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Rotation welding of wood dowels has the advantages of high bonding strength, fast processing speed and green environmental protection, and is suitable for jointing nodes in furniture and wood products. However, most wood friction welding specimens have poor water resistance where the welded joints are more likely to be damaged in wet environments, which greatly limits their wider application. Previous studies focused on using natural and green materials or methods to enhance bonding strength and water resistance of friction-welded joints. This paper reveals an innovative chemical pretreatment method to improve the water resistance of rotary friction welded joints by treating the substrate blocks or dowels with reagents that successively oxidize and sulfonate the wood, and spraying the dowels with Zinc acetate alcohol solution that has a lubricant effect, followed by friction welding. The findings show that both the dry bonding strength of friction welded joints and the wet bonding strength after impregnation with cold, hot, and boiling water of dowels pretreated with oxidation and sulfonation reactions were higher than those without pretreatment and significantly superior to the traditional polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) adhesive bonding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Pyroptosis could regulate tumor cell trafficking, invasion, and metastasis, as well as the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, prognostic characteristics of pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) and their effect on the progression of glioma remain insufficient. METHODS: The genetic, transcriptional, and survival data of patients with glioma used for bioinformatic analysis were obtained from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. RESULTS: Screening of two different molecular subtypes revealed that PRG variations were associated with characteristics of TME cell infiltration, clinicopathological characteristics, and prognosis of patients with glioma. After Cox regression of differentially expressed genes, a risk score for predicting overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated. Its predictive accuracy in patients with glioma was validated. The high-risk group of PRG signature had a poorer OS than the low-risk group (training cohort, P < 0.001; validation cohort, P < 0.001). A high risk score implies more immune cell infiltration and better immunotherapy response to immune checkpoint blockers. In addition, the differential expression of three pyroptosis-pairs in tumor and normal tissues was identified. Furthermore, the risk score was significantly associated with chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity and cancer stem cell (CSC) index. Subsequently, a highly accurate nomogram was established to facilitate applicability in the preliminary clinical application of risk score. CONCLUSION: Our findings may provide the basis for future research targeting pyroptosis in glioma and evaluation of prognosis and development of more effective immunotherapy strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) is a promising cathode in lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) due to its high operating voltage and open Li+ diffusion framework. However, the instability of the electrode–electrolyte interface and the negative environmental impact of electrode fabrication processes limit its practical application. Therefore, switching electrode processing conditions to aqueous and understanding the accompanying surface structural evolution are imperative. Here, water‐treated, poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)‐treated, and H3PO4‐treated LNMO, labeled as W‐LNMO, A‐LNMO, and H‐LNMO, are studied systematically. W‐LNMO shows a high concentration of Mn3+ induced by Li loss while a conformal PAA layer formed on A‐LNMO reduces this phenomenon. H‐LNMO displays a second MnPO4∙H2O phase. Upon cycling, a fast capacity decay is observed in W‐LNMO while an extra plateau at ≈2.7 V appears in the initial charging, corresponding to a two‐phase transition. A surface reconstruction layer from a spinel to a rock‐salt phase with a reductive Mn2+ segregation is observed in W‐LNMO after 105 cycles. The PAA layer persists on A‐LNMO and alleviates the capacity decay. H‐LNMO delivers a relatively low capacity due to the formation of a MnPO4∙H2O phase. This study provides new insights into manipulating the surface chemistry of LNMO cathodes to enable aqueous, large‐scale processingin LIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyvinyl alcohol grafted poly (acrylic acid) (PVA- g -PAA) is synthesized through graft polymerization of acrylic acid (AA) onto PVA backbone via a free radical reaction. PVA- g -PAA is used as a water-soluble binder for silicon (Si) anodes in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The enhanced adhesion strength, excellent flexibility and high electrolyte uptake after grafting reaction render PVA- g -PAA a robust binder for Si anodes. Compared to linear PVA, PAA and CMC, optimal Si-PVA- g -10PAA electrode exhibits better cycle stability, higher Coulombic efficiency and more excellent rate capability, possessing a high electrical conductivity, low SEI/charge transfer resistance and fast lithium-ion diffusion coefficient. PVA- g -PAA binder not only maintains the electrode's mechanical and electrical integrity, facilitates a favorable electrochemical kinetics, but also assists in forming a stable SEI layer on Si surface upon long-term cycling. Such a strategy sheds light on the design of novel polymer binders for practical applications of high-capacity active materials with great volume change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene): tosylate (PEDOT: Tos) is synthesized by chemical oxidative polymerization with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as stabilizer in organic solvent. The effects of different molecular weight and additive amount of PVP stabilizer, various volume ratios of propylene carbonate (PC) to ethanol in organic system, different oxidative agents and various polymerization temperature/time on as-prepared PEDOT dispersion are taken into consideration and investigated systematically. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), film-forming property and electrical conductivity are studied and compared among different reaction conditions. The optimal polymerization scenario is to prepare PEDOT particles with 2 wt.% PVP (M.w. = 58,000) stabilizer and Fe 2 (SO 4 ) 3 oxidant at 80 °C for 24 h in organic system of PC and ethanol (volume ratio = 1: 3). Optimal PEDOT with PVP possesses more homogeneous particle size, better particle-particle connectivity in film and higher electrical conductivity (1.67*10 −2 s cm −1 ) than that of PEDOT without PVP (5.2*10 −4 s cm −1 ) and commercial organic PEDOT (4.7*10 −4 s cm −1 ). The morphology and elemental composition of PEDOT particles with PVP are also investigated and compared with that of commercial organic PEDOT and aqueous PEDOT/PSS dispersion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

5 V LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 (LNMO) cathodes are prepared using carboxymethyl chitosan (CCTS) as a water soluble binder and carbon coated aluminum foils (CAl) as current collector in Li-ion batteries (LIBs). CCTS exhibits an electrochemical oxidation potential as high as 5.0 V. The electrochemical performance of LNMO cathode with CCTS binder is investigated and compared with the commercial non-aqueous polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF). CCTS-CAl-LNMO electrode shows higher capacity retention (95.8%) than that of PVDF-CAl-LNMO (92.9%) and PVDF-Al-LNMO (88.52%) after 100 cycles. And, CCTS-CAl-LNMO electrode exhibits better rate capability than PVDF-CAl-LNMO, and PVDF-Al-LNMO, retaining specific capacity of 95.8 mAhg −1 at 10C rate, only 87.6 mAhg −1 and 1 mAhg −1 for PVDF-CAl-LNMO, and PVDF-Al-LNMO, respectively. This approach can also be extended its use to other cathode materials such as LiNi 1/3 Co 1/3 Mn 1/3 O 2 (NCM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xanthan Gum (XG) is systematically investigated and employed as water soluble binder for LiFePO 4 (LFP) cathode in Li-ion batteries. XG binder exhibits good thermal stability and processes abundant functional groups such as carboxyl and hydroxyl, displaying a better adhesion strength of 0.085 N cm −1 than sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC, 0.050 N cm −1 ), but inferior to polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF, 0.170 N cm −1 ). The Rheology test reveals that the viscosity of LFP slurry prepared with XG binder is higher than that of PVDF, resulting in a better dispersion of LFP and carbon black particles. The electrochemical performances of LFP-XG electrode are investigated and compared with those of aqueous CMC and conventional PVDF binder. LFP-XG displays better cycle stability and rate performance than PVDF, comparable to CMC, which retains 55.3% capacity of C/5 at 5 C as compared to PVDF (34.8%) and CMC (57.8%). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) shows that LFP-XG has smaller redox polarization and faster lithium diffusion rate than PVDF while electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurement at specified intervals reveals its more favorable electrochemical kinetics than that with PVDF, similar to CMC, thus better rate capability. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) displays that LFP-XG has a more homogenous distribution of LFP and conductive carbon black particles with XG before cycling and better maintains its structure integrity after 100 cycles than that of PVDF. Furthermore, LFP-XG is observed to process a high ionic conductivity supported by dQ/dV profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Two hydrated vanadium phosphates, KVP-FD and KVP-HD, are used as novel anodes for SIBs to unravel their Na+ intercalation mechanism. • KVP-HD electrode displays a higher discharge capacity, much superior rate capability and faster electrochemical kinetics than KVP-FD. • Ex-situ XRD reveals that robust KVP-HD host framework provides appropriate crystallographic sites for reversible Na+/K+ ion intercalation/deintercalation. • Electrochemical mechanism shifts from a predominant K+ to a mixed Na+/K+ intercalation/deintercalation process. Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are prospective and fascinating for stationary energy storage systems (ESS) because of the abudance of sodium (Na) resource and their excellent cycle stability. Exploring for advanced anode materials with robust framework and appropriate crystallographic sites, is of great significance to effectively boost the practical applications of SIBs and to largely decrease the potential safety issues of alloy-type anodes with large volume changes during cycling. Herein, two hydrated vanadium phosphates [K 3 V 3 (PO 4) 4 ·H 2 O, KVP] are delicately prepared by freeze-drying and sol–gel heating drying, denoted as KVP-FD and KVP-HD, respectively, and used as novel anodes for SIBs to reveal their Na+ intercalation mechanism. KVP-HD electrode possesses a much superior discharge capacity and a higher capacity retention (185.6 mAh g−1, 72.2 %) at 1C for 300 cycles, and more excellent rate capability at high C-rates (greater than1C) than KVP-FD (127.4 mAh g−1, 45.5 %). Cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic intermittent titration and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, manifest a more alleviated polarization, smaller impedance and faster diffusion kinetics of KVP-HD electrode than KVP-FD. Exsitu -X-ray diffraction (exsitu -XRD) further reveals that polyanionic KVP-HD material possesses a robust structure and provides fast ion diffusion tunnels to reversibly (de)intercalate the Na+/K+ due to the pillar K+ residing and holding the structure. The electrochemical mechanism switch successively from an initial predominant K+ to a subsequent mixed Na+/K+ (de)intercalation in the polyanionic KVP during cycling. This work innovatively lights up the future to use Na-free KVP polyanion as robust framework for advanced anode in SIBs, which gives insightful reference for using Na-free materials for next-generation SIBs anodes towards a much safer and a more cost-effective battery system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have aroused more and more academic and industrial interest due to their decent electrochemical performance and the cost-effectiveness of sodium (Na) resource. However, fabricating an appropriate anode material with high specific capacity, long-term cycle stability and superior rate capability remains a great challenge. Here, we adopt an efficient microwave-assisted hydrothermal method to prepare layered niobium oxyphosphate (NbOPO 4) nanosheets, which grows on the single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) (NbOPO 4 -rGO-SWCNT). Benefiting from three-dimensional hierarchical architecture combining NbOPO 4 nanosheets with rGO-SWCNT framework with excellent electrical conductivity, NbOPO 4 -rGO-SWCNT electrode delivers a higher reversible specific capacity (323.2 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1) and superior rate capability (147.9 mAh g−1 at 5 A g−1) than that of NbOPO 4 (143.1/43.5 mAh g−1). Ex-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements further reveal the electrochemical mechanism that reversible reaction between niobium phosphate (NbPO 4) and niobium (Nb) occurs after the initial intercalation-conversion reaction, which contributes to the stable reversibility and high-rate capability in the following cycling. This work not only indicates that NbOPO 4 -rGO-SWCNT can act as a desirable anode material for SIBs, but also provide new insights to material design for niobium oxyphosphate composite. [Display omitted] • NbOPO 4 -rGO-SWCNT is fabricated by a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. • This electrode delivers a high reversible specific capacity and rate capability. • Mechanistic study of the electrochemical mechanism of NbOPO 4 -rGO-SWCNT electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyanoethylated carboxymethyl chitosan (CN-CCTS) has been synthesized through a straightforward cyanoethylation reaction by reacting CCTS with acrylonitrile in NaOH aqueous solution. CN-CCTS shows improved adhesion strength of 0.047 N/cm as compared with 0.013 N/cm for CCTS after introducing cyanoethyl group in the chemical structure of CCTS. The electrochemical performances of LiFePO 4 electrode with CN-CCTS binder have been investigated and compared with those using water soluble sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and non-aqueous polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) binder. LiFePO 4 electrode with CN-CCTS exhibits better cycling stability and rate capability, retaining 56.3% capacity of C/5 at 5C rate as compared with 48.4% and 32.8% for CMC and PVDF, respectively. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurement reveal that LiFePO 4 electrode with CN-CCTS has a more favorable electrochemical kinetics than that with CMC and PVDF, thus better rate capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1) is an important cause of human liver cancer. This study proposes a quantitative detection method for the AFB 1 in corn based on Fourier transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy technology. First, we acquired spectral data of corn samples with different degrees of mildew using FT-NIR spectrometer; then, we used the ant colony optimization (ACO) and the NSGA-Ⅱ algorithms to optimize the characteristic wavelengths of the spectra after SNV treatment respectively; Finally, the back propagation neural network (BPNN) models were established using the optimized characteristic wavelengths to realize the accurate detection of the AFB 1 in corn. The results obtained showed that the prediction performance of the BPNN model established using the four characteristic wavelength variables optimized by NSGA-Ⅱ algorithm is the best, and the best NSGA-Ⅱ-BPNN model's correlation coefficient of prediction (R P) is 0.9951, the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) is 1.5606 μg ⋅ kg−1. The overall results demonstrate that the quantitative detection of AFB 1 in corn by FT-NIR technique is feasible; in addition, the NSGA-Ⅱ algorithm has its unique advantages in the optimization of spectral characteristics, and it can obtain characteristic wavelength variables with strong pertinence and a small number. • This work proposes a FT-NIR chemometrics model to determine the AFB 1 in corn. • Intelligent swarm optimization algorithms were used to optimize characteristic wavelengths. • The NSGA-Ⅱ-BPNN model had a perfect performance for the AFB 1 determination. • This study can provide a method reference to detect the mycotoxins contamination levels in grain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To control the morphology of inorganic electrode materials for high performance lithium ion batteries, bamboo carbon with highly ordered three-dimensional microscopic porosity was employed to act as a template to confine the growth of spinel Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 anode nanoparticle in its sol–gel synthesis. The bamboo carbon was removed by high temperature calcination thereafter to produce pure spinel Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 (BC-LTO). The electrochemical properties of BC-LTO were thoroughly evaluated in lithium ion batteries and compared with the electrochemical properties of the spinel Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 synthesized without bamboo carbon template (P-LTO). The crystal structures of BC-LTO and P-LTO were identified as the same spinel structure by X-ray diffraction. The positive effects of adding bamboo carbon during the electrode synthesis were observed to be reducing both the particle size and size distribution of BC-LTO as evidenced by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) analysis demonstrated that BC-LTO had a higher lithium insertion/extraction reversibility than P-LTO. The BC-LTO anode delivered a capacity of 160 mAh g −1 after 50 cycles at a rate of 0.2 C, much higher than the P-LTO anode which only delivered 139 mAh g −1 under the same conditions. Detailed galvanostatic charge/discharge tests using various current rates were carried out, and the results demonstrated that BC-LTO is a promising candidate anode material for high performance lithium ion batteries. The bamboo carbon assisted sol–gel method was therefore proven to be effective in our study, and should be able to be applied to other electrochemical systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A 3D interconnected PAA-PER provides robust mechanical adhesion and elasticity for Si anodes. • The crosslinking interaction between PAA and PER is confirmed by FT-IR, XPS and TG. • Si-PAA-PER electrode show a more robust electrode integrity than purely PAA-based Si electrode. • XPS analyses confirmed that crosslinked PAA-PER has no negative effects on the SEI formation in Si electrodes. Water-soluble binders such as poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) possess many advantages in the slurry and electrode preparation due to their low-cost and environmental friendliness. However, due to the linear nature of these binders, they are susceptible to slide under the continuous volume variation of Si-containing anodes during cycling. Therefore, a three-dimensional (3D) interconnected polymeric network is required to provide robust mechanical adhesion with the Si particles to maintain the electrode integrity for excellent cycle stability. Here, pentaerythritol (PER) is used as a crosslinking agent to connect the linear PAA binder to enhance its adhesion strength for Si anodes, which is systematically confirmed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and thermogravimetric (TG) measurements. Si electrodes with crosslinked PAA-PER binder show enhanced adhesion and elasticity, exhibiting a more robust electrode integrity than purely PAA-based Si electrodes. Galvanostatic cycling shows that Si-PAA-5%PER electrodes maintain a higher discharge capacity of 514.3 mAh g-1 (after 10 cycles) for micro-sized and 1502.1 mAh g-1 (after 105 cycles) for nano-sized Si particles compared to 257.6 mAh g-1 and 1413.9 mAh g-1 for micro- and nano-sized Si in Si-PAA electrodes, respectively. XPS analyses on cycled electrodes confirmed that crosslinked PAA-PER binder has no negative effects on the SEI formation and its functionality in Si electrodes. SEM cross-sections reveal that Si-PAA-5%PER electrodes show reduced electrode thickness variation (micro-/nano-: 114.2%/182.2%) than that of Si-PAA electrodes (micro-/nano-: 134.1%/212.0%) after cycling, which indicates that crosslinked PAA-PER binder can enhance the electrode integrity due to its 3D interconnected network. This work provides meaningful insight into the exploration of novel binders and their impact on the SEI formation and functionality, especially for high-capacity alloy-type anode materials. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoporous LiTiO (N-LTO) was prepared by sol-gel method using monodisperse polystyrene spheres as a template and followed by calcination process. The as-prepared N-LTO has a spinel structure, large special surface area, and nanoporous structure with the pore average diameter of about 100 nm and wall thickness of 50 nm. Electrochemical experiments show that N-LTO exhibits a high initial discharge capacity of 189 mAh g at 0.1 C rate cycled between 0.5 and 3.0 V and excellent capacity retention of 170 mAh g after 100 cycles. EIS and CV analysis show that N-LTO has a higher mobility for Li diffusion and a higher exchange current density, indicating an improved electrochemical performance. It is believed that the nanoporous structure has a larger electrode/electrolyte contact area, resulting in better electrochemical properties at high charge/discharge rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel electrolyte additive, 3, 3, 3‐trifluoropropylmethyldimethoxysilane (TFPMDS), is first proposed to modify both the cathode and the anode of lithium‐ion batteries at the same time. Charging/discharging tests demonstrate that the electrolyte with 1 wt% TFPMDS not only greatly improves the capacity retention of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO)//Li cell (29.6%→90.8%) and graphite//Li cell (68.1%→98.3%), but also successfully ensures the long‐term cycle stability of LNMO//graphite pouch cell at 4.9 V. Further electrochemical measurements combining with spectroscopic characterization and theoretical calculations indicate that TFPMDS additive displays three principal functions: 1) Be preferentially oxidized to build a robust cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) enriched in F/Si species with F‐rich nature of strong oxidation‐resistance. 2) Be able to scavenge the hazardous HF, F−, and H+ through its strong binding with these species and thus to protect LNMO at high‐voltage. 3) Be preferentially adsorbed on the graphite surface to form a "framework", and to co‐construct an elastic solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) after the reduction of ethylene carbonate. Importantly, the Si─O group within TFPMDS is especially important for constructing a "molecular bridge" at the CEI/SEI interphase coupling the inorganic and organic species to improve its compatibility, stability, and elasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arabic gum grafted poly (acrylic acid) (GA- g -PAA) is prepared through a free radical graft polymerization of acrylic acid onto Arabic gum. Crosslinkable aqueous binder is developed by combining GA-g-PAA and branched polyols (pentaerythrotol, PER; triethanolamine, TEOA) as crosslinking agent for Si anodes of lithium-ion batteries. The aqueous composite binder undergoes crosslinking at about 110 °C to form robust crosslinked networks, matching well with the processing temperature of the electrode sheet in industry. GA-g-PAA/PER binder displays higher adhesion strength than GA-g-PAA and GA-g-PAA/TEOA. The Si electrode with GA-g-PAA/PER exhibits a slightly better cycling stability at 0.2C for 100 cycles, better rate capability than GA-g-PAA and GA-g-PAA/TEOA. At a high rate of 1C, Si electrode with GA-g-PAA/P delivers a higher specific capacity of 1968.1 mAhg−1 with a better capacity retention of 57.5% when compared with those with GA-g-PAA and GA-g-PAA/T binder. Image 1 • Crosslinkable aqueous binder (GA-g-PAA/PER) is designed for Si anodes in lithium-ion batteries. • Branched polyols as crosslinking agents can decrease the crosslinking temperature. • The binder can improve the adhesion strength and the distribution of Si anodes. • Si anodes with the crosslinkable aqueous binder show the excellent rate capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Temozolomide is extensively applied in chemotherapy for glioblastoma with unclear exact action mechanisms. This article seeks to address the potential molecular mechanisms in temozolomide therapy for glioblastoma involving LINC00470. Methods: Bioinformatics analysis was conducted to predict the potential mechanism of LINC00470 in glioblastoma, which was validated by dual‐luciferase reporter, RIP, ChIP, and RNA pull‐down assays. LINC00470 expression and the predicted downstream transcription factor early growth response 2 (EGR2) were detected in the collected brain tissues from glioblastoma patients. Following temozolomide treatment and/or gain‐ and loss‐of‐function approaches in glioblastoma cells, cell viability, invasion, migration, cycle distribution, angiogenesis, autophagy, and apoptosis were measured. In addition, the expression of mesenchymal surface marker proteins was assessed by western blot. Tumor xenograft in nude mice was conducted for in vivo validation. Results: Mechanistic analysis and bioinformatics analysis revealed that LINC00470 transcriptionally activated SRY‐related high‐mobility‐group box 4 (SOX4) through the transcription factor EGR2. LINC00470 and EGR2 were highly expressed in brain tissues of glioblastoma patients. LINC00470 and EGR2 mRNA expression gradually decreased with increasing concentrations of temozolomide in glioblastoma cells, and SOX4 expression was reduced in cells by temozolomide and LINC00470 knockdown. Temozolomide treatment induced cell cycle arrest, diminished cell viability, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis, and increased apoptosis and autophagy in glioblastoma, which was counteracted by overexpressing LINC00470 or SOX4 but was further promoted by LINC00470 knockdown. Temozolomide restrained glioblastoma growth and angiogenesis in vivo, while LINC00470 or SOX4 overexpression nullified but LINC00470 knockdown further facilitated these trends. Conclusion: Conclusively, temozolomide repressed glioblastoma progression by repressing the LINC00470/EGR2/SOX4 axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] An effective electrolyte additive, 3-(tert -Butyldimethylsilyoxy) phenylboronic acid (TBPB), is proposed to significantly improve the cycle stability of high voltage LiCoO 2 (LCO) cathode. Experimental and computational results show that TBPB has a relatively higher oxidation activity than base electrolyte, and preferentially constructs a stable cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) containing B-/Si- components on LCO surface. Theoretical calculation, XPS and NMR data show that TBPB-derived CEI layer contains B-F species and has the function of eliminating HF. The as-formed CEI effectively inhibits the detrimental side reactions from electrolyte decomposition and LCO surface structure reconstruction. The capacity retention of LCO/Li half-cell increases from 38.92% (base electrolyte) to 83.70% after 150 cycles at 1 C between 3.0 V and 4.5 V by adding 1% TBPB. Moreover, TBPB is also reduced prior to base electrolyte, forming an ionic conducting solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on graphite surface. Benefiting from the synergistic effect between CEI layer on LCO cathode and SEI layer on graphite anode to effectively decrease the electrolyte decomposition, the capacity retention of commercial LCO/graphite pouch cell with 1% TBPB increases from 10.44% to 76.13% after 400 cycles at 1 C between 3.0 V and 4.5 V. This work demonstrates that TBPB can act as an effective film-forming additive for high energy density LCO cathode at high voltage, and provides novel insights for its commercial application from the aspect of synergistically interfacial stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By the esterification of benzoic anhydride (BA) with polyoxyethylene ether (HPEG), the modified macromonomer (BA-HPEG) with benzoate of HPEG was prepared. Then, BA-HPEG and HPEG were copolymerized with acrylic acid (AA) with an alkyd ratio of 2:1 to obtain three novel polycarboxylate superplasticizer BA-PCE-10, BA-PCE-20 and BA-PCE-30 with good flow retaining behaviors of cement mortars. The effects of the benzoate content in the copolymers on adsorption, dispersion, Zeta potential and hydrodynamic radius for cement suspensions were investigated to elucidate the governing dispersing mechanism. The absorption of the modified copolymers on the cement surfaces was controlled by COO― and hydrophobic phenyl content in copolymers and polymer conformation in solution. The fluidity of cement slurry increases with the adsorbed amount to increase dispersion effect. The copolymers grafted with benzoate exhibited a high dispersion performance than that of the unmodified molecule, which could be explained as the hydrophobic modified polycarboxylate superplasticizer mainly dispersing cement particles by the main repulsion of steric hindrance and electrostatic repulsion, so as to improve the dispersion performance of cement. The study shows that the flow retaining behaviors of polycarboxylate superplasticizer can be significantly improved by BA modified with hydroxyl-terminated of the side chains of polycarboxylic superplasticizer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The prevalence of muscle fatigue and insomnia up to 1 year after COVID-19 was high • The prevalence of anxiety or depression up to 1 year after COVID-19 was high • Survivors with radiological anomalies were older • Survivors with impairment of DLCO had higher urea nitrogen levels • The levels of SARS-CoV-2 NAb and IgG at 1 year after discharge were decreased To evaluate the long-term consequences of COVID-19 survivors one year after recovery, and to identify the risk factors associated with abnormal patterns in chest imaging manifestations or impaired lung function. COVID-19 patients were recruited and prospectively followed up with symptoms, health-related quality of life, psychological questionnaires, 6-minute walking test, chest computed tomography (CT), pulmonary function tests, and blood tests. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between the clinical characteristics and chest CT abnormalities or pulmonary function. Ninety-four patients with COVID-19 were recruited between January 16 and February 6, 2021. Muscle fatigue and insomnia were the most common symptoms. Chest CT scans were abnormal in 71.28% of participants. The results of multivariable regression showed an increased odds in age. Ten patients had diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) impairment. Urea nitrogen concentration on admission was significantly associated with impaired DLCO. IgG levels and neutralizing activity were significantly lower compared with those in the early phase. One year after hospitalization for COVID-19, a cohort of survivors were mainly troubled with muscle fatigue and insomnia. Pulmonary structural abnormalities and pulmonary diffusion capacities were highly prevalent in surviving COVID-19 patients. It is necessary to intervene in the main target population for long-term recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • CBB with CN–/B- constructs a thin, robust and homogeneous CEI. • The CBB-derived CEI is rich in B-F/B-O with fast kinetics and low impedance. • CBB enhances the structural reversibility and decreases the HF formation. • Graphite/LCO pouch cell with CBB exhibits superior electrochemical performance. The exploration of high energy density batteries requires cathodes with a high specific capacity and high voltage. LiCoO 2 (LCO), a prospective cathode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), displays a decent capacity but without a compatible electrolyte to withstand its high voltage. To create an enduring cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI), a novel electrolyte additive, 2-cyanophenylboronic acid (CBB), which possesses both cyano (CN–) and boronic acid (B-) functional group, is firstly put forward to be applied in LCO/Li cells as well as graphite/LCO pouch cell. Data from experimental and theoretical research both reveal that CBB preferentially decomposes on LCO surface, constructing a thin, robust and homogeneous CEI film rich in B-F/B-O species with fast kinetics and low impedance, suppressing the LCO surface transformation upon cycling due to the alleviated Co dissolution. CBB additive can enhance the structural reversibility (in-situ X-ray diffraction), decrease the electrolyte decomposition and eliminate the HF formation, constructing a much smoother surface than base electrolyte. LCO/Li cells with 1% CBB deliver more excellent capacity retention (96%) and a much superior rate capability (145 mAh/g, 5C) than that of base electrolyte (67%, 115 mAh/g). Intriguingly, graphite/LCO pouch batteries containing 1% CBB for 300 cycles deliver more outstanding capacity retention of 80% than that of base electrolyte (2%). This work reveals that CBB can function as an efficient electrolyte additive for high voltage LCO cathode, of which its distinctive CEI modification on the LCO surface provides valuable perspectives for its commercial application towards high energy density LIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A water-soluble conductive composite binder consisting of carboxymethyl chitosan (CCTS) as a binder and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) as a conduction-promoting agent is reported for the LiFePO 4 (LFP) cathode in Li-ion batteries. The introduction of conductive PEDOT:PSS as a conductive composite binder facilitates the formation of homogeneous and continuous conducting bridges throughout the electrode and raises the compaction density of the electrode sheet by decreasing the amounts of the commonly used conducting agent of acetylene black. The optimized replacement ratios of acetylene black with PEDOT:PSS (acetylene black/PEDOT:PSS = 1:1, by weight) are obtained by measuring electrical conductivity, peel strength and compaction density of the electrode sheets. The LFP half-cell with the optimized conductive binder exhibits better cycling and rate performance and more favorable electrochemical kinetics than that using only acetylene black conducting agent. The pilot application of PEDOT:PSS/CCTS binder in 10 Ah CCTS-LFP prismatic cell exhibits a comparable cycling performance, retaining 89.7% of capacity at 1 C/2 C (charge/discharge) rate as compared with 90% for commercial PVDF-LFP over 1000 cycles, and better rate capability than that of commercial PVDF-LFP, retaining 98% capacity of 1 C at 7 C rate as compared with 95.4% for PVDF-LFP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polyacrylic latex (LA132) was firstly reported as a water-soluble binder for LiNiCoMnO (NCM) cathode in Li-ion battery. The electrochemical performances of NCM cathode with LA132 binder were investigated and compared with the conventional water-soluble sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and commercial non-aqueous polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF). NCM cathode with LA132 binder exhibited a much higher specific capacity of 146 mAh g and capacity retention of 96.4 % after 100 cycles as compared with 122 mAh g/88 % and 121 mAh g/75% for the NCM electrode with CMC and PVDF, respectively. In addition, NCM cathode with LA132 binder exhibited better rate capability than that of CMC and PVDF, e.g., retaining 34.3 % capacity of C/5 at 5 C rate as compared with 28.5 and 10.9 % for CMC and PVDF, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Mesoporous Li4Ti5O12 nanoparticles were prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. [•] The mesoporous Li4Ti5O12 nanoparticles exhibited a diameter of 40±5nm and a pore-size distribution of 6 - 8nm. [•] Cells with the mesoporous Li4Ti5O12 anode showed excellent high rate electrochemical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]