Electrochemical performance of in situ LiFePO4 modified by N-doped graphene for Li-ion batteries

LiFePO₄ modified by N-doped graphene (NG) with a three-dimensional conductive network structure was synthesized via a one-step in situ hydrothermal method. The effects of N amount of NG on the phase structure, morphology, and electrochemical properties of LiFePO₄ are investigated in this study. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that doping suitable N amounts in NG do not alter the crystal structure of LiFePO_4, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images show that NG can slightly reduce the particle size of LiFePO₄. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) results show that the LiFePO₄ particles are well covered and connected by NG. The electrochemical performance confirms that LiFePO₄ modified by 20% N-doped graphene (named LFP/NG-4) displays a perfect specific capacity of 166.6 mAh·g^?1 at a rate of 0.2C and can reach 125 mAh·g^?1 at a rate of 5 C. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results illustrate that the charge transfer resistance value of the LFP/NG-4 composite is only 58.6 Ω, which is very low compared with LiFePO₄. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) tests indicate that the addition of 20% N-doped graphene can effectively reduce electrode polarization and improve reversibility. The LFP/NG-4 composite with a three-dimensional conductive network structure can be regarded as a promising cathode material for Li-ion batteries.     

Novel TiC-based composites with enhanced mechanical properties

Novel TiC-based composites were synthesized by reactive hot-pressing at 1800 °C for 1 h with ZrB₂ addition as a sintering aid for the first time. The effects of ZrB₂ contents on the phase composition, microstructure evolution, and mechanical properties were reported. Based on the reaction and solid solution coupling effects between ZrB₂ and TiC, the product ZrC may be partially or completely dissolved into the TiC matrix, and then phase separation within the miscibility gap is observed to form lamellar nanostructured ZrC-rich (Zr, Ti)C. The TiC-10 mol.% ZrB₂ (starting batch composition) exhibits good comprehensive mechanical properties of hardness 27.7 ± 1.3 GPa, flexural strength 659 ± 48 MPa, and fracture toughness of 6.5 ± 0.6 MPa m^1/2, respectively, which reach or exceed most TiC-based composites using ceramics as sintering aids in the previous reports.     

Fabrication of crescent-shaped ceramic microparticles based on single emulsion microfluidics

Ceramic microparticles have great potentials in various fields such as materials engineering, biotechnology, microelectromechanical systems, etc. Morphology of the microparticle performs an important role on their application. To date, it remains difficult to find an effective and controllable way for fabricating nonspherical ceramic microparticles with 3D features. This work demonstrates a method that combines UV light lithography and single emulsion opaque-droplet-templated microfluidic molding to prepare the crescent-shaped ceramic microparticles. By tailoring the intensity of UV light and flow rate of fluid, the shapes of microparticles are accordingly tuned. Therefore, varieties of crescent-shaped microparticles and their variations have been fabricated. After sintering, the crescent-shaped alumina ceramic microparticles were obtained. Benefitting from the light absorption and scattering behavior of most ceramic nanoparticles, this system can serve as a general platform to produce crescent-shaped microparticles made from different materials, and hold great potentials for applications in microrobotics, structural materials in MEMS, and biotechnology.     

Interactions and complex stabilities of grape seed procyanidins with zein hydrolysate

The objective of this paper was to investigate the complex of grape seed procyanidins (GSP) with zein hydrolysate (ZH). The interaction was determined using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and fluorescence spectroscopy. The particle size, ζ-potential, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and stability test of the ZH-GSP complex were measured. The results of ITC, particle size and SEM suggested that there was a hydrogen bond-dominated interaction between GSP and ZH, and the ZH-GSP complex presented as a spherical shape with particle size of 234 nm, polydispersity index of 0.11 and ζ-potential of −46.4 mV. The results of the fluorescence spectroscopy showed that the fluorescence quenching effect of GSP on ZH was GSP concentration-dependent and the quenching process was mainly static quenching. The ZH-GSP complex had better physical stability in aqueous solution, and their solution was more stable than GSP solution under illumination and high-temperature treatment at 75°C.     

Real-time molecular characterization of air pollutants in a Hong Kong residence: Implication of indoor source emissions and heterogeneous chemistry

Due to the high health risks associated with indoor air pollutants and long-term exposure, indoor air quality has received increasing attention. In this study, we put emphasis on the molecular composition, source emissions, and chemical aging of air pollutants in a residence with designed activities mimicking ordinary Hong Kong homes. More than 150 air pollutants were detected at molecular level, 87 of which were quantified at a time resolution of not less than 1 hour. The indoor-to-outdoor ratios were higher than 1 for most of the primary air pollutants, due to emissions of indoor activities and indoor backgrounds (especially for aldehydes). In contrast, many secondary air pollutants exhibited higher concentrations in outdoor air. Painting ranked first in aldehyde emissions, which also caused great enhancement of aromatics. Incense burning had the highest emissions of particle-phase organics, with vanillic acid and syringic acid as markers. The other noteworthy fingerprints enabled by online measurements included linoleic acid, cholesterol, and oleic acid for cooking, 2,5-dimethylfuran, stigmasterol, iso-/anteiso-alkanes, and fructose isomers for smoking, C₂₈-C₃₄ even n-alkanes for candle burning, and monoterpenes for the use of air freshener, cleaning agents, and camphor oil. We showed clear evidence of chemical aging of cooking emissions, giving a hint of indoor heterogeneous chemistry. This study highlights the value of organic molecules measured at high time resolutions in enhancing our knowledge on indoor air quality.     

Corrosion resistance of nanostructured magnesium hydroxide coating on magnesium alloy AZ31: influence of EDTA

A hexagonal nanosheet Mg(OH)_2 coating was prepared through a one-step hydrothermal method using LiOH solution as mineralizer and then modified by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid(EDTA) to minimize the rapid corrosion of AZ31 Mg alloy.The performance of the coating was evaluated using electrochemical technique,hydrogen evolution measurements, nanoscratch test,Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR), X-ray diffraction(XRD) patterns and field-emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM).The results suggested that the corrosion rate of bare AZ31 Mg alloys was significantly reduced by one and two orders of magnitude through the protection from Mg(OH)_2 coating and modification with EDTA(i.e., EDTA-Mg(OH)_2 coating), respectively.FESEM micrographs indicated that the modification in EDTA elicits to the formation of an EDTA-Mg(OH)_2 composite with a thickness as twice as that of as-prepared Mg(OH)_2 coating.Nanoscratch tests revealed strong adhesion between the composite or Mg(OH)_2 coating and the substrate.The study of formation and corrosion mechanisms of the coatings manifested that Mg(OH)_2 was first formed near the intermetallic compound AlMn particles and gradually covered the entire surface, wherein the AlMn particles played an important role in the coating growth process.And it also proved that EDTA accelerated the formation of Mg(OH)_2.     

内蒙古阿巴嘎旗更新世阿巴嘎组火山岩岩石化学特征及成因

阿巴嘎旗位于内蒙古中东部，区内广泛发育上更新统阿巴嘎组。通过对区内火山岩岩石地球化学特征及其成因进行分析，结果表明：岩石组合由橄榄玄武岩、伊丁石化玄武岩和少量火山碎屑岩组成；岩石具有富钛，富镁，钠高钾低的特点，岩浆结晶分异程度较低，岩浆物质来源较深，其物源具有幔源成因的特点；该套火山岩为板内玄武岩。     

安徽开发矿业有限公司布料小车自动化升级改造

针对磨矿仓布料小车倒仓下料为远程半自动化模式，操作频繁且容易发生故障等问题，对布料小车进行了全自动布料的研究。通过对布料小车装置的机械、电气等自动化控制改造，解决了远程半自动化布料，实现了布料小车全自动化布料功能。     

Trans-differentiation of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells into cardiomyocyte-like cells on decellularized bovine myocardial extracellular matrix-based films

In this study, we aimed at fabricating decellularized bovine myocardial extracellular matrix-based films (dMEbF) for cardiac tissue engineering (CTE). The decellularization process was carried out utilizing four consecutive stages including hypotonic treatment, detergent treatment, enzymatic digestion and decontamination, respectively. In order to fabricate the dMEbF, dBM were digested with pepsin and gelation process was conducted. dMEbF were then crosslinked with N-hydroxysuccinimide/1-Ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide (NHS/EDC) to increase their durability. Nuclear contents of native BM and decellularized BM (dBM) tissues were determined with DNA content analysis and agarose-gel electrophoresis. Cell viability on dMEbF for 3rd, 7th, and 14th days was assessed by MTT assay. Cell attachment on dMEbF was also studied by scanning electron microscopy. Trans-differentiation capacity of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) into cardiomyocyte-like cells on dMEbF were also evaluated by histochemical and immunohistochemical analyses. DNA contents for native and dBM were, respectively, found as 886.11?±?164.85 and 47.66?±?0.09?ng/mg dry weight, indicating a successful decellularization process. The results of glycosaminoglycan and hydroxyproline assay, and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), performed in order to characterize the extracellular matrix (ECM) composition of native and dBM tissue, showed that the BM matrix was not damaged during the proposed method. Lastly, regarding the histological study, dMEbF not only mimics native ECM, but also induces the stem cells into cardiomyocyte-like cells phenotype which brings it the potential of use in CTE.