Microstructural and electrical changes in Ca0.9R0.1CeNbMoO8 (R = Y,Sm, Nd,La) ceramics induced by rare-earth ion doping

Rare-earth ions doped Ca_0.9R_0.1CeNbMoO₈ (R = Y, Sm, Nd, La) ceramics have been successfully prepared by solid-state method, and their modifications to the microstructure and electrical properties are also investigated. The rare-earth ions doped ceramics exhibit the scheelite structure. With the increase in the radius of rare-earth ions, the lattice distortion and bond interaction will be enhanced, and the consistency of grain size will be reduced. The ceramics exhibit negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor characteristics in the temperature range of 473 K-1273 K, and the activation energy decreases with the increase of the radius of rare-earth ions. Rare-earth ions doping can increase the content of Ce³⁺ ions and promote the conductivity of ceramics. Except for Sm³⁺-doped ceramics, the high-temperature aging rate of other ceramics is less than 2%. The existence of some metastable Sm²⁺ ions in Sm³⁺-doped ceramics not only increases the activation energy, but also reduces the high-temperature stability of the ceramics.     

Influence of geosynthetic reinforcement on the stability of an embankment with rigid columns embedded in an inclined underlying stratum

Incompressible dipping substrata are commonly encountered in engineering practice. Compared to horizontal underlying strata, the inclined underlying stratum increase the risk of collapse of embankments reinforced with columns because it weakens the restraint of the column base. The objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of geosynthetics on improving the embankment stability when the underlying stratum is inclined. The influence of geosynthetic tensile stiffness on the ultimate surcharge and failure mechanism is studied. A deep-seated failure with column tilting occurs when the geosynthetic tensile stiffness is low, whereas a lateral sliding occurs when the geosynthetic tensile stiffness is high. To illustrate the contribution of geosynthetics, the distribution of the lateral pressures acting on the columns is analyzed.     

In situ Raman spectroscopic study towards the growth and excellent HER catalysis of Ni/Ni(OH)2 heterostructure

The electrochemical water splitting to produce H₂ in high efficiency with earth-abundant-metal catalysts remains a challenge. Here, we describe a simple “cyclic voltammetry + ageing” protocol at room temperature to activate Ni electrode (AC-Ni/NF) for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), by which Ni/Ni(OH)₂ heterostructure is formed at the surface. In situ Raman spectroscopy reveals the gradual growth of Ni/Ni(OH)₂ heterostructure during the first 30 min of the aging treatment and combined with polarization measurements, it suggests a positive relation between the Ni/Ni(OH)₂ amount and HER performance of the electrode. The obtained AC-Ni/NF catalyst, with plentiful Ni–Ni(OH)₂ interfaces, exhibits remarkable performance towards HER, with the low overpotential of only 30 mV at a H₂-evolving current density of 10 mA/cm² and 153 mV at 100 mA/cm², as well as a small Tafel slope of 46.8 mV/dec in 1 M KOH electrolyte at ambient temperature. The excellent HER performance of the AC-Ni/NF could be maintained for at least 24 h without obvious decay. Ex situ experiments and in situ electrochemical-Raman spectroscopy along with density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that Ni/Ni(OH)₂ heterostructure, although partially reduced, can still persist during HER catalysis and it is the Ni–Ni(OH)₂ interface reducing the energy barrier of H1 adsorption thus promoting the HER performance.     

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 of direct Z-scheme FeIn2S4/Bi2WO6 hierarchical heterostructures with enhanced photocatalytic activity for tetracycline hydrochloride photodagradation

A series of direct Z-scheme FeIn₂S₄/Bi₂WO₆ hierarchical heterostructures with intimate interface contacts were synthesized by in-situ growth route and characterized by systematical analyses. All as-prepared FeIn₂S₄/Bi₂WO₆ nanocomposites showed significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity towards photodegradation for the removal of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) in comparison with individual FeIn₂S₄ and Bi₂WO₆. Meanwhile, the highest photocatalytic degradation activity can be achieved by modulating adding amount of FeIn₂S₄ in FeIn₂S₄/Bi₂WO₆ nanocomposites and the optimized component ratio of FeIn₂S₄ to Bi₂WO₆ is determined to be 10 wt%. The enhanced photocatalytic activity could be ascribed to efficient separation between photogenerated holes and electrons based on the construction of direct Z-scheme system. The high photocatalytic stability of resultant 10 wt% FeIn₂S₄/Bi₂WO₆ nanocomposites was revealed through six successive recycling reactions. The main intermediate generated during TCH photodegradation was explored by HPLC-MS. Besides, the direct Z-scheme photocatalytic mechanism was confirmed by band position analysis, electron spin resonance (ESR) and active species capture experiment.     

Electrocatalytic activity of LaSr3Fe3O10 and LaSr3Fe3O10-GO towards oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline medium

Oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) plays a critical role in many energy conversion and storage processes.Therein, a comparative study of the electrocatalytic activity for ORR in 0.1 mol/L KOH solution was conducted using layered perovskite-like LaSr_3 Fe_3 O_(10) and LaSr3 Fe_3 O_(10)-graphene oxide(GO) composite as electrodes. Linear sweep voltammetry(LSV) results show that the LaSr3 Fe_3 O_(10)-GO hybrid exhibits higher current density, a more positive onset potential(-0.15 V vs. Hg/HgO) in comparison with LaSr_3 Fe_3 O_(10).The value of the overall transferred electrons for both catalysts implies a dominant two electron process for ORR. Both catalysts under alkalic conditions exhibit a two-step Tafel slope, suggesting a change in the reaction mechanism for ORR. The composite electrode exhibits a higher ORR current density, but inferior durability performances in relative to the LaSr_3 Fe_3 O_(10) electrode.     

一种抗运动干扰的实时心率提取方法

针对基于容积脉搏波（PPG）提取运动心率时，传统心率提取算法由于运动噪声干扰使测量结果误差大、实时性不好的问题，提出一种抗运动干扰的实时心率提取方法。该方法通过实时小波去噪，同时结合三轴加速度信号（ACC）对运动进行分类训练，计算各运动状态心率增益，对实时心率值进行补偿。实验结果表明，通过与同时采集的ECG信号计算出的实时心率进行对比，绝对误差率仅为1.2%左右。相比传统心率提取算法，该算法具有抗干扰性强，实时准确的特点。     

一种5 重real-time PCR筛查转基因水稻方法的建立

以转基因水稻中最常用的CaMV35S启动子、NOS终止子、Cry1Ab/Ac基因、HPT基因及SPS水稻内标基因为研究对象，利用5 种不同的荧光信号（FAM、HEX、Taxas Red、Cy5、Cy5.5）进行多重实时聚合酶链式反应（real-time polymerase chain reaction，real-time PCR）检测方法的研究。通过引物组合筛选、反应体系优化、特异性测试、灵敏度测试、适用性测试等一系列实验，建立了5 重real-time PCR方法，灵敏度可达0.032%。此方法具有灵敏度高、结果准确、通量大等优点，可实现水稻中转基因成分的快速、高效检测。     

Evolution of Local Structural Ordering and Chemical Distribution upon Delithiation of a Rock Salt–Structured Li1.3Ta0.3Mn0.4O2 Cathode

Lithium‐rich disordered rock‐salt oxides have attracted great interest owing to their promising performance as Li‐ion battery cathodes. While experimental and theoretical efforts are critical in advancing this class of materials, a fundamental understanding of key property changes upon Li extraction is largely missing. In the present study, single‐crystal synthesis of a new disordered rock‐salt cathode material, Li_1.3Ta_0.3Mn_0.4O₂ (LTMO), and its use as a model compound to investigate Li concentration–driven evolution of local cationic ordering, charge compensation, and chemical distribution are reported. Through the combined use of 2D and 3D X‐ray nanotomography, it is shown that Li removal accompanied by oxygen oxidation is correlated with the development of morphological defects such as particle cracking. Chemical heterogeneity, quantified by subparticle level distribution of Mn valence state, is minimal during Mn redox, which drastically increases upon the formation of cracks during oxygen redox. Density functional theory and bond valence sum mismatch calculations reveal the presence of local short‐range ordering in the pristine oxide, which gradually disappears along with the extraction of Li. The study suggests that with cycling the transformation into true cation–disordered state can be expected, which likely impacts the voltage profile and obtainable energy density of the oxide cathodes.