Effect of Ti<Subscript>3</Subscript>SiC<Subscript>2</Subscript> addition on microwave absorption property of plasma sprayed Ti<Subscript>3</Subscript>SiC<Subscript>2</Subscript>/NASICON coatings

The work attempted to develop a kind of high temperature microwave absorption coating. The Ti₃SiC₂/NASICON composite coatings with different Ti₃SiC₂ concentrations were fabricated by atmospheric plasma spraying. The effect of Ti₃SiC₂ addition on phase, density, microstructure, dielectric property and microwave absorption property of as-sprayed coatings was investigated. Results show that the complex permittivity increases with increasing the content of Ti₃SiC₂ due to the enhanced space charge polarization, decreased porosity and increased conduction loss. When the content of Ti₃SiC₂ increases to 30 wt%, the coating exhibits the optimal microwave absorption property with a bandwidth (below ??5 dB) of 4.01 GHz and lowest reflection loss of ??12.4 dB at 9.63 GHz in 1.4 mm thickness. It indicates that the Ti₃SiC₂/NASICON composite coating can be a potential candidate for microwave absorption.     

Synthesis and microwave absorption property of ternary composites: polyaniline/CoFe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>/Ba<Subscript>3</Subscript>Co<Subscript>2</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>24</Subscript>O<Subscript>41</Subscript>

Polyaniline (PANI)/CoFe₂O₄/Ba₃Co₂Fe₂₄O₄₁ composite was prepared by an in-situ polymerization method. The phase structure, morphology and magnetic properties of the as-prepared PANI/CoFe₂O₄/Ba₃Co₂Fe₂₄O₄₁ composite were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, SEM, TEM, and VSM, respectively. The microwave absorption properties of the composite were investigated by using a vector network analyzer in the 2–18 GHz frequency range. The results show that the maximum reflection loss value of the PANI/CoFe₂O₄/Ba₃Co₂Fe₂₄O₄₁ composite reaches ?30.5 dB at 10.5 GHz with a thickness of 3 mm and the bandwidth of reflection loss below ?10 dB reaches up to 1.2 GHz. The excellent microwave absorption properties of the as-prepared PANI/CoFe₂O₄/Ba₃Co₂Fe₂₄O₄₁ composite due to the enhanced impedance match between dielectric loss and magnetic loss.     

The synergetic electromagnetic properties and enhanced microwave absorption of BiFeO<Subscript>3</Subscript>/BaFe<Subscript>7</Subscript>(MnTi)<Subscript>2.5</Subscript>O<Subscript>19</Subscript> composite

The effective microwave absorption materials could contribute to alleviating the electromagnetic wave pollution. However, conventional microwave absorption materials usually suffer from insufficient absorption intensity and the narrow effective absorption bandwidth. Herein, BiFeO₃/BaFe₇(MnTi)_2.5O₁₉ composites are proposed to address these issues through offering synergetic electromagnetic properties and proper electromagnetic properties. BiFeO₃ combined with BaFe₇(MnTi)_2.5O₁₉ exhibits dielectric multiple relaxation behaviors, strong ferromagnetic resonance and electromagnetic matching, ensuring increased multi-band microwave absorption. Accordingly, the minimum reflection loss (RL) of the composite with volume ratio of 1.5:1 reaches ??48 dB, and the bandwidth less than ??10 dB covers multi-frequencies at C, X and Ku band. These results suggest that BiFeO₃/BaFe₇(MnTi)_2.5O₁₉ composite could be a promising microwave absorption material in imaging, healthcare, information safety and military fields.     

Synthesis and microwave absorption properties of sandwich-type CNTs/Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>/RGO composite with Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> as a bridge

A novel sandwich-type CNTs/Fe₃O₄/RGO composite with Fe₃O₄ as a bridge was successfully prepared through a simple solvent-thermal and ultrasonic method. The structure and morphology of the composite have been characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. This new structure can effectively prevent the agglomeration of GO and the combination of CNTs/Fe₃O₄ and RGO shows a strong reflection loss (R_L) (?50 dB) at 8.7 GHz with absorber thickness of 2.5 mm. Moreover, compared with CNTs/Fe₃O₄/GO composite, it is found that the thermal treating process is beneficial to enhance the microwave absorption properties, which may be attributed to high conductivity of RGO. On this basis, the microwave absorbing mechanism is systematically discussed. All the data show that the CNTs/Fe₃O₄/RGO composite exhibits excellent microwave absorption properties with light density and is expected to have potential applications in microwave absorption.     

Preparation and microwave absorption properties of BiFeO<Subscript>3</Subscript> and BiFeO<Subscript>3</Subscript>/PANI composites

BiFeO₃(BFO) particle was successfully synthesized by normal citric acid sol–gel method and the size of BiFeO₃ particle is about 200 nm. BiFeO₃/polyaniline (PANI) composites with the different weight ratio were synthesized by in situ emulsion polymerization. The citric acid doped PANI is fibrous and form a loose structure outside the BFO particle. With the increasing of PANI, the conductivity value of composites are increasing to 9.34?×?10^?2 S/cm. Moreover, the permittivity also enhance with the increasing of conductivity, which contribute to the improvement of dielectric loss. Microwave absorbing properties were investigated with a vector network analyzer in 1–18 GHz. The minimum reflection loss (RL) value is about ?40.2 dB at 8.3 GHz when the thickness is 3.5 mm, and the maximum bandwidth less than ?10 dB is 3.5 GHz (from 13.5 to 18 GHz) at the thickness of 2 mm. 3 mm millimeter-wave-attenuation properties were also tested, and the maximum attenuation value of BFO/PANI composites reach 15.71 dB. The composites can dissipate microwave energy into heat effectively by dielectric relaxation because of the suitable conductivity. The interface scattering and multiple reflections also play a important role because of the increasing of a loose structure. The BFO/PANI composite can be taken as a promising lightweight and multiband microwave absorber.     

Fabrication and microwave absorption performances of hollow-structure Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>/PANI microspheres

The hollow polyaniline (PANI) microspheres were prepared by controlling the mass ratio of the aniline to polystyrene (PS) via a template method, and Fe₃O₄/PANI composite microspheres have been fabricated by blending the hollow PANI microspheres with Fe₃O₄ magnetic particles. The effects of the mass ratio of aniline/PS on the microwave absorption performances of Fe₃O₄/PANI microspheres were investigated. It was found that the value of minimum reflection loss (RL_min) of the microspheres were respectively ?14.06, ?22.34 and ?24.3 dB, corresponding to the mass ratio of aniline/PS of 1:1.5, 1:3, and 1:6. In addition, when the mass ratio of aniline/PS was 1:6, with the thickness of 1.5 and 2.0 mm, the bandwidth below ?10dB were respectively 2.48 GHz (15.52–18 GHz) and 4.64 GHz (11.04–15.68 GHz), indicating that the Fe₃O₄/PANI microspheres could be a potential electromagnetic wave absorbing material in X (8–12 GHz) and Ku (12–18 GHz) bands.     

Preparation of TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>/Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>/CF composites for enhanced microwave absorbing performance

To meet the demand of electromagnetic absorption, cheap and easily available microwave absorbents are urgently required. As an important functional material, carbon fibers (CFs) have been widely reported, however, too high conductivity easily leads to the impedance mismatch, which is not favorable to the microwave absorbing performance (MAP). To address this challenge, in this study, novel TiO₂/Fe₃O₄/CF composites with tunable magnetic were synthesized by hydrothermal method and characterized by SEM, XRD, XPS and VSM. As absorbents, the minimum reflection loss (R_L) value is ??41.52 dB at a thickness of 2.1 mm, and the corresponding bandwidth with effective attenuation (R_L?<???10 dB) is up to 5.65 GHz (4.54–10.19 GHz). More importantly, the plausible mechanisms for the enhanced MAP are explored.     

Hierarchical structures based on Li<Subscript>0.35</Subscript>Zn<Subscript>0.3</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>2.35</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>/polyaniline nanocomposites: synthesis and excellent microwave absorption properties

For the first time, the hierarchical structures of Li_0.35Zn_0.3Fe_2.35O₄(LZFO)/polyaniline nanocomposites were successfully synthesized by interfacial polymerization. Firstly, the LZFO particles were prepared by the sol–gel method, and subsequently the PANI nanorods, composed of nanoneedle-like PANI, were grafted on the surface of the LZFO. A novel microtopography, urchin-like, of LZFO/PANI was prepared by a simple, efficient and controllable two-step method. The crystal structure, chemical bonding states and morphology of samples were characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Scanning and Transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM). The bandwidth of reflection loss exceeds 10 dB in the frequency was 5.56 GHz (3.36–8.48, 10.32–10.76 GHz), and the maximum reflection loss can reach ??49.4 dB at 4.96 GHz with the thickness of 5.1 mm. The enhanced microwave absorption properties of LZFO/PANI nanocomposites are mainly ascribed to the multi-level structure and the improved impedance matching, and make it a potential candidate for microwave absorption materials.     

Electronic and optical properties of the wurtzite-ZnO/CH<Subscript>3</Subscript>NH<Subscript>3</Subscript>PbI<Subscript>3</Subscript> interface: first-principles calculations

The atomistic geometry, binding energy, optical and electronic properties of wurtzite-ZnO (WZ-ZnO) (100)/CH₃NH₃PbI₃ (MAPbI₃) (112) interface were studied with the first-principles calculations. The lattice mismatch of this interface is 8.9%, and the interface binding energy is ?0.164 J/m². Interface states appear nearby the Fermi level, which come from the contribution of O-2p orbital, I-5p orbital and Pb-6s orbital. The atom orbitals of WZ-ZnO (100)/MAPbI₃ (112) interface have hybridizations. Through the analysis of charge density difference and Bader atomic charges, it is found that there is obvious charge transfer at the interface.     

Facile synthesis and excellent electromagnetic wave absorption properties of flower-like porous RGO/PANI/Cu<Subscript>2</Subscript>O nanocomposites

Novel porous ternary nanocomposite systems containing reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/polyaniline (PANI)/cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) were prepared via one-step in situ redox method. The RGO/PANI/Cu₂O nanocomposites present a flower-like structure with an average size of 2.0 μm in diameter. The morphologies and properties of the products can be controlled by adjusting the molar ratios of aniline to Cu²⁺. When the molar ratio of aniline to Cu²⁺ is 1:1, the product exhibits excellent microwave absorption property in the frequency range of 2–18 GHz. It can be seen that the maximum reflection loss (RL) of the ternary composite is up to ?52.8 dB at 2.7 GHz with a thickness of only 2 mm, and the absorption bandwidth corresponding to ?10 dB (90% of EM wave absorption) is 13.2 GHz. The microwave absorption property of ternary RGO/PANI/Cu₂O composite is significantly improved due to its special flower-like porous structure, dielectric loss property and well impedance matching characteristics, which is 8.12 times than that of pure RGO and 5.28 times than that of pure PANI. Therefore, our study paves a new way to prepare the promising lightweight and high-performance composite materials combined with the characteristics of three components for electromagnetic absorption.     

Synthesis and characterization of magnetic and microwave absorbing properties in polycrystalline cobalt zinc ferrite (Co<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Zn<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>) composite

In this research work, magnetic and microwave absorption loss and other response characteristics in cobalt zinc ferrite composite has been studied. Cobalt zinc ferrite with the composition of Co_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ was prepared via high energy ball milling followed by sintering. Phase characteristics of the as-prepared sample by using XRD analysis shows evidently that a high crystalline ferrite has been formed with the assists of thermal energy by sintering at 1250 °C which subsequently changes the magnetic properties of the ferrite. A high magnetic permeability and losses was obtained from ferrite with zinc content. Zn substitution into cobalt ferrite has altered the cation distribution between A and B sites in spinel ferrite which contributed to higher magnetic properties. Specifically, Co_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ provides electromagnetic wave absorption characteristics. It was found that cobalt zinc ferrite sample is highly potential for microwave absorber which showed the highest reflection loss (RL) value of ??24.5 dB at 8.6 GHz. This material can potentially minimize EMI interferences in the measured frequency range, and was therefore used as fillers in the prepared composite that is applied for microwave absorbing material.     

The microwave absorbing properties of CoFe<Subscript>2</Subscript> attached single walled carbon nanotube/BaFe<Subscript>12</Subscript>O<Subscript>19</Subscript> nanocomposites

The CoFe₂ attached single-walled carbon nanotubes (CoFe₂@SWCNTs) and BaFe₁₂O₁₉ ferrite nanocomposites with different CoFe₂@SWCNTs weight ratios (1, 3, 5, 7 wt%) were synthesized by a simple combination process. Then, the electromagnetic and microwave absorption properties were systematically investigated by a vector network analyzer in the frequency range of 2–18 GHz. High-quality CoFe₂@SWCNTs were prepared by a direct current arc discharge method in one-step. BaFe₁₂O₁₉ nanocrystals were synthesized by a nitrate citric acid sol–gel auto-ignition method. The CoFe₂@SWCNT/BaFe₁₂O₁₉ nanocomposites exhibited an efficient reflection loss (RL) and a wide absorption bandwidth. The minimum RL of ?54.13 dB was observed at 11.84 GHz for the nanocomposite (5 wt% CoFe₂@SWCNTs) with a thickness of 2.8 mm, 3.4 times greater than those without CoFe₂@SWCNTs, and a broad absorption bandwidth of 4.64 GHz (<?10 dB) was achieved. In addition, the nanocomposite (1 wt% CoFe₂@SWCNTs) shows a broader effective microwave absorption bandwidth of 7.12 GHz with a thickness of 1.9 mm. The experimental results reveal that the absorbing properties of the nanocomposites are greatly improved by controlling the CoFe₂@SWCNTs weight ratio and the matching thickness of the absorber. This CoFe₂@SWCNT/BaFe₁₂O₁₉ nanocomposite is anticipated to be applied in advanced microwave absorbers.     

Crystal structure of the new diamond-like semiconductor CuMn<Subscript>2</Subscript>InSe<Subscript>4</Subscript>

The crystal structure of the semiconductor compound CuMn ₂ InSe ₄ was analysed using X-ray powder diffraction data. CuMn ₂ InSe ₄ crystallizes, with a stannite structure, in the tetragonal space group I\(\boldsymbol {\overline {4}}\)2m (No. 121), Z = 2, with unit cell parameters a = 5.8111(2) Å, c = 11.5739(8) Å and V = 390.84(3) Å ³ . The refinement of 28 instrumental and structural parameters led to R _p = 8.1%, R _{w p} = 10.5%, R _{e x p} = 6.5% and S = 1.6, for 86 independent reflections.     

Effect of Dy,Pr on microwave absorption properties of Ce<Subscript>2</Subscript>Co<Subscript>17</Subscript> alloy

The Re_xCe_2?xCo₁₇ (Re?=?Dy, Pr, x?=?0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4) alloy was prepared by a combination use method of arc melting and high-energy ball milling and the phase structure, morphology and electromagnetic parameters were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and vector network analyzer (VNA), respectively. The consequences demonstrate that the particle size has a decreasing tendency and the minimum absorption peak frequency offsets to a low frequency band with increasing Re (Dy, Pr). The reflectivity of Dy_xCe_2?xCo₁₇ (x?=?0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4) alloy increase first and then decrease with the addition of Dy content, and the Dy_0.2Ce_1.8Co₁₇ alloy can achieve the minimum RL of ? 39.16 dB (microwave absorption rate 99.988%) at 8 GHz with the thickness of 1.8 mm. The microwave absorbing properties of Pr_xCe_2?xCo₁₇ (x?=?0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4) alloy can be optimized with the doping of Pr and the minimum RL of Pr_0.2Ce_1.8Co₁₇ can reach to ? 36.8 dB (microwave absorption rate 99.979%) at 7.92 GHz, and the bandwidth of R < ? 10 dB is 2.24 GHz with the best matching thickness condition of 1.8 mm.     

Synthesis and excellent microwave absorption property of polyaniline nanorods coated Li<Subscript>0.435</Subscript>Zn<Subscript>0.195</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>2.37</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> nanocomposites

In this work, Li_0.435Zn_0.195Fe_2.37O₄ (LZFO) was firstly prepared by the sol–gel process, and then core–shell polyaniline (PANI) nanorods/LZFO composites were successfully synthesized by interfacial polymerization. The structures and morphologies of samples were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectra, and scanning electron microscopy. The average size of the pure ferrites was about 0.75 μm and the size distribution was 0.3–1.0 μm. The results indicated that the composites with different morphologies and structures resulted in different electromagnetic properties. The electromagnetic absorption test demonstrated that the PANI nanorods/LZFO possessed the best absorption property. The value of the minimum reflection loss was ?51.1 dB at 9.86 GHz, and the absorption bandwidth exceeding ?10 dB was 2.3 GHz (from 3.7 to 6 GHz) and 2 GHz (from 15.7 to 17.7 GHz). The excellent electromagnetic wave absorption properties of the nanocomposites were attributed to the improved impedance matching and the enhanced interfacial effects.     

Low temperature sintering and microwave dielectric properties of Zn<Subscript>3</Subscript>Mo<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>9</Subscript> ceramic

Crystal structure and dielectric properties of Zn₃Mo₂O₉ ceramics prepared through a conventional solid-state reaction method were characterized. XRD and Raman analysis revealed that the Zn₃Mo₂O₉ crystallized in a monoclinic crystal structure and reminded stable up to1020 °C. Dense ceramics with high relative density (~ 92.3%) were obtained when sintered at 1000 °C and possessed good microwave dielectric properties with a relative permittivity (ε _r ) of 8.7, a quality factor (Q?×?f) of 23,400 GHz, and a negative temperature coefficient of resonance frequency (τ _f ) of around ??79 ppm/°C. With 5 wt% B₂O₃ addition, the sintering temperature of Zn₃Mo₂O₉ ceramic was successfully lowered to 900 °C and microwave dielectric properties with ε _r ?=?11.8, Q?×?f?=?20,000 GHz, and τ _f = ??79.5 ppm/°C were achieved.     

Synthesis and Crystal Structures of New Layered Uranyl Compounds Containing Dimers [(UO<Subscript>2</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>8</Subscript>] of Edge-Linked Pentagonal Bipyramids

Two new U(VI) compounds, [((CH₃)₂CHNH₃)(CH₃NH₃)][(UO₂)₂(CrO₄)₃] (1) and [CH₃NH₃][(UO₂)· (SO₄)(OH)] (2), were prepared by combining hydrothermal synthesis with isothermal evaporation. Compound 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group Р2₁, a = 9.3335(19), b = 10.641(2), c = 9.436(2) Å, β = 94.040(4)°. Compound 2 crystallizes in the rhombic system, space group Рbca, a = 11.5951(8), b = 9.2848(6), c = 14.5565(9) Å. The structures of the compounds were solved by the direct methods and refined to R₁ = 0.041 [for 5565 reflections with Fo > 4σ(Fo)] and 0.033 [for 1792 reflections with Fo > 4σ(Fo)] for 1 and 2, respectively. Single crystal measurements were performed at 296 and 100 K for 1 and 2, respectively. The crystal structure of 1 is based on [(UO₂)₂(CrO₄)₃]^2– layers, and that of 2, on [(UO₂)(SO₄)(OH)]^– layers. Both kinds of layers are constructed in accordance with a common principle and are topologically similar. Protonated isopropylamine and methylamine molecules are arranged between the layers in 1, and protonated methylamine molecules, in 2. Compound 1 is the second known example of a U(VI) compound templated with two different organic molecules simultaneously.     

Reduced-graphene-oxide-and-strontium-titanate-based double-layered composite: an efficient microwave-absorbing material

Microwave-absorbing materials based on reduced graphene oxide (r-GO)/strontium titanate were prepared by embedding in epoxy matrix. R-GO and strontium titanate were synthesized and characterized before composite fabrication. Microstructures of the constituent elements were studied by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Microwave absorption capabilities of the composite absorbers were investigated using a Vector Network Analyser in the range 8–12 GHz. A maximum reflection loss of ?7.5 and ?16.4 dB was obtained at 9.3 and 12.08 GHz, respectively, for 2% (w/w) r-GO-loaded epoxy composites. A maximum attenuation of ?12.8 dB at 9.3 GHz was obtained for the strontium titanate/epoxy composite. However, double-layer composite with r-GO/strontium titanate/epoxy composition showed the maximum reflection loss of ?15.1 dB at 9.47 GHz and ?9.65 dB at 12.3 GHz. All the results are discussed in terms of complex permeability and permittivity. The study revealed that intrinsic conductivity and polarization of the r-GO particles and dielectric polarization of the strontium titanate within epoxy matrix contribute to the microwave absorption.     

Preparation of core-shell structured hollow glass microspheres/BaFe<Subscript>12</Subscript>O<Subscript>19</Subscript>/Ag composites with excellent microwave absorbing properties

Hollow glass microspheres/barium ferrite (HGM/BaFe₁₂O₁₉) was first prepared via co-precipitation reaction, which was then performed to fabricate the HGM/BaFe₁₂O₁₉/Ag composites by chemical plating method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) were utilized to characterize the structures, morphologies and properties of the resultant composites. Results showed that a homogeneous and complete BaFe₁₂O₁₉ shell was coated on the surface of the HGM, and HGM/BaFe₁₂O₁₉ composites were also fully covered with Ag particles. The conductivity of the HGM/BaFe₁₂O₁₉/Ag composites was 1.24?×?10² S/cm, whereas the saturation magnetizations of the composites was reduced to 12.76 emu/g. The microwave absorption properties of the HGMs/BaFe₁₂O₁₉/Ag composites were significantly improved compared with those of HGMs/BaFe₁₂O₁₉ composites and BaFe₁₂O₁₉ particles. The reflection loss (R) showed that the bandwidth of reflection loss of HGM/BaFe₁₂O₁₉/Ag less than ?10 dB (90% absorption) was 2.1 GHz (from 10.3 to 12.4 GHz), herein, the minimum loss value was ?19.7 dB at 12.4 GHz.     

In-situ construction of 2D direct Z-scheme g-C<Subscript>3</Subscript>N<Subscript>4</Subscript>/g-C<Subscript>3</Subscript>N<Subscript>4</Subscript> homojunction with high photocatalytic activity

Constructing all-solid-state Z-scheme junction is a very effective strategy to design highly active photocatalysts for solar energy conversion and environmental purification. We herein firstly construct 2D g-C₃N₄/g-C₃N₄ Z-scheme homojunction by using a bottom-up approach, during which the supramolecular complex is initially formed, followed by a facile thermal polycondensation. Based on the active species trapping experiments, Mott–Schottky test and band edge position analysis, the prepared 2D nanosheet g-C₃N₄/g-C₃N₄ homojunctions are found to be Z-scheme type, different from those available reported ones with a type-II energy alignment. Benefiting from the specific 2D morphology with large exposed surface area and Z-scheme junction with efficient separation and high redox abilities of the photoinduced electrons and holes, the obtained 2D g-C₃N₄/g-C₃N₄ homojunctions are much more active than the conventional g-C₃N₄/g-C₃N₄ homojunction (CN-MT) and bulk g-C₃N₄ (CN-M) under visible light irradiation, validating by the high rhodamine degradation rate of 0.833 h^?1, which is about 3.9 and 15.4 times higher than that of CN-MT (0.214 h^?1) and CN-M (0.054 h^?1), respectively. The present work sheds light on design of novel Z-scheme photocatalysts with specific morphology and thus further application in the field of environment or energy.