Single transition metal atom catalysts on Ti2CN2 for efficient CO2 reduction reaction

Electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) is an efficient way in the utilization of CO₂. In this work, single transition-metal (TM) atom (TM = Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) anchored on two-dimensional (2D) Ti₂CN₂ are designed for CO₂RR using density-functional-theory (DFT) calculation. We show that Ti₂CN₂ serves as an excellent substrate to support single atom catalysts (SACs), compared to Ti₂CO₂ and Ti₂CF₂. We find that the Sc, Ti and V supported on Ti₂CN₂ show high catalytic activities to produce CO with a low overpotential of 0.37, 0.27, and 0.23 eV, respectively. Differently, the Mn and Fe on Ti₂CN₂ are catalytically active for the production of HCOOH with a low overpotential of 0.32 and 0.43 eV, respectively. We further show that the negatively charged TM-Ti₂CN₂ can capture and activate CO₂ more effectively, and the catalytic activity and selectivity can be significantly tuned by injecting extra electrons.     

Preparation and electrochemical characterization of Ti-based amorphous metallic glass with high strength

Ti-based amorphous metallic glasses have excellent mechanical, physical, and chemical properties, which is an important development direction and research hotspot of metal composite reinforcement. As a stable, simple, efficient, and large-scale preparation technology of metallic powders, the gas atomization process provides an effective way of preparing amorphous metallic glasses. In this study, the controllable fabrication of a Ti-based amorphous powder, with high efficiency, has been realized by using gas atomization. The scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive spectrometer, and X-ray diffraction are used to analyze surface morphology, element distribution, and phase structure, respectively. A microhardness tester is used to measure the mechanical property. An electrochemical workstation is used to characterize corrosion behavior. The results show that as-prepared microparticles are more uniform and exhibit good amorphous characteristics. The mechanical test shows that the hardness of amorphous powder is significantly increased as compared with that before preparation, which has the prospect of being an important part of engineering reinforced materials. Further electrochemical measurement shows that the corrosion resistance of the as-prepared sample is also significantly improved. This study has laid a solid foundation for expanding applications of Ti-based metallic glasses, especially in heavy-duty and corrosive domains.     

包钢120t转炉滑板挡渣技术的改进

文章介绍了包钢120 t转炉滑板挡渣与红外下渣检测技术改进及实际应用情况,并与目前常用挡渣方式进行对比分析,结果表明:改进后挡渣成功率达到99％以上,下渣量控制在80 mm以内,钢水回磷平均控制在0.001％以内,提高了钢水的洁净度,为生产高附加值的钢种和降低生产成本奠定了基础.     

Feature selection and hyper parameters optimization for short-term wind power forecast

Applied Intelligence - Accurate wind power forecasting plays an increasingly significant role in power grid normal operation with large-scale wind energy. The precise and stable forecasting of wind...     

Enhanced electrochemical performance of LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 via titanium and boron co-doping

Titanium and boron are simultaneously introduced into LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ to improve the structural stability and electrochemical performance of the material. X-ray diffraction studies reveal that Ti⁴⁺ ion replaces Li⁺ ion and reduces the cation mixing; B³⁺ ion enters the tetrahedron of the transition metal layers and enlarges the distance of the [LiO₆] layers. The co-doped sample has spherical secondary particles with elongated and enlarged primary particles, in which Ti and B elements distribute uniformly. Electrochemical studies reveal the co-doped sample has improved rate performance (183.1 mAh·g^-1 at 1 C and 155.5 mAh·g^-1 at 10 C) and cycle stability (capacity retention of 94.7% after 100 cycles at 1 C). EIS and CV disclose that Ti and B co-doping reduces charge transfer impedance and suppresses phase change of LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O_2.     

Engineering 2D Multifunctional Ultrathin Bismuthene for Multiple Photonic Nanomedicine

2D monoelemental nanomaterials (Xenes) have shown tremendous potential for versatile biomedical applications. Bismuth, as a heavy element in pnictogens, has acquired massive research interest due to its unique optical performance, high biocompatibility, stability, and relatively low cost. However, the utilization of 2D bismuthene in nanomedicine has not been achieved because of the difficulty in engineering bismuthene with crucial structural/compositional characteristics for satisfying strict biomedical requirements. Herein, to address this Gordian knot, a facile strategy to intercalate and delaminate Bi bulk for generating mass few-layered 2D bismuthene with high yield by employing a water molecule mediated freezing–thawing process and sodium borohydride-triggered reduction treatment is proposed. The resulting 2D bismuthene displays good optical performance in the near-infrared (NIR) biowindow and can be excited via red light for reactive oxygen species generation, enabling applications in multiple photonic cancer nanomedicine settings, including photothermal hyperthermia and photodynamic therapy. Utilizing the intrinsic desirable optical absorbance and strong X-ray attenuation of bismuthene, dual photonic therapy can be conducted under the supervision of photoacoustic/computed tomography guided multimodal imaging. This research not only offers a potential mass-production ready, cost-effective, and eco-efficient methodology for engineering 2D Xenes, but also exploits an innovative 2D bismuthene based photonic cancer nanomedicine.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties in the TLP joint of FeCoNiTiAl and Inconel 718 alloys using BNi2 filler

High entropy alloy(HEA) of Fe Co Ni Ti Al and Inconel 718 superalloy were firstly transient liquid phase(TLP) bonded by BNi2 filler due to the diffusion of Si and B in the filler to the base metals. The effects of bonding time on microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of the TLP joints were investigated.Owing to the complete isothermal solidification of the joints bonded for 30 min 120 min at 1100°C,no athermally solidified zones(ASZs) formed by eutectic phases were observed in the welded zone. Thus the TLP joints were only composed by the isothermally solidified zone(ISZ) and two diffusion affected zone(DAZ) adjacent to the dissimilar base metals and the negative effect of the ASZ on joint properties can be avoided. In addition, the increase of the bonding time can also make the Ti B2 borides precipitated in the DAZ near HEA and the brittle borides or carbides in the DAZ near IN718 alloy decrease and reduce the possibility of the stress concentration happened in the joints under loading. Therefore, the highest shear strength(632.1 MPa) of the TLP joints was obtained at 1100°C for 120 min, which was higher than that of the joint bonded for 30 min, 404.2 MPa. Furthermore, the extension of the bonding time made the fracture mechanism of the joint be transformed from the intergranular fracture to the transgranular fracture. However, as the brittle borides in the DAZ near IN718 can not be eliminated completely and refining of grains also happened in such region, all the TLP joints fractured inner the DAZ near IN718 alloy.     

Controlled growth of nanocrystalline aluminum nitride films for full color range

Color films are widely used for visual effect as well as for their functional properties. To date, however, synthesizing thin films with desired color remains challenging. In this work, AlN color films are deposited on Si wafers by precise control of the deposition time for different thickness during reactive magnetron sputtering from an Al target in Ar/N₂ atmosphere. The thickness, morphology, structure, composition and color index are carefully examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectrometry and colorimeter, respectively. As the film thickness changes from 57 nm to 165 nm, the film exhibits purple, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red in color. These colors repeat in the same order when the thickness goes over 165 nm. Once the thickness exceeds 467 nm, overlapping of colors takes place. The mechanisms are elucidated.