A review of solid-state lithium metal batteries through in-situ solidification

High-energy-density lithium metal batteries are the next-generation battery systems of choice,and replacing the flammable liquid electrolyte with a polymer solid-state electrolyte is a prominent conduct towards realizing the goal of high-safety and high-specific-energy devices.Unfortunately,the inherent intractable problems of poor solid-solid contacts between the electrode/electrolyte and the growth of Li dendrites hinder their practical applications.The in-situ solidification has demonstrated a variety of advantages in the application of polymer electrolytes and artificial interphase,including the design of integrated polymer electrolytes and asymmetric polymer electrolytes to enhance the compatibility of solid–solid contact and compatibility between various electrolytes,and the construction of artificial interphase between the Li anode and cathode to suppress the formation of Li dendrites and to enhance the high-voltage stability of polymer electrolytes.This review firstly elaborates the history of in-situ solidification for solid-state batteries,and then focuses on the synthetic methods of solidified electrolytes.Furthermore,the recent progress of in-situ solidification technology from both the design of polymer electrolytes and the construction of artificial interphase is summarized,and the importance of in-situ solidification technology in enhancing safety is emphasized.Finally,prospects,emerging challenges,and practical applications of in-situ solidification are envisioned.

A three-way electrolyte with ternary solvents for high-energy-density and long-cycling lithium-sulfur pouch cells

Lithium–sulfur(Li–S)batteries promise high-energy-density potential to exceed the commercialized lithiumion batteries but suffer from limited cycling lifespan due to the side reactions between lithium polysulfides(LiPSs)and Li metal anodes.Herein,a three-way electrolyte with ternary solvents is proposed to enable high-energy-density and long-cycling Li–S pouch cells.Concretely,ternary solvents composed of 1,2-dimethoxyethane,di-isopropyl sulfide,and 1,3,5-trioxane are employed to guarantee smooth cathode kinetics,inhibit the parasitic reactions,and construct a robust solid electrolyte interphase,respectively.The cycling lifespan of Li–S coin cells with 50μm Li anodes and 4.0 mg cm^(−2) sulfur cathodes is prolonged from88 to 222 cycles using the three-way electrolyte.Nano-heterogeneous solvation structure of LiPSs and organic-rich solid electrolyte interphase are identified to improve the cycling stability of Li metal anodes.Consequently,a 3.0 Ah-level Li–S pouch cell with the three-way electrolyte realizes a high energy density of 405 Wh kg^(−1) and undergoes 27 cycles.Thiswork affords a three-way electrolyte recipe for suppressing the side reactions of LiPSs and inspires rational electrolyte design for practical high-energy-density and long-cycling Li–S batteries.

Inflammation responsive tofacitinib loaded albumin nanomedicine for targeted synergistic therapy in ulcerative colitis

Patients with ulcerative colitis(UC)often loss responses over long term usage of conventional therapies.Tofacitinib,a pan-Janus kinases(JAK)inhibitor is approved for moderate to severe UC treatment,while dose-limiting systemic side effects including infections,cancers and lymphoma limit its popularity of clinical application.This study sought to construct an anti-mucosal vascular addressin cell-adhesion molecule-1(anti-MAdCAM-1)antibody modified reactive oxygen species(ROS)responsive human serum albumin-based nanomedicine denoted as THM,to improve the therapeutic efficacy of tofacitinib for UC treatment.THM has the drug releasing properties in response to ROS stimulation.In vitro studies show that THM selectively adhered to the endothelial cells and had obvious anti-inflammatory effect on macrophages.Meanwhile,the nanomedicine can inhibit the phenotypic switching of M1 macrophages and promote M2 polarization to produce anti-inflammatory medicators during wound healing.In addition,in vivo fluorescence imaging verified that THM exhibited enhanced preferential accumulation and extended retention in inflamed colon.Moreover,THM significantly reduced the production of proinflammatory cytokines in the colon and suppressed the homing of T cells to the gut in dextran sodium sulfate induced experimental colitis.This work elucidates that the inflamed colon-targeted delivery of tofacitinib by nanomedicine is promising for UC treatment and sheds light on addressing the unmet medical need.

Osteopontin targeted theranostic nanoprobes for laser-induced synergistic regression of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques

Vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque(VASPs)is the major pathological cause of acute cardiovascular event.Early detection and precise intervention of VASP hold great clinical significance,yet remain a major challenge.Photodynamic therapy(PDT)realizes potent ablation efficacy under precise manipulation of laser irradiation.In this study,we constructed theranostic nanoprobes(NPs),which could precisely regress VASPs through a cascade of synergistic events triggered by local irradiation of lasers under the guidance of fluorescence/MR imaging.The NPs were formulated from human serum albumin(HSA)conjugated with a high affinity-peptide targeting osteopontin(OPN)and encapsulated with photosensitizer IR780 and hypoxia-activatable tirapazamine(TPZ).After intravenous injection into atherosclerotic mice,the OPN-targeted NPs demonstrated high specific accumulation in VASPs due to the overexpression of OPN in activated foamy macrophages in the carotid artery.Under the visible guidance of fluorescence and MR dual-model imaging,the precise near-infrared(NIR)laser irradiation generated massive reactive oxygen species(ROS),which resulted in efficient plaque ablation and amplified hypoxia within VASPs.In response to the elevated hypoxia,the initially inactive TPZ was successively boosted to present potent biological suppression of foamy macrophages.After therapeutic administration of the NPs for 2 weeks,the plaque area and the degree of carotid artery stenosis were markedly reduced.Furthermore,the formulated NPs displayed excellent biocompatibility.In conclusion,the developed HSA-based NPs demonstrated appreciable specific identification ability of VASPs and realized precise synergistic regression of atherosclerosis.