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Pt-based intermetallic compounds (IMCs) are considered as a class of promising fuel cell electrocatalysts, owing to their outstanding intrinsic activity and durability. However, the synthesis of uniformly dispersed IMCs with small sizes presents a formidable challenge during the essential high-temperature annealing process. Herein, a facile and generally applicable VO x matrix confinement strategy is demonstrated for the controllable synthesis of ordered L1 0 -PtM (M = Fe, Co, and Mn) nanoparticles, which not only enhances the dispersion of intermetallic nanocrystals, even at high loading (40 wt%), but also simplifies the oxide removal and acid-washing procedures. Taking intermetallic PtCo as an example, the as-prepared catalyst displays a high-performance oxygen reduction activity (mass activity of 1.52 A mg Pt -1 ) and excellent stability in the membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) (the ECSA has just 7% decay after durability test). This strategy provides an economical and scalable route for the controlled synthesis of Pt-based intermetallic catalysts, which can pave a way for the commercialization of fuel cell technologies., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Anion-reinforced solvation structure favors the formation of inorganic-rich robust electrode-electrolyte interface, which endows fast ion transport and high strength modulus to enable improved electrochemical performance. However, such a unique solvation structure inevitably injures the ionic conductivity of electrolytes and limits the fast-charging performance. Herein, a trade-off in tuning anion-reinforced solvation structure and high ionic conductivity is realized by the entropy-assisted hybrid ester-ether electrolyte. Anion-reinforced solvation sheath with more anions occupying the inner Na+ shell is constructed by introducing the weakly coordinated ether tetrahydrofuran into the commonly used ester-based electrolyte, which merits the accelerated desolvation energy and gradient inorganic-rich electrode-electrolyte interface. The improved ionic conductivity is attributed to the weakly diverse solvation structures induced by entropy effect. These enable the enhanced rate performance and cycling stability of Prussian blue||hard carbon full cells with high electrode mass loading. More importantly, the practical application of the designed electrolyte was further demonstrated by industry-level 18650 cylindrical cells., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Organic material holds immense potential for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their eco-friendly nature, high structural designability, abundant sources, and high theoretical capacity. However, the limited redox-active sites, low electronic conductivity, sluggish ionic diffusion, and high solubility hinder their practical application. Here, we reported the use of a linear polymer called poly(naphthalenetetracarboxylic dianhydride-pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetraone)-coated graphene nanosheets (NPT/rGO) as a cathode material for LIBs. The NPT polymer has a rotation angle of approximately 63° between each plane, which helps in exposing the active sites and preventing structural pulverization during cycling. The highly conjugated skeleton of the polymer, along with graphene, forms a synergistic effect through a π-π interaction. This combination enhances the conductivity and restricts solubility. Additionally, the linear structure of NPT and the two-dimensional rGO substrates work together to enhance charge transfer and ion diffusion rates, resulting in faster reaction kinetics. Consequently, NPT/rGO exhibits excellent electrochemical performance in terms of high capacity, superior cyclic stability, and good rate capability for LIBs. Moreover, through the combination of experimental investigations and theoretical simulations, a multiple electron reaction mechanism, an efficient Li-ion storage behavior, and a reversible dynamic evolution have been revealed. This study introduces a rational molecular design approach to enhance the electrochemical performance of polyimide derivatives, thereby contributing to the advancement of cutting-edge organic electrode materials for LIBs.

Unraveling the catalyst surface structure and behavior during reactions is essential for both mechanistic understanding and performance optimization. Here we report a phenomenon of facet-dependent surface restructuring intrinsic to β-Ni(OH) 2 catalysts during oxygen evolution reaction (OER), discovered by the correlative ex situ and operando characterization. The ex situ study after OER reveals β-Ni(OH) 2 restructuring at the edge facets to form nanoporous Ni 1- x O, which is Ni deficient containing Ni 3+ species. Operando liquid transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy further identify the active role of the intermediate β-NiOOH phase in both the OER catalysis and Ni 1 -x O formation, pinpointing the complete surface restructuring pathway. Such surface restructuring is shown to effectively increase the exposed active sites, accelerate Ni oxidation kinetics, and optimize *OH intermediate bonding energy toward fast OER kinetics, which leads to an extraordinary activity enhancement of ∼16-fold. Facilitated by such a self-activation process, the specially prepared β-Ni(OH) 2 with larger edge facets exhibits a 470-fold current enhancement than that of the benchmark IrO 2 , demonstrating a promising way to optimize metal-(oxy)hydroxide-based catalysts.

Multinary metal chalcogenides hold considerable promise for high-energy potassium storage due to their numerous redox reactions. However, challenges arise from issues such as volume expansion and sluggish kinetics. Here, a design featuring a layered ternary Bi 0.4 Sb 1.6 Te 3 anchored on graphene layers as a composite anode, where Bi atoms act as a lattice softening agent on Sb, is presented. Benefiting from the lattice arrangement in Bi 0.4 Sb 1.6 Te 3 and structure, Bi 0.4 Sb 1.6 Te 3 /graphene exhibits a mitigated expansion of 28% during the potassiation/depotassiation process and demonstrates facile K + ion transfer kinetics, enabling long-term durability of 500 cycles at various high rates. Operando synchrotron diffraction patterns and spectroscopies including in situ Raman, ex situ adsorption, and X-ray photoelectron reveal multiple conversion and alloying/dealloying reactions for potassium storage at the atomic level. In addition, both theoretical calculations and electrochemical examinations elucidate the K + migration pathways and indicate a reduction in energy barriers within Bi 0.4 Sb 1.6 Te 3 /graphene, thereby suggesting enhanced diffusion kinetics for K + . These findings provide insight in the design of durable high-energy multinary tellurides for potassium storage., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Achieving reversible insertion/extraction in most cathodes for aqueous aluminum ion batteries (AAIBs) is a significant challenge due to the high charge density of Al 3+ and strong electrostatic interactions. Organic materials facilitate the hosting of multivalent carriers and rapid ions diffusion through the rearrangement of chemical bonds. Here, a bipolar conjugated poly(2,3-diaminophenazine) (PDAP) on carbon substrates prepared via a straightforward electropolymerization method is introduced as cathode for AAIBs. The integration of n-type and p-type active units endow PDAP with an increased number of sites for ions interaction. The long-range conjugated skeleton enhances electron delocalization and collaborates with carbon to ensure high conductivity. Moreover, the strong intermolecular interactions including π-π interaction and hydrogen bonding significantly enhance its stability. Consequently, the Al//PDAP battery exhibits a large capacity of 338 mAh g -1 with long lifespan and high-rate capability. It consistently demonstrates exceptional electrochemical performances even under extreme conditions with capacities of 155 and 348 mAh g -1 at -20 and 45 °C, respectively. In/ex situ spectroscopy comprehensively elucidates its cation/anion (Al 3+ /H 3 O + and ClO 4 - ) storage with 3-electron transfer in dual electroactive centers (C═N and -NH-). This study presents a promising strategy for constructing high-performance organic cathode for AAIBs over a wide temperature range., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Aqueous aluminum-ion batteries (AAIBs) are considered as a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries due to their large theoretical capacity, high safety, and low cost. However, the uneven deposition, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and corrosion during cycling impede the development of AAIBs, especially under a harsh environment. Here, a hydrated eutectic electrolyte (AATH40) composed of Al(OTf) 3 , acetonitrile (AN), triethyl phosphate (TEP), and H 2 O was designed to improve the electrochemical performance of AAIBs in a wide temperature range. The combination of molecular dynamics simulations and spectroscopy analysis reveals that AATH40 has a less-water-solvated structure [Al(AN) 2 (TEP)(OTf) 2 (H 2 O)] 3+ , which effectively inhibits side reactions, decreases the freezing point, and extends the electrochemical window of the electrolyte. Furthermore, the formation of a solid electrolyte interface, which effectively inhibits HER and corrosion, has been demonstrated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction tests, and in situ differential electrochemical mass spectrometry. Additionally, operando synchrotron Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring reveal a three-electron storage mechanism for the Al//polyaniline full cells. Consequently, AAIBs with this electrolyte exhibit improved cycling stability within the temperature range of -10-50 °C. This present study introduces a promising methodology for designing electrolytes suitable for low-cost, safe, and stable AAIBs over a wide temperature range.

The unsatisfactory oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity of IrO 2 has intensively raised the cost and energy consumption of hydrogen generation from proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers. Here, the acidic OER activity of the rutile IrO 2 is significantly enhanced by the incorporation of trivalent metals (e.g., Gd, Nd, and Pr) to increase the Ir-O covalency, while the high-valence (pentavalent or higher) metal incorporation decreases the Ir-O covalency resulting in worse OER activity. Experimental and theoretical analyses indicate that enhanced Ir-O covalency activates lattice oxygen and triggers lattice oxygen-mediated mechanism to enhance OER kinetics, which is verified by the finding of a linear relationship between the natural logarithm of intrinsic activity and Ir-O covalency described by charge transfer energy. By regulating the Ir-O covalency, the obtained Gd-IrO 2-δ merely needs 260 mV of overpotential to reach 10 mA cm -2 and shows impressive stability during a 200-h test in 0.5 м H 2 SO 4 . This work provides an effective strategy for significantly enhancing the OER activity of the widely used IrO 2 electrocatalysts through the rational regulation of Ir-O covalency., (© 2023 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The urgent development of effective electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution and hydrogen oxidation reaction (HER/HOR) is needed due to the sluggish alkaline hydrogen electrocatalysis. Here, an unusual face-centered cubic (fcc) Ru nanocrystal with favorable HER/HOR performance is offered. Guided by the lower calculated surface energy of fcc Ru than that of hcp Ru in NH 3 , the carbon-supported fcc Ru electrocatalyst is facilely synthesized in the NH 3 reducing atmosphere. The specific HOR kinetic current density of fcc Ru can reach 23.4 mA cm PGM -2 , which is around 20 and 21 times greater than that of hexagonal close-packed (hcp) Ru and Pt/C, respectively. Additionally, the HER specific activity is enhanced more than six times in fcc Ru electrocatalyst when compared to Pt/C. Experimental and theoretical analysis indicate that the phase transition from hcp Ru to fcc Ru can negatively shift the d band center, weaken the interaction between catalysts and key intermediates and therefore enhances the HER/HOR kinetics., (© 2023 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The practical implementation of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) encounters challenges such as dendrite growth, parasitic reactions, and severe decay in battery performance under harsh environments. Here, a novel hydrated eutectic electrolyte (HEE) composed of Zn(ClO 4 ) 2 ·6H 2 O, ethylene glycol (EG), and InCl 3 solution is introduced to effectively extend the lifespan of AZIBs over a wide temperature range from -50 to 50 °C. Molecular dynamics simulations and spectroscopy analysis demonstrate that the H 2 O molecules are confined within the liquid eutectic network through dual-interaction, involving coordination with Zn 2+ and hydrogen bonding with EG, thus weakening the activity of free water and extending the electrochemical window. Importantly, cryo-transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopy techniques reveal that HEE in situ forms a zincophobic/zincophilic bilayer interphase by the dissociation-reduction of eutectic molecules. Specifically, the zincophilic interphase reduces the energy barrier for Zn nucleation, promoting uniform Zn deposition, while the zincophobic interphase prevents active water from contacting the Zn surface, thus inhibiting the side reactions. Furthermore, the relationships between the structural evolution of the liquid eutectic network and interfacial chemistry at electrode/electrolyte interphase are further discussed in this work. The scalability of this design strategy can bring benefits to AZIBs operating over a wide temperature range., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Organic electrode materials have shown significant potential for aqueous Zn ion batteries (AZIBs) due to their flexible structure designability and cost advantage. However, sluggish ionic diffusion, high solubility, and low capacities limit their practical application. Here, we designed a covalent organic framework (TA-PTO-COF) generated by covalently bonding tris(4-formylbiphenyl)amine (TA) and 2,7-diaminopyrene-4,5,9,10-tetraone (PTO-NH 2 ). The highly conjugated skeleton inside enhances its electron delocalization and intermolecular interaction, leading to high electronic conductivity and limited solubility. The open channel within the TA-PTO-COF provides ionic diffusion pathways for fast reaction kinetics. In addition, the abundant active sites (C[double bond, length as m-dash]N and C[double bond, length as m-dash]O) endow the TA-PTO-COF with a large reversible capacity. As a result, the well-designed TA-PTO-COF cathode delivers exceptional capacity (255 mA h g -1 at 0.1 A g -1 ), excellent cycling stability, and a superior rate capacity of 186 mA h g -1 at 10 A g -1 . Additionally, the co-insertion mechanism of Zn 2+ /H + within the TA-PTO-COF cathode is revealed in depth by ex situ spectroscopy. This study presents an effective strategy for developing high-performance organic cathodes for advanced AZIBs., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Organic small-molecule compounds have become promising cathode materials for high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high theoretical capacity, efficient utilization of active sites, low cost, and sustainability. However, severe dissolution and poor electronic conductivity limit their further practical applications. Herein, we have synthesized an insoluble organic small molecule, ferrocenyl-3-(λ 1 -azazyl) pyrazinyl [2,3- f ] [1,10] phenanthrolino-2-amine (FCPD), by grafting ferrocene onto pyrazino[2,3-f] [1,10] phenanthroline-2,3-diamine (PPD). The combination of ferrocene (p-type Fe 2+ moiety) and PPD (n-type C[double bond, length as m-dash]N groups) in a bipolar manner endows the target FCPD cathode with an increased theoretical capacity and a wide voltage window. The highly conjugated π-π aromatic skeleton inside enhances FCPD's electron delocalization and promotes strong interaction between FCPD units. Additionally, the mesoporous structure within the FCPD can provide numerous electroactive sites, contact area, and ion diffusion channels. Benefiting from the bipolar feature, aromatic, and mesoporous structure, the FCPD cathode demonstrates a large capacity of 250 mA h g -1 at 0.1 A g -1 , a long lifespan of 1000 cycles and a high-rate capability of 151 mA h g -1 at 5 A g -1 along with a wide voltage window (1.2-3.8 V). Additionally, in situ synchrotron FT-IR and ex situ XPS reveal its dual ion storage mechanism in depth. Our findings provide essential insights into exploring the molecular design of advanced organic small molecules., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Organic compounds exhibit great potential as sustainable, tailorable, and environmentally friendly electrode materials for rechargeable batteries. However, the intrinsic defects of organic electrodes, including solubility, low ionic conductivity, and restricted electroactivity sites, will inevitably decrease the cycling life and capacity. We herein designed and prepared nanostructured porous polymers (NPP) with a simple one-pot method to overcome the above defects. Theoretical calculations and experimental results demonstrate that the as-synthesized NPP exhibited low volume expansion, molecular-structural distortion, and a gradual function activation process during cycling, thus exhibiting superior, high, and durable lithium storage. The gradual molecular distortion during the lithium storage processes provides more redox-active sites for Li storage, increasing the Li-storage capacity. Ex situ spectrum studies reveal the redox reaction mechanism of Li storage and demonstrate a gradual activation process during the repeated charging/discharging until the full storage of 18 Li ions is achieved. Additionally, a real-time observation on the NPP anode by in situ transmission electron microscope reveals a slight volume expansion during the repeating lithiation and delithiation processes, ensuring its structural integrity during cycling. This quantitative work for high-durability lithium storage could be of immediate benefit for designing organic electrode materials.

Batteries that are both high-energy-density and durable at sub-zero temperatures are highly desirable for deep space and subsea exploration and military defense applications. Our design incorporates a casting membrane technology to prepare a gallium indium liquid metal (LM)/fluoropolymer hybrid protective film on a lithium metal anode. The LM not only spontaneously forms a passivation alloy layer with lithium but also reduces the nucleation potential barrier and homogenizes the Li + flux on the surface of the lithium anode. The fluoropolymer's polar functional groups (-C-F-) effectively induce targeted dispersion of gallium indium seeds, and the unique pit structure on the surface provides oriented sites for lithium plating. By implementing these strategies optimally, the protected lithium metal anode remains in operation at a current density of 20 mA cm -2 with an over-potential of about 50.4 mV after 500 h, and the full cells have a high capacity retention rate of up to 98.5% at a current density of 0.5 C after 100 cycles. Furthermore, the battery shows improved low temperature performance at -30 °C, validating the potential of the protective film to enable battery operation at sub-zero temperatures., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Organic materials offer great potential as electrodes for batteries due to their high theoretical capacity, flexible structural design, and easily accessible materials. However, one significant drawback of organic electrode materials is their tendency to dissolve in the electrolyte. Resazurin sodium salt (RSS) has demonstrated remarkable charge/discharge performance characterized by a voltage plateau and high capacity when utilized as a cathode in aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs). Unfortunately, the solubility of RSS as a sodium salt continues to pose challenges in AZIBs. In this study, we introduce an RSS-containing organic compound, triresazurin-triazine (TRT), with a porous structure prepared by a desalinization method from the RSS and 2,4,6-trichloro-1,3,5-triazine (TCT). This process retained active groups (carbonyl and nitroxide radical) while generating a highly conjugated structure, which not only inhibits the dissolution in the electrolyte, but also improves the electrical conductivity, enabling TRT to have excellent electrochemical properties. When evaluated as a cathode for AZIBs, TRT exhibits a high reversible capacity of 180 mA h g -1 , exceptional rate performance (78 mA h g -1 under 2 A g -1 ), and excellent cycling stability with 65 mA h g -1 at 500 mA g -1 after 1000 cycles., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

During the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the physical activity of older adults is at a lower level. The study aimed to examine the effectiveness of aerobic dancing on physical fitness and cognitive function in older adults. We conducted a randomized controlled trial with 34 older adults who were assigned into an aerobic dancing group and a control group. Three dance sessions weekly for 60 ​min were scheduled for the aerobic dancing group for a total of 12 weeks. Physical fitness, blood pressure, lipids, glucose, cognitive function were assessed before and after the intervention. Baseline adjusted Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to determine whether outcome variables varied between groups at pre-test and post-test. Effect size (Cohen's d ) was calculated to determine the differences between groups from baseline to post-test. After 12 weeks, we found that the aerobic dancing group showed significant improvement in memory (portrait memory: F  ​= ​10.45, p  ​= ​0.003, d  ​= ​1.18). The Limit of Stability (LOS) parameters in the aerobic dancing group displayed a significant increase after the intervention (right angle: F  ​= ​5.90, p  ​= ​0.022, d  ​= ​0.60; right-anterior angle: F  ​= ​4.23, p  ​= ​0.049, d  ​= ​0.12). Some beneficial effects were found on flexibility, grip strength, balance and subjective well-being (sit and reach: F  ​= ​0.25, p  ​= ​0.62, d  ​= ​-0.40; grip strength: F  ​= ​3.38, p  ​= ​0.08, d  ​= ​0.89; one-legged standing with eyes closed: F  ​= ​1.26, p  ​= ​0.27, d  ​= ​0.50) in the aerobic dancing group. Aerobic dancing training was effective in improving memory and balance ability in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. In the future, aerobic dancing is a promising tool to encourage physical activity in older adults., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 Chengdu Sport University. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd.)

Intermetallic compounds, featuring atomically ordered structures, have emerged as a class of promising electrocatalysts for fuel cells. However, it remains a formidable challenge to controllably synthesize Pt-based intermetallics during the essential high-temperature annealing process as well as stabilize the nanoparticles (NPs) during the electrocatalytic process. Herein, we demonstrated a Ketjen black supported intermetallic Pt 3 Ti nanocatalyst coupled with amorphous TiO x species (Pt 3 Ti-TiO x /KB). The TiO x can not only confine Pt 3 Ti NPs during the synthesis and electrocatalytic process by a strong metal-oxide interaction but also promote the water dissociation for generating more OH species, thus facilitating the conversion of CO ad . The Pt 3 Ti-TiO x /KB showed a significantly enhanced mass activity (2.15 A mg Pt -1 ) for the methanol oxidation reaction, compared with Pt 3 Ti/KB and Pt/C, and presented an impressively high mass activity retention (∼71%) after the durability test. This work provides an effective strategy of coupling Pt-based intermetallics with functional oxides for developing highly performed electrocatalysts.

Organic compounds have become a potentially important choice for a new generation of energy-storage electrode materials due to their designability, flexibility, green sustainability, and abundance. However, the applications of organic electrode materials are still limited because of their dissolution in electrolytes and low electrical conductivity, which in turn cause poor cycling stability. Here, for the first time, we report 2-amino-4-thiazole-acetic acid (ATA) and its sodium salt, sodium 2-amino-4-thiazol-derived polymer (PATANa), as an anode. The PATANa showed a two-dimensional (2D) nanosheet structure, offering a larger contact area with the electrolyte and a shorter ion-migration path, which improved the ion-diffusion kinetics. The polymer showed excellent cycling stability and outstanding rate capability when tested as an anode for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). It could deliver a high reversible specific capacity of 303 mA h g -1 at 100 mA g -1 for 100 cycles and maintain a high discharge capacity of 190 mA h g -1 after 1000 long cycle numbers even at a high current density of 1000 mA g -1 . This approach of salinizing the polymer opens a new way to develop anode materials for sodium-ion batteries.

Sustainable organic electrode materials, as promising alternatives to conventional inorganic electrode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), are still challenging to realize long-lifetime and high-rate batteries because of their poor conductivity, limited electroactivity, and severe dissolution. It is also urgent to deeply reveal their electrochemical mechanism and evolution processes. A porous organic polymer (POP) with a conjugated and hierarchical structure is designed and synthesized here. The unique molecule and structure endow the POP with electron delocalization, high ionic diffusivity, plentiful active sites, exceptional structure stability, and limited solubility in electrolytes. When evaluated as an anode for SIBs, the POP exhibits appealing electrochemical properties regarding reversible capacity, rate behaviors, and long-duration life. Importantly, using judiciously combined experiments and theoretical computation, including in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and ex situ spectroscopy, we reveal the Na-storage mechanism and dynamic evolution processes of the POP, including 12-electron reaction process with Na, low volume expansion (125-106% vs the initial 100%), and stable composition and structure evolution during repeating sodiation/de-sodiation processes. This quantitative design for ultrafast and highly durable sodium storage in the POP could be of immediate benefit for the rational design of organic electrode materials with ideal electrochemical properties., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have attracted attention for their low cost and environmental friendliness. Unfortunately, commercialization has been hampered by several problems with dendrite growth and side reactions. Herein, we select sodium tartrate (TA-Na) as a dual-functional electrolyte additive to enhance the reversibility of AZIBs. The tartrate anions are preferentially adsorbed on the Zn surface, and then the highly nucleophilic carboxylate will coordinate with Zn 2+ to promote the desolvation of [Zn(H 2 O) 6 ] 2+ , leading to uniform Zn deposition on the beneficial (002) plane and inhibiting side reactions and dendrite growth. Consequently, the Zn|Zn cells show a long-term cycling stability of over 1500 cycles at 0.5 mA cm -2 . Moreover, the Ta-Na additive improves the performance of Zn||MnO 2 full cells, evidenced by a cycling life of 1000 cycles at 1 A g -1 under practical conditions with a limited Zn anode (negative/positive capacity ratio of 10/1) and controlled electrolyte (electrolyte/capacity ratio of 20 μL mAh -1 ).

Commercialized Vat Blue 4 (VB4) has attracted more attention as a promising anode for large-scale applications in Li-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its high electrochemical activity, low price, and large-scale production. However, its moderate solubility results in severe capacity decay and low utilization of active components. Herein, we present a graphene-supported VB4 composite (VB4/rGO) prepared by a facile sonication and hydrothermal process for long cycling stability and high-rate capability. This design can significantly enhance the Li-storage properties, including high capacity (1045 mA h g -1 at 0.1 A g -1 ), long cycling stability (537 mA h g -1 even over 1000 cycles at 1 A g -1 ), and rate capability (315 mA h g -1 at 5 A g -1 ). Strong π-π interaction derived from the aromatic rings within the π-conjugated system (graphene and VB4) and spatial confinement in-between graphene sheets both can suppress the high solubility of VB4 for superior capacity retention. Moreover, conductive graphene and channels in-between nanosheets can simultaneously facilitate the electron and Li + transfer. This work demonstrates a simple and effective method to improve the electrochemical performance of commercialized Vat dyes and provides a low-cost and large-scale strategy to develop their practical application in the energy storage field., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The sluggish kinetics of the hydrogen evolution reaction in base has resulted in large activity gap between acidic and alkaline electrolytes. Here, we present an intermetallic IrMo electrocatalyst supported on carbon nanotubes that exhibits a specific activity of 0.95 mA cm -2 at the overpotential of 15 mV, which is 14.4 and 9.5 times of those for Ir/C and Pt/C, respectively. More importantly, its activities in base are fairly close to that in acidic electrolyte and the activity gap between acidic and alkaline media is only one fourth of that for Ir/C. DFT calculations reveal that the stably-adsorbed OH spectator at Mo site of IrMo can stabilize the water dissociation product, resulting in a thermodynamically favorable water dissociation process. Beyond offering an advanced electrocatalyst, this work provides a guidance to rationally design the desirable HER electrocatalysts for alkaline water splitting by the stably-adsorbed OH spectator., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The development of effective, stable anhydrous proton-conductive materials is vital but challenging. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are promising platforms for ion and molecule conduction owing to their pre-designable structures and tailor-made functionalities. However, their poor chemical stability is due to weak interlayer interactions and intrinsic reversibility of linkages. Herein, we present a strategy for enhancing the interlayer interactions of two-dimensional COFs via importing planar, rigid triazine units into the center of C 3 -symmetric monomers. The developed triazine-core-based COF (denoted as TPT-COF) possesses a well-defined crystalline structure, ordered nanochannels, and prominent porosity. The proton conductivity was ≈10 times those of non-triazinyl COFs, even reaching up to 1.27×10 -2  S cm -1 at 160 °C. Furthermore, the TPT-COF exhibited structural ultrastability, making it an effective proton transport platform with remarkable conductivity and long-term durability., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background: Aging and physical inactivity are associated with declines in physical fitness and cognitive function. Active video games have proven to be beneficial for the physical health of older adults, but the exact effect of active video games on physical fitness and cognitive function was still unclear. Based on self-determination theory (SDT), which is a widely used theory of healthy behavior change, this study aimed to explore the effects of an active video game intervention on fitness and cognitive function in older adults., Methods: A total of 38 participants (mean age = 65.68 ± 3.78 years, 24 female) were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (active video game training) or a control group (no additional intervention). The participants in the intervention group trained for a total of 36 sessions (3 times per week for 50-55 min each) for 12 weeks. The control group continued with their normal daily living. The pre- and posttest measurements included: IPAQ-C score and physical fitness (BMI, body fat percent, blood pressure, reaction time, sit and reach, vital capacity, grip strength, static balance, blood biochemical tests for liver function, kidney function, blood lipids, glucose and insulin levels) and cognitive functions (processing speed, spatial ability, working memory, language ability, associative memory)., Result: The intervention group showed a significantly smaller decrease in total average physical activity relative to the control group. BMI, vital capacity, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and spatial cognition significantly improved after training in the intervention group (BMI: F = 9.814, p = 0.004, d = -0.93, vital capacity: F = 4.708, p = 0.038, d = 0.67, systolic blood pressure: F = 5.28, p = 0.028, d = -0.68, diastolic blood pressure: F = 6.418, p = 0.016, d = -0.86, spatial cognition: F = 8.261, p = 0.007, d = 0.72). Three measures of static balance (closed eyes) also showed improvements after training (total length of swing: F = 3.728, d = -0.62, total velocity of swing: F = 3.740, d = -0.62, total area of swing: F = 2.920, d = -0.70). No significant training effects were evident in the results from the blood biochemical tests., Conclusion: This study indicates a positive influence of active video game training on physical fitness and cognitive function. The use of SDT-based active video game exercise as a feasible, safe, and effective training method for improving community older adults' healthy, promoting group cohesion, and increasing motivation to exercise.

The development of the electrocatalyst-integrated electrodes with HER/OER bifunctional activity is desirable to reduce the cost and simplify the system of the practical water electrolyzers. Herein, we construct a new type of Ni 3 Fe 1- x Cr x (0 ≤ x < 0.3) intermetallic integrated electrodes for overall water splitting via an ultrafast carbothermal shock method. The obtained Ni 3 Fe 0.9 Cr 0.1 /CACC electrode exhibits the optimum performance among all developed electrocatalyst electrodes in this work, and the overpotential is merely 239 mV for OER and 128 mV for HER at 10 mA cm -2 . In addition, the Ni 3 Fe 0.9 Cr 0.1 /CACC electrode shows excellent durability during both OER and HER stability tests at a high current density of 100 mA cm -2 . An electrolyzer, which was assembled with Ni 3 Fe 0.9 Cr 0.1 /CACC electrodes as both the anode and cathode, operates with a low cell voltage of 1.59 V at 10 mA cm -2 . It has been found that the impressive OER activity of Ni 3 Fe 0.9 Cr 0.1 nanoparticles (NPs) can be ascribed to the stimulative formation of the OER-active Ni 3+ /Fe 3+ species by the substituted Cr, while the enhanced HER activity is caused by the Cr substitution, which decreases the water dissociation energy barrier. This work provides an ultrafast and facile strategy to develop electrocatalyst-integrated electrodes with low cost and impressive HER/OER bifunctional performance for overall water splitting.

Objective: To analyze the treatment process of a renal transplant patient infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and discuss the management strategy for the immunocompromised hosts., Methods: The diagnosis and treatment of a case of transplant patients with COVID-19 admitted to Horgos designated hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in October 2021 were reviewed. The medical history and laboratory and imaging examination treatment and outcome of this case were analyzed., Results: The recipient was a middle-aged male with a time from renal transplantation of 3 years. The onset was moderate to low fever, accompanied by cough and fatigue. Chest CT showed multiple ground glass shadows under the pleura of both lungs, mainly in both lower lungs, gradually worsening until "white lung" appeared, with early renal and cardiac insufficiency. In the course of treatment, immunosuppressants were reduced and the dosage of glucocorticoid was increased. In the early stage, due to renal insufficiency and hyperkalemia, dialysis was conducted for 3 times. Oral abidol and Lianhua Qingwen capsule were given as antiviral and anti-infection treatment. Special immunoglobulin and convalescent plasma of COVID-19 were used to boost the immunity of patients. The patient was eventually clinically cured., Conclusions: The clinical manifestations and diagnosis of COVID-19 for the kidney transplantation recipient are not significantly different from other populations, but immunocompromised hosts are more likely to suffer from organ dysfunction. The adjustment of immunosuppressants and glucocorticoids, respiratory support, selection of antibiotics, organ protection, nutritional support and traditional Chinese medicine intervention in the treatment of renal transplant recipients with severe COVID-19 need further discussion.

With gradually increasing cost and shrinking crustal abundance for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), it is necessary to develop potassium ion batteries (PIBs) and explore suitable electrode materials for advanced PIBs. In this work, nanoscale BiOCl nanoparticles encapsulated in N-doped carbon nanotubes (BiOCl@N-CNTs) are designed and used as the anode material for K ion storage. The BiOCl@N-CNT composite is composed of BiOCl nanoparticles (≈ 5 nm) and N-doped carbon nanotubes. The ultralsmall BiOCl nanoparticles offer excellent electrochemical activity for K ion storage and short ion diffusion path for rapid reaction kinetics, while the outer layer of N-CNTs can effectively improve the conductivity and provide space to accommodate volume expansion. Due to this synergistic effect of small size and a highly conductive skeleton, the BiOCl@N-CNT composite delivers good rate capability and long-term cycling stability when evaluated as an anode for PIBs. The special structure of embedding ultrasmall active materials with high performance in highly conductive N-CNTs represents an effective way of improving the activity of the electrode material, facilitating ion/charge transfer, and alleviating volume change towards excellent energy storage technology.

High volumetric capacity and durability anode materials for sodium ion batteries have been urgently required for practical applications. Herein, we reported a Sn-pillared pyknotic graphene conductive network with high-level N-doping. This densely stacked block offers high volumetric Na-ion storage capacity, rapid electrochemical reaction kinetics, and robust structural stability during cycling owing to the high capacity component (metallic Sn ≈847 mAh g -1 ), high tap density (≈2.63 g cm -3 ), high conductivity (N doping ≈5 at. %), and strong spatially confined and pillared structure. Moreover, theoretical simulations have indicated that the charge accumulation around the N-doped region is more pronounced compared to the pristine one, and electrons accumulate around the N atom while loss occurs at the Na atom. These studies also suggest that it might possibly contribute to higher conductivity and stronger electrophilic reactivity, thereby resulting in enhanced Na-ion storage performance. As a result, the as-obtained electrode material exhibits competitive volumetric capacity (1462 mAh cm -3 at 0.1 A g -1 ), cycling performance (1207 mAh cm -3 after 100 cycles), and promising rate behavior simultaneously.

The sluggish kinetics of sulfur conversion in the cathode and the nonuniform deposition of lithium metal at the anode result in severe capacity decay and poor cycle life for lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. Resolving these deficiencies is the most direct route toward achieving practical cells of this chemistry. Herein, a vertically aligned wood-derived carbon plate decorated with Co 4 N nanoparticles host (Co 4 N/WCP) is proposed that can serve as a host for both the sulfur cathode and the metallic lithium anode. This Co 4 N/WCP electrode host drastically enhances the reaction kinetics in the sulfur cathode and homogenizes the electric field at the anode for the uniform lithium plating. Density functional theory calculations confirm the experimental observations that Co 4 N/WCP provides a lower energy barrier for the polysulfide redox reaction in the cathode and a low adsorption energy for lithium deposition at the anode. Employing the Co 4 N/WCP host at both electrodes in a S@Co 4 N/WCP||Li@Co 4 N/WCP full cell delivers a specific capacity of 807.9 mAh g -1 after 500 cycles at a 1 C rate. Additional experiments are performed with high areal sulfur loading of 4 mg cm -2 to demonstrate the viability of this strategy for producing practical Li-S cells., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Organic compounds are promising electrode materials because of their resource sustainability, environmental friendliness, and highly tailorable properties. The porous conjugated polymer shows great potential as an electrode material for its tunable redox nature, conjugated skeleton, and porous structure. Herein, a novel conjugated porous polymer, polydiaminophenylsulfone-triazine, was synthesized by a simple nucleophilic substitution reaction. The conjugated structure and triazine ring can improve the conductivity, charge-transfer efficiency, and physicochemical stability. Also, the porous polymeric framework shows a large specific surface area and high porosity, providing a large contact area with electrolytes and reducing diffusion distance. The polymer demonstrates highly stable cycling performance and good rate capability as an anode for lithium-ion batteries, suggesting a promising strategy to design a competitive electrode material.

Developing effective electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction is of great significance for clean and renewable energy technologies, such as metal-air batteries and fuel cells. Defect engineering is the central focus of this field because the overall catalytic performance crucially depends on highly active defects. For the ORR, topological defects have been proven to have a positive effect. However, because preparation and characterization of such defects are difficult, a basic understanding of the relationship between topological defects and catalytic performance remains elusive. In this study, topological defect-containing Fe/N co-doped mesoporous carbon nanosheets were synthesized using azulene-based sandwich-like polymer nanosheets as the precursor. As electrocatalysts, such porous carbon nanosheets exhibited promising ORR activity, methanol tolerance ability, and stability with a half-wave potential of 841 mV under alkaline conditions, which is superior to those of most of the reported porous carbons. As the air cathode for Zn-air batteries, the catalyst exhibited a peak power density of 153 mW cm -2 and a specific capacity of 628 mA h g -1 ,which were higher than those of a Pt/C-based Zn-air battery. Density functional theory calculation further proved the positive effect of topological defects on the oxygen reduction activity. These results indicate that bottom-up topological defect engineering could be a new and promising strategy for developing high-performance electrocatalysts.

The need for improving the energy conversion efficiency of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) has motivated the development of advanced electrocatalysts with desirable activity and durability. Pt-Based intermetallic compounds, featuring atomically ordered structures, have long been considered to be very promising alternatives to widely employed Pt and Pt alloy (solid solutions) catalysts. To facilitate the practical application of Pt-based intermetallics in PEMFCs, effective strategies have been developed to further improve their catalytic activity and durability over the last decade. This feature article overviews the recent advances on the strategies for enhancing the electrochemical performances of Pt-based intermetallic catalysts, which include size control, surface engineering, and composition tuning. Thermodynamic and kinetic perspectives on the formation of the intermetallic phases are summarized to better design the synthesis conditions and realize the size control. After this, the size-control approaches (e.g. coating protection, matrix protection) are illustrated and discussed. We highlight the positive effect of surface engineering and discuss the recently developed methods for surface engineering. Finally, we discuss the thermodynamic feasibility of composition tuning and recent work based on composition-tunable intermetallic electrocatalysts.

A group of newly reported antiperovskite nitrides Cu x In 1-x NNi 3 (0≤x≤1) with tunable composition are employed as electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Cu 0.4 In 0.6 NNi 3 shows the highest intrinsic performance among all developed catalysts with an overpotential of merely 42 mV at 10 mA cm geo -2 . Stability tests at a high current density of 100 mA cm geo -2 show its super-stable performance with only 7 mV increase in overpotential after more than 60 hours of measurement, surpassing commercial Pt/C (increase of 170 mV). By partial substitution, the derived antiperovskite nitride achieves a smaller kinetic barrier of water dissociation compared to the unsubstituted InNNi 3 and CuNNi 3 , revealed by first-principle calculations. It is found that the partially substituted Cu x In 1-x NNi 3 possesses a thermal neutral and desirable Gibbs free energy of hydrogen for HER, ascribed to the tailoring of the energy of d-band center arose by the A-site (A=Cu or In) substitution and a resulting optimization of adsorbate interactions., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The development of lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) is restricted by their poor cycle stability and rate performance due to the low conductivity of sulfur and severe shuttle effect. Herein, an N, O co-doped graphene layered block (NOGB) with many dents on the graphene sheets is designed as effective sulfur host for high-performance LSBs. The sulfur platelets are physically confined into the dents and closely contacted with the graphene scaffold, ensuring structural stability and high conductivity. The highly doped N and O atoms can prevent the shuttle effect of sulfur species by strong chemical adsorption. Moreover, the micropores on the graphene sheets enable fast Li + transport through the blocks. As a result, the obtained NOGB/S composite with 76 wt% sulfur content shows a high capacity of 1413 mAh g -1 at 0.1 C, good rate performance of 433 mAh g -1 at 10 C, and remarkable stability with 526 mAh g -1 at after 1000 cycles at 1 C (average decay rate: 0.038% per cycle). Our design provides a comprehensive route for simultaneously improving the conductivity, ion transport kinetics, and preventing the shuttle effect in LSBs.

The cost-efficient ZnMnO 3 has attracted increasing attention as a prospective anode candidate for advanced lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to its resourceful abundance, large lithium storage capacity and low operating voltage. However, its practical application is still seriously limited by the modest cycling and rate performances. Herein, a facile design to scalable synthesize unique one-dimensional (1D) mesoporous ZnMnO 3 nanorods (ZMO-NRs) composed of nanoscale particles (≈11 nm) is reported. The 1D mesoporous structure and nanoscale building blocks of the ZMO-NRs effectively promote the transport of ions/electrons, accommodate severe volume changes, and expose more active sites for lithium storage. Benefiting from these appealing structural merits, the obtained ZMO-NRs anode exhibits excellent rate behavior (≈454 mAh g -1 at 2 A g -1 ) and ultra-long term cyclic performance (≈949.7 mAh g -1 even over 500 cycles at 0.5 A g -1 ) for efficient lithium storage. Additionally, the LiNi 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 O 2 //ZMO-NRs full cell presents a practical energy density (≈192.2 Wh kg -1 ) and impressive cyclability with approximately 91 % capacity retention over 110 cycles. This highlights that the ZMO-NRs product is a highly promising high-rate and stable electrode candidate towards advanced LIBs in electronic devices and sustainable energy storage applications., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Perovskite oxides have attracted much attention for enabling the oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) over the past decades. Nevertheless, their poor conductivity is still a barrier hindering their use. Herein, we report a catalyst prototype of Co-based antiperovskite nitrides CuNCo 3- x V x (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) to be a highly effective OER electrocatalyst. The synthesized CuNCo 3- x V x exhibits greatly enhanced activity and stability toward the OER in alkaline medium. The CuNCo 2.4 V 0.6 shows a mere 235 mV of overpotential to reach 10 mA cm -2 , which is comparable to that of Ir/C (232 mV). More importantly, the CuNCo 2.4 V 0.6 is more durable than the conventional Ir/C catalyst. The CuNCo 2.4 V 0.6 catalyst enabled a Zn-air battery to exhibit a cycle life of 143 h with a much higher cell efficiency. The V-substituted CuNCo 2.4 V 0.6 provides a higher content of the desirable Co 3+ species in the post-OER catalyst, which ensures a high activity over a long-term operation. With these enhanced effects enabled by the compositional flexibility of CuNCo 3- x V x antiperovskite nitride, a feasible strategy for optimizing an electrocatalyst with tunable properties is provided.

To optimize the cycle life and rate performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), ultra-fine Fe 2 O 3 nanowires with a diameter of approximately 2 nm uniformly anchored on a cross-linked graphene ribbon network are fabricated. The unique three-dimensional structure can effectively improve the electrical conductivity and facilitate ion diffusion, especially cross-plane diffusion. Moreover, Fe 2 O 3 nanowires on graphene ribbons (Fe 2 O 3 /GR) are easily accessible for lithium ions compared with the traditional graphene sheets (Fe 2 O 3 /GS). In addition, the well-developed elastic network can not only undergo the drastic volume expansion during repetitive cycling, but also protect the bulk electrode from further pulverization. As a result, the Fe 2 O 3 /GR hybrid exhibits high rate and long cycle life Li storage performance (632 mAh g -1 at 5 A g -1 , and 471 mAh g -1 capacity maintained even after 3000 cycles). Especially at high mass loading (≈4 mg cm -2 ), the Fe 2 O 3 /GR can still deliver higher reversible capacity (223 mAh g -1 even at 2 A g -1 ) compared with the Fe 2 O 3 /GS (37 mAh g -1 ) for LIBs., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

We have purposefully developed a smart template-engaged methodology to efficiently fabricate well-defined ternary spinel ZnMn2 O4 hollow nanotubes (NTs). The procedure involves coating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with ZnMn2 O4 nanosheets (NSs), followed by heating at high temperature in air to oxidize the CNT template. Physicochemical characterization demonstrated that the formed ZnMn2 O4 NTs with a diameter of approximately 100 nm were composed of assembled NSs and/or nanoparticles (NPs) as building blocks and possessed numerous nanopores of several nanometers in the sidewall of the NTs. In favor of the intrinsic structural advantages, the resulting ZnMn2 O4 NTs exhibited superior electrochemical lithium-storage performance with a large capacity, good rate behavior, and excellent cyclability when evaluated as promising anodes for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The remarkable electrochemical performance was rationally ascribed to the appealing one-dimensional (1D) porous hollow tubular architecture with nanoscale subunits and mesopores in the sidewalls, which decreased the diffusion length for the Li(+) ions, improved the kinetic process, and enhanced the structural integrity with sufficient void space to tolerate the volume variation during Li(+) -ion insertion/extraction. These results highlight the promising application of 1D ZnMn2 O4 NTs as anodes for high-performance LIBs., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

In this study, we rationally designed a rapid, low-temperature yet general synthetic methodology for the first time, involving in situ growth of two-dimensional (2D) birnessite-type MnO2 nanosheets (NSs) upon each carbon nanotube (CNT), and we designed the subsequent phase transformation into untrathin mesoporous ZnMn2O4 NSs with a thickness of ∼2-3 nm at room temperature to efficiently fabricate heterostructured core-shell ZnMn2O4 NSs@CNT coaxial nanocables with well-dispersed and tunable ZnMn2O4 loading. The underlying insights into the low-temperature formation mechanism of the unique core-shell hybrid nanoarchitectures were tentatively proposed here. When utilized as a high-performance anode for advanced LIBs, the resultant core-shell ZnMn2O4@CNTs' coaxial nanocables (∼84.5 wt.% loading) exhibited large specific discharge capacity (∼1033 mAh g(-1)), good rate capability (∼528 mAh g(-1)) and excellent cycling stability (average capacity degradation of only ∼5.2% per cycle) at a high current rate of 1224 mA g(-1), originating from the distinct core-shell synergetic effect of fast electronic delivery and from the large electrode/electrolyte contacting surfaces/interfaces provided by three-dimensional entangling coaxial CNT-based nanonetwork topology.

In this work, we put forward a facile yet efficient room-temperature synthetic methodology for the smart fabrication of mesoporous nanocrystalline ZnMn2O4 in macro-quality from the birnessite-type MnO2 phase. A plausible reduction/ion exchange/re-crystallization mechanism is tentatively proposed herein for the scalable synthesis of the spinel phase ZnMn2O4. When utilized as a high-performance anode for advanced Li-ion battery (LIB) application, the as-synthesized nanocrystalline ZnMn2O4 delivered an excellent discharge capacity of approximately 1288 mAh g(-1) on the first cycle at a current density of 400 mA g(-1), and exhibited an outstanding cycling durability, rate capability, and coulombic efficiency, benefiting from its mesoporous and nanoscale structure, which strongly highlighted its great potential in next-generation LIBs. Furthermore, the strategy developed here is very simple and of great importance for large-scale industrial production., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)