Weakly coordinated Li ion in single-ion-conductor-based composite enabling low electrolyte content Li-metal batteries.

The pulverization of lithium metal electrodes during cycling recently has been suppressed through various techniques, but the issue of irreversible consumption of the electrolyte remains a critical challenge, hindering the progress of energy-dense lithium metal batteries. Here, we design a single-ion-conductor-based composite layer on the lithium metal electrode, which significantly reduces the liquid electrolyte loss via adjusting the solvation environment of moving Li+ in the layer. A Li||Ni0.5Mn0.3Co0.2O2 pouch cell with a thin lithium metal (N/P of 2.15), high loading cathode (21.5 mg cm-2), and carbonate electrolyte achieves 400 cycles at the electrolyte to capacity ratio of 2.15 g Ah-1 (2.44 g Ah-1 including mass of composite layer) or 100 cycles at 1.28 g Ah-1 (1.57 g Ah-1 including mass of composite layer) under a stack pressure of 280 kPa (0.2 C charge with a constant voltage charge at 4.3 V to 0.05 C and 1.0 C discharge within a voltage window of 4.3 V to 3.0 V). The rational design of the single-ion-conductor-based composite layer demonstrated in this work provides a way forward for constructing energy-dense rechargeable lithium metal batteries with minimal electrolyte content.

An electron-deficient carbon current collector for anode-free Li-metal batteries.

The long-term cycling of anode-free Li-metal cells (i.e., cells where the negative electrode is in situ formed by electrodeposition on an electronically conductive matrix of lithium sourced from the positive electrode) using a liquid electrolyte is affected by the formation of an inhomogeneous solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on the current collector and irregular Li deposition. To circumvent these issues, we report an atomically defective carbon current collector where multivacancy defects induce homogeneous SEI formation on the current collector and uniform Li nucleation and growth to obtain a dense Li morphology. Via simulations and experimental measurements and analyses, we demonstrate the beneficial effect of electron deficiency on the Li hosting behavior of the carbon current collector. Furthermore, we report the results of testing anode-free coin cells comprising a multivacancy defective carbon current collector, a LixNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1-based cathode and a nonaqueous Li-containing electrolyte solution. These cells retain 90% of their initial capacity for over 50 cycles under lean electrolyte conditions.

Isolation and Proteomic Analysis of a Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Mutant with Enhanced Lipid Production by the Gamma Irradiation Method.

In this study, an enhanced lipid-producing mutant strain of the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was developed by gamma irradiation. To induce the mutation, C. reinhardtii was gamma irradiated at a dose of 400 Gy. After irradiation, the surviving cells were stained with Nile red. The mutant (Cr-4013) accumulating 20% more lipid than the wild type was selected. Thin-layer chromatography revealed the triglyceride and free fatty acid contents to be markedly increased in Cr-4013. The major fatty acids identified were palmitic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid. Random amplified polymeric DNA analysis showed partial genetic modifications in Cr-4013. To ascertain the changes of protein expression in the mutant strain, two-dimensional electrophoresis was conducted. These results showed that gamma radiation could be used for the development of efficient microalgal strains for lipid production.