Platinum‐Coated Hollow Graphene Nanocages as Cathode Used in Lithium‐Oxygen Batteries

One of the formidable challenges facing aprotic lithium‐oxygen (Li‐O₂) batteries is the high charge overpotential, which induces the formation of byproducts, loss in efficiency, and poor cycling performance. Herein, the synthesis of the ultrasmall Pt‐coated hollow graphene nanocages as cathode in Li‐O₂ batteries is reported. The charge voltage plateau can reduce to 3.2 V at the current density of 100 mA g^?1, even maintain below 3.5 V when the current density increased to 500 mA g^?1. The unique hollow graphene nanocages matrix can not only provide numerous nanoscale tri‐phase regions as active sites for efficient oxygen reduction, but also offer sufficient amount of mesoscale pores for rapid oxygen diffusion. Furthermore, with strong atomic‐level oxygen absorption into its subsurface, ultrasmall Pt catalytically serves as the nucleation site for Li₂O₂ growth. The Li₂O₂ is subsequently induced into a favorable form with small size and amorphous state, decomposed more easily during recharge. Meanwhile, the conductive hollow graphene substrate can enhance the catalytic activity of noble metal Pt catalysts due to the graphene‐metal interfacial interaction. Benefiting from the above synergistic effects between the hollow graphene nanocages and the nanosized Pt catalysts, the ultrasmall Pt‐decorated graphene nanocage cathode exhibits enhanced electrochemical performances.     

Comparative study of different crystallographic structure of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4−δ cathodes with wide operation voltage (2.0-5.0 V)

LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O_4−δ cathode materials with two different structures ( and P4₃32) were synthesized by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) data was confirmed that face-centered spinel () transformed into primitive simple cubic (P4₃32) structure by annealing process at 700 °C. In spite of two electrons operated cut-off voltage range between 2.0 and 5.0 V, LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ with P4₃32 structure has better electrochemical behaviors than the cathode with simple cubic structure. Ex situ XRD study of the electrode revealed that LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ (P4₃32) has reversible crystal transformation between fully lithiated state (2.0 V) and delithiated state (5.0 V) whereas LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O_4−δ () showed irreversible phase transformed at two voltage region. The LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O_4−δ () has voltage drop was occurred after 20th cycled compared without any voltage drop of the P4₃32 structure.     

Heat transfer inside a horizontal channel with an open trapezoidal enclosure subjected to a heat source of different lengths

The heat transfer phenomena inside a horizontal channel with an open trapezoidal enclosure subjected to a heat source of different lengths was investigated numerically in the present work. The heat source is considered as a local heating element of varying length, which is embedded at the bottom wall of the enclosure and maintained at a constant temperature. The air flow enters the channel horizontally at a constant cold temperature and a fixed velocity. The other walls of the enclosure and the channel are kept thermally insulated. The flow is assumed laminar, incompressible, and two‐dimensional, whereas the fluid is considered Newtonian. The results are presented in the form of the contours of velocity, isotherms, and Nusselt numbers profiles for various values of the dimensionless heat source lengths (0.16 ≤ ε ≤ 1). while, both Prandtl and Reynolds numbers are kept constant at (Pr = 0.71) and (Re = 100), respectively. The results indicated that the distribution of the isotherms depends significantly on the length of the heat source. Also, it was noted that both the local and the average Nusselt numbers increase as the local heat source length increases. Moreover, the maximum temperature is located near the heat source location.     

Exfoliation and reassembly of cobalt oxide nanosheets into a reversible lithium-ion battery cathode

An exfoliation-reassembly-activation (ERA) approach to lithium-ion battery cathode fabrication is introduced, demonstrating that inactive HCoO(2) powder can be converted into a reversible Li(1-x) H(x) CoO(2) thin-film cathode. This strategy circumvents the inherent difficulties often associated with the powder processing of the layered solids typically employed as cathode materials. The delamination of HCoO(2) via a combination of chemical and mechanical exfoliation generates a highly processable aqueous dispersion of [CoO(2) ](-) nanosheets that is critical to the ERA approach. Following vacuum-assisted self-assembly to yield a thin-film cathode and ion exchange to activate this material, the generated cathodes exhibit excellent cyclability and discharge capacities approaching that of low-temperature-prepared LiCoO(2) (~83 mAh g(-1) ), with this good electrochemical performance attributable to the high degree of order in the reassembled cathode.     

Template-assisted synthesis of high packing density SrLi2Ti6O14 for use as anode in 2.7-V lithium-ion battery

SrLi₂Ti₆O₁₄ has been prepared by using mesoporous TiO₂ brookite as a template and reactant. The prepared particles retained the rounded shape of the precursor, leading to high dispersivity and high packing density. The material has been further electrochemically characterized in both half and full cells. It shows good cycling stability and rate capability. A 2.7-V cell has been built by combining a SrLi₂Ti₆O₁₄ anode with a 4-V spinel cathode of LiMn₂O₄. This cell has a higher voltage compared to the 2.5-V LiMn₂O₄/Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ system.     

Understanding the redox shuttle stability of 3,5-di-tert-butyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene for overcharge protection of lithium-ion batteries

3,5-di-tert-butyl-1,2-dimethoxybenzene (DBDB) has been synthesized as a new redox shuttle additive for overcharge protection of lithium-ion batteries. DBDB can easily dissolve in carbonate-based electrolytes, which facilitates its practical use in lithium-ion batteries; however, it has poor electrochemical stability compared to 2,5-di-tert-butyl-1,4-dimethoxybenzene (DDB). The structures of DBDB and DDB were investigated using X-ray crystallography and density functional calculations. The structures differ in the conformations of the alkoxy bonds probably due to the formation of an intramolecular hydrogen bond in the case of DBDB. We investigated reaction energies for decomposition pathways of neutral DBDB and DDB and their radical cations and found little difference in the reaction energies, although it is clear that kinetically, decomposition of DBDB is more favorable.     

Microscopic image segmentation based on pixel classification and dimensionality reduction

Pathological image analysis plays a significant role in effective disease diagnostics. In this article, a tool for diagnosis assistance by automatic segmentation of bone marrow images is introduced. The aim of our segmentation is to demarcate cell's component: nucleus, cytoplasm, red cells, and background. Different color spaces were used to extract color's features to profit of their complementarity. We introduce several dimensionality reduction techniques. These techniques are exemplified on a support vector machine pixel‐based bone marrow image segmentation problem in which it is shown that it may give significant improvement in segmentation accuracy and time consuming. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 23, 22–28, 2013     

A comparative evaluation of sequential set point adjustment procedures for tolerance control

The machining of complex parts typically involves a logical and chronological sequence of n operations on m machine tools. Because manufacturing datums cannot always match design datums, some of the design specifications imposed on the part are usually satisfied by distinct subsets of the n operations prescribed in the process plan. Conventional tolerance control specifies a fixed set point for each operation and permissible variation about this set point to insure compliance with the specifications. Sequential tolerance control (STC) uses real-time measurement information at the completion of one stage to exploit the available space inside a dynamic feasible zone and reposition the set point for subsequent operations. This paper introduces an extension of STC that utilizes the variability of the operations to scale the problem data and further enhance the ability of STC to optimize the production of an acceptable part.     

Lattice Boltzmann Simulation of Convective Heat Transfer from Heated Blocks in a Horizontal Channel

This article presents the application of the multiple-relaxation-time (MRT) lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE) method with nine-velocity model to the numerical prediction of a laminar and convective-heated transfer through a two-dimensional obstructed channel flow. The obstruction is carried out by three obstacles including two located on the upper wall and the other on the lower wall of the channel. The calculations are validated against results available in literature. Various physical arrangements are regarded as the size of the obstacles and the distance between the two upper obstacles to investigate their effects on thermal and flow characteristics. Results, presented for a Prandtl number equal to 0.71 and a Reynolds number ranging from 100 to 1200, showed that the heat transfer and the air flow depend both on the Reynolds number and geometric data of the configuration.     

Impact of tripropyl borate on life and impedance of lithium-ion cells

Tripropyl borate was investigated as a low cost anion receptor to improve the performance of lithium-ion cells. The impact of tripropyl borate was examined using lithium-ion cells comprising a negative electrode of mesocarbon microbeads, a positive electrode of Li_1.1[Mn_1/3Ni_1/3Co_1/3]_0.9O₂ and an LiPF₆-based electrolyte. It was found that the performance of the cells was improved by adding a proper amount of tripropyl borate (≤0.1 wt%) to the LiPF₆-based electrolyte. However, a small amount of gas was observed from cells with high contents of tripropyl borate when cycled at 55 °C, and as a result, the performance of the cells deteriorated.