Understanding δ-Bi2O3 fluorite degradation mechanism and related solutions for promising applications in distributed multigeneration

Oxygen selective membrane on the base of cermet δ-Bi₂O₃/Ag with an interpenetrating structure has the maximum potential efficiency of air separation. However, the degradation processes, including the phase degradation of fluorite δ-Bi₂O₃, do not make it possible to create a membrane with the required perfection and durability. In this work, the ordering of oxygen vacancies with the transformation of fluorite into the rhombohedral phase (S.G. R-3) was studied by powder HT XRD in situ at 600 °C on dense Bi_0.78Er_0.2Hf_0.02O_1.51 ceramics. Fast regeneration of disordered fluorite occurs at T = 640–700 °C. The phase degradation of fluorite due to the segregation of dopants at the second stage leads into stable phases - sillenite, tetragonal or rhombohedral phase (S.G. R-3m), depending on the composition of δ-Bi₂O₃. Fast regeneration of fluorite occurs when heated to 820 °C, which is unacceptable for membranes. Analysis of all available data allows us to propose approaches to optimize the composition of δ-Bi₂O₃ and technical solutions for creating durable oxygen selective membranes with promising use in distributed multigeneration. As a result of the analysis, a new solid electrolyte with better parameters was obtained.     

OBE-CDIO理念下“集成电路版图分析与设计”课程教学改革与探索

针对目前集成电路版图分析与设计课程存在教学方法老化、教学模式形式化等问题,本文以OBE-CDIO教育理念为指导,对”集成电路版图分析与设计”课程的课程教学模式、课程设计、项目式教学方式和课程考核方式等方面的改革进行有益的探索与实践。将工程教学认证中对学生的专业毕业要求作为制定教学目标的依据,将BB网络平台、ISO9001等现代化教学资源和质量标准融入课堂教学,采用OBE-CDIO能力教学理念指导课程设计,实现教学环节与考核环节的科学化与多元化,通过引入课程思政激发学生学习热情,树立社会主义核心价值观,全面地培养学生的综合版图分析与设计能力和素养。     

Synthesis of thermoresponsive copolymer/silica-coated magnetite nanoparticle composite and its application for heavy metal ion recovery

To enhance chemical stability and suppress of aggregation of magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs), which are used as a support for thermoresponsive copolymer immobilization, silica coating of the MNPs is applied via the electrooxidation method. Although the resulting silica coated-MNPs also formed aggregates, the size distribution of the aggregate shifted to smaller size range. Because of that, the surface area available for copolymer immobilization increased approximately 6.7 times at maximum as compared with that of the uncoated MNPs. It contributed to the increase of the amount of the immobilized copolymer on the silica-coated MNPs, which is approximately four times larger than that on the uncoated MNPs. Fe₃O₄ dissolution test confirmed enhancement of chemical stability of MNPs. The thermoresponsive copolymer immobilized on the silica-coated MNPs shows the ability to recycle Cu(II) ion from Cu(II) containing solution by changing temperature with significantly shorter time than those in other thermoresponsive adsorbents in gel form.     

Patterns in environmental priorities revealed through government open data portals

The ways in which environmental priorities are framed are varied and influenced by political forces. One technological advance--the proliferation of government open data portals (ODPs)--has the potential to improve governance through facilitating access to data. Yet it is also known that the data hosted on ODPs may simply reflect the goals and interests of multiple levels of political power. In this article, I use traditional statistical correlation and regression techniques along with newer natural language processing and machine learning algorithms to analyze the corpus of datasets hosted on government ODPs (total: 49,066) to extract patterns that relate scales of governance and political liberalism/conservatism to the priorities and meaning attached to environmental issues. I find that state-level and municipal-level ODPs host different categories of environmental datasets, with municipal-level ODPs generally hosting more datasets pertaining to services and amenities and state-level ODPs hosting more datasets pertaining to resource protection and extraction. Stronger trends were observed for the influences of political conservatism/liberalism among state-level ODPs than for municipal-level ODPs.     

Manufacturing catalyst-coated membranes by ultrasonic spray deposition for PEMFC: Identification of key parameters and their impact on PEMFC performance

This study deals with the manufacturing of catalyst-coated membranes (CCMs) for newcomers in the field of coating. Although there are many studies on electrode ink composition for improving the performance of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), there are few papers dealing with electrode coating itself. Usually, it is a know-how that often remains secret and constitutes the added value of scientific teams or the business of industrialists. In this paper, we identify and clarify the role of key parameters to improve coating quality and also to correlate coating quality with fuel cell performance via polarization curves and electrochemical active surface area measurements. We found that the coating configurations can affect the performance of lab-made CCMs in PEMFCs. After the repeatability of the performance obtained by our coating method has been proved, we show that: (i) edge effects, due to mask shadowing - cannot be neglected when the active surface area is low, (ii) a heterogeneous thickness electrode produces performance lower than a homogeneous thickness electrode, and (iii) the origin and storage of platinum on carbon powders are a very important source of variability in the obtained results.     

Total Site Hydrogen Integration with fresh hydrogen of multiple quality and waste hydrogen recovery in refineries

This paper proposes a novel method combining Pinch Methodology and waste hydrogen recovery, aiming to minimise fresh hydrogen consumption and waste hydrogen discharge. The method of multiple-level resource Pinch Analysis is extended to the level of Total Site Hydrogen Integration by considering fresh hydrogen sources with various quality. Waste hydrogen after Total Site Integration is further regenerated. The technical feasibility and economy of the various purification approaches are considered, demonstrated with a case study of a refinery hydrogen network in a petrochemical industrial park. The results showed that fresh hydrogen usage and waste hydrogen discharge could be reduced by 21.3% and 67.6%. The hydrogen recovery ratio is 95.2%. It has significant economic benefits and a short payback period for Total Site Hydrogen Integration with waste hydrogen purification. The proposed method facilitates the reuse of waste hydrogen before the purification process that incurs an additional environmental footprint. In line with the Circular Economy principles, hydrogen resource is retained in the system as long as possible before discharge.     

Complex study of protective Cr3C2–NiAl coatings deposited by vacuum electro-spark alloying,pulsed cathodic arc evaporation,magnetron sputtering,and hybrid technology

Coatings were obtained by vacuum electro-spark alloying (VESA), pulsed cathodic arc evaporation (PCAE), magnetron sputtering (MS) techniques and VESA-PCAE-MS hybrid technology using Cr₃C₂–NiAl electrodes. The structure of the coatings was analyzed using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. Mechanical properties were determined by nanoindentation, while tribological properties were assessed using pin-on-disk tribometer. Corrosion resistance was estimated by voltammetry in 1 N H₂SO₄ and 3.5%NaCl solutions. Oxidation resistance tests were performed at 800°С in air. The VESA coating had the highest thickness, low friction coefficient and high wear resistance. PCAE coating demonstrated the highest hardness (24 GPa) and elastic recovery (59%), oxidation resistance and superior corrosion resistance both in 1 N H₂SO₄ (i_corr = 70 μА/cm²) and 3.5%NaCl (i_corr = 0.74 μА/cm²) solutions. The MS coating had average mechanical properties and low corrosion current density (71 μА/cm²) in 1 N H₂SO₄. Deposition of coatings using VESA-PCAE-MS hybrid technology led to an increase in corrosion and oxidation resistance at least by 1.5 times in comparison with the VESA coating.     

Understanding the asymmetric perceptions of smartphone security from security feature perspective: A comparative study

Smartphones are being used and relied on by people more than ever before. The open connectivity brings with it great convenience and leads to a variety of risks that cannot be overlooked. Smartphone vendors, security policy designers, and security application providers have put a variety of practical efforts to secure smartphones, and researchers have conducted extensive research on threat sources, security techniques, and user security behaviors. Regrettably, smartphone users do not pay enough attention to mobile security, making many efforts futile. This study identifies this gap between technology affordance and user requirements, and attempts to investigate the asymmetric perceptions toward security features between developers and users, between users and users, as well as between different security features. These asymmetric perceptions include perceptions of quality, perceptions of importance, and perceptions of satisfaction. After scoping the range of smartphone security features, this study conducts an improved Kano-based method and exhaustively analyzes the 245 collected samples using correspondence analysis and importance satisfaction analysis. The 14 security features of the smartphone are divided into four Kano quality types and the perceived quality differences between developers and users are compared. Correspondence analysis is utilized to capture the relationship between the perceived importance of security features across different groups of respondents, and results of importance-satisfaction analysis provide the basis for the developmental path and resource reallocation strategy of security features. This article offers new insights for researchers as well as practitioners of smartphone security.     

Investigation the correlation between chemical structure and swelling,thermal and flocculation properties of carboxymethylcellulose hydrogels

Hydrophilic polymer networks (hydrogels) based on sodium carboxymethylcellulose (NaCMC) and polycarboxylic acids (oxalic, succinic, citric and adipic) as cross-linking agents are synthesized by esterification reaction; one series of NaCMC hydrogels cross-linked with citric acid is prepared with acrylamide and acrylic acid (Aam/Aac) copolymers using the design of semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPN), in order to increase their potential application for flocculation purposes. The Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) of hydrogels confirms the esterification reaction between NaCMC and cross-linking agents. Results of swelling measurements show that citric acid in the amount of 15 wt% gives the hydrogels with the best absorption capacity. The results of Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) show no significant difference in thermal properties of neat and semi-interpenetrating NaCMC hydrogels. The amorphous nature of hydrogels is confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The results of flocculation study show that combination of NaCMC network and Aam/Aac copolymer with initial mass ratio of 10/90 creates a theoretical platform for the production of flocculant which could show high efficacy in purifying of water dominated by positively charged particles.