Evaluation of cut cell cartesian method for simulation of a hook and claw type hydrogen pump

Hook and claw pumps are used for recirculation of excess hydrogen in fuel cells. Optimization of the pump design is essential. Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) is an effective method for performance optimization. However, it is difficult to conduct CFD simulation because of the sharp cusp of the rotor profile. Cut cell Cartesian mesh could be the solution to handle this complex and moving geometries. The aim of this paper is to evaluate ANSYS Forte for hook and claw pumps. Firstly, the conservation accuracy of the cut cell cartesian mesh is verified using an adiabatic piston cylinder case. Then, simulation results of hook and claw type pump are compared with experimental data. Finally, simulation results of air and hydrogen are compared. The results show that the CFD simulation of hook and claw pumps using cut cell cartesian mesh could provide an efficient and effective approach for the optimization of the system.     

Superswelling Microneedle Arrays for Dermal Interstitial Fluid (Prote)Omics

The noninvasive sampling of dermal interstitial fluid (ISF) for the monitoring of clinical biomarkers is a greatly appealing area of research. The identification of molecular biomarkers in biological fluids has been accelerated with -omics analyses but remains limited in ISF because of its time-consuming and complex extraction process. Here, the generation of microneedle (MN) patches made of superabsorbent acrylate-based hydrogels for the rapid sampling of dermal ISF is described to explore its proteome. In depth, iterative optimization allows the identification of novel acrylate-based compositions with the required chemical, mechanical, and biocompatibility properties allowing proteomic analysis of the extracted ISF for the first time after sampling with swelling MNs. The generated MN arrays show no cytotoxic effect, successfully cross the stratum corneum, and can collect up to 6 µL of dermal ISF in 10 min in vivo. Proteomics lead to the detection of 176 clinically relevant biomarkers in the collected samples validating the use of ISF as a relevant bodily fluid for disease monitoring and diagnostic. Importantly, it is discovered that extraction fingerprint is strongly dependent on the MNs chemistry, and thus specific biomarkers could be selectively extracted by tuning the composition of the patch, making the system versatile and specific.     

Ablation behavior of thin-blade co-deposited C/Cx-SiCy composites under the influence of the complex fluid conditions of the oxyacetylene torch

This paper offers a new way of testing the ablation property of material under an oxyacetylene torch using a thin-blade specimen, which costs much less time to reach the maximum temperature and provides a harsh turbulence fluid field that's closer to reality. The thin-blade specimen experiences a higher turbulent intensity than the traditional disk-like specimen, leading to more efficient heat exchange. The fluid field simulation agrees with the testing results. In addition, we manage to synthesize the C/Cx-SiCy composites with the co-deposition chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) method. The C/Cx-SiCy composites exhibit a similar anti-ablation property as C/C composites and consist of enough SiC phase simultaneously, combining the advantages of both C/C composites and C/SiC composites. The thin-blade C/Cx-SiCy composites show a lower linear ablation rate (1.6 μm/s) than C/C composites (4.1 μm/s) and C/SiC composites (19.6 μm/s) during the oxyacetylene test. The glass layer formed on the surface of C/Cx-SiCy could cling to the bulk material instead of peeling off due to the high PyC content in the matrix could protect the SiO₂ from blowing away.     

Optimization of flow in additively manufactured porous columns with graded permeability

Chemical engineering systems often involve a functional porous medium, such as in catalyzed reactive flows, fluid purifiers, and chromatographic separations. Ideally, the flow rates throughout the porous medium are uniform, and all portions of the medium contribute efficiently to its function. The permeability is a property of a porous medium that depends on pore geometry and relates flow rate to pressure drop. Additive manufacturing techniques raise the possibilities that permeability can be arbitrarily specified in three dimensions, and that a broader range of permeabilities can be achieved than by traditional manufacturing methods. Using numerical optimization methods, we show that designs with spatially varying permeability can achieve greater flow uniformity than designs with uniform permeability. We consider geometries involving hemispherical regions that distribute flow, as in many glass chromatography columns. By several measures, significant improvements in flow uniformity can be obtained by modifying permeability only near the inlet and outlet.     

毫米波三维异质异构集成技术的进展与应用

三维异质异构集成技术是实现电子信息系统向着微型化、高效能、高整合、低功耗及低成本方向发展的最重要方法,也是决定信息化平台中微电子和微纳系统领域未来发展的一项核心高技术。文章详细介绍了毫米波频段三维异质异构集成技术的优势、近年来的发展趋势以及面临的挑战。利用硅基MEMS 光敏复合薄膜多层布线工艺可实现异质芯片的低损耗互连,同时三维集成高性能封装滤波器、高辐射效率封装天线等无源元件,还能很好地处理布线间的电磁兼容和芯片间的屏蔽问题。最后介绍了一款新型毫米波三维异质异构集成雷达及其在远距离生命体征探测方面的应用。     

Nanoarchitectonics of CdS/ZnSnO3 heterostructures for Z-Scheme mediated directional transfer of photo-generated charges with enhanced photocatalytic performance

The construction of heterostructure is an effective strategy to synergetically couple wide-band-gap with the narrow-band-gap semiconductor with a mediate optical property and charge transfer capability. Herein, the Z-Scheme CdS/ZnSnO₃ (CdS/ZSO) heterostructures were constructed by anchoring CdS nanoparticles on the surface of double-shell hollow cubic ZnSnO₃ via the hydrothermal method. The direct recombination of excited electrons in the conduction band (CB) of ZSO and holes in the valence band (VB) of CdS via d-p conjugation at the interface greatly accelerated the internal electric field (IEF). The transfer mode follows the Z-Scheme mechanism, where CdS/ZSO synergistically facilitates the efficient charges transfer from CdS to ZnSnO₃ through the intimate interface. Here, ZnSnO₃ and CdS serve as an oxidation photocatalyst (OP) and reduction photocatalyst (RP), respectively. Thus, it can promote synergistically the oxidation half-reaction and reduction half-reaction of H₂ evolution. The density-functional theory (DFT) calculation further confirms the charges transfer from CdS to ZnSnO₃. The hydrogen evolution of 5% CdS/ZSO heterostructure reached 1167.3 μmol g^?1, which was about 8 and 3 folds high compared to pristine ZSO (141.9 μmol g^?1) and CdS (315.5 μmol g^?1), during 3 h of reaction respectively. Furthermore, the CdS/ZSO heterostructures could suppress the photo corrosion of CdS, resulting in its high stability. This work is expected to enlighten the rational design of heterostructure for OP and RP to promote the hybrid heterostructures photocatalytic H₂ evolution.     

Designing amorphous formulations of polyphenols with naringin by spray-drying for enhanced solubility and permeability

Naringin (NAR), a major flavanone (FVA) glycoside, is a component of food mainly obtained from grapefruit. We used NAR as a food additive to improve the solubility and permeability of hydrophobic polyphenols used as supplements in the food industry. The spray-dried particles (SDPs) of NAR alone show an amorphous state with a glass transition temperature (T_g) at 93.2 °C. SDPs of hydrophobic polyphenols, such as flavone (FVO), quercetin (QCT), naringenin (NRG), and resveratrol (RVT) were prepared by adding varying amounts of NAR. All SDPs of hydrophobic polyphenols with added NAR were in an amorphous state with a single T_g, but SDPs of hydrophobic polyphenols without added NAR showed diffraction peaks derived from each crystal. The SDPs with NAR could keep an amorphous state after storage at a high humidity condition for one month, except for SDPs of RVT/NAR. SDPs with NAR enhanced the solubility of hydrophobic polyphenols, especially NRG solubility, which was enhanced more than 9 times compared to NRG crystal. The enhanced solubility resulted in the increased membrane permeability of NRG. The antioxidant effect of the hydrophobic NRG was also enhanced by the synergetic effect of NAR. The findings demonstrated that NAR could be used as a food additive to enhance the solubility and membrane permeability of hydrophobic polyphenols.     

Theoretical study on a kind of cyclization mechanism of boron trichloride and hexamethyldisilazane to form the borazine ring for SiBCN ceramics precursor

Borazine rings act as a pivotal part in siliconboroncarbonitride ceramics (SiBCN) for high-temperature stability and great resistance to crystallization. A detailed investigation of the ring formation mechanism will guide the design and synthesis of SiBCN to meet application requirements under extreme conditions. Boron trichloride (BCl₃) and hexamethyldisilazane (HN(SiMe₃)₂) are common raw materials for the synthesis of precursors for SiBCN. In this paper, quantum chemical calculation was used to study the cyclization reaction mechanism between BCl₃ and HN(SiMe₃)₂ to form trichloroborazine (TCBZ) at the MP2/6-31G (d,p) level of theory. We discussed the structure properties, reaction pathways, energy barriers, reaction rates, and other aspects in detail. The results show that BCl₃ and HN(SiMe₃)₂ alternately participate in the reaction process, accompanied by the release of trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS), and that the entire reaction shows an absolute advantage in terms of energy. In the Step by step reaction, lower reaction barriers are formed due to the introduction of BCl₃ with more heat released compared to that for the introduction of HN(SiMe₃)₂. The final single-molecule cyclization and TMCS elimination steps are found to be faster compared to all previous bimolecular reactions.     

Evaluation of Scale and Corrosion Inhibition of Modified Polyaspartic Acid

Amino acid modified polyaspartic acids were evaluated as calcium-scale inhibitors. Feasibility of scale inhibition experiments was analyzed by molecular dynamics simulation and Gaussian optimization, and the scale inhibition mechanism was theoretically analyzed. Scale inhibition performance was studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, static scale inhibition experiments, and electrochemical performance testing, which provided an experimental basis for the molecular dynamics simulation. The experimental results showed that Arg-SA-PASP has better scale inhibition and corrosion inhibition performance than His-SA-PASP. The scale inhibition effect increased with increasing concentration. Electrochemical tests indicated that Arg-SA-PASP is an excellent scale and corrosion inhibitor.