Intercalation-type MoNb12O33 with a porous-microspherical nanoarchitecture is explored as the first molybdenum niobium oxide anode material for Li+ storage.

Recent realization of high sodium‐ion conductivities (>10−2 S cm−1) in inorganic solid electrolytes (ISEs) at room temperature will certainly trigger a boom in all‐solid‐state sodium batteries (ASS‐SBs). However, their electrochemical stable windows and compatibility to high capacity/voltage electrodes are unsatisfactory. Developing ideal ISEs that deliver high Na+ ion conductivities, good electrochemical/chemical stability, and compatible electrode/ISE interface is key for the success of high‐performance ASS‐SBs. In this review, focus is mainly on the fundamentals and strategies to optimize ASS‐SB performances from the aspects of ISE and interface, and note that interfacial issues are also ISE‐related. The latest progress in ISEs, including fundamentals of the sodium‐ion conduction mechanism, key parameters dominating the Na+ ion conduction in terms of crystal structure, lattice dynamics, point defects, and grain boundaries, and prototyping strategies for cell design, are elaborated from the perspectives of material and defect chemistry. The key challenges and future opportunities are discussed, and rational solutions are provided.

Long non-coding RNA FOXD2 Adjacent Opposite Strand RNA 1 (FOXD2-AS1) has been widely reported to be implicated in the progression and recurrence of several cancers. The clinical significance and functional role of FOXD2-AS1 in thyroid carcinoma remain unknown. FOXD2-AS1 expression was evaluated by analyzing thyroid cancer RNA sequencing dataset from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). In vitro and in vivo assays were performed to assess the biological roles of FOXD2-AS1 in thyroid cancer cells. Western blot, luciferase, immunoprecipitation (IP), and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays were used to identify the underlying miRNA and mRNA target mediating the biological roles of FOXD2-AS1 in thyroid cancer cells. FOXD2-AS1 was upregulated in thyroid carcinoma tissues and cells. High expression of FOXD2-AS1 significantly correlated with clinical stage, recurrence of thyroid carcinoma. Silencing FOXD2-AS1 inhibited cancer stem cell-like phenotypes and attenuates the anoikis resistance in vitro . Downregulating FOXD2-AS1 represses the tumorigenesis of thyroid carcinoma cells in vivo . FOXD2-AS1 acts as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-7-5p, up-regulating the expression of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), which further promotes the cancer stem cells features and anoikis resistance in thyroid cancer cells. Our findings indicate that FOXD2-AS1 functions as an oncogenic regulator in the development of thyroid cancer, contributing to early recurrence of thyroid cancer.

Thyroid cancer (TC) is a prevalent endocrine malignant cancer whose pathogenic mechanism remains unclear. The aim of the study was to investigate the roles of long non‐coding RNA (lncRNA) NR2F1‐AS1/miRNA‐338‐3P/CCND1 axis in TC progression. Differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs in TC tissues were screened out and visualized by R program. Relative expression of NR2F1‐AS1, miRNA‐338‐3p and cyclin D1 (CCND1) was determined by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction. In addition, Western blot analysis was adopted for evaluation of protein expression of CCND1. Targeted relationships between NR2F1‐AS1 and miRNA‐338‐3p, as well as miRNA‐338‐3p and CCND1 were predicted using bioinformatics analysis and validated by dual‐luciferase reporter gene assay. Besides, tumour xenograft assay was adopted for verification of the role of NR2F1‐AS1 in TC in vivo. NR2F1‐AS1 and CCND1 were overexpressed, whereas miRNA‐338‐3p was down‐regulated in TC tissues and cell lines. Down‐regulation of NR2F1‐AS1 and CCND1 suppressed proliferation and migration of TC cells yet greatly enhanced cell apoptotic rate. Silence of NR2F1‐AS1 significantly suppressed TC tumorigenesis in vivo. NR2F1‐AS1 sponged miRNA‐338‐3p to up‐regulate CCND1 expression to promote TC progression. Our study demonstrated that up‐regulation of NR2F1‐AS1 accelerated TC progression through regulating miRNA‐338‐3P/CCND1 axis.

Spinel cobaltites are widely presented as promising pseudocapacitive materials, however, a fundamental understanding of their structure–property relationship at an atomic level remains vague. Herein, their geometrical‐site‐dependent charge storage capability is investigated by substituting Co with inactive Zn and redox‐active Mn. Experimental and theoretical analyses reveal that redox‐active cations in octahedral sites contribute to enhanced capacitance, intrinsically determined by the covalency competition between tetrahedral and octahedral sites. The Zn2+ incorporation leads to increased occupancy of Co in octahedral sites and 2.9× increased capacitance at 1 A g−1 current density, whereas the substituted Mn cations mainly sit in octahedral sites which can react with OH− upon cycling and separate on the spinel surface to reconstruct into δ‐MnO2 nanosheets, leading to 4× increased capacitance at 1 A g−1 current density with a detected K+ ion intercalation. Thus, the exposure of redox‐active cations in octahedral sites and their intrinsic properties are influential in determining spinel oxides’ pseudocapacitive properties. This work provides a general principle to optimize the pseudocapacitive properties of spinel cobaltites by deliberately selecting cations for substitution and controlling their distribution in octahedral/tetrahedral sites. It also offers a fundamental understanding of geometrical‐site‐dependent activity, and can effectively guide the development of spinel oxides for enhanced pseudocapacitance.

Tungsten-free and niobium-rich Al0.5Nb24.5O62 with an intercalated nature is explored as a new and practical anode material for high-performance lithium-ion storage.

M–Nb–O compounds have been considered as promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) because of their high capacities, safety, and cyclic stability. However, very limited M–Nb–O anode materials have been developed thus far. Herein, GaNb11O29 with a shear ReO3 crystal structure and a high theoretical capacity of 379 mAh g–1 is intensively explored as a new member in the M–Nb–O family. GaNb11O29 nanowebs (GaNb11O29-N) are synthesized based on a facile single-spinneret electrospinning technique for the first time and are constructed by interconnected GaNb11O29 nanowires with an average diameter of ∼250 nm and a large specific surface area of 10.26 m2 g–1. This intriguing architecture affords good structural stability, restricted self-aggregation, a large electrochemical reaction area, and fast electron/Li+-ion transport, leading to a significant pseudocapacitive behavior and outstanding electrochemical properties of GaNb11O29–N. At 0.1 C, it shows a high specific capacity (264 mAh g–1) with a safe working potential (1.69 V vs Li/Li+) and the highest first-cycle Coulombic efficiency in all of the known M–Nb–O anode materials (96.5%). At 10 C, it exhibits a superior rate capability (a high capacity of 175 mAh g–1) and a durable cyclic stability (a high capacity retention of 87.4% after 1000 cycles). These impressive results indicate that GaNb11O29-N is a high-performance anode material for LIBs.

M-Nb-O compounds are advanced anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high specific capacities, safe operating potentials, and high cycling stability. Nevertheless, the found M-Nb-O anode materials are very limited. Here, MgNbO is developed as a new M-Nb-O material. MgNbO porous microspheres (MgNbO-P) with primary-particle sizes of 30-100 nm are fabricated based on a solvothermal method. MgNbO has an open 3 × 4 × ∞ Wadsley-Roth shear structure and a large unit-cell volume, leading to its largest Li diffusion coefficients among all the developed M-Nb-O anode materials. In situ X-ray diffraction analyses reveal its high structural stability and intercalating characteristic. These architectural, conductivity, and structural advantages in MgNbO-P lead to its most significant intercalation pseudocapacitive contribution (87.7% at 1.1 mV s) among the existing M-Nb-O anode materials and prominent rate capability (high reversible capacities of 338 mAh g at 0.1C and 230 mAh g at 10C). Additionally, this new material exhibits a safe operating potential (∼1.68 V), an ultrahigh initial Coulombic efficiency (94.8%), and an outstanding cycling stability (only 6.9% capacity loss at 10C over 500 cycles). All of these evidences indicate that MgNbO-P is an ideal anode material for high-energy, safe, fast-charging, and stable LIBs.