Efficient Visible-to-UV Photon Upconversion Systems Based on CdS Nanocrystals Modified with Triplet Energy Mediators

Developing high-performance visible-to-UV photon upconversion systems based on triplet–triplet annihilation photon upconversion (TTA-UC) is highly desired, as it provides a potential approach for UV light-induced photosynthesis and photocatalysis. However, the quantum yield and spectral range of visible-to-UV TTA-UC based on nanocrystals (NCs) are still far from satisfactory. Here, three different sized CdS NCs are systematically investigated with triplet energy transfer to four mediators and four annihilators, thus substantially expanding the available materials for visible-to-UV TTA-UC. By improving the quality of CdS NCs, introducing the mediator via a direct mixing fashion, and matching the energy levels, a high TTA-UC quantum yield of 10.4% (out of a 50% maximum) is achieved in one case, which represents a record performance in TTA-UC based on NCs without doping. In another case, TTA-UC photons approaching 4 eV are observed, which is on par with the highest energies observed in optimized organic systems. Importantly, the in-depth investigation reveals that the direct mixing approach to introduce the mediator is a key factor that leads to close to unity efficiencies of triplet energy transfer, which ultimately governs the performance of NC-based TTA-UC systems. These findings provide guidelines for the design of high-performance TTA-UC systems toward solar energy harvesting.     

Hydrogen production by supercritical water gasification of lignin over CuO–ZnO catalyst synthesized with different methods

In this study, lignin was gasified in supercritical water with catalysis of CuO–ZnO synthesized by deposition precipitation, co-precipitation and sol-gel methods. Sol-gel synthesized CuO–ZnO showed the highest catalytic performance, and the gasification efficiency was increased by 37.92% with it. The XRD, SEM-EDS and N₂ adsorption/desorption analysis showed that the priority of the sol-gel catalyst was the smallest crystallite size, largest specific surface area and high dispersion. For sol-gel synthesized CuO–ZnO, the increase of CuO/ZnO ratio improved the gasification efficiency but reduced H₂ selectivity. And the catalytic activity was reduced with the calcination temperature above 600 °C due to enlarged crystallites and reduced pores. During sol-gel preparation, both the addition of ethanol and PEG in the solvent reduced the agglomeration and improved the catalytic activity. With CuO–ZnO prepared with 1 g PEG + water as the solvent, the highest H₂ yield of 6.86 mol/kg was obtained, which was over 1.5 times of that without catalyst.     

Gluten-free cakes with walnut flour: a technological,sensory, and microstructural approach

Walnut flour (WF), a by-product of walnut oil production, is characterised by high polyunsaturated fatty acids, proteins, and fibre contents and presents suitability for bakery products. However, when using non-traditional ingredients, it is essential to evaluate the effect on the quality properties of the final product. So, this work aimed to assess the impact of WF on the technological, physicochemical, and sensory properties of gluten-free (GF) cakes. WF was added at a flour blend (cassava (CS) and maize (MS) starches and rice flour) at 0, 10%, 15%, and 20%. The results showed that WF modified starch gelatinisation, increased amylose–lipid complex (ALC) content, and made crumbs easier to chew. Besides, the total dietary fibre (TDF) and protein content significantly increased. Cakes with 15% WF presented the highest specific volume (SV) and no differences in overall acceptability with respect to control. Hence, WF is a suitable ingredient for gluten-free bakery products.     

Preparation of Pt/Ce–Zr–Y mixed oxide/anodized aluminium oxide catalysts for hydrogen passive autocatalytic recombination

The use of a Pt-based catalyst was evaluated for autocatalytic hydrogen recombination. The Pt was supported on a mixture of Ce-, Zr- and Y-oxides (CZY) to yield nanosized Pt particles. The Pt/CZY/AAO catalyst was then prepared by the spray-deposition of the Pt/CZY intermediate onto an anodized aluminium oxide (AAO) layer on a metallic aluminum core. The Pt/CZY/AAO catalyst (3 × 1 cm) was evaluated for hydrogen combustion (1–8 vol% hydrogen in the air) in a recombiner section testing station. The thermal distribution throughout the catalyst surface was investigated using an infrared camera. The maximum temperature gradient (ΔT) for the examined hydrogen concentrations did not exceed 36 °C. The Pt/CZY/AAO catalyst was also evaluated for prolonged hydrogen combustion duration to assess its durability. An average combustion temperature of 239.0 ± 10.0 °C was maintained for 53 days of catalytic hydrogen combustion, suggesting that there was limited, or no, catalyst deactivation. Finally, a Pt/CZY/AAO catalytic plate (14.0 × 4.5 cm) was prepared to investigate the thermal distribution. An average surface temperature of 212.5 °C and a maximum ΔT of 5.4 °C was obtained throughout the catalyst surface at a 3 vol% hydrogen concentration.     

Shared human–robot path following control of an unmanned ground vehicle

This paper considers the shared path following control of an unmanned ground vehicle by a single person. A passive measure of human intent is used to blend the human and machine inputs in a mixed initiative approach. The blending law is combined with saturated super-twisting sliding mode speed and heading controllers, so that exogenous disturbances can be counteracted via equivalent control. It is proven that when the proposed blending law is used, the combined control signals from both the human and automatic controller respect the actuator magnitude constraints of the machine. To demonstrate the approach, shared control experiments are performed using an unmanned ground vehicle, which follows a lawn mower pattern shaped path.     

Boron doping induced electronic reconfiguration of Fe-Nx sites in N-doped carbon matrix for efficient oxygen reduction reaction in both alkaline and acidic media

Developing non-precious metal-based catalysts as the substitution of precious catalysts (Pt/C) in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is crucial for energy devices. Herein, a template and organic solvent-free method was adopted to synthesize Fe, B, and N doped nanoflake-like carbon materials (Fe/B/N–C) by pyrolysis of monoclinic ZIF-8 coated with iron precursors and boric acid. Benefiting from introducing B into Fe–N–C, the regulated electron cloud density of Fe-N_x sites enhance the charge transfer and promotes the ORR process. The as-synthesized Fe/B/N–C electrocatalyst shows excellent ORR activity of a half-wave potential (0.90 V vs 0.87 V of Pt/C), together with superior long-term stability (95.5% current density retention after 27 h) in alkaline media and is even comparable to the commercial Pt/C catalyst (with a half-wave potential of 0.74 V vs 0.82 V of Pt/C) in an acidic electrolyte. A Zn-air battery assembled with Fe/B/N–C as ORR catalyst delivers a higher open-circuit potential (1.47 V), specific capacity (759.9 mA h g^?1_Zn at 10 mA cm^?2), peak power density (62 mW cm^?2), as well as excellent durability (5 mA cm^?2 for more than 160 h) compared to those with commercial Pt/C. This work provides an effective strategy to construct B doped Fe–N–C materials as nonprecious ORR catalyst. Theoretical calculations indicate that introduction of B could induce Fe-N_x species electronic configuration and is favorable for activation of OH1 intermediates to promote ORR process.     

Deacetylated Cellulose Acetate/Polyurethane Composite Nanofiber Membranes with Highly Efficient Oil/Water Separation and Excellent Mechanical Properties

Nowadays, oil pollution has become more serious, which causes great threats both to the ecological environment and human life. In this study, a novel type of multifunctional deacetylated cellulose acetate/polyurethane (d-M_CA:M_TPU) composite nanofiber membranes for oil/water separation are successfully fabricated by electrospinning, which show super-amphiphilicity in air, super-hydrophilicity in oil, and oleophobicity in water. All the d-M_CA:M_TPU composite nanofiber membranes with different mass ratios can be used as water-removing, oil-removing, and emulsion separation substance only by gravity driving force. The highest separation flux for water and oil reaches up to 37 000 and 74 000 L m⁻² h⁻¹, respectively, and all the separation efficiencies are more than 99%. They have outstanding comprehensive mechanics performance, which can be controlled by simply adjusting the mass ratios. They show excellent antifouling and self-cleaning ability, endowing powerful cyclic stability and reusability. Those results show that d-M_CA:M_TPU composite nanofiber membranes have great application prospects in oil/water separation.     

5A06-O aluminium–magnesium alloy sheet warm hydroforming and optimization of process parameters

The uniaxial tensile test of the 5A06-O aluminium–magnesium (Al–Mg) alloy sheet was performed in the temperature range of 20–300 °C to obtain the true stress–true strain curves at different temperatures and strain rates. The constitutive model of 5A06-O Al–Mg alloy sheet with the temperature range from 150 to 300°C was established. Based on the test results, a unique finite element simulation platform for warm hydroforming of 5A06-O Al–Mg alloy was set up using the general finite element software MSC.Marc to simulate warm hydroforming of classic specimen, and a coupled thermo-mechanical finite element model for warm hydroforming of cylindrical cup was built up. Combined with the experiment, the influence of the temperature field distribution and loading conditions on the sheet formability was studied. The results show that the non-isothermal temperature distribution conditions can significantly improve the forming performance of the material. As the temperature increases, the impact of the punching speed on the forming becomes particularly obvious; the optimal values of the fluid pressure and blank holder force required for forming are reduced.