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Although Li‐metal has been revisited as the most attractive anode in building high‐energy‐density batteries owing to its superiority, such as ultimate theoretical capacity and lowest working voltage, notorious Li dendrite growth has plagued its practical uses. Since dendritic Li electroplating is mostly caused by poor Li+ transport and inferior stability of solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI), an innovative reframing of the electrolyte is crucial to the success of Li‐metal anodes (LMAs). This review presents a new class of electrolytes, nano‐colloidal electrolytes (NCEs), providing a new avenue for next‐generation Li‐metal batteries (LMBs). Without searching for new salts/solvents or their compositional tuning, NCEs exploiting multi‐functional nanoparticles dispersed in liquid electrolytes can promote Li+ transport and reinforce the SEI of liquid electrolytes that are solely used. This review discusses various types of nanoparticles and their key roles in demonstrating excellent suppression of Li dendrite growth and enhancing the cycling stability of LMBs. Unraveling the underlying design principles of NCEs offers practical solutions for stabilizing LMAs, paving the way for developing intelligent battery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eriostemon–Phebalium clade (Rutaceae) includes c. 200 species across 16 genera, and is distributed in Australia (including Tasmania), New Caledonia, New Hebrides, New Zealand, and New Guinea. Phylogenetic analyses based on DNA sequences have consistently shown that the Eriostemon – Phebalium group is robustly monophyletic. However, despite this, taxonomy within the group is still uncertain: relationships between the genera are not well understood, and the genus Philotheca is polyphyletic. Seed morphological characters can be useful in taxonomy in angiosperms, and in this study, 21 seed morphological characters for 29 taxa of all the 16 genera circumscribed in the Eriostemon – Phebalium clade were examined using stereo and scanning electron microscopy. Seed morphological traits such as testa type and hilum were informative for some of the robustly supported clades in molecular phylogenetic studies, and a combination of seed characters could be useful for species identification. This study highlights the potential of seed morphological traits for the systematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Ajuga is widely distributed in temperate to subtropical regions, and four species are currently recognized in Korea (A. decumbens, A. multiflora, A. nipponensis, and A. spectabilis), but epidermal anatomical differences across these species have never been described. A comparative study of the leaf micromorphological characteristics of Korean Ajuga species was performed using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to elucidate their taxonomic usefulness and to assess leaf micromorphological diversity. Considerable diversity in epidermal and stomatal anatomy was observed across Korean Ajuga species. Species had both hypostomatic or amphistomatic leaves, with anomocytic, anisocytic, diactyic, or actinocytic stomatal complexes. Guard cell length across species ranged from 17.66 ± 0.57 μm to 32.50 ± 2.38 μm and correlated with genome size. Abnormal stomata were frequently observed in three species (A. decumbens, A. multiflora, and A. nipponensis) but not in A. spectabilis. Three types of glandular trichomes were found: peltate in all species, short‐stalked in all species, and long‐stalked glandular trichomes in A. multiflora. Among the investigated leaf micromophological characters, trichome type, epidermal cell shape, and stomatal morphology were all taxonomically informative traits at a species level. Research Highlights: A comprehensive micromorphological description of the leaf surface is provided for Korean Ajuga species using scanning electron microscopic (SEM) and light microscopic (LM) analyses.The diverse range of stomatal development and the occurrence of polymorphic stomatal types are documented for the first time in Korean Ajuga species.The great diversity in stomatal and trichome morphology in Korean Ajuga species are taxonomically useful traits for species identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "Intelligent Nano-Colloidal Electrolytes for Stabilizing Lithium Metal Anodes: A Review" explores the use of nanocolloidal electrolytes (NCEs) to regulate the microenvironment of lithium ions (Li+) in order to improve the stability of lithium metal anodes. The NCEs contain nanoparticles that can interact with ionic species, creating a pathway for hybrid ion transport and immobilizing anions, which enhances selective Li+ transport. Additionally, the nanoparticles can modify the solvation structure of Li+ by interacting with solvents and additives, allowing for customization of the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) chemistry. The article provides further details on these findings and is authored by Hongkyung Lee and co-workers. [Extracted from the article]

The genus Youngia Cass. is taxonomically complex and widely distributed in East Asia. Despite the high diversity of species, only two species, Youngia japonica (L.) DC. and Youngia longiflora (Babc. & Stebbins) C.Shih, are currently found in Korea. Among them, Y. longiflora was once recognized as a subspecies of Y. japonica. However, based on chloroplast and nuclear DNA sequences, as well as morphology, Y. longiflora was found to be a distinct species. Here, the two Korean Youngia species were analyzed using scanning electron microscope and light microscope for chromosome number, pollen, cypselae, and leaf micromorphological characters to evaluate if the examined characters are informative for taxonomy. Pollen morphology is described, and the micromorphological characters of Y. longiflora are described for the first time. Cypselae and pollen surface ornamentation, as well as trichome morphology and stomatal size varied between the two species. Y. japonica had longer chromosomes than Y. longiflora, while other chromosomal characters including the localization of the NOR (nucleolar organizer region) were similar. The present micromorphological and cytological results are of great taxonomic value for Youngia species identification in Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]