Novel Insights into Energy Storage Mechanism of Aqueous Rechargeable Zn/MnO2 Batteries with Participation of Mn2+

Aqueous rechargeable Zn/MnO2 zinc-ion batteries(ZIBs)are reviving recently due to their low cost,non-toxicity,and natural abundance.However,their energy storage mechanism remains controversial due to their complicated electrochemical reactions.Meanwhile,to achieve satisfactory cyclic stability and rate performance of the Zn/MnO2 ZIBs,Mn2+ is introduced in the electrolyte(e.g.,ZnSO4 solution),which leads to more complicated reactions inside the ZIBs systems.Herein,based on comprehensive analysis methods including electrochemical analysis and Pourbaix diagram,we provide novel insights into the energy storage mechanism of Zn/MnO2 batteries in the presence of Mn2+.A complex series of electrochemical reactions with the coparticipation of Zn2+,H+,Mn2+,SO42-,and OH-were revealed.During the first discharge process,co-insertion of Zn2+ and H+ promotes the transformation of MnO2 into ZnxMnO4,MnOOH,and Mn2O3,accompanying with increased electrolyte pH and the formation of ZnSO4·3 Zn(OH)2-5 H2O.During the subsequent charge process,ZnxMnO4,MnOOH,and Mn2O3 revert to a-MnO2 with the extraction of Zn2+ and H+,while ZnSO4·3Zn(OH)2·5H2O reacts with Mn2+ to form ZnMn3O7·3 H2O.In the following charge/discharge processes,besides aforementioned electrochemical reactions,Zn2+ reversibly insert into/extract from α-MnO2,ZnxMnO4,and ZnMn3O7·3H2O hosts;ZnSO4·3Zn(OH)2·5 H2O,Zn2Mn3O8,and ZnMn2O4 convert mutually with the participation of Mn2+.This work is believed to provide theoretical guidance for further research on high-performance ZIBs.

High-Performance Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries Realized by MOF Materials

Rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries(ZIB s) have been gaining increasing interest for large-scale energy storage applications due to their high safety,good rate capability,and low cost.However,the further development of ZIB s is impeded by two main challenges:Currently reported cathode materials usually suffer from rapid capacity fading or high toxicity,and meanwhile,unstable zinc stripping/plating on Zn anode seriously shortens the cycling life of ZIBs.In this paper,metal-organic framework(MOF) materials are proposed to simultaneously address these issues and realize high-performance ZIB s with Mn(BTC) MOF cathodes and ZIF-8-coated Zn(ZIF-8@Zn) anodes.Various MOF materials were synthesized,and Mn(BTC) MOF was found to exhibit the best Zn^2+-storage ability with a capacity of 112 mAh g^-1.Zn^2+ storage mechanism of the Mn(BTC) was carefully studied.Besides,ZIF-8@Zn anodes were prepared by coating ZIF-8 MOF material on Zn foils.Unique porous structure of the ZIF-8 coating guided uniform Zn stripping/plating on the surface of Zn anodes.As a result,the ZIF-8@Zn anodes exhibited stable Zn stripping/plating behaviors,with 8 times longer cycle life than bare Zn foils.Based on the above,high-performance aqueous ZIBs were constructed using the Mn(BTC) cathodes and the ZIF-8@Zn anodes,which displayed an excellent long-cycling stability without obvious capacity fading after 900 charge/discharge cycles.This work provides a new opportunity for high-performance energy storage system.

Few-layer Ti3C2Tx MXene delaminated via flash freezing for high-rate electrochemical capacitive energy storage

Few-layer Ti3C2Tx MXene is synthesized from multi-layered Ti3C2Tx via a flash freezing-assisted delamination process.During the flash freezing process,the water molecules in the interlayers of multi-layered MXene are induced to rearrange and produce volume expansion,thus notably expand the MXenes’interlayer distance to form few-layer MXene.The synthesized few-layer Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets display a very small thickness(less than 5 Ti3C2 atom-layers)and expanded interlayer spacing.Consequently,the few-layer Ti3C2Tx exhibits enhanced capacitance(255 F g^-1 vs.177 F g^-1 for the multi-layered Ti3C2Tx)and significantly optimized rate capability(150 F g^-1 at 200 mV s^-1 vs.25 F g^-1 for the multi-layered Ti3C2Tx),because redox-active sites in the few-layer MXene are easily accessible to electrolyte ions.Moreover,an asymmetric supercapacitor is constructed using the few-layer Ti3C2Tx negative electrode and an activated carbon fiber positive electrode.The asymmetric supercapacitor presents a high energy density of 17.9 Wh kg^-1 and a high power density of 14 kW kg^-1,which is inseparable from its wide voltage window of 1.4 V and the good rate performance of the few-layer Ti3C2Tx MXene electrode.Overall,the flash freezing-assist delamination provides an effective and environmental-friendly strategy to synthesize few-layer MXene materials for high-rate electrochemical energy storage.

East Asian Winter Monsoon record from the environmental sensitive grain size component of QF Old Red Sand, Haitan Island, China

The ＂Old Red Sand＂ is widely distributed along the coast of Fujian Province, China. Most studies have been carried out from as- pects of the origin, age and laterization of the ＂Old Red Sand＂, but this paper focused on reconstructing the history of the Asian Winter Monsoon change. On the basis of granulometric analysis of high-resohition samples, we have obtained environmental sen- sitive grain size component （ESGSC） from the Qingfeng （QF） profile by using the grain size-standard deviation method, which proves that the selected ESGSC is an important climate proxy. The mean grain size of this ESGSC could be used to reconstruct the East Asian Winter Monsoon （EAWM） intensity. As such, the history of the EAWM change since 44.0 ka reconstructed here reveals three main phases based on chronology dates of previous researches： （1） 44.0-25.5 ka B.P., the EAWM is relatively weak but increases gradually with fluctuations; （2） 25.5-15.5 ka B.P., relatively strong with high frequency fluctuations; （3） 15.5-7.1 ka B.P., with a weaker winter monsoon, but during 11-10 ka B.P. is remarkably enhanced. The EAWM recorded by mean grain size of the two neighboring sections have a better repeatability, so the millennial scales oscillation should be a reliable signal of the EAWM intensity. The climate recorded by ESGSC of the QF ＂Old Red Sand＂ compared to 6-80 of Huhi Cave stalagmites and Greenland GISP2 ice cores shows a good consistency, especially in detail, the YD event and four Heinrich events are all recorded, but the signal of D-O cycles was relatively weak.

Structure-function integrated biodegradable Mg/polymer composites:Design,manufacturing,properties,and biomedical applications

Mg is a typical biodegradable metal widely used for biomedical applications due to its considerable mechanical properties and bioactivity.Biodegradable polymers have attracted great interest owing to their favorable processability and inclusiveness.However,it is challenging for the degradation rates of Mg or polymers to precisely match tissue repair processes,and the significant changes in local pH during degradation hinder tissue repair.The concept of combining Mg with polymers is proposed to overcome the shortcomings of materials,aiming to meet repair needs from various aspects such as mechanics and biology.Therefore,it is essential to systematically understand the behavior of biodegradable Mg/polymer composite(BMPC)from the design,manufacturing,mechanical properties,degradation,and biological effects.In this review,we elaborate on the design concepts and manufacturing strategies of high-strength BMPC,the“structure-function”relationship between the microstructures and mechanical properties of composites,the variation in the degradation rate due to endogenous and exogenous factors,and the establishment of advanced degradation research platform.Additionally,the interplay among composite components during degradation and the biological function of composites under nonresponsive/stimuli-responsive platforms are also discussed.Finally,we hope that this review will benefit future clinical applications of“structure-function”integrated biomaterials.

cffdrs: an R package for the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System

Introduction:The Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System(CFFDRS)is a globally known wildland fire risk assessment system,and two major components,the fire weather index system and the fire behavior prediction system,have been extensively used both nationally and internationally to aid operational wildland fire decision making.Methods:In this paper,we present an overview of an R package cffdrs,which is developed to calculate components of the CFFDRS,and highlight some of its functionality.In particular,we demonstrate how these functions could be used for large data analysis.Results and Discussion:With this cffdrs package,we provide a portal for not only a collection of R functions dealing with all available components in CFFDRS but also a platform for various additional developments that are useful for the understanding of fire occurrence and behavior.This is the first time that all relevant CFFDRS methods are incorporated into the same platform,which can be accessed by both the management and research communities.

The effect of enzymes on the in vitro degradation behavior of Mg alloy wires in simulated gastric fluid and intestinal fluid

With an upsurge of biodegradable metal implants,the research and application of Mg alloys in the gastrointestinal environment of the digestive tract have been of great interest.Digestive enzymes,mainly pepsin in the stomach and pancreatin in the small intestine,are widespread in the gastrointestinal tract,but their effect on the degradation of Mg alloys has not been well understood.In this study,we investigated the impacts of pepsin and pancreatin on the degradation of Mg-2Zn alloy wires.The results showed that the pepsin and pancreatin had completely different even the opposite effects on the degradation of Mg,although they both affected the degradation product layer.The degradation rate of Mg wire declined with the addition of pepsin in simulated gastric fluid(SGF)but rose with the addition of pancreatin in simulated intestinal fluid(SIF).The opposite trends in degradation rate also resulted in completely different degradation morphologies in wires surface,where the pitting corrosion in SGF was inhibited because of the physical barrier effect of pepsin adsorption.In contrast,the adsorption of pancreatin affected the integrity of magnesium hydrogen phosphate film,causing a relatively uneven degraded surface.These results may help us to understand the role of different digestive enzymes in the degradation of magnesium and facilitate the development and clinical application of magnesium alloy implanted devices for the digestive tract.

Relationship of minimum winter temperature and temperature seasonality to the northern range limit and species richness of trees in North America

Biologists have considered both winter coldness and temperature seasonality as major determinants of the northern limits of plants and animals in the Northern Hemisphere,which in turn drive the well-known latitudinal diversity gradient.However,few studies have tested which of the two climate variables is the primary determinant.In this study,we assess whether winter coldness or temperature seasonality is more strongly associated with the northern latitudinal limits of tree species and with tree species richness in North America.Tree species were recorded in each of 1198 quadrats of 110 km×110 km in North America.We used correlation and regression analyses to assess the relationship of the latitude of the northern boundary of each species,and of species richness per quadrat,with winter coldness and temperature seasonality.Species richness was analyzed within 38 longitudinal,i.e.,north-south,bands(each being>1100 km long and 110 km wide).The latitudes of the northern range limits of tree species were three times better correlated with minimum temperatures at those latitudes than with temperature seasonality.On average,minimum temperature and temperature seasonality together explained 81.5%of the variation in the northern range limits of the tree species examined,and minimum temperature uniquely explained six-fold(33.7%versus 5.8%)more of this variation than did temperature seasonality.Correlations of tree species richness with minimum temperatures were stronger than correlations with temperature seasonality for most of the longitudinal bands analyzed.Compared to temperature seasonality,winter coldness is more strongly associated with species distributions at high latitudes,and is likely a more important driver of the latitudinal diversity gradient.

CBX7 reprograms metabolic flux to protect against meningioma progression by modulating the USP44/c-MYC/LDHA axis

Meningioma is one of the most common primary neoplasms in the central nervous system,but no specific molecularly targeted therapy has been approved for the clinical treatment of aggressive meningiomas.There is hence an urgent demand to decrypt the biological and molecular landscape of malignant meningioma.Here,through the in-silica prescreening and 10-year follow-up studies of 445 meningioma patients,we uncovered that CBX7 expression progressively decreases with malignancy grade and neoplasia stage in meningioma,and a high CBX7 expression level predicts a favorable prognosis in meningioma patients.CBX7 restoration significantly induces cell cycle arrest and inhibits meningioma cell proliferation.iTRAQ-based proteomics analysis indicated that CBX7 restoration triggers the metabolic shift from glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation.The mechanistic study demonstrated that CBX7 promotes the proteasome-dependent degradation of c-MYC protein by transcriptionally inhibiting the expression of a c-MYC deubiquitinase,USP44,consequently attenuates c-MYC-mediated transactivation of LDHA transcripts,and further inhibits glycolysis and subsequent cell proliferation.More importantly,the functional role of CBX7 was further confirmed in subcutaneous and orthotopic meningioma xenograft mouse models and meningioma patients.Altogether,our results shed light on the critical role of CBX7 in meningioma malignancy progression and identify the CBX7/USP44/c-MYC/LDHA axis as a promising therapeutic target against meningioma progression.

胞外囊泡异质性无标记表征技术研究进展

胞外囊泡(extracellular vesicles,EVs)是细胞在信息传递和环境调控时产生的磷脂双分子层膜包裹的囊泡(尺寸为30~1000 nm).近十五年,其生物及临床相关研究发展迅猛,已被视为是细胞间信息传递、癌宿主调节等动态过程的关键因素之一.尽管胞外囊泡具有重要的生物学功能,但其尺寸小、结构脆弱且易聚集,传统生化分析和检测技术难以对其实现精准表征.目前,EVs相关的大多数表征技术采用“批量分析”形式,仅提供大量外泌体的平均结果.为了加深对胞外囊泡异质性的认识,以单个EVs为目标的表征技术将成为新的趋势.本文概述了单颗粒水平胞外囊泡表征的光学和非光学的无标记表征方法,包括拉曼显微、等离激元技术、原子力显微和电子显微技术等.相比于传统整体分析方法,单颗粒水平胞外囊泡表征能够提供更加丰富的信息,在生物医药基础研究领域有着广阔前景.

Correction to cffdrs:an R package for the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System

Correction The original publication(cffdrs,2017)has an error in the citation of figure 1.Below you will find the correct version.Incorrect version:The Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System flow chart(FCFDG 1992)Correct version:The Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System flow chart(Stocks et al.1989).