Biodegradable and flexible i-carrageenan based RRAM with ultralow power consumption

Transient memories,which can physically disappear without leaving traceable remains over a period of normal operation,are attracting increasing attention for potential applications in the fields of data security and green electronics.Resistive random access memory(RRAM)is a promising candidate for next-generation memory.In this context,biocompatible l-carrageenan(l-car),extracted from natural seaweed,is introduced for the fabrication of RRAM devices(Ag/l-car/Pt).Taking advantage of the complexation processes between the functional groups(C–O–C,C–O–H,et al.)and Ag metal ions,a lower migration barrier of Ag ions and a high-speed switching(22.2 ns for SET operation/26 ns for RESET operation)were achieved,resulting in an ultralow power consumption of 56 fJ.And the prepared Ag/l-car/Pt RRAM devices also revealed the capacities of multilevel storage and flexibility.In addition,thanks to the hydrophilic groups of l-car molecule,the RRAM devices can be rapidly dissolved in deionized(DI)water within 13 minutes,showing excellent transient characteristics.This work demonstrates that l-car based RRAM devices have great potential for applications in secure storage applications,flexible electronics and transient electronics.

Highly mass activity electrocatalysts with ultralow Pt loading on carbon black for hydrogen evolution reaction

Pt-based nanocatalysts offer excellent prospects for various industries.However,the low loading of Pt with excellent performance for efficient and stable nanocatalysts still presents a considerable challenge.In this study,nanocatalysts with ultralow Pt content,excellent performance,and carbon black as support were prepared through in-situ synthesis.These~2-nm particles uniformly and stably dispersed on carbon black because of the strong s-p-d orbital hybridizations between carbon black and Pt,which suppressed the agglomeration of Pt ions.This unique structure is beneficial for the hydrogen evolution reaction.The catalysts exhibited remarkable catalytic activity for hydrogen evolution reaction,exhibiting a potential of 100 mV at 100 mA·cm^(-2),which is comparable to those of commercial Pt/C catalysts.Mass activity(1.61 A/mg)was four times that of a commercial Pt/C catalyst(0.37 A/mg).The ultralow Pt loading(6.84wt%)paves the way for the development of next-generation electrocatalysts.

Charge-balanced codoping enables exceeding doping limit and ultralow thermal conductivity

Materials with low thermal conductivity are applied extensively in energy management,and breaking the amorphous limits of thermal conductivity to solids has attracted widespread attention from scientists.Doping is a common strategy for achieving low thermal conductivity that can offer abundant scattering centers in which heavier dopants always result in lower phonon group velocities and lower thermal conductivities.However,the amount of equivalent heavyatom single dopant available is limited.Unfortunately,nonequivalent heavy dopants have finite solubility because of charge imbalance.Here,we propose a charge balance strategy for SnS by substituting Sn2+with Ag^(+)and heavy Bi^(3+),improving the doping limit of Ag from 2%to 3%.Ag and Bi codoping increases the point defect concentration and introduces abundant boundaries simultaneously,scattering the phonons at both the atomic scale and nanoscale.The thermal conductivity of Ag0.03Bi0.03Sn0.94S decreased to 0.535 W·m^(−1)·K^(−1)at room temperature and 0.388 W·m^(−1)·K^(−1)at 275°C,which is below the amorphous limit of 0.450 W·m^(−1)·K^(−1)for SnS.This strategy offers a simple way to enhance the doping limit and achieve ultralow thermal conductivity in solids below the amorphous limit without precise structural modification.

Electrochemically Grown Ultrathin Platinum Nanosheet Electrodes with Ultralow Loadings for Energy-Saving and Industrial-Level Hydrogen Evolution

Nanostructured catalyst-integrated electrodes with remarkably reduced catalyst loadings,high catalyst utilization and facile fabrication are urgently needed to enable cost-effective,green hydrogen production via proton exchange membrane electrolyzer cells(PEMECs).Herein,benefitting from a thin seeding layer,bottom-up grown ultrathin Pt nanosheets(Pt-NSs)were first deposited on thin Ti substrates for PEMECs via a fast,template-and surfactant-free electrochemical growth process at room temperature,showing highly uniform Pt surface coverage with ultralow loadings and vertically well-aligned nanosheet morphologies.Combined with an anode-only Nafion 117 catalyst-coated membrane(CCM),the Pt-NS electrode with an ultralow loading of 0.015 mgPt cm−2 demonstrates superior cell performance to the commercial CCM(3.0 mgPt cm^(−2)),achieving 99.5%catalyst savings and more than 237-fold higher catalyst utilization.The remarkable performance with high catalyst utilization is mainly due to the vertically well-aligned ultrathin nanosheets with good surface coverage exposing abundant active sites for the electrochemical reaction.Overall,this study not only paves a new way for optimizing the catalyst uniformity and surface coverage with ultralow loadings but also provides new insights into nanostructured electrode design and facile fabrication for highly efficient and low-cost PEMECs and other energy storage/conversion devices.

Colonic J-pouch anal anastomosis after ultralow anterior resection with upper sphincter excision for low-lying rectal cancer

AIM:There is some evidence of functional superiority of colonic J-pouch over straight coloanal anastomosis (CM) in ultralow anterior resection (ULAR) or intersphincteric resection. On the assumption that colonic J-pouch anal anastomosis is superior to straight CM in ULAR with upper sphincter excision (USE: excision of the upper part of the internal sphincter) for low-lying rectal cancer, we compare functional outcome of colonic J-pouch vsthe straight CM. METHODS: Fifty patients of one hundred and thirty-three rectal cancer patients in whom lower margin of the tumors were located between 3 and 5 cm from the anal verge received ULAR including USE from September 1998 to January 2002. Patients were randomized for reconstruction using either a straight (n = 26) or a colonic J-pouch anastomosis (n = 24) with a temporary diverting-loop ileostomy. All patients were followed-up prospectively by a standardized questionnaire [Fecal Inco-ntinence Severity Index (FISI) scores and Fecal Incontinence Quality of Life (FIQL) scales]. RESULTS: We found that, compared to straight anastomosis patients, the frequency of defecation was significantly lower in J-pouch anastomosis patients for 10 mo after ileostomy takedown. The FISI scores and FIQL scales were significantly better in J-pouch patients than in straight patients at both 3 and 12 mo after ileostomy takedown. Furthermore, we found that FISI scores highly correlated with FIQL scales. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that colonic J-pouch anal anastomosis decreases the severity of fecal incontinence and improves the quality of life for 10 mo after ileostomy takedown in patients undergoing ULAR with USE for low-lying rectal cancer.

A comprehensive review of ultralow‑weight proppant technology

Proppant plays a critical role in the exploitation of oil and gas,especially in the development of nonconventional oil and gas resources.Proppants are small spheres that have adequate strength to withstand high closure stresses to keep cracks open;therefore,hydrocarbon fows smoothly into the wellbore.However,traditional proppants are prone to settling in hydraulic fracturing operations,which seriously afects the operation efect.To this end,ultralow-weight proppants have been extensively employed in the petroleum industry.One of the widespread forms of ultralow-weight proppant application in the oil and gas industry is related to light density.Ultralow-weight proppants will provide substantial fow paths with a considerably high propped surface area and remarkably reduce fne generation and scaling.This paper presents a comprehensive review of over 50 papers published in the past several decades on ultralow-weight proppants.The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the current ultralow-weight proppant development status in raw materials,manufacturing process,performance characteristics,hydrophobic and lipophilic capabilities,and feld application to promote the research of new ultralow-weight proppants.Lastly,this study analyzes the current challenges and emphasizes the development direction of fractured proppants.

Cooperative Chloride Hydrogel Electrolytes Enabling Ultralow-Temperature Aqueous Zinc Ion Batteries by the Hofmeister Effect

Aqueous zinc ion batteries have high potential applicability for energy storage due to their reliable safety,environmental friendliness,and low cost.However,the freezing of aqueous electrolytes limits the normal operation of batteries at low temperatures.Herein,a series of high-performance and low-cost chloride hydrogel electrolytes with high concentrations and low freezing points are developed.The electrochemical windows of the chloride hydrogel electrolytes are enlarged by>1 V under cryogenic conditions due to the obvious evolution of hydrogen bonds,which highly facilitates the operation of electrolytes at ultralow temperatures,as evidenced by the low-temperature Raman spectroscopy and linear scanning voltammetry.Based on the Hofmeister effect,the hydrogen-bond network of the cooperative chloride hydrogel electrolyte comprising 3 M ZnCl_(2)and 6 M LiCl can be strongly interrupted,thus exhibiting a sufficient ionic conductivity of 1.14 mS cm;and a low activation energy of 0.21 e V at-50℃.This superior electrolyte endows a polyaniline/Zn battery with a remarkable discharge specific capacity of 96.5 mAh g;at-50℃,while the capacity retention remains~100%after 2000 cycles.These results will broaden the basic understanding of chloride hydrogel electrolytes and provide new insights into the development of ultralow-temperature aqueous batteries.

Changing characteristics of ultralow permeability reservoirs during waterflooding operations

The characteristics of ultralow permeability reservoirs changed after waterflooding. Thin- section analysis and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） of core samples from inspection wells indicated that calcite and barite were formed in ultralow permeability reservoirs during waterflooding operations. Some asphaltene precipitates on the surface of formation rock would influence the reservoir porosity, permeability, wettability, and electrical properties. In this paper, the changes of physical, electrical, and fluid properties of ultralow permeability reservoirs during waterflooding operations were analyzed. This provides important information to improve waterflooding performance in ultralow permeability reservoirs.

Photonic synapses with ultralow energy consumption for artificial visual perception and brain storage

The human visual system,dependent on retinal cells,can be regarded as a complex combination of optical system and nervous system.Artificial retinal system could mimic the sensing and processing function of human eyes.Optically stimulated synaptic devices could serve as the building blocks for artificial retinas and subsequent information transmission system to brain.Herein,photonic synaptic transistors based on polycrystalline MoS_(2),which could simulate human visual perception and brain storage,are presented.Moreover,the photodetection range from visible light to near-infrared light of MoS_(2) multilayer could extend human eyes’vision limitation to near-infrared light.Additionally,the photonic synaptic transistor shows an ultrafast speed within 5μs and ultralow power consumption under optical stimuli about 40 aJ,several orders of magnitude lower than biological synapses(50 ms and 10 fJ).Furthermore,the backgate control could act as emotional modulation of the artificial brain to enhance or suppress memory function,i.e.the intensity of photoresponse.The proposed carrier trapping/detrapping as the main working mechanism is presented for the device.In addition,synaptic functionalities including short synaptic plasticity,long synaptic plasticity and paired-pulse facilitation could be successfully simulated based on the prepared device.Furthermore,the large difference between short synaptic plasticity and long synaptic plasticity reveals the better image pre-processing function of the prepared photonic synapses.The classical Pavlovian conditioning associated with the associative learning is successfully implemented as well.Therefore,the efficient and rich functionalities demonstrate the potential of the MoS_(2) synaptic device that integrates sensing-memory-preprocessing capabilities for realizing artificial neural networks with different emotions that mimic human retina and brain.

Study on laser welded heat-affected zone in new ultralow carbon bainitic steel

800 MPa grade ultralow carbon bainitic （NULCB） steel is the recently developed new generation steel, which was produced by thermo mechanical controlled processing ＆ relaxation-precipitation controlling transformation （TMCP＆RPC） tech- nique. The microstructure and the mechanical properties of the heat-affected zone （HAZ） in NULCB steel under laser welding conditions were investigated by using a Gleeble-1500 thermal simulator. The experimental results indicate that the simplex microstructure in the HAZ is granular bainite that consists of bainite-ferrite （BF） lath and M-A constituent when the cooling time from 800 to 500℃ （t8/5） is 0.3-30 s, and the M-A constituent consists of twinned martensite and residual austenite. As t8/5 increases, the hardness and tensile strength of HAZ decreases, but they are higher than that of the base metal, indicating the absence of softened zone after laser welding. The impact toughness of HAZ increases at first and then decreases when t8/5 increases. The impact energy of HAZ is much higher than that of the base metal when t8/5 is between 3 and 15 s. It indicates that excellent low temperature toughness can be obtained under appropriate laser welding conditions.

Ultralow Specific on-Resistance Trench MOSFET with a U-Shaped Extended Gate

An ultralow specific on-resistance （Ron,sp） trench metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor （MOSFET） with an improved off-state breakdown voltage （BV） is proposed. It features a U-shaped gate around the drift region and an oxide trench inserted in the drift region （UG MOSFET）. In the on-state, the U-shaped gate induces a high density electron accumulation layer along its sidewall, which provides a low-resistance current path from the source to the drain, realizing an ultralow Ron,sp. The value of Ron,sp is almost independent of the drift doping concentration, and thus the UG MOSFET breaks through the contradiction relationship between R p and the off-state BV. Moreover, the oxide trench folds the drift region, enabling the UG MOSFET to support a high BV with a shortened cell pitch. The UG MOSFET achieves an Ron,sp of 2 mΩ·cm^2 and an improved BV of 216 V, superior to the best existing state-of-the-art transistors at the same BV level

Heck Reactions with Ultralow Concentration of Transition Metals under Microwave Irradiation

The Heck coupling reactions of aryl halides and olefins were performed under the microwave assistance. Interestingly, the ultralow concentration of transition metals (in ppb) coming from the reactants could catalyze the Heck coupling reactions under microwave irradiation, without addition of any catalysts, ligands and phase-transfer agents. The influences of bases, solvents and temperature were discussed, and the reaction rate was enhanced largely in the mixed solvents of NMP and water due to the solubility of base in water.

High-sensitive nonthermally coupled upconversion for ultralow temperature sensing

Upconversion based nanothermometry has received much attention due to its merits of stability,narrow band emission and rich emission peaks.However,the previous works are mainly focused on the emissions from thermally coupled energy levels which is theoretically limited by Boltzmann distribution theory with resultant low temperature sensitivity in particular at ultralow temperatures.Here we report a LiYF_(4):Yb/Ho@LiYF_(4) core-shell nanostructure to improve the sensitivity at low temperatures by taking advantage of non-thermally coupled energy levels of Ho^(3+).In detail,the green upconversion emission of Ho^(3+)shows an increase with reducing temperature while its red upconversion emission presents a decline during the same process.This is primarily due to the suppression of the non-radiative multiphonon relaxation occurred at the green emitting levels(^(5)F_(4),^(5)S_(2)) and the intermediate level(^(5)I_(6)) at low temperatures.Such a feature contributes to a high relative sensitivity of 7.17%/K at 11 K,much higher than reported values.Our results provide a promising candidate for the development of nanothermometer with high-sensitive low-temperature sensing performance.

Ultralow friction PTFE/PEEK heterolayer:A new solid lubrication approach toward simplicity

Tribological applications of polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE)are often limited by technological complexity to overcome its poor wear resistance.Here,a PTFE/polyetheretherketone(PEEK)heterolayer(HL)was proposed and evaluated as a new solid lubrication solution.Pin-on-disk tribometry found the lowest friction coefficient(μ)of 0.031 and ultralow wear for the PEEK/HL under typical conditions.The friction coefficient of the HL surpasses those of the state-of-the-art polymeric coatings/composites by at least 200%,and approaches that of highly lubricated interfaces.Mechanistic investigations revealed multi-length physical and chemical heterogeneity of the HL that best facilitates a tribofilm with high subsurface stability and surface instability.The technological simplicity and robustness of the HL’s high lubricity make it a promising new type of solid lubrication toward greater reliability and longevity.

Thermoelectric performance of Bi_(2)Sn_(2)Te_(6)monolayer with ultralow lattice thermal conductivity induced by hybrid bonding properties:A theoretical prediction

The crystal structure,mechanical stability,phonon dispersion,electronic transport properties and thermoelectric(TE)performance of the Bi_(2)Sn_(2)Te_(6)monolayer are assessed with the first-principles calculations and the Boltzmann transport theory.The Bi_(2)Sn_(2)Te_(6)monolayer is an indirect semiconductor with a band gap of 0.91 eV using the Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof(HSE06)functional in consideration of the spin-orbit coupling(SOC)effect.The Bi_(2)Sn_(2)Te_(6)monolayer is high thermodynamically and mechanically stable by the assessments of elastic modulus,phonon dispersion curves,and ab initio molecular dynamics(AIMD)simulations.The hybrid bonding characteristics are discovered in Bi_(2)Sn_(2)Te_(6)monolayer,which is advantageous for phonon scattering.The antibonding interactions near the Fermi level weaken the chemical bonding and reduce the phonon vibrational frequency.Due to the short phonon relaxation time,strong anharmonic scattering,large Grüneisen parameter,and small phonon group velocity,an ultralow lattice thermal conductivity(0.27 W/(m·K)@300 K)is achieved for the Bi_(2)Sn_(2)Te_(6)monolayer.The optimal dimensionless figure of merit(ZT)values for the n-type and p-type Bi_(2)Sn_(2)Te_(6)monolayers are 2.68 and 1.63 at 700 K,respectively,associated with a high TE conversion efficiency of 20.01%at the same temperature.Therefore,the Bi_(2)Sn_(2)Te_(6)monolayer emerges as a promising candidate for TE material with high conversion efficiency.

New thermoelectric semiconductors Pb_(5)Sb_(12+x)Bi_(6-x)Se_(32) with ultralow thermal conductivity

Five new semiconductors Pb_(5)Sb_(12+x)Bi_(6-x)Se_(32)(x=0,1,2,3,and 4)have been synthesized for the first time,which adopt pavonite-type structure and crystallize in monoclinic C2/m space group.The crystal structure is composed of two different types of polyhedral slabs.Slab-I is a galena-like structure motif that forms with[MSe_(6)](M=Pb,Sb,and Bi)octahedra and slab-Ⅱcontains one octahedral[MSe_(6)]block and paired squared pyramids[MSe_(5)].Pb_(5)Sb_(12+x)Bi_(6-x)Se_(32)exhibits n-type semiconductor behaviors and the remarkable Seebeck coefficient from-64.1μV K^(-1)for x=0 sample to-242μV K^(-1)forx=4 sample at 300 K.Moreover,the Pb_(5)Sb_(12)Bi_(6)Se_(32)has the highest carrier concentration of 1.35×10^(20)cm^(-3)in pavonite-type materials.The complex compositions,mixed occupancies of the cations,and quasi-two-dimensional structure lead to the low lattice thermal conduc-tivity(κ_(lat))less than 0.48 W m^(-1)K^(-1)from 300 to 723 K,at which Pb_(5)Sb_(16)Bi_(2)Se_(32)especially shows the ultralow value of 0.25 W m^(-1)K^(-1).As a result,the thermoelectric figure of merit,ZT~0.34 at 723 K,is obtained for the intrinsic Pb_(5)Sb_(12)Bi_(6)Se_(32).

Carbon Nanofibers Encapsulated CoNiFe Bifunctional Electrocatalysts for Durable Zn-Air Batteries at Room and -40℃ Ultralow Temperatures

Reasonably designing composition and nanostructure to enhance the stability of bifunctional catalysts is highly desired for rechargeable Zn-air batteries(ZABs).Here,porous carbon nanofibers(CNFs)encapsulated CoNiFe alloy nanoparticles(NPs)(CoNiFe/CNFs)were synthesized controllably by in-situ growth and cation etching.Electrochemical tests indicated that CoNiFe/CNFs exhibited excellent bifunctional performances in both oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and oxygen reduction reaction(ORR).Using CoNiFe/CNFs as bifunctional catalysts,the assembled ZABs presented ultralong durability up to 1050 and 660 h at 5 and 25 mA cm^(-2),respectively.The assembled flexible solid-state ZABs-based polyacrylamide(PAM)hydrogel exhibited a power density of 62.9 mW cm^(-2) and 66 h durability at 2 mA cm^(-2) under ultralow temperature of -40℃.The excellent performance of CoNiFe/CNFs was ascribed to the encapsulation of CNFs by the alloy NPs and the synergy of multi-metals in the alloy NPs,because the encapsulation could suppress alloy spillage and agglomeration and protect the catalytic sites from electrolyte deterioration,thereby boosting the durability of the resulting ZABs.

Long-lasting chemiluminescence by aggregation-induced emission surfactant with ultralow critical micelle concentration

The development of green and simple chemiluminescence(CL)systems with intensive and long-lasting emission is highly desirable in lighting and extension of their applications.In this study,it is found that the involvement of aggregation-induced emission(AIE)surfactant could greatly enhance the CL of luminol–H2O2–Co2+system.The inserted hydrophobic tetraphenylethylene fluorophore in AIE is able to increase the hydrophobicity of alkyl chain and decrease the critical micelle concentration(CMC)of surfactant.The synergistic effect of micelle-improved enrichment and CL resonance energy transfer endows luminol–H2O2–Co2+system intensive and long-lasting emission under neutral pH conditions(pH 7.4).The visible emission is still observed even after 60 min.Our study has opened a new avenue for exploring green and simple effective CL systems through AIE surfactant with unltralow CMC toward various applications in lighting,optical sensing,and photocatalysis,etc.

Ultralow friction of ion-containing water nanodroplets

We reveal the ultralow friction or superlubricity of water nanodroplets containing cations and anions on graphene substrates at high ion concentration by molecular dynamics simulations.When the ion concentration is higher than 7 wt.%and the nanodroplet diameter is larger than 10 nm,the friction coefficients of water nanodroplets are lower than 10−2,and can decrease to the order of 10−3 with increasing the ion concentration further.At a certain ion concentration,the optimal nanodroplet diameter of 17–20 nm exists at which the friction coefficient is the lowest.The ultralow friction behaviors of water nanodroplets containing cations and anions are mainly attributed to the opposite variation trends between the interfacial adhesion energy and surface energy of water nanodroplet with ion concentration,and the interfacial hydrophobicity sustained by high ion concentration.These results unveil the essential role of ions in achieving the superlubricity of water nanodroplets.

MXene-enhanced environmentally stable organohydrogel ionic diode toward harvesting ultralow-frequency mechanical energy and moisture energy

With the accelerating advancement of distributed sensors and portable electronic devices in the era of big data,harvesting energy from the surrounding environment to power electrical devices has become increasingly attractive.However,most mechanical energy harvesters often require high operating frequencies to function properly.Moreover,for practical applications,the survivability of devices in harsh operating environments is a vital issuewhich must be addressed.Besides,the single-stimulus responsiveness limits their further applications in complex external environments.Here,a pressure and moisture dual-responsive ionic diode consisting of two organohydrogels with opposite charges as an energy harvester is proposed.The organohydrogel ionic diode utilizes the migration of cations and anions to form the depletion zone and followed by an enhancement of the built-in potential along the depletion zone as a result of mechanical stress or humidity,converting ultralow-frequency mechanical energy or moisture energy into electrical energy.Meanwhile,this mechanism is further confirmed by the finite element analysis.With the increased rectification ratio due to the introduction of MXene,the ionic diode exhibits a relatively large output current(∼10.10μA cm^(−2))and power density(∼0.10μW cm^(−2))at a mechanical pressure of 0.01 Hz,outperforming most currently available mechanical energy harvesters.More impressively,the incorporation of ethylene glycol provides the hydrogel ionic diode with excellent temperature tolerance and long-term environmental stability.The organohydrogel ionic diode can also be applied as a moisture-driven power generator and self-powered humidity sensor.This study presents promising prospects for the efficient collection of renewable and sustainable energy and the practical application of hydrogel-based energy harvesters in extreme environments.