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Background: Button battery (BB) exposures are common in children and can have devastating consequences. We reviewed current evidence on the complications associated with BB exposure and identified predictors of outcomes using individual patient-level data. Data sources: We carried out a systematic review and pooled analysis by searching MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus up to May 19, 2023. Included studies describe complications following BB exposures in children (aged < 18 years). Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using binary logistic regression to measure associations between predictive factors and different outcomes. Results: Two-hundred seventeen studies (439 children) were included. The median age at presentation was 1.75 [interquartile range (IQR) 1.00–3.00] years and 399 (90.9%) exposures were ingestions. Of the 380 cases reporting sex, 162 (42.6%) were female. Feeding (192, 48.1%) and respiratory difficulties (138, 34.6%) were common presenting features for ingestions, while symptomatology was site-specific for insertions. Common complications included oesophageal mucosal damage alone (105, 26.3%) and tracheooesophageal fistula (93, 23.3%) for ingestions, and nasal septal perforation (22, 55.0%) and mucosal damage alone (13, 32.5%) for insertions. Intestinal perforation occurred in 2.5% of ingestion cases, including perforation of Meckel's diverticulum, peritonitis, and jejunocolic fistula. Vascular complications were common among children who died. Age (≤ 2 years), battery exposure duration (> 6 hours), and battery diameter (≥ 20 mm) were associated with common and severe complications of ingestions. Conclusion: BB injuries are time-critical, with severe sequelae predominantly affecting young children. Diagnosis is challenging. Preventative work through regulation and safer battery design are required to eliminate this problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid-state electrolytes overcome many challenges of present-day lithium ion batteries, such as safety hazards and dendrite formation1,2. However, detailed understanding of the involved lithium dynamics is missing due to a lack of in operando measurements with chemical and interfacial specificity. Here we investigate a prototypical solid-state electrolyte using linear and nonlinear extreme-ultraviolet spectroscopies. Leveraging the surface sensitivity of extreme-ultraviolet-second-harmonic-generation spectroscopy, we obtained a direct spectral signature of surface lithium ions, showing a distinct blueshift relative to bulk absorption spectra. First-principles simulations attributed the shift to transitions from the lithium 1 s state to hybridized Li-s/Ti-d orbitals at the surface. Our calculations further suggest a reduction in lithium interfacial mobility due to suppressed low-frequency rattling modes, which is the fundamental origin of the large interfacial resistance in this material. Our findings pave the way for new optimization strategies to develop these electrochemical devices via interfacial engineering of lithium ions.

Falling costs of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries have made them attractive for grid-scale energy storage applications. Energy storage will become increasingly important as intermittent renewable generation and more frequent extreme weather events put stress on the electricity grid. Environmental groups across the United States are advocating for the replacement of the highest-emitting power plants, which run only at times of peak demand, with Li-ion battery systems. We analyze the life-cycle cost, climate, and human health impacts of replacing the 19 highest-emitting peaker plants in California with Li-ion battery energy storage systems (BESS). Our results show that designing Li-ion BESS to replace peaker plants puts them at an economic disadvantage, even if facilities are only sized to meet 95% of the original plants' load events and are free to engage in arbitrage. However, five of 19 potential replacements do achieve a positive net present value after including monetized climate and human health impacts. These BESS cycle far less than typical front-of-the-meter batteries and rely on the frequency regulation market for most of their revenue. All projects offer net air pollution benefits but increase net greenhouse gas emissions due to electricity demand during charging and upstream emissions from battery manufacturing.

Developing scalable electrical stimulating platforms for cell and tissue engineering applications is limited by external power source dependency, wetting resistance, microscale size requirements, and suitable flexibility. Here, a versatile and scalable platform is developed to enable tunable electrical stimulation for biological applications by harnessing the giant magnetoelastic effect in soft systems, converting gentle air pressure (100-400 kPa) to yield a current of up to 10.5 mA and a voltage of 9.5 mV. The platform can be easily manufactured and scaled up for integration in multiwell magnetoelastic plates via 3D printing. The authors demonstrate that the electrical stimulation generated by this platform enhances the conversion of fibroblasts into neurons up to 2-fold (104%) and subsequent neuronal maturation up to 3-fold (251%). This easily configurable electrical stimulation device has broad applications in high throughput organ-on-a-chip systems, and paves the way for future development of neural engineering, including cellular therapy via implantable self-powered electrical stimulation devices.

Information related to the diverse and dynamic metabolite composition of the small intestine is crucial for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. However, our current understanding of the physiochemical dynamics of metabolic processes within the small intestine is limited due to the lack of in situ access to the intestinal environment. Here, we report a demonstration of a battery-free ingestible biosensing system for monitoring metabolites in the small intestine. As a proof of concept, we monitor the intestinal glucose dynamics on a porcine model. Battery-free operation is achieved through a self-powered glucose biofuel cell/biosensor integrated into a circuit that performs energy harvesting, biosensing, and wireless telemetry via a power-to-frequency conversion scheme using magnetic human body communication. Such long-term biochemical analysis could potentially provide critical information regarding the complex and dynamic small intestine metabolic profiles.

Background and Objectives Constant control of electrical panels is effective in ensuring the safety of users. This study was conducted during the years 2022-2023 to evaluate their structure in blood transfusion centers by ETBA method. Materials and Methods In this descriptive-analytical study with the ETBA method, the performance and quality of the grounding system, capacitor bank, connections, the location of the panels, the arrangement structure of the components, and their cleanliness and safety in the centers of Kermanshah, Hamadan, Ilam, Sanandaj, Arak, Karaj, Semnan, Bandar Abbas, Sari and Yazd were investigated. The obtained information was analyzed statistically with SPSS 25 software. Results The results showed 74.3% electrical panels with unprincipled volume and distribution of connections, 72.4% due to the selection of inappropriate location and distance from tools and devices, deployment in users' traffic area without provision of fence and safety devices, 70.5% not equipped with warning devices, 43.3% non-standard arrangement, 51.4% insufficient cleaning, 66.3% not having an active earth connection, and 60.3% not having a capacitor bank did not have reliable electrical safety. Conclusions Based on these results, the regular and continuous establishment and implementation of the medical equipment maintenance management system can be a fundamental and effective factor in identifying risks and the pertinent degree of risks and damages in the process of activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing a stable solid-electrolyte interphase on a Li anode is imperative to developing reliable Li metal batteries. Herein, we report a suspension electrolyte design that modifies the Li+ solvation environment in liquid electrolytes and creates inorganic-rich solid-electrolyte interphases on Li. Li2O nanoparticles suspended in liquid electrolytes were investigated as a proof of concept. Through theoretical and empirical analyses of Li2O suspension electrolytes, the roles played by Li2O in the liquid electrolyte and solid-electrolyte interphases of the Li anode are elucidated. Also, the suspension electrolyte design is applied in conventional and state-of-the-art high-performance electrolytes to demonstrate its applicability. Based on electrochemical analyses, improved Coulombic efficiency (up to ~99.7%), reduced Li nucleation overpotential, stabilized Li interphases and prolonged cycle life of anode-free cells (~70 cycles at 80% of initial capacity) were achieved with the suspension electrolytes. We expect this design principle and our findings to be expanded into developing electrolytes and solid-electrolyte interphases for Li metal batteries.

Capabilities for continuous monitoring of pressures and temperatures at critical skin interfaces can help to guide care strategies that minimize the potential for pressure injuries in hospitalized patients or in individuals confined to the bed. This paper introduces a soft, skin-mountable class of sensor system for this purpose. The design includes a pressure-responsive element based on membrane deflection and a battery-free, wireless mode of operation capable of multi-site measurements at strategic locations across the body. Such devices yield continuous, simultaneous readings of pressure and temperature in a sequential readout scheme from a pair of primary antennas mounted under the bedding and connected to a wireless reader and a multiplexer located at the bedside. Experimental evaluation of the sensor and the complete system includes benchtop measurements and numerical simulations of the key features. Clinical trials involving two hemiplegic patients and a tetraplegic patient demonstrate the feasibility, functionality and long-term stability of this technology in operating hospital settings.

Acoustofluidics has promised to enable lab-on-a-chip and point-of-care devices in ways difficult to achieve using other methods. Piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers-as small as the chips they actuate-provide rapid fluid and suspended object transport. Acoustofluidic lab-on-chip devices offer a vast range of benefits in early disease identification and noninvasive drug delivery. However, their potential has long been undermined by the need for benchtop or rack-mount electronics. The piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers within require these equipment and thus acoustofluidic device implementation in a bedside setting has been limited. Here we detail a general process to enable the reader to produce battery or mains-powered microcircuits ideal for driving 1-300 MHz acoustic devices. We include the general design strategy for the circuit, the blocks that collectively define it, and suitable, specific choices for components to produce these blocks. We furthermore illustrate how to incorporate automated resonance finding and tracking, sensing and feedback, and built-in adjustability to accommodate devices' vastly different operating frequencies and powers in a single driver, including examples of fluid and particle manipulation typical of the needs in our discipline. With this in hand, the many groups active in lab-on-a-chip acoustofluidics can now finally deliver on the promise of handheld, point-of-care technologies.

The elimination of integrated batteries in biomedical implants holds great promise for improving health outcomes in patients with implantable devices. However, despite extensive research in wireless power transfer, achieving efficient power transfer and effective operational range have remained a hindering challenge within anatomical constraints.ObjectiveWe hereby demonstrate an intravascular wireless and batteryless microscale stimulator, designed for (1) low power dissipation via intermittent transmission and (2) reduced fixation mechanical burden via deployment to the anterior cardiac vein (ACV, ∼3.8 mm in diameter).MethodsWe introduced a unique coil design circumferentially confined to a 3 mm diameter hollow-cylinder that was driven by a novel transmitter-based control architecture with improved power efficiency.ResultsWe examined wireless capacity using heterogenous bovine tissue, demonstrating >5 V stimulation threshold with up to 20 mm transmitter-receiver displacement and 20° of misalignment. Feasibility for human use was validated using Finite Element Method (FEM) simulation of the cardiac cycle, guided by pacer phantom-integrated Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI).ConclusionThis system design thus enabled sufficient wireless power transfer in the face of extensive stimulator miniaturization.SignificanceOur successful feasibility studies demonstrated the capacity for minimally invasive deployment and low-risk fixation.

The efficacy of wireless intracortical brain-computer interfaces (iBCIs) is limited in part by the number of recording channels, which is constrained by the power budget of the implantable system. Designing wireless iBCIs that provide the high-quality recordings of today's wired neural interfaces may lead to inadvertent over-design at the expense of power consumption and scalability. Here, we report analyses of neural signals collected from experimental iBCI measurements in rhesus macaques and from a clinical-trial participant with implanted 96-channel Utah multielectrode arrays to understand the trade-offs between signal quality and decoder performance. Moreover, we propose an efficient hardware design for clinically viable iBCIs, and suggest that the circuit design parameters of current recording iBCIs can be relaxed considerably without loss of performance. The proposed design may allow for an order-of-magnitude power savings and lead to clinically viable iBCIs with a higher channel count.

Wind energy has been used by humans for thousands of years. Yet, the relatively low economic cost and availability of fossil fuels upstaged the use of wind power. Fossil fuel resources are not renewable and will decline until exhaustion in the future. At the same time, humans have become aware of the adverse effects on the environment caused by reliance on fossil fuel energy. Wind, on the other hand, is a renewable energy source with minimal adverse environmental impacts that does not involve greenhouse gas emissions. Agricultural irrigation systems use fossil fuel energy resources in various forms. Groundwater withdrawal is central to supplying agricultural water demand in arid and semi-arid regions. Such withdrawal is mostly based on water extraction with pumps powered by diesel, gasoline, or electricity (which is commonly produced by fossil fuels). This paper coupled the non-sorted genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) as the optimization tool to the mathematical formulation of the wind-powered groundwater production problem to determine the potential of wind energy for groundwater withdrawal in an arid area. The optimal safe yield and the optimal size of regulation reservoir are determined considering two objectives: (1) maximizing total extraction of groundwater and (2) minimizing the cost of reservoir construction. The safe yield and the two objectives are optimized for periods lasting 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 months over a 1-year planning horizon. This paper's methodology is evaluated with groundwater and wind-power data pertinent to Eghlid, Iran. The optimal safe yield increases by increasing the period length. Specifically, increasing the period length from 1 to 6 months increases the safe yield from 12 to 29 m3. Application of the proposed NSGA-II-based optimization of groundwater production identifies the best design and operational variables with computational efficiency and accuracy.

Despite numerous advancements in pacemaker technology for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias and conduction disorders, lead-related complications associated with these devices continue to compromise patient safety and survival. In this work, we present a system architecture that has the capacity to deliver power to a wireless, batteryless intravascular pacer. This was made possible through a three-tiered, dual-sub-system, four-coil design, which operates on two different frequencies through intermittent remote-controlled inductive power transfer. System efficiency was enhanced using coil design optimization, and validated using numerical simulations and experimental analysis. Our pacemaker design was concepted to achieve inductive power transfer over a 55 mm range to a microscale pacer with a 3 mm diameter. Thus, the proposed system design enabled long-range wireless power transfer to a small implanted pacer with the capacity for intravascular deployment to the anterior cardiac vein. This proposed stent-like fixation mechanism can bypass the multitude of complications associated with pacemaker wires while wireless power can eliminate the need for repeated procedures for battery replacement.

This study investigates trends of injury and hospital admission associated with electric scooter use.

BackgroundThere is a new method of transportation that started in our community in late 2017- rideshare electric scooters (e-scooters). These scooters have proven immensely popular and can now be found in many cities around the world. Despite the pervasiveness of e-scooters, their associated injury patterns are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to describe our department's experience at the epicenter of the e-scooter phenomenon that is sweeping the globe and to characterize operative orthopaedic injuries that are related to e-scooter accidents.MethodsWe performed a retrospective chart review of all of the operative orthopaedic cases and trauma consults at 2 trauma centers (a level-I center and a level-II center) between September 2017 and August 2019. We identified all operative injuries in which the cause of injury was an e-scooter accident. Data that included demographics, mechanism of injury, diagnosis, and treatment were collected.ResultsSeventy-five operative injuries were identified in 73 patients during the study period. The mean patient age was 35.4 years (range, 14 to 74 years), and the median age was 32 years. There were 4 pediatric patients (14, 15, 15, and 17 years old). Thirty-two patients (43.8%) sustained upper-extremity injuries, and 42 patients (57.5%) sustained lower-extremity injuries; 1 of these patients had both upper and lower-extremity injuries. Nine patients (12.3%) had open fractures. There were 7 hip fractures in patients with an average age of 42.4 years (range, 28 to 68 years). Seventy-one (97.3%) of 73 patients were e-scooter riders, and 2 (2.7%) were pedestrians who were struck by e-scooter riders.ConclusionsE-scooters can cause serious injury. Seventy-three patients required operative treatment in just the first 2 years of e-scooter use in our community. Operative injuries occurred throughout the skeletal system, and several were injuries that are typically associated with high-energy trauma. Although, as a rule, e-scooter use is limited to adults and banned in high pedestrian-traffic areas in our city, the inclusion of 4 underage riders and 2 pedestrians in our cohort suggests that these rules are not always followed. As e-scooters continue to increase in popularity, additional steps should be taken to regulate their use and protect riders and the public.

Lithium-ion battery demand, particularly for electric vehicles, is projected to increase by over 300% throughout the next decade. With these expected increases in demand, cobalt (Co)-dependent technologies face the risk of significant impact from supply concentration and mining limitations in the short term. Increased extraction and secondary recovery form the basis of modeling scenarios that examine implications on Co supply to 2030. Demand for Co is estimated to range from 235 to 430 ktonnes in 2030. This upper bound on Co demand in 2030 corresponds to 280% of world refinery capacity in 2016. Supply from scheduled and unscheduled production as well as secondary production is estimated to range from 320 to 460 ktonnes. Our analysis suggests the following: (1) Co price will remain relatively stable in the short term, given that this range suggests even a supply surplus, (2) future Co supply will become more diversified geographically and mined more as a byproduct of nickel (Ni) over this period, and (3) for this demand to be met, attention should be paid to sustained investments in refined supply of Co and secondary recovery.

About 30% of patients with impaired cardiac function have ventricular dyssynchrony and seek cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). In this study, we demonstrate synchronized biventricular (BiV) pacing in a leadless fashion by implementing miniaturized and wirelessly powered pacemakers. With their flexible form factors, two pacemakers were implanted epicardially on the right and left ventricles of a porcine model and were inductively powered at 13.56 MHz and 40.68 MHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) bands, respectively. The power consumption of these pacemakers is reduced to µW-level by a novel integrated circuit design, which considerably extends the maximum operating distance. Leadless BiV pacing is demonstrated for the first time in both open-chest and closed-chest porcine settings. The clinical outcomes associated with different interventricular delays are verified through electrophysiologic and hemodynamic responses. The closed-chest pacing only requires the external source power of 0.3 W and 0.8 W at 13.56 MHz and 40.68 MHz, respectively, which leads to specific absorption rates (SARs) 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than the safety regulation limit. This work serves as a basis for future wirelessly powered leadless pacemakers that address various cardiac resynchronization challenges.

Given its total contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, the global electric power sector will be required to undergo a fundamental transformation over the next decades to limit anthropogenic climate change to below 2 °C. Implications for biodiversity of projected structural changes in the global electric power sector are rarely considered beyond those explicitly linked to climate change. This study uses a spatially explicit consumption-based accounting framework to examine the impact of demand for electric power on terrestrial vertebrate biodiversity globally. We demonstrate that the biodiversity footprint of the electric power sector is primarily within the territory where final demand for electric power resides, although there are substantial regional differences, with Europe displacing its biodiversity threat along international supply chains. The relationship between size of individual components of the electric power sector and threat to biodiversity indicates that a shift to nonfossil sources, such as solar and wind, could reduce pressures on biodiversity both within the territory where demand for power resides and along international supply chains. However, given the current levels of deployment of nonfossil sources of power, there is considerable uncertainty as to how the impacts of structural changes in the global electric power system will scale. Given the strong territorial link between demand and associated biodiversity impacts, development of strong national governance around the electric power sector represents a clear route to mitigate threats to biodiversity associated with efforts to decarbonize society over the coming century.

Energy production and storage has become a pressing issue in recent decades and its solutions bring new problems. This paper reviews the literature on the human and environmental risks associated with the production, use, and disposal of increasingly common lithium-ion batteries. Popular electronic databases were used for this purpose focused on the period since 2000. Assessment of the toxicological and environmental impact of batteries should then have a holistic scope to precede and guide the introduction of appropriate safety measures. In this short review the authors will try to touch upon this complex subject and point out some important issues related to an unprecedented development of lithium ion batteries-powered world. Given the multi-billion dollar business with the risks associated with the development of new technologies requires careful consideration of whether the balance of profits and losses is beneficial to humans and the planet. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(1):3–20

Benefit-cost analysis is widely used to evaluate alternative courses of action that are designed to achieve policy objectives. Although many analyses take uncertainty into account, they typically only consider uncertainty about cost estimates and physical states of the world, whereas uncertainty about individual preferences, thus the benefit of policy intervention, is ignored. Here, we propose a strategy to integrate individual uncertainty about preferences into benefit-cost analysis using societal preference intervals, which are ranges of values over which it is unclear whether society as a whole should accept or reject an option. To illustrate the method, we use preferences for implementing a smart grid technology to sustain critical electricity demand during a 24-hour regional power blackout on a hot summer weekend. Preferences were elicited from a convenience sample of residents in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. This illustrative example shows that uncertainty in individual preferences, when aggregated to form societal preference intervals, can substantially change society's decision. We conclude with a discussion of where preference uncertainty comes from, how it might be reduced, and why incorporating unresolved preference uncertainty into benefit-cost analyses can be important.

Wearable devices for health monitoring and fitness management have foreseen a rapidly expanding market, especially those for noninvasive and continuous measurements with real-time display that provide practical convenience and eliminated safety/infection risks. Herein, a self-powered and fully integrated smartwatch that consists of flexible photovoltaic cells and rechargeable batteries in the forms of a "watch strap", electrochemical glucose sensors, customized circuits, and display units integrated into a "dial" platform is successfully fabricated for real-time and continuous monitoring of sweat glucose levels. The functionality of the smartwatch, including sweat glucose sensing, signal processing, and display, can be supported with the harvested/converted solar energy without external charging devices. The Zn-MnO2 batteries serve as intermediate energy storage units and the utilization of aqueous electrolytes eliminated safety concerns for batteries, which is critical for wearable devices. Such a wearable system in a smartwatch fashion realizes integration of energy modules with self-powered capability, electrochemical sensors for noninvasive glucose monitoring, and in situ and real-time signal processing/display in a single platform for the first time. The as-fabricated fully integrated and self-powered smartwatch also provides a promising protocol for statistical study and clinical investigation to reveal correlations between sweat compositions and human body dynamics.

Background/aimsNonrechargeable deep brain stimulation implantable pulse generators (IPGs) for movement disorders require surgical replacement every few years due to battery depletion. Rechargeable IPGs reduce frequency of replacement surgeries and inherent risks of complications but require frequent recharging. Here, we evaluate patient experience with rechargeable IPGs and define predictive characteristics for higher satisfaction.MethodsWe contacted all patients implanted with rechargeable IPGs at a single center in a survey-based study. We analyzed patient satisfaction with respect to age, diagnosis, target, charging duration, and body mass index. We tabulated hardware-related adverse events.ResultsDystonia patients had significantly higher satisfaction than Parkinson's disease patients in recharging, display, programmer, and training domains. Common positive responses were "fewer surgeries" and "small size." Common negative responses were "difficulty finding the right position to recharge" and "need to recharge every day." Hardware-related adverse events occurred in 21 of 59 participants.ConclusionPatient experience with rechargeable IPGs was largely positive; however, frustrations with recharging and adverse events were common. Dystonia diagnosis was most predictive of high satisfaction across multiple categories, potentially related to expected long disease duration with need for numerous IPG replacements.

BackgroundAlthough studies have consistently found an association between childhood leukaemia risk and magnetic fields, the associations between childhood leukaemia and distance to overhead power lines have been inconsistent. We pooled data from multiple studies to assess the association with distance and evaluate whether it is due to magnetic fields or other factors associated with distance from lines.MethodsWe present a pooled analysis combining individual-level data (29,049 cases and 68,231 controls) from 11 record-based studies.ResultsThere was no material association between childhood leukaemia and distance to nearest overhead power line of any voltage. Among children living

Energy storage has become more and more a limiting factor of today's sustainable energy applications, including electric vehicles and green electric grid based on volatile solar and wind sources. The pressing demand of developing high-performance electrochemical energy storage solutions, i.e., batteries, relies on both fundamental understanding and practical developments from both the academy and industry. The formidable challenge of developing successful battery technology stems from the different requirements for different energy-storage applications. Energy density, power, stability, safety, and cost parameters all have to be balanced in batteries to meet the requirements of different applications. Therefore, multiple battery technologies based on different materials and mechanisms need to be developed and optimized. Incisive tools that could directly probe the chemical reactions in various battery materials are becoming critical to advance the field beyond its conventional trial-and-error approach. Here, we present detailed protocols for soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (sXAS), soft X-ray emission spectroscopy (sXES), and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) experiments, which are inherently elemental-sensitive probes of the transition-metal 3d and anion 2p states in battery compounds. We provide the details on the experimental techniques and demonstrations revealing the key chemical states in battery materials through these soft X-ray spectroscopy techniques.

Solid-state electrolytes are a promising replacement for current organic liquid electrolytes, enabling higher energy densities and improved safety of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. However, a number of setbacks prevent their integration into commercial devices. The main limiting factor is due to nanoscale phenomena occurring at the electrode/electrolyte interfaces, ultimately leading to degradation of battery operation. These key problems are highly challenging to observe and characterize as these batteries contain multiple buried interfaces. One approach for direct observation of interfacial phenomena in thin film batteries is through the fabrication of electrochemically active nanobatteries by a focused ion beam (FIB). As such, a reliable technique to fabricate nanobatteries was developed and demonstrated in recent work. Herein, a detailed protocol with a step-by-step process is presented to enable the reproduction of this nanobattery fabrication process. In particular, this technique was applied to a thin film battery consisting of LiCoO2/LiPON/a-Si, and has further been previously demonstrated by in situ cycling within a transmission electron microscope.

The electrochemical intercalation of layered materials, particularly graphite, is fundamental to the operation of rechargeable energy-storage devices such as the lithium-ion battery and the carbon-enhanced lead-acid battery. Intercalation is thought to proceed in discrete stages, where each stage represents a specific structure and stoichiometry of the intercalant relative to the host. However, the three-dimensional structures of the stages between unintercalated and fully intercalated are not known, and the dynamics of the transitions between stages are not understood. Using optical and scanning transmission electron microscopy, we video the intercalation of single microcrystals of graphite in concentrated sulfuric acid. Here we find that intercalation charge transfer proceeds through highly variable current pulses that, although directly associated with structural changes, do not match the expectations of the classical theories. Evidently random nanoscopic defects dominate the dynamics of intercalation.

Progress towards the integration of technology into living organisms requires electrical power sources that are biocompatible, mechanically flexible, and able to harness the chemical energy available inside biological systems. Conventional batteries were not designed with these criteria in mind. The electric organ of the knifefish Electrophorus electricus (commonly known as the electric eel) is, however, an example of an electrical power source that operates within biological constraints while featuring power characteristics that include peak potential differences of 600 volts and currents of 1 ampere. Here we introduce an electric-eel-inspired power concept that uses gradients of ions between miniature polyacrylamide hydrogel compartments bounded by a repeating sequence of cation- and anion-selective hydrogel membranes. The system uses a scalable stacking or folding geometry that generates 110 volts at open circuit or 27 milliwatts per square metre per gel cell upon simultaneous, self-registered mechanical contact activation of thousands of gel compartments in series while circumventing power dissipation before contact. Unlike typical batteries, these systems are soft, flexible, transparent, and potentially biocompatible. These characteristics suggest that artificial electric organs could be used to power next-generation implant materials such as pacemakers, implantable sensors, or prosthetic devices in hybrids of living and non-living systems.

Conventional power systems are almost at the verge of their existence and are quickly being replaced by modern, especially smarter alternatives. Rapid and wide deployment of Load side management, which is a smarter and modern way to ensure efficient and economical use of power, is a classic example. However, there are several challenges which need to be addressed before it can be realized as a commercially viable solution. Suitable communication method, called "Home Area Networks", is a mandatory requirement which should be cost effective, robust and with ability to simultaneously handle large number of devices. Due to various inherent issues, communication protocols commonly used now-a-days, are not fully capable to address the requirements of HANs. Power Line Carrier Communications (PLCC) can be a suitable and efficient alternative of quick realization of HANs. In this paper, various aspects of PLCC have been analyzed for use in HANs. Modulation methods, materials, physical parameters and effect of noise have been analyzed. The paper evaluates performance and effectiveness of FSK modulation with aluminum transmission medium for PLC within a residential environment, focusing on the tradeoffs between distance, transmission medium diameter, and type of transmission medium, and cable gauge, which can degrade the performance of PLCC. A novel simulation model has been presented incorporating RLCG (Resistance, Inductance, Capacitance, and Conductance) tools and additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN). Performance parameter have been comprehensively analyzed of implementation using aluminum as a communication medium. This paper discusses cost effectiveness of PLCC by replacing copper by aluminum as the transmission medium. The study reveals that aluminum cables must be twice the size of copper cable in order to achieve same communication distances. Higher carrier frequencies in FSK modulation increase noise susceptibility, consequently reducing achievable communication distances. Cables with smaller diameters results in lower transmission ranges. These results highlight the trade-offs involved in implementing FSK for in-home PLCC (iPLCC). The study highlights how crucial it is to take these trade-offs into account while developing and refining FSK-based iPLCC systems for use in smart homes., Competing Interests: he authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Ashraf et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Effective recovery of Li, Co, Ni and Mn from cathode materials of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has become a global concern. In this study, electrolysis of copper sulfate to produce sulfuric acid and electrons were utilized to recover Li, Co, Ni and Mn from spent LIBs. The obtained results showed that 93 % of Ni, 91 % of Co, 89 % of Mn and 94 % of Li were leached and 99 % of Cu was deposited during leaching process by adopting the 0.225 mol/L of copper sulfate with a solid/liquid ratio of 15 g/L at a current density of 50 mA/m 2 and 80 °C for 4.5 h. Then, a current efficiency of 72 % for the cathode and 30 % for the anode was achieved at a current density of 40 mA/m 2 , 70 °C and pH 2.5 during electrodeposition process. The Ni-Co deposition followed the principle of anomalous codeposition and the complete deposition time of Co, Ni and Mn were 3 h, 9 h and 10 h, respectively. Eventually, the Ni, Co, Mn, Li and Cu can be recovered as Ni-Co alloy, MnO 2 and Li 2 CO 3 and Cu metals with the corresponding recovery rates of 99.40 %, 91.00 %, 90.68 %, 85.59 % and 89.55 %, respectively. This study proposes a promising strategy for recycling cathode materials from spent LIBs without addition of chemical reductants and acids., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest 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., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The effective recovery of valuables from anodes coming from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is of great importance to ensure resource supply and reduce the environmental burden for recycling. In this work, a simple and low energy consumption roasting method was proposed by employing low-temperature eutectic NaOH-KOH as reaction medium, in order to simultaneously separate graphite from Cu foils, extract lithium from it and set it up for reuse as environmental catalyst through one-step water washing process. Our results show that polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) was effectively deactivated due to dehydrofluorination/carbonization at a relatively low temperature and short time (150 °C, 20 min) when a mass ratio of 1:1 for eutectic NaOH-KOH to spent LIBs anodes was used, yielding 97.3 % of graphite detached. Moreover, a remarkable lithium extraction efficiency of 93.2 % was simultaneously obtained. Afterwards, the reusability of the recycled graphite was tested by employing it as a catalyst for the treatment of a contaminant organic dye (Rhodamine B) in the presence of NaClO. Our results show that a superior NaClO activation was obtained with the addition of recycled graphite, being this fact closely associated to the abundant active sites formed during the long-term charging/discharging cycles in the original battery. The alkaline-mediated roasting process presented in this work presents an energy-saving scheme to efficiently recover useful components from spent anodes, whereas the reusability example highlighted a useful option for repurposing the severely damaged graphite as an environmental catalyst rather than disposing it in landfills, turning waste into a valuable material., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest 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., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Solar photovoltaic (PV) cell modeling is crucial to understanding and optimizing solar energy systems. While the single-diode model (PVSDM) is commonly used, the double-diode model (PVDDM) offers improved accuracy at a reasonable level of complexity. However, finding analytical closed-form solutions for the current-voltage (I-U) dependency in PVDDM circuits has remained a challenge. This work proposes two novel configurations of PVDDM equivalent circuits and derives their analytical closed-form solutions. The solutions are expressed in terms of the Lambert W function and solved using a special transcendental function approach called Special Trans Function Theory (STFT). The accuracy of the proposed equivalent circuits is demonstrated on two solar cells/modules, RTC-F and MSX-60, showing equal or better performance than the standard PVDDM equivalent circuit. Further testing on a commercial solar panel under different irradiance and temperature conditions confirms the applicability of the proposed models. To address the parameter estimation problem, a novel metaheuristic algorithm, the chaotic honey-badger algorithm, is developed and evaluated. The results obtained validate the accuracy and practicality of the proposed PVDDM equivalent circuit configurations., Competing Interests: NO authors have competing interests., (Copyright: © 2024 Ali et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: Since children have strong desire for exploration and poor safety awareness, foreign body impaction in the digestive tract is one of the most common critical conditions in children. Due to the popularity of electronic products, button battery ingestion by mistake is also increasing in children. Button battery impaction in the esophagus can cause serious complications such as esophageal cauterization and perforation in a short time. Therefore, more active treatment strategies should be taken once button battery ingestion occurs. Surgical treatment is traumatic and prone to cause various complications, so removal of foreign body retained in the esophagus under endoscopy is the preferred strategy., Case Presentation: We introduced a new method to remove the button battery retained in the esophagus of a 17-month-old child. Soon after the patient arrived at the hospital, we actively arranged endoscopic surgery. After the gastroscope entered the esophageal inlet, we first cleaned up the esophageal residues, and then, the button battery was exposed. The surrounding esophageal mucosa showed a little cauterization-like damage. We tried to remove the foreign body using foreign body forceps first, but failed after repeated attempts. Then, we tried to use a disposable balloon to assist in dragging the foreign body, but because the patient was younger with narrower esophagus and the drag resistance of the foreign body was abnormally large, this method also did not work. Violent dragging may cause tearing and perforation of the esophagus. Hence, we used a columnar balloon to help expand the esophagus and successfully removed the button battery at the entrance of the esophagus. For this new method, the columnar balloon was used to expand the esophagus and the button battery was clamped with foreign body forceps, and then, the foreign body was dragged by a disposable stone removal balloon. Because two types of balloons were used, it was named double-balloon method., Conclusions: For the foreign body retained in the esophagus of younger children, the double -balloon method is recommended when the foreign body cannot be removed by traditional methods., Competing Interests: Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University committee of and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Consent for publication Informed consent was obtained from the parents/legal guardians of all the participants included in the study. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective . Endovascular brain-computer interfaces (eBCIs) offer a minimally invasive way to connect the brain to external devices, merging neuroscience, engineering, and medical technology. Currently, solutions for endovascular electrocorticography (ECoG) include a stent in the brain with sensing electrodes, a chest implant to accommodate electronic components to provide power and data telemetry, and a long (tens of centimeters) cable travel through vessels with a set of wires in between. Removing this long cable is the key to the clinical viability of eBCIS as it carries risks and limitations, especially for patients with fragile vasculature. Approach . This work introduces a wireless and leadless telemetry and power transfer solution for ECoG. The proposed solution includes an optical telemetry module and a focused ultrasound (FUS) power transfer system. The proposed system can be miniaturised to fit in an endovascular stent, removing the need for long, intrusive cables. Main results . The optical telemetry achieves data transmission speeds of over 2 Mbit/s, capable of supporting 41 ECoG channels at a 2 kHz sampling rate with 24-bit resolution. The FUS power transfer system delivers up to 10 mW of power to the implant through the scalp(6 mm), skull(10 mm), and subdural space(5 mm), adhering to safety limits. Testing on bovine tissue (10 mm thick bone, 7 mm thick skin) confirmed the system's efficacy. Significance . This leadless and wireless solution eliminates the need for long cables and auxiliary implants, potentially reducing complications and enhancing the clinical applicability of eBCIs. The proposed system represents a step forward in enabling safer and more effective ECoG for a broader range of patients., (Creative Commons Attribution license.)

Indiscriminate disposal of dry cell battery (DCB) waste contributes to environmental and public health issues in developing countries such as Ghana, due to the toxic nature of this specific waste. Accordingly, a study was conducted in Accra, Ghana, to determine the socio-economic and demographic factors influencing handling DCB waste, aiming a sustainable environment. Using a random sampling technique, a descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted, encompassing 367 respondents from the Accra-Tema Metropolitan areas and Tema West Municipal Assembly in Greater Accra, Ghana. Using descriptive and multivariate statistical methods, the survey data were analysed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27. The results of this study show that female gender and residential area are likely to positively influence the use of DCB at home. Education significantly affects the use of DCB and its proper disposal. The results also suggest that 78% of the respondents disposed of DCB waste in waste bins. The mean monthly income of the respondents stands at USD 270, which is average and likely partially to positively influence the disposal of the DCB. The data collected revealed that female gender, age group, family size, and education level influence the indiscriminate disposal of DCB waste and DCB waste recycling. The results highlight that educated females above the age of 55, with a monthly income, are likely to properly segregate DCB waste. This study contributes to the knowledge gap in relation to dry cell battery waste management (DCBWM) in developing countries, aiming to advance global sustainability. This study is expected to contribute to educate and create awareness in managing DCB waste to reduce its indiscriminate disposal which leads to environmental pollution and negatively affects human health and environmental sustainability in Ghana., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Demand response-based load scheduling in smart power grids is currently one of the most important topics in energy optimization. There are several benefits to utility companies and their customers from this strategy. The main goal of this work is to employ a load scheduling controller (LSC) to model and solve the scheduling issue for household appliances. The LSC offers a solution to the primary problems faced during implementing demand response. The goal is to minimize peak-to-average demand ratios (PADR) and electricity bills while preserving customer satisfaction. Time-varying pricing, intermittent renewable energy, domestic appliance energy demand, storage battery, and grid constraints are all incorporated into the model. The optimal adaptive wind-driven optimization (OAWDO) method is a stochastic optimization technique designed to manage supply, demand, and power price uncertainties. LSC creates the ideal schedule for home appliance running periods using the OAWDO algorithm. This guarantees that every appliance runs as economically as possible on its own. Most appliances run the risk of functioning during low-price hours if just the real time-varying price system is used, which could result in rebound peaks. We combine an inclined block tariff with a real-time-varying price to alleviate this problem. MATLAB is used to do a load scheduling simulation for home appliances based on the OAWDO algorithm. By contrasting it with other algorithms, including the genetic algorithm (GA), the whale optimization algorithm (WOA), the fire-fly optimization algorithm (FFOA), and the wind-driven optimization (WDO) algorithms, the effectiveness of the OAWDO technique is supported. Results indicate that OAWDO works better than current algorithms in terms of reducing power costs, PADR, and rebound peak formation without sacrificing user comfort., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Alghamdi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Movement monitoring and effective identification of different actions are the keys that help in fitness services, health status, clinical studies, etc. In this technological era, Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, including smart wireless devices and sensors, are very effectively used for monitoring human activities, but the demand for sustainable and green power sources is a crucial issue with these devices. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) are proven to be promising applications in these devices because they harvest energy from the surrounding environment and eliminate the use of batteries as power sources. As a green energy source, this study emphasizes the fabrication of biodegradable materials-based TENGs, which are eco-friendly and are related to clean and green energy as per the UN's sustainable development goals SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy). In the present work, a natural Ficus religiosa leaf (FRL) of the F. religiosa tree is used in designing and fabricating a TENG (FRL-TENG). Also, an approach is discussed to compare the performance of FRL-TENG with TENGs fabricated from other waste biodegradable materials such as garlic tunic, onion tunic, and eggshell membrane (ESM). During the experimental study, it is observed that the FRL-based TENG produced maximum voltage in comparison to other material combinations selected in this study. The generated electric output from these TENG combinations is also used to power an array of tens of green-light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Furthermore, this paper also proposes the use of FRL-TENG as a wearable sensor to collect information and monitor the physical activities of the user, viz., walk, jump, and run. To recognize the movement status, the FRL-TENG sensor is integrated with an extra randomized tree-based machine learning model for accurately distinguishing the user's three activities with an accuracy of 96%. The work showcases an innovative approach to encourage customized uses of TENG sensors in human motion monitoring and permits the development of intelligent, self-powered systems for new applications.

With the rapid development of distributed generation (DG) within the framework of modern power systems, accurately assessing the maximum DG hosting capacity in distribution networks is crucial for ensuring the safe and stable operation of the power grid. This paper first introduces an assessment model of maximum DG hosting capacity in distribution network based on optimal power flow (OPF). Then, a two-step method that combines the linearization method and the recursive method is proposed, which consists of two parts: firstly, using linearization method to quickly calculate the preliminary assessment value of maximum DG hosting capacity, and then using a recursive method to accurately correct the preliminary assessment value. Additionally, the proposed improved comprehensive sensitivity index and safety constraint verification method can enhance the computational efficiency and accuracy of the recursive algorithm. Finally, the proposed methods were simulated and validated on the IEEE 33-bus system., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Wan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) possess features like high specific power density, low operating temperature, and low operating pressure and thus are most widely used. The performance of PEMFC highly depends on its output voltage which further affects its efficiency. This research paper aims to improve this output voltage by minimizing the losses through parameter estimation technique for three well-known commercial PEMFC stacks, namely, 250W, BCS 500W, and Ballard Mark V. The multiobjective function framed for optimization serves two goals. One is to extract the unknown parameters of FC, and second is to achieve the minimum sum of squared errors (SSE) that occur due to the difference between experimental voltage and estimated voltage. Chaotic teaching-learning-based optimization (CTLBO) algorithm is used for optimization process. SSE values obtained for three commercial PEMFC stacks 250W, BCS 500W, and Ballard Mark V are 7.02267, 4.00150, and 0.8100, respectively. The applicability of this technique is further checked for different operating conditions of each model. The I-P (current-power) curve and I-V (current-voltage) curve obtained using estimated data closely matched the experimental data that showed the practical relevance and efficacy of the algorithm. A comparison is done among the SSE results obtained using CTLBO to other competitive algorithms mentioned in the literature. CTLBO showed its superiority over other algorithms in estimating the unknown parameters of PEMFC stack parameters., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective. Current intracortical brain-computer interfaces (iBCIs) rely predominantly on threshold crossings ('spikes') for decoding neural activity into a control signal for an external device. Spiking data can yield high accuracy online control during complex behaviors; however, its dependence on high-sampling-rate data collection can pose challenges. An alternative signal for iBCI decoding is the local field potential (LFP), a continuous-valued signal that can be acquired simultaneously with spiking activity. However, LFPs are seldom used alone for online iBCI control as their decoding performance has yet to achieve parity with spikes. Approach. Here, we present a strategy to improve the performance of LFP-based decoders by first training a neural dynamics model to use LFPs to reconstruct the firing rates underlying spiking data, and then decoding from the estimated rates. We test these models on previously-collected macaque data during center-out and random-target reaching tasks as well as data collected from a human iBCI participant during attempted speech. Main results. In all cases, training models from LFPs enables firing rate reconstruction with accuracy comparable to spiking-based dynamics models. In addition, LFP-based dynamics models enable decoding performance exceeding that of LFPs alone and approaching that of spiking-based models. In all applications except speech, LFP-based dynamics models also facilitate decoding accuracy exceeding that of direct decoding from spikes. Significance. Because LFP-based dynamics models operate on lower bandwidth and with lower sampling rate than spiking models, our findings indicate that iBCI devices can be designed to operate with lower power requirements than devices dependent on recorded spiking activity, without sacrificing high-accuracy decoding., (Creative Commons Attribution license.)

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of battery levels on the emission of a multi-peak cordless LED light-curing unit (LCU) and the effect on the degree of conversion (DC) and Knoop hardness (KH) of a light-cure resin luting agent activated through varying lithium disilicate (LiS2) ceramic thicknesses and translucencies., Methods: High and low translucency LiS2 discs (IPS e.max Press HT and LT, respectively; shade A1) with thickness of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mm were fabricated. Resin luting agent specimens (Variolink Esthetic LC) were prepared and cured using a Bluephase G2 LCU at different battery levels (100%, 50%, and 10%) through the LiS2 ceramics. The transmitted irradiance was evaluated using USB4000 MARC, while FTIR and a microhardness tester assessed DC and KH, respectively. After ensuring homoscedasticity, the data wee analyzed using analysis of variance and Tukey HSD test (α=0.05)., Results: The study found strong positive correlations between battery levels and irradiance, particularly with no ceramic interposition and through HT ceramics (R2=0.9471), although this correlation diminished with thicker HT (R2=0.7907) and LT ceramics (R2<0.2980). Both battery levels and ceramic thickness significantly influenced transmitted irradiance (p<0.0001), resulting in lower values with decreased battery levels and increased ceramic thicknesses (p<0.0001). LT ceramics showed lower transmittance than HT. DC was significantly affected by both battery levels and ceramic thicknesses, with generally lower DC values except for LT ceramics at a 10% battery level (p<0.0001). No significant differences in DC were observed between HT and LT translucencies (p=0.548). KH was higher in HT than LT ceramics at 100% and 50% battery levels, with thicker ceramics showing lower KH values at 10% battery level (p<0.0001). Conclusion: Reduced battery levels in cordless LED curing units significantly affect the irradiance, degree of conversion, and hardness of light-curable resin luting agents. Maintaining battery levels above 50% is recommended for optimal performance. Thicker and more opaque ceramics significantly impacted incident irradiance. However, preserving radiant energy could potentially mitigate these limitations., (©Operative Dentistry, 2024.)

Objective: To evaluate the influence of battery level on power (mW), emission spectrum (mW/cm2/ nm), and light distribution on the active tip (mW/ cm2) of certified (FDA/ANVISA) and low-cost uncertified light-curing units (LCUs) purchased through e-commerce., Methods: Seven LCUs, three certified: VALO Grand (Ultradent); Radii Xpert (SDI); and LED.B (Woodpecker); and four uncertified: 1 Sec; BS 300; LED curing light; and VAFU (VRN, AZDENT), were used. The LCUs were evaluated by calculating the power (mW) after each sequential five exposure cycles of 20 seconds and the emission spectrum (mW/cm2/nm) in the initial and final cycles, using an integrating sphere during three battery charging cycles. Beam profiling was used to check the light distribution on the LCU tip after every 50 exposure cycles until the battery fully discharged. Data were analyzed by linear regression between power and the number of exposure times (R2)., Results: The certified LCUs VALO Grand (R2=0.005), LED.B (R2=0.02), and Radii Xpert (R2=0.09) and the uncertified LCU VAFU (R2=0.002) had no significant power reduction during the three battery charging cycles. The uncertified LCUs BS 300 (R2=0.87), 1 Sec (R2=0.60), and LED curing light (R2=0.83) showed significant power reduction, decreasing the emission spectrum (mW/cm2/nm) at the end of the battery charging cycle. The light distribution on the active tip across the level battery was modified significantly with successive exposure times., Conclusions: The certified LCUs (VALO Grand, Radii Xpert, and LED.B) and uncertified LCU (VAFU), maintained power, emission spectrum, and light distributions during the tested battery life cycles. Low-cost certified LCU LED.B exhibited inhomogeneous light concentrated at the center of the tip. Low-cost uncertified LCUs-BS 300, 1 Sec, and LED curing light-had significant power reductions during the battery cycles and increased inhomogeneous light distribution along the successive exposure times., (©Operative Dentistry, 2024.)

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) recycling is one of the most urgent challenges affecting this technological sector. Indeed, their continuously growing production and demand is already leading to the creation of large volumes of end-of-life LIBs (EoL-LIBs). At the same time, the growing demand for LIBs is not sustainable from the point of view of supply of the critical raw materials needed to produce the essential components of LIBs. The development of efficient and sustainable recycling strategies provides a solution to these two urgent issues. Here we propose a new ternary deep eutectic solvent (DES) composition based on choline chloride, citric acid, and ethylene glycol in molar ratio 1:1:1 for the reductive degradation of LiCoO 2 cathode. The optimized leaching process (5g of DES for 100 mg of black mass for 30 min at 140 °C) leads to the full degradation of the cathode with extraction yields above 97% for both Li and Co. Simple electrochemical tests confirm irreversible DES degradation, making its recovery and reuse impractical. We demonstrate that a subsequent thermal treatment, using DES as a sacrificial agent, allows to separate and recover Co 3 O 4 and LiCl with adequate purity to be exploited for LiCoO 2 resynthesis. As a proof of concept, a new batch of LiCoO 2 is synthesized and used for new cells' assembly. The performance of the resynthesized material is comparable with that of the commercial benchmark material, demonstrating the possibility of a full closed-loop recycling route., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:Chiara Ferrara reports financial support was provided by University of Milan-Bicocca. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The bio-based solid polymer electrolyte serves as a promising choice for the next generation of energy storage devices to meet the requirement of green chemistry. In the current research, a green plasticized magnesium ion-conducting biopolymer electrolyte was developed using simple solution casting method for Electric Double Layer Capacitors (EDLC) applications. The biopolymer Cellulose Acetate (CA) as the host polymer, with varying concentrations of BaTiO 3 as the nanofiller, Mg(CF 3 SO 3 ) 2 as the ionic dopant, and PEG as the plasticizer. A 2 wt% addition of BaTiO 3 to the biopolymer electrolyte exhibits maximum conductivity measuring 2.4 × 10 -3  S/cm. Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) analysis demonstrates maximum stability voltage of 3.51 V. The ionic transference number (t ion ) and (t Mg 2+ ) were determined to be 0.99 and 0.41 respectively. The fabricated EDLC device with the same electrolyte showed polarisation curve without any noticeable peaks in the Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) plot, indicating no redox reactions occurring at the electrode-electrolyte interface. Galvanostatic Charge Discharge (GCD) results showed excellent coulombic efficiency, stability and Energy Density and Power Density performance over 2000 cycles. The incorporation of BaTiO 3 into biopolymer membranes presents a viable approach towards sustainable energy storage solutions by enhancing the energy storage capacity of EDLC devices., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest 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., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Potato starch is a natural carbohydrate binder. Starch has hydroxyl groups that can promote interaction with silicon particles using multifaceted hydrogen bonds. Maleic anhydride esterified potato starch can produce a binder that maintains the cycle stability of lithium-ion batteries. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy spectra show wavelengths of 1776 cm -1 and 1855 cm -1 . Thermal gravimetric analysis curves decreased in weight percent by 80 % at 286 °C. Carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectra show high peaks at 3.37 ppm, 3.65 ppm, 4.56 ppm, 5.09 ppm, and 6.22 ppm. Scanning electron microscope images show that the morphological change in esterified starch was due to the increased length of starch and the maleic anhydride grafted onto the starch granules. The cyclic voltammetry curve shows that the reduction peak is around 0.16 V, and the oxidation peak is around 0.38 V and 0.56 V. Nyquist plots show a small half circle, indicating that the electrode's solid-electrolyte interphase layer is low. The cycling performance shows a capacity of 1950 mAh/g., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest 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., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Back-contact silicon solar cells, valued for their aesthetic appeal because they have no grid lines on the sunny side, find applications in buildings, vehicles and aircraft and enable self-power generation without compromising appearance 1-3 . Patterning techniques arrange contacts on the shaded side of the silicon wafer, which offers benefits for light incidence as well. However, the patterning process complicates production and results in power loss. We employed lasers to streamline the fabrication of back-contact solar cells and enhance the power-conversion efficiency. Using this approach, we produced a silicon solar cell that exceeded 27% efficiency. Hydrogenated amorphous silicon layers were deposited onto the wafer for surface passivation and to collect light-generated carriers. A dense passivating contact, which differs from conventional technology practice, was developed. Pulsed picosecond lasers operating at different wavelengths were used to create the back-contact patterns. The approach developed is a streamlined process for producing high-performance back-contact silicon solar cells, with a total effective processing time of about one-third that of the emerging mainstream technology. To meet the terawatt demand, we developed indium-less cells at 26.5% efficiency and precious silver-free cells at 26.2% efficiency. Thus, the integration of solar solutions into buildings and transportation is poised to expand with these technological advances., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

α-FA 1-x Cs x PbI 3 is a promising absorbent material for efficient and stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs) 1,2 . However, the most efficient α-FA 1-x Cs x PbI 3 PSCs require the inclusion of the additive methylammonium chloride 3,4 , which generates volatile organic residues (methylammonium) that limit device stability at elevated temperatures 5 . Previously, the highest certified power-conversion efficiency of α-FA 1-x Cs x PbI 3 PSCs without methylammonium chloride was only approximately 24% (refs. 6,7 ), and these PSCs have yet to exhibit any stability advantages. Here we identify interfacial contact loss caused by the accumulation of Cs + in conventional α-FA 1-x Cs x PbI 3 PSCs, which deteriorates device performance and stability. Through in situ grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering analysis and density functional theory calculations, we demonstrate an intermediate-phase-assisted crystallization pathway enabled by acetate surface coordination to fabricate high-quality α-FA 1-x Cs x PbI 3 films, without using the methylammonium additive. We herein report a certified stabilized power output efficiency of 25.94% and a reverse-scanning power-conversion efficiency of 26.64% for α-FA 1-x Cs x PbI 3 PSCs. Moreover, the devices exhibited negligible contact losses and enhanced operational stability. They retained over 95% of their initial power-conversion efficiency after operating for over 2,000 h at the maximum power point under 1 sun, 85 °C and 60% relative humidity (ISOS-L-3)., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

This article discusses the preparation of different grades of single-ion conducting quasi-solid polymer electrolytes (q-SPE) material (Chit-g-SPA-IL) based on biopolymer (chitosan), polyacrylic acid and DBU-acetate (DBUH + AcO - ) ionic liquid. Chit-SPA-60 %-IL exhibited the highest conductivity within the range of 10 -4  S/cm. TGA analysis demonstrated the stability of electrolytes up to a temperature of 120 °C. SEM-EDS analysis unveiled the porous nature of the electrolyte and even distribution of ions throughout the matrix. It exhibited an electrochemical stability window (EWS) of 2.53 V with significant current density and an ionic transference number (ITN) of ~99.9 %. The temperature-dependent conductivity established an Arrhenius-type conduction mechanism with an activation energy of 0.149 eV for ion movement within the electrolyte matrix. The AC conductivity analysis emphasized the time-temperature independence of the ionic conduction mechanism. Dielectric analysis highlighted the capacitive nature of the electrolyte, underlining its substantial capacitance, while modulus studies indicated minimal influence from the electrode-electrolyte interface. Chit-SPA-60 %-IL at 30 °C included a self-diffusion coefficient of 4.57 × 10 -5  m 2 /s, ionic mobility of 1.75 × 10 -3  m 2 /Vs, and drift ionic velocity of 0.44 m/s. These findings makes SPE as a promising candidate for sodium-ion-based energy storage devices., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have garnered significant attention as efficient energy-harvesting systems for sustainable energy sources in the field of self-powered wearable devices. Various conductive materials are used to build wearable devices, among which, gallium-based liquid metal (LM) is a preferred electrode owing to its fluidity and metallic conductivity even when strained. In this study, a stretchable, elastic, and wearable triboelectric nanogenerator is designed using a single electrode fabricated by embedding LM grid patterns into a stretchable silicone substrate through a two-step spray-coating process. Contrary to conventional double-electrode TENG that is challenging to integrate to human body, the LM grid-patterned single-electrode TENG (LMG-SETENG) has a simplified design and provides more flexibility. The LMG-SETENG can generate voltages of up to 100 V via triboelectrification upon contact with the human body, even under various degrees of strain, owing to the fluidity of the LM electrode. The generated energy can be utilized as a sustainable energy source to power various small appliances. Moreover, the proposed LMG-SETENG can be utilized in soft robotics, electronic skin, and healthcare devices., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The burgeoning electric vehicle (EV) market poses a substantial challenge to battery recycling systems, yet understanding EV battery recycling behavior from the demand side remains limited. Previous studies have analyzed perceptual or attitudinal factors, neglecting the observable attributes of EV battery recycling. To this end, we proposed a discrete choice model to investigate the differences between formal and informal recycling behaviors, identifying consumer preferences and willingness to pay. By analyzing 1190 sample data collected from Chongqing, China, we find that: (1) The formal recycling market exhibits greater sensitivity to prices compared to the informal recycling market. (2) The formal recycling market favors recycling by EV battery producers, whereas the informal recycling market shows the least preference for recycling by automobile producers. (3) Door-to-door recycling services are the most effective in facilitating the transition from informal to formal recycling markets for EV batteries. (4) Capacity subsidy policies outperform one-time fixed subsidy policies in incentivizing formal recycling. (5) The formal recycling market for EV batteries necessitates "traceability to the recycling outlet", as opposed to being untraceable. (6) The high-awareness group exhibits greater sensitivity to government policies compared to those with lower environmental concerns and less knowledge of EV battery recycling., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest 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., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)