The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (B.1.1529) variant was designated as a variant of concern (VOC) by the World Health Organization (WHO) on November 26, 2021. Within two months, it had replaced the Delta variant and had become the dominant circulating variant around the world. The Omicron variant possesses an unprecedented number of mutations, especially in the spike protein, which may be influencing its biological and clinical aspects. Preliminary studies have suggested that increased transmissibility and the reduced protective effects of neutralizing antibodies have contributed to the rapid spread of this variant, posing a significant challenge to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. There is, however, a silver lining for this wave of the Omicron variant. A lower risk of hospitalization and mortality has been observed in prevailing countries. Booster vaccination also has ameliorated a significant reduction in neutralization. Antiviral drugs are minimally influenced. Moreover, the functions of Fc-mediated and T-cell immunity have been retained to a great extent, both of which play a key role in preventing severe disease.
Potassium‐ion batteries (PIBs) are promising alternatives to lithium‐ion batteries because of the advantage of abundant, low‐cost potassium resources. However, PIBs are facing a pivotal challenge to develop suitable electrode materials for efficient insertion/extraction of large‐radius potassium ions (K+). Here, a viable anode material composed of uniform, hollow porous bowl‐like hard carbon dual doped with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) (denoted as N/P‐HPCB) is developed for high‐performance PIBs. With prominent merits in structure, the as‐fabricated N/P‐HPCB electrode manifests extraordinary potassium storage performance in terms of high reversible capacity (458.3 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g−1), superior rate performance (213.6 mAh g−1 at 4 A g−1), and long‐term cyclability (205.2 mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles at 2 A g−1). Density‐functional theory calculations reveal the merits of N/P dual doping in favor of facilitating the adsorption/diffusion of K+ and enhancing the electronic conductivity, guaranteeing improved capacity, and rate capability. Moreover, in situ transmission electron microscopy in conjunction with ex situ microscopy and Raman spectroscopy confirms the exceptional cycling stability originating from the excellent phase reversibility and robust structure integrity of N/P‐HPCB electrode during cycling. Overall, the findings shed light on the development of high‐performance, durable carbon anodes for advanced PIBs.
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