Lithium-Ion Desolvation Induced by Nitrate Additives Reveals New Insights into High Performance Lithium Batteries

Electrolyte additives have been widely used to address critical issues in current metal (ion) battery technologies. While their functions as solid electrolyte interface forming agents are reasonably well-understood, their interactions in the liquid electrolyte environment remain rather elusive. This lack of knowledge represents a significant bottleneck that hinders the development of improved electrolyte systems. Here, the key role of additives in promoting cation (e.g., Li⁺) desolvation is unraveled. In particular, nitrate anions (NO₃⁻) are found to incorporate into the solvation shells, change the local environment of cations (e.g., Li⁺) as well as their coordination in the electrolytes. The combination of these effects leads to effective Li⁺ desolvation and enhanced battery performance. Remarkably, the inexpensive NaNO₃ can successfully substitute the widely used LiNO₃ offering superior long-term stability of Li⁺ (de-)intercalation at the graphite anode and suppressed polysulfide shuttle effect at the sulfur cathode, while enhancing the performance of lithium–sulfur full batteries (initial capacity of 1153 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.25C) with Coulombic efficiency of ≈100% over 300 cycles. This work provides important new insights into the unexplored effects of additives and paves the way to developing improved electrolytes for electrochemical energy storage applications.     

On the optimum mass transfer of flat absorbing falling films

The coupled heat- and mass-transfer of the absorbing falling film is considered in the flat-film approximation. We study the influence of the operating conditions on the absorption efficiency in a fully non-dimensional framework and find an optimal Reynolds number, which can be interpreted as an optimal film thickness. We also test various thermal wall boundary conditions to select the best approximation compared to a realistic test case.     

Peanut varieties with reduced Ara h 1 content indicating no reduced allergenicity

Peanut allergy is a major cause of food‐induced severe anaphylactic reactions. To date, no medical care is available to prevent and treat peanut allergy and therefore hypoallergenic peanut varieties are of considerable health political and economic interest. Major allergens that induce IgE‐responses in peanut‐sensitive patients are Ara h 1, Ara h 2 and Ara h 3/4. In order to identify hypoallergenic peanuts, commercially locally available peanut varieties were screened for their allergen content. Ara h 1‐deficient peanuts from Southeast Asia were identified by SDS‐PAGE, immunoblotting, inhibition assays and ELISA. 2‐D PAGE analyses demonstrated the different compositions of the tested extracts and revealed a number of variations of the allergen patterns of peanuts from different varieties. Mediator release experiments of these peanut extracts demonstrated similar allergenicities as compared with standard peanut extract. These results indicate that the allergenicity of peanuts with reduced Ara h 1 content might be compensated by the other allergens, and thus do not necessarily cause a reduction of allergenicity.     

澳门1999-2009——回归后第一个十年之建筑与城市

本期专辑描绘了澳门从1999年-2009年主权从葡萄牙管辖下回归祖国之后10年间的建筑与城市化进程。在这期间,澳门作为一个特别行政区经历了非凡的10年,在这10年间,澳门的发展是意义深远的,这次的主题也同样跟随澳门的发展方向转变,是从1990年代的＂文化之城＂到＂亚洲的拉斯维加斯＂和将来有可能的＂知识之城＂这样的顺序展开的。     

From salad to bowl: The role of sensory analysis in product experience research

Methods originally developed for the sensory evaluation of foods are increasingly being applied to other product categories, ranging from personal care products to car interiors and air conditioning units. Furthermore, because an increasing number of food products tend to be available in packages from which they can be consumed directly, the sensory properties of packages have become an integral part of consumers’ food experiences and require thorough investigation. In addition, food consumption in everyday life takes place within a physical, social, and cultural context. This asks for a reconsideration of the role of sensory analysis in the product development process. To seduce consumers in highly saturated markets, products should not only provide good quality and be appealing, but they should offer interesting and engaging experiences. Therefore, research on sensory evaluation needs to be linked to research on product aesthetics, product meaning, and product emotions. Capturing the entire consumer experience requires an integral approach, in which research approaches from various academic fields are combined and integrated. For this approach to succeed in industrial companies, many different departments will need to work together in close cooperation.     

Numerical Study of Turbulent Flow and Heat Transfer of Nanofluids in Pipes

In this work, Nusselt number and friction factor are calculated numerically for turbulent pipe flow (Reynolds number between 6000 and 12000) with constant heat flux boundary condition using nanofluids. The nanofluid is modeled with the single-phase approach and the simulation results are compared with correlations from experimental data. Ethylene glycol and water, 60:40 EG/W mass ratio, as base fluid and SiO₂ nanoparticles are used as nanofluid with particle volume concentrations ranging from 0% to 10%. Nusselt number predictions for the nanofluid are in agreement with experimental results and a conventional single-phase correlation. The mean deviation is in the range of ?5%. Friction factor values show a mean deviation of 0.5% to a conventional single-phase correlation, however, they differ considerably from the nanofluid experimental data. The results indicate that the nanofluid requires more pumping power than the base fluid for high particle concentrations and Reynolds numbers on the basis of equal heat transfer rate.