Size Effect for Inhibiting Polysulfides Shuttle in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

It is undeniable that the dissolution of polysulfides is beneficial in speeding up the conversion rate of sulfur in electrochemical reactions. But it also brings the bothersome "shuttle effect". Therefore, if polysulfides can be retained on the cathode side, the efficient utilization of the polysulfides can be guaranteed to achieve the excellent performance of lithium-sulfur batteries. Based on this idea, considerable methods have been developed to inhibit the shuttling of polysulfides. It is necessary to emphasize that no matter which method is used, the solvation mechanism, and existence forms of polysulfides are essential to analyze. Especially, it is important to clarify the sizes of different forms of polysulfides when using the size effect to inhibit the shuttling of polysulfides. In this review, a comprehensive summary and in-depth discussion of the solvation mechanism, the existing forms of polysulfides, and the influencing factors affecting polysulfides species are presented. Meanwhile, the size of diverse polysulfide species is sorted out for the first time. Depending on the size of polysulfides, tactics of using size effect in cathode, separator, and interlayer parts are elaborated. Finally, a design idea of materials pore size is proposed to satisfy the use of size effect to inhibit polysulfides shuttle.

Pyrolysis Mechanism of Ionic Liquid Under Microwave Irradiation and the Formation of N-Doped Carbon.

The pyrolysis mechanism of the ionic liquid [BMIm]N(CN)2 under microwave irradiation was discussed for the first time. The trimerization of the anion N(CN)-2 and the formation of a framework were firstly caused by the microwave irradiation. And then the carbonization of the framework occurred when the temperature reached 330 °C. The pyrolysis product was graphitic nitrogendoped carbon and mainly originated from the anion N(CN)-2. The nitrogen content and graphitization degree of the nitrogen-doped carbon was relied on the pyrolysis temperature.

Efficacy of DC-CIK-based immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of intermediate to advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of dendritic cell-cytokine-induced killer cell (DC-CIK)-based immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of intermediate to advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its effect on the levels of serum carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1). METHODS: Sixty patients with intermediate to advanced NSCLC who were treated in the Department of Oncology of Jiangxi Cancer Hospital from January to June 2016 were grouped according to a randomized double-blind method, including the control group (CG, n=30) receiving a routine chemotherapy regimen and the experimental group (EG, n=30) receiving DC-CIK immunotherapy plus a routine chemotherapy regimen. The treatment efficacy, major adverse reactions, immune function, level of cytokines in peripheral blood, serum tumor markers and CA-199, MMP-9, TIMP-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The overall cancer control rate of treatment in the EG (70.00%) was slightly higher than that in the CG (56.67%) (P > 0.05). The peripheral blood CD4+ and natural killer (NK) cell levels in the EG after treatment were higher than those in the CG, while interleukin-4 (IL-4), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), CA199, carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125), CYFRA211, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), MMP-9, TIMP-1, and VEGF levels in the EG were lower than those in the CG (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: DC-CIK immunotherapy combined with routine chemotherapy in the treatment of intermediate to advanced NSCLC had significant efficacy in enhancing patients' cellular immune function, reducing the inflammatory response, regulating tumor marker levels, and inhibiting tumor invasion and metastasis, without increasing adverse reactions.

The Fabrication of Carbon Nanofibers Paper Supported CoO4 Nanocomposite and Their Electrochemical Properties.

A hierarchical network architecture consisting of Co3O4 nanoflakes network (nanonet) coats on a carbon fiber paper. For this 3 dimension (3D) architecture, the electrode shows ideal pseudocapacitive behavior and the maximum specific capacitance of 210 F/g can be reached at the constant current density of 1 A/g in 1 M KOH electrolyte, still retaining 85% of the initial capacitance after 1000 cycles of repeating charge-discharge. The improved capacity may be attributed to the unique hierarchical network structures, which improve electron/ion transport, enhancing the kinetics of redox reactions and facilitate facile stress relaxation during cycling.