Process and performance optimization by selective assembly of battery electrodes

The increasing demand for electric vehicles and thus lithium-ion batteries results in a multitude of challenges in production technology. The reproducibility and performance of large scale batteries for automotive applications are very high. At the same time the production processes are complex and involve many uncertainties. Two essential process steps are the electrode coating and electrode package assembly. The mass loading of anodes and cathodes are determined by the coating process, where deviations can be caused by different reasons. The selective assembly of the electrodes is a reasonable way to balance the production variances. The contribution shows extended algorithms and their benefits and drawbacks of matching electrodes in order to improve the subsequent electrode packaging process. Here, the aim is to reach higher cell capacities and optimized performance values by “optimally” balanced electrodes regarding the mass loading ratio, which is also related to the specific material capacity.     

Abnormal grain growth in cemented carbides — Experiments and simulations

The grain size and the grain size distribution are two of the most important factors when tailoring the mechanical properties of cemented carbides. In the present work the effect on the growth behavior when adding some abnormal grains in an initial fine grained powder is studied. It is clearly seen that abnormal grains in a fine grained matrix lead to faster grain growth and a higher average grain size.     

Realization of minute-long steady-state H-mode discharges on EAST

In the 2016 EAST experimental campaign,a steady-state long-pulse H-mode discharge with an ITER-like tungsten divertor lasting longer than one minute has been obtained using only RF heating and current drive,through an integrated control of the wall conditioning,plasma configuration,divertor heat flux,particle exhaust,impurity management,and effective coupling of multiple RF heating and current drive sources at high injected power.The plasma current (Ip ～ 0.45 MA) was fully-noninductively driven (Vloop ＜ 0.0 V) by a combination of ～2.5 MW LHW,～0.4 MW ECH and ～0.8 MW ICRF.This result demonstrates the progress of physics and technology studies on EAST,and will benefit the physics basis for steady state operation of ITER and CFETR.     

Multi-length scale modeling of martensitic transformations in stainless steels

In the present work a multi-length scale model is developed to study both the athermal and stress-assisted martensitic transformations in a single crystal of 301 type stainless steel. The microstructure evolution is simulated using elastoplastic phase-field simulations in three dimensions. The input data for the simulations is acquired from a combination of computational techniques and experimental works. The driving force for the transformation is calculated by using the CALPHAD technique and the elastic constants of the body-centered cubic phase are calculated by using ab initio method. The other input data is acquired from experimental works. The simulated microstructures resemble a lath-type martensitic microstructure, which is in good agreement with the experimental results obtained for a stainless steel of similar composition. The martensite habit plane predicted by the model is in accordance with experimental results. The Magee effect, i.e. formation of favorable martensite variants depending on the loading conditions, is observed in the simulations. The results also indicate that anisotropic loading conditions give rise to a significant anisotropy in the martensitic microstructure.     

Size-dependent multispectral photoacoustic response of solid and hollow gold nanoparticles

Photoacoustic (PA) imaging attracts a great deal of attention as an innovative modality for longitudinal, non-invasive, functional and molecular imaging in oncology. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are identified as superior, NIR-absorbing PA contrast agents for biomedical applications. Until now, no systematic comparison of the optical extinction and PA efficiency of water-soluble AuNPs of various geometries and small sizes has been performed.Here spherical AuNPs with core diameters of 1.0, 1.4 and 11.2?nm, nanorods with longitudinal/transversal elongation of 38/9 and 44/12?nm and hollow nanospheres with outer/inner diameters of 33/19, 57/30, 68/45 and 85/56?nm were synthesized. The diode laser set-up with excitations at 650, 808, 850 and 905?nm allowed us to correlate the molar PA signal intensity with the molar extinction of the respective AuNPs. Deviations were explained by differences in heat transfer from the particle to the medium and, for larger particles, by the scattering of light. The molar PA intensity of 1.0?nm AuNPs was comparable to the commonly used organic dye methylene blue, and rapidly increased with the lateral size of AuNPs.     

Small‐Molecule Inhibitors of AF6 PDZ‐Mediated Protein–Protein Interactions

PDZ (PSD‐95, Dlg, ZO‐1) domains are ubiquitous interaction modules that are involved in many cellular signal transduction pathways. Interference with PDZ‐mediated protein–protein interactions has important implications in disease‐related signaling processes. For this reason, PDZ domains have gained attention as potential targets for inhibitor design and, in the long run, drug development. Herein we report the development of small molecules to probe the function of the PDZ domain from human AF6 (ALL1‐fused gene from chromosome 6), which is an essential component of cell–cell junctions. These compounds bind to AF6 PDZ with substantially higher affinity than the peptide (Ile‐Gln‐Ser‐Val‐Glu‐Val) derived from its natural ligand, EphB2. In intact cells, the compounds inhibit the AF6–Bcr interaction and interfere with epidermal growth factor (EGF)‐dependent signaling.     

Chemical Expansion Due to Hydration of Proton‐Conducting Perovskite Oxide Ceramics

The crystal structures of proton‐conducting BaZr_1?xY_xO_3?x/2 (BZY05–BZY20) and BaCe_0.8Y_0.2O_2.9 (BCY20) during hydration/dehydration has been studied by in situ high‐temperature X‐ray diffraction and thermal analysis. A contraction/expansion of the crystal lattice associated with dehydration/hydration was observed for all materials at elevated temperatures and the polymorphic phase transition temperatures of BaCe_0.8Y_0.2O_2.9 were depressed by lowering the vapor pressure of water. A thermodynamic formalism is introduced to describe the chemical expansion associated with the hydration of oxygen vacancies in acceptor‐doped oxides. A conventional point defect model was applied to describe the lattice strain associated with the hydration. The chemical expansion is discussed with respect to the available volumetric data on the hydration of proton‐conducting oxide materials and its likely impact on ceramic fuel cells/hydrogen separation membranes utilizing a proton‐conducting electrolyte.     

Inter-generational ties, financial transfers and home-ownership support

Home-ownership is transmitted between generations. Parental gifts form one of the mechanisms through which the intergenerational transmission of home-ownership takes place. Using the Netherlands Kinship Panel Study, we investigated the influence of parental and children’s resources and other characteristics on financial support from parents to children. A major independent variable was parental home-ownership. As dependent variables, we distinguished between financial support towards buying a home, and financial support in the form of gifts of € 5,000 or more ever received. By making this distinction, we could test whether homeowner parents were particularly likely to help their children become homeowners rather than giving other types of financial help. The results did not indicate such specific gift-giving: parental home-ownership was just as important to other types of monetary support as to home-ownership support. However, the distance to the place where the adult child had grown up was negatively associated with receiving home-ownership support but not with receiving other financial transfers.