Enabling High-Performance Hybrid Solid-State Batteries by Improving the Microstructure of Free-Standing LATP/LFP Composite Cathodes.

The phosphate lithium-ion conductor Li1.5Al0.5Ti1.5(PO4)3 (LATP) is an economically attractive solid electrolyte for the fabrication of safe and robust solid-state batteries, but high sintering temperatures pose a material engineering challenge for the fabrication of cell components. In particular, the high surface roughness of composite cathodes resulting from enhanced crystal growth is detrimental to their integration into cells with practical energy density. In this work, we demonstrate that efficient free-standing ceramic cathodes of LATP and LiFePO4 (LFP) can be produced by using a scalable tape casting process. This is achieved by adding 5 wt % of Li2WO4 (LWO) to the casting slurry and optimizing the fabrication process. LWO lowers the sintering temperature without affecting the phase composition of the materials, resulting in mechanically stable, electronically conductive, and free-standing cathodes with a smooth, homogeneous surface. The optimized cathode microstructure enables the deposition of a thin polymer separator attached to the Li metal anode to produce a cell with good volumetric and gravimetric energy densities of 289 Wh dm-3 and 180 Wh kg-1, respectively, on the cell level and Coulombic efficiency above 99% after 30 cycles at 30 °C.

Bare Eye Detection of Bacterial Enzymes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with Polymer Modified Nanoporous Silicon Rugate Filters.

The fabrication, characterization and application of a nanoporous Silicon Rugate Filter (pSiRF) loaded with an enzymatically degradable polymer is reported as a bare eye detection optical sensor for enzymes of pathogenic bacteria, which is devoid of any dyes. The nanopores of pSiRF were filled with poly(lactic acid) (PLA), which, upon enzymatic degradation, resulted in a change in the effective refractive index of the pSiRF film, leading to a readily discernible color change of the sensor. The shifts in the characteristic fringe patterns before and after the enzymatic reaction were analyzed quantitatively by Reflectometric Interference Spectroscopy (RIfS) to estimate the apparent kinetics and its dependence on enzyme concentration. A clear color change from green to blue was observed by the bare eye after PLA degradation by proteinase K. Moreover, the color change was further confirmed in measurements in bacterial suspensions of the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAO1) as well as in situ in the corresponding bacterial supernatants. This study highlights the potential of the approach in point of care bacteria detection.