Sulfonyl Molecules Induced Oriented Lithium Deposition for Long-Term Lithium Metal Batteries.

Dendrites growth and unstable interfacial Li+ transport hinder the practical application of lithium metal batteries (LMBs). Herein, we report an active layer of 2,4,6-trihydroxy benzene sulfonyl fluorine on copper substrate that induces oriented Li+ deposition and generates highly crystalline solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) to achieve high-performance LMBs. The lithiophilic -SO2 - groups of highly crystalline SEI accept the rapidly transported Li+ ions and form a dense inner layer of LiF and Li3 N, which regulate Li+ plating morphology along the (110) crystal surface toward dendrite-free Li anode. Thus, Li||Cu cells with lithiophilic SEI achieve an average deposition efficiency of 99.8 % after 700 cycles, and Li||Li cells operate well for 1100 h. Besides, Li||LiNi0.8 Co0.1 Mn0.1 O2 cells with modified SEI exhibit a capacity retention that is 14 times than that of conventional SEI. Even at -60 °C, Li||Cu cells reach stable deposition efficiency of 83.2 % after 100 cycles.

Nano-semiconductor material stabilized Zn metal anode for long-life aqueous Zn-ion batteries.

The advantages of aqueous Zn-ion batteries lie in the affordability and environmental friendliness. Nonetheless, the use of aqueous Zn-ion batteries is severely hindered by key issues such dendrite formation and side reactions in Zn metal anodes. It is able to works well so as to create a stable interface layer, which controls the development of dendrites and adverse reactions. In this study, it is recommended that the coating formed by nano-semiconductor material graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) should be applied to the surface of Zn metal to evenly disperse the electric field, as well as inhibit the development of tip effect, thus preventing Zn dendrite growth. Zn deposition occurs quickly and steadily as a result of Zn2+ ions being adsorbed and the Zn2+ ion flow being reallocated by the zincophilicity of N atoms in the coating. The Zn symmetrical battery can be stable cycled for 1,000 h at a current density of 0.5 mA cm-2, with its overall areal capacity of 0.5mAh cm-2, which is attributed to these benefits of the coating. It can be stable circulated for 500 h at a high current density of 5 mA cm-2, with its total areal capacity of 1mAh cm-2. The completely constructed Zn-g-C3N4//V2O5 according exhibits exceptional long-termcycle stability. Under the current density of 2 A/g, the initial capacity is 312.3 mAh g-1, which can cycle be stable circulated for 1,000 cycles.Under the high current density of 5 A/g, the whole battery's capacity keeping holdingrate is 70% after 2000 cycles, and the coulomb efficiency (CE) is extremely near to 100%.

Li3Bi/Li2O layer with uniform built-in electric field distribution for dendrite free lithium metal batteries.

Lithium metal batteries have garnered significant attention as a promising energy storage technology, offering high energy density and potential applications across various industries. However, the formation of lithium dendrites during battery cycling poses a considerable challenge, leading to performance degradation and safety hazards. This study aims to address this issue by investigating the effectiveness of a protective layer on the lithium metal surface in inhibiting dendrite growth. The hypothesis is that continuous lithium consumption during battery cycling is a primary contributor to dendrite formation. To test this hypothesis, a protective layer of Li3Bi/Li2O was applied to the lithium foil through immersion in a BiN3O9 solution. Experimental techniques including kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were employed to analyze the structural and electronic properties of the Li3Bi/Li2O layer. The findings demonstrate successful doping of Bi into the Li coating, forming Bi-Bi and Bi-O bonds. KPFM measurements reveal a higher work function of Li3Bi/Li2O, indicating its potential as an effective protective layer. DFT calculations further support this observation by revealing a greater adsorption energy of lithium on the Li3Bi/Li2O layer compared to the bulk material. Charge density analysis suggests that the adsorption of Li atoms onto the Li3Bi/Li2O layer induces a redistribution of charge, resulting in increased electron availability on the surface and preventing electrode-electrolyte contact. This study provides insights into the role of the Li3Bi/Li2O protective layer in inhibiting dendrite growth in lithium metal batteries. By mitigating dendrite formation, the protective layer holds promise for enhancing battery performance and longevity. These findings contribute to the development of strategies for improving the stability and reliability of lithium metal batteries, facilitating their wider adoption in energy storage applications.

Stable Li metal anode in a lithiophilic shuttle.

Suppressing severe lithium (Li) dendrite growth is a formidable challenge for high-energy-density lithium (Li) metal batteries (LMBs). Conventional lithiophilic coatings, despite their ability to improve the Li plating morphology, generate a compact conversion layer with a low electrolyte volume fraction, impeding the mass- and charge-transfers at the electrode interface and offsetting the benefits brought by lithiophilicity. Herein, a lithiophilic shuttle is obtained by the superposition of very thin layered copper oxide (L-CuO) flakes. After the conversion process, conjoined channels with a high electrolyte volume fraction can be maintained in the lithiophilic shuttle for fast and lateral Li+ transfer. In addition to the inherent high-Li-affinity and layered-structure-induced capacitive feature, the lithiophilic shuttle can afford stable and reversible Li plating/stripping at high current densities up to 3 mA cm-2 in LMBs with a practical capacity of 5 mA h cm-2. This work provides a new hierarchical lithiophilic structure to push forward high-energy-density LMBs for practical applications.

Analysis of the Impact of Medical Features and Risk Prediction of Acute Kidney Injury for Critical Patients Using Temporal Electronic Health Record Data With Attention-Based Neural Network.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most severe consequences of kidney injury, and it will also cause or aggravate the complications by the fast decline of kidney excretory function. Accurate AKI prediction, including the AKI case, AKI stage, and AKI onset time interval, can provide adequate support for effective interventions. Besides, discovering how the medical features affect the AKI result may also provide supporting information for disease treatment. An attention-based temporal neural network approach was employed in this study for AKI prediction and for the analysis of the impact of medical features from temporal electronic health record (EHR) data of patients before AKI diagnosis. We used the publicly available dataset provided by the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC) for model training, validation, and testing, and then the model was applied in clinical practice. The improvement of AKI case prediction is around 5% AUC (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve), and the AUC value of AKI stage prediction on AKI stage 3 is over 82%. We also analyzed the data by two steps: the associations between the medical features and the AKI case (positive or inverse) and the extent of the impact of medical features on AKI prediction result. It shows that features, such as lactate, glucose, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), prothrombin time (PT), and partial thromboplastin time (PTT), are positively associated with the AKI case, while there are inverse associations between the AKI case and features such as platelet, hemoglobin, hematocrit, urine, and international normalized ratio (INR). The laboratory test features such as urine, glucose, creatinine, sodium, and blood urea nitrogen and the medication features such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, agents acting on the renin-angiotensin system, and lipid-lowering medication were detected to have higher weights than other features in the proposed model, which may imply that these features have a great impact on the AKI case.

High Expression of Complement Components in the Kidneys of Type 2 Diabetic Rats With Diabetic Nephropathy.

Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end-stage failure of the kidneys; however, its pathogenesis remains unknown. This study assessed the expression of complement components in the kidneys of rats with type 2 DN to investigate their role in DN. Methods: A rat model of type 2 DN was induced by a high-fat diet combined with low-dose streptozotocin. Blood glucose, fasting insulin levels, insulin resistance index, and 24-h urinary albumin excretion (UAE) were measured. Renal tissue morphological features were observed. The mesangial index and arteriosclerosis index were calculated. Immunohistochemistry and western blot were used to measure the expression of complement components in the kidneys. Results: The kidney weight: body weight (mg/g) ratio in the DN group was significantly greater than those in the control and diabetes mellitus (DM) groups. The arteriosclerosis index, mesangial index, and tube area percentage in the DN group were significantly higher than those in the control and DM groups, but these parameters did not significantly differ between the control and DM groups. The expression of the complement components C1q, mannose-binding lectin (MBL), mannan-binding lectin-associated serine protease (MASP)-2, B factor, C3, and C5b-9 in the DN group was significantly higher than that in the control and DM groups but did not significantly differ between the control and DM groups. Most of the complement components were mainly expressed at the renal tubular site. Correlation analysis showed that 24-h UAE were positively correlated with C1q, MBL, MASP-2, B factor, and C5b-9 expression. MI was positively correlated with MBL, B factor, C3, and C5b-9 expression. AI was positively correlated with C1q, MBL, MASP-2, and B factor expression. Conclusion: Complement components including C1q, MBL, MASP-2, B factor, C3, and C5b-9, were highly expressed in the kidneys of type 2 diabetic rats with DN. Most of the complement components were mainly expressed in the renal tubules. High expression of complement components was found to be associated with the progress of DN. Our study suggests that complement system activation is a progressive factor in type 2 diabetic nephropathy. Inhibition of pathological complement activation may be a promising therapeutic strategy for DN.

Endogenous Secretory Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products Protects Endothelial Cells from AGEs Induced Apoptosis.

Endogenous secretory receptor for advanced glycation end products (esRAGE) binds extracellular RAGE ligands and blocks RAGE activation on the cell surface, protecting endothelial cell function. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Endothelial cells overexpressing the esRAGE gene were generated using a lentiviral vector. Then, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to assess esRAGE mRNA and protein levels, respectively. Hoechst-PI double staining was used to assess apoptosis. Western blot and qRT-PCR were used to assess the expression levels of apoptosis-related factors and the proinflammatory cytokine NF-кB. Compared with the control group, AGEs significantly induced endothelial cell apoptosis, which was significantly reduced by esRAGE overexpression. Incubation with AGEs upregulated the proapoptotic factor Bax and downregulated the antiapoptotic factor Bcl-2. Overexpression of esRAGE reduced Bax expression induced by AGEs and increased Bcl-2 levels. Furthermore, AGEs increased the expression levels of proinflammatory cytokine NF-кB, which were reduced after esRAGE overexpression. esRAGE protects endothelial cells from AGEs associated apoptosis, by downregulating proapoptotic (Bax) and inflammatory (NF-кB) factors and upregulating the antiapoptotic factor Bcl-2.