Self-assembled cubic-hexagonal perovskite nanocomposite as intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell cathode

Self-assembly is an emerging strategy for preparing composite cathodes with good oxygen electrochemical reduction activity and congenital chemical compatibility for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell (IT-SOFC). Here we report that a self-assembled BaCo_0.6Zr_0.4O_3-δ (BZC-BC) nanocomposite is prepared through one-pot glycine-nitrate process and exhibits high cathode performance. The BZC-BC nanocomposite is composed of 62 mol% cubic perovskite BaZr_0.82Co_0.18O_3-δ (BZC) as an ionic conductor and 38 mol% hexagonal perovskite BaCo_0.96Zr_0.04O_2.6+δ (12H-BC) as a mixed ionic and electronic conductor. The BZC-BC nanocomposite has the pomegranate-like particles aggregated with a larger number of nanoparticles (50-100 nm) which greatly enlarge the three-phase boundary sites. The BZC-BC nanocomposite exhibits a thermal expansion coefficient of 12.89 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ well-matched with that of Ce_0.8Gd_0.2O_3-δ (12.84 × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹) electrolyte. The high electro-catalytic activity of BZC-BC nanocomposite cathode for oxygen reduction is reflected by the low polarization resistances of oxygen ions incorporation at cathode/electrolyte interface (0.02823 Ω cm²), oxygen species diffusion (0.03702 Ω cm²) and oxygen adsorptive dissociation (0.07609 Ω cm²) at 700 °C. The single cell with BZC-BC nanocomposite cathode achieves the maximum power density of 1094 mW cm⁻² at 650 °C and shows good stability under 25 h run.     

Comparative analysis of formaldehyde and toluene sorption on indoor floorings and consequence on Indoor Air Quality

Indoor surfaces may be adsorptive sinks with the potential to change Indoor Air Quality. To estimate this effect, the sorption parameters of formaldehyde and toluene were assessed on five floorings by an experimental method using solid-phase microextraction in an airtight emission cell. Adsorption rate constants ranged from 0.003 to 0.075 m·h⁻¹, desorption rate constants from 0.019 to 0.51 h⁻¹, and the partition coefficient from 0.005 to 3.9 m, and these parameters vary greatly from one volatile organic compound/material couple to another indicating contrasted sorption behaviors. A rubber was identified as a sink of formaldehyde characterized by a very low desorption constant close to 0. For these sorbent floorings identified, the adsorption rates of formaldehyde are from 2 to 4 times higher than those of toluene. Two models were used to evaluate the sink effects of floorings on indoor pollutant concentrations in one room from different realistic conditions. The scenarios tested came to the conclusion that the formaldehyde sorption on one rubber (identified as a sink) has a maximum contribution from 15% to 21% for the conditions of low air exchange rate. For other floorings, the sorption has a minor contribution less than or equal to 5%, regardless of the air exchange rate.     

Physicochemical and technological properties of beef burger as influenced by the addition of pea fibre

This study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics and sensory attributes of beef burgers with the addition of pea fibre as a partial substitute of meat or fat. Three formulations were prepared: control (CON) – similar to the commercial formulation; fibre/less meat (FLM)—5% meat reduction and addition of 1% pea fibre; fibre/less fat (FLF)—7% fat reduction and addition of 1% pea fibre. Non-significant differences were obtained for pH, colour parameters (L* and b*), texture profile, cooking loss and size reduction among formulations. Moreover, sensory analysis with consumers of beef burgers did not indicate differences among the formulations for all the analysed attributes. Therefore, pea fibre is a promising partial replacer for meat and fat in beef burgers due to the preservation of technological parameters and sensory acceptance.     

Acoustic emission analysis using Bayesian model selection for damage characterization in ceramic matrix composites

Acoustic emission (AE) during tensile testing of three-dimensional woven SiC/SiC composites was analyzed by a statistical modeling method based on a Bayesian approach to quantitatively evaluate the fracture process. Gaussian mixture models and Weibull mixture models were utilized as candidate models describing the AE time-series data. After fitting AE time-series data to these models with Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods, the model selection was conducted by stochastic complexity. Among the candidate models, the two-component Weibull mixture model was automatically selected. It was confirmed that the component distributions in the two-component Weibull mixture model were corresponding to the evolution of matrix cracking and fiber breakage, respectively. Since the proposed AE analysis method can determine the number of component distributions without the decision of researchers and inspectors, it is expected to be useful for an understanding of the fracture process in newly developed materials and the reliability assessment in service.     

Structural modification of aminoclay for catalytic applications

Abstract

An eco-friendly catalyst system was synthesized using three step reaction. The Cu nanoparticles bridged aminoclay catalyst was analyzed using various analytical techniques. The structure of the catalyst was confirmed by FTIR and XRD. The synthesized catalyst system was used for the reduction of p-nitrophenol (NP), Cr(VI), and fluorescein (Flur) dye individually, as well as in their mixture forms. The k_app value was computed to access the efficiency of the catalyst. The results indicated that the k_app value of the individual system is higher than that of the mixture systems due to the absence of the complex formation reaction. The catalytic performance of the catalyst was also tested for the Schiff base (SB) formation between poly(ethyleneglycol) (PEG) and aniline (ANI) in an oxygen atmosphere. The ¹H-NMR spectroscopy result indicates that the present catalyst system produced 86% yield.     

芽孢杆菌Bacillus sp.dwc-2对模拟地下水中U(Ⅵ)的还原行为研究

在厌氧条件下研究了西南地区一种典型土壤微生物芽孢杆菌Bacillus sp.dwc-2对模拟地下水中U(Ⅵ)的还原行为，重点考察了时间、无机阴离子、腐殖酸（HA）及富里酸（FA）对还原的影响，并利用TEM、EDS、SAED和XPS对还原后的样品进行了表征。结果表明：在pH=7.0、c_NaHCO3=5 mmol/L和T=303 K条件下，Bacillus sp.dwc-2对U(Ⅵ)的还原率随时间的增加而增加，24 h内最大还原率为12.2%，此后则随时间的增加逐渐降低；HA和FA对U(Ⅵ)的微生物还原行为有一定影响，其中HA和FA浓度为25 mg/L时，U(Ⅵ)的还原在24 h最明显，其还原率分别为14.2%和16.2%，但随着HA和FA浓度的继续增加，因在U(Ⅵ)离子与HA、FA形成的配合物表面形成致密的腐殖层，抑制了电子的转移，阻止了U(Ⅵ)的还原。此外，研究表明HCO₃^-也会抑制U(Ⅵ)的还原。TEM-SAED和XPS分析证实了还原过程中U(Ⅳ)的存在。上述结果可为真实环境中微生物还原U(Ⅵ)提供基础数据和参考。     

用于厚屏蔽小探测器的蒙特卡罗模拟减方差方法研究

反应堆屏蔽计算中经常出现厚屏蔽、小探测器问题，常规蒙特卡罗方法难以有效解决。基于自动重要抽样（AIS）方法，本文提出了小探测器自动重要抽样(SDAIS)方法，并针对小探测器问题，优化了AIS方法的虚粒子赌分裂算法。该方法在自主开发的蒙特卡罗屏蔽程序MCShield上进行了实现。使用NUREG/CR-6115 PWR基准题验证该方法的正确性和计算效率。结果表明，SDAIS方法可有效地解决厚屏蔽小探测器问题，相比AIS方法及传统的重要性方法，计算效率提升1~2个量级。     

飞机撞击下高温气冷堆乏燃料厂房损伤研究

本文针对典型高温气冷堆乏燃料厂房在双发商用飞机撞击载荷下的响应及结构完整性开展研究，并探讨结构特性对撞击损伤的影响。对乏燃料厂房及飞机分别建立有限元模型，通过弹体-目标相互作用分析模拟了飞机撞击过程，综合IAEA与NRC的评价准则对乏燃料厂房在飞机撞击下的损伤程度进行评估。数值结果表明：厂房上对应于机身及发动机的撞击位置发生可接受的局部损伤；乏燃料贮存井墙体对于提高构筑物抗飞机撞击能力有重要作用。此外，构筑物外形对损伤有很大影响，圆柱形壳体的抗飞机撞击能力显著强于方形厂房，是核电厂厂房设计的优化方向之一。     

Reduction of waste biosolids by RAS-ozonation: Model validation and sensitivity analysis for biosolids reduction and nitrification

Biosolids reduction model by return activated sludge ozonation was validated by simulating nitrification data compiled from our pilot-scale and the literature studies. Then, a global sensitivity analysis (GSA) was performed to identify influential and non-influential parameters for biosolids reduction efficiency, change in specific nitrification activity (SNA), and alteration to expected nitrification stability. In general, the model outputs were sensitive to operational and ozone reaction parameters, but not to biochemical parameters. For operational parameters, mainly temperature and initial solids retention time (SRT) influenced all model outputs. For biosolids reduction, increase in the degradability of the influent COD decreased the reduction efficiency. For SNA, the changes were highly dependent on the influent TKN/COD ratio. Our findings also imply that the stability of the nitrification process in ozonated systems should be enhanced at constant MLVSS for warm temperatures, but could be reduced at temperatures below 12 °C and aerated SRTs below 10 days.     

Resistance reduction effect of potassium bismuth titanate doping in yttrium–manganese co-doped medium Curie temperature barium titanate lead free ceramics through improved synthesis process

Through improved synthesis process, resistance reduction effect of (K_0.5Bi_0.5)TiO₃ (KBT) doping in Y–Mn co-doped BaTiO₃ (BT) lead free ceramics was investigated. By different doping methods (doping K₂O, Bi₂O₃ and TiO₂ or synthesized KBT), medium Curie temperature (around 130 °C) lead free BT ceramics were obtained with ultra-low resistivity (13.84 Ωcm) with a temperature maintaining process at 700 °C. In this contribution, effect of sintering process and doping methods is discussed in detail.