Sn nucleation and growth from Sn(II)dissolved in ethylene glycol:Electrochemical behavior and temperature effect

Thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of Sn nucleation and growth processes onto a glassy carbon electrode from SnCl2·2H2O dissolved in ethylene glycol solutions were studied.Typical reduction and oxidation peaks observed in voltammograms have demonstrated the capability of ethylene glycol solutions to electrodeposit Sn.The temperature-dependence of diffusion coefficient values derived from potentiodynamic and potentiostatic studies helped to determine and validate estimations of the activation energy for Sn(II)bulk diffusion.Chronoamperometric results have identified that,the suitable model to describe the early stage of Sn electrodeposition could be composed of Sn three-dimensional nucleation and diffusion-controlled growth and water reduction contributions,which was duly validated by theoretical and experimental approaches.From the model,typical kinetic parameters such as the nucleation frequency of Sn(A),number density of Sn nuclei(N_(0)),and diffusion coefficient of Sn(II)ions(D),were determined.The presence of Sn nuclei with excellent quality and their structures were verified using SEM,EDX,and XRD techniques.

Na_(3)P interphase reduces Na nucleation energy enabling stable anode-less sodium metal batteries

Sodium metal batteries(SMBs)are rising as viable alternatives to lithium-ion systems due to their superior energy density and sodium's relative abundance.However,SMBs face significant impediments,particularly the exceedingly high negative-to-positive capacity ratios(N/P ratios)which severely encumber energy density and hinder their practical application.Herein,a novel nucleophilic Na_(3)P interphase on aluminum foil has been designed to significantly lower the nucleation energy barrier for sodium atom deposition,resulting in a remarkable reduction of nucleation overpotential and efficient mitigation of dendritic growth at high sodium deposition of 5 mA h cm^(−2).The interphase promotes stable cycling in anode-less SMB configurations with a low N/P ratio of 1.4 and high cathode mass loading of 11.5 mg cm^(−2),and demonstrates a substantial increase in high capacity retention of 92.4%after 500 cycles even under 1 C rate condition.This innovation signifies a promising leap forward in the development of high-energy-density,anode-less SMBs,offering a potential solution to the longstanding issues of cycle stability and energy efficiency.

Driving inward growth of lithium metal in hollow microcapsule hosts by heteroatom‐controlled nucleation

The application of Li metal anodes in rechargeable batteries is impeded by safety issues arising from the severe volume changes and formation of dendritic Li deposits.Three‐dimensional hollow carbon is receiving increasing attention as a host material capable of accommodating Li metal inside its cavity;however,uncontrollable and nonuniform deposition of Li remains a challenge.In this study,we synthesize metal–organic framework‐derived carbon microcapsules with heteroatom clusters(Zn and Ag)on the capsule walls and it is demonstrated that Ag‐assisted nucleation of Li metal alters the outward‐to‐inward growth in the microcapsule host.Zn‐incorporated microcapsules are prepared via chemical etching of zeolitic imidazole framework‐8 polyhedra and are subsequently decorated with Ag by a galvanic displacement reaction between Ag^(+) and metallic Zn.Galvanically introduced Ag significantly reduces the energy barrier and increases the reaction rate for Li nucleation in the microcapsule host upon Li plating.Through combined electrochemical,microstructural,and computational studies,we verify the beneficial role of Ag‐assisted Li nucleation in facilitating inward growth inside the cavity of the microcapsule host and,in turn,enhancing electrochemical performance.This study provides new insights into the design of reversible host materials for practical Li metal batteries.

Ribosome-inspired electrocatalysts inducing preferential nucleation and growth of three-dimensional lithium sulfide for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries

Nucleation of lithium sulfide(Li_(2)S)induced by electrocatalysts plays a crucial role in mitigating the shut-tle effect.However,short-chain polysulfides on electrocatalysts surfaces tend to re-dissolve into elec-trolytes,delaying Li_(2)S supersaturation and its nucleation.In this study,we draw inspiration from the ribosome-driven protein synthesis process in cells to prepare ultrasmall nitrogen-doped MoS_(2) nanocrys-tals anchored on porous nitrogen-doped carbon networks(N-MoS_(2)-NC)electrocatalysts.Excitedly,the ex-situ SEM demonstrates that ribosome-inspired N-MoS_(2)-NC electrocatalysts induce early nucleation and rapid growth of three-dimensional Li_(2)s during discharge.Theoretical calculations reveal that the Li-s bond length in N-MoS_(2)-Li_(2)S(100)is shorter,and the corresponding interfacial formation energy is lower than in MoS_(2)-Li_(2)S(100).This accelerated conversion of lithium polysulfides to Li_(2)S can enhance the utilization of active substances and inhibit the shuttle effect.This study highlights the potential of ribosome-inspired N-MoS_(2)-NC in improving the electrochemical stability of Li-S batteries,providing valuable insights for future electrocatalyst design.

Kinetic nucleation of primary α(Al) dendrites in Al-7%Si-Mg cast alloys with Ce and Sr additions

Nucleation of dendritic primaryα（Al） phase with addition of element Ce and Sr in hypoeutectic Al-7%Si-Mg cast alloy was investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） and scanning electron microscopy. DSC results were used to calculate the activation energy and nucleation work of primaryα（Al） phase. The results show that the values of activation energy and nucleation work are decreased and the nucleation frequency is increased with the additions of Ce and Sr to the alloys. Moreover, the grain size of dendriticα（Al） phase is well refined, and the nucleation temperatures of primaryα（Al） dendrites are decreased with the additions of Ce and Sr. The effects of elements Ce and Sr additions on kinetic nucleation of primary α（Al） phases were also discussed in hypoeutectic Al-7%Si-Mg cast alloy.

Nucleation of Supercooled Water by Neutrons: Latitude Dependence and Implications for Cloud Modelling

It has recently been shown that incident particles, neutrons, can initiate the freezing in a supercooled water volume. This new finding may have ramifications for the interpretation of both experimental data on the nucleation of laboratory samples of supercooled water and perhaps more importantly on the interpretation of ice nucleation involved in cloud physics. For example, if some fraction of the cloud nucleation previously attributed to dust, soot, or aerosols has been caused by cosmogenic neutrons, fresh consideration is required in the context of climate models. Moreover, as cosmogenic neutrons, most being muon-induced, have much greater flux at high latitudes, estimates of ice nucleates in these regions may be larger than required to accurately model cloud and condensation properties. This discrepancy has been pointed out in IPCC reports. Our paper discusses the connection between the new concept of neutrons nucleating supercooled water and the need for a new source of nucleation in high latitude clouds, ideally causing others to review current data, or to analyse future data with this idea in mind. .

Nucleation Thermodynamics inside Micro/nanocavity

A thermodynamic approach at the nanometer scale was performed for the heterogeneous nucleation inside nanocavity, and an analytical expression of the critical energy of nucleation was evaluated considering a rough ball nucleus nucleating inside nanocavity. Compared with the case of the nucleation locating on planar or convex substrate, the critical energy of nucleation inside the concave substrate is the smallest. Based on the thermodynamic and kinetic analyses, at low supersaturation, the smaller the curvature radius of cavity and/or the smaller the contact angle, the smaller the critical energy of nucleation, and the larger the nucleation rate. At high supersaturation, the nucleation rate increases with increasing the contact angle and/or increasing the curvature radius of cavity. In this way, at the low supersaturation, the heterogeneous nucleation rate is larger than the homogeneous one, as the nucleation rate is mainly determined by the heterogeneous nucleation. At the high supersaturation, the heterogeneous nucleation rate is smaller than the homogeneous one, as the nucleation rate is mainly determined by the homogeneous nucleation.

Nucleation and growth of eutectic cell in hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy

The nucleation and growth of eutectic cell in hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy was investigated using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy equipped with electron backscattering diffraction（EBSD）.By revealing the eutectic cells and analyzing the crystallographic orientation,it was found that both the eutectic Si and Al phases in an eutectic cell were not single crystal,representing an eutectic cell consisting of small ＇grains＇.It is also suggested that the eutectic nucleation mode can not be determined based on the crystallographic orientation between eutectic Al phases and the neighboring primary dendrite Al phases.However,the evolution of primary dendrite Al phases affects remarkably the following nucleation and growth of eutectic cell.The coarse flake-fine fibrous transition of eutectic Si morphology involved in impurity elements modification may be independent of eutectic nucleation.

Magnesium vapor nucleation in phase transitions and condensation under vacuum conditions

Recent findings related to coagulable magnesium vapor nucleation and growth in vacuum were assessed critically, with emphasis on understanding these processes at a fundamental molecular level. The effects of magnesium vapor pressure, condensation temperature, and condensation zone temperature gradient on magnesium vapor nucleation in phase transitions and condensation from atomic collision and coacervation with collision under vacuum conditions were discussed. Magnesium powder and magnesium lump condensates were produced under different conditions and characterized by scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy （EDS）. The right condensation zone temperature approach to the liquid transition primarily improved the magnesium vapor concentration rate. The gas-solid phase transition was primarily inhibited by setting a small condenser temperature gradient. Under the right condensation temperature and temperature gradients, increasing magnesium vapor partial pressure improved crystallization and reduced the oxidation rate.

Enhancement of nucleation of diamond films deposited on copper substrate by nickel modification layer

A Ni layer with a thickness of about 100 nm was sputtered on Cu substrates,followed by an ultrasonic seeding with nanodiamond suspension.High-quality diamond film with its crystalline grains close to thermal equilibrium shape was deposited on Cu substrates by hot-filament chemical vapor deposition（HF-CVD）,and the sp2 carbon content was less than 5.56%.The nucleation and growth of diamond film were investigated by micro-Raman spectroscopy,scanning electron microscopy,and X-ray diffraction.The results show that the nucleation density of diamond on the Ni-modified Cu substrates is 10 times higher than that on blank Cu substrates.The enhancement mechanism of the nucleation kinetics by Ni modification layer results from two effects：namely,the nanometer rough Ni-modified surface shows an improved absorption of nanodiamond particles that act as starting points for the diamond nucleation during HF-CVD process;the strong catalytic effect of the Ni-modified surface causes the formation of graphite layer that acts as an intermediate to facilitate diamond nucleation quickly.

Regional epidemic laws of poplar Ice Nucleation Active bacterial canker

Through the methods of correlation analysis and main factor analysis, the relationship between the poplar INA bacte-rial canker and circumstances was analyzed and 9 main factors for affecting the disease were selected. Based on the compre-hensive analysis of main factors and induced factors, the standard for risk grades of this disease was promoted and northeast region of China was divided into 4 districts with different risk grades: seriously occurring district, commonly occurring district, occasionally occurring district, and un-occurring district. Nonlinear regression analysis for six model curves showed that the Richard growth model was suitable for describing the temporal dynamics of poplar INA bacterial canker. By stepwise variable selection method, the multi-variable linear regression forecasting equation was set up to predict the next year抯 disease index, and the GM (1,1) model was also set up by grey method to submit middle or long period forecast.

Complex(Mn,X)S compounds-major sites for graphite nucleation in grey cast iron

Despite the cubic system, the ability of sulphides to nucleate graphite can be enhanced by inoculating elements which transform them in complex compounds with a better lattice matching to graphite, a low coagulation capacity, good stability and adequate interfacial energy. （Mn,X）S compounds, usually less than 5.0 μm in size, with an average 0.4-2.0 μm well defined core （nucleus）, were found to be important sites for graphite nucleation in grey irons. A three-stage model for the nucleation of graphite in grey irons is proposed： （1） Very small microinclusions based on strong deoxidizing elements （Mn, Si, Al, Ti, Zr） are formed in the melt; （2） Nucleation of complex （Mn,X）S compounds at these previously formed micro-inclusions; （3） Graphite nucleates on the sides of the （Mn,X）S compounds with lower crystallographic misfit. AI appears to have a key role in this process, as Al contributes to the formation of oxides in the first stage and favors the presence of Sr and Ca in the sulphides, in the second stage. The 0.005-0.010% Al range was found to be beneficial for lower undercooling solidification, type-A graphite formation and carbides avoidance.

Molecular simulation studies on natural gas hydrates nucleation and growth:A review

How natural gas hydrates nucleate and grow is a crucial scientific question.The research on it will help solve practical problems encountered in hydrate accumulation,development,and utilization of hydrate related technology.Due to its limitations on both spatial and temporal dimensions,experiment cannot fully explain this issue on a micro-scale.With the development of computer technology,molecular simulation has been widely used in the study of hydrate formation because it can observe the nucleation and growth process of hydrates at the molecular level.This review will assess the recent progresses in molecular dynamics simulation of hydrate nucleation and growth,as well as the enlightening significance of these developments in hydrate applications.At the same time,combined with the problems encountered in recent hydrate trial mining and applications,some potential directions for molecular simulation in the research of hydrate nucleation and growth are proposed,and the future of molecular simulation research on hydrate nucleation and growth is prospected.

Suppression of ice nucleation in supercooled water under temperature gradients

Understanding the behaviours of ice nucleation in non-isothermal conditions is of great importance for the preparation and retention of supercooled water. Here ice nucleation in supercooled water under temperature gradients is analyzed thermodynamically based on classical nucleation theory(CNT). Given that the free energy barrier for nucleation is dependent on temperature, different from a uniform temperature usually used in CNT, an assumption of linear temperature distribution in the ice nucleus was made and taken into consideration in analysis. The critical radius of the ice nucleus for nucleation and the corresponding nucleation model in the presence of a temperature gradient were obtained. It is observed that the critical radius is determined not only by the degree of supercooling, the only dependence in CNT, but also by the temperature gradient and even the Young's contact angle. Effects of temperature gradient on the change in free energy, critical radius,nucleation barrier and nucleation rate with different contact angles and degrees of supercooling are illustrated successively.The results show that a temperature gradient will increase the nucleation barrier and decrease the nucleation rate, particularly in the cases of large contact angle and low degree of supercooling. In addition, there is a critical temperature gradient for a given degree of supercooling and contact angle, at the higher of which the nucleation can be suppressed completely.

EFFECT OF NEGATIVE BIAS ON DIAMOND NUCLEATION IN MICROWAVE PLASMA ASSISTED CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION SYSTEM

Effect of direct current negative bias on diamond nucleation in microwave plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition system was discussed. The influence of the magnitude of negative bias value,bias duration and methane concentration in the gas mixture on nucleation density of diamond films was studied respectively. It is demonstrated that direct current negative bias can drastically enhance the diamond nucleation at a suitable value.Long bias duration and high methane concentration are helpful for diamond nucleation.

Effect of Impurity on Critical Conditions of Colloidal Cluster Nucleation in Colloidal System

Due to depletion interactions, a few of colloidal spheres will be packed into cluster or clusters, even a phase transition may take place if the volume fraction of system is large enough. In a binary colloidal system, if the mole fraction of one component is very small, then it can be taken as the impurity of the other component. In this work, the effect of impurity on critical conditions of colloidal cluster nucleation was studied by Carnahan-Starling state equation and the principle of entropy maximum. The results show that, even the mole fraction of small-spheres is very small, the critical volume fraction is obvious smaller than that of one component system, so the influence on critical volume fraction from impurity is very huge and cannot be ignored. In addition, it is also found that, the larger the volume fraction of the system is, the larger cluster density can be packed, however, the critical size of nucleating cluster is almost independent of the density of the cluster.

Crystal Growth and Nucleation in Glasses in the Lithium Silicate System

The crystal growth and nucleation in glasses in the lithium silicate system have been investigated. Phase separation in ultimately homogenized glasses of the lithium silicate system xLi2O·(100 ﹣ x)SiO2 (where x = 23.4, 26.0, 29.1, and 33.5 mol% Li2O) has been studied. The glasses of these compositions have been homogenized using the previously established special temperature-time conditions, which make it possible to provide a maximum dehydration and removal of bubbles from the glass melt. The parameters of nucleation and growth of phase separated in homogeneities and homogeneous crystal nucleation have been determined. The absolute values of the stationary nucleation rates Ist of lithium disilicate crystals in the 23.4Li2O·76.6SiO2, 26Li2O·74SiO2 and 29.1Li2O·70.9SiO2 glasses with the compositions lying in the metastable phase separation region have been compared with the corresponding rates Ist for the glass of the stoichiometric lithium disilicate composition 33.51Li2O·66.5SiO2. It has been found that the crystal growth rate has a tendency toward a monotonic increase with an increase in the temperature, whereas the dependences of the crystal growth rate on the time of low temperature heat treatment exhibit an oscillatory behavior with a monotonic decrease in the absolute value of oscillations. The character of crystallization in glasses with the compositions lying in the phase separation region of the Li2O-SiO2 system is compared with that in the glass of the stoichiometric lithium disilicate composition. The conclusion has been made that the phase separation weakly affects the nucleation parameters of the lithium disilicate and has a strong effect on the crystal growth.

Influence of Surface Ultrasonic Scratching Pretreatment on Diamond Nucleation

Influence of the surface ultrasonic scratching pretreatment on diamond nucletion has been studied.Diamond films have been deposited on Si(100) by hot-filament chemical vapour deposition and characterized by scanning electron microscopy. 1.5～40μm diamond powders and mixtures of 1.5～5μm diamond as well as 5～20μm TaC powders were used in the ultrasonic scratching pretreatment. The experiment results show that thediamond nucleation density increases with increment of diamond powders size, and a mixture of diamond and TaCpowders enhances diamond nucleation much more greatly than that of diamond powders alone, especially when thesize of diamond powdets is not very large.

Fundamental mechanisms and phenomena of clathrate hydrate nucleation

Insights into the mechanism of hydrate nucleation are of great significance for the development of hydrate-based technologies,hydrate relevant flow assurance,and the exploration of in situ natural gas hydrates.Compared with the thermodynamics of hydrate formation,understanding the nucleation mechanism is challenging and has drawn substantial attention in recent decades.In this paper,we attempt to give a comprehensive review of the recent progress of studies of clathrate hydrate nucleation.First,the existing hypotheses on the hydrate nucleation mechanism are introduced and discussed.Then,we summarize recent experimental studies on induction time,a key parameter evaluating the velocity of the nucleation process.Subsequently,the memory effect is particularly discussed,followed by the suggestion of several promising research perspectives.

Memory effect on the pressure-temperature condition and induction time of gas hydrate nucleation

The focus of this study is to investigate the influence of memory effect and the relation of its existence with the dissociation temperature,using gas hydrate formation and dissociation experiments.This is beneficial because memory effect is considered as an effective approach to promote the thermodynamic and dynamic conditions of gas hydrate nucleation.Seven experimental systems （twenty tests in total） were performed in a 1 L pressure cell.Three types of hydrate morphology,namely massive,whiskery and jelly crystals were present in the experiments.The pressures and temperatures at the time when visual hydrate crystals appeared were measured.Furthermore,the influence of memory effect was quantified in terms of pressure-temperature-time （p-T-t） relations.The results revealed that memory effect could promote the thermodynamic conditions and shorten the induction time when the dissociation temperature was not higher than 25℃.In this study,the nucleation superpressure and induction time decrease gradually with time of tests,when the earlier and the later tests are compared.It is assumed that the residual structure of hydrate dissociation,as the source of the memory effect,provides a site for mass transfer between host and guest molecules.Therefore,a driving force is created between the residual structures and its surrounding bulk phase to promote the hydrate nucleation.However,when the dissociation temperature was higher than 25 ℃,the memory effect vanished.These findings provide references for the application of memory effect in hydrate-based technology.