Xinxiang University

Amorphous metal oxides have emerged as a promising class of materials for advanced energy storage applications, owing to their unique structural characteristics including abundant defects/vacancies, highly permeable diffusion networks, and isotropic stress distribution. However, many studies have provided detailed descriptions and explanations of crystalline metal oxides, there is a lack of corresponding reviews on amorphous metal oxide materials, especially in terms of their applications in lithium-ion electrochemical energy storage and conversion. This comprehensive review systematically summarizes recent advancements in pseudocapacitive amorphous metal oxide anodes for high-performance lithium-ion batteries. We particularly highlight key mechanisms contributing to exceptional electrochemical performance from both theoretical and experimental perspectives: (1) excess pseudocapacitive lithium storage through more defect sites, (2) the evolution from conventional intercalation to surface-dominated pseudocapacitive charge storage, (3) enhanced interfacial lithium storage capacity, and (4) beneficial microstrain effects that improving structural stability and enhancing Li⁺ diffusion. Furthermore, we critically discuss the remaining challenges for practical implementation of these materials, while providing insightful perspectives on future research directions. This review aims to establish fundamental design principles for developing cost-effective, durable, and high-performance alkali metal batteries, offering valuable guidance for next-generation energy storage systems.

The structure of titanium oxide is relatively stable, but its specific capacity is low.Rational design of the structure to promote rapid electron/ion migration is crucial for achieving excellent electrochem. performance of titanium oxide.Herein, we present an easy technique for creating oxygen vacancies in amorphous spherical titanium oxide (a-TiO_2-x) through Ar/H₂ plasma treatment.The as-prepared TiO_2-x electrode exhibited remarkable electrochem. performance with an initial charge capacity of 262.0 mAh g^-1, significantly superior to that of a-TiO₂ (160.3 mAh g^-1).Moreover, the TiO_2-x electrode demonstrated excellent cycle performance, maintaining a high reversible capacity (286.8 mAh g^-1 after 50 cycles), notably surpassing a-TiO₂ (198.0 mAh g^-1).Exptl. and DFT calculations revealed that a-TiO_2-x markedly facilitated Na ⁺ diffusion rate, increased electron conduction, and then attained outstanding rate performance (152.3 mAh g^-1 at 1000 mA g^-1) and cycling performance (195.1 mAh g¹ at 500 mA g^-1 after 500 cycles).This work indicates that plasma treatment provides a novel and universal strategy for developing alternative high-capacity anode materials.

The antibiotic abuse and bacterial biofilm barriers pose a formidable challenge to global public health. To address this issue, we developed a near-infrared (NIR)-triggered temperature-sensitive polydopamine nanosystem (PDA@Ag@Cur@PCM) by integrating silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and curcumin (Cur) with the phase change material 1-tetradecanol. The system achieved NIR-triggered on-demand drug release and synergistic photothermal-chemo antibacterial, significantly enhancing antibacterial and antibiofilm efficacy. Under NIR, the outstanding photothermal conversion capability of PACP induces the phase transition of 1-tetradecanol, facilitating precise release of Cur and Ag⁺. The PACP nanosystem can not only effectively suppress bacterial quorum sensing (QS) but also ensure Ag⁺ mediated antibacterial activity. Moreover, mild photothermal therapy (PTT) achieved potent antibacterial effects while maintaining excellent tissue biocompatibility, thereby minimized systemic toxicity. In vitro studies demonstrated that the nanoplatform efficiently disrupts mature biofilms, significantly reduces ATP levels and total carbohydrate content, while achieving remarkable antibacterial effects against S. aureus (98.3 %) and E. coli (97.2 %). By integrating low-temperature phototherapy with controlled Cur and Ag⁺ release, the PACP nanosystem represents a safe and highly effective antibiotic-free alternative, offering a promising solution for combating infections in the post-antibiotic era.