Photoreceptor changes in Leber hereditary optic neuropathy with m.G11778A mutation

·AIM:To evaluate the functional and structural changes of photoreceptors in patients and asymptomatic carriers with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy(LHON)using fullfield electroretinography(FERG)and optical coherence tomography(OCT).·METHODS:Individuals diagnosed with LHON at the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University and their family members were included in this cross-sectional observational study.The FERG a-wave amplitude of affected patients and asymptomatic carriers was analyzed.The thickness of the outer nuclear layer(ONL),inner and outer segment(IS/OS)and total photoreceptors in the macular fovea and parafovea were measured.·RESULTS:This study included 14 LHON patients(mean age:20.00±9.37y),12 asymptomatic carriers(mean age:39.83±6.48y),and 14 normal subjects(mean age:24.20±1.52y).The FERG results showed that the darkadapted 3.0 electroretinography and light-adapted 3.0 electroretinography a-wave amplitudes of patients and carriers were significantly decreased(P<0.001).The ONL and photoreceptors layers were slightly thicker in patients than in normal subjects(P<0.05),whereas they were thinner in carriers(P<0.05).There were no differences in IS/OS thickness among the groups(P>0.05).·CONCLUSION:Photoreceptors function is significantly impaired in LHON-affected patients and asymptomatic carriers.Meanwhile,photoreceptors morphology is slightly altered,mainly manifesting as a change in ONL thickness.

A lithiated gel polymer electrolyte with superior interfacial performance for safe and long-life lithium metal battery

Rechargeable lithium metal batteries(LMBs)have gained much attention recently.However,the short lifespan and safety issues restrict their commercial applications.Here we report a novel gel polymer electrolyte(GPE)based on lithiated poly(vinyl chloride-r-acrylic acid)(PVCAALi)to realize dendritesuppressing and long-term stable lithium metal cycling.PVC chains ensure the quick gelation process and high electrolyte uptake,and lithiated PAA segments enable the increase of mechanical strength,acceleration of lithium-ion transmission and improvement of interfacial compatibility.PVCAALi GPE showed much higher mechanical strength compared with other free-standing GPEs in previous works.It displays a superior ionic conductivity of 1.50 m S cm^(-1) and a high lithium-ion transference number of 0.59 at room temperature.Besides,the lithiated GPE exhibits excellent interfacial compatibility with lithium metal anodes.Lithium symmetrical cells with PVCAALi GPE yield low hysteresis of 50 m V over1000 h at 1.0 m A cm^(-2).And the possible mechanism of the lithiated GPE with improved lithium-ion transfer and interfacial property was discussed.Accordingly,both the Li4Ti5O12/Li and lithium-sulfur(Li-S)cells assembled with PVCAALi GPE show outstanding electrochemical performance,retaining high discharge capacities of 133.8 m Ah g^(-1) and 603.8 m Ah g^(-1) over 200 cycles,respectively.This work proves excellent application potential of the highly effective and low-cost PVCAALi GPE in safe and long-life LMBs.

Copolymer-assisted Polypropylene Separator for Fast and Uniform Lithium Ion Transport in Lithium-ion Batteries

In lithium-ion batteries(LIBs),separators play a vital role in lithium-ion(Li+)transport,and thus affect rate performance,battery life,and safety.Here,a new kind of multifunctional copolymer poly(acrylonitrile-co-lithium acrylate-co-butyl acrylate)(PAAB-Li)is synthesized through soap-free emulsion polymerization,and is used to form homogeneous-covered separator based on PP matrix by a simple dip-annealing process.Compared to the bare PP separator,the modified separators with PAAB-Li enable higher ionic conductivity,higher lithium ion transference number(increased from 0.360 to 0.525),and lower interface impedance(reduced from 155Ω to 34Ω).It has been indicated that PAAB-Li functional layer significantly promotes the fast transport of Li+and improves the compatibility of the separator/electrolyte-electrode interface.The LiCo02/graphite cells with the PAAB-Li-assisted separator demonstrate excellent cycle stability and rate performance.In addition,the Li symmetric cells with the modified separator stably cycle over 800 h,indicating the functional layer effectively suppresses the lithium dendrite growth.This facile strategy can be easily applied to LIBs requiring high safety and even be scalable to Li metal batteries.Moreover,the possible mechanism of the PAAB-Li functional layer promoting fast and uniform Li+transport is discussed in this paper.