Search

The stable cycling of energy-dense solid-state batteries is highly relied on the kinetically stable solid-state Li alloying reactions. The Li metal precipitation at solid-solid interfaces is the primary cause of interface fluctuations and battery failures, whose formation requires a clear mechanism interpretation, especially on the key kinetic short board. Here, we introduce the lithium alloy anode as a model system to quantify the Li kinetic evolution and transition from the alloying reaction to the metal deposition in solid-state batteries, identifying that there is a carrier transition from Li atoms to Li vacancies during lithiation processes. The rate-determining step is charge transfer or Li atom diffusion at different lithiation stages.

Mechanical strain, curvature, and elasticity lead to the emergence of exotic molecular configurations in chiral liquid crystals., Liquid crystals are known to exhibit intriguing textures and color patterns, with applications in display and optical technologies. This work focuses on chiral materials and examines the palette of morphologies that arises when microdroplets are deformed into nonspherical shapes in a controllable manner. Specifically, geometrical confinement and mechanical strain are used to manipulate orientational order, phase transitions, and topological defects that arise in chiral liquid crystal droplets. Inspired by processes encountered in nature, where insects and animals often rely on strain and temperature to alter the optical appearance of dispersed liquid crystalline elements, chiral droplets are dispersed in polymer films and deformation induced by uniaxial or biaxial stretching. Our measurements are interpreted by resorting to simulations of the corresponding systems, thereby providing an in-depth understanding of the morphologies that arise in these materials. The reported structures and assemblies offer potential for applications in smart coatings, smart fabrics, and wearable sensors.

Optically actuated silicon structures reveal rapid calcium signal propagation in biofilms., Bacterial response to transient physical stress is critical to their homeostasis and survival in the dynamic natural environment. Because of the lack of biophysical tools capable of delivering precise and localized physical perturbations to a bacterial community, the underlying mechanism of microbial signal transduction has remained unexplored. Here, we developed multiscale and structured silicon (Si) materials as nongenetic optical transducers capable of modulating the activities of both single bacterial cells and biofilms at high spatiotemporal resolution. Upon optical stimulation, we capture a previously unidentified form of rapid, photothermal gradient–dependent, intercellular calcium signaling within the biofilm. We also found an unexpected coupling between calcium dynamics and biofilm mechanics, which could be of importance for biofilm resistance. Our results suggest that functional integration of Si materials and bacteria, and associated control of signal transduction, may lead to hybrid living matter toward future synthetic biology and adaptable materials.

A nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond is used for magnetic imaging of intracellular proteins in a single cell at 10-nm scale., The in situ measurement of the distribution of biomolecules inside a cell is one of the important goals in life science. Among various imaging techniques, magnetic imaging (MI) based on the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond provides a powerful tool for the biomolecular research, while the nanometer-scale MI of intracellular proteins remains a challenge. Here, we use ferritin as a demonstration to realize the MI of endogenous proteins in a single cell using the NV center as the sensor. With the scanning, intracellular ferritins are imaged with a spatial resolution of ca. 10 nm, and ferritin-containing organelles are colocalized by correlative MI and electron microscopy. The approach paves the way for nanoscale MI of intracellular proteins.

Dendrite-free lithium metal anodes are achieved by solid lithium ionic conductors as ion redistributors to homogenize Li ions., Lithium (Li) metal anodes have attracted considerable interest due to their ultrahigh theoretical gravimetric capacity and very low redox potential. However, the issues of nonuniform lithium deposits (dendritic Li) during cycling are hindering the practical applications of Li metal batteries. Herein, we propose a concept of ion redistributors to eliminate dendrites by redistributing Li ions with Al-doped Li6.75La3Zr1.75Ta0.25O12 (LLZTO) coated polypropylene (PP) separators. The LLZTO with three-dimensional ion channels can act as a redistributor to regulate the movement of Li ions, delivering a uniform Li ion distribution for dendrite-free Li deposition. The standard deviation of ion concentration beneath the LLZTO composite separator is 13 times less than that beneath the routine PP separator. A Coulombic efficiency larger than 98% over 450 cycles is achieved in a Li | Cu cell with the LLZTO-coated separator. This approach enables a high specific capacity of 140 mAh g−1 for LiFePO4 | Li pouch cells and prolonged cycle life span of 800 hours for Li | Li pouch cells, respectively. This strategy is facile and efficient in regulating Li-ion deposition by separator modifications and is a universal method to protect alkali metal anodes in rechargeable batteries.

Activity tunes elastic properties and defect interactions in nematic liquid crystals., Active materials are capable of converting free energy into directional motion, giving rise to notable dynamical phenomena. Developing a general understanding of their structure in relation to the underlying nonequilibrium physics would provide a route toward control of their dynamic behavior and pave the way for potential applications. The active system considered here consists of a quasi–two-dimensional sheet of short (≈1 μm) actin filaments driven by myosin II motors. By adopting a concerted theoretical and experimental strategy, new insights are gained into the nonequilibrium properties of active nematics over a wide range of internal activity levels. In particular, it is shown that topological defect interactions can be led to transition from attractive to repulsive as a function of initial defect separation and relative orientation. Furthermore, by examining the +1/2 defect morphology as a function of activity, we found that the apparent elastic properties of the system (the ratio of bend-to-splay elastic moduli) are altered considerably by increased activity, leading to an effectively lower bend elasticity. At high levels of activity, the topological defects that decorate the material exhibit a liquid-like structure and adopt preferred orientations depending on their topological charge. Together, these results suggest that it should be possible to tune internal stresses in active nematic systems with the goal of designing out-of-equilibrium structures with engineered dynamic responses.

The simplest hydrated HF was realized, whose properties were revealed by x-ray analysis, spectroscopy, and theoretical studies., Dissociation of an acid molecule in aqueous media is one of the most fundamental solvation processes but its details remain poorly understood at the distinct molecular level. Conducting high-pressure treatments of an open-cage fullerene C70 derivative with hydrogen fluoride (HF) in the presence of H2O, we achieved an unprecedented encapsulation of H2O·HF and H2O. Restoration of the opening yielded the endohedral C70s, that is, (H2O·HF)@C70, H2O@C70, and HF@C70 in macroscopic scales. Putting an H2O·HF complex into the fullerene cage was a crucial step, and it would proceed by the synergistic effects of “pushing from outside” and “pulling from inside.” The structure of the H2O·HF was unambiguously determined by single crystal x-ray diffraction analysis. The nuclear magnetic resonance measurements revealed the formation of a hydrogen bond between the H2O and HF molecules without proton transfer even at 140°C.