Efficient and high-performance zinc–air batteries
(ZABs)
with gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) were prepared. Cubic spinel-type
MnCo2O4-coated carbon fibers (MnCo2O4/CF) were used to prepare air electrodes, and poly(acrylic
acid) was used to prepare alkaline GPEs. Materials characterization,
including electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,
confirmed the formation of MnCo2O4 on the CFs.
The optimum composition of the GPE was determined by rheological measurements
and battery testing; using GPE with a crosslinker concentration of
30 mM led to the best performing battery. Full-cell battery tests
and cycling tests showed that this ZAB cell had outstanding performance
with an initial efficiency of 62.6% at 10 mA cm–2, which degraded by only 6.5% after 200 cycles (100 h). The power
output of this cell was 240 mW cm–2, which is superior
to the power outputs reported in the recent literature for ZABs.
Gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) are emerging materials for Zn-air batteries (ZABs), since the GPE can act as a combined electrolyte and separator in the battery. GPE-KOH was fabricated through the...
Spinel type MnCo2O4 coated on asphaltene based carbon fibers (MnCo2O4/CF) was used as the electrode material/electrocatalyst for air electrodes for zinc‐air batteries (ZABs). The batteries were assembled using an alkaline poly(acrylic acid) hydrogel electrolyte. The low temperature battery performance of the prepared ZAB cells was studied in terms of charge/discharge voltage and efficiency at different current densities, cycle life, power density, and cell voltage at temperatures between −45 °C and 21 °C. At all temperatures, the ZABs successfully completed 200 cycles of charge/discharge (100 h) at 2 mA cm−2 which is double the current density reported in the recent literature. The maximum power densities at 0 and −45 °C were 75 and 12 mW cm−2, respectively. The good performance is attributed to the porous design of the air electrode and the use of an efficient electrocatalyst and an optimized gel polymer electrolyte.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most lethal malignancies worldwide. The Hippo signaling pathway has emerged as a significant suppressive pathway for hepatocellular carcinogenesis. The core components of the Hippo pathway constitute a kinase cascade, which inhibits the functional activation of YAP/TAZ. Interestingly, the overactivation of YAP/TAZ is commonly observed in hepatocellular carcinoma, although the inhibitory kinase cascade of the Hippo pathway is still functional. Recent studies have indicated that the ubiquitin‒proteasome system also plays important roles in modulating Hippo signaling activity. Our DUB (deubiquitinase) siRNA screen showed that USP1 is a critical regulator of Hippo signaling activity. Analysis of TCGA data demonstrated that USP1 expression is elevated in HCC and associated with poor survival in HCC patients. RNA sequencing analysis revealed that USP1 depletion affects Hippo signaling activity in HCC cell lines. Mechanistic assays revealed that USP1 is required for Hippo/TAZ axis activity and HCC progression. USP1 interacted with the WW domain of TAZ, which subsequently enhanced TAZ stability by suppressing K11-linked polyubiquitination of TAZ. Our study identifies a novel mechanism linking USP1 and TAZ in regulating the Hippo pathway and one possible therapeutic target for HCC.
Zinc-air batteries (ZABs) have gained much attention from researchers in recent years, partly due to their high theoretical energy density as well as improved safety and the abundance of zinc relative to lithium in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) in ZABs can act as a separator and, therefore, can reduce the effect of dendrite formation at the zinc electrode. The temperature of many areas in Canada can be extremely low (less than -30oC) in the winter and many batteries do not work well at such low temperatures, mainly due to reduced rates for the electrochemical reactions in the battery. The objective of this work is to develop a GPE for ZABs using in-situ fabrication. The use of in-situ gelation can reduce the contact resistance between the GPE and the electrodes, thereby improving ion transport between the electrolyte and electrodes. The GPEs in this work are fabricated using poly(acrylic acid), crosslinked with KOH and a final immersion step in a mixture of additives. The additives are utilized to improve the performance of ZABs at low temperatures. As a redox mediator, KI can change the traditional oxygen evolution reaction in ZABs to a more thermodynamically favored reaction. ZnO is used to improve the cyclability of ZABs, whereas ethylene glycol is used to reduce the effect of hydrogel evolution at the zinc electrode.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.