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Batteries have shaped much of our modern world. This success is the result of intense collaboration between academia and industry over the past several decades, culminating with the advent of and improvements in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. As applications become more demanding, there is the risk that stunted growth in the performance of commercial batteries will slow the adoption of important technologies such as electric vehicles. Yet the scientific literature includes many reports describing material designs with allegedly superior performance. A considerable gap needs to be filled if we wish these laboratory-based achievements to reach commercialization. In this Perspective, we discuss some of the most relevant testing parameters that are often overlooked in academic literature but are critical for practical applicability outside the laboratory. We explain metrics such as anode energy density, voltage hysteresis, mass of non-active cell components and anode/cathode mass ratio, and we make recommendations for future reporting. We hope that this Perspective, together with other similar guiding principles that have recently started to emerge, will aid the transition from lab-scale research to next-generation practical batteries.This Perspective discussed the best practices for reporting lab-scale performance metrics in battery papers.

Studies have shown that some patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure have preserved lung compliance, suggesting that processes other than alveolar damage might be involved in hypoxaemia related to COVID-19 pneumonia.1 The typical imaging features of COVID-19 pneumonia, including peripheral ground-glass opacities with or without consolidation, are also non-specific and can be seen in many other diseases.2 There has been increasing attention on microvascular thrombi as a possible explanation for the severe hypoxaemia related to COVID-19.3,4 Dual-energy CT imaging can be used to characterise lung perfusion and is done as part of the standard protocol for imaging pulmonary embolism at our institution. Three patients with COVID-19, as confirmed by nasopharyngeal RT-PCR at our hospital, who did not have a history of smoking, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or other pulmonary conditions, underwent dual-energy CT imaging for elevated concentrations of D-dimer (>1000 ng/mL) and clinical suspicion of pulmonary emboli. Additionally, the mosaic perfusion pattern did not correspond to findings of bronchial wall thickening or secretions, making airway disease as the main underlying cause of hypoxaemia unlikely. [...]these perfusion abnormalities, combined with the pulmonary vascular dilation we observed, are suggestive of intrapulmonary shunting toward areas where gas exchange is impaired, resulting in a worsening ventilation–perfusion mismatch and clinical hypoxia.

Stable solid electrolyte interface (SEI) is highly sought after for lithium metal batteries (LMB) owing to its efficient electrolyte consumption suppression and Li dendrite growth inhibition. However, current design strategies can hardly endow a multifunctional SEI formation due to the non-uniform, low flexible film formation and limited capability to alter Li nucleation/growth orientation, which results in unconstrained dendrite growth and short cycling stability. Herein, we present a novel strategy to employ electrolyte additives containing catechol and acrylic groups to construct a stable multifunctional SEI by in-situ anionic polymerization. This self-smoothing and robust SEI offers multiple sites for Li adsorption and steric repulsion to constrain nucleation/growth process, leading to homogenized Li nanosphere formation. This isotropic nanosphere offers non-preferred Li growth orientation, rendering uniform Li deposition to achieve a dendrite-free anode. Attributed to these superiorities, a remarkable cycling performance can be obtained, i.e., high current density up to 10 mA cm −2 , ultra-long cycle life over 8500 hrs operation, high cumulative capacity over 4.25 Ah cm −2 and stable cycling under 60 °C. A prolonged lifespan can also be achieved in Li-S and Li-LiFePO 4 cells under lean electrolyte content, low N/P ratio or high temperature conditions. This facile strategy also promotes the practical application of LMB and enlightens the SEI design in related fields. Stable solid electrolyte interface (SEI) is heavily investigated due to its role in improving lithium metal batteries. Here, the authors present a new strategy by employing electrolyte additives to construct stable multifunctional SEI via in situ anionic polymerization.

Aluminum is a naturally abundant, trivalent charge carrier with high theoretical specific capacity and volumetric energy density, rendering aluminum-ion batteries a technology of choice for future large-scale energy storage. However, the frequent collapse of the host structure of the cathode materials and sluggish kinetics of aluminum ion diffusion have thus far hampered the realization of practical battery devices. Here, we synthesize Al x MnO 2 · n H 2 O by an in-situ electrochemical transformation reaction to be used as a cathode material for an aluminum-ion battery with a configuration of Al/Al(OTF) 3 -H 2 O/Al x MnO 2 · n H 2 O. This cell is not only based on aqueous electrolyte chemistry but also delivers a high specific capacity of 467 mAh g −1 and a record high energy density of 481 Wh kg −1 . The high safety of aqueous electrolyte, facile cell assembly and the low cost of materials suggest that this aqueous aluminum-ion battery holds promise for large-scale energy applications. The instability of the host structure of cathode materials and sluggish aluminium ion diffusion are the major challenges facing the Al-ion battery. Here the authors show Al x MnO 2 · n H 2 O as a cathode that allows for reversible Al 3+ (de)intercalation in an aqueous electrolyte and impressive electrochemical performance for a battery device.

Lithium–sulfur battery possesses high energy density but suffers from severe capacity fading due to the dissolution of lithium polysulfides. Novel design and mechanisms to encapsulate lithium polysulfides are greatly desired by high-performance lithium–sulfur batteries towards practical applications. Herein, we report a strategy of utilizing anthraquinone, a natural abundant organic molecule, to suppress dissolution and diffusion of polysulfides species through redox reactions during cycling. The keto groups of anthraquinone play a critical role in forming strong Lewis acid-based chemical bonding. This mechanism leads to a long cycling stability of sulfur-based electrodes. With a high sulfur content of ~73%, a low capacity decay of 0.019% per cycle for 300 cycles and retention of 81.7% over 500 cycles at 0.5 C rate can be achieved. This finding and understanding paves an alternative avenue for the future design of sulfur–based cathodes toward the practical application of lithium–sulfur batteries. Novel cathode design holds the key to enabling high performance lithium-sulfur batteries. Here the authors utilize anthraquinone to chemically stabilize polysulfides, revealing that the keto groups of anthraquinone play a critical role in forming strong Lewis acid-based chemical bonding.

Historically long accepted to be the singular root cause of capacity fading, transition metal dissolution has been reported to severely degrade the anode. However, its impact on the cathode behavior remains poorly understood. Here we show the correlation between capacity fading and phase/surface stability of an LiMn 2 O 4 cathode. It is revealed that a combination of structural transformation and transition metal dissolution dominates the cathode capacity fading. LiMn 2 O 4 exhibits irreversible phase transitions driven by manganese(III) disproportionation and Jahn-Teller distortion, which in conjunction with particle cracks results in serious manganese dissolution. Meanwhile, fast manganese dissolution in turn triggers irreversible structural evolution, and as such, forms a detrimental cycle constantly consuming active cathode components. Furthermore, lithium-rich LiMn 2 O 4 with lithium/manganese disorder and surface reconstruction could effectively suppress the irreversible phase transition and manganese dissolution. These findings close the loop of understanding capacity fading mechanisms and allow for development of longer life batteries. To unlock the potential of Mn-based cathode materials, the fast capacity fading process has to be first understood. Here the authors utilize advanced characterization techniques to look at a spinel LiMn 2 O 4 system, revealing that a combination of irreversible structural transformations and Mn dissolution takes responsibility.

The need for high-energy batteries has driven the development of binder-free electrode architectures. However, the weak bonding between the electrode particles and the current collector cannot withstand the severe volume change of active materials upon battery cycling, which largely limit the large-scale application of such electrodes. Using tin nanoarrays electrochemically deposited on copper substrate as an example, here we demonstrate a strategy of strengthening the connection between electrode and current collector by thermally alloying tin and copper at their interface. The locally formed tin-copper alloys are electron-conductive and meanwhile electrochemically inactive, working as an ideal “glue” robustly bridging tin and copper to survive harsh cycling conditions in sodium ion batteries. The working mechanism of the alloy “glue” is further characterized through a combination of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, atomic structural analysis and in situ X-ray diffraction, presenting itself as a promising strategy for engineering binder-free electrode with endurable performance. The authors here report a binder-free electrode based on tin nanoarrays deposited on copper substrate. It is found that the locally formed electrochemically inactive tin-copper alloys work as a glue that bridges tin and copper to survive harsh cycling conditions in sodium ion batteries.

Catalytic conversion of polysulfides is regarded as a crucial approach to enhancing kinetics and suppressing the shuttle effect in lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries. However, the activity prediction of Li–S catalysts remains elusive owing to the lack of mechanistic understanding of activity descriptors. Here, we report a volcano-shaped relationship between polysulfide adsorption ability and catalytic activity. In conjunction with theoretical analysis, we distinguish catalytic and anchoring effects to delineate the role of adsorption and emphasize the passivation of catalysts. These findings enable us to develop a composite catalyst, Co 0.125 Zn 0.875 S, which shows higher performance than simple binary compounds. Such a fundamental understanding of the intrinsic link between polysulfide adsorption and catalytic activity offers a rational viewpoint for designing Li–S catalysts and tuning their activities. Catalysis is a crucial strategy for improving the performance of sulfur cathodes in Li–S batteries, yet few strategies have been established to design effective catalysts. Here, by uncovering a volcano-shaped trend between polysulfide adsorption and catalytic rate in transition-metal-doped ZnS, a highly efficient ternary sulfide is developed.

To provide a comprehensive analysis of clinical trials (CTs) listed in worldwide registries involving new applications for stem cell-based treatments and account for the role of industry. We developed a data set of 4749 stem cell CTs up to 2013 in worldwide registries. We defined 1058 novel CTs (i.e., trials that were not observational in nature; did not involve an established stem cell therapy for an established indication, such as hematopoietic stem cells for leukemia; and did not investigate supportive measures). Based on trial descriptions, we manually coded these for eight additional elements. Our analysis details the characteristics of novel stem cell CTs (e.g., stem cell types being tested, disease being targeted, and whether interventions were autologous or allogeneic), geotemporal trends, and private sector involvement as sponsor or collaborator. The field is progressing at a steady pace with emerging business models for stem cell therapeutics. However, therapeutic rhetoric must be tempered to reflect current clinical and research realities.

Inactive lithium (more frequently called dead lithium) in the forms of solid–electrolyte interphase and electrically isolated metallic lithium is principally responsible for the performance decay commonly observed in lithium metal batteries. A fundamental solution of recovering dead lithium is urgently needed to stabilize lithium metal batteries. Here we quantify the solid–electrolyte interphase components, and determine their relation with the formation of electrically isolated dead lithium metal. We present a lithium restoration method based on a series of iodine redox reactions mainly involving I 3 − /I − . Using a biochar capsule host for iodine, we show that the I 3 − /I − redox takes place spontaneously, effectively rejuvenating dead lithium to compensate the lithium loss. Through this design, a full-cell using a very limited lithium metal anode exhibits an excellent lifespan of 1,000 cycles with a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.9%. We also demonstrate the design with a commercial cathode in pouch cells. Cycling lithium batteries often results in inactive lithium that no longer participates in redox reactions, leading to performance deterioration. Here the authors use an iodic species to react with inactive lithium, bringing it back to life and thus making batteries last longer.