Unique double-layer solid electrolyte interphase formed with fluorinated ether-based electrolytes for high-voltage lithium metal batteries

Li metal batteries using high-voltage layered oxides cathodes are of particular interest due to their high energy density.However,they suffer from short lifespan and extreme safety concerns,which are attributed to the degradation of layered oxides and the decomposition of electrolyte at high voltage,as well as the high reactivity of metallic Li.The key is the development of stable electrolytes against both highvoltage cathodes and Li with the formation of robust interphase films on the surfaces.Herein,we report a highly fluorinated ether,1,1,1-trifluoro-2-[(2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy)methoxy]ethane(TTME),as a cosolvent,which not only functions as a diluent forming a localized high concentration electrolyte(LHCE),but also participates in the construction of the inner solvation structure.The TTME-based electrolyte is stable itself at high voltage and induces the formation of a unique double-layer solid electrolyte interphase(SEI)film,which is embodied as one layer rich in crystalline structural components for enhanced mechanical strength and another amorphous layer with a higher concentration of organic components for enhanced flexibility.The Li||Cu cells display a noticeably high Coulombic efficiency of 99.28%after 300 cycles and Li symmetric cells maintain stable cycling more than 3200 h at 0.5 mA/cm^(2) and 1.0m Ah/cm^(2).In addition,lithium metal cells using LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2) and Li CoO_(2) cathodes(both loadings~3.0 m Ah/cm^(2))realize capacity retentions of>85%over 240 cycles with a charge cut-off voltage of 4.4 V and 90%for 170 cycles with a charge cut-off voltage of 4.5 V,respectively.This study offers a bifunctional ether-based electrolyte solvent beneficial for high-voltage Li metal batteries.

Simulating the evolution of focused waves by a two-layer Boussinesq-type model

Accurate simulation of the evolution of freak waves by the wave phase focusing method requires accurate linear and nonlinear properties,especially in deep-water conditions.In this paper,we analyze the ability to simulate deep-water focused waves of a two-layer Boussinesq-type(BT)model,which has been shown to have excellent linear and nonlinear performance.To further improve the numerical accuracy and stability,the internal wavegenerated method is introduced into the two-layer Boussinesq-type model.Firstly,the sensitivity of the numerical results to the grid resolution is analyzed to verify the convergence of the model;secondly,the focused wave propagating in two opposite directions is simulated to prove the symmetry of the numerical results and the feasibility of the internal wave-generated method;thirdly,the limiting focused wave condition is simulated to compare and analyze the wave surface and the horizontal velocity of the profile at the focusing position,which is in good agreement with the measured values.Meanwhile the simulation of focused waves in very deep waters agrees well with the measured values,which further demonstrates the capability of the two-layer BT model in simulating focused waves in deep waters.

Anti-aging activity and their mechanisms of natural food-derived peptides:current advancements

Recently,there has been a growing focus on researching ways to delay aging and protect against age-related illnesses.Small molecular exogenous peptides,sourced from dietary elements like animals,plants,and microorganisms,have demonstrated considerable potential in exerting anti-aging effects.Notably,natural food-derived peptides have exhibited enhanced stability,safety,absorption efficiency,and heightened biological activity.These attributes position them with a greater potential for mitigating aging-related disorders compared to alternative anti-aging drugs or phytochemicals.This review summarizes the origins,structural attributes,and isolation methods of natural foodderived peptides with anti-aging properties.It also explores how these external peptides improve aging-related conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases,skin aging,and metabolic disorders.The underlying mechanisms dictating their impact on well-conserved signaling pathways—encompassing oxidative stress,inflammation,apoptosis,and collagen synthesis—are meticulously elucidated.This paper engages in an insightful exploration of the key challenges and pivotal trajectories,grounded in ongoing research endeavors.As a result,this review is poised to offer authoritative scientific guidance and invaluable support for the practical implementation of natural food-derived peptides in the realm of anti-aging applications within the food,pharmaceutical,and cosmetic industries.

Kavalactone yangonin induces autophagy and sensitizes bladder cancer cells to flavokawain A and docetaxel via inhibition of the mTOR pathway

Consumption of kava(Piper methysticum Forst) has been linked to reduced cancer risk in the South Pacific Islands.Kavalactones are major bioactive components in kava root extracts, which have recently demonstrated anti-cancer activities. However, molecular mechanisms of kavalactones' anti-cancer action remain largely unknown. We have identified two kavalactones, yangonin and 5' 6'-dehydrokawain, as potent inducers of autophagic cell death in bladder cancer cells. The effect of yangonin inducing autophagy is associated with increased expression of beclin and ATG5.In addition, yangonin increases the expression of LKB1 and decreases the phosphorylation of Akt, PRAS40, rpS6,p70S6 K and 4E-BP1, leading to increased binding of 4E-BP1 to m7 GTP. The growth inhibitory effects of yangonin were attenuated in TSC1 or LKB1 knockout mouse embryonic fibroblasts, suggesting that TSC1 and LKB1 expression may contribute to optimal growth inhibition by yangonin. Furthermore, yangonin reduces the viability of bladder cancer cell lines derived from different stages of human bladder cancer, and acts synergistically with apoptosis-inducing agents such as docetaxel and flavokawain A. Our results support a novel anti-bladder cancer mechanism by yangonin and further studies are needed to assess the potential use of yangonin for bladder cancer prevention and treatment

LSM-YSZ nano-composite cathode with YSZ interlayer for solid oxide fuel cells

Low temperature prepared(La;Sr;);MnO;-δ-Y;Zr;O;（LSM-YSZ） nano-composite cathode has high three-phase boundary（TPB） density and shows higher oxygen reduction reaction（ORR） activity than traditional LSM-YSZ cathode at reduced temperatures. But the weak connection between cathode and electrolyte due to low sintering temperature restrains the performance of LSM-YSZ nano-composite cathode. A YSZ interlayer, consisted of nanoparticles smaller than 10 nm, is introduced by spinning coating hydrolyzed YSZ sol solution on electrolyte and sintering at 800 °C. The thickness of the interlayer is about 150 nm. The YSZ interlayer intimately adheres to the electrolyte and shows obvious agglomeration with LSM-YSZ nano-composite cathode. The power densities of the cell with interlayer are 0.83, 0.46 and 0.21 W/cm;under 0.7 V at 800, 700 and 600 °C, respectively, which are 36%, 48% and 50% improved than that of original cell. The interlayer introduction slightly increases the ohmic resistance but significantly decreases the polarization resistance. The depressed high frequency arcs of impedance spectra suggest that the oxygen incorporation kinetics are enhanced at the boundary of YSZ interlayer and LSM-YSZ nanocomposite cathode, contributing to improved electrochemical performance of the cell with interlayer.

A GPU accelerated Boussinesq-type model for coastal waves

This study presents an efficient Boussinesq-type wave model accelerated by a single Graphics Processing Unit(GPU).The model uses the hybrid finite volume and finite difference method to solve weakly dispersive and nonlinear Boussinesq equations in the horizontal plane,enabling the model to have the shock-capturing ability to deal with breaking waves and moving shoreline properly.The code is written in CUDA C.To achieve better performance,the model uses cyclic reduction technique to solve massive tridiagonal linear systems and overlapped tiling/shared memory to reduce global memory access and enhance data reuse.Four numerical tests are conducted to validate the GPU implementation.The performance of the GPU model is evaluated by running a series of numerical simulations on two GPU platforms with different hardware configurations.Compared with the CPU version,the maximum speedup ratios for single-precision and double-precision calculations are 55.56 and 32.57,respectively.

太阳噪声对火星探测测控链路影响

在深空探测活动中,随着地球、航天器和太阳之间的相对运动关系变化,会发生日凌现象.日凌期间地面测控设备的天线主波束在对准探测器的同时也对准了太阳,此时太阳所产生的强大电磁辐射会进入地面测控天线的主波束内,对所接收的探测器信号造成强烈的干扰.因此,太阳噪声是影响深空测控通信链路性能的一个重要因素.在我国首次火星探测“天问一号”任务中,利用太阳-地球-火星夹角小于5°的机会,即在2021年9月23日至10月23日期间,利用我国深空测控网位于新疆喀什地区的35 m口径和位于黑龙江佳木斯地区的66 m口径深空测控设备,开展了日凌期间太阳噪声对“天问一号”测控通信链路影响的研究,获取了最新的试验成果,得到了太阳噪声在距离地球4亿千米时对我国深空测控设备X频段测控链路的影响初步规律.对深空测控站接收的下行遥测数据,先进行完备性、正确性校验,然后通过统计遥测接收的误帧率,评估了太阳噪声对深空测控站接收性能影响的效果.通过数据分析可以看出,当方位偏移角小于3°后,太阳热噪声影响增大,小于1°后显著增大;当俯仰偏移角小于2°后,太阳热噪声影响增大,小于0.5°后显著增大.由于“天问一号”任务期间正处在太阳活动的平静期,太阳噪声影响相对较小,后续在“天问一号”的拓展任务期间,地面测控系统还将持续监测日凌对测控链路影响情况,力争获得一个完整太阳活动周期内的数据分析,以便为后续深空探测活动中太阳噪声影响分析提供更加精确的参考依据.

Structure-guided discovery of potent and oral soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors for the treatment of neuropathic pain

Soluble epoxide hydrolase(sEH) is related to arachidonic acid cascade and is over-expressed in a variety of diseases, making sEH an attractive target for the treatment of pain as well as inflammatory-related diseases. A new series of memantyl urea derivatives as potent sEH inhibitors was obtained using our previous reported compound 4 as lead compound. A preferential modification of piperidinyl to 3-carbamoyl piperidinyl was identified for this series via structure-based rational drug design. Compound A20 exhibited moderate percentage plasma protein binding(88.6%) and better metabolic stability in vitro. After oral administration, the bioavailability of A20 was 28.6%. Acute toxicity test showed that A20 was well tolerated and there was no adverse event encountered at dose of 6.0 g/kg. Inhibitor A20 also displayed robust analgesic effect in vivo and dose-dependently attenuated neuropathic pain in rat model induced by spared nerve injury, which was better than gabapentin and sEH inhibitor(±)-EC-5026. In one word, the oral administration of A20 significantly alleviated pain and improved the health status of the rats, demonstrating that A20 was a promising candidate to be further evaluated for the treatment of neuropathic pain.