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.     

Enhance cycling performance of LiMn2O4 cathode by Sr2+ and Cr3+ doping

Spinel LiSr_0·1Cr_0·1Mn_1·8O₄ was synthesised by high temperature solid state method in order to enhance the electrochemical performance. The LiSr_0·1Cr_0·1Mn_1·8O₄ (LSCMO) materials were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical tests. The XRD and SEM studies confirm that LSCMO had spinel crystal structure with a space group of Fd3m, and the particle of LSCMO shows irregular shape. The cyclic voltammetry data illustrated that the heavy current charge–discharge performance of LMO was improved by Sr²⁺ and Cr³⁺ doping. The galvanostatic charge–discharge of LSCMO cathode materials was measured at 1, 5, 10 and 20 C. The results indicated that LSCMO improved the capacity retention.     

Modelling of black carbon statistical distribution and return periods of extreme concentrations

Eight datasets of 1-h black carbon (BC) concentrations measured in Warsaw agglomeration (Poland), at urban background and sub-urban sites, and in Racibórz, a small town in Upper Silesia district (regional background site) were analyzed to evaluate BC levels, daily profiles and statistical distributions of concentrations in Central-Eastern European region. The observed mean levels ranged from 1483 ng m⁻³ in suburban site during summer to 3358 ng m⁻³ in regional background site in winter. Observed diurnal patterns were bimodal in the locations dominated by traffic emissions, but unimodal, with elevated evening peak in individually heated residential area. Three theoretical frequency distributions were applied to fit analyzed datasets separately. The lognormal distribution was the most appropriate to represent the middle-range values, while the high concentrations were satisfactorily predicted by the type I two-parameter exponential distribution which was used to estimate the return periods of extreme concentrations for winter months.     

The growth of oleaginous Rhodotorula glutinis in an internal-loop airlift bioreactor by using mixture substrates of rice straw hydrolysate and crude glycerol

The conversion of lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) to microbial oils is attracting a growing amount of attention. However, the growth of the oleaginous yeast Rhodotorula glutinis on LCB hydrolysate (mainly rice straw) only will lead to a low lipid mass fraction, in the range of 10–20%. This study shows that the addition of crude glycerol to the LCB hydrolysate medium can efficiently raise the lipid mass fraction to the range of 30–40%. Crude glycerol is a by-product in the biodiesel production process. The use of renewable LCB hydrolysate and crude glycerol would greatly reduce the substrate cost for microbial oil production using R. glutinis. In addition, the results of experiments show that a low-cost airlift bioreactor is a more suitable fermentation process for the growth of R. glutinis than the use of a conventional agitation tank. When using mixed carbon sources of LCB hydrolysate with 30 kg m⁻³ of reducing sugars and 30 kg m⁻³ of crude glycerol, a maximal cell mass of 21.4 kg m⁻³ and lipid mass fraction of 58.5 ± 6.2 were achieved in an internal loop airlift bioreactor, and this process may have the potential to be applied in scale-up production.     

Residual learning rates in lead-acid batteries: Effects on emerging technologies

The low price of lead-acid, the most popular battery, is often used in setting cost targets for emerging energy storage technologies. Future cost reductions in lead acid batteries could increase investment and time scales needed for emerging storage technologies to reach cost-parity. In this paper the first documented model of cost reductions for lead-acid batteries is developed. Regression to a standard experience curve using 1989–2012 data yield a poor fit, with R² values of 0.17 for small batteries and 0.05 for larger systems. To address this problem, battery costs are separated into material and residual costs, and experience curves developed for residual costs. Depending on the year, residual costs account for 41–86% of total battery cost. Using running-time averages to address volatility in material costs, a 4-year time average experience curve for residual costs yield much higher R², 0.78 for small and 0.74 for large lead-acid batteries. The learning rate for residual costs in lead-acid batteries is 20%, a discovery with policy implications. Neglecting to consider cost reductions in lead-acid batteries could result in failure of energy storage start-ups and public policy programs. Generalizing this result, learning in incumbent technologies must be understood to assess the potential of emerging ones.     

Recovery of gold cyanide using inherently conducting polymers

Removal of gold from basic solutions containing [Au(CN)₂]^? has been demonstrated using the inherently conducting polymer polypyrrole. Polymers containing sulfonated aromatic dopants have been found to display a significant ability to remove gold from such solutions. Experiments performed in solutions containing both gold and copper cyanide complexes indicate that the recovery process is not highly selective. However, the polypyrroles used display significantly faster rates of gold recovery than activated carbon. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

“锲而不舍 金石可镂”——上海秀派公司2．45GHz有源RFID标签技术的成功之路

上海秀派公司坚持自己的技术长项——2．45GHz有源RFID,充分发扬该种RFID的特长,记者采访该公司时了解到了开发方面的很多细节、成功案例和实施经验。我们不但非常推崇该公司的“锲而不舍”的意志,而且还意识到如果秀派公司的成功经验一旦辐射到中国的RFID行业中,一定会把这项在国外诞生的技术更好地植根于中国的土壤,使之更加适合中国的实用环境。     

Effect of oxygenation on electrocatalysis of La0.6Ca0.4CoO3−x in bifunctional air electrode

A vacuum-annealed La_0.6Ca_0.4CoO_3−x was consecutively oxygenated in air at temperatures decreasing from 800 to 100 °C, and its electrocatalytic activities for oxygen reduction and evolution were then measured as a function of the oxygenation temperature. The valence of Co cation, changing between +2 and +3, was found susceptible to annealing either in vacuum or air. The catalytic activities initially decrease monotonically as the oxygenation temperature was decreased from 800 to 300 °C, as a result of increasing oxygen content, and then rise abruptly with the oxygen reduction activity reaching a maximum at 200 °C and the oxidation activity at 150 °C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicated that the enhancements by the low-temperature oxygenation involved increased OH coverage and less charged cations at surface. The results clearly reveal the importance of the post-calcination annealing process for optimizing the performance of La_0.6Ca_0.4CoO_3−x in air electrode applications.