Heterocyclic Conjugated Polymer Nanoarchitectonics with Synergistic Redox-Active Sites for High-Performance Aluminium Organic Batteries.

The development of cost-effective and long-life rechargeable aluminium ion batteries (AIBs) shows promising prospects for sustainable energy storage applications. Here, we report a heteroatom π-conjugated polymer featuring synergistic C=O and C=N active centres as a new cathode material in AIBs using a low-cost AlCl3 /urea electrolyte. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal the fused C=N sites in the polymer not only benefit good π-conjugation but also enhance the redox reactivity of C=O sites, which enables the polymer to accommodate four AlCl2 (urea)2 + per repeating unit. By integrating the polymer with carbon nanotubes, the hybrid cathode exhibits a high discharge capacity and a long cycle life (295 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 and 85 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1 over 4000 cycles). The achieved specific energy density of 413 Wh kg-1 outperforms most Al-organic batteries reported to date. The synergistic redox-active sites strategy sheds light on the rational design of organic electrode materials.

Interlayer Space Engineering of MXenes for Electrochemical Energy Storage Applications.

The increasing demand for high-performance rechargeable energy storage systems has stimulated the exploration of advanced electrode materials. MXenes are a class of two-dimensional (2D) inorganic transition metal carbides/nitrides, which are promising candidates in electrodes. The layered structure facilitates ion insertion/extraction, which offers promising electrochemical characteristics for electrochemical energy storage. However, the low capacity accompanied by sluggish electrochemical kinetics of electrodes as well as interlayer restacking and collapse significantly impede their practical applications. Recently, interlayer space engineering of MXenes by different chemical strategies have been widely investigated in designing functional materials for various applications. In this review, an overview of the most recent progress of 2D MXenes engineering by intercalation, surface modification as well as heterostructures design is provided. Moreover, some critical challenges in future research on MXene-based electrodes have been also proposed.

Zinc-Bromine Rechargeable Batteries: From Device Configuration, Electrochemistry, Material to Performance Evaluation.

Zinc-bromine rechargeable batteries (ZBRBs) are one of the most powerful candidates for next-generation energy storage due to their potentially lower material cost, deep discharge capability, non-flammable electrolytes, relatively long lifetime and good reversibility. However, many opportunities remain to improve the efficiency and stability of these batteries for long-life operation. Here, we discuss the device configurations, working mechanisms and performance evaluation of ZBRBs. Both non-flow (static) and flow-type cells are highlighted in detail in this review. The fundamental electrochemical aspects, including the key challenges and promising solutions, are discussed, with particular attention paid to zinc and bromine half-cells, as their performance plays a critical role in determining the electrochemical performance of the battery system. The following sections examine the key performance metrics of ZBRBs and assessment methods using various ex situ and in situ/operando techniques. The review concludes with insights into future developments and prospects for high-performance ZBRBs.

Scientific issues of zinc-bromine flow batteries and mitigation strategies.

Zinc-bromine flow batteries (ZBFBs) are promising candidates for the large-scale stationary energy storage application due to their inherent scalability and flexibility, low cost, green, and environmentally friendly characteristics. ZBFBs have been commercially available for several years in both grid scale and residential energy storage applications. Nevertheless, their continued development still presents challenges associated with electrodes, separators, electrolyte, as well as their operational chemistry. Therefore, rational design of these components in ZBFBs is of utmost importance to further improve the overall device performance. In this review, the focus is on the scientific understanding of the fundamental electrochemistry and functional components of ZBFBs, with an emphasis on the technical challenges of reaction chemistry, development of functional materials, and their application in ZBFBs. Current limitations of ZBFBs with future research directions in the development of high performance ZBFBs are suggested.

Photothermal combined gene therapy achieved by polyethyleneimine-grafted oxidized mesoporous carbon nanospheres.

Combining controllable photothermal therapy and efficacious gene therapy in a single platform holds great promise in cancer therapy due to the enhanced combined therapeutic effects. Herein, polyethyleneimine-grafted oxidized mesoporous carbon nanospheres (OP) were developed for combined photothermal combined gene therapy in vitro and in vivo. The synthesized OP was characterized to have three dimensional spherical structure with uniformed diameter, ordered mesopores with graphitic domains, high water dispersion with zeta potential of +22 mV, and good biocompatibility. Consequently, OP was exploited as the photothermal convertor with strong NIR absorption and the gene vector via electrostatic interaction, which therefore cannot only deliver the therapeutic gene (pING4) to tumors for gene therapy, but also can eliminate the tumors by photothermal ablation. Moreover, the improved gene therapy accompanied by the NIR photothermally enhanced gene release was also well achieved based on OP. The excellent combined therapeutic effects demonstrated in vitro and in vivo suggested the OP's potential for cancer therapy.