Structure variation and energy storage properties of acceptor-modified PBLZST antiferroelectric ceramics

Energy storage capacitors with high recoverable energy density and efficiency are greatly desired in pulse power system. In this study, the energy density and efficiency were enhanced in Mn-modified (Pb_0.93Ba_0.04La_0.02)(Zr_0.65Sn_0.3Ti_0.05)O₃ antiferroelectric ceramics via a conventional solid-state reaction process. The improvement was attributed to the change in the antiferroelectric-to-ferroelectric phase transition electric field (E_F) and the ferroelectric-to-antiferroelectric phase transition electric field (E_A) with a small Mn addition. Mn ions as acceptors, which gave rise to the structure variation, significantly influenced the microstructures, dielectric properties and energy storage performance of the antiferroelectric ceramics. A maximum recoverable energy density of 2.64 J/cm³ with an efficiency of 73% was achieved when x = 0.005, which was 40% higher than that (1.84 J/cm³, 68%) of the pure ceramic counterparts. The results demonstrate that the acceptor modification is an effective way to improve the energy storage density and efficiency of antiferroelectric ceramics by inducing a structure variation and the (Pb_0.93Ba_0.04La_0.02)(Zr_0.65Sn_0.3Ti_0.05)O₃-xMn₂O₃ antiferroelectric ceramics are a promising energy storage material with high-power density.     

Reviews of clean coal conversion technology in China:Situations & challenges

It is important to develop the advanced coal to chemicals industry (ACCI) against a backdrop of coal-based energy structures,excessive imported oil and natural gas,and strict environmental con-straints in China.In this study,the technology and industry of China's ACCI are reviewed to explain the effect of using coal to replace oil and natural gas,and the corresponding resource and environmental burdens that this will create.Development trends in technology and industry are also proposed to explore future scenarios.The review shows that although excellent progress has been made on an indus-trial scale,demonstrative level,and in terms of technology and equipment,the lack of strategic under-standing,severe external constraints,partly underdeveloped technologies,and weak foundations must be immediately addressed.Therefore,it is necessary to clarify the importance that the ACCI has on the energy revolution and energy system.Based on technological innovation,a variety of external factors should be considered as a whole with emphasis on filling the knowledge gap of theoretical foundations and industry standards to support high-quality development for ACCI.     

Plasmonic semiconductor: A tunable non-metal photocatalyst

Doped semiconductor, a newly discovered plasmonic nanomaterial, has attracted tremendous interest due to its tunable properties. In the field of photocatalysis, the perfect combination of metal-like and semiconductor properties makes it the replacement and supplement of metal plasmonic nanomaterials. This new plasmonic photocatalysis offers high conversion efficiencies and wide optical absorption range with low fabrication costs. This article reviews the recent developments and achievements by which the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in non-metal plasmonic nanomaterial for photocatalytic applications, including pure non-metal plasmonic photocatalysts and various enhancement strategies such as doping, co-catalyst, heterojunction, LSPR coupling and upconversion luminescence enhancement. It broadens the horizons for plasmonics in the study of photocatalysis and even in energy-related applications.     

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.     

A Complexing Agent to Enable a Wide-Temperature Range Bromine-Based Flow Battery for Stationary Energy Storage

Bromine-based flow batteries (Br-FBs) are considered one of the most promising energy storage systems due to their features of high energy density and low cost. However, they generally suffer from uncontrolled diffusion of corrosive bromine particularly at high temperatures. That is because the interaction between polybromide anions and the commonly used complexing agent (N–methyl–N–ethyl–pyrrolidinium bromide [MEP]) decreases with increasing temperatures, which causes serious self-discharge and capacity fade. Herein, a novel bromine complexing agent, 1–ethyl–2–methyl–pyridinium bromide (BCA), is introduced in Br-FBs to solve the above problems. It is proven that BCA can combine with polybromide anions very well even at a high temperature of 60 °C. Moreover, the BCA contributes to decreasing the electrochemical polarization of Br⁻/Br₂ couple, which in turn improves their power density. As a result, a zinc–bromine flow battery with BCA as the complexing agent can achieve a high energy efficiency of 84% at 40 mA cm⁻², even at high temperature of 60 °C and it can stably run for more than 400 cycles without obvious performance decay. This paper provides an effective complexing agent to enable a wide temperature range Br-FB.     

Capsiate Intake with Exercise Training Additively Reduces Fat Deposition in Mice on a High-Fat Diet,but Not without Exercise Training

While exercise training (ET) is an efficient strategy to manage obesity, it is recommended with a dietary plan to maximize the antiobesity functions owing to a compensational increase in energy intake. Capsiate is a notable bioactive compound for managing obesity owing to its capacity to increase energy expenditure. We aimed to examine whether the antiobesity effects of ET can be further enhanced by capsiate intake (CI) and determine its effects on resting energy expenditure and metabolic molecules. Mice were randomly divided into four groups (n = 8 per group) and fed high-fat diet. Mild-intensity treadmill ET was conducted five times/week; capsiate (10 mg/kg) was orally administered daily. After 8 weeks, resting metabolic rate and metabolic molecules were analyzed. ET with CI additively reduced the abdominal fat rate by 18% and solely upregulated beta-3-adrenoceptors in adipose tissue (p = 0.013) but did not affect the metabolic molecules in skeletal muscles. Surprisingly, CI without ET significantly increased the abdominal fat rate (p = 0.001) and reduced energy expenditure by 9%. Therefore, capsiate could be a candidate compound for maximizing the antiobesity effects of ET by upregulating beta-3-adrenoceptors in adipose tissue, but CI without ET may not be beneficial in managing obesity.     

Bioinspired Triboelectric Soft Robot Driven by Mechanical Energy

A sustainable power source is a key technical challenge for practical applications of electrically responsive soft robots, especially the required voltage is over several thousand volts. Here, a practicable new technology, triboelectric soft robot (TESR) system with the primary characteristics of power source from mechanical energy, is developed. At its heart is TESR with bioinspired architectures made of soft-deformable body and two triboelectric adhesion feet, which is driven and accurately controlled through triboelectric effect, while reaching maximum crawling speeds of 14.9 mm s⁻¹ on the acrylic surface. The characteristics of the TESR, including displacement and force, are tested and simulated under the power of a rotary freestanding triboelectric nanogenerator (RF-TENG). Crawling of TESR is successfully realized on different materials surfaces and different angle slopes under the driven of RF-TENG. Furthermore, a real-time visual monitoring platform, in which TESR carries a micro camera to transmit images in a long narrow tunnel, is also achieved successfully, indicating that it can be used for fast diagnosis in an area inaccessible to human beings in the future. This study offers a new insight into the sustainable power source technologies suitable for electrically responsive soft robots and contributes to expanding the applicability of TENGs.     

Synthesis of novel p-n heterojunction Cu2SnS3/Ti3+-TiO2 for the complete tetracycline degradation in few minutes and photocatalytic activity under simulated solar irradiation

In this research work, p-n heterojunction Cu₂SnS₃/Ti³⁺-TiO₂ photocatalysts were synthesized by using a facile hydrothermal method to degrade tetracycline and produce hydrogen energy. The properties of Cu₂SnS₃/Ti³⁺-TiO₂ was analyzed by using XRD, SEM, TEM, HRTEM, BET, PL and UV–vis characterization. The HPLC-MS and TOC analyzer systems were used to analyze the intermediate products during the photocatalysis deprivation and total organic carbon. The characterizations showed that the addition of self-doped Ti³⁺ and Cu₂SnS₃ into TiO₂ enhanced the material's crystallinity, increased the absorption region from 450 nm to 750 nm, increased the surface area of the material from 234 to 583 m²/g and reduced the recombination of charge carriers. Under visible light irradiation, Cu₂SnS₃/Ti³⁺-TiO₂ exhibited excellent degradation performance and stability. The increase in the efficiency of the material is due to the creation of an internal electric field induced by the p-n heterojunction and reduction in the bandgap of the material, which efficiently reduced the rate of recombination, increased the surface area for light absorption and increased the transfer of charge carriers. The Cu₂SnS₃/Ti³⁺-TiO₂ photocatalyst degraded 100 % tetracycline and produced 510 μmol/hg hydrogen energy. The Cu₂SnS₃/Ti³⁺-TiO₂ composite exhibited good stability even after six cycles Cu₂SnS₃/Ti³⁺-TiO₂ degraded 98–99 % TC under visible light irridiation. The efficiency of Cu₂SnS₃/Ti³⁺-TiO₂ was also analyzed in the outdoor environment, confirming that this material can be effectively used in practical applications.     

Inductive effect in Mn-doped ZnO nanoribon arrays grown on Ni foam: A promising key for boosted capacitive and high specific energy supercapacitors

Transition metal oxides have been explored in supercapacitor applications owing to their safety, low cost, high specific capacitance and high electrochemical activity. Among all transition metal oxides, zinc oxide based materials show remarkable response for designing the supercapacitors with high electrochemical activity. Here in, Mn doped ZnO (Zn_1-xMn_xO₃ with x = 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1) was synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. Doping of Mn into the ZnO increased the surface area and decease the charge transfer resistance for the Zn_0.5Mn_0.5O₃. All the synthesized materials were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy SEM), BET, electrochemical tests and other various analytical techniques to confirm the structural, morphological, textural and suprcapacitive properties. The synthesized material Zn_0.5Mn_0.5O₃ having the porous nanoribons structure with BET surface area (2490 cm²/g). The electrochemical studies showed significantly enhanced response toward pseudocapacitive nature. The synthesized material exhibited the excellent specific capacitance (515F/g), specific energy (28.61 Wh/kg) and specific power (1000 W/kg) at current density of 2 mA/g. Such impressive and superior properties make the MnZnO₃ material as promising candidate for new generation supercapacitor applications.