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Garnet-type solid electrolytes have garnered significant interest for all-solid-state battery applications due to their high Li-ion conductivity and excellent compatibility with the metallic lithium anode. Although their ionic conductivity optimization and conduction mechanisms have been extensively studied, the thermal properties of garnet electrolytes remain poorly understood. The thermal conductivity, thermal expansion coefficient, and specific heat of solid electrolytes play a crucial role in determining the overall performance, safety, and reliability of battery devices. Understanding these properties is essential for enhanced thermal management and improved energy efficiency of batteries. Here, we investigate the thermal properties of Ta5+-doped garnet Li6.5La3Zr1.5Ta0.5O12 (LLZTO) polycrystals. The thermal conductivity measurement reveals a low-temperature peak at around 50 K. Above this temperature, the thermal conductivity shows a weak temperature dependence and approaches the calculated minimum thermal conductivity. The average phonon mean free path increases as the temperature decreases, reaching approximately 500 nm at 5 K. The linear thermal expansion coefficient obtained through the X-ray diffraction measurements is 1.71 ± 0.01 × 10−5 K−1 at 323 K, larger than the reported value for undoped Li7La3Zr2O12. The Grüneisen parameter of LLZTO calculated using the measured thermal expansion coefficient and specific heat is 1.63 ± 0.04 at 300 K, indicating relatively strong phonon anharmonicity. Furthermore, the thermal conductivity of aged LLZTO is increased by 70–80% at 300 K compared to the pristine samples, which can be attributed to the formation of Li2CO3 with increased thermal conductivity or reduced thermal boundary resistance. Our results provide useful insights into the structure–thermal property relationships that are closely relevant to thermal management of battery systems based on garnet solid electrolytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The colorations of stem pubescence and hilum are crucial criteria for discerning diverse soybean germplasms, governed by multiple genes that substantially influence the seed's outward appearance quality and the resistance to abiotic stresses. This comprehensive study delved into the stem pubescence and hilum color traits across a natural population of 264 accessions during 2021 and 2022. The phenotypes of these two traits within our population were analyzed for the investigation of population genetics and evaluation of germplasm resources in the future. Numerous noteworthy SNPs associated with both traits were detected through a genome-wide association study (GWAS), with the most significant signals for 2021 and 2022 localized on chromosome 6. Seven candidate genes regulating stem pubescence color and four genes influencing hilum color were identified by analyzing the expression patterns, cold stress responses, and regulatory pathways of genes within the LD decay distance of SNPs. This study not only underscores the applicability of GWAS in unraveling the genetic basis of quality traits, but also contributes novel genetic reservoirs and research paradigms to the explorations of the soybean plant and seed color. These results provide foundational insights into the breeding improvement of seeds' outward appearance quality and a comprehensive evaluation of soybean germplasm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performances of porous graphitic foams in flexible electronic, electrochemical, and thermal management devices can be enhanced by increasing the interfacial charge or heat transport between the 3D graphitic network and the functional materials filled into the pore space. Herein, an investigation of the effects of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) conditions on the structure and thermal conductivities of both graphitic foams grown from reticular Ni foams and dendritic graphitic foams (DGFs) synthesized from electrodeposited dendritic Ni foams is reported. A room‐temperature solid thermal conductivity (κs) up to 800 W m−1 K−1 is obtained from the graphitic foams (GF) with less than 1% volume fraction. In comparison, the DGFs, which provide a large increase of the specific surface area for enhanced interfacial heat transfer, achieve an effective thermal conductivity of 2.5 ± 0.2 W m−1 K−1 because of an enhanced volume fraction to about 5% despite a compromised κs around 200 W m−1 K−1 due to the increased defect density. Through systematical variations of the catalyst template morphology and CVD conditions, this work reveals the distinct roles of catalyst surface curvature and graphitic strut thickness in controlling the properties of GFs and DGFs for thermal management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spin ladder compound (Sr,Ca,La)14Cu24O41 exhibits an incommensurate layered structure with strong antiferromagnetic coupling. Besides intriguing superconducting behavior, recent experiments on bulk Sr14Cu24O41 single crystals have revealed a remarkable magnon thermal conductivity, which is the largest above 100 K among all known quantum magnets. Although bulk (Sr,Ca,La)14Cu24O41 crystals have been synthesized and studied extensively, there have been few reports on the synthesis and magnon thermal transport investigation of their microstructures. Here, the synthesis and thermal transport properties of Sr14Cu24O41 microrods are reported. Electron microscopy studies indicate that these microrods synthesized by a coprecipitation method are single crystals grown preferentially along the ladder axis. Based on a four‐probe thermal transport measurement, the thermal conductivity of the microrods reveals appreciable magnon transport in the microstructures. According to a kinetic model analysis, magnon transport in the microrods is suppressed mainly by increased point defect scattering compared to the bulk crystals, whereas surface scattering is negligible for anisotropic 1D magnon transport along the ladder. Moreover, the thermal conductivity is enhanced after annealing as a result of reduced oxygen vacancies. These results help to build the foundation for future heterogeneous integration of magnetic microstructures in microscale devices for the transport of energy and quantum information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) function as molecular chaperones and are key components responsible for protein folding, assembly, translocation, and degradation under stress conditions. However, little is known about how HSPs stabilize proteins and membranes in response to different hormonal or environmental cues in plants. Here, we combined molecular, biochemical, and genetic approaches to elucidate the involvement of cytosolic HSP70-3 in plant stress responses and the interplay between HSP70-3 and plasma membrane (PM)-localized phospholipase Dδ (PLDδ) in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Analysis using pull-down, coimmunoprecipitation, and bimolecular fluorescence complementation revealed that HSP70-3 specifically interacted with PLDδ. HSP70-3 bound to microtubules, such that it stabilized cortical microtubules upon heat stress. We also showed that heat shock induced recruitment of HSP70-3 to the PM, where HSP70-3 inhibited PLDδ activity to mediate microtubule reorganization, phospholipid metabolism, and plant thermotolerance, and this process depended on the HSP70-3-PLDδ interaction. Our results suggest a model whereby the interplay between HSP70-3 and PLDδ facilitates the re-establishment of cellular homeostasis during plant responses to external stresses and reveal a regulatory mechanism in regulating membrane lipid metabolism., (© American Society of Plant Biologists 2020. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)