Hydrophobic organic coating based water--solid TENG for water-flow energy collection and self-powered cathodic protection

Water–solid triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), as new energy collection devices, have attracted increasing attention in ocean energy harvesting and self-powered sensing. Polyacrylic acid (PAA) coating, usually used on the surface of marine equipment, has the property of anti-aging and anti-wear but limits triboelectrical output when used with TENGs. In this paper, polyacrylic acid coating was modified with fluorinated polyacrylate resin (F-PAA) to increase its triboelectrical output, by 6 times, and also to increase its anti-corrosion property. In addition, the corrosion resistance property can be further enhanced by cathodic protection using the electrical output generated by the water-flow triboelectrical energy transfer process. Given their easy fabrication, water-flow energy harvesting, and corrosion resistance, PAA/F-PAA coating-based TENGs have promising applications in river and ocean energy collection and corrosion protection.     

Crystallization,structure, and enhanced mechanical property of ethylene-octene elastomer crosslinked with dicumyl peroxide

Crosslinking of polyolefin elastomer (POE, ENGAGE™ 8480) with Dicumyl Peroxide (DCP) can have effects on its crystallization dynamics, crystal structure, and properties. The POE crosslinked uniformly has significantly lower crystalline ability than the one with only amorphous phase crosslinked, which, in turn, has weaker crystalline ability than neat POE. The crystallinity and melting point depend on how the POE is crosslinked. The neat POE and POE crosslinked in amorphous phase only, are investigated with DSC and in-situ tensile/synchrotron radiation (WAXD/SAXS). In situ tensile/synchrotron X-ray during a uniaxial stretching process indicates that severe crystal fragmentation is observed at a strain around 45%, and with further increase in strain. The stress in the crosslinked POE is significantly larger than neat POE. For both samples, crystal orientation increases sharply within the strain range up to 88% where orientation-induced new crystals aligned in stretching direction are observed. The long period increases more in stretching direction for the crosslinked POE, consistent with larger stress in this sample, and the stress difference is more pronounced at large strains (27.3 vs. 10.9 MPa at a strain 435%). Permanent set of the crosslinked POE is smaller, consistent with less oriented crystals observed after the test for permanent set.     

Tunable multicolor upconversion luminescence of Yb3+ sensitized Na3La(VO4)2 crystals

Multicolor upconversion luminescence materials show significantly applications in materials science. In this paper, the novel Yb³⁺-sensitized Na₃La(VO₄)₂ upconversion luminescence crystals are synthesized by the solid-state reaction method. Three primary colors upconversion luminescence are successfully achieved in Na₃La(VO₄)₂:Yb³⁺,Tm³⁺, Na₃La(VO₄)₂:Yb³⁺,Er³⁺, and Na₃La(VO₄)₂:Yb³⁺,Ho³⁺ crystals excited by the single 980 nm LD. Multicolor upconversion luminescence can be obtained by simply adjusting the combination ratios of these three samples. Luminescence mechanisms of the Yb³⁺-sensitized system are discussed in detail. In the Na₃La(VO₄)₂ host material, the Yb³⁺/Ho³⁺ codoped system exhibits unusual red upconversion luminescence based on the short decay time of Ho³⁺ ion ⁵I₆ level, which provides the possibility of three primary color luminescence under 980 nm excitation.     

Rational Designs for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries with Low Electrolyte/Sulfur Ratio

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) are considered a promising next-generation energy storage device owing to their high theoretical energy density. However, their overall performance is limited by several critical issues such as lithium polysulfide (PS) shuttles, low sulfur utilization, and unstable Li metal anodes. Despite recent huge progress, the electrolyte/sulfur ratio (E/S) used is usually very high (≥20 µL mg⁻¹), which greatly reduces the practical energy density of devices. To push forward LSBs from the lab to the industry, considerable attention is devoted to reducing E/S while ensuring the electrochemical performance. To date, however, few reviews have comprehensively elucidated the possible strategies to achieve that purpose. In this review, recent advances in low E/S cathodes and anodes based on the issues resulting from low E/S and the corresponding solutions are summarized. These will be beneficial for a systematic understanding of the rational design ideas and research trends of low E/S LSBs. In particular, three strategies are proposed for cathodes: preventing PS formation/aggregation to avoid inadequate dissolution, designing multifunctional macroporous networks to address incomplete infiltration, and utilizing an imprison strategy to relieve the adsorption dependence on specific surface area. Finally, the challenges and future prospects for low E/S LSBs are discussed.     

Understanding grain refining and anti Si-poisoning effect in Al-10Si/Al-5Nb-B system

Grain refinement is critical for fabricating high-quality Al-Si casting components in the application of automobile and aerospace industries,while the well-known Si-poisoning effect makes it difficult.Nbbased refiners offer an effective method to refine Al-Si casting alloys,but their anti Si-poisoning capability is far from being understood.In this work,the grain refining mechanism and the anti Si-poisoning effect in the Al-10 Si/Al-5 Nb-B system were systematically investigated by combining transmission electron microscope,first-principles calculations,and thermodynamic calculations.It is revealed that NbB₂provides the main nucleation site in the Al-10 Si ingot inoculated by 0.1 wt.%Nb Al-5 Nb-B refiner.The exposed Nb atoms on the(0001)NbB₂and(1-100)NbB₂surface can be substituted by Al to form(Al,Nb)B₂intermedia layers.In addition,a layer of NbAl₃-like compound(NbAl₃')can cover the surface of NbB₂with the orientation relation of(1-100)[11-20]NbB_2//(110)[110]NbAl₃'.Both of the(Al,Nb)B₂and NbAl₃'intermedia layers contribute to enhancing the nucleation potency of NbB₂particles.These discoveries provide fundamental insight to the grain refining mechanism of the Nb-B based refiners for Al-Si casting alloys and are expected to guide the future development of stronger refiners for Al-Si casting alloys.     

不同成熟度和产地初加工方法对栀子中4种活性成分含量的影响

研究栀子不同产地初加工方法对样品中栀子酸、绿原酸、栀子苷、西红花苷Ⅰ 4种活性成分含量的影响；采用Agilent ZORBAX SB-C₁₈（5 μm，4.6 mm×250 mm）色谱柱，以乙腈?0.1%磷酸水溶液为流动相，梯度洗脱，流速1.0 mL/min，柱温30 ℃，检测波长:栀子酸和栀子苷238 nm，绿原酸328 nm，西红花苷Ⅰ 440 nm。采用400倍40%甲醇超声提取40 min能将4种成分有效提取出来。结果表明栀子以中成熟和成熟时采收最佳，干燥前有必要进行杀青处理，120 s蒸法杀青和30 s煮法杀青效果相当且最佳；不同干燥方法样中，50℃热风干燥效果最佳；杀青后切制干燥样中活性成分含量高于不切制干燥样；室温避光储存一年半后的不同处理样品中栀子酸、绿原酸、西红花苷Ⅰ的含量均无显著变化（P>0.05），栀子苷含量均显著降低（P<0.05）。此方法以栀子酸、绿原酸、栀子苷和西红花苷Ⅰ 4种活性成分含量为指标评价栀子质量，为栀子的采收、加工、储存提供了理论依据。     

基于位串内容感知的数据分块算法

针对基于内容的可变长度的分块CDC算法中数字签名计算需要耗费大量CPU开销的问题,提出了一种基于位串内容感知的数据块分块算法。算法利用每一次失败匹配尝试所带来的位特征信息,最大限度地排除不能匹配的位置,从而获得最大的跳跃长度,减少中间计算和比较的开销。实验结果表明,本算法减小了数据分块过程中数字签名计算的开销,降低了确定块边界时的CPU资源消耗,从而优化了数据分块的时间性能。     

Assessment of energy-saving technologies retrofitted to existing public buildings in China

This study compared and analyzed both the energy savings and cost-effectiveness of various energy-saving technologies retrofitted to common buildings in China. Base models for an office and store building, set in representative climate zones of China—Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou—were established and calibrated in EnergyPlus, a building energy simulation software program. Various energy-saving technologies were then applied to these models in EnergyPlus to calculate the overall energy savings under different climate conditions. In addition, a payback analysis was performed to determine the cost-effectiveness of each technology. The final results of this study can serve as a preliminary reference for selecting effective and economical energy-saving technologies to retrofit existing public buildings.