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Beet black scorch virus (BBSV) has been reported as a natural pathogen of sugar beet and distributed all over the world, causing great economic losses to the sugar industry. Research on interactions between BBSV and its host by using model plant Nicotiana benthamiana is significantly important and nessesary for understanding virus infection process and exploring plant resistance mechanism. The results of sequencing the transcriptome of N. benthamiana infected with BBSV as well as gene screening in response to viral infection revealed upregulation of the small heat shock protein 17.6 gene (NbHSP17.6) and the effect of the protein on resistance to the virus. To further examine the involvement of HSP17.6 in defense responses in N. benthamiana, we tested interaction between HSP17.6 and other heat shock proteins such as HSP70 and HSP90 as well as BBSV encoded proteins. The results showed that HSP17.6 interacted with HSP70 and HSP90 but not with BBSV encoded proteins. When combined with other available results, it is possible that HSP17.6 acted as a small molecular chaperone to facilitate proper refolding of the specific proteins HSP70 and HSP90 required for BBSV infection and/or replication.

Highly conductive cathode material with enhanced Na+ diffusion kinetics is of great importance in the exploration of sodium ion batteries. In this work, Na0.91MnO2 porous microcube which is coated with highly conductive polypyrrole (PPy) is obtained. The high Na content in the layered sodium manganate oxide brings about wider interlayer distance resulting in high capacity and electrochemical kinetics. The higher sodium content of Na0.91MO2 makes capacity increase up to 50 mAh g-1 compared with Na0.7MnO2.05. Furthermore, the well-designed combination between porous structure and conductive PPy coating exhibits fast ion/electron transfer inside the electrode and high cycling stability. The PPy coated Na0.91MnO2 delivers a high initial capacity of 208 mAh g-1, encouraging capacity retention and rate capability. Based on the porous Na0.91MnO2@PPy cathode, the sodium ion full cells with puffed millet porous carbon anode show remarkably stable cycling and high-rate performances.

Tin oxide (SnO2) has been widely used as an anode material for sodium-ion storage because of its high theoretical capacity. However, it suffers from large volume expansion and poor conductivity. To overcome these limitations, in this study, we have designed and prepared Mo-doped SnO2 nanoflake arrays anchored on carbon foam (Mo-SnO2@C-foam with 38.41 wt% SnO2 and 3.7 wt% Mo content) by a facile hydrothermal method. The carbon foam serves as a three-dimensional conductive network and a buffer skeleton, contributing to improved rate performance and cycling stability. In addition, Mo doping enhances the kinetics of sodium-ion transfer, and the interlaced SnO2 nanoflake arrays is beneficial to promote the conversion reactions during the charge/discharge process. The as-prepared composite with a unique structure demonstrate a high initial capacity of 1017.1 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, with a capacity retention over three times higher than that of the control sample (SnO2@C-foam) at 1 A g−1, indicating a remarkable rate performance.

The structure stability, diffusion behavior of interstitial hydrogen, and its influence on the elastic properties of stoichiometric ZrC bulk are investigated by first-principles calculations. The interstitial hydrogen in stoichiometric ZrC bulk prefers to be trapped by the C atom with C-H distance of 1.15 A, and its formation energy is 1.30 eV after ZPE correction. The interstitial hydrogen promotes the formation of Zr/C vacancy in ZrC bulk due to the electron localization effects and the effect on the C vacancy is more significant. A new energetically favorable diffusion path of hydrogen in ZrC bulk is predicted as from one center C-H site in the Zr/C cube to the other neighboring one by climbing the metastable Zr/C cubic center site with an energy barrier of 0.64 eV, and then followed by twice rotations around the nearest neighboring C atom with an energy barrier of 0.26 eV. A high hydrogen resistance can be expected on the ZrC ceramic due to the extremely low hydrogen diffusivity and the insignificant effects of hydrogen on the elastic properties.

A compositive synthesis of gel polymer electrolytes by blending poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) into poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) as a polymer host is proposed. The blending polymer is produced by a facile solution casting method and ester groups of PPC are successful introduced into PVDF-HFP. The gel polymer electrolyte displays an excellent ion conductivity of 1.18 × 10−3 S cm−1, broad electrochemical window up to 4.8 V (vs. Li/Li+) and outstanding electrochemical stability within rechargeable lithium batteries at room temperature. The improvement of ion conductivity is attributed to the decrease of polymer crystallizability and the increase of micro pores. The strategy of blending is promising for the modification of PVDF-HFP electrolyte and foreground application in next-generation solid energy conversion devices.

A UV-light polymerized three-dimensional (3D) network gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) is designed and fabricated for solid-state lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. The GPE exhibits wide electrochemical window up to 5.05 V (vs. Li+/Li), outstanding thermostability and mechanical property. Besides, the GPE effectively suppresses the extension of lithium dendrite and the electron-donating groups in GPE inhibit the shuttle of lithium polysulfides. The assembled solid-state Li-S batteries with the 3D network GPE show high specific capacity retention of 69.1% after 300 cycles at 0.5 C. With the consideration of these, the GPE in this report undoubtedly provides an effective technique to design high performance solid-state Li-S batteries.

The poor interfacial contact between electrode materials and electrolyte has become a major obstacle to the development and application of solid-state batteries. In this work, we report a facile method to realize interfacial modification with the help of in-situ ultraviolet solidified gel polymer electrolyte, which is completely compatible with commercial LiFePO4 and cellulose membrane forming stable composite cathode and cellulose membrane-gel polymer electrolyte. Two intimate interfaces between LiFePO4 and gel polymer electrolyte as well as composite cathode and cellulose membrane-based composite electrolyte are achieved to facilitate fast transfer of lithium ions at the interface. The assembled solid-state cell exhibits lower interfacial resistance, reduced polarization, higher rate capability, and more stable cycling performance than other routine counterparts. This work provides a new way for fabrication of novel advanced solid-state electrolytes and electrodes for applications in solid-state batteries.

High-quality solid electrolyte is essential for the growing need of lithium ion batteries. Herein, we report a novel organic-inorganic composite electrolyte based on Li7La3Zr2O12 ceramic powder incorporated into PVDF-HFP through a simple combined method. At room temperature, the composite polymer electrolyte (CPE) possesses a good ionic transmission improvement of 3.71 × 10−4 S cm−1. The CPE behaves a fine lithium ion transference number of 0.58 and an electrochemical window of up to 4.65 V. CPEs display meliorative electrochemical stability compared to pure PVDF-HFP electrolyte. The cathode presents an excellent initial discharge capacity of 163.1 mAh g−1 at 0.2 C in Li/CPE/LiFePO4 cell. The cell with CPE displays much better capacity retention than that with pure PVDF-HFP electrolyte. The Li7La3Zr2O12 modified PVDF-HFP is a promising electrolyte for lithium ion batteries.

Large interfacial resistance between electrode and electrolyte limits the development of high-performance all-solid-state batteries. Herein we report a uniform coating of Li7P3S11 solid electrolyte on MoS2 to form a MoS2/Li7P3S11 composite electrode for all-solid-state lithium ion batteries. The as-synthesized Li7P3S11 processes a high ionic of 2.0 mS cm−1 at room temperature. Due to homogeneous union and reduced interfacial resistance, the assembled all-solid-state batteries with the MoS2/Li7P3S11 composite electrode exhibit higher reversible capacity of 547.1 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C and better cycling stability than the counterpart based on untreated MoS2. Our study provides a new reference for design/fabrication of advanced electrode materials for high-performance all-solid-state batteries.

High-performance lithium ion batteries (LIBs) with high energy/power density are always the persistent pursuit of people. High-quality anode is the key point for the performance improvement of LIBs. In this work, a facile combined strategy is proposed to construct integrated TNO/AOSC electrode, in which Aspergillus Oryzae Spore Carbon (AOSC) conductive matrix is employed to hold Ti2Nb10O29 (TNO) nanoparticles. The TNO/AOSC not only shortens electron/ion transfer pathway on account of the nanostructure of TNO, but also provides better chemical stability from AOSC skeleton. Accordingly, the preeminent rate capacity (135.2 mA h g−1 at 10C) and relatively superior cycle stability (a capacity of 149.8 mA h g−1 after 200 cycles at 1C) are obtained for the TNO/AOSC, much better than TNO counterpart. The superior performance of the TNO/AOSC can be ascribed to the beneficial synergistic factors on enhanced electronic conductivity and solider structure from AOSC substrate. This intriguing design strategy may trigger interest for design of other high-quality electrodes in LIBs.

Biomedical Ti6Al4V alloy exhibits excellent mechanical and anti-corrosion properties but poor wear resistance. In order to improve the combination performance of Ti6Al4V alloy, Zr-doped graphite-like carbon (GLC) nanomultilayer and nanocomposite coatings are deposited by magnetron sputtering. The microstructures of the coatings are characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The Zr-doped GLC nanomultilayer shows low friction coefficient and wear rate at applied loads of 1 N and 3 N in Hank's solution. In addition, both the Zr-doped GLC nanomultilayer and nanocomposite coatings present high corrosion resistance, which results from the corrosion-resistant GLC and zirconium oxide. Compared to the Zr-doped GLC nanocomposite, the nanomultilayer is more promising in the applications under simultaneously tribological and corrosive conditions.

Ultra-high purity CrO 2 was prepared by decomposing CrO 3 in O 2 with gas pressures up to 40 MPa, which were maintained throughout the decomposition process of CrO 3 to prevent the formation of any other phases of chromium oxides. Our method is different from the traditional methods that start from or under ambient pressures. The high oxygen pressure makes the meta-stable CrO 2 stable from the initial stage of preparation. As a result, the purity of the as-prepared CrO 2 is improved, and this has been further proved by the highest magnetization of the samples. The as-prepared CrO 2 particles show very large grains with flat surfaces, octagonal cross-section, and straight edges, owing to the high mobility of Cr ions in CrO 2 at temperatures above its melting point. The lattice parameters of CrO 2 are a = 4.4176 A and c = 2.9144 A. The maximum value of the magnetic entropy change of the high purity CrO 2 particles is ∼2.83 J/kg·K for an applied field of 1.5 T. The preparation of pure CrO 2 is important for studying its intrinsic properties and for applications in spintronic devices.

Tailored design/construction of high-quality sulfur/carbon composite cathode is critical for development of advanced lithium-sulfur batteries. We report a powerful strategy for integrated fabrication of sulfur impregnated into three-dimensional (3D) multileveled carbon nanoflake-nanosphere networks (CNNNs) by means of sacrificial ZnO template plus glucose carbonization. The multileveled CNNNs are not only utilized as large-area host/backbone for sulfur forming an integrated S/CNNNs composite electrode, but also serve as multiple carbon blocking barriers (nanoflake infrastructure andnanosphere superstructure) to physically confine polysulfides at the cathode. The designedself-supported S/CNNNs composite cathodes exhibit superior electrochemical performances with high capacities (1395 mAh g −1 at 0.1C, and 769 mAh g −1 at 5.0C after 200 cycles) and noticeable cycling performance (81.6% retention after 200 cycles). Our results build a new bridge between sulfur and carbon networks with multiple blocking effects for polysulfides, and provide references for construction of other high-performance sulfur cathodes.

It is a core task to find solutions to suppress the “shuttle effect” of polysulfides and improve high rate capability at the sulfur cathode of lithium sulfur batteries. Herein we first time propose a concept of multileveled blocking “dams” to suppress the diffusion of polysulfides. We report a facile and effective strategy to construct multidimensional conductive carbon hosts for accommodation of active sulfur. Multidimensional ternary carbon networks (MTCNs) with 0D nanospheres, 1D nanotubes and 2D nanoflakes are organically combined together to provide multileveled conductive channels to reserve active sulfur and promote stable sustained reactions. In the light of enhanced conductivity and multileveled blocking “dams” for polysulfides, the designed MTCNs/S cathode has been demonstrated with noticeable improvement in discharge capacity (1472 mAh g −1 at 0.l C) and long-term cycling stability (65% retention at 5.0 C after 500 cycles). Our research may provide a new insight in the gradient blocking of polysulfides with the help of multidimensional carbon networks.

Improving the insulating nature of sulfur and retaining the soluble polysulfides in sulfur cathodes are crucial for realizing the practical application of lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs). Biomass-based carbon is becoming increasingly popular for fabricating economical and efficient cathodes for LSBs owing to its unique structure. Herein, we report a facile strategy to transform bovine bone with an organic–inorganic structure into cellular hierarchical porous carbon via carbonization and KOH activation, followed by CoS2 modification through hydrothermal treatment. The synthesized composite can load abundant sulfur and produce a dual effect of “physical confinement and chemical entrapment” on polysulfides. The conductive carbon frame with the developed porous structure provides adequate space to accommodate sulfur and physically suppress the shuttle effect of polysulfides. The embedded half-metallic CoS2 sites can chemically anchor the polysulfides and enhance the electrochemical reaction activity as well. Owing to the multifunctional structure and dual restraint effect, the designed electrode exhibits enhanced electrochemical properties including high initial capacity (1230.9 mAh g−1 at 0.2 C), improved cycling stability and enhanced rate capability.

Aqueous zinc-ion battery is a low-cost, non-toxic, and high-safety energy storage system, which has received extensive attention in recent years. However, the Zn anode with high theoretical capacity often suffers from severe corrosion and dendrite growth during the Zn plating/stripping process, leading to severe polarization and eventually short circuits. These knotty problems severely impede further practical applications of Zn-based batteries. Herein, a robust and homogeneous metallic tin (Sn) coating is in situ built on the surface of Zn to form Zn|Sn by a facile chemical vapor deposition method to enhance reaction reversibility. The as-prepared Sn coating not only affords more robust nucleation sites of Zn and higher hydrogen evolution reaction potential, but also effectively decreases the nucleation overpotential of Zn. Accordingly, the symmetric cells with Zn|Sn anode can stably maintain an extremely low-voltage hysteresis (50 mV) in a 500 h of plating/stripping cycles. Even at a high current density of 50 mA cm−2, the symmetric Zn|Sn cell still can operate well for 50 h. Moreover, this stable Zn|Sn anode also enables a full Zn-ion battery with outstanding rate and cyclic stability.

Integral construction of lithium sulfide (Li 2 S) cathode is indispensable and vital for developing high-performance lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. Herein we have demonstrated a facile strategy for fabricating free-standing carbon paper supported Li 2 S@C (P-Li 2 S@C) integrated cathode. The P-Li 2 S@C cathode is synthesized through simple pyrolysis of low-cost lithium sulfate (Li 2 SO 4 ) and chitosan, and embedded in the double carbon matrixes with carbon paper support and outer CVD-carbon layer. Li 2 S nanoparticles are homogeneously dispersed in the above designed double carbon matrixes. The P-Li 2 S@C cathode exhibits an initial discharge capacity of 820 mAh g −1 at 0.1 C and still maintains 430 mAh g −1 after 100 cycles, superior to the P-Li 2 S counterpart (480 mAh g −1 at 0.1 C and 150 mAh g −1 after 100 cycles). Our research verifies the effectiveness of double carbon modification on the Li 2 S, especially, the outer carbon coating not only improves the electrical conductivity of electrode, but also further prohibits the “shuttle effect” of polysulfides.

Surface conductive engineering on Li 2 S is critical for construction of advanced cathodes of lithium-sulfur batteries. Herein, we construct a high-performance Li 2 S-based composite cathode with the help of three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide (3D-rGO) network and outer carbon coating. Typically, the Li 2 S@C particles are uniformly embedded into 3D-rGO to form a binder-free 3D-rGO-Li 2 S@C cathode by the combination of a liquid solution-evaporation coating and PVP (Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone) carbonization. The 3D-rGO-Li 2 S@C cathode exhibits a high initial discharge capacity of 856 mAh g −1 at 0.1C, superior cycling stability with a capacity of 388.4 mAh g −1 after 200 cycles at 1C, corresponding to a low capacity fading rate. It is demonstrated that the outer conductive coating is effective and necessary for electrochemical enhancement of Li 2 S cathodes by improving electrical conductivity and prohibiting polysulfide from shuttling during cycling.

A unique MoS 2 -based composite composed of MoS 2 nanosheets wrapped by a conductive polypyrrole (PPY) layer and closely incorporated within reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets is prepared by all-solution method. As a free-binder electrode for lithium-ion batteries, the ternary electrode delivers an initial discharge capacity of 1428 mAh g −1 , maintains 1070 mAh g −1 after 400 cycles at a current density of 200 mA g −1 , and also exhibits superior rate capacity of 600 mAh g −1 at a high current density of 2000 A g −1 . The enhanced electrochemical performance is attributed to the advantageous combination of the 3D hierarchically rGO skeleton and in-situ formed conductive PPY coating. This design route represents a new direction for high-performance lithium ion batteries and related energy storage application with advanced nanostructured materials.

Metal-doping is considered to be an effective way for construction of advanced semiconducting metal oxides with tailored physicochemical properties. Herein, Mo-doped WO3 nanowire arrays are rationally fabricated by a sulfate-assisted hydrothermal method. Compared to the pure WO3, the optimized Mo-doped WO3 nanowire arrays exhibit improved electrochromic properties with fast switching speed (3.2 s and 2.6 s for coloration and bleaching, respectively), significant optical modulation (56.7% at 750 nm, 83.0% at 1600 nm and 48.5% at 10 μm), high coloration efficiency (123.5 cm2 C−1) and excellent cycling stability. In addition, as a proof of concept, the Mo-doped WO3 nanowire arrays are demonstrated with electrochemical energy storage monitored by the electrochromism. This electrode design protocol can provide an alternative way for developing high-performance active materials for bi-functional electrochromic batteries.

A facile one-pot solvothermal method is proposed to fabricate a new series of Ni-Co-P-O compound-based electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation in alkaline environment. It is found that the chemical composition, surface morphology, as well as the crystallographic structure of the final Ni-Co-P-O composites are largely depends on the Co 2+ /Ni 2+ molar ratios in the reaction system. The sample of NiCoPO-2 possessing an urchin-like architecture and a hybrid composition of nano-scaled Ni/Co phosphides and phosphates was produced at a Co 2+ /Ni 2+ molar ratio of 0.18. A larger specific surface area of 540.5 m 2 g −1 and a bimodal pore size distribution are found in the NiCoPO-2 sample. As a potential catalyst, the NiCoPO-2 delivers a highest oxidation current density (∼1567 A g −1 ) and a good durability (≥20000 s) toward the methanol electrooxidation reaction. The superior catalytic performance of the NiCoPO-2 catalyst should be attributed to its unique microstructure and compositions. It is also supposed that the formation of electron tunneling junctions between the metal phosphides and phosphates could provide new channels for facilitating electron transfer throughout the composite electrocatalysts.

The flowerlike Sn doped ZnO nanostructures were synthesized by a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-assisted hydrothermal process at low temperature (150 °C). The morphology and structure of sample were characterized by XRD, EDS, XPS, SEM and TEM analysis. The results indicate that the sample is well crystallized wurtzite hexagonal phase of ZnO, and preferentially grows up along [0001] direction. The possible formation mechanism of flowerlike ZnO nanostructures is proposed. Moreover, the sensor based on flowerlike ZnO nanostructures exhibits enhanced sensing performances to acetone at 300 °C. The response is up to 600 when the sensor is exposed to 100 ppm acetone. The response and recovery times are about 24 and 8 s, respectively. These results demonstrate that the Sn doped ZnO nanoflowers can be used as the sensing materials for fabricating high performance acetone sensor.

To meet the growing demand for high-performance electrochemical energy storage devices, various kinds of anodes have been proposed, trying to substitute the traditional carbonous materials. Among them, low-strain Ti-based oxides (LSTBOs), especially Li4Ti5O12 and TiNb2O7, stand out for their remarkable safety and long cycling stability. Promising as they are for the high-power energy storage system, the restricted rate performance thereof owing to their poor electronic conductivity and discontented specific capacities nevertheless hinder their further commercial application. To broaden the utilization fields of LSTBOs electrodes, assorted works on the mechanism and tailing strategies have been extensively boosted to surmount these obstacles. Herein, we have summarized the latest advance and development of LSTBOs materials and application thereof in electrochemical energy storage including lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries, supercapacitors, and hybrid capacitors. At first, a brief introduction of the properties of LSTBOs is given to help reveal the reasons for existing demerits. Then, the melioration of LSTBOs themselves as well as LSTBOs devices are discussed, followed by the study of improvement mechanism of each strategy. In the end, we highlight the optimizing rules for developing advanced LSTBOs electrodes and hope that these bits of advice can serve as effective guidelines for future researches in realizing high power and high energy density devices.

The structure stability, hydrogen trapping behaviour, and adhesion properties of the Zr(0001) ZrC(100) interface are investigated by first-principle calculations. Periodically distributed distortion and stress-relaxed regions with lengths of 16.6 A are formed to relax the lattice mismatch at the Zr(0001) ZrC(100) interface. Homogeneous covalent 3Zr C bonds are formed in the distortion region. The interfacial sinking effect exists only in the interface stress-relaxed region where the interstitial hydrogen has a considerably lower formation energy of −0.61 eV after the zero-point energy correction, than those in the interface distortion region, Zr, and ZrC bulk of 0.95, −0.10, and 1.30 eV, respectively. After the interstitial sites in the interface stress-relaxed region are fully occupied by hydrogen, the interface energy is significantly reduced from 2.34 to 1.52 J/m2. The work of separation Wsep along the interface is approximately 3.78–3.91 J/m2, while the brittle fracture of the Zr(0001) ZrC(100) interface always occurs at the Zr matrix (along the Zr1 layer) with the lowest Wsep of 3.18–2.95 J/m2. Hydrogen-induced electron localisation exists at the interface, which reduces the interface structure stability. In addition, a hydrogen passivation layer forms owing to the formation of Zr H and C H bonds at the interface.

Exploring high performance cathode materials is of great means for the development of bi-functional electrochromic energy storage devices. Herein, Nb-doped WO3 mesoporous films as integrated high-quality cathode are successfully constructed via a facile sol-gel method. Chemical state and crystallinity of the WO3 based films are significantly influenced by doping concentration. Compared with the pure WO3, the optimal Nb-doped film shows improved optical-electrochemical properties with high specific capacity (74.4 mAh g−1 at 2 A g−1), excellent high-rate capability, large optical contrast (61.7% at 633 nm), and ultra-fast switching speed (3.6 s and 2.1 s for coloring and bleaching process, respectively). These positive features suggest the potential application of Nb-doped WO3 mesoporous cathode. Our research paves the way for the development of multifunctional photoelectrochemical energy devices.

The construction of advanced cathode materials is indispensable and vital for developing high-performance lithium–sulfur batteries. Herein, we develop a facile in-situ route to synthesize three-dimensional reduced graphene oxide supported Li 2 S/carbon composite (3D-rGO-Li 2 S/C). The Li 2 S/C nanoparticles are intimately anchored on the surface of 3D-rGO forming an integrated 3D porous composite. Due to the improved conductivity and reduced polysulfide dissolution, the 3D-rGO-Li 2 S/C cathode exhibits enhanced electrochemical performances with a high initial capacity of 819 mAh g −1 at 0.1C, as well as good cycling stability with a capacity retention of 415 mAh g −1 after 100 cycles at 1C. The integrated 3D conductive network is responsible for the enhancement of the electrochemical properties by providing fast ion/electron transfer and high mechanical stability.

Scrupulous design and fabrication of advanced anode materials are of great importance for developing high-performance lithium ion batteries. Herein, we report a facile strategy for construction of free-standing and free-binder 3D porous carbon coated MoS 2 /nitrogen-doped graphene (C-MoS 2 /N-G) integrated electrode via a hydrothermal-induced self-assembly process. The preformed carbon coated MoS 2 is strongly anchored on the porous nitrogen-doped graphene aerogel architecture. As an anode for lithium ion batteries, the C-MoS 2 /N-G electrode delivers a high first discharge capacity of 1600 mAh g −1 and maintains 900 mAh g −1 after 500 cycles at a current density of 200 mA g −1 . Impressively, superior high-rate capability is achieved for the C-MoS 2 /N-G with a reversible capacity of 500 mAh g −1 at a high current density of 4000 mA g −1 . Furthermore, the lithium storage mechanism of the obtained integrated electrode is investigated by ex-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy in detail.

Construction of high-capacity anode is highly important for the development of next-generation high-performance lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Herein we fabricate Si/Ag nanowires/reduced graphene oxide (Si/Ag NWs/rGO) integrated composite film by introducing binary conductive networks (Ag NWs and rGO) into Si active materials with the help of a facile vacuum-filtration method. Active Si nanoparticles are homogeneously encapsulated by binary Ag NWs-rGO conductive network, in which Ag NWs are interwoven among the rGO sheets. The electrochemical properties of the integrated Si/Ag NWs/rGO composite film are thoroughly characterized as anode of LIBs. Compared to the Si/rGO composite film, the integrated Si/Ag NWs/rGO composite film exhibits enhanced electrochemical performances with higher capacity, better high-rate capability and cycling stability (1269 mAh g −1 at 50 mA g −1 up to 50 cycles). The binary conductive network plays a positive role in the enhancement of performance due to its faster ion/electron transfer, and better anti-structure degradation caused by volume expansion during the cycling process.

Fusarium mycotoxins, such as trichothecenes, zearalenone (ZEA) and fumonisins, are widely distributed in grain and animal feed and cause hazards to human and animal health. China, one of the largest producers of agricultural products and animal feed, constantly faces challenges in preventing and controlling Fusarium mycotoxins. The recent status of Fusarium mycotoxins in grain and feed is of interest to many stakeholders; however, no comprehensive review of this has been published to date. The objective of this article is to review the recent situation in China, including the contamination situation, its (probable) main causes and the updated regulations. Every district of China has been affected by Fusarium mycotoxin contamination to varying degrees, with the most seriously affected districts being East China, Central China and North China. The incidence rates of deoxynivalenol and ZEA were higher than those of other Fusarium mycotoxins in both grain and feed samples. It has been suggested that deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside should undergo the risk assessment and the development of a related legal limit in China. Among the multiple causes of Fusarium mycotoxin occurrence in China, geography and climate and the variable characteristics of plants are probably the two important causes. The latest legal limits for Fusarium mycotoxins in food were promulgated in 2011, and the legal limits in feed are in the process of being revised. This article aims to provide information for promoting an understanding of the recent situation and the challenges for combating Fusarium mycotoxin contamination of grain and feed in China.

Adsorption is often time consuming due to slow diffusion kinetic. Sizing he adsorbent down might help to accelerate adsorption. For CoFe spinel oxide, a magnetically separable adsorbent, the preparation of nanosheets faces many challenges including phase separation, grain growth and difficulty in preparing two-dimensional materials. In this work, we prepared porous CoFe oxide nanosheet with chemical formula of Co 2.698 Fe 0.302 O 4 through topochemical transformation of a CoFe precursor, which has a layered double hydroxide (LDH) analogue structure and a large interlayer spacing. The LDH precursor was synthesized from a cheap deep eutectic solvent (DES) system. The calcined Co 2.698 Fe 0.302 O 4 has small grain size (10–20 nm), nanosheet morphology, and porous structure, which contribute to a large specific surface area of 79.5 m 2 g −1 . The Co 2.698 Fe 0.302 O 4 nanosheets show fast removal ability and good adsorption capacity for both organic waste (305 mg g −1 in 5 min for Congo red) and toxic heavy metal ion (5.27 mg g −1 in 30 min for Cr (VI)). Furthermore, the Co 2.698 Fe 0.302 O 4 can be separated magnetically. Considering the precursor can be prepared through a fast, simple, surfactant-free and high-yield synthetic strategy, this work should have practical significance in fabricating adsorbents.

A novel 2Li3V2(PO4)3·LiV3O8 composite with short rod and thin plate shapes is synthesized through sol–gel method followed by hydrothermal and solid–state reaction. LiV3O8 is used as an additive to improve the capacity of Li3V2(PO4)3. In the composite cathode, active impurity phase Li0.3V2O5 is also present, which has little impact on the whole electrochemical properties. The 2Li3V2(PO4)3·LiV3O8 composite delivers a high initial capacity of 162.8 mAh g−1 at a current density of 100 mA g−1 in the voltage range of 2.0–4.3 V. Furthermore, the composite with high crystallinity also shows high electrochemical reversibility and good rate capability. The diffusion coefficient of Li ions in the composite is in the range of 10−11–10−9 cm2 s−1 obtained from galvanostatic intermittent titration technique.

A novel 0.6Li 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 ·0.4Li–V–O composite cathode material is synthesized by sol-gel method followed by solvothermal and solid state reaction. The morphology and structure of the composite are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy (XPS). The composite particles are well-crystallized and present uniform nanoplate alike. Except Li 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 phase, LiV 2 O 5 and VO 2 are also present in the composite. The 0.6Li 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 ·0.4Li–V–O electrode delivers a discharge capacity of 149.3 mAh g −1 at 50 mAg −1 between 2.0 V and 4.3 V, and has higher rate property than Li 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 . The diffusion coefficients of Li ions in the composite are in the range of 10 −9.5 − 10 −7.5 cm 2 s −1 obtained from galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT).

Ti-doped amorphous carbon multilayer films with different Ti content are deposited on medical Ti6Al4V alloy using a closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering. The microstructure and chemical composition are characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The mechanical and tribological properties are evaluated by nanoindentation, Rockwell and scratch tests and ball-on-disk tribometer. The Ti content has a significant influence on the microstructure, mechanical and tribological properties of Ti doped a-C multilayer films. TiC nanocrystallites started to form in the a-C:Ti layer when the Ti target current density was above 2.58 mA cm − 2 during multilayer deposition process. Among these multilayers, the film deposited with a Ti target current density of 4.13 mA cm − 2 displays high hardness (25.2 GPa), high critical load (about 80 N), and low friction coefficient and wear rate in ambient air and in Hank's solution.

A Si/porous reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite film synthesized by evaporation and leavening method are developed as a high-performance anode material for lithium ion batteries. The porous structure as buffer base can effectively release the volume expansion of the silicon particles, increase the electrical conductivity and reduce the transfer resistance of Li ions. The Si/porous rGO composite film presents high specific capacity and good cycling stability (1261 mA h g−1 at 50 mA g−1 up to 70 cycles), as well as enhanced rate capability. This approach to prepare such a unique structure is a low-cost and facile route for the silicon-based anode materials.

Three Ni–P–O compound catalysts with tunable architectures and compositions have been fabricated using a facile one-pot solvothermal method, which are named astrocyte-network Ni–P (Ni–Pan), silkworm cocoon-like Ni–P (Ni–Psc), and microsphere Ni–P (Ni–Pm), respectively. The final architecture of the Ni–P–O catalysts is strongly dependent on the Ni2+/H2PO2− molar ratio in the reaction system, which leads to a delicate balance between kinetic and thermodynamic growth regimes. Three-dimensional ensemble of Ni–Pan with a higher P content is composed of many amorphous Ni–P nanowires with a diameter of about 4 nm, which delivers a significantly larger BET surface area of 500.5 m2 g−1. Moreover, nickel phosphides and nickel phosphates are formed in the three Ni–P–O samples. Ni–Pan exhibits a higher peak current density of ∼1490 A g−1, better electrode accessibility, faster charge-transfer process, and long-term chronoamperometry stability (≥20 000 s) toward methanol oxidation in alkaline solution, which are superior to most state-of-art Ni–P catalysts and the Ni–Psc and Ni–Pm in this case. The superior catalytic performance of the Ni–Pan catalyst is attributed to its unique microstructure and compositions. According to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, a strong electronic interaction between nickel phosphides and nickel phosphates might also contribute to the improved catalytic activity of the Ni–Pan catalyst.

Fe 2 O 3 nanorods are synthesized by combustion method using alcohol as both solvent and fuel, which is a facile and effective strategy for the large-scale and inexpensive fabrication. The Fe 2 O 3 nanorods are with the well distributed diameters of 20–30 nm and length ranging from 80 to 100 nm. As an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the Fe 2 O 3 nanorod electrode delivers a high discharge capacity of 761.7 mA h g −1 after 60 cycles at 500 mA g −1 , and 727.2 mA h g −1 at a high current density of 2000 mA g −1 . The good electrochemical performance is attributed to the sufficient contact of active material and electrolyte, large surface area, and short diffusion length of Li + .

SnO2 mesocrystals with mixed phases (i.e., tetragonal and orthorhombic phases) and nanoporous structures have been successfully synthesized via a facile annealing topotactic transformation from SnO precursors under ambient-pressure and a moderate temperature range of 400–600 °C. The morphology of the mesocrystal precursor possesses a hydrangea ball or multilayer pancake structure, which is determined by a novel ionothermal strategy using choline chloride/urea based deep eutectic solvent (DES) as the reaction medium and water as the morphology controlling agent. The self-assembly of SnO mesocrystals is based on a “non-classical crystallization” process involving an oriented attachment mechanism. The polarity dependent self-assembly of SnO mesocrystals in the reaction system is also highlighted. Significantly, the mixed phase and nanoporous SnO2 mesocrystal exhibits superior ethanol sensitivity compared with that of the SnO2 with a single tetragonal phase or a solid structure. The sensitivity of the SnO2 sample obtained at 400 °C is as high as 28.06 under 100 ppm ethanol and an optimum operation temperature of 300 °C, standing out from most of the state-of-the-art SnO2 nanomaterials, which is due to the incorporation of orthorhombic and tetragonal phases and the porous structure. Furthermore, the SnO2 mesocrystal with the mixed phases is also demonstrated to be a good selective ethanol sensor to effectively discriminate ethanol from acetone, methanol, and benzene.

The traditional concept that nickel layered double hydroxide (Ni LDH, also known as α-Ni(OH)2) converts to NiO after annealing has been taken without doubt and utilized to fabricate NiO for years. This work reports that an anomalous self-reduction phenomenon can occur for Ni LDH synthesized from an ionic liquid system.

Six uranium tailings samples from the shallow depth of two large-scale uranium tailings ponds in South China, which were affected by pedogenesis, were analyzed to determine the occurrence modes of uranium. The results demonstrated that an average of nearly 80% of the uranium in the samples was mobile and potentially mobile, indicating that this type of uranium tailings could significantly threaten their ambient environment when their contents of uranium were relatively high. In this sense, the possibility of the in-situ immobilization of active uranium in the uranium tailings was discussed. The experimental data indicated that the active uranium could be immobilized through its reaction with phosphate, which was theoretically feasible and promising in curbing uranium pollution.

Effect of combined doping of Fe and C on the implanted-helium (10 keV, 4.0 × 10 21 ions/m 2 ) behavior in Al before and after aging for 1 year at room temperature has been investigated by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope and thermal helium desorption spectrometry (THDS). The combined doping of Fe and C has a pronounced influence on the surface blistering induced by He ion implantation, and the extent is dependent on the fluence of Fe and C doped. The lower fluence of Fe and higher fluence of C doped, the more resistive to the surface blistering in Al will be. Pipe-shaped structures of high density are produced in the matrix of He implanted Al after the combined doping of Fe and C and then aging at room temperature for 1 year. The diameter of pipes increases with Fe fluence. The THDS results show that the thermal helium desorption shifts to the lower temperature range for the Fe, C and He implanted and aged Al samples. With the increase of C fluence, the thermal helium desorption in the lower temperature range will get more prominent. Therefore, aging has a considerable influence on the helium behaviors such as surface blistering, microstructure evolution and thermal desorption in Al, which can deteriorate the irradiation damages induced by He.

All the Li metal anode-based batteries suffer from a high propensity to form Li dendrites. To prevent the formation of dendritic lithium on the electrodes, amorphous carbon coatings are deposited onto the surface of metallic lithium foil by magnetron sputtering technique. The electrochemical performances of the amorphous carbon-coated lithium (Li/C) electrodes are investigated by galvanostatic charge/discharge tests, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The compact carbon coatings on the surface of lithium foil can suppress the growth of dendritic lithium during charge–discharge process. The thickness of amorphous carbon coating affects the electrode from two aspects; the thick coating can prevent the formation of dendritic lithium much efficiently, but lead to a large impedance of Li+ transfer.

Two NiO products with different microstructures have been obtained using a traditional NaOH-induced aqueous-phase precipitation and a homogeneous precipitation in choline chloride/urea mixture-based deep eutectic solvent (DES), respectively. The synthesis processes play a key role in the structure construction of NiO precursors as well as the final NiO products, and possible formation mechanisms are proposed. The DES-based homogeneous precipitation method provides plentiful nucleation sites, moderate crystal growth process and possible template effect, which could conduce to the production of flower-like NiO with continuously self-supporting mesoporous structure assembled by tiny grains. The flower-like NiO electrode exhibits higher current density, faster charge-transfer process, better electrode accessibility, and improved stability for methanol electro-oxidation in an electrolyte of 0.1 M CH3OH + 0.005 M KOH than the disorderly aggregated NiO nanoparticles. We believe that the DES-based homogeneous precipitation method can provide an effective approach to fabricate advanced electrocatalyst materials with homogeneous and well-assembled microstructure.

Novel Li1.2Mn0.5Co0.25Ni0.05O2 microcube is prepared through a simple binary template method. After calcined at 800 °C, lithium and nickel are permeated into the cathode material and a well-crystallized Li-rich layered oxide is obtained. Furthermore, hollow circle cube architecture is formed due to the decomposing of the carbonate. As a cathode material for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), the oxide with such architecture can deliver high initial discharge capacity of 272.9 mAh g−1 at a current density of 20 mA g−1. High reversible discharge capacities of 208 mAh g−1 and 110 mAh g−1 are obtained at a current density of 200 mA g−1 and 2000 mA g−1, respectively. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) are performed to further study the hollow Li1.2Mn0.5Co0.25Ni0.05O2 microcube. It is remarkable that such architecture makes the Li-rich layered oxide Li1.2Mn0.5Co0.25Ni0.05O2 a promising cathode material for LIBs.

A porous Co3O4 nanoflake array film grown on nickel foam is prepared by a hydrothermal synthesis for pseudo-capacitor application. The pseudocapacitive behavior of the Co3O4 nanoflake array is investigated by cyclic voltammograms (CV), galvanostatic charge–discharge tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 2 M KOH at different temperatures. The specific capacity is 210, 289 and 351 F g−1 at 2 A g−1 tested at −5 °C, 25 °C and 60 °C, respectively, corresponding to that of 184, 243 and 242 F g−1 at 20 A g−1. After 4000 cycles at 2 A g−1, the remaining specific capacity is 187, 342 and 124 F g−1 tested at −5 °C, 25 °C and 60 °C. It shows that with increasing the temperature from −5 °C to 60 °C, the specific capacity increases, while the cycling stability becomes worse. The operation temperature has a pronounced influence on the pseudocapacitive performance of Co3O4 nanoflake array.

CoFe2O4 flower-like microspheres are prepared via a surfactant- and template-free method, involving the controlled hytrothermal synthesis firstly and a subsequent thermal decomposition treatment. The microspheres with diameters of 3–4 μm are characterized by the assembly of numerous porous and inter-connected lamella structures. Lithium-ion batteries electrodes based on the as-prepared CoFe2O4 microspheres show a high specific capacity of 733.5 mAh g−1 after 50 cycles at a current density of 200 mA g−1 and a good cyclic stability, as well as excellent rate capability. The enhanced electrochemical performance can be attributed to the hierarchical microsphere structure with high sufficient interfacial contact area between the microspheres and electrolyte, the short diffusion distance of Li+, better accommodation of structural stress and volume change with the lithiation/delithiation process. It is suggested that the CoFe2O4 microsphere is one of the most promising candidates for high-performance lithium-ion batteries.

Vertically aligned hierarchical WO3 nano-architectures on transparent conducting substrate (3×2.5 cm2 in size and sheet resistance Rs=10 Ω) are produced via a template-free solvothermal method. The nanostructured array films with thicknesses of about 1.1 μm show remarkable enhancement of the electrochromic properties in visible spectrum and infrared region. In particular, a significant optical modulation (66.5% and 66.0% at 633 nm, 73.8% and 53.9% at 2000 nm, 57.7% and 51.7% at 8 μm), fast switching speed (4.6 s/3.6 s and 2.0 s/3.4 s), high coloration efficiency (126 and 120 cm2 C−1 at 633 nm) and excellent cycling stability (maintained 77.5% and 81.7% of the initial optical modulation after 4500-cycles) are achieved for the nanotree and nanowire arrays, respectively. The improved electrochromic properties are mainly attributed to the vertically aligned structure and the porous space among the nanotrees or nanowires, which make the diffusion of H+ in these arrays easier and also supply larger surface area for charge-transfer reactions.

Freestanding Co 3 O 4 /C nanosheet array growing directly on nickel foam substrate was synthesized using a hydrothermal approach, followed by a direct current magnetron sputtering of a thin carbon layer. The Co 3 O 4 nanosheets with thicknesses of 10–20 nm are interconnected with each other, forming a highly open net-structure. The Co 3 O 4 /C nanosheet array electrode delivers an initial discharge capacity of 1340.4 mAh g −1 at 0.1 C, and maintains a high specific capacity of 912.1 mAh g −1 at room temperature and can still remain 88.8% of its initial discharge capacity at 55 °C at 1 C after 100 cycles. The enhanced electrochemical performances are attributed to the porous nanosheet array and the thin carbon layer coated on Co 3 O 4 nanosheets, which cannot only facilitate Li + and electron transportation in the electrode, but also improve its structure stability during cycling.

The collective influence of crucial electrodeposition parameters (temperature, deposition voltage and bath composition) on the properties of Zn–Ni films electrodeposited in a choline chloride–urea eutectic-based ionic liquid was investigated. The microstructures, chemical compositions, phase structures and corrosion behaviors of electrodeposited films were analyzed using scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and linear cyclic voltammetry, respectively. The surface morphologies and chemical compositions of the films were strongly dependent on the electrodeposition parameters. It was found that the amounts of nickel in the Zn–Ni alloy films were significantly higher than that present in the electrolytes and was always above 50%, indicating normal codeposition mechanism. Electrodeposition of high Zn content alloy is favorable at high electrodeposition voltages, high temperatures and high Zn (II)/Ni (II) ratios. Electrochemical measurements shows that under the conditions considered, the Zn–Ni film from 0.45 M Zn (II)–0.05 M Ni (II) deposited at 55 °C and 0.8 V exhibits the highest barrier corrosion resistance compared with the other films and this was attributed to a dense, smooth and crack free morphology with optimum Zn content.