Health risk assessment of trace metal(loid)s in agricultural soils based on Monte Carlo simulation coupled with positive matrix factorization model in Chongqing, southwest China

This study aimed to investigate the pollution characteristics, source apportionment, and health risks associated with trace metal(loid)s(TMs) in the major agricultural producing areas in Chongqing, China. We analyzed the source apportionment and assessed the health risk of TMs in agricultural soils by using positive matrix factorization(PMF) model and health risk assessment(HRA) model based on Monte Carlo simulation. Meanwhile, we combined PMF and HRA models to explore the health risks of TMs in agricultural soils by different pollution sources to determine the priority control factors. Results showed that the average contents of cadmium(Cd), arsenic (As), lead(Pb), chromium(Cr), copper(Cu), nickel(Ni), and zinc(Zn) in the soil were found to be 0.26, 5.93, 27.14, 61.32, 23.81, 32.45, and 78.65 mg/kg, respectively. Spatial analysis and source apportionment analysis revealed that urban and industrial sources, agricultural sources, and natural sources accounted for 33.0%, 27.7%, and 39.3% of TM accumulation in the soil, respectively. In the HRA model based on Monte Carlo simulation, noncarcinogenic risks were deemed negligible(hazard index <1), the carcinogenic risks were at acceptable level(10^(-6)<total carcinogenic risk ≤ 10^(-4)), with higher risks observed for children compared to adults. The relationship between TMs, their sources, and health risks indicated that urban and industrial sources were primarily associated with As, contributing to 75.1% of carcinogenic risks and 55.7% of non-carcinogenic risks, making them the primary control factors. Meanwhile, agricultural sources were primarily linked to Cd and Pb, contributing to 13.1% of carcinogenic risks and 21.8% of non-carcinogenic risks, designating them as secondary control factors.

High Colloidal Stable Carbon Dots Armored Liquid Metal Nano-Droplets for Versatile 3D/4D Printing Through Digital Light Processing(DLP)

Liquid metal(LM)and liquid metal alloys(LMs)possess unique physicochemical features,which have become emerging and functionalized materials that are attractive applicants in various fields.Herein,uniform LM nanodroplets armored by carbon dots(LMD@CDs)were prepared and exhibited high colloidal stability in various solvents,as well as water.After optimization,LMD@CDs can be applied as functional additives for the 3D/4D printing of hydrogel and cross-linked resin through digital light processing(DLP).The light absorption of LMD@CDs not only improved the printing accuracy,but also led to the cross-linking density differential during the post-curing process.Base on the cross-linking density differential of soft hydrogel and photothermal performance of the LM,the 3D printed objects can exhibit stimulus responses to both water and laser irradiation.Additionally,the CDs shell and LM core of LMD@CDs provide the printed objects interesting photoluminescence and electric conductivity capabilities,respectively.We deduce this versatile 3D/4D printing system would provide a new platform for the preparation of multi-functional and stimuli-responsive advance materials.

Contamination and human health risk assessment of heavy metal(loid)s in topsoil and groundwater around mining and dressing factories in Chifeng,North China

Chifeng is a concentrated mining area for non-ferrous metal minerals,as well as a key prevention and control area for heavyduty enterprises.This situation necessitates an efective ecological and human health risk assessment of heavy metal(loid)s driven by the wide distribution of metal ore processing,mining,and smelting factories in Hexigten Banner and Bairin Left Banner.We conducted surveys to assess the levels of heavy metal(loid)s(Cr,As,Pb,Cd,and Hg)in the topsoil and groundwater of the areas.The results indicated that the concentrations of As,Cd,and Pb in partial soil samples exceeded the environmental quality standards of Grade II.Based on contamination assessments,such as geoaccumulation indices and pollution indices,we inferred that Cd,Pb,and As were primary pollutants in topsoil.Potential ecological risks when considered as part of the average risk indices(RI)are up to 1626.40 and 2818.76,respectively,in the two areas.Comparative analysis revealed that Cd posed a very high potential ecological risk,followed by As.Moreover,the evaluation showed that the three exposure pathways of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk followed a descending order:inhalation>ingestion>dermal contact,except for Pb.Arsenic in topsoil posed a potential non-carcinogenic risk to human health,while there were no adverse efects of As in groundwater.In addition,the average total carcinogenic risk for As in the two areas,as well as the risk of Pb in the topsoil of Bairin Left Banner and all the fve heavy metal(loid)s in groundwater,exceeded human tolerance.Pb–Zn mines caused higher human health risks.In addition,the tandem contamination of heavy metal(loid)s in soil and groundwater was not obvious.This research study provides a basis for pollution remediation to control heavy industry-induced ecological and health risks of heavy metal(loid)s.

Multiple assessments, source determination, and health risk apportionment of heavy metal(loid)s in the groundwater of the Shule River Basin in northwestern China

Global ecosystems and public health have been greatly impacted by the accumulation of heavy metal(loid)s in water.Source-specific risk apportionment is needed to prevent and manage potential groundwater contamination with heavy metal(loid)s.The heavy metal(loid)s contamination status,water quality,ecological risk,and health risk apportionment of the Shule River Basin groundwater are poorly understood.Therefore,field sampling was performed to explore the water quality and risk of heavy metal(loid)s in the groundwater of the Shule River Basin in northwestern China.A total of 96 samples were collected from the study area to acquire data for water quality and heavy metal(loid)s risk.There was noticeable accumulation of ferrum in the groundwater of the Shule River Basin.The levels of pollution were considered to be moderately low,as evaluated by the degree of contamination,heavy metal evaluation index,heavy metal pollution index,and Nemerow pollution index.The ecological risks were also low.However,an assessment of the water quality index revealed that only 58.34%of the groundwater samples had good water quality.The absolute principal component scores-multiple linear regression model was more suited for this study area than the positive matrix factorization model.There were no obvious noncarcinogenic or carcinogenic concerns for all types of receptors according to the values of the total hazard index and total carcinogenic risk.The human activities and the initial geological environment factor(65.85%)was the major source of noncarcinogenic risk(residential children:87.56%;residential adults:87.52%;recreational children:86.77%;and recreational adults:85.42%),while the industrial activity factor(16.36%)was the major source of carcinogenic risk(residential receptors:87.96%;and recreational receptors:68.73%).These findings provide fundamental and crucial information for reducing the health issues caused by heavy metal(loid)s contamination of groundwater in arid areas.

Templated synthesis of transition metal phosphide electrocatalysts for oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions

Transition metal phosphides(TMPs)have been regarded as alternative hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)and oxygen evolution reaction(OER)catalysts owing to their comparable activity to those of noble metal-based catalysts.TMPs have been produced in various morphologies,including hollow and porous nanostructures,which are features deemed desirable for electrocatalytic materials.Templated synthesis routes are often responsible for such morphologies.This paper reviews the latest advances and existing challenges in the synthesis of TMP-based OER and HER catalysts through templated methods.A comprehensive review of the structure-property-performance of TMP-based HER and OER catalysts prepared using different templates is presented.The discussion proceeds according to application,first by HER and further divided among the types of templates used-from hard templates,sacrificial templates,and soft templates to the emerging dynamic hydrogen bubble template.OER catalysts are then reviewed and grouped according to their morphology.Finally,prospective research directions for the synthesis of hollow and porous TMP-based catalysts,such as improvements on both activity and stability of TMPs,design of environmentally benign templates and processes,and analysis of the reaction mechanism through advanced material characterization techniques and theoretical calculations,are suggested.

Assessment of the Level of Metal(loid)s Pollution and Bioactive Compounds Screening of Anthill Soil

The anthill soil is used by hypertensive elderly and teenagers from Oshikoto region (Namibia) and many of them testified stabilization of their blood pressure to normal after consuming the anthill soil-derived aqueous extracts. This study therefore investigated and/or assessed the physicochemical parameters, the contents of some metal(loid)s (and their associated potential health risks) and the qualitative composition of bioactive compounds of this anthill soil. The homogenous soil sample collected from various anthill soils in the Oshikoto region was used to obtain the measurements of physiochemical parameters. The elemental contents were determined (using an Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrophotometer) after acid digestion in accordance with the EPA method 350B and their potential health risk assessments were performed. Methanol, aqueous methanol, and aqueous-based extracts were generated via maceration extraction process prior to the screening of bioactive compounds using standard diagnostic assays. The oxidation reduction potential (164.4 ± 16.6 mV) was the only physicochemical parameter whose value was within the World Health Organization limits for drinking water whereas, total dissolved solids (23 ± 5.5 mg/L), electrical conductivity (44 ± 10.1 uS/cm) and pH (5.35 ± 0.33) were out of specifications. Phenolic compounds, flavonoids, terpenoids, and cardiac glycosides were present in anthill soil (with respect to the extractants used) to which its antihypertensive properties can be attributed in addition to some of the studied mineral components. With respect to the pH, TDS and EC, and the contents of most metal(loid)s in relation to their health risk assessment values, the results suggest that aqueous extracts derived from this anthill soil can be deemed unsuitable for human consumption.

Towards advanced zinc anodes by interfacial modification strategies for efficient aqueous zinc metal batteries

Developing sustainable and clean energy sources(e.g.,solar,wind,and tide energy)is essential to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality.Due to the discontinuous and inco nsistent nature of common clean energy sources,high-performance energy storage technologies are a critical part of achieving this target.Aqueous zinc metal batteries(AZMBs)with inherent safety,low cost,and competitive performance are regarded as one of the promising candidates for grid-scale energy storage.However,zinc metal anodes(ZMAs)with irreversible problems of dendrite growth,hydrogen evolution reaction,self-corrosio n,and other side reactions have seriously hindered the development and commercialization of AZMBs.An increasing number of researchers are focusing on the stability of ZMAs,so assessing the effectiveness of existing research strategies is critical to the development of AZMBs.This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals and challenges of AZMBs.Resea rch strategies for interfacial modification of ZMAs are systematically presented.The features of artificial interfacial coating and in-situ interfacial coating of ZMAs are compared and discussed in detail,as well as the effect of modified interfacial ZMA on the full-battery performance.Finally,perspectives are provided on the problems and challenges of ZMAs.This review is expected to offer a constructive reference for the further development and commercialization of AZMBs.

On the thermodynamics of plasticity during quasi-isentropic compression of metallic glass

Entropy production in quasi-isentropic compression (QIC) is critically important for understanding the properties of materials under extremeconditions. However, the origin and accurate quantification of entropy in this situation remain long-standing challenges. In this work, a framework is established for the quantification of entropy production and partition, and their relation to microstructural change in QIC. Cu50Zr50is taken as a model material, and its compression is simulated by molecular dynamics. On the basis of atomistic simulation-informed physicalproperties and free energy, the thermodynamic path is recovered, and the entropy production and its relation to microstructural change aresuccessfully quantified by the proposed framework. Contrary to intuition, entropy production during QIC of metallic glasses is relativelyinsensitive to the strain rate ˙γ when ˙γ ranges from 7.5 × 10^(8) to 2 × 10^(9)/s, which are values reachable in QIC experiments, with a magnitudeof the order of 10^(−2)kB/atom per GPa. However, when ˙γ is extremely high (>2 × 10^(9)/s), a notable increase in entropy production rate with˙γ is observed. The Taylor–Quinney factor is found to vary with strain but not with strain rate in the simulated regime. It is demonstrated thatentropy production is dominated by the configurational part, compared with the vibrational part. In the rate-insensitive regime, the increase inconfigurational entropy exhibits a linear relation to the Shannon-entropic quantification of microstructural change, and a stretched exponential relation to the Taylor–Quinney factor. The quantification of entropy is expected to provide thermodynamic insights into the fundamentalrelation between microstructure evolution and plastic dissipation.

Effect of Interface Form on Creep Failure and Life of Dissimilar Metal Welds Involving Nickel-Based Weld Metal and Ferritic Base Metal

For dissimilar metal welds(DMWs)involving nickel-based weld metal(WM)and ferritic heat resistant steel base metal(BM)in power plants,there must be an interface between WM and BM,and this interface suffers mechanical and microstructure mismatches and is often the rupture location of premature failure.In this study,a new form of WM/BM interface form,namely double Y-type interface was designed for the DMWs.Creep behaviors and life of DMWs containing double Y-type interface and conventional I-type interface were compared by finite element analysis and creep tests,and creep failure mechanisms were investigated by stress-strain analysis and microstructure characterization.By applying double Y-type interface instead of conventional I-type interface,failure location of DMW could be shifted from the WM/ferritic heat-affected zone(HAZ)interface into the ferritic HAZ or even the ferritic BM,and the failure mode change improved the creep life of DMW.The interface premature failure of I-type interface DMW was related to the coupling effect of microstructure degradation,stress and strain concentrations,and oxide notch on the WM/HAZ interface.The creep failure of double Y-type interface DMW was the result of Type IV fracture due to the creep voids and micro-cracks on fine-grain boundaries in HAZ,which was a result of the matrix softening of HAZ and lack of precipitate pinning at fine-grain boundaries.The double Y-type interface form separated the stress and strain concentrations in DMW from the WM/HAZ interface,preventing the trigger effect of oxide notch on interface failure and inhibiting the interfacial microstructure cracking.It is a novel scheme to prolong creep life and enhance reliability of DMW,by means of optimizing the interface form,decoupling the damage factors from WM/HAZ interface,and then changing the failure mechanism and shifting the failure location.

Surface Metallization of Glass Fiber(GF)/Polyetheretherketone(PEEK) Composite with Cu Coatings Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering and Electroplating

Surface metallization of glass fiber(GF)/polyetheretherketone(PEEK)[GF/PEEK] is conducted by coating copper using electroplating and magnetron sputtering and the properties are determined by X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), and electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD).The coating bonding strength is assessed by pull-out tests and scribing in accordance with GB/T 9286-1998.The results show that the Cu coating with a thickness of 30 μm deposited on GF/PEEK by magnetron sputtering has lower roughness, finer grain size, higher crystallinity, as well as better macroscopic compressive stress,bonding strength, and electrical conductivity than the Cu coating deposited by electroplating.

Lithium-Ion Charged Polymer Channels Flattening Lithium Metal Anode

The concentration difference in the near-surface region of lithium metal is the main cause of lithium dendrite growth.Resolving this issue will be key to achieving high-performance lithium metal batteries(LMBs).Herein,we construct a lithium nitrate(LiNO_(3))-implanted electroactiveβphase polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene(PVDF-HFP)crystalline polymorph layer(PHL).The electronegatively charged polymer chains attain lithium ions on the surface to form lithium-ion charged channels.These channels act as reservoirs to sustainably release Li ions to recompense the ionic flux of electrolytes,decreasing the growth of lithium dendrites.The stretched molecular channels can also accelerate the transport of Li ions.The combined effects enable a high Coulombic efficiency of 97.0%for 250 cycles in lithium(Li)||copper(Cu)cell and a stable symmetric plating/stripping behavior over 2000 h at 3 mA cm^(-2)with ultrahigh Li utilization of 50%.Furthermore,the full cell coupled with PHL-Cu@Li anode and Li Fe PO_(4) cathode exhibits long-term cycle stability with high-capacity retention of 95.9%after 900 cycles.Impressively,the full cell paired with LiNi_(0.87)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.03)O_(2)maintains a discharge capacity of 170.0 mAh g^(-1)with a capacity retention of 84.3%after 100 cycles even under harsh condition of ultralow N/P ratio of 0.83.This facile strategy will widen the potential application of LiNO_(3)in ester-based electrolyte for practical high-voltage LMBs.

Endoscopic-ultrasound-guided biliary drainage with placement of electrocautery-enhanced lumen-apposing metal stent for palliation of malignant biliary obstruction:Updated meta-analysis

BACKGROUND Endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage using electrocautery-enhanced(ECE)delivery of lumen-apposing metal stent(LAMS)is gradually being re-cognized as a viable palliative technique for malignant biliary obstruction after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP)failure.However,most of the studies that have assessed its efficacy and safety were small and hetero-geneous.Prior meta-analyses of six or fewer studies that were published 2 years ago were therefore underpowered to yield convincing evidence.AIM To update the efficacy and safety of ECE-LAMS for treatment of biliary ob-struction after ERCP failure.METHODS We searched PubMed,EMBASE,and Scopus databases from the inception of the ECE technique to May 13,2022.Primary outcome measure was pooled technical success rate,and secondary outcomes were pooled rates of clinical success,re-intervention,and adverse events.Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model following Freeman-Tukey double-arcsine transformation in R soft-ware(version 4.1.3).RESULTS Fourteen eligible studies involving 620 participants were ultimately included.The pooled rate of technical success was 96.7%,and clinical success was 91.0%.Adverse events were reported in 17.5%of patients.Overall reinter-vention rate was 7.3%.Subgroup analyses showed results were generally consistent.CONCLUSION ECE-LAMS has favorable success with acceptable adverse events in relieving biliary obstruction when ERCP is impossible.The consistency of results across most subgroups suggested that this is a generalizable approach.

Laser‑Induced and MOF‑Derived Metal Oxide/Carbon Composite for Synergistically Improved Ethanol Sensing at Room temperature

Advancements in sensor technology have significantly enhanced atmospheric monitoring.Notably,metal oxide and carbon(MO_(x)/C)hybrids have gained attention for their exceptional sensitivity and room-temperature sensing performance.However,previous methods of synthesizing MO_(x)/C composites suffer from problems,including inhomogeneity,aggregation,and challenges in micropatterning.Herein,we introduce a refined method that employs a metal–organic framework(MOF)as a precursor combined with direct laser writing.The inherent structure of MOFs ensures a uniform distribution of metal ions and organic linkers,yielding homogeneous MO_(x)/C structures.The laser processing facilitates precise micropatterning(<2μm,comparable to typical photolithography)of the MO_(x)/C crystals.The optimized MOF-derived MO_(x)/C sensor rapidly detected ethanol gas even at room temperature(105 and 18 s for response and recovery,respectively),with a broad range of sensing performance from 170 to 3,400 ppm and a high response value of up to 3,500%.Additionally,this sensor exhibited enhanced stability and thermal resilience compared to previous MOF-based counterparts.This research opens up promising avenues for practical applications in MOF-derived sensing devices.

Corrosion and in vitro cytocompatibility investigation on the designed Mg-Zn-Ag metallic glasses for biomedical application

In the present work,seven Mg-Zn-Ag alloys with the nominal composition of Mg_(96-x)Zn_(x)Ag_(4)(x=17,20,23,26,29,32,35 in at.%)were prepared by induction melting and single-roller melt-spinning.The X-ray diffraction(XRD)analyses indicate the metallic glasses with three composition of Mg_(73)Zn_(23)Ag_(4),Mg_(70)Zn_(26)Ag_(4),and Mg_(67)Zn_(29)Ag_(4)were obtained successfully.The differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)measurement was used to obtain the characteristic temperature of Mg-Zn-Ag metallic glasses for the glass-forming ability analysis.The maximum glass transition temperature(Trg)was found to be 0.525 with a composition close to Mg_(67)Zn_(29)Ag_(4),which results in the best glass-forming ability.Moreover,the immersion test in simulated body fluid(SBF)demonstrate the relative homogeneous corrosion behavior of the Mg-Zn-Ag metallic glasses.The corrosion rate of Mg-Zn-Ag metallic glasses in SBF solution decreases with the increase of Zn content.The sample Mg_(67)Zn_(29)Ag_(4)has the lowest corrosion rate of 0.19mm/yr,which could meet the clinical application requirement well.The in vitro cell experiments show that the Madin-Darby canine kidney(MDCK)cells cultured in sample Mg_(67)Zn_(29)Ag_(4)and its extraction medium have higher activity.However,the Mg-Zn-Ag metallic glasses exhibit obvious inhibitory effect on human rhabdomyosarcoma(RD)tumor cells.The present investigations on the glass-forming ability,corrosion behavior,cytocompatibility and tumor inhibition function of the Mg-Zn-Ag based metallic glass could reveal their biomedical application possibility.

Carbon-based interface engineering and architecture design for high-performance lithium metal anodes

Metallic lithium(Li)is considered the“Holy Grail”anode material for the nextgeneration of Li batteries with high energy density owing to the extraordinary theoretical specific capacity and the lowest negative electrochemical potential.However,owing to inhomogeneous Li-ion flux,Li anodes undergo uncontrollable Li deposition,leading to limited power output and practical applications.Carbon materials and their composites with controllable structures and properties have received extensive attention to guide the homogeneous growth of Li to achieve high-performance Li anodes.In this review,the correlation between the behavior of Li anode and the properties of carbon materials is proposed.Subsequently,we review emerging strategies for rationally designing high-performance Li anodes with carbon materials,including interface engineering(stabilizing solid electrolyte interphase layer and other functionalized interfacial layer)and architecture design of host carbon(constructing three-dimension structure,preparing hollow structure,introducing lithiophilic sites,optimizing geometric effects,and compositing with Li).Based on the insights,some prospects on critical challenges and possible future research directions in this field are concluded.It is anticipated that further innovative works on the fundamental chemistry and theoretical research of Li anodes are needed.

Oxygen functionalization-assisted anionic exchange toward unique construction of flower-like transition metal chalcogenide embedded carbon fabric for ultra-long life flexible energy storage and conversion

The metal-organic framework(MOF)derived Ni–Co–C–N composite alloys(NiCCZ)were“embedded”inside the carbon cloth(CC)strands as opposed to the popular idea of growing them upward to realize ultrastable energy storage and conversion application.The NiCCZ was then oxygen functionalized,facilitating the next step of stoichiometric sulfur anion diffusion during hydrothermal sulfurization,generating a flower-like metal hydroxysulfide structure(NiCCZOS)with strong partial implantation inside CC.Thus obtained NiCCZOS shows an excellent capacity when tested as a supercapacitor electrode in a three-electrode configuration.Moreover,when paired with the biomass-derived nitrogen-rich activated carbon,the asymmetric supercapacitor device shows almost 100%capacity retention even after 45,000 charge–discharge cycles with remarkable energy density(59.4 Wh kg^(-1)/263.8μWh cm^(–2))owing to a uniquely designed cathode.Furthermore,the same electrode performed as an excellent bifunctional water-splitting electrocatalyst with an overpotential of 271 mV for oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and 168.4 mV for hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)at 10 mA cm−2 current density along with 30 h of unhinged chronopotentiometric stability performance for both HER and OER.Hence,a unique metal chalcogenide composite electrode/substrate configuration has been proposed as a highly stable electrode material for flexible energy storage and conversion applications.

Unsaturated bi-heterometal clusters in metal-vacancy sites of 2D MoS2 for efficient hydrogen evolution

The valence states and coordination structures of doped heterometal atoms in two-dimensional(2D)nanomaterials lack predictable regulation strategies.Hence,a robust method is proposed to form unsaturated heteroatom clusters via the metal-vacancy restraint mechanism,which can precisely regulate the bonding and valence state of heterometal atoms doped in 2D molybdenum disulfide.The unsaturated valence state of heterometal Pt and Ru cluster atoms form a spatial coordination structure with Pt–S and Ru–O–S as catalytically active sites.Among them,the strong binding energy of negatively charged suspended S and O sites for H+,as well as the weak adsorption of positively charged unsaturated heterometal atoms for H*,reduces the energy barrier of the hydrogen evolution reaction proved by theoretical calculation.Whereupon,the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance is markedly improved by the ensemble effect of unsaturated heterometal atoms and highlighted with an overpotential of 84 mV and Tafel slope of 68.5 mV dec^(−1).In brief,this metal vacancy-induced valence state regulation of heterometal can manipulate the coordination structure and catalytic activity of heterometal atoms doped in the 2D atomic lattice but not limited to 2D nanomaterials.

Electrolyte Design for Low‑Temperature Li‑Metal Batteries:Challenges and Prospects

Electrolyte design holds the greatest opportunity for the development of batteries that are capable of sub-zero temperature operation.To get the most energy storage out of the battery at low temperatures,improvements in electrolyte chemistry need to be coupled with optimized electrode materials and tailored electrolyte/electrode interphases.Herein,this review critically outlines electrolytes’limiting factors,including reduced ionic conductivity,large de-solvation energy,sluggish charge transfer,and slow Li-ion transportation across the electrolyte/electrode interphases,which affect the low-temperature performance of Li-metal batteries.Detailed theoretical derivations that explain the explicit influence of temperature on battery performance are presented to deepen understanding.Emerging improvement strategies from the aspects of electrolyte design and electrolyte/electrode interphase engineering are summarized and rigorously compared.Perspectives on future research are proposed to guide the ongoing exploration for better low-temperature Li-metal batteries.

Highly Efficient Aligned Ion‑Conducting Network and Interface Chemistries for Depolarized All‑Solid‑State Lithium Metal Batteries

Improving the long-term cycling stability and energy density of all-solid-state lithium(Li)-metal batteries(ASSLMBs)at room temperature is a severe challenge because of the notorious solid–solid interfacial contact loss and sluggish ion transport.Solid electrolytes are generally studied as two-dimensional(2D)structures with planar interfaces,showing limited interfacial contact and further resulting in unstable Li/electrolyte and cathode/electrolyte interfaces.Herein,three-dimensional(3D)architecturally designed composite solid electrolytes are developed with independently controlled structural factors using 3D printing processing and post-curing treatment.Multiple-type electrolyte films with vertical-aligned micro-pillar(p-3DSE)and spiral(s-3DSE)structures are rationally designed and developed,which can be employed for both Li metal anode and cathode in terms of accelerating the Li+transport within electrodes and reinforcing the interfacial adhesion.The printed p-3DSE delivers robust long-term cycle life of up to 2600 cycles and a high critical current density of 1.92 mA cm^(−2).The optimized electrolyte structure could lead to ASSLMBs with a superior full-cell areal capacity of 2.75 mAh cm^(−2)(LFP)and 3.92 mAh cm^(−2)(NCM811).This unique design provides enhancements for both anode and cathode electrodes,thereby alleviating interfacial degradation induced by dendrite growth and contact loss.The approach in this study opens a new design strategy for advanced composite solid polymer electrolytes in ASSLMBs operating under high rates/capacities and room temperature.

Recent advances in transition metal phosphide materials:Synthesis and applications in supercapacitors

Supercapacitors(SCs)are considered promising energy storge systems because of their outstanding power density,fast charge and discharge rate and long-term cycling stability.The exploitation of cheap and efficient electrode materials is the key to improve the performance of supercapacitors.As the battery-type materials,transition metal phosphides(TMPs)possess high theoretical specific capacity,good electrical conductivity and superior structural stability,which have been extensively studied to be electrode materials for supercapacitors.In this review,we summarize the up-to-date progress on TMPs materials from diversified synthetic methods,diverse nanostructures and several prominent TMPs and their composites in application of supercapacitors.In the end,we also propose the remaining challenges toward the rational discovery and synthesis of high-performance TMP electrodes materials for energy storage.