Hollow multi-nanochannel carbon nanofiber/MoS2 nanoflower composites as binder-free lithium-ion battery anodes with high capacity and ultralong-cycle life at large current density

The electrode materials with high pseudocapacitance can enhance the rate capability and cycling stabil-ity of lithium-ion storage devices.Herein,we fabricated MoS2 nanoflowers with ultra-large interlayer spacing on N-doped hollow multi-nanochannel carbon nanofibers(F2-MoS2/NHMCFs)as freestanding binder-free anodes for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs).The ultra-large interlayer spacing(0.78～1.11 nm)of MoS2 nanoflowers can not only reduce the internal resistance,but also increase accessible active sur-face area,which ensures the fast Li+intercalation and deintercalation.The NHMCFs with hollow and multi-nanochannel structure can accommodate the large internal strain and volume change during lithi-ation/delithiation process,it is beneficial to improving the cycling stability of LIBs.Benefiting from the above combined structure merits,the F2-MoS2/NHMCFs electrodes deliver a high rate capability 832 mA h g-1 at 10 A g-1 and ultralong cycling stability with 99.29 and 91.60％capacity retention at 10 A g-1 after 1000 and 2000 cycles,respectively.It is one of the largest capacities and best cycling stability at 10 A g-1 ever reported to date,indicating the freestanding F2-MoS2/NHMCFs electrodes have potential applications in high power density LIBs.     

Modelling and simulation of two-bed PSA process for separating H_2 from methane steam reforming

Methane steam reforming is the main hydrogen production method in the industry. The product of methane steam reforming contains H_2, CH_4, CO and CO_2 and is then purified by pressure swing adsorption(PSA) technology. In this study, a layered two-bed PSA process was designed theoretically to purify H_2 from methane steam reforming off gas. The effects of adsorption pressure, adsorption time and purgeto-feed ratio(P/F ratio) on process performance were investigated to design a PSA process with more than99.95% purity and 80% recovery. Since the feed composition of the PSA process changes with the upstream process, the effect of the feed composition on the process performance was discussed as well.The result showed that the increase of CH_4 concentration, which was the weakest adsorbate, would have a negative impact on product purity.     

Reinforcing Paper Strength by Dual Treatment of a Cationic Water-soluble Polymer and Cellulose Nanofibril

Cellulose nanofibril (CNF) was used as the anionic component of two dual strengthening systems wherein polyamidopolyamine epichlorohydrin resin (PAE) or cationic starch (CS) was used as the cationic component. Their strengthening effects were investigated for low-basis-weight (30 g/m²) paper composed of a mixture of fully bleached softwood and hardwood pulp in a 4:1 mass ratio. Using the PAE/CNF or CS/CNF dual system, it was generally easier to achieve higher wet and dry tensile strengths of paper compared to the paper using the single PAE or CS system. For example, the paper using the PAE (0.4%)/CNF (0.3%) dual system exhibited 89% higher wet tensile strength than the paper using the single PAE (0.4%) system, and the paper using CS (1.3%)/CNF (0.3%) dual treatment showed 21% higher dry strength than that using the single CS (1.3%) system. However, the PAE/CNF system only showed small improvement in the dry strength of paper (11% higher than that of paper using the single PAE system), so did the CS/NFC system on wet strength improvement (only 17% higher than that of paper using the single CS system).     

Scaling of the bubble/slug length of Taylor flow in a meandering microchannel

In order to reduce or avoid the fluctuations from interface breakup, a meandering microchannel with curved multi-bends (44 turns) is fabricated, and investigations of scaling bubble/slug length in Taylor flow in a rectangular meandering microchannel are systematically conducted. Based on considerable experimental data, quantitative analyses for the influences of two important characteristic times, liquid phase physical properties and aspect ratio are made on the prediction criteria for the bubble/slug length of Taylor flow in a meandering microchannel. A simple principle is suggested to predict the bubble formation period by using the information of Rayleigh time and capillary time for six gas-liquid systems with average deviation of 10.96%. Considering physical properties of the liquid phase and cross-section configuration of the rectangular mcirochannel, revised scaling laws for bubble length are established by introducing Ca, We, Re and W/h whether for the squeezing-driven or shearing-driven of bubble break. In addition, a simple principle in terms of Garstecki-type model and bubble formation period is set-up to predict slug lengths. A total of 107 sets of experimental data are correlated with the meandering microchannel and operating range:0.001 < Ca_TP < 0.05, 0.06 < We_TP < 9.0, 18 < Re_TP < 460 using the bubble/slug length prediction equation from current work. The average deviation between the correlated data and the experimental data for bubble length and slug length is about 9.42% and 9.95%, respectively.     

Porous nitrogen-enriched hollow carbon nanofibers as freestanding electrode for enhanced lithium storage

One-dimensional porous carbons bearing high surface areas and sufficient heteroatom doped functional-ities are essential for advanced electrochemical energy storage devices, especially for developing free-standing film electrodes. Here we develop a porous, nitrogen-enriched, freestanding hollow carbon nanofiber (PN-FHCF) electrode material via filtration of polypyrrole (PPy) hollow nanofibers formed by in situ self-degraded template-assisted strategy, followed by NH3-assisted carbonization. The PN-FHCF retains the freestanding film morphology that is composed of three-dimensional networks from the entanglement of 1D nanofiber and delivers 3.7-fold increase in specific surface area (592 m2·g-1) com-pared to the carbon without NH3 treatment (FHCF). In spite of the enhanced specific surface area, PN-FHCF still exhibits comparable high content of surface N functionalities (8.8％, atom fraction) to FHCF. Such developed hierarchical porous structure without sacrificing N doping functionalities together enables the achievement of high capacity, high-rate property and good cycling stability when applied as self-supporting anode in lithium-ion batteries, superior to those of FHCF without NH3 treatment.     

Zn/Sn共掺杂MgO功能层对AC PDP放电性能的影响

采用化学共沉淀法制备出Zn/Sn共掺杂MgO纳米粉末，利用旋涂法将其涂覆在等离子体显示器（AC PDP）的前基板上作为功能层，以改善AC PDP的放电性能。X射线衍射（XRD）、光电子能谱（XPS）和扫描式电子显微镜（SEM）的分析结果表明，Zn和Sn原子被成功掺入MgO晶格中。紫外-可见分光光度计的测试结果显示，Zn/Sn共掺杂MgO功能层的加入使基板的可见光透过率降低了4%~7%。在200~450 torr、7% Xe+Ne的放电条件下，与传统AC PDP相比，新型功能层的加入有效降低了AC PDP的着火电压和维持电压。因此，该功能层对于提高AC PDP的放电效率和降低其功耗具有重要意义。     

Absorption effect of pure nickel on the corrosion behaviors of the GH3535 alloy in tellurium vapor

In this study,pure Ni was demonstrated to pro-tect the GH3535 alloy from Te vapor corrosion because of its strong absorption capacity.Severe Te corrosion of a single GH3535 alloy sample occurred in Te vapor at 700℃,which manifested as complex surface corrosion products and deep intergranular cracks.However,when pure Ni and the GH3535 alloy were put together in the vessel,the GH3535 alloy was completely protected from Te corrosion at the expense of the pure Ni.Thermody-namic calculations proved that the preferential reaction between pure Ni and Te vapor reduced the activity of Te vapor considerably,preventing the corrosion of the GH3535 alloy.Our study reveals one potential approach for protecting the alloys used in molten-salt reactors from Te corrosion.     

Ultraviolet Resistance and Antimicrobial Properties of ZnO in the Polypropylene Materials:A Review

ZnO is a multifunctional material with UV-blocking,antimicrobial,photo-catalytic activity and selfcleaning properties.The application of ZnO has become an interesting subject both in science and industries in the polymer materials.A great number of investigation indicated that introduction of ZnO can improve ultraviolet resistance and endow antimicrobial properties of polypropylene(PP) materials to broaden the application range and prolong the usage life of polypropylene materials.This mini-review contains examples of recent research advances on ultraviolet resistance and antimicrobial properties of ZnO in the filled polypropylene materials.It is found that ultraviolet resistance and antimicrobial properties of ZnO supported on the surface of other inorganic particles are higher than those of nanoand micro-ZnO particles,which may inspire further developments of filled PP and its copolymer materials with high ultraviolet resistance and antimicrobial properties.     

Learning-based adaptive optimal output regulation of linear and nonlinear systems: An overview

This paper reviews recent developments in learning-based adaptive optimal output regulation that aims to solve the problem of adaptive and optimal asymptotic tracking with disturbance rejection. The proposed framework aims to bring together two separate topics—output regulation and adaptive dynamic programming—that have been under extensive investigation due to their broad applications in modern control engineering. Under this framework, one can solve optimal output regulation problems of linear, partially linear, nonlinear, and multi-agent systems in a data-driven manner. We will also review some practical applications based on this framework, such as semi-autonomous vehicles, connected and autonomous vehicles, and nonlinear oscillators.     

Ni/bentonite catalysts prepared by solution combustion method for CO2 methanation

A 20 wt% Ni/bentonite catalyst was prepared by a solution combustion synthesis (SCS), which exhibited higher activity for the CO₂ methanation than that of an impregnation method (IPM), and the catalyst prepared by SCS showed a CO₂ conversion of 85% and a CH₄ selectivity of 100% at 300℃, atmospheric pressure, and 3600 ml·(g cat)^-1·h^-1, and the catalyst exhibited stable within a 110-h reaction. The results showed higher metallic Ni dispersion, smaller Ni particle size, larger specific surface area and lower reduction temperature in the Ni/bentonite prepared by SCS than that of IPM. And the Ni/bentonite prepared by the SCS moderated the interaction between NiO and bentonite.