A comprehensive review of pre-lithiation/sodiation additives for Li-ion and Na-ion batteries

Lithium/Sodium-ion batteries(LIB/SIB)have attracted enormous attention as a promising electrochemical energy storage system due to their high energy density and long cycle life.One of the major hurdles is the initial irreversible capacity loss during the first few cycles owing to forming the solid electrolyte interphase layer(SEI).This process consumes a profusion of lithium/sodium,which reduces the overall energy density and cycle life.Thus,a suitable approach to compensate for the irreversible capacity loss must be developed to improve the energy density and cycle life.Pre-lithiation/sodiation is a widely accepted process to compensate for the irreversible capacity loss during the initial cycles.Various strategies such as physical,chemical,and electrochemical pre-lithiation/sodiation have been explored;however,these approaches add an extra step to the current manufacturing process.Alternative to these strategies,pre-lithiation/sodiation additives have attracted enormous attention due to their easy adaptability and compatibility with the current battery manufacturing process.In this review,we consolidate recent developments and emphasize the importance of using pre-lithiation/sodiation additives(anode and cathode)to overcome the irreversible capacity loss during the initial cycles in lithium/sodium-ion batteries.This review also addresses the technical and scientific challenges of using pre-lithiation/sodiation additives and offers the insights to boost the energy density and cycle life with their possible commercial exploration.The most important prerequisites for designing effective pre-lithiation/sodiation additives have been explored and the future directions have been discussed.

LC-MS Phytochemical Profiles of Phenolic Compounds and Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, and Antiplasmodial Activities of Ethanol Extracts of Pycnostachys erici-rosenii R.E.Fr and Leucas martinicensis (Jack.) R.Br (Lamiaceae)

This study has been conducted to analyze the chemical composition and antimicrobial, antioxidant and antiplasmodial properties of ethanol extracts of Pycnostachys erici-rosenii R.E.Fr and Leucas martinicensis (Jack.) R.Br that are not yet well known. The HPLC-DAD-MS-ESI+ method was used to investigate the chemical profile, the disc diffusion and microdilution method for the antimicrobial activities, the DPPH and FRAP assays for antioxidant property and SYBR Green I-based growth inhibition assay on Pf 3D7 (CQ-sensitive) strain for antiplasmodial properties. The results indicated significant amounts of hydroxybenzoic acid, flavonol and hydroxycinnamic acid in the two species. The total polyphenols analysis gave 209.0 ± 16.1 mg GAE/100g DW for P. erici-rosenii and 175.3 ± 1.6 mg GAE/100g DW for L. martinicensis while for total flavonoids analysis 33.4 ± 1.8 mg TE/100g DW was found for P. erici-rosenii and 39.6 ± 0.6 mg TE/100g DW for L. martinicensis. Moreover, antimicrobial tests revealed 0.125 mg/mL on E. faecalis ATCC25922 for ethanol extracts P. erici-rosenii and L. martinicensis. The antioxidant assays revealed IC50 56.17 μg/mL and 78.43 μg/mL for DPPH assay, and 112.03 μM TE/100mL and 90.46 μM TE/100mL) for FRAP assay for ethanol extracts of P. erici-rosenii and L. martinicensis respectively. Finally, for Antiplasmodial activity, IC50 was 4.07 μg/mL for P. erici-rosenii and 12.29 μg/mL for L. martinicensis. Therefore, the antimicrobial, the antioxidant, and the antiplasmodial results suggest that the ethanolic extracts of the aerial parts of P. erici-rosenii and L. martinicensis contain compounds with antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antiplasmodial properties, which can be searched in new drug discovery for treatment of infectious diseases.

Synthesis of Cobalt Containing Block Copolymers Via Ring Opening Metathesis Polymerizastion (ROMP)

In order to realize a metal containing nano-structure, a block-copolymer containing alkynyl groups in one block was designed and synthesized by living ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) technique. The newly developed bis-3-bromopyridine complex of Grubbs catalyst was employed in the series of polymerization and it yielded the desired polymers with great molecular weight control and narrow polydispersities. The characteristics of the block copolymers were investigated by gel permeation chromatography, H- and 13H- NMR spectroscopy. Complexation of the alkynyl group containing block copolymers by treatment with dicobalt octacarbonyl occurred smoothly in 5 min at room temperature. GPC analysis before and after cobalt complexation indicated a significant increase of the hydrodynamic volume. AFM images of the films before and after the complexation also showed a noticeable change in its morphology where grain sizes become smaller and more regular upon complexation.

Advancements in life-on-a-chip: The impact of “Beyond Limits Manufacturing” technology

This review explores the concept of life-on-a-chip,which involves the creation of miniaturized biological systems,such as organs,tissues,and model organisms,on microscale platforms called microfluidic chips.These chips consist of intricately etched channels,wells,and chambers that enable precise control and observation of fluids,cells,and biochemical reactions,facilitating the simulation of various aspects of human or animal physiology and the study of responses to different stimuli,drugs,or disease conditions.The review highlights the application of a novel technology,“Beyond Limit Manufacturing”(BLM),in the development of sophisticated three-dimensional cell models and model organism microchips.Modelorganism-on-a-chip and organ-on-a-chip(OoC)are among the thriving developments in the field of microfluidics,allowing for the reconstruction of living microenvironments and implementation of multiple stimuli.The review discusses the latest advancements in life-on-a-chip technology using BLM and outlines potential future research directions,emphasizing the significant role of these chips in studying complex biological processes in a controlled and scalable manner.

Topotactically constructed nickel-iron(oxy)hydroxide with abundant in-situ produced high-valent iron species for efficient water oxidation

The low efficiency of oxygen evolution reaction(OER) is regarded as one of the major roadblocks for metal-air batteries and water electrolysis.Herein,a high-performance OER catalyst of NiFe_(0.2)(oxy)hydroxide(NiFe_(0.2)-O_(x)H_(y)) was developed through topotactic transformation of a Prussian blue analogue in an alkaline solution,which exhibits a low overpotential of only 263 mV to reach a current density of 10 mA cm^(-2) and a small Tafel slope of 35 mV dec-1.Ex-situ/operando Raman spectroscopy results indicated that the phase structure of NiFe_(0.2)-O_(x)H_(y) was irreversibly transformed from the type of α-Ni(OH)_(2) to γ-NiOOH with applying an anodic potential,while ex-situ/operando 57Fe Mossbauer spectroscopic studies evidenced the in-situ production of abundant high-valent iron species under OER conditions,which effectively promoted the OER catalysis.Our work elucidates that the amount of high-valent iron species in-situ produced in the NiFe(oxy)hydroxide has a positive correlation with its water oxidation reaction performance,which further deepens the understanding of the mechanism of NiFe-based electrocatalysts.

Mercaptolysis of the E/F Rings of Steroidal Sapogenins:A Concise Synthesis of Δ^(20(22))-Furostene-26-thioethers

Lewis acid catalyzed mercaptolysis of steroidal sapogenins was reinvestigated. Besides obtaining the reported 26-thioacetals 5 under milder conditions, a new type of compounds Δ20(22)-furostene-26-thioethers 6 were also synthesized through the mercaptolysis of steroidal sapogenins, which can be used to the synthesis of the steroidal molecule with side chains.

Pseudo four-component and regioselective synthesis of 4-amino-3,5-dicyano-6-arylphthalates using triethylamine catalyst

An efficient triethylamine-catalyzed synthesis of 4-amino-3,5-dicyano-6-arylphthalates is described.A one-pot,simple pseudo four-component reaction between arylaldehydes,dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates, and twice as much malononitrile gave 4-amino-3,5-dicyano-6-arylphthalates in good to excellent yields.

Dual-emissive nanohybrid nanoclusters for sensitive ions of carbon dots and gold determination of mercuric

The present work reports a sensitive and selective fluorescent sensor for the detection of mercury ion, Hg（II）, by hybridizing carbon nanodots （C-dots） and gold nanoclusters （Au NCs） through intrinsic interactions of the two components. The C-dots serve as the reference signal and the Au NCs as the reporter. This method employs the specific high affinity metallophilic Hg2^-Au＋ interactions which can greatly quench the red fluorescence of Au NCs, while the blue fluorescence of C-dots is stable against Hg（II）, leading to distinct ratiometric fluorescence changes when exposed to Hg（II）. A limit of detection of 28 nM for Hg（II） in aqueous solution was estimated. Thus we applied the sensor for the detection of Hg（II） in real water samples including tap water, lake water and mineral water samples with good results. We further demonstrated that a visual chemical sensor could be manufactured by immobilizing the nanohybrid probe on a cellulose acetate circular filter paper. The paper-based sensor immediately showed a distinct fluorescence color evolution from pink to blue after exposure to a drop of the Hg（II） solution

Lipid nanomaterials-based RNA therapy and cancer treatment

We summarize the most important advances in RNA delivery and nanomedicine.We describe lipid nanoparticle-based RNA therapeutics and the impacts on the development of novel drugs.The fundamental properties of the key RNA members are described.We introduced recent advances in the nanoparticles to deliver RNA to defined targets,with a focus on lipid nanoparticles(LNPs).We review recent advances in biomedical therapy based on RNA drug delivery and state-of-the-art RNA application platforms,including the treatment of different types of cancer.This review presents an overview of current LNPs based RNA therapies in cancer treatment and provides deep insight into the development of future nanomedicines sophisticatedly combining the unparalleled functions of RNA therapeutics and nanotechnology.