Composition-tunable PtCu porous nanowires as highly active and durable catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

To accelerate the commercialization of fuel cells, many efforts have been made to develope highly active and durable Pt-based catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Herein, PtCu porous nanowires (PNWs) with controllable composition are synthesized through an ultrasound-assisted galvanic replacement reaction. The porous structure, surface strain, and electronic property of PtCu PNWs are optimized by tuning composition, which can improve activity for ORR. Electrochemical tests reveal that the mass activity of Pt_0.5Cu_0.5 PNWs (Pt/Cu atomic ratio of 1:1) reaches 0.80 A mg_Pt^?1, which is about 5 times higher than that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst. Notably, the improved activity of the porous nanowire catalyst is also confirmed in the single-cell test. In addition, the large contact area with the carrier and internal interconnection structure of Pt_0.5Cu_0.5 PNWs enables them to exhibit much better durability than the commercial Pt/C catalyst and Pt_0.5Cu_0.5 nanotubes in accelerated durability test.     

Cu2O nanowires based p-n homojunction photocathode for improved current density and hydrogen generation through solar-water splitting

Hydrogen generation through solar-water splitting is expected to address the global energy crisis by providing a source for a safer and sustainable alternative fuel. Herein, we report a facile synthesis of Cu₂O nanowires and show that the magnetic field could influence the nanowires’ distribution and alignment. Orientation of nanowires was observed to become more inclined towards the magnetic field lines as the values of full-width at half maximum decreased from 140° to 46.2° with the increase in the field strength. Crystallographic, morphological, optoelectronic, and photoelectrochemical properties of the constructed p-n homojunction were analyzed by using different characterization techniques. A high built-in potential of +0.93 V vs. RHE was observed for a 50 nm layer of n-Cu₂O over p-Cu₂O nanowires that resulted in a significantly high photocurrent density of −7.42 mA/cm². The stability in the photoelectrochemical medium was maintained for 14 h, generating 20 mmol/cm² of H₂.     

Forging furnace with thermochemical waste-heat recuperation by natural gas reforming: Fuel saving and heat balance

This paper considers thermochemical recuperation (TCR) of waste-heat using natural gas reforming by steam and combustion products. Combustion products contain steam (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and ballast nitrogen (N₂). Because endothermic chemical reactions take place, methane steam-dry reforming creates new synthetic fuel that contains valuable combustion components: hydrogen (H₂), carbon monoxide (CO), and unreformed methane (CH₄). There are several advantages to performing TCR in the industrial furnaces: high energy efficiency, high regeneration rate (rate of waste-heat recovery), and low emission of greenhouse gases (CO₂, NO_x). As will be shown, the use of TCR is significantly increasing the efficiency of industrial furnaces – it has been observed that TCR is capable of reducing fuel consumption by nearly 25%. Additionally, increased energy efficiency has a beneficial effect on the environment as it leads to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.     

A machine learning‐based operational control framework for reducing energy consumption of an amine‐based gas sweetening process

This study proposes a data‐driven operational control framework using machine learning‐based predictive modeling with the aim of decreasing the energy consumption of a natural gas sweetening process. This multi‐stage framework is composed of the following steps: (a) a clustering algorithm based on Density‐Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise methodology is implemented to characterize the sampling space of all possible states of the operation and to determine the operational modes of the gas sweetening unit, (b) the lowest steam consumption of each operational mode is selected as a reference for operational control of the gas sweetening process, and (c) a number of high‐accuracy regression models are developed using the Gradient Boosting Machines algorithm for predicting the controlled parameters and output variables. This framework presents an operational control strategy that provides actionable insights about the energy performance of the current operations of the unit and also suggests the potential of energy saving for gas treating plant operators. The ultimate goal is to leverage this data‐driven strategy in order to identify the achievable energy conservation opportunity in such plants. The dataset for this research study consists of 29 817 records that were sampled over the course of 3 years from a gas train in the South Pars Gas Complex. Furthermore, our offline analysis demonstrates that there is a potential of 8% energy saving, equivalent to 5 760 000 Nm³ of natural gas consumption reduction, which can be achieved by mapping the steam consumption states of the unit to the best energy performances predicted by the proposed framework.     

In situ synthesis of Al2O3–SiC powders via molten-salt-assisted aluminum/carbothermal reduction method

Al₂O₃–SiC composite powder (ASCP) was successfully synthesized using a novel molten-salt-assisted aluminum/carbothermal reduction (MS-ACTR) method with silica fume, aluminum powder, and carbon black as raw materials; NaCl–KCl was used as the molten salt medium. The effects of the synthesis temperature and salt-reactant ratio on the phase composition and microstructure were investigated. The results showed that the Al₂O₃–SiC content increased with an increase in molten salt temperature, and the salt–reactant ratio in the range of 1.5:1–2.5:1 had an impact on the fabrication of ASCP. The optimum condition for synthesizing ASCP from NaCl–KCl molten salt consisted of maintaining the temperature at 1573 K for 4 h. The chemical reaction thermodynamics and growth mechanism indicate that the molten salt plays an important role in the formation of SiC whiskers by following the vapor-solid growth mode in the MS-ACTR treatment. This study demonstrates that the addition of molten salt as a reaction medium is a promising approach for synthesizing high-melting-point composite powders at low temperatures.     

Opportunities and Challenges in Tunneling Nanotubes Research: How Far from Clinical Application?

Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) are recognized long membrane nanotubes connecting distance cells. In the last decade, growing evidence has shown that these subcellular structures mediate the specific transfer of cellular materials, pathogens, and electrical signals between cells. As intercellular bridges, they play a unique role in embryonic development, collective cell migration, injured cell recovery, cancer treatment resistance, and pathogen propagation. Although TNTs have been considered as potential drug targets for treatment, there is still a long way to go to translate the research findings into clinical practice. Herein, we emphasize the heterogeneous nature of TNTs by systemically summarizing the current knowledge on their morphology, structure, and biogenesis in different types of cells. Furthermore, we address the communication efficiency and biological outcomes of TNT-dependent transport related to diseases. Finally, we discuss the opportunities and challenges of TNTs as an exciting therapeutic approach by focusing on the development of efficient and safe drugs targeting TNTs.     

一种提升AutoForm分析效率的方法

介绍提高AutoForm软件分析效率的两种途径,分别是:针对每个零件制作各自的设置模板文件,通过引用模板文件,减少操作步骤,可节约分析时间15 min,同时将分析文件的存储空间减小到原来的45%左右;针对每个零件建立模面控制线数据库,通过引用控制线数据库,将拉延模面的建立的效率提高了20%,进而提高了整体分析效率。     

Highly efficient full-fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes with exciplex cohosts

Full-fluorescence organic light-emitting diodes (FOLEDs) with low cost and high efficiency are imperious demands for commercial process in flat panel display and lighting products. We fabricated a series of FOLEDs employing C545T and DCJTB as doped dyes and different exciplex blends as cohosts. The results proved that reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) efficiency of exciplex cohost has a significant effect on the device performance. Devices with TAPC:PIM-TRZ as cohost which possessed the highest RISC efficiency showed the best results. The green FOLEDs exhibited the maximum external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) approaching to 20%, the red FOLEDs exhibited EQEs over 10% and all the EQE roll-offs are less than 10% at 1000 cd m⁻², which are among the best reported results so far, suggesting these exciplex cohosts are promising for FOLEDs.     

Engineering Silver-Enriched Copper Core-Shell Electrocatalysts to Enhance the Production of Ethylene and C2+ Chemicals from Carbon Dioxide at Low Cell Potentials

Copper catalysts are widely studied for the electroreduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to value-added hydrocarbon products. Controlling the surface composition of copper nanomaterials may provide the electronic and structural properties necessary for carbon-carbon coupling, thus increasing the Faradaic efficiency (FE) towards ethylene and other multi-carbon (C₂₊) products. Synthesis and catalytic study of silver-coated copper nanoparticles (Cu@Ag NPs) for the reduction of CO₂ are presented. Bimetallic CuAg NPs are typically difficult to produce due to the bulk immiscibility between these two metals. Slow injection of the silver precursor, concentrations of organic capping agents, and gas environment proved critical to control the size and metal distribution of the Cu@Ag NPs. The optimized Cu@Ag electrocatalyst exhibited a very low onset cell potential of −2.25 V for ethylene formation, reaching a FE towards C₂₊ products (FE_C2+) of 43% at −2.50 V, which is 1.0 V lower than a reference Cu catalyst to reach a similar FE_C2+. The high ethylene formation at low potentials is attributed to enhanced C C coupling on the Ag enriched shell of the Cu@Ag electrocatalysts. This study offers a new catalyst design towards increasing the efficiency for the electroreduction of CO₂ to value-added chemicals.     

上升气泡内气溶胶沉降机理研究

气溶胶池洗过滤是反应堆严重事故中去除放射性源项的重要手段。本文以严重事故条件下上升气泡中气溶胶的滞留过程为背景，设计搭建了可视化单气泡鼓泡实验装置。通过该装置研究了气溶胶在上升气泡中的沉降效率，并与MELCOR中的气溶胶沉降模型计算结果进行了对比。结果表明，气溶胶沉降效率对气泡尺寸的变化较为敏感，当气体流量大于0.1 L/min时，气泡等效直径迅速增加，相应的气溶胶沉降效率快速降低；与MELCOR模型计算结果的对比表明，两者在总体趋势上呈现出较好的一致性，但计算结果低估了液相对气溶胶的实际去除能力，导致这种偏差的主要原因是气泡在上升过程中存在无规则的晃动以及气液界面的波动。