Ni2P(O)–Fe2P(O)/CeOx as high effective bifunctional catalyst for overall water splitting

The development of cost-effective bifunctional catalysts with excellent performance and good stability is of great significance for overall water splitting. In this work, NiFe layered double hydroxides (LDHs) nanosheets are prepared on nickel foam by hydrothermal method, and then Ni₂P(O)–Fe₂P(O)/CeO_x nanosheets are in situ synthesized by electrodeposition and phosphating on NiFe LDHs. The obtained self-supporting Ni₂P(O)–Fe₂P(O)/CeO_x exhibit excellent catalytic performances in alkaline solution due to more active sites and fast electron transport. When the current density is 10 mA cm^?2, the overpotential of hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen evolution reaction are 75 mV and 268 mV, respectively. In addition, driven by two Ni₂P(O)–Fe₂P(O)/CeO_x electrodes, the alkaline battery can reach 1.45 V at 10 mA cm^?2.     

Electronic regulation and core-shell hybrids engineering of palm-leaf-like NiFe/Co(PO3)2 bifunctional electrocatalyst for efficient overall water splitting

Constructing efficient and stable bifunctional electrocatalysts for overall water splitting remains a challenge because of the sluggish reaction kinetics. Herein, the core-shell hybrids composed of Co(PO₃)₂ nanorod core and NiFe alloy shell in situ grown on nickel foam (NiFe/Co(PO₃)₂@NF) are synthesized. Owing to the hierarchical palm-leaf-like structures and strong adhesion between NiFe alloys, Co(PO₃)₂ and substrates, the catalyst provides a large surface area and rapid charge transfer, which facilitates active sites exposure and conductivity enhancement. The interfacial effect in the NiFe/Co(PO₃)₂ core-shell structure modulates the electronic structure of the active sites around the boundary, thereby boosting the intrinsic activity. Benefiting from the stable structure, the durability of the catalyst is not impaired by the inevitable surface reconfiguration. The NiFe/Co(PO₃)₂@NF electrode presents a low cell voltage of 1.63 V to achieve 10 mA cm^?2 and manifests durability for up to 36 h at different current densities.     

Processing and properties of Nextel™ 720 fiber reinforced alumina-zirconia ceramic matrix composites

The continuous Nextel? 720 fiber-reinforced zirconia/alumina ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) were prepared by slurry infiltration process and precursor infiltration pyrolysis (PIP) process. The introduction of submicron zirconia powders into the aqueous slurry was optimized to offer comprehensively good sintering activity, high thermal resistance and good mechanical properties for the CMCs. Meanwhile, the zirconia and alumina preceramic polymers were used to strengthen the porous ceramic matrix through the PIP process. The final CMC sample achieved a high flexural strength of 200 MPa after one infiltration cycle of alumina preceramic polymer and thermal treatment at 1150 °C for 2 h. The flexural strength retention of the improved CMC sample was 104% and 89% respectively after thermal exposure at 1100 °C and 1200 °C for 24 h.     

S/Se dual-doping promotes the formation of active Ni/Fe oxyhydroxide for oxygen evolution reaction of (sea)water splitting

Surface reconstruction produces metal oxyhydroxide (1OOH) active sites, and promoting surface reconstruction is essential for the design of OER electrocatalysts. In this paper, we reported that a large amount of active NiFeOOH was generated in-situ on the surface of nickel-iron sulfide selenide, thus exposing more active sites and efficiently catalyzing OER. In 1 M KOH solution, NiFeOOH(S,Se) achieves an ultra-low overpotential of 195 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm^?2, and the Tafel slope is only 31.99 mV dec^?1, showing excellent catalytic performance. When the current density is 100  mA cm^?2, the over-potential of NiFeOOH(S,Se) in KOH + seawater solution is 239 mV, which is almost equivalent to 231 mV in KOH solution. The excellent OER stability of the NiFeOOH(S,Se) catalyst in alkaline electrolytes was confirmed, and the overpotential did not change significantly after 4 days of testing in KOH + seawater solution.     

Novel one- and two-dimensional InSbS3 semiconductors for photocatalytic water splitting: The role of edge electron states

Photocatalytic water splitting has become a promising technology to solve environmental pollution and energy shortage. Exploring stable and efficient photocatalysts are highly desired. Herein, we propose novel low-dimensional InSbS₃ semiconductors with good stability based on density functional theory. Such InSbS₃ structures could be obtained from their bulk crystal by suitable exfoliation methods. Our calculations indicate that two-dimensional (2D) and one-dimensional (1D) InSbS₃ nanostructures have moderate band gaps (2.54 and 1.97 eV, respectively) and suitable band edge alignments, which represents sufficient redox capacity for photocatalytic water splitting. 2D InSbS₃ monolayer possesses oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity and 1D InSbS₃ single-nanochain possesses hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity under acidic conditions. Interestingly, two edge electron states can be introduced when the dimension of InSbS₃ is reduced from 2D to 1D and the new electron states can exist in arbitrary-width nanoribbons, which can effectively promote the process of HER. Moreover, InSbS₃ monolayer and single-nanochain also exhibit large solar-to-hydrogen efficiency, high carrier mobility, and excellent optical absorption properties, which can facilitate the process of photocatalytic reactions. Our findings can stimulate the synthesis and applications of low-dimensional InSbS₃ semiconductors for overall water splitting.     

Simply constructed highly dispersed cobalt nanoparticles in diverse N-doped graphitic carbon with remarkable performances for water electrolysis

Metal/carbon composite materials are highly promising electrocatalysts for water electrolysis. In this work, three composites of metal cobalt nanoparticles highly dispersed in N-doped carbon materials were facilely constructed by pyrolysis of different phenylenediamine based Schiff base-Co complexes (PDBs). Interestingly, the composites derived from PDBs based on different phenylenediamine exhibited different morphologies. The superior case is that rodlike composite catalyst was derived from o-phenylenediamine based PDBs. The obtained catalyst exhibited remarkable performances for both cathodic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER), as well as overall water electrolysis. Only 172 and 289 mV of overpotentials and 1.57 V of cell voltage were exhibited at 10 mA cm^?2 for HER, OER and water splitting in 1.0 M KOH, respectively. The catalyst also displayed robust stability and high Faraday efficiency, and thus are potential high-performance catalyst for commercial water electrolysis.     

Synthesis of bristlegrass-like Co-doped Ni2P composites on Ni foam for overall seawater splitting

Seawater is the most abundant resource on earth, so developing cost-effective, highly durable corrosion resistance and efficient electrocatalysts are crucial to enhance seawater splitting. Herein, we prepared 3D bristlegrass-like Co-doped Ni₂P (Co-Ni₂P) composites supported on Ni foam (NF) through a facile solvothermal method combined and a subsequent phosphatization treatment. Benefiting from the unique structure, Co-Ni₂P shows excellent electrocatalytic activity as an electrode material for both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER, low overpotential of 116 mV at 50 mA cm^?2) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER, low overpotential of 266 mV at 50 mA cm^?2). Moreover, the as-prepared Co-Ni₂P composites exhibit excellent stability and corrosion resistance in an alkaline medium. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were employed to evaluate the H1 adsorption of Co-Ni₂P, and the results proved the high catalytic activity for the HER. This study provides new materials with a unique morphology for overall water splitting.     

风险矩阵法在A水泥工厂风险分级的应用初探

本文介绍“风险矩阵法”进行风险分级工作的基本思路，结合水泥厂的生产特点通过危险有害因素辨识，获得危险源分布情况，采用风险矩阵法对风险进行评估，按风险值将风险等级划分为重大风险、较大风险、一般风险和低风险，为水泥生产企业的安全风险分级工作提供参考。     

Unraveling specific role of carbon matrix over Pd/quasi-Ce-MOF facilitating toluene enhanced degradation

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) derivatives represented by quasi-MOFs have excellent physical and chemical properties and can be applied for the catalytic combustion of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In this work, Pd/quasi-Ce-BTC synthesized by simple one-step N₂ pyrolysis was applied to the oxidation of toluene, showing excellent toluene catalytic activity (T₉₀ = 175 °C, 30000 mL/(g·h)). Microscopic analyses indicate the formation and interaction of a carbon matrix composite quasi-MOF structure interface. The results show that the amorphous carbon matrix formed during the partial pyrolysis of Ce-BTC significantly improves the adsorption and activation capacity of toluene in the reaction, and constructs a reductive system to maintain high concentrations of Ce³⁺ and Pd⁰, which can facilitate the activation and utilization of oxygen in reaction. Quasi in-situ XPS proves that carbon matrix is indirectly involved in the activation and storage of oxygen, and Pd⁰ is the crucial active site for the activation of oxygen. Stability and water resistance tests display good stability of Pd/quasi-Ce-BTC. This work provides a potential method for designing quasi-MOF catalysts towards VOCs effective abatement.     

Predicting the mechanical properties of Cu–Al2O3 nanocomposites using machine learning and finite element simulation of indentation experiments

Micromechanics model, finite element (FE) simulation of microindentation and machine learning were deployed to predict the mechanical properties of Cu–Al₂O₃ nanocomposites. The micromechanical model was developed based on the rule of mixture and grain and grain boundary sizes evolution to predict the elastic modulus of the produced nanocomposites. Then, a FE model was developed to simulate the microindentation test. The input for the FE model was the elastic modulus that was computed using the micromechanics model and wide range of yield and tangent stresses values. Finally, the output load-displacement response from the FE model, the elastic modulus, the yield and tangent strengths used for the FE simulations, and the residual indentation depth were used to train the machine learning model (Random vector functional link network) for the prediction of the yield and tangent stresses of the produced nanocomposites. Cu–Al₂O₃ nanocomposites with different Al₂O₃ concentration were manufactured using insitu chemical method to validate the proposed model. After training the model, the microindentation experimental load-displacement curve for Cu–Al₂O₃ nanocomposites was fed to the machine learning model and the mechanical properties were obtained. The obtained mechanical properties were in very good agreement with the experimental ones achieving 0.99 coefficient of determination R2 for the yield strength.