An Improved Harris Hawk Optimization Algorithm for Flexible Job Shop Scheduling Problem

Flexible job shop scheduling problem(FJSP)is the core decision-making problem of intelligent manufacturing production management.The Harris hawk optimization(HHO)algorithm,as a typical metaheuristic algorithm,has been widely employed to solve scheduling problems.However,HHO suffers from premature convergence when solving NP-hard problems.Therefore,this paper proposes an improved HHO algorithm(GNHHO)to solve the FJSP.GNHHO introduces an elitism strategy,a chaotic mechanism,a nonlinear escaping energy update strategy,and a Gaussian random walk strategy to prevent premature convergence.A flexible job shop scheduling model is constructed,and the static and dynamic FJSP is investigated to minimize the makespan.This paper chooses a two-segment encoding mode based on the job and the machine of the FJSP.To verify the effectiveness of GNHHO,this study tests it in 23 benchmark functions,10 standard job shop scheduling problems(JSPs),and 5 standard FJSPs.Besides,this study collects data from an agricultural company and uses the GNHHO algorithm to optimize the company’s FJSP.The optimized scheduling scheme demonstrates significant improvements in makespan,with an advancement of 28.16%for static scheduling and 35.63%for dynamic scheduling.Moreover,it achieves an average increase of 21.50%in the on-time order delivery rate.The results demonstrate that the performance of the GNHHO algorithm in solving FJSP is superior to some existing algorithms.

Trade-offs between ion-conducting and mechanical properties: The case of polyacrylate electrolytes

Polymer electrolytes(PEs)have been long recognized as the key materials to enable energy-dense batteries and render flexible energy devices practically viable,owing to their chemical and mechanical reliability.However,much of their promise is yet to be realized.The roomtemperature ion conductivity of existing PEs still falls short of the implementation criterion of 10^(-4) S cm^(-1) on the promise of acceptable mechanical properties,thereby precluding their practical application.The twin but inversely related duties of polymers,that is,functioning as both an ion-conducting medium and a structural backbone,underlie this issue but are less elucidated systematically.The polyacrylate(PA)family is among promising polymer matrices on account of ester polarity,electrode compatibility,chemical tunability,and mechanical durability.The extensive applicability of PA in plasticized gels,dry solids,and emerging composites makes PA-based PEs representative to illustrate the trade-off between ion conduction and mechanical strength.We herein seek to outline the stated long-standing conflict exemplified by PA-based PEs,focusing on crucial strategies toward balancing and reconciling the two mutually exclusive properties,with the intention of offering designing guidelines for next-generation PEs.

An in-situ generated composite solid-state electrolyte towards high-voltage lithium metal batteries

The solid-state electrolyte(SSE) has promising applications in next-generation lithium(Li) metal batteries(LMBs) because of its significantly enhanced safety and more compatible interface characteristics than flammable traditional liquid electrolytes.However,only a few attempts have achieved high-performance high-voltage LMBs,which is attributed to the fact that both high ionic conductivity and good compatibility with electrodes can hardly be achieved simultaneously.Herein,a composite solid-state electrolyte(CSE) based on star-shaped siloxane-based polymer electrolyte coupled with Li_(6.75)La_(3)Zr_(1.75)Ta_(0.25)O_(12)(LLZTO)ceramic fillers is designed and prepared through a facile in-situ polymerization method.The obtained CSE exhibits high ionic conductivity(i.e.,1.68 × 10^(-4) S cm^(-1) at a temperature of 60 ℃),superior anodic stability,and high Li-ion transference number(i.e.,0.53) because of the multifunctional synergistic effect of the polymer electrolyte with LLZTO ceramic fillers.Moreover,the as-developed CSE shows excellent compatibility with Li anodes.As a result,the as-developed CSE enables the development of long-life 4.4-V-class solid-state LMBs with a Li CoO_(2) cathode,with 79.7% capacity retention and 99.74% average Coulombic efficiency after 500 cycles at a 0.5 C rate.Postmortem analysis of cycled batteries confirms that such superior battery performance can be mainly ascribed to the formation of a compatible electrode/electrolyte interface.Furthermore,excellent safety features can be observed in LiCoO_(2)/Li pouch batteries.This work provides an important guide for the rational design of SSEs for high-voltage LMBs.