Plasma Coupled Electrolyte Additive Strategy for Construction of High-Performance Solid Electrolyte Interphase on Li Metal Anodes.

High-performance lithium metal anodes are crucial for the development of advanced Li metal batteries. Herein, this work reports a novel plasma coupled electrolyte additive strategy to prepare high-quality composite solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on Li metal to achieve enhanced performance and stability. With the guidance of calculations, this work selects diethyl dibromomalonate (DB) as an additive to optimize the solvation structure of electrolytes to modify the SEI. Meanwhile, this work groundbreakingly develops DB plasma technology coupled with DB electrolyte additive to construct a combinatorial SEI: inner plasma-induced SEI layer composed of LiBr and Li2CO3 plus additive-reduced SEI containing LiBr/Li2CO3/organic lithium compounds as an outer compatible layer. The optimized hybrid SEI has strong affinity toward Li+ and good mechanical properties, thereby inducing horizontal dispersion and uniform deposition of Li+ and keep structure stable. Accordingly, the symmetrical cells exhibit enhanced cycling stability for 1200 h at an overpotential of 23.8 mV with average coulombic efficiency (99.51%). Additionally, the full cells with LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 cathode deliver a capacity retention of 81.7% after 300 cycles at 0.5 C, and the pouch cell achieves a volumetric specific energy of ≈664 Wh L‒1. This work provides new enlightenment on plasma technology for fabrication of advanced metal anodes for energy storage.

Achieving High-Rate and Stable Sodium-Ion Storage by Constructing Okra-Like NiS2/FeS2@Multichannel Carbon Nanofibers.

Transition metal sulfides (TMSs) are considered as promising anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to their high theoretical capacities. However, the relatively low electrical conductivity, large volume variation, and easy aggregation/pulverization of active materials seriously hinder their practical application. Herein, okra-like NiS2/FeS2 particles encapsulated in multichannel N-doped carbon nanofibers (NiS2/FeS2@MCNFs) are fabricated by a coprecipitation, electrospinning, and carbonization/sulfurization strategy. The combined advantages arising from the hollow multichannel structure in carbon skeleton and heterogeneous NiS2/FeS2 particles with rich interfaces can provide facile ion/electron transfer paths, ensure boosted reaction kinetics, and help maintain the structural integrity, thereby resulting in a high reversible capacity (457 mA h g-1 at 1 A g-1), excellent rate performance (350 mA h g-1 at 5 A g-1), and outstanding long-term cycling stability (93.5% retention after 1100 cycles). This work provides a facile and efficient synthetic strategy to develop TMS-based heterostructured anode materials with high-rate and stable sodium storage properties.

Juice Vesicles Bioreactors Technology for Constructing Advanced Carbon-Based Energy Storage.

The construction of high-quality carbon-based energy materials through biotechnology has always been an eager goal of the scientific community. Herein, juice vesicles bioreactors (JVBs) bio-technology based on hesperidium (e.g., pomelo, waxberry, oranges) is first reported for preparation of carbon-based composites with controllable components, adjustable morphologies, and sizes. JVBs serve as miniature reaction vessels that enable sophisticated confined chemical reactions to take place, ultimately resulting in the formations of complex carbon composites. The newly developed approach is highly versatile and can be compatible with a wide range of materials including metals, alloys, and metal compounds. The growth and self-assembly mechanisms of carbon composites via JVBs are explained. For illustration, NiCo alloy nanoparticles are successfully in situ implanted into pomelo vesicles crosslinked carbon (PCC) by JVBs, and their applications as sulfur/carbon cathodes for lithium-sulfur batteries are explored. The well-designed PCC/NiCo-S electrode exhibits superior high-rate properties and enhanced long-term stability. Synergistic reinforcement mechanisms on transportation of ions/electrons of interface reactions and catalytic conversion of lithium polysulfides arising from metal alloy and carbon architecture are proposed with the aid of DFT calculations. The research provides a novel biosynthetic route to rational design and fabrication of carbon composites for advanced energy storage.

Plasma Technology for Advanced Electrochemical Energy Storage.

"Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality" is an important strategic goal for the sustainable development of human society. Typically, a key means to achieve these goals is through electrochemical energy storage technologies and materials. In this context, the rational synthesis and modification of battery materials through new technologies play critical roles. Plasma technology, based on the principles of free radical chemistry, is considered a promising alternative for the construction of advanced battery materials due to its inherent advantages such as superior versatility, high reactivity, excellent conformal properties, low consumption and environmental friendliness. In this perspective paper, we discuss the working principle of plasma and its applied research on battery materials based on plasma conversion, deposition, etching, doping, etc. Furthermore, the new application directions of multiphase plasma associated with solid, liquid and gas sources are proposed and their application examples for batteries (e. g. lithium-ion batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, zinc-air batteries) are given. Finally, the current challenges and future development trends of plasma technology are briefly summarized to provide guidance for the next generation of energy technologies.

An Advanced Gel Polymer Electrolyte for Solid-State Lithium Metal Batteries.

All-solid-state lithium metal batteries (LMBs) are regarded as one of the most viable energy storage devices and their comprehensive properties are mainly controlled by solid electrolytes and interface compatibility. This work proposes an advanced poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) based gel polymer electrolyte (AP-GPEs) via functional superposition strategy, which involves incorporating butyl acrylate and polyethylene glycol diacrylate as elastic optimization framework, triethyl phosphate and fluoroethylene carbonate as flameproof liquid plasticizers, and Li7La3Zr2O12 nanowires (LLZO-w) as ion-conductive fillers, endowing the designed AP-GPEs/LLZO-w membrane with high mechanical strength, excellent flexibility, low flammability, low activation energy (0.137 eV), and improved ionic conductivity (0.42 × 10-3 S cm-1 at 20 °C) due to continuous ionic transport pathways. Additionally, the AP-GPEs/LLZO-w membrane shows good safety and chemical/electrochemical compatibility with the lithium anode, owing to the synergistic effect of LLZO-w filler, flexible frameworks, and flame retardants. Consequently, the LiFePO4/Li batteries assembled with AP-GPEs/LLZO-w electrolyte exhibit enhanced cycling performance (87.3% capacity retention after 600 cycles at 1 C) and notable high-rate capacity (93.3 mAh g-1 at 5 C). This work proposes a novel functional superposition strategy for the synthesis of high-performance comprehensive GPEs for LMBs.

Effect of Cobalt on Lifetime of Sb4O5Cl2-Graphene Anode in Chloride-Ion Batteries.

Anode materials based on metal oxychlorides hold promise in addressing electrode dissolution challenges in aqueous-based chloride ion batteries (CIBs). However, their structural instability following chloride ion deintercalation can lead to rapid degradation and capacity fading. This paper investigates a cobalt-doped Sb4O5Cl2-graphene (Co-Sb4O5Cl2@GO) composite anode for aqueous-based CIBs. It exhibits significantly enhanced discharge capacity of 82.3 mAh g-1 after 200 cycles at 0.3 A g-1; while, the undoped comparison is only 23.5 mAh g-1 in the same condition. It also demonstrated with a long-term capacity retention of 72.8 % after 1000 cycles (65.5 mAh g-1) and a favorable rate performance of 25 mAh g-1 at a high current density of 2 A g-1. Undertaken comprehensive studies via in-situ experiments and DFT calculations, the cobalt (Co) dopant is demonstrated as the crucial role to enhance the lifetime of Sb4O5Cl2-based anodes. It is found that, the Co dopant improves electronic conductivity and the diffusion of chloride ions beside increases the structural stability of Sb4O5Cl2 crystal. Thus, this element doping strategy holds promise for advancing the field of Sb4O5Cl2-based anodes for aqueous-based CIBs, and insights gain from this study also offer valuable knowledge to develop high-performance electrode materials for electrochemical deionization.

Spatially Confined Fe7S8 Nanoparticles Anchored on a Porous Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanosheet Skeleton for High-Rate and Durable Sodium Storage.

Iron sulfides are widely explored as anodes of sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) owing to high theoretical capacities and low cost, but their practical application is still impeded by poor rate capability and fast capacity decay. Herein, for the first time, we construct highly dispersed Fe7S8 nanoparticles anchored on a porous N-doped carbon nanosheet (CN) skeleton (denoted as Fe7S8/NC) with high conductivity and numerous active sites via facile ion adsorption and thermal evaporation combined procedures coupled with a gas sulfurization treatment. Nanoscale design coupled with a conductive carbon skeleton can simultaneously mitigate the above obstacles to obtain enhanced structural stability and faster electrode reaction kinetics. With the aid of density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the synergistic interaction between CNs and Fe7S8 can not only ensure enhanced Na+ adsorption ability but also promote the charge transfer kinetics of the Fe7S8/NC electrode. Accordingly, the designed Fe7S8/NC electrode exhibits remarkable electrochemical performance with superior high-rate capability (451.4 mAh g-1 at 6 A g-1) and excellent long-term cycling stability (508.5 mAh g-1 over 1000 cycles at 4 A g-1) due to effectively alleviated volumetric variation, accelerated charge transfer kinetics, and strengthened structural integrity. Our work provides a feasible and effective design strategy toward the low-cost and scalable production of high-performance metal sulfide anode materials for SIBs.

Solid-State Electrolytes in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries: Latest Progresses and Prospects.

Solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries (SSLSBs) have attracted tremendous research interest due to their large theoretical energy density and high safety, which are highly important indicators for the development of next-generation energy storage devices. Particularly, safety and "shuttle effect" issues originating from volatile and flammable liquid organic electrolytes can be fully mitigated by switching to a solid-state configuration. However, their road to thecommercial application is still plagued with numerous challenges, most notably the intrinsic electrochemical instability of solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) materials and their interfacial compatibility with electrodes and electrolytes. In this review, a critical discussion on the key issues and problems of different types of SSEs as well as the corresponding optimization strategies are first highlighted. Then, the state-of-the-art preparation methods and properties of different kinds of SSE materials, and their manufacture, characterization and performance in SSLSBs are summarized in detail. Finally, a scientific outlook for the future development of SSEs and the avenue to commercial application of SSLSBs is also proposed.

Alisma Shugan Decoction attenuates hepatic fibrosis and endoplasmic reticulum stress in mice with carbon tetrachloride-induced fibrosis.

Background: Over the years, Alisma Shugan Decoction (ASD), because of its potent anti-inflammation activity, has been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for treatment of many inflammation-associated disorders including those of the heart, blood vessel and brain. Methods: Herein, we examined the probable therapeutic effect of ASD in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver injury and fibrosis mice models. Results: Our results demonstrate that ASD dose-dependently reduced the fibrosis-related increased collagen deposition secondary to liver tissue exposure to CCl4. Data from our biochemical analyses showed significantly less liver damage biomarkers including ALT, AST and hydroxyproline in the ASD-treated samples, suggesting hepato-protective effect of ASD. Furthermore, we demonstrated that treatment with ASD significantly reversed CCl4-induced elevation of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß and MP-1. Interestingly, NF-κB signalling, a principal regulator of inflammation was markedly suppressed by ASD treatment. In addition, treatment with ASD deregulated stress signalling pathways by suppressing the expression of markers of unfolded protein response, such as ATF6, IRE and GRP78. Conclusion: In conclusion, the present study provides preclinical evidence for the use of ASD as an efficacious therapeutic option in cases of chemical-induced liver damage and/or fibrosis. Further large-cohort validation of these findings is warranted.

Design, synthesis and evaluation of novel small molecules acting as Keap1-Nrf2 protein-protein interaction inhibitors.

Direct interference with Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1)-Nrf2 protein-protein interaction (PPI) has recently been introduced as an attractive approach to control life-threatening diseases like myocarditis. The present study aimed to investigate the potential application in myocarditis of a series of novel non-naphthalene derivatives as potential Keap1-Nrf2 PPI inhibitors. Our results indicated that the optimal compound K22 displayed the highest metabolic stability and showed notable Keap1-Nrf2 PPI inhibitory activities in vitro. K22 effectively triggered Nrf2 activation and increased the protein and mRNA expression of Nrf2-regulated genes in H9c2 cells. Moreover, pre-treatment with K22 was shown to mitigate LPS-induced damage to H9c2 cells, causing a marked decrease in the levels of inflammatory factors as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, K22 was also shown to be non-mutagenic in the Ames test. Overall, our findings suggest that K22 may be a promising drug lead as a Keap1-Nrf2 PPI inhibitor for myocarditis treatment.

Spatially Confined Synthesis of SnSe Spheres Encapsulated in N, Se Dual-Doped Carbon Networks toward Fast and Durable Sodium Storage.

On account of the high theoretical capacity and preferable electrochemical reversibility, tin selenides have emerged as potential anode materials in the field of sodium ion batteries (SIBs). Unfortunately, the large volume changes, low electrical conductivity, and shuttling effect of polyselenides have impeded their real application. In this work, we present a spatially confined reaction approach for controllable fabrication of SnSe spheres, which are embedded in polydopamine (PDA)-derived N, Se dual-doped carbon networks (SnSe@NSC) through a one-step carbonization and selenization method. The NSC shell can not only buffer the volume changes during the cycling but also ensure strong coupling interaction between the SnSe core and carbon shell through Sn-C bonds, leading to excellent conductivity and structural integrity of the composite. Meanwhile, DFT theory calculations confirm that N, Se codoping in the carbon shell can endow the composite with enhanced adsorption energy and accelerated transfer ability of Na+. Consequently, the SnSe@NSC anode exhibits a high discharge capacity of 302.6 mA h g-1 over 500 cycles at 1 A g-1 and a competitive rate capability of 285.3 mA h g-1 at 10 A g-1. Additionally, a sodium ion full battery is assembled by coupling the SnSe@NSC anode with the cathode of Na3V2(PO4)3 and verified with good cycling durability (190 mA h g-1 at 1 A g-1 over 500 cycles) and high energy density (204.3 W h kg-1). Our scalable and facile design of heterostructured SnSe@NSC provides a new avenue to develop novel advanced anode materials for SIBs.

Multifunctional Hyphae Carbon Powering Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Biotechnology can bring new breakthroughs on design and fabrication of energy materials and devices. In this work, a novel and facile biological self-assembly technology to fabricate multifunctional Rhizopus hyphae carbon fiber (RHCF) and its derivatives on a large scale for electrochemical energy storage is proposed. Crosslinked hollow carbon fibers are successfully prepared by conversion of Rhizopus hyphae, and macroscopic production of centimeter-level carbon balls consisting of hollow RHCFs is further realized. Moreover, the self-assembled RHCF balls show strong adsorption characteristics on metal ions and can be converted into a series of derivatives such as RHCF/metal oxides. Notably, the designed RHCF derivatives are demonstrated with powerful multifunctionability as cathode, anode, and separator for lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs). The RHCF can act as the host material to combine with metal oxide (CoO) and S, Li metal, and a polypropylene (PP) separator to form a new RHCF/CoO-S cathode, an RHCF/Li anode, and an RHCF/PP separator, respectively. Consequently, the optimized LSB full cell presents excellent cycling performance and superior high-rate capacity (881.3 mA h g-1 at 1 C). This work provides a new method for large-scale preparation of hollow carbon fibers and derivatives for advanced energy storage and conversion.

Association of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide level with adverse outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Studies evaluating the association of blood level of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with adverse prognosis have yielded conflicting results in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This meta-analysis sought to evaluate the prognostic value of blood level of NT-proBNP in patients with AMI. METHODS: Two authors independently searched articles in PubMed and Embase databases up to June 13, 2021. Studies evaluating the association of baseline NT-proBNP level with all-cause mortality or major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs, including death, new or worsening heart failure, recurrent myocardial infarction, revascularization, stroke, etc.) among AMI patients were selected. Multivariable-adjusted risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was pooled by the highest vs. lowest category of NT-proBNP level. RESULTS: A total of 19 studies enrolling 12,158 AMI patients were identified. When compared highest with the lowest category of NT-proBNP level, the pooled RR was 5.28 (95% CI 2.87-9.73) for in-hospital/30-day death, 2.62 (95% CI 2.04-3.37) for follow-up all-cause mortality, and 2.50 (95% CI 1.91-3.28) for follow-up MACEs, respectively. Subgroup analysis further confirmed the value of NT-proBNP in predicting all-cause mortality and MACEs. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated NT-proBNP level is independently associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality and MACEs. Determination of blood NT-proBNP level can improve risk stratification of AMI patients.

A Powerful One-Step Puffing Carbonization Method for Construction of Versatile Carbon Composites with High-Efficiency Energy Storage.

Carbon materials play a critical role in the advancement of electrochemical energy storage and conversion. Currently, it is still a great challenge to fabricate versatile carbon-based composites with controlled morphology, adjustable dimension, and tunable composition by a one-step synthesis process. In this work, a powerful one-step maltose-based puffing carbonization technology is reported to construct multiscale carbon-based composites on large scale. A quantity of composite examples (e.g., carbon/metal oxides, carbon/metal nitrides, carbon/metal carbides, carbon/metal sulfides, carbon/metals, metal/semiconductors, carbon/carbons) are prepared and demonstrated with required properties. These well-designed composites show advantages of large porosity, hierarchical porous structure, high conductivity, tunable components, and proportion. The formation mechanism of versatile carbon composites is attributed to the puffing-carbonization of maltose plus in situ carbothermal reaction between maltose and precursors. As a representative example, Li2 S is in situ implanted into a hierarchical porous cross-linked puffed carbon (CPC) matrix to verify its application in lithium-sulfur batteries. The designed S-doped CPC/Li2 S cathode shows superior electrochemical performance with higher rate capacity (621 mAh g-1 at 2 C), smaller polarization and enhanced long-term cycles as compared to other counterparts. The research provides a general way for the construction of multifunctional component-adjustable carbon composites for advanced energy storage and conversion.

Alisma Shugan Decoction (ASD) Ameliorates Hepatotoxicity and Associated Liver Dysfunction by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and p65/Nrf2/JunD Signaling Dysregulation In Vivo.

BACKGROUND Liver fibrosis, defined as the aberrant accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins such as collagen in the liver, is a common feature of chronic liver disease, and often culminates in portal hypertension, liver cirrhosis, and hepatic failure. Though therapeutically manageable, fibrosis is not always successfully treated by conventional antifibrotic agents. While the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Alisma Shugan Decoction (ASD) has several health benefits, including anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, and limitation of cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, it remains unclear if it has any hepato-protective potential. MATERIAL AND METHODS The present study examined the therapeutic effect of ASD in thioacetamide (TAA)-induced liver injury and fibrosis rat models. RESULTS We demonstrated that 50 mg/kg ASD significantly reversed TAA-induced elevation of alanine or aspartate transaminase levels, elicited no dyscrasia, and conferred a 40% (p<0.01) or 20% (p<0.05) survival advantage, compared to rats treated with TAA or TAA+ASD, respectively. Treatment with ASD reversed TAA-induced liver injury and fibrogenesis via repression of alpha-SMA protein and reduction of the collagen area and fibrosis score. Concurrently, ASD markedly suppressed the mRNA expression of fibrogenic procollagen, ICAM-1, MMP2, MMP9, and MMP13, and production of TIMP-1, ICAM-1, CXCL7, or CD62L cytokine in rat liver injury models. Interestingly, ASD-elicited reduction of liver injury and fibrogenesis was mediated by dysregulated p65/NrF-2/JunD signaling, with a resultant 3.18-fold (p<0.05) increase in GSH/GSSH ratio, and a 3.61-fold (p<0.01) or 1.51-fold (p<0.01) reduction in the 4-hydroxynonenal and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, respectively, indicating reduced oxidative stress in the ASD-treated rats, and suggesting an hepato-protective role for ASD. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, the present study provides supplementary evidence of the therapeutic benefit of ASD as an efficient treatment option in cases of liver injury and fibrosis. Further large-cohort validation of these findings is warranted.

Boosting fast energy storage by synergistic engineering of carbon and deficiency.

Exploring advanced battery materials with fast charging/discharging capability is of great significance to the development of modern electric transportation. Herein we report a powerful synergistic engineering of carbon and deficiency to construct high-quality three/two-dimensional cross-linked Ti2Nb10O29-x@C composites at primary grain level with conformal and thickness-adjustable boundary carbon. Such exquisite boundary architecture is demonstrated to be capable of regulating the mechanical stress and concentration of oxygen deficiency for desired performance. Consequently, significantly improved electronic conductivity and enlarged lithium ion diffusion path, shortened activation process and better structural stability are realized in the designed Ti2Nb10O29-x@C composites. The optimized Ti2Nb10O29-x@C composite electrode shows fast charging/discharging capability with a high capacity of 197 mA h g-1 at 20 C (∼3 min) and excellent long-term durability with 98.7% electron and Li capacity retention over 500 cycles. Most importantly, the greatest applicability of our approach has been demonstrated by various other metal oxides, with tunable morphology, structure and composition.

Implanting Niobium Carbide into Trichoderma Spore Carbon: a New Advanced Host for Sulfur Cathodes.

Tailored construction of advanced carbon hosts is playing a great role in the development of high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs). Herein, a novel N,P-codoped trichoderma spore carbon (TSC) with a bowl structure, prepared by a "trichoderma bioreactor" and annealing process is reported. Moreover, TSC shows excellent compatibility with conductive niobium carbide (NbC), which is in situ implanted into the TSC matrix in the form of nanoparticles forming a highly porous TSC/NbC host. Importantly, NbC plays a dual role in TSC for not only pore formation but also enhancement of conductivity. Excitingly, the sulfur can be well accommodated in the TSC/NbC host forming a high-performance TSC/NbC-S cathode, which exhibits greatly enhanced rate performance (810 mAh g-1 at 5 C) and long cycling life (937.9 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C after 500 cycles), superior to TSC-S and other carbon/S counterparts due to the larger porosity, higher conductivity, and better synergetic trapping effect for the soluble polysulfide intermediate. The synergetic work of porous the conductive architecture, heterodoped N&P polar sites in TSC and polar conductive NbC provides new opportunities for enhancing physisorption and chemisorption of polysulfides leading to higher capacity and better rate capability.

Atomic Layer Deposition-Assisted Construction of Binder-Free Ni@N-Doped Carbon Nanospheres Films as Advanced Host for Sulfur Cathode.

Rational design of hybrid carbon host with high electrical conductivity and strong adsorption toward soluble lithium polysulfides is the main challenge for achieving high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs). Herein, novel binder-free Ni@N-doped carbon nanospheres (N-CNSs) films as sulfur host are firstly synthesized via a facile combined hydrothermal-atomic layer deposition method. The cross-linked multilayer N-CNSs films can effectively enhance the electrical conductivity of electrode and provide physical blocking "dams" toward the soluble long-chain polysulfides. Moreover, the doped N heteroatoms and superficial NiO layer on Ni layer can work synergistically to suppress the shuttle of lithium polysulfides by effective chemical interaction/adsorption. In virtue of the unique composite architecture and reinforced dual physical and chemical adsorption to the soluble polysulfides, the obtained Ni@N-CNSs/S electrode is demonstrated with enhanced rate performance (816 mAh g-1 at 2 C) and excellent long cycling life (87% after 200 cycles at 0.1 C), much better than N-CNSs/S electrode and other carbon/S counterparts. Our proposed design strategy offers a promising prospect for construction of advanced sulfur cathodes for applications in LSBs and other energy storage systems.

Spore Carbon from Aspergillus Oryzae for Advanced Electrochemical Energy Storage.

Development of novel advanced carbon materials is playing a critical role in the innovation of electrochemical energy storage technology. Hierarchical porous spore carbon produced by Aspergillus oryzae is reported, which acts as a biofactory. Interestingly, the spore carbon not only shows a porous maze structure consisting of crosslinked nanofolds, but also is intrinsically N and P dual doped. Impressively, the spore carbon can be further embedded with Ni2 P nanoparticles, which serve as porogen to form a highly porous spore carbon/Ni2 P composite with increased surface area and enhanced electrical conductivity. To explore the potential application in lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs), the spore carbon/Ni2 P composite is combined with sulfur, forming a composite cathode, which exhibits a high initial capacity of 1347.5 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C, enhanced cycling stability (73.5% after 500 cycles), and better rate performance than the spore carbon/S and artificial hollow carbon sphere/S counterparts. The synergistic effect on suppressing the shuttle effect of intermediate polysulfides is responsible for the excellent LSBs performance with the aid of a physical blocking effect arising from the electrical maze porous structure and the chemical adsorption effect originating from N, P dual doping and polarized compound Ni2 P.

[Effect of combination of Chinese and Western medicines on sinus rhythm maintenance in patients with auricular fibrillation after conversion].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the curative effects of irbesartan, amiodarone and Wenxin Granule (WG), applied alone or in combination, on sinus rhythm maintenance in patients with auricular fibrillation (AF) after conversion. METHODS: Forty-one patients of persistent AF, after their fibrillation being converted, were divided into three groups randomly, and treated with amiodarone (group A, n=14), irbesartan and amiodarone (group B, n=15), and WG plus irbesartan and amiodarone (group C, n=12) respectively for 6 months. RESULTS: Compared with that before treatment, the inner diameter of atria sinistrum reduced in group B and C, and the reduction in the latter was superior to that in the former (P < 0.05); the diameter of left ventricle also reduced in group C (P < 0.05); and the maintenance rate of sinus rhythm was higher in group C than that in group A (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Combined therapy of Chinese and Western medicines shows synergistic effect of anti-arrhythmia.