The development of anode materials with good stability, high capacity, and excellent electrical conductivity is an important challenge for high-performance Li-ion batteries. Herein, the feasibility of BeB2 and MgB2 monolayers as Li-ion batteries anode materials has been theoretically investigated. The simulation results reveal that the BeB2 and MgB2 monolayers maintain good electrical conductivity throughout the lithiation process. Meanwhile, the Li–BeB2 and Li–MgB2 systems exhibit small changes in lattice (−1.66 and 1.75%) during the lithiation/delithiation process showing good cycle stability. The BeB2 and MgB2 monolayers exhibit high energy density for Li adsorption due to the high storage capacities (1749.8 and 1750.9 mAh g–1) and low average open-circuit voltage (0.333 and 0.697 V). The Li storage capacities of BeB2 and MgB2 are 4.5 times higher than that of the commercial anode material graphite. These results demonstrate that BeB2 and MgB2 monolayers can be used as promising alternative anode materials with high energy density for Li-ion batteries.

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Developing electrode materials with better storage performances is currently one of the hotspots in the field of battery storage. Though monolayer materials such as Ti 2 CS 2 and blue phosphorene (BlueP) monolayers have some excellent storage properties as anode materials, the restacking of Ti 2 CS 2 and poor conductivity of BlueP may limit their application prospects. Considering that the heterostructure may retain/avoid the advantages/disadvantages of monolayer anodes, we study the load and diffusion of Li/Na/K ions on a Ti 2 CS 2 /BlueP heterostructure to explore the feasibility of it as an anode via density functional theory. We find that this heterostructure not only retains the stability characteristics of Ti 2 CS 2 and the high capacity of BlueP but also avoids the re-stacking of Ti 2 CS 2 and poor conductivity of BlueP. Moreover, 4/8/3 layers (nine atoms per layer) of Li/Na/K are loaded into this heterostructure, far exceeding the 2/2/2 layers loaded into the pristine BlueP and 2/6/2.67 layers into the pristine Ti 2 CS 2 due to the interfacial synergy. In addition, the Ti 2 CS 2 /BlueP anode material shows high capacity (344−917 mA h/g), low average open-circuit voltage (OCV) (0.32−0.78 V), and low diffusion barrier (0.10−0.37 eV). Furthermore, Ti 2 CS 2 /BlueP presents better prospects for Na-ion batteries among three batteries owing to the highest capacity and lowest average OCV.

Qingrequzhuo capsule (QRQZ), composed of Morus alba L., Coptis chinensis Franch., Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge, Alisma plantago-aquatica subsp. orientale (Sam.) Sam., Citrus × aurantium L., Carthamus tinctorius L., Rheum palmatum L., Smilax glabra Roxb., Dioscorea oppositifolia L., Cyathula officinalis K.C.Kuan, has been used to treat nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in clinic. However, the mechanism of QRQZ on NASH remains unclear. Recent studies have found that the dysfunction of gut microbiota could impair the gut barrier and induce the activation of TLR4/NF-kB signaling pathway, and further contribute to the inflammatory response in NASH. Modulating the gut microbiota to reduce inflammation could prevent the progression of NASH. In this study, a mouse model of NASH was generated by methionine and choline deficient diet (MCD) and treated with QRQZ. First, we evaluated the therapeutic effects of QRQZ on liver injury and inflammation in the NASH mice. Second, the changes in the gut microbiota diversity and abundance in each group of mice were measured through 16S rRNA sequencing. Finally, the effects of QRQZ on gut mucosal permeability, endotoxemia, and liver TLR4/NF-kB signaling pathway levels were examined. Our results showed that QRQZ significantly reduced the lipid accumulation in liver and the liver injury in NASH mice. In addition, QRQZ treatment decreased the levels of inflammatory cytokines in liver. 16S rRNA sequencing showed that QRQZ affected the diversity of gut microbiota and a f f e c t e d t h e r e l a t i v e a b u n d a n c e s o f D u b o s i e l l a , Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, and Blautiain NASH mice. Besides, QRQZ could increase the expression of tight junction proteins (zonula occludens-1 and occludin) in gut and decrease the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) level in serum. Western blot results also showed that QRQZ treatment decreased the protein expression ofTLR4, MyD88 and the phosphorylation of IkB and NF-kBp65 and qPCR results showed that QRQZ treatment down-regulated the gene expression of interleukin (IL)-1b, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a in liver. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that QRQZ could reduce the lipid accumulation and inflammatory response in NASH model mice. The mechanisms of QRQZ on NASH were associated with modulating gut microbiota, thereby inducing the tight junction of gut barrier, reducing the endotoxemia and inhibiting the activation of TLR4/NFkB signaling pathway in liver.

Based on the density functional theory calculations, we have investigated the feasibility of two-dimensional β-GeS monolayer as high-performance anodes for alkali metal ion batteries. The results show that the electrical conductivity of β-GeS monolayer can be enhanced after adsorbing the alkali metal atoms owing to the semiconductor-to-metal transition. The low diffusion barriers of alkali metal atoms on the β-GeS surface indicate a rapid charge/discharge rate without metal clustering. Moreover, the low average open-circuit voltage (0.211 V) and a high theoretical capacity (1024 mAh g-1) for Na suggest that the β-GeS monolayer is a promising anode material for Na-ion batteries with high performance.