A review of thin film electrolytes fabricated by physical vapor deposition for solid oxide fuel cells

The ohmic resistance in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) mainly comes from the electrolyte, which can be reduced by developing novel electrolyte materials with higher ionic conductivity and/or fabricating thin-film electrolytes. Among various kinds of thin-film fabrication technology, the physical vapor deposition (PVD) method can reduce the electrolyte thickness to a few micrometers and mitigate the issues associated with high-temperature sintering, which is necessary for wet ceramic methods. This review summarizes recent development progress in thin-film electrolytes fabricated by the PVD method, especially pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and magnetron sputtering. At first, the importance of the substrate surface morphology for the quality of the film is emphasized. After that, the fabrication of thin-film doped-zirconia and doped-ceria electrolytes is presented, then we provide a brief summary of the works on other types of electrolytes prepared by PVD. Finally, we have come to the summary and made perspectives.     

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.     

Bovidae-based gelatin: Extractions method,physicochemical and functional properties,applications, and future trends

Gelatin is one of the most important multifunctional biopolymers and is widely used as an essential ingredient in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics. Porcine gelatin is regarded as the leading source of gelatin globally then followed by bovine gelatin. Porcine sources are favored over other sources since they are less expensive. However, porcine gelatin is religiously prohibited to be consumed by Muslims and the Jewish community. It is predicted that the global demand for gelatin will increase significantly in the future. Therefore, a sustainable source of gelatin with efficient production and free of disease transmission must be developed. The highest quality of Bovidae-based gelatin (BG) was acquired through alkaline pretreatment, which displayed excellent physicochemical and rheological properties. The utilization of mammalian- and plant-based enzyme significantly increased the gelatin yield. The emulsifying and foaming properties of BG also showed good stability when incorporated into food and pharmaceutical products. Manipulation of extraction conditions has enabled the development of custom-made gelatin with desired properties. This review highlighted the various modifications of extraction and processing methods to improve the physicochemical and functional properties of Bovidae-based gelatin. An in-depth analysis of the crucial stage of collagen breakdown is also discussed, which involved acid, alkaline, and enzyme pretreatment, respectively. In addition, the unique characteristics and primary qualities of BG including protein content, amphoteric property, gel strength, emulsifying and viscosity properties, and foaming ability were presented. Finally, the applications and prospects of BG as the preferred gelatin source globally were outlined.     

Flash Lamps as Ignition and Initiation Sources of the VS-2 Pyrotechnic Composition

In the present work it is found that the pyrotechnic composition VS-2 can be initiated with flash lamps IFC-500 and EVIS. VS-2 pyrotechnic composition contains 90% of mercury（Ⅱ） 5-hydrazinotetrazolate perchlorate and 10% of optically transparent copolymer of 2-methyl-5-vinyltetrazole and methacrylic acid （PVMT）. We have found that the flash lamps make it possible to initiate combustion of VS-2 composition with its transition to detonation both in cylindrical charges placed in brass caps of 5 mm diameter and 2 mm high， and film charges with 10 mm×80 mm in size and surface weights of 60 mg·cm^-2 and 90 mg·cm^-2， showing ignition delay times 10 μs and 3 μs， respectively. We also measured detonation velocities for VS-2 composition film charges， which were 4375-4505 m·s^-1 （of the charge being surface mass 60 mg·cm^-2） and 4221-4281 m·s^-1 （of the charge being surface mass 90 mg·cm^-2） and their blasting action on the aluminum plate. The depths of the normal shock wave imprints at the charge-barrier interface were 0.6-0.7 mm （for surface mass of the film charges 60 mg·cm^-2） and 1.2-1.3 mm （for surface mass of the film charges 90 mg·cm^-2）.     

Role of functionalized graphene quantum dots in hydrogen evolution reaction: A density functional theory study

Rapid advances in the field of catalysis require a microscopic understanding of the catalytic mechanisms. However, in recent times, experimental insights in this field have fallen short of expectations. Furthermore, experimental searches of novel catalytic materials are expensive and time-consuming, with no guarantees of success. As a result, density functional theory (DFT) can be quite advantageous in advancing this field because of the microscopic insights it provides and thus can guide experimental searches of novel catalysts. Several recent works have demonstrated that low-dimensional materials can be very efficient catalysts. Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have gained much attention in past years due to their unique properties like low toxicity, chemical inertness, biocompatibility, crystallinity, etc. These properties of GQDs which are due to quantum confinement and edge effects facilitate their applications in various fields like sensing, photoelectronics, catalysis, and many more. Furthermore, the properties of GQDs can be enhanced by doping and functionalization. In order to understand the effects of functionalization by oxygen and boron based groups on the catalytic properties relevant to the hydrogen-evolution reaction (HER), we perform a systematic study of GQDs functionalized with the oxygen (O), borinic acid (BC₂O), and boronic acid (BCO₂). All calculations that included geometry optimization, electronic and adsorption mechanism, were carried out using the Gaussian16 package, employing the hybrid functional B3LYP, and the basis set 6-31G(d,p). With the variation in functionalization groups in GQDs, we observe significant changes in their electronic properties. The adsorption energy E_ads of hydrogen over O-GQD, BC₂O-GQD, and BCO₂-GQD is ?0.059 eV, ?0.031 eV and ?0.032 eV respectively. Accordingly, Gibbs free energy (ΔG) of hydrogen adsorption is extraordinarily near the ideal value (0 eV) for all the three types of functionalized GQDs. Thus, the present work suggests pathways for experimental realization of low-cost and multifunctional GQDs based catalysts for clean and renewable hydrogen energy production.     

Crystallization behavior and density functional theory study of solution combustion synthesized silicon doped calcium phosphates

The influence of heat-treatment temperatures (700 °C, 900°C, 1200 °C) on the phase, physical properties, crystallization rate, and in vitro properties of the solution combustion synthesized silicon-doped calcium phosphates (CaPs) were investigated. The thermodynamic aspects (enthalpy, entropy, and free energy) of the synthesis process and the crystallographic properties of the final samples were first predicted and then confirmed using density functional theory (DFT). Results demonstrated that the crystallization rate was controlled by the fuel(s) type (glycine, citric acid, and urea) and the amounts of Si⁴⁺ ions (0, 0.1, 0.4 mol). The highest calculated crystallization rate values of the un-doped, 0.1, and 0.4 mol Si-doped samples were 64%, 22%, 38%, respectively. The obtained results from the DFT simulation revealed that crystal growth in the direction of c-axis of hydroxyapatite (HAp) structure could change the stability of (001) surface of (HAp). Also, the computational data confirmed the adsorption of Si–OH groups on the (001) surface of HAp during the SCS process with an adsorption energy of 1.53 eV. AFM results in line with DFT simulation showed that the observed change in the surface roughness of Si-doped CaPs from 2 to 8 nm could be related to the doping of Si⁴⁺ ions onto the surface of CaPs. Besides, the theoretical and experimental investigation showed that crystal growth and doping of Si⁴⁺ ions could decrease the activation energy of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Furthermore, the results showed that the crystallized HAp structure could have great potential to efficiently reduce oxidative stress in human body.     

汉江上游干支流沉积物细菌群落多样性和影响因素

为了解汉江上游干支流沉积物细菌多样性以及确定性过程和随机性过程在沉积物细菌群落构建过程中的相对重要性,基于Illumina高通量测序技术,分析了环境因子对细菌群落组成的影响,采用非度量多维尺度(NMDS)排序探究了季节之间沉积物细菌群落的差异,并结合中性群落模型和标准化随机率量化了确定性过程和随机过程对群落构建的影响。结果表明:汉江上游及其支流细菌群落主要由变形菌门(Proteobacteria)、拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)、蓝藻门(Cyanophyta)、浮霉菌门(Planctomycetes)和酸杆菌门(Acidobacteria)等组成；细菌群落在不同季节有显著差异；地理距离和环境因子对细菌群落结构影响较小,确定性过程并未在细菌群落组成中起到主导作用；随机过程很大程度上影响了群落在秋季和春季的组成,是沉积物细菌群落构建的主导因素。     

Influence of thermal runaway in styrene–acrylonitrile bulk copolymerization revealed by computational fluid dynamics modeling

The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and kinetic-based moment methods coupled approach is adopted to simulate the bulk copolymerization of styrene–acrylonitrile (SAN) in a stirred tank reactor. Numerical simulations are carried out to investigate the impacts of impeller speed, monomer ratio, initiator ratio, and initial reaction temperature on the copolymerization process and product properties. Particularly, the Chaos theory is selected as a criterion for evaluating the occurrence of the thermal runaway. The Flory's and Stockmayer's distributions are employed to calculate chain length distribution and copolymer composition distribution of copolymer. The simulation results highlight that the appearance of thermal runaway can be postponed by properly increasing the rotation speed, decreasing the initiator loadings, initial acrylonitrile contents and initial reactor temperature. Furthermore, significant differences exist in the product properties that predicted by the ideal and non-ideal models, which demonstrates that the temperature heterogeneity plays a crucial role in SAN copolymerization. This study could offer references for the safe operation and design of polymerization processes.     

Lithiation MXene Derivative Skeletons for Wide-Temperature Lithium Metal Anodes

Lithium (Li) metal, as an appealing candidate for the next-generation of high-energy-density batteries, is plagued by its safety issue mainly caused by uncontrolled dendrite growth and infinite volume expansion. Developing new materials that can improve the performance of Li-metal anode is one of the urgent tasks. Herein, a new MXene derivative containing pure rutile TiO₂ and N-doped carbon prepared by heat-treating MXene under a mixing gas, exhibiting high chemical activity in molten Li, is reported. The lithiation MXene derivative with a hybrid of LiTiO₂-Li₃N-C and Li offers outstanding electrochemical properties. The symmetrical cell assembling lithiation MXene derivative hybrid anode exhibits an ultra-long cycle lifespan of 2000 h with an overpotential of ≈30 mV at 1 mA cm⁻², which overwhelms Li-based anodes reported so far. Additionally, long-term operations of 34, 350, and 500 h at 10 mA cm⁻² can be achieved in symmetrical cells at temperatures of −10, 25, and 50 °C, respectively. Both experimental tests and density functional theory calculations confirm that the LiTiO₂-Li₃N-C skeleton serves as a promising host for Li infusion by alleviating volume variation. Simultaneously, the superlithiophilic interphase of Li₃N guides Li deposition along the LiTiO₂-Li₃N-C skeleton to avoid dendrite growth.     

High-performance Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbZrO3-PbTiO3 ceramics with the triple point composition

Ternary 0.552Pb(Ni_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-xPbZrO₃-(0.448-x)PbTiO₃ (PNN-PZ-PT) ceramics near the triple point compositions were fabricated by an improved two-step sintering method. The triple point composition 0.552PNN-0.135PZ-0.313PT ceramic has outstanding piezoelectric performance with piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃ = 1200 pC/N. Its easy fabrication and low cost make this piezoelectric material an excellent candidate for high sensitivity sensors and ultrasonic transducers. The evolution of domain structures for ceramics with composition near the triple point provides deeper insight into the mechanism of ultrahigh piezoelectric properties of PNN-PZ-PT ceramics.