There has been increasing evidence that ether-based electrolytes offer more stable anode performance in sodium ion batteries, even for microsized alloy electrodes which suffer huge volume change upon ...charge/discharge cycling. It is speculated that ether-based electrolytes may give rise to more robust solid electrolyte interphases (SEIs), but the detailed mechanism remains unknown, due to the structural complexity and the extremely vulnerable nature of SEIs. In this work, we unveil the characteristic SEI structure at Sn electrode surfaces in both carbonate- and ether-based electrolytes. We adopt cryogenic transmission electron microscopy to probe the pristine SEI structure, in combination with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. An ultrathin SEI forms in the ether-based electrolyte, with amorphous particles dispersed in the polymer-like matrix. This unique nanostructure exhibits superior mechanical elasticity and renders anomalous stability against the large volume change of alloy electrodes, as evidenced by both electrochemistry measurement and atomic force microscopy. Our work unravels the causes for the superiority of ether-based electrolytes in sodium-ion batteries, and we expect the potential of such an optimized SEI to enable the application of high-capacity anodes such as microsized alloys.
An optimized solid electrolyte interphase is the key to stabilization of microparticle anodes.
A
bstract
We show that exclusive production of a pair of high transverse momentum photons in pion-nucleon collisions can be systematically studied in QCD factorization approach if the photon’s ...transverse momentum
q
T
with respect to the colliding pion is much greater than Λ
QCD
. We demonstrate that the leading power non-perturbative contributions to the scattering amplitudes of this exclusive process are process-independent and can be systematically factorized into universal pion’s distribution amplitudes (DAs) and nucleon’s generalized parton distributions (GPDs), which are convoluted with corresponding infrared safe and perturbatively calculable short-distance hard parts. The correction to this factorized expression is suppressed by powers of 1/
q
T
. We demonstrate quantitatively that this new type of exclusive processes is not only complementary to existing processes for extracting GPDs, but also capable of providing an enhanced sensitivity to the dependence of both DAs and GPDs on the active parton’s momentum fraction
x
. We also introduce additional, but the same type of exclusive observables to enhance our capability to explore GPDs, in particular, their
x
-dependence.
We developed a novel systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) based on lymphocyte, neutrophil, and platelet counts and explored its prognostic value in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
The SII was ...developed based on a retrospective study of 133 patients with HCC undergoing resection between 2005 and 2006, and validated in a prospective study of 123 patients enrolled from 2010 to 2011. The circulating tumor cell (CTC) level in the validation cohort was measured using the CellSearch system. Prediction accuracy was evaluated with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).
An optimal cutoff point for the SII of 330 × 10(9) stratified the patients with HCC into high (≥330) and low SII (<330) groups in the training cohort. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed the SII was an independent predictor for overall survival and relapse-free survival, and prognostic for patients with negative α-fetoprotein and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage 0+A. The AUCs of the SII for survival and recurrence were higher than other conventional clinical indices. An SII ≥ 330 was significantly associated with vascular invasion, large tumors, and early recurrence. CTC levels were significantly higher in the SII ≥ 330 group (1.71 ± 0.34 vs. 4.37 ± 1.04, P = 0.029). In patients with detectable CTCs, those with SII ≥ 330 had higher recurrence rates and shorter survival time than patients with SII < 330.
The SII was a powerful prognostic indicator of poor outcome in patients with HCC and is a promising tool for HCC treatment strategy decisions. The dismal outcome in patients with high SII scores might be related to higher CTC levels.
The strong force which binds hadrons is described by the theory of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). Determining the character and manifestations of QCD is one of the most important and challenging ...outstanding issues necessary for a comprehensive understanding of the structure of hadrons. Within the context of the QCD parton picture, the parton distribution functions (PDFs) have been remarkably successful in describing a wide variety of processes. However, these PDFs have generally been confined to the description of collinear partons within the hadron. New experiments and facilities provide the opportunity to additionally explore the transverse structure of hadrons which is described by generalized parton distributions (GPDs) and transverse-momentum-dependent parton distribution functions (TMD PDFs). In our previous report Lin et al. (2018), we compared and contrasted the two main approaches used to determine the collinear PDFs: the first based on perturbative QCD factorization theorems, and the second based on lattice-QCD calculations. In the present report, we provide an update of recent progress on the collinear PDFs, and also expand the scope to encompass the generalized PDFs (GPDs and TMD PDFs). We review the current state of the various calculations, and consider what new data might be available in the near future. We also examine how a shared effort can foster dialog between the PDF and lattice-QCD communities, and yield improvements for these generalized PDFs.
KVPO4F is found to be capable of both accepting and donating K ions. As an anode, it delivers a reversible capacity of over 100 mA h g−1 with an average potential of 1.15 V vs. K+/K. The anode is ...also able to work in a wide temperature range of 0–55 °C.
The Cretaceous plutonic suites in the Fujian coastal area include abundant I-type and A-type granitoids and lesser gabbroids. They are important components of the Late Yanshanian magmatic belt along ...the southeastern coast of China, and define a linear NNE–SSW-trending belt of magmatism. Geochronological, geochemical and geological data from thirty intrusions are summarised in this paper, and the data provide distinct magmatic, geochemical and tectonic patterns in the area. A compilation of geochronological data for these intrusive rocks indicates emplacement mainly from around 125 to 90Ma, with a major peak from 115 to 90Ma, and a subordinate peak from 125 to 115Ma. Besides their temporal and spatial coexistence, all these intrusive rocks have similar geochemical patterns which point to involvement of components from a depleted asthenospheric mantle source for the parental magmas, most probably by magma mixing. The first appearance of sparse I-type granitoids with post-collisional extensional granite affinities, and the emplacement of the Baijuhuajian and Suzhou A-type granites, mark the beginning of extension during the Early Cretaceous at ca. 125 to 119Ma. The subsequent development of bimodal magmatism at 115 to 90Ma, with numerous arc-related mafic gabbros and I-type granites, together with some A-type granites, suggests that this major igneous event took place as a response to back-arc extension. On the basis of petrology, geochronology, tectonics, and elemental and isotopic geochemistry, we speculate that break-off and rollback of the subducting Palaeo-Pacific Plate during the Cretaceous were responsible for the Late Yanshanian regional tectono-magmatic evolution in the area. We suggest that this process facilitated a strong and rapid linear upwelling of the asthenospheric mantle beneath the coastal area of southeastern China, with consequential extension of the overlying continental lithosphere, and ultimately the large-scale Late Yanshanian magmatism of the study area.
We propose a new phenomenological approach to establish QCD factorization of jet cross sections in the heavy-ion environment. Starting from a factorization formalism in proton-proton collisions, we ...introduce medium modified jet functions to capture the leading interaction of jets with the hot and dense QCD medium. A global analysis using a Monte Carlo sampling approach is performed in order to reliably determine the new jet functions from the nuclear modification factor of inclusive jets at the LHC. We find that gluon jets are significantly more suppressed due to the presence of the medium than quark jets. In addition, we observe that the jet radius dependence is directly related to the relative suppression of quark and gluon jets. Our approach may help to improve the extraction of medium properties from data.
Full text
Available for:
CMK, CTK, FMFMET, NUK, UL
A hydrothermal approach for the cutting of boron-doped graphene (BG) into boron-doped graphene quantum dots (BGQDs) has been proposed. Various characterizations reveal that the boron atoms have been ...successfully doped into graphene structures with the atomic percentage of 3.45%. The generation of boronic acid groups on the BGQDs surfaces facilitates their application as a new photoluminescence (PL) probe for label free glucose sensing. It is postulated that the reaction of the two cis-diol units in glucose with the two boronic acid groups on the BGQDs surfaces creates structurally rigid BGQDs–glucose aggregates, restricting the intramolecular rotations and thus resulting in a great boost in the PL intensity. The present unusual “aggregation-induced PL increasing” sensing process excludes any saccharide with only one cis-diol unit, as manifested by the high specificity of BGQDs for glucose over its close isomeric cousins fructose, galactose, and mannose. It is believed that the doping of boron can introduce the GQDs to a new kind of surface state and offer great scientific insights to the PL enhancement mechanism with treatment of glucose.
PDF
