Competing reduction induced homogeneous oxygen doping to unlock MoS_(2)basal planes for faster polysulfides conversion

The parasitic polysulfides shuttle effect greatly hinders the practical application of lithium sulfur batteries,and this issue can be addressed by promoting polysulfides conversion with catalytic materials such as Mo S_(2).However,the catalytic activity of Mo S_(2)mainly relies on edge sites,but is limited by inert basal planes.We herein report a novel,facile,ethylene glycol enabled competing reduction strategy to dope Mo S_(2)homogeneously with oxygen atoms so that its inert basal planes can be unlocked.Ethylene glycol works as a reducing agent and competes with thiourea to react with ammonium molybdate,leading to insufficient sulfuration of Mo,and consequent formation of O-Mo S_(2).Our theoretical and experimental investigations indicate that the homogeneously distributed O dopants can create abundant adsorption/-catalytic sites in the Mo S_(2)basal planes,enlarge the inter-plane distance to promote ion transport,and thus enhance the catalytic conversion of polysulfides.The oxygen doped Mo S_(2)(O-Mo S_(2))is supported on carbon nanosheets(CNS)and the composite(O-Mo S_(2)/CNS)is employed to modify the separator of Li-S battery.It gives the battery an initial discharge capacity of 1537 m Ah g-1at 0.2 C,and the battery retains a discharge capacity of 545 m Ah g-1after ultra-long 2000 cycles at 1 C,corresponding to a very small cyclic decay rate of 0.0237%.Even under a raising sulfur loading of 8.2 mg cm^(-2),the Li-S battery also delivers a high discharge capacity(554 m Ah g^(-1))with outstanding cycle stability(84.6%capacity retention)after 100 cycles at 0.5 C.Our work provides a novel,facile approach to fabricate highly catalytically active oxygen-doped Mo S_(2)for advanced Li-S batteries.

Preparation and Characterisation of Collagen from Freshwater Fish Scales

Acid-soluble collagen (ASC) and pepsin-solubilized collagen (PSC) were prepared from the waste freshwater carp fish scales. The results of SDS-PAGE showed that purified collagens were composed of at least two different chains which were in accordance with the type I collagen with α chain composition of (α1)2α2. Compared with the carp fish ordinary muscle type I collagen , porcine dermis type I collagen and other seawater fish collagens, freshwater carp fish scales collagen contained relative high half-cystine (Cys-s), but lower denaturation temperature(Td) than the porcine dermis type I collagen. These collagens had evident absorption at 230 nm by UV-Vis spectra. The spectrum X-ray diffraction showed that the collagen remained single-helix and tri-helix configuration with the minimum values of the repeat spacings (d) of about 4.48 ? and 11.87 ?. Therefore, to make more effective use of limited-resources, carp fish scales can be a potential resource for the extraction of type I collagen or gelatin.

Facile fabrication of amphoteric semi-interpenetrating network membranes for vanadium flow battery applications

For improvement of vanadium redox flow battery （VRB） performance, novel amphoteric semi- interpenetrating membranes （ASIPN） were prepared using poly（ether ether ketone） （PEEK） and polysul- fone （PSf）, the former bearing sulfonic groups and the latter imidazolium. These two groups form ionic crosslinks between PEEK and PSf; meanwhile, covalent cross links were built between PSf chains with ad- dition of N-（3-aminopropyl）-imidazole. The amphoteric nature of the membrane allows facile proton and anion transport; the IPN structure and the presence of imidazolium cation effectively suppress vanadium ion crossover through the membrane. Therefore, the ASIPN based VRBs show higher Coulombic efficiency and energy efficiency than that assembled with pristine SPEEK and Nation 212 membranes. Our work demonstrates that the ASIPN membranes are promising for VRB applications.

Selective adsorption-involved formation of NMC532/PANI microparticles with high ageing resistance and improved electrochemical performance

Surface modification offers an alternative strategy to improve both ageing resistance and electrochemical performance of cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries.From the viewpoint of real application,surface modification of the cathode materials should be designed with scientificity,effectiveness,low cost,less Li+leaching,and remained tap density.In this contribution,a selective adsorption-involved in-situ growth of polyaniline(PANI)nanoparticles on LiNi_(0.5)Mn_(0.3)Co_(0.2)O_(2)(NMC532)has been designed through a room-temperature-and-pressure chemical vapor deposition technique.The selective growth of PANTI on NMC532 is based on theoretical computation results that multivalent Ni,Mn,and Co are capable of specifically conjugating and activating aniline molecules and,hence,initiating in-situ oxidation polymerization.With only trace amount of aniline monomer,the resulting PANI nanoparticles-inlaid NMC532 microparticles can endure four-month ageing in ambient atmosphere and exhibit improved electrochemical performance at both room temperature and 55℃ compared with pristine NMC532.The improved electrochemical performance of NMC532/PANI is attributed to the enhanced structural stability of NMC532 and inhibited side reactions related to Li_(2)CO_(3) formation,PVDF degradation,electrolyte decomposition,and transition-metal dissolution,owing to PANI modification.

Assessment of atrial electromechanical interval using echocardiography after catheter ablation in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation

We sought to investigate variation of atrial electromechanical interval after catheter ablation procedure in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation using pulse Doppler（PW） and pulse tissue Doppler imaging（PW-TDI）.A total of 25 consecutive in-patients with persistent atrial fibrillation,who restored sinus rhythm after ablation procedure,were recruited in our cardiac center.Echocardiography was performed on each patient at 2 hours,1 day,5 days,1 month and 3 months after the ablation therapy,and atrial electromechanical delay was measured simultaneously by PW and PW-TDI.There was no significant difference between PW and TDI in measuring atrial electromechanical delay.However,at postoperative 2 hours,peak A detection rates were mathematically but nonsignificantly greater by PWTDI than by PW.Second,there was a significant decreasing trend in atrial electromechanical interval from postoperative 2 hours to 3 months,but only postoperative 2-hour atrial electromechanical interval was significantly greater than atrial electromechanical interval at other time.Lastly,patients without postoperative 2-hour atrial electromechanical interval had a significantly longer duration of atrial fibrillation as compared to those with postoperative 2-hour atrial electromechanical interval,by the PW or by PW-TDI,respectively.In patients with persistent atrial fibrillation,atrial electromechanical interval may decrease significantly within the first 24 hours after ablation but remain consistent later,and was significantly related to patients＇ duration of atrial fibrillation.Atrial electromechanical interval,as a potential predicted factor,is recommended to be measured by either PW or TDI after24 hours,when patients had recovered sinus rhythm by radiofrequency ablation.

Quaternized polymer binder for lithium-sulfur batteries:The effect of cation structure on battery performance

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are great candidates for energy storage systems, but need to overcome theissues of low sulfur utilization and polysulfide shuttling for use in large-scale commercial applications.Recently, quaternized polymers have received much attention for their polysulfide trapping propertiesdue to electrostatic interaction. In this work, we report a series of polyarylether sulfone (PSF) binderswith different cation structures including imidazolium (Im), triethylammonium (Tr), and morpholinium(Mo). The ability of the these quaternized binders and the conventional poly(vinylidene fluoride) or PVDFbinder to capture polysulfide increases in the order of PVDF << PSF-Mo < PSF-Tr< PSF-Im. The delocalizedcharge on the imidazolium cation may promote the interaction between PSF-Im and polysulfide asindicated by an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic study. The PSF-Im based cathodes showed the highestcapacity retention (77% at 0.2 C after 100 cycles and 84% at 0.5 C after 120 cycles), and the bestrate capability. This work demonstrates the importance of the cation structure in the design of efficientquaternized binders for high performance Li–S batteries.

Epicardial adipose tissue around the superior vena cava: A single center study of factors related to atrial fibrillation

The superior vena cava(SVC)is the main component of non-pulmonary vein(PV)ectopy in patients with atrial fibrillation(AF).Researchers have found that epicardial adipose tissue(EAT)volume is related to the AF substrate,which can be defined by the low voltage area(LVA).This study aimed to investigate the relationship between SVC-EAT and SVC-AF.Twenty-six patients with SVC-AF triggers were identified as the SVC-AF group.Other three groups were defined and included as the LVA-AF group(LVA>5%),non-LVA-AF group(LVA<5%),and physical examination(PE)group.EAT around left atrium(LA-EAT)and SVC-EAT volumes were obtained using a cardiac risk assessment module.According to the SVC/LA-EAT ratio,there are significant differences between the SVC-AF group and the three control groups(the SVC-AF group 0.092±0.041 vs.the LVA-AF group 0.054±0.026,the non-LVA-AF group 0.052±0.022,and the PE group 0.052±0.019,all P<0.001).Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis suggests the optimal cut-off point of SVC/LA-EAT ratio is 6.8%for detecting SVC-AF patients,with 81.1%sensitivity,73.1%specificity,and an area under the curve of 0.83(95%confidence interval,0.75-0.91).Those with SVC-AF have a higher SVC/LA-EAT ratio and empirical SVC isolation could be considered if the SVC/LA-EAT ratio was over 6.8%.

A nomogram predicting atrial fibrillation in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy

To the Editor:Dilated cardiomyopathy(DCM)is a type of primary myocardial disease with unknown etiology.[1]It is a disorder of the heart muscle mainly characterized by left ventricular dilation and systolic dysfunction,resulting from the response of the myocardium to genetic and environmental insults.The clinical manifestations arc progressive heart failure,arrhythmia,thromboembolism,and even sudden death.