Chemical durability and surface alteration of lanthanide zirconates (A2Zr2O7: A = La-Yb)

Chemical durability of lanthanide zirconates (A₂Zr₂O₇) (A = La-Yb) under near-field environments is important for evaluating their application as potential nuclear waste forms. In this work, A₂Zr₂O₇ (A = La-Yb) are synthesized by spark plasma sintering with controlled microstructure and their chemical durability are evaluated in a nitric acid solution (pH = 1). Scanning transmission electron microscopy analysis reveals an amorphous passivation film either enriched with Zr or lanthanide. The complex chemistry of the passivation films can be correlated with a transition in corrosion mechanisms from a preferential release of lanthanide in La₂Zr₂O₇ to a preferential release of Zr in Er₂Zr₂O₇ and Yb₂Zr₂O₇. These results suggest a dominant mechanism of incongruent dissolution and surface reorganization for the formation of passivation films. Strong correlations are identified between the leaching rates and cation ionic size, ionic potential, electronegativity differences between A-site cation and Zr, and bonding valence sum of oxygen, suggesting important impacts of structural and bonding characteristics in controlling chemical durability of lanthanide zirconates.     

Spray pressure variation effect on the properties of CdS thin films for photodetector applications

Herein, we report the photosensing property of CdS thin films. CdS thin films were coated onto glass substrates via a spray pyrolysis method using different spray pressures. Prepared films were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and optical and photoluminescence spectroscopy. XRD analysis demonstrated the growth of crystalline CdS films with crystallite sizes varying from 26 to 29 nm depending on the pressure. The SEM and EDAX analyses revealed nearly-stoichiometric CdS films with smooth surfaces and slight variation in grain morphology due to pressure changes. Optical measurements showed a direct bandgap varying from 2.37 eV to 2.42 eV due to pressure changes. A photodetector was also fabricated using the grown CdS films; the fabricated photodetector exhibited good performance depending on the spray pressure. A spray pressure of 1.5 GPa resulted in high photoresponsivity and external quantum efficiency.     

Reconstructed Water Oxidation Electrocatalysts: The Impact of Surface Dynamics on Intrinsic Activities

Electroreduction of small molecules such as H₂O, CO₂, and N₂ for producing clean fuels or valuable chemicals provides a sustainable approach to meet the increasing global energy demands and to alleviate the concern on climate change resulting from fossil fuel consumption. On the path to implement this purpose, however, several scientific hurdles remain, one of which is the low energy efficiency due to the sluggish kinetics of the paired oxygen evolution reaction (OER). In response, it is highly desirable to synthesize high-performance and cost-effective OER electrocatalysts. Recent advances have witnessed surface reconstruction engineering as a salient tool to significantly improve the catalytic performance of OER electrocatalysts. In this review, recent progress on the reconstructed OER electrocatalysts and future opportunities are discussed. A brief introduction of the fundamentals of OER and the experimental approaches for generating and characterizing the reconstructed active sites in OER nanocatalysts are given first, followed by an expanded discussion of recent advances on the reconstructed OER electrocatalysts with improved activities, with a particular emphasis on understanding the correlation between surface dynamics and activities. Finally, a prospect for clean future energy communities harnessing surface reconstruction-promoted electrochemical water oxidation will be provided.     

Non-Platinum Group Metal Electrocatalysts toward Efficient Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction

Developing non-platinum group metal (non-PGM) electrocatalysts for the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) represents the efforts towards the more economical use of hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen energy, which has attracted tremendous attention recently. However, non-PGM electrocatalysts for the HOR are still in their early development stages as compared with the significant advances in those for the oxygen reduction reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction. Herein, this paper summarizes the recent progresses and highlights the key challenges for the rational design of non-PGM electrocatalysts, aiming to promote the development of non-PGM HOR electrocatalysts. Fundamental understandings of the HOR mechanism are firstly reviewed, where theoretical interpretations on the low HOR kinetics in alkaline media, including the hydrogen binding energy theory, the bifunctional mechanism, and the water molecule reorganization, are particularly discussed. Subsequently, progresses of typical non-PGM HOR electrocatalysts in acid and alkaline media are summarized separately. For the HOR under alkaline conditions, the superiorities and challenges of Ni-based catalysts are discussed with a particular focus as they are the most promising non-PGM electrocatalysts. Finally, this paper highlights the challenges and provide perspectives on the future development directions of non-PGM HOR electrocatalysts.     

Corrosion behaviour of Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Ag alloy components with different sizes after cooling

The corrosion behaviour of Mg-6Gd-3Y-1Zn-0.3Ag (wt.%) alloy components with different sizes after cooling was investigated. The alloys in the small components (SC) cooled fast, which were composed of α-Mg matrix and coarse long-period stacking ordered (LPSO) phases. The alloys in the large components (LC) cooled slowly, and there were thin lamellar LPSO phases precipitating inside the grains, except for α-Mg matrix and coarse LPSO phases. The hydrogen evolution test revealed that the corrosion rate of LC sample was higher than that of SC sample. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) test showed that the surface film on LC alloys provided worse protection. The corrosion morphologies indicated that the precipitation of the thin lamellar LPSO phases in LC sample caused severe micro-galvanic corrosion, which accelerated the rupture of the surface film.     

Enhanced methanol oxidation on PtNi nanoparticles supported on silane-modified reduced graphene oxide

Developing low cost, highly efficient, and long-term stability electrocatalysts are critical for direct oxidation methanol fuel cell. Despite huge efforts, designing low-cost electrocatalysts with high activity and long-term durability remains a significant technical challenge. Here, we prepared a new kind of platinum-nickel catalyst supported on silane-modified graphene oxide (NH₂-rGO) by a two-step method at room temperature. Powder X-ray diffraction, UV–vis spectroscopy, Raman, FTIR spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results confirm that GO was successfully modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), which helps to uniformly disperse PtNi nanoparticles. Cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, CO-stripping and rotating disk electrode (RDE) results imply that PtNi/NH₂-rGO catalyst has significantly higher catalytic activity, enhance the CO toxicity resistance, higher stability and much faster kinetics of methanol oxidation than commercial Pt/C under alkaline conditions.     

毫米波三维异质异构集成技术的进展与应用

三维异质异构集成技术是实现电子信息系统向着微型化、高效能、高整合、低功耗及低成本方向发展的最重要方法,也是决定信息化平台中微电子和微纳系统领域未来发展的一项核心高技术。文章详细介绍了毫米波频段三维异质异构集成技术的优势、近年来的发展趋势以及面临的挑战。利用硅基MEMS 光敏复合薄膜多层布线工艺可实现异质芯片的低损耗互连,同时三维集成高性能封装滤波器、高辐射效率封装天线等无源元件,还能很好地处理布线间的电磁兼容和芯片间的屏蔽问题。最后介绍了一款新型毫米波三维异质异构集成雷达及其在远距离生命体征探测方面的应用。     

Sputtered Ir–Ru based catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction: Study of iridium effect on stability

Magnetron sputtered low-loading iridium-ruthenium thin films are investigated as catalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction at the anode of the Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer. Electrochemical performance of 50 nm thin catalysts (Ir pure, Ir–Ru 1:1, Ir–Ru 1:3, Ru pure) is tested in a Rotating Disk Electrode. Corresponding Tafel slopes are measured before and after the CV-based procedure to compare the activity and stability of prepared compounds. Calculated activities prior to the procedure confirm higher activity of ruthenium-containing catalysts (Ru pure > Ir–Ru 1:3 > Ir–Ru 1:1 > Ir pure). However, after the procedure a higher activity and less degradation of Ir–Ru 1:3 is observed, compared to Ir–Ru 1:1, i.e. the sample with a higher amount of unstable ruthenium performs better. This contradicts the expected behavior of the catalyst. The comprehensive chemical and structural analysis unravels that the stability of Ir–Ru 1:3 sample is connected to RuO₂ chemical state and hcp structure. Obtained results are confirmed by measuring current densities in a single cell.     

Swapping catalytic active sites from cationic Ni to anionic F in Fe–F–Ni3S2 enables more efficient alkaline oxygen evolution reaction and urea oxidation reaction

Electrolysis of water for producing hydrogen instead of traditional fossil fuels is one of the most promising methods to alleviate environmental pollution and energy crisis. In this work, Fe and F ion co-doped Ni₃S₂ nanoarrays grown on Ni foam substrate were prepared by typical hydrothermal and sulfuration processes for the first time. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation demonstrate that the adsorption energy of the material to water is greatly enhanced due to the doping of F and Fe, which is conducive to the formation of intermediate species and the improvement of electrochemical performance of the electrode. The adsorption energy of anions (F and S) and cations (Fe and Ni) to water in each material was also calculated, and the results showed that F ion showed the most optimal adsorption energy of water, which proved that the doping of F and Fe was beneficial to improve the electrochemical performance of the electrode. It is worth noting that the surface of Fe–F–Ni₃S₂ material will undergo reconstruction during the process of water oxidation reaction and urea oxidation reaction, and amorphous oxides or hydroxides in situ would be formed on the surface of electrode, which are the real active species.     

Evaluation of physicochemical properties and microbial counts of raw and cooked low-fat patties added with eggplant powder prepared with different drying methods

Effects of different drying methods and different addition levels of eggplant (EP) on product quality of low-fat patties (LFPs) were investigated during storage. EP was dried in an oven dryer at 60 °C or a freeze dryer at −50 °C. LFPs were prepared by replacing with 1.5% soy protein isolate (SPI). Six treatments were used in this study: (1) control (CTL), without addition of EP; (2) reference (REF), 0.1% ascorbic acid; (3) O1, 0.25% oven-dried (OD) EP; (4) O2, 0.5% ODEP; (5) F1, 0.25% freeze-dried (FD) EP; and (6) F2, 0.5% FDEP. Redness (a*) and lightness (L*) values in LFPs added with EP were lower than those of others (p < 0.05) and decreased with increasing storage time. Yellowness (b*) values of cooked patties were increased during storage time (p < 0.05), with control having the highest value. The addition of EP or ascorbic acid into LFPs lowered microbial counts than control (p < 0.05). Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) was increased during storage, with REF having the lowest value, and patties added with EP had lower TBARS values than control during storage. Volatile basic nitrogen (VBN, mg%) contents of all patties also increased during storage time with O2 and F2 having lower values than control. Therefore, EP might have potential as a natural antioxidant in meat products during storage.