Spray-drying synthesized lithium-excess Li4+xTi5−xO12−δ and its electrochemical property as negative electrode material for Li-ion batteries

Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ (Fd-3m space group) materials were synthesized by controlling the lithium and titanium ratios (Li/Ti) in the range of 0.800-0.900 by using a spray-drying method, followed by calcination at several temperatures between 700 and 900 °C for large-scale production. Chemical and structure studies of the final products were done by X-ray diffraction (XRD), neutron diffraction (ND), X-ray photon electron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The optimum synthesis condition was examined in relation to the electrochemical characteristics including charge-discharge cycling and ac impedance spectroscopy. It was found that when the spray-drying precursors at the Li/Ti ratio of 0.860 were calcined at 700-900 °C for 12 h in air, a pure Li_4+xTi_5−xO_12−δ (x = 0.06-0.08) phase with a lithium-excess composition was obtained. Based on the structural studies, it was found that the excess lithium is located at the lithium and titanium layer of the 16d site in the spinel structure (Fd-3m). These pure Li_4+xTi_5−xO_12−δ (x = 0.06-0.08) phase materials showed a higher discharge capacity of ∼164 mAh g⁻¹ at 1.55 V (vs. Li/Li⁺), between the cut-off voltage of 1.2-3.0, with an excellent cyclability and superior rate performance in comparison with the Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ phase containing impurity phases.     

Design of hole-clinching process for joining of dissimilar materials – Al6061-T4 alloy with DP780 steel,hot-pressed 22MnB5 steel,and carbon fiber reinforced plastic

The mechanical joining of dissimilar materials is a key technology in the automotive industry as it enables the realization of car bodies that incorporate multiple materials. However, it remains difficult to join materials such as aluminum alloy to high-strength/low-ductility materials such as advanced high-strength steel, hot-pressed steel, and carbon fiber reinforced plastic by using joining methods that are based on forming technology. The purpose of this study is to develop a new joining process, called “hole clinching,” for these material combinations. In the hole-clinching process, the ductile material is positioned uppermost and the brittle material—into which a hole is formed—is positioned below that. The upper sheet is indented into a die cavity through the hole in the lower sheet and spread so that the two sheets interlock geometrically. In this study, hole-clinching tools were designed based on the geometrical relationship between the forming volume and the joint strength. Finite element analysis and practical experiments were performed to verify the practicality of the hole-clinching process. The cross-sections of the hole-clinched joints formed in our experiments were in good agreement with the results of the finite element analysis. Then, a single-lap shear test was performed to evaluate the joint strength. The hole-clinched joints, regardless of the material combinations, provided a joint strength in excess of the desired 2.5 kN. These results point to the applicability of the hole-clinching process to the joining of dissimilar materials.     

Development of an advanced PWR fuel for OPR1000s in Korea

The advanced PWR fuel for the OPR1000s in Korea, PLUS7, has been developed to enhance thermal performance, high burnup capability and fuel reliability against grid-to-rod fretting wear and debris. The outstanding design features of PLUS7 include mixing vane mid-grids for increasing thermal performance and minimizing vibration-induced fretting wear, optimized fuel dimensions and advanced zirconium alloys for high burnup capability of 72,000 MWD/MTU, and an optimized fuel rod diameter for reducing pressure drop and improving neutron economy. The fuel assembly and its components performances have been verified through a wide spectrum of mechanical, thermal hydraulic, vibration and fretting wear tests. Based on the verification test results and the evaluations with the help of the KNF design code system, it is found that the PLUS7 fuel will maintain its integrity up to the envisaged burnup of 72,000 MWD/MTU. In addition, the PLUS7 fuel performances were evaluated to be considerably improved in comparison with the current fuel used in the OPR1000s.     

Synthesis and electrochemical properties of lithium non-stoichiometric Li1+x(Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3)O2+δ prepared by a spray drying method

Lithium non-stoichiometric Li[Li_x(Ni_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3)_1−x]O₂ materials (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.17) were synthesized using a spray drying method. The electrochemical properties and structural stabilities of the synthesized materials were investigated. The synthesized materials exhibited a hexagonal structure in all the x-value and the lattice parameters of the materials were gradually decreased with increasing x-value due to an increasing amount of Ni³⁺ ions for charge compensation. The capacity retention ability and rate capability of the stoichiometric Li(Ni_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3)O₂ material were improved by increasing x-value, the so-called overlithiation. We found that the overlithiated materials could keep more structural integrity than the stoichiometric one during electrochemical cyclings, which could be one of reasons for a better electrochemical properties of the overlithiated materials.     

Model matching for asynchronous sequential machines with adversarial inputs using state bursts

Asynchronous sequential machines are referred to as finite state machines in which state changes are not governed by a global clock. This paper presents model matching for asynchronous sequential machines where an unobservable adversarial input can infiltrate and provoke unauthorized state transitions. The objective is to build an automatic state feedback controller so that the closed-loop system can match a prescribed model and all the unauthorized transitions by adversarial inputs can be invalidated. We address reachability and detectability properties of the asynchronous machine with adversarial intervention, and present necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of appropriate controllers that realize model matching. Whenever controllers exist, algorithms for their design are outlined and an experimental verification is provided.     

The first cycle characteristics of Li[Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3]O2 charged up to 4.7 V

In this research, we studied the first cycle characteristics of Li[Ni_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3]O₂ charged up to 4.7 V. Properties, such as valence state of the transition metals and crystallographic features, were analyzed by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray and neutron diffractions. Especially, two plateaus observed around 3.75 and 4.54 V were investigated by ex situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy. XANES studies showed that the oxidation states of transition metals in Li[Ni_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3]O₂ are mostly Ni²⁺, Co³⁺ and Mn⁴⁺. Based on neutron diffraction Rietveld analysis, there is about 6% of all nickel divalent (Ni²⁺) ions mixed with lithium ions (cation mixing). Meanwhile, it was found that the oxidation reaction of Ni²⁺/Ni⁴⁺ is related to the lower plateau around 3.75 V, but that of Co³⁺/Co⁴⁺ seems to occur entire range of x in Li_1−x[Ni_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3]O₂. Small volume change during cycling was attributed to the opposite variation of lattice parameter “c” and “a” with charging-discharging.     

Defense against Primary User Emulation Attacks in Cognitive Radio Networks

Cognitive radio (CR) is a promising technology that can alleviate the spectrum shortage problem by enabling unlicensed users equipped with CRs to coexist with incumbent users in licensed spectrum bands while causing no interference to incumbent communications. Spectrum sensing is one of the essential mechanisms of CRs and its operational aspects are being investigated actively. However, the security aspects of spectrum sensing have garnered little attention. In this paper, we identify a threat to spectrum sensing, which we call the primary user emulation (PUE) attack. In this attack, an adversary's CR transmits signals whose characteristics emulate those of incumbent signals. The highly flexible, software-based air interface of CRs makes such an attack possible. Our investigation shows that a PUE attack can severely interfere with the spectrum sensing process and significantly reduce the channel resources available to legitimate unlicensed users. To counter this threat, we propose a transmitter verification scheme, called LocDef (localization-based defense), which verifies whether a given signal is that of an incumbent transmitter by estimating its location and observing its signal characteristics. To estimate the location of the signal transmitter, LocDef employs a non-interactive localization scheme. Our security analysis and simulation results suggest that LocDef is effective in identifying PUE attacks under certain conditions.     

Practical Control Implementation of a Three- to Single-Phase Online UPS

A high-performance three- to single-phase online uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is proposed. The proposed UPS is composed of a rectifier, a battery charger/discharger, and an inverter. The rectifier has the capability of power-factor correction and regulates a dc-link voltage. When the rectifier becomes unavailable or when the current required by the load exceeds the output rating of the rectifier, the charger/discharger supplies the power demanded by the load to a dc-link capacitor. The inverter provides a regulated sinusoidal output voltage and limits an output current under an impulsive load. New control algorithms of the rectifier, the charger/discharger, and the inverter are proposed. The proposed algorithms of the rectifier and the charger/discharger improve dynamic performance at step load change. To improve the transient response of the output voltage at outage of an input source, a mode change method of the charger/discharger is also proposed. Additionally, the proposed current-limit algorithm of the inverter can be implemented without additional hardware, and it increases the reliability of the UPS.      

Single-stage electronic ballast with high-power factor

This article proposes a single-stage electronic ballast circuit with high-power factor. The proposed circuit was derived by sharing the switches of the power factor correction (PFC) and the half-bridge LCC resonant inverter. This integration of switches forms the proposed single-stage electronic ballast, which provides an almost unity power factor and a ripple-free input current by using a coupled inductor without increasing the voltage stress. In addition, it realises zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) by employing the self-oscillation technique. The saturable transformer constituting the self-oscillating drive limits the lamp current and dominates the switching frequency of the ballast. Therefore, the proposed single-stage ballast has the advantage of high-power factor, high efficiency, low cost and high reliability. Steady-state analysis of the PFC and the half-bridge LCC resonant inverter are described. The results of experiments performed using a 30 W fluorescent lamp are also presented to confirm the performance of the proposed ballast.