Search

Owing to safety issue and low energy density of liquid lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), all-solid-state lithium metal batteries (ASLMBs) with unique all-solid-state electrolytes (SEs) have attracted wide attentions. This arises mainly from the advantages of the SEs in the suppression of lithium dendrite growth, long cycle life, and broad working temperature range, showing huge potential applications in electronic devices, electric vehicles, smart grids, and biomedical devices. However, SEs suffer from low lithium-ion conductivity and low mechanical integrity, slowing down the development of practical ASLMBs. Nanostructure engineering is of great efficiency in tuning the structure and composition of the SEs with improved lithium-ion conductivity and mechanical integrity. Among various available technologies for nanostructure engineering, electrospinning is a promising technique because of its simple operation, cost-effectiveness, and efficient integration with different components. In this review, we will first give a simple description of the electrospinning process. Then, the use of electrospinning technique in the synthesis of various SEs is summarized, for example, organic nanofibrous matrix, organic/inorganic nanofibrous matrix, and inorganic nanofibrous matrix combined with other components. The current development of the advanced architectures of SEs through electrospinning technology is also presented to provide references and ideas for designing high-performance ASLMBs. Finally, an outlook and further challenges in the preparation of advanced SEs for ASLMBs through electrospinning engineering are given.

In this work, we fabricated vanadium/zinc metal–organic frameworks (V/Zn-MOFs) derived from self-assembled metal organic frameworks, to further disperse ultrasmall Zn2VO4 nanoparticles and encapsulate them in a nitrogen-doped nanocarbon network (ZVO/NC) under in situ pyrolysis. When employed as an anode for lithium-ion batteries, ZVO/NC delivers a high reversible capacity (807 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1) and excellent rate performance (372 mAh g−1 at 8.0 A g−1). Meanwhile, when used in sodium-ion batteries, it exhibits long-term cycling stability (7000 cycles with 145 mAh g−1 at 2.0 A g−1). Additionally, when employed in potassium-ion batteries, it also shows outstanding electrochemical performance with reversible capacities of 264 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 and 140 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 for 1000 cycles. The mechanism by which the pseudocapacitive behaviour of ZVO/NC enhances battery performance under a suitable electrolyte was probed, which offers useful enlightenment for the potential development of anodes of alkali-ion batteries. The performance of Zn2VO4 as an anode for SIBs/PIBs was investigated for the first time. This work provides a new horizon in the design ZVO/NC as a promising anode material owing to the intrinsically synergic effects of mixed metal species and the multiple valence states of V.

Repair of metabolic function in large bone defect remains a critical challenge, which largely depends on the osteogenic property of bone scaffold. Furthermore, microporous structure is one of the most critical factors that influence the osteogenic performance of bone scaffold. Therefore, it is an effective method to explore porous structures aiming at promoting osteogenesis. In this work, hydroxyapatite, the most abundant inorganic substance in bone tissue, was considered the research material. Furthermore, a natural loofah with high porosity and connectivity was selected as the bionic structure to reconstruct a porous bone scaffold based on 3D printing. Four types of loofah-like bone scaffolds were reconstructed and fabricated, and they all have an appropriate pore size and complex internal structure with a desirable porosity. According to the osteogenic ability analyses of micro-CT and histological morphometric, the BV/TV data of Type Ⅱ could reach 33%. The bone formation was found in pores and deep, rugged surfaces of scaffolds. The bionic bone scaffolds can promote in vivo osteogenesis, confirming the utility of our designed bionic scaffolds for bone regeneration.

To improve the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 NBs under irradiation of solar light, an immobilized Z-scheme composite photocatalyst CdS/Au/TiO2 NBs has been constructed. For the unique architectures, the TiO2 NBs provide more absorption and reaction sites, the CdS nanoparticles enhance overall light harvesting, and Au acts as the electron transfer mediator, promoting the interfacial charge transfer and efficient separation of electrons and holes. The morphology, elements, crystal structure, optical and photoelectrochemical properties, and photocatalytic activity of CdS/Au/TiO2 NBs were characterized. Results showed that CdS/Au/TiO2 NBs possesses higher photocatalytic activity toward the degradation of antibiotic norfloxacin under irradiation of simulated sunlight, which is attributed to the synergetic interaction of increased light absorption and separation of photogenerated electrons and holes. Besides, the degradation of norfloxacin was promoted by HCO3-, but inhibited by NO3- and Cl-. The radicals trapping experiments proved that superoxide radicals (O2-) was the dominating active species during the photocatalysis process. The photocatalytic degradation products of norfloxacin was analyzed, and nine intermediates were identified. Moreover, the photocatalytic degradation mechanism and photostability of CdS/Au/TiO2 NBs were analyzed in detail. The matched energy levels and unique ternary Z-scheme design are the key for improved photocatalytic activity. The deactivation of CdS/Au/TiO2 NBs after recycles mainly due to the release of CdS by photocorrosion and the loss of deposited Au.

The solubility of ammonium tungstate in a special hydrothermal condition is exploited to synthesize uniform microspheres of Ce-Cu-W-O oxides. Compared to their W-undoped counterparts, they possess more Ce3+ and oxygen vacancies, thereby promoting oxygen mobility. The formed rich WO3 surface can effectively provide acid sites, which is helpful for adsorption of vinyl chloride and interrupting the C–Cl bond. In addition, the presence of WO3 induces the formation of finer CuO nanoparticles with respect to the traditional coprecipitation method, thereby resulting in a better reducibility. Benefiting from both the enhanced acidity and reducibility, the Ce-Cu-W-O microspheres deliver excellent low-temperature vinyl chloride oxidation activity (a reaction rate of 2.01 × 10−7 mol/(gcat·s) at 250 °C) and high HCl selectivity. Moreover, subtle deactivation occurs after the three cycling activity tests, and a stable vinyl chloride conversion as well as mineralization are observed during the 72-h durability test at 300 °C, which demonstrates good thermal stability. Our strategy can provide new insights into the design and synthesis of metal oxides for catalytic oxidation of chlorinated volatile organic compounds.

TiO2-seashell composites prepared via a sol-gel method were used to generate carbonate radicals (•CO3−) under solar light irradiation. •CO3−, a selective radical, was employed to degrade the target tetracycline hydrochloride contaminant. A series of characterizations was carried out to study the structure and composition of the synthesized TiO2-seashell composite. This material exhibits excellent solar light-driven photochemical activity in the decomposition of tetracycline hydrochloride. The possible pathway and mechanism for the photodegradation process were proposed on the basis of high-resolution electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry experiments. Finally, we investigated the reusability of the TiO2-seashell composite. This study is expected to provide a new facile pathway for the application of •CO3− radicals to degrade special organic pollutants in water.

La0.67Ca0.33MnO3:Ag0.2 thin films were obtained by pulsed laser deposition followed by post-annealing at 1200 °C for varied durations. Surface morphologies, structures, and electrical and magnetic properties of films prepared with different annealing durations were significantly different. X-ray diffraction results showed that annealed films exhibited stronger diffraction peaks and C-axis preferred growth. Regarding their electrical properties, metal-insulator transition temperature (TMI) and temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) increased first and then decreased with the increase in annealing duration. In terms of their magnetic properties, thin films displayed ferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition. With the increase in annealing duration, Curie temperature increased first and then decreased. Specifically, the film annealed for 3 h showed excellent electromagnetic properties, with relatively high TCR of 20.3%·K-1 and near room temperature TMI of 285.7 °C. Owing to these excellent properties, as-prepared thin films have application potential in infrared detectors.

Sodium/potassium-ion batteries (SIBs/PIBs) with high electrochemical performance are promising but there still remain daunting challenges to explore an anode material with appealing cycling stability and rate capability. In addition, the utilization of waste biomass arouses tremendous researches in energy storage applications. Herein, we elaborately coupling ultrathin few-layered WSe2 nanosheets with N, P-doped biochar by utilizing waste chlorella as adsorbent and reactor. It displays a prominent long-term cycling property (265 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1 up to 1500 cycles) in SIBs, which is the best long-cycle performance ever reported for WSe2. Paired with Na3V2(PO4)3 cathode, full SIBs also exhibit superior capacity of 210 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 for 120 cycles. Notably, we also report WSe2-based anode material in PIBs, which delivers a high capacity of 333 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 for 100 cycles and superior cycling lifespan (155 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1 up to 5300 cycles) as well as excellent rate properties. Additionally, the mechanism of the repeated process of sodiation/desodiation is revealed, by the deep characterization, such as ex-situ XRD/Raman, galvanostatic intermittent titration technique and CV measurements.

Small-size MnOx nanoparticles with good reducibility, fast lattice oxygen mobility, and large acid sites are first obtained by bamboo-mediated biosynthesis, showing promising propane (C3H8) oxidati...

Chitosan (CS), hydrated zinc acetate, and rectorite (REC) were used as raw materials to prepare CS-embedded zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticle by a chemical precipitation process. Hydrogen-bonded REC-loaded ZnO-CS nanoparticle was to form ZnO-CS/REC nanocomposite photocatalyst, its morphology and structure were analyzed by means of FTIR, XRD, TGA, SEM, and TEM. The effects of the catalyst dosage, methyl orange (MO) initial concentration and solution pH on photocatalytic performance were also discussed. The experimental results show that the ZnO-CS/REC nanocomposite has a particle size of 100 nm with good dispersion and uniformity. Under irradiation of visible light, 0.6 g/L photocatalyst was used to degrade MO in solution for 90 min at pH 6, then the MO solution (10 mg/L) was decolored by more than 99%, indicating that the ZnO-CS/REC nanocomposite exhibited highly photocatalytic degradation activity. Therefore, the photodegradation kinetic mechanism of MO in aqueous solution is presumed.

Mn–Co–O catalysts with different Mn/Co molar ratios were synthesized by means of a facile inverse coprecipitation strategy and applied for the oxidation of propane (C3H8). The XRD pattern of Co2Mn1...

Al2O3 particles with different size (d50 ~ 1 μm, 200 nm) and ZrO2 (d50 ~ 200 nm) were prepared to ZTA UV curable pastes with various bimodal PSDs. A modified Krieger-Dougherty formula was proposed to evaluate the relationship between the PSD and the viscosity. The 30 vol%-fine and 70 vol%-large mixed group owns the minimum porosity about 40.13%, contributing to the lowest viscosity. As ZrO2 increasing to 20 vol%, the viscosities of pastes display an upward trend, but the curing depths (Cd) display a downward trend. This phenomenon is due to the decrease of inter-particle spacing in ZTA paste and the enhancement of light scattering. Finally, ZTA paste containing 15 vol% ZrO2 with bimodal PSDs was prepared with a viscosity

UHMWPE/BN composites were prepared by solvent mixing (SM) in this work, then were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Raman mapping, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), and thermal conductivity meter to study the morphology, filler distribution, segregated structure, and thermal stability as well as thermal conductivity. Compared to the traditional melt mixing (MM), SM followed by molding contributes to the construction of segregated structures in UHMWPE composite. This segregated structure can greatly improve the thermal conductivity of the composites. The segregated structure of composites prepared by MM is destroyed by shearing. Moreover, the thermal stability of composites by SM is improved with the increment of BN content, which is better than that of samples by MM, probably resulting from the barrier function of the segregated structure.

Lignin peroxidase (LiP) was obtained from Pichia methanolica through heterologous expression. LiP was extracted, purified, and immobilized on Fe3O4@SiO2@polydopamine (PDA) nanoparticles to acquire immobilized LiP. The optimal preparation conditions for immobilized LiP were investigated. Results showed that the immobilization efficiency of immobilized LiP reached 56.37% when the enzyme amount, PDA concentration, and immobilization time were 12 mg, 1.6 mg/mL, and 12 h, respectively. Compared with free LiP, the immobilized LiP showed good thermal stability and storage stability and improved pH tolerance. It also retained more than 30% of its initial activity after 8 cycles, demonstrating its improved reusability. The immobilized LiP demonstrated efficacy of reaction of 100%, 100%, 100%, 100%, 79%, 73%, and 65% for tetracycline, dibutyl phthalate, 5-chlorophenol, phenol, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, and benzo(a)pyrene, respectively, while the inactivated immobilized LiP only adsorbed

A series of La1−xCaxMnO3:Ag0.2 (0.25 ≤ x ≤ 0.33) polycrystalline ceramic materials were prepared by sol–gel method using methanol as solvent. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that all samples consisted of pure perovskite structurewith no second phase. The grain size and morphology of the samples were studied by scanning electron microscopy. The results showed the samples with good crystallinity, large grain size, and high density. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurement results shows that Ag exists in manganese oxides in two forms (Ag and Ag+). The resistivity temperature curves showed that all samples exhibited a sharp metal–insulator transition. At x = 0.28, the temperature coefficient of resistance was 78.8%·K−1. The magnetization-temperature curves also showed a sharp ferromagnetism–paramagnetism transition, and the Curie temperature increased gradually. These ceramics act as promising candidates for application in infrared and bolometric detectors.

Germanium-based composites have been recognized as attractive candidates of anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), on account of their high capacity properties, prominent ion diffusivity and high electronic conductibility. Nevertheless, similar to other alloy materials, the large volume expansion of germanium (Ge) presents during cycling, resulting in limited development of their practical application. Recently, co-doped heteroatom (e.g., N, S, B, and P) has been considered to be a promising strategy with the synergetic effect, the mesoporous carbon also shows advantage for enhancing electrochemical stability. Herein, we design an effective route to fabricate Ge nanoparticles confined within N, S co-doped ordered mesoporous carbon via nanocasting route. Benefited from the synergistic function of the ultra-small dispersed Ge nanoparticles and N, S co-doped mesoporous carbon matrix, the Ge/OMC-N-S delivers the outstanding lithium storage behaviour. As results, when used as an anode for LIBs, Ge/OMC-N-S exhibits a high reversible capacity of 1271 mA h g −1 after 200 cycles at a current density of 0.1 A g −1 , remarkable rate performance (623 mA h g −1 at 2.0 A g −1 ), and exceptional long-term cycling life (capacity of 641 mA h g −1 in 1000 cycles). Furthermore, we expect the potential of such an optimized configuration of carbon-encapsulating to enable the application of other alloy-type anodes.

La1−xSrxMnO3 (0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.25) high density ceramics were prepared by sol-gel method using methanol as solvent. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that all samples exhibited single perovskite structure and no second phase was detected. Scanning electron microscopy images exhibited good particle connectivity on the surface of sample, and grain size increased with the increase in Sr doping. Resistivity-temperature curves of samples were measured by standard four-probe method, and curves exhibited significant differences in studied range of Sr doping. Magnetic measurement results indicated that the variation of susceptibility of different samples was quite different, and the Curie temperature of samples increased with the increase in Sr content. For x = 0.2, temperature coefficient of resistance value of the sample was larger, and corresponding peak TCR temperature was 307.1 K, which is very close to room temperature. Thus, La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 ceramics exhibited high TCR value close to room temperature. Combined with its excellent magnetic properties, La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 ceramics may potentially act as effective candidates for uncooled radiation calorimeter and uncooled magnetic sensor. Applications of La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 ceramics in uncooled infrared radiation calorimeter at room temperature will be highly beneficial.

Amplitude based coupled dual-microcantilevers have showed great sensitivity improvement compared with traditionally investigated frequency-shift based single cantilever which is meaningful for highly sensitive bio/chemical detection. In this paper, weaker coupling structures and less mass difference between the two coupled cantilevers were found to contribute to a better minus mass detection sensitivity. Emergence of the coupled states for coupled dual-microcantilevers under piezo-actuation was discovered to be easier with smaller damping force, stronger coupling effect and greater mass difference between the two coupled beams. Besides, the amplitude-ratio was found to be a more significant sensing factor for suppressing the actuating contributed noise compared to traditional amplitude index.

Graphene loaded TiO2 nanotube array (GR/TNA) photoelectrodes were prepared by using anodization and electrodeposition approaches. The effects of different pH values, anions, bias potentials and electron acceptors on the photocatalytic activity of GR/TNA photoelectrodes in the degradation of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) were systematically investigated. Enhanced DBP removal ratio of 87.9% was achieved by GR/TNA photoelectrodes after 90 min of illumination. As a result, with the increase of initial pH values, the DBP removal ratio was also gradually increased. The addition of anions negatively affect the photocatalytic degradation of DBP by the order of NO3− > HCO3− > SO42− > Cl−. After applying a bias potential of +1.0 V, the highest DBP removal ratio of 98% was obtained. In addition, the presence of electron acceptors, KBrO3, K2S2O8 and H2O2, improved the photocatalytic activity of GR/TNA photoelectrodes. Furthermore, to better understand the underlying pathways in the photocatalytic degradation of DBP, the involved reactive species and produced intermediates were detected and analyzed. The major reactive species involved in this system were testified to be hydroxyl, superoxide radicals and holes by performing trapping experiments. The possible mechanism for the photocatalytic degradation of DBP was also proposed and discussed in detail.

In the present work, 0.29 wt% Pt/LaCoO3 nanorods with high Pt dispersion were prepared by using high surface area of electrospun LaCoO3 nanorods (31 m2/g) as the support, and the physicochemical properties are correlated with the propane oxidation activities. It is demonstrated that sequential thermal annealing in He, O2, and H2 can achieve well Pt dispersion and good interaction between metallic Pt and LaCoO3 nanorods. The latter leads to a good reducibility and high oxygen mobility, resulting in a rapid redox cycle of Co3+/Co2+. It mainly contributes to the good propane oxidation activity following the Mars-van Krevelen mechanism for Pt/LaCoO3-He + O2 + H2. Meanwhile, it exhibits good thermal stability and water resistant. Additionally, a unique “circulation” in situ FTIR technology was developed to detect the intermediate species for the weak interaction of propane with Pt/LaCoO3.

In recent years, thermally conductive polymer-based composites have garnered significant attention due to their light weight and easy formation process. In this work, the thermal conductivity of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UPE) composites was improved through construction of a hybrid filler network of boron nitride sheets (BNs) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the matrix via hot compression. The morphology, UPE aggregate structure, thermal conductivity, heat dissipation capacity and thermal stability of the UPE composites were investigated. The thermal conduction mechanism of the UPE composites was explored through simulations with Agari's semi-empirical formula. The results showed that the thermal conductivity of the UPE composite with 40 wt% BNs and 7 wt% CNTs was 2.38 W m−1 K−1, which was 495% higher than that of pure UPE, showing a synergistic effect between BNs and CNTs. The simulations with Agari's semi-empirical simulation suggested that increasing the CNT content contributed to synergistically assist BNs to form a better continuous and effective hybrid filler thermal network, thereby reducing phonon scattering and thermal resistance between BNs. In addition, UPE composites doped with BNs and CNTs presented better heat dissipation capacity and higher thermal stability as compared to that of pure UPE.

In the present work, the hierarchical Zn3V3O8@C/rGO composite with a unique lychee-like architecture was fabricated by a simple one-pot ethanol thermal reduction strategy. When used as an anode material, it exhibited outstanding electrochemical performance for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). For instance, the Zn3V3O8@C/rGO composite delivers high reversible capacities (1012 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 after 200 cycles) and high rate stability (448 mAh g−1 at 4 A g−1 after 1000 cycles). This outstanding performance can be attributed to the synergistic effect of the diverse structural virtues, effective interface and dual-spatially hybrid carbon network. Significantly, this one-pot simple strategy can be extended to fabricating highly stable and high rate performance of vanadates or other anode materials for LIBs.

The potential prospect of expandable graphite (EG) in the development of polymer composites is severely limited by required large additions and poor interface compatibility with the polymer. Inspired by mussels, polydopamine (PDA) can be used as an effective interface modifier for EG to prepare ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) composites with superior mechanical properties and high flame retardancy. The surface of expandable graphite (EG) was coated with a thin adhesive PDA film through self-polymerization of dopamine. The modified expandable graphite (EG@PDA) was combined with APP to prepare UHMWPE flame retardant composites. Compared with UHMWPE/APP/EG (with 20 wt% APP/EG), UHMWPE/APP/EG@PDA (with 20 wt% APP/EG@PDA) gives a decrement by 16.7% in limiting oxygen index, 29.7% in the peak of the heat release rate, 20.4% in total heat release and 49.3% in total smoke release, with an increment by 37% in tensile strength and 67.9% in elongation at break, respectively. It is suggested that the presence of PDA as an interface modifier can greatly improve the interfacial compatibility between EG and UHMWPE. Moreover, it can lead to forming more char residue and reducing the release of smoke particulates during combustion of the composites.

Rechargeable battery systems, including Li-ion batteries and Na-ion batteries, have attracted great interest in energy storage because of their high energy density, low cost, efficient energy storage and suitable redox potential. Nevertheless, their rapid development is still greatly hampered by some typical constraints including low coulombic efficiency, large volume changes and severe particle agglomeration and pulverization during the charge–discharge process. Here, we fabricate a few-layer MoSe2 confined within a ZnSe–C hollow porous sphere nanocomposite through a simple self-assembly strategy followed by selenization, which efficiently circumvents these problems. The fabricated ZnSe/MoSe2@C electrode demonstrates diverse advantages, including the existence of a few-layer structure, an in situ porous carbon matrix, multicomponent coordination and excellent pseudocapacitive behavior. When used as an anode material, it displays extraordinarily attractive electrochemical performance for both lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). The reversible capacity of ZnSe/MoSe2@C for LIBs reaches as high as 1051 mA h g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 (150 cycles). A long-term high-rate cycling test reveals an excellent stability of 524 mA h g−1 at 4 A g−1 after 600 cycles. In addition, for SIBs, ZnSe/MoSe2@C also manifests a high initial coulombic efficiency of 89% at 0.2 A g−1 and a remarkable reversible capacity of 381 mA h g−1 at a high current density of 4 A g−1 even after 250 cycles with negligible capacity loss. This is one of the best performances of ZnSe-based anode materials for SIBs reported so far. The regulation strategy reported in the present work is expected to offer new insights into the fabrication of high performance anode materials for SIBs.

The instantaneous phase signal contains abundant information about the health state of machineries, which plays an important role in fault detection of machineries, rotor dynamic balance, transmission error of Rotate Vector reducer, etc. Traditional methods use signal processing methods based on encoders, EMD and Hilbert transforms or fractional delay filters to extract instantaneous phase information indirectly. These traditional methods are state-of-art, however those algorithms are slightly complicated and time-consuming, which is not conducive to online prognostics and health management to some extent. In fact, high precision and high reliability sensor technology can effectively reduce the complexity of subsequent signal processing. In this paper, an instantaneous phase direct detection technique based on eccentric demodulation principle is proposed. The method is derived from the kinematics between the cam and the pushrod. The laser displacement sensor is used to replace the pushrod to realize non-contact measurement. The instantaneous phase is modulation by the cam, and the proposed method can realize the obtain of the theoretical phase infinite resolution, which reaches 16,000-line resolution. Compared with the traditional encoder and other inspection technologies, the proposed method is also suitable for the measurement of broadband shifting and reciprocating motion. By means of simple signal processing methods, this paper realizes the fault diagnosis of the rolling bearing with typical defectives, and realizes the extraction and identification of the fault signal of the reciprocating compressor. Experimental results proved that the proposed inspection technology can serve as an effective technology for mechanical fault diagnosis.

In order to investigate the grain size effect on the electrical conductivity of the submicron samarium-heavily-doped ceria, the Ce0.8Sm0.2O1.9 (SDC20) ceramics with grain sizes from 128 nm to 533 nm were prepared by sintering at 1000–1300 °C in the air atmosphere. The crystalline structure, micro-morphology, density and electrical conductivity of the SDC20 ceramics were measured and characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, Archimedes method and electrochemical impedance spectrum, respectively. All the sintered samples show the single SDC phase, low porosity and clean grain boundary without any impurities. The grain sizes of SDC ceramics grow continuously with the rising sintering temperature, and the relative densities increase as the sintering temperature rises from 1000 °C to 1200 °C and then decrease with the temperature from 1200 °C to 1300 °C. The specific grain boundary conductivity of SDC keeps decreasing while the grain and apparent grain boundary conductivities increase during the whole grain size range of 128–533 nm.

One innovative enhanced heat transfer tube is designed by the aid of the vortex structure on the wall surface. 3D numerical simulation is carried out to investigate and highlight the heat transfer and flow characteristics inside the vortex tube by comparing with the dimple tube and the smooth tube with the same tube diameter. The numerical geometrical models of the vortex tube and the dimple tube are constructed by the different approaches. The vortex-tube model is established for the first time based on the structural mechanics to represent the plastic deformation on the wall, and the dimple tube is constructed by the usually-employed CAD (Computer Aided Design) method. The results show that the outward protrusion and the smooth wall edge of the vortex tube can further enhance significantly the heat transfer, homogenize the flow field while increase relatively lowly the flow resistance. Compared to the dimple tube, the vortex tube provides the more superior flow and heat transfer behaviors, which are characterized by the more effective heat transfer enhancement, much smaller flow resistance and larger overall thermo-hydraulic performance factor.

In this paper, the flame-retardant Polypropylene (PP) composites were prepared by melt blending. Ammonium Polyphosphate (APP) and bamboo flour (BF) were selected as flame retardant and smoke suppressant of the composite material. Among them, BF as a synergist can effectively improve the flame retardancy and smoke suppression effect of PP/APP composites. The effects of BF on the mechanical properties, crystallization behavior, thermal degradation, flame retardancy, and especially the smoke suppression effect of PP/APP composite materials were studied. thermogravimetric analysis, limiting oxygen index, cone calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy and other characterization methods were used to study the thermal stability, flame retardancy and combustion characteristics of the composites and the microscopic morphology of carbon residue. Experimental results showed that when the total addition amount of APP/BF (2:1) in PP55/APP30/BF15 composite is 45%, the residual carbon had more specific surface area and micro-pores, which causes the composite to have the best smoke suppression effect. The PHRR of the PP55/APP30/BF15 composite was reduced to 308.2 kW/m2 and the amount of carbon residue was 25%. The continuous carbon layer, formed during combustion can effectively protect the matrix material and prevent the transfer of heat.

The work reports a novel strategy for combining polymers and metal&ndash, organic frameworks (MOFs) into composites for adsorption applications. Calcium silicate (CaSiO3) was introduced into acrylonitrile butadiene styrene/thermoplastic polyurethane (ABS/TPU) alloy, and the CaSiO3/ABS/TPU skeleton was fabricated by 3D printing technology. The Ca-MOF was directly loaded on the surface of acetone-etched 3D skeleton by in-situ growth method. The obtained 3D skeleton was characterized and the performance of methylene blue (MB) adsorption was determined. It is clear that Ca-MOF is successfully loaded on the surface of 3D skeleton due to the presence of CaSiO3. The MB adsorption ratios of the solutions with initial concentrations of 50, 100 and 200 mg/L at the equilibrium time (5 h) are 88%, 88% and 80%, respectively, revealing good MB adsorption performance of the 3D skeleton. The MB adsorption ratio remains 70% at six runs of adsorption&ndash, desorption experiment, indicating the excellent recovering property of the skeleton. The results show that the prepared CaSiO3/ABS/TPU 3D skeleton is a candidate adsorbent for printing and dyeing effluent treatment.

The aim of this work is to develop a high solid loading suspension of Al2O3 dispersed in an UV curable acrylic based resin, suitable for SLA-3D printing micro-components with complex shapes. Silane coupling agents KH550, KH560 and the stearic acid (SA) were investigated as the surfactants for Al2O3 particles, and the low viscosity acrylic monomers ACMO, HDDA and NPG2PODA were used as the reactive diluents for Di-TMPTA-based premixed resins. The modified Al2O3 powders exhibit the different wettability with premixed resins to cause the different rheology behaviors among the formulated suspensions. The KH560-modified Al2O3 powders show the better wettability performance with NPG2PODA/Di-TMPTA-based solvents and their corresponding 75 wt% Al2O3 suspensions (44.2 vol% solid loading) with a viscosity ˂ 25,000 mPa·s at 30 s−1 shear rate are successfully prepared. The further analyses approve that hydrophobic structures of KH560 molecules have been introduced on the surfaces of Al2O3 powders. This consequence results in the lowest sediment rate and contact angle between the KH560-modified Al2O3 powders and NPG2PODA/Di-TMPTA-based resins, which contributes to their better wettability performance. The optimum parameter of NPG2PODA concentration of prepared suspension is range from 50% to 70% in the premixed resin. Finally, Al2O3 ceramic micro-component with 99.5% density was fabricated via an SLA process and subsequent sintering. Both the Al2O3 suspensions and sintered micro-components exhibit good homogeneous microstructures, indicating an optimistic dispersal uniformity of KH560-modified Al2O3 particles in the premixed resins.

The ternary heterojunction CuS-CdS/TiO2 nanobelts (CuS-CdS/TiO2 NBs) were successfully prepared. The CuS-CdS/TiO2 NBs photocatalyst was used for the decomposition of gaseous toluene under simulated solar light irradiation. Results showed that the construction of ternary heterojunction CuS-CdS/TiO2 NBs improved the photocatalytic activity. The coupling of CuS-CdS heterojunction with TiO2 NBs promoted the absorbance in visible light region. CdS and CuS were brought in contact as a cascade structure, forming the stepwise energy level structure, which leads to the increased separation and transfer of photogenerated electrons and holes. The results demonstrated that photocatalytic degradation rate increased with increasing photocatalyst area from 16 to 40 cm2. With an increase in initial concentration, the decomposition of toluene showed a tendency to increase, however, there was an optimum concentration at 4215 ppm. The optimal flow rate and reaction temperature were around 1.5 L/min and 40 °C, respectively. After illumination of 100 min the conversion of toluene was about 88.12% and the produced CO2 was about 9353 ppm, corresponding to a mineralization ratio of 31.70%. It is hoped that our work could provide a valuable evidence for directing the rationally fabrication of ternary nanojunctions photocatalysts for environment cleanup.

Graphene and WO3 co-decorated TiO2 nanotube array (GR-WO3/TNA) photoelectrodes were fabricated using in-situ anodization and electrodeposition method. The effects of deposition time, initial pH, anions, cations and electron acceptor on photocatalytic performance of GR-WO3/TNA photoelectrodes were studied. The photocatalytic degradation process and mechanism of dimethyl phthalate (DMP) were explored by analyzing the kinds of active radicals and intermediates. Results showed that the degradation rate of DMP by GR-WO3/TNA photoelectrodes could reach 75.1% after 120 min illumination. The degradation efficiency of DMP gradually decreased with the increase of initial pH. Some anions (SO42−, Cl−, HCO3− and NO3−) showed significant inhibitory effect, whereas Ca2+ and Mg2+ exhibited little effect on the DMP degradation. GR-WO3/TNA photoelectrodes have excellent durability and stability, and the degradation rate of DMP decreased less than 2% after 10 recycles. The photocatalytic degradation of DMP was mainly due to the participation of hydroxyl radical ( OH) and O2 −. DMP molecules were transformed to carboxylic acid substances, CO2 and H2O by hydroxylation, dealkylation, broken bonds and open-loop. This work indicated that the GR-WO3/TNA photoelectrode, with high photocatalytic activity and stability, were a promising candidate for the efficient and non-toxic treatment of environmental pollutants and further application in water purification.

Ag/AgCl composite as an alternative visible-light photocatalyst has attracted extensive interests; however, the high charge carrier recombination rate and short-term photocatalytic durability limit their practical application. In the present work, TiO2 hollow nanofibers (ELTiO2) grafted Ag/AgCl is fabricated via electrospinning-precipitation method. Compared with Ag/AgCl and Ag/AgCl-SGTiO2 (sol-gel synthetized TiO2), 2.89 and 1.59-fold enhancement in the photodegradation rate toward MO is observed over Ag/AgCl-ELTiO2 under visible light irradiation. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity is mainly attributed to the higher content of the exposed AgCl {1 1 1} facet, which is beneficial for the separation of photogenerated carriers and accounts for more active sites. Moreover, Ag/AgCl-ELTiO2 shows better photostability than bare Ag/AgCl.

In the last 20 years, micro-fluidic technique has emerged as an important enabling tool for single-cell chemical analysis, owing to the miniaturization of the fluidic environment. These methodologies made various applications in single-cell analysis fields, and their superior performances such as rapid, simple, and high-efficient processing have been proved. Recently, the space is further downscaling to the 10–1000 nm scale (nano-space). The nano-space is located between conventional nanotechnology (10–1000 nm) and microtechnology (>1 mm), and the research tools are not well established. For these purposes, a new research field is now being created which are quite different from those in micro-space. In this chapter, we focus on the basic researches in nano-fluidic space and survey the fundamental technologies for nano-fluidic space. Then, recent developments of nano-fluidic technologies for single-cell analysis are reported. Finally, the potential of nano-fluidics-based single-cell analysis is discussed.

In this work, an Si/SiO2 -ordered-mesoporous carbon (Si/SiO2 -OMC) nanocomposite was initially fabricated through a magnesiothermic reduction strategy by using a two-dimensional bicontinuous mesochannel of SiO2 -OMC as a precursor, combined with an NaOH etching process, in which crystal Si/amorphous SiO2 nanoparticles were encapsulated into the OMC matrix. Not only can such unique porous crystal Si/amorphous SiO2 nanoparticles uniformly dispersed in the OMC matrix mitigate the volume change of active materials during the cycling process, but they can also improve electrical conductivity of Si/SiO2 and facilitate the Li+ /Na+ diffusion. When applied as an anode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the Si/SiO2 -OMC composite displayed superior reversible capacity (958 mA h g-1 at 0.2 A g-1 after 100 cycles) and good cycling life (retaining a capacity of 459 mA h g-1 at 2 A g-1 after 1000 cycles). For sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), the composite maintained a high capacity of 423 mA h g-1 after 100 cycles at 0.05 A g-1 and an extremely stable reversible capacity of 190 mA h g-1 was retained even after 500 cycles at 1 A g-1 . This performance is one of the best long-term cycling properties of Si-based SIB anode materials. The Si/SiO2 -OMC composites exhibited great potential as an alternative material for both lithium- and sodium-ion battery anodes.

Radiolabeled nanoparticles (NPs), taking advantage of nanotechnology and nuclear medicine, have shown attractive potential for cancer diagnosis and therapy. However, the high background signal in the liver and long-term toxic effects of radioisotopes caused by the nonselective accumulation of radiolabeled nanoparticles in organs have become the major challenges. Here, we report a pH-sensitive multifunctional theranostic platform with radiolabeled Pd nanosheets through a simple mixture of ultra-small Pd nanosheets and radioisotopes utilizing the strong adsorption of 131I and 125I on their surfaces (denoted as 131I-Pd-PEG or 125I-Pd-PEG). Systematic studies reveal that the labeling efficiency is higher than 98% and the adsorption of radioiodine is more stable in an acidic environment. In vivo studies further validate the pH-dependent behavior of this platform and the enhanced retention of radioisotopes in tumors due to the acidic microenvironment. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images with zero background were successfully achieved in a subcutaneous 4T1 tumor model, an orthotopic LM3 tumor model, and even in a Mst1/2 double-knockout hepatoma model. Moreover, the application of radiolabeled Pd nanosheets for photoacoustic (PA) imaging, and combined photothermal and radiotherapy was also explored. Therefore, this study provides a simple and efficient strategy to solve the critical high background issue of radiolabeled nanoparticles and shows enormous potential for clinical applications.

The objective of this work was to develop a novel organic-inorganic hybrid nanomaterial from agricultural biomass waste for environmental applications. The sugarcane bagasse (SB) supported TiO 2 hybrids were firstly synthesized via a sol-gel method. A series of characterizations were carried out to reveal the structures and components of obtained hybrids. Due to organic-inorganic hybrid (OIH) effect and element doping, the SB-TiO 2 hybrid can expand its optical absorbance ranging from ultraviolet to visible light. The optimal hybrid catalyst prepared with SB doping amount of 2 g in 100 mL titanic gel and calcined at 200 °C was able to degradate 95.0% methyl orange (MO) in 5 h under visible light. This study will pave a new and facile pathway for novel visible light driven photocatalysts based on TiO 2 modified by agricultural biomass waste.

The development of electrode materials with high reversible capacity, superior rate capability, and long lifespan for sodium-ion and potassium-ion batteries (SIBs/PIBs) is gaining great attention. Herein, V3Se4 nanoparticles embedded in nitrogen/phosphorus co-doped carbon nanofibers (V3Se4/NPCNFs) were initially synthesized with the assistance of biomass algae (Chlorella pyrenoidosa) and employed as anodes in SIBs and PIBs for the first time. The experimental findings and DFT calculation results reveal that heteroatom N/P co-doping could increase the content of pyridinic N with more open edge sites and boost the Na+/K+ storage performance by optimizing the distribution of electron density and enhancing ion reaction kinetics. As a result, the V3Se4/NPCNFs electrode exhibits an admirable capacity (527 mAh g−1/0.1 A g−1/60 cycles) and ultralong cycle performance (340 mAh g−1/5 A g−1/8000 cycles and 240 mAh g−1/10 A g−1/13000 cycles) for SIBs as well as an excellent electrochemical performance for PIBs (450 mAh g−1/100 cycles at 50 mA g−1 and 207 mAh g−1/800 cycles at 2 A g−1). The SIB full cell obtained by pairing with a Na3V2(PO4)3 cathode also reveals outstanding cycling performance. Thus, this work helps explain how biomass algae is a sustainable and economical source of heteroatoms and reactor in constructing energy storage materials.

SnS2 has aroused great interests for application of sodium-ion batteries, because of its graphene-like structure and high theoretical capacity. Herein, we present an effective nanocasting strategy to fabricate the SnS2/enteromorpha prolifera derived carbon (SnS2/EPC) composite, whose microstructure anchors the SnS2 nanosheets on enteromorpha prolifera (EP) derived carbon. It can effectively solve the problems of poor conductivity and volume expansion of SnS2 electrode during charging and discharging process. The optimized SnS2/EPC could deliver high reversible capacity of 443 mA h g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, and maintain reversible capacity of 340 mA h g−1 at high rate of 2 A g−1 after 450 cycles, indicating that SnS2/EPC is a promising anode material for sodium storage.

Visible-light-induced BiOCl/Bi/P25 composite materials were prepared via a hydrothermal method, and evaluated by degradation of methyl orange (MO) aqueous solution. It exhibits the highest photocatalytic efficiency, which is 53.6 and 23.9 times higher than that of Bi/BiOCl and P25, respectively. The superior activity is attributed to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of metallic Bi, and the efficient separation of the photogenerated carriers with the aid of BiOCl/P25 heterostructure. In the photodegradation process, holes (h vb + ) can react with Cl − ions to form Cl radicals, both of which can oxidize MO. Then Cl radicals reduce to Cl − again, forming a circulation and improving the photocatalytic activity.

Silicon powder was chosen to be deposited by cold spraying for the consideration of possible applications in lithium ion batteries. The influence of the silicon particle shapes other than spherical on the impact velocity and temperature for different working parameters of the gas streams have been numerically investigated by using computational fluid dynamics modeling. The results show that, for same equivalent diameter, the particle impact velocities increase to a maximum velocity when the shape factor increases to a certain value and then decreases to the impact velocity of spherical particles. In the cold-spraying process, the particle velocity profile for smaller shape factors is much closer to that of the gas stream due to the larger particle surface area. Furthermore, the particle impact velocity increment for smaller shape factors is much more remarkable with a higher main propulsion gas temperature and higher carrier gas pressure. The effect of raising the main propulsion gas pressure on the impact velocity of the particles with very smaller shape factors is negligible. The particle impact velocity and temperature can be altered by not only the change of the working parameters of the gas steams but also the change of the sizes and shapes of the sprayed particles.

The high-pressure cold spraying technology was adopted to deposit silicon particles on the copper substrates for preparing the silicon-based electrode of lithium-ion batteries. The deposition of silicon powder was accomplished at two spray process parameter sets by impacting the particle stream or individual particle. The microstructure and the morphology of the silicon coatings were characterised by scanning electron microscopy. A single-silicon particle represents three different deposition behaviours. The mass gains of as-sprayed samples are negative over multiple spray passes, but the thin silicon coating with the particular covered structures is formed. Increasing the number of spray pass cannot cause the obvious increase in the coating thickness. The interfacial morphology of the silicon coatings indicates that, except for the plastic deformation of the copper substrate, both the mechanical interlock effect among the deposited silicon particles and even the chemical binding contributing to t...

A novel ternary g-C 3 N 4 /C@Bi 2 MoO 6 composite photocatalyst was prepared by a hydrothermal deposition method. Beta naphthol (β-naphthol) was effectively degraded over g-C 3 N 4 /C@Bi 2 MoO 6 composite under visible-light irradiation. The improved photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the efficient separation of photogenerated electrons and holes through the Z-scheme construction of g-C 3 N 4 /C@Bi 2 MoO 6 . Carbon film acted as an electron mediator to form the charge transmission-bridge between Bi 2 MoO 6 and g-C 3 N 4 , which provided sufficient contact area and strong combination between the semiconductors and the electron mediators. The optimized Z-scheme 10%g-C 3 N 4 /C@Bi 2 MoO 6 composite showed the highest photocatalytic activity. A possible photocatalytic mechanism of g-C 3 N 4 /C@Bi 2 MoO 6 was proposed by a trapping experiment, which could be ascribed to the oxidizing ability of the generated holes and light absorption as well as the reduced the electron–hole pairs recombination with the presence of g-C 3 N 4 and carbon in the composites. The photogenerated holes in the valence band of Bi 2 MoO 6 were the major species in the β-naphthol photocatalytic degradation process, and the accumulating electrons in the conduction band of g-C 3 N 4 could capture the molecular oxygen to form superoxide radicals to decompose β-naphthol.

A high surface area rhombohedral LaCoO 3 perovskite (ELS-JX) was synthesized by SBA-15 assisted electrospinning combined with NaOH etching technology, and investigated for total benzene oxidation. LaCoO 3 nanoparticles are confined in the self-assembled nanorods or scattered on the mesopores/surface of SBA-15, resulting in less aggregation of perovskite nanoparticles for ELS-JX. H 2 -TPR analysis and XPS measurements reveal that better low-temperature reducibility, higher O ads /O latt and Co 2+ /Co 3+ as well as larger amounts of surface exposed Co species of ELS-JX considerably enhance its catalytic activity for total benzene oxidation compared to sol-gel (SG) and SBA-15 free electrospinning (EL) method synthesized LaCoO 3 . Moreover, the results of O 2 -TPSR match well with the catalytic performances of SG, EL and ELS-JX. In addition, the presence of water vapor has a negative effect on benzene oxidation over the best performed ELS-JX.

The color-tunable fluorescent LaOCl:Eu3+, Ce4+ nanofibers were successfully fabricated via an electrospinning combined with calcination route, in which PVA was employed as a template. XRD, TG–DTG results show that the heat-treatment of the nanofibers at 750 °C is enough to obtain highly crystallized LaOCl:Eu3+, Ce4+ samples. Scanning electron microscopy analysis indicates that LaOCl:Eu3+, Ce4+ nanofibers are composed of wafer nanograins with mean diameter of ~30 nm. Photoluminescence analysis shows that the luminescence intensity has changed with the varying Ce4+ doping content in LaOCl:Eu3+ nanofibers. Additionally, CIE chromaticity coordinates of LaOCl:5% Eu3+, x% Ce4+ nanofibers change from orange light region of (0.4997, 0.4828) and (0.5232, 0.4627) at x = 5.0 and 2.5 to red light region of (0.5661, 0.4251) at x = 1.7, then to orange light region of (0.5590, 0.4318) at x = 1.0, respectively. Hence the fluorescence color of LaOCl:Eu3+, Ce4+ nanofibers can be tuned by simply adjusting the Eu/Ce ratio, which is a promising candidate for application in LEDs.

Montmorillonite (MMT) clay platelets were successfully encapsulated in poly(methyl methacrylate- co-ethyl acrylate) [poly(MMA- co-EA)] matrix by an in situ suspension polymerization, and evaluated for their plugging behaviors in single-sand pack tube models. Swelling behaviors of the poly(MMA- co-EA)/MMT nanocomposites in various salinity water were also investigated. Results showed that the poly(MMA- co-EA)/MMT nanocomposites had a spherical morphology and their particle sizes mainly range from 10 to 120 µm by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. X-ray diffraction indicated that the existing of MMT layers in the polymer matrix was mainly in exfoliated form; this was consistent with transmission electron microscopy analysis. The thermal stability of poly(MMA- co-EA)/MMT nanocomposites were effectively improved after adding the MMT by thermogravimetric analysis. Furthermore, the selected nanocomposites containing MMT (1.0 wt%) provided an effective plugging in sand pack tubes of high permeability, and plugging rate was up to approximately 85.0%.

TiO2 Nanotube arrays (TNA) and WO3-coated TNA photoelectrodes were fabricated using an in situ anodization and pulse electrochemical deposition technology. The performance of the TNA photoelectrodes in the photocatalytic (PC) and photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) degradation of 4-nonylphenol (4-NP) was investigated. The effects of the initial pH and the anions on the degradation rates and reaction mechanism of 4-NP were studied by the photoluminescence (PL) spectra and electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS). The degradation of 4-NP was fitted to a first-order reaction, and the apparent kinetic constants were 1.9 × 10−2 min−1 for TNA photoelectrodes and 2.4 × 10−2 min−1 for WO3/TNA photoelectrodes. When a bias potential of 1.0 V was applied, the values for TNA and WO3/TNA photoelectrodes increased to 2.5 × 10−2 and 3.0 × 10−2 min−1, respectively. The degradation of 4-NP was controlled by a charge-transfer process one. WO3-decorated TNA photoelectrodes could increase the adsorption of 4-NP and promote it...