Geometry and 3D seismic characterisation of post-rift normal faults in the Pearl River Mouth Basin,northern South China Sea

Based on high-resolution 3D seismic data acquired in the Pearl(Zhujiang)River Mouth Basin of the northern South China Sea,this study investigated the geometry,spatial extension,and throw distribution of the post-rift normal fault through detailed seismic interpretation and fault modeling.A total of 289 post-rift normal faults were identified in the study area and can be classified into four types:(1)isolated normal faults above the carbonate platform;(2)isolated normal faults cutting through the carbonate platform;(3)conjugate normal faults,and(4)connecting normal faults.Throw distribution analysis on the fault planes show that the vertical throw profiles of most normal fault exhibit flat-topped profiles.Isolated normal faults above the carbonate platform exhibit roughly concentric ellipses with maximum throw zones in the central section whereas the normal faults cutting through the carbonate platform miss the lowermost section due to the chaotic seismic reflections in the interior of the carbonate platform.The vertical throws of conjugate normal faults anomalously decrease toward their intersection region on the fault plane whereas the connecting normal faults present two maximum throw zones in the central section of the fault plane.According to the symmetric elliptical distribution model of fault throw,an estimation was made indicating that normal faults cutting through the carbonate platform extended downward between-1308 s and-1780 s(two-way travel time)in depth and may not penetrate the entire Liuhua carbonate platform.Moreover,it is observed that the distribution of karst caves on the top of the carbonate platform disaccord with those of hydrocarbon reservoirs and the post-rift normal faults cutting through the carbonate platform in the study area.We propose that these karst caves formed most probably by corrosive fluids derived from magmatic activities during the Dongsha event,rather than pore waters or hydrocarbons.

Three-in-one fire-retardant poly(phosphate)-based fast ion-conductor for all-solid-state lithium batteries

The development of flame retardant or nonflammable electrolytes is the key to improve the safety of lithium batteries,owing to inflammable organic solvents and polymer matrix in common liquid and polymer electrolytes regarded as the main cause of battery fire.Herein,a series of solid-state polyphosphate oligomers(SPPO)as a three-in-one electrolyte that integrated the roles of lithium salt,dissociation matrix,and flame retardant were synthesized.The well-designed SPPO electrolytes showed an optimal ionic conductivity of 5.5×10^(-4)S cm-1at 30℃,an acceptable electrochemical window up to 4.0 V vs.Li/Li+,and lithium ion transference number of 0.547.Stable Li-ion stripping/plating behavior for 500 h of charge-discharge cycles without internal short-circuit in a Li|SPPO|Li cell was confirmed,together with outstanding interface compatibility between the SPPO electrolyte and lithium foil.The optimal Li|SPPO|LiFePO4cell presented good reversible discharge capacity of 149.4 mA h g-1at 0.1 C and Coulombic efficiency of 96.4%after 120 cycles.More importantly,the prepared SPPO cannot be ignited by the lighter fire and show a limited-oxygen-index value as high as 35.5%,indicating splendid nonflammable nature.The SPPO could be a promising candidate as a three-in-one solid-state electrolyte for the improved safety of rechargeable lithium batteries.

Poly(carbonate)-based ionic plastic crystal fast ion-conductor for solid-state rechargeable lithium batteries

Liquid plasticizers with a relatively higher dielectric coefficient like ethylene carbonate(EC),propylene carbonate(PC),and ethyl methyl carbonate(EMC) are the most commonly used electrolyte materials in commercial rechargeable lithium batteries(LIBs) due to their outstanding dissociation ability to lithium salts.However,volatility and fluidity result in their inevitable demerits like leakage and potential safety problem of the final LIBs.Here we for the first time device a subtle method to prepare a novel thermal-stable and non-fluid poly(carbonate) solid-state electrolyte to merge EC with lithium carriers.To this aim,a series of carbonate substituted imidazole ionic plastic crystals(G-NTOC) with different polymerization degrees have been synthesized.The resulting G-NTOC shows an excellent solid-state temperature window(R.T.-115℃).More importantly,the maximum ionic conductivity and lithium transference number of the prepared G-NTOC reach 0.36 × 10^(-3) S cm^(-1) and 0.523 at 30℃,respectively.Galvanostatic cycling test results reveal that the developed G-NTOC solid-state electrolytes are favorable to restraining the growth of lithium dendrite due to the excellent compatibility between the electrode and the produced plastic crystal electrolyte.The fabricated LiIG-NTOCILiFeP04 all-solid-state cell initially delivers a maximum discharge capacity of 152.1 mAh g^(-1) at the discharge rate of 0.1 C.After chargingdischarging the cell for 60 times,Coulombic efficiency of the solid-state cell still exceeds 97%.Notably,the LiIG-NTOCILiFeP04 cell can stably light a commercial LED with a rated power of 0.06 W for more than1 h at 30℃,and the output power nearly maintains unchanged with the charging-discharging cycling test,implying a sizeable potential application in the next generation of solid-state LIBs.

Organic fast ion-conductor with ordered Li-ion conductive nano-pathways and high ionic conductivity for electrochemical energy storage

Solid electrolyte(SE)is the most crucial factor to fabricate safe and high-performance all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries.However,the most commonly reported SE,including solid polymer electrolyte(SPE)and inorganic oxides and sulfides,suffer problems of low ionic conductivity at room temperature for SPE and large interfacial impedance with electrodes for inorganic electrolytes.Here we for the first time demonstrate a novel ionic plastic crystal lithium salt solid electrolyte(OLiSSE)fast ion-conductor dilithium(1,3-diethyl-4,5-dicarboxylate)imidazole bromide with ordered Li-ion conductive nanopathways and an exceptional ionic conductivity of 4.4×10^(−3)Scm^(−1)at 30℃.The prepared OLiSSE exhibits apparent characters of typical ionic plastic crystals in the temperature range of−20 to 70℃,and shows remarkable thermal stability and electrochemical stability below 150℃ and 4.7 V,respectively.No lithium dendrite or short circuit behavior is detected for the Li|OLiSSE|Li cell after the galvanostatic charge-discharge test for 500 h.The fabricated Li|OLiSSE|LiFePO_(4) all-solid-state cell without using any separator and liquid plasticizer directly delivers an initial discharge capacity of 151.4 mAh g^(−1) at the discharge rate of 0.1 C,and shows excellent charge-discharge cycle stability,implying large potential application in the next generation of safe and flexible all-solid-state lithium batteries.

Analysis of bearing capacity of pile foundation in discontinued permafrost regions

Piles are the main building foundation in permafrost regions. Thawing the permafrost foundation would have a negative effect on a pile, and may cause damage to the building. This paper focuses on the effects of negative friction force due to the melt of permafrost, and presents four calculated methods for bearing capacity of a pile. An engineering station was taken as an example, where the lengths of a pile were compared based on four methods. Finally, quick field load tests were carried out, and some meaningful conclusions are presented. Thus, these analytical results can be used to design a pile for permafrost regions.

Age estimation of the mid-Pleistocene microtektite event in the South China Sea: A case showing the complexity of the sea-land correlation

The present study confirms the stratigraphical position of microtektite layer being clearly located below the Brunhes/Matuyama (B/M) boundary. Based on the sedimentation rate derived from the stable isotopic and magnetic data of ODP Site 772A, cores 17957 and 17959 in the South China Sea, the age of the mid-Pleistocene impact event was estimated at 10-12 ka earlier than the Brunhes-Matuyama polarity reversal. However, the microtektites were found above the measured B/M boundary in the loess profile due to the downward deviation of the measured B/M boundary from its true position. This demonstrates the complexity of paleo-magnetic records in the loess profiles which, in turn, causes the confusion in the sea-land stratigraphic correlation.

Inertial Motion Tracking on Mobile and Wearable Devices:Recent Advancements and Challenges

Motion tracking via Inertial Measurement Units(IMUs)on mobile and wearable devices has attracted significant interest in recent years.High-accuracy IMU-tracking can be applied in various applications,such as indoor navigation,gesture recognition,text input,etc.Many efforts have been devoted to improving IMU-based motion tracking in the last two decades,from early calibration techniques on ships or airplanes,to recent arm motion models used on wearable smart devices.In this paper,we present a comprehensive survey on IMU-tracking techniques on mobile and wearable devices.We also reveal the key challenges in IMU-based motion tracking on mobile and wearable devices and possible directions to address these challenges.

Spotlight: Hot Target Discovery and Localization with Crowdsourced Photos

Camera-equipped mobile devices are encouraging people to take more photos and the development and growth of social networks is making it increasingly popular to share photos online. When objects appear in overlapping Fields Of View(FOV), this means that they are drawing much attention and thus indicates their popularity. Successfully discovering and locating these objects can be very useful for many applications, such as criminal investigations, event summaries, and crowdsourcing-based Geographical Information Systems(GIS).Existing methods require either prior knowledge of the environment or intentional photographing. In this paper, we propose a seamless approach called 'Spotlight', which performs passive localization using crowdsourced photos.Using a graph-based model, we combine object images across multiple camera views. Within each set of combined object images, a photographing map is built on which object localization is performed using plane geometry. We evaluate the system’s localization accuracy using photos taken in various scenarios, with the results showing our approach to be effective for passive object localization and to achieve a high level of accuracy.

Multi-3D hierarchical biomass-based carbon particles absorber for solar desalination and thermoelectric power generator

To meet challenges of the global energy crisis and the freshwater resources shortage,the interfacial solarto-steam conversion(ISSC)system was developed quickly in recent years.The photothermal materials play an important role in the ISSC system.We are devoted to developing a unique photothermal material integrating multiple 3 D design philosophy both at macroscopic and microscopic levels by employing the cost-effective and widespread resources like straw,rose and coffee grounds,for carbonization as solar absorbers.The biomass-based carbonized particles(CPs)possess three major advantages:(1)wide sizedistribution is accessible to form 3 D porous rough surface of absorber layer to enhance ability of light absorption;(2)the pristine hierarchical microstructure could absorb nearly all the incident light;(3)the intrinsic vascular bundles with pores on their lumen walls provide a rapid and omnidirectional transport for water and steam escape.A high-efficient solar steam device was fabricated based on the absorber material with its internal 3 D micro textures and external 3 D architectures.Under the illumination of 1 sun,the photothermal conversion efficiency of straw,rose and coffee CPs can reach 93.4%,92.8% and 76%,respectively.Simultaneously,a high-efficient solar thermoelectric generator(STEG)is made by coating CPs on a commercial thermoelectric generator and the maximum power of STEG can reach 538.0μW.Such scalable biomass-based photothermal materials and high-grade thermoelectric conversion capability could be applied to the water purification and the electricity production.