A rechargeable lithium anode requires a porous structure for a high capacity, and a stable electrode/electrolyte interface against dendrite formation and polysulfide crossover when used in a lithium-sulfur battery. Here, we design two simple steps of spontaneous reactions for protecting porous lithium electrodes. First, a reaction between molten lithium and sulfur-impregnated carbon nanofiber forms a fibrous network with a lithium shell and a carbon core. Second, we coat the surface of this porous lithium electrode with a composite of lithium bismuth alloys and lithium fluoride through another spontaneous reaction between lithium and bismuth trifluoride, solvated with phosphorous pentasulfide, which also polymerizes with lithium sulfide residual in the electrode to form a solid electrolyte layer. This protected porous lithium electrode enables stable operation of a lithium-sulfur battery with a sulfur loading of 10.2 mg cm −2 at 6.0 mA cm −2 for 200 cycles.

The Rh(III)-catalyzed C-H activation initiated cyclization of benzoic acids with electron-rich geminal-substituted vinyl acetates was described. The reaction was employed to prepare a range of 3-aryl and 3-alkyl substituted isocoumarins selectively.

A silver nitrate-mediated, efficient phosphorylation of benzothiazoles and thiazoles with diarylphosphine oxides was developed. This process provides a convenient route for the synthesis of a variety of 2-diarylphosphoryl benzothiazoles and thiazoles which are promising precursors of a series of hemilabile P,N-ligands with small bite angles.

While the choices of active materials for redox flow batteries (RFBs) have grown substantially, very few can adequately serve in the positive side of a RFB. We attempt to address the challenge with an inexpensive, high-potential tris(bipyridyl)iron complex. Paired with methyl viologen, the complex enables a 1.4 V neutral RFB with 215 cycles at a current efficiency of 99.8% and capacity retention over 99.9% per cycle. The discharging process displays two peculiar plateaus due to the dimerization of ferric complexes, as confirmed by ex situ cyclic voltammetry and the UV-vis spectroscopy.