A highly active composite electrocatalyst Ni–Fe–P–Nb2O5/NF for overall water splitting

This work demonstrates a facile Nb₂O₅-decorated electrocatalyst to prepare cost-effective Ni–Fe–P–Nb₂O₅/NF and compared HER & OER performance in alkaline media. The prepared electrocatalyst presented an outstanding electrocatalytic performance towards hydrogen evolution reaction, which required a quite low overpotential of 39.05 mV at the current density of ?10 mA cm^?2 in 1 M KOH electrolyte. Moreover, the Ni–Fe–P–Nb₂O₅/NF catalyst also has excellent oxygen evolution efficiency, which needs only 322 mV to reach the current density of 50 mA cm^?2. Furthermore, its electrocatalytic performance towards overall water splitting worked as both cathode and anode achieved a quite low potential of 1.56 V (10 mA cm^?2).     

Rational Designs for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries with Low Electrolyte/Sulfur Ratio

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) are considered a promising next-generation energy storage device owing to their high theoretical energy density. However, their overall performance is limited by several critical issues such as lithium polysulfide (PS) shuttles, low sulfur utilization, and unstable Li metal anodes. Despite recent huge progress, the electrolyte/sulfur ratio (E/S) used is usually very high (≥20 µL mg⁻¹), which greatly reduces the practical energy density of devices. To push forward LSBs from the lab to the industry, considerable attention is devoted to reducing E/S while ensuring the electrochemical performance. To date, however, few reviews have comprehensively elucidated the possible strategies to achieve that purpose. In this review, recent advances in low E/S cathodes and anodes based on the issues resulting from low E/S and the corresponding solutions are summarized. These will be beneficial for a systematic understanding of the rational design ideas and research trends of low E/S LSBs. In particular, three strategies are proposed for cathodes: preventing PS formation/aggregation to avoid inadequate dissolution, designing multifunctional macroporous networks to address incomplete infiltration, and utilizing an imprison strategy to relieve the adsorption dependence on specific surface area. Finally, the challenges and future prospects for low E/S LSBs are discussed.     

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.     

Evaluation of bismuth doped La2-xBixNiO4+δ (x = 0, 0.02 and 0.04) as cathode materials for solid oxide fuel cells

Bismuth doped La_2-xBi_xNiO_4+δ (x = 0, 0.02 and 0.04) oxides are investigated as SOFC cathodes. The effects of Bi doping on the phase structure, thermal expansion, electrical conduction behavior as well as electrochemical performance are studied. All the samples exist as a tetragonal Ruddlesden-Popper structure. Bi-doped LBNO-0.02 and LBNO-0.04 have good chemical and thermal compatibility with LSGM electrolyte. The average TEC over 20–900°С was 13.4 × 10^?6 and 14.2 × 10^?6 K^?1 for LBNO-0.02 and LBNO-0.04, respectively. The electrical conductivity was decreasing with the rise of Bi doping content. EIS measurement indicates Bi doping can decrease the ASR values. At 750 °C, the obtained ASR for LBNO-0.04 is 0.18 Ωcm², which is 56% lower than that of the sample without Bi doping, suggesting Bi doping is beneficial to the electrochemical catalytic activity of LBNO cathodes.     

基于区块链技术的公益时间银行系统

在现有的时间银行系统中，时间币的发行功能和结算功能完全集中到一个中心节点上。这种极度中心化的功能结构，不仅存在容易发生中心节点单点失效、数据容易被篡改等信息安全问题，还存在着时间币的发行和流通缺乏透明度以及时间币的结算依赖中心化的结算机构等问题。针对这些问题，提出了一种基于区块链技术的解决方法。首先，将时间币的发行功能和结算功能从中心节点上分离出来；然后，利用具有分布式去中心化、集体维护和不可篡改等特性的区块链技术，将分离出来的发行功能逐步去中心化，将分离出来的结算功能去中心化，形成公益时间链（PWTB）；最终，PWTB利用区块链技术以去中心化的方式将时间银行系统由单个节点维护账本变成由集体维护一个分布式的共享账本，使时间币的发行和流通公开透明，时间币的结算不依赖某个中心化的节点。安全分析表明所设计的PWTB能够实现安全的信息传输与存储，以及数据的共享。     

Study of haze emission efficiency based on new co-opetition data envelopment analysis

As haze intensifies in China, controlling haze emission has become the country's top priority for environmental protection. Because haze moves across different regions, it is necessary to develop a data envelopment analysis (DEA) model underpinned by both competition and cooperation to evaluate the haze emission efficiency in different provinces. This study innovatively adopts the spatial econometrics to construct the co-opetition matrices of Chinese provinces, then builds the co-opetition DEA model to evaluate the haze emission efficiency of them, and finally uses the haze data of 2015 as an example to assess the applicability of the model. The results of the study include the following: First, compared with the traditional CCR (A. Charnes & W. W. Cooper & E. Rhodes) model, this study constructs the co-opetition DEA cross-efficiency model that integrates haze's feature of cross-border moving; thus, it is more in line with the reality of haze emission and movement. Second, compared with the efficiency value gained from the CCR model, the haze emission efficiency values for Tianjin and Guangdong, two decision-making units, register greater variance when using the DEA model. The reason might lie in that they have a different spatial transportation relationship with their surrounding provinces. Third, the haze emission efficiency of provinces, according to the evaluation based on the co-opetition DEA method, varies greatly: Those with high efficiency are mostly inland provinces with slow economic growth and adverse climatic conditions, whereas many of the provinces with low efficiency are located in the relatively prosperous East China. The specific co-opetition DEA model constructed in this study enriches the research on the DEA model, which can be applied to the emission efficiency evaluation of similar pollutants around the world and can contribute empirical support to the haze reducing efforts of the government with its empirical results.     

Association of solid fuel use with risk of stunting in children living in China

Stunting adversely affects physical and mental outcomes of children. It has not been examined whether household air pollution from solid fuel combustion is a risk factor for stunting in children. In a total of 41,439 children aged 6-17 across China, height was measured using a unified protocol. Multivariable linear regression models and logistic regression models were used to assess the associations of solid fuel use for cooking/heating with stunting in children. Adjusted for covariates, cooking/heating with solid fuel was significantly associated with a lower z-score for height for age and sex (β = −0.21 [−0.32 to −0.09] and −0.17 [−0.31 to −0.03], respectively) and an increased risk of stunting with an estimated ORs of 1.34 [1.07~1.68] and 1.37 [1.02~1.83], respectively. The risk of stunting associated with solid fuel use was statistically significant in high-age children. And the effect was greater on girls than on boys, though the difference was not statistically significant. Our study suggested that Chinese children living in households using solid fuel had a significantly higher risk of stunting than those living in households using cleaner fuel.     

Se doped nickel-molybdenum bimetal sulfide with enhanced electrochemical activity for hydrogen evolution reaction

In this work, we synthesized Se doped MoS₂@Ni₃S₂ with nanosheets coated nanorods structure supported on Ni foam (MoNiSeS). Firstly, MoS₂@Ni₃S₂ (MoNiS) nanorods was synthesized by hydrothermal method. After selenization treatment, MoSe₂ successfully formed on the edge of MoS₂ nanosheets and particle Ni₃S₂ transformed into NiSe, in which MoSe₂ and NiSe acted as new phase in MoNiSeS. The obtained MoNiSeS only needs a low overpotential of 68 mV to reach the current density of 10 mA cm^?2, and has a low Tafel plots of 72.77 mV dec^?1 and good electrochemical durability, whose electrochemical activity is much better than that of MoNiS and NiSeS, implying the introduction of Mo and Se is beneficial to improve the electrocatalytic performance of NiS for HER. In addition, the proper amount of Mo source, which has an effect on the morphology of product, has also been investigated. For MoNiSeS, the typical nanosheets coated nanarods expose more active sites and the synergic effects is good to the improvement of the catalytic activity. Meanwhile, WNiSeS has also been prepared using the same method and the corresponding results show that the electrochemical activity of WNiSeS is much better than that of NiSeS, proving the universality of this strategy.     

Lead-free sodium niobate nanowires with strong piezo-catalysis for dye wastewater degradation

In this work, the hydrothermally-synthesized sodium niobate nanowires were used to decompose Rhodamine B dye solution through the piezo-catalytic effect. With the sodium niobate catalyst, a high piezo-catalytic degradation ratio of ～80% was achieved under the excitation of vibration for the Rhodamine B dye solution (～5?mg/l). These active species in the catalytic process, hydroxyl radicals and superoxide radicals with the strong oxidation ability, were also observed, which confirmed the key role of piezoelectric effect for piezo-catalysis. The piezo-catalysis of sodium niobate nanowires provides a high-efficiency and reusable tool in application in depredating the dye wastewater.     

PIXE study on recovery of making-technology of Chinese Longquan celadon made in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279 CE)

Proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) technique and factor analysis were used to study the recovery of making-technology of Chinese Longquan celadon made in the late Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279 CE). Based on factor analysis, for the raw material for body and the recipe for glaze, there is a close but slightly different relationship between these Longquan celadons unearthed from the core area of Dayao and the non-core area, despite all the Longquan celadons belong to the high-calcium-glaze system. The chemical compositions of most of the tentative body and glaze samples are very close to those of Longquan celadons unearthed from the core area of Dayao and the non-core area. This study can provide a guidance for recovery of making-technology of Longquan celandon.