Subzero temperature promotes stable lithium storage in SnO2

The development of high–capacity anode materials for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) is a key step toward achieving large–scale energy storage applications for portable electronic devices, electrical vehicles, and hybrid electrical vehicles.1 Since its first discovery, the current commercial LIBs have been using graphite as anode material. Although this carbon–based anode is cheap, abundant and reliable, however it provides a limited theoretical capacity of 372 mAh/g, hence hampering the establishment of high–energy density LIBs to meet huge technological demands in the near future.2 To replace the incumbent anode, intensive research has been devoted on the alloy–based materials such as silicon, germanium, tin, and tin oxide (SnO2). Among these candidates, SnO2 is a promising anode material attributing to its low cost, nontoxicity, low operating potential (0.25 V vs. Li/Li+), high theoretical capacity (782 and 1493 mAh/g for alloying/de–alloying and both alloying/de–alloying and conversion reaction, respectively), and easy synthesis in regard to nanostructures.3 It was widely studied that employing the pristine SnO2 anode for LIBs may face a significant barrier because of a severe volume change during the electrochemical cycle, causing pulverization and cracks and eventually the loss of electrical conduction paths. In the meantime, the new–fresh cracks that are exposed to the electrolyte may form a continuous solid electrolyte interphase (SEI)–filming process resulting in a thickened SEI layer on the surface of SnO2 anode. Consequently, the cell cannot avoid a rapid capacity fading.4 To overcome these problems, we synthesized the rational anode material consisting of hierarchical structure and thin double carbon layers. The hierarchical structures of SnO2 anode are aimed at increasing the active surface area, allowing more Li ions can be stored in the spaces, thus promoting a faster Li ion diffusivity. In addition, thin double carbon layers are aimed at alleviating the volume change during charge-discharge reaction, leading to mechanically keep the structure of electrode stable and enhance the ionic conductivity at the interfaces. As the results, our C@SnO2@C anode demonstrated a significant electrochemical performance such as long cycle life and high reversible capacity, hence postulating a solution for commercialization of Sn-based anode for LIBs in the market. [References] Chen, Y. M.; Lu, Z. G.; Zhou, L. M.; Mai, Y. W.; Huang, H. T. Triple–coaxial electrospun amorphous carbon nanotubes with hollow graphitic carbon nanospheres for high– performance Li ion batteries. Energy Environ. Sci. 2012, 5, 7898–7902. Ko, Y. N.; Park, S. B.; Kang, Y. C. Design and fabrication of new nanostructured SnO2–carbon composite microspheres for fast and stable lithium storage performance. Small 2014, 10, 3240–3245. Thomas, R.; Rao, G. M. SnO2 nanowire anchored graphene nanosheet matrix for the superior performance of Li–ion thin film battery anode. J Mater Chem A 2015, 3, 274–280. Zhu, C. R.; Xia, X. H.; Liu, J. L.; Fan, Z. X.; Chao, D. L.; Zhang, H. et al. TiO2 nanotube@SnO2 nanoflake core–branch arrays for lithium–ion battery anode. Nano Energy 2014, 4, 105–112.

Performance improvement of lithium ion battery using PC as a solvent component and BS as an SEI forming additive

Electrochemical characteristics and energy densities of lithium-ion batteries using mesoporous silicon and graphite as anodes

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been recognized as major part in the development of electrical devices such as portable device, energy storage system (ESS) and electric vehicle (EV) due to high energy storage-demand. Graphite material is the most widely used as anode part in commercial LIBs due to its low cost and good cycle life. However, due to limited capacity (~372mAh/g) of graphite, alternative anode materials based on conversion or alloying reaction have been extensively studied, which shows exceptional high capacity. Among these anode materials, SnO2 has been attracted as one of the promising anode materials, which stores high electric energy by conversion and alloying reaction during first discharge process: (1) SnO2 + 4Li++ 4e- → Sn + 2Li2O (Conversion reaction; 711mAh/g), (2) Sn + xLi++ xe- → LixSn (0<<x<<4.4) (Alloying reaction; 993mAh/g of Sn or 783mAh/g of SnO2). In this lithium storage mechanism, only alloying reaction has been contributed to reversible capacity after the first irreversible discharge process.[1] Currently, there are several reports that some nano-structured and composite SnO2 materials deliver exceptional high reversible capacity beyond their theoretical capacity based on alloying reaction without clear explanation of additional capacity.[2,3] In our previous work, for elucidating the additional capacity and the detailed lithium storage mechanism of nano-structured SnO2, we performed systematic analysis about the mesoporous SnO2 anode material using synchrotron radiation based analyses such as XRD and XAS, and reported novel electrochemical reaction mechanism. Ordered mesoporous SnO2 prepared by hard templating showed a reversible capacity of about 1100 mAh/g, which is higher than the predicted value based on the alloying reaction mechanism of Sn, formed from conversion reaction of SnO2 with lithium. Synchrotron XAS analysis combined with XRD revealed that some portion of the Li2O phase decomposes to form the SnOx phase with Sn upon delithiation (additional conversion reaction), parallel with dealloying of LixSn (alloying reaction), which leads to unexpected high capacity of an ordered mesoporous SnO2 material.[4] Namely, high performance of SnO2 anode material is highly related to the additional conversion reaction during electrochemical cycling and stable structure for accommodating volume expansion. In this study, to understand the main reason for the difference in electrochemical performance between bulk and mesoporous SnO2, we performed XAS experiment about bulk SnO2 anode material in same procedure with our previous report, and carried out quantitative analysis using EXAFS spectra of bulk and mesoporous sample as well. Besides, for maximizing the performance of SnO2 anode material for LIBs, we prepared SnO2/rGO composite, synthesized by simple refluxing method using graphene oxide, SnCl4 and ascorbic acid. Composition of metal oxide nanoparticles and rGO systems is the efficient methods to improve electrochemical performance in terms of rate performance and cyclability. In metal oxide/rGO composite anode materials, rGO provide faster lithium ion diffusion pathway through rGO sheets and metal-O-C linkage at the interface, and ensure stable structure during volume expansion aroused from electrochemical cycling by strong interaction between rGO sheets and metal oxide nanoparticles.[5] The discharge/charge capacity of bulk, mesoporous, and SnO2/rGO composite were 1644, 1073mAh/g; 2059, 1148mAh/g; and 1752, 1185mAh/g, respectively. Except the irreversible capacity during the initial discharge, reversible capacity is similar to each other. However, compared to bulk and mesoporous SnO2, SnO2/rGO composite material shows prominent cyclability, and its capacity retention after 100th cycles is over 100%. This phenomenon may be related to the stable rGO source and exfoliation process during electrochemical cycling, respectively.[6] Using synchrotron radiation based techniques, we found that high reversible capacity of SnO2/rGO composite comes from alloying reaction and partial conversion reaction as same as bulk and mesoporous SnO2. Additionally, through further XAS experiment using cycled samples, we confirmed key factors in the high performance of SnO2/rGO composite anode material. More detailed discussion will be presented at the time of meeting. Reference [1] I. A. Courtney et al., Journal of The Electrochemical Society 144 (1997) 2045-2052 [2] Z. Ying et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 87 (2005) 113108 [3] J. Lin et al., ACS Nano 7, (2013) 6001–6006 [4] H. Kim et al., Chemistry of materials 26 (2014) 6361-6370 [5] X.-Y. Shan et al., J. Mater. Chem. A 2 (2014) 17808–17814 [6] J. Wang et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 133 (2011) 8888–8891

The polyhedral CoS(2) with a narrow size distribution was synthesized by a facile solid-state assembly process in a sealed silica tube. The flux of potassium halide (KX; X = Cl, Br, I) plays a crucial role in the formation of polyhedrons and the size distribution. The S(2)(2-) groups in CoS(2) can be controllably withdrawn during heat treatment in air. The obtained phases and microstructures of CoS(2), Co(3)S(4), CoS, Co(9)S(8), and CoO depended on heating temperature and time. These cobalt materials, successfully used as the electrodes of lithium ion batteries, possessed good cycling stability in lithium ion batteries. The discharge capacities of 929.1 and 835.2 mAh g(-1) were obtained for CoS(2) and CoS respectively, and 76% and 71% of the capacities remained after 10 cycles. High capacities and good cycle performance make them promising candidates for lithium ion batteries. The approach combining solid-state assembly and heat treatment provides a simple and versatile way to prepare various metal chalcogeides for energy storage applications.

Metal fluorides/oxides (MFx/MxOy) are promising electrode candidates for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) that operate via conversion reactions.1 These conversion-type reactions are associated with much higher energy densities as compared with the reactions based on intercalation chemistry that are typically used in commercially available LIBs. These metal salts (MFx/MxOy) can also exhibit significant additional reversible capacity beyond the theoretical estimate based on the maximum electron transfer from available redox metal centers.2 3 4 5 6 However, the difficulty in characterizing structures at the nano-scale, particularly at buried interfaces, has meant that the mechanism accounting for the additional capacity remains unclear. This study employs high-resolution multinuclear (1H, 6Li/7Li, 17O, 19F) multidimensional solid-state NMR techniques, complemented by real-time detection using X-ray based methods in order to characterize two model systems, RuO2 and TiF3. The results illustrate the origin of additional capacities found in metal oxides/fluorides used as electrodes in LIBs. 7 Changes in the long-range structure and valence of Ruthenium in the RuO2/Li battery system as a function of the state of charge have been followed by real-time high-resolution X-ray diffraction and absorption techniques. Variations in short-range atomic distances were probed with pair distribution function analysis and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure refinement. In-situ X-ray based techniques prove to be valuable in illustrating the reaction mechanism of the classic conversion reactions (xLi + RuO2 = LixRuO2, LixRuO2 + (1-x) Li = LiRuO2, and LiRuO2 + 3Li = Ru + 2Li2O), yet provide little information regarding the cause of additional capacities in the low voltage region (< 0.8 V). A comprehensive solid-state NMR characterization protocol has been developed to identify and quantify all the chemical phases formed over the whole electrochemical process. In particular, NMR results have shown that in the RuO2/Li system a major contribution to the extra capacity is due to the generation of LiOH and its subsequent reversible combination with extra Li to form Li2O and LiH (Figure). First-principles calculations have been employed to examine various mechanisms for additional Li storage in the RuO2/Li system.To generalize the findings from the RuO2/Li system, a similar study has been conducted on TiF3/Li batteries. This study shows that the additional capacity seen in TiF3/Li batteries is also mainly from the reversible formation of solid-electrolyte-interphase (SEI), likely catalyzed by Ti metal nanoparticles. In addition, the homogeneous distribution of transition metal nanoparticles within the LiF matrix facilitates reversible extraction of Li from LiF. This study illustrates the characterization of the source of additional capacities in metal oxide (RuO2) and metal fluoride (TiF3) conversion-type electrodes for LIBs and provides a comprehensive understanding of the chemical phases and the spatial distribution of these phases at the electrode and electrolyte interface. This study also demonstrates a solid-state NMR protocol with which to study the amorphous SEI that exists in essentially all battery systems. Figure. Schematic illustration of the source for additional capacities seen in RuO2electrodes for LIBs.References1 Idota, Y., Kubota, T., Matsufuji, A., Maekawa, Y. & Miyasaka, T. Tin-based amorphous oxide: A high-capacity lithium-ion-storage material. Science 276, 1395-1397 (1997).2 Beaulieu, L. Y., Larcher, D., Dunlap, R. A. & Dahn, J. R. Reaction of Li with grain-boundary atoms in nanostructured compounds. Journal of the Electrochemical Society 147, 3206-3212 (2000).3 Laruelle, S. et al. On the origin of the extra electrochemical capacity displayed by MO/Li cells at low potential. Journal of the Electrochemical Society 149, A627-A634 (2002).4 Balaya, P., Li, H., Kienle, L. & Maier, J. Fully reversible homogeneous and heterogeneous Li storage in RuO2 with high capacity. Advanced Functional Materials 13, 621-625 (2003).5 Maier, J. Mass storage in space charge regions of nano-sized systems (Nano-ionics. Part V). Faraday Discussions 134, 51-66 (2007).6 Zhukovskii, Y. F., Balaya, P., Kotomin, E. A. & Maier, J. Evidence for interfacial-storage anomaly in nanocomposites for lithium batteries from first-principles simulations. Physical Review Letters 96, 058302 (2006).7 Hu, Y. Y. et al. Origin of additional capacities in metal oxide lithium-ion battery electrodes. Nature Materials 12, 1130-1136 (2013).

Hierarchical nano-branched c-Si/SnO2 nanowires for high areal capacity and stable lithium-ion battery

The pursuit of higher energy density in lithium-ion batteries has led to the development of new cathode materials that can operate at elevated voltages and provide increased specific capacities. [1-2] One such class of materials is the nickel-rich layered oxide cathodes known as LiNixMnyCozO2 (NMC). These cathodes offer high specific capacities and demonstrate electrochemical stability at high cutoff voltages, making them promising candidates for advanced lithium-ion batteries. [3-4] However, NMC cathodes face a significant challenge in the form of capacity fading during cycling. This issue primarily arises from the voltage instability of the conventional carbonate-based electrolytes used in lithium-ion batteries, which are typically designed for the 4-V lithium-ion chemistry. [5-6] As a result, researchers and scientists have directed extensive efforts toward developing new and improved electrolyte systems that can withstand the high voltage requirements of NMC cathodes and other high-energy applications. [7-8]Designing and synthesizing new molecules for use as electrolyte solvents in lithium-ion batteries is indeed a complex and challenging task. Researchers often focus on optimizing one specific property, which can lead to the development of molecules that excel in that aspect while potentially overlooking other crucial features that are necessary for stable battery cycling. For example, the development of α-fluorinated sulfones as electrolyte solvents was driven by their exceptional anodic stability. [9] This stability is achieved by introducing strong electron-withdrawing trifluoromethyl groups directly attached to the sulfonyl group. However, while this electron-withdrawing effect enhances anodic stability, it can also significantly increase the reduction potential of α-fluorinated sulfones. This heightened reduction potential renders them unstable when used with graphite anodes, highlighting the delicate balance required in designing electrolyte solvents that perform well across various aspects of battery operation.In this presentation, we embraced the concept of a "golden middle way" when designing and synthesizing new electrolyte solvents. The recently developed β-fluorinated sulfone, TFPMS, doesn't claim to be the best in any single property, but it strikes a balance across various key characteristics. This equilibrium has proven to be highly effective in ensuring the long-term stability of high-voltage graphite||NMC622 full cells. Positioned at the β site of the sulfone molecule, the strong electron-withdrawing trifluoromethyl group renders β-fluorinated sulfone sufficiently stable against the high-voltage NMC622 cathode, even if it possesses a slightly lower oxidation potential compared to its α-fluorinated counterparts. Furthermore, its reduction potential is lower than that of α-fluorinated sulfone, making it considerably more stable when paired with the graphite anode. While it may not possess the same high lithium solvating power as the typical sulfone (EMS), the lithium solvating capacity of β-fluorinated sulfone falls somewhere in between, mitigating transition metal dissolution and deposition in the graphite||NMC622 full cell that utilizes a β-fluorinated sulfone-based electrolyte. As a result, the full cell equipped with TFPMS-based electrolyte demonstrates superior cycling performance, with a significantly higher average capacity than cells using regular sulfone or α-fluorinated sulfone-based electrolytes. In summary, our approach exemplifies the successful application of the "golden middle way" in designing and synthesizing new electrolyte solvents.Reference: Santhanam, R.; Rambabu, B., Power Sources 2010, 195, 5442.Lin, F.; Markus, I. M.; Nordlund, D.; Weng, T.-C.; Asta, M. D.; Xin, H. L.; Doeff, M. M., Commun. 2014, 5, 3529.Li, W.; Song, B.; Manthiram, A., Chemical Society Reviews 2017, 46 (10), 3006.Xu, J.; Lin, F.; Doeff, M. M.; Tong, W., Journal of Materials Chemistry A 2017, 5 (3), 874.Xia, J.; Petibon, R.; Xiong, D.; Ma, L.; Dahn, J., Journal of Power Sources 2016, 328, 124.Chen, S.; Wen, K.; Fan, J.; Bando, Y.; Golberg, D., Journal of Materials Chemistry A 2018, 6 (25), 11631.Zheng, J.; Lochala, J. A.; Kwok, A.; Deng, Z. D.; Xiao, J., Advanced Science 2017, 4 (8), 1700032.Yamada, Y.; Wang, J.; Ko, S.; Watanabe, E.; Yamada, A., Nature Energy 2019, 4 (4), 269.Su, C.-C.; He, M.; Redfern, P. C.; Curtiss, L. A.; Shkrob, I. A.; Zhang, Z., Environ. Sci. 2017, 10 (4), 900.

Sustainability and adaptability in structural design of the organic cathodes present promises for applications in alkali metal ion batteries. Nevertheless, a formidable challenge lies in their high solubility in organic electrolytes, particularly for small molecular materials, impeding cycling stability and high capacity. This study focuses on the design and synthesis of organic small molecules, the isomers of (E)-5,5'-difluoro-[3,3'-biindolinylidene]-2,2'-dione (EFID) and 3,9-difluoro-6,12-dihydrodibenzo [c, h][2,6]naphthyridine-5,11-dione (FBND). While EFID, characterized by a less π-conjugated structure, exhibits subpar cycling stability in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), intriguingly, another isomer, FBND, demonstrates exceptional capacity and cycling stability in LIBs. FBND delivers a remarkable capacity of 175mAhg-1 at a current density of 0.05Ag-1 and maintains excellent cycling stability over 2000 cycles, retaining 90% of its initial capacity. Furthermore, an in-depth examination of redox reactions and storage mechanisms of FBND are conducted. The potential of FBND is also explored as an anode in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and as a cathode in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). The FBND framework, featuring extended π-conjugated molecules with an imide structure compared to EFID, proves to be an excellent material template to develop advanced organic small molecular cathode materials for sustainable batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are one of the most promising power sources for electric vehicles because of their high energy density and long lifetime. Graphite is widely used as anode electrode material in the state-of-the-art LIBs. However, a graphite anode is usually only compatible with an ethylene carbonate (EC)-based electrolyte. When contacting with a propylene carbonate (PC)-based electrolyte, which is advantageous over the EC-based one for its wider temperature range and higher low-temperature conductivity, the graphite anode may suffer from substantial exfoliation problem during the initial lithium intercalation step. Consequently, a PC-based electrolyte cannot be used in LIBs with graphite as the anode unless some solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) film-formation additives are introduced into the electrolytes. Usually this type of additives is reduced predominantly on the graphite electrode surface before PC is intercalated and reduced. These additives mainly contain some functional groups such as vinylene or cyclic unsaturated compounds. For example, vinylene carbonate (VC) and fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) have been widely studied and used as additives for PC-based electrolytes. They play an important role in the protection of the structure of the graphitic anode from destruction by PC, but they also have some shortcomings. Usually these additives result in a thick SEI protective layer, which could significantly reduce the rate capability and limit low-temperature performance and cycling stability at elevated temperatures because of its additional impedance and poor thermal stability. Recently, we developed a novel electrolyte additive that can suppress the PC reductive decomposition on the graphite anode without a thick and resistant SEI film. The additive may provide a novel protective mechanism for the graphite anode in the PC-containing electrolytes without or with suppressed SEI film formation. The SEI-film-suppression additive can not only significantly improve the compatibility between graphite anode and PC-containing electrolyte, but also exhibit superior rate capability and excellent cycling stability at elevated temperatures.We believe that this new electrolyte additive can be applied to LIBs and other electrochemical systems using PC-containing electrolytes and graphite anodes. The details of the results will be reported. Acknowledgements This work was supported by the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Office of Vehicle Technology of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The electron microscopy and XRD measurements were performed at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a national scientific user facility sponsored by the DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located at PNNL.

Hierarchical macropore-mesoporous shell carbon dispersed with Li4Ti5O12 for excellent high rate sub-freezing Li-ion battery performance

Tin oxide (SnO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;) has attracted a lot of attention among lithium ion battery anode materials due to its rich reserves, high theoretical capacity, and safe potential. However, the mechanism of the SnO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; nano materials in the lithiation-delithiation reaction, especially whether the first-step conversion reaction is reversible, is still controversial. In this paper, SnO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; nanoparticles with an average particle size of 4.4 nm are successfully prepared via a simple hydrothermal method. A nanosized lithium ion battery that enables the &lt;i&gt;in situ&lt;/i&gt; electrochemical experiments of SnO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; nanoparticles is constructed to investigate the electrochemical behavior of SnO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; in lithiation-delithiation process. Briefly, the nanosized electrochemical cell consists of a SnO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; working electrode, a metal lithium (Li) counter electrode on a sharp tungsten probe, and a solid electrolyte of lithium oxide (Li&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O) layer naturally grown on the surface of metal Li. Then, the whole lithiation-delithiation process of SnO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; nanocrystals is tracked in real time. When a constant potential of –2 V is applied to the SnO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; with respect to lithium, lithium ions begin to diffuse from one side of the nanoparticles, which is in contact with the Li/Li&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O layer, and gradually propagate to the other side. Upon the lithiation, a two-step conversion reaction mechanism is revealed: SnO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; is first converted into intermediate phase of Sn with an average diameter of 4.2 nm which is then further converted into Li&lt;sub&gt;22&lt;/sub&gt;Sn&lt;sub&gt;5&lt;/sub&gt;. Upon the delithiation, a potential of 2 V is applied and Li&lt;sub&gt;22&lt;/sub&gt;Sn&lt;sub&gt;5&lt;/sub&gt; phase can be reconverted into SnO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; phase when completely delithiated. It is because the interfaces and grain boundaries of nano-sized SnO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; may impede the Sn diffusing from one grain into another during lithiation/delithiation and then suppress the coarsening of Sn, and enable the Li&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O and Sn to be sufficiently contacted with each other and then converted into SnO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;. This work provides a valuable insight into an understanding of phase evolution in the lithiation-delithiation process of SnO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; and the results are of great significance for improving the reversible capacity and cycle performance of lithium ion batteries with SnO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; electrodes.

Electric vehicles based on high-energy lithium-ion batteries often exhibit a substantial loss in performance at subzero temperatures: Due to slower electrochemical kinetics, the internal resistances of the batteries rise and diminish available power and capacity. Hybrid energy storage systems (HESSs) can be used to overcome these weaknesses. In this paper, the performance of two HESSs, combining a high-energy lithium-ion battery with either a high-power lithium-ion battery or a lithium-ion capacitor, has been investigated experimentally for a driving scenario at various temperatures. Both configurations enable driving at -20 °C, which was not possible without hybridization. The HESS using the high-power lithium-ion battery provides a substantially higher driving range due to its higher energy density. An analysis of different operating strategies has helped to maximize the driving range: Discharging the high-energy battery with a constant current and keeping the high-power cell at a higher state of charge (SoC) extend the driving duration, as the requested driving power can still be provided at a lower SoC of the high-energy battery. In addition to the HESSs, two energy storage systems without hybridization, consisting of different generations of high-energy lithium-ion cells, have been examined to disclose improvements in battery technology. These improvements narrow the benefits of HESSs, as the high-energy batteries have become less reliant on the support of an additional high-power device. Although HESSs lose importance for current lithium-ion battery systems, they can be a valuable option for next-generation lithium batteries, which are expected to provide higher energy densities but exhibit reduced rate capability.

Background:The geographic range of the tick Amblyomma americanum, a vector of diseases of public health significance such as ehrlichiosis, has expanded from the southeast of the United States northward during the 20th century. Recently, populations of this tick have been reported to be present close to the Canadian border in Michigan and New York states, but established populations are not known in Canada. Previous research suggests that changing temperature patterns with climate change may influence tick life cycles and permit northward range expansion of ticks in the northern hemisphere.Objectives:We aimed to estimate minimal temperature conditions for survival of A. americanum populations at the northern edge of the tick’s range and to investigate the possibility of range expansion of A. americanum into northern U.S. states and southern Canada in the coming decades.Methods:A simulation model of the tick A. americanum was used, via simulations using climate data from meteorological stations in the United States and Canada, to estimate minimal temperature conditions for survival of A. americanum populations at the northern edge of the tick’s range.Results:The predicted geographic scope of temperature suitability [ annual cumulative degree days (DD) ] included most of the central and eastern U.S. states east of longitude 110°W, which is consistent with current surveillance data for the presence of the tick in this region, as well as parts of southern Quebec and Ontario in Canada. Regional climate model output raises the possibility of northward range expansion into all provinces of Canada from Alberta to Newfoundland and Labrador during the coming decades, with the greatest northward range expansion (up to by the year 2100) occurring under the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5. Predicted northward range expansion was reduced by approximately half under the reduced GHG emissions of RCP4.5.Discussion:Our results raise the possibility of range expansion of A. americanum into northern U.S. states and southern Canada in the coming decades, and conclude that surveillance for this tick, and the diseases it transmits, would be prudent. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP5668

Sandwich structured graphene-wrapped FeS-graphene nanoribbons (G@FeS-GNRs) were developed. In this composite, FeS nanoparticles were sandwiched between graphene and graphene nanoribbons. When used as anodes in lithium ion batteries (LIBs), the G@FeS-GNR composite demonstrated an outstanding electrochemical performance. This composite showed high reversible capacity, good rate performance, and enhanced cycling stability owing to the synergy between the electrically conductive graphene, graphene nanoribbons, and FeS. The design concept developed here opens up a new avenue for constructing anodes with improved electrochemical stability for LIBs.