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Aqueous ammonium ion hybrid supercapacitor (A-HSC) is an efficient energy storage device based on nonmetallic ion carriers (NH4+), which combines advantages such as low cost, safety, and sustainability. However, unstable electrode structures are prone to structural collapse in aqueous electrolytes, leading to fast capacitance decay, especially in host materials represented by vanadium-based oxidation. Here, the Co2+preintercalation strategy is used to stabilize the VO2tunnel structure and improve the electrochemical stability of the fast NH4+storage process. In addition, the understanding of the NH4+storage mechanism has been deepened through ex situ structural characterization and electrochemical analysis. The results indicate that Co2+preintercalation effectively enhances the conductivity and structural stability of VO2, and inhibits the dissolution of V in aqueous electrolytes. In addition, the charge storage mechanisms of NH4+intercalation/deintercalation and the reversible formation/fracture of hydrogen bonds were revealed.

Neural architecture search (NAS) adopts a search strategy to explore the predefined search space to find superior architecture with the minimum searching costs. Bayesian optimization (BO) and evolutionary algorithms (EA) are two commonly used search strategies, but they suffer from being computationally expensive, challenging to implement, and exhibiting inefficient exploration ability. In this article, we propose a neural predictor guided EA to enhance the exploration ability of EA for NAS (NPENAS) and design two kinds of neural predictors. The first predictor is a BO acquisition function for which we design a graph-based uncertainty estimation network as the surrogate model. The second predictor is a graph-based neural network that directly predicts the performance of the input neural architecture. The NPENAS using the two neural predictors are denoted as NPENAS-BO and NPENAS-NP, respectively. In addition, we introduce a new random architecture sampling method to overcome the drawbacks of the existing sampling method. Experimental results on five NAS search spaces indicate that NPENAS-BO and NPENAS-NP outperform most existing NAS algorithms, with NPENAS-NP achieving state-of-the-art performance on four of the five search spaces.

In this paper, inspired by lotus leaf surfaces, we fabricated biomimetic multi-scale micro-nano-structures by Two-Step Capillary Force Lithography (TS-CFL) and UV-assisted Capillary Force Lithography (UV-CFL). The experimental results indicated that TS-CFL was unfitted to fabricate large-area multi-scale micro-nano-structures. Conversely, UV-CFL can fabricate large-area multi-scale micro-nano-structures. We discussed the hydrophobic and anti-icing properties of the biomimetic surfaces fabricated by these two technologies. We found that small structures are significant for improving the hydrophobic anti-icing properties of single-structured or structureless surfaces. We believe that these results can complement the experimental details of both technologies and enable the development of more interesting micro-nano-structures biomimetic surfaces by both technologies in the future.

Sinensetin is a polymethoxylated flavone, which is considered to be an important functional composition in citrus peels. In this study, the anti-inflammatory effect and potential mechanism of sinensetin were evaluated by multi-omics analysis in the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis model. The results showed that sinensetin significantly inhibited inflammation and alleviated gut microbiota imbalance in the DSS-induced mice. Sinensetin supplementation increased the abundance of Faecalibaculum, Colidextribacter, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, norank_f_norank_Clostridia_UCG-014and Christensenella, reduced abundance of Bacteroides, Escherichia-Shigella, Parasutterellaand Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1. The metabolome of serum samples showed 117 differential metabolites were significantly altered by sinensetin supplementation in colitis mice, and 24 of these metabolites were involved in the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) signaling pathway. KEGG predictions based on both gut microbiota and serum metabolites suggested that cysteine and methionine metabolism are mainly affected by sinensetin supplementation. These results indicate that sinensetin inhibit DSS-induced colitis by modulating gut microbiota and ameliorating serum metabolism.

Hyperlipidemia is closely related to multiple diseases and is characterized by abnormal serum lipid profiles. The biological function of lentinan in mice and rats was studied, but the mechanism of its lipid-lowering effect was not completely clear. In this study, network pharmacological analysis, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation were used to explore the potential mechanism of its lipid-lowering effect and high-fat diet (HFD) mice was used to confirm the predicted mechanism. Our results indicated that lentinan could ameliorate hyperlipidemia by regulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), sterol response element-binding protein-1 (SREBP1), and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) in the hepatic tissues of mices. Further animal experiment showed that lentinan could regulate the mRNA expressions of lipid metabolism-related genes, such as PPARα, PPARδ, PPARγ, cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36) and SREBP-1c. Moreover, lentinan supplementation could reduce the expressions of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and inducible nitric oxide sythase (iNOS). In cell model, lentinan also could inhibit oleic acid-induced lipid droplet formation and the expressions of lipid metabolism-related genes and reduced inflammatory factor expressions in HepG2 cells, which further approved the results of animal experiment. Taken together, our results suggest that lentinan can ameliorate hyperlipidemia via regulating lipid metabolism-related gene expressions and reduce obesity-induced inflammatory response.

Manganese dioxide (MnO2) represents an ideal cathode material for rechargeable aqueous Zn batteries due to its high theoretical capacity (308 mAh g−1), suitable potential (1.4 V vs.Zn2+/Zn), natural abundance, and negligible toxicity. However, the capacity and rate capability of MnO2deteriorate significantly in thick electrodes owing to its low electrical and ionic conductivities. Herein, we report the design of high mass loading potassium ion stabilized α-MnO2(K0.133MnO2) nanowire forests on carbon cloth through a seed-assisted hydrothermal method for Zn batteries. The vertically aligned K0.133MnO2nanowire forests with uninterrupted charge transport afford a high area capacity of 3.54 mAh cm−2and a capacity retention of 79.2% over 1000 cycles in aqueous electrolyte. Moreover, the high area capacity and cyclability can be readily transferred to quasi-solid-state devices.

Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) have the advantages of high energy density and low cost and are considered promising next-generation energy storage systems, but the shuttle effect and slow sulfur redox kinetics severely limit their practical applications. Herein, MoP quantum dot-modified N,P-doped hollow PPy substrates are adopted as separator modification coatings for LSBs. The MoP quantum dots exhibit excellent chemisorption and catalytic conversion capabilities for polysulfides, while the N,P-doped PPy substrates can provide flexible channels for Li+/electron transport and act as a physical barrier to suppress the shuttle effect. As a result, LSBs assembled with modified separators exhibit excellent rate capability (739 mAh/g at 3 C) and cycle performance (600 mAh/g at 1 C after 600 cycles, 0.052% decay per cycle). Moreover, even under a high sulfur loading of 3.68 mg/cm2, areal capacities of 3.58 and 2.92 mAh/cm2for the 1st cycle and 110th cycle are achieved. In addition, according to density functional theory calculations, MoP quantum dots have large adsorption energy for S8and Li2Sn, which further confirms the possibility of lowering the initial nucleation energy barrier of Li2S and helps to improve the kinetics of the subsequent Li2S reaction. This study proposes a novel method for using transition-metal phosphides as catalysts in high-performance LSBs.

In this work, Cu-graphite composites were prepared by electroforming technology in an acidic copper sulfate bath with graphite particles in suspension. The factors affecting the codeposition of graphite particles with copper were studied. At a particle concentration of 20 g l –1, a current density of 3 A dm– 2and a stirring rate of 100 min–1graphite content in the composites was 21.7 vol.%.Microhardness and friction coefficient of the composites decreased with increasing graphite content. However, wear mass-loss decreased, but increased with graphite content above 21.7 vol.%. The wear mechanisms of pure Cu and Cu-graphite composites were adhesive wear and delaminating wear, respectively.

In this work, Cu-graphite composites were prepared by electroforming technology in an acidic copper sulfate bath with graphite particles in suspension. The factors affecting the codeposition of graphite particles with copper were studied. At a particle concentration of 20 g l –1, a current density of 3 A dm– 2and a stirring rate of 100 min–1graphite content in the composites was 21.7 vol.%.Microhardness and friction coefficient of the composites decreased with increasing graphite content. However, wear mass-loss decreased, but increased with graphite content above 21.7 vol.%. The wear mechanisms of pure Cu and Cu-graphite composites were adhesive wear and delaminating wear, respectively.

In this work, Cu-graphite composites were prepared by electroforming technology in an acidic copper sulfate bath with graphite particles in suspension. The factors affecting the codeposition of graphite particles with copper were studied. At a particle concentration of 20gl-1, a current density of 3Adm-2and a stirring rate of 100min-1graphite content in the composites was 21.7vol.%. Microhardness and friction coefficient of the composites decreased with increasing graphite content. However, wear mass-loss decreased, but increased with graphite content above 21.7vol.%. The wear mechanisms of pure Cu and Cu-graphite composites were adhesive wear and delaminating wear, respectively.

In a fiber-optic disk accelerometer, the strain distribution of sensing fiber is crucial for the improvement of sensitivity. The distribution characteristics of axial and radial strain in the sensing fiber are analyzed by the finite-element method, and the influence of strain distribution on the sensitivity of accelerometer is studied. Sensors with different outer radii of sensing fiber coils are designed and manufactured, and their performance is tested. The resonant frequencies are greater than 200 Hz, and the sensitivity increases as the outer radius of the sensing fiber coil increases. The dynamic range of the sensor with maximum sensitivity is 145.8 dB@100 Hz, and the transverse cross talk is 32.5 dB. Among the sensing fiber strain calculation methods we tested to predict the value of sensitivity, using the strain of sensing fiber directly obtained by the finite-element analysis method shows the smallest error with experimental results (within 7%). It is concluded that in the optical fiber strain disk, the absolute values of axial strain and radial strain of sensing fiber decrease with the increase of disk radius, while the signs of axial strain and radial strain of the ipsilateral sensing fiber are opposite and remain unchanged. The sensitivity can be further improved by optimizing the inner and outer radius of the sensing fiber coils, which is very important for the research and design of high-sensitivity fiber-optic accelerometers.

Aluminum-air battery (AAB), as a kind of chemical power supply, exhibited great application potential owing to its high energy density, low cost and high safety. However, its further development was restricted by severe hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). To address this issue, hybrid additives including of ZnO and quaternary ammonium salts (QAS, denoted as C1, C4, C8, C12 and C16, respectively, depending on the length of single alkyl group) were introduced into the electrolyte in this work. The results showed that the capacity density was improved with the increasing length of single alkyl group as well as its discharge voltage. The addition of QAS regulated the electrochemical environment on Al anode surface, where “physical-hydrophobic electrochemical interface” was created by the non-polar group due to its electrophilicity. Simultaneously, polar group could form strong H-bonds with H2O molecules and reduce the activity of free water, thus constructing “chemical-hydrophobic electrochemical interface”. Meanwhile, QAS also promoted the uniform growth of Zn-based film, improving its structural integrity, as a barrier against H2O. As a result, HER was effectively inhibited to improve the capacity density up to 2470 mAh/gAl, corresponding to anodic utilization efficiency of 82.9 %. This work not only revealed the effect of electrophilicity on electrochemical environment around Al anode as well as the inhibition of HER, but also provide a guidance for the selection rule of organic additives to inhibit side reaction in aqueous batteries.

Li dendrites are considered as the primary cause for degradation and inevitable short circuit in lithium-metal batteries (LMBs). Although contemporary strategies have shown potential for addressing dendrite growth, none have achieved complete elimination. In this paper, a dendrite-free, three-dimensional, ordered, macro/mesoporous Cu/Zn current collector was prepared using a combination of simple colloidal crystal template and electrochemical method (electrodeposition and pulse plating). When paired with a hierarchically structured mesoporous (20–50 nm) and macroporous (450 nm) anode, this novel current collector achieved stable charge/discharge cycles of over 2000 h and a small plating/stripping potential (≈8 mV) at a current density of 0.2 mA cm–2. Coulombic efficiencies (CE) also reached 94.7% after 400 cycles. This three-dimensional, ordered, macro/mesoporous structure provides a greater specific surface area, reduces local current density, and contains a lithiophilic Zn coating that serves as preferred Li nucleation sites. By combining these factors, dendrite-free Li deposition and superior electrochemical performance improvements in LMBs have been realized.

Chronic kidney disease is a prevalent and severe significant complication of hypoxia. This study found that peptide LVYPFPGPIPN could protect hypoxia-induced renal injury in the animal model. Network pharmacology and molecular docking analysis indicated that cathepsin B (CTSB) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) represent potential targets for the prevention/ treatment of hypoxic-induced renal injury. GO analysis revealed the involvement of these genes in various biological processes, including apoptosis regulation, oxidative stress response, and adaptive immune modulation. Experimental results in vitroand in vivodemonstrated that peptide LVYPFPGPIPN could effectively inhibit apoptosis and stress responses of kidney cells by regulating the NRF2/IL-1β/mitochondrial apoptosis pathway, thereby protecting hypoxic human embryonic kidney cells from damage. The anti-hypoxic effect of the LVYPFPGPIPN offers a novel therapeutic clue for the treatment/prevention of hypoxic-induced kidney injury and inflammation-associated chronic kidney disease.

Electrolytic copper foils (ECFs), owing to their excellent mechanical properties and conductivity, have become an indispensable component as an anodic current collector in lithium-ion batteries. ECFs often show texture properties, but the intrinsic relationship between the texture and mechanical properties is rarely reported. The authors find a conspicuous preference for the (100) crystal plane in 6 and 8 μm ultrathin ECFs with high elongation. And certain ECFs even exhibit a positive correlation trend between elongation and the (100) relative texture coefficient. It can be inferred that enhancing the (100) texture contributes to the improvement of the elongation in ECFs. Moreover, the Schmid factor values for the (111), (100), and (110) planes are calculated. The results revealed that the number of slip systems that can be activated under different tensile directions of the (100) plane is the largest, while the number of (110) plane is the least. It implies that under equivalent conditions, ECFs with (100) plane orientation are more prone to undergo plastic deformation, thereby facilitating high elongation. In contrast, the (110) plane orientation contributes to a high tensile strength.

Considerable interest in using lanthanide complexes in optics have been well-known persisted for a long time. But such molecular-based edifices have been excluded from practical application because of their poor thermal or photo stabilities. Here a novel europium embedded layered double hydroxide (Mg–Al LDH–Eu) has been established and such an inorganic–organic framework demonstrates improved thermal performance due to hydrolysis and poly condensation of the trimethoxysilyl-unit. In addition, the incorporation of a functional building block such as ethylenediamine triacetic acid can significantly minimize the negative effects of hydroxyl groups. In the presence of tetracycline (Tc), the nanoprobe exhibits an “off–on” change in aqueous solution, and the red luminescence can be excited in the visible light range (405 nm). It provides a very sensitive signal response to Tc with an excellent linear relation in the range of 0.1 μM to 5.0 μM, and the detection limit of this probe is measured to be 7.6 nM. This nanoplatform exhibits low cytotoxicity during in vitro experiments and can be employed for the detection of tetracycline in 293T cells.

Lithium-oxygen batteries have attracted much attention due to their high theoretical specific capacity, but their high overpotential and poor cyclic stability limit further development. These are usually closely related to the reversible reactions of the formation and decomposition of the discharge product Li2O2. This study presents the feasibility of ultrasonic-assisted enhancement of lithium-oxygen battery performance. Under the application of ultrasonic charging with 5:5 duty cycle and 675 W power, the rapid upward trend of charging voltage can be effectively suppressed, and the original overpotential of the lithium-oxygen battery can be reduced by 25.9%. In addition, at a limited specific capacity of 400 mAh g−1and a current density of 800 mA g−1, when applying ultrasonic charging process with above ultrasonic condition every 20 cycles, the cycle life of lithium-oxygen battery with Co3O4as the positive electrode can reach 321 cycles. Ultrasonic charging has positive effects on suppressing concentration polarization, enhancing mass transfer, and improving oxygen evolution reaction kinetics. It can effectively promote the rapid decomposition of the discharge product Li2O2, reduce the overpotential, and improve the battery cycle performance and stability.

To justify the clinical use of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in the treatment of influenza.

Lithium-based batteries including lithium-ion, lithium-sulfur, and lithium-oxygen batteries are currently some of the most competitive electrochemical energy storage technologies owing to their outstanding electrochemical performance. The charge/discharge mechanism of these battery systems is based on an electrochemical redox reaction. Recently, numerous studies have reported that the use of a magnetic field as a non-contact energy transfer method can effectively improve the electrochemical performance of lithium-based batteries relying on the effects of magnetic force, magnetization, magnetohydrodynamic and spin effects. In this review, the authors comprehensively summarize the latest advances in the application of magnetic fields in lithium-based batteries. And the relative mechanism, present research status, problems and future developmental directions are discussed. This review will provide timely access for researchers to the recent works regarding on magnetic field on lithium-based batteries.

Trivalent cerium actived yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG: Ce) phosphor was prepared using the Pechini method. Phase transition during calcination was investigated through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results show that the powders directly transform into the pure YAG phase at 80°C. The dimension of phosphor calcined at 1200°C is micro-scale, which consists of nanometer scale primary particles. The effect of Ce doping content and calcination temperature on the luminescence properties is also discussed. The maximum emission is obtained for about 1 at.% Ce additions. The concentration quench effect is observed when Ce content increases beyond this limit. With the increment of calcination temperature, the emission intensity and lifetime increase.

Lithium–oxygen batteries have received extensive attention due to their high theoretical specific capacity, but problems such as high charging overpotential and poor cycling performance hinder their practical application. Herein, a pulsed current, which merits its relaxation phenomenon, is applied during the charging cycle to address the abovementioned problems. Pulsed charging can not only reduce the charging overpotential, but also control the mass transfer and distribution of lithium ions. As a result, the uniform deposition of lithium ions on the anode surface is realized, the repeated rupture and formation of the solid electrolyte interphase is reduced, and the growth of the lithium dendrites is successfully suppressed, thereby achieving the purpose of protecting lithium metal from excessive consumption. When the pulsed charging duty ratio (Ton/Toff) is 1:1, after 25 cycles, the lithium–oxygen battery anode still presents a relatively flat and dense deposition surface, which is obviously better than the loose and rough surface after normal cycling. In addition, the protective effect of pulsed charging on the lithium metal anodes of lithium–oxygen batteries is also verified by the construction of other lithium-based batteries.

Aluminum alloy matrix samples reinforced with short carbon fibers or hybrid SiCpcomposites were prepared, and friction and wear tests were carried out on a wear test machine using a rotation ring on a stationary disk at high load. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive analysis of X-rays were used to investigate the composites, worn surface, wear debris and composition changes after wear. By comparison with Al alloy, Al/SCF and Al/SCF/SiCp, the results indicate that the incorporation of SCF into Al alloys improves the wear resistance significantly, the combination of a mechanically mixed layer formed on the worn surface and hard SiCpare responsible for the good tribological properties of the hybrid Al/SCF/SiCpcomposites at high load. During sliding, an obvious decrease in the temperature rise with SCF addition is attributed to the good anti-friction of SCF.

This paper presents a simple and reliable imprint template fabrication process for MEMS based on glass wet etching using a single-layer photoresist as the etching mask. In this work a novel vapour deposition process is adopted to cover a thin layer of silane coupler on the glass surface to improve the adhesion strength of the resist and hence attenuate the undercutting phenomenon, which reduces the extra undercut ratio to 0.6 and improves the sharpness of the etched pattern edges. Since the air bubbles in the photoresist and the particle contamination on the glass surface will cause some defects on the etched surface, the authors adopted a thick layer of resist to eliminate defects and reduce the stringent requirement for clean-room conditions. A smooth template surface is obtained by using hydrochloric acid as an etching agent additive, which can facilitate the template separation in the imprint lithography process. Imprint templates with a pattern feature size of 100 µm have been fabricated using the developed process and the imprint results are demonstrated.

First-order mean spherical approximation (FMSA) equation of state (EOS) with two parameters for Lennard-Jones (L-J) fluid proposed by Tang has been studied in this article. This equation was used to predict the vapor-liquid phase coexisting diagrams, saturated vapor pressure profiles, and PVT properties of real fluids. The results of prediction were compared with literature data and those from three-parameter FMSA EOS. The two parameters of L-J potential model were determined with vapor-liquid phase coexistence data of the corresponding fluid at the reduced temperature Tr<0.95. For approximate spherical and non-polar molecular fluids, the equation can predict PVT properties of real fluids perfectly in wide ranges of temperature and pressure except near the critical region. The deviations of the predicted results were not sensitive to the size of the spherical molecules. The two-parameter FMSA EOS should not be applied to strong polar fluids. Calculations show that this function is superior to Peng-Robinson (P-R) equation at high density. For nonspherical molecular fluids, the results showed some evident deviations and were sensitive to the shape of molecules, which can be taken into consideration in the three-parameter FMSA EOS.

The rational design and synthesis of highly-efficient cathode catalysts are of importance to high-performance lithium-oxygen batteries (LOBs). In this work, We use crab shell waste as a carbon source through carbonization, activation, and sol-gel method to synthesize activated functional carbon (AFC) and fabricate CoPt/AFC catalyst for Li-O2batteries. The as-prepared AFC possesses abundant hydroxyl (OH‒) and amino (NH2‒) groups as the link bridge for enhancing the metal-support interaction. Revealed by the density functional theory calculations, the tuned adsorption for intermediates and reduced overpotentials for both oxygen reduction and evolution reactions (ORR and OER) are achieved on such the composite structure. Experimentally, CoPt nanoparticles are evenly distributed on the surface of OH‒ and NH2‒ functionalized porous carbon through the sol-gel method. The abundant pore structures in the resultant catalyst (CoPt/AFC) can provide sufficient room for depositing discharge products. Moreover, the side reactions are effectively suppressed, as evidenced by the in-situ Raman spectra. As a result, the LOBs with the CoPt/AFC cathode present excellent electrochemical performances with a high discharge specific capacity of 8.25 mAh cm−2, a low overpotential of 0.47 V, and good cycling stability of 156 cycles.

Solution of the Ornstein-Zernike equation under the Percus-Yevick or the mean spherical approximation is presented analytically in a matrix form. The new solution is an extension of the general Ornstein-Zernike solution suggested recently for pure fluids. The development is based on further application of the Hilbert transform and multiple-dimensional space analysis. In addition to the potential matrix, only a hard core correlation function matrix and its inverse are involved in the expression. The solution achieved in this work is explicit and is applicable to any arbitrary potential functions with an additive hard core. The first-order solution for two Yukawa mixtures has been compared with the full solution reported in the literature to serve as an example.

This paper researches mainly the radiation characteristics of the target and detecting techniques by superconducting detector in the submillimeter wave(SMMW) region. The calculation of transition wavelength(TW) between Planck and Rayleigh-Jeans is given out. The experiment of detecting different targets is finished by use of superconducting detector possessing high performances. Through the experiments in paper we can select and determine the wave bands of SMMW detecting and imaging system. The many novel theoretical analyses and experimental results are expressed in Figs and tables of the paper. Finally, a part of calculating results and experimental datum detected by a superconducting detector in SMMW regions are given in this paper.

A simplified exponential SEXP approximation, combining the exponential approximation and the firstorder mean spherical approximation, is proposed to improve the equation of state for the LennardJones LJ fluid. The SEXP approximation, which can be implemented in an analytical manner, yields better radial distribution functions of the LJ fluid. Extensive comparisons with two typical perturbation theories show that the SEXP approximation is more appropriate to describe the behaviors of the LJ fluid. The latest 33parameter modified BenedictWebbRubin equation, also calculated, is inadequate in the region of phase coexistence. The SEXP approximation is applied to the calculation of methane properties with much better results than the PengRobinson equation of state for saturated liquid densities and second virial coefficients.