Single‐crystalline cathode materials have attracted intensive interest in offering greater capacity retention than their polycrystalline counterparts by reducing material surfaces and phase ...boundaries. However, the single‐crystalline LiCoO2 suffers severe structural instability and capacity fading when charged to high voltages (4.6 V) due to Co element dissolution and O loss, crack formation, and subsequent electrolyte penetration. Herein, by forming a robust cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) in an all‐fluorinated electrolyte, reversible planar gliding along the (003) plane in a single‐crystalline LiCoO2 cathode is protected due to the prevention of element dissolution and electrolyte penetration. The robust CEI effectively controls the performance fading issue of the single‐crystalline cathode at a high operating voltage of 4.6 V, providing new insights for improved electrolyte design of high‐energy‐density battery cathode materials.
Single‐crystalline cathode materials have attracted intensive interest. However, the single‐crystalline LiCoO2 suffers severe structural instability and capacity fading when charged to high voltages (4.6 V vs Li/Li+) due to Co and O element dissolution, crack formation, and electrolyte penetration. In this work, the above problems are inhibited by forming a robust cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) on the surface of LiCoO2.
Metallic lithium is the most competitive anode material for next‐generation lithium (Li)‐ion batteries. However, one of its major issues is Li dendrite growth and detachment, which not only causes ...safety issues, but also continuously consumes electrolyte and Li, leading to low coulombic efficiency (CE) and short cycle life for Li metal batteries. Herein, the Li dendrite growth of metallic lithium anode is suppressed by forming a lithium fluoride (LiF)‐enriched solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) through the lithiation of surface‐fluorinated mesocarbon microbeads (MCMB‐F) anodes. The robust LiF‐enriched SEI with high interfacial energy to Li metal effectively promotes planar growth of Li metal on the Li surface and meanwhile prevents its vertical penetration into the LiF‐enriched SEI from forming Li dendrites. At a discharge capacity of 1.2 mAh cm−2, a high CE of >99.2% for Li plating/stripping in FEC‐based electrolyte is achieved within 25 cycles. Coupling the pre‐lithiated MCMB‐F (Li@MCMB‐F) anode with a commercial LiFePO4 cathode at the positive/negative (P/N) capacity ratio of 1:1, the LiFePO4//Li@MCMB‐F cells can be charged/discharged at a high areal capacity of 2.4 mAh cm−2 for 110 times at a negligible capacity decay of 0.01% per cycle.
A dendrite‐free lithium (Li) metal anode for Li metal batteries (LMBs) is realized by using surface‐fluorinated mesocarbon microbeads (MCMB‐F) as substrate. During the lithiation process, the fluorinated graphite on the outermost surface of MCMB‐F is reduced in situ to form a robust lithium‐fluoride‐enriched solid electrolyte interphase, providing an efficient avenue for LMBs with high Li metal coulombic efficiency and no Li dendrite growth.
In response to the call for safer high‐energy‐density storage systems, high‐voltage solid‐state Li metal batteries have attracted extensive attention. Therefore, solid electrolytes are required to be ...stable against both Li anode and high‐voltage cathodes; nevertheless, the requirements still cannot be completely satisfied. Herein, a heterogeneous multilayered solid electrolyte (HMSE) is proposed to broaden electrochemical window of solid electrolytes to 0–5 V, through different electrode/electrolyte interfaces to overcome the interfacial instability problems. Oxidation‐resistance poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) is in contact with the cathode, while reduction tolerant polyethylene glycol diacrylate contacts with Li metal anode. A Janus and flexible PAN@Li1.4Al0.4Ge1.6(PO4)3 (80 wt%) composite electrolyte is designed as intermediate layer to inhibit dendrite penetration and ensure compact interface. Paired with LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 and LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 cathodes, which are rarely used in solid‐state batteries, the solid‐state Li metal batteries with HMSE exhibit excellent electrochemical performance including high capacity and long cycle life. Besides, the Li||Li symmetric batteries maintain a stable polarization less than 40 mV for more than 1000 h under 2 mA cm−2 and effective inhibition of dendrite formation. This study offers a promising approach to extend the applications of solid electrolytes for high‐voltage solid‐state Li metal batteries.
A heterogeneous multilayered structure that expands the electrochemical window of solid electrolytes is designed. The oxidation‐resistant poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) and reduction‐tolerant polyethylene glycol diacrylate integrated with the Janus and flexible PAN@Li1.4Al0.4Ge1.6(PO4)3 (80 wt%) composite electrolyte broaden the electrochemical window to 0–5 V, resulting in excellent performance for high‐voltage solid‐state Li‐metal batteries. Additionally, the thickness of electrolyte is below 25 μm.
Rechargeable magnesium and calcium metal batteries (RMBs and RCBs) are promising alternatives to lithium-ion batteries because of the high crustal abundance and capacity of magnesium and calcium. ...Yet, they are plagued by sluggish kinetics and parasitic reactions. We found a family of methoxyethyl-amine chelants that greatly promote interfacial charge transfer kinetics and suppress side reactions on both the cathode and metal anode through solvation sheath reorganization, thus enabling stable and highly reversible cycling of the RMB and RCB full cells with energy densities of 412 and 471 watt-hours per kilogram, respectively. This work provides a versatile electrolyte design strategy for divalent metal batteries.
P2‐type layered oxides suffer from an ordered Na+/vacancy arrangement and P2→O2/OP4 phase transitions, leading them to exhibit multiple voltage plateaus upon Na+ extraction/insertion. The deficient ...sodium in the P2‐type cathode easily induces the bad structural stability at deep desodiation states and limited reversible capacity during Na+ de/insertion. These drawbacks cause poor rate capability and fast capacity decay in most P2‐type layered oxides. To address these challenges, a novel high sodium content (0.85) and plateau‐free P2‐type cathode‐Na0.85Li0.12Ni0.22Mn0.66O2 (P2‐NLNMO) was developed. The complete solid‐solution reaction over a wide voltage range ensures both fast Na+ mobility (10−11 to 10−10 cm2 s−1) and small volume variation (1.7 %). The high sodium content P2‐NLNMO exhibits a higher reversible capacity of 123.4 mA h g−1, superior rate capability of 79.3 mA h g−1 at 20 C, and 85.4 % capacity retention after 500 cycles at 5 C. The sufficient Na and complete solid‐solution reaction are critical to realizing high‐performance P2‐type cathodes for sodium‐ion batteries.
A high sodium content (0.85) and plateau‐free P2‐type cathode, Na0.85Li0.12Ni0.22Mn0.66O2, is developed for sodium‐ion batteries. The sodium content promises a large specific capacity of 123.4 mA h g−1 with an average working voltage as high as 3.5 V. The complete solid‐solution reaction over a wide voltage range ensures small volume variation (1.7 %) and fast Na+ kinetics (10−10 to 10−11 cm2 s−1), contributing to both excellent cycling stability and rate capability.
The layer‐structured MoS2 is a typical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalyst but it possesses poor activity for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In this work, a cobalt covalent doping ...approach capable of inducing HER and OER bifunctionality into MoS2 for efficient overall water splitting is reported. The results demonstrate that covalently doping cobalt into MoS2 can lead to dramatically enhanced HER activity while simultaneously inducing remarkable OER activity. The catalyst with optimal cobalt doping density can readily achieve HER and OER onset potentials of −0.02 and 1.45 V (vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)) in 1.0 m KOH. Importantly, it can deliver high current densities of 10, 100, and 200 mA cm−2 at low HER and OER overpotentials of 48, 132, 165 mV and 260, 350, 390 mV, respectively. The reported catalyst activation approach can be adapted for bifunctionalization of other transition metal dichalcogenides.
A cobalt covalent doping catalyst activation approach to induce hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) bifunctionality of MoS2 is proposed and experimentally validated, demonstrating superior bifunctional electrocatalytic activities with great application potential for overall water splitting in alkaline media.
With the increasing concerns about chemical pollution and sustainability of resources, among the significant challenges facing synthetic chemists are the development and application of elegant and ...efficient methods that enable the concise synthesis of natural products, drugs, and related compounds in a step-, atom- and redox-economic manner. One of the most effective ways to reach this goal is to implement reaction cascades that allow multiple bond-forming events to occur in a single vessel. This Account documents our progress on the rational design and strategic application of asymmetric catalytic cascade reactions in constructing diverse scaffolds and synthesizing complex chiral molecules. Our research is aimed at developing robust cascade reactions for the systematic synthesis of a range of interesting molecules that contain structural motifs prevalent in natural products, pharmaceuticals, and biological probes. The strategies employed to achieve this goal can be classified into three categories: bifunctional base/Brønsted acid catalysis, covalent aminocatalysis/N-heterocyclic carbene catalysis, and asymmetric organocatalytic relay cascades. By the use of rationally designed substrates with properly reactive sites, chiral oxindole, chroman, tetrahydroquinoline, tetrahydrothiophene, and cyclohexane scaffolds were successfully assembled under bifunctional base/Brønsted acid catalysis from simple and readily available substances such as imines and nitroolefins. We found that some of these reactions are highly efficient since catalyst loadings as low as 1 mol % can promote the multistep sequences affording complex architectures with high stereoselectivities and yields. Furthermore, one of the bifunctional base/Brønsted acid-catalyzed cascade reactions for the synthesis of chiral cyclohexanes has been used as a key step in the construction of the tetracyclic core of lycorine-type alkaloids and the formal synthesis of α-lycorane. Guided by the principles of covalent aminocatalysis and N-heterocyclic carbene catalysis, we synthesized chiral piperidine, indole, and cyclobutane derivatives. The synthesis of chiral cyclobutanes and pyrroloindolones showed unprecedented reactivity of substrates and catalysts. The development of the strategy of asymmetric organocatalytic relay cascades has provided a useful tool for the controlled synthesis of specific diastereomers in complex molecules. This Account gives a panoramic view and the logic of our research on the design, development, and applications of asymmetric catalytic cascade reactions that will potentially provide useful insights into exploring new reactions.
Sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) are still confronted with several major challenges, including low energy and power densities, short‐term cycle life, and poor low‐temperature performance, which severely ...hinder their practical applications. Here, a high‐voltage cathode composed of Na3V2(PO4)2O2F nano‐tetraprisms (NVPF‐NTP) is proposed to enhance the energy density of SIBs. The prepared NVPF‐NTP exhibits two high working plateaux at about 4.01 and 3.60 V versus the Na+/Na with a specific capacity of 127.8 mA h g−1. The energy density of NVPF‐NTP reaches up to 486 W h kg−1, which is higher than the majority of other cathode materials previously reported for SIBs. Moreover, due to the low strain (≈2.56% volumetric variation) and superior Na transport kinetics in Na intercalation/extraction processes, as demonstrated by in situ X‐ray diffraction, galvanostatic intermittent titration technique, and cyclic voltammetry at varied scan rates, the NVPF‐NTP shows long‐term cycle life, superior low‐temperature performance, and outstanding high‐rate capabilities. The comparison of Ragone plots further discloses that NVPF‐NTP presents the best power performance among the state‐of‐the‐art cathode materials for SIBs. More importantly, when coupled with an Sb‐based anode, the fabricated sodium‐ion full‐cells also exhibit excellent rate and cycling performances, thus providing a preview of their practical application.
A high‐voltage sodium‐super‐ion‐conductor‐type cathode significantly enhances the energy density of sodium‐ion batteries. Its low‐strain crystal lattice during the successive (de‐)sodiation and superior Na transport kinetics promise high‐rate capabilities, long‐term cycle life, superior low‐temperature performance, and excellent full‐cell performance, providing a preview of their practical applications.
Sodium‐ion batteries capable of operating at rate and temperature extremes are highly desirable, but elusive due to the dynamics and thermodynamics limitations. Herein, a strategy of ...electrode–electrolyte interfacial chemistry modulation is proposed. The commercial hard carbon demonstrates superior rate performance with 212 mAh g−1 at an ultra‐high current density of 5 A g−1 in the electrolyte with weak ion solvation/desolvation, which is much higher than those in common electrolytes (nearly no capacity in carbonate‐based electrolytes). Even at −20 °C, a high capacity of 175 mAh g−1 (74 % of its room‐temperature capacity) can be maintained at 2 A g−1. Such an electrode retains 90 % of its initial capacity after 1000 cycles. As proven, weak ion solvation/desolvation of tetrahydrofuran greatly facilitates fast‐ion diffusion at the SEI/electrolyte interface and homogeneous SEI with well‐distributed NaF and organic components ensures fast Na+ diffusion through the SEI layer and a stable interface.
In a THF‐based electrolyte with a weak solvation structure, Na+ desolvation is fast and a uniform solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) with abundant NaF and organic compounds is generated on the commercial hard carbon anode. This greatly enhances the interface stability and enables the rapid migration of Na+ in the SEI, thus realizing the high rate capability, long‐term stability and good low‐temperature performance for the hard carbon anode.
Immune system evasion, distance tumor metastases, and increased cell proliferation are the main reasons for the progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the death of NSCLC patients. ...Dysregulation of circular RNAs plays a critical role in the progression of NSCLC; therefore, further understanding the biological mechanisms of abnormally expressed circRNAs is critical to discovering novel, promising therapeutic targets for NSCLC treatment.
The expression of circular RNA fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (circFGFR1) in NSCLC tissues, paired nontumor tissues, and cell lines was detected by RT-qPCR. The role of circFGFR1 in NSCLC progression was assessed both in vitro by CCK-8, clonal formation, wound healing, and Matrigel Transwell assays and in vivo by a subcutaneous tumor mouse assay. In vivo circRNA precipitation, RNA immunoprecipitation, and luciferase reporter assays were performed to explore the interaction between circFGFR1 and miR-381-3p.
Here, we report that circFGFR1 is upregulated in NSCLC tissues, and circFGFR1 expression is associated with deleterious clinicopathological characteristics and poor prognoses for NSCLC patients. Forced circFGFR1 expression promoted the migration, invasion, proliferation, and immune evasion of NSCLC cells. Mechanistically, circFGFR1 could directly interact with miR-381-3p and subsequently act as a miRNA sponge to upregulate the expression of the miR-381-3p target gene C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), which promoted NSCLC progression and resistance to anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)- based therapy.
Taken together, our results suggest the critical role of circFGFR1 in the proliferation, migration, invasion, and immune evasion abilities of NSCLC cells and provide a new perspective on circRNAs during NSCLC progression.
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