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Solid-state batteries (SSBs) that incorporate the argyrodite-Li6PS5Cl (LPSCl) electrolyte hold potential as substitutes for conventional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the mismatched interface between the LPSCl electrolyte and electrodes leads to increased interfacial resistance and the rapid growth of lithium (Li) dendrites. These factors significantly impede the feasibility of their widespread industrial application. In this study, we developed a composite electrolyte of the LPSCl/polymer to enhance the contact between the electrolyte and electrodes and suppress dendrite formation at the grain boundary of the LPSCl ceramic. The monomer, triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA), is utilized for in situ polymerization through thermal curing to create the argyrodite LPSCl/polymer composite electrolyte. Additionally, the ball-milling technique was employed to modify the morphology and particle size of the LPSCl ceramic. The ball-milled LPSCl/polymer composite electrolyte demonstrates slightly higher ionic conductivity (ca. 2.21 × 10-4 S/cm) compared to the as-received LPSCl/polymer composite electrolyte (ca. 1.65 × 10-4 S/cm) at 25 °C. Furthermore, both composite electrolytes exhibit excellent compatibility with Li-metal and display cycling stability for up to 1000 h (375 cycles), whereas the as-received LPSCl and ball-milled LPSCl electrolytes maintain stability for up to 600 h (225 cycles) at a current density of 0.4 mA/cm2. The SSB with the ball-milled LPSCl/polymer composite electrolyte delivers high specific discharge capacity (138 mA h/g), Coulombic efficiency (99.97%), and better capacity retention at 0.1C, utilizing the battery configuration of coated NMC811//electrolyte//Li-Indium (In) at 25 °C.

Imide electrolyte salts have received increasing interest in lithium-sulfur battery (LSB) research due to their oxidation capacity, thermal stability, and cycling stability. Although the ionic conductivity of imide electrolytes is moderate, a LSB with imide electrolyte salts exhibits improved charge-discharge (CD) cycling capacity and Coulombic efficiency. Here, we applied an effective strategy to suppress polysulfide dissolution by using a micelle-structured fluorinated ether-based additive (F4EO2) with lithium bis(trifluorosulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) and lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI) electrolyte salts. In contrast to the LiFSI electrolyte, the LiTFSI imide electrolyte with F4EO2 additive shows a superior performance in terms of its compatibility with the lithium (Li)-metal anode, electrochemical stability, cycling stability, and high specific discharge capacity of ca. 1331 mAh/g using the sulfur/carbon (S/C) composite//electrolyte//Li-metal battery configuration at 0.1C. The LSB performance is enhanced with an increase of the concentration of the F4EO2 additive in the electrolyte solution. The results demonstrate that the electrolyte solution with the F4EO2 additive and LiTFSI salt improves the LSB performance by suppressing polysulfide dissolution and forming a favorable passivation layer on the Li-metal anode, leading to a specific discharge capacity of ca. 1221 mAh/g after 20 cycles and 950 mAh/g after 100 cycles (for T5FDLiTFSI), respectively, with a Coulombic efficiency of ca. 99.98% and 99.99% after 20 and 100 CD cycles, respectively.

Abstract An increasing number of studies indicate that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in tumour proliferation, migration and other vital processes and are expected to become novel biomarkers for early cancer screening. The expression of the lncRNA NBR2 (adjacent breast cancer suppressor BRCA1) has been found to decrease in several cancer types. However, it is still unknown whether the lncRNA NBR2 is involved in breast cancer and autophagy. According to the Kaplan–Meier plotter survival curve analysis, the survival rate of the group with high lncRNA-NBR2 expression was higher than that of the group with low lncRNA-NBR2 expression. The suppression of cancer cell proliferation, invasion and migration by the lncRNA NBR2 has been demonstrated, suggesting that this lncRNA is involved in the development and progression of cancer. Our subsequent study revealed that the lncRNA NBR2 inhibited autophagy in breast cancer cells, and that starvation conditions enhanced this inhibitory effect. Moreover, this lncRNA changed the proliferation ability of breast cancer cells by affecting protective autophagy. The aim of this study was to investigate the link between starvation and lncRNAs by evaluating changes in autophagy-related proteins, cell proliferation and other biological processes. Together, these studies provide strategies for the early screening of breast cancer and suggest that starvation therapy can be used as a new approach for the treatment of cancer.

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is a biosourced green plastic derived from natural sources that can replace polyolefins in many applications; however, it is seldom recycled. PLA is a prime candidate for chemical recycling by depolymerization, which produces valuable commodity chemicals and/or fresh monomer for new production, compared to mechanical/thermal reprocessing which produces lesser-quality resin. A scalable, low-cost depolymerization process could render PLA the premier choice for designed-to-be-recycled products in a future circular plastics economy. Here, we report a novel process for depolymerization of PLA under mild conditions using alcoholysis with ionic liquid catalysts in the presence of dimethyl (or diethyl) carbonate as a green solvent, along with critical technoeconomic analysis of the potential impact of this process. The effects of catalyst structures, the solvent system, and PLA resin type on conversion and yield were studied. The reaction kinetics were statistically analyzed with experimental and modeling data, suggesting a fast first-order reaction in PLA degradation. Predictive modeling results based on empirical data further guide the design of scenarios and potential for practical application.

Vehicle electrification is a critical application of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), and it is essential to develop LIBs that can operate at sub-ambient temperatures with satisfying performance. Conventional LIBs have performance deficits at low temperatures which hinder their use in extreme environments. One approach to address this problem is to rationally engineer the electrode/electrolyte interface with electrolyte additives to improve the electrochemical kinetics at sub-ambient temperatures. In this work, silicic acid (SiAc) is incorporated into standard LIB electrolyte as an additive to enhance the capacity and energy density of LIBs at temperatures down to −20 °C. Full-cell impedance analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of cycled electrodes point towards an additive-induced change in surface chemistry which alters the charge transfer process. It is proposed that the SiAc additive participated in the formation of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and lowered the activation energy of the interface impedance, assisting lithium ion transport across the interface at lower temperatures.

Improving the mechanical strength of ceramic solid electrolytes such as lithium phosphorus sulfide families for pressure-driven dendrite blocking as well as reducing the electronic conductivity to prevent a dendrite formation inside the electrolytes are very important to extend the lifespan of all-solid-state lithium-metal batteries. Here, we propose a low-temperature solution-precipitation process to prepare polymer-solid electrolyte composites for a highly uniform polymer distribution in the electrolyte to enhance their mechanical strength and reduce their electronic conduction. The composites with up to 12 wt % of polymer are prepared, and the composites exhibit high ionic conductivities of up to 0.3 mS/cm. Furthermore, the electrochemical stability of the electrolyte composites on Li striping/plating cycles is investigated. We confirm that the proposed solution-precipitation process makes the composite much more stable than the bare solid electrolyte and causes them to outperform similar composites from the other existing preparation methods, such as mechanical mixing and solution dispersion.

Increasing the charging rate and reducing the charging time for Li-ion batteries are crucial to realize the mainstream of electric vehicles. However, it is formidable to avoid the Li plating on graphite anode upon fast charging. Despite the tremendous progress in Li detection techniques, the fundamental mechanism of Li plating and its chemical/electrochemical responses upon cycling still remains elusive. Herein, we present a comprehensive electrochemical method to investigate the fast charging behavior of graphite electrode. A detailed analysis is directed toward understanding the changes in phase, composition, and morphology of the fast-charged graphite. By applying a resting process, we scrutinize the further reactions of the plated Li, which readily transforms into irreversible (dead) Li. We further develop a modified graphite electrode with a thin Ag coating as the Li reservoir. The plated Li can be "absorbed" by the Ag layer to form the Li-Ag solid solution that suppresses the formation of dead Li and provides structural stability, thus promoting the further lithiation of graphite and enhancing the reversibility. This work not only provides additional insights into the fast charging behavior of graphite electrode but also demonstrates a potential strategy to improve the fast charging performance of graphite anode.

Silicon-based anodes are widely expected to vastly improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the silicon anode interface is well-known to be unstable and reactive, leading to various electrolyte side reactions that would ultimately lower the battery performance. Consequently, it is critically important to rationally design the silicon anode to stabilize its interface. The Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique is a well-established, versatile, and powerful method for fabricating ultrathin films over solid substrates. Here, we utilize LB approach to generate thin films composed of small organic molecules over silicon electrodes as protective layers. Such molecular layers were found capable of mediating the electrochemical behavior of silicon electrodes in both aqueous and organic carbonate electrolytes. This study illustrates the applicability of small-molecule LB films in electrode interface engineering for LIB technology development.

Li-ion batteries will lose both capacity and power over time due to calendar aging caused by slow parasitic processes that consume Li+ ions. Studying and mitigating these processes is traditionally an equally slow venture, which is especially taxing for the validation of new active materials and electrolyte additives. Here, we evaluate whether potentiostatic holds can be used to accelerate the diagnosis of Li+ loss during calendar aging. The technique is based on the idea that, under the right conditions, the current measured as the cell voltage is held constant can be correlated with the instantaneous rate of side reactions. Thus, in principle, these measurements could capture the rate of capacity fade in real time. In practice, we show that this method is incapable of quantitatively forecasting calendar aging trends. Instead, our study demonstrates that potentiostatic holds can be applied for initial qualitative screening of systems that exhibit promising long-term stability, which can be useful to shrink the parameter space for calendar aging studies. By facilitating the identification of improved formulations, this approach can help accelerate innovation in the battery industry.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) power virtually all modern portable devices and electric vehicles, and their ubiquity continues to grow. With increasing applications, however, come increasing challenges, especially when operating conditions deviate from room temperature. While high-temperature performance and degradation has been extensively studied in LIBs, sub-zero Celsius performance has received less attention, despite being critical for batteries in transportation roles. Although many individual processes contribute to the capacity loss commonly observed in LIBs at low temperatures, most of them are governed to some extent by the non-aqueous liquid electrolyte present throughout the cell interior. Therefore, electrolyte engineering presents an unparalleled opportunity to study and address the fundamental causes of low-temperature failure. In this review, we first briefly cover the various processes that determine lithium-ion performance below 0 °C. Then, we outline recent literature on electrolyte-based strategies to improve said performance, including various additives, solvents and lithium salts. Finally, we summarize these findings and provide some perspectives on the current state of the field, including promising new areas of investigation.

Multifunctional binders hold great promise in advanced electrode designs for both fundamental research and practical utilization of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The reactions between Si/SiOx-dominated anodes with lithium are expected to be exothermic in principle, while the thermal tolerance along with the volume change makes high-temperature binders attractive for large scale roll-to-roll manufacturing. For instance, if a high temperature binder is also water soluble, it can be compatible with the current graphite-based anode manufacturing process. In this work, we present a water-soluble poly(amic acid)-based binder, which can withstand high temperature for industrial pre-lithiation process and effectively hold active materials together during repeated charge and discharge cycles. This lithium substituted poly(amic acid) binder (denoted as Li-Pa) can serve as a drop-in replacement for environmentally friendly electrode fabrication in large scale by providing aqueous solubility, exceptional thermal stability and mechanical flexibility.

Silicon suboxide (SiOx) is one of the promising anode materials for the next-generation lithium-ion batteries. However, SiOx has a severe capacity fading problem during cycling. It is thus desired to investigate the detailed fading mechanisms of SiOx anode materials. In this study, limited capacity cycling was employed to examine the electrochemical behaviors of the SiOx anode, and the lithiation/delithiation cycling was limited within a range of 10% theoretical capacity. This strategy minimizes the volume variation of SiOx materials upon charging/discharging, which helps to reveal their decay factors other than volume fluctuation. It is demonstrated that the instability of the SiOx surface during cycling was likely a parallel factor of active material fading, which seems to cause unfavored electrode interface rearrangements with lowered electric conductivity.