Understanding δ-Bi2O3 fluorite degradation mechanism and related solutions for promising applications in distributed multigeneration

Oxygen selective membrane on the base of cermet δ-Bi₂O₃/Ag with an interpenetrating structure has the maximum potential efficiency of air separation. However, the degradation processes, including the phase degradation of fluorite δ-Bi₂O₃, do not make it possible to create a membrane with the required perfection and durability. In this work, the ordering of oxygen vacancies with the transformation of fluorite into the rhombohedral phase (S.G. R-3) was studied by powder HT XRD in situ at 600 °C on dense Bi_0.78Er_0.2Hf_0.02O_1.51 ceramics. Fast regeneration of disordered fluorite occurs at T = 640–700 °C. The phase degradation of fluorite due to the segregation of dopants at the second stage leads into stable phases - sillenite, tetragonal or rhombohedral phase (S.G. R-3m), depending on the composition of δ-Bi₂O₃. Fast regeneration of fluorite occurs when heated to 820 °C, which is unacceptable for membranes. Analysis of all available data allows us to propose approaches to optimize the composition of δ-Bi₂O₃ and technical solutions for creating durable oxygen selective membranes with promising use in distributed multigeneration. As a result of the analysis, a new solid electrolyte with better parameters was obtained.     

Synthesis of thermoresponsive copolymer/silica-coated magnetite nanoparticle composite and its application for heavy metal ion recovery

To enhance chemical stability and suppress of aggregation of magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs), which are used as a support for thermoresponsive copolymer immobilization, silica coating of the MNPs is applied via the electrooxidation method. Although the resulting silica coated-MNPs also formed aggregates, the size distribution of the aggregate shifted to smaller size range. Because of that, the surface area available for copolymer immobilization increased approximately 6.7 times at maximum as compared with that of the uncoated MNPs. It contributed to the increase of the amount of the immobilized copolymer on the silica-coated MNPs, which is approximately four times larger than that on the uncoated MNPs. Fe₃O₄ dissolution test confirmed enhancement of chemical stability of MNPs. The thermoresponsive copolymer immobilized on the silica-coated MNPs shows the ability to recycle Cu(II) ion from Cu(II) containing solution by changing temperature with significantly shorter time than those in other thermoresponsive adsorbents in gel form.     

Soluble network polymers based on trifluoropropyl-substituted open-cage silsesquioxane: Synthesis,properties, and application for surface modifiers

Fluorinated completely condensed polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (F-CC-POSSs) are widely utilized as surface modifiers for polymeric materials because of their polyhedral and fluorine-rich structures, which generate polymers with lower surface energies under molecular-level control. In contrast, their derivatives, fluorinated incompletely condensed or open-cage POSSs (F-IC-POSSs), have similarly intriguing structures, but their utilization for polymer synthesis remains undeveloped. Herein, fluorinated network polymers were prepared based on a 3,3,3-trifluoropropyl-substituted IC-POSSs via hydrosilylation polymerization with isobutyl- and phenyl-substituted IC-POSS under optimized conditions. In addition to their good thermal stability and tunable refractive indices, these polymers exhibited solution processability and their casting films showed excellent optical transparency, indicating their potential for constructing fluorinated polymers. Their utilization as surface modifiers was examined by addition to poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) films. Intriguingly, modified PMMA films with 2.0 and 0.5 wt% addition showed similar hydrophobicity and surface energies to the films prepared with only fluorinated network polymers.     

Effect of particle grading on fracture behavior and thermal shock resistance of MgO-C refractories

Two types of MgO-C refractories with tight particle grading and non-tight particle grading were prepared according to Andreasen's continuous packing theory. Fracture behaviors were investigated using wedge splitting tests combined with digital image correlation method and acoustic emission techniques. The results indicated that MgO-C refractory with non-tight particle grading treated at 1400 ℃ had more in situ phases (e.g., AlN and MgAl₂O₄) and exhibited less brittleness than specimens with tight particle grading even though they had similar nominal tensile strengths. In contrast, specimens with non-tight particle grading had greater horizontal strain under various loading stages, reflecting their better ability to resist rupture deformation. In addition, more microcracks were initiated earlier in the pre-peak region, and more energy was consumed. The decrease in coarse particles and corresponding increase in fine powder content increased the interface between particles, benefiting for reducing the local stress concentration and improving the thermal shock resistance of refractories.     

Changes in physicochemical properties and DNA quality of milk as affected by different heat treatments

The effects of three common heat treatments (pasteurisation, boiling and autoclaving) on milk physicochemical properties and DNA quality were investigated. Milk composition, colour and pH value varied significantly during the heating process. The heat treatment also affected the DNA quality of the milk and, in particular, reduced the content of both mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear DNA (nDNA). These reached their lowest values when autoclaving was conducted, but the content of nDNA was never greater than that of mtDNA. The physicochemical and DNA quality changes in milk are crucial factors in any authentication process using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐based methods.     

Emergency decision support modeling for COVID-19 based on spherical fuzzy information

Significant emergency measures should be taken until an emergency event occurs. It is understood that the emergency is characterized by limited time and information, harmfulness and uncertainty, and decision-makers are always critically bound by uncertainty and risk. This paper introduces many novel approaches to addressing the emergency situation of COVID-19 under spherical fuzzy environment. Fundamentally, the paper includes six main sections to achieve appropriate and accurate measures to address the situation of emergency decision-making. As the spherical fuzzy set (FS) is a generalized framework of fuzzy structure to handle more uncertainty and ambiguity in decision-making problems (DMPs). First, we discuss basic algebraic operational laws (AOLs) under spherical FS. In addition, elaborate on the deficiency of existing AOLs and present three cases to address the validity of the proposed novel AOLs under spherical fuzzy settings. Second, we present a list of Einstein aggregation operators (AgOp) based on the Einstein norm to aggregate uncertain information in DMPs. Thirdly, we are introducing two techniques to demonstrate the unknown weight of the criteria. Fourthly, we develop extended TOPSIS and Gray relational analysis approaches based on AgOp with unknown weight information of the criteria. In fifth, we design three algorithms to address the uncertainty and ambiguity information in emergency DMPs. Finally, the numerical case study of the novel carnivorous (COVID-19) situation is provided as an application for emergency decision-making based on the proposed three algorithms. Results explore the effectiveness of our proposed methodologies and provide accurate emergency measures to address the global uncertainty of COVID-19.     

On optical flow techniques applied to breaking surges

Surface wave breaking is a challenging two-phase flow process which plays an important role in numerous physical processes. A highly-turbulent unsteady breaking surge was investigated experimentally in a large facility, and substantial aeration occurred in the roller. The application of three optical flow techniques (Lucas-Kanade, Horn-Schunck and Farnback) to the air-water region was tested. The results indicated that the Farnback technique provided most accurate results, although some misleading results could be obtained near the air-water boundaries of the roller. The bore generation by a rapid gate closure showed a highly-unsteady complicated velocity field, with substantial free-surface deformations, wave breaking and formation of large coherent structures before the surge detached from the gate. Further upstream, the surge propagated as a hydraulic jump in translation and the data showed a marked shear region with a recirculation zone above, showing air-water flow features comparable to stationary hydraulic jumps. The upper and lower bounds of air-water flow region yielded data implying an air-to-water velocity ratio about 4–5 for a Froude number Fr₁ = 2.1.     

谈陶瓷装饰中的婴戏纹饰与西方艺术品中的儿童形象

婴戏纹饰即描绘儿童游戏时的画作,是中国人物画的一种,更是陶瓷装饰中常见的传统题材。其主要以儿童为主要绘画对象,表现儿童纯真,或借以其他物象,组成吉祥图案,在我国陶瓷绘画上广泛运用,有着深刻的社会形态特征和思想文化的背景。其始于唐代,兴盛于宋金,明清两朝日臻成熟,并延续至今。在西方艺术史当中,儿童形象大都通过神话人物或宗教相关的艺术品走进人们视野,用以表现某些宗教思想或精神诉求。本文主要探讨陶瓷婴戏纹饰在我国历史发展历程中的演变概况,以及笔者对我国陶瓷婴戏纹饰和西方艺术品中儿童形象横向对比下的一些思考。     

植物源食品中植物生长调节剂检测标准与分析技术研究进展

植物生长调节剂是一类可调控植物生长发育的物质,一般为高效、低毒、低残留农药,起到增产、改善品质、缩短生长周期、延长保鲜期的作用。随着植物生长调节剂在农业生产中发挥日趋重要作用,一些种植户受利益驱动而滥用植物生长调节剂,由此引起的食品安全问题成为公众的关注焦点,残留检测技术研究凸显重要性。本文依据我国登记使用的植物生长调节剂种类,分别介绍了食品安全国家标准中规定植物源食品中植物生长调节剂的最大残留限量和相应的检测标准,概述了国内外最新样品制备方法和仪器分析技术,重点关注多残留检测技术的应用,并对植物生长调节剂残留分析技术发展方向进行展望,以期为更新与完善残留限量标准以及检测标准提供参考依据。     

In situ characterization of LiY(WO4)2 nanotubes for electrochemical energy storage

Here, LiY(WO₄)₂ nanotubes are prepared via a feasible electrospinning technique. This new anode material shows excellent electrochemical properties. The capacity loss of LiY(WO₄)₂ nanotubes is as low as 6.9% after 156 cycles, while bulk LiY(WO₄)₂ presents the capacity loss higher than 55.0%. Even after 600 long-life cycles, the capacity loss of the nanotubes is only 9%. It can be seen that the hollow structure with a rough surface and a porous morphology contributes to the improvement of electrochemical performance. Furthermore, online X-ray diffraction (XRD) method is firstly applied to understand the lithium ions insertion/extraction mechanism of LiY(WO₄)₂ nanotubes. It can be concluded that it is an asymmetrical two-phase reaction. A phase transformation from LiY(WO₄)₂ to Li₃Y(WO₄)₂ can be obviously seen from the in situ XRD during discharge process. While Li₂Y(WO₄)₂ appears as an intermediate phase with a reverse charge reaction. In addition, in situ XRD also demonstrates that LiY(WO₄)₂ nanotubes have surprised electrochemical reversibility. All the above results indicate that LiY(WO₄)₂ nanotubes can be expected to be anode candidate for rechargeable lithium ion batteries (LIBs).