Recent insights in synthesis and energy storage applications of porous carbon derived from biomass waste: A review

In the last few decades, global warming, environmental pollution, and an energy shortage of fossil fuel may cause a severe economic crisis and health threats. Storage, conversion, and application of regenerable and dispersive energy would be a promising solution to release this crisis. The development of porous carbon materials from regenerated biomass are competent methods to store energy with high performance and limited environmental damages. In this regard, bio-carbon with abundant surface functional groups and an easily tunable three-dimensional porous structure may be a potential candidate as a sustainable and green carbon material. Up to now, although some literature has screened the biomass source, reaction temperature, and activator dosage during thermochemical synthesis, a comprehensive evaluation and a detailed discussion of the relationship between raw materials, preparation methods, and the structural and chemical properties of carbon materials are still lacking. Hence, in this review, we first assess the recent advancements in carbonization and activation process of biomass with different compositions and the activity performance in various energy storage applications including supercapacitors, lithium-ion batteries, and hydrogen storage, highlighting the mechanisms and open questions in current energy society. After that, the connections between preparation methods and porous carbon properties including specific surface area, pore volume, and surface chemistry are reviewed in detail. Importantly, we discuss the relationship between the pore structure of prepared porous carbon with surface functional groups, and the energy storage performance in various energy storage fields for different biomass sources and thermal conversion methods. Finally, the conclusion and prospective are concluded to give an outlook for the development of biomass carbon materials, and energy storage applications technologies. This review demonstrates significant potentials for energy applications of biomass materials, and it is expected to inspire new discoveries to promote practical applications of biomass materials in more energy storage and conversion fields.     

Statistical Piezotronic Effect in Nanocrystal Bulk by Anisotropic Geometry Control

Utilizing inner-crystal piezoelectric polarization charges to control carrier transport across a metal-semiconductor or semiconductor–semiconductor interface, piezotronic effect has great potential applications in smart micro/nano-electromechanical system (MEMS/NEMS), human-machine interfacing, and nanorobotics. However, current research on piezotronics has mainly focused on systems with only one or rather limited interfaces. Here, the statistical piezotronic effect is reported in ZnO bulk composited of nanoplatelets, of which the strain/stress-induced piezo-potential at the crystals’ interfaces can effectively gate the electrical transport of ZnO bulk. It is a statistical phenomenon of piezotronic modification of large numbers of interfaces, and the crystal orientation of inner ZnO nanoplatelets strongly influence the transport property of ZnO bulk. With optimum preferred orientation of ZnO nanoplatelets, the bulk exhibits an increased conductivity with decreasing stress at a high pressure range of 200–400 MPa, which has not been observed previously in bulk. A maximum sensitivity of 1.149 µS m⁻¹ MPa⁻¹ and a corresponding gauge factor of 467–589 have been achieved. As a statistical phenomenon of many piezotronic interfaces modulation, the proposed statistical piezotronic effect extends the connotation of piezotronics and promotes its practical applications in intelligent sensing.     

Energy conversion performances during biomass air gasification process under microwave irradiation

Biomass gasification technology under microwave irradiation is a new and novel method, and the energy conversion performances during the process play a guiding role in improving the energy conversion efficiencies and developing the gasification simulation models. In order to improve the energy utilization efficiency of microwave biomass gasification system, this study investigated and presented the energy conversion performances during biomass gasification process under microwave irradiation, and these were materialized through detailing (a) the energy conversion performance in the microwave heating stage, and (b) the energy conversion performance in the microwave assisted biomass gasification stage. Different forms of energies in the biomass microwave gasification process were calculated by the method given in this study based on the experimental data. The results showed that the useful energy (energy in silicon carbide (SiC), 18.73 kJ) accounted for 31.22% of the total energy input (electrical energy, 60.00 kJ) in the heating stage, and the useful energy (energy in the products, 758.55 kJ) accounted for 63.41% of the total energy input (electrical and biomass energy, 1196.28 kJ) in the gasification stage. During the whole biomass gasification process under microwave irradiation, the useful energy output (energy in the products, 758.55 kJ) accounted for 60.38% of the total energy input (electrical and biomass energy, 1256.28 kJ), and the energy in the gas (523.40 kJ) product played a dominate role in product energy (758.55 kJ). The energy loss mainly included the heat loss in the gas flow (89.20 kJ), magnetron loss (191.80 kJ) and microwave dissipation loss (198.00 kJ), which accounted for 7.10%, 15.27% and 15.76% of the total energy, respectively. The contents detailed in this study not only presented the energy conversion performances during microwave assisted gasification process but also supplied important data for developing gasification simulation models.     

Dielectric,ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties of lead-free Ba0.95Ca0.05Ti1-xZrxO3 ceramics

Abstract

Ba_0.95Ca_0.05Ti_1-xZr_xO₃ (BCTZO) ceramics were prepared by a solid state reaction method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES). The ceramics exhibit a pure perovskite structure. The average grain size gradually decreases with increasing Zr concentration. XANES results indicate that the intensities of pre-edge peaks dropped with increasing Zr concentration. The BCTZO ceramic of x?=?0.05 has the optimum electrical properties with the maximum dielectric constant (ε'_m), remanent polarization (2P_r), coercive electric field (2E_c) and piezoelectric charge constant (d₃₃) of 7,244, 12.54 (μC/cm²), 5.29 (kV/cm) and 288 (pC/N), respectively.     

渣油催化临氢热转化钼铁双金属催化剂的研究

Replacement of precious single metal catalysts with cost-effective, highly-dispersed composite catalysts for catalytic hydrothermal conversion of residue holds tremendous promise for the residue upgrading technologies. Organic metals were added to the feed as the oil-soluble precursors, and transformed into the catalytic active phases in this work. Physical properties and structures of the composite catalysts had been investigated by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscopy. The composite catalysts were found to be highly efficient in the catalytic hydrothermal conversion of both model compound and residue. Increased metal dispersion and synergistic effects of two metals played indispensable roles in such catalytic system. Results showed that under the test conditions in the article, the catalyst had the best catalytic performance when the mass ratio of molybdenum to iron was 1.5.     

混凝土结构的压电声波检测分析

本文介绍了混凝土结构的压电体波和表面波检测的主要进展,对两种压电声波检测的优缺点进行了总结。体波检测设备一般埋入混凝土内部,需要选择合理的检测部位,检测结果较为精确;声表面波检测无需选择特定的部位,但是检测深度有限。在实际检测工作过程中,可以联合两种方法相互验证。     

Lignin from Annual Plants as Raw Material Source for Flavors and Basic Chemicals

The enzymatic conversion of lignins, possibly in combination with electrochemical oxidation, makes aromatics such as syringol, guaiacol, vanillin and catechol available in the qualities required by the fragrance industry. The lignins were obtained by soda digestion from wheat straw and Miscanthus, characterized and then converted with laccases. The overall yield amounted up to 9 wt % with a product spectrum confined to four substances. Catechol was the major product, with a fraction of ≈75 %. It can easily be isolated by extraction with acetone.     

Experimental research on dynamic response of PZT-5H under impact load

In order to improve the stability of PZT-based sensors, the mechanical, dielectric, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of PZT-5H under impact load were studied experimentally by using the separated Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) with an electrical output measurement device. At the same time, the experimental study on the material properties of PZT-5H before and after the impact was carried out. The effect of impact cracks on the output voltage of PZT-5H was also analyzed. The results show that the dynamic piezoelectric constants of PZT-5H under low stress impact (10–50 MPa) are different from those under quasi-static state, and the empirical relationship between them and the peak stress is obtained through experiments. The dielectric properties of PZT-5H did not change under low stress impact, but micro-cracks occurred in the material and dielectric loss increased at high frequencies. Under short circuit, the residual polarization intensity of PZT-5H decreases sharply due to impact load. While the impact load causes the secondary polarization and the increase of the residual polarization intensity of PZT under open circuit. When the stress is over 45 MPa, the PZT-5H breaks. The formation of cracks causes abnormal discharge voltage and gap discharge.     

Effect of Biochar as Reductant on Magnetizing-roasting Behavior of Pyrite Cinder

The effect of biochar substituted for anthracite as reductant on magnetizing-roasting pyrite cinder was investigated.The key of magnetizing-roasting is the gasification reaction between reductants and CO2.Since biochar could react with CO2 more rapidly at lower temperature,the reactivity of biochar is better than that of anthracite.The gasification of biochar could produce reducing condition ofφCO/(φCO+φCO2)about 10%-20% between 700-800 ℃,which is in accord with the atmosphere and temperature of Fe2O3 reduction.So it is beneficial to the reduction of iron mineral of pyrite cinder.Compared with anthracite,biochar could decrease the roasting temperature from825 to 750 ℃ and roasting time from 20 to 15min,which shows that a better effect of magnetization could be obtained in the condition of lower temperature and shorter time.Using biochar as reductant,iron concentrate extracted from pyrite cinder as about 64%iron grade could be produced,and the recovery is over 90% under the condition of above 90% grinding particle less than 0.045 mm and magnetic intensity of 0.124-0.194 T.