Cerium oxide-modified surfaces of several carbons as supports for a platinum-based anode electrode for methanol electro-oxidation

Catalyst composites based on Pt and CeO₂ on carbon for methanol oxidation were successively prepared for application in direct-methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). In this work, the catalyst was modified by decoration of CeO₂ onto several carbons, including carbon black (CB), carbon nanotubes (CNT), graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and mixed carbons, followed by the electrochemical deposition of Pt. The dispersal of CeO₂ and Pt nanoparticles onto the carbon surfaces was confirmed with a face-centred cubic structure. The use of single and mixed carbons takes admirable advantage of the coexisting CeO₂ and Pt nanoparticles, confirming the positive effect of various carbon structures for electrocatalytic enhancement towards methanol oxidation. The CeO₂ also improves the ability for CO oxidation, resulting in a reduction of CO poisoning. The outcomes show an enhancement of the activity and stability so that such alternative as-prepared materials can be introduced to improve the anodic oxidation in DMFCs.     

A distributed energy system integrating SOFC-MGT with mid-and-low temperature solar thermochemical hydrogen fuel production

Solar thermochemical hydrogen production with energy level upgraded from solar thermal to chemical energy shows great potential. By integrating mid-and-low temperature solar thermochemistry and solid oxide fuel cells, in this paper, a new distributed energy system combining power, cooling, and heating is proposed and analyzed from thermodynamic, energy and exergy viewpoints. Different from the high temperature solar thermochemistry (above 1073.15 K), the mid-and-low temperature solar thermochemistry utilizes concentrated solar thermal (473.15–573.15 K) to drive methanol decomposition reaction, reducing irreversible heat collection loss. The produced hydrogen-rich fuel is converted into power through solid oxide fuel cells and micro gas turbines successively, realizing the cascaded utilization of fuel and solar energy. Numerical simulation is conducted to investigate the system thermodynamic performances under design and off-design conditions. Promising results reveal that solar-to-hydrogen and net solar-to-electricity efficiencies reach 66.26% and 40.93%, respectively. With the solar thermochemical conversion and hydrogen-rich fuel cascade utilization, the system exergy and overall energy efficiencies reach 59.76% and 80.74%, respectively. This research may provide a pathway for efficient hydrogen-rich fuel production and power generation.     

Nymphoides peltatum as a novel feedstock for biomethane production via anaerobic co-digestion with waste sludge

Nymphoides peltatum (NP) is exploited as a novel feedstock for biomethane production via anaerobic co-digestion with waste sludge (WS). Batch experiments are conducted under mesophilic condition at NP/WS of 1/3, 2/2, 3/1, 0/4 and 4/0 based on volatile solids (VS). Prior to anaerobic digestion (AD), NP undergoes only natural drying and grinding. The maximum net cumulative methane yield (265.16 mL CH₄·g VS_added^?1) and the highest gross VS removal rate (56.12%) are obtained at NP/WS of 1/3. The kinetic analysis by the modified Gompertz model fit hinted that 28 days is adequate for methane recovery and co-digestion significantly accelerates the digestion rate. Synergetic effect is corroborated to exist in co-digestion due to amiable conditions in term of total ammonia nitrogen, free ammonia, pH, volatile fatty acids and total alkalinity. High-throughput 16S rRNA pyrosequencing reveals that Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Methanosarcina and Methanosaeta are conducive to AD of NP.     

Food-grade carrageenans and their implications in health and disease

Food additives, often used to guarantee the texture, shelf-life, taste, and appearance of processed foods, have gained widespread attention due to their increased link to the growing incidence of chronic diseases. As one of the most common additives, carrageenans have been used in human diets for hundreds of years. While classified as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for human consumption, numerous studies since the 1980s have suggested that carrageenans, particularly those with random coil conformations, may have adverse effects on gastrointestinal health, including aggravating intestinal inflammation. While these studies have provided some evidence of adverse effects, the topic is still controversial. Some have suggested that the negative consequence of the consumption of carrageenans may be structure dependent. Furthermore, pre-existing conditions may predispose individuals to varied outcomes of carrageenan intake. In this review, structure–function relationships of various carrageenans in the context of food safety are discussed. We reviewed the molecular mechanisms by which carrageenans exert their biological effects. We summarized the findings associated with carrageenan intake in animal models and clinical trials. Moreover, we examined the interactions between carrageenans and the gut microbiome in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal disorders. This review argues for personalized guidance on carrageenan intake based on individuals’ health status. Future research efforts that aim to close the knowledge gap on the effect of low-dose and chronic carrageenan intake as well as interactions among food additives should be conducive to the improved safety profile of carrageenans in processed food products.     

Recent progress of green sorbents-based technologies for low concentration CO2 capture

The increased concentration of CO₂ due to continuous breathing and no discharge of human beings in the manned closed space, like spacecraft and submarines, can be a threat to health and safety. Effective removal of low concentration CO₂ from the manned closed space is essential to meet the requirements of long-term space or deep-sea exploration, which is an international frontier and trend. Ionic liquids (ILs), as a widespread and green solvent, already showed its excellent performance on CO₂ capture and absorption, indicating its potential application in low concentration CO₂ capture. In this review, we first summarized the current methods and strategies for direct capture from low concentration CO₂ in both the atmosphere and manned closed spaces. Then, the multi-scale simulation methods of CO₂ capture by ionic liquids are described in detail, including screening ionic liquids by COSMO-RS methods, capture mechanism by density functional theory and molecular dynamics simulation, and absorption process by computational fluid dynamics simulation. Lastly, some typical IL-based green technologies for low concentration CO₂ capture, such as functionalized ILs, co-solvent systems with ILs, and supported materials based on ILs, are introduced, and analyzed the subtle possibility in manned closed spaces. Finally, we look forward to the technology and development of low concentration CO₂ capture, which can meet the needs of human survival in closed space and proposed that supported materials with ionic liquids have great advantages and infinite possibilities in the vital area.     

壁电流探测器在中国散裂中子源快循环同步加速器调束中的应用

快循环同步加速器（RCS）是中国散裂中子源（CSNS）的重要组成部分。负氢粒子束经直线加速器加速至80 MeV，剥离成质子束注入至RCS环并加速累积至1.6 GeV引出打靶。束流通过安装在RCS环的壁电流探测器（WCM）感应得到束流的强度信息，环高频与环主二极磁铁的失配会导致束流的实际振荡偏离理论预测。本文通过对WCM的数据进行分析得到了纵向工作点、束流的实际振荡频率、束团的电荷量、束团的形状变化等信息，方便了加速器的调束，并对参数测量中的测量误差进行了分析。     

Dependence of crystal structure on mechanical and thermophysical properties of magnetoplumbite-type LnMgAl11O19 ceramics with substitution of Ln3+ Ions

Lanthanum hexaaluminate is a promising candidate to establish yttria partially stabilized zirconia as a thermal barrier coating material for super alloy due to their remarkable stability and thermophysical performance. In order to understand the relationship between the structure and properties and gain new low thermal conducting materials, the LnMgAl₁₁O₁₉ (LnMA, Ln: La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd) materials were synthesized firstly and further used to produce the LnMA ceramics. With the increasing relative atomic mass of the replaced Ln³⁺ ions from La to Gd, the lattice parameters and grain sizes of the LnMA platelets decrease, while the mechanical properties increase, and the thermal physic properties decrease. The GdMgAl₁₁O₁₉ ceramics obtain the lowest thermal conductivity with the value of 1.91-1.78 W/m K in the range from room temperature to 800°C, which could be considered as a promising candidate for application in thermal barrier coating materials. These results could further provide reference for developing novel materials lower thermal conductivity.     

Physicochemical Properties of Bis-GMA/TEGDMA Dental Resin Reinforced with Silanized Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Silicon - The multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) modified by different amount of silane coupling agents named 3-(methacryloxy)propyltrimethoxysilane (γ-MPS), were incorporated into dental...     

Steerable Microinvasive Probes for Localized Drug Delivery to Deep Tissue

Enhanced understanding of neuropathologies has created a need for more advanced tools. Current neural implants result in extensive glial scarring and are not able to highly localize drug delivery due to their size. Smaller implants reduce surgical trauma and improve spatial resolution, but such a reduction requires improvements in device design to enable accurate and chronic implantation in subcortical structures. Flexible needle steering techniques offer improved control over implant placement, but often require complex closed‐loop control for accurate implantation. This study reports the development of steerable microinvasive neural implants (S‐MINIs) constructed from borosilicate capillaries (OD = 60 µm, ID = 20 µm) that do not require closed‐loop guidance or guide tubes. S‐MINIs reduce glial scarring 3.5‐fold compared to prior implants. Bevel steered needles are utilized for open‐loop targeting of deep‐brain structures. This study demonstrates a sinusoidal relationship between implant bevel angle and the trajectory radius of curvature both in vitro and ex vivo. This relationship allows for bevel‐tipped capillaries to be steered to a target with an average error of 0.23 mm ± 0.19 without closed‐loop control. Polished microcapillaries present a new microinvasive tool for chronic, predictable targeting of pathophysiological structures without the need for closed‐loop feedback and complex imaging.     

温度对氢气还原铁氧化物过程膨胀性能的影响

摘要：为探究球团矿还原过程中产生恶性膨胀的问题，研究了温度对H2还原Fe2O3样条过程中膨胀性能的影响，并采用PCY G膨胀仪进行在线检测，通过对比不同温度条件下还原产物的外观形貌与显微结构，解释还原反应产生膨胀差异的原因。实验结果表明，H2还原气氛下，随着还原温度的升高，800℃下样条膨胀最大，样条的最大膨胀量出现先增加后减小的趋势；还原反应达到最大膨胀量所用时间逐渐缩短。随着还原温度的升高，铁相连接更加紧密，样条内外产生更大应力差，致使900℃条件下的还原反应提前进入铁相收缩的状态。