Search

Metal–air batteries including Li–air, Na–air, Al–air, and Zn–air, have received significant scientific and technological interest for at least the last three decades. The interest stems primarily from the fact that the electrochemically active material (O2) in the cathode can in principle be harvested from the surroundings. In practice, however, parasitic reactions with reactive components other than oxygen in dry air passivate the anode, limit cycling stability of air-sensitive (e.g., Li, Na, Al) and electrolyte-sensitive (e.g., Zn) anodes, in most cases obviating the energy-density benefits of harvesting O2 from ambient air. As a compromise, so-called metal–oxygen batteries in which pure O2 is used as the active cathode material have been extensively studied but are understood to be of little practical relevance because of the large infrastructure required to produce the pure O2 stream. Here, we report on the design of solid-ion conductive chemically inert metal interphases that simultaneously protect a metal anode from parasitic reactions with electrolyte components and which facilitate rapid interfacial ion transport. Interphases composed of indium (In) are reported to be of particular interest for protecting Li and Na anodes from passivation in air whereas interphases composed of Sn are shown to prevent chemical and electrochemical corrosion of Zn anodes in alkaline electrolytes. We report further that these protections enable so-called self-sufficient metal–air batteries capable of extended cycling stability in ambient air environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the application of titanium dioxide (TiO2) in the context of the photoelectrochemical photocurrent switching (PEPS) effect has been extensively explored, offering significant potential for TiO2 materials in areas such as logic gates, biosensing, and communications. Ti ions exist in multiple oxidation states, with each state exhibiting different photoelectrochemical activities, playing a crucial role in regulating the PEPS effect. However, research in this area remains relatively scarce. In this study, we utilized a thermal annealing method to modulate the oxidation states of Ti ions in TiO2 nanofilms and investigated their respective PEPS effects. No bipolar behavior of the photocurrent was observed in untreated or low-temperature annealed amorphous TiO2 thin nanofilms, whereas clear bipolar behavior was evident in the high-temperature annealed rutile TiO2. This phenomenon was primarily attributed to the high activity of Ti3+ ions introduced by the phase transition, enabling photogenerated electrons to overcome the semiconductor–electrolyte potential barrier and participate in the reduction reaction within the solution. Furthermore, our research revealed a remarkable phenomenon where the potential barrier between high-temperature annealed rutile TiO2 nanofilms and the electrolyte is influenced by the wavelength of the incident light source, leading to a reversal in current polarity under 254 and 365 nm illumination. This effect was a result of the accumulation of photogenerated electrons at the semiconductor/electrolyte interface, creating an opposing built-in electric field that lowered the potential barrier between the semiconductor and electrolyte. Finally, we constructed externally biased tunable Boolean logic gates based on rutile TiO2 nanofilms, utilizing varying wavelengths of solar-blind ultraviolet light as input sources. This innovative approach offers a pathway toward achieving the multifunctional integration of optoelectronic devices in the post-Moore era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Phyllanthus emblica, which is a dual-use resource for medicine and food, is a dried and mature fruit of Phyllanthus emblica in Euphorbiaceae plant. It is rich in various compounds, including amino acids, flavonoids, terpenoids, volatile oils, etc. Phyllanthus emblica extract has various biological activities, including anti microbial infection, antioxidation, anti-tumor, lowering blood lipids and blood sugar, lowering blood pressure and tonifying. The commonly used extraction methods for different components include solvent method, ultrasonic assisted method, impregnation method, enzyme assisted method, subcritical water extraction method, microwave assisted method, reflux method, decompression method, etc. The article provides a summary of the various chemical components in Phyllanthus emblica, outlines the extraction methods for each component, discusses the optimal extraction conditions, and compares the advantages and disadvantages of different methods, summarizes the research of Phyllanthus emblica in animal husbandry, to provide reference for the application of Phyllanthus emblica extract in animal husbandry production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fouling is inevitable on the surfaces of industrial equipment, especially on heat-exchanging surfaces in contact with fluids, which causes water pollution and destroys the ecological environment. In this paper, a novel fouling-removal methodology for plate structure based on cavitation by multi-frequency ultrasonic guided waves is proposed, which can remove fouling on stainless steel plates. A numerical simulation method has been developed to study the acoustic pressure distribution on a steel plate. According to the simulation results, the distribution of sound pressure on the plate under triple-frequency excitation is denser and more prone to cavitation than in single-frequency cases and dual-frequency cases, which improves fouling removal rate. The stainless steel plate is immersed in water for the descaling experiment, and the results show that the fouling removal rates of three water-loaded stainless steel plates under different single-frequency excitation seem unsatisfactory. However, the multi-frequency excitation improves the descaling performance and the removal rate of fouling reaches 80%. This new method can be applied to the surface descaling of large equipment plates, which is of great significance for purifying water quality and protecting the ecological environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of resin toughening, rubber particles usually play a role in absorbing stress and inducing crazing, and the size of rubber particles has an important influence on the toughening effect. Poly(butyl acrylate) (PBA) with different sizes was prepared by seed lotion polymerization. Based on PBA, acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate (ASA) grafted polymers with different sizes were prepared. ASA/SAN blends were prepared by melt blending of ASA grafted polymers and styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN) resin. The successful synthesis of ASA grafted polymer was proved by infrared spectrometer. The toughening effect of ASA grafted polymer on SAN resin was investigated under single particle and the synergistic effect of large and small particles. The results show that when the particle size of PBA is 398.7 nm, the impact strength of SAN/ASA blend reaches 360.6 J/m, and the yield strength is the lowest. The ASA graft polymer prepared by small particle PBA (particle size 98.5 nm) and large particle PBA (particle size 602.9 nm) at a ratio of 70/30 is blended with SAN resin, and the impact performance is up to 603.7 J/m, and it has good elongation at break. The (tanδ)max of SAN/ASA blends is affected by the ratio of large and small particles. The storage modulus of SAN/ASA blend increase significantly at the ratio of 50/50, and the large and small particles showes good synergistic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]