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Hybrid CuO-Co3O4 nanosphere building blocks have been embedded between the layered nanosheets of reduced graphene oxides with a 3D hybrid architecture (CuO-Co3O4-RGO), which are successfully applied as enhanced anodes for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The CuO-Co3O4-RGO sandwiched nanostructures exhibit a reversible capacity of ∼847 mA·h·g−1 after 200 cycles’ cycling at 100 mA·g−1 with a capacity retention of 79%. The CuO-Co3O4-RGO compounds show superior electrochemical properties than the comparative CuO-Co3O4, Co3O4 and CuO anodes, which may be ascribed to the following reasons: the hybridizing multicomponent can probably give the complementary advantages; the mutual benefit of uniformly distributing nanospheres across the layered RGO nanosheets can avoid the agglomeration of both the RGO nanosheets and the CuO-Co3O4 nanospheres; the three dimensional (3D) storage structure as well as the graphene wrapped composite could enhance the electrical conductivity and reduce volume expansion effect associated with the discharge-charge process.

The practical application of Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries is significantly inhibited by (i) the notable ‘shuttle effect’ of lithium polysulfides (LiPS), (ii) the corrosion of the lithium interface, and (iii) the sluggish redox reaction kinetics. The functional separator in the Li-S battery has the potential to provide the perfect solution to these problems. Herein a triple-layer multifunctional PVDF-based nanofiber separator, which contains GoTiN/PVDF layer on the top and bottom and ZnTPP/PVDF layer on the middle, is designed. The polarity and porous structure of this multifunctional separator can greatly improve the wettability of electrolytes and enhance the transportation of Li+. With the zinc-based porphyrin framework (ZnTPP) structure, this separator has a strong chemisorption and LiPS conversion ability, which greatly prevent the ‘shuttle effect’. Consequently, the designed multilayer separator showed excellent electrochemical performance. As a result, the cell with GoTiN@ZnTPP@GoTiN nanofiber membrane displayed an initial discharge capacity of 1180 mAh/g with a benign capacity retention of 65.9% at 0.5 C and high coulombic efficiency of more than 98.5% after 100 cycles. Even at 2 C, it can still release a capacity of 798 mAh/g. Moreover, the remarkable capacity of 591 mAh/g could be achieved with a high sulfur load of 5.76 mg/cm2 under a current density of 0.1 C. Based on these merits, this novel and scalable multifunctional separator is a promising candidate to replace the conventional PP separator for advanced Li-S batteries to deal with various challenges.

A cost-effective electrocatalyst with high activity and stability was developed. The Fe-Nx and pyridinic-N active sites were embedded in nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon nanomaterial by carbonization at high temperature. The electrocatalyst exhibited excellent electrochemical performance for the oxygen reduction reaction, with high onset potential and half-wave potential values (Eonset = 1.10 ​V and E1/2 ​= ​0.944 ​V) than 20 ​wt % Pt/C catalyst (1.04 and 0.910 ​V). The mass activity of the Schiff base network (SNW) based SNW-Fe/N/C@800° electrocatalyst (0.64 ​mA ​mg−1 @ 1 ​V) reached about half of the commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst (1.35 ​mA ​mg−1 @ 1 ​V). The electrocatalyst followed the 4-electron transfer mechanism due to very low hydrogen peroxide yield (H2O2 ​

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have broad application prospects in flexible pressure sensors because of their superior mechanical and electrical performance. However, the pressure sensitivity of a pure CN...

In this work, the thermal stability issue of ultrathin Ti-based silicide (TiSix) in prospective dynamic random access memory (DRAM) peripheral 3D FinFET transistors was systematically studied. As-prepared TiSix/n+-Si contacts and ultrathin TiSix films with different annealing temperatures, were characterized by means of specific contact resistivity (ρc), sheet resistance measurement, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). It is shown that the specific contact resistivity (ρc) for TiSix/n+-Si contacts gradually degrades with the increase of annealing temperature in the range 450–900 °C. In addition, it is revealed that though thick TiSi2 is conventionally known as thermal stable silicide, the agglomeration of ultrathin TiSix in the source/drain regions of 3D FinFETs still occurs after DRAM annealing typically at 750 °C for few hours. This agglomeration is thought to be responsible for the deterioration of ρc for TiSix/n+-Si contacts.

Calcium carbonate is promising thermochemical heat storage material for next-generation solar power systems due to its high energy storage density, low cost, and high operation temperature. Researchers have tried to improve energy storage performances of calcium carbonate recently, but most researches focus on powders, which are not suitable for scalable applications. Here, novel granular porous calcium carbonate particles with very high solar absorptance, energy storage density, abrasive resistances, and energy storage rate are proposed for direct solar thermochemical heat storage. The average solar absorptance is improved by 234% compared with ordinary particles. Both cycle stability and abrasive resistances are excellent with almost no decay of energy storage density over 25 cycles nor apparent particle weight loss over 24 h of continuous operation insides a planetary ball mill. In addition, the decomposition temperature is reduced by 2.8%–5.6% while the reaction rate of heat storage is enhanced by 80%–205% depending on the CO2 partial pressure. The decomposition process of doped granular porous CaCO3 particles is found to involve three overlapping processes. This work provides new routes to achieve scalable direct solar thermochemical heat storage for next-generation high-temperature solar power systems.

Due to extremely tight Contacted Poly Pitch (CPP) in sub-10 nm nodes, specific contact resistivity ( $\rho _{{\text {c}}}$ ) has become the main concern for further improvement of transistor performance. Both the reduction of Schottky barrier heights (SBHs) and the enhancement of surface dopant concentration ( $\text{N}_{{\text {s}}}$ ) are considered as the most effective approaches to reduce $\rho _{{\text {c}}}$ . In this work, a novel in-situ steam generation (ISSG) oxidation process prior to Ti silicidation is proposed to achieve an enhanced $\text{N}_{{\text {s}}}$ value, thanks to the segregation of P at the surface of $\text{n}^{+}$ -Si. Refined Transmission Line Model (RTLM) structures were fabricated to extract the $\rho _{{\text {c}}}$ accurately and reliably. The dopant redistribution of P was characterized by both secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and spreading resistance probe (SRP). Compared to control samples, the $\rho _{{\text {c}}}$ value for samples with 4 nm ISSG SiO2 is reduced from ${2.91}\times {10}^{-{8}}$ to ${1.90}\times {10}^{-{8}} \Omega $ -cm2, and this is attributed to the enhancement of $\text{N}_{{\text {s}}}$ value.

The impact of As preamorphization implant (PAI) on specific contact resistivity ( $\rho _{c}{)}$ is investigated for Ti-based Ohmic contacts on n+-Si in this article. The $\rho _{c}$ value of TiSi x /n+ −Si contacts is greatly improved with low-dose As PAI whereas this improvement is impaired with increased dose of As PAI. The $\rho _{c}$ results from the joint effort of the reduction of effective Schottky barrier height (SBH) to electrons ( $\phi _{\text {bn,eff}}{)}$ , retardation of Ti silicidation, and annihilation of end-of-range (EOR) defects. Besides, the interfacial microstructures of TiSi x /n+ −Si affect $\rho _{c}$ , correlated with the post metal anneal (PMA).

The yolk–shell structure, realized by various synthesis methods, exhibits unique morphology and structural properties, which is currently undergoing a transition from material production technology to energy storage applications. To design an anode for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), a buffer space is designedly built between the Sb2Se3 nanorod yolk and the mesoporous carbon shell to obtain a novel yolk–shell structure (i.e., Sb2Se3@void@C). The confined void space is created by using a sacrificial template (such as silica) and the mesoporous carbon shell is obtained from the pyrolysis of phenolic resin, which effectively improves the electrical conductivity and structural stability of Sb2Se3 anode materials for LIB. Both the void space in the yolk–shell structure and the mesoporous carbon shell can efficiently buffer the volume expansion during the repeated discharge–charge processes, and further maintain the structural integrity. Besides, the permeable mesoporous carbon shell facilitates the electrolyte infiltration into the void space to ensure enough contact area between the Sb2Se3 and electrolyte, which benefits the shortening of the diffusion paths of Li+ ions. As a result, the Sb2Se3@void@C anode exhibits a high reversible specific capacity of 404.8 mA h g−1 at a rate of 1.0 A g−1 for at least 200 cycles, and maintains an average capacity of 594.7 at a rate of 3.0 A g−1. To further establish the detailed lithium storage behavior, in situ XRD is conducted to reveal the conversion reaction and alloying/dealloying reaction mechanisms. This research sheds light on yolk–shell structure designs with various morphologies to improve the electrochemical performance of energy storage materials.

The rational design and construction of the efficient and robust non-noble metal bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts is of critical significance due to the attention given to reversible metal–air batteries. In this paper, we report novel two-dimensional “senbei”-like Co9S8/CeO2/Co-NC nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets (Co9S8/CeO2/Co-NC) derived from a unique 2D Co/Ce bimetallic ZIF. The phase transition from 3D spherical Co-ZIF to 2D Co/Ce-ZIF was achieved through the introduction of Ce ions. Profiting from the successful construction of the unique Co9S8/CeO2 heterostructure and the synergetic effect of two components, the as-prepared Co9S8/CeO2/Co-NC exhibited excellent electro-performance in both the oxygen evolution reaction (Ej=10 = 1.60 V) and oxygen reduction reaction (E1/2 = 0.875 V). Furthermore, when used as a bifunctional air electrode for Zn-air batteries, Co9S8/CeO2/Co-NC reached a high peak power density of ≈164.24 mW cm−2 at a high current density of ≈351 mA cm−2 and displayed an outstanding cycling stability of more than 668 h at 5 mA cm−2. This research provides new guidelines for preparing hybrid materials from cobalt-based sulfide species and CeO2 for electrocatalysis and energy storage or other fields.

Herein, we report a post-assembly strategy by growing bimetallic Co/Zn zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (BIMZIF) on the surface of customized Mo metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) (Mo-MOFs) to prepare core–shell structured Mo-MOF@BIMZIF, which results in a porous Co–MoO2 polyhedral nanocage (Co–MoO2-NC) structure and abundant Co–Mo–O active sites after high temperature pyrolysis. Co–MoO2-NC-900 which was obtained by pyrolysis at 900 °C displays a low overpotential (370 mV) for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and a half-wave potential (E1/2 ≈ 0.89 V) for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), exhibiting bifunctional features. A Zn–air battery with Co–MoO2-NC-900 shows a high power density of 176.5 mW cm−2 at 217.1 mA cm−2, which is better than that of reference Pt/C + Ir/C electrocatalysts, and is capable of exhibiting a smaller discharge–charge overpotential (0.85 V) and excellent stability (1145 h). Density functional theory calculations and experiments reveal that the structure and electron transfer between the Co and MoO2 components reduce the free energy of the intermediates, resulting in bifunctional electrocatalytic activity.

The development of high-efficiency and durable bifunctional oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts as air cathodes is still a challenge in energy storage and conversion. In this work, we report two-dimensional (2D) ultra-thin Co9S8/MnS sulfur/nitrogen co-doped carbon nanosheets (Co9S8/MnS-USNC) with outstanding ORR and OER activities as well as remarkable stability in alkaline media. Benefiting from the accessible functional surface and active sites of the 2D structure and adjustment of the electronic structure by the synergetic effect, Co9S8/MnS-USNC possesses a half-wave potential of 0.90 V for the ORR and a low overpotential of 360 mV for the OER at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. The aqueous zinc–air batteries displayed a maximum power density of 146 mW cm−2 and superior durability of 600 hours, and those of all-solid-state zinc–air batteries are 79 mW cm−2 and 18 hours respectively. The reaction mechanism of the Co9S8/MnS-USNC catalyst as the air cathode was also verified by in situ Raman spectroscopy.

SnTe exhibits a layered crystal structure, which enables fast Li-ion diffusion and easy storage, and is considered to be a promising candidate for an advanced anode material. However, its applications are hindered by the large volume variation caused by intercalation/deintercalation during the electrochemical reaction processes. Herein, topological insulator SnTe and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) supported on a graphite (G) carbon framework (SnTe-CNT-G) were prepared as a new, active and robust anode material for high-rate lithium-ion batteries by a scalable ball-milling method. Remarkably, the SnTe-CNT-G composite used as a lithium-ion battery anode offered an excellent reversible capacity of 840 mA h g-1 at 200 mA g-1 after 100 cycles and high initial coulombic efficiencies of 76.0%, and achieved a long-term cycling stability of 669 mA h g-1 at 2 A g-1 after 1400 cycles. The superior electrochemical performance of SnTe-CNT-G is attributed to the stable design of its electrode structure and interesting topological transition of SnTe, combined with multistep conversion and alloying processes. Furthermore, in situ X-ray diffraction and ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed to study the reaction mechanism. The results presented here provide new insights to design and reveal the reaction mechanisms of transition metal telluride materials in various energy-storage materials.

Solar thermochemical CO2-to-fuel conversion via two-step redox cycles is a promising strategy to solve climate change and energy storage challenges simultaneously. However, ideal thermochemical materials possessing moderate operation temperature, high yield, good stability, and rapid kinetics operating under isothermal and near-isothermal conditions are still missing. Here, we propose Sr-doped SmMnO3 for moderate-temperature near-isothermal CO2-to-fuel conversions. A record-high isothermal cycle CO yield (376.1 μmol g−1) at no more than 1300 °C is reported based on Sm0.6Sr0.4MnO3. No obvious decay is observed during 14 cycles although grain sizes have increased to some extent. The weakened Mn–O bond induced by Sr doping helps to create more oxygen vacancies, and thus contributes to enhanced yield of both O2 and CO. The oxidation reaction is fast with a CO yield of 58.6 μmol g−1 in 15 minutes, which is 5.6 times as high as that of CeO2 under the same cycling conditions between 1300 °C and 1000 °C. Detailed kinetics for the oxidation step is unveiled based on the Sestak–Berggren model. In addition, SmxSr1−xMnO3 can capture full-spectrum solar energy with a solar absorptance of more than 86.6% in stark contrast to 13.5% for CeO2, making the required concentration ratio to drive reactions decrease by 33.4%. This work provides new materials for high yield and stable thermochemical CO2-to-fuel conversion under moderate-temperature near-isothermal conditions, and paves the way for the development of CO2 splitting techniques directly driven by low-concentration solar energy with high efficiencies.

Metal sulfides are promising lithium-ion battery anode materials with high specific capacities, but there has been little in-depth discussion on the reaction mechanism of metal sulfides. In this study, a robust bimetallic sulfide heterogeneous material (Sb2S3-Co9S8/NC) based on a metal-organic framework was designed. The combination of in situ X-ray diffraction and ex situ transmission electron microscopy revealed the phase evolution behavior during the first cycle. During the lithiation process, Sb2S3 undergoes lithium insertion, conversion and alloying reactions to form crystalline Li2S, Li3Sb and metallic Sb. Co9S8 undergoes lithium insertion and transformation to form metallic Co and Li2S. Lithium ions are extracted from the nanocrystalline phase and transformed into the original Sb2S3 and Co9S8 phases. The Sb2S3-Co9S8/NC anode exhibits excellent cycle stability (616 mA h g-1 at 2 A g-1 after 900 cycles) and fast lithium ion transfer kinetics. These results demonstrate the lithiation/delithiation mechanism of the Sb2S3-based anode and provide a new path for the development of high-performance LIB anodes based on bimetallic sulfides.

In this paper, a set of 3-methylquniazolinone derivatives were designed, synthesised, and studied the preliminary structure-activity relationship for antiproliferative activities. All target compounds performed significantly inhibitory effects against wild type epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase (EGFRwt-TK) and tumour cells (A431, A549, MCF-7, and NCI-H1975). In particular, compound 4d 3-fluoro-N-(4-((3-methyl-4-oxo-3,4-dihydroquinazolin-2-yl)methoxy)phenyl)benzamide showed higher antiproliferative activities against all tumour cells than Gefitinib (IC50 of 3.48, 2.55, 0.87 and 6.42 μM, respectively). Furthermore, compound 4d could induce apoptosis of MCF-7 cells and arrest in G2/M phase at the tested concentration. Molecular docking and ADMET studies showed that compound 4d could closely form many hydrogen bonds with EGFRwt-TK. Therefore, compound 4d is potential to develop as novel anti-cancer drug.

The next major leap in energy storage is thought to arise from a practical implementation of all solid-state batteries, which remain largely confined to the small scale due to issues in manufacturing and mechanical stability. Lithium batteries are amongst the most sought after, for the high expected energy density and improved safety characteristics, however the challenge of finding a suitable solid-state electrolyte remains. Lithium rich garnets are prime contenders as electrolytes, owing to their high ionic conductivity (>0.1 mS cm−1), wide electrochemical window (0–6 V) and stability with Li metal. However, the high Young's modulus of these materials, poor wetting of Li metal and rapid formation of Li2CO3 passivating layers tends to give a detrimentally large resistance at the solid–solid interface, limiting their application in solid state batteries. Most studies have focused on La based systems, with very little work on other lanthanides. Here we report a study of the Nd based garnet Ga0.2Li6.4Nd3Zr2O12, illustrating substantial differences in the interfacial behaviour. This garnet shows very low interfacial resistance attributed to dopant exsolution which, when combined with moderate heating (175 °C, 1 h) with Li metal, we suggest forms Ga–Li eutectics, which significantly reduces the resistance at the Li/garnet interface to as low as 67 Ω cm2 (much lower than equivalent La based systems). The material also shows intrinsically high density (93%) and good conductivity (≥0.2 mS cm−1) via conventional furnaces in air. It is suggested these garnets are particularly well suited to provide a mixed conductive interface (in combination with other garnets) which could enable future solid-state batteries.

Solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) are promising alternatives to traditional liquid electrolytes because of their safety issues. However, polymer SSEs have low ionic conductivity and weak mechanical strength, and inorganic SSEs are very brittle and unstable to lithium metal and atmospheric moisture, which restricts their practical applications. To avoid these disadvantages, it is essential to develop polymer–inorganic composite SSEs. In this work, we for the first time construct a solid composite polymer electrolyte of poly(vinylidene fluoride hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) blended with Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 and flower-like CeO2 particles enriched with oxygen vacancies as inorganic fillers. The composite SSEs exhibit a wide electrochemical window of 5.1 V (vs. Li/Li+) and high ionic conductivity of 1.66 × 10−3 S cm−1 at room temperature. The conductivity enhancement originates from the oxygen vacancies associated with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) for releasing more lithium ions, and CeO2 is also beneficial for the suppression of Li dendrites. The solid-state LiFePO4/SSE/Li cell exhibits superior electrochemical performance at room temperature, the capacity is as high as 166.6 mA h g−1 at 0.1C, and the cell can sustain 83.1 mA h g−1 at 2C after 1000 cycles.

The present work proposed a novel two-stage carbon dioxide hydrate-based vapor-compression refrigeration system. The proposed system applied pure carbon dioxide hydrate as the primary refrigerant and arranged both of hydrate formation and dissociation at the low-pressure stage. The thermodynamic and economic models were developed and then performances of the proposed system using load-levelling storage and full storage operations were evaluated and compared with those of a conventional carbon dioxide single-stage vapor-compression refrigeration system, which is treated as the baseline and with no energy storage. The simulation results indicate that the design capacity of the proposed system using full storage is the largest among the three systems, but with lowest operation cost, and with the incentivization of electricity prices ratio of on and off-peak this cost savings would raise significantly. Noted that the bill structure reveals the load-levelling storage system saves most on the water consumption. Due to the dominant expenditure on the two compressors, compare with the baseline system, the initial capital cost of the full storage system was 75.5% higher, whereas that of the levelling-load storage system was only 21.5% higher. Finally, this paper discussed the economic feasibility on the initial capital cost for the proposed system and developed an indication map to predict the profit years in case of that the new system using load-levelling storage operation replaces the baseline system assuming a system lifetime of 15 years under different electricity prices ratios.

Fast characterization methods are utilized to investigate DC and AC negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) characteristics in pMOSFETs with different TiN capping layer thicknesses ( ${t} _{\mathrm{ TiN}}$ ). The impacts of ${t} _{\mathrm{ TiN}}$ scaling on the threshold voltage shift ( ${\Delta }\text{V}_{\mathrm{ T}}$ ), pre-existing hole traps ( ${\Delta }\text{V}_{\mathrm{ HT}}$ ), generated traps (GTs), and their relative contributions are studied. The time exponents of ${\Delta }\text{V}_{\mathrm{ T}}$ and GTs, and the impacts of stress voltage, temperature, frequency, and duty cycle on the NBTI degradation are analyzed. DC and AC NBTI degradations increase with ${t} _{T}{}_{iN}$ . When ${t} _{\mathrm{ TiN}}$ is scaled down from 3 nm to 1 nm, the maximum operation field is improved by 60%, which originates from the reduction in both ${\Delta }\text{V}_{\mathrm{ HT}}$ and GTs. Moreover, we experimentally demonstrate that bulk trap generation is an ${f}$ -dependent process and that its relative contribution to ${\Delta }\text{V}_{\mathrm{ T}}$ increases with ${t} _{\mathrm{ TiN}}$ , which is an important factor for the improvement of NBTI through ${t} _{\mathrm{ TiN}}$ scaling.

The scaling of interconnect dimensions is becoming increasingly difficult due to the fast rise of line/via resistance. To alleviate this problem, Co has a high potential as an alternative material to Cu or W in metallization schemes. In this article, Co is used as local interconnects, and Co–Ti is proposed as a single barrier/liner to replace the conventional thick TiN/Ti bilayer. The samples with and without Co–Ti were fabricated to investigate the barrier property of Co–Ti. Meanwhile, the reaction mechanism between Co/Co–Ti and Si was comprehensively studied. In order to further evaluate the barrier property of Co–Ti, the samples were annealed at 500 °C for different durations, including 1, 30, and 60 min. Interfacial quality, elemental distribution, and Co spikes were analyzed by cross-sectional and plane-view transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in combination with corresponding electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) mapping. Furthermore, refined transmission line model (RTLM) structures were employed to extract the specific contact resistivity ( $\rho _{c}$ ) of as-fabricated devices with different Co:Ti atomic ratios. Achieved results demonstrate that as a single barrier/liner, Co0.65Ti0.35 is highly effective in preventing Co diffusion into Si substrate, thus realizing a uniform Co0.65Ti0.35/n+-Si interface, spike-free contacts, and ultralow $\rho _{c}$ of $2.3 \times 10^{-8} \Omega {-}cm^{2}$ .

2 μm/3 μm laser has been extensively applied to the fields of medical treatment, communication and detection. In this paper, the genetic algorithm is innovatively used to solve the fiber power transmission equation, which improves the accuracy of simulation results. According to the simulation results, a dual-wavelength Er3+:ZBLAN fiber laser based on composite Fabry-Perot (F-P) cavity was designed and constructed. A stable continuous dual-wavelength output was obtained with a pump power of 50 W. The center wavelengths were 2.79 μm and 1.59 μm, respectively, the maximum output powers were 8.19 W and 2.8 W, respectively, the slope efficiencies were 17.7% and 7.17%, respectively, and the stability of the wavelengths in 2 h were 4.6% and 3.1%, respectively.

Creating oxygen vacancies to tune the surface electronic structure is a feasible approach to enhance the electrocatalytic activities of noble-metal-free transition-metal oxides for Li–O2 batteries....

To improve the high reversibility of lithium–air batteries, an air electrode needs to have excellent electrochemical performance and spatial structure. Ni3S2 nanoparticles are loaded onto an N,S-doped pearl chain tube (N,S-PCT) by a method called quasi-chemical vapor deposition (Q-CVD). Additionally, N and S are doped during the synthesis process, thereby forming an ideal pipe rack-like structure. The large amount of space in the tube rack can provide sufficient storage to act as a buffer for the discharge products, and the interconnected tubes can effectively promote the dispersion of O2 and electrolyte. The addition of Ni3S2 nanoparticles effectively reduces the charge transfer resistance, thereby increasing the electron mobility of the cathode. Ni3S2@N,S-PCT cathodes effectively improve the cycling and high-rate performance of lithium–air batteries, demonstrating an ultrahigh discharge capacity of 16 733.7 mA h g−1 at a current density of 400 mA g−1 and an ultrahigh discharge capacity of 5088.1 mA h g−1 at a current density of 1000 mA g−1. When the cut-off capacity is 1000 mA h g−1, the battery with the Ni3S2@N,S-PCT-800 electrode can achieve cycling stability for 148 cycles. This research provides a new solution for the design of lithium–air batteries with high electrocatalytic performance.

Li ion conducting garnets have been attracting considerable interest for use as the electrolyte in all solid-state batteries, due to their high ionic conductivity and wide electrochemical stability window. Consequently, there have been a number of doping studies aimed at optimising the conductivity, focusing on both doping in Li7La3Zr2O12 and Li5La3(Nb/Ta)2O12 systems. In this paper, we report a detailed study of Pr doping in Li5La3Nb2O12, and show that this is a rare example of an ambi-site dopant, being able to be doped onto either the La or Nb site. Interestingly the resultant Pr oxidation state is determined by the site substitution, with oxidation states of 3+ for the La site, and 4+ for the Nb site. While the conductivity is essentially unchanged for the La site substitution, Pr4+ substitution on the Nb site leads to a large increase in the conductivity associated with the increase in Li content (Li5+xLa3Nb2−xPrxO12) up to 0.56 mS cm−1 (at 50 °C) for x = 0.8. Overall, this work highlights the flexibility of these garnet materials to doping, and suggests that further consideration of site substitution be considered for other dopants.

In this study, FeOx and CoOx thin films were successively and uniformly coated on high-surface-area carbon nanotubes by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition, which formed a heterojunction of the two oxides. As an electrocatalyst in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), CoOx/FeOx/CNTs showed excellent electrocatalytic performance in terms of catalytic activity and stability. The overpotential of CoOx/FeOx/CNTs in OER was only 308 mV at 10 mA cm−2, which was lower than those of the pure oxides: CoOx/CNTs (392 mV) and FeOx/CNTs (406 mV). The as-prepared electrocatalyst also displayed better stability than the reference RuO2 material, with almost no attenuation of current density in contrast to the 10% loss seen with RuO2. The OER performance of CoOx/FeOx/CNTs was superior to those of its oxide components due to the formation of heterojunction, which led to a smoother reaction path and a lower overpotential for OER compared to pure oxides, as supported by the density-functional theory (DFT) calculations. These results provide a new direction for the preparation of electrocatalysts for metal–air batteries and water splitting reactions.

Carbon capture is widely recognised as an essential strategy to meet global goals for climate protection. Although various CO2 capture technologies including absorption, adsorption and membrane exist, they are not yet mature for post-combustion power plants mainly due to high energy penalty. Hence researchers are concentrating on developing non-aqueous solvents like ionic liquids, CO2-binding organic liquids, nanoparticle hybrid materials and microencapsulated sorbents to minimize the energy consumption for carbon capture. This research aims to develop a novel and efficient approach by encapsulating sorbents to capture CO2 in a cold environment. The conventional emulsion technique was selected for the microcapsule formulation by using 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) as the core sorbent and silicon dioxide as the shell. This paper reports the findings on the formulated microcapsules including key formulation parameters, microstructure, size distribution and thermal cycling stability. Furthermore, the effects of microcapsule quality and absorption temperature on the CO2 loading capacity of the microcapsules were investigated using a self-developed pressure decay method. The preliminary results have shown that the AMP microcapsules are promising to replace conventional sorbents.

Highly efficient, stable, and metal-free supramolecular photocatalysts for H2 production are uncommon and of significant interest. In this study, a donor-acceptor (D-A) cyanocarbazole-based supramolecule (2CzPN) is assembled by intermolecular C≡N⋅⋅⋅H-Ar H-bonding interactions to form an efficient, stable, and metal-free photocatalyst for H2 evolution. The catalyst affords an H2 production rate of 91.8 μmol h-1 (20 mg of samples, λ>420 nm) and a corresponding apparent quantum efficiency of 7.5 % at 420 nm. The photon-generated carrier separation of the 2CzPN supramolecule, which is higher than that of the analogous polymer, can be attributed to the strong D-A characteristics and high crystallinity. This study offers the first experimental evidence of visible-light H2 evolution among D-A cyanocarbazole-based supramolecules and it enriches the variety of supramolecular photocatalysts. This stable and effective metal-free 2CzPN supramolecular photocatalyst has obvious advantages among very few supramolecular photocatalysts for H2 production.

The influence of the processing conditions on the interfacial and electrical properties of the high-k/SiGe gate stacks based on ozone oxidation is investigated. Detailed analyses of the relationship between the interface chemical structures and the corresponding electrical properties, as a function of oxidation time, reveal that the change in the distribution of the Ge atoms is the dominant factor to achieve superior electrical properties. In addition, the increase in the ratio of Si 4+ to Si 3+ of the oxide interlayer can help decrease the interface trap densities. These results provide us an important passivation route for the high-k/SiGe interface based on ozone oxidation, which is to explore an oxidation method that can realize an ultrathin interlayer including as much Si 4+ component as possible over a long oxidation time.

Lycium barbarum have received an increasing popularity due to its powerful biological activity and medicinal use. However, the effect of Lycium barbarum on skin remains largely uncharacterized. The general purpose of this paper was to characterize the phenolic compounds in Lycium barbarum extract (LBE) using LC-HRMS/QTOF method and to investigate whether topical administration of LBE can repair skin barrier dysfunction in mice. Our data demonstrated that LBE could not only decrease ROS level and matrix metalloproteinase expression, but also strengthen intrinsic antioxidant defense system including SOD, GSH-Px and CAT, thereby resulting in increased skin collagen content and an improvement of UV-induced skin erythema, thickness and wrinkles. Improved skin barrier functions were highly correlated with increased expression of filaggrin, involucrin and loricrin as well as antioxidant proteins such as Nrf2 and HO-1 in UV-irradiated mice, suggesting that LBE may be promising natural products at a lower cost for the topical application in the treatment of skin diseases with defective barrier function.

The major obstacle to treat cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) is the high prevalence of metastasis, which severely affects 5-year survival rate and quality of life for cancer patients. The DEAD-box helicase family has been reported to be a critical mediator in the development and metastasis of various cancers. DEAD-box helicase 19A (DDX19A) is a member of the DEAD-box helicase family; however, its functional role in CSCC is unclear. In this study, bioinformatics analysis of clinical samples from public databases demonstrated that the expression of DDX19A was elevated in CSCC tissues and that high expression of DDX19A was positively correlated with metastasis and poor clinical outcome. Functionally, we found that DDX19A promoted CSCC cell migration and invasion in vitro and lung metastasis in vivo. Mechanistically, overexpression of DDX19A increased NADPH oxidase 1 (NOX1) expression, enhanced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and induced the migration and invasion of CSCC cells. Rescue experiments revealed that DDX19A-induced CSCC functional alterations were dependent on NOX1 and that DDX19A-promoted CSCC metastasis was abrogated upon the inhibition of ROS. Our results demonstrated that DDX19A could promote CSCC metastasis by inducing NOX1-mediated ROS production and that blockage of the NOX1/ROS axis might serve as a potential therapeutic target for patients with DDX19A-overexpressed CSCC.

The interface passivation of the HfO2/Si0.7Ge0.3 stack is systematically investigated based on low-temperature ozone oxidation and Si-cap methods. Compared with the Al2O3/Si0.7Ge0.3 stack, the dispersive feature and interface state density (Dit) of the HfO2/Si0.7Ge0.3 stack MOS (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) capacitor under ozone direct oxidation (pre-O sample) increases obviously. This is because the tiny amounts of GeOx in the formed interlayer (IL) oxide layer are more likely to diffuse into HfO2 and cause the HfO2/Si0.7Ge0.3 interface to deteriorate. Moreover, a post-HfO2-deposition (post-O) ozone indirect oxidation is proposed for the HfO2/Si0.7Ge0.3 stack, it is found that compared with pre-O sample, the Dit of the post-O sample decreases by about 50% due to less GeOx available in the IL layer. This is because the amount of oxygen atoms reaching the interface of HfO2/Si0.7Ge0.3 decreases and the thickness of IL in the post-O sample also decreases. To further reduce the Dit of the HfO2/Si0.7Ge0.3 interface, a Si-cap passivation with the optimal thickness of 1 nm is developed and an excellent HfO2/Si0.7Ge0.3 interface with Dit of 1.53 × 1011 eV−1cm−2 @ E−Ev = 0.36 eV is attained. After detailed analysis of the chemical structure of the HfO2/IL/Si-cap/Si0.7Ge0.3 using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), it is confirmed that the excellent HfO2/Si0.7Ge0.3 interface is realized by preventing the formation of Hf-silicate/Hf-germanate and Si oxide originating from the reaction between HfO2 and Si0.7Ge0.3 substrate.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) exhibits additional reversible capacity beyond their theoretical value is promising candidates for electrodes of lithium ion batteries (LIBs). However, the sluggish kinetics, low conductivity and self-aggregating of MoS2 nanosheets hinder the practical application. Herein, ultra small few layer MoS2 combined with carbon hybrids of macro-micro-mesoporous structure (MoS2/MmC) is prepared via a simple and scalable liquid-solid-gas three-phase interface self-assembly process. When employed as anode for lithium ion batteries, such a clever structure possesses superior performance: exhibits discharge capacity of 938 mAh g−1 at current density of 200 mA g−1 following 100 cycles, and reveals reversible capacity of 843 mAh g−1 at current density of 2 A g−1 after 1000 cycles. The excellent performance is attributed to the rational design of electrode structure: ultra small few layer MoS2 nanosheets offer abundant active sites, while the 3D porous architectures are in favor of enhancing the mass-transportation and alleviating the volume expansion. These structural features greatly enhance surface reaction kinetics and facilitate the charge transport. Furthermore, Ex-situ XRD, FESEM are used to confirm the phase transformation of MoS2/MmC and verify the structure stability during the cycling. It is believed that our work opens up a new possible route for the industrial production of MoS2 based anode materials.

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is considered a potential orthopedic/dental material because of its excellent mechanical and chemical properties (e.g., similar elastic modulus to that of human bone). However, the poor bacteriostasis and anti-inflammatory and osseointegrative properties of bioinert PEEK impede its clinical application. We previously developed a facile and versatile surface modification method using dexamethasone plus minocycline-loaded liposomes (Dex/Mino liposomes) bonded by a mussel-inspired polydopamine coating, which effectively modulated cell inflammatory response and discouraged bacterial colonization in vitro. Herein, we report the application of this multifunctional surface modification method to improve bioinert PEEK, aimed at further studying the in vitro osteogenesis and in vivo properties of Dex/Mino liposome-modified PEEK to prevent bacterial contamination, attenuate the inflammatory response, and enhance ossification for physiologic osseointegration. Our study established that the Dex/Mino liposome-modified PEEK surface presented favorable stability and cytocompatibility. Compared with bare PEEK, improved osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells under both osteoinductive and osteoconductive conditions was found on the functionalized surface due to the liposomal Dex releasing. In vivo bacteriostasis assay confirmed that Mino released from the functionalized surface provided an effective antibacterial effect. Moreover, the subcutaneous foreign body reaction and beagle femur implantation models corroborated the enhanced anti-inflammatory and osteointegrative properties of the functionalized PEEK. Our findings indicate that the developed Dex/Mino liposome-modified PEEK with enhanced antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and osseointegrative capacity has great potential as an orthopedic/dental implant material for clinical application.

Well-dispersion of fillers in polymers is crucial for the preparation of mixed matrix membranes(MMMs). In this paper, COF-LZU1 particles were in-situ prepared in poly(ether-block-amide) membranes for the first time, and the as-obtained MMMs exhibited higher n-butanol/water sorption selectivity and pervaporation selectivity in comparison with that of MMMs prepared by conventional blending methods. The effects of reactants concentrations, growth temperature and solvents on property and pervaporation performance of MMMs were investigated. For the benzene-1,3,5-tricarbaldehyde (TFB) concentration of 2.0 mmol L−1, growth temperature of 70 °C, TFB to p-phenylenediamine molar ratio of 1:1.5, and solvent of n-butanol, the MMMs showed maximum separation factor (22.2) (increased by 139% in comparison with that of pristine membranes) and peameation flux of 611 g m−2 h−1, demonstrating great prospect for the recovery of n-butanol.

We investigated the microstructures and their formation mechanisms of carbonate salt based composite phase change materials (CPCMs). Such materials typically consist of a carbonate salt as the phase change material (PCM), a thermal conductivity enhancement material (TCEM) and a ceramic skeleton material (CSM) for structure stabilisation, and are mainly for medium and high temperature thermal energy storage applications. Two carbonate salt based composites were studied with one being eutectic NaLiCO3 and the other Na2CO3. MgO and graphite flakes were used respectively as the CSM and TCEM for fabricating the composite modules. A scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM-EDS) was used to observe the microstructures and the salt distribution and redistribution within the composite structures during repeated melting-solidification cycles. The results showed salt migration within the composite structure during the thermal cycling. Such a microscopic motion led to a more homogenous distribution of not only the salt but also the CSM and TCEM. At a low graphite flake loading, breakage of the graphite flake was observed, suggesting stress generation during thermal cycling. The extent of the breakage reduced with increasing graphite flake loading, suggesting the stress generation be related to microscopic motion. The MgO based CSM particles were likely to be sintered, forming a porous structure. Such a structure reduced the swelling effect partially due to the use of graphite on which the salts had a poor wettability.

Scaling of interconnect dimensions is becoming increasingly difficult due to the fast rise in line/via resistance. To alleviate this problem, Co is a high-potential alternative material of Cu or W in metallization schemes. In this work, Co interconnects is imitated, where Co1−xTix is proposed as single barrier/liner to replace conventional thick TiN/Ti bilayer structure, reserving more available space for interconnect metal to achieve overall lower line resistance. The samples with and without Co1−xTix or TiN metal capping were fabricated in attempt to optimize the whole interconnects. Meanwhile, the properties of these films with different stacking structures were comprehensively studied through material analysis instruments. In order to further evaluate the barrier ability of Co1−xTix single layer, the capacitance–voltage (C–V) and current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of MOS capacitors after thermal stress (TS) as well as bias thermal stress (BTS) were analyzed elaborately. Obtained results indicate that Co1−xTix single barrier/line is effective to enhance adhesion property and to restrain Co diffusion into SiO2 dielectric, and TiN metal capping is also indispensable for Co interconnects to improve thermal stability and to prevent Co oxidation.

Submicron PAF-56 particles with narrow size-distribution were prepared by bottom-up method for the first time, and incorporated in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes for pervaporation of 5% n-butanol solution. The effects of PAF-56 loading on the hydrophilicity, swelling degree, partition coefficient and pervaporation performance of the mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) were studied. It was found that, the PAF-56/PDMS MMMs displayed n-butanol sorption-selectivity, and the permeation flux and separation factor increased with the decreased PAF-56 particles size at the same loading, demonstrating size-effects of PAF-56 particles. With the increased PAF-56 loading, the permeation flux and separation factor exhibited maximum values at 2–2.5% loading. For MMMs with PAF-56 size of 0.83 μm and 2.5 wt% loading, the separation factor and permeation fluxes were 48.4 and 1906 g m−2 h−1 (increased by 183% and 66% in comparison with that of pristine PDMS membrane), indicating great potential in recovery of n-butanol.

The aggressive shrinkage of contact size unfortunately leads to significant increase of interconnect resistance, especially the irreducible resistance of M0 and/or M1 where thick functional TiN/Ti barrier/liner bilayer occupies too much space of interconnecting metal. In this circumstance, the pursual of alternative barrier/liner working properly is becoming a hot spot. Amorphous Co–Ti alloying film is considered as an active single barrier/liner to replace conventional thick TiN/Ti bilayer structure, achieving lower resistance of interconnects. In this work, the dedicated material properties of Co–Ti films with various content of Ti (from pure Co to pure Ti) are investigated systematically. As-fabricated Co–Ti films were comprehensively characterized in terms of crystalline structure, sheet resistance, surface and interfacial morphology as well as composition using X-ray diffraction, four-probe measurement, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscopy in conjunction with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy respectively. Obtained results show that taking the low resistivity, thermal stability and Ti segregation at both Co/Co1−xTix and Co1−xTix/SiO2 interface after annealing at 500 °C/30 min into account, the amorphous Co0.75Ti0.25 film is the most proper composition as a single barrier/liner.

The laser source with 3 μm/2 μm output wavelength has many application prospects in clinical medicine, photoelectric countermeasure, and scientific research measurement. An Er3+ doped ZBLAN fiber laser with output wavelength of 2 .8 μm and 1 .6 μm is experimentally studied. By setting the pump power to 5 W, a continuous dual-wavelength output with a central wavelength of 2.803 μm and 1.61 μm is obtained and the corresponding maximum output power is 362.4 mW and 108.6 mW. The slope efficiency is 12.1% and 4.94% respectively. What’s more, the slope efficiency is 12.1% and 4.94% respectively, and the fluctuation rates of peak power of the two wavelengths are 9.7% and 2.1% within 4 h which indicate that the laser has relatively good stability.