Intercalative Motifs-Induced Space Confinement and Bonding Covalency Enhancement Enable Ultrafast and Large Sodium Storage

Alloying-type metal sulfides with high theoretical capacities are promising anodes for sodium-ion batteries, but suffer from sluggish sodiation kinetics and huge volume expansion. Introducing intercalative motifs into alloying-type metal sulfides is an efficient strategy to solve the above issues. Herein, robust intercalative In S motifs are grafted to high-capacity layered Bi₂S₃ to form a cation-disordered (BiIn)₂S₃, synergistically realizing high-rate and large-capacity sodium storage. The In S motif with strong bonding serves as a space-confinement unit to buffer the volume expansion, maintaining superior structural stability. Moreover, the grafted high-metallicity Indium increases the bonding covalency of Bi S, realizing controllable reconstruction of Bi S bond during cycling to effectively prevent the migration and aggregation of atomic Bi. The novel (BiIn)₂S₃ anode delivers a high capacity of 537 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.4 C and a superior high-rate stability of 247 mAh g⁻¹ at 40 C over 10000 cycles. Further in situ and ex situ characterizations reveal the in-depth reaction mechanism and the breakage and formation of reversible Bi S bonds. The proposed space confinement and bonding covalency enhancement strategy via grafting intercalative motifs can be conducive to developing novel high-rate and large-capacity anodes.     

Disaggregating growth in future retail electricity rates

The retail rate impacts of a number of emerging trends (e.g., rapid deployment of electric vehicles and storage, transmission build-out for large-scale renewables deployment, and grid modernization) are unknown. Importantly, decision-makers are concerned about the potential future rate impacts on energy affordability and equity. We disaggregate the key drivers of retail electricity rates and assess their impacts on future rate growth considering their interactions and uncertainty. Specifically, we develop ranges of future cost growth for a generic investor-owned and vertically-integrated electric utility representing typical cost and operating characteristics. The rate driver growth rate ranges are applied in isolation and jointly to quantify the uncertainty and variability in future retail electricity rates. The results identify what rate drivers and factors may minimize and/or decrease uncertainty in retail rate growth and their linkages to industry trends.     

Targeted Nanoparticle Thermometry: A Method to Measure Local Temperature at the Nanoscale Point Where Water Vapor Nucleation Occurs

An optical nanothermometer technique based on laser trapping, moving and targeted attaching an erbium oxide nanoparticle cluster is developed to measure the local temperature. The authors apply this new nanoscale temperature measuring technique (limited by the size of the nanoparticles) to measure the temperature of vapor nucleation in water. Vapor nucleation is observed after superheating water above the boiling point for degassed and nondegassed water. The average nucleation temperature for water without gas is 560 K but this temperature is lowered by 100 K when gas is introduced into the water. The authors are able to measure the temperature inside the bubble during bubble formation and find that the temperature inside the bubble spikes to over 1000 K because the heat source (optically‐heated nanorods) is no longer connected to liquid water and heat dissipation is greatly reduced.     

On the performance of different capability indices under normal and non-normal distributions

In this article, we have examined the performance of some useful capability indices using normal and non-normal distributions. The confidence intervals are calculated and mean coverage rates are observed for different capability indices. The effects of symmetry and kurtosis of parent distributions are examined on the mean coverage rates of different capability indices. Moreover, we have investigated the robustness (of confidence interval) using the median and percentile-based indices. We have considered the well-known distributions including normal, gamma, t, Weibull, and chi-squared. For these process scenarios, we have observed that some indices resist disturbance only in symmetry of the parent distribution, some resist the disturbance in symmetry and kurtosis of the distribution, and some indices don’t resist against either type of disturbance.     

聚合物浸渍裂解法制备C/C-ZrC复合材料及其性能

本文以低密度C/C复合材料为坯体,有机锆聚合物为前驱体,采用聚合物浸渍裂解法(PIP)制备C/C-ZrC复合材料,并对其微观结构、力学性能、烧蚀性能以及烧蚀机理进行了研究。结果表明ZrC在材料内分布均匀,密度为2.05g·cm~(-3)的C/C-ZrC复合材料其弯曲强度为89.70MPa,呈脆性断裂。经氢-氧焰烧蚀150s后其线烧蚀率为-2.2×10~(-3)mm·s~(-1),质量烧蚀率为-1.0×10-3g·s~(-1),远低于密度为1.86g·cm~(-3)的C/C复合材料(线烧蚀率:4.4×10~(-3) mm·s~(-1),质量烧蚀率:7.5×10~(-4)g·s~(-1));在烧蚀的过程中,ZrC表现出优先氧化,同时生成的ZrO_2阻挡层能有效阻挡热量的传递和氧气的渗透,提高了材料的抗烧蚀性能。     

钛合金中ω相变的研究进展

钛合金中的ω相及其相变对合金的组织性能影响较大,因此近年来ω相变也成为钛合金研究中的热点问题之一。从ω相的形成、分解、组织形貌以及ω相辅助α形核的角度总结归纳了相关研究报道,对比了相关模型观点的优缺点,阐述了ω相目前仍存在的学术分歧。     

Effects of thermal annealing as polymer processing step on poly(lactic acid)

Thermal annealing as an additional polymer processing step or post-treatment processing step enables the structural changes of amorphous parts into crystalline parts. This paper investigates the feasibility of thermal annealing at 100°C up to 90?min used as an additional processing step to modify the crystalline structure and the thermo-mechanical stability of poly(lactic acid) (PLA). Moreover, the crystallization ability of PLA has been amended by the addition of 3?wt% of wood flour and kaolin. The values of the degree of crystallinity and lamellar thickness determined by wide-angle-X-ray scattering showed that the thermal annealing of PLA samples modified with nucleating agents was an efficient processing step to increase the final crystallinity of PLA. Moreover, altered crystalline structure helped to improve the thermomechanical stability of PLA.     

Nucleation Crystallography of Ni Grains on CrFeNb Inoculants Investigated by Edge‐to‐Edge Matching Model in an IN718 Superalloy

In this work, the nucleation crystallography of CrFeNb intermetallic particles as a grain refiner for Ni‐based IN718 superalloys is studied using Edge‐to‐Edge Matching model. Three distinguishable orientation relationships between CrFeNb intermetallic particles and Ni grains are well predicted: , (111)_Ni 1.28° from (0004)_CrFeNb, , (111)_Ni 1.32° from _CrFeNb, and _Ni//[0001]_CrFeNb, (111)_Ni 0.72° from _CrFeNb. The results indicate that CrFeNb intermetallic particles have a strong nucleation potency as an effective grain refiner for Ni‐based superalloy and the existence of semi‐coherent interfaces between the CrFeNb intermetallic particles and Ni grains. Furthermore, the IN718 superalloy is used to experimentally validate the grain refinement effect of CrFeNb intermetallic particles, showing that its grain size is obviously refined from 8.60 to 1.23 mm. And, the corresponding heterogeneous nucleation mechanism of grain refinement at the atomic level is further identified.