Novel Ag@Nitrogen-doped Porous Carbon Composite with High Electrochemical Performance as Anode Materials for Lithium-ion Batteries

A novel Ag@nitrogen-doped porous carbon(Ag-NPC) composite was synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method and applied as an anode material in lithium-ion batteries(LIBs). Using this method, Ag nanoparticles(Ag NPs) were embedded in NPC through thermal decomposition of Ag NO_3 in the pores of NPC. The reversible capacity of Ag-NPC remained at 852 m Ah g^(-1)after 200 cycles at a current density of 0.1 A g^(-1), showing its remarkable cycling stability. The enhancement of the electrochemical properties such as cycling performance,reversible capacity and rate performance of Ag-NPC compared to the NPC contributed to the synergistic effects between Ag NPs and NPC.

Preface to Special Column on New Porous Catalytic Materials

Over the last 15-20 years a wide range of new porous catalytic materials has been discovered in the wake of major developments in mesostructured materials and hybrid porous solids such as metal organic frameworks（MOFs）.These two developments have both enormous potential to produce catalyst supports and solids.It may be argued that most existing industrial catalysts may be revisited for improvement taking advantage of the novel materials.

Creep rate sensitivities of materials by a depth-sensing indentation technique

The strain rate sensitivity to creep of single crystal Cu（110）, metal tantalum, and 128°Y-X LiNbO3 piezoelectric single crystal were measured at room temperature by MTS Nanoindenter XP. Among the three kinds of materials studied, Cu showed the highest degree of resistance to creep-induced deformation, which is followed by Ta, while the LiNbO3 single crystal deformed more readily than the others. The values of the steady-state strain rate sensitivities determined by the indentation methods are in the range of 0.002-0.006, 0.02-0.06 and 0.02-0.03 for Cu, Ta, and LiNbO3, respectively. The mechanisms for the indentation-induced creeping behavior and the factors that influenced the creeping are discussed.

Metal–Organic Gel Leading to Customized Magnetic‑Coupling Engineering in Carbon Aerogels for Excellent Radar Stealth and Thermal Insulation Performances

Metal–organic gel(MOG)derived composites are promising multi-functional materials due to their alterable composition,identifiable chemical homogeneity,tunable shape,and porous structure.Herein,stable metal–organic hydrogels are prepared by regulating the complexation effect,solution polarity and curing speed.Meanwhile,collagen peptide is used to facilitate the fabrication of a porous aerogel with excellent physical properties as well as the homogeneous dispersion of magnetic particles during calcination.Subsequently,two kinds of heterometallic magnetic coupling systems are obtained through the application of Kirkendall effect.FeCo/nitrogen-doped carbon(NC)aerogel demonstrates an ultra-strong microwave absorption of−85 dB at an ultra-low loading of 5%.After reducing the time taken by atom shifting,a FeCo/Fe3O4/NC aerogel containing virus-shaped particles is obtained,which achieves an ultra-broad absorption of 7.44 GHz at an ultra-thin thickness of 1.59 mm due to the coupling effect offered by dual-soft-magnetic particles.Furthermore,both aerogels show excellent thermal insulation property,and their outstanding radar stealth performances in J-20 aircraft are confirmed by computer simulation technology.The formation mechanism of MOG is also discussed along with the thermal insulation and electromagnetic wave absorption mechanism of the aerogels,which will enable the development and application of novel and lightweight stealth coatings.

Brønsted-acid sites induced photocatalytic cracking of low-polarity polyethylene plastics

Polyolefins such as polyethylene(PE)are one of the largest-scale synthetic plastics and play a key role in modern society.However,polyethylene is extremely inert to chemical recycling owing to its lack of chemical functionality and low polarity,making it one of the most challenging environmental hazards globally.Herein,we developed a phosphorylated CeO_(2)catalyst by an organophosphate precursor and featured efficient photocatalysis of low-density polyethylene(LDPE)without the acid or alkaline pre-treatment.Compared to pristine CeO_(2),the surface phosphorylation allows to introduce Brønsted acid sites,which facilitate to form carbonium ions on LDPE via protonation.In addition,the suitable band structure of the phosphorylated CeO_(2)catalyst enables efficient photoabsorption and generates reactive oxygen species,leading to the C–C bond cleavage of LDPE.As a result,the phosphorylated CeO_(2)catalyst exhibited an outstanding carbon conversion rate of>94%after 48 h of photocatalysis under 50 mW/cm^(2)of simulated sunlight,with a high CO_(2)product selectivity of>99%.Furthermore,the PE microparticles with sizes larger than 10μm released from LDPE plastic wrap were directly and completely degraded by photocatalysis within 12 h,suggesting an attractive and environmentally benign strategy of utilizing solar energy-based photocatalysis for reducing potential hazards of LDPE plastic trashes.

In-Situ Atomic-Scale Observation of Brownmillerite to Ruddlesden-Popper Phase Transition Tuned by Epitaxial Strain in Cobaltites

Phase transitions involving oxygen ion extraction within the framework of the crystallographic relevance have been widely exploited for sake of superconductivity,ferromagnetism,and ion conductivity in perovskiterelated oxides.However,atomic-scale pathways of phase transitions and ion extraction threshold are inadequately understood.Here we investigate the atomic structure evolution of LaCoO_(3) films upon oxygen extraction and subsequent Co migration,focusing on the key role of epitaxial strain.The brownmillerite to Ruddlesden-Popper phase transitions are discovered to stabilize at distinct crystal orientations in compressive-and tensile-strained cobaltites,which could be attributed to in-plane and out-of-plane Ruddlesden-Popper stacking faults,respectively.A two-stage process from exterior to interior phase transition is evidenced in compressive-strained LaCoO_(2.5),while a single-step nucleation process leaving bottom layer unchanged in tensile-strained situation.Strain analyses reveal that the former process is initiated by an expansion in Co layer at boundary,whereas the latter one is associated with an edge dislocation combined with antiphase boundary.These findings provide a chemomechanical perspective on the structure regulation of perovskite oxides and enrich insights into strain-dependent phase diagram in epitaxial oxides films.

利用FFV预测缓蚀剂在不同体系中的协同效应

目的研究一种分析缓蚀组分间协同效应的新方法。方法使用Material Studio 7.0软件中的Amorphous Cell模块进行对象构建,在不同体系中利用Discover模块进行优化和运算,以水分子为探针进行FFV值测试,模拟计算得到FFV,再利用其变化率,来预测缓蚀组分间的协同效应,并通过传统方法验证该方法的正确性。结果FFV模拟结果表明,在CO2体系中,MTIAS与AB2N具有协同效应,当二者按照摩尔比3∶2复配时的FFV最小,FFV的变化值D值最大,协同效应最好,缓蚀效率最高,而MTIAS与CPQA没有明显协同效应。在CO2/H2S体系中,MTIAS与CPQA按照摩尔比4∶1复配时的FFV最小,D值最大,协同效应最好,缓蚀效率最高;而当按照摩尔比1:4复配时,却出现了明显的拮抗效应,此时MTIAS与AB2N没有明显协同效应。失重法、极化曲线的测试结果与上述结果吻合。结论通过缓蚀剂膜层的FFV预测缓蚀组分间的协同效应,是一种快速有效的研究方法。

磷掺杂TiO2薄膜的制备与表征及其可见光照射下光催化降解邻苯二甲酸丁苄酯性能(英文)

P‐doped TiO2 (PTIO) thin‐films with different P contents were prepared using a sol‐gel method. The thin‐film samples were characterized using various techniques. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated by decomposing butyl benzyl phthalate under visible‐light irradiation. The results showed that the transformation of anatase to the rutile phase was inhibited and grain growth of TiO2 was prevented by P doping. The results confirm that the doped P atoms existed in two chemical forms, and those incorporated in the TiO2 lattice may play a positive role in photocatalysis. The high photocatalytic activities of the PTIO thin‐films may be the result of extrinsic absorption through the creation of oxygen vacancies, rather than excitation of the intrinsic absorption band of bulk TiO2 . The PTIO can be recycled with little depression of the photocatalytic activity. After six cycles, the photocatalytic activity of the PTIO film was still higher than 98%.

Highly active mixed-phase TiO_2 photocatalysts fabricated at low temperature and the correlation between phase composition and photocatalytic activity

The idea of varying volume ratio of water to ethanol in solvent was firstly employed to yield phase composition controllable mixed- phase titanium dioxide (TiO2) photocatalysts via a low temperature solvothermal route at 353 K. It was found that anatase contents increase from 0 to 100% with increase of ethanol contents in solvent. The mixed-phase TiO2 with 60% anatase content exhibited the best photocatalytic activity in photodecomposing formaldehyde (FAD) under UV light irradiation, which increases by abou...

Hierarchical Magnetic Network Constructed by CoFe Nanoparticles Suspended Within “Tubes on Rods” Matrix Toward Enhanced Microwave Absorption

Hierarchical magnetic-dielectric composites are promising functional materials with prospective applications in microwave absorption(MA)field.Herein,a three-dimension hierarchical“nanotubes on microrods,”core–shell magnetic metal–carbon composite is rationally constructed for the first time via a fast metal–organic frameworksbased ligand exchange strategy followed by a carbonization treatment with melamine.Abundant magnetic CoFe nanoparticles are embedded within one-dimensional graphitized carbon/carbon nanotubes supported on micro-scale Mo2N rod(Mo2N@CoFe@C/CNT),constructing a special multi-dimension hierarchical MA material.Ligand exchange reaction is found to determine the formation of hierarchical magnetic-dielectric composite,which is assembled by dielectric Mo2N as core and spatially dispersed CoFe nanoparticles within C/CNTs as shell.Mo2N@CoFe@C/CNT composites exhibit superior MA performance with maximum reflection loss of−53.5 dB at 2 mm thickness and show a broad effective absorption bandwidth of 5.0 GHz.The Mo2N@CoFe@C/CNT composites hold the following advantages:(1)hierarchical core–shell structure offers plentiful of heterojunction interfaces and triggers interfacial polarization,(2)unique electronic migration/hop paths in the graphitized C/CNTs and Mo2N rod facilitate conductive loss,(3)highly dispersed magnetic CoFe nanoparticles within“tubes on rods”matrix build multi-scale magnetic coupling network and reinforce magnetic response capability,confirmed by the off-axis electron holography.

Performance comparison of AlTiC and AlTiB master alloys in grain refinement of commercial and high purity aluminum

For further knowledge about the refining performance of AlTiC master alloys, Al5.5Ti0.25C and Al6.5Ti0.5C master alloys containing high Ti and C content were prepared and used in grain refining experiments of 99.8% commercial pure aluminum(CPAl). Their performance was compared with two types of Al5Ti1B refiners whose performance was nowadays considered to be the best. These two types of master alloys show similar refining efficiency at the addition level of 0.2%. However, at the addition level of 0.5%, there still exists great performance difference between AlTiC and Al5TiB alloys in grain refinement of 99.98% and 99.995% high purity aluminum(HPAl). The growth of columnar grains is fully suppressed due to the refinement of AlTiC at the addition level of 0.5%. Also, at the same addition level, the grain refining experiments of Al3Ti0.15C and Al5Ti0.2C master alloys which have found initial commercial applications are conducted in the above-mentioned three types of pure aluminum. According to the experimental results, these two refiners of different compositions are both nonideal. The second phase particles extracted from each refiner were observed through TEM, while the nuclei of grains after grain refinement were observed through SEM. The results were analyzed through computation and comparison of the constitutional-supercooling parameter and the growth-restriction parameter whose values were determined by solute element in aluminum melt with different purity. Apparently, AlTiC master alloys with high content of Ti and C element have great refining potential.

Effect of Manganese Doping on Oxygen Storage Capacity of Ceria-Zirconia Mixed Oxides

CeO2-ZrO2-MnOx mixed oxide series were prepared by sol-gel method. CO pulse and CO-O2 cycle measurements were carried out to examine the oxygen storage complete capacity （OSCC） and dynamic oxygen storage capacity （OSC） of the samples. The doping method brought about strong interactions between manganese oxide and ceria, both in the bulk and on the surface. Only a small part of Mn cations are incorporated into the ceria lattice to form solid solutions and the remaining are left on the surface as finely dispersed Mn3O4. The OSC behaviors of the materials are influenced by the doping amount of Mn and the solubility of Mn in the CeO2 lattice. The OSC is more easily affected by available contents of oxygen storage components when the measurement frequency is low. Comparatively, the concentration of lattice defects, which affects the mobility of bulk oxygen, is the determining factor under high frequency.

Ultra-high cycle fatigue behavior of high strength steel with carbide-free bainite/martensite complex microstructure

The ultra-high cycle fatigue behavior of a novel high strength steel with carbide-free bainite/martensite （CFB/M） complex microstructure was studied. The ultra-high cycle fatigue properties were measured by ultrasonic fatigue testing equipment at a frequency of 20 kHz. It is found that there is no horizontal part in the S-N curve and fatigue fracture occurs when the life of specimens exceeds 10^7 cycles. In addition, the origination of fatigue cracks tends to transfer from the surface to interior of specimens as the fatigue cycle exceeds 10^7, and the fatigue crack originations of many specimens are not induced by inclusions, but by some kind of ＂soft structure＂. It is shown that the studied high strength steel performs good ultra-high cycle fatigue properties. The ultra-high fatigue mechanism was discussed and it is suggested that specific CFB/M complex microstructure of the studied steel contributes to its superior properties.

MOF-Derived Ni1-xCox@Carbon with Tunable Nano-Microstructure as Lightweight and Highly Efficient Electromagnetic Wave Absorber

Intrinsic electric-magnetic property and special nano-micro architecture of functional materials have a significant effect on its electromagnetic wave energy conversion,especially in the microwave absorption(MA) field.Herein,porous Ni1-xCox@Carbon composites derived from metal-organic framework(MOF)were successfully synthesized via solvothermal reaction and subsequent annealing treatments.Benefiting from the coordination,carbonized bimetallic Ni-Co-MOF maintained its initial skeleton and transformed into magnetic-carbon composites with tunable nano-micro structure.During the thermal decomposition,generated magnetic particles/clusters acted as a catalyst to promote the carbon sp^2 arrangement,forming special core-shell architecture.Therefore,pure Ni@C microspheres displayed strong MA behaviors than other Ni1-xCox@Carbon composites.Surprisingly,magnetic-dielectric Ni@C composites possessed the strongest reflection loss value-59.5 dB and the effective absorption frequency covered as wide as 4.7 GHz.Meanwhile,the MA capacity also can be boosted by adjusting the absorber content from 25% to 40%.Magnetic-dielectric synergy effect of MOF-derived Ni1-xCox@Carbon microspheres was confirmed by the off-axis electron holography technology making a thorough inquiry in the MA mechanism.

Micro-arc oxidization fabrication and ethanol sensing performance of Fe-doped TiO_2 thin films

In-situ pure TiO2 and Fe-doped TiO2 thin films were synthesized on Ti plates via the micro-arc oxidation （MAO） technique. The as-fabricated anatase TiO2 thin film-based conductometric sensors were employed to measure the gas sensitivity to ethanol. The results showed that Fe ions could be easily introduced into the MAO-TiO2 thin films by adding precursor K4（FeCN）6＇3H20 into the NaaPO4 electrolyte. The amount of doped Fe ions increased almost linearly with the concentration of Kg（FeCN）63H20 increasing, eventually affecting the ethanol sensing performances of TiO2 thin films. It was found that the enhanced sensor signals obtained had an optimal concentration of Fe dopant （1.28at%）, by which the maximal gas sensor signal to 1000 ppm ethanol was estimated to be 7.91 at 275℃. The response time was generally reduced by doped Fe ions, which could be ascribed to the increase of oxygen vacancies caused by Fe3＋ substituting for Ti4＋.

A state-of-the-art review of the fabrication and characteristics of titanium and its alloys for biomedical applications

Commercially pure titanium and titanium alloys have been among the most commonly used materials for biomedical applications since the 1950 s.Due to the excellent mechanical tribological properties,corrosion resistance,biocompatibility,and antibacterial properties of titanium,it is getting much attention as a biomaterial for implants.Furthermore,titanium promotes osseointegration without any additional adhesives by physically bonding with the living bone at the implant site.These properties are crucial for producing high-strength metallic alloys for biomedical applications.Titanium alloys are manufactured into the three types ofα,β,andα+β.The scientific and clinical understanding of titanium and its potential applications,especially in the biomedical field,are still in the early stages.This review aims to establish a credible platform for the current and future roles of titanium in biomedicine.We first explore the developmental history of titanium.Then,we review the recent advancement of the utility of titanium in diverse biomedical areas,its functional properties,mechanisms of biocompatibility,host tissue responses,and various relevant antimicrobial strategies.Future research will be directed toward advanced manufacturing technologies,such as powder-based additive manufacturing,electron beam melting and laser melting deposition,as well as analyzing the effects of alloying elements on the biocompatibility,corrosion resistance,and mechanical properties of titanium.Moreover,the role of titania nanotubes in regenerative medicine and nanomedicine applications,such as localized drug delivery system,immunomodulatory agents,antibacterial agents,and hemocompatibility,is investigated,and the paper concludes with the future outlook of titanium alloys as biomaterials.

Crystallography of Mg_2Sn precipitates in Mg-Sn-Mn-Si alloy

The microstructures of a Mg-Sn based alloy with trace additions of Mn and Si after various ageing heat-treatments were investigated. The alloy was found to contain mostly Mg2Sn(β) precipitates. The morphology and orientation relationships(OR) of Mg2Sn precipitates were analyzed by using TEM. The Mg2Sn precipitates mainly exhibit three shapes: lath, polygon and plate. Four ORs between Mg2Sn precipitates and Mg(α) matrix are repeatedly detected, and two of them have never been reported before. Most of the lath-shaped β precipitates exhibit two OR. One is (0001)α//(110)β, [1 1■0]α //[001]β (OR-1), with the long axis along [1 1■0]α //[001]β; and the other is (0001)α//(110)β, [1 ■00]α //[31■]β(OR-2, a new OR), with the long axis along [1 ■00]α //[31■]β. The polygonal β exhibits (0001)α//(111)β, [ 2■0]α //[■10]β(OR-3), with several pairs of facets. The plate-shaped β exhibits (0001)α//(111)β, [ 2■0]αdeviates by about 9° from [■10]β(OR-4, a new OR).

Morphology dependent photocatalytic activity of WO_3 nanostructures

The shape of nanostructure has important effects on their properties, therefore in this study, we have prepared and characterized three different morphologies of WO_3 nanostructures i.e. nanorod, nanosphere and nanoplate for surveying shape effect on their photocatalytic properties toward degradation of Rhodamine B （RhB） dye. Obtained results show that nanoplate WO_3 in comparison with others has the best photocat- alytic activity. According to SEM, and photocatalytic degradation results, the reason for this behavior is the sharp edges and corners of WO_3 nanoplates. Because of their low coordination number, atoms located in the edges and comers of the WO_3 nanoplates have more activity, adsorb more RhB and therefore give more photocatalytic activity to the WO_3 nanoplates. Using of different scavengers showed that hydroxyl radicals are mainly responsible for photocatalytic activity of WO_3 nanoplates and nangspheres but for WO_3 nanorods, superoxide radicals are the main photocatalytic degradation agents.

Microstructural characterization of the Al/Cu/steel diffusion bonded joint

A vacuum hot-pressed diffusion method was used to prepare an Al/Cu/steel composite with a gradient structure. The Al/Cu interface was investigated layer by layer by means of scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, electron probe microanalysis, and Vickers microhardness. The results show that two kinds of intermetallic compounds, Cu9Al4 adjacent to the Cu side and CuAl2 adjacent to the Al side, are formed in the interface of Al/Cu. The conductivity is 0.369 mS/cm in the intermetallic compound with a thickness of 3.5 μm, higher than that of the intermetallic compound with a thickness of 23 μm, in which the conductivity is 0.242 mS/cm.

Interaction of DNA with Cationic Gemini Surfactant Trimethylene-1, 3-bis （dodecyldimethyl-ammonium bromide） and Anionic Surfactant SDS Mixed System

The interaction of DNA with cationic gemini suffactant trimethylene-1,3-bis （dodecyl dimethyl-ammonium bromide） （12-3-12） and anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate （SDS） mixed system has been investigated by measuring the fluorescence, zeta potential, UV-Vis spectrum, and circular dichroism. In the absence of SDS, owing to the electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, 12-3-12 forms micelle-like structure on the DNA chain before the micellization in bulk phase. For the mixed system of 12-3-12 and SDS, the negative charges on SDS can compete against DNA to bind with cationic 12-3-12 because of the stronger interaction between oppositely charged surfactants, and thus, the catanionic mixed micelles are formed before the formation of DNA/12-3-12 complexes. There-after, the positive charges on the mixed micelles bind with DNA, and thus, the change of the zeta potential from negative to positive is distinctly different from the system without SDS. Meanwhile, the existence of SDS postpones the exclusion of ethidium bromide （EB） from DNA/EB complexes. The conformation of DNA undergoes a change from native B-form to chiral ψ-phase as binding with 12-3-12 process. Upon adding SDS to the DNA/12-3-12 complex solution, however, DNA is released to the bulk and the ψ-phase returns to B-form again.