Materials Processing (United States)

Conversion-type anode materials show significant potential for advancing next-generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). This study involved the synthesis and comprehensive investigation of Li4WO5 and molybdenum-substituted Li4W1–xMoxO5 (x = 0.1, 0.2) regarding their electrochemical properties. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction validated the establishment of orthorhombic crystal formations. Galvanostatic charge–discharge assessments at 0.1 and 0.3 C demonstrated that molybdenum substitution markedly improved both specific capacity and energy density. The Li4W1–xMoxO5 (x = 0.2) sample exhibited the maximum discharge capacity of 415.16 mAh g–1 and an energy density of 232.48 Wh kg–1 at a rate of 0.1 C. Cyclic voltammetry demonstrated enhanced Li+ transport, with diffusion coefficients aligning with GITT findings. Ex situ SEM study further validated that Mo inclusion improves structural integrity and cycle stability. XPS Studies also indicate the presence of all the elements involved in electrochemical reactions. Upon cycling, the Mo-doped Li4WO5 has superior electrochemical performance, indicating significant potential as a high-energy anode material for improved lithium-ion batteries.

Passive radiative cooling and heating technologies have garnered significant attention in both the academic and industrial communities as sustainable alternatives to conventional energy-intensive thermal management approaches. Significant advances have been achieved in textiles with dual passive radiative cooling and heating capabilities. However, current designs remain static in configuration, exhibiting inadequate adaptability to seasonal weather variations. Herein, we propose a dual-mode operational mechanism enabling all-day passive radiative cooling and heating. An asymmetric PLA/PBS/TiO2-MXene composite fiber membrane with dual-sided thermal management capabilities was fabricated via the integration of electrospun PLA/PBS/TiO2 fiber membrane and MXene coatings. A layered architecture was engineered to establish differential emissivity on opposing sides of a fiber membrane substrate, thereby enabling rapid switching between radiative cooling and heating functionalities. During outdoor thermal testing, the dual-sided fiber membrane demonstrated efficient passive radiative cooling and heating capabilities. The cooling side achieved temperature reductions of 4.1–10.0 °C, while the heating side attained temperature increases of 11.8–18.1 °C, under solar irradiance of 831.4–1057 W/m2. In addition, the asymmetric fiber membrane demonstrated decent chemical recyclability, providing a way for developing sustainable cooling/heating materials.

Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) and degraders have been developed against the hRpn13 fragment hRpn13Pru that is present in various cancer types. Testing the performance of these hRpn13Pru-targeting compounds in pharmacokinetic and efficacy studies has been stymied, however, by their poor solubility. Here, we develop a rapid and cost-effective platform to Screen and Characterize small molecule Nanosuspensions (SCaN). We discovered that the hRpn13Pru degrader XL44 adopts a crystalline state, preventing its bioavailability. The first phase of SCaN screens vehicles to identify lead XL44 nanosuspension formulations based on particle size consistency, including in biorelevant media, while the second phase evaluates stability over time. The lead nanosuspensions are then advanced to the third phase of SCaN to assess their physical and colloidal stability. This pipeline allows the formulation of poorly soluble compounds for single-dose pharmacokinetic and pilot multidose tumor mouse studies. We additionally analyzed our XL44 formulation morphologically by atomic force microscopy to find that the XL44 nanoparticles are predominantly globular, with a small population of rod-like particles. Using the optimal nanosuspension determined by SCaN, XL44 slowed tumor growth in a myeloma xenograft model at 35% inhibition with a 48-72 mg/kg treatment regimen. This case study is the first in vivo demonstration that hRpn13Pru-targeting degraders can inhibit tumor growth, and the efficacy shown here motivates the development of more potent hRpn13Pru degraders. Broadly, our SCaN platform is designed for poorly soluble drug candidates to allow for pilot in vivo testing.

Slow uptake kinetics hinder metal ion sorption in solid sorbents, especially those with cross-linked matrices and hydrophobic grafted ligands. To address this, we propose an “access and recognition” design: an embedded ionic core enhances hydrophilicity and ion transport, while grafted metal-selective ligands enable specific binding. Based on this concept, a novel resin, namely, Butyl Monoamide Poly Pyridinium Styrene Divinylbenzene (BM-PPSD) resin, was developed, which showed fast uranium uptake kinetics with equilibrium attained within 15 min of contact. The optimum condition for maximum uranium uptake was observed for dilute nitric acid feed solutions having 2.0 M nitrate ions. Saturation loading capacity for uranium was found to be ∼25 mg/g of resin. Dynamic column runs have shown treatment of a significant quantity of effluent (∼80 Bed volumes) before reaching breakthrough, and high concentration of uranium was reported in eluant (∼0.8 g/L). Resin has shown excellent recyclability for multiple cycles of sorption, elution, and regeneration. Very high selectivity for uranium was observed owing to the grafted monoamide functionality in the resin. Detailed spectroscopic studies, including Fourier transform infrared, elemental analysis, NMR, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, were done along with density functional theory calculation to decipher the mode of interactions between uranium, ionic core, and amidic functionality of BM-PPSD resin.

Global challenges such as climate change, water scarcity, and rising energy demands are deeply interconnected, and traditional single-resource management approaches often lead to inefficiencies, higher costs, and increased environmental burdens. To address these issues, this study develops a techno-economic framework for designing integrated energy-water systems within the energy-carbon–water (ECW) nexus. The framework enhances pinch analysis (PA) by establishing minimum energy, water, and carbon emissions targets and couples these with three financial metrics, namely, the life cycle cost (LCC), payback period, and net present value (NPV), to evaluate long-term economic feasibility. A case study demonstrates that the nexus-based design achieves substantial improvements over a baseline system, including a 29% reduction in outsourced electricity, 15% lower carbon emissions, and a 37% reduction in LCC. Strategy-specific modifications further improve economic performance, yielding an 83% shorter payback period and conversion of NPV from negative to positive. By integrating systematic resource targeting with holistic economic evaluation, this framework provides a practical engineering tool for the design and deployment of sustainable ECW systems, enabling cost-effective and low-carbon industrial operations.

Large-wavelength low-frequency sound waves are highly penetrative, and existing acoustic load-bearing structures struggle to achieve effective absorption across different media through pore and molecular chain regulation. The development of high-performance underwater acoustic materials is constrained by the limited tunability of traditional microporous structures and the poor pressure stability of viscoelastic polymers. Here, we present a microporous composite structure enhanced by piezoelectric nanoparticle filling for efficient low-frequency sound absorption. This design integrates porous ceramics with microporous piezoelectric polymers to form a multilayer resonant system, wherein embedded nanocomposites facilitate additional sound reflection, resonance, and interfacial collisions. These interactions synergistically promote both acoustic-thermal and acoustic-electric energy dissipation, enabling high-efficiency low-frequency sound absorption within a compact architecture. The optimized structure achieves a noise reduction coefficient of 0.54, with the onset frequency of the sound absorption coefficient exceeding 0.8 as low as 840 Hz. Under hydrostatic pressure ranging from 0.1 to 2 MPa, the attenuation of the average sound absorption coefficient was only 36.62%, significantly lower than the 75.61% observed in conventional polyurethane. In addition, the acoustic–electric conversion property endowed composites with the capability to sense sound waves, while the composite’s lightweight, stress-resistant, and hydrophobic characteristics support mechanical stability and underwater applicability. This work achieves superior broadband absorption and excellent pressure stability, offering a compact, multifunctional solution for advanced acoustic systems.

The large sodium-ion radius inevitably reduces the specific capacity and rate performance of sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), while the XN3 (X = P, Ge, Sn) monolayers with strong stability can make up for this deficiency when serving as prospective anode material. In this present contribution, these advantages such as cohesive energy, electron localization function, phonon dispersion, and dynamics stability are captured by a DFT framework. The gains suggest that all of these monolayers manifest excellent energetic, kinetic, and thermodynamic stability. The negative adsorption energy indicates that Na has a strong adsorption capacity, and the monolayers transform from semiconducting to metallic characteristics after the adsorption. It is worth noting that low diffusion energy barriers on the surfaces are present, which indicates that the sodiation is beneficial to improve the mobility of ions and the height of adsorption is inversely related to the atomic radii of the X atoms and their electronegativity. Moreover, the calculated theoretical specific capacities and average OCVs are 1469.15 mAh/g (0.97 V), 701.59 mAh/g (0.43 V), and 500.32 mAh/g (0.70 V), respectively, and the configurations are accompanied by relatively minor lattice deformation rates at the maximum Na-covered concentration, which consequently ensures a favorable cycling stability during the whole charging–discharging process. These results will provide theoretical guidance for the exploration and realization of high-performance XN3 monolayers as anode materials in SIBs.

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a key component of Ayurvedic medicine and is seeing rising demand in India and internationally. This paper reviews agronomic practices, agro-climatic suitability, crop management, economic viability, and post-harvest handling in Madhya Pradesh. Drawing on local agro-ecological conditions, it offers practical recommendations for farmers and policymakers to improve yield, quality, and profitability while supporting sustainable agriculture.