stress, displaying a stress of 61 times that of skeletal muscles and 8 times that of “rocking-chair” type yarn muscles at higher frequencies. This technology holds significant potential for various applications, including prosthetics and robotics.

In-situ emb e dding zeolitic imidazolate framework derived Co–N–C bifunctional catalysts in carbon nanotube networks for flexible Zn–air batteries

Recently, the development of high-performance bifunctional oxygen catalysts integrated with flexible conductive scaffolds f or rechargeable metal-air batteries has attracted considerable interest, driving by fastgrowing wearable electronics. Herein, we report a flexible bifunctional oxygen catalyst thin film consisting of Co–N–C bifunctional catalysts embedding in carbon nanotube(CNT) networks. The catalyst is readily prepared by pyrolysis of cobalt-based zeolitic imidazolate frameworks(ZIF-67) that are in-situ synthesized in CNT networks. Such catalyst film demonstrates very high catalytic activities for oxygen reduction(onset potential: 0.91 V, and half-wave potential: 0.87 V vs. RHE) and oxygen evolution(10 m Acm^-2 at 1.58 V) reactions, high methanol tolerance property, and long-term stability(97% current retention). Moreover, our integrated catalyst film shows very good structure flexibility and robustness. Based on the obtained film air electrodes, flexible Zn–air batteries demonstrate low charging and discharging overpotentials(0.82 V at 1 m A cm^-1) and excellent structure stability in the bending tests. These results indicate that presently reported catalyst films are potential air electrodes for flexible metal–air batteries.

Enhanced Thermal Conductivity of Carbon Nanotube Arrays by Carbonizing Impregnated Phenolic Resins

A carbonization method is reported to improve the thermal conductivity of carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays. After being impregnated with phenolic resins, CNT arrays were carbonized at a temperature up to 1400°C. As a result, pyrolytic carbon was formed and connected non-neighboring CNTs. The pyrolysis improved the room temperature conductivity from below 2 W/m·K up to 11.8 and 14.6 W/m·K with carbonization at 800°C and 1400°C, respectively. Besides the light mass density of 1.1 g/cm3, the C/C composites demonstrated high thermal stability and a higher conductivity up to 21.4 W/m·K when working at 500°C.

Hollow Gradient-Structured Iron-Anchored Carbon Nanospheres for Enhanced Electromagnetic Wave Absorption

In the present paper,a microwave absorber with nanoscale gradient structure was proposed for enhancing the electromagnetic absorption performance.The inorganic-organic competitive coating strategy was employed,which can effectively adjust the thermodynamic and kinetic reactions of iron ions during the solvothermal process.As a result,Fe nanoparticles can be gradually decreased from the inner side to the surface across the hollow carbon shell.The results reveal that it offers an outstanding reflection loss value in combination with broadband wave absorption and flexible adjustment ability,which is superior to other relative graded distribution structures and satisfied with the requirements of lightweight equipment.In addition,this work elucidates the intrinsic microwave regulation mechanism of the multiscale hybrid electromagnetic wave absorber.The excellent impedance matching and moderate dielectric parameters are exhibited to be the dominative factors for the promotion of microwave absorption performance of the optimized materials.This strategy to prepare gradient-distributed microwave absorbing materials initiates a new way for designing and fabricating wave absorber with excellent impedance matching property in practical applications.

Salt-assisted vapor-liquid-solid growth of high-quality ultrathin nickel oxide flakes for artificial synapses in image recognition applications

Transition metal oxides have attracted intense interest owing to their abundant physical and chemical properties.The controlled preparation of large-area,high-quality two-dimensional crystals is essential for revealing their inherent properties and realizing high-performance devices.However,fabricating two-dimensional(2D)transition metal oxides using a general approach still presents substantial challenges.Herein,we successfully achieve highly crystalline nickel oxide(NiO)flakes with a thickness as thin as 3.3 nm through the salt-assisted vapor-liquid-solid(VLS)growth method,which demonstrated exceptional stability under ambient conditions.To explore the great potential of the NiO crystal in this work,an artificial synapse based on the NiO-flake resistive switching(RS)layer is investigated.Short-term and long-term synaptic behaviors are obtained with external stimuli.The artificial synaptic performance provides the foundation of the neuromorphic application,including handwriting number recognition based on artificial neuron network(ANN)and the virtually unsupervised learning capability based on generative adversarial network(GAN).This pioneering work not only paves new paths for the synthesis of 2D oxides in the future but also demonstrates the substantial potential of oxides in the field of neuromorphic computing.

原位透射电镜研究正交相五氧化二铌纳米片的电化学储钠机制

由于正交相五氧化二铌(T-Nb_(2)O_(5))为ReO_(3)型层状结构,锂、钠离子可以在其(001)平面快速脱嵌,而在[001]方向的传输一般较难。本研究通过原位透射电子显微镜(Transmission Electron Microscope,TEM)方法研究钠在T-Nb_(2)O_(5)纳米片(001)面内及[001]方向的钠离子电化学嵌入行为,发现由于纳米片晶体存在大量的位错和畴界,钠离子可通过这些缺陷穿越(001)面扩散,并进而在深层的(001)面内快速扩散。同时,本研究还发现刚合成的T-Nb_(2)O_(5)纳米片在[001]方向上存在调制结构,存在交替分布的压应变和张应变区域,而钠离子的嵌入可以调节这些应变分布。

Influence of temperature on the transformation and self-control of energy during sandstone damage:Experimental and theoretical research

The surrounding rock in tunnelling engineering and coal mining will sometimes be exposed to high temperature. Rock failure is the result of energy dissipation, and the study of the evolution and transformation behavior of energy is of great significance for the in-depth understanding of the deformation and failure of rock after high temperature. This study analyzed the intrinsic connection between mechanical properties and acoustic emission(AE) energy under temperature effect. Based on the energy dissipation and release theory, the distribution and transformation of energy was analyzed, and the energy selfincentive and self-inhibition(EII) model was further established. The main findings are that temperature effect affects the confidence interval trend and the value of AE energy rate, which is related to the change in mechanical properties. The ability of sandstone to store elastic strain energy after exposure to high temperature is independent of the mechanical properties. In this study, the ratio of dissipated energy to elastic energy is used to characterize the stable state of the sandstone system, which can be used as the energy indicator of rock failure precursor. During the absorption, storage, and release of energy before the peak stress, there exists self-incentive and self-inhibition of energy(control behavior).

One-step wet-spinning assembly of twisting-structured graphene/carbon nanotube fiber supercapacitor

Graphene fiber-based supercapacitors hold great promise as flexible energy-storage devices. However, simultaneously achieving high ion-transport ability in electrode and electrolyte layer, which is crucial for realizing the high electrochemical performance, still remains challenging. Here, a facile and effective strategy to solve the problem was proposed by developing a twisting-structured graphene/carbon nanotube(CNT) fiber supercapacitor via one-step wet-spinning process with customized multi-channel spinneret.The remarkable structure features of the resulting fiber supercapacitor with wrinkled and thin electrolyte layer, and well-developed porosity of fiber electrode favored the rapid infiltration and transport of electrolyte ions inside the electrode, as well as between electrode and electrolyte, thus boosting high specific capacitance of 187.6 mF cm^(-2) and energy density of 30.2 μWh cm^(-2), and featuring long cycling life(93%capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles) and excellent flexibility. Moreover, the specific capacitance and energy density could be further improved to 267.2 m F cm^(-2) and 66.8 μWh cm^(-2), respectively, when Mn O2 was incorporated into the fiber.

Atomic Modulation of 3D Conductive Frameworks Boost Performance of MnO2 for Coaxial Fiber‑Shaped Supercapacitors

Coaxial fiber-shaped supercapacitors are a promising class of energy storage devices requiring high performance for flexible and miniature electronic devices.Yet,they are still struggling from inferior energy density,which comes from the limited choices in materials and structure used.Here,Zn-doped CuO nanowires were designed as 3D framework for aligned distributing high mass loading of MnO2 nanosheets.Zn could be introduced into the CuO crystal lattice to tune the covalency character and thus improve charge transport.The Zn–CuO@MnO2 as positive electrode obtained superior performance without sacrificing its areal and gravimetric capacitances with the increasing of mass loading of MnO2 due to 3D Zn–CuO framework enabling efficient electron transport.A novel category of free-standing asymmetric coaxial fiber-shaped supercapacitor based on Zn0.11CuO@MnO2 core electrode possesses superior specific capacitance and enhanced cell potential window.This asymmetric coaxial structure provides superior performance including higher capacity and better stability under deformation because of sufficient contact between the electrodes and electrolyte.Based on these advantages,the as-prepared asymmetric coaxial fiber-shaped supercapacitor exhibits a high specific capacitance of 296.6 mF cm^−2 and energy density of 133.47μWh cm^−2.In addition,its capacitance retention reaches 76.57%after bending 10,000 times,which demonstrates as-prepared device’s excellent flexibility and long-term cycling stability.

CoNi nanoparticles anchored inside carbon nanotube networks by transient heating:Low loading and high activity for oxygen reduction and evolution

Transitional metal alloy and compounds have been developed as the low cost and efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)and oxygen evolution reaction(OER).However,a high mass loading of these catalysts is commonly needed to achieve acceptable catalytic performance,which could cause such problems as battery weight gain,mass transport blocking,and catalyst loss.We report herein the preparation of fine CoNi nanoparticles(5-6 nm)anchored inside a nitrogendoped defective carbon nanotube network(CoNi@N-DCNT)by a transient Joule heating method.When utilized as an electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction and evolution in alkaline media,the CoNi@N-DCNT film catalyst with a very low mass loading of 0.06 mg cm^(-2) showed excellent bifunctional catalytic performance.For ORR,the onset potential(Eonset)and the half-wave potential(E_(1/2))were 0.92 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode(vs.RHE)and 0.83 V(vs.RHE),respectively.For OER,the potential at the current density(J)of 10 mA cm^(-2)(E_(10))was 1.53 V,resulting in an overpotential of 300 mV much lower than that of the commercial RuO_(2) catalyst(320 mV).The potential gap between E_(1/2) and E_(10) was as small as 0.7 V.Considering the low mass loading,the mass activity at E_(10) reached at 123.2 A g^(-1),much larger than that of the RuO_(2) catalyst and literature results of transitional metal-based bifunctional catalysts.Moreover,the CoNi@N-DCNT film catalyst showed very good long-term stability during the ORR and OER test.The excellent bifunctional catalytic performance could be attributed to the synergistic effect of the bimetal alloy.

Carbon nanotube fibers with excellent mechanical and electrical properties by structural realigning and densification

Floating catalysis chemical vapor deposition(FCCVD)direct spinning process is an attractive method for fabrication of carbon nanotube fibers(CNTFs).However,the intrinsic structural defects,such as entanglement of the constituent carbon nanotubes(CNTs)and inter-tube gaps within the FCCVD CNTFs,hinder the enhancement of mechanical/electrical properties and the realization of practical applications of CNTFs.Therefore,achieving a comprehensive reassembly of CNTFs with both high alignment and dense packing is particularly crucial.Herein,an efficient reinforcing strategy for FCCVD CNTFs was developed,involving chlorosulfonic acid-assisted wet stretching for CNT realigning and mechanical rolling for densification.To reveal the intrinsic relationship between the microstructure and the mechanical/electrical properties of CNTFs,the microstructure evolution of the CNTFs was characterized by cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy(SEM),wide angle X-ray scattering(WAXS),polarized Raman spectroscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller(BET)analysis.The results demonstrate that this strategy can improve the CNT alignment and eliminate the inter-tube voids in the CNTFs,which will lead to the decrease of mean distance between CNTs and increase of inter-tube contact area,resulting in the enhanced inter-tube van der Waals interactions.These microstructural evolutions are beneficial to the load transfer and electron transport between CNTs,and are the main cause of the significant enhancement of mechanical and electrical properties of the CNTFs.Specifically,the tensile strength,elastic modulus and electrical conductivity of the high-performance CNTFs are 7.67 GPa,230 GPa and 4.36×10^(6)S/m,respectively.It paves the way for further applications of CNTFs in high-end functional composites.

罗茨风机墙板的在线修复

煤粉制备供分解炉用罗茨风机墙板轴承室有多处径向裂纹,如果更换墙板,则风机的外壳和两侧的墙板难以达到图纸所要求的同心度;若整体更换外壳和墙板,交货周期长。在对轴承室产生裂纹原因、工件材质性能和设备运转特性进行认真分析的基础上,研究确定采用以中间向两头分段的逆向焊法实施手工电弧冷焊。修复后水压试验合格。

Length-dependent alignment of large-area semiconducting carbon nanotubes self-assembly on a liquid–liquid interface

Aligned arrays of semiconducting carbon nanotubes(s-CNTs)with high homogenous density and orientation are urgently needed for high-performance carbon-based electronics.Herein,a length-controlled approach using combined technologies was developed to regulate the s-CNT length and reduce the length distribution.The impact of different lengths and length distributions was studied during aligned self-assembly on a liquid–liquid confined interface was investigated.The results show that short s-CNTs with a narrow distribution have the best alignment uniformity over the large scale.The optimized and aligned s-CNT array can reach a density as high as 100 CNTs·μm−1 on a 4-inch wafer.The field-effect transistor(FET)performance of these optimized s-CNT arrays was 64%higher than arrays without length-control.This study clarified that rational control of s-CNTs with desired length and length distribution on the aligned self-assembly process within the liquid–liquid confined interface.The results illustrate a solid foundation for the application of emerging carbon-based electronics.

High-performance carbon nanotube/polyaniline artificial yarn muscles working in biocompatible environments

Implantable artificial muscles are of great importance for muscle function restoration and physical augmentation but are still challenging.Herein,we report an artificial muscle by soaking-polymerization of polyaniline(PANI)inside a carbon nanotube(CNT)yarn.Working in aqueous biocompatible solutions,the yarn muscle generates a large contractile stroke of 17%and high isometric stress of 8 MPa at voltages lower than 2 V.The excellent performance can be ascribed to the large actuation volume that is enabled by the fast electrochemical redox of PANI confined in a coiled yarn structure.The actuation performance outperforms that of previously reported aqueous artificial yarn muscles.Moreover,the yarn muscle can work well and maintain excellent actuating performance in other biocompatible solutions such as normal saline and Na2SO4 aqueous solution,which makes the CNT/PANI yarn muscles suitable for implantable bionic applications.Finally,a biomimetic arm was fabricated to demonstrate the applications of the CNT/PANI yarn artificial muscle in implantable muscle,underwater robots,and soft exoskeletons.

Modulating selective interaction of NiOOH with Mg ions for high-performance aqueous batteries

Aqueous Mg-ion batteries(AMIBs)featuring advantages of good safety,low cost,and high specific energy have been recognized as a promising energy-storage technology.However,the performance of AMIBs is consistently limited by sluggish diffusion kinetics and structural degradation of cathode materials arising from the strong electrostatic interactions between high-charge-density Mg2+and host materials.Here,layered-structured NiOOH,as traditional cathodes for alkaline batteries,is initially demonstrated to realize proton-assisted Mg-(de)intercalation chemistry with a high discharge platform(0.57V)in neutral aqueous electrolytes.Benefiting from the unique core/shell structure,the resulting NiOOH/CNT cathodes achieve a high capacity of 122.5 mAh g−1 and long cycle stability.Further theoretical calculations reveal that the binding energy of hydrated Mg2+is higher than that of Mg2+with NiOOH,resulting in that Mg2+is easily intercalated/de-intercalated into/from NiOOH.Benefiting from the freestanding design,the assembled fiber-shaped“rocking-chair”NaTi2(PO4)3//NiOOH AMIB shows a high energy density and satisfactory mechanical flexibility,which could be woven into a commercial fabric and power for fiber-shaped photoelectric sensors.

Activation of immune signals during organ transplantation

The activation of host’s innate and adaptive immune systems can lead to acute and chronic graft rejection,which seriously impacts graft survival.Thus,it is particularly significant to clarify the immune signals,which are critical to the initiation and maintenance of rejection generated after transplantation.The initiation of response to graft is dependent on sensing of danger and stranger molecules.The ischemia and reperfusion of grafts lead to cell stress or death,followed by releasing a variety of damage-associated molecular patterns(DAMPs),which are recognized by pattern recognition receptors(PRRs)of host immune cells to activate intracellular immune signals and induce sterile inflammation.In addition to DAMPs,the graft exposed to‘non-self’antigens(stranger molecules)are recognized by the host immune system,stimulating a more intense immune response and further aggravating the graft damage.The polymorphism of MHC genes between different individuals is the key for host or donor immune cells to identify heterologous‘non-self’components in allogeneic and xenogeneic organ transplantation.The recognition of‘nonself’antigen by immune cells mediates the activation of immune signals between donor and host,resulting in adaptive memory immunity and innate trained immunity to the graft,which poses a challenge to the long-term survival of the graft.This review focuses on innate and adaptive immune cells receptor recognition of damage-associated molecular patterns,alloantigens and xenoantigens,which is described as danger model and stranger model.In this review,we also discuss the innate trained immunity in organ transplantation.

Multilevel analysis of the central-peripheral-target organ pathway:contributing to recovery after peripheral nerve injury

Peripheral nerve injury is a common neurological condition that often leads to severe functional limitations and disabilities.Research on the pathogenesis of peripheral nerve injury has focused on pathological changes at individual injury sites,neglecting multilevel pathological analysis of the overall nervous system and target organs.This has led to restrictions on current therapeutic approaches.In this paper,we first summarize the potential mechanisms of peripheral nerve injury from a holistic perspective,covering the central nervous system,peripheral nervous system,and target organs.After peripheral nerve injury,the cortical plasticity of the brain is altered due to damage to and regeneration of peripheral nerves;changes such as neuronal apoptosis and axonal demyelination occur in the spinal cord.The nerve will undergo axonal regeneration,activation of Schwann cells,inflammatory response,and vascular system regeneration at the injury site.Corresponding damage to target organs can occur,including skeletal muscle atrophy and sensory receptor disruption.We then provide a brief review of the research advances in therapeutic approaches to peripheral nerve injury.The main current treatments are conducted passively and include physical factor rehabilitation,pharmacological treatments,cell-based therapies,and physical exercise.However,most treatments only partially address the problem and cannot complete the systematic recovery of the entire central nervous system-peripheral nervous system-target organ pathway.Therefore,we should further explore multilevel treatment options that produce effective,long-lasting results,perhaps requiring a combination of passive(traditional)and active(novel)treatment methods to stimulate rehabilitation at the central-peripheral-target organ levels to achieve better functional recovery.

Large-area growth of ultra-high-density single-walled carbon nanotube arrays on sapphire surface

A scalable approach to obtaining high-density, large-area single-walled carbon nanotube （SWNT） arrays is essential for realizing the full potential of SWNTs in practical electronic devices; this is still a great challenge. Here, we report an improved synthetic method for large-area growth of ultra-high-density SWNT arrays on sapphire surfaces by combining Trojan catalysts （released from the substrate, to assure ultra-high density） with Mo nanoparticles （loaded on the surface, to stabilize the released Trojan catalysts） as cooperating catalysts. Dense and perfectly aligned SWNTs covered the entire substrate and the local density was as high as 160 tubes/pro. Field-effect transistors （FETs） built on such arrays gave an output current density of -488 μA/μm at the drain-source voltage （Vds） = the gate-source voltage （Vgs） = -2 V, corresponding to an on-conductance per width of 244 μS/μm. These results confirm the wide range of potential applications of Trojan-Mo catalysts in the structure-controlled growth of SWNTs.