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[Display omitted] • A novel and energy-saving reactive pressure-swing distillation process was designed for separating the THF-methanol-water mixture. • Energy consumption was greatly reduced by multi-objective genetic algorithm and heat-integrated optimization. • The total annual cost of the designed two heat integration processes for the RPSD-B was greatly reduced, i.e., 45.9% and 52.2%, respectively. • The water in THF-methanol-water was fully utilized to react with ethylene oxide to generate by-product EG. The low-energy and low-cost process development and design has always been a hot topic and challenge in separating azeotropic systems in the world. In this paper, a novel, energy-saving reactive pressure-swing distillation (RPSD) was, for the first time, designed for separating the ternary mixture of tetrahydrofuran (THF)-methanol–water. In the reactive distillation column, the process of reacting water with ethylene oxide to produce ethylene glycol for the first time was used to separate THF-methanol–water mixture, then the residual mixtures were separated by two pressure-swing distillation columns. Two feasible RPSD separation processes were investigated in terms of thermodynamic modeling and T-xy phase diagram analysis to achieve optimal separation sequence. The two designed separation processes were optimized by a multi-objective genetic algorithm and heat integration to maximize economic benefit. Results demonstrated that, compared to the conventional pressure-swing distillation process, the total annual cost of the designed two heat-integrated processes based on the RPSD-B process were greatly reduced, i.e., 45.9% and 52.2%, respectively. This paper has important guiding significance for the separation and purification of multicomponent azeotropes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Heat integration and dynamic control of reactive pressure-swing distillation for separating tetrahydrofuran/ethanol/water were investigated. • Three generalized and robust control strategies that can resist ±20% feed disturbances were proposed for RPSD. • The TAC and exhaust emission (CO 2 , SO 2, and NO) were greatly reduced while the dynamic control performance was improved. In this paper, heat integration and dynamic control of reactive pressure-swing distillation (RPSD) for separating tetrahydrofuran/ethanol/water was investigated from the aspects of energy consumption, environmental protection and practical applications. By exploring the heat exchange between separating tetrahydrofuran and ethanol distillation columns, the full heat integration process (FHI) was designed. Robust control of heat and non-heat integrated processes was realized based on the dual temperature control structure. All processes were resistant to ±20% feed flow and composition disturbances. Finally, these processes were compared from three aspects: economy, environment and dynamic performance. The results show that compared with the non-heat integration process, the FHI process can reduce the total annual cost by 24.14%, the CO 2 emission by 20.21% and the SO 2 and NO emission by 34.38%, meanwhile, having the best dynamic performance. This study is valuable and instructive in promoting the integrated optimal and control design of the RPSD process. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An intelligent control strategy without the composition analyzer is proposed. • Variable selection based on correlation improves BPNN prediction accuracy. • The universality of the intelligent control strategy is proved by two PSD cases. In this paper, an intelligent control strategy based on back propagation neural network (BPNN) is proposed for product composition control in pressure-swing distillation (PSD) processes. A data-driven intelligent controller based on BPNN was combined with PID control instead of traditional composition controllers to avoid the problem that composition is difficult to measure online in real-time. The intelligent controllers are used to predict temperature set point in composition- temperature cascade control by using the process variables easy to measure, e.g., reboiler duty, thus avoiding composition measurement. The critical variables for output prediction are analyzed by correlation analysis to present the relationship between the output variables and input variables, then to train highly correlated variables by BPNN. Two typical triple-columns PSD processes, i.e., Ethanol/THF/Water and ACN/IPA/Water, were used to verify the reliability and accuracy of the intelligent controllers under ±20% of feed flow and composition disturbances. Results demonstrated that the proposed intelligent control strategy presents good dynamic performance without the composition analyzer. This study is significant in improving dynamic performance and solving practical application problems by combining the traditional PID control and data-driven intelligent control. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The PCL- b-PES- b-PCL triblock copolymer is used to incorporate into epoxy resin when the blends are cured with 4,4'-diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS) to afford the nanostructured epoxy thermosets. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) show that the nanostructured PCL- b-PES- b-PCL thermosets are accessed through the formation of the intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions. The nanostructures are further evidenced by means of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). By considering the miscibility of the subchains of block copolymer with epoxy before and after the curing reaction, it is judged that the formation of the nanostructures follows the mechanism of reaction-induced microphase separation. It is noted that the epoxy resin is significantly toughened in terms of the measurement of critical stress field intensity factor (K IC). © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016, 54, 424-432 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-cost Zn-Mn perovskite fluorides anodes with pseudocapacitive-diffusion mixed kinetics and conversion-alloying hybrid mechanisms show a potential application in Li-ion/dual-ion storage. • Novel cost-competitive KZMF anode was designed for Li-ion/dual-ion storage. • KZMF anode exhibited superior kinetics and stability. • DFT was performed to investigate the electronic property of KZMF anode. • The mechanisms and kinetics of KZMF anode for Li-ion storage were examined. • The Li-ion/dual-ion devices via KZMF anode showed advanced performance. Lithium (Li)-ion batteries (LIBs), Li-ion capacitors (LICs) and Li-based dual-ion batteries (Li-DIBs) are three types of promising energy storage devices. However, the performance of these devices is largely limited by the sluggish kinetics and inferior stability of conventional volume insertion and alloying anodes. In this work, we have reported novel cost-competitive zinc-manganese perovskite fluorides (K-Zn-Mn-F, denoted as KZMF) anodes with superior kinetics and stability for advanced LICs, LIBs, Li-DIBs and their hybrids (LIC/LIBs and Li-DIB/LIBs). Combining both experimental and first-principles density functional theory (DFT) methods, the KZMF(1–3) (Zn/Mn = 1–3) candidate with the formula of K 1.1 Zn 0.17 Mn 0.83 F 3.03 exhibits the superior performance than the other KZMF samples owing to the optimal synergistic effect of Zn and Mn electroactive species. Ex situ characterizations and electrochemical techniques revealed typical conversion-alloying hybrid mechanisms and pseudocapacitive-diffusion mixed control kinetics of the KZMF(1–3) anode for Li-ion storage. The designed LIBs, LICs, Li-DIBs, LIC/LIBs and Li-DIB/LIBs with the KZMF(1–3) as anode and activated carbon (AC), LiFePO 4 (LFP), graphite (9 1 8), AC + LFP (1:1) and 918 + LFP (1:1) as cathodes respectively show remarkable performance. This work addresses the new insight of cost-competitive Zn-Mn perovskite fluorides anodes with pseudocapacitive-diffusion mixed control kinetics and conversion-alloying hybrid mechanisms for powerful Li-ion/dual-ion storage and will have a significant impact on developing advanced energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cost-effective perovskite fluoride KCuF3 material has been introduced as an advanced anode for lithium-ion capacitors (LICs) and lithium-dual-ion batteries (Li-DIBs), showing a conversion mechanism and pseudocapacitive kinetics for Li ion storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A efficient and environmentally friendly extractant for separating toluene-methanol-water azeotrope. • Three feasible schemes were designed by changing solvent and optimized by multi-objective genetic algorithm. • The proposed double-column extractive distillation process with a decanter presents superior performance. • The TAC and CO 2 emissions were reduced by 33.1 % and 50.5 %, respectively, compared with the existing process. Cleaner production and sustainable development are still hot topics for modern industry. Developing green technology with low energy consumption, low pollution, and low cost has always been the common pursuit of chemical, petroleum, pharmaceutical, and other industries. This article proposes an environmentally friendly and efficient solvent, glycerol, for the separation of the ternary azeotrope of toluene-methanol-water. Three feasible extractive distillation schemes were designed and optimized, while the double-column extractive distillation process with a decanter demonstrated superior performance when glycerol was used as the solvent. Additionally, the multi-objective genetic algorithm was employed to optimize these separation processes and determine the optimal operating conditions, taking total annual cost (TAC), CO 2 emissions (E CO2), and separation efficiency (E ext) as target performance indicators to achieve the objectives of energy conservation, consumption reduction, and emission reduction. Results demonstrated that the newly proposed scheme can significantly reduce the total annual cost by up to 33.1 % and CO 2 emissions by 50.5 % compared with the existing separation process. This work provides a new insight to separate and purify the multiple systems by extractive distillation in industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • We present a novel plasma-pretreated SiO 2 /Si substrate-based CVD process. • a non-destructive but effective way to reduce the density of MoS 2 intrinsic defects and tune the carrier density. • a threefold increase in the ON-state current density. • a 70-fold increase in the carrier mobility (up to 38.8 cm2 V−1 s−1). The atomic chalcogen vacancies are generally considered to be intrinsic defects of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides prepared either by chemical vapor deposition or mechanical exfoliation, which could be detrimental to the intrinsic properties and device performance. Here we report a plasma-pretreated SiO 2 /Si substrate based chemical vapor deposition strategy for the synthesis of high quality MoS 2 single crystal monolayers with largely enhanced electrical properties. First, the plasma-pretreated SiO 2 /Si substrate possesses much better hydrophilicity than the pristine one, and this promotes the adsorption of sodium molybdate solution (metal source) via spin coating, and thus facilitates the growth of high quality and large size MoS 2 single crystal monolayers with fewer sulfur vacancies. As a result, the as-fabricated MoS 2 FETs exhibit enhanced ON-state current density by nearly three order of magnitude, improved carrier mobility by around 70-fold up to 38.8 cm2 V−1 s−1. Second, the treated SiO 2 surface have active oxygen bonds, which can bond with S atoms of the subsequently growing MoS 2 monolayers, introducing n-type doping to the final sample, as verified by optical and electrical measurements. Our work provides a non-destructive but effective strategy towards reducing intrinsic defect density and tuning carrier density through engineering the growing substrate surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A vacancy defective perovskite Na0.85Ni0.45Co0.55F3.56 nanocrystal (NNCF) has been introduced as an advanced anode for Li-ion capacitors (LICs), Li-ion batteries (LIBs) and Li-dual-ion batteries (Li-DIBs), exhibiting the surface conversion and insertion hybrid mechanisms for Li-ion storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) are highly promising in field-effect-transistors (EFTs), photodetectors, flexible devices, but the limitation of uncontrollable size and number of layers is a huge challenge for the development of these devices. Although some breakthroughs like wafer-level MoS 2 have been achieved on specific substrates such as copper foil or sapphire using advanced chemical vapor deposition, electrical and optoelectronic testing requires the transfer of material from these substrates to SiO 2 /Si substrates. In this paper, we developed a face-to-face confined space CVD scheme for the preparation of centimeter-level MoS 2 thin films on amorphous SiO 2 /Si substrate. In contrast to traditional confined-space CVD scheme where the MoO 3 powder is often piled like a small hill in the small quartz boat, The MoO 3 powder is evenly spread in the small quartz boat, facing directly up to the growing substrate with a "face-to-face" growth mode. Therefore, the nucleation centers are uniformly distributed on the growing substrate, finally resulting in a uniform and clean continuous film originating from the coalescence of numerous MoS 2 domains grown up from these nucleation centers. The layer number can be well controlled by adjusting growing parameters like growing temperature, gas flow rate and growth time. Our facile but robust face-to-face growth strategy may be a great supplementary to the wafer-level growth of 2D TMDCs. • We developed a face-to-face confined space CVD method. • We achieved centimeter-level MoS 2 films by this method. • The resultant films are uniform, continuous and clean. • The layer number can be well controlled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A digital twin model of pharmaceutical workshop with 3D visualization for solvent purification and recovery was designed. • The purity of product and solvent was effectively improved by multi-objective genetic algorithm and system evaluation. • The effectiveness of digital twin in predictive capability using CNN-LSTM regression model was demonstrated. Digital twin is to make full use of the physical model, sensor update, operation history and other data to integrate multidisciplinary, multi-physical quantity, multi-scale and multi-probability simulation process, and to complete the full life cycle process of the corresponding physical equipment in the virtual space. In this paper, digital twin technology was used to simulate the production process of a pharmaceutical workshop, thus realizing solvent recovery by an azeotrope system separation process. The separation was optimized by multi-objective genetic algorithm. separation process, wherein the polynomial curve fitting and entropy-weighted TOPSIS data evaluation algorithms were combined to optimize the operating parameters, then the solvent purity and yield reach 99.96 % and 77.9 %, respectively, which is much higher than the corporate requirements. In addition, the effectiveness of the digital twin in providing data-driven prediction capability was verified by a CNN-LSTM-based regression prediction model, and the CNN-LSTM model has an accuracy of more than 98.9 % for all prediction results. Finally, a 3D visualization model was built using the Unity engine, enabling researchers to visualize and explore changes in key metrics during the separation process. This study can provide some guidance for digital transformation and intelligent development in pharmaceutical industry. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of data preprocessing on a calibration model based on attenuated total reflectance‐Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was investigated for in situ measurements of the solution concentration during cooling crystallization. L‐Glutamic acid cooling crystallization was taken as a case study. It was found that smoothing and derivative is a superior preprocessing method for model calibration, which can effectively remove spectral nonlinearity, improve the prediction accuracy of the calibration model, and enhance model robustness in detecting faults. Verification experiments demonstrated the effectiveness of the established calibration models. These models also show better performance in detecting the generation of crystal nuclei in the probe window, which is of great significance to eliminate the fatal probe fouling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous supercapacitors (ASCs) and batteries (ABs) have drawn great attention as promising energy storage devices. However, the key issues of limited energy density of ASCs and inferior power density/poor cycling life of ABs discourage their further application. Herein, a new concept of advanced aqueous supercabatteries (ASCBs) realized by nanosilver‐promoted trimetallic Ni–Co–Mn perovskite fluorides (K1.0Ni0.4Co0.2Mn0.4F3.2 (KNCMF‐10#)/Ag(37%), denoted as 10#/Ag(37%)) electrode materials is proposed, integrating with the respective superior specific power/cycling behavior and energy density of ASCs and ABs. A pseudocapacitance‐dominated multielectrons phase conversion mechanism of the 10#/Ag(37%) electrode materials can be deduced by ex situ characterizations and electrochemical techniques. The constructed ASCBs by matching 10#/Ag(37%) cathode with activated carbon (AC)/Bi(17%) anode achieve great energy density without sacrifice of power density and cycling life in wide temperatures, benefiting from the synergistic energy storage superiority of ASCs and ABs containing capacitive, pseudocapacitive, and Faradaic response in electrochemical processes. Overall, this work highlights the new idea of nano‐Ag‐promoted trimetallic Ni–Co–Mn perovskite fluorides with a pseudocapacitive multielectrons phase conversion mechanism as a new pop star for advanced ASCBs, showing a great significance in the context of designing advanced electrode materials and in‐depth understanding of their complicated charge storage mechanisms for aqueous electrochemical energy storage systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Crystal measurement, especially on-line measurement, in industrial crystallization is always a challenging topic in the past years, which is crucial to precisely understand crystal dynamic behavior and product quality control. With the development of photoelectric sensing technology, various on-line/in situ crystal measurement technologies (CMTs) have been developed to extract crystal morphological information, detect crystal form and even microstructure. This paper critically reviews the principles, advantages, and disadvantages of various existing CMTs, and their applications in exploring new crystal forms, characterization, prediction, control of shapes and size of crystals. The future research directions are proposed from the aspects of improving measurement accuracy, developing novel technologies for complex crystal behavior measurement, and promoting the application of CMTs in industrial crystallization. On balance, this review aims to enhance the awareness of scientists and engineers across industry and academia on CMTs, further promoting the development of automation and intellectualization of industrial crystallization processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new hybrid hierarchical porous Co(OH)F/Ni(OH) 2 for supercapacitors was fabricated via one-pot hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that the Co(OH)F/Ni(OH) 2 (Co/Ni = 3:1) hybrid was composed of orthorhombic Co(OH)F and hexagonal Ni(OH) 2 phases. X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) illustrated the presence of O1s, F1s, Co2p and Ni2p for the Co(OH)F/Ni(OH) 2 (Co/Ni = 3:1) hybrid. The scanning/transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM) showed that the Co(OH)F/Ni(OH) 2 (Co/Ni = 3:1) hybrid exhibited the morphology of both the nanorods of bare Co(OH)F and nanoflakes of bare Ni(OH) 2 . The energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and mapping results showed the Co/Ni ratio of 3.1:1 and uniform distributions of O, F, Co and Ni elements of the Co(OH)F/Ni(OH) 2 (Co/Ni = 3:1) hybrid. Nitrogen sorption measurements suggest the hierarchical porous structure of the Co(OH)F/Ni(OH) 2 (Co/Ni = 3:1) hybrid. The Co(OH)F/Ni(OH) 2 (Co/Ni = 3:1) hybrid showed the more attractive electrochemical performance than the other Co(OH)F/Ni(OH) 2 candidates (Co/Ni = 1:0, 1:1, 1:3, 0:1) due to the stronger synergistic effect of Co and Ni redox species, exhibiting high specific capacity and rate behavior (104-98 C g −1  at 1–16 A g −1 ) together with excellent cycling stability (116% retention/5000 cycles/6 A g −1 ). Furthermore, the designed activated carbon (AC)//Co(OH)F/Ni(OH) 2 (Co/Ni = 3:1) asymmetric capacitor exported both high energy and power densities (13.8–8 Wh kg −1 /0.53–4.7 kW kg −1 ) along with excellent cycle life (121% retention/10,000 cycles/4 A g −1 ), showing the superior performance than the other AC//Co(OH)F/Ni(OH) 2 capacitors (Co/Ni = 1:0, 1:1, 1:3, 0:1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bimetallic Co−Mn perovskite fluorides (KCo xMn1− xF3, denoted as K-Co-Mn-F) with various Co/Mn ratios (1:0, 12:1, 6:1, 3:1, 1:1, 1:3, 0:1) were prepared through a one-pot solvothermal strategy and further used as electrode materials for supercapacitors. The optimal K-Co-Mn-F candidate (Co/Mn=6:1) showed a size range of 0.1-1 μm and uniform elemental distribution; exhibiting small changes in XRD peaks and XPS binding energy in comparison to the bare K-Co-F and K-Mn-F, due to the structural/electronic effects. Owing to the stronger synergistic effect of Co/Mn redox species, the K-Co-Mn-F (Co/Mn=6:1) electrode exhibited superior specific capacity and rate behavior (113-100 C g−1 at 1-16 Ag−1) together with excellent cycling stability (118 % for 5000 cycles at 8 Ag−1), and the activated carbon (AC)//K-Co-Mn-F (Co/Mn=6:1) asymmetric capacitor showed superior energy and power densities (8.0-2.4 Wh kg−1 at 0.14-8.7 kW kg−1) along with high cycling stability (90 % for 10 000 cycles at 5 Ag−1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ternary Ni-Co-P micro/nano-structured materials were synthesized via a facile one-pot solvothermal strategy and further served as positive electrode materials for supercapacitors. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the optimal Ni 8 -Co 1 -P materials exhibited the two major phases of M 12 P 5 and M 2 P (M = Ni, Co). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed the binding energy shifts of P2p, Ni2p and Co2p of Ni 8 -Co 1 -P materials compared with the bare Ni-P and Co-P, indicating the formation of ternary materials. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) mapping exhibited the micro/nano-structured morphology with rich surface nanowires (5–10 nm in diameter) and the consistent distribution of Ni, Co and P elements of the Ni 8 -Co 1 -P materials respectively. Nitrogen sorption measurements illustrated the mesoporous structure of the Ni 8 -Co 1 -P materials with the specific surface area of 257 m 2 g −1 . Due to the richer Ni, Co surface electroactive sites and the stronger synergistic effect of Ni and Co redox species, the Ni 8 -Co 1 -P materials showed superior specific capacitance, rate capability and charge transfer kinetics (1448 F g −1 at 1 A g −1 , 1173 F g −1 at 16 A g −1 , 333 Ω) than the Ni-Co-P with other Ni/Co ratios (1:0, 16:1, 4:1, 2:1, 0:1). The mass ratio optimized activated carbon (AC)//Ni 8 -Co 1 -P asymmetric capacitor ( m +/ m − = 1:2) exhibited high energy and power densities (22.8 Wh kg −1 , 4.32 kW kg −1 ) together with excellent cycle life (no decay after 5000 cycles at 4 A g −1 ). The high performance makes the ternary Ni-Co-P micro/nano-structured materials promising electrode materials for supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nickel-molybdenum/graphene (Ni-Mo/G) nanocatalysts have been fabricated for alkaline urea electrooxidation. The optimal Ni 2 Mo 1 /G catalysts exhibit fine mesoporous geometric structure (pore size: 3.75 nm, particle size: 20 ∼ 40 nm) and superior electronic structure with richer MoO x species and Ni 3+ electroactive sites. Owing to the structural/electronic effects, the Ni 2 Mo 1 /G catalysts achieve higher activity and stability (128 mA cm −2 at 0.53 V; 76% retention for 1000 s at 0.50 V) but comparable kinetics (onset potential: 0.39 V; Tafel slope: 120 mV dec −1 ) comparing with the Ni/G nanocatalysts (107 mA cm −2 at 0.51 V; 55% retention for 1000 s at 0.50 V; 0.36 V; 105 mV dec −1 ). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) results reveal the typical catalyst regeneration mechanism (EC’) and diffusion-kinetics mixed processes for the Ni 2 Mo 1 /G catalysts towards alkaline urea electrooxiation, showing the charge transfer coefficient ( α ) and diffusion coefficient ( D ) respective values of 0.73 and 1.11 × 10 −5 cm 2 s −1 . Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and Tafel results display the average Tafel slopes (113 mV dec −1 ; 110 mV dec −1 ) and the chemical reaction orders (1.03; 0.60/-0.38/0.32) towards KOH and urea concentrations respectively. Chronoamperometry (CA) results indicate a favorable electrocatalytic endurance by proper Mo doping. The structural/electronic effects tend to produce more Ni 3+ electroactive species and promote the oxidation of urea intermediates via the bi-functional mechanism of the MoO x . The direct urea-hydrogen peroxide fuel cell (DUHPFC) with the Ni 2 Mo 1 /G anode catalysts has also shown superior performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ternary nickel cobalt fluoride (Ni-Co-F) nanocrystals are constructed solvothermally for use as the positive electrode materials in supercapacitors. The optimal Ni-Co-F (Ni/Co=2:1) shows slight chemical shifts in X-ray diffraction (XRD) data and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) compared with bare Ni-F and Co-F. The Ni-Co-F (Ni/Co=2:1) exhibits typical square nanocrystal morphology together with a mesoporous surface structure, as observed through TEM observations and nitrogen sorption measurements. Owing to the stronger synergistic effect of Ni and Co redox species originated from the richer Ni and Co surface electroactive sites, Ni-Co-F (Ni/Co=2:1) shows superior performances of specific capacitance, rate capability, and charge-transfer kinetics (564 F g−1 at 1 Ag−1, 418 F g−1 at 16 Ag−1, 449 Ω) compared with all the other Ni-Co-F candidates. Moreover, the activated carbon (AC)//Ni-Co-F (Ni/Co=2:1) asymmetric capacitor designed based on charge balance delivers superior energy and power densities (18.4 Wh kg−1, 6.64 kW kg−1) together with longer cycle life (77 % retention after 10 000 cycles at 4 A g−1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchical mesoporous Ni-P@MnO 2 composite has been synthesized by solvothermal fabrication of Ni-P and subsequent chemical deposition of MnO 2 . Owing to the synergistic effect between Ni-P and MnO 2 , the Ni-P@MnO 2 composite exhibits a superior specific capacitance and rate capability (1130 F g −1 at 1 A g −1 , 352 F g −1 at 16 A g − 1 ) compared with the bare Ni-P materials. Furthermore, the AC//Ni-P@MnO 2 asymmetric capacitor outdoes the AC//Ni-P asymmetric capacitor, exhibiting high energy/power densties of 10.9 Wh kg −1 /5.6 kW kg − 1 with excellent cycling behavior (no decay after 10,000 cycles at 2 A g −1 ). The high performance makes the hierarchical mesoporous Ni-P@MnO 2 composite promising electrode materials for supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system and PID (ANFIS-PID) fusion control scheme was proposed for product composition control in extractive distillation. • ANFIS-PID fusion control was optimised and improved using the genetic algorithm (GA) and the particle swarm optimisation (PSO) algorithm separately. • The number of clusters (NC) as a key indicator was analysed to improve the prediction and control ability of ANFIS. • The proposed PSO-optimised ANFIS-PID fusion control scheme exhibited superior dynamic performance under ±20% feed disturbances. Real-time measurement and control of product composition in extractive distillation continues to remain a challenge; however, composition control has demonstrated the ability to stabilise control systems. In this study, a dynamic control scheme is proposed that uses an improved PID-fused adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS); herein, ANFIS replaces composition controllers, improving the real-time performance of the control system. The ANFIS algorithm, however, suffers from problems such as easily falling into a local optimum solution. Therefore, the genetic algorithm (GA) and particle swarm optimisation (PSO) algorithm are separately used to optimise the network parameters of ANFIS, and the impact of different number of clusters (NC) on the performance of the control scheme is evaluated. The control scheme of PSO-optimised PID-ANFIS exhibits superior dynamic performance compared to other control schemes; moreover, it does not require the use of component controllers and has a faster response time and smaller transient values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesoporous nickel phosphide (Ni-P) nanocatalysts have been synthesized via a facile solvothermal strategy and used for urea electrooxidation in alkaline medium. The physicochemical properties and electrocatalytic performances have been investigated. Due to the structural effect and electronic effect, the Ni-P nanocatalysts achieve a lower overpotential, higher activity and better stability compared with the Ni nanocatalysts. Therefore, an onset oxidation potential of 1.37 V (vs. RHE), a peak current density of 70 mA cm −2 and a good current retention of 58% for 1000 s at 1.52 V have been achieved by the Ni-P nanocatalysts, which show enhanced performance compared to the Ni nanocatalysts (1.42 V, 62 mA cm −2 , 39% retention), indicating a promising application of the mesoporous Ni-P nanocatalysts towards alkaline urea electrooxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesoporous Ni-P@NiCo 2 O 4 composite materials have been fabricated via a facile strategy including solvothermal synthesis of Ni-P and subsequent chemical deposition of NiCo 2 O 4 . Due to the synergistic effect between Ni-P and NiCo 2 O 4 , the Ni-P@NiCo 2 O 4 composite materials exhibit an enhanced performance (1240 F g −1 at 1 A g −1 , 668 F g −1 at 16 A g −1 ) compared with the bare Ni-P materials (717 F g −1 at 1 A g −1 , 106 F g −1 at 16 A g −1 ) and NiCo 2 O 4 materials (741 F g −1 at 1 A g −1 , 457 F g −1 at 16 A g −1 ). Furthermore, the AC//Ni-P@NiCo 2 O 4 asymmetric capacitor exhibits superior energy/power densities (13.3 Wh kg −1 /5.7 kW kg −1 ) and cycling behavior (78.3% retention after 10,000 cycles at 4 A g −1 ) than the AC//Ni-P asymmetric capacitor (7.4 Wh kg −1 /5.7 kW kg −1 , 63.4% retention after 10,000 cycles at 4 A g −1 ) and AC//NiCo 2 O 4 asymmetric capacitor (10.4 Wh kg −1 /5.6 kW kg −1 , 32.4% retention after 10,000 cycles at 4 A g −1 ). The high performance makes the mesoporous Ni-P@NiCo 2 O 4 composite materials promising electrode materials for supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]