Fundamentals,preparation,and mechanism understanding of Li/Na/Mg-Sn alloy anodes for liquid and solid-state lithium batteries and beyond

Lithium metal is one of the most promising anodes to develop high energy density and safe energy storage devices due to its highest theoretical capacity(3860 mAh·g^(−1))and lowest electrochemical potential,demonstrating great potential to fulfill unprecedented demand from electronic gadgets,electric vehicles,and grid storage.Despite these good merits,lithium metal suffers from low Coulombic efficiency and dendritic growth,leading to internal short-circuiting of the cell and raising safety concerns about employing lithium metal as an anode.Recently,lithium-tin(Li-Sn)alloys,among other lithium alloys,have emerged as a potential alternative to lithium metal to efficiently suppress the lithium dendrite formation and reduce interfacial resistance for safer and longer-lasting lithium batteries.Accordingly,this work first reviews the fundamentals of Li-Sn alloys,and critically analyzes the failure mechanisms of pristine Li-metal anode and how Li-Sn alloys could overcome those challenges.The subsequent section examines various strategies to synthesize Li-Sn bulk and protection film alloys,followed by an evaluation of symmetric cell performance.Furthermore,the comparative electrochemical performance of full cells against different cathodes and solid electrolytes provides an overview of the present research.Subsequently,advanced characterization techniques were discussed to visualize lithium dendrites directly and quantify the mechanical performance of Li-Sn alloys.Last but not the least,the state-of-the-art progress of applying M-Sn(M=Na and Mg)beyond lithium batteries was summarized.In closing,this work identifies the critical challenges and provides future perspectives on Li-Sn alloy for lithium batteries and beyond.

Induced neural stem/precursor cells for fundamental studies and potential application in neurodegenerative diseases

Recent research has shown that defined sets of exogenous factors are sufficient to convert rodent and human somatic cells directly into induced neural stem cells or neural precursor cells（iNSCs/iNPCs）.The process of transdifferentiation bypasses the step of a pluripotent state and reduces the risk of tumorigenesis and genetic instability while retaining the self-renewing capacity.This iNSC/iNPC technology has fueled much excitement in regenerative medicine,as these cells can be differentiated into target cells for replacement therapy for neurodegenerative diseases.Patients＇ somatic cell-derived iNSCs/iNPCs have also been proposed to serve as disease models with potential value in both fundamental studies and clinical applications.This review focuses on the mechanisms,techniques,and applications of iNSCs/iNPCs from a series of related studies,as well as further efforts in designing novel strategies using iNSC/iNPC technology and its potential applications in neurodegenerative diseases.

Progress in hydrogen enriched hydrocarbons combustion and engine applications

The paper summarized the work on hydrogen enriched hydrocarbons combustion and its application in engines. The progress and understanding on laminar burning velocity, flame instability, flame structure flame and chemical kinetics were presented. Based on funda- mental combustion, both homogeneous spark-ignition engine and direct-injection spark-ignition engine fueled with natural gas-hydrogen blends were conducted and the technical route of natural gas-hydrogen combined with exhaust gas recirculation was proposed which experimen- tally demonstrated benefits on both thermal efficiency improvement and emissions reduction.