Sandwich structured ultra-strong-heat-shielding aerogel/copper composite insulation board for safe lithium-ion batteries modules

The fire hazard of lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)modules is extremely serious due to their high capacity.Moreover,once a battery catches fire,it can easily result in a fire of the entire LIBs modules.In this work,a sandwich structure composite thermal insulation(STI)board(copper//silica dioxide aerogel//copper)with the advantages of low thermal conductivity(0.031 W m-1K-1),low surface radiation emissivity(0.1)and good thermal convection inhibition effect has been designed.The thermal runaway(TR)occurrence time of adjacent LIBs increases from 1384 s to more than 6 h+due to the protection of STI board.No TR propagation occurs within LIBs modules with protect of a STI board when a battery catches fire.The ultra-strong-heat-shielding mechanism of STI board has been revealed.The TR propagation of LIBs modules has been insulated effectively by STI board through reducing the heat transfer of convection,conduction and radiation.The air flow rate between the heater and LIBs and radiant heat absorbed by LIBs decrease by 63.5%and 35.1%with protection of STI board,respectively.A high temperature difference inside the STI board is also formed.This work provides direction for the designing of safe thermal insulation board for LIBs modules.

Magnetron sputtering deposition of silicon nitride on polyimide separator for high-temperature lithium-ion batteries

To date,lithium-ion batteries are becoming increasingly significant in the application of portable devices and electrical vehicles,and revolutionary progress in theoretical research and industrial application has been achieved.However,the commercial polyolefin separators with unsatisfying electrolytes affinity and poor thermal stability have extremely restricted the further application of lithium-ion batteries,especially in the high-temperature fields.In this work,magnetron sputtering deposition technique is employed to modify the commercial polyimide separator by coating silicon nitride on both sides.Magnetron sputtering deposition modified polyimide(MSD-PI)composite separator shows high thermal stability and ionic conductivity.More importantly,compared with the cells using Celgard separator,the cells with MSD-PI separator exhibit superior electrochemical performance,especially long-term cycle performance under high temperature environment,owing to the high thermal conductivity of surface Si3 N4 particles.Hence,lithium-ion batteries with MSD-PI separator are capable of improving thermal safety and capacity retention,which demonstrates that magnetron sputtering deposition technique could be regarded as a promising strategy to develop advanced organic/inorganic composite separators for high-temperature lithium-ion batteries.

High-resolution structure-from-motion models covering 160 km-long surface ruptures of the 2021 M_(W)7.4 Madoi earthquake in northern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The May 222021 M_(W)7.4 Madoi,Qinghai,China earthquake presented a rare opportunity to apply the modern unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)photography method in extreme altitude and weather conditions to image surface ruptures and near-field effects of earthquake-related surface deformations in the remote Tibet.High-resolution aerial photographs were acquired in the days immediately following the mainshock.The complex surface rupture patterns associated with this event were covered comprehensively at 3-6 cm resolution.This effort represents the first time that an earthquake rupture in the interior of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau has been fully and systematically captured by such high-resolution imagery,with an unprecedented level of detail,over its entire length.The dataset has proven valuable in documenting subtle and transient rupture features,such as the significant mole-tracks and opening fissures,which were ubiquitous coseismically but degraded during the subsequent summer storm season.Such high-quality imagery also helps to document with high fidelity the fractures of the surface rupture zone(supplements of this paper),the pattern related to how the faults ruptured to the ground surface,and the distribution of off-fault damage.In combination with other ground-based mapping efforts,the data will be analyzed in the following months to better understand the mechanics of earthquake rupture related to the fault zone rheology,rupture dynamics,and frictional properties along with the fault interface.

A flame retardant separator modified by MOFs-derived hybrid for safe and efficient Li-S batteries

In this work,we have successfully prepared a novel separator modified with N,S co-doped carbon framework(named NSPCF)with confined CoS_(2) nanoparticles and rooted carbon nanotubes material(named NSPCF@CoS_(2))to apply for high-performance Lithium-Sulfur batteries(Li-S batteries).Robust carbon structure with large specific surface can act as a physical barrier and possess physical adsorption effect on lithium polysulfides(LiPSs).In addition,highly-conductive carbon can improve integral conductivity,leading to the fast charge transport and reaction kinetics.Also,doping heteroatoms could form more active sites to adsorb LiPSs strongly so that modified separator could inhibit the shuttle effect effectively.Moreover,the presence of CoS_(2) further enhances the ability of modified separator to trap LiPSs owing to the Lewis acid-base action.As a result,the NSPCF@CoS_(2)@C-150 battery can deliver initial discharge capacities of 863.0,776.2,649.1 and 489.4 mAh g^(-1) at 0.1,0.5,1 and 2C with a high sulfur loading of 2.04 mg cm^(-2),respectively.Notably,when turning the current density back to 0.1 C,its discharge capacity can recover to 1008.7 mAh g^(-1).In addition,the modified separators exhibit outstanding capacities to restrain the growth of lithium dendrites.It is noteworthy that the flame retardant performances of Li-S batteries are improved dramatically owing to the novel structures of modified separators.This rationally designed separator endows Li-S batteries with higher safety and excellent electrochemical performances,providing a feasible strategy for practical application of Li-S batteries.

Detailed mapping of the surface rupture of the 12 February 2014 Yutian M_s7.3 earthquake,Altyn Tagh fault,Xinjiang,China

Large-scale detailed mapping plays a key role in revealing the rupture characteristics and mechanisms of strong earthquakes.Relatively few studies have been performed on the surface ruptures of large earthquakes in central and western Tibet due to its remote nature and high elevation.Based on high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)photography,we mapped the coseismic surface rupture of the 2014 Yutian M_s7.3 earthquake.Along the western Altyn Tagh fault system,the earthquake produced~37 km of surface rupture along the South Xor Kol fault(southern section S1),Xor Kol fault(central section S2)and Ashikule fault(northern section S3).Section S1 has a 16-km-long surface rupture with an average sinistral offset of 52±25 cm and a maximum offset of~90 cm,while section S3 has a 14.2-km-long surface rupture with an average sinistral offset of 36±21 cm and a maximum offset of~84 cm.A compilation of 5308 cracks yields an average crack width along the southern section of 85±71 cm and a maximum width of~700 cm;the average width along the central section is 39±21 cm,and the maximum width is 243 cm;and the average width along the northern section is 61±44 cm with a maximum of~340 cm.In addition,the average cumulative opening across rupture zone is 3.4±2.9 m along the southern section,with a maximum of~17 m;4.3±3.6 m along the central section,with a maximum of~13 m;and 1.7±1.6 m along the northern section,with a maximum of~6 m.Evidently,the average crack width and cumulative opening decrease towards bends and steps along the fault.A global synthesis of surface rupture distributions corresponding to strike-slip earthquakes indicates that the rupture zone is wider near the complex parts of fault geometries(such as bends,steps and fault bifurcations)than along straight sections,suggesting that the fault geometry has an obvious control on the surface rupture width.The widespread cracks at the intersection between the Xor Kol and South Xor Kol faults may indicate that an extensional regime is more likely to produce distributed offfault deformation,which provides an observational constraint for the numerical simulation of dynamic rupture on a fault.In addition to coseismic surface rupture,the Yutian earthquake also produced a large number of gravity-driven slides on alluvial fans with gentle slopes.The friction efficiency of the water-bearing salt layer beneath fans could decrease the sliding threshold and trigger instability under surface shaking.These distributed deformations and gravity-driven slides reflect the coupling between the rupture propagation and fault geometry and indicate that the rupture may have propagated in two directions along the Ashikule fault after passing through a step.Therefore,the investigation of coseismic surface rupture provides important observational constraints on the dynamic rupture process.

Designing of multifunctional and flame retardant separator towards safer high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries

Owing to unprecedented merits such as high theoretical capacity,superior energy density and low cost,lithium-sulfur batteries(LSBs)show a bright future both in scientific and industrial areas.Whereas,the inherent issues,including highly insulating character,undesired shuttle behavior and lithium dendrites growth,are seriously impeding its practical usage.Here,a metal-organic-frameworks(MOFs)derived N,S co-doped carbon nanotube hollow architecture confining with CoS_(2) nanoparticles(CoS_(2)/NSCNHF)modified separator is designed to surmount these obstacles.Compared with Celgard separator,this designed separator shows obviously enhanced flame retardancy,giving 73.1%and 53.0%reductions in peak heat release rate and total heat release,separately.Concretely,its hollow structure,conductive feature,electrocatalytic activity and Lewis acid-base interaction enable the efficient inhibition on shuttle behavior as well as boost in polysulfides conversion kinetics.The cell with modified separator delivers a high discharge capacity of 1,284.5 mAh·g^(−1).After running for 100 cycles,a discharge capacity of 661.3 mAh·g^(−1) is remained.Markedly,the suppression on lithium dendrites growth is also observed,manifesting the enhanced battery safety.Overall,this work may shed light on the effective usage of MOFs-derived hierarchical composite in achieving LSBs with high electrochemical performance as well as safety.

Paleoseismologic record of earthquakes along the Wuzunxiaoer section of the Altyn Tagh fault and its implication for cascade rupture behavior

The Altyn Tagh fault is one of the few great active strike-slip faults in the world. The recurrence characteristics of paleoearthquakes on this fault are still poorly understood due to the lack of paleoseismic records recorded in high-resolution strata. We document a paleoseismic record in a pull-apart basin along the Wuzunxiaoer section of the central Altyn Tagh fault.The high-resolution strata recorded abundant seismic deformations and their sedimentary responses. Four earthquakes are identified based on event evidence in the form of open fissures, thickened strata, angular unconformities, and folds. The occurrence times of the four events were constrained using radiocarbon dating. Event W1 occurred at AD1220–1773, events W2 and W3 occurred between 407 and 215 BC, and event W4 occurred slightly earlier at 1608–1462 BC, indicating clustered recurrence characteristics. A comparison of the earthquake records along the Wuzunxiaoer section with other records along the Xorkoli section suggests that both sections ruptured during the most recent event.