Background: Whether the patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2 would commonly develop acute kidney injury (AKI) is an important issue worthy of clinical attention. This study aimed to explore the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on renal function through analyzing the clinical data of 116 hospitalized COVID-19-confirmed patients. Methods: One hundred sixteen COVID-19-confirmed patients enrolled in this study were hospitalized in the Department of Infectious Diseases, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from January 14 to February 13, 2020. The recorded information includes demographic data, medical history, contact history, potential comorbidities, symptoms, signs, laboratory test results, chest computer tomography scans, and treatment measures. SARS-CoV-2 RNA in 53 urine sediments of enrolled patients was detected by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Results: Twelve (10.8%) patients showed mild increase of blood urea nitrogen or creatinine (<26 μmol/L within 48 h), and 8 (7.2%) patients showed trace or 1+ albuminuria in 111 COVID-19-confirmed patients without chronic kidney disease (CKD). All these patients did not meet the diagnostic criteria of AKI. In addition, 5 patients with CKD who were undergone regular continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) before admission were confirmed infection of SARS-CoV-2 and diagnosed as COVID-19. In addition to therapy for COVID-19, CRRT was also applied 3 times weekly during hospitalization for these 5 patients with CKD. In the course of treatment, the renal function indicators showed stable state in all 5 patients with CKD, without exacerbation of CKD, and pulmonary inflammation was gradually absorbed. All 5 patients with CKD were survived. Moreover, SARS-CoV-2 RNA in urine sediments was positive only in 3 patients from 48 cases without CKD, and 1 patient had a positive for SARS-CoV-2 open reading frame 1ab from 5 cases with CKD. Conclusion: AKI was uncommon in COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 infection does not result in AKI, or aggravate CKD in the COVID-19 patients.

In the past decades, research efforts on polyanion-type cathode materials by the scientific community intensified significantly. This paper reviews the latest advances in the exploration and development of polyanion-type compounds as high performance cathode materials for Li-ion batteries. It focuses on the synthesis, structure and physicochemical (especially electrochemical) properties of several classes of polyanion compounds. The relationship between composition-structure-performance of the novel electrode materials is also summarized and analyzed. The main approaches, achievements and challenges in this field are briefly commented and discussed.National Natural Science Foundation of China[20873115, 21021002, 90606015]; National Basic Research Program of China (973 program)[2007CB209702, 2011CB935903

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Garnet-type solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) are considered to be a good choice for solid-state batteries, yet the interfacial issues with metallic Li limit their applications. Herein, we propose an ultrasimple and effective strategy to enhance the interfacial connection between garnet SSEs and Li metal just by drawing a graphite-based soft interface with a pencil. Both experimental analysis and theoretical calculations confirm that the reaction between the graphite-based interfacial layer and metallic lithium forms a lithiated connection interface with good lithium-ionic and electronic conductivity. Compared to the reported interfacial materials, the graphite provides a soft interface with better ductility and compressibility. With improvement by this soft interface, the impedance of symmetric Li cells significantly decreases and the cell cycle is stable for over 1000 h. Moreover, a solid-state battery with Li-metal anode, ternary NCM523 cathode, and treated-garnet SSEs is fabricated and displays excellent rate capability and long cycling performance.

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The steam reforming of ethanol on a Ni-based CeO2-supported catalyst was studied using in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), operando diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS), and mass spectroscopy (MS) with a focus on the structural characterization of the catalysts, chemical identification of the reaction pathway, and understanding of the interaction between Ni and the CeO2 support. Ethoxy, acetate, carbonate, and hydroxyl species are identified by DRIFTS as surface intermediates that appear during the reaction process. The oxidation of ethoxy to acetate and the decomposition of acetate are two key steps in the steam reforming process. The CeO2 support facilitates the oxidation of ethoxy to acetate below 350 °C. Above 350 °C, the Ni metal catalyzes dissociation of the C–C bond in acetate to form carbonate and methyl, something that the CeO2 support is not able to do. The Ce(III) sites produced by the reduction of ceria in ethanol help to dissociate water forming the surface hydroxyl groups, which react with the methyl groups to produce CO2 and inhibited the methyl groups’ progress to CH4. Post-reaction transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of the Ni/CeO2 catalyst reveal two types of carbon configurations: encapsulating carbon and filamentous carbon. A water-rich atmosphere favors formation of carbon filaments, which do not deactivate the catalyst.

The structural and electronic properties of Ce 1-x Ni x O 2-y nanosystems prepared by a reverse microemulsion method were characterized with synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and density functional calculations. The Ce 1-x Ni x O 2-y systems adopt a lattice with a fluoritetype structure with an acute local order where Ni displays a strongly distorted (oxygen) nearest-neighbor coordination and the presence of Ni atoms as first cation distances, pointing to the existence of Ni-O-Ni entities embedded into the ceria lattice. A Ni T Ce exchange within the CeO 2 leads to a charge redistribution and the appearance of O vacancies. The Ni-O bonds in Ce 1-x Ni x O 2-y are more difficult to reduce than the bonds in pure NiO. The specific structural configuration of Ni inside the mixed-metal oxide leads to a unique catalyst with a high activity for the water gas shift (CO + H 2 O f H 2 + CO 2 ) reaction and a simultaneous reduction of the methanation activity of nickel. Characterization results indicate that small particles of metallic Ni at the interface position of a ceria network may be the key for high WGS activity and that the formate-carbonate route is operative for the production of hydrogen.

The development of highly reversible multielectron reaction per redox center in sodium super ionic conductor-structured cathode materials is desired to improve the energy density of sodium-ion batteries. Here, we investigated more than one-electron storage of Na in NaVCr(PO). Combining a series of advanced characterization techniques such as ex situ V solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray absorption near-edge structure, and in situ X-ray diffraction, we reveal that V/V and V/V redox couples in the materials can be accessed, leading to a 1.5-electron reaction. It is also found that a light change on the local electronic and structural states or phase change could be observed after the first cycle, resulting in the fast capacity fade at room temperature. We also showed that the irreversibility of the phase changes could be largely suppressed at low temperature, thus leading to a much improved electrochemical performance.