Theoretical investigation of solvent effects on the selective hydrogenation of furfural over Pt(111)

It was well known that solvent effect plays a very important role in the catalytic reaction. There are many theoretical studies on the solvent effect in homogeneous catalysis while there are few theoretical studies on the solvent effect in the heterogeneous catalytic reaction and there has been no work to investigate the solvent effect on furfural transformation in heterogeneous catalysis. In the present work, both the density functional calculations and the microkinetic analysis were performed to study the selective hydrogenation of furfural over Pt(111) in the presence of methanol as well as toluene and compared with that in the gas condition. The present results indicated that the methanol can enhance the adsorption strength of furfural and other oxygen-containing reaction species due to its relatively strong polarity properties and this can be a main reason for solvent-induced high activity and selectivity. Another reason is that reaction paths study showed that the presence of methanol solvent makes the dehydrogenation of furfural less thermochemical due to the fact that furfural is more stabilized than that of dehydrogenation species, and methanol also has an inhibition effect on the dehydrogenation of furfural in the kinetic aspect, and further energetic span theory proves highest activity and selectivity for hydrogenation in methanol solvent of vapor, methanol and toluene. Moreover, microkinetic model simulation demonstrated that the activity and selectivity of hydrogenation in methanol is both higher than that in vapor and toluene. The much higher activity in methanol is due to the stabilized adsorbed reactants in the surface, which leads to a higher surface coverage of furfural. It might be proposed based on the present work that a solvent with relatively strong polarity may be favorable for the high selective hydrogenation of furfural.     

Classification of DoS Attacks in Smart Underwater Wireless Sensor Network

As per the most recent literature, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), a multi access technique, is considered most suitable for the 3G, 4G and 5G techniques in high speed wireless communication. What made OFDM most popular is its ability to deliver high bandwidth efficiency and superior data rate. Besides it, high value of peak to average power ratio (PAPR) and Inter Carrier Interference (ICI) are the challenges to tackle down via appropriate mitigation scheme. As a research contribution in the present work, an improved self-cancellation (SC) technique is designed and simulated through Simulink to mitigate the effect of ICI. This novel proposed technique (Improved SC) is designed over discrete wavelet transform (DWT) based OFDM and compared with conventional SC scheme over different channel conditions i.e. AWGN and Rayleigh fading environments. It is found that proposed DWT-OFDM with Improved SC scheme outperforms conventional SC technique significantly, under both AWGN and Rayleigh channel conditions. Further, in order to justify the novelty in the research contribution, a Split-DWT based Simulink model for Improved SC scheme is investigated to analyse the BER performance. This Split-DWT based Simulink model presented here foretells the future research potential in wavelet hybridization of OFDM to side-line ICI effects more efficiently.

     

Corrosion behavior of under‐, peak‐, and over‐aged 6063 alloy: A comparative study

The mechanical property of age‐hardenable Al‐alloys is governed by the state of ageing, which determines the microstructure and consequently, their corrosion behavior which is a vital aspect for a number of applications. This article presents a comparative assessment of corrosion behavior of under‐, peak‐ and over‐aged Al‐Mg‐Si alloy. Corrosion characteristics have been determined via immersion tests in 0.1 M ortho‐phosphoric acid solution and intergranular corrosion (IGC) tests. Corroded surfaces are examined by field emission scanning electron micrographs‐energy dispersive spectroscopy and 3D optical profilometer. The obtained results reveal that the corrosion rate at a specific immersion time as well as the depth of IGC increases in the order for under‐, peak‐, and over‐aged states. Irrespective of the state of ageing, corrosion loss increases linearly but the rate of corrosion decreases rapidly with increasing immersion time. The dominant mode of corrosion in under‐aged alloy is identified as localized pitting, while peak‐aged is highly susceptible to IGC in contrast extensive pitting corrosion is observed for over‐aged alloy. The observed differences in corrosion behavior are explained considering characteristics of precipitates. Formation of β (Mg₂Si) in case of over‐aged alloy and presence of inclusions like AlFeMnSi particles are found to accelerate pitting corrosion.     

面向草莓抓取的气动四叶片软体抓手研制

农林业中果蔬的自动化采摘需求日趋强烈,末端抓手是实现无损采摘的关键。传统的末端抓手以刚性结构居多,现有的各种柔性抓手也存在抓取力不足、包覆性不佳等缺点。本文以草莓的无损采摘为研究对象,提出将草莓外部轮廓曲线作为设计曲线,设计了一种新型气动四叶片软体抓手。首先,对软体抓手的结构做仿真优化,提出一种安全地附着在目标物表面的设想。然后,在进行草莓表面的最小破坏应力试验的基础上,测试了软体抓手的末端力,验证了其实现无损抓取的可行性。再次,利用动态捕捉技术,研究了软体抓手叶面的弯曲变形规律。最后,选择使用弧线型气体通道的软体抓手进行了草莓抓取测试,结果证明了气动四叶片软体抓手可以实现草莓的无损抓取,抓取成功率达90%,破损率为2%,表明所研制的四叶片软体抓手用于草莓抓取时具有良好的稳定性和实用性,可用于草莓采摘的末端执行器。本研究也可为其他易损果蔬的采摘技术提供理论基础和技术支撑。     

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.     

Synthesis of Diamond@SiO2@Ag composite materials for high SERS effect

Among various carbon materials, diamond stands out due to excellent physical and chemical properties. In this work, we designed Dia@SiO₂@Ag composites combining diamond micropowder and Ag nanoparticles by a simple chemical method and obtained stable substrate for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) owing to its high surface-to-volume ratio, low density, as well as close bond between diamond and Ag. As-prepared Dia@SiO₂@Ag presented high activity to detect crystal violet and rhodamine 6G molecules, which was demonstrated by significantly enhanced SERS spectra and high enhancement factor values (10⁸-10⁹). Moreover, Dia@SiO₂@Ag also showed desired sensitivity, which was investigated by detection limit. Therefore, our study provided more theoretical support and broadened the functional applications of diamond, particularly in Raman detection.     

Fabrication strategies and application fields of novel 2D Ti3C2Tx (MXene) composite hydrogels: A mini-review

Ti₃C₂T_x (MXene), a new kind of 2D ceramic nanosheets, is receiving more and more attention in the fields of medicine, biology, energy, electronics, etc. However, the preparation and application of MXene in hydrogel is still in its infancy period. Here, we review the latest progress (after 2018) related to MXene hydrogels in time. Aiming at the key issue of the dispersion stability of MXene in hydrogel systems, the preparation strategy, mechanism, advantages and disadvantages of MXene hydrogels are sorted out in detail, and the potential application prospects of MXene composite hydrogel are introduced. Finally, future viewpoints are put forward for the dispersion stability challenges that need solving in the design of MXene hydrogel.     

Combining molybdenum carbide with ceria overlayers to boost Mo/CeO2 catalyzed ammonia synthesis

The design of an efficient non-noble metal catalyst is of burgeoning interest for ammonia synthesis. Herein, we report a Mo₂C/CeO₂ catalyst that is superior in ammonia synthesis activity. In this catalyst, molybdenum carbide coexisted with the ceria overlayers which is from the ceria support as the strong metal–support interaction. There is a high proportion of low-valent Mo species, as well as high concentration of Ce³⁺ and surface oxygen species. The presence of Mo₂C and CeO₂ overlayers not only leads to enhancement of hydrogen and nitrogen adsorption, but also facilitates the desorption and exchange of adsorbed species with the gaseous reagents. Compared with the Mo/CeO₂ catalyst prepared without carbonization, the Mo₂C/CeO₂ catalyst is more than sevenfold higher in ammonia synthesis rate. This work not only presents an explicit example of designing Mo-based catalyst that is highly efficient for ammonia synthesis by tuning the adsorption and desorption properties of the reactant gases, but opens a perspective for other elements in ammonia synthesis.     

Data sharing mechanism of various mineral resources based on blockchain

Basins with various mineral resources coexisting and enriching often occupy an important strategic position. The exploration of various mineral resources is repetitive at present due to unshared data and imperfect management mechanism. This situation greatly increases the cost of energy exploitation in the country. Traditional data-sharing mode has several disadvantages, such as high cost, difficulty in confirming the right of data, and lack of incentive mechanism, which make achieving real data sharing difficult. In this paper, we propose a data-sharing mechanism based on blockchain and provide implementation suggestions and technical key points. Compared with traditional data-sharing methods, the proposed data-sharing mechanism can realize data sharing, ensure data quality, and protect intellectual property. Moreover, key points in the construction are stated in the case study section to verify the feasibility of the data-sharing system based on blockchain proposed in this paper.