The high demand for clean and renewable energy has fueled the exploration of advanced energy storage systems. As a potential alternative device for lithium ion batteries, sodium ion batteries (NIBs) have attracted extraordinary attention and are becoming a promising candidate for energy storage due to their low cost and high efficiency. Recent progress has demonstrated that metal sulfides (MSs) are very promising electrode candidates for efficient Na‐storage devices, because of their excellent redox reversibility and relatively high capacity. In this review, recent developments of MSs as anode materials for NIBs are presented. The corresponding electrochemical mechanisms are briefly discussed. We also present critical issues, challenges, and perspectives with the hope of providing a fuller understanding of the associated electrochemical processes. Such an understanding is critical for tailoring and designing metal sulfides with the desired activity and stability.

A facile and low-cost strategy is demonstrated for preparing MnO/C-N hybrid, in which the MnO nanoparticles chemically combine with N-doped C by Mn-N bonding to achieve the hybridization of MnO with N-doped C. When served as an anode in lithium ion batteries (LIBs), the resultant hybrid manifested high capacity, excellent cyclability, and superior rate capability. A lithium storage capacity of 1699 mAh g(-1) could be obtained at 0.5 A g(-1) after 170 discharge-charge cycles. Even at a current density up to 5 A g(-1), a high reversible capacity (907.8 mAh g(-1)) can be retained after 400 cycles. The excellent lithium storage performance of the MnO/C-N hybrid can be ascribed to the synergetic effects of several factors including the unique hybrid structure, the N-doping and the chemical bonding of MnO and N-doped C.

A promising anode material consisting of Fe 1−x S nanoparticles and bamboo-like carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been designed and prepared by an effective in situ chemical transformation. The resultant Fe 1−x S@CNTs with a three-dimensional network not only provide high conductivity paths and channels for electrons and ions but also offer the combined merits of iron sulfide and CNTs in electrochemical energy storage applications, leading to outstanding performance as an anode material for sodium-ion batteries. When tested in a half-cell, a high capacity of 449.2 mAh g −1 can be retained after 200 cycles at 500 mA g −1 , corresponding to a high retention of 97.4%. Even at 8000 mA g −1 , a satisfactory capacity of 326.3 mAh g −1 can be delivered. When tested in the full cell, a capacity of 438.5 mAh g −1 with capacity retention of 85.0% is manifested after 80 cycles based on the mass of the anode. The appealing structure and electrochemical performance of this material demonstrate its great promise for applications in practical rechargeable batteries.

In this work, we have developed a mild route to fabricate typically mesoporous Mo2C-C hybrid nanospheres based on a solvothermal synthesis and reduction-carbonization process. This work opens a low-temperature route to synthesize valuable carbides. The resultant Mo2C-C hybrid, for the first time, is used as an anode material in lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Compared with bulk Mo2C, the Mo2C-C hybrid exhibits much better electrochemical performance. Remarkably, the hybrid electrode can deliver a specific capacity of over 670 mA h g(-1) after 50 cycles at 100 mA g(-1), which is much higher than that of the bulk material (113 mA h g(-1)). Even cycled at a high current density of 1000 mA g(-1), high capacities of around 400-470 mA h g(-1) can still be retained for the Mo2C-C hybrid. It might benefit from the synergistic effect of the nanohybridization, effectively relieving the volume change during the repeated lithium insertion-extraction reactions and maintaining the integrity of the electrical connections. It is expected that the present synthesis strategy for the Mo2C-C hybrid can be extended to other nanostructured carbides with good energy storage performance.

Almost all human diseases are strongly associated with inflammation, and a deep understanding of the exact mechanism is helpful for treatment. The NLRP3 inflammasome composed of the NLRP3 protein, procaspase-1, and ASC plays a vital role in regulating inflammation. In this review, NLRP3 regulation and activation, its proinflammatory role in inflammatory diseases, interactions with autophagy, and targeted therapeutic approaches in inflammatory diseases will be summarized.