Closed corner divertor with B×▽B away from the divertor:a promising divertor scenario for tokamak power exhaust

A major challenge facing the steady-state operation of tokamak fusion reactors is to develop a viable divertor solution with order-of-magnitude increase in power handling capability as compared with present experience.A recently developed divertor concept for this end has been tested recently on EAST tokamak through combining the effects of a closed divertor corner and E×B drifts.The E×B drifts in the divertor move particles towards the outer divertor corner area in the scrape-off layer for B×▽B directed away from the divertor,which can significantly enhance the particle concentration there,facilitating divertor detachment.In recent EAST experiments,the effects have been demonstrated where the lowest electron temperature at the divertor plate is obtained with strike point located close to the corner in the horizontal target and with B×▽B away from the divertor.These experimental results are in reasonable agreement with SOLPS-ITER simulations including drift effects,suggesting that the new divertor concept potentially provides a promising divertor solution for long-pulse operations of future tokamak fusion reactors with much higher power fluxes.

Deciphering the potassium storage phase conversion mechanism of phosphorus by combined solid-state NMR spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations

Phosphorus is the potential anode material for emerging potassium-ion batteries(PIBs)owing to the highest specific capacity and relatively low operation plateau.However,the reversible delivered capacities of phosphorus-based anodes,in reality,are far from the theoretical capacity corresponding to the formation of K3P alloy.And,their underlying potassium storage mechanisms remain poorly understood.To address this issue,for the first time,we perform high-resolution solid-state31P NMR combined with XRD measurements,and density functional theory calculations to yield a systemic quantitative understanding of(de)potassiation reaction mechanism of phosphorus anode.We explicitly reveal a previously unknown asymmetrical nanocrystalline-to-amorphous transition process via rP←→(K_(3)P_(11),K_(3)P_(7),beta-K_(4)P_(6))←→(alpha-K4P6)←→(K_(1-x)P,KP,K_(4-x)P3,K_(1+x)P)←→(amorphous K4P3,amorphous K3P)that are proceed along with the electrochemical potassiation/depotassiation processes.Additionally,the corresponding KP alloys intermediates,such as the amorphous phases of K_(4)P_(3),K_(3)P,and the nonstoichiometric phases of“K_(1-x)P”,“K_(1+x)P”,“K_(4-x)P_(3)”are experimentally detected,which indicating various complicated K-P alloy species are coexisted and evolved with the sluggish electrochemical reaction kinetics,resulting in lower capacity of phosphorus-based anodes.Our findings offer some insights into the specific multi-phase evolution mechanism of alloying anodes that may be generally involved in conversion-type electrode materials for PIBs.

A new electromagnetic probe array diagnostic for analyzing electrostatic and magnetic fluctuations in EAST plasmas

A novel electromagnetic probe array(EMPA) diagnostic, which consists of a magnetic probe array and an electrostatic probe array, has recently been developed on EAST. The EMPA is fixed near the first wall at horizontal port P. The magnetic probe array of the EMPA consists of 24 identical magnetic probes, each of them capable of measuring toroidal, poloidal and radial magnetic fluctuations simultaneously, providing additional toroidal magnetic fluctuation measurements compared with the regular magnetic probes on EAST. With a higher sampling rate and self-resonant frequency, the EMPA magnetic probes can provide higher frequency magnetic fluctuation measurements. The magnetic probe array of the EMPA is composed of two parallel layers of magnetic probes with a radial distance of 63 mm, and each layer of magnetic probes is arranged in four poloidal rows and three toroidal columns. The compact arrangement of the EMPA magnetic probe array largely improves the toroidal mode number measurement ability from-8≤ n≤ 8 to-112≤ n≤ 112, and also improves the high poloidal wave number measurement ability of magnetic fluctuations compared with the regular high frequency magnetic probes on EAST. The electrostatic probe array of the EMPA consists of two sets of four-tip probes and a single-tip probe array with three poloidal rows and four toroidal columns. It complements the electrostatic parameter measurements behind the main limiter and near the first wall in EAST. The engineering details of the EMPA diagnostic, including the mechanical system, the electrical system, the acquisition and control system, and the effective area calibration, are presented. The preliminary applications of the EMPA in L-mode and H-mode discharges on EAST have demonstrated that the EMPA works well for providing information on the magnetic and electrostatic fluctuations and can contribute to deeper physical analysis in future EAST experiments.

Experimental investigation on divertor tungsten sputtering with neon seeding in ELMy H-mode plasma in EAST tokamak

Neon(Ne)seeding is used to cool the edge plasma by radiation to protect the divertor tungsten(W)target in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST).The W sputtering in the outer divertor target with Ne seeding is assessed by the divertor visible spectroscopy system.It is observed that the W sputtering flux initially increases with Ne concentration in the divertor despite the decreasing plasma temperature.After reaching a maximum around 25 eV,the W sputtering rate starts to decrease,presenting a suppression effect.The effect on the divertor W sputtering flux and yield due to the competition between the increase of the Ne concentration and the decrease of the plasma temperature is discussed.The results show that enough Ne seeding is essential to effectively reduce the electron temperature and thus to suppress W sputtering.Moreover,ELM suppression is observed when Ne and W impurities enter the core plasma,which could be correlated to the enhanced turbulence transport in the pedestal.

Divertor detachment operation in helium plasmas with ITER-like tungsten divertor in EAST

Detachment in helium(He)discharges has been achieved in the EAST superconducting tokamak equipped with an ITER-like tungsten divertor.This paper presents the experimental observations of divertor detachment achieved by increasing the plasma density in He discharges.During density ramp-up,the particle flux shows a clear rollover,while the electron temperature around the outer strike point is decreasing simultaneously.The divertor detachment also exhibits a significant difference from that observed in comparable deuterium(D)discharges.The density threshold of detachment in the He plasma is higher than that in the D plasma for the same heating power,and increases with the heating power.Moreover,detachment assisted with neon(Ne)seeding was also performed in L-and H-mode plasmas,pointing to the direction for reducing the density threshold of detachment in He operation.However,excessive Ne seeding causes confinement degradation during the divertor detachment phase.The precise feedback control of impurity seeding will be performed in EAST to improve the compatibility of core plasma performance with divertor detachment for future high heating power operations.

Experimental investigation of scrape-off layer blob high density transition in L-mode plasmas on EAST

Lithium Beam Emission Spectroscopy systems in the outer midplane and divertor Langmuir probe arrays embedded in the divertor target plates,are utilized to investigate the scrape-off layer(SOL)blob transition and its relation with divertor detachment on EAST.The blob transition in the near SOL is observed during the density ramp-up phase.When the plasma density,normalized to the Greenwald density limit,exceeds a threshold of f_(GW)~0.5,the blob size and lifetime increases by 2–3 times,while the blob detection rate decreases by about 2 times.In addition,a weak density shoulder is observed in the near SOL region at the same density threshold.Further analysis indicates that the divertor detachment is highly correlated with the blob transition,and the density threshold of blob transition is consistent with that of the access to the outer divertor detachment.The potential physical mechanisms are discussed.These results could be useful for the understanding of plasma-wall interaction issues in future devices that will operate under a detached divertor and high density conditions(over the blob transition threshold).

Comparison of natural grassy ELM behavior in favorable/unfavorable Bt in EAST

The properties of grassy edge-localized modes(ELMs)in EAST in the favorable and unfavorable Btare statistically studied.Statistical analysis indicates that there is no systematical difference in the frequencies of grassy ELMs under the two different magnetic configurations in the similar parameter spaces.The high-frequency grassy ELM(fELM>1 k Hz)in unfavorable Bt is dependent on the high poloidal betaβpand high triangularityδu,while the high-frequency grassy ELM(fELM>1k Hz)in favorable Btappears to rely on the high plasma density.A frequently occurring phenomenon in favorable Btdefined as‘clustered ELM’seems to be the most evident difference in ELM behavior between favorable and unfavorable Bt.Statistical analysis shows that larger plasma-wall outer gap,longer plasma elongation,lower low-hybrid wave heating power and electron cyclotron resonance heating power favor the occurrence of clustered grassy ELMs.Further studies indicate that the generation of clustered grassy ELMs could be correlated with the lower electron temperature in the bulk plasma.

Migration mechanism and risk assessment of perand polyfluoroalkyl substances in the Ya'Er Lake oxidation pond area,China

The migration mechanisms,sources,and environmental risks of 29 legacy and emerging perfluorinated and polyfluoroalkyl species present in an oxidation pond(Ya'Er Lake)were investigated for treating sewage based on the analysis of their occurrence and distribution.The concentration of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances(PFAS)in pond area was between0.30 and 63.2 ng/g dw(dry weight),with the overall average concentration of 8.00 ng/g dw.Notably,the PFAS concentrations in the surface sediments near the sewage outlet in Pond-1(50.2 ng/g dw)and Pond-5(average 15.1 ng/g dw)were 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than those in other areas.In general,the legacy PFAS,i.e.,perfluorooctane sulfonic acid was considered to be the major pollutant in the polluted area,on average,accounting for 73.0%of the total concentration of PFAS pollutants.By evaluating the regional distribution of different PFAS homologs,the short-chain PFAS pollutants with lower K_(ow)were found to migrate farther in both horizontal and vertical directions.The sewage outlets in Pond-1 and Pond-5are the main pollution sources in polluted area and the emerging PFAS pollutants in Pond-5have replaced the legacy PFAS pollutants as the main pollutants.Based on positive matrix factorization analysis,three main industrial sources of PFAS pollutants in the study area were identified:protective coating,fire-fighting,and food packaging sources.Moreover,the environmental risk assessment results showed that most study areas exhibited medium environmental risk(0.01≤Risk quotient(RQ)<1),indicating that the ecological environment risks in this area need further attention.

Efficient Spin-Flip between Charge-Transfer States for High-Performance Electroluminescence, without an Intermediate Locally Excited State

Thermally activated delayed fluorescence(TADF)materials with both high photoluminescence quantum yield(PLQY)and fast reverse intersystem crossing(RISC)are strongly desired to realize efficient and stable organic light-emitting diodes(OLEDs).Control of excited-state dynamics via molecular design plays a central role in optimizing the PLQY and RISC rate of TADF materials but remains challenging.Here,3 TADF emitters possessing similar molecular structures,similar high PLQYs(89.5%to 96.3%),and approximate energy levels of the lowest excited singlet states(S_(1)),but significantly different spin-flipping RISC rates(0.03×10^(6) s^(−1) vs.2.26×10^(6) s^(−1))and exciton lifetime(297.1 to 332.8μs vs.6.0μs)were systematically synthesized to deeply investigate the feasibility of spin-flip between charge-transfer excited states(^(3)CT–^(1)CT)transition.

Phosphonium-Based Ionic Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Emitters for High-Performance Partially Solution-Processed Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

Ionic thermally activated delayed fluorescence(TADF)emitters are rarely investigated due to their poor photoluminescence and electroluminescence performance.Herein,highly efficient ionic TADF emitters with charged donor–acceptor(D–A^(+))and D–A^(+)–D architectures are designed,innovatively based on the phosphonium cation electron acceptor.The symmetric D–A^(+)–D compound in doped film exhibits a high photoluminescence quantum yield of 0.91 and a short emission lifetime of 1.43 microseconds.Partially solution-processed organic lightemitting diodes based on these ionic TADF emitters achieve a maximum external quantum efficiency(EQE)of 18.3%and a peak luminance of 14,532 candelas per square meter(cd/m^(2))and show a small efficiency roll-off of 7.1%(EQE=17%)at a practical high luminance of 1000 cd/m^(2).These results demonstrate the high potential of phosphonium cations as promising electron acceptors to construct TADF emitters for high-performance electroluminescence devices.The current study opens up an appealing way for future exploitation of high-efficiency ionic TADF materials.

Influence of microplastics on the photodegradation of perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA)

PFAS(per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances)are omnipresent in the environment and their transportation and transformation have attracted increased attention.Microplastics are another potential risk substances that can serve as a carrier for ubiquitous pollutants,thus affecting the presence of PFAS in the environment.In this study,the adsorption of perfluorooctane sulfonamide(FOSA)and perfluorooctanoic acid(PFOA)on four microplastics(PE,PVC,PS,and PTFE)and their effect on the photodegradation of FOSA were studied.The adsorption capacity of FOSA by PS was the highest,in similar,PS displayed the highest adsorption capacity in the presence of PFOA.Different effects of pH and salinity on the adsorption of FOSA and PFOA were observed among different microplastics indicating inconsistent interaction mechanisms.Furthermore,FOSA could be photodegraded,with PFOA as the main product,while the presence of microplastics had a negligible effect on the degradation of this contaminant.The results indicated that microplastics could act as PFAS concentrators.Moreover,their photochemical inertiasmake the pollutants enriched onmicroplastics more resistant to degradation.

Progress of the bolometer diagnostic system on EAST

Measurements of the total radiated power and its spatial distribution are crucial for fusion research.On the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak(EAST),both the metal foil resistive bolometer and the absolute extreme ultraviolet(AXUV)photodiodes have been used to quantify the radiated power.This article introduces the latest improvement of the bolometer diagnostic system on EAST.It also details the successful design and installation of new divertor AXUV cameras,which are dedicated to the investigation of divertor physics.The shielding components of the bolometer detector have been refined,and the article provides a detailed exposition of the double shielding structures that have been verified as effective in microwave shielding.Additionally,the changes in the radiated power distribution in the divertor region during the plasma detachment process are measured using the divertor AXUV camera.Finally,the radiated power measured by the AXUV detector and metal foil resistive bolometer are compared,and different detector performances are presented.

金属玻璃动态拉伸断裂(层裂)中的损伤演化行为

金属玻璃独特的非晶结构使其具有许多优异的力学、物理性能,因而在装甲防护、卫星护罩等方面拥有广阔的应用前景.近年来,在金属玻璃层裂面上观察到一种"韧脆转变"现象,其可能会加速材料的动态损伤演化进程,影响其在国防军事、航空航天方面的实际应用.如何有效规避此类缺陷,要求研究者在机理层面进一步加深对该过程的认识.本文回顾了冲击载荷下金属玻璃动态力学性能和损伤演化机理方面的研究现状,并对层裂过程中动态孔洞扩展的相关理论展开介绍,明确了已有实验工作和理论模型中的不足,旨在吸引更多研究者参与到该领域的研究中.

The occurrence of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances(PFASs) in fluoropolymer raw materials and products made in China

Perfluorooctanoic acid(PFOA), its salts, and related compounds were listed as new persistent organic pollutants by the Stockholm Convention in 2019.In this study, the occurrence of residues of PFOA and other per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances(PFASs) in raw materials and fluoropolymer products from the Chinese fluoropolymer industries are reported for the first time.The PFOA concentrations in raw materials and fluoropolymer products were in the range of 6.7 to 1.1 × 10^(6) ng/g, and <MDL(method detection limit) to 5.3 × 10^(3) ng/g,respectively.Generally, the levels of PFOA in raw materials were higher than in products,implying that PFOA in the emulsion/dispersion resin could be partly removed during the polymerization or post-processing steps.By tracking a company’s polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE) production line, it was found that over a 5 year period, the residual levels of PFOA in emulsion samples declined from 1.1 × 10^(6) to 28.4 ng/g, indicating that the contamination of PFOA in fluoropolymer products from production source gradually decreased after its use had been discontinued.High concentrations of HFPO-TrA(2.7 × 10^(5) to 8.2 × 10^(5) ng/g) were detected in some emulsion samples indicating this alternative has been widely applied in fluoropolymer manufacturing in China.

Packing properties of binary mixtures in disordered sphere systems

Mixtures of binary spheres are numerically simulated using a relaxation algorithm to investigate the effects of volume fraction and size ratio, A complete profile of the packing properties of binary spheres is given. The density curve with respect to the volume fraction has a triangular shape with a peak at 70% large spheres. The density of the mixture increases with the size ratio, but the growth becomes slow in the case of a large size disparity, The volume fraction and size ratio effects are reflected in the height and movement, respectively, of specific peaks in the radial distribution functions. The structure of the mixture is further analyzed in terms of contact types, and the mean coordination number is demonstrated to be primarily affected by ＂large-small＂ contacts. A novel method for estimating the average relative excluded volume for binary spheres by weighting the percentages of contact types is proposed and extended to polydisperse packings of certain size distributions. The method can be applied to explain the density trends of polydisperse mixtures in disordered sphere systems,

Disordered packing density of binary and polydisperse mixtures of curved spherocylinders

Particle elongation is an important factor affecting the packing properties of rod-like particles. However, rod-like particles can be easily bent into non-convex shapes, in which the effect of bending should also be of concerned, To explore the shape effects of elongation and bending, together with the size and volume fraction effects on the disordered packing density of mixtures of non-convex particles, binary and polydisperse mixtures of curved spherocylinders are simulated employing sphere assembly models and the relaxation algorithm in the present work. For binary packings with the same volume, curves of the packing density versus volume fraction have good linearity, while densities are plotted as a series of equidistant curves under the condition of the same shape. The independence of size and shape effects on the packing density is verified for mixtures of curved spherocylinders. The explicit formula used to predict the density of binary mixtures, by superposing the two independent functions of the size and shape parameters, is extended to include a non-convex shape factor. A polydisperse packing with the shape factor following a uniform distribution under the condition of the same volume is equivalent to a binary mixture with certain components. The packing density is thus predicted as the mean of maximum and minimum densities employing a weighing method.

A smart post-synthetic route towards[Fe_(2)Co_(2)]molecular capsules with electron transfer and bidirectional switching behaviors

Aldehyde groups were intentionally equipped on the cyanide-bridged[Fe_(2)Co_(2)]square molecules:{[(Tp*)Fe(CN)_(3)Co(bpy^(CHO))_(2)]_(2)-[PF_(6)]_(2)}·4MeOH(1,Tp*=hydrotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)borate;bpy^(CHO)=4-formyl-4′-methyl-2,2′-bipyridine),thus providing chemical-active windows for post-modification towards desired functions.In this contribution,by taking advantage of efficient Schiff-base condensation between the aldehyde-substituted bipyridine derivative(bpyCHO)and alkyl diamines(H_(2)N-(CH_(2))_(n)NH_(2)),two discrete[Fe_(2)Co_(2)]compounds{[(Tp∗)Fe(CN)_(3)Co(bpy^(C=N(CH_(2))_(n)N=C)bpy)]2[PF_(6)]_(2)}⋅6DMF(2,n=5;3,n=7)were prepared,where the cyanide-bridged[Fe_(2)Co_(2)]square cores were encapsulated by the flexible alkyl chains.Variable-temperature single-crystal X-ray diffraction and magnetic studies revealed complete thermo(T_(1/2)=233 K(2)and 237 K(3))and photo-induced electron transfer event accompanying spin transition between the diamagnetic[Fe^(Ⅱ)_(LS2)Co^(Ⅲ)_(LS2)]state and the paramagnetic[Fe^(Ⅲ)_(LS2)Co^(Ⅱ)_(HS2)]state(LS,low spin;HS,high spin).In addition,the bidirectional switching between the two states was achieved with alternating laser irradiation at 808 and 532 nm at 10 K.

Two-dimensional densely ordered packings of non-convex bending and assembled rods

The investigation of the problem of particle packing has provided basic insights into the structure,symmetry,and physical properties of condensed matter.Dense packings of non-spherical particles have many applications,both in research and industry.We report the two-dimensional dense packing patterns of bending and assembled rods,which are non-convexly deformed from simple objects and modeled as entangled particles.Monte Carlo simulations and further analytical constructions are carried out to explore possible densely packed structures.Two typical densely packed structures of C-bending rods are found,and their packing densities are identified as being functions of the aspect ratio and central angle.Six shapes of assembled rods,representing the combined deformations of rods,are employed in simulations with the packing structures classified into three types.The dense packing density of each packing pattern is derived as a function of different shape parameters.In contrast with the case of disordered packings,both the shape and order are verified to affect the packing density.

Secondary Metal Coordination Using a Tetranuclear Complex as Ligand Leading to Hexanuclear Complexes with Enhanced Thermal Barriers for Electron Transfer

Postsynthesis of the paramagnetic square-shaped complex{[(Tp*Me)Fe(μ-CN)_(2)(CN)][Co(dmbpy)_(2)]}_(2)(BPh_(4))_(2)·6MeCN·H2O[1,Tp*Me=tris(3,4,5-trimethylpyrazole)-borate;dmbpy=4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine)]by grafting transition metal(II)thiocyanates via its terminal cyano groups afforded three hexanuclear[Fe_(2)Co_(2)M_(2)]clusters(M=Zn,2;Co,3;Cd,4).The peripheral metal-complex units serving as excellent electron acceptors were found to help stabilize the low-temperature state of Fe^(II,LS)–Co^(III,LS) within the complex core.

Grain growth behavior and properties of high-entropy pseudobrookite(Mg,Co,Ni,Zn)Ti_(2)O_(5) ceramics

It is well known that the grain size of high-entropy ceramics is quite small owing to the sluggish diffusion effect. However, abnormal grain growth often occurs in high-entropy pseudobrookite ceramics, ultimately resulting in the formation of many abnormally grown grains with a grain size as large as 50 μm. To study this phenomenon, the grain growth behavior of high-entropy pseudobrookite ceramics was systematically investigated in this paper. The results demonstrate that the starting material powders first react with each other to form a high-entropy intermediate phase and calcined TiO_(2) powders (TiO_(2)-1100 ℃), and then as the sintering temperature increases, the formed high-entropy intermediate phase further reacts with TiO_(2)-1100 ℃ to form high-entropy pseudobrookite ceramics. Thus, in this system, in addition to the sluggish diffusion effect, the grain sizes of the high-entropy intermediate phase and TiO_(2)-1100 ℃ also affect the morphology of high-entropy pseudobrookite. Compared to nanosized TiO_(2), micron-sized TiO_(2) has a lower sintering activity. Therefore, the high-entropy intermediate phases (Mg,Co,Ni,Zn)TiO_(3) and TiO_(2)-1100 ℃ prepared with micron-sized starting materials exhibit lower grain sizes, finally resulting in the formation of high-entropy (Mg,Co,Ni,Zn)Ti_(2)O_(5) with small grain sizes. Moreover, nano-indentation and thermal conductivity tests were carried out on high-entropy (Mg,Co,Ni,Zn)Ti_(2)O_(5) with different morphologies. The results show that the hardness of high-entropy (Mg,Co,Ni,Zn)Ti_(2)O_(5) increases from 6.05 to 9.95 GPa as the grain size increases, whereas the thermal conductivity decreases from 2.091±0.006 to 1.583±0.006 W·m^(−1)·K^(−1). All these results indicate that high-entropy (Mg,Co,Ni,Zn)Ti_(2)O_(5) with a small grain size is a potential material for thermal protection.