Stress-Regulation Design of Lithium Alloy Electrode toward Stable Battery Cycling

Metallic tin(Sn)foil is a promising candidate anode for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)due to its metallurgical processability and high capacity.However,it suffers low initial Coulombic efficiency and inferior cycling stability due to its uneven alloying/dealloying reactions,large volume change and stress,and fast electrode structural degradation.Herein,we report an undulating LiSn electrode fabricated by a scalable two-step procedure involving mechanical lithography and chemical prelithiation of Sn foil.With the combination of experimental measurements and chemo-mechanical simulations,it was revealed the obtained undulating LiSn/Sn electrode could ensure better mechanical stability due to the pre-swelling state from Sn to Li x Sn and undulating structure of lithography in comparison with plane Sn,homogenize the electrochemical alloying/dealloying reactions due to the activated surface materials,and compensate Li loss during cycling due to the introduction of excess Li from Li_(x)Sn,thus enabling enhanced electrochemical performance.Symmetric cells consisting of undulating LiSn/Sn electrode with an active thickness of∼5 um displayed stable cycling over 1000 h at 1 mA cm^(-2) and 1 mAh cm^(-2) with a low average overpotential of<15 mV.When paired with commercial LiNi_(0.6)Co_(0.2)Mn_(0.2)O_(2)(NCM622)cathode with high mass loading of 15.8 mg cm^(-2),the full cell demonstrated a high capacity of 2.4 mAh cm^(-2) and outstanding cycling stability with 84.9% capacity retention at 0.5 C after 100 cycles.This work presents an advanced LiSn electrode with stress-regulation design toward high-performance LIBs,and sheds light on the rational electrode design and processing of other high-capacity lithium alloy anodes.

Circumventing chemo-mechanical failure of Sn foil battery anode by grain refinement and elaborate porosity design

Tin (Sn) metal foil is a promising anode for next-generation high-energy–density lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its high capacity and easy processibility. However, the pristine Sn foil anode suffers nonuniform alloying/dealloying reaction with lithium (Li) and huge volume variation, leading to electrode pulverization and inferior electrochemical performance. Herein, we proposed that reduced grain size and elaborate porosity design of Sn foil can circumvent the nonuniform alloy reaction and buffer the volume change during the lithiation/delithiation cycling. Experimentally, we designed a three-dimensional interconnected porous Sn (3DIP-Sn) foil by a facile chemical alloying/dealloying approach, which showed improved electrochemical performance. The enhanced structure stability of the as-fabricated 3DIP-Sn foil was verified by chemo-mechanical simulations and experimental investigation. As expected, the 3DIP-Sn foil anode revealed a long cycle lifespan of 4400 h at 0.5 mA cm^(−2) and 1 mAh cm^(−2) in Sn||Li half cells. A 3DIP-Sn||LiFePO_(4) full cell with LiFePO_(4) loading of 7.1 mg cm^(−2) exhibited stable cycling for 500 cycles with 80% capacity retention at 70 mA g^(−1). Pairing with high-loading commercial LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O_(2) (NCM622, 18.4 mg cm^(−2)) cathode, a 3DIP-Sn||NCM622 full cell delivered a high reversible capacity of 3.2 mAh cm^(−2). These results demonstrated the important role of regulating the uniform alloying/dealloying reaction and circumventing the localized strain/stress in improving the electrochemical performance of Sn foil anodes for advanced LIBs.

Directional Routing Algorithm for Deep Space Optical Network

With the development of science, economy and society, the needs for research and exploration of deep space have entered a rapid and stable development stage. Deep Space Optical Network(DSON) is expected to become an important foundation and inevitable development trend of future deepspace communication. In this paper, we design a deep space node model which is capable of combining the space division multiplexing with frequency division multiplexing. Furthermore, we propose the directional flooding routing algorithm(DFRA) for DSON based on our node model. This scheme selectively forwards the data packets in the routing, so that the energy consumption can be reduced effectively because only a portion of nodes will participate the flooding routing. Simulation results show that, compared with traditional flooding routing algorithm(TFRA), the DFRA can avoid the non-directional and blind transmission. Therefore, the energy consumption in message routing will be reduced and the lifespan of DSON can also be prolonged effectively. Although the complexity of routing implementation is slightly increased compared with TFRA, the energy of nodes can be saved and the transmission rate is obviously improved in DFRA. Thus the overall performance of DSON can be significantly improved.

Antifertility effects of levonorgestrel,quinestrol,and their mixture(EP-1)on plateau zokor in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

The plateau zokor(Eospalax baileyi)is a key species in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau ecosystem,and fertility control could be an ideal approach to manage populations of this subterranean species.In this laboratory study,we explored the effects of the mixture of levonorgestrel and quinestrol(EP-1,1:2),quinestrol(E),and levonorgestrel(P)on the reproductive status of plateau zokors.Groups of 5 animals of each sex were treated with different concentrations of EP-1(1,5,and 10 mg/kg),E(0.33,3.3,and 6.6 mg/kg),and P(0.67,3.35,and 6.7 mg/kg)by oral gavage over 7 successive days and killed on day 15.Body mass reduction was observed in the EP-1 and E groups.EP-1 and E significantly reduced the weight of testis and epididymis at 10 and 3.3 mg/kg,respectively.Sperm count and motility were significantly reduced by 5 mg/kg EP-1 and 0.33 mg/kg E.The levels of serum testosterone,estradiol,luteinizing hormone,and follicle stimulating hormone were significantly reduced by 5 mg/kg EP-1 and 3.3 mg/kg E.EP-1 and E significantly increased the uterine and ovarian weights at 10 and 3.3 mg/kg,respectively.In the plateau zokors,treatment with P had no influence on the reproductive status.These data demonstrate that EP-1 and E have an inhibitory effect on a range of reproductive parameters in the plateau zokors.Further assessment is required to determine the effects on breeding and recruitment in enclosure orfield experiments.