Facile synthesis of Ti3C2 MXene-modified Bi2.15WO6 nanosheets with enhanced reactivity for photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI)

Through a facile hydrothermal method, we have successfully prepared Ti₃C₂/Bi_2.15WO₆ (TC/BWO) composite, and systematically investigated their reactivity for the photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) under visible light. X-ray diffraction and Raman analysis confirm the formation of heterostructure between Bi_2.15WO₆ and Ti₃C₂. The resultant 7TC/BWO composite exhibits enhanced photoactivity toward Cr(VI) reduction. After 120 min irradiation, the conversion of Cr(VI) reaches 92.5% with the quasi-first-order kinetic constant of k = 0.0145 min^?1, which is higher than that of pure BWO (30% and k = 0.0005 min^?1). The electrochemical and photoluminescent characterization confirm that the introduction of Ti₃C₂ is conducive to the separation of carriers, thus significantly improves the photocatalytic performance of TC/BWO. Furthermore, the radical capture experiments verify that the electrons are important for enhancing reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III). As a result, this research provides a comprehensive understanding of the reduction of Cr(VI) by TC/BWO composite under visible light.     

Real time power management strategy for fuel cell hybrid electric bus based on Lyapunov stability theorem

The fuel cell/battery durability and hybrid system stability are major considerations for the power management of fuel cell hybrid electric bus (FCHEB) operating on complicated driving conditions. In this paper, a real time nonlinear adaptive control (NAC) with stability analyze is formulated for power management of FCHEB. Firstly, the mathematical model of hybrid power system is analyzed, which is established for control-oriented design. Furthermore, the NAC-based strategy with quadratic Lyapunov function is set up to guarantee the stability of closed-loop power system, and the power split between fuel cell and battery is controlled with the durability consideration. Finally, two real-time power management strategies, state machine control (SMC) and fuzzy logic control (FLC), are implemented to evaluate the performance of NAC-based strategy, and the simulation results suggest that the guaranteed stability of NAC-based strategy can efficiently prolong fuel cell/battery lifespan and provide better fuel consumption economy for FCHEB.     

Enhanced oxygen evolution reaction kinetics through biochar-based nickel-iron phosphides nanocages in water electrolysis for hydrogen production

Highly-efficient and stable non-noble metal electrocatalysts for overcoming the sluggish kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is urgent for water electrolysis. Biomass-derived biochar has been considered as promising carbon material because of its advantages such as low-cost, renewable, simple preparation, rich structure, and easy to obtain heteroatom by in-situ doping. Herein, Ni₂P–Fe₂P bimetallic phosphide spherical nanocages encapsulated in N/P-doped pine needles biochar is prepared via a simple two-step pyrolysis method. Benefiting from the maximum synergistic effects of bimetallic phosphide and biochar, high conductivity of biochar encapsulation, highly exposed active sites of Ni₂P–Fe₂P spherical nanocages, rapid mass transfer in porous channels with large specific surface area, and the promotion in adsorption of reaction intermediates by high-level heteroatom doping, the (Ni_0.75Fe_0.25)₂P@NP/C demonstrates excellent OER activity with an overpotential of 250 mV and a Tafel slope of 48 mV/dec at 10 mA/cm² in 1 M KOH. Also it exhibits a long-term durability in 10 h electrolysis and its activity even improves during the electrocatalytic process. The present work provides a favorable strategy for the inexpensive synthesis of biochar-based transition metal electrocatalysts toward OER, and improves the water electrolysis for hydrogen production.     

A triptycene derived hypercrosslinked polymer for gas capture and separation applications

This work describes facile synthesis of a porous polymeric material ( T-HCP ) using readily available reagents. Specifically, T-HCP is a thermally stable and hypercrosslinked polymer (HCP) that is essentially microporous with a high BET specific surface area (940 m² g^?1). Triptycene based polymers are known to feature internal free volume. Thus, the incorporation of triptycene units and extensive crosslinking by an external cross-linker in T-HCP makes it a promising adsorbent for small gas capture applications. Experimental results show that T-HCP demonstrated good CO₂ capture capacity of 132 mg g^?1 (273 K, 1 bar). Molecular hydrogen storage capacity of T-HCP is estimated to be 17.7 mg g^?1 (77 K, 1 bar). T-HCP revealed high CO₂/N₂ selectivity (up to 63) as well as promising CO₂/CH₄ (up to 9.1) selectivity suggesting its potential applicability for CO₂ separation from flue and natural gases.     

高效液相色谱法测定化妆品中依克多因的含量

建立高效液相色谱法测定化妆品中依克多因的分析方法,采用Agilent Poroshell 120 EC-C₁₈色谱柱（100 mm×3.0 mm,2.7μm）分离,以甲醇和p H为3.0的40 mmol/L磷酸二氢钠-10 mmol/L 1-庚烷磺酸钠缓冲溶液梯度洗脱,流速0.8 m L/min,柱温30℃,检测波长210 nm。采用外标法定量测定化妆品中的依克多因含量。结果表明,依克多因在5～800 mg/L的质量浓度范围内呈现良好线性关系,相关系数为0.999 8,方法的检出限和定量限分别为0.3和1.0 mg/L。该方法具有分离效率高、分析时间短、节省溶剂等优点,解决了依克多因在C₁₈色谱柱上保留弱的问题。     

Evaluation of oxy-acetylene flame angle effect on the erosion resistance of SiC/ZrB2–SiC/ZrB2 multilayer coatings fabricated by the shielding shrouded plasma spray technique

In the present study, the effect of oxy-acetylene flame angle on the erosion resistance of SiC/ZrB₂–SiC/ZrB₂ multilayer coatings with the gradient structure was investigated. To this aim, first, the SiC inner layer was applied by the reactive melt infiltration (RMI) technique; then ZrB₂ and ZrB₂–SiC layers with 10, 20 and 30%wt. SiC were applied on graphite by the plasma spraying technique. To prevent the oxidation of ZrB₂ and SiC particles, the plasma spraying process was performed by a solid protective shield. To evaluate the performance of the coatings in erosive environments, the samples were exposed to oxy-acetylene flame at the angles of 30°, 60° and 90° for 360 s; the destruction mechanism of SiC/ZrB₂–SiC/ZrB₂ multilayer coatings appeared to be controlled mechanically and chemically. The results of the erosion test showed that at the low flame angles of about 30°, due to the shear forces of oxy-acetylene flame, mechanical erosion overcame the chemical one. With increasing the flame angle, due to raising the surface temperature, chemical erosion overcame the mechanical one; so, most chemical destruction occurred at the flame angle of 90°. Also, the results of the erosion test showed that the total chemical and mechanical destruction at the angle of 60° was greater than that in other angles. Also, among the coatings tested, SiC/ZrB₂- 20% wt. SiC/ZrB₂ coatings had the best erosion resistance; so, the weight changes under the oxy-acetylene flame at the angles of 30° and 60°, respectively, were about ?0.038%. and ?0.355%; meanwhile, at the angle of 90°, it was about +4.3%.     

Experimental research on combined effect of obstacle and local spraying water fog on hydrogen/air premixed explosion

In order to reveal the mechanism of water fog explosion suppression and research the combined effect of water fog and obstacle on hydrogen/air deflagration, multiple sets of experiments were set up. The results show that the instability of thermal diffusion under lean combustion conditions is the main influencing factor of hydrogen/air flame surface instability, and the existence of water fog will aggravate the hydrogen/air flame surface instability. When obstacle is not considered, 8 μm, 15 μm, 30 μm water fog can significantly reduce the flame velocity and explosion overpressure of hydrogen/air, 45 μm fine water fog plays the opposite role. When considering the relative position of the water fog release position and the obstacle, the 8 μm, 15 μm, 30 μm water fog has almost no suppression effect when released near the obstacle, but a significant suppression effect occur, when using the 45 μm water fog. In the field of theoretical research, the research results not only provide an experimental basis for the fine water fog to reduce the consequences of hydrogen explosion accidents, and the optimal diameter range used by the water fog, but also provide experimental reference for the numerical simulation of hydrogen/air explosion suppression in semi-open space, and promote the development of hydrogen explosion suppression theory. In terms of engineering applications, this study can provide a theoretical basis for the layout of fire fighting equipment in the engine room of nuclear power plants or hydrogen-powered ships.     

Montmorillonite-perlite-iron ceramic membranes for the adsorption/removal of As(III) and other constituents from surface water

In this study, ceramic membranes made of montmorillonite, perlite and iron were used to remove As(III) from water. Membranes prepared with 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt% of iron content were used to filtrate As(III) synthetic water and surface water solutions. As(III) adsorption capacity and removal efficiency, and other parameters such as cations and anions content, turbidity, pH, electrical conductivity were used to evaluate the membranes' performance. Results show that the As(III) adsorption/removal capacity of membranes was improved by the addition of iron. Adsorption capacity of 7.5 μg As(III)/g and removal efficiency of 97% can be achieved in membranes with 1.0 wt% of iron filings content for surface water; however, a greater amount of iron in the membrane structure limits the adsorption capacity of As(III). Besides the capacity of ceramic membranes to adsorb/remove As(III), membranes were also effective to remove other ions, turbidity, and electrical conductivity from the surface water. The addition of iron to the ceramic membranes enhanced their capacity to remove such surface water constituents. These results are important from the practical viewpoint showing the potential of ceramic membranes for the removal of metalloids and other water constituents. Langmuir isotherm model best described the adsorption process in ceramic membranes, suggesting that adsorption of As(III) happened on a monolayered surface of the ceramic membrane.     

Understanding on the hydrogen detection of plasma sprayed tin oxide/tungsten oxide (SnO2/WO3) sensor

The plasma spray technique was well proven in producing metal oxide based gas sensors in the last two decades using different powder feedstocks. However, limited research was made to fabricate hydrogen gas sensor from tin oxide layer coated over tungsten oxide layer. This paper attempts to interpret the hydrogen gas sensing performances of plasma sprayed coating derived by depositing tin oxide layer over tungsten oxide (SnO₂/WO₃) layer. Plasma sprayed SnO₂/WO₃ sensor showed maximum response of 90% at 150 °C in contrast to stand-alone WO₃ (89% at 350 °C) and stand-alone SnO₂ (89% at 250 °C). The lower operating temperature of SnO₂/WO₃ sensor without compromising gas response was attributed to the WO₃–SnO₂ hetero-junction. SnO₂/WO₃ sensor showed selective sensing towards hydrogen with respect to carbon monoxide and methane gases. This sensor also possessed repeatable characteristics after 39 days from the initial measurement. In a nut-shell, plasma spayed SnO₂/WO₃ sensor showed stability of base resistance, repeatability after successive response and recovery cycles, selective sensing towards 500 ppm H₂ with significant magnitude of gas response of 90%, response time of 35 s and recovery time of 269 s at a temperature of 150 °C.