Hollow sphere of heterojunction(NiCu)S/NC as advanced anode for sodium-ion battery

Metal sulfide is considered as a potential anode for sodium-ion batteries(SIBs),due to the high theoretical capacity,strong thermodynamic stability and low-cost.However,their cycle capacity and rate performance are limited by the excessive expansion rate and low intrinsic conductivity.Herein,heterogeneous hollow sphere NiS-Cu_(9)S_(5)/NC(labeled as(NiCu)S/NC)based on Oswald ripening mechanism was prepared through a simple and feasible methodology.From a structural perspective,the hollow structure provides an expansion buffer and raises the electrochemical active area.In terms of electron/ion during the cycles,Na^(+)storage mechanism is optimized by NiS/Cu_(9)S_(5)heterogeneous interface,which increases the storage sites and shortens the migration path of Na^(+).The formation of built-in electric field strengthens the electron/ion mobility.Based on the first principle calculations,it is further proved the formation of heterogeneous interfaces and the direction of electron flow.As the anode for SIBs,the synthesized(NiCu)S/NC delivers high reverse capacity(559.2 mA h g^(-1)at 0.5 A g^(-1)),outstanding rate performance(185.3 mA h g^(-1)at 15 A g^(-1)),long-durable stability(342.6 mA h g^(-1)at 4 A g^(-1)after 1500cycles,150.0 m A h g^(-1)at 10 A g^(-1)after 20,000 cycles with 0.0025%average attenuation rate).The matching cathode electrode Na_(3)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(3)/C is assembled with(NiCu)S/NC for the full-battery that achieves high energy density(253.7 W h kg^(-1))and reverse capacity(288.7 mA h g^(-1)).The present work provides a distinctive strategy for constructing electrodes with excellent capacity and stability for SIBs.

An evaluation model for smart grids in support of smart cities based on the Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Smart cities depend highly on an intelligent electrical networks to provide a reliable,safe,and clean power supplies.A smart grid achieves such aforementioned power supply by ensuring resilient energy delivery,which presents opportunities to improve the cost-effectiveness of power supply and minimize environmental impacts.A systematic evaluation of the comprehensive benefits brought by smart grid to smart cities can provide necessary theoretical fundamentals for urban planning and construction towards a sustainable energy future.However,most of the present methods of assessing smart cities do not fully take into account the benefits expected from the smart grid.To comprehensively evaluate the development levels of smart cities while revealing the supporting roles of smart grids,this article proposes a model of smart city development needs from the perspective of residents’needs based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory,which serves the primary purpose of building a smart city.By classifying and reintegrating the needs,an evaluation index system of smart grids supporting smart cities was further constructed.A case analysis concluded that smart grids,as an essential foundation and objective requirement for smart cities,are important in promoting scientific urban management,intelligent infrastructure,refined public services,efficient energy utilization,and industrial development and modernization.Further optimization suggestions were given to the city analyzed in the case include strengthening urban management and infrastructure constructions,such as electric vehicle charging facilities and wireless coverage.

Unraveling the influence of interface defects on antimony trisulfide solar cells

Antimony trisulfide(Sb_(2)S_(3)) solar cells suffer from large open circuit voltage deficits due to their intrinsic defects which limit the power conversion efficiency.Thus,it is important to elucidate these defects’ origin and defects at the interface.Here,we discover that sulfide radical defects have a significant impact on the performance of Sb_(2)S_(3)solar cells.Moreover,it has been illustrated that these defects at the CdS/Sb_(2)S_(3)interface can be reduced by optimizing the deposition process.A trap distribution model is used to quantify the defect density at the CdS/Sb_(2)S_(3)interface.It shows that the interface defects can be reduced by24% by improving the deposition process.This work reveals the importance of interface defects and guides the future optimization of Sb_(2)S_(3)solar cells.

Mitigating the Jahn-Teller distortion driven by the spin-orbit coupling of lithium manganate cathode

Spinel LiMn_(2)O_(4)is recognized as one of the most competitive cathode candidates for lithium-ion batteries ascribed to environmentally benign and rich sources.However,the wholesale application of LiMn_(2)O_(4)is predominately plagued by its severe capacity degradation,mainly associated with the innate Jahn-Teller effect.Herein,single-crystalline LiMn_(2)O_(4)with Eu^(3+) doping is rationally designed to mitigate the detrimental Jahn-Teller distortion by tuning the chemical environment of MnO_(6) octahedra and accommodating localized electron,based on the unique aspheric flexible 4f electron orbit of rare-earth metal ions.Notably,the stretching of MnO_(6) octahedron stemmed from the Jahn-Teller effect in Eu-doped LiMn_(2)O_(4)is effectively suppressed,confirmed by theoretical calculation.Meanwhile,the structural stability of the material has been significantly enhanced due to the robust Mn–O band coherency and weakened phase transition,proved by synchrotron radiation absorption spectrum and operando X-ray diffraction.The corresponding active cathode manifests superior long-cycle stability after 300 loops at 2C and displays only a 0.011%capacity drop per cycle even at 5C.Given this,this modification tactic sheds new light on achieving superior long-cycle performances by suppressing distortion in various cathode materials.

Advances in Researches of Extraction, Separation, and Purification Technologies for Total Saponins of Panax notoginseng

Total saponins of Panax notoginseng have the functions of promoting blood circulation and removing phlegm, thus they have high medicinal value. There are many different extraction methods in the extraction and separation of total saponins of P. notoginseng . The extraction methods of total saponins of P. notoginseng are mainly divided into traditional extraction methods, modern extraction methods and compound extraction methods.

Enhanced Thermoelectric Properties of Cu_(x)Se(1.75 ≤ x ≤ 2.10) during Phase Transitions

Coupling of a phase transition to electron and phonon transports provides extra degree of freedom to improve the thermoelectric performance, while the pertinent experimental and theoretical studies are still rare. Particularly,the impaction of chemical compositions and phase transition characters on the abnormal thermoelectric properties across phase transitions are largely unclear. Herein, by varying the Cu content x from 1.75 to 2.10, we systemically investigate the crystal structural evolution, phase transition features, and especially the thermoelectric properties during the phase transition for Cu_(x)Se. It is found that the addition of over-stoichiometry Cu in Cu_(x)Se could alter the phase transition characters and suppress the formation of Cu vacancies. The critical scatterings of phonons and electrons during phase transitions strongly enhance the Seebeck coefficient and diminish the thermal conductivity, leading to an ultrahigh dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit of ~1.38 at 397 K in Cu_(2.10)Se.With the decreasing Cu content, the critical electron and phonon scattering behaviors are mitigated, and the corresponding thermoelectric performances are reduced. This work offers inspirations for understanding and tuning the thermoelectric transport properties during phase transitions.

Angiosperm-wide analysis of fruit and ovary evolution aided by a new nuclear phylogeny supports association of the same ovary type with both dry and fleshy fruits

Fruit functions in seed protection and dispersal and belongs to many dry and fleshy types,yet their evolutionary pattern remains unclear in part due to uncertainties in the phylogenetic relationships among several orders and families.Thus we used nuclear genes of 502 angiosperm species representing 231 families to reconstruct a well supported phylogeny,with resolved relationships for orders and families with previously uncertain placements.Using this phylogeny as a framework,molecular dating supports a Triassic origin of the crown angiosperms,followed by the emergence of most orders in the Jurassic and Cretaceous and their rise to ecological dominance during the Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution.The robust phylogeny allowed an examination of the evolutionary pattern of fruit and ovary types,revealing a trend of parallel carpel fusions during early diversifications in eudicots,monocots,and magnoliids.Moreover,taxa in the same order or family with the same ovary type can develop either dry or fleshy fruits with strong correlations between specific types of dry and fleshy fruits;such associations of ovary,dry and fleshy fruits define several ovaryfruit"modules"each found in multiple families.One of the frequent modules has an ovary containing multiple ovules,capsules and berries,and another with an ovary having one or two ovules,achenes(or other single-seeded dry fruits)and drupes.This new perspective of relationships among fruit types highlights the closeness of specific dry and fleshy fruit types,such as capsule and berry,that develop from the same ovary type and belong to the same module relative to dry and fleshy fruits of other modules(such as achenes and drupes).Further analyses of gene families containing known genes for ovary and fruit development identified phylogenetic nodes with multiple gene duplications,supporting a possible role of whole-genome duplications,in combination with climate changes and animal behaviors,in angiosperm fruit and ovary diversification.

Machine Learning in Predicting Printable Biomaterial Formulations for Direct Ink Writing

Three-dimensional(3D)printing is emerging as a transformative technology for biomedical engineering.The 3D printed product can be patient-specific by allowing customizability and direct control of the architecture.The trial-and-error approach currently used for developing the composition of printable inks is time-and resource-consuming due to the increasing number of variables requiring expert knowledge.Artificial intelligence has the potential to reshape the ink development process by forming a predictive model for printability from experimental data.In this paper,we constructed machine learning(ML)algorithms including decision tree,random forest(RF),and deep learning(DL)to predict the printability of biomaterials.A total of 210 formulations including 16 different bioactive and smart materials and 4 solvents were 3D printed,and their printability was assessed.All ML methods were able to learn and predict the printability of a variety of inks based on their biomaterial formulations.In particular,the RF algorithm has achieved the highest accuracy(88.1%),precision(90.6%),and F1 score(87.0%),indicating the best overall performance out of the 3 algorithms,while DL has the highest recall(87.3%).Furthermore,the ML algorithms have predicted the printability window of biomaterials to guide the ink development.The printability map generated with DL has finer granularity than other algorithms.ML has proven to be an effective and novel strategy for developing biomaterial formulations with desired 3D printability for biomedical engineering applications.

AC loss mitigation for high temperature superconducting coils in wireless power transfer

With the rapid development of high temperature superconducting(HTS)technology,second generation(2G)HTS materials have become a promising alternative to traditional conductive materials in the power transmission industry.Recently,the topic of using HTS materials in wireless power transfer(WPT)systems for electric vehicles(EVs)has attracted widespread attention in the background of net zero transport.With virtually zero DC resistance and superior current‐carrying capacity,HTS materials can achieve high quality factor and power density in the WPT resonant circuits compared to conventional metals,e.g.,copper.However,the optimal working frequency for the conventional WPT system is relatively high in the order of kilohertz level.Superconducting coils working at high frequencies could generate high AC losses,reducing the overall power transfer efficiency(PTE)and increasing the cooling burden.In order to improve the PTE of HTS‐WPT systems,the AC loss mitigation methods for different HTS coil topologies have been investigated in this paper by varying the inter‐turn gap and tape width.Three HTS coil structures,namely the spiral coil,the solenoid coil and the double pancake(DP)coil,have been studied with a 2D axisymmetric multi‐layer numerical model based on the H‐formulation,and the simulation results have been validated by the published experimental data.The general loss characteristics,loss distributions in each turn,as well as magnetic flux densities have been analysed in detail for three types of HTS coils.Moreover,the impact of these two loss reduction methods on the WPT performance has also been evaluated.Findings have shown that increasing the inter‐turn gap and tape width can effectively reduce the AC power losses and increase the PTE of the HTS‐WPT system.The spiral coil demonstrates the highest AC power loss reduction effect and PTE while maintaining a stable level of magnetic fields.This paper is believed to deepen the understanding of superconducting WPT and provide a useful reference for more efficient wireless energisation applications.

A neutrophil-biomimic platform for eradicating metastatic breast cancer stem-like cells by redox microenvironment modulation and hypoxia-triggered differentiation therapy

Metastasis accounts for 90%of breast cancer deaths,where the lethality could be attributed to the poor drug accumulation at the metastatic loci.The tolerance to chemotherapy induced by breast cancer stem cells(BCSCs)and their particular redox microenvironment further aggravate the therapeutic dilemma.To be specific,therapy-resistant BCSCs can differentiate into heterogeneous tumor cells constantly,and simultaneously dynamic maintenance of redox homeostasis promote tumor cells to retro-differentiate into stem-like state in response to cytotoxic chemotherapy.Herein,we develop a specifically-designed biomimic platform employing neutrophil membrane as shell to inherit a neutrophil-like tumor-targeting capability,and anchored chemotherapeutic and BCSCs-differentiating reagents with nitroimidazole(NI)to yield two hypoxia-responsive prodrugs,which could be encapsulated into a polymeric nitroimidazole core.The platform can actively target the lung metastasis sites of triple negative breast cancer(TNBC),and release the escorted drugs upon being triggered by the hypoxia microenvironment.During the responsiveness,the differentiating agent could promote transferring BCSCs into non-BCSCs,and simultaneously the nitroimidazole moieties conjugated on the polymer and prodrugs could modulate the tumor microenvironment by depleting nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate hydrogen(NADPH)and amplifying intracellular oxidative stress to prevent tumor cells retro-differentiation into BCSCs.In combination,the BCSCs differentiation and tumor microenvironment modulation synergistically could enhance the chemotherapeutic cytotoxicity,and remarkably suppress tumor growth and lung metastasis.Hopefully,this work can provide a new insight in to comprehensively treat TNBC and lung metastasis using a versatile platform.

Nanomaterials with dual immunomodulatory functions for synergistic therapy of breast cancer brain metastases

A long-standing paucity of effective therapies results in the poor outcomes of triple-negative breast cancer brain metastases.Immunotherapy has made progress in the treatment of tumors,but limited by the non-immunogenicity of tumors and strong immunosuppressive environment,patients with TNBC brain metastases have not yet benefited from immunotherapy.Dual immunoregulatory strategies with enhanced immune activation and reversal of the immunosuppressive microenvironment provide new therapeutic options for patients.Here,we propose a cocktail-like therapeutic strategy of microenvironment regulation-chemotherapy-immune synergistic sensitization and construct reduction-sensitive immune microenvironment regulation nanomaterials(SIL@T).SIL@T modified with targeting peptide penetrates the BBB and is subsequently internalized into metastatic breast cancer cells,releasing silybin and oxaliplatin responsively in the cells.SIL@T preferentially accumulates at the metastatic site and can significantly prolong the survival period of model animals.Mechanistic studies have shown that SIL@T can effectively induce immunogenic cell death of metastatic cells,activate immune responses and increase infiltration of CD8+T cells.Meanwhile,the activation of STAT3 in the metastatic foci is attenuated and the immunosuppressive microenvironment is reversed.This study demonstrates that SIL@T with dual immunomodulatory functions provides a promising immune synergistic therapy strategy for breast cancer brain metastases.

Key Recovery Against 3DES in CPU Smart Card Based on Improved Correlation Power Analysis

The security of CPU smart cards, which are widely used throughout China, is currently being threatened by side-channel analysis. Typical countermeasures to side-channel analysis involve adding noise and filtering the power consumption signal. In this paper, we integrate appropriate preprocessing methods with an improved attack strategy to generate a key recovery solution to the shortcomings of these countermeasures. Our proposed attack strategy improves the attack result by combining information leaked from two adjacent clock cycles. Using our laboratory-based power analysis system, we verified the proposed key recovery solution by performing a successful correlation power analysis on a Triple Data Encryption Standard （3DES） hardware module in a real-life 32-bit CPU smart card. All 112 key bits of the 3DES were recovered with about 80 000 power traces.

Cationic-potential tuned biphasic layered cathodes for stable desodiation/sodiation

Sodium layered oxides generally suffer from deep-desodiation instability in P2 structure and sluggish kinetics in O3 structure.It will be great to design P2/O3 biphasic materials that bring the complementary merits of both structures.However,such exploration is hindered by the ambiguous mechanism of material formation.Herein,supported by theoretical simulations and various spectroscopies,we prove that P2/O3 biphasic structures essentially originate from the internal heterogeneity of cationic potential,which can be realized by constraining the temperature-driven ion diffusion during solid-state reactions.Consequently,P2/O3 biphasic Na_(0.7)Ni_(0.2)Cu_(0.1)Fe_(0.2)Mn_(0.5)O_(2)-δ with well-designed quaternary composition is successfully obtained,exhibiting much-improved rate capabilities(62 mAh g^(-1)at 2.4 A g^(-1)) and cycling stabilities(84%capacity retention after 500 cycles)than its single-phase analogues.Furthermore,synchrotron-based diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy are employed to unravel the underlying sodium-storage mechanism of the P2/O3 biphasic structure.This work presents new insights toward the rational design of advanced layered cathodes for sodium-ion batteries.