The effect of photolysis of sodium citrate treated with gold chloride using coloured light on the generation of gold nanoparticles and the repression of WiDr colon cancer cells.

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are usually formed via a wet chemical method using gold (III) chloride trihydrate (GC), which is treated with stable reducing agents such as sodium citrate (SC). This study determines the effect of coloured light on the formation of GNPs by irradiation of SC after the addition of GC (SCGC) and the effect of the SCGC photolytic procedure on the suppression of WiDr colon cancer cells by forming reactive oxygen species. The absorbance of surface plasmon resonance peaks at 523 nm are 0.069 and 0.219 for SCGC when treated with blue light illumination (BLI) and violet light irradiation (VLI), respectively, whereas green and red light treatments have little or no effect. Most GNPs have diameters ranging from 3 to 15 nm, with a mean of 6 nm, when SCGC is exposed to VLI for 1.5 h. Anionic superoxide radicals (O2•-) are formed in a charge-transfer process after SCGC under VLI treatment; however, BLI treatment produces no significant reaction. Moreover, SCGC under VLI treatment proves to be considerably more effective at inhibiting WiDr cells than BLI treatment, as firstly reported in this study. The reduction rates for WiDr cells treated with SCGC under BLI and VLI at an intensity of 2.0 mW/cm2 for 1.5 h (energy dose, 10.8 J/cm2) are 4.1% and 57.7%, respectively. The suppression rates for WiDr cells treated with SCGC are inhibited in an irradiance-dependent manner, the inhibition percentages being 57.7%, 63.3%, and 80.2% achieved at VLI intensities of 2.0, 4.0, and 6.0 mW/cm2 for 1.5 h, respectively. Propidium iodide is a fluorescent dye that detects DNA changes after cell death. The number of propidium iodide-positive nuclei significantly increases in WiDr cells treated with SCGC under VLI, suggesting that SCGC photolysis under VLI is a potential treatment option for the photodynamic therapy process.

Rechargeable Li/Cl2 Battery Down to -80 °C.

Low temperature rechargeable batteries are important to life in cold climates, polar/deep-sea expeditions, and space explorations. Here, this work reports 3.5-4 V rechargeable lithium/chlorine (Li/Cl2 ) batteries operating down to -80 °C, employing Li metal negative electrode, a novel carbon dioxide (CO2 ) activated porous carbon (KJCO2 ) as the positive electrode, and a high ionic conductivity (≈5-20 mS cm-1 from -80 °C to room-temperature) electrolyte comprised of aluminum chloride (AlCl3 ), lithium chloride (LiCl), and lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI) in low-melting-point (-104.5 °C) thionyl chloride (SOCl2 ). Between room-temperature and -80 °C, the Li/Cl2 battery delivers up to ≈29 100-4500 mAh g-1 first discharge capacity (based on carbon mass) and a 1200-5000 mAh g-1 reversible capacity over up to 130 charge-discharge cycles. Mass spectrometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy probe Cl2 trapped in the porous carbon upon LiCl electro-oxidation during charging. At -80 °C, Cl2 /SCl2 /S2 Cl2 generated by electro-oxidation in the charging step are trapped in porous KJCO2 carbon, allowing for reversible reduction to afford a high discharge voltage plateau near ≈4 V with up to ≈1000 mAh g-1 capacity for SCl2 /S2 Cl2 reduction and up to ≈4000 mAh g-1 capacity at ≈3.1 V plateau for Cl2 reduction.

Shedding light on rechargeable Na/Cl2 battery.

Advancing new ideas of rechargeable batteries represents an important path to meeting the ever-increasing energy storage needs. Recently, we showed rechargeable sodium/chlorine (Na/Cl2) (or lithium/chlorine Li/Cl2) batteries that used a Na (or Li) metal negative electrode, a microporous amorphous carbon nanosphere (aCNS) positive electrode, and an electrolyte containing dissolved aluminum chloride and fluoride additives in thionyl chloride [G. Zhu et al., Nature 596, 525-530 (2021) and G. Zhu et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 144, 22505-22513 (2022)]. The main battery redox reaction involved conversion between NaCl and Cl2 trapped in the carbon positive electrode, delivering a cyclable capacity of up to 1,200 mAh g-1 (based on positive electrode mass) at a ~3.5 V discharge voltage [G. Zhu et al., Nature 596, 525-530 (2021) and G. Zhu et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 144, 22505-22513 (2022)]. Here, we identified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) that upon charging a Na/Cl2 battery, chlorination of carbon in the positive electrode occurred to form carbon-chlorine (C-Cl) accompanied by molecular Cl2 infiltrating the porous aCNS, consistent with Cl2 probed by mass spectrometry. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction observed the development of graphitic ordering in the initially amorphous aCNS under battery charging when the carbon matrix was oxidized/chlorinated and infiltrated with Cl2. The C-Cl, Cl2 species and graphitic ordering were reversible upon discharge, accompanied by NaCl formation. The results revealed redox conversion between NaCl and Cl2, reversible graphitic ordering/amorphourization of carbon through battery charge/discharge, and probed trapped Cl2 in porous carbon by XPS.

Shape Dependence of Silver-Nanoparticle-Mediated Synthesis of Gold Nanoclusters with Small Molecules as Capping Ligands.

In this study, differently shaped silver nanoparticles used for the synthesis of gold nanoclusters with small capping ligands were demonstrated. Silver nanoparticles provide a reaction platform that plays dual roles in the formation of Au NCs. One is to reduce gold ions and the other is to attract capping ligands to the surface of nanoparticles. The binding of capping ligands to the AgNP surface creates a restricted space on the surface while gold ions are being reduced by the particles. Four different shapes of AgNPs were prepared and used to examine whether or not this approach is dependent on the morphology of AgNPs. Quasi-spherical AgNPs and silver nanoplates showed excellent results when they were used to synthesize Au NCs. Spherical AgNPs and triangular nanoplates exhibited limited synthesis of Au NCs. TEM images demonstrated that Au NCs were transiently assembled on the surface of silver nanoparticles in the method. The formation of Au NCs was observed on the whole surface of the QS-AgNPs if the synthesis of Au NCs was mediated by QS-AgNPs. In contrast, formation of Au NCs was only observed on the edges and corners of AgNPts if the synthesis of Au NCs was mediated by AgNPts. All of the synthesized Au NCs emitted bright red fluorescence under UV-box irradiation. The synthesized Au NCs displayed similar fluorescent properties, including quantum yields and excitation and emission wavelengths.

Refined Techniques for Enabling Long-Term Cryo-Repository Using Vitrification and Laser Warming.

Vitrification and ultrarapid laser warming are crucial for the cryopreservation of animal embryos, oocytes, and other cells of medicinal, genetic, and agricultural value. In the present study, we focused on alignment and bonding techniques for a special cryojig that combines a jig tool and jig holder into one piece. This novel cryojig was used to obtain a high laser accuracy of 95% and a successful rewarming rate of 62%. The experimental results indicated that our refined device improved laser accuracy in the warming process after long-term cryo-storage through vitrification. We anticipate that our findings will lead to cryobanking applications that use vitrification and laser nanowarming to preserve cells and tissues from a wide range of species.

Novel Long-Term Cryo-Storage Using Vitrification and Laser Warming Techniques.

Vitrification and laser warming have gained popularity over the traditional convective warming techniques in cryopreservation. Laser warming is rapid with uniform effects, thus preventing ice crystal formation in samples. Contemporary laser warming studies have focused on proof-of-concept experiments. Yet, no protocols or techniques have been developed to address the problem of warming samples from long-term storage. Herein, a new approach to laser warming samples without exposing the samples to ambient temperature is introduced. The new device presented has a mean laser-hitting accuracy of 76% ± 16% and a rewarming rate of 59% ± 25% on samples with <1 µL in volume. Although these rates depend on the choice of vitrification solution and mastery of the technique, the approach described represents a successful first step toward laser warming samples from long-term cryo-storage.

High-Capacity Rechargeable Li/Cl2 Batteries with Graphite Positive Electrodes.

Developing new types of high-capacity and high-energy density rechargeable batteries is important to future generations of consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and mass energy storage applications. Recently, we reported ∼3.5 V sodium/chlorine (Na/Cl2) and lithium/chlorine (Li/Cl2) batteries with up to 1200 mAh g-1 reversible capacity, using either a Na or a Li metal as the negative electrode, an amorphous carbon nanosphere (aCNS) as the positive electrode, and aluminum chloride (AlCl3) dissolved in thionyl chloride (SOCl2) with fluoride-based additives as the electrolyte [Zhu et al., Nature, 2021, 596 (7873), 525-530]. The high surface area and large pore volume of aCNS in the positive electrode facilitated NaCl or LiCl deposition and trapping of Cl2 for reversible NaCl/Cl2 or LiCl/Cl2 redox reactions and battery discharge/charge cycling. Here, we report an initially low surface area/porosity graphite (DGr) material as the positive electrode in a Li/Cl2 battery, attaining high battery performance after activation in carbon dioxide (CO2) at 1000 °C (DGr_ac) with the first discharge capacity ∼1910 mAh g-1 and a cycling capacity up to 1200 mAh g-1. Ex situ Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed the evolution of graphite over battery cycling, including intercalation/deintercalation and exfoliation that generated sufficient pores for hosting LiCl/Cl2 redox. This work opens up widely available, low-cost graphitic materials for high-capacity alkali metal/Cl2 batteries. Lastly, we employed mass spectrometry to probe the Cl2 trapped in the graphitic positive electrode, shedding light into the Li/Cl2 battery operation.

A Nonflammable High-Voltage 4.7 V Anode-Free Lithium Battery.

Anode-free lithium-metal batteries employ in situ lithium-plated current collectors as negative electrodes to afford optimal mass and volumetric energy densities. The main challenges to such batteries include their poor cycling stability and the safety issues of the flammable organic electrolytes. Here, a high-voltage 4.7 V anode-free lithium-metal battery is reported, which uses a Cu foil coated with a layer (≈950 nm) of silicon-polyacrylonitrile (Si-PAN, 25.5 µg cm-2 ) as the negative electrode, a high-voltage cobalt-free LiNi0.5 Mn1.5 O4 (LNMO) as the positive electrode and a safe, nonflammable ionic liquid electrolyte composed of 4.5 m lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI) salt in N-methyl-N-propyl pyrrolidiniumbis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (Py13 FSI) with 1 wt% lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) as additive. The Si-PAN coating is found to seed the growth of lithium during charging, and reversibly expand/shrink during lithium plating/stripping over battery cycling. The wide-voltage-window electrolyte containing a high concentration of FSI- and TFSI- facilitates the formation of stable solid-electrolyte interphase, affording a 4.7 V anode-free Cu@Si-PAN/LiNi0.5 Mn1.5 O4 battery with a reversible specific capacity of ≈120 mAh g-1 and high cycling stability (80% capacity retention after 120 cycles). These results represent the first anode-free Li battery with a high 4.7 V discharge voltage and high safety.

The Spectral Response of the Dual Microdisk Resonator Based on BaTiO3 Resistive Random Access Memory.

With the resistive random access memory (ReRAM) devices based on the Al/BaTiO3 (BTO)/ITO structure fabricated at hand, by cross-analyzing the resistive memory characteristics in terms of various barium titanate (BTO) film thicknesses, it is found that the device with 60 nm thick BTO can be switched more than 425 times, while the corresponding SET/RESET voltage, the on-off ratio, and the retention time are -0.69 V/0.475 V, 102, and more than 104 seconds, respectively. Furthermore, the aforementioned ReRAM with a low switching voltage and low power consumption is further integrated with a waveguide resonator in the form of a dual microdisk aligned in a parallel fashion. As the separation gap between the two microdisks is fixed at 15 µm, the ReRAM-mediated dual disk resonator would render a 180° phase reversal between the spectral outputs of the through-port and drop-port. If the gap is shortened to 10 and 5 µm, the expected phase reversal could also be retrieved due to the selective combinations of different memory states associated with each of the two ReRAM microdisks as witnessed by a series of characterization measurements.

Physical Properties and the Reconstruction of Unstable Decahedral Silver Nanoparticles Synthesized Using Plasmon-Mediated Photochemical Process.

Plasmon-mediated shape transformation from quasi-spherical silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to silver nanoprisms (AgNPrs) and decahedral silver nanoparticles (D-AgNPs) under irradiation of blue LEDs (λ = 456 ± 12 nm, 80 mW/cm2) was studied at temperatures ranging between 60, 40, 30, 20, 10, and 0 °C. It was found that reaction temperature affected transformation rates and influenced the morphology distribution of final products. The major products synthesized at temperatures between 60 °C and 0 °C were AgNPrs and D-AgNPs, respectively. The D-AgNPs synthesized at such low temperatures are unstable and become blunt when light irradiation is removed after the photochemical synthesis. These blunt nanoparticles with pentagonal multiple-twinned structures can be further used as the seeds to reconstruct complete D-AgNPs after irradiating blue LEDs at various bath temperatures. Our results showed that these rebuilt D-AgNPs are much more stable when at higher bath temperatures. Furthermore, the rebuilt D-AgNPs (edge lengths ~41 nm) can grow into larger D-AgNPs (edge lengths ~53 nm) after the irradiation of green LEDs. Surface-enhanced Raman spectra of CV in AgNP colloids showed that D-AgNP colloids have better SERS enhancements factors than AgNPrs.

Silver Nanoparticle-Mediated Synthesis of Fluorescent Thiolated Gold Nanoclusters.

A new strategy using silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to synthesize thiolated Au NCs is demonstrated. The quasi-spherical Ag NPs serve as a platform, functioning as a reducing agent for Au (III) and attracting capping ligands to the surface of the Ag NPs. Glutathione disulfide (GSSG) and dithiothreitol (DTT) were used as capping ligands to synthesize thiolated Au NCs (glutathione-Au NCs and DTT-Au NCs). The glutathione-Au NCs and DTT-Au NCs showed red color luminance with similar emission wavelengths (630 nm) at an excitation wavelength of 354 nm. The quantum yields of the glutathione-Au NCs and DTT-Au NCs were measured to be 7.3% and 7.0%, respectively. An electrophoretic mobility assay showed that the glutathione-Au NCs moved toward the anode, while the DTT-Au NCs were not mobile under the electric field, suggesting that the total net charge of the thiolated Au NCs is determined by the charges on the capping ligands. The detection of the KSV values, 26 M-1 and 0 M-1, respectively, revealed that glutathione-Au NCs are much more accessible to an aqueous environment than DTT-Au NCs.

Utilizing AgNPt-SALDI to Classify Edible Oils by Multivariate Statistics of Triacylglycerol Profile.

Edible oils are valuable sources of nutrients, and their classification is necessary to ensure high quality, which is essential to food safety. This study reports the establishment of a rapid and straightforward SALDI-TOF MS platform used to detect triacylglycerol (TAG) in various edible oils. Silver nanoplates (AgNPts) were used to optimize the SALDI samples for high sensitivity and reproducibility of TAG signals. TAG fingerprints were combined with multivariate statistics to identify the critical features of edible oil discrimination. Eleven various edible oils were discriminated using principal component analysis (PCA). The results suggested the creation of a robust platform that can examine food adulteration and food fraud, potentially ensuring high-quality foods and agricultural products.

Rechargeable Na/Cl2 and Li/Cl2 batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are widely used in applications ranging from electric vehicles to wearable devices. Before the invention of secondary LIBs, the primary lithium-thionyl chloride (Li-SOCl2) battery was developed in the 1970s using SOCl2 as the catholyte, lithium metal as the anode and amorphous carbon as the cathode1-7. This battery discharges by lithium oxidation and catholyte reduction to sulfur, sulfur dioxide and lithium chloride, is well known for its high energy density and is widely used in real-world applications; however, it has not been made rechargeable since its invention8-13. Here we show that with a highly microporous carbon positive electrode, a starting electrolyte composed of aluminium chloride in SOCl2 with fluoride-based additives, and either sodium or lithium as the negative electrode, we can produce a rechargeable Na/Cl2 or Li/Cl2 battery operating via redox between mainly Cl2/Cl- in the micropores of carbon and Na/Na+ or Li/Li+ redox on the sodium or lithium metal. The reversible Cl2/NaCl or Cl2/LiCl redox in the microporous carbon affords rechargeability at the positive electrode side and the thin alkali-fluoride-doped alkali-chloride solid electrolyte interface stabilizes the negative electrode, both are critical to secondary alkali-metal/Cl2 batteries.

Supplementation of exogenous lipids via liposomes improves coral larvae settlement post-cryopreservation and nano-laser warming.

Coral reefs worldwide are receding because of detrimental human activities, and cryopreservation of coral larvae would ensure that their genetic biodiversity is not irremediably lost. In recent years, the vitrification and laser warming of coral propagules has demonstrated promising results. During cryopreservation, cellular membranes undergo substantial reconfigurations that may affect survival. Fat enrichment may alter the physical proprieties of cell membranes and improve resistance to low temperatures. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether supplementation of exogenous lipids using liposomes would improve cryosurvival and further development of the vitrified and laser-warmed coral larvae of Seriatopora caliendrum and Pocillopora verrucosa. A vitrification solution (VS) composed of 2 M ethylene glycol (EG), 1 M propylene glycol (PG), 40% (w/v) Ficoll, and 10% gold nanoparticles (at a final concentration of 1.2 × 1018 particles/m3 and an optimised emission wavelength of 535 nm) was chosen. Coral larvae were subjected to vitrification with VS incorporating one of four lipid classes: phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), erucic acid (EA), and linoleic acid (LA). Warming was achieved using a single laser pulse (300 V, 10 ms pulse width, 2 mm laser beam diameter). A significantly higher vitality rate was observed in S. caliendrum larvae subjected to vitrification and laser warming with EA-incorporated VS, and P. verrucosa larvae vitrified and laser warmed using PE-incorporated VS achieved a significantly higher settlement rate. Our study demonstrated that supplementation of exogenous lipids with liposomes enhances coral larvae cryotolerance and improves cryopreservation outcomes. Lipid enrichment may play a key role in cryobanking coral propagules, and in propagule development after thawing.

Cytotoxicity and cell imaging of six types of carbon nanodots prepared through carbonization and hydrothermal processing of natural plant materials.

In this study we prepared six types of carbon nanodots (CNDs) from natural plant materials - through carbonization of two species of bamboo (Bamboo-I, Bamboo-II) and one type of wood (Wood), and through hydrothermal processing of the stem and root of the herb Mahonia oiwakensis Hayata (MO) and of the agricultural waste of two species of pineapple root (PA, PB). The resulting CNDs were spherical with dimensions on the nanoscale (3-7 nm); furthermore, CND-Bamboo I, CND-Wood, CND-Bamboo II, CND-MO, CND-PA, and CND-PB displayed fluorescence quantum yields of 9.63, 12.34, 0.90, 10.86, 0.35, and 0.71%, respectively. X-ray diffraction revealed that the carbon nanostructures possessed somewhat ordered and disordered lattices, as evidenced by broad signals at values of 2θ between 20 and 30°. CND-Bamboo I, CND-Wood, and CND-Bamboo II were obtained in yields of 2-3%; CND-MO, CND-PA, and CND-PB were obtained in yields of 17.64, 9.36, and 22.47%, respectively. Cytotoxicity assays for mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells treated with the six types of CNDs and a commercial sample of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) revealed that each of our CNDs provided a cell viability of 90% at 2000 µg mL-1, whereas it was only 20% after treatment with the Ag NPs at 62.5 µg mL-1. The six types of CNDs also displayed low cytotoxicity toward human keratinocyte HacaT cells, human MCF-7 breast cancer cells, and HT-29 colon adenocarcinoma cells when treated at 500 µg mL-1. Moreover, confocal microscopic cell imaging revealed that the fluorescent CND-Bamboo I particles were located on the MCF-7 cell membrane and inside the cells after treatment for 6 and 24 h, respectively. We have thoroughly investigated the photoluminescence properties and carbon nanostructures of these highly dispersed CNDs. Because of the facile green synthesis of these six types of CNDs and their sourcing from abundant natural plants, herbs, and agriculture waste, these materials provide a cost-effective method, with low cytotoxicity and stable fluorescence, for biolabeling and for developing cell nanocarriers.

A high-performance potassium metal battery using safe ionic liquid electrolyte.

Potassium secondary batteries are contenders of next-generation energy storage devices owing to the much higher abundance of potassium than lithium. However, safety issues and poor cycle life of K metal battery have been key bottlenecks. Here we report an ionic liquid electrolyte comprising 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride/AlCl3/KCl/potassium bis(fluorosulfonyl) imide for safe and high-performance batteries. The electrolyte is nonflammable and exhibits a high ionic conductivity of 13.1 mS cm-1 at room temperature. A 3.6-V battery with K anode and Prussian blue/reduced graphene oxide cathode delivers a high energy and power density of 381 and 1,350 W kg-1, respectively. The battery shows an excellent cycling stability over 820 cycles, retaining ∼89% of the original capacity with high Coulombic efficiencies of ∼99.9%. High cyclability is also achieved at elevated temperatures up to 60 °C. Uniquely, robust K, Al, F, and Cl-containing passivating interphases are afforded with this electrolyte, which is key to superior battery cycling performances.

Rapid detection of perfluorinated sulfonic acids through preconcentration by bubble bursting and surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization.

We developed a preconcentration method in which aerosol droplets containing enriched perfluorinated sulfonic acids (PFSs) are generated through bubble bursting and collected. The droplets were subjected to PFS analysis of perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) through surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry; silver nanoplates (AgNPts) were assisting materials. The method was highly efficient, with an approximately three-order magnitude enhancement (5 × 10-13 to 1 × 10-11 M). Ultralow PFS concentrations (0.5 ng/L of PFOS; 0.4 ng/L of PFHxS) were detected in preconcentrated tap water containing PFSs. Our method has potential for rapid real-world PFS detection in water.

Resistive Switching Property of Organic-Inorganic Tri-Cation Lead Iodide Perovskite Memory Device.

: In this study, a glass/indium tin oxide (ITO)/formamidinium-methylammonium-cesium (FA-MA-Cs) tri-cation lead iodide perovskite/poly(methyl methacrylate (PMMA)/Al memory device with a controlled composition of (FA0.75MA0.25)1-xCsxPbI3 (x = 0-0.1) is demonstrated to exhibit bipolar resistive switching behavior. The tri-cation organic-inorganic metal halide perovskite film was prepared by a one-step solution process in which the amount of Cs was varied to modify the property of FA0.75MA0.25PbI3. It was found that the microstructure and defect properties of films are highly dependent on the contents of FA, MA, and Cs in the perovskite. The results found that 5% CsI doping is the optimized condition for improving the quality of FA0.75MA0.25PbI3, forming a high quality tri-cation perovskite film with a smooth, uniform, stable and robust crystalline grain structure. The resistive switching on/off ratio of the (FA0.75MA0.25)0.95Cs0.05PbI3 device is greater than 103 owing to the improved thin-film quality. Moreover, for the 5% CsI doped FA0.75MA0.25PbI3 films, the endurance and the stability of retention are better than the non-doped film. The improved microstructure and memory properties are attributed to the balance stress of FA/MA/Cs with different ionic size. It suggests the potential to achieve a desired resistive memory property of tri-cationic perovskite by carefully adjusting the cation ratios.

High-Safety and High-Energy-Density Lithium Metal Batteries in a Novel Ionic-Liquid Electrolyte.

Rechargeable lithium metal batteries are next generation energy storage devices with high energy density, but face challenges in achieving high energy density, high safety, and long cycle life. Here, lithium metal batteries in a novel nonflammable ionic-liquid (IL) electrolyte composed of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium (EMIm) cations and high-concentration bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (FSI) anions, with sodium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (NaTFSI) as a key additive are reported. The Na ion participates in the formation of hybrid passivation interphases and contributes to dendrite-free Li deposition and reversible cathode electrochemistry. The electrolyte of low viscosity allows practically useful cathode mass loading up to ≈16 mg cm-2 . Li anodes paired with lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2 ) and lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (LiNi0.8 Co0.1 Mn0.1 O2 , NCM 811) cathodes exhibit 99.6-99.9% Coulombic efficiencies, high discharge voltages up to 4.4 V, high specific capacity and energy density up to ≈199 mAh g-1 and ≈765 Wh kg-1 respectively, with impressive cycling performances over up to 1200 cycles. Highly stable passivation interphases formed on both electrodes in the novel IL electrolyte are the key to highly reversible lithium metal batteries, especially for Li-NMC 811 full batteries.

Impact of fecal microbiota transplantation on TGF-ß1/Smads/ERK signaling pathway of endotoxic acute lung injury in rats.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a common clinical disease with high morbidity in both humans and animals. Studies have shown that intestinal microbiota affect the pathology and immune function of respiratory diseases through the "gut-lung axis". The authors investigated the therapeutic effect of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in rats with ALI induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Rats were treated with FMT, and then measured lung wet/dry ratio, PaO2 in artery, proinflammatory marker, and TGF-ß1, Smad3, Smad7, and phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK) protein levels, as well as a histopathologic analysis and high-throughput sequencing of intestinal microbiota. FMT significantly reduced lung wet/dry ratio and TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 levels, but increased the levels of PaO2 in artery. In addition, FMT significantly decreased the expression of TGF-ß1, Smad3, and p-ERK, while increased the levels of Smad7. Lung histopathological analyses showed that FMT reduced the inflammatory cell infiltration and interstitial lung exudates. High-throughput sequencing of intestinal microbiota analyses showed that FMT reconstructed the structure of intestinal microbiota, and increased the gene abundance of the bacterial community. Therefore, FMT may act on the TGF-ß1/Smads/ERK pathway by regulating intestinal microbiota, inhibiting immune inflammation, reducing the production of inflammatory markers in the body and release, and reducing alveolar epithelial damage and repair, thereby improving the endotoxic ALI in rats induced by LPS.