Enhanced electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction from organic-inorganic heterostructure

Herein, molybdenum disulfide nanoflakes decorated copper phthalocyanine microrods (CuPc-MoS₂) are synthesized via two step simple hydrothermal method. The as synthesized hybrid along with pure molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanoflower and pure copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) microrods are well characterized by various techniques that confirm phase, morphology, elemental compositions etc. Next, electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction towards fuel cell is investigated in alkaline medium and obtained results proclaim that our CuPc-MoS₂ heterostructure outperforms the other two constituent materials. Efficient oxygen reduction is achieved following four electron pathway by CuPc-MoS₂ whereas partial reduction is done through two electron process by CuPc and MoS₂ separately. Long-time durability test reveals almost 97.6% retention after 8000s that eventually dictate us that CuPc-MoS₂ heterostructure can be the efficient cathode electrocatalyst for future generation fuel cell.     

Cation and polyhedron substitution strategies: Effects on local crystal structure and on Bi3+ and Eu3+ co-doped inverse garnet phosphors’ luminescence property

Following the rapid growth of lightning technology, the development of red-emitting phosphors is effective for improving color temperature and color rendering index for w-LEDs devices. Herein, a single phased garnet phosphor with cation and polyhedron substitution modification was firstly prepared. For Mg₃Gd₂Ge₃O₁₂: Bi³⁺, Eu³⁺, the intensity has been remarkably improved by about 16% compared to the one without Bi³⁺ sensitization. The energy transfer mechanism is identified in this work. Based on cation and polyhedron substitution strategies, novel phosphors with different compositions were obtained and further modified the PL properties. With Lu³⁺ substitution, the bond lengths between Bi³⁺ ion and anion ligands are decreased and the site symmetry has been strengthened, which leads to a 21 nm blue shift when Lu³⁺ totally replaced Gd³⁺ ions. In addition, Lu³⁺ and [SiO₄] substitution strategies both effectively increased symmetric rigid structure, which leads to a significant improvement in thermal stability, indicating the samples own great potential in optical applications This work provides a new insight to synthesis red-emitting phosphors for warm white-LEDs.     

Synergistic effect of high-intensity ultrasound and β-cyclodextrin treatments on browning control in apple juice

This work evaluated the synergistic effects of combined high-intensity ultrasound (HIU) with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) treatments on inhibiting browning of apple juice and explored the mechanism through simulation system. The combined treatment of 300 W HIU with 0.006 g mL⁻¹ β-CD had a synergistic impact on maintaining juice colour, resulting in a 39.06% reduction in browning degree, only a 36.64% decrease in total phenolic content, and a 17.82% reduction in PPO activity. The inhibition of enzymatic browning in simulated system revealed that HIU suppressed the enzyme (Polyphenol oxidase, PPO) and β-CD inhibited enzyme (PPO) and embedded substrate (polyphenol). The results of spectroscopic analysis showed that the particle-size distribution of PPO narrowed, the content of α-helix in the secondary structure increased, the fluorescence intensity increased, and the maximum wavelength was red-shifted after HIU and β-CD treatment. Changes in structure could further result in PPO activity loss. Hence, the combined treatment could synthetically alleviate the browning of apple juice.     

Effect of sintering temperature on solidification and migration of non-volatile and volatile heavy metals in glass-ceramic

Using tailings as material to prepare glass-ceramic is an excellent way to achieve the resource utilization of solid waste. However, at present, researches on the solidification and migration of heavy metals are limited. Therefore, in this study, ten groups of samples were prepared by controlling sintering temperatures. The solidification, migration, and leaching behavior of non-volatile and volatile heavy metals were studied. The research showed that, with the increase of temperature, the properties of the samples were improved. Fe participated in the phase transformation and evolved into insoluble iron pyroxenes solid solution, while Pb was homogeneously distributed in the glass matrix of glass-ceramics. The leaching concentrations of Fe and Pb in the glass-ceramics were 0.055 mg/L ～0.087 mg/L and 0.074 mg/L ～0.140 mg/L, which were far below the threshold value. The results showed that heavy metals can be effectively solidified in glass-ceramics and have good environmental benefits.     

Design and synthesis of side-chain optimized poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide)-g-poly(styrene sulfonic acid) as proton exchange membrane for fuel cell applications: Balancing the water-resistance and the sulfonation degree

Side-chain optimized poly (2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide)-g-poly (styrene sulfonic acid) (PPO-g-PSSA) is designed with balanced water-resistance and sulfonation degree. The PPO-g-PSSA is synthesized by controlled atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) from brominated poly (2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO-xBr) and ethyl styrene-4-sulfonate and followed by hydrolysis. A series of PPO-g-PSSA are prepared possessing different bromination degree (x) of PPO-xBr and polymerization degree (m) of the side-chains and the water-resistances of the fabricated membranes are investigated. The results show that a PPO-g-PSSA at relatively low x (x < 0.2) and high m (m > 4) exhibits good balance between the water-resistance and the sulfonation degree. Namely, it displays suitable proton conductivity with compromised water-resistance. Moreover, a maximum ion exchange capacity (IEC) of 3.24 mmol g^?1 is reached without the sacrifice of water-resistance. In addition, PPO-g-0.08PSSA-13 and PPO-g-0.14PSSA-4 are chosen characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, proton conductivities and mechanical properties. At 90% RH, the optimized PPO-g-0.08PPSA-13 possesses a proton conductivity of 37.9 mS cm^?1 at 40 °C and 45.5 mS cm^?1 at 95 °C, respectively.     

Controlling thickness to tune performance of high-mobility transparent conducting films deposited from Ga-doped ZnO ceramic target

Structure modification has been found to tune significantly the transparent-conducting performance, especially mobility and conductivity of hydrogenated Ga-doped ZnO (HGZO) films. The strong correlation between film thickness and mobility of the films is revealed. The mobility increases quickly with increasing the thickness from 350 to 900 nm, and then tends to be saturated at further thicknesses. A higher mobility than 50 cm²/Vs can be achieved, which is an extra-high value for polycrystalline ZnO films deposited by using the sputtering technique. The thickness-dependent mobility originates from scatterings on grain boundaries and dislocation-induced defects controlled by thin-film growth. Based on the Volmer-Weber model, an expansion model is built up to describe the thickness-dependent crystal growth of the HGZO films, especially at the thick films. As a result, the 800 nm-thick HGZO film obtains the highest performance with high mobility of 51.5 cm²/Vs, low resistivity of 5.3 × 10^?4 Ωcm, and good transmittance of 83.3 %.     

Design and optimization of ceramic membrane structure: From the perspective of flux matching between support and membrane

The support flux was first investigated as a separate influencing factor for its effect on performances of ceramic filtration membranes. Three pre-membranes were prepared by tape-casting and then transfer-coated to supports to form dual-layer ceramic membranes after sintering. Experiments demonstrated that membrane layers with almost the same properties were obtained despite the huge difference in support flux. When the support flux increases from 3.120 to 97.53 m³m^?2h^?1, the flux of these three membrane series have increased by 75%, 186% and 228%, respectively. Experimental rules can provide structural design and evaluation from the perspective of permeability. The limit membrane flux of a certain system was derived according to the resistance distribution law of internal membrane structure and the Darcy's theorem. On this basis, a method for designing support flux was proposed. Furthermore, we present a criterion to quickly and easily evaluate the match between the support and the top layer, which is the ratio of membrane resistance to total resistance. Finally, the filtration resistance of penetration caused by suction of membrane particles into the support was measured for the first time, taking the advantage of the transfer-coating method that inherently free of penetration. Our works are expected to deepen the understanding of the ceramic membrane structure and provided guidance for its rational design and optimization.     

Effects of structural characteristics on microwave dielectric properties of low-loss (Zn1-xNix)ZrNbTaO8 ceramics

Low-loss (Zn_1-xNi_x)ZrNbTaO₈ (0.02?≤?x?≤?0.10) ceramics possessing single wolframite structure are initiatively synthesized by solid-state route. Based on the results of Rietveld refinement, complex chemical bond theory is used to establish the correlation between structural characteristics and microwave performance in this ceramic system. A small amount of Ni²⁺ (x?=?0.06) in A-site with the fixed substitution of Ta⁵⁺ in B-site can effectually raise the Q?×?f value of ZnZrNb₂O₈ ceramic, embodying a dense microstructure and high lattice energy. The dielectric constant and τ_f are mainly affected by bond ionicity and the average octahedral distortion. The (Zn_0.94Ni_0.06)ZrNbTaO₈ ceramic sample sintered at 1150?°C for 3?h exhibits an outstanding combination of microwave dielectric properties: ε_r =?27.88, Q?×?f?=?128,951?GHz, τ_f =?–39.9?ppm/°C. Thus, it is considered to be a candidate material for the communication device applications at high frequency.     

Evolution and structure of drying material bridges of pharmaceutical excipients: studies on a microscope slide

An experimental procedure was developed to study directly the process by which liquid bridges between small particles in a granule form and solidify. The evolution of saturated solutions of such pharmaceutical excipients as lactose and mannitol in a liquid bridge was studied on a system situated on a microscope slide. Solidification and crystallization kinetics and phase composition during and immediately following bridge formation were observed directly. It was shown that bridges on the microscope slide and in the granule behave very much the same regardless of the different length and diffusion-scales of the two systems.We found that solid bridge formation takes place in several consecutive but distinct steps. In the case of lactose, considerable shrinkage of the initial liquid bridge takes place prior to the onset of crystallization. Further bridge solidification at ambient conditions occurs via simultaneous crystallization and vitrification within minutes. As a result, a “solid” bridge usually contains both a crystalline and a non-crystalline phase, the crystalline phase being predominately α-lactose monohydrate. Most of the non-crystalline phase eventually converts to crystalline β-lactose but the process may take many hours or even days. Results for this process are compared for samples obtained from different manufacturers of commercially available lactose. In the case of mannitol, different polymorphic forms crystallize as the drying/crystallization process progresses. A formed “solid” bridge usually contains several polymorphs of mannitol. The relevance of the behavior of the two model systems (pure lactose and pure mannitol) to a real granulation and tabletting process is discussed.     

新型MSIS结构气敏电容的研究

采用静电喷雾高温分解工艺制备ＳｎＯ２气敏膜，并与Ｓｉ３Ｎ４－ＳｉＯ２集成多层介质膜，用催化金属Ｐｔ作栅电极，制成新型的ＭＳＩＳ结构气敏电容。通过检测平带电压的变化，研究对Ｈ２和Ｏ２的气敏特性，分析其气敏机理并提出了检测的物理模型．