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Poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO)‐based electrolytes are extensively applied to LiFePO4/Li solid‐state batteries on account of their high safety and good flexibility. Nevertheless, the unsatisfactory energy density and inferior lifespan of the batteries still inhibit their large‐scale applications. Herein, graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets (GCN)‐assisted‐alkali metal iodides are proposed as multifunctional fillers for PEO‐based electrolytes. GCN is introduced to fix the location of iodine species through adsorption to reduce iodine migration and promote the kinetics of iodine redox reactions. Besides reducing the PEO crystallinity and elevating the ionic conductivity of electrolyte, the incorporation of GCN‐assisted‐alkali metal iodides facilitates lithium migration, constructs a stable interphase on the Li anode, and enables uniform deposition of lithium. Of particular note, extra capacity is provided through iodine redox reactions. The all‐solid‐state LiFePO4/Li battery using GCN‐LiI modified PEO electrolyte (GCN‐LiI‐PEO) delivers a high discharge capacity of 228.4 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C. Superior rate capability with 99.2 mAh g−1 at 10 C and high‐capacity retention of 87.3% after 900 cycles at 0.5 C are also achieved. Moreover, the LiFePO4/Li batteries using GCN‐assisted‐KI or NaI also achieve high capacity and prolonged cycle life. This work opens a promising avenue for pursuing high‐energy density solid‐state batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large amount of copper (Cu) used in production activities can lead to the enrichment of Cu in the environment, which can cause toxicity to animals. However, the toxicity mechanism of Cu on the cerebrum is still uncertain. Hence, a total of 240 chickens were separated into four groups in this study to reveal the potential connection between mitophagy and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress‐mediated apoptosis in the chicken cerebrum in the case of excess Cu exposure. The cu exposure situation was simulated by diets containing various levels of copper (11 mg/kg, control group; 110 mg/kg, group I; 220 mg/kg, group II and 330 mg/kg, group III) for 49 days. The results of histology showed that vacuolar degeneration was observed in the treated groups, and the mitochondria swell and autophagosomes formation were found under excess Cu treatment. Additionally, the expression of mitophagy (PINK1, Parkin, LC3I, LC3II and p62) and ER stress (GRP78, PERK, ATF6, IRE1α, XBP1, CHOP, and JNK) indexes were significantly upregulated under excess Cu exposure. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein expression of Bcl‐2 were decreased, while Bak1, Bax, Caspase12, and Caspase3 were increased compared to the control group. In summary, this study demonstrated that an overdose of Cu could induce mitophagy and ER stress‐mediated apoptosis in the chicken cerebrum. These findings revealed an important potential connection between Cu toxicity and cerebrum damage, which provided a new insight into Cu neurotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of diet type (normal or low Ca and P diets) and 25(OH)D3 supplementation (with or with not 2000 IU/kg 25(OH)D3) during late gestation on the serum biochemistry and reproductive performance of aged sows and newborn piglets. A total of 40 sows, which are at their 7th parity, were divided into four groups: control group (standard diet), low Ca group, 25(OH)D3 group and low Ca plus 25(OH)D3 group respectively (10 in each group). The blood of sows on day 100 and 114 of gestation and newborn piglets was collected for serum biochemical analyses. Results showed that the reproductive performance of sows was not influenced by diet type or 25(OH)D3 supplementation (p > 0.05). And the addition of 25(OH)D3 to diet low Ca group caused that the content of serum TG in sows on day 100 of gestation was not different from that of the control group (p > 0.05). The addition of 25(OH)D3 significantly decreases the content of serum TG in sows on day 114 of gestation (p < 0.05). The addition of 25(OH)D3 significantly increased the content of serum UREA and CREA in newborn piglets (p < 0.05). Overall, feeding 2000 IU/kg 25(OH)D3 to aged sows at late gestation had no effects on reproductive performance, but partly contributed to keeping serum TG balance in sows and may indicate increased pressure on kidneys in newborn piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium ion batteries (SIBs) are promising energy storage systems because sodium is a low cost and abundant resource. Appropriate electrode materials with high performance are a prerequisite to satisfy demand for efficient SIBs. Heterostructured electrodes show high specific capacity and rate capacity for SIBs owing to the synergistic effect of multiple components compared with a single component. Here, heterostructured binary metal-sulfide CoS2/NiS2 compounds encapsulated in bamboo-like carbon nanotubes (CoS2/NiS2@B-CNT), were prepared by pyrolysis and sulfidation procedures. The heterostructured anode material demonstrates a high capacity of 625.8 mA h g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, a distinguished rate capacity (491.6 mA h g−1 at 10 A g−1), and stable cyclic property (497.6 mA h g−1 at 5 A g−1 after 1000 cycles, 93.0% capacity retention). This design of a heterostructure offers a new avenue to develop anode materials with high performance for SIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hulun Buir Grassland region of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region was designation a major site for tourism development in 1998, with various tours available to tourists. Winter tours and sports are organized, including fishing on the Dalaihu Lake, skating, skiing and camping in the snow forests. Other tours include the forest tour of the Greater Hinggan Mountains, an ethnic folklore tour, bird viewing tour, horse riding tour and tours of the Hulun Buir Grassland, border ports and archaeological sites.

Supported palladium catalyst (Pd/Fe3O4@SiO2) was easily prepared by supporting PdCl2 on silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles Fe3O4 in ethylene glycol. The as-prepared sample was characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS). The formation of active specie Pd(0) was confirmed by XRD and XPS, and the Pd loading for the fresh and recovered catalyst was determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Pd/Fe3O4@SiO2 was employed for the synthesis of biphenyl derivatives via Suzuki reaction. In terms of the yield of biphenyl, the supported catalyst displayed nearly equal catalytic performance to that of homologous PdCl2 under microwave irradiation for 30 min but higher than that obtained by traditional heating method for 12 h. The catalytic performance of Pd/Fe3O4@SiO2 for Suzuki reactions involving various aryl halides and arylboronic acids were also examined. Impressive yield of biphenyl at 68.2% was obtained even in the presence of unreactive aryl chlorides. Pd/Fe3O4@SiO2 was recovered by a permanent magnet and directly reused in the next run, and no obvious deactivation was observed for up to 6 times. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass with naturally ion-conducting segments (e.g., hydroxyl) holds promise for sustainable batteries. Several expeditions are proposed to successfully enhance the ion conduction in biomass polymer mainly by intermolecular structure regulation. Presently, the recognition and research of biomass polymer electrolytes are still limited, requiring continuous explorations to promote the application of such promising electrolytes. Herein, a molecularly asymmetric electrolyte is produced, comprising polysaccharides of starch and chitosan. The strong Li + -O (hydroxyl) interactions are replaced by weak Li + -oxygen (O) of ester carbonyl, and the steric hindrance group -NH 3 + promotes the immobilization of anion and stabilization of the interface. Such intermolecular chemical modulations of biomass are achieved by a one-pot esterification and protonation of polysaccharides. A loosely-solvating cage structure with the participation of O of ester carbonyl, glycerol, and anion, allowing the rapid conduction (1.82 × 10 -4 S cm -1 at 30 °C) and a high migration number (0.49) of Li + . Moreover, Li symmetric cells (2500 h) and Li 4 TiO 5 | Li cells (400 cycles) employing the SCA electrolyte show superior cycling stability. The polysaccharide BPEs and solvation regulation strategy open up a promising avenue for constructing sustainable batteries., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Ceramic oxide electrolytes are outstanding due to their excellent thermostability, wide electrochemical stable windows, superior Li-ion conductivity, and high elastic modulus compared to other electrolytes. To achieve high energy density, all-solid-state batteries require thin solid-state electrolytes that are dozens of micrometers thick due to the high density of ceramic electrolytes. Perovskite-type Li 0.34 La 0.56 TiO 3 (LLTO) freestanding ceramic electrolyte film with a thickness of 25 µm is prepared by tape-casting. Compared to a thick electrolyte (>200 µm) obtained by cold-pressing, the total Li ionic conductivity of this LLTO film improves from 9.6 × 10 -6 to 2.0 × 10 -5 S cm -1 . In addition, the LLTO film with a thickness of 25 µm exhibits a flexural strength of 264 MPa. An all-solid-state Li-metal battery assembled with a 41 µm thick LLTO exhibits an initial discharge capacity of 145 mAh g -1 and a high capacity retention ratio of 86.2% after 50 cycles. Reducing the thickness of oxide ceramic electrolytes is crucial to reduce the resistance of electrolytes and improve the energy density of Li-metal batteries., (© 2019 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Cobalt disulfides with high theoretical capacity are regarded as appropriate anode materials for sodium ion batteries (SIBs), but their intrinsically low conductivity and large volume expansion lead to a poor electrochemical performance. In this work, graphitic carbon coated CoS 2 nanoparticles are encapsulated in bamboo-like carbon nanotubes by pyrolysis and sulfidation process. Graphitic carbon can improve the electrical conductivity and prevent the agglomeration of CoS 2 nanoparticles. Meanwhile, bamboo-like carbon nanotubes can serve as conductive skeleton frames to provide rapid and constant transport pathways for electrons and offer void space to buffer the volume change of CoS 2 nanoparticles. The advanced anode material exhibits a long-term capacity of 432.6 mA h g -1 at 5 A g -1 after 900 cycles and a rate capability of 419.6 mA h g -1 even at 10 A g -1 in the carbonate ester-based electrolyte. This avenue can be applicable for preparing other metal sulfide/carbon anode materials for sodium-ion batteries., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)