Recent Progress in High-Performance Lithium Sulfur Batteries: The Emerging Strategies for Advanced Separators/Electrolytes Based on Nanomaterials and Corresponding Interfaces

Lithium-sulfur (Li−S) batteries, possessing excellent theoretical capacities, low cost and nontoxicity, are one of the most promising energy storage battery systems. However, poor conductivity of elemental S and the “shuttle effect” of lithium polysulfides hinder the commercialization of Li−S batteries. These problems are closely related to the interface problems between the cathodes, separators/electrolytes and anodes. The review focuses on interface issues for advanced separators/electrolytes based on nanomaterials in Li−S batteries. In the liquid electrolyte systems, electrolytes/separators and electrodes system can be decorated by nano materials coating for separators and electrospinning nanofiber separators. And, interface of anodes and electrolytes/separators can be modified by nano surface coating, nano composite metal lithium and lithium nano alloy, while the interface between cathodes and electrolytes/separators is designed by nano metal sulfide, nanocarbon-based and other nano materials. In all solid-state electrolyte systems, the focus is to increase the ionic conductivity of the solid electrolytes and reduce the resistance in the cathode/polymer electrolyte and Li/electrolyte interfaces through using nanomaterials. The basic mechanism of these interface problems and the corresponding electrochemical performance are discussed. Based on the most critical factors of the interfaces, we provide some insights on nanomaterials in high-performance liquid or state Li−S batteries in the future.     

A Novel Fluorescence Probe for the Reversible Detection of Bisulfite and Hydrogen Peroxide Pair in Vitro and in Vivo

The detection of changes in the reactive oxygen species (ROS)/reactive sulfur species (RSS) couple is important for studying the cellular redox state. Herein, we developed a 1,8-naphthalimide-based fluorescence probe ( NI ) for the reversible detection of bisulfite (HSO₃⁻) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in vitro and in vivo. NI has been designed with a reactive ethylene unit which specifically reacts with HSO₃⁻ by a Michael addition reaction mechanism, resulting in the quenching of yellow fluorescence at 580 nm and the appearing of green fluorescence at 510 nm upon excitation at 500 nm and 430 nm, respectively. The addition product ( NI−HSO₃ ) could be specifically oxidized to form the original C=C bond of NI , recovering the fluorescence emission and color. The detection limits of NI for HSO₃⁻ and NI−HSO₃ for H₂O₂ were calculated to be 2.05 μM and 4.23 μM, respectively. The reversible fluorescence response of NI towards HSO₃⁻/H₂O₂ couple can be repeated for at least five times. NI is reliable at a broad pH range (pH 3.0–11.5) and features outstanding selectivity, which enabled its practical applications in biological and food samples. Monitoring the reversible and dynamic inter-conversion between HSO₃⁻ and H₂O₂ in vitro and in vivo has been verified by fluorescence imaging in live HeLa cells, adult zebrafish and nude mice. Moreover, NI has been successfully applied to detect of HSO₃⁻ levels in food samples.     

Probe metal binding mode of imine covalent organic frameworks: cycloiridation for (photo)catalytic hydrogen evolution from formate

Metalation of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) is a critical strategy to functionalize COFs for advanced applications yet largely relies on the pre-installed specific metal docking sites in the network, such as porphyrin, salen, 2,2′-bipyridine, etc. We show in this study that the imine linkage of simple imine-based COFs, one of the most popular COFs, readily chelate transition metal (Ir in this work) via cyclometalation, which has not been explored before. The iridacycle decorated COF exhibited more than 10-fold efficiency enhancement in (photo)catalytic hydrogen evolution from aqueous formate solution than its molecular counterpart under mild conditions. This work will inspire more functional cyclometallated COFs to be explored beyond catalysis considering the large imine COF library and the rich metallacycle chemistry.

This study describes cyclometallation as a new metal binding mode for imine-based COFs. The iridacycle decorated COF could be used for catalytic hydrogen evolution from aqueous formate solution with high stability and high efficacy.     

Inclined Substrate Deposition of Nanostructured TiO2 Thin Films for DSSC Application

Nanostructured TiO₂ films were deposited onto Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) and glass substrates by dc reactive magnetron sputtering at different substrate inclination angles. The structural and optical properties of the deposited films were studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and UV–Vis spectrophotometer, respectively. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) were assembled using these TiO₂ films as photoelectrodes and the effect of the substrate inclination angle in the preparing process of TiO₂ films on the DSSC conversion efficiency was studied.     

The Influence of Water Vapor on the Electrochemical Shift of an Ionic Liquid Measured by Ambient Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Ionic liquids (ILs) are considered to be one of the steppingstones to fabricate next generation electrochemical devices given their unique physical and chemical properties. The addition of water to ILs significantly impact electrochemical related properties including viscosity, density, conductivity, and electrochemical window. Herein we utilize ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) to examine the impact of water on values of the electrochemical shift (S), which is determined by measuring changes in binding energy shifts as a function of an external bias. APXPS spectra of C 1s, O 1s and N 1s regions are examined for the IL 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate, [C₄mim][OAc], at the IL/gas interface as a function of both water vapor pressure and external bias. Results reveal that in the absence of water vapor there is an IL ohmic drop between the working electrode and quasi reference electrode, giving rise to chemical specific S values of less than one. Upon introducing water vapor, S values approach one as a function of increasing water vapor pressure, indicating a decrease in the IL ohmic drop as the IL/water mixture becomes more conductive and the potential drop is driven by the electric double layer at the electrode/IL interface.     

Evaluation of Physiological Characteristics,Soluble Sugars,Organic Acids and Volatile Compounds in ‘Orin’ Apples (Malus domestica) at Different Ripening Stages

‘Orin’ is a popular apple cultivar, which has a yellow-green appearance, pleasant taste, and unique aroma. However, few studies on the fruit quality characteristics of ‘Orin’ apples have been reported before. In this study, changes of the physiological characteristics were measured at different ripening stages, and the soluble sugars and organic acids were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Volatile compounds were identified using the headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). During the fruit ripening, the ‘Orin’ apple fruit weight, size, and total soluble solid were gradually increased by contrast with the titratable acidity, and the firmness decreased. The content of four soluble sugars reached the maximum at the 180 days after full bloom (DAFB) stage. Malic acid was measured as the most abundant organic acid in ‘Orin’ apples. Ethyl butyrate, hexyl propanoate, hexyl acetate and butyl acetate belonging to esters with high odor activity values (OAVs) could be responsible for the typical aroma of ‘Orin’ apples. The aim of this work was to provide information on the flavor characteristics of ‘Orin’ apples and promote this apple cultivar for marketing and processing in the future.     

Sustainable Route for Synthesizing Aluminosilicate EU-1 Zeolite

Developing sustainable routes for the synthesis of zeolites is still a vital and challenging task in zeolite scientific community. One of the typical examples is sustainable synthesis of aluminosilicate EU-1 zeolite, which is not very efficient and environmental-unfriendly under hydrothermal condition due to the use of a large amount of water as solvent. Herein, we report a sustainable synthesis route for aluminosilicate EU-1 zeolite without the use of solvent for the first time. The physicochemical properties of the obtained EU-1 zeolite are characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), N₂ sorption, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis, and solid nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), which show the product has high crystallinity, uniform morphology, large BET surface area, and four-coordinated aluminum species. Moreover, the impact of synthesis conditions is investigated in detail. The sustainable synthesis of aluminosilicate EU-1 zeolite under solvent-free     

Comparative Analysis of Chemical Constituents in Different Parts of Lotus by UPLC and QToF-MS

Six parts of lotus (seeds, leaves, plumule, stamens, receptacles and rhizome nodes) are herbal medicines that are listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Their indications and functions have been confirmed by a long history of clinical practice. To fully understand the material basis of clinical applications, UPLC-QToF-MS combined with the UNIFI platform and multivariate statistical analysis was used in this study. As a result, a total of 171 compounds were detected and characterized from the six parts, and 23 robust biomarkers were discovered. The method can be used as a standard protocol for the direct identification and prediction of the six parts of lotus. Meanwhile, these discoveries are valuable for improving the quality control method of herbal medicines. Most importantly, this was the first time that alkaloids were detected in the stamen, and terpenoids were detected in the cored seed. The stamen is a noteworthy part because it contains the greatest diversity of flavonoids and terpenoids, but research on the stamen is rather limited.     

Highly Emissive 9-Borafluorene Derivatives: Synthesis,Photophysical Properties and Device Fabrication

A series of 9-borafluorene derivatives, functionalised with electron-donating groups, have been prepared. Some of these 9-borafluorene compounds exhibit strong yellowish emission in solution and in the solid state with relatively high quantum yields (up to 73.6 % for FMesB-Cz as a neat film). The results suggest that the highly twisted donor groups suppress charge transfer, but the intrinsic photophysical properties of the 9-borafluorene systems remain. The new compounds showed enhanced stability towards the atmosphere, and exhibited excellent thermal stability, revealing their potential for application in materials science. Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices were fabricated with two of the highly emissive compounds, and they exhibited strong yellow-greenish electroluminescence, with a maximum luminance intensity of >22 000 cd m⁻². These are the first two examples of 9-borafluorene derivatives being used as light-emitting materials in OLED devices, and they have enabled us to achieve a balance between maintaining their intrinsic properties while improving their stability.     

Recent Progress and Perspectives of Sodium Metal Anodes for Rechargeable Batteries

Sodium metal anodes have attracted significant attention due to their high specific capacity,low redox potential and abundant resources.However,the dendrites and unstable solid electrolyte interphase(SEI)of sodium anodes restrict the development of sodium metal batteries.This review includes the recent progress on the Na anode protection in sodium metal batteries.The strategies are summarized as modified three-dimensional current collectors,artificial solid electrolyte interphases,and electrolyte modifications.Conclusions and perspectives are envisaged for the further understanding and development of Na metal anodes.